The Lugnut Report: Juan Pablo Montoya Survives Darlington, Looks to Continue Strong Run

Juan Pablo Montoya finished ninth in the 2009 Chase to the Sprint Cup championship, and he and his No. 42 Target Chevrolet team were looking for even better things in 2010.

And despite four top fives and six top tens, Montoya still finds himself winless, and overally disappointed with his season thus far. Entering this past weekend's Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington wasn't exactly the Columbian's idea of a fun time.

"I haven't found that (magic) in Darlington yet," Montoya told SB Nation's Jeff Gluck. "but if you ask (team manager) Tony Glover, he'll think that's the Holy Grail of NASCAR."

Montoya's evening with the Lady in Black was very much similar to his season; he started 15th, gathered more than one Darlington stripe, but managed to claw and scratch his way to a top five finish. It's a season that, along with those six top tens, has saw him finish outside the top 25 five times.

His fiery ways and risk taking moves haven't won him many fans, but it seems to be building his momentum as the 2010 season moves along.

"This Target Chevy was good all night," Montoya said after the race. "We worked really hard all day. In the beginning it was really fast, then it went away. It was hard work."

Montoya later went on to say, "I was pretty happy. I'm just relieved we got to the end to tell you the truth with a top five finish."

The fifth place finish was a Darlington career best for Montoya, who had yet to finish above 20th in his previous three starts.

He is currently 17th now in Cup standings, jumping up one spot after surving Darlington, but is 358 points behind points leader Kevin Harvick.

If he hopes to continue with this current wave of good fortune, JPM is going to have to battle his demons with the Monster Mile, Dover International Speedway.

Despite finishing fourth in the fall Dover race in 2009, Montoya has just two other top 15 finishes, and three finishes of 30th or worse, including a DNF in 2008.

However, being just 12 races into the season and with a string of top ten finishes under his belt, you'd be a fool to count out Montoya for a championship run just yet.

Thanks to SB Nation, Racing Reference, FOX, NASCAR.com and the Vancouver Sun for the information, stats and quotes used in this post.

If you'd like to read Patti Rodisch's Lugnut Report on Mark Martin, click here.

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The Lugnut Report: Matt Kenseth Continues Quiet Season in Richmond

After a disappointing 2009 that saw him miss the Chase, Matt Kenseth has been looking for consistently in this 2010 season. That began with making Todd Parrott his crew chief earlier this season.

"I think it was really good for our team to make a change and they all look up to Todd. He's always really upbeat,"

Richmond International Raceway would be full of action for Kenseth, who would be competing in both the Bubba Burger 200 Nationwide race and the Heath Calhoun 400 Presented by Crown Royal Sprint Cup event.

After Colin Braun's miserable start to the 2010 season, where he failed to finish five of his eight starts, owner Jack Roush made the decision to take the 21 year old out of the No. 16 Con-way Freight Ford and insert former Cup champion Kenseth in for two races.

Having to qualify on time, Kenseth and the No. 16 started the Nationwide Series race eighth. A quiet night running up front ended with Kenseth finishing 10th, the first top ten for the No. 16.

Kenseth practiced and qualified in the 20s, and and had to battle his way up to the front Saturday night in Richmond. He ended the night 13th.

After his seventh top 15 of the year, Kenseth was the only person within the top 12 in points to maintain the same points position he had before the race started.

Thanks to NASCAR.com, NASCAR on FOX, NASCAR on ESPN, Racing Reference, Rotoworld, FOX News, Pierre County Herald for the information, quotes and stats used in this piece.

For Patti Rodisch's Lugnut Report on Clint Bowyer, click here.

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The Lugnut Report: Johnson Loses Horseshoe, Has Rough Day in 'Dega

After their run in down in Texas, Jimmie Johnson and teammate Jeff Gordon spent the week leading up to Talladega fending off spectulation that a feud was brewing in the Hendrick Motorsports shop.

