According to The Wall Street Journal, a study shows Darrell Walltrip, Dale Earnhardt and Cale Yarborough all had superior four-year runs in terms of finishes. For example, Yarborough finished in the top-five of 73.6% of his races between 1976 and 1979 compared to just 44.4% of races for Johnson.

We're sure Jimmie would just say "Scoreboard" and go make-out with his four trophies.

[WSJ]

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR
Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR
Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR
Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

• Ralph Giles told the crowd today that, unlike other companies, Dodge will continue to race and put more money into the Nationwide Series/NASCAR as well as more grassroots motorsports. The SRT team enjoys events like LeMons and it's a little investment that could build a lot of good will for the automaker.
• A new unibody pickup could replace the unloved Dakota.
• Yes, this does feel like DaimlerChrysler
• Yes, Ray Wert is a serial over-sharer
• The website CarBuyersBeware.com flew planes with banners around the headquarters of Chrysler today. It's affiliated with the Teamsters and their issue seems to be bad (i.e. non-union) car transport companies.

For the record, this is tongue-in-cheek. We're not trying to go all Bob Greise on you.

Photo Credit: RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images

To find out, we called our favorite Colombian restaurant in Houston, Mi Pueblito. Angie, who picked up the phone, denied that Colombians eat tacos:

"We don't eat tacos. We eat empanadas and arepas, which are similar to a Mexican gordita, but we don't eat any tacos. And our food is not spicy."

There you have it. Bob Griese deserved to be suspended for not understanding Colombian food. Though, in his defense, we think he was referencing a completely different taco. [Deadspin]

Here's some vital stats on the Subie super-racer:

Vehicle Length: 4,730 mm
Vehicle Width: 1,920 mm
Vehicle Height: 1,210 mm
Wheelbase: 2,750 mm
Tires: 280-710R18
Engine: 2.0-liter Horizontally-opposed 4-cylinder DOHC turbo gasoline engine
Displacement: 1,994cc
Transmission: 6-speed sequential
Drive: AWD (of course!)
Suspension (front/rear): Double wish-bone suspension

[Ford Racing]

Police stopped France and his housemate Russell Van Richmond for racing a Porsche Cayenne against a green Lamborghini across Seabreeze bridge. When they were pulled over Richmond, who is the son of one of J.C's dad's ex-wives, protested saying "I want your commander now. I am a France. Do you know what that means? We own this city."

It apparently didn't impress police because France was allegedly so drunk he could barely climb out of the car and had a bag of a "white, cakelike substance" in his pocket.

Richmond kept screaming to the police "I am gonna have your job. This is the biggest mistake ever. You are so done in Daytona." How Ironic.

According to reports, Richmond's last words to police were "Oh, shit" when they searched his pockets and found a tablet of hydrocodone.

Our favorite quote, though, was from an unidentified woman in Richmond's Porsche who told police he was "going so fast, I put my seatbelt on." We're pretty sure you should wear a seatbelt anytime you go out for a drive with a coked out, drunk person.

France has been suspended from Grand-Am indefinitely.

[Daytona News-Journal, Photo Credit: TMZ]

Poor Nelsinho! Not only did he have to drive under the shadow of a famous father and suffer the intrigues of an unhinged Flavio Briatore, someone has now assembled an unflattering compilation of his short career in Formula One:

While making a crash-laden video of any racing driver is a walk in the park these days, it is a particularly easy job in the case of Piquet Jr., who never distinguished himself with particular car control or outright speed during his year and a half in Formula One.

Apart from a lucky second place at last year’s German grand prix, he failed to finish on any podium, going so far as not scoring a single point in the current season. After 28 races with the team, Renault dropped him after the Hungarian grand prix—in turn, Piquet set in motion the chain of events which led to the uncovering of a sordid episode of race-fixing and the end of Renault’s team principal Flavio Briatore and team engineer Pat Symonds.

So what’s next for the young Brazilian? Perhaps NASCAR: he is set to test a Toyota Tundra for Red Horse Racing next Monday at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina. A close reading of his Twitter feed will perchance also reveal how to say YEEHAW! in Brazilian Portuguese.

