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Are you a master NASCAR tailgater with mad grillin' skills? Would you like to showcase your best recipe with cooking celebs Mario Batali and Rachael Ray during the Dickies 500 weekend at Texas Motor Speedway in November? If you answered yes and yes, go to this Web site, http://mariobatali.com/grillingcontest/ and show them what you and your grill are made of. Read more about the contest here.
-- Michele Vincze
Courtesy of The Associated Press
NASCAR SPRINT CUP
Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400
Site: Richmond, Va., Richmond International Raceway (tri-oval, .75 miles, 14 degrees banking in turns)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 4:30 p.m.); Saturday, race (KDFW/Ch. 4, 6 p.m.)
Race distance: 300 miles/400 laps
2007 winner: Jimmie Johnson
Fast facts: Denny Hamlin, who is fourth in the standings, hails from Chesterfield, Va. He won last month at Martinsville. ... Chevrolet, Toyota and Ford are separated by just three points in the manufacturers standings. ... Richard Petty had seven straight wins at Richmond from 1970-1973. ... Crown Royal is again donating its sponsorship of this race to a fan, with Ohio native Dan Lowry winning the naming rights.
www.nascar.com
NASCAR NATIONWIDE
Lipton Tea 250
Site: Richmond, Va., Richmond International Raceway (tri-oval, .75 miles, 14 degrees banking in turns)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 3 p.m.), race (ESPN Classic, 6 p.m.)
Race distance: 187.5 miles/250 laps
2007 winner: Clint Bowyer
Fast facts: Despite finishing 25th at Talladega because of a crash, Bowyer still increased his lead in the standings to 27 points because of Carl Edwards' first DNF of the season. Both have won at Richmond. ... David Stremme finished second last week, his best result since he finished second in Milwaukee in 2004. ... Kevin Harvick is expected to make his 200th career Nationwide start this weekend. He won three straight at Richmond from 2005-06 and four times overall. ... Kyle Busch won the most recent Nationwide race at Richmond last September.
www.nascar.com
NHRA
O'Reilly Midwest Nationals
Site: Madison, Ill., Gateway International Raceway
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 9 p.m., taped); Sunday, eliminations, (ESPN2, 6 p.m., taped)
2007 winners: Melanie Troxel (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle)
Fast facts: John Force is still seeking his 1,000th career-round win. ... Antron Brown has advanced to the Top Fuel final three straight times, winning twice. ... Pro Stock leader Jason Line has made it to the final round four times in the first six events. ... Tim Wilkerson has three No. 1 Funny Car qualifiers this season. ... Brandon Bernstein ended a 26-race winless streak at the 2005 event.
www.nhra.com
This comes for the "Who'da thunk it" files. New England receiver Randy Moss has formed a NASCAR team with aspirations to go racing in the Craftsman Truck Series part-time this year and full-time in 2009. Read more about Moss' team, and catch up on all the Craftsman Truck Series news here.
-- Michele Vincze
Somewhat forgotten in the gluttony of motorsports events last weekend was a milestone win for another former open-wheel racer trying to learn stock cars. Former Formula 1 driver Scott Speed won his first career ARCA stock car race at Kansas Speedway. Read more about Speed here.
-- Michele Vincze
First things first: Happy Dale Earnhardt Day. The NASCAR legend would have turned 57 today.
The motorsports calendar was chock-full of story lines last weekend and into this one. Here's an attempt to catch up on the weekend that was and what's in store this week and next month:
Sprint Cup Aaron's 499 at Talladega
As a fan in the stands, this race was perhaps the best of the year. Now that's coming from someone who enjoys restrictor-plate racing. I guess it was no surprise how strong the Joe Gibbs Toyotas were since they were equally stout at Daytona in February -- but they didn't find Victory Lane there. The Red Bull Toyotas were also impressive, with Brian Vickers leading laps en route to a top-five finish and AJ Allmendinger earning a top-five qualifying spot for his first start of the season. I listened to runner-up finisher Juan Pablo Montoya and his team on the radio for most of the race, and believe it or not, the guy has figured out and seems to really enjoy plate racing. All he needs is a few more bump-drafting friends and he'll win one and soon. It didn't hurt that Montoya had a new crew chief in Jimmy Elledge, which helped the team's focus and boosted their enthusiasm. Montoya jumped up to 12th in the standings. If the Chase began today ...
Next up for Sprint Cup: Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway, 6 p.m. Saturday, KDFW/Ch. 4
Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 at Talladega
It's almost unfair when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart run plate races in the Nationwide Series. You always have to figure one of the two is going to win. Well, after the two alternately shoved each other around the track for most of the 117 laps on Saturday, Stewart earned his first win at Talladega in any series. Junior ended up sixth. But only after most of the good lead cars were taken out by Kevin Lepage and his brain-fade move to blend back into traffic after a trip to pit road. Carl Edwards said he was lucky to escape unhurt from the 15-car wreck with 47 laps to go. The wreck also took out two-thirds of the Wallace contingent as Steve Wallace's car was damaged beyond repair and Kenny Wallace's was wounded and retired five laps later. Mike Wallace, with GEICO spokes-kid and racer Lauren Wallace looking on from the pits, finished 10th.
