It was entirely too much fun walking around and watching people. No one seemed to mind me snapping shots of them either. It could have been that some of them had had their share of "beverages."

It amazes me how many people bring their kids with them. They made it a family affair. What lucky kids...

Here are a few more pictures...

These next few were taken way up high on turn 3. Don't ask how I got up so high...

That's all for now. I hope that seeing some of these images has inspired you to get up off the couch and attend one of these fabulous events. I will be watching the Cup event tomorrow from the Press Box. It is an amazing view up there so I should be able to get some good photos.

What lucky kids...

I made my way up on the hill on the back stretch. What a fabulous view. When the cars are going by, I could actually feel the vibrations. I went up during the Modified race.

Here are a few pictures from the view up there...

There is also an ESPN cut-away car up there.

Have you ever camped up there? Do you have any stories you would like to share? I would love to hear them.

The Busch race is about to begin. I am going to watch that and also stroll around the garage areas. I may have one more update today. I think it will be around 5:30 or so with more pictures. I hope you are enjoying what I am showing and that it is gives you an idea of how popular this sport is.

Wait until tomorrow, there will be wall to wall people as this place sold out for tomorrow's NASCAR race.

The Busch cars just finished qualifying. Yesterday, I was asked to get some pictures of Bobby Santos. I was able to get a few...

He qualified 4th for the Busch race today.

This is a pretty good shot of just how much chaos there is on pit road.

Ryan had asked for a shot of Kyle Busch. I haven't gotten anything better than this, I will try again a little later:

I got several pretty good pictures of Dale Jr. after today's first practice:

What a completely surreal feeling of being in the same vicinity of this man! Unbelievable.

I'm now going to grab a quick bite to eat and then go capture some images of the fans here. I am going to go check out where people camp and stay during the weekend festivities.

As always, let me know if there is something you want me to capture.

I am exhausted. I have put some serious walking miles on today. I have a few more garage area pictures to share and a few from pit road. You can get a real good sense of how big this place is when you look up at the grandstands from pit road.

Ward Burton after the first practice. He qualified 25th!

This picture was taken on pit road.

Jimmie Johnson waiting to qualify.

Ricky Rudd waiting to qualify.

Jeff Gordon walking to his car to qualify.

Richard Childress, watching his drivers qualify.

I hear this is one of the best places to watch the events of the weekend. It is on the hill on the back stretch and you can see the entire track from here.

I will be walking up there at some point tomorrow to check it out. Maybe I can watch the Busch race from up there. I know a few people around the flag poles.

I have taken over 100 pictures so far and am going to be taking a whole lot more. Are there images that you would like to see? Drivers you want pictures of? Busch or Nextel Cup? I will make it my personal mission to accomplish those images for you. Please email or post an entry of who or what you would like to see and I will check my emails throughout the day

It is lunchtime and also practice time for the Cup drivers. The garage area is extremely busy, with cars coming in and out. Officials are throughout the area blowing whistles when drivers enter or leave. Seems to be the only thing you can hear over the noise.

Here are a few more pictures...

Jeff Burton - I wished him a Happy Birthday--he wasn't all that talkative, but said "thanks."

Here he is....Juan Pablo Montoya!

Scott Riggs and Kasey Kahne

After this image...I went in and got some lunch. The smell of hot dogs and burgers cooking on the grill while I took these pictures was killing me.

During the final minutes of practice, I was standing near Ward Burton's garage area with a friend. One of his crew members was walking over to us and almost got pegged by a car. It is so busy and hectic and people are running all over the place, so that if you even for a minute get distracted, you can get hit.

I think the garage area during practice may be much more dangerous than pit road during a race. It was quite scary.

I should have one more update, with pictures, by the end of the day.

Yesterday when I arrived in the media center, it wasn't all that busy, which was good because to say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement.

A man named Hank showed me around the garage and pit areas. I am set up at a work station in an air-conditioned media room. I am right by a window so when I look up, I am looking at pit road. Pretty cool.

Took a walk around the garage a bit ago and saw a few folks...

Sterling Marlin!

Not a very good pic...but Jeff Burton.

Bobby Labonte - I had a chance to talk to him...but I am just getting warmed up. Will try a bit later, if I get the opportunity.

