Guest Column By Cathy Elliott

Both Mother’s Day and Memorial Day fall in the month of May, so our thoughts naturally turn toward home and loved ones and spending time with the family. Now, I don’t know about you, but my own family gatherings involve a fair amount of teasing and tattling, along with a few side trips down memory lane, invariably prefaced by the words, “Remember when … ”

Like most families, mine would embark on summer vacations to exotic locales like Disneyworld or “somewhere up in the mountains”. Separated in age by only a couple of years, my brother and I dutifully did our part to carry on the time-honored tradition of siblings across the country and the world, as we tried our level best to pummel one another to pieces in the car on the way to wherever we were going.

Scott would punch me in the shoulder, and I’d bite him; he would kick me in the shin, and I’d return the favor by relieving him of a handful of his hair. (Yes, I admit it. I fight like a girl, due to the fact that I am one.)

Before we had logged many miles or sustained any serious injuries, my mom would turn around in the front seat and give us The Glare. You know the one; it burns through your skull like Superman’s X-ray vision cuts through metal safes, bank vault doors and flank steak.

Then she would utter one of those customized mom phrases, immediately recognizable by the fact that each word is followed by a period: Roger. Scott. Best. Catherine. Elaine. Best. Do. Not. Make. Me. Come. Back. There.

When dealing with mothers, the absence of a contraction is ominous, especially when accompanied by the use of your full given name.

NASCAR has a comprehensive rule book. It governs participation in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series by spelling out the sport’s can/can’t clauses in black and white (and yes, it is read all over). As new situations arise in racing, the rule book evolves accordingly.

I have long suspected that new moms are armed with a rule book of their own. When they leave the hospital, they’re packing something more than an infant wrapped in pink or blue. It is a built-in handbook containing key phrases legally allowed to be used only by mothers, and it grows and evolves into fluency right along with the child.

This begins during the toddler stage: “Don’t put that in your mouth; you don’t know where it’s been!”

It really starts to gain some steam in the pre-pubescent years: “What did you just say? Where did you hear that word? Let me hear that again and I’ll be washing your mouth out with soap.”

Full speed is achieved with teenagers: “Am I talking to a brick wall? What part of ‘No’ don’t you understand?”

NASCAR is often described as a family, and when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch were racing for the win in Richmond in early May, the incident did indeed start to resemble a couple of squabbling siblings. He’s on my side of the track! It wasn’t my fault! He started it!

(Quick recap: Earnhardt and Busch were racing side-by-side for the lead during the final laps of the race when their cars “got together”. Earnhardt, the leader at the time, spun out as a result of the incident. It cost him what looked like a certain victory. His fans didn’t take it well, to put it mildly.)

The NASCAR rule book didn’t come into play in this particular case as the incident was chalked up to what Dale Earnhardt Sr. would have called “just one of those racin’ deals.”

The mom rule book, on the other hand, is always in action where the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is concerned, with pages flying so fast and furiously the entire volume is subject to spontaneously combust at any given moment.

It begins with the usual pre-race admonitions: “Remember, it’s all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. And be sure to wear clean underwear in case you get caught up in an accident.”

NASCAR is a sport where retaliation violates the rule book, but sometimes it happens anyway. Moms have their own way of dealing with this type of behavior: “If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you go with them? What is wrong with you? Were you born in a barn?”

Dust-ups on the track can result in some contentious behavior, prompting Mom to offer this sage advice: “Stop picking at that. It’ll get infected. Don’t make me tell you again.”

In the heat of the moment, particularly during post-event interviews, the mouth displays a certain tendency to race ahead of the brain.

The fine art of speechmaking has been perfected by mothers over the course of many centuries, so they’re more than happy to clue drivers in on the proper way to behave when a microphone is shoved into their face: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Not another word out of you, young man!”

During races, if drivers behaved as if their moms were riding shotgun, I would venture to guess that NASCAR and the FCC would be very happy and altercations would be virtually eliminated. In fact, I’m going to strongly suggest to NASCAR’s superstars that they give this method a shot during the long, hot summer months to come.

Why? Because I said so, that’s why.

convert this post to pdf.

Tony Stewart celebrates his first career win at Darlington Raceway as the No. 20 NASCAR Nationwide Series team goes to victory lane for the sixth time this season

Nationwide Series Darlington Unofficial Results

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 9, 2008) — In a war of attrition, Tony Stewart beat Nationwide Series points leader Clint Bowyer to the finish line by .815 seconds to win the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Friday night at Darlington Raceway.

In a two-lap, green-white-checkered-flag dash to the finish, Stewart pulled away from Bowyer, who had inherited second position after a six-car wreck wiped out half the top 10 with three laps left in the regulation distance of 147 laps.

David Reutimann edged Todd Bodine for fourth, and Steve Wallace beat teammate David Stremme for fifth.

Stewart won for the fourth time in six Nationwide starts this year and for the sixth time in his career. It was the eighth Nationwide win in 12 races this season for Joe Gibbs Racing drivers.

“It’s this team behind us and this team at Joe Gibbs Racing,” Stewart said. “We just took it easy in the beginning and tried to bide our time and take care of the car and take care of the tires and have something for them when we came to the end.”

After Mark Martin stalled in the second position on a restart with three laps remaining, triggering a six-car wreck, NASCAR stopped the race for cleanup before Stewart led the field to the green-white-checkered on Lap 148.

