New stories for diehard Kasey Kahne fans

Car of Tomorrow concept growing with teams Ben WhiteLexington Dispatch - Lexington,NC,USAKasey Kahne, driver of the Evernham Motorsports Dodge, had very little good to say about his afternoon in Martinsville. "Bad car, bad adjustments and bad ...

Kasey Kahne Racing - Saldana Earns Third-Straight Win, Takes ...Backstretch Motorsports - Greensboro,NC,USASee, all those things come with winning, and Saldana, driver of the Mopar-powered Open Joist machine fielded by Kasey Kahne Racing, has captured the last ...

Riggs looking forward after eighth-place finish at MartinsvilleScene Daily (subscription) - Charlotte,NC,USA... watching Scott Riggs almost climb out of his points hole while Elliott Sadler and Kasey Kahne each struggled in the Goody's Cool Orange 500. ...

Auto Racing Johnson holds off teammate for victorySeattle Times - Seattle,WA,USAKasey Kahne of Enumclaw was 25th and Vancouver, Wash., native Greg Biffle was 32nd of 43. With 30 races remaining, Biffle is in 21st place and Kahne is 34th ...

Evernham drivers ready to improve COT performanceScene Daily (subscription) - Charlotte,NC,USAKasey Kahne had the best Evernham finish at Bristol, a 19th after losing three laps with a flat tire. A frustrated Kahne was 25th at Martinsville. ...

Great stories on Kasey Kahne

In The Fast Lane: Kahne struggles to get it in gearSeattle Post Intelligencer - Seattle,WA,USAYES, ENUMCLAW-RAISED Kasey Kahne stars in clever national commercials. Sure, the good-looking and talented NASCAR driver enjoys being one of his sport's ...

Ready to reboundYahoo! Sports - USAWith a series-high six wins, a berth in the Chase for the Nextel Cup and a career-high finish of eighth in the points, Kasey Kahne learned how sweet the ...

A new tool for revenge?Scene Daily (subscription) - Charlotte,NC,USA... at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend for fear of breaking the front splitter, Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne may have discovered a useful replacement. ...

Drivers voice complaints about COT's front splitterScene Daily (subscription) - Charlotte,NC,USAI think Kasey Kahne had a tire go down right in front of me. I saw just light contact, and it cut his left-rear tire." The contact came from Clint Bowyer, ...

Elliott Sadler and Kasey Kahne from MartinsvilleBackstretch Motorsports - Greensboro,NC,USACOMMENT ON COT “It’s just a lot harder to drive. It’s going to be harder to race side by side with the COT. It’sa lot more aero dependent than the car of ...

Kasey Kahne's woes continue

Once again, Kasey Kahne showed promise early, only to fall behind late and put himself in an even deeper hole in the points chase. Here is the latest news on him and today's race at Bristol:

Busch wins first COT race by beating Burton, Gordon at Bristol CBC News, Canada - 9 minutes ago Kasey Kahne, who ran in the top five for the first half of the race, spun out moments before Stewart went out to take himself out of the competition. ...

Busch Edges Burton For Win At Bristol WFtv.com, FL - 18 minutes ago The only cars that appeared to be able to stay with Stewart were Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler. They ran 50 more laps and the No.20 Home Depot Chevrolet ...

Latest & greatest Kasey Kahne news

Lottery unveiling NASCAR ticket in Concord Charlotte Observer - Charlotte,NC,USA The NC Lottery hopes to rev up sales with a NASCAR-themed ticket that it will unveil in Concord next week with the help of driver Kasey Kahne. ...

Dodge Motorsports Friday Notes- Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne and Kenny ...Backstretch Motorsports - Greensboro,NC,USA “It’s always fun to come back to Bristol and get into the heart of the season. For me Daytona and then the west coast trip with California and my hometown ...

Q&A: NASCAR Nextel Cup Driver Kasey Kahne PaddockTalk - USA HAS KENNY’S ABSENCE CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR SLOW START? “It’s been a role. It’s been part of it, but it’s not the reason why we’re where we’re at. ...

Drivers happy for lifted suspensions Online Athens (subscription) - Athens,GA,USA Kasey Kahne, above, and Matt Kenseth have been reunited with their crew chiefs after they served four-race suspensions. Associated Press Photo ...

Kahne looks for boost from Francis MSNBC - USA(AP) -Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth were reunited with their crew chiefs Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway for the first time this season. ...

Racing-themed lottery game on way Charlotte Observer - Charlotte,NC,USA The NC lottery hopes to rev up sales with a NASCAR-themed ticket it will unveil next week in Concord with the help of driver Kasey Kahne. ...

With Francis, Kahne ready to climb out of early hole Nascar - USA So what in the heck is Kasey Kahne doing sweating out this weekend in the hopes of cracking the top 35 in Cup owner points? Even he doesn't seem so sure of ...

New Kasey Kahne stories to check out

Teams Vie For Top 35 In 2007 Owner Standings PaddockTalk - USA15 Menard’s Chevrolet) is 36th, while Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) is 37th. Kahne had a series-high six victories in 2006 and ranked second ...

Kasey Kahne and Auto Value-Bumper To Bumper team up to tackle BristolBGN Racing.com - Lexington,KY,USA For the third consecutive season, Evernham Motorsports and its drivers Kasey Kahne, Scott Riggs, and Elliott Sadler will be a part of the Auto Value-Bumper ...

