While sitting here thinking about the saying, "All good things must come to an end." It doesn't take much to realize was it really a good thing to begin to with, and if it wasn't, think about how relieved you would feel once that added pressure is gone, and you can once again begin to enjoy whatever it was that anchored your happy feelings and kept them tied down. Because if you are not happy, then something must be wrong, and maybe its time to bring whatever you thought was good to an end before it causes more harm. It doesn't take much to sit back, and take a good long look around at the circumstances knowing that the decision you just made was for the better for all parties involved. Because sometimes we do have to make those decisions in life that may not sit well with each person that is involved, but there also comes a time when enough is enough, and you have to start looking out for own well being.  

Decisions are usually not easy to come by, especially when there is family who is involved. Those types of decisions are always the hardest, because you never know how the outcome will affect those who are involved. Some might take it with a grain of salt, and agree that the decision was made was for the best. And then there are those that might hold a grudge even though they may not say anything at the present time.  Now looking back at these couple of things that were just put out there, how does a team owner as well as his driver, go about telling another member of the team that his services are no longer needed? Now you also have to take into account that this is not just some team member, but he is also the cousin of the most popular driver in the sport today.

The decision I'm sure was a well thought out process, as well as how do you approach this individual to let him know that even though blood may be thicker then water, but I have a race team that is not performing up to my expectations, and I need to make a change?  Anyone who has been following NASCAR for any amount of time already knows that Rick Hendrick takes his racing very seriously. "We're always concerned when we have a car that doesn't run well," Hendrick said. "We're always meeting and trying to figure what to do and how to make it better. That's just an ongoing situation. We've got to come up with a plan and we've got to work toward it."

Well it looks like that plan has finally started to materialize, and in a matter of a few days it should become official. Sources close to www.fanzonesports have already said that it might not happen this week, because they don't have a replacement ready just yet. But unless the #88 team goes on a winning streak, then Tony Eury Jr is done as crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. However, if Eury Jr. has another bad race at Dover like he did last week at Lowes, then it will be over and they will stick anyone they can get a hold of to replace him for the following week's race at Pocono.  Either way no matter how you choose to look at it, Tony Eury Jr's days are numbered. One of the scenarios that were in the works was for Alan Gustafson, and Tony Eury Jr to exchange drivers, but with the way that Mark Martin has been performing as of late, that is not an option at least not yet. But Alan is still a longshot for the job.

Could it be that maybe Dale Jr has had enough of being on the losing end week in and week out, especially when he looks at just how well not only his teammates are performing, but also the team of Stewart/Haas racing which are also running HMS equipment? There has to come a time when even Jr has to tell himself that the water is thicker then the blood, and take the initiative and approach Rick telling him that there needs to be a change. Because after all this is his own career that is hanging in the balance, and all he is doing is inflicting more harm on himself then good by not speaking up. And even if you throw in the adage that blood is thicker then water, why would it be so hard for Earnhardt to approach his own cousin in private, and work out some sort of mutual agreement that would best suit them both without going public?  

It's a cut and dry case that Earnhardt needs to break away from his cousin in order that he can hopefully get back on track, and in the same token maybe its not to late to salvage the rest of the season, and maybe get himself into the chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. Because with each race that passes without any success in sight, he is not getting any closer, but instead he is distancing himself more and more from making the top 12. Now being the business man that Rick Hendrick is, he would probably welcome the fact if the two of them approached him saying that something needed to be done, and that Tony needs to part ways with Earnhardt in order for him to have a chance to succeed. Either way at the pace that Earnhardt is running right now, it could also be a matter of time before Earnhardt's fan base begins to dwindle at an even faster pace if something isn't done today, because by the time tomorrow rolls around, it could be too late. Im out   

Call it what you want, a tainted victory, he won the lottery, he was lucky, or whatever else you can think of. But the bottom line is when you look at the win column, the win still looks the same as any other win. In as many days, Mother Nature once again was the deciding factor allowing David Reutimann who had brushed the wall on lap 96, to get his first Sprint Cup victory, and this would also be team owner Michael Waltrip's first victory as an owner as well in the rain shortened Coca-Cola 600. Lowes Motor Speedway has been very generous this past week allowing first time winners to grace its victory lane. It was just last weekend during the All-Star race, that Lowes Motor Speedway opened itself up to allow Tony Stewart his first victory as an owner, while at the same time giving Stewart his first All-Star win as a driver too.

It wasn't until lap 221 when the rains began to fall for the fourth and final time that race leader Kyle Busch, followed by second place driver Kasey Kahne, and the rest of the race leaders chose to come in and pit giving the victory to MWR driver David Reutimann on lap 227, when the race was officially called because of rain after a 96 minute delay. You can't blame his crew chief for keeping him out and rolling the dice, and gambling that the rains would come for good. Especially since the weather had not been cooperative all weekend long, and today that gamble would pay off. "Rodney Childers made a great call and told me to stay out," said David after finding out that strategy can play a big part in winning races.

