Johnson Wrecks In Happy Hour
Jimmie Johnson bobbled, spun and tapped the wall between turns 3 and 4 during final practice for the Nextel Cup Series LifeLock 400 on Saturday, requiring his team to pull out a backup at Kansas Speedway. As a result, the polesitter for Sunday's race will now start from the rear of the field. Though the damage to his primary car was not major, the team deemed it necessary to use a backup and immediately went into action after the wreck occurred. Johnson, who was uninjured, was in the seat and the engine was fired with 35 minutes left in practice.  ...More

Kerry Earnhardt Autograph Session
Kerry Earnhardt, driver of the No.37 GLOCK Chevrolet in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, will host an autograph session for fans prior to the ARCA RE/MAX Series 250 on Friday, Oct. 5. The event is scheduled to last from 11:30 to 12:00 at the McCaig-Wellborn Research Library, located in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. The autograph session with Earnhardt is free with paid admission to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Admission to the museum is $10 for adults, $5 for kids age 7 to 17 and free for kids age 6 and younger.  ...More

NASCAR To Donate $500,000 To VJGC
This Sunday, The NASCAR Foundation will present a $500,000 check to the Victory Junction Gang Camp during pre-race activities at the LifeLock 400 at Kansas Speedway (1:00 p.m. ET, ABC). Sprint Vice President of Experiential Marketing and NASCAR Foundation Board Member Tom Murphy will present the donation, which is made possible by funds raised mainly through NASCAR Day, The NASCAR Foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year.  ...More

Johnson On Kansas Cup Pole
Jimmie Johnson is on the pole for Sunday's LifeLock 400 at Kansas Speedway. Johnson turned a lap of 30.846 seconds around the 1.5-mile track for a speed of 175.063 mph. It was Johnson's third pole in the past four races. Ryan Newman will join Johnson on the outside of the front row, he turned a quick lap of 30.876 seconds translating to a speed of 174.893 mph. Matt Kenseth will roll off in the third spot and Scott Riggs turned in a great run and will start fourth. Jeff Gordon is fifth on the field followed by Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. to round out the top ten. -- Four drivers failed to qualify: Rookie A.J. Allmendinger, Ward Burton, Brian Vickers and Jon Wood.
For Full Starting Lineup...     (Insider Racing News)
UPDATE
Ryan Newman's car was found to be too low during the post-qualifying inspection and his time was disallowed. Newman will start Sunday's race in the 42nd spot and everyone else will move up one place. This will put Matt Kenseth on the outside pole.

Villeneuve In Talladega Cup Debut?
Jacques Villeneuve is expected to make his NASCAR Nextel Cup debut at Talladega Superspeedway next weekend in the No. 27 Bill Davis Racing Toyota Camry. The former Formula 1 and CART champ, will be one of three BDR entries in the UAW-Ford 500 on October 7. Slugger Labbe, who received his release from Ginn Racing last month, will serve as Villeneuve's crew chief. The race marks two milestones — the coming-out party for Villeneuve in the Cup, and the first Car of Tomorrow race on the 2.66-mile speedway (the biggest track to date for a COT race). Villeneuve ran his first CTS race last Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  ...More

Goodyear Tire Notes
This is the second straight weekend that teams in these two NASCAR series have run this specific combination of left-and right-side tires -- in addition to Kansas and Dover, these teams have run this combination at California and Michigan this season -- Busch Series teams have also run this tire set-up at Kentucky -- this left-side code (D-4078) has also been run by these teams with a different right-side code at both Texas and Chicagoland in 2007 -- as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Kansas -- air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.  ...Daily Headlines

No Fourth Team For RCR Next Year
He (Richard Childress) hasn't quite found the right combination for a fourth car, so any expansion will likely be on hold until 2009. We're working on it, but right now we're about at the point of no return [for next season]," said Childress, who has all three of his current drivers -- Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick -- competing in NASCAR's championship Chase. It isn't looking really good right now. There are opportunities out there, but none that we want to pursue. I'd rather hold off a year and make sure that we get the right combination. It has to fit into our whole program. We'll run some races next year with [Scott] Wimmer or something, but right now, we don't know really what we're going to do."  ...Daily Headlines

Franchitti's Plans Set Back
Dario Franchitti's plans to kick off his stock car career with Chip Ganassi Racing in two weeks' have been put on hold because of the Scotsman's contractual commitments with Andretti Green Racing. Chip Ganassi has been working on a deal to try to get Franchitti some stock car experience as soon as possible, with the aim of having him well-prepared to drive for his team in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup. However, negotiations have apparently hit a stumbling block as Franchitti is still under contract with AGR, has further commitments to the team, and an early release from his obligations has not been reached.  ...More

