Martin's next Sprint Cup Series pole position will be the 50th of his career and will place him eighth on the all-time pole winner's list. Martin earned his second career Sprint Cup pole at Richmond on Sept. 13, 1981 -- his first start there. Since then, he has scored three additional poles at RIR, including one last September.  Martin's average Richmond starting position of 10th is his second-best for any oval track on the circuit. He only ranks higher at Pocono Raceway, where his average start is 8.9. - hms pr
 

GOLDEN START: Saturday's race will be Mark Martin's 50th Cup start at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Martin has made 50 or more starts at four other tracks on the Cup circuit: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Michigan International Speedway.

RICHMOND WINNER: In his 49 career Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond, Martin has earned one win, 17 top-five finishes and 27 top-10s. He went to Victory Lane on Feb. 25, 1990, after starting sixth and leading the final 16 laps. Martin's average Richmond finish of 12th ties Homestead-Miami Speedway as his fourth-best at any oval track on the circuit.

TRACK BESTS: Martin's 17 top-five finishes and 27 top-10s rank first among all active drivers at .75-mile track. Overall at Richmond, Martin ranks seventh all-time in top-fives and eighth in top-10s.

POLE SITTER: Martin's next Sprint Cup Series pole position will be the 50th of his career and will place him eighth on the all-time pole winner's list. Martin earned his second career Sprint Cup pole at Richmond on Sept. 13, 1981 -- his first start there. Since then, he has scored three additional poles at RIR, including one last September.  Martin's average Richmond starting position of 10th is his second-best for any oval track on the circuit. He only ranks higher at Pocono Raceway, where his average start is 8.9.

CLOSER: Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, has gained more positions during the last 10 percent of laps in the last 11 races at RIR than any other Sprint Cup competitor. On average, Martin gains 2.7 positions in the final 40 laps at each RIR race.

LOOP STATS: Martin holds the second-best average starting spot of 8.5 during the last 11 races at RIR. He also holds the fifth-best average finish of 9.9 among drivers during that timeframe. Martin has the seventh-best driver rating in the last 11 races at Richmond with a score of 93.9.

THE NO. 5 AT RICHMOND: Under the leadership of crew chief Alan Gustafson, the GoDaddy.com team has earned seven top-five finishes in 11 starts at Richmond. Gustafson earned five top-fives in his first five starts at the Virginia short track as crew chief, notably posting runner-up finishes in September 2006 and May 2007.

CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-561 for Saturday night's race at Richmond. This is the same chassis Martin drove at Richmond earlier this year. Most recently, this chassis was tested at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado.

HENDRICK AT RICHMOND: In 53 events (162 starts) at Richmond, Hendrick Motorsports has scored 10 wins, 46 top-five finishes, 80 top-10s and led 3,580 laps. The organization's top-five finishes, top-10s and pole positions (15) are the most for any team all-time at Richmond.

HENDRICK BEST: Hendrick Motorsports has scored 15 pole positions, which is a personal best for the organization. Geoff Bodine earned the team's first pole position in the No. 5 Chevrolet at Richmond in September 1985, while Martin captured the most recent pole at the track in September 2009.

GO DADDY GETAWAY: GoDaddy.com is giving away a two-day fantasy trip to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. The trip for two includes a personal introduction with Martin and GoDaddy.com NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Danica Patrick. Fans can register online at www.GoDaddy.com/pircontest. The contest ends Sept. 24. - HMS PR

AT RICHMOND: In 22 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has scored three wins, eight top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. He has an average start of 16.2 and an average finish of 13.2. He has completed 99 percent of all the laps he's attempted (8,716 of 8,803 total) and led 427 laps.

RICHMOND RANKINGS: Earnhardt's three wins at Richmond tie him with teammate Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart for most victories among active drivers. The trio is tied for seventh on the all-time winner's list at Richmond. Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway is the only track where Earnhardt has more wins -- he has visited Victory Lane there five times.
 

RICHMOND IN THE FALL: Earnhardt has posted stronger finishes in September at Richmond while driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. In 2008, Earnhardt started the race fourth and led 90 laps before finishing fourth. In 2009, he finished six positions better in the fall race than the May race.

