Yep, Tony Stewart -- by himself -- managed to get the No. 20 Home Depot car from the Joe Gibbs Racing shop in North Carolina all the way to Richmond, where he countered not only stiff competition on-track, but a Tropical Storm that blew through the area.
Sounds a little too good to be true, doesn't it?
As race fans found out thanks to ESPN picking up on Stewart's post-race in-car radio tantrum, Stewart apparently had convinced himself that he had been the sole provider for the team-'s Top-5 finish. Crew chief Greg Zipadelli, who likely is going to be quite relieved to deal with young gun Joey Logano in 2009, ripped Stewart back, as well.
Tens of thousands of race fans -- most of them likely decked out in green, blue, or maybe even red gear -- roared to life on lap 211 Sunday at Richmond International Raceway after their hero Dale Earnhardt Jr. seemed to finally get some revenge.
And that unintentional (as Dale Jr. called it) revenge took the form of the No. 88 Chevrolet nudging Kyle Busch around in turn one as the two battled for the lead.
Sure, Earnhardt Jr. is the sport's most popular wheel man, and Busch has been the hottest driver for all of 2008, but the revenge factor had nothing to do with either of those. Come on, you remember back to Richmond in May, right?
That was when the roles were reversed late in the race and Busch decided to barrel into the side of Earnhardt Jr. in the closing laps. It was the type of move that some called just racing, but others, well, they craved pay back.
And so it happened on lap 211 Sunday during the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Earnhardt Jr. spun Busch. Busch hit the wall. Earnhardt Jr. called it unintentional. Busch was upset. The crowd cheered.
Whaddya think? Was it legitimately a mistake? Or was it that revenge thing?
Two weeks ago, all the rage was about Carl Edwards finally mounting a charge to overcome Kyle Busch's impressive stranglehold on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Then, Jimmie Johnson won two races (including Sunday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400), came out of hiding, and decided to play the Chase for the Championship game as the veteran ace among championship newbies.
The weather at Richmond International Raceway is simply phenomenal the day after Tropical Storm Hanna breezed through, and after a day off, the stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series are ready to roll in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.
Kyle Busch leads the field to the green just after 1pm/ET and FanHouse has you covered the whole way. Can David Ragan or Kasey Kahne make the Chase? Will Jeff Gordon get booted out?
Jump in below to the conversation as we get a heavy dose of NASCAR live bloggin' -- just in time to set the field for the 12-driver Chase to the Championship!
"Yo Biff - I heard FanHouse is running a live blog on Sunday afternoon for the race, and since you're locked in already to the Chase, I was thinkin' 'bout catchin' some of that. Whaddya think?" - Greg Erwin
So, in all likelihood (though not completely impossible), Greg Biffle's crew chief Greg Erwin probably wasn't talking about the live blog coming your way Sunday afternoon here at FanHouse, but that's not really too important.
What is important is that you need to sign up for your very own e-mail alert for Sunday's live blog so you can join in on the fun! So what are you waiting for? Go for it, sign up below and make sure you're back here on Sunday afternoon -- even if you've got to watch your favorite NFL team on the locals because we've got you covered here at the 'House!
Stop by NASCAR FanHouse on Sunday at 1pm/ET for some good ol' fashioned live bloggin' of Sunday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400. It'll be Chase-tastic!
I've had a few days now to muse over the recent profile piece done in Rolling Stone on the always lovable Tony Stewart.
If you haven't had a chance to read it yourself, I'd highly recommend it. And if you have read it, I'm sure you'll agree with me on a couple of fronts:
1) If you love Stewart because of his rank attitude and keen ability to not adapt to what people say he should be, then this piece exemplifies why so many people are so passionate in cheering for Tony and ...
2) If you're not the biggest Stewart fan but enjoy reading about how drivers really live outside of the limelight, it's again right up your alley.
The article is loaded with juicy tidbits about Stewart's life and the language he uses when he's not around the media -- or at least attempts to refrain from using. It mainly follows Stewart over the course of a few races earlier in 2008 and includes written imagery about Stewart riding back on his airplane, what the inside of his Hummer looks like, and just how "lavish" his Columbus, Ind. home is.
The best part by far, however, is when Stewart bashes Kurt Busch during the qualifying session this past May at Texas Motor Speedway [and as a slight warning, the language isn't exactly Disney movie appropriate]:
Soon-to-be rookie Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano -- you've heard all about him I bet -- was planning to race Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway for the first time in NASCAR's top division.
Tropical Storm Hanna had other ideas, though.
The rain and winds from the weakened storm moved through the Richmond, Va.-area Friday night and Saturday, forcing the postponement of the event until Sunday afternoon, and in the process, forcing Logano to miss his first try at a Sprint Cup race because NASCAR canceled qualifying and set the field via points.
Logano was supposed to drive Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 02 Toyota in a paint scheme exactly opposite that of Tony Stewart's No. 20 Home Depot machine. Logano, of course, will be taking Stewart's seat at JGR in 2009.
In practice, he was 9th quickest on the speed chart.
Originally, his next start was supposed to be at New Hampshire Motor Speedway next weekend, though the plans for that seem to be evolving after the Richmond setback.
I'm not really sure why it took until Friday afternoon, but NASCAR and Richmond International Raceway's staff have pushed what-was-to-be Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 to Sunday thanks to Tropical Storm Hanna.
The bad part? We're not getting to watch NASCAR on a Saturday night.
The good part? FanHouse will be live bloggin' the race Sunday afternoon at 12:45pm/ET to make flipping between opening weekend NFL and the Sprint Cup Series easier to follow.
Saturday night's Sprint Cup race -- and potentially Friday night's Nationwide Series race -- appear to be in jeopardy of postponement thanks to the beautiful tropical weather.
And by beautiful I mean that nasty Tropical Storm Hanna that is currently churning off the coast of Florida.
Tony Stewart finished second in Sunday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway, and if you believe what he says, he did it all on his own.
Tens of thousands of race fans -- most of them likely decked out in green, blue, or maybe even red gear -- roared to life on lap 211 Sunday at 
I've had a few days now to muse over the recent profile piece done in Rolling Stone on the always lovable 
Soon-to-be rookie Sprint Cup driver 
