NASCAR Nextel Cup - Golden Corral 500 from Atlanta - on FOX Sun 3/14, 1 pm EST/10 am PST

http://www.nascar.com ^

[glock rocks]

Nextel Cup - Golden Corral 500

FOX - Sunday - 1pm EST - 10am PST

Atlanta Motor Speedway

Banking/Turns: 24°
Distance: 1.54mi
Shape: Oval

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Nextel Cup Golden Corral 500
Bud Pole Qualifying
Fri, 3 p.m. EST on SPEED

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Busch Series Easycare Vehicle Service Contracts 200
Sat 1 pm EST on SPEED

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Power Rankings - Atlanta

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... as always, prayers for our brothers and sisters in harm's way ...

The FR Canteen

Support Our Troops

[glock rocks]

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Yo, FReeper Fantasy Racers...

The deadline for updating your group of drivers to select from is 11pm Thursday EST.

Well, at least according to the yahoo email I got today.

I'd tell you who I've picked, but I've caused enough damage already...

[glock rocks]

Here's to lookin for good weather in Hotlanta this weekend!

[Salo]

I am a Ford man, but I took Harvick in my office pool.

[NormsRevenge]

Looks good to me,,

Let's let it stew here in chat until after qualifying tomorrow and then we'll plead our case to the AM to move it to Extended, which is what we had been doing this year so far.

[Vigilantcitizen]

Thrills, chills and white-knuckled drivers: that's lightning-fast AMS

By AL LEVINE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Most Nextel Cup drivers would flunk a civics test about Atlanta, even those who have raced at Atlanta Motor Speedway years.

They wouldn't know what's hanging at the High Museum or how to get to CNN. Any reference to Buckhead might prompt a hunting story.

But ask them about their Atlanta racing experience and the answers flow: It's all about speed, white-knuckle stress and fear. They all know that for years Atlanta has been considered NASCAR's fastest track.

"Atlanta is the fastest place we go, and it's almost impossible to describe the feeling, launching into turns one and three at more than 200 mph," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "It takes guts to keep your right foot held down."

"It's the most white-knuckle track there is on qualifying day," Jeff Gordon said.

"Not a lot of us really like qualifying here, because it's so fast," Jeff Burton said. "But when it comes to racing, this is a really popular place."

The speed grabs the attention of drivers and spotters.

"We race at a lot of tracks where it is easy to lose perspective on how fast these guys actually drive around the race track," said Brett Griffin, who spots for Elliott Sadler. "At Atlanta, you can tell the drivers are hauling the mail, so I try to make sure I stay focused for 500 miles to help keep Elliott safe."

As the track has aged since its 1997 reconfiguration, average race-day speeds have decreased. Bobby Labonte set the record of 159.904 mph in 1997.

But qualifying speeds remain close to 200 mph. Geoffrey Bodine set the qualifying record with a lap of 197.478 mph in 1997. Ryan Newman won the pole here last fall in 194.295 mph.

Qualifying seems to separate the men from the boys at Atlanta.

"I don't really care much about qualifying at Atlanta," Gordon said. "When the tires have a lot of grip and you have to put all the power down, it's not the funnest place to qualify. The cars are very temperamental and edgy, and we're hauling it. The car's got to be perfect. When it is, we go fast. When it's not, it's not a fun day. On race day, I love it. It's one of my favorite tracks on race day."

So what is it about the track that creates so much speed?

"It's the shape, the size, the banking and the transitions from straightaways to the corners," Mark Martin said. "It makes better speed. If you made sharper corners, it wouldn't be as fast. If you had flat straightaways and then corners that were banked up, you'd have to slow down more approaching the corner."

Said Kyle Petty said. "[It's like] a ball on a string; the momentum just gets you up. [Since] they reconfigured it and put a dogleg in the front, you build up so much speed going into turn one that you carry it off of turn two and down the backstretch, and then you build it up again."

Gordon sounds like an engineer discussing the track's characteristics.

"It's fast because of the radius into the corners and the banking," he said. "When they reconfigured that track, they opened up the entries and exits of the corners to where you're not really having to turn the wheel that much. The corners are just big and wide and fast, which they were before, but they're even bigger and wider and faster now."

Once racers find a comfort level at the Atlanta track, they find it an enjoyable Sunday drive.

"I think it's just the type of asphalt that's on the race track," Burton said. "I like to go fast. It's the stopping fast that I don't like."

[Vigilantcitizen]

Salty Sauter gets fined

By RICK MINTER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 3/11/04

Johnny Sauter has been caught in NASCAR's crackdown on bad language.

Sauter, who runs in the Nextel Cup and Busch Series, has been fined $10,000, docked 25 Busch Series points and placed on probation through Dec. 31 for using inappropriate language in interviews after the Busch race last Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The points loss drops him from second to fourth in the standings.

In the drivers meeting at Rockingham, NASCAR president Mike Helton warned that he was ready to get tough on those who use profanity.

"If somebody puts a microphone in front of you, the first thing that ought to go through your head is that you're talking to your grandmother or your 4-year-old daughter," Helton said.

