Grand Am: Edwards crashes at Montreal

Before the Grand Am race even started, Carl Edwards crashed his Doran Daytona Prototype in wet conditions and destroyed the car.

Our View Edwards was scheduled to run this companion race with the Nationwide Series along with Marcos Ambrose, but the conditions proved too much for the oval stock car racer.

Nationwide newsbreakers

N'Wide: Papis leads Montreal's first practice

Road racing ace Max Papis led the first practice session at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with a lap of 85.632 mph under mostly wet conditions.

Our View The list was headed by road racing specialists. Including Papis, Patrick Carpentier posted the third fastest lap, NASCAR Canada driver Andrew Ranger was fourth fastest and Michael McDowell was fifth.

Complete Results

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F1: Fisichella wins Spa pole

Giancarlo Fisichella shocked the Formula 1 field by winning the pole for the Belgian Grand Prix in the Force India entry.

Our View As surprising as this is, Fisichella should not be on your roster. His best finish so far in 2009 was ninth in the Monaco Grand Prix.

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IRL: Briscoe wins Chicagoland pole

Ryan Briscoe proved that his fast speed in practice was no fluke. He posted the fastest speed in time trials as well with a lap of 215.364 and will lead the field to green Saturday night.

Our View Briscoe should anchor your fantasy lineup this week. Helio Castroneves will start on the outside of the front row and he was also quick all day Friday.

Lineup

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IRL: Briscoe tops Happy Hour

After posting the second fastest time in the first practice session for the Peak Antifreeze Indy 300, Ryan Briscoe jumped to the top of the charts with a lap of 217.553.

Our View The other fast drivers from that session failed to back up their morning speeds. Helio Castroneves was only 12th fastest and Danica Patrick was 15th fastest. The leader of the first session, Scott Dixon was fourth fastest in Happy Hour, but that gives the edge to Briscoe nonetheless.

Complete Results

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IRL: Dixon tops Chicagoland practice 1

Scott Dixon posted the fastest time in Friday's practice for the Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway with a lap of 217.460.

Our View Ryan Briscoe was second fastest and Helio Castroneves came in third, but fantasy owners might be particularly interested in the fourt-place driver. After struggling on the road courses, it appears that Danica Patrick is back in top form with a lap of 216.284.

Complete Speeds

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Post-race inspection is completed

Post-race inspection is completed for the Sharpie 500 and all is clear.

Ky Busch wins Bristol

Kyle Busch held off a hungry Mark Martin and won the Sharpie 500. It was his third victory on this track in his last six starts and completes a sweep of the season.

Our View Busch was our favorite to win in both the Yahoo! preview and on the cheat sheets at NASCAR.com/Rotowire. We also predicted Brian Vickers would win last week at Michigan and that Tony Stewart would take the checkers at Watkins Glen International.

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IRL Practice crash

Will Powers, Nelson Philippe and E.J. Viso all sustained damage in a practice crash at Infineon Raceway. Philippe first spun and then was collected by the other two drivers. Powers and Philippe were hospitalized after the crash, according to IndyCar.com.

Our View On the heels of the vicious Cup crash at Watkins Glen International a few weeks back, this underscores the danger of road courses.

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Bristol pit stalls

Jayski has published the pit stall selections for the Bristol race.

Our View There are really only four good stalls at either end of the front and back pits. Pole sitter Mark Martin took the final pit stall before turn one, Greg Biffle has the final stall before turn three while Matt Kenseth and Scott Speed have the first stalls entering the pits. However, Clint Bowyer also is in a nice position; he is in pit stall four with the start and park Dave Blaney immediately ahead of him.

For a complete list of the stalls, visit Jayski.com.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Bristol

Bristol is one of the tracks on which qualification is critical; 35 percent of the races there have been won by a driver who started on the front row. Who are this week's favorites? Find out in the Yahoo! qualification .pdf story.

Martin wins another pole at Bristol

With a scary fast lap, Mark Martin earned his fifth pole of the season and will lead the field to green on Saturday night. Martin also won pole this spring at Bristol en route to a sixth-place finish.

Our View Martin and Brian Vickers have become the rocketmen of 2009. Martin's five poles is surpassed only by Vickers' six and no other driver has more than two. David Reutimann won poles at Texas and Dover.

