Well after the events at Talledaga last weekend it appears as though some have not forgiven and forgotten. Carl Edwards invaded Kevin Harvicks stall and the two exchanged heated words, at some point Harvick apparently tried to turn and walk away from the situation but Carl grabbed him and spun him around, according to pictures released it appears he grabbed Harvick by the throat and Harvick quickly put him off onto the hood of his #33 Nationwide Entry leaving some damage to the hood. Will we ever know the whole story, probably not but it did turn some extra interest onto the weekends event and probably helped the TV ratings. There's nothing like a little bit of the WWE to turn the Nascar event into the main stream news being posted all over the Internet and Newspapers. Let's go racing boys.

Al final de la carrera, muchas cosas cambiaron en la caza, destacando así, factores como el accidente del 88 de Dale Earnhardt Jr, los tempranos problemas para el 99 de Edwards y también los problemas que tuvo el coche 24 de Jeff Gordon, los cuales supieron superar para volverlo a lanzar en la vuelta del líder y ser uno de los autos más rápidos en pista.

Juan Pablo Montoya sigue sin tener mucha suerte en la pista de Lowe's y en las carreras nocturnas, esta vez, presentó tempranamente problemas en su auto, vibraciones sobre la rueda derecha, problema que lo mandaría a pits durante bandera verde y perder dos vueltas. El bogotano luego se recuperaría de una vuelta pérdida, pero sobre el giro 297 se le rompería un neumático luego de un leve contacto con el Dodge número 2 de Kurt Busch, y se iría contra el muro, para luego irse directo a los Garajes y finalizar 34 en la carrera.

Jeff Burton fue el ganador de la carrera, seguido del ganador de la carrera de las estrellas y la Coca-Cola 600; Kasey kahne. El hermano mayor de los Busch llegó en tercera posición y el 18 de Gibbs se quedó con la cuarta posición luego de ganar en el día anterior en la Nationwide. Y el otro cupo del Top-Five fue para Jamie Mcmurray. El líder del campeonato termino en la sexta plaza y mantiene el liderato, ahora con 69 puntos por encima de Burton y 86 sobre Biffle. Burton subió dos casillas de la cuarta posición a la segunda, Proceso invertido a Carl Edwards quién calló a la cuarta casilla. Y de la misma manera, kyle Busch pasó al puesto nueve anteriormente de Kenseth y Kenseth pasó al 11, anteriormente de Kyle.

Ahora quedamos a la espera de la TUMS Quikpak 500 en Martinsville el próximo domingo.

]]> http://metmex.wordpress.com/?p=2052 Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:59:17 +0000 fabrizziosandoval http://metmex.fr.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/nascar-tuxtla-gutierrez-octubre-12-2008/

Las Condiciones meteorológicas para la serie Nascar en Tuxtla Gutiérrez será de una tarde parcialmente nublada, con tormentas aisladas en los alrededores y temperaturas en los máximos 20´s centigrados.

 Max 29 Minima 20

Información a las 13:00 Horas en Tuxtla Gutiérrez

Barómetro:	1009.7 mb
Punto de condensación:	22°
Humedad:	69%
Visibilidad:	15 km
Viento:	0 km/hr
Salida del sol:	07:04 a.m.
Puesta del sol:	06:52 p.m.
Índice UV:	10+ Extremo

Three gutsy pit calls, holding off a charging Kasey Kahne -- the only driver who seems to be even close to being on Jimmie Johnson's level at LMS -- and not only taking the checkered flag at one of the circuit's most important tracks for the second time (Burton won at Bristol earlier in the season), but crashing the Chase for the Championship party by moving within 69 points of Johnson and into second place in the standings with five races to go.

The reasons I follow and support Burton don't include his being a Duke fan, but that he's not afraid to say what's on his mind, has done more for the safety of NASCAR's drivers than any other driver and is one of the cleanest and most respected and respectful guys in the sport. Throw in the fact that he was essentially dumped by Jack Roush and sent packing, only to re-emerge as one of racing's most consistent top-echelon performers, and it makes it even easier to root for him.

