Last week I said it would be tough for Kyle Busch to improve on his three finishes from Daytona. Damn if Rowdy didn't go out and do it. He had a first, a second, and a fourth at Cali. Slim is en fuego.

Told you last week to add Matt Kenseth to your fantasy team for the Cup race. He had a solid top five at California. For Vegas I'll advise you to add Jeff Burton,  any Roush driver not named McMurray or Ragan, Kasey Kahne should be good for a top ten, and stick with Kyle while he's hot. Did I mention he's en fuego?

Tony Stewart broke his pelvis in an IRL crash at Vegas in 1996, and he has never won a Cup race in Vegas.

Have you heard the latest about the track at Fontana? Last Friday, while drying the track, the jet blowers used too much heat. This supposedly burnt the polymer sealant off the track. They are saying this is what caused the weepers. Excuse me while I call bullsh!t.

Just about everyone has already heard that RCR is trying to sign Bobby Labonte for next year. Labonte would bring the much coveted past champion's provisional. Also hearing that long time Petty sponsor, General Mills, would go with Labonte to RCR.

Robby Gordon's appeal will be heard on March 5th, in Daytona. Yee Mum, and I have already beat this dead horse to a second death.

Kertus Davis will have the first female crew chief in NASCAR history in this week's Nationwide race. Cindy Woosley will lead the #01, Lori Morgan Chevy in Vegas.

 With female crew chiefs now, can hot drivers be far behind?

Danica Patrick's narrow window of opportunity to win a race has now been painted shut. With the IRL---CHAMP merger she has next to no chance of winning a race. She didn't come close to getting it done while driving for the IRL's best team, and racing against only sixteen other cars. She will be walking up a sand dune in ski boots now. Going against full fields of cars, and even more of the best road racers from CHAMP.

The few road courses on IRL's schedule were her best hope for a win. With the merger, there will be more road courses, but a lot more road race aces. This should insure that Patrick still won't get it done against the men. Not that her being a female has anything to do with it. Her talent just isn't at the same level as her car and team deserve. She must realize this, as she is keeping her other options open by posing in the S.I. swimsuit issue and shilling for Go Daddy.com. Good idea Danica, get it while you can. No matter how good you look, if you don't win even that gimmick gets old.

She races in the IRL for the top team, Andretti-Green, and still hasn't finished higher than 7th in the points standings. That was last year racing against maybe 13 other full time drivers. In 2007 she racked up four top fives and eleven top tens. Keep in mind that most races there were only sixteen other cars starting. A top ten out of seventeen cars is not that great. In '06 she was 9th in points, and 12th in 2005. She has done less in the last three years than Dale Earnhardt Jr., while getting his level of press in the IRL.

Of course the new management at IRL---CHAMP might decide it's good for TV ratings to have a woman winning races. That could really separate them from NASCAR.  Of course I would never suggest that a major racing organization could help certain drivers and/or cars win races. No, I would never suggest that.

I never thought I would be the one defending NASCAR. Other than a few good memories, what have they ever done for me? Well, there are the countless Sunday afternoon naps on the couch that the cookie cutter tracks induced. And, more than a few drunken arguments about which driver was better. Maybe a few more exotic nightclubs discovered in  far flung locales such as Bristol, Charlotte, and Florence SC. But, really, I could probably live without NASCAR. Yet, here I am, the lone voice of reason, having to defend the billion dollar industry.

I wasn't on this site during NASCAR season last year. So perhaps I wasn't prepared for the onslaught of indignation over the percieved screw ups by NASCAR concerning Robby Gordon and qualifying being rained out. Wow! I can't wait for an actual miscarriage of justice by NASCAR. My computer will probaly blow up from all the blogs hitting the screen.

First, Robby Gordon. Robby Freaking Gordon? I have never once saw a fan at any track wearing any RG gear. Where did all these 'poor Robby' bloggers come from? NASCAR set a ZERO tollerance policy regarding cheating with the COT. He rolled up to a NASCAR inspection with unapproved parts. Whether he knew, or not NASCAR considers it cheating under the ZERO tollerance policy. In this day and age we Americans love to play the blame game. Everyone's a victim. Mama Hillary will take care of me. Here's some free advice for Robby....NUT UP, AND SHUT UP.

