plum19-mart

Last night's Yankees/Orioles game brought the closing of Yankee Stadium, one of the most hallowed temples in American sports. Here are ten incredible moments from the stadium's 85-year history:

1. 1927 - Babe Ruth devours ham sandwich between 2nd and 3rd base run of World Series winning game. 

2. 1928- In visitor's locker room, Ty Cobb delivers longest racist rant in stadium's history.

3. 1939- After winning $35 on lotto scratcher, Lou Gehrig addresses fans, calling himself "the luckiest man in the world."

4. 1956- 8-year-old Billy Crystal attends first game at Yankee Stadium. Decades later, the experience serves as inspiration for two dozen one-man shows and 600 hours of stand-up material.

5. 1977- In between 4th and 5th innings of World Series Game 6, clutch hitter Reggie Jackson captures Son of Sam killer, David Berkowitz, bringing him to justice.

6. 1979- Pope John Paul II celebrates Mass at the ballpark. After Communion wafers fail to ship from Vatican, quick-thinking Pope substitutes footlong hotdogs as body of Christ.

7. 1992- U2's Zoo TV tour plays two shows at the Cathedral, marking the most colossally lame event in the stadium's history.

8.. 1996- During a Yankees/Orioles game, 12-year-old fan Jeffrey Maier reaches over his seat and fumbles a deep hit from Derek Jeter into the stands, helping the Yankees win Game 1 of the series. Maier is beaten to death by rabid Orioles fans in the parking lot.

9. 2001- Weeks after September 11th, President George W. Bush throws out first pitch in Yankees game. Bush's perfect strike marks the greatest achievement of his administration.

10. 2007- While making out in stadium's nosebleed seats, 19-year-old Bronx resident, Nate Matrisco, gets to second base with 18-year-old Angela Vilanova in record time.

 

 

funnyordie.com

FROM JAYSKI.COM

 

The 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona will have a new format that puts more emphasis on the series’ four manufacturers – and the same star-power appeal that has become a season-opening tradition for the Sprint Cup Series and its fans. The 31st annual season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway will be held on Saturday night, Feb. 7, with a field of 24 cars representing the top teams from Chevy, Dodge, Ford and Toyota that will showcase the close competition in NASCAR’s premier series. That lineup will consist of the top six teams from each manufacturer, based on the final 2008 car owner points [NOT driver points]. The race distance will be increased from 70 laps to 75 (187.5 miles) on the 2.5-mile tri-oval. The race will have two segments, of 25 and 50 laps. Both green- and yellow-flag laps will count. Between segments, there will be a 10-minute pit stop at which time teams will pit and may elect to change tires, add fuel and make normal chassis adjustments. Crews will be permitted to work on cars and will be allowed to perform functions they would do on a normal pit stop in a regular Sprint Cup event. All work must be performed on pit road or in the garage. Changing of springs, shock absorbers or rear-ends will not be permitted. Starting positions will again be determined by a blind draw, at the annual Budweiser Shootout Draw Party on Thursday night, Feb. 5, on the SPEED stage in the Midway, outside Turn 4. The Budweiser Shootout – a “non-points” event for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitors – was first held in 1979, and originally known as the Busch Clash. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won this year’s shootout.(NASCAR)
as things stand after Bristol, these are the 24 drivers
(based on current CAR OWNER points)
Chevy: #88-Earnhardt Jr, #48-Johnson, #31-Burton, #29-Harvick, #24-Gordon, #07-Mears
Dodge: #9-Kahne, #12-Penske Racing, #2-Busch, #19-Sadler, #42-Montoya, #43-Labonte
Ford: #99-Edwards, #16-Biffle, #17-Kenseth, #6-Ragan, #26-McMurray, #28-Kvapil
Toyota: #18-Busch, #20-Logano, #11-Hamlin, #83-Vickers, #44-Waltrip Racing, #55-Waltrip.
So no #14-Stewart, #39-Newman, #33-Bowyer

MONTREAL – Take a bow, NASCAR and Goodyear.

Last weekend the NASCAR nation was up in arms, calling for both Goodyear and NASCAR to be tarred and feathered for what was judged to be the worst NASCAR race in history, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

The wrong choice of tire made for a terrible afternoon for all involved and in its aftermath, NASCAR officials were left apologizing while tire partner Goodyear was forced to come up with a revised policy that was aimed at eliminating a repeat of what occurred in last Sunday's race anytime in the future.

It appeared that the worst was over for both NASCAR and Goodyear. What happened last weekend was the concurrence of a bizarre set of circumstances, a perfect storm, a once in a decade occurrence.

Or was it?

With skies threatening and a packed house of fervent Canadian stock car fans at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve waiting for the start of Saturday's NAPA 200 Nationwide race, there were plenty of long faces in the NASCAR compound as it appeared as though Mother Nature was about to deliver another body blow to both NASCAR and Goodyear.

NASCAR had a contingency plan on the books for racing in the rain on a road course for nearly a decade, but no one really cared to use it.

If the rain came, teams would install windshield wipers and some would install makeshift defrosters for the windshield.

