No word on what that would mean for Roush Fenway Racing this season. The team has to cut from five teams to four after next season.

Tony Stewart introduced his ride for the 2009 season under his new team Stewart-Haas Racing.  Numer 14 honors Stewart's racing hero A. J. Foyt.

RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger) WHERE DO YOU STAND WITH YOUR PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR?  “I’m leaving Penske Racing.  I don’t have a contract to drive any place else right now.  There’s nothing on paper.  I have offers and I’m choosing the best one.”

HAS RAY EVERNHAM TALKED TO YOU? “Ray has not contacted me.  There have been multiple organizations that have contacted me.  I will pursue what I feel is the right option.”

WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO RUSTY WALLACE’S COMMENTS THAT YOUR WERE FIRED FROM PENSKE RACING? “I don’t know what Rusty’s grounds are or what he’s trying to prove by saying that, it wasn’t the case point blank.  Roger (Penske) and I decided mutually not to continue and it was more of my decision then it was his (to leave).  I said that our goals didn’t align and for that reason and that reason alone, we decided not to continue after 2008.”

Photo by: Jeff Kluss/SIT

HOW BIG OF A DISTRACTION IS YOUR FUTURE? “The future is somewhat of a distraction, but it’s something that I need to take time with and it’s mandatory that I focus on it.  I feel bad for the guys on the Alltel Dodge because I don’t want to take away from them from a performance standpoint.  I don’t feel that it is (a distraction) when that I’m in the racecar, but obviously outside the racecar, it takes some effort to manage the situation.”

HOW MUCH OF A CONCERN IS IT IF ONE OF THE CARS THAT YOUR ARE CONDERING ISN’T IN THE TOP-35 GOING INTO NEXT YEAR? “It’s an issue, but not a big issue.  Obviously the people that are outside the top-35 know that and want to get in the top-35.  We don’t even know what the rule is going to be next year as far as the top-35, or whatever it may be.  The bottom line is that if it requires building a team and building an organization, so be it.  I’ve been in that position before and I want to build something that is good for me and something for the organization that I’m a part of if that’s the case.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR UNDER ANY PRESSURE TO GET A DEAL DONE SOON? “I feel that there isn’t necessarily pressure, but time is of the essence, the sooner the better.  For me, whomever I partner up with, the sooner we can get working, the sooner we’ll be more prepared for Daytona.”

DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WANTED TO GET YOUR NEXT DEAL WRAPPED UP THIS WEEKEND IN YOUR HOME STATE? “Not necessarily.  The location doesn’t matter so much as it does the right time and the right place.  Not to say that (Indy) is the wrong place, I’d rather be more focused on the race itself and trying to win the Brickyard 400 in the Alltel Dodge then anything else.”

Photo by: Jeff Kluss/SIT

HOW MUCH DOES INDIANAPOLIS MOTORSPEEDWAY MEAN TO YOU? “This place means a lot – from a pure history of auto racing – that to me means the most.  I’m walking in the same footprints and footsteps as A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti.  Whether it’s Jim Clark or Jim Hurtubise or people like that, to know that I’m stepping in their footprint as I walk to the race car, that to me is what’s special.  They’re my heroes just as much as anybody else right now.”

BEFORE YOU WON THE DAYTONA 500, WHERE WOULD A WIN HERE RANK WITH YOU? “To me, Indianapolis ranks second to the Daytona 500 and not by much.  This race hasn’t been going on as long as the Daytona 500 has, but there is more history here at Indianapolis than there was at Daytona as far as the last 100 years.  It holds a lot of weight. To me, it’s second – the Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500 are tied for third.”

HOW AGGRESSIVE WILL YOU BE HERE ON SUNDAY AT THE END OF THE RACE IF YOU’RE IN A POSITION TO WIN IT? “We’ll do what we have to do to win.  Whether it’s strategy or laying a fender or using eight tires instead of four, you do what you have to do to win.  This race is not different.”

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO RACE HERE? “The racetrack is really fun to drive.  It’s one of the hardest tracks to race which is why some people love and some people hate it.  It’s very similar to Darlington.  It’s the same old thing for me, if you have a fast racecar, it will be fun.  If you don’t, it will be a miserable day.”

