By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

LOUDON, N.H. --- Katie Ann Hebert, the baby that was delivered in the parking lot of New Hampshire Motor Speedway, returned Sunday to the site of her birth and was feted with gifts and a pair of lifetime tickets to every NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the 1.058-mile oval.

Shawna Arnold, the baby's 27-year-old mother, went into labor as she was traveling from her home in Belmont, N.H., to Concord General Hospital with the baby's father, Erik Hebert, and grandmother.

Hebert, 30, who was behind the wheel of his mother's brand new Saturn sedan, said he was driving Arnold to the hospital last Friday afternoon and was motoring south on Route 106 when she began going into labor, prompting him to pull into the parking lot of the track's main offices.

"We were coming up on the track on 106 when she said, `Oh my God, my water broke!' '' Hebert said Sunday before the Sylvania 300 at NHMS. "Then she said, `Oh my God, I've got a head!' and I pulled into the parking lot.''

It was a fortuitous move, as the track had just opened its gates to recreational vehicles arriving for the track's race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. As such, emergency medical technicians and apparatus were on hand at the track and sprang into action when they were summoned to the main offices.

"I totally believe there are angels among us,'' said Jerry Gappens, the track's executive vice president and general manager. "And that was certainly the case last Friday when they gave birth a little miracle baby in our parking lot. This was as good a place for it to happen because we had the people in place to help.

"We had trained professionals on hand who handled these types of situations. So, of all the parkings lots along the way, this was the best one.''

Arnold, who has three older daughters ranging in ages from 7 to 2-1/2 years, said it was the first time she gave birth outside of a hospital.

"I had started to go into labor about 45 minutes before,'' said Arnold. "I felt I had time [to get to the hospital], because I had my three other daughters at the hospital. But Katie wasn't going to wait. She was ready to come and I delivered her in the backseat of the car in the parking lot.''

While her mother was a casual NASCAR fan growing up in Belmont, Gappens seized upon the opportunity to make a new fan of the 9-day-old infant, saying the Magic Mile's miracle baby ``was going to be a part of our family for many years to come.''

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

LOUDON, N.H. -- Jeff Gordon, who fought his way to earn the last wild-card berth in the 12-man Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, captured the pole position for Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Gordon, who finished 35th after crashing on Lap 189 in last weekend's Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway, arrived 12th in the points but earned the right to start at the front of the 43-car field by touring the 1.058-mile oval in his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet in 28.232 seconds (134.911 miles per hour).

It bettered Kyle Busch's qualifying time of 28.265, which knocked Busch's No. 18 M&M's Toyota off the top of the speed charts.

"They don't pay any points for qualifying,'' said Gordon, who was 47 points astern of Chase leader Brad Keselowski with nine races to go. "But if I'm sitting here as the winner come Sunday, then we might be saying something different. At this point, we've got a lot of work to do and it's not going to happen all in one race. It's going to happen in nine races and we're certainly not going to quit.

"We're going to fight, we're going to go out and be aggressive and we're going to go out and try to win races.''

Tony Stewart, the three-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion, qualified third fastest (28.304) while Brian Vickers was fourth fastest (28.322).

Denny Hamlin, who tweeted after finishing 16th in last weekend's Chase race in Chicago, "This is Week 1 of 10. We will win next week," was fastest during practice but wound up qualifying 32d after his crew made a miscalculation on his qualifying tire pressures.

"I knew something was wrong,'' Hamlin said. "It looked like we just ended up having race pressures in. We didn’t put our qualifying pressures in. That was a tough one. I knew something was really, really wrong, because the car was just bottomed out real bad. Simple mistake. We’ll rebound from it. We’re quick enough."

By Michael Vega,Globe Staff

LOUDON, N.H. -- New Hampshire Motor Speedway will continue to host a pair of NASCAR Sprint Cup dates in 2013, including the second event in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, track officials announced Friday.

The 1.058-mile oval in Loudon, N.H. will host its first race July 14 and the second Sept. 22.

“We are full steam ahead for our race this Sunday, but we’re also tremendously honored to have the opportunity to do this all over again next year,” said Jerry Gappens, NHMS executive vice president and general manager, in a released statement. “This has been an extremely exciting season and we are privileged to be an integral part in determining NASCAR’s champion. It’s going to be a long winter, but I think I can speak for everyone here at ‘The Magic Mile’ when I say we can’t wait for the 2013 season to begin.”

NHMS has hosted a pair of Sprint Cup races, NASCAR's premier touring series, since 1997 and has hosted a Chase race since the inception of the new playoff format in 2004.

“The main reason why we have both races again next year is because of the enthusiastic support of our race fans in New England,” said Gappens. “The drivers know this is a great place to compete and the fans know it's an amazing place to watch a race.”

NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer, who is sixth in the Chase for the Cup standings heading into this weekend's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, is scheduled to join Boston.com readers on Wednesday at 1 p.m. to talk racing.

Set a reminder in the chat window below, and get your questions ready.

NHMS

Denny Hamlin visits with the New Hampshire Natitonal Guard's 169th Med-Evac Unit Tuesday as part of NASCAR's ``Chase Across America'' media blitz.

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

CONCORD, N.H. --- Denny Hamlin, the top seed among the 12 drivers entered in NASCAR's 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, visited Tuesday with the New Hampshire National Guard's 169th Med-Evac Aviation Unit, which will be deployed to Afghanistan six days after the Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup race Sept. 23 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Hamlin's visit coincided with the solemn remembrances nationwide for the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Hamlin arrived on the tarmac of the aviation facility behind the wheel of an NHMS pace car and was given a tour of a Black Hawk helicopter and allowed to sit in the pilot's seat.

He returned the favor by providing the troops with a beneath-the-hood tour of his No. 11 FedEx Toyota fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing, and fired up the motor of his snarling 3,500-pound stock car.

"I told them that was the first time I've ever got to visit with troops outside of the race track,'' said Hamlin. "We constantly have inside our NASCAR races individuals from our military that we honor each and every week during the drivers' meeting and during the race intros.

"But to actually see guys and gals who you know are going away for a year, that was the first time I had ever been a part of that,'' Hamlin said. "That was a very unique experience.''

Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager at NHMS, invited the 169th Med-Evac Unit to attend the Sylvania 300 as special guests of the track, promising them red-carpet VIP treatment.