And Goodyear would be forced to haul out specially designed rain tires that, well, no one knew exactly when they were made. There were differing opinions on that. But the consensus of opinion from both NASCAR and Goodyear was that the majority of the tires were between 6 and 10 years old.

Regardless of when they were made, even more critical was that they had been sitting in storage at some undisclosed location waiting for their competition debut.

It was about to be show time.

"They keep throwing it at us, don't they?" said NASCAR's vice president of competition Robin Pemberton.

It was going to be tough to top last year's Nationwide race at the picturesque Canadian track anyway. It arguably was the most memorable NASCAR race of the year, one that featured a wild finish and two drivers declaring themselves the victor.

So how was NASCAR going to top that?

It was about to.

And despite her best efforts, Mother Nature lost this round to the racers and the fans.

The first NASCAR points race run in the rain was an entertaining, exciting and competitive race that kept the fans on their feet, despite the howling wind, pouring rain and occasional bolt of lightning that somehow failed to convince them to seek shelter from the elements.

No, they weren't going anywhere. Not when their favorite Canadian drivers were running up front and putting on one hell of a show for the local fans.

In the end, the hardy and loyal Canadian stock car fans got to witness a piece of racing history and fellow countryman Ron Fellows take the checkered flag.

It just couldn't have been scripted any better.

After facing an avalanche of criticism for its tires last weekend, there were few critical comments this time around. They did their job.

The general consensus from those who got to experience it firsthand was that everyone had enjoyed it.

"Racing in the rain was a lot of fun," Carl Edwards said. "I'm glad we didn't wreck. I just wished it wouldn't have started raining so hard and we could have raced a little longer."

Perhaps the biggest complaint voiced by Edwards' fellow competitors was about the poor visibility, a result of a combination of foggy windshields and the water spraying off the cars in front of each driver.

The picture of Edwards using a squeegee to clean his windshield under caution was at first comical until one realized the kind of conditions the drivers were facing. There also was the issue of severe hydroplaning, which wasn't attributable to the tires (even though they had hardened somewhat over the years in storage). It was more the result of the track's extremely wet surface.

At one point, parts of the track were completely submerged. Where there wasn't what appeared to be a small pond on the track, there were dozens of puddles dotting much of the track's flat surface.

There were wrecks. There usually are in a stock car race. But despite the extreme conditions, there were not as many as you might expect. Most occurred, oddly enough, while the field was under caution, when the slow speeds caused windshields to fog and just seeing past the hood of the race car became a real challenge.

"I was turning (the wiper) on in the low speed corners, and I couldn't really use it," said Montreal native Patrick Carpentier. "I couldn't see through the back window. There was very, very low visibility."

The hometown favorite, Carpentier found himself playing the role of bridesmaid for the second year in a row.

"As we circled around, I kept hoping I'd see the 5 car (race winner Fellows) sitting off on the side somewhere," joked Carpentier after the race.

Surprisingly, much of the race was incident-free as drivers gingerly made their way around the 2.71-mile temporary circuit. It was easy to see early on that this was going to be a race of survival.

The more serious wrecks occurred toward the end of the race, when the rain was at its heaviest and flooded the track. They involved both the novice and the experienced road course experts, as young phenom Joey Logano and national hero/F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve ended the race with crumpled sheet metal.

"It was raceable as long as you could see where you were going," Villeneuve said. "As long as you could get the rain off of your windshield."

This wasn't the first time Villeneuve had experienced racing in extreme wet conditions and he showed it, thrilling the crowd with his cool and calculated moves. He provided a good deal of the race's drama when early in the race, he and Fellows battled for position in a multi-lap war of wills that brought the crowd to its feet numerous times.

While under caution late in the race and with the field practically crawling around the track in the pouring rain, Logano slid his Toyota into a concrete wall.

The rookie driver's wreck elicited a sharp response from crew chief Dave Rogers.

"The priority in this sport has to be our drivers, and you had a number of drivers on the radio saying they can't see and are hydroplaning under caution," Rogers said. "I don't think as a series we did a good job of listening to those so we fell victim.

"When drivers are saying enough is enough, we need to heed that caution and we did not today.

Then, in the same breath, he added, "I have to be honest, I had a lot of fun today. This is pretty cool. It's the first points race in the rain.

After 48 wet and wild laps, it was over. Pemberton surveyed the track conditions and pulled the plug on another memorable Canadian Nationwide race.

"This is a cool experiment that NASCAR did," said veteran road racer Boris Said, who finished fifth. It wasn't his first time racing in wet conditions, either.

"We're having fun. If it had just quit pouring. …"

The track conditions and the shortened race length surely will elicit a good deal of criticism.

However, this time around, NASCAR and Goodyear got it right.

In a battle against the elements, man is, more often than not, on the losing end. Not this time.

For the second week in a row, NASCAR and its fans were dealt a difficult hand and faced with little choice but to play it.

