Pens beat wild, 4-2

Crosby had a four-point night, while Malkin added two goals and an assist in a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild. It was a strong peformance by the line of Crosby-Malkin-Malone, netting three even strength goals, while the Pens added a power-play goal in their lone opportunity to do so, while killing off the two opportunities the Wild had. Crosby extended his point streak to 10 games, tying his career long, and the team extended its power-play goal scored streak to 11 games. (At least one PPG for in each game this season)


Stats update, game 11 (Only Malone, Talbot, Hall, & Scuderi in plus territory, but Malkin, Ruutu, Laraque and Kennedy are now Even)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Malkin 11 5 12 17 E 10
Crosby 11 5 12 17 -2 10
Sykora 11 6 4 10 -5 6
Gonchar 11 2 7 9 -4 18
Whitney 11 3 3 6 -2 2
Recchi 11 1 5 6 -1 8
Roberts 10 1 4 5 -4 2
Talbot 11 4 1 5 +1 6
Malone 11 2 3 5 +2 17
Hall 10 1 3 4 +2 9
Staal 11 1 1 2 -4 7
Christensen 10 1 1 2 -6 0
Armstrong 11 1 0 1 -4 2
Laraque 4 0 1 1 E 5
Scuderi 11 0 1 1 +1 4
Sydor 11 0 1 1 -3 4
Ruutu 8 0 1 1 E 10
Orpik 11 0 1 1 -5 4
Kennedy 2 0 0 0 E 2
Eaton 11 0 0 0 -2 0
Fleury 9 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 5 0 0 0 -- 0

It should be noted that the stats above reflect the correct scoring from the first Toronto game, where Recchi was given a phantom assist at the expense of Malkin. This scoring change was made after the game, and the official NHL stats have not been corrected. Emails to the NHL and ESPN.com that same night have not been answered. As of October 31, 2007, this error has still not been corrected.

The win improved the Pens record to 6-4-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL) on the season, and ensured they finished October above .500 for the month, finishing with 13 points in 11 games. Crosby and Malkin each have 17 points on the season, good for 4th on the league list with a game or two in hand on those in front of them. Zetterberg of Detroit leads with 22 in 13 games.

Pens shut out Rangers 1-0

Marc-Andre Fleury of the Penguins pitched his first shutout of the season, 1-0, over the visiting Rangers in the first of eight meetings this season. The Pens lone goal came on the powerplay in the 2nd, by Evgeni Malkin off of a sick pass from Ryan Whitney (Note to Versus: his name is not Brian), following a cross-ice pass from Sidney Crosby. That would be all they would need this night as they shut down Jaromir Jagr once again. Fleury stopped 36 shots, and was named number 1 star.

Stats update, game 8 (Only Talbot, Hall, Scuderi & Ruutu in plus territory)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Crosby 8 2 8 10 -4 6
Malkin 8 3 6 9 -3 4
Sykora 8 4 3 7 -1 8
Gonchar 8 1 5 6 -4 12
Roberts 8 1 4 5 -1 2
Talbot 8 4 1 5 +2 2
Recchi 8 1 4 5 -1 8
Whitney 8 2 2 4 -4 2
Hall 7 1 2 3 +2 0
Malone 8 2 1 3 E 15
Staal 8 1 1 2 -3 0
Christensen 7 1 1 2 -1 0
Armstrong 8 1 0 1 -2 2
Laraque 4 0 1 1 E 5
Scuderi 8 0 1 1 +1 2
Sydor 8 0 1 1 -1 4
Ruutu 6 0 1 1 +1 8
Orpik 8 0 1 1 -2 4
Eaton 8 0 0 0 E 0
Fleury 7 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 3 0 0 0 -- 0

It should be noted that the stats above reflect the correct scoring from the first Toronto game, where Recchi was given a phantom assist at the expense of Malkin. This scoring change was made after the game, and the official NHL stats have not been corrected. Emails to the NHL and ESPN.com that same night have not been answered.