DO YOU HAVE A MANUFACTURER PREFERENCE FOR NEXT YEAR? “No.”

DO YOU FEEL ANY LOAYALTY TO DODGE THAT WOULD KEEP YOU IN A DODGE OVER ANOTHER MANUFACTURER? “Well, based on the fact that I made my announcement and the people from Dodge haven’t contacted me…. no.”

DO RUSTY’S COMMENTS UPSET YOU? “Was he conscious when he said it?”

ARE HIS COMMENTS AN ONGOING RIFF THAT YOU’VE HAD SINCE YOU WERE TEAMMATES? “I guess it is because it’s not true. I guess you could say that.”

HOW DO HIS COMMENTS MAKE YOU FEEL? “It doesn’t matter to me.  I know Rusty and his personalities ...plural…and everybody is different.”

DO YOU THINK ROGER IS MAD BECAUSE HE DOESN’T LIKE TO BE TOLD HIS EQUIPMENT IS BAD? “Nobody does. Nobody likes to be criticized as a driver and nobody likes to be criticized as an owner. Constructive criticism isn’t part of what I have to do as a driver.  If I don’t feel like I have good equipment or as good equipment as the guy that’s ahead of me, then I speak up.  That’s a racer.  That’s just the way it is.  You have to be able to stomach a percentage of that whether you’re a car owner, crew chief, or a guy changing the tires.  That’s part of it.  I’d expect the same the thing in return.”

DO YOU THINK SPEAKING OUT IN CHICAGO WAS POSSIBLY A REASON WHY YOU’RE NOT COMING BACK TO PENSKE RACING? “I don’t think that it helped anything.  I don’t think that anything that I’ve ever said is anything but the truth.”

WHERE IS YOUR CENTER OF FRUSTRATION WITH THE TEAM? “I’ve said before – this weekend is going to be better based upon what I know – just pure performance.  Whether it’s horsepower or getting the cars to handle, being competitive, being consistent, strategy calls, things like that we’ve been good – just not great.  Good gets us close to the Chase, great gets us in it.”

SINCE YOU MADE YOUR DECISION TO LEAVE, DO YOU FEEL LIKE AN ODD MAN OUT? “I talked to Kurt (Busch) – I haven’t talked to Sam (Hornish Jr.) personally, obviously I have a better relationship with Kurt just based up the time we’ve spent together.  But I called Kurt and told him, ‘Hey man, this is what I’m doing.  I want you to know.  I don’t want there to be any hard feelings.  I’ll do whatever I can to be the best teammate after my announcement.’  That’s just part of it.  I think Kurt understands it because he’s been through this, I haven’t.  I’m just trying to cover my bases and do the best thing I can do as a teammate, as a person and as a driver.”

ARE THERE OPPORUNITIES READILY AVAILABLE TO YOU? “There are opportunities out there. I’ve had people call me and I’ve called people.  I’m happy that I’ve had interest both ways.”

Office Depot will have a 60 percent share of sponsorship, while Old Spice will have the other 40 percent.

Stewart, who has always admired AJ Foyt, picked the number because Foyt made it famous in his career in open-wheel racing.

Stewart said:

A.J. has always been my hero and will always be No. 1 on my hero list, with the best part being that we are really good friends. We obviously have a tremendous amount of respect for one another. I remember him calling me after I won my first Cup championship in 2002 and I remember how much it meant to have him call that night and congratulate me. We really do have similar pasts and carry a lot of characteristics that are the same. He is one of the greatest icons in racing worldwide and to be compared to him in any way is always a huge honor.

In a possibly related story, Ryan Newman said he has selected which team he plans to drive for in 2009. He offered no indication of which team it will be, and said that it is just a matter of getting the paperwork finalized.

No word on when an announcement is expected.

Brendan Gaughan, driver of the No. 10 International MAXX Force Diesel by International Ford, has three top-10 finishes at the short track of O’Reilly Raceway Park. Gaughan talks about short track racing and the significance of winning in Indianapolis.