What a difference a week makes

been told that Office Depot will be the sponsor for Tony Stewart in 2009 when he drives for Haas CNC Racing which Tony will buy in to. Hearing the announcement of the buy and deal will be made in Indianapolis the week NASCAR is in Indy for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, July 27th.

 BIG MOVE in NASCAR! Who will replace Stewart, who will be his teammates? Who would you like to see?

Hey everyone! I know I've been a lil absent due to personal stuff, but that time has come once again.... DAYTONA! The Coke Zero 400 is this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. I will be in my normal spot in turn 3 in the infield with family and friends. Are you going to the race? Who is going to win? I'll make a prediction and say Jeff Burton wins the Coke Zero 400. If Jeff or another "Coke" driver wins, Everyone gets a free Coke Zero the next day. Don't forget!

When Joe Gibbs hung out his shingle as a NASCAR team owner nearly 17 years ago, Joey Logano was just learning to walk.

Now, having turned 18 just last weekend, Logano could very well become a big part of the future of Joe Gibbs Racing.

After several years of hype blowing up his potential as a driver, Logano makes his much-anticipated NASCAR debut Saturday in a Nationwide Series race.

While his name may be new to the masses, Logano has been in the racing world's consciousness ever since Mark Martin said three years ago that the kid could compete in the Cup series right there and then. Logano was 15.

Martin doesn't throw around that kind of praise easily, which is one reason why Saturday's Heluva Good 200! – yes, that's what it's called – at Dover International Speedway is drawing as much attention as Sunday's main event, the Sprint Cup Series' Best Buy 400. For Logano, this weekend is his version of "American Idol," where he finally gets to show off his talent to the masses.

"Thank God, finally," said Logano, who had to wait until now to compete because NASCAR's rules stipulate a driver must be 18 to race. "It seems like I've been waiting for 18 years.

"I've done a ton of testing and a ton of races growing up. I feel like I'm ready to go out there and win some races. At Dover, we're shooting for a top-five right off the bat. I'm confident in my abilities I can do it."

And he should be. Logano, a native of Connecticut, has won everywhere he's competed. He beat Cup star Kevin Harvick at a race in Iowa last year, claimed the Busch East Series championship as a rookie and won the Toyota All-Star Showdown, a race that featured a host of talented champions from across a number of racing series.

Earlier this month, he dominated the Carolina 500, an ARCA Series race that featured savvy Cup veteran Ken Schrader.

So far, Logano has lived up to the hype, which begs the question: How long before the kid is racing in the Sprint Cup Series?

All along, Joe Gibbs and his son J.D., who serves as team president for JGR, have been emphatic in saying they don't want to put too much pressure on Logano. According to J.D. Gibbs, the plan is to acclimate him to the big time by running him in 18 to 19 Nationwide races this season, as well as several ARCA races.

But when it comes to what's next, the Gibbses are hush hush.

J.D. Gibbs said last week that Logano, who has a three-year contract, will be brought along slowly, that there will be no pressure on him to perform or have to move up to the Cup level within a certain time frame.

"The Cup thing, we're in no hurry; we're just going to watch and wait," J.D. Gibbs said. "Eventually he's going to have a spot in this sport for many years to come in the Cup series. We're not going to rush him to get there. I think we're just going to let him enjoy what he's doing now and kind of grow. I think when the time is right, we'll all be ready to go."

Circumstances may dictate otherwise, and the ultimate decider may not be either Gibbs, but rather Tony Stewart.

Stewart, the No. 1 driver in the Gibbs stable, has already acknowledged that's he's looking at other opportunities, including possible ownership of his own team as early as next season. If Stewart were to bolt, that would leave JGR with an open seat, and where would they turn?

As much as Joe and J.D. Gibbs will say they want to bring Logano along slowly, the fact is the path they've carved for him is no lazy country road, but rather a four-lane highway.

While waiting to reach NASCAR's eligibility age, Logano spent the time logging lap after lap, not just in a Nationwide car, but in a Sprint Cup car, too. In all, Logano said he's done 35 tests in a Cup car, logging over 4,100 miles.

And once Logano turned 18, it took JGR just seven days to get him into a Nationwide race.

Does this sound like an organization that's in a hurry?

"I think we all feel the same way that we want to get him in everything we can as fast as we can, but at the same time we want to make sure that we don't put undo pressure on Joey," Joe Gibbs said.

For 18, Logano is extremely mature and handles himself like a pro, which probably has something to do with the fact that the media has treated him like one for years. On the flip side, his family has kept him grounded with their own awe-shucks attitude toward the hype.

Still, there's always the fear that the hype, pressure and expectations will be too much, or that he's just not as insanely good as advertised.

Several years ago, then new team owner Ray Evernham touted Casey Atwood as the next Jeff Gordon. He was rushed onto the Cup scene at 19. Less than two years later, Atwood was gone from Evernham's team. Today, at 27, he's completely out of NASCAR racing.

Logano is in a similar situation, but with one key difference. While Evernham Motorsports was just getting off the ground, JGR is an established organization with three championships and a bunch of wins under its belt.

