Indycar Racing in Canada, eh?

The Indycar Series makes its first ever trip to the fast airport circuit up in Edmonton Canada and the first ever trip for the Indycar Series itself in Canada. Of course the big story is the �catfight� that happened last weekend between the females of the series Danica Patrick and Milka Duno. The two got into an altercation after a practice in which Duno threw her towel twice at Patrick. The good news is Duno is not racing this weekend and Patrick can focus solely on the race.

The Penske team is having some fabulous runs lately last week at Mid-Ohio the team started one-two with Helio Castroneves on pole and teammate Ryan Briscoe starting along side and the two flipped-flop in the final results with Briscoe taking the victory and Castroneves taking second. This weekend is starting out the same with Briscoe nabbing the pole and Castroneves taking second.

But even with the great runs by the Penske team it is still Scott Dixon on top of the point standings. The good news for the Penske boys is Scott Dixon�s results on road courses have been pretty ho-hum. Dixon has only one top 10 on a road course this year and that was a third last week at Mid-Ohio. With road courses making up three of the final five races this year this could make or break the championship for Dixon. But Castronves can�t rely on Dixon stumbling he has to get some wins to get himself closer to battling for the title with Dixon.

Edmonton also marks the return of � theThrill from West Hill�, Paul Tracy. Tracy will be making his first Indycar Series start since the controversial 2002 Indy 500 that saw Castroneves and not Tracy himself in victory lane.

Tracy, himself, is not expecting big things to happen on Saturday. "We all want to do well, our expectations are to do well, but I haven't set any type of goal on myself that we have to win the race," Tracy said. �We�re just going to take it step by step every day. From my standpoint, this is my opportunity to get back in the (IndyCar) series."

Tracy, the 2003 Champ Car champion, has a hard time trying to find a ride in the Indycar Series. Tracy drove at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, but has no luck since, but now things are starting to come together. Tracy hopes that this one-off race with Vision and Walker Racing will lead to bigger things. I hope it does, too. The race will be live at 5 pm eastern on ESPN.

Quick out of the Blocks [Indycar.com]

Hey, they're racing at the Brickyard this weekend

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes it annual trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (damn insurance companies). All the focus this weekend is on Indiana�s favorite son, Tony Stewart who is the defending winner of the race and also won it back in 2005. Earlier today Tony announced that the number that he would race with in the 2009 season, the number 14. Tony chose because it was the number that his own hero the grand champion, 4-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt drove with in his career. Tony also announced that he would have Old Spice (perfect gift for your Dad on Father�s Day when you�re too lazy to get him something good) and Office Depot. No word though on who will drive or sponsor the second car.

Tony is also in the news after he got into an altercation with a USAC Sprint Car official during a race at nearby Indianapolis O�Reilly Raceway Park when the official refused to order a push truck to go and help Tony�s driver, Tracy Hines. Tony knocked off the official�s headphones and shoved him. Tony, of course, regrets the incident.

Winning at the Brickyard is one of the biggest things a driver can do in his career. Some have even said that winning at Indy may be bigger than winning the Daytona 500. There are the drivers who still seek their first win at the track. Casey Mears, is one of the drivers, Casey�s family are no strangers to the Brickyard his father, Roger, raced the Indy 500 twice and of course his uncle, Rick won the Indy 500 four times along with Foyt and Al Unser.

This weekend will also be special for Mears who will make his 200th Sprint Cup start this weekend. "I feel so lucky to have the career that I do and to be able to race these cars every weekend," Mears said. "And to do it for a living -- that's all I wanted growing up."

Speaking of four time winners at the Brickyard, Jeff Gordon is one and he is looking to grab win number five, not to mention his first win of the year. Gordon, who grew up in nearby Pittsboro also fins this track to be dear to his heart. "As a kid, I remember taking the bus around here, going to the museum and just thinking how cool it would be to race on the track one day," Gordon said. "The opportunity to race here in open-wheeled cars never materialized, and I chose to pursue racing stock cars in NASCAR."


"That [the first win at Indy in 1994] is still one of the most memorable moments of my career," Gordon said. "I thought I'd lost that chance to race here. Then, to get that chance in a stock car and to win was just incredible. Now I get the opportunity to race here every year, and I've been fortunate to win the event four times."