There was a press conference regarding the penalities given to the Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson teams. From left to right: Ron Malec, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Meendering, Jeff Gordon.

Obviously, they feel the penalties were too harsh, given that they couldn't practice or qualify last week.

I am heading out to see if I can capture a bit more. I will update again a bit later. Next week we may try to run some audio that I have taken also. I am not talented enough to get it done for the weekend, but I did get some audio of the Gordon/Johnson press conference.

I couldn’t pass up an invitation to go down to New Hampshire International Speedway. Fred Neergaard asked if I was going to be credentialed for the race Sunday. Apparently, he has read my blog. The question made its way through many people here at work, and in the end, I was given everyone’s blessing to attend this event.

I have never been to a live NASCAR race. I have never really wanted to go, to be perfectly honest. I enjoy the comforts of my own home…or my Dad’s, which is where we usually watch the race on TV.

I've been credentialed to go in the pits, garage, media center, press box and racetrack. This is all quite foreign to me. I will be leaving Thursday and will be there for all the events taking place throughout the weekend.

I will probably spend most of my time in the garage area, as I might have a pretty good chance of seeing many of the drivers there. If all goes well, I will be doing updates to the blog and uploading photos a few times throughout the day.

Have you ever been to NHIS? Any tidbits you would like to share with me? Are you going to the race? I would love to hear from you.

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have both been docked 100 points, similar to the penalties and fines of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Steve Letarte and Chad Knaus have each been fined $100,000 and are both suspended for the next six events and placed on probation until Dec. 31.

One hundred owner points have also been deducted from both Rick Hendrick, owner of the #24, and Jeff Gordon, owner of the #48.

Juan Pablo Montoya. Need I say more? Wow. I must admit that I did not watch the race from start to finish. Road courses are just not my favorite tracks.

The penalties for Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson should be coming out today or tomorrow. Let’s see how consistent NASCAR will be.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was docked 100 points and his crew chief, Tony Eury Jr. was fined $100,000 and suspended for 6 races after NASCAR discovered illegal brackets on the rear wing.

NASCAR has said the punishments would be severe if they found any violations involving the COT.

Did anyone watch the Busch race? I didn't, but apparently Aric Almirola started the race for Denny Hamlin in the #20 car at the Milwaukee Mile. Hamlin was supposed to start the race but couldn’t land the helicopter he was in because the track converted the helipad into a parking lot. They got routed to a nearby airport causing his delay in getting to the track.

Almirola, at that point, had led 43 of 57 laps. The call was made for Hamlin to take over. The #20 car went a lap down but got back on the lead lap due to the lucky dog. Hamlin took the car to victory lane but Almirola was credited with the points and the win because he started the race.

Almirola was apparently so angry that as of Sunday morning, he hadn’t returned phone calls to Joe Gibbs, the team president. Can you blame him?

What do you think of Nextel Cup changing its name again?

To be honest, I enjoyed the days when it was called Winston Cup. Maybe it's because it takes me back to the good ole days. You know, the days of less rules and regulations.

It was called the Winston Cup from 1972-2003. It was all I ever knew growing up. In 2004, it became what we know today as the Nextel Cup Series.

I just was getting used to calling it Nextel Cup and now it is rumored that the name will be changed to NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series in 2008.

That would be the third name since 2003. I really don't think changing the name every couple of years is a very good idea. By nature, people don't like change. This isn't a very good way to attract new audience or keep the existing audience.

What's next: Verizon Wireless Cup? That would be a mouthful.

On a TOTALLY different topic, my pick this weekend is Boris Said.

The Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America will kick off in Bar Harbor, Maine on July 14th. As of right now, the ride is scheduled to go from Bar Harbor through Ellsworth, into Belfast with a possible stop in Augusta and then off to Portland. As more details on this event come, I will pass them along.

This ride has attracted more than 5,000 riders and has donated more than $9 million to various children’s hospitals and charities across the country. To make a donation and to learn more about this event, please visit: www.kylepettycharityride.com.

For the first time this year, you will be able to follow the tour virtually on www.chick-fil-akylepettycharityride.com. You will be able to see Kyle’s daily journal entries and sound clips.