I want to see the Cubs win a title more than anything in sports.

But Jeff Burton's on the list, too.

And today is a good day to be  Jeff Burton fan.

Johnson got off to a good start from pole position after qualifying was rained off at Lowe's Motor Speedway and the starting order determined by points standing. He pulled out a big lead over Carl Edwards in second, but it was soon clear he was not the fastest car on track and Tony Stewart was cruising up from 7th to take the lead from Johnson on lap 32 as they made their way through back markers.

Jeff Gordon had already hit problems, brushing the wall twice before hitting it more emphatically on lap 5 and sending sparks flying. A visit to the pits to sort out the mess put him a lap down but didn't bring out a yellow; however, Joe Nemechek's right front puncture and abrupt visit to the wall on lap 43 most certainly did.

Johnson's perfect pit position enabled him to get out in the lead once more while Stewart fell back to 4th. Edwards was restored to 2nd by the pit stops but any satisfaction was quickly dispelled when he reported a vibration shortly after the restart and had to be brought back in, going a lap down.

He was exiting the pit land when AJ Allmendinger tried to tread his car through a non-existent gap between Regan Smith and Chad McCumbee, clipped the back of Smith and spun right into a heavy impact with the wall. His race was done. "I feel like an idiot," he said afterwards. "It's not what they paid me to do. I wasn't patient enough. I feel bad."

Carl Edwards' crew felt he should get the free pass as he was exiting the pit lane at the time, but NASCAR had frozen the running order before his exit put him a lap down and as a result they awarded it to Jeff Gordon instead. And when the cars came in for a second pit stop, the matter became academic anyway as more bad luck hit the 99 car: problems on the left front tyre forced Edwards to back up so the mechanic could check and tighten the lugnuts. And the, to add the final insult to the injury, his car developed ignition trouble under the next yellow and coasted to a halt, requiring a tow truck to come and pick him up. When the problem was finally sorted, he returned to the track 16 laps down - a huge impact on his Sprint Cup Chase standings.

That third yellow had come out on lap 64 after a mere four laps of green flag racing: Michael Waltrip had clipped the grass, bumped Mike Skinner up who in turn collected Ken Schrader and jammed both of them into the wall.

At the restart on lap 70, Jimmie Johnson led Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton and Kyle Busch away; it didn't take long for Stewart to return to the front on lap 76 and he pulled out a huge lead as we got a decent green flag stint with 33 laps of racing, with his team mate Busch the next fastest car n track slipping past Johnson for second before the next yellow flew on lap 103. That was caused by Dale Earnhardt Jr who was a lap shy of coming in for a pit stop when his front right tyre blew and put him into the wall, the second Chase contender to have an a bad night; he returned after repairs, a distant 45 laps down.

Stewart was less comfortable with his latest set of tyres, getting very loose and surrendering the lead to Busch after the green flag and then losing further places to drop behind Johnson, Burton, David Ragan and Brian Vickers by the time the next yellow came out on lap 120 for a spin by Mike Wallace who got loose and grazed the wall.

Ryan Newman stayed out during the caution and inherited the lead ahead of Johnson, Burton, and Busch with Clint Bowyer in fifth ahead of Ragan and Vickers with Stewart now down to 8th and still struggling. of this pack it was Vickers who emerged as the strongest runner of the ensuing green flag period that lasted 62 laps, passing Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman for the lead on lap 134, stretching out an 8s gap over the rest of the field and keeping it right through green flag pit stops initiated by Jeff Burton on lap 175 and pretty much concluded by Vickers' stop on lap 179, and which saw David Ragan and Regan Smith both caught speeding on pit road and served with drive-thru penalties.

The yellow for debris came out shortly after this on lap 187, so there was no need for the leaders to pit again so soon. The stops had reshuffled the familiar set of top runners so that Vickers was now leading Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch at the restart.

It's just not NASCAR without at least one multi-car wreck, and tonight this came on lap 194 when Paul Menard pushed Bill Elliott into Tony Raines, turning Raines into the wall while behind the incident Travis Kvapil made contact with Matt Kenseth sending them both into the wall with hard impacts, resulting in significant race-ending damage to both. Kasey Kahne got past the wrecking cars by inches: "Too close for comfort," exclaimed his spotter over the radio.

