Joshua and Cheryl have been offering up their own personal sets of HeartRacers~HeartBreakers for each race. The moments that stirred them for whatever reason will fall in the HeartRacers category, and anything that makes them wince, cry, or throw stuff will be HeartBreakers. All cawsnjaws readers are invited to add on their own to share with everyone.

NASCAR fans were still getting over the idea that they had watched a quiet race at Bristol a week ago as they headed to this weekend’s race at California Speedway. Fans were wondering if Matt Kenseth could attain a bowler’s equivalent of a ‘turkey’, and claim a third victory in a row. It was certainly hot enough to roast a turkey in the desert heat with triple digit temperatures to start the race. Fans, as well as impatient drivers, had to keep their cool.

HeartRacers:

• After wedging himself into Wally’s car, the 255 lb. running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jerome Bettis, was the featured passenger in ‘Wally’s World’. Despite the heat and Wally’s driving, Bettis seemed a whole lot cooler and calmer than other stars who have ridden along.

• Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Belushi also made appearances in the pre-race festivities. It’s always fun when Hollywood and NASCAR crosses paths.

• Sterling Marlin’s (No. 14 Chevy) stats for this race weren’t particularly notable (he started 27th and finished 29th); but it was his 700th career start. That is enough of a special event for us to send out a special HeartRacer’s hooray.

• Speaking of Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Ford) and bowling metaphors, what was that strange bowling-ball sized dent on his hood that he started the race with? It was mentioned that prior to the race Kenseth’s crew were seen pounding on the hood of his car. We’ve heard of rubber hammers, but bowling balls?

• Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Chevy) admitted that prior to the race he had found a penny and taped to his dashboard. The results can hearten those that believe in luck: Bowyer moved up two spots in standings to 18th, and avoided trouble to finish where he started (third).

• Speaking of feeling lucky, at one point during the race, Ray Evernham had all three of his drivers running in first, second, and third positions. He was asked about that following the race, as well as about Kahne’s dominance and eventual win. That had to beat fielding questions about a terminated employee and his personal life by a long mile.

• Mark Martin (No. 6 Ford) displayed the clean but fierce racing he is famous for. He started 38th; but was up to 10th by lap 53. He then got the five point bonus for leading on lap 193, and finished the race in 12th.

• Dale Jarrett (No. 88 Ford) reminded us that he still wants to be competitive in his current ride, and able to use pit strategy to his benefit. He finished tenth after starting 36th, and moved up two spots in the standings.

• Despite a knock on his noggin acquired from an accident at a sprint car race on Thursday, Tony Stewart (No. 20 Chevy) finished Sunday’s race in ninth after starting 22nd. We know that some of Stewart’s fans wish that he would stay away from racing outside of NASCAR, but who’s going to tell him?

• Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Chevy) lurked near the front most of the race. Despite a wee hiccup on pit road (having to return to make sure lug nuts were tight on lap 176), Gordon finished fifth and moved up a spot in the standings to fourth.

• Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Chevy) had a good night at Bristol last weekend, finishing third. In Sunday’s race, a great pit stop on lap 175 puts him in the lead. He ultimately finished second, and is once again seen expressing deep thanks to his team in post-race interviews. His fans must be wondering if next week he can bring in a victory.

• There were a few sound bytes about Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Dodge) and a few other NASCAR drivers having participated in a drifting competition this past week that benefited his Kasey Kahne foundation. Perhaps the racing gods liked this foray into racing for a cause. On lap 157, after dominating a lot of the race, he was penalized for speeding on pit road, and sent to 24th position. He powered back, though, and after all was said and done he got the five point bonus for most laps led, and he won the race. He is now 30 points out of the tenth position in the Chase. The girls from the Allstate Insurance commercial must be delirious.

HeartBreakers:

• OK. We will say it. Those new mic sets that the announcers use might be the latest in audio technology, but they still look like they have huge hairy moles on the sides of their faces.

• We had to wait many laps to hear the explanation of that weird pit stop by Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Chevy) wherein a crew member went flying down face-first (the jack allegedly slipped). This was followed by another awful pit stop, in which the tire fell off before Truex got a few feet out of his pit box.

• Ryan Newman (No. 12 Dodge) had a bad night. Besides not having anything for the leaders, he and Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Dodge) got together on pit road. Sadler pulled things together, though, and led for a few laps and finished 13th; but Newman finished 33rd, and falls another spot in the standings to 16th.

• Speaking of not-so-good nights, Robby Gordon (No. 7 Chevy) had barely begun to get his tires warmed up when he spun on lap 10. He finished 43rd after starting 25th; and falls two spots in the standings to 26th.

• Fans of Brian Vickers (No. 25 Chevy) had to be enthused about the race, as he started in second place. However, on lap 110 a tire blows and takes a fender with it. Vickers falls three spots in standings to 20th.

• Terry Labonte (No. 44 Chevy) started 26th and was heading toward a decent finish when he apparently had problems (nothing of which was reported on, at least as of this writing); and finished 40th. Labonte’s team was listed as one of two ‘out of race’ (along with Robby Gordon) at the race’s completion. Not a great day for Texas Terry.

• We are also unable to say what happened to Bill Elliott (No. 00 Chevy). He started 23rd; and finished 42nd. What happened? These reporters don’t know.

• Fans of the buff Carl Edwards (No. 99 Ford) must be terribly disappointed. Despite leading the race at one point, moving up a spot in the standings, and finishing fourth, Edwards will not make the Chase this year. He flashed that gleaming smile, though, in a post-race interview, and said he will use the rest of the year to prepare for next season.

• Reed Sorenson (No. 41 Dodge) seemed to come out of nowhere, and on lap 240 grabbed the lead while everyone was pitting. It was reported that he wanted to come in for a few-seconds gas ‘n go, but Jimmy Elledge, his crew chief, instructed him to stay on the track. Sorenson ran out of fuel with one lap to go, and was obviously angry in a post-race interview.

• Jeff Burton (No. 31 Chevy) didn’t need a night like this after last week’s race at Bristol. While he started seventh, he never seemed to have much for his competitors, and finished 16th. Burton fell to the perilous tenth place in the Chase standings. We are sure that he and his team will be hoping for a glitch-free race at Richmond next weekend.