Hot: Jimmie Johnson. Three wins in the first five races? Not too bad I guess. As Darrell Waltrip would say, “It’s deja vu all over again!”

Not: Kasey Kahne. Kahne complained of brake problems throughout the race. What Kenny Francis should’ve told him was, “Don’t worry, Bud(pun intended). We switched to Ford, not Toyota.”

Hot: Tony Stewart. Smoke has been fairly hot most of the year. So after his second place finish at Bristol, I guess it was time to include him in the fun.

Not: Clint Bowyer. His engine was hot, but Bowyer was not. Much like Northern Iowa in March. Wait, they beat the Jayhawks?!?!?

Hot: Roush-Fenway Racing. How’s this for solid: Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth have finished in the top 10 in every race this season. And how about Carl Edwards, finishing 6th and beating Brad Keselowski(relax, I don’t mean that literally).

Not: David Reutimann. Reuti’s going to be really good this year… as soon as he can get his motor to last for a full race.

Hot: Kurt Busch. Another solid run for the Miller Man. Could Kurt be the guy to challenge J.J. for the top spot this year?

Not: Joe Gibbs’ Tires. Three cars. Three blown tires. Kyle Busch rebounded to a 9th place finish, but Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin took more hard hits in the points this week.

Hot: Dale Earnhardt Jr. He may not entirely be “back”, per say. But Junior is running well, as he earned his second top 10 of the season at Bristol.

Not: Mark Martin. Remember that ARCA driver that replaced Martin at Atlanta? Well, he subbed for Mark again this week, but they forgot to tell him that, when you have a flat tire, you’re supposed to slow down going into the corner to avoid hitting other cars and causing a big pileup.

Every week, we bring you live timing and scoring of each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, courtesy of Foxsports.com. For live timing and scoring of the Food City 500, click on the link below:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/cup/raceTrax?gameId=20100321031&state=RACE

For those of you unfamiliar with the game, don’t worry. The rules are simple. Just select a lineup of 8 drivers and a qualifier, staying under the 450 point salary cap, and accumulate the most amount of points possible.

In Freeroll, you’ll get to play against several of NASCAR’s biggest fans, including your’s truly(under the name “Hopper”, by the way).

Here’s how to play:

-Go to www.365fantasysports.com

-Scroll down on the 365 homepage until you see “Stock Car Spin Freeroll”

-Enter Invitation Code “spin”

-Set your lineup

-Win and brag to your friends, or lose and never hear the end of it!!!

It’s free, it’s fun, it’s easy. It’s Stock Car Spin Freeroll. Enjoy!

Well, be laughed at no more! What I have for you today is a chart you can refer to the next time you’re wondering whether it’s David “Regan” or “Ragan”, or any other time you’re confused about how to spell a driver’s name.

Name: Kurt, Kyle Busch

Commonly spelled: Kurt, Kyle Bush

How to remember: Kurt drives the Miller Lite car, but his name is spelled like a rival beer, “Busch”. And Kyle is Kurt’s brother, so they naturally spell their last names the same way.

Name: David Ragan

Commonly spelled: David Regan

How to remember: The first three letters of Ragan’s last name spell “rag”, like “rags to riches”, which is how Ragan’s NASCAR journey went. Regan is the first name of another race car driver. He and Ragan do not spell their names the same way.

Name: Kasey Kahne

Commonly spelled: Casey Kahne, Kasey Kane, Kasey Khane

How to remember: Initials are “KK”. Both names have 5 letters. The “h” is between the “a” and the “n”, so the middle letters go in alphabetical order.

Name: Elliott Sadler

Commonly spelled: Elliot Sadler

How to remember: Two “Ls” and two “Ts”. Also, Sadler spells his first name just like Bill Elliott spells his last name: Elliott.

Name: Joey Logano

Commonly spelled: Joey Lagano

How to remember: Think “Logan”, like the first name of somebody you probably know, then just add the “o”. Very simple.

Name: Jeff Gordon

Commonly spelled: Jeff Gordan, Jeff Gorden

How to remember: Gordon’s name only contains one vowel, but it’s used twice. There is no “a”, and no “e”. Just two “Os”. Gordon.

Name: Kevin Harvick

Commonly spelled: Keven Harvick, Kevan Harvick

How to remember: The last two letters of Harvick’s first name spell the word “in”.

Name: Jimmie Johnson

Commonly spelled: Jimmy Johnson

How to remember: His name is spelled like that of a girl. His car is co-owned by Jeff Gordon, who many people believe is a girl. It’s “ie”, not “y”.

If you have any more names to add, please include them in the “comments” section. Thank you.

Keselowski angered Carl Edwards at Atlanta last Sunday to the point where Edwards intentionally spun him out, resulting in Keselowski’s car flipping over and into the wall, endangering both the driver and the fans.

