Charlote Motor Speedway ready to celebrate the Fourth on Tuesday night

  Charlotte Motor Speedway will celebrate the birth of our nation with a dynamic fireworks display during Round Five of the 20th annual Jack in the Box Summer Shootout Series on Tuesday night.

    The spectacular Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza is one of the first in the area and will start immediately following the conclusion of an exciting night of Legend Car and Bandolero racing. The evening will also include the Little Luggies 600, a Power Wheels race for children ages 4-7.

   More than 35 competitors are registered to race their battery-powered vehicles, from Barbie Jeeps to miniature Mustangs, down the frontstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway at blistering speeds near 5 mph. Each night of the Jack in the Box Summer Shootout Series features a full slate of the nation's best Legend Car and Bandolero racing on the frontstretch quarter-mile, as well as appearances by the World's Fastest Mascot, Lug Nut, and tons of family fun.

   Tuesday marks the halfway point in the 10-round series with drivers in each division battling for crucial points in search of a season championship. Families are also welcome to come get a cool down from Charlotte Motor Speedway's fire truck, Engine 343, as it sprays water into the grandstands. The Charlotte Motor Speedway Play Zone will be open and will feature bounce houses, face painting and interactive games at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Fan Van.

   Tickets for the Summer Shootout Series are $7 for adults and are available in advance at the speedway ticket office or at Gates 4 and 5 the night of the event. Kids 13 and under get in free. Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. with preliminary action starting at 5:10 p.m.

   Opening ceremonies are at 6:45 p.m. and feature races are scheduled to conclude by approximately 10 p.m. Racing will be televised on the Fox Sports South network, with a recap show airing each Monday following the event at 6 p.m. and a re-air on the following Saturday. Fans should check their local listings for more information.

   For tickets to the Summer Shootout Series, call the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick defend Danica Patrick

   A day after Speed and TNT announcer Kyle Petty raised eyebrows with his comments about Danica Patrick being more of a "marketing machine" than race car driver - a claim he has made on many occasions to be honest - some of Patrick's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitors came to her defense.

   Said Dale Earnhardt Jr.:
    “I have to disagree with Kyle (Petty). I think she is a tough competitor and she works really hard at what she does. She has run some really good races. On every occasion she is out running several guys out on the circuit. If she was not able to compete and not able to run minimum speed or finish in last place every week I think you might be able to say Kyle has an argument.  But she’s out there running competitively and running strong on several accounts.  I think that she has got a good opportunity and a rightful position in the sport to keep competing and she just might surprise even Kyle Petty.”

   And from Kevin Harvick:
   “That is a loaded gun right there. I think this is hard to do. You see there is really no good training ground for it anymore in the Nationwide and Truck Series because of the lack of horsepower. It is really hard to understand what you need to drive these cars, and to be able to drive them fast. It is just not something that is going to happen overnight. I don’t know that I would go as far as calling her not a racer because she has raced her whole life, and I think on a continuous learning curve. She’s obviously dedicated at what she does to try and get better, and knows she has a lot of hurdles to overcome in a short amount of time.  

    "She’s fortunate to have a sponsor that is willing to back her, and take those learning experiences with her. Hopefully as the weeks progress, she gets better and better. In that aspect, I think you look at that, and you try to put all that in perspective. I couldn’t imagine just coming in here and having two-and-a-half years of stock car experience, and expect to come here and be competitive knowing what all this entails. It’s hard. And it’s not going to get easier. I think that is why over the years you’ve seen less and less new drivers come into the sport because the cars have become harder to drive. There’s just nowhere to figure out how to drive them other than being on the race track on a Cup Sunday or Saturday that we race. Because they are just hard to drive.”

Kyle Petty on Danica Patrick: 'She's not a race car driver'

Part III of Matt Clark's sit-down with NASCAR on Fox/Speed analyst Kyle Petty was a candid one. Petty, a regular analyst for NASCAR RaceDay, was quite open with his thoughts on NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Danica Patrick.

Matt Clark: What's your take on Danica Patrick?

Kyle Petty: I've said it from the very beginning; she's just a marketing machine. That's a fact, Jack.


Clark: She's hot...

Petty: Yeah, she's hot. She's a hot commodity and rightfully so. In a market where everybody that crawls into a race car on a Sunday afternoon in Cup racing is male; she's the female. I don't have a problem with her being a marketing machine - more power to her.


Clark: Where's she at as a driver?

Petty: That's where I have a problem. Where fans have bought into the hype of the marketing, to think she's a race car driver. She can go fast, and I've seen her go fast. She drives the wheels off it when she goes fast.


Clark: ...but has she learned to race?

Petty: She's not a race car driver. There's a difference. 'The King' (Richard Petty) always had that stupid saying, but it's true, 'Lots of drivers can drive fast, but very few drivers can race.' Danica has been the perfect example of somebody who can qualify better than what she runs. She can go fast, but she can't race. I think she's come a long way, but she's still not a race car driver. And I don't think she's ever going to be a race car driver.


Clark: Why?

Petty: Because I think it's too late to learn.


Clark: Then what makes a difference between a good driver, and a great driver?

