Ryan Newman Wins Daytona 500

It was a crazy night involving lots of Tide laundry detergent

(AP) - Well, NASCAR certainly knows how to make a prime-time impression. Rain, fire, and Tide laundry detergent all factored into a Daytona 500 that will go down as the most bizarre in NASCAR history. And oh, yeah, Matt Kenseth picked up his second Daytona 500 title. The first Daytona 500 to be postponed took more than 36 hours to complete after rain pushed it from its scheduled Sunday afternoon start to yesterday at lunch, and ultimately turned it into the first ever NASCAR race run in prime-time television. More»

(AP) - Rain that had threatened today's season-opening race finally rolled in moments after Matt Kenseth slid past Elliott Sadler for the lead, the AP reports. Then the former NASCAR champion was forced to sit out a 20-minute delay before claiming victory in the Daytona 500 after 152 of 200 laps. It was just the fourth rain-shortened 500 in the race's 51-year history, and first since Michael Waltrip's 2003 victory. More»

2nd straight victory pending inquiry into car irregularity

(NEWSER) - Carl Edwards rallied from a penalty to win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his second win in three races after last week in Fontana. But Edwards' defeat of Dale Earnhardt Jr. may come with penalties: NASCAR inspectors are investigating a missing oil tank lid in Edwards' Ford, the Los Angeles Times reports. This is Edwards' ninth win, and first at Vegas. More»

Veteran Nextel Cup driver will hit the pits after 2007 season

(NEWSER) - Veteran NASCAR driver Ricky Rudd will retire from his full-time Nextel Cup duties at the end of this season. Rudd, who has chalked up 23 wins in a 32-year career, may make occasional starts in future years, but said he wants to give his team plenty of time to find a replacement. More»

It's off to the races for flesh-pressing Harvard Democrat

(NEWSER) - The Times noticed an unlikely NASCAR fan at this weekend's race in upstate New York—Governor Eliot Spitzer, who was no doubt running slightly left of the pack. Spitzer, whose brother-in-law is an engineer for NASCAR's Hendrick Motorsports, said he was supporting his favorite driver, Hendrick driver Jeff Gordon. The Pinceton-cum-Harvard Democrat in pressed trousers stood out in the macho crowd. More»