For much of the Lifelock.com 400, it looked as though Kyle Busch would run off to his 7th victory of the season. Busch led a record 165 laps, and as competitors such as Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth fell from contention to win, it seemed that there was nothing in Busch's way.

Then there was Jimmie Johnson, who took the lead with 17 laps to go from Busch on a late restart. Johnson was in the lead when the caution came out with six laps to go, and led to the field to the restart with just two laps to go. And that's when Busch made his move, darting to the outside of Johnson entering turn one. The two raced door-to-door down the backstraightaway and into turn three, and coming off turn four Busch had the advantage coming to the white flag.

Busch held off Johnson's final efforts to earn his seventh victory of the season, and third in the last four races.

“I gave up on myself. I just didn’t think I could do that. I’ve watched Jimmie do that several times," Busch said in victory lane. "I don’t know how I did it... I pushed Jimmie to go. This is a dream season, man. I just cannot believe this.”

While Busch was celebrating in victory lane, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards were left wondering what could have been.

For Kenseth it started on lap 125 when he had to pit under green when he suspected a flat tire.This left Kenseth a lap down in 30th place, just minutes after he had battled for the lead with Busch. After getting the free pass Kenseth was able to recover for a 7th place finish, but didn't have enough time to get back into contention for the win.

Edwards was leading when he also suspected a flat tire with just 55 laps to go while leading the race. He made a green flag pitstop and fell a lap down, but his problem was worse than a flat tire. One of the braces to Edwards' splitter had snapped, and the splitter was now dragging on the ground, giving Edwards a huge aerodynamic disadvantage. Edwards would lose another lap and finish 32nd, a disapointing end to what started as a good race.

There was controversy before the race even started as J.J Yeley's car sat in the inspection bay just minutes before the start of the race. Nascar officials found two water bottles filled with 15 lbs of lead each, one of the oldest tricks in the book for losing weight. Yeley was given a pass-through penalty at the start of the race, and would go on to finish 23rd. For the 96 team, which is 38th in owner points, more penalties could come later in the week.

Last week rumors spread around the garage that Teresa Earnhardt was going to sell the company that her husband, the late Dale Earnhardt, founded. She has recently denied these claims, but one has to wonder why she wouldn't. Dale Earnhardt Incorporated has quickly fallen from being one of the top-notch organizations in 2004 to it's mediocre status it holds today.

It was just four years ago that Dale Earnhardt Jr. won six races and just fell short of his first championship while driving for DEI. Back then it seemed as though the success would only continue, with Jr. earning a championship driving for his father's team.

However the collapse started in 2005, when DEI switched the crews for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip. Throughout the year both teams suffered before the teams were restored at the start of the Chase. Neither driver made the Chase, and in the first 26 races Earnhardt and Waltrip only had eight top-5's combined.

It was after that season that Michael Waltrip left DEI after only having three top-5's throughout the entire season, to make his own team, eventually with Toyota. Though certainly not the best driver on the circuit, Waltrip was still a vital part of DEI, as he is a sponsor's dream. When he left he took the big bucks with him.

In 2006 the team looked to be recovering, with the addition of Martin Truex Jr. in 1 car and Earnhardt reuinted with cousin Tony Eury Jr. as his crew chief. Though Earnhardt only won one race, he was consistent all year and made the Chase, while Truex had a mediocre rookie season. However 2007 would be another stutter for DEI that has lead to it's downfall.

Throughout the 2007 season engine troubles plagued the teams, as they had a combined 10 engine failures between them. In May Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced his departure from DEI, eventually signing with Hendrick Motorsports. DEI had lost the driver with the largest fanbase and, in turn, all the sponsorship and merchandise sales that he brought.

DEI then bought Ginn racing, aquiring the talented veteran Mark Martin. However besides him they only had Truex, who earned his only career victory early in the year, and the young drivers of Aric Almirola, Regan Smith and Paul Menard.

This year DEI has been plain and simply miserable, with the exception of Martin. Their young drivers of Smith, Almirola and Menard have for the most part struggled in their starts, with only one top-10 between the three drivers. Meanwhile Truex has also struggled, with only five top-10's throughout the season, leaving him 18th in points and unlikely to make the Chase.

On top of these woes Martin, who has carried this team, will be leaving to Hendrick Motorsports next year to take one more shot at a championship, while Truex is trying to leave the team at the end of the year, possibly to Stewart/Haas Racing. This leaves DEI with only Almirola, Smith and Menard.

With these inexperienced drivers combined with low-grade equipment, things are destined to only get worse for DEI, with it's downfall seemingly imminent.

The date is July 28, 2007. In a tiny town in New York called Johnsonville, a faded-red stock car is loaded onto a trailer, which is attached to an old, beaten-up Ford pick-up. When all is ready six people squeeze into the truck, ready for a good two hours on the road.

Among them sits me, scrunched in the middle of the backseat with barely enough room to breath, but I don't care. Today I'm going to see my first race of any kind in person, a long-overdue experience. In the front seats of the truck are Patrick McLaughlin and my step-father, Mark, while in the back with me are Kelly McLaughlin, Patrick's wife, and their two children, Patrick Jr. and Alexandra.

On the way there we watch as the small towns of eastern New York rush past me, as we make our way up to the track. Eventually we cross the border into Vermont. Here there's little sign of a human impact other than the road we travel on, as on either side we see mountains, to our left the Adirondacks of New York and to our right the Green Mountains of Vermont.

We finally make our way to a valley where the Devils Bowl Speedway lies. For now there is peace and quiet like is throughout much of Vermont, but it's Saturday night, which means the silence won't last.

We pull up to a gate, and this is where Kelly, the kids and I get out. The gate leads to the garage area, where Mark and Patrick will spend the rest of the night, while we head to the stands.

