Roush hauler involved in fatal wreck

 

A Roush Racing Busch Series hauler was involved in a fatal collision with a car going the wrong way on Interstate 10 about 50 miles outside of Phoenix, the Arizona Department of Public Safety confirmed Sunday. ...click here to read more

It's Kenseth In California, After Biffle Blows Up

 

FONTANA, Calif. -- A week after his Daytona 500 disappointment, Matt Kenseth finally could smile.

In Victory Lane.

Kenseth led the final 33 laps to win Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup race at California Speedway and complete Roush Racing's weekend sweep. Kenseth's 11th career Cup victory soothed the anger left over from last week's season opener.

Kenseth traded sheet metal and barbs with Tony Stewart at Daytona after a couple of on-track incidents, including one that sent Kenseth spinning through the grass and into the turn-3 wall. That ended any hopes he had of winning the Daytona 500. Kenseth, who finished 15th in that race, admitted this week he still felt bitter about how Stewart had robbed him of a chance to win and had yet to talk to him about it.

And Stewart on Sunday? He finished last after his engine blew.

"There is justice in this world," Kenseth radioed his crew moments after coming from the 31st starting spot to win.

Kenseth might not have won had teammate Greg Biffle and Stewart not had problems.

Biffle led 168 of the 250 laps before his engine blew 21 laps from the finish. Stewart seemed to be about the only car that could contend with Roush's armada until his engine blew 36 laps left from the end.

"It just feels incredibly good to have everything kind of go your way," said Kenseth, who earned $324,991.

Biffle, who won a series-high six races last year, could use some of Kenseth's luck. Biffle blew a tire on the last lap of the Daytona 500 and finished 31st. Now he finds himself 38th in points after two races.

"Well, this just isn't our year I guess," Biffle radioed crew chief Doug Richert after losing a cylinder in the engine.

Kenseth wondered what kind of year this would be after his Daytona run-ins with Stewart. Kenseth was upset because he said his best chance to win the sport's biggest race was taken away because of Stewart's driving. It didn't help that Kenseth didn't hear from Stewart this week.

They talked this weekend. Kenseth wouldn't reveal what he and Stewart discussed but said that their differences are "water under the bridge.

"I think we understand each other better," Kenseth said. "Everything is going to be fine on the track. We passed each other two or three times and gave each other room just like we did every other race.''

Passing a Roush driver is something few cars did regularly Sunday. Car owner Jack Roush saw four of his five drivers place in the top 10. At one point, he held the top four spots.

Runner-up Jimmie Johnson -- still without crew chief Chan Knaus, who is serving a four-race suspension -- prevented a 1-2 Roush finish. Roush driver Carl Edwards finished third with Kasey Kahne and Jeff Burton completing the top five. Roush drivers Jamie McMurray (sixth) and Mark Martin (ninth) finished in the top 10.

Kenseth's victory completed Roush's crown jewel weekend. Roush won the Craftsman Truck race with Martin on Friday and the Busch race with Biffle on Saturday. It's the first time Roush has swept all three races at the same track on the same weekend since 2001.

Not many noticed, though. California Speedway again failed to sell out the track's 92,000 seats Sunday.

Crowds or not, Kenseth is focused on what's ahead. That's Las Vegas, a 1.5-mile speedway where he's won twice and Roush Racing has won five of the previous eight races there.

"It just feels incredibly good to come to the track and have everything kind of right and all the stars align for us," Kenseth said. "Hopefully, this will carry some momentum and we'll be able to get to Victory Lane a few more times this year."

By Dustin Long - The Roanoke Times

Kurt Busch Scores Fontana Pole

 

Kurt Busch Scores Fontana Pole

Friday the ‘other’ Penske South driver scored a pole

Normally Ryan Newman, Penske South driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, is the fastest in qualifying, in fact he wins so many poles that he has earned the nickname ‘Mr. Friday’.

Friday though it was the ‘other’ Penske South’s driver who reveled in the spotlight of winning a pole.

First year driver, Kurt Busch put his Dodge Intrepid on the front Friday night with a fast lap at 187.086 miles per hour around the two-mile California Speedway. He will lead the field to the green flag of Sunday's Auto Club 500, the second NASCAR Nextel Cup race of the season.

"Man, what a great way to get started in this Dodge for Penske Racing," said Busch. "They are used to being fast on Friday, but that's always Ryan Newman. I'm happy it was me today."

This was the fourth pole of Busch's career, but his first since the season finale at Homestead in 2004.

"Today's Friday and I'm fast," Busch said. "I don't know what to say. Usually, I'm 15th or so.

"We're a team that's new and we're learning," he added. "We've got humble expectations. We know the cars usually qualify well. That's the Penske [formula]. We'll see what happens Sunday."

Defending race champion Greg Biffle will start his Ford Fusion beside Busch's Dodge on the outside of the front row. Biffle ran second at 186.186 mph.

"It was a great lap," Biffle said. "We haven't been that good. We didn't have much time to switch to qualifying trim. I wasn't happy with it in practice, but we went back to ground zero and found a few things. I didn't really know what to expect out there and I didn't want to overdrive it, so I chose to be a little more cautious."

Biffle, who finished second in the Nextel Cup standings last season, registered the first of his six victories last year at this track. The Roush Racing driver was in a jovial mood after his impressive qualifying performance.

"The late draw really helped us," Biffle said. "I really wanted to eat Mexican food and come back and watch the truck race, so this really messes up my dinner plans. But I'd rather start second."

Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson will start third after clocking 185.735 mph in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. He is still trying to catch his breath after fulfilling a long list of personal appearances for winning the biggest race of the season.

"It was a great lap and after the week we've had," Johnson said. "We've stuck together and made some adjustments as a team, and everybody and had a great qualifying lap. This is a great start for us."

For the second straight race, Johnson is without crew chief Chad Knaus, who was suspended by NASCAR after being caught cheating in Daytona 500 qualifications.

"I'm now trying to help keep my crew chief's spirits up after he's done it for me in my career," Johnson said.

"This is where the real season starts because of the type of track that we're racing on without restrictor plates. I'm really excited about the upcoming season."

Two rookies from Joe Gibbs Racing rounded out the top five, with J.J. Yeley's lap at 185.180 mph and Denny Hamlin at 184.919 mph. Both drove Chevrolets.

Tony Stewart, two-time and defending Cup champion and the third Gibbs driver, was 12th.

Newman was far off the pace, at least by his standards in 11th.

Those who did not qualify were Travis Kvapil, Hermie Sadler, Derrike Cope, Randy LaJoie and Morgan Shepherd.

Mike Skinner and Chad Chaffin both withdrew their entries prior to qualifying.

Roush, Hendrick Favorites in Southern California

 

Roush, Hendrick Favorites in Southern California
Written by: Tom Jensen

Fontana, California: It’s back to normal business for the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams.

The Daytona 500 was its own animal altogether, with all the attendant drama and controversy that the year’s biggest race always seems to generate.

Yeah, there was cheating and rough driving and hard feelings at Daytona. Nothing new there. Still, Daytona is an anomaly, one of only four races run per year with restrictor plates. The 500 is the year’s most important race, but it’s a lousy barometer of who’s got good stuff and who doesn’t. The last time a 500 winner went on to win the series championship was in 1997, when Jeff Gordon turned the trick.

This week’s Auto Club 500 at California Speedway is an entirely different case, however. More than half of the 36 NASCAR points races are run on so-called “intermediate” tracks, facilities that are either 1.5 miles or, like California, 2.0 miles.

