Truck: Gilliland Lowe's report

The Racer's Group has entered a car or truck in every race at Lowe's during the All-Star/Coke 600 weekends. David Gilliland has already posted one top-10 finish with a sixth in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Camping World Truck Series race and his comments can be found at Motorsport.com.

Our View: Gilliland started the season with such promise and has fallen on hard times lately. This could be what it takes to restore some confidence to the team, but he is still a long way from being recommended in the Coke 600.

France defends NASCAR

A transcript from Brian France's press conference at Lowe's, in which he defends NASCAR's drug policy, can be found at Motorsport.com.

Our View: It's the usual defense of the policy—and the usual "missing of the point." No one is saying NASCAR doesn't have the right and need to test drivers, but there is no reason on earth for them not to tell drivers what they are testing for.

IRL: More notes from day 9

Motorsport.com has published their own set of day nine notes from the third day of qualification.

Our View: Among other things, you will find out that Tomas Scheckter's car has been painted a "luscious sea-blue livery for his new sponsor Mona-Vie." Now there's some need to know information.

IRL: Duno betters time

Milka Duno has bettered her qualification time at Indy with a speed of 221.106, which places her 32nd on the grid. If she had posted that time on Saturday, she would have landed 25th.

Our View: This certainly improves her odds of starting the Indy 500, and that will mean that three female drivers make the show. Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher are comfortably in the show.

F1: Mosley vows "no compromise"

"We've had an interesting meeting, an exchange of views, but nothing has come out of it," Max Mosley said following a meeting with the Formula One Teams Association in London, according to Motorsport.com.

Our View: The arrogance of a "no compromise" statement is countered somewhat by the confusion over why owners think the need to spend more than $60 million. It's hard to take a side in this dogfight.

Stewart on his All-Star win

Tony Stewart met with reporters after the All-Star race and described his last couple of laps.

I've said this 50 times since I got in the car: I can't believe he gave me the bottom. We got a run on him two laps before and got a run off of 2 at the bottom, got beside him. I overdrove it in 3 and just got down there and got loose trying to clear him, and he was able to get back by us. And then he went to the bottom in 1 and 2 the next lap.

I don't think he was great down there, but he was good enough, I think, to hold us off. But the next lap we go back through there and we got a run off of 4 on him.

I was prepared to go at least to the middle or to the top and run somewhere different because I knew I wasn't going to be able to follow him through there again.

And on the entry he ran up high, and I was like: Wow, I can't believe he's giving me the bottom again. I got down there, got in the gas real quick and got by. And it was the best the car was all night. Darian made a handful of adjustments on that last caution and, man, did it wake that car up.

It just was stuck those last 10 laps. We were as good as the guys in front of us. We were just in traffic with them. And I'm confident even if Jeff didn't have a problem or Jimmie didn't have a problem around us, that we had a shot at running with those guys.

I don't know if we would have got by those two, but Ryan Newman was probably the guy that should have been in Victory Lane tonight. He got a tire cut and had to come get it fixed.
But, man, it was just awesome to finally get into Victory Lane here with a group of guys that have been looking at this for a long time.

Dover renovation completed

It was the last NASCAR track to modernize its pits to 43 slots, but the renovation on Dover International Speedway is now complete, according to SceneDaily.com.

Our View: Not only does Dover have 43 stalls, each of them are longer than last year and pit lane is wider. This will have a significant impact on fantasy owners since qualification in the back will not be quite as bad as before. Since Dover is a rhythm track, however, qualification cannot be completely discounted.

Gale goes Canadian

Kevin Harvick, Inc. driver Cale Gale will compete in most of the NASCAR Canada races this year, campaigning for Farewell Racing, according to SceneDaily.com.

Our View: Harvick summed it up best, "Cale is a very talented young driver who needs seat time," Harvick said in a news release. "When FRI approached us with the opportunity for Cale to drive for them, we saw it as a win-win."

F1: Lola announces 2010 intentions

While Ferrari, Renault and other race teams are threatening to exit Formula 1 in response to a proposed salary cap, British car maker Lola announced its intention to return to the sport in 2010, according to Formula1.com.

Our View: The salary cap brouhaha sounds like a tempest in a teapot and even if the major makers carry through on their threat to pull out, the head to head competition is liable to improve.

IRL: Tracy may run more races in 2009

Paul Tracy may run additional races in 2009 for KV Racing, according to IndyCar.com. He will start the Indy 500 in 13th, which has generated interest in the fiery Canadian.

