Dale Sr. flipping rival drivers off and Jeff Gordon whining over the car radio had become commonplace over the years. However, it was an incident during the running of the Pepsi 400 at Daytona last summer that really cemented Busch�s image as one of racing�s Bad Boys. During an early pit stop that night, Busch made contact with the car of Robby Gordon � who like Harvick is an RCR driver. That earned Busch a one-lap penalty. A subsequent tirade directed at NASCAR Gestapo�s over the radio earned Busch an extra three laps in the penalty box. And Robby and Busch had a recent history even prior to that race. Just mere weeks before in the annual All-Star race, Busch flat-out punted Gordon (and admitted to it) in the name of giving himself and the rest of the field one final crack at catching race leader Ryan Newman. After that incident, team owner Richard Childress vowed to take matters into his own hands with Busch should a similar incident ever occur again.

So that was three out of four Daytona races that Busch found a way into trouble, not a bad batting average. Now lets fast-forward to the second half of the Twin 125�s run last Thursday. Busch was running hard with the leaders, but was caught on the outside as everyone came in to pit. Still caught on the outside, Busch was unable to cleanly get into his stall and was clipped by Harvick, sending the #97 into it�s own pit stall backwards, clipping a crewman in the process. Harvick�s car was damaged while Busch lost valuable time, ultimately costing both cars a chance at starting up for the 500.

As fate would have it, Harvick and Busch wound up in pit stalls adjacent to each other on Sunday. And sure enough, Busch slides through Harvick�s stall during an early stop � running over one of the #29 team�s jacks in the process. Harvick and Richard Childress had seen enough. In a TV interview during the first rain delay, Harvick referred to Busch as �Rubberhead� � a crack on Busch�s reference to he and his team being resilient like #97 car sponsor Rubbermaid. Later on during the race in an interview with MRN Radio, it was apparent that Childress was still very hot under the collar. The exchange went something like this�

REPORTER: �We�re here with Richard Childress, you have to be happy with the performance of Robby Gordon and Kevin Harvick��

CHILDRESS: Yeah, but I�ve had enough of that #97 car, he runs through our pit stall and knocks over one of our jacks. AND WE HAVE IT ON TAPE!!!!! He knocks us out of contention on Thursday and now this happens. WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO US NEXT?????

The 500 incident did not hurt neither driver as far as the race was concerned. Busch finishes second to race winner Michael Waltrip while Harvick charged way up from the back of the field to place fourth. That did little to cool down Harvick, who in the post-race interviews suggested that a restrictor-plate be placed on Busch�s foot because �it�s obviously not connected to his head�.

I can�t wait for Busch�s rebuttal, but this will not be like dealing with Jimmy Spencer. I�m sure these two will be in the principal�s trailer at some point this weekend, if not already. And to think that Bristol is still a month away??? Stay tuned, this is going to get good�

The general sports media who covers NASCAR exactly once per year had a field day with the decision to call the race after 109 of 200 scheduled laps. It was their opportunity to pile on the sport while comparing the situation to the debacle of last year�s All-Star game in baseball. Now for my take on the whole issue�

One look at the radar told everyone that the race was not going the distance...

• FOX TV nor NASCAR should be criticized for the decision to move up the starting time 23 minutes. This was consistent to the policy that has been in place for years when the forecast called for threatening weather later on in the day. NASCAR�s first priority has always been to at least get in an official race on the scheduled day. I will say that for Daytona that perhaps this should be revisited. My idea just for Daytona is to make the race official after 150 laps (75%) have been run. NASCAR caught a bad break when the first ten-minute stray shower (in advance of the approaching front) popped up to cause the first 68-minute delay. Had that not occurred, at least about 60 more laps could had beeen run, which would had brought us up to around 170 laps, or more than 400 miles which would had been much more acceptable. By the way, an Indy 500 once got washed away after 102 (of 200 laps) in 1976, so this kind of thing is not unprecedented on racing�s biggest stages.



• And then there were the comments of winner Michael Waltrip, who has been slammed in some circles (again by those who follow the sport once a year) for �rooting� for the race to be called. First off, leaders �rooting� for rain while leading is not unusual. Many remember Jeff Burton being involved in an incident with a lapped car as rain started falling in a race he was leading in Darlington. When the red flag finally fell, Burton climbed out of his damaged car, getting on his knees to cheer is the rain started pouring down. It was actually a pretty great scene!!!! Then there was 1982 when Dave Marcis (a grizzled veteran even then) had the foresight to not pit during a yellow flag at Richmond to steal a race with rain clouds approaching. Sometimes weather plays a huge role and factors into the strategy. For the most part I did not mind Waltrip�s celebration, who could blame any driver for wanting to see a race end while in the lead. The only part I had a problem with was when Waltrip reportedly quipped that �the prize money pays just the same�. Mikie probably didn�t mean it that way, but that sounds bad considering that the fans had to pay the same money and overpriced lodging to witness what turned out to be just over half a race. It would had been nice if Waltrip had been a tad more contrite and perhaps say that while he was happy for winning, that it was unfortunate that the fans did not get to see an entire event.