Brendan Gaughan – No. 10 International MAXX Force Diesel by International Ford F-150 – YOU HAD A FEW DAYS OFF, BUT YOU WENT RACING. HOW DID IT GO? “On Wednesday night, Kenny Schrader does his M&Ms Night of the Stars race at the track he owns in Pevely, Missouri. It’s an annual event, this year he had Tony Stewart show up, and Dave Blaney is always there and Kenny raced, well, he owns the track, so you expect him to race. This was third year that I got invited to do it. I really appreciate him bringing me out. I’ve actually had the chance to race with the same race car every year. Dennis Young owns the car. He drives there locally, it’s his dirt modified that he lets me run. We finished second. I led the most laps and had a straightaway on the field, but a late race caution, caused by [Ron] Hornaday. He brought out a caution and Dave Blaney just schooled me on the restart. It’s a dirt track. When I finish second to Blaney, I’m thinking that’s a win for me.” CAN YOU CLAIM BRAGGING RIGHTS FOR THE SECOND PLACE FINISH? “You bet. And I’m bragging because I only lost to Dave Blaney.”

Photo by: Jeff Kluss/SIT

ON RACING AT O’REILLY RACEWAY PARK. “I’ve actually had better finishes here than I’m given credit for, I think. I do like O’Reilly Raceway Park. Now with it being the Ford Power Stroke Diesel 200 and me being in the International MAXX Force Diesel truck – it’s our sponsor. Rick and I actually have spots [pit stalls] side-by-side. I do know that these three sections of grandstands right here [turn four] are all International folks. I think they said they have something like 3,000 people coming. This is definitely a race that you want to look good at when it’s your own sponsor. This team is ready to win. We have proved we can run up front. We just have to get out of everybody’s mess. I think this team is going to do some great things the second half of this season. We just got to play on the good things, know what we did wrong the first half, know what we didn’t do wrong that just cost us. We’re playing on the fact that we have great engines, we have good engineering help, we have good trucks and we can go win races and do it.”

THE CIRCLE BAR PIT STALLS ARE LOCATED AT PIT IN. HOW DOES THAT IMPACT YOUR RACE? OR DOES IT? “It really doesn’t. This track is big enough that you don’t have to worry about losing a lap trying to change four tires. What’s nice is being back here, as you’re driving out, you’ve got to pay attention to make sure nobody comes out and pinches you in the wall. But Rick and I can get our service done and not have to battle people on the way in. We think it should work out well for us. With any luck, we’re just coming in on sequence and doing the standard adjustments, so you’re not wasting a lot of time and see if we’ll go win a race.”

WILL THE FANS SEE THE STANDARD SHORT TRACK FRIDAY NIGHT RACING? “Yeah, we’ll have typical Friday night short track racing as long as it doesn’t rain too long. They say it’s supposed to rain at some point today, but as long as we can get half the race in, that’s a full race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.”

WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO WIN HERE? “Just to get off the slide. We’ve had so many years now of struggles that have just kind of driven you mad. Me, Bryan Berry and all the guys at the No. 10 Circle Bar side, we’ve been great at race tracks but we just haven’t had the great finishes. We’ve run up front, but we haven’t finished there. We want to win a race really bad right now. And to be able to do when it’s your own sponsor. To be able to do it for Ford, I have never won in a Ford truck, I’d love to be able to do it. And say, ‘Hey, we’re here. We’re back,’ and start that charge towards the top five in points.”

DO YOU LIKE RACING HERE? “I do like it. I usually say I don’t like short tracks, but this is a high-grooved race track and that means it works for me. I like the high groove.”

THIS IS A BIG WEEKEND FOR THE RACE TEAM, YOUR SPONSORS AND RICK. “Yeah, Rick Crawford. I’m not going to say how old he is, I’ll let someone else say how old he’s turning this weekend. I believe Sunday is his birthday and I’m glad I’m around him. I’ve known him a long time and I’m honored to be his teammate. This is a very special birthday for him; it’s a big deal. I’m glad to be here with him and share it with him. For his team or for him, either one of us, I know it would be a big celebration if we could get a win this weekend.”

By Pressmin Spurious
Intergalactic Times staff reporter

There are those who have the unmitigated gall to propose that these United States should be diluted with the political blood of the commies from our south and the pinkos from our north. This patriot, my dear readers, begs to differ! This so called "North American Union" is being sold as the next step in "political and economic evolution", nonsense!