Our View: For the moment, the focus is on the Canadian road races and that fits Tracy's skill set best. If he makes the starts, he could be a great value.

2009 All-Star Results

Smoke 'em if you got 'em. It was only a matter of time before Tony Stewart became a winner as the owner of his own team and it doesn't matter one little bit that this was an exhibition race.

After the race, second-place finisher Matt Kenseth told reporters that Stewart "rolled by me like I was tied to a tree," and it was sheer determination that got him to the lead.

Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards rounded out the top five after relatively quiet nights.

Fan vote winner Joey Logano advanced from 21st to eighth, which has to have improved his confidence as his rookie campaign nears the mid-season mark.

Unfortunately, the drivers with the dominant cars all sustained crash damage and were not in contention at the end. Jimmie Johnson pounded the wall in the final segment in a single car incident, while Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon got together only three laps into the 10-lap shootout.

Results

Finish	Start	Driver	Laps	Status	Avg Fin *
1	15	Tony Stewart	100	Running	7.55
2	3	Matt Kenseth	100	Running	6.44
3	2	Kurt Busch	100	Running	12.13
4	18	Denny Hamlin	100	Running	16.50
5	14	Carl Edwards	100	Running	11.20
6	5	Mark Martin	100	Running	12.91
7	13	Kyle Busch	100	Running	18.60
8	21	Joey Logano	100	Running	8.00
9	20	Jamie McMurray	100	Running	19.43
10	4	Dale Earnhardt Jr	100	Running	7.80
11	7	Bobby Labonte	100	Running	13.12
12	17	Clint Bowyer	100	Running	21.50
13	1	Jimmie Johnson	100	Running	6.00
14	8	Kasey Kahne	100	Running	13.14
15	9	Kevin Harvick	100	Running	11.67
16	19	Sam Hornish Jr	100	Running	11.50
17	10	Brad Keselowski	100	Running	17.00
18	12	Ryan Newman	93	Accident	8.88
19	6	Jeff Gordon	92	Accident	11.33
20	16	Jeff Burton	85	Engine	17.44
21	11	Greg Biffle	71	Accident	16.00

* Avg. Fin includes "Showdown" results unless a driver advanced into All-Star portion.

Shootout Results

F1: Monaco Quotes

Formula1.com has posted team and driver quotes for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Our View: “Monaco is my favorite circuit," said Lewis Hamilton. "The sensation you get from racing up the hill at 175mph, trying to make as straight a line as possible between the barriers while just shaving them with the walls of the tires is unbelievable." Along with the Indy 500 and Coke 600, this is one of the biggest days in auto racing.

2009 Shootout Results

Sam Hornish Jr. is making a career out of advancing into the All-Star race. Can another transferee win?

Jamie McMurray finished second and advanced. Joey Logano received the fan vote to advance into the All-Star race.


Results

Finish	Start	Driver
1	8	Sam Hornish Jr.
2	30	Jamie McMurray
3	3	David Stremme
4	13	David Reutimann
5	19	Joey Logano
6	6	Martin Truex Jr
7	10	A J Allmendinger
8	7	David Ragan
9	32	Robby Gordon
10	14	Marcos Ambrose
11	4	Dave Blaney
12	11	Juan Montoya
13	23	Casey Mears
14	28	Michael Waltrip
15	22	David Gilliland
16	16	Bill Elliott
17	24	Paul Menard
18	34	Reed Sorenson
19	20	Scott Speed
20	21	Joe Nemechek
21	9	Max Papis
22	33	J J Yeley
23	15	Dexter Bean
24	35	Tony Raines
25	5	Scott Riggs
26	12	Mike Wallace
27	26	Todd Bodine
28	17	Derrike Cope
29	25	Mike Garvey
30	29	David Starr
31	18	Norm Benning
32	1	Kirk Shelmerdine
33	27	Elliott Sadler
34	31	Brian Vickers
35	2	Carl Long

All-Star Results

IRL: Day 9 report

IndyCar.com has posted the trackside report for day 9 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Our View: This was the third day of qualifying and it provided fantasy owners with a full field of hopefuls. Qualification was dramatic as Stanton Barrett narrowly missed qualifying in the last two corners as the last car to go out on track.

IRL: Junqueira enters 500

Bruno Junqueira will be a last minute entry for the Indy 500, according to IndyCar.com.

Our View: This deal came together at the last minute with Conquest Racing and sponsorship from All Sport Drink. Junqueira sat on the pole for the 2002 Indy 500, but he'll have to qualify on bump day this year since he was unable to make an attempt on Saturday.

