Nascar and Racing Terry Labonte

Sterling Marlin won't be back in the drivers seat for Morgan-McClure Motorsports, despite a report yesterday that he might find a ride in a second car from the team, XM radio reported.

The FanHouse wasn't exactly believing the idea behind Marlin moving in as a teammate with Ward Burton yesterday, either.

XM Radio got a hold of McClure Thursday.

Morgan McClure team owner Larry McClure told Claire B. Lang on XM Satellite Radio that the rumor is absolutely not true.

McClure: "I know nothing about it. I have talked to no one. I have not talked to Sterling in a year and I have not talked to any of his people."

CBL: By no stretch of the imagination would anyone think that Sterling Marlin is going to go work for you.

McClure: "No mam."

Interestingly enough, the Cup Scene Daily no longer has any mention of the article up on the site. (HT: Jayski)

Ken Schrader Makes One-Race Cup Return w/ BAM Racing

I'd imagine when Ken Schrader decided to allow Bill Elliott to fill his seat in the No. 21 due to champion's provisionals in May, he didn't expect the end of July to roll around until he found a new ride.

I'd imagine Michael Waltrip thought that by this time in the 2007 campaign, he wouldn't be making announcements like this.

Michael Waltrip Racing announced Wednesday that two-time Cup champ Terry Labonte will find himself in the No. 55 Toyota for the Allstate 400 on July 29th.

Labonte drove the No. 55 for Waltrip in Sonoma, Calif., and finished 35th on the road course. He's also scheduled to drive next month at Watkins Glen.

"I felt having him in the car next weekend at Indianapolis would be a great opportunity for me to continue to evaluate my entire organization from an owner's perspective," Waltrip said Wednesday.

"The feedback related to road course racing that Terry was able to provide my team after Infineon Raceway was very valuable. "We look forward to more of the same input after Indy."

Labonte has participated 11 races at the Brickyard, but has had only one top-5 finish back in 1996.

Jamie McMurray starts on the pole today. That's only happened twice before in his five-year Nextel Cup career, the last time at the 2005 Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway on July 24, 2005. He finished 11th. His first Bud Pole Award came at Homestead in 2004 where he finished 9th.

Robby Gordon will start 2nd in the Toyota/SaveMart 350. Last time he started that high in the field was here in 2003. He won. He owes TGOM a thank you. Because he was excluded from the power rankings, he has a shot at repeating.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. starts 3rd. Previously, his best start at Infineon Raceway came in 2005, which didn't work out too well for him. He started 10th, finished 42nd.

As is normal in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, plenty of road course specialty racers will be attempting the field this weekend at Infineon Raceway in California. The 11-turn course brings out drivers from several road course series' filling in or running an extra car.

These "ringers" have had decent success in NASCAR Nextel Cup action at Infineon. Scott Pruett, who won't be in a car this weekend (maybe because Juan Pablo Montoya is?) has the best finish in the last five years for a non-Cup regular with a third in 2004.

2006 saw Boris Said (pictured) pick up ninth for the top ringer finish. Boris is among this year's entry list:

1. Jeff Gordon. This place is heaven for Gordon. Last year he announced his engagement, this year he's having a baby. If Ingrid's not giving birth on Sunday, Jeffy will be out front in Sonoma. He is by far the dominant driver on the track with five poles, five wins and nine top 10s. If he has to miss one race, this shouldn't be it.
(Update: The kid is out and the race is on.)
2. Tony Stewart. He's the head of the class if Gordon's out. Maybe his 300th Nextel Cup career start will jump start his 2007 win column with his 30th career win.
3. Denny Hamlin. Only one start here, but that shouldn't stop him. This is a COT race. The COT owes him.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has a groundhog problem.

The course will serve as a home to the Busch series this August in its first foray north of the border to Montreal, Canada.

But, thankfully, two-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champ Terry Labonte doesn't think the groundhogs cause much of a problem.

"I think the noise of the stock car scared them away so I didn't see any when I took the car around the track. Hopefully they'll make a good decision not to come across," said Labonte.

Imagine the possibilities with this one.

What happens when the race leader is coming to the checkered flag and takes a furry creature through the grill?

Is Juan Pablo Montoya (who has Formula One experience at the course) used to dodging groundhogs?

Could the guy from Caddyshack be hired by NASCAR to help with extermination?

F1 driver Anthony Davidson did hit a groundhog -- wrongly accused of being a beaver at first -- at last weekend's Canadian Grand Prix. Let's just say that when Davidson's front wing was replaced, the old one was carrying some extra cargo.

Labonte was in Canada at the start of the week to test a Richard Childress Racing Busch car for NASCAR to find braking points and determine if any changes were needed to the course.

... a piece of it anyway.

As Bristol Motor Speedway's surface gets thrown to the chopping block this week in favor of a new, progressively banked concrete base, the lovely folks in charge at Thunder Valley have announced that you can now own a piece of the start/finish line that was installed just 15 years ago. Available in three sizes, you can buy a piece of concrete that Terry Labonte slid across for a win. Or that Jeff Gordon drove across twice for the win after bumping Rusty Wallace out of the way. Or that Kyle Busch did a burn out on just last Sunday.

Oh, and don't forget. Kurt Busch's rear end did the snow angel on it in last year's Food City 500, as well. Wouldn't that be a treat to put above the fireplace?

The pieces are going to be available for order on July 1 and apparently in limited quantities because the start/finish line is the only place that is going to be sold off.

I think I'm going to hold out, though, because I think the rest of the concrete there will eventually have its price. After all, where's the love for turn 3 or the backstretch? I'm sure Bobby Labonte might want a piece of that concrete under where he stood to let loose on his wrecked Interstate Batteries Lumina in 1996.

So note to Speedway Motorsports owner [and BMS owner] Bruton Smith, don't smash up the backstretch because I need a new driveway. And my backyard? It could definitely use a nice section of turn 4 (banking included).

I can't wait.