Hamlin, however, took it a step further, promising to have the 169th join him in Victory Lane at NHMS if he wins the second race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

"I told 'em all we got a good shot at it,'' said Hamlin, who was dominant in July's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 but had a pit-road miscommunication cost him a victory. "If we win at New Hampshire, they're all going to come to Victory Lane. They were wondering where are we going to have some beer, and I told them, 'Meet me in Victory Lane, we'll have plenty.'"

While the National Guard already serves as a primary sponsor of another driver in the Chase, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Andy Foote, chief warrant officer for the 169th, said the unit might have another rooting interest in the race.

“We’re looking forward to going out to the track and watching you,” Foote said. “We’ve got a lot of NASCAR fans in this group and I think you’ve made a few more today. We wish you the best of luck when you come back here.”

Hamlin will enter the 10-race Chase, which gets underway Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., as one of the hottest drivers on the NASCAR circuit, with two victories in the last three weeks of the regular season and a series-leading four victories on the season to go along with 13 top 10s and 11 top 5s.

“We expect to run well at most of these final 10 tracks,'' Hamlin said. "But we expect to win at New Hampshire.”

Race over: Kasey Kahne bolstered his bid for a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship with a victory in Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

It was Kahne's second victory of the season after a triumph at Charlotte and first of his career at New Hampshire, where he led the last 66 laps of the race to finish ahead of runner-up Denny Hamlin, third place Clint Bowyer, fourth place Dale Earnhardt Jr., and fifth place Brad Keselowski.

Lap 295/301: Hamlin continued to close the gap on Kahne, pulling within 1.032 seconds.

Lap 280/301: Kahne continued to lead, but Hamlin mounted a strong run to move into second, 3.031 seconds behind.

Lap 260/301: Kahne built a 0.610-second lead (about 10 car lengths) over Bowyer. But the most impressive sight was seeing Hamlin climb to fourth with 39 to go.

Lap 239/301: Restart. Kasey Kahne took the lead when the racing resumed. Clint Bowyer jumped out to second ahead of Earnhardt. Harvick ran fourth. Hamlin, who took four tires when the rest of the field took two, wound up dropping to 11th.

Lap 234/301:Caution No. 3: David Reutimann's No. 10 Chevrolet fielded by Tommy Baldwin Racing blew an engine coming out of Turn 2. It came after Kyle Busch had pitted under green and dropped back after sliding through his pit box. Jimmie Johnson, who also pitted under green and fell a lap down, regained the lap as the beneficiary of a free pass.
The top 5: 1. Kahne, 2. Earnhardt, 3. Harvick, 4. Bowyer, 5. Keselowski.

Lap 210/301: Hamlin built an impressive 2.311-second lead over second-place, Busch.

Lap 201/301: One hundred laps to go. Hamlin continued to lead. Twenty cars remained on lead lap, with Tony Stewart bringing up the rear in 20th, 9.911 seconds back of the leader.

Lap 196/301: Restart. Denny Hamlin wrested the lead from his JGR teammate, Busch. The top 5: 1. Hamlin, 2. Busch, 3. Johnson, 4. Kahne, 5. Earnhardt.

Lap 190/301: The leaders pitted under caution. Kyle Busch cycled to the front when he stayed out on the track. Hamlin wound up in second. The top 5: 1. Busch, 2. Hamlin, 3. Kahne, 4. Johnson, 5. Keselowski. There were 20 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 189/301: Caution No. 2 Debris in Turn 3 brought out the second caution of the race. Paul Menard got his lap back with the free pass.

Lap 180/301: JGR Toyotas continued to show their strength as Hamlin led with 180 complete. He continued to be chased by Hendrick's four-car stable, led by Kahne, Johnson, Gordon and Earnhardt. Tony Stewart dropped off the pace, falling a lap behind on Lap 173.

Lap 154/301: Hamlin pitted under green, sparking a series of cycle of green-flag stops by the leaders. He exited in seventh, then cycled his way back to the front on Lap 158. The top 5: 1. Hamlin, 2. Gordon, 3. Kahne, 4. Jimmie Johnson, 5. Marcus Ambrose.

Lap 150/301: NASCAR officials in flag stand showed the cross-flags, signifying the halfway point of the race. Hamlin continued to lead at the juncture.

Lap 146/301: Gordon finally pitted under green for four tires and fuel. He entered fourth and came out 21st, one lap down.

Lap 140/301: Hamlin led the race after 140 laps. He continued to be chased by the Hendricks' gang. Jeff Gordon, who briefly inherited the lead from Hamlin on Lap 90 when he stayed out on the track during a round of pit stops under caution, seemed to fall back, dropping to fourth.

Lap 130/301: Getting caught up after some connectivity issues at NHMS. Hamlin continued to lead the race, but Jimmie Johnson has moved into the second position ahead of Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon, who dropped back to fourth behind third-place Kasey Kahne. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran fifth at this juncture of the race.

Lap 100/301: Denny Hamlin led the race after 100 laps. He was trailed by Hendrick Motorsports' entire four-car stable, in order: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 94/301: Restart. Denny Hamlin overtook Jeff Gordon for the lead in Turn 2.

Lap 88/301: Caution No. 1: Debris in Turn 3 brought out the first caution. Race leader Denny Hamlin lead the field into the pits under caution. Jeff Gordon stayed out and inherited the lead, becoming the third different leader of the race.

Lap 72/301: Denny Hamlin took the lead after the first cycle of green-flag pit stops. It proved ruinous for Kyle Busch, who was hit with a penalty for entering pit road too fast. Busch wound up serving a pass-through penalty that relegated him to 22d place, 28.696 seconds behind his JGR teammate, Hamlin.

Lap 67/301: Race leader Kyle Busch is in the pits.

Lap 59/301: The lapped car of Landon Cassill started a cycle of green-flag pit stops when he was the first to make a green-flag pit stop. Cassill went two laps down to race leader Kyle Busch.

Lap 50/301: Kyle Busch has not wavered one bit in leading the first 50 laps of the Lenox 301. Top 5 after 50 laps: 1 Busch, 2. Kahne, 3. Hamlin, 4. Gordon, 5. Johnson.

Lap 40/301: Kyle Busch has led the first 40 laps. Dominant run in the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota.

Lap 30/301: Broken record. Kyle Busch continued to lead the field. Kahne has moved back into second place. There were 33 cars on the lead lap. The running order: 1. Busch, 2. Kahne, 3. Hamlin, 4. Gordon, 5. Johnson.