After Talladega, there seems to be no doubt that there is.

Johnson entered 'Dega 108 points ahead of second place Matt Kenseth and two wins already in the books for the 2010 season. Rain cancelled qualifying, putting Johnson on the pole for the Aaron's 499.

Luck, it seemed, was on Double J's side. Karma, it would prove, was certainly not.

Johnson led just nine laps on the day, but in doing so collected those all important five bonus points. He spent most of the day running in the midst of the front pack, but made little noise otherwise.

It didn't stay that way long, though.

Five laps from the finish, Gordon and Johnson made contact after the No. 48 went to jump in line ahead of his teammate. The No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet would eventually fall back into the field, get caught up in a wreck, and ended his day 22nd.

And, if any consolation to Gordon, Johnson got his, too.

On lap 196, in one of the "Overdrive" green-white-checkers, Johnson and Biffle got together sending the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet into the inside wall. He would finish 31st.

"The 48 is testing my patience, I can tell you that. It takes a lot to make me mad-- and I am pissed right now," Gordon said after the race. Johnson would later take the blame for the incident.

Gordon last went to Victory Lane last season in the spring Texas race. Johnson has won ten races since then. And after this latest incident, will the tension continue to rise between the top two HMS drivers?

While he keeps the points lead, Harvick's win now has him within 26 points of the defending champion, and his points lead may be in even more trouble. With a field seemingly deteremined to take four time down and a pissed off teammate, Johnson and company enter Richmond International Raceway, where tempers are sure to be short.

Thanks to NASCAR on FOX, SPEED, Racing Reference, LA Times and the Associated Press for the information, quotes and statistics used in this piece.

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The Lugnut Report: Kahne Avoids Wreck, Gets Texas Top Five

It was another crazy weekend that ended with a crazy Monday finish. And it was an even crazier week for Kasey Kahne.

This past week, ESPN's Marty Smith broke the news that sent the NASCAR world in a tizzy; Kahne had signed a multi year deal with Hendrick Motorsports to drive the No. 5 in 2012. However, he'll be leaving Richard Petty Motorsports after this season to drive for a team to be announced.

"Kasey is a very talented driver and I have enjoyed watching him race. We all wish him nothing but the best and hope he succeeds in anything he chooses to do," Richard Petty said in a statement.

With all the media's attention on him, Kahne entered Texas Motor Speedway in the spotlight. The driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford captured a win in Forth Worth during his amazing six win year in 2006. However, in 12 starts Kahne has seven finishes of 20th or worse at the track.

In the only practice session of the weekend, Kahne ended 20th on the speed charts. He qualified fifth and wouldn't return to the track until the green flag dropped. All on track activities were washed out on both Saturday and Sunday, meaning the Samsung Mobile 500 would have to wait until Monday.

Despite starting up front, Kahne spent most of his day in the midst of traffic.

With 17 laps to go, Kahne was able to drive around a massive nine car wreck that collected Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, among others. Capitalizing on the chaos, Kahne drove home to a fifth place finish.

"About six of them of them disappeared in front of me and we were left," Kahne said after the race. "We had a decent car."

With the top five, his second of the year, Kahne jumped four spots to 22nd in points.

Thanks to NASCAR on FOX, NASCAR.com, Jayski, Racing Reference and ESPN for the information and quotes used in this post.

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The Lugnut Report: Clint Bowyer Grabs Top Ten in Phoenix

It was an unexpectedly busy weekend at Phoenix International Speedway for Clint Bowyer. Coming into the first Saturday night race of the season, Bowyer was ninth and points and ready to put all his focus on the Subway Fresh Fit 600.

On Friday, Bowyer practiced his No. 33 Cheerio's/Hamburger Chevrolet in both Sprint Cup practices, putting the No. 33 sixth and 13th on the speed charts.

During the only Nationwide Series practice of the day John Wes Townley had a hard wreck and Richard Childress Racing announced Bowyer would take over the No. 21 car for Friday's Nationwide race.

