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Helio Castroneves, of Brazil, jokes with members of his crew after his qualification run on the first day of qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman)

Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti will be trying to become four-time Indianapolis 500 champions, four women will roll off the starting grid, a local boy is on the pole and a group of dynamic rookies that includes A.J. Allmendinger is there to add intrigue.


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Paint Scheme Preview: Charlotte

Editor's note: This story will be updated as additional paint schemes are revealed.


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Pick a pace-car design for pocono

The Walmart Fan Driven 400 is in the stretch run as we draw nearer to the Party in the Poconos 400 at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 9 from Pocono Raceway. Fans have until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 27 to vote for their favorite pace-car designs for the race. The winning design will be utilized on the track on June 9.


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Hall of Fame Class of 2012

The third class in the NASCAR Hall of Fame was inducted in late January, with a cast of characters that included some of the sport's most prominent names.


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NASCAR Hall vote enters unpredictable age

Related: Hall of Fame hub page " Nominee breakdown


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'NASCAR: An American Salute' honors military

Related: Click here to show your support


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Hall of Fame Class of 2011

The year 2011 saw four drivers and an owner inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, a group with a combined 3,031 stars in the sport. As pioneers in the sport, these men helped make NASCAR what it is today.


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Biffle confident he can climb in standings

Related: Visit the Coca-Cola Racing Family NASCAR site


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Hall of Fame Class of 2013

The third class in the NASCAR Hall of Fame was inducted in late January, with a cast of characters that included some of the sport's most prominent names.


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AJ Allmendinger practices a pit stop with his crew during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- AJ Allmendinger's parents attended their first Indianapolis 500 in 1979, when they camped in a grassy lot and watched Rick Mears win his first 500.


";s:8:"category";s:3:"IRL";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,bbb739de-2517-3006-ba01-9007c87e187f-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Mon, 20 May 2013 18:02:20 PDT";s:10:"media:text";s:205:"AJ Allmendinger practices a pit stop with his crew during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)";s:12:"media:credit";s:20:"The Associated Press";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1369098140;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"eef331de509daa16983cdb557c76ba37";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:3:"IRL";}s:6:"source";s:13:"Yahoo! Sports";s:10:"source_url";s:35:"http://sports.yahoo.com/irl/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";s:23:"http://sports.yahoo.com";s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"50e3a1eea629490139cc5d491b4321a7";s:17:"media:content_url";s:223:"http://l.yimg.com/iu/api/res/1.2/N5lbeKnXbqv_23trUPmAFw--/YXBwaWQ9eXZpZGVvO2NoPTM1NDtjcj0xO2N3PTM1NDtkeD04MDtkeT0xO2ZpPXVsY3JvcDtoPTEzMDtxPTEwMDt3PTEzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/Sports/ap/201305151623590284717-p2.jpeg";s:20:"media:content_height";s:3:"130";s:19:"media:content_width";s:3:"130";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:35:"http://sports.yahoo.com/irl/rss.xml";}s:32:"dc8350caf458f11baeb20f359ef394ca";a:20:{s:5:"title";s:69:"Castroneves, Franchitti chase 4th Indy 500 win (The Associated Press)";s:4:"link";s:141:"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/irl/SIG=12q2duemg/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/castroneves-franchitti-chase-4th-indy-150229820--irl.html";s:11:"description";s:882:"

Dario Franchitti, of Scotland, heads into the first turn during a practice session on the second day of qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

NEW YORK (AP) -- Helio Castroneves figures plenty of today's fans have never seen a driver win the Indianapolis 500 for a record-tying fourth time.


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In the last Warped Wednesday feature, I asked the (not-so serious) question of what the point of the All-Star Race was. After all, it's not like NASCAR drivers race against each other 38 times a year or anything.

After watching the reaction after Jimmie Johnson's runaway victory in the final segment of Saturday night's race, allow me to be serious for a moment: Why was the race such a letdown for so many?

I'll be blunt. If you're one of those people, you've allowed yourself to be manipulated by the hype and promotion surrounding the All-Star Race. Last night's race wasn't certainly one of the ones that will be shown on the glossy teaser package to be played 10,000 times before next year's race. But let's not undersell it either.

This is NASCAR. In 2013. On an intermediate track. If you watched -- and were disappointed -- on Saturday night, you've likely seen one or three or fifty intermediate track races over the last few years. If this was a points race, would anything that happened Saturday night have merited such a disappointing reaction?

Hell, after restarts, the racing was pretty damn good, especially by our intermediate track standards. The racing that Johnson and Kahne carried on for two laps before Johnson checked out was compelling, Clint Bowyer's three-wide move for the lead was daring and Ryan Newman's charge on the high side of 1 and 2 seemed inexplicable.

Yes, ultimately, clean air was the order of the evening. But that's no different than what we'll see Sunday night in the 600. Just because it was "no-holds barred" and not for points, did you expect clean air not to be a factor?

There have been 29 All-Star Races. And there have been, what, five or six truly memorable moments? After the Pass in the Grass, the first race under the lights (and Davey Allison and Kyle Petty's crash), Jeff Gordon's T-Rex car, Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip crashing and Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning, are there any other races that really stand out?

Yet we're conditioned to think that every All-Star Race is exceptional, given the excitement in the booth and those glitzy promotional videos. I get that it's the job of the sport and Fox, the network that broadcasts it, to get viewers to tune in for a non-points race on a spring Saturday night. But at the same time, those promotions fuel the cries to change the race's format yet again or make significant location and structure changes every time each race doesn't have a signature moment.

Johnson has something to do with that too, though, especially given the tinfoil-hat wearing that blew up Twitter shortly after the race thanks to an inaccurate in-race graphic. Not only has he won the most All-Star Races of any driver, but he and Chad Knaus have won back-to-back races under completely different formats. If the All-Star Race is about showcasing NASCAR's best, isn't it fitting that perhaps the best crew chief and driver combination in NASCAR is proving their excellence?

The All-Star Race isn't untouchable; the discussion whether or not it should be moved around is a worthy one. The easiest way to try to create a signature moment would be to add a track wrinkle that's only seen at the race. But until that actually happens and the race is still staged at a 1.5 mile track and intermediate track racing continues to be ruled by clean air, treat it just like you would a points race. Don't expect to be exhilarated every year.

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Michel Jourdain Jr. of Mexico, is comforted by a member of his crew after failing  to qualify on the second day of qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Michel Jourdain Jr. was the only driver who failed to make the Indianapolis 500 field during Bump Day qualifying Sunday.


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Ed Carpenter prepares to practice on the second day of qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 19, 2013. Carpenter will start the race from the pole. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Bump Day at Indianapolis followed the script.


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Where the heck did Ryan Newman come from?

On a restart in the middle of the fourth segment of Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race, Newman dashed to the outside in turns one and two like his car suddenly got a boost of nitrous oxide and made a pair of three-wide passes before he had even gotten to the backstretch.

He wasn't done there. His crazy momentum off the high side of turn two had him on the back bumper of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a flash and after giving Junior a bump, Newman moved to the inside to pass him.

However, Kyle Busch was there, because unlike Newman, he hadn't gotten through turns one and two very well and lost positions. As Newman came down, Busch drifted up and the two made contact with Busch suffering some right front fender damage and Newman acquiring a tire rub.

And with that tire rub, the headway that Newman made that lap stalled out. He ended up 13th while Busch maintained his position near the front of the field and finished third.

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The five-time Sprint Cup Series champ is now a four-time All-Star Race winner.

Jimmie Johnson bolted away from Kasey Kahne after a spirited battle for the lead at the beginning of the final 10 lap segment of Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race to win by more than a second over Joey Logano.

It was Johnson's second straight All-Star Race win, and this time, he did it -- with the help of redesigned rules -- considerably differently than last year. In last year's race, Johnson won the first segment, which guaranteed his position at the front of the field before the race's final mandatory pit stop. Since his spot was assured so early, he and Chad Knaus used the middle segments as a glorified test session to make adjustments on the car for the final sprint.

This year, perhaps in response to Johnson's winning strategy in 2012, the race was divided into four 20 lap segments and a final 10 lap sprint, with the average finish of each driver in the first four segments determining the order in which the field entered pit road before those final 10 laps. After starting 18th, Johnson wasn't in a position to win the first segment, but meticulously worked his way through the field and finished third in the final two 20 lap segments.

Those third place finishes helped Johnson enter pit road fourth after Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne, and thanks to some quick pit work by his team, Johnson exited pit road second to Kahne.

After Kahne restarted on the outside for the sprint to the finish, Johnson stayed glued to Kahne's inside and prevented his teammate from clearing him on the high side. As the two sailed through turn four approaching eight laps to go, Johnson moved in front of Kahne and it was over from there.

Of course, this being NASCAR and this being Jimmie Johnson, the result wasn't without an obligatory post-race spell of tinfoil-hat wearing amongst the conspiracy theorist set. Those new Johnson-inspired rules meant that math was involved in determining who was lined up where after the fourth segment. And in Fox Sports' attempt to calculate the average finishes of each driver before the field hit pit road, the on-screen graphic displaying what the lineup should be was horribly incorrect. Kyle Busch was listed as the leader (he would be second), and Johnson wasn't even listed in the top 10. Johnson's average segment finish was 6.5. There was no question he was legitimately fourth.

Before Johnson took over the race's final eight laps, the first eighty were a main course of the Busch brothers with a side of Kahne. Kurt Busch won the first and third segments while Kyle took the second and Kahne the fourth. After those four segments, the Busch brothers were tied for the best average finish, and by virtue of his higher finish in the fourth segment, Kurt Busch led the field onto pit road. However, he exited fifth and that's where he finished.

In the Sprint Showdown for drivers not qualified for the All-Star race, Jamie McMurray led all 40 laps for the win and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished second. And in a surprise to no one, Danica Patrick won the fan vote to qualify. She finished 20th.

More popular NASCAR content on Yahoo! Sports
? Raunchy toilet paper ad at Charlotte Motor Speedway
? Dale Earnhardt Jr's special connection to Charlotte

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NASCAR is a sport full of double-entendres and this one in Charmin's is one of the better ones we've ever seen.

This is the billboard that's on the grandstands at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. According to AutoWeek, it's a two race deal between the track and the company, which also has a "Stop Skidmarks" banner on the pit wall. Will it prevent drivers from peeling out of their pit stalls and laying rubber on the track?

Charmin is also handing out free samples. No word if CMS took the giveaways as an opportunity to save some money and not stock the track bathrooms.

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Carl Edwards will start first in Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

All-Star qualifying is always different than a standard best of two laps run for a points race with each driver's run including three laps and a four tire pit stop. This year, NASCAR added a new wrinkle (that was previously an old one) and eliminated the pit road speed limit. That meant that many drivers were flying off the turns 3 and 4 banking onto pit road at over 150 MPH. That included Edwards, who had the second best lap one time and the best time entering the pits on his second lap.

Edwards won the race in 2011.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. starts second and Kurt Busch will start third. 19 drivers are already qualified for the All-Star Race and three will move on from the Sprint Showdown on Saturday night.

In the Showdown, Martin Truex Jr. is on the pole and Jamie McMurray will start second.

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Throughout the week you can send us your best questions, jokes, rants and just plain miscellaneous thoughts to happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com or @NickBromberg. We'll post them here, have a good time and everyone's happy. Right? Oh who are we kidding, this is NASCAR. No one is ever happy.

We open this week's mailbag with a heavy heart after Thursday afternoon's news of Dick Trickle's death. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, and if you're unfamiliar with the legend of the man who was never seen without a cigarette and a cup of coffee, read this.

The news of Trickle's passing is certainly a sad and sudden departure from the craziness that's been the Jennifer Jo Cobb and Mike Harmon kerfluffle. Cobb said she didn't want the publicity that came with the incident, but it's important to note that she issued the statement that put the coverage of the incident in motion.

Let's get to the questions, shall we?

Do you think the added stress of taking on a third car team has suffocated the performance of SHR? I've noticed they seem to "recycle their chassis" and "clip" their cars much more often than PRM, RCR, and even FRR? Personal stretched to thin? Lose of Grubb and the HMS connection catching up to them? Did Smoke find some "dead weight" again?
From Tim Flock campgrounds at CMS.
- Ricky Bobby

Allow me to channel my inner baseball nerd for a second: At what point do we determine we have a large enough sample size for an accurate representation and is it causation or correlation. I'm not sure we're there just yet. But we're getting close.

During Danica Patrick's starts last season, TonyStewart had finishes of 16th, 3rd, 25th, 27th, 22nd, 6th, 20th, 5th, 5th and 19th. That's an average finish of 15.8. In the other 26 non-Danica races, his average finish was 12.75. This year, his average finish is 21.1.

That's 21 races. Is that enough to start drawing conclusions? And does the fact that essentially half of those races have been with one car body and half with another factor in? If so, how much? (In case you were wondering, the worst season average finish for Stewart was 14.9 in 2008.)

There's no denying that Stewart-Haas has struggled this season, and if it is related to a third car, well, they're going to have at least three cars for the foreseeable future with Kevin Harvick's arrival in 2014.

_____________________

Watching Matt Kenseth this year has got me thinking about Jeff Gordon. Their the same age (41) and Jeff has had the more impressive career clearly. Jeff has raced longer but I don't know if they is what is holding him back. Maybe it's Hendrick and the organization he signed a lifetime contract with. Matt moved to a new team and seem revitalized. Maybe next year Kenseth will drop back off, but maybe Gordon needs to find a new organization. But how does he do that when he is already at the best? Should he talk to Childress and consider a move from the 24 to the 29? That would be one heck of a silly season rumor.
-Cliff

Gordon has a lifetime contract with Hendrick Motorsports and would be foolish to look anywhere else. Yes, I know the same could be said for Kenseth at Roush, but there were only two (arguably) better places he could go, and one was Joe Gibbs Racing. The other was Hendrick. Or also known as the two teams that at one point owned the top seven positions late at Darlington Saturday night.

Gordon has nowhere to go. It'd be a lateral move at best to Hendrick or Roush and he's not leaving the Chevrolet camp. While RCR is still a very good team, they're probably fourth at best right now in the pecking order. And besides, if you're one of the people that believes Kurt Busch is headed to RCR in 2014, with Paul Menard close to a contract extension and the Dillons close to the Cup Series, there's not much room there.

_____________________

Hey Nick, I don't think your Warped Wednesday was warped enough. You actually make some very valid arguments as to why the All Star Race isn't anything special. I'm a big fan of NASCAR and look forward to every race (except maybe Pocono) but the All Star Race really isn't much different than the 600 the following week, just with mandatory cations to keep the field bunched up.

They need to get crazy, take these guys out of their comfort zone. Perhaps incorporate some eliminations at the end of segments or even the last car every lap in the final segment. Eldora is coming up in July for the trucks, why not put these guys on the dirt across the parking lot. Maybe some head to head shootout style bracket racing? How about some cars like the old IROC series where they are all essentially the same, but completely different from the current Gen 6 car?

Show me who is the better driver, not who has the most money, resources, and best strategy.
-Brian

I will admit that this week's satirical column might have been the closest it's ever been to my true feelings. (Well, I take that back, I did try to make a point with the post about Ryan Newman two weeks ago.) Geoffrey Miller and I were debating the merits of the All-Star Race on the Chrome Horn podcast and it got my brain swirling about it.

I'm not anti-All-Star Race by any stretch of the imagination, but I could do without the forced glitz and glamour and do think the ASR has lost some luster with the glut of night races.

When asked about ASR format tweaks, Mike Helton said that it was because the sanctioning body could make those changes. And I don't mind that sentiment at all. I'd really like it if they extended it and made some changes like the IROC one you mentioned above. As a kid, I adored the IROC Series because it gave Al Unser Jr., my favorite driver in elementary school, the chance to compete against NASCAR drivers in equal cars. Can we get someone like Warren Buffett to finance it and bring it back?

_____________________

When did NASCAR become such a wussified sport? 10 years ago at Darlington, Kurt and Ricky were beating and banging, practically spinning each other out the last couple of laps coming to the checkers. After the race, Kurt did not go on a whiny rampage about how Ricky was trying to dump him. He was disappointed at not winning but said it was just good hard racing.
Fast forward 10 years and you have Kasey whining that Kyle spun him out costing him a chance at the win. The typical he has wrecked me two weeks in a row blame game ensued.
Why is it that in those 10 short years NASCAR has gone from guys expecting to race hard and be raced hard to drivers complaining that another driver may have made slight contact costing them a win?
-Sean

I will say that sometimes the unwritten rules of racing can seem perplexing. Like, for example, when, exactly, does it become acceptable to race hard and not give an inch? I think if you asked 43 drivers that question you'd get at least 25 different answers and the most popular one would be "It depends."

I have no problem with Kasey Kahne being frustrated in that situation, however. It had much more to do with the accumulation of events with Kyle Busch rather than that specific incident. Had Kahne not gone spinning off Busch's bumper the week before (for the second time this year), his frustration is likely muted and it's simply chalked up to the close racing Kahne mentioned. Instead, because this was the third incident between the two in 11 races, it's fair to ask what the heck is going on.

