Hey, howdy and Happy Sunday. Welcomer Gabbers and others to my NASCAR updates and other fast stuff. It's race day. Lots of catching up to do with the he said, he points a finger, he denies, he plays defense and he rolls his eyes. All in another episode of How The Track Turns. Of course there's other fast stuff to go with too.

10TH ANNUL NASCAR DAY IS MAY 17TH

This is a day when NASCAR, the fans, the sponsors and teams all get together to celebrate NASCAR charities. This year Camping World Super Centers will be sponsoring this event. 

It will also be the first year for The 10 Days of Giving Tour that NASCAR is rolling out. The tour starts in Atlanta, GA on May 8th and ends in Charlotte, NC on May 17th. With random acts of giving. Not sure what that means but festivities are planned. A limited addition pin designed by artist Sam Bass can be bought for $10. You can get your pin at Camping World Super Centers, at a race track or by going online to NASCAR.com/foundation.

They'll be going to Atlanta, GA...Brooklyn, Mich...Darlington, SC...Kansas City, KA...New York, NY...and...Daytona Beach, FLA

I know that Victory Junction Camp started by the Petty's is one of those NASCAR charities. A very nice hospital disguised as a kids camp for very ill children so they can experience camping and have their on going medical treatments too. 

ALAN KULWICKI POSSIBLE HALL OF FAMER

On April 1st it was the 20th anniversary of Kulwicki's death in a plane crash. He is so important in the NASCAR history books. The first northerner to win a championship. The first college graduate to not only drive but win a championship. Graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in mechanical engineering. The last owner driver till Tony Stewart came along to win a championship. 

He drove the #7 Hooters Ford Thunderbird. Won his first race in 1988 at Phoenix International Speedway. His celebration was what he referred to as The Polish Victory Lap. He drove around the track in the opposite direction. 

In 1992 on the last race of the season Kulwicki won the championship over Bill Elliot by 10 points. The closest championship to date. It was also Richard Petty's last Cup race and Jeff Gordon's first Cup race. History in the making all the way around. 

On April 1, 1993 on the way back to the Bristol track after a Hooters appearance the small Hooters Corporate plane went down due to ice. All 4 on board were lost. On Saturday Kulwicki's car hauler made it's way slowly around the track in the rain before leaving. 

That same year at the season ending race the race winner Rusty Wallace and the 1993 champion Dale Earnhardt Sr placed flags on their cars honoring Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison ( who died while trying to land his helicopter at Talladega on 7-13-93) as they drove a Polish Victory Lap. 

He's not in the HoF yet but he should be in my opinion. He was very important in the NASCAR history books. Even though teams wanted to hire him he insisted on having his own team and driving. It's about time he gets in.

FONTANA RACE RUCKUS UPDATE

So when I gave my dark horse pick as Logano I didn't foresee this coming although a 3rd place is good. Hamlin still says Logano wrecked him on purpose. Logano says if he was trying to do that he would've hit him in the rear quarter panel instead of the door. Hamlin also says Logano better change his driving style because he gets into issues with other drivers a lot. Logano says he's not going to take it from anyone any more.

Stewart defended his anger toward Logano and his blocking. Sighting the blocking he did at Dega and Daytona as different racing due to the package NASCAR gives them to race in. Blocking is a must if you want to jump into a different lane because you can't really get away from the other guys.

So he's right. They drive around doing crazy moves at 200 plus mph trying not to screw up or to get caught up in other drivers screw ups so they can bring it home in one piece and a top 10 finish.

Stewart said they didn't used to block till about 10 years ago. He's not happy with it. He's also right about that too. But I think it's a product of the cars that NASCAR has given them. The drivers can't get away and there are few adjustments to set the cars apart from each other so now they block. So driving styles are changing yet again.

My C listers I chose did way better than they were supposed to. Well 3 did. Mears 15th, Stenhouse Jr 20th, Allmendinger 16th and Reutimann 33rd & minus 8 laps. C listers generally have non power house team equipment to work with so you need to temper you expectations. But on the same token 3 of these guys got 15th thru 20th. Outstanding. The usual is in the 20's or worse.