We all take our seats towards the end of the front straightaway, and just minutes later the mini-stocks, consisting of four- and six-cylinder cars, make their way onto "Vermont's Fastest Half Mile." The green flag waves and the cars sputter to life, beginning a ten lap shootout. Seconds after taking the green, several cars make contact and spin in the first turn, just a taste of things to come in this wild race, but for now I'm most looking forward to the race that follows this one, the pro-stocks, which Patrick races in.

It's not too long until that race finally starts, as the sun sets in the distance these cars roar to life as the green is dropped. Patrick runs around mid-pack the entire race but I don't care, I'm just in awe of everything that's unfolding before my eyes. Lori Langavin ends up winning to no one's surprise, as she'd been dominating all season long, as Patrick finishes 8th.

Although that was the race I had been looking forward to seeing the most, it wouldn't be my favorite experience of that night. By now the sun has set and lights are on, shining down on the 358 modifieds. Some 20 cars all line up for the start, their engines a low hum in the night as they make their way around the track before the green.

When the green drops, all the engines' hum change to a roar in unison as they charge towards the first turn. There they swing out the rear ends of their vehicles, racing just inches apart as they head back onto the straightaway. For 30 exciting laps this happens, and not for a moment do the motors' tune change. It's now 10:30 and all the festivites have ended, and we make our way back into the beaten-up truck and head home. In the back the kids slowly fall asleep, but I'm wide awake, with the images of the night still racing through my mind.

Now nearly a year later the stars of the GGW racing tour will make their way through the winding mountains of Vermont to the Devils Bowl Speedway, as they will compete in their own cars around this fast half-mile.

Tsfanpc is among the favorites to make it back-to-back wins this week, while Forensic2 still searches for his first win of the season after coming oh-so-close earlier this season. Klvalus will be looking to get a strong win after a disappointing finish last week in the trailer races.

The trio of Frevr3fan, Texascudaguy and Jokerswild will likely be too busy talking smack to each other to focus on winning, though if Jon 464 throws the leaders under the bus they might have a chance.

Photogr will look to continue leading laps and finishing strong as he eyes the point lead, which Jbroomy currently holds after a fantastic season so far. However he may be distracted by the grid gals set up by Yeemum, who is doing anything she can to make up ground.

Sweetkena will hopefully find the track this week, she needs a good finish to make up for last weeks DNF. Hanahan hopefully won't need a sub again this week, as last week he had "flu-like symptoms (hangover)." 

At the end of the night only one #### will outlast the others and stand victorious, winning all the bananas. Good luck everyone!

After the wild race at Daytona, the Sprint Cup Series heads north to the Chicagoland Speedway, where they will race under the lights for the first time. Adding the COT to the changed track conditions, this could be another wild race.


1. Kyle Busch

Making a fantastic save, coming from the back and making his move at just the right time to win at Daytona; just another race for Kyle Busch. Kyle has now won 1/3 of the races run this season in Sprint Cup, with six victories in 18 races. He has an average finish of 10th at Chicagoland, with a best finish of 3rd. The way he's racing right now, he'll probably improve on that.

2. Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth earned the best finish of his career at Daytona, finishing 3rd, rebounding from his disappointing finish at Loudon. Matt now has seven top-10's in the past eight races, and that consistency should carry over to Chicago, where he's come just short of the victory the past three races. In those races he's led 289 laps, finishing 2nd twice, with a 22nd that was the result of being spun from the lead with four laps to go.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt Jr. led the most laps at Daytona, but faded from contention towards the end of the race, but still finished a solid 8th. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been a contender the past three races at Chicago. In 2005 he earned a win, then in 2006 he finished a solid 5th. His result last year, 19th, is deceiving, because he was running in the top-5 before he lost a cylinder late in the race.

4. Carl Edwards

Edwards was battling for the win on the last lap when the caution flew, ending the race. After two finished of 20th or worse, Edwards earned a 3rd place finish at Chicagoland last year. Edwards' teams has been strong on the 1.5 mile tracks all year long, expect him to contend for the win.

5. Tony Stewart

Stewart had to give way to relief driver J.J Yeley when his illness became too much to handle. Stewart has to be a favorite to win at Chicagoland though, where he's earned five top-5's in the past six races, including two wins. He is the only driver besides Kevin Harvick to have multiple victories at the track.

6. Jeff Burton

Burton finished outside the top-15 for the first time this season when he wrecked late in the race. Don't expect this to happen at Chicago though, where he has finished in the top-10 the past two races, including a career best finish of 2nd in 2006.

7. Jeff Gordon

Gordon was in position to win his first race of the season at Daytona, leading the majority of the closing laps. However, he was spun on a green-white-checkered restart, leaving him with a 30th place finish. Gordon has five top-10's in the past six races at Chicagoland, including a win.

8. Greg Biffle

Biffle finished last after and early wreck at Daytona, dropping him three spots to 11th in the points standings, just 10 points in front of 13th place Kevin Harvick. Biffle has been slumping, with no top-10's in the past five races, and Chicagoland may just continue his woes, where he's never finished in the top-10.

9. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson ran up front most of the race, but lost track position when he damaged his fender and needed repairs. This put Johnson back in mid-pack, where he was caught up in a wreck, finishing 23rd. He should rebound at Chicagoland, where he has five top-10's in six career starts, with a 37th last year that resulted from a blown tire while running 2nd.

10. Brian Vickers

Vickers finished 11th at Daytona, his sixth straight finish of 16th or better. He'll need to finish even better though if he wants to make up enough ground to make the Chase, which he is still 112 points out of. In three starts at Chicagoland, Vickers has a worst finish 14th, with a 4th in 2005.



Other Notables:

11. Kurt Busch- Busch backed up his win with a 4th place finish in a backup car. Things may just be turning around for Busch, who has three straight top-10's at Chicago.

12. Kevin Harvick- Harvick won the inaugural event at Chicagoland in 2001, then again in 2002. He needs another strong run here to get back in the top-12.

