Happy Friday everyone. Habbajeeba, we made it through the week! Today In Nascar History Nov. 20, 2004: David Ragan makes his Nationwide Series debut in the Ford 300 at Homestead. Ragan, 18 at the time, starts 36th and finishes 31st. Kevin Harvick gets the win, Jamie McMurray is second and 19-year-old Kyle Busch is third. Quote of the Year There's an unwritten rule in NASCAR: Thou shalt not take on Dale Earnhardt Jr. --Terry Blount/espn Vote for your driver! www.chexmostpopular Bits and Pieces It's Official: McMurray to drive for Earnhardt-Ganassi in 2010 Greg Engle/nascarexamine As we reported earlier, Jamie McMurray will drive for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in 2010, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team did indeed make the announcement late Wednesday. The full press release follows: Fuel Injection in 2011?: Several sources, including a NASCAR Sprint Cup crew chief and a manufacturer' Sterling Marlin...retiring? denied: Sterling Marlin plans to enter Sunday's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway [Marlin is not on the entry list, but the #70 Chevy driver is listed as TBA-to be announced, so maybe.....] then, after over 30 years of life in the fast lane, will "probably" hang up his helmet. "Will I miss it? Yeah, in some ways," said Marlin, 52, who raced his way out of the Carter's Creek tobacco fields and into international fame with back-to-back Daytona 500 victories in '94 and '95. "But in some ways I'll kinda be glad when it's over. The sport has changed. It's not much fun anymore."(Racin' Today) UPDATE: been told that Marlin says he is not retiring but would think about retiring in the off-season because it just wasn't fun anymore. Marlin has no plans to drive at Homestead. Marlin can be heard on a scheduled radio interview, Thursday, Nov 19th on Race 2 Win Radio around 1:20pm/et. One track left with no win for Hendrick: Homestead-Miami Speedway is the only racetrack on the current Sprint Cup schedule where Hendrick Motorsports has not won a race. The organization, which will wrap up its 25th anniversary season this weekend, has recorded eight top-five finishes and 16 top-10s in 10 Cup events (39 starts) there (HMS). It is also the only race track that #24-Jeff Gordon has not won a Sprint Cup race and for #48-Jimmie Johnson, Homestead is one of six race tracks on the Cup circuit he has not won at [the others being Watkins Glen, Infineon Raceway, Chicago, Michigan and Bristol. Final race for Jack Daniel's in NASCAR: After five years of partnership, Jack Daniel's announced in September they would be discontinuing their NASCAR sponsorship with the conclusion of this weekend's race. In honor of their association with Richard Childress Racing, Jack Daniel's has placed the name of every driver, crew member and administrative person who was part of their program at RCR on the hood of this weekend's #07 Chevy that Casey Mears drives. This will be the last time fans can purchase Jack Daniel's souvenirs from the #07 merchandise trailer. And, Mears will be making his final autograph appearance there on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 12:15pm/et and Mears will make his "last call" at the Jack Daniel's Experience on the same day at 12:00pm/et.( What is up with Scott Riggs: Scott Riggs has had a lot of free time lately, 6 months to be exact. So when the former Nascar Sprint Cup series driver got a call from his former late model team, the Bahama, NC native jumped at the opportunity to go out and play. The recent free agent is looking for his second career Myrtle Beach 400 race victory, and recently spent Monday November 16th Testing at Myrtle Beach. He spent the day getting reacquainted with the track regarded as one of the toughest short tracks in the country. "The track has a lot less grip than it did 10 years ago," Riggs stated after spending some time out on the track before making some changes to the car. But he said the lack of grip and the challenging nature is what gives Myrtle Beach its character, and that's what makes it so gratifying when you run well. So on Saturday November 21st and Sunday November 22nd the crafty veteran will make his return to Myrtle Beach Speedway driving the Romeo Guest Construction #2 Ford Fusion. (Myrtle Beach Speedway) RCR, no wins at Homestead: Homestead has been a bit of an Achilles Heel for Richard Childress Racing and is one of the few race tracks where team owner Richard Childress hasn't earned a Sprint Cup Series victory. As a company, RCR's best finish at HMS came in 2003 and in 2008 when Kevin Harvick finished second. In 29 starts, RCR has four top-five and 13 top-10 finishes at the mile-and-a-half, progressively- Hall of Champions to be enshrined at HMS: "Hall of Champions" Homestead-Miami Speedway Champions Club 12:30-1 p.m. Homestead-Miami Speedway, in conjunction with NASCAR President Mike Helton, will enshrine the inaugural class of the Homestead-Miami Speedway Hall of Champions in the Champions Club high above Turn 1 on Saturday, Nov. 21st at 12:30pm. Inaugural inductees include Cup Champions "The Gentleman" Ned Jarrett, "The Matador" Bobby Allison and reigning three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson.(HMS) MWR wraps up testing with Salo and Trulli: Michael Waltrip Racing officials were pleased with the outcome of a two-day test with Formula One drivers Jarno Trulli and Mika Salo behind the wheel of the #55 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna, FL. "Both Jarno and Mika have done really well," said Steve Hallam, Executive Vice President of Competition for Michael Waltrip Racing and a 27-year Formula One veteran. "They have both delivered competitive lap times. They bring a different perspective to our ears. We are able to hear about the cars in a different way. Also, Trevor (Bayne) being here is very useful because he is articulate and able to relate their experiences to reality. It has been a really positive test and has brought good value to us." Final race for DeWalt on the #17: This weekend will mark the end of an era for Matt Kenseth and Roush Fenway Racing. After more than a decade serving as the primary sponsor for Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 team, DEWALT will run its last race aboard the No. 17 Ford Fusion this weekend at Homestead. One of the most successful partnerships in NASCAR history, the duo of Kenseth and DEWALT teamed for the 2000 Rookie of the Year Award, the 2003 Championship and the 2009 Daytona 500 win during their 10-plus year tenure together.(RFR) Siemens to sponsor the #43; Sorenson thanks RPM: Reed Sorenson drives the #43 Siemens Dodge at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend. Sorenson is behind the wheel of the #43 for the final time for Richard Petty Motorsports. SORENSON: "I want to thank the Richard Petty Motorsports organization for giving me the chance to race the #43 Dodge this year. I did the best I could and tried to represent the number and company in a way that would make Mr. Petty and our sponsors proud. I learned a lot this year. The opportunity to work with people like Richard Petty and Dale Inman is something that I'll never forget. I also want to thank all of the people that I've worked with this year. I know that everyone put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into getting us to the racetrack every week. I wish we could send them off with a win. They are all first class people and I look forward to hopefully working with some of those people again in the future wherever that takes us."(RPM) Junior Johnson to host 'ShineFest': NASCAR Legend Junior Johnson is scheduled to host the inaugural Carolina 'ShineFest in Madison, N.C. Saturday, Nov. 21-Sunday, Nov. 22. Johnson, recently selected to the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, will appear during both days of the event. The Carolina 'ShineFest will entertain, educate and honor important parts of North Carolina's historical and cultural past. The event will focus on North Carolina's rich Moonshine history while allowing event attendees to get a glimpse of the history that led to the creation of stock car racing. Edwards going for win, had 9 wins in 2008: #99-Carl Edwards, who won a Sprint Cup Series-high nine races in 2008, is still looking for his first Cup win in 2009 heading into Sunday's season finale at Homestead. Only once in series history has a driver won more races one season and been shut out the next. Ned Jarrett won 13 times in 1965, but was winless in 1966. He ran only half the season in 1966 and still finished 13th in the points.(Roanoke Times) Bowyer's Crew Captures Tissot Pit Road Award in Phoenix: Clint Bowyer's #33 crew captured the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Sunday's (Nov. 15) NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway. It was the third Tissot win of the season for Bowyer's crew and the second straight win for a Richard Childress Racing (RCR) team. Last week's Tissot winner was the RCR teammate of the #33 the #29 crew for Kevin Harvick. Bowyer's #33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet spent the least amount of time on pit road 170.217 seconds -- during the Checkers O'Reilly Auto Parts 500. The quick stops lifted Bowyer to a seventh-place finish. Bowyer's over-the-wall crew, which earned $5,000 for the win, consists of: Jason Pulver (front-tire changer), Austin Craven (front-tire carrier), Dustin Niecaise (rear-tire changer), Matt Kreuter (rear-tire carrier), Nick Terry (jackman), Bryan Smith (gasman), Chad Haney (catch can) and Scott Brewer (eighth man). The team's crew chief is Shane Wilson. With one Sprint Cup race remaining Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway the crews for Greg Biffle and Jeff Gordon are the only teams in contention to capture the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award season championship. Biffle's crew leads the competition with six wins while Gordon's team is second with five wins. If there's a tie, the team which finishes the highest in the Sprint Cup driver point standings will be awarded the Tissot season title. The season-champion crew will receive $100,000 plus Tissot watches for the crew and driver.