Yahoo! Lowe's Preview

From the toughest race on the circuit to the longest; it's time to stock up on the snacks and settle in for 600 miles at Lowe's. Read this week's Yahoo! Preview (.pdf) for a list of who's hot.

N'Wide: Last five Lowe's races

Brian Vickers doesn't make every Nationwide race, but he made the most of his efforts last year by sweeping the top five. Those are his only two starts in the last five races, which gives him an average finish of 4.0.

On the surface, that seems impressive, until you look one position further down the grid and notice that Kyle Busch won both events last year. He also finished second in fall 2007, eighth in spring of that year and 12th in fall 2006—giving him a slightly worse average result of 4.8 in his last five starts, but after finishing second in the Camping World Truck Series race last Friday night, fantasy owners know that "Shrub" cannot be discounted in any series on any track.

Especially at this level, Lowe's is all about consistency and Clint Bowyer is another driver who not only swept the top-10 last year, but has also finished that well in each of his last five starts. His five-race average finish is a more than respectable 5.6.

The next active driver on the grid appears to be much further back with an average finish of 10.0 during his last five races, but that number is skewed by a 35th in fall 2006. Burton's last four attempts have all been in the top 10 and he was perfect one year later by winning the fall 2007 event.

Average Finish
Last five races

Driver	Avg Finish	2008.2	2008.1	2007.2	2007.1	2006.2
Michael Waltrip	2.00					2
Stacy Compton	3.00					3
Dale Earnhardt Jr	3.50		4	3
Brian Vickers	4.00	3	5
Kyle Busch	4.80	1	1	2	8	12
Clint Bowyer	5.60	4	6	8	3	7
Jeff Burton	10.00	2	8	1	4	35
Mike Skinner	10.00					10
Aric Almirola	11.00			4	14	15
Ashton Lewis	11.00					11
Kevin Harvick	11.20	6	19	10	12	9
Denny Hamlin	12.25		2	5	34	8
Scott Lagasse Jr	13.00	13
Paul Menard	13.00					13
Joey Logano	14.00	14
Casey Mears	14.00				2	26
Stephen Leicht	14.00			18	10	14
Matt Kenseth	14.00			31	7	4
Scott Wimmer	14.33			13	9	21
Tony Stewart	16.00					16
Dave Blaney	16.25	17		36	11	1
Kelly Bires	16.33	7	33	9
Todd Kluever	16.50				15	18
Kasey Kahne	17.60	11	16	17	1	43
David Ragan	17.60	12	9	6	25	36
Jon Wood	18.00				13	23
Brad Keselowski	18.60	8	3	11	37	34
Carl Edwards	19.00	5	13	33	17	27
Ward Burton	19.00				19
Kenny Wallace	19.33	16	23			19
Bobby Labonte	19.33			14	22	22
Casey Atwood	19.50			22		17
Robby Gordon	19.50			7	32
David Stremme	19.67	31	12		16
Mike Wallace	19.80	10	22	15	23	29
Andrew Ranger	20.00	20
Brandon Whitt	21.00	21
Brad Coleman	21.00		21
Regan Smith	21.00				5	37
David Reutimann	22.00	24	11	12	43	20
Marcos Ambrose	22.25	15	14	40	20
Danny O'Quinn Jr	22.50	40				5
Jeremy Clements	23.00			23
Jamie McMurray	24.00	9		38	18	31
Ted Musgrave Sr	24.00					24
Jimmie Johnson	24.60	33	10	32	6	42
Greg Biffle	24.75		7	30	21	41
John Andretti	25.00					25
Mike Bliss	25.50	19	15	29	39
Jason Leffler	25.60	18	32	19	31	28
Tony Raines	26.00	26
Bobby Hamilton Jr	26.00	37	18	16	33
A J Allmendinger	26.00			26
Jason Keller	26.67	29	17	34
John Wes Townley	27.00	27
Bryan Clauson	27.00	30	31	20
Richard Johns	27.00			27
David Gilliland	27.00				27
Steve Wallace	27.33	32	20		30
Brad Teague	28.00		28
David Green	28.00				28
Brad Baker	28.33		27	28		30
Stanton Barrett	29.00	28	35	24	29
Kyle Krisiloff	29.50			21	38
Cale Gale	30.00		30
Johnny Sauter	30.33	49			36	6
Shane Huffman	31.50				24	39
J J Yeley	31.67			37	26	32
J J Yeley	31.67			37	26	32
Danny Efland	33.00	23	43
Auggie Vidovich	33.00					33
Justin Allgaier	34.00	34
D J Kennington	35.00	25		45
Jeff Green	35.00	35
Brent Sherman	35.00				35
Reed Sorenson	35.00			25	42	38
Blake Bjorkland	35.00			35
Chase Miller	36.00	36	36
Kevin Lepage	36.67	39	26		45
Josh Wise	37.00	50	24
Eric McClure	37.20	22	29	44	44	47
Sam Hornish Jr	39.00		39
Bobby Santos III	39.00			39
Kertus Davis	39.25	45	25	42		45
Jay Sauter	40.00					40
Juan Montoya	40.00				40
Burney Lamar	41.00	38	44
Kurt Busch	41.00				41
Carl Long	41.50		42	41
Derrike Cope	41.67	43	34			48
Terry Cook	42.00	42
Morgan Shepherd	42.67	48	37	43
Johnny Chapman	43.50	41	46
Kenny Hendrick	43.50	46	41
Andy Ponstein	43.50	47	40
Mark Green	44.00	44
Tim Sauter	44.00					44
Robert Richardson	45.33	52	38			46
Brett Rowe	46.00		46
Bill Elliott	46.00				46
Travis Kittleson	46.00			46
Blake Feese	47.00				47
Larry Gunselman	50.00	50
Justin Marks	52.00	52