This time the leaders pitted, with Martin Truex Jr opting to stay out and take the top spot for the restart ahead of two other non-stoppers, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin. Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle led the group who had come in to pit row, running in 4th and 5th. The green flag lasted only long enough for Gordon to take the lead before the next yellow; several cars got loose and very sideways coming out of turn 4, most dramatically Jimmie Johnson who just about held it, but behind him Michael Waltrip was less successful and tapped Bobby Labonte, sending them both sliding across the grass and forcing Casey Mears to drive through the infield to avoid them. No lasting harm was done, however, and nothing obvious was found on the track to cause the sudden spate of handling problems in that part of the track.

At the restart, Jeff Gordon - his recovery from those horrible opening laps now well and truly accomplished - led the field to the green flag. He fought off Martin's attempt to take the lead, and as the cars got up to full speeds again Martin fell prey to Greg Biffle who took up residence in second.

The race ran for 55 green laps at this point, although a caution was touch and go on lap 232 when Denny Hamlin got loose after a tap fro Clint Bowyer, lightly hitting the wall going into turn 2 and sustaining some right-rear damage - but he managed to keep the can under control and no yellow was necessary. Another driver getting up close and personal with the wall was Brian Vickers, making heavier impact than Hamlin but again managing to keep the car up high and off the racing line and bring it into the pits for running repairs, so that once again no yellow was needed.

With such an extended caution-free period, green flag pit stops loomed. Gordon surrendered the lead to Biffle to pit on lap 250, having stayed out under the previous yellow, but the rest of the field were only a few laps later coming in - starting with Biffle on lap 255

The pit stops were almost finished by the time the ninth yellow came out on lap 264 as a result of a tyre blow-out for Robby Gordon on the backstretch: he had flat spotted his tyres coming into pit road a couple of laps earlier but the crew had only been set up to change the right hand tyres, so it was the compromised left-front that consequently failed. The pit stops also saw drive-thru penalties for team mates Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch for breaking the speed limit, and a spin coming into pit lane by David Reutimann whose rear brakes locked solid when he tried to slow down at the entrance.

Reed Sorenson was leading at this point by virtue of not having made his pit stop, which he did now under yellow - along with Jeff Gordon who, despite only having stopped 15 lap earlier, opted to come in for a full set of tyres and fuel. Although it put him ito the back of the lead lap, there were only 12 cars in that group by this point so it was a reasonable gamble to take to give him the option of only taking two tyres at the final remaining stop.

That left Biffle in the lead of the race for the restart on lap 269 ahead of Burton, Mark Martin, Johnson and Bowyer. Burton had been hanging around the sharp end of the race all evening, rarely out of the top five, and you had to wonder what he had in reserve. After a few unsuccessful attempts, on lap 277 Burton finally showed his hand by driving around Biffle for the lead. Even though there were 57 laps to go to the end and at least one more pit stop, we had just seen our last lead change of the race.

Behind Burton, Kasey Kahne popped up in the top ten after a calm and assured run, nothing spectacular but always improving and moving forward. And already high up in 4th was Jamie McMurray, who was also having a strong late race, while Kurt Busch was also very embedded among the leaders in 8th while brother Kyle was stuck down in 13th after his pit lane penalty.

It was Kurt who contributed to the final yellow of the day when he got into a lengthy bump-and-grind with the number 42 of Juan Montoya. Montoya backed off and the incident appeared to have no repercussions, but a couple of laps later Montoya's left front tyre blew and put him into the wall, bringing out the caution.

And now with 37 laps to go, it came down to strategy. It ranged from Jeff Burton - who took gas only and exited on his old tyres - to Jeff Gordon, who took gas and four brand new tyres. That assured Burton the lead ahead of Johnson who took the middle line of fuel and two tyres.

