Cookie Cutter

People talk about "Cookie Cutter" tracks, meaning a 1.5- mile "d-"shaped oval, implying that they are all the same. The track at Kansas City does greatly resemble the track at Chicagoland; after all, they have the same banking and the same distance in the front and backstretches. But they are not the same. The condition of the track surface is different--for that matter surface characteristics are unique to every venue on the NASCAR Cup circuit. There is also a difference in the transition between the stretches and the turns, as the banking progresses. These similarly small differences make a big difference in the car set up and handling characteristics.
Sunday's race at Kansas City will be the first race in the chase on a 1.5-mile track this year. The Chase itself has been so unpredictable so far, that we would almost hate to predict anything for the third race of the Championship series. We do know this; one of the top ten drivers in the Race for the Chase will finish in the top five. Maybe. Luck can make the difference between a plain shortbread cookie and a Supreme Devil's Food Double Fudge Chocolate cookie.
Jeff Gordon (chewy home style peanut butter cookie) has been the most consistent in the Chase thus far, with two third place finishes. However, over the full season, the #24 team's performance on 1.5-mile ovals has been less than spectacular. Since the tire-aero package changed in 2005, they have not been able to find the combination to make the car perform on these tracks as it should. Determination and skill do count, however, and The Gordon has both of these. He cannot be counted out of the top ten finishers on any track this time of the year.
Jimmie Johnson (plain graham cracker) does well on any kind of track, but if he has a specialty, it is the cookie cutter track. He needs a win here, as well as someone else's bad luck, to get back close to championship points. This time of the year has not statistically been good for Johnson--he has come close to the Cup trophy three times in his career only to have performance fall off in the last ten races. However, that doesn't mean his Chase is over, because, as mentioned before, he has one of the best teams that have the ability to come back from adversity.
The Chase is pretty much over for Kyle Busch (Pinwheel).. Two bad finishes in a row will not cut it. He has the consolation of finishing the season in the top ten, and he will be on the podium in the post-season banquet. He can still win races, however, and he has a car this weekend that can do just that. Personally, I like to watch the Schrub race, as long as he stays out of trouble with other drivers, which, it seems, he has learned to do.
The #8 team of Dale Earnhardt Jr hasn't had the best of luck, but hasn't had the worst of luck either. Tony Eurey, Jr will either get the max out of the final practices before the race, and find a good setup for KC, or he won't. He has a driver who has the ability to win races, but Dale Jr. needs the equipment to do so. Right now, without the equipment, Junior doesn't have the confidence to make the kind of moves he is capable of doing. I want to see that #8 car doing well, but the team still doesn't have a handle on consistency. Budweiser doesn’t go well with cookies.
Sentimentally, we all want to see Mark Martin (Gingerbread) win a championship this year. He worked hard to get into the chase, but, like Junior, his heart doesn't seem to be in it. You never know with Mark. The "old" man just may decide he has had enough of points racing and will surprise us by going hard for a win. We never know how he is going to play. I like to think that the #6 team has something up its sleeve.
Kevin Harvick isn't always showy on the cookie cutter tracks, but he isn't bad either. Kansas City isn't one of his favorite tracks. But the RCR team has been having a great run, and has gelled in a tremendous way this season. Team loyalty is at its best at RCR, and they seem to have the "All for one--one for all" mentality, which does a lot for attitude, which means a lot in winning. Both Harvick and Jeff Burton are going strong, especially Burton since he has tasted victory for the first time in five years. And to top it off, non-chase teammate Clinton Bowyer has been no slouch either. Racing is a team sport, and though Three Musketeers is a candy bar rather than a cookie, any one of the Childress drivers could see victory once again this weekend.
Trouble not of his making set the Cute Little Guy, Kasey Kahne (everything Keebler), back somewhat last week. But, this is not the end for him. Out of the next 8 races of the Chase, six are at 1.5-mile tracks, on which Kahne has won all five of his victories this year. He will be driving the car with which he won all five victories, and he took the Pole position in qualifying. Things look good for him this week, and he could very well be the man to take the Checkers this week.
Denny Hamlin and the #11 team are amazing. They get my double chocolate chocolate chip cookie for this week. Last week, at Dover, a track Hamlin doesn't like, they brought a twentieth place car home in ninth. Hamlin didn't qualify well for the race at Kansas City, but he has two practices in which to get the car set up, and crew chief Mike Ford and company have proven very good at doing that. Denny Hamlin is a remarkable driver, and it could almost be said of him that he doesn't even know how to finish outside the top ten.
The potential Supreme Devil's Food Double Fudge Cookie this weekend, however, should be Matt Kenseth. He finished second at Loudon, and finished tenth in one of the most exciting finishes of all time last week, due to a fuel mileage snafu. There is no doubt that Kenseth can work his way to the front, but, the way things have gone so far, he may have to work to get that first place finish This is my pick to win the championship, and two races in, he hasn't let me down yet. Bad luck aside, knock on wood, we will probably see yet another great race in the last few laps Sunday that will involve Matt.
As always, there is a lot of talent outside the Chase. Kansas City has a history of surprise finishes and surprise winners. Scott Riggs, driving the #10 car for Everham is starting on the front row, next to teammate Kasey Kahne. This is a driver who has a win in him, but it just hasn't found its way out yet. Don't be surprised if he gets his first victory on Sunday. There is also Tony Stewart, who, if he can just get through traffic without incident, could get his first Kansas City win . These are both excellent teams, with nothing to lose, and with strong will. But, again, there are Elliott Sadler, Casey Mears, Kurt Busch who is trying desperately to win friends as well as races, Clint Bowyer, whom I have already mentioned, who could all make a very good show for the finish.
Once again, I feel we will see a very exciting and entertaining race. Excuse me, now, I smell fresh cookies.

