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From personal experience, I know that sports fans love lists. I got my first taste when SPORT magazine did a list of the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL about the time I was 13 (back in 1977). I recall a scoring formula being drawn up, and my favorite quarterback of the day, Roger Staubach, being on that list. I also remembered having argument with who and wasn’t on the list.

My point being, I also know that sports fans also love to take issue with lists. I will endeavor to come with a thorough analysis of NASCAR’s best to attempt to put sound reasoning behind my analysis.

How did I arrive at this list? First, I identified roughly 20 of the Sprint Cup’s best drivers. There’s really no need to bog myself down with the likes of journeymen drivers such as Kenny Wallace and Dave Blaney- though they obviously possess talent. They’ve never won, so it makes no sense to compare them side-by-side with the likes of Jimmie Johnson or Tony Stewart. I also threw some of the newer drivers out such as David Ragan and Paul Menard, who again, have not yet attained measurable Cup success, though may very well at the end of their careers end up with all the same gaudy statistics of drivers like Jeff Gordon.

From there, I selected six criteria important in driving success: racing skills, strategy, “closing” ability (that ability to charge hard when the driver sniffs a potential win), passion, consistency and equipment. Now I realize strategy and equipment involve other members of the drivers team, but even in those areas- a driver can play a part, and it’s not the only criteria. All six are needed on some level. to be great, and point values are assigned to each driver for each category on a scale of 1-10- with 10 being the highest. Once all those points are added up, then I add up the grand totals for a driver rating.

So without further ado, here goes (in ascending order):

9- (tie)- Kevin Harvick- The man who took over the late Dale Earnhardt’s ride as a rookie in 2001 for Richard Childress in many ways mirrors some of “The Intimidator”’s qualities. As you will see in the scoring breakdown, Harvick received 9s for racing skills and passion. “Happy” is pretty solid across the board, making one wonder why he was not been a bigger winner, though it should be mentioned he is the #2 winner all-time in what is now the Nationwide series. The double duty may be one of the problems. In recent times, equipment issues have definitely hurt Harvick’s stock.

Scoring: Race Skill- 9, Strategy- 8, Closing ability- 8, Passion- 9, Consistency- 6, Equipment- 7 TOTAL SCORE- 49

9- (tie)- Ryan Newman- If qualifying were winning, “Flyin’ Ryan” would be as familiar as Jeff Gordon or Junior with over 40 poles to his credit. Until Newman won at Daytona, he had not been to victory lane since late 2005. Newman picked up 9s for skills and passion, plus 8s for equipment and closing ability. Consistency and strategy (with a dash of bad luck thrown in) keeps Newman from the top, but this is a pretty good ranking for a guy with a baker’s dozen wins.

Scoring: Race Skill- 9, Strategy- 7, Closing ability- 8, Passion- 9, Consistency- 7, Equipment- 8 TOTAL SCORE- 49

6- (tie)- Clint Bowyer- The Emporia, Kansas native is the car guy’s racer with an impressive collection of classic cars and a dirt track behind his home. The fact that a driver this inexperienced is on the list tells you what I think of his potential. Bowyer is very strong across the board, and needs only to learn to relax to become a mroe frequent victor. Oddly enough, though RCR teammates Harvick and Jeff Burton have had some real equipment issues recently, Bowyer has managed to dodge debilitating car-related problems- perhaps another testament to his skill.

Scoring: Racing skill- 8, Strategy- 8, Closing ability- 8, Passion- 8, Consistency- 8, Equipment- 7 TOTAL SCORE- 49

6- (tie)- Kyle Busch- Some people may disagree with me, but I believe “Rowdy” most resembles Earnhardt than any other driver on today’s NASCAR circuit. The 22 year old is extremely aggressive on the track and will not hesitate to try to thread the needle on a pass. With that, I give Busch a 10 for skill and he also gets a 10 in equipment as a member of the Joe Gibbs stable. Working against him are issues of questionable strategy (maturity?), closing ability (he’s been on the wrong end of way too many photo finishes) and Kyle has a low mark for consistency- again brought about by aggressive driving that has led to early exits. Still- on the whole- you can see how good the Las Vegas born Busch can be.

Racing skill- 10, Strategy- 7, Closing ability- 7, Passion- 9, Consistency- 6, Equipment- 10 TOTAL SCORE- 49

6- (tie)- Dale Earnhardt Jr.- NASCAR’s favorite son one of three drivers on the list who gets a 10 for skill. A listen in on the radio tells you Junior is very conscious of everything going on out on the track. Lil’ E is also one of four drivers who gets a 10 for passion, something evident in his speed week performance and many interviews. Until his move to HMS, Earnhardt had bad equipment, but gets a 10 here by virtue of being with Hendrick. Consistency and some very questionable strategy have no doubt played some part in Junior not being a more frequent presence in victory lane.

