Simmons to race in Freedom 100 and Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Jeff Simmons is pulling double duty this week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

He's planning to race in the Freedom 100 in the IRL's developmental Indy Lights Series on Friday and the big race two days later. Simmons isn't attempting the Indianapolis 500 and a quick flight to Charlotte, N.C., for NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, the more familiar racing double.
He and Phil Giebler, last year's Indy 500 rookie of the year, are the only drivers to compete in both events at Indianapolis the same year. Giebler did not qualify for Sunday's race, however-- a crash in practice last week prevented that -- leaving the 31-year-old Simmons the busiest driver at the track this week.

"Coming into the month, I didn't have a ride at all, and now I'm in the Indy 500 and I also have the Freedom 100 ride, so I'm doing the double," said Simmons, who was hired by team owner A.J. Foyt last week to take the spot intended for Foyt's son, Larry, the team director. "The more track time, the better, and the more racing, the better in the month of May, so it's fantastic."

Simmons was the Indy Lights runner-up in 2003 and 2005. In 2004, he finished second in the Freedom 100 driving for Foyt and 16th in his rookie Indy 500 for Mo Nunn Racing. His best finish in three starts in the 500 was 11th last year.

He qualified Saturday at 221.103 mph for a start on the outside of the eighth row. Foyt's primary driver, Englishman Darren Manning, will start 14th, in the middle of the fifth row.

"We're going to try to have strong runs in both of them," Simmons said of his two races at Indy. "I love that fact that I'm racing here with A.J. Foyt Racing. He's been engineering me ... and it's been a privilege. I'm really looking forward to working more with him and Darren."

Practice and qualifications for the Freedom 100 are scheduled Thursday.

Among the others in the developmental series are some familiar names, including Al Unser III, the grandson of four-time Indy winner Al Unser Sr., and son of two-time winner Al Unser Jr., and Arie Luyendyk Jr., son of two-time Indy winner Arie Luyendyk. Others include Richard Antinucci, the nephew of former Indy winner Eddie Cheever, and Sean Guthrie, the son of former Indy driver Jim Guthrie.

Indy Lights has been a steppingstone into the IndyCar Series in recent years, including last year's Freedom 100 and series champion Alex Lloyd and series runner-up Hideki Mutoh. Other Indy Lights drivers racing in the IRL's top series include Giebler, Jaime Camara, Jay Howard, Marty Roth, Marco Andretti, Ed Carpenter and A.J. Foyt IV, Foyt's grandson and the series' first champion in 2002.

After four races, Californian J.R. Hildebrand leads Antinucci 142-139 in Indy Lights season points. England's Dillon Battistini is third with 123 points, followed by Brazil's Raphael Matos with 107 points and Luyendyk Jr. with 103 points.

The 40-lap race -- 100 miles -- is scheduled to start Friday.


Marcelino: Let’s Fight For The Champions League
Milan join Flamini race
A.J. Foyt was Indy 500 rookie 50 years ago

Carter wins ARCA RE/MAX Series event

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Matt Carter raced to his first ARCA RE/MAX victory Sunday in his seventh series start, holding off Patrick Sheltra by 0.115 seconds in a one-lap dash to the finish in the rain-slowed Hantz Group 200 at Toledo Speedway.

Carter, the son of longtime NASCAR team owner Travis Carter, drove a Ford for Larry Clement in the race that featured 18 caution periods that consumed 114 of the 204 laps on the half-mile track. Some of the caution laps were run to help dry the track from persistent rain. The race also was red-flagged for nearly two hours because heavy rain.
"What a great day all around for this team," Carter said. "We were absolutely horrible yesterday in practice and qualifying, but the team dug down and fixed up a really good handling car for the race.

"All the guys that raced me for the lead raced me really clean, and it certainly could have gone the other way considering all those restarts that close to the end."

Dexter Bean finished third, followed by Justin Allgaier, NASCAR Sprint Cup driver David Ragan, Scott Speed, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Andy Hanson and Ken Schrader.