Dodge Avenger to Debut on Sunday at NASCAR’s Fastest Short Track Backstretch Motorsports - Greensboro,NC,USA Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge, says the Dodge Avenger 500 on Mother’s Day weekend in May in Darlington, SC, will provide the ...

Kahne: March Madness will sweep through BristolScene Daily (subscription) - Charlotte,NC,USACONCORD, NC - Lowe's Motor Speedway President Humpy Wheeler presented a golden broom with a steering wheel at the end of the handle Wednesday to Kasey Kahne ...

Season already slipping from Kahne

(courtesy of CBS News)

After escaping the season opener at Daytona with a seventh-place finish, his first top 10 at the track, Kasey Kahne looked to be in excellent shape to make a run toward the top of the standings.
After all, he had won at both California and Atlanta in 2006, and was fourth in the series' lone trip to Vegas last year.

But expectations have fallen woefully short of reality.

At California, he started second but wound up 38th after engine failure. In Las Vegas, he won the pole but finished 35th after wrecking. Sunday at Atlanta, it was more of the same; the best he could do was 39th after another wreck took him out of contention.
"When something happens, there's just no place to go," Kahne said. "The accident happened right in front of me and that was it. I tried to turn left, but I just didn't have enough time. We got a lap down early but managed to get the handling straightened out on the next two pit stops and be in position to get our lap back with a caution. The caution never came. The accident messed up the handling. Kenny (Francis, team director) will be back next week, and we'll be ready for Bristol."
Kahne desperately needs a strong finish at Bristol, because with another subpar run -- and that's a distinct possibility considering Kahne's track record at Bristol (one top 10 in six trips) as well as the uncertainty surrounding the Car of Tomorrow -- Kahne could fall out of the top 35 in owner points and then would have need to qualify for the next race on speed with no provisional to fall back on.
That's a shocking turn of events for a driver who led the series with six victories last season and appeared poised to challenge for the title in 2007.

Time for Kahne to Rally

By Steve Waid-SceneDaily

I’ll bet Kasey Kahne is looking at this weekend’s Nextel Cup race at Atlanta the way a starving man with credit for a free meal looks at a menu.
Atlanta should provide a golden opportunity for the Evernham Motorsports driver to regain his footing.
Kahne came into the 2007 season as a driver considered almost a sure bet to make the Chase, and who knows? He might even contend for the championship.
After all, he made the Chase last year, wound up eighth in the final point standing and won six races, more than any other driver.
But to date, Kahne has had an unexpected, difficult season. First, he lost 50 points before he ever hit the track in competition. NASCAR took them away for a rules infraction in Daytona 500 qualifying.
Kahne ran well at Daytona, finishing eighth in the 500. But with the loss of 50 points, he fell to 22nd in points.
At California, he started on the front row, but lasted only 129 laps before engine failure did him in. He finished 38th and fell to 32nd in points.
At Las Vegas, he won the pole – a pretty good indication his Dodge didn’t lack for speed. He ran among the top 10 most of the day until he crashed on lap 251. He was a victim of some treacherous racing conditions created by the reconfigured Vegas track and a harder compound tire.
He finished 35th and is now 36th in points.
Kahne hasn’t been the cause of any of his problems. The way he feels, without misfortune, he could have three top-10 finishes now.
Six wins last year doesn’t mean anything to him at this point. What matters is to win this season.
Atlanta would appear to be a darn good place to start. Kahne won the pole for last year’s March event and followed that up with a victory. He’s considered one of the top dogs at the fast, 1.54-mile track.
Indeed, it appears that, for Kahne, Atlanta may be a prime opportunity for redemption.
Kasey, the table is set and dinner is served. Time to dig in.
SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION: Listen to Steve on The Sporting News Radio’s “Tony Bruno Show” on Friday at 12:45 p.m. EDT and “The Inside Track” on Saturday from 9-10 a.m. EDT. Check out www.radio.sportingnews.com.

A page from Kasey Kahne's Diary

(courtesy of ESPN)

It's not every day you get to spend time with a policeman in Las Vegas and be happy about it.
Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE
Didn't know Dodge made a Charger Hatchback? It certainly looked like the manufacturer did after Kasey Kahne spun and wrecked during Sunday's race in Las Vegas.
The winner of the "Kasey Kahne Dream Job" contest was announced before Sunday's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and it went to David Metzger, a policeman from Freemont, Calif.
A lot of people (more than 20,000) entered and they narrowed it down to the final three -- Metzger, Kelli Quattlebaum of Greenville, S.C., and Eric Coates of Dubuque, Iowa -- who we flew to Vegas to be narrowed to one.
Metzger will spend the weekend as my assistant for the race at Darlington in May. It'll be exciting to have somebody see what it's like on a race weekend with me, what we do and where we go.
I understand he's a former Mark Martin fan. He came off as a real sharp guy and it should be cool with his background as a police officer. I certainly shouldn't have to worry about anything. He's a pretty big guy.
They said his advice to me would be to drive fast and keep all four wheels on the ground. That could have helped a lot last weekend at Las Vegas.
We had top-10 cars in the Busch Series and Nextel Cup races and spun them both out near the end.
In the Busch race, I screwed up. We had a hard tire to race on -- a really hard tire to race on -- and I just lost control. Then, on the Cup side, we were having another good race when David Gilliland took the air off of my car and sent me spinning.
He was two laps down and we were going for the win. He just needs to think more before he puts his car in a position like that against a better car.
He didn't hit me. He just took all the air out. When you're two laps down with less than 10 laps to go there's no reason to mess with the leaders. There's no reason to try to race me at that point.
That's about as frustrating as it can get. We were super fast. We just have to figure out how to get through it and do better at Atlanta.
I'm looking forward to Atlanta. I won this race last year and it's a great track for me, although I feel comfortable now about everywhere we go.
I like the way the tires fall off there, the way the cars slide around, the way you can move the car around on the track to find places where it handles better than others. It just suits my driving style better than any other track.
It's a fast track -- really fast and slippery. But it's slippery where you can still feel the tires and the grip -- a different type of slippery than we had at Vegas.
Some say they don't like qualifying at night when we're racing during the day, but I like it. The car has more grip and it'll go even faster. We still get plenty of practice for the race during the day.
I don't have much going on off the track. I'm completely focused on driving and doing what is needed to get a good finish so we can go to Bristol for the big Car of Tomorrow race.
You can't help but look ahead to that race. You just have to put so much time into that car because it's so much different than what we drive now. We may go to another track next week and get in one more test.
Evernham Motorsports is doing a good job with the car. It just takes so much time to get it ready. It hasn't been a distraction for me, but it's definitely a lot of work for the employees and the crews.
We basically go to Bristol and then Martinsville and then to the Richmond test, all in a matter of 2½ weeks with two different cars.
People are putting tons and tons of hours into this. I really appreciate how everybody has stepped up to get it right.

