DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Kevin Harvick overcame a bout with the flu and a wrecked race car to earn his second consecutive victory in the exhibition Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night.

Too ill to travel to Daytona International Speedway for the opening of Speedweeks, Harvick turned his Chevrolet over to Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer for the first practice of the season. But Bowyer was caught in an early accident that destroyed the No. 29 and forced the team to pull out its backup.

Jeff Burton practiced that car for Harvick, who was in Daytona and feeling well enough to drive in the race.

Although he led late, a caution for Michael Waltrip’s wreck with five laps remaining muddled what was shaping up to be a sure win. Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne stayed on the track during the caution, and Harvick led most of the 24-car field onto pit road.

He was in fourth when the race restarted with two laps to go, but quickly pulled out of line to dive underneath Biffle and claim the lead. He was pulling away when Jeff Gordon rammed into the back of Biffle, triggering an eight-car accident behind the leader.

NASCAR waited several moments before calling caution, presumably to see if the wreckage cleared and the race could end under green. Instead, Harvick passed under the yellow flag and won under caution.

“I’ve got to thank my team,“ Harvick said. “They did a great job. Wrecked a car in practice, I was sick on Thursday, didn’t even get to sit a lap in this thing and that thing was a rocket, man.“

It was Harvick’s first victory since his Shootout win last year. He hasn’t won a points race since his 2007 victory here in the season-opening Daytona 500.

Kasey Kahne was second and followed by Jamie McMurray, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin.

Brian Vickers was sixth, Joey Logano grabbed seventh, and Gordon, Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top 10.

The race had high expectations because of NASCAR’s offseason decision to loosen up the rules and allow bump-drafting. The message sent to drivers was “Have at it, boys,“ and most everyone expected a wild race from start to finish.

Instead, it was fairly calm and most of the activity was single-car accidents.

Kevin Harvick repeats as the winner of the exhibition race at Daytona.

The New Orleans Saints, longtime residents of the bottom of the NFL barrel, now stand at the pinnacle of American sports. A thrilling Super Bowl XLIV ended with the Saints on top, 31-17.

The New Orleans Saints are world champions. That feels so weird -- and so great -- to say.

Two big plays did it for the Saints. First, obviously, was the brain-rattling Tracy Porter(notes) interception of Peyton Manning(notes) that went for a touchdown, and for all intents and purposes, put the game away. It was a shockingly bad throw from Manning and an electrifying return from Porter. That'll go down in the books as one of the great plays in Super Bowl history.

Maybe the real key, though, was the onside kick with which the Saints used to open the second half. The call from head coach Sean Payton took the guts of a thief, and it paid off immeasurably. The Saints never really relinquished momentum after Jonathan Casillas(notes) came out of that pile with the football.

Fans just got their third straight classic Super Bowl. Two years ago, the Giants shocked the world by edging the Patriots. Last year, the Steelers and Cardinals went back and forth in a nail-biter, and this year, the Saints and Colts fought tooth and nail for 60 minutes. The final score might not show a thriller, but this thing was hotly contested until very late in the game.

The fact that it was the Saints who won adds to the feeling that we just saw greatness. Between the years of miserable football and what they and their fans have gone through with Hurricane Katrina, it feels great to see them on top. I'm nowhere near a Saints fan, and I can't help but smile right now.

The Made In America Whelen 200 had been run in the fall the past several years, but was moved to early summer in 2010 to combine with the UNOH Performance 200 to offer race fans an action-filled doubleheader.

"Whelen Engineering Company is looking forward to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returning once again to the Martinsville Speedway in 2010. The Made In America Whelen 200 on June 6th is one of the highlights of the season,” said Phil Kurze, Vice President of Motorsports for Whelen Engineering Company. “Race fans are sure to get an action packed day of racing when the Modified Tour is joined with the K&N Pro Series. The tradition and excitement of Martinsville is like no other race track, especially when the ground pounding Modifieds hit the historic pavement. "

While it will be UNOH’s first involvement with Martinsville Speedway, the Ohio university is not a newcomer to NASCAR or motorsports. In 1991, UNOH developed and offered the first High Performance/Motorsports Degree in the world and is the only university that owns and operates its own race track facility, “Limaland Motorsports Park.” Last year UNOH sponsored a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“On behalf of the faculty, staff and students at the University of Northwestern Ohio, we are extremely proud and honored to be the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, UNOH Performance 200 inaugural event at Martinsville Speedway,” said Dr. Jeff Jarvis, President of the University of Northwestern Ohio. “Being the very first university in the country to offer a complete High-Performance Motorsports Degree, it is fitting that we should partner with Martinsville Speedway on this special event.”

