February 2007 Archives

Jerry Westlund was the winning bidder to drive in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race during the Long Beach Grand Prix in April.
Westlund, a 41-year-old nighclub owner from Long Beach, won with a bid of $70,500. The money will go to the Grand Prix Foundation of Long Beach which, since its inception, has contributed more than $2 million to charitable organizations throughout the greater Long Beach area.
"I'm a lifelong Long Beach resident," Westlund says. "I've been going to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for around 30 years and I've always wondered how I'd do if I ever got in the Pro/Celebrity Race."
Westlund will join the celebrity and professional field for four days of driver's training conducted by Fast Lane Driving School at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond. Qualifying for the Pro/Celebrity race is on April 13. The race, 10 laps around the 1.97-mile street course, starts at 11:45 a.m. April 14.
"A friend of mine mentioned the auction to me. I gave it some serious thought and, after some prodding from my employees, I jumped in," Westlund said. "I was surprised at how fast the bidding went up, but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. I can't wait to start training and line up on what is basically my home track."

Denny Hamlin was the fastest driver in the morning session of testing the Car of Tomorrow at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday.
Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing, was the only driver to turn a lap better than 122 mph. His best lap was at 15.706 seconds and 122.170 mph at the .533-mile oval in Tennessee.
Gerg Biffle had the fastest Ford and the second quickest lap around the track.
Kasey Kahne had the fastest Dodge, 14th overall. Jeremy Mayfield had the fastest Toyota, 20th overall.
There were 61 cars participating in the morning test. Some drivers took out two cars during the session. Juan Pablo Montoya was the top rookie in the morning session. He was 30th overall in the Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge.

The NASCAR Busch Series race in Mexico City will provide a first for ESPN.
Sunday's race will be broadcast in Spanish, the first such venture for ESPN of a major sporting event.
The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 in English. ESPN Deportes will broadcast a version of the race in Spanish.
"The NASCAR Busch Series race in Mexico City is a special event,” said John Wildhack, ESPN senior vice president, programming and acquisitions. “It presents a unique and history-making opportunity for a Spanish-language telecast on a major cable network as well as a traditional English-speaking telecast. Interest in this event is high and we're pleased to be able to provide multiple viewing options for NASCAR fans.”
Coverage from Mexico City will begin at 10:30 p.m. PST with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown on ESPN2 as well as Cuenta Regresiva a NASCAR on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. The race telecasts begin at 11 a.m. PST.
ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Busch Series in 2007, with six select events to be televised by ESPN on ABC. ESPN is covering the series with the same standards of production that it will use later this season for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, including the full use of high definition cameras, Sportvision pointers and technology and state-of-the-art graphics.
"We are committed to the NASCAR Busch Series,” said Wildhack. “ESPN's Full Circle approach will showcase the excitement and competitiveness of the Busch Series across a variety of multimedia platforms.”

There are 50 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series teams at Bristol Motor Speedway for two days of testing the Car of Tomorrow in preparation for the race on March 25.
The first day of testing is today and concludes Thursday. The March 25 Bristol race will be the debut of the Car of Tomorrow for all the Cup teams.
This is the third of seven scheduled Cup tests for the Car of Tomorrow. Previous tests have been at Daytona International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Tests at Richmond, Lowe's, Dover and Talladega will follow later in the year.
The Car of Tomorrow will be used in 16 Cup races this year. They include oval tracks of less than 1.5-miles, the two road courses and the October race at Talladega.
“The Bristol test should be a good dress rehearsal for the race teams, drivers and NASCAR as we prepare for the first Car of Tomorrow race later next month,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition. “It should provide the teams with a good opportunity to fine tune their set ups and become more familiar with how their cars are going to handle and give NASCAR the chance to have a trial run in getting its inspection process for the new car all buttoned up.”

Sammy Hagar spent part of his Sunday singing to NASCAR fans at California Speedway.
Looks like he will be spending some of his money on A.J. Foyt's IndyCar Series team.
Hagar's Cabo Wabo Enterprises will be an associate sponsor on Foyt's No. 14 Indy Racing League team for the 2007 season.
“I’m happy to have Sammy Hagar and his company involved with our team,” said Foyt, who is celebrating his 50th anniversary in Indy car racing. “Cabo Wabo is a premium tequila, and I think our race fans will show their appreciation in a responsible way. Our team will help promote responsible drinking which creates a win-win for everyone. And there’s nothing I like more than winning.”
Hagar also is co-owner of Team KMA’s Indy Pro Series car driven by Robbie Pecorari.
“To be given the opportunity to be a part of such a great sport, and to do it along side A.J. Foyt’s team is such an honor,” Hagar said. “The fans, the team, the races, they all represent the best of what motorsports has to offer. We’re looking forward to a great season.”

The first of nine Twilight Cruise Nights at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona will be April 4.
The first Wednesday of each month, from April to December, hundreds of hot rods, street rods and muscle cars will convene at the museum.
Twilight Cruise Night, which runs from 4 to 8 p.m., and is hosted by the Cal Rods car club, attracts nearly 400 cars and 1,000 people. It includes raffles, prizes and a huge 50/50 drawing. Admission to the museum is free during Cruise Nights. Budweiser has signed on to sponsor the celebrity judges' picks each Cruise Night. The judges will scour the ranks to find five of the best vintage vehicles worthy of a special prize – a victory lap
at the Auto Club Raceway in Pomona during the Auto Club NHRA Finals, Nov. 9-12.
There are two cruise nights in August and none in September, when the Los Angeles County Fair is at the fairgrounds. The cruise night in July is on the second Wednesday of the month because the first Wednesday is the Fourth of July.
"Cruise Nights have become a tradition here at the Museum," said Greg Sharp, curator of the Parks Museum. "It's become a family favorite for Southern Californians, but we also get folks attending from other states and countries. Even if you're not a car enthusiast, our Cruise Nights are a great way to spend an evening. We get some of the rarest, most creative examples of automobile history around."

