In a race littered with 15 caution flags it was only appropriate that the 15^th caution caused a three lap overtime where disaster was averted a couple of times when Burton refused to bump Busch out of the way when given the opportunity and a good old fashioned sprint by two classy drivers resulted in another exciting Bristol finish.

Pole sitter Gordon finished third, and he seemed satisfied with that effort in a car that gave him fits all day. “I knew I was in trouble, so I just tried to hold onto third.” exclaimed Gordon who now is the Nextel points leader heading into next weeks Martinsville race.

Busch’s win was the third victory in a row for Hendrick Motorsports, following two straight victories by Jimmy Johnson. It marked a successful debut for the Chevy Impala SS.

Most drivers’ opinions of the Car of Tomorrow were still “wait and see”, but consensus is the car is safer and should make for close finishes. The car will race again next week at Martinsville, then next month in Phoenix.

Kevin Harvick finished fourth, followed by Greg Biffle, Jeff Green and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Tony Stewart had a disappointing finish after controlling the first half of the race. His Chevy lost power during a caution lap and finished 35^th. On the Juan Pablo Montoya watch, he appeared baffled much of the day as expected on the short track and wound up 32^nd.

With Gordon now leading the points race, Jeff Burton is only three points back and Jimmy Johnson is in third 75 points behind. Mark Martin, keeping to his part time schedule fell from first to seventh. Big movers included Kyle Busch using his victory to move him up eight spots to sixth, and Greg Biffle using his strong finish to vault him eleven spots to 16^th.

Notes:

Talks still continue with Ray Evernham and Montreal Canadians owner George Gillette about a possible partnership. Evernham has said in the past he needs a partner to remain competitive and vie for championships. “It would free up more of my time to work on the racecars.” he said.

During the week, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, sister of Dale Jr. underwent surgery in North Carolina to have a benign cyst removed from her pancreas. The procedure was successful and Earnhardt Elledge was resting comfortably.

Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Hammond now working on the Fox NASCAR broadcasting team received nominations for Emmy awards for “Outstanding Analysts”, a first for NASCAR television personalities.

DALE

The cinema documentary “Dale” opened about a month ago to rave reviews. But don’t worry you haven’t seen it yet, you probably haven’t had the opportunity, but be patient.

The film for most of ’07 will be traveling around the country, playing in cities and areas where the Nextel Cup Series is heading. I had the chance to see what all the fuss is about two weeks ago.

The film showcases some rare, never seen before footage of Earnhardt on the track and off. From his home in North Carolina to his second home on speedways across the country to his final lap at the 2001 Daytona 500, it gives a glimpse at what made this man tick. The film paints the picture of a man working for a living and a man of the people, it just so happens he is working at speeds we can only dream of reaching. We see up close and personal interviews with family, friends and those who knew him best; the drivers that competed against him every weekend. The man known in NASCAR circles as “The Intimidator” also showed himself to be a jokester to the side of him as a family man as he struggled through two marriages and his evolving relationships with his children.

Highlights also include in camera shots from the “3” car fans will cherish. Also, Earnhardt fans will relive racing moments including his comeback win at Talladega in 2000 where his passed cars on the final laps at a breakneck pace to gain a memorable victory.

The film is produced by Country Music Television Films, and narration is done by Paul Newman. Even though the film was authorized by Teresa Earnhardt, DEI, and Richard Childress different and opposing viewpoints were aired and gave movie watchers a chance to see Earnhardt as a man and a hero. The movie will continue traveling with NASCAR races for the remainder of 2007, later this fall it will air on CMT and for the holidays it will be released on DVD. See it when it comes to a theatre near you and buy it to watch over and over again.

Rick C. Limpert is a freelance writer for Nothin’ But NASCAR merchandise, and is based in Atlanta, GA. You may reach him at rclimpert@nothinbutnascar.com

By Rick C. Limpert

Looking like he is already in championship form, Jimmie Johnson passed Tony Stewart with three laps remaining to win the Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta Sunday.

Johnson led 132 of the first 238 laps and then the last three to win the 25^th Nextel Cup race of his career. Johnson gave much of the credit to crew chief Chad Knaus for making adjustments during the race, and specifically on the last pit stop. Following the final pit stop Johnson passed Matt Kenseth and then Stewart.

Stewart had the lead on the final restart but after some exciting side by side racing with Johnson, Johnson’s inside pass was the pivotal moment. Kenseth finished third and Jeff Burton finished fourth.