Kyle Petty will not be attending the start in Maine but his father, Richard Petty will be there at the start.

Is it too early in the week to discuss this weekend's road course race?

I always lean towards Boris Said for any road course. He is bound to get lucky at one of these races. With any luck at all, weather will not play a role in the qualifying at Sonoma. If it does, Said won’t be racing and I would then probably keep an eye on Tony Stewart and/or Robby Gordon.

Terry Labonte will also be making the race this weekend, driving the #55 car of Michael Waltrip. Here is the entry list.

In the last 11 races, only Cup drivers have won here – Jeff Gordon has won five.

Scott Pruett will not be racing on Sunday due to a scheduling conflict. He certainly would have been someone to watch.

Who will you be watching?

His last victory was at Texas Motor Speedway, Nov. 6, 2005. Even after he was penalized for speeding on pit road and had to start from the back of the pack, he still managed to win. It had been 52 races since his last victory. At last, we finally see that back flip that he is famous for…

Ryan Newman’s lucky streak ended. He blew a left rear tire, went 3 laps down and then got tangled up with Jeff Greene. Newman was trying to race the leader to get one of his laps back and Greene drifted up the track and tapped his rear bumper.

The drivers involved in that wreck were: Kevin Harvick, Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr., Greene and Newman.

Do you think a driver that is 3 laps down should race the lead-lap cars that hard?

How about Mikey Waltrip? He seemed to have his act together during this race. I wasn't even watching for him and at the end of the race, I was wondering where on earth he came from...

A quick search and I found that his last top-10 finish was May 1, 2005 at Talladega when he was driving the #15 for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Here are the unofficial results of the race.

What did you think of the race?

John Andretti will be racing the #45 car for Petty Enterprises in this weekend's race at Michigan International Speedway. He hasn't raced for PE since 2003.

I was never a big fan of Andretti, but I will be watching him on Sunday to see how he does.

Nextel Cup qualifying is on at 3 p.m. today on SPEED channel.

The race is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

AND -- Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there!

I have been told that Terry Labonte has entered the 34th annual late model race scheduled for July 22 at Oxford Plains Speedway. (Thank you Carole for the info.)

He last raced at OPS in June 1992.

I must admit, I had a hard time finding the "official" announcement at first. You have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page on their Web site. Here's the link if you would like to take a look...www.oxfordplains.com

I have always had a great deal of respect for "Texas Terry," so I may have to go to this race to watch him. Let me know if you plan on going...

I will update again a little later today with info on the Michigan race.

I’ve been up and running now for nearly two weeks. Is there anything you would like to see me do differently?

When do you go online each day to catch up on things? I base my updates on when I think you are going to be on the Net (unless there is breaking news).

I haven’t had many more folks sign up for automatic updates. (I do have quite a few, just not many new folks that I've seen contribute comments.)

Do you know how to do it? Do you want me to do this for you?

It is so easy and it e-mails you when an update has been posted, with a link directly to this blog. Or maybe you just don’t want additional e-mails cluttering up your inbox?

Are you just along for the ride and will discuss whatever?

Would you like to see every Thursday be an open forum sort of day, to discuss the local weekend events?

I realize there is more to racing than just NASCAR – with Beech Ridge, Oxford Plains and New Hampshire International Speedway so close by, just to name a few.

I also realize I am not going to please EVERYONE, but I will try my best to please the majority with topics that interest you. BUT I need your feedback.

I am sure you have opinions on what you'd like to see in a racing blog. I am interested in hearing them. I am posted on the www.pressherald.com, www.kjonline.com and www.onlinesentinel.com.

Please share your thoughts, and also let me know what you’re doing this weekend…

I was almost sick waiting for the announcement. I really didn't want to see that he was going to Hendrick....but that is exactly where he is going.

I think dale3 fan said it best in his comment on my blog entry from yesterday: "Dale Jr. going to Hendrick would be like David Ortiz going to the Yankees."

Dale Jr. made the announcement at 11 a.m. today from JR Motorsports.

There has not been a decision yet on what number car he will be driving or what his sponsorship will be.

Kyle Busch will continue to drive the #5 car for the remainder of the year but will be looking for a ride for 2008.

