Mammoth Blog

Ray Evernham first worked on the Pontiac of a young Jeff Gordon in the then Busch Series before moving to the Winston Cup to crew chief for future champion Alan Kulwicki. After only six weeks together, and several clashes, Evernham left the team before Daytona 1992, and hoped to return to work with Gordon.

"From the first day we ever worked together, boom! We hit it off. We had fun, we did good, he was what I wanted, and I was what he wanted." Evernham said.

Bill Davis, Gordon's owner at the time, didn't want to hire the crew chief his young driver wanted. Ford wouldn't have it and sent him to the Busch Series.

Evernham would stay with Gordon until 1999. Together, the pair had 47 wins, three championships, and a win at the inaugural Brickyard 400. The pair even formed Gordon/Evernham Motorsports, and even though the team was short lived, they had success and fun with the project.

The famed crew chief left the team in 1999 and formed Evernham Motorsports. It was the revitalization of Dodge in the Winston Cup Series, and was successful it's first full year with drivers Bill Elliot and Casey Atwood. The first year saw the team win two races, six top fives and twelve top tens.

In total, Evernham Motorsports has 15 wins, 67 top fives and 135 top tens with drivers Elliot, Atwood, Jeremy Mayfield, Elliot Sadler, Kasey Kahne and Patrick Carpentier.
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Will Gillett Racing be better or worse without Evernham?

His career as a team owner, however, wasn't without controversy. In August 2006 Mayfield was fired by the team, and replaced by Bill Elliot. Mayfield allegedly found out about his termination when he got onto NASCAR.com.

"It really wasn't between me and Jeremy -- it was about the performance of the racecar," Evernham said. "The 19 car hasn't been performing like it should be. It's pretty far off of where other cars are, and we've tried everything we could try to get the performance up.

"We've tried lots of different things, and it's out of the top 35 in points, so we brought in Bill to help us get the car in the show and help us figure out what we've got to do to get the performance up."

Mayfield told the press that Evernham and his developmental driver Erin Crocker had a "close personal relationship" and "claimed Evernham was spending too much time with driver Erin Crocker and not enough on his Nextel Cup teams."
When NASCAR.com asked Crocker about how the relationship affected her diminishing career, she said "I don't discuss my personal life. My personal life doesn't affect my performance on the track."

Evernham admitted the relationship hurt Crocker's career, and she no longer works for the team. In July 2007, the team owner told ESPN he still has a relationship with his former driver.

"I don't think it's any secret that because of the personal relationship between Erin and I it hurt her career. The proper thing to do, and something her and I would like to do, is move her to another race team. I think the girl has a lot of talent. But if I sit here and say to somebody, 'Look, she's got a lot of talent, you should sponsor her,' my credibility is not good because of the personal relationship.''

Two years after the controversy, and a year after selling eighty percent in the company he formed nearly ten years ago, Evernham has announced he'll be leaving NASCAR to own East Lincoln Speedway. The former crew chief says it'll be an effort to "get back into grassroots racing."

We wish Evernham success in his track owner future, but with his record, success is sure to come.

Thanks to Jayski, the Hartford Courant, NASCAR.com, Jayski and ESPN for the quotes in this article and to Racing Reference for the stats used. Source>>>

"Live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about his religion. Respect others in their views and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and of service to your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, or even a stranger, if in a lonely place. Show respect to all people, but grovel to none. When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.

Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home." -- Tecumseh, (1768-1813) Shawnee Chief

While there were other stories in motorsports this year -- from Tony Schumacher's NHRA domination in Top Fuel to Scott Dixon's title in the IndyCar Series -- they all take a backseat to Johnson's Sprint Cup title run.

Even though some are left to ponder where Johnson's third consecutive championship ranks him in NASCAR history, the driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet isn't one of them.

Johnson is content with joining Cale Yarborough as the only NASCAR drivers to win three consecutive Sprint Cup titles. And least he's content for now.

"It's great to be part of history, but I'd certainly like to go out and make it," said Johnson during Tuesday's NASCAR teleconference. "It's going to be tough. We've been able to do it three times and not be so focused on tomorrow or next year."

