Growing up in Las Vegas must be hard enough for a young  boy.

Growing up with a hobby most people fail to really understand, must be near fatal.

Not knowing what your future holds, can humble the strongest of human beings.

A young man of 11 watched as a shrine, of sorts, was built in his backyard.

Oh, the dreams he must have had.

Yesterday as the Shelby 427 came to a close, those dreams were realized.

Kyle Busch returned home to sacred ground, and with Steve Addington guiding him, added a Championship Belt and trophy to his ever expanding collection.

After last weekends sleeper in California, NASCAR needed something, anything, to keep me watching.

They can thank Busch and the entire No. 18 crew for that.

He almost sweeps last weekend, runs near the front and almost wins this Saturday in the Nationwide race, qualifies on the pole for the Sprint race, then drives from almost last on the grid to win the biggest race of his life.

I said it before and I'll say it again, "Love him or hate him, he can drive a racecar."

When Jeff Gordon, one of the sports best goes on record saying that, "he's tough to catch," you must be doing something right.

I hope Kyle is sincere is his, "not for right now anyway," refusal to Team USA, and their desire to put him behind the wheel of a Formula One car.

Juan Pablo Montoya was quoted as saying how an F1 car is, "a whole different animal," to what Busch knows right now.

It would be a shame to see one of NASCAR 's fine young talents leave before he really shows us how good he is.

I'm getting ready for Atlanta, and hopefully another race to hold my interest a little longer. (I really will watch 'em all, but come on, short track racing is soooo much better.)

George Burns might even have uttered those words himself yesterday watching "Wild Thing," do his thing.

Congratulations to the No. 18 crew again, for a job well done.

Good Night Gracie indeed. BW

Say Kyle Busch to most any NASCAR fan and you very often get the range of smirks, frowns, grimaces, and yes, a few hisses and boos.  Most fans acknowledge that he has a great talent on the race track, but they cannot quite stomach his attitude.

For whatever reasons, many fans just do not like this young man. They cite his arrogance, from his constant wearing of his huge sunglasses to his perceived condescending bow on top of his car, his signature move after every race win.

But at this race and at his home track, Busch seemed somehow different. An almost kinder and gentler driver seemed to be emerging.

We first saw glimpses of the softer side of Busch after his pole win. As he trekked off to Victory Lane for the obligatory photo opportunity, he noticed there were other activities going on in the area.

In fact, there were very exciting activities in Victory Lane. 

Damon and Heather Landry were just about to get started with their nuptials. They had been trying to get married at the Vegas track for weeks, and their lucky number had just come up.

So, there they were, the happy couple, standing in Victory Lane waiting for Busch to get done with his pole media event so that they could tie the knot. They were ready to go, had the ring, and the bridesmaid all set for the ceremony.

The wedding was stymied, however, as unfortunately the groom had no best man. No problem, said the newly-sweetened Busch, agreeing to stand in for the couple.

Needless to say, these race fan newlyweds had the ceremony of their lives, and have the pictures to prove it. Instead of a wedding cake, Busch also treated them to some very special M & Ms.

After fulfilling his groomsman duties, this "new" Busch then set about getting ready to race.  Although qualifying on the pole, Busch had to drop to the back of the pack because of an engine change.

But that poor starting position did not deter the aggressive and determined younger Busch. In the longest Vegas race in NASCAR history, Busch raced his way to the front to claim his first ever race win in his hometown of Las Vegas, right at the track where he grew up racing.

Sure, to the dismay of many fans, Busch did his trademark bow. But again there was something different. 

Busch not only grabbed the checkered flag, but he also catapulted out of his car. And then he did something very uncharacteristic, as with great affection, he kissed the start/finish line of the race track.

As fans reeled from this rare display of emotion from one of NASCAR's cockiest drivers, Busch then appeared in Victory Lane again to hug not only his best, big brother Kurt, but also his weeping mom.

Fans at the track then reported another strange and unusual sight. The typically abrupt Busch was standing for hours, yes hours, signing autographs for anyone and everyone in Victory Lane and the surrounds.

When Busch had satiated all the fans' appetites for signed memorabilia, he finally headed off to celebrate at the Hard Rock on the Strip. But his magnanimity just continued as he treated everyone at the party with Dom Perignon champagne, handing out bottles like water, spending over $5,000 on the celebration.

Who is this new driver in NASCAR's highest ranks? It most certainly does not seem like that stuck-up, arrogant Busch that so many fans love to hate.

