Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Qualifying

Danni

RESULTS
1. Kyle Busch
8. Dale Jr.
9. Kurt
11. Casey
14. David
16. DJ
18. Martin
22. Michael
43. Brian

That's right! Everyone made it in!!

It was the first qualifying session that used the new format of putting all the Star Cars together at the end (since Cali was rained out) and I think it was one of the best things NASCAR's done for these drivers. It was exciting and nerve-wracking to watch.

Brian's lap looked terrible and as you can see, he was the last one in. It was confusing because he was good in practice, so maybe the shade on the track actually messed him up some.

David was 5th in practice so I had high hopes but I still got anxious when he pulled out onto the track. And for good reason! On his first lap he slid up the track in Turns 1 and 2 and I felt a pit of dread forming. But, thank you Darrell, I built up some confidence for the second lap. The 00 car stuck this time and David was locked in after a few more cars!!

There was one casualty, though. Johnny Sauter in the 21 car got up too high and spun in the "dirt" that collects on the extreme upper groove. He overcorrected and slammed nose-first pretty hard into the backstretch wall, then added salt to the wound as he bounced along it a couple more times. The car was done for.

Then it was time for Michael. I always get nervous when he qualifies because I've watched him wreck more than once. His first lap got him in though! But he continued to go on to his second! I got nervous all over again. However, he improved his time greatly so I guess it wasn't too bad after all.

Finally DJ. I was afraid of a poor lap since he was not fast in practice at all. But he first lap was phenomenal! Relief and celebration ensued!! Great job, MWR!

To make it even better, Kurt tossed the PCP out the window and blew the doors off the majority of the field.

But there was heartbreak. AJ missed another race. His self-esteem must be at an all-time low. It just sucks - he is so much better than this.

It was cool to see Kyle win the pole in his home town. And the cheers! I couldn't hear any boos anywhere. Good stuff. People miss out on a lot with their blind hate for the Busch brothers, so listening to fans with some sense is comforting.

NNS: California Speedway - Stater Bros. 300

Jess

RESULTS
1. Tony Stewart
4. David
7. Dale Jr.

Not long after the Cup race was over two of our guys were strapping into their Nationwide cars, ready to put another three-hundred miles behind them. It was a fairly ho-hum race, but what did happen was centered quite a bit around David and Kyle Busch.

I like Kyle - I like him a lot, actually - but that doesn't mean I don't get nervous when he's around one of my favorites. So when he suddenly appeared behind David going like a bat out of hell I held my breath a little. Thankfully I came to the conclusion that I might as well start breathing again because I would have suffocated if I'd continued to hold my breath the entire time those two were around each other! Kyle was trailing David and if he'd gotten any closer to the 99's rear bumper there would have been a huge crash. It was odd, though, because it took Kyle quite a while to attempt a pass, so I thought that either he was trying to draft with David, a fellow Toyota driver, or he was just being a buttmunch for some reason.

Whatever Kyle's intentions were, David didn't appreciate them! It didn't look like David wanted Kyle to get by and once Kyle did David got right up on his arse. Then he passed Kyle, Kyle tailgated him, Kyle passed, David tailgated...and so on and so forth until I was just about puking with anxiety, waiting for the spin.

That never happened but David didn't let Kyle go without letting him know how he felt - which he showed by driving down the track and giving the 32 a good slam on the door! The funniest part about that was Kyle seemed so offended and held his hand out the window like, "What?" Later ESPN played some of David's audio in which he was saying he was racing Kyle like he was racing him and that it wasn't fun when he (meaning Kyle) was wearing the other shoe, was it!