Johnson hasn't had a chance to think about 2009 too much. He's spent the last couple of days trying figure out his place in racing history.

While he hasn't talked to Yarborough since tying the mark, he's beginning to figure out that his place in the sports world doesn't end when he leaves the track.

A trip to the ESPN studios in Bristol, Conn., on Monday took care of that.

"I walked in and the first person I saw in the hallway of ESPN was Mike Ditka and introduced myself to him and he said, 'I know who you are, champ, and, by the way, you are a dynasty,'?" Johnson said. "It just shocked me that he had been paying attention to NASCAR and seeing comments where I've mentioned I couldn't say where I placed, it wasn't my place to say that. That one caught me off guard."

Johnson is determined not to be caught off guard in 2009. His 2008 season got off to a slow start. With the no-testing ban in place for next year, Johnson could see another benefit.

Teams that are behind the Hendrick Motorsports group won't have a chance to test and try to make up ground. That could give the three-time champ a leg up in his bid for history, although he's not certain that's how it will play out.

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Indiana University's legal bills have reached almost a half-million dollars in the NCAA infractions case related to former men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson.

Through July, IU has spent $497,646 on outside legal counsel specializing in NCAA issues, including $211,034 for work done starting in April.

More bills, related to the school's September response to the NCAA's charge of "failure to monitor," are expected to add to the total.

The latest bill was released today by the school after a public records request by The Indianapolis Star. The time period for the latest bill included a two-day hearing in Seattle before the NCAA infractions committee. The failure to monitor charge was added after that hearing.

About $470,000 of the total legal bills came from the Indianapolis firm Ice Miller. The rest were for an attorney representing Sampson and IU at an NCAA infractions committee hearing in 2006 for violations while Sampson was coach at Oklahoma.
That hearing occurred soon after IU hired Sampson despite knowing the coach had admitted the violations.

In a separate case, IU is charged with five major violations. In addition to failure to monitor, the charges involve Sampson and former assistant coach Rob Senderoff and are related to recruiting and alleged dishonesty with investigators. Sampson and Senderoff have disputed those charges.

A decision in the case is expected to be announced soon.source>>>

A warning has been issued to anyone heading to the Ohio State-Michigan game Saturday, or any other football game, looking to scalp tickets.

Watch out for fake tickets and scammers.

Officials said they are still investigating a case from the Texas vs. Texas Tech game two weeks ago.

The only difference in the fake tickets is that the coloring of them is a little off.

Officials said a team of scalpers sold hundreds of these fake tickets to unsuspecting fans and that they made off with about $100,000 in cash.

If you are scalping a ticket in person, Jarold Huddleston, Texas Tech Athletic Director said, " A fan recommended that someone take a picture with the person who sold the ticket, or get contact information, or have that person call your cell phone from their cell phone."

If the person selling the ticket won't do that, Huddleston says buyer beware. source>>>

Mogadishu, Somalia (AHN) - Islamic militants in Somalia are angry at the seizure by pirates of the Saudi Arabian oil tanker Sirius Star, resulting in their attempted attack at the port of Haradheere where the hijacked vessel in moored and where majority of the pirates reside.

While threats are being made by Islamists in Haradheere, political violence occurred in the capital city of Mogadishu leading to the death of 17 people following an attack on the residence of a local government official.

Muslim outlook at the issue of piracy is divided. Some Islamists denounce the practice, while others may keep silent or turn a blind eye because of possible financial gains they will make if they receive a portion of ransom paid by companies of captives.

The pirate are demanding a $25 million ransom to be delivered within 10 days in exchange for the freedom of the international crew.

Some sectors, however, have expressed concern over the planned Islamist attack on the pirate lair since the group is notorious for blowing up the vessels they hijack when a rescue attempt is made. If that happens, aside from 25 potential lost lives, destruction of the vessel will pose a hazard to the environment with the potential release of tons of petroleum on the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, the UN gave India permission, based on a UN resolution, to run after the pirates on Somali's water. Upon receiving the UN green light, New Delhi immediately dispatched a warship to the Gulf of Aden. The Indian Navy also plans to deploy the INS Mysore destroyer to the gulf early next week. source>>>

AffiloBlueprint is a recently launched affiliate marketing step by step home study course for beginner and intermediate affiliates. Franck says, "Many affiliates are struggling to make a full income online. Their biggest challenge is to find a lucrative niche and the profitable keywords, although they know how to set up a blog or website, and how to choose the right affiliate product."

