Author: SM Staff

In spite of California’s Auto Club Speedway being admittedly hard hit by the economy, high unemployment, and by NASCAR, losing its second race for the 2011 season, the track put on a surprisingly good show, with the stands being fairly full and the racing on the track being unexpectedly exciting.

Here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the fourth race in the Chase competition, with just six races remaining in the 2010 season.

Surprising: On a track of only three where he has never claimed a Cup victory, Tony Stewart battled Clint Bowyer to claim the checkered flag by a mere .466 of a second. Smoke also catapulted himself out of tenth place in the Chase standings all the way up to fifth, breathing new life into his championship hopes and possibilities. In addition to Stewart’s win, the race team that bears his name shone with teammate Ryan Newman bringing his No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet to the finish line in fifth, a great coup for the Stewart-Haas Racing in front of their sponsor’s and team co-owner’s hometown crowd.

Not Surprising: Clint Bowyer, who was in his own words “in search of redemption” after his points penalty and suspension of his crew chief was upheld by NASCAR’S Commissioner, did indeed find saving grace in the runner up position. Substitute crew chief Scott Miller even kept his driver calm during his debris caution fit late in the race which did indeed impact the outcome, costing Bowyer the perfect redemption of a race win.

Surprising: In a race that was purposefully shortened from 500 to 400 miles to build excitement but also to save wear and tear on the cars, there were a surprising number of blown engines and engine malfunction, particularly for the Roush Fenway drivers. First to fall out was last week’s race winner Greg Biffle, whose engine gave up the ghost around lap 40 of the race. Next up was Carl Edwards, who had an engine failure, a rotor in the distributor, that cause a nightmare for his team throughout the race. In the waning laps of the race, Matt Kenseth’s car began to emit that tell-tale smoke, although he was able to nurse it to the finish line. Biffle finished 41st, dropping two places in the Chase standings to tenth, while Edwards and Kenseth finished 34th and 30th respectively, dropping Edwards to seventh in the points while Kenseth held firm in the 11th position.

Not Surprising: With six laps to go in the race, David Ragan in the No. 6 UPS Ford caused the only wreck of the day, damaging his car significantly but also collecting Chase competitor Kurt Busch as part of his collateral damage. Busch’s ‘Blue Deuce’ was relegated to a 21st place finish, leaving him in the sixth position, 140 points back in the Chase point standings.

Surprising: Two veteran drivers in the thick of Chase contention got tagged for speeding penalties. Jeff Gordon saying “It was my fault on pit road” was tagged for speeding into the pits while Kevin Harvick was penalized for being too fast on exit. Gordon salvaged a ninth place finish with a gutsy call by crew chief Steve Letarte to take two tires during the last race caution. Gordon was also rewarded for his hard charge to the front with an advancement of one position, up to fourth, in the Chase standings. Harvick also redeemed himself from his pit road issues to finish seventh in the race, maintaining his third place position in the point standings.

Not Surprising: Jimmie Johnson, at a track that always feels very much like home to the California native, continued his good Chase running with a third place race finish. Sporting the colors of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and fresh off another successful charity event, Johnson also strengthened his lead in the championship standings, now 36 points ahead of second place Denny Hamlin.

Surprising: After an incredibly strong run and win in the Nationwide car at Fontana, Kyle Busch had a surprisingly dismal day at the track in his Cup car. He too had engine difficulties, with a ventilation hose vibrating off and then a total engine failure with just 46 laps to go in the race. Busch, completely frustrated, pulled into his pit stall and pronounced his “championship now over”. The driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota finished 35th and lost two positions, falling to ninth, in the championship point standings.

Not Surprising: After having some private words and some more supervised words in the NASCAR hauler with Kyle Busch following their Kansas altercation, David Reutimann clicked off another top-10 run, bringing his No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine to the checkered flag in the tenth position.

