The race weekend has just started but the fireworks have already been lit.

The media is still debating the Edwards/Keselowski rivalry and even Dale Earnhardt Jr. has chimed in with his take on Brad’s aggressive driving style.

Earnhardt Jr. describes Keselowski’s rookie season as a work in progress.

“Everybody [...]]]>

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The race weekend has just started but the fireworks have already been lit.

The media is still debating the Edwards/Keselowski rivalry and even Dale Earnhardt Jr. has chimed in with his take on Brad’s aggressive driving style.

Earnhardt Jr. describes Keselowski’s rookie season as a work in progress.

“Everybody does it differently,” he said. “Brad really has a lot of talent.  He’s just overzealous to prove it and to be there in front every week where he thinks he needs to be. It’ll all be OK.”

“He’ll get to learn a lot of lessons in his rookie season, every rookie does, and he’ll probably be glad to tell you guys all about it at the end of the season. And I’m sure his tune will be just slightly different than it is right now.”

While this incident is winding down, a new controversy has been ignited.

This time the instigator is Kevin Harvick who said on a radio show earlier this week that Carl Edwards was “fake.”

Friday morning at Bristol, Harvick went on to elaborate about his comment concerning Edwards.

“You can’t be the nice guy, you can’t be the bad guy and you can’t be the bully. So, I mean, that’s just how I feel about that.”

Edwards added fuel to the fire when asked by the Associated Press for his reaction.

“I have absolutely no respect for Kevin Harvick. I think he’s a bad person. That’s my opinion. I’ve told him that. We’ve had our deal before and his actions through that interaction were so devious and underhanded and cowardly that it’s like I just have no respect for him.”

Meanwhile, the rookie Joey Logano had a lesson to teach the veteran drivers. He kept his head down and took care of business, winning his first career pole at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Logano also became the youngest driver to win a pole in the Sprint Cup Series, beating out Kyle Busch for the record by one day.

Rounding out the top five starting positions are Kurt Busch, Dave Blaney, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.

The race weekend has just started but Bristol promises to deliver a wild ride. So, buckle up, strap in and enjoy the ride!

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Kyle Busch’s incredible season finally gets its proper recognition Saturday when he’s crowned the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion at the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Busch needs only to start the Ford [...]]]>

Let The Celebration Begin: Busch To Claim 2009 Nationwide Title

Kyle Busch’s incredible season finally gets its proper recognition Saturday when he’s crowned the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion at the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Busch needs only to start the Ford 300 to claim the title. “I feel like any championship in NASCAR is something to be proud of,” Busch said.

He’s led the series standings for the last 28 weeks, 29 overall. His eight wins lead the series. He’s amassed a series-record 2,625 laps led. He added to his series mark for the most perfect Driver Ratings (150.0) by collecting four this year, bringing his career total to eight. He’s secured the first series driver title for Joe Gibbs Racing and for the first time in two years, has unified the driver and owner championship. This is JGR’s second consecutive owner title.

Kyle Busch is either loved or hated by race fans.  Jenna Fryer, Yahoo Sports, put it best when she said “There’s no middle ground with the confident – some even say cocky – Busch, who rubs people the wrong way when he’s both winning and losing. Either way, he’s exciting, passionate and races hard, forcing everyone around him to raise their game.”

“Through my whole racing career, once I started, it was all about winning. That’s the way I was brought up,” Busch added. “It was all about going out there and getting the checkered flag and bringing home the trophy and kissing the pretty girl. That’s pretty much how Kurt [Busch] and I were both raised, and when we finished second or third in our local short track days, we went home mad. We weren’t happy that we were there because we weren’t there to finish second or third.”

One thing you can never take away from Kyle Busch is the fact that he has an immense amount of talent. I admit that his behavior and the fans response make it interesting at times. I guess it’s kind of like pro wrestling. The existence of villains keeps things lively.

He is exactly what NASCAR needs, someone who keeps the fans coming back for more, good or bad.

Watch out for this guy next year, although he won’t be running full time in the Nationwide Series, he will put on one hell of a show in Cup.

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Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to qualify for all six Chases. However Denny Hamlin has made the chase all four years he has been a full-time Sprint Cup driver.

A [...]]]>

Guest Blog

The 2009 season marks the Sixth Chase in the history of NASCAR. Here is quick look at some relevant numbers:

Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to qualify for all six Chases. However Denny Hamlin has made the chase all four years he has been a full-time Sprint Cup driver.

A look at number times drivers have made the Chase:

(6) Jimmie Johnson

(5) Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart

(4) Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin

(3) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch

(2) Clint Bowyer, Jeremy Mayfield, Kasey Kahne

(1) Elliott Sadler, Rusty Wallace, Martin Truex Jr., Brian Vickers, Juan Pablo Montoya

The Chase has been won by the first seed twice, by the second seed once, and the third seed once. The lowest Chase seed to win the Cup title was Kurt Busch in 2004, at 7^th.

Only Tony Stewart has won a Chase title, and a title under the old rules.

Ford has only won one chase championship – Busch 2004, while Chevy has won the last four in a row. Dodge has only had 8 teams qualify for the Chase, while Chevy has had 33 chase births, Ford has had 15, and Toyota has had 5.

The highest a chaser has finished without winning a regular season race is Greg Biffle, 2008 3^rd.

Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, and Kyle Busch have all made the chase in two different makes, and they join Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the six drivers who have made the chase driving for two different teams.

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