Harvick wins Budweiser Shootout

Kevin Harvick won back-to-back Budweiser Shootouts after leading Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray when the final caution waved.

Our View The race ended with a green-white-checkered finish and you just knew that it was going to get hairy. However, no one expected Jeff Gordon to trigger a wreck when he bump-drafted Greg Biffle into a spin in the corner.

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Patrick impressive in stock car debut

Danica Patrick wanted to get experience by running the ARCA race at Daytona International Speedway, and she accomplished that goal with flying colors. She was credited with sixth-place in a photo finish with Ricky Carmichael at the line.

Our View Patrick had to avoid wrecks along the way and was even knocked into the infield by Nelson Piquet Jr. at one point, so she experienced nearly everything that she would face in a Nationwide Series race.

The final decision on whether she will run the Nationwide race next Saturday will come on Monday, but according to a tweet by @NASCAR_NNS, she has already been approved by NASCAR.

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Martin, Earnhardt qualify on front row for Daytona 500

Hendrick Motorsports came loaded for bear this week; teammates Mark Martin (191.188 mph) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (190.913) became the only two drivers who locked in their position for the Daytona 500.

Our View Rick Hendrick is dedicated to making Earnhardt as competitive as Martin this year and this is an early indication that will be the case.

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Yahoo! Daytona Preview

#NASCAR #Daytona500 The Daytona 500 is the most prestigious races on the circuit, but it pays the same amount of points as every other event. Unfortunately—it's a crap shoot, but here are our best guesses and who will "pass" and who will "fail." Check out our picks in this week's Yahoo! Preview (.pdf).

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Bud Shootout Lineup

Not that it matters much on a restrictor-plate superspeedway, but here is the starting lineup for Saturday's Bud Shootout (determined by a blind draw):

1. Carl Edwards
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Brian Vickers
4. Ryan Newman
5. Greg Biffle
6. Mark Martin +
7. Jeff Burton
8. Matt Kenseth
9. Jamie McMurray
10. John Andretti
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
12. Bobby Labonte
13. Tony Stewart
14. Ken Schrader
15. Michael Waltrip
16. Jimmie Johnson
17. Kyle Busch
18. Derrike Cope
19. Kasey Kahne
20 Juan Montoya
21. Joey Logano
22. Kurt Busch +
23. Jeff Gordon
24. Denny Hamlin +

+ will drop to the back with an unpracticed backup car.

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Schrader notably fast in Bud Shootout practice 2

Ken Schrader has not been in a car for a while, but he showed there is no rust on him. He posted the second fastest lap in the second drafting practice with a speed of 191.371. He's driving Scott Speed's No. 82 since he was eligible and Speed was not.

Our View Anything can happen on the restrictor-plate superspeedways, so if you need a dark horse for the Shootout, Schrader's experience makes him very attractive.

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Kahne fastest in Bud Shootout practice 2

Kasey Kahne logged only two laps, but he made the most of them. With a speed of 191.673 mph, he led the field.

Our View The best news with this speed is that he apparently did not hurt his car when he banged into the back of Ken Schrader while that driver slowed during an early caution.

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Add Harvick to backup list

Add Kevin Harvick's name to the list of drivers going to backup cars. Clint Bowyer sustained enough damage in his No. 29 to send it to the garage and not return.

Our View Richard Childress seemed positive about the car swap according to a Tweet from @DeLanaHarvick and with so many other drivers in the same boat, his chances are as good as anyone's.

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Logano is lucky and good

Six drivers sustained damage in a late-practice crash and they garnered the headlines. Emerging from the smoke, however, Joey Logano showed a lot of poise and missed two spinning cars in front of his No. 20 Toyota.

Our View Logano could very easily have made an overly aggressive correction and spun himself or collected one of the other cars in the initial incident. Logano did sustain minor damage, but it could have been much worse.

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Another practice, another wreck: this time for Ku Busch

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Seconds into the second practice session, Juan Montoya hooked Kurt Busch and sent the No. 2 into the frontstretch wall. Busch will be the fifth driver forced into a backup.

Our View Kasey Kahne also sustained some nose damage, but he should not have to go to his backup.

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Four drivers to backup Shootout cars, six wreck

Four drivers involved in a six-car accident in the final minutes of the first practice session for the Budweiser Shootout will be forced to roll out a backup. They are Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray. Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer (in Kevin Harvick's car) suffered minor damage but are not expected to go to their backups.

