As a part of AAA Foundation’s campaign to reduce vehicle accidents involving teen drivers ages 15 to 20, David Ragan, one of the youngest drivers in NASCAR is working in conjunction with AAA to educate teen drivers about the significance of safe driving as well as car maintenance inspection. During the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series last February, David Ragan, aged 21 finished the race obtaining the 5th spot.

David Ragan will travel in schools and other institutions across the United States to speak with youngsters and discuss the safety measures and maintenance check tips for their vehicles. Ragan will also share his safe driving techniques and demonstrate them. In fact, Ragan has already visited some high schools in Daytona Beach and in Las Vegas and performed some demo.

According to David Ragan, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion in the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series: ?I know the challenges young drivers face. There are a lot of temptations and distractions that can cause inexperienced drivers to loose focus. Managing the driving environment and anticipating what can happen on the road is as important for teen drivers as it is for professional race car drivers. Part of the process is being mentally prepared to drive, buckling up and thinking about the conditions under which you will be driving. It also has to do with not allowing your attention to wander from the road, anticipate turns, change lanes or know when to slow down or speed up. AAA has training materials that can help teens master these skills and become safer drivers at AAA.com.?

?In racing, we rely on trained professionals to prepare and maintain our vehicles. Teens also need to have their vehicles inspected and maintained by qualified technicians. Many young people start by driving older cars and trucks with a lot of miles on them. They need to have brakes, steering components and suspensions checked. Tires, lights, fluid lines and other items that can wear out need attention too. That?s something AAA?s Approved Auto Repair program can help them with. By driving for AAA and its 50 million members this year – and taking the opportunities they are providing to speak with teen drivers – I?m hoping I can shorten the learning curve and improve the margin of safety for people not much younger than myself.? he continued.

Meanwhile, according to a research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are mote than 300,000 teens aged 15 to 20 are injured in car crashes every year and nearly 8,000 are involved in fatal crashes. NHTSA also said that more than 3,500 teens are killed in these car crashes each year. Moreover, NHTSA also said that young drivers “are more likely to speed, run red lights, make illegal turns, and die in SUV rollover.” Teen drivers should get the Jeep Patriot SUV with quality Jeep thermostat and Side Occupant Protection System to avoid injuries during rollover crashes.

For the first time this season, Toyota has earned its NASCAR Nextel Cup pole position, thanks to Dave Blaney, who drove his No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota Camry and set the fastest lap time in the recent practice test that took place at the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon.

Blaney pushed his Toyota “Car of Tomorrow” Camry equipped with Toyota Sway Bar Link to reach a maximum speed of 129.437 mph, and clocked in at 29.426 leaving other drivers behind. Blaney’s achievement is a milestone for Toyota Racing team as this is the first time that a Toyota car obtained a pole finish. Dave Blaney will put his Toyota Camry in the number 1 starting position at the upcoming Lenox Industrial Tools 300 race this coming July.

Check out what Dave Blaney said after the qualifying race.

“It feels good to get the first pole for Toyota and hopefully this is the first step in many successful days of poles and wins. We’ve been good all day and been getting a lot of speed out of the car. All of the Toyotas have been real good lately and Brian Vickers has had some good runs lately too. The Toyota side is definitely working hard and I just can’t thank everyone at Bill Davis Racing enough. Especially Tommy Baldwin, Bill Davis, Mike Brown and everybody. We’ve had a trying year with problems and DNFs. It’s been tough being out of the top-35 because it’s hard to concentrate on the races when you have to concentrate on getting into them. This is a big confidence booster for the whole team and any day where you can build confidence in your entire team and driver makes for a good day.”

The press asked Blaney if he already had the feeling that he would grab the pole, and he said:

“I watched everybody early and I saw that some of their speeds were falling off some from practice. I wasn’t sure what we could run and I knew we didn’t really change anything from practice. But in my situation I have to focus on getting into the race more than going for the pole. I can’t make a mistake and risk not getting into the race. I was a little conservative on my first lap, but when I found out that it was fast enough to get into the show — I gave that second lap a little more and I was able to put it on top of the board. It’s a tough position to be in because you have to be cautious enough to get it, but aggressive enough to get in the race. But yeah – I thought we could get the pole.”

NASCAR fans will surely watch out for the upcoming race in Loudon and see if Dave Blaney can give his Toyota team its first NASCAR victory.

The 2007 NASCAR Nextel season came to its end Friday evening with NASCAR Award banquet at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel where the driver, Jimmie Johnson who had a record breaking season, pilling up 1,663 points during the 10-race Chase Cup received the championship?s trophy. No less credit received the other Hendrick driver, Jeff Gordon who also posted numbers that would have been a sure ticket to Title Town in any other year, winning six races. A record money amount ($32.8M) was distributed between the top 10 drivers (over $1 million each).