The win was the Pens third straight, and improved the Pens record to 5-3-0-0 for 10 points, and dropped the Rangers to 2-5-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL)

Pens storm back from 3-1 deficit at Leafs, win 6-4

Although the Pens scored first, they found themselves down to the Maple Leafs 3-1 before they stormed back in the 2nd period to take a 4-3 lead, and added two more in the third period en route to a 6-4 win at the Air Canada Centre. The goals were from Erik Christensen (1st), Sidney Crosby (1st-2nd), Maxime Talbot (2nd-3rd) and Ryan Malone (2nd). Adam Hall and Evgeni Malkin each had two assists, while Sergei Gonchar, Darryl Sydor, Petr Sykora, Jordan Staal and Gary Roberts.

The NHL game stats inexplicably have credited Mark Recchi with the 2nd assist on the 5th Penguins goal, when the play went from Sidney Crosby to Evgeni Malkin, to Darryl Sydor, who shot it on goal, with Crosby with the tap in for the goal. While Recchi was on the ice, and was stationed in front of the net, he did not touch the puck, and even if he did, he would have had to have been the primary assist, not the 2nd assist. The NHL page took more than an hour after final buzzer to be marked "Final"; the play was originally correctly credited to Malkin, to which TSN followed for most of the night. But ESPN went with Recchi initially, and TSN later followed suit to the NHL page. Emails noting the error to NHL.com and ESPN.com have not been returned. At least the Penguins official recap by Joe Sager correctly has the assist assigned to Malkin.

Stats update, game 4 (Only Malone, Talbot & Hall in plus territory, at +1)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Malkin 4 1 5 6 E 4
Sykora 4 2 2 4 E 0
Crosby 4 2 2 4 -3 4
Talbot 4 3 0 3 +1 2
Recchi 4 1 2 3 -1 2
Roberts 4 0 3 3 -2 0
Malone 4 2 0 2 +1 6
Christensen 4 1 1 2 -1 0
Hall 3 0 2 2 +1 0
Gonchar 4 0 2 2 -2 4
Armstrong 4 1 0 1 -2 2
Whitney 4 1 0 1 -2 2
Laraque 3 0 1 1 E 0
Scuderi 4 0 1 1 E 2
Staal 4 0 1 1 -1 0
Sydor 4 0 1 1 E 2
Orpik 4 0 0 0 E 2
Ruutu 2 0 0 0 E 2
Eaton 4 0 0 0 E 0
Fleury 4 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 2 0 0 0 -- 0


The startling stats of the game: The Pens won 57% of the faceoffs, and the Pens had 52 shots.

Pens win home opener over Ducks, 5-4

The Pens rebounded from their season opening loss at Carolina by defeating the defending Cup Champ Anaheim Ducks tonight by a score of 5-4. The Pens had goals by Petr Sykora (2), Colby Armstrong, Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Malone. Gary Roberts had two assists, and Malkin, Sykora, Sidney Crosby, Georges Laraque, Robert Scuderi and Erik Christensen each had assists.

Anaheim came out strong, and scored the first goal on an early power play. The Pens would return the favor, with the 2nd unit scoring on the powerplay. The game would be tied at 1 at the first break. Anaheim would score early in the 2nd to take a 2-1 lead, but Armstrong and Malkin scored 20 seconds apart to put the Pens up 3-2 just over 4 minutes in, a score that would hold up at the 2nd break. A little over 6 minutes into the third, Anaheim tied it at 3, where it would remain for 7 minutes until Sykora and Malone scored 19 seconds apart to put the Pens up 5-3. Anaheim would score with 22 seconds left to pull within one while their goaltender was pulled, but it was too little too late, with the Pens winning 5-4.

Stats update, game 2 (several minus players after game 1 broke even; only Sykora is in plus territory after 2 games)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Sykora 2 2 1 3 +1 0
Malkin 2 1 2 3 E 2
Roberts 2 0 2 2 -1 0
Armstrong 2 1 0 1 E 0
Recchi 2 1 0 1 -1 2
Malone 2 1 0 1 E 6
Gonchar 2 0 1 1 -2 4
Crosby 2 0 1 1 -2 2
Laraque 2 0 1 1 E 0
Christensen 2 0 1 1 E 0
Scuderi 2 0 1 1 -1 0
Orpik 2 0 0 0 E 0
Ruutu 1 0 0 0 -1 2
Talbot 2 0 0 0 -1 0
Whitney 2 0 0 0 E 0
Staal 2 0 0 0 -1 0
Sydor 2 0 0 0 E 0
Eaton 2 0 0 0 -1 0
Hall 1 0 0 0 E 0
Fleury 2 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 1 0 0 0 -- 0

The Pens next play on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 at home vs. the Montreal Canadiens. Crosby will attempt to increase the pace of his slow start, with only one assist to show for two games.