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Haters Beware

At the beginning of the year, I stumbled across a Yahoo! league named the "I Hate Dan Beaver" league, sponsored by Black Flagged Online. Never one to shy away from a challenge, I joined them – not from a sense of self-loathing, since it was after all the "I Hate Dan Beaver" league – but as a way to silence the critics.

One by one, the members of this league have been vanquished. I currently sit second in their standings, only 59 points behind the leader. In all my years as an expert at Yahoo! Games, I have never failed to improve from here till the end of the year, so let's just say I'm not overly worried about being in second…

Are the folks at Black Flagged Online worried? Check out "Leave It To Beaver or Beaver? Damn!" and judge for yourself.

More options for Keselowski

When Tony Stewart reported he was not interested in Brad Keselowski, it appeared that driver's options were dwindling. Now it appears there may be more in the offing, according to Jayski.com. Keselowski was seen entering the Penske shops this week and further speculation surrounds the expansion of Furniture Row Racing.

Our View One way or the other, expect to see Keselowski in a Cup car in 2010. And Stewart-Haas has proven that satellite teams can be incredibly strong.

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Vickers wins Michigan

Brian Vickers won Michigan by running hard in the closing laps, which caused Jimmie Johnson to run short of fuel for the second time in two races there.

Our View Vickers was our dark horse to win, and he proved us correct.

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Crashed Video

Let's keep 'em upright today:

N'Wide: Hometown hero Keselowski wins Michigan

Brad Keselowski lurked behind Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch and swept around the outside when Vickers got loose on the final lap and slowed both his and Busch's momentum.

Our View This is what fans love about Michigan. A three-wide battle on the last lap for the victory is worth the price of admission.

All three of these racers will be in contention for top-10s on Sunday. Well… maybe a top-15 for Keselowski.

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Michigan pit stall selections

Jayski has posted the pit stall selections.

Our View As expected, pole winner Brian Vickers has chosen the final pit stall before the end of pit road. Other drivers with openings in front of them are Mark Martin, Juan Montoya, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson.

For the complete list, visit Jayski.

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Chassis selection for Michigan

Micah Roberts has posted the chassis selections on his Blog. Tony Stewart will race the same car in which he finished fourth at Chicagoland a few weeks back.

Our View Jimmie Johnson is also racing his Chicagoland car since both of these tracks a relatively flat and fast.

For a complete list, check out the right hand navigation bar at NASCAR Notes.

Martin fastest in Michigan HH

Mark Martin posted the fastest single lap in Michigan's Happy Hour with a speed of 181.717 mph. Pole sitter Brian Vickers was second fastest with a speed of 181.621.

Our View This is significant because Martin is on the outside of the front row. Vickers and Martin underscored their Friday speed and should be considered threats on Sunday.

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Update: Allmendinger not going to backup

The No. 44 team has decided not to roll out a backup car for the Carfax 400. A.J. Allmendinger likes this car and does not want to give up his 13th-place spot on the grid.

Our View That's the good news, but Allmendinger is not going to get very much track time, which will hamper him during the opening segments of the race.

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Mears quickest in Michigan Practice 2

Casey Mears posted the quickest average speed in Michigan's first Saturday session with a speed of 179.764 during five laps.

Our View Don't get overly excited about that position, however. Since he only ran five laps, there was not much opportunity for his speed to fall off.

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Vickers fastest in Michigan practice 2

After sweeping the poles in Cup and Nationwide competition, Brian Vickers posted the fastest single lap in Michigan's first practice session on Saturday. His top speed was 184.909.

Our View He will need some good luck to go along with his speed, but Vickers is certainly positioning himself to be one of the top dark horses this week.

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Allmendinger scrapes wall in Michigan practice 2

A.J. Allmendinger scraped the wall at the 20 minute mark of the first practice session on Saturday.

Our View The damage might be enough to cause him to roll out a backup car and drop to the back of the pack. The right rear quarter panel was pushed back deeper than the tire, which suggests he may have suspension damage.

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N'Wide: Vickers sweeps Michigan poles

Brian Vickers swept the pole at Michigan, taking the top spot in both the Cup and Nationwide Series. This is a feat that has not been accomplished since Kurt Busch did it in 2006 at Watkins Glen International.

Our View Vickers may just be the new "Rocketman." This was his sixth pole of the season, his third consecutive pole at Michigan (dating back to last fall), and his third straight pole on two-mile tracks (he also won at Auto Club Speedway this spring.

After winning his two poles on two-mile tracks this year, he's swept the top 10.