For those heading out to Las Vegas for the NASCAR races in a couple weeks, Craftsman Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan wants you to stop by for a visit.
South Point Racing will be having an open house at the team's shop March 8, the Thursday before the Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, from 3 to 7 p.m.
“We’re very proud of being a West coast team, and when all the NASCAR teams, sponsors and fans come out for the race in March, we like to show off our facilities,” said Gaughan, driver of the No. 77 South Point Hotel Chevrolet in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. “We like to take care of our race fans, and they have a good time hanging out at the race shop and eating and talking with the guys on the team. We really look forward to our open house every year.”
This will be the third annual open house hosted by Gaughan, the two-time NASCAR West Series champion, and his Truck Series team. Visitors will also be treated to a barbecue during the open house.
South Point Racing is located at 6975 Speedway Blvd., Bldg. D-104, directly beside of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The penalties from Daytona keep coming. Three more teams were fined for rule violations. These were discovered during opening day inspection at Daytona International Speedway.
Lee McCall, crew chief for the No. 49 Dodge driven by Mike Bliss, was fined $10,000 for having parts that did not conform to NASCAR rules.
Randy Seals, crew chief for the No. 34 driven by Kevin Lepage, was fined $10,000 for having a unapproved lower rear spring mount on the car.
Scott Miller, crew chief for the No. 31 Chevrolet driven by Jeff Burton, was fined $10,000 for having an unapproved rear spring lower truck trailing arm mount on the car.

Kurt Busch was the highest finishing Dodge in the California Speedway NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race. He came in seventh. Ahead of him were a sea of Chevrolets and a couple Fords.
He said on a scale of one to 10, he'd rate his team's Dodges at about a five after two races.
"We ran 11th or 12th most of the day. We got seventh and that's what it takes to rebuild and get your points built back up, especially with all the questions now about how the Dodge is going to work and then with the Car of Tomorrow in a few weeks," said Busch, driver of the No. 2 Dodge for Penske Racing South. "We feel good about the team. Everybody is slapping high fives. We finished seventh, and we'll slap high fives when we win and finish second as well."
Busch said Dodge has done a lot of work in the offseason to improve the aerodynamic package of its cars. He's happy with the progress, but said his team needs to work to make the chassis a little better.
"We wanted to do what we could with building power and reliability," Busch said. "And this is probably the best power we've seen out of Penske/Jasper even with the unleaded. I feel like we've got the upper hand there, and now if we get the chassis and aero to match it, look out."

This one's for you Pauline, and all the other Matt Kenseth fans looking for a little love.
Jack Roush, the now co-owner of the five-car Roush Fenway Racing team, said John Henry, the owner of the Boston Red Sox and now part owner of the NASCAR team, called him twice over the weekend.
The first time was on Saturday night after Matt Kenseth won the NASCAR Busch Series race at California Speedway. The second time was on Sunday morning before the Cup race.
"I actually wasn't up when he called this morning and he had a family thing to do," Roush said. "But we'll dedicate my part of this victory to John. He is the owner of record for the 17 car moving forward."
Chip Bolin was serving as Kenseth's crew chief for the California Speedway Cup race. Kenseth's regular crew chief, Robbie Reiser, is serving a four-race suspension for having the No. 17 Ford not pass inspection after qualifying for the Daytona 500.
Roush said Bolin and engineering manager Chris Andrews are "doing a heck of a job" during Reiser's suspension.
"We've had conversations with Chip different times over the years about what he might like to do, and he's always said he'd rather not have the responsibility to do what Robbie has been doing," Roush said. "But he got thrust in to it and has done a really good job. I'm just glad to be here and part of this myself."

It hasn't happened since 2002 that Mark Martin is on top of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series standings. Actually, back then it was the Winston Cup standings, but still, it's been a long time.
After the race, he was asked if he will reconsider his decision not to run an entire Cup schedule if he is still leading the standings after the fourth race of the year. The first race Martin is supposed to miss is the fifth race of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway.
He said simply no. He is not changing his plans.
Now comes the question of whether a driver can qualify for the Chase and not race every race. Martin looks like he might put that to the test.
"All in all, I think we have potential here to get up there and win a race," said Martin, driver of the No. 01 Chevrolet for Ginn Racing. "We have shown that the last two weeks. We will keep working to make all these Ginn Racing teams better."
Martin was second in the Daytona 500 and came in fifth in the California Speedway race, showing his team can be competitve on restrictor plate tracks and downforce tracks. That's a potent combination.
"I am very proud of this team to come home with a top five and I want to thank all the fans," Martin said. "They are incredible. All the encouragement they have given me this week. I am loving this and I am rolling, man."

Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. both had engine problems and dropped out of contention before the midway point in the race.
Junior said his car was losing power and oil pressure when he decided to withdraw from the race. But he went back out and blew his motor.
"We tried to go out and get a few laps because Kasey Kahne blew up but fixed it and went back out," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. "So we were trying to get a few points, but we did blow gain and spun out there. Luckily, we kept it out of the wall when it blew."
Kahne's car lost power, too and started smoking before he pulled into the garage for repairs. He returned, but was several laps down after being one of the race leaders. He was out front for 20 of the first 62 laps.
"It was a good car," said Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports. "We had a shot to run in the top 10. We led some laps early, and we were working our way to the front. Everybody was off pit sequence, but I think we could have worked our way back to the front and we would have been just fine."