Pens lose season opener

The Pens opened the 2007-2008 season with two poor periods, falling behind 4-0 by the 2nd intermission. Only a late powerplay goal by Mark Recchi avoided the shutout, with the final score 4-1. Carolina had lost their opener on Wednesday to Montreal, and they clearly seemed to want it more. Cam Ward was sensational in goal - continuing the theory that the Pens seem to find a hot goaltender more often than most teams.

Stats update, game 1 (most minus, a few even)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Recchi 1 1 0 1 -1 0
Malkin 1 0 1 1 -1 0
Gonchar 1 0 1 1 -1 2
Crosby 1 0 0 0 -1 2
Orpik 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Ruutu 1 0 0 0 -1 2
Laraque 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Talbot 1 0 0 0 E 0
Armstrong 1 0 0 0 E 0
Whitney 1 0 0 0 E 0
Sykora 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Christensen 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Malone 1 0 0 0 -1 2
Staal 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Roberts 1 0 0 0 E 0
Sydor 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Scuderi 1 0 0 0 -2 0
Eaton 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Fleury 1 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 1 0 0 0 -- 0

The Pens return home tomorrow to face the defending Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks, fresh off a loss to Columbus tonight.

FDT Enters race with a bang

I previously endorsed Fred Thompson here, and noted my first contribution here, but now that he has formally announced, I have backed up my endorsement with an additional contribution. You too can contribute. Lots of Fred stuff is available online now as well, including slews of different bumper stickers and other decals. A wide variety from window decals to actual bumper stickers, and for those with space enough for signs, loads of them too.

Fred made a splash with his Leno Annoucement, and with his appearance on FNC's Hannity & Colmes last night, and Fox & Friends this AM. He is the right man at the right time. The other candidates in the race have been fighting amongst themselves for far too long, making a mockery of the process. States playing games of one-upsmanship have not helped matters either, shifting the earliest primarys forward in January 2008. Fred rightly decided not to play that game, and in the process has debuted a first-class organization at the right time.

Once again, Fred Dalton Thompson for President.

Jersey numbers: What to make of Sykora and Sydor?

Back when Sykora was with the Devils, he often piqued my interest as possibly coming to the Pens - but then as he bounced around the league, it seemed as if he was in a decline. Yet now the Pens signed him as a free agent from Edmonton, where he wore 71. That already being taken by the Pens (Malkin), Sykora will take 17.

Daryl Sydor is the other signing, a defenseman that won the cup with Dallas in 1999 and Tampa in 2004. Sydor has worn #5 since the dawn of time, practically, so when the Pens re-signed Robert Scuderi, the current holder of the Pens #5 jersey, it wasn't as clear which way that would go. It was but a few days ago that the Pens website showed both as the #5 - yet it was updated yesterday to show Sydor as #5 and Scuderi as #4. Class act by Scuderi.

The drafting of Esposito (whose preferred number is #7) makes one wonder if that consideration had anything to do with the Pens letting Michel Ouellet go? Position wise, it seems Sykora for Ouellet is an upgrade, but maybe that move gives Jonathan Filewich or Ryan Stone a chance at making the roster.

NASCAR hits hard at Hendrick - but not that hard

NASCAR came down hard against the 24 and 48 teams today, giving them identical penalties that befell the 8 team after Darlington: 100 points (owner & driver) lost, $100,000 fine, and a 6 week suspension for the Crew Chief. This was on top of both teams being unable to practice on Friday, and unable to qualify as well, forcing them to settle for the 41st and 42nd starting spots, respectively. Gordon finished 7th, while Johnson finished 17th in Sunday's race at Sears Point.

While the COT penalties were identical to that of the 8 team, their effect is not. Gordon had led the points by 271, now it's only 171. He is still up on 13th place by 700+ points, and still has the same amount of wins bonus at the Chase cutoff as he did before. Johnson falls from 3rd to 5th in points, but remains 366 points behind Gordon, and is up on 13th place by about 350 points. Like Gordon, Johnson also still has the same amount of wins bonus as he had before.

