Richmond Int'l Speedway - Lipton Tea 250

Danni

RESULTS
1. Denny Hamlin
10. Scott
18. David

They say that Richmond is notorious for bringing out tempers. Well, it definitely proved that last night and unfortunately one of our drivers was involved.

Everything started out pretty decently. David made up some spots, although he had some trouble getting around Mark Green, who qualfied incredibly well. After that he stayed easily in the top-10 and his crew did a great job in gaining him spots on pit road. During a long green flag run, however, things got ugly.

The leaders set a blistering pace, lapping a lot of cars early. All of a sudden, David started dropping. He fell beyond 10th and settled around 15th or so. Before the broadcast cut to commercial, I saw him in middle of a group that included none other than Sam Hornish. Bad feeling? Yeah. Upon return, the caution was out and I knew before they said anything that it was because of David. Of course, it took them forever to even show the replay. At first I thought, "Maybe they were just racing hard." Why do I even try to give Hornish leeway sometimes?

Replay: commence. Hornish: straight into the back of David. David: spin.



I'll admit, I said some choice things about Hornish that I try not to say about drivers. But I was just raging furious. It's not just that Hornish has been messing with David consistently since he started Cup racing late last year for no particular reason other than to be a pain in his ass. It's not even the glaring fact that the guy was a freaking lapped car while David was still on the lead lap. But you know what? He acknowledged, right over the God damned radio, that he was tired of David "bumping" him all the time and that he did it on purpose! And NASCAR did fucking nothing! HE ADMITTED IT! It was premeditated! I thought NASCAR warned against that shit?! Why is it that they penalize everyone else except those bloody ex-open wheelers like Hornish and Montoya? What the hell makes them so great?!

AAAAAARRGHH!!

So David fell a fucking lap down and watched the championship slip further from his grasp. On the next restart, he fought like hell. If his car was handling bad, it didn't show because he was passing others on the lead lap. He got right up against Kyle Busch and was preparing to get by him when the caution came out and Kyle got the free pass.

Round two. And just like about every other damn time David is in contention for the free pass, the race went green. By the time the next yellow flew, the leader had started to lap the field again.

Next restart and who's leading the bottom line? Hornish. He freakin' made it hell for the leaders, pushing them up the track and everything. And the caution came out and he got his lap back. I just couldn't believe it!

Unfortunately for David, the next caution came out within 10 to go, so he was not able to get the free pass. I vaguely remembered that part of the rule, but it still depressed me that he was trapped. Throughout the race I was hoping he'd get back to Hornish and teach him not to screw with him, but then he probably would have been black-flagged for retaliation. Unlike Hornish.

In the meantime, Scott was running great in the top-10 when he hit the wall coming off of Turn 2. From the video, I can't tell if he got hit or not. It damaged the car but he was able to hold on for a good finish.

The excitement was far from over. Green-white-checkers are usually wild, but this one was uncalled for. Kyle, after having an uncharacteristically bad day in the #32, had clawed his way into the top-5 and was aiming for a good end to his birthday. Steven Wallace was also running great and respectfully when something just clicked the wrong, wrong way. On the backstretch, he got a run on Kyle. Instead of turning low to pass, he just plowed straight into the back of him! Kyle's car wiggled but he saved it, so he came up fast behind Steve and Steve moved out of his way because he knew he was in deep crap with Kyle. The checkers flew and on the cool-down lap Steve barreled into Kyle again, causing David Ragan (an innocent bystander) to spin! What the hell?

Kyle was obviously and understandably furious. It's not like Steve even attempted to pass him! So Kyle got out of his car after the race and went back to give Steve a piece of his mind while Steve was unstrapping. Steve reached out and grabbed the bottom rim of Kyle's helmet and yanked, causing Kyle to jerk back and stagger! A flood of crew members from the #32 rushed over to defend their driver. Kyle got a few more words before they gently led him away, consoling him. Through all of this, not a single one of Steven's team showed up, which may indicate their feelings.

I like Steve. I've stood and fought for him when fans nitpick every little thing he does and when they cruelly joke about his Tourette's Syndrome. He's not a bad person. But I have no idea what went through his head last night at Richmond. From his interview, I knew he was aware he screwed up, but didn't want to own up to it. So instead he called Kyle a girl and used Dale Earnhardt's line of wanting to "rattle his cage" in reference to grabbing Kyle's helmet. He then made a significant mistake - he said there must be a problem when fans boo you all the time. Um... number one, someone who lives in a glass house shouldn't throw stones, since the last time I checked Steven doesn't have a high fan approval. And number two, the amount of fans who boo Kyle (both Busch brothers, actually) has been dramatically reduced! Case in point: following the race was Trackside Live, where Kyle was a guest. People didn't boo him and the whole crowd sang him Happy Birthday!

