The NASCAR on FOX television crew tried to play it off as an accident, but Sprint Cup driver Robby Gordon was having none of it.
"I'm really looking forward to having a new driver in the [No.] 55 next year," said Gordon during his post-wreck interview, mad after Michael Waltrip bumped him into the Phoenix International Raceway turn three wall Saturday night in the Subway Fresh Fit 500.
No, Gordon doesn't have insider infomation about Waltrip's 2010 plans, but rather he was just citing comments that the driver/owner made at the beginning of the season.
NASCAR made a mockery of the Budweiser Shootout format back in August thanks to a conflict of sponsorship, and this week, an attempt to improve the race took another step back.
The August changes to the annual season-opening non-points race made eligibility requirements revolve around the previous season's manufacturer standings with the top six team from each car make earning a spot in the dash for cash. According to NASCAR, it was an attempt to give more exposure to the four car companies that compete in the Sprint Cup Series.
The result left Tony Stewart and other notable drivers ineligible for the Feb. 7 race and on Friday, NASCAR changed that.
Chicago's Wrigley Field has been known to have its fair share of Cubs fans that aren't exactly sober in the stands, so is it at all surprising that a NASCAR Sprint Cup race car sponsored by none other than Jim Beam is lining up to support the effort to save Wrigley's name?
Nah, just a little humorous.
Robby Gordon's No. 7 Jim Beam Dodge is helping out the cause during this Saturday night's LifeLock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway by running the "Save Our Ballpark's Name" web site on his hood. That site, www.saveourname.com, is running a petition of Chicago and otherwise baseball fans who want nothing more than for Wrigley Field to stay Wrigley field.
The baseball gem's name, built in 1916, has come under fire by owner Sam Zell. Zell, who owns Tribune Broadcasting wants to help eliminate the company's debt by selling off the naming rights to the field.
Gordon's hood comes on the heels of Jim Beam placing a new billboard near the stadium advocating the petition and the "Save Our Name" drive.
If nothing else, it's a good way for Gordon -- the other Gordon in NASCAR -- to pick up some fans this weekend as he competes in Chicago, where the NASCAR fan base isn't exactly huge.
Note to all NASCAR FanHousers: Thanks for sticking around this week despite the lack of new material. The real job took precedence this week for me. I promise -- the NASCAR FanHouse will get the treatment it deserves from here on out. I hope you'll be along for the ride. -GM
Each and every year, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers face a host of road course "ringers" -- drivers who do the lefts and rights for a living -- in the two road course events that the series runs.
Friday afternoon at Infineon Raceway in California, the Sprint Cup drivers seemed to still get the best of the "pros".
The highest driver who falls into the "ringer" category is Marcos Ambrose in 7th, though Ambrose is a regular driver in the Nationwide Series. Robby Gordon in 8th could be considered a ringer, but he does run the entire Sprint Cup schedule despite being noted for his road course and off-road driving skills.
Boris Said qualified in 14th while Ron Fellows was the next highest in 22nd. Scott Pruett and Max Papis went 27th and 28th consecutively and Brian Simo wound up 43rd. Brandon Ash failed to qualify.
Preparing the track, praying against the rain, and organizing an event expected to host over 20,000 spectators were all on the plate for Tony Stewart on Wednesday at his Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
And oh yeah, he was racing, too.
The responsibilities must not have weighed on Stewart too hard as he took home his second win the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream on a muddy night in west-central Ohio. The high-banked dirt track charity all-star race again featured some of NASCAR's biggest names and is rapidly gaining traction as one of the best events to get a ticket to in all of racing.
The Sprint All-Star Race XXIV is scheduled for Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. As the teams prepare for the winner-take-all non-points event, stay with the FanHouse all week for plenty of All-Star coverage.
"The Winston" in 2004 was the beginning of the end, you could say, for Kurt Busch at Roush Fenway Racing. The elder Busch from Las Vegas would go on to win the championship that year, but his antics in the all-star race sure didn't make him any friends.