With 10 races until the Chase, barring a major injury keeping either from several races, they will make the Chase. The 8 car is on the bubble - they were in Chase territory when the penalty was applied, and had to climb back into place. The 8 is 96 points ahead of 13th - but would have been 196 and in 10th place.

Esposito - the steal of the draft

A year ago, Angelo Esposito was predicted to be the #1 overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft. Since then, he slid down several charts but was still thought to be a top-10 pick. No one expected him to fall down the board as he did last night - falling all the way to #20 and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He is a center, and God knows the Pens are loaded at center with Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Talbot and Christensen, but GM Ray Shero stuck to getting the best player available when the Pens turn came. If he can transition to a wing as well as Staal did, combined with not having the pressure of being "The Guy" with the Pens (that he faced in Jr this past year), he will thrive in Pittsburgh.

In other news, my prediction of the other night turned out incorrect - it was announced yesterday that the Pens had re-signed both Roberts and Recchi. I had predicted that Recchi would stay but that Roberts would be lured elsewhere. Good and glad to be wrong in this case - Roberts brings a lot to the team.

Pre Draft thoughts - will Recchi and Roberts stay or go?

With the 2007 NHL Entry Draft just 24 hours away (the first round is in prime-time on Vs, DirecTV channel 608, tomorrow evening at 7pm), and free agency not far behind, the question in Pittsburgh is whether 8 and 10, Recchi and Roberts, will stay or go. Both are unrestricted free agents, free to negotiate with any team after midnight on July 1st.

Roberts waived his no-trade clause in his prior contract to come to Pittsburgh from Florida at the deadline. He has said he wants to be close to his daughter in Toronto, and it was rumored he would only waive the no-trade clause for the Maple Leafs or the Senators. The NHL world was surprised when he landed in Pittsburgh, and many speculate that the Sens failure to get him cost Ottawa GM John Muckler his job early this week when he was fired. (The Sens beat Roberts' Pens in the first round, 4-1, and made it to the Stanley Cup finals, but lost 1-4)

If Toronto or Ottawa is determined to shell out $, they should easily be able to beat what Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero is willing to offer.

As for Mark Recchi, the Pens brought him back for 2006-2007 at the $2.28M that his contract option would have been had it be exercised by Carolina after the Pens had traded him at the deadline. Carolina declining the option allowed Recchi to sign with any team he chose to do so with, even though he had just won the Cup with Carolina, and Recchi gladly took the Pens offer. Recchi had a strong season overall, but he struggled down the stretch. The question is, how much will Recchi be willing to take to stay in Pittsburgh? It is thought that he would have few other suitors, and his offseason home is still in Pittsburgh from when he was here the first time. Ideally he will retire a Pen, but there is yet some life in his legs.

Gut prediction: Roberts gone, Recchi back at a reduced salary.

A good read on TNT rushing to Van Helsing

John Daly of the Daly Planet expresses well what had bothered me yesterday but I did not take the time to write about, where TNT started the Van Helsing movie with near 15 minutes left on their NASCAR time slot.

He writes:

Basically, TNT did the mandatory interview with the winner, interviewed both DEI drivers, and then sprinted for the airplane. There was not a moment after the race where anyone except Larry McReynolds was "fired up" about what just went on during the race. If this had been an event that ran long on time, fans might understand. After a long rain delay like Pocono, leaving quickly is understood.

But, for a network like TNT who has only six NEXTEL Cup races in their entire schedule for the year, this was strange. When you add-in the fact that fifteen minutes remained in the scheduled time slot for this event, it becomes even stranger.

NBC was guilty of this last year, and some of the team are the same (Bill Weber and Wally Dallenbach, Jr., for example), of rushing off into the sunset, sometimes with barely more than the winner's interview. In most cases, the race went past the scheduled allotment of time, and it was hurry up to get back to whatever other programming was on. As Mr. Daly notes, last week's Pocono coverage makes one wonder who runs the operation over there, as TNT stayed with the rain delays much longer than expected, even though it was well past the original time slot.

DEI surprises with two top-5s at Michigan

DEI drivers Martin Truex, Jr., (2nd) and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., (5th) finished strong at Michigan, in a race where Truex led lots early, and Earnhard led once during green flag stops midway through. Carl Edwards broke a near-two-year losing streak in earning the win, with Truex some 2 seconds back. Truex beat 3rd place finisher Tony Stewart to the line by some 17 seconds. Only 9 cars finished on the lead lap, as Edwards lapped 10th place finisher Michael Waltrip (made the race and had a good finish, but is still 48th in owner points) coming to the white flag, and almost lapped Jeff Gordon (9th) at the checkers.

