April 2008 Archives

A week after Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race, Ashley Force became the first woman to win an NHRA Funny Car race.
Force beat her dad, John Force, in the Funny Car final at Atlanta Dragway in Georgia.
AOL.com wants to know which driver has the most talent, Danica or Ashley. They have set up an online poll, with nearly 40,000 responses so far.

The last time Jeff Burton was at Talladega Superspeedway for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, he finished last.
His past three races at Talladega have not been that great. His best finish has been a 27th place in the fall race in 2006.
His only top-10 finish in his past five races has been a fourth place in the spring race in 2006.
“I’m always nervous to run at Talladega," said Burton, driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. "You have to go into that race thinking that there is going to be a multi-car incident and how am I going to miss it. To me, it’s a stressful Sunday morning and once the race gets going, I calm down. But as the laps start winding down, the intensity level just goes through the roof."
Burton's team is bringing the same car it raced at Daytona to start the season. It finished 13th in the Daytona 500, Burton's worst showing so far this year.
He is riding a six-race top-10 streak that started in Las Vegas and includes a win at Bristol Motor Speedway.
But Talladega is a different beast and it hasn't been kind to Burton in the past.
"It’s unbelievable how you can feel it there more than any other race track," Burton said. "At every other race track, if you’re racing for the lead you might be racing with maybe two or three other guys. At Talladega, you’re contending with 30. When the intensity level increases for 30 people versus three, it changes the way you race.”

No driver is hotter than Kyle Busch. He has three straight NASCAR Nationwide Series wins. He has said if he wins five in a row, he wants to race the whole season. He leads the Truck Series standings, and he is in the hunt for the top spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.
But Talladega Superspeedway has not been a good track for Busch in Cup races.
He crashed in last year's spring race at Talladega and finished 37th. He crashed again in the fall race and was 36th.
“This place has been one of our worst tracks as far as finishing goes," said Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. "But yeah, I’m excited to get going. You know, we ran well at Daytona, and I feel like we should be good here too."
The car his team is bringing to Talladega is the car that J.J. Yeley drove in the spring race and finished 18th. It is also the same car that served at Busch's back-up at Daytona.
"We’re bringing a decent car with us," Busch said. "I know (crew chief) Steve (Addington) knows what he’s doing at a superspeedway, so I feel comfortable there. It’ll just be a matter of keeping our nose clean and staying out of trouble. That’ll probably never change at Talladega.”

Max Papis, a veteran of open-wheel and sports car racing from Italy, will race the two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series road course events for Haas CNC Racing starting with the June 22 race at Infineon Raceway.
“I’m very excited to have this opportunity,” Papis said. “After testing for Hendrick Motorsports and developing more knowledge about the COT, I’m proud and honored to carry over that experience to the Haas CNC Racing program.”
In addition to the Infineon Raceway race, Papis will be in the team's No. 70 Chevrolet for the race at Watkins Glen International in New York on Aug. 10.
Haas CNC has a two-car team in the Spring Cup Series. Scott Riggs is the driver of the team's No. 66 car.

Oxnard-based Pacific Coast Motorsports will enter a car driven by Mario Domingiez in the Indianapolis 500 in May, the team announced in Mexico City on Wednesday.
Domimguez drove the team's No. 96 entry in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the last Champ Car World Series race, and finished third. He will make the transition with Pacific Coast Motorsports into the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series for the remainder of the 2008 season starting with the Indianapolis 500.
The team plans on being at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 2.
“With our recent success at the Long Beach Grand Prix and with Mario giving me my first podium as a team owner, we couldn’t be more excited, and we can’t wait to get started," said team owner Tyler Tadevic. "This program is an extension of our belief in the Hispanic market and of our belief the Hispanic fans have for open-wheel racing and Mario in-particular. This Hispanic demographic is the fastest growing market in the United States and a very important fan-base for the IndyCar Series.”
Dominguez, 32, is originally from Mexico City. He will be considered a rookie at Indianapolis and in the IndyCar Series, but Dominguez is a veteran of the Champ Car World Series with two victories, 11 podium finishes and one pole position.
“I am very excited about this new project," Dominguez said. "Racing in the Indy 500 is a childhood dream of mine. I understand I have a big responsibility since I will be driving the Mexico City car. I will be representing the colors of my city and my country in the most important racing series in North America."
Pacific Coast Motorsports will have a one-car team in the IndyCar Series and a two-car team in the Atlantic Series with Frankie Muniz and Carl Skerlong as drivers.
“I am very excited to continue my efforts with PCM," Dominguez said. "We just finished on the podium this weekend and that shows that we are competitive and can be champions together."

Could this be the race? Could this be the weekend Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins his first race for Hendrick Motorsports?
History would indicate that this is his best chance. Earnhardt Jr. has won five races at Talladega Superspeedway, all with Dale Earnhardt Inc. Hendrick Motorsports has historically done well at Talladega, 10 wins, 40 top fives in 146 Cup starts at the track.
"I love going to Talladega because I like superspeedways and have done pretty well on them, but also mainly because of my fan base there," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "All weekend long, there are so many people telling you good things and helping you stay pumped up. We try to run up front as much as possible at that track because the fans just go wild when I take the lead."
The car his team is bringing to Talladega is the same car that won the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona in February.
"The new asphalt there has got tons of grip, and you really don't have to turn the wheel all that much," said Tony Eury Jr., Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief. "The banking turns the car, and the drivers pretty much hold the wheel straight. It's unique. In order to not lose the draft, you've got to have a lot of friends because the field will be a lot tighter there than at Daytona, because handling is not a factor. You can put whatever four springs in it you want and go run. It takes a lot out of our hands and puts it into the motor shop and the drivers to make things happen."

It took a while, eight races, but Jimmie Johnson is back where he belongs, among the leaders in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.
He jumped into fourth place after winning the Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway two weeks ago and sits 99 points out of first.
He has a pretty impressive record at Talladega Superspeedway too. He won a Cup race there in 2006 and was runner-up in both races last year.
"I think Talladega is going to be an exciting race," said Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "Being in the points, we held back and really tried to stay out of harms way (in the fall). I think it led to a not-so-exciting race at Talladega. I remember some criticism for it. I would expect this race to be completely out of control and wild."
His team is bringing a new car to Talladega. This will be the second time the Cup teams will race NASCAR's new stock car at Talladega.
"The points are always important, but with the Chase format, I think you will see a much more competitive race," Johnson said. "A lot more guys taking risks and getting in the middle of things and racing four-wide. I am predicting a great race in Talladega."