13. David Ragan- After a couple of bad runs at Infineon and Loudon, he excelled once again in the plate race, finishing 5th. He's earned top-5's in two of the three plate races this year.

14. Robby Gordon- He finished 6th at Daytona in an unsponsored car. He's also earned two top-10's at Chicago, but none since 2003.

15. Ryan Newman- Had a rough day at Daytona, but Chicago is a good place for him to turn it around. He won here in 2003, and finished 8th here last year.

This weekend the Sprint Cup Series heads to the hallowed grounds of the Daytona International Speedway, a track where victory is the most prestigious among the stock car racing world. 43 drivers will try to etch their names into history with a win under the lights, but only one will succeed.


1. Kyle Busch

Busch had an off day at Loudon, racing with a bad setup and never cracking the top-10. A late race scuffle with Juan Pablo Montoya added insult to injury, dropping Busch to 25th for the finish. However Daytona is a good place for Busch to rebound. In the Daytona 500 this year, Busch finished 4th after leading the most laps. He also finished second in this race last year by just .005 seconds. If things go his way this weekend, he may just end up in victory lane this time.

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt also had late race trouble when Jamie McMurray plowed into the rear end of his car while he was trying to enter pit road. From there he would limp his way around to a 24th place finish. Again though, Daytona is a great place for Earnhardt to recover. He is an excellent plate racer, and he's won at Daytona twice, including this race in 2001.

3. Matt Kenseth

Kenseth's car was off at Loudon, but he had started making a comeback before the final round of pitstops. When the rains came, however, Kenseth was back in 18th, and that would be where he would finish. Kenseth has been stout at Daytona lately though, with six top-10's in the past ten races.

4. Carl Edwards

Like his teammate, Edwards' car was off most of the day at Loudon, but had worked his way back into the top-15 before the last round of pit stops. When the rain came, Edwards was mired back in 17th, giving him a worse finish than he deserved. He hasn't been very stout at Daytona, with just one top-10 finish in six starts. However, that was a 4th place finish in this race last year.

5. Jeff Burton

Burton was consistent as usual at Loudon, charging into the top-10 after starting 31st. When he made his final pit stop Burton fell to 12th though, and that was where he finished. Burton hasn't done very well at Daytona lately though, with only one top ten in the past nine races.

6. Greg Biffle

Biffle was never in contention, spending most of the race on the tail end of the lead lap. When it was finally over Biffle settled for a 21st place finish. In his past two races at Daytona, Biffle has been able to crack the top-10.

7. Jeff Gordon

Gordon had a top-5 car all day long at Loudon, but had to settle for an 11th place finish when other drivers stayed out. Gordon is still searching for his first victory of 2008, and Daytona may be the place to earn it. Gordon has earned six career victories at Daytona, including a win in this race in 2004.

8. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson had a top-5 car all day at Loudon as well, and after others stayed out he still ended up with a solid 9th place finish. He's enjoyed sucess at Daytona in his career. His first career pole came there, and he's earned 8 top-10's in 13 career starts, including a win in the Daytona 500 in 2006.

9. Tony Stewart

Stewart had the car to beat at Loudon, but poor strategy late cost him not only the victory, but a top-10 finish, leaving him 13th. Stewart is also looking for his first victory of 2008, and Daytona is the perfect place for him to do it. He has won this race twice in the past three races, and he also finish 3rd in the Daytona 500 this year after leading on the final lap.

10. Brian Vickers

Vickers continues to be consistent as he tries to work his way into the top-12 in points, as he finished a solid 16th at Loudon. Vickers only has two top-10's in eight starts at Daytona, but his only victory came in a plate race at Talladega in 2006.



Other Notables:

11. Ryan Newman- Newman won the Daytona 500 earlier this year, he should be a driver to watch on Saturday night.

12. Kevin Harvick- Harvick had a good run at Loudon, but had to settle for a 14th place finish. He won the Daytona 500 in 2007.

13. Kurt Busch- Busch earned a much needed win at Loudon, and might make it back-to-back wins at Daytona, where he finished 2nd in the Dayton 500 this year.

14. Martin Truex Jr.- Truex earned a good top-5 finish at Loudon, finishing 4th. Though he hasn't had good finishes at Daytona he has run well in plate races in the past, having learned from former teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

15. Michael Waltrip- Waltrip earned his best finish in over three years at Loudon, finishing 2nd to Kurt Busch. Walrtip may carry that over to Daytona as well, where he's earned three of his four career victories.

I don't know guys I'm just kind of bored right now so I thought I'd share some stuff I've put together from that little website called Youtube. I don't know if it's any good or not, but whatever I just thought maybe you guys might like some of it.

Crash Compilation #2

This was one of the first videos I made, and it's gotten the best response, I think people like this one the most because the commentary is included in most of the clips.

Crash Compilation #2 Remake

This one I put together shortly after the one right above it because there were many things I thought I could improve on, and it ended up turning into a sync, so I got rid of the commentary and it got mixed reviews. Whatever, it's still my favorite of my crash compilations.



Crash Compilation #3

This one I put together just a couple months ago, mainly because I really liked the song that I used for this and I had a lot of ideas for it. I kinda got lazy towards the end of making it, which is why many crashes pop up more than once, but I still think it turned out ok.



Nascar Music Video

I just made this a couple of weeks ago, again because of really liking the song. This isn't supposed to be so much of a crash compilation as it is a highlight of Nascar action, so I made it into a sort of Music video. Again I just synced the music and the visuals for this one.



Jeff Gordon Tribute

I spent the most time on this one for an obvious reason, and it's my favorite video even though I'm sure a lot won't like it just because of who it's about, haha.

---

Heading into the Lenox Industrial Tools 301, Kurt Busch, the 2004 Sprint Cup Series Champion, had struggled all season, with just two top-10's. Busch spent most of the race outside the top-10, but came to the pits on lap 217 for fuel, with plans to stay out the rest of the way.

