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Hall of Famer Wallace shares funny story of how he got into racing (AUDIO)

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Rusty Wallace joined by other NASCAR legends in Charlotte, NC. (photo/NASCAR)

Rusty Wallace joined by other NASCAR legends in Charlotte, NC. (photo/NASCAR)

St. Louis native Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR Cup champion, was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame over the weekend in Charlotte, NC. With his induction, all Hall of Fame eligible drivers with 50 or more Cup victories are now enshrined. Wallace is also the youngest driver to be enshrined.  During his induction speech, Rusty recalled a funny story of how his uncle fired him from a job in St. Louis and how that opened up an opportunity to pursue his dream in racing.

AUDIO Portion of Wallace’s speech (2:20)

“The thing I learned, and I said it at the driver meeting in 2005 the day I retired and walked out, I said: ‘This is a privilege. This is a privilege to race in NASCAR. You don’t have to do it. We’re not making you do it. It’s a privilege to race in NASCAR, and it’s a blessing for me to be in this sport and do what I’ve done,’ ” Wallace said. “I just hope all the young drivers respect NASCAR as much as I respect it and go out there and say nice things about NASCAR and help build this sport.”

In a career that spanned 26 years, Wallace won 55 times at NASCAR’s highest level.

Kahne gains the pole at Kansas Speedway with record time

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Kasey Kahne ran a record 191.360 mph on Friday in qualifying for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway. Kahne lapped the track in 28.219 seconds (191.360 mph) to edge second-place qualifier Mark Martin (191.238 mph) by .018 seconds. The pole is Kahne’s fourth of the season, the 26th of his career and his third at Kansas, tying him for most all time with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson.

Clint Bowyer, who hopes to gain ground on the top three drivers in the Chase, Brad Keselowski, Johnson and Denny Hamlin, grabbed the third starting spot with a lap at 191.130 mph. Kyle Busch (191.096 mph) qualified fourth, followed by Aric Almirola (190.988 mph). Columbia’s Carl Edwards will start 17th.

Starting grid

Junior to miss NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway due to a concussion

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Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s fan favorite, is going to miss the next two weeks of racing as he tries to recover from a concussion. Junior will miss Saturday’s race at Charlotte as well as the 400 mile race on Oct. 21 at Kansas Speedway.

Earnhardt, who just turned 38 on Wednesday, complained of feeling disorientated after he got hit from behindat Talladega. Symptoms crept back after he suffered a concussion earlier this year during a test ride in August at Kansas Speedway. NASCAR is taking the same steps that the NFL takes now in treating concussions. At a press conference with Earnhardt in Charlotte, NC. Dr. Jerry Petty, a consultant to NASCAR talked about Junior’s situation.

“We’ve patterned our rules after the NFL to a degree. We would do the same procedure about giving them five or six days without a headache and then doing provocative tests,” said Petty.  “Ninety percent of a concussion probably depends on an individual’s information. By and large, it’s the history that the patient gives that is the thing that tells you that they’ve had a concussion. A concussion can be seeing stars. A concussion can be just being addled for a minute. Anytime the brain is not doing what it’s supposed to be doing after an acceleration or deceleration, that’s a concussion.”

Earnhardt himself knew something wasn’t right as soon as the wreck occured.

“I knew that I had sort of regressed and had a bit of a setback and knew as soon as it happened that I had reinjured myself,” said Earnhardt. He will be replaced in the #88 by Regan Smith.

Time just about out for Carl Edwards (AUDIO/VIDEO)

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Still looking for his first win in the Sprint Cup Series since week three of last season, the odds of Carl Edwards competiting for a championship this season are slimmer than his loss to Tony Stewart last year at Homestead. It will take nothing short of a miracle for the Columbia, Mo. native to get in as a wild card.

After Sunday’s 36th-place finish at Atlanta, Edwards is all but mathematically eliminated from Chase contention. He is 49 points behind Stewart, who finished 22nd and can do no worse than a wild-card spot in the Chase because of his three victories.  The only way Edwards is going to get into the Chase is with a win at Richmond, then to make up 26 points on Kyle Busch, currently two places ahead of him in the standings, and also leapfrog Jeff Gordon in points.

AUDIO It’s frustrating for Edwards. (:16)

Check out video from NASCAR.com of Edward’s bad day in Atlanta.

Osborne out as Carl’s crew chief

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Bob Osborne, Carl Edwards’ crew chief for his Sprint Cup debut in 2004, stepped down from his role at Roush-Fenway Racing due to health concerns. Chad Norris was named the crew chief for the No. 99 team. Osborne and Edwards combined for 18 wins and two runner-up finishes.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Carl Edwards for the past nine years and, during that time, my focus has been building a championship-caliber program,” Osborne said. “I’m proud of the 18 wins we’ve had together in Sprint Cup Series competition and our two second-place points finishes. At this time in my life, however, concerns with my health have necessitated that I change my role within the organization. This transition is not an easy one, but I’m thankful to have the full support of Jack, Carl and the entire organization. I also have every confidence in Chad Norris, and I look forward to working with him as we continue to pursue a championship in 2012. I also appreciate the privacy and respect that the community will give me and my family during this difficult time.”

Edwards said he was grateful for what Osborne did for him as a driver. “I cannot say enough good things about Bob Osborne,” Edwards said. “He is without a doubt one of the smartest guys in the sport. I’m also appreciative of the fact that he’ll continue to be a resource for me and our team as we focus on these final races.”

Osborne will stay on with Roush-Fenway as a senior member of the organization’s management team and steering committee.

NASCAR moves start time of Daytona 500 to 6 p.m. central

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Rain in Florida continues to play havoc with the start of the race season and NASCAR made the decision to push back the scheduled start time of the Daytona 500 to 6 p.m. central.  The announcement just came down moments ago from officials after consulting with meterologists, team owners and media partners.

Edwards takes the poll, rest of Daytona field to be set Thursday

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Coming in with a lap at 194.738 mph (46.216 seconds), fastest since Jeff Gordon in 1999, Columbia, MO. native Carl Edwards beat out Roush-Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle (194.087 mph) for the pole in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Under Daytona’s unique qualifying format, only the two fastest drivers in time trials know they’ll be starting next Sunday on the front row. The rest of the drivers will battle for positions Thursday’s dual 150 qualifying races.

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Edwards finishes in second at Phoenix, up three on Stewart

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Columbia native Carl Edwards is leading Tony Stewart by three points heading into next weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup finale at Homestead after finishing in second behind Kasey Kahne in Phoenix.

Stewart finished third and at one point was leading the race and had a two point lead over Edwards for the overall standings. Edwards finishes the day with 2,359 points total.

Edwards is looking for his first Sprint Cup Championship. It will also end Jimmie Johnson’s reign of five straight championships.

Carl clings to one point NASCAR lead

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Through his radio at the conclusion of the Dover race, Columbia native Carl Edwards predicted a win for his crew at Kansas Speedway, which he considers his home track. After Sunday’s fifth place finish, Edwards was just happy they finished on the lead lap and thrilled they got a top five.

“I feel like I won,” Edwards said of his comeback. “We were very fortunate. I do not deserve to be sitting up here,” Edwards said. “We’ve messed-up enough in the past that I’m proud of our ability to keep plugging along. Maybe it’s a test to see if anyone melts down.”

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