Calif. Policeman selected as Kasey Kahne's Assistant for a week

The selection process was tough and the interviews were intense, but the winner of the Kasey Kahne Dream Job contest was up to the challenge – and took home the top prize for his efforts.
David Metzger from Fremont, Calif., was named the winner after final interviews at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 9. Metzger, a policeman with the Atherton Police Department and a member of the San Mateo Narcotics Task Force, was one of three finalists who traveled to Las Vegas for the judging and the weekend’s NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race. Metzger was selected for his problem-solving skills, commitment to improving performance, creative thinking and ability to deal with pressure on the job.
“This is a dream come true,” said Metzger after learning of his selection on Sunday morning. “I can’t wait until Darlington.
I worked really hard to get the word out and get folks voting for me. I reached out to all the police on the force and had my family campaigning in their offices.
The contest, sponsored by Dodge Motorsports, offered contestants an opportunity to be Kahne’s assistant at the Dodge Avenger 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race on May 12 at Darlington Raceway. More than 20,000 fans entered the contest, held online at www.kaseykahnedreamjob.com. Almost 116,000 people voted for the nine semifinalists. The top three finalists were Kelli Quattlebaum of Greenville, S.C., received the most votes with 33,251. David Metzger from Fremont, Calif., received 20,891 votes and Erin Coates of Dubuque, Iowa., received 13,028 votes.
Metzger said he wants to help make Kasey Kahne’s life easier and keep him looking good. On the track, Metzger said he would tell Kahne to drive fast and keep all four wheels on the ground.
Fans completed a questionnaire to show why they would be the best candidate to assist Kahne at Darlington. A panel of judges reviewed the applications and selected the best nine for the No. 9. Those nine semifinalists responded to questions submitted by Dodge on video and the video was used on the official website. Fans then voted online for the best contestants.
“I’m looking forward to working with David at Darlington,” Kahne said. “He’s got great skills and experience, and I think we’ll have fun together. And, it will be great to have a policeman around. Darlington is a race that I’d like to win. It’s a tough track, and you almost need a perfect day to win the Dodge Avenger 500. I’m sure my assistant will be ready for the challenge.”
Metzger will spend four days at the Evernham Motorsports headquarters in Statesville and work with the Marketing Department scheduling Kahne’s at-track activities for the Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington Raceway. Duties will also include working with the marketing and public relations team to get Kahne to all the appearances, media interviews, on-track and NASCAR-mandated responsibilities on his schedule that weekend.

Great story on Kasey Kahne

Quick revival is Kahne aim
By Jim Bentonemail bio

March 14, 2007

Kasey Kahne finds himself in a worrisome place in the points standings, but he's not concerned about his slow start.
Kahne, who won a series-high six Nextel Cup races in 2006 and finished eighth in the standings, is 36th in points after three races this season.
He lost 50 points before the season started as part of the fines levied by NASCAR for rules infractions after qualifying inspections at Daytona. Kahne's crew chief, Kenny Francis, was suspended for the first four races.
"At this point, I could care less what I did last year," Kahne said Tuesday. "Yeah, we won six races, but it's time to start winning this year. The points are a huge deal. I was looking at them myself, kind of trying to see where we are at and how far we're out of getting back in the top 20.
"I feel like we could have three top 10s. I made a mistake (an accident at Las Vegas). I had an engine problem (at California). We're in a little hole, but we can dig ourselves out of that pretty quickly. We've got speed. We've been up front every single race so far. I'm not worried."
One of Kahne's victories last season came in the spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
"Atlanta is a good track for us," he said. "We've always seemed to run pretty solid at it, and we're making some adjustments with our car this week and I'm going to make some adjustments hopefully to finish the race."
The slow start isn't as baffling to the Enumclaw, Wash., native as the opposition of fans and Washington state politicians to a racetrack that International Speedway Corp. proposes to build in the Seattle area.
"They've kind of made it sound differently than what it really would be to the taxpayer," Kahne said. "So I am surprised what it's turned into.
"Come to Vegas and look at what (a track) does down there, or go to Atlanta or go to Texas or go to Kansas. There's so much stuff going on. Look at all the hotels and the malls, and everything is packed full of people. Go look somewhere else and see what it's like. If you do, there's no way you wouldn't want one (track) where you're living."

