Three races of the season are in the books: three very interesting races.  Each race had its own problems whether it was rain, cautions, pit stops, etc.  This week, NASCAR goes to arguably the fastest track on the circuit: Atlanta Motor Speedway.  The facility is only half an hour from my house, and I have been there many times.  When a NASCAR fan thinks of AMS, he or she thinks of photo finishes and of course its slogan: Real Racing.  Real fast (I believe they have changed it though).

This Sunday, Atlanta Motor Speedway is celebrating something very special: its100th race.  Any track that gets to that point must be doing pretty well and have been around for a number of years.  Think how long it will be until Kansas and Chicagoland celebrate that anniversary.  I wonder who will be the president of the country then and what all of us bloggers will be up to???

Many people have their stories to share about that speedway and about their photo finishes that have occurred there.  Here's a look at the excitement that has taken place there during my life span...

The first remarkable Atlanta finish that comes to mind is the one between Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt, Sr.  It was a very close one, but Earnhardt's nose was the one ahead.  Dale Senior always had a love for Atlanta Motor Speedway, and I can see why.  That was his type of track.

After the tragedy of Dale Earnhardt, Sr, a young man was needed to attempt to fill the sneakers of the NASCAR legend.  That man, Kevin Harvick, put on a racing suit just a week after the passing and put his fears aside.  Before people could even learn his name, Mr. Harvick already etched his first milestone in his Sprint Cup career: the first victory.

That day was a day that many NASCAR fans, including me, will never forget.  Now, I wasn't at the race, but I remember as a first grader seeing the rookie overtake the veteran on the outside lane.  After the race, all of the pit crews and drivers formed a greeting line down pit road to congratulate Harvick on his phenomenal overtake of Jeff Gordon.  Gordon must have been pretty shocked being passed by a rookie, one talented rookie.

In 1998, three years before then, it was a similar celebration when Dale Earnhardt, Sr. finally accomplished his dream of winning the Daytona 500.  Even though there are quite a few rivalries and some bitter feelings, NASCAR is one big family that travels from track to track together.  When something amazing happens, all hatred is put aside and happiness gets put in its place, at least for a while.

Besides Harvick, Atlanta Motor Speedway has been kind to most new-comers.  in 2005, Carl Edwards got his start to a great career by passing Jimmie Johnson at the checkered flag.  That finish seemed very similar to the Kevin Harvick by how it went about.  The majority of these classic passes at AMS are made on the outside lane.  With the old car, a typical driver wanted to cling to the inside lane and only the brave even attempted a crazy outside maneuver.  Now, the current car provides the driver with a difficult task to pass on the inside.

So far, with the Car of Tomorrow, the racing facility in Hampton, GA isn't the place it once was.  The racing isn't as thrilling and the passes aren't as magnificent.  It seems pungent to watch one car to try to pass another.

Hopefully, that will all change with Goodyear's new tire package.  We all remember how Tony Stewart dogged Goodyear even with his second place finish.  "That's the most pathetic racing tire I have ever been on in my professional career" were the exact thoughts felt by "Smoke" after 500 miles around AMS.  Sounds like Goodyear has had their work cut out for them over the past offseason, huh?

Atlanta Motor Speedway just has something special about it.  Back in the day, it was the last stop on the year-long NASCAR racing tour.  It has produced some incredible photo finishes.  All talented drivers have had their success stories at this race track, and there are many more to come down the road...

Have a great racing weekend everyone!

                 

                             

Due to popular demand, I have decided to turn last week's bullet format into a weekly publication and to name it "The Speeding Bullets".  Thanks to all for the great idea!

• Congratulations to Kyle Busch on winning at his home track.  To him, "[t]his is probably as big as [winning] the Daytona 500".  On those last couple of laps, his car looked indomitable.  He became the first ever driver to win from the pole at LVMS.  Really, he had to start almost dead last and work his way to the front.  When "Wild Thing" shows up ready to race, no one can even come close to beating his marks.

• Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton both used great pit strategy to salvage awesome finishes from mediocre race cars.  Each and every week, drivers continuously prove that track position is more valuable than four tires.  We never know what Bowyer is going to pull out of his sleeve.  He's like a magician; either a great finish or a terrible one.

• Is Darrell Waltrip not the most biased NASCAR announcer known to man?  In the closing laps of the race, he keeps on saying about Kyle Busch, "hopefully my boy can bring it home".  DW, we all know how much you adore Kyle, but could you possibly make it a little less obvious to the viewers???

• Jack Roush needs to spend some serious time in the shop this week as many other owners need to do.  What the heck happened to all of the engines this week? Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Mark Martin, etc.  Is it just the nature of Las Vegas or is there some malfunction we need to know about?

