FanHouse KobaltTools500

It wasn't a great week and change to be the assistant of Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch after the Las Vegas native won the series' last outing two weeks ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Thanks to a nameless, peculiar victory lap Busch unveiled after the win by driving his No. 2 Penske Racing Dodge in reverse in the correct counter-clockwise fashion for a full lap, ideas poured from all corners of the NASCAR world on what the lap should be called.

And because, you know, that's what people in NASCAR do, Busch announced Friday that the lap's official title will be the "Unwind Lap".

Perhaps Jimmy Watts was just doing what he had always done as a firefighter for the Charlotte (N.C.) Fire Department on Sunday when he dashed across the unprotected frontstretch Atlanta Motor Speedway grass to retrieve an errant tire from his team's recently completed pit stop -- preventing a potentially harmful situation.

Regardless, the NASCAR gas man who helped bring out a caution that changed the complexion of the Kobalt Tools 500 and was suspended by NASCAR for the remainder of the event felt obligated Sunday evening to apologize for his actions.

He may have ended the day going backwards, but Kurt Busch did just about everything right to stay up front Sunday.

As a result, Busch earned his first victory of 2009 in the Sprint Cup Series' Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

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Carl Edwards did all he could do Sunday afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway to catch Jimmie Johnson in the Chase for the Sprint Cup by winning the Pep Boys 500 in Hampton, Ga.

But when the Sprint Cup point leader already has a huge lead in the standings and is finishing a spot behind after a tremendous rally in the race's final eight laps, well, settling for the second place points check at the end of the season doesn't seem too bad.

Welcome to the Carl Edwards Sprint Cup Crazy Train, the newest attraction at Roush-land Amusement Park. Before boarding, realize that this ride is not for the faint of heart. Be sure to keep the lap bar down at all times, and enjoy your ride on the Carl Edwards Sprint Cup Crazy Train.

It's been an interesting couple of race weekends for Carl Edwards in the Sprint Cup Series. Winning races, cheating accusations, penalties, and a blown engine don't generally run together for a driver, so let's rewind:

Monday, Feb. 25, 2008 - Auto Club 500: Edwards takes his No. 99 to victory lane on rain-delayed Monday. The No. 99 led 64 of 250 laps for Edwards 8th-career victory at the Auto Club Speedway of Southern California.

Sunday, March 2, 2008 - UAW-Dodge 400: For the second week in-a-row, Edwards carries his Roush team to victory, backflip and all. It's his 9th-career victory and is a sign that Roush-Fenway Racing has made significant strides in 2008.

Hours later though, problems would arise.

Though he finished second in Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 won by teammate Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart still wasn't happy.

Instead, Stewart felt extremely lucky to have even finished the race in his No. 20 car thanks to the new compound the Goodyear, NASCAR's sole racing tire supplier, brought to Atlanta for the Sprint Cup race. After exiting his car on pit road, he proceeded to rip Goodyear to shreds on network TV:



I think the single best line from all of Stewart's comments was "Goodyear can't build a tire that's worth a crap". (If you weren't able to watch the video, click the link below to read the transcript of Stewart's quotes.)

Kyle Busch scored his first win of the season, first win with Joe Gibbs Racing, and most importantly scored Toyota's first-ever victory in the Sprint Cup Series Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

It was the first time since 1954 when a Jaguar won a race in New Jersey that a foreign manufacturer has won a race in NASCAR's top series.

Busch had one of the top cars to beat all afternoon, though in the middle of the race he seemed to lose the handle on the No. 18 Toyota. That's when Carl Edwards took command trying to win his third consecutive race in the Sprint Cup Series before suffering a mechanical failure while leading late in the event.

In victory lane, Busch made note of the important victory by recalling how the No. 18 machine used to be a dominant force at Atlanta when Bobby Labonte drove the machine.

What: Kobalt Tools 500
Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia.
When: Sunday, March 9, 1:00p/ET on FOX (Green Flag 2:00p/ET)
Distance: 334 laps, 500 miles
Weather: Sunny, with a high near 56. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
2007 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
Predictions: Keep Reading



Jack Roush's Community Relations

A hot topic all around Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend has been the feud between Jack Roush and, well, the rest of the NASCAR garage.

Jeff Gordon keyed his in-car radio as he crossed the start/finish line Friday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway to end his qualifying run and called his lap "decent".

The lap turned out to be a little more than decent as Gordon won the pole for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500. The pole was the 64th of Gordon's career.

Gordon paced all drivers with a lap of 185.251mph, just quicker than teammate Jimmie Johnson Dale Earnhardt Jr.*** who qualified 2nd for Sunday's race with a lap of 184.862mph.

Gordon was pleasantly surprised with his lap because in an interview after his run he called the car "evil" -- a common theme among several drivers Friday at Atlanta. The teams had the chance to test the next-generation car at Atlanta last fall, however, Goodyear changed the tire combination for this race, its first at the track.

That took many drivers for a loop, including Denny Hamlin who heartily disagreed with the practice of changing the tire from testing to the race. By changing the tire combination, teams can use very little of their notes from testing.

Overall grip appears to be the biggest factor for Sprint Cup drivers as the both the straightaway speeds and corner speeds have changed dramatically from the old car at Atlanta. Last year, Ryan Newman won the pole at over a 193mph average.

Five drivers failed to make the field including Ken Schrader, Bill Elliott, Johnny Benson, Burney Lamar, and John Andretti. For a complete field rundown, click here.

(***= Edited. Shout out to Becky for catching my mistake!)

Jack Roush, co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing, was none too pleased with Toyota's Lee White Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

White, a former Roush employee and now the head of Toyota Racing Development, was quoted Thursday as saying that the violation against Carl Edwards that resulted in severe penalties for the No. 99 team were intentional.

White's comments are below, and he is referring to the oil tank cover that was missing from Edwards' Ford after Sunday's win at Las Vegas:

"I guarantee you the cover bolts didn't fall out, because if they fall, the engine leaks and you can't run," White said. "If you want something to fall off, you fix it so it can."

Roush responded Friday with these comments about White:

"He's a real nice guy," Roush said of White, a former Roush employee. "I respect him, but he's also a great racer and would seek any advantage he might think he had an opportunity for."

In other words, Roush tactfully stated that he thought White's comments were out of line, incorrect, and tactless.