[Max]

Round and round they go. That is exciting! Discuss it here...

[Panzer Division Marduk]

Max said:

Round and round they go. That is exciting! Discuss it here...

Go Tony Stewart!

Though I'd like to see Villeneuve do well too.

[Lil Bit Special]

C'mon Newman!!!

Cant wait for the new season to start, me get bored and ignore it through the summer and fall....


at least I get to go back to Charlotte this year.........

[Lil Bit Special]

Busch and Stewart exchange bumps, words at Daytona


http://sports.espn.g...Id=2&id=3237789

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR chairman Brian France kicked off the 2008 media tour in Charlotte, N.C., last month by saying Sprint Cup drivers needed to show more of their personalities.

Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart obliged on Friday night.

Two of NASCAR's most controversial characters got into a sheet metal exchange on pit road after an on-the-track incident that wrecked both of their cars in the final practice for Saturday's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.

Both drivers immediately were summoned to the NASCAR hauler to meet with Series director John Darby and competition director Robin Pemberton. They will meet again on Saturday before the governing body determines what fines, if any, will be issued.
The only words spoken by either driver -- both left through a side door without commenting -- came from Busch before entering the hauler.

"It's a great way to start off 2008," he said, clapping his hands together.
It was more like the way NASCAR started the 1979 season, when Bobby and Donnie Allison got into a fight with Cale Yarborough in the infield grass following an altercation on the last lap of the Daytona 500 to spark national interest in the sport.

"This is the NASCAR everybody fell in love with," said NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter, playing off France's back-to-the-basics theme. "Emotions run high."
Hunter said what happened showed the fine line between letting drivers be themselves and crossing the line where safety becomes an issue.

"It's going to be difficult as a matter of fact," he said on how NASCAR would handle such situations. "Professional race drivers need to control their emotions when they're in the racecar. And we've shown in the past that we'll do whatever we need to do to make sure they do. After tomorrow's meeting we'll see where we are."

Hunter said the history of the drivers would not be a factor in any fines. Busch was fined $100,000 and docked 100 championship points in June after sending Stewart into a barrier at Dover and nearly hitting a member of Stewart's crew making additional contact on pit road.

He also was parked for the remainder of the race.

"It's a new season," Hunter said. "You said earlier today it was quiet. It's not quiet now."
Those weren't the only fireworks of the night session. Moments prior to that incident Ryan Newman spun out after a tap from Clint Bowyer. His car slid up the track and took out two-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon.

Both drivers will use backups, not their Daytona 500 car, in the Shootout. The car in which Johnson won both races at Richmond last season and was scheduled to be tested at Nashville is expected to arrive at Daytona on Saturday morning for Johnson. Bill Elliott, David Gilliland and Carl Edwards also were involved in that accident.

Newman said the speeds were marginally fast and suggested that NASCAR should do something to lower them before the race. Darby said the speeds were well below the concern area and nothing was being planned. "The fastest I saw was 192 mph," Darby said. "We usually race at 195."

Speed had nothing to do with what happened between Stewart and Busch, who spun into the wall after a tap from Stewart. Busch felt Stewart caused the accident with the bump. Stewart felt Busch caused it by blocking.

"This was a typical reaction for an accident on a racetrack when neither driver felt they were at fault," Hunter said. "Anytime there's an accident, there's difference of opinions on why the accident happened."

Hunter declined to compare the incident to any others, specifically one last season in which Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya got out of their cars and shoved each other after an accident at Watkins Glen. Neither driver was fined.

"There's a lot of emotion in driving a racecar, and this is an example of that," Hunter said. "Both drivers were emotional."

That crew members were not on pit road will factor into NASCAR's decision on a penalty.
"If the pit crews are out on pit road, it's very dangerous," Hunter said. "Under a circumstance where there were people on pit road that would be different than what happened."

Gordon, standing in the garage talking to crew chief Steve Letarte, couldn't take his eyes off the big screen television as the Busch and Stewart saga unfolded.

Ironically, Gordon pointed specifically to Busch and Stewart earlier this year as drivers that have buried their personality for fear of being punished by NASCAR.