Kevin Harvick is in a bit of a freefall. After rattling off four straight top-10s, he has not finished better than 11th in his past three races.
Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway doesn't look that much more promising.
He dropped three places in the standings, from second to fifth, after a 19th place finish at Phoenix International Raceway two weeks ago. He's still in the top five in the Cup standings, but his team has slipped a little in recent weeks.
“I think we’ve run really well. We’ve been very consistent. We haven’t shown that dominance on a week-to-week basis as far as being able to lead a bunch of laps we still have to work to do," said Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. "We have been very consistent over the first several weeks and we have to maintain that consistency. When we’ve had a bad day we’ve kept it so it’s not a 30th or 25th-place bad day."
Harvick's team is bringing the same car he raced in the Daytona 500. That car finished 14th.
But Harvick had four straight top-10 finishes after the Daytona race and worked his way up to second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.
He has two top-10s in his past three races at Talladega, but in his last race there, he finished 20th.
“It makes you feel good when you can win the pole like we did in 2005 but it really doesn’t matter where you start," said Harvick. "A big part of the race is how your car works with other cars, staying out of the wrecks and putting yourself in a position for the last few laps to win the race.”

The NHRA fined Don Schumacher Racing $100,000 for having nitromethane in its pits during the drag races at The Strip in Las Vegas on April 13.
Schumacher responded to the fine, releasing a statement saying he will appeal the fine. He also said he takes full responsibility for any violation that might have occurred.
Here is the release:

This past week has been very trying for me, my family, my sponsors and my seven Don Schumacher Racing NHRA drag-racing teams. Since I began to build my operation to include a number of teams in 2001, I have strived to live up to my personal standards, those of the sponsors who so wholeheartedly support my efforts, the outstanding group of drivers and crew chiefs I have been fortunate to have join my racing family, and the incredibly talented medley of team employees.

It is my opinion and belief that the merits of the process begun by the NHRA to fine DSR an unprecedented $100,000 for an alleged infraction of our team possessing nitromethane in its pit area during a national event should not be argued in the media. I believe that a series of errors occurred at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, which led the NHRA to impose the fine.

I would like to extend my apologies to all the DSR sponsors and everyone involved in this situation on behalf of DSR for what appears to me to be a misunderstanding. I regret any focus that may have been put on any of our supporters unnecessarily.

I would never do anything that could be construed as going against the NHRA rules. I believe I have acted properly, with integrity, and this is a matter that is being dealt with between Don Schumacher Racing and the NHRA. I have processed an appeal to the NHRA which will be heard this week pursuant to NHRA's dispute resolution procedures.

Of utmost importance to me is that I explain to the media, fans and our longtime supporters that only I, as team owner, am involved in this situation. None of the seven DSR teams, their sponsors, crew chiefs, drivers or team employees should be singled out as having any responsibility in this situation.

After 50 races, two teams and endless questions, Danica Patrick won the first IndyCar Series race of her career in Motegi, Japan, over the weekend.
Patrick, who became the first woman to win an Indy Racing League IndyCar Series race, was asked which one of her teammates has helped her the most over the years.
She has quite an impressive list of teammates to choose from. She been on the same teams as Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, Marco Andretti and Buddy Rice. That’s two Indianapolis 500 winners, two IRL champions and an Andretti.
She said Bryan Herta.
Patrick mentioned Franchitti, Kanaan and Andretti, but a conversation she had with Herta last year at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course stood out.
“I was on the front row for the first time on a road course, which was great,” Patrick said Sunday during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, “and he said, ‘You know, when you win your first race, you’re going to go, I wasn’t doing anything different that day, it just happened.’ I wasn’t doing anything different yesterday, it just happened. He was right.”
It was Herta’s crew and team at Andretti Green Racing that Patrick inherited last year. A number of the same people that worked on Herta’s team are still with Patrick’s.
Herta, who drives for Andretti Green Racing in the American Le Mans Series now, said he remembers having that conversation with Patrick at Mid-Ohio.
“There was a lot of pressure on Danica to win and she hadn’t yet,” said Herta, a Valencia resident and Hart High of Newhall graduate. “She was already doing a great job. Nobody puts more pressure on Danica than Danica.”
He was trying to share his experiences with her. Herta won his first race in the old CART series at Laguna Seca in 1998 and won his first IRL race at Kansas Speedway in 2003. Both times, he did nothing out of the ordinary, there was nothing super-human about them. Things just sort of came together.
“You think it’s going to be so much harder, but it’s not,” Herta said.
Now that she’s won a race, it’s only going to make her better, Herta said.
“It definitely takes the question she’s been asked the most away,” Herta said. “It will free her up to focus on racing more consistently. She will become an even better driver now because of this.”
Patrick said her teammates have always demonstrated a tremendous amount of confidence in her. She said she was lucky to have those kind of teammates around her, especially at Andretti Green Racing.
“My teammates always said things like when you win your first race, when you win, this is what we’re going to do, and they always put that in my head,” Patrick said. “While I always believed it, it was nice to hear from guys like Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti. It’s a big honor, and I think that put that positive frame of mind and that presence there every time.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is at Talladega Superspeedway, the Craftsman Truck Series is at Kansas Speedway and Kyle Busch will not be able to be in both places for the races.
Busch has been leading the Truck Series standings since winning the race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana in February. But he won't be the No. 51 Toyota for Billy Ballew Motorsports when the truck races Saturday in Kansas.
Shane Sieg, a 25-year-old from Georgia, is entered in the Kansas race for Ballew, who can still maintain his lead in the Truck Series owners standings.
Busch is expected to be back in the No. 51 truck for the May 16 race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in North Carolina.
“With Kyle’s schedule at Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend, there was no way he could make the race in Kansas. We looked at all the scenarios but it just wasn’t feasible,” Ballew said. “Shane has driven for us before and is familiar with the equipment. We hope to leave Kansas still leading the owners’ points and know Kyle can make up some ground in the drivers’ points when we race at Lowe’s."
Sieg has 27 career Truck Series starts since 2003 and has a career-best finish of eighth, which came at the Milwaukee Mile. He drove Ballew's No. 15 truck three times last season, his best finish coming at New Hampshire International Speedway, where he was 10th.
“It’s a great opportunity to get back behind the wheel,” Sieg said. “I know I have big shoes to fill but I just want to bring a good finish home to keep Billy as the team owner point leader.”

