2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season Thread

[Todd]

Gets kicked off tomorrow with the first part of Daytona 500 qualifying and the Bud Shootout. Gatorade Duels, the second part of Daytona 500 qualifying, is on the 11th, and Daytona 500 on Valentines Day.

Top 35 in owners points, with qualifying exemptions for first 5 races:
1. Jimmie Johnson, #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy Impala
2. Mark Martin, #5, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy Impala
3. Jeff Gordon, #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy Impala
4. Kurt Busch, #2, Penske Championship Racing, Dodge Charger
5. Denny Hamlin, #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry
6. Tony Stewart, #14, Stewart Haas Racing, Chevy Impala
7. Greg Biffle, #16, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford Fusion
8. Juan Pablo Montoya, #42, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Chevy Impala
9. Ryan Newman, #39, Stewart Haas Racing, Chevy Impala
10. Kasey Kahne, #9, Richard Petty Motorsports, Ford Fusion
11. Carl Edwards, #99, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford Fusion
12. Brian Vickers, #83, Red Bull Racing Team, Toyota Camry
13. Kyle Busch, #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry
14. Matt Kenseth, #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford Fusion
15. Clint Bowyer, #33, Richard Childress Racing, Chevy Impala
16. David Reutimann, #00, Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota Camry
17. Jeff Burton, #31, Richard Childress Racing, Chevy Impala
18. Marcos Ambrose, #47, JTG/Daugherty Racing, Toyota Camry
19. Kevin Harvick, #29, Richard Childress Racing, Chevy Impala
20. Joey Logano, #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry
21. Regan Smith, #78, Furniture Row Racing, Chevy Impala
22. Boris Said, #26, Latitude 43 Motorsports, Ford Fusion
23. Jamie McMurray, #1, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Chevy Impala
24. A.J. Allmendinger, #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Ford Fusion
25. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy Impala
26. Elliot Sadler, #19, Richard Petty Motorsports, Ford Fusion
27. David Ragan, #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford Fusion
28. Sam Hornish, Jr., #77, Penske Championship Racing, Dodge Charger
29. Travis Kvapil, #37, Front Row Motorsports, Ford Fusion
30. Brad Keselowski, #12, Penkse Championship Racing, Dodge Charger
31. Robert Richardson, Jr., #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford Fusion
32. Martin Truex, Jr., #56, Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota Camry
33. Paul Menard, #98, Richard Petty Motorsports, Ford Fusion
34. Robby Gordon, #7, Robby Gordon Motorsports, Toyota Camry
35. John Andretti, #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford Fusion

Bobby Labonte, in the #71 TRG Motorsports TaxSlayer.com Chevy Impala, also has an exemption into the 2010 Daytona 500 as he is a former Cup champion.

[Beef]

I feel like this makes sense

[Todd]

Basically, the 35 cars there(and Bobby Labonte) will just qualify for position. The top 35 in points make the race automatically. The rest try to get the other 8 positions(7 in this case) in the field left.

[Fritz]

I love cars, but motorsports bore me to no end.

[¿NICK?]

Man, NASCAR's offseason is ridiculously short.

Hopefully this is the year Mark Martin can finally get his Daytona 500 win.

Then he can set his sights on the championship.

[Todd]

I am a Brian Vickers fan. Ironically, I hate Red Bull though, unless in the form of a Jager Bomb.
--------------------

Kyle Busch gets engaged
Feb 5, 2010 - Kyle Busch is a softie. Just ask his fiancée, Samantha Sarcinella.

Yes, you read that right: NASCAR's bad boy is engaged as of last night, proposing inside the sparkling new motorcoach that the couple designed together.

Here's how it went down, according to the giddy future Mrs. Kyle Busch:

On Thursday night, Busch went to the Budweiser Shootout draw while Sarcinella hung out with the couple's close friends Scott and Amanda Speed.

Busch returned after drawing for his qualifying spot and after awhile, Amanda Speed told Sarcinella that she should go grab her new shoes for a show-and-tell.

While the unsuspecting Sarcinella returned to the motorcoach to fetch her shoes, the Speeds slipped Busch the ring, which they had picked up in North Carolina earlier in the day.

The Speeds had been in on the whole plan. In October, as Amanda Speed shopped for new earrings, Sarcinella tried on rings in the jewelry store. Scott Speed secretly took copious notes on his iPhone as to what style of ring Sarcinella liked and supplied Busch with the information when his friend decided to propose.

The diamond came from Amsterdam to New York to North Carolina, where the Speeds and Busch went to approve it in a Charlotte-area jewelry store (Busch bought himself some time by telling Sarcinella he was going to take his required NASCAR physical that day).

Fast forward to roughly 11 p.m. Thursday night. Sarcinella, 23, was in her workout clothes getting ready for bed, and Busch, 24, pulled her into the living room of their new bus.

"He was like, ‘It's our first night on our new bus, and we designed it together and I'm so happy,'" Sarcinella said. "And he kept saying ‘I love you.'"

But Sarcinella said she had "no idea" what he was getting at. The couple had talked about marriage before, but with the formation of Busch's new Camping World Truck Series team, Sarcinella figured it might take awhile.

So when Busch was making his speech, Sarcinella said she simply thought: "Wow! He really likes the bus!"

"Then he gets down on one knee," she said. "I'm like, ‘Are you joking?' He's like, ‘No, I love you. Will you marry me?'

"I was like, ‘You're kidding!' I didn't answer him for a minute. I just stood there, like, ‘Oh my gosh!' I don't remember the rest of it. I was crying, hysterical."

For his part, Busch said he wasn't nervous - the nervous part was asking her father, Steve, for his permission in December ("Her answer was the easy part," he said).

Busch told Steve Sarcinella he couldn't tell anyone - even his wife. Sarcinella kept his word until the couple called and woke up the family with the good news.

Samantha said her father's reaction was, "Thank gosh! I couldn't keep it a secret anymore."

Busch, looking happy and relaxed, said he didn't plan out his proposal speech and just did it off the cuff.

Sarcinella, still in disbelief, could hardly contain herself.

"Coming from Kyle, you know?" she said. "I laughed and said to him, ‘Oh, your bad boy image...'"

His new image might just be "family man."
link (http://www.sbnation.com/2010/2/5/1297037/kyle-busch-engaged-nascar)

[Beef]

I'm a Hanley Ramirez fan, but ironically I am not a fan of Wilson

[Chewford]

I am a fan of both Hanley Rameriz and Matt Wilson.

[Todd]

I am a fan of all you guys. Except FFIPA.

[Todd]

Mark Martin and Dale Jr. sit on the front row for Daytona. Kevin Harvick wins the Bud Shootout.

[Todd]

Jimmie Johnson wins Auto Club 500 and Shelby American. Kobalt Tools 500 this week at Atlanta, along with accompying truck race. No Nationwide race this week.

[Namaste]

I love cars, but motorsports bore me to no end.



I can actually get into F1 a little bit. Have you ever watched F1 Fritz?