Lap 20/301: Kyle Busch continued to lead the race. He's led all 20 laps. Kelly Bires, driver of the No. 79 Team Kyle/Bestway Disposal Ford, was the second driver to park it on Lap 19
Lap 13/301: With 13 laps complete, an interesting pattern has emerged. There are four pairs of teammates among the top 10 drivers: the JGR duo of Busch and Hamlin (1st and 2d), the Michael Waltrip Racing tandem of Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. (4th and 5th), the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson (6th and 7th) and the Stewart-Haas Racing pair of Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman (8th and 9th).

Lap 10/301: Kyle Busch continued to lead the field, but his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin, passed Kasey Kahne to move into second place.

Lap 4/301: J.J. Yeley, driving the No. 49 Robinson-Blakeney Racing Toyota, was the first behind the pit wall after four laps.

Lap 1/301: Green! Green! Green! The Lenox Industrial Tools 301 has gone green and pole sitter Kyle Busch has led the first lap.

Pre-race Greetings from a steamy New Hampshire Motor Speedway where the starting command of ``Gentlemen, start your engines!'' has just been given and the drivers in the 43-car grid have complied, igniting their engines in a loud eruption.

Kyle Busch will start from the pole. Kasey Kahne will start from the outside pole.

The field has yet to roll off pit road to get the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at NHMS.

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

LOUDON, N.H. -- After verbally smacking down Amber Cope following his runner-up finish to Brad Keselowski in Saturday's F.W. Webb 200 Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Kevin Harvick took to Twitter to take Cope to task for her interference on the backstretch that enabled Keselowski pass Harvick for the race lead with 21 laps to go.

Harvick got held up on the backstretch of the 1.058-mile oval when he came upon the lapped car of Amber Cope, of Pulyallup, Wash., one of the twin nieces of 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope.

Cope, who was supposed to start 42d, never took the green flag after developing problems and pulling into the garage. She came back out 33 laps behind the leaders and finished 26th in her No. 24 Chevrolet.

Afterward, Harvick took Cope to task, giving her car a disapproving nudge with his own on pit road.

"The 24 every time you'd come up to her, she didn't know whether she was going high or low,'' Harvick said. "It looked like she went up, so I committed to the bottom and then she came down.''

Harvick refused to describe the incident as ``one of those racing deals.''

"It's not one of those deals,'' he said. "It's somebody who shouldn't be on the race track and has no clue what they're doing in the race car. She wants to be Danica Patrick but she can't hold her ... hold her helmet.''

Afterward, Harvick went on Twitter and took another sideswipe at Cope when he posted the following message:

Looking forward to tomorrow should be an intense race! Best part about it is I know the #24 will be able to drive straight tomorrow!

Harvick, no doubt, was referring to Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup race and the No. 24 Chevrolet driven by Jeff Gordon.

Cope responded in kind on Twitter:

@KevinHarvick Way to go tough guy. I bet if u take a moment in your arrogance u will realize your fault @keselowski figured it out.

.

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

LOUDON, N.H. --- Brad Keselowski capitalized on lapped traffic that held up race leader Kevin Harvick with 21 laps to go, and went on to take the lead and held on to win Saturday's F.W. Webb 200 Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Harvick finished runner-up and Nationwide Series rookie Austin Dillon finished third to claim the $100,000 Nationwide Series Dash 4 Cash bonus. Sam Hornish Jr., Keselowks's Penske Racing teammate, finished fourth.

"This series is hard, it's tough racing,'' said Keselowski, who won from the pole position to deliver Penske Racing its 25th Nationwide Series victory. "Kevin raced me hard and it was great racing. There's very few other guys I'd like to race with than Kevin. He's a lot of fun to race with. I probably got a break in traffic, so that's the way it goes.''

Harvick got held up on the backstretch of the 1.058-mile oval when he came upon the lapped car of Amber Cope, of Pulyallup, Wash., one of the twin nieces of 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope.

Cope, who was supposed to start 42d, never took the green flag after developing problems and pulling into the garage. She came back out 33 laps behind the leaders and finished 26th in her No. 24 Chevrolet.

Afterward, Harvick took Cope to task, giving her car a disapproving nudge with his own on pit road.

"The 24 every time you'd come up to her, she didn't know whether she was going high or low,'' Harvick said. "It looked like she went up, so I committed to the bottom and then she came down.''

Harvick refused to describe the incident as ``one of those racing deals.''

"It's not one of those deals,'' he said. "It's somebody who shouldn't be on the race track and has no clue what they're doing in the race car. She wants to be Danica Patrick but she can't hold her ... hold her helmet.''

Said Keselowski: "You're always going to have some traffic, and some drivers who don't know where they're at and stuff like that. Sometimes it goes against you, today it went for us.''

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the reigning Nationwide Series champion, finished fifth in the race, and runner-up to Dillion in the Dash 4 Cash bonus, but was overcome by the 90-degree heat on pit road.

Stenhouse, who had been battling a strep throat infection all week, passed out after climbing from his car. He was attended to by track's medical personnel and, as a precaution, taken by stretcher to the infield medical center, where he was treated and released.

"I feel OK now,'' Stenhouse said afterward. "They gave me some fluids and got good to go. I think just being a little sick all week, not eating much and not drinking enough fluids caught up with me after the race. I think we'll be good to go now.''

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

LOUDON, N.H. --- Kyle Busch, the last of 44 drivers who made a qualifying attempt for Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301, wound up winning the pole position Friday for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Busch captured his first pole of the season and ninth overall of his career with a fast lap of 28.548 seconds (133.417 miles per hour) in the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing.

"Definitely a great day for us,'' said Busch. ``We unloaded with a really fast race car right off the truck with [crew chief] Dave [Rogers] and the guys re-working everything over the winter trying to come up with a new package for here.

"We haven't had quite something that works for us, but this time around it was really good,'' said Busch, who was fastest in practice in 28.555 seconds (133.385 m.p.h.) ``Excellent lap just trying to hit the same marks I did in practice and back up that time. It would've put us second quick, I think , but we picked up just a little bit here and a little there and we were able to have the fastest lap.''

Busch knocked Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne off the pole after Kahne recorded a fast lap of 28.551 seconds, bettering the lap of Busch's JGR teammate Denny Hamlin by one-thousandth of a second (28.552).

Kahne will start on the outside pole while Hamlin will start third in the 43-car grid.

