WHOA....HEY....HOWDY....Welcome Gabbers and others to my NASCAR update and other fast stuff. We got fast stuff on the burner. There's fantasy picks too.   

We have a Daytona 500 recap, a Phoenix preview with fantasy picks, and hopefully the pictures show up. 

After the Daytona 500 Tony Stewart went to the Halifax Health Medical Center to visit some of the injured fans from the Nationwide race he had won. Tony was visibly upset when interviewed in victory lane.   NASCAR did not prompt him to go.

He spent over 2 hours talking with each fan and giving them each a signed Bass Pro Shops #14 cap. I know B.O.B. doesn't like my most handsome Knight of the Mobile 1 but this softer side of him comes out once in a while and it's one of the things that makes me love him as my driver.  He hugs puppies and kids too.....

It would seem that all injured fans have been released except for the 2 most injured. They're now stable and on the mend.

Michael Annett, the driver that was hurt in a head on crash into a safer barrier wall in the wreck just before the big one also was sent to the hospital. Turns out that on Thursday he went into surgery.  They put a metal plate and screws in his chest to put his sternum back in place. It was fractured and dislocated. 

His car is being torn apart to see if all parts and safety gear were operational and did their jobs. They also want to see if more can be done in the future for driver safety.

Also an outside team will be helping NASCAR to investigate the crash with Larson's car. They have impounded the car and all pieces to investigate what happened and where to go from here.

ANOTHER JJ & KNAUS CONSPIRACY

UH OH....conspiracy theory coming up. As you can see from the picture Jimmie is wrecking his front end as he spins into the grass to do a victory burn out on top of the Daytona logo painted on the grass. Right away people started screaming that he was trying to cover up an adjustment or an illegal part on the car by mangling the front end.

Where did they get that? Back a couple years ago Knaus was suspended for several races for an illegal part on the car. So he wasn't there when Darien Grubb called Jimmies win that year. Add to that some other fines and stuff with NASCAR plus back in October of 2010 Knaus told Jimmie over the radio he needed to back the car into the fence or at least mess it up to make sure it got through inspection and this is where the conspiracy theorists are coming from.

Jimmie said," I just wanted to get a cool picture down on the Daytona emblem. That's every drivers goal - to get on the emblem and do a burn out."

So there you have it. Just innocent fun. I believe him......

NO MORE FLYOVERS ?!?!?!

As of April 1st there will be no more flyovers at any more sporting events. This is a good thing as it saves tax payer dollars. It's a bad thing as it shows us all our military is there and it's just damn cool to watch and hear. So is it a cruel April fools joke or is it real? I suspect it's for real. Bummer.

DAYTONA RECAP

So Jimmie won. My most handsome knight of the Mobile 1 got punted on lap 33 when Kahne went for a spin from Kyle's bumper. Took out Harvick too. Sucked for my fantasy league. Stewart and Harvick went to the garage for repairs and came back many laps down but got those valuable points.

Thought Gordon was going to have a repeat of last year where his motor blew up but he managed to keep his motor in tact by hanging back in the 20's to cool it off and finish the race.

Edwards was bit by that wreck bug all of race weeks. He wrecked in all the events including practice. In the garage he vowed to come back strong at Phoenix for the win. Just the same, if I were another driver, I'd stay far away from Edwards.

Kyle and Kenseth both blew motors with about 50 laps to go while it was a Kenseth- Hamlin - Kyle 123 lead for JGR. Wonder if JGR got their reliability issues fixed in the off season? Don't look like it. 

And our Danica came in 8th. She stayed up there in the top 10 all day but didn't have the experience to pull off a win. Congrats Ms Danica.

PHOENIX PREVIEW AND FANTASY PICKS

Some stats. Jimmie has most wins at 4 of modern drivers. Harvick has 3. Gordon has 19 top 10's and Martin has 21 top 10's. Score one for the old guy.

With Daytona now behind it's off to see how things are really going to start. Who will be the team or teams that got their research on the new Gen 6 car down pat? Will this be the race we see a clear cut advantage due to the manufacturer specific front ends? 

This race track is a finesse track. A technical track. A driver needs to hit his marks every lap and all lap. The driver and crew chief must decide on which turns to set the car up for. Turns 1 & 2 have 11 degrees of banking. Turns 3 & 4 have 9 degrees of banking.