Dale Jr. will announce TODAY where he will be going and who he will be driving for in 2008. It is rumored that he will replace Kyle Busch in the #5 car.

More to come soon and let me know your thoughts...

I started writing this entry yesterday. I had to revise it so many times that I gave up until this morning. To say that I am disappointed in yesterday's race is an understatement.

First, I hate it when there is bad weather and a driver wins on rain delay. Second, I am just grumpy that Jeff Gordon won, yet again.

There were so many other drivers that I think deserved the win, other than Gordon. To name a few: RYAN NEWMAN (my pick to win the race and second place finisher), Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart and possible Martin Truex Jr.

Am I alone? Does anyone else feel this way?

Here are the unofficial results of yesterday's race at Pocono.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the race....

Yesterday I asked you to tell me what you were doing this weekend for racing fun. I got a few great responses to that request. If you are just reading this blog for the first time and want to know about local happenings this weekend, please take a look at yesterday’s entry.

This weekend I will be watching the NASCAR race on Sunday. They qualify at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time today on the SPEED channel. I will try to catch part of that while I am here at work. The race is being shown at 2 p.m. Sunday on TNT.

My pick for Sunday's race at POCONO is going to be Ryan Newman, even though Denny Hamlin has won the last two here. Long shot…yes, but there you have it. That is who I will be watching. He won here in 2003 from the pole. He has had two top-five finishes in the past three races.

Who are your picks for this weekend’s race?

This will be my last entry until Monday.

Also...if you're used to seeing this blog close to the top of the pressherald.com home page, I may be moving to a lower location within the Web site. I just don't want you to think that I am going anywhere anytime soon....I look forward to hearing from you.

Since today is Thursday and the weekend is fast approaching, I thought I would use this space to ask: What are YOU going to be doing for racing fun this weekend?

Here's a forum where you can promote what makes you “tick.” You can link stats, points, various Web sites, and basically anything your heart desires.

I wouldn’t dare dip my toe into a form of racing that I know nothing about. You guys would pounce on me if I made an error.

I am doing this because of e-mail comments I received on Monday when the race got rained out on Sunday. I heard what you said about a lack of racing coverage in our newspaper. If I get enough feedback on this, I may do this more often as we head into each weekend.

I would suggest you set it up so that you receive an e-mail when I update my blog. I think the title on this will always be “All things racing.” I hope this helps.

You can also continue to e-mail me directly. I look forward to learning about various other forms of racing from you.

About the race last night at Eldora... That was so much fun to watch. It is nice to see those guys race and not worry about points. They were all smiles last night. No worries.

As a matter of fact, Ryan Newman and Bill Elliott crashed into each other. Elliott wound up on the roof of his car, and it took several men to flip it upright. He got out laughing and Newman was smiling also. Tony Stewart was right there making sure no one was injured. All in fun. Good ole fashion racing. It was a nice change of pace...

Dirt track racing…tonight!

On HBO Pay-Per-View at 7 p.m. there will be a live race at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio

Some of the drivers racing tonight include: Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman and Mark Martin, just to name a few.

This is the third annual NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice.

You do not need to have a subscription to HBO to order the race.

Proceeds from the telecast will support the Victory Junction Gang Camp and Tony Stewart Foundation. There should be some exciting racing on this half-mile, oval dirt track! I, for one, will be watching…

Race details.

It is so exciting when a driver gets his first win. Martin Truex Jr. did this today. It is not that easy watching a race during work, too many distractions.

I sure would have loved to have been able to focus on those last few laps. How exciting. This is the first COT race that hasn’t been won by Hendricks Motor Sports. Here are the unofficial results .

On a sad note, Bill France, Jr. passed away today. He was 74. Here is the link to see the full story..

It is disappointing when I turn the television on and see the announcers holding umbrellas. I guess the only good thing about it is that I do like to listen to the interviews with various drivers.

Some of them are pretty funny when they rib one another. I also could listen to Kenny Wallace’s laugh all day long. It cracks me up.

They ended up canceling the race at around 2:15. It is going to be aired at noon today on FOX. I will have the flat-panel televisions on in the newsroom today for sure.