Racing skill- 10, Strategy- 6, Closing ability- 7, Passion- 10, Consistency- 6, Equipment- 10 TOTAL SCORE- 49

5-Matt Kenseth- While not necessarily the best at anything, Kenseth has virtually no downgrades in any other category other than equipment, somewhat the failure of his team and manufacturer (Ford) in their progress on the “new” car. Nonetheless, the 35 year old has a well-rounded approach and takes very good care of what he has. The 2003 Cup champion has a storied track record for consistency and closing ability. I submit he’d have an even better track record with a team like Hendrick or Gibbs. I’m not suggesting Jack Roush is a slacker, but I would say that his team is behind the curve and Ford’s engines are ponderously weak compared to Chevy and Toyota.

Racing Skill- 9, Strategy- 9, Closing ability- 9, Passion- 8, Consistency- 8, Equipment- 7 TOTAL SCORE- 50

4- Kurt Busch- The only thing that will hamper Busch the elder’s legacy is his propensity to get into trouble. His run-ins with the equally mercurial Tony Stewart and Johnny Benson aside, Busch is another very well-rounded driver. Evidence of the 2004 Cup champion’s skill is his 2nd place finish as Sunday’s Daytona 500 in spite of starting at the very back- 43rd! Kurt is also very aware on the track and rarely makes a bad decision (except when he’s mad). The deal with this guy is he just isn’t weak any ANY category.

Racing Skill- 9, Strategy- 9, Closing ability- 9, Passion- 8, Consistency- 8, Equipment- 8 TOTAL SCORE- 51

3- Tony Stewart- With over 30 victories, “Smoke” is one of NASCAR’s most prolific drivers. A testimony to his abilities are his 2002 & 2005 titles. For his skill and equipment, Stewart gets 10s. In fact, his lowest score comes in the strategy department- a respectable 8. Truth be told, on any given day, this guy is the best- conjuring up in my mind comparisons to Cale Yarborough.

Racing Skill- 10, Strategy- 8, Closing ability- 9, Passion- 9, Consistency- 9, Equipment- 10 TOTAL SCORE- 55

2- Jeff Gordon-Love him or hate him, you can’t deny greatness of a driver with 81 career wins and 4 Cup titles (1995, 1997, 1998, & 2001). The 36 year old from Vallejo, California also just missed titles in 1996 (to Terry Labonte), 2004 (to Kurt Busch) and 2007 (to teammate and employee Jimmie Johnson). Gordon gets 10s for skill, consistency, and equipment. Gordon also gets very high marks for strategy and passion (though that may begin to wane).

Racing Skill- 10, Strategy- 9, Closing ability- 8, Passion- 9, Consistency- 10, Equipment- 10, TOTAL SCORE- 56

And the winner is………1- Jimmie Johnson- You can’t be REAL surprised can you? At this point in his career, the only category where the two time Cup champ and owner of some 37 wins has ANY weakness is in consistency- and even then, Johnson scores an 8. He races hard, he races smart, knows how to save himself for the end of the race, and his victory total tells you that in spite of his laid back California image, Johnson has a fire in his belly.

Racing skill- 10, Strategy- 10, Closing ability- 10, Passion- 10, Consistency- 8, Equipment- 10 TOTAL SCORE- 58

On the cusp: Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Burton

Back in the day they’d make the list: Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte

Making the list soon: Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex, Brian Vickers

Has potential, but it’s late: David Reutimann, Greg Biffle

There you have it. To me it is kind of funny how this pretty closely resembles last year’s Chase. Perhaps What I’m really doing is offering up my ingredient list of how they got there.

I’ll be curious to hear arguments against my list. After all, that debate is what making a “best of….” sports list is all about.

Up Next- The UW-Dodge 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada. Sunday, March 2, 2008, 1:30 p.m. Pacific, 4:30 p.m. Eastern. TV coverage provided by FOX-TV Network

NASCAR racing debuted in Las Vegas in 1998. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a mile-and-a-half oval track with 20-degree banking in the turns and 9-degree banking on the straights.

Mark Martin won the inaugural event here while driving for Roush Racing. Last season, Jimmie Johnson won his 3rd consecutive race at the “Diamond In The Desert” in 2007, en route to his 2nd consecutive Cup title.