As disappointed as some of the fans were, they couldn't blame NASCAR for making the decision to call to the race, especially since it was still raining and there was no relief in sight. NASCAR waited as long as possible before finally handing the victory over to the #00 team of Michael Waltrip Racing, 6 hours and 14 minutes after the green flag was waved for the beginning of the race. "It certainly wasn't the prettiest win," Reutimann said in victory lane after the race. When you envision winning your first Sprint Cup race, this is not exactly the way you envision it. But these things are so hard to win; we'll take it any way we can get it. Its fun, but I felt like I was down on pit road for a month [waiting for NASCAR to call the race]." Nowhere in any NASCAR rulebook does it state that a win has to be pretty. Just that you are in the right place at the right time.

Ask Matt Kenseth if he would trade away his first Daytona 500 win, because that race was also called because of rain, and once again the fans cried foul. Rain in this sport is unavoidable, and that's why NASCAR already has a set protocol when it comes to making those decisions concerning when the wet stuff decides its time to drop itself on a race that has already begun. Each team was given the same opportunity if they chose to pit, or to stay out and take their chances. The rules clearly state that NASCAR at its own discretion, has the right to call a race after half of the laps have been completed for whatever reason that are appropriate at that time. Even though David was sitting 14th at the time of the rain, don't blame his crew chief for keeping him out and using a strategy that has worked in the past for many other teams. After all, strategies as well as taking chances are both part of NASCAR racing, in hopes that they will pay off for a win. This week lady luck just happened to fall upon MWR and David Reutimann. Im Out

This is a rumor that has surfaced this morning about the letting go of Tony Eury Jr, who is the crew chief for the Dale Earnhardt Jr driven #88 Amp Energy/National Guard HMS owned race car. It's been no big secret that ever since Tony Eury Sr left the position to become team manager while still at DEI, that team has never been the same. Earnhardt ultimately has gone through three crew chiefs in 2005, when Peter Rondeu picked up the reigns after Eury Sr left in 2004. Rondeu who held down the fort until the 2005 Coca-Cola 600 was then replaced by DEI chief engineer Steve Hmiel. It wasn't until after the fall race in Richmond that in walked cousin Tony Eury Jr.  

Tom Bowles of Sports Illustrated reportedthis week, that he had a reliable source tell him Tony Eury Jr. won't be the crew chief of the No. 88 as of Dover this weekend. Whether that actually happens or not remains to be seen, but the two weeks in Charlotte made it obvious both driver and team need a change. While four Hendrick-supported cars qualified in the top five, Earnhardt started 27th and was a moving roadblock right from the drop of the green. With his car so loose he could barely drive it; Junior slumped to 37th by the first rainstorm on Lap 73 and never rose higher than the top 30 the rest of the day. Finishing two laps down in 40th, the No. 88 and its unlimited resources wound up a lap behind underdogs like Joe Nemechek and Scott Riggs - drivers who have been driving with so little backing they often park early to cut costs. Finishes like these are clearly unacceptable for NASCAR's Most Popular Driver. It's no secret the Car of Tomorrow and its tendency to make a race car loose hasn't really fit Junior's driving style. But it's also the job of the crew chief to come up with a setup that helps out. For almost a year, Eury has had the dubious honor of making the No. 88 car worse than when it started the race, and its Eury's mistakes of adjusting in the wrong direction that will ultimately cost him the job.

It should come as no surprise that Rick Hendrick would decide that a changing of the guard just might be what Earnhardt needs to get himself back in contention, to make the chase for the Sprint cup championship. After weeks of frustration for all of the fans of Earnhardt, who have been bellowing out that a change was definitely needed since the season has started; well they just might get their wish. After watching Earnhardt saw on the steering wheel for most of the rain shortened race on Monday, its was very easy to see that Earnhardt still has the skills that it takes to compete in this series. And this was not the first race where he has had an ill handling car, and still managed to keep it off the wall. More on this story will be posted as it becomes clearer. Im Out

Special thanks to Sports Illustrated, and Tom Bowles for this information.

We already know that Kyle Busch is one the hardest drivers out on the track today. Kyle has shown that he can race on any type of track, and he proved that last season when he swept both road courses which hadn't been done since 2005, when Tony Stewart who was driving for Joe Gibbs Racing accomplished the feat. Kyle's mentality once he gets behind the wheel is to drive his race car until the wheels fall off, which at times can work to his advantage, and of course there are the times that it backfires on him. Kyle has brought his own style of racing into the series that his faithful followers love watching, and of course their also are those that don't care for what they call, "A reckless style of driving." But from whichever side of the fence you choose to cheer for this young driver at, you have to give him credit for the attitude that he brings to the track and not the attitude that he has been known to leave with, whenever things don't go his way.

