Bloggin' is Racin'

Greetings from the Neon Garage

It's Friday, 2 p.m. Pacific time and we're taking a break for lunch in the Neon Garage at LVMS. First practice is finished and I'm not sure who was fast but I do know Montoya scrapped the wall and went to a back-up car. The crowds around the Johnson, J. Gordon and Dale Jr. garage stalls are nuts, as expected.

The glare on the windows looking into where the crews and drivers are working is real bad so snapping a clear pic is a challenge. The Nationwide cars are on track right now. Next up is Sprint Cup qualifying.
Thursday afternoon's car hauler parade was fun.

They closed down Las Vegas Blvd. to through traffic and the police escorted trucks down the street past thousands of fans and lookiloos. After the parade we hustled over to The Orleans Hotel and Casino to check in and then get in line for a Clint Bowyer autograph session. Clint was late, but worth the wait.

-- Michele Vincze

Pro Mods set for Texas

Texas' two National Hot Rod Association national event venues will play host to the popular JEGS ProMod Challenge exhibition series this season as part of a 10-race schedule.

ProMods have been added to the lineup for the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown March 28-30. And the wild-child machines also will compete during the O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals at Billy Meyer's Texas Motorplex in Ennis Sept. 18-21.

-- John Sturbin

Speed sets NCTS debut

Former Formula One regular Scott Speed will step up his NASCAR developmental program next weekend, when he is scheduled to make his Craftsman Truck Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Speed will drive the No. 46 Morgan-Dollar Motorsports entry with backing from primary sponsor Red Bull at AMS, and follow that with a second NCTS start at Martinsville Speedway on March 28.

"The reason we went this route," Speed said, "is because the truck is the most similar to the COT (NASCAR's Car of Today). It's very sensitive to the other cars around you, where they are and what they're doing to your car. This is kind of the method behind our madness here."

Speed, of Manteca, Calif., is in his first full season as driver of the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota Camry in the ARCA RE/MAX Series under the guidance of Eddie Sharp Racing.

-- John Sturbin