Danica Patrick will be on a special edition of the "Andretti Green Racing Hour" on XM Satellite Radio channel 144 Tuesday night from 4-5 p.m. Pacific time.
Patrick is scheduled to talk to sportscaster Mike King about her win at Motegi, Japan, becoming the first woman driver to win an IndyCar Series race.
Following the program, XM will replay the Indy Japan 300 from 5-7 p.m Pacific time with commentary from team Andretti Green Racing team manager Kyle Moyer and XM Sports Nation host Joe Castello.
After the race, XM will broadcast the Andretti Green Racing Hour again from 7-8 p.m. Pacific time.

There are a few drivers in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach keeping a watchful eye on the Indy Racing League race in Motegi, Japan. Rain postponed the start of the Motegi race and pushed the start to Sunday. It was supposed to start tonight.
If the Motegi race gets rained out, the Long Beach race won’t count toward the IRL championship. Part of the merger agreement between the IRL and the old Champ Car World Series was that the points drivers earned in the Grand Prix of Long Beach would count toward the IRL championship. It could have been a great opportunity for a driver like Graham Rahal, who won the IRL race in St. Petersburg, to build a lead in the IRL championship standings.
But it looks like if the Motegi race gets cancelled, the Grand Prix of Long Beach will be nothing more than an exhibition in the IRL season, a meaningless final chapter in the Champ Car World Series.
Justin Wilson, who won the provisional pole for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Long Beach, said he hopes the race in Motegi happens.
“I heard a rumor early, I don’t know how true it is, of it possibly being rained out the whole weekend, in which case this race wouldn’t count for points,” said Wilson, driver for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. “We’re hoping that’s not true because we feel like we’ve got a good opportunity here to do what we’re used to and get a few points before we go back and struggle on the ovals.”
The latest from Japan is that the race is scheduled to run at Sunday at 11 a.m. Japan Standard Time, 10 p.m. on Saturday Eastern Daylight Time, 7 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. It will be televised on ESPN Classic live and again at 7 a.m. Sunday Pacific time.
"We never got a situation where the race track was presentable and safe to race on,” said Brian Barnhart, president of Indy Racing League competition and operation division. “The drivers would not have been comfortable and been in a position to where we could have done anything today."

Gil de Ferran spent his best days in the old CART series and Indy Racing League driving for Roger Penske, winning two CART championships and an Indianapolis 500 for Team Penske.
But now that de Ferran will be driving Acuras in the American Le Mans Series, he will be racing against his old boss, who has a team of Porsches in the LMP2 class.
De Ferran was asked if he’s thought about what it’s going to be like racing against Penske instead of for him.
“Let’s establish one thing here: Roger’s a personal friend. A lot of the guys that work at Penske are friends,” de Ferran said Friday at Long Beach. “Despite the fact that we’re going head-to-head, for my part that won’t change.
“You got to learn how to separate things. At the end of the day, I have a duty to my team. I have a duty to Acura. I have a duty to my sponsors, Panasonic, and to myself."
De Ferran won’t make his debut in the American Le Mans Series until next month’s race at Salt Lake City. That will be the fourth race of the year. He announced his team’s formation during the season opener at Sebring and hoped to be ready to race at Long Beach, but getting his team together is taking longer than he expected.
Even though his team won’t be ready to race until next month in Salt Lake City, de Ferran said he’d rather start racing midway through the season than wait until next season to start.
“There’s only so much you can learn testing,” de Ferran said. “Part of the learning comes through the school of hard knocks. You gotta be out there racing to really fully experience everything you need to experience to become a fully competitive team. It will be a year that we will have a lot of learning to do."
De Ferran will be joining what’s becoming a large contingent of former CART, Champ Car and IRL drivers who are racing in the American Le Mans Series. That list includes Adrian Fernandez, Christian Fittipaldi, Luis Diaz, Scott Sharp and Valencia’s Bryan Herta, all drivers for Acura-powered teams.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with some of these guys and it is funny now that most of them are now driving Acuras,” de Ferran said. “We have been talking quite a bit about sports car racing, but mostly about generalities, rather than specifics. All the guys have been very supportive and wishing me the best of luck – probably not too much luck – you’ll have to ask them about that. I am looking forward to racing against some old friends again.”

Gil de Ferran was hoping to have his American Le Mans Series team ready to race at Long Beach. It turns out it won’t makes its debut until the race in Salt Lake City in May.
De Ferran, a two-time CART champion and winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500, made a few announcements Friday at Long Beach. Simon Pagenaud will be his co-driver once the team, de Ferran Motorsports, gets on the track and Panasonic will be the team’s title sponsor.
Pagenaud, the 2006 Atlantic Series champion and a driver for Walker Racing in the Champ Car World Series last year, became available when Derrick Walker, owner of Walker Racing, decided not to join the newly unified Indy Racing League. Champ Car merged with the IRL over the winter ending a 12-year split between the two racing series.
De Ferran said choosing a driver and deciding on Pagenaud was a difficult process.
“The program has attracted a lot of attention,” de Ferran said. “There were a lot of reputable guys interested in the ride.”
The de Ferran Motorsports entry will be the fourth Acura team in the American Le Mans Series LMP2 division. Andretti Green Racing, Patron Highcroft Racing and Lowe’s Fernandez Racing have Acura entries in the series and they will race today.
De Ferran said Pagenaud is a serious and intelligent driver and came to the team highly recommended from Walker Racing. De Ferran raced for Walker for three years between 1997 and 1999.
“I am really thrilled to be given this opportunity,” Pagenaud said. “It is not every day that a two-time CART champion and Indy 500 winner calls and says he wants you to be his co-driver. At this stage of my career, it is an outstanding opportunity and I can’t wait for the first race.”

Ken Schrader will drive the No. 70 Chevrolet for Haas CNC Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
“I’m definitely very excited about the opportunity to drive for Haas CNC Racing,” Schrader said. “It is a younger team that is going through the growing process but yet has all of the elements in place.
Schrader is the third driver in the team's No. 70 car. Jeremy Mayfield started the first seven races for Haas CNC Racing. Johnny Sauter was in the car for the Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway.
“The team has an outstanding relationship with Hendrick Motorsports, and we know they have a proven engine program,” Schrader said. “We certainly don’t have to second guess the equipment.”
The team has two cars. Scott Riggs drives the No. 66 car and has started every Cup race for the team this year.