Breaking News for Kasey Kahne

KAHNE WINS COMMIT® TO WIN AWARD FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK AT VEGAS
PITTSBURGH, PA (March 13, 2007) – For the second straight week, Kasey Kahne is the winner of the Commit® Lozenges Commit to Win Award. Kahne won the award by leading the first green flag lap of Sunday’s UAW Daimler-Chrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
For his award at Las Vegas, Kahne will be presented with a check for $5,500 during pre-race ceremonies at this weekend’s Nextel Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. A $101,000 bonus will be presented to the driver that wins the most Commit to Win Awards in 2007.
Kahne won the season Commit to Win Award in 2005 and 2006, and with his two awards in ’07 leads this season’s standings. Along with Las Vegas, Kahne won the Commit to Win Award the previous race at California Speedway.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare has the only smoking cessation sponsorship in NASCAR history featuring the brands NicoretteÒ nicotine gum, NicoDermÒ CQÒ nicotine patches and Commit nicotine lozenges. GSK Consumer Healthcare’s NASCAR involvement also features the first-of-its-kind “QUIT Crew” program that provides smoking cessation coaching to NASCAR teams and fans. Hendrick Motorsports, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Petty Enterprises, Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR officials have enrolled in the program. For more information, go to quit2winracing.com
2007 Commit to Win Standings
Driver Team Commit to Win Awards
Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports 2
David Gilliland Robert Yates Racing 1
2007 Commit to Win Award Winners
Date Race Track Winner
2/18/07 Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway David Gilliland
2/25/07 Auto Club 500 California Speedway Kasey Kahne
3/11/07 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 Las Vegas Motor Speedway Kasey Kahne

Quick Sixer

Kick your garage up a notch with these gorgeous collectible NASCAR clocks

6)Joke of the day: In a bid to speed up their pit stops, Kasey Kahne's Dodge team sacked their entire pit crew and replaced them with local gang members who, it was said, could get the wheels off a car in less than four seconds without any proper equipment.



Come the day of the next Nextel Cup race, the gang members, working in the pits, did indeed change the tires on Kasey Kahne's Dodge in under four seconds. But there was a problem: within ten seconds they had resprayed and re-numbered the car and sold it to the Waltrip team.

5)Site of the day: Gizmodo - review site for gadgets, toys and hi-tech electronics

4)Video of the day: Biggest NASCAR crash

3)NASA image of the day

2)Odd story of the day: German man chainsaws house in two in divorce split

1)NASCAR story of the day: Gambling At Vegas Is Unacceptable...When You’re Dealing With Someone’s Life

NASCAR listens, but doesn't budge

Appeals committee upholds Daytona 500 penalties
Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- An appeals committee upheld penalties levied against Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne after NASCAR caught their teams cheating at the Daytona 500.
The crew chiefs for both drivers were suspended four races and fined $50,000 each, while both drivers were docked 50 points.
Roush Fenway Racing appealed the severity of the fine against Robbie Reiser and the deduction of points from Kenseth, while Evernham Motorsports appealed only the docking of points from Kahne.
The deduction of points before the season started was unprecedented for NASCAR, which had been reluctant to have a team begin a season in negative standing.
In denying the appeals Monday, the three-judge panels agreed that the penalties assessed were "severe by the standards of a year or more ago." But NASCAR officials argued to the commission that they had warned teams last summer that penalties would be ramped up from previous benchmarks for serious violations.
In all, five teams were caught cheating during preparations for the season-opening 500.
Evernham also appealed the severity of the fines against Elliott Sadler and Scott Riggs, who were both docked 25 points. The commission has not ruled on that case yet.
Michael Waltrip's team did not appeal its penalties after it was caught using a fuel additive. Waltrip was docked 100 points, his crew chief was fined a record $100,000 and suspended indefinitely, along with Waltrip's competition director.
Kahne's appeal was heard by Russell Hackett, Cathy Rice and chairman George Silbermann. Kenseth's appeal was heard by Terry Eames, Richard Gore and Silbermann.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Kahne, Dodges dominate at Vegas qualifying

Changes at Vegas don't bother Kahne

He breaks his own record on the revamped facility there and wins the pole position for Sunday's Nextel Cup race.
By Jim Peltz, Times Staff WriterMarch 10, 2007

LAS VEGAS — Kasey Kahne wasn't ready to relinquish the track record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway simply because they changed the track.Kahne won the pole position Friday for Sunday's Nextel Cup race as he and most of the field obliterated his previous track record, as expected, thanks to the revamped Las Vegas Motor Speedway.The track was repaved in the off-season and its corner banking was raised to 20 degrees from 12, lifting speeds for this year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.Kahne set a lap record of 184.856 mph in his No. 9 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports, nearly 10 mph faster than his old mark, 174.904 set in 2004."I'm happy to not give the track record up here just yet," Kahne said. "I felt like we had a good car when practice was over."David Stremme qualified second at 184.193 mph and will start next to Kahne on the front row.Elliott Sadler, Kahne's teammate, was third, and Juan Pablo Montoya, Stremme's teammate at Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, was fourth.All drive Dodges and, in fact, Chargers took seven of the top 10 starting spots.