Earnhardt's new deal

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his primary sponsor, Budweiser, announced a multiyear contract extension this week, but the terms and length of the contract were not revealed.

Budweiser, which had a contract with Earnhardt that extended through this season, has backed Earnhardt since he raced in the Busch Series, and the contract was up this year.

"They've been with me every step of the way since then," Earnhardt said.

Gordon double

Robby Gordon says he'll attempt to run the Indy-Charlotte double again this year.

On May 30, Gordon plans to run the Indianapolis 500, his 10th appearance in the open-wheel classic, then travel to Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte and run the Coca-Cola 600 in the Nextel Cup Series.

"I love the challenge we'll face in May," Gordon said. "Practice and qualifying at Indy, plus the NASCAR races at Richmond and Charlotte, will make for a very busy month, but we know how to organize and coordinate all the details."

[tubebender]

The deadline for updating your group of drivers to select from is 11pm Thursday EST.

How can I peek at Norms picks for this weekend. He seems to have inside information...

[glock rocks]

Norm, are you really Darrell?

[NormsRevenge]

I completely shuffled my team this week.. All new drivers.. Most of them youngsters.. ;-)

Matt K, Kasey K, DJ 88, Casey Mears

[glock rocks]

Harvick had some HUGE boots to fill, and he's done an admirable job!

[glock rocks]

Previous Atlanta Pole and Race Winners

Date		Race Name	Pole Winner	Race Winner	Starting Pos.	Make
10/27/03		Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500	Ryan Newman	Jeff Gordon	19	Chevrolet
03/09/03		Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500	Ryan Newman	Bobby Labonte	4	Chevrolet
10/27/02		NAPA 500	Rained Out	Kurt Busch	8	Ford
03/10/02		MBNA America 500	Bill Elliott	Tony Stewart	9	Pontiac
11/18/01		NAPA 500	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Bobby Labonte	39	Pontiac
03/11/01		Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500	Dale Jarrett	Kevin Harvick	5	Chevrolet
11/19/00		NAPA 500	Jeff Gordon	Jerry Nadeau	2	Chevrolet
03/12/00		Cracker Barrel 500	Dale Jarrett	Dale Earnhardt	35	Chevrolet

[AgentEcho]

I go for Tony first, then ANY Dodge... YES, DODGE!!!

Æ

[NormsRevenge]

LOL... Am I The "Darrell"..

Nope... You think I'd be hanging here if'n I was.. lol ;-)

[glock rocks]

LOL.

If I can remember my yahoo password, I'll look see who in the world I've picked out for this week. BRB.

[Vigilantcitizen]

For the jr. fans out there..

As most of you know, I have a friend that's an ex-cup team member (1977 rookie of the year Bruce Hill). He maintains relationships with several still working the Cup and Busch circuits, including several officials, all of whom make their homes here in Georgia.

I place alot of weight in this man's opinion.

Tuesday,he and I were discussing the upcoming hometown Atlanta race, when I brought up Jr.'s dismal showing in Vegas, making the comment that I'd be cussing my crew if I were Jr.

Mike replied,"I've always known Jr. couldn't handle an ill handling car like the sprint car and outlaw car guys can(Stewart, Gordon, Nadeau), and the Vegas race was proof. I heard that Jr.had a verbal battle with Eurie Sr. over the radio all day, and that Eurie was upset with all the off track diversions". IE...commercials and media.

Mike felt that Jr.'s going back and forth into the pits was a sign of a battle between driver and crew.

I felt that a fair criticism, and hope the #8 camp can overcome to have a strong showing this weekend.

[Vigilantcitizen]

[glock rocks]

Looks like I picked Stewart, Sadler, Ward, Nemechek.

I really do hope Jr. pulls it together...

[glock rocks]