In Saturday's Nationwide race, Logano will be driving a car that is not only proven, but has dominated the competition this season, winning six of 13 races. While it's certainly beneficial to be with a proven winner, this will only add to the already astronomical expectations that surround Logano.

Whatever ends up happening, there will be something to talk about when it comes to Logano. If he wins a race or even finishes near the front, everyone will wonder how long it will be before JGR moves him up to the Cup Series. If he struggles, especially in proven equipment, people will question if he's really as good as advertised.

Either way, the pressure will be tremendous.

To this point, Logano has seemingly handled everything with ease. If he can keep it up through the storm that awaits him, coming out on the other side will be someone special.

"The last time I called him and talked to him he was at the test and I said, ‘Hey, no pressure – we'll take a first or second every time,' " Joe Gibbs said.

He was joking, of course. But not really.

Jeremy Mayfield left May 6 for 12 days where even if he got offered another NASCAR ride, he wouldn’t be able to accept it until he returned. Mayfield took a 12-day tour of Iraq where he, along with a few drag racers, visited three to seven bases a day to talk to troops stationed over there. Mayfield said he was impressed with what the soldiers are currently doing in Iraq in trying to rebuild the country. “I thought it would be a depressing deal, but it really wasn’t,” Mayfield said in a phone interview Tuesday. “All the soldiers, everybody from the guy on the front line through the commanding general, was just really upbeat, in a great mood. Everything was positive. … What got me was how many people re-enlisted to come back over.” A two-time Chase participant, Mayfield drove for Haas CNC Racing for the first seven events this year before parting ways with the team. He has had a few talks with other teams, but when the idea was presented to him, he opted to go on the goodwill trip to Iraq. “It’s something I am proud to say I did,” Mayfield said. “It’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I met a lot of great people there. As far as my career, I’ll go from here and see what happens. The timing was perfect on it. I was sitting here not having a ride, and I went and did it. I think I made a difference. I think it was more important than waiting around hoping somebody calls me. It’s hard for me to sit here and tell you what it means to the guys over there.” Many of the soldiers wanted to talk about racing with him, but Mayfield couldn’t stay awake to watch the races with the troops, which were televised in the early morning at bases that had television capability. I couldn’t believe there were that many Mayfield fans over there to start with, and on top that there were so many huge NASCAR fans,” Mayfield said. “It definitely was a humbling experience.” The driver admitted he was a little nervous about making the trip. He would see troops going to and from combat. The group of racers would take Blackhawk helicopters to each base, going from Baghdad to remote outposts in northern Iraq. “There were things that go on like we all expect,” Mayfield said. “Every day, there’s some kind of maneuvers with some of the insurgents where they will cover up a bomb here or there, and once in a while one of those would go off. About every night or so, outside in the desert, three or four guys would launch a rocket over into a base, and 99.9 percent of those either don’t make it or get blown away. … Overall I felt secure, but you still wonder because it’s busy there 24 hours a day nonstop, so you never know when you lay down to go to sleep at night. I got pretty used to it.” Now back home, Mayfield seems willing to wait for the right opportunity to get back in a race car. A 15-year veteran of the sport with five wins, Mayfield feels as if he has something to offer to a team. “I was part of the reason why I don’t have one – I’d rather not have one than run like I was running every week,” he said. “I’ve come to realize that. I don’t want any pity. When you go to Iraq, you really understand the true meaning of feeling sorry for something when you go into one of the hospitals. There’s a lot of people have got it worse off than we do. Going over there was very humbling. It makes you look at life a little bit different.” Mayfield will run the #40 Dodge at Dover on June 1st, his first ride sence Texas.