Besides the recognition, Johnson definitely got the hang of being the champion for a consecutive year; he earned $7,317,499 from the Nextel Cup point?s fund, bringing his season winnings to $15,313,920; it also brings his career earnings to a $59.5 million. In addition to his winnings, he also received $350,000 for winning four special awards (The Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap, The Dow Automotive Strategic Call of the Race Award, the Sunoco Diamond Performance and the Goodyear Award).

Moreover, the 48 Lowe?s Chevrolet driver is now listed for the 2007 USA Sports Academy Athlete of the Year award presented by USATODAY.com and MSNBC.com. The chance for him to acquire another title this year is worth thanks to his four straight victories beginning in Martinsville and 10 victories through the post-season, a two digits record not seen since 1998.

The 2007 poll for male athletes includes: pitcher Josh Beckett (Boston Red Sox), quarterback Tom Brady from the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay, Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps and golfer Tiger Woods.

Fans worldwide select the athletes by voting online beginning December 1 and ending December 25. An overall winner is selected, along with male and female athletes of the year. Federer was the 2006 overall winner; Woods the ?06 male athlete of the year. Johnson finished third in last year?s voting. Hopefully, he will close his season with another award.

It happens every year: NASCAR dominates your life every Sunday (and sometimes other days) from February through November. But what do you do when someone you live with is a Race Fan (RF) and you’re not? From coping with the temporarily impaired ability to carry on a coherent conversation (don’t worry – it usually is just temporary) to wondering why a 39 year old suddenly starts to behave like a 12 year old every time a race is on, here are some tips to help you cope with your very own RF, whether they’re 10 or 90 or somewhere in between.

NEVER walk in front of the television if a race is on. If your dog is trying to crawl up the fireplace, let it go. If your arm is falling off, just duct tape it back on for now. Just don’t walk in front of the television. Seriously, this piece of advice could possibly save your life.

Throw the word “drafting” into anything you need so say to your RF while the race is on. Since drafting is a popular racing term, you stand a small chance of actually being heard.

Invest in a drink holder that has a long arm. Why? It makes your RF feel like he’s being handed a drink while sitting in a race car, and more importantly, it keeps you out of harm’s way.

NEVER plan anything on a Sunday during race season ? unless you want to go alone. If you do want to go somewhere alone (or with friends), Sunday is the perfect day.

Refer to all bathroom breaks as “pit stops”. You may actually need to remind your RF to take some pit stops during the race, too.

If you’re going somewhere during the race and you need to make your RF aware that you’re leaving, use the phrase “4-tire change” somewhere in your sentence. You’ll at least get a baffled stare.

If your RF has some rowdy friends over for the race, you might think about implementing a flag system. In racing, a green flag means the race is on and there are no problems. A yellow flag is a caution, which means all drivers must slow down and use – what else – caution. A red flag means the race has been stopped due to debris or an accident. A black flag means that a specific car must leave the race. These same flag colors can be used as a behavioral barometer for a rowdy NASCAR crowd, and it involves symbols they already understand. If they don’t behave, you can always slap ‘em with a fine.

Make sure the food served during a race is only from NASCAR sponsors. You don’t have to serve the food, but unless you want to hear a lot of bellyaching, makes sure the “approved” food is available.

Invest in some good earphones. You can listen to music or books on tape and not have to get sucked into a discussion of who really should have won the 1976 Daytona 500.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. And remember: it’s perfectly acceptable to choose a favorite driver based on how cute he is or how cool his car looks.

Jeff Gordon is a famous American race car driver who was born in 1971 in Vallejo, California. He has won the Nascar Winston Cup four times, and he drives car #24 for Hendrick Motorsports. As of this writing, one of his most prominent sponsors is DuPont. Jeff Gordon began racing when he was only five years of age. He loved to race cars, and his family was supportive of him. His family actually relocated primarily because they wanted Jeff to be in a location where he could better harness his racing skills. While he was still a minor, Jeff had already won a number of races and was given the USAC Midget Car Racing Rookie of the Year award.

After this, Gordon went on to win the USAC Midget title, and by 1991, he had gained the USAC Silver Crown. He broke a record by being the youngest person to ever capture the title. He went to the Busch Series after this, and had a large number of victories. Gordon crashed his car during the the Hooters 500 race in Atlanta in 1992, and this caused him to be placed in the 31st position. Jeff Gordon was one of many young racers who would be placed on high quality teams early in their careers. The success of Jeff Gordon allowed a younger generation of racers to begin competing in Nascar.

