Nascar

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Clint Bowyer had a front-row seat for the fender-banging and postrace confrontation between teammate Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch, both before and after he careened into the wall at the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Aside from the fact the crash denied him a top-five finish, Bowyer saw the positives in what's turning out to be NASCAR's version of the Saturday night fights. Two weeks ago, Juan Pablo Montoya and Ryan Newman traded wrecks and words at Richmond, and after Saturday night's race, Harvick walked up to Busch's car and tried to throw a punch through the mesh window only to see Busch restart his car and ram Harvick's driverless car into the wall.

As expected, NASCAR officials weren't as amused as some spectators at the shenanigans involving Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick at Darlington Raceway. Each driver has been fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation for the next four Sprint Cup Series championship points events through June 15. They were cited for "actions detrimental to stock car racing" — specifically their altercation on pit road after the race. "These penalties are about maintaining a safe environment on pit road," NASCAR communications director Kerry Tharp said.

The Busch brothers are loved by some and loathed by others with good reason: They win races. Kyle and Kurt Busch have 43 Cup victories following Kyle's triumph at Richmond, pushing them to a fifth-place tie among racing brothers in NASCAR history. Kurt Busch has 22 and Kyle 21. Here's a list of who they are chasing: •94 wins — Bobby (84) and Donnie Allison (10). •88 — Darrell (84) and Michael (4) Waltrip. •62 — Tim (39)

NASCAR Nation remained relatively unscathed in the wake of the devastating storms that rocked Alabama and surrounding areas. There was a bit of minor damage at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Nothing much worth noting at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., which was fortunate to have escaped the wrath of nature twice in the span of a few weeks. Nationwide Series driver Eric McClure got the worst of it. He survived what he describes as the "most helpless and scary" moment of his life when a tornado tore through his home in Abingdon, Va. "It looks like a war zone, a minefield," McClure told reporters.

Jimmie Johnson is apologizing, but he's not exactly sorry. There's a big difference. Johnson admits he was out of line for criticizing NASCAR after he was penalized for a speeding penalty at Martinsville on Sunday. Two days later, Johnson admitted "we were wrong" but didn't let NASCAR off the hook completely. He probably isn't the only person in the world who thinks a simple solution to pit road controversy would be for NASCAR to make pit road speeds immediately available for drivers, crew chiefs and fans to see. Johnson got busted for a segment different than the one he thought he was busted for during the race.

Everybody always is saying NASCAR needs to reach out to a younger demographic. Guess what? That's exactly what its marketing team is doing. "NASCAR Kinetics" is in its third year. The program recruits and educates college students across the nation, giving them hands-on experience working with professionals in the world of motorsports. Each semester, students are given case studies and asked to develop a marketing plan. For instance, this semester, student groups across 12 college campuses have been asked to develop marketing plans for the new brand of ethanol-blend gasoline used in the three NASCAR circuits.

NASCAR drivers are a restless breed. They often complain about the long grind of the season, yet when they have a chance to make it a Blockbuster night and wind down with friends and family, they end up chasing more speed. Isn't that right, Kurt Busch ? Busch competed in the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. over the weekend, and managed to put a scare into the field of veterans who do this kind of thing for a living. Busch, competing as a professional drag racer for the first time, nearly pulled off a huge upset against veteran Erica Ender, who edged Busch by half a car length on the quarter-mile drag strip Sunday.

Short of Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning the Daytona 500 — a scenario that would have prompted Tony Kornheiser and others to scream "Shenanigans!" — NASCAR could not have scripted a better way to start the 2011 season. A refreshing new face popped out of the cluster of cars to win the Daytona 500. And a revered old one took a big step toward relevancy the next week in Phoenix. Trevor Bayne and Jeff Gordon represent a nice link to NASCAR's present and past. Bayne is among the new generation of rising, marketable stars.

A year ago, people from all over the world were looking at Daytona International Speedway and laughing. It wasn't a chuckle that resonated warmly in the corporate offices. A pothole made a mockery of the track and the signature NASCAR event of the season, the Daytona 500. Fast-forward to this week: NASCAR is all abuzz because a 20-year-old kid rumbled into Victory Lane, driving fast and hard on a new asphalt surface that cost $20 million. It was money well spent. The new surface — with much more sticking power that allowed for faster speeds — was a big hit, though it was overshadowed by Trevor Bayne's improbable victory.

It's too soon to tell George Diaz Orlando Sentinel It's awfully tempting to jump on the Trevor Bayne bandwagon — restrictor plates in place, of course — and celebrate a new era in stock car racing. And that would be truly preposterous. You want to root for the kid and his team, the iconic Wood Brothers. It's easy to see why many media members broke protocol and cheered as Bayne's Ford crossed the finish line Sunday. But the morning-after reality is this: Bayne isn't even scheduled to run a full Sprint Cup season (although that could change)