Another Classic

First things first; congratulations to Clint Bowyer on his first Busch series win. While he had some handling issues in traffic, he raced ace Matt Kenseth hard and clean in a very exciting and exhilarating battle for the lead in the closing laps of the two hundred mile NBS race at Dover. Saturday. Kenseth was giving it everything he had, driving as if he was on dirt with a car that was somewhat loose in the turns. There was no contact, and it was classic wheel-to-wheel racing with the cars moving up and down the track in a terrific show of talent and strategy. Once Bowyer got his car in front, it was gone. That was one fast car in clean air.
Also, it is good to hear Benny Parsons in the booth. We have, in the past, been critical of the expert commentators in broadcasting, and of the media in general, vindicated by the Bob Dilner/RCR fiasco last week Benny is a racing icon, and though he may sometimes sound like he doesn't know what he's talking about, he certainly adds color to the race broadcast, as we have noticed when he isn't there. I continue to wish BP the best in his battle with cancer.
Moving on to the Cup race, I am more and more convinced that I may be jinxing some drivers. I spoke very highly of Kasey Kahne's ability to negotiate tracks like Dover, and of his driving style and his ability to bring a bad car to a good finish. It was evident in the early going of the race that that wasn't going to happen.
I also had great anticipation of The Gordon and Smoke Stewart having an exciting race, and that wasn't going to happen, either.
What did happen was Tony spun out on his own, and Kahne, with nowhere to go, ran into him. Very disappointing for both drivers, and also very disappointing for me. But even when some of our favorites are out of the race, we still have to watch, and this year, especially, there is plenty to watch.
But once again we got to see some spectacular racing. For a while, Jr and Kurt Busch had a good battle going for seventh and sixth place, but eventually Jr--who had been having tire issues the entire race--had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a flat tire.
Kyle Busch lost an engine, and having already had one bad luck day a week ago, this non-finish diminished his chances to win the Championship to nearly zero.
Denny Hamlin had a poor start and a great finish. He had mentioned in a pre-race interview that he could not get the car to where he was feeling comfortable. For most of the race, he ran in the mid twenties in position. But Mike Ford and the #11 crew worked on the car whenever they could, and Hamlin pulled off a ninth place finish.
We should also mention that Bobby Labonte brought the much maligned #43 Richard Petty car to a sixth place finish. Bobby Labonte is a championship caliber driver, but hasn't really had the equipment he needs to make him competitive. It is good to see that he is yet another veteran driver who will never give up. It is a driver like Bobby Labonte who shows the fans what a hero is make of.
The good stuff was great, as we saw in the final 23 or so laps of the race. Matt Kenseth, who can drive a wreck to victory, and Jeff Burton, who had a great year without a victory, battled it out for the lead. Working hard and racing clean, the two drivers tried different lines, inside and outside, to try to gain advantage over the other. This really is the good stuff--the two fastest cars in the race going for broke, in first and second place. Burton came close to taking the lead several times, only to have to let off on the throttle for running out of track. Burton and Kenseth both got loose several times, even coming very close to the wall. but they did not crash, and they did not let up in the battle. Finally, with five laps to go, Jeff Burton took the lead. Kenseth continued to race him, until the very last lap, when he ran out of fuel.
It had been 175 races since the last time Jeff Burton had seen Victory Lane. Even though, in my list of favorites I favor Kenseth over Burton, Burton's victory was something to celebrate. As he took his reverse victory lap, I had tears in my eyes, out of happiness for a great driver who had run a race that is certainly an instant classic. Our heartfelt congratulations go to Jeff Burton.

The Chase--Race#2 Preview (Dover)