"Kyle will always be the fastest member at Joe Gibbs Racing when it comes to being able to get the most out of his race car, one lap, pure speed,'' Hamlin said. "For me to be remotely in the same area code as him says something good about me, but I'm happy just to be able to see him at the start.''

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

LOUDON, N.H. -- Several NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers reacted to the suspension of driver A.J. Allmendinger after he tested positive for a banned substance. Hours before the start of last Saturday night's Coke Zero 400, NASCAR officials announced its decision to ban Allmendinger from driving the No. 22 Pennzoil Dodge fielded by Penske Racing, prompting the team to deploy Nationwide Series driver Sam Hornish Jr. as an emergency replacement.

"NASCAR has got their policies in place and it was a little bit of a shock I think to all of us that it happened when it did,'' said Tony Stewart, who went on to win the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. "That is not in A.J. Allmendinger's character so I don't know what is going on there. It's unfortunate because he's a good guy and he's a really good race car driver so I mean I would say there is probably a logical explanation for it.''

One driver, Carl Edwards, suggested it might be time for drivers to seek an independent testing organization to work in concert with the sanctioning body's drug testers as a way to provide an added safeguard for drivers.

"I think we’re all kind of in a position where, let’s be honest, it’s an imperfect world,'' Edwards said. "People are imperfect. Tests are imperfect.

"I think the drivers need to get together and we need to have our own group that is paid by us, that works for us, to be here in tandem with the NASCAR drug testers and have them test us at the same time so that we have not just an A and B sample, but an A and B testing facility, and we can all agree on that facility, it’s no big deal."

"I don’t think it would be a contentious thing, I think that would remove almost all doubt in any situation of a positive test,'' Edwards said.

"I think until we do that, no matter what is found to be positive, no matter what the test results are, there is always gonna be that little question of, ‘Maybe there was a mistake,'' Edwards continued. ``I think that was brought up by somebody early on in this testing stuff with the testing policy, but I don’t know that there’s been anymore serious discussion, and that’s just something I thought of a little bit this week.

"At the end of the day what does a guy that doesn’t drink, use any drugs, have any chance of being in violation, what does that guy really have to gain by subjecting himself to these tests?'' Edwards said. ``He has the potential, that is real because it’s an imperfect world, of having some sort of false positive or having something happen. I think that’s really scary for a lot of the guys in this sport when you go in there and subject yourself to that.”

Brad Keselowski, however, offered a strong dissenting opinion on the matter, saying, ``I don't think we need any committees or anything like that. I feel you shouldn't be allowed to take anything. Just man up and drive the damn race car.''

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

LOUDON, N.H. --- The baby boom, it seems, has hit NASCAR. Ryan Newman and his wife, Krissie, will be expecting their second daughter anytime soon -- and we mean anytime soon -- during this weekend's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Last Sunday, Kevin and Delana Harvick welcomed their first child into the world when Keelan Paul Harvick was born (6 pounds 8 ounces; 19.5 inches) the day after the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

Friday, Harvick, the driver of the No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet fielded by Richard Childress Racing, met with the media at NHMS to describe the whirlwind nature of the week leading up to his son's birth.

"It's been a crazy week to tell you the truth,'' Harvick said. "It all started in Daytona, as everybody knows. Yeah, we went in and she did a great job and had a baby within about two hours. Dad waited a little long to get her to the hospital. I was obviously not her favorite person as they told her they wouldn’t give her an epidural.

"She did good. She had it all natural, no drugs or nothing,'' Harvick said. "We had a healthy baby boy, and that was the most important part. Everybody is good and at home, doing normal things.”

That brought a measure of relief for Harvick, who was asked if, as an accomplished driver on NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, he did the driving when he chauffered his wife to the hospital.

"First off, I did drive her to the hospital,'' Harvick said. "The only part for me it wasn't very fast because she was obviously in a lot of pain. Like I said, that was partly my fault because I made her wait too long. So, we didn't make any real fast corners. We would go straight and fast. I had been to the doctor's office several times so I knew where every bump was. So I didn't get yelled at on the drive over and that was my goal.''

*#*#*#*#

As if hitting the wall at Daytona wasn't punishing enough, Jimmie Johnson went out and punished himself some more by competing in his first sprint triathlon -- 1/2-mile swim, 12-mile bike, 5K run -- last Sunday morning in Charleston, S.C.

Johnson finished 46th overall and seventh in his age-group in 1:11:57 after finishing 36th at Daytona, where his night ended with a thud on Lap 123 when his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet spun coming out of Turn 4 and was sent hurtling into a retaining wall where it hit head-on at full speed.

Unhurt, Johnson climbed out of his car and began to prepare himself to make the trek to Charleston, where he was joined by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne and members of his No. 48 pit crew who, Johnson said, flew home after the race, jumped into a motorhome and ``literally pulled up in the parking lot 30 minutes prior to the start,'' he said..

Johnson, who finished behind Kahne by 27 seconds, said he struggled on the run portion, which was typically one of his strong suits.

"Once I got in the run, I started to cramp and unfortunately stopped a couple of times and had a pretty poor run-time, which affected my overall [result],'' he said. "But it was such an awesome experience. The training for the event itself, I had butterflies like I was getting ready to start a Cup race or something.

"That cut into my sleep, the little bit of sleep that we had, following the Daytona race,'' he said. "So all in all, it was an amazing experience. It was a really cool thing all around and I look forward to doing more in the future. But from the incident, I don't think I slept or sat still long enough for any pain to set in.

"And the pain that I had was relative to the triathlon and not the crash,'' Johnson said. "So, I think I worked out all the kinks in Charleston."

Johnson said no side-drafting was allowed in the swim or bike portion, but was surprised by a fan who approached him as he was putting on his shoes in the transition area.

"I went a couple of hundred yards and my calves started to cramp-up,'' Johnson said. "I went to a curb and was stretching my calves real quick and a guy in a No. 24 hat came running up with a Bud Light and said, `Hey, this will help, this will help.' I was, `Not yet man, I've got three miles and I'll be back and then I'll take you up on that.'

"That got me laughing pretty good,'' Johnson said. "And then he did find me after the event. I was thankful to see him then.''

*#*#*#*#

When Jeff Burton won the New Hampshire 300 in 2000, setting a NASCAR record by leading all 300 laps, it was a feat that was not likely to ever be matched. Johnson, however, felt it was possible. After all, Johnson was the driver who smashed Cale Yarborough's record three consecutive NASCAR titles by winning five in a row.