"Our car was pretty fast all day long," Ragan said. "We needed some more green-flag racing there at the end and I think that if that weather wouldn't have come along it would have been different. The best car didn't win today, but that's why there's another race sometime down the road."


Cocaine case dropped against Broncos DT Thomas
Hamlin surges after late-race tire call
AJ wins first NASCAR race in Sprint Showdown

NASCAR still looking for its Danica Patrick or Ashley Force

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- It was a matchup NASCAR could only dream of: Melanie Troxel and Ashley Force going head-to-head in the first all-female Funny Car elimination round.

Troxel won the round, made it to the finals and ultimately claimed the title Sunday at Thunder Valley Nationals -- making her the first woman in NHRA history to win in both its nitro classes. Troxel downplayed the significance of her matchup with Force, trying hard to remove gender from the historic moment.
"Everybody wants to make a big story about Ashley and I running against each other," she said. "For me, it's not about the other female out here. I think it's pretty sad if we have to just compare ourselves against each other."

She's right, of course. Female competitors are no longer a sideshow in most forms of racing, and Troxel's championship proved women are succeeding at a consistent pace.

Except in NASCAR, that is.

As the most celebrated day in motorsports approaches this week, the differences in gender equality have never been more profound. Danica Patrick headlines a trio of three women who will compete Sunday in the Indianapolis 500, but NASCAR won't have a single woman in its showcase Coca-Cola 600 later that day or in any of the NASCAR-sanctioned events spanning 10 days of racing at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Three decades after Janet Guthrie became the first woman to race in the 600, NASCAR still boasts all-male fields at its premier Sprint Cup level. In fact, no woman has raced in the 600 since Guthrie, and the Cup series has not had a female racer since Shawna Robinson ran seven events in 2002.

"I don't think it's something NASCAR is really concerned about. A female driver is not something they really need," said veteran racer Mike Wallace. "For a while, a lot of people thought it was a novelty. And I've had people close to me say 'Girls can't drive.'

"Well, maybe they can't. But maybe there are one or two who can, and we just need to give them a chance."

Wallace speaks not as a driver with 605 career starts spanning NASCAR's top three series, but as the father of a 20-year-old female racer who dreams of someday making it to the Cup Series. Although she has just one career start in the Truck Series, Chrissy Wallace has taken over the role as NASCAR's best bet to make it to the big time.

She's doing it on her own, piecing together a schedule of seven planned truck races this year for Germain Racing. She was a respectable 18th in her debut at tricky Martinsville Speedway and hopes improvement over her next several races will lead to the funding she needs to run a full schedule next season.

"You have to have decent finishes and win races to attract a sponsor," Chrissy Wallace said. "If we don't get one, we're probably only going to be able to do a limited schedule next season. It's all based on performance."

It's all part of the vicious cycle in racing, where success is as much dependent on financing as talent.

It takes an extraordinary financial commitment to help a child grow from go-karts to bandaleros to late models and maybe someday into stock cars. Not every family has the resources -- Denny Hamlin's parents mortgaged everything and nearly went broke helping him.

Drivers vying for the top level are getting younger and younger in NASCAR, where team owners constantly are scouring short tracks for the next big thing. Just look at Joe Gibbs Racing, which is counting the days until protege Joey Logano's 18th birthday next month, when he can make his Nationwide Series debut.

"The issue we have to confront is one of preparation," said Marcus Jadotte, who oversees NASCAR's diversity issues. "We need to get more young women involved at a young age and hold that interest so their developmental path is that of a normal young male driver."

NASCAR recently began a financial partnership with World Karting Association to help fund opportunities for young female and minority drivers through its Drive for Diversity program. The sanctioning body recognizes capturing the interest of a young driver and holding it until they reach NASCAR's minimum participation age of 16 can be difficult, and providing opportunities for development at the karting level is a start.

The current nine-member D4D program has three women in it, but Kristin Bumbera, Katie Hagar and Lindsey King all are competing on much lower levels of NASCAR-sanctioned racing.