Everyone else did good except the MWR guys. Martin broke a track bar with 25 to go and Bowyer was in 10th place with 16 to go when his motor went poofffffffffff. Truex got 18th. 

Top 12 finishers - Kyle B - Dale Jr - Logano - Edwards - Kurt B - Biffle - Kenseth - Menard - Kahne - Newman - Gordon - Johnson

MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY 

So it's another short track. You know who's good here? Gordon. You know who still has the whammie on him? Gordon. He's led 1309 laps in 12 races at Martinsville. That includes the 328 he led last year at this race. He was dominant for sure BUT with 4 laps to go there's a caution and a decision. Do we pit or not? Gordon and Johnson opt to not pit. Everyone else does. On the restart it's Gordon and Johnson on the front row on old tires verses the fresh ones behind them. Guess who wins.

It's go time. Newman runs into Bowyer shoving him up beside Gordon. Now they're 3 wide. Doesn't work at Martinsville. Bowyer can't hold the bottom. He's up into Gordon who is up into Johnson. Newman shoots through the spinning cars and goes on to win. Bowyer recovers for a 10th place. Johnson gets 12th and Gordon mmmmmm 14th and minus a lap. So this is where the feud started and Gordon decided that Bowyer was responsible for his bad season. Totally misguided but it's the mind of a racer. What are you going to do?

Top 12 finishers - Newman - Allmendinger - Dale Jr - Kenseth - Truex - Hamlin - Stewart - Almirola - Keselowski - Bowyer - Edwards - Johnson

So now it's time for my picks. Hamlin is good at this track but due to the back issue it's not happening. 

Newman is a good pick. He's aggressive and short tracks are his thing. 

Dale Jr is stringing together some good consistent runs. A 2nd, 5th, 7th, 6th, and 2nd are some good numbers to have. I say top 5.

Kenseth is a strong pick here. Qualified 8th. Good starting spot.

Johnson has the pole. Always a threat.

Logano is not making friends right now. I'd like to say top 10 but I fear an accident is coming his way. During Saturdays last practice he got into it with Johnson. Logano got rear damage. I'd steer clear of him this week even though he qualified 4th. 

Kahne's engine went here last year but he qualified 5th. He's great when he's on but wrecking when he's not. Pick him with caution.

Kurt and Kyle are excellent at Bristol so that short track translates to this one. Choose one or both.

Keselowski was on a top 5 streak till last week ended with a 23rd but not to worry. He's a threat. 

Menard is a quiet top 10. I name thee Dark Horse.

Regan Smith is in the #51 this week. Mark Martin in the #11 for the ailing Hamlin and Brian Vickers in the #55 for Martin who was supposed to be on vacation from racing. Vickers is a good bet at this track. I'd pick him. Martin does well here too but qualified bad. Like 35th. Not good at a short track but he is a veteran. Regan qualified 18th. Not bad.

My C listers....Bobby Labonte, Casey Mears, David Ragan, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Labonte, Mears and Ragan would be your best of the 4. Stenhouse is still an unknown in the Cup circuit yet. He did post a 16th at Bristol though. 

And Danica? She's starting in the back due to an engine change. TOAST. Extra crispy.

So there's my update. I'm going for breakfast. Wish the temps would bump up just a tad. Have a happy Sunday watching your favorite sports or whatever makes your day. Grab a loved one and give them a hug. Don't forget to check out the sun and....

I'm outta here.......

Happy Easter!!!! Welcome Gabbers and others to my NASCAR update and other fast stuff. That grumpy kitty probably didn't get any marshmallow peeps, a mousie squeaker toy or chocolate bunnies in it's Easter basket.  Maybe kitty is a Denny Hamlin fan and just found out he won't be driving for the next 6 races at the very least. Yeah. That's probably it. I'm sure there's a smartass among you that could think of a good caption.

