OK NASCAR what are you going to do to resolve the fiasco with Busch I have not seen the replay as you did not but after seeing you made a mistake why not let him resume his position? I don’t recall a mistake in NASCAR before but I hope something is done although you have always said when the race is over its over period. Makes it look like Newman did the right thing by staying out to bad he wasn’t right. What does Dale Jr have over his fans he has not won a race since I don’t know when and never has a Championship(looks like he wont make the Chase) and I don’t think he comes across well in interviews but His fan base is still incredible. I do give him a lot of credit for telling people to lay off Theresa. She was just doing the smart business thing with the #8 I think she could have been nasty and said he wasn’t worth the money he wanted with his record I’m not surprised Bud dropped him I would think Kasey is a lock for Bud after his showing this weekend and talk about an excellent interview I havent seen his after race interview I hope he has lost his shake he had previously but he is young yet.

I admire Tony for his fence climbing ability and I give him extra credit for bring his crew along at Indy. But why do the commentators keep giving him a bad time about being tired he just asks them to climb it themselves So come on ESPN what would make a better special then a contest to see who can climb the fence the fastest among the commentators I am sure Home Depot would provide the fence and I would bet that Tony would be a judge. This would be reality TV at its finest. I think the commentator who was interviewing Tony should pay part of his fine for the cuss word he pushed him just a little to far I know that is there job to provide some controversy but there is a lot of driver adrenaline flowing at the end of a race so lets give the driver a break. Besides what ever happened to the good ole NASCAR boys every other word was a slang or cuss word with them. I don’t know if Jeff Gordon started this trend or if it just they make so much money now and they have to keep the sponsors happy. Would not be surprised if his luck holds that Tony could make it 3 in a row at Pocono that team always steps up to the plate in the last part of the year before the Chase. Speaking of sponsors I wonder how long they are going to put up with this 2 races a weekend like this weekned they are in different countries and 400 miles apart also are the team owners going to tire of there meal ticket risking injury at a Busch race.NASCAR is thinking of changing the Busch series(or whatever it is called next year) to a smaller car like the Mustang would make that series interesting to say the least.

Dressed in white coveralls and wearing a crash helmet, Gary Le Fever, 70, sat gripping the wheel of his 1921 Model T speedster. Before him loomed a 475-foot-tall hill that in Evansville, Ind. passes as a mountain. He revved his engine, waiting for the climbing contest to begin. Competing with him were other vintage racers and, at FORBES’ request, a 2003 Hummer H2.Le Fever’s speedster had 100hp, rather than the Model T’s customary 20. Its transmission, wheels, chassis, frame and radiator all came from 1921. But it also had some non-original parts, including Model A cranks and rods, an overhead valve unit built for 1920s dirt-track racing and dual carburetors from the 1930s.When the flag dropped, Le Fever punched both feet to the floor. He crossed the finish line in 9.96 seconds. Later the Hummer had its turn: 10.74.How? Why? Weight has much to do with it. The 316hp Hummer weighs twice as much per unit of power. Not only did the Model T beat the Hummer, it beat every other comer, including a modern turbocharged Dodge diesel and the county sheriff’s patrol car.The Hummer’s driver was none too pleased. “If you gave it another 1,000 feet, it would be a different story,” groused Thomas Effinger II. His father, the H2’s owner, had driven a Model T when a kid. “Like a mule to an airplane,” says the elder Effiinger of the H2’s superiority. Except the mule kicked butt. News source: Forbes.com

Terry Labonte is going to drive the NAPA # 55 at Indy. He is guaranteed a starting position because of his Champion status. Dale Jarrett has used all of his to get into the field. NAPA and UPS are not happy they pay to see the car in the race rumor is Michael Waltrip has to refund to Toyota 300 to 400K for each race they miss. I guess I would hire a Champion to get my car into the field.Several sites are reporting that NASCAR is going to revisit this rule soon. I hope Terry will give this team the kick start they need. Waltrip, Jarrett and rookie David Reutimann have qualified just 22 times in 42 attempts this season. Not the exposure the sponsor expects for the money they spend. Jarrett may be going elsewhere I don’t think he is very happy at MWR.Meanwhile Dave Blaney is doing OK they just can’t chase the track as it changes I believe this is because they don’t have the notes on the Toyota as other teams have on there cars they have used for a number of years. H also wrecks a lot. On the subject of wrecking I wonder if someone else besides his son was driving Rusty Wallace Busch car if they would still have a ride.

