RACING HIGHLIGHTS
CUP - Kasey Kahne is still the most winningest Cup driver in 2006 after adding his 6th on Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. With 28 laps to go in the Bank of America 500, he charged past Lowe's driver Jimmie Johnson who finished 2nd in for the second time in a row and who had previously won 5 of the last 7 races in "his house."
Kasey Kahne celebrates his 6th NASCAR Nextel Cup series win in 2006 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Cocord, NC - October 15, 2006 (Photo: Rusty Jarrett)
Leading chaser Jeff Burton finished 3rd after being a lap down and retains the lead with a 45 point advantage with five races to go. Chasers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch finished 4th and 6th respectively, with Bobby Labonte between them.
Other chasers: Matt Kenseth - 14th, Kevin Harvick - 18th, Denny Hamlin - 28th, Mark Martin - 30th (victim of J.J. Yeley), Jeff Gordn - DNF (his 4th in a row).
Video Highlights
Milestones
Tony Raines led his first laps ever in the #96 Hall of Fame Chevrolet owned by former NFL greats Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman and finished 7th, a personal best.
At the drop of the green flag on Saturday night, Earnhardt Jr. made his 250th Cup career start Bank of America 500. The #8 Budweiser Chevolet driver scored a 16th place finish in his first Cup start in the May 30, 1999 Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's. Since then he's earned 17 wins, 6 Bud poles and on Saturday he scored his 106th top ten finish.
Unofficial Results | Unofficial Standings
BUSCH - When leaders Carl Edwards and Casey Mears took themselves out inside five laps to go, Dave Blaney inherited the race lead. Blaney went on to win his first race in 93 starts after running side-by-side with Matt Kenseth in 3 laps of overtime. Kenseth spun himself out just before crossing the finish line.
And... with a lil' points help from Carl Edwards' DNF, Kevin Harvick was able to clinch the series championship title after struggling to a 9th place finish from 35th following a tire problem and slow pit stop put him 2 laps down.
2007 Busch Series Champion Kevn Harvick celebrates with wife Delana
and owner Richard Childress (Photo: Eric Gilbert)
NCTS - Bye.
ARCA - Steve Wallace did his family proud Sunday at Iowa Speedway bringing home the trophy from The Prairie Meadows 250, the inaugural series race at the track designed by his dad, former NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Rusty Wallace. Steve also won the 2006 Pork Pole Award after earning his 4th, the series high, this weekend. In just 7 starts in the 22-race-season, Steve had two wins plus five top 5 and 6 top 10 finishes.
Points leader Frank Kimmel clinched a series record eighth national championship title at the season's final race.
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Kasey Kahne has a lot of practice with victory burnouts. (Photo: Streeter Lecka)
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (after Talladega): "I pushed [Jeff] Gordon into the lead five times, and every time I do that he complains that I'm bump-drafting him in the corners and blah, blah, blah. So I'm just not going to push him anymore. Besides, every time I help him out, he never gives it back in return. That's why he don't have too many friends out there."
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BEAUTY CONTEST
The results of the tallglassofmilk's NASCAR VS. F1: Which series' drivers have the hottest wives and girlfriends? survey posted last week are in.
Survey results show that Answer this... readers overwhelmingly favor the beauty of NASCAR drivers' wives and girlfriends over those of F1 drivers 3:1. Clint Bowyer's model of a girlfriend Athena Barber was the most favored over her F1 matchup, Fernando Alonso's girlfriend, Raquel del Rosario, singer of the Spanish group El Sueño de Morfeo.
| 78.2% | 21.8% |
 Clint Bowyer's girlfriend Athena Barber |
 Fernando Alonso's girlfriend Raquel del Rosario |
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ORDINARY VS. EXTRAORDINARY
Q. Do the Nascar drivers only date well known or popular women? Do any of them date just ordinary women?
A.
If by "ordinary" the inquisitor means not NW&GF newcomer supermodel Niki Taylor-like, then the answer is no, drivers don't only
date popular women. In fact, the majority of NASCAR drivers' wives and girlfriends would be considered ordinary. But well-known beauty queens or not, many of these ordinary women are extraordinary. Nicole Lunders, Krissie Newman and former Miss Winston Pattie Petty immediately come to mind.
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WHERE THE GREEN GRASS GROWS
Clint Bowyer: "I'm at war with my lawn. I'm trying to get grass to grow in my yard for a while now, so I've been looking forward to being home for a week with the next race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. I don't understand this grass-growing process. I think you ought to be able to stand there and hold the water hose on it and watch it grow. I'm not a very patient person, I guess. I've got a sprinkler system, but I can't get the dang grass to grow fast enough. My girlfriend keeps giving me a lot of trouble about the yard, saying the best thing I can do is go to the track and leave it alone." [NASCAR.com, Oct. 13, 2006]
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CHARLOTTE MOST FAQs
Q. Does Kasey Kahne have a new girlfriend?
A. Kasey is as single as ever.
Q. Who was the girl on top of Carl Edwards' pit box?
A. No clue, but pics posted.
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PERIODIC FAQ
Q. Why do they call Carl Edwards "Cousin Carl?"
A. Carl is a cousin of NASCAR driver and Inside Nextel Cup panelist Ken Schrader. Kenny is Carl's dad's cousin, which makes him Carl's first cousin, once removed.