The finishes put both DEI drivers in the Chase, with Earnhardt finally overcoming the 100 point penalty after Darlington. Truex sits in 10th, Earnhardt 12th, with 11 races left to the cutoff. Truex's runner-up finish continues an average finish of 2nd from two races to three, having finished 3rd at the rain-shortened Pocono race and having won at Dover.

Crosby nets "triple crown" - Hart, Pearson & Ross

The Penguins Sindey Crosby took home all the hardware last night at the 2006-2007 NHL awards ceremony - he already had clinched the Art Ross Trophy as the regular season point leader, and took home the Lester B. Pearson Award (best player voted by players) and the Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP as voted by the writers). He won both the Pearson and Hart going away.

Penguins Rookie Evgeni Malkin came away with the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year, winning over Paul Statsny by a wide margin. Pens rookie Jordan Staal came in third in the voting. Coach Therrien accepted on behalf of Malkin, who was out of county. Therrien made a joke that he left messages for Geno in English and in Russian - and that his "Russian must not be so good".

The only trophy the Pens were up for but did not win was the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year. Pens coach Michel Therrien finished third in the voting behind Vancouver's Vigneault and Buffalo's Ruff. The other two were separated by less than 10 votes, with Therrien

It must be bad news for the rest of the field...

Fred hasn't even formally announced yet and he's already pulled even with Giuliani in the polls for the GOP nomination. The other Republican candidates are quaking, and the Democrat candidates are sending attack-dogs out after Fred as well.

Fred has a dirty secret - his stances are well known, and they aren't changing. That is one of the things that brings voters to him, and that is not good news for others who have problems with changing their mind over time.

NHL Awards Banquet tomorrow

Thursday marks the last step in the 2006-2007 season in the form of the Awards Banquet, where the winners will be announced for the major awards, and the trophies presented. It will be televised on the Versus network.

Next up after that is the 2007 Entry Draft, to be held in Columbus on Friday June 22 (Round 1 @ 7pm) and Saturday June 23. (Rounds 2-7 start @ 10am) The draft is quickly followed by free agency on July 1.

Thoughts on Dale Jr going to Hendrick

As odd as the thought seems in the abstract, this factoid from an evening NASCAR.com article sheds new light on the whole "enemy" concept some Dale fans may have concerning Earnhardt and Hendrick:

Hendrick, with six total championships on NASCAR's premier series, fits with Earnhardt's desires to drive for a contender and to continue to pilot Chevrolets. The Hendrick team also had ties to Earnhardt's late father, who shook down the first car the organization ever built, and was behind the wheel when team owner Rick Hendrick recorded his first NASCAR victory in a Busch race at Charlotte in 1983.

When Jr. made his announcement in May that he was leaving DEI, there were three possible locations given his self-restriction to Chevrolet: Childress, Gibbs & Hendrick. Childress was always the sentimental favorite, since Dale Sr won 6 championships in the RCR 3 car. But the pressure Dale Jr would face there would be intense, something it seemed he was not ready for. Gibbs refusal to have a sponsor such as Budweiser all but ruled him out, even though Dale Jr would have fit very well with Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. Hendrick had a full stable to NASCAR's 4 team limit, but would seem to be the best fit for Jr.'s career development.

I don't have to like Jeff Gordon or Hendrick as a person, but my guess is I will mellow over time, much like once JG broke the 76 barrier, what does it matter to me how many more he wins? I think the dislike had more to do with the Sr-Gordon rivalry of the mid-90s, even knowing the two were friends off the track.

Enter today, and the leak of information that Jr will announce tomorrow he is indeed moving to Hendrick, and the rampant speculation he will supplant Kyle Busch in the 5, much like he did earlier in the year at Texas, after Busch had wrecked Jr, and left the track thinking his car was done. Jr was asked to get in the car as a favor to a friend on the 5 crew, so he did. Speculation ensued that Jr might be going to Hendrick then, well before his May announcement he was leaving DEI.