With 46 laps left in the race, Matt Kenseth led Stewart by more than two seconds, but Kenseth came to the pits on Lap 121, complaining that his wheels were chattering. The crew changed four tires and sent Kenseth back on the track, but Kenseth wrecked in Turn 4 on Lap 128 trying to catch the first car one lap down.

“They told me the lucky dog was in Turn 1, and I was in Turn 4,” Kenseth said. “I was driving way over my head trying to catch him.”

Stewart led the field to the restart with 13 laps left and stretched his advantage over Martin to more than one second, but David Ragan spun and pounded the Turn 2 wall on Lap 138 to bring out the seventh caution of the race and set up the restart on Lap 145. That’s when Martin’s engine sputtered, setting up the green-white-checkered finish.

Polesitter Carl Edwards, who entered the race second in the series standings, chose to start on the outside of Bowyer, the second-place qualifier, but may have regretted that decision after scraping the wall while battling with Bowyer on the opening lap.

On Lap 2, Edwards’ race ended prematurely when his No. 60 Ford blew the right front tire and smacked the Turn 3 wall.

“They dropped the green, and I was ready to race,” said the defending series champion, who finished 43rd as the first car out. “I got loose and hit the wall. I guess I cut a tire down. . . That was a bad mistake, and I learned my lesson there.”

Notes: Part-time Nationwide Series driver Denny Hamlin, who was fastest in the final two practice sessions, slammed into the outside wall during his first qualifying lap Friday and failed to make the race. . . Kyle Busch, who was shuffled back in the running order after a pit stop on Lap 87, lost a chance to take over the points lead from Bowyer when he tangled with Brad Keselowski on Lap 102 and careened into the Turn 1 wall. He finished 31st.

convert this post to pdf.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

New Pavement, Relatively New Tradition Sets Darlington Stage
In 2005, NASCAR took a chance – and it paid off. Having always avoided scheduling NASCAR Sprint Cup races on Mother’s Day weekend, the sanctioning body shifted gears and shifted the annual Sprint race at Darlington Raceway to the Saturday night before Mother’s Day – under the lights, no less.
Here’s what happened: The power of the Darlington tradition spilled over and created a new tradition, as the new date instantly became a hit with fans.

For this year’s Dodge Challenger 500, those fans will see a 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval – called the “Lady In Black” – that’s received a facelift, in the form of new pavement.  Newer means faster in this case, apparently. In recent Goodyear tire tests, some cars were clocked unofficially at 200 mph at the end of the track’s backstretch.

The repaving was part of a package of improvements totaling $10 million – the largest one-time investment in the 50-year history of the storied South Carolina facility. In addition to the new racing surface, several other enhancements were made with driver and crew safety in mind including the addition of SAFER barrier walls to the interior frontstretch and backstretch concrete walls and extending the length of each pit box by one foot. The addition of a new infield access tunnel in Turn 3 will also allow emergency vehicles to easily enter and exit the infield area of the track.
 
Throwback Man: Busch’s Take No Prisoners Show Rolls On
Kyle Busch is coming off two altercations this past weekend at Richmond.

• Late-race contact with Steven Wallace in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race followed by a helmet-to-helmet “discussion” post-race.

• Then, the next night, by a late-race spinout of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the NASCAR Sprint Cup event that drew serious ire from the fans.

En route to becoming, arguably, the most controversial driver in NASCAR, Busch has also become a championship contender. He now leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, and is third in the NASCAR Nationwide points.

Earnhardt Hanging Tough, Still 3rd In Standings
Dale Earnhardt Jr. bid to end his two-year winless streak in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition was ruined by his late-race dust-up with Kyle Busch, but for Earnhardt fans, they still have this big-picture view to enjoy:
He remains third in the series point standings, the highest for a Hendrick Motorsports driver.

Gordon Lurking – And Looking For 1st Win Of 2008
Jeff Gordon’s demise is likely being exaggerated at this stage. Another big-picture reality check shows he’s only six points out of the top 12 this week, a winless season thus far notwithstanding.

Darlington comes at a good time for Gordon. He’s the defending race champion and he has seven victories there overall – third all-time behind David Pearson (10) and Dale Earnhardt (9).

RCR: A Quiet Dominance Thus Far
 If any more proof was needed that Richard Childress Racing has indeed reclaimed its status in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the current series standings pretty much does the job

All three RCR drivers are in the top five in the series standings: Jeff Burton (2nd), Clint Bowyer (4th) and Kevin Harvick (5th).

Team owner Richard Childress is looking for his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup title. He won six with Dale Earnhardt between 1986 and ’94.

Driver Rating Shows Busch, Earnhardt 1-2
 A rivalry was born in the closing laps of Richmond – and statistics say it’s between the two strongest drivers in the series.

Busch and Earnhardt, who tangled at the close of Saturday night’s race to end Earnhardt’s chances of victory, rank first and second in the season-to-date Driver Rating.

Busch leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in Driver Rating with a 109.4; Earnhardt is close behind with a 108.7 (a perfect Driver Rating is 150.0).

The Driver Rating, a formula combing a number of Loop Data statistics, gives a clear description of how a driver’s season, or race, has played out.

During last Friday’s at-track news conferences, Jeff Burton talked about the usefulness of Driver Rating.