Consistency has not been one of the teams stronger points this season, and its shows in his (4) top five, and top ten finishes to go along with his (3) race wins. "They bother me a lot because it's not how we do things and it's not how we're supposed to run. I'm hoping this bad luck, or whatever it is that we're going through, that we're getting it all out of the way now instead of when it comes down to the 'Chase,' when we need all the good luck we can get. The other thing is that, when you look at Jimmie Johnson, too, he's been struggling at times early this season. It's not necessarily because they haven't been running well, but not finishing well, same as us. He can run strong, but he just doesn't have the finish that he needs. I don't know, maybe we're right in parallel with him, so I feel like we're okay. I'm sure they'll be there, really good, throughout the final 10 races, and I want us to be, as well," when Kyle talked about his inconsistent finishes.

Then Kyle added this when asked about how his season was progressing so far. "We've been good, but we just haven't shown it and we haven't finished where we need to. The past five out of six races, I think we've had 17th or worse. It's been frustrating because we haven't been able to finish where we'd like to, so that's why we're so far down in the points. We're still within the top-12 solidly, I think. I don't know what the points curve is there, but we've got a way to go before we jump up." It was just last weekend that Kyle led 33 laps during the last segment of the All-Star race, but then he made contact with Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman, which eventually knocked him back to a 7th place finish.

This race has eluded Kyle throughout his career, while it shows in his best finish to date is a pair of third place finishes, with the first one coming in 2007, and the second one just last year in May. Even though he has yet to win a Sprint Cup Race at this track, Kyle still calls this one of his favorites. "Charlotte is my favorite racetrack for a lot of reasons. Just growing up watching races on TV, I loved watching the All-Star race under the lights and the 600 with all the sparks flying and all the guys going after hard-fought, hard-racing wins. The Nationwide Series has been good to me there. The Truck Series has been pretty good to me there, too. But a Cup Series win has eluded me there. I finished third in the 500 (fall Charlotte race) in 2007 but, besides that, I don't think I've finished in the top-20 several times."

Kyle has already picked up wins at Las Vegas, Bristol, and also Richmond so far this season. A win here would look awfully good on his resume, especially since this length of the race really doesn't suit his style. Kyle is not one to sit around, and play the waiting game. Race strategy has never been one his stronger points, as was evident at Talladega earlier in the season with 37 laps left, and Kyle decided it was time to make his move and found himself a victim of Jeff Burton's front fender, while trying to stretch his car 3 wide. The 600 is race that takes lots of patience, as well as a driver that knows how to take of his equipment early on. When you ask Kyle which race would be the most important one to win, this is the answer that would get each and every time. "All of them. Next week is where you want to win next. You forget about what happened last week and focus on what's ahead. There are plenty of other tracks that we need to win at, too." Im Out

When you begin to think about the 50 year history at a track that has brought NASCAR fans many hours of enjoyment, the reason I say many is because of the extra 100 miles that this particular race is run, which makes it the longest race of the season. Not only is it the longest race as far as length is concerned, but this 600 mile race has been known to take on a kind of double life since it usually takes about 4 and a half hours to complete. Lowe's Motor Speedway has a very rich history, especially when you look back at the older drivers who still hold all of the tracks records, with some going back over 25 years.

Most Wins - (6) - Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip
Most Top 5's - (23) - Bobby Allison, Richard Petty
Most Top 10's - (31) - Richard Petty
Starts - (64) - Richard Petty
Poles - (14) - David Pearson
Laps Led - (2339) - Bobby Allison

The race in itself will take on a whole new meaning once the 43 drivers strap themselves in, and get ready for one of the most grueling nights of racing out of the 36 races that are run during the season. During the course of the race, pit strategy will play the biggest part because of the added 100 miles that are only run once a year, which also adds to the excitement as well as the drama that will undoubtedly unfold. Unlike the superspeedways where drafting is the key to winning the race, the crew chiefs will really be earning their money this weekend as they plan for their pit strategies for the evening's race. Many things can happen during the course of a race of this length, which can have a drastic change in the point standings especially since the top four drivers are also past cup champions.

Jeff Gordon who leads the standings after 11 races so far this season had this to say about Sunday's race. "This is a grueling race - 600 miles here is tough," said Gordon, who leads the point standings by 29. "It's tough on equipment, and it's tough mentally. You have to mentally stay in the game and be focused for 600 miles. "The key is to survive the early stages when the sun is out and be in position to battle for the win at night," said the 4-time champion." With a win on Sunday, Jeff could also tie Bobby Allison, and Darrell Waltrip for most wins at this track.