The old man Mark Martin took the pole with 138.074 (had the pole last year too) and both Saturday practices.  Followed by Kahne, Johnson, Kyle, Gordon, Stewart, Harvick, Kenseth and Newman. Hamlin had to change a motor so it's to the rear of the field on Sunday for the start. It's that JGR reliability I mentioned. 

Last year Stewart had issues with his fuel injection system. A breaker went out when he shut his car off during a caution lap to save fuel. He went 2 laps down and never recovered. He was in the top 10 most of the race. He's a #1 pick.

Harvick was leading but ran out of fuel on the last lap but had enough of a lead to take 2nd. He's a #1 pick.

Hamlin won last year. If his motor stays together he's a contender but that reliability issue makes him a #2 pick. His team mates Kyle and Kenseth too.

Mark Martin is a solid pick for #1. A pole last year and this year as well as 21 top 10's . 

Johnson had a 4th last year and he starts 3rd this year. Pick him with confidence.

Gordon and Edwards still seem to have the bad luck issues from last year. I'm shying away from them. But Biffle is a good bet.

Kahne is either on or he's wrecking. He spun on lap 23 and hit the wall last year. Came back but many laps down. He's a maybe.

Bowyer had 2 flat tires in 7 laps here last year. WTF!!!???? But his team mate Truex got a 7th place due to running out of fuel. Both are solid picks at this track. MWR doesn't have the reliability issue.

Keselowski had a 5th place even though he too ran out of fuel. He's a gimmie.

Danica? No Freaking way. She qualified 40th and was complaining the car was dancing on her. That would mean loose and that she hasn't figured out Phoenix yet. I wouldn't suggest her.

Dale Jr? Not one of his better tracks. I'll pass.

So there you have it folks. The short the skinny and the in between. This track will suit the veterans. Logano might give us a surprise appearance. Maybe Montoya too. They came in 10th and 11th last year. So I hope this was helpful. Any one still interested in joining the league, it's not too late. Daytona is a flukie track and kind of a waste. I plan on digging out of the hole I'm in. You can to. Please do join us at ESPN. Checkered Past is out group and Gabbers is the password.

Well, it's Sunday. It's now March and winter is going to throw a last hoorah at the east coast. I'm hoping it misses us. But any way, get out that grill and clean it up. It's grill a hockey puck day. Yeah...really........OK it's not but you can make something up to do today. Have a great time doing it. It's time for me to run off to breakfast. And.....

I'm outta here.....

Hey, Howdy, Good morning and Good day. Welcome Gabbers and others to my NASCAR update and other fast stuff. Guess what we're talking about today. I'll give you 3 guesses but the first 2 don't count. It's Danica Danica Danica. Danica all last year, Danica all this week, Danica all weekend and Danica all day today. Even if she wrecks out it will be Danica theorationalizationings abundant. Talking heads pontificating, prognosticating, projecting, ejecting, rejecting, folding spindling and mutilating every possible angle she will play a part in from now to beyonder and beyonder. Like tomorrow even. And I exit...Stage left even.

So if you haven't heard yet, Danica has won the pole position at the Daytona 500. That's the preferred starting spot. How many laps does she keep it? I'm guessing about 2 or 3 before she gets sucked down the middle to the back. I should be waxing poetic about a fellow female making such a huge contribution to my sport. I applaud her accomplishment. I condemn the spectacle she created of herself before her arrival. She besmirched the legacy of those before her. Shirley Muldowney brought it. They feared her when she showed up because she was a threat to win not a threat to take her clothes off.

Last driver to win from the pole at the Daytona 500 was Dale Jarrett in 2000. Show me something girl. Drive like hell, turn left and keep it on the track. Impress me.

So in other qualifying news. Jeff Gordon got 2nd. Through winning Budweiser Duel #1 Kevin Harvick got 3rd. Through winning Budweiser Duel #2 Kyle Busch got 4th. Biffle, Kahne, Montoya, Dillon, Johnson, Bowyer Kurt Busch and Kenseth round out your top 12. Any names familiar? Take note if your in the NASCAR fantasy league. 

Montoya is driving HMS engines. Looks like he likes them. Maybe he'll be racing the other drivers instead of into a jet dryer. Biffle, Kenseth, Kahne, Bowyer, Kyle B, Kurt B, Dale Jr, Gordon and Stewart are your usual suspects at this race. Jeff Burton, Joey Logano, Marcos Ambrose, Trevor Bayne (2011 D500 winner) and Paul Menard are some other surprises to look for. Choose accordingly. 

                 Did I mention Danica got the pole? 

