Have you ever noticed how sometimes something wonderful falls right in your lap during an activity when it wasn’t your actual goal? Mark Martin has probably experienced this before, so when his plans to try for a top five finish in Sunday’s LifeLock 400 turned into a victory lap, he might not have been as surprised as a younger driver. This didn’t stop him from expressing his joy to the world in a bright smile that certainly speaks miles about his opinion about his good fortune and the final result at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday.

Mark Martin looks as stunned at his victory as the other drivers

Fuel conservation again played a pivotal role in the final standings in the race as race leaders Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle misjudged the amount of fuel they had used during their battle and ran out of fuel in the final two miles of the scheduled 400 miles. Mark Martin on the other hand had been in fuel-conservation mode for a large part of the race, which included turning off cooling fans and units in order to save fuel, and resulted in his car having enough fuel to complete the last 44 laps. He crossed the line just 2.992 seconds ahead of Jeff Gordon, who also had enough gas to complete the race due to fuel conservation.

This victory was Mark Martin’s 38^th career win and moved him through the pack from 13^th to 8^th position in the series standings, just 321 points behind series leader Tony Stewart, who managed to finish seventh on Sunday. This is the third victory of the 2009 Sprint Cup season for Mark Martin’s No. 5 V Chevrolet tying him with Kyle Busch for the Cup Series lead.

Jimmie Johnson, who managed to lead the race for 146 laps and twice built up leads of more then seven seconds, managed to coast into the pit. After refueling, he drove around Martin’s car and crossed the finish line in 22^nd position.

Denny Hamlin finished third, just ahead of Carl Edwards in fourth, and Greg Biffle who grabbed fifth position, despite running out of fuel on the backstretch of the final lap. Juan Montoya finished sixth, Tony Stewart took seventh, Kurt Busch managed eighth, Brian Vickers survived to finish ninth, and the top ten was filled out by Clint Bowyer.

Image: Zuma Press

Everything seemed to be going perfectly for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the no. 88 team on Sunday as Earnhardt was in search of his first Cup victory at Watkins Glen International, and his first win at the track since winning the 1999 Nationwide Series race there. He started the day with the outside pole position after rain canceled out qualifying on Friday, and then he went onto lead 28 of the first 29 laps in the race.

Earnhardt gave up the lead during the first round of green flag stops after being one of the last cars to make their stop. Running several laps on the older tires while the rest of the field came in for some fresh rubber immediately proved to work against the team as he came out of the pits in 6th place, so one can’t help but wonder why they would choose to replay this strategy later in the race.

Junior once again found himself with the lead on lap 58 after the rest of the leaders came in to make their final stops of the day. His lead opened up to more than 25 seconds over second place as he became the only driver in the field that had yet to come down pit road, but he was giving more than a second per lap. Aside from the time that they were losing on the track, it became quite evident that a caution anytime before Earnhardt made his stop would flat out ruin his day, so it’s a bit peculiar as to why crew chief, Tony Eury Jr, would elect to keep his driver out on the track.

On lap 64, the worst did in fact happen. NASCAR was forced to waive the yellow for loose gravel that Travis Kvapil had kicked up onto the track, and as if it weren’t bad enough that Earnhardt had to surrender the lead to pit, he was one of only a small handful of cars that made that loenely drive down pit road with about 25 laps to go. He restarted back in 37th and was able to climb his way back up to 22nd by the end of the race, but Earnhardt fans everywhere now can’t help but wonder what might have been … and, what was Tony Eury Jr. thinking? To make matters worse, this also isn’t the first time that Junior fans have felt that Tony Eury Jr. may have cost Dale a shot at victory.

The disappointing finish also dropped Earnhardt from 2nd to 4th in the points standings, getting passed by Carl Edwards and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson. Junior Nation has had plenty to cheer about this season, though, as his first season with Hendrick has been far and away better than his final season with DEI in 2007 as he snapped his winless streak with a win earlier in the year at Michigan and he’s been up inside the top-5 in points for most of the year.

*Credit photo to Newscom.

After what most would consider to be an unsuccessful run with Joe Gibbs Racing to get his career started in the Sprint Cup Series, it didn’t take JJ Yeley long to once again find himself looking for work. Hall of Fame Racing announced on Wednesday that they were parting ways with Yeley in favor of 20 year old, Brad Coleman.