No Penalty For Petty
NASCAR will not penalize Kyle Petty for slapping the visor of Denny Hamlin in the garage area following their accident in Sunday's Dodge Dealers 400, a NASCAR spokesman said. Petty was angry after Hamlin hit his rear bumper, sending him into the wall Sunday at Dover International Speedway. After being released from the infield medical center, Petty went over to Hamlin's car in the garage, unhooked Hamlin's window net, yelled at him and slapped his visor. Hamlin got out of his car but was restrained by crew members and NASCAR officials. Earlier this year, a shoving match between Richard Childress Racing's Kevin Harvick and Chip Ganassi Racing's Juan Pablo Montoya also resulted in no penalties - "no harm, no foul," NASCAR Vice President Jim Hunter said at the time.  ...Daily Headlines

Haas CNC Racing Looking
Haas CNC Racing could be the next Nextel Cup Series team looking to make a driver change for the 2008 season. Haas has yet to exercise the one-year option on the contract for Jeff Green, who drives the organization's No. 66 Chevrolet, and the team has been exploring other driver possibilities, multiple sources confirmed on Wednesday. One possible target is Scott Riggs, who has yet to solidify his future with Gillett Evernham Motorsports for next season. Green, the 2000 Busch Series champion, is 29th in Cup points with just three top-10 finishes this season. He has not finished in the top five of a race since the 2002 season.

Evernham To Host Custom Bike and Auto Show
Ray Evernham and Racing for a Reason are hosting a Custom Bike and Auto Show Fundraiser in the heart of racing country at Cabarrus Arena in Concord, N.C. This unique event, brought to you by Freightliner Trucks, will showcase NASCAR Team Owners', Drivers' and Crew Members' custom bikes and automobiles along with appearances by NASCAR stars and custom bike builders. Proceeds from the event support Racing for a Reason, which provides funding for cancer research and education efforts. There will be more than 70 exciting custom bikes and cars owned by the biggest names in NASCAR including Elliott Sadler, Travis Kvapil, Kyle Petty, Richard Petty, Mike Helton, Kenny Wallace, Todd Kluever, Steve LeTarte, Kyle Busch, Dale Jarrett, JD Gibbs, Ray Evernham, Kasey Kahne, Kenny Francis, Scott Riggs, Dale Earnhardt. Jr, Mike Bliss, Greg Biffle, Mike Helton, Roger Penske and special guest Dave Perewitz.  ...More

Kyle Busch Wins Busch Series Race

Busch Makes Winning Pass * CIA Stock Photo

Kyle Busch was served a speeding penalty just before half-way through the Yellow Transportation 300 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday. The penalty didn't slow Busch down, in fact it only served as motivation for the young driver. Busch caught and then passed the leader Matt Kenseth with 23 laps to go. Once Busch was at the point, it was his job to keep it but Kenseth raced him hard, battling side-by-side for ten laps before Busch was able to secure the victory. It was his third win this year in the Busch Series and the tenth of his career.

“I got to thank Matt for racing me clean," said Busch. "Being able to race him and beat him was pretty special. He’s beat me a few times.” Busch has won three of the last six races in the series. Kenseth held on for second place and a good run by Casey Mears, put him in the third spot. Hometown favorite Clint Bowyer drove from the rear of the field to finish fourth and Jamie McMurray was fifth. Denny Hamlin finished sixth followed by Paul Menard, Jeff Burton, Brian Vickers and Greg Biffle to round out the top ten.

Points leader Carl Edwards got into a spat with Matt Kenseth that left Edwards with a flat left front tire, an altercation that Edwards claimed that Kenseth did it purpose. On a restart Edwards passed Kenseth on the right and it appeared that Kenseth moved up to touch Edwards -- to show his displeasure. Later on lap 151 something broke on the No. 60 Ford of Edwards. He hit the wall head on and when he climbed from his wrecked vehicle, he gave Kenseth two thumbs up, a sarcastic here's to you gesture.

"Something came loose in the front end and I (was) real, real loose in. I think my sway bar was – something broke, I thought. I overcorrected and turned into the fence. That was a pretty hard hit. It hurt a little bit,” said Edwards. "The reason I was mad, someone like a teammate would race me like that. He may or may not have done it on purpose. He’s my teammate and we’ve really got a good relationship, so hopefully we can get by this.” MORE. “It is difficult. There is a lot of pressure. I’ve got great fans, and I do have great teammates. And, Matt’s done a lot for me. Hopefully, that’s just a one-time deal, a little lapse there that he might’ve had. We’ll move on.”

Kenseth acted like he didn't have a clue as to what was going on.

"If I spun him out or something I guess I would, (feel a need to smooth things out with Edwards) but I don’t really feel like I did anything wrong," said Kenseth. "My job’s not out there to get out of his way all of the time; we’re supposed to race each other like we always race each other and race each other with respect. And I thought I left him enough room. I mean, he kind of took a cheap run out there, which any of us could’ve done because it was a slow start, but, gosh, whatever it was, 70 miles into the race, 90 miles into the race, I didn’t know why we had to be really four-wide going into turn one on a re-start when we were all in line. So, I thought I left him enough room, and we did make just barely any contact and it was just bad luck that I got his tire, and everything else that happened to him I don’t really think was my fault.”

Edwards finished 38th on the day but still leads the Busch Series by 696 points over David Reutimann, still a healthy advantage with five races remaining in the series.

