FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Quals Canceled for 8th Time, Johnson on Polehttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/10/quals-canceled-for-8th-time-johnson-on-pole/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/10/quals-canceled-for-8th-time-johnson-on-pole/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/10/quals-canceled-for-8th-time-johnson-on-pole/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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Amid the hullabaloo -- now that's a fun word -- of Thursday's off-track activity at Lowe's Motor Speedway between Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick, Sprint Cup series qualifying for Sunday night's Bank of America 500 was canceled.

It was the eighth time this season qualifying got the axe thanks to rain on track, and the biggest beneficiary from precipitation was the guy who seems to benefit from everything, Mr. Jimmie Johnson. Though, I'm certainly no Johnson apologist because luck is something that you partially make with your performance -- something the No. 48 has plenty of.

Rain was persistent throughout the day at LMS -- where yours truly will be stationed for the weekend as a fan -- and not a lap of practice was turned by Sprint Cup cars.

Johnson secured the pole because of his position in the owner points, and the rest of the field was set the same way, allowing for all 12 of the contenders in the Chase for the Sprint Cup to be right on top of each other at the front of the field when the green flag is dropped Saturday night.

Johnson's teammate Jeff Gordon was likely somewhat disappointed with the session being wiped from the weekend schedule after turning the fastest lap in qualifying mode during the testing session a few weeks ago at LMS. Instead, he'll start in his points position of eighth.

 

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]]>BankofAmerica500CarlEdwardsChasefortheSprintCupJeffGordonJimmieJohnsonKevinHarvickLowesMotorSpeedwaySprintCupGeoffrey Miller2008-10-10T09:04:00 00:00Scenes from the Sprint Cup: Talladegahttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/10/scenes-from-the-sprint-cup-talladega/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/10/scenes-from-the-sprint-cup-talladega/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/10/scenes-from-the-sprint-cup-talladega/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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Before the Sprint Cup action gets too fired up again in Charlotte, here's a quick look back at some of the best images of a dramatic weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.



Excuse Us, We'll Just Be a Minute - A pack of Sprint Cup drivers races in tight, harrowing quarters through turn 2 at Talladega as the infield crowd looks on at the blur of speed and color.

 

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]]>AmpEnergy500DelanaHarvickKevinHarvickMattKensethReganSmithScenesFromSprintCupTalladegaTonyStewartGeoffrey Miller2008-10-10T08:48:00 00:00'Love, Carl' Spurs Edwards, Harvick Scufflehttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/09/love-carl-spurs-edwards-harvick-scuffle/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/09/love-carl-spurs-edwards-harvick-scuffle/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/09/love-carl-spurs-edwards-harvick-scuffle/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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Carl Edwards is a witty guy.

After causing a big wreck with 14 laps to go in last weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway, Edwards took some heat from Kevin Harvick -- who told the NASCAR media that Edwards had no business racing up front after laying back the whole day.

Edwards wasn't too happy with Harvick, and apparently left a note that said "Kevin, Thanks for (expletive) me on TV - I was really trying to screw up everyone's day. Love, Carl." with Harvick's pilot after the Talladega race. We'll talk more about that in a moment.

In the meantime, things got more intense on Thursday at Lowe's Motor Speedway when Edwards approached Harvick in the Nationwide Series garage during practice. From ThatsRacin:
Witnesses said the incident started in the garage stall where Harvick's No. 33 Chevrolet was parked. Edwards had walked over from his area, two stalls down. The conversation appeared to start amicably, but soon heated words were exchanged, the witnesses said.

At one point, Harvick appeared to turn away from Edwards, who then reached for Harvick's shoulder, as if to turn him back around. Harvick responded by shoving Edwards, who landed on the No. 33 Chevrolet, denting the right-front section of the hood.
The confrontation ended quickly after Edwards had been placed in a headlock (a headlock! Awesome!) by Harvick's hauler driver and then the two were separated.

 

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]]>BankofAmerica500CarlEdwardsKevinHarvickLowesMotorSpeedwayNationwideSeriesRichardChildressRacingRoushFenwayRacingSprintCupTalladegaSuperspeedwayGeoffrey Miller2008-10-09T23:59:00 00:00After Argument, Carpentier Done at GEMhttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/07/after-argument-carpentier-done-at-gem/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/07/after-argument-carpentier-done-at-gem/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/07/after-argument-carpentier-done-at-gem/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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Reed Sorenson's future seat at Gillette-Evernham Motorsports might get a little cold before he takes the reigns of his new Dodge after Patrick Carpentier got the boot from the organization Tuesday afternoon.