At the restart, Jimmie Johnson went all-out to take the lead from Burton, as they went side-by-side for several consecutive laps until finally Burton came out in front. Despite Johnson having the fresher tyres, it seemed that Johnson had overcooked his tyres and in the final ten laps of the race his handling went off badly, allowing him to sink from 2nd all the way back to 6th with big consequences for the Sprint Cup points standings - although 6th is still a solid day's work and keeps him in firm control of the points standings.

As Burton cruised in front - with his pit chief gnawing his fingers worrying out fuel loads - it was Kasey Kahne who was proving to be the big surprise. He'd started off with an evil handling car, even going a lap down at one point and needing the lucky dog on lap 187, and he'd had that narrow escape at the multi-car wreck a few laps later. But in this final stint, with one final track bar adjustment during the pit stop, the team achieved the ideal result - a car that, with a few laps extra, would have claimed the win. As it was they were delighted with second.

"We just had some clean air," said Kahne. "We got up towards the front - the car was pretty good. I was real loose into the corner, I tried catching him (Jeff Burton), but came up a little bit short. It was a fun run. This track is great. You can move all over and do a lot of things at this racetrack. It was a fun race. I wish we could have got him."

Kurt Busch was equally thrilled by 3rd, while brother Kyle had an exceptionally strong final stint, recovering from his pit lane speeding penalty to power his way up to 4th place by the time the chequered flag flew, easily his best result of the Chase and finally giving him a more respectable position in the points standing after his disastrous start to the season climax.

But it was Burton who pulled off the no tyres, low fuel strategy for team owner Richard Childress. "Well, obviously it's a big night for us," Burton said. "(Crew chief) Scott Miller did a great job, made that call there at the end. That's what won the race. More importantly, they got the car in the last two runs the best it was all night. We went up and passed Biffle for the lead, and never gave it back.

"Came on pit road, the guys did a great job with fuel. We picked up spots on pit road pretty much all night tonight. Had the car right at the right time. It all worked out for us."

With Carl Edwards having a bad day, and Greg Biffle only managing 7th, it propelled Burton into second spot in the Sprint Cup. Things are getting mighty interesting as we hit the midway point of the Chase: only five races to go before we find out who the 2008 champion will be. Anyone NOT fancy a bet on Burton after tonight?

Pos  Driver              Car        Laps
 1.  Jeff Burton         Chevrolet   334
 2.  Kasey Kahne         Dodge       334
 3.  Kurt Busch          Dodge       334
 4.  Kyle Busch          Toyota      334
 5.  Jamie McMurray      Ford        334
 6.  Jimmie Johnson      Chevrolet   334
 7.  Greg Biffle         Ford        334
 8.  Jeff Gordon         Chevrolet   334
 9.  Mark Martin         Chevrolet   334
10.  David Ragan         Ford        334
11.  Tony Stewart        Toyota      334
12.  Clint Bowyer        Chevrolet   334
13.  Kevin Harvick       Chevrolet   334
14.  Martin Truex Jr     Chevrolet   334
15.  Reed Sorenson       Dodge       334
16.  Denny Hamlin        Toyota      334
17.  Bobby Labonte       Dodge       333
18.  Brian Vickers       Toyota      333
19.  Scott Riggs         Chevrolet   333
20.  Elliott Sadler      Dodge       333
21.  Ryan Newman         Dodge       333
22.  Sam Hornish Jr      Dodge       332
23.  Regan Smith         Chevrolet   332
24.  Michael Waltrip     Toyota      332
25.  David Gilliland     Ford        332
26.  Paul Menard         Chevrolet   331
27.  Dave Blaney         Toyota      331
28.  Bill Elliott        Ford        330
29.  Casey Mears         Chevrolet   330
30.  Robby Gordon        Dodge       328
31.  Mike Wallace        Dodge       326
32.  David Reutimann     Toyota      321
33.  Carl Edwards        Ford        317
34.  Juan Montoya        Dodge       296
35.  Chad McCumbee       Dodge       296
36.  Dale Earnhardt Jr   Chevrolet   289
37.  Joe Nemechek        Chevrolet   278
38.  Ken Schrader        Toyota      255
39.  Mike Skinner        Toyota      254
40.  Tony Raines         Chevrolet   203
41.  Matt Kenseth        Ford        194
42.  Travis Kvapil       Ford        194
43.  A.J. Allmendinger   Toyota       52

