AS THE CRANKSHAFT TURNS

NASCAR AND SIRIUS SIGN CONTRACT
In 2007 NASCAR will be going to Sirius Satellite Radio, in a five year agreement it will broadcast all racing events in the Craftsman Truck Series, Busch Series and Nextel Cup Series plus other NASCAR related events that will bring new programming and marketing opportunities to the fans of NASCAR. With this agreement, Sirius will become the Official Satellite Radio Partner of NASCAR, with exclusive trademark and marketing rights and have the right to sell advertising time on it's NASCAR channel and during race broadcasts. Sirius will pay $107 million to NASCAR for the rights and the highest payment will be paid in the final years of the term.

Mel Karmazin CEO for Sirius said of the new deal, "We're thrilled that NASCAR has chosen to move to Sirius, without questions Sirius is the content leader in satellite radio. This decision places Sirius on track to become the content leader in all of radio, and we believe it will be an important driver of subscriber growth and advertising revenue. Our twenty-four/seven NASCAR channel will super-serve NASCAR's seventy million fans nationwide in a way that's never been done before. In addition to the races, Sirius will take fans behind the scenes for inside news and bring them exclusive shows featuring their favorite drivers. It will be the ultimate NASCAR lifestyle experience.” Brian France, Chairman and CEO of NASCAR said, "Sirius is the sports leader on satellite radio and sports programming is a leading reason subscribers choose Sirius. When you combine NASCAR's growing popularity with Sirius' commitment to bringing the best in sports to it's subscribers, it's easy to understand why we made this move. We believe that our partnership with Sirius will offer the best possible experience to NASCAR fans nationwide.”

The plan is to have Sirius and NASCAR team up to develop extensive consumer marketing and out reach campaign for the fans of NASCAR. They plan to do advertising, cross channel promotions through the satellites programs, licensed products, at track activation and ways for current NASCAR fans to switch over to Sirius.

If wonder if Circuit City will refund my money for my XM Radio I bought for Christmas!!!????

CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES RICK CRAWFORD SET A RECORD FOR THE SERIES
Craftsman Truck Series Rick Crawford set a record for the series on Friday night's American Racing Wheels 200 making his 200th consecutive start. Crawford has driven for Tom Mitchell, who owns Circle Bar Truck Corral in West Texas who ironically has never been to a single race. To honor Mitchell, Crawford had a special paint scheme and logo and Crawford said of Mitchell, "When Mr. Mitchell and I came together on this deal, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was still relatively new, I don't think we had any idea that we would be starting 200 races. When we started the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series we had one truck and one engine for the first six races ... so to go two hundred in a row is pretty unbelievable. It just shows the strength of the Circle Bar Racing Team and the effort that Mr. Mitchell has put forth to make this team go for the past eight years. It has been a total team effort.” Crawford has won three races in the series at Martinsville, Daytona and Homestead collecting over $3 million in price money. In Friday nights race he finished 14th, driving hard as always.

Keep up the great work John!!

CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
PARK WINS IN CALIFORNIA
Steve Park has come back to Victory Circle after capitalizing on Mike Bliss' misfortune of running out of gas with six laps to go in the American Wheels 200 at California Speedway on Friday night. The last time Park saw the checkered was February 2001 at Rockingham before he sustained a very serious head injury at Darlington. "I never doubted, other people doubted me, but I feel great and I can win races. I just needed an opportunity,” Park said after the race. With this win Park is now the tenth driver to win a race in each of the three major divisions of NASCAR.

Former truck series champion Jack Sprague, who broke his left heel at home during the week on his first pit stop passed driving responsibilities over to former champion Mike Bliss. Bliss came from the rear of the field to take the lead and appeared to have the race won, nearly a half straight away ahead of Park. But with the five laps to go of the 100-lap event, Bliss suddenly slowed down and Park took over the lead to win. Bobby Hamilton Sr finished second, followed by Ricky Craven, another former Cup driver, finished third, Rookie Todd Kluever finished an impressive fourth and Ted Musgrave finished fifth.

CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
TOP TEN FINISHERS
1. Steve Park
2. Bobby Hamilton Sr
3. Ricky Craven
4. Todd Kluever*
5. Ted Musgrave
6. Matt Crafton
7. Jimmy Spencer
8. Ron Hornaday Jr
9. Robert Huffman
10. Dennis Setzer

TOP TEN IN POINTS
1. Bobby Hamilton Sr – 355
2. Ricky Craven – 330
3. Jimmy Spencer – 321
4. Ted Musgrave – 310
5. Matt Crafton – 280
6. Steve Park – 279
7. Johnny Benson – 271
8. David Reutimann – 256
9. Dennis Setzer – 254
10. Casey Atwood – 251

BUSCH SERIES
MARTIN SHOWS THEM AT FONATAN
Mark Martin has another trophy to add to his collection of 46 after taking the checkered flag in the Stater Bros. 300 at California Speedway on Saturday afternoon. He led 101 laps of the 150-lap event, including the final 34 laps holding off fellow cup driver Kevin Harvick by about ten car lengths. "I knew that Harvick was really fast on the restart, I knew I had my hands full, that Kevin was going to do everything he could to win that race. But we just had an awesome car today,” the happy Martin said after the race.

Busch Series regular driver Shane Hmiel finished third, followed by Clint Bowyer and Reed Sorenson in only his seventh Busch race finished fifth.

The race had many caution flags as well a 26 minute red flag for a quick rain shower and it finished under the lights which Martin said after the race, "I was real concerned about finished the race at night, but this car didn't seem to mind. It was great.” Harvick said after the race, "He got away from me toward the end and there was nothing I could do. Too little, too late, but I'm glad to see Mark win on his farewell tour.”

BUSCH SERIES
TOP TEN FINISHERS
1. Mark Martin
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Shane Hmiel
4. Clint Bowyer
5. Reed Sorenson*
6. Carl Edwards*
7. Jamie McMurray
8. David Stremme
9. Matt Kenseth
10. Dale Jarret

TOP TEN IN POINTS
1. Kevin Harvick – 340
2. Reed Sorenson – 293
3. Carl Edwards – 289
4. Clint Bowyer – 287
5. Tony Stewart – 271
6. Ashton Lewis – 254
7. Joe Nemechek – 248
8. Martin Truex Jr – 233
9. Paul Menard – 220
10. David Green – 218

NEXTEL CUP
GREG BIFFLE TAKES VICTORY AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

On Sunday at California Speedway the final lap of a three-day weekend of NASCAR races with the Nextel Cup's Auto Club 500 and Greg Biffle battled all day long to win the race, holding off a late chase from Jimmie Johnson. "I lost all the rear grip there with three laps to go. I just barely touched, skinned it, two or three times there at the end and I was just able to keep it under me,” Biffle said after the race.

Roush Racing had an excellent day because Kurt Busch, reigning Nextel Cup Champion, finished third, Jamie McMurray finished fourth with another Roush team member Carl Edwards finishing fifth. Mark Martin, who is running in his last season in the Cup Series finished seventh. The big turning point of the race was on lap 218 when Busch was running second and Biffle was fifth opted to stay on the track while other teams pitted including Jimmie Johnson. Johnson said after the race, "We should have been able to win that race, I got tangled up with some slower cars and it knocked me up in the marbles and I lost to much ground.”

This was the first race with all the new changes NASCAR has implemented, some of the major changes are shortened rear spoilers and softer tire compound which according to NASCAR officials will make racing more competitive. This will allow more passing by taking away down force and having the control of the car lay more on the drivers. The other big change was that this was the first time the teams had to start the race after the car was impounded following qualifying until Sunday morning and only allowing minor adjustments made to the cars prior to the start of the race.

After two points races Kurt Busch takes the lead by five points over Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin is 39 points behind his teammate Busch.

NEXTEL CUP
TOP TEN FINISHERS
1. Greg Biffle
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Kurt Busch
4. Jamie McMurray
5. Carl Edwards
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Mark Martin
8. Elliot Sadler
9. Ryan Newman
10. Rusty Wallace


TOP TEN IN POINTS
1. Kurt Busch – 340
2. Jimmie Johnson – 335
3. Mark Martin – 301
4. Carl Edwards – 287
5. Greg Biffle – 273
6. Elliot Sadler – 272
7. Tony Stewart – 268
8. Rusty Wallace – 268
9. Sterling Marlin – 260
10. Jeff Gordon - 258