Kyle did nothing wrong. He had a right to be mad and he had a right to go over an express that to Steven. He never touched anyone. During his interview, he said that he'd wreck as many as he needs to because he's not racing for points, so he doesn't care. People are up in arms about this, but they don't understand what he means. He was talking about those who mess with him, not the entire field. Jeeze. He was mad. Other drivers, like Tony Stewart, have said far worse and been praised for it. Come on - Tony has freakin' insulted drivers' abilities! Kyle did nothing of the sort but fans still cry about him. Just shut up and stop being jealous! It's not Kyle's fault that you want to be a fan of his but can't because you'd be hypocrites!

Amid all this controversy, Denny Hamlin won at his home track. Pretty good to see.

David ended up losing two bloody spots and a lot of points in the standings. Thanks a lot, Hornish!

POINT STANDINGS
1. Clint Bowyer
6. David -158

Richmond Qualifying

Jess

CUP RESULTS
1. Denny Hamlin
3. Martin
14. David
16. Casey
21. Kurt
22. Dale Jr.
27. Michael
32. Brian
DNQ Scott

David was scheduled to be the first car out but he ended up being the second since he was a little late in getting to the grid (as a result of the Nationwide driver's meeting). Brian had to hit the track first and he wasn't happy about it and had a bit of a fit about how David was late. Err...somehow I don't think anyone told Brian about the NNS driver's meeting.

Martin did a great job and I hope he can pull off a win tomorrow night! All our other full-time heros struggled a little but maybe their cars will be better under the lights.

Poor Scott - that car looked so bad. In one way I'm sad he didn't qualify because he's one of my boys and I'm sort of considering his Cup attempts as an audition for that ride next year. In another I can't get too upset about it because it also makes me sad to see full-time rides go home and a part-time ride make the race.

NATIONWIDE RESULTS
1. Kasey Kahne
8. David
10. Scott

Well this is nice! Hope both of them have great races tonight!!

Talladega Superspeedway - Aaron's 499

Danni

RESULTS
1. Kyle Busch
5. Brian
7. Casey
10. Dale Jr.
20. David
27. Michael
37. Martin (DNF)
39. Kurt (DNF)

I must start this off by saying how much I love Ken Butler, the president of Aaron's, and his willingness to allow the fans to give the drivers their command to start engines. It's so much more meaningful and exhilarating to hear it as a roar!

As often happens at Dega, two packs formed after the green flew - the main pack (as Darrell usually puts it, the "hornet's nest") and then the single-file group that fell behind to wait out the crashes (Michael joined this one). It wasn't all too exciting in the beginning. Tony Stewart towed a line on the bottom that would hang anyone who tried to make an outside group out to dry in a hurry. After the first caution when Matt Kenseth blew a tire and hit the wall, though, the racing began. A second line developed and showed what it could do.

David made his way up through the pack, drafting a lot with Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman. Junior, of course, led plenty of laps and even Brian nabbed five bonus points. The race went green for quite some time, during which Kurt lost the draft. That was pretty disheartening - Kurt has been having so many issues lately that team morale cannot be very good right now. Before pit stops broke out, Michael came in for a cut tire. Luckily, it wasn't long before other drivers came in for tires and fuel. Unfortunately for David, he took four while everyone else took right sides only in his group and he found himself all alone on the track. This is when he started complaining that the car wouldn't go by itself. At first I thought he was just venting and frustrated that he was out of the draft. But the power issue would plague him later.

However, the caution came out when Carl Edwards blew a tire (kind of like Kenseth... camber anyone?) and bunched the field back together. Cue wildness! There were so many lead changes after the restart that it was difficult to keep track of them all. Dale Jr. was second behind Tony Stewart... when all of a sudden Stewart hit the wall. I got nervous for a moment, thinking Junior ran into the back of him, but the replays clearly showed that the #20 blew a tire.

