Tim Duncan has reached an agreement with the San Antonio Spurs to stay until the end of the 2011-12 season and likely finish his career in Texas. Duncan had 24 points and 13 rebounds as the Spurs got their title defense off to a successful start on Tuesday defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 106-97 Tuesday night. A goaltending call, against Joel Przybilla, gave Duncan a late basket and the Spurs a commanding 104-96 lead with 36 ticks on the clock.
"FORT WORTH, Texas – It really is tough to get past two primary conflicting threads leading into today’s Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The 12 Nextel Cup races here have been won by 12 different drivers, but none is among the active drivers at Hendrick Motorsports, the sport’s hottest team."
"Considered together, it’s quite a remarkable thing. Since this 1.5-mile oval opened in 1997, only 38 drivers have won Cup races. Gordon has won 56 times, Johnson 26 and Kyle Busch four. Terry Labonte did win here in a Hendrick-owned Chevrolet in 1999, but he’s no longer driving. “It’s just a very, very tricky place to get the right combination of aerodynamics, horsepower, mechanical grip, and set-up and get comfortable as a driver with the speeds we carry here,” said Gordon, who will start from the pole today after qualifying was rained out on Friday. Gordon finished in the top five each year from 2001 to 2004 when the track had only one race per season, but his best finish since was a ninth last fall."
"Hendrick Motorsports will try today to become the first team since Petty Enterprises in 1971 to win five straight races. Johnson starts third, Busch fifth and Casey Mears 33rd. “The guys building the cars have just done a fantastic job finding a little bit in all these different areas,” said Gordon, who is leading the points despite having not won yet this season. “The cars are just so much more comfortable to drive and the speed comes is when that comfort is there. If there’s any time we've had a chance of a Hendrick car winning here or ourselves winning here, it's this year.”"
"Johnson hasn’t won here, but he hasn’t exactly smelled up the place, either. His worst Texas finish in seven tries is 11th and he’s had three top fives in the past four races. On the other hand, he’s led only three laps here in career."
With today's interesting weather in Texas today perhaps a sandbag detail is needed to control local flooding. There was no qualifying based on time today due to the rain, sleet, hail, snow and gloom of night. Alas, no Paul Revere midnight rides will occur either.
Therefore, the starting lineup has been determined based on owners points. I actually enjoy seeing this from time to time. It puts all of the points leaders up front and we can see how they all do in cleaner air. It's more like, well say an F1 start for example as all the best cars rush off into the first turn.
But rain on qualifying always hits hard on those trying to make the race on time. They don't even get a chance to try.
Thus a #### week for Michael Waltrip just gets shittier. However, I can't help but think Michael has brought this upon himself by burning his candle at both ends and generally taking on too much #### I am not asking Michael to help this week. Instead, I am keeping him in a holding cell. This thing is just getting started for him. Too bad. But it's going to be a long and sad deal.
Alright, Mr. Lepage and Mr. Allmendinger, you guys have worked with us before, you know we don't goof off. I expect you to act like leaders today as we go out here and build a few sandbag walls just in case we should get more weather and the creeks rise. I know you will take this seriously. This is serious business.
O.K., Kenny Wallace. Kenny? Kenny? What? Kenny made the race? L I'll B.
####? ####? Didn't I tell you to go Busch racing boy? Getouttaheah!
Scott Wimmer, Sorry you didn't get a chance to try to qualify your Richard Childress Holiday Inn car man. Bad break. Your dismissed. Go get some barbecue.
John Andretti, well you keep showing up from time to time so your asking for it. Get over here with Kevin and A.J.,.
And todays newest member of the your in deep do do and on the #### shoveling sandbagging or whatever else the hell we need brigade, please welcome Jeremy Mayfield.
Marcos Ambrose returns to the venue of one of his finest performances when he tackles the Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee this weekend. Ambrose was a fine third in his last visit to Nashville while competing in last year’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the #20 Aussie Vineyards Ford F-150 last August. Now Ambrose gets the opportunity to reacquaint himself with the 1.333-mile concrete-surfaced speedway in the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion as he strives for another strong finish. The Australian sits seventh in the NASCAR Busch Series points standings after six races and is the highest-placed non-Nextel Cup driver. Ambrose is also second in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings, locked in a battle with former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya and the likes of NASCAR young gun David Ragan for the prestigious award.
“I’m really excited about Nashville,” said Ambrose. “For some reason, on those concrete tracks, I get a good feel on them. I ran well at Dover, and I just feel like I can feel the car advancing on the concrete tracks. Nashville being slightly smaller than a one-and-a-half-mile speedway – like Lowe’s or Texas – I think is good for me, too, because the speed is slightly slower and you can be more aggressive behind the wheel. “I’m really looking forward to Nashville, and I hope to duplicate what I did there last year in the truck series this weekend.
Regan Smith, who admits that he sometimes over analyzes his performance after each race, feels a new surge of enthusiasm heading into this weekend's event -- the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway. "Going into Bristol there were plenty of distractions since it was my debut and I was driving the number one car in points," offered Smith. "Now that we got that race out of the way and did a decent job I feel more relaxed about this weekend. I feel we have the potential of having a pretty good performance. It's exciting to get right back into the Army Chevy."
"I think of our soldiers in this situation," added Smith. "You never quit or allow a setback to get in the way of completing the mission. That's exactly how I feel heading into Martinsville."
Regarding Martinsville, Smith will be driving a new U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala SS in the second straight race for NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow. "We tested the Army Chevy last week at Greenville Pickens (S.C.) Speedway and we were pleased with the car," noted Smith. "Our goal is to have a top-20 performance and I know we can achieve that or maybe even better. We just need to stay out of trouble and avoid mistakes."
And before Smith heads to the half-mile flat track in Southern Virginia, he will make a call to his mentor, Mark Martin. "I plan on calling Mark on Thursday to go over a few things about the race," said Smith. "Mark really has a knack for teaching. When he talks you listen -- there's nobody better to get advice from."
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