More: Nicknaming the drivers of this...
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NEW FAQ
Q. Does Auggie Vidovich have a girlfriend?
A. I do not believe so.
As always, girlfriend updates are here.
9 LIVES AND A MILLION CATS TO RESCUE
Auggie was sponsored this weekend by 9Lives® cat food as part of its Morris' Million Cat Rescue Campaign. The brand will donate $50,000 (in total) to the Mecklenberg Animal Control Shelter in Charlotte and to the San Diego National Cat Protection Society.
Quoting this...
AV: "It has been a real honor to race this 9Lives car for such an important cause. The whole Biagi DenBeste team really gave their best for this event. We are thrilled to be able to help out in Morris' Million Cat Rescue campaign, and I am especially excited that the National Cat Protection Society from my hometown, San Diego, will benefit!"
Ryan Thomas, Brand Manager, 9Lives Cat Food: "This race and sponsorship were an important part of this 9Lives effort to rescue one million homeless cats. This donation will support the men and women, many of which are volunteers, in their efforts to find living homes for homeless cat everywhere. Given Morris the Cat's own humble beginnings as a shelter cat, this is a cause near and dear to Morris' heart, and speaking on his behalf, he is grateful for Biagi DenBeste Racing and Auggie Vidovich's involvement and efforts."
Morris plans to rescue one million of his fellow felines. He has adopted the very first cat in a million – Lil' Mo, who resembles a younger version of himself. Morris and his new sidekick Lil' Mo will appear together for special events and media interviews, in 9Lives advertisements and online at www.9Lives.com.
Morris and Lil' Mo have also embarked on a nationwide bus tour to find homes for homeless cats in 34 cities nationwide, including New York, Charlotte, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, Houston, Cincinnati, Tampa and Pittsburgh. Check www.9Lives.com for a complete listing and dates.
9Lives® brand is also partnering with 3,600 shelters across the country during the Bus Tour to distribute Morris' Million Cat Rescue™ Welcome Home Kits that will educate consumers on proper care for their cats at home. As a commitment to Morris’™ efforts, 9Lives brand will donate a percentage of all sales, including the newly formulated 9Lives Daily Essentials™ and 9Lives® Tender Cuts cat food, to animal rescue shelters nationwide.
A shocking 3 out of every 4 cats that enter shelters do not leave alive. The reality is that 5.5 million cats are euthanized each year, representing 71% of all cats that enter animal shelters. On the flip side, there are tremendous advantages for the entire family in owning a pet -- for adults, pet ownership can decrease the risk of having a heart attack by up to 6%. Pet ownership can teach children about responsibility, compassion and loyalty – in addition, positive self-esteem is enhanced in children with pets. And pet ownership has been shown anecdotally to help children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to focus and concentrate.
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GONE TO THE DOGS
Ryan Newman: "Krissie and I have four dogs -- Digger, Harley, Mopar and Socks. They are all rescue dogs. Harley is a Lab mix, either part pit bull or boxer, and she's just weird. We call her "crackhead" because she's either totally excited like when we come home or just passed out on the floor at night. We couldn't have more fun with all of our dogs." Commentary: Ryan Newman's special to CNN
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SEARCHING FOR THE NEXT INTIMIDATOR
SI.com - The invitation surprised Jeffrey Earnhardt.
Son of Kerry and grandson of the Intimidator - the late seven-time Cup champion, Dale Earnhardt - 17-year-old Jeffrey didn't expect Dale Earnhardt Inc. to nominate him with another driver for GM Racing's second driver development-evaluation program.
"But I guess they thought I would do pretty good, so they stuck me in,'' Jeffrey said.
The name and family connections might have gotten him into the 16-driver group compiled by GM Racing for a three-track evaluation program to help its teams identify the next generation of drivers.
The latest Earnhardt to hit the track has done the rest on his own.
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NASCAR INSPIRES QUALITY
Excerpt from "The Secret Weapon," Pink Magazine
When U.S. and Iraqi forces zeroed in this past summer on al-Qaida's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, it was a defining moment in the war on terror. As one of the world's most-wanted terrorists, al-Zarqawi had been responsible for many of the war's most brutal attacks, including suicide bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. Suddenly, after weeks of intelligence-gathering and surveillance, the man whom Osama bin Laden had named the "Prince of al-Qaida" was dead--taken out by American F-16 fighters wielding two 500-pound bombs. The first was a laser-guided precision bomb made by Raytheon Missile Systems, a Tucson, Ariz.-based division of Raytheon.
"These are our best moments," says Missile Systems President Louise L. Francesconi, 53, sounding equally proud and humbled as she recalls learning about the al-Zarqawi air strike. "Our war-fighters are like rock stars to us. It's with great emotion and tremendous pride that we're such huge, silent contributors when it comes to bringing people home from war safely.
