It’s no huge secret that Ryan Newman and Rusty Wallace were never exactly the closest of friends during the few short years that they teamed together at Penske Racing earlier this decade, and their relationship was again tested this past weekend at Indianapolis, and it was Rusty that fired the opening shots.

Baffled at the notion that anyone would ever dare leave a man that he has such deep respect for, Roger Penske and his organization, Rusty allegated that it was Penske Racing’s decision to let Newman go and that they’d fired him.

“He didn’t leave,” Wallace stated. “I’ve read many, many stories that said that. Roger Penske called Ryan Newman up to his office and said, ‘I don’t need your services next year.’ Ryan Newman didn’t come to him and say ‘I’m leaving.’ Ok? You all need to write about that. That’s exactly how it went down. Obviously there was some bad blood there when that happened. I love Roger Penske, so I’m going to help clear the story up for him.”

Newman was later addressed by the media about Rusty’s comments. Always the witty one, and never one to let himself get pushed around, Newman’s responses did not disappoint.

When asked if Rusty’s comments upset him, Newman responded, “Was he concious when he said it? …. It doesn’t matter to me. I know Rusty and his personalities - plural - and, everybody is different.”

Rusty was always apprehensive of Newman ever since the day that the Daytona 500 winner joined Penske Racing full-time back in 2002, and the two have never been on the same page ever since. The bad blood there could have a lot to do with the statements that Rusty made, but then again, there are probably few people in the sport as close to Penske as Wallace is. It is a bit shocking, however, that as one of NASCAR’s distinct faces in the broadcast booth now with ESPN taking the helm for the current portion of the Sprint Cup schedule, that Rusty would be so blatant in calling out one of the drivers, particularly one he has a history with. Darrell Waltrip caused quite a stir when he found himself in similar situation when he was bashing on Tony Stewart week after week, and many fans still take an anti-DW stance because of comments he made during that span.

Image details: Aaron’s 499 served by picapp.com

5. “Boogity, Boogity, Boogity!” - It was pretty catchy at first, and then it just became tolerable for awhile. Let’s face it, though, at this point it’s just redundant and played out, and it brings serious question to the vocabulary range of Darrell Waltrip. Let’s find something new, shall we?

4. Retired Drivers Not Retiring - These days, I just don’t know anymore what it means when a driver says they’re retiring, because for a large handful of these guys it really just means that they’re moving to a part-time schedule. Mark Martin had a farewell tour two years in a row due to his highly publicized retirement, though two years later he’s still running a 24-race schedule. Bill Elliott has made 51 starts in the five years he’s been “retired”. And, now, Terry LaBonte and Sterling Marlin appear to be following the same trend as well. What’s going on?

3. Ticket Scalping - I’ve never had a problem with folks standing outside the stadium or the race venue trying to turn a quick buck on the tickets that they no longer need, but it’s become nearly impossible to get tickets for certain races because they’ve all been bought up by companies that will then turn around and sell them on E-Bay. Suddenly you’ve watched the price for tickets go from $85 to $250.

2. Composure During the National Anthem - It’s an issue that doesn’t get addressed nearly as often as it should, and it’s gone overlooked for far too long now. As patriotic as NASCAR is, it’s amazing that some of the drivers and teams can be caught on camera week after week talking and joking during the singing of the National Anthem. It’s also sad that folks such as Delana Harvick still haven’t figured out that they’re supposed to remove their hats during the ceremony.

1. Trash Getting Thrown on the Track - I love this sport, and I defend it nearly everywhere I go, but there are certain times that I find myself truly ashamed to call myself a fan. There’s no room in NASCAR - or, any sport, for that matter - for fans to be throwing trash such as full beer cans out on the track just because they didn’t like the driver that won the race. The most notorious of these incidents was in 2007 when Jeff Gordon won the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, but that wasn’t the only incident. Once is too many times, anyway.

