Tony Stewart must have felt like the last fighter standing after crossing the finish line first in the Coke Zero 400 Cup Series competition Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. His ability to manage his car through a long race and stay out of the any race ending altercations with the other racers ultimately helped him make it first to the finish line. He became the beneficiary of Kyle Busch slamming into the front-stretch wall after an unsuccessful attempt at a high block that saw his car clip Tony Stewart’s as he came high to block, which resulted in his car swinging around and into the wall. Busch’s crash did ignite a multiple-car crash that took resulted in a few disappointed teams and drivers, but crashes are a normal occurrence at the speeds achieved in NASCAR. There just isn’t time to react at the speeds and distances theses cars are maneuvering in and it’s a testament to the job that NASCAR does ensure the safety of the drivers.

Kyle Busch clips Tony Stewart on an attempted high-block in Turn 4 and ends up fifth

The day was a pretty good one for Stewart, his car was pretty fast, and he did an excellent job of driving his way to victory. This win was the second of the 2009 Cup season for Stewart, the 35^th of his illustrious career, and his second as both an owner and driver for Stewart-Haas racing.

Jimmie Johnson was able to slide in behind Tony Stewart as he slipped in behind Busch’s left rear tire as he came out of Turn 4 and then steer clear of the trouble to finish in second place.  Denny Hamlin was able to drive clear of the cars in front of him as they bumped and jostled into one another due to Busch’s crash and took third place. Carl Edwards battled his way through the race and took fourth, while Kurt Busch was able to recover from his meeting with the wall, and crossed the line in fifth place, after looking like he was going to win, again.

Marcos Ambrose had a good day and finished in sixth, Brian Vickers took seventh, while eighth place was captured by Matt Kenseth. Juan Montoya didn’t have the fastest car but was able to take ninth, while Elliott Sadler rounded out the top ten positions.

Clint Bowyer must have seen the clouds part and the sun shine through after crossing the finish line of the Subway Jalapeno 250 held at the Daytona International Speedway on Friday night. The win was his first victory of 2009 on the Nationwide Series and the seventh of his career and it couldn’t have come at a better time for him and Richard Childress Racing, which also claimed its first win of 2009 on the Nationwide Series. The boost in confidence and wins must be a welcome feeling for Richard Childress Racing and all the people that work with them, after recent events which included their cutting back due to the reorganization of General Motors.

Clint Bowyer wins first Nationwide Series race of 2009

The final result of the race had been in doubt for most of the race, with several accidents that eventually resulted in the race going two laps beyond the scheduled 250. Bowyer became the winner after a six car wreck resulted in the race being stopped under caution, which made a winner of the 2008 Nationwide Series champion.

Kyle Busch was able to stay close to the front and made a final push that allowed him to finish second and increase his lead in the Nationwide Series standings to 172 points over Carl Edwards, who finished in third place. Busch’s team mate, Joey Logano, had a pretty good race, he was able to stay out of the trouble that occurred on the track and finished fourth. Kasey Kahne made a late push at fourth, but wasn’t able to over take Joey Logano, and had to settle for fifth. Brad Keselowski had another good showing, adding needed points to his total, with a sixth place finish. Brian Vickers showed up for this race, and while he was able to run pretty fast, only managed seventh. Justin Allgaier was a surprise top-ten finisher, but it’s nice to see him making progress, with an eighth place finish. David Ragan had another good showing, and it looked like he might finish better, than the ninth place he finished in. Kevin Harvick started out good, and looked like he might challenge for the win, but eventually lost ground and had to settle for tenth place.

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If you’re a NASCAR fan and planning on being in sunny Dayton Beach, Florida, this Saturday night the place to be will be Daytona International Speedway as Sprint Cup cars will once again roar down the pavement of iconic Daytona International Speedway in the Coke Zero 400.

The Coke Zero 400 will be run on the pavement of Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night

The Coke Zero 400 will be the 18^th race of the season for the racers and teams, in a season that has been exciting, and as we look ahead to Saturday night at one of the most recognized and popular race tracks in the world, this competition should be a real barn-burner.

Thursdays practice at Daytona International Speedway for the upcoming Coke Zero 400 was pretty scary for almost all the teams as they all had to deal with tire issues that have left some of the teams and drivers scratching their heads and wondering what will happen on Saturday night.

The action started early as with 10 minutes left in nighttime Happy Hour, which took place before the scheduled practice for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400, Greg Biffle and Sam Hornish Jr. got involved in an accident that left them both planning on using their backup cars in the next race. This accident along with rain helped delay the running of the practice for Saturday’s race by 83 minutes and had the drivers sitting around.