More chaos ensued when Juan Pablo Montoya ducked under the yellow line on the trioval and wrecked Paul Menard into the grass. Well... I did kind of feel bad for him because that was a stupid move by Montoya and in all reality he should have been black-flagged instead of getting a simple slap on the wrist by NASCAR. Then again, I saw a lot of bump-drafting in the corners that I previously thought was forbidden. Hm.

Only a few laps after the next restart, the caution was out for debris. Why? Elliott Sadler peeled the back bumper off of Brian! I didn't know whether to laugh or get anxious because I feared no one would bump-draft him without a rear end. Based on his finish, though, it didn't appear to cause a problem.

But this is when David started having trouble staying with the field on restarts (he started to refer to his car as a "pig" ). On that last one, he dropped to 30th from 17th. Things looked a lot different for Michael, however! He began slicing his way through the field. When the big wreck occurred, he was ahead of it. Cars spread out on the straight and when they prepared to get into the turn, space ran out. Bobby Labonte, Stewart and Junior made contact, causing Labonte to lose control of his car and fly up into the rest of the field. Sadly, it collected both Martin and Kurt, who was just beginning to recover from his earlier problems. Junior had some fender damage, but was able to continue after some repairs. David, who was way in the back, barely made it through when Jamie McMurray shot back down the banking behind him. It reminded me of a wreck a year or two back when Scott Riggs appeared way too close to Michael's rear cam!

On the following restart, a train came - Michael and Jimmie Johnson! An interesting phenomena was noted through the duration of the race. If two cars got together, they could out-draft even a long line. I don't think I've ever screamed so hard for Johnson, but he was my hero Sunday. He pushed Michael all the way to the lead! The excitement got cut short when a debris caution came out, but Michael didn't seem to hear it. He drove out ahead of the field, obviously relishing the view.

Sometimes leading the field during a restart isn't the best place to be at a plate race, and it was proven when Johnson was able to pass Michael. But that didn't last long for him either, as Kyle Busch got a nose under him and took the lead. There was a lot of whining from the fans that Kyle passed under the yellow line, but Johnson forced him down. Meanwhile, David was struggling mightly, unable to work low. He was getting some help from Greg Biffle, but when teammate Michael McDowell jumped in front of them, they pretty much went backwards. Back up front, Jimmie and Michael hooked up again and started another charge when smoke began billowing from Michael's fenders. At first, I though it was another tire, but we learned later that the engine blew - with one to go! Almost simultaneously, David and McDowell made contact while running three-wide with Biffle (so much for working together...). McDowell spun. Ugh. Nightmare.

The white flag lap got nasty. And of course, Junior started it. While running three-wide, he ran into the back of McMurray in Turn 2 and instigated a big crash. Several cars were involved, including David. But it wasn't too bad - he ran into the stopped car of Harvick, barely causing harm to himself. He was able to keep motoring along. Actually, David benefitted from the crash and passed a lot of cars. Still, I'm not too happy with Junior. The broadcast danced around the idea that he caused a wreck and then later on Victory Lane the replay didn't even show the cause! It's crap like this that aggravates me as a Junior fan - don't treat him different! If he screws up, say it! It embarrasses me to be lumped in with psychotic Junior fans that shriek every time someone even suggests he did something wrong and write horrible emails and say terrible things.

Kyle Busch won - good for him! But I got to say it... I am about sick of those fans at Talladega. Not all of them. Just the morons who think it's funny to throw crap at a driver who won fair and square. Kyle is focused on something fans should be thankful of: saluting FANS! When he wins, he gets out of the car and bows to the same idiots who boo him. So I was pleased to see him do this and a freakin' asswipe threw a full bottle at him just as he stooped. It flew over his head and lodged between the deck lid and the wing. I hope that damn coward got his ass arrested - what a waste of oxygen!

For some comic relief, Michael ended up pushing his own car down pit road! I don't know where the safety trucks were, but it sure was funny to see.

Have to give it to Casey, too. He was smart all day and got a lot of points as a result.

#44 Quotes of the Race

This happened before the last restart.

Shawn: "Biffle wants to know if he pushes you through the corner, will you keep it straight?"

David: "Tell him to come on, I've got it. Beat the back bumper off this thing - let's go!"

Now that's fire!

POINT STANDINGS
1. Jeff Burton
3. Dale Jr. -79
16. Brian -353
17. Martin -398
20. Kurt -444
24. Casey -460
29. David -583 (33rd in owner points +72 from 36th )
31. Michael -639 (31st in owner points +110 from 36th)

NNS -Talladega Superspeedway - Aaron's 312

Jess

RESULTS
1. Tony Stewart
6. Dale Jr.
9. Scott
20. David (12 LD)

Ah Talladega!!

