3/1/03……….. Qualifying for the Sam’s Town 300 was rained out at Las Vegas. NASCAR hasn’t had very good luck so far this season dodging Mother Nature’s wrath. The hauler drivers had a really tough time moving the racing equipment across the south to get to the track. The late winter storm made it difficult for all involved, and then inclement weather washed out any chance the Busch drivers had to tune their cars for the race.

The lineup for the race was determined by 2002 owners standings. This is the usual practice if a qualifying rainout occurs during the first four races of the season. After four races have been run, the standings for that season are then used to determine starting positions.

Stanton Barrett lucked out and got on the pole for the first time in his career. He was the recipient of Greg Biffle’s top position in the standings with the No. 60 Granger sponsored Roush Racing Ford at the end of last season.

Joe Nemechek ended up the winner of the race that was dominated by Winston Cup drivers. Kevin Harvick, second place finisher, led the most laps in the race that was marred by a red flag rain delay.

Alas, rain delays are good for something! Terry Bradshaw, former Steelers quarterback, and presently a FOX TV Football commentator, had a lot to say on the TV about the Winston Cup drivers dominating the Busch Series.

Bradshaw is also part owner of the No. 12 Supercuts sponsored Chevrolet along with Armando Fitz. When asked if he had something to say about the race, or something to complain about, he set out in a tirade against the “Buschwhackers” coming in and ruining the chances of the Busch Series drivers to gain any success.

NASCAR has been turning a deaf ear to the problem for several years because its pockets were getting lined with sponsor money with the Cup drivers entering Busch Series races. They probably still will keep a deaf ear turned in that direction, although now it has been put out on the wire, aired without shame by the outspoken Bradshaw.

The comment that I liked best in Bradshaw’s tirade was that if the Cup drivers say that they are only driving the Busch Series races for fun, then they shouldn’t take any money or driver’s points, just a trophy. That’s a great idea, but you aren’t going to see that happen. Darrell Waltrip was in whole hearted agreement until fellow commentator Jeff Hammond brought up the fact that Waltrip, a three time Winston Cup Champion, was going to be running in the Craftsman Truck Series later on this spring, and asked if he would be happy with just a trophy. Waltrip didn’t answer that one…..

NASCAR has always kept a tight reign on their owners and drivers speaking out against them, but they can’t control Bradshaw, he tells it like it is, regardless of who likes it or who doesn’t. Fact is, he spoke the truth, the Busch Series is in trouble and all NASCAR can think about is making money and trying to make themselves look good. If you don’t think that money is the name of their game, the Forbes list of America’s richest people came out recently and both of the France brothers are on it tied with one billion dollars each. Bill France Sr. is probably got sores from turning over in his grave so much the way his son is turning his back on NASCAR in order to pocket the money. It’s very hard to have any respect for someone like that.

The top ten starters and how they finished:

1. Stanton Barrett -- No. 60 Ford—finished 8th
2. Jason Keller -- No. 57 Ford – finished 5th
3. Kevin Harvick -- No. 21 Chevrolet – finished 2nd
4. Scott Wimmer -- No. 23 Chevrolet -- finished 10th
5. Mike Bliss -- No. 20 Chevrolet – finished 3rd
6. Brian Vickers -- No. 5 Chevrolet – finished 13th
7. David Green -- No. 37 Chevrolet – finished 6th
8. Shane Hmiel -- No. 48 Chevrolet – finished 12th
9. Bobby Hamilton Jr. -- No. 25 Ford – finished 34th
10. Stacy Compton -- No. 59 Chevrolet – finished 15th

Next week the Busch Series has an open weekend. Their next race will be in two weeks at Darlington, South Carolina along with the Winston Cup Series, so we’ll probably see a lot more of the Cup drivers dominating the race. Please check back next week for the particulars of the Darlington race.

3/15/03……….. The week off in the Busch Series didn’t stop Mother Nature from raining on the qualifying parade. The series once again started its race lined up according to last season’s owner’s points like it did two weeks ago at Las Vegas. This put stunt man Stanton Barrett on the pole again due to Greg Biffle’s championship run in the No. 60 Ford last season for Roush Racing.

With only approximately 20 regular team entries in the race, the weather related lineup didn’t deter the non-regulars from entering the race making up the 42 car field. Due to severe economic problems, the Busch Series has had a tough row to hoe in getting enough participants to make the usual 43 car field for their events. The meager fan turnout for this season’s Busch Series is also signaling a severe problem with NASCAR’s running of the series.