AffiloBlueprint is not your common affiliate marketing course, which often only give you a small piece of the puzzle. It was created due to a strong demand from struggling affiliates.

So what is Affiloblueprint's goal? Help hundreds of new affiliate marketers to achieve their dreams, earn more money while working from home and spend more time with their family and friends.

Affiloblueprint is the first product of its kind. Mark Ling, the $50,000 per month super affiliate and creator of the affilorama membership site recorded himself building a brand new affiliate marketing website from scratch until it earns $500 per week. Then, he went to the next level and shows you how to earn $500 per day.

Not only that, but he also performs this task with a live audience of aspiring affiliates who ask questions when they don't understand, and make him slow down when he goes too fast. His mission was to get these affiliates earning money using his exact same affiloblueprint formula - and it was a resounding success.

New members gain access to 16 hours of step by step video lessons covering every aspect of affiliate marketing. Everything is covered in the videos.

What makes Affiloblueprint so revolutionary, says Franck, is that members will be able to build their own affiliate business while watching the videos. And what is really amazing is that they know that the method really work. Affiloblueprint is what new affiliates need.

To discover how to work from home and earn more money, visit www.affiloblueprint.com today. source>>>

Perhaps no sport is as susceptible to a downturn in the economy as NASCAR, which appears to be in the path of the perfect storm.

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NASCAR depends on three things - Detroit for cars, sponsors for dollars and fans traveling long distances and staying at over-priced hotels to attend races.

Let's review what is happening in the world today.

Detroit is seeking a $22.5 billion bailout just to keep the Big Three alive, so subsidizing NASCAR could become part of automotive history.

Sponsorship dollars are turning into pennies on the dollar.

NASCAR's core middle-class fan is running out of the discretionary income needed to fund a stock-car fix. Even during this year's Chase for the Championship playoffs, there were empty seats.

Which might explain why NASCAR teams are laying off workers this week - as many as 1,000 across the sport.

The truck and Nationwide Series are being hit particularly hard. At least two of the Big Three manufacturers are pulling their support of the truck series - pickups aren't selling these days.

And smaller teams in the Sprint Cup series are finding themselves endangered. Shortly after DEI and Chip Ganassi merged, the parties announced layoffs totaling almost 200 workers.

Meanwhile, such storied teams as Petty Enterprises and Wood Brother go into the offseason without a lead sponsor for 2009.

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In February, it didn't take a genius to predict that any championship battle in the Nationwide Series would come down to Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer. Predicting the winner, however, was hardly a given.

Arguments were easy either way as it was hard to go wrong taking Edwards, who was looking to defend a title he won easily despite stumbling late in the 2007 season. And Bowyer was a trendy pick based on his previous prowess in the series.

Bowyer also turned out to be the correct pick as he edged Edwards by 21 points for the championship.

It's how they both got to the finale at Homestead that was harder to predict.

Few would have guessed Edwards would spend the first half of the season again stuck in neutral, continuing a trend that started after he'd built an insurmountable lead in the first half of '07.

And it's likely that those picking Bowyer thought he'd win it all by piling up a handful of wins along the way given Richard Childress Racing's track record.

So while the two drivers expected to be in the limelight at Homestead-Miami Speedway were indeed dominating the headlines, the way they got there was a bit surprising.

Then again, there were plenty of surprises throughout the season -- which will officially be wrapped up with Saturday night's Nationwide Series Awards Banquet in Orlando, Fla., when Bowyer will be the man of the hour.

After all, the year's top stories included:

* Joe Gibbs Racing's total domination; with Kyle Busch posting 10 of JGR's 19 victories.

* The shocking fact that JGR would have seven crew members -- including both of its crew chiefs and car chiefs -- suspended indefinitely by NASCAR after JGR's two teams attempted to circumvent chassis dyno testing following the August race at Michigan.

* The series had three first-time winners in Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Marcos Ambrose. Ambrose's win at Montreal saw the field race with rain tires for the first time in competition in one of the top three series.