Our View The accident happened when Hamlin clipped the back of Martin's car and turned him sideways in front of the field. Both drivers accepted partial blame and there are no hard feelings as fallout.

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Burton fastest in Shootout practice 1

Jeff Burton posted the fastest single lap in the draft with a speed of 193.303 mph, but most importantly, he pitted one lap before a multi-car crash hampered six drivers' hopes.

Our View Fast speed is essentially meaningless at Daytona, but one would rather be at the top of the list than at the bottom.

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Steve Francis Ready To Go Racing With His Own Team Again In 2010

ASHLAND, KY – Jan. 27, 2010 – Steve Francis is ready to go racing like he used to in 2010.

After spending the last two years as a hired-gun driver, the veteran dirt Late Model star from Ashland, Ky., is back this season in his familiar position as an owner-operator. The return of the well-known Steve Francis Racing No. 15 comes during the ‘Super Bowl of Racing VI’ scheduled Jan. 28-30 at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga.

“I’ve been my own boss for most of my career so I’m excited to be back on my own,” said Francis, whose primary focus in 2010 will be chasing the World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship that he won in 2007 when he last fielded his own team. “I’m sure there’s gonna be a little bit of an adjustment period, but I’m confident we’ll make this work because I have great equipment and a great group of sponsors and supporters.”

Buoyed by the continuation of his primary sponsorship deal with Valvoline for the 11th consecutive season, Francis, 42, has reassembled a formidable operation in the short time since his successful two-year association with Maryland car owner Dale Beitler ended in November. A flurry of activity in the Francis shop has him headed south to kick off ’10 with two Rocket Chassis cars powered by Custom Racing Engines – the same combination that carried Francis to his only WoO LMS title.

Francis has enlisted some close friends to help him in 2010, led by longtime speed shop and team owner Tim Logan and Logan’s son, Lee. The elder Logan plans to travel the circuit as Francis’s crew chief this season as well as provide his own pair of Russell Baker-powered Rocket cars for Francis’s use in selected non-WoO LMS events, while Lee Logan, who served as Francis’s crew chief in 2007, returns to the SFR fold on a part-time basis to handle work in the shop while Francis is on the road. Francis has also hired Derik Reese as a fulltime mechanic to further bolster his effort.

With Francis’s new S&S hauler and trailer not ready for pick up in Nebraska until after his season-opening southern excursion, he will make the trip using a rig borrowed from sponsor Harbaugh Amusement. The car he plans to pull out of the Harbaugh trailer for duty at Golden Isles will be a machine that Francis prepared for NASCAR star Ryan Newman to drive in a handful of 2009 events and has since reconstituted with his own trademark No. 15. Francis will also bring along a new Rocket – a mount sporting his new-for-2010 lettering and color scheme by JFR Graphics – but he’s uncertain when he will debut the car in competition.

The meet at Golden Isles is just the start of a busy month-long stretch for Francis. After departing Georgia he’ll enjoy a few days off in Florida before visiting Ocala (Fla.) Speedway for a test session on Feb. 3. Then he’ll head to East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla., to run the final three nights (Feb. 4-6) of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Winternationals behind the wheel of a Blount Motorsports Rocket car alongside the team’s lead driver, Tommy Kerr of Maryville, Tenn., before spending a week (Feb. 8-13) at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., for the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH.

Francis will drive his own equipment in Volusia’s DIRTcar Nationals, which includes DIRTcar UMP Late Model events on Feb. 8, 9, 10 and 12 and the season-opening World of Outlaws Late Model Series programs on Feb. 11 and 13. He won the second WoO LMS A-Main during last year’s DIRTcar Nationals.

Francis’s schedule won’t slow down once he leaves the Sunshine State. He’ll have to ready his new hauler and then, on Feb. 27, he will marry Amanda Ferrell in Bardstown, Ky. After a honeymoon trip he’ll return to the shop to prepare for the remainder of the 2010 WoO LMS, a grueling national tour on which he’s one of just two drivers to start all 237 A-Mains contested since 2004.

Fans can stay up-to-date on all the latest Steve Francis news and information by visiting his completely redesigned Web site at www.stevefrancisracing.com.

From Steve Francis Press Release

Logano Captures Second NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown Victory

IRWINDALE, Calif. (Jan. 30, 2010) – Joey Logano got his second NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown trophy and Sergio Pena nearly made a historic debut on the national stage.