Look. Denny has that same look on his face as grumpy kitty. Denny tweeted this photo. He got out of the hospital on Monday after his really ugly wreck on Sunday at Fontana. Late in the race Logano had snagged the lead from Kyle with 7 to go but Hamlin was right behind in hot pursuit. On the last lap Hamlin pulls up beside Logano and the beatin' & bangin' & slammin' door numbers begins. Coming around the last turn Kyle catches up to and passes the duo still fighting it out. Kyle wins the race, Logano hits and rides the outside wall and Hamlin hits nose first into the inside wall at the entrance to pit road right where there's no safer barrier. The car hit so hard it jumped off the ground.

Hamlin got out on his own but immediately lay down on his back. He was strapped fast to a back board and off he went. Due to traffic after the race he was air lifted to the hospital. It was determined that he fractured his L1 vertebra. He was to stay out of the car at least 6 weeks. Doctors orders.

JGR hasn't had to deal with an issue like this in the 22 years he's had a team. Other than a driver losing his contract because somebody better came along or death, this just hasn't happened in racing in the modern era all that much. Most drivers work through their injuries.

Dale Earnhardt Sr wrecked at Talladega in 1996 so badly he broke his collarbone and dislocated his sternum. Breathing was damn near impossible due to the pain and he couldn't lift his left arm but he got in his car for the brickyard at Indianapolis the following week. He did 6 laps and then pitted to let Mike Skinner take over. Not because of the pain he said. It was so he wouldn't injure himself further. Then at Watkins Glen which is a road course he refused to stay out of the car despite his boss Richard Childress, wife Theresa and Dr Jerry Punch trying to persuade him to let Mike drive. He got in and drove sometimes using his knees and just one hand to steer. He came in 6th that day. 

Rusty Wallace had 2 big super speedway wrecks in 1993. Daytona and Talladega. The cars were obliterated and he broke his wrist but he kept driving all year.

And then there's Ricky Rudd. In the 1984 Busch Clash he wrecked so hard his face was swollen and they had to tape his eyes open so he could race in the Daytona 500 the next day. I think he came in 7th. Ricky had refused to be treated after the wreck so NASCAR didn't know how bad he was. After they found out it was a mandatory visit to the incare field center and a mandatory ride there after any wreck where you can't drive back to pit road. If you go to YouTube and look up this wreck you'll see just how truly violent it really was and just how close he came to that wall and his possible death.

Last year at Michigan Mark Martin impaled his car on the end of the pit road wall at the opening to get back to the garages. Another 6 to 8 inches toward the door number and I think he'd be gone. Who'd have thought a car would hit there? He also wrecked big at Talladega in 1994. He lost his breaks after contact on the track. Drove into a wall, then through a guard rail, a chain link fence and then into another guard rail. He got out but you could tell he was hurting. 

So even though NASCAR has become super vigilant on safety through all these wrecks and more I didn't write about there is still more to be done. Safety is a moving target. There for awhile the drivers were taking turns finding the spots with no safer barriers. Gordon found a couple. Ideally no wall at a NASCAR track should be without a safer barrier. I'm betting there will be one right where Hamlin hit at Fontana for the next time they come back there.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the safer barrier and how it's constructed.....You have your concrete wall then they have a steel tube wall made that sits about 2 to 3 feet away. They fill the in between space with styro foam pieces. It absorbs the impact better that just hitting the concrete wall that doesn't move at all. 

In the mean time, lets talk replacement drivers for the #11 according to rumor. The choices were Brian Vickers, Mark Martin, Elliot Sadler, AJ Allmendinger and Michael McDowell. All drivers have obligations or conflicts of some sort. By Thursday JGR had announced that Mark Martin would be the man to drive all 6 races starting in Martinsville next week BUT Saturday it was announced that Martin would only drive at Martinsville in the #11 because the #55 sponsor Aaron's was not happy about the arrangement. JGR only wanted to not have a revolving door in the #11 driver seat. 

