Camping and tailgating is an essential part of the NASCAR race experience. Thousands of RVs pack the campgrounds at every NASCAR event, often for three or four days at a time. This makes Camping World the perfect match for the NASCAR Truck Series.

The car was found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-2.1-D (exterior sheet metal body parts did not meet the specified minimum thickness) of the 2008 NASCAR rule book.

Ryan Newman finally makes it official. He is doing what I have thought from day one to be the right decision. Newman will join fellow Indianian Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing. This is an exciting time and I feel that this will very quickly become a team to reckon with. 

What a year of silly seasons go. Last year you had the drama of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and this year you have Stewart and Newman being the main feature. The question now is who is going to fill that spot in the Penske ride? I would have to say that all of your top tier drivers are now all accounted for, so it will either be someone who is trying to break back into the sport after some sort of failure, or an up and coming newbie to see if they can redefine the series. So far David Stremme and Casey Mears are two names that are swirling around, but Penske has indicated that they are in no hurry to find the replacement for Newman.

Let’s wait and see what the final fallout determines, but I can say from my perspective, Newman and Stewart are a match made in heaven. I love this set up and I wish them both the best.

Believe it or not, Kyle Busch won yet another race, yes his 8th win in the cup series. Not only is he dominating the competition, but he is making a mockery of some of the most revered teams in history. Hendrick Motorsports, Childress Racing, Rousch Racing are all looking in awe at what his acomplishments have been this year. Way to go Kyle and way to go Gibbs Racing.

After the race at the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at the Pocono Raceway, Tony Stewart remarked to the media that he had almost forgotten how to do the post-race interviews in the media center. Indicating his absence from placing in the top five in quite a while. Then asked by a reported that since he was a “streak” type of driver, did he [Stewart] think that he could carry that into the next race at Watkins Glen.

Tony’s response….

“It scares a lot of people when I streak through my neighborhood, but um, you know, you love to get on streaks. But um, uh, that’s where alot of the Bigfoot sighting have come from in the past eight years. But uh, I don’t know that, really, that’s a big deal when it comes to going to Watkins Glen.”

Carl Edwards got to do his trademark backflip this past weekend at Pocono. This is Edward’s 4th victory of the year, but only three of them will count towards the bonus points in the chase. Recall earlier this year, he was found with an infraction and the penalty was to take away the bonus points from that race.

Tony Stewart was able to hold off Jimmie Johnson for second place. Kevin Harvick and David Ragan rounded out the top five. Other notables were Mark Martin finishing 8th, Jeff Gordon at 10th and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 12th spot.

The next stop is at the Glen. Let’s see if Tony Stewart can carry the momentum from this weeks second place finish to the road course that he has had success at.

Sounds like the split at Penske is much deeper than originally perceived.

I know that there have been many rumors about the decision to part ways, but Ryan Newman made it very clear during the rain delay at Pocono that he was very disappointed with his crew chief. His decision to pit vs. getting track position only shows his lack of faith in his crew chief’s strategy is definately a testament to why this team needs to break up and move on with new ventures.

I really think the Stewartt-Haas deal is the best move, but in a pre-race interview with Newman, he told reporters that he has reached a decision and will announce it within the next six weeks.

Back to back poles for Jimmie Johnson. He sits atop the grid at the big ole’ triangle. Let’s all hope that this weeks race is much better than last weeks.

There are many similarities between the two tracks, but there is one big difference, the surface. Both tracks are very flat, not much banking and very tight turns, but let’s hope that the tires Goodyear had on standby at the brick are better at the triangle.

Let’s wait and see…

We posted yesterday that Ryan Newman had reached a verbal agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing, but he and his wife say not so fast….

They have issued a press statement saying that they are in discussions with Stewart-Haas and others regarding Newman’s future in 2009. I think they would be silly or stupid not to make this deal a reality.

Now I don’t claim to be the know-all, end-all, be-all of racing, but I really do feel that this would be a great fit for both Tony Stewart and for Newman. Stewart has committed himself to building a great team and we all know that they are friends, so this in my mind creates a perfect union.

Hopefully by next week we will be able to put this saga behind us, much like the world is waiting to put the Brett Farve situation in the rear-view mirror.

***PLEASE NOTE THERE HAS BEEN AN UPDATE TO THIS ARTICLE HERE*** 

ESPN has announced that Ryan Newman has reached an agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing to fill the second spot on that team for 2009. The Indiana native will join his fellow Indiana boy Tony Stewart as teammates. 

I think this will be a great fit for both. I have always believed that “Rocket Man” has a wealth of talent, but I have never felt that Penske always gave him what he needed to succeed the way I think he possibly could. With Stewart’s drive to make this new venture a success, I really feel that this new marriage will be one for the ages. I would rank this new team close to Dale Earnhardt Jr. going to Hendrick Motorsports.

Now that the team is set, now let’s see who they put around each of the teams to make sure that the are competing right out of the box.