Prepare your car for the race


Stock Car Insider - April 3rd Issue

Upcoming  Events  in  the  World  of  NASCAR
Martinsville is no friend of Jack Roush. The
If you're looking for a fan of races atonly driver in the Roush stable who has had
Martinsville, don't look at me. I have neverany measure of success at Martinsville is
felt that any track with a qualifying speedMark Martin. In 40 starts, Mark has only 2
less than 100 mph should be a part ofwins  with  an  average  finish  of  13th.
NASCAR's top circuit. However, yesterday's
DirecTV 500 was exhilarating. WatchingYesterday, in the DirecTV 500, Mark met his
NASCAR's top drivers, Jeff Gordon and Daleaverage with a 13th place finish. The only
Earnhardt Jr come from the back multipledriver to finish in the top 10 was Jamie
times to finish in the top 5 proves thatMcMurray (9th) who currently sits in 17th
there  is  action to be seen at Martinsville.place in the Nextel Cup Points standings. The
remaining  Roush drivers finished as follows:
Next week's Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas
Motor Speedway will be anything but slow!Kenseth  -  24th
Just ask Bill Elliot who holds the fastest
qualifying time at Texas with a speed ofBiffle  -  31st
194.2236 mph. Of the current Nextel Cup
drivers, Jimmie Johnson has held the key toEdwards  -  16th
Texas. In 5 starts, Johnson has 5 top 10's
with  an  average  finish  of  6th.Kenseth was poised to take an 8th place
finish, but that opportunity was dashed when
However, Johnson will have his work cut outhe  lost  his  brakes  with  8  laps  to  go.
for him next week. There are a number of
drivers, both the young and the seasoned, whoHowever, Roush fans do not be dismayed. The
have  had  success  at  Texas.Roush Racing organization has committed
themselves to the most popular type of track
Other  drivers  to  note:on the Nextel Cup circuit, the 1 1/2 mile to
2-mile  tracks.
Jamie  McMurray
Fast forwarding to next week, NASCAR heads to
Kurt  BuschTexas Motor Speedway (1 1/2 mile track). Of
the current drivers, the Roush drivers rank
Carl  Edwardsas  follows:
Casey  MearsJamie  McMurray  -  3rd
All of the above drivers average a top 10Carl  Edwards  -  5th
finish.
Matt  Kenseth  -  10th
Next  Week's  Schedule:
Mark  Martin  -  11th
(all  times  CST)
Greg  Biffle  -  22nd
Nextel  Cup
Last  Week's  Headlines
4/07/06 - 12:05pm Samsung/RadioShack 500
PracticeRecap of the 2006 DirecTV 500 at Martinsville
Speedway:
4/07/06 - 3:40pm Samsung/RadioShack 500
QualifyingI don't like to repeat myself, but here I go.
Reference the "Upcoming Events in the World
4/08/06  -  12:05pm  Happy  Hour  Practiceof  NASCAR"  section  above:
4/09/06  -  1:00pm  Samsung/RadioShack  500"If you're looking for a fan of races at
Martinsville, don't look at me. I have never
Busch  Seriesfelt that any track with a qualifying speed
less than 100 mph should be a part of
4/06/06  -  1:00pm  O'Reilly  300  PracticeNASCAR's top circuit. However, yesterday's
DirecTV 500 was exhilarating. Watching
4/06/06  -  6:05pm  O'Reilly  300  QualifyingNASCAR's top drivers, Jeff Gordon and Dale
Earnhardt Jr come from the back multiple
4/08/06  -  2:00pm  O'Reilly  300times to finish in the top 5 proves that
there  is action to be seen at Martinsville."
Craftsman  Truck  Series
There was almost as much paint and rubber
Off till April 29th when they head to Gatewayswapping at Martinsville as last week in
International  Raceway.Bristol. Even after 500 laps of beating and
banging in the Food City 500, no car finished
Who's  Hot?the race looking as cool as Dale Earnhardt
Jr's! Who new that losing a right front
With disappointing finishes last week fromfender can actually be beneficial? It turns
their top drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeffout the lack of sheet metal on the right
Gordon, the Hendrick Motorsports organizationfront helped improve airflow over the right
redeemed itself in an action packed DirecTVfront brakes. With the extremely low banks at
at  Martinsville  Speedway.Martinsville (only 12 degrees compared to 36
degrees at Bristol), keeping the brakes cool
Three Hendrick drivers finished in the top 5is  crucial.
(Jeff Gordon-2nd, Jimmie Johnson-3rd, and
Kyle Busch-5th). Jeff Gordon has the mostOn a side note, I'm not sure why NASCAR
eventful day where he came from dead lastbelieves it has to punish aggressive
after he cut a tire on lap 89 to challengebehavior. I'm referring to the $10,000 fine
Tony  Stewart  for  the  win.and probationary period slapped on Jeff
Gordon after shoving Matt Kenseth after last
Leaving Martinsville, the Hendrick driversweek's Food City in Bristol. Avid sports fans
rank as follows in the race for the Nextellove to know they're cheering for passionate
Cup  Championship:competitors. We all love a good fight and
trash talk in football, and nothing beats a
Jimmie  Johnson-1stgood 'ole fashioned shirt pulled over your
head hockey fight. So why not show the few
Kyle  Busch-5thaltercations that do occur at a NASCAR race
after the race? In my opinion, NASCAR should
Jeff  Gordon-7thonly concern itself with policing aggressive
behavior on the track. Whatever happens off
Brian  Vickers-15ththe  track  is  for  the  fans'  enjoyment.
Who's  Not?A recap of EverythingStockCar.



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