Preseason Thunder

News from Jackson Hewitt Preseason Thunder

LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

BUSCH SERIES DAY 1: TEST SPEEDS

NEXTEL CUP SERIES DAY 2: TEST SPEEDS | NOTEBOOK

NASCAR will return in early March to Las Vegas, where construction to the track's massive garage is ongoing. But officials say it will be completed on time.
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Sunoco's unleaded fuel, to be used as early as California, is being put through the paces for the first time by Nextel Cup cars at Las Vegas Motor Speedway testing.
• Complete story

NEXTEL CUP SERIES DAY 1: TEST SPEEDS | NOTEBOOK

Greg Biffle was back at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first time since his December test crash, and once again he found himself at the track's infield care center.
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David Ragan unloaded fast right off the truck at Las Vegas. And if his Nextel Cup tests are any indication, his jump from the Truck Series to Cup may be just as Jack Roush envisioned.
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On the first day of testing at the newly reconfigured Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the prevailing theme is the track is going to run much faster than it did before.
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DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

BUSCH SERIES DAY 5: TEST SPEEDS

Carl Edwards goes into the 2007 Busch season as one of the favorites. But you only have to go back to last year to see nothing is a sure thing, and Edwards knows it.
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Two-time Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. was charged Tuesday with disorderly intoxication after an officer saw him urinating in a parking garage.
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BUSCH SERIES DAY 4: TEST SPEEDS | NOTEBOOK

It's been a tough start to 2007 for Bobby Hamilton Jr. Coming off a difficult '06 season coupled with the loss of his father, he turns to his former team to help move on.
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BUSCH SERIES DAY 3: TEST SPEEDS

Aric Almirola was unhurt after flipping his car down the Daytona backstretch Sunday, then praised his new six-point harness for preserving his safety.
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Three racing legends with an open-wheel backer will field a Busch team in '07, starting with equipment and the '06 owner points from ppc Racing's No. 22.
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BUSCH SERIES DAY 2: TEST SPEEDS

Todd Kluever was supposed to fill Mark Martin's seat in 2007... instead it went to David Ragan. Now both drivers look to prove they belong.
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Shane Huffman is still in awe he drives for NASCAR's most popular driver. As he begins his first full Busch season, Huffman knows there's much to learn.
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Marcos Ambrose had a good thing going in his native Australia, but knew NASCAR was where he wanted to race. A trip to Bristol confirmed it.
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BUSCH SERIES DAY 1: TEST SPEEDS

Steve Wallace is barely old enough to vote, yet he's in a full-time Busch Series ride, driving for someone who has been in his corner forever ... his parents.
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OFF DAY: NOTEBOOK

Toyota knew it would be an uphill climb to get into the Nextel Cup Series. After two rounds of testing during Preseason Thunder, the speeds showed it, too.
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Kurt Busch showed the capability of the Car of Tomorrow. Or at least the COT of Penske Racing, which tinkered with the plates at the Daytona test.
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Denny Hamlin won't rest on his laurels in 2007. Last season's rookie of the year knows he can't if he is to successfully continue his budding career.
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NEXTEL CUP SERIES DAY 3: TEST SPEEDS

The minute Jeff Gordon and his wife, Ingrid, have their baby, life as they know it will change. Other fathers/drivers in the garage already know that.
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A new car. A new uniform. A new outlook. That's the way 20-year veteran Mark Martin sees things as he begins another chapter of his career with Ginn Racing.
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NEXTEL CUP SERIES DAY 2: TEST SPEEDS | NOTEBOOK

A familiar voice will be talking to Ryan Newman from atop the pit box come race days, but for the first time in his Cup career it won't be Matt Borland.
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Juan Montoya got a taste late last year for what he is in for in his first full season of stock-car racing. But he'll still be a free-wheeler.
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Ward Burton admits times have changed, but driving is driving. And he's determined to put Morgan-McClure and himself back on the NASCAR map.
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David Stremme didn't need much track time to learn all he needed to know. the engine under is Chip Ganassi Dodge is much better than it was last year.
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NEXTEL CUP SERIES DAY 1: TEST SPEEDS