Tony Raines Fined $15,000
NASCAR announced today that Tony Raines, driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Busch Series, has been fined and penalized due to rule violations this past weekend at Dover International Speedway. Raines was fined $15,000 and penalized 25 driver championship points for violating Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing – entered the race track surface without authorization; throwing helmet at competitor’s car) of the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series Rule Book. Additionally, the driver’s infractions have resulted in team owner DeLana Harvick being penalized 25 owner championship points. The infractions took place during the race on Sept. 22.  ...Daily Headlines

Another Major NASCAR Mistake
Kelly Bires showed up to the Busch Series drivers meeting at Dover International Speedway on Saturday and sat in the second row, alongside his crew chief, Scott Zipadelli. But just before the RoadLoans.com 200 began, NASCAR told Bires and his No. 47 team that it would have to drop to the rear of the field for missing the drivers meeting. Given that Bires had qualified 21st, he and Zipadelli were surprised and unhappy with the turn of events. "They said we were not there for roll call," Zipadelli said. "I was sitting right in front of [Busch Series director] Joe Balash. ... I was at the drivers meeting before Joe Balash was at the drivers meeting."  ...More

Jason Leffler Replaces David Green
Red Horse Racing announced that three-time National Midget Champion Jason Leffler will race the No. 1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in five of the six remaining events on the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule. Leffler will hand the wheel over to Brandon Whitt when the Series’ hits Atlanta Motor Speedway on October 27th due to a scheduling conflict and his commitments in the NASCAR Busch Series.  ...Daily Headlines

Truck Crew Chief Fined $5,000
NASCAR announced today that Larry J. Pryor, crew chief of the No. 29 Dodge in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, has been fined $5,000 for an infraction this past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Pryor was found in violation of Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing), 12-4-Q (truck, truck parts and/or equipment used in the event not conforming to NASCAR rules) and 20B-5.9D (4) (unapproved modifications to the plenum area of the truck’s engine intake manifold). The violation was found during opening day inspection last Friday.  ...Daily Headlines

Kvapil Wins 'Vegas Truck Race

Travis Kvapil * Getty Images

Travis Kvapil was the pole sitter of Saturday's Smith's Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and it didn't take long to see that he had the truck to beat. Kvapil ran in the top ten most of the night, stayed out of trouble and passed Jon Wood for the lead with 13 laps to go. Wood tried hard to get back past Kvapil and did get along-side him several times in the closing laps but wore his tires out in the effort. Johnny Benson then pulled past Wood and set out to catch Kvapil. He too put up a valiant fight for the lead but settled for second place. It was the fourth victory this year for Kvapil and the ninth of his 115 race career.

“Man, what an awesome finish. Our weekend in general, this is the truck we won a couple of races with earlier in the year. So, we knew it was fast at this type of race track," said Kvapil. "This was my first time here in this configuration. We were good in practice, just kept working on it. Everybody on the team just did a wonderful job staying with it. Qualified on the pole. In the race we were off a little bit. We were just a little too tight in the first half of the race. I was trying to run the bottom of the race track in one and two. My truck was just not set-up good enough to get through the bumps through one and two like I needed. So, I had to search around a little bit and it took me a little while to figure out how to carry speed through in turns one and two. I found just running the outside lane, going around the bumps, worked for me."

Jon Wood finished third and Terry Cook was fourth. Eric Darnell brought his truck home in the fifth spot followed by Josh Wise, Dennis Setzer, Stacy Compton, Rick Crawford and Chad McCumbee to round out the top ten. Two Indy 500 winners were in the race, the first time for both in a NASCAR race, Jacques Villeneuve and Buddy Lazier finished 21st and 24th respectively. Mike Skinner reclaimed the Craftsman Truck Series lead in the standings over Ron Hornaday by a slim margin of 3 points. Hornaday was on track to add to his points lead but a blown right front tire, with 12 laps to go, put Hornaday a lap down leading to a 22nd place finish. It was the first time in 26 races that Hornaday finished off of the lead lap. With the victory, Kvapil gained 90 points and is now 181 points back of the lead.  ...Daily Headlines

Fike Makes Court Appearance
Former NASCAR driver Aaron Fike appeared in Warren County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday on charges stemming from his arrest in an amusement park parking lot with what police said was heroin and drug tools. Fike, 24, of Cornelius, N.C., did not enter a plea, and no trial date was set, Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel said. Fike remained free on an own-recognizance bond. The charges stem from his arrest July 7, when police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot at Kings Island amusement park. A grand jury indicted Fike on charges of possession of heroin, a felony, and possession of drug abuse instruments, a misdemeanor, Hutzel said.  ...Daily Headlines

"Paint My Ride" Contest
Think you can do a better job designing the No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford F-150 than their professional designer did? Here's your chance. Northern Tool + Equipment has launched the "Paint My Ride" promotion that allows race fans to design their own paint scheme for Erik Darnell's No. 99 truck. Now through October 5, 2007, fans will be able to download a template of the No. 99 Ford via Northern Tool + Equipment's website, NorthernTool.com to create their own paint scheme. All designs submitted will be placed on their website for popular voting.  ...More