After Cup practices were over, Bowyer qualified the Nationwide car 21st, and headed back to the Cup garage to qualify his No. 33 25th.

Despite rumors in the garage, Bowyer said before the Basha's Supermarkets 200 began that he had no intention of driving the Zaxby's Chevrolet for the rest of the year, and that Townley was "a good kid from a good family."

Trouble for the No. 21 team came on lap 31 when Bowyer hit the wall. However, Bowyer spent most of the race successfully battling his way toward the front.

Late in the race, Bowyer managed to escape a multi car wreck, caused by leader Kyle Busch's bad restart, with minimal damage.

Bowyer would finish the race just outside the top ten, in 11th.

On Saturday night, Bowyer started mid pack but he and teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton were all in a hurry to get to the front.

Upon the lap 22 restart Clint Bowyer, in the midst of traffic, spun the 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray, bringing out the second caution of the night. The No. 33 escaped with no damage, while McMurray had to bring his Chevy down pit road for repairs.

By lap 71, Bowyer had cracked the top ten and stayed there the majority of the night. He didn't make much noise there, however, until late in the race. He and Jeff Gordon had an intense side by side battle for third on lap 361, but Gordon ultimately prevailed.

Bowyer continued to challenge in the top five, but the pit stop prior to the green white checkered back tracked on Bowyer's momentum, and he fell back out of the top five. He finished ninth.

The finish,though, shot Bowyer three spots up to sixth in points. Next up for Bowyer is the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 18, 3 PM ET on FOX.

Thanks to Racing Reference, NASCAR.com, NASCAR on FOX, ESPN2, Jayski, ClintBowyer.com, SceneDaily.com, and NNSRacing.com for the information, quotes and stats used in this post.

For Patti Rodisch's Lugnut Report on Martin Truex, Jr. click here.

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The Lugnut Report: Joey Logano's Quiet Day Leads to Second Place Finish

Joey Logano has only had two starts at Martinsville Speedway, and the rookie no more 19 year old is showing steady improvements.

Monday's Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 was absolutely one of those days.

Logano was barely noticable during the first 300 laps of the race, steadily and quietly battling his way through the top ten.

The Home Depot driver failed to crack the top five, and seemed to be stuck racing for positions sixth through eighth. It was only until six laps until the finish that Logano made his way into the fifth position.

Then things began to get interesting.

Logano's teammate Denny Hamlin made a pit stop from the lead on lap 493. After the lap 496 restart and following caution, Hamlin was counting on his young teammate to let him down to the bottom line so he could charge to the front.

Logano made a hole for Hamlin in front of him and behind the No. 17 of Matt Kenseth. The No. 20 Home Depot Toyota followed his teammate and kept former seven time Martinsville winner Jeff Gordon at bay. While Hamlin would drive his way to Victory Lane, Logano basked in the glory of his second place finish.

"That was awesome!" Logano exclaimed about the green white checkered finish. "That was really cool, and the big deal for me with the Home Depot Toyota was starting on the bottom.

"It was kind of beating and banging, it was a ton of fun! After the last couple of weeks to get a top five back up here, it's so much fun to race up here."

Later in the media center, the young gun reiterated the excitement of that final restart.

"It was crazy. We knew it was going to be crazy before we went green."

The next time JoLo will be on track is this coming Saturday at Nashville, where he'll compete in the Nationwide Series Nashville 300. You can watch that race beginning at 3:30 PM ET on ESPN.

For Patti Rodisch's Lugnut Report on Jeff Gordon, click here.

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The Lugnut Report: Amid Controversy, Carl Edwards Finishes Top Ten at Bristol

What a week it has been for Carl Edwards.

Two weeks ago, Cousin Carl had the NASCAR world raging in debate after he intentionally spun Brad Keselowski, sending the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge airborne. Edwards was subsequently put on probation for three races, and he and Keselowski seemed to put the controversy behind them.

