Here's good news after the fact: there were 40 fewer cautions in the 2010 Sprint Cup season as compared to 2009. Sorry, "ServiceMaster Clean cautions." The fine folks at ServiceMaster Clean, which participates in every race in the season except Indianapolis and the Poconos, bring you this sparkly-fresh information.

The details: every race went the full distance, but you may recall that two races, the first Martinsville and the first Texas ones, were pushed to Monday because of rain. And only two other races, Michigan II and Richmond II, saw cautions for rain. The green-white-checker showed up five times in the first nine races, but only twice in the final 27.

In the Nationwide Series, cautions were down by 27 from last year. Ten races went to a GWC finish.

Some more interesting details:

• There were 265 total cautions comprising 1,325 laps or 1,839.5 miles. Total laps were 10,778 or 14,537.5 miles. The most cautions in a race? Unsurprisingly, it was a short track, Martinsville, with

Despite the fact that Ian Poulter apparently uses it as a cereal bowl, the gleam is still on the 2010 Ryder Cup trophy. And yet we're already looking to 2012, where separate reports indicate that Davis Love III and Jose Maria Olazabal will captain the United States and European squads.

The Golf Channel is reporting that Love will be named the captain of the 2012 team, following a meeting of the PGA of America's board of directors. He's not an unexpected choice, having played in six Ryder Cups and assistant-captaining this year's matches. The PGA of America has indicated that it will make an official announcement sometime in the first quarter of 2011.

Separately, the United Kingdom Press Association has reported that Olazabal is the odds-on favorite to helm the European squad. A press conference has been set for Jan. 18 in Abu Dhabi to announce the choice, and Olazabal is well in the lead. Olazabal has had health issues over the last decade, battling rheumatoid arthritis, but appears

OK, this isn't NASCAR. It isn't even automobile-related. But it's insanely cool (and stupid) nonetheless, and so we're sharing it with you. I mean, it's not like this fits in remotely at Big League Stew or Ball Don't Lie. Maybe Puck Daddy, but I got it first!

You ever tried sledding down a city street? Perhaps sledding behind a car? You're an amateur. Behold three lunatic Swedish dudes who (allegedly) go sledding behind a freaking fighter jet:

(Yes, this may be a fake. So what? Roll with it.) Now, our headline advises you not to try this at home, but that assumes you have a fighter jet around the house. Seriously, who's got one of these things just ready to tow some idiot buddies? And why didn't the pilot throttle up just a little bit and get the sledders off the ground just a touch?

(Via Neatorama)

OK, this is pretty astonishing: The entire Indy 500 rendered in LEGO. Created by Dr. Brian Darrow, this is an amazing re-creation of the entire Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Comprising 125,000 LEGO bricks, it's 7 feet by 10 feet, features 3,000 little figures, and took six years to construct. It's now on display in the IMS's Hall of Fame museum. Behold:

Now, somebody needs to get to work and make a LEGO Talladega, complete with little LEGO Carl Edwards flying up into a little LEGO fence. Get on it, folks! Season starts in just two months!

(Hat tip: The IMS Official Blog)

Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.

Well, what do you know -- Tiger Woods won something after all.

Woods' saga has been named the Associated Press' story of the year, beating out the New Orleans Saints' run, LeBronomania and the World Cup.

Which, if you'll pardon a little home-team partisanship, is exactly how it should be. The Woods saga ran literally the length of the entire year to date, from his "where is he?" disappearance to his near-victory at the Chevron earlier this month. His stint in a sex-addiction rehab clinic, his apology, his return at the Masters, his struggle to find his game, his divorce, his gradual return to form ... there was never a month that Woods didn't make headlines. (See the complete Woods timeline right here.)

Sure, Woods' story may not have had the gravitas of a Shakespeare play or a Greek tragedy; Hamlet and Oedipus didn't chase Perkins' waitresses, after all. But the story of a great man brought low by his own failings, then trying to rebuild

Because every golf tournament is more interesting with John Daly in it, an enterprising fan has started @letJohnDalyplay, a Twitter account designed to get Daly a sponsor's exemption into next year's Waste Management Phoenix Open.

The account, started by a John Daly fan, had 401 followers as of midday Thursday, a far cry from its stated goal of 10,000, but not bad for one which just started Tuesday.

Daly has no PGA Tour card, and is dependent entirely on exemptions at this point to get into tournaments. "just logged on & just beside myself on the campaign! Thx to all my Blue Collar golfers out there!" Daly wrote on his own Twitter page.

He's a draw, certainly. That photo at right is from 2002, when he finished T4, two shots behind winner Chris DiMarco. But is he enough of one to get a sponsor's exemption? We've reached out to the Phoenix Open folks, and we'll let you know their take as soon as we hear back.

Meantime, if you're of a mind, hit the page and show Daly some Twitter love.

Pushing the usual Wednesday chat to Friday this week. So wrap up your workweek early and come hang with us for a bit as we discuss whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise. Festivities begin at 1 p.m. Eastern. See you here!

Welcome to the Devil Ball 100, our ranking of the 100 most important people in the history of golf. Over the next couple weeks, we'll be rolling them out, 10 at a time. Our list includes everyone from golfers to politicians to actors, and each one had a dramatic impact on the game as we know it today. Some names you'll recognize, some you won't. Some positions you'll agree with, and some will have you wondering if we've gone insane. Enjoy the rollout, and see where your favorites made the list! We continue with a familiar face from the last few months ...

70. Colin Montgomerie: Monty has vaulted himself to a higher level by leading the European Ryder Cup team to victory this past year. Prior to that, he was known only as one of the best players never to win a major, finishing second an astonishing five times. His highest world ranking? Second, of course.

69. John McDermott: His most significant achievement? He was the first player to break par over 72 holes in a major event: the 1912