2004 Golden Corral 500 Entry List

Car	Driver	Hometown	Make	Sponsor	Owner
#0	Ward Burton	South Boston, VA	Chevrolet	NetZero HiSpeed	Gene Haas
#01	Joe Nemechek	Lakeland, FL	Chevrolet	U.S. Army	Nelson Bowers
#2	Rusty Wallace	St. Louis, MO	Dodge	Miller Lite	Roger Penske
#02	Andy Belmont	Penndel, PA	Pontiac	Intell Food Brokers	Angela Sadler
#4	Kevin Lepage	Shelburne, VT	Chevrolet	YokeTV.com	Larry McClure
#5	Terry Labonte	Corpus Christi, TX	Chevrolet	Kellogg's	Rick Hendrick
#6	Mark Martin	Batesville, AR	Ford	Viagra	Jack Roush
#8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Kannapolis, NC	Chevrolet	Budweiser	Teresa Earnhardt
#9	Kasey Kahne*	Enumclaw, WA	Dodge	Dodge Dealers/UAW	Ray Evernham
#09	Joe Ruttman	Upland, Calif.	Dodge	Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts	James Finch
#10	Scott Riggs*	Bahama, NC	Chevrolet	Valvoline	James Rocco
#12	Ryan Newman	South Bend, IN	Dodge	ALLTEL	Roger Penske
#15	Michael Waltrip	Owensboro, KY	Chevrolet	NAPA Auto Parts	Teresa Earnhardt
#16	Greg Biffle	Vancouver, WA	Ford	National Guard	Geoff Smith
#17	Matt Kenseth	Cambridge, WI	Ford	DeWalt Power Tools	Mark Martin
#18	Bobby Labonte	Corpus Christi, TX	Chevrolet	Interstate Batteries	Joe Gibbs
#19	Jeremy Mayfield	Owensboro, KY	Dodge	Dodge Dealers/UAW	Ray Evernham
#20	Tony Stewart	Rushville, IN	Chevrolet	Home Depot	Joe Gibbs
#21	Ricky Rudd	Chesapeake, VA	Ford	Motorcraft Quality Parts	Glen Wood
#22	Scott Wimmer*	Wausau, WI	Dodge	Caterpillar	Bill Davis
#23	Dave Blaney	Hartford, OH	Dodge	Bill Davis Racing	Gail Davis
#24	Jeff Gordon	Pittsboro, IN	Chevrolet	DuPont	Rick Hendrick
#25	Brian Vickers*	Thomasville, NC	Chevrolet	GMAC Financial Services	Joe Hendrick
#29	Kevin Harvick	Bakersfield, CA	Chevrolet	GM Goodwrench	Richard Childress
#30	Johnny Sauter*	Necedah, WI	Chevrolet	America Online	Richard Childress
#31	Robby Gordon	Cerritos, CA	Chevrolet	Cingular Wireless	Richard Childress
#32	Ricky Craven	Newburgh, ME	Chevrolet	Tide	Calvin Wells
#38	Elliott Sadler	Emporia, VA	Ford	M&M's	Robert Yates
#40	Sterling Marlin	Columbia, TN	Dodge	Coors Light	Felix Sabates
#41	Casey Mears	Bakersfield, CA	Dodge	Target	Chip Ganassi
#42	Jamie McMurray	Joplin, MO	Dodge	Texaco/Havoline	Floyd Ganassi
#43	Jeff Green	Owensboro, KY	Dodge	Cheerios	Richard L Petty
#45	Kyle Petty	Randleman, NC	Dodge	Georgia Pacific/Brawny	Kyle Petty
#48	Jimmie Johnson	Los Gatos, CA	Chevrolet	Lowe's	Jeff Gordon
#49	Ken Schrader	Fenton, MO	Dodge	Schwan's Home Service	Elizabeth Morgenthau
#50	Derrike Cope	Spanaway, WA	Dodge	Arnold Development Companies	Derrike Cope
#77	Brendan Gaughan*	Las Vegas, NV	Dodge	Kodak EasyShare	Douglas Bawel
#88	Dale Jarrett	Hickory, NC	Ford	UPS	Robert Yates
#89	Morgan Shepherd	Conover, NC	Dodge	Victory In Jesus	Cindy Shepherd
#97	Kurt Busch	Las Vegas, NV	Ford	Sharpie	Georgetta Roush
#99	Jeff Burton	South Boston, VA	Ford	SKF	Jack Roush
#172	Kirk Shelmerdine	Winston-Salem, NC	Ford	Freddie B's/TUCSON	Kirk Shelmerdine
#198	Larry Gunselman	Belfair, WA	Ford	Lucas Oil Products	William Chris Edwards
#280	Andy Hillenburg	Indianapolis, IN	Ford	Hover Motorsports	Stanton Hover

* Denotes Rookie

Nascar.com

[WestCoastGal]

I'll bet Jr comes back strong this weekend. I've put him in as my top pick and took him out 3 times. LOL, this fantasy racing thing is something that can really get to you, this is my first year playing!!

[Vigilantcitizen]

Constructed: 1959-60; reconfiguration completed Nov. 1997

Location: 20 miles south of Atlanta on Highways 19 & 41

Property: 870 acres

Track: 1.54-mile quad-oval

Racing surface: 55-60 feet wide

Turns: Approximately one-quarter mile, banked 24 degrees

Straightaways: Banked 5 degrees

Length of frontstretch (including dogleg): 2,332 feet

Length of backstretch: 1,800 feet

Pit Road: 1320 feet

Infield: Approximately 120 acres

First race: July 31, 1960 (Dixie 200)
Winner – Fireball Roberts
Pole – Fireball Roberts (133.870 – four-lap average)

One-lap qualifying record: NASCAR Nextel Cup – Geoffrey Bodine
· 197.478 mph, 28.074 seconds
· Set Nov. 15, 1997
Indy Racing League – Billy Boat
· 224.145 mph, 24.734 seconds
· Set Aug. 28, 1998

500-mile race record: 163.633 mph (3 hours, 3 minutes, 3 seconds) set by Dale Earnhardt (11/12/95)

Owner: Bruton Smith purchased Atlanta Motor Speedway on Oct. 23, 1990; Speedway
Motorsports, Inc. – a public corporation – was formed in 1995