| Upcoming Events in the World of NASCAR | | | | |
| | | | This year's rebound from a disappointing 2005 |
| After an action packed week (race at | | | | season can be directly attributed to the |
| Talladega on Monday, practice at Lowe's Motor | | | | return of Tony Eury Jr as crew chief. The |
| Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday, then head | | | | relationship Tony and Jr share is almost that |
| to Richmond International Raceway on Thursday | | | | of an uncle/nephew. While other crew chiefs |
| for an action packed weekend), I'm sure the | | | | coddle their drivers, Tony is not afraid to |
| NASCAR Nextel Cup teams would love a little | | | | tell his driver what he thinks. Take this |
| rest and relaxation. However, NASCAR is one | | | | open and honest relationship between driver |
| of the most competitive sports out there, and | | | | and crew cheif coupled with the fact that |
| with that comes a demanding schedule. | | | | Dale Earnhardt Inc is producing better |
| | | | engines and cars this season, and it's easy |
| This coming Saturday, the teams will race | | | | to see why Dale Earnhardt Jr will be in the |
| under the lights at the track known as the | | | | hunt for the championship in 2006! |
| "Lady in Black", Darlington Raceway. For | | | | |
| those of you who have had the privilege of | | | | Who's Not |
| watching a race at Darlington understand | | | | |
| exactly how this track earned its nickname. | | | | Has anyone seen Jeremy Mayfield this year? I |
| Through the course of the race, the pristine | | | | believe I last saw his name down towards the |
| snow white wall that borders the track morphs | | | | bottom of the Nextel Cup Points Standings in |
| into a black widow. Drivers are forced to | | | | the 34th position. What a turnaround from |
| lean on the wall through the turns as the | | | | last year when Mayfield was in the Chase for |
| gritty Darlington asphalt shreads the tires | | | | the Nextel Cup Championship! |
| and robs them of any grip. | | | | |
| | | | Mayfield's position may be in jeopardy if he |
| Of the current drivers, the best performer at | | | | doesn't start producing results! Evernham |
| Darlington is Kasey Kahne. His average finish | | | | Motorsports is too high quality of a team to |
| in 3 starts there is 7th. | | | | settle for one of their drivers being in the |
| | | | 34th position. The meat of the 2006 schedule |
| Other drivers to note: | | | | is fast upon us and if Jeremy can string |
| | | | together some solid finishes and build |
| Jimmie Johnson | | | | momentum, he may turn his season around and |
| | | | finish towards the top 15 in points where he |
| Carl Edwards | | | | belongs. |
| | | | |
| Jamie McMurray | | | | Last Week's Headlines |
| | | | |
| Jeff Burton | | | | Recap of the 2006 Crown Royal 400 at Richmond |
| | | | International Raceway: |
| Next Week's Schedule: | | | | |
| | | | On a night when the top drivers in the points |
| (all times CST) | | | | standings were quiet, the fan favorite Dale |
| | | | Earnhardt Jr roared. Dale Jr overtook the |
| Nextel Cup: @ Darlington Raceway | | | | dominant driver of the night, Kevin Harvick, |
| | | | on a late round of pit stops, and held on to |
| 5/12/06 - 12:05pm Dodge Charger 500 Practice | | | | lead despite a charging Denny Hamlin and |
| | | | Kevin Harvick. |
| 5/12/06 - 05:05pm Dodge Charger 500 | | | | |
| Qualifying | | | | Both Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kevin Harvick are |
| | | | coming on strong in the 2006 season after |
| 5/13/06 - 06:55pm Dodge Charger 500 | | | | mediocre runs in the 2005 season. With strong |
| | | | performances in Richmond, both drivers jumped |
| Busch Series: @ Darlington Raceway | | | | two spots in the Nextel Cup Points standings. |
| | | | Kevin currently sites in 5th place, and Dale |
| 5/12/06 - 08:30am Diamond Hill Plywood 200 | | | | Earnhardt Jr sits in 6th. |
| Practice | | | | |
| | | | The series leader, Jimmie Johnson, had a |
| 5/12/06 - 03:40pm Diamond Hill Plywood 200 | | | | quiet night. After starting 5th, Johnson |
| Qualifying | | | | fell to the back of the pack quickly. |
| | | | However, through the course of the race, |
| 5/12/06 - 08:30pm Diamond Hill Plywood 200 | | | | Jimmie rallied for a 12th place finish. |
| | | | Johnson is currently in 1st place with a 55 |
| Craftsman Truck Series - Off Until May 19th | | | | point lead over Tony Stewart. |
| at Lowe's Motor Speedway | | | | |
| | | | Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon both had dismal |
| Who's Hot | | | | evenings finishing 39th and 40th. Both |
| | | | drivers suffered mechanical setbacks that |
| With out a doubt, this week's Who's Hot has | | | | were too much to overcome. Matt Kenseth's |
| to go to Dale Earnhardt Jr. After a dismal | | | | car suffered damage to his oil pan after |
| finish at Talladega in the Aarons' 499 (due | | | | running over of a piece of debris early in |
| to mechanical problems), the team rebounded | | | | the race. And Jeff Gordon had a sudden loss |
| for a strong win at Richmond. This win was | | | | of power, most likely due to a broken |
| Jr's 17th in the Nextel Cup circuit, and | | | | distributer cap, that required an enormous |
| moved him up to a 6th place standing in the | | | | amount of time to fix. |
| Nextel Cup Points Championship. | | | | |