RICHMOND RECORD: Richmond is one of five tracks where Earnhardt has earned eight top-five finishes, a personal best for him at a track. The other tracks include Talladega, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Earnhardt ranks 10th in the driver rating category at Richmond with a score of 88.8. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.

RICHMOND CHASSIS: Crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-586 this weekend at Richmond. This chassis first saw action at Phoenix International Raceway in April where Earnhardt finished 12th. In May, Earnhardt raced this chassis to a 32nd-place finish at Richmond after a cut tire forced an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 196. The No. 88 team also tested this chassis recently at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga.

HENDRICK AT RICHMOND: In 53 events (162 starts) at Richmond, Hendrick Motorsports has scored 10 wins, 46 top-five finishes, 80 top-10s and led 3,580 laps. The organization's top-five finishes, top-10s and pole positions (15) are the most for any team all-time at the Virginia short track. - hms pr

As NASCAR did in the first two races with the Nationwide Series “new car” in Daytona and Michigan, NASCAR has extended practice Thursday Sep 9th at Richmond International Raceway. This will allow drivers to learn how their cars will handle on this untested track.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was victorious in dramatic fashion in the debut of these cars, sporting his father's No. 3 and Wrangler paint scheme. Brad Keselowski won the other race with this car.

The new Nationwide car has more aerodynamic drag than the car it is replacing. The rear spoiler provides a degree of adjustability.

"We're basically in the same gear that we were with the other car," series director Jo Balash said at Michigan. "This car does have more drag built into it, and that was the intent of the car, to do that, to have a stepping stone in drag over the current Nationwide car.

"One of the things I have seen that's been noticeable on the cars is there's been a number of teams making adjustments on the car by using the ear pieces on the rear spoiler. That's one of the things that we gave to the teams with the new Nationwide car, to make some adjustments. And I think we've seen a lot of teams taking advantage of that."

The morning session on Thursday will run from 9am to 12pm EST. The afternoon session is from 1pm to 4pm. Drivers Kevin Harvick, Keselowski and Paul Menard will be available for a press conference during the break, along with Balash.

Fans can watch NASCAR Nationwide Series new car extended practice for free to see their favorite car models that actually have a resemblance to the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, Toyota Camry and Chevy Impala. These “new cars” will debut at in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250. A free autograph session with many Nationwide drivers will follow the conclusion of the afternoon practice session at 4:30 p.m. at the Amphitheater. Wristbands for the autograph session will be handed out at 3:00 p.m. at Gate 40. - Jesse L. Medford www.examiner.com

DAYTONA BEACH -- Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III helped stuff mementoes and information about this era into a silver canister and buried it at the start-finish line Wednesday.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Burton assisted with the process, including covering the time capsule with dirt.

"It's cool for me to be here, with the history of this track, the France family actually building this track with their own hands and seeing it being reconstructed is really cool," Burton said.

"I love the history of our sport," he added. "To think about what Daytona has meant to NASCAR, well, this is it. This is it. When you think about how long this (old pavement) lasted, this is a needed effort and will help the quality of racing."

The time capsule will remain buried at least 20 years, but Chitwood said the container is designed to withstand the elements for 100 years.

"I'm not sure whose idea this was, but knowing this track was paved in 1958 and in 1978 only two inches of asphalt were added to the top of that," Chitwood said. "In essence, we were digging up 50 years of material. I don't know if this will last 50 years, but I won't be around for that."

The contents range from a modern-day cell phone to a McDonald's menu to several copies of The News-Journal to a piece of material used to fill the infamous Daytona 500 pothole.

"The pothole will live in infamy as a unique element or story we will tell," Chitwood said.

Before Burton appeared for the media opportunity, he drove around the track to see the repaving progress over the 2.5-mile tri-oval.

There are large pieces of equipment scattered everywhere around the property as contractor Lane Construction races to meet its Jan. 1 completion date.

He last saw the Speedway on July 3 for the Coke Zero 400. The repaving project, estimated at $20 million, started July 5.

"Racing at this track is going to be incredible," he said. "We had got to the point here where we had to lift a lot and make big sacrifices to make our cars drive.

"The new asphalt and technology of the grading makes it so smooth and creates so much grip, you won't be afraid to put it three wide. The Daytona 500 and a lot of races after that are going to be really exciting."