After a wreck by Dale Earnhardt Jr. on lap 271, Busch gained the lead as the rest of the leaders came into the pits for fuel. Busch's concerns were making it to the end of the race with the remaining fuel in his tank, and holding off the pack in the final 25 laps.

However, just a couple of laps after the restart, Sam Hornish Jr. made contact with Clint Bowyer, sending the two spinning in turns three and four. The caution came out for the seventh time, and then the race was red-flagged for rain. Less than ten minutes after the red flag was thrown, Nascar called the race, giving Kurt Busch his first victory since August of last year.

"These guys made an awesome call," Busch said. "Sometimes you just don't win 'em the right way, I think we can honestly say that, but we had a lot of work and a lot of effort put in today and we'll take it."

The win vaulted Busch from 22nd to 18th in points. Busch is still 215 points behind Bowyer, who sits 12th in points, but this win was the first step towards a possible rebound for the team that has finished 32nd or worse five times in 17 races.

Behind Busch was Michael Waltrip, who earned his best finish since April of 2005, and J.J Yeley, who's third place finish tied the team's all-time best.

Meanwhile Tony Stewart dominated the race, leading 132 of 284 laps, but fell to 13th when Busch and others stayed out on the track or took fuel only on the last stop, and when the race ended just a couple laps later he was left with another disappointing finish.

"It's just been the oddest year I've ever seen for this race team," Stewart said. "It's just frustrating. There isn't anybody that's going to tell you any different than that. There's nothing you can do. If there was something we could do about it we'd change it."

Stewart's teammate Kyle Busch was involved in a late-race conflict with Juan Pablo Montoya. The two had bumped and ####ed in the laps before the final caution. Several moments after the field had slowed to caution speed, the two exchanged bumps on the front straightaway before Montoya turned into Busch, who's spinning car came back and made contact with Montoya and sent him spinning as well.

Montoya would be penalized two laps for reckless driving, and finished 32nd, while the points leader Busch finished 25th.

With just nine races left before the Chase begins, the battle to be in the top-12 is heating up, with 9th to 14th place seperated by just 97 points. 12th place Clint Bowyer is just 8 points ahead of Matt Kenseth who sits 13th.

After the challenging road course in Sonoma the Sprint Cup Series heads northeast to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This may be a one-miler but this speedway is known for bumping and ####ing, along with exciting finishes. With an extra lap added onto this race, that's and extra lap of excitement.

1. Kyle Busch

After briefly giving up the top spot the Shrub returns to the top of the rankings off his dominating win at Sonoma. Kyle has shown that he can and will win anywhere, and he'll be a favorite again this weekend at Loudon, where he won in 2005.

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt was happy to leave Infineon with a decent finish of 12th, considering his previous performances there. Earnhardt can look forward to the Magic Mile, however, where he's earned seven top-10's, including a 4th here last year.

3. Carl Edwards

Carl had a car capable of earning the win at Infineon, but when he fell back in the pack due to pit strategy the deficit was just too much to overcome, though Edwards came back for a 9th place finish. Carl hasn't enjoyed much success at Loudon though, where he only has one finish better than 12th in seven career starts.

4. Matt Kenseth

Kenseth earned his best career finish at Infineon, surviving all the madness happening around him to finish 8th. Matt should improve on that at Loudon, where he has ten top-10's in the last 11 races.

5. Greg Biffle

The Biff led briefly at Infineon, but made a mistake on the restart and went spinning, sending him to the back of the pack. He stuck with it all day and came back to finish 11th. He's been hit or miss at Loudon, earning three straight top-5's but then following that with three straight finishes outside the top-10 in the past six races.

6. Jeff Burton

Burton had another average day at Infineon, riding along in mid pack before finishing 13th. He should improve on that at Loudon, where he's earned four top-10's in the past five races.

7. Brian Vickers

Vickers finished a solid 14th at Infineon, tying his career best finish there, to keep himself in contention to make the Chase. WIth 12 races left before the Chase starts, Vickers sits 104 points out of the top-12. Vickers earned a top-5 here in 2006, but only made one of the races last year, finishing last.

8. Jeff Gordon

Gordon earned a much needed 3rd place finish after struggling throughout the day, vaulting him back up to sixth in the points standings. Last year Gordon was just off in both races, finishing 2nd to Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer.

9. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson led early, but after he fell back in the pack he failed to make any progress, and stayed there at the finish, coming across the line 15th. Johnson should be a contender at Loudon, however, where he swept the races in 2003 and has four top-10's in the past five races.

10. Tony Stewart

Stewart tip-toed his way through the pack after starting 39th, making his way to 2nd with just a few laps to go. However he was caught up in an incident that started behind him and fell to 19th with just a couple laps left. Stewart charged through the pack on a mission though, making up nine of the lost spots before the checkered flag. He should have a good day at Loudon, where he's won twice and has 11 top-10's.


Other Notables:

11. Kasey Kahne- After three finishes of 2nd or better in four races it looked as though Kahne was going to again contend at Infineon when he earned the pole. However Kahne fell to the back from the start and stayed there, finishing 33rd. Kahne needs to right the ship this weekend.

12. Clint Bowyer- Bowyer earned a much needed 4th place finish last week, and he should add on to that at Loudon, where he earned his first career victory last year.

13. Denny Hamlin- Hamlin was involved in a late race crash at Infineon and finished 27th, but he should rebound at Loudon, where he is the defending winner of this race.

14. David Gilliland- Gilliland earned his best career finish at Infineon, finishing 2nd behind Kyle Busch. Gilliland has been improving all year, and should earn a solid finish at Loudon.

15. Kevin Harvick- After sparking a late race wreck that involved four cars, Harvick finished 30th, his sixth consecutive finish outside the top-10. Worst of all he fell outside the top-12 in points. Harvick needs to get something going this weekend at Loudon, where he won in 2006.