Logano, 19, held off the 16-year-old Pena and two-time race winner Matt Kobyluck for the victory in the 225-lap race Saturday before a sold-out crowd at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

It was Pena's first career race in NASCAR's top developmental series and it came in the non-points, postseason event, which has earned the moniker the "Daytona 500 of short-track racing."

Logano made his mark by winning as a 17-year-old rookie in the 2007 edition; Pena, who only has one year of Late Model racing on his resume, nearly out-did that.

Logano and Pena waged a race-long battle for the lead from drop of the green. For most of the race it was the Pena in heated pursuit of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year. Pena was able to grab the lead on several occasions. Logano, however, got the best of two late-race restarts to pull away for the victory.

Kobyluck got by Pena briefly on Lap 218, and by the time Pena got back to second four laps later he didn't have enough time to track Logano back down.

It's been a whirlwind weekend for the Winchester, Va., native.

Pena, driving for Revolution Racing and Drive For Diversity, beat out three teammates Thursday in a race-off for a chance to qualify for the Showdown. He easily did that, earning the pole in Friday's qualifying.

The win was a vindication – of sorts – for Logano, who crossed the line first in last year’s NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, but was penalized to last place for aggressive driving on the last lap.

Logano led three times for a race-high 171 laps while Pena led three times for 54 laps.

Following Logano, Pena and Kobyluck across the line was Matt DiBenedetto and Andrew Myers. Eric Holmes, David Mayhew, Eddie MacDonald, Paulie Harraka and Steve Park rounded out the top 10.

Reigning NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champion Jason Bowles finished 11th while K&N Pro Series East 2009 titlist Ryan Truex was relegated to 26th after a late-race accident.



NASCAR TOYOTA ALL-STAR SHOWDOWN-NASCAR TOYOTA ALL-STAR SHOWDOWN

Unofficial Results

Saturday

At Toyota Speedway at Irwindale

Irwindale, CA

Lap length: 0.5 miles

(Start position in parentheses)

1. (2) Joey Logano, Middletown, Conn., Toyota, 225 laps, 54.253 mph, $31,000.

2. (1) Sergio Pena, Winchester, Va., Chevrolet, 225, $23,000.

3. (14) Matt Kobyluck, Uncasville, Conn., Chevrolet, 225, $22,550.

4. (11) Matt DiBenedetto, Grass Valley, Calif., Toyota, 225, $20,000.

5. (13) Andrew Myers, Newport Beach, Calif., Toyota, 225, $13,000.

6. (4) Eric Holmes, Escalon, Calif., Toyota, 225, $11,550.

7. (24) David Mayhew, Atascadero, Calif., Chevrolet, 225, $10,000.

8. (17) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Chevrolet, 225, $14,500.

9. (16) Paulie Harraka, Wayne, N.J., Toyota, 225, $9,850.

10. (23) Steve Park, East Northport, N.Y., Chevrolet, 225, $13,750.

11. (10) Jason Bowles, Ontario, Calif., Ford, 225, $8,500.

12. (22) Jim Inglebright, Fairfield, Calif., Chevrolet, 225, $8,250.

13. (6) Jeff Barkshire, Auburn, Wash., Dodge, 225, $6,500.

14. (36) Nick Joanides, Woodland Hills, Calif., Ford, 225, $10,250.

15. (26) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Quebec, Chevrolet, 225, $12,000.

16. (3) Greg Pursley, Newhall, Calif., Ford, 225, $6,800.

17. (30) Jason Patison, Corona, Calif., Chevrolet, 225, $11,700.

18. (39) Troy Ermish, Fremont, Calif., Chevrolet, 225, $6,600.

19. (38) Kyle Kelley, Huntington Beach, Calif., Chevrolet, 225, $7,550.

20. (40) Justin Philpott, Tracy, Calif., Toyota, 225, $6,500.

21. (20) Brennan Newberry, Bakersfield, Calif., Chevrolet, 225, $5,400.

22. (29) Jack Sellers, Sacramento, Calif., Chevrolet, 225, $6,300.

23. (35) Michael Self, Park City, Utah, Chevrolet, 214, accident, $6,250.

24. (37) Candace Muzny, Oklahoma City, Okla., Chevrolet, 208, suspension, $6,200.

25. (34) Daryl Harr, Edmonton AB, Chevrolet, 207, $6,150.

26. (9) Ryan Truex, Mayetta, N.J., Toyota, 205, accident, $11,100.

27. (19) Jamie Dick, Albuquerque, N.M., Chevrolet, 204, accident, $6,100.