Greg Biffle, his teammate, was likely at the top of the list as he got wrecked by Busch to set off a massive crash in turn one. Watch below at 0:46:
One lap after a restart, Busch got a big run down the frontstretch behind Biffle. By the time they passed the start/finish line, Busch was trying to push Biffle ahead, but instead, lifted Biffle's wheels off the ground. Biffle couldn't hang on, and lost it.
Darlington Raceway has apparently not lost a single bit of its dangerous edge.
At least three backup cars rolled off Sprint Cup haulers Friday afternoon after no less than 9 drivers had an incident in the practice sessions leading up to both qualifying on Friday night and Saturday night's Dodge Challenger 400. For the third week in a row, the cars will be impounded immediately after qualifying until the race.
Most notably of the four drivers heading to a backup car was Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson, who used his primary No. 48 in the early session, and then in the final practice, spun again. The damage to the backup will be repairable, though.
Additionally, Reed Sorenson and Paul Menard will head to a backup car before the qualifying session.
The wrecks came Friday on a weekend schedule for the Sprint Cup Series that differed quite a bit from the norm. Instead of simply practicing and qualifying on Friday and racing Saturday at Darlington, the teams were given extra track time Thursday afternoon and evening after the legendary speedway was repaved over the off season.
Last week's winner at Richmond Clint Bowyer, Kyle Petty, Denny Hamlin, David Ragan, and Robby Gordon all got a piece of the wrecking action as well on Friday. Numerous other cars earned a "Darlington Stripe" after scrubbing the wall. Hamlin ended the final session with the top posted lap speed.
Qualifying starts at 5:00pm/ET Friday live on SPEED.
One of the world's most grueling race events faced a challenge too steep to beat.
The Dakar Rally, held annually in Africa, was canceled just a day before it was set to begin due to fears stemming from recent terrorist attacks and threats in the west African country of Mauritania. Details of recent events include:
France, where the race organizers are based, had urged the rally to avoid Mauritania after the four family members were killed in an attack blamed on a terror cell that uses the Mauritanian desert as a hideout.
Officials say the cell is linked to the Algeria-based al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa, which has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks, including the Dec. 11 twin suicide bombings at U.N. offices and a government building in Algiers, which killed at least 37 people.
Normally, terrorism and politics don't find their way to the pages of the Fanhouse, but without a doubt, the cancellation of Dakar is a big, big deal for international racing and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Robby Gordon.
Apparently, the foreign minister of Mauritania is none too pleased with the decision -- the event brings a ton of coverage and money to the country -- and thinks organizers got cold feet too easily.
Paul Menard, David Reutimann and Kenny Wallace all suffered their fifth DNQ of the season in Dover.
Of the three, it might be surprising that Menard is most in danger of losing his ride, but the driver is reportedly in danger of losing his primary sponsor, his dad John Menard Jr., founder and owner of Menards.
Chris McGrath, Getty Images
According to The Winston-Salem Journal, the wealthy businessman is ready to pull funding from Dale Earnhardt Inc., which fields a full-time Cup and part-time Busch team for his son.
Is Menard dumping Teresa Earnhardt to focus on his other longtime business partner, driver/owner Robby Gordon? I suppose only time will tell, but it certainly seems like a better investment to me, not only in terms of talent--but also potential.
Meanwhile ... this weekend, Menards will sponsor Robby Gordon Motorsport's #7 Ford with MAPEI for the fourth time in five races, while the DEI #15 Chevrolet sits in the garage.
Other Losers of the Week (DNQs) Blaney (2), Bliss (9), LePage (11)
The NASCAR on FOX television crew tried to play it off as an accident, but Sprint Cup driver Robby Gordon was having none of it.
NASCAR made a mockery of the 
Chicago's 
Each and every year, NASCAR 
Darlington
One of the world's most grueling race events faced a challenge too steep to beat.
Paul Menard, David Reutimann and Kenny Wallace all suffered their fifth DNQ of the season in Dover.