Burton said his team, Richard Childress Racing, has already started internal discussions about 2011 Speed Weeks and what should go into those race cars. He said teams will look for pure speed.

"It used to be handling and getting the most downforce and getting through the corners," Burton said. "All that's out the window now. We had a meeting last week about how to build a car for this new asphalt.

"Here it is, the first race of the 2010 Chase hasn't started and we are thinking about the Daytona 500. That's how famous this race is. I can't wait to come down here and test in January."

Chitwood said the Speedway is talking to NASCAR about dates. The tentative Cup test would be Jan. 17-19. Goodyear hopes to tire test before the middle of January.

As for the time capsule, Burton, 43, has already volunteered to bring it out of the ground.

"When you put a time capsule down, you want to be around to dig it up," he said. "There's an age limit to that. When you reach a certain age, you can't ask that. I'm not quite there yet." - By GODWIN KELLY www.news-journalonline.com

DAYTONA BEACH — It's almost as if it was ordained that Joie Chitwood III would ultimately have a connection to Daytona International Speedway.

After all, his father, Joie Chitwood II, was competing in a pony car race at Daytona the day he was born, Feb. 20, 1969, in a Tampa hospital.

He's gone from performer in the famous Joie Chitwood Thrill Show to president of the venerable, historic speedway. And he faces a gargantuan task.

Top priority: make sure the repaving project under way at the 2.5-mile speedway is finished on time.

Standing in gravel that will soon form the base of a new pit road, Chitwood was frank in discussing the challenges that await him and his crew and what keeps him up at night.

"It's pretty basic, the Daytona 500 is Feb. 20 of 2011, that's not changing," he told a small group of reporters. "There's no opportunity to change that. We will be done (with repaving), we will be ready and we will put on a show that our fans expect.

"Unfortunately in 2010, they did not get that with the red flag situation and the pothole. We need to rebuild some trust with them."

Chitwood has experience with running -- and building -- race tracks, having been at the controls of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and having experienced firsthand the construction of Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., under a tight budget and a tight deadline.

He claims the Chicagoland experience taught him as much about the business end of racing as anything, and now it's his job to run Daytona for parent corporation International Speedway Corp. Running speedways has been a challenge to the bottom line of ISC, which is NASCAR's corporate twin. ISC has cut staff from top to bottom as it tries to continue delivering profits to its shareholders while at the same time filling as many seats as possible during a recession.

It will take all his management and marketing skills -- the latter honed in his many roles in the Thrill Show, from driving a car on two wheels to standing on the side of a car while his dad drove it on two wheels.

"I'm used to risking my life as a stunt man so I guess I'm in a great position here because I think I can handle that," he added about the challenges of running the speedway and keeping a close watch on the massive re-paving job.

"It's not like paving your street . . . or International Speedway Boulevard. It's unlike any other paving project I've ever been around or have seen."

And it's a paving project that has to finish on time, the deadline is Jan. 1. That would allow racers from NASCAR to the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and the AMA motorcycles -- and their respective tire manufacturers -- to get in enough testing to make everyone comfortable. Racing begins with the Jan. 29-30 Rolex 24 at Daytona and is followed by NASCAR Speedweeks and Bike Week.

Fortunately, an expected ferocious hurricane season has yet to come to pass, and the usual afternoon thunderstorms have not been as frequent, allowing crews from Lane Construction to put down three of the four layers of asphalt on the front and backstretches. But much work remains, including repaving the 31-degree banked turns.

"I think there's always a situation when you take on a new role, it's to understand everything that goes with it, whether it's the staff, the resources, the personnel," he said. "Of course I've been thrown into an interesting one in the middle of a repaving project. It's a bit stressful."

Chitwood succeeded the marketing-oriented Robin Braig, who in his eight years, oversaw major projects including the 2004 infield renovation and tunnel construction, the 50th running of the 500.

And while Chitwood hasn't had the time to sit down and map out his plans for any future changes and upgrades, he's certainly given it some thought. Just the possibilities brought a smile to his face.

"I already started telling the staff some ideas I have," he said. "I have ideas. I've had ideas at every place I've worked. I think I can bring some creative things to the table.