However, with the ending of this rivalry came the ignition of one long left in the past. This past week Kevin Harvick told Bubba the Love Sponge on his radio program that he thought Edwards was "fake as hell". During his media center appearance on Friday, Harvick reiterated his feelings, saying of the Roush Fenway driver "you can't be the nice guy, you can't be the good guy, and you can't be the bully."

Edwards responded with a statement, saying he had "no respect" for Harvick and that "he's a bad person." The issues between the two began in 2008, after an incident in Talladega.

And all this before cars even hit the track on Friday.

On Saturday, after a more than forty minute meeting with NASCAR, Edwards qualified his Copart Ford fourth, and then put his Sprint Cup car 18th and ninth on the speed charts.

Edwards battled in the top five for the majority of the race, taking the lead from Kasey Kahne on lap 123, but lost the lead when he over shot his pit stop on lap 148. He would not lead again.

With the fourth place effort, Edwards remains 41 points ahead of Keselowski in Nationwide Series points standings.

Despite the noise he'd caused earlier in the week, Edwards had a fairly quiet Food City 500. Starting eight blah blah. He and Keselowski did, however, meet on lap 336 as they raced for 17th position, making sure to give each other enough room. Six laps later, Edwards received minor damage after Greg Biffle ran Mark Martin into the wall, causing the field to bottle neck.

In the end, Edwards finished sixth, and jumped seven spots to 13th in points.

Next week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway for the Goody's Pain Relief 500. The race starts at one P.M. Eastern time live on FOX.

Thanks to NASCAR on FOX, SBNation, and the USA Today for the information and quotes used in this post.

For more information on Carl Edwards, click here for his official website and here for his Facebook page. For Patti Rodisch's Lugnut Report on Casey Mears, click here.

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The Lugnut Report: Juan Pablo Montoya Comes Home Third in Atlanta

Coming into Atlanta Motor Speedway, one didn't hear much talk about how this has been one of Juan Pablo Montoya's best tracks since coming to NASCAR in 2007.

No, most of the talk was about the incident between Montoya and his Earnhardt Ganassi teammate Jamie McMurray.

"Don't worry, it happened, yes I was real mad, but let's move foward," Montoya said after the Daytona 500 champion texted him during the week.

Montoya and company were more and ready to put the skuffle behind them.

The No. 42 Target Chevrolet ended the first practice of the weekend in fifth and would qualify third. His later practice sessions wouldn't prove as fruitful, ending them 16th and 32nd, respectively.

Taking the green flag for the Kobalt Tools 500, no one still would stop talking about whether he and McMurray had really buried the hatchet.

Montoya spend nearly all day running up front, spending the first 13 laps running behind Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne and polesitter Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Despite his constant hard charges to the front, it was the lap 164 that would propel him to finally collect his five bonus points and take the lead.

Threading the needle, Montoya zipped by then leader Denny Hamlin on lap 172, but three laps later a fast Kahne took the lead three laps later.

Kahne and Kurt Busch were the class of the field all day long, and proved too much for the No. 42, and everyone else. Still, Montoya was able to stay with

As the laps in regulation continued to go down, Montoya was charging toward the Miller Lite Dodge, consistently gaining two tenths on Busch.

The ninth caution of the day came out when Carl Edwards, who was 156 laps down at the time, sent Brad Keselowski into the wall.

Despite having two more chances to go after Busch, Montoya wasn't able to catch him after spinning his tires and ended his day where he started it, in third.

With the effort JPM jumps five spots in the points standings to 21st. In two weeks, things are set to get even crazier as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500. The race will be live on FOX at one p.m. Eastern time.

For Patti Rodisch's recap on the weekend Elliott Sadler had, click here.

Thanks to ESPN, NASCAR on FOX, Yahoo!, NASCAR.com, Jayski and Racing Reference for the information and quotes used in this article.