• Speaking about the nature of Las Vegas, I have about decided that it has the most cautions of any 1.5+ mile track.  Wreck after wreck after wreck.  Specifically, two in the first ten laps.  I did hear the announcers how slick the track was all afternoon, and that may have been a benefactor to the problem.  It just seems like the cautions come much more frequently ever since the track was repaved.
  

• The Mistake of the Week award for Vegas goes to Jeff Gordon.  I cannot think of a more stupid mistake than missing pit road.  BUT, I do have to give him props for an unbelievable recovery resulting with a sixth place finish.

• Kudos to Jeff Gordon for 20,000 career laps led.  That statistic says many great things about a driver.  2009 has already proven to be a comeback year for him after a horrible 2008 season.  Gordon now has become the points leader once again.  Jeff, that first win is coming very soon...

• Last year, Las Vegas Motor Speedway had to add SAFER barriers to the inside wall after what happened to Jeff Gordon.  This year, I really think they need to change the position of the commitment line for pit road.  The commitment line is partially the reason for so many speeding penalties.  It is an unrealistic expectation for any driver to have to drop out of turn four and get down to 45 mph as quickly as he has to do at Vegas.  A couple of years ago, Kenny Wallace talked about how the LVMS pit road comes up faster than any other one in the sport, and that saying really proved true on Sunday.

• Even though I have thrown Darrell Waltrip under the bus, I still have to rave about him with his driver chats each week on the Prerace Show.  Like Chris Meyers said, he brings out a side of the driver that the viewers don't get to see.  Great job, DW!

• Bobby Labonte is finally getting back into gear after many troublesome years.  During the offseason, he pondered his head about whether or not he would have a ride for the '09 season.  The former Champion has failed to visit victory lane since Homestead of '03, but he is edging closer week by week.  A fifth place finish at the Diamond in the Desert is a good place to start.  The man just seems much more confident with a greater amount of self-esteem.  Go Bobby!

• Joey Logano is starting to get the hang of racing in the Sprint Cup Series.  Each week, he is gradually upping his finishing position.  13th is pretty good for only his third race.
  

That's all from Vegas.  Next week, NASCAR visits my home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway.  Hopefully, it won't be snowing around there like it is right now.  At least I get a No School Day!

                                                          

Viva Las Vegas.  Once a year, NASCAR rolls into Sin City and rocks the Vegas Strip for the weekend.  The stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series are ready to do a little gambling.  Perhaps, a Friday night game of Poker or a Saturday night show at Caesar's Palace?  When Sunday rolls around though, all eyes turn north of the strip to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Bruton Smith's legendary "Diamond in the Desert".

This Sunday, instead of the usual 400 miles in Vegas, we get 27 bonus miles to satisfy our racing craving.  To me, it seems pointless, but Mike Joy made a video about the legimate reason of the extra 18 circuits.

Once again, all eyes are on former Winston Cup Champion Matt Kenseth as he attempts to do what no other man has done before: win the first three races of the season.  Vegas has always been a good track for him as he has racked up two wins in the desert.  A third may be on the way Sunday afternoon...  all of the odds are going for him.

Lately, all of our sport's historic records have been up for grabs.  Every weekend, it seems as if they is some guy out on the track who is going for history.  I guess that the talent has just drastically proliferated over the years.  One day, all of the old achievements will be washed away as if they was a sudden rain storm.

Jimmie Johnson has always been the driver to beat in Las Vegas; that is until last year.  He won three consecutive races at the facility ('05-'06-'07).  There are some tracks that Jimmie just cannot grasp, and there are others where he is relentless.  Don't let JJ's numbers at Vegas fool you; just remember that his last finish there is what matters...

Carl Edwards is the defending champion of this race.  He has gotten out to a slow start this season and could use a bottle of champagne.  Do we have another cheating scandal ahead of us on this March weekend, or will everything play out fair and square?

All week, I am pretty sure that Jeff Gordon has felt the need for speed.  He came so close to ending his drought, yet his car was so far worse than Kenseth's.  We are all awaiting Jeff's return to the winner's circle, and it is in the near future.

Everyone is going to be mentally evaluating LVMS's safety improvements during Sunday's race.  Remember all the hard crashes last year?  Of all of them, Jeff Gordon's hard hit into the inside wall is what lingers in our congested brains.  Afterward, there was an incrdible amount of talking about how tracks need in add inside wall Safer Barriers.  Bruton Smith even made an announcement that he was working with the University of Nebraska in order to rectify the serious problem.  We will just have to wait and see...

The Busch Brothers get to return home to Nevada this weekend.  People talk about how they need to put them on their fantasy teams for Sunday's showdown, but I keep telling myself, "The Busch Bros. really don't have the best of records at their home track".  In last year's race, Kyle Busch qualified on the pole but took a spin in the late laps.  Kurt wasn't even a factor and settled with a 38th place finish.  Will they make a statement in Sin City this year?