Johnson is also King of The Hill here with 3 Cup victories. Jeff Burton likes it more. Burton has won 2 Cup races and 3 Nationwide races at LMS, including the Sam’s Town 300 in 2007.

For The Record- For qualifying, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte and Kasey Kahne all have 2 poles at Las Vegas. Kahne’s qualifying speed of 184.856 m.p.h. obliterated his old track record in 2007. For race speed, Mark Martin ran the fastest race here at the first race in Vegas with a speed of 146.554 m.p.h. in 1998.

The 2005 race featured the most cautions with 10. The fewest waved in 2000, just two caution flags came down that day.

2007’s race set the standard for lead changes with 28, 16 drivers took turns setting the pace. The 2000 race saw only 13 lead changes and 7 different leaders before Jeff Burton won the race in the #99 Ford now driven by Carl Edwards.

Track Trivia- This is a veteran’s race. Sterling Marlin is the oldest driver to win a race at age 44 (in 2002), Jimmie Johnson the youngest- with his 2005 victory at the age of 29.

42 of 43 qualifiers finished the race in 2000. 33 is the fewest number to finish, with that happening in 2004.

Trends On Track: After all the noise about Chevy and Toyota in the pre-season, the first two wins of 2008 have come to Dodge and Ford. Jimmie Johnson were dominant at Fontana, but it was Cousin Carl cruising to the finish for his 8th career win- taking the lead from the defending Cup champion with 17 laps to go in the rain soaked Auto Club 500.

It is evident that all the manufacturers are evening up with their new car programs. What you don’t see is one manufacturer or driver being dominant, though Kyle Busch leads in points in both the Cup and truck series…and he’s darn close in the Nationwide.

It should be noted that in pre-season testing, Juan Pablo Montoya, the younger Buscch, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards ran the best times.

NASCAR Terminology- Increase your track “cred” with a firm grasp of terms like these. Excuse me while I get my Jeff Hammond on.

Track Bar: This is NOT where you buy Bud at the track. The track bar is a lateral bar that keeps the rear tires centered within the body of the car. The bar connects the frame on one side to the rear axle on the opposite side and can be adjusted in height to alter the handling of the car.

Hood Pins: There are four metal-and-wire hood pins with wire tethers that serve as a safety feature by keeping the hood close.

Rear spoiler: I will resist the temptation to say something about thongs or scant bathing suits here. In NASCAR-speak, a “rear spoiler” is a good thing. This is a metal blade that is attached to the deck lid on the car. The spoiler deflects the air coming off the roof and onto the rear deck lid (remember- that’s the trunk) which, in turn, creates rear down force and more rear traction for the car.

That’s all for this week. Save some barbecue for me Sunday, OK?

(A post specially prepared for letsgoracingfans.com)

You have to be bummed if you’re a part of the NASCAR brass right now. Whatever momentum that may have been gained by a successful speed week was negated by the comedy of errors that became the Auto Club 500. The record may show that Carl Edwards won the Cup race, but the real victor was Mother Nature.

Unfortunately, everyone knew this weekend was going to be problematic given the weather reports from early in the week. As a native of Fontana and a near life long resident of the Pacific Northwest, I can tell you that the weather is downright unpredictable on the West Coast. As a member of the media, I spend a lot of time tracking the weather, albeit from a distance, and I’ve seen conditions change on a dime- with snow, rain and sun all in the same day. Because of California’s reputation as a sunshine state, you’d think the weather wouldn’t be an issue…..but this has been no ordinary winter.

I can’t help but think those little windows of opportunity gave decision makers a sense of false hope. Officials were just determined to get a race in yesterday for longsuffering fans,but there can be no question they would have just been better off to wait it out and run the races today. What fans were treated to yesterday was a far better product than what we had Sunday.

Mother Nature was a real mother Sunday, making her presence felt in several early race incidents. For once, it wasn’t an inexperienced or overly aggressive driver taking out cars. Heck- it wasn’t even the track itself….it was water. Thanks to the race in Fontana, we all know now what a racer means when he talks about “weepers.” Given that, it was miraculous that we had 41 of 43 drivers still racing at the checkered flag, and it is also a miracle that nobody in that Casey Mears/Sam Hornish Jr. affair got seriously hurt. Being an incurable optomist, I’ll choose to see it that way.

