Welcome back to another edition of Sprint Cup Notes & Quotes, where even Noah couldn't keep his boat afloat after the non-stop rain at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Are you one of those lonely souls mad that David Reutimann snookered 'em -- yep, that's the first recorded use of that word on FH -- to win his first career race Monday afternoon?
If so, get over it. First time winners are fun to see, and when the race officially ended he was the car leading everyone else. Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers and the rest of the field didn't have to pit, but they did -- and that's just the way it goes.
I'd still like an explanation as to why NASCAR decided on a start time of 12 p.m./EDT for the Monday make-up of its longest race.
For once, NASCAR as a sanctioning body completely deserves a heaping of praise.
Nope, there won't be rubbing, questioning or accusing in this post because its actions Monday afternoon concerning the true spirit of Memorial Day in the States is something a lot of fans won't soon forget. And should they, on any level -- whether it involve a national anthem singer or the allowance of a foreign-owned manufacturer in the sport -- there's one moment to fall back on.
That moment came at exactly 3PM Monday when NASCAR threw the red flag over the Coca-Cola 600, brought the field to a stop, quieted the cars and stood at silent attention in honor of the service of the men and women of the armed forces.
CONCORD, N.C. -- For 49 years, the crown jewel of Lowe's Motor Speedway had never failed to run a lap on the day it was scheduled.
A heavy rain shower, though, thoroughly doused the 1.5-mile speedway seemingly just minutes before NASCAR was to give the Coca-Cola 600 field the command to fire engines, leaving the 50th edition to set a disappointing new benchmark for the nearly sold-out crowd.
Now, the race will fire off on Monday afternoon, with NASCAR saying the green flag will fall at 12:01 pm/ET and television coverage provided by FOX.
Where:Lowe's Motor Speedway Time: Sunday 5:45 p.m./EDT TV/Radio: FOX Sports, PRN Radio Twitter: In-race updates at FanHouseRacing Forecast: 64 degrees, 80% chance of rain Distance: 400 laps (600 miles) Pole Winner:Ryan Newman 2008 Winner:Kasey Kahne
FH writers Holly Cain and Geoffrey Miller are taking part in both major American races this weekend. Here, they go Wheel2Wheel on some major issues facing each sport.
There's been lots of talk about Danica Patrick this week moving to NASCAR. We'll ask again: is this for real?
Holly Cain: While Danica is clearly enjoying her flirtation with NASCAR, I don't think it's a real option - yet as much as a bargaining ploy to land a good IndyCar ride.
Geoffrey Miller: I couldn't agree more, though a move by her would be a tremendous short-term gain for NASCAR in terms of a new character in the garage.
CONCORD, N.C. - Mike Bliss has again found some tremendous success at the only track in NASCAR's Nationwide Series he's ever won at.
Five years after scoring his first career Nationwide win at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Bliss used a bit of pit road luck, a timely caution and an even more timely rain shower to win the delayed and shortened Carquest 300 that say yours truly and thousands of others walk out thoroughly soaked.
The win, and the right-time-and-right-place racing luck, also gave his Phoenix Racing team their second surprise win in a month in NASCAR competition.
Sometimes it takes a break from the norm to show us what we're missing. In this case, it was a non-points exhibition race, the May 16 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway, that shone a microscope on the excitement lacking in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season. And we couldn't have hit on something with true potential at a more crucial time for NASCAR.
People are still raving about the final 10 laps of the All-Star Race and one of the key catalysts of that rousing finish was the double-file restart, which lines up lead lap cars in two lines instead of one, and positions cars down a lap or more behind them. This contrasts single-file restarts, in play in points races, that place lead lap cars in one line and those down one or more laps in the other.
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Suspended and embattled Sprint Cup driver and team owner Jeremy Mayfield has picked up a lawyer in his bid for NASCAR reinstatement, and the attorney feels the evidence in favor of his client is quite compelling.
"Somebody is going to have to come forward and acknowledge that, well, we thought we did what we were supposed to do, maybe we made a mistake, let's try it again," said Mayfield's attorney Bill Diehl, suggesting NASCAR's next step in the process that has suspended the driver indefinitely from the sport during an interview on Sirius Speedway Wednesday.
Given history has yet to show a single lawyer not confident in a coming case, the factors seem to making the case for Mayfield's reinstatement a little brighter.
Looking to land the best 1-2 punch on American motorsports coverage this weekend? Well don't move that mouse.
From the pageantry of the Indianapolis 500 to NASCAR's longest night in the Coca-Cola 600, FanHouse will be hitting Memorial Day weekend on all eight cylinders as Holly Cain will be checking in with stories from the Brickyard while Geoffrey Miller will be enjoying NASCAR's day-to-night excursion from the fan element.
We'll be Twittering, blogging, live-chatting and any-other-ing you can think of that'll help you take in these jewels of American motorsports from another angle. Got an idea? Leave it in the comments below.
NASCAR dusted off the ol' penalty paddle Wednesday, and did so in historic form.
Carl Long, a part-time driver that has likely sold fewer team T-shirts in his career than Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car number old or new, was slapped with a $200,000 fine after NASCAR found his engine to be too big during last weekend's All-Star festivities.
The dollar figure was the largest ever docked by the sanctioning body, and very easily could end Long's racing career.
Welcome back to another edition of Sprint Cup Notes & Quotes, where even Noah couldn't keep his boat afloat after the non-stop rain at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
For once, NASCAR as a sanctioning body completely deserves a heaping of praise.
CONCORD, N.C. -- For 49 years, the crown jewel of 
Race: 
FH writers Holly Cain and Geoffrey Miller are taking part in both major American races this weekend. Here, they go Wheel2Wheel on some major issues facing each sport.
CONCORD, N.C. - 
Suspended and embattled 
Looking to land the best 1-2 punch on American motorsports coverage this weekend? Well don't move that mouse.
NASCAR dusted off the ol' penalty paddle Wednesday, and did so in historic form. 