Quick Six Pack

6)Joke of the day:Bee Sting

February 4th, 2007

AskMen.com Rates This Joke: 7/10

---

A young woman had been taking golf lessons all week long. She`d just begun her first game of golf when she suffered a bee sting.



Her pain was so intense, she couldn`t continue her game. She decided to go back to the clubhouse and get some medical attention.



Her golf Pro saw her enter the clubhouse and asked,"Why are you back so soon?" What`s wrong?"



"I was stung by a bee," she answered.



"Where?," he asked.



"Between the first and second holes," she replied.



He nodded his head knowingly and said,"Then your stance is too wide."

5)Site of the day:Dancing Bush - Get your mind out of the gutter

4)Video of the day:This makes William Hung look like Sinatra

3)SAT question of the day

2)Odd story of the day:Astronaut mixed up in crazy love triangle (mug shot looks like Nick Nolte)

1)NASCAR news of the day:The 25 greatest Daytona 500 drivers of all time

Only 13 more days 'til Daytona- make this season even more fun to watch and play Fantasy NASCAR 2007!

For diehard nascar fans ONLY

Hey guys and gals...it's almost that time again! Daytona is right around the corner, which also means that Fantasy NASCAR is about ready to roll. Most of you out there already now how much fun it is, so I don't think that I need to sell the idea too much. For those who aren't familiar with fantasy NASCAR, it's as easy as 1-2-3:

1)Pick three teams/crews weekly

2)Follow the teams you picked on race day to see how many points you scored

3)Check the standings weekly to see how you're doin'! Top 3 win some great prizes!

What's the catch? There isn't one...promise! Free to enter, lots of fun, and some great collectible NASCAR merchandise for the top three. What do you have to lose? Click the logo below to register today!

A few NASCAR stories of interest...

Here are a few stories to whet your appetite for the upcoming season:

CHASE'S DOZEN BEING FINALIZED
NASCAR is planning on allowing 12 drivers into the Chase for the Nextel Cup, without a provision for how many points a driver is from the lead. They are also likely to give ten more points for race winners. NASCAR ran models which determined more than ten points would create runaway scenarios.
The changes are expected to be announced during the Lowe's Motor Speedway media tour beginning on Jan. 22.
Source: ESPN.com

BUSCH BREAKS 190 IN CAR OF TOMORROW
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA (TICKER) -- Kurt Busch proved that NASCAR's "Car of Tomorrow" can be more than effective today.
Busch dominated Wednesday morning's Preseason Thunder testing session at Daytona International Speedway, clocking 191.188 miles per hour in a Penske Racing South Dodge Avenger.
The 2004 Nextel Cup Series champion, Busch became the first driver to eclipse 190 mph at the Preseason Thunder. He did so while driving the "Car of Tomorrow," a newly designed racer which will be used in 16 events this season.

MAKE OR BREAK SEASON FOR NEWMAN
Ryan Newman 2006 season statistics Wins: None Best Finish: Second (Sonoma)Top-fives, top-10s, DNFs: 2, 7, 3

2006 RecapNewman's season could best be described by one word: frustration. Despite winning two poles and starting in the top 10 a total of 15 times, his average finish was a miserable 20th. Ironically, the best finish in '06 for the former sprint car star was on the road course at Sonoma. Statistically, 2006 was his worst full season in Nextel Cup in terms of laps led, top-fives and top-10s.
2007 OutlookWhat's nextFor Newman, there is only one way to go from here: up. He'll start the season with a new crew chief in Mike Nelson, who worked with Newman in the final two races of '06. It will be a tough battle for Newman to get back to where he was in 2003, when he won eight races and was a contender for the title, but he has the tools and the talent to do it.
Best-case scenario: The early reviews of the Nelson-Newman pairing have been good. Newman's success in '07 will depend greatly on his ability to have a strong relationship with Nelson and on Nelson delivering to Newman the same kind of car at the end of the race as they start with. If this duo clicks, look for Newman in victory lane and the Chase.
Likely scenario: This likely will be a make or break season for Newman. Despite his past success, NASCAR is a "what have you done lately?" sport. Should Newman continue to stumble, he'll find himself looking over his shoulder as some younger driver catches team owner Roger Penske's attention.
Beware: Newman absolutely has to have a fast start to the season to erase any lingering doubts that he and his team still can be considered among the top dogs of the sport.
Veteran motorsports writer Bob Margolis is Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR reporter. Send Bob a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

5 Bold predictions for NASCAR 2007

Hey guys...been an interesting week for news. From Rosie and The Donald to a guy getting bit by a scorpion on a plane, there's been a bit of everything. NASCAR has its' own soap opera with the Dale jr. VS. stepmonster battle - should be interesting. Anyway, here is an article that I found to whet your appetite for the NASCAR season. Feel free to voice your opinions.....