Photo Credit: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images, Elsa/Getty Images for NASCAR, Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

You can hear Tony Stewart over the radio saying "Wish I saw that coming. Don't know how to say sorry enough to Joey. I didn't anticipate it coming, and I drilled right through him." Nothing says you're sorry like a Whopper, right? [FOX via NECN.com]

This was one of the more spectacular finishes in recent memory and fitting for a track like Daytona, which is known for high speeds and dramatic incidents. This all occurred when Kyle Busch attempted to hold his lead in the last turn while simultaneously trying to prevent Tony Stewart from passing. It doesn't work. While Stewart glides across the line to take the checkered flag you can click "next" to see what happens to Busch, an unsuspecting Kahne, and the rest of the field.

All Photos Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

Busch in the #18 Camry bounces off the wall and meets the front of Kahne's #9 Dodge.
Stock cars are designed to be downforce machines, gluing the cars to the track at speeds of over 200 MPH. Unfortunately, once the cars leave the driving surface all that goes out the window.
The front of Kahne's Dodge is the perfect ramp for the Toyota at 180 MPH. Note the other cars quickly dropping off the bottom of the track.
Despite the tangle of the two cars both maintain their momentum towards the finish line.
This is the point when all those in-car cameras stop working.
From a different angle you can see both cars sliding towards the flag.
Kahne is still heading for the finish line, albeit with the force of the crash and what steering ability is left (not much) heading towards the presume safety of the infield grass.
Technically Busch gets across the finish line first and things are about to get worse for Kahne as, there in pink in the background, Jeff Burton in the #31 car doesn't have enough time to slow down before an uncomfortable meeting between the two cars.
Busch ends up back in the wall, again, this time ready to ricochet back into traffic.
You can see from the aftermath
This full video gives you an idea of what happened before, and after, this on-track encounter.

[Photo: Mike Stobe/Getty Images for NASCAR]

"was doing business at penske this morning and i saw brad kesolowski who is the detroit native go into the building with a man who appeared to be his agent, the car was still there 3 hours later when i left. I imagine roger is trying to get brad away from earnhardt and hendrick to run him in sprint cup."

Well, is it true? If it is, what will that mean for David Stremme? Anyone else see Kez out at Penske's facility in Detroit? Let us know in the comments or e-mail me — we'll try our damndest to keep track of this soap opera in the making!

The incident occurred Friday in Snowmass Canyon in Colorado when the family was returning from vacation. Murphy was knocked unconscious immediately and later declared deceased upon arrival at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs. He had been the vice president of corporate brand marketing for Sprint and a member of the marketing team associated with the Sprint NASCAR team. He's survived by his wife, Jennifer, and sons Ethan, 11, John, 8, and Thomas, 6, to whom we offer our condolences. [Kansas City Star via BoingBoing]

NASCAR Maximum Warlord Bill France saw that the new American compact cars- the Ford Falcon, Chevy Corvair, and Plymouth Valiant- were getting a lot of attention in the marketplace, so he created the Compact Series, which ran during 1960 and 1961. Some big names participated, including Curtis Turner, Richard Petty, and Fireball Roberts, and a few Volvos even got into the act. The Valiants utterly dominated, thanks to the Hyper-Pak Slant Six engine, but the Corvair managed to earn an all-important NASCAR racing pedigree, 49 years before UDMan's 24 Hours Of LeMons Corvair really put the rear-engined Chevy on the racing-history map. Thanks to UDMan (who else?) for the tip!
[Persh.org]

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Brad Coleman was testing at the Toyota Arizona Proving Grounds when he spotted the Coyote about 100 feet ahead. At 190 MPH it was too late to react.

The communications director for Joe Gibbs has confirmed the authenticity of the incident, if not the images, saying they came from a source outside the team. [via All Left Turns]

For years NASCAR was unstoppable, and it's still the second-most watched sport after football. It's still the only racing most people will ever see, but viewers are evaporating, as are sponsors and the crowds at the races, and it isn't just the bad economy. It's that people are beginning to notice the cloned cars, the guy on pole winning too often, the thick corporate glaze on every surface including the drivers' eyes - all this in a sport that started with government agents chasing booze-runners down country roads. While they probably wouldn't go for letting us do that again - too hard to televise, for one thing, not to mention the wear and tear on Federal employees - we have a few (let's say ten) modest proposals of our own for the day when, in the fullness of time, we are put in charge of NASCAR.

Photo Credit: Daniel Schumpert

1.) Race in the rain.