"I also think I think of it as a fan. Having performed in front of them as a stunt man, having been a ticket-holder here at Daytona, coming when I was a teenager, I've had a chance to experience events as a fan. Hopefully I can use those experiences and make sure we do a good job presenting what they deserve."

ISC boss Lesa France Kennedy, couching her expectations in corporate-speak, certainly hopes so.

"We are very fortunate to have a seasoned executive of Joie's proven ability to step into this important position as President of Daytona International Speedway," Kennedy said in announcing Chitwood's hiring. "Joie is highly respected throughout the industry and brings a lifetime of motorsports entertainment experience to Daytona. We will certainly benefit from his experience and knowledge of the motorsports industry which he has proved in his successful work over the years." - by mark decotis - www.floridatoday.com

MIAMI (AP)

Homestead-Miami Speedway is off the 2011 Indy Racing League schedule, a decision that some of the series' top drivers are not thrilled about.

IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard confirmed Wednesday that Homestead is not among the venues selected to host a race next year. Homestead was IRL's traditional opening site for much of the past decade, hosted the series championship-deciding finale in 2009 and will be where the final race of this year takes place on Oct. 2.

The IndyCar finale is expected to move to Las Vegas for 2011.

''We want to partner with tracks that are willing to promote and market IndyCar as we grow our sport,'' Bernard said. ''While Homestead has been a good track, currently our objectives are not aligned. IndyCar must do what is in the best of interest of IndyCar going forward, and we are confident the partners and promoters we have will work very hard to help advance the series.''

Bernard did not divulge any other schedule details, other than saying ''We have chosen to move away from Homestead.'' IndyCar will release the full 2011 schedule on Friday.

Homestead-Miami officials said they planned to respond after Friday's schedule release.

''I don't know the logistics of what happened so it's hard to criticize one part or another,'' driver Tony Kanaan told The AP. ''To me, it's a shame. It's like losing my home race. It's the race all my friends get to see. It's the only race a lot of people here can afford to go see. It's the only opportunity I have to invite people to watch.''

Drivers had heard rumblings for some time that Homestead's spot was in danger, but some were optimistic a deal could be struck. Kanaan, one of 10 IRL drivers with homes in South Florida, said he was aware of the decision before Wednesday.

''It's a shame,'' Kanaan said. ''That's my personal view. It's a shame. ... I go go-karting there twice a week sometimes. Homestead's my home track.''

Other drivers, including reigning IRL champion Dario Franchitti and longtime Homestead visitor Scott Dixon, said earlier this week they were hopeful South Florida would remain on the series schedule.

''I'll be sad if we don't come back here,'' Franchitti said Monday during a visit to Homestead.

Homestead-Miami Speedway President Matt Becherer told the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce at a Wednesday luncheon that the track generates $331 million annually for the South Florida economy, saying $250 million of that came directly from NASCAR's annual championship weekend.

Operated by International Speedway Corporation, Homestead hosts the finales for all three of NASCAR's series, and Becherer said there was a ''very real'' threat made earlier this year by rival track owner Bruton Smith to lure the Sprint Cup championship to his facility in Las Vegas.

''He wants our race badly. Very badly,'' Becherer told the Miami chamber. ''There's going to come a time where we're going to have to respond to these threats. What's at stake is simply too high.''

Becherer did not mention anything about the IRL's plans for 2011 and beyond at Homestead in his 12-minute address Wednesday.

Smith, the chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., said last weekend that Homestead, about a 30-minute drive south of downtown Miami, isn't a worthy site for championship events. He referred to the track's location as ''North Cuba'' and indicated that he expected the IRL finale to be in Las Vegas for at least 2011.

''I've worked really hard to promote the Homestead race,'' Kanaan said. ''I've seen the growth of the public there. We announced the unification of the series there in 2008. It's part of the new history of the new league and it's a track that I heart a lot. We're not filling the place like the Cup guys do, but it's increasing.''

Kanaan is hopeful for a return to Homestead in 2012.

''I will do whatever it takes,'' Kanaan said. ''I work for my team and I work for the league, but if there's something that can be done, I'll be the first one to do it.'' - AP

Though Dale Earnhardt Jr. won’t be battling for a spot in the Chase Saturday night at Richmond, there is reason for optimism heading to the 0.75-mile short track.