Carpenter failed to make last Sunday's race at Talladega, and later had somewhat of a confrontation in plain view of the entire Talladega garage with his crew chief who blamed Patrick -- not the car -- as the reason the No. 10 car wasn't in the race.

Carpentier, who was already scheduled to leave the team at the end of 2009, later posted a response to the incident on his web site:
"I think it's a complete lack of respect," said Carpentier. "I never was shy to take the blame when I thought it was my fault, but here, everybody knows that it's like driving in a straight line."

"I've looked at the timing data and we were already three-tenths below the time we needed to qualify when I went below the line. I went low because I felt we had to try everything. I gave it all I had, but now he blames me? This is totally unacceptable. It's not as if my teammates were on the first row! They both ran slower than me!"
It's hard to deny Carpentier's logic, but at the same time, he and his publicist had to know that it was a risky move by posting the team's dirty laundry for everyone to see -- especially when its against a team that had a gossip-filled firing of Jeremy Mayfield a few years ago that revealed a team owner's relationship with a female driver, among other things.

 

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]]>AJAllmendingerDodgeGilletteEvernhamMotorsportsMikeWallaceNASCARSillySeasonPatrickCarpentierTalladegaGeoffrey Miller2008-10-07T20:04:00 00:00Add "Miss Cleo" to Driver Talent Requirementhttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/07/nascar-drivers-new-requirement-be-miss-cleo/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/07/nascar-drivers-new-requirement-be-miss-cleo/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/07/nascar-drivers-new-requirement-be-miss-cleo/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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In most sports, rules that apply directly to a particular event are known at the very least before said event starts.

In NASCAR, though, only part of those rules in place, and the rest is up to the drivers to figure out based on past knowledge, or more correctly, what NASCAR's future rule will be.

Yes, NASCAR drivers are now expected by the sanctioning body to be as talented as Miss Cleo -- sans the lawsuits and deceptive billing and advertising claims.

Case in point? Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway that Tony Stewart was handed after Regan Smith was disqualified by NASCAR for making a pass that wasn't within the vaguely-stated and otherwise not consistently applied rules.

NASCAR clarified those rules for future use -- Regan Smith no longer has to wonder if he should wreck the leader for a win because that's what NASCAR seemingly wants -- on Monday through a statement from the sport's president, Mike Helton.
"In NASCAR's opinion he was not forced below the yellow line. NASCAR correctly took immediate action to enforce the policy by penalizing the #01 and scoring the #20 as the race winner," Helton said.

"Since the end of the race there has been some confusion as to what is allowable during the last lap at Daytona and Talladega. To be clear, as we go forward, there will be no passing under the yellow line at any time during NASCAR races at Daytona or Talladega, period. This includes any passing below the yellow line near the start/finish line on the final lap."
Well, I'm certainly glad we got that after the finish of Sunday's race, because, you know, knowing the rules might have changed the outcome a bit -- especially after the confusion that even NASCAR's employees had over the rule for the past few months.

 

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]]>DaleEarnhardtIncJoeGibbsRacingReganSmithTalladegaTonyStewartGeoffrey Miller2008-10-07T12:39:00 00:00NASCAR's Inconsistency Helped Tony Stewart, Hurt Regan Smithhttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/talladega-highlights-nascars-inconsistency/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/talladega-highlights-nascars-inconsistency/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/talladega-highlights-nascars-inconsistency/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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NASCAR fans got a pretty doggone good show Sunday afternoon at Talladega -- especially if you're a fan of edge-of-your-seat-for-500-miles action.

But more than the action, what the fans at the track and the ones at home were ultimately left with was a big, big question.

When in the world is NASCAR going to find a consistent, plausible rule book?

I'll state it bluntly: Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s rookie driver Regan Smith got screwed on the final lap of the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway after NASCAR handed Tony Stewart the win -- his first of 2008. Smith, they said, broke the out-of-bounds rule by making a pass of Stewart under the yellow line just before the start/finish line.

Smith crossed the start/finish first and had seemingly handed Stewart a seventh-career 2nd-place finish at the Alabama track.