It would seem that Brian Vickers who will drive the #55 Aaron's Dream Machine at Martinsville as per his previous commitment to do so will be in the #11 for the next 5 races. I'm happy. I was afraid they'd choose Elliot Sadler. He's driving for JGR in the Nationwide Series because he can't cut it in Sprint Cup. He came in 2nd in the points last year but success in the Nationwide Series does not equate to success in the Sprint Cup Series. If you've followed Mr Stenhouse Jr who won back to back titles in Nationwide, I would say his average is about what his car number is...17. Good but not great. Don't get me wrong, I believe he will improve but the older guys are not easy to race with. He will have to earn a spot.

So the old guy is still in demand. My stomach would look like that if I could stay away from chocolate.......which reminds me, HAPPY EASTER!!!!!! 

So Logano said some crappy things after the race. He says he didn't know Hamlin was injured when he said that Hamlin deserved what he gets. Since then Penske racing has reached out to JGR to smooth things over. Logano and Hamlin supposedly texted one another but according to Hamlin it did not go so well. 

On Twitter a fan asked Keselowski what he thought of the Coca Cola Family now. He said," Now they sound like a real family." That was in reference to the commercial where Tony Stewart drives Danica, Newman, Logano, Hamlin and Biffle around the track while they drink coke. I thought it was funny.

There's no race this week so for all of you needing my fantasy advise, you'll have to tune in next week. Even if you don't you should tune in any way. I like the company. So for right now, it's Easter Sunday. It's family time. I'm sure most of you have a dinner date with the family and or friends. I will be doing my usual Sunday breakfast with my grandkids SANS THE CANDY. Don't need to be peeling the kids off the ceiling fans at the diner if you know what I mean. Everyone, Gabbers others and everyone in between have a great wonderful safe and Happy Easter and.....

I'm outta here.......

HAPPY SUNDAY, HOWDY AND GOOD DAY!!!!! Welcome Gabbers and others to another of my NASCAR updates and other fast stuff. It's now on to the 5th race of the season. Some teams flew out of the box and sped away. Others jumped out but didn't make too big of a run but they're making ground and others just need more time to work on the adjustments. And some never will get it just right. It's a new car to figure out and Denny Hamlin told us all that a couple weeks ago just before he got fined for doing so. Danica has slid back into the quiet of the lap down field. There's a new feud on the track. Apologies not accepted yet. Dale Jr is quietly finishing in the top 10's like last year before his concussion put an end to that dream. Looks like he be sneaking up on that trophy again? So we're off to another day at the races and lots of fast stuff to talk about.

STEWART'S FEET IN CONCRETE

We're back at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana , CA for race #5 and last years winner Tony Stewart was given a plaque by the VP of the track Dave Allen. Stewart then put his feet in the concrete and signed his name and number. Just one more name on the Walk of Fame at the track. This is Stewarts 2nd W here. Other notables with W's and sections on the Walk of Fame are Johnson with 5 W's here. Gordon has the very first win and a total of 3 W's. Kyle B, Kurt B, Biffle and Kahne each have one. So Stewart is in good company. Congratulations.

MARK MARTIN TO OVERSEE BUILDING OF NEW TRAINING FACILITY

Martin has been working to get the new Training facility green lighted for 10 months now. Working out is his 2nd passion. He works out 5 times a week, lifting weights for 1 hour. 

The new facility will be at MWR head quarters and construction is to begin in the next week and could be done in 90 days. It will have a car silhouette so crew members can practice their agility training around the car. Of course all kinds of free weights, machines and cardio equipment will be included as well as locker rooms and offices. 

Martin says that teams are investing in equipment for human performance now and he's excited to be a part of it. 

BOWYER OPENS TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN HOMETOWN

This week Clint Bowyer went home to Emporia, Kansas to open Clint Bowyer's Autoplex. He partnered with Davis-Moore Auto Group to by the Emporia Motors dealership. Bowyer once worked there as a paintless dent repair specialist and dealer. Davis-Moore Auto Group will take over the day to day operations while Bowyer goes about his job of racing the #15 Five Hour Energy Toyota for MWR.

