Who would have picked Ryan Newman to win the Daytona 500? Not me, that’s for sure. Between his results the last couple of years, and all the talk of the Chevys and Toyotas, it was quite a shock to see six Dodges in the top eight. Word on the street is that Jack Patrick, the lone Chrysler powered competitor at Oswego Speedway was seen running naked in celebration through his hometown of Granby.

And as much as it pains me to say it, and I always do, Kurt Busch is an amazing driver. To come from last once, and then last again after speeding in the pits, to finish second and push his teammate to victory, was quite a feat. I’m still mad at him for singlehandedly ending Jimmy Spencer’s career, but nobody is cooler under fire than Kurt Busch. Great to see Penske get the one-two finish, and his first Daytona 500 win.

It sure seemed like Tony Stewart was doing the right thing, bailing out of the Dodge lane and jumping in front of his teammate, Kyle Busch. On paper, it sounded right. Quite a surprise that the Kyle didn’t have the juice to push the Toyotas to a one-two finish.

And this Kyle Busch puts me in quite a position. I’ve never liked him because he’s an immature knucklehead, yet I’m forced most of the time to admit that he’s one of the best drivers in NASCAR. His performances this weekend in all three divisions continue to solidify him as one of the greats. I even sometimes find myself being a closet Kyle Busch fan when he makes an amazing save. Then later, I’m glad that he ran great in all three races, yet came out winless. How could that be? At some point do I just buck up and buy a Kyle Busch shirt?

And although Casey Mears is a decent driver in the “other” Hendrick car, do you think Rick let the wrong driver go? Is Kyle Busch that much of a problem that it was worth dumping a great driver in favor of an average Casey Mears? Must be.

Is Ray Evernham’s G.E.M. Motorsports headed back to being a decent team, or were his drivers’ finishes of 6th (Sadler) and 7th (Kahne) a fluke?

Too bad Dale Earnhardt Jr. was abandoned by his teammates, costing him a chance to win the race. Well, actually, he wasn’t abandoned - all three of his buds Mears, Johnson and Gordon had problems. But I think his crew chief / cousin Tony Eury Jr. held him back just as much, with his questionable pit stop strategies. I said at the time of the announcement that Hendrick made a mistake hiring Eury. He’s not on a level with the better crew chiefs, in my opinion.

Did you see the Clint Bowyer / Jeff Burton scuffle in the garage? I think Burton was not happy with Bowyer leaving him hanging in the draft. I’ve heard in the past that Bowyer is not the best teammate, or the friendliest guy in the garage. You probably have to be a jerk to get a guy like Jeff Burton mad at you.

“The JPM” had a great run going, until he got tangled up. I don’t think he had any choice but to dump Bowyer, because there were a whole bunch of cars on his bumper which would have surely monster-trucked him if he would have lifted to miss Bowyer. (“The JPM”, of course, is Juan Pablo Montoya.) Big fan.

I’m so glad that Kenny Wallace made the Daytona 500. He’s one of the all-time coolest personalities in auto racing. But I was not so happy to see him finish last.

Coming up on Saturday, February 23rd, there will be a party / all you can eat buffet to benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation , sponsored by Luther’s Wayout Grafix and Dominick’s Sports Tavern. From 5:00 - 8:00 PM, for $15.00 per person, supporters will be treated to such goodies as wings, baked manicotti, sausage & peppers, chicken parmesan, pulled pork, ribs, baked beans, salt potatoes, macaroni salad, etc. Please stop by and support the Make-A-Wish foundation. And don’t forget about Luther’s next fundraiser on March 8th, to raise dough for Make-A-Wish.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Outstanding start! This is the “no excuses tour” for Junior. You can’t get a better ride than a Hendrick ride. I think 2008 is the year that Dale proves that DEI is a third tier team, and that DEI was holding him back, wasting his talents.

Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch - Did Tony punch Kurt in the eye during a discussion in the NASCAR trailer? I hope so. Yes, Tony got into him, which was a mistake. (He must have been distracted, thinking about his upcoming performance at the Grammys, where he was singing for the Foo Fighters). But Kurt deserves the red-ass - and maybe a kick to the Adam’s Apple - for his over the top retaliation. Still not a Kurt Busch fan here. But I LOVE the drama! Watch for punishments from NASCAR tomorrow. Maybe Tony’s punishment will be to cut - or wash - his hair.

Michael Waltrip - How cool is it that Michael Waltrip has secured a spot in the Daytona 500, on the front row, after last year’s disaster? His crew chief is my uncle, Paul Andrews. (Of course that’s a lie.) While I’m not convinced that Mikey has the savvy to create a top shelf team, I’m still rooting for him, hoping that he proves otherwise.

David Reutimann - Is Reutimann’s whole “Aw shucks” persona wearing thin with America? Or is that what got him the ride, and helps him keep it? Nothing against David, but how did a guy with his limited experience land such a high profile ride? Maybe I’m missing something. Has he ever done anything?

Boris Said - I really hate that because of the way qualifying is done, Boris doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of racing in the Daytona 500. And in the pre-qualifying interviews with Boris and crew chief Frankie Stoddard, it was obvious that he was beat before he started. Sure, he doesn’t possess any great NASCAR credentials, either, but he sure is a guy that everyone is rooting for. Including me. Maybe it’s because the name “Boris” reminds me of “Monster Movie Matinee” on Saturday mornings when I was a little tyke.

Jamie MacMurray - Great save when Gilligan turned him sideways in the dash. Think he had to change his underbritches after that?

