Eric McClure released from hospital

     NASCAR driver Eric McClure, injured in a violent wreck in Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Talladega, Ala., was released from UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Ala., on Monday.

   Team spokeswoman Emily Brandt said McClure suffered a concussion in the accident and mild internal bruising. She said he is expected to make a full recovery.

   McClure was airlifted to the hospital by helicopter after having to be cut from his car by track safety workers after striking the inside wall of Turn 3. The multi-car accident involving McClure's No. 14 Toyota brought out a 19-minute red flag.

 Brandt said McClure will be take part in a news conference Friday at Darlington Raceway, S.C.

Sarcastic Tony Stewart at his finest

   Tony Stewart took a sarcastic tone to his post-race interview Sunday. Here is what Stewart had to say following Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway:

   ON TODAY'S RACE

   "We didn't quite crash half the field which is what we normally look to do here. I was excited about it. I thought it was a pretty good race. I made it further than I thought I would before I got crashed. I call it a successful day."

   A LOT OF TEAMS WERE HAVING TROUBLE WITH FUEL INCLUDING YOURS. WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THAT?
   "I wasn't sure to be honest. I'm not quite sure what the fuel issue was. The racing was awesome. It's fun to be able to race and have to watch the gauges at the same time. It makes us as drivers have to do so much more. Being able to make yourself run on the apron and everything else to try to get clean air, it makes it fun. I'm sorry we couldn't crash more cars today. We didn't fill the quota for today for Talladega and NASCAR."

   JEFF GORDON SAID HE THOUGHT THEY SHOULD OPEN UP THE GRILL OPENING FOR WHEN WE COME BACK HERE AND POSSIBLY DAYTONA IN JULY. DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
   "I think they need to close it down. Honestly, I think if we haven't crashed at least 50 percent of the field by the end of the race, we need to extend the race until we at least crash 50 percent of the cars because it's not fair to these fans for them to not see any more wrecks than that and more torn up cars. We still had over half the cars running at the end and it shouldn't be that way."

   THE WRECKS WEREN'T CAUSED BY THE OVER HEATING?
   "No, not at all. I don't think any of the wrecks were an overheating issue. That is why I say I think we ought to just tape them off solid and run them until they blow up anyway. I think it would make it a lot more exciting for the fans."

   WOULD THIS BE BETTER IF IT WERE A SHORTER RACE?
   "I don't think it really matters. I think if you made it 20 laps we would all still crash with five to go or eight to go. If we did that we would be able to fill the time that the fans deserve. I mean they deserve to see us run 500 miles. Like I said if we don't crash half of the field by the end of the race they really need to extend it because that is what the fans want they want to see that excitement. I feel bad that as drivers we couldn't do a better job of crashing enough cars for them today."

   I CAN'T FIGURE OUT IF YOU ARE HAPPY OR YOU ARE UPSET WITH YOUR TONE...
   "I'm upset that we didn't crash more cars. I feel like that is what we are here for. I feel bad if I don't spend at least a 150,000 dollars in torn up race cars going back to the shop. We definitely have to do a better job with that."

   WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT IMPRESSION THAT IS WHAT THE FANS ARE LOOKING FOR?
   "Well, I don't know that is what they are looking for, but I feel like that is the show we deserve to give them. That is what has made Talladega, Talladega."

   DID YOU HAVE FUN OUT THERE?
   "Absolutely. I had a blast. It would have been a lot more fun if I could have gotten caught up in one more wreck. If I could have done that it would have been perfect."

   DID YOU HAVE THE ISSUE OF RUNNING OUT OF FUEL AT ANY POINT?
   "I didn't wreck because I ran out of fuel, but I ran out of fuel twice."

   THE RADIO GUYS WERE SAYING THAT MAYBE (GUYS RUNNING OUT OF FUEL) HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE EFI (ELECTRONIC FUEL SYSTEM) HAVE YOU NOTICED A CHANGE IN YOUR FUEL MILEAGE SINCE YOU WENT TO THAT ENGINE PACKAGE?
   "I mean we have only ran two restrictor plate races so it is hard to say. There were definitely guys that were running out of fuel today ahead of where they thought they would."

   IS IT SAFE TO SAY THAT YOU PREFER THE PACK OVER THE TANDEM DRAFTING?

   "I think we ought to make it a figure eight. I mean if we could make it a figure eight it would be perfect. It would absolutely be perfect here. It would be better than what we have. That is going to be my vote next week is that we make it a figure eight and/or we can stop at the half way make a break and turn around and go backwards the rest of the way. Then with 10 to go we split the field in half and half go the regular direction and half of them go backwards."


   To listen to Stewart's whole interview, click here.

New car means no C-Post issues for No. 48 team

   The main reason Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team had no issues with inspection on Friday at Talladega Superspeedway, and more specifically the C-Post areas of the car, is because the team brought a completely new car to the track this week.

   The car which raised the ire of NASCAR inspectors at Daytona had been run by Johnson in five consecutive superspeedway races, including the 500. The team received stiff penalties by NASCAR for unapproved changes to the C-Post areas, the area of the car from the roof to the top of the rear quarter-panel.

   On appeal, most of the penalties were rescinded except for a $100,000 fine to crew chief Chad Knaus and probation for Knaus and car chief Ron Malec.

   Johnson's team maintained they did nothing wrong. NASCAR President Mike Helton said he expected his inspectors would confiscate the C-Posts again if the same thing showed up at Talladega.