(EDIT - I saw this ESPN article by Terry Blount Wednesday morning, with some thought similar to mine, but perhaps better said)

Craftsman Twin-75 night at ODS

Last night I was able to attend an evening at Old Dominion Speedway for the first time since the 2006 season. Although the day itself was a roaster, the evening was quite pleasant. The adult admission was $15 for this slate of races - Twin-75 lappers for the Late Models, 50 laps for the Grand stocks, 30 for the mini-modifieds and 30 for the speedway sportsman. The fields were smaller than I had remembered - there were 5 cars in the speedway sportsman race, and even the late models only had 11 for the first race.

The programs are again $3 this year, but the cover is on heavy gloss paper this year, an improvement in quality over last year. Fosters no longer has the food concession at the track - I was a bit disappointed to learn that after I had arrived, as I had only though to bring bottles of water and did not pack in food. (I would later order takeout from Philadelphia Tavern in Manassas - the best cheesesteaks around - not as good as Geno's in Philly, but it'll do in a pinch)

There were plenty of spins and wrecks on the night - including one on the first lap of the first Late Model race that knocked out the eventual 1st and 3rd place finishers in the 2nd late model race. Lots of loose race cars, and the occasional black-flag for spinning another competitor... Results

Craftsman Tools was the major sponsor for the night - from gifts to fans, both those wearing Craftsman logo items to those ticket numbers randomly pulled, to larger gifts to the winners of the major race divisions.

Also different for 2007 was the moving of the track entrance from along the frontstretch where it had always been over to off of turn two. The former location now sports a brick wall backed by a dirt berm. There have also been some wooden stands erected in turns 1 and 4, apparently for local TV, as it was announced that Comcast has been televising select races from select nights on their local cable outlets. In addition, the track itself apparently tapes every race, and gave out a few DVDs of those to people with birthdays.

I for one am glad that the track has survived to another season, and would hope that they will race again in 2008, and I look forward to making it back several more times in 2007.

ODS lives another year

I am a little late to the party, only learning today that Old Dominion Speedway (ODS) in Manassas, Virginia, has survived to open for the 2007 racing season, both on the short-track and drag-strip.

Last season, the track was sold to developers, and it was thought that 2006 would be the last season of racing. Enter the slight downturn in the Northern Virginia real estate market, and a temporary reprieve from demolition.

ODS presents an evening of racing that is still affordable to the masses - with adult prices ranging from $15-20 depending on the card. The Saturday night on the short-track features 5-6 racing series each night, with shorter distances and breaks in between that you don't see at the major league NASCAR level. ODS's premier division, the Late Models, competes against other tracks in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, and ODS had the 2003 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series National Champion, Winchester's Mark McFarland. (McFarland would later get a ride in the NASCAR Busch Series in the 88 Navy car for JR Motorsports for 2005, and part of 2006 before he was replaced by Shane Huffman) McFarland won a whopping 15 of 17 late model races at ODS that season - and finished 2nd in each of the other two. That same season, he ran late models at another track in Southeastern Virginia on Friday nights, and won the track title there too.

Day 52 - silent again

Day 52 sees GM/Saturn/Saturn of Manassas silent again. It has been 23 days since Saturn of Manassas was last heard from (that was by phone from the service clerk).

Busch penalty puts Truex in Chase top 12

The heavy penalty against Kurt Busch (#2 Miller Lite Dodge) that NASCAR imposed on thursday, that of a 100 point hit in the standings, both driver and owner, moved Martin Truex, Jr., into the 12th and final spot for the chase, still 632 points behind the leader, and bumped Dale Earnhardt, Jr. into 14th in the standings, just 23 points behind Truex. The surprise in the mix is Mark Martin, who, despite missing three races, sits in 11th in Driver points and is still in chase contention.

Truex's win on Monday was the first for the DEI #1 car since Steve Park at Rockingham in February 25, 2001 - a week after Dale Earnhardt was killed on the last lap at the Daytona 500. The only other time the DEI #1 car won was in August of 2000 at Watkins Glen, also Steve Park. DEI's cup wins now stand at 17 for the #8 car (All Dale Earnhardt, Jr.), 4 for the #15 car (all Michael Waltrip, three at Daytona and one at Talledega), and now 3 for the #1 car, for a total of 24 team Cup wins, including three Daytona 500s. DEI has also won the All-star race in the #8, and the Bud Shootout as well in the #8, and a Nextel Open event with the #1 car this year.