Who will 'Dega fans throw beer at when the 8 and 24 are teamates?

The efforts to sign #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. to a NASCAR driving contract for 2008 and beyond has reached a critical point, and the top two teams on Earnhardt’s list are the Chevrolet teams owned by Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick, according to men familiar with the negotiations. Earnhardt today is leaning toward a deal with Hendrick [NOTE: where would Earnhardt go? HMS has four Cup teams and all three drivers signed for a couple more years, unless some sort of deal with Haas CNC Racing or Ginn Racing would be worked out], largely because of Hendrick’s very strong engine program, sources here said yesterday. Earnhardt and veteran crew chief Tony Eury Jr., his cousin and close confidante as well as the man who has led him to many of his 17 Cup victories, have talked with both the Hendrick and Childress camps in recent weeks about the positives and negatives each team owner would have to offer, sources said yesterday. And Eury will have a major voice in the decision, because Earnhardt’s primary goal now, at age 32, is to win a championship.

Impound races

A couple people have asked me about impound races. Here's the scoop: the Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400 at Richmond International Raceway will be the 2nd impound race of 2007, there are five impound races in 2007, both Talladega races, both Richmond races and Daytona in July.

Jayski has more info here: impound races

I missed this...

....NASCAR announced Wednesday that Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet and Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 26 Ford, have been fined $25,000 each and placed on probation until Oct. 3, 2007 for being involved in an altercation with each other's cars during this past Sunday's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

The altercation occurred during the final caution period that came on the white-flag lap.

Did anybody see this "altercation"?

Richmond picks so far

'dega picks

What NASCAR says to Smoke

NASCAR called Tony Stewart's comments "very, very disappointing." "NASCAR has been running races since 1948, and we place the safety of the drivers at the top of the list," said spokesman Jim Hunter. "We have more people and more resources than ever officiating our races. The safety of the drivers is our first priority. It has always been that way and will continue to be that way. There are thousands of talented race drivers out there who would consider it an honor to compete in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series."

Smoke whines like a ....

.... Hendrick driver

Tony Stewart accused NASCAR of "playing God" by using caution flags to orchestrate closer racing. During his Tony Stewart Live program Tuesday night on Sirius Satellite Radio, Stewart lambasted officials for throwing four yellow flags for debris during Saturday's Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Stewart didn't feel any of the caution periods were warranted, implying NASCAR intentionally was trying to bunch up the field by slowing the pace of the racing. "To me it's not all about the money, it's about the integrity of the sport, and when I feel our own sanctioning body isn't taking care of that, it's hard to support them and feel proud about being a driver in the Nextel Cup Series when they're throwing debris cautions," he said. "It's like playing God. They can almost dictate the race instead of the drivers doing it. It's happened too many times this year. You get so frustrated ... But enough of it's gone on that fans are writing in and talking about it. At what point does NASCAR get the hint? I guess NASCAR thinks, 'hey wrestling worked, and it was for the most part staged, so I guess it's going to work in racing, too.' "

COT height tolerance change

NASCAR will give teams a half-inch tolerance instead of a quarter-inch on the minimum height requirement of the rear of the car during post-race inspection at car of tomorrow [COT] races, Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby told reporters Thursday. #16-Greg Biffle was outside the quarter-inch tolerance after a fifth-place finish at Bristol, but NASCAR won't penalize him because of the lack of benefit to the car to be that low. Darby also said that although it was procedural measurement with the car of tomorrow, it was never specified in the rulebook. He says NASCAR will continue to explore the minimum height of the rear of the car before making a steadfast rule. Darby also said that the minimum right-side weight was changed from 1,650 pounds to 1,700 pounds. As far as the problems some teams had with broken exhaust pipes, Darby said he expected that to be fixed. "The teams have been very weight conscious through this process," Darby said. "Most of the exhaust pipe failures that we saw were pipes that were constructed out of material that was much thinner than the pipes on yesterday's car were. It should be an easy fix for the teams.

Martinsville track history

Martinsville Speedway was built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles and is the only charter-member track that remains on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series schedule.

Red Byron won the first "Strictly Stock" event on the half-mile dirt track on September 7, 1947 and went on to win the first NASCAR championship in 1949. Six years later, the track was paved and Martinsville Speedway has since hosted at least two 500-mile races each year ever since.

Nestled in the Virginia Piedmont on Route 220, approximately 50 miles south of Roanoake, Va. and 50 miles north of Greensboro, N.C., Martinsville Speedway still maintains a small-track ambiance due in part to Clay Campbell, the third generation of the Earles family to manage the facility. Campbell continues his grandfather's fan friendly philosophy that includes an allotment of affordable bleacher seats that go on sale the day of the race.

Picks so far - Martinsville

Drivers that must qualify on speed at Martinsville

36) #4-Burton/Morgan-McClure Motorsports 331, 34 pts behind 35th
37) #22-Blaney/Bill Davis Racing 325, -40
38) #83-Vickers/Team Red Bull 322, -43
39) #44-Jarrett/Michael Waltrip Racing 320 [has 2 champ provisionals left to use], -45
40) #21-Schrader-Wood/ Wood Brothers 320, -45
41) #49-Bliss/BAM Racing 287, -78
42) #15-Menard/DEI 281, -84
43) #10-Riggs/Evernham 265, -100
44) #55-Waltrip/Michael Waltrip Racing

This is a partial list and very unofficial.