Lloyd Moore, a NASCAR winner in 1950 and the oldest former driver, has died. He was 95. Moore died in his sleep Sunday in Frewsburg, in the home where he was born in 1912, according to NASCAR’s Web site. James Bailey, Moore’s son-in-law who will preside at his funeral as pastor of Wheeler Hill United Methodist Church, said Tuesday evening that Moore had been in generally good health until the day he died. “He didn’t sleep well Saturday night, fell asleep around 5 a.m., and his wife couldn’t wake him up Sunday afternoon,” Bailey said. Moore won his lone NASCAR title in Winchester, Ind., and finished fourth in the 1950 standings. He drove from 1949-55 in the Grand National series against Lee Petty, Glenn “Fireball” Roberts and other contemporaries. “Lloyd was a connection to the origin of NASCAR,” former driver Richard Petty said in a statement. “Talking to him was like taking a trip down memory lane for me, because he raced against my dad. I still have memories of those races. He would come by the house after a lot of the races because he and daddy were good friends.” The son of a farmer, Moore was a school bus driver in the early 1930s and worked as a mechanic in a Studebaker garage. For 17 years, he ran the school bus garage for the Frewsburg Central School District, about 80 miles south of Buffalo, until retiring in 1974. In an interview with The Buffalo News last year, he said he enjoyed watching what NASCAR has become but lightheartedly complained there was “too much baloney,” with the hourlong pre-race show and sponsorships. In his day, he said, he’d drive overnight to a race, unload the trunk, then roll the same car out on the track. “We just stuck a number on the side, took ‘em down and raced ‘em,” Moore said. “Today they talk about putting in a half-pound of air. When we raced, we just made sure we had air in the tires. The suits these guys wear, they’re spotted with advertisements.” He made his NASCAR debut on Oct. 2, 1949, at Heidelberg Raceway in Pittsburgh, Pa., finishing sixth behind Lee Petty. His final start came on Sept. 5, 1955, at Darlington. He finished 24th in a 69-car field that included winner Herb Thomas, Everett “Cotton” Owens, Roberts and Petty. Richard Petty remembered him as “a great driver and a great person.” “I knew Lloyd from the time I was a young kid and I am proud to say that we developed a great friendship over the years,” he said. Moore is survived by his wife of 61 years, Virginia, and six daughters. The funeral will be Wednesday.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. from a weekly top 12 drivers press conference: THE OWNERSHIP THING, WHEN YOU’RE OUT THERE RACING WITH BRAD KESELOWSKI, ARE THERE THINGS THAT GO THROUGH YOUR MIND AND ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT HIM OR ABOUT THE RACE? “Well, I get mad when he messes up and I see him in a wreck or something. But normally I just hope he’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing and running good and having a good night. But his night doesn’t go right or something happens to the car, it’s sort of bums you out a little bit and it’s hard to revert back to concentrating on what you’re trying to do with your car.” IS THERE ANY CHANCE YOU’LL MOVE UP TO THE CUP LEVEL WITH THAT TEAM ANYTIME? “I used to say no way, no way. But it’s almost as expensive to run in the Nationwide Series. And their going to bring a CoT in and we won’t be able to race in the Nationwide Series with the CoT probably. That’ll just be too expensive to switch all that over.” WOULD YOU DO IT AS EARLY AS NEXT YEAR? “Yeah, maybe. If the right opportunity comes along with the right sponsorship and driver, we’d love to do it. And it would cost the same amount of money to do that, as it is to run the Nationwide Series. It’s harder to get sponsorships. And the CoT program is going to be too expensive for me to justify creating a whole new program with CoT stuff, so I’d just as soon go into the Cup Series or get out of the Nationwide Series altogether.” COULD YOU GET MARTIN TRUEX JR. IN THAT CAR? “No. Why would he want to come drive for me? He’s in good stuff now and he’s going to have great opportunities from other people. And I would never do that to him (laughter). For the first year coming out of the box, man we’ll struggle like hell. Come on, man. He’s going to have deals offered to him by these great companies around here and from DEI. I’ll be at the bottom of that list, right there with Haas and a couple of other people (laughter). I don’t know with Tony (Stewart) if he goes over there (Haas), he might be able to talk Martin into it. But I don’t know man. I mean no way would I even do that to Martin, even if he wanted to.”(GM Racing PR)(5-17-2008)

Tony Stewart, who is exploring options outside of Joe Gibbs Racing, reportedly could be a partner with JR Motorsports. But Stewart's contract doesn't expire until after the 2009 season and team president J.D. Gibbs has said he will hold Stewart to it. "I don't know with Tony. If he goes over there [Haas CNC], he might be able to talk Martin into it. But I don't know. I mean no way would I even do that to Martin, even if he wanted to." Stewart has acknowledged that Haas CNC is one of several organizations to have offered part ownership as an incentive to join the team. JR Motorsports merged with the Nationwide program at Hendrick Motorsports this year after Earnhardt went to drive for HMS. The engines and chassis already are supplied by Hendrick and that could continue with a move to the Cup series.(ESPN.com)(5-19-2008)

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP)—Kyle Busch just might have a little “Intimidator” in him.

And that’s from someone who’d know best, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It was only a few days ago Busch and Earnhardt Jr. collided chasing victory at Richmond International Raceway. Dale Jr. admitted with a smile that Busch’s racing style reminded him of his old man’s earlier, hard-charging stock-car days.

“On the racetrack, there may be some comparisons there,” Earnhardt Jr. said Thursday. “He’s fast … he’s slick, he’s aggressive.”

“That’s the way dad raced and Kyle has that same style,” Earnhardt Jr. continued. “Very aggressive.”

Earnhardt Jr. was at Darlington Raceway on Thursday, preparing for Saturday night’s Dodge Challenger 500.

Dale Jr. fans everywhere thought their hero’s two-year winless drought— Earnhardt’s last victory came at Richmond in May 2006—was about to end as he fought Busch for the win less than two miles from the checkered flag.

The cars hit and Earnhardt spun into the wall. Busch, with little damage, recovered to take second behind Clint Bowyer.

Earnhardt wound up 15th—a finish that unleashed the full wrath of “Little E” fans on Busch, the 23-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver.

Earnhardt could’ve stoked the flames more with a few incendiary words. Instead, he chose to put the crash and lost opportunity behind him this week at Darlington.

“I’ve got more important things to worry about,” Earnhardt said. “If I let that get under my skin, everything I do this week is going to be a pain in my butt, make for a long week.”