Once loud and prevalent in the garage, the Car of Tomorrow critics are going away. And Brett Bodine helped win some fans, too.
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With a little help from Richard Childress Racing, 72-year-old James Hylton is continuing a Daytona dream.
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Carl Edwards' 2006 didn't go as planned. So during the offseason, he hired a coach to help him get a new attitude.
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Sending teams of two to Daytona for preseason testing has helped Richard Childress Racing get a head start on 2007.
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Transcript: Matt Kenseth
• Complete Q&A

TRUCK SERIES DAY 3: TEST SPEEDS | NOTEBOOK

A.J. Allmendinger is looking forward to his rookie year in Cup. However, he's not giving up his Truck Series ride just yet, thanks to Michael Waltrip Racing.
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Todd Bodine had planned to run as many as 15 Cup races with Germain Racing this season. But now he's concentrating on defending his title.
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TRUCK SERIES DAY 2: TEST SPEEDS

The return on investment for running a Truck Series team isn't good business financially, and Ryan Smithson says that may hurt the series.
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Bobby Hamilton has passed on, but his race team arrived at Daytona and is going strong.
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Just over a year after jumping from dirt to pavement, Kraig Kinser is still working on the transition. But he's not worried.
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While the present track screams with motors and fans, echoes from Daytona's beach course remain, says Mark Aumann.
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TRUCK SERIES DAY 1: TEST SPEEDS

All four manufacturers in the Truck Series changed their nose, but many crew chiefs agree it's a change for the better.
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Travis Kvapil is back in the Truck Series, this time with an established team. And that's how he likes it.
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David Starr finished fourth in points last season, then lost his ride. That is, until Circle Bar Racing called.
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NEXTEL CUP SERIES DAY 4: TEST SPEEDS | NOTEBOOK

Four years ago David Green fell 14 points shy of Busch Series champion Brian Vickers. Today, he's Vickers' spotter.
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Greg Biffle says adding drivers isn't what the Chase needs, because one of the ones at the top of the points when it begins will most likely be champ.
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Ned Jarrett doesn't get out to the track as much since his broadcasting days ended 10 years ago. But son Dale's foray into Toyota enticed him to Daytona.
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NEXTEL CUP SERIES DAY 3: TEST SPEEDS | NOTEBOOK

Dale Jarrett, in a manner of speaking, said he would rather drive a Toyota made in America than a Chevy or Ford made in another country.
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Tony Raines proves you don't have to be a "young gun" to help build a successful program. Look at what he's doing at Hall of Fame Racing.
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After a year of putting the pieces of the puzzle together, Bobby Labonte thinks he can compete for a top-15 spot in Petty's No. 43.
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Ohio native Dave Blaney can only hope he fares better in a Camry than Ohio State did in the national title game. With Toyota's backing, how can he lose?
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Fans at Daytona International Speedway were asked, "What's your opinion of Toyota entering Nextel Cup in 2007?"
• Fan on the Street

Transcript: Dale Jarrett
• Complete Q&A

Transcript: Greg Biffle
• Complete Q&A

NEXTEL CUP SERIES DAY 2: TEST SPEEDS | NOTEBOOK

Will Jimmie Johnson become the first repeat champ since 1997-98? Dave Rodman says it's not only possible -- it's probable.
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Fans flock to Daytona test session to get NASCAR fix, drivers' autographs and car parts a little early.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. discusses his relationship with Teresa Earnhardt and his DEI contract negotiations.
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Jamie McMurray is looking forward to 2007 after helping select his new crew chief at Roush Racing.
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Adding to a season already filled with new manufacturers, new teams, new cars and new drivers, Dodge's Car of Tomorrow is officially the Avenger.
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Transcript: Ricky Rudd
• Complete Q&A

Transcript: Jimmie Johnson
• Complete Q&A

NEXTEL CUP SERIES DAY 1: TEST SPEEDS

Defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was at Daytona for all of 15 minutes before the questions began.
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There's a hierarchy in the Daytona garage: the haves and the have-nots. Ask Scott Riggs.
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Wet weather that wiped out the second half of testing couldn't dampen Ricky Rudd's enthusiasm.
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Transcript: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• Complete Q&A

Transcript: Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne
• Complete Q&A

Rookies David Ragan and Kelly Bires have been approved to compete in Speedweeks at Daytona.
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Dates for the Jackson Hewitt Preseason Thunder Fan Fests at Daytona have been finalized.
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