Walmart already gets all the low wage labor it needs from Mexico, and Exxon, BP, etc. already get all the oil they can pump from Canada. Why would we "join" with these lesser countries? I know that The Greatest President we have ever had, George W. Bush, would not support such a plan. But I wouldn't put it past those Marxist/Leninist sleepers cells embedded in the Congress.

That vote thief Obama has been on a tour of Europe, could he be studying how to kill our beloved greenback, and replace it with a "Euro" type currency? One cleaver artist named Daniel Carr has even minted prototype coins called the "Amero" which I find, by the way, to be very nicely designed. But the symbolism they represent is certainly not to my political taste!

Should these lesser countries wish to join us, they should apply to become states in these United States of America! Why should those lesser countries be made to feel that they are in any way equal to the greatest country on the planet? Don't they realize we are the country that invented NASCAR and Chia Pets?

It just gets my goat when I hear that there is this crazy plan to sap us of our precious bodily fluids! I'm sure if The Greatest President in this country's history, George W. Bush, had another couple of years in office, we would be invading both Mexico and Canada, the same way we have invaded the middle east!

I realize the republicans are busy trying to figure out some way to get Saint John McCain some press, but I must ask chairman Boehner of the House Unrepublican Activities Committee to convene a special session in regards to all this unrepublican activity! If something isn’t done soon, THIS COULD BE THE YEAR THAT A CANDIDATE FROM OUTSIDE THE TWO PARTY SYSTEM GETS ELECTED PRESIDENT!

And this is probably one of the only "Top Animated Films" lists that won't include Snow White or Bambi. I'm sorry. Just because something is old, or "the first", it doesn't make it good. Or interesting. In my less-than-humble opinion, Snow White is one of the most overrated, boring films to come down the pike. But Ed, you might say, It was a technological breakthrough in animation. It was the first of its kind. Yea, well, just because something is different doesn't mean its good. Just ask Paris Hilton's parents.

So here we go. The best in animation, according to me....

10. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
There is a moment in this film that always blows me away. Jack Skellington has gone off to become the new and improved Santa Claus and his #1 fan Sally is home lamenting because she knows something's not right. While Sally is singing her ballad she steps through a gate and swings her head to the side. That moment right there is so smooth...so perfect...it's almost hard for me not to believe it's not a person in a big Sally costume. And there's also the Oogie Boogie song.

9. Flushed Away
I'll admit it. I haven't liked anything else this guy has done. And yes, that includes the Wallace and Gromit series. So my expectations for this were pretty low. Not only did this movie blow me out of the water, it also made Kate Winslet more attractive. The fun action peppered with jabs at America (and the UK) cracked me up. This movie probably would have ranked higher on my list if the characters didn't look so much like those Wallace and Gromit idiots.

8. The Prince of Egypt
Like The Nightmare Before Christmas, there's one scene in this film that sticks in my head, but with a much larger emotional attachment. It comes at the climax of the film when Moses parts the Red Sea. That whole scene...the animation as the water rushes into the sky, the swelling music...and then the eerie silence...it gives me chills just writing about it and gets my heart beating like Ed Grimley in the presence of Pat Sajak.

7. The Emporer's New Groove
How is this cartoon not more popular than it is? Hey, I'm not the biggest David Spade fan either, but when he's on, he's on. And in this film, he's on. Emporer's plays like a Disney film done by the kids of the filmmakers: sick and tired of the schmaltz and cheese, they're gonna show us that cartoons can be sarcastic, too. A cartoon that knows it's a cartoon and says What the heck. Let's just have fun with this one.

6. The Simpsons Movie
Admit it. You were just as shocked into hysterical laughter as I was to see Bart's junk.

5. Shrek
I can still remember thinking to myself Cartoons aren't supposed to be this irreverently funny while I was in the theater holding my side trying to stop laughing so I could hear the next joke. Like The Emporer's New Groove, Shrek takes the world of children's stories and pokes it in the eye as it dumps ice cubes down its shirt.

