Every once in a while there is a bit of controversy surrounding stockcar racing. Many times it’s about crew chiefs or drivers getting busted cheating. Sometimes it is about intentional wrecks, and the rounds of fisticuffs on the sidelines that generally follow after the race. Other times it’s drivers talking smack about other drivers to the media. This time around, in the instance of last weekend’s Capital City 400 at the Richmond Motor Speedway, it comes down to a piece of litter on the track…a water bottle to be exact.

A late race caution was issued by officials because a water bottle was on the short, three-quarter-mile track at Richmond. Carl Edwards jumped the restart and was back flagged. Earnhardt had brake problems and a slow round in the pit lane caution. Harvick was also slow. Kyle Busch, on the other hand saw his time to shine. He shot out of pit lane first, and never looked back. It would be the fourth time he has won on this track, and the win marked his first win of the 2012 season in stockcar racing’s prestigious Sprint Cup.

Earnhardt Jr. Ready for Talladega, Prepared to Snap 137 Race Losing Streak

Ask Dale Earnhardt Jr. if he believes in the adage of momentum, and he will reject that notion, telling you hands down:  NO! “I don’t think momentum is a real thing,” he said. “We’re getting better at running the top-5 and top-10s,” he said of his close loss to Busch last weekend at Richmond. “We’ll just try to keep doing that.”

Take a gander at the Sprint Cup standings – they show that Greg Biffle is still dominating in the first place position. Busch climbed up to 11^th after winning last weekend.

WATCH: REVIEW OF WEEK Nine – ESPN

Were you not able to catch week nine of the action at the short track at Richmond, one of the most popular tracks on the NASCAR circuit? No worries, we’ve got you covered. If you have a few moments, take a look at this video from ESPN. It will recap the entire weekend of racing action, inclusive of the award winning commentary and expert analysis that you have grown to expect from the worldwide leader in sports.

Last weekend at Richmond Motor Speedway, stock car racing history record books got a new entry. That’s because while the younger Busch brother, Kyle, was enjoying his Sprint Cup win, his older brother, Kurt, would be enjoy his Nationwide win while driving Kyle’s No. 54 Camry. Both brothers won in different races on the same track in a double header. How is that for an action packed, record setting stock car weekend?

The demanding and unforgiving short track at Richmond played out nicely for Kurt. Come the final 30 laps of the race, he was at the front of the pack. But an aggressive Denny Hamlin was not going to be outdone so easily. He was on Kurt’s tail all night long. At the end of it all, both drivers made their final rush towards the finish line side-by-side. Kurt’s car crossed with a few feet to spare, notching him the win and sending Hamlin home to ponder what went wrong.

We all know that stock car racing can be a very unforgiving sport. Even if you have been in the lead all day long and then it is suddenly taken from you by a few feet at the end. ”I drove qualifying laps for the last 150 laps and made up a lot of time and was just a few feet short,” Denny Hamlin told the press following his close loss to Kurt Busch last weekend at Richmond.

The NASCAR Nationwide schedule for this class of stock car racing will enter week 8 next weekend in Talladega. Get ready for some more action, and check out the schedule, and be sure to see a motivated Hamlin trying to claim a win as replacement for last weekend’s miserable loss.

WATCH: Busch’s Talk to Press Post Race

From their lips to our ears. This past weekend was a record setting weekend for the ages in NASCAR. Of course, if you are not one of the Busch brothers, then you were a losing driver. Watch this emotional press conference that was hosted by both the brothers following a weekend for the record books, where they both won their races at the same track in different NASCAR classes.

Stockcar racing has its unforgiving moments. A word to the wise for those who compete in Nationwide: be cautionary of cautions, lest Ricky Stenhouse Jr. take you by surprise and etch out another win. Because that is exactly what took place last weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300.

Lighting issues marred an otherwise perfect night race. The weather was ideal, and no slicking the high-banked track at Texas; as rain can be deadly on these unpredictably high-banked short tracks with little apron room for comfort. A few cautions and restarts from light outages had fans bickering. But at the end of the day, a late race caution would end the sordid tale of stockcar racing’s sixth week in the Nationwide series.

After a six lap restart off a caution, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. swung out – barely – ahead of a determined Denny Hamlin. When all was said and done, Hamlin was watching as Stenhouse Jr. peeled his car out in a classic victory dance, notching Roush Fenway’s fourth win a row at this track, and securing a top slot in the standings for Nationwide.