David got some breathing room after pit stops when the 32 crew lost Kyle several spots (that sounds familiar) and was then able to focus on more important things: like getting those five points for leading a lap. Stewart was basically spanking the rest of the field, so according to some audio from Stewart's team that ESPN played David had asked the 20's spotter to let Stewart make a decision on whether he'd allow David to lead a lap. A fair question - David's going for the championship and he's a Toyota driver. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up in the fleeting moment the spotter was talking during this clip, but I was furious when Stewart's answer was a short, nasty, "No." The spotter then laughed. Uhg!! What a freaking crap! True, as a racer you don't want to give anyone a freebee, but dang! And the way he said it, so holier-than-thou, really made my blood boil! It got even worse when during green-flag pit stops one of the pit reporters said that Stewart wanted to pit after the 99. Gee, so he couldn't lead a lap, right? Bloody hell, that's just rude!

So the race went on and by and by Kyle came creeping back up to the front. Eventually it looked just like the start of the race again with the red nose of the 32 stuffed up the Lucky Dog's nose. Ah-ha! That's it! Maybe Kyle was just trying to get a real good look at Lucky! The battle again appeared a bit heated but didn't last as long before Kyle got by and made a vain attempt to go after Stewart.

I was pretty nervous that Kyle would say something obnoxious about David but when asked about their racing together he didn't even flinch and answered calmly that the 99 was a really good car that seemed to have more horsepower than his Camry. He did admit that they were racing too hard with each other and also mentioned the retaliation...however he called it a "side-draft". Which I don't think it was. But either Kyle honestly didn't think he was getting on David's nerves or he didn't want to call him out for showing some emotion (though he did refer back to the infamous wreck with Kurt during the All-Star race). Anyway I appreciated that. David said nothing about Kyle during his interview.

For a while I was annoyed at both of them because it was really stressful for me as a fan to watch them lap after lap inches away from wrecking each other. They are two very emotional drivers and aggressive drivers - believe it or not, David can get pretty fired up out there! They are also two very talented drivers. After I got over that little pit of dread that I was feeling watching them race around together I realized that it just showed off what great drivers they are and I love 'em both very much!

Junior had a quiet day. I'm a little surprised he hasn't run better in his Nationwide races but maybe he's just shaking the rust off and getting used to the new package.

POINT STANDINGS
1. Tony Stewart
4. David -104

California Speedway - Auto Club 500

Danni

RESULTS
1. Carl Edwards
6. Martin
11. Brian
13. Kurt
23. David - 1 lap down
28. Michael - 2LD
33. DJ - 3LD
40. Dale Jr. - 47LD
42. Casey - OUT

It was a few hours late, but the Cup race did occur on Sunday - part of it, anyway. It was obvious that the drivers were anxious to get going. By the time the field hit the track for pace laps, the sun was shining but not everything turned out so great.

Things got off to a rough start when Michael's car began spurting oil all over the asphalt after a line came loose. His car sat on pit road with the crew crowding around it. It was pretty depressing and I thought of all those pace laps ticking away. However, several minutes later it was stated that those laps didn't count since the race hadn't even commenced. That made me feel better, but it sure didn't put Michael in the best of moods.

When the green fell, Jeff Gordon snatched the lead and checked out. Fourteen laps later, Denny Hamlin careened sharply into the wall. At first it was reported that he blew a tire, but then in the garage he claimed that he had hit a wet spot and lost control. Despite the track being dry at the start, water was weeping in from underneath through the seams in the pavement. And Denny wouldn't be its most unfortunate victim.

A handful of laps later, a horrific wreck that has so become Califronia happened involving two of our drivers. Casey hit a weeper and went along for a wild ride up the track, into the wall and unluckily slid back down the banking just in time to clip Dale Jr. The impact ripped the 88's right side off and he spun along the backstretch. Meanwhile, Casey grated against the wall, probably thinking it was all over. It would have been, except for the witless antics of a driver who caused us some irritation last weekend.

Sam Hornish Jr. clearly needs a lot more practice on the brakes. He was in Turn 1 when the crash started and still ended up making it worse. While everyone slowed down, he barreled into the melee and slammed into the back of Reed Sorenson, sending him flying. Then he shot along the wall and hurtled straight into the back of Casey's car.

Now, the first live view of this entire fiasco was looking back from the middle of the backstretch. At the time, I had my eyes on Casey's car, then all of a sudden I found myself staring at his roof. Hornish hit him so hard that the 5 car flipped over onto its top and had enough momentum that it tilted some more until it was sitting sideways on the right side. I couldn't freaking believe it.