• I did say that if Dale Earnhardt Jr. somehow didn�t win the race that the questions would start about Dale Jr. perhaps being snakebit at this race like the old man. Well, Junior is getting snakebit like the old man. How can you explain dominating the Shootout, qualifying, the 125, and the Busch race � and then the first part of the 500 before a �$2 part� gets wet and dooms you. Well, at least it wasn�t a stray piece of debris shredding a tire. Or running out of gas on Turn 3 of the final lap (Dale Sr. in 1990). Still, the Dale Jr/Waltrip tag-team is still the dominant duo at restrictor-plate tracks winning seven of the last nine events. I�m still trying to find out how Ward Burton and Bobby Hamilton found their way to victory circle. However, Junior is going to have to cash in on the 500 soon. One of these years the rules are going to change and DEI�s dominance in the plate races may end as quickly as it began.



• And it wouldn�t be the 500 without the dreaded yellow line and Sterling Marlin coming into play. Despite the subsequent stop-and-go penalty, Marlin was able to stay on the lead lap when the next yellow came out, and would even rally to finish 17th. Had the race been allowed to go it�s entire distance, Marlin would had no doubt been in the mix.




***



ROCKINGHAM PREVIEW



Now the real season begins � moving from the sport�s most storied race to a venue that NASCAR can�t wait to bounce off the schedule. However the points will count all the same. What might not change is weather being a factor, as rain is in the forecast for late Friday and Saturday, so teams may have limited practice time and the field may end up being set on last year�s points.

The upcoming races will give us a much better idea on the drivers and teams to watch for. But please don�t tell me how Michael Waltrip is going to now be a championship contender like I saw in one article. Last time I checked Mikie had still never won a non-plate race. In fact the list of contenders reads 180 degrees different to what it does at Daytona, with a lot of the short-track type drivers running up front. Getting the best mileage with tires on the coarse surface, as well as having the best pit crews is what often determines success here. And don�t be surprised to see names like Kenseth, Benson, Green, and Bobby LaBonte running near the front. The predicted top 30 for the Rock is as follows�

1. Matt Kenseth � If you�re looking for the best bet to win, Kenseth�s your man � especially at this track where the #17 placed first and eighth last year. Throw out the plate tracks and road courses (neither are strong suits), and Kenseth went 5 for 30, or a 6-1 shot at winning each race � much better than the 12-1 to 15-1 you can get at the window. Of course this team pushes the envelope and is a candidate to blow up in as many race, but this is a venue where Kenseth shines.



2. Kurt Busch � There is simply no one hotter right now, with finishes of 4th, 12th, 1st, 1st, 3rd, 6th, 1st, and 2nd. The third came here in the fall and this is historically a huge Rosch track. Just be sure to stay away from Harvick!!!!



3. Jeff Gordon � Being left without a dance partner in the final run hurt his Daytona finishing position (12th). Once upon a time owned the place, winning three out of four events between 1997-98. And was not bad even last year, placing 7th and 5th, and was especially strong in the Spring race.



4. Ryan Newman � Well here's why you want to qualify well. Start near the rear, and a driver has a chance to get collected - which is exactly what happened to Newman. Don�t look for any after-effects of the crash, and don�t shy away from Newman just because he�s 43rd in the standings, the exact same position Tony Stewart was at this time last year. In fact this would be a nice week to plunk money down on Ryan winning the points championship. Starting this week look for plenty of poles along with running near the front.



5. Tony Stewart � Will definitely take that 7th place run over his early exit last year. Had a car that was nothing short of awful last November, going down a lap (and almost two) in arrears very early. Somehow rallied to finish a very respectable 14th. Did have a strong run in the Spring finishing fourth, expect a run in that area.



6. Mark Martin � Most felt there was no way E�yore could possibly repeat his second place points finish from last year. That position may have to be rethought after his strong fifth place effort at Daytona. And it must be added that it was with A BACKUP CAR!!!!! Finished second to Johnny Benson here last fall before being busted (4 3/8 coil v. 4 �) in the post-race inspection.