I’ll also tip a hat to “Cousin” Carl Edwards for his hard charge at the end to overtake Jimmie Johnson with 17 laps to go and never let go. The 99’s victory keeps Roush-Fenway’s run of victories at Fontana in February alive after wins by Greg Biffle in 2005 and by Matt Kenseth in 2006 & 2007. Jimmie Johnson reported being just too loose at the end to take the lead back from Edwards and Jeff Gordon feels darn lucky to be in 3rd after an engine failure as he neared the finish line. Despite an early weather-related wreck by denny Hamlin, Gibbs pulled out a good day with Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch making their presence felt once again.

I gotta tell ya, “Rowdy” impresses me more and more all the time in spite of his sometimes prickly personality. I’ll risk heresy by saying this guy reminds me more of Dale Earnhardt Sr. than anoyne on the circuit today with the way he threads the needle. This guy darn near pulled off a trifecta- he leads the Sprint Cup and Craftsman Truck Series in points, and he’s right on Tony Stewart’s bumper in the Nationwide. Either he’s crazy, or crazy like a fox.

It’s scary when you think Kyle Busch will be racing in his hometown at the next stop- Las Vegas.

I, for one, am glad this race is behind us. I would not have wanted to be the guy making the call on when to race and not race on this one. 20/20 hindsight this one was screwed up.

Thank God have more races around the corner. It will be interesting. In all this talk about the Hendrick Chevys and the Gibbs Toyotas- it’s been a Dodge and a Ford that have won the first two race, only adding to a season full of great story lines. The new car is proving to be remarkably durable and a real handful for the racers to drive. And parity? Get this- if the Chase started today, Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne would be in, and Jeff Gordon would be out. Weird.

Let’s cue the duck for the next one boys!

I feel emboldened today. When one considers that predicting a winner for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is a 1 in 43 proposition, I think I can feel good about the fact that my pick for Daytona- Tony Stewart- finished third. Daytona’s a real crap shoot with the need for drafting help, so I’m feeling confident going into Fontana.

Kasey Kahne looks primed for this race. The Enumclaw, Washington native was one of six Dodge drivers to make the top 10 at Daytona. On top of that, Kahne has tested well at the southern California track in the pre-season. Kahne has two wins at California with Cup victory, a Nationwide victory and a pole.

If you take a look at Kahne’s career numbers, you also can’t help but notice that the new face of Budweiser in NASCAR has had track record for running well on the intermediate tracks. At the Cup level, the driver of the #9 has wins at Atlanta, Texas, two at Lowe’s, Michigan and Richmond- for a career total of seven.

Kahne will receive some fierce competition. After a rough Daytona, HMS studs Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon will have something for Kahne. Gordon has won here three times and Johnson won here Labor Day weekend. Look for Matt Kenseth to be a factor and my second choice for winning. The #17 has won the last two February events at California. Kenseth also has 3 CS wins at the Nationwide level as does his Roush teammate Greg Biffle.

It will be interesting to see how the results here compare to the season opener. Because like the Larry Gatlin song says “it doesn’t matter at all where you’ve played before, California’s brand new game.” One has to wonder how the Toyotas that did so well at Daytona will do with the restrictor plates off. I’m also sure the Dodge boys want to prove their performance last week was no mirage. Again, it bears noting that a number of Dodge drivers proved quite competitive in testing- not that this means everything.

So we have a confluence of story lines here. You have the history of Roush performance in California, the rise of Toyota, and the recent dominance of of Hendrick Motor Sports- mojo that Dale Jr. would love to make work for him.

Still- at the end of the day- I say Kasey will be raising Kahne in California.

I’ve never been a drinker of the Earnhardt Kool-aid. In fact, I used to joke that I became a Jeff Gordon fan just to yank the chains of Earnhardt Nation. I used get so mad when I’d see people with window stickers of the little boy peeing on the number 24, and just reveled in Gordon’ first three titles, knowing how mad it made the followers of #3. Though I felt bad for his family and fans when he died, I transferred my disdain from The Intimidator to the one known as “Lil ‘E’”.

I really did not follow NASCAR that closely until last year. Still, as an overall sport-aholic, I still knew enough to know that I related better to Gordon’s California upbringing, business-like approach to NASCAR and Christian beliefs than I did of the old-school, “rubbin’s racin’” mentality with beer-guzzling fans like Dale Earnhardt. I also heard the stories of how Earnhardt took out Terry Labonte in a couple of races, and his antics with another one of my favorites, Darrell Waltrip. Knowing this, you can imagine how I felt when Dale Jr. won the Daytona 500 in 2004. “Junior Nation is going to be more obnoxious than ever”, so I thought. I admit I felt no sorrow for some of the struggles he had. I didn’t understand I had followed a path parallel to “those blasted Earnhardt fans.” Just as they transferred their love from Senior to Junior, I transferred my disdain from Senior to Junior.