In the end, though, Bowyer will be remembered as the driver who proved once again that steady, though hardly slow, can win the championship race.

Bowyer's lone win came at Bristol in March, in a rain-shorted event nonetheless. So while Busch was dominant running a partial schedule, inconsistency kept him from giving any thought to making a run at the title.

With Busch out of the picture, that left it up to Bowyer and Edwards to settle the crown.

Edwards did win seven times in the final 19 races after a late-June crew chief switch kicked his season into gear; but the struggles of the season's first half were simply too much to overcome. And that's a testament to Bowyer's consistency.

While both Edwards (19) and Busch (18) had more top-fives than Bowyer's 14, the fact that Bowyer recorded 29 top-10s and was running at the end of all 35 races made the difference. Edwards had just 22 top-10s and failed to finish twice.

There were races where Bowyer feels he let the win get away, but he said the championship is a testament to his team and the engine department that kept him bulletproof all year. And he pointed out that much of the credit belongs to Dan Deeringhoff, the team's largely unheralded crew chief.

"In my opinion he's a lot like I am," Bowyer said. "He never shows up until the money is on the line, and then he's there. I feel like that's what won us this championship.

"If you look at the [Homestead race], hell, I was nervous. I was like, 'We're not that good; how am I going to get up [to the front]?' We work together, we work hard, and Dan makes good decisions, and by the end of the night we're where we need to be, and I think that we complement each other well, and I appreciate all of his hard work.

"This has been a long time coming. We worked well together last year, had an incredible, consistent year last year, and it showed me that that's what it took to win a championship this year, and indeed that's what it was."

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Matt Kenseth, the 2003 Nascar champion who finished 11th in the racing league's top Sprint Cup Series standings this season, signed a contract extension with Roush Fenway Racing.

Terms of the multiyear agreement weren't released in a statement issued by the Concord, North Carolina-based team. The 36-year-old Wisconsin native has been with Roush since 1998 and has 16 wins in the top division.

"Over the last 11 years Matt has been a leader in our organization and a voracious competitor on track," car owner Jack Roush said.

Roush owns the team with Fenway Sports Group, which is controlled by Boston Red Sox owner John Henry.

The extension completes Roush Fenway's renewals for the season. Carl Edwards, who won the most races this year and finished second in the standings, extended his contract in May and Greg Biffle did the same in June. Both deals were for three years. Jamie McMurray and David Ragan will also continue to drive for Roush in 2009.

Only Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson, who just won his third- straight championship, have been in every Nascar Chase for the Cup since the playoff format for the title was introduced in 2004. Kenseth's last win was at the 2007 season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. source>>>

The dust has settled on the NASCAR seasons and the countdown to Daytona 2009 is on! If you'd like to mark your calendars, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will open up Feb. 13, the Nationwide Series follows with its "lid-lifter" on Valentine's Day and the Daytona 500 is set for Feb. 15.

We know you join us in congratulating Jimmie Johnson on his third straight and third career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, Clint Bowyer on his first NASCAR Nationwide Series title and Johnny Benson, our own "Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers" race winner, on taking top honor in the truck series for the first time.

While we're on the Jimmie Johnson topic, we remind you to visit our official http://www.kentuckyspeedway.com Web site this week to let us know where you think the three-time champ ranks among NASCAR greats. Is he in the top tier, middle tier or do you think he still has more to prove. Your chance to vote lasts through Thanksgiving Day!

Now that racing is on its annual winter break, we'll still be relaying fun and informative information through the Preferred Line in the months to come. For instance, we learned of some exciting initial plans Speedway Motorsports, Inc., has for our facility once it assumes ownership in January. We're not able to share it at this time, but we will write that your inbox will be worth checking in the coming months.

Thanks for continuing to be part of our Preferred Line!

The "Preferred Line" will take a one-week postseason break next week, so now is our chance to wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Read on for a recap of last week's NASCAR championship action.