Earnhardt wants to concentrate on conquering Darlington, where his father is second all time with nine victories at the track “Too Tough To Tame.”

Earnhardt Jr. has four top 10s his last five times here. His new team, Hendrick Motorsports, has won 10 times here since the 1995 Southern 500.

“The team’s been great. The car’s been good,” Earnhardt said. “I’m very confident.”

All the drivers will have to handle Darlington’s repaved surface. The track used $10 million in capital improvement funds give the track a new coat of blacktop for the first time since 1995.

Earnhardt’s Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman took part in a Goodyear tire test here in March that saw speeds on the fastest part of the track hit 200 mph—unheard of at Darlington since NASCAR took steps to slow their machines for safety’s sake.

The 10 fastest racers in Thursday’s first Sprint Cup practice session surpassed the 12-year-old track qualifying record set by Ward Burton in 1996. Burton’s record lap came in the first race after the track’s last repaving.

Newman doesn’t think the new surface will change the way drivers race on the quirky, 1.366-mile layout.

“We never saw much side-by-side racing here,” he said. “I don’t expect that will be different this weekend.”

Maybe that’ll mean no round two for Earnhardt-Busch.

Earnhardt put things behind him when he returned to work this week. He was impressed by Busch’s response.

And Earnhardt didn’t deny the high drama of a budding rivalry thrills race fans: Busch the rising star cast aside in the Hendrick garage to make room for Earnhardt, NASCAR’s most popular driver.

“It was a big deal,” Earnhardt said. “It was a bad deal for me and I was pretty frustrated by it. But it’s exciting for the sport and whether I want to deny it or not, there a lot of people out there who enjoyed it.”

Sounds like Junior’s got his father in him, as well.

There has been no official word from either side, but it is becoming increasingly likely that #20-Tony Stewart will indeed leave car owners Joe and J.D. Gibbs at the end of this season, to start his own team, under the Rick Hendrick Chevrolet [with Haas CNC?] umbrella, possibly with Bass Pro Shops as his sponsor. If Stewart does depart, that would leave the Gibbses looking for a new driver. Joey Logano's chances of getting the nod? Sunday's Carolina 500 at Rockingham Speedway could offer clues. Logano started from the pole, lead almost every lap and won the race over Ken Schrader(Winston Salem Journal)(5-8-2008)
Toyota officials don't want to lose #20-Tony Stewart to another manufacturer, but they won't get involved in negotiations to keep the two-time Sprint Cup champion at Joe Gibbs Racing after his contract expires in 2009. "We're not a company that gets in the middle between owners and drivers," Lee White, the general manager of Toyota Racing Development, said before Saturday's race at Richmond International Raceway. "If there is a manufacturer out there that is spearheading or brokering or promoting an activity like this, I can promise you it will not be Toyota. We don't consider that to be our role in the garage." There has been speculation that Chevrolet is behind a move to lure Stewart, who uses the manufacturer for his Sprint car organization, to CNC Haas Racing. Part-ownership of the team also is on the table, which Stewart has acknowledged. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say Tony really likes to win," White said. "I think Tony's best opportunity to win races, multiple races, and continue to threaten for championships is right where he is."(ESPN.com)(5-4-2008)

What do you think of this deal? Do you think Tony should stay with Joe Gibbs or go to CNC/HAAS? I think he can win more with Gibbs. Toyota is a better brand then Chevy this year and he has two good teammates in Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. All three drivers are looking like they can take the championship. I wouldn't mind any of them winning it all this year.

#07-Clint Bowyer won the Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond International Raceway for his first win of 2008 and 2nd of his career after #18-Busch and #88-Earnhardt tangled with a couple laps to go, sending the leader, #88-Earnhardt Jr. into the wall. #18-Busch held on to 2nd, with the rest of the top-10 being #8-Martin, #20-Stewart, #1-Truex Jr., #12-Newman, #99-Edwards, #29-Harvick, #24-Gordon and #9-Kahne. #11-Denny Hamlin dominated most of the race, leading 381 of 382 laps before having a right front tire going down, giving way to Earnhardt Jr until he tangle with Busch, Hamlin finished 24th. #88-Earnhardt Jr. finished 15th on the lead lap. Points leader coming in to the race, #31-Burton finished 11th, but lost the points lead to #18-Busch 1495 to 1477 points. There were 11 cautions for 62 laps and 4 lead changes amongh 4 drivers.

