NASCAR: Speed finally living up to his name

The sunglasses were propped on his head, and a smile easily crossed his face. For once, Scott Speed not only looked California cool, but also felt it.

Relief, happiness — no one in the garage Sunday felt better than Speed after the Auto Club 500. Not even race winner Jimmie Johnson.

Speed, the Californian from Manteca beginning his second full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, is in a situation where he must prove himself. A refugee from Formula One, but without the credentials of Juan Pablo Montoya, Speed needs to show he belongs. Otherwise, he could go the way of other open-wheel drivers such as Dario Franchitti.

Out of the series.

If you would like to read racescribe author Martin Henderson’s story for ESPNLosAngeles.com on Speed and the proving ground that he is walking, click here.

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NASCAR: A non-Hollywood ending for Junior

On the heels of his second-place finish at the Daytona 500, fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr., had to be feeling pretty good about their hero. This is the year that Junior feeds their need for greatness. The problem, of course, is that Daytona is followed by a race at Auto Club Speedway, and the California track might as well be composed of radiation for NASCAR’s favorite driver.

If you would like to read racescribe author Martin Henderson’s story for ESPNLosAngeles.com about Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s difficult day, click here.

NASCAR: It’s just racing for Montoya, except when you’re sitting on the sidelines

Juan Pablo Montoya has raced Indy-style cars, Formula One and stock cars. And when his day ended on Sunday at the Auto Club 500, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, “That’s racing.”

Actually, it’s racing when you’re running. The problem is that Montoya was betrayed by his engine, which blew up on Lap 141, allowing the former Indy 500 and Champ Car champion a chance to beat the traffic home.

If you would like to read racescribe author Martin Henderson’s feature on Montoya’s day at the track for ESPNLosAngeles.com, click here. Spoiler alert: You’ll learn that “it’s just racing.”

NASCAR: Robby Gordon means business

Twice in the last week, a magazine story was brought up in conversation with Robby Gordon. With his well-groomed face on the cover, the headline read, “Robby Gordon’s Last Chance.”

The magazine was from the 1990s.

Gordon, the maverick driver and owner, seems to have more lives than a trailer park full of cats.

If you would like to read racesribe author Martin Henderson’s ESPNLosAngeles.com story about Robby Gordon, click here.

NASCAR: Casey Mears’ new challenge — again

Casey Mears leaned forward on the leather sofa, still wearing a firesuit that is starkly bare in a sport driven by corporate logos. You could feel his emotion before he finally did away with start-and-stops to sentences he wanted to be encouraging. “It’s frustrating,” he finally said. “Bottom line, you want to be in the race, and all these guys want to be in the race.”

If you would like to read racescribe author Martin Henderson’s ESPNLosAngeles.com story about Mears and his second race with newly formed Keyed-Up Motorsports, click here.

NHRA: Iconic event gets iconic winner: John Force

The old man still has it in him. After 39 races and 20 months without a victory, after months of self-doubt and intense physical training, John Force returned to the winner’s circle Sunday at the 50th Kragen O’Reilly Winternationals at Auto Club Speedway in Pomona.

Force, 60, held a gold-plated Wally trophy over his head as the crowd roared its approval of the victory that snapped the longest winless drought of his career.

If you’d like to read the rest of the story written by racescribe author Martin Henderson — and there’s another 850 words about Force and top fuel winner Larry Dixon , including a funny story about what Dixon was thinking when he saw Force take the win light — you can read about it at ESPN Los Angeles. Just click here.

NASCAR: Martin makes statement about Junior

Much was made last week when Mark Martin became the third-oldest winner of a NASCAR race after winning at Phoenix. Don’t know why, since everyone knows he is enormously talented and the consummate professional. If anything, maybe Martin has been too respectful on the track,  unwilling to bump someone out of the way to win a race. But that’s the way he races, and that’s another story.

Martin’s victory came in only his eighth race since joining Hendrick Motorsports. By comparison, Dale Earnhardt Jr., won in his 15th race after joining owner Rick Hendrick’s team, his only victory through 44 races heading into Talladega. By comparison, it took Jimmie Johnson 13 races overall, 10 in his first full season (2002) when he won three times.

Should also point out that Martin, despite beginning this season with consecutive finishes of 16th, 40th, 40th and 31st, is now  only nine points out of the top 12 (which is led by Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon and Johnson). Martin is 94 points ahead of 19th place Junior in the championship.

Which, of course, means that Junior is definitively the No. 4 driver in Hendrick stable.

