Piquet Jr. coming to NASCAR

It appears that Nelson Piquet Jr.s Craftsman Truck Series tests have gone as planned. The former F1 driver announced via the Associated Press that he is headed to NASCAR, although no team has yet been announced.

Our View NASCAR is becoming popular with former F1 drivers thanks to Juan Montoya; their ultimate success has yet to be determined.

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New team headed to Cup with No. 26 points

There is a new team headed to NASCAR, according to Jayski.com. Vermont businessman Bill Jenkins has purchased equipment and the No. 26 owner points from Roush-Fenway Racing.

Our View That guarantees they will start the first five races of the season. So far a driver and crew has not yet been named, but there are still several quality racers looking for a ride.

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Sadler to deliver pizza

Elliott Sadler will become the fastest pizza delivery guy in six races next year with sponsorship from Hunt Brothers Pizza, according to Jayski.com.

Our View Last year, this sponsor was on A.J. Allmendinger's car for several races. Richard Petty Motorsports still has some real estate remaining for their four cars, so every little bit helps put together a competitive season.

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2009 Fantasy Rankings 24. Casey Mears

Fantasy Power Average*: 24.52
Wins: 0
Top-fives: 0
Top-10s: 4
Top-15s: 12

The economy may yet be the undoing of Casey Mears in 2010 and that is a shame because this mid-range driver was finally beginning to gel with his Richard Childress Racing team. Like most of the drivers from that stable, he had an up and down year, but starting with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire, he showed remarkable consistency. In the final 10 races of the year, he finished on the lead lap eight times and improved his average finish by more than two positions over the first 26 events of the 2009 season.

Mears never cracked the top five and came close only twice with a sixth in the Michigan Carfax 400 in August and a seventh at Lowe's in October, which meant that he probably flew under the radar screen for most of the year. But he was often a good utility to driver that could be used to stretch your salary cap and allow you to load up on marquee drivers.

The best trait of Mears in 2009, however, was his ability to coax the car to the end of a race. He was one of only three drivers listed as running at the end of all 36 events alongside Juan Montoya and David Reutimann, so fantasy owners had a reasonable expectation that he would get every position out of the car that it was capable of giving.

*The Fantasy Power Average is a formula that consists of a driver's finishing result plus other intangibles such as average running position, laps in the top 10, speed in traffic and quality passes. Each intangible is "expressed" as a finishing position (e.g. the driver with the most laps in the top 10 is given a hypothetical first-place finish), so the lower the number, the greater the strength.

25. Joey Logano

N'Wide: Danica's first races

On Thursday, it was announced that Danica Patrick's first race will come at Auto Club Speedway in week two of the season; her next race will immediately follow at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Our View It certainly makes sense to debut her on tracks where car control—and not the whim of the draft—determines her success or failure. Until she posts practice times, however, it's hard to determine her fantasy worth.

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ARCA's International Connection

Daytona Testing will include one of the most diverse testing fields in ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards history, with drivers representing five countries and racing backgrounds ranging from Formula 1 to grassroots touring stock car racing scheduled to participate in the three-day, ARCA-sanctioned open test.

At present, more than 50 drivers are scheduled to test. Among them, a growing segment of international drivers representing countries across the globe to include Venezuela, India, China and Canada.

Caracas, Venezuela's Milka Duno, Chennai, India's Narain Karthikeyan, Hong Kong, China's Darryl O'Young and Canadians Steve Arpin, Wheeler Boys, Derek White and Terry Jones join a list of drivers with non-U.S. hometowns who have driven ARCA Racing Series cars since the series' inception in 1953. Other countries that have been represented in ARCA Racing Series events over the years include Columbia, Germany, the United Kingdom, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Mexico, Japan and France.

