FanHouse GeneHaas

I'll set the stage.

Ryan Newman, with a good car, was three laps down after a flat tire. Jeff Green, also not on the lead lap, was sitting in the beneficiary position, ready to get a lap back on the next caution.

NASCAR drops the green flag after a caution for Juan Pablo Montoya's crash on lap 75 with Jeff Gordon in the lead.

Ready? Go.

The most technologically advanced wind tunnel in the world is coming to Concord, N.C.

It arrives at a speed of 180 mph and with a price tag of $40 million--NASCAR owner Gene Haas is footing the bill.

Specs from the company magazine:

The distinctive "rolling road" is actually a 1-millimeter-thick continuous steel belt about 11 feet wide and nearly 30 feet long. A revolutionary "thru-the-belt" sensing system will measure the aerodynamic downforce under each tire, providing handling data with greater accuracy than ever before. At the tunnel's top speed, the 22-foot diameter main fan will re-circulate 2.85 cubic feet of air per minute, consuming 7 megawatts of power in the process.

The facility, which will be operated by Haas' WindShear Inc., is scheduled to open sometime in 2007 and will be available to all motorsports manufacturers and teams.

Or at least those with deep pockets.

Look at the size of this thing:

They're inside the Top 35, but barely ... which means they're guaranteed a starting spot for Martinsville, but could find themselves qualifying for Texas if they don't perform well.

Robert Yates: Driver turnover hasn't done much to improved their situation. Both teams in--the #38 in 24th and the #88 in 33rd.

Gene Haas: The #70 is hanging on for dear life tied for 34th. I think he thought he was doing a good thing moving popular--and talented--crew chief Bootie Barker over, but it doesn't seem to have improved much. Fortunately, the move hasn't hurt the #66 team either, they finished last season in 29th and are currently placed 28th.

Hall of Famers: #96 in 30th. I'd like to say this team isn't in bad shape for its age, but considering they finished last season in 26th I can't really support that argument. But, when you take into account that they no longer have a former champion behind the wheel, it's somewhat respectable.

Also on the bubble: the aforementioned RFR #6 (22nd), Penske #12 (23rd), DEI #1 (25th), Ginn #13 (26th), HMS #25 (27th), CGRFS #41 (29th), Ginn #14 (31st), Petty #45 (32nd) and EMS #9 (34th).

Next: From an Owner's Standpoint: Outside Looking In

$5,551,106 - Size of the Food City 500 purse
160,000 - Bristol Motor Speedway capacity - Sunday's race will be its 50th consecutive sell-out
2,429 - # of laps led by Jeff Gordon, the most of any active driver
2004 - Last time a driver won three consecutive races. That was Jimmie Johnson. Can he do it again?
1992 - Year Food City joined Bristol Motor Speedway as the sponsor of the spring race
621 - # of consecutive starts Mark Martin leading up to Bristol, the longest current streak
477- # of consecutive starts by Jeff Gordon, who will become the active leader in that category after the green flag falls
401 - # of Nextel Cup drivers who have competed at Bristol
266.5 - # of miles in the Food City 500
78 - Percentage of races won from inside the top 10
60 - Most # of starts by any driver (Richard Petty)
56 - Most # of starts by an active driver (Ricky Rudd)
50 - # of cars on the entry list for the 2007 Food City 500
38 - Lowest starting position of winner (Elliott Sadler, 2001)
36 - Degrees of banking in the corners, the steepest on the Cup circuit
26 - # of car owners currently ranked higher in the standings than at the end of last season
21 - # of wins from the pole
20 - Most # of cautions (three times)
18 - # of owners in the current standings locked in to the top 35 through Bristol
12 - # of owners currently outside the top 35 that could move into the top 35
12 - Most # of wins in Thunder Valley by any driver (Darrell Waltrip)
9 - Difference in owner points between 35th and 36th place (Gene Haas #66 (274); Teresa Earnhardt #15 (265))
4 - # of drivers that have completed every lap so far in 2007 (Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin)
1 - # of drivers that have led laps in all races so far this season (Kenseth)
.533 - miles Length of track
Immeassurable - Comfort level of leaving Bristol in the top 35