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Have lunch with Mark Martin at Darlington Raceway

DARLINGTON, S.C. (March 3, 2010) – Darlington Raceway will host a fan luncheon with 2009 Southern 500 winner Mark Martin on March 17, Darlington President Chris Browning announced.

Martin will be in town to promote the upcoming Southern 500 set for May 8. The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m., and will include a question and answer session with the two-time Southern 500 Champion moderated by an announcer from the Motor Racing Network.

Fans interested in attending the event must first sign-up at DarlingtonRaceway.com/MarkMartin. The event will be held at the Florence Civic Center and is free of charge. Directions and information about the Florence Civic Center are available on DarlingtonRaceway.com.

“We wanted to create an event we could invite our fans to participate in,” Browning said. “Mark is a fan favorite, and a perfect fit at Darlington because he has such a great appreciation for the history of our sport, and we are really looking forward to hosting this great event.”

Following the question and answer session, five lucky fans and a guest will be selected to attend a meet and greet with Martin.

“Darlington is one of my favorite stops on the schedule. To win the Southern 500 you have to battle the track as well as the other competitors,” Martin said. “The fans that come out and support Darlington are great. I’m really looking forward to hanging out with them on March 17.”

You can keep up with all of the latest news from Darlington Raceway at DarlingtonRaceway.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DarlingtonRaceway and on Twitter at Twitter.com/TooToughToTame.

Darlington Raceway or the track “Too Tough to Tame” as it is known to many, is where the purest of NASCAR competition meets true southern hospitality. A NASCAR staple since 1950, Darlington Raceway has seen some of motorsports most talented drivers thunder to Victory Lane. In 2010, NASCAR’s stars return to battle the track “Too Tough to Tame” in the Sprint Cup Series Southern 500® and Nationwide Series Darlington 200. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will also make a stop at Darlington for the first time since the 2004 season.

The Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series will visit the track on Mother’s Day Weekend, May 7-8, for the Southern 500® and Darlington 200. The Camping World Truck Series will make its return to Darlington Raceway for first time since 2004 on Aug. 14 for the Too Tough to Tame 200. Tickets for all three events are on-sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Darlington Raceway ticket office at 866-459-RACE or online at http://www.darlingtonraceway.com/tickets/.

Release courtesy of Darlington Raceway

Photo from NASCAR Media

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The Lugnut Report: Lady Luck Not with Kurt Busch in Vegas

Despite Las Vegas being his home track, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway has not been kind to Kurt Busch.

In nine starts entering this weekend, Busch had one top five and two top tens coupled with DNFs in 2003 and 2008.

"It's something that you can't count your chickens before they hatch, but this would be a special win," Busch said. "It's hard to talk about it and play what-if."

The weekend, however, got off to a promising start. On Friday Busch finished practice 21st on the speed charts but later that day qualified on pole for his hometown race. Something that brought the former champion to tears in the media center.

But what Busch really wanted to do was what younger brother Kyle did last year: win at the track they watched be built.

"To me and Kyle, it's like a Daytona-type atmosphere, and we want to go out and win this big daddy," Busch explained.

Unexpectedly, both practice sessions went on despite concerns of rain. Busch ended the first of those in third, and ended happy hour 16th in speed.

Busch was hopeful for the race ahead on Sunday.

Unfortunately, it didn't go the way one of Vegas' favorite son would have hoped.

Despite starting on the pole, Busch failed to lead a single lap on the day, losing the lead when Jeff Gordon passed him.

Busch's struggling day got worse when, on lap 92 he was the innocent victim of contact betweent Ganassi teammates Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray. The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge would come down pit road several time to fix damage, going three laps down in the process.

A tough day in his home state ended with Busch finishing eight laps behind winner Jimmie Johnson in 35th position. He is now 19th in points headed into Atlanta next weekend.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series enters the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Kobalt Tools 500. Fans can watch that race live on FOX at one p.m. Eastern time.