DANICA'S WEIGHTY PROBLEM

Seems there are those that feel she's too light. She came to Daytona at 110 lbs. Her boss Stewart and other team mate Ryan weigh in around 180lbs. 

NASCAR's rule? Drivers who weigh less than 180lbs must add 10lbs in the car for every 10 lbs down to 140lbs. So she'll be assessed a 40lb penalty.

Does it matter? Depends who you ask. Some say the heavier guys compress the springs better pulling the car down out of the air. Others say lighter is faster. There are some wild stories of the past where drivers and crews used some crazy schemes to lighten the cars after the race got started ot after they got through inspection. 

So what would her advantage be? The 40lbs will be added to the frame and can be positioned at a lower center of gravity than the driver but must be added to the left side. We'll let the engineers figure that out. I'm sure they have.

In 2005 Robby Gordon complained to the IRL about Danicas weight. He said he wouldn't participate in the Indianapolis 500 again till they fixed the 100lb difference. He sighted that if he or Stewart got in an IndyCar they'd be 100lbs more. 

At that time IndyCars weighed 1525lbs before fuel and driver. In 2008 IRL ruled it to include the driver. 

NASCAR rules their car to be 3,300lbs including a 180lb driver.

Most drivers don't care. We have Mark Martin weighing in @ 125lbs and then there's Joey "I disappear when I turn sideways" Logano. So pretty much the point is moot. 

OOPSY, BRAD DID IT AGAIN

Brad Keselowski got an audience with Brian France this week due to comments made in an article that showed up in USA Today. No fines. Just a quick get together. Brian wanted Brad to be more careful about what he said and to be more informed before commenting. No word on the exact comment but this might be an idea.

Brad mentioned that Brian and his sister some where in the lines of the sponsors, teams and tracks don't always work together with NASCAR.

He said,"And until all three of those can unite, we're a house divided and we're making bad decisions that are effecting how to generate revenue foe the sport."

So Brad was a little too candid but Brian loves his candidness. Just try to be more informed.

He refused to comment but did get on his Twitter account....."Spent some time with Lisa and Brian from the NASCAR team after yesterdays article, the passion we all share for our sport is amazing."

HUGE NATIONWIDE WRECK ON LAST LAP

By now I'm positive you've all seen the video over and over and over again. I even got to see fan videos. Damn tire landed on a guy and then the seat in front of him. Incredible. The last update I read was around 9pm. There were 14 fans treated and released at the track. There were 14 fans transported to hospitals for treatment with 2 critical. One went to surgery immediately. I'm sure he was the one hit by the tire. 

Driver Michael Annett was sent to the hospital and given a CT scan for chest bruising after he drove head on into the wall. Safer barrier no less but still bad news at those speeds. He will be kept over night.

Regan Smith #7 was leading with Brad Keselowski #22 behind. He knew Brad would make a move to win and he blocked that move which turned him around and started the wreck. It gave the win to my man Stewart but that's a crappy way to win. There was no celebration in victory lane. Stewart was upset for the fans. He said we as drivers sign up for this and know and except the dangers but it's bad when fans get hurt. He sent well wishes out to the fans.

This is the sport I love. I dread but look forward to Daytona every year. It's freakin' awesome. I love it. Every lap. It's beautiful. Scares the hell out of me too. I hope every one that was hurt makes speedy recovery through to good health. 

DAYTONA 500 STUFF

RAY RAY just won't go away. He gets to be the honorary starter. Yup. He's a waving that green flag to start my Super Bowl. Seems he's from Florida. Perfect fit? Not in my book. 

Last years winner was Matt Kenseth. Can he do it again? Now wait, let me get my Magic 8 Ball......Mmmmmm......Hazy. Stupid ball.

Will this guy finally win one? Came in 2nd last year. Had some motor issues during practice and qualified 19th but that really doesn't matter at this race. He might just drop to the back where it's safe and make a run to the front with 20 laps to go. That seems to be a trend in recent years. Go Dale Jr. Make daddy proud.

Carl Edwards continues his down streak. He's wrecked at least 3 cars already. Him and Newman wrecked in practice Wednesday. Neither one could explain what happened. Edwards wrecked in the Sprint Unlimited and the Budweiser Duel #1. Stay away from him on your fantasy league. He starts 36th. Hearing the Twilight Zone theme? I do. 

So any way, for those of you who haven't joined the NASCAR Fantasy league yet, here's the info. ESPN.com....make up your account and entry.....join a group....Checkered Past....Password : Gabbers. It's easy. I swear. 