ISC TO LOBBY FOR TAX BREAKS

The owner of Daytona International Speedway, International Speedway, Corp is lobbying for tax breaks that could save them $100 million in the next 30 years so they can do a huge renovation project on the Daytona race track. The tax breaks would help in moving forward with the renovation project. 

Plans are to add escalators, concourses, and wider seats in the grandstands. A mixed use commercial development would be added across the street. All of this and the scale of it depends on how much if any tax breaks they get.

Sen Dorothy Hukill of Port Orange and Rep. David Santiago of Deltone are sponsoring this bill. So they'd be the ones (if you live in Florida and you're not happy about this) to contact.

I guess if Football and Baseball teams lobby for the tax breaks and get them than race tracks can too.

BRISTOL RECAP : HAMLIN VS LOGANO 

Bristol and Martinsville seem to bring out the monster in drivers. No patience. Logano was fighting over the lead with Gordon minding his own business. He'd get up to Gordon's door and fall back. This went on for several laps till Hamlin in 3rd caught up and drove into Logano's bumper sending him spinning and a caution comes out. Logano goes to the pits for repairs and manages to not lose too much track position.

With 46 to go another caution gets him a starting position right behind Hamlin. Nothing happens but after the race Logano went to Hamlin's car to talk to him and a crew member shoved him away. A Twitter word battle started after the race.

On Friday Hamlin apologized for damaging Logamo's car. He only meant to give him a nudge to let him know he wasn't happy about Logano pinching him down on the race track. He also said it's not up to me to be judging someone's driving to be bad or good and he shouldn't have degraded him as a driver.

Logano says they haven't talked about it. So I'm guessing it's not over. Hamlin made all this fuss last week about the respect of his peers and of NASCAR. Then he pulls this stunt. Seems to me he needs to apologize to Logano in person and not through the media.

So I called Kasey Kahne a squirrel last week. His performance is manic. It goes from awesome to wrecking. At Bristol it was awesome. He won and led 109 laps. Not the most but he was in the top 5 ALL day. Hamlin led the most laps with 117. Kyle led 56 and Keselowski led 62. 

On lap 9 Stewart cut down a tire and spun out. His brakes were broken so back behind the wall he went for about 15 laps. That's one fast brake job. Give those crew guys a cookie.

Kyle got caught in 3 sections of pit road for speeding. He went to the back on the restart and within 84 laps he was in 2nd. 

Gordon was leading and running away when the bead in his tire melted, his tire popped and he went up the race track and took Kenseth out with him. He only took 2 tires on the stop just 29 laps before to get that lead. Was it worth it?

Johnson had a tire go down due to the bead melting. Finished 2 laps down in 22nd.

Top 10 finishers.....Kahne - Kyle B - Keselowski - Kurt B - Bowyer - Dale Jr - Newman - Martin - Menard - McMurray

AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY - FONTANA, CA

So that leads us to this week. Rain shortened last year and our winner was Stewart. Stewart loves this track and is happy to be here. He has 2 wins. Hope his bad luck in the last 2 races is just a blur from now on.

Johnson has 5 wins and a 4.8 average finish here. A threat as always.

Keselowski finished 18th and 1 lap down last year. He didn't do so hot in Saturdays Nationwide race. He starts in the rear due to an engine change. Hope he has some good notes. He's still a threat. He and his CC Paul have a connection.

Gordon has 3 wins here but his season is starting to look like last season. De Ja VooDoo with a HooDoo. Last year he dragged the gas man out of his pit stall. A stop & go penalty put him a lap down in 24th at the end. Really need a good luck charm or a Wanga Doll. Wonder if they make racing ones. Skip him.

Kahne is starting 16th today. He finished 15th last year. Don't know if he has another good run in him so soon but he does have a hot hand. 

Kyle won the Nationwide race this week....AND LAST WEEK. He's hot. Came in 2nd last week at Bristol and starts 4th today. Looking good.

Dale Jr came in 3rd last year at this race. He's quietly making his case to be on your fantasy roster.