Ron Hornaday Jr., the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion and driver for Kevin Harvick Inc., will be in Mexico City this weekend for the Nationwide Series race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
This will be the first of five Nationwide Series races for Hornaday. He will be in the team's No. 33 Chevrolet for the Mexico City and Montreal races. He will be in the team's No. 77 car for the races at Daytona in July, Kansas in September and Texas in November.
Hornaday was in the NASCAR race, when it was known as the Busch Series, in Mexico City in 2005. He started 21st and finished 12th. Both tracks in Mexico City and Montreal are road courses.
“Mexico is a little bit longer than Montreal, but Montreal has a few more turns," said Hornaday Jr., a former Saugus Speedway champ from Palmdale. "Mexico has the chicanes and it can be tricky because you come down the straight-a-way full speed, cross the start-finish line and then you have slow down really quickly so you don’t over-shoot your turn. At Montreal, they have that hair-pin turn and you have cars that get all bunched up trying to pass each other.”
The car Hornaday's team is taking to Mexico City was in three races last year. Ron Fellows drove the car at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal and Watkins Glen International in New York. Fellows finished 32nd at Mexico City due to engine trouble, fourth in Montreal and 24th at the Glen.
Hornaday will be the road-course specialist for the team this year.
“I like road-course racing because you get the chance to race against some of the best drivers in the world," Hornaday said. "It’s challenging because you’re turning left and right while braking and shifting. That is probably the most challenging part, making sure you hit your marks and get your timing down when you shift going into and out of the turns.”

NASCAR said no to Texas Motor Speedway, but yes to Lowe's Motor Speedway.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will have two additional days of testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 5-6 in preparation for the Coca-Cola 600 and the All-Star race at the track later in the month.
“We received input from the teams last weekend at Phoenix and a vast majority of them were receptive to adding a test next month at Lowe’s,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition. “We always strive to work with the teams and do what is in the best interest of the competitors. We have 17 events ahead of us on intermediate tracks and the additional test allows the teams the opportunity to learn more about the new car, work on their setups and adjustments, and apply that information to these future races.”
The test session at Lowe's makes seven dates for Cup teams, the same number they had in 2007. NASCAR is mandating that teams test a maximum of four out of the give offered segments over the two days. There will be three sessions on May 5 and two on May 6.
Eddie Gossage, the president of Texas Motor Speedway, asked NASCAR to add a test date before the Cup race at his track earlier this month, but NASCAR refused.
“Although I am disappointed that NASCAR did not react in time for a test session we proposed prior to the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, I have to applaud them for finally listening to the teams and the tracks about this growing situation," Gossage said. "I am hopeful that the additional testing will give teams a better handle on the set-ups and ultimately lead to a better quality of racing for the fans. I have received emails and letters from our loyal fans about the quality of racing they witnessed at our event and those are the people – NASCAR fans – that everyone in the NASCAR community needs to be concerned about. We will continue to push NASCAR for a test session here prior to the Dickies 500 in November because we need to provide these fans with a great show. We need to win them back with the racing NASCAR and Texas Motor Speedway are known for.”

Ashley Force might have lost to Tim Wilkerson in the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series Funny Car finals at The Strip in Las Vegas on Sunday, but she came out leading the standings.
Force has a five-point lead over Wilkerson after five races. She has yet to win a race, but she has emerged as the top driver in Funny Car so far this year.
“A lot of the fans came up and they were just sure (I would win),” said Force, daughter of 13-time Funny Car champion John Force. “They were making bets on me and telling me how much money they had on me because I had that left lane, but it wasn’t so obvious to me. We kept picking the left lane. I really was thinking either we’d both get down the track or we’d both go up in smoke together.”
Cruz Pedregon came into the Vegas races leading the Funny Car standings, and left in third place. His brother, Tony, who will be racing in the Toyota Pro-Celebrity race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday, is fifth.
"Hot track conditions are part of drag racing. One of our strong points is our ability to get down the warmer tracks -- that's why we're looking forward to racing in the heat of Atlanta in a couple of weeks," said Cruz Pedregon. "It was another solid weekend -- we made some good runs in the heat and qualified fifth. We're in the top three in points and our strong races are ahead of us."
Jack Beckman of North Hills lost in the first round of eliminations and dropped to sixth in the Funny Car standings.
"We're going to test here (Monday) and we're going to test Tuesday and we're going to fix our Valvoline/MTS race car," Beckman said. "We struggled this weekend, we were fortunate we qualified. We're lucky we are leaving here still in a solid position in the points. What we need to do is get back that momentum so we never have to look back at what could've been if we had won that round."
Next up is the NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga., near Atlanta, April 25-27.

NHRA Funny Car standings after five races:
1. Ashley Force 326
2. Tim Wilkerson 321
3. Cruz Pedregon 294
4. Robert Hight 290
5. Tony Pedregon 285
6. Jack Beckman 280
7. Gary Densham 260
8. John Force 229
9. Del Worsham 219
10. Ron Capps 204

Instead of talking about Jeff Burton's pursuit of his first Cup championship or the first Saturday night race of the year, heroin and drug testing are the hot topics before the race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Aaron Fike, a NASCAR driver serving a prison sentence for drug possession, admitted last week that he was on heroin during races.
That admission did not sit well with some drivers. Kevin Harvick was one of the more vocal ones, and one of the most concerned. Fike drove for Harvick, who has NASCAR teams at the Craftsman Truck Series and Nationwide Series levels.
“I had a long conversation with NASCAR the last time we had this policy brought up in the end of the year last year and it almost seems like it went on deaf ears," said Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet for Riachrd Childress Racing. "I’m disappointed with the fact that we’re in a case where we have to have a reaction instead of being proactive about the situation. So that part I’m disappointed with that we have to answer these questions again and we haven’t made any headway whatsoever on the drug testing policy. In the 10 years that I’ve raced, I’ve never been drug tested. So to me that is not a proper professional sports drug policy and as I went up and talked to them about it. They were more mad that I had a reaction to the situation than they were as far as trying to move forward. To me, it was just kind of one of those meetings where they were content to listen to what I had to say and that was about it. My name is not Jeff Gordon.”
Harvick echoed the sentiment of a number of drivers who were in favor of more drug testing. But drug testing is not the issue here. Sure, more drug testing might reveal an abuser or addict in the garage. But here is where NASCAR is very different than other sports. Athletes in other sports who abuse drugs ultimately only hurt themselves. They might damage the image of their teams, but images can be repaired. Reputations can be mended.
However, in the case of NASCAR, a driver racing under the infuence is a danger to the other drivers in a race. The results could be catastrophic. Driving at 65 mph next to someone who is drunk can end tragically. Imagine what could happen in a race with cars going 200 mph.
The drivers have legitimate reasons to be angry and the right to know that every driver in a race is clean. That Fike even got behind a wheel while strung out on heroin is frightening. He should probably face attempted murder charges for making such a foolish admission.
Harvick was asked if he was angry that he had been in a NASCAR race with Fike.
“I have been in a race with him and I know for a fact that he’s not the only one," Harvick said. "There’s another driver that is suspended that I can almost guarantee you was in a race car while he was under the influence and that pisses me off. That is not fair to the 95 percent of this garage and that’s the bad part about it is 95 percent of this garage I can guarantee you is clean, but there’s a five percent chance - it’s just like the safety thing back in 2001 the reason that we reacted to it, we weren’t proactive until that situation happened.
"There’s no reason not to be proactive in the state of the world of sports, there’s no reason not to be proactive in the drug situation and that to me is irresponsible more than it is anything. I’m sure I’ll be blasted from somebody for saying what I feel but I don’t want to be on the race track with people like that."
No one does.

