SPONSOR SWAP: Race fans may do a double take when they see the Haas CNC Racing entries take to the track at California Speedway this weekend. While the car numbers and drivers will be the same, the sponsors will swap spots on the two Haas Chevrolet Monte Carlo NEXTEL Cup Series cars.

Johnny Sauter, whose primary sponsor is normally Yellow Transportation, will instead carry the Best Buy logos on his No. 70 entry this weekend. Jeff Green’s No. 66 car, which usually carries a blue and yellow Best Buy paint design, will instead be sponsored by Yellow Transportation.

This is the first of two NEXTEL Cup Series races in which Green and Sauter will “swap sponsors” in 2007.

DRIVER JOHNNY SAUTER QUOTES:

“I’ve never been known for doing well on intermediate tracks, but we had a really good test in Las Vegas so I’m looking for good things at California Speedway this weekend. Everyone knows I’m a short-track racer, but each time I go back to California I learn more and I think the racing gets better as well.

“Starting off the season the way we did in Daytona last weekend was just remarkable and I can’t tell you how much momentum it’s going to give us coming into Fontana. Two weeks ago there was a huge question mark for the 2007 season and after running strong and finishing 16th in the season opener – we can’t wait to get back to racing this weekend.

“This is going to be a unique season for Team Yellow Racing, as we’re going to share driving duties for Yellow between teammates at Haas CNC Racing. We’ll be in the Yellow Chevy for the majority of the season, but my teammate, Jeff Green, will step in for two Yellow races – the first being this weekend in Fontana. Teamwork is what makes Yellow so successful so to take a team approach to the race program is only natural.

“I’m honored to carry the Best Buy colors this weekend and with the resources we have at Haas CNC Racing, I’m sure it will be a success for both Yellow Transportation and Best Buy.”

Q&A WITH CREW CHIEF “BOOTIE” BARKER:

You head into California Speedway sitting in the top-20 in the points standings. How important is that to your team? “It’s huge. That’s all you can say. You know, Daytona was just one race, but it gives your team confidence and it gives you momentum. Both of those are huge. The guys at the shop and on our crew can look at the standings and say, ‘Not only did we make the Daytona 500 on speed, but we kept the fenders on the car and got a pretty decent finish out of it, too.’ It’s a great morale booster.

“I’m confident that we can make all five of these first races where we have to make it in on time, but what this does is provide us with a little breathing room in case of a problem. If we can come out of these first five races comfortably in the top-35, it’s going to be a tremendous help to what we’re trying to do. We’ve just got to take it one race at a time and focus on the job we need to do every weekend, and I think we’ll be fine.”

Given the recent focus on crew chief’s bending the rules, what are your thoughts on the subject? “Well, as long as this sport’s been around, you’ve always had guys trying to find ways to make their cars go faster, and you’ve always had NASCAR trying to catch them. That’s something that’s never going to change. There will always be guys pushing the envelope.

“I guess I just don’t have the right mindset for breaking the rules. I’ve always come at it more as, ‘OK, this is what we have to work with and here are the parameters we have to work within, and I’m going to do everything I can to maximize my car’s performance within those parameters.’ There seem to be some guys, and I’m not pointing any fingers at any team in particular, who are more naturally inclined to try to take it further.

“What frustrates you as a crew chief is when you’re pretty sure someone is doing something outside the rules, but they never seem to get caught at it. When you’re legal and you’re convinced someone else isn’t, but they continue to get away with it, that’s when it’s tough. As long as everyone is on a level playing field, I’m cool.”

JOHNNY SAUTER’S HISTORY AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY:

Johnny Sauter has just one NEXTEL Cup Series start at California Speedway. In the May, 2004, event, Sauter started 37th and finished 21st in the No. 30 Richard Childress Racing (RCR) entry. Ironically, Jeff Green, who is now Sauter’s teammate at Haas CNC Racing, drove the No. 30 for RCR in the California Speedway race the previous year.

In eight NASCAR Busch Series starts at California, Sauter’s best starting spot was an eighth-place qualifying position while driving the No. 43 for owner Mike Curb in 2003. Sauter’s best finish was a fourth-place result in the Sept., 2005, Busch race at California Speedway, while driving the No. 1 Chevy for team owner James Finch.

HAAS CNC RACING’S HISTORY AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY:

In seven NEXTEL Cup Series starts at California Speedway, the Haas team’s best starting spot was scored by driver Mike Bliss, who started 12th in the Feb., 2005, event. The team’s best finish was a 10th-place result, posted by Ward Burton in May, 2004.

GRAND MARSHAL’S WORK AVAILABLE AT BEST BUY:

Two legends of music and movies, respectively, have been named Grand Marshal’s of this weekend’s Busch and NEXTEL Cup Series events. Rocker Sammy Hagar, the Grand Marshal of Saturday’s race, is scheduled to be inducted with the band he fronted for more than a decade, Van Halen, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next month. Kevin Costner, the Grand Marshal for Sunday’s event, has starred in a number of critical and box office movie successes. Both men’s work is available at Best Buy locations, and at www.bestbuy.com, including:

Sammy Hagar
“Montrose” - by Montrose- A band featuring Ronnie Montrose and a young Sammy Hagar, this debut album is considered quintessential 70’s hard rock and features several staples of Hagar’s live act, including “Bad Motor Scooter” and “Rock Candy.”
“The Essential Red Collection” – This “Best Of” compilation spans Hagar’s career and includes several songs recorded especially for movie soundtracks, including “Heavy Metal” (for the animated feature by the same name), “The Girl Gets Around” (from the Kevin Bacon vehicle, “Footloose”), and “Winner Takes It All” (from Sylvester Stallone’s “epic” about an arm-wrestling truck driver, “Over the Top”).
“5150” – by Van Halen – The first album by a Sammy Hagar-led Van Halen (nicknamed “Van Hagar” by many fans) after the departure of David Lee Roth, this release is known for featuring lots of keyboards, and songs like “Best of Both Worlds” and the inspirational “Dreams.”

Kevin Costner
“JFK” – This controversial Oliver Stone-directed movie features Costner as New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, who investigates the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in an attempt to uncover an alleged conspiracy.
“Bull Durham” – As “Crash” Davis, a minor league baseball player, Costner is tasked with helping to develop a talented but wild young pitcher, Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLouche (Tim Robbins). When both Costner and Robbins get involved with a fan (Susan Sarandon), it creates a comic love triangle.
“Field of Dreams” – A corn farmer in Iowa hears a voice that tells him to plow under his crop and build a baseball field. When he does, it brings sleepless nights to his family, and incredible wonders into his world.

JOHNNY SAUTER’S NEXTEL CUP RESULTS AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY:

HAAS CNC RACING’S NEXTEL CUP RESULTS AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY