NASCAR stars say no disrespect for Obama

• 

  Driver Kevin Harvick looks on in the garage during preparations for Sunday's NASCAR …

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Four NASCAR stars will take a pass on meeting President Obama at the White House.

It doesn't have anything to do with politics.

When word got out that Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards wouldn't be going to the White House next Wednesday, it sparked plenty of chatter on talk shows and social media networks. There was speculation the four were making some sort of protest about Obama's policies on behalf of a generally conservative sport.

Nonsense, insisted Biffle, who said he has to go to a two-day retreat in Minnesota for 3M, the major sponsor of his No. 16 car. The event has been scheduled for months and will be attended by clients from around the world.

"I saw some comments that we rejected the invitation," Biffle said Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "To me, that's not what we did. Rejecting means, 'No, I don't want to go. I'm not going to go. You can't make me go.' That's rejecting. Having a conflict and not being able to participate is something different."

Stewart also had a scheduling conflict, though he declined to go into details.

"Trust me, if we could be there, we'd definitely be there," he said. "I've always viewed it as an honor just to get an invitation to go. I've enjoyed every trip every time I've gone there. I've learned more and more about it. And it's pretty cool feeling to be with most powerful man in the world. That's not an invitation we take lightly."

Eight other drivers who made last year's Cup playoff, including five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, plan to be there along with NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France.

"Regardless of political views, when (president of the United States) sends an invite and wants to honor you at the White House, you accept," Johnson wrote on Twitter, accompanied by a hash tag with the word "respect." He added that some fans had complained about him accepting an invitation from Obama.

Biffle and Stewart pointed out they've been to the White House several times, meeting both former President George W. Bush and Obama, who was inaugurated in 2009.

"I've been there since he's been in office," Biffle said. "I've got a handshake picture with the president and I in the bookcase in my office, right behind my desk."

Stewart said he wasn't "going to put anybody under the bus by talking about" his conflicting plans, but insisted it was something he couldn't break or change. Otherwise, he would have been at the White House.

"Every time I go, I learn more about each room," Stewart said. "If you get the chance, you should go. It's really worth it."

Jeff Burton is among the drivers who will be meeting with the Democratic president, even though he's thought to harbor future political ambitions as a Republican.

This isn't about politics, Burton said.

"I worked really hard to free up my schedule when I got the invitation because, to me, it's important for the president of the United States to invite NASCAR to come so he can honor us," he said. "I mean, that's really what this is. A lot of people have turned this around like we're going to honor the president. The president asked us to come to honor us. That's a hell off a compliment for our sport and us as individual drivers and teams."

Harvick said it's a tough time of year to find some spare time in his already crowded schedule. The Washington visit was scheduled three days before the race at Richmond, Va., that will set the 12-driver field competing for the Sprint Cup championship.

"Most everything we do is scheduled months in advance," Harvick said. "I have been to the White House before and it's an honor just to go the White House and be in the Oval Office and on the premises at the White House. I understand the honor. Just with everything we have going on right now, there is no way to reschedule the things we have going next week."

Such as?

"I don't think that is anyone's business," Harvick said. "It is just a bad week for us."

Some media outlets reported that Kurt Busch wouldn't be going to the White House, either. Not so. His team rescheduled an important photo shoot for next year's merchandise and marketing campaigns, a session that must be done by the end of the month to get everything ready before the team heads to Daytona for the start of the 2012 season.

"All along, it was my intention to go," Busch said. "Who's going to turn down an opportunity to go to the White House? For me, it's an honor and a privilege. I have met both Bush and Obama. To be a Chase driver and go to the White House, that's an important visit. You might not make the Chase every year and miss out on those opportunities."

Burton said all the debate about NASCAR's visit to the White House symbolizes a larger divide within the country.

"Ten years ago, after 9-11, this country was unified. This country was together," he said. "Today, we're sitting here talking as if someone, for political reasons, is going or not going to the White House. And we wonder why this country is in trouble. We can point the finger and blame all the people in Washington. Well, maybe we need to look in the damn mirror a little bit. Really. It's our country."

___

Earnhardt signs 5-year extension with Hendrick

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR's most popular driver will stay with the most dominant race team at least through 2017.

Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday announced a five-year contract extension with Dale Earnhardt Jr., who heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend trying to clinch his first berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship in three years.

"It's great to have it all wrapped up so quickly and far in advance," said Earnhardt, who had another year left on the original contract that began in 2008.

"Rick and I were on the same page from the first time we talked about it, so there wasn't any sense in waiting. There were never any questions or hesitations from either of us. It was just, 'Yeah, let's do it.'

Earnhardt left Dale Earnhardt Inc., his late father's race team, at the end of the 2007 season to join car owner Rick Hendrick. Earnhardt's courtship was the most frenzied free agency in NASCAR history, and he chose the most dominant team in the Sprint Cup Series.

The pressure has been on Hendrick since to make Earnhardt a champion — a goal they have failed to reach through the first three seasons. Earnhardt has won just one race since leaving DEI, at Michigan in 2008, and he goes into Sunday night's race at Atlanta stuck in a 117-race winless streak.

But after missing the Chase the last two seasons, he's poised to get back into the 12-driver field this year. Currently ranked ninth in the standings, Earnhardt can clinch a berth in the field if he widens his margin to 49 points over the 11th-place driver on Sunday night.

He's currently 39 points ahead of 11th-place driver Brad Keselowski.

Earnhardt talked last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway about the importance of making the Chase so he can avoid another year of harsh criticism. But he insisted simply making the 10-race championship series isn't enough.

"On a personal level, I don't really know how much it matters to me. Making the Chase is just an afterthought," Earnhardt said at Bristol. "I really want to win a championship. Making the Chase is great and all, but as a person, you want to be a champion. Making the Chase doesn't really make you feel better at the end of the season. If you don't win the championship, you're really disappointed."

Earnhardt's career-best finish in the Sprint Cup standings was third in 2003. Under the Chase format, he finished fifth in 2004 and 2006, but has not made the field since 2008, his first season with Hendrick.

"I'm really happy at Hendrick Motorsports and enjoy working with everyone here," he said. "The team's been very competitive this season, and we're all excited about the direction of things. I want to make sure we're giving our fans something to cheer about for a long time."

Hendrick said he's glad to have a deal done and is eager to get Earnhardt back to Victory Lane.

"Junior and I had a handshake agreement months ago, and we let other people work out the finer points from there. It was as simple and smooth as it gets," Hendrick said. "My feelings haven't changed since the day he first signed with us. I'm committed as ever to putting him in the best possible situation to be successful and compete for wins and championships."

What does the Alternator Do?

Cars run a number of systems each of which has a specific task, all of these processes function with one commonality. They all in one way or another rely on electricity from the battery to keep them going. While the diesel fuel pumps and diesel injector both run on electrical impulses many other systems rely on electricity as well. Belt driven systems like the power steering pump and water pump may seem to have nothing to do with the electric flow but they rely on the movement of the motor which is caused by combustion started by a spark.

The alternator is the belt driven unit in the motor which generates electricity that can be flowed to the battery in order to keep the unit from discharging all of its power. If the alternator fails the car will not instantly die because the battery retains a charge that can maintain the systems for a short time. Do not expect to make it very far on just the battery since every function in the car is going to be draining the battery of its life.

Electricity or the movement of electrons is created by the alternator by way of a rotating coil driven by the belt of the motor. Around the coil is a larger coil that uses a magnetically opposite metal that forces the electrons to move through the coils and then out of the lines from the unit. This flow of electrons will charge the battery and keep the car going.