JOHNSON CLAIMS HISTORIC THIRD CONSECUTIVE NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES TITLE
Hendrick Motorsports competitor Jimmie Johnson engrained his name in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history books by driving to a 15th-place finish and becoming the second driver in series history to earn three straight championships yesterday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Cale Yarborough was the first driver to earn consecutive championships in 1976, '77 and '78. Johnson becomes the eighth driver to earn at least three series championships and joins an elite group that also includes Dale Earnhardt (7), Richard Petty (7), Jeff Gordon (4), David Pearson (3), Lee Petty (3) and Darrell Waltrip (3). Johnson, a 33-year-old from El Cajon, Calif., notched seven wins, 15 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes through 36 races this season. He suffered his only DNF at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., May 12 when his No. 48 Chevrolet lost its engine during the annual 600-mile race at the facility. Chad Knaus is now the first series crew chief to earn three straight titles. Johnson-Knaus led teams have not finished lower than fifth in the final championship standings in the driver's seven full-time series seasons dating back to 2002. Roush Racing driver Carl Edwards, who entered the race second in the championship standings and 141 points behind the eventual champion, led the 267-lap Homestead-Miami race five times for a total of 157 circuits before notching his series-leading ninth victory by 7.548 seconds over Richard Childress Racing wheelman Kevin Harvick. Edwards ended the season with a career-best second-place finish in the championship standings along with a total of 19 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes. He fell 69 points shy of his first title, but won three of the final four races. He closed out his fourth full-time series season with five consecutive top-four finishes. Harvick moved from fifth to fourth in the series standings with his seventh top-five and 19th top-10 finish of the season. He placed in the top-10 in four of the closing five events of the season. Roush Fenway Racing driver Jamie McMurray, Gordon and Richard Childress Racer Clint Bowyer respectively completed the Homestead-Miami top five. McMurray ended the season 16th in the final series standings. He finished in the top-three in the final three races of the season and earned a total of four top-five and five top-10 finishes in the closing six events of the campaign. Gordon completes the season seventh in the series standings with 13 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes. His 16th full-time Sprint Cup Series campaign marks the first time since 1993 he closes out a season without a win. Bowyer finishes up the season sixth in the series standings with one win, seven top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. He charted two top-five and three top-10 finishes in the final five races of season. Notable Tony Stewart, the 2002 and 2005 series champion,ended his 10-year Joe Gibbs Racing career with a ninth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway and placed ninth in the championship standings, the second-lowest championship finish of his career. His lowest was 11th in 2006. He will depart the team for the Stewart-Haas team he will partly own beginning with the 2009 season. The final Chase for the Sprint Cup standings for 2008 follow: Johnson (Leader: 6,684 points, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports); Edwards (Second: -69 points, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Greg Biffle (Third: -217, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Kevin Harvick (Fourth: -276, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Clint Bowyer (Fifth: -303, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Jeff Burton (Sixth: -349, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Jeff Gordon (Sixth: -368, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports); Denny Hamlin (Seventh : -470, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing); Tony Stewart (Ninth: -482, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing); Kyle Busch (10th: -498, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing); Matt Kenseth (Eighth: -500, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (12th: -557, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports).

BOWYER BRINGS HOME FIRST CAREER NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE
Richard Childress Racing driver Clint Bowyer proved the racing adage "consistency wins championships" to be true Nov. 15 at Homestead-Miami Speedway where he earned a fifth-place finish and sealed his first NASCAR Nationwide Series championship by 21 points over Roush Fenway driver and race winner Carl Edwards. Bowyer closed out the season with a win and a total of 14 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes through 35 races. Bowyer took over a championship lead he would not relinquish on March 22 at Nashville Superspeedway and completed the final five-race stretch of the season with three top-five and four top-10 efforts. He earned his lone win of the season March 15 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Edwards' seventh victory of the season also represented his 19th top-five and 22nd top-10 performance. He completed an impressive run toward his second consecutive series championship by earning five wins and a total of 10 top-five finishes in the closing 11 races. He trailed Bowyer by 113 points following Race No. 25 at Michigan International Speedway. Bowyer built the lead to 183 points following Race 33 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but was able to hold off Edwards' late championship charge. Edwards took the Homestead-Miami win by 0.639 of a second over Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch after leading the closing 34 laps. JR Motorsports driver Brad Keselowski took third and Braun Racing driver Jason Leffler secured fourth. Busch closed out his NASCAR Nationwide Series season sixth in the standings after registering a series-best 10 wins, 18 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes through 30 starts. He snared four wins and a total of six top-five and seven top-10 finishes in his last eight series appearances. Keselowski finishes out the season third in the championship standings with two wins and a total of 11 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes. Leffler cracked the top 10 in the final championship standings with a ninth-place showing after grinding out three top-five and 13 top-10 finishes this season. The top 10 drivers in the final NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship standings this season are: Bowyer (Leader: 5,132 points, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Edwards (Second: -21, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Brad Keselowski (Third: -338, Chevrolet, Jr. Motorsports); David Ragan (Fourth: -607, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Mike Bliss (Fifth: -614, Chevrolet, Phoenix Racing); Kyle Busch (Sixth: -671, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing/Braun Racing); David Reutimann (Seventh: -744, Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing); Mike Wallace (Eighth: -1,004, Toyota, Germain Racing); Jason Leffler (Ninth: -1,046, Toyota, Braun Racing) and Marcos Ambrose (10th: -1,141, Ford, JTG Daugherty Racing).