It is nearly time for me to begin weaning myself from racing this season, for there are only nine races left in NASCAR Nextel Cup this year. I have yet to watch a football game this year. Football is okay, but it would be better if the players weighed 4000 pounds more and ran about 160mph faster. I will eventually start watching football, and rooting for the Broncos, but football season doesn't really start for me until after the NASCAR season is over.
Hockey does involve going in circles, and has plenty of beating and banging, so it has some appeal, but the sounds aren't quite right. Still, I look forward to the NHL going into full swing. Hockey, however, can be difficult to watch on television, and I don't have the same attention span it takes to watch it as I do for racing.
This weekend's race will be at the Monster Mile of Dover. There will be plenty of going fast, and beating and banging. Again, I must warn the reader not to take my picks seriously, because I am rarely right.
I want to see Mark Martin win this one. He has a good history at Dover, probably with a higher finishing position than any other active driver. Martin has the ability to put his car where no one else is, and he does it so quickly, one wonders if there isn't some sort of magic involved. When the number six car is running well, it is quite exciting to see the "old man" race side by side with another driver. He makes it clear that the other car better be faster or else back off. This will probably be graphically illustrated at Dover, where side by side racing isn't all that easy in the first place. In order for Mark to win, he must have a good car, though--he is not the kind of driver who will try to force a poor handling car to the front. That is not his style.
A driver who does have a knack for taking a poor handling car to the front is Kasey Kahne. The cute little guy's success as a driver is no fluke, as we have known since his rookie year. Last week, at New Hampshire, he took a thirtieth place car to the top sixteen. Kahne goes into the second week of the chase 110 points out of the lead, so he would like a good finish, and he has the ability to do so. Dover isn't really his forte, but his Sprint car experience can come in handy here, and with his determination combined with his talent, he can pull off a top five finish.
Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch both need good finishes at Dover, lest they be left behind in the Chase. They could hope for someone besides themselves to have the kind of luck they had last week, but they would have to make it good by having a strong finish. Either of these two drivers has the driving style and talent to win at Dover, in fact, out of four starts, Kyle B has three top five finishes, but as good as the competition is this year, winning is not a gimme for either one of them.
If Mark Martin doesn't win, perhaps Matt Kenseth can make it happen. Kenseth definitely has the patience and skill to make a race at Dover look easy.
I am worried about Dale Earhardt, Jr. I know his heart is very much into the race, but he needs something good to happen to lift his spirits a bit. He does have a fair record at Dover, but it is not one of his favorite tracks. It could be his way of fireing himself up, though, because his top ten finish last week was not good enough for him. Perhaps he is secretly wearing an Avis logo somewhere on his person. You know what I mean--"we try harder." Really, that's all the #8 team needs--to try harder.
Jeff Burton is always trying harder. A hardened veteran of NASCAR, it seems to many of us that Burton has not yet reached his peak. That #31 team for Richard Childress Racing belongs in Victory Lane sometime this year, because if trying harder and determination could win races, Burton would have swept the season. If there is a problem on which one can get a handle with this team, it is that they seem to be using the car up early in the race. We have seen this happen many times this season--the #31 car taking the early lead, leading lots of laps, then not quite having enough left for the final race to the Checkers. At Dover, this is bound to happen to almost every team--the track is bumpy, with a rough surface that is hard on tires, making it a very physical race which will take a lot out of both the car and the driver. This is where Burton needs to take care. He has the stamina to handle it, but does the car?
I actually cheered when Jeff Gordon took the pole for Sunday's race. Not for the driver, but in knowing what it means. It could mean that the race for first place would be boring, with no one able, throughout the entire race, to challenge The Gordon. Or it could mean flag to flag excitement, with multiple challenges and some very interesting and spectacular racing. Especially if Stewart gets up front to challenge Gordon, when we would get to see the two best beat and bang it out. They won't wreck each other unless something goes seriously wrong, but we can be sure that, if this does happen, there will be some serious donuts on the sides of both cars. Whew, I'm already out of breath just thinking about it. If such a race doesn't happen...oh well; the beauty of auto racing is that there is certainly something else happening on the track to get the adrenaline going.
Watch Denny Hamlin. This kid seems unable to discern the difference between different types of tracks, turns, or pavement. He does the same thing no matter what kind of track he is racing on, run and run good. He doesn't worry about points, or the nuances of the particular venue, the history of the track, or the competition, he just goes and gets the best finish he can. Don't be surprised if he wins Sunday.
We know what Kevin Harvick is doing. He is on a roll, and he will be hard to stop. Lke his teammate, Jeff Burton, he has to be careful not to use his stuff up early. That hasn't been a problem so far in this season, but we are talking about Dover here. Things don't always go as well as they have been when it comes to Dover.
Of the non-chasers, Scott Riggs looks good, if he doesn't blow his motor. This is one of my favorite drivers, and I feel he is much better than his carreer record shows. We shall see--he did hold the provisional pole for a while, but he may have damaged the engine, which will have to be changed, meaning he will start in the back. Still, he has shown the ability to move up through the pack, though the Monster Mile does not make that easy.
Tony Stewart has made two pledges; that he will race to win, and that he will be cautious so as not to be the reason someone is knocked out of the chase due to a crash. This will make an excellent racing event, especially if he can get up to the front to race Jeff Gordon for the win. Whew, out of breath again.
Now, I will do something I haven't done for a while. Here is my list of top ten picks and my predicted finishing order:
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Tony Stewart
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Kyle Busch
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Kasey Kahne
8. Mark Martin
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr
10. Carl Edwards
Okay, this doesn't seem to be what I wrote about. We'll just say, not necessarily in order.
Good luck to all the fans and their drivers, and may we see a safe and exciting race.

The Scariest Sport?