Dario Franchitti was involved in an earlier wreck and ended up with a broken left ankle after Larry Gunselman hit Fanchitti's No. 40 Dodge on the driver's side way after the actual accident was over. Franchitti missed Sunday's Cup race (David Stremme filled in for him) and will miss at least one more Cup race. Ken Schrader is scheduled to drive his No. 40 Cup car this week at Richmond. Most of the drivers were thrilled that veteran Morgan Shepard escaped all the carnage and finished a very respectable 13th. At one point, Dale Jr. came over the radio and asked if "that green car back there was the Racing for Jesus car?" When told yes, he said Shepard's car "must have it's tongue hanging out." Stewart even mentioned Shepard in his Victory Lane interview.
Read more about the Aaron's 312 here. Next up for the Nationwide Series: Lipton Tea 250 at Richmond International Raceway, 6 p.m. Friday, ESPN Classic
NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals in Atlanta
It's no secret Ashley Force is a fantastic young talent in the NHRA. She proved it yet again and in historic fashion Sunday when she defeated her father, John Force, to become the first woman to win a Funny Car title. Ashley Force defeated Del Worsham, Jim Head, and Ron Capps en route to the final, which was her third straight and fourth overall money-round showing. She now leads Tim Wilkerson by 59 points in the Funny Car points standings. Read more about Ashley's win here. Next up for the NHRA: O'Reilly Midwest Nationals in Madison, Ill., on Friday-Sunday.
Texas teenager shines in O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas
Colin Braun, 19, earned his best result of his NASCAR career with a third-place finish at Kansas Speedway on Saturday. The result vaulted Braun into first place in the Craftsman Truck Series rookie standings and was his first top-five finish of the season. The Trucks race next at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 16.
IndyCars start preparations for Indy 500
Dan Wheldon will have a whole month to savor Sunday's win at Kansas Speedway as the IndyCar teams now begin their preparations for the Indy 500 on May 25. Practice for the 92nd running of the Indy 500 begins next week and qualifying is May 10-11 and May 17-18. Points leader and two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves figures to be a favorite this year. Go here for more drivers to watch for on Memorial Day weekend.
Robby Gordon excels on two continents
Even the staunchest Robby Gordon hater has to admit the guy can drive a race car/truck. Gordon proved he can do a multi-continent "double" last week when he drove his Hummer H2 to a 10th-place overall finish in the Central European Rally, which spanned seven days and 1,670 miles through Hungary and Romania. Gordon flew back from Europe in time to start the Aaron's 499 Sprint Cup race at Talladega and finished a respectable 11th in that race.
Young Finn okay after hard crash
Heikki Kovalainen was released from a Barcelona hospital on Monday after a scary crash during the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday. The 20-year-old said he doesn't remember the accident that left him stiff and sore, but with no major injuries. He hopes to pass an F1-mandated medical exam in time to race in the next race, the Turkish Grand Prix on May 11.
-- Michele Vincze
OK, first things first. Kyle Busch won his first ever Sprint Cup restrictor-plate race. Came from a lap down, made some risky moves (actually who didn't?) in the process. Good for him.
Secondly, JP Montoya almost, coulda won. I'm pretty sure the Talladega fans would have left stunned and bewildered had the crafty Columbian won. I was present for Montoya's first and only win at Infineon Raceway last year and it would have been great to see his first oval win.
The Toyotas were ridiculous Sunday. Busch, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Brian Vickers and even Michael Waltrip led laps. Dale Junior was super strong too (loved the old-school slingshot move) and David Ragan showed a lot of poise. Overall a real fun race. And it didn't rain. 
Now for my rant. 'Dega fans are real idiots, and that's putting it nicely. If I didn't enjoy watching the racing here I'd never come back. I had a nice fiberglass flagpole with a tire mount and I left my Dale Junior and Robby Gordon flags flying in the parking lot during the race. Well, when we got back to the truck, my flags were gone and my flagpole was in pieces. I was plenty ticked off. Almost $200 in stuff gone or destroyed. A couple two cars down had a similar Dale Junior flag flying and their's was OK. I guess that one Robby Gordon hater at the track today decided to walk by my truck and vandalize my stuff. Very frustrating. It's like people think they have free reign to act like idiots when they come to Talladega. Real NASCAR fans wouldn't destroy other fans' stuff. I've been going to races long enough to know that.
Well, we're headed back to Fort Worth on Monday morning. It's a solid 12-hour drive with appropriate stops for food, gas (ouch), and potty breaks.
