It looks like Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be joining forces with Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports.

This is like Pepsi and Coke merging. Expect things to fizz over.

My first thought that this is not a good thing for Nextel Cup. Rivalries are good for sports, although the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is choking most of the oxygen out of the rest of baseball.

The positive for Nextel Cup is that Junior actually might add some wins or even be a factor in the Chase to go with this high profile. Budweiser and Chevrolet also have to be happy.

TNT started its six race broadcast run for NASCAR on Sunday, and despite the rain, the broadcast shined.

Turner Sports had plenty of features set up for the more than 3 hours of rain delay, including one with Kyle Petty interviewing the great David Pearson. It was fun and well done by the novice announcer in Petty.

After that, TNT put Richard Petty on talking with his son, and the King put nice touches on the finish of the feature. It shows the great history that NASCAR has.

Fox Sports makes itself a tough act to follow, but TNT did well in its first time out, hiring Larry McReynolds as an analyst was a good call, too.

Can ESPN/ABC take the handoff and run with it in seven weeks? It won't be easy.

Steve Latarte took over as Jeff Gordon's crew chief in somewhat of a surprise after Robbie Loomis left Hendrick Motorsports a couple of seasons ago.

How could Rick Hendrick put such an inexperienced crew member in charge of Gordon's car?

Well, Letarte is proving his worth this season.

Gordon, who is in the points lead for the Nextel Cup this season, benefited from a great call by Letarte on Sunday.

Letarte pitted Gordon's car out of sequence, and when the rain returned to the Long Pond, Pa., track, Gordon was able to remain out front to win his fourth race of the season.

Letarte's calls helped Gordon win the race in Phoenix earlier this season, too.

The two are bringing back memories of Gordon and Ray Evernham dominating at the end of the 90s.

And Letarte has quickly joined Chad Knaus as the top crew chiefs in Nextel Cup.

Casey Mears wins his first race at Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday with J.J. Yeley and Kyle Petty following. Anyone who bet that trifecta probably can retire. It was fun to watch a great race with some different drivers leading the way.

Although since Mears runs with Hendrick, that race shop continues to dominate.

Ginn Racing is in the lead to get Dale Earnhardt Jr. That would come as a surprise but the success Mark Martin has had is getting attention.

Dario Franchitti winning the Indy 500 was a nice story, although at some point, that series needs Danica Patrick or Marco Andretti to hit it big. Otherwise, it will always run second to NASCAR.

LeBron James was fouled, but the Cavs can't wait to take the last shot. Go for the throat! … Danica Patrick will win an IndyCar Series race but not this weekend's Indy 500. … The Indians, Tigers, Angels and Red Sox will be the playoff teams in the American League. … Charlie Frye will be the starting quarterback for the Browns, and Brady Quinn will sit unless Frye and Derek Anderson get hurt. … Jamal Lewis is an ancient 27 and will show it this season. … Kent State football will make a run at the MAC title game. … Jimmie Johnson will win the Coca-Cola 600 because he does just about every year. … Expect the David Beckham talk to pick up after the holiday. His arrival to MLS is two months away. … The Yankees are done, and Joe Torre will not survive the season.

Ottawa will beat Anaheim in six games to win the Stanley Cup. … David Stern had to cringe when his next two potential superstars ended up in the Northwest with the Trail Blazers and SuperSonics winning the draft lottery's top two spots. Greg Oden will go to the Blazers and Kevin Durant to the Sonics. … Will anybody see them play? … Despite all of the offseason moves, the Patriots will not win the Super Bowl. No team has bought the Super Bowl, like you can a World Series. … Barry Bonds won't break Aaron's mark until late July at the earliest. … C.C. Sabathia will sign with the Dodgers after next season for $140 million over seven seasons. … Travis Hafner will sign a contract with the Indians, something like $75 million for five years, maybe more. … USC despite having so many players back will not win the BCS title. … Tiger Woods will win the U.S. Open next month at Oakmont C.C., near Pittsburgh. … Wait until you all see the changes to that great course.

NASCAR did the right thing in moving up the timeline for the Car of Tomorrow.

It is silly to have different cars at different tracks, and the COT has provided good races all five times that it has been run, despite Hendrick drivers winning all of the races.

The original plan called for around 10 races this season, 16 next and then full time in 2009.

By moving up the timeline, it will make it easier for the smaller teams to plan.

Although, I can't wait for the next race at Talladega, the first COT race on a restrictor plate track. That will be the ultimate test.

Took my boys on a family trip to Charlotte for the NASCAR All-Star race.

What a great time, go-kart tracks, good time with family and 180,000 gear heads.

The race was outstanding with the no-holds barred format. Kevin Harvick was victorious but Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon showed that they can dominate at Lowe's Motor Speedway. And that should make the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend worth the price of admission and your time on TV this Sunday.

Don't forget about the Indy 500, which will also be raced Sunday. Three women in the race for the first time.

Folks can talk about the NBA and NHL and Major League Baseball, but the attendance marks and TV ratings show that NASCAR is second only to the NFL in the U.S.

NASCAR plays no favorites when it hands down penalties.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was docked 100 points in the standings and his crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., was fined $100,000 and suspended for six races for an illegal wing part in the race last weekend at Darlington.

The other sports could learn a thing or two about sticking to the rule book.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. being a free agent goes beyond sports.

Junior brings along a huge fan base, and two major sponsors in Chevy and Budweiser.

His market ability is on par with Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan if not greater.

He is going to make a lot of money for himself and for whichever owner is lucky enough to land him.

Just imagine if he could win more races.

As for DEI, I can't see that race team staying anywhere near the top of the business. It was a second-tier team with Junior. Martin Truex Jr. can't be the headliner for any team.

The Cavs have a plan, and they followed it perfectly in Game 1. It is amazing when you have a plan and stick to it how far it can take you. Now to win a title, I think the offense might need to get a little better. But there is nothing saying that that can't happen this year.

The Browns drew media from all over to cover Brady Quinn's presence at minicamp. I will say it again. Phil Savage was desperate when he made the move for Quinn, and now he is going to be under more scrutiny than every before.

We often talk about windows of opportunity in sports. Well, the Indians' window is wide open, and they need to follow C.C. Sabathia right through it this year. C.C. is on track for his first Cy Young and probably will become the first $20 million per season pitcher in history after completing his deal next season. The Tribe's window might be just this season because all of the talk next season will center on C.C. and his contract status.

Jimmie Johnson and Tiger Woods won again. No surprises with either. Again, having a plan and following through. It does work, if you have the right plan.