Mike David decided about week before the NASCAR Camping World Series race at Phoenix International Raceway to switch cars. His team put together a Toyota for the Phoenix race after finishing third in a Ford to start the season at All-American Speedway in Roseville last month.
The switch paid off. David won the Phoenix race and took over the lead in the West Series standings.
"We didn't take our best car to Roseville and it bit us," said David, who lives in Modesto. "We didn't run quite as good as we wanted. So, that's when we jumped on this thing and thought it would be our best car."
It was the first time his Lynch Racing team put together a Toyota for a NASCAR race.
"It took lots of hours," David said. "There were a lot of nights we were there until two or three in the morning and a couple of all-night efforts. All my guys are volunteer guys. They come down after work and put in all the hours. I can't thank them enough. It worked out great."
Eric Holmes, the winner of the season opener at All-American Speedway, took the lead early in the race, but ran out of fuel on lap 87. He opted to stay on the track rather than pit during a caution period about 20 laps prior and it cost him.
David said seeing Holmes run out of fuel made him a little uneasy about his team's pit strategy.
"When I saw Eric run out, we were concerned, also," he said. "We started backing it way off and trying to conserve fuel. That's when the 42 car (Jeff Jefferson) caught us."
David pitted during the caution period when Holmes ran out of gas and fell to eighth place. But David worked his way back to the front.
"We knew we had a real good car, especially on long runs," he said. "So, we just had to take our time to get back up there."
Nick Lynch of Burley, Idaho, was second and Jefferson finished third. Holmes finished 23rd.
The next event on the schedule for the NASCAR Camping World Series West is the Allstate Texas Thunder 150 at Thunder Hill Raceway in Kyle, Texas, on April 19.

Rip Michels Racing will enter at least three races in the Flashco SRL Southwest Tour Series, including the April 26 race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
Michels, last year's NASCAR Super Late Model champion at Irwindale Speedway and the winningest driver in track history, announced a partnership with Stock Building Supply that will allow him to enter three races and compete in five Super Late Model races at Irwindale.
“I have to admit that without Rick Smith, Stock Building Supply, Andersen Windows, and all the Home Show vendors, this event wouldn’t have happened," said Michels, a driver from San Fernando, who will be driving the familiar No. 12 car in SRL races. "Stock has always been a big supporter of tour racing and has sponsored cars and events for over 10 years. The SRL series at Irwindale was truly the only race cars they wanted for the Home Show, and they sponsored the entire event.”
The SRL race at Irwindale will be the first of the three-race Stock Building Supply Challenge, with a bonus being awarded to the driver with the best overall performance in those three races.
“The limited schedule really fits in with our teams plans for this year," said crew chief John Schuetze, Jr. "We are working with Dan Moore in the Super Late Model division at Irwindale to try and get him a championship, we also have a development driver in one of our cars for a few races at Irwindale, and we have been doing a lot of R and D instead of racing. This will pay off in the future for all our race cars.”
Michels will be entered in the five Super Late Model races in preparation for the Toyota All-Star Showdown, which includes a Super Late Model race in addition to a NASCAR Camping World Series race that pits drivers from the West and East Series. The Showdown will be on Jan. 23, 2009, at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, and will be televised on Speed.

In addition to racing in the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series, Jack Beckman commits himself to what seems like an endless schedule of charitable and selfless causes.
Here is an example of what a typical week is for him:
The NHRA will be racing at The Strip in Las Vegas this weekend. Beckman, second in the NHRA Funny Car standings, will be driving for Don Schumacher Racing during the weekend.
In addition to his commitments at the drag strip, Beckman visited patients at the military hospital at nearby Nellis Air Force Base on Thursday. He is an Air Force veteran and cancer survivor, and visits the military hosptial every time the NHRA races in Las Vegas.
"When I went to Las Vegas a few years ago I got together with a good friend of mine named Pam Robinson, who was in the Air Force for 12 years and does a lot of volunteer work there," said Beckman, who lives in North Hills. "We went over to the military hospital at Nellis Air Force Base and I visited with some of the troops and veterans there."
He will be holding an auction and autograph session tonight in the Don Schumacher Racing pit area to raise money for an NHRA fan and friend who is fighting cancer. He will also be at the Orleans Hotel and Casino on Saturday night for another autograph session.
After the races in Las Vegas, Beckman will be in Santa Monica as part of the Racers Who Care program on Thursday. He is scheduled to make an appearance and give a speech at the Santa Monica Boys and Girls Club.
"I don't think I'm a philanthropic person by nature," said Beckman. "I was always kind of a self-absorbed Southern California hot rodder. Obviously, having cancer was quite an awakening, but even still I didn't particularly go out and find ways to donate my time and money. A lot of them kind of come to me. I know a lot of people and I'm outgoing and I network a lot and many people were aware of my situation and they called me and asked me to help. And I found myself saying yes to almost every offer and it just developed from there."
Because he fought and survived cancer, Beckman said that gives him a different perspective and it's part of the reason he donates his time to so many different causes.
"I think the common denominator you'll find among people who give time to charity is that there is a passion for it, whether they lost somebody close to them or went through something themselves," Beckman said. "They usually have a heartfelt draw to whatever charity they are donating their time to. I have a deep compassion for veterans and sick people so I started visiting the hospital at Nellis and now it's something I try to do every time I'm in Las Vegas. And it's blossomed into other charitable opportunities.
"During my cancer my wife, Jenna, who was still my fiancée, did three marathons and raised over $20,000 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. She did that because I had cancer and it was an eye opener to her."