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,c69700db-f01a-3f3b-b57c-d41a76838c9a-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Thu, 16 May 2013 19:08:33 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368756513;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"f2e5d2c514310a6d4f37b6a20cd4218e";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"e8d22119e8a740d4b1dbc2f377f7358d";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:72:"Dick Trickle, former NASCAR driver, dead of self-inflicted gunshot wound";s:4:"link";s:122:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/dick-trickle-former-nascar-driver-dead-self-inflicted-202844077.html";s:11:"description";s:3453:"

Former NASCAR driver Dick Trickle is dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Lincoln County (N.C.) police.

At about noon on Thursday, the Lincoln County Communications Center received a call indicating that there would be a dead body at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Boger City, and it would be the speaker's. Return calls to the number went unanswered. Crews arriving at the scene found Trickle's body lying near his pickup truck.

Trickle ran in 303 races in the Sprint Cup series over the course of 24 years, finally retiring in 2002. His best year was 1989, where he notched six top-5s, including three third-place finishes, driving the #84 Miller High Life Buick. He ended that year ranked 15th, ahead of Michael Waltrip, Brett Bodine and Richard Petty, among others.

Look, we all know where the conversation about Mr. Trickle is headed. The guy's name was a punch line his entire career. But he was a hard-nosed racer in his day, and this is how we prefer to remember him best:

The racing world took to Twitter almost immediately to mourn Trickle's passing. Here are a few of the reactions:

I just read about Dick Trickle, met him during my season doing IROC series. He was a true Racer and will be missed. #RIP

? JJ Yeley (@jjyeley1) May 16, 2013

RIP Dick Trickle. Thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.

? Brian Scott (@bscottracing) May 16, 2013

Just want to say its a sad day. Dick trickle is a legend. RIP.

? David Stremme (@DavidStremme) May 16, 2013

Thoughts and prayers to the Dick Trickle family.

? Max Gresham (@MaxGresham) May 16, 2013

So sad to hear.RT @bobpockrass: Dick Trickle, 71, has died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

? Kelley Earnhardt (@EarnhardtKelley) May 16, 2013

wow...I am , I don't know what, I just heard Dick Trickle died today...He was a good friend and mentor

? ray evernham (@RayEvernham) May 16, 2013

I remember when Dick Trickle finally won a #NASCAR Busch race, Hickory '97. In Victory Lane he says "I get free beer, right?"

? Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) May 16, 2013

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,91e6c506-f699-3856-8e2e-9ffb0da39842-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Thu, 16 May 2013 13:28:44 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:10:"Jay Busbee";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368736124;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"e8d22119e8a740d4b1dbc2f377f7358d";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"f1756c70a66b4ed0326e3db582a67987";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:90:"UPDATE: Mike Harmon out on bond after arrest for theft of Jennifer Jo Cobb’s hauler";s:4:"link";s:118:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/jennifer-jo-cobb-accuses-mike-harmon-stealing-her-021740744.html";s:11:"description";s:4206:"

NASCAR driver Mike Harmon is out on bond after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with stealing Jennifer Jo Cobb's race hauler on May 11.

Yes, this is a tale involving two NASCAR drivers, and one is accused of stealing the other's hauler.

Cobb, who is competing in the Camping World Truck Series this year for her own Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing team, said that her hauler was stolen on May 11. The Rowan County, (N.C.) Sheriff's Office issued warrants for the arrest of Harmon and his sister Sheila Rae Rice on Wednesday for felony larceny of the trailer and breaking and entering of a motor vehicle. Harmon was Cobb's team manager when she previously ran in the Nationwide Series. Harmon, who also has his own team, has made five Nationwide Series starts and two Truck Series starts this year.

Harmon was arrested Wednesday afternoon and posted bond. He took to Twitter Wednesday evening to profess his innocence, saying in two tweets that "I want it known that I have never stolen so much as a piece of bubble gum in my life. I did not take JJC hauler, there is no video of me any where near her shop. Today she was the windshield & I was the bug, but when we get in FEDERAL court in a couple wks there's a boulder coming."

Cobb posted to Facebook Thursday morning that, contradictory to Wednesday reports, she did not accuse Harmon of stealing her hauler, but that the warrant was issued because of "evidence and eye witness accounts."

Just a hunch, but I'm guessing that control of assets is a central part of the impending court date that Harmon mentions. (In an interview with Charlotte TV station WBTV Wednesday evening, Harmon again said he didn't take Cobb's hauler and that he was in Darlington on May 11.)

Video posted on the WBTV.com YouTube account shows Cobb's trailer slowly driving away from the camera, but there's no way to tell who is behind the wheel of the truck or how they entered.

Cobb said the contents of the hauler were valued at over $250,000.

"It is my sole concern to get the transporter back so that we can make Friday night's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway," Cobb said in a statemet. "We are working with other teams right now to borrow the necessary items in the event our hauler and its contents are not returned. We are pleased with the diligent work that the Rowan County Sheriff's Department has shown in solving this crime."

This isn't the first time this year that a vehicle has been at the center of a disagreement between Cobb and someone formerly involved with her team. During Speedweeks at Daytona, the van that Cobb's team drove to a restaurant was taken when it was parked in the lot.

Cobb initially reported the van as stolen, but shortly after its disappearance, David Novak contacted the Ponce Inlet Police Department and said he was the owner of the vehicle. Novak, who according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal was in litigation with Cobb about the ownership of her team after he cut ties "personally and professionally" with Cobb in December, told police that he was the van's owner and supplied proof.

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,c8bdd341-529d-345e-8027-42c147a1ca28-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 15 May 2013 19:17:40 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368670660;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"f1756c70a66b4ed0326e3db582a67987";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"7a5be4d34a2e2dae82352cfe518b54f8";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:38:"The Chrome Horn Episode 12: Darlington";s:4:"link";s:102:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/chrome-horn-episode-12-darlington-012425186.html";s:11:"description";s:764:"

New Chrome Horn, new intro! Join yours truly and Geoffrey Miller as we were slated to talk Darlington but ended up talking a lot about the All-Star Race.

Got any questions for us to use in the mailbag or the podcast? Hit us at HappyHourMailbag@Yahoo.com.

Click here to download the podcast or here to listen to in your browser. And we're now on iTunes! Find us in the Podcast section right here and subscribe. Listen!

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,5fa4f789-4a21-329b-811a-966e4d6a42b1-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 15 May 2013 18:24:25 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368667465;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"7a5be4d34a2e2dae82352cfe518b54f8";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"8596f1c141a73bba4123eac5b97be4dc";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:63:"Warped Wednesday: What’s the point of the All-Star Race?";s:4:"link";s:101:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/warped-wednesday-point-star-race-124127227.html";s:11:"description";s:2924:"

Welcome to Warped Wednesday. On this, we'll put out the rush to judgment mat, go a little too far and have a little fun. Will it be funny? Sometimes. Will it be crazy and largely unbelievable? Probably. Will not everyone get it? Definitely.

One of the selling points of NASCAR has been that it's the only sport that has its major stars face each other every week. Yet, despite that, it has an All-Star Race. Isn't every race an all-star race?

Yes, the All-Star Race provides a nice, low-pressure break for the drivers and teams that traverse the country for 34 races a year. Having a third race in their backyards is a nice reward. But would an off-week be a better idea?

The prospect of $2 million to the winning team is nice too, but this is a multi-billion dollar industry. And sorry David Ragan, but it would be an absolute miracle if you and Front Row Motorsports won the race. It'll likely go to a team that has more resources.

Do we really need these contrived formats too? The running order leading into the mandatory pit stop before the final 10 lap sequence will be determined by average finishing position in the first three segments. Math can be hard for some folks; it will be fun to see people try to determine on their own who is going to line up where.

Why is it like that? Well, because Jimmie Johnson and company played last year's rules perfectly, winning the first segment and then laying back, carefully prepping the car for the final sprint to the finish. It was incredibly played, and well within the rules -- rules that were changed for this year.

But before I reminded you that Johnson won last year's race, could you have recalled his name immediately if I had asked you who won? Because of the glut of intermediate track races and night races (and intermediate track races at night!), the bright lights of the All-Star Race don't stand out as much. Well, maybe the driver introductions do, but that's because they're interminably long and not because they're enjoyable.

Maybe Saturday night will be epic. Maybe it will have a four-wide finish. Maybe we'll have a moment that takes our collective breath away and dominates the racing discussion leading up to Memorial Day weekend. Or maybe we'll have another race that's indistinguishable from the rest and becomes a distant memory as the summer rolls on. After all, these drivers will be facing each other (for points) 25 more times this season.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,3322e94e-8fd5-3b0f-b852-8536eba36f77-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 15 May 2013 05:41:27 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368621687;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"8596f1c141a73bba4123eac5b97be4dc";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"8694df4e9d0fe84ce8f4d9b41b54dad4";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:65:"Power Rankings: It’s Matt Kenseth’s turn at the top";s:4:"link";s:105:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/power-rankings-matt-kenseth-turn-top-121632370.html";s:11:"description";s:7642:"

It's time for Power Rankings! After every race, we'll opine about who we think is at the top of the Sprint Cup heap and how and why they got there. Remember, this isn't scientific, as our formula is the perfect blend of analytics and bias against your favorite driver. So let's get on with it, shall we?

1. Matt Kenseth (LW: 3): As the esteemed Geoffrey Miller noted in Hot/Not on Monday, Kenseth has been in the same stratosphere as Jimmie Johnson this season, it's just that he's been crashed at Bristol and blown up at Daytona. And he's now the first driver in the Cup Series to have three wins. That deserves the top spot, if at least for a week, right?

2. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1): Does it seem downright evil that we're demoting the points leader from the top spot of Power Rankings after finishing fourth and extending that lead? Oh well, we are. Jimmie, you'll get over it, won't you? Or will you show us up by going out and dominating the show at this year's All-Star race much like you did in 2012?

3. Carl Edwards (LW: 2): Last year, a seventh place finish for Edwards is a cause for celebration. This year, it's hardly noteworthy. Carl already has five top 10 finishes -- two more than he had all of last season -- and is on pace to have more top 10s in 2013 in just 22 races. Is there a Chase spot with your name on it already, Cuz?

4. Kyle Busch (LW: 11): Not many drivers finish the race in sixth like Busch did after having a cut right rear tire over the race's final 10 laps. Sure, it's a race that Busch will rue for his horrible luck costing him the win, but think if he would have ended up on pit road under green or with the car stuffed in the fence? Simply 20 points less on Saturday night and he's in 14th in the standings.

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 8): Are we overrating Junior's standing in Power Rankings? His ninth place finish Saturday night was his first single digit finish since he reeled off five of them to start the season. Those five races are the reason he's still so high in the points standings, and Junior's doing enough every week to look like a bonafide Chase contender, but he's not close to victory lane.

6. Kevin Harvick (LW: NR): Hell of a bounceback by Cupcake to charge through the field over the last stages of the race to take fifth. Sure, a late pit stop for four tires helped, but moves like that not only enhance Harvick's reputation as a closer but also put you in the top 10 in the points standings and tie the great PFM for the Richard Childress Racing points lead. Monumental.

7. Jeff Gordon (LW: NR): Third place is certainly a nice way to celebrate your 700th start, and for the Gordon fans who want to blame Alan Gustafson for everything (we're looking at you, Yahoo! race chatters), there was nothing to blame Alan for Saturday night. OK, yeah right. Gordon could have finished two spots higher.

8. Kasey Kahne (LW: 9): Damn, Kasey, that has to suck. You storm by Kyle Busch on a restart to take the lead -- while being the first car to really challenge Busch all night -- and then see that lead and your race disappear when Busch goes really low to challenge you into turn one. No, it wasn't an intentional move by Busch to disturb/make contact with Kahne enough to crash him, but after three incidents in 11 races, it's hard to not see why Kahne is frustrated.

9. Denny Hamlin (LW: NR): Welcome back to the Sprint Cup Series, Denny. That wasn't a bad way to mark your first full race back even though you chose one of the toughest tracks to make your official comeback at. Hamlin's going to get stronger with every race and won't have to save anything on Saturday night at the All-Star race. What does that mean? Well, don't be surprised if he's there at the front in the final segment.

10. Clint Bowyer (LW: 10): That was a pretty nondescript 11th place finish by Bowyer. And you know what? I think we all can be happy with that. Can you imagine how inundated we would have been with the "Fresh off the Wire" reports and terrible KFC jokes if Bowyer had been at or near the front at Darlington?

11. Juan Pablo Montoya (LW: NR): What? JPM has only two top 10 finishes? How are you putting him here? Well, those two top 10s have come in the last three races and you have to think they're not a fluke. It's been crazy issues and mechanical failures that have derailed him so far this season, and if he gets more opportunities without catastrophic failures, the top 10s may start to pile up.

12. Aric Almirola (LW: 6): Does anyone want 12th? You could make an argument for four or five drivers, so we just went with the guy highest in points. That'd be Almirola, even though his streak of top 10 finishes ended at four. Congratulations! Does this mean we get free bacon?

Lucky Dog: Kurt Busch, you did a nice job of finishing 14th after the damage sustained in Casey Mears' crash. However, what would have been your finishing position had you not gotten so morose when you fell out of the top five?

Dropped Out: David Ragan, David Gilliland, Brad Keselowski, Paul Menard

The DNF: We'll give that one to Keselowski, who finished 32nd after being caught up in that aforementioned crash. After seven top 10s in the first eight races, Kes's last three have gone 33rd, 15th and 32nd.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,1bb9d1f1-7550-380a-9894-272024596ee4-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Tue, 14 May 2013 05:16:32 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368533792;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"8694df4e9d0fe84ce8f4d9b41b54dad4";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"87e5b942874ae33f2b5eba07537fc6b5";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:74:"Ferrari wreck in Japan totals car, leaves driver and bystander in hospital";s:4:"link";s:119:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/ferrari-wreck-japan-totals-car-leaves-two-hospital-163519482.html";s:11:"description";s:979:"<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://item.liveleak.com/2/ll_embed?f=f70bd6a68735" width="630"></iframe></p> <p>Scary moment at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan recently, as a Ferrari careened out of control and took out a good chunk of the wall and safety barrier. This wreck happened during the second Challenge race of the Ferrari Racing Days at Suzuka. Driver Shigeru Terajima lost control of the Ferrari 458 Challenge for still-unknown reasons. At last report, Terajima was in serious condition at a local hospital. A volunteer, presumably the one you can see running in the video above, was also hospitalized. The wreck halted the racing for the day.</p> <p>Here's another angle on the wreck:</p> <div style="text-align:center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UvOaML3a9gw" width="560"></iframe></div> <p>Ferraris. Man, they are trouble.</p>";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,a17927c2-77f2-30f5-9c7d-f926542cf9fd-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Mon, 13 May 2013 09:35:19 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:10:"Jay Busbee";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368462919;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"87e5b942874ae33f2b5eba07537fc6b5";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"8ece0fc1fb9a83f680d6132bca93b358";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:83:"Jeff Gordon’s Central Park condo is now on the market for a cool $30 million";s:4:"link";s:115:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/jeff-gordon-central-park-condo-now-market-cool-151728539.html";s:11:"description";s:3551:"

Want to live like a NASCAR driver? You don't need to get grease under your fingernails or sip sweet tea while listenin' to country music. No, all you need is a mere $30 million, and you can live just like Jeff Gordon. Easy, right?

Gordon is selling his three-bedroom, 3,454-square-foot condo in New York City's ultra-exclusive 15 Central Park West address. Here, per the New York Times, are the specs:

The floors are Brazilian cherry; flamed black granite, a matte surface with intriguing variations, makes repeat appearances on portions of the floor, walls and countertops. Except for the glass doors that separate the dining area from the eat-in kitchen, the doors throughout are rift-cut oak; a hulking built-in that Mr. Gordon refers to as "the sushi bar," an oak bar with a blackened-steel countertop and a hidden refrigerator, is the showpiece of the living room...

The bedroom wing faces west onto the courtyard, and all three bedrooms have en-suite baths and ample closets; the opulent master bath combines limestone and crema marfil marble, and has a Boffi tub and a two-person glass shower...

Just inside the 3,454-square-foot residence, the floor in the foyer is inlaid with bronze, and off the cloakroom is a powder room with a limestone vanity. A custom-built floor-to-ceiling room divider with movable fins made of American walnut with brass inserts separates the foyer from the living and entertainment area. The ceiling in the media section is covered in the same hand-stretched ecru leather that appears on the closet doors and walls in the 743-square-foot master suite.

The kitchen has Italian ceramic floors, a Wolf double oven, a Sub-Zero refrigerator, a wine cooler, and an off-white backsplash of neo-Paris stone, a substance impermeable to stains. The counters and center unit are of matte black granite. The park can be seen through the glass doors to the dining area.

So, yes, there you go ... everything a four-time champion could need to scrape by in the big city. Who's going to be our first bidder? Agents are waiting to take your call.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,77e9656b-05c4-3906-abbb-6be5e99f5c79-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Mon, 13 May 2013 08:17:28 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:10:"Jay Busbee";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368458248;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"8ece0fc1fb9a83f680d6132bca93b358";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"30add33852b91197e8b0399a7a39336b";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:60:"Watch Fernando Alonso win Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix";s:4:"link";s:120:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/watch-fernando-alonso-win-sunday-spanish-grand-prix-115646854.html";s:11:"description";s:909:"

Did you enjoy a relaxing Mother's Day? NASCAR made it easy to spend time with your family, but Formula 1's Spanish Grand Prix was Sunday and Spaniard Fernando Alonso took home the win.