If Gordon gets win number five, he will join Michael Schumacher as the only drivers who have five wins at the Brickyard and Gordon will certainly love to get his 2008 season back on track starting with a win here.

Of course, as always, Kyle Busch will be a threat to win on Sunday and looks to make 4 wins out of 5 races on Sunday. Qualifying is tomorrow at 10 am on ESPN2 and the race coverage starts on Sunday at 1 pm on ESPN.

Stewart expects fine from USAC for role in 'altercation' [ESPN.com]

Gordon refreshed, ready for Indy after vacation [Hendrickmotorsports.com]

Mears to make 200th start at Indy [Hendrickmotorsports.com]

Indycar Preview: Watkins Glen

The Indycar Series is in the state of New York this weekend for some road course action at Watkins Glen. The last few years have been pretty the same story, Helio Castroneves on pole and Scott Dixon taking the victory. Well so far its looks like will have a little parity, this year. Qualifying saw Ryan Briscoe take pole while his teammate, Castroneves comically struggled trying to get out of Q1.

Danica Patrick could have gotten out of Q1, but she forgot to finish her fast lap. The qualifying session also featured crashes by A.J. Foyt IV and Will Power. But it will be Briscoe and Justin Wilson on the front row. Points leader Scott Dixon will start 4th and last weeks winner Tony Kannan will start sixth.

NASCAR Preview: Daytona

It�s time once again for that midsummer classic, the Firecracker Pepsi Coke Zero 400. Yes, the NASCAR boys are back in Daytona for some high speed, tight racing action. But let's not kid ourselves were only watching tonight to see a giant crash. Racing? Yeah right. You want to see a big 25 car pileup and say "Its just like real life, except my dumbass isn't in it! WOOOOO!"

And by the way who's great idea was it to let Coke Zero sponsor a race? That has to be the second-nastiest drink to grace this earth. Pepsi Blue bieng the first.

Anyway, qualifying turned out another surprise as Paul Menard won the pole for tonight�s race. Paul Menard? Really, Paul Menard? Does anybody actually try in qualifying anymore?
Tonight TNT's will also feature "Wide Open Coverage", which means that will be less commercials and more Bill Weber, aren't you happy? It will also be a high def broadcast produced for the small screen. Which means everyone with a standard screen will slit themselves after the race because they'll will be still without HD long after the race has ended. So enjoy the race tonight and lets hope that all of your crash fantasies come true.

Oh, you wanted me to say something about what will happen the race. Um, okay, hmmm, oh. Boris Said still won't win a race. That's a fair enough prediction.

F1 Preview: British Grand Prix

The F1 circus heads off to the former World War II airfield and now racing circut and perhaps the world's busiest helipad this weekend at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. Felipe Massa had brillaint drive in the French Grand Prix and took the win and the points lead and now Massa hopes to continue his momentum at Silverstone. Meanwhile his teammate Kimi Raikkonen hopes some luck will get hims back into victory lane. Raikkonen had the strong car all day until his exhaust pipe came off, costing him the power necessary to keep himself in front of Massa.

Defending polesitter Lewis Hamilton also looks to get himself back on track after back to back pityful results at Canada and France. A win at home would be big for young Lewis. And the BMW boys will also be looking at getting back on top of the podium as well. The race will air at 1 pm eastern, Sunday on FOX.

NASCAR Preview: New Hampshire

NASCAR makes one if its two visits to the newly named New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 (because 300 laps weren't enough for you) and qualifying turned out a big surprise as Patrick Carpentier stole the pole away from Bobby Labonte towards the end of a rain-delayed qualifying session. The last time Carpentier found himself leading a field to the green flag was in a Champ Car at Laguna Seca in 2004.

"It's amazing," said Carpentier."The car was great. We made a couple of changes from this morning and the car just rotated beautifully through the middle of the corner. It was just stuck on the track. I'm real happy.

"Honestly, if I had won the first pole on a road course I wouldn't be as happy," he added. "I want to do well on the ovals because that is where they do most the racing in this series." Carpentier who makes his 17th career start on Sunday, hopes to get his first top 20 finish.

