Eldora is A Marquee Track

Rossburg, Ohio - Long before Tony Stewart first turned a lap at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, he turned in his grandstand seat to see the racing action coming off turn four of the legendary, half-mile dirt oval. It wasn’t until October 1992 when Stewart was 15 that he finally got the chance to race at Eldora in the USAC 4-Crown Nationals, as he piloted a USAC Sprint car for owner Steve Chrisman and a Silver Crown entry for Ben Leyba.
Since that Eldora first, Stewart returned to Eldora many more times as he climbed his way up the racing ladder. The Columbus, Ind., native has made 17 USAC appearances at Eldora – five in Silver Crown, eight in Sprint cars and four in Midgets.

Stewart’s best year at Eldora came during one of the best years of his entire motorsports career. As Stewart raced to the USAC Triple Crown in 1995 by winning the National Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown titles in a single season, he bolstered his championship run by winning the Sprint and Midget races of Eldora’s 4-Crown Nationals.

Today, Stewart is an Indy car champion and a two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion. He is also the proud owner of Eldora Speedway, home to the June 6 NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice, which will be broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View, with proceeds from the ground-breaking telecast supporting the Victory Junction Gang Camp and the Tony Stewart Foundation.

“Eldora is a marquee track,” said Stewart, who put his money where his mouth is in November 2004 when he purchased the 53-year-old track from longtime owners Earl and Berneice Baltes. “There aren’t many half-mile tracks like Eldora, if any. The groove has always typically been right up by the wall, and when you’re running that fast at a half-mile track, you have to have a lot of confidence in yourself and in your car that you can run up there without making a mistake. If you make a mistake, you don’t have extra room to gather it back up. You run out of real estate very quickly. It’s a very, very fast, momentum driven-type race track. You look at the history of the track and you look at the list of champions that have won, and you’ll see that it’s a very prestigious list of short track drivers that have made their mark there.”

Mario Andretti and A. J. Foyt raced at Eldora early in their careers, as did the household names of today’s racing elite, namely Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman.

While Andretti and Foyt have hung up their racing helmets, Gordon, Kahne and Newman are far from that day. Those three drivers, along with Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte and more, will be a part of this year’s NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice.

The ultra-competitive all-star race featuring motorsports’ finest drivers will begin at 7 p. m. ET (4 p. m. PT), with an immediate replay and subsequent replays throughout the week and the following weekend on HBO Pay-Per-View. Prospective viewers can order the event as early as this Sunday, right up until race time on June 6. All that is necessary to order the event is digital cable or satellite service. A subscription to HBO is not required. The suggested retail price is $24.95 and available to more than 61 million pay-per-view homes. Ordering information and up-to-the minute racing information is available at www.hbo.com/sports.

“By having the facility and having a lot of friends who are also supportive of the Victory Junction Gang Camp, it wasn’t hard to put this event together,” Stewart said. “With the drivers that have come and the people who have come to watch them, along with Nextel and Old Spice’s involvement, it’s helped make this event bigger and better every year.

“It’s pretty impressive to see how much support this race has generated, and every year we have more drivers signing up to come because they hear how much fun it is. It’s not a big obligation-type event where they have to do a lot of things. We show up. We race. We get to hang out walking back and forth between our cars and talk to each other and not have the pressure that we have at a typical race. You get to race against your peers and the guys that you compete against every weekend, but in a lot more relaxed atmosphere.”

Relaxed, that is, until the green flag drops.

“When you start, you kind of have to find weaknesses in guys just like you do at a regular race,” said Stewart, who won last year’s NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice. “You have to find the part of the track where you’re better than they are, so that you can try and set up a perfect opportunity to get by.

“The field last year was so tough. I started eighth and it took me the entire race to get to the front. If Dave Blaney doesn’t jump over the cushion, I’m running second to him. I don’t even have a shot of winning because we were the same speed. It just shows how competitive this event really is.”

In addition to the competition, seeing drivers outside their typical comfort zone by navigating a race car on dirt is always a source of entertainment.

“I think one of the things that’s been the most fun for me is watching guys that haven’t run on dirt come to Eldora for the first time and then see how much talent they really have,” Stewart said. “As an example, I remember when Matt Kenseth came to Eldora the first time. He dragged the right rear corner off the car during qualifying, which is not uncommon there when you’re running a dirt lat model. Even the best of the best do it. He was up right by the wall and had set quick time at that point of the night. He took to it like a duck in water. It really shows the fans how much talent these drivers have and why they were able to earn their right as a Nextel Cup driver.”

 source: Eldora Speedway

Gibbs to Toyota?

