Richmond rivalry: Kyle Busch, Junior could keep sparks flying

Dale Earnhardt Jr. slides after colliding with Kyle Busch (18) on May 3, 2008, at Richmond International Raceway. Clint Bowyer (not pictured) went on to win and hopes to repeat Saturday

As discussion finally abates over Sunday's wild finish at Talladega Superspeedway, the bullring that is Richmond International Raceway could spark another more spirited conversation.
It was nearly a year ago when Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. battled for a victory late on the .75-mile track before their tangle let Clint Bowyer through for an unlikely victory from third place. He still can't believe it upon reflection, but the experience has him eager for more excitement in Saturday night's Russ Friedman 400 Sprint Cup Series race.
"l thought we were going to have a third-place finish, and then, bam, that (wreck) happened and we won," Bowyer said in a prerace release. "Richmond has always been a good track for me. I'm looking forward to getting there and having another good run."
Carl Edwards, on the other hand, looks forward to crossing the finish line in his Ford rather than on foot as he did Sunday after his No. 99 Fusion was punted off the catch fence following final-lap contact with race winner Brad Keselowski and Ryan Newman. The crash injured seven spectators and left Edwards's car a crumpled, burning heap that he wants to put behind him.
"It's been a pretty hectic week," Edwards said, "but my main focus now is Richmond and winning there."
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Overseeing things is Friedman, 28, a two-time Purple Heart recipient whose naming rights-winning essay actually had nothing to do with Canadian distiller and race sponsor Crown Royal. A former Marine who enlisted just before the Sept. 11 attacks, he served two tours of duty in Iraq before shrapnel from a 2004 ambush near Karbala left him unable to hold a weapon.
Now in college studying to become a teacher, Friedman detailed his experiences in the 50-word entry recognizing servicemen's contributions and accepted the grand prize only if other troops could share it with him. As a result, 400 military members will attend the race with him, some serving as honorary pit crewmembers for Jamie McMurray's No. 26 Ford sponsored by Crown Royal.
"I haven't done anything that my fellow servicemen hadn't also done, and I didn't want to take all the glory," said Friedman, of Huntington Station, N.Y. "What I want to do is lift morale (among the military). NASCAR is very active and very supportive of the troops."