3/17/03 Darlington 200……. Todd Bodine tried to copy the Cup race scenario by wrecking Jamie McMurray before taking the checkered flag. Bodine can’t do anything with the Cup competition, he’s sorely inept at Cup racing, so he has to come down to the Busch level and take advantage of them.

Bodines rough driving tactics are known throughout all racing circles, and most insiders will tell you on the sly that his days are numbered. At any rate, he took the checkered flag away from another Cup driver, so I guess it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference.

Scott Riggs was the first Busch driver to cross the finish line followed by Stacy Compton, Johnny Sauter, Hank Parker Jr., Brian Vickers, Kasey Kahne, Ron Hornaday, and Jason Keller.

1. Stanton Barrett -- No. 60 Ford – finished 15th
2. Jason Keller -- No. 57 Ford – finished 10th
3. Johnny Sauter -- No. 21 Chevrolet – finished 5th
4. Scott Wimmer -- No. 23 Dodge -- finished 28th
5. Mike Bliss -- No. 20 Chevrolet – finished 32nd
6. Brian Vickers -- No. 5 Chevrolet – finished 7th
7. David Green -- No. 37 Pontiac – finished 31st
8. Shane Hmiel -- No. 48 Chevrolet – finished 13th
9. Bobby Hamilton Jr. -- No. 25 Ford – finished 12th
10. Stacy Compton -- No. 59 Chevrolet – finished 4th

Todd Bodine is now atop of the Busch Series points standings with 611 points. Jamie McMurray is second with a -37. The first Busch Series driver in the standings is Jason Keller with a -80, followed by Johnny Sauter with a -105. David Green rounds out the top five with a -112.

Next week the Busch Series joins the Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Channellock 250. The fifth event of the 2003 season is scheduled to be televised live by the FX channel on Saturday, March 22nd at 12:30 PM EST.

Last season’s winner of the Channellock 250 was Jeff Green. He was followed across the finish line by Mike McLaughlin, Scott Wimmer, Jimmy Spencer, Greg Biffle, Kenny Wallace, Randy LaJoie, Todd Bodine, and rookie Scott Riggs.

3/22/03……….. David Green set a new Busch Series qualifying record at Bristol with a speed of 126.495. This made the second pole for Green this season; he also started from the pole earlier this season at Rockingham.

The Channellock 250 was the regular Busch Series demolition derby. There were 13 cautions in the derby and 13 cars finished on the lead lap. Of course, a Cup driver had to win the race, making the fifth different Cup winner in the Busch Series this season.

Kevin Harvick took the checkered flag after leading the most laps and fighting off a hard charging Tony Raines. His No. 21 Payday sponsored Richard Childress Racing’s Chevy got its first payday of the season. Although Harvick is a regular Cup driver, he claims he is also committed to winning the owner’s cup for Childress this season in the Busch Series.

Maybe the continuing presence of the Cup drivers is doing a little good in bringing the Busch Series drivers up to a higher quality. This week there were only two Cup regulars in the top ten, as opposed to at least five for the first four races of the season.

Bobby Hamilton Jr. guided the patriotic No. 25 U. S. Marines sponsored Ford around the track to a respectable fifth place finish in this sad time of war, while Shane Hmiel showed that he has gained a little maturity by guiding the No. 48 Dark Dog sponsored Chevy to a respectable seventh place finish.

the top ten starters and how they finished:

1. David Green -- No. 37 Pontiac – finished 4th
2. Jason Keller -- No. 57 Ford – finished 3rd
3. Tony Raines -- No. 33 Chevy – finished 2nd
4. Scott Riggs -- No. 10 Pontiac -- finished 23rd
5. Jamie McMurray -- No. 1 Dodge – finished 17th
6. Kevin Grubb -- No. 26 Dodge – finished 26th
7. Kasey Kahne -- No. 38 Ford – finished 13th
8. Todd Bodine -- No. 92 Chevy – finished 9th
9. Jimmy Spencer -- No. 6 Dodge – finished 24th
10. Brian Vickers -- No. 5 Chevy – finished 14th

Cup driver Todd Bodine is still sitting atop of the Busch Series standings with 749 points. Jason Keller moved up one spot to second with a -48 while Jamie McMurray dropped down one spot to third with a -63. Kevin Harvick’s win moved him up four spots to fourth with a -80 while David Greens respectable fourth place finish moved him up one spot to fifth with a -85.