So I hope you're all doing well. Enjoy your Sunday doing what you love. Me? It's off to breakfast and then to my parents to watch the Daytona 500. They have cable.

The past is history. The future is a mystery. GO TONY STEWART!!!!

So just like one of my cartoon favorites from the past. It's time to exit, stage left AND....

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

Howdy, good morning and good day. Welcome Gabbers, gawkers, lurkers and others to my NASCAR updates and other fast stuff. Racing may be over but there's still stuff going on. Like this poll. Rasmussen Reports poll asked Americans what their favorite sport was. Football came in first @ 53%. Baseball came in 2nd @ 11%. Hockey came in 3rd @ 6% with auto racing, soccer, tennis and golf @ 5%. Now there's nothing on  what type of football they're talking. Is it Pro or college or high school? Same with baseball. Are we talking pick up game, Pro or what? You know what? I think we should just toss out this survey because I know that racing is on more minds than a few. We racing fans lead a fast life and we're too busy to fill out surveys....... So yeah...on to some fast stuff.

PENSKE ASKS STEWART TO DO THE DOUBLE

While Roger Penske was up on the NASCAR stage at the banquet Friday night excepting his Sprint Cup trophy for his driver Keselowski winning the championship he decided to kill 2 birds with one stone. Before he gave his speech he asked where Stewart was and asked him if he was available to do The Double in 2013. 

For those of you who don't know about The Double, it's driving both the Indianapolis 500 in an Indy Car and then flying down to Charlotte, NC for the Coca Cola 600. That would be a lot of racing in one day. Stewart has done it twice. In 1999 he placed 9th @ Indy & 4th @ Charlotte. In 2001 he placed 6th @ Indy & 3rd @ Charlotte. He had a trainer for both times. Being in shape is very important if you want to drive that many laps in one day. You also have to have the weather on your side too. The schedule is already tight. If there's a rain delay it really gets tight.

Stewart finally said no even though there was an online petition to try and persuade him to do it. He sighted having to run 3 teams as being too much to add that race. His plate is full he said and besides that you can't just drop in and think your going to be competitive like in years past. He said the competition level has gone way up. He's honored but no thanks. He did say that in the future he may say yes but not now.

Funny thing is, Danica has been actively pursuing a ride to do The Double and Roger didn't ask her.....Hhhhhmmmmmm. AND speaking of Danica....

THE DANICA

With the end of the NASCAR season came the end of Danica's contract with JR Motorsports. She moves up to Cup and into SHR's garage. But she'd like to do 10 Nationwide races that are at companion tracks with the Cup races. The Nationwide Series doesn't mirror every race track the Cup Series does but the ones that both series are at on the same weekend brings opportunities to drivers for seat time. This is what she's looking for.

With her departure of the #7 in Nationwide Cole Whitt moves into it. Regan Smith moves into the #5. That leaves the #88 open for the owner Dale Jr to drive when he wants. He was willing to share with Danica but both want the same races. Fear not though. A possible option is Richard Childress Racing. They've talked to her about 8-10 races. Either she'll split seat time with Richard's grandson Ty Dillon or be in a 2nd car for research & development. Sponsorship is the key to this option though.

NEW RACE TEAM IN CUP GARAGE IN 2013

That new team would be Swan Racing. The driver would be David Stremme driving the #30 Toyota. That new owner is Brandon Davis, CEO of independent oil and gas company, Swan Energy, Inc AND a dirt modified driver in the United States Modified touring Series. He purchased the assets of Inception Racing earlier this year.

His Director of Competition will be Steve Hmiel. He comes with mucho experience. Dating back to being with The King, Richard Petty. He helped Richard win championships in 1975 & 1979. Also crew chiefed for Mark Martin from 1992 - 1996. He's been there and done that. So David won't be starting and parking next year. Good for him.

NEWMAN GETS MORE SPONSORSHIP

SHR picked up enough sponsorship dollars for 10 more races for Newman. They are Wix Filters, Outback Steakhouse, Aspen Dental and Code 3 Associates (Animal rescue & recovery in disaster areas). As you can see if you've been reading my fast stuff race teams must piece meal their sponsorship together these days. The economy is just that bad.

JEB BURTON GETS A TRUCK RIDE

That would be Ward Burton's son and Jeff Burton's nephew. He's got himself a full time ride with Turner Motorsports in the Camping World Truck series for 2 years. He'll have 2013 & 2014 to race the truck. Not the UPS truck either. Congrats to Jeb. Wonder if he talks like his dad. For those of you who don't know Ward, he was interesting to listen to in interviews. His southern draw was slow and kind of like he had marbles in his mouth. Look him up on You Tube some time.