Chase For The Cup - Points Standing:

Pos  Driver              Change  Points
 1.  Jimmie Johnson               5878
 2.  Jeff Burton           +2     5809  + 69
 3.  Greg Biffle                  5792  + 86
 4.  Carl Edwards          -2     5710  +168
 5.  Clint Bowyer                 5693  +185
 6.  Kevin Harvick                5671  +207
 7.  Tony Stewart                 5650  +228
 8.  Jeff Gordon                  5633  +245
 9.  Kyle Busch            +2     5552  +326
10.  Dale Earnhardt Jr            5524  +354
11.  Matt Kenseth          -2     5518  +360
12.  Denny Hamlin                 5498  +380

Jeff Burton ran in the top 10 in the early stages of the race, making his way up to third by lap 48. He took the lead for the first time on lap 255 when Greg Biffle made a scheduled pit stop. On lap 264 Robby Gordon crashed. On the restart, Burton was running second to teammate Greg Biffle. On lap 277, he took the lead on the outside. On the next restart, he battled Jimmie Johnson side-by-side for two laps. He built up a half-second lead in the next eight laps. Eleven laps later, his lead was over a second. He won the race by a comfortable margin of 0.700 seconds over Kasey Kahne.

Greg Biffle spent much of the race in the top 5, taking over the top spot for the first time on lap 250. He lost the lead when he made a scheduled pit stop on lap 255, but he regained the lead on lap 267. Burton passed him for the lead after a restart in lap 277. On the final restart on lap 301, Biffle ran fifth. In the closing laps, he was passed by Kyle Busch and Jamie McMurray. He finished seventh.

Carl Edwards started the day second. He ran the early part of the race in the top 5. On lap 51, however, he reported a vibration. One lap later, he dove onto  pit road because he had a loose wheel. While he was on pit road, a caution came out after AJ Allmendinger spun. He did not beat leader Jimmie Johnson, who was coming to the line, off pit road, so he lost a lap. his crew chief, Bob Osborne, argued that he should get the free pass, but it was awarded to Jeff Gordon instead. On lap 67, things went from bad to worse for Edwards, who had an ignition problem and had to be pushed to pit road because the car would not fire. By lap 84, he returned to the track 16 laps down in 39th. He wound up finishing 33rd.

Clint Bowyer had a relatively quiet day. He ran around the top 5 for the first half of the race, and managed to stay out of trouble. He did, however, get into Denny Hamlin on lap 232 and sent Hamlin up the track. Other than that, Bowyer had a decent race, but ended up finishing 12th.

Kevin Harvick, who was the center of a lot of media attention this week due to his high-profile incident with Carl Edwards, had major issues with the setup of his car. On lap 64, the team gave Harvick eight rounds of wedge. He went virtually unnoticed for the rest of the race, running in the top 10 and teens. He finished 13th.

Tony Stewart made some noise early, taking the lead on lap 32 and again on lap 76. At one point during the race, Stewart had built up a seven second lead. But, his car did not handle that well in traffic. On lap 166, he complained that something might be wrong with the nose of his car, but pit stops were coming up so he was not too worried. On lap 260, Stewart was caught speeding on pit road. He recovered to finish 11th.

Jeff Gordon had trouble early on brushing the wall on lap 1 and hitting it hard on lap 5. On lap 9, he pitted because he has a tire rub. On lap 54, he got the free pass and was back on the lead lap. On lap 203, Gordon recovered, taking the lead from Martin Truex Jr. Both Gordon and Truex stayed out after a crash involving Matt Kenseth, Travis Kvapil, Tony Raines, and Chad McCumbee. Gordon lost the lead on lap 250 when he made a scheduled pit stop. He ran the rest of the race in or near the top 10, finishing eighth.