Auto racing is not necessarily the scariest spectator sport. Check out this photo:

Take a Break

I will not get involved in the SpeedTV/NASCAR "Truth vs Reality" Debate any more than I already have. So now for something completely different:

Pogo Stick Video

Big Mistake

Se what I get for going with a story from the news media? Egg on my face. I am sincerely sorry that I propogated a false report concerning RCR. Consider this a retraction and official apology:
From "That's Racin"

NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter on Monday called a Speed TV report claiming the sanctioning body found issues with the cars of Nextel Cup Series winner Kevin Harvick or his Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton "sheer fantasy."


Speed TV reporter Bob Dillner reported late Sunday at New Hampshire that NASCAR officials had an issue with the wheel rims of both Harvick and Burtons' Chevrolets.


In the report, Dillner said, "The team apparently manipulated that rim to act as a bleeder valve to release air pressure from that rim. In English, it was performance advantage for the RCR team."


Dillner went on to say the teams didn't break any rule, but "have been told not to do it again."


Both NASCAR and RCR officials on Monday strongly denied the story.

Hunter denied anyone with either team was admonished about any questionable part and said both cars "completely passed post race inspection." NASCAR officials Sunday night also announced all cars had passed post race inspection.


RCR spokesman David Hart also denied either team had been directed by NASCAR not to bring a questionable part back to the race track.

Hunter said Dillner did not ask anyone with NASCAR about the issue before his report aired. "If he had, we would have told him the same thing," Hunter said.


"He didn't ask because he didn't want to know the answer. It was an example of sensational journalism at its worst."
Email and voice mail messages left with Speed Channel officials were not immediately returned Monday afternoon.

The Chase Race 1 Review

Once again, I was wrong. Common sense had told me that caution and circumspection would determine how the race at Loudon would materialize. But these guys don't listen to me. As we ought to know by now, common sense isn't the best way of predicting the race. From the very start, the Chase drivers put on a show along with the best of the rest..
On lap 20, Kevin Harvick threaded the needle between teammate Jeff Burton and fellow chaser Denny Hamlin to take the lead. Going three wide like that at Loudon means something has to give, and Hamlin's #11 car was the one that gave. Hamlin's excellent car handling ability kept that car out of the wall and the young star stayed in the race to finish fourth. But we're talking about the beginning of the race here, and these guys were racing as if it was lap 290 out of 300.
We didn't think that Gordon would make a strong move early in the race, but the man is a racer, and undoubtably a good one, and on lap 39 he was mixing it up in a five-way fight for the lead. Harvick, Burton, Hamlin, Martin and Gordon were all racing hard to get the lead, and they were racing as if everything depended on it. It was true joy for the race fan, seeing all those guys up front and racing like that.
Unfortunately, television technicians and producers don't see the beauty of a good race as the fans do. We missed, perhaps during a commercial, or while we were watching someone else, some truely classic racing between the two best drivers in the sport. We know they were racing and rubbing wheel-to-wheel, and we know that they enjoyed it, but we didn't get to see it. It sounded great on the radio, however.
Jimmie Johnson had problems with his engine, losing a cylinder, and then found himself where he didn't want to be--in traffic. He was forced into the wall, causing extensive damage to his car, and this is something no one wants to happen in the final ten races. His car was repaired, but he finished in 40th place, the last position of the chasers. In order to have a chance to win the championship, he has to have a lot of good luck over the next nine races, and hope that nothing else goes wrong.
Kyle Busch also had problems, and may also be out of range of first place. It is not inconceivable that he could finish the rest of the nine races in the top three, and still win the championship, but, again, that depends on a lot of luck.
Johnson's and Busch's troubles hearken to the first Chase for the Championship in 2004, when Tony Stewart and Jeremy Mayfield were wrecked through somebody else's actions (cough*Robby Gordon*) at Loudon and never recovered over the last nine races.
It is the actions of others that most concerned Tony Stewart. We could see, through most of the race, that even as he was moving up through the field from his 31st place starting position he was reluctant to make a move when he came upon any of the ten chasers. Rather than risk being the reason for anyone to be knocked out of the running for the championship, he took care to not put them in a situation where they could wreck. His wheel to wheel racing with Jeff Gordon may seem like a departure from that attitude, but it appears both drivers were racing the way they like to race, and they congratulated each other on a good race afterwards.
Kasey Kahne had a car that just wouldn't work for him. He started in 32nd place, and had mentioned a plan to follow Stewart to the front. That plan never materialized, however, because his team could never find the trick to the tricky New Hampshire International Speedway. Credit should be given to Kahne for his ability to take a 30th place car to a top twenty finish.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr expressed postrace misgivings about the ability of his team to get the championship. He had a good finish in the top ten, but he did not feel that his car was all that it could be. Perhaps his comments were motivating to himself and his team, and they will work harder to give Jr. a better car, or, perhaps Driver #8 has already thrown in the towel on his Chase for the Championship this year.
Notable finishes for the non-chasers included Tony Stewart in 2nd. He passed Jeff Gordon cleanly, to take the 2nd position, in the last three laps of the race, but didn't quite have what it would take to beat Kevin Harvick in that short of a time. Elliott Sadler brought the Everham #19 Dodge Charger to its highest finish this year, in 6th, proving his value to that team after a mostly dismal season in the #38 Robert Yates Ford Focus. And Dave Blaney showed us that his run of success is no fluke by finishing in 9th.
There was some controversy after the race. There is a gray area in the NASCAR rules that allows the teams to try different ways of tweaking the car to gain advantage over the others. Most of the time, if NASCAR finds that such tweaking results in an unfair advantage over the others, it will confiscate the equipment with a stern warning not to do it again. There would be no fine or penalty given in these types of "infractions", because no rules were broken. The gray area has been around racing rules since the invention of the wheel, and this is the area from which innovation comes. Most notable of this type of activity is the flying wing of the Dodge and Plymouth cars in the late sixties and early seventies. In 1995 there was the famous "T-Rex" car of Jeff Gordon, and most recently the magic shocks used by Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson's #48 team last year. Now, in the post race inspection after the race at Loudon, such gray area tweaking was found in the cars of race winner Kevin Harvick, and team mate and chaser Jeff Burton. The Childress teams had been using wheel rims which had a miniscule laser cut to bleed excess tire pressure caused by warming. It wasn't cheating, because it wasn't against the rules, and NASCAR said "Cool, but now that we found it you can't use it."
Ah, well, (sigh) it looks like we're going to be stuck with "parity" for the rest of the Chase.