Scott Riggs, Reed Sorenson and Jamie McMurray were all involved in a multicar crash on lap 7. All suffered extensive damage to their cars.
"The 10 car (Riggs) just spun out and he tried to save it and then got up into the outside wall, and you're like 10 feet behind him,so you're just hanging on," McMurray said. "An unfortunate day."
It was a disappointing end to the race for McMurray.
"This has been a really good track for me, so I really look forward to coming to Fontana," said McMurray, driver of the No. 26 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. "We didn't qualify well, but our car seemed pretty good there the first four or five laps, at least what we got to try."
Sorenson was the unwitting victim of the colliision between Riggs and McMurray. He got collected in the crash.
"I'm not relly sure what happened, but something happened with the 26 (McMurray) and 10 (Riggs)," said Sorenson, driver of the No. 41 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing. "I think I had it missed and then somebody hit us in the right rear and it was all over from there."
Riggs said his car was driving really tight before the accident.
"We've been working on the car all weekend," said Riggs, driver of the No. 10 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports. "We've been on both sides of the spectrum -- loose and tight. Everybody did a good job trying to get this Stanley Tools Dodge better all weekend, but we were really tight there at the beginning of the run and had a lot of wheel in it and in the throttle hard. I just got loose. It snapped loose with me... I hate it for everyone."

Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc., blew an engine and was knocked out of the race.
"The motor just broke, just blew up, just like that," Truex said. "These guys at DEI do an awesome job with these engines. We only lost one last year. It is just frustrating."
Truex said he though his team had a top-five car and was racing with the leaders when his engine blew.
"We have been running like this for a while and we can't ever catch a break. I am just sick of it to be honest with you.
"We didn't have any warning. Just out of the blue. We had a restart there and I was running behind the 20 (Tony Stewart) there and the race was really good, just out of the blue, the motor let go."

Three-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr. finished 35th in the NASCAR Busch Series race at California Speedway on Saturday night.
He crashed on lap 132 and didn't finish the race.
Making a successful transition from Indy cars to stock cars is going to take some time, Hornish said.
"The more experience you have, the more things that you learn," said Hornish. "I went through about eight years of open wheel stuff before I ever won an IndyCar race, so it does take some time. With the exception of IROC, this is only my first stock car race ever. I'm still learning."

Matt Kenseth won the NASCAR Busch Series race Saturday night. But he said it won't mean much in today's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at California Speedway.
"I don't think we're going to be the guy to beat," said Kenseth, who starts 25th in today's Auto Club 500. "I think we have a pretty good car. I don't think we're great, but I think we're pretty good."
Kenseth's Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle finished fifth in the Busch Series race. He starts 13th in the Cup race.
Carl Edwards, another one of Kenseth's teammates, finished fourth in the Busch Series race. He starts 21st in the Cup race.
Edwards was asked after the Busch Series race if he learned anything for the Cup race.
"I'm going to talk to Matt Kenseth," Edwards said. "That's what I learned. He's pretty fast here. I did have a good time and it was fun racing."
David Ragan, the newest addition to Roush Fenway Racing, was 18th in the Busch Series race. He starts today's Cup race in 39th.
Any experience on the race track is going to be beneficial for Ragan. He said by running in the Busch Series race, he learned how his car will react to the race track.
"The track is going to be about the same," Ragan said, "and hopefully we learned some with the car."

...if you're going to be at California Speedway for the Auto Club 500 on Sunday.
Sammy Hagar will be performing on the Turn 4 Pre-race stage at 11:20 a.m. His little concert will last for 20 minutes.
Kevin Costner is the grand marshal of the race. Rick Schroeder is the honorary starter.
Brian McKnight will be singing the national anthem at approximately 12:28 p.m.
Costner will give the command, "Gentlemen, start your engines," at 12:35 p.m.
The Auto Club 500 is set to start at 12:47 p.m.

Dave Blaney won the pole for tonight's NASCAR Busch Series race, the first for Toyota in the Busch Series.
Blaney's pole-winning lap was at 180.410 mph.
"These Toyotas have been impressive," Blaney said.
But it's not all good news for Toyota. No driver has won a Busch Series race from the pole at California Speedway.
The second and third qualifiers, however, have two wins apiece in Busch Series races at California Speedway.
Matt Kenseth qualified second in a Ford and Jeff Burton was third in a Chevrolet.
It was Blaney's seventh career Busch Series pole and his best qualifying effort at California Speedway. His previous best start in a Busch Series race at California Speedway was 13th.
"We could see it coming somewhat," Blaney said. "The cars have been really fast and impressive. I think we have a chance to win every week."
As for the race, Blaney said the team isn't making many adjustments.
"In race trim the car is really fast -- we are happy with it and just kind of left it," Blaney said. "It's going to be different conditions. Later tonight it's going to be dark by the time the race ends. It will be a lot different than what we practiced in. We'll see how it goes."
Todd Braun, the owner of Blaney's Busch Series car, said with Toyota's success in the Craftsman Truck Series, he knew it wouldn't take long for Toyota to duplicate it in the Busch Series.
"For what we did last week in Daytona, to sit on the outside pole and then come here and get the pole this week and get second place there in Daytona," Braun said. "We want to keep building upon the program. This is kind of where we hoped this program would go from when we got involved in it."
Blaney finished second in the Busch Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway last week. Jason Leffler qualified his Toyota on the front row, in second position, at Daytona.
"Everybody at Toyota has made this possible," Braun said. "With the hard work of everybody at our shop plus Toyota's hard work -- we are really glad to be at this point already. We think we can go a lot further quicker."