David Ragan was fastest in the late-afternoon practice session with a lap time of 47.191 and an average speed of 190.174 mph in his no. 6 Roush Fenway Ford, but he ended in 32^nd place on the evening chart. The track seemed to be a little tighter when he was on the track and his team made a few adjustments that helped him record faster times.

David Reutimann spent most of the day atop the chart and afternoon practicing drafting off of his competitors, and finished best with a time of 46.842 and average speed of 192.135 in his No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota.

Casey Mears was pretty fast in his No 07 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, he finished second in both sessions, and he could definitely win if things go his way. Unfortunately, his history at Daytona isn’t very good, so he may not be feeling too confident despite his fast car. He has only managed two top ten finished in thirteen races at Daytona, which isn’t going to get him in the record books.

You can watch the Coke Zero 400 on TNT TV at 7:30 on Saturday night or listen to the race on MRN Radio at 7:15. Enjoy the race!

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The 2009 Formula One season has been a downslide for BMW Sauber after a 2008 season that saw them challenge for the championship before finishing second best to Ferrari and McLaren. Obviously, this German-Swiss team was hoping for a better result in 2009 after a pretty good run at the title last year and were hoping to take another step forward in their battle for the championship. Unfortunately, things haven’t worked out as planned for BMW Sauber this year, with only eight points, and no sign of improvement in their car viewable around the corner. It might be time for BMW Sauber to take a step back for 2009 and maybe start working toward a better 2010.

BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica thinking about his year, so far

Let’s quickly go over BMW Sauber’s year so far and a few of the less than stellar moments of their 2009 campaign.

2009 was going to be BMW Sauber’s year for major improvements in their car and final standing in the race for the world championship. Considering their steady progress since 2006, expectations were of BMW Sauber challenging for the championship and maybe even winning. This was not to be however, as instead of rising to glory, BMW Sauber has lost ground with both their car and their final standings in the races.

Pre-season testing seemed to indicate too many that BMW Sauber’s F1.09 was fast, quick, and reliable, and drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica were talking excitedly about their cars and chances for the 2009 Formula One season. Unfortunately, as the season has progressed, it has become clear they can’t currently compete with the front running Brawns and Toyotas. They have only managed four top ten finishes this season, far behind what they were expecting considering last year they had 74 points after eight races.

BMW Sauber really got left behind when they concentrated on KERS over aerodynamics at the beginning of the year. They are now coming up with their own editions of Brawn/Toyota/Williams double-diffuser, but they’re still way behind this season, and refuse to admit defeat.

In the Turkish Grand Prix they tried out their first editions of the two-tier diffuser, and there were a few signs of improvement, with Kubica grabbing his first points of the 2009 Formula One season. The Silverstone race saw both BMW Sauber drivers finish a lap down, so if the team is going to compete, they need to get their car running faster.

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The MotoGP will pull its road-show into the beauty and danger of Mazda Raceway Seca Laguna this weekend for the running of one of the most highly anticipated and entertaining races of the MotoGP calendar, the Red Bull US Grand Prix. The MotoGP history of the Mazda Raceway Seca Laguna began anew in 2005, after a decade-long absence the MotoGP finally came back to the United States, and since that time it has hosted some of the most entertaining and energy filled competitions on the MotoGP calendar.

Valentino Rossi wins the 2007 Red Bull US Grand Prix

Part of the history of the MotoGP and Laguna Seca are actually written in the events and outcomes of six previous MotoGP World Championship races at Laguna Seca, which all occurred before the return of the MotoGP to Laguna Seca in 2005. Before these six races at Laguna Seca there had been another gap between races of 22 years, before MotoGP returned to Laguna Seca for the six races in 1988. This year’s competition is going to be the eleventh MotoGP race held at this historic circuit, so, to mark the occasion, were going to talk a bit about the history of MotoGP at Laguna Seca.

1988 was a memorable year for Americans at Laguna Seca, as American Eddie Lawson won the 500cc Grand Prix race at this track, while American Jim Filice won the 250cc race as a replacement for Masahiro Shimizu on a factory Honda. The following year American Wayne Rainey once again won the 500cc race for his home town fans, while John Kocinski won the 250cc competition as a wild card entry. In 1990 the trend of American victory continued as both Wayne Rainey and John Kociniski again took the honors, and then both riders continued on to take the World Championship in their classes. The next three years would see American dominance dissipate a bit and ended with total world dominance at the circuit in 1994.