It doesn’t seem very likely but here’s what Mike Mulhern wrote in the Winston-Salem Journal Winston-Salem Journal:

Toyota remains one of the big stories bubbling in the NASCAR garage, and it may be ready to make some big, bold moves for 2008, according to Detroit sources.

Toyota, sources said, has approached the Gibbs team with a proposal to leave Chevrolet, which would give it Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley. Gibbs’ management doesn’t appear to be that interested, but the offer hasn’t been rejected, according to team sources.

Penske, who has been with just about every manufacturer in racing over the years and who is one of the world’s biggest Toyota dealers, could be making the move to Toyota for next year. According to sources close to the situation, Penske could be looking at a merger with Michael Waltrip’s struggling Toyota operation.

And there is speculation that Robert and Doug Yates may be willing to listen to Toyota offers, even though they have long-standing ties with Ford.

Reutimann Driving 00 Late Model in the Prelude at Eldora

by Brock WilliamsomLUTZ, Fla — David Reutimann, driver of the #00 Toyota in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series for Michael Waltrip Racing, will be making a special appearance in the NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream late model All-Star race, benefiting the Victory Junction Gang Camp, next Wednesday (June 6th) at Eldora Speedway.

“I’m exciting to get the opportunity to go back to dirt and race in the NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream. I jump at any chance to get back in a late model and race on dirt – not to mention getting to compete against some of the best in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. This ride came about unexpectedly and I’m thankful to those who put forth the effort to get me in this event – including Domino’s Pizza. This should be one exciting night,” said David Reutimann.

David Reutimann will be piloting a late model donning the familiar blue, white and red #00 colors. Reutimann will also have a familiar sponsor as Domino’s Pizza will be on the #00.

“We are really excited to be on David’s car as he gets back to his racing roots, in the NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream. We would love to see him get to victory lane — but most importantly, we are happy to be part of what should be a well-deserved, fun night of racing for David,” said Chris Brandon, Sports Marketing Program Leader for Domino’s Pizza.

This is the 3rd Annual NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream and each year the event gets even better. Tony Stewart, track owner and two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Champion, has assembled some of the best talent in racing, including NEXTEL Cup drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Dave Blaney, Kenny Wallace, Juan Pablo Montoya, Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman, JJ Yeley, Kyle Petty, Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart himself – among many others.

“The Eldora legacy is to go above and beyond for its loyal fans. The NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream carries on that tradition. NEXTEL has returned to partner with us, and with some of the best race car drivers in the world competing on the hallowed dirt of Eldora, it promises to be another memorable night, said Tony Stewart of the June 6th event.

Jones, Stenhouse, Jr., Head to Wisconsin for USAC Midget Series Action

INDIANAPOLIS (May 30, 2007) — Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Levi Jones and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., travel north and west for USAC National Midget Car Series action Friday as they tackle the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Wis. The Sixth Annual Thiel Memorial Classic marks the initial appearance at the facility for the USAC Midgets, as well as the first co-sanctioned event with the Badger Midget Racing Association (BMARA) since 1992.

Heading into Friday’s event, Jones is ranked seventh in the USAC Midget Series championship with 127 points. He trails series leader Darren Hagen by 55 markers. Stenhouse, who has one USAC Midget Series victory to his credit this year, is ranked 12th with 104 points. Last year’s event was won by Jerry Coons, Jr.

Friday’s Sixth Annual Thiel Memorial Classic will see grandstand gates open at 4 p.m. CDT. Qualifying is set to begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by racing at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 920-319-0177. The official Web site of the Dodge County Fairgrounds.

Quote from Levi Jones, driver of the No. 20 TSR/Chevrolet/Spike

Heading into this weekend’s USAC Midget Series event, you’re still seeking your first series win. Would you like to put your name in the books as the first USAC event winner at the Dodge County Fairgrounds?

“Getting my first pavement win at Anderson Speedway was definitely a highlight for me, but the first time I win in a midget is also going to be a big deal. I have gotten more comfortable in the midget since last season, but I’m still looking to get into winner’s circle with one. Heading to a track that we’ve never competed on, I think it would be pretty cool to get our first win in a situation like this. I know we’re capable of winning. Ricky’s win a few weeks ago proved that our program is strong. We’re heading to Wisconsin this week with the goal of putting Chevrolet and Bass Pro Shops out in front.”

