Daily NASCAR

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Kevin Harvick, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Richard Childress Racing, NASCAR

It’s been a big week for Kevin Harvick; actually, a big year.

Months removed from what looked like a certain parting with a struggling 2009 Richard Childress Racing (RCR) organization, “Happy” Harvick has both himself and RCR comfortably atop the Sprint Cup championship standings.

On Sunday he won his third race of the season and became the first driver to lock into NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship playoffs. On Tuesday, he and RCR welcomed a prized, major sponsor for 2011, Budweiser.

So what changed in the last 10 months?

“It would be easier to tell you what didn’t change, to be honest with you,” Harvick said Tuesday.

“I think everything (changed) from top to bottom. All the things we had here, we’re just using them correctly and more often.

“It’s still the same people; just working in a different direction.”

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by Holly Cain

Filed under: Carl Edwards, NASCAR

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Smiling and cordial, Brad Keselowski met with reporters in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame and Museum Friday and said he wasn’t too surprised that NASCAR penalized Carl Edwards and himself for rough driving in the Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Speedway last weekend.

In fact, he considers the drivers’ season-long probation a blessing in disguise.

“To me what that says is that NASCAR didn’t want me intentionally retaliating and wrecking Carl, which is great, now they’ve taken that away from me,” said Keselowski, noting that everyone would have expected him to escalate the season-long feud.

He said he and Edwards, who intentionally wrecked him out on the final lap of the race have not spoken since the Saturday night’s accident.

“If I thought it would be productive,” Keselowski said of his willingness to meet with Edwards and clear the air.

“But obviously, whatever talk we had at Bristol (Tenn.) earlier wasn’t productive.”

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by Holly Cain

Filed under: Daytona Int’l Speedway, Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — In a nearly hour-long news conference Friday morning, NASCAR Chairman Brian France suggested, among other things, that major changes may be coming to the Sprint Cup Series’ Chase for the Championship.

France said he’s still happy with the 10-race format and re-setting the points for the final playoff push, but, “if there are some high impact changes we can make, we’re in a position to do that.”

He wouldn’t divulge what exactly is being considered.

“We like having a playoff moment when there’s a lot on the line in any one moment,” France said. “But you have to balance that with the body of the work.”

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by Holly CainI hope you’ll join me for a live chat at noon Sunday, an hour before the scheduled start time of the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 Sprint Cup series NASCAR race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

I’ll be discussing all of the latest news and events, including Danica Patrick’s return to the NASCAR Nationwide series, the ongoing issue of rough driving, Denny Hamlin’s breakout season, and any racing topic you’d like to discuss.

The season is in full swing, and next week marks the 52nd running of the Independence Day Classic at Daytona International Speedway, the Coke Zero 400 on July 3.

Join me to chat about anything and everything racing, right here at noon Sunday.

Holly Cain Live Chat

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by Holly Cain

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Nationwide Series, NASCAR

Former Nationwide Series champion Carl Edwards will carry the FanHouse banner on his No. 60 Ford in Saturday’s Nationwide race at Kentucky Speedway, site of his first career NASCAR victory.

Edwards scored his maiden win in NASCAR’s truck series in 2003 — introducing fans to his now-signature back flip victory celebration — and also won from the pole in his first Nationwide Series start at the 1.5-mile oval in 2005. He is coming off a runner-up finish last week in Nashville and is currently ranked third in the Nationwide season standings, 277 points behind leader Brad Keselowski.

“It’s an awesome race and a fun track,” Edwards said. “We are coming off a great race in Nashville and we feel good about Kentucky.

“We have FanHouse.com with us this weekend for the first time and I am very excited about that. It would be great to get them into victory lane.”

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