Caracas, Venezuela's Milka Duno, scheduled to test the No. 90 Toyota Camry for Braun Racing, has competed in the IZOD IndyCar Series for the past three seasons and is an experienced road course racer in the Rolex Series Daytona Prototypes and the American Le Mans Series. She finished second in the 24 hours of Daytona in 2007, setting the record for highest finish by a female driver in the history of the race. The Daytona ARCA Open Test marks her stock car racing debut. "This will be a new challenge for me and one that I've been looking forward to," said Duno of this weekend's ARCA test. "I know it won't be easy - it will be hard work - but work that I'm ready to take on."

Chennai, India's Narain Karthikeyan is the first and only Indian driver to compete in Formula 1 and currently runs in the Le Mans Series. Karthikeyan completed the full 2005 Formula 1 season, posting a career-best finish of fourth at the Indianapolis Grand Prix for his Jordan Grand Prix Team and served as a WilliamsF1 test driver in 2006 and 2007. The 2009 ARCA Open Test at Daytona marks his first time in an ARCA Racing Series stock car and he is competing for a new team in the series, Starbeast Motorsports. Starbeast Motorsports has formed a strategic partnership with JTG Daugherty Racing for technical and marketing support and former ARCA Champion Andy Hillenburg will provide driver training/assistance during the test.

Hong Kong, China's Darryl O'Young represented his country in a full season of the FIA GT championship and the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, making Chinese motor sports history. He will take on the next endeavor of his career-testing an ARCA Racing Series stock car at Daytona Int'l Speedway-as a teammate to Karthikeyan for Starbeast Motorsports.

Fort Frances, Ontario's Steve Arpin finished seventh in the final point standings during his rookie season of ARCA Racing Series competition in 2009 and enters this year's ARCA Open Test at Daytona with veteran team Venturini Motorsports. Prior to ARCA competition, Arpin competed in the USAC Silver Crown Series, IMCA, UMP Modifieds, CRA Late Models and snowmobile racing. He was voted the National Speed Sport News ARCA Nation Most Popular Driver by race fans last season.

Calgary, Alberta's Wheeler Boys plans to participate in ARCA Open Testing at Daytona in an entry owned by legendary NASCAR/ARCA driver James Hylton. Boys, who has prior experience in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Camping World West Series, is the son of former ARCA Racing Series competitor Trevor Boys, who made 102 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts from 1982-1993 and nephew of former ARCA Racing Series competitor Buddie Boys, also a NSCS veteran.

Kahnuwake, Quebec's Derek White is scheduled to participate in his career first ARCA Open Test for veteran ARCA driver/car owner Mario Gosselin, a fellow Canadian and three-time series winner. White has previously competed in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and made two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts for Gosselin's DGM Racing Team in 2009.

Amherstburg, Ontario's Terry Jones made his career-first ARCA Racing Series start in 2003 driving for his own Jones Group Racing Team. In 38 career starts to-date, Jones' career-best finishes include a sixth at Winchester Speedway in 2007 and a seventh at Salem in 2009. Jones also participates in weekly ARCA-sanctioned racing at Toledo Speedway in Ohio, where he earned the 2009 Championship in the Sportsman Division.

Other international drivers who have competed in ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards competition over the years include but are not limited to:

Klaus Graf (Dornhan Germany)
Roland Rehfeld (Berlin Germany)
Michael Vergers (Oxford UK)
Neil Cunningham (London England)
Kieran Dynes (Dungannon Ireland)
Tony Spanos (Sydney Australia)
Stuart Lyndon (Hastings New Zealand)
Guillermo Ortelli (Buenos Aires Argentina)
Jorge Goeters (Mexico City Mexico)
Hideo Fukuyama (Suzuka Japan)
Juan Pablo Montoya (Bogota Columbia)
Alex Garcia (Caracas Venezuela)
Michel Disdier (Nice France)

