Hello race fans!

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July! We celebrated with family and friends at our house with swimming, lots of food, and a little display of sparklers and fireworks! A fun time was had by all!

Having said that, there was plenty of fireworks at Daytona International Speedway for the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series. First, the #3 was back in action for Friday night's Nationwide Subway Jalapeno 250 with Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel. That was the first time that car had raced since the death of Dale Sr. Was there ever any doubt he would win? It was very emotional for both Dale Jr. and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. It's been a long time since the two of them have won a race together. But, it looks like that will be the last time you see the #3 on the track with Dale in it. He has made it very clear that he will not run that car again. He might want to think twice about that, the ratings for ESPN2 was the highest they've been in a long time! Also, even though she finished with a banged up race car, Danica Patrick had her best finish yet, 24th! Hang in there girl, it will get better!

Then it was the Sprint Cup Series turn on Saturday night with the running of the Coke Zero 400. What a wild race! First, Kyle Busch gets turned into the wall by Juan Pablo Montoya(personally, I think it was both their faults!)then the BIG ONE!!! Wow, I don't think I have ever seen that many cars taken out in one wreck! And, the people who caused it, Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton, kept going and had descent finishes! Never a dull moment at that race! After all the wrecks and the smoke cleared, Kevin Harvick picked up his second win at that track and second of the year. He certainly is proving he is championship material! Now, my guy on the other hand, Denny Hamlin, did not fare so well. I was really hoping he could get the monkey off his back at that track, but it was not meant to be. Getting caught up in the big one, he limped his car home to a 24th place finish. Not one of his better tracks! But, I am still confident he is going to give Jimmie Johnson a run for his money when the Chase rolls around!

Now, Chicagoland was a so-so race. The Nationwide race saw Kyle Busch win again and David Reutimann stole the show with his win in the Cup race! I was so happy for David, and it was nice to see the emotion he showed and how the other drivers were also happy for him. Congratulations Kyle and David!

This weekend, the Sprint Cup Series is off, but the Nationwide and Truck races are at Gateway International Raceway Friday and Saturday nights. Don't forget to watch as I will be, so I can get my NASCAR fix for the weekend! Have a great weekend everyone and as always, see you at the races!!!