Kristen Bumbera piloting the No. 40 TXI Chevrolet garnered a successful 11th place finish in her NASCAR Grand National Division debut in the Allstate Texas Thunder 150 last week.

Bumbera was the only female driver in the race.

Against the field of men, Bumbera qualified 13th out of 24 cars; including current point leader Mike David.   

“Our plan was to keep it simple - qualify and finish the race, which I thought we did very successfully, said crew chief David Riggs. “She showed lots of poise and talent and received many compliments.  The NASCAR officials were very impressed with her driving on a tough bullring like this and the fact that she avoided so many wrecks and finished on the lead lap with the caliber of these drivers is a great accomplishment.”

Ford has improved its warranty coverage on both new and remanufactured gasoline engine and transmission assemblies, increasing the mileage by 25,000 miles from 3-years/75,000 miles to 3-years/100,000 miles, effective April 1, 2008.

According to their press release: "This warranty enhancement not only matches the terms of competitive automakers in the aftermarket industry, but it exceeds their coverage in a significant way," says Steve Lopez, Ford's transmission product marketing manager.  "Ford has no restrictions on the application of the vehicle, whether it is a private use, commercial application, or municipality."

The new warranty terms apply only to gas engines and transmission assemblies sold on or after April 1, 2008.  Warranty coverage on remanufactured Ford and Motorcraft transmissions and gas engines installed by the dealer or installer begins on the date of sale from the Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury dealership or a Ford factory-authorized powertrain distributor. 

An old adage says: "April showers bring May flowers." I'd like to add:  "and dirty cars!" With gloomy weather and poor driving conditions in the rear-view mirror and sunny days ahead, April is the perfect time to give your vehicle a thorough spring cleaning. To help maintain that new-car shine through spring and into summer, Meguiar's, the century-old leader in vehicle appearance care, has sent us this list of what they call the "Dirty Dozen" car care myths, as well as real facts on how to keep your vehicle looking its best.

Myth 1: Dishwashing detergent is safe to use as car wash.
Absolutely Not! Would you use dishwashing detergent on your hair? Then why would you use it on your car? With repeated use, dishwashing detergents remove everything from your paint finish including waxes, silicones, and polymers.  For best results, use a pH-balanced car wash product. Whether you use Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash or other high-quality products, these products contain cleansers and conditioners specifically formulated to enhance the appearance and protection of automotive paint finishes.

Myth 2: Washing and cleaning are the same. 
While they sound similar, they are vastly different procedures.  A car wash removes loose contaminants from your finish like dust, road grime, and fresh bird droppings. On the other hand, paint cleaners and clay bars such as ScratchX and Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Kit remove stubborn stains, blemishes, and bonded contaminants like paint overspray and tree sap mist that won't flush off with simple washing. 

File this under “things not to do.” A man in Texas was stopped after he made a couple of U-Turns and almost hit someone. And when the Texas Highway Patrol approached William Eric Johnson’s car, the officer couldn’t believe what he saw. There was a 6-foot alligator in Johnson’s back car window.

Not only was the alligator just hanging around in the back window, it wasn’t restrained in any way. No ropes, no tethers, no tape around its jaws. While the patrol officer later stated that the gator looked pretty content, they didn’t take any chances and called a professional to help remove the animal.

Johnson claimed that he saw the gator on the side of the road and was just taking it to a friend’s pond. But he was also caught with some items stolen from his employer’s son’s home, so police probably weren’t sure what to believe.

At the recent Santa Clara County Green Business conference, I heard Larry Moore of Larry's Autoworks in Mountain View  share his thoughts about being a green business.   They have been in business for 30 years and became green certified by Santa Clara county in November 2006, the first certified green business in Mountain View, the town famous for being Google's headquarters.  Their environmental motto is, "Keeping our environment safe and healthy is an important part of Larry's AutoWorks. This applies to both our daily work environment and the world environment."  What a great example of how a small business can take on big issues and play a role in being a leader in protecting the environment.   