Quote from Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., driver of the No. 21 TSR/Chevrolet/Spike

Coming off a week that included two pavement races, are you looking forward to returning to the dirt this weekend?

“I am really looking forward to getting back on the dirt, especially in the midget. I was really comfortable at Tri-State Speedway a few weeks ago and I think that running on a 1/3-mile bullring at Dodge County is going to be a lot of fun. I’m still going through an adjustment period on the pavement, so when we go back to the dirt I look forward to it. I think TSR is going to have a great shot at putting Chevrolet and Bass Pro Shops in the winner’s circle again this weekend.”

Home Depot Racing Pre-Race Notes: Dover

by Mike Arning, Home Depot RacingATLANTA — “Monster Mash,” the 1962 novelty song by Bobby “Boris” Pickett, is the appropriate theme song for race weekends at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The high-banked, one-mile oval has been dubbed the “Monster Mile” for its ability to chew up and spit out even the most talented race car drivers.

Dover is next up on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series docket, as the premiere stock car series travels up I-95 to Route 13 of the Delmarva Peninsula. Carried in the trailers of teams competing in this Sunday’s 400-mile race is the new Car of Tomorrow (CoT). Dover marks the sixth race for the bigger and boxier generation of race car, and as the five previous races have shown, it’s still a work in progress for teams other than Hendrick Motorpsports.

The four-car Hendrick juggernaut has won all of the CoT races run this year. But lurking behind them is Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). The organization owned by Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs and winners of three of the past seven Nextel Cup championships has led 973 of the 2,083 laps available in the five CoT races, 358 more laps than Hendrick. Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet for JGR, lays claim to 401 of those 973 laps (41.2 percent). His teammate, Denny Hamlin, leads all drivers with 563 laps led in the five CoT races.

On the cusp of victory a handful of times already this season, Stewart wants to win now. And while victory lane has so far eluded the two-time Nextel Cup champion, Dover may very well be the place where he earns his 30th career Nextel Cup win. Stewart has two wins, nine top-fives and 11 top-10s in 16 career Nextel Cup starts at Dover.

While other drivers have seen their drives mashed by the “Monster Mile,” the only thing Stewart plans on mashing at Dover is the gas pedal.

You’ve had some strong runs this year and you’re solidly sixth in the championship point standings, yet people are still thinking you’ve had a slow start to the season. Why?

“We just haven’t been to victory lane yet, and that’s what everybody’s looking at. But we’re not worried about it, especially with the way the points system is now. I’m not totally satisfied with it, but I don’t think anyone is totally satisfied with the way their season is going. You always want to be better than what you are. But it’s not like the new points system has changed the way we’re racing. We take each race one week at a time just like we’ve done every other season. You can’t be worrying about the points. If you do your job each week and try to win the race, it’s like I’ve always said, the points will take care of themselves – no matter what the format is.”

Dover’s surface is concrete. Do you have to alter your driving style when you race on concrete?

“I don’t think you drive it any differently. But because it is concrete, the track has a lot more bumps than an asphalt track would. There are seams in Dover’s surface and places where they’ve cut the concrete for expansion. Those sections shift and change, and every year when you go there the bumps are a little bit different than they were the year before. Dover is a track that’s constantly changing. But it’s one of those places where you really can’t change your driving style. You still have to do the same things you always do. It’s just a matter of finding the package that’s right for that race track. But other than that, you go through the same set of scenarios and challenges you would on any asphalt track – either the car is going to be tight or it’s going to be loose.”

How much of a role does aerodynamics play at Dover in comparison to handling?

“Both are important. Air is free, so you want your aero package to give you a lot of downforce. But at the same time, with all the bumps Dover has, you have to work on the mechanical balance too. It’s a track that requires every aspect of your racing program for you to be on the money.”

Is Dover the type of race track where a driver can make up for a race car that isn’t handling well or an engine that’s down on horsepower?

“I think so. With the way the cars slide around on the race track late in the day, there are times when a driver can make up for what the car won’t do. They can move around on the race track and help themselves out by finding a faster groove.”

How much will the CoT change what you know about Dover? Did your test at Nashville (Tenn.) May 22-23 provide any answers?

