The latest results for

FEBRUARY 26, 2007" - 35 WIDE LANES…OF FREEWAY DRIVIN’…IN FONTUCKY, CALIFORNIA
RACE # 2 OF THE 26 RACE TO THE PLAYOFFS…

LAST WEEK AT DAYTONA…RR-AZ ALUM…KEVIN HARVICK…SNATCHED THE LEAD…AND THEN THE WIN…IN A GREEN-WHITE-CHECKER FINISH AND ON SUNDAY…IN CALIFORNIA…HE WAS LIKELY PLANNING ON DOING THE SAME THING…BUT…FATE…STEPPED IN AND CHOKED THE LIFE OUT OF THAT STRATEGY…AS HIS RIGHT FRONT TIRE …GASPED… AND LOST…IT’S BATTLE FOR AIR…

IN THE MEANTIME…RR-AZ ALUM…MATT KENSETH…WHO HAD MAYBE THE 2^ND OR 3^RD BEST CAR…GOT SOME BREATHING ROOM…AS… HARVICK… HEADED FOR THE PITS…AND LEFT KENSETH…WITH ENOUGH SPACE …OVER…JEFF BURTON…TO PULL AWAY FOR HIS…2^ND FONTUCKY WIN…IN TWO DAYS…AND HIS 2^ND CUP WIN IN A ROW…AT THE CALIFORNIA … FREEWAY TRACK…

CHEVY TEAMMATES…JEFF GORDON & JIMMIE JOHNSON…COMPLETED THE PODIUM WHILE ANOTHER…RR-AZ ALUM…KURT BUSCH…GAVE DODGE IT’S BEST FINISH…AT 7^THWHILE BRIAN VICKERS…PROVIDED TOYOTA…WITH AT LEAST…SOME ENCOURAGEMENT…RECORDING THE MANUFACTURER’S INITIAL TOP 10 APPERANCE…AT 10^TH…

THE CUPPERS…NOW TAKE A WEEK OFF…BEFORE RESURFACING IN VEGAS…BABY…ON MARCH 12^TH…

FEBRUARY 19, 2007 - DAYTONA 500…THE 1^ST OF 4…"AIMING" RACES ON THE SCHEDULE … AND…RACE # 1 OF THE 26 RACE TO THE PLAYOFFS…& NOTHING MORE

RR-AZ ALUM…KEVIN HARVICK…MADE IT A DAYTONA "TWOFER"…ON SUNDAY…AS HE MANAGED…NOT TO WRECK…AND THEN OUTRAN…MARK MARTIN…TO COLLECT THE 1^ST DAYTONA 500 TITLE…OF HIS CAREER…AND INCITE THE 1^ST NASCAR…REFRESH ME ON THE RULES AGAIN… DEBATE …OF THE 2007 SEASON

WITH A…HEALTHY "PUSH"…FROM…MATT KENSETH…HARVICK…USED THE TOP LINE…TO COME OUT OF NOWHERE…AND PULL ALONG SIDE … AND THEN AHEAD OF…MARTIN…AT THE LINE…FOR THE WIN…ACCORDING TO NASCAR…ANYWAY…WHICH APPARENTLY DECIDED TO ABANDON THE…"FROZEN FIELD"…CAUTION FLAG RULE (INSTITUTED IN 2003) IN FAVOR OF… LETTIN’ ‘EM RACE FOR THE WIN…(SO MUCH FOR ALL THAT "SCORING LOOPS" CRAP NASCAR’S BEEN FEEDING US FOR 3 YEARS)

IN JUST ONE RACE…NASCAR IS IN MID-SEASON FORM…AND WE ARE COMPELLED TO TROT OUT THAT NASCAR ADAGE…"WHO YA’ GONNA’ BELIEVE…NASCAR?…OR YOUR OWN LYING EYES?"… EXPLANATION FOR ALL THINGS…NASCAR…

ANYHOW…KENSETH…"THE PUSHER"…DIDN’T FARE AS WELL…AS HE GOT "TAGGED" BY KYLE BUSCH…INCITING…A REAL NICE…"BIG ONE"…THE 3^RD SUCH MESS IN THE RACE’S FINAL 35 LAPS…BUT AS THE MAINSTREAMERS SAY…THAT’S RACIN’…

THE…"500"…WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY ENTERTAINING UNTIL THEY BEGAN WADDIN’ ‘EM UP AND WERE UNABLE TO STOP…BUT THEN…THE DAYTONA 500 IS RARELY ABOUT RACING ANYWAY…AND MORE ABOUT PROVIDING SOME…CRASHING ENTERTAINMENT…FOR THE NIGHTLY…

"NO RACIN’…NEWSCASTS…AND…THAT THEY DID…AND WE KNOW YOU’VE SEEN THE WRECKS AT LEAST A HALF DOZEN TIMES…BY NOW…

NEXT UP…CALIFORNIA SNOOZIN’…ON THE…10 LANE WIDE…FREEWAY …THEY CALL A RACE TRACK IN BEAUTIFUL…OFTEN "HAZY"…FONTANA, CALIFORNIA…

