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Did you hear about this? Did you see this on ESPN? Did you read about this on NASCAR.com? I didn’t… I read the NASCAR website and the media access site several times each day and from what I’ve seen, this got totally swept under the rug… Conspiracy theorists - here you go… Kyle cheated, got a “slap on the wrist” - or less - and the media never picked up on it as far as I can see. Anyway, just my .02… a 25 point “fine” once the Chase has already been decided and the #18 is out of the running isn’t really a punishment at all. Anyway - you decide… post comments and let me know what your take is on this:

NASCAR has issued penalties to the No. 18 team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as a result of a rule infraction found last Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The No. 18 car was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-I (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-12.8 1B (the height of the car at the left front fender did not meet the required specification; too low in post-race inspection) of the 2009 NASCAR rule book.

Crew chief Steve Addington has been fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Driver Kyle Busch and car owner Joe Gibbs have been penalized 25 championship driver and 25 championship owner points, respectively.

Top-12 Drivers Make a Pit Stop at New York City’s Hard Rock Café
To Kick Off NASCAR’s Championship Run on Thursday, September 17

WHAT: 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Media Day

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009 from 12 to 4 p.m. ET

WHERE: Hard Rock Café New York in Times Square
43rd Street and Broadway (1501 Broadway)

WHO: All 12 drivers eligible to compete in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will attend. Tony
Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have clinched births. 142 points separate places 9
through 15 with 2 races remaining to decide the final spots of the Chase!

Clint Bowyer claimed his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory of the season and the seventh of his career in Friday night’s Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

Bowyer also delivered the first victory of the season for beleaguered Richard Childress Racing, which has suffered cutbacks from Chevrolet in the wake of General Motors’ reorganization under bankruptcy.

Bowyer had just taken the white flag during an attempt at a green-white-checkered finish that took the race two laps past its scheduled 100 laps when a six-car wreck froze the field under caution and made a winner of the 2008 series champion, who is running a partial schedule this year.

Kyle Busch was second when the yellow flew and extended his lead in the series standings to 172 points over third-place finisher Carl Edwards. Joey Logano, Busch’s teammate, came home fourth, with Kasey Kahne in fifth.

Brad Keselowski, Brian Vickers, rookie Justin Allgaier, David Ragan and Kevin Harvick completed the top 10.

In what many fans will forever consider a controversial win, Joey Logano scored his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory lane trip this weekend at New Hampshire. A late-race rainstorm stopped the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 after 273 of the scheduled 301 laps, giving Logano his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.

The 19-year-old rookie, who turned 19 on May 24, was probably the only happy driver when NASCAR announced the race official, but veterans of the sport would quickly tell the youngster to enjoy his win because “there’s no telling how long it might be before he wins another one.”

Crew chief Greg Zipadelli, Logano’s mentor and crew chief on the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, a veteran of this sport’s tremendous emotional peaks and valleys, probably told his rosy-cheeked driver, “You take em any way you can get ‘em, kid.”

Anyone else sick of Kyle Busch already this season? I mean, I’m ready for it to be OVER. No matter how many other exciting events and news come out of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series, all we seem to be inundated with is news about Kyle Busch, his wins and his “awesomeness” according to the announcers and of course, NASCAR itself.

How about another driver win a race…. please?!?

Here we go again (and again and again and again)… NASCAR has posted on its website that a penalty has been imposed upon Carl Long and his team in the #146 car… Already fans are questioning the severity of this penalty based upon what seems to be such a minor infraction:

NASCAR has issued penalties, suspensions and fines to the No. 146 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as a result of rules infractions committed during last weekend’s event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Driver Carl Long and owner Danielle Long have been penalized with the loss of 200 driver and 200 owner points, respectively, suspended from the next 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship events, suspended from NASCAR until Aug. 18 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

OK - so it’s no secret that I’m a major Tony Stewart fan. I think the only one happier than Tony that he was switching from the Joe Gibbs Toyotas back to Chevy with his own team at Stewart-Haas racing was ME! I just knew this would be an unforgettable season, and with Tony’s first Cup Win in his own car from his own team being at the 2009 All-Star race in Charlotte is just icing on the cake!

Congrats Tony - and here’s to many, many more wins in 2009!

Each week NASCAR is adding a new “Family Tree” write-up on some of the top cars in the Sprint Cup Series. This week’s spotlight is on the #9 car - find out who drove it before Kasey Kahne and lots of other things you probably don’t know:

NASCAR Family Tree: The Lineage Of The No. 9
Kasey Kahne has the ride. Bill Elliott has the history.

And together, the two drivers represent the vast majority of accomplishments by the No. 9 car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, with some of the most memorable taking place at Talladega Superspeedway – site of Sunday’s Aaron’s 499.

And just how appropriate is it, that when Elliott decided to step away from racing full-time, he served as a mentor to Kahne, helping prepare the young driver to take over the No. 9 – a car number that had become forever part of NASCAR lore with Elliott behind the wheel.

Elliott made 446 starts in the No. 9 between 1976 and 2003 – out of 1,300 total starts among 97 drivers. The No. 9 had 49 victories coming into the 2009 season; Elliott had 38, followed by Kahne (nine), Donald Thomas (one) and Herb Thomas (one).
Read more…

A unique video featuring Stewart’s 2009 #14 Office Depot car for Stewart-Haas Racing:

This car was on exhibition at Office Depot in Eustis Florida on Wednesday, 11 February 2009. Tony was not there, he was at the Daytona track practicing. The person you hear talking in the background is Mike Smith, who hauls these cars around for Tony.

Okay, so these look a little like MY vacation pictures - Matt did ALL the stops: Ghiradelli’s for some chocolate, the pier for the freshest, best seafood in the world (shoulda got that chowder in a bread bowl though, Kev) and of course, the obligatory cable car ride. Unfortunately, my trip didn’t end with an autograph session in Willie Mays Plaza and technically, it wasn’t a “victory tour” - it was just a family trip with kids in the backseat whining, “are we there yet?”