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Crashed Video

Remember: Danger lurks around every corner.

Yahoo! Qualification Story – Michigan

Does qualification matter at Michigan? The answer is both yes and no, which you find in this week's Yahoo! qualification .pdf story.

NASCAR Raines going home from Michigan

When two cars withdrew from the entry list earlier this week, that meant only one driver would head to the house early. That driver is Tony Raines, with a speed of 181.484 mph.

Our View This is a start and park operation, however, so it has no impact on fantasy players whatsoever.

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Vickers wins Michigan pole

Brian Vickers picked up his sixth pole of the season with a speed of 187.242 mph.

Our View He also won the pole in Michigan's first race and at Auto Club Speedway—giving him a sweep of the two-mile tracks so far.

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Logano notably fast in Michigan practice 1

Joey Logano was notably fast in the first practice session at Michigan – posting the second fastest time of 187.169.

Our View That is good news for the rookie, who needs a strong qualification effort in order to run strong start to finish, but it is even better news for Ryan Newman. The No. 39 has a margin of nearly two miles per hour over the rest of the field.

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Newman fastest in Michigan practice 1

Ryan Newman posted the fastest single lap in the first practice session for the Carfax 400 with a speed of 189.155 mph.

Our View Newman is in a little bit of a slump with an average finish of 18.0 in his last eight attempts. He needs a boost to get his rhythm back and a pole would fit that criteria.

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Kahne blows at Michigan

Kasey Kahne blew an engine early in the first practice session. He will need to change the powerplant and go to the back of the pack for the start of the Carfax 400.

Our View Qualification is important at Michigan, but considering how wide this track is, a fast car can get to the front.

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Crashed Video

Just a little something to get your heart pumping this morning.

Crashed Video

Remember folks: always wear your seatbelts

Yahoo! Michigan Preview

The road course race at Watkins Glen is in the rear view mirror and it's time to make a run to the Chase. Who will get off to a good start this week? Check out this week's Yahoo! Preview (.pdf).

Stewart smokes 'em at the Glen

Tony Stewart continues to dominate the road courses. At Watkins Glen International, he has won four of the last six races and finished second in the other two events, which gives him a six-year average finish of 1.33 in that span.

Our View That was also his 10th consecutive top-10 of the season, during which he's averaged a finish of 3.6. He remains a place-and-hold driver until further notice.

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NASCAR veteran Schrader to take on USMTS Modifieds at Humboldt, Caney

CANEY, Kan. (Aug. 8) – NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader will strap on his helmet and compete in his own high-powered dirt Modified when the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour invades the Humboldt Speedway on Friday, Aug. 14, and the Caney Valley Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 15.

With the top dirt Modified drivers in the nation on hand at the two events, the competitors will have some added incentive to find victory lane while fans will have a chance to see one of the biggest names in auto racing history show his skills on the quarter-mile clay oval.

While Schrader, formerly of Fenton, Mo., is best known for circling America's superspeedways with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, he is a highly-regarded prolific dirt track racer with a pedigree. He won't be looking for show up points ... he'll be looking to win.

Schrader will be making his 28th and 29th career starts with the United States Modified Touring Series at Humboldt and Caney. He has six top-5 finishes and eleven top-10s with a career-best finish of third (twice in 2008).

The events will be the fourth and fifth events of the Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship — an 18-race, season-ending campaign that will culminate with the crowning of the 2009 USMTS National Champion.

The pair of $3,000-to-win shows will be the final two of a five-day swing to kick off the ’Hunt.’

On Friday, gates open at 6:00, hot laps begin at 7:30 and the green flag waves to start the first heat race at 8:00. Race fans can pick up $2-off discount coupons on Friday at the Casey's General Store locations in Chanute and Iola.

The Humboldt Speedway is a 1/4-mile semi-banked clay oval located near Humboldt, Kan., on US 169 at the Humboldt Exit, then 0.1 mile west, then 0.5 mile south, then 0.9 mile east. For more information call 620-431-2470 (office) or 620-473-3694 (track) or visit http://www.humboldtspeedway.com/. B-Mods and Factory Stocks will also be running.

On Saturday, grandstand gates open at 5:00, hot laps are at 7:30 and racing starts at 8:00. Also on the evening's schedule of events will be Street Stocks, Pure Stocks and Turf Cars. Race fans can pick up $2-off discount coupons on Saturday at the Casey's General Store locations in Caney, Coffeyville and Independence. Check out http://www.caseys.com/ to learn more or to find the location nearest you.