The Auto Club 500 is the first intermediate race on the schedule, and drivers who are good on Sunday likely will be good at upcoming races in Las Vegas and Atlanta.Last year, Roush Racing trounced the competition at intermediate tracks, with Greg Biffle winning this race in 2005 and kicking off a hot streak that would see him win five of the season’s first 15 events. The Biff also managed a second-place finish in the Labor Day weekend race at this track.

The Roushkateers ought to be strong again this weekend, which will be a good test of the all-new 2006 Ford Fusion.

A curious footnote to the Roush gang: 2006 is the third consecutive year a Roush driver finished 43rd at Daytona. Mark Martin in 2004 and Matt Kenseth last year each finished last in the Daytona 500 and them raced into the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup at the 11th hour.

Last week, Carl Edwards was 43rd at Daytona and although this week is only the second points race of the season, he can ill-afford another bad result this Sunday.

The other NASCAR Nextel Cup Series powerhouse team, Hendrick Motorsports, was all over the board on the intermediate tracks last season. Hendrick’s Kyle Busch won here last year and Jimmie Johnson swept at the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte. Johnson led Busch to a Hendrick 1-2 at Vegas last spring as well.

Perennial superstar Jeff Gordon struggled mightily on the intermediates for much of ’05, or at least until new crew chief Steve Letarte came on board late in the season.

Still, given that Hendrick Chevrolets have won five of the 11 Cup races at California (three for Gordon, one each for Johnson and Busch), they ought to be co-favorites with the Roush cars here.

Of the five drivers in the field with the best average finish at California, two drive for Roush (Edwards and Jamie McMurray); one used to drive for Roush (Kurt Busch); and two drive for Hendrick (Gordon and Johnson).

One driver who doesn’t finish especially well here is two-time and defending NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart. In nine starts here, he’s never finished higher than fourth and has five finishes outside the top 15.Southern California will also be a litmus test for how well the Dodge teams have been able to tame the balance and pitch sensitivity woes of the Charger, which last year was uncompetitive.

Ryan Newman and Bobby Labonte are expected to race 2004 Dodge Intrepids this weekend, while the rest of the Dodge pilots should be in Chargers

Track facts/notes:
Ford has six victories at California while Chevrolet has five. Rusty Wallace posted the best California finish for Dodge with a third-place finish in 2003, which was duplicated by Ryan Newman in the first race of 2004.


Nine different drivers have posted NASCAR Nextel Cup Series victories at California Speedway. Jeff Gordon (three) is the only multiple race winner there.Mark Martin has five top-10 finishes, including one victory, in 11 races at California. He also failed to finish three times.

Six drivers have led almost half of the 3,004 laps raced at California. Jeff Gordon (410), Mark Martin (267), Matt Kenseth (206), Kurt Busch (186), Rusty Wallace (164), and Tony Stewart (157) have combined for 1,390 laps led.

There are 16 million people living within 150 miles of the California Speedway, which is the only superspeedway in the Southern California area.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has finished 19th or worse in his last four races at California Speedway. Two of those finishes were DNFs.

Brian Vickers leads all drivers at California with a 4.5 average start in four races.

To read more articles from Tom Jenson visit: http://www.speedtv.com/speed/bio/467/

No Points Penalty for #48 - Here's Why

 

Explanation of why no points penalty for #48:

Examples:
Points penalty Last March at Las Vegas, #29 crew chief Todd Berrier welded the fuel filler so it looked like it was full of fuel when it wasn't.

Two weeks ago at Daytona, the Hall of Fame Racing's #96 car qualified with an unapproved carburetor.

According to NASCAR, those two infractions warranted not only a fine but a reduction of 25 driver and owner points because the fuel filler and the carburetor were absolutely unapproved parts.

NASCAR was able to walk over to the car and confiscate those pieces, and their use was premeditated. The pieces were specifically made to skirt NASCAR's rules.

Last fall during qualifying at Talladega, Berrier and the #29 team had some trap doors in the trunk that weren't properly sealed off. The shocks were open when they were supposed to be closed. And some hose clamp that holds the fuel-filler pipe in place came loose.

The next thing you know, Kevin Harvick's car had air underneath the car, going up through the trunk and escaping out a hole in the back of the tail light. In that instance, no unapproved parts or pieces were used.

During Daytona 500 qualifying this year, crew chief Chad Knaus and the #48 team put a sleeve over the trackbar adjuster. Like the #29 car at Talladega last fall, all of those parts and pieces were still part of the car that they raced in the Daytona 500.

Points Penalty: In simple terms, here's the pattern. If you maliciously put something on a car that's made or machined, and it's an unapproved piece that can be confiscated, the team will be fined, the crew chief will be suspended and the driver and owner will lose 25 points.

No points penalty: If you take something that's already on the car and use it to beat the spirit of the rule, then it warrants a suspension and a fine, but it does not warrant the loss of 25 driver and owner points.

See Larry McReynolds full article at FoxSports

#48 Johnson and #96 Labonte Teams Penalized

 

#48 and #96 Penalties Announced:
NASCAR announced today that four penalties have been issued to two NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams, as a result of rule violations this past weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

Chad Knaus, crew chief for the #48 Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson, has been fined $25,000 and suspended from all NASCAR events until March 22, 2006 [thru Atlanta race].

Knaus has also been placed on probation until Dec. 31, 2006. The penalties come because of an unapproved template modification to the rear window area, violating Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 20-3.12.1 (A) (unapproved template modification.) of the 2006 NASCAR Rule book.

The violation was discovered during Feb. 12 post-qualifying inspection for the Daytona 500. On Feb. 13, NASCAR ejected Knaus from further participation in Daytona 500 activities as a result of the violation.[No Point Penalties]

Three penalties were assessed to the #96 Chevrolet team, due to the use of an unapproved carburetor, a violation of Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment that do not conform to NASCAR rules) of the 2006 NASCAR Rule Book.

Crew chief Philippe Lopez was fined $25,000; driver Terry Labonte was penalized with the loss of 25 driver championship points; and car owner William Saunders was penalized 25 owner championship points. This rule violation was also discovered during post-qualifying inspection for the Daytona 500.
(NASCAR PR)

#96 HOF and JGR to appeal penalties: Hall of Fame Racing has an engine lease program with Joe Gibbs Racing, and the unapproved carburetor came with the engine supplied to Hall of Fame Racing. "Joe Gibbs Racing provides all of the engines and carburetors for Hall of Fame Racing," said Gibbs. "We are responsible for any issues having arisen from the unapproved carburetor that was taken by NASCAR in Daytona. It is never our intention to put any unapproved parts on any of our race cars or those of our partners. We will join Hall of Fame Racing in appealing the severity of the penalty."(JGR PR)

Jimmie Johnson Wins Daytona 500

 

Before an estimated crowd of 175,000, Jimmie Johnson won the Daytona 500, posting his 19th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victory and his first at Daytona.

The No. 48 Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet driver led 24 of 203 laps after starting ninth. For his valiant effort, he will take home over a $1.5 million paycheck!

Johnson ran the race without crew chief Chad Knaus - who was asked to leave Daytona International Speedway following a rules infraction during a post-qualifying inspection.

Johnson looked at the tough circumstances, and was very pleased that the team was able to come together and win,

"If you think about what we overcame, and the pressure that's on any team, in any sport, if they were faced with something like this, this is a huge, huge statement, something that I'm very proud of."Johnson continued,

"We play within a set of rules. Chad broke the rules. He's admitted that. He's in Charlotte watching the race today. He missed the event. We're serving our penalty. We're doing everything we can do. We stepped up today and won the biggest race in our sport, and it is something that I am so proud of. "

Casey Mears nearly added a Daytona 500 win to his January Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car victory. The No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge driver will have to accept second, and the nearly $1.1 million payday to help ease his pain.