"It's possible, it's there,'' Johnson said. "I remember watching that [race]. I remember watching [Dale] Earnhardt [Sr.] trying to get a lap back or something with Burton. But Burton knew he wanted to keep him down because Earnhardt was strong. So anything is possible.

"When you look at the three straight [championships] that Cale had [won] and people thought it was impossible to break that and win from the the mid-to-late 70s all the way to the 2010 when we had our [fifth] in a row.

"So it's possible, long story short,'' Johnson said. "I think it gets more difficult as time goes on. But it is possible. And I want to believe those things are possible because I'd love to win seven championships. So I still have a carrot out there in front of myself.''

Sporting News motorsports reporter Steven Levine previews the action at this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

NASCAR is in New England this week, and up-and-coming driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the Nationwide series defending champ who is moving to a full-time ride on the Sprint Cup circuit next season, talked racing on Thursday during a chat on Boston.com.

Stenhouse, who will take over the Roush Fenway Racing Team car driven by Matt Kenseth, is third in this season's Nationwide points race. He was second last week at Daytona.

NASCAR's Nationwide series races on Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the Sprint Cup event is on Sunday. Review his Q&A below.

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

Sam Hornish Jr., who was pressed into service as an emergency replacement for suspended NASCAR Sprint Cup driver A.J. Allmendinger in Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, will drive for Allmendinger in the No. 22 Pennzoil Dodge fielded by Penske Racing in Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Penske Racing officials issued the following statement Monday:

"Penske Racing is continuing to work with NASCAR to follow its process and procedures related to the positive drug test that AJ Allmendinger was notified of this past weekend. While this process continues, Sam Hornish Jr. will drive the No. 22 car in this week's Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway."

Hornish, who drives in the Nationwide Series for Penske Racing, was summoned from Charlotte, N.C., to replace Allmendinger after NASCAR officials indefinitely suspended him for testing positive for a banned substance.

Without any practice time in the car, Hornish arrived Daytona, jumped into the No. 22 Dodge, and finished 33d.

Allmendinger will have an opportunity to appeal the positive test result.

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

Bob Tasca III, a 36-year-old NHRA Funny Car driver from Hope, R.I., could hardly contain himself Tuesday as he stood next to his 7,000-horsepower Ford Shelby Mustang Funny Car in the plaza of Boston’s Old City Hall.

Tasca, a third generation member of his drag racing family, was thrilled beyond measure to finally bring his Funny Car home to New England to compete in the inaugural National Hot Rod Association Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event next June 23-20 at New England Dragway in Epping N.H.

It was the same track where Tasca made his first pass as an up-and-coming 16-year-old drag racer.

"It was 1992, in a Bimini Blue Mustang GT, it ran like 11.8 [seconds] in the quarter mile and I was hooked," Tasca said. "But what I’m excited about is that there’s never been a national event in New England, ever, in over 60 years of NHRA drag racing.

"So to bring a sport that I’m so passionate about, that gives fans such an unbelievable access and experience both what we do in the race track and what we do in the pits, to bring it our backyard and to our home is going to be real exciting for me to be a part of next year."

NHRA president Tom Compton said the sanctioning body, based in Glendora, Calif., had been working for 10 years to plant its flag in the New England market.

"It’s the largest metropolitan area that we really don’t bring the Full Throttle Series to," Compton said. "So that kind of rounds out our position as the most geographically diverse motorsports series in the United States from Seattle to Florida and now not only from New Jersey to LA, but New England to LA."

The Full Throttle Drag Racing series, the NHRA’s premier national touring series, is comprised of four divisions: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle.

The Full Throttle Series is showcased by the Top Fuel division, which features the 300-m.p.h., nitromethane-burning dragsters capable of generating up to 8,000 horsepower.

"It’s one of those sports where you’ve got to see it, feel it, hear it and smell it to actually believe it, to see an object accelerate to 300 miles per hour in four seconds," Tasca said. "When you get to see it up close, you’re just mind-boggled about it."

Lap 202, End of race

Matt Kenseth won the 54th running of the Daytona 500 in a green-white-checkered finish over runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle, who finished third after getting caught down the home stretch by Earnhardt.

It was Kenseth's second career victory in the Great American Race after he won the 2009 Daytona 500, a race that was shortened by rain. The second time around, Kenseth's victory was protracted when the race was postponed by rain Sunday for the first time in race history and red-flagged for 2 hours 5 minutes 29 seconds with 40 laps to go.

Juan Pablo Montoya lost control of his car on the backstretch as he was running under caution and slammed into the rear end of a jet engine dryer, igniting a massive fireball when the drying apparatus spilled 200 gallons of jet fuel onto the track.

Caution No. 10, Lap 196

Tony Stewart spun in front of heavy traffic coming through the tri-oval and ignited a multi-car melee that enabled the lead 10-car draft to escape unscathed.

With three to go, the Top 5: 1. Kenseth, 2. Biffle, 3. Hamlin, 4. Earnhardt Jr., 5. Burton.

Caution No. 9 Lap 186

Jamie McMurray blew a tire and spun into heavy traffic, triggering an eight-car melee in Turn 1.

The top 5: 1. Kenseth, 2. Biffle, 3. Earnhardt Jr., 4. Hamlin, 5. Harvick.

Restart, Lap 183

Kenseth, with drafting help from Biffle his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, remained in the lead.

Lap 180

Kenseth led under caution with 20 to go.

Caution No. 8, Lap 178

Aric Almirola brought out the eighth caution when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. tapped Almirola's right front quarterpanel and collected the lapped car of Casey Mears and Marcos Ambrose, who spun out in the grassy area near Turn 1.

The Top 5: 1. Kenseth, 2. Biffle, 3. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 4. Kevin Harvick, 5. Denny Hamlin.

Lap 170

Matt Kenseth led with 30 to go. The pace reached a torrid 200 miles per hour.

Restart, Lap 166

Matt Kenseth took the lead when the race was resumed after a red-flag period of 2:05:29.

Red flag, Lap 160

Juan Pablo Montoya lost control of his No. 42 Chevrolet when it developed a vibration and slammed into the rear end of a jet engine dryer,which was slowly creeping along high in Turn 3, causing it to explode in a massive fireball. Jet fuel leaked from the dryer and ignited, causing a massive conflagration that burned out of control until track safety workers and fire rescue personnel finally fought it fought to get under control.

Montoya climbed out of his smoldering wreck, unhurt. The driver of jet engine dryer was assisted from his vehicle and helped down the banking. He was taken to a local hospital to be examined.