Thanks to Scene Daily, FOX, NASCAR.com, Racing Reference and NASCAR on FOX for the information used in this post.

For Patti Rodisch's recap of Kevin Harvick's weekend, click here.

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The Lugnut Report: Tires Doom Denny Hamlin's California Comeback

Welcome, welcome one and all to the first edition of The Lugnut Report on Skirts and Skuffs. Each week, Patti Rodisch and I will recap the weekend of two drivers from qualifying to the checkered flag.

For much of the off season, Denny Hamlin was the projected favorite to end four time champion Jimmie Johnson's hold on the Sprint Cup title. Doubt began to set in, however, when the eight time Sprint Cup Series race winner tore his anterior cruciate ligament playing basketball a little over a month beforethe 2010 season began.

"It's good," Hamlin said of his left knee during Speed Weeks. "But it's better in the car than it is now. But really, it's just not an issue at all. I thought it would be, but not here, definitely."

After finishing 17th in the Daytona 500, Hamlin came into Auto Club Speedway looking for momentum.

While it looked like he would find it, things didn't go the way the No. 11 FedEx Freight Totyota team would've liked.

After finishing Friday's practice 15th, Hamlin qualified 25th and ended Saturday's two practice sessions third and ninth. However, because the team changed an engine after Happy Hour, Hamlin took the green flag for the Auto Club 500 in dead last.

Early on, Hamlin managed to work his way up through the field despite fighting a loose racecar.

By lap 90, Hamlin cracked into the top 20, but was still fuming at his crew to fix his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

"We oughta be disappointed in our engine program," a frustrated Hamlin told his crew.

After the second caution of the day for Kasey Kahne's spin, and rain reportedly 90 minutes away, Hamlin came down pit road for yet more adjustments. With a trackbar adjustment he restarted in the mid-20s and once again began working his way through the pack.

Despite his team working on the car on the previous stop, their driver was still fuming inside the car.

"It's (explitive) hilarious, people are going right by me!" he yelled over the radio. Yet, he continued making strides on track.

On lap 141, when Juan Pablo Montoya lost an engine, Hamlin and his crew began discussing pit strategy with rain continuing to loom over the track.

The driver himself made the call to stay outside, rocketing the No. 11 Toyota to fourth behind Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Sam Hornish, Sr. His team cautioned him to save fuel.

Staying out proved to be a costly mistake; Hamlin was behind Newman on the lap 146 restart, when the No. 39 spun his tires and lost an engine. The cluster that followed sent Hamlin right back to where he started before hand to 18th.

Hamlin restarted the race on lap 153 in 23rd after pitting for four tires, fuel and yet more adjustments. He immediately began charging to the front, battling side by side with Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch.

Then the rains came, and strategy reared it's ugly head.

"It's raining pretty damn good," Hamlin said on lap 190, when he took the race lead. NASCAR put out the caution out two laps later. However, because the team stayed out earlier they were forced to make a pit stop for fuel, sending him back deep into the pack.

Hamlin would lose a tire shortly after the lap 195 restart, hitting pit road and losing a lap to the leaders.

"This is just the worst," a dejected driver said over the radio.

Hamlin would run with the lap down cars only to become the wave around on lap 223, after nemesis Brad Keselowski brought out the sixth caution of the day.

To add insult to injury, Hamlin made a pit stop for yet another flat tire--this time a right rear-- after he received the wave around, and was black flagged.

A difficult day ended with a 29th place finish, two laps behind the leader.

"I can't think of a worse day... 1 lugnut penalty 2 blown tires and a 10th place car at best" Hamlin tweeted after the race.

Next week, Hamlin and his fellow 42 competitors race into Las Vegas for the Shelby American live on FOX at 3 P.M. Eastern time.

Thanks to NASCAR on FOX, ESPN, Pilot Online and Scene Daily for the information and quotes used in this piece.

