There's nothing like a heated rivalry to add a little zest in any sport.
The latest feud in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series involves 23-year-old Kyle Busch and 29-year-old Carl Edwards, who had another run-in last Saturday night at Bristol.
In the wake of the postrace bumping by the two Cup stars, NASCAR has placed both on probation for six races, much as it did to Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch after a similar incident at Daytona during practice for the Budweiser Shootout in February.
``Are rivalries good for our sport, for any sport? Absolutely,'' said longtime NASCAR star Kyle Petty. ``It draws a line in the sand. You're either over here or over there.
``In Carl and Kyle you have the makings of a rivalry that could last for a while. Both are young and on top of the sport. This could be the best rivalry since (Dale) Earnhardt-(Jeff) Gordon.''
Petty noted that Edwards and Busch have very different personalities.
``Out of the car, they are two different people, so they appeal to two totally different groups,'' he said. ``In the car, they are aggressive and will probably get together a few more times on the track. I hope this doesn't go away, but if it does, we are going to be treated to one heck of a championship fight this year, at least.''
Busch, with eight victories, is leading the points, while Edwards, with six wins, is second.
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GOOD COMBINATION: Tony Stewart is glad Joe Gibbs Racing made the much-anticipated announcement that 18-year-old Joey Logano will take over his No. 20 Toyota at the end of the season.
``I know that is a huge weight lifted off Zippy (crew chief Greg Zipadelli) and the guys' shoulders at the Home Depot team to get that announcement out of the way, finally,'' the two-time Cup champion said this week on his SIRIUS satellite radio show, ``Tony Stewart Live.''
Stewart is leaving Gibbs to co-own and drive for the team now known as Haas-CNC.
``It couldn't have happened to a better kid,'' Stewart added. ``Joey is a really, really good kid and very, very fast. He's going to win a lot of races and I couldn't think of anybody better to take my place.''
Logano didn't drive his first race in NASCAR until May, when he drove in a Nationwide Series event right after turning 18. He has yet to drive in a Sprint Cup race, but Stewart said the Gibbs team made a good choice.
``The great thing about Joey is we really haven't had to help him a lot,'' Stewart said. ``He's just one of those kids who has got a lot of natural talent, and he's got a natural feel for the car. If he's needed something, we've been available for him, but (on) a lot of these things he's got the basics down.
``The stuff that he has to learn is stuff that you really have to learn first hand. Every challenge that he's had he's had success with, so I really believe that it's the best guy that they can get in the car right now. I think what he can do in the future is unlimited there at Joe Gibbs Racing, and his crew, Zippy and the guys, they are a proven commodity. It's a perfect situation for a guy like Joey to be in as a rookie to have an established team like that.''
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SHOOTOUT WOES: Nobody was more disappointed than Joe Nemechek by the announcement this week that the nonpoints Budweiser Shootout that begins each season at Daytona is changing formats.
Instead of pitting the previous season's pole-winners, the new format calls for the top six teams in the last year's car owner points to race in the Shootout, beginning next February.
That will leave Nemechek and his Furniture Row Racing team on the sidelines, despite winning the pole earlier this year at Talladega.
``It's disappointing, very disappointing,'' Nemechek said. ``All along we were led to believe that we would be in the Bud Shootout next year after winning the pole at Talladega. Now the rules change. It doesn't seem fair. This team was really looking forward to being in that race.''
But Nemechek and the team he started driving for late in the 2007 season have been making progress this season.
Heading into qualifying for this week's race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., Nemechek has qualified for 21 of the previous 24 races this season. That matches the fledgling team's single-season record for starts.
Nemechek began this week 36th in car owner points, just outside a top-35 spot that would have guaranteed him a starting position in Sunday's race. But, despite having to qualify on speed, he had put his No. 78 Chevrolet into 12 straight races going into this weekend.
``The good news is we've come a long way. We still have a ways to go, but for a single-car team competing with the multicar big dogs, we're holding our own and showing improvement,'' Nemechek said.
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HE SAID IT: ``Professionally, there's nothing else I'd rather be doing. Competing in NASCAR's top level series has been a lifelong dream and I'm fortunate that I have been doing what I love for as long as I have. But I still believe my best years are ahead of me. I've learned a lot over the years and this environment has made me a better person because of it.'' - Jeff Burton, who will race in his 500th Cup event Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.
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STAT OF THE WEEK: While Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards have already nailed down spots in the Chase for the championship, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Burton - third through fifth in the points - can secure their spots in the stock car postseason Sunday at Fontana.
Earnhardt is in the best position. He will clinch a Chase spot if he finishes 40th or better or leads a lap and finishes 42nd or better. Johnson can make it by finishing 40th or better or leading a lap and finishing 41st or better. Burton will clinch if he finishes 15th or better, 17th or better if he leads a lap, or 20th or better if he leads the most laps.
Other drivers currently in the top 12 could clinch a spot in the Chase with the right combination of a good finish and a bad day by their competitors. Only Clint Bowyer in 12th cannot wrap up a Chase spot unless 13th-place David Ragan fails to start Sunday's race.