FEBRUARY 12, 2007 - BUD SHOOTOUT

WHEN THE…PUSHING AND SHOVING WAS DONE…TONY STEWART…WAS CELEBRATING HIS 3^RD CAREER…SHOOTOUT WIN…WHILE…RR-AZ ALUM… DAVID GILLILAND…WAS IMPRESSING AND FELLOW…RR-AZ ALUM…KURT BUSCH…WAS SERVING NOTICE…THAT HE IS BACK WHILE HIS LITTLE BROTHER…KYLE BUSCH …SERVED NOTICE TO…TONY STEWART…THAT… WHATEVER IT TAKES… WHEN IT COUNTS…HE WILL REPAY THE… "SHOOTOUT FAVOR"…(DID YOU HEAR THAT…TONY?)

BEHIND THE PODIUM FINISHERS…IT WAS…TYPICAL NASCAR…"BIG ONE CRASHIN" AS DALE EARNHARDT, JR…DID A LITTLE… "EXTREME"… BUMP DRAFTING…ON…ELLIOTT SADLER WITH THE END RESULT BEING A WAD OF WRECKED RACE CARS…INCLUDING THOSE OF SADLER…DENNY HAMLIN…KASEY KAHNE…GREG BIFFLE…AND OF COURSE …LITTLE "E"…

1)  #20-TONY STEWART-C (14)(11 LAPS LED), $215,000
2)  #38-DAVID GILLILAND-F (13), $115,000
3)  #2-KURT BUSCH-D (19)(6 LAPS LED), $64,500
4)  #48-JIMMIE JOHNSON-C (8), $54,500
5)  #29-KEVIN HARVICK-C (20)(11 LAPS LED), $53,000
6)  #01-MARK MARTIN-C (10) $50,000…CHEVY
7)  #5-KYLE BUSCH-C (6)(39 LAPS LED), $48,000
8)  #83-BRIAN VICKERS-T (4)(2 LAPS LED), $47,000…1^ST TOYOTA
9)  #31-JEFF BURTON-C (12), $46,000
10) #10-SCOTT RIGGS-D (2)(1 LAPS LED), $45,000
11) #21-KEN SCHRADER-F (7), $43,000
12) #60-BORIS SAID-F (3), $42,000
13) #16-GREG BIFFLE-F (5) - WRECK, $41,000
14) #8-DALE EARNHARDT JR.-C(17) - WRECK, $40,000
15) #9-KASEY KAHNE-D (15) - WRECK, $39,000
16) #19-ELLIOTT SADLER-D (18) - WRECK, $38,000
17) #11-DENNY HAMLIN-C (21) - WRECK, $37,000
17) #44-DALE JARRETT-T (1), $35,900…POLE STARTING TOYOTA…
18) #37-BILL ELLIOTT-D (16), $34,900
20) #12-RYAN NEWMAN-D (9) - OUT, $32,900
21) #24-JEFF GORDON-C (11) - OUT, $31,818

FEBRUARY 5, 2007 - PRESEASON THUNDER AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

ELLIOTT SADLER… (DODGE)…POSTED THE FASTEST SPEED OF THE FOUR SESSIONS AT 188.772 MPH…COVERING THE…RECONFIGURED (20 DEGREES BANKING)…1.5-MILE TRACK IN…28.606 SECONDS.

PAUL MENARD WAS THE ONLY OTHER DRIVER TO TOP THE 188 MPH MARK…LEADING THE MORNING SESSION IN HIS CHEVROLET AT 188.370 (28.667 SECONDS).

IN ALL…11 CARS LAPPED THE TRACK IN LESS THAN 29 SECONDS

DAVID GILLILAND RECORDED THE THIRD-BEST SPEED COMING IN AT 187.175/28.850

TOYOTA HAD ONE DRIVER EACH IN THE TOP-10 OF BOTH SESSIONS. MIKE SKINNER WAS NINTH IN THE MORNING AT 185.033/29.184 AND MICHAEL WALTRIP WAS NINTH IN THE AFTERNOON AT 186.162/29.007.

SEVEN DIFFERENT DRIVERS WRECKED CARS DURING THE TWO DAYS OF THE TEST WITH TURN 2 BEING THE BIG TROUBLE SPOT DURING THE TWO DAYS.

A.J. ALLMENDINGER...IN HIS TOYOTA, CRASHED FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE DAY TUESDAY MORNING

DAVID REUTIMANN (TOYOTA) AND DAVID RAGAN (FORD)...ALSO CRASHED TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.'S BLEW AN ENGINE

WARD BURTON ALSO SUFFERED AN ENGINE FAILURE IN HIS CHEVROLET.