For the second straight week, Jeff Burton is on top of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, and Richard Childress Racing is 1-2 with teammate Kevin Harvick in second.
Burton has won two races at Phoenix International Raceway over his career. But both of those wins came when he was racing for Jack Roush's Ford teams in 2000 and 2001.
He has finished in the top 10 in three of the past four races at Phoenix. His worst finish in those four races was a 13th place last year.
“Although we have a bunch of top 10s, Phoenix-style race tracks have been a weakness in our program," said Burton, driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. "Particularly for the 31 team, we haven’t done as well at Phoenix, New Hampshire and Richmond as we needed to."
Burton's team is bringing a brand new car to Phoenix. He is coming off a sixth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway, his fifth straight top-10 including a win at Bristol Motor Speedway.
"For us, this is an important race," Burton said. "We run a lot at these types of race tracks throughout the season so we need to be better. We’ve put a lot of effort into this program and we’re looking forward to the outcome of our efforts.”

Kevin Harvick owned Phoenix International Raceway in 2006. He won both races at the track that year, and has not finished outside the top 10 in his past four races there.
Harvick's team will be bringing the same car to Phoenix that finished sixth at the track last year. It also raced at Martinsville in October and finished 10th.
Last year was the first year NASCAR used its new Cup stock car at Phoenix. Harvick had more success in the old Cup cars, and said he noticed a difference in the how the race unfolded.
“The pace is a little bit slower," said Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. "The cars fall off a little bit more. We had a good test there but I’m sure the weather will be different this weekend. However, the cars were a little bit faster than they were last year when we raced them at Phoenix. The races have been different there than they have been in the past. I think that will kind of come back as we get a better handle on the car every week.”
Harvick is coming off an 11th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway and is 59 points behind his RCR teammate Jeff Burton, who leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.
“This year we’ve been fortunate to run consistently week in and week out, and that’s what you have to do to win the championship," Harvick said. "If we can keep running consistent and put ourselves in position to win every week we will have a chance at the championship at the end of the season.”

Kyle Busch won the Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway in November 2005, when he was driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.
Bringing a new car to Phoenix in nothing new. He's done it a few times in his career and the results have been good more often than not.
“From our races here last year, our first race I was in the No. 5 car we ran OK here," said Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. "We weren't great, but we were decent. The fall race … I don't remember the spring race might have been worse. One of the races last year we didn't run too terribly bad. I have a good sense of what this track likes and how you have to be able to race this place. Coming back this year with the No. 18 car, practice went really well. The test we had out here was pretty good. We unloaded somewhat similar to that and we feel like we have a car that is hopefully capable of a top-five starting position. We'll go get them Saturday night.”
Busch rebounded at Texas Motor Speedway last week, finishing third after struggling at Martinsville Speedway the week before. He was 38th at Martinsville.
“I'm always excited to get back out to the West Coast. It's pretty close to where I'm from," said Busch, who grew up in Las Vegas. "The weather and atmosphere … it's just cool to come back out the Phoenix again. I have Cup win here and a (Nationwide) and a truck win here. For us it's good to get back out here and get back to hopefully our winning ways.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is hanging tough, still the best driver at Hendrick Motorsports, fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.
His teammate, Jimmie Johnson, is quickly rising through the standings and could join Earnhardt Jr. in the top five after Saturday night's race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Earnhardt Jr., like every Cup driver in the top five, has won a race at Phoenix. Earnhardt Jr., however, is in that exclusive club that has won twice.
He won consecutive races in 2003 and 2004, back when Phoenix only had one Cup race a year. But as well as Earnhardt Jr. has done in the past at Phoenix, he was not encouraged by his team's most recent test at the track.
"The test was horrible, but the tests aren't really a sign of how we run during the race," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "We always seem to rebound pretty well."
Earnhardt Jr. has historically done well at short tracks. Phoenix is a one-mile oval, one of the smallest tracks on the Cup schedule.
"I love short track racing, but short track racing is nerve-wracking," Earnhardt Jr. said. "There are so many factors that go into it -- you can get run over at any time. You have to constantly be watching out for stuff to happen."

Tony Stewart has done well at Phoenix International Raceway, site of Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
He won the race at Phoenix in 1999 and rarely finishes outside the top 10. Of course all of his previous races came when he was driving Chevrolets and Pontiacs for Joe Gibbs Racing.
This will be his first race at Phoenix in a Toyota. His team tested at the track over the winter and Stewart said his teammates, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, were among the top drivers during that test.
"There were a few organizations, I won't say teams, but organizations that were really good at the test here," said Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. "I think the racing will be great. Obviously having two days plus two races last year to come here, that's the most time we've spent on a single track now (with these new cars)."
Stewart is coming off a seventh-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway and climbed into the top five in the Sprint Cup Series standings. He's riding quite a streak at Phoenix as well, with four top-fives in his past five races at the track. He has two runner-up finishes in his past two spring races at the track.
"I think it will be a good race here this weekend," Stewart said. "I think you're going to have a lot of guys up front that have the package figured out and you're going to have the rest of us that are trying to figure out exactly what we need to get that little bit up there with every one else. I don't think you're going to see just one or two guys that are going to run off and run away from the field like we had last year. I think you're going to see a group of six or eight guys that are going to have it figured out and it's going to be a pretty good race.”
The car his team is bringing to Phoenix will be making its fourth Cup start, but its first as a Toyota. The car made its debut at the Martinsville race in April last year when it led 11 laps and finished seventh. It has also raced at New Hampshire (finished third) and the Martinsville race (finished 13th) in October.
“I know it sounds real elementary and plain, but the race car is still going to do one of three things," Stewart said. "It’s going to be tight, it’s going to be loose, or it’s going to four-wheel drift. We’re not reinventing the wheel here. We’re just driving a different car. It’s a matter of just getting the cars to drive the way you want it to each week. It’s been a non-event.”

Elliott Sadler will offer his race helmets for auction to raise funds during Autism Awareness month in April. Sadler, driver of the No. 19 Dodge for Gillett Evernham Motorsports, will be wearing a specially designed race helmet for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in April at Texas Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
“Helping to create awareness for autism is an extremely important cause for me,” Sadler said. “It hits really close to home because my niece, Halie, is autistic. The great autism-related charities we’ve worked with over the years offer many different programs and opportunities to help not only those suffering from this developmental disability, but also their families."
He will autograph each helmet, donated by Impact Racing and designed by Ryan Young of Indocil Art, and put it up for auction on the Hermie and Elliott Sadler Charitable Foundation Web site, www.sadlerfoundation.org/auction_page.asp. The auctions will begin May 1 and end May 19.
“It is a cause that I’ll do all I can to help raise money and awareness," Elliott Sadler said. “We’re not just trying to raise money for the Hermie and Elliott Sadler Charitable Foundation, we’re looking to educate people and raise more awareness about autism.”

Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman is going the wrong way.
He was penalized 25 points in the NASCAR Sprint Cupe Series standings for having his car not pass inspection after the race at Texas Motor Speedway.
He dropped from eighth to 10th place in the Cup standings. His owner, Roger Penske, also lost 25 points in the owners standings and his crew chief Roy McCauley was fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.
Newman's car, the No. 12 Dodge of Penske Racing, was too high during post-race inspection and the infraction could create greater downforce during a race. Newman finished fourth at the Texas race.
“We had an issue in post-race inspection on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway," said Michael Nelson, vice president of operations for Penske Racing. "It is always our intention to follow NASCAR’s rules, and we regret this mistake. We look forward to getting back to the track this week and are focused on having a strong run in the No. 12 Alltel Dodge at Phoenix International Raceway.”

Jeremy Mayfield will no longer be driving for Haas CNC Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
The team announced today that the two parties have agreed to part ways.
“Jeremy’s proven resume behind the wheel of a Cup car was a real benefit to our team,” team general manager Joe Custer said. “He stepped into the seat and did everything we asked him to and more.
The team said in a release that it is exploring several scenarios regarding a replacement driver. However, previous reports have Johnny Sauter, who raced for the team last year, returning to drive the team's No. 70 Chevrolet.
Haas CNC has a two-car team, the No. 70 and No. 66. Scott Riggs is the driver of the No. 66 car.
In seven Cup races, Mayfield's best finish was a 23rd at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the most recent race at Texas Motor Speedway, Mayfield started 39th and finished 38th. Mayfield is 36th in the drivers Cup standings.
“Ultimately, we were unable to provide him with the right balance, handling and speed he needed to be successful,” Custer said. “We wish Jeremy nothing but the best for his future.”

Tires were supposed to be an issue at Texas Motor Speedway. Eddie Gossage, the president of the track, begged and pleaded with NASCAR to allow extra testing at Texas before the Sunday's Cup race. NASCAR officials refused and it looks like they made the right decision.
There was a fear that the Texas race could end up like the Atlanta race or the Las Vegas race. A number of drivers crashed, had tires problems or handling problems. All of it was blamed on Goodyear for not producing a tire that could perform at the level some of the Cup drivers were expecting.
Tony Stewart was the biggest critic. Gossage wanted to do whatever he could to prevent a repeat of the races at Atlanta and Vegas. But it looks like there was not much to worry about.
Clint Bowyer was asked if he noticed any problems with the tires during practice and qualifying and he said, "No."
"We came here and did the tire test and we’ve got all the confidence in the world in Goodyear and the tire they’ve brought and we’re going to be just fine,” said Bowyer, driver of the No. 07 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.
Bowyer was one of two drivers who was able to test with NASCAR's new car and the new tire Goodyear produced for the Cup race at Texas.
He didn't have any concerns. The Nationwide Series race went off without incident. The only driver who had any problems was Michael McDowell, who crashed violently during qualifying. That was more inexperience than inadequate tires.
Impatience and inexperience will lead to more accidents than bad tires at Texas.

Jamie McMurray is beginning a monthlong effort to promote autism awareness by having an online auction, a special paint scheme on his car and having two fans spend the weekend at Texas Motor Speedway as the driver's guest. April is Autism Awareness month.
“A few weeks ago, we thought of a pretty cool promotion to give two fans a full access weekend at Texas Motor Speedway," said McMurray, driver of the No. 26 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. "Along with a pair of garage passes, the two fans will also enjoy get to watch the race from one of the luxury suites. And to top off the weekend, they will leave with a replica helmet. The two fans went way above our expectations and bid more than $4,200 on the package. I hope it’s worth every penny to them, because all of the money is going to such a great cause.”
The money raised through the online auction and the Texas Motor Speedway package will go toward autism research and support. To see what is available in the online auction, click here: http://foundation.nascar.com/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=793&srcid=793
“Crown Royal has been extremely giving to my foundation by providing space on the car, as well as on my firesuits and helmets,” McMurray said. "Each season they pick a race where we can run the autism awareness puzzle pieces, and throughout the season, they assist us with promotions, donations and helping promote awareness.”
McMurray qualified 32nd for the Cup race at Texas on Friday. His car wil carry a black and gold paint scheme with the rear quarter panels and the television panel with the autism awareness puzzle pieces.
Dawn Litteken and Chris Dake, both from Springfield, Mo., McMurray’s home state, won the Texas Motor Speedway package and will be at the track as McMurray's guest.
“Both Chris and I are looking forward to a great weekend with Jamie,” said Litteken. “We realize the challenges that autism presents, and being able to support a great cause was reason enough to donate the
money. Being able to attend the race and spend the weekend with the No. 26 team is extra to us.”

It was quite an eventful day of qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway. Hardly the disaster Eddie Gossage, the track president, predicted. There was one nasty crash, rookie Michael McDowell hit almost head on into the Turn 1 wall. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole.
McDowell got into the race with a provisional for being in the top 35 in the Sprint Cup Series owners standings. He will start Sunday's race 40th.
“I’m not sure what happened because it got away from me so fast that it felt like I got into some oil, oil dry or either something broke,” said McDowell, driver of the No. 00 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing. “I came off of Turn 4 and something didn’t feel right. I told the guys it felt tight and that I was going to run another lap. Then I got down in there and it just started to pull right on me. I tried to gather it up, but I hit the wall and started rolling down from there. I didn’t lose consciousness. I felt every roll down the hill. I had my eyes open the entire time.”
Earnhardt Jr. won the second Texas pole of his Cup career and the eighth overall. He won his first Cup race at Texas and his first Nationwide Series race at Texas, back when it was called the Busch Series.
His Cup win came eight years ago, when he was a rookie racing for Dale Earnhardt Inc.
“It was a while ago. There’s other things that have happened here since then," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "Jeff Burton’s won twice. I just don’t want resentment from my competitors. The big thing about it is, when I came down here and won my first couple of races it put an impression on a lot of fans here. We already had a really good loyal fan base to start with, so Eddie (Gossage) is smart. He knows how to do business and knows exactly what he needs to do to get every seat sold so you got to understand that too. I’m not sure how I relate to this place. It will always be special to me in the way that Daytona is special to me. I won my first race here in both series, but we’ve struggled here too. It’s a love-hate relationship. Just like anywhere else, you love the race track as long as your car is really fast when it goes around it. But it will always be special in the fact that the fans are great to me here, they’re amazing on how much they support us here and how excited they get about us coming here and it’s one of the better markets that we have in this series west of the Mississippi. So that gives me good hope for the sport as a whole to be successful nationwide where there’s some areas where you could put up argument of that. Like I said, it’s a good opportunity to get excited and look forward to a win or a chance at a win. People always say that when we come here, man you’re going to Texas you got a shot at winning. We do feed off of that as a team I think as far as our motivation to come with a good chance to win.”