Recent Winners:
2007 - Jeff Gordon, Casey Mears
2006 - Kasey Kahne (x2)
2005 - Jimmie Johnson (x2)

Recent Polesitters:
2007 - Ryan Newman (x2)
2006 - Scott Riggs (x2)
2005 - Elliott Sadler, Ryan Newman

Best Driver Ratings (from racingone.com):
1. Jimmie Johnson - 120.2
2. Kyle Busch - 94.3
3. Mark Martin - 93.2
4. Kasey Kahne - 92.9
5. Carl Edwards - 88.6

Best Driver Averages (from racingone.com):
1. Jimmie Johnson - 6.8
2. Carl Edwards - 7.3
3. Bobby LaBonte - 9.3
4. Mark Martin - 12.1
5. Tony Stewart - 12.9

Most Wins - Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip (6)
Most Poles - David Pearson (12)
Most Top 5’s - Bobby Allison, Richard Petty (23)
Most Top 10’s - Richard Petty (31)
Most Manufacturer Wins - Chevrolet (353)
Qualifying Record - Elliott Sadler (27.948 seconds / 2005)

Race Notes:
- LMS President, Humpy Wheeler, will step down following the Coca Cola 600
- Ken Schrader will debut Richard Childress Racing’s no. 33 car this weekend
- Sterling Marlin will reunite with Chip Ganassi Racing this weekend to fill in for the injured Dario Franchitti
- Brian Pattie will make his Sprint Cup Series Crew Chief debut at the helm of Juan Pablo Montoya

TZ’s Six-Pack Challenge:
Winner - Carl Edwards
2nd Place - Jimmie Johnson
3rd Place - Kyle Busch
4th Place - Kasey Kahne
5th Place - Mark Martin
6th Place - Tony Stewart

Lock of the Week - Carl Edwards
Sleeper Pick - Mark Martin
Steer Clear of - Ryan Newman

Image details: Dale Earnhardt Jr celebrates the win served by picapp.com

It’s another week off from points racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but this week brings us something a little different … NASCAR’s annual All-Star weekend from Lowe’s Motor Speedway. For those of you unfamiliar with the format of this great race, it’s very different from what you’ll find in Major League Baseball, or the National Football League, or the National Baskeball Association. Instead of the fans voting in the best of the best, here in NASCAR, the fans will vote in only one entry. The rest of the field will be made up of race winners of any Cup Series points race from either last year or this year, Cup Series champions and All-Star race winners from the past decade, and the top two finishers in the Sprint Cup Showdown (formerly known as “the Open”). If anything, I think the best comparison for the race would be to the Bass Elite Series of fishing. Go to nascar.com now to Vote For Your Favorite Driver that’s not already eligible for the All-Star Challenge itself.

The All-Star Race format itself (click on the link to see NASCAR’s own description of the entire race format) is rather unique as well. The race is divided up into four portions, or segments. The first segment consists of a 20-lap run, after which teams have the option to forefeit their track position in favor of a four-tire pit stop under caution. Segment 2 is another 20-lap run, but after this segment, NASCAR mandates a ten-minute stop for the teams, and the cars will return to the track in the same order that they ran at the end of the segment. Cars running at the back of the pack will be eliminated prior to the ensuing 20 laps that make up segment three, and then again prior to the fourth and final segment. Another mandatory pit stop will occur prior to the final segment, with the order of the field for the restart being determined by the order in which they exit pit road.

What’s At Stake?
So, if they’re not racing for points, why even bother, right? Wrong. Along with bragging rights, the winner of the All-Star Challenge will pocket $1 million. Second place … goes home with nothing but a used up car.

The Field
The following 21 drivers are already locked into the event: Martin Truex Jr, Kurt Busch, Casey Mears, Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Juan Pablo Montoya, Bobby LaBonte, Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Carl Edwards.

Another 29 drivers will be vying for either a ticket in via the fan vote, or by finishing in the top two spots in the All-Star Showdown. Follow the link for the complete Entry List for the All-Star Showdown.

What Else?
Pit selection for the teams will be determined by their finishing order in the annual Pit Crew Challenge. The Pit Crew Challenge will test teams’ speed, strength, agility, endurance, and accuracy to the limits. Last year’s competition was won by the Ryan Newman’s no. 12 crew for Penske Racing.

NASCAR will also putting on their first Burnout Contest. Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, and Greg Biffle will all hop into identically prepared Petty Enterprises cars to perform a full drag-style burnout throughout the course that NASCAR has setup. The contest will air prior to the Showdown race.

Broadcast
Coverage for the race itself begins at 7 pm eastern time on Saturday, May 17th live on Speed with Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds, Jeff Hammond, and Krista Voda bringing you the coverage. Please visit nascar.com for a complete schedule of All-Star coverage.