David's little Dream Machine was definitely an eye-opener. I love when little kids design paint schemes! They are always so colorful and wild!

It wasn't long after the green waved before trouble started. Dario Franchitti cut a tire down and began to spin, collecting Johnny Sauter with him. But it didn't get ugly until the wreck was just about over and Franchitti had made it to the apron. Out of nowhere Larry Gunselman's #91 came barreling down the apron and smashed headlong into the side of the #40 in an extremely violent imapact. When the #40 came to rest the entire rollcage was exposed on the driver side and the bars were clearly bent in. I was very afraid for Franchitti and some of those fears were met when he was obviously in quite a bit of pain and relying on the safety workers for support.

I have to admit I was rather annoyed with Gunselman. He was running in the back but he did not slow down very much like the cars around him did. When stuff like this happens I always think about Mark Martin and how he just about stops when there's a wreck in front of him. Why take a chance flying into a crash when you're never quite sure where the cars are going to end up? Gunselman also went to the hospital a little while after Franchitti but I haven't heard an update on his condition. Despite my annoyance (mind you, I'm a naive fan who has never sat in a stock car or tried to slow down for a wreck at Talladega) with Gunselman I do hope he's okay. Poor Franchitti was not so lucky - he broke his left ankle, no doubt from the bars caving in and hitting his foot. A broken ankle is no quick-healing injury...I read he could be out for a month (at least). This could be a career-breaker for him, unfortunately.

So the new Nationwide car may debut next year? I hope it has that foam.

Soon after racing was back underway our Scott also had a tire failure. He was lucky in the fact that it wasn't catastrophic and he made very little contact with the wall. He had to pit but was able to keep going and stay on the lead lap, which would pay off in the end!

Things were fairly calm for a while. Junior was running awesomely, David was running well and as the laps wound down I was looking forward to some good finishes, especially for David since both Clint Bowyer and David Ragan had their issues and were running in the back.

Until Kevin Lepage had a brainfart!!

Merging in Turn 1? Right in front of the entire field?!

This sounds so arrogant but even I knew you can't merge until the backstretch and that's from having my ear chewed off by my "spotter" while playing NASCAR Racing 2003 Season! Apparently Lepage didn't get the message because he thought Turn 1 was a good place despite his spotter telling him to stay low. And apparently Lepage did not have a flash of common sense at the moment when he thought pulling up in front off a 200MPH pack while he was doing maybe 150MPH was a good idea! Gaaaah! David was third in line behind Tony Stewart and Dale Jr. and he got caught up in the freaking disaster that followed!

Carl Edwards' front end shoots into the air! David spins! Oh wait, just about the entire pack spins! Smoke! Metal! Screeching tires!



And then Lepage has the audacity to think he did nothing wrong and that it wasn't his fault - it was the fault of all the other spotters!



Let's just say he has since apologized. After seeing the replay.

David basically had to go into survivor mode and get the car fixed just enough to make it to the end. Unfortunately he made the same mistake as Lepage and didn't merge in the right place, so he was black-flagged and lost another lap. Fortunately he didn't do this in front of the whole field (not that there was much of one left). So maybe they didn't have the rule right but at least they have common sense.

I didn't want Stewart to win but Dale Jr. chose the wrong line and pretty much dropped like a ton of bricks. Crap!

Scott finishing in the top 10 was a great accomplishment and I really must give a shoutout to Mark Green and his top 5! I really admire him because he didn't just hang out in the back like a couple of the other guys - he was right up there!

Despite David's 20th he gained a bunch of points on Bowyer even if he didn't gain a position. Watch out Bowyer...!

POINT STANDINGS
1. Clint Bowyer
4. David -129

Talladega Qualifying

Danni

CUP RESULTS:
1. Joe Nemechek
8. Brian
9. Dale Jr.
25. Kurt
29. Michael
33. David
36. Martin
40. Casey

It's both surprising and not so shocking to see Nemechek nab the first starting spot. Those who have to qualify in generally modify their cars greatly in qualifying trim to get in the field, especially because it's an impound race. Looks like a lot of our guys are going to have to draft their way forward - should be exciting!