By Ron Felix
With the Nextel Cup cars testing at Daytona International Speedway this week, it gets the racing blood flowing once again. It's time for Insider Racing News' annual -- bold predictions for the upcoming season.
This is where we predict events or outcomes in Nextel Cup, not just the normal run-of-the-mill calls, but these are ones that nobody else would dare predict. These are BOLD predictions. Let's get right to it.
1...Jamie McMurray will win at least one race this year:
Jamie McMurrayJamie McMurray may win one or more races this season and allow me to point out why I think so.
Over the past year, McMurray, highly-touted and highly paid, didn't come close to returning Jack Roush's investment in him and it was mainly because McMurray and his crew chief(s) couldn't come to terms with what McMurray needed as a driver.
The problems were compounded by mis-communication, on both sides. Jimmy Fenig was trying to set his car up the way that he did for the successful Kurt Busch and when that didn't work, Roush turned to Bob Osborne, who was crew chiefing for, the successful Carl Edwards.
Again, the same story. Osborne was trying to make McMurray's car work like it did for Edwards and was never able to get the right feel for McMurray.
“When we made the first change from Jimmy to Bob, that wasn’t really my decision," said McMurray. "That was something that Jack felt was gonna be a step in the right direction. I never really got used to working with Jimmy or got to know him that well and then I had Bob. I got to know Bob well, but you just kind of know in the first couple of months. Everyone has met people that when you meet them and in the first five minutes they’re very easy to talk to and you feel like there’s a relationship there. Then you meet people that you feel like it’s a challenge to have the conversation and you walk away and you just didn’t feel like you both got it. Unfortunately with Bob, I never had that feeling."
The frustration last year for McMurray had him talking to himself. "I would tell myself after I’d go home after a race and say, ‘I don’t think it can get any worse,’ and then I’d show up the next week and I’d be like, ‘Wow, I was wrong.’"
To Jack Roush's credit, he sat down and talked it out with McMurray. Told him to pick his own crew chief, someone that he would be comfortable with and if that person was available, Roush would hire him.
That's where Larry Carter comes in.
Carter was working for Michael Waltrip, working to help get his Toyota program off the ground. McMurray had known Carter when he was crew chief for Rusty Wallace and McMurray was driving the Busch Series car for Wallace. So he and Carter already had the relationship going. Carter will set the McMurray cars up to drive in the way that will be most beneficial to Jamie.
“We’ve changed so much. We’ve got a new crew chief, new car chief, new engineer, new tire guy, new guys at the shop," McMurray said. "All of the cars are gonna be brand new. We pretty much have already changed everything.
"When our season ended last year, we didn’t know who the crew chief was gonna be and didn’t really know who was gonna be on the team – how many guys were gonna be willing to stay or what was gonna happen. It was a very stressful month or so after the season ended, but I had been talking with Larry," McMurray continued. "I wasn’t 100 percent sure that he was gonna be able to come. He was the guy I wanted for a lot of reasons, but, basically, when I was with Donnie (his crew chief at Ganassi Racing) I didn’t realize the way that the guy would make you feel personally – whether it was talking on the telephone or just the friendship that you have.
"You don’t really realize what you have going for you until you don’t have that. When I came last year I only got to work with Jimmy for a few races. We never really got to have that friendship and with Bob, our personalities were just so much different. Bob certainly had the skills and qualities to make a car go fast, but we didn’t have the off-track or mingling down – just hanging out buddies. So I made a list of who I wanted to try and go get as a crew chief and I knew it would be a challenge, really, to get anybody to come over because when you run as bad as we did, no one really wants to come participate in your activity. So when I saw that Larry was somewhat willing from the get-go, I was excited about that because I already knew him well. I knew that I would be able to have the same relationship or friendship off of the race track as what I had with Donnie. I didn’t realize how important that was to me until I didn’t have it.”
I think McMurray will be the comeback driver of the year. He has the talent and he has the desire -- now if he can only get the right feel. 2...NASCAR will open up the Award's Banquet to the public:
It only makes sense to open the awards banquet to the public but making sense alone doesn't assure that NASCAR would be willing to do anything. Making money does.
It always comes down to making money and we all know that NASCAR doesn't just want your money, they want all of it.
If NASCAR could secure a 500 seat theater and charge $200.00 per seat for admission, that could rake in a hefty $100,000.00 profit for the night. More seats, more money, think of the possibilities. Sponsors and broadcasters would pay for the use of the building as they do now.
I wouldn't pay $200.00 for a seat to the event but I'd be willing to bet that many people would. It would be even more profitable for NASCAR to move the banquet to Las Vegas where the crowds could be enormous. Add in an autograph session at the end of the event and NASCAR could charge even more. The only reason this hasn't been tried is because they haven't thought about it, or it wasn't their idea.
Profit will be NASCAR's only motive to change the event. 3...Jimmie Johnson won't win the 2007 Nextel Cup championship:
As well as Jimmie Johnson has run in the past four years and with the incredible luck that the team has enjoyed, it would be difficult to bet against Johnson in the title chase.
We know Johnson has the talent to drive a race car, we know that the organization that he drives for, Hendrick Motorsports, is arguably the best in NEXTEL Cup racing and we know that Chad Knaus is also one of the best crew chiefs in the business, so what's the problem?
The key words there are -- incredible luck. Jimmie Johnson, has over the years, come up smelling like roses time after time after stepping in cow dung. He can have flat tires, torn up sheet metal, be caught for speeding on pit road and near the end of a race, he and the team are in contention for a victory. I catch myself saying nearly every race, "How does he do that?"
I don't see how that kind of luck can continue. Good things never last forever and his 15 minutes of fame are up. 4...Dale Earnhardt Jr. will win the Daytona 500:
That's right, you heard it here first. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive to his second victory in the "Great American Race" at Daytona International Speedway in February.
The race will be run on the sixth anniversary of the death of his father at the speedway and that will fire him up and inspire him a bit -- but the driver of the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet will do anything now to prove to his step-mother, Teresa Earnhardt, that he can and will be a celebrity and drive a race car at the same time.
It's like walking and chewing gum at the same time, it can be done and Earnhardt Jr. wants desperately to prove this point. 5...Toyota will win this year:
This probably won't be a popular notion with the dreaded Toyotas invading the South, the U.S. of A. and worst of all, NASCAR. It's time to get over it folks, it's all sheetmetal, burning rubber and racing.
It no longer matters what the brand is, these are pure racing machines with metal skins and wide tires.
Because they have done their homework in the Craftsman Truck Series, a first-time championship, Toyota has an excellent chance of winning a race this year. The first victory most likely will come at a short track, Bristol or Martinsville when the "Cars of Tomorrow" race.
All the teams and drivers will be on a more equal footing at those tracks because it's like they will all be starting anew. And it's most likely that the victory will come from Brian Vickers in the Red Bull no. 83 or maybe from Dale Jarrett in the UPS No. 44, possibly at Martinsville. Jarrett has won at Martinsville in the past and he still knows how to win.
There you have it, five bold predictions. Nothing earth shattering, no new revelations, not even a thought on Silly Season.
Have you noticed that there are only 29 days left until the engines fire for the Budweiser Shootout? It's true, not much of an off season for the drivers and especially the crews.