 “We’ve run well this year,” Burton said. “We haven’t run great this year, but we’ve run really well.  If you look at the key components that we look at…the Driver Rating thing is a pretty smart statistic to look at.  If you look at the number of laps that we’ve run in the top 10, the number of quality passes that we’ve had, all those kind of things, obviously we’re a top-five, top-six, top-seven car.  We’ve had less trouble than other people have had and therefore we’re leading the points.”

60th Anniversary Season Comes To Darlington,
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Second-Oldest Track
This season marks NASCAR’s 60th anniversary, and suffice to say Darlington Raceway has had a big-time history-making role since the sport’s 1948 inception.

Darlington is the second-oldest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule (behind only Martinsville Speedway); the track’s first race was in 1950, the second year of NASCAR’s premier series, then called Grand National.

Darlington was unique in those days – 1.25 miles and paved. Also unique: the field for the track’s first race was 75 cars and qualifying was extended over two weeks.
Immediately, the track’s “toughness” legend got underway as teams struggled with the tire problems on the extremely abrasive surface. Johnny Mantz won that event in a 1950 Plymouth.

South Carolina Natives Head Home
A number of NASCAR crewmen are returning home to South Carolina this weekend. Below is a list of some of the S.C. natives in the NASCAR garage:

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Steve Addington (Spartanburg) – No. 18 crew chief
Donnie Wingo (Spartanburg) – No. 41 crew chief
Tim Smith (Cope) – No. 41 engineer
Rudy Wade (Greer) – No. 41 engine tuner
Rodney Ashley (Indiansville) – No. 07 mechanic
Gene Cornwell (Rock Hill) – No. 5 mechanic
Bryant Noggle (Myrtle Beach) – No. 96 transporter driver
Mike Lingerfelt (Greenville) – No. 48 front tire changer
Brad Pickens (Greer) – No. 5 gas man
Jason Rogers (Florence) – No. 96 gas man
Adam Mosher (Fort Mill) – No. 41 rear tire carrier
Kevin McDowell (Myrtle Beach) – No. 16 rear tire carrier
Brett Griffin (Pageland) – No. 19 spotter
Jimmie Parrott (Taylors) – No. 5 second gas man
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Trent Owens (Darlington) – No. 32 crew chief
Chuck Johnson (Spartanburg) – No. 33 engine tuner
Manning Gregory (Spartanburg) – No. 11 front tire carrier

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

Half Of The Top 10 Are “Nationwide Only” Drivers
In this week’s NASCAR Nationwide Series standings, half of the top 10 are drivers who race only in the series and are holding their own against drivers who race both in their series and NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Mike Bliss – who drives for South Carolina-based Phoenix Racing, leads the way in fifth while Brad Keselowski, Jason Leffler, Mike Wallace and top-10 newcomer David Stremme make up positions 7-10. Stremme started out the season in 41st position and also missed a race as road-course ace Max Papis drove in Mexico City. The early championship battle remains tight – Clint Bowyer leads but Carl Edwards lurks just nine points behind in second while third-place Kyle Busch has become a factor only 12 points out of first.

South Carolina Favorite Son Jason Keller Returning To Home Track
The series’ all-time leader in starts with 433 is a native of Greenville and is in his first full season with CJM Racing – he helped start the team up last year and ran its debut race at Darlington and bringing home a 14th-place finish. He’s 14th in the standings this week, only 27 points out of 10th place – a testament to his consistency since he has yet to post a top-10 finish this year and has two DNFs.

Martin Looks to Go 2-for-2 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series
Mark Martin, the series’ all-time leader in wins (48) and poles (30) is set for his second start of the season. He won at Las Vegas in March in his last start and also owns the record for career series wins at Darlington with eight. His wins there have all come in successive races – three straight from 1993-94; two in a row in 1995-96 and a trio from 1999-2000. He was second to Denny Hamlin last year. Hamlin – who finally won at his home track at Richmond last week – has won the last two races at Darlington.

In Year 5, Rusty Wallace Racing Coming Of Age
The two full-time drivers – a first in Rusty Wallace Racing’s history –  are propelling the organization to what is shaping up to be its most consistent season. In 10th this week, David Stremme became the first driver to crack the top-10 standings for the team since Jamie McMurray in 2006. He’s posted two top fives and six top 10s in 10 races this year while young Steve Wallace seems to be hitting his stride. He registered his career-best finish – fifth – last week at Richmond and has two top-10 efforts in his last three races. Maybe there’s some good karma working for the organization this week – McMurray captured the team’s first win in 2004 at Darlington.

Mother’s Day Tradition Started With Braun Racing Sponsor
The associate sponsor of the No. 38 Toyota of Braun Racing and driver Jason Leffler, the Fraternal Order of Eagles (FOE), is recognized as being the founder of the Mother’s Day tradition. An idea by a member of FOE over 100 years ago led to Mother’s Day. Frank Hering believed a special day would provide formal recognition for mothers. In 1904, he verbalized publicly his idea of a “national day of honor for Mothers” but it would take 10 years for it to become a reality. Legislation was introduced in the U.S. Congress in 1914, requesting a presidential proclamation making the second Sunday in May Mother’s Day throughout the country. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed May 10, 1914 the first official Mother’s Day.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES

Busch Back In Trucks, On May 16
Kyle Busch, the hottest driver in NASCAR, returns to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the May 16 North Carolina Lottery Education 200. Busch is the only double winner of the event, in 2005-06, and the only Lowe’s series winner younger than 44. He was age 20 and 21.