“Denny is a great race car driver and I know when I am up there racing with those guys that I have my work cut out for me,” Stenhouse told the media following the race. “Whew! We finally got a cowboy hat at Texas. I love coming here. We finally finished off a race,” he emphatically added.

Stay abreast of the NASCAR Nationwide Standings – Elliot Sadler holds the top slot, and Stenhouse Jr. is just four points back in second place.

WATCH: Highlights from O’Reilly Auto parts 300

Just in case you happened to miss the Nationwide action last weekend, rest assured that we have got you covered over here. This video includes all of the highlights that you want to see from last weekend’s races. A few lighting problems caused temporary stoppages to the race. But late in the race, during a six lap restart to end it, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. pulled ahead of Denny Hamlin to take home Roush Fenway’s fourth consecutive win at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS).

The car racing experience for Roush Fenway Racing at the Texas Motor Speedway has now seen nine cup wins after 23 races, thanks to efforts by Greg Biffle to overcome Jimmie Johnson – who was vying for lucky number 200 for Hendrick – and winning it all over this past weekend. For Biffle, it denoted his 17^th career victory. In a night race that saw a record 234 green flags at laps, there were not really any major obstacles or crashes to contend with, just Johnson, who led the race for more than 130 laps only to be denied at the end of the evening.

“It is a fun race track for me and for our team,” Biffle told the press following the race; he last won at this track in 2005. “It is nice to come to a track where if during practice you are slow or have trouble qualifying or are slow during the race, you know you can fix it and you can go out and win. We have that confidence. It is nice to sit in a race car and know that we can do this,” he added.

At the end of the race, Greg Biffle not only won it all, but he also has secured his position at first place in the ESPN Sprint Cup Standings. Roush Fenway Racing has got to be elated over the fact that Biffle is in first at 273 points and Matt Kenseth is tied for second with Dale Earnhardt Jr. at 253 points as we head into week 8 of the NASCAR racing experience.

WATCH: NASCAR at Texas, April 2012, Greg Biffle Pre-race

We found this video to be interesting because it adds more personable and palpable perception to the car racing experience, from the driver’s point of view. In this video, watch as Greg Biffle humbly answers questions pre-race before his big win at Texas. His confidence should not be confused with arrogance. He’s actually a class act driver who you want to root for on the sidelines.

The last thing that most people think about when pondering the topic of environmental awareness is stockcar racing. All things considered, this really does make sense. The sport is powered by fuel. The cars burn about one gallon per five miles traveled. The sport consumes about half a million gallons of fuel annually. The cars on the track all emit carbon emissions that create greenhouse gases. And this is not even factoring the sponsors and their impact – all 400 plus of them – the fans (75 million) and their vehicles and litter or waste that is created from every race day event. Naturally, most people are rightfully skeptical that it’s even a possibility for NASCAR to go green.

Back in 2008, the stockcar bodies that be created the NASCAR Green Innovation. It was tasked with an overwhelmingly difficult prospect: make the sport greener while not angering the sponsors or compromising endorsements, and while retaining a high level of profitability simultaneously. Easy-peezy, right?

The managing director of NASCAR Green Innovation, Mike Lynch had a game plan, and what have ensued since are fabulous results.

NASCAR, its sponsors, teams, drivers and fans have connected via social media and other online outlets and surveys to help reduce the sport’s impact on our planet.

Coca Cola has trucked in clean burning rigs to offer mobile recycling bins at nearly every event, saving about 12 million bottles from the landfills last year.

Newer fueling devices prevent spillage and keep vapors locked into the containers.

NASCAR planted 4,000 trees around various tracks last year to help reduce its carbon footprint.

The sport has introduced a 10% clean burning ethanol mix to cars, reducing the amount of gasoline consumed annually by nearly 50,000 gallons

The sport has teamed up with key green partners to ensure ongoing efforts are maintained.

WATCH: Brian Vickers’ Stance on Green in Stockcar Racing

Ever wonder what some of the drivers think about stockcar racing going green? We did. That’s why we scrounged up this nifty video which includes some keynotes and information by seasoned NASCAR driver, Brian Vickers. In the video, Vickers explains what makes the sport so environmentally unfriendly, and what changes are being made as well as which ones need to be put into place in order to help the sport reach its goals of reducing its impact upon the environment in the future as part of the NASCAR Green Innovation.