Canadian Drivers:
Don St. Denis (Lasalle Ontario)
Pete Shepherd (Brampton Ontario)
Pierre Bourque (Ottawa Ontario)
Sean Stafford (Ontario)
Trevor Boys (Calgary Alberta)
Buddie Boys (Calgary Alberta)
Ron Fellows (Missisauga Ontario)
Jerry Churchill (Windsor Ontario)
Randy Churchill (Windsor Ontario)
Craig Bracken (Windsor Ontario)
Curt Dickie (Windsor Ontario)
Dwayne Dewar (Windsor Ontario)
Peter Gibbons (Stouffville Ontario)
Mike Goudie (Toronto Ontario)
Billy Rowse (Corunna Ontario)
Steve Robblee (London Ontario)
Laurent Rioux (Toronto Ontario)
George Sekanina (Kitchener Ontario)
JR Fitzpatrick (Cambridge Ontario)

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Cope forms new team

Derrike Cope has announced the formation of a new team for 2010 in partnership with Dale Clemons. The new venture will be called Stratus Racing Group, according to the Cope Web site, and intends to run full time in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series with Cope as the principal driver.

Our View In addition, his twin nieces Amber and Angela Cope will run in the ARCA series and selected Truck races. It has long been a goal of the Northwestern driver to bring these ladies into the sport, but now it appears he has the sponsorship in place to make it happen.

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ARCA: Duno to test at Daytona

Danica Patrick may have some competition as the top female driver in stock cars. Milka Duno is also expected to test at Daytona International Speedway this spring. She will be in Braun Racing entry according to a press release from the team (quoted at Jayski.com).

Our View The two ladies have not gotten along very well in the Indy Racing League, so in addition to the appeal of having female drivers in a male-dominated sport, fans could see sparks fly in any events they contest. Fenders have a tendency to make drivers bold.

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2009 Fantasy Rankings 25. Joey Logano

Fantasy Power Average*: 24.84
Wins: 1 (Lenox Industrial Tools 301, New Hampshire Motor Speedway)
Top-fives: 3
Top-10s: 7
Top-15s: 13

Joey Logano fairly well lived up to expectations in 2009. While his rookie season lacked a lot of the flash of previous freshmen such as Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, fantasy owners will be well-served to remember that the original plan was to bring him into Cup competition in 2010 instead of last year. Tony Stewart's decision to leave Joe Gibbs Racing for his own team brought the teenager to the big leagues sooner than anticipated and yet the kid showed maturity and rarely drove over his head. In fact, Logano did precisely what NASCAR expects from a first-year driver: he improved in the second race on nearly every track that hosts two events.

Detractors will be quick to dismiss Logano's victory at New Hampshire because that race was shortened by rain while the No. 20 stretched its fuel, but they should note that his other pair of top-fives came in the closing events of 2009. Logano drove to a fifth at Lowe's in the NASCAR Banking 500 and crossed the line third at Talladega in the Amp Energy 500. Normally, we would discount any finish on the restrictor-plate superspeedways as a byproduct of luck over skill, but for a rookie to stay of trouble in the draft, it's remarkable.

Expect more of the same from Logano in 2010 as he visits tracks for the third and fourth time. As he and crew chief Greg Zipadelli develop more chemistry, the communication will only improve and Logano is learning how to describe the feel he needs. It's too soon to tell which track types will be his favorites, but in light of his strong Lowe's showing, watch him closely on the "cookie-cutter" tracks.

*The Fantasy Power Average is a formula that consists of a driver's finishing result plus other intangibles such as average running position, laps in the top 10, speed in traffic and quality passes. Each intangible is "expressed" as a finishing position (e.g. the driver with the most laps in the top 10 is given a hypothetical first-place finish), so the lower the number, the greater the strength.

25. Joey Logano

Addington joins Ku Busch

Penske Racing South has announced Steve Addington as the crew chief for Kurt Busch's No. 2 Dodge, according to RacingOne.com, after scoring a dozen Cup victories in the last two years.

Our View Better still, Addington is accustomed to taking abuse. He was Kyle Busch's crew chief last year, and both of the Busch brothers can be quite fiery on the radio.

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N'Wide: Patrick gets first test in

According to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s facebook page, Danica Patrick has put her first test with the team in the books; it came at Walt Disney Speedway. The Indy Racing League has run a handful of races at Disney, but not since Danica Patrick joined the series.