J.J. Yeley, in his second year as driver of the No. 18 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing, was asked about his first year in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
"It was one I would soon like to forget," Yeley said. "2006 was probably the worst racing season I have ever had in my career."
He was 29th in the Cup standings with three top-10 finishes in 36 races.
"It was probably the toughest mentally and I guess because I have such a good team," Yeley said. "Having a family made it a lot easier on me. I could have a bad day and I could go back to the motorhome and Faith, my daughter, would look at me."
Faith is 1-year-old.
"She doesn't care. She is just glad to see her dad," Yeley said. "Those things make it easier to let maybe a bad day at work roll off your back."
Yeley said he thinks things are going to better on the race track in 2007.
"Personally I have learned a lot from the mistakes I have made" Yeley said. "We have made a lot of changes on the team and I think those things are going to add up to a lot of success for us this year."

Kurt Busch was on Tony Stewart's Sirius Radio Show on Tuesday night. Busch said the two talked about what happened at Daytona, when the two tangled and essentially took each other out of the race. Both had fast cars; Busch led a race-high 95 laps in the Daytona 500, but finished 41st when he and Stewart crashed on lap 154.
"Each day you have to put things behind you and look forward to the next week because that's how this sport is," Busch said. "It was the Daytona 500 and it was tough to swallow. Talking to Tony helped and looking at the tape and talking with Roger Penske about everything, we definitely had a lot to be proud of after the week was over."
Busch and Stewart probably had the same view of how to race the Daytona 500. It was that aggressive attitude that ended up costing both of them a chance to win the race.
"It was one of those Daytona 500 deals where you're there to win the race and you're either first or last," Busch said. "I think that's the way we both looked at it. I really enjoy the atmosphere at Daytona and excitement and the prestige of racing at Daytona is another thing. You keep trying to build it up and do what you can to win the thing."

Jeff Gordon won his second career pole at California Speedway. The last time he started out front was in 1998. Still, Gordon said he would rather be on the pole than anywhere else.
"Any time you can start up front, it's a plus," Gordon said. "Does it guarantee anything? No, it doesn't. If I had my choice, I'd rather start on the pole. It just kind of gets your weekends started right -- your pick of pits. But it doesn't guarantee anything."
Kasey Kahne qualified second and will start alongside Gordon on the front row for Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race.
"We just missed it by a little bit and we're just looking forward to Sunday," said Kahne, who won the Labor Day race at California Speedway last year. "Hopefully, we'll get a good result on Sunday and gain some points."
Mark Martin, who can't seem to catch a break in any NASCAR race lately, will start third in Sunday's Cup race.
"I'm really thrilled," said Martin, who was leading the Truck Series race Friday night, only to get spun out with four laps to go and finush 23rd. "Last time here I had a pretty good car and I overdrove the qualifying lap, about killed myself and qualified 38th. I feel better today. I had a better race car. We were fifth fastest in practice. I'm incredibly pleased with my lap."

There are few things funnier than seeing a man from Georgia speak Spanish. No offense to the fine people of Georgia, and NASCAR driver David Ragan is among them, but they appear to have no ability to roll their Rs.
ESPN Deportes, and by the way ESPN is everywhere at California Speedway, was prodding Ragan, the newest member of the Roush Fenway Racing team, to read a promo.
Something along the lines of "Hola, soy David Ragan." To his credit, he got the David part pronounced impressively well. His holas on the other hand need some work.
He was a good sport about it though. Even did the four or five takes ESPN Deportes asked him to perform. And forget Juan Pablo Montoya. Ragan was gaining the praise of some eager Latino NASCAR fans who were gathering around his hauler.

Kurt Busch has won his share of poles at California Speedway. He was a bit off the pace Friday, though.
"We were loose, loose, loose in practice," said Busch, driver of the No. 2 Dodge for Penske Racing South. "We tightened it up for qualifying and went too far. We were going for our third straight pole here, but that's OK."
Busch will start Sunday's race 18th.
"Maybe if we take a little off qualifying we'll do a little better in the race," Busch said. "I've won here before, and it'd sure be nice to do it again."
Ryan Newman will start one place behind his teammate, Busch, in 19th.
"We improved from practice, and it's not easy to do that here later in the day," Newman said. "It was a decent run. I don't thnk we're going to be top 10 material, but we were 19th in practice, and I think we'll be better than that."
Looks like his car was exactly 19th fastest in the field of 51 that qualifiied.

Jeff Gordon has the pole as qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race proceeds at California Speedway.
Juan Pablo Montoya, who has the fastest qualifying time for a rookie, said he ran an almost perfect lap and beating Gordon was going to be tough.
"Maybe there was a little bit more in it, but I don't know how much more," Montoya said. "Jeff Gordon's lap was awesome. It's great to see the team doing well."
Montoya looks like he has a top-10 spot and he added that with his experience, it's a good qualifying run.
"I thought I could run a flat and I did," Montoya said. "For the experience that I have at the moment, that's pretty good. I didn't have much left in the car, maybe a tenth or so, but it was a really good lap."

