NASCAR's Steve O'Donnell talks about the caution 'no-call' at Talladega

   While it doesn't appear a caution on the final lap of Sunday's GEICO 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway would have changed the winner - which ended up being Dale Earnhardt Jr. - NASCAR's decision not to throw one as cars were wrecking didn't sit well with some of the drivers involved in the incident, namely Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth.

   On Monday morning NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O'Donnell addressed the issue during a weekly appearance on SiriusXM Satellite Radio's "The Morning Drive" show.

   Here are O'Donnell's remarks:
   
   “It’s going to be a judgment call. We’ve stated that we’re going to make every effort to try to finish a race under green-flag conditions. That’s what the fans want to see. We’ve got to be obviously mindful of what’s occurring on the race track. It’s a split-second decision. So, I think if you go back to Daytona and you saw a driver hit the wall what we thought was fairly hard and wanted to dispatch our emergency crews quickly, we elected to throw the caution. I think yesterday if you look at the circumstances that played out with Carl, when we initially saw him get loose, he was down on the apron. As we made that quick decision, it was ‘OK, he’s clear, we can go.’ Just as you make that, his car slides up across the track. 

   "That’s something you don’t want to see green- or yellow-flag conditions, but, at the time, if we would have thrown the yellow, then it’s too late because he’s already up and across the track. So, we elected to let it play out. We certainly didn’t like to see how Carl came across the track but ultimately we were able to come back under green-flag conditions.

   “People want to point to who’s leading, who’s not leading, what could have happened, what didn’t happen. I know it’s hard to believe for some folks, we don’t think about that. We look at the circumstances of the incident. We’ve got to make that call - just like a 99 mph fastball. The umpire can't think about it for a couple minutes. We’re not always going to be right. We know with each decision we open it up for debate. That’s sports. We’ll talk to Carl and the competitors about that but did like seeing us being able to finish under green."

When your back’s against the wall, call for reinforcements. 'Dale Call' to be exact.

   The roaring duck call mimicking the sound of the engine from NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Chevrolet shot to fame in a Diet Mountain Dew TV commercial that began airing during Super Bowl XLVIII. 

   A few months later, Dew noticed a lot of chatter on social media from consumers begging for the brand to make the Dale Call widely available. So, they unveiled the Dale Call on Amazon late last year and the entire inventory sold out in less than a day.

   Dew is bringing back the popular Dale Call to e-commerce for $24.99 while supplies last. To celebrate this momentous occasion, Dew has created a brand new ad which will air during the race at Talladega this Sunday immediately following the original Diet Dew ad that made this unique product so popular.

Erik Jones to sub for injured NASCAR driver Kyle Busch until his return

   As first reported by The Charlotte Observer on April 24, Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed on Thursday that Truck and Xfinity series driver Erik Jones will fill in for the injured Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Toyota beginning with next weekend's race at Kansas. Jones, 18, is expected to remain with the team until Busch returns to action.

   “I’m pretty excited and grateful for the opportunity to drive the No. 18 M&M’S Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and make my debut for Joe Gibbs Racing. This is a really good opportunity for me. We are going to try to manage our expectations and if we can go out and get a top-15 run and gain some experience, that would be a great day for us," Jones said. 

   At Kansas, Jones will be running a special paint scheme highlighting M&M’S support of Red Nose Day on the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota. Mars is proud to be a partner of Red Nose Day, a major charitable event that will be held on May 21.  

   With three races complete in the 2015 Truck season, Jones sits third in the series standings, six points out of the lead. In eight Xfinity Series starts this season, he has one win, three poles and five top-five finishes.

Three arrested in Richmond International Raceway NASCAR garage in jacket thefts

   Three men from Newport News, Va., were arrested Friday afternoon in the infield of Richmond International Raceway and charged with grand larceny, police confirmed. 

   According to Lt. Chris Eley with the Henrico County Police Department, Henrico Police were contacted at about 4 p.m. by the victim, who remains unidentified, who stated three males had taken jackets belonging to the victim without consent.

   The suspects were located by police wearing the stolen property, arrested, and charged, Eley said. The property was recovered and returned to the victim.

   The incident took place in the Xfinity Series garage area, according to several witnesses.

   Arrested were Zachary T. Garner, 22; Colton S. Ketchum, 19; and Joshua G. Moschler, 21; all of Newport News.

   Officials with RIR and NASCAR declined any further comment.

    

Timothy Peters wins the Denny Hamlin Short Track Challenge

   NASCAR Truck Series regular Timothy Peters ended up an unexpected winner in Thursday night's Denny Hamlin Short Track Challenge at South Boston (Va.) Speedway.