It gets worse! Hornish's exposed engine burst into flames. I guess if there was anything good about the speed that he carried, it was that the 5 car on its side and not laying upside down on the 77's hood. Of course, fire is frightening no matter where you are in the car. Casey's window net was thrown out but I knew it would take him a while to get out since he'd have to climb vertically, plus he'd have no choice but to jump into the fire. Panicking, I suddenly saw a NASCAR official running toward the wreckage. This man, bless his brave heart, leaped onto Hornish's hood regardless of the fire and got to Casey's window to help him get out. I was just floored by this act of complete selflessness. The guy showed no concern for his own safety. I mean, he could have waited for the extinguishers... but he didn't. I want to know his name. I'm also upset he got no recognition for what he did on the broadcast.

The fire crew eventually came and put out the flames. Casey was gradually helped from his car during the red flag. Thankfully, he was okay - probably shaken up and disappointed, but okay. But it does hurt. This was his second DNF in a row and it dropped him well below the point of comfort in the standings.

Eventually the track was cleaned up and the race went back underway. However, it was marred by intermittent rain and a handful of flat tires. Not everything was going badly, though. David was charging through the field like nothing I've ever seen from that team before! On Lap 78, the 00 cracked the top-10 and continued moving forward. A few laps later, it started raining again. The red flag came out. Despite NASCAR trying their best to dry the track, the moisture in the air prevented the track surface from cooperating and the race was delayed until the next day.

Monday dawned sunny and dry - a good thing. But there was a downside, especially in David's case. Conditions bascially did a complete flip from the night before and altered the way many cars drove. By the time we got home from college, David was struggling. To make things worse, the race adopted a long green flag trend, which trapped cars a lap or more down. Kurt even ran out of fuel during a green pit stop and had to coast to his stall!

Unfortunately for Michael, the sunshine didn't shed any light onto the 55 team. On Lap 150, he lost control and backed it into Turn 2. Several laps later, DJ cut down the outer liner of his right rear tire and skimmed the wall. At this point, David was having no fun with the car's poor handling after an overadjustment. Ugh! It wasn't looking good for MWR!

Afterwards, the race was predominantly green, with Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards appearing to be the guys contending for the win. Martin was running fine and some pit strategy had Brian cruising happily in the top-15. Kurt was gaining back spots he had lost when he ran out of gas.

A caution came out on Lap 219, giving David's team another chance to make a change to the car. And a change they made! When the green dropped, David shot himself out of a cannon and easily put himself in position to get the Lucky Dog for the Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine! It would have been a dream come true for sure, but the yellow fell too late. DJ wrecked with one to go and since the white flag was already out, a green-white-checkers was dismissed. Of course, David had been ripping off awesome laps that averaged third of everyone on the track!! He was running faster than the leaders at some points! At the end of the race, I didn't know whether to feel exhalted or dejected. I was amazed at those lap times but just so disappointed he never got the free pass to show the field what he had! But... I guess 23rd with a car that had more in it is better than sitting in 10th and getting caught up in a crash that destroys a good car. On to Vegas with a skip in your steps, 00 team!

I was pretty upset with the way Michael and DJ's day went. Two wrecks and a flat tire. At least DJ stayed out to lead a lap, but I'm starting to get nervous about either of them making to top-35 in points by Bristol.

Martin's good finish relieved me. I was apprehensive that he wouldn't run well after Junior left - not because the 1 team is weak, but because DEI is. Daytona wasn't kind to him, so I feared his struggles would spill over to California. I was happy to be proven wrong!

In spite of everyone moaning about the New Car, the racing was much improved, with plenty of lead changes and side-by-side action. It still had a tendency to get strung out, but that often happens on big tracks. Seeing Carl win was fine with me - a rarer face than Jeff and Jimmie (no offense to either of them!).