N'Wide: Lowe's entry list

The entry list for the Carquest Auto Parts 300 has been posted and it features a large field of 52 cars for 43 spots.

Our View: In addition to making it more difficult for the start and park operations, fantasy owners will hopefully get a chance to see Patrick Carpentier, Marc Davis and Peyton Sellers race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will run his own No. 5 and get the chance to extend his top-five streak at this track to three. For a complete list of drivers' finishes, check back on Tuesday.

Lowe's Cup entry list

The entry list for the Coca-Cola 600 has been posted and it features 46 cars for 43 slots.

Our View: In addition to the regulars, Bill Elliott will drive the No. 21, J.J. Yeley will drive the No. 41 Shana Mayfield entry, Mike Bliss will drive the No. 09 and David Starr will be in Trevor Boys' No. 06.

IRL: Tag team

"Tag," you're it. Alex Tagliani will replace Bruno Junquiera in the No. 36 Conquest Racing car, according to AutoRacingDaily.com. Tagliani was the final driver bumped from the field on Sunday by Ryan-Hunter Reay and he did not have an opportunity to attempt to re-qualify.

Our View: "It’s a shame that Alex got bumped out of the field at the end,” Junquiera said. “I knew coming into this that Alex is Conquest’s primary driver and that if something happened to the first car that I would likely give him my place and I completely understand it.”

That's a lot of understanding.

IRL: First female over the wall

Milka Duno won't be the only woman on her side of the wall when she comes in to pit. Jackman (make that jackwoman) Anna Chatten will be lifting the No. 23 Dreyer Reinbold entry for service, according to AutoRacingDaily.com.

Our View: It is believed she will be the first female, "over-the-wall" crew member. More power to her.

Stewart's better piece for the 600

Will Tony Stewart bring back his All-Star winning car for this week's Coke 600? According to crew chief Darian Grubb, there's a better car back at the shop.

Our View: "I think we have a better piece back at the shop," Grubb said after the conclusion of the All-Star race. "It's in the paint booth right now. They're finishing up the decals. We might bring this as a back up. But I think what we've got back at the shop is even better.

Lowe's results, last five races

Success predicts success. That's true in business and it's even more accurate in auto racing, so this week's top choices for your fantasy roster need to come from those drivers and teams who finish with the leaders on a consistent basis.

The biggest issue with that is, however, that the new body style has elevated parity to an extreme level and has made it difficult for drivers to string together long runs of top-10s together. It's true that last year, five drivers swept the top 10 in both Lowe's races—including the spring winner Kasey Kahne and fall's Jeff Burton—but no one has managed to run four or more solid results.

Four drivers have managed to earn three consecutive solid finishes, however, and they should become your starting spot for the Coca-Cola 600.

Kyle Busch leads the league with three straight top-fives. Add in a pair of victories and a second-place finish in the Nationwide Series during that same span, and he is certainly the hottest driver at Lowe's for the moment.

Kasey Kahne backed up last year's Coke 600 victory with a second last fall and he preceded it with an eighth in fall 2007. That gives him nearly as much momentum as Busch. In fact, when one factors in his victory in fall 2006, he has the best average finish during the last five Lowe's races.