Johnson moved to within 28 points of chase leader Mark Martin in the Nextel Cup standings. Martin, who finished 10^th remains in the points lead eight points ahead of second place Jeff Gordon. Martin’s lead should come to an end after next week since he reiterated his plans to sit out the next two races in the partial schedule he will run this year. Jeff Burton is third in the points, 11 behind Martin and Johnson is in fourth.

Juan Pablo Montoya continues his rapid learning curve as he carded the best result of his Nextel Cup career finishing in fifth. Montoya, who won the Busch race in Mexico City two weeks ago, says he and his crew are “getting the hang of it”.

Most drivers were obviously concerned about tire wear and tear and took it easy early in the race. The Goodyear tires held up well and for half the race with the drivers just clicking off laps is seemed to be a pretty boring race.

Atlanta Race Notes:

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s struggles in 2007 continue. He is 26^th in the point standings.

Brian Vickers became the first driver to lead a lap in a Nextel Cup race in a Toyota. His joy was short-lived, he had engine trouble and ended up in the garage with a 42^nd place finish.

The biggest wreck of the day was a four car incident the included Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, David Reutimann, and Brian Vickers.

Many drivers in Atlanta couldn’t help but thinking about next weeks Bristol race and the debut of the new larger, boxier Car of Tomorrow.

Kyle Busch will showcase endangered wildlife on his car this year to call attention to animal rescue and conservation education at Sea World and Busch Gardens. A bald eagle, penguins and a kangaroo were at the media center in Atlanta this past week for the announcement.

Drivers Need to Stop Complaining

Tony Stewart said “They screwed up a great racetrack!” Mark Martin predicted gloom and doom after the Busch race last Saturday, and Jeff Gordon said he planned to sit down with NASCAR officials after last Sunday’s Las Vegas Motor Speedway Nextel Cup race. Lately if one thing is as certain as death and taxes, it will be stock car racers complaining about the track and conditions they have to race in each week.

In reality it was not “black ice” as Greg Biffle called it, or was there a wreck on every lap as Kasey Kahne boldly predicted. It was a different track than they had raced on in Vegas in the past, slight track improvements were made and 8 degrees of banking were added as well a revamping of pit road. Speeds were topping 200 mph during testing in January, and Goodyear’s tire for LVMS was hard and didn’t grip the track very well.

What’s the big deal? NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers are paid big buck to make left turns and complete 267 in Las Vegas every March. If the track unsafe for driving with 42 other cars at blazing speeds racers need to make adjustments. The conditions are the same for everybody. When Tiger Woods goes to Scotland for the British Open and the conditions are wet, rainy and gale force winds whip up over the lochs and channels he can’t play the same game as he would in Hilton Head at the Heritage Golf Classic.

Different conditions at different tracks make NASCAR racing much more interesting to Joe Fan in Hoover Alabama. If every track was the same, racing teams could set the car up each week, teach a chimpanzee to grip a steering wheel and hit a gas pedal and let him go. It would be mindless racing each weekend which translates into BORING.

These drivers are too good to be pouting each time a track doesn’t suit their cars perfectly. It is a long season and each week the warriors of the NASCAR circuit hit a different track in a different city. There are many great stories and races that need to be talked and written about. Complaining and crying about the track each week doesn’t need to be one of them.

Rick C. Limpert is a freelance writer for Nothin' But NASCAR, and is based in Atlanta, GA. He has written for print and online publications for over 7 years. He is happy to hear from you with any comments, questions, or suggestions you may have. He can be reached at rclimpert@nothinbutnascar.com

By: Rick C. Limpert

Three races into the 2007 Nextel Cup series and nothing is final, but the driver sitting in first place in the standings is still claiming to be a part time employee, but few who know Mark Martin think he will remain in that part time role.

The 48 year old was looking to do things on his own terms this year, getting behind the wheel in 23 of the 36 events and handing the No. 01 Chevrolet over to Regan Smith once the traveling circus that is NASCAR hits Bristol in two weeks. Now Martin faces a decision he didn’t think he would have to make, but after a photo finish second place effort at Daytona and with what looks like an underrated Ginn Racing team and excellent equipment at his fingertips it would be wrong of the NASCAR veteran not to enter himself in every race until he is eliminated from Cup contention if that even occurs later on this season.