Caution, Lap 157

David Stremme blew an engine on backstretch. Field pits under caution. Casey Mears won the race off pit road.

Lap 146

Matt Kenseth just wrested the lead from Logano.

Lap 144

Joey Logano, of Middletown, Conn, took the lead from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin.

Caution No. 6, Lap 129

Clint Bowyer runs out of fuel on backstretch. Needs push to the pits from a wrecker.
Tony Stewart, who pitted before the caution came out, assumed the lead when the field pitted. Ryan Newman was the Lucky Dog beneficiary and got the free pass and put him back on the lead lap.

Lap 120

Denny Hamlin leads the race. Hamlin is at the front of a single-file lead draft of six cars.
The Top 5: 1. Hamlin, 2. Truex Jr. 3. Biffle, 4. Burton, 5. Bowyer.

Lap 100, halfway

Martin Truex Jr., with strong drafting support from Denny Hamlin, took the lead at the halfway point. He collected the $200,000 halfway bonus by passing Biffle.

Restart, Lap 90

Greg Biffle leads the race with 10 laps to go to the halfway point and a $200,000 bonus.

Caution No. 5, Lap 88

Terry Labonte got spun out by Marcos Ambrose coming off Turn 4. Labonte kept if off the wall, but got stuck in the mud in the grassy area at the entrance of pit road. Labonte was attempt to go for the halfway bonus. When he was apprised of it by his crew, he radioed back: ``Oh boy. Good way to get wrecked, probably.''

Restart, Lap 86

Terry Labonte led the field on the restart, but his turn at the front was short-lived when Biffle wrested the lead away on Lap 87.

Caution No. 4, Lap 81

Jeff Gordon's engine blew up on the backstretch, bringing out the fourth caution of the race. The field pitted under caution. Terry Labonte is being scored as the leader.

Restart, Lap 68

With 32 laps left before a $200,000 halfway bonus, Greg Biffle takes the lead on the restart, going to the front of a single-file lead draft of eight cars. The top 5: 1. Biffle, 2. Ambrose, 3. KyBusch, 4. Clint Bowyer, 5. Logano..

Caution No. 3, Lap 64

Debris in Turn 2. The top 5: 1. Burton, 2. Biffle, 3. Ambrose, 4. Truex Jr., 5. KyBusch. Landon Cassill is awarded the Lucky Dog and gains a lost lap. The No. 83 will now be at the end of the lead lap in 33d.

Lap 60

A series of green-flag pit stops shuffled the leaders, but Jeff Burton cycled his way back to the front. Marcos Ambrose gained a spot with a strong pit. The top 5: 1. Burton, 2. Biffle, 3. Ambrose, 4. Martin Truex Jr., 5. Kyle Busch.

Lap 50

Jeff Burton continues to run at the front of a single-file draft of eight cars. The top 5: 1. Burton, 2. Bifffle, 3. Menard, 4. Smith, 5. Logano.

Lap 41

Jeff Burton, with tandem drafting support from Biffle, took the lead from Hamlin.

Lap 34

Hamlin continues to lead the pack. Top 5: 1. Hamlin, 2. Menard, 3. Regan Smith, 4. Joey Logano, 5. Jeff Burton.

Restart, Lap 17

Back to green. Menard leads the field, but Hamlin goes by him on Lap 18.

Caution No. 2, Lap 13

Ryan Newman spun in Turn 2 when he had a right rear tire go flat. The field pitted shortly thereafter. Paul Menard and Denny Hamlin, both of whom stayed out on the track, were scored as the top two drivers among the leaders. The top 5: 1. Menard, 2. Hamlin, 3. Aric Almirola, 4. Edwards, 5. Biffle.

Restart, Lap 8

Greg Biffle leads the field. The Top 5: 1. Biffle, 2. Matt Kenseth, 3. Carl Edwards, 4. Tony Stewart, 5. Regan Smith.

Caution No. 1, Lap 2

Shortly after completing the first lap, five cars were involved in a crash in Turn 1. Five-time champion Jimmie Johnson triggered it when his No. 48 Chevrolet got tapped from behind by Elliott Sadler and turned into the wall entering Turn 1. Johnson's car slid across the track and got hit on the driver's side by David Ragan. The cars of Danica Patrick, who was making her Daytona 500 debut, Kurt Busch and Trevor Bayne, the defending Daytona 500 winner, were also collected in the crash.

Patrick's car sustained significant left side damage after she collided with Johnson's car, but she averted even more damage when she threaded the needle between the spinning wrecks of Bayne and Ragan.

"It is ridiculous to sit around this long for the Daytona 500 and on the very first lap for someone to be driving as reckless as whoever caused that, someone had to cause it,'' fumed Ragan, who was scored in 42d-place. ``It is just a shame for it to be that early in the biggest race, the first race of the year. We just got caught up in it. We were content on riding in the beginning and minding our P’s and Q’s. They started wrecking in front of us and we just couldn’t get out of the way quick enough.''

Kurt Busch, who was scored as the last-place finisher in 43d, fumed over the radio: "Seriously, are we kidding ourselves? We sit around for 36 hours and we wreck on the first lap?"

7:14 p.m.

Green! Green! Green! The 54th Daytona 500 is underway. Outside pole sittter Greg Biffle led the first lap.

Pre-race

Pole sitter Carl Edwards, who captured his first career Daytona 500 pole victory last Sunday, led the field of 43 drivers off pit road at 7:05 p.m. We are set to go racing at Daytona International Speedway.

Danica Patrick (No. 10), Paul Menard (No. 27), David Gilliland (No. 38) and Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42) went to the rear of the field because they went to backup cars. Kurt Busch (No. 51) also went to the back because of an engine change.

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --- After the 54th Daytona 500 was postponed by rain Sunday, track officials announced today the expected noon start would be pushed back to 7 p.m. to provide for a better opportunity to stage the 200-lap race while allowing for a band of showers to clear the area.

NASCAR president Mike Helton and Daytona track president Joie Chitwood III huddled with its broadcast partners and weather experts and came to the decision to shift to a later start to avoid having fans wait all day in the rain before the start of the race.

Although NASCAR Sprint Cup teams were already facing a logistical nightmare of having to travel cross-country with little time to spare to make the next race at Phoenix International Raceway this weekend, Helton did not rule out holding the Daytona 500 on Tuesday as an option.