Gordon predicted Saturday night's race would be wild.

"I think we're going to see a lot of things like this happening because the drafting is so severe that there is a lot of movement going on out there," he said. "It's going to be exciting. I've been saying it's going to be exciting and I think there is a whole lot of excitement yet to come."

Newman agreed.

"It's not pretty," he said. "We're the crash-test dummies out there in a round-about way trying to figure out the new car at Daytona. The cars aren't handling very well. It's not the ideal racecar right now."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. saw the second wreck as a good reason to park for the rest of the session.

"I saw cars spinning everywhere," he said. "Looked like the No. 2 [Busch] was trying to block the No. 20 [Stewart] and Tony tried to go to the high side. It has been a wild practice out there. It is going to be interesting to see how this all unfolds.

"We liked our car really from the get-go right off the trailer so we weren't going to practice too much. That was a good enough reason to quit right there."

[Panzer Division Marduk]

Lil Bit Special said:

Busch and Stewart exchange bumps, words at Daytona


http://sports.espn.g...Id=2&id=3237789

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR chairman Brian France kicked off the 2008 media tour in Charlotte, N.C., last month by saying Sprint Cup drivers needed to show more of their personalities.

Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart obliged on Friday night.

Two of NASCAR's most controversial characters got into a sheet metal exchange on pit road after an on-the-track incident that wrecked both of their cars in the final practice for Saturday's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.

Both drivers immediately were summoned to the NASCAR hauler to meet with Series director John Darby and competition director Robin Pemberton. They will meet again on Saturday before the governing body determines what fines, if any, will be issued.
The only words spoken by either driver -- both left through a side door without commenting -- came from Busch before entering the hauler.

"It's a great way to start off 2008," he said, clapping his hands together.
It was more like the way NASCAR started the 1979 season, when Bobby and Donnie Allison got into a fight with Cale Yarborough in the infield grass following an altercation on the last lap of the Daytona 500 to spark national interest in the sport.

"This is the NASCAR everybody fell in love with," said NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter, playing off France's back-to-the-basics theme. "Emotions run high."
Hunter said what happened showed the fine line between letting drivers be themselves and crossing the line where safety becomes an issue.

"It's going to be difficult as a matter of fact," he said on how NASCAR would handle such situations. "Professional race drivers need to control their emotions when they're in the racecar. And we've shown in the past that we'll do whatever we need to do to make sure they do. After tomorrow's meeting we'll see where we are."

Hunter said the history of the drivers would not be a factor in any fines. Busch was fined $100,000 and docked 100 championship points in June after sending Stewart into a barrier at Dover and nearly hitting a member of Stewart's crew making additional contact on pit road.

He also was parked for the remainder of the race.

"It's a new season," Hunter said. "You said earlier today it was quiet. It's not quiet now."
Those weren't the only fireworks of the night session. Moments prior to that incident Ryan Newman spun out after a tap from Clint Bowyer. His car slid up the track and took out two-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon.

Both drivers will use backups, not their Daytona 500 car, in the Shootout. The car in which Johnson won both races at Richmond last season and was scheduled to be tested at Nashville is expected to arrive at Daytona on Saturday morning for Johnson. Bill Elliott, David Gilliland and Carl Edwards also were involved in that accident.

Newman said the speeds were marginally fast and suggested that NASCAR should do something to lower them before the race. Darby said the speeds were well below the concern area and nothing was being planned. "The fastest I saw was 192 mph," Darby said. "We usually race at 195."

Speed had nothing to do with what happened between Stewart and Busch, who spun into the wall after a tap from Stewart. Busch felt Stewart caused the accident with the bump. Stewart felt Busch caused it by blocking.

"This was a typical reaction for an accident on a racetrack when neither driver felt they were at fault," Hunter said. "Anytime there's an accident, there's difference of opinions on why the accident happened."

Hunter declined to compare the incident to any others, specifically one last season in which Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya got out of their cars and shoved each other after an accident at Watkins Glen. Neither driver was fined.

"There's a lot of emotion in driving a racecar, and this is an example of that," Hunter said. "Both drivers were emotional."