"It is impossible for me or anyone at NASCAR to predict how fast a professional athlete is going to develop," Jadotte said. "Our job is to create as many opportunities for them to develop and improve their skill level, then demonstrate that skill level to the industry to attract team and sponsorship support that will help them move up the ladder."

Chrissy Wallace didn't consider racing a possible career until three years ago, and she's been playing catch-up ever since.

Although she's won at every level, the sponsorship needed to continue her career isn't pouring in. It has helped that she has a famous last name and connections -- two-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has provided both financial support and advice of late -- but there's still a stigma that exists among major corporations with money to spend on sponsorship.

Companies might shy away from sponsoring a woman because there's no proven record of success among female racers in NASCAR. Others might simply be gun shy after Erin Crocker became involved with Ray Evernham, her car owner.

Crocker acknowledged the relationship stalled the sponsorship she needed to continue her career at the top level, and Wallace said she believes other women are feeling the affects.

"People question if that's going to be the same thing that happens with me, but we're two totally different people," said Wallace, who considers herself friendly with Crocker. "It's kind of unfair that all female drivers are often based on her experiences.

"There's a lot of female drivers out there who are talented and work hard."


Young mechanics win time at Roush Fenway

American Dream decides against replacement driver

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- American Dream Motorsports decided against a last-minute effort to get a car into next week's Indianapolis 500 and instead will try to acquire a new car for replacement driver Jacques Lazier in the June 7 race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Team driver Phil Giebler was released from the hospital Sunday but not cleared to drive because of a cervical sprain from a crash during practice on Saturday. His car's Panoz chassis was heavily damaged in the crash.
"Phil is doing better. That's just the way this game is played, but we are proud of our team," American Dream owner Eric Zimmerman said Sunday.

The team also has an entry in the developmental Indy Lights Series races at Indianapolis on Friday and at Milwaukee next week, but its only IndyCar races likely will be at Texas and then at Chicago in September, Zimmerman said.

"Phil is still our driver, and we back him 100 percent," Zimmerman said. "Until he gets better, Jaques will be in the car, but Phil is our driver."

The team plans to compete in the full schedule of races next year, he said.

In the meantime, Lazier was working as a spotter for rookie driver Mario Dominguez, whose last-minute attempt to qualify ended with a crash.

"We definitely had some productive talks, and I know Eric and all the guys over there," said Lazier, younger brother of former Indy winner Buddy Lazier. "But the reality is at some point you have to step back and ask yourself if it's worth trying to go forward and trying to do a banzai-type run, and the reality of that is no. It's just too far down and too late in the month."

The younger Lazier has driven in seven previous Indy 500s but was unable to put together sponsorship this year.

------

CAUTIOUS BUDDY: Former Indy winner Buddy Rice has some advice for the 11 rookies in the Indianapolis 500: Take it slow and easy.

Newcomers account for one-third of the lineup, the most since 13 rookies started the race in 1997 and a potentially dangerous situation in heavy traffic on race day.

"I think some get it and some don't," Rice said of new drivers, many of them experienced at other tracks but still unfamiliar with Indy's flat, narrow oval and changing weather conditions. "This place demands a lot of respect. It will bit you in a hurry. It will do a lot of things you have never seen a track do. With the wind, the weather and everything else, it is totally different."

There were 13 crashes since the track opened May 4 -- nine of them by rookies, and just one of the other four involving a driver with more than two previous races at Indianapolis.

"When you get your bell rung by this place, you start really paying attention. That's why you see the veterans progressively get to the front," said Rice, the 2004 winner.

"There are some young guys that come in, get in the good cars and go really fast. I was no different than they are. Once this place bites you, you start to pay a little more attention to it and start to pay attention to what's going on in the saddle."

Rice, who started from the pole in his win four years ago, qualified for his fifth Indy start at 222.101 mph, giving him a spot in the middle of the sixth row. Eight of the rookies will be starting behind him.