Rained out qualifying. Every team knows NASCAR's policy on this, and yet they continue to show up whether they're in the top 35 or not. Some of you bleeding hearts feel this is an unfair system. That it's not fair to the little guy. Welcome to America. Only the strong survive, unless Hillary or Obama get elected. Then you can change that to...only the strong pay taxes. Some of you propose a lottery type system for rained out qualifying. because it will level the playing field. You think a local based start up team with $100,000 invested in the team should have the same opportunity as an established team, not in the top 35, with millions invested? 

NASCAR is a business. They are in business to make money.  They will take care of the sponsors before the fans, because without the sponsors dollars there would be no NASCAR. The fans can talk of boycotts, but  NASCAR won't listen to anthing except corporate dollars.

Jack Roush has done it again. Jayski.com is reporting that Roush-Fenway announced today that Joey Clanton has been released as the driver of the 09 Zaxby's F-150 after one race. As usual Jack the Ripper intends to keep the sponsor, Zaxby's Restaurants. Clanton is to be replaced for this Friday's race at California Speedway by Travis Kvapil. Kvapil is a former truck series champion, and drives a Yates Ford in the Sprint Cup series. Hiring a wide eyed kid, and then stealing his sponsor is nothing new for the Ass in the Hat. Among others, he has done this same shameful act to Stanton Barrett and Kevin Lepage.

For the second week in a row Kyle Bush will compete in all three NASCAR series at California.It will be hard to improve on last week's two 2nd places, and a 4th place. He is currently in the top five in all three of NASCAR'S major series. The only other driver to be in the top ten in all three at the same time was Mike Wallace back in '03.

Mike Skinner will attempt to qualify the BDR #27 Bad Boy Mowers Toyota for the Cup race. One of the most fitting sponsors ever.

Mark Martin will make his 700th Cup start this weekend in Cali. Congrats.

Better add Matt Kenseth to your fantasy group this week. He's won the last two Auto Club 500's at Cali. He has two other Cup wins, and two Nationwide wins at the track.

Carl Edwards carried his 2007 BuschChampionship trophy to the Missouri Capitol this week to recieve a resolution from the backslappers. No word on whether or not he broke out the back flip.

Joey Logano is scheduled to make his first Nationwide start on May 31 for  JGR at Dover. He turns 18 on May 24. He's doing some Cup testing for Gibbs to gain some seat time.

 Finally, is there any track more boring than Cali?

Ahh, Daytona Beach. The suds, the strippers, the scent of coconut oil, the scenery in bikiniri. What's not to like? Glad you asked. I, Countryjag the pessimist for the restofus, is here to let you know what's not to like.

Fox TV......I'll give them credit for trying something new------gopher cam----but every time it looked just the same. No action, just cars going by. Hell, it wasn't even a new idea. We've seen it before at Iowa Speedway for one. Rusty's claiming that idea. I have to admit DW was almost tolerable for a change. Of course me giving up my New Year's Resolution on race day may have helped. A lot of people were complaing about too many commercials. I can remember when the races weren't live on TV. Radio only. So I can't bitch about advertising.

Pre-race show......Will NASCAR ever learn? Chubby Freakin' Checker? NASCAR do not even have a live music show if you have to go that cheap. How much did Chubby set you back? $2,500, and two rooms at a Red Roof Inn?

NASCAR's yellow line rule........The  only time Jr's ever been penalized for it was on the final restart, and he didn't do it (this time). When you get blocked below the yellow line, as #18 clearly was, you shouldn't be penalized. Montoya showed what to do when someone tries to block you below the line. All drivers should start running into the ass of the blocker until NASCAR takes action. All drivers should also be forced to watch the last lap of the '79 Daytona 500, over and over, to see how Cale and Donnie took care of blocking and passing under the line.

After race blogs......Did every driver's fan club president post yet? Good. I was waiting for all the drive bys to finish ranting. We get it people, your driver got screwed by....(a) his own teammate, (b) NASCAR, (c) some no driving foreign SOB, (d) all of the above. In the future, to save our lips from moving so much, just pick a letter.

Seriously, it was a pretty good race. Beat the hell out of watching the NBA All-Star game I'll bet.