But during postrace inspection, NASCAR officials discovered the lid, or cover, was missing from the oil reservoir encasement, an infraction that falls under the general classification of unauthorized aerodynamic modifications -- the intent being to allow air to pass from the inside to the outside of the car.

Tony Stewart suffered a right front tire failure on his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on lap 108 while running in fifth place. Stewart was cautious in exiting his crumpled machine after the impact; he was scored in 43rd place.

Earnhardt closed up on leader Carl Edwards as the field approached the green flag with five laps left in the 267-lap event at 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon hung back, testing the limits of NASCAR's two-car length limit on restarts.

Doubtless, Franchitti would have run better, had he not blown a right front tire late in the race.

For all intents and purposes, that's what happened to Roush Fenway Racing and every other team last year by Hendrick Motorsports.

We’re so used to our guys that have years of experience buried in their fire suits. It enables them to give off that aura of invincibility, so much so that we tend to forget that even these guys probably complain when they stub their toes or get a splinter in their pinky finger. They’re just as human as the guy on the street.

NASCAR Number
By Bill Marx, The Sporting News,March 3

217: Laps led by Toyota drivers through the first three Sprint Cup races of 2008. Last season, Toyota drivers led 166 laps. A full Cup season is 36 races.

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This Day in NASCAR History
By Bill Marx, The Sporting News,March 3

1991: Kyle Petty wins his second consecutive GM Goodwrench 500 at Rockingham, leading 380 of 492 laps. Of Petty's eight Cup victories, three have come at Rockingham. Even though he leads 380 laps, this is his "least" dominating victory at the Rock. In his 1990 victory, he leads 433 laps, but that still can't touch the fall race at Rockingham in 1992 when he leads 484 laps..