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Here's a quick look back at some of the sights from last weekend's racing action involving the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the Nationwide Series at Lowe's Motor Speedway, thanks to Getty Images.

I particularly like some of these photos because the night aspect makes the colors of NASCAR just pop out of the frame, so take a minute and enjoy 'em.

NASCAR officials apparently took the night off Saturday night in Charlotte after judging the comments made the sport's vice president of competition.

Robin Pemberton told the NASCAR Scene Monday that NASCAR is "staying the course" with the current rules package on the now-full time Car of Tomorrow package:

"We're going to remain firm on our rules," Pemberton said. "There's no rule changes coming along."

Pemberton said NASCAR usually talks with teams about the following season's rules from mid-August to early September. Talks this year indicated teams wanted the rules to remain constant from year to year.

"We're pleased with the progress teams have made," Pemberton said. "As the teams have made their improvements, maybe early on they were looking for rule changes, but as they found things to get their drivers and teams competitive, they have come back and said, 'OK, let's stay the course on the rules and regulations, and we'll get another year under their belt.'"

I've gotta say, after watching Saturday night's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway -- a track that bears similarities to a good portion of the tracks on the Sprint Cup schedule -- this is a complete mistake, even if the teams were supposedly on board with it.

Jimmie Johnson left Lowe's Motor Speedway with a 69-point lead Saturday night following the Bank of America 500, but don't fall in line with those in the NASCAR media who are already etching his name on the Sprint Cup trophy.

Why, you ask, should we not see Johnson as the clear favorite despite him winning the last two championships?

Well, just take a look back to one year ago.

Teammate Jeff Gordon had just won his 6th race of 2007, his second in-a-row, and had a 68-point lead in the championship standings over Johnson as the Chase for the Sprint Cup entered the last half of the ten race stretch.

Yes, Jeff Gordon was en route to finally winning his fifth NASCAR title.

But it didn't happen.

FanHouse's Geoffrey Miller is at the track in Concord, N.C. for Saturday night's Bank of America 500 in full fan mode. He's hoping to avoid Kevin Harvick's motor coach driver from his location in the Ford Grandstand, Section I.

Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson and every other leader in Saturday night's Bank of America 500 proved one thing: NASCAR's biggest trump card to winning a race is still the clean air a driver gets, and the timing of that can pretty much guarantee a particular race's winner.

Of course, this isn't to rag on Jeff Burton or claim he secured an unjust victory because he certainly pulled out all of the stops with a great but risky call in the pits and holding off Jimmie Johnson for the lead as the laps wound down.

Instead, I'm just hoping that NASCAR is realizing how bitterly important the nose design on the Car of Tomorrow is, and how much it truly affects both the lead car and the trailing car.

For evidence, one only has to look so far as the laps led column from Saturday night's 334-lap race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Five drivers -- Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Brian Vickers and Jimmie Johnson -- led at least 42 laps in the event, with most of them coming on successive runs.

Jeff Burton made a valiant effort to catch Kyle Busch at the end of Friday night's Nationwide Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway but came up short.

Saturday night, the rest of the Sprint Cup field was coming up short on a gambling Jeff Burton.

FanHouse's Geoffrey Miller is at the track in Concord, N.C. for Saturday night's Bank of America 500 in full fan mode. He's hoping to avoid Kevin Harvick's motor coach driver from his location in the Ford Grandstand, Section I.

Regan Smith may drive for the race team that Dale Earnhardt Jr. left in 2007, but that didn't keep the now-Hendrick Motorsports driver from taking Smith's side after last week's controversial finish at Talladega Superspeedway.

Smith, a rookie in the Sprint Cup series, was denied his first-career win after NASCAR declared his last-lap pass underneath Tony Stewart illegal and gave Stewart the win despite getting beat by Smith to the finish line.

I was thoroughly against the ruling, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his support of Smith clear and questioned NASCAR's judgment on Friday at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"In my opinion, the 01 (Smith) was forced below the line," Earnhardt Jr. said on Friday at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"The two did make contact – (Smith) was on the inside of Tony and he had no choice other than to move away from Tony and that sends him below the line and in my opinion, the 01 wins the race. I feel like Tony did what he had to do. In the car, everyone would have done what Tony did, everyone would have done what the 01 did. Neither one of them were wrong or right.

"What's curious is when are you forced? Show me some video. I want to know what's forced and what's not. I felt like that was being forced."

And can you argue with Earnhardt Jr.? His statement further exemplifies how confused drivers were on NASCAR's rule, and how they remain to be confused now even after NASCAR tried to clarify the rule this week.

It's no outlandish statement to say that Kyle Busch could use a change in his Chase for the Sprint Cup fortunes.

He'll try to change it by painting his No. 18 Toyota pink for Saturday night's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway -- and its for a great cause.

Busch, as well as Bobby Labonte's No. 43 and Elliott Sadler's No. 19 will sport pink paint schemes in the Bank of America 500 in support of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure grassroots breast cancer awareness group -- and I've got to say, the paint jobs look pretty good.

The cars will be sporting the new look thanks to the initiative from each team's respective sponsors making an effort to help promote awareness of breast cancer, and NASCAR having 40 percent of its fan base in women -- according to the press release -- is certainly a great place to do so.

Stanley Tools, M&M's, and General Mills are all also making contributions to the Komen foundation with Stanley pitching in $100,000, M&M's making a minimum donation of $650,000 and General Mills has already tossed $2 million into the cause in 2008.

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.

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.

We've seen and heard the battle that the City of Concord (N.C.) and Lowe's Motor Speedway have had in the past month.

Thursday could be the day of reckoning on whether or not LMS' parent company, Speedway Motorsports Inc., and CEO Bruton Smith will either ruin yet another fantastic piece of the NASCAR history (remember North Wilkesboro?) or if he will remember the fans that earned his his wealth and keep the legendary speedway.

From NASCAR.com's Ron Lemasters:

There is talk of an announcement on Thursday that will go a long way toward determining if Lowe's Motor Speedway will remain in its present location or go on the road to a neighboring community, as Smith has threatened.

I honestly feel a little bit sick to my stomach knowing that such a place could potentially be leveled -- and for what, a billionaire owner on a power trip?

That really sounds like a track owner who is touch with the fans.

The city council has given Smith the go-ahead to build a NHRA drag strip, are willing to help with tax incentives on new building projects at LMS, and most importantly -- they want to rename a street already named "Speedway Boulevard" to "Bruton Smith You Are Our King Street" (or at least something or the sort).

What else could he possibly want? (other than some Carolina-fave Bojangles Famous Chicken 'n' Biscuits, of course)