So it rained at Watkins Glen yesterday, right before one of the very rare road races on the NASCAR calendar, and even though Goodyear has had a Sprint Cup rain tire in development for years, they postponed the race until today. Unacceptable! Are America's best drivers afraid of a little moisture? Are America's best sports marketers afraid of a little bit of non-telegenic crowd thinning? To hell with that. Make 'em run in the rain, we say — and not just on the road courses. We want to see Mark Martin muscle his car around Talledega as rainwater pours down the banking. It might not be quite as fast as in the dry, but the relative speeds would be about the same, and you can bet it would be good and suspenseful.

Photo Credit: Todd Warsham / Getty Images Sport

2.) Race on different surfaces.

"From dirt you came, and to dirt will you return," the Bible tells us. NASCAR fans love the Bible, and a look at the infield will tell you they love dirt too. So why not more dirt races at the top levels? For that matter, why not spoon on some sand-paddle tires and run on the beach at Daytona in a nod to their much-flogged past? Or head north to Alaska, where a certain high-profile NASCAR fan says it is as throughout all of which that big wild good life teeming along the road that is north to the future, and run on the ice? After all, the French race on ice, and by God we are every bit as good as they are.

Photo Credit: Daniel Schumpert

3.) Run on road courses as well as ovals... simultaneously.

It hasn't escaped our attention that many NASCAR venues — Daytona and Indianapolis spring to mind — have perfectly serviceable road-course sections that exit from and enter onto the oval. These sections sit sadly unused during the race. Why not give teams the chance to use any way around the track they want? True, the speeds on the infield sections are much lower, but this could be compensated for by scoring road-course laps differently. Thus, the "Daytona 500" would become, say, the "Daytona 500 (Or 420 If You Run A Third Of Your Laps Through The Infield)." Or hell, they could just cut across the grass if they think they're good enough. Naturally the crowd would find this a bit confusing if they thought about it, but truth be told the average NASCAR fan doesn't know what the hell's going on or who's leading at any given point anyway, and all those smart NASCAR fans that we're always hearing about (but, frankly, have never met) will have no problem keeping up. And all that merging will be lots of fun to watch.

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw / Getty Images Sport

4.) Run some races on street courses.

Okay, so Monaco or Long Beach it won't be, and it's hard to imagine a major metropolis like New York or Chicago or even Atlanta putting up with it. But there are plenty of cities in the heart of stock-car country that would love to nail plywood over the windows on Main Street, haul lawn chairs up to the roof, and watch Tony Stewart put Carl Edwards right through the front of the Winn-Dixie. Hell, imagine what Winn-Dixie would pay for that kind of exposure. And it would certainly draw folks who would never otherwise go to, say, Mobile or Galveston or Biloxi. Note that we named three port towns; if NASCAR is going to hold a street race, it's only right that fans should watch it from their bass boats.

Photo Credit: Mike Stobe / Getty Images Sport

5.) Mandatory minimum times for pit stops.

Let's set 20 seconds as the absolute least time you can spend getting gas and tires and levy harsh penalties for going under that. "Races are often won or lost in the pits," they say, and they're right, and we're sorry but that just plain sucks. Quite frankly we're heartily sick of it. While it's true that the gas can man and the squeegee guy and the tire-changers are all absolutely necessary as well as pretty spectacular at their jobs, there is no way in hell that they should ever be a factor in winning an auto race. Losing, sure; let them screw up all they want, although they won't have the excuse of pressure any more. This move will increase safety, too, which may not be good for TV ratings depending one who you believe, but it would add to the purity of the sport. Races should be won on the track and nowhere else.

Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka / Getty Images Sport

6.) Major violations will now be punished by removal of advertising from your car.

Did you screw up big time? You rub a little more than racing allows, pass under yellow, spend less than 20 seconds in the pits more than a few times? We'll hit you where it really hurts. Your team is stripped of sponsor iconography for the entire event. Your sponsors are going to be really, really ticked at you, and you're going to lose money. You have to run a car in one solid color and that's it, plus no patches on your coveralls. And no mealy-mouthed laundry-list style thanking of corporate entities in interviews all weekend, because while you're doghoused you're limited to commentary on matters directly pertaining to the race itself. Well, you should have thought of that before you tested our patience. That's right; we're the kind of bastards that will force NASCAR teams to be tasteful in appearance and thoughtful in conversation as punishment.

7.) Major crashers will be awarded the Lady Earnhardt Trophy.