Next Cup race on my itinerary is Infineon Raceway in June.
-- Michele Vincze
Almost 11 a.m. at Talladega, about two hours before the green flag is scheduled to drop. I say scheduled because there's rain in the forecast. So far it's holding off.
Fans in the parking lot here are busy cookin' and drinking ... and drinking. Actually they probably never stopped drinking. Saturday's Nationwide Series race was fun, but way longer than it should have been, thanks to Kevin Lepage. The veteran, who should have known better, came off pit road in a less-than-competitive car and "blended" into traffic right when the entire pack of leaders was going into turn 1 at about 190 mph. A huge wreck collected most of the better cars, leaving Tony Stewart, Dale Junior, Mike Wallace, David Stremme and Greg Biffle to fight it out. Stewart won it.
Not around at the end of the race was rookie Dario Franchitti, who was unvolved in an earlier wreck and broke his ankle. No word on when he might return.
We tailgated after Saturday's race and listened to the Truck race from Kansas on the radio on the drive back to Birmingham. Ron Hornaday Jr. won that one.
I'll try to post some more 'Dega observations after today's race. As they say here in Daledega, GO JUUUNIOR!!
-- Michele Vincze
NASCAR Sprint Cup Silly Season has been such an unpredictable beast these last few years. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was THE story last year and it appears Tony Stewart might be the big headline this season. After two Internet reports Wednesday revealed the two-time Cup champion is looking to leave Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota, several other sites are chiming in with stories and opinions. A sampling:
Yahoo! Sports motorsports writer Bob Margolis weighs in here
Associated Press motorsports writer Jenna Fryer has the story covered here
David Newton at ESPN.com has the Gibbs angle covered here
Steve Kaminski at the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press thinks Stewart may return to IndyCar racing. Huh? Not sure Smoke could fit in one of those cars anymore. Read Kaminski's opinions here.
FOX Sports NASCAR analyst Jeff Hammond is in a state of disbelief. Read his opinions here
Tom Jensen at speedtv.com shifts the focus to the talented group of drivers who, unlike Stewart, are seeing their current contracts end after this season.
On a similar note, keep an eye on these "message board" rumors as the season progresses:
1. Martin Truex Jr. to Hendrick: Very hot, rumored to be a done deal which means...
2. Casey Mears is looking: It's a shame this kid can't catch a break.
3. Carl Edwards to the Richard Childress fourth car: General Mills, who will be the primary sponsor for this No. 33 car, loves the guy....but what sponsor doesn't, really? General Mills and Childress also supposedly like Ryan Newman for this car.
-- Michele Vincze
Texas Motor Speedway is in the billboard business again, and this time it’s out-of-state. Beginning Monday, TMS will tout the Bombardier Learjet 550 night race June 7 on a 14x48-foot billboard in the Crawfordsville Road area heading toward the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The theme, as espoused by TMS president Eddie Gossage, reads: Indy Traditions ... milk ... bricks and ... Texas Motor Speedway. TMS is paying $10,000 for a month’s worth of promotion Gossage believes is good for his track, the 92nd Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series. “There’s nothing but good meant by that billboard,” said Gossage, who informed Indy Racing League founder and IMS chief executive Tony George of the buy a couple of weeks ago. “This is part of our aggressive promotional activity. They’ve got fans coming from all around the globe to the Indy 500 and we’re wanting to tell them, ‘Don’t forget there’s another great race on the schedule.’ The billboard is a compliment to Indianapolis.”
-- John Sturbin
Danica Patrick walked onstage at the "Late Show with David Letterman" on Wednesday to the tune of "Used to Be My Girl," a reference to the fact that the host was once her team owner.
When Patrick became the first woman to win an IndyCar event over the weekend, it was for Andretti Green Racing, not Rahal Letterman Racing. That didn't keep Letterman from warmly welcoming Patrick onto his CBS show to celebrate her groundbreaking victory.
"You meant so much to people," Letterman told her, "not only in racing, people, families, kids, young boys and young girls, but kids interested in all kinds of sports. Because they see this tremendous accomplishment of yours, succeeding and competing in a heretofore usually male-dominated field, and they say to themselves, 'By gosh, I'm going to try something and maybe I can succeed as well.'
"So, I mean, congratulations on the win, but more important congratulations on that because that's a lovely thing."
He asked whether Patrick believes it's true that you become a different driver after your first win.
"That burden is gone, and, you know, that monkey's off your back," she said. "And especially my long-awaited victory that I don't know how many times I was asked, 'So, when are you going to win your first race?' "
Letterman also was curious where all her hair goes during the race.
"I don't have a little scrunchie on my wrist because that really wouldn't look very nice with my outfit,” Patrick joked. “But, yeah, I put it back, put my hair back and it goes underneath the suit. So it's a matted mess when I get done. All you girls with long hair know what I'm talking about."
-- The Associated Press
Photo: AP/CBS
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