Coleman will run his first race with the team on August 17th at Michigan, as the team already made plans to run road course specialist, PJ Jones, in the car this weekend at Watkins Glen. Michigan will mark Brad’s official debut in the Sprint Cup Series after just two season of competing in the Nationwide Series, during which he has compiled 3 top-five and 6 top-ten finishes. He’s going to have his work cut out for him as he takes over the reigns of the no. 96 car, which currently sits 38th in car owner points.

“J.J. is a talented race car driver and a great person and this was a difficult decision to make,” said Tom Garfinkel, co-owner of HOF Racing. “We all share responsibility that our performance hasn’t been what it needs to be, but we concluded it was time to make a change.

“I really appreciate Jeff Moorad and Tom for giving me this opportunity,” Coleman said. “I have really enjoyed my time testing with the people on the team and I’m looking forward to having a successful weekend at Michigan in the DLP HDTV Toyota and helping Hall of Fame Racing finish out the season as strong as possible.”

Image details: Coke Zero 400 served by picapp.com

With only eight races remaining until NASCAR sets the field for their Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2008, only 223 points separates 8th place Kasey Kahne from 18th place Kurt Busch in the points standings. While that may seem like a lot and perhaps too much to overcome for some, keep in mind that at this time last year, those two positions were separated by 416 points, and 18th place at that point time was consumed by Mark Martin, who was running a part-time schedule and had already missed five races. Something else to keep in mind, though, is that the only driver that sat outside the top-12 in points following the Pepsi 400 at Daytona last year and still went onto make the Chase was Kurt Busch, who then ranked 15th and sat 121 points behind then 12th place, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Now, after a very rocky start to his season, Busch is 18th in the standings and lags 191 points behind Tony Stewart for that 12th spot in the Chase. The bright side? Three weeks ago, Kurt left Sonoma in 23rd, but has since managed to put together a mini-rally for himself with a win at New Hampshire and then a fourth-place effort last week at Daytona. Now, the schedule appears to be headed in Kurt’s favor. Next week, the series will make a stop in Chicago where he has 5 top-ten’s in the seven races run at the track. Kurt also finished 11th or better last year in each of the seven races on the schedule following Chicago, picking up wins at Pocono and Michigan in the process.

Despite currently being “stuck” in 16th place, Brian Vickers is another driver on the move. Ever since the disappointing ending to his strong run at Lowe’s back in May when the wheel fell off of his car, Brian has put together a string of six consecutive finishes of 16th or better. Included in that span of races were 2 top-five finishes at Pocono and Michigan - both races that he had a shot to win late in the race - and, Chicago ranks as one of his better tracks. He has an average finish of 10.3 in three trips to Chicagoland, though he did fail to make the show here last year.

Both Busch and Vickers could be in an excellent position to capitalize on the misfortune of quite a few drivers ahead of them. Though Martin Truex Jr. currently sits 14th in the standings, his team is awaiting word from NASCAR this week as to the severity of the penalty that they will incur for the infractions that occurred prior the race in Daytona. Should Truex be hit with a penalty of 150 points or more - as many suspect he will be - that would immediately drop him down in 18th in the standings, giving him a very long road of recovery.

Just as encouraging for Busch and Vickers fans is the recent slump of Ryan Newman (17th) and Kevin Harvick (13th). Newman has picked up only one top-ten in the last 8 points races, and Harvick’s last top-ten came at Richmond all the way back on May 3rd, a big reason why both drivers have slipped outside of the top-12 in points in recent weeks. David Ragan (15th) could potentially be a threat in hindering either driver’s march towards the Chase, but many people feel that his inexperience is shown with the inconsistency of his finishes, and that will ultimately give the advantage to the other drivers looking to lock onto that spot.

There’s also opportunity for Vickers and Busch with some of the cars that currently reside in the Chase transfer spots. While Greg Biffle (11th) and Tony Stewart (12th) have been two of the most dominant cars on the track this season, they’ve also had arguably the worst luck of any of the drivers in the garage, and there teams could be ready to switch to survival mode at any moment now.

Clint Bowyer (10th) and Kasey Kahne (8th) could also be two of the wildcards in the race for the Chase. After a strong run through the first leg of the season, Bowyer’s progress got hindered somewhere along the way and he’s plummeted through the rankings. After winning at Richmond, he then hit a six-race skid where he failed to finish in the top-ten before rebounding in the past three weeks with a 4th at Infineon and then a 9th last week at Daytona. Meanwhile, Kasey Kahne has managed to save his season with 2 wins, 3 top-five’s, and 4 top-ten’s in the last 7 races, but he also finished 30th or worse in the other three events, proving that the inconsistency of his race team has not gone away completely.