If you didn't get up early and watch the race, here's what you missed. Storied NASCAR driver Kimi Raikkonen finished second.

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,5343f679-d4d0-3dad-ac46-ead5fd882edd-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Mon, 13 May 2013 04:56:46 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368446206;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"30add33852b91197e8b0399a7a39336b";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"46de2072489de31480086aaf45e437ac";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:79:"Craziest Moment: Kasey Kahne slaps wall while battling for lead with Kyle Busch";s:4:"link";s:122:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/craziest-moment-kasey-kahne-slaps-wall-while-battling-042618058.html";s:11:"description";s:2175:"

With 33 laps to go in Saturday night's Southern 500, Kasey Kahne was racing for the lead with Kyle Busch when he hit the wall in turns one and two after Busch entered the corner to his inside.

To that point, Busch had driven away from everyone who dare crept close to his bumper, but Kahne took the lead off a restart just two laps earlier. As Busch dove to the inside entering turn one, he was unable to accrue enough momentum to drive alongside of Kahne and his car washed up the track. Immediately after that, Kahne's car snapped loose on him and he was in the fence.

Did Busch make contact with Kahne? As incredulous as it may seem, it may be inconclusive. It sure looks like there could have been slight contact between the two cars as they went through turn one, but a zoom angle from Kahne's pit showed nary a scuff on the left rear-quarterpanel of Kahne's car. If they didn't make contact, the disruption of air on Kahne's spoiler from Busch's quick move would have likely been enough to send him around.

"I cleared him getting into three so I had the outside and then I saw he entered so early I knew he was going to not be able to turn when we got to the corner," Kahne said. "And I was going along and next thing I knew I was spinning."

Sunday at Talladega, Busch bumped into Kahne and set off the race's first big accident. That crash was reminiscent of Daytona, when Busch got into Kahne's back bumper, sending Kahne around and causing the 500's "Big One."

"I don't know. Three times this year me and Kyle have had contact and I've had capable of winning cars so it's disappointing on the points side and not winning some of these races," Kahne said. "But that was close racing. He entered so early and he was just going straight for the corner. So, whether he hit me or just blew the air off, whatever it was, he blew his entry and I'm not real sure what he was thinking on that."

Busch finished 6th, while Kahne was 17th.

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,025ce275-896f-3312-9529-7976f789403a-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sat, 11 May 2013 21:26:18 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368332778;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"46de2072489de31480086aaf45e437ac";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"5987d60f25a23bd8143c5275283d1c60";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:74:"Denny Hamlin finishes second in first full race in return from back injury";s:4:"link";s:120:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/denny-hamlin-finishes-second-first-full-race-return-035228874.html";s:11:"description";s:1894:"

Before climbing out of the car, Denny Hamlin took a moment to close his eyes and exhale. He had just completed his first full race in six weeks and on top of that, it was at Darlington, a tough track that hosts one of the Sprint Cup Series' longest races of the season.

And, oh yeah, he had just finished second.

"I'm tired. Just worn out," Hamlin said. "This is a tough, grueling race so there's nothing to hang our heads about coming up second again two years in a row."

In the previous race at Talladega, Hamlin started the race but during the first caution, handed the car over to Brian Vickers. On Saturday night, there was no relief driver in sight. Hamlin was going to attack what ended up as a 3 hour and 40 minute race on his own.

Had you not known about the crash at California that sidelined him since March 24 with a compression fracture of his L1 vertebra, you wouldn't have guessed watching Hamlin's race that he had spent significant time out of the car. He started sixth and stayed in that vicinity for the entire evening before capitalizing on teammate Kyle Busch's late misfortune to pass him for second with nine laps to go.

Now, after missing four races, Hamlin's quest to get into the top 20 and win enough races to snag one of the Chase's Wild Card berths begins in earnest. He's still 27th in the points standings, 226 behind Jimmie Johnson, but he's 61 points back of 20th place Jeff Burton. Plus, Hamlin says he's ready to go 600 miles in two weeks at Charlotte.

"Charlotte, believe it or not, the 600 miler is not as grueling as this race track," Hamlin said. "You have to stay so mentally tough for so long. And on top of the physical stuff you've got going on it's tough to overcome and luckily it was a good day for us."

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,a12460fd-9886-306e-aa0a-5bde4ccf0773-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sat, 11 May 2013 20:52:28 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368330748;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"5987d60f25a23bd8143c5275283d1c60";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"573d46468a7f63744f5aed76926edf2d";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:66:"A dream win: Matt Kenseth wins at Darlington for third win of 2013";s:4:"link";s:117:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/dream-win-matt-kenseth-wins-darlington-third-win-033108623.html";s:11:"description";s:3879:"

The significance of winning at Darlington is no more evident than when a two-time Daytona 500 champion emerges from his car and says it's the biggest of his career.

That two-time 500 champion is Matt Kenseth, and he passed teammate Kyle Busch with 14 laps to go to take the lead of Saturday night's Bojangles Southern 500 to get his first win at Darlington and third win of the season. And it's a win that comes just three days after Kenseth's team saw the penalties that NASCAR levied against it after his win at Kansas severely lessened.

"Honestly, I've only dreamed about winning the Southern 500," Kenseth said. "This to me feels to me probably bigger than any win of my career. So I really feel bad that (crew chief Jason Ratcliff)'s not here, this is obviously his team and his effort but (interim crew chief Wally Brown) did a great job filling in and all these guys behind me. We had a fifth or sixth place car, fighting loose and those last two adjustments were just awesome."

[Related: Denny Hamlin returns from broken back to finish second at Darlington]

On Tuesday, it wasn't too farfetched to think that Kenseth could miss the Chase this year. Now, there's no doubt that he'll be in the 12 driver field after Richmond in September.

After Kansas, when NASCAR found that Kenseth's car had a connecting rod in the engine that was less than three grams too light, Kenseth was penalized 50 points, saw the win removed from counting towards the Chase and his crew chief, Jason Ratcliff, was suspended for six races and fined $250,000 (among other penalties). On Wednesday, an appeals panel gave Kenseth 38 of those points back, the three points in the Chase for the win back, and reduced Ratcliff's suspension to just for Saturday night's race.

(And before you ask, yes, Kenseth's car and engine will be taken back for further inspection again, as is customary for every race winner.)

Now Kenseth is third in the points standings and all three of his wins will count towards his bid for the Chase. Just like series points leader Jimmie Johnson, who has two wins, Kenseth and team now don't have to worry about their points standings and attempt to accumulate as many bonus points as possible for the Chase.

Throughout the majority of Saturday night's race, Busch had a stranglehold on the field. At one point, thanks to just one caution during the race's first 302 laps and Busch's dominance, there were just 11 cars on the lead lap.

As the caution flags started to accumulate over the race's last 60 laps, Brown was able to make those adjustments Kenseth mentioned. Though as Busch sprinted out to a one-second lead on the race's final restart, it still looked like his race to lose.

However, Kenseth started making up considerable ground in turns three and four especially, and drove away from Busch, whose car started to slow considerably, evidently from a cut right rear tire. Busch led a race high 265 laps but fell from 2nd to 6th over the race's final nine laps. After the race, the team said the right rear had just 12 pounds of air left in it when the car was brought back to the garage.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,9076eb40-a27a-37d3-9784-35db5a29a82f-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sat, 11 May 2013 20:31:08 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368329468;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"573d46468a7f63744f5aed76926edf2d";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"efa4b6ce5a096b6052557f15818af147";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:34:"Kurt Busch wins pole at Darlington";s:4:"link";s:100:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/kurt-busch-wins-pole-darlington-224441819.html";s:11:"description";s:2593:"

Less than a week after flipping through a Talladega early evening and turning laps in an IndyCar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway the day before, Kurt Busch won the pole for Saturday night's Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington with the fastest lap ever at the track.

Busch's speed of 181.918 MPH knocked Jimmie Johnson off the top spot when Busch made his qualifying run late in the session. Johnson starts second while Kyle Busch is third.

Late in Sunday's race at Talladega, Busch's car was hit in the right rear quarterpanel and went airborne, turning over before landing on Ryan Newman's car. On Thursday, Busch drove an IndyCar for Andretti Autosport and registered a lap over 218 MPH. While Busch's session was essentially a version of IndyCar's Rookie Orientation Program and he was cleared by the sanctioning body, after running at Indy, Busch said that he didn't have the stamina to try to complete both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day this year.

It's Busch's first pole at Darlington since he started first in the fall race at the track in 2001, his rookie year. It's also the 10th anniversary of his incredible finish with Ricky Craven at the egg-shaped oval, when Craven and Busch banged fenders as they headed towards the finish line in a race that Craven won by inches. Busch hasn't won at Darlington, but Furniture Row Racing, Busch's team, won the 2011 Southern 500 when Regan Smith took home the checkered flag.

43 cars took a qualifying time after Brian Keselowski withdrew, so all who made a qualifying attempt made the race.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,b701638a-2be1-3c45-bb7b-5807cfce2871-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Fri, 10 May 2013 15:44:41 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368225881;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"efa4b6ce5a096b6052557f15818af147";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"f0f565c772e22e742fa8e384506aa950";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:40:"Happy Hour: Talking all things Talladega";s:4:"link";s:104:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/happy-hour-talking-things-talladega-005249808.html";s:11:"description";s:7264:"

Throughout the week you can send us your best questions, jokes, rants and just plain miscellaneous thoughts to happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com or @NickBromberg. We'll post them here, have a good time and everyone's happy. Right? Oh who are we kidding, this is NASCAR. No one is ever happy.

Another really busy week in NASCAR. How do you think the sanctioning body fared in the Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing appeals this week? NASCAR was definitely not happy with the decision that the appeals panel made in the JGR case, but I that decision certainly seems to side with public opinion. There weren't too many people saying that the penalty was fair.

Oh, and there was that whole race at Talladega too. That's what you all wrote about this week. This might be the most, uh, passionate mailbag of the year. But it's Talladega, would you expect anything less?

I thought Talladega was excellent this weekend (except for the weather delay) and I'm tired of these drivers whining about the cars taking flight. Aren't most of these guys engineers, physics 101 aerodynamic vehicles going fast can take flight. If you have a problem with that get another job, it's that simple. The only way to ensure the cars don't take flight is to slow down...NASCAR did that with the restrictor plates, anything else and its just normal highway traffic driving. The cookie-cutters suck because there is always 2 or three cars that drive away and the rest of the pack is racing for points. Talladega and Daytona are the only tracks where the winner truly isn't decided until the checkers...its great! Plus, weren't most of these drivers talking about how the new car was so much better that the COT a couple of weeks ago.
-Derrick

Well, Ryan Newman does have his engineering degree from Purdue, but you have to remember, he just had a car land on him at over 150 miles an hour. I don't care who you are, that's a tad traumatic, don't you think?

Where Busch's car was hit (the right rear quarterpanel) was the perfect spot for it to go airborne. Had he been hit further up the door, his car may not roll over. Does that mean it should be chalked up as "one of them racin' deals" and we move on? Of course not. But at the same time, like Derrick said, I'm not sure NASCAR will ever be able to glue these cars to the ground at all times at these speeds.

_____________________

Hey Jay. I'm 51 years old and never tried to do somting (sic) like this, don't do the new twitters, facebooks, etc. But if you could sometime, tell that candyass Ryan Newman the next time he is a little uncomfortable going back on the the track, just let me know and I'll
drive his old nag. Or if he's that scared, just put his (stuff) on the truck and leave. But if you can forward me his contact info, I'll gladly tell him.
-Wade

Fans ask drivers to be human and have personalities, and then when we get raw, human emotion out of them, like what we saw with Newman after the crash on Sunday, people react like this. I don't get it.
_____________________

What to say about Talladega? I don't enjoy watching a race, seeing drivers work all day to put themselves in position to win, and then have some joker wipeout half the field with an ill timed move. I think Newman was spot on. This is getting old. Maybe we should remove Talladega from the schedule
-Dean

Hasn't racing, at no matter the track, always been about being in the right circumstance? Sure, crashes at Bristol and Martinsville don't tear up as many cars as they traditionally do at Daytona and Talladega, but there's always an innocent bystander or two that gets caught in someone else's mess.

But yeah, I do get see the point that taking out the field in by half in a crash is tiresome. And it certainly had to be for fans of Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart, who all saw themselves taken out in Talladega's first crash just like at Daytona.

This letter below is my favorite one. I just don't know where to begin, though it's been edited slightly for a low blow. Did it come from the comments?

_____________________

Most of us want to see Ryan and Kurt put those two little boys, Stenhouse and Yeley, in the sandboxes in every race from here on out. If I was those two drivers I would wreck Stenhouse and Yeley at every opportunity I had on a track. No doubt those little boys will get their due in the future.
NASCAR had any professional judgment they would fine and park Stenhouse and Yeley...maybe million bucks apiece and a dozen races. That was just damn plan stupidity on a super speedway track. Had to know that was not going to go. If you make that move little boy Stenhouse, you have to go...but his new girl friend likes little boys now...maybe somebody should nail her car like what Yeley and Stenhouse did to Kurt and Ryan. Yeley and Stenhouse could have killed or permanently injured some drives with those idiotic moves.
-James

James (and anyone who shares the same opinion that James does, although it's likely a tiny number of you), what the hell are you talking about? What did Ricky Stenhouse do wrong when he took the outside lane down the backstretch? What did JJ Yeley do wrong when they made contact? The laps were winding down and drivers knew that they had to get to the front as soon as they could.

Stenhouse saw a lane and he took it. It just so happened that it closed up on him and then a bunch of other drivers got involved. Had it been a veteran that made that move, would you feel the same way? And shouldn't you be saying the same thing about Kyle Busch?

By the way, see that green car in the picture above? Danica Patrick was involved in that crash.

_____________________

I haven't seen anything on NASCAR about using practice as qualifying at Talladega. Earlier this year at Vegas qualifying was rained out, and they used points from last year. What is happening ? Are there any cut and dry rules with NASCAR?, or, are they just making it up as they go along? Thank you, and I look forward to your comment.
- William

Through the first three races of the season, NASCAR uses the previous season's owner points to set the field and the garage stalls. Now, it's the current season's owner points.

Why is that important? At Las Vegas, there were no track activities on Friday. No official practices or qualifying or anything. That meant that NASCAR had no practice speeds to go on to set the field, so owner's points were used and Keselowski was on the pole. At Talladega, NASCAR was able to run practice, so the speeds from the first practice were used.

In short, if there's a practice, the first session's speeds will be used in the event of rain washing out qualifying. If there's not a practice, the owner's points are used.

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,94c94a96-775c-3922-b108-d058e1a3d53b-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Thu, 09 May 2013 17:52:49 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368147169;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"f0f565c772e22e742fa8e384506aa950";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"040211a39d06489da229089a68942520";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:64:"Kurt Busch straps in for some laps at Indianapolis in an IndyCar";s:4:"link";s:112:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/kurt-busch-straps-laps-indianapolis-indycar-135631661.html";s:11:"description";s:1012:"

Wednesday morning, Kurt Busch got into Ryan Hunter-Reay's car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to run some laps. Will we see Kurt in the Indianapolis 500 anytime soon? He's in a car for Andretti Autosport, which fields Chevrolets, so manufacturer conflicts won't be an issue if he decides to do the double.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,7f18ed5d-4ed7-390b-81cf-3372648220f2-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Thu, 09 May 2013 06:56:31 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368107791;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"040211a39d06489da229089a68942520";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"d04b2519b32ed37f34b9efe5d652eb9d";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:67:"Penalties against Matt Kenseth, JGR substantially reduced on appeal";s:4:"link";s:132:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/penalties-against-matt-kenseth-jgr-substantially-reduced-appeal-201428500.html";s:11:"description";s:4519:"

An appeals board has sharply reduced the penalties against Joe Gibbs Racing and Matt Kenseth stemming from the Kansas race, dealing a stinging blow to NASCAR and giving Kenseth a boost in his race for the Chase.

During postrace inspection after Kenseth's victory at Kansas, NASCAR discovered that one of eight connecting rods in the car's engine was light by the weight of three grams. (A penny weighs 2.5 grams.) Kenseth was docked 50 points, crew chief Jason Ratliff was suspended six races and fined $200,000, owner Joe Gibbs was suspended six races, and manufacturer Toyota was served with a five-point penalty.

However, JGR argued that the engine was produced by Toyota and that the team had no access to the engine's rods. In addition, JGR argued that the rod could not have given the No. 20 a competitive advantage. Toyota immediately took responsibility for the rod, which may have had a role in the appeal.

The three-member National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel reduced Kenseth's penalty from 50 points to 12, and reduced Ratliff's suspension to one race and waived Gibbs' entirely. The fine against Ratliff remained, and Toyota's fine was increased to seven points.

With the reduction in points penalty, Kenseth sees an immediate jump in the standings, from 11th to fourth. The bonus points from the win now will count in the Chase, and the win will count in the calculation of a wild card, if necessary, as unlikely as that now appears for Kenseth.