Almirola wants back in

Aric Almirola has been wandering around the garage area at Lowe's, wondering how he can get back in a NASCAR Cup ride, according to SceneDaily.com.

Our View: Almirola is a solid mid-cap pick, especially on the short tracks so it would be nice to see Dale Earnhardt, Inc. get a sponsor and field the No. 8.

IRL: Day 8 report

IndyCar.com has posted the trackside report for day 8 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Our View: Mike Conway's health and Tomas Scheckter's return to the track highlight this report.

IRL: Indy 500 full

The Indy 500 will be full as 33 cars have qualified and now the bumping will begin.

Our View: Only a handful of cars will go home, but this is one of the most emotional races of the year to miss.

Free Jeremy?

Dustin Long reports via Twitter that a plane just flew over the track with a banner reading "Free Jeremy."

Our View: That pretty much says it all.

Ragan confused by slow start

David Ragan is confused and a little frustrated by his slow start to 2009, according to SceneDaily.com.

Our View: Ragan ended 2008 with seven top-15s in the last eight races and it appeared he would carry that momentum over into this season when he finished sixth in the Daytona 500. Since then, however, he's earned only one more top-15 in 10 starts and has an average finish of 26.4. Wait for his fortunes to improve before adding him to your roster.

No provision for appeal in NASCAR drug policy

Brian France has said NASCAR won't consider an appeal policy for their drug test, according to SceneDaily.com.

Our View: And NASCAR wonders why their popularity with fans is eroding; it's this "we're smarter than God" attitude that just sort of rubs folks the wrong way. While the policy is laudable and necessary, it's hard to imaging the sanctioning body is so arrogant that they can't conceive of making a mistake.

IRL: 30 cars qualified

John Andretti and Milka Duno waved off their qualification attempt and the Indy 500 has 30 drivers qualified so far with a little less than two hours remaining in Saturday's session.

Our View: After a wet start that delayed time trials, every driver who wanted to go out early has, but look for activity to pick up in the final 45 minutes or so. The track is now open for practice.

IRL: Day three qualification underway

The track has dried and day three qualification is underway. Looks like there will be enough time to get a full field before the end of the day.

Our View: The first two drivers on track were E.J. Viso and Townsend Bell. It's important to have a good time on Saturday in case qualification is rained out on Sunday—the final scheduled day for time trials.

Truck: North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Results

Ron Hornaday Jr. continues to pad his record in the Camping World Truck Series by earning his 40th victory. The inactive Jack Sprague sits at 28, while Mike Skinner is two further back with 26. Hornaday had a sizeable advantage at the end of the race, but a big reason for that was because Kyle Busch got penalized by NASCAR for rough driving after he crashed then-leader Colin Braun.

Skinner has the second most Truck victories, but Friday night was a rough one for the veteran. He tried to make a questionable pass on Johnny Sauter on the front stretch midway through the event and slammed the wall. As soon as he contacted the concrete, T.J. Bell piled in and sent the No. 5 truck tumbling toward turn one. Thank goodness NASCAR requires these things to get built to rigid standards.

Results

Finish	Start	Driver	Laps	Laps Led	Status	Avg Fin
1	3	Ron Hornaday Jr	134	29	Running	8.20
2	1	Kyle Busch	134		Running	4.60
3	5	Matt Crafton	134	11	Running	6.57
4	20	Ryan Newman	134		Running	4.00
5	9	Terry Cook	134		Running	8.43
6	19	David Gilliland	134		Running	6.00
7	15	David Starr	134		Running	16.00
8	12	Tayler Malsam	134		Running	8.00
9	10	Stacy Compton	134		Running	18.50
10	28	Dennis Setzer	134		Running	11.00
11	11	Rick Crawford	134		Running	10.29
12	14	James Buescher	134		Running	12.00
13	18	Johnny Sauter	134		Running	13.00
14	22	Jason White	134		Running	20.00
15	8	Chad McCumbee	134	17	Running	12.50
16	21	Brian Ickler	133		Running	16.00
17	32	Mario Gosselin	133		Running	17.00
18	34	Ryan Hackett	133		Running	18.00
19	33	Ben Stancil	131		Running	19.00
20	35	Chris Jones	131		Running	20.00
21	7	Brian Scott	129		Running	28.00
22	30	Brent Raymer	128		Running	22.00
23	6	Johnny Benson Jr	128		Running	15.40
24	27	Norm Benning	126		Running	24.00
25	4	Todd Bodine	97	7	Accident	15.67
26	17	Colin Braun	88	43	Accident	20.50
27	24	Mike Bliss	53		Engine	22.00
28	23	Brandon Knupp	43		Engine	28.00
29	2	Mike Skinner	34	27	Accident	19.83
30	16	T J Bell	34		Accident	19.50
31	13	Timothy Peters	24		Accident	27.75
32	26	Marc Mitchell	14		Quit	28.00
33	29	Johnny Chapman	9		Quit	31.00
34	36	John Jackson	9		Quit	34.00
35	25	Donnie Neuenberger	6		Quit	30.00
36	31	Chris Fontaine	4		Quit	36.00