Had Mears won, Chip Ganassi was also talking of running Mears at this year's Indianapolis 500.The No. 12 Alltel Dodge of Ryan Newman and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge driven by Kurt Busch had the Penske cars working like a team.

Unfortunately, Busch was victimized and would finish 38th, but Newman would soldier on and carry home a third-place finish for the team.Elliott Sadler started third in his M&M's car, and ended up giving Ford their best finish of the day.

He finished fourth.Wow!

The No. 20 with Tony Stewart at the wheel was clearly the best car on the track. Unfortunately, fate, timing, and bad luck turned his first Daytona 500 win into a top five finish. Three times Stewart fought his way back from the tail-end of the field, in a truely inspired drive.

The Home Depot Chevrolet team still is red hot, and has kept Stewart out front. His efforts today clearly make him an early favorite to repeat as NASCAR Nextel Cup champion.Race one of 36 is complete. Jimmie Johnson leads the NASCAR drivers points with 185. Next up... California Speedway.

All-Star Lineup For Daytona Pre-Race

 

The Dignataries are:

The Daytona 500 turned to two U.S. medalists from the Winter Olympics to help start "The Great American Race."

Snowboarders Hannah Teter and Gretchen Bleiler, who won gold and silver medals in the women's halfpipe, will be honorary starters for Sunday's race.

Seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens will be the honorary official for the season opener. He will parade around the track during pre-race ceremonies.

Actor James Caan will serve as grand marshal, giving the command to start engines.

Fergie of the hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas will sing the national anthem.

Comedian and late-night talk show host Jay Leno will drive the pace car.

Bon Jovi will perform a pre-race concert from the infield grass.

Daytona 500 Lineup is set

 

Daytona 500 Lineup is set
By Greg Engle - Cup Scene Daily

In the end, despite being put on notice by NASCAR no one was penalized for bump drafting and all but 15 drivers went home happy.

The green flag fell on the first Gatorade Duel at 3:23 after a 60 minute rain delay as Daytona 500 polesitter Jeff Burton led the way.

At first the field tiptoed around the track, almost as if they were afraid to mix it up after a stern warning from Mike Helton in the drivers meeting earlier in the day.

Helton had outlined to the drivers the new bump drafting policy and added that NASCAR wasn’t simply concerned about the bump drafting in a single line, but side-by-side contact as well.

“We want to curb the aggressive driving that has been causing the problem, “ Helton said.
NASCAR has set up zones around the track at Daytona International Speedway where they were keeping a close eye on the drivers. In addition to the most obvious zones in the corners, Helton added that the front tri-oval would be watched at as well.

Helton also said that NASCAR would still be watching all the drivers over the entire track, but would pay special attention to these areas. Helton stressed that NASCAR hoped the drivers would police themselves and curb aggressive driving.

The field for the first race seemed to heed the warnings and stayed two by two for nearly ten laps before Paul Menard began to dance out of line and tried to make his way forward. Dale Earnhardt Junior began to make his presence known shortly after and he began too began to creep forward.

Tony Stewart took over the point from Jeff Burton on lap 13 as Paul Menard lost the draft and began to fall back. Dale Junior’s aggressive march towards the front began to fade as his handling began to go away.

Hermie Sadler dropped out with overheating problems on lap 15. Sadler is guaranteed a starting spot so his crew decided to park the car rather than risk an engine failure.

The first caution came out on lap 26 when Paul Menard’s right front tire blew in the tri-oval. His chances for making the 500 took a big hit when he hit the wall after the tire blew. Dale Earnhardt Junior began to complain of a loose condition and began to fall back.

"The car was awesome for a long time, then it started to get tight, really, really tight,” Menard said.

“Then we just lost the draft. I don't know if we had a slow leak but we ended up blowing the right front tire going through the tri-oval. I guess that is just the way it goes.”

A furious round of pit stops ensued during the caution with Elliott Sadler taking over the point.
Not long after that, rain again dampened the race and the caution followed by a red flag on lap 32.

After a short ten minute break the field took the green flag in lap 36, with Elliot Sadler in the lead.
After the rain period, the pack s seemed to get more aggressive and the practice of bump drafting began to show itself as the battle began for the final transfer spots.

Three car wide racing began for the first time of the day. Jimmie Johnson caused alarm as he slipped down the track and nearly wiped out.

“We had a great pit stop that got us some more track position, “Johnson said. “We just need to go back and get a little bit better. We need some more front grip in the car but all in all a lot of a excitement and a good practice run for this team in Chad's absence."

Chad Chaffin and Mike Skinner and Kevin LePage battled for the final transfer spot during the last ten laps, while Elliott Sadler held fast to the lead.

Chaffin fell back with about 4 to go telling his crew that he felt a tire going down. A lap later Chaffin’s tire blew and he slammed into the wall at the end of the tire-oval.

When the caution flew with two laps to go, a wild melee ensued as the field came to the line. A piece of metal left over from Chaffin’s wreck caused the front-runners to slow quickly, Earnhardt Junior, fifth at the time, dove up the track to avoid the debris and almost got into the 17 of Matt Kenseth, there was no contact but both cars slowed dramatically causing the field behind them to check up; cars slid into each other, with Sterling Marlin suffering the worst damage. The damage was severe enough to force the team to a backup car for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

“We just looked over to switch the oil cooler fan off, there was debris or something on the track and when I looked up, everyone was stopped, “Marlin said. “I hit the brakes and started sliding but I just couldn't get stopped. These speedway cars just don't have the brakes there, so I guess I will take the blame for it. “

The caution set up a green white-checkered finish. Sadler held the lead as the field took the final green flag. The battle for the final transfer spots came down to Derrick Cope and Mike Skinner and Bill Elliott. Elliott raced his way in beating Skinner while both Skinner and Cope will go home.

“Man, this is a great feeling,” Sadler said. “Tommy (Tommy Baldwin, his crew chief) and the guys have been pumped up so much coming back down here.

We were shut out last year and Tommy came on board and it gave us a new outlook on racing and new ideas about things. To get Ford Fusion’s first win in NASCAR is great and something I will always remember.”

Ford driver Carl Edwards seemed to sum it up best when it was all over, that the bump drafting and all the worry about it seemed to be for naught.

“Everybody did a good job,” Edwards said. “I think it went pretty well. I think if it goes like that for the 500 it’ll be okay. I’m telling you, no matter what anybody says or tries to say or mandates, those last laps of the Daytona 500 are going to be exciting.”

Dale Earnhardt Junior seemed to echo that comment and that as he had predicted cooler heads prevailed.

“Yeah, I knew it would be (calmer),” he said. “I mean, that Budweiser Shootout is a different deal. I don’t know why everybody was so surprised and making a big deal about it.

We don’t race like idiots all the time; just when you put up a couple hundred grand up for grabs and make it a quick one. This was a typical qualifying race – a lot calmer, a lot more relaxed. That’s the way it’s always been. No big deal.”

The racing seemed more intense from the start of the second race as Jeff Gordon led the way as the sun finally made an appearance. The packs diced with Gordon leading.

The first caution came out when Joe Nemechek blew an engine on lap 28.

Three Roush teammates were on Gordon’s bumper as the field took the green flag. Jamie McMurray in his first race with his new team, closely followed by Mark Martin and Greg Biffle.

The Roush trio held the line behind Gordon ready to gang up on the Hendrick. Motorsports driver.
Soon there was a five car breakaway while at mid pack the war for the transfer spot intensified. Scott Riggs, Robby Gordon, Travis Kvapil and Mike Wallace dueled for the final spot while the pack in front continued heading away.