00 Quotes of the Race:
Ryan Pemberton (during a caution): "And it looks like it's going to rain. The wind is picking up and I'm getting cold. Somebody gives me a wrap or something to wrap up in."

Crew member: "How 'bout just a hug?"

Ryan: "Ten-four, yeah. Maybe a hug - a group hug would be good!"



POINT STANDINGS
1. Kyle Busch
4. Kurt -36
11. Brian -78
12. Martin -82
18. David -132
23. Dale Jr. -149
25. DJ -151
29. Michael -175
42. Casey -240

I'd like to send our love and thoughts to Michael's sister, Connie. She lost her son, Jason. Condolences to the family and friends.

NASCAR Fashion?

Jess

What do you think when you hear the word "NASCAR"? Speed, danger, excitement? The sounds, the smells, the sight of forty-three colorful machines flashing by in the sunlight? Or do you think of...fashion?

What?

I came across this article on NASCAR.com: Who are you wearing? Pits the 'it' place for fashion. I probably shouldn't have looked, but I couldn't resist taking a peek. It's a no-brainer that a lot of drivers are sponsored by various labels so you often see them with their expensive sunglasses or shoes or watches, but what bothered me was the discussion of what the female half of NASCAR - namely the wives/girlfriends - is doing about fashion. I understand that as a female, you don't exactly want to go to a race looking like a complete slob. I can't imagine most girls would like to be seen wearing their puppy-print pajama-bottoms with their favorite baggy KISS concert T-shirt. I like to look nice and I like to look pretty with clothes that fit me well and compliment my body. But is it really necessary to look more in place walking down a runway on America's Next Top Model than standing on pit road next to a racecar?

This quote from Sherry Pollex, Martin's girlfriend, really made my jaw drop: "People take my picture and it's really a thing between the girls, you're at a track and how you look matters. Honestly for me, it's a respect thing as well. Like church on Sundays, when I walk out there, I have a sense of pride because I'm a reflection of Martin and what he does."

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but shouldn't the reason you're at the track be to support your husband/boyfriend, not look pretty for the cameras? Can you not be a "reflection" of your significant other while wearing an outfit that costs less than $300 and isn't "high fashion"?

It makes me a little ill in general that many of these NASCAR women take money that they're not even making for granted, like it's a given for standing next to a driver and flicking their bleach-blonde hair around. I've never paid more than $30 for a pair of jeans. I'd never spend more than $50 on a top that cost $5 to make (by child laborers, no doubt!) just because it's a designer label and you might get some oohs and ahs for two minutes on pit road by the girlfriend of the driver that starts in front of your boyfriend. That's so materialistic...so narcissistic.

Then again, maybe it's what a lot of the drivers ask for, especially the younger ones. I joke that the racecars have a template so the girlfriends must have a template too. Sometimes I can't even tell the difference between who I see standing by Driver A one week and Driver B the next. Big chest, big butt, tiny waste. Bleach-blonde hair. High heels. Many have been models or little trophy girls at local tracks. More look interested in the cameraman or photographer than the man about ready to get into his racecar and live his dream.

I guess that's why I like Krissie Newman so much (how funny that I mentioned this in my Daytona 500 post). Go do a search for her. Does she look like a supermodel? No. She's gorgeous, though, because she looks like the girl next door and natural beauty is far more lovely than vain plastic surgery. Does she prance around pit road posing for photographers wearing extra-tight jeans and cleavage-baring blouses? No. She's at Ryan's side, holding his hand, standing close to him during prerace ceremonies. Often wearing T-shirts. Sure, she wears labels like everyone else, but is that her goal on raceday? No. Her focus is Ryan, not the cameras and not what the other girls think of her outfit.

She was wearing a big white hoodie when Ryan won the Daytona 500. Did she care? No.

"I know some people really like to dress up because of the cameras and that's fine," Newman said. "I used to dress up ... white cargo pants and nice shoes but I just ended up getting water spots and grease stains on them. You still have to remember you're at a racetrack. You can look professional and stylish and still be comfortable."

Now that's a girl after my own heart! Rock on, Krissie.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Jess

Global climate change strikes again! They're saying it never rains in Southern California...riiiight...