Rain everywhere

Rain has slowed activity in Indianapolis and Charlotte both. Qualification for the Indy 500 is on hold, but hopefully tonight's All-Star activity will go as planned.

Our View: For that matter, the World of Outlaws Late Model race in Lawrenceburg, Ill. has been canceled by rain. It's hard to be a race fan some weeks.

Schrader to run WoO Late Models

Ken Schrader might not have a NASCAR ride for the moment, but he'll be racing on Memorial Day. He joins the World of Outlaws Late Model series for a tripleheader at US 36 Raceway, 34 Raceway and Charter Raceway from 5/22 through 5/24, according to the WoOLateModels Web site.

Our View: You can't keep Schrader out of a car, and it's great to see him competing in a major series such as this.

Truck: Hornaday wins at Lowe's

Ron Hornaday used new tires late in the Lowe's race and held off Kyle Busch to win a crash-marred Camping World Truck Series race. It was his 40th Truck victory.

Our View: Notable others included Ryan Newman, which we predicted before the start of the race, and Matt Crafton in third.

Truck: Point-leader Skinner takes hard hit

The Camping World Truck Series points' leader Mike Skinner took a vicious hit after he tried to make a questionable pass on Johnny Sauter on lap 35 of the Lowe's race and spun in front of T.J. Bell. Skinner ended up on his lid.

Our View: He'll take a huge hit in the standings, but Skinner keyed the mike and told the crew he was o.k. before exiting the truck.

All-Star Race Lineup

No one is particularly surprised that Jimmie Johnson won the pole for Saturday night's All-Star race. Even with a curveball of a pit stop and three-lap qualification format, the cream rises to the top.

Kurt Busch in second and Matt Kenseth in third were the only drivers to break up the Hendrick Motorsports juggernaut at the top of the grid, however, since Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon settled into positions fourth through sixth. All of these drivers had flawless qualification sessions.

The same could not be said about Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Jeff Burton who were penalized for a variety of reasons. Tony Stewart forgot the team was changing four tires and had to back up to complete service and Denny Hamlin broke a transmission, which contributed to their poor starting spots.

All-Star Lineup

Start	Driver	Avg. Start	Avg. Fin	Attempts
1	Jimmie Johnson	10.71	5.00	7
2	Kurt Busch	7.57	13.43	7
3	Matt Kenseth	8.25	7.00	8
4	Dale Earnhardt Jr	13.44	7.56	9
5	Mark Martin	8.38	13.24	21
6	Jeff Gordon	8.71	10.88	17
7	Bobby Labonte	8.81	13.25	16
8	Kasey Kahne	12.00	13.00	6
9	Kevin Harvick	7.75	11.25	8
10	Brad Keselowski
11	Greg Biffle	8.80	15.17	6
12	Ryan Newman	9.00	7.57	7
13	Kyle Busch	4.75	21.50	4
14	Carl Edwards	10.00	12.75	4
15	Tony Stewart	11.40	8.20	10
16	Jeff Burton	12.00	17.29	17
17	Clint Bowyer	16.33	24.67	3
18	Denny Hamlin	10.00	20.67	3

All-Star qualification penalties

The following drivers earned penalties in All-Star qualification: Greg Biffle (5 seconds for a loose lugnut), Kyle Busch (5 seconds for a loose lugnut), Carl Edwards (15 seconds for three loose lugnuts) and Jeff Burton (20 second for speeding on pit road).

Our View: To win the pole in All-Star qualification, a driver has to have a perfect stop as well as a fast car.

Johnson wins All-Star pole

Jimmie Johnson set the fastest time in All-Star qualification, with a time of 121.42 seconds.

Our View: Johnson continues to own this track. He's the closest thing to a must have for your fantasy All-Star lineup.