The news of the night had to be when Dale Earnhardt jr and Kyle Busch went into turn 3 side by side. "Neither one of us gave the other any room" Kyle Busch said in the post race interview. Dale Jr ended the turn with his back end against the wall. He went on to finish 15th. Dale Jr. fans were quick to attack Kyle Busch with many fist shakings and one finger salutes. Some fans may forget this is not the first time these two have gotten together. in Chicago last July, Dale jr got into the back of the car of the driver he replaced at Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Busch. Kyle felt it was intentional and it looked that way to the common, non-biased fan. Dale jr. and his fans all seem to think it was just an racing thing. Tonights race looks to be the same, but yet again Dale Jr and his fans seem to think different. The other top story was Denny Hamlin's heart-breaking finish. This hometown hero led 381 laps of 400 and wond up finishing 24th. "God must not have wanted me to win today." Said Denny Hamlin, who came home in the 24th place. Denny had led all but one lap up to his tire going down. This gave way to the Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt jr race. When the Earnhardt jr and Busch wreck happened, it opened up the inside for Clint Bowyer to get under them and take away the win. This was Bowyer's second Sprint Cup win and his first of 2008. Clint is on a role and he moved to fourth in points behind Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, and Dale Earnhardt jr. Mark Martin came home thrid where he ran the whole race.

With the Red Sox having broken their curse in 2004, the Madden Curse might be the most notable curse left in sports. The theory goes that any player who appears on the cover of EA's Madden video game will soon suffer a debilitating injury and/or suddenly stop being good at football. There are numerous instances to be cited, and a lot of people otherwise rational people believe in it.

If you're one of them, you might want to stay away from Brett Favre for about a year or so. He no longer has a football career that can be damaged, so who knows how the Madden gods are going to choose to apply their wrath.

Maybe Favre goes hunting and accidentally shoots the family dog. Maybe the love triangle between Favre, John Madden, and Peter King finally blows up, leaving all three men with nothing but a broken heart and a mirror in which to tearfully sing I Will Survive.

Maybe Aaron Rogers has the greatest season any quarterback has ever had, and leads the Packers to a 19-0 season and a Super Bowl victory, completely replacing Favre in the hearts and minds of the Green Bay faithful.

Okay, that last one's pretty unlikely.

But I'm not one of the people who subscribes to the theory of the Madden Curse. There are no curses in sports. The Red Sox lost to the Yankees all those years because the Yankees were better, and because they were afraid. The Cubs' troubles have nothing to do with a goat. Curses are excuses.

Eddie George fell off because the Titans worked him like a rented mule the year before. Daunte Culpepper fell off because his success was an illusion in the first place. Michael Vick got hurt because he was always injury-prone, thanks in part to his run-first approach to quarterbacking. Marshall Faulk had to get old sometime. Donovan McNabb didn't suffer from the Madden Curse as much as he suffered from the Having Terrell Owens As A Teammate Curse. And Shaun Alexander, like Marshall Faulk, also had to get old sometime.

The other two Madden cover boys, Ray Lewis and Vince Young, defied whatever "curse" exists. Ray Lewis had a 140-tackle year after being on the cover, and Vince Young's quarterback rating actually rose four points in the year he was on the cover.

It's a fun little theory, though. If Brett Favre comes down with Lupus or something, perhaps I'll reconsider.

MOTEGI, Japan (AP)—Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history Sunday, taking the Indy Japan 300 after the top contenders were forced to pit for fuel in the final laps.

Patrick finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Helio Castroneves on the 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi oval after leader Scott Dixon pitted with five laps left and Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan came in a lap later.

“It’s a long time coming. Finally,” Patrick said. “It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I knew I was on the same strategy as Helio and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn’t believe it. This is fabulous.”

The 26-year-old Patrick won in her 50th career IndyCar start, taking the lead from Castroneves on the 198th lap in the 200-lap race.

“I think Danica is such a fantastic person and I’m thrilled for her that the monkey is finally off of her back,” said Michael Andretti, co-owner of Andretti Green Racing. “We have all believed in her and she proved today that she is a winner. Frankly, I think this is the first of many.”

Dixon took the lead from Castroneves on the 93rd lap in the race pushed back to Sunday because of wet track conditions Saturday, but gave up the spot to pit for fuel.

“We led for a lot of laps but came up short,” Dixon said. “But congratulations to Danica for her first victory.”

Patrick, who started from the third row and made her final pit stop on lap 148, stayed close to the leaders throughout the race.

Patrick went from fourth to second place on lap 197 after Wheldon and Kanaan went into the pit on lap 196. She was as low as eighth place on the 189th lap.

“I knew there was a good reason for coming to Japan,” Patrick said. “I want to thank my team, the fans and everyone who supported me.”

Dixon was third, 10.0559 seconds behind Patrick. Wheldon was fourth, and Kanaan finished fifth.

Castroneves, awarded the pole position after qualifying was rained out Friday, said Patrick ran a great race.

“With five laps to go, I was saving fuel,” Castroneves said. “When Danica passed me, I realized she was the leader. She did a great job, passed me fair and square and that shows you how competitive our series is.”

Patrick finished a career-best seventh in the season standings last year, and was second in the race at Detroit’s Belle Isle.

At the 2005 Indy 500, she nearly won the pole and became the first female driver to lead the race en route to a fourth-place finish. It was the best finish by a woman at Indy, and helped her take rookie of the year honors.

NASCAR research and development usually focuses on minute technical details such as gear ratios and air displacement. Last winter, one topic was fan displacement.

The racing giant took note of increasing numbers of empty seats and declining television ratings during the 2006 and '07 Cup seasons. It determined its most ardent supporters were watching six fewer minutes of the races. Research also showed those fans were attending half as many races as they used to – an average of three to five as opposed to six to 10.