Then 2007 happened, heralding the beginning of a more close association with the sport. First, members of my family signed on with Junior Nation. My son (a bit of a bandwagon rider- typical of a 4 year old) liked #8 because of his likeness in the movie “Cars” and even my beloved wife drank the Kool-Aid (a double shot, I think). This is where the conversion in my thinking began to take place.

Yes- like many other women, my wife does have an affinity for how he looks. Now, I have taken notice to the fact that he’s much taller than me, has a head of hair much ruddier than my salt and pepper head, and he’s got a cooler accent. But- there’s more. beShe became a Junior fan because of his down-to-earth Opie Taylor persona, his flare for a bit of mischief, and most of all, cause she wishes for him a chance to break free of his dad’s gargantuan shadow to carve out his own place in racing history. What’s more, I’ve come to notice how accommodating he is to fans and media (no matter how much of a pain the keister they are sometimes), and his genuine love of children and sensitivity to those young ones whose lives will likely be short. He got me there. Having once had a terminally ill younger brother (a victim of Cystic Fibrosis), I can’t even begin to tell a figure like Dale Earnhardt Jr. how much his kindness impacts lives. I even choke up at the thought of it.

I also watched the movie “Dale” recently, which not only gave me a newfound respect for the “man who could see air”, but also for his son, who will always carry the legend of his dad with him. It’s unavoidable, and he knows it, and in some way you can see he’s embraced it. No matter what Dale Earnhardt, Jr. does, he’ll never be everything his father was. It’s impossible. Dale Jr. is just a different guy, and that doesn’t make him less of a man than Dale Sr. I think it can be said that Junior learned from his father’s mistakes and is a better person for it. If Dale Earnhardt can see Junior from Heaven, I’d venture to say he’s proud of what his son has become.

Regardless of how his stats look compared to his father, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a darn good driver. He has two Nationwide Series titles to his credit, and 17 wins on the senior circuit. That puts him ahead of Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch. Heck, that puts him close to respected old schoolers like Ricky Rudd and Bobby Labonte. He’s won big races at Daytona and Talladega. More than that, he’s dealt gracefully with a media glare that his father never dreamed of at the age of 32. Yeah, he’s run his car too hard at times, and his driving has annoyed a racer or two, but he’s had some glances of real racing brilliance at times. It makes me wonder how the change of teams will affect his career.

I can now say that my affinity for Dale Earnhardt Junior is only eclipsed by my long-time favorite Jeff Gordon followed by Carl Edwards, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin. Junior’s a good guy and I wish him all the best. This season, he’ll have the best resources in the business at Hendrick Motor Sports and he’ll still have his cousin and buddy Tony Eury Jr. to scrap with over the radio during the races. Best of all, Junior has plenty of time to carve out a legacy of his own. As I momentarily ponder the passing of my own well-respected and revered father, I relate well to what must pass through Dale Jr.’s mind. If I could call him tonight and convey a word of wisdom, it’d be this: “Remember this- your dad has always been proud of you. You’re not his clone. Be proud to carry the man’s name, but never forget to be what he raised you to be…..the best that you can be, whatever that may look like.”

From one Junior to another, I’m pulling for you. May you race long and successfully.

For the freshest (and perhaps most promising) faces in NASCAR, one need look no further than Team Red Bull. Perhaps no team has put forward an image with their drivers that more closely fits the brand of the company sponsoring them. In your minds eye, you can just see A.J. Allmendinger chugging a can of the energy drink in victory lane. Their colorful paint schemes that feature red wheels gives them high visibility on the track. Now the drivers just need to back it up with wins to complete the effect.

For drivers Brian Vickers and A.J. Allmendinger is the good news that this team already know a thing or two about motorsports though they are NASCAR neophytes. Red Bull already operates two Formula One teams and has involvement with Indy Car and Champ Car teams and/or drivers.

Of the two young drivers in the Red Bull shop, Brian Vickers seems poised for the more immediate impact. The 24 year old has been racing Cup full-time since 2004, and has seen what it’s like with a premier NASCAR team as Vickers drove 3 seasons for Rick Hendrick in the ride now occupied by Casey Mears. Vickers has already tasted victory in his former ride, the #25 Chevy at the Fall, 2006 Talladega race.