The Caney Valley Speedway is a 1/4-mile semi-banked clay oval located near Caney, Kan., 0.8 mile west of the junction of US 75 and US 166 on CR 1600. For more information call 620-330-0485 or visit http://www.caneyvalleyspeedway.net/ on the World Wide Web.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit http://www.usmts.com/ online for the latest news and information from the USMTS.

From a USMTS Press Release

IRL: Dixon runs away from Mid Ohio field

Scott Dixon ran and hid from the competition at Mid Ohio and won the Honda Indy 200 by nearly 30 seconds over Ryan Briscoe.

Our View Last week, the push to pass technology helped make the Kentucky oval race exciting, but it couldn't help this week since Dixon had such a dominant car.

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Rain postpones Watkins Glen

Rain has postponed the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at Watkins Glen until Monday, noon eastern on ESPN.

Our View This will be the second Monday race in a row. Oh well.

Road Kill

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Nationwide officials take a holiday

Perhaps the Nationwide officials left the track early on Saturday to beat the traffic.

Late in the Zippo 200, Robby Gordon tried to run Joey Logano into the inside of the frontstretch wall. No harm, no foul, but when they went into turn one, Gordon turned into Logano's No. 20 car. Gordon came out on the short end of that contact by cutting his tire and NASCAR did nothing about that contact. O.k., perhaps they felt he had penalized himself for his own stupidity.

Apparently he lost a lap while repairing the car that he himself had destroyed. Back on track, Gordon reportedly ran into Logano again and NASCAR did not take action. That wasn't on camera, so we only have Logano's word for it—so it’s hard to fault NASCAR completely.

Immediately on the restart—under green—Gordon rammed Logano in the bus stop chicane and made a pass on the No. 20. Again, NASCAR did not take action.

In the next turn, he allowed Logano to get to his outside so he could run him off course in precisely the same spot in which Jason Leffler had such a scary accident in Friday's practice. No only did NASCAR fail to take action again (during the fourth incident), but they gave Gordon a "Free Pass" for the incident he had caused—despite the fact that they have a rule stating a car that is involved in the caution cannot benefit from it.

One has to wonder who was officiating this race—if anyone.

Standing outside the infield care center, Logano told reporters "you can't fix stupid; it's for life." He was speaking about Gordon, but the same comment could apply to whoever was calling this race in the tower.

N'Wide: Ambrose wins Watkins Glen

Marcos Ambrose made a bold move on Kyle Busch late in the Zippo 200 and won at Watkins Glen.

Our View Ambrose was clearly the better driver, but Busch was able to hold him at bay for quite a few laps. It was reminiscent of the Infineon Cup race and what Kasey Kahne did to Tony Stewart.

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Watkins Glen pit stalls

Jayski has posted the pit stall selections from the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen.

Our View There are only two stalls with openings in front of them, but this is a long pit road, so the others are not bad. Jimmie Johnson selected the last pit leaving pit road and David Stremme has pit No. 38 at the end of an "island" of six stalls at pit entry.

Road Kill

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Said spins in Watkins Glen practice 2

At the 15 minute mark of the Saturday morning practice session, Boris Said wheel-hopped off the course in turn 10. He got stranded in the pea gravel.

Our View Even the best drivers can push too hard. There is no visible damage, but the team will need to look closely at the car to see if the suspension is damaged.

Road Kill

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N'Wide: Harvick wins Watkins Glen pole

Kevin Harvick is the surprise winner of the pole for the Nationwide Watkins Glen Zippo 200 with a lap of 121.998 mph. He and Marcos Ambrose beat the old track record.

Our View Harvick chased down and passed Greg Biffle during his qualification session in the unique format used on Nationwide road courses. That had to slow him down a little, and he still set fast time. That is impressive.

On the other hand, Ambrose did not take as many laps and he might have been able to better his time. The race should be competitive.

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IRL: Patrick is too big for USF1

The American owned and run US Formula 1 team has several drivers on their radar screen, but Danica Patrick is not one of them, according to AutoRacingDaily.com.

Our View A lot of people are saying to us ‘are you interested in Danica Patrick?’ and my reply is in some respects, Danica is too big for us now,” US F1 boss Peter Windsor said.

Patrick is certainly a hot commodity, but she needs to announce where she will run next year or risk getting distracted by all this noise.

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