Kyle Busch had, by far, his best race of the Chase, running up near the front all day. He led lap 104 under caution, due to his pit stall location. He led again at lap 110, taking the top spot from teammate Tony stewart.He lost the lead when he pitted under caution. On lap 260, Busch was caught speeding, like his teammate Tony Stewart. He recovered to finish fourth.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a strong car early, making his way to third around lap 36. He spent most of the early part of the race in the top 10. But, on lap 103, he blew a tire and sustained heavy damage, effectively ending his day. He finished 36th, 45 laps down.

Matt Kenseth had an uneventfuly day until lap 194 when Paul Menard got into Bill Elliott, pushing him into Tony Raines, who hit the wall. As that happened, Travis Kvapil turned down the race track into Kenseth's right rear quarter panel, sending him into the outside wall. He finished 41st.

Denny Hamlin had a realtively quiet day following his hard crash at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend that put him in the hospital for one night. On lap 232, Clint Bowyer got into the back of him sending him up the track and into the wall. He suffered some right-rear damage. He finished 16th.

The win vaults Burton to second in the standings, 69 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

Top 5: Burton, Kahne, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, and Jamie McMurray.

Johnson, Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, and David Ragan rounded out the top 10.

Notables: Tony Stewart (11th), Clint Bowyer (12th), Kevin Harvick (13th), Denny Hamlin (16th), Carl Edwards (33rd), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (36th) amd Matt Kenseth (41st).

The race just ended and Jeff Burton has been named a winner this season. The call of the race was made when his crew chief Scott Miller did a gas only stop at the end when everyone else either took two or four tires. Jimmie Johnson was strong all night leading the most laps but not having enough at the end to pass Jeff.

The race wasn't all fun and games for some of the chasers though, Carl Edwards' day went from bad to worse very quickly. It started when he had a loose wheel and had to pit to fix that, then during a caution on the bacstretch coming to the green flag his car shut off and his ignition wouldn't work. He had to be pushed back to pit road and lost about 16 laps trying to diagnose the problem and switch the ignition box out.

Dale Jr.'s day also turned sour when his right front tire blew tearing up the front quarter-panel, he also took a loooong slide from turn two all the way to half-way down the backstretch. Dale went to the infield care center, his car to the garage, and 44 laps later the team got the car back onto the track.

Matt Kenseth once again got caught up in a wreck for the second week in a row, only this time, it wasn't caused by his teammate. This happened on lap 194 when Paul Menard, Bill Elliott, and Tony Raines were racing three wide down the stretch. Three wide at Lowe's Motor Speedway isn't the brightest of ideas, and it ended with Raines hitting the wall and collecting a few others, Matt involved.

All in all, the rest of the chase drivers had a decent run, even Jeff Gordon who hit the wall twice when the race started was in contention for a win at one point late in the race.

You can see the unofficial results by clicking the link below 

http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/31/data/results_unofficial.html

As the months went by, blogging became easier. Sure, there were a few weeks where I was either too exhausted to share the week or I didn't want to be a downer. We took a two-week vacation and I got sick a few times. But overall, blogging has become a way of life. In the beginning I had to think about what to write about. Now, I often have fodder waiting at any point, and when things go on, it's weird how one of the first things I think is "Oooh, I need to blog about this." How life changes.

The day of my 100th blog post has been an excellent one. Dh had a special project at work, and my 13 yod is camping with the youth group for the weekend. 18 yos worked until 4am, slept a few hours, then left to take his gf down to San Diego for their 'anniversary.' (Is 18 mths really an anniversary most people celebrate?) Anyway....my 19 yod slept in, then had to go to work. It all left just me and ds and we had quite the day.

Woke up at 8am, snuggled, enjoying the colder temps that are finally here in the morning, and planned a trip to Starbucks. Starbucks was busy but tables were available, so ds snagged us a table with cushy chairs and waited while I got his "coffee" (chocolate milk in a mini-coffee cup that I almost want to keep, it's so cute) and doughnut. Mmmm, a nonfat pumpkin spice latte hits the spot on a chilly morning. Came home, did some updates on the PCs (my field, so I'm anal about keeping them all protected, clean and organized) and when the local favorite mini-golf place opened, we headed down to play a couple of rounds. We had a blast! It wasn't without ds getting frustrated a few times when he couldn't control the ball. A little talking off the ledge...and a $2.50 bottle of caffeine-free root beer...and we were able to move on. He's been playing Toontown most of the afternoon, intermixed with spreading out all 100 of his friends (aka stuffed animals) all over the playroom, and I was able to get a lot of little things done, like packing up earrings I made my sisters-in-law, mixing up some new tea, nothing really exciting, just a list full of little things that you have to get done and just can't squeeze in on other days.