Truck: Lowe's lineup

FoxSports.com has posted the starting lineup for the Lowe's Camping World Truck Series race.

Our View: There are some fast Trucks up front, but Ryan Newman and David Gilliland on row 10 cannot be completely ignored.

Showdown qualification canceled

Qualification for the Sprint Showdown has been canceled and the field will be set based on how the drivers drew for time trials.

Our View: This sprint race can be dramatic and now that fast cars will be sprinkled throughout the field, it's going to get even more exciting.

Truck qualification rained out

Craftsman Truck Series qualification has been rained out, so Friday night's event will be set by points.

Our View: That puts Kyle Busch on the pole, and if you didn't think he was a favorite already, his odds just improved. He won this race back-to-back in 2005/2006. Click here for the average finish during the last five years.

Johnson wins All-Star practice

Jimmie Johnson posted the fastest single lap in practice for the All-Star race, with a lap of 183.393 mph.

Our View: Is this surprising to anyone out there? Johnson has owned Lowe's Motor Speedway in recent years and the exhibition race has not been an exception.

All-Star Showdown practice speeds

Jayski.com has posted the practice speeds from the All-Star practice, along with average speeds when possible.

Our View: Since NASCAR's TrackPass Leaderboard does not archive, this is a great source for the information.

Allmendinger fastest in Showdown practice

A.J. Allmendinger posted the fastest single lap in All-Star practice with a speed of 182.223 mph.

Our View: In normal conditions, we are also concerned with how quick a car is during longer runs—but this is a sprint to the checkers and the Dinger's fast speed makes him a favorite to advance in the All-Star race on Saturday night.

Shelmerdine wrecks in All-Star practice

Kirk Shelmerdine became the first casualty of All-Star practice when he slapped the wall in the closing minutes.

Our View: A total of 35 cars will try to qualify for the Showdown, so he should be able to make the race and earn at least last place money. That should pay to have the right side of the car repaired.

Reddin resigns from RPM

Tom Reddin has resigned from his post as CEO of Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM), according to ESPN.com.

Our View: Reddin has taken much of the heat leveled at RPM. A former CEO of Lending Tree, he may have found out how difficult this sport can be to industry outsiders. It is unlikely that Foster Gillet will help this team perform much better in the short term and the organization needs to look for someone who knows racing.

Truck: Lowe's, 5-yr avg. finish

Lowe's is made up of some interesting finishes from part time drivers, which is why A.J. Allmendinger and Carl Edwards sit atop the five-year average finish chart for the Craftsman Truck Series. Why is this important? Because Ryan Newman looks to add his name to this list.

Among drivers entered this weekend, Kyle Busch has the best average finish of 5.25 during the last two years and that is highlighted by back-to-back victories in 2005 and 2006.

Matt Crafton might be your best value this week, however. He's never finished outside the top-10 in all six races run on this track.