4. The Incredibles
Are you kidding me? Superheroes more believable than their Marvel or DC cousins, an amazingly animated landscape, harrowing action (it's hard to beat that jungle chase scene), all delicately painted around a couple struggling to keep their marriage together...wow. Well done, Pixar.

3. Aladdin
Just the fact that the animators were able to keep up with Robin Williams' mile-a-minute freestyle is a feat in itself. Disney loves putting our heroes in a spot where you think There's no way they can get out of this. But when I watched this, I remember saying OK really, there's no way he's getting out of this one. One of these good guys is gonna die.

2. Finding Nemo
Man, when things come together at Pixar, they really come together, don't they? Everything from the casting down to the most intricate detail in a random air bubble was spot on. This is one of the few films you could pop into your player, press pause at any spot and the image frozen on your screen will be the very essence of art. You'd just look at it and say Wow. That's beautiful. And hey, any film that is clever enough to incorporate the old Monty Python "Bruce" sketch gets extra credit.

1. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Only Steven Spielberg would be able to get Warner Brothers and Disney to shake hands and agree to let their greatest cartoon characters appear side by side in the name of good moviemaking. Considering this was done before the computer animation technology we have today, it's amazing how they got this film to work.
Yes, those are actual guns and beer bottles floating around in the air, not CG recreations, and the way they orchestrated the chaos in the Ink & Paint Club is beyond me. Roger Rabbit is a movie that loves movies and is a love letter to an era that may be gone but won't soon be forgotten.

Yay for cartoons.

How on Take notice Naturally Patent- Ground 4 Ad

Comic-Con: Screaming throng greets 'Twilight' cast More girls than ever crammed themselves into Comic-Con's Hall H this afternoon - and it wasn't just to see clips from the Dakota Fanning futuristic actioner Push and the Nicolas Cage apocalyptic drama Knowing.

Hollywood actors union faces internal rift An insurgent faction within the Screen Actors Guild has launched a campaign to wrest control of the powerful union from leaders they blame for stalemated contract talks with major Hollywood studios.

Sexual desire elusive for many women It’s the biggest sexual problem women have, and the little blue pill doesn’t seem to help. Viagra - the medication that enables male erections - doesn’t enhance sexual interest among women taking anti-depressants.

Painter fined £30 for smoking in his own van Decorator Gordon Williams was fined £30 for puffing a ciggie in his van - because council officials said it counted as smoking in the workplace.

Video Review: Baby Mama In the same week that we get one of the films of the year (see The Dark Knight, left), Tina Fey and a cast of has-beens and never-weres give us one of the worst.

Ozzy Osbourne is to be crowned a "living legend" in the 2008 Classic Rock Roll of Honour. The nominations were announced by Alice Cooper at a launch event in central London, which also featured a performance from Stone Gods.

Mum accused of killing baby collapses in Crete court The British mum accused of killing her newborn baby in Greece collapsed after a six-hour court grilling yesterday.

8MP Samsung Powerhouse Handset Gets Official It may have looked too good to be true, but - praise be - it wasn't... Leaked last week the Samsung 'i8510' is the most powerful multimedia handset to date.

Videos, Elmo prank call...

Kermit the frog prank call...

Sexy sXe Gathering at City Walk

Vanessa Hudgens Sears Commercial - (Don't Just Go Back) FULL [Highest Quality]

Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, RV, dining room table

Activity:  Each at respective laptops using an EVDO card to surf and post all at high speed.

Why we love it: We are geeks first and foremost.  But, what makes it even more awesome is that my Mom has the kids.  The weather is absolutely perfect.  A little nippy with the windows open tonight but no need to run the A/C.  Time alone and time together.....and it couldn't have come at a better time (read this if you don't know what I mean).

This Sunday is the 15th running of the Brickyard 400 mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  My husband has been coming since it's inaugural race.  He is an avid fan of not only motor sports but more specifically this speedway.  I honestly just come for the vacation.  Well and the good wine, conversation and laughter we both have here.  It is at this racetrack we remember why we liked each other so much in the first place.  It's easy to forget there is someone on the other side of the table when you have one child throwing a cold mac n' cheese down your shirt and another one screaming "Itsy Bitsy Spider."  We reconnect here (in more ways then one - you can return to the gutter now) and the cars are just a plus for him.