As the top executive of Raytheon's Missile Systems business, a post she's held since 1996, Francesconi runs the most powerful and successful missile company on the planet. It develops and manufactures a menu of weapon systems that supports every aspect of a mission by U.S. troops: air-to-air, land combat, naval and strike weapons, missile defense, guided projectiles and directed energy systems. Missile Systems and its 11,000 employees in five states posted 2005 sales of $4.1 billion, up from $2.9 billion in 2001. [...]
As she considers her company's outlook, Francesconi says the biggest challenge for defense firms is keeping ahead of inevitable change. "You have to be ready for it. You have to embrace it," she says. "And it must be done with speed and affordability." One way she's changing company culture is by empowering her team to "think big and act small."
For instance, to illustrate the significance of speed and discipline on the job, she brought in a NASCAR pit crew.
"NASCAR racing is very disciplined; it's very technical. Lives are on the line--but it's also about speed," Francesconi says. She excitedly explains how the NASCAR analogy resonates with the whole organization. "They get it," she says. The company's goal from now on is to "do it faster, with 100% quality every time."
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ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?
Jade Gurss's Super Secret Insider's Tip: "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... We're not supposed to promote it, but you should keep an eye open for Dale Jr. during Monday night's major sporting event on a major cable sports channel. MTV has blown the cover of the big secret. That's all we can say..."
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BLADDER CHATTER
Dale Jr.: "How many laps is this race?"
Tony Jr.: "Three thirty-four."
Dale Jr.: "I gotta p*$$ like hell!"
Tony Jr.: "Then goooooo!!!!"
Dale Jr.: "No, I'm gonna hold it. This is a brand new suit. You can thank me later."
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SILLY SEASON UPDATES
Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) announced that current NCTS driver David Reutimann completes the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series lineup for the organization. Reutimann will become the full-time driver of the #00 Toyota Camry co-sponsored by Burger King Corporation and Domino's Pizza in 2007.
Quoting this...
David Reutimann: "It's something me and my wife discussed when we knew it was a possibility. It's going to be hard work, but it's what I signed up to do. She's behind me like she always has been. Whenever we were broke and there was $5 in the checking account and I needed to go racing, she never asked me to do anything different."Lisa Reutimann: "That's going to be a big adjustment for us. Emilia is in school now, so we'll just travel as often as we can. A lot of Friday afternoon flights." [St. Petersburg Times, Oct. 13, 2006]
The recently engaged Bootie Barker is leaving Haas CNC Racing's #66 Best Buy team in the cup series to go the #00 Yellow Trasportation team in the Busch series. This... in preparation for and anticipation of a 2007 cup run for Johnny Sauter.
- Three-time IRL champion Sam Hornish Jr. will attempt make his NASCAR debut at PIR in November in a Penske Racing South Dodge. He will also attempt the last race of the season at Homestead-Miami and will run a partial schedule next season in ARCA, Busch and possibly Cup with the goal of putting him in a full-time Cup ride for 2008.
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In case you missed this...
- Roush Racing laments letting Martin get away: Mark Martin's decision to join MB2 Racing in 2007 seemed to catch longtime employer Jack Roush by surprise.
"I blame myself," said Roush, seemingly stunned by the sudden departure of a driver who had been part of his racing family for nearly two decades. "I know Mark better than anybody else, and I should have been paying more attention than I was to what was going on in his head." - NASCAR will return to ESPN and ABC in 2007 with a powerful and experienced team of television and NASCAR championship veterans, led by host Brent Musburger, an accomplished and prominent sports commentator; Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR champion who made his debut as an analyst in 2006; and play-by-play announcer Jerry Punch, a veteran of ESPN's previous NASCAR coverage.
Television newcomer Andy Petree, a former team owner and the 1993-94 championship-winning crew chief for the late Dale Earnhardt, will join Punch and Wallace as an analyst for a booth with nearly 90 years experience in motorsports. The trio will team with veteran pit reporters with a combined 45 additional years of motorsports experience – Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. 1999 NASCAR champion Dale Jarrett will join Punch and Petree in the booth for select NASCAR Busch Series races on ESPN2 and ABC.
ESPN's return to NASCAR kicks off with coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, Feb. 17, 2007 on ESPN2. On behalf of The NASCAR Foundation, NASCAR President Mike Helton presented the Victory Junction Gang Camp with a check worth $400,000, the largest single donation the Foundation has made since its inception in January.
As a result of The NASCAR Foundation’s generous donation, more than 150 kids will be able to experience the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a camp founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in honor of their son Adam, who was tragically killed in a racing accident in 2000. The Victory Junction Gang Camp enriches the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun, and empowering, in a safe and medically sound environment.
- Terry Labonte was inducted into the LMS Court of Legends
- 'Dale' will take you closer to Earnhardt than ever
- Possums need love, too, (and some to be rescued)
- Pequignots join forces for Down Syndrome awareness
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HAVE FAITH - WILL TRAVEL
Denny Hamlin, on athletes and plane crashes (following Yankee pitcher Cory Bidle's fatal crash): We have a lot of faith in the people we hire and if you think about it, you'll worry yourself to death. Statistics-wise, you're more likely to be in a car accident than a plane." [AP, Oct. 12, 2006]
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MORE
* Please note: Additional photos tagged 'exclusive' are available to Answer this... Flickr friends only.
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