Instead, there seems to be a new, improved Busch. This one seems to truly be excited about what he has accomplished, especially in the desert that he has called home.

This Busch indeed seems to be softer, and perhaps even likable. How can this be? And more important, will this new gentler Busch last?

The NASCAR haulers have already headed eastward. It will be interesting to see if the kinder Busch will go along with them, making the trip to Atlanta.

The Sprint Cup Series headed to Las Vegas to test their luck this week and see if Matt Kenseth could make history by winning the first three races in a season.

The front two starting positions in the race were held by the home town boys of Kyle and Kurt Busch. This was only the third time in series history that brothers started from the top-two positions.

Unfortunately for Kyle, he had to drop to the back of the field at the start of the race after making an engine change. This moved everyone on the bottom row up, allowing Jimmie Johnson—who qualified third—to start from the pole position.

Johnson led the first lap of the Shelby 427, but the race soon came to a halt as the first caution flag waved on lap two for a spin by Brad Keselowski in Turn Two.

The race soon restarted, but quickly slowed once more for another yellow flag on lap seven, for a spin by Todd Bodine off Turn Two.

In addition to Bodine's issues, Matt Kenseth rolled snake eyes and had his engine blow, ending his day early.

Kenseth finished 43rd, doing so for only the second time in his career.

The race went green once more with Johnson leading the field.

Johnson continued to lead until the first set of green flag pit stops began around lap 50.

Johnson led the first 51 laps of the event, before hitting pit road for routine service.

During the round of green flag stops, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Robby Gordon all took turns at the front of the field before making their pit stops.

Johnson regained the lead on lap 57, after pit stops cycled through and continued to lead until the third caution flag waved for debris on lap 60.

This set up another restart that was short lived, as another yellow waved for David Ragan’s blow engine on lap 72.

This allowed all the leaders to hit pit road. Kevin Harvick took fuel only and led the way off pit road.

Harvick led the field down for the restart, but his lead would be short lived as Greg Biffle passed him for the top spot on lap 85.

Biffle remained the leader as the fifth caution flag waved on lap 95 for a spin by David Stremme off Turn Two.

The leaders took advantage and hit pit road once more. Jeff Gordon came out first, but did not lead the field to the green flag, because Biffle and Mark Martin stayed out under the caution.

Biffle took the restart as the leader and continued to lead until the sixth caution flag waved on lap 123 for Martin blowing a motor.

This allowed all the leaders to hit pit road again, and Johnson came out in the lead with the help of a two tire stop.

After the race resumed, a couple of quick yellow flags slowed the pace once more.

The first yellow waved on lap 138 for a crash by Reed Sorenson on the backstretch, and the second yellow came out on lap 144 for a crash involving Aric Almirola and Kasey Kahne on the backstretch.

After the race restarted, Gordon mounted a charge and passed Johnson for the lead on lap 149.

Gordon continued to lead as the ninth caution flag waved over the field for a spin by Michael Waltrip on lap 164.

The leaders all hit pit road, and Jeff Burton came out in the lead after a two tire stop.

The race restarted, but was soon slowed again for a spin by Denny Hamlin on lap 171.

After this caution flag waved, the race restarted and stayed under the green flag until cars had to make green flag pit stops with about 70 laps remaining.

Some drivers were hit by bad luck as the caution flag waved just as green flag stops began. The yellow was brought out when Gordon blew a left front tire on his No. 24 Chevy.

The caution burned some drivers, but helped others who did not make their pit stop yet and got to do so under the yellow flag.

The leaders made their pit stops under the yellow, and Burton held the lead after pit stops.

Burton restarted as the leader, but soon lost the lead to Kyle Busch with 58 laps remaining.

The race stayed under the green flag for about 30 laps before another caution flag waved for debris with just 27 laps to go.

All the leaders hit pit road for the final time in the race, and Burton again came out first.

Burton would not be the leader, however, after teammate Clint Bowyer stayed out under the caution.

Bowyer led a handful of laps before eventually being passed by Busch for the lead with 17 laps remaining.

This proved to be the move of the race, as Busch cruised to his first victory at his home track.

The race did not stay caution free, however. During the final 17 laps, the yellow flag waved on two separate occasions.

The first yellow came out with 16 laps remaining for a crash involving Paul Menard on the front-stretch. The second yellow came out with just six laps remaining for a crash involving Johnson and Sam Hornish in Turn Two.

In addition to the two yellow flags in the last 20 laps, the final lap brought huge disappointment to Edwards, as he blew his engine taking the white flag.