BENSON BANGS OUT SEVEN-POINT NCTS CHAMPIONSHIP WIN
Reigning Kentucky Speedway "Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers" champion Johnny Benson used a seventh-place Homestead-Miami Speedway race finish to take his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship by a scant seven-point margin over defending series title holder Ron Hornaday, Jr., who placed eighth in the 25th and final series event of the season. Benson, who previously announced he was leaving seat in the No. 23 Bill Davis Racing race truck, nailed down five series wins for the second time in the past three seasons and ended the campaign with a total of 14 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. He posted one win and a total of two top-five and four top-10 finishes in the closing five races of the season. Hornaday's bid for an all-time series leading fourth championship fell short, but he will walk away from his seventh full-time NCTS season with six wins and a total of 14 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. He kept the pressure on Benson by taking a win and a total of two top-five and three top-10 finishes in the three of the final four races. Germain Racing driver Todd Bodine took the Homstead-Miami win, rookie Brian Scott nailed down second place, Kevin Harvick generated a third-place finish, Kyle Busch finished fourth and Bobby Hamilton Racing veteran Dennis Setzer claimed fifth. Bodine ended the season 104 points behind Benson in the standings with six wins, 14 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. He closed the season with six straight top-five and seven straight top-10 finishes. Scott took his second straight and second career top-five finish and finished in the top 10 in the final four races of the season and five of the closing six events. Harvick earned his second straight top-five series finish and second of the season in his third series start. Busch collected his 10th top-five and 16th top-10 finish in his 18th series start this season. Setzer ends the campaign eighth in the series standings with one win, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes. The final NCTS top 10 drivers are: Benson (Leader: 3,725 points, Toyota, Bill Davis Racing); Hornaday, Jr. (Second: -7 points, Chevrolet, Kevin Harvick, Inc.); Bodine (Third: -104, Toyota, Germain Racing); Erik Darnell (Fourth: -313, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Matt Crafton (Fifth: -333, Chevrolet, ThorSport Racing); Mike Skinner (Sixth: -362, Toyota, Bill Davis Racing); Rick Crawford (Seventh: -410, Ford, Circle Bar Racing); Setzer (Eighth: -528, Dodge, Bobby Hamilton Racing); Jack Sprague (Ninth: -600, Toyota, Wyler Racing) and Terry Cook (10th: -653, Toyota, HT Motorsports).
KENTUCKYSPEEDWAY.COM

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Russian conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky, who loomed large in the music-making of the late Soviet era, returns to lead the BSO in works by Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Elgar's Cello Concerto is also on the program, with cellist Lynn Harrell as soloist. Today, tomorrow, and Tuesday. $29 to $105, Symphony Hall, 617-266-1200 or www.bso.org.

BOSTON PHILHARMONIC

Conductor Benjamin Zander leads the orchestra and the free-spirited, boundary-busting violinist Gilles Apap in Berg's Violin Concerto. Apap will also join oboist Peggy Pearson in Bach's Double Concerto for Violin and Oboe. Beethoven's "Eroica" rounds out the program. Nov. 23 in Sanders Theatre, tomorrow in Jordan Hall, $15 to $78, 617-236-0999 or www.bostonphil.org.