No Home Cooking at Lowe’s, Traditionally
It’s considered a hometown race but only one North Carolina driver – Dennis Setzer of Newton – has been able to win a NASCAR Craftsman Truck event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. In fact, Setzer is one of just six natives of the Tar Heel State to win a series race. He’s scored 18 of the 30 wins by North Carolina natives.

Hornaday Atop Series Standings – And Is Defending Champion at LMS
It has taken five races but 2007 champion Ron Hornaday Jr. is back atop the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings. Hornaday, who led the first one-two finish for Kevin Harvick Inc. at Kansas Speedway on April 26, is the first defending titlist to head the points since Bobby Hamilton in 2005. He’s also the defending Lowe’s winner.

convert this post to pdf.

• RCR Trio Dominates Top Five in Standings
• Kyle Busch Takes Over Points Lead
• Darlington Raceway Features Major Facility Improvements
• South Carolinians Play Key Role In Sprint Cup Garage

RCR Heads Into Darlington With All Three Drivers In The Top Five

Richard Childress Racing’s trio of drivers dominate this week’s top five in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. And, with RCR claiming eight wins at Darlington Raceway over the years, the outlook for that organization is looking up as the series travels to the track deemed “Too Tough to Tame” for the Dodge 500 this Saturday night (FOX, 7 p.m. ET).

Clint Bowyer’s (No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet) win at Richmond International Raceway last week moved him up from seventh to fourth in the standings. Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet), the points leader for the previous four weeks, moved down a spot to second, while Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet) climbed a spot to fifth.

Bowyer and Burton (Bristol) have each posted wins this year. The three have combined to tally 18 top-10 and eight top-five finishes. Team owner Richard Childress likes the chemistry the three teams are displaying.

“I think it shows the consistency and teamwork we’re working with at RCR right now,” said Childress. “Everyone is trying to be the most competitive they can be and hopefully, have a run at The Chase and the championship. All three teams and all three drivers still have areas to improve on. We’re not resting on what we’ve accomplished at all but it is good knowing we have things headed in the right direction at this point in the season.”

Kyle Busch New Points Leader; Boasts Series-Best Driver Rating

For the second time this season, Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s/Indiana Jones Toyota) sits atop the championship point standings. Busch’s second-place showing last Saturday at Richmond marked his sixth top-five finish of the season. Busch’s 109.4 Driver Rating is best among all series drivers, as is his Average Running Position of 9.0. The Driver Rating, a formula combining a number of Loop Data statistics, gives a clear description of how a driver’s season, or race, has played out. The 23-year-old has been described by many as a “throwback” driver, as his propensity to drive the wheels off of anything he can plus his competitive demeanor on the race track has propelled him to center stage at this point of the NASCAR racing season. He heads into this week end’s action with seven victories spread across all three of NASCAR’s major series —two in NASCAR Sprint Cup, three in NASCAR Nationwide Series, and two in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Following his on-track tangle with Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet) in the closing laps of Saturday’s race at Richmond, Busch matter-of-factly said “it was just, good hard racing.”

“I mean, if I went out there on that final restart and just gave way to the No. 88 (Earnhardt Jr.), then that wouldn’t be a true race car driver,” Busch said. “So, you know, I had to do what I had to do to win for my team, to win for (my sponsors). You know, unfortunately circumstances happened.”

Kyle Busch/Dale Earnhardt Jr. Rank 1-2 In Driver Rating

Call it the “tap heard ‘round the world.”

When Kyle Busch nudged the drivers’ side door of Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Richmond Saturday night, a rivalry was born — and statistics say it’s between the two strongest drivers in the series. Busch and Earnhardt rank first and second in the season-to-date Driver Rating. Busch leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in Driver Rating with a 109.4; Earnhardt is close behind with a 108.7 (a perfect Driver Rating is 150.0). The Driver Rating, a formula combing a number of Loop Data statistics, gives a clear description of how a driver’s season, or race, has played out. During last Friday’s at-track news conferences, Jeff Burton talked about the usefulness of Driver Rating. “We’ve run well this year,” said Burton.

“We haven’t run great this year, but we’ve run really well. If you look at the key components that we look at … the Driver Rating is a pretty smart statistic to look at. If you look at the number of laps that we’ve run in the top 10, the number of quality passes that we’ve had, all of those kind of things, obviously we’re a top-five, top-six, top-seven car. We’ve had less trouble than other people have had and therefore we’re leading the points.”

For this weekend’s race at Darlington, the Driver Rating, and many other Loop Data statistics, suggest a heated battle between another two drivers—Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) and Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge). To the victor goes a top-12 spot. Gordon, in 13th place in the standings, is just six points behind 12th-place Kahne. They are neck- and-neck in a number of statistical categories over the past three Darlington races, with Gordon often holding the edge:

Driver Rating: Gordon leads Kahne 114.7 to 97.8

Average Running Position: Gordon leads Kahne 6.4 to 10.6

Fastest Laps Run: Kahne leads Gordon 55 to 50

Laps in the Top 15: Gordon leads Kahne 1,091 to 802

If those stats continue, Gordon, who has a win and two runner-up finishes over the last three Darlington races, could join the top 12 at race’s end.