Jeff Burton (with a worst finish of sixth in the last three races) and Jeff Gordon (with a worst of eighth) round out this list and gives you a variety of marquee and mid-cap drivers from which to choose.

Last Five Races

Driver	Avg Finish	2008.2	2008.1	2007.2	2007.1	2006.2
Kasey Kahne	7.00	2	1	8	23	1
Jeff Burton	7.60	1	6	4	24	3
Kyle Busch	9.20	4	3	3	30	6
Tony Stewart	11.00	11	18	7	6	13
Bobby Labonte	11.60	17	11	12	13	5
David Stremme	13.67			9	17	15
Carl Edwards	14.00	33	9	5	15	8
Jimmie Johnson	14.20	6	39	14	10	2
Dale Earnhardt Jr	14.40	36	5	19	8	4
Jeff Gordon	15.60	8	4	1	41	24
Mark Martin	16.20	9	15	16	11	30
Clint Bowyer	18.20	12	25	2	29	23
Casey Mears	18.40	29	29	21	1	12
Dave Blaney	18.80	27	17	6	18	26
Todd Bodine	19.00					19
Denny Hamlin	19.40	16	24	20	9	28
Kevin Harvick	19.80	13	14	33	21	18
Jamie McMurray	21.00	5	23	24	19	34
Regan Smith	21.00	23	19
Reed Sorenson	21.40	15	22	30	4	36
Matt Kenseth	21.60	41	7	34	12	14
Kurt Busch	21.80	3	16	26	32	32
Martin Truex Jr	22.40	14	34	17	16	31
Greg Biffle	23.20	7	2	27	43	37
Scott Riggs	24.00	19	28	36	20	17
Brian Vickers	24.20	18	42	46	5	10
David Ragan	24.75	10	12	40	37
Sterling Marlin	25.00		31		33	11
Ryan Newman	27.20	21	21	28	39	27
A J Allmendinger	27.25	43	20	15	31
Sam Hornish Jr	27.33	22	13	47
Elliott Sadler	28.00	20	8	41	36	35
Tony Raines	28.00	40	48	31	14	7
Michael Waltrip	28.80	24	27	10	45	38
David Reutimann	30.00	32	10	29	49
David Gilliland	31.60	25	40	25	35	33
Robby Gordon	31.60	30	43	38	22	25
Jeremy Mayfield	32.00			39	25
Juan Montoya	32.25	34	30	37	28
Joe Nemechek	32.80	37	47	45	26	9
Paul Menard	33.25	26	41	22	44

Last Five Years
Avg. Fin

Driver	Avg. Fin	Avg. Start	Attempts
Jimmie Johnson	7.70	6.50	10
Jeff Burton	11.10	21.50	10
Bobby Labonte	12.50	16.30	10
Kasey Kahne	12.80	10.90	10
Carl Edwards	13.67	18.78	9
Denny Hamlin	16.29	16.29	7
Tony Stewart	16.50	17.80	10
Mark Martin	16.70	12.10	10
Dale Earnhardt Jr	16.70	17.00	10
Jamie McMurray	17.70	21.60	10
Casey Mears	18.20	15.20	10
Clint Bowyer	18.33	22.17	6
Greg Biffle	18.60	19.30	10
Jeremy Mayfield	18.86	23.57	7
Matt Kenseth	19.00	14.40	10
Reed Sorenson	19.50	23.17	6
Martin Truex Jr	20.00	26.86	7
Kurt Busch	20.90	19.40	10
Regan Smith	21.00	33.00	2
Kyle Busch	21.40	17.20	10
Jeff Gordon	21.40	15.40	10
David Stremme	21.60	21.80	5
Dave Blaney	22.20	23.78	10
Elliott Sadler	22.20	10.00	10
Joe Nemechek	22.30	24.38	10
Ryan Newman	23.20	9.50	10
Kevin Harvick	23.40	19.10	10
David Ragan	24.75	15.50	4
Scott Riggs	24.80	15.20	10
Brian Vickers	25.60	16.56	10
Robby Gordon	27.10	27.90	10
A J Allmendinger	27.25	30.75	4
Sam Hornish Jr	27.33	28.00	3
David Reutimann	28.40	25.00	5
Sterling Marlin	29.13	27.88	8
Paul Menard	29.40	26.25	5
Michael Waltrip	29.73	24.22	11
David Gilliland	31.60	27.00	5
Todd Bodine	32.00	14.00	2
Juan Montoya	32.25	30.50	4
Tony Raines	34.13	38.33	8

Busch wins Camping World race

Third times the charm for Busch

For the third consecutive year, a NASCAR regular has made the overnight trip from the All-Star race in Charlotte to compete in a combination Camping World East/West race at Iowa Speedway. Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne failed to beat the lower division regulars, but Kyle Busch finally proved their master in the 2009 edition of the Long John Silver 200.