In fact, the only driver currently 8th or worse in the standings that seems to be an inevitable lock for the Chase is the no. 17 team of Matt Kenseth, who is currently in 9th. Ten races into the season, Matt was all the way back in 22nd, and few people were giving him a legitimate shot at rebounding to make the Chase. Now, with 7 top-ten’s in the last 8 races, Matt has gained 14 spots in the standings and has the look of a bonafide championship contender.

But, the good news for Kurt Busch and Brian Vickers is that they don’t need ALL of the other drivers from 8th to 18th to hit a rough patch and hand their points over to them … but, it would certainly help.

Image details: Daytona 500 served by picapp.com

This week, NASCAR returns to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400, one of the biggest races of the year on the Sprint Cup schedule. With Daytona being one of NASCAR’s two restrictor plate courses, the track has fallen under quite a bit of scrutiny over the years. While it’s still loved by many, there are still those that feel as though things tend to get a bit overhyped whenever the series heads down to Florida. But, whether you love it or you hate it, one thing cannot be denied, and that is that the 50th running of the Daytona 500 held here this past February was one that brought plenty of excitement. In fact, some believe that race was actually one of the Car of Tomorrow’s shining moments to date.

Recent Winners:
2008 - Ryan Newman
2007 - Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick
2006 - Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson
2005 - Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon

Recent Pole Winners:
2008 - Jimmie Johnson
2007 - “Cancelled Qualifying”, David Gilliland
2006 - Boris Said, Jeff Burton
2005 - Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett

the Usual Suspects:
Despite the fact that he hasn’t won a Cup race all season long and that he’s been under the microscope this season in regards to his contract situation, Tony Stewart remains one of the favorites to win this Saturday. Along with boasting the highest driver rating over the last 7 races at the track, Tony has also won this race twice before (’05 & ‘06), and also holds the track record for most laps led in a 400-mile race when he led 151 circuits back in 2005. Additionally, Smoke leads all active drivers in the series with wins between June through August since 2003 with 12 of them to his credit. He also led the most laps at this year’s 500, only to lose the lead on the final lap of the race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is certainly considered the fan favorite to win the race this weekend, and rightfully so. Dale owns two Cup victories at Daytona himself, and has recorded 10 top-ten finishes over 17 starts. He ran very well during the Daytona 500 in February and at times appeared as though he might grab a victory in his very first start with Hendrick Motorsports, but eventually faded away near the end. Now that he’s finally broken his winless streak by taking the checkered flag at Michigan, perhaps the no. 88 team’s been able to relieve themselves of enough pressure to regain Jr’s status as the master of restrictor plate racing.

Both Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have seen their share of dominant days at Daytona. Gordon leads all active drivers with 6 wins here, and Johnson had a stretch of five consecutive Daytona races with a finish of 6th or better, which also included a win at the 2006 Daytona 500. Since that win, however, Johnson has recorded only one top-ten finish in the four races since, and he finished 27th here in February. Gordon’s last Daytona victory came at the 500 the year before.

Amongst the other favorites to win this weekend is Kevin Harvick, winner of the 2007 Daytona 500. Harvick has struggled at the track since then, finishing 34th last July and 14th earlier this year. He’s also had his struggles over the last few weeks of the season, but also known as one of the best night racers in the series, a return to Daytona could be just what the doctor ordered … Kyle Busch’s over all numbers at Daytona seem to be about middle of the road, but you can pretty much chalk that up to a few bad runs earlier on in his career. He’s finished inside the top-five in 3 of the last 4 trips to Daytona, to include a pair of runner-up finishes, and he finally picked up his first restrictor plate win earlier this year at Talladega … Kurt Busch may have gotten the monkey off his back with his win last weekend at New Hampshire, and it could’ve come at just the right time. With the number 2 time finding themselves in a much deeper hole than they could’ve ever expected to have to climb out of this late in the season, there might not be a track they’d rather visit more than Daytona. He has still yet to add a Daytona victory to his championship resume’, but he’s always considered a favorite here with 7 top-five finishes over 15 races. He has finished as the runner-up here on three occassions.

the Unusual Suspects:
When you start to think about sleeper picks at Daytona, probably the first name that jumps out to you is the guy that beat Kyle Busch to the line in this race last year, Jamie McMurray. The 2007 victory was only Jamie’s second top-five finish at the track in his career, but don’t let the numbers fool you. McMurray’s been a solid performer here ever since he started running full-time in the Cup Series, but as has been the case so many times throughout his career, he has been the unfortunate victim of bad luck more often than not.