NASCAR has no further recourse, and the organizing body made known its thoughts on the matter shortly afterward. "Our sport has a due process system in place that has served this sport very well for more than 65 years, and that due process resulted in this decision here today," NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. "While we are disappointed by today's outcome, we stand firmly behind our inspection process. The inspection of engines, and engine parts and pieces has always been regarded as the holy grail throughout the industry -- that along with fuel and tires. In violations such as these, we have no other reinforcement process than to penalize the team owner and team members. That's how our system works."

Gibbs indicated that there would be no further appeals, but declined to state who would be taking Ratcliff's place this weekend at Darlington or whether JGR would pay Ratcliff's fine.

"We're committed to make sure it never happens in the future," Gibbs said. "After going through this process, we have great respect for our sport and in particular NASCAR. All of us at Joe Gibbs Racing are committed to being good partners. We want to race with NASCAR forever. We're going to work extremely hard with [Toyota] to make sure that this doesn't happen again."

Kenseth, for his part, offered up the following tweet:

Glad to have today behind us so we can get our focus back on racing. I respect NASCAR and the appeals process, I feel like they got it right

? Matt Kenseth (@mattkenseth) May 8, 2013

NASCAR's appeals board has heard 151 appeals. Of that total, 106 were upheld, 32 were reduced, 11 were eliminated and two were increased.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,099a3c9d-954c-37a2-82aa-3af759af73aa-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 08 May 2013 13:14:28 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:10:"Jay Busbee";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368044068;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"d04b2519b32ed37f34b9efe5d652eb9d";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"bb5df1fef48fd02810dadafd56a0a7f1";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:61:"Warped Wednesday: Ryan Newman punished for Talladega comments";s:4:"link";s:125:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/warped-wednesday-ryan-newman-punished-talladega-comments-185753075.html";s:11:"description";s:2236:"

Welcome to Warped Wednesday. On this, we'll put out the rush to judgment mat, go a little too far and have a little fun. Will it be funny? Sometimes. Will it be crazy and largely unbelievable? Probably. Will not everyone get it? Definitely.

Ryan Newman has been fined $25,000 for his comments criticizing NASCAR's decision to race late into the afternoon and evening at Talladega on Sunday.

Newman's comments were out of frustration after he was involved in a crash that saw Kurt Busch's car land on top of his.

"They can build safer race cars, they can build safer walls, but they can't get their heads out of their asses far enough to keep them on the race track, and that's pretty disappointing," he said after exiting the infield care center. "I wanted to make sure I get that point across, and y'all can figure out who 'they' is."

NASCAR certainly figured out who the "they" was in Newman's comments, and he was fined the same amount that Denny Hamlin was after he made his comments about the racing at Phoenix in the second Sprint Cup race of the season.

In a statement exclusive to Warped Wednesday, NASCAR said that the decision to fine Newman was an easy one because he slammed the people responsible for NASCAR's race operations and those that design the heralded and incredible Generation-6 car.

"Questioning the integrity of the sport is something that we don't take lightly," the statement said. "While denigrating a fine piece of miraculous racing equipment is one thing, it's not much better to question the judgment of the people who work to put on a safe and entertaining race for both fans and drivers. We acknowledge that Newman's statements were made in a heated moment after a crash, however other leagues fine its participants for criticizing judgment calls."

"In the light of our fine of Denny Hamlin, it allows us to show the fans that we're consistent and don't draw a fine line between criticism of machines and humans. Especially when those humans design said incredible sixth-generation cars like those that crashed on Sunday at Talladega."

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,accedefe-c6b0-3f11-aa29-6e99a08e5c32-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 08 May 2013 11:57:53 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368039473;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"bb5df1fef48fd02810dadafd56a0a7f1";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"d9142df1a833ccc45868b849c6076fc6";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:39:"The Chrome Horn Episode 11: Talladega I";s:4:"link";s:101:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/chrome-horn-episode-11-talladega-122853852.html";s:11:"description";s:810:"

There was a lot that happened at Talladega to talk about, no? Hell, we had so much to talk about that we hit the hour mark without getting to talk about the Nationwide race. Sorry Ronald Reagan Smith.

Got any questions for us to use in the mailbag or the podcast? Hit us at HappyHourMailbag@Yahoo.com.

Click here to download the podcast or here to listen to in your browser. And we're now on iTunes! Find us in the Podcast section right here and subscribe. Listen!

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,78393641-e053-3663-a6f4-b96454bdddbb-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 08 May 2013 05:28:53 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1368016133;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"d9142df1a833ccc45868b849c6076fc6";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"eeb564c2c75906ddffbd3a8d68eafd46";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:85:"Penske points penalties and fines upheld, crew suspensions reduced after final appeal";s:4:"link";s:130:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/penske-points-penalties-fines-upheld-crew-suspensions-reduced-193537208.html";s:11:"description";s:2582:"

John Middlebrook, NASCAR's chief appellate officer, upheld Penske Racing's points penalties and fines but reduced the suspensions that were levied against the team after NASCAR found violations in the rear-end housing of the Penske cars before the April 13 race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Crew chiefs Todd Gordon and Paul Wolfe, along with Penske Competition Director Travis Geisler, were suspended six races along with car chiefs Jerry Kelley (Brad Keselowski) and Raymond Fox (Joey Logano) and team engineers Brian Wilson (Keselowski) and Samuel Stanley (Logano). On Tuesday, Middlebrook reduced all crew suspensions to two races.

Logano and Keselowski were penalized 25 points and Gordon and Wolfe were fined $100,000 by NASCAR. The points penalties and fines stand. All previous penalties had been upheld by NASCAR's appeals panel previously. The crew members will be eligible to return to the track at Dover.

Last year, Middlebrook heard the final appeal of Hendrick Motorsports and Jimmie Johnson's team regarding a confiscated C-post from Daytona. Johnson was originally penalized 25 points and crew chief Chad Knaus and car chief Ron Malec were suspended six races. Middlebrook overturned those penalties but kept the $100,000 fine for Knaus in place.

On Wednesday, Joe Gibbs Racing will appeal its penalties from after Kansas, when a connecting rod in Matt Kenseth's winning engine was too light. If JGR is unhappy with the appeals panel's decision then, it can also take the step of taking its case to Middlebrook.

NASCAR video from Yahoo! Sports:

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,1ed6a3b0-9981-33f5-bab8-b035cb9f8582-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Tue, 07 May 2013 12:35:37 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367955337;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"eeb564c2c75906ddffbd3a8d68eafd46";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"fcd7ab1feb5ceb4a5e87f477af2080de";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:53:"Power Rankings: Yes, we’re including Front Row";s:4:"link";s:114:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/power-rankings-yes-including-front-row-racing-181212671.html";s:11:"description";s:13204:"

It's time for Power Rankings! After every race, we'll opine about who we think is at the top of the Sprint Cup heap and how and why they got there. Remember, this isn't scientific, as our formula is the perfect blend of analytics and bias against your favorite driver. So let's get on with it, shall we?

1. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1): Ho hum, another top five finish for JJ. Did anyone else have a sneaking suspicion that Johnson was going to get past Matt Kenseth before that final caution flag flew? Instead, Johnson was fifth, and saw his points lead trimmed by an astonishing two points. What a slacker.

2. Carl Edwards (LW: 2): Speaking of the guy who sliced into Johnson's points lead! Tony Stewart's move during last fall's Talladega race had us thinking: what if Edwards had made another move when Ragan dashed to his inside on the backstretch? Who would have won the race? Anyone?

3. Matt Kenseth (LW: 3): Yeah, yeah, yeah, not much change at the top. What's in the water for Kenseth that's made him the defacto point man at restrictor plate tracks over the last two years? And much like what happened to him in last year's spring Talladega race, his car might have been too good, as that lead he got on the final restart quickly evaporated.

4. David Ragan and David Gilliland (LW: NR): This is an appropriate spot, isn't it? Almost everyone else in this neighborhood of Power Rankings got bit by Talladega. The charge by Ragan and Gilliland was also an appropriately dramatic end to the 7.5 hour marathon that Sunday afternoon turned into. No offense to any of the drivers in the top three of our rankings, but if they, or a host of others win the race, it's remembered primarily for the delay. Now, it's remembered as Front Row's day.

6. Aric Almirola (LW: 11): Kudos to Almirola by Morning for making the move that he did going into turn one on the final lap. He had a run and could have gotten to the lead, but no one went with him and instead settled for a seventh place finish. That's where he is in the points standings too, and with this string of top 10s, it's not too early to think Almirola is a legit Chase contender.

7. Brad Keselowski (LW: 7): Colleague Geoffrey Miller nailed it about Keselowski's comments regarding the restart order. After looking at several replays of that final caution, it was Scott Speed who changed lanes and not David Ragan. Ragan was slated to start on the high side of the track anyway. The defending champ is now fifth in the standings.

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 4): Crazy that Junior went backwards over those last two laps, isn't it? You wouldn't necessarily expect that at Talladega. Though you wouldn't necessarily expect a lot of things that happen at Talladega.

9. Kasey Kahne (LW: 5): That must have been a serious case of deja vu for Kahne after that crash early in Sunday's race. And for Kyle Busch. And Kevin Harvick. And Tony Stewart. And so on. Will Kahne do everything in his power to avoid being anywhere near Busch on track when the series returns to Daytona in July?

10. Clint Bowyer (LW: 6): Bowyer was running well and had drafting partners in Martin Truex Jr. and Michael Waltrip available but was caught up in that nasty crash that included Kurt Busch landing on Ryan Newman's car. He still finished 18th, though. Or one spot behind Junior.

11. Kyle Busch (LW: 8): If Busch had flashbacks after Kahne went around off his bumper, they were likely wiped out when Kahne's car took out his and he was collected in the crash. Three weeks ago, this was the year for Kyle Busch's big breakthrough, right? Since then, he's finished 28th, 24th and 37th.

12. Paul Menard (LW: 10): Operation: Keep PFM in Power Rankings continues for another week as his 26th place finish meant he stayed in the top 10 of the points standings and leaped back ahead of teammate Kevin Harvick. Yes,a 26th place finish did all that. That's Talladega for you.

Lucky Dog: No, this isn't sponsor symmetry, but finishing fourth in your first race since February is worthy of mentioning, Michael Waltrip.

Dropped Out: Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano.

The DNF: Sheesh, with the two big crashes, it's hard to pick anyone. Eight drivers officially retired from the race because of crash damage, and another two (Trevor Bayne, Joey Logano) suffered engine trouble.

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,bc37288b-165b-32b6-b318-a6cdf5433a62-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Tue, 07 May 2013 11:12:12 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367950332;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"fcd7ab1feb5ceb4a5e87f477af2080de";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"1ea99762899de7e2706c9bb4fb0de59c";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:85:"The Davids take down the Goliaths at Talladega; controversy, of course, rides shotgun";s:4:"link";s:132:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/davids-down-goliaths-talladega-controversy-course-rides-shotgun-023322967.html";s:11:"description";s:6258:"

TALLADEGA, Ala. - At Talladega, controversy comes at you like a pinwheeling car in The Big One: you don't know when it will happen, and you don't know what direction it will come from, but you know it's coming. Every single year.

The Aaron's 499 on Sunday took seven hours and five minutes, about half of which was spent in a red-flag rain delay. And, as always happens at Talladega, race-altering possibilities that were visible at the green flag ? rainfall, catastrophic wrecks, the threat of darkness ? all came into play, seasoned with a light dusting of a restart controversy.

First things first, however: this race had the most improbable 1-2 finishers in years, if not decades. Winner David Ragan and second-place finisher David Gilliland, both from indie team Front Row Motorsports, combined to outrun the absolutely dominant trio of Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards. If this wasn't quite a 16 beating a 1 in the NCAA tournament, a journeyman winning the Masters, or a mule taking the Kentucky Derby, it was close enough. The emotion and disbelief were evident on both Davids' faces as they spoke after the race, and team owner Bob Jenkins was beaming with the kind of serenity that only comes when you've done everything exactly right and it's paid off better than you could have hoped.

"In the racing graveyard, my epitaph won't be, 'I won the most races or championships,' but I want to be known as a team that did the most with the least," he said. "We work within ourselves. The chassis we run, we build. We're unable to go out and buy products from other teams and that's a disadvantage, but on a day like today it really makes you feel good because you know the equipment that you won the race with was what you built in your own shop."

Ragan won thanks to some last-lap cunning and impeccable timing, knifing through the field as Kenseth, Johnson and Edwards struggled to maintain the supremacy they'd held all day. This wasn't tandem racing, not quite, but Gilliland was able to shove Ragan to the front from 8th place on the last restart, and by the final turns of the race Ragan had Talladega completely in control.

For much of the afternoon, however, it appeared that Mother Nature would own the day, with Edwards ? in first place when the rains fell thanks to a daring move of his own ? getting the win by default. NASCAR moved up the start time of the race by 13 minutes, which in the end made little difference. The rain came, as the forecasts predicted it would, followed by hail and lightning. But credit NASCAR's new "Air Titan" track-drying system for getting the 2.66 miles of Talladega dry enough to fit in the entire race as night fell.

Still, this is Talladega, and that means wrecks are in the mix. Plenty of them. Two major wrecks shaped the race, one before the rain delay and one afterward. Kyle Busch triggered the first wreck when he misjudged the moves of Kasey Kahne; Kurt Busch was the most dramatic victim of the second one, set in motion when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. bumped JJ Yeley into a thick pack of drivers. The first wreck involved 13 cars, the second, 12; Marcos Ambrose, Jamie McMurray and David Stremme had the misfortune of being in both.

Kyle Busch took responsibility for the first wreck, but Ryan Newman had a different target in mind for the second: NASCAR itself. "They can build safer race cars, they can build safer walls, but they can't get their heads out of their asses far enough to keep them on the race track, and that's pretty disappointing," Newman said. "I wanted to make sure I get that point across, and y'all can figure out who 'they' is."

Newman continued: "That's just poor judgment in restarting the race," he said. "I mean, you got what you wanted, but poor judgment in running in the dark and running in the rain."

Other drivers took a slightly different view, one unobstructed by wrecking cars. "I could see everything," Martin Truex Jr. said. "You can't see much racing these things all day anyway ... Once that last caution came out, from there to the end it was raining a little bit the whole time, so you've got the wet windshield, the Speedy-Dry flying around, and it's like your windshield gets this crappy mist-looking mud on it. Nobody could see that good, but you see far enough ahead of you and around you to see what's going on."

"I was really grateful personally that NASCAR let us run that green-white-checkered," Edwards said afterward. "It had to be a tough call for NASCAR, but we could see well enough. The one thing NASCAR did was gave us time to change our visors. I put on a clear visor. I think a lot of people did. So we were all prepared for less light."

Even that wasn't enough controversy for one race. Brad Keselowski, last year's spring Talladega winner, took to Twitter immediately after the race to protest:

mad as hell about that finish. We were suppose to line up 10th when the 34 switched lanes entering 3 before green. That lane won.BS

? Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) May 6, 2013

NASCAR, however, countered that it properly lined up the racers ahead of time, and Ragan agreed with that assessment. "Obviously Brad wanted to start on the outside, because he knew the same thing that I knew, that the outside lane had an advantage on the restart, but he just didn't want to listen to NASCAR," Ragain said. "Brad was just trying to snooker us and get the preferred lane, and eventually he decided he should do the right thing, and he restarted ninth and restarted 10th, so there's no controversy."

No controversy? At a Talladega race? Yeah, right.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,ea1aab4b-846b-313a-8319-36cceecbe4d1-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sun, 05 May 2013 19:33:22 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:10:"Jay Busbee";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367807602;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"1ea99762899de7e2706c9bb4fb0de59c";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"3976c76b60c7e26c4baf8a0fe2a7552b";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:81:"Craziest Moment: Major Talladega wreck sends Kurt Busch flipping onto Ryan Newman";s:4:"link";s:123:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/craziest-moment-major-talladega-wreck-sends-kurt-busch-010257765.html";s:11:"description";s:2091:"

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Pack racing is a thrilling spectacle because the threat of a catastrophic wreck is present on every inch of the track. And it doesn't take much to turn pack racing into pack wrecking.

With only a half-dozen laps remaining, the front of the field was tighter than a white-knuckle fist. At that speed, with such little distance between cars, the tiniest mistakes magnify. And that's exactly what happened. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. appeared to bounce off the wall, sending J.J. Yeley right into Kurt Busch. Busch vaulted into the air and began flipping, and only stopped when he landed atop the hood of Ryan Newman.

That set off a cascade of wrecks; Terry Labonte and Danica Patrick sustained enough damage to go to the garage. And, naturally, it also set off the drivers involved.

"My mom doesn't come to four races a year ? Daytona and Talladega. Wonder why," said Kurt Busch, in a postrace interview that lasted all of about eight seconds. When told he still had a good race, he replied, "Good races don't matter if you leave on a hook. We'll end up only getting about seven points out of this." (He actually got 15, for what it's worth.)

Ryan Newman was even more pointed in his criticism. "They can build safer race cars, they can build safer walls, but they can't get their heads out of their asses far enough to keep them on the race track, and that's pretty disappointing," Newman said. "I wanted to make sure I get that point across, and y'all can figure out who 'they' is." (Spoiler: "They" is NASCAR.)