The odds for winning the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway, released by World Features Syndicate, have Kasey Kahne as the favorite and Mark Martin as the longest of longshots.
Not to condone any form of gambling, but Kahne might be the worst bet and Martin might be the best.
Kahne, at 6-1, is no doubt the odds-on favorite because he won the Labor Day race at California Speedway last year.
A better bet would be Matt Kenseth, who won the February race last year. His odds of winning are 10-1.
Martin, the runner-up in the Daytona 500, is going out at 65-1. Not that California Speedway is anything like Daytona International Speedway, but Martin has won at Fontana before. It would seem more likely that his chances of winning again are better than 65-1.
Jeff Gordon, the only three-time winner at California Speedway, is 10-1.
Tony Stewart is 9-1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 10-1. Neither driver has won a Cup race at California Speedway.
Then again, that might be a good bet. California Speedway is a track that produces unlikely winners. Jeremy Mayfield and Elliott Sadler come to mind as surprising winners at California Speedway.
Jimmie Johnson is 8-1. Greg Biffle is 15-1. Sadler is 40-1. All have won a Cup race at California Speedway.
Mayfield, racing for the newly formed Bill Davis Racing team, would have to be a field bet at 25-1.
Here are the odds:
DRIVER ODDS
Kasey Kahne 6-1
Jimmie Johnson 8-1
Tony Stewart 9-1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10-1
Jeff Gordon 10-1
Matt Kenseth 10-1
Kevin Harvick 12-1
Greg Biffle 15-1
Kyle Busch 15-1
Carl Edwards 15-1
Jeff Burton 20-1
Kurt Busch 20-1
Denny Hamlin 20-1
Casey Mears 25-1
Clint Bowyer 28-1
Elliott Sadler 40-1
Scott Riggs 45-1
Jamie McMurray 50-1
Ryan Newman 50-1
Martin Truex Jr. 50-1
Juan Pablo Montoya 60-1
Reed Sorenson 60-1
Bobby Labonte 65-1
Mark Martin 65-1
Field (All Others) 25-1

After missing the Chase last year and a chance to defend his NASCAR Nextel Cup Series championship, finishing last in the Daytona 500 was probably not how Tony Stewart wanted to start the 2007 season.
But that's what happened. Now Stewart joins a contingent of NASCAR stars, which includes Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who are outside the top 12 and without spots in the Chase.
California Speedway, site of Sunday's Auto Club 500, is a welcome sight for Stewart. Drafting and tight racing are things he won't have to worry about as much now that Daytona International Speedway in safely in the rear-view mirror.
"Once we get away from Daytona everything kind of settles into a groove," said Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing. "We’re back in the weekly grind. I enjoy going to California because I really feel that’s where our season starts."
At California Speedway, Stewart said he can take care of his own business with his race car and not have to worry about what other drivers and teams are doing to their cars.
"You’re racing the race track. You’re not racing everybody else," Stewart said. "It’s a good opportunity to get back into the swing of things. Once you leave California, you feel like the season has officially started.”

Staff Sgt. Quinton D. Martin was selected as one of the Heroes of the Year by Jackson Hewitt Tax Service and will have his image on the hood of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series No. 25 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports driven by Casey Mears.
Staff Sgt. Martin is one of 10 heroes that were selected. The other nine heroes have been invited as guests to join the Martins and watch the No. 25 car race in Sunday's Auto Club 500. The race begins at 12:30 p.m. and will be televised on FOX.
"Through the Heroes of the Year program, we were privileged to celebrate so many valiant citizen-soldiers around the country," said Michael Lister, president and chief executive officer, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. "All of the 10 monthly honorees truly demonstrate what it means to be a citizen-soldier. Selecting one overall Hero was difficult, but we believe Sergeant Martin is an excellent example of what it means to be a citizen-soldier, and also represents the outstanding qualities and achievements of all of the monthly honorees."
Martin began serving with the Mississippi Army National Guard 24 years ago, working within his state and abroad in places such as Germany, South Korea, Panama, Honduras, and Costa Rica. His unit was called up for overseas deployment in late August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast area. Although his unit was released from duty abroad to deal with the impact of the storm at home, Martin volunteered to continue with his assigned mission and left for Kuwait as a member of the 1108th Aviation Classification Repair Activity Deport (AVCRAD) shortly after contributing to the relief efforts.
"This was an outstanding year-long campaign that allowed so many people to nominate and celebrate the bravery and dedication of our Citizen-Soldiers, as well as the support of family and employers," said Col. Mike Jones, Army National Guard. "Quinton Martin is an example of the best and brightest serving our communities and serving our country. Nothing is more important to a citizen-soldier than the support of their nation."
To view all of the soldiers, families and employers who have chosen as monthly honorees for their dedication to and support of the National Guard's mission, visit www.supporttheguard.com.

The five drivers who will be featured on DIRECTV's Hot Pass for Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at California Speedway were released. They are Elliott Sadler, Jeff Burton, Juan Pablo Montoya, Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The Hot Pass broadcasts for the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway will begin at 12:30 p.m.
Each of the five dedicated Hot Pass driver channels will offer multiple camera angles, real-time car telemetry, in-car audio communication and a dedicated announcer team. The new service, combined with race day telecasts and nascar.com coverage, will give fans the most comprehensive and powerful NASCAR experience possible.
DIRECTV customers can purchase NASCAR HOTPASS for a full-season price of $99 or on a pay-per-week basis for $29.99. More information is available on www.directv.com/hotpass.

Jeff Gordon is one win behind Dale Earnhardt for sixth place in NASCAR Cup career wins. Heading into the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway, Gordon, who has 75 career Cup wins, is the only Cup driver who can claim multiple victories at the Fontana track. He has won the Cup race at California Speedway three times.
Gordon has also been in every Cup race at the track since it opened in 1997. He has seen a number of changes over the years.
"This track has widened out since the inaugural race in 1997,” said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. “Initially, it was a one-groove track, but recently we’ve been able to run three and four-wide through the corners. That’s what you like to see as a driver. It gives us the ability to search for lines that work for our car."
Whether it was his first or 75th, Gordon said winning races never gets old.
“With NASCAR’s new points structure introduced this season, winning races and winning the championship are somewhat linked," Gordon said. "If we make the Chase, our race wins will determine our position in the standings heading into the final 10 races. And I want to be first."