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Carl Edwards Hosts WWE Monday Night RAW

Just a week before he and 42 competitors take to Daytona International Speedway for the Daytona 500, former Nationwide Series champion Carl Edwards stepped into a WWE ring to host Monday Night RAW.

After having his No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion driven into the arena by wrestler Hornswoggle, Edwards made his way to the ring escorted by WWE Divas Nikki and Brie Bella.

Much to the crowds delight, Cousin Carl entered the ring, climbed to the top rop and did his signature backflip before addressing the sold out crowd at the Cajundrome in Lafayette, Lousianna.

The charismatic winner of a combined 47 races in NASCAR's top three series congratulated the crowd once again on their New Orleans Saints becoming SuperBowl champions. He of course plugged this weekend's Daytona 500, calling it "our SuperBowl, our WrestleMania."

Before he was able to continue, WWE champion Sheamus crashed the party.

The champ also referred to Edwards' friendship with former champion John Cena, before continuing on with his promo. He was later interrupted by ECW (Extreme Champion Wrestling, WWE's Tuesday night program) champion Christian, who mentioned the growing popularity of NASCAR in his native Canada.

Edwards would appear later in the show for a spot with Subway spokesman Jared, and later to announce three matches for next week's RAW, which will be hosted by Jerry Springer: Randy Orton against Sheamus, Kofi Kingston versus Ted DiBiase, and finally his friend John Cena will take on Triple H.

This of course was not Edwards first exposure to the world of wrestling.

The aforementioned Cena and Edwards appeared together for "Fast Cars and Superstars: Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race", a promotion pairing several drivers with a celebrity in racing challenges. They have also appeared on Gillette commercials together and Cena also made a pit stop at Speed's "Trackside" alongside Edwards at Atlanta in 2008.

This was the second time the worlds of WWE and NASCAR tagged teamed; just five months earlier, Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Joey Logano also hosted the event, which is the longest running cable program in television history.

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Danica Patrick Boots Kelly Bires, Twitter Reacts (Opinion)

It's more than her SuperBowl commericals gaining her attention-- and, as usual, some controversy as well.

Twitter went ablaze last evening when ESPN's David Newton broke the news that Danica Patrick would be driving in this weekend's Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway.

"Myself and a few others decided to run next weekend. I am pretty excited!"

Apparently Kelly Bires wasn't in on that conversation.

"As everyone can see I will not be running Daytona," Bires tweeted the morning after the news broke. "Very bummed about it! I will be ready to make a statement in Fontana."

Bires was schedule to pilot the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and then finish the year in the No. 88, which team owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will dirve for the season opener.

NASCAR fans on both sides of the argument took to the social networking website to voice their opinions.

"Not happy that D Patrick will run the NASCAR NW race... Wonder how she would feel if someone affected her chances at a championship" said Melissa.

"OMG! OMMG! Danica Patrick is running the NASCAR nationwide race on Saturday! I can't believe it! What drama! (heavy sarcasm) Geez..." NASCAR writer Tom Bowles remarked.

Patti Rodisch commented "I am glad she is racing, look ARCA is not true competition. She needs to run laps; sitting on the sidelines doesn't help her."

"I think it's awesome for the sport," Callie King added. "She's proven she can drive in IndyCar, and now deserves a chance at NASCAR."

Shaun Burke sent along that "I bet GoDaddy couls sponsor Bires entire weekend for the cost of one (SuperBowl 44) ad!"

While Patrick's stockcar debut in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 showed a successful sixth place result, it'll be interesting to see how she handles a 300 mile event with 42 other cars. Especially considering that throughout most of her ARCA debut, she asked riveting questions like if the drivers could see the light at the end of pit road, how to determine her pit road speed, and asking if she needed to turn her radio off under a yellow.

She's going to have to figure out all those things if she really wants to make it in NASCAR. Committing highway robbery to get her first chance at a Nationwide ride will prove to be just half the battle.

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