NASCAR roundup

News:

• Sources: Sadler set to return to No. 19
• Petty, Gillett Evernham to merge
• Chevy to remain Daytona sponsor
• Owner reaches deal on fraud charges
• Logano to defend All-Star title
• Baldwin to debut Cup team at Daytona

Analysis:

• DW: Teams spend too much
• Owens: Where were the fireworks?
• DW: Petty cash, not enough
• McReynolds: It all starts here
• Mondaca: Nine stories for '09

Looking back at 2008:

• Sprint Cup
• Nationwide
• Trucks

Blog:

• Check out the NASCAR community

The track was designed and built by Bill France Sr. to be the fastest, biggest, baddest, hardest track that anyone had ever raced on. That was his vision. He wanted high, high banks. He wanted high, high speed, high, high drama and just anything you could think of that could happen at a race track, his vision was that it would happen at Talladega.

Talladega has always had the "WOW" factor. There was Bill Elliott qualifying at 212 mph and also making up 2 laps during the race to win. You had Dale Earnhardt Sr. roaring up through the field from something like 20th place in a couple of laps to win. We've had so many cool things like this happen at Talladega over the years. Whatever you can fathom, trust me, it has probably happened at Talladega. That was Big Bill's dream and that's what he built the track to be like.

It's never disappointed us. I chuckle every time there is a race at Talladega and after the race, folks are upset. They say the drivers are idiots, crazy, wild, reckless and about any other adjective you can think of to put on a driver. Then you have bizarre things happen at Talladega. They always have and Sunday was no different than 99 percent of the other races that have been run there.

One thing that I did not understand was during qualifying at Talladega when the cars were coming into Turn 4 and dropping down on the apron of the race track. I thought to myself that I had never seen that before. At Daytona and Talladega if you can't pass below the yellow line, they shouldn't be letting guys run down there during qualifying. I thought that was unusual and I was glad NASCAR clarified that early this week with their statement.

I don't fault Regan Smith for what he did Sunday. I thought it was a great move. Tony Stewart gave up the bottom line just a tad and Regan got his nose down there. When he got down on the apron I thought he was done and would fall back, but he didn't and kept pressing forward until son of a gun, he beat Tony to the line.

NASCAR did the right thing. If you have a rule, you have to enforce the rule. I felt sorry for Regan. I was happy for Tony because he finally won a Cup race at Talladega. Remember folks, this is a guy that has finished in second place six times there already. So he was no longer the bridesmaid at Talladega.

Overall, Talladega didn't disappoint. People get so angry with us on TV and in the media for talking about Talladega and the big one. Guess what folks? Talladega and the big one just seem to go together.