Edwards was the third Roush Fenway car to suffer a blown engine, and finished 17th.

The top-10 finishers in the race were: Kyle Busch, Bowyer, Burton, David Reutimann, Bobby Labonte, Gordon, Biffle, Brian Vickers, Jamie McMurray, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Some notable finishes were: Kahne in 11th, Harvick in 12th, Logano in 13th, Hamlin in 22nd, Kurt Busch in 23rd, Johnson in 24th, Tony Stewart in 26th, Martin in 40th, Ragan in 42nd, and Kenseth in 43rd.

The top-12 in points are:

1.      Jeff Gordon

2.      Clint Bowyer

3.      Matt Kenseth

4.      Greg Biffle

5.      DavidReutimann

6.      Kyle Busch

7.      Kurt Busch

8.      Tony Stewart

9.      Carl Edwards

10.  Bobby Labonte

11.  Kevin Harvick

12.  Michael Waltrip

Why are NASCAR fans such snobs when it comes to their sport and in particular, their favorite driver? Yes, I said it, snobs. At times, it seems like many NASCAR fans' favorite pastime is not racing but instead bashing other NASCAR fans and their favorite drivers.

Is it because the rest of the country has looked down their noses at NASCAR fans for so long that now they feel it's their duty to continue the tradition and look down their noses on somebody else—and the choices are either fans of monster truck rallies or other NASCAR fans?

One doesn't normally associate, read, or hear the words "NASCAR" and "snob" used together very often, but one need look no further than at least half of the articles or any of the comments on B/R or any other NASCAR site to see evidence of it.

Before I go on, let me get this out of the way: To be perfectly clear—besides maybe soccer fans, NASCAR fans are some of the loudest, proudest, most loyal, most dedicated fans of any sport on the planet. They are also probably the most stereotyped and joked-about group of fans on the planet as well, which may well explain their extreme loyalty.

That being said, the impetus for this article comes from some extremely long comments I have made on articles and comments written by others—usually in response to someone saying, "Well, they can't be real or true fans because..." and in the process questioning someone else's "fanhood."

A few people pointed out that it would be much quicker and my ideas would get much more exposure if I came back and wrote an article rather than spend all that time writing comments, so here goes...

I have read endless comments and articles going on about how NASCAR has changed so much since that pivotal day in 2001 when NASCAR lost its greatest icon that they don't even bother to watch anymore. 

And some of the reasons they give have some validity: the cars all look the same now; networks spend more time showing commercials than they do showing actual racing; the new fans have no appreciation for the history of the sport, etc.

Most of those old-time NASCAR fans have their points and I believe many of them when they say they don't watch anymore. Those are all at least partially valid criticisms when taken from the perspective of a long-time fan.

But they are not the focus of this article. They may be a part, but they are not about whom I am writing. The "fans" (or more appropriately "fanatics") that I am talking about are those who believe that their fanhood is somehow bigger and better than that of others—even others who might happen to have the same favorite driver they do.

In the interest of revealing my biases, let me say up front to those who don't know me that I am a die-hard Busch brothers fan. Kurt was making a splash at the Cup level when I first "caught the fever" shortly before attending my first live race in Las Vegas. He was brash, he was arrogant, and he was talented. Whenever he was on the track he was a force to be reckoned with.

But I never got to see his entry into big-time NASCAR racing back in his truck series days. But I did get to see Kyle's entry into the sport and remember all the noise that was being made about him as awaited his 18th birthday so he could come back to racing in NASCAR's main series. 

And after Kurt had won the Championship in 2004 and I read a quote from years earlier when he said something to the effect of "If you think I'm a great driver, just wait till my little brother comes along," my interest in the younger of the hometown boys was piqued.

But this is not an article about me and my fanhood—I am saving that for another day. This is an article about NASCAR fans—particularly those who seem to find it necessary to look down and bash other drivers and other NASCAR fans. 

In all the comments I've read and heard about what a "true" or "real" NASCAR fan is, more often than not you hear two phrases: 1) sticks with the same driver through good times and bad (especially through the tough times) and 2) bandwagoners.

If we look at that first statement, the truest of fans would then have to be those of guys like Kyle Petty, Michael Waltrip, Paul Menard, and David Gilliland just to name a few. Petty and Waltrip have had their good times, though few and far between, and the others have yet to have any really good times. So their die-hard fans must be the most "real" and most "true" of all.

