1 4 Kevin Harvick(i) OneMain Financial Chevrolet 49.545 181.653
2 9 Tony Stewart(i) TapOut.com Chevrolet 49.621 181.375
3 2 Elliott Sadler OneMain Financial Chevrolet 49.793 180.748
4 33 Clint Bowyer(i) Rheem / Menards Chevrolet 49.894 180.382
5 16 Trevor Bayne RickyvsTrevor.com Ford 49.922 180.281
6 1 Jamie McMurray(i) Phoenix Construction Chevrolet 49.945 180.198
7 7 Danica Patrick GoDaddy.com Chevrolet 49.970 180.108
8 60 Carl Edwards(i) Subway Ford 49.999 180.004
9 32 Reed Sorenson Dollar General Chevrolet 50.038 179.863
10 31 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet 50.074 179.734
11 22 Brad Keselowski(i) Discount Tire Dodge 50.106 179.619
12 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. RickyvsTrevor.com Ford 50.134 179.519
13 88 Aric Almirola Suave MEN / BJ’s Chevrolet 50.156 179.440
14 18 Kyle Busch(i) NOS Charged Citrus Toyota 50.197 179.294
15 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Chevrolet 50.233 179.165
16 21 Tim George Jr. Applebee’s/PotomacFamilyDining Chevrolet 50.256 179.083
17 11 Brian Scott Shore Lodge Toyota 50.264 179.055
18 20 Joey Logano(i) SportClips Toyota 50.326 178.834
19 09 Kenny Wallace G-Oil Toyota 50.422 178.494
20 66 Steve Wallace 5-hour Energy Toyota 50.445 178.412
21 30 Ricky Carmichael(i) Monster Energy Chevrolet 50.492 178.246
22 01 Mike Wallace Cowboys and Aliens Chevrolet 50.586 177.915
23 62 Michael Annett Infinite Hero / Oakley Toyota 50.664 177.641
24 97 Joe Nemechek ExtenZe Toyota 50.746 177.354
25 87 Kevin Conway ExtenZe Toyota 50.894 176.838
26 15 Timmy Hill # Lilly Trucking of VA Ford 50.982 176.533
27 23 Robert Richardson Jr. North TX Pipe Dodge 50.987 176.516
28 41 Jeffrey Earnhardt(i) FASTwax.com Chevrolet 51.020 176.401
29 44 Jeff Green East Central Florida View / HURT Chevrolet 51.028 176.374
30 74 Mike Harmon IPT Pellet Grills Chevrolet 51.047 176.308
31 81 Blake Koch # DAYSTAR.com Dodge 51.083 176.184
32 68 Carl Long Iron Horse Saloon Chevrolet 51.098 176.132
33 19 Mike Bliss Racing 4 Education Chevrolet 51.134 176.008
34 13 Jennifer Jo Cobb # Keen’s Portable Buildings Ford 51.173 175.874
35 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory in Jesus Chevrolet 51.287 175.483
36 39 Josh Wise Cajun Industries Ford 51.301 175.435
37 51 Jeremy Clements DaytonaKennelClubandPokerRoom Chevrolet 51.397 175.107
38 14 Eric McClure Hefty BlackOut / Reynolds Chevrolet 51.421 175.026
39 40 Charles Lewandoski # Curtis Key Motorsports Chevrolet 51.663 174.206
40 28 Derrike Cope MaxElence Chevrolet 51.751 173.910
41 52 Kevin Lepage TRX Software Development Inc. Chevrolet Owner Points
42 70 Dennis Setzer All American Sports Pouch Dodge Owner Points
43 07 Danny Efland C3i Sports Chevrolet 51.208 175.754

Guest Column By Cathy Elliott

America is hooked on courtroom drama, but things sometimes seem to drag on forever; we’re seeing that right now in a couple of high profile, televised trials. It took Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers to give us a definitive example of how quickly the wheels of justice can turn when left to their own devices. No episode of “L.A. Law” could have told both sides of the story better.

The scene of the incident was Infineon Raceway, host of the first of only two road course races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.

On a road course, opportunities to pass are few and must be seized without hesitation. Fairly early in the race, Stewart felt he had such an opportunity, but believed Vickers deliberately blocked him from being able to make the pass.

Now, some drivers might have waited for another chance to come along. But you can’t always depend on that to happen in racing so Stewart took a more immediate approach. He knocked Vickers’ car in the back end, sending it spinning out of contention and taking several other cars along with it.

Stewart didn’t really defend his action as much as explain it. “I dumped him because he was blocking,” he said. “If anybody wants to block all year, that’s what I’m going to keep doing so they can handle it however they want … If they want to block, that’s what is going to happen to them every time for the rest of my career.”

Sounds like a combined confession and threat to me. Case closed, right?

Not exactly; things are never that simple on a racetrack, where there is always more to the story. Road courses don’t have the same degree of overall visibility as oval tracks. In a sport where some new challenge lies around every corner, Infineon offers 12 potential surprises instead of the usual four. So Stewart might not have realized that, according to Vickers, he pulled his No. 83 Toyota in front of Stewart’s No. 14 Chevy in order to avoid hitting another car.

It didn’t matter whether or not Stewart regretted his actions. At that point, Vickers’ tires may have been temporarily stopped, but those payback wheels were already set in motion. “He made his bed at that moment, and he had to sleep in it,” Vickers said, going on to later knock Stewart’s car off the ground and out of the race. “He wrecked me, and I wrecked him.”