We recently paid off my car. It was used when I got it, and it's getting close to ten years old. It still runs great and has decent mileage for its age. But we're outgrowing it. The car has always been on the small side for my husband, who's six-foot-two. And to be honest, it gets tiresome to bend over into the back seat and struggle with the car seat. I need something slightly taller, and definitely with a higher roof. Plus, my car does not have the LATCH system.

So even though we're finally without a car payment, I'm thinking about a newer vehicle. I haven't started test driving yet, as I want to figure out our budget, and our requirements. As a mom, what do I want in a car?

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has written a Frequently Asked Questions  (FAQ) document to field questions about the new wireless telephone laws that go into effect on July 1, 2008. Let's take a look at some of the information they have provided.

There are two laws going into effect on July 1. The first addresses drivers over the age of 18. These drivers can use a hands-free device to operate their phone while driving. There is a provision for emergencies, so you can use your phone to summon help, even if you don't have a wireless device. The second refers to younger drivers. Motorists under 18 may not use their phones at all when driving. Passengers are exempt from the requirements to use hands-free devices.

If you're convicted on a violation, the first offense is $20 and subsequent convictions are $50. It's a reportable offense, but you will not receive DMV violation points. It will, however, show on your driving record.

There is no grace period for the law, so have your wireless device in use by July 1. In fact, it's best to get into the habit now so you don't have to worry if you forget when the law takes effect.

T&T Honda, the first Certified Female Friendly dealership in Canada, is a proud fifth-year sponsor of the 2008 Calgary Woman's Show - A Fair to Remember.  Certified Female Friendly sales staff will be on hand to showcase several of Honda's world-class vehicle models. 

The Calgary Woman's Show is a consumer trade show dedicated to the female consumer.  Now in their 26th year, the longest-running woman's show in Canada, the exhibition promises to be THE event of 2008 and one not to be missed.  In addition to T&T Honda, there will be exhibitors from a variety of industries, with such highlights as six fashion shows featuring local boutiques, celebrity appearances from the cast of the Young and the Restless, and the vocal stylings of local singer/songwriter Alanna Clarke accompanied by guitarist Brady Side.

Recent statistics show that women control 85% of consumer spending in Canada.  The Calgary Woman's Show is an exceptional marketing opportunity that targets this very powerful demographic.  Since its start in 1983, it is the best-attended event for women in Western Canada.  The exhibition provides women with a fun environment to explore new ideas and products in a warm, friendly and casual atmosphere.

If you are planning to go green, whether individually or as a business, the financial instrument called "carbon offset" can be a good friend.

Buying carbon offsets is a good approach to negate the greenhouse gas emissions from your business or daily lifestyle that cannot be easily reduced in the short-term.  You can think of it as a way to assuage guilt.  At the most basic, you pay some financial intermediary (i.e. carbon offset brokers) some money to get offset credits, and they turn around and invest the money into projects that help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG( emissions somewhere in the world.   Such investments work because global warming is a borderless problem, hence reducing global GHG footprint is effective.  Carbon offset brokers hunt for projects that qualify for offset credits to invest in, usually in reforestation or renewable energy, for example wind or solar, and then repackage these into variable sized financial instruments to accommodate different levels of buying power. 

During Earth month – and every day of the year – we know you want to stretch your fuel to get the most out of every purchase. We found a fun collection of money-saving tips and advice at Shell.com  and thought to share a few of them with our AskPatty readers.

The powertrain of a hybrid car combines an efficient gasoline engine with an electric motor as well as as well as a special system to capture braking energy to store in an onboard battery to provide a vehicle that not only relies less on fossil fuel but also has the potential to deliver increased fuel economy  and reduced emissions when compared to standard gasoline vehicle. Regardless of whether you choose to drive a hybrid to save gas or to reduce emissions, we know you want to get the best possible economy possible. In general, whether you drive a traditional combustion-powered or hybrid vehicle, common sense already recommends that you drive smoothly, and avoid heavy acceleration or braking.

Beyond that, it’s important to note that you’ll need to slightly change your driving style in order to benefit from the hybrid combination. While much of the general fuel saving advice that gets posted on the internet is still relevant to hybrids, Shell recommends the following four tips specifically for hybrid vehicles.