If we examine both of these phrases more deeply, however, we quickly see that NASCAR fans have set up a hierarchy of "fandom" for themselves and in so doing have built up a class structure—usually one that puts them at or near the top. 

Those at the highest level are fans that have had a favorite driver since the invention of the horse-and-buggy and that hasn't changed even though that driver retired decades ago, or so it would seem.

Below them are those who have a strong sense and remembrance of the history of the sport and can tell you how they were there at every one of Richard Petty's 200 wins.

Below them are those fans listed above who have followed the sport since before the untimely death of Dale Earnhardt. Those fans remember what it was like "back in the day" when real men raced real stock cars and threw real fists when problems erupted on the track.

And then we move into the Jeff Gordon era fans. Young, brash, and highly talented, he never allowed himself to be intimidated and was winning races and championships at an incredible clip through the 90s. His fans at the time were few and far between, but have grown with time.

One of the first jokes I remember hearing as a NASCAR fan was "What's a NASCAR fan's four favorite words?" "Easy, the last four words of the national anthem, 'gentlemen start your engines.'" "What are a NASCAR fan's second favorite four words?" "Gordon's in the wall."

I didn't understand the dislike of Gordon then and honestly still don't to this day, at least not personally. I can understand why others might not like this Yankee going out on the track and beating those good ol' boys week in and week out, but it's not his fault he was so talented and didn't look or talk like them.

Now as we near the bottom of the hierarchy we get to those fans who have only become fans since the death of the Intimidator. So many times I have heard that one cannot be a real race fan if you never saw "the Big E" race live.

Often mixed in with those fans are others who are "Daytona 500" fans—those who watch only on NASCAR's version of Super Sunday. I fell into that group for a long time as my family was more into NHRA growing up, but we would watch the occasional Daytona 500 and/or Indy 500 each year. 

Now we reach the bottom of the hierarchy as we get into those fans who have only ever known NASCAR since the beginning of the Chase format in 2004. Battles rage endlessly between "pre-chase" fans and "post-chase" fans, usually about things like whether or not Gordon has been robbed of a couple of championships because of the format change. 

The other hot button topic for defining these fans is to ask them if the drivers of yesteryear would be able to be as competitive today as they were back in the day. Anyone who doesn't believe that Cale Yarborough couldn't go out and whup the field before climbing out of the car and whupping the Busch brothers are "lesser fans."

And finally at the bottom, we have "the bandwagoners." These are essentially defined most often as "fair-weather fans." They root for their favorite driver as long as he is winning, and when he stops, they move on to the next big thing. 

NASCAR fans in general talk about "bandwagoners" as though they are something you scrape off the bottom of your shoe after leaving the track once the race is over. Currently, fans of Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, and most often Kyle Busch are accused of being bandwagoners—only having jumped on their fan train since last year or slightly before when they started winning consistently.

[NOTE: I have left Junior Nation (and the Junior-bashers) specifically out of this discussion for two main reasons: 1) any discussion involving fans for or against Junior always loses focus of the point at hand and devolves into ugliness about the fans themselves and 2) they are a Nation unto themselves, with their own hierarchical rules.]

Now that we've loosely defined the various "classes" of NASCAR fans, let's look at why they exist and what good it does anyone overall. 

Surely, any sports fan will tell you that you will always have the "superfans," the regular fans, and the weekend warriors. And many will also tell you that if you don't have a long-time favorite—and a damn good reason for having that favorite—then what's the point of watching at all.

It's the second part of that gets under my skin. When I was younger I played baseball and I was pretty good. Back then I loved to watch baseball games either in person or on TV as I identified with the players. 

Coming from Northern California originally, the first live games I saw were watching the Giants at Candlestick or the Oakland A's back when they had guys like Charley Finley, Rollie Fingers, Sal Bando, Reggie Jackson, and at times, Billy Martin associated with the team.

But as we moved around (I'm a military brat), most TV stations carried more regional games, so I didn't get to see much of my Giants or Athletics until the post-season. I did manage to read every book I could find on Babe Ruth when I was in junior high and became a Yankee fan for many years after that.

Since leaving graduate school in the mid-90s, I have moved all over the South and the West and I still like the Giants, even though Los Angeles—home of the Giant's rivals the Dodgers—is where I call home.

Then I moved to Seattle in 2001. I used to go to games to watch the latest sensation—Ichiro Suzuki—as he led the Mariners to one of the most successful seasons in history. By then I didn't even really care about baseball all that much.