First Chase Race May be More than Expected

Being left out of the Chase for the championship will not deter any driver from wanting to win. Winning is the reason for racing in the first place. Most of them are very sincere when they say they would race for a dollar So, it would be unwise to think that anybody is racing "The Magic Mile" at Loudon, New Hampshire this weekend with dampened spirits. It is extremely difficult to imagine any active driver who wouldn't want to get in a car and race.
To be certain, in the first of the ten Championship Series races, don't expect significant aggression from the ten Chase drivers. They will most likely use this race to feel out the competition and protect their points.The competition between these drivers should not be overlooked, howerver. This separate points race, which starts with tenth place being a mere forty-five points behind first place, is so close that one mistake in any of the final ten races will eliminate a team from any shot at the championship.
The care taken by the chasers to avoid accidents could be a boon to such drivers as Ken Schrader, Joe Nemecheck, Dave Blaney, and Scott Riggs. These drivers have good programs, and are stepping them up. Don't forget Elliott Sadler, either, as he is problably second only to Tony Stewart in ability of the drivers who are not in the chase, not to mention that the #19 team has to get into the top 35 in owners points to guarantee a start in Februrary's Daytona 500.
I am expecting a non-chaser to win the race, but I have been wrong before--in fact, I have rarely been right.
I can envision a great race for the finish between Sadler, Riggs, Stewart, and Blaney, Yes, Dave Blaney, who hasn't shown a lot is truely representing Bill Davis Racing as the top driver of that organization. He is another skilled Sprint car driver who has the ability to show excellence in the Cup cars. On a roll, from a forth place finish last week at Richmond, he has tasted what it is like to be in a good car, and he has expressed great enthusiasm for the BDR program, especially with Toyota entering the field next year with Bill Davis as one of its teams. Blaney is of the same tradition as Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Ken Schrader, and Kasey Kahne--give him something with four tires on it, and he will race it.
Back to the chasers. Of the top ten who may go for the win, the most likely would be Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, and Denny Hamlin. Johnson, because he can't seem to do anything that will prevent him from finishing up front--his team is so good, he could wreck the car in the opening laps and be back in the leading three by mid-point of the race. Kahne, because the cute little guy is that damn good, overcoming what former team-mate Jeremy Mayfield sees as a handicap, that is, the Dodge Charger, and showing uncanny skill at negotiating the short tracks. Kevin Harvick, because his determination matches his skill, and though he is the most aggressive of the top ten, he is smart enough to avoid situations which could take him out. And Denny Hamlin, who can excell on any kind of track and can not help but to go fast. Needless to say, if any one of these drivers is up front beyond mid-point of the race, Gordon, Kenseth, and the others will make it a point to get up there as well. By no means will the race be boring, whether your favorite driver is in the Chase or not.

Wha' Happin'?

