Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart may not think it's a national holiday, but Junior Nation sure isn't hearing that. People I didn't even know were NASCAR fans were Facebooking and tweeting about Dale Earnhardt, Jr's win on Sunday. And tv outlets that never even give NASCAR a second thought, or in the case of ESPN, only throw it a courtesy bone on SportsCenter, were all the sudden taking notice. The biggest name in NASCAR, picked up his first win in four seasons. " It's a big deal for me," said Earnhardt, Jr.   "But I like seeing, you know, I like seeing the smiles on everyone else's -- on everybody else's face.

As NASCAR fans, we are just different than fans of other sports. Spoiled I say. The sport is pretty much a year around affair. And for the short time that is gone, we go through some major withdrawals. And lets be honest, anyone that would dedicate 4 hours ever Sunday from February to November must have a major addiction. So it probably comes as no surprise to you that I found myself squinting at my i-Phone, watching the cars go around the track for Day One of the pre-season test at Daytona know as "Pre-season Thunder.

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Friday that Darian Grubb has been named crew chief for its No. 11 FedEx Toyota NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team.   "Darian is a great addition to our organization and person to lead our No. 11 FedEx team," said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. "Obviously he has proven the ability to guide a team to a championship and we are excited to have him working with Denny (Hamlin) toward achieving that goal here at Joe Gibbs Racing. "   Grubb is coming off an impressive championship run with driver Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing which included winning five of the 10 Chase races en route to capturing the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.

After two straight weeks at NASCAR's home base in Charlotte, it's time to take this traveling circus back on the road. This week's stop Dover International Speedway, also known as the Monster Mile and with good reason. It's is the fast mile long track on the circuit and it has a bad reputation. "If you say Dover doesn't intimidate you, you are lying," said Jeff Burton. "I couldn't think of a more perfect nickname than the 'Monster Mile.' You have to be exceptionally aggressive, but if you cross the line, you will be in trouble.

Just two races are left until we crown a Sprint Cup Champion. And it looks like we will have a new champion for the first time in five seasons. Five time champ Jimmie Johnson is 55 points behind leader Carl Edwards in sixth place. A lot of drivers would have a pair of disastrous races for five time to become six time. Which is just one of the reasons that the drama will be cranked up as NASCAR heads to the desert. Also adding to the intrig is that no one knows what to expect at the Phoenix International Raceway.

You know what I love about the last men standing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup? How much these two drivers are so different, and yet so much alike. You have Tony Stewart, the unabashed bad boy, who really is a softy at heart. And then there is Carl Edward, who Stewart once called "NASCAR's Eddie Haskell. " Edwards is NASCAR's All-American boy, but he's got a bad boy streak to him. "This is going to be a good competition, you guys," said Edwards. "Don't think for a second that either one of us are going to let anything slide.

The Grand Marshal for Sunday's Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR may have been Vanilla Ice. But while people on twitter were busy quoting "Ice, Ice Baby," I was having a hard time getting Sam Hagar out of my head. NASCAR was dishing out more speeding penalties than a small town police department at the end of the month. For whatever reason, drivers were having a hard time obeying NASCAR's 55 mph speed limit on pit road. "There is a segment where something is just not like it normally is," Jimmie Johnson, who got nailed twice by a speeding penalty told USA Today . "There is something wrong with the timing loop.