Elliott Sadler has run well here at times, especially as of late. He has finished 6th in three of the last four Daytona races, and also scored a pair of top-five’s here back in 2001 … Brian Vickers has had a great run for his Red Bull Racing team over the past couple of months, and Vickers is especially known for his restrictor plate prowess. Though he typically runs stronger at Talladega, he does have a pair of top-ten’s at Daytona, and finished 12th here in February … Robby Gordon typically isn’t associated with many tracks other than road course races, but you may be surprised to learn that he is currently working on a string of five consecutive top-15 finishes at Daytona.

the Unusual Slackers:
It’s not very often that folks will make it a point to drop Denny Hamlin from there fantasy rosters for an upcoming race, but a trip to Daytona could call for such action. Not only has Denny failed to record a single top-15 finish in his five trips to Daytona, but his average finish of 27.0 actually matches that of JJ Yeley … Carl Edwards has been one of the top performers of the season, and is heavily considered to be amongst the true championship contenders this year. That does not mean, however, that he’s necessarily solid at every track on the schedule. Carl has only one top-ten finish in 7 Daytona races, which was a 4th place run here last July. He was unable to use that for any kind of momentum, however, as he then finished 19th here in February … Carl’s teammate, Matt Kenseth, hasn’t had much better luck taming Daytona, either. With only one top-five to his credit and an average finish here of 22.9 over 17 races, Daytona ranks amongst Matt’s worst tracks … Martin Truex Jr. is in dire need of a good run if he wants to return to the Chase for the Cup field this year, but if you ask him, Daytona’s not the best place to be given the current situation. Martin’s 13th place run here last July ranks as his best finish over six races at Daytona.

Best Driver Ratings (from racingone.com):
1. Tony Stewart - 108.1
2. Ryan Newman - 98.6
3. Jimmie Johnson - 95.5
4. Kyle Busch - 95.3
5. Kurt Busch - 93.0

Best Average Finishes (from racingone.com):
1. Clint Bowyer - 13.0
2. Jimmie Johnson - 13.2
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 13.8
4. Sam Hornish Jr. - 15.0
5. David Gilliland - 15.7 

Daytona Facts:
- A Cup race at Daytona has gone without any lead changes on two different occassions, the last of which came back in 1963.
- The race has gone caution-free 12 times, most recently the Daytona 500 in 1971.
- The most drivers to ever finish on the lead lap at Daytona is 33. Eight races have seen only one driver finish on the lead lap, most recently in 1976.
- In 122 Cup Series races at Daytona, only 10 times has the winner come from outside of a top-15 starting position. 55% of the races have been won from the top-five, and 23 winners have started from the pole.
- Only four drivers have ever won both the Daytona 500 and the July race at Daytona in the same year: Fireball Roberts, Cale Yarbrough, LeRoy Yarbrough, and most recently, Bobby Allison in 1982. Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500 this year, giving Penske Racing their first-ever restrictor plate victory. 

Storylines for the Weekend:
Hendrick Motorsports has recently announced the release of Casey Mears from the no. 5 car next season. They’re expected to make an announcement on Friday in regards to whom will fill the seat in 2009, and heavy speculation at this point is that the announcement will involve the legendary Mark Martin … Though he is not on this weekend’s driver entry list, DEI has named the young Aric Almirola as the full-time driver of their no. 8 car in ‘09 … In a surprise move, Chip Ganassi Racing announced earlier in the week that they would be forced to shut down operations on their no. 40 car, which until then had been driven by 2007 Indy 500 winner, Dario Franchitti, due to a lack of sponsorship opportunities … This weekend’s Cup entry list includes Boris Said (making his 2nd start of the season) and Sterling Marlin (making his 6th start). Marlin leads all drivers on the entry list with 589 laps led at Daytona - 57 more laps than Tony Stewart, and 78 more than Jeff Gordon … Kerry Earnhardt will run the no. 8 entry in the Nationwide Series this weekend, marking his first official start in a DEI car in a NASCAR event.

Six-Pack Challenge:
Winner - Tony Stewart
2nd Place - Jimmie Johnson
3rd Place - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4th Place - Kurt Busch
5th Place - Kyle Busch
6th Place - Greg Biffle

Lock of the Week - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Sleeper Pick - Brian Vickers
Steer Clear of - Martin Truex Jr.