Last year, at this time, there was much outrage and consternation among NASCAR fans that two of the most popular drivers, Dale Earnhardt, Jr, and Jeff Gordon, did not make it into the Chase for the Championship, and thus made ineligible for last year's Championship. They are in, this year, based on their performance over the season, which is as it should be.
This year, there are no less than seven drivers who were in the Chase last year who did not make it this year. Here is a run down on what happened to them.
The reigning Cup Champion, Tony Stewart could almost always be expected to make the chase. In each season since his rookie year in 1999, Smoke has finished in the top ten. Not so, this year. The #20 team's downs outweighed its ups this year. Some of the problems were the result of Stewart’s own passion and intensity in racing--he got into situations which were his fault, and for which he took the blame. As in the case with almost any NASCAR team, most of the problems were mechanical and strategic, i.e. running out of fuel, engine problems, general set up of shocks and tire combinations, and other setup problems. The wrong things happened at the wrong times, and races in which Stewart should have done well in ended with poor finishes. So close was the points race for the last seven positions in the Chase, that if only one of the mistakes in the regular season had been avoided, Smoke would have had a chance to defend his championship.
Greg Biffle finished the regular season in second place last year. This year, the very talented driver barely got off to a start. Where the #16 team looked good, something almost invariably happened to take Biffle out of competition, something that was usually not of their doing. Bad luck, not lack of talent is the catch phrase this year for the #16 team, mostly a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. To avoid this kind of luck, Biffle's team can work on its qualifying program for the rest of the year, to give Biffle a better ability to not get caught up in traffic. They will be back next year.
Rusty Wallace finished the regular season in third place last year. He then retired, so could not really be expected to make the Chase this year.
The competition this year has been extremely tough, as the teams and their drivers have improved their equipment, their strategies, and their talent. Perhaps this is where Kurt Busch failed to make the chase. Not to place the blame on the excellent #2 team, it is just that he had to get used to a different make of car than he was used to. The Dodge Intrepid, in which Busch started the season, was more like the Taurus Busch was used to, in aerodynamics and handling, but the Dodge teams, Penske included, were geared to run the Charger. Thus, familiarity with the equipment never really materialized as an aid to success. Busch had much of the bad luck many of the other teams experienced, but it was mostly parity that did in the Miller Light team. Busch is good, but so are all the other drivers.
Jeremy Mayfield had The Season From Hell, this year. The #19 team just never got it together, while the other two Everham teams of Kasey Kahne and Scott Riggs showed some success. Everham did away with the Crew Chief oriented organization this year, and adapted a system similar to that of the Formula One teams. This was an attempt to even out the parity among the teams under Ray Everham's wings. It just did not work out well for Jeremy, who was dissatisfied with the team, and will be driving for a different team next year.
Carl Edwards could have been better this year. He experienced the frustration of the Sophomore Curse. That is the slump most great drivers experience in their second year. Kasey Kahne experienced it last year, Kevin Harvick had somewhat of a problem with it in 2002, and Jamie McMurray has yet to get over it. In Edward's case, his intensity often got the best of him. His failure to make the chase was not the result of not trying; it was more as if he was trying too hard. Like those of Tony Stewart, many of his mistakes were the results of his actions on the track.
Ryan Newman's failure to make the Chase is the most confusing of all the seven who didn't make it. He was always there, leading laps, and doing what he does best--qualifying up front and driving hard. Again, it was probably parity and luck that did him in, but a team that should have been better, just wasn't.
It is not the end of the world for these seven. They all have plenty of talent, and they are on very talented teams. Their level of competence can only increase, ensuring us that the last ten races of this season, and certainly all of next season, will continue to be some of the most exciting racing we have seen.

That Awesome 10

The "Race for the Chase" lived up to everything it was billed as. The 26th race of the season determined the ten drivers who would compete for the Cup championship over the last ten races, and it really did go right down to the wire.
Tony Stewart, the reigning champion needed to finish twelth or better to make the chase. He didn't make it, but, as Michael Waltrip and Ken Schrader pointed out on Speed TV's Inside Nextel Cup, under the old rules he wouldn't have had a chance to repeat, anyway.
It was a tough season, this year, one of the best over the past 10 years, and, as Tony so graciously pointed out, the ten who made it are "awesome."