On the other hand, it's no mystery what puts the cheek meat in the cheap seats. Plus, there should be some sort of award for putting Carl Edwards through the front window of the Winn-Dixie... besides the key to the city of Mobile, that is. So we're taking a page from hockey, a sport where brutal fist-fighting is allowed as "part of the game" but which awards the Lady Byng Trophy to the all-around most gentlemanly player every year. Our trophy, the Lady Earnhardt, will go to the driver who causes the most wrecks in a season. Unlike the Lady Byng, people will actually want to win it. Especially because it will come with a cash incentive that will grow as ratings drop.

Photo Credit: Daniel Schumpert

8.) Stock car racing will now be actual stock car racing as teams visit the dealerships for new cars every week.

NASCAR's new motto: "Buy on Monday, win on Sunday." Every team is now required to go to the dealership closest to next week's track and get their Fusions and Impalas and Camrys and what have you right off the lot. We assume the manufacturers will pitch in by selling conversion kits with race engine parts and safety equipment to the teams, but the fun outfits and the privateers will be especially fun to watch as they go it alone. Perhaps the best part is that for the next five days, we get to see a marathon wrenching session as the crews get the car ready to race. Naturally, this is a perfect opportunity for a live-action build show, following a different team every week, which should be especially exciting when the teams make the haul up to Alaska. And the carmakers would get a big boost as the public would identify their own cars much more closely with the racing versions. From what we hear, cars constructed in this fashion couldn't be all that much worse than the Car of Tomorrow.

9.) A week before each race, teams would be told which car they'll be using.

Because seriously, Fusions and Impalas and Camrys? Not that they're really that much more boring than Monte Carlos and Thunderbirds and Grand Prix, but when every automaker has a dozen different models, why go with just one? Make it interesting, too; for every couple Camaro/Mustang/Challenger races, let's see the Tahoes/Explorers/Durangos out there on the ovals. Maybe the ensuing vehicular carnage will finally get people to stop buying them altogether. And as far as we're concerned, the truck series can just get folded in with the Sprint cup for a couple races a year-the existence of truck racing is still hard for us to accept.

10.) The Smokey Yunick "It Didn't Say You Couldn't" rule will let 'em cheat like crazy.

Not that we'd just let them, exactly, but every team is encouraged to try and get as much as possible past the inspectors, who will be doing their damndest to catch teams in the act. Every team will get, say, five "mulligans" or chances to get caught without penalty, no harm no foul; if they're caught a sixth time, points are docked. However, and this is the genius part, if they pull off something clever and can provide documentation showing what they did and how, they not only suffer no penalty but are rewarded a point bonus. This rewards resourcefulness and good old American know-how — but at the same time, inspectors will know what to look for at the next race. Teams will have to weigh the finishing position cheating gets them against getting "fess-up points" but not being able to use the same trick twice. Is the nitrous hidden in the driver's CamelBak still paying dividends? Are they close to catching us? How much longer can we keep mum about how all-fired smart we are, especially if we keep finishing 15th anyway? This rule change is genius and NASCAR should implement it now, or at least admit they've been using their own variations on it for years.

Yeah, maybe we can't take the sport back to its much-ballyhooed roots of high-speed bootlegger chases through the moonlit mountains of the South, fun as that would be. But we can try to inject some of the excitement, ingenuity, and plain old fun from that golden age, the stuff that NASCAR loves to talk about while simultaneously moving as far from as possible.

And hey, it even sort of looks like a Mustang. Oh wait, no, those are stickers. Jeez, that's so Busch league. Oh, wait...

Full press release below.

MUSTANG extends racing presence - enters NASCAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2010 NATIONWIDE SERIES

DEARBORN, Mich., July 28, 2009 – Mustang is already the most successful single nameplate brand in professional racing history, but it hasn't competed in NASCAR – until now.

Brian Wolfe, director of Ford North America Motorsports, made the announcement today that Mustang will debut as part of NASCAR's "new car" limited rollout in the 2010 Nationwide Series.

"We're excited about Mustang coming to NASCAR," said Wolfe. "It's the most successful product nameplate in racing history, and it seems only right that it should be coming to the most popular form of racing in North America.

"We had been talking with NASCAR for some time about Mustang as part of its vision for a ‘muscle car' rollout for the Nationwide Series. We both saw it as a way of differentiating the series from Sprint Cup," said Wolfe. "We loved the idea, so we jumped on the chance to extend Mustang's racing legacy to a new series reaching a huge and loyal audience. Mustang has dominated other forms of racing, including NHRA drag racing, Grand-Am Cup road racing, and Formula D drifting, and now it's coming to NASCAR Nationwide.