Darlington Raceway Features Repave And Other Improvements

Darlington Raceway, a.k.a. the track “Too Tough to Tame,” has undergone a $10 million facelift, the largest one-time investment in the storied 50-year history of the 1.366-mile raceway. Among the enhancements include: a new racing surface; addition of SAFER barrier walls to the interior frontstretch and backstretch concrete walls and extending the length of each pit box by one foot. The addition of a new infield access tunnel in Turn 3 also provided emergency and safety vehicles easy access in and out of the infield area of the race track.

Three veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers — Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) and Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge) — participated in a pair of Goodyear tire tests in March at Darlington. Gordon is a seven-time winner at Darlington and Biffle has won twice there. All three drivers came away impressed with the new racing surface.

“The basic transitions, the banking and walls haven’t changed,” said Gordon. “The bumps are gone, the grip level is high and it’s awesome; they did a great job.”

Biffle, who won back to back races at Darlington from 2005-06, says “I’m happy with the new surface; there aren’t any bumps or dips that we noticed; I was pretty impressed with how smooth it was.”

Newman, this year’s Daytona 500 winner, says  Darlington “is the most challenging track that we have and that’s why I enjoy it the most. You always are having to adjust there.”

David Ragan, Casey Mears Double Up On Weekly Teleconference

On The Line: David Ragan (No. 6 AAA Insurance Ford) and Casey Mears (No. 5 Kellogg’s/ CARQUEST Chevrolet) fielded media questions during Monday’s weekly session, taking a break from NASCAR Sprint Cup testing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

David Ragan On The Upcoming Race At Darlington: “There certainly is a lot of anticipation from our side. My teammate, Greg Biffle, tested there a few weeks ago and said the track is really, really smooth, has a lot of speed in it, and only time will tell how the asphalt and weather is and how the tires react.”

On His Season So Far: “I’ve got to keep working on not making mistakes inside the race car. We’ve got a great pit crew that we can depend on and (crew chief) Jimmy Fennig has been making a lot of the right calls. We very easily could be eighth in points right now, or we very easily could also be 25th in points.”

Casey Mears On The New Car: “It’s a great car; it’s a safe product. We’ve put on some good races with it, but there is room for improvement. Hopefully, we can come up with a few things that make it a little bit better going into next season.”

On The Upcoming Events at Lowe’s: “As far as the (NASCAR Sprint) All-Star Race and (Coca-Cola) 600, we always look forward to that. It’s a big pride thing to win the All-Star race, and hopefully we can come back and hold our title for the 600.”

For the complete transcript, visit www.nascarmedia.com.

South Carolina Natives In The NASCAR Sprint Cup Garage

South Carolina natives abound in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage.

While no current drivers hail from the Palmetto State, there are more than a dozen crew members who call South Carolina home.

Steve Addington (Spartanburg) crew chiefs the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota driven by this week’s points leader Kyle Busch. Addington spent 15 seasons as a crew chief in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, including 11 with Jason Keller, the series’ career leader in starts and likewise a Palmetto State native (Greenville). Addington has served as crew chief for Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 car for the past four seasons. Reed Sorenson’s No. 41 Target Dodge team has four team members from South Carolina, including crew chief Donnie Wingo (Spartanburg), engineer Tim Smith (Cope), rear tire carrier Adam Mosher (Ft. Mill), and engine tuner Rudy Wade (Greer).

The No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet team with driver Casey Mears features mechanic Gene Cornwell (Rock Hill) and gas man Brad Pickens (Greer).

Two members of driver J.J. Yeley’s  No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota team are from South Carolina, including transporter driver Bryant Noggle (Myrtle Beach) and gas man Jason Rogers (Florence).

Rodney Ashley (Indiansville) serves as a mechanic for the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet driven by Clint Bowyer, last week’s winner at Richmond. Mike Lingerfelt (Greenville) is the front tire changer for two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet), while Kevin McDowell (Myrtle Beach) is the spotter for Elliott Sadler’s No. 19 McDonald’s Dodge.

Two of NASCAR’s all-time greatest drivers are from South Carolina. David Pearson (Spartanburg) won series titles in 1966, ’68-69 and also collected 105 career victories, second  only to Richard Petty’s 200. Cale Yarborough (Sardis) is the only driver to win three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships in a row (1976-78) and totaled 83 career wins—fifth all-time.

Chevrolet Maintains Slight Lead In Manufacturers’ Standings

With the victory by Clint Bowyer last Saturday night at Richmond, Chevrolet was able to increase its lead —ever so slightly — in the Manufacturers’ Championship race.

Chevrolet holds a four-point lead — 64-60 —over second-place Toyota. Ford is third with 55 points, with Dodge fourth at 41.

Each of the top three manufacturers now has three victories on the season. Chevrolet’s are spread among three drivers — Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson and Bowyer — with one win apiece. Toyota is led by Kyle Busch with two and Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota) with one. Ford’s three victories have all come from Carl Edwards (No. 99 Claritin Ford).

Dodge’s one win was certainly significant — as Ryan Newman won the season-opening Daytona 500.

It’s all a reflection of this year ’s mix of winners and close competition.

Chevrolet drivers have won 37 times at Darlington Raceway, including last year’s victory by Jeff Gordon. Ford drivers have visited Victory Lane 28 times at Darlington, including consecutive wins by Greg Biffle (2005-06), while Dodge has captured five wins there.

Rick Hendrick’s Chevrolet teams have won 12 times at Darlington, the most of any car owner. Richard Childress Racing, likewise a Chevrolet team, is second among active owners, with eight victories at Darlington.