Surprising: In a most pleasant surprise, the driver of the No. 5 Carquest/Go Daddy.com Chevrolet Mark Martin had a great run at Cali, dicing his way through the field and leading laps. Saying “God, it’s been a long time,” after become the seventh race leader, Martin went on to secure a top-10 finish, coming to the checkered flag in the sixth position.

Not Surprising: Although Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. wowed the crowd with a top-10 qualifying effort at Fontana and even led some laps by not pitting with the rest of the crowd, the performance of his car fell off as it habitually does throughout a race run, leaving him with a 16th place finish at Fontana.

The Cup Series will return for a weekend of racing in the heart of NASCAR at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The fifth race of the Chase, the Bank of America 500, will run under the lights on Saturday, October 16th at 7:30 PM EDT, with live coverage on ABC.

There is no doubt that NASCAR has faced its share of struggles this season, from sagging attendance at the tracks to a significant drop in the television ratings, even during the Chase.

While NASCAR has thrown just about everything they have in their arsenal at these problems, including ‘boys have at it,’ double file restarts, green-white-checkered finishes, all of which have led to some of the best racing in the sport’s history, NASCAR still seems to continue its struggling.

So, what is the solution? Well, perhaps NASCAR should do what so many do in times of trouble and strife. NASCAR should just get some good ole time religion.

Lest this article be construed as the ramblings of a zealot for a particular religion, please know that it is not. There are, however, some basic principles from that ole time religion that might not only apply but help NASCAR’s current predicament.

One of those first ole time religious principles is the need for a revival in the land. Yes, NASCAR does indeed need a revival throughout its land, and even in its soul.

Sure, times are tough but rather than focus so much on the business of NASCAR, the leadership of the sport needs to become more like evangelists on a mission rather than corporate suits. They need to stir the souls of NASCAR fans, reminding them of why they love this sport, instead of focusing on ways to pick their ever slim pockets.

This revival across NASCAR-land should recapture how much fans love the sport and the lengths they go to participate and get to the races. The governing body needs to focus more energy on fanning the flames of fans’ passion, reminding them of why they have decided to worship at the house of NASCAR rather than the houses of baseball or other sports.

Just like that ole time religion, NASCAR might even consider hosting some tent-like revival sessions with and for the fans, letting them share their stories of the sport with the NASCAR leadership. To encourage the fans to participate in these revival sessions, NASCAR could also work with the sport’s drivers and personalities to share their racing passions, as well as listening to the fans’ stories, allowing them to express what their driver, their team and their following of NASCAR has meant to them.

This revival of the NASCAR spirit could even translate throughout the sport’s media, giving voice to fans’ passion for the sport rather than endless hours of complaints focusing on what is wrong with it. Perhaps a radio show hosted by a passionate fan with various drivers not only sharing their racing stories but again listening to how fans came to the sport and allowing them to tell their own stories might just be one avenue to start and continue the NASCAR revival.

In addition to ole time revival, NASCAR might also utilize the principle of proselytizing from ole time religion. Anyone who has experienced that mountaintop religious experience cannot wait to share it and that is exactly what NASCAR needs to encourage more is the sharing of that racing experience that is so unique to the sport.

This is an avenue where the race track leadership and promoters could assist NASCAR in the proselytizing process, by providing incentives and even more boldly, perhaps even free tickets for a new race fan accompanying a current race fan to the track. Everyone in the sport knows that if you can get someone to the race track, you have created a fan for life, so tracks must consider making that as easy and cost-effective as possible in order to continue to bring new fans to the sport.

Once tracks get these newbie fans to their venues, they should also consider special perks to continue the proselytizing process, as well as perks for the current fans that brought them. Perhaps a NASCAR 101 course for these groups could be offered, including some basics about the sport, ways that they can plug in, such as using scanners or FanView, a pre-race demonstration of a pit stop so they understand the strategy of the sport, and even a surprise driver appearance that again cements that personal relationship on which NASCAR was built.