David Ragan would go on to win the race, but less than half the field would finish on the lead lap. And Talladega would once again live up to its reputation as the most dangerous, and controversial, track on the circuit.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,b38979c2-f894-337b-9f1d-25bb3860bcf3-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sun, 05 May 2013 18:02:57 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:10:"Jay Busbee";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367802177;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"3976c76b60c7e26c4baf8a0fe2a7552b";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"ae646376ff7f9eb0852430cd8a68e57d";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:93:"Kyle Busch starts early Talladega wreck that claims 13 cars, including Kahne, Harvick, Biffle";s:4:"link";s:118:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/kyle-busch-starts-early-talladega-wreck-claims-13-184457034.html";s:11:"description";s:2259:"

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Some of the world's greatest drivers are circling at Talladega. And to the high banks of the superspeedway, that doesn't matter one bit. The track can force even the best among them into mistakes like they were rookies.

In turn 1 of lap 44 of the Aaron's 499, Kyle Busch made an ill-advised move to try to get around Kasey Kahne. The resulting spiral of carnage took out 13 cars, including nine of the top 14. Involved in the accident were Kevin Harvick, Brian Vickers, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, and many others.

"I don't really know what happened," Busch said afterward. "I know I got in the back of the 5 and I guess I was trying to go to the outside of him, but he just moved up in front of me and I wasn't expecting it. I tried to got o the outside of him and before I could get to the outside of him, I got in the back of him."

"Felt the No. 18 pushing me and next thing I know I was spinning," Kahne said. "You just can't push with these cars. We learned that at Daytona, he was pushing me and spun me in the wall and then happened again, so that is what it is."

The crews of Busch, Vickers, Biffle and Kahne worked furiously to get their cars back into shape for the rest of the race. Harvick and Stewart were able to return to the track immediately, though both with significant impact to their performance.

Of note: Vickers took over the No. 11 just minutes before the wreck, substituting for Denny Hamlin. This was Hamlin's first race after four weeks out because of a back injury, and a vicious wreck that collected him was the absolute worst-case scenario. Hamlin may be the only one in the entire wreck feeling fortunate.

"I just hate that I caused a hell of a melee for everybody," Busch said. "I hate that. A lot of cars got torn up, and it's way too early in the race to be doing any of those sorts of moves, whether he made it or I made it."

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,8c039734-7ae8-3860-9067-7fd19727857f-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sun, 05 May 2013 11:44:57 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:10:"Jay Busbee";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367779497;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"ae646376ff7f9eb0852430cd8a68e57d";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"398e2a7d278c0af7bdcf01b3c3e84cf6";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:71:"Rain washes out qualifying at Talladega; Carl Edwards will get the pole";s:4:"link";s:119:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/rain-washes-qualifying-talladega-carl-edwards-pole-173316772.html";s:11:"description";s:4022:"

Rain has washed out qualifying for the Aaron's 499 at Talladega, meaning that the field will be set based on the first practice speeds from Friday. That puts Carl Edwards at the front of the field. However, Mother Nature being fickle, even though Edwards starts at the front he won't benefit from the pole position for the purposes of qualifying for the 2014 Sprint Unlimited.

"We were all driving like idiots out there in first practice knowing it was probably going to rain today," Marcos Ambrose said shortly after qualifying was rained out. Ambrose will start third, and he's pleased: "It's good to start at the front. It eliminates a lot of accidents."

Edwards paced the field with a time of 47.958 seconds for 199.675 miles per hour. Lining up alongside him on the front row is Martin Truex Jr., who was just 0.025 mph slower than Edwards. Filling out the rest of the top 10: Ambrose, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne. (Full qualifying order via practice is right here.)

Hamlin will be the focus of the early segment of the race. Out for the past four weeks after suffering a compression fracture in his back, Hamlin ran 16 laps in practice on Friday and felt so good he allowed for the possibility that he might run the entire race.

''If it wasn't for my crew chief, I would have ran it out of gas,'' he said after his qualifying session. ''I just wanted to feel speed again. We're competitors and when you see the people on TV in other sports fighting through injuries to come back to the field or the court, we feel that same thing. We have alligator blood. I don't know what to say. We're a different breed. We're willing to throw caution to the wind just to get back to what we are doing.''

More likely, he'll turn over the car to Brian Vickers during a caution. Hamlin and Vickers practiced the driver switch on Friday and were able to pull off the exchange in about a minute. That maneuver will allow Hamlin to receive points for the weekend's race and aid him in trying to clamber back into the hunt for the 2013 Chase.

Left out of Sunday's race: Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 81 Alert Energy Gum Toyota. NASCAR's rules for rainouts left Sadler on the outside looking in even though he ran the 36th fastest speed. Only 44 cars had sought to qualify for Talladega.

Rain will almost certainly be a factor in Sunday's race, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. The National Weather Service is predicting a 70 percent change of rain. Talladega has no lights, and sunset is about 8:30 p.m. ET. NASCAR's new Air Titan track-drying system could dry the track in well under the typical two hours necessary to get the track in racing condition.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,9648b6b1-9051-34f9-836f-f0be8d1e430d-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sat, 04 May 2013 10:33:16 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:10:"Jay Busbee";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367688796;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"398e2a7d278c0af7bdcf01b3c3e84cf6";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"fce424b2c33a1ab89408d41afc44fe38";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:41:"Denny Hamlin back in the car at Talladega";s:4:"link";s:100:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/denny-hamlin-back-car-talladega-201517446.html";s:11:"description";s:1094:"

On Friday at Talladega, Denny Hamlin slid into a Sprint Cup Series car for the first time since his crash at Auto Club Speedway on March 24.

Earlier in the week, Hamlin was cleared by doctors and NASCAR and will start Sunday's race, though the team's plans for him haven't been finalized. Whenever Hamlin gets out of the car, he'll be replaced by Brian Vickers, who has been in the No. 11 the last three races and split time with Hamlin in Friday's first practice session.

The caution flag laps at Talladega are long enough that Vickers and Hamlin can perform a driver swap without losing a lap. They practiced the swap in practice and clocked in at just over a minute.

Hamlin suffered a compression fracture of his L1 vertebra when he hit the inside wall after making contact with Joey Logano while racing for the win on the final lap.

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,0e1a1794-ed6a-3c58-82be-78d48c868293-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Fri, 03 May 2013 13:15:17 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367612117;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"fce424b2c33a1ab89408d41afc44fe38";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"d49f6b4570a6ada5864f9feafbd72e2d";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:54:"NASCAR upholds Penske penalties; team plans new appeal";s:4:"link";s:118:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/nascar-upholds-penske-penalties-team-plans-appeal-190913954.html";s:11:"description";s:2805:"

http://l.yimg.com/os/en/blogs/sptusnascarmarbles/d0417jl.jpg

NASCAR has upheld its ruling dealing severe penalties to the Penske teams of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. The Penske teams have indicated they will appeal the decision of the three-person panel to NASCAR's Chief Appellate Officer.

The Penske teams' penalties stemmed from violations of NASCAR's Sections 12-1, 12-4J and 20-12. Both teams' crew chiefs, car chiefs, engineers and competition directors were suspended for six races, including the All-Star Race in Charlotte. The crew chiefs were fined $100,000 apiece. And both teams lost 25 championship points.

The National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel had the ability to uphold, reduce or increase the penalties. The panel heard the appeal beginning at 9 a.m. ET Wednesday, and rendered its verdict at 3 p.m. The violations stemmed from concerns about the rear-end housings of both the 2 and 22 cars at Texas in mid-April.

The appeal means that the suspended crew members could be permitted to continue with track activities, provided the appellate officer, John Middlebrook, defers the suspensions.

"We need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best," Logano said in recent weeks. "So we will prepare for the worst. We'll obviously bring some extra people to try to have some overlap within our team to prepare for if the appeal doesn't go the way we expect it to. So we need to always do that. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and we'll get through this. Penske Racing has a lot of depth in the company. They're very strong, and we will get through this."

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,d5f9f5e4-50bf-39f5-9481-a014651bc94b-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 01 May 2013 12:09:13 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:10:"Jay Busbee";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367435353;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"d49f6b4570a6ada5864f9feafbd72e2d";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"f5d1ea93e6a6832427d7e8b75562a4d9";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:91:"Warped Wednesday: Let’s eliminate short tracks, they’re unbecoming of drivers";s:4:"link";s:131:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/warped-wednesday-let-eliminate-short-tracks-unbecoming-drivers-183228780.html";s:11:"description";s:3121:"

Welcome to Warped Wednesday. On this, we'll put out the rush to judgment mat, go a little too far and have a little fun. Will it be funny? Sometimes. Will it be crazy and largely unbelievable? Probably. Will not everyone get it? Definitely.

Can you believe the immaturity that we saw over the weekend at Richmond International Raceway in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series? The actions that took place after both races were inexcusable and not fitting of professional drivers.

Let's start with Nelson Piquet Jr. and Brian Scott. Who spins another driver near the entrance to pit road and then kicks him in the groin? Though don't think for a second that excuses Scott, who angrily and unconscionably aggressively walked towards Piquet after the race to confront him about the incident.

At least Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch showed some brains and removed their helmets like dignified adults before they engaged in their childish shouting match over which baby stole the other baby's "A" block to spell out "Poopyhead" on the carpet. Men, if you have a problem with each other, you need to go sit down in the hauler over a relaxing beverage and talk it out with proper grammar and without foul language. You're getting paid like Downton Abbey stars, so you should probably start talking like them.

Because these men (and women) are professionals, they should be upheld to professional standards of conduct. What would happen if you kicked a co-worker in the private parts after a report didn't go over well at a meeting? I will let you ponder on that for a brief moment before you answer.

What's the catalyst in all of this? Short track racing. We've seen it time and time again and Bristol and it's spread now to Richmond. Who won Friday night's Nationwide Series race? Wait, you don't know? My point exactly. These callow displays of petulance are distracting from the real story of racing, and that should be the racing itself.

It's not a popular opinion, but if you want the focus to turn back to the racing and the product on the track, there's no better way to do it than to eliminate short-track racing altogether. That way, these drivers won't be at risk of embarrassing their sponsors with temper tantrums six times a year because of the inevitable contact that comes at a short-track.

If we replace Bristol, Richmond and Martinsville with intermediate tracks, the drivers will have room to spread out and this unsophistication will be minimized. Sure, it may happen from time to time at an intermediate track -- what we saw after the race at California was an outlier, and it's certain to not happen again anytime soon -- but these competitors will be put in the best position to please their sponsors like a vanilla air freshener.

It may not be what the puerile spectators who watch NASCAR want, but it's best for the image of the sport and the multi-million dollar sponsors who support it. Without them, there may be no NASCAR.

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,f3250e05-f94c-3d8e-bd0d-76fa4a25f5ef-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 01 May 2013 11:32:28 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367433148;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"f5d1ea93e6a6832427d7e8b75562a4d9";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"90b66b027a4494477202aeb7dafddcdc";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:38:"The Chrome Horn Episode 10: Richmond I";s:4:"link";s:100:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/chrome-horn-episode-10-richmond-143209739.html";s:11:"description";s:673:"

We made it to double digits in the Chrome Horn podcast! Or, more commonly, nine more than you wanted to listen to. This week, we talk Richmond. So yes, there's groin kicking talk.

Click here to download the podcast or here to listen to in your browser. And we're now on iTunes! Find us in the Podcast section right here and subscribe. Listen!

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,8f80547e-c25b-3121-8635-d7a9829416c3-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 01 May 2013 07:32:09 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367418729;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"90b66b027a4494477202aeb7dafddcdc";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"d67827d97575a1c9d2a453d02c5139a3";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:85:"Danica Patrick scores on first try in intermission contest at Chicago Blackhawks game";s:4:"link";s:129:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/danica-patrick-scores-first-try-intermission-contest-chicago-125142615.html";s:11:"description";s:1356:"

Is this an omen for Talladega?

Danica Patrick was in attendance as the Chicago Blackhawks faced the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of their opening-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series and was a contestant in the Blackhawks' famed "Shoot the Puck" contest in the second intermission.

And guess what? She put it in the back of the net in her first shot at her first-ever Blackhawks game. Patrick's hometown is Roscoe, Illinois, which is northwest of Chicago.

Wearing a Blackhawks jersey with her name and number emblazoned on the back, Patrick advanced to the final round but in that round put her shot to the left. Another omen?

Patrick is making her first Sprint Cup Series start at Talladega on Sunday and figures to be a contender for the pole and potentially another top 10 finish. At Daytona, the series' other restrictor plate track, she became the first woman to start on the pole for the Daytona 500 in February and led a lap and finished 8th, the highest finish for a woman in the 500.

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,c0d3d342-4510-3491-bf18-d97a9d1c7bf4-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 01 May 2013 05:51:42 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367412702;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"d67827d97575a1c9d2a453d02c5139a3";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"22e4cd2ef76b55fb041e747547697bdf";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:42:"Power Rankings: Another new face in second";s:4:"link";s:109:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/power-rankings-another-face-second-place-131031818.html";s:11:"description";s:12287:"

It's time for Power Rankings! After every race, we'll opine about who we think is at the top of the Sprint Cup heap and how and why they got there. Remember, this isn't scientific, as our formula is the perfect blend of analytics and bias against your favorite driver. So let's get on with it, shall we?

1. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1): Who else was going to be here again? You can't justify taking Vader out of the top spot after salvaging a top 12 and extending his points lead Saturday night. He's a virtual lock to make the Chase via points now, and that means he's racing for wins (and testing for the Chase) from here on out. Is the over/under five wins before the Chase?

2. Carl Edwards (LW: 6): Welcome to a new second place driver again! While Johnson has been entrenched in the top spot much like the points standings, it feels like second place has been a roulette wheel. And speaking of roulette wheels, Sunday is Talladega, where Edwards has not been very good at spinning the wheel.

3. Matt Kenseth (LW: 4): Finishing 7th and leading 140 laps after getting the pole isn't a bad way to respond after the huge penalty NASCAR levied against the No. 20 team, is it? And it's proof that any grand proclamations against Kenseth's Chase chances are absolute bunk at the moment. He still has a win in the bank and will probably get another one (or two) before the Chase starts. Kenseth ain't out of this by any means.

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 5): This seemed like a downright 2012ian Junior finish didn't it? Qualified 19th, ran around on the lead lap in the top 20 but not really in contention for most of the night and then grabbed a late race top 10. It's not glamorous by any means, but there are certainly worse ways to go about your races. And it'll get you in the Chase.

5. Kasey Kahne (LW: 3): Did Kahne come up on Mark Martin? Did Mark Martin come down on Kahne? Was it simply a product of short track racing? It didn't look like KK was too happy with Martin after that crash on the backstretch and he never recovered, finishing 21st.

6. Clint Bowyer (LW: 9): If you're stacking up the current Sprint Cup field at Richmond, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick are probably your top three in some order. Fourth? Well, it's hard to overlook Bowyer, who capitalized on fresh tires at the end to finish second.

7. Brad Keselowski (LW: 2): A sour cylinder ruined his evening for good, but until then, that was an impressive performance by the champ with a flattened right side of his car. It was very weird to see the Blue Deuce be bright red, and given how the evening went, I don't think Kes will be asking for that paint scheme to come back any time soon.

8. Kyle Busch (LW: 7): Hard to believe that Busch would have likely had a better finish had he ended up not having his penalty rescinded by NASCAR, but it's true. Had he not been put back into his original spot, he's not in the midst of the confluence of events that led to the crash between Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson. And how fun would it have been to see Busch on fresh tires near the front with a functioning car over the last two laps?

9. Kevin Harvick (LW: NR): Welcome back to victory lane and to power rankings Mr. Harvick. Did you also know that you've reclaimed your place atop the Richard Childress Racing heap too? Yes, you're technically tied with Paul Menard in points, but you have the tiebreaker. That's good enough to put you in our top 10.

10. Paul Menard (LW: 11): Was anyone else wondering if Richard Childress was going to ask Paul to flip over to channel 2 as the laps wound down Saturday night and Harvick wasn't catching Juan Pablo Montoya? Or do you think RC got on Joe Gibbs Racing's scanner and talked to Brian Vickers, knowing full well that Menard is in the top 10 in the standings?

11. Aric Almirola (LW: 12): Another top 10 for Almirola by Morning. Not only has he become the most consistent driver at Richard Petty Motorsports, but he's performed the best by far. That's now three straight single digit finishes. I think I've found my darkhorse Sprint Showdown pick.

12. Joey Logano (LW: NR): As big as the 25 point penalty has been for teammate Keselowski, it's been bigger for Logano. If, and it's a big if, the Penske penalties are overturned on appeal on Wednesday, Logano goes from 17th to 12th in the points standings. Given the morass from 11th-20th in the standings, it's not reaching to say that Logano' penalty impacts his Chase chances the most.

Lucky Dog: He wasn't very lucky to see the caution flag fly and potentially rob him of a precious win, but Juan Pablo Montoya's fifth place run is a huge boost of confidence to a team that hadn't been capitalizing on fast cars the first eight races of the season.