So how did Keselowski react? Is he going to change his driving style? His choice has been made:

“That’s probably the best revenge there is – to not let it get to me one bit, to not change. That’s a sign to (Edwards) and everyone else that that’s not going to work on me. I feel lucky to be in race cars that are as safe as they are, to be able to be here talking today and to be able to say, ‘Hey, I’ll take the lick and I’ll get out of the car and come back the next race weekend and drive just as hard,’ just to prove a point that I wasn’t wrong and I still don’t feel like I’m wrong.”

So that’s how it’s going to be. On the one hand, I’ve got to pat Brad on the back for sticking with his guts and doing what got him into a top-tier NASCAR ride. That takes a lot of… well, something a lot of drivers don’t have these days. But…

On the other hand, Keselowski is showing how little he values life in general also. His own, as well as that of the fans. In two separate incidents in the past year, fans and drivers have been endangered, and even hurt, by flying cars. Both incidents involved one common denominator:

Brad Keselowski.

But the choice has been made. Like it or not, it is what it is. Nobody can make that choice besides Brad Keselowski. It’s a big risk/big reward decision. But if somebody loses their life because of it, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.

Hopefully the reward is greater than the risk. I don’t want to have to say “I told you so.”

Tony Stewart snubbing fans at AMS. Taken by Jackie Montedonico

No athlete has ever made it to the top without the help of his fans. Tony Stewart is no exception.

Unfortunately, he’s forgotten that.

Most NASCAR drivers will take the time out of their hectic schedule to pose for pictures and sign autographs for fans. While it may not be a huge deal for the drivers, as a fan, the fact that those guys are willing to take the time for you can really make you feel good. Guys like Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, and Clint Bowyer are more than willing to spend a moment or two with the fans of the sport.

Sadly, one of NASCAR’s biggest stars doesn’t do that. 2-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart has calmed down in the public eye, but when the cameras are turned off, it’s the same ol’ Tony.

I have had the chance to see Tony in person twice, and both times, he snubbed both myself and the small crowd of die-hard fans around me. When I say small, I mean about 10 or 15 people who aren’t being pushy, but are simply asking nicely if Tony will take just 2 minutes out of his schedule to pose for a picture or sign an autograph.

Such a small gesture could make someone’s life complete. Believe me, I know. But it’s just not worth Tony’s time.

I’ve heard other stories like mine. Several fans have had trouble getting Tony to take any time with them. I’ve even heard many horror stories about how Tony has cussed at children before, telling them to “Eff off” when they ask politely for his autograph.

I know he’s a champion in a major sport, but that does not give him the right to be like that. Darrell Waltrip is a three-time champion, and he’s the most awesome guy you could ever meet. Ricky Carmichael has won several AMA Supercross championships, and he’s as affable as the next guy. Indianapolis 500 champion Sam Hornish Jr. is awesome, and Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman is more than happy to take the time to please a few fans.

But Tony Stewart? Uh-uh.

It’s sad, really. I’d like to be able to cheer for Stewart. He seems like a decent guy on camera. But when the cameras are turned off, the fans are like dirt to him. Unfortunately, guys like Kevin Harvick and Jamie McMurray, believe it or not, are of the same mindset, just not to that extent. God created all men to be equal. But sadly, Tony Stewart doesn’t see things that way.

Tony Stewart should be nicer to his fans.

Before NASCAR decides to do anything drastic, I have a message for them:

Don’t change a thing, except for the wing.

Stay the course. The fans demanded you to let the drivers have at it, and on Sunday, they got what they wanted. Yes, it was scary. But in a few weeks, the thing that caused the problem won’t be a problem anymore.

Carl Edwards was wrong in what he did. But the wing is the sole reason Keselowski’s car went over. By the time we get to the next high-speed track, that thing will be gone. And any further incidents like this will result in much less severe accidents, unless they occur on a restrictor plate track.

NASCAR, stick to your guns here. Remember, the fans whined about the racing being too dangerous last year when Edwards went in the fence. And when you tightened the reins further, the racing flat-out sucked. Don’t make that same mistake again. In a few weeks, the problem will have sorted itself out, and everything will be fine. We’ll have safe, but great racing.

NASCAR, in spite of what happened on Sunday, don’t change a thing. Except the wing.

Many people believed that Edwards should have received a heftier punishment; namely a suspension. But one writer believes that Edwards should have received much more than that: Jail time.

David Whitley of Fanhouse wrote an article stating why Edwards should go to jail. In my opinion, Mr. Whitley’s claims are ridiculous. You are about to see his main points(in italics) and my counter-points:

“Nobody was killed at the Kobalt Tools 500, but Edwards would have been arrested if he’d pulled that stunt on I-85.”