Our View If she is willing to put in the work, Patrick's transition to the heavier stock cars will go a lot smoother.

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Stewart heads Down Under

Tony Stewart will join World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz and Midwest sprint car ace Tim Shaffer Down Under at Parramatta City Raceway later this month according to the track's Web site.

Our View For many sprint car drivers, this is an annual pilgrimage and they have come back to the States with some outstanding racers such as Brooke Tatnell in tow.

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Hendrick Motorsports sweeps the top three for season

Hendrick Motorsports made another piece of history this week when they finished 1-2-3 in the points' standings. In addition to the championship for Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin finished second and Jeff Gordon finished third.

Our View That is how you define dominance; nothing more needs to be said.

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Johnson makes history with fourth consecutive championship

For the first time in NASCAR's 61-year history, a driver has won four consecutive championships. Jimmie Johnson capped off the season with a fifth-place finish in the Ford 400.

Our View Better still for fantasy owners, his fifth-place finish shows he was never content to points' race.

And with no changes to the NASCAR Chase schedule, he has to be considered a favorite to win a fifth consecutive.

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Hamlin wins Ford 400

Denny Hamlin led the final 44 laps of the Ford 400 and earned his first victory on the progressively-banked Homestead-Miami Speedway. Previously, his best results were a pair of third in 2006 and 2007.

Our View After Hamlin posted the third best average speed in Happy Hour, we elevated him to dark horse status for the win; he didn't disappoint.

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Ky Busch caps off Nationwide season in style

Kyle Busch clinched the Nationwide season championship by merely starting the Ford 300, but he capped off the season in style by holding off second-place Carl Edwards—who also finished second in the points' standings.

Our View On Friday night, Kevin Harvick won the Camping World Truck Series race while his Ron Hornaday-led team clinched the owner's championship.

Could we see a third such storyline with a Jimmie Johnson victory on Sunday?

Burton wins Homestead Happy Hour

Jeff Burton posted both the single fastest lap of 165.736 mph and the quickest average speed of 161.439 during 44 laps in Homestead's Happy Hour for the Ford 400.

Our View He qualified mid-pack, but after coming from shotgun on the field to finish second last week at Phoenix, you would be foolish to discount Burton's odds at Homestead.

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Martin fastest in Homestead Sat. practice 1

Mark Martin posted the fastest single lap in Homestead's Saturday first practice with a speed of 168.177 mph.

Our View In addition, his average speed of 162.027 during 30 laps was fifth best, which gives him a good balance of speed and sustainability. Martin should be expected to run with the top-five leaders all day in the Ford 400.

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Harvick wins Homestead Sat. practice 1

Kevin Harvick posted the quickest average speed in Homestead's Saturday first practice, with a speed of 163.194 mph during 24 laps.

Our View Along with his sixth-place qualification effort and five top-10s in six races on the progressive banks at Homestead, Harvick has to be considered a dark horse to win.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Homestead

In this week's Yahoo! preview, we told you that dark horses would run well this week. Guess what? There will be a lot of surprises at the front of the field, but do they have a chance to stay there? Find out what we think in this week's Yahoo! qualification story (.pdf).

Johnson wins Homestead pole

Jimmie Johnson gave notice early that he will be the driver to beat in both the Ford 400 and the championship by winning the pole for Sunday's race. His top speed was 173.919 mph.

Our View The team said they would not be conservative and we were skeptical. Sounds like they may just have meant that, but it's still hard to recommend a driver who needs only to finish in the first half of the field.

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Ku Busch tops Homestead practice

Kurt Busch set his fast lap late in the first session of practice with a speed of 173.433 mph, which was five-hundredths of a second faster than Juan Montoya.

Our View Busch has been hit-and-miss in five races since Homestead employed progressive banking. He's finished outside the top 35 three times and in the top five twice, which suggests he will have a great finish if he stays out of trouble.