Smith deserved to be doing burnouts.

He deserved to be celebrating an improbable win in victory lane.

And, most of all, he did not deserve to be getting penalized for something a well-known driver got away with en route to a victory at the same track in 2003.

His name? Dale Earnhardt Jr.

 

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]]>AmpEnergyDrink500ChasefortheSprintCupDaleEarnhardtIncJoeGibbsRacingNASCARRulesReganSmithSprintcupTalladegaTalladegaSuperspeedwayTonyStewartGeoffrey Miller2008-10-05T19:52:00 00:00NASCAR Gives Tony Stewart Talladega Winhttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/nascar-gives-tony-stewart-talladega-win/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/nascar-gives-tony-stewart-talladega-win/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/nascar-gives-tony-stewart-talladega-win/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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Rookie driver Regan Smith crossed the start/finish line in first place at the end of Sunday's Amp Energy Drink 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, but it was Tony Stewart who was celebrating his first 2008 Sprint Cup series win in victory lane.

NASCAR awarded Stewart the win after the powers-that-be decided that Smith's move under Stewart as the field came through the tri-oval for the final time was illegal.

For Stewart, it was the best of times as he celebrated a win at a track he's never won at in Sprint Cup competition despite finishing second six times at the track, but for Smith, it was a heartbreaking defeat that left him with plenty of questions -- as well as everyone that watched the race.

 

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]]>AMPEnergyDrink500ChasefortheSprintCupDaleEarnhardtIncJoeGibbsRacingPaulMenardReganSmithSprintCupTalladegaTonyStewartToyotaGeoffrey Miller2008-10-05T18:59:00 00:00Late Wreck Knocks Out Multiple Chasershttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/big-wreck-takes-out-multiple-chase-contenders/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/big-wreck-takes-out-multiple-chase-contenders/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/big-wreck-takes-out-multiple-chase-contenders/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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With 15 laps to go in Sunday's AMP Energy Drink 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, a good portion of the Chase for the Sprint Cup contenders looked ready to challenge for a win in a race known for being a wild card on the Chase schedule.

And with 14 laps to go, they found out why Talladega was such a wild card.

Heading in to turn 3, Carl Edwards was running second in the outside line of cars when he pushed a little too hard on teammate Greg Biffle while the two were bump-drafting. Biffle lost control of his Ford and slid into his other teammate Matt Kenseth.

With all three cars sliding across the track, chaos ensued in the pack behind them.

 

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]]>AMPEnergyDrink500CarlEdwardsDaleEarnhardtJrDaveBlaneyGregBiffleJuanPabloMontoyaKevinHarvickKyleBuschMattKensethMichaelWaltripTalladegaTonyStewartTravisKvapilGeoffrey Miller2008-10-05T17:57:00 00:00Tire Problems Bite Several 'Dega Contendershttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/tire-problems-bite-several-dega-contenders/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/tire-problems-bite-several-dega-contenders/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/tire-problems-bite-several-dega-contenders/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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Whether or not they suffered a tire problem on their own car, several Sprint Cup drivers and teams felt the effects of multiple tire issues during Sunday's AMP Energy Drink 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

The first problem struck on lap 53 on the backstretch of the 2.66-mile circuit when Michael Waltrip Racing's David Reutimann spun sideways after the right-rear tire exploded on the No. 44 Toyota. Directly behind him, Hendrick Motorsports' Jeff Gordon swerved to miss the spinning Reutimann and caught the nose of Jon Wood, sending the front-end of the No. 24 in to the wall.

The impact for Gordon sent him behind the wall for cosmetic, suspension, and radiator repairs. He would return after about 30 laps, but the car that had looked quite competitive early in the event later lost an engine while trying to make up points.

 

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]]>AMPEnergyDrink500ChasefortheSprintCupDennyHamlinGoodyearHendrickMotorsportsJeffGordonRedBullRacingSprintCupTalladegaGeoffrey Miller2008-10-05T17:17:00 00:00Denny Hamlin Transported to Local Hospital After Single-Car Crash at Talladegahttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/denny-hamlin-transported-to-local-hospital-after-single-car-cras/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/denny-hamlin-transported-to-local-hospital-after-single-car-cras/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/05/denny-hamlin-transported-to-local-hospital-after-single-car-cras/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Denny Hamlin's battle for the 2008 championship took another blow Sunday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway after a hard crash sent sent him to a local hospital for observation.