The Biff gets no penalty

NASCAR will not penalize Greg Biffle's #16 team, despite the fact his Ford was found to be too low in post-race inspection at Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR vice president for competition Robin Pemberton said Wednesday. NASCAR has scheduled a news conference for Friday morning at Martinsville Speedway to explain their reasoning in detail. NASCAR took the #16 car back to its research and development center Sunday night after the Food City 500 and gave it a thorough inspection Monday. Officials determined that no unapproved adjustments had been made to the car, so NASCAR cleared the machine and returned it to Roush-Fenway Racing on Monday afternoon. The 2007 season began with a new, less tolerant approach toward rules violators, prompting many to suspect that Biffle and his team would receive a stiff penalty following the Bristol mishap. But NASCAR officials said the Car of Tomorrow is a work in progress, and that they anticipated the cars would lose some height during the race at Bristol. Officials ran eight cars through the height sticks during post-race inspection, and Biffle's was the only one that came back too low. Before making any permanent changes, NASCAR said it will likely make some rules adjustments in the future that benefit everyone.

Drivers trying to qualify on speed at Atlanta

#4-Ward Burton (2/38)
#13-Joe Nemechck (3/20)
#14-Sterling Marlin (3/30)
#15-Paul Menard (3/37)
#33-Scott Wimmer (0/none)
#34-Kevin Lepage (3/52)
#36-Jeremy Mayfield (3/48)
#37-John Andretti (3/46)
#44-Dale Jarrett [Past Champ 1999](3/32)
#49-Mike Bliss (3/47)
#55-Michael Waltrip (3/56)
#70-Johnny Sauter (3/24)
#78-Kenny Wallace (3/43)
#83-Brian Vickers [won in 2006](3/41)
#84-A.J. Allmendinger (3/50)

Picks so far - Atlanta

Tire notes from Atlanta

GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES

Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials

Number of Tires: Left-side -- 1,700; Right-side -- 1,700

Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-4066; Right-side -- D-4080

Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 87.4 in.; Right-side -- 88.6 in.

Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi;
Right Front -- 50 psi; Right Rear -- 47 psi
Minimum Recommended Inflation
: Left Front -- 22 psi; Left Rear -- 20 psi;
Right Front -- 48 psi; Right Rear -- 45 psi

Estimated Pit Window: Every 48-52 laps, based on fuel mileage.

Notes: This is the first time Goodyear has brought this specific combination of left- and right-side tires to the track . . . while the left-side code will be the same for teams in all three NASCAR series at Atlanta, Nextel Cup teams will be running a different right-side code (D-4080) to account for their smaller fuel cell . . . this is the only track at which these codes will be used in 2007 . . . the important factors in designing a tire setup for Atlanta are the high speeds and loads, as well as the relatively rough track surface . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Atlanta . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

Vegas Baby! - picks so far

Blond Dog sets new record

For the first time in the Dakota Kid's NASCAR pool history, someone picked the top three finishers. Blond Dog picked JPM, Hamlin and Said; who finished this weekend's Busch race 1, 2, 3. That's a record that can be tied, but can never be broken.

Who to root for/against - Mexico

Mexico Entry List

updated at 4:20pm

Looking for a reason to pick Junior at Vegas?

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't finish the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway on Sunday, it was the 4th time in his career that he had two straight races with DNF's [did not finish]. At Texas in 2000 after two straight DNF's Earnhardt won; At Phoenix in 2004, he won; At Indy in 2006 he finished 6th; and at Las Vegas in 2007.....? (from espn)

If you've got SPEED channel....

....check out "car of tomorrow" testing at Bristol.

SPEED will air a pair of 30-minute specials from the NASCAR "Car of Tomorrow" test sessions from Bristol on February 28 and March 1 at 7:00pm/et. "NASCAR is expecting somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 cars to participate ... with some teams bringing more than one car," said Frank Wilson, SPEED VP of Production. "This is a huge test that will set the table for the rest of the NASCAR race season ... how teams handle this car will go a long way toward determining the 2007 Nextel Cup championship."

Reutimann's hard hit

It looked bad on TV, and it must have been a hard hit for NASCAR to comment on it.

Official Auto Club pool results

Auto Club qualifying

The greatest driver of all time wins the pole.

Auto Club 500 starting lineup.

Who to root for/against - Auto Club 500

NASCAR TV coverage this weekend

Here's a listing of the NASCAR TV coverage this weekend. Remember, in California, it's better to look good than to feel good.

Daytona 500 Results

Ryan	Tony Stewart	43	106
	Kyle Busch	24
	Jimmie Johnson	39
Brad	Tony Stewart	43	110
	Jimmie Johnson	39
	Denny Hamlin	28
Blonde Dog	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	32	81
	Tony Stewart	43
	Elliott Sadler	6
Jayson	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	32	98
	Tony Stewart	43
	Carl Edwards	23
Dakota Kid	Jeff Gordon	10	92
	Jimmie Johnson	39
	Tony Stewart	43
Scott	Jeff Gordon	10	58
	Greg Biffle	25
	Carl Edwards	23
Stormy	Jeff Burton	3	76
	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	32
	Kurt Busch	41
Rob	Tony Stewart	43	83
	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	32
	David Gilliland	8
Regan	Tony Stewart	43	92
	Jimmie Johnson	39
	Jeff Gordon	10
Craig B.	Tony Stewart	43	83
	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	32
	David Gilliland	8
Steve	Jeff Gordon	10	59
	Casey Mears	20
	Martin Truex Jr.	29
Bret	Kurt Busch	41	112
	Denny Hamlin	28
	Tony Stewart	43
Cody	Kurt Busch	41	81
	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	32
	David Gilliland	8
Zelda	Tony Stewart	43	75
	Jeff Burton	3
	Martin Truex Jr.	29