Daily NASCAR

Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet, stands in the garage during practice at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Montoya starts today’s race in third place. (Photo: Getty Images)

HAMPTON, Ga. - The tension between Earnhardt Ganassi teammates Juan Montoya and Jamie McMurray has abated but not entirely been brushed off the table, or at least that’s the impression one could draw from Montoya’s remarks.

Montoya and McMurray crashed early in the Feb. 28 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Montoya excoriated McMurray afterwards.

According to Montoya, it’s time to move on, but he didn’t seem all that forgiving.

"He sent me a text saying ‘la-la-la-la-la,’ and he was sorry about the whole thing," said Montoya of McMurray, "and I said ‘don’t worry about it.’ He asked if I wanted him to call me, and I said ‘don’t worry about it.’ It happens. It’s racing. Move on.

"Really, I was really (ticked off) at the time because we had a DNF (’did not finish’) the week before with an engine problem. And (the next) week, being taken out by your teammate is something that you don’t really expect, but it happens. It’s part of racing and move on."

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FOR NAUGHT- Greg Biffle, who had been impressive in the day’s first Cup practice session, crashed in the latter and will have to forfeit the 13th starting position by going to his backup car.

"I just got a little bit loose running the top," said Biffle. "The back end touched the wall and sucked the nose over right where they stopped the SAFER barrier. I hit right in the worst spot, where the wall was kinked out. I touched and it turned the car into where I hit the part of the wall that was jutting out. and it just killed the car."

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HE’S QUIRKY– Ryan Newman has a fine sense of humor, but it’s a beat apart from the norm.

That’s why a NASCAR teleconference ended the way it did last Tuesday. After Newman answered the final question, according to the transcript, the final questioner said, "Thanks a million."

Newman’s reply? "You’re welcome, times a billion."

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STRAIGHT-LINE REASONING– Kurt Busch, a longtime drag-racing fan, is taking his 1970 Dodge Challenger to the Gatornationals next week. With the Sprint Cup Series taking a week off, Busch has entered his Challenger, which he purchased in 2008 and has been restoring since, in the Super Gas class, one of seven being contested at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway.

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Hmm, and Jimmie Johnson’s Chevy is carrying what paint scheme, exactly? Kobalt Tools 500.

Where it’s a tad chilly, but, thank goodness, the skies are clear: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Ga.

Big guns: Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne.

Long shots: Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr., Brian Vickers, Elliott Sadler, David Reutimann, Jamie McMurray, Scott Speed, David Ragan, Brad Keselowski, Marcos Ambrose and A.J. Allmendinger.

The hunch here: Kyle Busch.

Just the facts, please

- Though this track was reshaped and reversed (the front straight) in 1997, its distance changed only slightly: from 1.522 to 1.54 miles. Originally named Atlanta International Raceway, the name was changed to Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990.

- The track opened in 1960. Fireball Roberts both won and started on the pole in the first race.

- The all-time leading winner is Dale Earnhardt, who won here nine times. Cale Yarborough won seven. Richard Petty and Bobby Labonte are tied with six career victories.

-The most recent driver to win here after starting on the pole was Kasey Kahne in 2006.

- Though Geoff Bodine’s track record still stands (197.478 mph, Nov. 15, 1997), Earnhardt Jr.’s pole speed (192.761) was significantly higher than last year’s (Mark Martin, 187.045). It was the fastest qualifying speed at any track since the generic car was implemented.

- Bill Elliott has won more Cup races (44) than any other driver from Georgia. Five of the wins were here.

Snappy quotes

"This has been a really, really slick race track for a long time." - Jeff Burton.

"Forty is the new 30, anyway. That’s what I’m going with." - David Reutimann, who turned 40 on March 2.

"If I thought we’re softening up the competition in some way, shape, or form, it would be foolish on our part." - Jimmie Johnson.

"We might be in the top 10, but we’re not running as well as we need to be running." - Carl Edwards.

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Jeff Gordon led 154 laps at the Shelby American, a track record. But Jimmie Johnson led the laps that counted most.

Just to keep my attention focused, I’ve taken, when I’m not actually at the track, to writie a "stream of consciousness" blog on the race while watching it on TV. Here are my impressions of the Shelby American at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

In the prerace show, Larry McReynolds says something is a "point in case." As a friend points out, it was at this track six years ago when McReynolds said, "That’s like Samson and Goliath," or some such.

Kevin Conway’s race isn’t Xtenzed. He spins on the third lap. (We shall see him spin again.)

I know Twitter’s big, but don’t you think there are a lot of fans out there who don’t know what the various telecasters are talking about?