Earnhardt Jr. has three wins at Richmond, which ties him with Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart for most wins there among active full-time drivers.

In 22 career starts at Richmond, Earnhardt Jr. has eight top-five finishes, matching his personal best at a track. And his average finish of 13.2 at Richmond is third-best among all tracks for Earnhardt Jr.

And he typically runs better at Richmond in September than he does in May. He led 90 laps and finished fourth there in September 2008.

Though he has slumped to 19th in points and is out of Chase contention – 219 behind 12th-place Clint Bowyer – Earnhardt Jr. is poised for a good run this weekend.

"Richmond fits my driving style,” he said. “I grew up racing at Myrtle Beach [S.C.], and it's got the same characteristics of that track. It's got multiple grooves and multiple ways of racing around there.

“The car changes quite a bit over the night, and you've got to be able to move around and find different grooves. We've struggled there the past couple of times but we've been doing a lot of testing to get ready for this weekend."

Crew chief Lance McGrew says his Hendrick Motorsports crew tried some new setups recently in preparation for the Richmond race.

"We went testing at a track that is comparable to Richmond,” said McGrew, whose team recently tested at Gresham (Ga.) Motorsports Park. “It was more of an effort to try some new things. It's not a race that we prepare any different for other than the fact that you can't go to a place that compares to say, Atlanta and test. You've got to learn some lessons at a smaller track and hope they carry over to some of the larger tracks."

A big challenge at Richmond is practicing and qualifying during the day, and then racing under the lights.

"It's difficult because you have to look back at the history and changes you've made at the race the last time you went there,” McGrew said. “It does throw a big wrinkle in it because the grip level is so different from day to night that sometimes your car will do something completely different.

“Ultimately, you try to build some adjustability into your car for the night time."

Despite the challenge, both McGrew and Earnhardt Jr. like racing on a Saturday night.

“I've always liked Saturday night racing because it is more the way you grew up racing,” McGrew said. “For those of us that grew up racing, you were racing Friday and Saturday nights. The way the lights reflect off the cars, usually the crowd's a lot more excited because they've done some tailgating and are in a pretty good mood.

“I like it. It reminds me of simpler times." - www.fanfeedr.com

Post race engine inspection from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Emory Healthcare 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway has been completed and all is clear. - John 'Captain Thunder' Nevins www.CaptainThunderRacing.com

Two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom will make his oval debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series next weekend at Richmond, Red Bull Racing Team has announced.

The Swede will pilot the #83 Red Bull Toyota for a second time this year, having made his NASCAR debut in June. Ekstrom drove in the first road course event of the season at Infineon Raceway, where he finished 21st after starting 38th, leading the race for seven laps.

After racing in the DTM last weekend at Brands Hatch, the 32-year-old tested for Red Bull on an oval for the first time on Tuesday at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 oval in North Carolina, where he successfully completed his preparation to compete next Saturday in the final race of the regular season at the 0.75-mile Richmond International Raceway.

"To do a race on an oval is something different - it's a lot of laps and a lot of cars," said Ekstrom. "Racing in Richmond will be one of the biggest tasks of my life so far, but I feel I am ready for the challenge."

Ekstrom replaces Reed Sorenson, who has driven the #83 car for eighth of the past nine races. Brian Vickers started his fourth year at the wheel of the leading Red Bull entry but he has been sidelined from racing since May after being diagnosed with blood clots. Casey Mears, Boris Said and Ekstrom, have also driven the car this year.

"Mattias did a great job in Sonoma, and continues to impress at the oval track testing sessions," said Red Bull Racing Team's Jay Frye. "He has earned this opportunity, showing continued improvement every time he is behind the wheel."

Ekstrom is expected to be back behind the wheel of his DTM Audi A4 next week, when the series competes at Oschersleben. With four events remaining, he ranks fifth in the DTM standings. - by Diego Mejia - www.fanfeedr.com

Mark Martin is toast.

You know it. I know it. He knows it. The kid driving the go-kart down the street knows it.

Martin is currently the 15th man in a 12-man race to qualify for NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup entering Saturday's final run at Richmond.

"I haven't done the math," he said Tuesday, "but I don't think (the odds are) very good."