---

Kyle Busch ended a brief slump by winning at the Infineon Raceway in dominating fasion, leading 77 of 112 laps. He won from the 30th starting position, only the second driver to win from farther than 13th at Infineon in Nascar history. After Friday's practice and qualifying, Busch wasn't hopeful o####ood finish, but he credited his crew with making the car as dominant as it was.

"These guys worked so hard," said Busch. "This is really special. We came a long ways with this thing. That's what makes me so proud of this team."

All day long Busch's competitors fell from contention one after the other, most notably after restarts. Among the drivers who were spun from contention were Greg Biffle, Juan Pablo Montoya, Marcos Ambrose, Kurt Busch and Robby Gordon, whose chances of winning were lost in four separate incidents.

However on penultimate restart, four top-10 cars, including second through fourth, were all taken out in one incident in turn 7 when Kevin Harvick got loose heading into the corner and made contact with Jamie MacMurray, who then spun into Busch's teammate Tony Stewart, who was running second.

Ron Fellows, who was running 6th, also became involved when he tried to avoid the incident and went into the sand, getting stuck and relegating him to a 29th place finish.

A frustrated Stewart simply said after the incident, "I haven't seen it, so it's not fair to comment on that."

Stewart would recover to finish 10th, gaining nine positions on the final restart while McMurray would muster an 18th place finish, but Kevin Harvick suffered the most as he finished 30th, and at the end of the day he had fallen three positions in the points standings to 13th, outside the field of drivers eligible for the Chase.

That incident set up one final restart, with Busch running away from the field in the final two laps to win easily. He's won on just about every type of track this year, winning at the 1.5 mile Atlanta, the sweeping banks of the Talladega Superspeedway, taming the Lady in Black and at Dover, and now at the road course in Sonoma, his first finish better than 7th on a road course.

Behind Busch was David Gilliland in 2nd, the best finish of his career, and road-course ace Jeff Gordon, who was impressed by Busch's performance.

"I am really impressed with Kyle," Gordon said. "I've been around him, and I didn't think he's a really good road racer. So I think you've got to give that guy a lot of credit for his talent."

Kasey Kahne earned the pole on Friday, indicating that he would be able to continue his hot streak that has seen him earn three top-2 finishes in four races. However, after leading the first four laps was never a factor, as he finished 33rd.

Marcos Ambrose's day didn't end any better than Kahne's, though Ambrose had run up front all race in his first Sprint Cup start before being spun by Elliott Sadler, leaving him with a disappointing 42nd place finish.

After several weeks of racing on the ovals the Sprint Cup Series is presented with a unique challenge this weekend in the form of the Infineon Raceway. Just under two miles in length the course challenges a driver's ability to out-brake and out-shift their opponents, along with the challenging left and right handed corners they will negotiate through 110 times.

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Maybe you haven't heard, but Earnhardt snapped a 76-race winless streak this past weekend at Michigan, making the trip to victory lane in a points race for the first time since his win at Richmond in 2006. Earnhardt has had solid cars in almost every race this season, look for him to earn his first top-10 finish at Infineon this weekend, maybe even another win.

2. Carl Edwards

Edwards had a solid car all day long at Michigan, spending 21 laps in the lead before settling for a 7th place finish, his sixth straight top-10 finish. Edwards isn't known for performing well on the road courses, but he has earned a top-10 at Infineon in 2006, along with a good run at Watkins Glen last year.

3. Kyle Busch

Busch led early from the pole, but after that wasn't much of a threat for the win, as he eventually settled for a mediocre 13th place finish. Look for him to do better at Infineon, where he's improved in every race since his first start, finishing 40th in 2005, 11th in 2006 and 8th last year.

4. Matt Kenseth

Kenseth was a contender all day long, but had to settle for a 3rd place finish behind Earnhardt and Kasey Kahne, who used fuel strategy to get in front of him. Kenseth's team is back on track, but Infineon isn't a course he specializes in by far, in eight career starts he has no top-10's, and an average finish of 23.5.

5. Jeff Burton

Burton was a little off at Michigan, where he had to settle for a 15th place finish, snapping a streak of four consecutive top-10's. However Burton has done well at Infineon lately, with three top-10's in the past four races there, including his first career top-5 at the track last year when he finished 3rd.

6. Greg Biffle

Biffle has good cars week in and week out, but there's always something that happens to ruin his day. The most recent let-down for the BIff was when he ran over the air hose on the final round of pit stops, forcing him to serve a drive-through penalty under green. Biffle would have to settle for a 20th place finish after having a car capable of a top-5. Biffle isn't known for being a good road-racer, but he has placed in the top-5 in the past two races at Infineon.

7. Kasey Kahne

Kahne nearly won his third race in the past four weeks at Michigan, but a caution saved the leader Earnhardt from running out of gas before the finish. It was still a good weekend for Kahne, who earned his eighth top-10 of the season. However, Kahne hasn't placed better than 23rd in his four career starts at Infineon.

8. Jimmie Johnson

After his blown engine in the Coca-Cola 600, Johnson has reeled off three straight finishes of 7th or better, including his 6th place finish at Michigan, which has allowed him to climb to 5th in the point standings. In his career Johnson has been hit or miss at Infineon, where in six starts he has two top-10's, but an average finish of 20th.

9. Brian Vickers

Vickers has had cars capable of winning for the past several weeks, and he was again a contender at Michigan, finishing 4th. Last year he earned his best career finish at Infineon, a 14th, in sub-par equipment. Look for him to improve on that this weekend.

10. Jeff Gordon

If it weren't for his road-racing prowess he wouldn't have made the top-10, but Gordon is the road-course king. After a miserable day at Michigan where he finished 18th, Gordon goes to a track where he's earned five wins in 15 starts, including 11 finishes of 7th or better.



Other Notables:

11. Tony Stewart- Stewart ended his slump with a 5th place finish at Michigan, and he's no slouch on the road courses. At Infineon he's earned two wins in nine starts, and an average finish of 10th.