That crew members were not on pit road will factor into NASCAR's decision on a penalty.
"If the pit crews are out on pit road, it's very dangerous," Hunter said. "Under a circumstance where there were people on pit road that would be different than what happened."

Gordon, standing in the garage talking to crew chief Steve Letarte, couldn't take his eyes off the big screen television as the Busch and Stewart saga unfolded.

Ironically, Gordon pointed specifically to Busch and Stewart earlier this year as drivers that have buried their personality for fear of being punished by NASCAR.

Gordon predicted Saturday night's race would be wild.

"I think we're going to see a lot of things like this happening because the drafting is so severe that there is a lot of movement going on out there," he said. "It's going to be exciting. I've been saying it's going to be exciting and I think there is a whole lot of excitement yet to come."

Newman agreed.

"It's not pretty," he said. "We're the crash-test dummies out there in a round-about way trying to figure out the new car at Daytona. The cars aren't handling very well. It's not the ideal racecar right now."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. saw the second wreck as a good reason to park for the rest of the session.

"I saw cars spinning everywhere," he said. "Looked like the No. 2 [Busch] was trying to block the No. 20 [Stewart] and Tony tried to go to the high side. It has been a wild practice out there. It is going to be interesting to see how this all unfolds.

"We liked our car really from the get-go right off the trailer so we weren't going to practice too much. That was a good enough reason to quit right there."

Gotta love it. :D

[Bugg]

Lil Bit Special said:

C'mon Newman!!!

I like that Michigan redmeption episode. As to NASCAR, what a waste of gas.

http://aolsearch.aol...scription=Image Details

[GM]

I find it funny rednecks cheer for someone to go left, yet vote for a guy on the right..:bs_lame:

[Lil Bit Special]

GM said:

I find it funny rednecks cheer for someone to go left, yet vote for a guy on the right..:bs_lame:

they are afraid they would be considered gay if they only leaned to the left.....

[Lil Bit Special]

Bugg said:

As to NASCAR, what a waste of gas.

every sport wastes our resources. NASCAR just isnt shy about it.



and they just switched to unleaded fuel last year............

[Lil Bit Special]

Sources: Stewart punched Kurt Busch while pair were in NASCAR hauler


http://sports.espn.g...8563&type=story

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Tony Stewart hit Kurt Busch with more than his car on Friday night at Daytona International Speedway. The two-time Sprint Cup champion also hit Busch with his fist inside a NASCAR hauler, sources close to the situation confirmed on Saturday.

The second incident occurred while the drivers discussed the first incident with series director John Darby and vice president of competition Robin Pemberton. Officials from NASCAR, Joe Gibbs Racing and Penske Racing would neither confirm nor deny the punch occurred, saying what happens in the hauler stays in the hauler.

Darby, however, said a Saturday morning meeting, which was called to give all parties time to cool off, was less "hostile." "Partially, I wanted to make sure that in the heat of everything last night our message was delivered very clearly to both competitors," he said. "So we let them go back to the buses and sleep on it overnight."

The message? That both drivers should go out of their way to avoid each other during Saturday's two practice sessions for Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout and the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17. "This morning, in a less hostile atmosphere without all the screaming and hollering and us banging our fist on the table, we sat back down and went through the whole conversation to make sure they know what we expect," Darby said. Asked if Stewart punched Busch, Darby replied, "There's a reason why we do have an office with a door on it."

Stewart, who was accompanied by team owner Joe Gibbs on Saturday, issued a statement after the second meeting. It did not address whether he took a swing at Busch.

"I'm not mad at him about what happened on the racetrack at all," Stewart said. "What happened, happened. We can't fix it. We can't change it. The best thing to do is go on and move forward and not let this linger between the two of us. "

We've met with NASCAR twice now, and we're both past it, and we're hoping the media will respect that fact, too, and let us move on from it."

[Mavrik]

I enjoy watching rednecks going in circles about as much as I enjoy sticking a hot poker through my eyes.

I'm surprised Al Gore hasn't called on NASCAR to reduce their Carbon footprint.

[Panzer Division Marduk]

Mavrik said:

I enjoy watching rednecks going in circles about as much as I enjoy sticking a hot poker through my eyes.