NHRA CHAMPIONSHIPS

          Top Fuel Dragster                               Funny Car

1. Antron Brown                                     1. Jack Beckman

2. Tony Schumacher                                                      2. Ron Capps

3. Spencer Massey                                 3. Mike Neff

4. Shawn Langdon                                   4. Cruz Pendregon

5. Brandon Berstein                                5. Courney Force

           Pro Stock Motorcycle                          Pro Stock

1. Ed Krawiec                                          1. Allen Johnson

2. Andrew Hines                                      2. Jason Line

3. Hector Arana Jr                                 3. Vincent Nobile

4. Hector Arana                                      4. Erica Enders

​5. Karen Stoffer                                                             5. Greg Anderson

So that would be your top 5 in each category. Notice our fast chicks? Courtney, Erica and Karen along with Alexis De Joria  (13th in the Funny Cars) all rocked it. This calls for an air wrench salute. VVVVVVVVRRRRRRRLLLLLLLLLLLL VVVVVVVVRRRRRRRLLLLLLLL Zzzzttt Zzztttt Zzzztttt VVVVVVVVRRRRRRRRRLLLLLLLLLLL OH YEAH!!!! WOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!! CONGRATS GIRLS YOU ROCKED IT THIS YEAR!!!!!!!

INDY CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

1. Ryan Hunter - Reay in a Chevy for Micheal Andretti Racing

2. Will Power in a Chevy for Penske Racing

3. Scott Dixon in a Honda for Chip Gnassi Racing

THE YEAR OF 2112?

This year the RNRHoF is having a fan vote. Imagine that. Rush is in the lead with 24.66%. Deep Purple in 2nd with 16.67%. Other nominees are Albert King, Heart Kraftwerk and Joan Jet & the Black Hearts.

So this being 2012 and every month there was a RUSH day, (1-21-12 or 2-21-12 etc) AND so much of the fan vote on their side I REALLY think it's time for RUSH to be in the HoF. Seriously now. Come on. RUSH RUSH RUSH RUSH RUSH RUSH RUSH

It would be beddy bye time for me. The computer or the site is desperately trying to boot me out and I'm just plain tired. So I bid you adieu and I'll see you...on the flip side. Enjoy your Sunday. That's what it's for or racing and football wouldn't be scheduled on it.

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

Hey there, good morning and good day to all the Gabbers, gawkers, lurkers and others among you. Welcome to my NASCAR update. As of 6pm a storm was about to hit Richmond, VA. All drivers were ordered back to their haulers after the drivers meeting because, rain and high winds were expected. This will either delay the start of the race or it will be rescheduled for Sunday. The suspense to see who gets the wild card spots is beginning to build. Besides that we have driver changes, sponsor woes, and rule reminders.

DRIVERS ON THE MOVE

Joey Logano - This young man is trotting off to Penske Racing to drive the #22 Shell-Penzoil Ford in 2013. His stable mate will be Brad Keselowski in the #2 Miller Lite Ford. Penske is switching over to Ford next year. Joey brings his youth and a squeaky clean image with him to Penske. After enduring Kurt Busch's verbal tirades and the embarrassment of AJ Allmendingers failed drug test Joey's image is a welcome change. His character is already proven.

Joey wanted to stay at Joe Gibbs Racing but when they signed another driver that left Joey without a sponsor. He was offered a fulltime ride in the lower Nationwide series and limited Sprint Cup starts but that was not what he wanted. Brad Keselowski called Joey and told him should put his name in for that ride and he did. So on Tuesday it was announced he got the ride.

Joey is looking forward to working with Brad, having a bigger say in building his cars and the opportunities at Penske Racing. He said,"I weighed all my options and made it clear (to Joe Gibbs) that I wanted a fulltime Cup ride. When this opportunity came up, it seemed like a perfect match."

Penske has not dumped Sam Hornish. He will finish out the last 11 races in the #22 as well as his duties in the Nationwide series. He's still in the running for a championship in the Nationwide. Ideally Penske wants to get more sponsorship to build a 3rd team in Cup so Hornish could be in it but if not he will keep his fulltime Nationwide ride in 2013.