Another courtroom combo platter? It’s getting hard to separate the defendant from the plaintiff here. Everyone’s confessing to everything.

So I’m going to get on that bandwagon and confess that I don’t really have an issue with blocking in general. Other sports use it. It’s basically just a defensive or protective move to prevent the other team from advancing or scoring. Why would you even consider just moving over to deliberately allow someone to gain an advantage over you?

I admit NASCAR is a little different. If a guy sitting 30th in the driver standings and five laps down in a race purposely gets in front of a potential championship contender, “encouraging” him to get out of the way seems reasonable. But that wasn’t the situation in the case of Stewart v. Vickers. It was early enough in the event that either driver still had a shot at the win.

Both sides would claim their actions were justified. With the recent news that Red Bull will no longer be involved in NASCAR sponsorship after the 2011 season, Vickers is now in the position of auditioning for a new job. Stewart owns his team, so unless he decides to fire himself (unlikely), his seat is secure. But the two-time series champion is fighting for a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field, and time is running out. Both drivers have to be feeling their share of stress.

The great Roman statesman and orator Cicero – a lawyer himself – said that the foundation of justice is good faith. NASCAR proved a wise judge in this case, judging the matter a draw and leveling no penalties or fines, instead of dropping the gavel on someone’s head.

Instead, self-adjudication ruled the day, with no definitive “Guilty” verdicts handed down. Stewart, who admitted he probably had it coming, said, “He did what he had to do; I don’t blame him.”

Vickers concurred, noting that “Tony and I have been around long enough to know how to handle these things ourselves,” he said. “We’re both adults; we’ll figure it out.”

Case closed … for now.

Ricky and Kerry discuss the following before racing at Daytona this weekend.
-Oregon Students Win 62nd Annual Ford/AAA Auto Skills Competition
-This weekend at Daytona
–Drafting partners
–Radio Dial
–Got anything for Tony Stewart?
-Breakout win at Iowa this year
-3rd in points, just 7 back of the leader
-Like the new points system in place this year
-New NNS car
-Last season to this
-Cup Series this season at Coke 600, 11th

TRACKS COMING UP
-Kentucky
-New Hampshire
-Nashville

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CORNELIUS, N.C. – Two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip has enjoyed many special races in his career, but few will be as meaningful to the Owensboro, Ky. native as the July 9 inaugural NASCAR Sprint race at Kentucky Speedway.

With the support of long-time sponsor Aaron’s Inc., Michael will celebrate the election of his brother Darrell to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. He’ll race an orange and white paint scheme similar to the Terminal Transport car Darrell drove to his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory at Nashville Speedway in 1975. Michael’s Kentucky paint scheme also includes a photo of the Nashville victory lane celebration on each of the car’s rear quarter panels and a picture of “DW” on the hood also taken at Nashville.

WALTRIP ON KENTUCKY PAINT SCHEME: “What a great photo! And, I was there! Seeing it still makes me smile. This was when all the winning started and led Darrell to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. What a happy group we were. So many people who helped him are in it, including my grandparents. I had never seen a man so happy. I have always idolized my brother and because of him racing is all I ever wanted to do. It is truly special for our family that I will be able to honor him by driving this paint scheme at the first Sprint Cup race in our home state of Kentucky.”

MICHAEL ON DW: “I know Darrell, and I know his story. I know how he started. He was about 12 years old driving by a go kart race in a parking lot in Owensboro, Kentucky . He was just mesmerized. It was all he could think about. He somehow talked my dad into buying a go-kart. He said he would mow yards to pay for the go-kart. My dad bought that story and then bought Darrell the go-kart. I don’t think many yards got mowed, but that was the start to the road that led Darrell to where he is today, the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
“I guess this means more to me than maybe it does a lot of people, because I know the road that he traveled to get to the Hall of Fame. I’m so happy for him. We all have role models especially as kids, and sometimes those role models let us down. Darrell has always been my role model and my hero ever since I was a little boy, and he’s never let me down. To me, he has been in the Hall of Fame for a long time. I told him that being a future Hall of Famer makes him sound younger, now it’s official he is a Hall of Famer. At least he is still young at heart.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST
 Waltrip’s book “In the Blink of an Eye” spent 11 weeks on the New York Times best- seller list soaring as high as fourth. Sony Pictures plans to bring the story to the big screen in the near future.
 Sunday’s race marks Waltrip’s 766th career start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It marks his 1,054th combined start in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series. He and Mark Martin are the only drivers to win in those series in four different decades.
 The Kentucky paint scheme features photos taken during the May 10, 1975 victory lane celebration at Nashville Speedway. It includes 28-year-old Darrell Waltrip and wife Stevie atop the car next to two-time champion crew chief “Suitcase” Jake Elder. Wearing the Goodyear hat is legendary racer Robert Gee (grandfather to Dale Earnhardt Jr.) Next to the car are the Waltrip’s grandparents Lee and Odie Phillips. At the bottom left is 12-year-old Michael Waltrip.

SHOW #163 – We have a great chat with NASCAR Champion Rusty Wallace, recap the Infineon/Road America weekend, discuss Stewart vs. Vickers, Juan Montoya vs. the entire field, and preview Daytona. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Paul Northrop
LISTEN HERE (About 49 mins)

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CREDITS:
Hosts: Kerry Murphey & Paul Northrop
Production: Kerry Murphey
Music: Radium Sound
Voice Over: Thomas Moog