We have a tradition that we both look forward to when we come here; our air guitar session with The Who.  After a few glasses of wine, and he, a few Coors Lights, we always end up with a broom and a hair brush jumping around and making the RV rock.  From the outside it would look as if we were newlyweds but a peak through the windows would reveal two drunk friends, who happen to be married, lost in their fantasies of being Roger Daltrey (Me) and Pete Townshend (Jim).  And boy are we good.  The crowd (AKA pictures of the kids) roar.  The chemistry we have on "stage" is golden.  But, that's tomorrow.

Tonight is a totally relaxing, unwinding time to just kick back and surf, post and read totally uninterrupted.  I have commented on 12 blogs tonight and responded to all 7 comments I had (the most I've ever had in one night - thank you ICLW girls!).  This is therapy and just what the doctor ordered.

Come back in a few days - hubby doesn't know it but I'm going to sneak a few pictures of us air guitaring and post them.  Ok, I take that back, I might post them.  If I look like a 400 lb, red-eyed, raving banshee I reserve the right to withhold them.

By the end of 1984, I was totally into auto racing, the way most 12-year-olds are into baseball or football. I watched like every race on ESPN (and there were a lot back then!) and I clipped articles from our local newspapers and USA Today and kept a scrapbook of every major racing series' results.

I was still a Richard Petty fan, but I think, like a lot folks, I began to sense that a decline had begun with the King after the big 200th win. Plus, with dozens upon dozens of drivers in several major racing series (I'll get into my Mario Andretti fandom later, promise), you could root for more than one driver. Couldn't you? Well, in the winter of 1984-85, I totally bought into the hype that magazines like Stock Car Racing were selling that winter, and adopted, yes, Geoff Bodine. Why?

Well, one of the things Bodine had going for him in my mind was that he was from the northeast. Growing up in New England - and being very aware of that - I had adopted the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots as my teams. But, of course, one of the things that separates auto racing from other sports is that drivers and teams are not tied to a particular geographic location, at least in the same way that sports teams in the major sports - baseball, football, hockey, basketball - are. Sports fans generally pick allegiances based on the teams that are close to where they live or the college that they or a family member attended. There are important exceptions, but that's the general rule. Racing is different.

Now, sure in Formula One, a lot of folks will root for the driver from their home country. Brits are cheering for Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button (and Nigel Mansell before them), Spaniards for Fernando Alonso, Brazilians for Felipe Massa, etc. In the old CART days, Paul Tracy and Scott Goodyear attracted Canadian fans (although plenty of U.S. fans cheered them on, too), and for the various Villenueves, it was not only Canadians, but Quebecois, who saw Jacques and Gilles as the vessels of their hopes and dreams. But NASCAR in the 1980s was still very much a southern sport, and there were few drivers not from the American southeast - you had Bodine, Ron and Ken Bouchard, Tim Richmond, Dave Marcis, probably one or two I'm forgetting, but that was pretty much it. Things were a decade away from the big influx that would bring a steady stream of west coast drivers (Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, et al.) and more midwesterners (first the Wallaces, the Mark Martin, then Alan Kulwicki, then Kenseth and Bowyer, et al.) to NASCAR. So, anyway, jumping onto the Bodine bandwagon had a whiff of supporting the "home team" to it.

Of course, then Bodine posted a big 0-fer in 1985. Finally, in 1986 he won the Daytona 500. He almost won it again in 1987 (but for a gallon or so of gas). But that was kind of the height of his career. He won races for Bud Moore and Junior Johnson after leaving Rick Hendrick, and then bought the Kulwicki team. It's weird, his last Cup win (the 1996 Watkins Glen race) really sticks out in my mind.

Maybe it's because in the mid-80s I had also adopted Billy Joel as my favorite singer, but I've always sort of equated Billy Joel and Geoff Bodine. Think about it - both grew up in New York State (one upstate and one on Long Island); both have similar shaped faces, with kinda sad eyes; both worked their tales off in the late 70s and early 80s to make it big (Bodine won Cup Rookie of the Year in 1982, Joel's awesome album The Nylon Curtain was released in 1982), both were at the top of their game in the mid-1980s, and then each began a long, downward slide punctuated by car crashes and failed marriages.