In 2007, Vickers was the first Toyota driver to lead laps in Cup competition. In fact, Vickers looked like a strong possibility to win the Coca-Cola 600 before gradually tapering off as the race went, an all-too-common malady for the manufacturer in 2007. Like teammate A.J. Allmendinger, Vickers has some moments of greatness in 2007 and seems to have the aggressiveness to win with the big boys. After all, it was Vickers who bumped his then-teammate Jimmie Johnson into Dael Earnhardt Jr. to get that Talladega win. Anyone Familiar with Hendrick Motorsports knows that’s not only a very gutsy move, but one that will likely spell your departure from the “all for one, one for all” mentality at HMS. Look for continued improvement from the North Carolinian who once boasted a high school GPA of 4.43.

Though Vickers has a load of potential, perhaps the driver with the greatest upside is A.J. Allmendinger. I like this guy. Like another promising young driver by the name of Kyle Busch, Allmendinger will push his car right to the point of losing control of it. The 2nd year Cup driver has tasted success in other motorsports- Allmendinger finished 5th in Champ Car points in 2005. In 2006, the Los Gatos, California native won a Champ Car race at Portland. In 2004, Allmendinger was rookie of the year for Champ Car. Allmendinger has tested very well in the 2008 pre-season.

This is definitely a team on the rise, sponsored by an organization that seems committed to success as a motorsports sponsor. They’re not afraid of change as Red Bull replaced Vickers’ veteran crew chief Doug Richert with Randy Cox in an effort to find a winning fit.

For Team Red Bull and owner Deitrich Mateschitz, it’s just a matter of getting the equipment and team personnel up to the level of the drivers.

(A Weekly Edition of bump-drafts prepared specially for NASCAR_Nation)

Up Next- The Auto Club 500 at California Speedway in Fontana, CA- my birthplace (shameless shout out). Sunday, February 24, 2008. This weekend’s events culminate with the Sprint Cup event Sunday afternoon- green flag at 4:16 Eastern, 1:16 Pacific. Broadcast on FOX-TV network.

California Speedway has been host to NASCAR since 1997. The track is a 2 mile oval with 11-degree banking in trioval and 3 degrees on the backstretch.

Jeff Gordon won the first event here on June 22, 1997. Last year, Matt Kenseth won the first of two Cup events at Fontana, Jimmie Johnson captured the checkered on Labor Day, en route to a dominant stretch of driving that helped Johnson win his second consecutive title.

For The Record- Gordon has won the most races here in the relatively short history at this southern California track with 3. Greg Biffle and Ted Musgrave are both big winners at California with 3 each in the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series respectively.

Gordon, Kurt Busch and the Blue Duece’s brother Kyle have captured the most poles, with 2 each. Busch the younger owns the qualifying record at California with a speed of 188.245 m.p.h. in February, 2005. In the first race run here, Jeff Gordon completed the fastest race in 1997 with an average speed of 155.012 m.p.h. Last falls’ 30 lead changes marked the most in a Cup race, a feat equaled in the fall, 2005 race. we had the fewest lead changes here in May of 1998. The record for caution flags is 11, which has happened 3 times- including last Labor Day Weekend’s race.

Other Track Trivia- The oldest winner here is Rusty Wallace, who won at Fontana in April, 2001 at the age of 44. The youngest traveler to victory is Kyle Busch who was just 20 when he won the Fall, 2005 race.

In September, 2006- 42 of the original 43 qualifiers finished the race. Only 32 were able to finish the February, 2005 event.

In the news: The leader of the pack is not a Chevrolet, a Toyota or even a Ford. Dodge can lay claim to bringing the 2008 Daytona 500 winner home. There’s still plenty of buzz over Ryan Newman’s last lap victory, a victory in which he denied Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch the opportunity to provide Toyota its first victory in a Cup points race. Another component of the win was the help of Newman’s teammate Kurt Busch, a guy not typically thought of as one of the nice guys.

6 of the top 10 finishers were Dodges, adding a completely new story line to the ones already crafted for NASCAR’s first event of the new season. Missing was any hint of Hendrick dominance, although NASCAR’s most popular guy, Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave HMS one top 10 driver. Jimmie Johnson, Casey Mears, and Jeff Gordon all had good moments in the race, undone by crashes and mechanical problems.

This week provides not only a new event, but a completely different track with a completely different feel. The draft won’t be a factor in this race, plus history and testing suggest we should keep an eye open for a different group of guys at the top.

Not only do Gordon and Johnson do well here, but let us not forget that Mr. Consistency- Matt Kenseth has won the last two winter events here. Kasey Kahne has won at both the Cup and Nationwide level in California. For those who love variety, look for something a little different this week.

That’s what makes this sport interesting.

NASCAR Terminology- Become a NASCAR expert by learning how to conversantly use these terms.