They got the Crafstman Truck race in today, at least. While watching NASCAR Live I was surprised to see Brandon Whitt's name on the lineup. Wow! I knew that he'd been testing for Morgan-Dollar but figured he wouldn't get a ride with them, but I couldn't find anything about it on his website or on Morgan-Dollar's website. My happiness was short-lived, however, when at the beginning of the CTS broadcast it was mentioned that Brandon had been replaced by AJ Allmendinger in a last-minute deal. I guess that fact that I like AJ and love to watch him race made it even harder to swallow. But I was really upset for Brandon nonetheless because even as a CTS winner he's been having a lot of trouble finding a ride. Looking at a blurb on TruckSeries.com it sounds like Red Bull had something to do with this and beings that the 47 truck was sponsorless I'm willing to bet Red Bull offered Morgan-Dollar a good sum of money to put AJ in the truck. It was bittersweet to see AJ finish 17th and thinking that that could have been Brandon. I hope that Morgan-Dollar gives Brandon a second chance, but I have no idea of this was a one-race deal or for multiple races.

Well they just cancelled the Nationwide race for tonight - now that's interesting because they're planning on running it an hour after the Cup race! Assuming they even get the Cup race in, that's a big undertaking for the double-duty drivers. Eight-hundred miles! Wow! But realistically it doesn't look like they'll get either race in tomorrow anyway because the forecast is, again, for rain. But we'll see I guess!

I didn't realize that the Nationwide cars were set by owner points as well, so here is how they line up:

1. Jeff Burton
5. David
9. Dale Jr.

The nice thing about rain delays is that to pass the time we get a lot of interviews from the drivers and often ones we don't hear from much, especially in the Nationwide Series. Kelly Bires is such a cute little thing!

There was also a very amusing competition between Bob Dilner and Rutledge Wood during NASCAR Live over who could interview the most drivers before the show ended. That was hysterical! Rutledge had the great idea of slipping over to the CTS driver intros to rack up his count and Bob had to run all the way there to have any chance of winning - which he did at the very last moment. It was great! The poor drivers, some of them looked so confused.

California Speedway - Qualifying

Danni

RESULTS
1. Jimmie Johnson
5. Casey
11. Martin
15. Dale Jr.
36. Kurt
37. DJ
40. David
41. Michael

Rain forced NASCAR to cancel not just qualifying today, but all on-track activities including Nationwide and Cup practice. It was pretty disappointing and boring (I love Dale Jr., but was I sick of watching Back In The Day!). It was just one of those consistant mists that never got going until the afternoon. I wasn't too impressed with the track drying - it just seemed like they weren't really trying or didn't have enough trucks to make much of an attempt. Plus, for being such a sophisticated "Hollywood" track, there seemed to be a lot of seeping issues even before the real rain actually fell. Or maybe I just felt that way because I think the California Speedway is a complete waste of a race date and is one big vain effort to attract some celebrity floozies and nothing else, since the grandstands never become near to full and the racing is a strung-out parade. Oh, excuse me, the Auto Club Speedway. Gimmie a break!

But anyway...about qualifying.

It took me up until an interview with Patrick Carpentier to realize that NASCAR changed the rain-out formula for the Star Cars. The top-35 owner points from last year are lined up first, which is why Casey starts 5th (the 5 was 5th in points) and Junior starts 15th (the 25 finished 15th in points). For the Star Cars, the 2007 race winner remained the same (Kurt) as well as all the past champions in the field (DJ and Bill Elliott). From there it differed. Instead of lining up the rest of the field by last year's owner points, NASCAR used this year's. That would put Brian, David and Michael in because currently they are in the top-35 in points (12th, 17th and 27th respectively). After them follow John Andretti and Joe Nemechek, who are currently 40th and 41st in points. Phew!