I'm surprised Al Gore hasn't called on NASCAR to reduce their Carbon footprint.

Because Al Gore chooses his targets carefully. He goes after soft targets, not one where he'll find himself tied to the back of a Chevy going 190mph.

[Lil Bit Special]

Mavrik said:

I enjoy watching rednecks going in circles about as much as I enjoy sticking a hot poker through my eyes.

I'm surprised Al Gore hasn't called on NASCAR to reduce their Carbon footprint.

Al Gore invented NASCAR.

[Lil Bit Special]

http://sports.espn.g...avid&id=3238561

Cars aren't exactly interchangeable, but Shootout was enlightening


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jimmie Johnson drove the car that won twice at Richmond last season in Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout. Jeff Gordon drove the car that won at Darlington. Kurt Busch drove the car he used at Martinsville.

When NASCAR introduced the Car of Tomorrow, one of the benefits it touted was the ability to use the same car on a short track, road course, intermediate track and superspeedway because the chassis and body were so closely defined. When Johnson, Gordon, Busch and several others wrecked their cars for the Shootout during a Friday night practice, teams were forced to put that theory to the test in order to save their backups for the Daytona 500.

The results weren't bad, as Johnson finished third, Gordon finished fourth and Busch 18th after a late crash. That doesn't mean teams are producing fewer cars, thus saving money on inventory, which was NASCAR's goal outside of safety.

That also doesn't mean the cars Johnson, Gordon and Busch drove were better than ones specifically prepared for a restrictor-plate track. "If that was the case, you wouldn't need to qualify," said Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus. "You would draw numbers from a hat and say this is where you start because all the cars are the same.

If they were all the same and you could take any car from any track, the same team that built a car on that side of the garage would run the same speed as this side. "That's not the case. Cars are different." Knaus said Hendrick Motorsports continues to prepare cars for different size tracks just as it did with the old car.

While the differences are more subtle than they were before with templates and tolerances tighter than ever, they're still different enough to demand special cars. Busch's crew chief, Pat Tryson, said it's the same way at Penske Racing. "Nothing has changed," he said. "That's what they want to hear, that everyone brought their Bristol or Martinsville car here. But that's not realistic. If they can get their Bristol car to run as fast as their speedway car … We tried it. It just doesn't work."

Jimmy Makkar, the competition director at Joe Gibbs Racing, said there has been an effort to use the same cars for short tracks and intermediate tracks. "But until they prove there's not an advantage to having a special car for each track, we'll continue to build them just as we always have," he said. Gordon's crew chief, Steve Letarte, said without a doubt it's now easier to run the same car at more tracks. But he agreed that won't keep inventory down as NASCAR hoped. "Definitely, the old type of car there was no way you could have brought this car and run it, so from that aspect, absolutely the car is more flexible," he said. "It will be kind of hard to predict what will happen in the long run. Teams are still a little on the ignorant side as far as production because they're still building them like the old car. There's so much more room for mass production and so much less room to move stuff around, we can't really predict that until we do a better job on our side to produce cars."

Letarte and Knaus said there's one reason they chose the cars they did for the Shootout. "It's the only one we had painted," Letarte said. Letarte said in past years he and Knaus would have seven superspeedway cars to choose from. Each had only two for Daytona, one for the 500 and one for the Shootout. Neither wanted to waste the 500 car on a non-points event.

John Darby, the series director for the Sprint Cup, understands. While he'd like to hear teams say they're building fewer cars, he's realistic enough to know that won't happen.He also understands that the schedule, which demands teams keep six to eight cars ready at a time for travel and testing purposes, also will keep inventory up.

"From a practicality standpoint and realistic standpoint we know that doesn't happen," he said of using the same cars at all tracks. "Like here, they spend so much more time detailing the restrictor-plate cars. The frames are polished.

Nothing goes untouched. But in the case of what happened last night, part of what we're realizing is teams can bring an intermediate or short-track car to a superspeedway. "What we know is it would have been impossible to do before this car, so there is a value to that."

David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at dnewtonespn@aol.com.