The MotoGP returned again to Laguna Seca in 2005 and American Nicky Hayden would win the first return-race at this unique venue after an extended absence. He would repeat his performance again in 2006 and in the process become the first American rider to win the Grand Prix World Championship on a four stroke motorcycle. In 2007 Australian Casey Stoner would start on the pole and lead from start to finish, the first victory for Ducati and Bridgestone tires on this historic track. Last year, Valentino Rossi took the flag at Laguna Seca on his way to becoming the Grand Prix World Champion.

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NASCAR jargon and language can be quite daunting for fans who are just watching NASCAR for the first few times or the initial time in their NASCAR lives. We’re going to talk about a few of the words and language used in NASCAR that you might have heard around the pit or on TV, to give you a better understanding of some of the jargon and language floating around the world of NASCAR.

NASCAR language and jargon for the new NASCAR fan

You might have seen a large convoy of extra large trucks pull into a NASCAR track before the race, often it will have NASCAR’s that are viewable as it enters the track. These vehicles are transporters for each of the race teams’ two cars, a main and a backup, incase of problems. In addition, these vehicles are the storage garage for parts and tools to repair an entire NASCAR, and a place for the team to unwind.

Racers must change their driving techniques to work in combination with their race cars, which usually changes as a race progress, making their cars either tight or loose. Tight cars are hard to turn and the driver will have to ease-off the accelerator while turning, to slow the car and allow him to steer easier. Teams and drivers usually adjust things like the tire pressure, spring stiffness and chassis weight distribution in order to correct this problem. A race car that is loose, turns too easily, which can tend to make a race car fishtail. Once again, teams will make adjustments to the chassis, tires and springs to correct this problem and give the driver more control and thus greater speed. Confidence breeds speed in NASCAR and a driver who is comfortable with their car is going to run faster and be more successful.

Variables like track temperature and tire wear play important roles in how a NASCAR reacts to the driver during a race and the control a driver has over their ride. Small factors, like the amount of tape over a NASCAR’s grill can change the way a race car handles during a race. Juggling all the factors involved in a fast race car is what the best drivers and racers in NASCAR do better than others, and is often the difference between a champion and runner-up.

The next time you hear any of these words you will have a better idea of their significance in the race you’re watching and this knowledge should increase the entertainment you receive from watching NASCAR. See you at the track!

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NASCAR fans and professionals both have been waiting for the anticipated arrival of the new rulebook for the Nationwide Series, which was expected in June, but has been delayed due to facts that haven’t been made public. This rulebook will define the new car for the Nationwide Series, but is still apparently under review, as they finalize all the fine details. The future of the Nationwide Series is on the line, as this rulebook will lay the ground for all the future races in the Nationwide Series, so they need to make sure they get it right.

NASCAR is working on a new rulebook and car for the Nationwide Series

It’s expected that NASCAR won’t release the new rulebook until they have had time to meet with the owners and teams. There are probably several options they need to run past the owners and teams and want to make sure they have their input. The worsening economy could be having an effect on the final look of the rulebook, and the delays with the rulebook and the introduction of the new car, which had originally been scheduled for August 2010, but was recently delayed by NASCAR, until 2011.

Industry and media sources indicate that it’s most likely that a partial roll out of the new car will be introduced sometime next year at Talladega and Daytona and road courses Watkins Glen and Montreal, but things could always change again.

Like the rulebook, however, the introduction of the Nationwide car hasn’t been finalized, so change could be in the rule of the day as far as the dates and final look of the car is concerned. We do know that Ford and Dodge have both decided to run versions of their Mustang and Challenger muscle cars as their Nationwide entries. Chevrolet still resists running their muscle car, the Camaro, and will instead run the Impala SS, the same car it runs in the Cup series. They have been resisting pressure by NASCAR of late to use their Camaro muscle car in the Nationwide Series, but have continued to state that they will not be using the Camaro anytime soon in the Nationwide Series.

Joey Logano must feel like the dark skies that had been around him have parted and he can finally see the sun, as after a season that has seen the 19 year old racer ride ups and downs, he finally captured his first win of the season in a rain shortened affair at New Hampshire’s Motor Speedway at Loudon.

Joey Logano has NASCAR's greats in his sights

Nervous minutes before Joey Logano had been sitting against his No. 20 race car, trying to look cool and collected as he waited to hear if he was going to capture his first win due to the intervention of Mother Nature. The gathering crowd around Joey Logano and the No. 20 pit box was restless as the cars sat on pit road under a red flag waiting for the storm to begin, and they didn’t wait long.