"I think race fans – and Mustang loyalists - will be very pleased when we publicly roll out the first car later this fall."

Ford Racing has gone through the official NASCAR submission and approval process for the new car, and, once templates are finalized, production of Mustang parts will start so teams can build the first cars for testing later this fall.
"We're excited about the new car in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and particularly the new body styles such as the Ford Mustang," said NASCAR President Mike Helton. "It's going to be one good-looking race car."

The 2010 Ford Mustang will join the 2010 Fusion (Sprint Cup) and the 2009 Ford F-Series (Camping World Truck Series) as Ford's competitive entries in NASCAR's three major professional series.

"We're excited about being able to race Mustang in front of our loyal NASCAR fan base and know it's going to win races and championships just like it has in every other series it has competed," said Wolfe. "The Mustang created the pony car movement when it debuted in 1964. Now, the NASCAR Mustang has the opportunity to create a whole new look to stock car racing at its highest levels."

Mustang in Racing

From the time the very first Mustang rolled off the assembly line in 1964, it was destined to race. Whether it be from the 1960s drag racing cars and the Shelby GT350-R SCCA racers, to the Trans-Am Boss 302 Mustangs of the seventies, to the IMSA and Trans-Am cars of the eighties and nineties, to the drag race and sports car racing Mustangs of today, Mustang has been a winner.

Mustang currently competes professionally in the NHRA Funny Car and Pro Stock divisions and places like the Grand-Am KONI Challenge, SCCA World Challenge, and the Mustang Challenge Series. In addition, thousands of Mustangs see action by grassroots racers at road courses and drag strips all across America.

Since its debut in 1964, Mustang has compiled more than 2,000 professional racing victories in NHRA, Grand-Am, IMSA, SCCA, NMRA and NMCA, as well as other racing series.

The 2010 Mustang

Muscle goes modern for 2010 as the Ford Mustang – America's favorite muscle car for 45 years straight – hits the streets with a new exterior design; new world-class interior featuring well-crafted materials and updated technology; and a V-8 with 315-horsepower and an even throatier signature Mustang exhaust sound.

In true Mustang tradition, there is a "steed for every need." Customers can choose from a V-6 or V-8 with their choice of coupe, convertible or innovative glass roof, plus several new options and features delivering the opportunity for customers to personalize their cleaner, meaner-looking Mustangs.

The new Mustang was recently launched through the "The ‘10 Unleashed" campaign, which gives enthusiasts the chance to unleash their Mustang side behind the wheel of the new 2010 Mustang – whether it be drifting in Japan like world champion Vaughn Gittin, Jr. or customizing a new Mustang using Ford Racing Performance Parts.

Through Aug. 15, consumers can submit their own Mustang dream experience in 250 words or less via Ford's "The ‘10 Unleashed" site at www.the2010Mustang.com. Written submissions will be judged based on creativity, uniqueness and execution of idea. Winning submissions will be selected every few weeks, and winners will be able to turn their Mustang experience into reality.

About Ford North America Motorsports

Ford North America Motorsports, based in Dearborn, Mich., is responsible for major racing operations in North America, including NASCAR (Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, Camping World Truck), Grand American sports car racing, NHRA drag racing, USAC midget car racing and the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup. Ford North America Motorsports also oversees the development and marketing of Ford Racing Engines and Performance Parts, the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts, and the marketing of the Ford Racing brand through initiatives such as Team Ford Racing. For more information regarding Ford Racing's activities, please visit www.fordracing.com.

# # #

Pardo was leading during the 97th lap of 100 at the Autodromo Miguel E. Abed in Pueblo, Mexico last Sunday when the competitor behind nudged his car ever so slightly, sending it into a slide which ended in a vicious collision with the end of the barrier wall leading to pit lane. Emergency officials raced to the scene and quickly extricated Pardo from the mangled wreckage, sending him via helicopter to an area hospital where he was declared dead 45 minutes later.

We didn't even know NASCAR Mexico existed and we're wishing it wasn't this terrible crash which brought it to our attention. (Thanks for the tip Matt)

[FoxSports]

Photo Credit: Motive

Here's what our tipster Hank sent along with the picture:

"Check out this Toyota Highlander Hybrid parade vehicle used as part of the driver introductions for the All-Star race this past weekend at Lowe's Speedway. When all the cars started up to drive away, this one wouldn't start, so they had to tow it. Supposedly the crowd was going crazy laughing..."