12. Boris Said- Said is always solid on the road courses, especially Infineon, where he's earned four top-10's in the past five races.

13. Scott Pruett- Pruett is an excellent road racer, though he hasn't faired as well at Infineon as he has at Watkins Glen. He did earn a 3rd place finish here in 2004.

14. Robby Gordon- Gordon swept the road course races in 2003, but hasn't perfromed as well at Infineon since, with a best finish of 16th. Look for him to change that.

15. Marcos Ambrose- Ambrose will be making his first Cup start this weekend for the Wood Brothers, and last year he had the Busch race at the Montreal road course won before Robby Gordon spun him out.

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It had been 76 long races since Dale Earnhardt Jr. had gone to victory lane heading into the Lifelock 400 at Michigan. That all went away after 400 miles of racing, as Earnhardt stood victorious in victory lane for the first time in over two years.

Earnhardt was able to earn the victory using fuel mileage, surving a green-white-checkered that extended the length of the race, as he ran out of fuel just after crossing the finish line.

"It is what it is man," Earnhardt said in victory lane. "We were going to stay out there no matter what. They can write what they want, but we won one."

Behind Earnhardt was Kasey Kahne, who earned his third top-5 in four races, which has allowed him to climb to 7th in points, while 3rd and 4th place finishers Matt Kenseth and Brian Vickers have pulled within 14 and 97 points of 12th in points.

Meanwhile, it was yet another disappointing day for Greg Biffle, who had been running in the top-10 all day long until his final pit stop with 15 laps to go. While exiting his pit stall, he ran over the air hose, and had to serve a drive-through penalty while under green. The latest bit of misfortune left Biffle with a 20th place finish, dropping him to 8th in points.

But as Biffle's struggles have continued, Tony Stewart's may have finally ceased. Stewart ran a clean race and was able to finish 5th, his first finish higher than 18th in four races. The top five allowed Stewart to get a little bit of breathing room between himself and David Ragan in the points, who sits 13th.

Earnhardt's win came also thanks to Patrick Carpentier, whose spin on the last lap saved Earnhardt from running out of gas.

"We were going to stumble to the finish and probably not win the race. We weren't going to finish. The yellow saved us," Earnhardt said after the race.

While Earnhardt's fuel strategy payed off, it didn't for Mark Martin, who was third on the final restart when he ran out of fuel. When it was all said and done, Martin was 25th, one lap down.

This weekend the Sprint Cup Series heads to Motor City, where more than just the race is on the line, but also bragging rights for the winning manufactuer. On top of it all, it's Father's Day this Sunday. Here's wishing them a great day, and great race to go with it.


1. Kyle Busch

It just wasn't Kyle's weekend. After finishing 2nd in the truck series on Friday night, Kyle wrecked his Cup car during practice, lost a tire at Nashville in the Nationwide Series Race, then wrecked and spun on Sunday, finishing 43rd. Kyle finished strong at Michigan's sister track, Fontana, but in six career starts he has an average finish of 20.7.

2. Carl Edwards

Carl had to recover late in the race when he had to give up track position to replace a flat tire. He was able to finish 9th, a solid points day, but not what it could have been. However, Edwards goes to one of his favorite tracks this weekend. He made his first career Cup start at Michigan in 2005, finishing 10th, and has since earned six top-10's in seven starts, along with a win in this race last year.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt Jr. was able to get out front late thanks to fuel strategy, and on old tires held on for a 4th place finish, a good rebound from his wreck at Dover. Earnhardt only has five top-10's in 17 career starts at Michigan, but three have come in the last four races.

4. Jeff Burton

Burton came through the pack early after starting 20th and spent most of the race in the top-10, finishing a solid 5th. The consistent Burton only has eight top-10's at Michigan in 28 career starts, with no wins, and a best finish of 14th in the past three races, including two of 24th or worse.

5. Greg Biffle

Biffle has cars that are capable of winning week in and week out. However, he has the worst luck as well, and that was displayed at Pocono, as Biffle was contending for the win when had a speeding penalty on pit road, leaving him with a disappointing 15th place finish. Biffle had a streak of 5 straight finishes, including back to back wins, but has had two finishes of 19th or worse in the past two races.

6. Matt Kenseth

Kenseth had another strong run at Pocono, bringing his car home in 7th. Since having three straight finishes of 38th or worse, Kenseth has earned four straight top-10's, allowing him to pull within 34 points of the top 12. Expect another top-10 out of Kenseth at Michigan, where he has an average finish of 9.7.

7. Jeff Gordon

Gordon started deep in the pack and worked his way into the top-10 early, but fell back and spent most of the race outside the top-20. However Gordon was able to work his way up to 14th by the end of the day, salvaging important points. Gordon is the most recent Chevy driver to win at Michigan, all the way back in 2001.

8. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson had a good run going all day long at Pocono, getting up front and leading some laps before finishing 6th. Johnson only has five top-10's in twelve career starts, but finished 3rd in the most recent race at Michigan. He also ran strong at Michigan's sister track Fontana earlier this year, finishing 2nd.

9. Kasey Kahne

Kahne had a dominant car all day at Pocono, leading 69 of 200 laps, and came back from an early pit miscue to earn his 2nd win in three races. He has four top-5's in eight starts at Michigan, including a win in 2006, but in the last two races hasn't finished better than 31st.

10. Brian Vickers

Vickers earned his third career top-5 finish at Pocono, finishing 2nd to Kasey Kahne. Vickers also has three top-10's at Michigan, including an 8th place finish in this race last year. Vickers is just 112 points out of 12th in the standings, in position to make a run at the Chase in the final 12 races.


Other Notables:

11. Tony Stewart- Stewart also fell victim to a speeding penalty, and after falling off the lead lap had no chance at a recovery, finishing 35th. Stewart is now 12th in the standings, just 7 points in front of 13th.