                                              Okay, enough talking, now it's time to roll the dice...
             
                                                     

How much gambling will occur on the speedway in the Shelby 427?  Will the crew chiefs be hard at work calculating for a fuel mileage finish?  Will we see any drivers coasting around the 1.5 mile venue in the closing laps?

             The winner of the 2009 Shelby 427 will be... (Drumroll Please)

                                       

                           

This week, I really didn't feel like writing one of my usual articles with quotes and everything.  Instead, here is my take on the race: bullet edition!

• Has NASCAR totally disregarded their fan base on the east coast?  Starting races at 6 p.m. EST on a Sunday is not exactly get back to the roots of the sport.  I know it is all about ratings and t.v. but still.  Maybe there wouldn't be rain problems if the start times were moved up.
  

• Every race that passes at Auto Club Speedway, I realize more and more that NASCAR      shouldn't have given them a second race.  I know that the plan was for the sport to grow stronger out there, but it actually may be diminishing.

• Matt Kenseth has gotten a great start to the '09 season and has acquired all the momentum he will need down the road.  I really thought he would not be able pull off another victory this week after last week's Daytona 500 win, but he proved me and many others wrong.  Will he make it a 3-peat next week at Las Vegas?  His track record there isn't too shabby...

• More and more, we are realizing that NASCAR is a team sport and not just about the driver.  Kenseth's pit crew are the ones who got him the clean air necessary to hold off Jeff Gordon.  They should be the ones who get the majority credit for the win.

• Jeff Gordon is edging closer and closer to that long sought win.  I can tell that he is getting very comfortable with the new car and back in his old Championship form.  Gordon has been a driver who hasn't grasped the Chase format as quickly as a guy like Jimmie Johnson has.  As I say every week, "the cream of the crop rises to the top".

• This week, it was Greg Biffle's turn to make the crucial pit mistake by overshooting his pit box.  Last week, it was Dale Junior.  Who will it be next week?  We need to start having an award called "Mistake of the Week".

• I watched the NASCAR on FOX Pre-Race Show this week and surprisingly enjoyed most of it  (not including the Digger part).  Darrell Waltip especially was fantastic with his Junior interview.
  

• Did you notice in Junior's interview he said that he felt bad for 80% of the drivers in the crash and could care less about the other 20%?  Who do you think is included in that other 20?  Perhaps Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch...

• Too bad for Kyle Busch on not being able to close the deal by completing the trifecta.  He had a good car but just not good enough to beat Kenseth and Gordon.  At least, "Wild Thing" proved that he is somewhat human (laugh).

I think the bickering over time between Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kyle Busch is turning into NASCAR's Next Great Rivalry.  It's just gets more and more interesting by the race.  Kyle is out there to prove that he should be the most popular driver.  Watch for me to write a story about it in the next week or two...

                                                                           

History is in the making this weekend at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.  Kyle Busch became the first driver to ever win two NASCAR races in a single day.  First, it was the San Bernardino County 200 during the afternoon and the Stater Bros. 300 in the evening.  Now, doesn't that sound a little crazy? Well, nothing is to out of the ordinary for "Wild Thing".

A little over two hours between races is barely enough time for a driver to catch his breath.  In that time, he didn't take a rest.  No, all Kyle did was climb into his Sprint Cup car because it was practice time.  There comes a point where a driver does too much, but that point never comes for a young guy like Kyle Busch.

Busch dominated the Nationwide race all evening but got beat off pit road by Carl Edwards on the final stop.  At that point, Carl probably was already thinking about this being his race to lose and doing his signature victory backflip.  On that final restart, Kyle Busch gave him a little nudge in order to make the final maneuver and ensure his victory.

"To beat guys like Kevin and Carl [...] is pretty special.  To win here twice in one day [...] is even more special."

The only question that remains is whether Kyle can finish the deal and pull off the trifecta.  Winning twice in one day seems unreal, but winning all three in a weekend is unknown to man.  Busch has the opportunity to earn his place in the NASCAR record books today in the Auto Club 500, and that will be on his mind all race on Sunday evening.

"We're certainly going to try [to make it a trifecta tomorrow].  [The] Interstate Batteries Camry on that side was decent; it wasn't the best today."

At least he realizes the hardships that he will face while trying to close the deal.  Remember, Sprint Cup is a whole different world than Nationwide.  There are a dozen guys who don't run many lower league races like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, etc. 

I would have to say though that the odds are for Kyle.  He has the momentum surge that he will need to dominate the Auto Club 500 on the big stage.  It seems that a driver would grow more tired the more he races.  Instead, Kyle Busch just becomes more energized...