[Lil Bit Special]

http://sports.espn.g...erry&id=3239044

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- This isn't exactly what NASCAR officials meant with the 2008 theme of returning to its roots, but having Dale Earnhardt Jr. win his first outing for Hendrick Motorsports is pure magic.

All is well with the NASCAR Nation. Junior is back in front at Daytona.Earnhardt thrilled the crowd by winning the Bud Shootout on Saturday night in the new No. 88 Chevrolet.

He got a push from teammate Jimmie Johnson to pass Tony Stewart in Turn 4 heading to the final lap.It's been a long time since Earnhardt looked this happy. He was beaming in Victory Lane, looking like a man who knew his life had just taken a turn for the better."Man that was fun," Earnhardt said. "I had a blast those last few laps. And I didn't win the race without Jimmie pushing me. I hope the fans enjoyed that. I'm so happy. It don't get no better."

No it doesn't, not for NASCAR, which has high hopes of regaining some of the attention it lost while Earnhardt was struggling through a painful end to his time at Dale Earnhardt Inc.

"Dale Jr. is one of the best there's ever been in restrictor-plate racing," Stewart said. "I'm not sure he's not better than his dad now, in all honesty."I'm glad for him. Obviously, he has a lot riding on his shoulders this season. He deserved it tonight. He drove his butt off."

Earnhardt's victory was his first checkered flag in a Cup event at Daytona since his victory in the 2004 Daytona 500. Is it an omen of things to come? Five times in the past, the winner of the Shootout has gone on to win the 500 one week later.Junior was in his backup car Saturday, but he had plenty of confidence about the Daytona 500 when he radioed his crew moments after his victory.

"What a team you guys are," he said. "This car was awesome. We may have the 500 winner here and not know it."Saturday wasn't a points race, but no one on Earnhardt's new teams cared about that technicality. It was a victory in Junior's coming out party.

"Way to go out there," Rick Hendrick told Earnhardt on the radio. "What a way to start our deal."Earnhardt had gone almost two years without a victory in a Cup event. His last win came at Richmond in May 2006."I don't know where to start," Earnhardt said when he reached the media center after the postrace celebration. "It's crazy. I had a great handling package and it was really fast."

He can thank Tony Eury Jr. on that one. This was a big night for Eury, also. Earnhardt's crew chief and cousin made the decision to leave DEI and join Earnhardt at Hendrick."It was like a storybook ending for me tonight," Eury said. "All our guys had that fire in their eyes. That's what gratifies me, when I can help somebody else besides myself. It was overwhelming."

Hendick Motorsports certainly paints a different picture for Earnhardt's and Eury's future. All four Hendrick cars were lined up to challenge Stewart in the final laps Saturday.

Stewart may or may not have slugged Kurt Busch in the NASCAR hauler Friday night, but he had no counterpunch for the Hendrick boys on the track.On the last restart with three laps to go, Stewart was in front, but the Hendrick quartet was lined up behind him -- Junior second, Jeff Gordon third, Johnson fourth and Casey Mears fifth.

"I definitely needed some help," Stewart said. "It's hard to race against four Hendrick cars up front. But that's been the big question all along. How do you beat these guys?"

They ganged up on Stewart, but the Shootout was an indication that Toyota is ready to contend this season. Stewart ran up front all night in his new Camry, and Dave Blaney led the race in his Toyota with 18 laps to go.

Also passing the season-opening test was the Car of Tomorrow, the only car in Cup now. The Bud Shootout was the first race for the car at Daytona.It didn't disappoint. The action up front was constant, with side-by-side racing for the lead and passing up high and down low.

This is what the designers had in mind for a car that has received so much criticism in the past from drivers, fans and reporters.The race also proved teams don't need different types of cars for different track layouts, another goal of the COT. Johnson was driving the car he raced last year at Bristol.

Gordon and Johnson were competing with the third-string ride. Both drivers crashed in the final practice session Friday night.Teams use their backup cars for the Bud Shootout, so they have to bring in a third car if it's damaged.

Gordon was driving the car he won in last year at Darlington.Johnson and Gordon appeared to be playing possum at the back of the field in the first 20-lap segment of the race, staying out of trouble and taking time to figure out what the cars needed.