You are correct, sir. Martin is 147 points away from qualifying. Anyone within 161 points of 12th place is still eligible to make the Chase, but it virtually would take a bunch of cars wrecking in the first few laps Saturday night for Martin to roll into NASCAR's 10-race playoff.

Greg Biffle is in 11th place but looks solid. He has a 161-point lead over 13th-place Ryan Newman. All Biffle has to do is finish 42nd or better to clinch. Clint Bowyer, currently 12th, has a 117-point lead over Newman. All he has to do is finish 28th or better to clinch.

Jamie McMurray (128 points out) and Martin are extreme bubble boys.

We measure greatness in different ways, not just by points and championships. Few people would have the nerve to rip Martin for becoming a career underachiever, despite finishing second in the points chase five times since his first career start April 15, 1981 in North Wilkesboro.

One of those times was last year, when he came out of "semi-retirement" to run a full schedule.

"It would have destroyed the season for us to miss the Chase last year, because we knew if we could get in it, we could win it," he said.

This year, not as much.

Martin's No 5. Chevrolet has yet to win in 25 starts this season and has an average finish of 19.6 in the last five races. He does the math and knows he would belong by the flimsiest of margins.

There is no looking back. There was a time back in his young and wilder days Martin would have been furious at the circumstances. But now, at 51, he can take an introspective look at his career and missed opportunities at championships.

"It wouldn't have changed my life," Martin said "… I don't think I'd be a different person. I don't think I'd have a different ride. I don't think I'd have more sponsors or anything else.

"When I look back on it, I've been very, very fortunate to have been incredibly successful at doing what I have passion for and love. And I'm no champion. I'm just lucky I got to win a pile of races."

Martin has 40 of those in his career.

It's a nice pile to have on your resume. - by george diaz -  www.nw32.com
 

Six years after winning his first NASCAR race, Kyle Busch is moving toward his goal of 200 total victories in the sport's top three series.

That number is significant because that's Richard Petty's win total. Petty's wins, though, are all in Cup. Busch's 79 victories are spread among Cup, Nationwide and the truck series -- with 58 of them coming since 2008.

The question is if Busch ever reaches 200 total wins how should his victories be viewed if compared to Petty's total?

Busch defends his results but is careful with how to compare it to what Petty did.

"I'm racing against the best of the best,'' said Busch, whose first NASCAR win came in 2004 at Richmond in what was called the Busch Series. "The best of the best that are there that day. There are still Cup guys that are racing in the Nationwide Series all the time. There's still ex-Cup guys and ex-Nationwide guys that are racing in the Truck Series.

"I see how people are discounting them all. I don't think you can correlate them to [Petty's] 200 national series wins. I'm going after my goal. My goal is 200 wins. I don't care if they're national series wins, Cup Series wins, or not. I'd like to get there, but I don't foresee me being able to with the way competition is so stiff every week."

Busch has 19 Cup victories (three this season), 40 in the Nationwide Series (10 this season) and 20 in the truck series (four this season). He is entered in both the Cup and Nationwide races this weekend at Richmond International Raceway.

Mark Martin (95 wins) and Jeff Gordon (87) rank ahead of Busch in wins in the three series among active drivers.

Only two drivers have won more than 100 total NASCAR wins with Petty at 200 and David Pearson at 106 (105 in Cup and one in Nationwide). Next are Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip with 97 wins each.

While some fans would discount comparisons between Busch and Earnhardt, Martin said there's ways to look at what both have done.

"There were some greats when Earnhardt was out there doing all that but there wasn't as many greats with great cars as there are today,'' Martin said. "What Kyle does makes him shine and places him above, up at the very top of the class.

"And so I would say the discrepancy from the mid-pack to Dale Earnhardt versus the discrepancy today is smaller. But you would expect that, because everybody's raised their game and ...everybody's cars have the availability of being great.''

As for how Busch views what he's done so far in his career?

"I wish I was a little bit better,'' he said. "I don't feel like I've lived up to some of the hype and some of the potential that I have and the talent people say that I have.

"I don't think 20 wins [actually 19 in Cup] is justifying enough. Overall, I think there's still a long time for me to go. Hopefully, I can rally off a few more wins, especially in the Chase this year. And, when you look at it, you're not very much of a slouch if you're winning three to five races a year. I don't see that as being disappointing.''