Ron Hornaday and Johnny Sauter both dropped down two spots and are sitting in sixth and seventh respectively with a -99 and a -109 as Kasey Kahne dropped down one spot to eighth with a -126. Bobby Hamilton Jr. moved up two spots into the top ten at ninth with a -141 while Mike Bliss was the big mover moving up five spots to the top ten with a -143.

Next week race No. 6 on the Busch Series 2003 schedule is the O’Reilly 300 from Texas Motor Speedway. The event is due to be broadcast live by the FOX channel on Saturday, March 29th at 2 p.m. Eastern. A taped version of qualifying for the event will be televised by the SPEED channel on Friday, March 28th at 3 p.m. Eastern.

Last season’s winner of the event was Jeff Purvis. Jeff was followed across the finish line by Jack Sprague, Joe Nemechek, rookie Scott Riggs, Jeff Green, Kevin Harvick, Randy LaJoie, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Jeff Burton. Jeff Green sat on the pole with the No. 21 Rockwell Chevrolet with a speed of 193.493 miles per hour.

3/30/03……….. The O’Reilly 300 Busch Series race from Texas Motor Speedway was one of the best races of the season as far as fan attendance goes. Over 100 thousand people came out for the event in the warm Texas sunshine.

Jason Keller, driver of the No. 57 Albertson’s Ford started from the pole with a qualifying speed of 187.474 miles per hour. Stanton Barrett, who started from the pole a couple of times this season due to owners points, started from the outside pole with a qualifying speed of 186.916 miles per hour. This was a vindicating race for the young professional stunt man.

Brian Vickers, driver of the Hendrick Racing’s No. 5 Chevy, was the unworthy recipient of one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen NASCAR officials make. Even the idiot NASCAR President Mike Helton stated that Vickers made a mistake. They claim that Vickers passed a car on the left before taking the green flag. That didn’t happen. Vickers did not make a pass on anyone. NASCAR bent the rules to take the race away from Vickers, who was the leader at the time and had the fastest car to beat. This is proof that NASCAR does everything it can to control the outcome of any given race.

The ‘holier than thou idiots’ who make the calls bent the rules by stating that Vickers was in the act of passing. The rule states that it is illegal to pass on the left during a race start or restart. It doesn’t say anything about being in ‘the act of passing’ before taking the green flag. Anyway you look at it, I will give the race to Brian Vickers, winner of the O’Reilly 300!

As it turned out, Joe Nemechek was the first to cross the finish line after NASCAR bent the rules to allow a Winston Cup driver to win the sixth Busch Series race in a row this season. Actually, a Busch Series driver has yet to win a Busch race, and probably won’t until they race at a venue away from the Winston Cup drivers.

the top ten starters and how they finished:

1. Jason Keller -- No. 57 Ford – finished 18th
2. Stanton Barrett -- No. 60 Ford – finished 19th
3. Bobby Hamilton Jr. -- No. 25 Ford – finished 40th
4. Scott Riggs -- No. 10 Ford -- finished 2nd
5. Brian Vickers -- No. 5 Chevy – finished 25th
6. Todd Bodine -- No. 92 Chevy – finished 4th
7. Joe Nemechek -- No. 87 Chevy – finished 1st
8. Mike Bliss -- No. 20 Chevy – finished 22nd
9. David Reutimann -- No. 188 Chevy – finished 24th
10. Randy LaJoie -- No. 7 Chevy – finished 34th

4/1/03 Update …… Joe Nemechek, the Winston Cup driver who won the O’Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway last Saturday, was driving an illegal car. An illegal left front coil spring was found in the racecar during a post race inspection. NASCAR fined crew chief Eric Phillips $5,000 and suspended him for two races while fining the NEMCO Motorsports team’s owner, the driver’s wife Andrea Nemechek, a total of $25,000.

Next week the Busch Series will travel to Talladega, Alabama for race number seven. The Aaron’s 312 will be televised live by the FOX channel on Saturday April 5th at 2 p.m. Eastern.

Last season’s winner of the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega was Jason Keller. He was followed across the finish line by Stacy Compton, Tim Fedewa, Todd Bodine, rookie Casey Mears, Andy Kirby, Jimmy Kitchens, Larry Foyt, Kenny Wallace, and Hank parker Jr.

Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 2 AC/Delco Chevy, won the pole at the restrictor plate track with a speed of 157.691 miles per hour. There were three caution periods for 12 laps out of the 117 lap race on the 2.66 mile superspeedway.