I couldn't tell you who the newest expansion teams were or who even won the World Series the year before. On a good day I could remember who won the Little League World Series as I still love to watch that, but that too is a story for another day.

Did the fact that I wore my Mariner hat with pride wherever I went make me a Seattle bandwagoner? Maybe. Did I care? No. Did it lessen my enjoyment of the game when I would head out to the field? Definitely not.

Did I no longer like the Giants? No, I just paid more attention to the Mariners as they were doing better that year and they were closer to home. Thus, there were many different factors that influenced me and who I rooted for throughout my life.

The same concepts apply in various situations in NASCAR as well. I have one friend who was a Kasey Kahne fan starting in 2004 not because he particularly liked him, but because Kahne was taking over the car from his all-time favorite, Bill Elliott.

His wife, a long-time Mark Martin fan, came upon hard times when Martin announced his (first) retirement. Her collection of No. 6 Viagra cars, clothes, and other memorabilia became "collectibles" and she found she had to choose a new favorite driver. 

Being savvy about NASCAR and having kept up with who was hot and who was not, she started cheering on Carl Edwards as she saw potential in him—potential to be a winner.

I don't believe anyone walks into the track or watches from week to week and picks the worst driver on the track just because they like underdogs. They may pick them because they've stuck with them for decades, but picking those who generally finish outside the top-20 means that the only time you are going to see any coverage of your driver is when he causes a big one that takes out the front of the field.

So does that make her a Carl Edwards bandwagoner because he has finally begun fulfilling the potential she saw in him then? Does that make me a Kyle Busch bandwagoner because he has now finally begun fulfilling the potential that he and many others saw in him years ago. 

And what about fans of drivers like Joey Logano? He's not even a "winner" yet (at least not in the Cup series) and already there are cries that Logano fans have only glommed onto him because of his hype, because he's only ever been able to win in the best of equipment, etc.

Bottom line, why should the reason behind a person liking a particular driver matter at all? Why should how long they've been a fan of the sport matter at all? 

Who really cares and whose business is it why some people like one driver and others like another? We all know fans who have picked favorite drivers based upon a car color, a paint scheme, a sponsor, a hair style, his eyes, his car number, who drove it before, etc. Each of those is a seemingly far worse reason for picking a favorite driver than "he's winning a lot."

And so what if that's the reason someone likes him? Who is to judge someone's motivations for liking a driver and changing that whenever they please? Winners are generally more fun to watch then losers, and the winners generally change from season to season and from decade to decade.

Personally, I find it rather bizarre that someone might switch from being a Junior fan to not liking him because he went to the dark side at HMS. But that's me. 

I also don't understand why whether a driver is in a Chevy or a Toyota should make necessarily make any difference as to how much I like and pull for him; but again, that's just me.

My favorite drivers (the Busch brothers) have driven and won in Fords, Chevys, Dodges, Toyotas, Trucks, Nationwide cars and Cup series "Cars of Yesterday" and "Cars of Today." Didn't make one whit of difference to me as they didn't change, only the type and nameplate on the cars did.

Honestly, does it make you feel better about rooting for your favorite driver each time he loses to Kyle or Carl or Jimmie when you have to put others down to do it? Can't you just take joy in the accomplishments of your favorite without having to bash other drivers and their fans to do so? 

I was at the track in Fontana last Sunday decked out in my full M&Ms No. 18 regalia when I was jeered by some Junior Nation fans from behind me. Mind you, I had extra tickets so I had invited a Junior-lovin' Busch-bashin' friend of mine and his wife (an AJ Allmendinger fan) to join me. 

As Kyle was introduced, the boos and jeers began, and the guy behind us started yelling "I HATE YOU KYLE BUSCH" as though he was the guy in the Chase commercials from last year, where "he can't hear you if you're not there."

Three-quarters of the way through the race we noticed the No. 88 limping around behind the rest of the field. Every time it would go by it sounded like someone had run over a cat in a sock with a vacuum cleaner. Finally, mercifully, Junior made that hard left turn into the garage and his day was done.

What was sad was that it was at that point droves of fans got and began filing out of the stands, even though Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth were putting on one of the best finishes I've ever seen at the Auto Club Speedway. 

It was as if we were back on the school playground and the big kids were saying to the rest of us, "Well, if my driver isn't in the race anymore I'm just going to pack up my fandom and go home. Screw the rest of the drivers and NASCAR as a whole. I just don't care who wins if Junior's not in it."