With 12 to go, the lead pack began to break up as the battle for the lead started.
Kevin Harvick, who looked strong and even led for a time, began to fade.

"I thought it would be better than that, but it wasn't,” Harvick said. “We were good on the short runs, but bad on the long runs. We've got to do a little more work on it tomorrow and Saturday to be ready for Sunday."

Michael Waltrip appeared in fourth as he joined the battle for the top five in his new Bill Davis Racing ride.

Wallace, Riggs and Dave Blaney were mixing it up for the transfer spot back in the pack when Blaney spun and brought out the caution with ten to go.

Jeff Gordon and Michael Waltrip elected to stay out, while most of the back markers elected to pit. Scott Riggs saw his chances to make the 500 perhaps fade when his pit stop soured when his car dropped off the jack.

The green came out with 6 to go.

Mark Martin, Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray began to climb towards to the front passing Mike Wallace and marching towards the front.

J.J. Yeley spun coming out of turn four sending Travis Kvapil down the pit lane a t full speed and bringing out the caution and setting up the second green white checkered flag finish of the day.

Jeff Gordon led the way to the green flag. Further back in the field, Robby Gordon battled with Reed Sorenson.

Mike Wallace beat Scott Riggs for the final transfer spot, ahead of them; Robby Gordon also transferred his way into the Daytona 500.

For winner Jeff Gordon, his strong showing doesn’t mean you can cal him a favorite.

“Well, I don't know how you can just pick one guy, “Gordon said. “You know, this is restrictor plate racing. There's strong cars out here. I felt like the 38 was really strong in that first race. You know, I know that Tony and Junior and Jimmie and those guys who weren't in our race are going to be strong among a lot of other guys.”

When the dust settled and the rain finally stopped, the field for the 48th running of the Daytona 500 was set.

Perhaps the biggest story of the have and have nots, is Kirk Shelmerdine who raced his way into the field using two full time employees and a thrown together pit crew.

The tears in his eyes as he got out of his car, told the story; he’s one of the lucky ones, he’ll take the green flag Sunday afternoon while fifteen others won’, including Evernham Motorsports driver Scott Riggs. Others include, Kenny Wallace, Scott Wimmer, Mike Skinner, Derrick Cope and Paul Menard.

Greg Engle, the Editor of the Cup Scene Daily is seeking employment within the motorsports journalism industry. If you are interested, please contact him at:greg@cupscene.com

Daytona: Who's Bumping Who?

 

Stewart Praises NASCAR for 'Bump-Drafting' Stance, while others pan the move
By Greg Engle - Cup Scene Daily

Bump drafting refers to a car pushing its nose into the car ahead, a move that's common but especially dangerous in the corners of such high-banked tracks as Talladega International Speedway and Daytona.

NASCAR announced Tuesday it would start policing bump drafting by assigning spotters around the 2 1/2-mile Speedway. Drivers who are cited for bump drafting will be black-flagged and penalized.

On one side of the aisle is Tony Stewart, the man who first complained about the practice after the Bud Shootout this past Sunday. It was Stewart who issued the ominous warning that “someone is going to get killed” on national TV and spurred NASCAR officials into action.

"It was a big enough deal that I felt we needed to say something," Stewart said.

"I think it's a good decision," he added. "We'll see how it works out. We don't need to be hitting each other in the corners."

Joining Stewart is veteran Mark Martin. Martin, who will be racing in his last Daytona 500, added that perhaps NASCAR has not gone far enough.

"Look, Tony is 100 percent right - we are going to maim or kill somebody real soon if we don't do something," Mark Martin told the Associated Press. "Something has to happen and I applaud NASCAR for taking the first step. But we still have major issues."

Stewart seems to agree with Martin.

"If this makes it better for us, makes it safer for us, I'm all for it," Stewart said. "I don't know if (policing) is the solution. It seems like the logical solution right off the top of everybody's head. But when they sit down and think it through deeper, they may find that it's not the right solution."

On the other side of the aisle are the drivers who disagree with the new policy because NASCAR officials would be making judgment calls that could be wrong.

"You could be penalized for good racing, and that's the problem with the judgment part of it," said Ryan Newman.

Any judgment call in racing is not good for racing -- that's the bottom line," he added. "It's not 20% of the drivers (who bump-draft in corners), it's 2% of the drivers out there and there's so reason to make a rule of that. Those drivers should be quarantined, or however you want to put it."

"We've worked for four years to eliminate the questionability of the yellow-line rule," Newman said, referring to the rule at Daytona and Talladega that forbids passing below the line. "To add another judgment call to it, that's not racing. You've got some guys that are ruining it, because of their lack of driving ability, for every other driver that's out there."

"It's a joke, because NASCAR's job is to control the races, not control the drivers," he said. "We've got some drivers who are ruining it for everybody, and I said ruining it because the judgment call part of it is the ridiculous part."

Still other drivers feel that the threat of penalties for violations of the rule will be ignored

"You can talk about it all that you want,” three-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Jarrett, said. “But to say that you're going to put somebody on the inside or outside of the race track and monitor bump drafting at the right or wrong places, I don't know how you can do that."

"They can attempt to do anything. But until we do something that physically hurts the design of the car whenever you hit someone too hard, then we're not going to get much accomplished."

When the cars hit the track for practice on Wednesday, the sessions, led by Brian Vickers and Mike Wallace, were amazingly free of bump drafting.

"This practice was the most unbelievable practice we've had in a long time, with the lack of bump drafting," said Jeff Gordon, who was 16th-fastest. "It was calm, a lot less potential wrecks out there. I hope that's something to come. I hope that with NASCAR doing something, these guys say, 'OK, we've got to start driving without bump drafting."

Roush Racing's Matt Kenseth is among those who seem to think that the controversy is being blown out of proportion.

"The big bump-draft thing is more of an issue at Talladega than it is here, because you can run big and run into someone," Kenseth said.

What are we going to do to fix it? Well, it's real easy to fix it. Make it boring. Put the small spoilers on like we had in 2000 or whatever, and everybody can be single-file, three car-lengths apart. But nobody likes to watch that."

Kenseth added that he felt Stewart's comments after Sunday's Budweiser Shootout were too severe.

"The whole Sunday thing, in my opinion, got blown way out of proportion with some of the stuff that got said," he said, noting that he hadn't been told about the specifics of the new rule. "With this kind of racing … we have the same conversation after every race.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of several drivers who shrugged off Stewart's complaints about bump drafting.

"Yeah, it's dangerous, but that's why we get paid a lot of money to do it," he said. "It's just the nature of the beast."

All the controversy swirling around the issue may become moot as the series goes forward; NASCAR is working toward a new bumper configuration that, by the next restrictor-plate race at Talladega in April, would prevent teams from beefing up their bumpers with to allow cars to slam into the ones ahead of them and receive blows from the ones behind them without damaging the cars' aerodynamics.

"We're on it back at the research and development center now," Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president for competition told the Charlotte Observer. "Hopefully we can get through Daytona, make some corrections to the cars and get on with it at Talladega."

"Right now, we're going to take it a day at a time through Sunday. We understand there is going to be some incidental contact out there and we'll do everything we can to not make the wrong the call."

For now, veteran Ken Schrader has some advice for Stewart and others who are worried about bumping:

"Every car comes equipped with two pedals — one's the gas and one's the brake," he said. "Each driver can decide which one he wants to mash."

Courtesy of Greg Engle, the Editor of the Cup Scene Daily is seeking employment within the motorsports journalism industry.
If you are interested, please contact him at:greg@cupscene.com

Knaus Will Miss More Than The Daytona 500

 

Knaus expected gone longer the Daytona:

Although NASCAR will wait until next week to decide on its final penalties for Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and the #48 Lowe's Hendrick Motorsports team, Johnson hinted Thursday that he expects Knaus to be missing from the team for the next few races.