All-Star Race Stats & Fun Facts
- Most All-Star Wins:  Tie - Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt (3 apiece)
- First All-Star Race Winner:  Darrell Waltrip (1984)
- Most All-Star Showdown / Open Wins:  Sterling Marlin (4)
- Best Average All-Star Finish (Drivers Locked into the Race):  Jimmie Johnson (5.2), Jeff Gordon (6.3), Matt Kenseth (7.6), Ryan Newman (7.8), Bobby LaBonte (8.4)
- Number of Drivers to Qualify Via the Showdown / Open & Go Onto Win the All-Star Race:  2 - Michael Waltrip (1996), Ryan Newman (2002)
- Most All-Star Appearances: 19 - Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin (counting this year)
- Former All-Star Winners in the Field:  7 - Kevin Harvick (2007), Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2003), Mark Martin (2005, 1998), Matt Kenseth (2004), Ryan Newman (2002), Jeff Gordon (2001, 1997, 1995), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000)
- Former Cup Series Champions in the Field:  7 - Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Bobby LaBonte, Dale Jarrett
- First time entrants: Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya
- Number of Rookies to Win the All-Star Race:  2 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000), Ryan Newman (2002)
- Humpy Wheeler, President of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, has predicted a win from Carl Edwards. Humpy has been successful with his picks 8 times out of his 20 tries, and only twice in the last 8 years.

TZ’s Six-Pack Challenge (Bonus Round):
Fan Vote (worth 5 bonus points) - David Ragan
Showdown Winners (worth 10 bonus points each) - Kasey Kahne, Travis Kvapil
All-Star Race Winer (worth 25 bonus points) - Tony Stewart

For related articles, please visit RevJim’s NASCAR Ranting ‘n’ Raving as he runs through the NASCAR All-Stars and also go to Racing for the Win for Cesar’s predictions on Who Will Dominate the 2008 Sprint Showdown.

The votes are in, and I’ve tallied your winners. So, strap in, and let’s get you ringside for the first-ever NASCAR Mania! Enjoy!

Rookie Brawl - Five Way Elimination Match:
Patrick Carpentier and Regan Smith eliminated one another via a double countout. Dario Franchitti pinned Sam Hornish Jr via a Small Package. Then, Michael McDowell closed the match out by defeating Franchitti with his patented finishing move, the “Suicide Spin,” to pick up the victory. Following the match, Aric Almirola attacked McDowell from behind, claiming that he should have had the opportunity to compete in the match, stating that he, too, is a rookie - even if not by NASCAR standards.
Winner: Michael McDowell

East Coast vs. West Coast: Tag Team Match:
Elliott Sadler / Denny Hamlin vs. David Gilliland / Kevin Harvick
Hamlin and Sadler dominated more than half the match and appeared to have the victory well-in-hand when DaLana Harvick strutted down to ringside and distracted them. This gave Gilliland an opportunity to dropkick Sadler over the top rope, and the two proceeded to battle outside the ring. With the ref distracted, DaLana then slid Kevin a metal folding chair, which he smacked over Hamlin’s back before making the cover for the win.
Winners: David Gilliland & Kevin Harvick

Battle for the ESPN Booth:
Rusty Wallace vs. Dale Jarrett
The two battled one another feverishly, and the crowd was really getting into this battle of the legends. Late in the match, Rusty attempted to suplex Jarrett into the turnbuckles, but DJ blocked with his foot on multiple occasions before reversing it into a variation of his finishing move, “the Special Delivery.” He nailed the move and made the cover for the three count.
Winner: Dale Jarrett

Battle of the Legends … Sons:
Dale Earnhardt Jr vs. Kyle Petty vs. Casey Mears
Casey Mears was dominating the match, going to town on both of his competitors. After throwing Earnhardt Jr to the outside of the ring, he was setting Petty up for the kill. He stomped away several times to Petty’s right knee before applying the figure four leglock. Just when it looked as though Kyle was going to tap, though, Earnhardt scaled the top turnbuckle and signaled for his finisher, “the Whisky River!” He nailed it and proceeded to make the pinfall on the unconscious Mears.
Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Hair vs. Hair:
Jeff Gordon vs. Jimmie Johnson
In this highly anticipated battle of the villains, the momentum switched back and forth several times, but in the end, it was Jimmie Johnson picking up the win. He was able to land his “Three-Peat” after Gordon missed with the “Drive for Five.” Fans then watched on as Johnson proceeded to shave his tag team partner bald.
Winner: Jimmie Johnson