Another proselytizing option similar to that used in ole time religion is to focus on an avenue that has attracted so many to the sport, the family. For most, racing is in the blood having grown up at the race track or having been brought, or in some cases even dragged, to a local short track or other venue.

While NASCAR and its many race track partners throughout the country have done a good job in making tracks more fan and kid friendly, there are still many more opportunities for proselytizing the sport through children. Sure, this is an investment with perhaps not immediate return, but it most certainly ensures the long-term viability and survival of the sport in the future.

In addition to creating family and kid zones in the grandstands, tracks need to get even more serious about how they treat them at the track. The bottom line is that what every kid really wants when they come to the race track, especially for the first time, is to meet that driver, team or personality that they so idolize.

So, in addition to having drivers make appearances in the corporate boxes and the hospitality tents, NASCAR should think about innovative ways they can get those drivers in front of kids, especially those children who are coming to the race for the first time, as well as their families who have sacrificed to bring them.

Another possibility might be for the drivers and their children to meet the fans and their children, again making that personal connection even stronger, hopefully cementing that relationship for the rest of their lives as race fans.

Whether through focusing on new converts or creating opportunities for children and families, the bottom line in these challenging times is that NASCAR must again search for and find its soul. Then and only then, perhaps taking some lessons from that ole time religion, can the sport flourish and grow.

When David Reutimann executed a not so perfect retaliation sideswipe of Kyle Busch last weekend in Kansas it brought forth a new conversation about etiquette, specifically racing in the Chase etiquette.

Busch is a Chase contender who was in great position to say in the top three in points, if not take over the point lead after the Price Chopper 400. Reutimann is a non-Chase driver, who sits 18th and had reached his boiling point with Rowdy the two had another run in.

According to Reutimann the two have had more than a few problems in the past. At Bristol in August it came to the forefront when Busch claimed had Reutimann known how to drive the track he wouldn’t have gotten beat. The driver of the Aaron’s Dream Machine didn’t take kindly to the words and filed them away. Then early at Kansas when Reutimann got loose in turn one and had to slow Busch spun him out and that became the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Afterwards Busch said that if Reutimann felt he needed to retaliate it shouldn’t have come at Kansas when he’s racing for a championship, the beginning of 2011 would have been more appropriate. The response stuck with NASCAR nation who broke down the confrontation during the week, who was right, who was wrong and should it have happened at all.

Before the Chase began in New Hampshire last month four-time champion Jeff Gordon admitted he didn’t know what to expect during the final 10 races because of his actions earlier this season. Gordon had angered a few different drivers who vowed payback on the No. 24, including Martin Truex Jr., but they had yet to take action.

Said Gordon at the time, they could have been waiting for the Chase when he had much more on the line then they did. So far Gordon hasn’t had a run in and neither had any Chase driver until last weekend.

Jeff Burton, known as the NASCAR garage’s Mayor because of his responses on the sports issues, proved so again on Friday at California. It comes down to the simple fact that Chase races are no different than any other races during the Sprint Cup season he said.

“The race this weekend is as important to the team that’s 20th in points as it is to the team that’s first in points,” said Burton. “Now I understand that in reality that’s not how it is, but if the team that’s 20th in points doesn’t come here with the same intensity and their sponsor doesn’t feel they’re getting the same opportunity to be successful, then that’s a major problem.”

The Kansas incident could be looked at from many angles but the fact that it occurred during the Chase have been struck in limbo. Respect, is not something that Burton believes you can turn on and off.

“You have to drive people with respect, all the time. You can’t pick and choose when you want someone to respect you and you can’t pick and choose when you’re going to respect them.”

Burton continued by saying that as Chase driver he wouldn’t want anyone coming after him, that includes drivers in and out of the Chase. If a driver’s worried about payback during the Chase some say they should have been more careful during the first 26 races with how and whom they raced.

Unfortunately, Busch found that out the hard way last weekend, regardless of the fact that he didn’t intentionally take out Reutimann earlier in the race, their past history came into effect.