12. Denny Hamlin- Hamlin recovered from his last place finish at Dover to finish 3rd at Pocono, one of his best tracks. In his four career starts at Michigan Hamlin hasn't finished worse than 14th.

13. Kurt Busch- Busch recovered from an early spin that saw him go airborne to finish 8th, his first top-10 since the season opening Daytona 500. Busch will need to continue this if he wants a chance at making the Chase.

14. Bobby Labonte- Labonte finished 11th at Pocono on Sunday, then signed a four-year contract extension with Petty Enterprises on Wednesday. With his driving future secure Labonte can focus on continuing to run strong in the upcoming races.

15. AJ Allmendinger- Allmendinger had a career best finish of 12th after running in the top-10 for most of the day at Pocono. Maybe this is a sign of things to come for AJ.

Steve Letarte, crew chief for four time Cup series champion Jeff Gordon, is commonly called "Poptart." However, Letarte is no poptart.

You see, a poptart is delicious and never fails to satisfy, where as Steve Letarte, well, you see where this is going.

Letarte became Jeff Gordon's crew chief when Robbie Loomis, who was Gordon's crew chief during his 2001 championship season, left to manage at Petty Enterprises at the start of the 2005 Chase for the championship. Gordon had missed the Chase after a miserable season that was highlighted by struggles on 1.5 mile tracks.

Just six races into this new relationship Gordon and Letarte were in victory lane together at Martinsville, but honestly, was that Letarte, or was it Gordon, who had won three of the last five races heading into that event at Martinsville, including coming from three laps behind to win in the first race of that year. And of course there is the fact that Loomis had come up with great setups for Martinsville in the past few years, and those notes were at Letarte's disposal.

Now, in my mind Letarte hasn't proven himself at this point, but to his credit when he came on board the 1.5 mile program did improve, though before he came on board Gordon had made strong runs at those tracks that ended with wrecks and mechanical issues that were out of his control. Nonetheless, the performance improved greatly.

In 2006, Letarte managed to get Gordon to victory lane at Infineon, though again that's a track he's dominated in years past. But my hopes soared when Gordon ran up front all day at Chicagoland, a track that just one year earlier had plagued him, and captured the victory.

Though the team went winless throughout the rest of the season, the team ran well at several tracks and made the Chase, though bad luck plagued them and left them with a 6th place finish in points.

Now until this point in time Letarte has done a pretty good job, and in 2007 he led Gordon's team to great finishes week in and week out. This was thanks to great set-ups at the 1.5 mile tracks, something Gordon lacked for years. Gordon would finish 2nd in points after a great season, but it could have been more if Letarte had some common sense on top of the box during the race.

Now, before I continue, I will admit Letarte has brought Gordon great cars, but I think that he is incompetent during the race.

Right now you're probably saying, "But wait, didn't Letarte earn Gordon some wins with good strategy in 2007?"

Yes he did, to the naked eye....

The Phoenix race Gordon had a car that was good on a long run, but didn't have the track postition to contend for the win, until that final round of pit stops when the caution came out during green flag pit stops. Letarte was praised for making the call to finish the pit stop, but the team was already in the middle of the stop, and Letarte just made a call that any crew chief that hadn't inhaled too many exhaust fumes would make.

Then there was the Darlington race, where Gordon was able to win despite a geyser of water escaping his car. Letarte is praised for leaving Gordon on the track, but again, what else would you do? At that point in the season, Gordon is running away from the rest of the field in the points, and can gamble if he wants. When with 30 laps to go Gordon's car is overheating and is losing water you have two choices if you're Letarte: bring Gordon in the pits, raise the hood and pump more water into the car and lose a bunch of time and finish 20-somethingith, or leave the car on the track and hope for the best. No brainer.

Now Pocono was actually a well thought out race, and they played that fuel strategy perfectly and the weather came at the right time. I'll give credit to Letarte on that one, he made the right call.

Gordon went on to win races at Talladega through sheer driving ability, and won at Lowe's in the fall thanks to issues by Ryan Newman.

So overall, 2007 was a good season, but Letarte didn't do anything fantastic while calling the races. And if this were January 2008 and I were writing this, I might say that Letarte was a crew chief that could lead Gordon to a 5th championship, but now I highly doubt that will happen after the miserable season I've witnessed.

Of course, Gordon has been in a few crashes and had some mechanical woes, but when he hasn't Letarte has let him down.

And right now I'm disregarding the fact that Letarte can't provide a car better than 15th to save his life, that is just ridiculous, and until now that's the only thing Letarte has been good for, and now he can't even do that.

On top of the bad cars, Letarte has made horrible calls that have put Gordon way behind the pack when track position is vital or left him out to be a sitting duck after a long run. There was no exception to this at Sunday's race at Pocono.

Until the second round of pit stops, Gordon had made his way up to 13th without pit strategy after starting 38th. Gordon actually had a good car, but never had the opportunity to show it because of Letarte.

On that second round of pit stops, Letarte gave the order to take two tires, and considering at that point not too many people behind Gordon were doing that, that wasn't that great a decision. However, easy to make that decision after the fact. Gordon would fall back to about 11th during the before the next pit stops, so it still wasn't that bad, but Gordon's car fell off at the end of that run.

Apparently, the fact they fell back behind a bit on that run told Letarte he should never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever take two tires no matter how far back in the pack he may be. Throughout the race Letarte took four tires, four tires, four tires, even after short runs of just 10 or 12 laps. Others would take two, while Gordon had four. While tires are nice, passing ain't easy at Pocono, and Gordon was left in the low 20's for most of the race. Hard to make up all that lost ground.

However, by using fuel strategy, Gordon was 3rd in line with a group that was on a different pit sequence, one that saw them able to make it to the end on fuel after having made pit stops just 10 or so laps earlier. Everyone else had to pit, and at this point I'm thinking, "All right, at least Gordon's going to be 3rd when this all shakes out, so we should get a solid finish out of this."

Then to my dismay I see a flamed car coming to the attention of it's pit crew, getting four tires and fuel......