I know that's overstatement and I'm not out to raise the ire of any members of Junior Nation, but I do want to bring up that sometimes living by example and karma are the order of the day.

Once Junior pulled that car into the garage while I watched my boy whipping around in third place doing his best to catch up to the leaders, I could have very easily turned and made some negative comment. But really, what good would that have done?

Besides putting myself in danger by being highly outnumbered, it would have just fed fuel to the fire that Kyle Busch fans are poor sports like their favorite driver. Instead, I chose to take the higher road and commiserate with my friend now that he was stuck there with me the rest of the race and Junior was no longer in it.

When fans put others down for their choices and their reasons for making them, they create what once might have been considered an oxymoron—the NASCAR Snob, whose credo is "You can't possibly be as big a fan as I am because you are backing a winning driver and he hasn't been around as long as my favorite." The logic in such a statement (or lack thereof) is astonishing. 

The important point is that someone IS a NASCAR fan, and as such should be welcomed as a member of the NASCAR Nation—not put down because they might like Kasey Kahne because he's "just so cute" or Junior because he's an Earnhardt. 

The thing to remember is they are fans now (even if bandwagon Kyle Busch fans), and besides causing me a little more pain as the lines at the No. 18 vendor trailer are longer than ever, we should be glad just to have 'em aboard. 

In these economic times where sponsors are watching carefully the number of NASCAR fans there are in general, we should shoot to be inclusive and accepting of fans new to the sport rather than exclusive and judgmental.

That's my $0.18. What's yours?

Kyle Busch's doubleheader Saturday proved to be historic. By 10:30 p.m. Busch had won twice in the same day in two of NASCAR's top series—a feat never accomplished in 61 years of racing.

Busch first won the Camping World Truck Series' San Bernardino County 200—not just winning the race, but leading all but five laps and being totally dominant.

He drove the No. 51 Miccosukee Resort/Tundra Toyota for owner Billy Ballew and took over the points lead in the series after a second-place finish at Daytona last week.

After his Victory Lane celebration, Busch jogged to his Sprint Cup car to make Happy Hour final practice in preparation for the Auto Club 500 on Sunday.

After all of this, Busch then jumped aboard his Z-Line Designs Toyota for owner J.D. Gibbs in the Stater Bros. 300. Busch dominated again—leading 143 of the 150 laps in the Nationwide Series event.

What was really shocking is that I heard plenty of fans cheering for "Rowdy" Busch—usually not a fan favorite. I also heard Busch thank the fans and he had nothing negative to say in the post-race interviews—I was shocked!

Maybe, just maybe, "Rowdy" has had an attitude adjustment. But why?

Will Busch make more history as he goes for three in a row? Could he win three NASCAR races in two days and sweep every event at Auto Club Speedway?

Did I mention "Rowdy" leads the points in both the Camping World Trucks and the Nationwide Series?

Is Busch improving his status as a FUTURE legend? If so—I called it weeks ago.

Kyle Busch...what can you say? 

He begins his day by leading 95-of-100 laps in the Camping World Truck Series and wins it. Hours later, he leads 143 of 150 laps in the Nationwide Series and wins. 

Busch is a great driver, and will only get better. He made NASCAR history by being the only driver to win two NASCAR races in the same day. We can only expect more from this young 23-year-old. 

Saturday's race was a Kyle Busch show to a point.

Brian Vickers learned how it is when someone goes to block you. Though he made a strong finish by coming home in the top-10.

Brad Keselowski might have had his best finish at Cali, before spinning that dream out close to the finish. 

We got lit up with Michael McDowell when his car caught on fire, and were left wondering how Busch left everyone.

With this race I wonder about Toyota and the power. Busch's Joe Gibbs teammate Joey Logano finishing strong in third place. Toyota has great drivers and are something to watch. 

Harvick gave one last run, but could not seem to catch Busch. 

Edwards was there the whole race, but with a tap from Busch dropped back and finished fourth. 

You know Edwards will be ready for Sunday's Cup race and will try to steal a win away from Busch with a tap of his own. 

There was a lot of great racing and you know there is more to come. What we should expect is not known.

With the Sprint race tomorrow will there be hard feelings over taps? 

Will we have the same go or get out of my way driving? 

Are we going to have a driver take off and leave the field, or will we have close racing and excitement? 

That's what keeps NASCAR fans tuning in every weekend—not knowing and wanting to know.

In a very good but short segment today on the pre-race edition of NASCAR Now, ESPN's Ed Hinton suggested that "the NASCAR that we fell in love with is back."