Burton also knew of that saying, “That whole deal that went down last week wasn’t just about what happened last week, it was what happened throughout the year. When you feel like somebody doesn’t respect you and doesn’t show you respect and then they get into you, whether they meant to or not, there’s a different level of thought process.”

Even Burton noted that Busch didn’t wreck the double zero on purpose, however the contact was unavoidable. Reutimann thought differently and he and Busch have been in a war of words ever since. Idle words and no action says Burton, is worse than saying nothing at all.

Reutimann finally acted and Busch now has to get refocused on the Chase. The rivalry shouldn’t be overlooked and the two drivers getting together is a story that is worth covering, but time shouldn’t be spent on talking about Chase drivers being held to a higher standard than those who aren’t in the Chase.

If there’s one important lesson from Burton it’s that every driver should remember that a non-Chaser should race a Chase driver “The same way he races him them every week.”

Like most racing families, the Busch brothers grew up living and breathing the racing lifestyle. With the guidance of their father Tom, a winner of several NASCAR sanctioned events, Kurt and Kyle spent a majority of their time in the family garage being taught how to repair and build race cars.

Both brothers got their first driving lessons at the age of six, driving a go-kart in the cul-de-sac of their Las Vegas neighborhood. At one point early on in their careers, Kyle at the age of ten, served as a crew chief for brother Kurt and his dwarf car team.

Although growing up in the same house and cutting their teeth on the same local race track, the Busch brothers as we know them today, are very separate and different people.

Kurt, seven years older than his brother Kyle, had his first racing experience at Pahrump Valley Speedway in a dwarf car. After winning the Auto Zone Elite Division Southwest rookie of the year honors in 1998, he went on to win the series championship the very next year. The championship led to Kurt’s tryout for Roush Racing’s Gong Show, which he won and earned a spot in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ride.

In the No. 99 Exide Batteries truck, Kurt won four races and finished second in the points to teammate Greg Biffle. Kurt made his debut in the now Sprint Cup Series in 2000, after taking over for Chad Little in Dover.

He started off his rookie season in 2001 at Daytona, where after making contact with Dale Earnhardt, he was given the one-finger salute by the intimidator just hours before the tragic events on the last lap of the race that took Earnhardt’s life.

The rest is history for the quiet Kurt, who has gone on to win 22 times in the Cup series and capture the 2004 championship- the first year of the Chase format.

The younger Kyle began his driving career in 1998, just after his 13th birthday, and from then until 2001, earned 65 wins in legends cars and two track championships at the legendary Las Vegas Bullring.

Kyle competed in the Craftsman Truck Series in 1996 at the age of 16, but after events at Auto Club Speedway during a companion event for CART and their world championship, he was ejected from the track by CART officials who didn’t allow drivers under the age of 18 to compete. Kyle in fact, was the reason NASCAR mandated that all drivers be over the age of 18, which went in to effect just weeks after the events at California.

After graduating early with honors from Durango High School to focus on his racing career, Kyle signed a driver development contract with Hendrick Motorsports in 2003—driving in seven ARCA races in their No. 87 Ditech entry and winning his first two races at Nashville Superspeedway and Kentucky Speedway.

During the following two years, Kyle competed in the Nationwide Series and won five times, claiming the series record for most wins by a rookie, and finishing second in points behind Martin Truex Jr.

The 2005 season marked Kyle’s move to the Sprint Cup Series and his first opportunity to race again his older brother, where he replaced NASCAR legend Terry Labonte in the #5 car and won two times on the way to capturing Rookie of the Year honors. Since then, the fiery and sometimes controversial driver has captured 19 wins and set new records along the way.

After taking different avenues to get to where they are today, the two very different Busch brothers have found themselves in the midst of competing for the very same title in 2010. Due to their age difference, Kurt and Kyle had never competed in the same series until 2005, where both began driving against each other in the Sprint Cup Series.