It is not unheard of for athletes to remain competitive and vie for championships late in their careers. Jack Nicklaus won his sixth Masters title at the age of 46. Roger Clemens remains one of the top pitchers in baseball well into his 40’s, and Martina Navratilova won a grand slam tennis title this past summer at the age of 49. One difference with Martin is he has never won a championship, and he knows right now he would be in the mix.

The positives outweigh the negatives as Martin approaches his decision. For one, it would add to his legacy in NASCAR history, it would create yet another story NASCAR fanatics can follow through the summer into the fall races. Regan Smith, while not behind the wheel would receive priceless on the job training seeing what Martin would be up against as he marches toward the season ending Chase, and Martin would have the opportunity to do what most great athletes only dream about doing, going out “on top”.

For once Martin needs to shed his good guy, “old school” style and make a decision that is more in sync with the way he drives; hard-nosed, aggressive and go for it all. Mark, this is one case where we would encourage you to break out of character and be selfish.

2007 Television Ratings Down

Ratings continue to slide this year as NASCAR completes its third exciting race. A down to the wire Daytona 500 was down 3% from last years telecast and The California race was off a whopping 9% from last years broadcast. Advertisers are taking a close look at why this may be happening and developing their own theories and FOX’s coverage once again is being called to the carpet. Longtime NASCAR fans continue to be frustrated with the plethora of commercials and the continued focus on three or four drivers for long stretches during the race.

Celeb Spotting

It’s becoming the “in” thing for Hollywood’s A-list celebrities to be seen at NASCAR races. TV and Movie actor Mark Wahlberg was one of the many attending Las Vegas’ UAW-DiamlerChrysler 400.

Rick C. Limpert is a freelance writer for Nothin' But NASCAR, and is based in Atlanta, GA. His e-mail is rclimpert@nothinbutnascar.com. This article may be used without permission as long as this bio accompanies its' use. Any use of this piece without proper credit is strictly prohibited.

Kick your garage up a notch with these gorgeous collectible NASCAR clocks

6)Joke of the day: In a bid to speed up their pit stops, Kasey Kahne's Dodge team sacked their entire pit crew and replaced them with local gang members who, it was said, could get the wheels off a car in less than four seconds without any proper equipment.

Come the day of the next Nextel Cup race, the gang members, working in the pits, did indeed change the tires on Kasey Kahne's Dodge in under four seconds. But there was a problem: within ten seconds they had resprayed and re-numbered the car and sold it to the Waltrip team.

5)Site of the day: Gizmodo - review site for gadgets, toys and hi-tech electronics

4)Video of the day: Biggest NASCAR crash

3)NASA image of the day

2)Odd story of the day: German man chainsaws house in two in divorce split

1)NASCAR story of the day: Gambling At Vegas Is Unacceptable...When You’re Dealing With Someone’s Life

5)Site of the day: ThisDayInMusic.com - Pretty self-explanatory

4)Video of the day: Japanese Human Slingshot

3)Odd story of the day: Man brandishing torch robs Alaska bank

2)NASCAR item of the day: Collectible Dale Jr. Limited Edition Photoramics

1)NASCAR story of the day: If Junior fails to qualify at Vegas, it's the end of the world as we know it

5)Site of the day: Online games, cartoons, funny movies and pictires, prank calls and more

4)Video of the day: World's worst burglers

3)NASA's image of the day

2)Odd story of the day: Man wanted for trying to revive father's corpse

1)NASCAR story of the day: Inside Dish: COT could run full time in '08

6)Joke of the day: Yesterday, scientists for the FDA suggested that men should take a look at their beer consumption, considering the results of a recent analysis that revealed the presence of female hormones in beer. The theory is that drinking beer makes men turn into women.

To test the finding, 100 men were fed 6 pints of beer each. It was then observed that 100% of the men gained weight, talked excessively without making sense, became overly emotional, couldn't drive, failed to think rationally, argued over nothing, and refused to apologize when wrong.

No further testing is planned.

5)Site of the day: Great urban legends website

4)Video of the day: Dumbest families ever

3)SAT ? of the day

2)Odd story of the day: This gives a whole new meaning to the words "All in"-Father gambles away daughter in poker game

1)NASCAR story of the day: Dale Jr.'s slow start adds to drama at DEI

5)Site of the day:BarTV - a great resource for cocktail recipes as well as bartending tools and techniques

4)Video of the day:Man beats up coworker

3)Check out the NASA image of the day

2)Odd story of the day:Porn DVD screams prompt sword "rescue"

1)NASCAR story of the day:Daytona controversy: 500 laps and as many opinions