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Homestead Chassis selections

Jayski.com has compiled a collection of some of the chasses for this week.

Our View Among those highlighted are Jimmie Johnson's as well as for dark horses Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr. This information could be one of the most important pieces of the puzzle this week in your last chance to gain ground on the competition.

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Montoya spins in practice 1

Juan Montoya got loose at the 23 minute mark of practice for the Ford 400 and spun out of turn four. He blew his tires, but did not do any damage to his primary car.

Our View Now Montoya knows where the edge is and he shouldn't step over it again. At the time of his spin, the No. 42 was second on the speed chart.

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Johnson signs five-year extension

Hendrick Motorsports has signed Jimmie Johnson to a five-year extension according to a press release. In addition, Lowe's has signed as the sponsor for the next three years.

Our View This comes as no surprise while Johnson is battling for his fourth consecutive championship. The strongest team in NASCAR should get only stronger with the security of this announcement.

McMurray lands with Earnhardt-Ganassi

On Thursday, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing officially named Jamie McMurray as the replacement driver in the No. 1 that will be vacated by Martin Truex Jr. at the end of the season, according to a press release.

Our View Most of the pieces have fallen into place for next year. All that remains for drivers like Reed Sorenson and David Stremme are start and park or lightly-funded entries.

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Yahoo! Homestead Preview

The Ford 400 is your last chance to make up ground on your competition. Luckily, this race is traditionally kind to dark horses, so a little luck should go a long way. Check out our picks in this week's Yahoo! Preview (.pdf).

Inspection cleared at Phoenix

According to @dustinlong: #NASCAR ... Post-race inspection done and all clear. Engines to R&D shop: 48, 31, 17 ... Cars to R&D shop: 48, 5 and 17

Johnson wins Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500k

One week after getting caught up in an accident at Texas Motor Speedway, Jimmie Johnson made the statement that he would not roll over. He dominated and won the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500k by Pennzoil, leading the most laps and earning maximum points.

Our View That makes it four wins in his last five Phoenix starts. Another Hendrick Motorsports driver, Mark Martin won the only race that Johnson missed.

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Phoenix pit stall selections

Jayski has posted the pit stall selections, and as expected Martin Truex Jr. took the final slot before pit exit.

Our View Other drivers with an opening in front of them are Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne, so they should have an easy time exiting after their service. Drivers with openings behind them are Casey Mears, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch and Mark Martin.

The other driver with a mathematical shot at leaving this race with the points' lead, Jeff Gordon is pitting directly behind Truex and if the No. 1 team has any trouble, he could inherit the best stall.

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Hamlin/Keselowski tangle late in Able Body Labor 200

Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski tangled for the third time this year in the Able Body Labor 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. In this pushing and shoving match, Hamlin came out on the short end of the stick and spun out of winning contention while Keselowski finished fifth. Hamlin finished 12th.

Our View The incident follows previous shunts at Dover International Speedway and Auto Club Speedway this season and one at Watkins Glen International last year between the two.

Eventually, tempers are going to completely spill over and unfortunately, there is liable to collateral damage among other drivers. Don't look for the two to get together in this week's Cup Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500k by Pennzoil, however, because Hamlin has vowed to take out his revenge in next week's Nationwide season finale.

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Edwards wins Able Body Labor 200

Carl Edwards easily pulled away from the field late in the Able Body Labor 200 to win over Kevin Harvick.

Our View Last week, Kyle Busch brought the momentum from his Nationwide victory into the Cup race and Edwards hopes to repeat that feat. But Roush-Fenway has not been exceptional on short, flat tracks, so doubling down will be challenging this week.

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Johnson posts single fast lap in Phoenix HH

Jimmie Johnson posted the single fastest lap of 132.348 mph in Happy Hour at Phoenix; since that was the only practice session this week, it was also the best of the day.

Our View Johnson also posted the second quickest average speed of 128.333 mph during 64 laps and with a solid third-place qualification effort, he is one of the favorites to win the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500k by Pennzoil.