The K&N Pro Series is a developmental series running full-bodied stock cars that has produced some big time racers like Martin Truex, Ricky Craven, and most recently, Joey Logano. Last year’s champion was Ryan Truex, younger brother to Martin.

Tickets for the Whelen 200/UNOH Performance 200 will go on sale March 6.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN OHIO: Founded in 1920, the University of Northwestern Ohio is a private, not-for-profit institution. Within the University are three colleges:  College of Business, College of Technologies and College of Distance Learning. UNOH offers over 60 programs in High Performance, Alternate Fuels, Diesel, Automotive, HVAC, Agricultural, Business, Medical, Legal, Travel, IT Computer, and Marketing with Associate degrees, Baccalaureate degrees, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.
 For more detailed information about the University of Northwestern Ohio go to www.unoh.edu.

WHELEN ENGINEERING COMPANY: located in Chester, Connecticut and Charlestown, New Hampshire, has been designing and manufacturing emergency warning lights and sirens for over 50 years.  Whelen products are used all over the world to provide safety and warning to the public.  From the flashing L.E.D. beacon on a fire truck to the loud tornado or hurricane warning siren in your community, Whelen products are there to provide safety to the public.  Whelen is the “Officially Licensed Warning Lights of NASCAR” and all Whelen products are made in America.  To learn more about Whelen products, visit them at www.whelen.com
 

• Anyone who has relatives with utility service are encouraged to stay with those relatives if at all possible as space and resources are limited at the shelter. Officials want to ensure that these resources are used for those who most need them.
• Anyone wishing to use the shelter is strongly encouraged to make contact with officials before 9:00 p.m. this evening, as temperatures are expected to be well below freezing overnight making travel hazardous.
• Anyone needing to use the shelter should call 403-5425. Callers will hear a brief message with general information about the shelter. You should then hit "0" to speak with a live operator who can add your name to the list. Or, if you prefer you may leave a message after the tone.
• Sorry, NO PETS ALLOWED
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• THOSE USING THE SHELTER SHOULD BRING WITH THEM ANY MEDICATIONS NEEDED, TOILETRY AND PERSONAL HYGIENE ITEMS, AND NON-PERISHABLE FOODS, AS NONE OF THESE ITEMS WILL BE PROVIDED.
• Also, City and County officials welcome assistance from residents with four-wheel-drive vehicles who can assist with transportation to and from the shelter, if needed. If you would like to volunteer to provide this type of transportation, please call 403-5425 and speak with an operator who will add your name to a list of volunteers.
• In addition, we strongly urge all residents, whether using the shelter or staying at home, to purchase any grocery items or essentials they may need as quickly as possible as there may be widespread power outages throughout the region until early next week.

"TUMS felt strongly about making the race fan the centerpiece of the 2009 TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway." said Darren Singer, Vice President of Marketing for TUMS. "Our team believes that the deep loyalty that fans feel toward our sport is something to be celebrated, and we knew that an iconic American brand like TUMS was the perfect sponsor to send this message of appreciation. From the overwhelmingly positive response we received from NASCAR, the drivers and their race teams, plus strong support from the motorsports press, it is clear we were right in honoring every fan as Official Starter and Grand Marshal for the 2009 TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

“To win the NASCAR Fan Recognition Award during the 2010 NASCAR PR Summit is a great honor for TUMS and Martinsville Speedway, since it is a tangible result of TUMS and Martinsville's commitment to making the fans' experience great."

Darnell Communications, the staff of Martinsville Speedway and TUMS officials spent almost a year working on the fan initiative. The final result was so popular it will be repeated at the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 24.