Being in New Hampshire means that were close to Boston. Which means we have to hear about all those god damn Boston sports championships. Of course with Roush-Fenway Racing having ties to the Boston Red Sox means we get to see all of their cars decked out with reminders of how much I hate the city of Boston. David Ragan's car is decorated in Red Sox colors for Sunday's race, while Matt Kenseth's car has decal commemorating the Boston Celtics� recent NBA championship. Hey, how about one for the Patriot's accomplishment of 19-0 and the win in Super Bowl XLII? Oh wait, they didn't get it! And what have the Bruins or the Revolution done lately? Yeah, that�s what I thought. Suck on that, Boston.

Anyway the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, despite its smug neighbors to the south, will provide some great action and maybe a surprise or two. (Can we say David Ragan, winner of a Sprint Cup Race?) The race will start a little after 2 pm eastern, Sunday on TNT.

Carpentier wins 1st Cup Pole [Seattlepi.com]

Indycar Preview: Richmond

The Indycar Series is in Richmond for a little Saturday night, short track action. While Dan Wheldon may have won the race on his birthday and donated his winnings to charity the main focus was on Danica Patrick as her racing moves were called out by her fellow competitors. Points leader Scott Dixon called her "a menace", but Danica says she�s probably not being aggressive enough on the track.

"I'm always trying to be aggressive," Patrick said. "If anything, last weekend I maybe wasn't aggressive enough on the restarts and whatnot. That's where I lost my spots."

"I've always been the same person. So I just try and be consistent and follow the weekend as it goes. I really try not to pay too much attention to what goes on around me and focus on myself, because ultimately at the end of the day there's nothing I can do about those emotions and there's nothing I can do about negative comments.

"I don't really know where the comments came from last weekend. I don't even know where they're coming from. So, unfortunately, I don't have a lot to say about it."

Well Danica you better watch out this weekend or you might get the old chrome horn for someone who has lost their patience.

Other than that it will be an interesting race to see who can conqueror lap traffic the best and who can answer the physical demands of the Indycar Series' shortest track.

Always Aggressive [Indycar.com]

Weekend Preview: June 21-22

F1: The Formula 1 circus is back in France this weekend and Robert Kubica is looking to continue his streak of momentum after winning for the first time in Montreal two weeks ago. Meanwhile Ferrari and McLaren are looking to get back on track after a disappointing showing in Canada that included an embarrassing pit road collision between Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen. Hamilton got a 10 place grid penalty and will start 13th on Sunday. Raikkonen meanwhile scored pole and will start next to teammate Felipe Massa on Sunday. The will be televised at 1 pm eastern, Sunday on FOX.

NASCAR: The Sprint Cup Series makes its first right turns of the year at the road course in Somona, California. Kasey Kahne scored his first pole on road course last night and streak of momentum spanning back a month to a win in the All-Star race in Charlotte. But the big story of the weekend will be the road ringers who have invaded the Sprint Cup series, some have come for glory and others have come in to bail teams out of a dangerous situation. But whatever their cause there are people out there who do not care much for the road ringers. All I can say to those people is since they're racing in northern California is would you like some cheese with that whine? The race will be on TNT starting at 3:30 pm eastern on Sunday

Indycar: The Indycar Series comes to a Iowa Speedway in a area that has been soaked by lots of rain and many people are still trying to recover from the floods. Meanwhile, the Indycar circus hopes that this race won't be the total wreckfest like it was last year. Scott Dixon also hopes that he can continues his momentum and score his fourth win of the year. The race will be on ABC starting at 1 pm eastern.

Grand-Am: Hey, there�s sportscar racing too, this weekend. The Rolex Sportscar Series is in Mid-Ohio for the EMCO Gears Classic and Brumos Porsche pairing of David Donahue and Darren Law is on pole, but everyone will have the eyes on the 01 Chip Ganassi Lexus with Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas behind the wheel. The pairing have won three races this year. The #72 Autohaus Ponitac is on the GT pole. The race is today at 5 pm eastern on Speed Channel.

24 hours of Le Mans Preview

It�s the time of year, when the days are their longest and its too hot to go outside (and I mean hot, really hot, the kind of hot where birds burst into flames), meanwhile somewhere in France 55 cars and 165 drivers are getting ready to take on the world�s greatest endurance race, the 24 hours of Le Mans. For almost eighty years drivers have returned to France to get their shot at glory to become one of their worlds greatest drivers.