Our View: If anyone was going to do it, fantasy owners won't be surprised that Busch was the first. The Nationwide Series will head to Iowa for an inaugural race this year and Busch now has some seat time on that track. Brian Ickler and David Mayhew finished second and third.

2009 Indy 500 Lineup

Four grueling days of qualification are in the books and the field is set for the most prestigious race of the year.

We've known for a while that Helio Castroneves has the pole and over the course of his career, he's done a great job of finishing what he starts on this track.

John Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay provide the drama on bump day by becoming the last two drivers to make the field.

Notable others include all three female drivers. Danica Patrick qualified in 10th on the first day of time trials; Sarah Fisher made the show on day two in 21st and Milka Duno had to wait until the final day to know she was in the show in 31st.

Indy 500 Lineup

Start	Driver	Avg. Fin	Avg. Start	Attempts
1	Helio Castroneves	6.75	5.63	8
2	Ryan Briscoe	12.67	11.33	3
3	Dario Franchitti	9.40	11.40	5
4	Graham Rahal	33.00	13.00	1
5	Scott Dixon	9.67	6.50	6
6	Tony Kanaan	12.43	3.71	7
7	Mario Moraes	18.00	28.00	1
8	Marco Andretti	9.67	14.00	3
9	Will Power	13.00	23.00	1
10	Danica Patrick	10.50	6.75	4
11	Alex Lloyd	25.00	19.00	1
12	Raphael Matos
13	Paul Tracy	2.00	29.00	1
14	Vitor Meira	7.00	12.17	6
15	Justin Wilson	27.00	16.00	1
16	Hideki Mutoh	7.00	9.00	1
17	Ed Carpenter	15.00	15.60	5
18	Dan Wheldon	10.17	5.67	6
19	Anthony Foyt IV	17.50	24.50	2
20	Scott Sharp	16.27	9.09	11
21	Sarah Fisher	26.57	18.29	7
22	Davey Hamilton	12.38	16.13	8
23	Robert Doornbos
24	Townsend Bell	16.00	13.50	2
25	Oriol Servia	11.00	25.00	1
26	Tomas Scheckter	18.00	10.71	7
27	Mike Conway
28	John Andretti	23.00	22.50	2
29	E J Viso	26.00	26.00	1
30	Bruno Junqueira	18.20	10.40	5
31	Milka Duno	25.00	28.00	2
32	Nelson Phillippe
33	Ryan Hunter-Reay	6.00	20.00	1
DNQ	Alex Tagliani
DNQ	Buddy Lazier	11.23	17.77	13
DNQ	Stanton Barrett

IRL: Three fail to qualify for 500

Alex Tagliani, Buddy Lazier and Stanton Barrett failed to qualify for the Indy 500.

Our View: None of these drivers were likely to make it onto your roster, but that doesn't reduce the sting to their fans.

IRL: Indy 500 field is set

In a dramatic Bump Day, John Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay became the last two drivers to qualify for the Indy 500. RacingOne.com has the complete grid posted.

Our View: Andretti may have had the biggest up and down day after getting bumped on numerous occasions. He finally settled into 28th on the grid in the final minutes.

Ku Busch's post All-Star race comments

“It was really a good effort all the way around for this Miller Lite Dodge team." Busch said. "I felt that the way that our car took off on green flag runs, the car just took too long to get going. That’s a big mystery to us for sure and it’s not anything you want in a 10-lap shootout. Overall, I thought that we had the best car on a 20-lap run, but that doesn’t pay the big bucks tonight. We finished third, but that doesn’t mean anything. If anything, we learned some things for next weekend’s (Coca-Cola) 600 that hopefully we can apply and make our Miller Lite Dodge better."

Our View: Busch had a top-five car for most of the evening and his fantasy owners should be happy that he ended the day in third. Pushing the issue only leads to misery—just ask his brother Kyle, Ryan Newman or Jeff Gordon. Kurt's patient attitude should make him a good value in the 600.

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