Too bad Jeff Burton won't have the car that won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway last year.
He won't even have the car that finished sixth in the fall race at Texas nor will he have the car that won the Bristol race last month.
HIs team is bringing a new car to Texas. And the way Burton's been talking, he would prefer a new car to one of his older cars.
“We have gotten off to a solid start but we definitely have some room to grow," said Burton, driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. "Every race that we ran and have finished in the top 10, we have truly been a top 10 car. We’ve been a solid top 10 team but we want to be a top four team. We want to lead laps and the lead the most laps in races."
Burton leads the Sprint Cup Series standings after six races and his teammate, Kevin Harvick, is second. It's the first time that two drivers from Richard Childress Racing have held the top two spots in the Cup standings. Burton is coming off a third-place finish at Martinsville Speedway and has one win so far this year, the Bristol race, but leading laps is his main concern at this point of the season.
"We’ve had a slow start to accomplish that but we’re early in some development, as every team is, but there is a lot of growing left to do," Burton said. "We didn’t do that well last year – grow as some of the other teams did – and it showed when the Chase started. We have to focus on what’s ahead of us so we can stay in the top 12 in points.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway turned out to be one of the worst races of the year for Kevin Harvick.
In year's past that might have meant a 20th or 30th place finish.
But not this year. Harvick took a poor car and turned it into a 12th-place day. Not great by any means, but far from disastrous.
"We turned a day that started out difficult in to a good finish for our Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet, which is something we struggled with last season," said Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. "(Sunday) was much better than the race here a year ago."
His past five races at Texas Motor Speedway, site of Sunday's Cup race, haven't been great, but they haven't been that bad either. If he can have another race like the ones in 2006, when he finish third and fifth, he might be able to jump into the No. 1 spot in the Sprint Cup Series standings.
But if he has another race like last year's spring race at Texas, when he finished 29th, he might fall out of the top 12.
Harvick said his crew chief, Todd Berrier, and his team have been giving him good cars all year. And the way they responded at Martinsville has given Harvick a new sense of confidence.
"Todd and the crew kept working on the car making it better and better as the race unfolded," Harvick said. "I am proud of our effort and how hard we all worked to get a decent finish and have a solid points day."

Chevrolet announced a plan to raise $1 million for Autism Speaks by taking virtual test drives through www.autismspeaks.org.
April is Autism Awareness month. Those who visit the autismspeaks.org Web site can click on the "Help Chevy Help Autism" icon to take a virtual test drive of the 2008 Chevy Malibu.
Chevrolet has committed to a minimum contribution of $500,000, but will add funds for every person who takes a virtual test drive up to $1 million.
Those who participate in the virtual test drive will be offered a free 30-day online trial of XM Satellite Radio.

A 20th-place finish at Martinsville Speedway didn't hurt Greg Biffle that much in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. He is third, 60 points out of first, and heading to Texas Motor Speedway, where he won the Cup race in April 2005.
"Well, after Martinsville I’m pretty excited to go to Texas," said Biffle, driver of the No. 16 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. "Texas is one of my favorite tracks and it’s usually a pretty good race for us. We’ve had some bad luck there but we also walked away with a set of cowboy hats one time. I’d love to get a set for this new team."
His best race at Texas in the past three years was a sixth-place finish in the spring race last year. Mixed in with that are a 33rd, 35th and 42nd.
The car his team is taking to Texas is a brand new car. It has yet to race anywhere. Biffle said he would like to win a race for his team, which has kept him in the top-five in the Cup standings for most of the season.
"They’ve worked really hard all year and I am completely confident that even when we have a minor setback, they learn from it and get ready for the next weekend," Biffle said. "We’re taking a brand new car this weekend but the way these cars are built so similar, I think we’ll be alright.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still the best driver at Hendrick Motorsports this year. And he still hasn't won a race yet.
That could change at Texas Motor Speedway.
Earnhardt Jr. won the Cup race at Texas in his rookie season with Dale Earnhardt Inc. That was eight years ago.
But it looked like Hendrick Motorsports turned things around at Martinsville last week. All four drivers, even Casey Mears, finished in the top 10. Jeff Gordon was the highest of the four, in second, and Earnhardt Jr. was sixth.
The car his team is bringing to Texas is the same one Earnhardt Jr. had at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he finished second.
"I do enjoy running at Texas," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "The past few times out there we really didn't run as well as we wanted to. That was the track where I got my first win. Typically, the tracks where drivers get their first wins are tracks they always run well at. Not sure why, but I guess if you know what it takes to get a win, you always have that in your mind."
His past two races at Texas haven't been that great. He was 36th in the fall race and 14th in the spring race at Texas last year.
"We have struggled there as of late, but hopefully with the new Chevy Impala SS program, and the way we have run on those mile-and-a-half tracks as of late, we can turn things around," Earnhardt Jr. said.

Yikes! Kyle Busch went from first to fifth in week after finishing 38th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
But help is on the way.
Busch heads to Texas with the same car that won the Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Atlanta and Texas are very similar, both high-banked, 1.5-mile ovals.
“I think Texas is going to be a fast place," said Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. "It’s going to be a little bit different getting in and coming up off the corners than Atlanta because there isn’t as much banking at Texas getting into the corner. For me, Texas has always been a tricky place. I’ve never really run well there and been confident there. We’ve been getting better in recent years in the Cup car and have had some success in the Craftsman Truck Series and the Nationwide Series. I get a little more comfortable each time I get back there in the Cup car and hopefully we can get the race car close to my liking when we get there this weekend.”
Busch has two top-five finishes in six career Cup races at Texas. But his most recent race at Texas produced a 37th place and he finished 40th in his first Cup race at Texas in 2005. And even though Busch won the race at Atlanta, he said that might not guarantee another good run at Texas.
"Every track is different," Busch said. "You can’t expect to run well at one track and have it translate over to another, no matter how close the configuration is. We’ve just got to be able go out there in each practice session and try to make the car better.”

Jimmy Vasser, who won the Toyota Gr