“Guess we’ll find out. I mean, we’re going in there with a new car, but it’s the same Dover. The characteristics of the track haven’t changed. It’s still tough, it’s still bumpy and I think at the end of a run you’re still going to be sliding around like you normally are. But the new car is a new variable, and even though we tested at Nashville, Nashville isn’t Dover. So, there are some unknowns. But we’ve been to Dover a bunch of times and we’ve run the CoT in five races now, so it’s not like we’re totally in the dark.”

You’ve proven to be very versatile, as you’ve won in every single racing series you’ve competed in with the exception of sports cars. Do you feel that gives you an advantage with the CoT?

“In this day and age, the technology is so much more important. It’s getting like Indy car and Formula 1 racing. The technology and the engineers in the sport make it harder for the drivers to be the deciding factor. In this day and age, it’s a 3,400-pound car and it’s either right or it’s wrong. If it’s not right, it’s hard to carry a 3,400-pound race car and make it do what it doesn’t want to do. In Sprint cars and Midgets, because they’re lighter, it’s easier to throw them around and you can kind of make them do what you want. But in this day and age with NASCAR being as technical as it is and as advanced as it is technology-wise, it’s going to be hard for the drivers to make the difference.”

GREG ZIPADELLI, crew chief on the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing:

You tested at Nashville in preparation for Dover. How did it go and what is applicable from Nashville to the Nextel Cup race at Dover?

“It was a good test because we took a brand new car that we wanted to run at the Dover test, which got canceled when the Darlington race got rained out. So we took it to Nashville and put some miles on it. We had a bunch of R&D stuff that we’ve been working on that we wanted to run at the Dover test, and again, we were able to get that done at Nashville. It’s a similar race track, but the loads are so much different with the way the bump rubbers and things are today. It just gave us some direction and helped us learn more about the car. We didn’t go there trying to find a setup for Dover. We went there trying to learn stuff about how to tune on the car. We wanted to learn about wheel travels and stuff like that.”

There seems to be a bit of debate among Goodyear and some other race teams regarding testing at non-Nextel Cup venues with tires made by Goodyear’s competitors, namely Hoosier. NASCAR rules prohibit you from buying Goodyear tires for testing, so if you want to test you have to use a different brand of tires. Would you prefer to use Goodyear tires?

“Oh, absolutely. Hoosier makes a good tire, but it’s so different in construction compared to Goodyear. You don’t really know how to compare the two of them. We had some old Goodyears, and we were on them for the test. But they’re so different than what we’re going to run on at Dover. But I think it’s still better than the Hoosiers just because they’re a similar tire than what we’ve run there in the past.”

So was the test at Nashville really more about getting a baseline setup rather than doing anything specific for Dover?

“We just went down there with two different setups, and we worked on both of them and we got both cars to run the same speed, and to do that with two completely different setups was good. Then we took one car and put it like the other car and made it a little bit better. We learned some stuff. I wish we had a little more time, because we probably need to go back for another day or two to get to some of the other things we wanted to do.”

With five CoT races under you belt and a couple of test sessions with it, are you more comfortable in tuning on it and working with it, and are you also comfortable with where your driver is with the CoT?

“We seem to be racing ok with it. I think sometimes it takes me a while to get us where we need to be, and Tony is adjusting to it. We’re doing ok. We’ve had really good race cars. We should’ve won a couple of races with it, and we haven’t. Hopefully, we can keep the performance end of it up and by the end of the year have a couple of wins with it.”

Are you happy with where you are with the CoT, especially considering how it’s still relatively new?

“If we had won one or two races this year, I’d be real happy with it. But since we haven’t won with it yet, we’re not happy. We feel like we should’ve won already. We’re not really sure why. At Phoenix we had a really good race car and finished second. At Richmond and Darlington we had good cars, and so did the 11 (teammate Denny Hamlin). It’s just that as a team we haven’t been able to capitalize. But I think we’re all working well together. We’re working hard in that direction, and now we have the monster of a road course car we’re thrashing on.”

How are you handling all the testing? It’s been a brutal couple of months with race weekends extended by rain and mid-week tests.

“It’s been eight weeks straight that we’ve raced and tested every week. It’s crazy. I enjoy it because I like testing because it’s how you get better, but my problem is I can’t come home. I need to stop testing and I need to spread them out so that I can come home and work and learn from the stuff that we did. We’re getting to the point where we’re not processing everything that we learn because we’re on to the next test because we’ve got to prepare for the next race.”

Now that the CoT will be implemented full-time next year, what will JGR do with its fleet of older, non-CoT cars?