Deck lid- No this is not Richard Petty’s big hat. For all you folks in Rio Linda, the deck lid as a stock car term for something your car has…….a trunk.

Sway or anti-roll bar- This is used to resist or counteract the rolling force of the car body through the turns.

Axle- We’re not talking about the lead singer from Guns ‘N’ Roses. The axle is a rotating shaft that connects the rear differential gears to the rear wheels.

That’s all for this week. Enjoy the ride. 2008 is going to be a wild one.

Thanks for reading and feel free to drop me a line any time.

See ya!

Potential. One definition of potential in the world of sports is “Hasn’t done it yet.” That definition is very fitting for the Gillett Evernham Motorsports crew- a team with abundant talent that has yet to be realized.

It all starts with Ray Evernham. His 3 Cup titles and 47 victories as a crew chief for Jeff Gordon speaks volumes about his briliance as a pit leader and setup guru. That brilliance set Evernham as the spearhead to lead Dodge’s return to NASCAR in 2001 (it should be mentioned that Casey Atwood did register a top 10 with Evernham as owner in one of three starts in 2000). Along the way, Evernham has had the likes of “Awesome”Bill Elliott, Atwood, Jeremy Mayfield, and Scott Riggs driving for him- but perhaps no driver has meant more to what is now known as GEM than Kasey Kahne.

The boyish Washingtonian roared onto the Cup scene in 2004, earning Raybestos Rookie of The Year honors with a 13th place in the Cup standings. After a bum 2005, Kahne rebounded with an impressive 6 victories in 2006 and 19 top 10’s en route to an 8th place finish at season’s end. Kahne’s 2007 frustrations epitomized GEM’s futility in 2007, as Kahne was never really a factor, other than a Busch Series win. A lot of GEM’s problems were obviously program related. Evernham admitted that trying to juggle business (fundraising and sponsorships) with racing proved to be overwhelming. The team was just never that competitive and looked way behind the curve on Car of Tomorrow development.

To be sure, Kahne has fulfilled some of his promise. Seven wins are not chopped liver. Yet a closer look at the number reveals a need for growth from the 27 year old if he wants to be mentioned in the same breath with Gordon and Johnson. All of Kahne’s wins have come at intermediate tracks (Atlanta, Texas, Lowe’s, Michigan- to name a few). He needs to add super speedway prowess and road course mastery to his resume. On top of that, Kahne has a vexing number of DNF’s on his track record. Compare his numbers to Clint Bowyer’s in 2007 and you get my drift.

If it sounds like I’m being harsh, it’s because he’s capable of more. He’s a winner, but he not only needs more support from his owner and he needs to spend less time enjoying the life of a rock star. He’s tested well at Vegas and California, so there is hope.

Another guy fans hope for more from in 2008 is Elliott Sadler. Like Kahne, Sadler has a following- yet at the rate he’s going, he’s destined to become another Michael Waltrip or Kenny Wallace- a popular guy due more to personality than actual performance. Sadler hasn’t visited victory lane since 2004, when he raced for Robert Yates. Quick- name a race where he was really in contention in 2007. Can’t think of one? I think there’s a reason for that. Here’s hoping the partnership with Gillett will enable Ray Evernham to provide better support for the likes of Kahne and Sadler. They deserve better.

One area where GEM is not left out is in the foreign intrigue department. Scott Riggs is out as the driver of the #10 Dodge and Canadian Patrick Carpentier takes over. So far, the best you can say about Carpentier is that he hasn’t angered established drivers by wrecking them- which puts him ahead of say, Dario Franchitti. If nothing else, Carpentier’s development will help draw attention to Gillett Evernham if winning can’t.

What we have right now is not the notoriety a team really wants: an owner more famous for being the boyfriend of a female racer (Evernham and Erin Crocker have been an item for a while now), a star driver more famous for his commercials fleeing crazed soccer moms, a journeyman driver who’s also more famous for his popularity among women and for his one time promise as a basketball player, and a rookie more famous for being a part of the open wheel mass defection to NASCAR.

These guys are better than that. I think.

(A special edition of bump-drafts specially prepared for letsgoracingfans.com)

Let’s have a show of hands: How many people though Ryan Newman would win the Daytona 500? Other than you two #12 fans in the back…not many. O.K., how many thought that Dodge would place 6 cars in the top 10? No? Good news, doubters, you have plenty of company.

Including me.