Oh, oh, I almost forgot! I squeezed in some treadmill time and did the fastest 5k time yet! My 19 yod and I decided a couple of weeks ago to join a 5k race next spring or summer, and I'm determined to get my times into at least an acceptable running-time range. I just started running in early-July, and I'm loving it...most of the time.

Dh and I are getting to watch the Lowe's Motor Speedway Nascar race, mostly uninterrupted (ha, not sure it's really mostly but I'm being nice...I've been called to the playroom to check out more things than I can count) and other than church tomorrow, I am really glad to stay around the house. We made plans for a trip to the Phoenix race in November, and can I just say EXCITED?? Way to go, Jamie McMurray, fifth place!!! (Even if ESPN/ABC won't interview you post-race, YOU ROCK.)

So my 100th blog entry is a mish-mash of everything and nothing. I guess that's good though. I'll take slow now and then. ;)

Richard Petty, widely known as the greatest driver in NASCAR history, is endorsing John McCain for president. Petty is announcing his endorsement at today’s Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C.

“What we need right now in these uncertain times is a steady hand on the wheel — a leader we can trust to put country first, ahead of politics,” Petty said. “John McCain has always done that, and if you need proof, think about the sacrifices he made for America. I don’t think there is any question that John McCain is a proud American and he has done more to better America than anyone.  Source: Read more

The Edwards Harvick Argument Photograph......Has Been Outed

Welcome to Lowe's Motor Speedway. I just saw a photo of the Carl Edwards/ Kevin Harvick scuffle in the Nationwide garage on Thursday here at LMS. The photo series has started to make it around to the various web sites. There are various accounts as to how the photos got out.

We knew that, eventually, the photo would get out somehow - it was just a matter of time. It always does somehow. I've heard various stories of why the photo of the argument was not released and was kept under wraps by a handful of photographers.

Several media members covering the race here at Lowe's Motor Speedway noted that, in their minds, the photo would have been rushed to Associated Press immediately if H.A. Humpy Wheeler was still on staff here at LMS because, of course, he'd know how good it was for business and would have seen to it that the photo got out. Maybe some think that the photo is bad for the drivers involved or their sponsors but traditionally photos like this are good for ticket sales.

Last night here at LMS several of us in the media corps talked about why the several photographers who got the shot, who are photo and commercial journalists, would have agreed to not publish the photo. This usually happens due to pressure from sponsors that the photographers double dip for on side jobs or from the track or the Roush team. The discussion was that it was no different than someone getting a story off the record and deciding not to use it.

Also, many of the photographers who shoot in the sport do other jobs -and make extra money shooting for corporate and sponsor entities that might conflict with a shot like that getting out. Then are they not photo journalists? Some in the photo room say that the photo was in the garage, a place that is not the same as on pit road and therefore should not be released. Others in the photo room disagreed - saying that there are a lot of fans in the garages now and that while you would hold a photo of two drivers fighting in the motor coach lot, which is their neighborhood, the garage is more public. Now, the photo series is out.

I am asking you this. How much of an impact does a series of photos like this have on your support of a driver or sponsor. Here's what I think - I think if you are a Kevin Harvick fan you do not change your thoughts about him related to this photo series and you support and back Kevin. If you are a Carl Edwards fan you support him and see the photo series a different way. It all depends on who you support how you see this series of photos right?

Bottom line - these photos will not change fans opinions of either the sponsor nor the driver.

Not one bit.

Am I wrong?