“We’ll send some cars to our development teams in the NASCAR Busch East Series. We gave them a couple of cars last year. Some we’ll sell to teams in ARCA. And Tony will probably take a few of them that he’s won with and put them in his museum.”

Do you have to worry about proprietary information going to another team when you sell them one of your old cars?

“No, we change what we want to change on them before we get rid of them.”

TSR Weekend Preview

INDIANAPOLIS (May 30, 2007) — Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Paul McMahan is geared up for a return to Ohio this weekend for World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Series action. Friday night, McMahan and company will make their first appearance at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, since 2005. Saturday, the WoO Sprint Series will make its second appearance of the season at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway.McMahan’s last appearance at Sharon Speedway on June 3, 2005, saw him grab a second-place finish at the 3/8-mile oval. Eldora Speedway’s half-mile oval was also kind to McMahan last season, as on June 3, 2006, he earned a 10th place A-main finish.

In 25 races this season, McMahan has earned three fast time awards, six top-five finishes and 12 top-10s in WoO Sprint Series competition. He is currently ranked eighth in the series standings with 3,305 points. He trails leader Donny Schatz by 406 markers.

Gates open to the public at Sharon Speedway Friday at 4 p.m. EDT. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Eldora, gates will open at 3 p.m. EDT. Racing will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Race fans can listen to all the action from this weekend on the DIRTVision.com cybercast, as well as on the DIRT Radio Network. Visit www.DIRTVision.com for more information on all the features, including updated results from each night of racing, as well as a chat room to interact with other fans listening to the action.

The WoO Sprint Series also returns to television this year with the series’ second broadcast on SPEED set for Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT. A total of 20 races will be televised either on SPEED or ESPN2, including the World of Outlaws SuperClean Summer of Money Series. ESPN2 will broadcast eight races from June 17 through August 5. All shows on ESPN2 begin at 12:30 p.m. EDT. For a complete television schedule, or more information regarding the WoO Sprint Series, log on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Quotes from Paul McMahan, driver of the No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/Eagle:

You’ve found success at Sharon Speedway in past years. What makes the track unique?

“Sharon Speedway has always been an interesting track to race on. The first time I raced there, it was a half-mile track. When the Blaney family bought it a few years ago, they reconfigured it to a racy 3/8-mile. When it was reconfigured, it really made the jump to providing better racing for both the fans and the drivers. It’s super wide. You can always count on being able to run three-wide at Sharon. Sometimes it will build a cushion that you can run right up against, or actually run on top of. It’s just a neat race track. It’s big enough to show the fans the speed that winged cars carry, but it’s small enough to produce some really close, exciting racing.”

Are you looking forward to returning to Eldora Speedway this weekend?

“Anytime you know you’re going to Eldora Speedway you get excited. You always look forward to racing there. The first race there this season went pretty well for us and we’re ready to get back on the track on Saturday. We’ve been told that the last winged sprint car race there saw the cars back on the fence and that’s what Eldora’s all about — being on the fence. We’re taking a new car to Eldora this weekend and we think it will be extremely fast. After our run at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway last weekend, we’re ready to put Bass Pro Shops and Chevrolet in the winner’s circle.”

McMahan at Sharon on Friday

by Tony MancusoHARTFORD, Ohio — For the ninth time in Sharon Speedway history the stars of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series will invade the 3/8-mile oval on Friday, June 1, with gates slated to open at 4 p.m., hot laps to commence at 6:30 p.m. and qualifying at 7 p.m. The festivities will be sponsored by Harley-Davidson of Youngstown and Quaker Steak and Lube.

Fans are encouraged to order tickets to see the world’s greatest sprint car drivers in advance to earn access to an exclusive pit party. All World of Outlaws Sprint ticket orders placed prior to the show will garner a Pit Party voucher free of charge, which grants fans of all ages the opportunity to get up close and personal to the men and machines of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series during intermission. Fans can order online 24 hours a day at the store on www.sharonspeedway.com up until midnight on Thursday night to garner a Pit Party voucher.

The likes of 20-time Outlaws champion “King” Steve Kinser, Danny Lasoski and current point leader Donny Schatz will be back in town this Friday for their only visit to Sharon Speedway in 2007. Fans can also see Tony Stewart’s World of Outlaw piloted by Paul McMahan battle Kasey Kahne’s sprint, which is wheeled by Joey Saldana.