Hamlin was leading on lap 99 of the 188-lap AMP Energy Drink 500 when his No. 11 cut a tire in turn 2, catapulting his Toyota into the outside wall. He was able to climb from the mangled race car under his own power, but immediately had a seat on a stretcher before being placed in an ambulance.

 

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]]>DennyHamlinJoeGibbsRacingSprintCupTalladegaGeoffrey Miller2008-10-05T16:49:00 00:00Kvapil Earns Top Spot for Talladega Fieldhttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/04/kvapil-earns-top-spot-for-talladega-field/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/04/kvapil-earns-top-spot-for-talladega-field/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/04/kvapil-earns-top-spot-for-talladega-field/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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As is usual in the era of NASCAR impounding the cars following qualifying for three of the four restrictor plate races each season, the top dogs in qualifying for Sunday's Amp Energy Drink 400 at Talladega Superspeedway aren't the normal ones.

In fact, one would have to look back 11 spots to find the first driver who's an eligible entrant in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

 

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]]>AMPEnergyDrink500CaseyMearsChasefortheSprintCupDaleEarnhardtInc.TalladegaTravisKvapilGeoffrey Miller2008-10-04T16:07:00 00:00Video: Earnhardt Jr., Stewart in Practice Crashhttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/04/video-earnhardt-jr-stewart-in-practice-crash/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/04/video-earnhardt-jr-stewart-in-practice-crash/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/04/video-earnhardt-jr-stewart-in-practice-crash/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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A number of drivers -- including Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan and a host of others -- decided they had had enough practice on Friday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway after just one session in preparation for the Amp Energy Drink 500.

That appears to have been a smart move because just about nine minutes into the weekend's final practice session Friday, a Goodyear tire off of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car decided to hit the fan:



As you can see, Earnhardt Jr. was leading a pack of about 10 cars into turn three of the 2.5-mile high-banked circuit when his right-rear tire decided to imitate a hot dog kept in the microwave a little too long.

 

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]]>AMPEnergyDrink500ChasefortheSprintCupClintBowyerDaleEarnhardtJrDavidRaganDennyHamlinHendrickMotorsportsJeffGordonKaseyKahneTalladegaTonyStewartGeoffrey Miller2008-10-04T09:29:00 00:00Helio's Tax Indictment Has NASCAR Tieshttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/03/helios-tax-indictment-has-nascar-ties/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/03/helios-tax-indictment-has-nascar-ties/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/03/helios-tax-indictment-has-nascar-ties/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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Thursday afternoon, word came out that two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves was facing an indictment of tax fraud charges in Florida for allegedly hiding $5 million in income.

Helio, along with his sister and his attorney Alan Miller, was called in to a courtroom Friday morning in the Sunshine State and he pleaded not guilty to a lot of charges that could put him in the slammer for a long time.

The folks in the courtroom must have seen Helio's fence-climbing techniques after winning races and had the guy in handcuffs, as well as chains around his ankles. I mean, come on, I know the guy is fast on a race track and a decent dancer, but I'm highly doubting he's much of a flight risk.

Anywho, Helio was released on bail of $10 million, but was ordered not to leave the country and could only travel for work -- meaning he will miss the upcoming non-points IndyCar event in Australia.

This situation, though, doesn't stop with the winged open-wheel cars because it turns out that Castroneves' attorney -- Alan Miller -- is the same guy who represents many, many NASCAR drivers including Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears.

 

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]]>CaseyMearsHelioCastronevesHendrickMotorsportsIndianapolis500IndyCarSeriesJimmieJohnsonPenskeRacingTalladegaGeoffrey Miller2008-10-03T15:46:00 00:00Jeff Gordon Unveils New Paint on Today Showhttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/02/jeff-gordon-unveils-new-paint-on-today-show/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/02/jeff-gordon-unveils-new-paint-on-today-show/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/02/jeff-gordon-unveils-new-paint-on-today-show/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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The casual NASCAR fan got a treat Thursday morning if they were tuning in to yet another edition of NBC's Today Show as Jeff Gordon showed up at the Rockefeller Center studio in New York City with what will be his 2009 No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet.