(Tissot) Montoya Pleased With McMurray Move By Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service CORAL GABLES, FL — Juan Pablo Montoya, who qualified for the 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in his third full year in the series, sees the addition of Jamie McMurray as a positive move for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. The team announced Wednesday night that McMurray will drive the No. 1 Chevrolet in the Cup series next year. McMurray replaces Martin Truex Jr., who will drive the No. 56 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota in 2010. The hiring represents a reunion between team owner Chip Ganassi and McMurray, who drove for Ganassi from 2002 to 2005 before moving to Roush Fenway Racing. "Chip is really committed to building the team," Montoya said Thursday. "Jamie is a guy with talent who can bring a lot to the table, so I'm pretty excited to have him as a teammate." Montoya, who lives in Miami, has never won a NASCAR race on an oval track; his only win came in 2007 at the Infineon Raceway road course. To score a breakthrough in Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he'll have to overcome distractions. "Well, we'll come here and run as hard as we can, like we do every week, and hopefully what we bring to the table this week is good enough," he said. "It's a little frenzied (racing at the home track). A lot of people come here (asking for tickets). It's more of a headache than a good thing." One final triple for 2009 by Kyle Busch: With #18-Kyle Busch participating in Friday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race, as well as Sunday's Sprint Cup event at Homestead, Busch will make his 84th 85th and 86th overall starts in 2009 across NASCAR's top three series. By merely starting Saturday's Nationwide Series race, Busch will clinch the series championship, his first in NASCAR.(JGR) M&M'S Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR at Homestead: Cynthia Peace, grand prize winner of the M&M'S Seeks the Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR Contest, will receive a VIP experience at Homestead-Miami Speedway that includes meeting Kyle Busch and viewing all three season-ending races in style. An avid NASCAR fan for more than a decade, Peace attended her first race at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., in 1999. She has completed the Richard Petty Driving Experience, her favorite track is Bristol Motor Speedway, her favorite driver is Kyle Petty, and she is excited to share her VIP experience at Homestead with family from California, Oklahoma and Texas. Peace and her husband Bobby are parents of 16-year-old daughter Kelsey and live in Havana, Ill.(JGR) History Awaits: Johnson Closing in On Fourth Straight Title: #48-Jimmie Johnson needs to finish 25th or better in Sunday's Ford 400 to become only the first driver to win four consecutive championships. Johnson now leads second-place Mark Martin by 108 points. Even if Martin were to win and lead the most laps on Sunday a 195-point day Johnson would clinch with that 25th-place finish. The clinch scenarios change if Johnson leads laps. If he leads at least one lap, Johnson will clinch with at least a 27th-place finish. If he leads the most laps Sunday, he needs at least a 28th-place finish. A phenomenal Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup has put Johnson in this position. Over the nine races, Johnson has four wins, six top fives, eight top 10s and an average finish of 7.0. It is the third Chase in which Johnson has won four races. He also did it in 2004 and 2007. The statistics don't bode well for a Mark Martin comeback, but anything can happen. Since the current points structure was implemented in 1975, the largest deficit ever overcome in the final race was 30 points by Alan Kulwicki over Davey Allision in 1992. So, clearly, the 108-point gap to Johnson seems daunting but not impossible. Martin has gained more than 108 points on Jimmie Johnson in a single race nine times their 266-race head-to-head career including once at Homestead. A couple of other numbers to mull over: Johnson has finished worse than 25th 47 times in his 290-race career. If Martin does end the season in second, it would be the fifth runner-up points finish of his career. Richard Petty has the most career runner-up championship finishes, with six.