No question Junior is a good driver. But he’s the No. 4 driver on that team.

In case anyone was wondering.

IRL: Dixon currently trails, ahem, Stanton Barrett

So this is what they mean when they say it’s tougher to repeat as a champion than win it in the first place.

Scott Dixon? The defending IndyCar Series champion is 55 points behind Dario Franchitti and in 17th place after two races. Two races, two sub-par finishes. It happens.

But Dixon’s misery has happened on two street circuits, and there’s only one thing that needs to be said to put a little perspective on how bad his season has gone thus far.

He trails Stanton Barrett.

IRL: Franchitti lays down the gauntlet

Get used to it.

Dario Franchitti won the 35th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, and given that  it’s only his second race with owner Chip Ganassi,  you have to believe that this won’t be the last time the Scot wheels his Indycar into the winner’s circle.

Franchitti’s dominant and fortuitous victory —  he led 51 of 85 laps — was his first on an IRL street or road course, which is quite amazing given his proclivity for victory while in Champ Car. We already know he’s not going to roll over on ovals where he has eight victories in the series.

Chemistry is usually the key element in developing great teams. Chemistry takes time. If the chemistry on Franchitti’s team is already there, look out.

And look out often.

NHRA: Lucas puts his foot down, finally

Score one for the gecko.

It was good to see Morgan Lucas score a victory — his first — in a pedalfest at the Summit NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta. I’m not sure there is a driver out there who needed a victory more than Lucas.

He has been at it for a few years, and with sponsorship so difficult to get — and maintain — you have to hope this top fuel victory goes a long way toward keeping that GEICO program together.

I’ve always had the feeling that Lucas, 25, might be one of those drivers who wins once, and then becomes a factor every week. With a little confidence, and a little success, it may be that he becomes a player in the championship. The more solid competitors there are in top fuel — and right now it’s trailing the funny car field in that area — the better for the sport.

NHRA: Maybe God drives a Mustang

It’s stuff like this that forces you to believe in providence. The Ford Mustang is celebrating its 45th anniversary this weekend.

The Ford Mustang is No. 1-2 in funny car qualifying at the NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta.

The two drivers are Ashley Force Hood and her father, John Force.

Who faced each other a year ago in the finals of the same event.

Where Ashley became the first female winner in a funny car.

And beat her dad, the winningest driver in NHRA history.

Driving a Mustang.

IRL: No lack of drama with Tracy at Indy

Paul Tracy is back, and apparently, with a vengeance. It’s good to see PT spitting fire. The unofficial winner of the 2002 Indianapolis 500 — also known as the official loser — announced that he will be driving for KV Racing when that one-car team fields a second car at the Brickyard.

Short of Richard Petty driving in the 600-mile race at Charlotte, or Michael Schumacher making an appearance at Monaco, it is the most welcome sight of the Memorial Day Race Weekend.

With all due respect to Jimmy Spencer, Tracy is Mr. Excitement. Few drivers of any generation have created as much drama, whether it’s fighting with Alex Tagliani, drawing the ire of Sebastien Bourdais or choking his team owner — yep, it really happened — Tracy is passionate and doesn’t pull any punches.

Right or wrong, jackass or not, the 35-time winner and 2003 CART champion calls it the way he sees it.

“We’re not going to take the rookie orientation program,” he said at the IRL press conference in Long Beach.  “I don’t think they let past winners do that there.”

Ouch! He is the one guy Danica Patrick does not want to mess with.

NHRA: Not exactly off to a Full Throttle start, but not exactly lacking storylines, either

The first  two days of the season-opening Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals at Pomona weren’t exactly run at full throttle. New series presenting sponsor Full Throttle Energy Drink must see the irony: “Go Full Throttle or Go Home,” which pretty much summed up the fan experience as the rain poured on Pomona. There was no throttling, and everyone went home wet. That is, if they came out to the track at all.

But you had to like the drama Saturday in the first day of on-track activities. Although Antron Brown at first appeared to run the fastest 1,000-foot time in history, the story of the day was Larry Dixon’s failure to qualify in the debut of the Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing dragster.  With the team behind him that helped Tony Schumacher win his fifth consecutive title a year ago, Dixon’s debut was nothing short of disastrous, a full-throttle flameout. Lined up against Schumacher in the last pair of the day under threatening skies, Dixon encountered problems and coasted to the finish. He wasn’t going full throttle, and you can pretty much figure out what that meant.