Video - Jamie McMurray wins the 2007 Pepsi 400

 Ahh, yes … another glorious Friday morning, and I think you all know what that means!.  Yup, once again here with me are Bruce Simmons from Bruce’s NASCAR Bits & Pieces, along with Charlie Turner from On Pit Row, and we’re about to get  ”Loose in Turn Three” yet again!

We’re coming off a pretty big weekend in NASCAR, and it’s given us plenty to talk about throughout the week despite a bit a slower week as it relates to the news itself. Right here at Do You NASCAR, we’re going to rehash a bit of the same. With Joey Logano coming off his first Nationwide win in only his third start, we’re going to look at the statements made by Joe Gibbs Racing and question whether or not the 18-year old kid is truly ready to take some seat time in NASCAR’s premier series. Over at On Pit Row, we’ll analyze the validity of Dale Earnhardt Jr. snapping his winless drought, and at Bruce’s NASCAR Bits & Pieces, we look at the recent statements made by NASCAR and decide whether or not they’re right to ask their drivers to keep quiet as it relates to their grumbles on the Car of Tomorrow.

So, sit back and buckle up tight. Three questions, three voices, and three different answer … we’re about to get Loose in Turn Three!

Joe Gibbs Racing has stated that we may see Joey Logano in a Cup car by the end of ‘08. Logano’s proven himself to be a rare talent, but is 2008 too early?

TZ: I’m usually a pesimist when it comes to issues like this, and it really all stems from watching Rick Ankiel come up as a Starting Pitcher with the  St. Louis Cardinals organization back in 2000, only to watch him go through a meltdown in the post-season and ultimately ruining his pitching career. For me, this can easily happen with any athlete in any sport, even if they are named “Sliced Bread.” Logano’s going to be a star one day … it’s a given. But, when JGR’s already got 3 cars that could and should make the Chase and Logano working his way into the Nationwide Series, I don’t see the need to push him so early into a Cup car

Bruce:  I’ve been dwelling on this very premise.  If a driver is ready to compete on the emotional and talent level, then have at.  If everyone things Logano is ready, then no, 2008 is not too early to test the waters.  Yet I don’t think it matters when someone starts their burst onto the scene.  It seems that some drivers flare big onto the scene and then become mediocre. If they manage to keep a multi-year flare going, it is still going to flare out as the sport keeps bringing in the young guns as the next latest fad, shuffling the drivers down a hierarchy of ‘fizzle and fade’.  I think the new guys charge onto the scene and take chances.  Then, they get smacked down when they cross the line, and they tone down.  Then they comfortable and that’s when things change.  But that’s MHO.

Charlie:  The last young driver to have as much early buzz as Logano was probably Kyle Busch. Before that, Casey Attwood, maybe. Kyle went to Hendrick Motorsports and has been a star ever since. Attwood went to a new start-up team and new manufacturer - Evernham Motorsports in Dodge’s return to the sport - and it all fell apart.  Joey Logano is going to start for one of the top two teams in the sport with maybe the best manufacturer.  He’s already shown he can drive anything. He has actually had more testing time in CoT’s than Nationwide cars.  He’s ready now. He’ll look good in that #20 next year too.

Follow the rest of this discussion:
- NASCAR has asked teams and drivers to tone down their complaints about the COT. Do you think NASCAR has a valid point?
(Bruces NASCAR Bits & Pieces)

- Dale Earnhardt Jr broke a NASCAR rule at the end of Sunday’s race at MIS, went unpunished and won the race. Do you have a problem with that?
(On Pit Row)

*Credit photo to Newscom.

It’s been tough to find a fan in America that wasn’t happy to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. FINALLY reach Victory Lane this past weekend at Michigan. While the majority of the NASCAR garage area was also happy to see the likeable Dale Junior get the win as well, some drivers brought into question the validity of it, particularly due to the fact that on several occassions during the final caution period he would pass the pace car by several car links, and then slide back behind it by shutting off the ignition in an effort to save fuel. This is something that many drivers did not believe to be a legal move per the NASCAR rulebook, including 3rd and 4th place finishers, Matt Kenseth and Brian Vickers.

Below is the post-race interview from Matt Kenseth (preceded by Kasey Kahne’s short press conference) in which he questions NASCAR’s decision. It should also be noted that Kenseth was equally - if not more - unhappy with NASCAR’s decision not to give him his spot back after a NASCAR official interfered with his pit stop on pit road.