Many critics felt that Gordon was not ready to compete at the professional level because of his habit of racing cars so hard that he crashed them. However, Gordon proved them all wrong during the 1994 season, were he emerged victorious in the Lowe’s Motor Speedway, which was a long and difficult race. Gordon would also go on to win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400. In 1995 he won what would become the first of four Winston Cup Championships. Jeff Gordon is also famous for rising up against the legendary Dale Earnhardt, and he has become a fan favorite.

Many people consider Jeff Gordon to be one of the greatest drivers in Nascar because he achieved so much at a very young age. Even at 35 years of age, Jeff Gordon has successfully won 75 races, which is just one victory behind Dale Earnhardt. Jeff Gordon is also notable for making Nascar a popular sport with mainstream audiences. For a long time, the sport was only regulated to the south, but Jeff Gordon has allowed it to reach a high level of popularity due to advertising and his skills with the media.

The 2009 Sprint Cup season could be considered the commencement of a new era in NASCAR. Smaller fields, less sponsorship dollars to play with, a testing ban on all NASCAR sanctioned facilities, and of course, no Petty Enterprises all contribute to the new-look NASCAR . A plethora of changes define the upcoming season, but still the show must go on.

Who will win the 2009 Sprint Cup championship? It is difficult to project at this point. Well, not really. Jimmie Johnson is the odds-on favorite in Las Vegas, while Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch are solid picks as well. When most of the preview guides are released to the retailers in late-January, one of those three drivers will be the projected champion. A couple of dark horse picks may include Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, and Jeff Burton, all who performed well towards the tail end of the 2008 season.

How will Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman perform with the newly-formed Stewart Haas Racing? Now that is difficult to project at this point in time, and even after the season begins. It is likely that both drivers will win a race .or two, especially on one of the shorter tracks and possibly a restrictor plate track, but overall, they are in for a taxing transition. Both drivers could easily miss the Chase for the Championship. It could really go either way.

Who will win the 2009 rookie of the year award? It will come down to Joe Gibbs Racing?s teenage driver Joey Logano, and former Formula One driver Scott Speed, who is driving the Red Bull Racing entry. While Logano was the center of hype in 2008, it is time to see if he is the real deal. He inherits the third most winning ride of this decade. Only the 48 and 24 teams have more wins since 2000. Logano looked like a complete amateur in his handful of Sprint Cup starts last fall. Speed may come out on top. He was scrupulously developed at Red Bull Racing, and appears to be more seasoned. He also performed respectably in his handful of Sprint Cup starts.

Will Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth win a race? Both champions are sure to revisit a long lost love- that being victory lane. Gordon and Kenseth are two of the top five drivers in our sport, so expect them to rejoin the fraternity of winners in 2009. Kevin Harvick will also find victory lane in 2009.

Is there a former champion that may not win a race in 2009? Bobby Labonte is now a darkhorse after spending the latter stages of the 1990?s and early years in the 2000?s as a perennial championship contender. The 2000 champion has yet to sign on with another team after leaving Petty Enterprises. Unless Penske Racing resolves their dire performance issues, Kurt Busch may undergo his first winless season since 2001, his rookie season. As mentioned earlier, Tony Stewart could perhaps fail to win a race for the first time in his career, as he is not a car owner as opposed to just a driver.

Who is going to win their first career race in 2009? After no victory lane newbies in 2008, we should see a couple of first-time winners in 2009. David Ragan, A.J. Allmendinger, Joey Logano, and Scott Speed are solid candidates.

Who will emerge as the comeback driver of the year? Last year, it was Greg Biffle. This year, Martin Truex, Jr and Jamie McMurray are possibilities.

Fans, the next month and a half will fly by, so prepare yourself for a different NASCAR in 2009.

This sport is no longer watchable. NASCAR has completely ruined this sport. There’s no competition, the cars aren’t and don’t look like stock cars. They go down the straight aways sideways. And the point system is a joke. And 90% of the caution flags are for debris. This by far is the most boring of NASCAR seasons ever.

I know I’m not the only one who thinks this way, just look at all the empty seats at all of the races. The ticket prices are outrageous and the excitement and thrill of the sport is gone. NASCAR needs to make some serious and drastic changes for next year, to try and make it more competitive as well as put the excitement back in the sport for the fans.

One of my ideas would be to give a quarter point to a driver for every lap he leads, that way you don’t have drivers busting their tail to lead just one lap to get there five bonus points and then drop back. If a driver gets a quarter point for every lap he leads then that gives them some incentive to race for the lead every lap. Then you have the tire situation they had at Indy, that was a joke. Here you have one of the most traditional races on the schedule and they have to throw a caution every 10 or 12 laps to change tires.

NASCAR needs to go back to the old days where they didn’t mandate everything and let these guys set their car up the way they want to and let them go racing. I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m done watching this sport until something is done to make it more exciting. And as much as I hated to do it, I gave up my Bristol tickets. It’s no longer worth the time and money to make that trip twice a year.