28. (8) Josh Combs, Sacramento, Calif., Ford, 200, $5,100.

29. (27) John Salemi, Nashua, N.H., Chevrolet, 195, rear end, $11,100.

30. (28) Moses Smith, Tempe, Ariz., Toyota, 186, accident, $6,100.

31. (33) Jonathon Gomez, Twin Falls, Idaho, Chevrolet, 185, accident, $6,100.

32. (12) Auggie Vidovich, Lakeside, Calif., Chevrolet, 177, accident, $5,000.

33. (31) Derek Ramstrom, W Boylston, Mass., Chevrolet, 144, accident, $11,000.

34. (18) Brett Thompson, Jerome, Idaho, Chevrolet, 144, accident, $6,000.

35. (21) Blake Koch, West Palm Beach, Fla., Chevrolet, 144, accident, $6,000.

36. (15) Brian Johnson, Jr., Machensey Park, Ill., Chevrolet, 144, oil leak, $5,000.

37. (5) Sean Caisse, Pelham, N.H., Chevrolet, 128, drive shaft, $5,000.

38. (7) David Gilliland, Riverside, Calif., Toyota, 99, electrical, $5,000.

39. (25) George Brunnhoelzl, III, W Babylon, N.Y., Chevrolet, 93, accident, $11,000.

40. (32) Johnathan Hale, Rio Linda, Calif., Chevrolet, 39, rear end, $6,000.

Race Statistics

Time of Race: 2 hours 4 minutes 25 seconds

Margin of Victory: .584 seconds

Fastest Qualifier: S.Pena (97.879 mph, 18.39 seconds)

Caution Flags: 15 for 72 laps.

Lead Changes: 5 among 2 drivers.

Lap Leaders: S. Pena 1; J. Logano 2-105; S. Pena 106-133; J. Logano 134-177; S. Pena

From NASCAR PR

Nationwide: Patrick schedule announced

JR Motorsports has announced Danica Patrick's 12-race Nationwide schedule. She has not yet been approved to run at Daytona in that series but could still be entered if she performs well in the ARCA Daytona event. Her first scheduled race will be at Auto Club Speedway on 2/20/2010 followed immediately by the event at Las Vegas the following week. Then she will take a break to concentrate on her IndyCar responsibilities and return to stock car competition at New Hampshire in June.

The remainder of her schedule includes Chicagoland, Michigan, Dover, the fall Auto Club race, Charlotte, Gateway, Texas, Phoenix (her hometown) and Homestead.

Our View The majority of these events are held on unrestricted, intermediate speedways, which gives her a chance to focus on the skill set requited to go fast on that track type.

Patrick's transition to the heavy stockers will be a challenging one, but with JR Motorsports equipment at her disposal, she could be a better value than many anticipate.

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F1: USF1 announces first driver in lineup

Argentine Jose Marie Lopez has been named as the first driver in the USF1 lineup for 2010, according to ESPN.com.

Our View Eventually, the team wants to hire American drivers and give them an opportunity to race, but until then they are creating opportunities nonetheless: Lopez has logged 6,000 test miles with Renault.

Lopez will become the 24th Argentine in Formula 1and the first since Gaston Mazzacane ran in April 2001.

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F1: Schumacher ready for return

Michael Schumacher feels "great emotion" while preparing for his return to Formula 1, according to ESPN.com. He will return in a Mercedes in 2010 to end a three-year retirement.

Our View Don't expect Schumacher to have any rust after three years, however; he will be one of the strongest drivers in F1 fantasy racing.

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Trucks: Piquet to warm-up in South America and South Africa

Nelson Piquet Jr. will get a little stock car experience in the next few days before heading to the United States to debut in the Craftsman Truck Series, according to ESPN.com.

Our View Piquet will run at Brazil's Interlagos in a 1,000 endurance race and then head to South Africa to compete in the American Speed Association's Transcontinental Series Free State 500 on the paved Phakisa Freeway Circuit oval. Several top short track racers will be in attendance, so he will have some strong competition.

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IRL: George shuts down team

Tony George continues to distance himself from the league he created and that recently ousted him as its president. According to ESPN.com, he is shutting down his IRL race team, Vision Racing.

Our View In a league that has never had stunning car counts to begin with, it is unfortunate to lose any team. Last year, however, George's driver Ed Carpenter was hardly a fixture on anyone's race league.