For some time now I have been saying that Dave Blaney and Bill Davis Racing for Toyota will win a race they are getting closer he and the Cat car are on the pole. Still have doubts about Michael Waltrip he is spread way to thin when you can’t qualify it is kind of hard to win.Maybe he should take Kyle Petty’s lead and give the car to someone else and try broadcasting which by the way Kyle is doing a good job at and to my surprise so is Brent Musberger like the way all of a sudden every one in NASCAR is his close personal friend.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – It was another dose of reality this month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, another reminder of how this day, this month and this race are crying out for an extreme makeover.The 2-for-1 coupons in the local paper, the rock bands and the chance to watch Marty Roth practice weren’t enough to bring back anything resembling a crowd despite spectacular weather.Optimistically, no more than 10,000 turned out to watch the Battle of Brazil for the pole position. If there are 250,000 permanent seats, there had to be one body in every 25 seats – and that was a stretch. But this is nothing new because practice and qualifying here have looked like a glorified tire test since 1996. The question remains: What can be done to restore the prominence, the depth, the integrity, the spirit, the car count and the interest to the Indianapolis 500?It’s going to take some radical changes News source: Fox Sports THE PURSE: In 1978, I wrote a column that said Indy’s $1 million purse was peanuts. Now it’s time to say that $10 million isn’t nearly enough because, other than the winner, it’s a financial loser for just about everybody else. Two-thirds of the field barely paid for their engine lease and tire bill last year. Daytona paid $18 million last February, so Tony George needs to get a title sponsor, add some of the millions he’s spent propping up the field and make it $10 million to win and $500,000 to start. Bet you won’t have any trouble attracting teams from Champ Car, ALMS, Grand Am, World of Outlaws, USAC and maybe even NASCAR. THE CAR: Despite what the revisionists claim, part of Indy’s lore and lure were the cars and the ideas behind them. Today, it’s spec racing with restrictive rules that has destroyed the cottage industry and removed original thought from Fuel Alley.All but four of the 33 starters are in a Dallara (made in Italy) chassis and, on the season IRL circuit, every driver is wheeling a Dallara. Other than changing wing angles, there is virtually no “free thinking” allowed and there are currently no American manufacturers,Bring back the days of Dan Gurney’s Eagle, Andy Granatelli’s 4-wheel drive, the twin-engined Porsche and this can be done by lowering the insane costs of a car ($250,000 apiece with no engine).Eliminate the laboratory-built cars, where the tooling for parts drives the expenses sky high. Ban the expensive carbon fiber so all cars must be built out of aluminum, steel and fiberglass. Each car gets eight feet of wire (presumably the smart teams will use it to ground the magneto) and no more electronics, data acquisition or electric fuel management. Changing the date of the Indianapolis 500 could bring marquee names like Tony Stewart on a regular basis. (Mary Ann Chastain / Associated Press) Each car must have a maximum height, width and weight. Those are the only rules.THE DESIGN: All cars will be flat bottom, which will immediately separate the racers from the imposters. “That would give the guys in midgets and sprints a chance because they don’t depend on wings or ground effects, just their ability to get in and out of the throttle and drive,” said three-time Indy winner Johnny Rutherford.THE ENGINE: Honda currently is the lone engine at Indy and in the IRL, which is good for reliability since Honda engineers control all facets but bad for teams that can’t spend $1.2 million for a lease. Open up the rules and let people bring V-8s, V-6s or whatever can make two miles to the gallon on Race Day.THE FIRST DAY: Should be open to all cars, not just rookies and refresher tests, and make it free to the public. It’s good PR for the rest of the month.THE INCENTIVE: The fastest car of each practice period receives $20,000 with $10,000 to the runner-up and $5,000 for third. Each day is sold to a local or national sponsor and Happy Hour finally makes cents. THE PRELIM: Qualifying is reduced from four to two days and each car only gets three attempts total, like the good old days. Make the pole pay $1 million (currently it’s $100,000) but let only 28 cars be locked in. Jazz up the second weekend by staging a 25-lap race for the rest of the participants and the top five finishers advance to the main event. THE DATE: Either move the race back to 11 a.m. or make it Memorial Day and get away from competing with NASCAR. Right now, none of the NASCAR stars with Indy ties like Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, Kasey Kahne and J.J. Yeley can compete because Indy starts too late (1 p.m.) for them to make the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte that night. Getting those guys would help fill up the grandstands and the press room. Obviously, some of these things would be a step backwards in terms of today’s available technology but Indy needs to rethink its future because the current climate isn’t working.Pump up the purse, restore ingenuity, encourage creativity and make it more affordable. Heck, you might even get some Americans interested again.