The Awesome Ten

Kasey Kahne had to make it in. The top winner during the regular season, with five wins, certainly deserves a chance at the championship. Going into the race at Richmond, he was out of the top ten by a mere 12 points. He did what he had to do to make it in, and did so with class. No one else, driving a Dodge had a chance. Kahne has been known to be a racer of tremendous talent even in his rookie year, but was always an also-ran until he got his first win in 2005, at Richmond. A championship for him could be his first of many.
I have to admit, I am a reverse Jeff Gordon fan. I mean he is the driver I "love to hate." Admit it--every fan has one of those. Gordon is one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, with seventy-seven carreer Cup wins and four Cup Championships. This is the fifth year he has strived in his "Drive for Five," and we somehow wish that he would get his fifth championship just to get it over with. It is exciting that he is in the Chase, because to watch him when he is at the top of his game is like viewing a work of art. As much as I love to hate him, I love to watch him race. However, it still seems as if his team is inconsistant in building and setting up a car he can feel comfortable in. There will be no "Mulligans" this year--every race will count, and the 24 team needs to be more consistant than it has been all season in order to be a serious Championship contender.
Jeff Burton's move from Roush Racing to Richard Childress Racing in 2005 turned out to be the shot in the arm needed by both the driver and the team. After the long dry spell for Childress, since the death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001, the entire RCR organization has seen a dramatic revitalization. The enthusiasm of the team can be seen in Burton, Bowyer and Harvick whenever they are seen together. If it weren't for the presence of Burton's former Roush teammate, Mark Martin, in the Chase, Burton would clearly be the sentimental favorite. Burton, himself has had a long dry spell when it comes to winning--his last Cup win was in 2002--but he has led many a lap this season, and has shown himself to be a strong and determined driver. If determination is what it takes to be the Champion, Burton could be Da Man.
When one thinks natural talent, one thinks Denny Hamlin. He shocked the world this summer by winning the race in his first time on the Pocono circuit.Pocono, by any measure, is a difficult track, much more so for a rookie. But Hamlin proved that it was no fluke, when he won again at Pocono in July, making it look easy. We knew that Hamlin was destined for greatness when he first started driving a Cup car for Joe Gibbs Racing at the very end of last season, gaining a top ten finish in five of the seven races he participated in. Hamlin isn't the first rookie to make the top ten--Tony Stewart did so in 1999, and Kevin Harvick finished his debut year in 2001 in ninth place--but he is the first rookie to do so in the Chase format. Like Jimmie Johnson, he has a knack for coming back from early race set-backs. He still makes rookie errors, sometimes running over other cars, but his style is so smooth his mistakes are hardly noticed. He wasn't planning on making the top ten his first full-time year, but it just happened that way. It could just happen that he would be the first rookie Champion in a long, long time.
Mark Martinhas never won a championship in NASCAR, though he has been in Cup for twenty-four of the last twenty-five years. He has however, finished the season in the top five in championship points fifteen times. He has won more races in the NASCAR Cup series than any other current driver except Jeff Gordon. This is probably his last full time season in theCup series, and it would be great to see him retire on top. Count on Martin to be the sentimental favorite to win the Championship this year. It would probably be the most popular Championship ever, and the celebration would undoubtably be a very emotional one.
Kyle Busch, whom some claim to be an escapee from Area 51, is another man of extrordinary talent. He has proven at a very young age--in fact he is the youngest Cup race winner in the history of NASCAR--that he is one hell of a racer. He had to overcome the over-aggressiveness to which he was prone in order to be a serious contender, and, with some help from the aforementioned Tony "Smoke" Stewart, he did. In fact, he matured ratherquickly, culminating in a very entertaining race Saturday with Kevin Harvick for nearly every lap at Richmond. The fact that he didn't wreck anybody, as he was wont to do in the past, proved that "The Schrub" has grown into a serious Championship contender.
Dale Earnhardt,Jr the perennial fan favorite, has made it back into the Chase this year, after missing it last year, to the great dissappointment of many a NASCAR fan. It took him time to adapt to the aero-tire package which came into effect in 2005, but adapt he did, proving to his detracters that he is, indeed, a talented driver. Overcoming many setbacks during the regular season, including two back-to-back DNFs, he overcame adversity, and, with help from some outstanding pit strategy, held his place in the top ten. He is not the same type of driver his father was--aggression on his part seems to embarrass him. Nor does he demonstrate the smooth patience of a Mark Martin. But, he is agile in his car handling, and does belong in the position he is in now. Unfortunately for the number 8 team, inconsistancy and trademark bad luck may be his downfall during the last ten races.
Kevin Harvick is due a championship. We have seen him mature from a brash, cocky, arrogant rookie to the polished professional he is today. He seems to be able to will his car through traffic, almost toying with the competition in a very Tony Stewart-like fashion. Once he is in front, he is hard to catch and even harder to pass. Though not, by himself, a fan favorite, Kevlana, the inseparable combination of Kevin and his wife, Delana, is very popular, and there are many who would like to see him get the Cup.
I hope this doesn't come across as throwing Jimmie Johnson "under the bus," but he wouldn't be where he is if it wasn't for the outstanding Chad Knaus and the entire #48 team. Though he is indeed a very talented and skilled driver, he has a knack for creating his own bad luck, being aggressive in both chopping and blocking. But the Lowe's Chevrolet team is the best example of teamwork on the track, and has consistantly overcome Johnson's self-inflicted bad luck with uncommon ease and skill. Johnson is one of the best drivers in the business, but he needs to polish his skills some, before he can be considered one of the greats. Still, it would be nice to see him get a Championship, as he has come so close in the past three years only to fall behind at the crucial moment.
If any of today's drivers could be compared to one of the past Masters, it would be Matt Kenseth, compared to David Pearson. If not the driver with the most wins in NASCAR history--he is second only to Richard Petty--Pearson has the highest winning percentage of all time. Kenseth's skills seem to mirror those of the "Silver Fox." as Pearson was known, quietly and patiently waiting for the right moment and seemingly coming out of nowhere. Kenseth is a past champion, and is undoubtably right up there in ability with Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. He is my pick for the Championship, and, since NASCAR illegitimized his first championship in order to placate NBC and the sponsers, he has a chance to prove that he can win under any rules NASCAR wants to place. Let's watch him do it!
Indeed, we have seen some of the best racing we have seen in years, and I have a feeling the Chase will maintain the level of excitement this season has brought.