Knaus was ejected from Daytona 500 Sunday after NASCAR inspectors discovered he had altered a rear jack bolt to move the rear window on the #48 in an attempt to improve aerodynamics.

After busting Knaus, NASCAR sent him back to North Carolina for the remainder of Speedweeks and said that it may levy additional penalties to the team next week. Johnson met with press for about 10 minutes prior to Wednesday’s first Daytona 500 practice sessions. Twice he hinted that Knaus’s suspension would extend beyond Daytona.

Referring to Darian Grubb, the team’s lead engineer and fill-in for Knaus at the Daytona 500, Johnson said, “Darian Grubb’s … been our engineer for the race team, he’s been on the (pit) box. He was going to be on the box next to Chad through this year, but now he’s going to be solo on the box for the first few races.”

Later, Johnson added of Knaus, “Unfortunately, he stepped over the line. It’s something that he admits, and feels terrible about. He’s at home going crazy over this … He’ll be back after just a couple of weeks at home.”
(Speed Channel)

Johnson Crew Chief Gone From Daytona

 

Knaus Ejected from 2006 Daytona 500 Activities
From NASCAR PR

NASCAR announced today that NASCAR Nextel Cup Series crew chief Chad Knaus has been ejected from any further participation in 2006 Daytona 500 activities as a result of a rules infraction discovered following pole qualifying runs Sunday.

Knaus is the crew chief for the #48 Lowe's Chevy driven by Jimmie Johnson. NASCAR said the #48 car failed post-qualifying template inspection in the rear window area. The qualifying time posted by the #48 was disallowed and Johnson will have to start at the rear of the field in the first of two 150-mile qualifying races Thursday.

The qualifying time of the #96 DLP Chevy driven by Terry Labonte was also disallowed. NASCAR officials said an unapproved carburetor was found on the 96 car. Labonte will also have to start from the rear of the field in Thursday’s qualifying races. Additional penalties for both cars will be determined following the Daytona 500. (NASCAR PR)

Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick today responded to NASCAR sanctions levied against crew chief Chad Knaus following Sunday's Daytona 500 post-qualifying inspection at Daytona International Speedway.

"We understand NASCAR's position," Hendrick said. "Our expectations for the team remain high. It's a deep, championship-caliber group and they'll step up this weekend."

Darian Grubb, lead engineer for the #24 and #48 Hendrick Motorsports teams, will immediately assume Knaus' at-track duties in preparation for the Feb. 19 Daytona 500.

"It's obviously disappointing to miss the biggest race of the year, but I'm confident in Darian and the rest of my teammates," Knaus said. "There's been a lot of effort put into the Daytona 500 and I know the team will be successful with the support they'll receive from the entire organization."
(Hendrick Motorsports PR)

Gatorade Dual 150's Field Is Set!

 

The front row for the Daytona 500 and the starting lineups for the Gatorade Duel qualifying races were set by Sunday's qualifying.

Jeff Burton will start on the pole for the first Gatorade Duel and Jeff Gordon will start on the pole for the second.

Starting positions in the Gatorade Duel races are determined by qualifying speeds. The participating eligible highest ranked 35 in 2005 car owner points are assigned to Gatorade Duel races based on their standing in the 2005 final car owner points: odd-numbered ranked car owners compete in the first Gatorade Duel; even-numbered owners in the second [not sure why #6-Mark Martin is in the 2nd duel as he was 7th in 2005 owners points].

Owners who failed to finish in the top-35 of the 2005 car owner points will be assigned to a Gatorade Duel based on qualifying times: the highest qualifying owner to the first Duel; the next to the second and alternating through the remaining entries.

(NASCAR Statistical Services)

Jimmie Johnson & Terry LaBonte DQ'd After Qualifying

 

NASCAR officials late Sunday disqualified the Daytona 500 qualifying times set earlier in the day by Jimmie Johnson’s #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and the #96 Hall of Fame Racing Chevy driven by Terry Labonte.

According to NASCAR, in post-qualifying inspection Johnson’s car failed a template inspection, while Labonte’s car had a carburetor violation. Both cars had cleared pre-qualifying inspections.

As a result, both cars will have to start in the back of the field during next Thursday’s Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying race, which will set the final field for the Daytona 500. NASCAR Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Hunter said Sunday night that additional penalties could be forthcoming.

Those penalties could include points taken away from the teams, monetary fines or both. Hunter said that although NASCAR had not confiscated Johnson’s car, that is also a potential option at the sanctioning body’s disposal.

“These were serious infractions,” Hunter said, adding that the sanctioning body was treating them as such, given that they occurred prior to the first and most visible race of the season, the Daytona 500.(Speed Channel)

Suspension?: #48 Crew chief Chad Knaus faces possible suspension for altering the height of the rear window in driver Jimmie Johnson's car before Sunday's qualifying for the Daytona 500. The biggest penalty could come as early as Monday against Knaus, according to a NASCAR source.

According to the source, an instrument was placed inside the car that raised the rear window after it went through pre-qualifying inspection to provide an aerodynamic advantage. The height difference was discovered during a post-qualifying inspection and considered a flagrant attempt to gain a competitive advantage.
(NASCAR.com)

Stewart Speaks Out Against Bump Drafting

 

Bump Drafting Issue Resurfaces: Even though he finished a respectable third in the 72-lap exhibition sprint, defending Nextel Cup champion #20-Tony Stewart was livid afterward. Stewart had just finished a race that saw he and the 20 other contestants narrowly dodge, only by good fortune and luck, major accidents at the sprawling 2½-mile track.

The reason for Stewart's ire was the bump drafting, which entails intentionally slamming into the car in front of you. The purpose is actually to push the next car along – and some drivers assert it's a necessary move – but do it at the wrong time or at the wrong angle, and wrecks easily can ensue. And wrecks at restrictor plate tracks have the potential to be especially brutal.

Really, bump drafting isn't drafting at all. It's legalized road rage – legal, at least, in NASCAR terms. There are laws prohibiting this obviously unsafe maneuver on highways, so why aren't existing rules in NASCAR's books against unsafe or overaggressive driving being enforced when it comes to bump drafting?

NASCAR vice president of communications Jim Hunter said after Sunday's race that the sanctioning body has tried to come up with different ways to, at the very least, control bump drafting. But, Hunter noted, sanctioning body officials have to be cautious to make major changes in one area, lest they unwittingly compromise safety in yet another area.

Hunter says NASCAR has explored "softening up" front bumpers on cars so that there will be less resulting impact and damage – and thus less chance for a car being knocked out of control – when bump drafting occurs. Again, laudable, but not entirely realistic. Hunter also said NASCAR is reluctant to simply penalize every driver that bump drafts, as some of the allegedly guilty might actually be victims of circumstance, such as being unable to avoid impact when a car in front suddenly checks up.
(Yahoo Sports)

Daytona Decided By Denny's Shoot-out Win!

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Lookout Tony Stewart, your new rookie teammate has a lot of muscle he's ready to flex this season.

Denny Hamlin shocked NASCAR on Sunday by beating Stewart and the rest of the big shots to steal a win in the exhibition Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.Hamlin led 16 of the 70-laps and was heading toward an easy win when Stewart, his veteran teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, used a wide pass to take the lead away from him with four laps to go. But seconds after Stewart moved to the front, the caution flag came out for debris on the track, setting up a two-lap shootout to the finish.

Stewart restarted on the bottom of the track, with Hamlin right next to him when racing resumed. Hamlin quickly moved out front, then held off challenges from Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win for the first time in NASCAR's top series.