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Montoya wins Phoenix Happy Hour

Juan Montoya posted the quickest average speeds in Happy Hour at Phoenix, with a speed of 128.421 during 41 laps.

Our View Montoya has come on strong during the last two short, flat track races at New Hampshire and Martinsville, so he has to be considered a favorite for a top-10 at least.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Phoenix

The last two winners and three of the last five have started from the pole at Phoenix. Is that a good omen for Martin Truex Jr.? Find out what we think in this week's Yahoo! qualification story (.pdf).

Truex wins Phoenix pole

Martin Truex Jr. posted was one of less than a handful of drivers who posted his best time on lap one; a speed of 135.120 was good enough for the pole for the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500k by Pennzoil.

Our View That makes him nearly a half mile per hour faster than second-place Kurt Busch, but qualification has not been his problem this year. After starting in the top 10 on 10 occasions this year, he has yet to finish better than 11th.

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Surprising Hornish tops Phoenix practice 1

Sam Hornish Jr. edged Kasey Kahne by four-hundredths of a second to land atop the speed chart in the first Cup practice session. His fastest lap was 133.884 mph.

Our View Hornish took a lot of criticism for last week's incident with points' leader Jimmie Johnson. The best way to silence the critics is by going fast, but if this holds up and Hornish actually qualifies in the front of the field, his competitor's will have to feel a little uneasy.

So far in 2009, Hornish has been crash-prone.

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Yahoo! Phoenix Preview

The Chase is back on after Jimmie Johnson crashed last week at Texas Motor Speedway, but don't expect him to roll over at Phoenix. Mark Martin is good enough on the short, flat tracks to make up a little more ground, however. Find some other strong picks in this week's Yahoo! Preview (.pdf).

Two out of three ain't bad: Busch wins Texas Nationwide

Kyle Busch hopes to be the first driver to win in all three of NASCAR's top divisions this week at Texas Motor Speedway. So far, so good; he won both the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series races handily.

Our View Of course the Cup race is going to be much more difficult, but tune in on Sunday because history could be in the making.

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Reutimann fastest in Texas Sat. a.m. practice

David Reutimann posted the fastest single lap in the Saturday morning session for the Dickies 500 with a speed of 186.812 and his average speed was fifth-best with a 181.520 during 22 laps.

Our View The team spent part of this practice changing an oil cooler when a rock pinged off the bottom. If they successfully made the change and he is fast in Happy Hour, look for him to be a great dark horse.

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Stewart wins Texas Sat. a.m. practice

Tony Stewart posted the quickest average speed in the Saturday morning practice with a speed of 182.866 mph during 16 laps.

Our View He was actually second on the grid, but Joe Nemechek posted on four laps so he did not have any fall-off.

Stewart's fastest lap in this practice was second best and he qualified at the front of the field, so he has to be favored for a top-five in the Dickies 500.

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R Gordon has engine woes in Texas practice 2

Robby Gordon exited the track at the 15 minute mark of the second practice session amidst speculation that he might have a transmission problem.

Our View Gordon could use a little luck on the "cookie-cutter" tracks. In eight race this year on this track type, he has an average finish of 24.6 and only one top-10—a third that came by benefit of rain shortening the Coke 600.

It may be something as simple as an over-filled resevoir.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Texas

Texas Motor Speedway is one of the tracks on which starting position is important: 75 percent of the winners have come from the first four rows. See who we like in this week's Yahoo! qualification story (.pdf).

Burton slams wall in active Texas practice 1

Jeff Burton slammed the wall after a power steering line broke in the first practice session for the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Burton was one of more than a half dozen drivers who hit or scrapped the wall in this session.

Our View Burton's damage was the most significant, however, and he will roll out a back up car. "Go-or-go-home" driver Mike Bliss in the No. 09 also had to go to his second car.

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Yahoo! Texas Preview

After last week's lottery in Talladega, it's time to get back to racing this week at Texas. Check out the favorites and dark horses in this week's Yahoo! Preview (.pdf).