Matt Kenseth - On Tuesday when Matt was introduced at the Joe Gibbs Racing Headquarters as the 2013 driver of the #20 Home Depot - Dollar General Toyota he came in and yelled "SURPRISE!!!!" This was funny because it was the worst kept secret in the NASCAR garage. 

Matt says he's still going to be very committed to winning a championship in the #17 that he drives for Roush-Fenway Racing. He doesn't see himself as a lame duck at all. He sits 3rd in the points right now so I'd say he's committed.

He also is looking forward to his move to JGR and to working with Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. He feels they're both winners and will keep the pressure on him to perform.

Denny sees it as a win win for all at JGR. He says Matt knows what he wants in a car and knows how to ask for it. He feels that now that Matt is coming that there will be no excuses that all 3 drivers can't be in the Chase next year. He is willing to step aside to let Matt lead them there.

Kyle is sorry to see Joey leave but has no problem working with Matt. Unless of course they're going for a championship on the last lap at Homestead that is.

Ryan Newman - Got a contract extension for one more year at SHR. When asked if he took a pay cut to stay he said that ticket prices have been adjusted so everything has been adjusted. No word on a sponsor yet but Ryan is confident Sponsors will be found. He's guessing a lot of them.

Ryan started his career at Penske Racing in the #12 in 2002. He beat Jimmie Johnson for rookie of the year honors. It was thought at one point that Ryan would go after the #22 ride when Stewart told him he could look at other options because of sponsorship issues. Looks like Ryan wants to stay at SHR. 

SPONSORSHIP WOES

Tony Stewart - It was announced this week that Office Depot would not be the primary sponsor on the #14 car of Tony Stewart next year. Office Depot has 22 races and Mobile 1 has 16. Mobile 1 plans to keep the 16 races in 2013.

Mindy Kramer,Senior Director of Communications for Office Depot said,"The changing business landscape warrants a realignment of priorities and resources. That being said, Tony Stewart has been an excellent ambassador for our brand and he has gone over and beyond in everything he has done for our company. Being a part of his legendary 2011 championship run was a moment of tremendous pride for everyone at Office Depot."

Talks are ongoing to on both sides to reach a deal that maybe Office Depot could be on the car in a lesser capacity. Tony has painted his winged Sprint dirt cars with Office Depot - Mobile 1 - Coca cola logos as a freebie to his sponsors. This is just one example of how Tony has gone over and beyond for his sponsors.

DUPONT IS SELLING NOT TRADING PAINT

Well they do that all the time but in early 2013 they will be selling the Dupont Performance Coatings division for $5 Billion in a cash deal to Carlyle Group. A global asset management firm.

Dupont plans to retain te rights to the Dupont oval logo. All employees of the sold portion will become employees of of the new company under Carlyle.

Dupont plans to move out of oil based products and into advancing agriculture, nutrition and renewable resources. Wonder if this means they're going to grow corn, make ethanol and replace Sunoco as the fuel of choice for NASCAR races? Certainly sounds that way.

LOWES IS A GIVER

Lowes is giving $133,000 to The American Red Cross for Hurricane Isaac disaster relief. Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports plan to add an additional $48,000 to that.

If you would like to help out, Lowes will be taking donations at the cash registers at all Lowes locations. To date Lowes and their customers have donated $23 Million to The American Red Cross for disaster relief.

NASCAR RULE REMINDER

Starting at Chicagoland Speedway, it will be mandated that the truck trailing arm front mounting bushing assembly will not allow more than a 1/4" of movement in either direction. This means that the moving rear axle is now banned. Teams were experimenting with this grey area in the rule books and NASCAR while watching. Some teams got a distinct advantage as the rear moved with the front of the car to allow better turning. The #27 team of Paul Menard went a bit too far and was penalized heavily. NASCAR feared for Menards safety as well as other drivers and felt it's time to step in and remind the teams of the tolerances and that changes to the 2013 rule book are coming to address this.

Kohn Darby of NASCAR said," This doesn't change any rules that we've already had. It reconfirms how far the teams can go with their rear suspension set ups. Teams have found that with a car's rear axle steer more is better as it helps with aero and gets the cars through the corners faster. We are just reminding the teams what the limitations are and that they can not go past these limitations. We will likely address this further in our 2013 rule book."

ON TO THE CHASE

We have 5 drivers with one win and 1 driver with 2 wins who are between 10th and 20th place. Kasey Kahne has 2 wins so he definitely has a Chase spot. If Tony Stewart knocks himself out of the 10th spot he's still in but he won't get the bonus points for the 3 wins he has. Bonus points are for the drivers in the top ten. If your getting a wild card spot then the wins are your payment to be in the Chase.