As the baby-faced Virginian celebrated with burnouts on the front of the track, his parents sobbed in celebration.

"I can't believe it, it wasn't two years ago I that I was here as a visitor of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s," the 25-year-old said. "This is the first time I've even been to Victory Lane. I just can't believe it."

Earnhardt and Stewart, two of NASCAR's top restrictor-plate racers, finished second and third. Scott Riggs was fourth and defending race winner Jimmie Johnson was fifth.

Leading the race at lap 46, Tony Stewart led a pack of eight cars onto pit road, starting a trend with the next two lap leaders, Jamie McMurray and Dale Earnhardt Jr., pitting after leading a lap apiece. They relinquished the lead to Scott Riggs and Dale Jarrett who made a two-tire pit stop on lap 48. But rookie Denny Hamlin took over the top spot at lap 52, losing it once to Kyle Busch for a lap and then his mentor, Tony Stewart, with three laps to go.

But Denny Hamlin took the lead on the restart to win his first Nextel Cup restrictor plate race. For the second time in the race, Carl Edwards was penalized by NASCAR for passing under the yellow line when Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson tried to make pit stops. While protesting on the radio, Edwards was called to the NASCAR trailer at the end of the race and forced to make a pass-through penalty.

Jimmie Johnson got past Ken Schrader on the first circuit after the restart (lap 21). On the second lap, Kyle Busch got into Mark Martin who made a great save after sliding up the track. At the same time, Jeff Gordon blew an engine, bringing out a caution.

Segment 1 (Laps 1-20): Two-time Budweiser Shootout winner Ken Schrader got off to a fast start as the polesitter, holding off the field as Matt Kenseth's engine started overheating on lap 7. The 2003 Cup champ fell back through the field quickly.

Jimmie Johnson teamed up with Jeff Gordon to push their way to the lead on the high line at lap 13. Two laps later, Jamie McMurray got into Ryan Newman on the backstretch, taking out several cars. Carl Edwards went below the yellow line to avoid contact and was sent to the back of the field to start the second segment.

Segment 2 (Laps 21-72)

Caution 1/Lap 16-20: Jamie McMurray got bumped by Brian Vickers after Kyle Busch slam-drafted him on the backstretch. McMurray moved sideways into Ryan Newman. Brian Vickers spun into the wall. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Scott Riggs were also involved. Kevin Harvick was also forced to the garage with a blown engine.

Caution 2/Lap 23-27: Jeff Gordon got into Matt Kenseth, stacking up behind Mark Martin who slid up the track when Kyle Busch got into the No. 6 driver. Gordon came to pit road with a hole in the oil cooler after getting into Matt Kenseth. Gordon was spewing engine smoke, ending his day early. Jamie McMurray got squeezed by teammate Martin into the wall and came to pit road.

Caution 3/Lap 67-70: Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman get into each other in the wall with Newman smoking his tires from fender rubs and putting down debris.

Lap leaders: Ken Schrader 1-12; Jimmie Johnson 13-15; Ken Schrader 16-20; Jimmie Johnson 21-27; Tony Stewart 28; Jimmie Johnson 29-31; Kyle Busch 32-34; Michael Waltrip 35-45; Tony Stewart 46-47; Jamie McMurray 48; Dale Earnhardt Jr. 49; Scott Riggs 50-51; Denny Hamlin 52-62; Kyle Busch 63; Denny Hamlin 64-66; Tony Stewart 67-70; Denny Hamlin 71-72

Out: Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers

Schrader wins Budweiser Shootout pole

 

Ken Schrader will sit on the pole for the Feb. 11 running of the Budweiser Shootout in his debut with in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford. Defending race winner Jimmie Johnson will start from outside of the front row for the 70-lap, 21-driver race at Daytona International Speedway.

The lineup was determined by a random draw yesterday (Feb. 9).

The rest of the top 10:

Row 2. Tony Stewart, Joe Nemechek
Row 3. Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler
Row 4. Ryan Newman, Scott Riggs
Row 5. Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon

The rest of the field: Carl Edwards, Bill Elliott, Mark Martin, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brian Vickers and Michael Waltrip.

What Was Dale Earnhardt Jr. Thinking?

 

Courtesy of GM Racing Communications

An interview with:
DALE EARNHARDT, JR. NO. 8 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS:

Q. Back to the old gang. Do you feel that gives you confidence for the 500?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I was real confident last year going into last year's season. But knowing what I know now, I didn't know then, I definitely feel pretty comfortable. Working with Tony, Jr. is going to be a lot of fun. We've already tested a lot of time and have a good mentality and rapport with each other. Obviously, we worked together the end of last year. This is a new start.
The beginning of the year, we're definitely paying a lot more attention what's going on with the race car, what's going on with each other. There's a good, close bond there. It's always been close. The working relationship definitely improved.

Q. Is that going to change the way you used to talk to each other or let it slide and not worry about it as much?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I don't think we'll change how we talk to each other. I don't know, maybe you'll think it's a change, but to me nothing's really different. It should sound different when everybody else hears it, but to us, no.

Q. On his new episode Speedchannel

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: There was a show a long time ago called Car and Track. Joe Whitlock gave me a couple of tapes one day, and I watched 'em. Kind of got just really glued to what I was seeing in it. It was a bunch of episodes with Car and Track. I watched them over and over and over and over and over and over, and never give them back to Joe.

But I ended up losing the tapes when I loaned them to Chocolate Meyers. So I asked somebody at SPEED Channel. Actually I called Bud, and Bud had passed away. I called his son to see if he could make me some tapes. Apparently his son has passed away, and the tapes went to SPEED Channel. So now SPEED has them across the street from their building.

I talked to Chris Long at SPEED a couple years about doing a show, maybe like a pop-up video style show with those races in the background. You know, we finally got around to it.

Q. When does it begin?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: The first episode is Monday at 9:00.

Q. What about your satellite radio show? They put Howard Stern on satellite radio so he can say anything he wants to. Do you think you'll have the freedom to say what you want to?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Well, you can say whatever you want to, there's just repercussions. You know, I just want -- I thought we'd do the show, see how it went. If XM is happy, we'll keep doing it. If they want to change something, we'll change something.

But it's basically just me. Like the first episode, you know, I get Shane Huffman and Russ Ward from the Hooter's team to talk about the sponsorship, the practicing, the testing. Steve Crisp drops a line or two about the Busch team, their testing, how that's going, what kind of driver Mark is like, what made those guys want to come work for me, what inspired them about our company. Little known company as far as the ownership side of it. All new, so why would they take that chance, you know. And we told a couple stories of me and Steve Crisp when he was traveling with me in the Busch Series. Just had some fun.

Q. Have you all (inaudible) enough anywhere to get any idea where that DEI restrictor plate edge could come back for you?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: We never lost it. I mean, we had some strong cars here last year. I should have won the Daytona 500. If I would have made a certain move, I could have won the Daytona 500 last year. But we had a fast car at Talladega, got in a crash. I don't remember what happened the other races. I think we finished third at Daytona here. That's strong.

You know, we're strong. I got the car to beat over in the garage for the 500. It's the fastest car. You know, it won't run fast in qualifying, but that's the way we built it. We build it to race good. A lot of guys build their cars to go fast by themselves in a straight line. That's not how you win.

Q. Were you embarrassed by the way things ended up last year?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Not really. I wasn't bothered by it at all. I just kind of took -- I had a lot of extra free time so I wasn't complaining.

But, you know, we learned a lot. I mean, I don't want to really separate myself too far from where I am last year because I learned a lot and I want to remember those lessons and maintain the mentality and the traits that I gained from last year.