CONCORD CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY

While he's in town performing with the BSO, cellist Lynn Harrell makes a stop in Concord for chamber works by Brahms and Beethoven. Sunday at 3 p.m. $30 to $35, Concord Academy Performing Arts Center, 978-371-9667 or concordchambermusic.org.

BORROMEO STRING QUARTET

The locally based foursome arrives at the end of its two-season journey through the complete string quartets of Dmitri Shostakovich. When done right, the final three works (Quartets No. 13, 14, and 15) take on an otherworldly, late-Beethovenian glow. The haunting Quartet No. 15 contains nothing but slow movements. Sunday at 1:30. $23, and discounts for seniors, members, students, and children. 617-278-5156 or www.gardner museum.org source>>>

- It's better to tackle tough times with a song in your heart -- especially a tune from the classical repertoire, Russian conductor Valery Gergiev says.

About to embark on a two-week tour of Japan at the head of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), Gergiev said that while classical music may be expensive, it's not a luxury.

"We have to talk about when people need culture rather than when people have to worry about the economy," he told Reuters on Thursday.

"And I think when things are looking less safe, the public and people in general need music ... they may even enjoy it more than before because if they don't enjoy the economic story, they will certainly have a chance to come and enjoy great music.

"Music doesn't lose its share price ... it doesn't lose its value."

Gergiev made the comments following a press luncheon to discuss the LSO's upcoming Japanese tour, sponsored by Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical Company.

Beginning on Nov 27 in Sapporo and ending on Dec 10 in Miyazaki, Kyushu island, it is the LSO's 20th tour of Japan but its first with Gergiev, who became principal conductor in 2007.

A champion of the Russian repertoire, Gergiev will treat Japanese audiences to an all-Russian diet of Rachmaninov and Prokofiev, including all seven Prokofiev symphonies, his violin and piano concertos and the children's piece Peter and the Wolf.

"I believe it will be very exciting to play all those symphonies for the audiences in Japan. Yes, this is a very good repertoire," Gergiev said.

Gergiev makes no secret of his love for his homeland, which informed his decision following the Russian invasion of Georgia to lead a performance of Tchaikovsky in Tskhinvali last August among the bombed-out buildings of South Ossetia.

At that time, he lambasted Georgia for shelling the city and drew a parallel with the attacks on New York on September 11, 2001.

Speaking in London, Gergiev, who was born in Moscow but grew up in North Ossetia, did not mention the invasion but talked about how living in the North Ossetian city of Vladikavkaz shaped his musical tastes.

"There were great artists coming from Moscow, sometimes foreign artists, but mainly I remember ... it was waiting from one visit of (violinist David) Oistrakh to another visit of (pianist Sviatoslov) Richter, a visit of (cellist Mstislav) Rostropovich..."

Today, Gergiev said the baton is being passed to new countries, particularly to China where he said the phenomenal success of piano wizard Lang Lang has inspired tens of millions of Chinese.

"Some people think it's only 20 million, some people think it's 50 million pianists in China, some even say 70 -- I cannot be the source of this information," he joked."That is one big country of course...(and) other big countries can follow...Brazil, India, and I think Russia has not spoken its last word.

"...No one is sleeping and waiting for disaster to make a move. Even in difficult times people find a way, so that's why I think classical music will survive, and I think it will be in good shape." source>>>

This week, Microsoft announced a sweeping change to its Zune Pass music service (press release is here). The $15 monthly price tag is unchanged, as is the basic outline of the service, which gives you the right to download any album from the Zune Marketplace (an impressive collection, to be sure) and play it on any of three PCs or three Zune devices. What's new is 10 free song credits per month, which allow you to turn a subscription-only track into a purchase. At the going rate of 99 cents per track, those 10 credits effectively lower the subscription portion of the service to 5 bucks a month. A 14-day free trial is available.

I've been using the Zune Pass service for the past five months and absolutely love it. The Zune software is superb, and the end-to-experience is better than anything Apple has to offer. In my opinion, the new terms should be irresistible to any serious music fan. I've put together an image gallery that gives a better idea of how the service works, so you can see for yourself.