The first time Juan Pablo Montoya raced at California Speedway, it was at the end of the CART season in 1999. He finished fourth in the race and won the CART championship in his rookie season.
He returns this weekend in a stock car as one of NASCAR's hottest rookies and the designated savior of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
Montoya will be in Ganassi's No. 42 Dodge for Sunday's Auto Club 500.
“I’m really excited to return to California Speedway,” Montoya said. “I’m not sure how much my experience there will help me in a stock car, but it will be good to get back to a track I’m familiar with and to an area where I know I’ll have a lot of fans cheering me on.”
Montoya is coming off a 19th-place finish in the Daytona 500. This will be his third Nextel Cup Series race. He also raced in the 2006 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

J.J. Yeley, driver of the No. 18 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing, turned out to be a beneficiary of the penalties handed down to drivers who were caught cheating in qualifying for the Daytona 500.
Yeley sits 10th in points after one race, even though he finished 12th in the season-opening Daytona 500.
That's because drivers Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler, two drivers who finished ahead of Yeley, lost driver points when their cars didn't pass inspection at Daytona International Speedway.
It's a much better position than Yeley was in last year, when he crashed and was credited with a 40th-place finish in the Daytona 500.
“Going into what I consider the real first real race of the season, we are not starting from a hole," Yeley said. "Last year we wrecked out early and finished 40th at Daytona, so going into California last year, we were already worried about moving up to a decent spot in the points."
That made Yeley a desperate driver at times last year.
"Some weeks it worked and some weeks it got us farther behind," Yeley said. "Going into California this year in the top-10 in points, if you’re consistent week-in and week-out, you can maintain that position in points and you can also slowly start creeping yourself up toward the number one position.”
Luck was on Yeley's side at Daytona. By his team's account, he missed four potentially race-ending wrecks and finished the race though a maze of cars spinning out of control on the last lap.
"I just feel fortunate to have dodged all of the big ones, considering all four big accidents happened right in front of me during the Daytona 500," Yeley said. "Hopefully, that is a sign of things to come for 2007. Last year I hung around the back and tried to stay out of trouble, and during one of the big accidents I thought I was able to sneak through, but I ended up getting wrecked from behind. That kind of set the precedent for the entire season. This year we have a little bit of luck and just a little bit of momentum for me and the team that we can carry to California and beyond.”

The crew chief for Steve Wallace, driver of the No. 66 Dodge in the NASCAR Busch Series, was fined Wednesday by NASCAR for rule violations at Daytona International Speedway.
Bryant Frazier was fined $1,000 for violating three sections of the Busch Series rule book. More specfically, Bryant was penalized for allowing a bracket around the drive shaft to be more than one-quarter inch thick.
The infraction was discovered during opening day inspection on Feb. 13.

Mark Martin will race in the Pepsi 400 in July at Daytona International Speedway for Ginn Racing, increasing his number of NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races to 23.
Martin wanted to race a part-time Cup schedule. After finishing second in the Daytona 500 on a last lap pass by Kevin Harvick, Martin decided to return to Daytona on July 7 for the Pepsi 400.
“I’ve kind of had that one penciled into the back of my head for some time,” said Martin, whose second place finish to Kevin Harvick in Sunday’s Daytona 500 was one of the closest in the history of the race. “We were pretty sure that we might add it for a while, but after the car that the guys gave me on Sunday and with as much fun that we had in the 500, I just don’t see any reason not to go back Daytona and see if we can’t finish the job in July.”
Martin and Ginn Racing have also released the second half of Martin’s 2007 Cup schedule, which in addition to Daytona includes; Chicagoland, Indianapolis, Michigan, Kansas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Texas and the season finale at Homestead.
Rookie Regan Smith will be in the team's No. 01 Chevrolet the remaining Cup races.
Martin is also going to driving the No. 21 Ford F-150 for the Wood Brothers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday night. Martin won the Truck Series race last year for Roush Racing.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will take his turn as interviewer when he has Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick on his XM Satellite radio show on Thursday.
Junior will interview Harvick on his XM Satellite Radio show, "Dale Jr Unrestricted," at 4:30 p.m. on XM Sports Nation (Channel 144).
Jimmie Johnson, who has his won XM Satellite Radio show, "Jimmie Johnson … ‘Not What You Expected," Thursdays at 4 p.m. on XM Sports Nation (Channel 144).
This week, Johnson will have North Carolina Governor Michael Easley and Virginia Tech men's head basketball coach Seth Greenberg on his show.

More than 20 NASCAR drivers are scheduled to sign autographs during Thursday's Race Fest at California Speedway.
Autograph tickets will be distributed for each driver beginning at 5 p.m. in the Opportunity, California Fan Zone at the race track.
Drivers will only sign one autograph per person. Posed photos are not allowed.
From 6:30 to 8 p.m., the following drivers are scheduled to sign autographs:
Marcus Ambrose, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Ward Burton, Kyle Busch, Matt Crafton, Erin Crocker, Carl Edwards, Brendan Gaughan, Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Todd Kleuver, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, David Ragan, Ken Schrader, David Stremme, Auggie Vidovich, Kenny Wallace, Jon Wood, J.J. Yeley,
Only 300 autograph tickets will be handed out for the drivers listed above. Drivers will only sign one autograph per person.
From 7 to 7:30 p.m., 100 autograph tickets will be handed out for Elliott Sadler.
From 7:30 to 8 p.m., 25 autograph tickets will be handed out for Kurt Busch.

Not to get too excited, but the drivers in the top-12 in points, and in the Chase, are an unfamiliar group after one race.
Mike Wallace, David Gilliland and David Ragan are in. Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are out.
But that will all change as the season progresses.
Still, it's never too early to panic and drivers like Kenseth, Hamlin and Junior are already looking at an uphill battle.
One thing is for sure. Wallace will drop out of the top 12. He is not entered in the Calfornia Speedway NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race.
But Gilliland, Ragan, David Stremme and J.J. Yeley have the support and resources to hang around for a while.
That could make for a long season for Kenseth, Hamlin, Junior, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch.
The Chase is already interesting and the season just started.