Jeff Gordon - He needs a win or he needs for Kyle Busch to finish 13 points or more behind him. He said if he's first coming to the checkers and Kyle is in 2nd he knows what's coming next and is ok with it. He says he's treating this like it IS the championship. 

Kyle Busch - He has to win or score 13 or more points than Jeff Gordon. He says it's every man for himself. If you don't make the Chase your just another car making circles.

Ryan Newman - For Ryan at this point, he has to win and Gordon & Busch have to have bad luck. He says he'll be racing clean even though he has to win this race.

Marcos Ambrose  - The Aussie is just plain honored to even be in the running for a wild card. He says he'll do everything he can and hope to be there at the end.

Paul Menard - He to win and hope for mayhem to take out Gordon and Busch. Just happy to be there.

Carl Edwards - Carl has no wins and he needs a MIRACLE. In fact he said he'll take what he can get. He hopes for rain delays, oil on the track, crazy cautions, drivers going four wide into turn 1 and cars running out of fuel. Whatever it takes. This sounds like a job for Mayhem or a car load of evil clowns.

So we shall see. Will there be a race tonight or will it be rescheduled for Sunday afternoon? With the rain coming it will wash all the rubber off the track. Hamlin said on Twitter that he felt we were going to have a tire management race. I'm looking forward to one like what Carl wants. So I guess I got to go see if it's delayed or rescheduled.

Hope your Sunday NFL viewing is all you hoped for. I plan to watch my Steelers. GO STEELERS!!!!  Better get my pom poms ready.

Have an awesome day and thanks for stopping by......

Hey there and good morning Gabbers, gawkers, lurkers and others. Come on over here and welcome to my NASCAR update. Thought I'd talk about last Saturday nights Bristol race. Despite the owner Bruton Smith grinding down the track surface in the top groove to try and bunch the guys up, it was a better race than expected. I watched the modifieds, trucks and Nationwide cars leading up to Saturday nights race and they were rather boring. I really thought Bruton had ruined the track and the Cup race would be a snoozefest. WRONG.

HELMET TOSS IS ALL PROS NO CONS

I'm sure that many of you watched the Stewart helmet toss replay from all 3 camera angles many times. I heard ESPN was even critiquing Stewarts toss. The fans loved it. NASCAR evidently did too because they didn't give Stewart a fine or penalty but then again they didn't give Elliot Sadler or Geoff Bodine fines for their helmet toss incidents either. You have to admit that Stewarts was the best. It was 2 handed and landed squarely on the windshield. 

The victim Matt Kenseth even thought it was cool. He said,"I think the fans loved the helmet toss. I thought that was cool too~~although I wish it wasn't being tossed at me."

Jimmie Johnson thought it was ok to have some Jerry Springer in the sport and that people love a train wreck that's why they watch reality tv.

Dale Earnhardt Jr's thoughts....."I know what made the sport popular when I was young were the colorful drivers. What was interesting to me was knowing the people driving the cars and knowing how one guy was more brash or boastful. Then you had who was quiet and humble. Those kind of dynamics made the race more interesting. I think we all realize that's kind of our bread and butter when it comes to the fan base."

So then Danica had her run in with Regan Smith who apologized later for putting Danica out of the race. She had this to say..."I think what matter is the fans love it. They were cheering like heck for me to go up the track and do something awesome.....I was just glad I didn't give him the finger. That's what I was going to do and I heard that was a fine. I'm glad I had a epiphany at the last second to point my finger instead of raising the middle one." 

Apparently she likes her helmet more than Stewart likes his. Simpson gives Stewart an allotment of helmets every year. 

Stewart said that multiple charities have asked for the helmet to auction it off. He hasn't asked for it back yet and nobody from NASCAR has offered it. He says he'd give it to charity if he had it but wouldn't mind if it ended up in the Hall of Fame either. 

Stewart had this to say about the helmet toss....."Every other sport gets a cool-off period. Every sport you get time to calm down. Our deal is a little different. We don't have that. It's not like one play is a bad play and you get to another play. The bad deal for us is (if we crash) we are done for the day. That is where it'd different."

Stewart on meeting with Kenseth Friday morning to clear things up......"We are fine. We have too much to do the last 10 weeks to be worrying about each other. Like we've always said, there are 43 people there and they are not always going to agree on the track at the same time. The big thing is getting it done and over now."

