Familiar Faces Are True Road Course Aces

The words “road course ace” are thrown around a lot in the week leading up to any event at Watkins Glen or Infineon Raceway.

They’re used to describe a driver who only races in these particular events.

But really, the true “aces” are those who race every single week in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The numbers tell the story: Jeff Gordon is the all-time road course wins leader with nine. Second in that category is Tony Stewart, with seven road course victories. Stewart owns the top Driver Rating at The Glen, with a 135.0.

But there is an intriguing “ringer” to watch: Boris Said. Said will run all three races this weekend at Watkins Glen. In the NASCAR Sprint Cup race, Said will run the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota. Said, whose best Watkins Glen finish was third in 2005.

Junior & Shaq To Kick Off Season Two of “Shaq Vs.” Tuesday Night
Season premiere episode to air at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT on ABC

WATCH THE EPISODE HERE

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (August 2, 2010) – It might not be Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s toughest challenge, but by far it is his biggest.

The season premiere of ABC’s primetime television series Shaq Vs. will feature Dale Earnhardt Jr. – NASCAR’s most popular driver and winner of more than 40 NASCAR-sanctioned races – in a one-on-one stock car race against 7-foot-1, 325-pound Shaquille O’Neal. The program will air this Tuesday, Aug. 3, at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT on ABC. (Check local listings for further details.)

In the television series, O’Neal matches his skill and athletic ability against the best athletes, entertainers, and pop culture stars in the country by competing in their respective realms. The first season featured epic battles against Albert Pujols in a homerun-hitting contest, Michael Phelps in a swimming race, and Oscar de la Hoya in a boxing match. Tuesday night’s premiere will pit O’Neal against Earnhardt Jr. in a stock car race as well as champion speller Kavya Shivashankar in a spelling bee.

“Having Shaq come to my place in North Carolina was a great experience,” said Earnhardt Jr. “When he walked up to me for the first time, my first thought was it’s 50-50 whether he’ll be able to fit in the car. But that was part of the intrigue, and that alone is why people should watch Tuesday night. It’s a sight to behold.

“I am very appreciative to Shaquille for the opportunity to be on the show. I think NASCAR fans enjoy seeing other stars embrace our sport and display the same passion we have. It proves that NASCAR is still a very powerful and prominent attraction.”

1 12 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
2 1 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet
3 25 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
4 14 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
5 3 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota
6 4 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
7 10 5 Mark Martin Hendrickcars.com / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
8 8 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
9 28 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
10 6 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet
11 15 77 Sam Hornish Jr. PPG / Olympic Dodge
12 5 39 Ryan Newman U.S.Army Chevrolet
13 23 98 Paul Menard CertainTeed / Menards Ford
14 18 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
15 40 33 Clint Bowyer The Hartford Chevrolet
16 2 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
17 24 00 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota
18 26 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
19 16 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford
20 11 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge
21 34 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
22 9 1 Jamie McMurray AXE Twist Chevrolet
23 21 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota
24 7 43 A J Allmendinger Insignia HDTV Ford
25 17 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
26 27 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota
27 20 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet
28 22 71 Bobby Labonte TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
29 32 38 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver’s Ford
30 37 37 David Gilliland Gander Mountain Ford
31 41 34 Kevin Conway # Extenze Ford
32 31 83 Reed Sorenson Red Bull Toyota
33 13 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite / Vortex Dodge
34 29 19 Elliott Sadler Air Force Ford
35 42 7 P J Jones SpeedFactory.TV Toyota
36 39 36 Casey Mears Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
37 43 64 Todd Bodine FRED’s Hometown Discount Store Toyota
38 30 46 J J Yeley Cash America Dodge
39 19 47 Marcos Ambrose Clorox / Kleenex Toyota
40 33 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
41 35 09 Landon Cassill Phoenix Construction Chevrolet
42 38 66 Dave Blaney PRISM Motorsports Toyota
43 36 55 Michael McDowell PRISM Motorsports Toyota

A nasty wreck when Jimmie Johnson tried to bump draft with Kurt Busch.  Kurt hit the outside wall, then back down and skipped off the inside barrier, but it was Elliott Sadler who hit the inside barrier head on hard. Certainly one of the hardest hits in NASCAR history. The engine was even separated from the 19.  Sadler was released from the infield care center and is okay.

http://i.cdn.turner.com/nascar/.element/swf/2.2/sect/video/nascar_embed.swf?context=nascar_viral&videoId=cup/2010/08/01/cup_poc2_high_three.nascar