   It was unexpected because Peters wasn't capable of winning but rather the circumstances that determined the outcome.

    Peters avoided a spinning Lee Pulliam on the final lap of the green-white-checkered finish to claim his first win in the charity race at his home track. Peters started second to Pulliam on Lap 208 and the two raced side-by-side for the lead at the white flag.

   Josh Berry, who was third at the time, slammed into Pulliam going in to the final turn of the final lap, sending Pulliam around. Peters was able to stay high and finish just ahead of runner-up William Byron.

   Mark Wertz, who started on the final row, finished third with Tommy Lemons Jr. and Tyler Ankrum rounding out the top five. Berry was penalized for aggressive driving and finished 17th after being moved to the last car on the lead lap.

Services scheduled for Fox broadcaster Steve Byrnes and where to send cards

    Services for Steve Byrnes

   Visitation is 6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at Calvary Church of Charlotte, 5801 Pineville-Matthews Rd., Charlotte. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, with visitation to follow, also at Calvary Church. 

   Palmetto Funeral Home of Fort Mill, S.C., is in charge of the arrangements.

   If you are interested in sending a card to the Byrnes' family, you can send them to :

   Attention: Family of Steve Byrnes
   c/o Fox Sports
   1220 W. W.T. Harris Blvd.
   Charlotte, NC   28262 

Complete text of President Obama's remarks honoring NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick

Remarks made by President Barack Obama honoring reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick and his team

   THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  Please have a seat.  Welcome to the White House on this beautiful day.  And congratulations to Kevin Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion.  Hey!  (Applause.)  It is always wonderful to have the NASCAR family here.  We’ve got huge fans in the White House, and we’ve got some big fans, including some members of Congress who are here. 

   It’s great to have Kevin’s crew chief, Rodney Childers, who is here. We’ve also got Greg Zipadelli – almost messed it up there; it’s like Obama, too many vowels.  And the team from Stewart-Haas Racing. NASCAR’s leadership is here as well. Brian France is here and Mike Helton. Welcome back.  

   And even though the Budweiser Chevy got the White House parking pass this year, I am sure Tony Stewart doesn’t mind adding another Owner’s Championship to his collection.  So congratulations to Tony.  

   I also want to offer my condolences to everybody in the NASCAR community on the passing of a legendary reporter and broadcaster, Steve Byrnes. And I know a lot of fans’ thoughts and prayers today are with his wife, Karen, and his son, Bryson.  

   We are here to celebrate, though, Kevin Harvick. This was an exciting year for the “Four Car.” As the season started, Kevin had a new team, a new crew chief to adjust to. It usually takes a little time for a driver and a crew chief to find their groove, but Kevin and Rodney seemed to figure out each other in a hurry -- sort of like when Joe Biden joined my team.

So they had instant chemistry. And as Kevin can tell you, when you have a trusted partner shouting world-class advice into your ear at every turn, you can’t lose. 

   It wasn’t long before Kevin and Rodney and the team behind the Budweiser Chevy were firing on all cylinders. ut the season was not without its ups and downs. By the second race in the season, Kevin had picked up his first checkered flag with Stewart-Haas. And then came a tough stretch – the kind where most championship seasons are forged. There were blown tires, engine failures, cut oil lines, a slew of obstacles that held the “Four Car” from finishing any higher than 36th in three out of four straight races. 

   But Kevin and Rodney stuck with it, and by the time the Chase rolled around, this team was ready. A win at Homestead capped a season where Kevin picked up five wins, led more laps than anybody on the grid – picking up his first Sprint Cup championship.  

   And by the looks of it, with two quick wins and the points lead already in place, 2015 isn’t shaping up to be too much different. 

   Kevin has also found the time to match his contributions on the track with his commitment to family and community away from racing. His wife, DeLana, and his son, Keelan, are constant presences on the track. And I know at one point, DeLana even had her own fire-suit. I’m sure it looked better than it did on Kevin. And I’m sure that if Michelle decided we were going to start wearing matching outfits, it would be me who adapted to her style. 

   Together, Kevin and DeLana run the Kevin Harvick Foundation, which aims to help underprivileged youth to excel both as students and as athletes. From helping his hometown Boys and Girls Club in Bakersfield, California renovate a gym and a playground, to supporting programming which prevents bullying and violence in his former high school, Kevin – like so many others across NASCAR – is working to make a difference. 

   So, Kevin, congratulations to you again for an outstanding season. The whole team at Stewart-Haas Racing, keep up the great work.  NASCAR, looking forward to seeing more excitement on the track. 

   Thank you so much.