NASCAR has addressed what it considers erosion to its foundation, the core fans who have followed the sport for years – long before there was a Chase, a Texas Motor Speedway, a Car of Tomorrow or a Toyota parked in Victory Lane.

That doesn't mean going back to abandoned tracks such as Rockingham or North Wilkesboro. But NASCAR chairman Brian France and several NASCAR executives talked with track presidents to get an idea of how to better serve the loyal fans.

The sanctioning body has a new marketing campaign, "Our NASCAR," designed to thank fans, especially the longtime fans, and remind them why the sport means so much to them.

It also has loosened rules pertaining to driver conduct and has done an about-face with tangential issues such as race day entertainment.

"NASCAR is different from other sports in that most people don't grow up competing in it like baseball or football," said Mike Helton, NASCAR's president. "So NASCAR fans must spend more time to understand the nuances and strategy of the sport.

"That commitment and understanding translates into fans with deep roots in the sport – they're the so-called 'core fans.' We have a tremendous respect for these most dedicated fans who represent such a big part of 'NASCAR Nation.' "

So far this season, the news is getting a little better for NASCAR. Television ratings for the first five races on Fox showed a 7 percent increase over 2007, not counting California's Monday finish. (It's still up 4 percent if you include California.) Ratings for viewers 50 and older are up 14 percent. Overall ratings in the Dallas-Fort Worth market have increased 13 percent.

Attendance at the Daytona 500 increased slightly, but it lagged at Las Vegas, Martinsville and Atlanta. Inclement weather might have hurt the Martinsville and Atlanta races. TMS officials expect about the same number of fans for today's race as last year.

It might be an indicator that the core fans are re-engaging with a sport. Or at least they are watching more of NASCAR's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., as he stays in contention most weeks with a top team.

"There's no doubt that everyone agrees there was too much change in a very short amount of time," said Ray Evernham, a longtime participant in Cup racing. "I think what NASCAR is doing are good steps."

 

Dealing with changes

 

Andy Hillenburg talks to some of NASCAR's core fans every day. That's part of the responsibility that comes from purchasing North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham for $4.4 million in an auction in October.

Longtime NASCAR fans grew up around the track, which held Cup races from 1965 until 2004. It was sold to Speedway Motorsports Inc. and its last remaining Cup date transferred to Texas Motor Speedway.

Hillenburg's e-mail inbox fills up and his phone rings regularly as passionate fans want to talk about coping with widespread changes to the sport in recent years. Many of them feel NASCAR forgot about them in an effort to attract new fans.

Some are disheartened by NASCAR's departure from traditional locations such as Rockingham and North Wilkesboro. Others don't know what to make of a playoff system, a foreign manufacturer and a new racecar.

"What's happened more than anything is that there have been changes," Hillenburg said. "Anytime you change something someone really likes, they say, 'Why did you do that?' Fans were frustrated. They didn't like all the change."

Core fans are vocal. Many wrote letters in the off-season to NASCAR headquarters, mostly addressed to France. One fan detailed 12 things wrong with the sport. Another writer, Chris Hohman from Washington, signed his letter as an ex-racer and "diehard fan and I want to stay that way."

"I know they won't go back to the way things were," said Hohman, 45. "I can understand bringing in more fans, but I feel like it's pushing me away. It's not the way racing used to be."

NASCAR also talked with its television partners about moving some races earlier in the day.

"The old line, hardcore fans were accustomed to going to church on Sunday morning and watching it that afternoon," NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said. "We can't start races all the time like that anymore, but we're trying to come up with more consistent start times."

 

Back to the roots

 

Even the pre-race entertainment was analyzed. NASCAR tried to attract new fans by partnering with former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson, for instance. Hunter said many longtime fans didn't like it and wanted the sport affiliated with country music again. This season, fans will see Garth Brooks and Brooks & Dunn in some NASCAR ads and at big races.

The core fan was also in mind when NASCAR decided to get away from penalizing drivers from speaking their minds.

"When it comes to breaking the rules, we're not going to be soft," Hunter said. "But when it comes to taking the personalities out of the sport, we're going to let boys be boys as long as we can somewhat keep it under control."

Fans would like ticket prices to be kept under control. TMS president Eddie Gossage said the track doesn't ever increase tickets prices across the board. He said there is a slight price increase for some of the higher-priced sections this season, but the lower-priced seats remain the same.

As part of a TMS promotion with 7-Eleven convenience stores, fans can purchase four backstretch tickets, plus food items for $159. Twice as many of the packages have been sold over those from last year, which Gossage said is a sign fans are becoming more price-conscious.

Gossage said he is encouraged by the ratings and the attendance at some of the early-season stops.

"I will give NASCAR some credit because the first thing you've got to do is say, 'Guys, we're doing something that isn't quite working,' " Gossage said. "Then you have to figure out what to do. It's up to the core fan to support the sport, and I think they're doing that right now. It's a good sign so far."