We hope this isn't a sign of what we should expect to see out of the Toyota Camry hybrid that'll be pacing the track at this weekend's festivities.

Grubb was indefinitely suspended from NASCAR racing in 2006 after refusing to submit to a mandatory drug test after he was previously suspended in 2004 for failing such a test. Police found no signs of narcotics in the motel room or on Grubb's person, but toxicology reports could take up to six weeks. Grubb raced in NASCAR's truck series and Busch series starting in 1996, achieving 10 top-five finishes. [via USA Today]

This Dale Earnhardt Jr replica-racer exemplifies the love and dedication of a NASCAR fan for the sport. The all-caps, bold-red listing maniacally describes an expensive, time-consuming and painstaking obeisance paid to Dale Jr by this current, super speedway-obsessed owner. The decals, boom tube exhaust, diamond-cut rims and Rusty Wallace signature exemplify an individual consumed by his idolization for both driver and sport. But is this truly an exact replica of Junebug's mighty number 8? Let's make a comparison with the real deal, shall we?

Okay, now as you will see, the backend of the real car is actually much shorter than that of the replica. Also, the homage doesn't seem to have quite so many pieces that are detatched from the main body.

Here we see an even greater disparity between progenitor and replica- it looks like the seller got the nose all wrong on this Monte Carlo.

Regardless of authenticity, this car will get you some looks, and the seller claims it to have been photographed a thousand times. He doesn't say that's because he likes to blow through red-light cameras, but it'd be best to check for outstanding warrants before hitting that Buy It Now button, just in case.

Underneath all the NASCAR, there lies a real car- a 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. It's motivated by the supercharged 3.8 V6 giving it 240 bhp and marking it with the historied cognomen of SS. Along with the pressurized pushrodder, the SS-kitted Monte Carlo features special lower-body cladding and a rear-deck spoiler, plus some trim changes. Other than that, it's pure baroque styling, and a good thing about the decals on this one is that they somewhat hide the lovely lady humps of the Monte's fender line, itself a tribute to the car's ‘70s forbears.

Along with all the awesomeness of the car itself, the seller is including the factory tires and cat-back, as well as a couple more of the yellow-letter eagles, and even more decals just in case you feel the urge to redecorate your double-wide in a matching motif.

So, do you dig Dale Jr as much as this seller, and think $15,000 is a sweet deal for a tribute Full Monte? Or for that price, does it NASCAR the hell out of you?

You decide!

eBay or go here if somebody slaps a decal over the ad.

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip

Seven fans sustained minor injuries after being struck by flying debris when Carl Edwards' #99 car went airborne into the safety fence on the final lap of the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. While trying to block a move from race winner Brad Keselowski, contact sent Andrews' car spinning over Ryan Newman's hood and into the fence on the frontstretch.

Track medical director Bobby Lewis said none of the injuries was life-threatening but two women were airlifted to Birmingham hospitals. Lewis said one, who was taken to UAB Hospital, likely had a broken jaw and also had a cut on her mouth. The other was transported to Brookwood Hospital because of an unspecified medical condition but was not hurt.
The other injured fans were treated and released, with two choosing to seek treatment locally from their own doctors, track spokeswoman Kristi King said. It wasn't clear if the fans were hit by debris from the car or the fence.

But the best part wasn't until after the crash, when Edwards exited the car, Ricky Bobby-style and took a sprint to the finish line. Heck, when even the NASCAR commentators mention the shades of Ricky Bobby in the action, you know you've got life imitating art.

Also interesting to us was NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter, sitting near a pile of twisted metal that came off Edwards' car, who said his first thought when he saw it headed toward the fence was, "I hope nobody's hurt." But just in case you're wondering whether he's worried about the fans in the stands first, wonder no more — the man's first concern is the money-making man in the car of tomorrow:

"No. 1, Carl. No. 2, the spectators. It was a sigh of relief when the car came back on the (track)," Hunter said. "I think that's the first time that fence has been hit."

Keselowski went on to continue digging a hole, saying he was thankful no one was seriously injured, but said there is some entertainment value to crashes.

"I don't want to wreck anyone, but to say a no-contact sport is fun, I don't buy that," he said. "These guys want to see contact just as much as I want to give it and take it." Well, don't we all?

Photo Credit: Getty Images Sport: Christian Petersen / Jerry Markland / Jason Smith