Loser Leaves Match:
Paul Menard vs. Robby Gordon
Despite the ramifications of this match, several fans in the arena chose to take an intermission at this time, and the pay-per-view channel itself even went to commercial. We’re told, however, that Gordon did pick up the victory and that Menard must now leave and never wrestle again. Incase you were wondering, yes, FOX coincidentally happened to have majority ownership in this ppv channel.
Winner: Robby Gordon

Tag Team Match:
the Busch Bros (Kyle & Kurt) vs. the Waltrip’s (Darrell & Michael)
Coverage of this event finally returned about five minutes into this matchup, at which time the Waltrip Brothers were well in control. They finally polished their foes off when Darrell reluctantly took Kyle out with the “Boogity Slam.” After the match, Darrell attempted to befriend Kyle, but the youngster just stormed out of the arena, refusing to offer his comments to reporters.
Winners: the Waltrip’s

Cage Match:
Jack Roush vs. Lee White
As several of the Roush and Toyota drivers surrounded the ring on the outside of the cage, these two enemies battled ferociously back and forth. Both men tried to escape the cage several times, only to be dragged back down. Finally, a bloodied Lee White attempted to crawl out through the cage door, only to have it slammed in his face by Carl Edwards. The impact knocked White out cold, and Roush was able to escape the cage with the victory!
Winner: Jack Roush

#1 Contenders Match:
Carl Edwards vs. Ryan Newman
Edwards stormed the ring like a madman and absolutely pounded Newman from pillar to post, scoring several near falls in the early goings. About 15 minutes into the match, however, Edwards appeared to be getting a little too cocky. As he was posing to the crowd, Newman staggered to his feet and attacked Edwards from behind. Newman’s offense lasted several minutes before setting Edwards on the top turnbuckle for a superplex. Edwards was able to push Newman away, however, and then proceeded to turn around and … he nailed Newman with a backflip from the turnbuckles! He made the cover and scored the win to earn himself a match with the winner of the Heavyweight Title match!
Winner: Carl Edwards

Heavyweight Title Bout:
Tony Stewart vs. Jimmy Spencer
The two men beat each other to a bloody pulp in an effort to be crowned as the first-ever DYN World Heavyweight Champion. Both men came close to getting the three-count on several occasions in this matchup that last nearly a half hour. In the end, though, it was Stewart walking away with the hardware after he punished Spencer with his devastating “Smoke Screen.” Stewart was immediately interviewed by Marty Smithson in the middle of the ring. As he drank his Coca Cola and snacked on two Subway Subs, the Champ talked about how he was looking forward to his upcoming match with #1 Contender, Carl Edwards. We’re still not really sure what it has to do with anything, but in the interview, Tony made several comments about blown tires and give ‘n’ take.
Winner: Tony Stewart

Image details: Sirius Satellite Radio At The Glen Qualifying served by picapp.com

Last week, Aaron Fike stunned the entire sports world when he revealed to ESPN the Magazine that he had been using heroin on race days during his rookie season in the Craftsman Truck Series, and ever since, NASCAR’s substance abuse policy has been the hottest subject in the garage area.

For over two decades, it has been NASCAR’s policy that they would reserve the right to issue random drug testing, and would do so if there were “reasonable suspicion.” Several of NASCAR’s top stars, however, feel that this policy has been too lax in the past and fear – or, rather loathe – the thought of driving their cars next to someone who could potentially be under the influence.

Two-time Cup Series champion, Tony Stewart, has stated that he’s never once been tested by NASCAR. He feels very strongly, however, that NASCAR should implement a firm standard of weekly testing throughout the duration of the series to ensure that nobody could potentially be using on race day. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Burton both claim that they have also never been tested.

NASCAR President, Mike Helton, however defended the sport’s policy, claiming that the system they’ve used for over twenty years has worked very well and that the drivers do a great job of policing one another. He also added that there’s no way they could ever guarantee that a driver would be clean on race day, regardless of the counter-measures that they deployed. He also went into the fact that when they do catch a driver to be abusing illegal drugs, the repercussions are swift and firm.