The fastest rookie qualifier was Hideki Mutoh of Japan, who took the spot with Andretti Green Racing that became vacant when last year's Indy and IRL champion Dario Franchitti left for NASCAR. Mutoh will start ninth, on the outside of the third row, with a four-lap average of 223.887 mph.

The other rookies in the lineup are Graham Rahal, Justin Wilson, Alex Lloyd, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Will Power, Oriol Servia, E.J. Viso, Mario Moraes, Enrique Bernoldi and Jaime Camara.

------

FORMAT FOE: Davey Hamilton would just as soon go back to Indy's old format for qualifying.

Hamilton, earning only his second start since he was seriously injured in a crash almost seven years ago, qualified on the outside of the sixth row. But had he been able to keep the speed he had on the first day of qualifications a week earlier, he could have had a spot one row closer to the front and gained a week's head start in race setup preparations.

"It's a terrible system. It's not exciting," Hamilton said. "The top 11 guys, they're way ahead of us, no doubt about it. It's going to be a tough year for all the guys who weren't in the top 11 and getting that extra track time in."

Under Indy's new format, in place since 2005, only 11 spots are available each of the first three days of qualifying, with bumping on each of those days. That's why Hamilton, who was bumped twice on the first day and couldn't qualify the second day because of rain, had to wait until the following weekend to qualify.

"We wouldn't have been sitting around all week waiting for qualifying to come around," he said. "The time we did have on track, we could have been doing race sims (simulations)."

------

LUG NUTS: Sunday was Armed Forces Day at the track, including a fly-over by an Indiana National Guard F16 jet and an oath of enlistment ceremony for military recruits led by Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. ... The 10 drivers in the annual Pit Stop Competition on Friday will be Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske; Danica Patrick, Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti of Andretti Green Racing; Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon of Ganassi Racing; and rookies Will Power of KV Racing, Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and Ryan Hunter-Reay of Rahal Letterman Racing. ... The fastest lap in practice all month was 228.318 mph by Marco Andretti on May 10. ... Two-time Indy winner Al Unser Jr. is now an IRL driver coach and consultant, leaving the starting lineup without at least one member of his family for only the third time in the past 46 years.


Rookies begin practice for Indianapolis 500
Briscoe making most of second chance

AJ wins first NASCAR race in Sprint Showdown

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- AJ Allmendinger won for the first time in his NASCAR career Saturday night, winning the Sprint Showdown to earn a berth in the All-Star race.

Sam Hornish Jr. finished second to also advance into the $1 million main event at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Kasey Kahne also advanced into the All-Star race as the winner of the fan vote.
For Allmendinger and Hornish, it was their best showing yet in their short NASCAR careers. Granted, it came in a 40-lap sprint absent of NASCAR's biggest stars. They were already qualified for the All-Star race and sat out the preliminary, which was for drivers not already in the show.

But it didn't matter to Allmendinger, who has struggled mightily since moving to NASCAR from the now defunct Champ Car Series. He had a difficult rookie season with Red Bull Racing, and the team pulled him from the car for five races earlier this season so he could learn while Mike Skinner temporarily filled his seat.

"Heck, I feel I won the Daytona 500," Allmendinger said. "Nobody understands how much this means to me after what we went through as a team. It may be just an All-Star challenge, but it means the world to me."

Allmendinger had a tremendous lead on the field until a late-race challenge from Hornish. The three-time IndyCar Series champion picked off David Ragan for second place, which was good enough to get him into the All-Star race.

But instead of staying pat, he ran Allmendinger down and made several looks at the lead before finally accepting second place.

"I was trying to get there for sure," Hornish said. "I didn't know if we would have a good chance to actually get around him or not. Actually, the last two laps I could have tried him on the inside of (Turn) 3. I figured if I could get the pass done easily and not take a chance of wrecking the car, that would be great."

Allmendinger didn't make his way to Victory Lane without incident -- contact with Elliott Sadler sent Sadler into the wall, ending his night. Sadler was angry after, referring to Allmendinger as "What's his name." But Allmendinger quickly apologized.

