Regardless of Stewart's Pollyanna view of driver democracy, his charges on Sunday enticed NASCAR's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., to follow suit. Earnhardt had touched on the tire subject before Stewart arrived in the AMS media center on Sunday, but elaborated once his fellow driver arrived. Earnhardt is not shy around a microphone. And he speaks from the heart. Still, there's strength in numbers.

And for the first time since Joe Gibbs Racing expanded to three teams in 2005, Stewart is discovering that same strength with his teammates. Although Denny Hamlin has struggled early this season, he proved to be Chase worthy the last two years. JGR newcomer Kyle Busch currently leads the point standings in both the Craftsman Truck and Sprint Cup Series. Stewart took a hit in points following Las Vegas, but climbed back to eighth after finishing second in Atlanta.

Herald/David Morris

For the third time in four years, Killeen is rewarded for its season with a shot at the Class 4A defending state champion, Dallas South Oak Cliff. Tonight's 4A regional quarterfinal playoff game at 7:30 p.m. inside Baylor's Ferrell Center will be the second time the two have matched up looking to get into the Region II tournament in Garland.

"They're a good, solid basketball team," said Jason Fossett, Killeen basketball coach. "They start four seniors. That's four guys that have been here before. They've got a lot of tradition.

"That being said, if we come out and play like we did Friday (against Dallas Pinkston), we give ourselves a chance."

The 11th-ranked Golden Bears (21-8) have eliminated the Roos twice in the last three years, including a regional quarterfinal match-up in 2005 and an area-round game in 2006.

Penske Truck Leasing Celebrated Grand Opening of $7.6 Million State-of ...

READING, Pa., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Penske Truck Leasing celebrated the grand opening of a new facility in Portland, Ore., located on 4110 NW Saint Helens Rd. The 14,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility, employing 27 associates, offers commercial and consumer truck rental services, full-service truck leasing and contract maintenance. About 50 leasing customers are serviced from this five-acre location and over 400 vehicles are maintained on-site.

The one-story building incorporates Penske Truck Leasing's new facility design elements, features state-of-the-art technology and is designed to enhance the customer experience. Penske continues its expansion efforts across North America. A new wireless technology component allows Penske service technicians to integrate various vehicle diagnostic and repair software.