But their have been some worries about how safe the cars are. The have been six occasions this year in which a Le Mans prototype has spun and gotten airborne. Hedeki Noda was the latest victim as his Lola Mazda went through a series of barrel rolls late in Wednesday night�s qualifying session, thankfully Noda walked away unharmed. The series of accidents have gotten the attention of the ACO, the governing body of the 24 hours of Le Mans, who promises changes for next year, but will this promise come too little, too late?

Now here is what to look out for during the race:
Prototype Class 1: This race will be all about the Audis and the Peugeots as both manufactures have entered three cars in the event. Unlike last year we have been able to see the big two run against each other in other races and in 4 races, the Peugeots have come out the victor in three of them. The Peugeots were also superior in qualifying on Wednesday and Thursday, even though Audi has admitted that they weren�t really trying in qualifying and focusing on race setup. But the true question will be is how reliable will the cars be in a 24 hour race? My Prediction: The Peugeots will push themselves too hard and that will let the Audi�s sneak by for the win.

Prototype Class 1 1/2: Because of the supremacy of the diesel engines, the P1 class can almost be considered two classes within itself between the diesel powered engines and the gasoline powered engines. Surprisingly, leading the best of the rest is the Aston Martin powered Lola of the Charouz Racing Team who qualified 6th for Saturday�s race ahead of one of the Audis. Other teams to look out for is of course the Pecarolos, the perpetual bridesmaids of the 24 hours of Le Mans. The other team to watch out for is the Dome Team from Japan. They have brought a new car and so far it has proven its worth and will start 8th on Saturday. My prediction: The Pescarolos will prevail in the battle for �best of the rest�.

Prototype Class 2: Last year this class was consider to be a disgrace, the winning team Binnie Motorsports finished over 50 laps down to the winner of the race, but that part. Not only did they get beaten by the GT1 class winner they gotten beaten by the GT2 class winner! This year the class is back to redeem itself. Leading the class this year is the Porsches Spyders of Team Essex and Van Merksteijn Motorsport. Both teams have grabbed all of the wins in the LMS series for P2 cars and look ready to show that this class is not the pushover that it has been in the past. My Prediction: Van Merksteijn Motorsport will be on top of the podium.


Grand Touring Class 1: As in years past, the GT1 class will come down to a battle between the Aston Martins and the Corvettes. But the Saleens and the Lamborghinis will want to change that. My prediction: No upset, Corvette will slay the GT1 field once again.

Grand Touring Class 2: The greatest of all sports car rivalry Ferrari and Porsche will battle it out again for small sportscar supremacy, Porsche has dominated this small class for years and look ready to do it again. My prediction: I think this is the year Ferrari will finally come out on top in this class.

The race will start at 9 am eastern on Saturday on Speed Channel, hopefully it will be one to remember.

Indycar Preview: Texas

The Indycar Series continues their busy summer schedule this week they're in Texas, for high speed, close racing and a chance of a really big crash. Let's be honest folks Texas Motor Speedway isn't the most safe track to hold an Indycar race on. I mean last year we had that huge crash that took out 4 cars, in 2003 we had Kenny Brack's devastating crash and 2001 Davey Hamilton had his big crash. For both Hamilton and Brack it would be the end of full time racing for the both them even though have come back to run at Indy.

But with unsafe the Dallara chassis is on this track, its a wonder why they still run here, you have to think Bruton Smith and Eddie Gossage is paying them a lot to run here. Even today was dangerous as Dan Wheldon crashed his car in practice heavily today fliiping it over, Wheldon limped away relatively unharmed.

Dan Wheldon's crash in practice

But with a large starting field tomorrow, 28 cars in total the largest field in a Indycar race since 2002 outside of the Indy 500, you kind have a feeling in mind that something bad will happen, with the shape of the current car and the characteristics of the track Saturday night could be a real wreck-em rodeo.