NASCAR’s 60th Anniversary: Darlington Series’ Second-Oldest Track

This season marks NASCAR’s 60th anniversary and suffice to say, Darlington Raceway has had a big-time history-making role through the years.

Darlington is the second-oldest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule (behind only Martinsville Speedway). The track’s first race was in 1950; the second year of NASCAR’s premier series, then called Grand National.

Darlington was unique in those days — 1.25 miles and paved. Also unique: the field for the track’s first race was 75 cars and qualifying extended over two weeks. Immediately, the track’s “toughness” legend emerged as teams struggled with tire problems on the extremely abrasive surface. Johnny Mantz won the first event in 1950, driving a Plymouth.

South Carolina native David Pearson leads all drivers with 10 wins at Darlington, followed by Dale Earnhardt with nine. Jeff Gordon is third with seven victories. Pearson is the all-time pole winner with 12.
   
The Top 35: The No. 22 Toyota Jumps Up Three Spots And Inches Towards Top 35

The No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota, driven by Dave Blaney and owned by Bill Davis, was the biggest mover and shaker last week in the battle for the top 25.

Each week, the top 35 teams are guaranteed starting spots, with those outside the top 35 required to qualify on time.

Thanks to an 18th-place finish at Richmond, the No. 22 Toyota climbed three spots to 36th in the owners’ point standings and is 71 points behind the 35th place car—the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge — owned by Roger Penske and driven by Sam Hornish Jr.

The No. 41 Target Dodge, owned by Chip Ganassi and driven by Reed Sorenson, moved up two spots from 32nd to 30th in the standings, as a result of a 12th place finish at Richmond.

The No. 40 Dodge Challenger Dodge, with owner Felix Sabates, fell three spots from 36th to 39th. Regular driver Dario Franchitti has been sidelined with a fractured left ankle since Talladega. Veteran Sterling Marlin will attempt to qualify the car this weekend at Darlington.

Just 48 points separate the 30th and 35th spots in the owner points standings. There is a six-point difference between 30th and 31st (No. 00 Toyota owned by Rob Kaufmann and driven by Michael McDowell) and a seven-point difference between 32nd (No. 44 UPS Toyota driven by David Reutimann and owned by Michael Waltrip) and 33rd (No. 55 NAPA Toyota driven and owned by Michael Waltrip). Just one point separates Waltrip’s No. 55 Toyota from the 34th place car — the No. 01 Principal Financial Group/DEI Chevrolet, owned by Teresa Earnhardt and driven by Regan Smith.

One Final Look

NASCAR Day: NASCAR Day (May 16) is just over one week away and fans can make their donations by calling 1-888-MAY16TH (1-888-629-1684) or using their Sprint wireless phone and pledging their support to the Telethon by texting their email addresses to 81714.

This weekend, The NASCAR Foundation will donate 50% of the funds raised from donations collected at Darlington Raceway to McLeod Health Foundation in Florence, S.C. Fans can also support the NASCAR Day initiative by making their $5 donation on www.nascar.com/nascarday and bid on several larger than life items as part of the NASCAR Day online auction. On Friday, May 16, The NASCAR Foundation will hold the second annual NASCAR Day Telethon at the Sam Bass Gallery in Concord. A number of NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide drivers are scheduled to participate.

Mother’s Day Weekend At Darlington: For the fourth straight year, NASCAR races at Darlington on Mother’s Day Weekend. As a special tribute, many of the drivers invite their mothers to the race, walk across stage with them during pre-race introductions and have their mothers say in unison, the most famous words in motorsports — ”Sons, start your engines.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup Teams Test At Lowe’s: Forty-eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams participated in a two-day test at the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Monday and Tuesday. Not originally on the list of NASCAR-sanctioned tests for 2008, this week’s session helped teams prepare for back-to-back events at Lowe’s later this month, plus the 15 remaining events at 1.5-mile  layouts. Teams are running their first full season with NASCAR’s new car, and this week’s test was a data-gathering and research boon. The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is May 17, followed by the 49th annual Coca-Cola 600 on May 25.

“The first thing that comes to mind is watching the track widen already,” said two-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson. “I think it’s a good sign for us when we come back. We will see a lot of side-by-side racing. There is a middle lane right now that a lot of cars are running.”

Up Next: The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race

Next on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule is the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Saturday, May 17 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The non-championship points event gets underway with the Sprint Showdown (two 20 lap segments) at 7:30 p.m. The top-two finishers in the Sprint Showdown will also qualify for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race which gets underway at 9 p.m. The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is divided into four, 25-lap segments. A minimum $1 million will be awarded to the race winner.

Kevin Harvick is the defending All-Star race winner. Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) won last year’s Sprint Showdown.

Dale Jarrett (No. 44 UPS Toyota) will be making his final career start. Jarrett officially retired from the series this past March following the race at Bristol.