Back to work

Terry Labonte returns to the Cup series for the first time since last year's season finale at Homestead. Labonte, driving for Stavola Labonte Racing, is entered for this weekend's race. Labonte last raced at Richmond in 2005, finishing ninth.

Extra day

The Nationwide Series will test from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at Richmond. This is the third race with the new car, which will be used all of next season, so teams will get an extra day of testing. The session is open to the public.

Pit stops

Gordon has seven consecutive top-10 finishes at Richmond, best among active drivers. ... Points leader Kevin Harvick has placed in the top 10 in 10 of the last 11 Cup races there. ... Jimmie Johnson has led a series-high 1,076 laps this season (14.8 percent of all laps this year). - by dustin long - www.roanoke.com

So much has been written and detailed about Richard Petty and his family through the years but there's a few details in the documentary "Petty Blue'' (scheduled to air Oct. 8 on CMT) that might even surprise some of the biggest Petty fans. (you can see a clip here.)

 In the show, narrated by Kevin Costner, Petty and his brother Maurice, talk about how their father ran moonshine and how they even went on a few runs. It's a part of the Petty family legacy that the family often has downplayed (remember that the old Petty Enterprises refused any alcohol sponsorship because Richard's mom was against it).

 In the movie, Maurice Petty said of his father, Lee: "He hauled liquor. There ain't no two ways about it. Mom and Richard and myslef, a lot of the times we had to ride with him ... when he made his drops.''

 Said Richard: "My granddaddy and a bunch of my uncles and stuff, they had some stills around. They did a little bootlegging too. You didn't think anything about it because it was just a way of life in Level Cross.''

 Richard said after the premiere on Tuesday in Charlotte that he had been on a few runs but stressed it wasn't that often.

 As for the King's nickname? Well, early in the documentary (which features old racing footage and old pictures) there's a couple of pictures of Richard and his car in the late 1950s where next to Richard Petty's name on the door is the word Squirrel. It's not brought up in the show what it is, so I asked Richard about it afterward. Here's what he said of his first nickname in racing:

 "They had a couple of guys from California that came back here and run, and I had just started,'' said Petty, who made his debut in 1958. "I was pretty squirrelly. I was all over the race track. The nickname came from California. These California boys started calling me Squirrel because that's what anybody that was out of control like I was, they called a squirrel, so I just took it up and just wrote it on the side of my car.''

 When did he stop putting Squirrel on the car? "(When) I thought I was doing a little bit better than being a squirrel,'' he said.

 The documentary details the rise and fall of Petty Enterprises from its beginnings with Lee through the high times with Richard to the career of Kyle (which also includes a couple of clips when he performed country music) to Adam, who died 10 years ago at the age of 19 after a crash at New Hampshire. In the documentary, Lynda Petty reveals a heartbreaking scene about Richard's reaction to being told of Adam's death.

 Asked if he wonders what would have happened with Petty Enterprises had Adam lived, Richard said: "Yeah. Again, like the lady said, God put a period there and the game was over. So, then we had to gather up everything and do the best we could with what we had left. If you look at what my dad done, what I done, what Kyle has and what we thought Adam could have accomplished, then it still would been going on, but it wasn't meant to be. That was good about them showing the Victory Junction Gang Camp (in the documentary) because of Adam, like Kyle said, you've got like 10,000 kids that have enjoyed themselves and maybe if Adam hadn't gotten killed it might not have happened.''

 The documentary also delves into the end of Petty Enterprises and how Richard's name carried over to merger with Gillette Evernham Motorsports to become Richard Petty Motorsports but Kyle Petty did not make the move. In the documentary, Kyle said about that: "I would never say that I was as mad as I was disappointed in the process, but it's part of life and this is a cruel business, let's be true about that too.''

 Richard attended the preview without Lynda, featured heavily in the program. Lynda was diagnosed with CNS (Central Nervous System) Lymphoma a while back. Here's what he said about her condition now: "She's having cancer in her eye, so she can't really see. That's one reason why she didn't come because she could see outlines and stuff but not make it out. She was waiting to see the thing once she gets her eye deal back. She's been going through chemo, so they got rid of the cancer in her body, but now she's got cancer in her eye, so we're going to do radiation for that, so they feel like they can take care of that. So, hopefully, in the next month or month and a half, she'll be able to see pretty good.'' - by dustin long - www.hamptonroads.com

Darian Grubb, crew chief for the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet, and driver Tony Stewart, has been named the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Sunday's Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

It was the first victory for Stewart in nearly a year, dating back to Kansas last October. Throughout the weekend, Grubb and company put Stewart in position to succeed with solid pit stops and a car that had plenty of horsepower and maneuverability.