Hamlin won the pole. He came in 11th last year. He's mad and thinks he's entitled. If he and Logano don't tangle on track he's a good bet.

Harvick came in 4th last year. He's a good bet.

Biffle starts 2nd and last year came in 6th. He's 5th in the points right now so he's a possible.

Truex, Bowyer and Martin are MWR's finest. Any of those are pickable.

Newman came in 7th last year. He's a fighter and pickable.

Dark horse picks...Logano. He's been showing some life in his new ride in the #22 with Penske Racing. 

McMurray seems to be coming to life also. EGR turned to Hendrick for their motors this year. I'll be watching him.

Kurt B could post another top 10 here in his Furniture Row Racing #78.

C list options for those of you who pick a top tier driver, 2 B's and a C.

Casey Mears, David Reutimann or AJ Allmendinger. Allmendinger is in the #51 this week. He's part of that revolving list along with Austin Dillon, Regan Smith, Ryan Truex and who knows who else. Ricky Stenhouse Jr is certainly an option too but I don't know his record on this track and with Cup drivers. He's a total unknown. Those 2 Nationwide Championships don't equate to Cup success. But he is in Kenseth's old ride. Good equipment is a bonus. 

Last years top 10 finishers...Stewart - Kyle - Dale Jr - Harvick - Edwards - Biffle - Newman - Truex - Kurt B - Johnson

So there you have it folks. Hope it helps those in the fantasy leagues. Sounds like there's a lot of happy campers enjoying the March Madness Brackets as well as the games. So this being Sunday, I wish you all the most fun there is doing what you love with whom you love. I'm off to breakfast as usual and....

I'm outta here.......

Welcome Gabbers and others. Thought I'd bring a story of pioneering never say never spirit in todays written offering. It's a story of a man who against all odds and adversity made a name for himself as a respectful talented racer, gained the respect of other racers and just never quit. Wendell Scott was a Black American who decided that racing would become his life. 

He was a taxi driver from 1939-1943. Served as a mechanic and paratrooper during WW II in the US Army from 1943-1945. Had his own garage called Scott's Garage from 1949-1990. Drove in NASCAR from 1961-1973.

Of course he was a bootlegger as most of the NASCAR drivers were back then. He bragged that his liquor car could go 95 mph in 2nd gear and 118 mph in high. No police car in Danville, Va could go that fast so as a result, Wendell was only caught once in 1949 and given 3 years probation. He still made his late night whiskey runs.

Wendell traveled from race to race with his wife Mary and their kids. They had 6 in all and Wendell Jr and Franklin ended up as his pit crew when they were old enough. Travel as a black family was rough. They brought their own food and carried extra cans of fuel just in case they couldn't make it to a gas station or restaurant that would serve them. Some tracks refused to let him race. People booed him from the stands. Drivers out right wrecked him or slashed his tires. The track scorers would not score him and would place him last on the score board. Of course he'd get last place pay too. 

Wendell's son Franklin told of a story of Wendell smashing the qualifying record of Jack Smith at a Savannah, GA track. He let Wendell know he was going to drive right through him. Seems he never got close enough all race. Wendell came in 2nd behind Ned Jarret. The animosity continued with Jack wrecking him else where and Wendell just had enough. During the pace lap at another race Jack drove up beside Wendell and pointed at him. Wendell pulled out a gun and pointed it at Jack. There were no more issues with Jack Smith after that.

Of course there were those that were happy to help Wendell. He was on a limited budget and very few resource. Richard Petty, Tiny Lund, Ned Jarret, Fireball Roberts and Joe Weatherly were just a few drivers who helped out when they could. On one such occasion Tiny Lund gave Wendell a set of tires to qualify on. Another time Ned Jarret sold Wendell a Holman Moody Ford for a $1. Wendell finished 12 in the points that year even though he missed several races. 