(NASCAR) Jeremy Mayfield's estate on auction block By Mark Boone - NewsChannel 36 Months after he was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR for alleged drug use, Jeremy Mayfield is putting his 475-acre estate on the auction block. Today's sale includes Mayfield's 13,000 square-foot mansion which has been gutted for renovations and remains unfinished, said Will Lilly, an auctioneer for Iron Horse Auctions. Mayfield and his wife, Shana, have been living in a 3,000 square-foot home that is also being offered for sale in the auction. Other items up for bid include a fleet of go-karts purchased from a Myrtle Beach amusement park, dozens of rifles from Mayfield's gun collection, autographed memorabilia, and a Prevost motor home which was originally purchased for $1.4 million. Mayfield fought his suspension from the race track which was upheld by a judge. He's also being sued by his stepmother, who he has blamed for his father's death in 2007. The auction will be held on Mayfield's estate at 6397 Hudson Chapel Road. Allison paved way for venerable Martin By Terry Blount/ESPN. CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Bobby Allison realizes that his record as NASCAR's oldest Cup champion is on the line this weekend, and he gladly would give it up. Allison wouldn't feel that way about just any old driver. But this is Mark Martin, a man who holds a special place in Allison's heart. Allison believed in Martin long before almost anyone else did. And if it wasn't for Allison, Martin might not be here today with a chance to win the title at age 50. You have to go back 22 years to know the story. Allison was nearing the end of his remarkable career. His friend Jack Roush was about to start his career as a NASCAR team owner. Roush needed a driver, and he needed someone he trusted to steer him to the right guy. So he went to Allison and asked for his advice. "Jack came to me and said he wanted my opinion for someone to put in his car," Allison said Thursday. "I had raced against Mark on the short tracks in ASA events through the Midwest. "I was familiar with his talent and his enthusiasm. So I told Jack, 'Why not try Mark Martin?' And he did." Martin had raced in parts of four Cup seasons in the 1980s, but going to Roush's new team in 1988 was his big break. Martin took time to acknowledge that fact Thursday during the championship contenders' news conference. "It's so good to see Bobby Allison here," Martin said. "I owe a part of what I do today to Bobby." Allison, a Miami native, is the honorary starter for Sunday's Ford 400. He's looking pretty spry at 71, 26 years removed from his only Cup title, which he won in 1983, when he was 45. No man on the planet knows better how Martin feels than Allison. Until he finally got the Cup title, Allison held the moniker Martin has now -- the best driver never to win a championship. "I was worried about that, for sure," Allison said of his runner-up status. "I got so close so many times. I was at my wits' end. And really, I had to sell my soul to finally get that championship. I made a deal with [team owner] Bill Gardner where I didn't get paid the year I won it." Allison was a five-time runner-up before he finally got it done. Martin will become a five-time runner-up if Jimmie Johnson holds on to win his historic fourth consecutive Cup title Sunday. But Martin has said many times that it doesn't matter to him now. Does Allison believe it? "No. He wants to be a champion," Allison said. "For everyone of us, this is what turns us on. It's not just to win a race, but to win the big race. The championship is the race of the season. "He wants it, but I understand he has to keep that in some kind of range that he can deal with it. You guys [the media] can put so much pressure on us poor little racer guys." Martin is 108 points behind Johnson entering the final race. Unless Johnson has a major problem with a crash or a mechanical failure, Martin will fall short again. "I'm not looking over my shoulder or looking ahead, either," Martin said. "We could wind up fourth in the points. But I'm not worried about that or Jimmie. "It's been the best year of my life, professionally and personally. To give the best team out here a run for their money has made me very proud." Whether it's Johnson or Martin, Rick Hendrick will earn a record ninth Cup championship as a team owner. He said his organization is better than ever before because he persuaded Martin to race full time again and take over the No. 5 Chevy. Before Martin arrived, Hendrick had a message for all this employees: "If Mark Martin joins our organization, it will make all of us better," Hendrick told them. "And he has made all of us better. I don't know how this guy hasn't won a championship. If there is a reason, maybe it's that Martin was too nice a guy. He never wanted to win a race at the expense of wrecking someone else. "If you do a good job, you don't have to wear a mask and a gun," Martin said. "That's not how I want to win. You race people the way you want to be raced." Martin is the perfect example of sportsmanship, but many people do list him among the best ever to sit in a stock car. Martin disagrees. "My career does not stand up against the greats in this business," he said. If so, why is he so revered? "Because I'm a worker," he said. "I'm the guy that rolls up his sleeves. I worked really hard and raced pretty hard. And I tried to do it fair and square." Whether he wins a championship or not, this is how he'll be remembered. Martin has raced clean his entire career and done things with dignity. It's interesting that Johnson, the man Martin hopes to catch for the title, also is