Dropped Out: Martin Truex Jr., Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The DNF: This week it goes to Greg Biffle, who finished nine laps down in 16th place. Honorable mention also goes to Tony Stewart, who continued his 2013 run of form by falling from fifth to 18th over the final two laps.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,9be99291-9c18-3d01-953a-e666008d530b-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:10:31 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367327431;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"22e4cd2ef76b55fb041e747547697bdf";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"6cb10c6b88b1ac0902c3efe57c7af489";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:52:"Just how big is Jimmie Johnson’s points lead?";s:4:"link";s:104:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/just-big-jimmie-johnson-points-lead-234151329.html";s:11:"description";s:3540:"

Yes, the points will be completely reset following the Sprint Cup Series' next visit to Richmond, but it's hard not to notice the commanding points lead that Jimmie Johnson has built up during the first quarter of the season.

Despite sustaining damage in the aftermath of a spin with Tony Stewart, Johnson finished 12th on Saturday night at Richmond, which extended his lead to 43 points over new second-place driver Carl Edwards. That margin is essentially an entire race; it's the base points a driver gets for a win minus a point for leading a lap and three bonus points for the win.

[Related: Tony Stewart steamed at another driver ... again]

In the three years of the Cup Series' new points system, it's the largest lead a driver has had through nine races. Last year, Greg Biffle was the leader by five over Dale Earnhardt Jr. In 2011, this year's roles were reversed and Edwards left Richmond nine points ahead of Johnson.

Johnson's been able to build that lead by maximizing poor performances. He had a tire issue and hit the wall earlier in the year at Bristol but still finished 22nd, his lowest finish of the year.

How does Johnson's lead stack up going even further back? Through 2001, the first year that the series expanded to the since-standard 36 races, only Jeff Gordon has held a bigger lead through the first nine races. Gordon's lead in 2007 was 207 points over Jeff Burton. And being the leader at the quarter pole is nothing new for Johnson. (Under the old scoring system, a driver received 185 points for a win until an additional five point bonus for a win was added in 2007.)

2001: Dale Jarrett, 145 point lead
2002: Sterling Marlin, 109
2003: Matt Kenseth, 51
2004: Dale Earnhardt Jr., 94
2005: Johnson, 130
2006: Johnson, 21
2007: Gordon, 207
2008: Burton, 22
2009: Kurt Busch, 5
2010: Johnson, 26

Pssst, 2006 and 2010 were also the bookends to Johnson's five-year title reign.

If Penske Racing wins its appeal Wednesday and gets the points penalties against Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano overturned, then Johnson's lead is down to a measly 34 points. But even that stacks up to well to the points leads at this point in time over the last 12 years. Will we see a nine race stretch like this in the Chase?

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,caca7814-8b43-37cc-a979-a28784b7b3ba-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:41:51 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367278911;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"6cb10c6b88b1ac0902c3efe57c7af489";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"a043521920242ff047a235326e489c6a";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:103:"Craziest Moment: Kyle Busch’s pit road penalty gets rescinded and then he gets caught in a crash";s:4:"link";s:117:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/craziest-moment-kyle-busch-pit-road-penalty-gets-051053304.html";s:11:"description";s:3003:"

After getting a reprieve from NASCAR, Kyle Busch's good fortune quickly disappeared after he was caught in a crash just laps after he had a pit road penalty rescinded during Saturday night's race at Richmond.

When the caution flag flew for oil on the track from Travis Kvapil's blown engine on lap 309, the yellow presented a dilemma for many cars on the lead lap. It had been just 11 laps since the previous caution (for Kvapil hitting the wall), and the entire field had been to pit road then. Do you stay out and gain track position or do you come into the pits for more fresh tires?

Busch made the decision to come to pit road, and in an attempt to not show the team's choice too early, Busch made a late dive to pit road. A dive that initially was viewed as too late by NASCAR officials. That meant instead of restarting sixth, Busch would restart in 26th, the last car on the lead lap.

The entrance to pit road at the 3/4 mile oval is on the apron of turn four, and the close proximity means that in lieu of a cone demarcating the start of pit road, there's an orange box at the corner where the pit road timing line meets the banking. At all tracks with a commitment cone, drivers must drive to the inside of the cone to get to pit road. Any contact with the cone is a penalty. That's not the case with the orange box at Richmond.

At Richmond, all drivers must do is have their two left side tires on or inside the orange box. Busch did that, but just by a mere inch or two. After extending the caution flag to look at the freeze frame clips from the cameras at the entrance to pit road, NASCAR took the rare step of reversing its call and gave Busch the sixth spot in line back.

That ultimately didn't work out well at all for Busch. Restarting on the outside line, Busch got bottled up on the restart and fell outside the top 10. More importantly, it put him behind Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson when Stewart got loose entering turn one making a pass on the inside of Johnson and the two drivers spun around.

As Johnson spun to the inside, Busch dove to the apron but ran out of room, running square into the right front fender of Johnson's car. His chances for the win had vanished just nine laps after getting his spot back in line.

To make matters worse, just 11 laps after that, Busch sustained more damage slowing down behind a crash involving Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers. After extensive repairs on pit road, Busch briefly went a lap down late in the race before getting it back during the race's final caution. He finished 24th.

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,a8fbc039-bfe9-331b-b099-aa0b48b65e2a-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sat, 27 Apr 2013 22:10:53 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367125853;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"a043521920242ff047a235326e489c6a";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"3440809d93e7552062ad7e527ec97674";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:60:"Tony Stewart unhappy with Kurt Busch after late race contact";s:4:"link";s:113:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/tony-stewart-unhappy-kurt-busch-race-contact-044304337.html";s:11:"description";s:2951:"

Unhappy with contact from Kurt Busch late in Saturday night's Toyota Owners 400, Tony Stewart and Busch rubbed doors down the backstretch on the cool-down lap and exchanged shouts over Busch's car after they emerged from their vehicles at their haulers.

But unlike Friday night, the disagreement on the cool-down lap didn't lead to any (low) blows.

Stewart restarted fifth after taking two tires on pit road while Busch restarted 10th on four fresh tires. On the penultimate lap, Busch made contact with Stewart's rear bumper, contact that sent Stewart up the racetrack and out of the groove.

"You cold just tell. Green-white-checker, everybody's going to put on tires, some guys were going to do two, some guys stayed out, and it's just a free-for-all," Busch said. "There's rubber buildup in the outside groove, there's cars sliding up with old tires, so I don't know what the 14's upset about. I got hit from behind, I got hit from every which way, so did he."

Stewart, who left the track without comment, had already worked his way through the field after spinning while on the inside of Jimmie Johnson on lap 328. But he hadn't broken into the top five until that tire strategy move. By his standards, the first eight races of the season have been disastrous with five finishes outside the top 20, so it was a prime opportunity for Stewart to steal a win from the drivers ahead of him with old tires.

Busch, who entered the race one spot behind Stewart in the standings, has also had a rough start to the season with four finishes outside the top 20. On Saturday, he had one of the race's best cars and was third when the caution flag flew with three laps to go. But after taking four tires, he restarted ninth.

Given the two drivers' personalities and circumstances, you could see potential for volatility, especially given that the bump from Busch sparked an all-too-familiar late race slide through the field for Stewart, who wound up 18th to Busch's ninth.

Perhaps that's what stemmed Stewart's frustration after the race when he drove up alongside Busch and doorslammed him to express his displeasure, almost running Busch up to the wall. Busch then returned the favor, almost preventing Stewart from entering pit road. In March, Stewart confronted Joey Logano on pit road after he felt Logano blocked him on a late-race restart.

Busch is now 20th in the standings while Stewart fell a spot to 22nd.

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,4581911d-afc8-3e64-ab83-7642b7946348-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sat, 27 Apr 2013 21:43:04 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367124184;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"3440809d93e7552062ad7e527ec97674";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"afc23e2e88f853dd5d0b42167524c634";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:87:"Kevin Harvick charges from seventh during green-white-checker finish to win at Richmond";s:4:"link";s:125:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/kevin-harvick-charges-seventh-during-green-white-checker-035432278.html";s:11:"description";s:2624:"

Kevin Harvick darted from seventh to the lead in less than a lap and pulled away for the win in Saturday night's Toyota Owners 400 after a frenetic green-white-checker restart.

Before the caution flag flew with six laps to go, Harvick found himself chasing Juan Pablo Montoya for the lead in the Toyota Owners 400. While Harvick had done well on fresher tires to close the gap between himself and Montoya, his chances of getting close enough to make a move for the win dwindled with every lap.

When Brian Vickers crashed to bring out that yellow flag, Harvick had his chance to pounce. It just ended up being a little more complicated than originally anticipated.

He and Montoya, along with most of the rest of the race's lead cars, dove to pit road to take fresh tires, and the two of them were the first drivers off pit road with four tires. However, Jeff Burton, Jamie McMurray and AJ Allmendinger stayed out and Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart took two tires.

That put Harvick fourth on the inside line as the field took the green flag for the final time. He immediately dove to the inside of Stewart as the two entered turn one and as soon as he cleared him, Allmendinger had washed up from the inside line ahead of Harvick, unable to stick to the bottom line on those old tires.

With that inside groove wide open like a rural highway, Harvick was second as he entered the backstretch with only Burton in front. But Burton was on those old tires too, and Harvick made easy work of him in turn three and cruised to the checkered flag.

"Yeah, it all worked out," Harvick said. "Sprint Cup racing is something that you've gotta take chances and the guys who stayed out took chances and we had to take chances. But we been beat by tires a couple times this year and I thought it was the right thing to do and (crew chief Gil Martin) made the right call and it all worked out."

Had it not been for that yellow flag, Montoya, who ended up fourth, was in position to snag the first oval track win of his career and his first Sprint Cup Series win since 2010 at Watkins Glen. While he was holding Harvick off while the two were picking their way through lapped traffic before Vickers' crash, Montoya immediately knew he had to take tires.

"We got that caution at the end and it was a no-brainer to take tires," Montoya said. "I think what hurt us is that we restarted on the outside, and when you restart on the outside and people have got really bad tires, everything packs up."

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,b0d5d8d2-2e46-3296-87d8-9569e7392db7-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sat, 27 Apr 2013 20:54:32 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367121272;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"afc23e2e88f853dd5d0b42167524c634";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"de56763769ae7d477771b59f33330daf";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:57:"Two RCR crewmembers arrested after Nationwide Series race";s:4:"link";s:120:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/two-rcr-crewmembers-arrested-nationwide-series-race-155033767.html";s:11:"description";s:2702:"

The dispute between the teams of Nelson Piquet Jr. and Brian Scott wasn't settled on pit road after Friday night's Nationwide race.

Two crewmembers from Scott's No. 2 Richard Childress Racing team were arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault charges after an altercation in the driver/owner lot at Richmond International Raceway Friday night.

According to the Sporting News, the fight involved Piquet, who was uninjured, though a person did sustain a shoulder injury.. After the two made contact on the track, Piquet kicked Scott in the groin on pit road following the race when Scott confronted Piquet.

From the Sporting News:

Michael Searce, listed on the RCR website as a mechanic on the Scott team, was arrested on two charges of misdemeanor assault. Thomas Costello, an interior specialist for Scott, was arrested on one count of misdemeanor assault, according to Lt. Linda Toney of the Henrico County Police.

Searce, 50, and Costello, 35, were released following booking, according to Toney. According to an online incident and arrest data from the Henrico County Police, the fight occurred about 11 p.m. ET. Arrests were made at 2:26 a.m. ET.

The tension between Piquet and Scott apparently began during the Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville and carried over to their battle for position late in Friday's race.

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Do we now have a new go-to move to settle all pit road driver confrontations?

Nelson Piquet and Brian Scott's on-track disagreement spilled over to pit road after Friday night's Nationwide Series race at Richmond when Scott got out of his car and approached Piquet. After the two talked helmet-to-helmet, brief pushes were exchanged before Piquet ended the physical confrontation with a kick towards Scott's lower body parts before crew members got between the two.

[Also: Two RCR crewmembers arrested after post-race fight]

How did we get to that point? Scott and Piquet made contact while racing for position in the top 20 during the waning laps of the race. After the race, Scott drove alongside Piquet to show his displeasure and as the two approached pit road on the cool-down lap, Piquet turned Scott into the inside wall.

"This isn't a just this race deal," Scott said. "He's got an issue with me from I don't know when and he runs into me every week and I've kind of had it. A little part of me told me that he was going to hit me for 15th place and then he did. And I was just showing him my displeasure with him after the race and then things escalated. I went to talk to him, I was a little heated and then he -- the camera probably show it, but he kicks me right below the belt, which I think is a below the belt type shot."

Piquet's side of the story:

"Basically a few laps from the end the two slid in front of me," Piquet said. "I touched him and he went sideways and we both nearly spun. I passed him, that was it, the end of the race, got the checkers, went slow over there and he doorbanged me and I don't take any (crap). He did the same thing to me at Martinsville just because I dived on the inside and I didn't, I never touched him in the back at Martinsville. He got pissed off because of that, I let that go, but I'm not going to take any more crap from him."

Back to the kick. Did Piquet make contact with Scott's private parts? Scott said he did, and Piquet later apologized for his actions.

Both drivers met in the NASCAR hauler after the race, but it's entirely possible that the topic of the meeting was focused more on the game of bumper cars near the entrance of pit road than the actual kick itself. Though you can't blame series officials if they want to ban pit road kicks altogether for their unpredictable nature. Nothing can either shut a confrontation down or ignite it like a torch faster than a kick to the groin.

Piquet, a former F1 driver who won last year's Nationwide Series race at Road America, is in his first full-time season in the series with Turner Scott (no relation) Motorsports. Scott is in his fourth season in the series and first with Richard Childress Racing.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,c713accd-bc7e-332e-8691-57664dafd13e-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:47:41 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367034461;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"272f9ffaa793866c4dc932148e64bf4b";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"2a7a64140d090a17b4f8c85f90c93e31";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:45:"Sit on it, NASCAR, Kenseth wins Richmond pole";s:4:"link";s:106:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/sit-nascar-kenseth-wins-pole-richmond-232953251.html";s:11:"description";s:3304:"

Uhh, take that NASCAR?

In an ultimate bit of irony, Matt Kenseth won the pole for Saturday night's Toyota Owner's 400, doing so just two days after NASCAR slammed him and his team with a massive 50-point penalty and a monster $200,000 fine when Kenseth's engine failed inspection following his win at Kansas.

Thursday, Kenseth called the sanctions "grossly unfair," and Lee White, president of Toyota Development and Research, took full responsibility for the issue, saying it was their fault -- not Joe Gibbs Racing -- that a connecting rod in the engine was too light.

No matter for NASCAR, where there are no gray areas, only black and white. To be fair, it's impossible to judge intent, only outcomes, and in this case Kenseth did win a race with an unapproved part.

Should JGR be held accountable for a mistake made by the engine manufacturer? Well, if not the team racing the engine, then who?

Should the penalty have been so harsh considering it wasn't their mistake? If NASCAR starts down that road, it's opening itself to a dangerous precedent.

"It's very difficult to go to an outside vendor and penalize them whether it's springs or shocks or parts that are bought and bolted on race cars," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition. "That's why in today's world we all know and relate to the fact that it stops at the crew chief and stops at the owner and stops at the organization that is here to compete."

[Also: Two RCR crewmembers arrested after post-race fight]

Come September, this will all be forgotten -- well, except maybe by whoever's forking over the $200K NASCAR fined crew chief Jason Ratcliff -- assuming Kenseth cruises into the Chase, which he should. In the now, though, there are still some hard feelings being bandied about.

"I respect NASCAR's view on it as far as the part was illegal so by the letter of the law, the part's illegal and there's consequences for that," Ratcliff said Friday morning. "I do not feel like the spirit of the law was compromised. That's where we felt like the severity of the penalty is extremely harsh."

The penalty dropped Kenseth to 14th in the standings, meaning he lost all of the cushion he'd built in the race toward the Chase. He does still have a win, which puts him in the wild card spot as of now. But with the way he's racing -- he's led in six of eight races this season -- making the Chase shouldn't be an issue.

Now he heads into Saturday night's race on the pole, just as he did last Sunday in Kansas.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,a9bdd8f9-20a2-3a8d-83a1-d8848b09ebdd-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:29:53 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:8:"Jay Hart";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1367018993;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"2a7a64140d090a17b4f8c85f90c93e31";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"f892abec4cd0b39ec13ea83e3ab4b0db";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:40:"Happy Hour: Matt Kenseth and his penalty";s:4:"link";s:108:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/happy-hour-matt-kenseth-penalty-025443488--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:5736:"

You know the drill. Throughout the week you can send us your best questions, jokes, rants and just plain miscellaneous thoughts to happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com or @NickBromberg. We'll post them here, have a good time and everyone's happy. Right? Oh who are we kidding, this is NASCAR. No one is ever happy.

You thought the penalty train in NASCAR was over didn't you? It keeps rolling. Johnny Sauter's 25 point penalty in the Camping World Truck Series seems like a pittance compared to the whopper that was laid down on Matt Kenseth.

On Thursday, Kenseth said that the 50 point penalty and $200,000 fine and six-race suspension for crew chief Jason Ratcliff (among other penalties) was "grossly unfair. Do you agree with him? John leads off Happy Hour this week, and he was accurate in his prediction.