On December 1, 1963 at Speedway Park in Jasksonville, Fla Wendell Scott became the first Black American to win in NASCAR. As usual though the scorers were ignoring Wendell and they waved the checkered flag over top of Buck Baker the 2nd place car. The track officials were afraid of a riot if they let Wendell in victory lane and he kissed the trophy girl. Wendell complained and got the prize money but the trophy came a couple races later and it wasn't the right trophy. 

Through all the adversity Wendell never showed bitterness or acted out in spite. He always took the high road, kept his nose to the grind stone and showed his children how a great man acts. He knew fighting would not serve any purpose in helping him to do what he loved and that was to race.

His career in racing came to an end in 1973 at Talladega, Ala in a 19 car pile up which almost left him a cripple. He sustained multiple injuries. A broken pelvis, 3 broken ribs, a broken leg and a laceration on his arm that required 70 stitches.

In 1971 Wendell received the first Curtis Turner Achievement Award for his efforts to promote NASCAR. He has received many other awards for his community work as well as a street in Danville named after him. In 1999 he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall Of Fame. Unfortunately Wendell had passed away in 1990 of spinal cancer.

Who knows what he could've accomplished with the money and resources of the better funded teams. He certainly had the talent and most of the drivers admitted that much. He was a genius under the hood of the car making the most out of what he had. He made parts or tools if he had no money to buy them. 

He was truly a NASCAR pioneering spirit in the highest order.

FONTANA CALIFORNIA

I didn't think it rained in California but it did on Sunday. The Auto Club 400 was about 70 laps short due to rain. From the time the green flag dropped all the drivers seemed to be on a mission. Very focused on no caution flags and there weren't any until lap 123 for rain drops in turn 3. By lap 129 it was a red flag and all cars went to pit road to cover up and wait. At 5:25 EST they called the race and my most handsome Knight of the Mobile1 Tony Stewart was awarded the race. 

Normally our veteran drivers have better days in the pits but there were mistakes a plenty. Jeff Gordon dragged his gasman on lap 108 out of the pit box resulting in a stop and go penalty. Green flag stop and he went one lap down. OUCH!!!

Lap 36 Regan Smith too fast exiting pit road. Pass thru penalty.

On lap 68, Jamie McMurray didn't get all his lug nuts on and had to come back in. Came back in again several laps later complaining the wheel was loose.

Lap 70 Bobby Labonte almost as old as Mark Martin was too fast exiting pit road. Pass thru penalty. At the half way lap 100 Brad Keselowski was too fast exiting pit road. Pass thru penalty.

Lap 105 JJ Yeley too fast entering pit road. Pass thru penalty. 

Kyle Busch got the most laps led bonus with 80 laps. Brother Kurt got a top 10. YEAH!!! 

Smoke started pouring from Johnsons car on lap 128. Thought it might be an oil line knocked loose from debris bouncing off or a blown motor. In either case the red flag on lap 129 and rain out race ending saved his 10th place finish.

Hamlin for some unknown reason elected to go in for a pit stop on during the rain caution on lap 123 and gave up 2nd place. 

First thru 12th on the track at the end of the race were... Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, and Mark Martin.

TOP 12 IN THE POINTS - Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Carl Edwards

THE DANICA UPDATE

On Saturdays race debris punctured her radiator and her race day ended with engine failure. She only drove 63 laps and ended up 35th for the day and many laps down. She's 17th in the points standings. 

48 PENALTY UPDATE

The chief appellate officer John Middlebrook gave Jimmie his 25 pts back, and took away the race suspensions of Chad Knaus and car chief Ron Malec. The $100,000 fine stands. Rick Hendrick maintained his team was innocent. He keeps highly detailed records of all his cars and presented all this to John Middlebrook who sided with Hendrick in the end. John is not talking about why he over turned the decision and NASCAR isn't talking either. We are left to wonder why the other cars were allowed to fix their C-post before inspection without a fine and the 48 team wasn't.

Next week it's Martinsville. Lots of tempers flying and lots of beatin' & bangin'. Can't wait. I've moved up 2 spots in my Yahoo fantasy league. Not sure where I am in my work fantasy league but I'm hoping for the best. 

Thanks for stopping by and you all have a great day........