Speed week did not lack for story lines. There was all the talk about Rick Hendrick’s new driver- the monstrously popular Dale Earnhardt Jr. His success in the Bud Shootout and the first Gatorade Duel fanned the flames, and also sparked further speculation about how his new found success would fly alongside the prolific Jeff Gordon and defending champion Jimmie Johnson.

There was also much discussion of a brewing manufacturer face-off: the Chevys of Hendrick versus the Toyotas of Joe Gibbs. Going into today’s action- Dodge looked stuck in second gear compared to the performances of Junior, Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin- not mention the success of Toyota in the Craftsman Truck Series, thanks to Todd Bodine and even the qualifying efforts of Toyota driver Michael Waltrip- taking the outside pole.

For 199 laps, it sure looked like Toyota would get its first Cup victory. For the better part of the last few seasons, we’ve been expecting to see Johnson or Gordon forcing the issue at the end. Johnson’s wreck and Gordon’s mechanical failures dispensed of that story line and also played a part in Dale Jr. not finding the help he would need to contend at the end. HMS driver Casey Mears looked to poised to play, but a wreck near the end further lessened Junior’s prospects of finding a friendly bump at the finish.

As a matter of fact, the race was downright boring for a while. Kyle Busch looked like he OWNED Daytona. When he wasn’t leading the pack, his Gibbs teammates Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin took a few turns blazing the Florida air. Hamlin’s efforts were frustrated by a copule of mid-race get-togethers- so it looked like it was Stewart and Busch’s race to lose. Yeah, the 30 plus lead changes made it somewhat interesting, but really, it looked like a Gibbs driver would get the champaign shower in victory lane.

Somebody forget to tell that to Penske Racing pals Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman.

In the final dash, Busch and Stewart failed to connect and out of nowhere, Newman and the elder Busch rocketed past the dynamic Gibbs duo to propel the Purdue University graduate to his first victory since New Hampshire in September, 2005. Career victory number 13 for Newman is no doubt his biggest, on NASCAR’s biggest stage in the golden anniversary race at Daytona.

Also noteworthy is the presence of Dodge in the top 10. Joining Newman and Busch at the top the likes of Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, Reed Sorenson, and Robby Gordon (he just switched 3 weeks ago). Dodge drivers Bobby Labonte (#11) and Penske rookie Sam Hornish Jr. (#15) also represented their manufacturer well.

How surreal is it that help for Newman comes from a guy who started 43rd? No matter what you think of one of NASCAR’s bad boys, you have to give him props for getting there.

So, I begin the 2008 season with a slice of humble pie. My pick finished 3rd, and with that, Toyota was unable to surpass their previous race best of 3rd set by Dave Blaney at Talladega.

Today, we once again learn why races aren’t won on paper. We are also reminded of the value of teamwork. Regardless of who your guy is, you have to be happy for Newman. Not liking him is like not liking that nice kid down the street woh always says “Hi” back. Anything can happen. thanks to today’s result we are reminded why this sport if great. No matter what the body of the race is like, you can count on a wild and crazy finish at Daytona. Anything can happen.

And it often does.

Junior Nation will either bummed or upset when I say this, but Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s dominance this week will come to an end tomorrow when Tony Stewart wins the Daytona 500. The planets are aligned and he won’t be denied in picking up his first win at the Super Bowl of NASCAR. My prediction is more than a gut feeling. Here’s why:

1) Team Support- Mark Martin’s demise last year demonstrated how a driver needs help to win at Daytona. Not only has Stewart been running well this week, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin are also looking good. Joe Gibbs Racing is on its game, and Stewart will have no less than two drivers helping him. Auto racing becomes more of an individual thing once the green flags drops, but you gotta know if a driver can;t win it for himself, he’ll be more than happy to give a little love to a teammate in the draft.

2) Toyota Engines- According to a report on Fox Sports Radio this morning, Toyota has provided great engines for Daytona, running a couple of extra hundred RPMs over the others. We’re talking about the kind of power that shave a couple of tenths of a second off of a lap, and that will be critical in a field that is EXTREMELY competitive.

3) Tony’s Head Is Right- Stewart is a heart on the sleeve kind of guy, and he’s just looking very at home at NASCAR’s premier track. You could just see him messing around yesterday- smiling and changing his hats every 5 minutes. The Rushville Rocket also looks loose in interviews. Compare that to the rough stretches that he last year where he said driving wasn’t fun anymore.

As I post this, Tony is running out front in the Nationwide Camping World 300. His teammates are also running in the top 10.

The Hendrick boys- especially Johnson and Earnhardt- will be around to push the Gibbs team- but in the end, the Big Orange will be looking for some prime fence to climb at the Daytona 500.