One of Jeff's biggest obstacles could also be his ailing back problem that has been plaguing him for the past few years, along with the extra 100 miles that will most likely play a big factor in just how well he performs. "I had a facet block procedure done on my back on Monday and it went well," said Gordon. "I was a little sore after the procedure, but I'll definitely take that brief bit of soreness if it stops the recurring back pain I've had. I hope that will end the back issues I've been having, but it's too early to tell if that fixed the problem."

Tony Stewart who finally was able to get his first All-Star win, and also his first win while taking on the role as an owner/driver had this to say, "We go from the shortest race of the year to the longest race of the year. The main difference, besides the distance, is that the Coke 600 starts in the daytime and ends at night, whereas the All-Star Race started at night. We go from a sprint race to an endurance race." A win this week for Stewart could go along way while trying to reach his goals as a driver-owner. Stewart could become the seventh driver to follow up a NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race win with a 600 win, along long with becoming the first driver-owner to win a point's race since Ricky Rudd at Martinsville in 1998. Stewart could also solidify himself a success, and also become the first driver-owner to lead the points since Alan Kulwicki in 1992. Stewart who hasn't led the point standings since Nov. 20, 2005, with a win would most likely give him the points lead since he is only 29 points behind series leader Jeff Gordon.

Kurt Busch, who is having one his most productive seasons since his championship run back in 2004, is once again finding his way back into the mainstream of making the chase as a serious contender. Team Penske has found the added horsepower that they have been lacking for the past few seasons, and it's really beginning to show in the way Kurt has taken NASCAR by storm this season. Kurt enters the longest race of the season with (1) win at Atlanta, to go along with his (3) top 5's, and (6) top 10's. It's no big secret that the reason Ryan Newman left after his contract expired in 2008, was because of the lack of competitiveness that Penske was short on. Just this last weekend at the All-Star showdown, fellow Penske driver Sam Hornish Jr was able to dominate the latter part of the race and pick up his first ever Sprint cup victory.

Even though it was a non-points race, it had to be a real confidence booster that team Penske is headed in the right direction. Now with 600 laps facing the team on Sunday, Kurt is ready to show his fans that he is ready for the upcoming challenge. "It definitely separates the men from the boys, and that's for sure," Kurt said. "The extra laps we run there on Sunday put tremendous importance on your stamina and upper body strength. It's a great feeling to have a good confidence level in our cars like we do now," said Busch. "We know that we have to continue to work to make our cars even stronger, though. The competition gets tougher every week out there and we have to keep our progress going in our effort to make the Chase this season."

What more can be said about a driver/crew chief combination that continues to show the racing world, just how important it is to have good communication between the two. Jimmie Johnson who comes into Sundays race, has one of the most impressive resumes of today's modern day drivers with (5) wins, (8) top 5's, and (12) top 10's in only 15 starts, and just like his HMS teammate Jeff Gordon, he too can tie Allison, and Waltrip with a victory on Sunday. Jimmie had a really impressive streak when he won there five times in six races from 2003-05, and Jimmie is the only driver to win the 600 three consecutive times.

Jimmie looked unstoppable at a track that also happens to be his own major sponsor. Jimmie looked like the driver to beat once again during last weekends All-Star race while winning the first segment, but then he fell back to a disappointing 13th place finish after starting on the pole. Jimmie has always been a driver that carries a positive outlook no matter where he races, and this Sunday should be no different. "It's a little more forgiving right now because they did a very good job paving this surface and it's not giving up any grip yet and it's still very, very smooth. But with six-hundred miles at this track and the speeds that we run, the history behind this track and the great battles, the great winners, the fiftieth year, this race is very special to all the teams and drivers look up to it and I think this year being a big year like it is, it's a lot higher on everyone's minds in wanting to run well here and putting this trophy on the mantle."

These drivers have also chosen the Coca-Cola 600, to make their first start while turning their very first laps in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Dale Earnhardt (1975) finished 22nd;
Janet Guthrie (1976) finished 15th;
Michael Waltrip (1985) finished 28th;
Elliott Sadler (1998) finished 42nd;
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1999) finished 16th.

Four hundred laps that equals 600 miles, to go along with approximately four-and-a-half hours behind the wheel at the 1.5-mile Lowe's Motor Speedway. With all the excitement that 600 miles should bring, who will be the next driver to add their name to the list of 14 drivers who have made it to victory lane at least once. Kasey Kahne and Jeff Burton will be looking to add win number 3, and of course teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are the only two active drivers that can surpass the 3 win mark and be called king of Lowes with a 4th victory. I'm Out