When Bodine won Watkin's Glen in 1996, it was a really jarring moment. He had won the race by good fuel strategy - pitting before a late yellow and remaining on the track when everyone else refueled - so it was a big surprise. And then, when he was in victory lane - his ex-wife Kathy wasn't there and his current girlfriend was. Geoff looked older and wore an expression of surprise and gratitude. As he (and we all) might have guessed at the time, it was to be his last Cup race win.

For this race fan, seeing Geoff's win, and seeing how he had changed, it was a small marker of the changes that transpired in my own life. Now in my mid-20s, I just finished my first year of graduate school. My parents' divorce had finally become final earlier that year. I'd long since put away my Billy Joel in favor of R.E.M., Pearljam, and Dave Matthews. And now one of my first favorite driver was beginning the a long ride into the sunset.

At the time I imagined, subconsciously, that this must be what it feels like to grow up.

The capsules will capture the spectacular adventures of the Dizzy Racers as they battle their race track rivals, the Crazy TrickXters...

The first episode will be included in the "Tire" CD box set scheduled for release November 15th 2008 that will include the band's first CD "Freedom Road" as well as ten brand new songs.

Poor lil' feller :cry:

Then there is the other half.  You know them, the ones that go out of their way to avoid the fans.  I've come to learn many of them also have their own charity foundations but you wouldn't know it.  These seem to be the drivers that forgot it was (and still is) the fans that allow them to do a job they love.  Sadly one of the drivers that used to be my favorite falls into this category.  To this day he still will not go down autograph alley and wave.  He also has a charity foundation that I just can't bring myself to contribute to.

With Nascar having a tough time keeping sponsors and race teams closing their doors or having to take on new partners would it really hurt if the drivers did just a little bit more to help the sport grow? 

Bill Marx analyzes the drivers and their past performances on the Indianapolis track and rates the top five point leaders as well as providing his own list of five drivers to watch. Click through to see who is on his list, but there was at least one surprise on it for me. Marx writes the Inside Dish Nascar column for The Sporting News and knows what's going on both on the track and in the pits, so his picks are worth watching.

VERSUS

Editorial by: Jeff Kluss /SIT (July 24, 2008 )

Nothing like NASCAR making a mid-season rule change to get the controversy going again. It’s pretty apparent to the fan and insiders that NASCAR was inducing Toyota to jump into the game two seasons ago by letting motor specifications slide that Ford, Chevy, and Dodge had been subjected to in order to “level the playing field”.

The question that comes to mind is “How fair was this to the other manufacturers, non-Toyota teams, and even Toyota?”. An oversight or blind eye turned toward the engine heads as they relate to angles to the block, in-take, and valves gave Toyota anywhere from a 20 to 25 horsepower advantage, as well as saved them from re-engineering at substantial cost. Below is the rule change that has the motorsports world roaring:

"At all Events, unless otherwise specified, all engines with a cylinder bore spacing less than 4.470 inches must compete using a tapered spacer with four (4) 1.125-inch diameter holes. At all Events, unless otherwise specified, all engines with a cylinder bore spacing of 4.470 inches or more must compete using a tapered spacer with four (4) 1.100-inch diameter holes. Unless otherwise authorized, the carburetor restrictor will be issued by NASCAR."
-- Amendment to Section 20A -- 5.10.4, Nationwide Series Rule Book

Seems as though NASCAR is able to have their cake and eat it to, so to say. They induce Toyota to participate in the Nationwide Series (still having a problem not calling it Busch Series) expeditiously by letting them slide at the expense of the other manufacturers and then in the middle of their second season hit them with a tapered spacer or as we commonly call it “restrictor plate” which reduces their horsepower ratings by 25 horses. Once again, NASCAR makes a rule change that really doesn’t provide anything other than aggravation by all which could have been avoided by subjecting Toyota to the same provisions from the “get-go”. Sure, Toyota would have been another season out in getting in the game and may not have made the major investments in taking advantage of NASCAR’s desire to get them involved as early as they did. But it would have been better to have them do it right from the start versus upsetting the fans, drivers, and non-Toyota teams………and now Toyota and their teams are paying the price. Nothing like leveling the playing field when it should never have been favored to Toyota’s advantage in the first place. Toyota has won 14 of 21 Nationwide races this season, with cars fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing accounting for 13 victories. The No. 20 JGR Camry has won nine times, with four different drivers behind the wheel!