Qualifying turned out a few surprises, as young rookie Hideki Mutoh turned out the 4th fastest time and fastest of the Andretti-Green drivers. John Andretti turned out the 7th fastest lap in his Roth Racing machine and Will Power is the fastest of the transition drivers in 8th place. What isn't a surprise is that Indy 500 Scott Dixon is on pole and Helio Castroneves is on outside pole. Last weeks winner Ryan Briscoe will start third. The media's darling will Danica Patrick will start 5th. The race will start at 10 pm eastern on ESPN2 tomorrow night.

Grand-Am Preview: Watkins Glen

The Grand-Am series is back after a little break and its time for one of their biggest races of the season the six hours of Watkins Glen. For over forty years the circuit in Watkins Glen has featured a classic endurance that has pitted man and machine against the clock. This weekend after a two week break for the GT cars and almost a month off for the Daytona Prototypes, the cars of the Grand-Am series have returned for battle.

The last time we saw the Daytona Prototypes was back in May at Laguna Seca and it was the little team that could in SAMAX Motorsports with drivers Ryan Dalziel and Henri Zogab that took victory in the Daytona Prototype class. The last two races in the GT class at Laguna Seca and Lime Rock have been won the Banner Racing Ponitacs with drivers Paul Edwards and Kelly Collins behind the wheel, extending Pontiacs winning streak in the GT class to 5, which is a great difference to last season when the Pontiacs only had one win coming into the six hour race in a season that was dominated by Porsche and Mazda. Now Porsche comes into the Watkins Glen race without a victory since last August at Montreal.

Dry streaks have been apparent throughout the Daytona Prototypes also as teams like Bob Stallings and Suntrust Racing have yet to find victory in this Grand-Am season. Suntrust has had especially lots of bad luck throughout the year including crashes and even a fire that destroyed their hauler en route back to the shops after the race in Laguna Seca. The season though has been dominated so far Chip Ganassi Racing who has three wins and the points lead with drivers Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas.

The race will be one to look forward to as we will see if either struggling teams will get back on track or we�ll see the same teams before dominate once again.

F1 Preview: Canada

The Formula 1 circus is making its only stop in North America this weekend for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The track at which they race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, named after the patron saint of Canadian motor sports, is celebrating its 30th anniversary of the first Formula 1 race held at the track in which Villeneuve took his first career Formula 1 victory at home in 1978.

This weekend another anniversary is being celebrated. It is the one year anniversary of Lewis Hamilton�s first victory and he comes to Canada with a 3 point lead over Kimi Raikkonen in the world championship standings. Another anniversary is being celebrated, as BMW-Sauber driver Robert Kubica comes back to the track where he had a terrible crash escaping with only minor injuries in which he had to sit out a race for. Unfortunately, this an anniversary that Kubica would like to forget. Speaking of things to forget, I think Kimi Raikkonen would to forget about the Monaco Grand Prix that he had two weeks ago. Kimi was penalized for putting his first set of tires on too late before the start of the race and running into the back Adrian Sutil towards the end of the race, ending the young German�s best run of his career so far.

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the Ile Norte-Dame is known for its high speed and one wrong move will have in the wall and have a crash like Kubica�s last year. The one point of the track to watch is the final corner where the Champion�s Wall is one wrong step also could your day, many drivers have had their race end in that section of the track. But the driver who keeps his car clean all day will be the one top of the podium come the end of the race. So who will it be? Will it be defending winner Lewis Hamilton? Will Kimi Raikkonen or Felipe Massa get Ferrari back on track? Or will the be new face on top of the podium like Kubica or his teammate Nick Heidfeld or could Heikki Kovalainen find his first victory in Montreal? Those drivers could join an group of drivers that includes Villeneuve, Thierry Boutsen and Jean Alessi as drivers who got their first victory in Canada. We have to wait until Sunday to see which question will be answered.

Same old song and dance?

Today for the Sprint Cup series is the Autism Speaks 400 from Dover, but the question on my mind is will today's race be different from any other week? Just about every race except for two or three has been either dominated by or won by a Joe Gibbs Toyota and today may be no different with Kyle Busch's Combos Toyota (ugliest car ever) starting in 3rd, but there may be a few people who are willing to put a stop to that. Former Dover winner Jimmie Johnson has had a fast car all weekend and was fastest in the rain shortened happy hour yesterday another former winner Greg Biffle sits on pole looking for his first victory of the season. Sitting on the outside pole is Kurt Busch who is 21st in points and looking to get his season back on track. There are other drivers who can make a difference today, but it will take a lot to keep the juggernaut that is Joe Gibbs racing down.