Sunday was about Joey Logano though, a racer who has battled through a rookie season that has been far from easy on a racer who is probably getting use to getting there by the tough route. A young racer who earned the somewhat auspicious nickname of “Sliced Bread” for his exploits in NASCAR’s support series. Sunday’s victory marks only the fourth time in seventeen starts this season that Joey has been able to crack the top ten and what a way and place to accomplish the feat.

New Hampshire, the track where he witnessed his first Cup race as a fan, where he drove to victory in developmental series races, and the place he made his debut in the major league of racing. A humbling and frustrating 32^nd place-debut that made him realize he had a lot of work to do if he wanted to win. Sunday though was his day, his first of many to come if he has his way, but a triumphant homecoming that no one really expected, especially with his early problems in the race.

One thing for sure about this 19 year old racing fanatic, he’s going to surprise at times, and has always been a bit of a wild card. We can look forward to him providing us with amazing thrills and a few spills over his career and maybe a few years from now, we’ll be talking about him as one of the best. This is one of the best things about NASCAR; you just never know whose going to rise to the top of the ladder.

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Valentino may currently lead the MotoGP World Championship competition between him, Casey Stoner, and his Fiat Yamaha team mate Jorge Lorenzo, but both these two gentlemen and the rest of the MotoGP racers have him firmly in their cross-hairs race after race, and yet he continues to win and smile all the way to the bank.

The 2009 MotoGP season has had few highlights for anybody other than Stoner, Rossi, and Lorenzo

A simple wall separates Valentino and Lorenzo in the Fiat Yamaha garage they work in day after day, but these two friends and rivals have been even closer on the track. Lorenzo has had a really strong showing and if he’s the heir apparent to the World Champion and legendary Valentino Rossi, then he appears to have the ingredients of a champion. Another podium finish in Assen gave him his fifteenth and continued his consistent run of podium finishes in 2009 that has seen him miss only one. Lorenzo crashed racing for third place at Jerez, a mistake a young racer will make, and one that hopefully has taught him a lesson. He’s left wondering what could have been though; if he had been a little faster off the line on Saturday in Assen he might have been the one standing on the top of the podium.

Lorenzo seemed to mature as a motorcycle racer a bit on Saturday, at several points he seemed to be fighting the urge to race beyond the limits of his bike, but decided to ride within the limits the bike had set for him, and in the end settled for second place and the points. He crashed out at Laguna last year, just seconds after the start of the race, so he’ll be looking to win for the first time on this legendary track.

Ducati Marlboro racer Casey Stoner has apparently been racing at less then one hundred percent capacity lately, nursing some kind of ailment that has decreased his energy output and probably had him deciding to be the mature racer and stay within his bodies current limits, and grab the points he could. An Australian and former World Champion Stoner still managed a podium finish at Assen that left him exhausted after the race according to the doctors and is currently trying to rest up for the race at Laguna Seca this week.

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Ron Hornaday looked strong and fast in winning his second straight race Saturday in the MemphisTravel.com 200 held at Memphis Motorsports Park in Memphis, Tennessee. He smiled brightly and wrapped his hand quickly around the Elvis Trophy like he was starting to get use to it. Starting on the pole again with a qualifying lap of 117.7 mph, the dominance of his No. 33 Chevrolet was evident from the beginning, and he and his team are surely back at the garage to try to make sure nothing changes with their truck.

Ron Hornaday wins second straight truck race

Hornaday grabbed the lead at the start and never looked like he was going to give it up, until a smart pit stop put Brian Scott briefly in the lead. Scott was able to stay in front of Hornaday for 18 of the next laps, until Hornaday dropped inside of Scott in Turn 1 of Lap 135. The pair raced side by side up the track until they reached Turn 3, when Hornaday was able drive to the inside of a lapped truck and grab the advantage over Scott, who had to try to take the outside lane. In the final analysis Hornaday lead for 180 of the 200 laps, including 108 of the first 114, a truly dominant driving performance that must have his competition worried he’s going to run away with the 2009 season. This third win of the season expands Hornaday’s lead to 76 points over Matt Crafton, gives him 42 career wins in the series, which is tops all-time in the history of the series.

Brian Scott should hold his head high; he had a good race, but lost to the best in the business at the moment, and has a lot to look forward to in the future. He certainly had his problems with lapped traffic that slowed him down, but then this is where the experience and skill come in. Hornaday looked faster all day, and Scott probably wouldn’t have been able to stay in front of Hornaday, even if he hadn’t been slowed by traffic.

David Starr finished third, Aric Almirola fourth, while Matt Crafton finished in fifth position. Mike Skinner took sixth place, Timothy Peters seventh, Johnny Sauter eighth, Colin Brawn ninth, and the top ten was completed by Todd Bodine.

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