The fourth annual NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge Presented by Craftsman kicks off All-Star  week in Charlotte. That competition is scheduled for Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at the Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Race: Dodge Challenger 500
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Saturday, May 10
The Time: 7:20 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 1.366-mile oval
The Distance: 501 miles/367 laps
TV: FOX, 7 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
2007 Winner: Jeff Gordon
2007 Polesitter: Clint Bowyer
2008 Points
 Driver  Points
 1 Kyle Busch           1,495
 2 Jeff Burton             1,477
 3 Dale Earnhardt Jr.  1,391
 4 Clint Bowyer          1,372
 5 Kevin Harvick         1,350
 6 Denny Hamlin        1,349
 7 Jimmie Johnson     1,318
 8 Tony Stewart         1,297
 9 Greg Biffle             1,269
10 Carl Edwards        1,230
11 Ryan Newman      1,212
12 Kasey Kahne        1,162
Pre-Race Schedule: Thursday—Practice, 4:30-5:30 p.m.; 7-8 p.m.; Friday—Practice, 12-1:30 p.m.; Final Practice, 2-3 p.m.; Qualifying, 5:15 p.m.

convert this post to pdf.

Bliss, Keller Lead Teams Home To Darlington Raceway
JGR Winner Of Last Five Races; Hamlin Two Straight At Darlington
Rusty Wallace Racing Finding Solid Footing In 2008

Happy Returns At Darlington For Phoenix Racing, Bliss; Keller, CJM

Veteran drivers Mike Bliss (No. 1 Miccosukee Resorts Chevrolet) and Jason Keller (No. 11 America’s Incredible Pizza Co. Chevrolet) collectively have over 25 years of NASCAR Nationwide Series racing under their belts.

But regardless of their experience, there’s still plenty that excites them. And Friday night’s Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at one of NASCAR’s most famous tracks – Darlington Raceway – is the rule rather than the exception.

Added to the thrill of racing under the lights at the newly-paved, egg-shaped oval for Bliss and Keller are their circumstances, each with South Carolina as a centerpiece.

Bliss drives for long-time series owner James Finch, whose Phoenix Racing operation is based in Spartanburg.

Among five NASCAR Nationwide Series-only drivers in the top 10 in the standings, Bliss and Finch’s No. 1 Chevy are fifth – the highest ranking among those drivers.

Keller is a native son from Greenville and has etched his name in the series record book as the all-time leader in starts. He comes to Darlington with 433.

Keller’s return is also an anniversary for his CJM Racing team. The organization made its debut at Darlington last year where Keller brought the No. 11 car home 14th.

“It’s really amazing to think how far this team has come in a year,” Keller said. “Since then, we’ve gone from a limited team to a full-blown Nationwide Series team. I guess you could say it’s our one-year anniversary and what a great track to have that happen at.

“(Personally), it’s considered my hometown track so there is a level of excitement at Darlington that I don’t have anywhere else.”

Hamlin’s Turn: Two-Time Defending Winner Rides Emotional Wave

If Denny Hamlin (No. 18 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota) wasn’t an excitable guy in the past, this last week surely has changed his demeanor.

After winning his first race of the season at his home track of Richmond International Raceway last Friday night, the native of Chesterfield, Va., rides that emotional wave into Darlington where he’s won the last two races – each from the pole – at the 1.366-mile “Lady in Black.”

Hamlin will be making his 100th career start in the series at Darlington – the track where he made his series debut in November 2004, finishing eighth.

That start was in the No. 18 car for Joe Gibbs Racing, his only start in that ride until Friday night.

Although Clint Bowyer (No. 2 BB&T Chevrolet) leads the series driver standings, it’s JGR that leads the owner standings thanks to a five-race winning streak by the team. 

“I’m excited to get back with the 18 guys since they were the team to give me my first series start back in 2004 at this very race track,” Hamlin said.  “The core group of guys that were with me then are still a part of that team, so it’s going to be special to be back with them at Darlington.”

Storylines

RWR Coming Of Age In Year Five

With two full-time drivers for the first time in its history, both are propelling Rusty Wallace Racing to what is shaping up to be its most consistent season.

In 10th place this week, David Stremme (No. 64 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet) became the first driver to crack the top-10 standings for the team. He’s posted two top fives and six top 10s in 10 races this year. Max Papis drove the No. 64 in Mexico City.

Meanwhile, young Steve Wallace (No. 66  Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet) seems to be hitting his stride. He registered his career-best finish – fifth – last week at Richmond and has two top-10 efforts in his last three races.

Maybe there’s some good karma working  this week – Jamie McMurray captured the team’s first win in 2006 at Darlington.

Anyone See A Pattern Here?

Mark Martin (No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet), the series’ all-time leader in wins (48) and poles (30) is set for his second start of the season for JR Motorsports. He won at Las Vegas in March in his only other 2008 start.

Speaking of series records, Martin also owns the mark for career wins and poles at Darlington, eight of each. He’s won three of his last five series races at the track and was second to Denny Hamlin last year. He was fourth in 2006.

His wins there have all come in successive races – three straight from 1993-94; two in a row in 1995-96 and a trio from 1999-2000.

Another Split Title In The Offing?

It’s happened twice before in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, most recently last year when the driver and owner championships were split decisions.

This year may be more of the same.

Clint Bowyer leads the driver standings by a scant nine points over defending driver champion Carl Edwards (No. 60 Scotts Water Smart Ford) and is 12 points ahead of Kyle Busch (No. 32 Beringer Vineyards Toyota).  But it’s the No. 20 Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing with the edge in the owner standings.

JGR is 107 points ahead of the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevy, which is in second place.

Tony Stewart (three wins in 2008) will drive the No. 20 Old Spice Toyota at Darlington.
 
In The Loop: Red-Hot Hamlin Has Eyes On Darlington “Three-Peat”

Denny Hamlin fulfilled a life-long goal last week, entering Victory Lane at his home track, Richmond International Raceway. Now he’ll go for three wins in a row at historic Darlington, a track he’s dominated the past two years.