Unfortunately, this kind of hurt. It's a good format, I think, but it sucks that if by a stroke of luck a driver missed Daytona, he misses the next race too. AJ Allmendinger and Carpentier come to mind. This puts them in an even deeper hole. I'm sure NASCAR never expected a wash-out to happen so soon, but this change will probably cause quite a negative stir. Of course, there are people who think the top-35 rule is terrible anyway but that's a much bigger and more violent story than I will delve into here.

One thing that made me rather unhappy, though, is the fact that Bill Elliott got in. I know he's a past champion and I know he was a big winner years ago but damn... he's not even running full time and he didn't even come close to making the Daytona 500. The Wood Brothers' organization is clearly heading downhill and has been for so long, so this seems like another... maybe selfish?... way of keeping their ship barely afloat. Meanwhile, guys like AJ and Patrick struggle to make names for themselves - AJ would have made this race if Elliott had not been in the 21. I don't know. I've lost so much faith in the PCP in general after watching it be abused and tarnish the image of great drivers. I'll admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Elliott after reading parts of his book where he trashes NASCAR and practically blames them totally for all injuries and deaths that have occurred over the years. Ironically enough, Elliott keeps racing. Apparently, in spite of his dislike for NASCAR, he still enjoys the money they provide!

All right, enough of my ranting! Hopefully tomorrow everyone will get some time on the track and the Nationwide series can qualify and race. And let's hope for some good racing, too!

Daytona Int’l Speedway - Daytona 500

Jess

RESULTS
1. Ryan Newman
2. Kurt
9. Dale Jr.
12. Brian
16. DJ
18. David
20. Martin
29. Michael
35. Casey

The Daytona 500. Finally!

Prerace festivities kicked things off with a wonderful concert by various artists (all fully clothed and appropriately clothed, thank goodness, for we've had some rather frightening outfits by a couple of the female artists in the past few years). Brooks and Dunn has been one of my favorite country duos for a long time so I was very excited to see them on stage and they did a great job. I love watching all the cool things they do on the frontstretch grass and really liked the way they pulled out the 50th running banner and had all the old-school cars on parade. Every year makes me wish I was down there!

At long length the race became the main focus and the green flag flew over a field of forty-three drivers hungry to call themselves a 2008 Daytona 500 champion. To my absolute glee, Michael began to power his way past polesitter Jimmie Johnson and he can say for the rest of the season that he was the first driver to lead a lap for a points race in 2008! It was very sweet to see him flex his muscles like he did and show off those pretty gold wheels.

While the cars remained bunched up it was exciting but soon the field spread out, whether it was from handling issues, caution regarding the possible tire problem or just caution in general. Daytona is getting more and more like that; when there are long green flag runs everyone gets single-file and plays follow-the-leader. Couple that with some green-flag pit stops and they got even more spaced out. Not a whole lot of fun for the viewer – and I'd imagine not for the drivers, either – but it does make the race go faster.

After the first caution for debris flew the action was ready to pick up. Brian had a tire go down after the race restarted and pitted, eventually going a lap down but keeping up with the draft and putting himself in position for the free pass. Kurt and Junior also had a close call on the backstretch when Kurt had to swerve, clipping the grass, to avoid the 88. That was exciting!

Another green-flag pit stop came to pass, scattering the pack once again and leaving Kurt with a speeding penalty, putting him way back in the running order. At one point all three MWR cars hooked up and they got some air time, which was nice. Michael got a little more attention for MWR when during his pit stop after the Lap 150 debris caution he slid through his stall, coming close to smacking into a bunch of spectators standing in the garage entrance. A risky place to watch the race! Kurt had more problems as well, overshooting his pit stall and being forced to come all the way back around to visit pit lane again! Could things go crazier for him?!

The first accident of the day occurred on Lap 161, when David Ragan slammed into teammate Matt Kenseth, putting them both out of the race. From the clip that was played on FOX from Kenseth's radio he was none too happy about things either – I don't think I've ever heard him yell like that!

Everyone pitted again except for Dale Jr., who expected to make it to the end. Tony Eury Jr. is a smart crew chief but I can't say I thought it was the best move to make since his tires would be a lot less fresh than the other drivers'. When the green flew again he struggled to keep the lead until the second wreck of the day exploded a few laps later.