Ron Hornaday Jr. points out that his team's seventh-place finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway is the best start his team has had with Kevin Harvick Inc.
Hornaday, driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Inc., also had the highest finishing Chevy in the field.
“I am happy with my overall finish," said Hornaday, a former Saugus Speedway champ from Palmdale. "We just didn’t have the help we needed to run the way I wanted to out there. It wasn’t the way I wanted to finish, but it was a solid top-10 finish and a good way to head to California.”
Hornaday's crew chief Rick Ren said there were plenty of positives that came out of the Daytona race.
“The adjustments post testing from the data acquired were very good," Ren said."The communication between the whole team was also very good. Pit stops were decent and the whole team effort was great. All in all a top-10 finish at Daytona without a scratch is a pretty good week.”
The next race for Hornaday and the Truck Series is Friday night at California Speedway in Fontana. The team is bringing a new, untested truck to the race. But Ren said he is confident that with the data the team collected during testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the new truck will perform well at Fontana.

Kevin Harvick has a busy week ahead of him.
Harvick, who won the Daytona 500 on Sunday, will be in Los Angeles on Wednesday in preparation for the Auto Club 500 at Calfornia Speedway.
Before he ever gets to the race track, he has a number of stops to make.
First, he will be at Hollywood and Highland Center from 1 to 3 p.m. He will be joined by California Speedway track president Gillian Zucker as part of California Speedway Day in L.A. Harvick will meet with fans and sign autographs.
He is the third straight driver from California to win the Daytona 500. Jimmie Johnson, from El Cajon, won the Daytona 500 last year. Jeff Gordon, originally from Vallejo, won the Dayton 500 in 2005.
Zucker recognized the accomplishments of the California drivers, inlcuding David Gilliland, a driver from Riverside who won the pole for this year's Daytona 500.
“The success of these four drivers is a testament to the racing talent that is born and bread in the state of California,” Zucker said. “We look forward to the return of our California natives for an exciting weekend of racing at California Speedway.”
After California Speedway Day in L.A., Harvick will be on the Mason and Ireland radio show on KSPN 710-AM at 4 p.m.
Later Wednesday night, he will be on "JImmy Kimmel Live," on ABC. He will join Rebecca Romjin on the show.
On Thursday morning, Harvick is scheduled to be on the Rick Dees radio show on KMVN 93.9 FM at 7:20.

Brian McKnight will perform the national anthem before the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at California Speedway on Sunday.
McKnight, a grammy-nominated singer and songwriter who hosts a daily morning radio program on KTWW 94.7 FM, joins Kevin Costner and Sammy Hagar as part of the weekend entertainment lineup at the race track.
Costner will serve as grand marshal for the Auto Club 500 and will be performing in the Opportunity, California FanZone on Sunday. Hagar will be performing on Thursday at the Race Fest at the track and before the race on Sunday for FOX.

Hall of Fame Racing driver Tony Raines was collected in a multicar crash and relegated to a 33rd-place finish in the Daytona 500.
Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach, former Dallas Cowboy quarterbacks, own the No. 97 Chevrolet driven by Raines. On lap 173 of the Daytona 500, Jimmie Johnson ran up the track and hit the wall. He collided with Jeff Green and collected Raines, Denny Hamlin and David Reutimann in the wreck.
“It was just three-wide restrictor-plate racing,” Raines said. “Somebody got into the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and caused a wreck. I don’t know. Three-wide, with 40 to go, I kind of expected that to happen. We had nowhere to go.”
Before the wreck, and after the team's last pit stop, Raines said the car was performing at its best.
“We had gotten it better,” Raines said. “The car was getting better. That was the best that it had been so far. Mostly it was tight off of (Turn) 2 all day. But, we got it better, and I was optimistic that we’d get a good finish.”

So much for being the favorite.
Tony Stewart, who won the Bud Shootout and one of the Gatorade Duels at Daytona International Speedway, finished last in the Daytona 500, another result that fell short of expectations for the two-time Cup Series champion.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed right now, but when we look back a week or two from now – to win two races this week is a pretty strong week," Stewart said. "We had an awesome Speedweeks. We had two of the three days go absolutely perfect, so this is the only one that didn't go right.”
Stewart led 35 laps of the Daytona 500, but tangled with Kurt Busch on lap 152 and was taken out of the race.
Getting in position to lead the race took a little longer than Stewart anticipated. He said racing in traffic created tight driving conditions and other challenges.
“If you’re up front, it’s not too bad. But if you get in the back, the tire is so hard and the air is so dirty, it’s hard," Stewart said. "It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. You just get back there and your car is wicked tight. But I never got worked up and we just drove our way back to the front.”

Jeff Burton said he had some mixed feelings about how the Daytona 500 ended.
On the one hand, he was happy to see his Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick win the race.
On the other, he was pulling for his longtime friend Mark Martin to win his first Daytona 500.
"You do a whole lot more living than you do driving, and when Mark Martin steps away from the race car, he'll have friends and he'll go on and live a really good life," said Burton, who was third in the Daytona 500. "So disappointing for him, but at the same time, I'm so ecstatic for RCR. To get another Daytona 500 means a great deal. It's huge. But it's exceptionally disappointing for Mark and all the things that he was close to doing."
Burton said Martin told him over the winter that this year was going to be his best chance of winning the Daytona 500. After spending most of his career with the powerhouse Roush Racing, Burton said he thought Martin was crazy to say that.
"He knew what the hell he was doing," Burton said. "I know a lot of people scratched their head, 'Why is he doing this, why is he going over there?' He's not a dumbass. He's a pretty smart guy."