Brian Vickers also commented on NASCAR not penalizing Earnhardt for passing the pace car, stating, “There were a lot of things that happened there at the end of the race that are big question marks in my mind, and passing the pace car under caution was just one of them. You’re also supposed to make it around the track unassisted. There were guys pushing each other on fuel mileage strategies. That’s not right. It’s definitely not legal, but they let it go.”

Vickers was also preturbed with the fact that they placed Mark Martin’s no. 8 car in front of him during the final caution period, on which he commented, “And, then obviously the call to put the 8 car back in front of us. I don’t know why that was, but it definitely cost us a shot at the race. And, it was blatantly, obviously wrong. It wasn’t like we were side by side, we were seven cars ahead of him two laps before the caution came out.”

If you talked to most race fans last week, you probably didn’t pickup on a ton of excitement heading into this weekend’s action. The Sprint Cup and Craftsman Truck Series were both heading to Michigan, and the Nationwide Series was set to take to Kentucky Speedway … two tracks that probably don’t rank up there on most fans’ list of favorites. Yet, somehow, someway, NASCAR is coming off of one of its most historic weekends in recent memory.

It all started with the Truck Series’ Cool City Customs 200 on Saturday afternoon. With a late race caution bunching the field up with just six laps left, Johnny Benson tried to rundown Erik Darnell for the win. It proved to be futile, as Darnell escaped with the win, but Benson was edged by just 0.005 seconds at the finish line - the closest winning margin in the history of the Craftsman Truck Series (or, at least since they began using electronic scoring in the 90’s). The win was the second in Darnell’s career.

The next big moment came at the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway, when the young Joey Logano - in only his third career Nationwide Series start - became the youngest winner in series history at just 18 years, 21 days old. The victory also gave Joe Gibbs Racing their tenth win of the season in the Nationwide Series (15th overall between the NNS & Cup Series), and many non-believers are now beginning to believe in the youngster’s talent and potential future in the sport. His nickname “Sliced Bread” is becoming to appear more and more appropriate.

NASCAR then topped off their big weekend as Dale Earnhardt Jr. used fuel strategy to overcome a largely anticipated Roush-Fenway Racing victory in the Lifelock 400 at Michigan. Roush had won 6 of the last 12 events held at MIS, and appeared to be in position for another with Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards looking very strong late in the race. In the end, though, it was Dale Jr. reaching Victory Lane for the first time in 76 races. Perhaps most impressive about the victory was the fact that it didn’t come at the track that people expected it to. Earlier in the season everyone had predicted Earnhardt to win at tracks that he’d enjoyed tremendous success at in the past such as Daytona, Talladega, Richmond, and Darlington. He’d come close on several occassions, but in the end, the victory finally came when Junior Nation had least expected it.

Throughout the season, there have been many races that I’d been very much looking forward to, only to find myself utterly disappointed after 400 or 500 miles. On the flip side of that, there have also been a few tracks that didn’t particularly excite me, but the end result turned out to be much better than expected. Sometimes I’m not sure if it’s a product of the Car of Tomorrow, or if it’s just one of those off deals, but it just goes to show you than anything can happen on any given Sunday.

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

1) How many NNS races will Joey Logano win in 2008?
2) How many Sprint Cup races will Dale Earnhardt Jr. win in 2008?
3) Which race was the most exciting of the weekend?
4) Which driver’s win means the most to his career?

NASCAR Chairman and CEO, Brian France, spoke with the media this past weekend at Michigan International Speedway about the recent lawsuit filed against NASCAR by former NASCAR official, Mauricia Grant. Grant is suing NASCAR for $225 million for alleged racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harrassment, and wrongful termination. Two NASCAR officials have since been put on administrative leave as a result of NASCAR’s internal investigation, but France claims that NASCAR will defend their image against the claims filed by Grant, who was fired last October.

Notice how hard France tries to tip-toe around any potential legalities, stressing to the media not to insinuate that just because the two officials were place on leave that it necessarily had anything to do with this case itself. Brian France has proven himself to be fairly cunning in the past, so he’ll need to make sure that he presents the best case possible for NASCAR on this one - both in and out of the courtroom. Hopefully the legal team that NASCAR assembles will be able to preserve the sport’s image and dispose of this one with relative ease.

Here’s Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s MRN post-race interview following his victory in the Lifelock 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. As you can see, in this one Earnhardt’s had a few minutes to get his wits about him, and it’s a little easier to translate than his interview in Victory Lane.