Stockcar racing is not for the faint of heart. It requires a quit wit, succinct focus and driving skills. Combine this with the right team, proper training, cool composure under pressure and adequate sponsors, and you may have a small chance at winning. For a rookie, one can multiply this metric by ten. If the rookie is a good fit for stockcar racing, they generally will shine in spite of the odds being unfavorably stacked against them. For rookie Jeb Burton, that’s exactly what he did.

His father, Ward Burton, is an experienced NASCAR driver, so that helps. Starting in go-karts at 12 and working through motocross, limited late models, late models and now trucks is also helpful. But getting out on the track, into pack racing and putting your safety on the line to prove you have grit, that’s all that 19-year-old Jeb Burton did in his rookie debut at Martinsville on April 2^nd.

Mom Always Supported His Pursuit of Stockcar Racing

“It’s so much more emotional for me,” Tabitha Ward told the press prior to her son, Jeb’s, debut. “I was always a supporter of Ward, a big cheerleader, but I quietly supported him. I stayed with the kids. We were there, we were always cheering for him, but that was his job, his career. Now with Jeb, I feel like I’m involved. We’re in the middle of it. He’s our child and we’ve done nothing but this the last four, five years. We’ve sacrificed a lot.”

Jeb got wrecked late in the race by another driver in a collision that ultimately involved five different vehicles. After a short pit stop, he managed to gain back some ground. He went on to finish the race in the top-15 at 13^th. Jeb is set to race in four other NASCAR events this year in the World Camping Truck series.

WATCH: Jeb Burton Dishes Out Interview Post Qualifying for Martinsville

Check out this informative and interesting video that was shot featuring questions and answers with a reporter and Jeb Burton after he officially qualified to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck series national race at Martinsville. Burton comes off as very humble yet eager to prove himself on the track, as well as wary that other vets of stockcar racing may take some swipes at him because he is a rookie. It’s as in-depth and personal as NASCAR gets.

Greg Biffle is at the top of the Sprint Cup for positions. Matt Kenseth is in fourth place, Carl Edwards is in 11^th place and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads the Nationwide. That’s how things look for the Roush Fenway Racing team heading into the week long spring break for stock car racing. When you have four drivers in the top 15 for two sections of NASCAR, and with three of them contending for the top 15 positions in the Sprint Cup, not to mention a driver sitting in first place, is there really anything else you have to do but keep on keeping on?

Matt Kenseth Humble Over Fourth Place Finish at Martinsville

“This hasn’t been my best track, for sure,” Kenseth said to the press from Martinsville last weekend, where his Roush Fenway team failed to post a win in spite of fielding three drivers, but where his fourth place finish is the best the team has seen since 2009. “[…] This has never been one of my great tracks. I can’t really speak for anybody else, but, for me, I feel like I’m kind of the weak link here about getting those guys the information and all the stuff they need to make the car drive how I need it to drive.”

The week long break that follows will more than likely consist of a few days of earned time off for the Roush Fenway Racing team before heading into week eight action for stock car racing. For only being about a quarter way through the season, with about 20 races until we enter the Chase, Fenway is boasting some serious clout with Greg Biffle sitting in first position in the Sprint Cup Standings heading into the week long Easter Break for stock car racing.

WATCH: Carl Edwards: Post Martinsville Interview – Inside NASCAR – SHOWTIME

This is the very best video we could find regarding week six of action in stock car racing. Watch as the Showtime Sports announcers recap the entire race for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville. They also interview a special guest, the Roush Fenway Racing superstar and seasoned stock car racing veteran, Carl Edwards, as he delivers his stance on his team, and their 2012 outlook in stock car racing.

Week six in stock car racing has been concluded. As per usual, there can only be really one winner, and there are always the losers. Some people may say that Johnson and Gordon have a right to be annoyed with Clint Bowyer, who basically upset Gordon’s race-high 328 leading laps in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville last weekend. In the end, Newman wins.

“Stupid … idiot,” Gordon could be heard yelling on his radio to his crew chief when Bowyer knocked him and Johnson out of contention. “What a jerk!”

“It was just unfortunate, stupid,” said Johnson, who went on to finish in 12^th after leading 112 laps and staying in the top-three all day long.

Stupid, sure. Jerky, you bet. Ideal to open up the slot with only two laps left for Newman to overtake Allmendinger and get the win, you, (capital letter “B”) Betcha. Maybe Newman ought to write a thank you letter to Bowyer.