"We're focused on today and this afternoon right now,'' Helton said. "But, just so everyone knows, Tuesday is an option before we'd have to reconsider packing up and leaving. But tomorrow is an option.''

Forecasts were calling for up to 80 percent chance of rain this afternoon.

``Based on the weather forecast that everybody has convinced us of from here through mid afternoon, 60, 70, 80 percent chances of rain, we're going to wait in announcing right now that the effort to run the Daytona is now shifting from noon until 7:00 p.m.,'' Helton said this morning in a joint press conference with Chitwood. ``So we hope to have `Lady and gentlemen, start your engines,' at 7:02 and then warm up and go to green flag.

"We believe this is a reasonable expectation, and we also believe in a modern world with the technology that we have to interpret weather, forecast it and try to stay on top of it within a reasonable amount of time,'' Helton said, "that having everyone sit around and wait for several hours today up until the point where we're confident or have more confidence that we can run the race was more prudent to do it this way.''

WWE star John Cena, a native of West Newbury, Mass., who as scheduled to serve as the honorary starter of the race, had agreed to handle pre-race duties as grand marshal and give the starting command after Jane Lynch and Kate Upton, co-stars of the upcoming movie ``Three Stooges,'' were forced to pull out after Sunday's postponement.

Cena, however, was forced to pull out as well when the start was pushed back to 7 p.m.

"His schedule will not allow him to continue so he will depart,'' Chitwood said.

Update, 1:02 p.m. Jet dryers have been fired up and are about to begin drying operations at Daytona.

Update, 1:22 p.m. Sun is out in full force, no doubt a hugh help to the jet dryers on the track.

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --- The 54th running of Daytona 500 has been postponed until noon Monday.

The originally-scheduled 1:29 p.m. start of the race was delayed by rain, with two abortive attempts made to dry the track, the last of which was halted at 5:07 p.m. when rain halted drying operations.

It was the first time in 53 years that NASCAR's season-opening race had been postponed by rain.

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --- The originally scheduled 1:29 p.m. start of the 54th Daytona 500 has been delayed by steady rain fall.

''Obviously, we're in a holding pattern,'' said NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp.

NASCAR's season-opener, which as been rain-delayed and rain-shortened but never rained out, was threatened by a steady band of rain that was tracking from the Gulf of Mexico across the state of Florida toward Daytona Beach, which is located on the Atlantic coastline of the state.

NASCAR president Mike Helton told Fox Sports expressed the hope that, as the system ran its course, that the track could be dried in time to get the race underway.

"It's one of those days here in Daytona where the rain pops up and falls off, pops up and falls off,'' Helton said. "But as the day progresses we think the chances of the pop ups diminish quite a bit, so hopefully this will be the last big cell we see and [rain clouds] will start falling apart and we can get the track dried and go on and get finished and run the Daytona 500 today.''

Helton said the track was properly equipped with enough jet dryers and other machinery to get the track dried as quickly as possible, a process that could take up to two hours.

"[The rain] needs to stop before we can begin the process of drying,'' Helton said. "We are equipped, Daytona International Speedway has about every drying piece of machinery they got across the country here today, because we know the fans at home and the fans here in Daytona want to see this race run and we do, too, so the sooner the better.''

Update, 1:38 p.m. The rain has stopped at Daytona and a fleet of 10 jet dryers have taken the track and begun drying the 2.5-mile trioval.

Update, 1:46 p.m. Jet dryers have ceased operation. It's raining -- hard -- again.

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --- We have spent the better part of 11 days here for Speedweeks 2012 and it seems each day has brought a new story, a new thing to marvel about. So, as part of our first Exhaust Circuit installment of 2012, here's a few behind-the-scene glimpses of the happenings down here at Daytona International Speedway

Friday, Feb. 17

We got up bright and early and made our way out to Ponce Inlet, the site of the origins of the sport where races were actually held on the beach. Trevor Bayne, the defending Daytona 500 winner, was on hand to initiate a new Daytona tradition by taking his winning No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford and driving it down the beach, collecting a green flag and steering his stock car down Route AIA (with a police escort) and taking it to the Speedway to signal the start of Speedweeks.

Among the dignitaries on hand for the beach ceremony and press conference was none other than 1961 Daytona 500 winner Marvin Panch, who at 85 ranked as the oldest living winner of the Great American Race
.

Panch (right), a former Daytona Beach resident, now spends his time traveling the highways and byways of our great land by motorcoach. He happily goes wherever his vagabond heart pleases. ``I'm just a hobo,'' he said, a wide grin on his face. ``If I don't like my neighbor, I just turn the [ignition] key.''

Panch recounted winning the Daytona 500 and how it did his heart good to see the Wood Brothers, for whom he also drove (but not when he won the 500), get back to Victory Lane at Daytona last year. It marked the first time since 1976 when David Pearson took the checkered in the famous No. 21 Ford.

``The Wood Brothers were always honest people to deal with,'' Panch said. ``I remember after the first race with them, waiting at the pay window for like about 2-1/2 hours or so. A couple of days later, I got a check in the mail from Glen Wood for about $50 with no explanation. I called up Glen and asked him, `Glen, what's the check for?' And he said, `Well, a good ol' boy gave me $100 dollars to put a decal on the quarterpanel of our car and I felt you deserved half of it.'

Panch was so impressed he immediately called the secretary who handled NASCAR's payouts and instructed her to send all his earnings to the Wood Brothers. ``I knew I never had to wait at another pay window again, because I knew I could trust them to take care of me,'' he said.

Saturday, Feb. 18

While Bayne's tranpsort of the green flag from the beach to the high-banks of Daytona's 2.5-mile trioval signaled the start of Speedweeks, racing didn't get underway in earnest until the Budweiser Shootout, a two-segment 75-lap affair that marked the first time drivers got to test NASCAR's new rules package -- aimed at bringing back pack-styled racing and doing away with two-car tandem drafts at carburetor restrictor plate races at Daytona and Talladega.

The Shootout did not disappoint, and lived up to its billing.

The race was marred by three big wrecks, the last of which saw four-time champion Jeff Gordon walk away from a frightening crash that saw him get turned into the wall in Turn 4 and turned on his driver's side. He skidded along the outside retaining wall in a shower of sparks, before sliding down the embankment to a paved run-off area near the entrance of pit road, where Gordon's car did 2-1/2 barrel rolls before coming to stop on its hood.