Five-year Avg. Finish

Driver	Avg Finish	2008	2007	2006	2005	2004
A J Allmendinger	2.00		2
Carl Edwards	2.00					2
Michael Waltrip	5.00					5
Kyle Busch	5.25	8	11	1	1
Shane Hmiel	6.00					6
Matt Crafton	6.80	1	7	8	9	9
Terry Cook	8.00	6	16	2	2	14
Mark Martin	8.50		4	13
Dennis Setzer	8.80	7	22	7	7	1
Landon Cassill	9.00	9
T J Bell	9.00		9
Aric Almirola	9.00			9
Ron Hornaday Jr	10.00	23	1	5	11
Ricky Craven	10.00				10
Rick Crawford	11.60	5	10	11	25	7
Chad McCumbee	11.67	2	18	15
Jimmy Spencer Sr	12.00				12
Travis Kvapil	13.00	18	13			8
Ted Musgrave Sr	13.00	22	5	4	3	31
Frank Kimmel	13.00					13
Johnny Benson Jr	13.50	11	27	12	4
Todd Bodine	13.80	12	3	3	31	20
Aaron Fike	14.00		14
Erik Darnell	14.67	4	30	10
Brendan Gaughan	15.00	3	35	14	8
Colin Braun	15.00	15
Tyler Walker	15.00		15
Steve Park	15.00			28	5	12
Andy Lally	16.00	16
Kevin Harvick	16.00		28			4
Boston Reid	16.00			16
Butch Miller	16.00				16
Tim Sauter	17.00		17
Kyle Krisiloff	17.00			17
David Starr	17.60	17	23	26	19	3
Mike Skinner	18.00	10	8	31	26	15
Ken Schrader	18.00	13	12		36	11
Jon Wood	18.00	19				17
Tracy Hines	18.00				18
Erin Crocker	18.00			18
Chase Montgomery	18.50				13	24
Robert Huffman	18.50				21	16
Bobby Hamilton Sr	19.00				28	10
Andy Houston	19.00					19
Mike Bliss	19.50		6	33
David Reutimann	19.67			6	17	36
Blake Bjorkland	20.00		20
Todd Kluever	20.00				20
Kerry Earnhardt	20.00			20
Brandon Whitt	20.50				23	18
Willie Allen	21.00		21
Bobby Hamilton Jr	21.00			21
Bill Lester	21.75		19	41	6	21
Robert Pressley	22.00				22
Joey Miller	22.00			22
Hank Parker Jr	22.00					22
Ken Weaver	23.00					23
Clay Rogers	23.50		33		14
Marc Mitchell	24.00	24
Shane Huffman	24.00		24
Kraig Kinser	24.00		29	19
Brad Keselowski	24.00				24
Bobby East	24.00			24
Kevin Hamlin	25.00		25
Tina Gordon	25.00					25
Kelly Sutton	26.33			27	15	37
Timothy Peters	26.67	25		23	32
Jack Sprague	27.00	14	34	34	27	26
Shelby Howard	27.00	20				34
Geoff Bodine	27.00					27
Stacy Compton	28.00	28
J C Stout	28.00	30	26
Mark McFarland	28.00					28
Brian Sockwell	29.00	29
Charlie Bradberry	29.00					29
Johnny Chapman	29.00			29
Scott Lagasse Jr	29.50	27		32
Sean Murphy	29.50			30	29
Chad Chaffin	29.75	21		38	30	30
John Mickel	31.00	31
Joey Clanton	31.00		31
Jason White	31.50	26	37
Justin Marks	32.00	32
Bryan Silas	32.00		32
Shane Sieg	32.00					32
David Ragan	32.50			25	40
Scott Speed	33.00	33
Tony Stewart	33.00				33
Donny Lia	34.00	34
Shigeaki Hattori	34.00				34
Brian Scott	35.00	35
Regan Smith	35.00				35
Dana White	35.00					35
Carl Long	35.00			35
Justin Hobgood	36.00		36
Marcos Ambrose	36.00			36
Derrike Cope	37.00	36				38
Jimmy Kite	37.00				37
Robert Richardson	37.00			37
Deborah Renshaw	38.00				38
Nick Tucker	38.67	37		40	39
Nicholas Tucker	38.67	37		40	39
J R Patton	39.00			39
Wayne Edwards	39.50	38			41
Mike Harmon	42.00				42

Truck: Hornaday tops Lowe's practice

Ron Hornaday Jr. topped both practice sessions for tonight's Craftsman Truck Series race at Lowe's. Practice one (in which Hornaday went 178.412 mph) and Practice two (177.696 mph) speeds can be found at RacingOne.com.

Our View: Among Cup regulars, David Gilliland was best with the fourth best time in Practice two. Ryan Newman was seventh best in that same session.

TRG commits to full schedule

The Racer's Group has committed to running the full NASCAR schedule, according to NASCAR.com. David Gilliland will continue to drive the entry.

Our View: Fans will be happy to see someone who wants to be in the show badly enough to finance the effort out of their pocket. Fantasy owners, however, will want to wait until this organization gets a little more funding before committing their resources.

IRL: Now or never for next 11

It's now or never for 11 more drivers who still have to qualify for the Indy 500, according to OpenWheelWorld.net.

Our View: There are still some pretty big names on the outside looking in, including Alex Tagliani, John Andretti and Milka Duno, but fantasy owners should have serious concerns about their ability to find enough speed to earn a roster spot.

F1: Hamilton hopes to turn season around

Lewis Hamilton believes his team can reverse their fortunes, according to an interview at Formula1.com.

Our View: After such a big high last year, he's been one of the biggest fantasy disappointments in 2009, but if you jumped off his bandwagon fast enough, he could be a great value in the second half of the season.

IRL: Servia, Bell best non qualifiers

Oriol Servia and Townsend Bell have been fastest in practice this week among drivers who still need to qualify for the Indy 500 this weekend, according to IndyCar.com.

Our View: In the unique Indy 500 qualification procedures, there is plenty of time to practice for both time trials and the race. If they cannot get the car dialed in with so many sessions, there is simply not any speed to be found in the car.