A few more NASCAR nuggets...

UPDATE: Staying within 400 points of the lead no longer will be a factor to get in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. A source close to NASCAR said the governing body is finalizing a plan that will allow the top 12 in points in the 10-race playoff with no provision for how many points a driver is from the lead. The top 10 and anybody within 400 points after 26 races qualified for the playoff during the first three years of the Chase. But because the 400-point margin hasn't been a factor -- seven or fewer drivers were within that range from 2004-06 -- NASCAR decided to set a hard number. Barring a last-minute change, that number will be 12. NASCAR also will award 10 more points to the winner after running several models that showed after 10 the system created more runaway scenarios. An official announcement will come later this month at the media tour in Charlotte. NASCAR officials considered putting in a provision that would allow a driver with the most wins outside the Chase in the playoff, but decided against it. They also decided against expanding the 400-point margin to another figure such as 500.(ESPN.com)(1-8-2007)

Gilmore Expects Dale Jr to sign with DEI soon AND Dale Jr comments, quarrel slowing deal?: Dale Earnhardt Jr. likely isn't going anywhere. Negotiations to re-sign the signature driver of Dale Earnhardt Inc. are on the fast track and likely will be finalized by May if not sooner, DEI director of motorsports Richie Gilmore said on Monday. "Before we come back here in February [for the Daytona 500] would be my wish [to have a deal done] so we wouldn't have the distraction of that every week," Gilmore said during the first day of preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway. "I would say, realistically, probably May." Gilmore said losing the most popular driver on the Nextel Cup Series and the son of seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt never has been a consideration for anybody at DEI, including owner Teresa Earnhardt. Gilmore discounted comments in the Dec. 14 edition of The Wall Street Journal in which Teresa said: "Right now the ball's in [Earnhardt's] court to decide on whether he wants to be a NASCAR driver or whether he wants to be a public personality. I'm around Teresa pretty much every day and I've never heard her comment that way," Gilmore said. "Teresa doesn't get out there a lot to the media, but when I talk to her, it's never negative against Junior that way." Gilmore said every conversation he's had with Teresa involved re-signing her stepson. Gilmore said Teresa has tried to remove herself from negotiations as much as possible "because she thinks it will happen faster maybe if she takes the personal side out of it." Gilmore doesn't find it unusual that Teresa and Earnhardt haven't discussed the comments to the WSJ, noting the two sometimes go two or three months without talking. But he wouldn't describe their relationship as tumultuous as it often is made to sound. "A lot of stuff does get blown out of proportion that makes for good stories," Gilmore said. Gilmore said Earnhardt has become DEI and he can't imagine the company without him, although Earnhardt does talk of driving his father's black #3 for Richard Childress Racing late in his career. "I've never even thought that far down the road," Gilmore said. "Being in the circle with [Earnhardt] and Teresa I don't believe any of us have thought that way."AND Dale Earnhardt Jr. made it clear on Monday that the tumultuous relationship with his stepmother would be a factor in negotiations to return to the Nextel Cup organization his father built after the 2007 season. He also made it clear he wants to return. Ownership appears to be the biggest stumbling block. "That's the obvious," Earnhardt said during the first day of preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway. "I want to be very involved in the company. Aside from [DEI], I have no interest in ownership." To own a part of DEI, Teresa Earnhardt would have to relinquish at least partial control of an organization she has run since Dale Earnhardt was killed on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. That means comments such as the one she made in the Dec. 14 Wall Street Journal about how Earnhardt needs to decide whether he wants to be a driver or a celebrity will make negotiations more emotional than most. "My relationship with the car owner is definitely going to be a factor in my decision to drive there," Earnhardt said. "I haven't talked to Teresa about what she said in [the Journal]. I figured if anything needed to be said she'd call me up and say it. But you know, my and her relationship definitely factor into my decision." Earnhardt became increasingly pointed in remarks about the contract and his stepmother during a break between practices, at one point saying the relationship with Teresa "ain't a bed [of] roses." He took several shots at her, indirectly referring to her absence from the track. He admitted the uncertainty of having the contract issue settled is the most frustrating part about approaching this season. He also said it is the goal of him and his sister, JR Motorsports executive Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, to get a deal done.(much more at ESPN.com)(1-8-2007)

