Brian De Los Santos

So I made it to the speedway shortly before 9 a.m. Smooth sailing. I'm not one who likes to sit in traffic that's going nowhere and try to fight my way in to every nook and cranny because nobody want to give an inch. So my journey to the track was uneventful, but it was definitely starting to pick up.

The weather is beautiful. Temp should be in the mid-80s and no rain is expected. I'll be checking in throughout the day.

Tony Stewart is always entertaining during his press conferences and interviews and his post-race Busch Series winner's press conference was no exception.

For one, Stewart promised that media that if he wins the Daytona 500 on Sunday he will let members of the media chop of his now long-flowing hair.

"I'll tell you what, I'll let you guys each take a shot at the scissors tomorrow if we can win thing thing. Each of you can cut a lock for yourself. That's my gift."

Stewart was also toying with the idea of putting a Kevin Harvick bobblehead in his car before being shot down by crew chief Greg Zippadelli.

"I know we put a lot of work into trying to get Kevin's mounted today and Zippy was the one that put the squash on it. The guys were all ready. Had all the hardware to bolt it in.

"Zippy is so knotted up about tomorrow right now, it was hard to convince him that putting a toy in the car was actually going to make us more productive today. Didn't have much luck there.

So the final practice session ended a few hours ago and it was relatively uneventful.

Clint Bowyer, who skipped Friday's practice, probably wishes he'd have skipped Saturday's as well as he spanked the wall the wall during the session.

Carl Edwards topped the time sheet with a speed of 191.034 mph, but didn't put much stock in it.

“The speeds don’t really mean too much because it’s just about luck and where you end up in the pack, but the way the car is handling is really good," Edwards said. "We could actually get out there and lead a little bit.  It’s gonna be a fun race.  I’m really excited.”  

"We’re gonna be great if it’s nice and slick.  If the tires are an issue, I think that’s gonna play into our hands.  I think Bob and the guys have really done a good job of getting the car to handle really well. The biggest concern is just being caught up in something, whether it’s tire related or making a mistake out there.  That’s the biggest concern is getting to the end of the race.  If we’re there at the end on the last lap, and we’re running in the top 10, we’re gonna have a really good shot at it.”

A couple of the Hendrick favorites didn't spend a whole lot of time on the track. Dale Earnhardt Jr. did 13 laps and Jeff Gordon 12. Jimmie Johhnson put in 21 laps of work, while Casey Mears spent 36 laps fine-tuning.

Joe Gibbs Racing, on the other hand, put a lot of effort into Saturday's session. Denny Hamlin did 41 laps, Tony Stewart 40 laps and Kyle Busch 28 laps.

The workhorses of the session were Reed Sorenson and Kasey Kahne. Sorennson did 50 laps, 1/4 of a Daytona 500, while was next with 46 laps. Could they perhaps have put a little too much wear and tear on their engines heading into Sunday's race.

Jacques Villeneuve's attempt to start a NASCAR career has hit a speed bump.

Late Friday, Bill Davis Racing announced it was replacing Villeneuve in the No. 27 car with Mike Skinner and Johnny Benson for the "next several races."

Villeneuve has failed to land a sponsorship and also failed in his attempt to make the Daytona 500, crashing out of his qualifier.

Said team owner Bill Davis: “We know that Jacques has the talent and the desire to be in NASCAR, and are diligently working on a long term relationship with him."

Perhaps Davis wants to avoid falling into too big of a hole in regards to the top 35 owner points. At the very least, the experience of Skinner and Benson should pay dividends in at least making races. If the team doesn't get back in the Top 35 owner points -- and more importantly land a sponsor, Villeneuve could be out of luck.