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            Although Jeff Burton was unable to emerge with the 3rd weekend sweep in a row, Jimmie Johnson proved a 3-peat was still in the cards. When Jeff Burton took the lead, the whole nation took a breath and knew another weekend sweep was coming, but it wasn't meant to be. (It will come again.) Jimmie Johnson reminded us, once again, that it doesn't matter how any laps you lead, the only lap that counts is the last lap. (And when you lead that one, it really counts.)

            Through the week, a lot of the discussion about the track was negative, but, after this weeks racing, I believe many drivers may change their opinion. Tony Stewart was as outspoken against this track as he was for the Car of Tomorrow, yet he had no problem finishing 2nd for The Boss (Delana Harvick) in the Busch race with the Old Spice #33 Chevy and finishing 7th for Joe Gibbs and the Home Depot #20 Chevy. Teammate Denny Hamlin was able to score a 3rd place finish, which seems to support my prediction that he will not fall victim to a "sophomore slump".

            Of course, all eyes were on the "home boyz", as well they should have been. Both brothers did well through the first half, but little bro shined in this meeting. Kyle has continued to show that he has what it takes, and, from my view, big brother's shadow hasn't been a problem. I will not drop names, but from the age of 6 or so, I realized that talent doesn't necessarily follow a name, the Busch brothers are one of those few exceptions.  (I mean no disrespect, being good enough to be here, to me, is having "it", but you in the know- know, it's easier when you've been there a while to admit who is better.) Personally, I really never cared for Kurt, but I respected him as a driver, because he was that damn good. Recently, I have found respect for Kurt as a man, his belief  that he screwed up, although false, proved, without a doubt that he has grown as a person, and a driver.  Kyle, on the other hand, has been in my top 10 since he started. During Kyle's rookie year he proved only one thing; he really has nothing to prove. Kyle has continued to show that a shadow doesn't have to become a cloud that will rain on your parade. Both of these brothers give NASCAR everything they have, and both deserve respect.

            I guess the biggest story going into the track was speed, and the track did not disappoint. During qualifying the track record was beat by everyone who made the race. In the end, though, the record would remain with its defender. Kasey Kahne would take back his record, and beat it by .04 of a second less than 10mph. Kasey beat his previous record of 174.90 mph with a breath taking 184.86mph. The race also exceeded previous speeds and expectations. This is only a good sign for the future; this track will mature, as drivers do, watch out next year!

            (Before I make my toast, I have to say to Jimmie, this is no disrespect, you will know, but I don't want to make your fans mad.)

            This week I toast only two. First, I toast a true gentleman, who pushed for the win. Then, I toast a young man, who truly understands what it means to be "just racing". When the race ended, it became evident that Jeff was trying to get to Kyle. When Burton found an empty car, what followed was an unprecedented effort by Jeff Burton. After finding Kyle Busch was no longer in his car, Burton drove further down pit road, hoping to catch the younger Busch brother, and he did. No burn out worries, no rush to the winners circle, just make sure he knows it was "just racing". On Kyle's side, just let him know it's okay; it was "just racing". The effort put forth by Burton to find Busch after the race, and Kyle's response, show true sportsmanship.

            P.S. Kurt, not everyone can be the good guy, so remember what Dale Sr. told you about the one's that get the most noise, you will be remembered. On a personal note, you have my respect; you brought it when it counted, as did your brother. You know I didn't care for you, and you were right, you proved me wrong, it just took a few years. (Remember the punk kid a-h--- remark? You said I had you wrong, well, you were right, you were playing the game; and you were better at it than I thought. Much respect.)

           California was good as gold! I'm not a big California fan, but this race was great! Everyone seemed to get that we wanted a race, not a continuation of the drama. California was the best season opener we could have asked for. Thank you, California.

            I was very happy with the pre-race festivities and was actually looking forward to the race, even though I knew it would most likely end in a Hendrick win. I quickly realized this race would not provide much seat time. The first twenty could've been the last the way they were driving. They were going fast and getting so close to the wall that you'd swear they hit it. This was defiantly an on your feet race.

As with Kevin Harvick, at Daytona, a weekend sweep would come into view again. That sweep came to fruition as Matt Kenseth took the checkered flag on Sunday. If this keeps up they'll have to change the old saying to, "Win on Saturday, win on Sunday,  breathe on Monday." Matt Kenseth owned California. There have been many whispers of a title for Kenseth; this is defiantly a good way to start. Last week, however, was not a good way to start, and I don't know if Kenseth can overcome that penalty. He has returned with a vengeance, though, and I have to appreciate their ability to rise above. The two I just knew would take the race? Well, Jeff Gordon came close and so did Jimmie Johnson, but the 1-2 became a 2-3, I am heartbroken, not.