"It's my bad. I messed up. I'm sorry, but I know that doesn't help him right now," Allmendinger said. "I don't want to race like that, I don't want to be known to race like that. But there's no defense, that was my fault."


Hot Kyle Busch wins All-Star race pole
Gibbs’s racers dominate in Nationwide

Ned Jarrett: Son leaving at right time

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- Dale Jarrett was behind the wheel for the final time in his storied career Saturday night in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. His father, a two-time Cup champion, thinks his son is retiring at the right time.

"I would hate to see him hang on for four or five more years or whatever the case might be," the elder Jarrett said. "People have a tendency to remember you for the last thing you did. I want people to remember him as a champion and a winner in racing. If you hang on too long, sometimes people lose track of that."
Dale Jarrett won 32 races, including three Daytona 500s. The 51-year-old star won the points championship in 1999, but hasn't been a contender in recent years.

Jarrett was honored before the race with a video tribute. He drove a brown UPS delivery truck in a slow lap around the track before the race. UPS was Jarrett's longtime sponsor and he did numerous television commercials with the truck.

Ned Jarrett then did the invocation, and Dale Jarrett was seen wiping his eyes after the national anthem.

Jarrett will be ESPN's lead analyst for its Sprint Cup races, again following his father, a longtime TV commentator. Ned Jarrett thinks that will help the withdrawal symptoms that come with leaving the sport.

"He's had a great career and I think it's time," Ned Jarrett said. "He's going out on his own terms, and I think that's good. But also it's good to see him going into another career in broadcasting, sort of following in my footsteps. All of that makes me proud."

------

NO DRESS CODE: Maybe the clothes are the key to Kyle Busch's success.

Busch, the Sprint Cup points leader, has won three times this season and was on the pole for the All-Star race. With eight wins in 2008 in NASCAR's top three series, Busch is clearly relishing his move from Hendrick Motorsports to Joe Gibbs Racing this season.

"It flows easier. It's an easier complex for me to get along with everybody," Busch said. "It's kind of more laid back for me. It's no black dress pants, white shirt tucked in, hair done well, shaved, all that stuff. Joe Gibbs Racing is just jeans and a T-shirt, your Vans shoes or whatever you want to wear. It's more my style and they let you be yourself."

One Joe Gibbs Racing policy is lightening Busch's wallet.

It's tradition for the driver to take out his pit crew for lunch after wins. Busch's dominant season has left him scrambling to pay up.

"We haven't had one for the Talladega one yet, so I owe them two lunches, for Talladega and Darlington," Busch said. "I've got to get the (Nationwide) team, though. I have them on Monday for all of my wins on the (Nationwide) side, so we're getting there. I've got some catching up to do."

------

DOUGNUTS: Greg Biffle was deemed king of the burnout -- and the best at following directions.

The first Pennzoil Victory Challenge pitted Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch in a burnout and doughnut competition on the front stretch of Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The rules called for drivers to first do a smoky burnout, then at least two doughnuts before coming to a stop and then driving into a simulated Victory Lane with another burnout.

It didn't work out that way.

There were numerous rules infractions. Johnson knocked over cones and several drivers blew out tires. Harvick intentionally bumped the wall and sent smoke into the stands. Busch, NASCAR's newest villain after wrecking Dale Earnhardt Jr. earlier this month, got out of his car early and bowed to the booing fans.

"I tried to hit every obstacle they set out for us and blow both rear tires to get the fans excited," said Johnson after collecting the most penalties. "This is really for the fans."

Biffle won, collecting $10,000 to donate to his charity, which supports animal shelters.

"It was a lot of fun," Biffle said. "You had to follow instructions. That was important. ... I think Jimmie missed the memo on what the drill was. But it was funny to watch."

------

FRANCHITTI STILL OUT: Chip Ganassi didn't enter his No. 40 Dodge in the All-Star race activities because driver Dario Franchitti is still nursing a broken left foot.

The car will be back for next week's Coca-Cola 600 here at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but Ganassi believes Sterling Marlin will be behind the wheel instead of Franchitti. He was injured earlier this month in a wreck at Talladega, and has missed three Cup starts because of it.