When go-time came, they were up front, challenging for the victory as usual. Only this time they had another Hendrick brother to contend with, the one with the golden legacy.

[Lil Bit Special]

http://www.gastongaz...gaston&id=16822

Two will emerge from Sunday's qualifying


By Monte Dutton
February 9, 2008 - 7:19PM
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Fifty-two cars will make qualifying runs at Daytona International Speedway today, and it’s for no good reason for all but two of them.

That’s because the qualifying procedures for the Daytona 500 are unique, and only the front row is to be decided. Over the years, such immortals as David Gilliland, Jeff Green, Mike Skinner, Loy Allen Jr. and Ramo Stott have begun the 500 in the lead but failed to finish there. No pole winner has won NASCAR’s most prestigious race since Dale Jarrett in 2000.

It’s also true, by the way, that champions like Jimmie Johnson, Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison and David Pearson have won poles here.

The qualifying runs today are only the beginning of a process that winds up on Thursday with a pair of 150-mile qualifying races. The speeds have some significance, but 35 drivers have automatic spots in the field based on performances of their teams in 2007. For everyone else, it’s a long shot, but a poor qualifying performance makes that shot even longer.

Gilliland won the pole last year and went on to finish exactly once in the top five all season.

Still, he calls it “the highlight of my career,” which, on the other hand, is sort of self-evident.

“It’s always going to have a special place in my heart, and it feels good coming back here,” Gilliland added. “We’ve had success here and some of our best finishes, so it’s always a place I look forward coming to.”

Gilliland, 31, finished eighth and 11th in the two 2007 races at the 2.5-mile track.

[Lil Bit Special]

http://www.journalno...d=1173354536985

Time to Protect Owners, Too
Roush would like to see a franchising plan through which owners could build equity
By Mike Mulhern
JOURNAL REPORTER
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Jack Roush, as head of Team Ford, is one of the most powerful car owners in NASCAR.

But that doesn’t mean he’s immune to the struggle for sponsorship that is hanging over this increasingly expensive business.

As the co-owner of five teams and a partner of sorts in two others, Roush can speak to NASCAR’s larger issues, including one that has been looming over the sport for more than 10 years.

NASCAR’s new car, last year’s car of tomorrow, may make the sport a little more economical, but that day may not come soon enough for some owners.

And Roush, as others have done before him, says the time may have come for the France family to reconsider its open-door policy toward anyone who wants to come into the sport who has enough money and moxie.

“I would be in favor of franchising,” Roush said. “I would be in favor of men who made the investment - like Bud Moore did, Junior Johnson, the Woods - to have a seat at the table, where they could be part of making the policy that would affect their financial futures as well as the shape of the sport.

“It’s different now than when Bill France Sr. met with his people with that common interest, in Daytona Beach (in 1948), and decided to organize this group of demolition derby experts running these stock cars and see if they could take it someplace. He had a vision, and there was certainly an autocratic, and dictatorial, approach.

“But with the money that’s involved today, and all the business interests it takes to run these teams today, it is reasonable for us to have some assurances, some guarantees, so when … like when Robert Yates wanted to quit, what did he do: he gave the operation to his son, and he sold his equipment on the market for what it would bring. There wasn’t a piece of equity that came out of the sport that he was entitled to, that he could capitalize on.

“That is a missing piece of the business package, that, as this sport has grown, has not grown with it.

“I am for protecting not only myself but the others who have been in this sport for a long time, and made investments in this sport, and we should have some equity in this sport that they can cash out.

“It is reasonable,” Roush said, “to look at these 43-car fields and have 30 ‘seated’ people and have 13 spots available to be open to people who want to try to work their way in.”

NASCAR does have a sort of franchising system in place now, with the top 35 teams, based on each week’s standings, guaranteed a spot in each race. However, there are more than 45 well-funded, multi-million-dollar teams vying for spots each weekend.

However the “franchised” top 35 are based on owner points rather than driver points, and car owner Roger Penske chose to give Kurt Busch’s points to rookie Sam Hornish Jr., to guarantee him a spot in the 500, for example. And the car owners for Jeff Green, Ricky Rudd, Tony Raines, Johnny Sauter, and David Stremme have other drivers in those cars this season.