Petty: If I knew, I'd be a great driver. I was not a great driver, and I'll be the first to admit it. I was a journeyman driver. Just like in the NFL or any sport, there are journeyman players. ...

Danica Patrick is seen before a practice session on June 14 for the Quicken Loans 400 auto race at Michigan International Speedway. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Only one NASCAR driver made Forbes' Celebrity 100 list

   Danica Patrick was the only NASCAR driver to make this year's Celebrity 100 list put out by Forbes in its annual measurement of money and fame.
  
   The Sprint Cup Series rookie and former IndyCar series fan favorite was ranked 91st. She was 95th in 2007, 96th in 2010 and 2011.

   Here's how Forbes describes it's list: "Our annual Celebrity 100 takes a stab at measuring that most ephemeral of riches: fame. Yes, we factor in celebrity earnings over the last 12 months, but we also tally how often each celebrity is mentioned in print and on TV, and gauge the strength of their Internet presence and how they’re viewed by a critical constituency: American consumers."

   You can see the whole list here.

Kyle Petty: Jimmie Johnson is 'arguably the greatest driver ever'

NASCAR Race Hub's Matt Clark sat down with fellow NASCAR on Fox/Speed analyst Kyle Petty to talk about the many topics currently shaping the sport's landscape.

Among the topics, five-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Considering his father, 'The King' Richard Petty, and what he accomplished, Kyle might be one of the more unique voices to talk about Johnson's eventual place in history.

Clark: Why do people consider him, or don't consider him, a powerhouse?

Petty: He may be the most underrated driver, ever. Now, on the other side of that coin when you flip it over, he's arguably the greatest driver ever, when you look at it. I don't know why, I think when you go back in the history of the sport, and when you look at those early years, it was all about the driver. When you talk Richard Petty, you just talk Richard Petty. When you talk Dale Earnhardt, Sr., you just talk Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Nobody mentions Jimmie, without mentioning (crew chief) Chad (Knaus) or (car owner) (Rick) Hendrick.

Clark: I think thats', I don't want to say Jimmie's fault, but it's a good characteristic. He's a blue-collar guy that bought into the team concept and said, 'Hey, my team, my crew chief, the owner, it's all of us.'

Petty: He's preached the team concept so much, and people bought it from him so much, that now he can't escape that. We'll always think about Jimmie as, 'Jimmie and Chad and oh yeah, Hendrick, was a powerhouse during that time.' That's why he's won so many races. No. He drives the wheels off that thing. That's why he wins the races.

Clark: It will be 20 or 30 years before people sit back and see what he did was amazing.

Petty: Yeah. I can't believe that Jimmie Johnson's five championships in a row was not a bigger deal in the sports world than what it was

Kevin and DeLana Harvick are looking for someone special. Can you help?

   NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick and his wife, DeLana, met a special person on a recent visit to Fort Bragg in North Carolina. But they never caught his name.

    They posted the following note Tuesday on Facebook:

    "Okay Fort Bragg followers, we need your help. A few weeks ago when DeLana and I were in Ft. Bragg, we came in contact with a solider as we were leaving the Soldier & Family Assistance Center.

    He told us that he and his friend were huge Kevin Harvick fans. Soon after watching the Daytona 500, he and his friend were out on patrol, in Afghanistan I believe, and his friend was killed. He gave me a pin from his friend’s uniform. Before we could process what had just happened, between the tears, soldier was gone.

    We never got his name…

   We've been working with the folks from Ft. Bragg since that day with no luck. It would mean so much to us if anyone has any information about this particular solider we met in Ft. Bragg and how we might be able to contact him.

    We’ve got something we want to get to the soldier and are hoping we can get the word out via social media. There are no pictures, video, etc of our meeting… so we are asking for any help in this matter!"

   Go here to see Harvick's Facebook page.

Will Nationwide always be on NASCAR's side?

   Nationwide Insurance has extended its exclusive negotiating window with NASCAR, giving the company through the end of the summer to determine whether it wishes to renew its title sponsorship of NASCAR's second-tier series, according to a report in the Sports Business Journal.

   The original agreement gave Nationwide until the end of June to negotiate exclusively with NASCAR but the company requested more time so it could take into consideration what TV network would be broadcasting the series' races.

   Sources told the Observer on Tuesday that Fox Sports, perhaps in conjunction with its new Fox Sports 1 brand which debuts later this summer, may be making a play for the series' TV rights. The series is currently broadcast by ESPN/ABC.

   ESPN/ABC has not yet started negotiations with NASCAR on extending its TV deal covering the series but is expected to by next month.

   Asked if the network wanted to retain the rights, ESPN spokesman Andy Hall said, "We have a good relationship with NASCAR, it's good programming for us and we'd like to continue."

   According to the SBJ, media has been one of Nationwide’s primary vehicles for getting a return on its $10 million to $12 million deal to title sponsor NASCAR’s secondary series. The company, which became the series’ sponsor in 2008, spends more than $5 million on media with ESPN, and it has used NASCAR-themed ads over the last five years to connect with fans and raise brand awareness, so the series’ future television deal is something sources said Nationwide officials wanted to evaluate before committing to a renewal.