Hey guys - hope you had a great weekend. Here are a couple of newsworthy items of interest that I found over the weekend:



Bobby Hamilton dies at age 49: former Nextel Cup driver and 2004 Truck Series Champion Bobby Hamilton passed away today at age 49, according to his son, Bobby Hamilton, Jr. Hamilton, a former Fairgrounds [Nashville] Speedway champion, missed most of the 2006 season after being diagnosed with cancer.(Tennessean...more details Monday)(1-7-2007)MORE: Bobby Hamilton Racing is saddened to announce that its owner Bobby Hamilton Sr. passed away this afternoon at his home in Nashville, TN from complications of Cancer. “He will be greatly missed as a husband, a father, a grandfather, an owner and a friend,” said the Hamilton Family. “We want to thank everyone for their love and support of our racing operation and the outpouring of care and concern during his cancer battle. One of Bobby’s greatest loves in life was racing and we will continue on in his honor.” Hamilton won four Nextel Cup Races and the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion. Funeral arrangements are pending.(BHR PR)Articles/News: see more articles about the passing of Hamilton at:ESPN.comNASCAR.comUSA TodayMotorsports Soapboxand more on my Articles Links page.(1-8-2007)

NASCAR to expand Chase field and more points for wins in 2007: The Nextel Cup 2007 season will feature more points for victories and more drivers in the Chase for the Cup, NASCAR vice president of corporate communications Jim Hunter said this afternoon. How many points and how many drivers are being determined, Hunter said during a visit to USA TODAY's newsroom in McLean, Va. "We're still running the models," Hunter said, adding that an official announcement will be made during NASCAR's media tour Jan. 22-26 in Charlotte.NASCAR added the Chase for the Cup in 2004 with the top 10 drivers in the points standings and anyone within 400 points of the leader, competing in the final 10 races for the Cup championship.(USA Today)(1-6-2007)

Hey guys - hope you got a chance to catch that Boise St-Oklahoma game. Incredible...at least as good as last year's Rose Bowl. Love to see the underdog represent like they did - excellent playcalling by 1st yr. coach Peterson. Anyway, I found this great blog on ESPN by David Newton - check it out:

Youth movement? Not right now

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Ricky Rudd, 50, is headed to Robert Yates Racing to replace Dale Jarrett. Ward Burton, 45, has signed to drive for Morgan-McClure.
Burton's 39-year-old brother, Jeff, arguably was the Nextel Cup comeback driver of this past season with a victory and berth in the championship chase.
The organization formerly known as MB2 Motorsports, or "MB2 Old" as it has been called, will feature 47-year-old Mark Martin, 43-year-old Joe Nemechek and 49-year-old Sterling Marlin next season.
Jarrett will turn 51 before his first season with the new Toyota team of Michael Waltrip Racing is over. Kenny Schrader will be 52 in May.
Richard Petty, 69, is considering a comeback.
OK, Petty isn't coming back. Regardless, there will be almost as much gray hair circling the track next season as there is in a retirement home.
Even four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, 35, is showing a bit of gray around the ears.
So what happened to the so-called young guns movement that was so prominent a few years ago? Where are all the so-called next Kasey Kahnes?
"I don't know," Ward Burton said from his home in Virginia. "To me, it doesn't matter much difference what age you are. I just haven't been that conscious or aware of what some guy calls a kid and another calls an adult.
"There's kids out there who are 50 years old and adults that are 25, and vice versa."
Perhaps sponsors and owners are starting to realize that experience is worth almost as much as a pretty face, that their products get more exposure when the car is on the track than when parked behind the wall in a crumpled mess.
Seven of the 10 Chase drivers this season were over 30, with 21-year-old Kyle Busch and 26-year-olds Kahne and Denny Hamlin the lone exceptions.
Only 11 of 36 races were won by drivers under 30, with six of those by Kahne. Only two were won by drivers younger than Kahne -- Brian Vickers, 23, at Talladega and Busch at New Hampshire.
"Everybody is looking for a quick fix and there are not that many quick fixes in this sport," Burton said. "It takes a lot of work and a lot of smart activities going on around the race team to make the race team look good."
That older drivers remain in vogue speaks volumes to the shortage of drivers ready for Cup. It's so bad that Chip Ganassi made Formula One star Juan Pablo Montoya a 31-year-old rookie in 2007 rather than take a chance on a younger driver with experience in stock cars.
"I don't think there is a driver shortage," Ganassi said. "There is a good-driver shortage. There's a helluva lot of mediocre drivers. But there's a shortage of good drivers.
"It's like that in every sport. There's never a lack of players. There's just a lack of good ones. I think it's here to stay."
That doesn't mean the sport is hurting for good young drivers. This past year's rookie class was one of the best ever with Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Reed Sorenson and J.J. Yeley.
Paul Menard, who will drive a third car for DEI in '07, showed promise in the Busch Series, finishing sixth in points. David Gilliland showed enough with his Busch Series win at Kentucky that Yates gave him a ride in the No. 38.
But there aren't so many up-and-coming stars that there isn't room for the Rudds and Burtons. Burton takes offense when older drivers are called "recycled" because that's an insinuation they can't do the job anymore.
He reminds that having the right equipment and financial support around a team is as important as or more important than the driver.
It's no different than Brett Favre trying to win football games with a bad offensive line and no defense.
"The car is easier to drive than ever when it's right," Burton said. "It's just a question of getting them right. It really doesn't matter what age you are."