In talking with my dear friend Jack “Iron Man” Ingram who received 5 Championship rings in this division, he told me that Chevrolet had made the same pitch to NASCAR years ago concerning head and intake configuration only to be turned down flat. Of course we all know that the Toyota engine design was purchased from GM since they didn’t have a successful 8 cylinder design to make them competitive. Well it appears that another band-aid approach to fixing another problem which never should have happened has been supplied by NASCAR. This isn’t the first, and I’m sure it will never be the last band-aid type of logic that NASCAR will create at the expense of the sport.

What has prompted this bit of editorializing was the press release that was received this morning which has been posted below:

Lee White President and General Manager TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) 07/24/2008

“We’re extremely disappointed in NASCAR’s decision.  In our opinion, there is no technical justification to penalize the Toyota engine utilized in the Nationwide Series.  Toyota always has, and will continue to, abide by all NASCAR-mandated engine specifications and the Nationwide engine was built strictly to NASCAR specifications.

“The success of the Toyota Camry this year in the Nationwide Series is the result of hard work and achievement by all of our race teams -- Braun Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Germain Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing -- working in conjunction with TRD U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development). All the tireless efforts by our teams, TRD and Triad during the off-season, at pre-season testing and during the first half of the year, combined with extremely talented drivers, have produced exceptional results. “Despite this setback, we will continue to work diligently to keep our Nationwide teams competitive. Our hope remains that a Toyota team or driver will be rewarded with a championship at the conclusion of this year.

“Unfortunately, the decision by NASCAR could be more far-reaching than simply mandating Toyota to adjust its Nationwide engine.  The real impact will be felt by the Toyota teams as they adjust to the change, work to remain competitive for the remainder of this season and attempt to line up their sponsorships for next year.”

At first take it seems as though it was sour grapes on the part of Mr. White and Toyota. But thinking further, I can’t say as I blame them since the rules were made to give Toyota a variance above the other players to induce their heavy investment into a sport that was in dire need of a major infusion to boost ticket sales…..especially into the Craftsman Series as well. It was a package deal to lure them into the sport and NASCAR threw in the kitchen sink at the expense of others.

Don’t think that this is about anything other than MONEY. The great money-making machine known as NASCAR has made another foo-pah which was a ticking time-bomb in the making. Yes, we all love the sport of NASCAR racing. Yes, this will probably not affect our love of the game. But it sure is disappointing to think that another episode of favoritism shown for the sake of bucks has levied another blemish on something we all believe is the sport of champions, excellence, and just good clean Americanism. Wasn’t Enron an American company?

Before Indianapolis, Biffle was seventh in points. But, before finishing fourth at the Lifelock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, he was 11th in points, just two spots from being out.

This season, Biffle has eight top 10 finishes. But, he also has three finishes of 39th or worse, mainly the result of mistakes on pit road, mechanical issues, and accidents. He's finished 15th or worse nine times this season, which really isn't going to get it done going down the stretch.

In order to be guaranteed a spot in the Chase, you need to put together a string of top 10s, something Biffle is capable of if his team performs.

But, I don't think his team has worked out its issues. Biffle's car can run near the front one week and then not crack the top 20 the next week. That inconsistency puts him in the most danger of falling out.

In the seven races leading up to the Chase last year, Biffle averaged a 19th place finish. That statistic coupled with his inconsistent perfomance this season puts him in the most danger of falling out because he's most likely to have these sorts of problems heading towards Richmond International Raceway.

Leo Leporte and Chris Pirillo talk during the 24 hours of Iphone. Chris and Leo worked at Tech tv before it was sold to G4. They both now Stream live. Chris Prillo Streams live at  http://live.pirillo.com and Leo Streams over on stickam at http://www.twitlive.tv/ .

A mascot go-kart race? Yes, you read that right.

Feature racing begins at 7:30 p.m. For information, call the Lowe's Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS or visit

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