Four years ago, I tried the granddaddy of subscription services, Napster To Go. At the time, the math made perfect sense for me. As I noted, I have a very large music collection that consists of more than 20,000 tracks from nearly 2000 albums and live recordings:

I'd say there are probably 400 CDs in my collection that I haven't listened to in years and probably never will again. Some are just dated, but others were impulse buys based on an artist or a label. Sometimes those purchases work out well, but I can easily pick out a couple dozen CDs from my collection that I bought, listened to once, and quickly concluded that I had made a bad purchase. In some cases I was able to listen to individual tracks, either in a record store listening booth or in those 30-second clips on Amazon.com. But that was just enough to fool me into thinking I wanted to hear more when I really didn't like the CD.

If I had had access to a download service where I could have sampled the entire recording first, I might well have avoided a few of those purchases.

But I canceled my Napster To Go subscription after a few months, because it didn't work. Tracks I had downloaded to a portable player wouldn't play, even though they were properly licensed. At one point the software stopped acknowledging my right to download music at all, and it took an hour on the phone with Napster support to get things sorted out. I had similar experiences with Yahoo's subscription service last year before they sold out to Rhapsody.

By contrast, in five months of regular use of the Zune Pass service, I cannot remember a single glitch. Tracks I downloaded to a portable Zune player work every time, and I've added roughly 150 albums to my collection in five months without having to pay anything extra for the privilege. In addition to the 150 albums in that subscription collection, I've listened to dozens that I decided weren't worth keeping, and I've purchased roughly 15 albums that proved they were worth paying for.

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The hardest part about preparing for a 10-minute telephone interview with Gustavo Dudamel is figuring out what to do with all that energy.

Not with it, actually, but without it: What if his legendary pep didn't come across in a chat crammed between six other interviews? What if he was worn out, or distracted? Because if there's one thing that pops out from all of Dudamel's five-star YouTube clips - the one attribute both fans and skeptics say defines him - it's that indomitable energy.

The second hardest part was getting a hold of the man. At 27, Dudamel is arguably the greatest conductor of his generation, considered by many to represent the future of classical music and the hope for its reinvigoration. This fall, he's on a national tour with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, which the La Jolla Music Society presents at the Civic Theatre tomorrow. Next spring, he'll take over as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

It took nearly a month of planning, with entreaties from certain well-connected individuals to other well-connected individuals, dozens of e-mails and phone calls to the presenter and publicists, and one minor last-minute rescheduling, but at 2:53 p.m. last Friday, I was on hold for Dudamel. He was at his publicist's office in midtown Manhattan, wrapping up another interview. Running just a little behind schedule.

Three minutes later, he got on the line.

"Rozanne," he sang in a Venezuelan lilt and added, before I could say hi back, "How are you?"

Fabulous, thank you. Because my concerns about your telephone style have just fluttered away.

Gustavo - we're on a first-name basis now - said New York gives him a buzz like no other city, except maybe Caracas. Food, friends, fun - "It's like a bottle of champagne!"

The day before we talked, he accepted the Q Prize, named for Quincy Jones and granted by the Harvard School of Public Health for enriching the lives of children. After a few more East Coast performances, he's eager to head to San Diego for tomorrow's program of Bernstein and Tchaikovsky, and then to Los Angeles for several weeks. Finally, off to Asia.

He quipped in an interview a few years ago that when he's not at home in Venezuela, he "lives on a plane." But that doesn't seem to hamper his research.

"I'm really simple," he said now. "I'm always studying. Even when I don't have the score in front. I can be sitting here, talking with you and I can remember little things that I want to do. Remember this part of the score that I want to do different or better."

Zubin on line 2 New York, Israel, Los Angeles? If this trajectory sounds familiar, that's because it is: More than four decades ago, Zubin Mehta, a man Gustavo calls "an angel for me," became the youngest conductor ever to lead the LA Philharmonic - known as a launchpad for the young and the brilliant. He was 26.

Now 72, the master of classical is one of Gustavo's biggest champions, and appears to see the younger man as an heir of sorts to his legacy.

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