seen in that light. On Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, they'll race for the same goal. But what about the overall goal? Johnson was asked what more he would want for himself if he wins his fourth title. In other words, what's the meaning of it all? Johnson said he just wants to keep doing what he's doing. But Martin's long journey has enabled him see it a little differently. At 50, he understands who he is and what drives him. "I've thought about that myself," Martin said. "All I've ever wanted was to be a winner. And that doesn't mean in my career or Monopoly or Scrabble." We know what he means. Even Allison knew it back in 1987. Martin wanted to be a winner in life. No worries there. Win or lose on Sunday, that part was decided long ago. Play the Hamlin-Keselowski feud for all it's worth By Pete Pistone/Special to CBSSports.com Many believe NASCAR has been without a good old-fashioned rivalry for quite some time. In this age of multi-car teams and mega sponsorships, some argue the passion between drivers is a relic from NASCAR's storied past. Well, those who long for the days of stock car racing's Hatfields and McCoys should be pretty pleased with the current feud between Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin. To say the pair don't exactly see eye to eye is a fair assessment. Keselowski and Hamlin have been leaning on each other, sniping at one another and generally disliking the other just about the entire Nationwide Series season. But things came to a boil last weekend at Phoenix when the duo made contact a couple of times on the track, with the battle boiling over to a war of words after the race. Hamlin basically guaranteed payback at this week's Nationwide Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "I just wanted to say [to Keselowski], 'Hey, look, you wreck me at Watkins Glen last year, you wreck me at Dover this year, you force me into the three-wide wreck at California, how many times have I wrecked you? Zero. Never have I wrecked you. Until I get back in a Nationwide car,'" Hamlin said after the meeting. "It's a self-policing garage," Hamlin said after exchanging words with Keselowski in the desert. "NASCAR doesn't want to get in the middle of it. If it's the opinion of me or maybe one other guy, then, hey, maybe it's me. But every driver in the garage comes up to me and says, 'That guy is a complete whack job,' not everyone is wrong and he's right. And the thing is, he says, 'What do you want me to say?' I say, 'You don't want to say you're sorry? Nothing? It's cool?' And he says, 'I'm cool.' And I said, 'All right, we're cool then.'" Hamlin let one final sting ring out. "Let me tell you something, the one thing he ain't got is more talent than me," Hamlin said. Keselowski maintained Hamlin caused the initial contact and that the second incident when the two touched in Turn 4, sending Hamlin spinning around, was in no way retaliation. "Denny got in the back of me and pushed me up the track and I was going to return the favor," Keselowski said. "When he did it to me, I saved it, and when I did it to him, he didn't save it. We just got in a pushing match. I don't really hold any grudges. I don't know why he wanted to do that. It's just the way racing is, I guess." NASCAR officials including Brian France met with Keselowski -- who has quickly earned a reputation as one of the sport's most aggressive drivers -- hoping to settle down the young pilot who will make the move to a full-time Sprint Cup ride with Penske Racing next season. While the feud has made headlines all week, NASCAR is trying to head things off before more fireworks erupt this week in Homestead. "Race drivers, in the heat of battle, say a lot of things," Nationwide Series director Joe Balash said. "We had a conversation. A lot of things were said. There will be a whole different scenario when we get to the race track next week. We've got a whole week to manage the expectations of next week. You never condone retaliation. But while no one wants to see anything dangerous take place on the track or a Hamlin-Keselowski scuffle sweep up other innocent bystanders in Saturday's race, NASCAR should embrace this dispute. It's a race promoter's dream to have a couple of young, aggressive and high-profile drivers at odds, and I have to believe this little spat will sell a few more tickets to Saturday's race in South Florida. Controversy is a lightning rod for interest and there's nothing like a couple of feuding stock car drivers to get the attention of race fans, many of whom aren't completely thrilled with the current NASCAR product. Here's hoping Hamlin and Keselowski don't shake hands and bury the hatchet for a while. It will be fun to watch this "disagreement" continue into NASCAR's top division next year. And it may be a very good thing to awaken NASCAR Nation. And we thought feuds fueled fans' passion By Jim Utter - charlotteobserver. My two cents Some things in NASCAR just don't make sense to me. All season long I've heard race fans complain about the lack of good competition – perceived or otherwise. Add to that complaints the drivers are too "vanilla" and NASCAR polices the sport too much. "Remember the past," they yell. Let the drivers decide the issues on the track, they say. But then when exactly that scenario unfolds, they change tunes. Case in point: The feud between Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski. Over the past several weeks, Hamlin and Keselowski have had run-ins on the track, with Hamlin usually complaining Keselowski is overly aggressive. Keselowski has also had run-ins with other drivers, but none as public as with Hamlin. Keselowski, 25, already has a Sprint Cup Series win, could finish second in points in the Nationwide Series and has earned four wins in that series this season and six in his two years of full-time competition. Yet, with Hamlin acting almost as a cheerleader for the cause, fans seem taken aback by Keselowski's actions on the track: racing hard every lap, nudging and rooting people out of the way to gain positions that put him sight of race wins. Complaints about Keselowski range include "he needs to pay his dues," or "he needs to earn respect," or "he needs to remember who he's racing." Huh? This is racing. The object is to go as fast as you can and get to the finish before everybody else. If that's not the objective, this isn't the place for you. If a driver knocks people out of the way, doesn't respect those around him and drives with reckless abandon, let the driver deal with the consequences – from either NASCAR or competitors. Good feuds and hard racing are what led to NASCAR's success. Anybody remember the name Earnhardt? A spot in top 35 on the line The race to claim a spot in the top 35 of car owner points, which guarantees a starting position in the 2010 Daytona 500, is down to one position – 35th. The No. 34 team owned by Teresa Earnhardt ranks 35th with 2,667 points. The only team with a shot at taking that spot away is Red Bull Racing's No. 82, driven by rookie Scott Speed. Speed trails by 114 points and would have to match his best performance of the year (fifth) to have a shot at overcoming the deficit. Bires to make JR Motorsports debut Kelly Bires, hired by JR Motorsports to replace Brad Keselowski in its No. 88 Chevrolets in the Nationwide Series next season, is getting an early start. Bires will drive the No. 5 in this weekend's season finale at Homestead as a teammate to Keselowski, who moves to Penske Racing next season. "We wanted to get Kelly in one of our cars before the season was out," said team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. "It's important that Kelly hit the ground running at Daytona next year, and this certainly helps." Kligerman gets another start Penske development driver Parker Kligerman, who was runner-up in the Automobile Racing Club of America series this season, will make his second Nationwide start this weekend. Kligerman will drive the No. 22 Dodge. He won the pole and finished 16th in his season debut Oct. 3 at Kansas.
Richard Petty still drawing a royal following By Bob Gillespie - thestate.com The sleek Dodge Challenger SRTA, painted its distinctive shade of blue, drew admiring looks from the auto racing fans who poured through the doors of the Mike Addy Chrysler/Dodge/ They quickly lined up, waiting their turn to meet Richard Petty, NASCAR's winningest driver and "The King" of his sport. Petty, still trim at 72 and wearing his signature cowboy hat, jeans, boots and sunglasses, perched on a stool and patiently signed model cars, caps, photos, posters – even an oil painting of Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt with "autographs" of NASCAR's two seven-time champions. "I had a guy do it for me" in 2001, said Lexington's Kevin Brown, then owner of a racing souvenir store. "But I didn't think the autographs were real, since Earnhardt died six weeks before I got the painting." Petty grinned before affixing his looping signature. "NOW it's authentic," he told Brown. Winner of a record 200 races and a member of the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Petty was promoting a new project, Petty's Garage, which produces high-performance cars. The retro-1970s Challenger will be auctioned off in Scottsdale, Ariz., in late January, with proceeds going to the Petty Family Foundation. "(Auction house Barrett-Jackson) auctioned off another car for $500,000, not one of mine," Petty said. "I doubt this will bring that much, but anything helps the cause." This year has been busy for Petty. Besides sharing the Hall of Fame spotlight in Charlotte, he has overseen a merger of Richard Petty Motorsports with Yates Racing, set to take place in early 2010. "When I started out running here in Columbia, in Cayce, you never thought about being in a hall of fame," Petty said. "You were just thinking about doing your job, and you went out and done it." Petty said he would have preferred the first Hall class to be about the "first era" of NASCAR, and thought France Jr. and Earnhardt should have waited while Spartanburg' "Big Bill (France) started (NASCAR) and Junior (Johnson) was there when he started it, I was there, and Pearson was there," he said. "(France Jr.) and Earnhardt, that's another era. "I thought they should've covered the first era, and the second era with the next crowd. But (NASCAR) did it like they wanted to, and I'm just fortunate to get in." Petty's role with the RPM-Yates operation "won't change a lot," he said. The team will end its long-time ties with Chrysler and Dodge to run Fords in 2010. "We take over a program that's established with Ford, and we're established, so that should make us stronger and Ford stronger," he said. Petty conceded NASCAR's move in recent years away from the Carolinas, "which is where it all started," has cost it ties with its roots. "To get more sponsorships and fans, we had to go where they was at. They couldn't all come to Charlotte or Darlington; we had to go to New Hampshire and Chicago and Texas, Kansas City, California." These days, Petty marvels at NASCAR's national profile. But he remains most at home with fans such as those on hand Wednesday. "I had a pretty good career, and some (fans) appreciate that part of it," he said. "I know I appreciate what I got out of it, and hopefully they got something out of it, too." Judging by the turnout, they still do. By the Numbers: Homestead Numbers favor Johnson, but anything can happen Johnson has finished 26th or worse 47 times in his career By Bill Kimm, NASCAR.COM Twenty-fifth place. That's all that stands between Jimmie Johnson and his historic fourth consecutive Cup Series championship. If Johnson finishes 25th or better in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC), the Cup title is his. The good news for Mark Martin, who is the only driver that can catch Johnson, is that Johnson has finished 26th or worse 47 times in his career. Even better news for Martin is one of those came at Homestead, when the No. 48 crashed in 2005 and came home 40th. The bad news for Martin is aside from that slip, Johnson has been impressive in Miami. He doesn't have a win, but he does have five top-10s in eight starts, including a second and a third back in '03 and '04. Even worse news for Martin is how Johnson returns to the track after a victory. In 46 starts following a visit to Victory Lane, Johnson has nine victories, 23 top-fives and 31 top-10s. So after a victory, Johnson averages a finish of 9.47. Johnson has finished 26th or worse after a victory six times, but the last time that happened was in 2007. Inside the Data Chase drivers at Homestead-Miami Speedway
DID YOU KNOW? 7.0 Average finish of Jimmie Johnson in this year's Chase. Believe it or not, this is only his third best Chase. In 2007, he averaged a finish of 5.0 en route to his second Cup title. Last year his average finish was 5.7 for title number three. His first championship was won with an average finish in the Chase of 10.8. NECESSITOUS NUMBERS 1 Homestead is the only Cup track Jeff Gordon has competed on and has yet to score a victory. He has a win at 21 of the 22 tracks currently on the Cup schedule along with wins at Rockingham and North Wilkesboro. 2 Mark Martin is just the second driver in Cup Series history to win five or more races in a season over the age of 50. Harry Gant won five races in 1991 at the age of 51. 3 Three drivers average a top-10 finish at Homestead: Carl Edwards (6.4), Kevin Harvick (9.1) and Jeff Gordon (9.9). 3 Three drivers have led 20 or more races this season. Jimmie Johnson has led the most races with 28 of 35, Mark Martin held the lead in 23 races and Kurt Busch led 21 races. 3 Three drivers have been running at the finish in all 35 races this season: Casey Mears, Juan Montoya and David Reutimann. 5 Kevin Harvick has top-10 finishes at Homestead in five of the past six races. He's finished second twice and finished on the lead lap in all six events. 6 Roush Fenway Racing has won six of the 10 Cup races held at Homestead, including the past five. Kurt Busch took the checkered in 2002, Greg Biffle rolled off three consecutive from '04-'06, Matt Kenseth earned his first win at the track in '07 and Carl Edwards is the defending race winner. 7.8 Average starting position of the winners at Homestead in the Chase era. Four of the five races were won from a starting position inside the top seven. Greg Biffle's win from the 22nd starting position in 2006 is the deepest a race winner has started at Homestead. 12 Rick Hendrick will win his 12th national series owners title Sunday at Homestead, putting him alone in first place with 12. Richard Childress is second with 11. 492 Number of points Carl Edwards has scored in the past three races at Homestead, tops among all drivers. In those races, Edwards finished first, fifth and eighth. Martin Truex Jr. is second with 464 points and Denny Hamlin is third with 459. NASCAR ON TV THIS WEEK
All times Eastern Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain, Your Nascar Momma Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." -Dale Earnhardt - 1998 |
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