   Instead, the No. 48 team decided to bring a whole new car. 

   The Daytona 500 car wasn't worth saving as a backup, either. This week's backup  chassis for the No. 48 team is No. 482. The car which Johnson used in the previous five plate races was chassis No. 628.

Humpy Wheeler: I will not see history be rewritten

   The following statement was released by former Charlotte Motor Speedway president H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler:

   The release sent out by Charlotte Motor Speedway suggesting that the lights at the track were Bruton Smith's  idea is not true.
  
   I will not stand by and see history be rewritten.

   These are the facts: I went with then sales manager Jim Duncan to Winston Salem in 1991 to visit RJ Reynolds Sports Marketing Dept. The meeting was with RJR director of sports T. Wayne Robertson to make a presentation for the 1992 Winston All Star Race. Our contract was always for one year. We yearly made a presentation to them to get the event back.

   I was really worried that year because Richmond and my friend and its promoter Paul Sawyer really wanted the event. So, we made our presentation and presented them with five promotional ideas. Wayne and his group didn't like any of them and I thought we were going to lose the race.

   Right before the meeting ended I said: "Ok, I have another idea...let's run it on Saturday night." Wayne looked at me like I was crazy and so did my associate Jim Duncan.

    No one had ever run a superspeedway race at night. Wayne thought it was a great idea and said "if you can do it and NASCAR approves then let's do it."

   When I got out into the parking garage Jim Duncan said "are you crazy? When did that idea come up?"

   I told him it just came out of my head. We got back to Charlotte and at some point I told Bruton Smith that was what I wanted to do. He said OK.

   After I contacted several lighting companies and got nowhere we went ahead with the announcement. It shocked everybody. Bill France Jr., called and ask me if I had lost my mind. He and I liked each other but often differed on the direction the sport was going. I told him it was going to happen and knew NASCAR would cooperate.

   I will admit that things got edgy because a lot of people in the sport were against it citing danger as their reason. What made this tough was I didn't want high poles in the infield. Finally I invited MUSCO, a lighting company from Iowa, down to meet with us. Musco president Joe Crookham and chairman Myron Gordon came. Bruton was not even in the meeting. Gordon said if he could take the Petty Driving School he could figure it out.

   He did and then they went to work on this and came up with the most ingenious lighting system in sports history. To light from the infield they had short poles that reflected lights into a series of mirrors that shot the light back to the track on a diagonal. The rest is history. The test with NASCAR was passed in April and we had the race in May which was a great success and won by Davey Allison.

   I am proud of my idea. Bruton and I did a lot of great things together. I think we helped to change NASCAR in some way. A lot of the things we did at Charlotte were mutual ideas. The lights were not one of them.

   Click here to read the news release to which Wheeler refers.


  

Chasing the usual NASCAR suspects

   More and more, the 2012 season - at least when it comes to who will compete in the Chase for the Sprint Cup - is looking a lot like last year.
 
   Eight of the current top 10 in series points following last weekend’s Richmond race made the Chase last season. A year ago, nine of the top 10 following the season’s ninth race made the Chase.

   The only newcomers, with 17 races remaining until the post-season cut-off, is points leader Greg Biffle and Martin Truex Jr., who is second in the current standings.

   Drivers highest ranked for a 'wild card' berth – which goes to drivers with the most wins ranked 11th to 20th in points - are Richmond winner Kyle Busch (11th) and Brad Keselowski (13th). Both also made last year's Chase. 

   Busch and Clint Bowyer trail 10th place Ryan Newman by 13 and 14 points, respectively. Keselowski is 26 points out of 10th.

Mike Ford joins Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 43 team

    Mike Ford, who won 17 races and made the Chase for the Sprint Cup six times with driver Denny Hamlin, has joined Richard Petty Motorsports and will becomes crew chief for driver Aric Almirola.

   The 42-year-old Morristown, Tenn., native spent the past six seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing as Hamlin’s crew chief. He and Hamlin earned 17 wins, 66 top-five finishes and 108 top-10 finishes. Ford has also worked at Robert Yates Racing and Evernham Motorsports.

   “Mike Ford is an elite crew chief who knows what it takes to be a winner at this level,” said team owner Richard Petty. “We’re fortunate that he was available and that we could reach a deal to bring him over to our place. We’ve taken a lot of big steps at Richard Petty Motorsports in the past year and I think this might be that one piece of the puzzle we were missing.”

   Ford replaces Greg Erwin. Erwin and Almirola have one top-10 finish in the first nine races of the 2012 season.

   “Everyone in the garage respects him and knows what he’s capable of," Almirola said of Ford. "It’s a goal of the No. 43 team to make the Chase this year and I think Mike’s experience and knowledge can help get us there. We’ve got some ground to make up but I think we can do it.”

Hard to believe, but Carl Edwards issue actually quite simple

   As confusing as the issue surrounding Carl Edwards getting black-flagged late in Saturday night's race at Richmond may sound, it's actually very simple.

   When the caution came out on Lap 312, Edwards was the only car not to have made a green-flag pit stop. Thus, there were only three cars on the lead lap at that time - Edwards, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson who had just completed his pit stop on pit road.

   Edwards then pit. There is no way you can be the only car to pit and still be the race leader. Regardless of who told who what, what Fox's TV graphic said, or what the scoring pylon showed, Edwards should have known the moment he went down pit road he was no longer the race leader.

   It really is just as simple as that.