Carl Edwards

As pretty as Edwards’ victory was, his victory celebration was just plain ugly.  He ripped up the front of his car on a non-existent drain.  He can be excused for that lousy bit of driving after putting on a clinic all evening, although the fact that Edwards sounded only half-joking when he picked an imaginary feud with NASCAR over the non-existent drain was a little disturbing.

David Ragan finished eighth in the All-Star Race after winning the Shootout earlier in the day.  In the first race of the day (not counting the Nationwide Series, of course) Ragan started on the pole and finished in first, though in between the race was anything but secured.  Ragan passed Brad Keseowski with two laps to go to regain the lead for the final time in the race.

The winner of the Longest Sponsor List goes to Dale Earnhardt, Jr., sponsored by the Dale Jr. Foundation, VH1 Save the Music, Amp Energy Sugar-Free, and the National Guard.  Sign up now and you may be able to get your name on his tailpipe for next week’s race in Charlotte.

The All-Star Race, with its peculiar rules and distinctive quirks, is a nice diversion every year from the normal NASCAR routine.  Best of all is the triple threat of the Nationwide Race, the Shootout, and the All-Star Race all in one day.  Then again, the normal NASCAR routine is the very thing that we so love to watch each weekend, so I guess we don’t so much need a diversion from it every year.

Next week, the series moves to Charlotte for the fan-favorite Coca-Cola 600.

Last year, Montgomery County in Maryland installed radar cameras. These cameras are set up on busy thoroughfares and take radar on passing cars. If anyone is going more than 10 MPH over the speed limit, his or her license plate is captured and he or she gets a $40 ticket in the mail.

In the last eight months of 2007, 224 tickets were issued to Montgomery County police officers! After reviewing records, 76 of the tickets were excused for police offers speeding justly in the line of duty, but the remaining 148 were not excused.

Well, of course, the police officer’s union thinks these should be squashed. But the Montgomery County Police Chief, Thomas Manger, disagrees and thinks that officers should be forced to comply with the law like everyone else.

This all leads to a great standoff, and one that is worth watching! But it raises a bigger question, is the use of radar cameras a fair use of technology by government?