Changing permanently for the first time since 2001, the main differences you notice are how the blue on the rear of the car was replaced by the black, and how the flames changed slightly.

However, because it's pretty early, I'll let the press release do the talking for a moment:

 

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]]>ChasefortheSprintcupChevroletHendrickMotorsportsJeffGordonSprintCupGeoffrey Miller2008-10-02T09:15:00 00:00Rusty Wallace Denies NASCAR Return, Says Comeback Rumors 'Untrue'http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/01/rusty-wallace-considering-nascar-return/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/01/rusty-wallace-considering-nascar-return/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/10/01/rusty-wallace-considering-nascar-return/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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UPDATE: Rusty Wallace released a statement Wednesday morning denying that he plans to make a return to NASCAR in 2009.
"I love Kenny to death; he's been trying to get me back in a car ever since I retired after 2005. While any rumors like this are certainly flattering, they're untrue. I have a long-term commitment to ABC and ESPN and I really love what I'm doing right now," said Wallace in a statement.
To me, this whole deal seems pretty bizarre, especially given that Rusty's brother put out the rumor. I have a feeling there might be more to this story than what meets the eye, but for now, it appears to be dead in the water.

Original: 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace is "considering" a return to NASCAR's top series in 2009, his brother Kenny Wallace said Tuesday night in an article posted on SPEEDTV.com.
"Six different crew members came up to me and said they'd heard a rumor Rusty was coming back to drive for [Dale Earnhardt Inc]," said Wallace in the article.

"These rumors get started in the Mooresville [N.C.] area because the [NASCAR team] shops are so close to each other and nothing can be kept secret for long. All I can say is that where there's smoke, there's fire. And he is definitely considering stepping back into a race car."
Rusty, who retired in 2005 after 25 seasons in NASCAR with 55 career wins, currently works as an analyst for ESPN and owns two Nationwide Series cars, one of which is driven by his son Steven.

I'm having a tough time not believing what Kenny said in the article for the sheer fact that he is Rusty's brother, and that that would seemingly prevent Wallace for spreading untrue rumors.

 

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]]>DaleEarnhardtInc.KennyWallaceNASCARRumorsNASCARSillySeasonPaulMenardPenskeRacingRustyWallaceSprintCupYatesRacingGeoffrey Miller2008-10-01T01:34:00 00:00Scenes From the Sprint Cup: Kansashttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/30/scenes-from-the-sprint-cup-kansas/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/30/scenes-from-the-sprint-cup-kansas/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/30/scenes-from-the-sprint-cup-kansas/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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Cameras have had staying power in the world because they are able to do something humans can't. Simply, cameras can stop action in ways we don't see. Here's some of the best shots from a fast-paced weekend at Kansas Speedway as FanHouse brings you another edition of "Scenes From":



Guys... A Little Help Here? Smoke was in supply and vision was in high demand for Kyle Busch during Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Kansas after he was involved in a wreck. Unfortunately, it was just the start of his bad weekend.

 

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]]>CampingWorld400ChasefortheSprintCupJimmieJohnsonKansasSpeedwayKyleBuschNationwideSeriesScenesFromSprintCupGeoffrey Miller2008-09-30T19:10:00 00:00Round 3: Chase Winners, Chase Losershttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/30/round-3-chase-winners-chase-losers/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/30/round-3-chase-winners-chase-losers/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/30/round-3-chase-winners-chase-losers/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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How'd your favorite Chase for the Sprint Cup driver fare last weekend at Kansas Speedway? Is he still a viable contender, or have we found some true pretenders? Take a looksie to find out where FanHouse ranks your Chaser:

Round 3: Chase Winners

Jimmie Johnson (Finished 1st) - Johnson nearly got caught up in watching Carl Edwards make his crazy dive-bomb move on the final lap, but stayed cool and power back by him. His consistency will be tough to beat.

Carl Edwards (Finished 2nd) - Sometimes, its possible to play video games too much, though Edwards proved that he isn't afraid to try anything for a win.

Greg Biffle (Finished 3rd) - Sure, he may have passed a very ill guy for third place at the finish line, but those five points could loom large come Homestead.

Jeff Gordon (Finished 4th) - I'm throwing Gordo into a Chase winner this week because his gutsy performance showed that the No. 24 team could be a dark horse championship contender if he can return to form at Talladega, Charlotte, and Martinsville.

 

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]]>CampingWorld400CarlEdwardsChasefortheSprintCupChaseWinnersChaseLosersClintBowyerDaleEarnhardtJr.DennyHamlinGregBiffleJeffBurtonJeffGordonJimmieJohnsonKansasSpeedwayKevinHarvickKyleBuschMattKensethSprintCupTonyStewartGeoffrey Miller2008-09-30T12:13:00 00:00Racing Sick? No Biggie for Jeff Gordonhttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/28/racing-sick-no-biggie-for-jeff-gordon/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/28/racing-sick-no-biggie-for-jeff-gordon/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/28/racing-sick-no-biggie-for-jeff-gordon/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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Jeff Gordon was sick as a dog all weekend at Kansas Speedway, and ended with a fourth-place finish.

In other words, Gordon scored his best finish since June at Infineon Raceway despite the fact that JR Motorsports' Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski was ready to fill-in as needed in the No. 24 Chevrolet.

Gordon started 13th on Sunday and for the first time in a long time in 2008, he actually was a steady figure in the Top-10 and didn't fade over the course of the race, instead moving up steadily as the race wore on. Simply, it was a close resemblance of the No. 24 team of the 2007 season that was clicking on all eight cylinders.

In post-race interviews, Gordon cited a couple of factors for the decent performance:
"That's the thing about a great team. When one team member is down other guys rally and pick up the pace and that's what they did with me today. I'm very thankful for that. We had some pit practice this week not to mention the test in Charlotte. I think all of it paid off even though I'm sick it all paid off. Great top-five effort."
As for the pit practice comment, Gordon actually showed up this week with the pit crew last week -- likely at the Hendrick shop -- for practice as a whole, instead of having someone fill in as a driver.

 

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]]>ChasefortheSprintCupHendrickMotorsportsInfineonRacewayJeffGordonKansasSpeedwayNationwideSeriesSprintCupGeoffrey Miller2008-09-28T21:29:00 00:00Johnson Holds Off Banzai Edwards at Kansashttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/28/johnson-holds-off-banzai-edwards-at-kansas/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/28/johnson-holds-off-banzai-edwards-at-kansas/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/28/johnson-holds-off-banzai-edwards-at-kansas/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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Now that's a move that we've all tried on our NASCAR video games before.

Carl Edwards swept around Jimmie Johnson in the final corners of Sunday's Camping World 400 at Kansas Speedway, but swept too far as the No. 99 Ford grazed the turn four wall and Johnson's No. 48 powered back by to give a 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup win to someone not named Greg Biffle.

 

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]]>CampingWorld400CarlEdwardsChasefortheSprintCupGregBiffleHendrickMotorsportsJeffGordonJimmieJohnsonJoeGibbsRacingKansasSpeedwayKyleBuschMattKensethRoushFenwayRacingTonyStewartGeoffrey Miller2008-09-28T20:39:00 00:00Jeff Gordon Under the Weather in Kansashttp://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/26/jeff-gordon-under-the-weather-in-kansas/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/26/jeff-gordon-under-the-weather-in-kansas/http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/09/26/jeff-gordon-under-the-weather-in-kansas/#commentsGeoffrey Millerby Geoffrey Miller

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If you haven't seen or heard much from NASCAR's four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon as the race weekend gets going at Kansas Speedway, there's a pretty good reason for that.

Gordon, who doesn't look too peppy in the photo from Friday in Kansas to the right, is feeling quite under the weather, according the The Charlotte Observer's David Poole.
"Jeff Gordon qualified 13th fastest on Friday. He also practiced his car, but that was about the only thing the four-time champion did. He was under the weather and canceled all of his media sessions to conserve his energy for driving."
In practice this afternoon, Gordon turned just 11 laps during the one and a half-hour session, and in between me falling in out of a nap during qualifying Friday afternoon, I'm pretty sure ESPN didn't talk to him during their coverage.

Without a doubt, Gordon's team is going to put remember that winning practice doesn't win a championship, and will make sure Gordon is ready to go for Sunday's Camping World 400.

 

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]]>CampingWorld400ChasefortheSprintCupHendrickMotorsportsJeffGordonKansasSpeedwaySteveLetarteGeoffrey Miller2008-09-26T20:01:00 00:00