 Yes, but it didn’t occur on I-85. It happened on a race track. 1-85 is an interstate where innocent citizens drive. The race track is a closed circuit. The guys in the cars and the fans in the stands know the risks.

“He also had a co-conspirator in NASCAR. Fans were complaining that racing had gotten too sanitary. So before the season the governing body encouraged drivers to trade more paint.”

Yes, before the race NASCAR told Carl Edwards to kill Brad Keselowski as well a few anonymous fans. Right…

“As for NASCAR rules, he at least broke one unwritten one. It states that if you’re going to wreck somebody, you do it on a one-mile track or shorter where the danger is minimized.”

But he didn’t break any written rules.

“He said he was surprised Keselowski’s car turned into a Frisbee, but why? Just last year at Talladega, Keselowski inadvertently bumped Edwards and sent his car flying.”

Because Talladega is a much bigger and faster track.

“Edwards had the three things needed to convince a jury of guilt — means, motive and opportunity.”

Guilty of what? He didn’t kill anybody. He didn’t hurt anybody. He attempted to do neither. Are they gonna find him guilty of vehicular assault? Did Dale Earnhardt ever get charged for vehicular assault? What about Kyle Busch? Tony Stewart? What about Keselowski himself?

“He should be sent to jail for what he did to Brad Keselowski. And NASCAR should be charged with aiding and abetting… If I’m a prosecutor, I’d like my chances against Edwards. “

Really? We’re going there? It was a sporting event. Tempers are going to flare. It’s part of that competitive edge that makes athletes great. A football player doesn’t get thrown in jail because of a blind-side hit. A baseball player doesn’t get thrown in jail for pegging an opposing player.  Why should a NASCAR driver get thrown in jail for wrecking another driver?

It sounds to me as if Mr. Whitley once had a dream: He wanted to be a tort lawyer. One of those greedy liberal idiots who wants to sue every big company for what it’s worth… and then some.

Instead, he got stuck being a NASCAR writer. That must be hard for him, writing about a big company whose grass-roots are in the southeast.

C’mon Prosecuting Attorney Whitley, take Carl to court. You aren’t gonna find him guilty of anything.

I’ll even be his defense attorney.

NASCAR may have messed over another young star Saturday.

Kevin Harvick dominated the E-Z Go 200 Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but the race was Taylor Malsam’s for the taking. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver got the lucky dog after a caution came out with about 50 laps to go, and got back on the lead lap.

Malsam topped off on fuel, while the rest of the field did not. The sophomore driver could make it to the end of the race without stopping again. But the rest of the field would have to come back down pit road one more time.

Malsam worked his way up to 7th. But when the the rest of the field would be forced to come down pit road, Malsam would inherit a huge lead, and wind up cruising to his first career Truck Series victory. That is, assuming the caution flag didn’t wave before the leaders were forced to pit.

With 20 laps to go, it did.

For what, we still don’t know. We know that Donny Lia in the #07 truck had a tire go down. It didn’t blow out, and he never hit the wall. But NASCAR threw the yellow flag anyway, claiming that there was “debris” laid down from the tire. The mystery debris was never shown, and after the leaders were able to pit under caution, the race continued.

The caution was never questioned, in spite of the fact that there was no reason for it to be brought out. And Harvick would drive away from the field and win the race.

Taylor Malsam, the poor driver whom NASCAR may have stolen away the win from, finished 13th.

While running 6th with 3 laps to go, Brad Keselowski got spun out by Carl Edwards on the frontstretch, and flipped into the wall. Keselowski was unhurt, as were the fans in the stands.

Edwards had been wrecked by Keselowski earlier in the race, and was running over 100 laps down when he wrecked Keselowski. The two have had their run-ins in the past, and Edwards admitted, in so many words, that the wreck was retaliation on his part.

So now the question is, should Carl Edwards be suspended for the race at Bristol, two weeks from now?

The arguments:

Yes. While Keselowski may have had payback coming for a long time, Edwards’ actions were wrong. He was over 100 laps off the pace, and wrecked a guy who was running in the top 10. What’s much worse is that, due to the severity of the wreck, Edwards’ actions could have badly hurt, if not killed somebody. And in spite of the severity of the wreck, Edwards did not seem remorseful about his actions.

No. NASCAR loosened the reins on the drivers, and told them to have at it. Keselowski put himself in a bad position by messing with Edwards more than once, and Edwards finally had enough. Sure, the crash was severe. But if NASCAR had a car that could stay on the ground, we wouldn’t have had this problem to begin with. How was Edwards supposed to know the car would go over? NASCAR can’t suspend Edwards, because technically, he didn’t break any rules.

What do you think?