"This is not how I wanted to start the 2012 season; I've never been upside down in one of these cars,'' Gordon said. "The hit to the wall was much harder than the rest of it. The roll was pretty soft and easy. The protection we have inside of these cars is amazing because I didn't even hardly feel any of it. The toughest part is when you're laying upside down and you can't get out of the car. The roof was caved-in a little bit and that was no fun.''

Gordon's crash precipitated a thrilling green-white-checkered finish in which Kyle Busch, who twice averted disaster with great saves of his spinning No. 18 Toyota, made a stunning last-lap pass of runner-up Tony Stewart to win the Shootout by the scant margin of .013 seconds, the closest finish in event history.

By all accounts, Busch should have never made it to Victory Lane, but there he was after having completed a magnificent drive in which he made, perhaps, two of the biggest saves of his career.

"First time might have been luck, but I'm going to say the second time was all skill,'' he said, half-jokingly.

Busch talked about how he worked the car -- turning the wheel and alternately working the brake, the clutch and the accelerator and the gear shift -- in an attempt to get it back on track. But what intrigued me most about the anatomy of his saves was what it must have looked like from his vantage point inside the car.

So I asked him, "Can you describe what you field of vision is like when you go into spin cycle like that?''

Kyle Busch's reply: "Vision is a big key, too. It kind of tells you how crooked you are. Whether you're 45 degrees, 60 degrees, where you are. Your field of vision, you're trying to pay attention out your windshield, out the right side, obviously, kind of like a dirt car. When you're sideways in a dirt car, you're looking at the right side A post, because that's where you're going.

"You're not watching the steering wheel, looking at any of that stuff,'' he said. "You're doing it all by feel."

Sunday, Feb. 19

Pole Day saw Roush Fenway Racing drivers Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle help Ford Racing sweep the front row of the 43-car grid for the Daytona 500.

Edwards captured the pole with a fast lap of 194.738 miles per hour while Biffle qualified second fastest with a lap of 194.087.

A runner-up to Bayne in last year's 500 and a runner-up to Stewart in the championship, Edwards proved he wasn't about to take a backseat to anyone after capturing his first career Daytona 500 pole, which marked the third time Ford Racing had a pair of teammates on the front row with David Gilliland (pole) and Ricky Rudd doing so for Robert Yates Racing in 2007.

"It's a sign of strength of your team,'' Edwards said. "It's not that we just have one car up there. To have two cars, to have that whole front row, I mean, that says a lot about Roush Fenway Racing, about Ford.''

Thursday, Feb. 23

The Gatorade Duel. These pair of qualifying races used to be called ``The Twin 125s'' but with Gatorade taking on event sponsorship, the heats were expanded to 150-mile races that determined the starting order for the Daytona 500.

While the top 35 drivers in the 2011 owners points were already locked into the 43-car field, 10 drivers were left to duke it out in the Duel for the four transfer spots (two in each race) that were up for grabs. Many of these drivers come to Daytona on a shoe-string budget with nothing but a hope and a prayer of making the race

In the first Duel, won by Stewart, Michael McDowell had his prayers answered when he was highest finishing non-exempt driver, finishing sixth, while Robby Gordon claimed the other transfer spot with his ninth-place finish.

Dave Blaney (12th) and Joe Nemechek (17th, one lap down) claimed the two remaining spots in the second Duel, won by Matt Kenseth with an exciting sling-shot move past Biffle, his Roush Fenway teammate.

For Blaney, it came as a measure of sweet redemption. After all, Blaney had to forfeit the owner points he had accrued in the No. 36 Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing last year, which would have put him in the race, But Blaney's points were dealt to Stewart-Haas Racing to guarantee Danica Patrick a spot for her Daytona 500 debut.

''There's no chip on my shoulder,'' Blaney said. "Just scared we wouldn't make it. Worried about doing the right things. I say, it worked out so we're happy.''

The Duel wasn't so kind to Patrick, who destroyed the No. 10 Chevrolet she planned to race in the 500 in a scary last-lap crash in Turn 2. As the pack came around the turn in three-wide formation, Jamie McMurray's Chevy jostled Aric Almirola's Ford, which bumped into Patrick's car, causing it to veer off course at full speed for a foam barrier on an inside retaining wall.

Patrick's car was completely totaled when it made a heavy impact on the right side.

Friday, Feb. 24

Twenty-four hours after trashing Stewart's Cup car, Danica put Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Nationwide Series car on the pole for the season-opening Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona, when she became the second woman in Nationwide Series to win a pole position after Shawna Robinson did so in 1994 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

"I really don’t think about it from a girls’ perspective,’’ Patrick said, referring to her place in the history books. "I’ve been taught from a young age to be the best driver … not just the best girl.’’

Patrick credited crew chief Tony Eury Jr. for preparing a pole-winning car that clocked a fast lap of 49.250 seconds. ``I’m really thrilled for Tony,’’ Patrick said. "He’s never had a pole here at Daytona and he’s built some really good speedway cars.’’

Patrick’s pole-winning lap wound up being seventh-thousandths of a second faster than that recorded by 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, who recorded a lap of 49.257 seconds (182.715 m.p.h.) in the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

In the Camping World Truck Series opener that evening, rookie driver John King was a surprise winner when he survived a last-lap melee that took out the leaders. It was King's eighth career start. It was a stunning turn of events, to be sure, that would be repeated in the Nationwide Series opener.

.
Saturday, Feb. 25

James Buescher, 21, of Plano, Texas, would have been happy to take home an 11th-place finish in the Nationwide Series opener. But Buescher could scarcely believe his luck when he went into the third turn of the last lap of the Drive4COPD 300 in 11th and came out of the final turn in first, having survived the carnage of an 11-car melee that took out the leaders.

"I had enough time to point my car to the bottom and thought about going to the apron,’’ said Buescher, who hugged the bottom of the track in his No. 30 Chevrolet fielded by Turner Motorsports. "But I was worried if I went to the apron that I’d spin myself out. I kept it straight, made it through, dodged all the bullets and was the only car that came out on the other side out front.’’

Buescher, a full-time driver on the Camping World Truck Series who was running a limited Nationwide Series schedule for Turner Motorsports, finished as the surprise winner of a race that was slowed by eight cautions for 35 laps – including three wrecks involving 11 or more cars in the final 16 laps, a 19-car crash resulting in a red flag period of 4 minutes 12 seconds – to claim his first career Nationwide Series victory.

With one day of racing left in Speedweeks 2012, Sunday can't come fast enough.