Yikes! Matt Kenseth's race-winning engine failed inspection? This is going to be HUGE. I like Matt and hate to see him in trouble, but NASCAR will have to hand out some severe penalties. Considering the seriousness of the Team Penske penalties, over a rear-end issue I still don't understand, and the fine and suspension Carl Long had a few years ago, what does Matt Kenseth and JGR face? This is like a lose-lose situation to me; I don't want to see Matt suspended or anything, but if the penalties aren't severe, NASCAR's credibility takes another pounding.
-John

This is probably not going to be the popular opinion but I think NASCAR did the right thing with Kenseth.

Yes, I know NASCAR's rulebook is written pencil but If they really want teams to stop "bending the rules". They need to make the risk larger than the potential reward. If the top teams start finding themselves in serious trouble, like potentially missing the chase, because of rule violations. I think you will see less instances of teams at any level trying to "push the envelope".
- Darrell

Hey, is NASCAR being heavy handed with the 20 team or what? One connecting rod is 3 grams too light, which does not give an advantage. All the other connecting rods are within spec. Seems not to be intentional, or else all the rods would be too light. I understand NASCARs stance, but the penalties to Kenseth, JGR, Toyota, and crew chief seem harsh for the crime if there was one.

NASCAR is the worst officiated of all the major sports
- Dean

1. I think in the last 2 or 3 weeks Nascar has done more damage to its on-track product than any of the drivers could bashing the Gen6. I am baffled by the severity of these penalties. I understand Nascar wants to send a message about complying with rules, but docking the #20 team so severely for a part that EVERYBODY admits had no impact on performance is so ridiculous I don't even know what to say. They docked the #20 team more than the Penske 2/22, a situation where you could assume the rear end housing would impact the performance of the car. Wouldn't the other teams be super concerned about stuff like this? That any tiny accidental error would earn them a Nascar b****slap?

2. The Danica/Gilliland "spat" is so ridiculous. Everything she says is news -- but I have listened to a scanner long enough to know that she didn't say anything different than what all the drivers say during the race. Let's face it -- nobody cares that they were "battling" for 26th place. If she doesn't like how she's raced at the back of the pack, wait until she gets to the front. That said, I thought David's response was awesome -- it was blunt, direct and ended the issue right there. I loved it.
- Sue

This is setting up to be a fascinating appeal. From everything that I understand, it was a mistake that would have had no positive impact on the performance of Kenseth's engine. If anything, it could have hindered the engine because the lighter rod would have been out of balance with the other seven.

But still, dang. It's a big penalty. I know that NASCAR can't deal in the gray area of intent and they've previously laid down a heavy line when it comes to engine violations, so it wasn't necessarily a surprise. That said, how does this go in appeal? The mistake has been admitted and apologized for, but because there seems to be no intent or performance advantage, does that limit the penalty?

Also, how does Ratcliff's suspension hold up in the appeal? Given that the engine was made and installed by Toyota, the only way for the team to know that the connecting rod was too light would be to take the engine apart and weigh the pieces. Is a six week suspension unfair?

The Penske penalty appeal is set to be Wednesday, and Kenseth's will likely be a week later. To those of my NASCAR media brethren who will be staking out the R&D Center over the next couple weeks, I hope the weather is nice, the coffee is plentiful and the waits aren't interminable.

And on Danica vs. David, I'll say this: they're probably going to find themselves near each other at some point Saturday night. That is all.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,7aeaa352-f8d8-3c35-8b0d-46a5d92b876d-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:54:43 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366944883;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"f892abec4cd0b39ec13ea83e3ab4b0db";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"36a0bf02fe5ca0cac330607e1e73f90f";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:47:"Warped Wednesday: Are pedal cars the next step?";s:4:"link";s:114:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/warped-wednesday-pedal-cars-next-step-021937351--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:2379:"<p><img src="http://l.yimg.com/os/en/blogs/sptusnascarmarbles/167147530.jpg" align="right"><em>Welcome to Warped Wednesday. On this, we'll put out the rush to judgment mat, go a little too far and have a little fun. Will it be funny? Sometimes. Will it be crazy and largely unbelievable? Probably. Will not everyone get it? Definitely.</em></p> <p>While the Sprint Cup Series garage's plans of fielding strictly stock cars for the rest of the season was squashed by the sanctioning body, there's a movement afoot to run pedal cars at this week's race at Richmond.</p> <p>Just like teams were fearing penalties after what happened to the Penske teams at Texas, they're now in panic mode about Matt Kenseth's engine penalty. Teams are fearing they will now have to be incredibly precise with their measurement, something they haven't had to worry about in the past. One source said that there was a team in the field on Sunday that ran an engine that was a whopping 15 grams too light. Can you imagine the penalty they would have received after a further inspection?</p> <p>So with a short track race coming up, pedal cars may be the order of the weekend. One team has already been scouting out thick soled shoes in the event that its driver has to drag his feet across the asphalt to come to a halt.</p> <p>However, going to pedal cars may be a distinct advantage for some teams. Word is that Stewart-Haas Racing is already fighting the movement because despite their slow start the team knows Stewart will be more competitive in a regular car. He has no chance in a pedal car race against Jimmie Johnson or Carl Edwards.</p> <p>It's the perfect time for this change to take place. Richmond is a short track and while the race is listed as the Toyota Owners 400, it's actually only 300 miles, and drivers will likely be coasting through the corners on many laps.</p> <p>While NASCAR deterred stock cars at Kansas with seven-figure fines for each team that brought a strictly stock car to the track, the sanctioning body may be between a rock and a hard place on this issue. After all, pedal cars fit seamlessly into the NASCAR Green initiative, and the sport would be looked upon as a hypocrite just after Earth Day if it forced teams to use gasoline instead of human power.</p>";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,b8055766-d14e-32a8-a82a-ac68a07afd65-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:19:37 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366856377;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"36a0bf02fe5ca0cac330607e1e73f90f";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"5b75b84464874e455e87cf4d8826acbc";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:45:"Denny Hamlin not returning to car at Richmond";s:4:"link";s:116:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/denny-hamlin-not-returning-car-richmond-225230646--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:1846:"

Denny Hamlin will not make his return to the No. 11 at Richmond on Saturday night.

Hamlin had expressed optimism at Kansas that he could be cleared to drive at his hometown track, but after conferring with doctors, the decision was made for Hamlin to wait at least another week before coming back.

"Unfortunately I won't be racing this weekend at Richmond. It kills me to not be in the car for my team and sponsors but after long discussions with the doctors we have decided to wait on my return back to racing. Thanks to all of my fans who have sent encouraging messages over the last month. I'll be back in no time," Hamlin tweeted.

After sustaining a compression fracture to his L1 vertebra in a last lap crash March 24 at California, Hamlin was initially diagnosed to be out of the car five races, a six-week span that penciled his return in at Darlington on May 11. However, Hamlin has said that the healing process is going well and has talked about his desire to at least start the May 5 race at Talladega before getting out of the car for a relief driver. Because of Talladega's size and it's nature of racing, that's scenario a logical option if Hamlin is cleared to race.

Brian Vickers will continue to be behind the wheel in Hamlin's absence.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,83665948-046a-324f-8c30-a2ee0da42b2d-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:52:30 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366843950;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"5b75b84464874e455e87cf4d8826acbc";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"09f62740095b7346a7d9ae5ffec960b2";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:84:"Matt Kenseth loses 50 points and team penalized after Kansas engine fails inspection";s:4:"link";s:135:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/report-matt-kenseth-kansas-winning-engine-fails-inspection-145710712--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:4198:"

This is a big one. Matt Kenseth was penalized 50 points and crew chief Jason Ratcliff was fined $200,000 and suspended six races, among other penalties, after Kenseth's engine failed inspection after his win Sunday at Kansas Speedway

"It is our understanding that one of the eight connecting rods on the engine was ruled too light," Joe Gibbs Racing said in a statement. The team will appeal the penalty.

"The No. 20 car was found to have violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-5.5.3 (E) (Only magnetic steel connecting rods with a minimum weight of 525.0 grams will be permitted; connecting rod failed to meet the minimum connecting rod weight) of the 2013 rule book," NASCAR said in a statement.

In addition to losing 50 points, Kenseth will not receive the three bonus points for the win at the time of the Chase points reset if he makes the Chase. The team was also penalized 50 owner points and the owner's license on the car has been suspended for the next six races, meaning that the car will be ineligible to accrue owner's points. In addition to the fine and suspension, Ratcliff is on NASCAR probation until December 31.

Kenseth started on the pole Sunday and inherited the race lead when a caution flag flew during the race's final pit stop cycle. After sprinting out to a lead on the race's last restart, Kenseth held off Kasey Kahne over the final laps. His pole will also not count towards entry in next year's Sprint Unlimited.

Before the penalty, Kenseth was 8th in the points standings. He's now tied for 14th with Jeff Gordon, 109 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. Because he led the most laps on Sunday, Kenseth received 48 points for the win, so the punishment essentially wipes out the race plus two more points. However, the win will still be noted in the race box score.

Joe Gibbs Racing has won four of the season's eight races. All race-winning engines are inspected and there have been no issues with the first three.

On Tuesday, NASCAR announced that the appeal for the infractions found against the Penske Racing cars at Texas Motor Speedway awould be April 1. The Penske cars were penalized 25 points and had their crew chiefs fined $100,000 and suspended for six races along with other team members. Kenseth may face a similar points penalty, but the fine and crew punishment could be bigger. In 2009, Carl Long was penalized 200 points (under NASCAR's old points system) and fined $200,000 and initially suspended 12 races after his engine was deemed illegal. Long drove for his own team.

Earlier Wednesday, NASCAR announced penalties for Johnny Sauter's Camping World Truck Series team for a fuel cell violation found in pre-race inspection. Sauter, who was the Truck Series points leader, was penalized 25 points and his crew chief Joe Shear was suspended for four races and fined $10,000. Sauter is now 13 points behind teammate Matt Crafton in the points standings.

What do you think about Kenseth's penalty? Was it too severe? Just right? Let us know in the comments.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,9038e0e2-c173-39f0-b83d-8cfb164624b9-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 24 Apr 2013 07:57:10 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366815430;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"09f62740095b7346a7d9ae5ffec960b2";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"5327895231ba4791d461bba8400e9b9c";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:35:"The Chrome Horn Episode 9: Kansas I";s:4:"link";s:105:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/chrome-horn-episode-9-kansas-125426773--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:825:"

We went to Kansas City! Or, well, Miller did. I'm there all the time. Join yours truly and Geoffrey Miller for another edition of the Chrome Horn Podcast. We talk Matty Ice Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Danica and take your questions!

Speaking of questions, you want to be in the mailbag? Hit us up at HappyHourMailbag@Yahoo.com.

Click here to download the podcast or here to listen to in your browser. And we're now on iTunes! Find us in the Podcast section right here and subscribe. Listen!

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,7ca4ca49-bb0e-393f-a09e-3b3acc21e390-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:54:26 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366808066;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"5327895231ba4791d461bba8400e9b9c";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"56d4d36924a4eb063ac4d19560d1df68";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:63:"What message would you write to your favorite driver? Volume II";s:4:"link";s:116:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/message-write-favorite-driver-volume-ii-003059134--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:2609:"

At Daytona, we brought you some of the best messages on the driver stall windows in the Sprint Cup Series garage. Sunday, after the race at Kansas Speedway, we had a chance to wander across the infield and onto the frontstretch where fans had congregated before the race for pre-race festivities.

They didn't forget their Sharpies. Despite the fact that none of the 43 drivers in Sunday's race would have been able to make out any of the inscriptions while hurtling through the tri-oval or even under caution, many fans took the opportunity to scribble something onto the outside wall.

And they were pretty good, though spelling wasn't some people's strong suit. If you're going to go to the trouble of attempting to spell "Labonte," "Almirola" and "Keselowski" (above) wouldn't you at least want to give yourself an easy one by writing out "Greg?"

Here's the ever tricky "Busch" and "Bush" mixup. And I hope the guy in the second picture has paid Joey Logano his rightful $5.

There were some blasts from the past too. Jason Leffler won the pole for the first Cup Series race at Kansas in 2001 and his race ended with a crash on the frontstretch. This person either has one hell of a memory or a Racing Reference app.

This person was a day late. We saw Ward on Friday and Saturday. Son Jeb was in the Camping World Truck Series race.

Finally, the love theme. I think with this message scrawled across the wall, Jess is applying to be a member on NASCAR's three person appeals panel. Not sure she fits the "unbiased" theme though. Ted, we hope your first time was as memorable as you hoped it would be.

Can you imagine how elated Bob was with Gordon's 30 place rise through the field Sunday?

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,e343bd8a-7ed3-34f1-93b3-2337372566a1-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:30:59 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366763459;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"56d4d36924a4eb063ac4d19560d1df68";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"7a5462045761b529596bde2b2a7e4d3f";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:55:"Power Rankings: Another race, another week of Five-Time";s:4:"link";s:127:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/power-rankings-another-race-another-week-five-time-122925903--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:14076:"

It's time for Power Rankings! After every race, we'll opine about who we think is at the top of the Sprint Cup heap and how and why they got there. Remember, this isn't scientific, as our formula is the perfect blend of analytics and bias against your favorite driver. So let's get on with it, shall we?

1. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1): After finishing third at Kansas, Johnson now has an astonishing 37 point lead over now-second place Kasey Kahne. This is the third year of NASCAR's current points system, and Johnson's lead is by far the largest a driver has ever had after eight races. If he keeps this up, he's going to be able to take a race or two off in the summertime to run a triathlon and still have the points lead.

2. Brad Keselowski (LW: 4): Sorry Kasey, you're up next. Brad gets this spot by virtue of a proverbial chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what weekend at Kansas. The No. 2 didn't have much speed on Friday or Saturday and sustained some damage early in Sunday's race. That's a recipe for disaster, right? Wrong. Yeah, Keselowski benefited from the caution his flapping rear bumper caused, but stop with the nonsense already. Was NASCAR supposed to send him to the back? On that precedent, we'd have to find the specific reason for every debris caution to penalize the offending driver.

3. Kasey Kahne (LW: 3): Think Kasey can convince Matt Kenseth to move over if the two find themselves in the same situation at Darlington or Charlotte? Since finishing 36th in the Daytona 500 and then 19th at Phoenix, Kahne's lowest finish is 11th. The only thing that would make this six race stretch better is if Kahne got that number he was looking for Thursday night.

4. Matt Kenseth (LW: 7): Lots of talk about how Kenseth made the right move to go to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013. But had he stayed at Roush, it's entirely likely Gibbs wouldn't be on the run they're on to start the season and there would be absolutely zero talk about how Kenseth made the wrong decision to stay with the only Cup team he's ever known. Regardless, Kenseth is a contender, JGR is benefiting from his presence and accident at Kansas notwithstanding, Joey Logano may be flourishing at Penske. That's a win for everyone.

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 6): There are a lot of options for the fifth spot here, but we'll go with Junior. Why? He was simply a victim of circumstance when the final caution flag fell and instead of likely finishing in the top five had the race stayed green, he finished 16th. Much like last year, the speed the No. 88 is showing isn't matching its finishes in the first part of the season, but now it's an opposite relationship.

6. Carl Edwards (LW: 4): There was a moment in Sunday's race that made you wonder if the finish was going to be a battle for Missouri-Kansas supremacy between Edwards and Clint Bowyer. And then that quickly faded, certainly helped by that caution that felled Earnhardt Jr.'s chances because it felled Edwards' too.

7. Kyle Busch (LW: 2): Just a momentary drop for Busch, right? And he was probably the happiest person to get out of of the middle of the country Sunday afternoon given his career stats at Kansas. The reason we think this is a momentary drop is because Busch is heading to one of his best tracks (yeah, yeah, one that failed him last year when he needed to make the Chase, but alas) and one of his strongest competitors for the checkered flag may not be in the field.

8. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: NR): That's back-to-back top five finishes with laps led for Other Junior at 1.5 mile tracks. And his other top 10 of the season came at Las Vegas, yet another 1.5 mile track. If Truex is going to succeed at just a certain type of track this season, he's certainly picked the right one given the preponderance of them on the schedule.

9. Clint Bowyer (LW: 11): All three MWR cars finished in the top 10 and Bowyer was the second of the two, finishing fifth. Earlier in the week, he officially opened the Clint Bowyer Autoplex in his hometown of Emporia, Kansas. And he also went to the Braum's there too. As much as having my own car dealership would be cool, I may be more jealous that Bowyer went to Braum's.

10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (LW: NR): As the esteemed Geoffrey Miller noted in our chat, a Stenhouse win would have been a perfect time to break out the "Danica visits victory lane" headlines. And damn if it wasn't looking like we'd be using that headline. But like Junior and Edwards, Stenhouse's chances at a win were blown up by the caution for Keselowski's bumper.

11. Paul Menard (LW: 12): PFM DOES NOT LEAVE THE POWER RANKINGS UNTIL HE WANTS TO. And PFM doesn't want to just yet. Another top 10 run and another day carrying the banner for Richard Childress Racing. The gap between he and Kevin Harvick is 16 points.

12. Aric Almirola (LW: NR): Almirola by Morning wasn't up too much from San Anton' on Sunday. Yes, it was his second straight top ten finish and man, did that car look pretty, but I'll admit that I expected more from Almirola given his performance at Kansas last year. But when an 8th place finish may have that feeling of leaving something on the table, that's when you know things are going in the right direction.