Joe Nemechek - Great to see the underdog in the show. You never know what might happen if he’s still running well near the end.

Kenny Wallace - Would love to see him in the show, but unfortunately he’ll be watching with Boris.

Jimmie Johnson - Do Jimmie and crew chief Chad Knaus seem a little arrogant in interviews, or is that just my impression?

Toyota - I think the Toyotas pulled off quite a deal landing Gibbs to carry their flag. And Gibbs was smart to do it, considering they went from third on the Chevy totem pole (behind Hendrick and Childress), to the number one team for Toyota, surpassing the other Toyota backed teams to head to the front of the class. Three Toyotas in the top five after qualifying.

My fellow Gater News Blogmates - Am I the only one not in Florida for speedweeks? Rub it in, you guys. Rub it in….

ISMA Supers at Classic Weekend…

It can still happen, you know. There has been a lot of talk and debate about ISMA scheduling another race against the events of Classic Weekend, since they were not able to come to terms with Oswego Speedway management to continue their run during Classic Weekend.

A race at Kawartha Speedway was scheduled for Friday of that weekend, followed by a race at Cayuga Speedway on Sunday. The Kawartha race was wiped off of the sked soon after it was added. Same could happen to the Cayuga race. Nothing is cast in stone.

ISMA needs to be in Oswego for the biggest supermodified weekend of the year. MSA, and the wingless Oswego Supers are already there. All of the posturing will end, and personality conflicts should - and will - be put aside. Cooler heads will prevail. The ISMA Cayuga race will be scratched, in favor of Classic Weekend.

The supermodified community will be one big, happy family again this Labor Day Weekend. It should happen - it will happen.

So enough talk about supermodifieds and driver changes and new teams. Whassup with the small block supers? (Yes, that’s right - I spelled out small block supers. We’re not just “SBS”, as some would like us to be.) Here are a few teasers…

Last year’s Champion Russ Brown? History. Done with small blocks and Oswego Speedway. He’ll be driving a brand new SST modified, owned by Ray Hedger.

2nd and 3rd Mike Bond and Kevin Knopp - Both hoping to capitalize on Brown’s vacancy, coming back with last year’s equipment to snatch the gold.

At one point during the offseason 4th in points Josh LaRochelle had informed owner Eddie Horne and dad Tim that he wasn’t interested in driving a small block super in 2008. While they had hoped to convince him otherwise, Horne pursued the Double Deuce Racing supermodified ride for Josh, which eventually was landed by Bob Magner. Will he back in the #10 come opening day? Of course he will.

5th place Dave Gruel also missed out on the 22 Super ride, but I’m sure that Tom Aaserud and the Crow Motorsports team will be in peak condition this year.

6th - Brian Sobus says once again that he’s out. And I say once again that he’s back in.

7th - Larry Muroski has been fishing for compliments via the internet. He’ll have a fresh motor, and a great car. Will he be a “Champeen Contender?”

8th, and 9th place Tim Barbeau and Rob Pullen will be back solid with twin FFB cars.

10th - Jack Patrick will be back in action with his Chrysler powered Hedger Chassis.

Mark Regan - gone. Retired. Again.

Dave Cliff Jr. will NOT be racing SST mods, as was the plan last year. Brand new FFB.

Rick Zeigler - brand new Terry Solazzo owned FFB car. Do I sound like a broken record?

Ken Pierce has had his car completely updated for the new season, by Dan Dennie and the FFB gang.

Lou LeVea - PROMISES that he’s gone. That will change.

The Chris Lupa owned Kreig Heroth driven #46 will be ready to rock and roll for the full season. Watch for it at the racecar show.

Barry Kingsley has inherited a little influx of new crewmen for ‘08, and will be looking to make his mark in the “23Red” machine.

Dave Danzer’s proposed new Hawk Chassis small block super may be put on permanent backburner, in favor of several new - and expensive - Hawk Chassis supers that have been ordered.

And finally, I heard talk of a “Mystery Team” that is being proposed. A nameless team has put out feelers, looking to see who wants to drive, and what kind of sponsorship they would bring. No brand of car or engine, or knowledge of team resources has been disclosed. Very mysterious. And interesting. Feeling lucky?

And one more thing…
At 3:00 Saturday, January 26th at LaGraf’s Pub there will be a fundraiser to benefit the Eagles Fan Club at Oswego Speedway, and Luther and Friends’ “Make a Wish” charity event.
It’s a clambake / chicken / goodies / beer package, that costs $25, or $18 without beer. There will be race replays, door prizes, and plenty of race people to hang with. For more info, contact LaGraf’s Pub at 315-343-9704, or eaglesfanclub@yahoo.com. LaGraf’s is a huge supporter of local auto racing, and is located on East 10th St., just a half block south of Rt. 104 / Bridge St.

The much awaited decision of the #22 super at Oswego Speedway has finally been announced. ISMA racer Bobby Magner has been named as the next driver for the team, which will run all Oswego and MSA / winged series events in the new season. Magner had just returned from a trip to New Jersey, where he was picking up a new dirt sprint car that he was planning to campaign in 2008. I would assume that that car will be placed on the backburner, as the ride in the Double Deuce Racing #22 is quite a coveted position. Magner teams up with driver Pat Lavery, for a two car assault on the supermodified world, in cars owned by Double Deuce Racing.

Best of luck to Magner, Lavery, and the Double Deuce Racing team owned by Bob Hoefer and Bill Samuels for the 2008 racing season.

Source: Mike Bond, who was not chosen, who was notified by Hoefer this morning. Said that it was down to Magner, Bond, and another driver, but Magner got the nod.