Meanwhile in Milwaukee, there is a diffreent tune for the Indycar Series and sound is youth. Marco Andretti won his first pole yesterday becoming the youngest pole sitter in Indycar history sitting next to him on the front row is Graham Rahal who took away Marco's title as youngest winner in Indycar history. Rahal, who drivers for Newman/Hass/Lanigan racing, also gives of a sign that the old Champcar teams have finally come in tune. Half of the top 10 in today's starting lineup are transfer teams, of course Milwaukee was previously was part of the Champcar schedule so the transfer teams may have a little knowledge they can put into their cars from previous experience. Whatever the case may be today's race will be exciting to see if the transefer teams can hang on in there with the big Indycar teams.

The Greatest Day in Racing

If you looked at every sport across America, you could probably tie a certain day in the year to every sport. For example, college football has New Year's Day where everyone gathers together and tries to figure out the clusterfuck that is the Bowl Championship Series, for the NFL its Thanksgiving where you and your family gather together to eat a lot of food and to watch the Detroit Lions be their crappy selves and listen to your drunk uncle go off for three hours and how great the Dallas Cowboys are and for horse racing its a certain first Saturday in May where the women where God-awful hats and everyone gets drunk on mint juleps and giggles why trying to sing �My Old Kentucky Home�. But if there was a day where people in the motorsport community can gather together and celebrate the greatness of the sport. That day would have to be the final Sunday in May. It is the day before Memorial Day and every year people gather together fire up the barbecue and watch three of the world's greatest races: the Grand Prix of Monaco, the Indianapolis 500, and the Coca-Cola 600.

The first race of the day is �the Grandest of all Grand Prixs�, the Grand Prix of Monaco. A race set in a modern-day fairy tale kingdom, the Grand Prix of Monaco is the ultimate peak for glamor and celebrity in the Formula 1 schedule. For some of the drivers this race is home as they only live within a few blocks of the track (tax-free havens rule!). The track has had very few changes over the years remaining its narrow and twisty self. Three-time World Champion Nelson Piquet once described this track as �Trying to ride your bicycle around your living room.� A driver has to some finesse and some balls to get around the circuit successfully, one mistake could have in the fence and taking the long walk back to garage or your apartment within the principality (Ayrton Senna did that in 1988). The best part of the track has to be to tunnel, listening to those V8's scream through that section must be the best way in the world to go deaf. The circuit has had its heroes over the years like Aryton Senna who won five straight race between 1989 and 1993, including 1992 when Senna had Nigel Mansell breathing down his neck throughout the race, but held him off to get the victory. Graham Hill earned the nickname Mr. Monaco for his many wins throughout the 1960's. The track has had its surprise winners, too. Like in 1996 when Oliver Panis in his Mugen-Honda powered Ligier found victory when everyone else to seem to have found the fence in crazy wet-dry conditions. It would be the only win for Panis and the last win for the Ligier team. The best part though must be when the trophy is presented to the winner by the Prince of Monaco or a member of the royal family and of course there is no podium to climb on in Monaco, another unique feature.

The second race of the day is �the greatest spectacle in racing�, the Indianapolis 500. The race has many traditions from Jim Nabors singing �Back Home Again in Indiana� to the three-wide eleven row deep start to the cold drink of milk the winner receives in victory lane and of course the Borg-Warner trophy. Many of the drivers who have won in Monaco have also won in Indy like Graham Hill, Emerson Fittipaldi and Juan Montoya. Even though the cars, the speeds and the sanctioning series have changed over the years, the fans still come every year and over a quarter-million people come to see their heroes. Heroes of the past like Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt, heroes of the present like Dan Wheldon and Helio Castroneves and future heroes like Graham Rahal and Marco Andretti. The track itself is a cathedral of speed, from the early days of a track with a complete brick surface to today where the grandstands stretch high and wide. Many great memories stretch from this race such as the close finishes of 1982, 1992 and 2006. The four time winners like Al Unser, AJ Foyt and Rick Mears. Even the not-so spectacular moments such as Roberto Guerrero's spin on the pace lap at the beginning of the '92 race or pretty much any time Kevin Cogan has raced.