A crucial thing happened during this session. Both JJ Yeley and Dave Blaney, 36th and 37th in owner points respectively, failed to make the race. I feel for both of them, but this is going to put a huge gap between David and Michael and the cutoff of who is locked in and who has to race their way in.


NNS RESULTS
1. Tony Stewart
7. Dale Jr.
19. Scott
27. David

I'll admit that I was disappointed with David's lap. It wasn't because it was slow - MWR cars in race trim just don't seem to go fast for one lap - but because David said that it lost 200RPM going into the turns. That's a lot. I'm worried about the engine. Hopefully it was because the wind picked up as thunderstorms developed around the track. All I know is that it would be a shame to see that vibrantly colored Dream Machine puff out smoke during the Aaron's race...

More on UPS...

Jess

Well here we go again...

I don't know whether to be angry or sad. Can't they see that David is going to win races and contend for championships? Can't they see how great he is, both on and off the track? The race reports on UPS's site have been so positive, emphasizing that his performance and effort for them has been excellent. And it has been. I couldn't be prouder of how David, Ryan, Shawn and the team have held together through two mechanical failures since stepping into the #44 to get back into the top 35.

And now this heart-and-soul team might get ditched?

I understand the economy is really bad right now. I understand that sponsors want the most bang for their buck and that Carl Edwards has been on a roll lately. I understand that Jeff Burton also has a strong presence in NASCAR. But for goodness' sake, how does UPS know that David won't be Carl Edwards and Jeff Burton one day? Isn't this sport about taking chances, about giving it your all? David's already done it and UPS should follow suit and stay with him. They remained with Dale through years of struggles - they need to give David a chance before jumping ship.

What makes me angry is that they wanted him to be in the #44 because they had a lot of marketing around that number. He lost his owner points because of that. UPS should know from being with Dale last year how important those points are. But they wanted the marketing. Marketing? It would be nice to see some marketing! The special paint schemes are cool but they can do more. I love DJ's last commerical. I would have loved it even more if David, the driver he picked to replace him, had walked up beside him and taken the key. Isn't that what NASCAR is about as well?

So now if UPS leaves David has no sponsor. He doesn't have his number and in my opinion that was a pointless decision by UPS and MWR because he never should have had to give up the #00 - especially if UPS was thinking about leaving all along. And you know what? His contract is contingent on sponsorship. He might have to leave MWR.

The best driver MWR has. Has ever had.

What's going to happen to NAPA? Will they resign? What about McD? Can Aaron's field a full-time Cup and Nationwide ride, plus the cars they run in other series?

I've always liked the big brown truck. When I see one now I always smile because I think of David. If I have to ship something I'll use UPS. Because of David.

If they leave David they leave me, too.

NNS: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez - Corona Mexico 200

Danni

RESULTS
1. Kyle Busch
7. Scott
11. David

I like road courses and find them fun to watch, but something about this one rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it's how everyone gushes that going to Mexico is so great for NASCAR, yet taking long gazes into the grandstands reveals little support for anyone not south of the United States border. Maybe it's because Kenny Wallace couldn't bring his sponsor along because they're the Border Patrol. Maybe it's the fact that there isn't a single SAFER wall in the whole place - instead weak concrete mosaics hold higher standards than driver safety and durability. Maybe it's because no invocation was said in English for the majority of the people out there. I'm not religious, but I know that the invocation means a lot to many of drivers and crew and thought it an insult that only the Mexicans were graced with such. Or maybe, just maybe, it is because someone (was he even American?) was allowed to sing and completely butcher the United States National Anthem, getting the words and pitch wrong more than once and causing expressions of disgust among the Americans. Total disrespect and somewhat of a mockery, in my opinion, but nothing I was surprised about, really. NASCAR is simply a way for Mexico City to make money and a way for NASCAR teams to lose money.

But anyway...the race.

Adventures from practice continued for both David and Scott. They both pitted early for fuel and as a result were running up front when the leaders came in for their stops. By this time, a lengthy red flag had already been issued when Kertus Davis slid in his own oil and hit the mosaic wall in Turn 8, pushing it out. The track workers had to pull it back into place. Efficient.

Scott led some laps and was able to stay in contention even when cars running on fresh tires drove by. David seemed to have more trouble racing and made contact with the #09 in Turn 8 on Lap 34, causing a lot of damage to the right front of the Dream Machine. The crew guys did a good job fixing it and David went back out to fight again.