During last year’s win, Hamlin notched a near-perfect Driver Rating of 146.6 (a perfect rating is 150.0). And over the last two Darlington races, Hamlin has had an Average Running Position inside the top four – he had a 2.9 in 2006 and a 3.7 last season.

Hamlin has finished inside the top 10 in each of his four Darlington races and over the past three, owns series-high numbers in average Driver Rating (122.8), Average Running Position (5.6) and Laps in the Top 15 (98.4%). He ranks second in Fastest Laps Run with 41.

Threatening Hamlin for this weekend’s win could be Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Citifinancial Ford) – the last driver not named Hamlin to win at Darlington. Kenseth, who conquered Darlington in both 1999 and 2005, has run just three series races this season to the tune of a win and two top-five finishes.

Over the last three races, Kenseth has a Darlington Driver Rating of 117.1, an Average Running Position of 8.3 and a series-high total Fastest Laps Run (45).

Also watch for two series-only regulars to run up front – Jason Leffler (No. 32 Great Clips Toyota) and Kenny Wallace (No. 28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevrolet).

Leffler has finished in the top 10 in each of the last two Darlington races and has scored a Driver Rating of 104.8 and Average Running Position of 10.2 during that span.

Wallace may open some eyes as well. He has run 22 Darlington races in the series, finishing in the top 10 in eight of them. He finished second to Kenseth in 2005, notching a Driver Rating of 125.7 and an Average Running Position 3.1.

Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Under The Lights On ESPN2

ESPN2 will have live, prime-time coverage of the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 – presented by The Coleman Company – Friday beginning at 7 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. The telecast also airs in high definition on ESPN2 HD and will be simulcast on ESPN360.com.  

Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Andy Petree. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits, while two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center. 

Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, in the ESPN pit studio.  

Matt Kenseth, who has two series wins at Darlington among his 24 career victories (tied for fifth all-time with Tommy Houston), will join the ESPN coverage team as In-Race Reporter, talking to Wallace on the pace laps and during caution periods.

NNS Etc.

• Richard Childress Racing has earned a NASCAR Nationwide Series victory at 23 of the 26 tracks on the 2008 schedule. The only tracks on the current schedule where RCR hasn’t earned wins are Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Darlington Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway.
  
• Three drivers ranked in the top 10 have managed their standing despite differences in laps led after the first 11 races of the year.

  Mike Wallace (No. 7 GEICO Toyota) has completed more laps this season than any other driver in series competition with 1,912  —failing to finish only six total laps thus far.

  David Reutimann (No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota) is one of only two drivers among the top 10 to have not led a single lap this season.  He’s sixth in the points, while fellow competitor David Stremme is 10th and also has yet to lead a lap in 2008.
  

• Huggies and Pull-Ups brands, along with Rite Aid Pharmacy, are delivering a special “thank you” to all moms this Mother’s Day weekend by presenting the Women’s Auxiliary of Motorsports (WAM) a $10,000 check at Darlington Raceway to aid the organization’s commitment to enriching the lives of women, children and families.

  In addition to the donation, driver Brad Coleman’s No. 27 Ford will honor all moms by featuring a special paint scheme. His mother, Cindi Coleman, and Ann Schrader, WAM board member and wife of NASCAR driver Ken Schrader, will assist in presenting the check.

  Mother’s Day is Sunday.

For more information, contact:
Tracey Judd, NASCAR Public Relations, (386) 947-6733 or tjudd@nascar.com

Raybestos Rookie Of The Year Standings

Rank   Driver               Points
1 Dario Franchitti           89
2 Bryan Clauson            63
3 Brian Keselowski        47
4 Cale Gale                  44
5 Landon Cassill           37
6 Patrick Carpentier      31
7 Chase Miller              20

Results following the Lipton TEA 250 at Richmond International Raceway.

Bill France Performance Cup Standings

Toyota has the lead in the Bill France Performance Cup standings and has a key opportunity to break through for its first win at Darlington.

Although third-place Ford leads in manufacturer wins at the track (16), two-time defending winner Denny Hamlin drives a Toyota and has to be considered a strong favorite.
 
Up Next: CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway

Following an open week — which does include a test opportunity at Lowe’s Motor Speedway — the NASCAR Nationwide Series competes at what, for most teams, is their “home” track.

The CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 runs on Saturday night, May 24. Kasey Kahne is the defending race winner while Matt Kenseth captured his fourth pole there last year, most in the series at the track.

Fast Facts
 
The Race: Diamond Hill Plywood 200
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Friday, May 9
The Time: 7:30  p.m. ET
The Distance: 200 miles / 147 laps
TV: ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET
Track Size: 1.366-mile oval
2007 Winner: Denny Hamlin
2007 Pole: Denny Hamlin

           2008 Standings

1 Clint Bowyer         1,565
2 Carl Edwards        1,556
3 Kyle Busch           1,553
4 David Ragan          1,434
5 Mike Bliss             1,424
6 David Reutimann    1,407
7 Brad Keselowski    1,382
8 Jason Leffler          1,342
9 Mike Wallace        1,297
10 David Stremme    1,177

Schedule:
Thursday–Practice 3-4:30 p.m.; 5:40-6:50 p.m.; Final Practice 8:10-9 p.m.; Friday–Qualifying,  3:10 p.m. (Impound)

convert this post to pdf.