Gienger, who clinched the International Motor Contest of America (IMCA) stock car division season championship at Marshalltown (IA) Speedway one week ago, was looking to put an exclamation point on the title with a feature win in the final race of the season at the third-mile clay oval.

“We didn't even have to show up to race this week if we didn’t want to,” said Gienger. “That made for a much more relaxing week prior to Friday night. No pressure, we were just looking to go out and have fun. We had more friends and family in attendance than we've ever had before. We wanted to make sure we showed them what we could do.”

Gienger did just that in the evening’s main event and riding the high groove and roaring away to what appeared to be an easy win. That’s when the bottom dropped out.

“I kept glancing over my left shoulder waiting for somebody to move to the bottom groove and challenge for the lead,” Gienger stated. “The only cars we'd seen were lappers that we'd quickly taken care of. And then, without warning, the engine let go. We coasted to a stop in Turn 2 bringing out the only caution of the race and got pushed to the infield to watch the rest of the championship feature.

“I was pretty disappointed, especially with everybody there cheering us on, but I guess if it was going to happen, it was better that it was after the championship was clinched and not when we were in the heat of the battle.”

Although Gienger didn’t win the regular-season finale at Marshalltown, his EMP Stewart Components cooled 1987 Buick Regal stock car did capture three features and seven preliminary wins en route to the title – his first in IMCA competition.

While Gienger was winning a championship for EMP Stewart Components, fellow short track racer Mike Gardner saw his chances for a Fox River Racing Club crown come to a crashing halt at Wisconsin International Raceway Thursday night.

Gardner’s EMP sponsored super late model pavement racer started on the front row of the evening’s trophy dash and had the lead going into the third turn on the first lap when he was hit from behind sending the car spinning into the outside retaining wall.

Gardner’s mount suffered significant rear end damage and only a valiant effort by his crew allowed the car to start the evening’s main event. There, the damage proved to be too much to overcome as Gardner pitted early in the race and returned late to finish 24th.

The sub-par finish left Gardner – who scored two regular season main event wins and was the overall champion of the prestigious Red, White and Blue Wisconsin State Championship Stock Car Series, second in the final WIR season championship standings.

“We came into the feature only three points ahead, but still ahead,” said Gardner. “The crew did an excellent job fixing the car. It looked good from the stands - but still quite bent underneath – a lot of frame damage.

“We got a few hot laps prior to the race starting and got up to speed but the car was not good. After a couple of laps, there was smoke and sparks coming from the right front tire area. The crew was able to change the hub, but there were only three laps remaining in the race when they finished. Not winning the championship was hard for us. Someday we will get the championship. We have great people and sponsors behind us - that someday will come.”

Gardner’s luck changed for the better Saturday night at Norway (MI) Speedway. After a two-day thrash to repair the damage from Thursday’s race, Gardner qualified second and finished fifth in the final race of the Auto Value Challenge.

EMP Stewart Components racer Scott Beauchamp also completed a successful season finishing second in the Championship Off Road Racing (CORR) Stock Truck division season standings.

Beauchamp saw his chances of winning the division title fade in Saturday’s Round 7 event at the CORR World Championships at Bark River, MI when he finished ninth. His closest competitor for the title, Keith Steele finished second in the event.

On Sunday, Beauchamp returned to finish third in the Round 8 season finale, but the effort came up just short giving him the division title as Steele copped the crown by a 119-112 margin.

The second-place division finish was a CORR career best for Beauchamp, who wheels a Chevy truck cooled by an EMP Stewart Components Stage 4 Water Pump.

A couple of extra drops of fuel translated to a weekend sweep of the NASCAR events at California Speedway for driver Kasey Kahne.

Kahne passed Reed Sorenson on the final lap after Sorenson’s Dodge ran out of gas on the final lap to win Sunday’s Sony 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race.

Kahne, who made his final pit stop for fuel with 13 laps remaining, was destined to finish second to Sorenson, who didn’t stop in the late going. When Sorenson sputtered coming off Turn 2 on Lap 249 of the 250-circuit event, Kahne sped by to win for the fifth time this season.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was second with Clint Bowyer (right) third, Carl Edwards fourth and Jeff Gordon fifth. Denny Hamlin was sixth with Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart and Dale Jarrett rounding out the Top-10 finishers. Sorenson, meanwhile, coasted home 21st, the first car not on the lead lap.

The victory couldn’t have come at a better time for Kahne, who rallied to within 30 points of the 10th and final position in the NASCAR Chase for the Championship. Kenseth took over the top spot in the standings with his 15th Top-10 finish of the season Sunday.

The Roush Racing driver, whose Ford Fusion is cooled by and EMP Stewart Components/Yates Ford Pro Series Water Pump, is now nine points in front of Jimmie Johnson (3,638-3,629), who finished 11th at California Sunday.

EMP Stewart Components racer Kevin Harvick is third in the standings with 3,296 markers followed by Jeff Gordon (3,251), Kyle Busch (3,244), Earnhardt, Jr. (3,226), Hamlin (3,225), Stewart (3,194), Mark Martin (3,181) and Jeff Burton (3,179). Kahne is in 11th with 3,149 points.

The final spots in the Chase will be determined Saturday at Richmond International Raceway. The Chevy Rock and Roll 400 will be live on TNT beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. MRN and XM Satellite Radio will also carry the event live.

The gas gods also smiled on Kahne in Saturday’s Ameriquest 300 NASCAR Busch Series race as he beat Paul Menard to the finish to win the event.

Both Kahne and Menard topped off their fuel during the final caution flag with 51 of the 150 laps remaining and then staged a furious battle in the final laps only to have Kahne secure the win when Menard ran out of gas on the final lap.

That allowed Kevin Harvick (left) to finish second with Mark Martin coming home third. Martin’s EMP Stewart Components cooled Ford was the class of the race leading 88 of the 150 circuits.

Menard managed to coast home fourth followed by Ashton Lewis, Jr., Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, John Wood, Robby Gordon and Jay Sauter.

Kahne’s win made it 25 victories in 27 events by a NASCAR Nextel Cup regular driver in NASCAR Busch Series competition this season. Meanwhile, Harvick – an EMP Stewart Components racer - now owns an all but invincible 567-point lead in the NASCAR Busch Series championship standings with eight races to go in the season.

The Busch Series will also head to Richmond this weekend for a 250-lap event on Friday, September 8. The event will be televised by TNT and will take the green flag at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. MRN and XM Satellite Radio will again have the radio coverage.

Oswaldo Negri Jr. and co-driver Mark Patterson captured the Daytona Prototype portion of the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series event held at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah this weekend.

Negri, Jr. held off a hard-charging ride of Michael McDowell, Memo Gidley and Guy Cosmos to score his first-ever Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series triumph. Butch Leitzinger and co-driver Andy Wallace were third.

Defending Daytona Prototype co-champions Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor teamed with Ryan Hunter-Reay to lead a race-high 53 laps in the EMP Stewart Components cooled No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley. Unfortunately, electrical problems ruined their bid midway through the race and left the No. 10 trio 14th in the final rundown.

That put Angelelli third in the Daytona Prototype driver standings. Meanwhile, German driver Jörg Bergmeister wrapped-up his first Daytona Prototype driver championship with a sixth-place performance.

All of the 2006 Rolex Series champions will be honored in the Rolex Champions Banquet at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Monday evening

Make sure you log on to www.stewartcomponents.com every Monday morning throughout the 2006 racing season to read about all the highlights from the previous weekend and get a leg up on what’s happening in the weekend ahead.