Notes: Rudd, Yates ready for final Cup Series race

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Sunday's Cup race at Homestead will be the last to run the Nextel name tag, as the brand will change to the Sprint Cup next year.

More than that, it's the last race period for Robert Yates, owner of the Nos. 38 and 88 cars, and it will be driver Ricky Rudd's final career start. Both men are retiring after Sunday's Ford 400.

"I probably cry about 50 percent of the time and get excited about the things I could possibly do and get excited about," Yates said. "I still have to get through [Sunday]."

Rudd is just as emotional and rightfully so.

The 1977 rookie of the year is ending a career that spans more than 30 years. Rudd, who made his first series start in 1975, did not miss an event from 1981 to 2005, a streak of 788 races.

After his Sunday start, Rudd will have 906 career starts -- 23 of which ended in Cup victories.

The only driver with more career starts is Richard Petty with 1,184.

"I'll miss getting ready for the Daytona 500, as I had done for so many years, but on the other side of the coin, I'm looking forward to not having to be on the schedule what follows the Daytona 500, which is a heck of a grind," Rudd said. "There's so much time spent on the road and before you know it, 30-some years of your life are gone."

Offseason calls for getaway
The NASCAR season has undoubtedly been long and, like a 500-mile race, tends to wear on the drivers in the last laps.

Down time in the offseason is cherished and, depending on who you are, is spent either in North Carolina keeping a low profile or around the globe doing anything but.

"I'm going to have some time off," said Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Ford. "I think we're going to go somewhere crazy, out of the country, where they don't speak English and don't know anything about NASCAR, and get a week or so of that."

Edwards, the 2007 Busch Series champion, also said, "I'm going to do some flight training next week, starting Monday, and I'm really looking forward to Christmas."

And if you're Dale Earnhardt Jr., you're preparing for a new job, but still trying to have some fun nevertheless.

"I started bow hunting, which was pretty fun," Earnhardt said. "Me and Tony [Eury] Jr. went to Oklahoma and I killed my first buck with a bow. So I'm enjoying those types of things where I can spend more time with Martin [Truex Jr.] because that's all he does in the winter time. You can't hang out with him because he's deer hunting."

Smoke's awards show to be a gas
As if Tony Stewart wasn't show enough, now the champ is hosting his very own Stewie Awards show to highlight some of the greatest, boldest and funniest moments in the 2007 season.

In true Oscar fashion, Stewart is asking NASCAR fans to log on and vote for the winners.

The Stewies will be awarded during a special broadcast of Tony Stewart Live, the weekly talk show hosted by Stewart on Sirius NASCAR Radio channel 128, at Sirius' New York City studios on Nov. 29 during Nextel Cup Champions Week.

To vote visit, www.sirius.com/stewieawards.

Some of the nominees for the 2007 Stewie Awards are:

Best Original Comedy
For year's most entertaining on-track "incident" or occurrence

• Kevin Harvick and Juan Montoya get into shoving match during Centurion Boats at The Glen (Aug. 12)

• Tony Raines hurls helmet at Robby Gordon during RoadLoans.com 200 Busch Series race (Sept. 22)

• Robby Gordon performs "victory celebration" burnout despite losing Busch Series race at Montreal (Aug. 4)

Best Stunt Sequence (Hal Needham Award)
For year's most spectacular crash

• Clint Bowyer: Crosses finish line at Daytona 500 on his roof (Feb. 18)

• Brad Keselowski: Crashes in Camping World 300 Busch Series race (Sept. 1)

• David Reutimann: Hits wall during Auto Club 500 in one of hardest crashes ever recorded by NASCAR and walks away (Feb. 25)

• Bobby Labonte: Starts the Big One, which ends up taking out 11 cars at UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega (Oct. 7)

Dazed and Confused Award
For year's the most baffling move

• Teresa Earnhardt and DEI allow Dale Earnhardt Jr. to leave for Hendrick Motorsports

• Hendrick Motorsports releases Kyle Busch to make room for Dale Jr.

• Carl Edwards lashes out at Roush Racing teammates for lack of support

• Tony Stewart, while running second at Nicorette 300 Busch Series race (Mar. 17), decides to pit before pit road is opened, resulting in pit-road penalty -- his third in six races -- and puts him at end of longest line; he finishes race in 10th position

Best Engineering and Special Effects (Smokey Yunick Award)
For year's most creative -- and ultimately illegal -- modifications to a racecar

• Crew chiefs Chad Knaus and Steve Letarte: Illegal fenders on No. 48 and No. 24 cars at Toyota Save Mart 350 (June 24)

• Crew chief Tony Eury Jr.: Illegal wing brackets on No. 8 car at Dodge Avenger 500 (May 13)

• Crew chief David Hyder and MWR VP of competition Bobby Kennedy: Illegal fuel in No. 55 car at Daytona 500 (Feb. 18)

'I Got Dumped' Award
For year's most memorable on-track bumping

• Aric Almirola: Pulled out of car while running third in AT&T 250 Busch Series race (June 23) and replaced by Denny Hamlin who wins race; victory still credited to Almirola

• Kyle Busch: After Busch wrecks in Samsung 500 (Apr. 15), he leaves track; Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets behind wheel of Busch's repaired car for a few laps; Hendrick Motorsports announces later that Dale Jr. will replace Busch on race team in '08

• Kyle Busch: Wrecked by brother Kurt in NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge (May 19)

Best Driver2Crew Chatter Exchange
For year's most memorable driver-to-pit crew communication (Visit www.sirius.com/stewieawards to hear audio of nominees)

• Jeff Gordon / No. 24 team: Screams for caution while rain falls on Pennsylvania 500 (Aug. 5)

• Denny Hamlin / No. 11 team: Discuss "plan of attack" against Dale Earnhardt Jr. and No. 8 car during Subway 500 (Oct. 21)

• Kyle Busch / No. 5 team: "What up, dawg?" at Pepsi 400 (July 7)

• Carl Edwards / No. 99 team: "Motivational exchange" during USG Sheetrock 400 (July 15)

• Juan Montoya / crew chief Donnie Wingo: Different reactions after winning Toyota Save Mart 350 (June 24)