PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Ashley Judd stands at the edge of the track after the Indianapolis 500 auto race was won by her husband, Dario Franchitti, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 27, 2007 (Photo: AJ Mast)
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500 Brings Pedigo Home to Indy
The Indianapolis 500 brought ESPN pit reporter Brienne Pedigo, daughter of Panther Racing co-founder Gary Pedigo, home for the festivities this month, her fiancé, Tyler Christopher, in tow.
"Growing up in Indy, I always had a passion for racing and sports in general. I kind of grew up at the race track and just fell in love with it. I'm not really involved with theater anymore. I'm really focused on my work in sports and trying to be available for that as much as possible."
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Hendrick: Bruna deserves a medal
USA Today - As he prepared for the 2007 season, NASCAR crew chief Chad Knaus was at the top of the mountain, literally and figuratively. "I took a full seven days off and went to Aspen to go skiing," says Knaus, who had helped driver Jimmie Johnson secure his first Nextel Cup title. In typical Knaus fashion, however, he did not fully disengage.
His girlfriend of three years, Brazilian-born, Boston-reared Pilates instructor Bruna Oliveira, recalls lying in bed the first morning of their first "real" vacation, listening to Knaus on the phone directing his team members in Charlotte.
"He's never going to take a week off," team owner Rick Hendrick concedes. "He'd go crazy. Bruna deserves a medal. His priority is being competitive and winning, and he's not going to rest until he gets it done."
Knaus did find the Aspen trip therapeutic. The time difference allowed him to communicate with his team early. "The first day was the worst," Oliveira says. "It was 4 a.m., and he was already on the phone."
That commitment is part of the reason Knaus, 35, arguably is the sport's top crew chief. Johnson has finished no worse than fifth in the standings and has had no fewer than 20 top-10s each year since he began the Cup series in 2002 with Knaus.
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THE WEEKEND'S MOST FAQs
Q. Was that Cielo Garcia with her ex-ex Larry Foyt at Indy?
A. Yes.
Q. Is that an engagement ring she's wearing?
A. Dunno.
Q. Is Brendan Gaughan engaged?
A. Yes. Congrats to him and Tatum.
Q. Ray and Erin looked really happy, are they still an item?
A. Like many lovers, they've had their quarrels, but sources close to the couple confirm that this relationship is right on track.
Q. Was that Ashley next to them on Kasey's pit box during Saturday's Busch race?
A. Yes.
Q. Was that Elizabeth on the Bud pit box on Sunday?
A. Can't say ... haven't seen a pic or heard that she was there. Yes.
Q. Any update on Scott Zipadelli? We're not buying the single crap.
A. Still single. Single as in the not married kind of single--not the available kind of single. Funny thing about articles proclaiming singledom... they have a tendency to bring new info to light. 
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In case you missed this...
Rick Hendrick has endured core-shaking tragedies; the loss of his father, only son and only brother -- and not before Hendrick, 58, would overcome a life-threatening battle with leukemia. But instead of time, NASCAR's most successful team owner self-medicates through charity in an efforts to ensure his family legacy lives on. [Full story]
MEDIA ALERTS
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the cover story in the current issue of Dub magazine.
Taking Stock: Life in NASCAR's Fast Lane
Features a collection of never-before-published essays by stock-car racing's most prominent writers giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the development of the sport.
REMINDERS
This post was updated May 31, 2007.