“There are a lot of random drug testing policies or substance-abuse policies in our sport, and they come through the car owners,” he stated in a recent interview with the Associated Press. “We’re different than other sports where we have multiple layers of independence. That’s why we feel that the reasonable suspicion element that NASCAR implements has served its purpose and works well.”

Former race car driver and current FOX Sports analyst, Darrell Waltrip, concurred with Helton’s sentiments, stating that he doesn’t believe NASCAR has any sort of drug problem and that they test more people in the sport than the fans or media are aware of.

Fike wasn’t the only driver that NASCAR suspended for drug use last year. In May of 2007, Tyler Walker was randomly tested by NASCAR following the qualifying event for the Craftsman Truck Series at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and Walker tested positive. Two weeks later he was suspended indefinitely by the sanctioning body, and though clean now, he is still awaiting another opportunity to drive. Tyler now claims that had NASCAR had a more firm policy in place when he began racing in 2003, he would have quit a long time ago for fear of being caught.

Contradictory to NASCAR’s defense for their policies, though, are the testimonies of Cup Series stars Kasey Kahne and Kevin Harvick. Kahne said that while he feels the majority of the sport is clean, there are certain drivers that he has his suspicions about, and Aaron Fike was definitely one of them – yet, it took Fike’s arrest by local authorities to bring his drug use to NASCAR’s attention.

Kevin Harvick claims that he approached NASCAR officials at the end of 2007 about their lax policy and the lack of testing, but it “fell on deaf ears.” He stated in an interview that he had been in a race with Fike before, and that he knows for a fact that Aaron wasn’t the only one abusing the policy.

“There’s another driver that is suspended that I can almost guarantee you was in a race car while he was under the influence, and that pisses me off! That is not fair to the 95 percent of this garage I can guarantee you  is clean, but there’s a five-percent chance,” Harvick said.

DYN Imposes: This week, Do You NASCAR also asks you …

1) Should NASCAR enforce a more standard substance abuse policy in all of its series?
2) What should the penalty be for a driver that tests positive for drugs?
3) Should Aaron Fike or Tyler Walker ever be allowed to drive in NASCAR again?

10.  Good for anyone: The 2008 Ward Burton dictionary.

9.  From sibling to sibling:  The Darrell Waltrip, “I’ve Got You Covered” excuse kit.

8.  From boyfriend to girlfriend: Kurt Busch cover-up makeup kit.

7.  From girlfriend to boyfriend:  “Kyle Petty Knockout” video game.

6.  From boyfriend to girlfriend: Bottle of Jeremy Mayfield ’99 Octane perfume.

5.  From boyfriend to girlfriend: A Jeff Gordon Rainbow Carebare.

4.  From Mother to young Son:  A case of Kasey Kahne non-alcoholic beer.

3.  From boyfriend to girlfriend:  A 2008 Tony Stewart custom whig.

2.  From Son to Mother:  Dale Earnhardt Jr. “Greatest Mom Ever!” coffee mug.

1.  From girlfriend to boyfriend:  Dalana Harvick

Yesterday I said that Kyle Busch needs to get over the Car Of Tomorrow attitude. Darrell Waltrip agrees:

I hate that Kyle Busch got out of his car and didn’t enjoy his winning moment at Bristol because it’s a huge accomplishment. He’s a young guy, and like so many young, energetic drivers are guilty of doing, he’ll probably realize that he said some things that he shouldn’t have.

But Darrell gave him more slack than I did. I don’t like ‘attitude’ whether it comes from Juan Montoya or Kyle Busch. They make a lot of money for what they do. As far as I’m concerned they don’t deserve to have such an attitude.

And what’s with that thing on his chin?

Most caution laps run in one race? 167 in July 1965 at Bristol. Winner Ned Jarrett was one of only two cars to finish on the lead lap in the Volunteer 500, where just 13 of 36 cars finished the race. More facts in By the Numbers at nascar.com.

Fewest caution laps in one race? Bristol, in July 1971. Despite that fact, winner Charlie Glotzbach was the only driver to finish on the lead lap in the Volunteer 500.

Driver with the most Bristol wins? Darrel Waltrip with 12. He won seven in a row in the early 1980s.