Kinser Wins at Rolling Wheels, McMahan Runs 9th

Steve Kinser has had countless hard fought victories over his career, and he added another one to that list on Monday night at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, as he won the World of Outlaws event on Memorial Day.

The 20-time series champion was engaged in a mid-race battle with Craig Dollansky, Daryn Pittman, Donny Schatz, and Joey Saldana. The five drivers were so close that a blanket could have been thrown over them all. They jockeyed for position lap after lap and ultimately the win, over a span of six laps while they weaved their way through lapped traffic. Kinser came out on top to of this battle to earn his fifth A-Feature win of the season and ninth career triumph at Rolling Wheels.

Joey Saldana made a late charge to finish second, with current series point leader Donny Schatz third, Craig Dollansky fourth, and Daryn Pittman fifth.

Jason Solwold finished sixth in the City Wide Insulation Maxim. Jason Meyers was seventh in the Primerica Financial Maxim, earning the KSE Race Products Hard Charger Award after starting 13th. Danny Lasoski was eighth in the Roth Motorsports Eagle. Paul McMahan was ninth in the Bass Pro Shops Eagle. Jason Sides rounded out the Top-10 in the Wetherington Tractor Service Maxim.

The World of Outlaws return to action on Friday, June 1 at Sharon Speedway in Ohio, followed by the second event of the season at Eldora Speedway on Saturday, June 2.

Tony Stewart Racing Launches Official Web Site

by Misha Geisert, Tony Stewart RacingINDIANAPOLIS — Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) is proud to announce today’s launch of the team’s official Web site, www.TonyStewartRacing.com.

Dedicated solely to TSR’s World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Series and USAC Racing teams, the site hosts up-to-date information regarding TSR’s drivers, teams and crews. Other features include the latest statistics, photo galleries and a link to the online Tony Stewart Racing Store.

Visitors to the site will have instant access to the most up-to-date information about TSR drivers Levi Jones, Paul McMahan, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., and Tracy Hines. Event and candid photograph galleries will be updated frequently. Complete series schedules are also listed. Links to the official Web sites of TSR’s sponsors are available, as well.

TSR also plans to announce a new, interactive fan contest in the near future. Information about the contest will be made available at www.TonyStewartRacing.com. Interested race fans are invited to check the site for further details as they become available.

How To Save Your Job NASCAR Style

Dale Earnhardt Jr may have had a bigger impact on today’s tonights the World Coca-Cola 600 than expected.  Jr. has said he would like to stay with Chevrolet. Joe Gibbs Racing has said they wouldn’t start a 4th team to get Jr.  In another unrelated interview they said that J.J. Yeley, who is in the last year of his contract, held his future in his own hands.  They aren’t happy with his performance thus far but that he could change that by performing better.

Rick Hendrick said there’s no room at the inn (actual headline found on numerous websites) for Jr.  But the talking heads kept mentioning that Casey Mears hasn’t gotten the job done.
So what do you do if you are the worst driver on a multi-car team that happens to drive a Chevrolet?  You stretch your fuel and win the longest and one of the most prestigious races on the schedule.  At least you do if you’re Casey Mears.

If you are J.J. Yeley, you stretch it out and settle for 2nd, the best finish of your career.

Hat’s off to Casey and the entire National Guard team for the victory.  And well done to J.J. and the Interstate Batteries bunch.

And how about Kyle Petty coming in 3rd?  His first top 5 in 10 years according to the TV guys.

Reed Sorenson ran 4th and Toyota had it’s best finish ever with BrianVickers coming in 5th.

While that’s the way the record book will show it, this race turned on a couple of gallons of gas.  Positions 6-10 were held by those who had to stop for an extra gallon or 2.

Tony Stewart, Ricky Rudd, Dale Jr., Denny Hamlin, Jimmy Johnson.

Had it not been for the gas shortage, it would have been an interesting duel between lumberyards as Stewart held the lead and Johnson was making a strong comeback after a pit road mishap.

Overall, I thought it was a pretty good race.  Long - yes, but there was a lot of good racing and that’s why I watch.

On a side note: I’m not a Jeff Gordon fan but I was completely disgusted with all the peopel who were cheering when he wrecked.  He took a pretty good lick in the side as he went head on into the wall.  Thank God he wasn’t hurt.

If people can complain that the “fans” who throw stuff on the track at Talladega aren’t real fans, then they need to also say the same thing about “fans” that cheer when someone is wrecked.  Sure, I was happy he was out of the race, but only after he was out of the car unhurt.