NASCAR NOTEBOOK: STEWART ON TRACK FOR CHAMPIONSHIP RUN.Byline: LOUIS BREWSTER Staff Writer FONTANA -- If history is any indication, this could well be Tony Stewart's year to win his second Nextel Cup The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series is NASCAR's top racing series. It was formerly known as the Strictly Stock Series (1949), Grand National Series (1950-1971), and the Winston Cup Series (1972-2003). Series championship. In 2002, his title season, Stewart left Daytona with a last-place finish, yet managed to claim the crown after the 40th race. On Sunday, Stewart was dominant at Daytona, but a wreck with Kurt Busch Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #2 Miller Lite Dodge in Nextel Cup Series and part time in Busch Series driving the #12 Penske Truck Rental Dodge. cut his day short and he ended with a 39th-place finish. Stewart has never won at Fontana, one of four tracks at which a victory has eluded him, but he brings a reliable Chevrolet. Chassis No.120 won three of the last eight races in 2006, including successive wins at Atlanta and Texas. "What you do at California is solely based on what you and your team can do with your race car, not what drafting line you're in or how the car behind you is going to affect your next move," Stewart said. "I enjoy going to California because I really feel that's where our season starts. Don't count Stewart among those who want to see the track reconfigured. "They need to let the race track be," Stewart said. "You can change all the banking you want. It's still a 2-mile track. The good thing is that the racing has become two- and three-wide and you can run on different spots on the race track. But that's all you can hope for. "It is what it is there. If they wanted to do something, they should've been a little smarter and built a half-mile or three-quarter mile oval." Drivin' through: There are a couple of reasons Kyle Busch Kyle Thomas Busch (born May 2, 1985 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is an American race car driver. Currently, he drives the #5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series as well as the #5 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Busch Series. likes to compete at California Speedway The California Speedway is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, similar to that of "sister track" Michigan International Speedway. It is located approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. . Never mind that Busch holds the track Cup qualifying record (188.435 mph, 2005) or that he scored his first victory at Fontana (Sony HD 500, 2005). He became the youngest-ever Cup pole winner at 19 years, 9 months and 24 days, and the youngest Cup race winner at 20 years, 4 months and 2 days. Both records were previously held by Donald Thomas
"I like the flatness of California," Busch said. "I grew up on a relatively flat track at the Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. Bullring, and I've done well at New Hampshire New Hampshire, one of the New England states of the NE United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts (S), Vermont, with the Connecticut R. forming the boundary (W), the Canadian province of Quebec (NW), and Maine and a short strip of the Atlantic Ocean (E). and Phoenix, so I guess it just suits my style of driving." He's back: Ron Hornaday Ron Hornaday, Jr. (born in Palmdale, California on June 20, 1958) is a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver. He is the father of former NASCAR driver Ronnie Hornaday, and the son of Ron Hornaday, Sr., a two time Winston West Champion. Jr., a former Palmdale resident, drives a Chevy Silverado for Kevin Harvick in the Craftsman Truck Series and will race Friday night. He has competed 13 times at the Fontana track -- seven in the Busch Series, four in the Trucks and once each in the Winston West and Cup. It's a return to the area where he established his reputation. "Going to California is always good for me because of the fans; the race track is close to my hometown," Hornaday said. Victory at Junction Camp: Applications are being accepted for summer camp at Victory Junction Camp, created in 2004 by Kyle and Pattie Petty in honor of their late son Adam. More than 4,500 campers ages 7-15 with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses enjoyed what the Randleman, N.C., camp has offered. In addition to traditional activities -- horseback riding, boating, fishing, arts and crafts arts and crafts, term for that general field of applied design in which hand fabrication is dominant. The term was coined in England in the late 19th cent. as a label for the then-current movement directed toward the revivifying of the decorative arts. -- there are also other events such as a water park, theater, bowling alley, miniature golf and NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. related program areas. "This is a really busy time of year for Victory Junction," said Mark Hendrickson, director of medical communications and development for victory Junction. "Our goal is to spread the word to insure we fill each of our 10 disease specific summer sessions to capacity. louis.brewster@sbsun.com (909) 386-3935 CAPTION(S): 12 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán (born September 20 1975 in Bogotá, Colombia) is a race car driver in NASCAR for Chip Ganassi Racing and a former Formula One and Indycar driver. He was born in Bogotá where he was taught the techniques of karting from an early age by his father Pablo, an (2 -- color) no caption (car) (3 -- color) Jimmie Johnson (4 -- color) Matt Kenseth (5 -- color) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (6 -- color) Jeff Gordon (7 -- color) Tony Stewart (8 -- color) Greg Biffle (9 -- color) Kasey Kahne (10 -- color) Kevin Harvick (11 -- color) Kurt Busch (12 -- color) Kyle Busch Box: Ready to roll Ed DeGasero, Phil Holm, Merrill Sherman. AP/Bryan Fowler. Daily News |
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