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Several NASCAR drivers highlight Rolex 24 entry list

Six active NASCAR drivers will add some stock car spice to this weekend's Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona DP roster. Max Papis will be in Chip Ganassi's No. 01 car, DEI teammates Juan Montoya and Jamie McMurray will also team up in the Ganassi No. 02, A.J. Allmendinger will run the No. 6 Michael Shanks entry, Paul Menard is in the No. 90 Porsche Coyote and Jimmie Johnson will team with Alex Gurney and Jimmy Vasser in Wayne Taylor's No. 99.

Our View While this has no direct correlation to NASCAR races at Daytona or even on the road courses—since the Daytona Prototypes are distinct from the stock cars—track time is always helpful.

Complete Daytona Prototype entry list
Complete Grand Touring entry list

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Montoya, McMurray test at Walt Disney World

Juan Montoya and Jamie McMurray tested at Walt Disney World Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to NASCAR.com. No times were released.

Our View This gives these two drivers a chance to work on their chemistry and determine if they like the same things in cars. Whether that is the case, simply testing should make them better teammates.

They will also get a chance to race together in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

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Gilliland to drive for BAM

According to @bobpockrass: David Gilliland will drive No. 49 BAM car at Daytona 500.

Newman gets new spotter

Ryan Newman will have a new spotter in 2010, according to FoxSports.com. Jimmy Kitchens moves over from the No. 07 RCR team that recently closed and will replace Greg Newman.

Our View It's always hard to go from a familiar voice to a new one, but Kitchens has enough experience to make the transition smooth.

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Dan Beaver's Twitter League

Come and play the Yahoo! fantasy racing game with me.

I have always been skeptical about social media until last April when I started using Twitter. I had been providing fantasy racing newsbreakers for NASCAR.com and Fanball.com for several years and I was originally looking for another way to get those to my readers. As I became more involved with Twitter, however, I found out this is a great way to interact.

So – this year, I decided to set up my own user-created league in the Yahoo! fantasy game. It is open to anyone who wants to join me, but user-created leagues are limited to 50 players, so sign up quickly just in case there is an overwhelming response.

Signing up is simple and free. Simply log onto Yahoo! Sports and navigate to the fantasy racing page (http://racing.fantasysports.yahoo.com/auto). Click on the “join a group” button and follow the instructions.

The league name is: DanBeaversTwitterLeague
Group ID: 4035
Password: twitter

The more the merrier, so feel free to invite any of your friends who want to join in. If we max the group out this year (50 players), we will probably make it an unlimited group next year and maybe get Yahoo! to promote the game a little heavier on the front page—and that means even more bragging rights to the winner.

This year, we will continue to make fantasy racing newsbreakers available via my Twitter account: @FantasyRace, so if you haven't already done so, take a minute to follow me. If you turn on the device updates, you will get the information on your cell phone (standard text rates apply) and you will have the information as soon as I post it on my Blog.

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So far, so good for Truex

Martin Truex Jr. got his first laps in the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 56 in a Goodyear tire test at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He posted the third fastest lap of 184.744 behind Mark Martin (185.182) and Carl Edwards (185.102).

Our View Speeds from tire tests can be misleading since they are working on whatever the manufacturer directs, but if the team is happy, that means chemistry is being built—and that can only improve his value to fantasy players.

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N'Wide: McDowell to McDonald Motorsports

Michael McDowell will pilot Randy McDonald's No. 81 Nationwide Series Dodge in 2010, according to a Press Release by the team. This team will run full time.

Our View McDonald Motorsports has improved slightly in recent seasons. With McDonald behind the wheel, however, this could be a breakout year.

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Auto Club fall race shortened

Along with the news that the Phoenix spring race will be lengthened, it was announced the fall Auto Club race will be shortened by 100 miles. The new name of the race will be the Pepsi Max 400, according to Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Not all of the news is good, it turns out.

Our View The net effect is that NASCAR fans lost 37 miles of competition, but hopefully the California race will be more entertaining as the middle stages of this race can get a little strung out. This brings this race in line with both Michigan events, so those events will be even better comparatives.

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Phoenix spring race lengthened

The Subway Fresh Fit 500k will become the Subway Fresh Fit 600k this year this spring, adding 63 miles to its distance, according to the Arizona Republic. This will be the longest Cup race in Phoenix's history.

Our View The added distance was made possible by NASCAR moving the start of races up to create a uniform time. In the long run, this will benefit fantasy owners as it gives short, flat track drivers more time to get to the front. Previously, this race was essentially a sprint.

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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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