I wonder if A.J. Allmendinger knew growing up that if his name appeared in a baseball box score, it would be "Allmndngr." And if that had anything to do with him deciding to drive race cars? Probably not.

Quite the Jeff Gordon runaway so far.

Man, talk about "round up the usual suspects." Look at how the top 10 is converging (after 75 laps): Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

They aren’t clicking up their heels at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Teammates Jamie McMurray and Juan Montoya tangle (maybe they thought there were racing with Felix Sabates). McMurray says, essentially, "my bad." Kurt Busch is an unwitting victim.

Montoya toasts (not in the sense of complimenting, but, rather, setting his ears on fire) McMurray on television. I think this week’s "Feud of the Week" (on NASCAR This Week) is etched in stone. Though, it is early yet.

Can’t help but wonder if NASCAR would ever penalize a driver for being too slow on pit road.

Darrell Waltrip says he can’t remember the last time Gordon led 154 laps in a single race (which he’s already done in Vegas). I don’t know, either, but he led 147 last spring at Martinsville. I could look it up further, but I’d rather watch this race right now. Besides, if he wins, someone else will look it up. Someone who’s not in his living room.

D.W.’s put his minions to work. Gordon led more than 150 twice in 2007.

Nineteen cars just got a lap back by the "wave-around." What a joke. Thirty-five laps to go.

Another dominant day for Chevrolet: Johnson, Harvick, Gordon, Martin, then Kenseth in a Ford, Logano in a Toyota and Stewart in another Chevy. Odd that it took making the cars just alike to allow one make to dominate as much as any time in history.

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David Reutimann is sometimes cited as something of a specialist at intermediate-sized tracks like Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of the Shelby American.

Reutimann, though, is hardly at home in the gambling mecca.

Asked if he knew the odds of his winning, according to the casinos, Reutimann said, "I do need to go look and see where I’m at. I don’t bet on anything, but just to see where I am.

"The first couple years, it was kind of depressing the odds they had of me doing anything. I quit looking. You can bet on anything and everything. I generally don’t because I have enough things to spend money on besides that."

Reutimann had a fine excuse for missing fellow driver Martin Truex Jr.’s charity poker tournament.

"I don’t know how to play poker," he said. "I just made a donation to his foundation and figured that was the best way for me. If I went and played poker, someone would have to sit next to me and tell me what to do next. I figured I’d save everybody the hassle."

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THE VEGAS NUMBERS–Out of the top 12 drivers in Sprint Cup points, two races into the season, only five have ever won at LVMS. Surprising few, Jimmie Johnson leads with three victories and a 113.6 driver rating.

Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth have each won twice in Vegas, while Carl Edwards has one victory. The second highest driver rating, 103.9, belongs to Greg Biffle, who has never won and has finished in the top five only once in six races.

Burton is the only active driver with a single-digit average finish (9.8) at the 1.5-mile track.

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TIME TO SCORE–So far, the improvement of Richard Childress Racing has been noteworthy. Its drivers are first (Kevin Harvick), second (Clint Bowyer) and fifth (Burton) in points.

But it’s been a long time since those drivers visited victory lane. Harvick has gone 109 races since winning. Bowyer’s streak is 64 and Burton’s 43.

"We worked hard to get to this point," said Harvick, "but you can’t stop. With the three of us running well, it pushes us to fine-tune our stuff and really get the best out of our cars week in and week out."

Victory, presumably, will follow.

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BUSCH BOYS– Kyle Busch won last year’s edition of the race now called the Shelby American. His brother, Kurt, starts on the pole. Both are Las Vegas natives.

"I’ve always dreamed about winning the race here at our home track," said Kurt, whose average finish at LVMS is only 20.4. "We had a strong car last year until we had engine problems. As everyone knows, you have to be there at the end. Kyle drove a great race and saved the best for last."

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OFT POWERFUL THERE–Jack Roush, whose most recent victory came from a driver he doesn’t have anymore (Jamie McMurray), has won more races at this track than any other owner. He has six victories to Rick Hendrick’s four.

Mark Martin and Jeff Burton, now driving Chevrolets, won their Vegas races in Roush-owned Fords. Kenseth and Edwards are the current Roush Fenway drivers who have won at the track.
 

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photos: John Clark/NASCAR This Week

Logano dominated the Stater Brothers 300 until contact between his Toyota and Biffle’s Ford relegated Logano to a fifth-place finish. "The ‘27′ (Biffle) decided to hit us again. I don’t know what his deal is with me, but for some reason, in California, he feels like putting me in the fence or hitting me towards the end. I know we were racing hard there at the end, but… I don’t know. I think he could have done it a little cleaner than that."

My take: What consolation is there for Logano? Well, Biffle didn’t win. He had to settle for second. Kyle Busch won.

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