Tongues were really wagging Wednesday when Earnhardt, who’s in the final year of his DEI contract, called a news conference for Thursday morning at his Mooresville race shop without releasing any details.Reached at a sponsor appearance at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Wednesday night, Earnhardt told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he planned to talk about “some ideas I’ve got for the future” but would not elaborate. News source: Fox Sports Rampant speculation Wednesday night had Junior set to announce he was leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc., the company founded by his late father and the only team he’s ever driven for, to field his own Nextel Cup team.Mike Davis, a representative for Earnhardt, refused to discuss Junior’s announcement.Earnhardt owns JR Motorsports, which fields a Busch team for Shane Huffman and several late-model teams. At the recent grand opening for JRM, he said he could see the organization fielding Cup cars. Earnhardt’s sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, who runs JRM’s business side, appeared taken aback by the remark and later said the duo had no plans to expand into NASCAR’s top series.The AJC reported that during Wednesday night’s sponsor event, Earnhardt told fans that his plans for JR Motorsports might not include adding Nextel Cup cars and that his priority as a team owner is promoting young drivers and mechanics.”I don’t want the company to get too big,” he said. “I’ve got about 70 employees now, and I don’t want to get too many more.”If expansion is in the cards, Earnhardt would need help with engines and equipment. That could come from car owners Rick Hendrick or Richard Childress, who fielded championship-winning cars for Dale Earnhardt and currently leases engines to JR Motorsports. Sign up now and create your free fantasy team and league. Live from Darlington, watch Cup racing on FOX, Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.More NASCAR Hendrick officials said they have no knowledge of Junior’s announcement, and calls to RCR officials were not immediately returned.But a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press that Hendrick recently offered Earnhardt engines if he decided to field his own team. That person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it. Hendrick, winners of seven of the past eight races this season, already leases engines to Ginn Racing and Haas-CNC Racing.Calls to Earnhardt’s sponsor Budweiser and race team DEI were not immediately returned Wednesday night. An e-mail to Elledge was not immediately answered.Just two days ago, during testing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Earnhardt complained DEI could not compete with Hendrick – particularly in the Car of Tomorrow. Hendrick drivers have won all four COT races this season, which Earnhardt chalked up to the resources that team has devoted to the program.”They’ve got a lot of resources. They’ve got a great company, two, three really good cars every week, great crew chiefs. They’ve really got the package right now,” Earnhardt said Monday. “Their cars, they handle pretty good. They’re getting through the center of the corner better with the COT, and that’s just because they test the hell out of it.”I hear rumors they got Max Papis and road race guys at Sonoma testing and testing and testing and testing.”Asked if DEI could keep up, Earnhardt didn’t pause. What will Earnhardt Jr. do? (Glenn Smith / Associated Press) “No. Not many teams can do that,” he said. “There are a few that can do that, but not many. They put a lot back into their race teams, you know what I mean?”Elledge has set a deadline for negotiations with DEI, saying a deal must be completed by the end of this month. And Earnhardt’s sponsor Budweiser, which has an option on its DEI deal, is free to leave and follow Junior wherever he goes.That has given Earnhardt the power in this latest round of contract negotiations with his stepmother, Teresa, and Junior and his sister have exerted it more than once. They’ve demanded at least 51 percent of the company in a bid to gain control of what they believe their father wanted them to have.Both sides have stopped commenting publicly on the issue since Earnhardt was caught off guard last month by DEI president Max Siegel’s remarks that the driver had been offered 51 percent of the company.People familiar with the negotiations have told the AP that Teresa Earnhardt is willing to sell the shares to Junior for between $55 and $75 million. Those persons requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the deal.Earnhardt and his sister, however, aren’t convinced they should pay anything for the shares.The two have been adamant that their only goal is to help Junior win Cup championships, something he’s been unable to do at DEI. He has not been a legitimate title contender since 2004. In 2005, he had a horrendous season when Teresa Earnhardt split up his crew, and he failed to make the Chase for the championship.He rebounded last year by making the Chase but was never a threat for the title. The contentious contract talks started before the season even began, when Teresa Earnhardt questioned her stepson’s commitment in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.”Right now the ball’s in his court to decide on whether he wants to be a NASCAR driver or whether he wants to be a public personality,” she said in the Dec. 14, 2006 story.He was silent on the issue until preseason testing, when he admitted the comments bothered him and said his relationship with his stepmother “ain’t a bed of roses.””The relationship that we have today is the same relationship we had when I was 6 years old when I moved into that house with Dad and her,” he said. “It’s always been the same. It hasn’t gotten worse over the last couple years or last couple months.”The way I felt about her then is the way I feel about her now

Dale Jr leaving DEI at the end of the season no definitive plans as of yet. Both sides tried hard to reach a settlement but it was not accomplished. No idea of where he is going Bud has not announced what there plans are. Remember he just opened a shop for his Busch cars will it produce cup cars I think it is a wait and see what kind of offers he gets I would love to see him drive the #3 for Childress.

4 Toyota’s are sitting on the sideline or heading home from Talladega it would be 5 but Dale Jarrett used his provisional. I think that is his last one. I don’t know what happened to Dave Blaney he has been doing well and started 2nd in the Busch race. Toyota and NAPA have to be getting fed up with the results so far this year rumor has it that Michael Waltrip has to give back 300K ever time he does not race OUCH. I can’t recall the last time I saw him do a interview on the tube unless it was to explain bad news.

Darrell Waltrip did not qualify for the race at Bristol this weekend # 4 in a row I sure hope DEI Inc kept the NAPA decals they have to be taking a serious look at the money they have thrown at this team and Toyota can not be far behindGood old Dave Blaney hew just hangs in there I still have hope for him.Be interesting to see this weekend with the COT how Toyota will do no one has a history to fall back on so it is a even playing field.