The third race is simply known as �NASCAR's longest night�, the Coca-Cola 600. This is no ordinary stock car race, this is a race of endurance. The car and driver must be in top shape to make all 600 miles. The race is so long that is starts in the heat of the day and ends in the cool of the night. Amazingly, a race in which one would think a grizzled veteran would come on top after 4 hours of racing has actually rewarded future stars with their first win. Drivers like Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Matt Kenseth and last year's winner Casey Mears have claimed their first win in the 600. And then there is Jimmie Johnson. The driver who is sponsored by the same company who sponsors the speedway the 600 is held at, Lowe's home improvement warehouse, call this place �his house�, Jimmie won three straight 600s between 2003 and 2005, the last win coming in an incredible duel with Bobby Labonte that made some people forget about the wreckfest that described the rest of the night.

No matter what happens tomorrow, good or bad, this day will certainly last in a race fan's mind for the rest of the year. I know it will in my mind.

Sportscar preview: Grand-Am in Laguna Seca and ALMS in Salt Lake City

Sportscar Racing in America is back again with the Rolex Grand-Am Series racing in Laguna Seca and the American Le Mans Series in Salt Lake City.

Grand-Am: David Donahue took pole for RumBum.com 250 in his Brumos Porsche Daytona Prototype, the 99 Bob Stallings Gainsco with Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty behind the wheel will start outside pole.
But the big story is the return of Cristiano da Matta. Sidelined from racing after a collsion with a deer in a test at Road America in 2006, Christano will compete in his first race since the crash. Teamed with good friend Jimmy Vasser in a second Gainsco sponsred Bob Stallings Ponitac, Cristano will start 6th in the race. Nick Ham and the Speedsoruce Mazda team are on pole in the GT class. The race will be run later today, but will shown tommrow at noon eastern on Speed Channel.

Grand-Am Starting Lineup

ALMS: In Utah, another racing legend is making his return to racing. Gil de Ferran, in the 66 Panasonic Acura teamed with former Champ Car driver Simon Pagenaud, is making his first competive start since retring from Indycar racing 2003. The former Indy 500 winner is looking forward to the event. "Everyone has put in a lot of hours in creating this team and it is great for all involved to see the fruits of our labors become a reality. We have already completed a test at Miller Motorsports Park and we are as prepared as we could have hoped for, considering the short life span of the team", de Ferran said. "For me, the weekend will be very emotionally charged but after five years out of the seat, it has been a bit like putting on an old comfortable pair of shoes -- in a way this will be an exercise in trying to pretend that the last five years didn't happen."

The race will take place at 3 pm eastern on Speed.

De Ferran Motorsports Preview

NASCAR Preview: All-Star Weekend in Charlotte

Yes, its finally here, the weekend where points don't matter and people tend to loose their minds just to make 1 million dollars. Yes, its the 24th edition of the Sprint All-Star Race and for 24 lucky drivers over 1 million dollars awaits for the one who smart enough and fast enough to get into victory lane.

Of course last night we saw the 83 Red Bull team take the pit stop challenge and tonight its qualifying for the for both the Showdown and All-Star Challenge. The Craftsman Truck Series will also take to the track tonight and then tomorrow three lucky drivers will transfer from the Sprint Showdown and into the main event, the Sprint All-Star race.

But to me the All-Star race means two things: vote-ins and pure insanity. Since 2004, the All-Star race has allowed the fans the chance to vote in one lucky driver. I hate this. Why? Because most of this years that this has been done the fans have chosen someone that deosn't belong to be out with the other drivers, now don't get me wrong I like guys like Kenny Wallace and Kyle Petty, but I want to someone who has an actual chance of winning.

But truly its the pure insanity that gets me pumped about this race. Who can forget Dale Earnhardt's infamous pass in the grass in 1987 or Rusty Wallace spining out Darrell Waltrip for the win in 89? Who could forget the first race held under the lights when Davey Allison won in a shower of sparks 1992? Or last year when the Busch brothers tangled? Lots of great memories over the years and we should be in for a treat Saturday night.