Why?

Instead of restarting that race in 3rd place with 20 laps to go and a few cars behind you with older tires between you and the guys who just took four, you're now 27th with about 20 cars on the same tires as you on a track that is known for being hard to pass at, let alone with the COT.

All I can do is sit as I watch Gordon make up as much ground as possible, shockingly coming in 14th, good for the circumstances, but not what it could have been.

This isn't the only time Letarte's done this either, he did it last year at Atlanta,Texas and Phoenix, taking four when everyone else took two on late pit stops and getting crappy finishes and losing points toJimmie Johnson. Maybe if he had taken a little chance and taken two tires (which I was screaming back then just like I was Sunday at Pocono) he would have had a top-5 finish and been closer to Johnson headed into that final race. Heck, he lost around 70 points because of it.

So now I'm complaining about the problem. I've said this before and I'll say it again, it's easy to complain about a problem, but it's hard to come up with a solution. Well, my solution is only half complete, unfortuanately.

Of course the first part is to get sack Letarte from the role of crew chief, but Letarte can still be valuable as a car chief, so you put him there. That's the easy part, the hard part is finding who to replace him with, and I think I've found my guy: Brian Whitesell.

Never heard of him? Whitesell was the first guy to replace Ray Evernham as Gordon's crew chief when Evernham left to work with Dodge, and in his first two races as Gordon's crew chief he got Gordon into victory lane. Whitesell's role was only temporary, as in 2000 Loomis filled the role as Gordon's crew chief. However, 9 years later, I think it is time for Whitesell to return to the top of Gordon's pit box.

---

Aside from an early wreck at Dover, Kasey Kahne has been on top of the Nascar world since his victory in the Sprint All-Star Race. He would go on to win the Coca-Cola 600 a week later, and he found victory lane again at Pocono for his 2nd win in three races.

Kahne won the race from the pole, but had to come back from an early miscue on pit road. During a stop on lap 58, Kahne's crew intended to change four tires, but in the middle of the stop decided to only take two. Kahne left the pits, but he had loose lugs on the left-front tire, and he had to come back to the pits to tighten them up.

That wouldn't stop Kahne from dominating the race though. On lap 129 he made his way back to the front, passing Jimmie Johnson for the top spot. Kahne spent 69 laps in front of the pack, including the last one.

"Never. I've never had a car that dominant before," Kahne said. "This one stayed the same all day long. It was so good all day long."

Following Kahne was Brian Vickers, who finished 2nd at Pocono for the second time in his career, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton. While Kahne celebrated in victory lane, Roush Fenway drivers Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards were left wondering what could have been.

Biffle had run in the top-5 all race long and was leading when he came to the pits under green on lap 157. However, Biffle sped exiting pit road, and had to come back down pit road for a pass-through penalty.

Edwards' problems came with 20 laps to go. After having pit under caution and being in line as one of the first cars with four tires, Edwards was forced to come back to pit road because of a flat left rear tire.

Edwards would recover to finish 9th and Biffle finished 15th, a disappointing run considering how good their cars had been all race long.

They weren't the only drivers to be bitten on pit road though. Tony Stewart was also a victim to a speeding penalty just a handful of laps after Biffle. Unlike Biffle, when Stewart came back to to serve his penalty he fell off the lead lap, and after having spent 139 laps in the top-10 and leading 14 laps Stewart had to settle for a 35th place finish.

The latest poor finish for Stewart dropped him to 12th in points, the last cutoff spot for the Chase, just 7 points ahead of David Ragan and 10 ahead of Ryan Newman, who are 13th and 14th, respectively.

His teammate Kyle Busch had early troubles as the point leader made contact with Jamie McMurray off turn 3, sending the point leader's car into the wall. Busch would return to the race several laps down, finishing 43rd.

"We broke the mirror trying to adjust it there before the race and couldn't see anything out my right rear quarter panel. So I couldn't clear myself. The spotter didn't say anything, so I apologize to McMurray for wrecking their day," Busch said after the incident.

This allowed Burton to close within 21 points of the championship lead.

After having to survive the Monster, the Sprint Cup Series heads to the Pocono Raceway, nestled in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. This track presents it's own challenge, with three distinct corners with different bankings and angles, which the drivers will have to negotiate for 500 miles.

1. Kyle Busch



Busch earned his fourth win of the year at Dover, spanking the field during the second half of the race and running away with the victory. Busch's point lead is now 142 points over Jeff Burton, almost a full race. Busch's average finish is only 16.2 at Pocono, but it's almost certain that Busch will be a driver to beat.

2. Greg Biffle

Biffle continues to be one of the only drivers who can challenge Busch, as he led the most laps at Dover before experiencing electrical issues. Biffle still managed to come home 3rd, his second consecutive top-3 finish, allowing him to climb from 11th to 5th in points. However, Biffle hasn't been able to get his hands around Pocono in the past, with only two top-10's in ten career starts, and a best finish of 23rd in the past three races.

3. Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards ran up front most of the day at Dover, but lost the lead on the final round of pit stops and had to settle for a second place finish. However, Edwards should again contend for the win at Pocono. In 2005, Edwards earned Jack Roush's first win at the track. However, Edwards hasn't finished in the top-10 at Pocono since his rookie season.

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt Jr.'s chances of winning were over less than 20 miles into the race when he got involved in the big crash on lap 18. Earnhardt rode around the track for the remainder of the race, finishing 13 laps down. Last year Jr. started from the pole and finished 2nd in the second race here.

5. Jeff Burton



Burton continues to reel off top-10 after top-10, coming from 38th to finish 8th. Burton finished the race a lap down though, the first time he failed to complete every lap of a race this year. Regardless, Burton and his crew are finding ways to get top-10's every week, and you can count on him doing just that again this weekend at Pocono.

6. Jeff Gordon

Gordon started in the top-10 and kept it there most of the day, finishing the