He pointed out that "while the front of the field may look the same with Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, and Jimmie Johnson, its the back of the field where all the movers and shakers are." Who is is referring to is namely Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Riggs as part of nostalgic upstart teams that successfully qualified for America's greatest race.

Many people may not exactly be cheering for Riggs or Mayfield who qualified impressively at 17th and 18th respectively but they should. If you can discount Jeremy Mayfield's past, one that includes arguments with team ownership mainly Ray Evernham, ruining a good thing he had going with Penske racing, getting kicked out of Bill Davis Racing, and finally an alleged relationship he had with a female developmental driver, there is one reason to cheer for him and that is because now as team owner, he's racing on his own, with no more than twelve employees against the larger teams, the Yankees of NASCAR, most notably the Gibbs, Hendricks, Roushes, and Childresses.

These four teams comprised the entire field in the race for the Chase last year and I see that as a problem. The Chase should be comprised of as many teams as possible so that success stories and underdogs can be created for interesting and varying storylines. Mayfield, a two time Chase contender certainly could play the part only this time how intriguing would that be?

Both Riggs' and Mayfield's teams will pick up $250,000 in guaranteed money for making the race and hopefully some much needed points in order to stay in the top 35 per NASCAR qualifying rules in order to be guaranteed races. Both drivers noted in separate interviews with Marty Smith and Michelle Manske that they are realistic and hoping for top 25 finishes so they can move on to California next week in good standing. Here's hoping they do just that.

Riggs' as sole driver for the brand new Tommy Baldwin Racing, named after his owner and crew chief, is a reminder of the days of old when you raced with what you came with to the track and teams consisted of no more than two drivers, not the four horse mega stables we see today. Based on a shoestring budget with only ten employees at the track this weekend, everything must go as smoothly as it can in order for this weekend to be considered a success.

NASCAR simply got too big for its britches and the economy should be a testament to how far the sport really has fallen and who the real fans are who are able to make it out to the tracks this year despite the obstacles. There are those out there myself included, who predicted something like this when NASCAR abandoned its roots by kicking historic tracks such as Rockingham and North Wilkesboro Speedway aside all in the name of progress namely Hollywood venues in Southern California or unnecessary Northern tracks in new markets like Kansas, ChicagoLand, and the flirtation with New York City, Dever, and Seattle only to see them all unsurprisingly, fall flat.

We've heard the lip service from NASCAR's most corporate lap dog CEO Brian France, who when he's not busy "modernizing tradition" by destroying it, he's out trying to sell the BS that is NASCAR's return to its roots" campaign of 2008. For further evidence of how far NASCAR has fallen, note that the starting field for today's Super Bowl of Racing will be absent a member of the Petty family for the first time in forty-three years. That is a shame but reality in today's corporate driven, soap-opera-esque NA$CAR.

I've called the economy the great equalizer before, and with drivers like Riggs and Mayfield allowed to race and by earning their spots today, they create an unique storyline that was missing and is sorely welcomed as a reminder of this 2008 promise.

While I expect someone like Mark Martin or Bobby Labonte to win today, how great would it be for someone like Riggs or Mayfield to have a solid day? It sure would beat having to suffer through another robotic corporate interview from the likes of Jimmie Johnson who along with the rest of his Hollywood stable I affectionately refer to as Hollywood Motorsports as a play off their acronym HMS for their team Hendrick Motorsports, nothing would make me feel better than to see a lesser known name like Mayfield, Allmendinger, or Riggs slap that smug look off of his face by either running them into the wall, spinning them into the grass at a critical time, or I don't know, winning the race right out from under them.

Let's see if NASCAR keeps it meanwhile cheering for these drivers' success alongside the rest of us common folk.  

Surprise, surprise!

Stewart is once again not happy with Goodyear tires, and who could blame him.

During Saturday practice at Daytona International Speedway in anticipation for Sunday's Daytona 500, Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, had both his cars damaged.

Teammate Ryan Newman blew a Goodyear tire and spun right in front of his boss, who collected Newman to wreck both cars in turn 2. 

After already bad-mouthing Goodyear at last year's Atlanta and Indianapolis races, Stewart seemed even hotter than usual this time.

"It's just a Goodyear right-rear tire," Stewart said. "So it's the same thing everybody has been talking about all week. It's the same stuff that we always talk about every year; the failures that Goodyear has.

"I think that's part of their marketing campaign. The more we talk about it, the more press they get. I think they forget that it's supposed to be in a good way, not a bad way."