Somewhere in all this mess, the broadcast went out! I guess power died at the track. Good grief.

So amid the chaos, David was able to pick his way forward. Up front, things got wild. A bunch of cars did some off-roading, including the #22 with help from our own Scott! Finally, the big one happened when Marcos Ambrose nailed Boris Said. Cars went everywhere to avoid the carnage. David drove up and over two curbs before getting clear of it all, luckily not causing any more wounds to the #99. Of course, Boris wasn't too happy with Marcos and proceeded to call him "stupid". Sure. Boris? How have your oval races gone? Not too good, huh? NASCAR races are a privilege for him and he should be thankful for the oppotunity. It's not Marcos' fault nobody wants him for other tracks. Plus, I've seen Boris wipe people out without a blink. He can just go whining on home. Maybe he'll blame Toyota for it somehow.

No doubt David has gotten a lot better at road courses. Proof - he beat out an ex-Indy driver, Sam Hornish! Hah! Oh, what I'd give to watch that battle...

Kyle continued his butt-kicking streak and won. He did a great burnout too, which the crowd loved despite it being an American. So I did actually appreciate that.

POINT STANDINGS
1. Clint Bowyer
4. David -144

Mexico Qualifying

Danni

RESULTS
1. Colin Braun
21. Scott
33. David

Ugh. I can't stand this place.

Yesterday's final practice was not very kind to our guys. Early on, David spun during his first lap (according to the booth - they went away to commercial as the cars got on the track ). Then, on his second lap, he didn't pull hard enough on the stick and it popped gear while he was entering that last massive turn. He did a good job saving the Dream Machine from total carnage but still managed to scrape that stupid concrete wall with all the carvings in it with the rear of the car. It was like taking a cheese grater to your butt. If that had been a safer barrier (which are absent at this place!), he would have had probably less than half that damage. So that was pretty much it for the #99 team's chances of dialing the car in for qualifying.

Scott also got into a scuffle with Joe Fox, a newcomer. Fox was slow and when Scott attempted to pass him, they made contact which did a pretty good number on the #29's right front. Luckily, it wasn't enough to park them in the garage for two hours.

Then, in the closing minutes of "Happy Hour", ESPN got a hold of David for an interview. Of course, he began bashing himself about what happened and lamenting the fact that he caused unnecessary work for his guys, so he was helping them out. The following was the kicker: "If you're gonna be stupid, you might as well be tough." Well. I've seen a lot more experienced guys screw up at these road courses! It was a mistake, not stupid! At least he didn't knock the wall down like poor Landon Cassil and Joe Fox later in the session. The car looked good in the previous practice (11th!). I know it hurt that they never got back out on track but it could've been a lot worse.

David - Darrell said "Don't beat yourself" for a reason.

Qualifying today wasn't the greatest thing in the world. At first I got kind of excited because David was grouped to go out in the first 6-car stint, which occurred early in the morning. So the cooler track maybe give him an advantage, right? WRONG. Of course, it just had to rain the night before. David whupped everyone for about the first three groups or so. But eventually I had to face it that the lap wasn't good, as his start indicates. He still blamed himself for everything, but said some interesting and funny things:

"We just had to be ultra conservative -- we didn't have to be, but I kind of painted ourselves into a box here with me messing up yesterday. We didn't get a chance to do a qualifying run (during practice). The car was pretty free that time and it was about just staying on course and putting down a decent lap. We put in a lap where we didn't tear anything up. The Aaron's Dream Machine Camry has been pretty good since we unloaded it and I just messed it up. I have to thank all my guys because they really thrashed this thing back together. On top of that, I have to thank the NASCAR officials because they worked with us really well trying to get everything fixed. I have to thank them as well.

"Chris Cook helped me out a lot out there at Infineon. I learned a ton of stuff and a lot of that stuff I applied in my first practice session where we were 12th on the speed chart. That was a big jump up from last year. I made a miscue there in the second practice and that was definitely something Chris did not teach me. I learned a lot, like how to apply things and breaking points as well as turn-ins and all that kind of stuff that I didn't know before. Hopefully I'll be able to use it in the race and we'll see what we have on Sunday."

What? NASCAR officials actually help drivers and teams?! And I had to laugh at the Chris Cook thing. Even when things didn't look so hot for David's lap, he still maintained a sense of humor.

Look who's on the pole. Wow. Scott Pruett is starting second. I really want to see this first lap!