"It's the same old thing -- drivers think they aren't that hurt when they're hurt," Ganassi said. "They think they'll be back in a week, and so we all kind of said 'OK, great, it's going to be a week or two.'

"I think he's starting to realize that it's not going to be that quick and it looks like Sterling Marlin is going to be driving the car here next week for the 600 and we're kind of taking it one day at a time after that."

Ganassi didn't rule out Franchitti participating in the test at Pocono Raceway in two weeks, or the June 1 race in Dover, Del.

------

JUNIOR'S EVERYWHERE: When it comes to flags, T-shirts and hats, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has no match in the campgrounds and parking lots surrounding Lowe's Motor Speedway.

No. 88 flags -- and a few red No. 8 flags left over from Earnhardt's old team -- were flying next to dozens of campers in the large campgrounds near the track on Saturday.

"Yeah!" yelled out one Junior fan when she came across a group of people wearing No. 88 gear walking in the opposite direction.

Earnhardt's late father remains a dominant symbol, too. No. 3 flags outnumbered most of the other drivers, including Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

There was not one Kyle Busch flag or T-shirt spotted.

------

LUG NUTS: Davidson basketball coach Bob McKillop, who led the surprising Wildcats to within a victory of the Final Four, was the grand marshal. "It's great to be here," said McKillop, attending his first race. ... Kyle Busch took his boos in the prerace introductions in stride. Busch bowed to the crowd, then did it again in unison with his crew. ... Tony Stewart started from the rear of the field after changing engines.


Hot Kyle Busch wins All-Star race pole

Biffle still happy with Roush even after Darlington disaster

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- Despite his harsh comments about his race team at Darlington Raceway, Greg Biffle said he's still committed to signing a contract extension with Roush Fenway Racing.

"Nothing has changed," Biffle said Friday at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "I don't understand. I don't quit. I'm not going to quit on my guys. I'm not going to give up."
Biffle is in the final year of his contract with Roush, and has maintained since last season that he intends to sign an extension with the team. But talks have been slow, and his intent came into question Saturday night when he blasted his team because his pole-winning car broke down after leading 95 laps at Darlington.

"All I want is equipment to drive that stays together," he ranted after dropping out of the race and finishing 43rd. "I give it 110 percent as a driver all the time, and you just want your equipment to last and be able to win these races."

Biffle blamed his critical remarks on frustration, and said any driver would have been angry after his car had a pair of loose wheels, a vibration and finally the broken timing belt that ended his evening early.

"I want you guys to go interview 42 other guys and tell me one guy that wouldn't have got out of that car and been mad -- just been kicking rocks and going "Dang it, I'm leading the race with a 5-second lead and now I'm out,' " he said. "I had a great car. That's the positive thing about it, a fast race car, and that's what I always complain about -- wanting to have a fast race car.

"I did have a fast race car. There's no doubt in my mind and that's exciting for him."

------

BUSY, BUSY BUSCH: Kyle Busch would race every day if he could, and that passion is what's led him to not yet rule out running for the championship in all three of NASCAR's top series.

In fact, he'll try to run all three series in different states on the same weekend next month.

Busch said Friday he's trying to run the Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, June 6, followed by the Nationwide Series race Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway and the Sprint Cup Series event Sunday at Pocono Raceway.

"So we're going to ... practice and do everything in Pocono, go to the truck race, come back and practice Saturday, go to Nashville for the Nationwide race and then come back and race again in Pocono," he said. "It'll be a fun weekend."

Busch has won three Cup races this year, three Nationwide races and a pair of Truck Series events. He leads the Cup standings, is second in Nationwide and sixth in Trucks. He hasn't ruled out winning titles in all three series.

"Does it make sense? No," he said. "Do I still think that there's a chance possibly for a title in all three? There could be. It would take a lot, probably some bad luck on the other drivers' parts in some races where I'm not there or just other times during the year in order to make up ground, but it's just fun.