Dropped Out: Greg Biffle, Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon

Lucky Dog: Jeff Gordon. Finished 13th in a backup car that started at the back of the field and was almost start-and-park slow during Saturday's practices.

The DNF: Huzzah, Tony Stewart! You've handed off the title of this award despite finishing 21st and finishing outside the top 20 for the fifth time this year. In your place comes Marcos Ambrose, who crashed for the second straight race. Wait, what was that? Ambrose still finished a spot ahead of Smoke? Oh, yikes.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,7c77ff31-6191-3d4c-a4b4-046c17a2936a-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:29:25 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366720165;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"7a5462045761b529596bde2b2a7e4d3f";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"9edae8e4b44442a39dd1c36b8dcbcd57";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:53:"Danica Patrick told, ‘shut up and race’";s:4:"link";s:106:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/danica-patrick-told-shut-race-150537875--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:2647:"

Danica Patrick isn't a terrible driver. She's ranked 25th right now in the Sprint Cup series, ahead of notables such as Juan Pablo Montoya and Bobby Labonte, within sight of names like Jeff Burton and Tony Stewart, and ahead of the David Cabal: Ragan, Reutimann, Gilliland and Stremme.

However, Patrick receives attention far out of proportion to her actual racing statistics, and for that reason, she tends to draw more heat (and notice) than most drivers. So when she gets to talking, other drivers aren't always willing to listen.

Case in point: Sunday's Kansas race, where Patrick finished a disappointing 25th. According to USA Today, she was not pleased with fellow twentysomething David Gilliland: "He tries to take me out every time," Patrick told her team during the race. "Tell his spotter that I'm coming after him if he does it again. In fact, I might just do it right now."

[Related: Ill-timed caution costs Dale Earnhardt Jr. a chance to win]

She didn't carry through on her threat to break out the chrome horn, however. Nor did she give any postrace interviews at the track. Gilliland, who finished 23rd, had a simple message for Patrick, delivered through his PR rep:

"Shut up and race."

You know, that's solid advice right there, not just for the track, but for life. David Gilliland, speedway philosopher.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,3e0986db-8e5f-3651-b3c3-227a5a96e464-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:05:37 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:10:"Jay Busbee";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366643137;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"9edae8e4b44442a39dd1c36b8dcbcd57";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"a93f7b084f4f8f265007c3901d73f5fc";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:61:"Craziest Moment: Kyle Busch spins and gets hit by Joey Logano";s:4:"link";s:123:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/craziest-moment-kyle-busch-spins-gets-hit-joey-214610787--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:2424:"

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Kyle Busch's second Sunday spin at Kansas wasn't nearly as fortunate as his first, and it collected Joey Logano in the process.

After qualifying fifth, Busch spun on the backstretch on lap six of the STP 400. After pitting and working his way back through the field, he spun again on lap 105, tagging the wall with the right rear in turn four.

As Busch slid down the track, Joey Logano dove to the inside to try to avoid Busch. But Busch's car kept coming towards the grass and Logano smashed into Busch's car.

"Yeah, absolutely no grip for me anyways," Busch said. "But, you know, you're running third and doing fine, car a little tight and you spin out. I don't know what to do with that and then we're back in traffic all day. Traffic is way worse. Just trying to get back up to the front and making some gains but car just snaps out from you every corner."

Logano said that he expected Busch's car to stay near the wall.

"He was spinning out and I saw it the whole time," Logano said. "I saw he got loose and thought 'OK, he's gonna come back across' and he didn't. It looked like he was gonna stay up there because he kind of slapped the wall with the right side after he hit it the first time. So I'm like 'Alright, I'm gonna gun it and get by him here' and as soon as I committed to that I saw him start coming back down."

"At that point you're just lined up to him and hit him a ton."

To say that Busch and Kansas Speedway don't get along may be an understatement. He was involved in two caution flags in last year's fall Cup race and spun and then crashed in Saturday's Camping World Truck Series race. In 12 starts, he has more finishes worse than 30th (four) than he has top 10s (two).

After winning at Texas, Busch had climbed to third in the points standings, 18 points behind Jimmie Johnson. But thanks to Johnson's third place finish, Busch lost 36 points to the points lead and is now seventh in the standings. Logano finished 39th on Sunday and coupled with the 25 point penalty that his team was assessed for rear end housing violations before the Texas race, he's now 20th in the points standings, 124 points behind Johnson.

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,65d5cff4-12cc-39c0-97d2-7d3c8ca60854-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:46:10 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366580770;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"a93f7b084f4f8f265007c3901d73f5fc";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"dfa737fcf873d381a030b1deb2840912";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:41:"Matt Kenseth wins from the pole at Kansas";s:4:"link";s:106:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/matt-kenseth-wins-pole-kansas-210503815--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:2507:"

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Matt Kenseth benefited from the timing of the final caution flag to take the lead in Sunday's STP 400 and held off Kasey Kahne over the final laps to get his second win of the season.

It's the third straight Sprint Cup Series race in which the winner has won from the pole and the fourth win for Joe Gibbs Racing in eight races in 2013. Though outside of Kenseth, it wasn't a rosy day for the rest of the team.

Kenseth was up front the entire day, but was running fifth as the pit window for the race's final pit stop ended. As the pit stop cycle started and the four cars ahead of him pitted, Kenseth stayed out and inherited the lead.

In the midst of all of that, Brad Keselowski's rear bumper cover was flapping in the breeze thanks to damage he had sustained earlier. Three laps after Kenseth took the lead and before he had a chance to pit, it flew off and landed on the track. The cars that were in front of Kenseth were suddenly going to restart behind him when the green flag waved again on lap 225.

That also put Kahne near the front too, and he charged to second place. Over the last 20 laps, the race strongly resembled the third race of the season at Las Vegas, where Kenseth had kept Kahne at bay to get his first win of the season and first with Joe Gibbs Racing.

As the laps wound down, Kahne would close in to within mere carlengths of Kenseth's bumper. But then, on the next lap, he'd lose some of the ground he'd make up, much like what happened at Vegas. On the white flag lap, Kahne got to Kenseth's bumper in turns one and two, but wasn't able to maintain his momentum and Kenseth pulled away down the backstretch.

It's also back-to-back wins at Kansas for Kenseth, who won last year's fall race while with Roush Fenway Racing. On Sunday, he led 163 of the race's 267 laps and was not passed for the lead on the racetrack all afternoon.

The other three JGR cars all crashed separately Sunday, including last week's winner Kyle Busch, who spun twice. The first time he didn't hit anything, but the second incident ended his day when he slid down the track and was collected heavily by Joey Logano.

Elliott Sadler, making his first Cup start of the season, crashed in turns three and four on lap 88 and Brian Vickers, subbing for the injured Denny Hamlin, hit the wall and spun on the backstretch on lap 175.

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,5be35856-73d0-3432-8819-fbfda5153262-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:05:03 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366578303;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"dfa737fcf873d381a030b1deb2840912";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"337e527d2cb7a1a237ee032c84d16c68";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:57:"Body of Robert Hight’s Funny Car flies into stands";s:4:"link";s:127:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/body-robert-hight-funny-car-flies-stands-charlotte-040647593--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:2258:"

No fans sustained serious injuries when the body of Robert Hight's Funny Car flew into the grandstands at zMax Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday.

Hight was making a run during qualifying when the explosion from his engine catapulted the carbon fiber body of his Funny Car in the air. The car body twisted and turned in the wind before bouncing off a grandstand fence and then coming to rest perched atop another fence in front.

Two fans sustained minor scrapes.

Nitro dragster engine explosions can be quite powerful, so it's not uncommon to see the force of them propel the car bodies skyward in funny car. Matt Hagan's car body was obliterated when his engine exploded last year at Charlotte.

This isn't the first major auto race where car parts have made it into the grandstands. At least 28 fans were injured at Daytona International Speedway when Kyle Larson's car was launched into the catchfence in a final lap crash during the season-opening Nationwide Series race in February.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,0fc1d756-d21a-32ce-b7c5-630f7dc0bfdd-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:06:47 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366517207;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"337e527d2cb7a1a237ee032c84d16c68";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"3f23a16323d337855e0289253c6bc434";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:41:"Caption Contest: Matt Kenseth and his car";s:4:"link";s:109:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/caption-contest-matt-kenseth-car-161447270--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:413:"<p><img src="http://l.yimg.com/os/en/blogs/sptusnascarmarbles/167016554.jpg" align="right"></p> <p>After winning the pole at Kansas Speedway on Friday, Matt Kenseth got that car. How is Matt going to drive that? Is he going to race it on Sunday?</p> <p>Give us your best captions below. Winner gets... a round of applause? Or maybe a bar of Ricky Stenhouse Zest soap?</p>";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,c256342d-fbb5-324f-a1f5-6a5e358f8545-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Sat, 20 Apr 2013 09:14:47 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366474487;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"3f23a16323d337855e0289253c6bc434";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"8e478199f7740eddd10a59c5b0b26abf";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:51:"Matt Kenseth sets track record in Kansas qualifying";s:4:"link";s:125:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/matt-kenseth-sets-track-record-kansas-qualifying-224514361--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:1081:"

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Matt Kenseth snatched the pole from former teammate Carl Edwards and will start first in Sunday's STP 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Kenseth, the next-to-last car to qualify, went out two cars after Edwards and his lap of 191.864 MPH is a track record on the newly repaved and reconfigured surface. The previous record was set before last year's fall race in the first race on Kansas' steeper progressively banked track. This year, the combination of cool temperatures and a new car helped Kenseth break that record.

Ricky Stenhouse, the man who replaced Kenseth in the No. 17 when Kenseth moved to Joe Gibbs Racing before 2013, qualified third and Sam Hornish will start fourth in his first Cup start of the season.

Jeff Gordon crashed on his qualifying lap and will take the green shotgun on the field in a backup car. The back end of Gordon's car came around on him in turn two as he was in the throttle and the impact pancaked the rear of his car.

";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,71cd24a0-208c-32e2-8971-8e2630a7cbbb-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:45:14 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366411514;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"8e478199f7740eddd10a59c5b0b26abf";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"3781184611e69ed30eb3aca89ab319a7";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:81:"Jimmie Johnson says that Hendrick did not ‘rat out’ Penske at Texas";s:4:"link";s:124:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/jimmie-johnson-says-hendrick-did-not-rat-penske-171703255--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:3414:"

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Jimmie Johnson said that the Penske Racing penalties for rear end housing violations did not stem from Hendrick Motorsports telling NASCAR that Penske was doing something wrong.

"No, the Hendrick group and the 48 team did not rat out the Penske cars," Johnson said. "There are two decisions teams are faced with in the garage area. Everybody has teams they're watching and we've been very impressed with the 2 car's staff and their ability to have someone just standing and watch other teams. So this environment does take place in the garage area."

"So yeah, there are blinds open. But when a team sees them they have two options. One, they go home and try to adapt to their car and understand it and see if they can learn from it when they go on the track and say something. We don't say something. We're a company well-honed on performance. We're a company that tries to understand the rulebook as close as we can to the law, and truly, we've had our issues with it, but that's racing. It's been that way since the beginning of racing."

The Penske cars of Brad Keselowski were penalized 25 points and crew chiefs Todd Gordon and Paul Wolfe, along with team engineers and competition director Travis Geisler were suspended for six races after NASCAR confiscated parts from the cars and made the teams change the configurations before Saturday's race.

Both Penske cars were parked next to Hendrick cars. Johnson's car was next to Keselowski's and Jeff Gordon's garage stall was next to Logano's.

Earlier Friday, Richard Petty said he was certain that someone told NASCAR on the Penske cars.

From the AP:

''Undoubtedly, someone told them what the Penske crew was doing," Petty said.

The penalty given to each Penske car was essentially the same penalty that Johnson and his team received for failing pre-qualifying inspection for a C post issue before last year's Daytona 500. After two rounds of appeals, the 25 point penalty that Johnson received and the six race suspension that Knaus received were overturned, though the $100,000 fine against Knaus was upheld. Penske is appealing NASCAR's penalties.

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Sean Collier, the officer at MIT who according to authorities was killed by the two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings, was the brother of Andrew Collier, a machinist in the engine department at Hendrick Motorsports.

"The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports are with Andrew Collier and his family," the team said in a statement. "Andrew, a machinist in the Hendrick Motorsports engine department, tragically lost his brother, Officer Sean Collier, last night in Cambridge, Mass. We ask that the family's privacy be considered during this difficult time."

"A very sad time, my thoughts and prayers are with the family, and I certainly know it's the same throughout Hendrick Motorsports," Jimmie Johnson said. "We're one big family and it's sad and unfortunate to see a fellow teammate and his family have such a tough time."

Collier, 26, responded to a disturbance on the MIT campus on Thursday evening. He was found shot in his vehicle when other officers responded to the scene after gunfire was reported.

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";s:8:"category";s:6:"nascar";s:4:"guid";s:90:"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,29ec1c5b-6bd8-35a7-8860-1d76796f63a6-l:1";s:7:"pubDate";s:29:"Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:41:02 PDT";s:6:"source";N;s:10:"dc:creator";s:13:"Nick Bromberg";s:12:"pubTimeStamp";i:1366389662;s:4:"kidx";s:32:"3e250b7897ae824a6762d47d6f99bbcf";s:16:"guid_isPermaLink";b:0;s:10:"categories";a:1:{i:0;s:6:"nascar";}s:10:"source_url";s:60:"http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/rss.xml";s:11:"source_link";N;s:11:"source_kidx";s:32:"a46b6d36dfab6ef698026c445345e1bc";s:15:"source_orig_url";s:53:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles";}s:32:"c4a5765a0ab4a612253cd9e628ac76bb";a:16:{s:5:"title";s:34:"The Chrome Horn Episode 8: Texas I";s:4:"link";s:104:"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/chrome-horn-episode-8-texas-195913362--nascar.html";s:11:"description";s:1023:"

Texas! We heard there was a race. Join Geoffrey Miller and yours truly as we talk about a myriad of topics, including Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and of course, the Penske penalties.

Click here to download the podcast or here to listen to in your browser. And we're now on iTunes! Find us in the Podcast section right here and subscribe. It'll soon be #1 in comedy.

As always, we'd love to hear from you. Email us your thoughts, questions, rants, etc here and we'll talk about them on our next episode. (Sorry for the late upload this week, folks)

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This is a pretty cool gesture from the Michael Waltrip Racing teams to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon explosions at Kansas. The numbers on the side of the cars of Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr. and Mark Martin will be emblazoned on a replica Boston Marathon Racing bib.

Team owner Waltrip ran the event in 2000.

"The news coming out of Boston this week was very personal to me," Waltrip said in a statement. "When I ran the Boston Marathon in 2000, I remember thinking about what a privilege it was to be able to participate and all the hard work it took to be there. When you can see those international flags flying in Copley Square, you know you are about to complete your journey. I know the joy those runners were feeling at that moment when their worlds changed."

In addition, Roush Fenway Racing, of which 50 percent is owned by the Fenway Sports Group, will run a decal with the Boston Red Sox logo and the word "strong" below it on each of its cars.

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Welcome to Warped Wednesday. On this, we'll put out the rush to judgment mat, go a little too far and have a little fun. Will it be funny? Sometimes. Will it be crazy and largely unbelievable? Probably. Will not everyone get it? Definitely.

Reacting to the penalties that NASCAR levied against the Penske teams on Wednesday, sources exclusive to Yahoo! Sports' Warped Wednesday have learned that all teams in the Sprint Cup Series garage are returning to stock car racing's roots.

Both Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano were docked 25 points and crew chiefs Paul Wolfe and Todd Gordon were, among others suspended for six races. The crew chiefs were fined $100,000 as well, all for the setups that the cars had in their rear end housings.

When NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton discussed the confiscation of parts from the Penske teams on Saturday, he said that what they had done to the backs of the cars was "not in the spirit" of NASCAR rules. There's no word if that spirit was holy or haunting the garage area, but one thing's for certain: no one wants to mess with these spirits again.

Frightened by the specter of losing crew chiefs and other key members, all 45 teams attempting Sunday's Cup race are preparing to show up at Kansas Speedway with factory made and driven-off-the-showroom-floor versions of the Chevrolet SS, Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry. One team even inquired about a Volkswagen Passat, but after being unsure of NASCAR's potential reaction, it decided against making the switch.

Because of this garage mutiny, NASCAR will not be in a position to hand out penalties, and the teams are prepared to tell NASCAR that this is, after all, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, so if they can't race stock cars, what does NASCAR actually stand for?

Teams will have the option to purchase cars equipped with leather seats and satellite radios, and there is no restriction on engines. Some are opting for the V8 options for increased acceleration, but others are looking at the smallest engines possible for the best fuel economy possible given Kansas' history of fuel mileage races.

Yes fans, that means speeds will be down, but many in and around NASCAR have said that fans won't notice if the cars were slowed down 40 MPH or so. The pole record will certainly not be threatened this weekend, but in the name of rules abidance and fiscal responsibility, one team member told Warped Wednesday that this was a determination made in the best interests of the sport moving forward.

It's unclear how long this movement will last, though one prominent team owner said that it could be this way for the rest of 2013, and was already calling his fleet of cars that he purchased Wednesday morning the "Gen-7 car."

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