"This team has been doing an awesome job for the last two-and-a-half or three months and we've been kind of quiet this year," said Stewart. "Tonight the pit stops and car were great! With Darian and these guys at our shop, it's just been really fun the last couple of months."

The Grubb-led team began the weekend off on the right foot by qualifying in the fifth position and stayed up front all night. He led for a race-high 176 laps.

Although Stewart struggled with restarts throughout the night, the Grubb-led crew never failed him in the pits. After getting mired back in the pack by lap 272, he came in for four tires and fuel. Restarting in second behind leader Carl Edwards gave Stewart the opportunity to regain his position up front. A lightening fast pit stop for an air pressure adjustment only on lap 297 put Stewart in the lead in the race off pit road. Taking the field back to green on lap 300 of the 325-lap event, Stewart never looked back.

"The best part about those guys is they don't really take a lot of coaching," said Grubb. "There's a very good strong, cohesive team. They work very well together."

"The pit crew is who we have got to give all the credit to tonight," said Stewart. "They had an awesome pit stop the last time we came in that got us that track position that I lost on the previous restart. And without that, I don't think we would have a shot to be here tonight."

"This win was timely and well-deserved," said WYPALL Wipers crew chief representative Jeff Hammond. "Darian and the crew performed so well when it counted. They were just good. Darian's patience and perseverance has paid off."

WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief Results

Jeff Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevy led by Todd Berrier overcame their 26th-starting position to come back and finish fourth!

After battling with a tight-handling car early on in the race, Berrier wasted no time in taking advantage of the cautions to bring his driver in for adjustments. Following the final restart of the night, Burton wasted no time working his way up front on for fresh tires.

Marcos Ambrose and the No. 47 Little Debbie Toyota Camry, led by Frank Kerr took off from the 32nd position and finished 10th, his first top-10 at AMS.

WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief Team

Berrier, Kerr and Hammond, along with representatives from the WYPALL Wipers brand, serve as the panel for the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge and vote for the weekly crew chief winners. In addition to the $500 check, the winning crew chief will receive signage to announce the win on their pit box the following week. The crew chief with the most weekly wins will be honored as the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $20,000 check at season's end.

Former winners of the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge include Tony Eury, Sr. (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.), Robbie Reiser (Matt Kenseth), Doug Richert (Greg Biffle), Mike Ford (Denny Hamlin) and Chad Knaus (Johnson).  - www.paddocktalk.com
 

Jimmie Johnson is currently in 7th with five wins, and 13 top 10 finishes this season.

Johnson’s team is ranked number one on the Forbes list of the Most Valuable Teams In Nascar.

The average team generated $92 million in revenue last year, a drop of 4% as teams were hurt by a 19% decline in Nascar licensing revenue. Despite the revenue drop, the average operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) for the top teams was flat at $7 million. Teams have trimmed budgets by reducing head count, tracking inventory more closely and cutting travel budgets.

Stewart’s team, Stewart-Haas Racing, is ranked 8th.

For more on Stewart-Haas Racing, check out:

Forbes magazine article: Is Tony Stewart Nascar’s Smartest Owner?

Forbes.com videos: Tony Stewart’s Racing To Profitability

Recently, the video above was posted on Tony Stewart’s Facebook wall. More than 600 fans ‘like’ it, and 89 fans commented. A few of the comments are below:

Tammy Couch congrats smoke on making the Forbes 8th place is a great accomplishment for you..keep up good work rooting for u sun like always.

Shelby Marchand The hottest honcho doesn’t quite cover it. What would nascar be if Tony hadn’t chosen to do this for a living!!!!!

Johanna E Matias Smart and sucessful businessman, damn good driver, sexy in his own way, with a good heart…what else can we ask? NOTHING!

Alex Chambers TONY STEWART keep the commercials coming keep making money and most importantly keep racing.