Jimmie Johnson got loose and then was helped around by Sam Hornish Jr. (which wouldn't be the last bonehead move he would make that evening). In the chaos that ensued David just barely squeaked by and poor Michael – who was just moving up – ran into the back of Denny Hamlin. The damage to the nose of the 55 would ruin his chances of a good finish. Martin also spun with Johnson and would unfortunately never recover from that, although the car didn't seem to be hurt too badly.

Once again every car came to pit road except Dale Jr. Well, okay, at least he's consistent!

Green again, but not for long. Dale Jr. got shuffled back by Clint Bowyer, who couldn't revel in the glory of being the leader for more than a moment before Juan Montoya plowed into the back of him and sent him spinning!

What they say about cautions breeding cautions rang true for the end of the 500; two laps after the green Dave Blaney got jumbled up behind Montoya and then tagged by Kevin Harvick, which shot him into the wall and killed his car. This is just the story of Blaney's life! Run well all day only to have something stupid happen!

For Casey it was looking to be a great night and I was hoping for an opportunity to see him go for the checkers. But that went all up in smoke and sparks after the next green flag when he tried to slide up into the high line, hesitated and then slid up again: right into Tony Stewart's bumper. The 5 creamed the wall. I was so upset but couldn't be mad at anyone because he wasn't clear and shouldn't have been told he was, and the spotters have a hard time seeing on the frontstretch. My heart just broke for Casey and the entire team.

With only three laps left the race restarted again and things got very wild very quickly! Stewart was leading and I honestly didn't want him to win, mostly because I'd like to keep that first Toyota victory up for grabs a little longer! Meanwhile back in 12th, David and the Dream Machine crew were looking good…until the white flag. Sam Hornish had been riding behind him for a few laps and at that moment decided to show his true colors by ducking underneath the 00 and smacking into the side of the car, getting David loose and sending him on a free-fall. That just figures! David fell all the way back to 18th, behind teammate DJ, while Hornish can now bask in the praise of the media for being a "great driver". Interestingly enough, according to Carl Edwards, Hornish isn't exactly making too many friends with anyone: "…we had a deal where we got caught up with the 77 car and slowed us way down."

Back up front, the other Penske boys teamed up and aimed to give Roger Penske his first Daytona 500 victory, not to mention his first restrictor plate win. Ryan Newman pulled up in front of Kurt on the backstretch and the 2 shot the 12 out of a canon! They blasted by Tony Stewart like he was standing still! By now Danni and I were screaming and generally going crazy, cheering on the pair of blue Dodges. It didn't bother me at all that Kurt finished 2nd because I've been waiting for the Penske boys to finally get their luck together and hook up at the end of an RP race, and I knew that Kurt was going to be really happy for Newman.

The 12 crew, joined by Newman's family, went ballistic. Newman slowed on the frontstretch and did some sweet smoky burnouts for the fans before heading into Victory Lane. I was happy to see Krissie Newman wearing comfy-looking jeans and a hoodie – now that's my type of NASCAR wife!

When Kurt was interviewed I knew he'd have a lot to say about Penske Racing and that Newman is a good teammate, but I was actually shocked to see how emotional he got. It really accentuated how important Penske's organization has been not only to Kurt the driver but Kurt the person. In the short run a 500 win would be awesome for Kurt – but in the long run he solidified the trust between the 2 and the 12.

Looking at the running order, I was surprised to see that Brian finished 12th. Where did he come from? What a great points day for the 83 team!

Going back to David, whose radio I've listened to since last season, I was again very pleased with the communication between he and Ryan Pemberton. What a team! I'm going to try and pick one quote from every race that I thought was funny, inspiring or whatever and write it down.

During the first yellow flag pit stops on Lap 80 Ryan asked David to stop short in his box with the nose of the car pointed out. Apparently this didn't happen and David was really frustrated about it, claiming he was screwing up all the pit stops. Ryan kept telling him that it was all good and then said to remain calm. As an afterthought he added, "If we don't remain calm I'm gonna start throwing some chairs or something in here." Go Ryan! His confidence and humor is great for David; I'd like to have him on my side if I ever got into a bad spot!