On the subject of unleaded fuel, there really seemed to be no difference. The engines out of the DEI stable didn't take to well to California. Engine problems are not new for DEI, so the fuel may not have been a factor. California is notoriously hard on engines and it is possible that the fuel may have acerbated the problem for DEI. Using a new fuel mix requires some slight changes in calculations, if you don't get it right it can cause problems. These minor but critical adjustments can cause other problems to surface. I'm not sure that the fuel can be blamed, though; it didn't pose a problem for the majority.

As I look east, to Nevada, I know I will not sit much for that race either. Hey, if it scares Kurt Busch, it's gotta be fun! A toast to California, you were great. A toast to Matt Kenseth for giving his fans what they knew was coming. A toast to Jeff and Jimmie for continuing to dominate at California. Oh, and to Mark Martin, I think someone is trying to tell you it's not time to retire, again.

I was against the Busch series going to Mexico, and I'm against any race outside of the U.S. The main reason being that it takes a race date away from an American track. Many of the most beloved tracks have found themselves being cut from the schedule to make way for newer tracks already. With a schedule already packed with good tracks, and new one's being built, why widen the track pool? I have no objections to non-point exhibition races. On off weeks, teams could choose to participate, or not, and it would not affect a national title. How is this a National organization if a points race is staged outside of the borders? We already have Toyota racing, which makes this, technically, an International league, can't we at least keep the races here? I guess it's a mute point, at least in the Busch Series. P.S. Why doesn't Toyota buy out Chrysler and totally manufacture their cars for America here? By definition that would make them American cars. (We don't call Chrysler a German car.) Hmm.....

         Just Like Starting Over

            So, now that the debacle at Daytona is over, I have decided to wipe the slate clean. Well, after I carry on for a bit. This years Daytona 500 was so plagued by bad news, that a lot of good things were forgotten. So much emphasis was put on Michael Waltrip making the race, that some real feel-good stories were treated as bylines. I was more upset with the time being wasted saying the same things over and over, than I was with the actual cheating. To be fair to Michael, if cheating really was the big story (and not just a Toyota team cheating) they should've spent some more time on other teams. As much as I like Kasey Kahne what Kenny Francis is accused of doing is no less blatant than what David Hyder is accused of, as well as the Kenseth team. I stand by what I believed was right in the beginning; these three drivers should have been disqualified from the race. This would have made a point. Still, these drivers were in, they felt the rush, the sponsors got their name out, and they were in the Daytona 500. Meanwhile, James Hylton sat on the side lines.

            (I am in no way trying to imply that any of these drivers were knowledgeable or culpable in any of the infractions, I am only saying that to hurt a team and stop the cheating by any one person, the driver is the way, because missing a race hurts more than a few pocketbooks.)

            During the Duels the saga of Mikey continued. We had the cameras going to Buffy, the announcers singing his praises. They made it into an epic drama, like he was a hero out to conquer the beast. Meanwhile, another Mike's family, who really needed this, were treated as another byline. Mike Wallace would race in the Daytona 500! This was the good story, but nobody cheated, so pat him on the back and go find Waltrip. By the way, thanks Marlin, despite the image, you're okay with me. Let's not forget that Robert Yates Racing should've been the story of the week. They put a rookie and a veteran on the front row and for some reason discussing the caterer's sterno was more interesting.

            I am ashamed as I look back at Daytona, and it really looks bad on NASCAR, because it makes it look like it really is about the money to them. That kind of ruins the hopes for more small teams and venues. I try to focus on the good, yet a dark cloud floats above. As I try to walk away with the good, I realize that the good will not be what is spoken of, but we will hear about the bad forever. As I leave Daytona behind, I can only hope that California will be brighter.

            I would like to toast a few good men, before I go. A toast to James Hylton, for proving that passion and ability do not fade with age. To Robert Yates Racing, for proving that teas can rebuild and make an impact. To Mike Wallace, his family, and his team, for reminding us what it really means to be in the Daytona 500. And a toast to the "King of Boo's", Kurt Busch, for being man enough to say ,"I'm sorry", even though it really wasn't his fault. I am a die hard Tony Stewart fan, but Tony got loose and (-25pts.) happened. Kurt thought it was his fault and he was not happy with himself, which shows a maturity that had previously been absent. I think Kurt deserves a little respect.

            In closing, I would like to say that Michael Waltrip's daughter penalized him worse than NASCAR ever could. NASCAR gave Michael Waltrip Racing a good spanking, but Macy brought Michael to his knees. She made him realize that no matter whose fault it was, he would be held accountable. NASCAR fines and fan opinions can be overcome with time, but Michael may find his private penalties last a lot longer. I say Michael has paid enough and so have we. Off to the land of sun, surf, and unleaded race fuel!