You can find the photos on any of the racing web sites. Let me know what you think

Claire B

ARLINGTON, VA -- McCain-Palin 2008 today announced that Richard Petty, widely known as the greatest driver in NASCAR history, is endorsing John McCain for president. Petty is announcing his endorsement at today's Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C.

"What we need right now in these uncertain times is a steady hand on the wheel -- a leader we can trust to put country first, ahead of politics," Petty said. "John McCain has always done that, and if you need proof, think about the sacrifices he made for America. I don't think there is any question that John McCain is a proud American and he has done more to better America than anyone.

"John McCain has a plan to get our economy back on track not only for the folks here in North Carolina but also nationwide. He understands that higher taxes will only make things worse and he'll support small businesses and create jobs. He will get us on the road to energy independence and give our troops what they need to succeed in Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm proud to support John McCain for president."

Petty won 200 races during his career, a NASCAR record, and won a record seven Winston Cup championships. He won the Daytona 500 seven times, also a record, and won 27 races in 1967 alone.

Other participants in the McCain-Palin events at Lowe's Motor Speedway include Cindy McCain, former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, country music star Cowboy Troy and Doug McCain, son of John McCain. Team owners Jack Roush and Joe Gibbs will serve as Mrs. McCain's hosts, with Roush accompanying her to the drivers' meeting and Gibbs joining her for a tour of the garage area.

HERE IS A GREAT HIGHLIGHT REEL OF SOME OF PETTYS RACES:

 Capshun by Melinda

I think HMS has booster seat. ;-)

Four of Unilever's brands will appear on the car -- Hellmann's Mayonaise, Ragu pasta sauce, Klondike, and Lipton tea.

Unilever's director of integrated marketing said:

By partnering with Dale Jr. and JR Motorsports, we are expanding an already successful history with NASCAR -- especially with a driver whose popularity transcends motor racing with wide appeal and recognition. We are extremely pleased that Dale, Mark and Landon will represent our brands in the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series.

No word on whether or not GoDaddy.com will sponsor the remaining races next season.

Do the right thing, John. Call it off. Now. Not because it will do you well at the polls. That ship ain't gonna sail at this point, not with the cannons misfiring as wildly as they have been the past couple of weeks.

You've got to call these shenanigans off to save your good name. And it might be too late for that already.

Your supporters are showing up at campaign rallies calling Barack Obama a "terrorist" and calling for his murder. They're even booing you when you try to allay the fears of an Obama presidency that you've been stoking by calling him a "decent person." Don't be surprised. You're the one who conjured up the bloodlust; it was inevitable that they were going to turn on you, because they trust you as much as they do Obama, which is to say, about as much as it rains in the Arizona desert in the summer.

Innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire. Me, for example, who has been the subject of a recent e-mail campaign to try to get advertisers to end their relations with my publication, my crime being that I have publicly backed Obama for president. And then the tens of thousands of race fans at the NASCAR race in Bristol a few weeks ago, according to a local who attended the race and e-mailed me about a man carrying a McCain sign screaming to passersby: "Vote for the white man! Don't vote for the n---."

What does it have to come to, John? Does somebody have to actually take a shot at Obama between now and Nov. 4 to get you to stand up and take notice? Does an Obama supporter have to be physically attacked on the street or at an election headquarters? I ask because nothing would surprise me at this point.

You have served your country admirably, both in the military and for 26 years in the United States Congress. And you yourself were subjected to these kind of Swift Boat attacks when you ran for president in 2000, as it turns out by the very people who are now doing to Obama in your name what was done to you in the name of George W. Bush and Karl Rove.

Think back to how it felt when those folks in South Carolina got those slimy robocalls about your adopted daughter being an illegitimate black child, and those jerks got away with it when Bush won South Carolina and ultimately the GOP nomination and the presidency.

It can't be worth it, and I can see in your body language that you know. Your look of disgust Friday night at that town hall in Minnesota gave you away. And then your press spokesman goes out afterward and adamantly insists that the craprain is going to continue to shower down indefinitely.

I assume you're still the nominee, and that those guys are supposed to work for you. Am I right about that?

Then do the right thing, the honorable thing, and be John McCain, win or lose.