I've said it before, and nobody seems to understand because I don't really read about it too much, but working with Steve Hmiel taught me a lot. Going through the changes, working with Pete, going through those changes taught me a lot. I mean, I still got a lot of respect for Pete. You know, those people had an effect on me, for the better I believe. You know, we didn't have any success on the racetrack, but I learned a lot.

It was something that had to happen. That was an unfortunate season that I had to experience for some reason to really get back -- to really mentally get back to where I needed to be.
Yeah, I felt real good, like we were going to have a good season, but it all kind of unfolded like it did. I think now we got a better understanding.

Q. Do you learn more from adversity than success?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Yeah. You don't learn much from success. Obviously, you learn a lot when you make mistakes.

Q. Do you feel under pressure to get off to a fast start this year because of your fans?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I want to get off on a fast start because I want to prove not only just to the fans but to everybody that this team's strong. I look at my race cars and they're better looking than I've ever seen. The cars that we're going to unload in the garage in Daytona, they're beautiful. I never really felt that way about a race car, but I saw them getting loaded up and I couldn't believe how they looked to me.

Q. Do you think Martin Truex Jr. has enough experience plate racing to be as strong a drafting partner with you? Everybody said, if the 8 and 15 hooked up, good-bye.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Well, he is. He was good in the Busch Series, plate tracks. Had some success there. If they can get his cars where he can get up through there, he'll be fine. We'll work together without a problem.

Q. What are some of the lessons you took from last year that you can apply to this year?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I can't be specific. They're just personal -- you know, just personal adjustments in personality, in respect for people, how you look at somebody and how you feel about 'em.

I got more respect for Tony, Jr. than I had before because I seen how he works being on the other side of the fence. That's a totally different view than I've had over the last several years.

Q. You said mid-season last year he was really out to prove something to you over there on the other side. Have you talked about that at all?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: No, not really. I mean, that's not been anything I guess we wanted to talk about. You know, he was out to prove that he could make it happen. Prove it to everybody really, not just me.

Q. Can you even begin to describe how much your life changed in the last five years?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: You could probably do a better job than I could.

Q. You've lived it.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Yeah, but it's just a blur, you know. I don't take many mental notes as far as that goes.

But, you know, I just want to get in the race car and race and have fun, get out of the race car, tend to my Busch team, tend to other activities we have going on, enjoy the experiences that I get from those, win a Winston Cup Championship, win more races, win those Daytona 500s, those type of races, those meaningful races, and be proud and satisfied what I'm doing.

Q. On the public impact of being famous

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Yeah, that's been the toughest part of this whole thing, is how each statement is -- I mean, when I say things, obviously if you know me, when I say 'em, I've thought about what I'm saying, I say what I think. And a lot of times, I have -- you know, what I say may have a different impact on me than it does on you. A lot of times it digs a little deeper when I didn't intend it to.

You know, when we were talking about driving the No. 3 one day, things like that, it's all over the place the next day. And that's not my intention. My intention is to make it clear that I would like to do that at the end of my career. That's all it is to it. There's no rumors. There's no -- y'all's talking about doing it sooner. I would tell you. You're not going to keep that secret.

Q. Your dad's legacy is growing at this time. Are you proud of that and of the Dale Earnhardt foundation?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Well, you know, Teresa started the foundation, did a lot of things. I was kind of curious as to how the foundation -- I don't really understand everything the foundation does, don't really know a whole lot about the foundation. I know it plants a lot of trees.

But there's -- you know, I wanted his -- the foundation is a good thing, if ran properly, if it has the right people running it. But like I said, I really know nothing about it. I want his legacy to be -- to be sort of a John Wayne type or, you know, a Clint Eastwood style legacy, that he did a good job when he worked. When he worked, he did a good job. He'd give you everything he could give you. He'd try to do his best. He was respected, well-mannered, treated people the way he wanted to be treated.

You know, he's very similar to Clint Eastwood in how Clint was a great actor, did a great job, was hard-nosed, started directing, has been amazing at that, and continues to maintain his personality throughout the entire process.

Q. How would he have been as an out-of-car team owner?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I think he would have probably occupied his time with something else. He would have never -- he would have focused maybe a little bit more time towards the team than he had while he was driving. But I think he probably would have took the focus that he used while he drove and did something else with that focus instead of 100% towards the owner's side of it.

Q. Do you not wonder what it would be like if he was running the team, how much stronger the team might be?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Yeah, it would obviously be -- it obviously would be different. But I don't spend a whole lot of time because that's not -- you know, it's not going to happen. We just have to do as well we can.

I'm telling you, I'm really proud of Richey Gilmore. Over the off-season, we sit down and we decided that only way this is going to work, we truly and genuinely had to come together.

Q. Would it have been any easier being Dale Earnhardt, Jr., if you had not been the Earnhardt these last several years? Would it have been just as hard either way?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I don't know what you mean.

Q. If he kept driving.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: It was hard to be Dale Jr. when dad was around. Still tough. A lot of advantages. I had a lot of fun. Wouldn't trade it for anything.

I don't really know how different that would have been. When he was around, man, you knew he was there (laughter). That was tough. But, you know, I miss him a lot. Obviously, you know, he was -- he could be a huge assist in a lot of things that happened to me personally over the last five years, so...

Q. Is fame been more of a burden over the past couple years?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: No, fame is never a burden. Fame is a lot of fun. Fame gets you to boxing matches, football games and cool stuff. Yeah, I mean, you get to do pretty much a lot of cool stuff, meet a lot of cool people.

Obviously, I don't take advantage of my fame as much as some drivers do. But I do enjoy it.

Q. Your dad seemed to be the voice of the drivers when it came to communicating with NASCAR. Has anybody assumed that role? If so, who is it?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Well, we don't really have a voice as far as the drivers goes. There's a lot of drivers I respect and a lot of drivers that know exactly what they're talk about, but they don't necessarily get the type-- they don't get that ear from NASCAR that dad got.

I think NASCAR just periodically, if they do, they go -- they like to be able to pick and choose who they listen to, go to advice four. I wish we did have that voice. You know, I think that there's a lot of guys out there with a lot of good things to say and a lot of things that would be able to make NASCAR's job easier. Maybe they need to get up in that trailer. Maybe they do. I don't get up in that trailer much.

Q. Do you need to be that voice?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I don't think I'll need to be, but I'll do it. As I get older, if I ever can visualize that this is the last five years of my career, I'll probably start to be a little more prominent around here.

Q. Richard Petty last year here said that that role is yours if you want it. Do you even want it?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I didn't know that or I'd have took it (laughter). I thought I was still a rookie.

Q. You're a media-savvy guy. Your dad's anniversary, five years, did you have to sort of mentally prepare yourself to come here?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I didn't really expect it to be talked about a lot. Hadn't really -- I hadn't personally thought about it. Obviously, I heard it mentioned a few times over the last couple weeks. But I didn't really know or really I didn't even think that there would be a lot going on, a lot of tributes or anything happening prior to the race, building up to the race, or really a lot of talk in the media. Because I didn't -- there aren't too many other things that you celebrate a fifth anniversary of. You know what I mean? I didn't think it was that big a deal.

Q. "Anniversary" might not be the right word.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Yeah, I mean, you know, whatever you want to call it. But maybe the 25th or something like that. But, you know, the silver, whatever.

But I didn't put a lot of thought into it. I mean, it's obviously -- don't seem like five years. You know, it's good that he's still on people's minds, people still miss him. I still like to see the 3s, the stickers in the back of everybody's pickup truck and stuff like that.