"I love racing, I love making a show out of things, and I guess, also, it's more PR for NASCAR. So let's help them out."

If this full schedule isn't enough, Busch is already thinking about filling his offseason. He's talking with Toyota officials about driving a Formula One car in Japan in either November or December.

Lee White, senior vice president of Toyota Racing Development, said such an event would be similar to when Mike Skinner took a Toyota Tundra to Mount Fuji, in Oyama for a demonstration.

"It was very well received when we did it with Mike, and Kyle has expressed some interest and there's some interest in Japan and here," White said. "So we've had some tentative discussions, and we would probably take one of his Cup cars over for a demonstration and probably give him an opportunity to drive a Formula One car around Mount Fuji."

Would Busch be interested in someday pursuing a career in F1?

"We'll see how good I test first, see if my neck can withstand the G-forces with braking and everything," Busch said. "But I wouldn't mind it. If I can do it and I'm good at it, then I'll give it a shot and try it."

------

NOT GOOD ENOUGH: By any standards, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is having a fabulous start to his first season with Hendrick Motorsports.

But he's still seeking his first win with his new team, and his 73-race winless streak has him hesitant to be content with his current results. Earnhardt has eight top 10 finishes through 11 races and is third in the season standings.

"Finishing good, running good, being competitive -- it ain't good enough," he said. "I want to win races, but I had a deal because if I say "Man I'm happy,' if I tell you the truth, you're gonna say I don't have enough drive and determination to go for wins and I don't run hard enough.

"So I got to tell you every once in awhile "Man, you know, I really want to go after them wins and they really mean a lot' just so you won't bury me."

But the reality is Earnhardt is rather pleased with his start to the season.

"I am having a great time right now. I got great cars. I got way more confidence in my team and our ability to show up with cars that are in the ballpark and are running good all weekend," he said. "That feels good -- running in the top five, being able to do what I feel like I should be able to do. I'm able to perform the way I feel like I should perform.

"Once we figure out what that little extra bit is, we'll be able to compete for those wins. But we'll take the top 5's if they keep coming."

------

HALL OF FAME CHILDRESS: Car owner Richard Childress was one of eight people inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame this week.

Childress' Welcome, N.C.-based team won six Cup titles with Dale Earnhardt from 1986-94. He currently fields three Sprint Cup teams with drivers Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton.

"Only in America can a kid with a dream to drive a race car be fortunate enough to be inducted into the hall of fame of his home state," said Childress, who was honored at a banquet Thursday in Raleigh. "I'd be remiss if I didn't give Dale Earnhardt a lot of credit for my induction. I also have to thank all of the longtime team members at RCR and the current team members who are keeping the RCR heritage strong."

The rest of the 2008 class included North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams; former Duke athletic director Tom Butters; former Duke quarterback Leo Hart; longtime promoter Bill Hensley; former North Carolina and NFL offensive linemen Ken Huff; former Guilford College men's golf and basketball coach Jack Jensen; and former Harlem Globetrotter Curly Neal.

------

TUNDRA DOMINANCE: Kyle Busch gave Toyota its first Truck Series pole of the season Friday at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but it was 50th overall for the manufacturer.

Not too shabby, considering Toyota only entered that series in 2004 and has racked up all those poles in just 106 races. Mike Skinner has tallied the most, with 28 since Toyota began racing.

"It's almost 50 percent of the poles, and that's an incredible number," said Jim Aust, outgoing president of Toyota Racing Development. "To have it happen in the short time frame that it did is a testament to the program."

Toyota drivers have won 41 Truck Series races.

------

SPEAKING: "You know you're racing for a million dollars here because everybody makes such a big deal about it. If I didn't have any money, that money would seem so large obviously. And it is large -- don't get me wrong. But at this point in my career, I'm much more concerned about the history that's involved in winning it, the legacy that's created, the trophy that's yours. Those things really mean more to me than anything else," Jeff Burton on the $1 million payout to the winner of Saturday's All-Star race.


Hot Kyle Busch wins All-Star race pole