With a seemingly wide-open Chase this season, this may arguably the first time that both brothers have an equal chance to capture the season ending championship, but don’t expect the brothers to necessarily play nice when the heat of the title chase is at it’s hottest.

Rewind back to 2007, where Kurt and Kyle were amidst a battle between each other during the All-Star Race, where Kurt didn’t give his brother any room—which sent both drivers into the wall and their cars being towed away by a wrecker. After the incident, the brothers didn’t talk for nearly seven months, and it wasn’t until a Christmas wish from their Grandmother for them to get along, did the two finally settle their differences.

With six races left in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and competitors finding themselves out of contention for the title after each race, it will be interesting to see if the two brothers play nice around each other, or if there may be another tense Christmas dinner for the Busch family.

For the latest NASCAR talk and information, follow Kyle on Twitter: @TheKyleBrandt

NASCAR, like almost all sports, is based on competition. It’s all about the team with the fastest car, the best setup, the most points and wins. As human beings we love competition. This is exactly why we pick a favorite driver, a favorite car. It gives us a reason to watch on Sunday – to see our driver beat the other 42 guys on the track.

While there may be that one guy that you would just love to see lose more than the others, there is no denying that just being out there takes a great deal of courage.

At this Sunday’s Pepsi 400 televised on ESPN from Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., Edwards and Johnson will bring a different kind of courage to the racetrack – Beads of Courage.

Developed in 2005, the Arizona-based nonprofit, international program provides innovative, arts-in-medicine supportive care programs for children coping with serious illness.

Inspired by her clinical practice and time spent as a camp nurse at a Paul Newman Hole in the Gang Camp, Jean Baruch started Beads of Courage, Inc.

She says that the joy children received through making things with beads and by wearing them and sharing them with their friends intrigued her. Baruch then translated this into a meaningful intervention that would help kids acknowledge their courage and with the financial support of family and friends, she piloted the program at Phoenix Children’s Hospital in 2004 and it has been a huge success ever since.

The program provides children with a strand on which to place their beads, a bead color guide and a membership card.

The “beads of courage” serve as symbols of courage that mark a milestone in the child’s particular path of treatment. The child is given a bead for each milestone, such as a first hospital visit or radiation treatment.

The beads provide the children with a tangible way of recording and telling their stories of survival.

Beads of Courage has partnered with hospitals across the United States, New Zealand and Japan and has lent their support to over 10,000 children in need.

The program’s success will be all the more evident on Sunday as the program’s logo will be featured on the “TV panel,” or rear panel of the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion driven by Edwards.

As part of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and Samsung’s Helmet of Hope, the logo will also be seen on the helmet of Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet.

Launched in 2008, Johnson’s Helmet of Hope was started to provide fans and media members with the chance to nominate a charity of their choice to be featured on Johnson’s helmet during the Pepsi 400 race at Auto Club Speedway.

This year’s program focuses on children in need in the U.S. and provides ten selected charities with a $10,000 grant and a spot on the “helmet of hope.”

Beads of Courage was nominated by Becca Gladden, of Insider Racing News, and was chosen by the program to be featured during Sunday’s race.

Edwards first discovered the Beads of Courage program while visiting the Aflac Cancer Center in Georgia, a hospital that utilizes the Beads of Courage program.

Just like Baruch, the colorful beads and the joy they brought to the children intrigued the Sprint Cup driver.

During his visit to the hospital, Edwards was given a strand of beads from a child named Dalton to wear for luck. At that Sunday’s race, Edwards wore his “beads of courage” and went on to win the race.

In showing their support for the Aflac Children’s Cancer Center of Atlanta and Beads of Courage, the No. 99 Aflac Racing car will have a new paint scheme for Sunday’s race, featuring the logos of both organizations.

Also, in honor of their commitment to the cause and in celebration of the Aflac Duck’s 10th birthday, Aflac has announced that they will support Beads of Courage with the creation of the Wingman Bead.