So there you have it. I think if Stewart had done that during the race instead of during a caution lap it would've been a different story with NASCAR. The fans were wild when Danica started walking up the track as well. They thought as I thought that we were going to get a two for. Sadly she only shook her finger. So I ask you Gabbers........Is logical thinking allowed in sports? Danica clearly had a dialog going on in her head about the consequences if she were to show Regan some love. But she chose not too because of the possible fine and penalty. Us chicks are money conscience. Get a fine and there goes the money for that cool pair of shoes you saw on sale on line the other day. Stewart on the other hand said screw it. I'm pissed. Kenseth is getting it....KA-THUNK......I'm thinking love is in the air. What do you think?

DOWN TO THE WIRE

Yup. There are 2 more races till the 12 Chase participants are decided.

STEWART has 3 wins but due to his blind fury at Bristol he dropped to 10th. He'll still be in the Chase as nobody in 11th thru 20th has 3 wins BUT as a wild card he doesn't get the bonus points those 3 wins provide him. So he needs to keep his helmet on and his hands on the steering wheel for the next 2 races. He starts on the pole on Sunday. Good place to be.

KYLE  BUSCH in in 13th but has a win. this gives him wild card #2. A win at Atlanta this week or Richmond keeps him there.

KASEY KAHNE is in 11th with the #1 wild card and 2 wins. He's 16 points out of 10th so Stewart better put the pedal to the metal and finish ahead of Kahne to keep that 10th place.

CARL EDWARDS is last years runner up in the Chase and finds himself in a dire situation. He's in 12th but no wins and only 5 points ahead of Kyle so one win gets him Kyles wild card. 

JEFF GORDON is in 14th and 16 points under Kyle. Both Kyle and Jeff have been snake bit all year. They've struggled with equipment issues and luck that stole their wins or just plain wrecked them. He needs to win this race and next weeks race to get in. No ifs ands or buts. Win win or no go.

RYAN NEWMAN had Juan Montoya take him out last week. They were fighting like it was the last lap like bulls in a china closet will do. They are 2 of a kind. He now sits in 15th but he has a win. If Kyle has issues and Gordon doesn't win then Newman still has a chance.

Point holders as they are now.....1. Greg Biffle 849 ...2. Jimmie Johnson 838...3. Dale Earnhardt Jr 834...4Matt Kenseth 823...5. Martin Truex Jr 797...6. Clint Bowyer 794...7. Brad Keselowski 790...8. Denny Hamlin 774...9. Kevin Harvick 767...10. Tony Stewart 746...11. Kasey Kahne 730...12. Carl Edwards 712...13. Kyle Busch....14. Jeff Gordon 691....15. Ryan Newman 688

HOT-LANTA

It's Atlanta Motor Speedway for the AdvoCare 500 @ 6pm today. It's 325 laps for 501 miles on a 1.54 mile track. Slippy as hell too. You'll get one great lap on a fresh set of tires. Two if you're lucky. It's hot, muggy, slippery and an engine eating track as well. So manage your tires, manage your motor temps, and manage your temper. This is one track that you race the track not the other drivers. Sounds odd but I can't explain it any other way. There are 5 guys on the bubble to make the Chase. My money is on Kahne and Newman. 

ALLMENDINGER SAGA

AJ may be going back to Indy Car. He's been offered a ride and I should've written it down but I didn't. Seems NASCAR says AJ won't be done with the Road To Recovery program as soon as he thought. Since Indy Car doesn't care about NASCAR policy he can drive there. I hope he gets his act together. Nice guy but a real bone headed move on his part.

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF DEEP PURPLES MACHINE HEAD

That's right kids. A compilation CD will be released featuring Santana, The Flaming Lips, Chicken foot, Bonamassa, Metallica, Zak Wilde, Joe Elliot, and a few others. I went to BLABBERMOUTH.NET and was looking up Queensryche's lead singer knife incident and Great Whites, Jack Russell health melt down when I spotted this new release. Watched a half hour promo and everything sounded great. And for you KISS fans, there's a new release coming on Oct 16th called Monster. 

So this is a very short update this week but I had family issues to attend to. Seems every one here at the Gab is being swamped with family issues, injuries or commitments. Life really does come at you fast. Did anyone notice the spell check isn't working? I love that feature. Despite the fact that I dump my cache and history daily the Gab loads extremely slow. I'm hoping it doesn't drop this blog. Crossing my fingers no and wishing all of you a great Labor Day filled with the best your or your friends grill has to offer.

Thanks for stopping by.........