Both cars will no doubt be parked for the weekend as the back-up race cars will be rolling out of the haulers for Sunday's big race, meaning both Stewart and Newman will have to start from the rear of the field.

"This one is junk," said Newman, nodding toward his wrecked machine. "The right-rear tire exploded in the middle of [Turns] 1 and 2 there. It gave me maybe 100 yards of a sign that it might. It started with the very, very slightest vibration. I was getting ready to come in and it was too late.

"It was just unfortunate. We took out my teammate. I don't even know who else was caught up in it. I'm just disappointed in the situation Goodyear has put us in... It's ridiculous the situation we are in with these tires."

Stewart, who will use his Budweiser Shootout car in the Daytona 500, was even madder about Goodyear tires.

"It's just frustrating because the gold-and-blue down there [where Goodyear is located in the Daytona garage] are the cause of another deal," Stewart said. "I'm just so tired of talking about Goodyear, it's ridiculous. I'm just over it."

"Apparently this is their marketing strategy to get press. I'm just tired of talking about them, tired of them being an issue. And us talking about them right now isn't going to change anything because it falls on deaf ears and won't change."

Stewart added that he wasn't throwing any blame to Ryan Newman for the incident.

Stewart also said he took no comfort from the fact that his Shootout car was good enough to finish third in that event, reminding reporters that "we haven't really gotten any time in it except when it was really cold and in the dark." Sunday's race will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET, in full daylight.

Asked if he still has a chance to win the 500, Stewart bristled and replied: "I don't know, rocket scientist. I'm sitting here with a backup car. What do you think?"

Stu Grant, Goodyear's director of worldwide racing, said that his company definitely brought a competent tire to Daytona and that Newman's blowout was a result of running over debris.

"The tread is intact on the tire that failed [Saturday]. You can see a clear puncture through the tread and the belt package. The tread is still intact and this incident bears no resemblance to the one that happened on Thursday [on Newman's car during the duels]."

Grant strongly defended the tire Saturday.

"I honestly feel really good about our tire performance. I'm very happy with the tire we brought here," he said. "It's a good-performing tire, a good-wearing tire.

"It allows the drivers to adjust the car and improve the handling. I think they've got a few tools now to set the car up. And honestly, overall, I'm very pleased.

"Don't get them anywhere near me," Stewart said when asked if he had spoken to any Goodyear officials. "Don't bring them anywhere close; don't let them come close. I don't want anything to do with them."

After a long day of qualifying for the Great American Race, the field is set for Thursday's Gatorade Duels at Daytona.

No matter what happens in Thursday's race, the top two qualifiers locked their positions for Sunday's Daytona 500.

Mark Martin, NASCAR veteran qualifying for his first race with Hendrick Motorsports, qualified on the outside of the front row.

Martin drove most of his career with Roush Fenway Racing in the No. 6 Ford. The past two seasons, he drove for Ginn Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc., being a mentor to young rookies Regan Smith and Aric Almirola.

This year, Martin is returning to full time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition as he joins Hendrick Motorsports to drive the No. 5 Kelloggs/Carquest Chevrolet.

Sitting on the pole for the great American race is young Martin Truex Jr., from Mayetta, N.J.

Truex, driving for the newly merged Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, burned up the 2.5 mile superspeedway with a lap of 188.001 mph.

This was no doubt a big relief to the Earnhardt-Ganassi camp, as they have been through a very tough winter.

Last year, due to the economy, Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Chip Ganassi Racing had no choice but to join forces to become Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing. This pole was no doubt a huge load off their shoulders.

“We had a tough winter, you know?” said Truex, who in seven prior attempts at Daytona had qualified higher than 10th just once.

“Everybody read about what was going on and there was a lot of uncertainty throughout part of the winter. I’m just proud of all my guys for all their hard work, for sticking with it.”

Probably the greatest story of qualifying was the performance of Stewart Haas Racing.

Tony Stewart left Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the '08 season to become co-owner of the struggling Haas CNC organization.

During the off-season, Stewart seemed to turn this team around, hiring Ryan Newman, former Daytona 500 winner, and getting new sponsorship to the team.

It seemed like a big challenge to turn this team around, but Stewart finished third in Saturday's Bud Shootout, impressing many.

The newfound success continued in qualifying as Newman qualified third, and Stewart in 10th.

The Gatorade Duels at Daytona, the two races that will determine the starting lineup for the Daytona 500, will air live on SPEED, starting at 2pm EST.