Watching the DIRECTV Hot Pass and there are already some ways to make it better.
One is to stop making the commercials louder than the actual race coverage. It's a pain to have to keep readjusting the volume on my surround sound system every time they cut to a commercial.
The telemetery on the Tony Stewart channel either isn't working or his team refused to let DIRECTV broadcast it. Not sure which is the case, but it doesn't seem to enhance the race.
It's nice to see on the other channels which show the positions of Jimmie Johnson or Kevin Harvick or Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the race, how fast they are going. It would be even better to see some more of the telemtery, how much fuel they, how many laps they've run since the last pit stop.
The announcers keep talking over the radio traffic between the driver and the crew chief. Then there are times when there is dead silence. It would also be nice to hear some of the conversations between the driver and the crew.
The split screens are great, just not enough information, though.

Dave Blaney gave Toyota a second-place finish in the NASCAR Busch Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday.
Coupled with Jack Sprague's win with a Toyota in the Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday night, Toyota is putting together an impressive weekend on the race track.
Off the race track, Michael Waltrip and his new Toyota team have created quite a stir for getting caught with a elements of jet fuel in his engine and losing his car, crew chief, $100,000 and 100 driver and owner points.
Blaney will be in today's Daytona 500, the only driver from Bill Davis Racing to make the race. All three of Waltrip's drivers are in the race, making four Toyotas in the Daytona 500.
But Blaney said there is little he can take from his Busch Series finish to the Cup race.
"This is the first time I've run these Busch cars here with this spoiler package on them, and man, it was fun, but it's nothing like the Cup cars," said Blaney, who is driving for Braun Racing in the Busch Series. "I don't think anything will transfer. But I've been really happy with the CAT car all week, too. It was really fast on Thursday, and broke the transmission right off the bat, 12, 15 laps into it. We've been happy with that car, too. We'll just try to keep it straight and keep it going all day tomorrow and see what we can do."
Blaney's Busch Series Braun Racing teammates, Jason Leffler and John Andretti, had their share of good fortune in the Busch Series race as well. Leffler qualified on the front row, next to pole sitter Aric Almirola, and Andretti started fifth. However, Leffler and Andretti ran into trouble and crashed out of the race.
All in all, it was a good showing for Toyota, Blaney said.
"All of them were running good," Blaney said. "The other two got taken out. But it's big. I mean, the cars are really good. The bodies are good, the engines are excellent. You know, I expect a lot from this team this year. They do a good job."

Kevin Harvick won the NASCAR Busch Series race at Daytona International Speedway, picking up where he left off after winning the Busch Series championship last year.
He won't be racing for a Busch Series championship this year. He decided to split his time between his own Busch Series car for Kevin Harvick Inc. and the Richard Childress Racing car he won with at Daytona.
Goodyear has brought a harder tire to Daytona for all the NASCAR teams, from the trucks to the Cup cars, to use. Harvick said the new tire made for a slippery race, but he had few complaints about them.
"I don't know that we had any tire problems today," said Harvick, who also drives for Richard Childress Racing in the Nextel Cup Series. "So Goodyear has made the right decisions. I'd rather have hard tires and slide around everywhere. Even though the tires are hard, you want to come in and put tires on to keep the cars handling good."
Having a good-handling car was key to Harvick's win in the Busch Series race and taking four tires instead of two during pit stops may be a strategy his team uses in the Daytona 500.
"I think it made for a pretty entertaining race from inside the cockpit. I don't know how it was to watch, but it seemed like everybody was kind of sliding all over the place," Harvick said. "I'd rather have it this way, and I think it's safer on everybody."

When the NASCAR Busch Series goes to Mexico City, Adrian Fernandez will be in the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports for the race.
Fernandez and Hendrick Motorsports will team up for the March 4 race. They were teamed together the past two years for the Busch Series race in Mexico City. He finished 10th in 2005 and was 12th last year.
“I am honored by this opportunity to once again be part of Lowe’s, Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR,” said the 43-year-old Fernandez, who tested the Busch car in January at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “I know race fans in Mexico grow more excited about this race each year. I think this race will continue to grow and prove how popular NASCAR is becoming outside of America.”

Everyone knows now that David Gilliland can drive. Not everyone knows he used to drive with Tiger Woods on the golf course in high school.
Gilliland and Woods were high school teammates on the Western High golf team in Anaheim.
Gilliland, the driver from Riverside who won the pole for the Daytona 500, will be on Golf Central Primetime tonight at 6 p.m. to talk about playing golf with Tiger when they were in high school.

As Toyota waits to make its debut in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and Daytona 500, the Truck Series guys gave Toyota something to celebrate Friday night.
Jack Sprague became the first driver to win at Daytona with a Toyota-powered entry. He and fellow Toyota driver Johnny Benson bumped and pushed their way past Travis Kvapil's Ford to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season opener.
“I can’t thank Johnny Benson enough; he won this race for me," Sprague said. "We got a run off (Turn) 4 and he hit me so hard my teeth fell out. It shot me right by (Kvapil) and as a result he was able to shoot by Travis, barely. That was pretty cool that Johnny finished second because if it weren’t for him hitting me like he did, I would have never won this race.”
While Sprague was grateful for Benson's help, he was also happy to be the first Toyota driver to win a race at Daytona.
"Selfishly, I think it’s really cool," Sprague said. "I mean, it will always be in the record book that I was the first one to drive a Toyota and win at Daytona. I knew Toyota would win Daytona. I just never thought Jack Sprague would.”
Kvapil ended up being the hard-luck loser of the race. He led 49 of the 100 laps, but with a pair of Toyotas working together on the last lap, he had little chance of winning.
“I’ve been here before and I knew that was going to happen,” Kvapil said. “I’m disappointed. I don’t know how I could have done it any better. I guess I could have tried blocking Sprague better, but I thought we would have wrecked."

Forget drivers who do the Indiana