Bud Moore is the most often-cited example of a man putting in decades in the sport and having nothing to show for it but an empty shop when it’s time to leave. But there are others.

And there are teams struggling just to stay alive and healthy.
Doug Yates and Eddie Wood are two of the top examples this season.
Yates’ famous father, Robert, whose legend began in the 1960s with Holman-Moody, decided at the end of last season to retire, at least as car owner, and turn that part of the family business over to son Doug - who quickly moved his struggling operation over to the Roush Racing compound in Concord, to be closer to the action.

The Yateses were once Daytona kingpins, championship contenders, and regular contenders on the stock-car tour. But the last few years things have been difficult. Just what went wrong isn’t easy to understand. Doug Yates, an engineer, apparently couldn’t get his old-school dad to bring in the hordes of engineers it takes to be competitive. The team began to falter. Both of the Yates Fords were on the front row for the Daytona 500 last year, but that was the highlight of their season.

So Doug Yates is making changes and looking for major sponsorship. One major change: Pairing unknown crew chief Cully Barraclough with second-year driver David Gilliland, the Daytona 500 pole winner last spring. Another change: putting Todd Parrott, who was Gilliland’s crew chief last year, with his new driver, Travis Kvapil, who has taken Rudd’s ride after Rudd’s retirement.

“We have a lot of potential,” Doug Yates said. “I like the way I see the teams working together.

This is really Kvapil’s second-time around the Sprint Cup tour. His first, with Roger Penske, didn’t quite pan out.

Can Parrott make something good happen for Yates and Kvapil?

“Obviously he’s won a couple of Daytona 500s, and won a bunch of races,” Kvapil said. “So having somebody with the experience and the youth (Kvapil will turn 32 in March) at the same time, it’s just given me a lot of confidence.

“Todd is from a racing family and is very driven and very motivated to be successful. I like to be paired with somebody that has that drive and that motivation.”

[Lil Bit Special]

http://sportsillustr...f=si_topstories

Waltrip captures No. 2 spot for Sprint Cup opener

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (AP) -- Reigning NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson won his second Daytona 500 pole on Sunday less than 24 hours after new teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the checkered flag in the non-points Budweiser Shootout.
Michael Waltrip, disgraced last year at Daytona when his then-new team was caught in the post-qualifying inspection using an illegal fuel additive in his Toyota, had a great qualifying run, taking the outside pole.

Only the top two qualifiers locked in starting positions for next week's 50th running of the Daytona 500.

The top 35 drivers from last season's car owners points are guaranteed a starting spot in the 43-car field and Waltrip was one of 18 drivers who began the day competing for the few remaining positions.

The rest of the starting field will be determined on Thursday in two 150-mile qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway.

Johnson, hoping to join Cale Yarborough as the stock car sport's only drivers to win three consecutive Cup titles, previously won the pole here in 2002 and won the race in 2006.

He had to drive a backup car, one of his team's short track entries, in the Shootout after a crash in practice on Friday. Johnson called it "a brick" before going out and nearly winning Saturday's race.

Johnson was third in that race, with fellow Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears fourth and sixth. On Sunday, Mears qualified sixth, three-time 500 winner Gordon was 10th, and Earnhardt 15th.

The car Johnson drove on Sunday was designed to be run on the 2.5-mile, high-banked Daytona oval, and he couldn't have been happier with it.

"Last night, we had a great race, but I really look forward to what this car can do in the Daytona 500," Johnson said.

The four former open-wheel stars making their Daytona 500 debuts had mixed results in pole qualifying.

Former Champ Car standout Patrick Carpentier was 11th fastest in qualifying, followed by 1997 Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve (12th), reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti (39th) and three-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr. (43rd).

Two of the four are guaranteed spots in the 500. Carpentier and Villeneuve will have to race their way into the 43-car field on Thursday.

"It makes it difficult because even if you're quick ... you might have a bad qualifying race and not make the show," Villeneuve said. "That's a little bit tough."