Q. I know in '04 when you won the Daytona 500, the next week at Rockingham you said I would like people to stop talking to me about my dad, what goes through my mind.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Yeah. No, I don't get those questions that I was getting then about dad. But it's okay to talk about him. I don't mind talking about him. But there's some questions that are hard to -- not hard to answer, you get tired of answering them. There's no real answer for them. And you probably could write the story without me even giving you the answer because you probably know the answer.

I just -- you know, I don't mind talking about him. I was proud of him. You know, I just don't know what it would be like if he was here as far as the company goes or as far as the sport goes. It's kind of hard for me to -- it's hard for me to imagine, even with my imagination.

Q. After what happened last year, what would you consider to be a good year? Would you take a fourth?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: No, no. I think we're going to come into the Chase being top three in the points. We'll have six or seven wins this season, if not more. If we lose the championship, it won't be by much.

Q. Did last year make you hungry, the team hungry?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Well, I'm with a different team. The company's really hungry as a whole. The company's showing a lot of fire, a lot of spark, a lot of promise. We got some guys that we're really excited about that are coming to work for us, making a few key hires.

Q. On a lighter note, Rusty Wallace is doing analysis for ESPN. How do you think he'll do?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Rusty, he's done it before. He's done great. You like to have that driver mentality up in the booth. I think Wally Dallenbach is one of the best at this point to have as little experience as he had. I think he does such a great job because he understands, as a driver, you can't be biased. I think Darrell has been retired for so long, he sort of lost that side of it where he's a little biased from one guy to the next. If he feels like beating up on somebody over a period of two or three races, he'll do it.

You know, Wally hadn't been out of the seat for that long, and he definitely knows to stay in the middle ground and not really try to offend anybody. We rely on those guys to paint that picture for the fans, and if they're sitting there painting me as an asshole, you know, that's no good for me (laughter).

Q. You don't expect that from Rusty, do you?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: No, no. I didn't say that. I think Rusty will do a good job because he knows as a driver how hard it is. And he knows what it's like when he hears what they said in the booth or what somebody said. He knows how that can go. I think he'll be up there and he'll just try to tell the fan how the sport works, and that's what Wally does. He tells the fan how the sport works and how racing works and how driving works, what you're thinking here, what you're thinking there.

Q. Talk about qualifying a little bit. Greg Biffle said the other day that qualifying at Daytona is the most boring thing y'all do as race drivers. What do you do waiting to go out and qualify? He said he talks on the cell phone, others say look for hot chicks.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I look for hot chicks in tube tops. You know, you people watch a lot. You talk to your crew to look busy. You look at people's cars. Still at that point you probably haven't seen everybody's paint schemes. You're looking at paint schemes, looking at cars. I didn't know he was driving that car.

Q. Years ago when they were running the 200 mph here, the expression was, I don't know if I can hold my breath that long. Is it a matter of, I don't know if I can keep my eyes open that long?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: No, it ain't that boring. You do run the lap, because you got to run as close to the apron as you can without hitting the apron, the shortest distance. When you're in the car driving it, you're busy, you're a busy guy. But it's easy to do. I mean, if you really took -- you could take somebody off the street and they could be doing it.

Q. Do you think people underestimate your commitment to making the company that your daddy built into what he dreamed it could be?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Yeah, I think so. I think people see -- you know, I know what I want to do. I know I want to win a championship. I know I have sort of a vision of where I want to be at a certain age. But I don't look that far into the future and get specific. You know, I drive right off the hood. I look at where I'm at right now. I would love to drive the 3 on down the road, and Richard knows that. I hate him talking about it, because I don't want to put it off on him, put any pressure on him or disrupt what he's trying to do with RCR to date.

But he knows that. That's the extent of it. There's nothing more to it conversation-wise between me and him or anything. We've just made that clear to each other and dropped it. I told him -- I've asked him some questions. I've asked a lot of people questions that I get advice from. They've reiterated the same thing that I think, that I thought what I needed to do, and that's stay devoted to what I committed to, and that's working with the 8 team at DEI, working with Tony, Jr., working with Richey, showing my commitment, because up I've always sort of kept them at arm's length just in case something happened or just in case it didn't work out.

So I think to go in this year and show them I'm in the trench, we're going to do this together every minute from mile to mile, I think that will be more productive for the company than me standing there and saying, "Get it right now. I'm wanting to win."

For me to go in there and tie myself to the boat with them I think will be better for the company. I want everybody in the company to feel like I'm dedicated. See because there's certain levels in the company that we don't really get to -- we don't have heavy contact with, so they basically got to get their news and rumors from everybody else. If a guy in the engine shop thinks that I might be going to drive somewhere if something doesn't work out or somebody gets pissed off, that ain't good, that ain't good for the company. They got to know that that devotion is there and I want them to know that.

Q. Would you like to take over at DEI?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I'd love to take over at DEI. Me and Teresa will talk about that when the time comes. We'll talk about that before the time comes obviously. That's not in the near future. I think JR Motorsports is a natural process of a company growing from one rank to the next, and it can go as far as it wants to go. I am not going to stop it at this level or that level. We'll just see however profitable. It don't even have to be profitable. If it breaks even, we'll keep on racing.

Q. What is Tony Eury Sr.'s role?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Tony, Sr. will kind of be back for us. He's really over the top of everything. If he sees a problem over at the 1 car, he'll be over there trying to help fix it. He's back and forth. He also handles the Busch side -- the Busch racing we'll do. He sort of oversees that a little bit.

He won't be quite as hands-on with Tony, Jr.. but obviously Tony, Jr. will be like he was last year, his team will be like it was last year.

Q. Do you want to win a championship in the No. 3 car?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I mean, I could do it. We could do it now, but that would be just kind -- that would be a phoney tribute if we did it now. It just wouldn't feel right. I think it's something we can do whenever we want. I really seriously got to take my career -- I got to take my career seriously right now. I can't be fooling around with tributes and feel-good stories all the time. You know, we got to get down to business and race. When that opportunity comes to have that chance, we'll do that.
I think -- I don't think a lot of people are ready for it. It's not even than a option. When the time comes, we want to do it, we'll do it, have a little fun with it. No, I just want to be -- I want to win a race with Budweiser as my sponsor, with that 8 on the side, with Tony, Jr. as my crew chief.

Q. Were you humbled by not making the Chase?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Well, I just thought that -- I don't know. It was humbling, but it was inevitable at one point. Wasn't too bad of a deal. Gave us an opportunity, me and Tony, Jr., to work together. I talked to the powers that be, they said that we didn't have to go to New York, so I didn't have to make that trip. Then we got through under the bus with Hunter. He pulled the Dale Earnhardt card on us. Said we should have been there. But they's the same people who told us we didn't have to go.

I just looked at it as during the off-season I'd have a little more time off. I had a lot of things I was wanting to do with the teams and the shows and whatnot, give me the time to be able to do that, focus on some other things, be close to Tony, Jr. and them.

Q. Is the season too long and too grueling?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: The season is not too long. What I think they should do is, this is my personal opinion, they should make the cars in the sport more consistent to where the off-season you don't have to reskin everything, you don't have to cut every car in half and rebuild it. Start the season at the beginning of January, take some of them weeks and put them throughout the season and give us some days off during the summertime, in the month of August, September, what the hell ever, break up those 20-race stretches, start the season earlier. I don't care if we race year round. That way we ain't got to change the body. We just keep racing, racing, racing. We're spending a lot of money cutting these bodies up because we think we can make them better, but they're probably not. We just wouldn't have to do so much during the off-season.

The off-season is short. Might as well make it another month shorter. Give us those weekends off during the year.

I'd rather be -- I'd rather go on vacation in (expletive) July rather than December, for crying out loud. I mean, give me a break.

Courtesy of GM Racing Communications.