FanHouse Warmup: Samsung 500

Where: Texas Motor Speedway
Time: Sunday 2 p.m./EDT
TV/Radio: FOX Sports, PRN Radio
Forecast: Sunny, 62 degrees
Distance: 334 laps (501 miles)
Pole Winner: David Reutimann
2008 Winner: Carl Edwards


For the sake of racing in general let's hope that Saturday's Nationwide Series race at TMS will have been nothing like Sunday's Samsung 500. Missed that race? Well, here's all you need to know: Kyle Busch, Kyle Busch and, yep, more Kyle freakin' Busch.

Busch led 178 of the 200 laps at the Fort Worth, Tex.-area track to claim his third victory in-a-row in Nationwide Series races at TMS. He also became the first driver from that series to win the race from the pole.

I'm not sure exactly what the problem was with competition on Saturday, but it's darn sure easy to tell that there was none up front. In fact, one of the few lead changes happened when Jeff Burton started to catch Busch during a long green flag run and the 'Shrub' pointed low and let him by. Obviously, the change in command didn't last very long.

Brad Keselowski (3rd), Mike Bliss (7th) and Justin Allgaier (10th) were the only non-Cup regulars in the race's Top-10, which makes it painfully obvious that those guys are getting outclassed to an extreme. Unfortunately, their lack of competition just makes the race a horrible show for the fans in the stands and at home.

Blame the Cup teams, blame NASCAR for allowing them and blame the sport as a whole for getting this absurd craze to build 1.5-mile palaces of speed and doldrums -- whatever it is, it needs to change.

Can David Reutimann really back up his pole-winning run? I'd sure like to think so. The Florida driver made the biggest of turnarounds for that No. 00 team (remember watching that car with Michael McDowell flip wildly in a qualifying crash a year ago at TMS?) on Friday, and it wouldn't surprise me if Reutimann can contend for Sunday's win.

The No. 00 team is an impressive 11th in points and already has a Top-5 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this season. A year ago at TMS? He picked up a 10th-place finish.

You've got to bet that the team has hopes high for today.

If NASCAR isn't your fancy (I'm not sure why you'd be reading this if it isn't...) and you need some other racing action to catch today, flip over to Versus on the old magic box for today's IndyCar Series Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg -- the season opener.

FH's Holly Cain is on location for the happenings and if you're a fan of both NASCAR and the open-wheelers, well Sunday night should be great for your online viewing pleasure as FH will have plenty of coverage of all of today's racing activity.

We'll look forward to see you back after the checkered flag. Enjoy.