Nascar

Five legends of stock car auto racing were enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C., tonight during the Induction Ceremony held in the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte Convention. Four were NASCAR pioneers, building the sport during its formative years; the other ushered it into modern times and its exploding popularity.   Combined, they make the fourth class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It's a group with talents that run the gamut necessary for NASCAR excellence: Unparalleled driving skills; team unifying and talent evaluating ownership prowess; a brilliant mechanical mind.

Planemaker Cessna has entered the world of motor sports.  Cessna is now a primary sponsor for the #1 of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, which is driven by Jamie McMurray. It hasn't been determined which races will feature the logo on the car.  This is the first time Cessna and its parent company Textron have ventured into NASCAR as a sponosr. Their logo will also appear on Ganassi's other NASCAR entry and his Indy cars as an associate sponsor. Eyewitness Sports Reporter Heather Williams is following NASCAR Media Week festivities in North Carolina, be sure to catch up on her blog here: Heather Williams Backstretch Blog Cessna sponsors NASCAR driver

This is not your father's stock car. But the next generation of NASCAR Sprint Cup race cars is actual your grandfather's stock car, more or less. As I wind from shop to shop two days into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Media Tour hosted by the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the consensus is this the new style of car races good, but they look great. Click here for photos of the NASCAR Media Tour What's the big deal you ask? After several years of what was first introduced as the Car of Tomorrow (now the car of the past or the Generation 5 car)

I get it. It's Danica Patrick. She is the a female in a male dominated story. Every time she does something it's a story.  Her story is almost always "groundbreaking" and yes it's never ending. That being said, she is making the move up to the Sprint Cup series full time in 2013. She will be battling with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. for rookie of the year. And she will bring Danica Nation with her. But she is realistic to know that 2013 will be a growing process for her. Click here for photos from media week "It's qualifying, it's getting up to speed quickly.

No one saw this coming. No one.   Brad Keselowski won his first race in 2009 at Talladega Superspeedway, running a part-time schedule with single-car team Phoenix Racing. It was a nice story in a long season, one that ended with Jimmie Johnson winning the championship.   His second victory came in 2011 at Kansas Speedway while in his second full season with Penske Racing. That win moved him into 21st in points. Again, a feel-good story to weave into the year; one that culminates with Tony Stewart capturing his third title.

Kansas native Clint Bowyer may be done racing for the year, but he is still plenty busy. All of the drivers who finished in the top 10 in points are in Las Vegas this week for Friday's annual awards banquet. For Bowyer, he still can't believe his number 15 team finished second in the standings, in his first season at Michael Waltrip Racing. "It's huge -- to end up second in points and beat guys like Jimmie Johnson to do it," said Bowyer. "There's several races -- had I had to do over again -- I wish they would've been different.  Talladega was the biggest one. I'm proud of everybody, because we were there all season long.

Clint Bowyer's chance at a NASCAR championship will have to wait another year. The Emporia native appeared to be headed to Homestead, with an outside shot at the title. But instead, an accident caused when Jeff Gordon intentionally wrecked the 15 coming to the white flag, lead to a 28th place finish for Bowyer and officially eliminated him from contention in the chase. "It's crazy, I didn't even need to pass him, I was plenty content riding behind him," said Bowyer. "But he slipped up and I got under him and here he comes back.

Okay NASCAR fans gather around, it's time to have the talk. I know many of you have been dreading it. But it's time. As Jimmie Johnson is creeping closer to a sixth title, we have to start embracing the possiblity that JJ belongs in he same mention with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty. Here are the facts. Petty ran far more races than the the other two. It was just the way it was back then, so it's hard to compare wins. It did take Petty six seasons to get his first championship, 23 years to get his seven titles, it was 13 years between title number one and title number six. It took Earnhardt five years to get title number one, 19 years to get his seven titles, and it also took 13 years to get from one to six titles.

We all know about Clint Bowyer's involvement in NASCAR. If you didn't before you started reading this blog, you do now. But the Emporia native who is smack dab in the middle of the Chase for the Championship is not the only connection NASCAR has to the Sunflower State. "I can thing of five guys from Kansas that is working in some form (in racing)," said Bryan Kincheloe who is the tire specialist for the Number 13 car driven by Casey Mears in the Sprint Cup Series. "Maybe not on this level but trucks, ARCA, Nationwide.