7. Sterling Marlin � Sandwiched between his near-win in Daytona and his Las Vegas win was a strong second place effort here last Spring.



8. Jimmie Johnson � Was one of JJ�s more difficult tracks last year, placing 28th and 37th. Strong third place finish at Daytona may set the stage for a serious sophomore title run.



9. Johnny Benson � May want to rank even higher if you want to go by recent history, as Benson has placed first, third, and six in three of his last four Rockingham outings.



10. Ricky Craven � Looked primed to join the sports elite after dominating qualifying last February, taking the pole by nearly 1.5 MPH. Fell short of those lofty expectations in the actual race but has still placed 9th, 5th, 5th, and 12th in his last four outings here.



11. Bobby LaBonte � Outside of Martinsville (where he won) this was Bobby�s best track in �02, where he placed third and seventh.



12. Jeff Burton � Burton managed to finish 11th at Daytona despite a stop-and-go penalty for that troublesome catch-can. Look for even better things from Burton, who fared as well as anyone at Rockingham last year with 6th and 4th place finishes. Las Vegas next week is another strong Burton track.



13. Jeff Green � Daytona week went great grabbing an unlikely pole followed by placing second to teammate Robby Gordon in the 125. Green then elected to sit out the final practice session which turned out to be a huge mistake as Green was hung out to dry early with a car not clearly up to par, and eventually crashed out in 39th. Green summed up his feelings afterward by saying "I can't wait to get to Rockingham where I can pass and I don't need a buddy to help me." And indeed, this is one of Green�s stronger tracks, as he was competitive in both races last year placing 17th and 10th.



14. Rusty Wallace � Maybe there will be a bit of an adjustment period with those Dodges. Should fare somewhat well this week, as Rusty has gone 7th and 8th the previous two February�s at the Rock.



15. Greg Biffle � Finished a respectable 20th at Daytona, this week we begin to see the real value of this rising star. Don�t be surprised if he grabs the pole.



16. Dale Earnhardt Jr. � Has placed 43rd, 15th, 26th, and 34th in his last four outings at the Rock, this is one of his worst tracks.



17. Dale Jarrett � As has become custom in plate races, Jarrett went ultra-conservative stay near the rear early, but rallied for a 10th place finish. Blew an engine early in the Spring race but rebounded somewhat with a 12th in the fall. Also had finishes of fourth and tenth in 2001.



18. Robby Gordon � Was fortunate to get the race called, and wind up with a sixth place finish in Daytona, as the #31 was reportedly beginning to go sour on him. Had a nice 11th place showing back in the fall, so this could be a nice opening to the season.



19. Joe Nemecheck � Won here in the Fall of �01 in the #33 car, but struggled to 33rd and 28th place finishes last year. Look for him to recapture some of that late season form from last year beginning this week.



20. Michael Waltrip � Blew up early in the Spring race and had a mid-pack (19th) finish in the fall. Mikie is on record saying he will win more races this year. I give him a shot in three of them: Aaron�s 499, Pepsi 400, EA Sports 500. Can you guess the locales???



21. Kevin Harvick � We start to get the answer this week on whether Harvick is really back, as he has not fared well at this track. Best finish here was 14th in his Cup debut two years ago.



22. Ricky Rudd � Went 18th and 20th last year in the Yates car, don�t expect much better in the #21.



23. Jamie McMurray � Had a nice 15th place finish here back in the fall.



24. Bill Elliott � An average 28th place finish here over the past two years, don�t expect too much better this time around.



25. Steve Park � I said last week Park either needed to turn it around at Daytona or here, where he won two years ago. Park did have a nice top ten qualifying run but developed an overheating problem during the 125, and the car was not right after that. A bad finish here and Park might officially be demoted to Research & Development status.



26. Mike Skinner � The Kodak car even gets consideration this weekend, as Skinner finished a surprising sixth back in November.



27. Elliott Sadler � Now supposedly in a decent ride, the question remains when is Sadler going to show the potential some people see in him???



28. Ward Burton � Fitting the Daytona 272.5 ended with a Ward Burton crash, also started the wreck that sent Newman airborne. Has had recent finishes of 6th, 13th, and 16th in the past two seasons.



29. Dave Blaney � Finished 22nd and 17th here last year.



30. Casey Mears � Has not won the respect of many in the NASCAR community so far. Much of that simply has to do with being the son of an open-wheel driver. I see some potential here though. Mears was fourth in the final qualifying before crashing, sending him to a backup for the 500. I don�t think it would be a stretch to say that Mears will fare better than Jimmy Spencer did in the #41, and may be mentioned in the same breath as fellow rookies Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle before the year�s out.




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