This is Short Track Racing; This is NASCAR, says Newman

“That’s short-track racing,” Newman said of his intense finish in stock car racing that many actually credit Clint Bowyer with for taking out the lead cars of Gordon and Johnson during the final two laps. “We can be the best drivers in the world driving Sprint Cup stock cars or running hobby stocks and the exact same thing would have happened.”

And there you have it. Week six is in the books. Stock car racing now breaks for a week before resuming in Texas next weekend for the Samsung Mobile 500.

WATCH: AJ Allmendinger Showdown with Ryan Newman for Martinsville Win

This is what defines the very essence of stock car racing. It’s why we are glued to our TV screens every weekend race day during the NASCAR season. It’s why we can’t wait for the Sprint Cup races. This final lap showdown between an unrelenting AJ Allmendinger and Ryan Newman would see them both battling it out during the last seconds of the race, which ultimately would end with Newman overtaking Allmendinger in the very final moments to earn a much deserved victory lane dance.

We have an interesting take for you today. Some people are suggesting – and this is really just naysayers here – that Dale Earnhardt Jr. could be likened to the Tim Tebow of NASCAR. Obviously, some of this negative banter stems from Dale being unable to snap his 133 race losing streak. Even more interestingly, is that Earnhardt Jr. actually responded to the question when the media poised it him (obviously due to popular demand over the viral propensity of the subject matter).

So what does Dale Earnhardt Jr. think of the comparison?

“I haven’t really thought about that one,” the most famous driver in NASCAR told the media when asked. “Do I need to work on my throwing motion? Is my throwing motion OK with everyone? No, I’m right-handed. I don’t know.”

Perfect response, Dale.

His Humble Take on Tebow

Earnhardt actually envies Tebow, and takes no offense to the comparison, either.

“That guy is under too much damn pressure,” Earnhardt said of Tebow. “I like him and think he’s a good guy, but Jesus, man. I think he lives under twice the microscope I ever did.”

When talking about Tebow, is there not some law that banned mention “Jesus” in the first ten words?

Dale added, further embellishing on Tebowmania: “He’s incredible. He doesn’t really … fan the flames on that stuff. He just does his own thing. But [I] don’t know. I guess that ain’t a bad guy to get compared to.”

Similarities Between Tebow and Earnhardt Jr.

• Both sell more merchandise than any other in their sport.
• Earnhardt won two championships in Nationwide (second series of NASCAR), whereas Tebow won two national championships with Florida in college football.
• Tebow is from Jacksonville; Earnhardt owns a bar there.
• Both have rules in their sport named after them (“Tebow’s Rule,” no eye paint with messages; Earnhardt’s “The Junior Rule,” which does not really exist, but purportedly forces officials to call a caution if he is trailing by a lap).
• Earnhardt took second at the Daytona 500; Tebow is a second stringer for the NY Jets.

The term “fakey” is generally colloquial reference to a certain type of professional skateboarding trick. But it seems that Tony Stewart has embraced the tactic of fakery to win a race that he knew was about to come to an end, and in some seriously clandestine style that would even make the CIA proud. The Auto Club 400 kicked off in Fontana, California, and stock car racing would be beset with another bad turn of events following the mishaps at Daytona during week one. But a keen and aware Tony Stewart recognized these events and used them to his advantage, and to net himself his 46^th career win and a sweet position in the top-five Sprint Cup standings after week five of stock car racing action.

The Stewart-Haas Fakey

Here’s how it went down. Just as the rain began to pour onto the tracks like it was going to flash flood, Stewart had to know that the race would be ended at lap 129, as opposed to it running another 71 laps. He was near the front of the pack when he faked a pit entry. Then, all of sudden, he shot out in front and shocked the other drivers, who yielded him the first place position and the win, just as officials called the race over due to rain.

WATCH: Final Laps of Auto Club 400 Nets Stewart Rain-Shortened Win

The Auto Club 400 was a rain-shortened stock car racing event that would ultimately only span 129 laps. At the end of it all, Tony Stewart managed to pull his car ahead of the pack in a nick of time to take the first place finish, right as the caution cars swept onto the track and halted the race due to a downpour of rain that made it too dangerous to race on the soaked track. The big win of the day goes to Stewart, his 46^th NASCAR win.