According to the Aflac Racing website, the Aflac Duck has come to symbolize Aflac’s focus on pediatric cancer treatment and research.

“Who doesn’t love the Aflac Duck?,” said Baruch, “He is fun, and a highly visible iconic symbol. I personally think he looks great wearing Beads of Courage.”

The hope behind the Wingman Bead is that it will serve as a reminder to kids that they are never alone in their fight for life.

On Sunday, Edwards and the entire Aflac Racing Team will wear the Wingman Bead as a symbol of their support and a reminder to the children that they are never flying solo.

By visiting www.beadsofcourage.org, for just a $5 donation anyone can sponsor a Wingman Bead for a child coping with a serious illness. For $25 donors will provide five children with a Wingman Bead and will also receive their own bead as a reminder of their generous donation.

Each bead is packaged with an Encouragement Book that explains the meaning behind the Wingman Bead and provides the children with fun activities for those long hospital stays.

“Our hope is to get a Wingman Bead to every child in the Beads of Courage program” says Baruch.

Hopefully with the help of Aflac Racing, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and Samsung’s Helmet of Hope and the thousands of race fans at Sunday’s Pepsi 400 at Auto Club Speedway, every child in the program will have a Wingman.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring the Beads of Courage program to NASCAR once again in honor of all the kids we support, many who are also motorsports fans,” explains Baruch.

She further explains that having Beads of Courage recognized by NASCAR sends a strong message of support to the children – a message that they have an entire audience supporting them in their journey of life and treatment, a flock of wingmen so to speak.

Here is NASCAR News and Bits: For the Pepsi Max 400 from Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA

** The Pepsi Max 400 will be televised on Sunday October 10 at 2:00p.m. on ESPN, with the drop of the green flag scheduled for 3:00p.m. The race will also be aired on MRN radio and Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128. This weeks race schedule prior to Sunday: Friday- Practice 12:00-1:30 p.m. with Qualifying at 3:40 p.m., Saturday- Practice 10:30-11:15a .m. and 11:50-12:50 p.m.. (all times local)

** Three drivers are looking at setting some milestones at Auto Club Speedway. Jeff Gordon driver of the No.24 Dupont Chevrolet, Bobby Labonte driver of the No.09 Phoenix Construction/Graceway Chevrolet, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. driver of the No.88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet are in pursuit of notable top-10 finishes. Gordon No. 275, Labonte No. 200, and Earnhardt Jr. No. 150. Sunday will also mark Earnhardt’s 36th birthday.

** Two-time Grammy winner Kenny Logins will perform a pre-race concert at Auto ClubSpeedway on Sunday, then sing the National Anthem. Fans attending the Pepsi MAX 400 also can enjoy Viva La Fiesta, part of Hispanic Heritage Month.The group will perform at the track’s DiscoverIE FanZone. Quintanilla also will be an honoraryrace official.

** A NASCAR hauler parade is scheduled tostart at 6 p.m. PT from Citizens Bank Arena andvisit Fontana, Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga before ending at the Auto Club Speedway garages.** Local schools will be in session Friday when hundreds of local middle school students will spend a day at the speedway to learn about the applications of math and science in racing. Speakers will include Gillian Zucker, president of Auto Club Speedway, Dr. Gary Thomas, San Bernido County Superintendent of schools and Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, Ph.D., author of the “Physics of NASCAR: How to make Steel + Gas + Rubber= Speed.”

** Auto Club Speedway’s Stater Bros.Racefest will take place from 5–9 p.m. PT Thursday in the track’s FanZone with an even dozen NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers slated to attend. The event also includes a freestyle motocross stuntshow with Rockstar Metal Mulisha, live music, rides and games.

** More than 40 couples will marry or renew vows prior to the Pepsi MAX 400. Gillian Zucker will officiate with Michael Waltrip serving as groomsman and Miss Sprint Cup as maid of honor.