POINT STANDINGS
1. Ryan Newman
2. Kurt -15
8. Dale Jr. -47
12. Brian -63
16. DJ -75
17. David -81
19. Martin -87
27. Michael -109
35. Casey -132

*UPDATE (Wednesday, 20 February): Due to Robby Gordon's penalty (the loss of 100 driver and owner points), all our boys that finished behind Dale Jr. get bumped up one spot!

NNS: Daytona Int’l Speedway - Camping World 300

Danni

RESULTS
1. Tony Stewart
3. Dale Jr.
4. Brian Vickers
11. Martin
14. David
18. Scott

I'll come right out and say it – this race was disappointing. I know plate races tend to get spread out at times, but for the majority of this one's duration, the cars were single file playing follow-the-leader. It just didn't seem like passing came easy at all, which was a surprise because the fin on the top of the Nationwide cars usually keep the packs tight.

The first bit of real action we saw unfortunately was a pretty scary wreck nearly halfway into the race. The 14 of David Gilliland was leading Greg Biffle's 16 and Mark Green's 70 when for some reason Biffle jacked up Gilliland's car in the middle of a turn. The 14 turned down and hooked Green's car up hard into the wall. I was surprised that it even occurred, really – I mean, they were single file! It's not like it was a crazy pack where a crash can happen at any moment.

It was hard to get much of an idea what was going on with our drivers because all the TV focused on were the leaders, usually consisting of Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch. From what they showed of Junior, he was pretty loose.

A couple of debris cautions followed because of Marcos Ambrose's blown tire and ensuing sheet metal removal. Things started heating up as a result of the field bunching back together. With only a handful of laps to go, the Big One happened when Brad Keselowski got into the back of Steven Wallace. The resulting spin collected eight other cars. Luckily, this all occurred behind David!

The shooutout to the checkers was pretty wild but it didn't bode well for David. He fought his way up and just kept getting ditched. So frustrating! It was also irritating to watch the rest of the field sort of hand that one to Stewart, but maybe that's because I'm not a big fan of him.

For David, a 14th place finish isn't horrible, but I understood his disappointment in his post-race interview. However, he should look at where the 3 other Cup drivers going for the championship fared – 9th for David Regan, 10th for Carl Edwards and 25th for Clint Bowyer. Those who finished in front of him are within easy reach, but I think possibly another reason for David's dissatisfaction was the fact that the 99 team had been caught with larger holes in their carburetor earlier in the week that allowed an increase in horsepower. Dale Jr.'s 5 team was also involved in a more publicized infraction involving post-inspection modifications of the car's rear decklid and spoiler. Penalties are expected for both teams (and I know the 5 is going to get slammed big-time) and I'm sure David is worried about a points deduction and especially a potential suspension of crew chief Jerry Baxter. The latter would be the most detrimental. I'm just hoping right now that because the carburetor issue wasn't talked about much that it wasn't all that serious.

In general, it seemed as if ESPN gave a lot more attention to David than they did last year – he was immensely underestimated and I think they were probably a little embarrassed they gave so little credit to the man who ended up finishing second in points for the majority of the season. Unfortunately, the interviews he got were conducted by the senseless Shannon Spake. His post-race one concluded with Spake stating cheerfully that David did not make the Daytona 500 last year, but did this year. Nice going, airhead, way to know your facts.

POINT STANDINGS
1. Tony Stewart
12. David -69
17. Scott -81

*UPDATE: Penalties were handed out Wednesday. The 99 got out lucky, with only a $5,000 fine and a 6-race probation for Jerry Baxter. David, in fact, got bumped up two positions in points as a result of the following: Dale Jr. was docked 50 points and crew chief Chad Walter was fined $25,000 and suspended for 6 races (ouch!). Johnny Sauter, who finished 13th in the race, lost 25 points for an oil tank modification.