Edwards is one of the few Nextel Cup stars who still, on a very regular basis, keeps up the short track barnstorming ways that defined stock racing before the national spotlight was shone on it.
Some say drivers like Edwards and Tony Stewart are tempting fate, putting their careers, multimillion dollar sponsorships and salaries - not to mention their lives – on the line racing outside NASCAR’s premier national divisions.
“The bottom line is, I’m a race car driver,” Edwards said. “I started racing cars because I loved to do it.” Shawn Courchesne, Courant.com
July 24
Terry Labonte is enjoying life these days.
The two-time Nextel Cup points champion runs an occasional Cup race but also has time to do other things like run in the TD Banknorth Oxford 250.
Labonte is no stranger to western Maine. His dad, Robert, was born and raised in the Rumford-Mexico area. Larry Mahoney, BangorDailyNews
July 20
Carl Edwards will make his second racing appearance at I-80 Speedway Sunday.
The driver of the No. 99 Office Depot Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series will be racing in the Dodge Super Late Model division against I-80 regulars, including his younger brother Kenny. MARSHA HOFFMAN, The Daily Nonpareil
NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers Ken Schrader (Woods Bros. Little Debbie #21 Ford) and Kenny Wallace (Furniture Row #78 Chevy) were on hand to race their dirt cars and spend some time with fans. Though the weather was a big concern for track owner Al Varnadore, by 4 p.m. the skies had cleared and work began on drying the track.
Scharder and Wallace helped keep the fans occupied by signing autographs and photos.
July 19
NASCAR’s “King, ” Richard Petty, recently roared into and out of town, the declared starting point for the 2007 Chick-Fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride.
“I love this little place, ” said Petty, who had visited Mount Desert Island with his wife Lynda three years prior to his arrival last week. Lauren Simmons, Ellsworthmaine.com
Busch, Kenseth and Sauter are the latest examples of a growing trend in NASCAR these days that find more and more drivers racing at short tracks around the country.
For most, it’s a chance to relax, kick back and get away from the high-pressure world of the Nextel Cup scene and return to their roots—racing at the bullrings of the country. Pete Pistone, Special to CBS SportsLine.com
By the time the massive line was finished snaking down the cement concourse just above the third baseline, the clouds had covered Silver Cross Stadium with a navy haze and the wind had died down to mere gusts.
The NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers, idols in these rabid fans minds and the reason behind the never-ending waiting line, patiently signed autographs before trotting out in shorts and baseball jerseys to test their softball skills.
Brian Vickers, who struck out in his first try at batting practice, trudged out of the batter’s box, making way for Kyle Busch.
- By Maureen Lynch NWHerald
July, 14 2007
There was no mistaking the tribute. Austin Petty, 25-year-old grandson of NASCAR King Richard Petty, wore jersey No. 45 in Thursday night’s Racin’ the Bases charity softball game at Silver Cross Field.
Adam Petty drove car No. 45. He was a rising star in the stock car racing world. Then, suddenly, at the age of 19 he was gone.
- By Ron Kremer Suburban Chicago News
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