Not The End Of The World

Kevin Harvick is well on his way to holding the highest points lead in the history of the NASCAR Busch Series. This may be upsetting to those who decry the presence of Cup regulars in that series, known as :"Buschwhackers." They believe that the NASCAR Busch Series, or NBS, should remain a second-rate series for second-rate drivers, and feature second-rate racing.
Of course I disagree with the detractors. Any driver who is willing to race 72 races a year is, in my book, a true racing hero. It hearkens back to the days of Ned Jarrett, Lee Petty, and Ralph Earnhardt. Back then, the Busch series was known as the Sportsman Series, and the Cup was the Grand National Series. Neither series was considered the "Premier" series; they were merely two different divisions featuring different specs for the cars. Two, or sometimes three times a week, the drivers of those days would climb into a car and race. This often meant they would participate in over ninety races a season.
The presence of the "Buschwhackers" has increased the quality of racing in the NBS by all accounts. Drivers who may never get a chance to race full time in Cup--David Green, Stanton Barrett, and Stacey Compton, for instance, get a chance to hone their skills against the Cup drivers. Developmental drivers, the future stars of NASCAR, such as Paul Menard, Steven Leicht, David Gilliland, and Aric Almerido, get more experience in shorter races in competition with the likes of Harvick, Mark Martin, and Carl Edwards. As the level of competition increases, so does the quality of the learning experience of these drivers.
If the Cup drivers are "slumming" in the NBS, they are selling tickets. The Busch Series does well where there are stand alone races at venues where there are no Cup races, such as Milwaukee, Kentucky, Memphis, and Nashville. However,at places like Martinsville, which features an NBS race on the same weekend as the Pennsylvania 400, no Cup drivers means no tickets. These days, one could draw the conclusion that if there were no Buschwhackers, the NBS would be doomed.
I understand the argument put forth by some of the team owners in the Busch Series, that the presence of the full time Cup drivers takes away from points and prize money. I agree that the points system should be tweaked to favor the non-Cup full time Busch teams, and it could be. The prize money will grow with the exposure, for as exposure increases, so will the sponserships. Technology availability will also increase for the "poor" teams, as the Cup teams provide more equipment to and form more partnerships with these teams. The "Car of Tomorrow" Cup program will provide even more high quality equipment to the Busch teams as those in the Cup will phase out the cars they have now.
All in all, Harvick and the others can only benifit the NBS, which in turn will benifit the Elite and Grand National weekly series, for those two divisions will become more important as the "Farm" leagues of NASCAR. Those who lament the upgrading of the NBS can still see excellent racing at their local short and dirt tracks, for far less than the cost of travel time and tickets for the Busch Series races.
So, to Kevin Harvick, I say "Go for it!"

Today's Controversial Moment

Kevin Harvick is well on his way to holding the highest points lead in the history of the NASCAR Busch Series. This may be upsetting to those who decry the presence of Cup regulars in that series, known as "Buschwhackers." They believe that the NASCAR Busch Series, or NBS, should remain a second-rate series for second-rate drivers, and feature second-rate racing.
Of course I disagree with the detractors. Any driver who is willing to race 72 races a year is, in my book, a true racing hero. It hearkens back to the days of Ned Jarrett, Lee Petty, and Ralph Earnhardt. Back then, the Busch series was known as the Sportsman Series, and the Cup was the Grand National Series. Neither series was considered the "Premier" series; they were merely two different divisions featuring different specs for the cars. Two, or sometimes three times a week, the drivers of those days would climb into a car and race. This often meant they would participate in over ninety races a season.
The presence of the "Buschwhackers" has increased the quality of racing in the NBS by all accounts. Drivers who may never get a chance to race full time in Cup--David Green, Stanton Barrett, and Stacey Compton, for instance, get a chance to hone their skills against the Cup drivers. Developmental drivers, the future stars of NASCAR, such as Paul Menard, Steven Leicht, David Gilliland, and Aric Almerido, get more experience in shorter races in competition with the likes of Harvick, Mark Martin, and Carl Edwards. As the level of competition increases, so does the quality of the learning experience of these drivers.
If the Cup drivers are "slumming" in the NBS, they are selling tickets. The Busch Series does well where there are stand alone races at venues where there are no Cup races, such as Milwaukee, Kentucky, Memphis, and Nashville. However,at places like Martinsville, which features an NBS race on the same weekend as the Pennsylvania 400, no Cup drivers means no tickets. These days, one could draw the conclusion that if there were no Buschwhackers, the NBS would be doomed.
I understand the argument put forth by some of the team owners in the Busch Series, that the presence of the full time Cup drivers takes away from points and prize money. I agree that the points system should be tweaked to favor the non-Cup full time Busch teams, and it could be. The prize money will grow with the exposure, for as exposure increases, so will the sponserships. Technology availability will also increase for the "poor" teams, as the Cup teams provide more equipment to and form more partnerships with these teams. The "Car of Tomorrow" Cup program will provide even more high quality equipment to the Busch teams as those in the Cup will phase out the cars they have now.
All in all, Harvick and the others can only benifit the NBS, which in turn will benifit the Elite and Grand National weekly series, for those two divisions will become more important as the "Farm" leagues of NASCAR. Those who lament the upgrading of the NBS can still see excellent racing at their local short and dirt tracks, for far less than the cost of travel time and tickets for the Busch Series races.
So, to Kevin Harvick, I say "Go for it!"

This is It!

This is it. Down to the wire. And, yes, I'm antsy, excited, and a little irritable, looking forward to Saturday night's Cup race at Richmond.
After the checkered flag waves at Richmond, the top ten drivers in championship points will be the ten drivers on the podium at the post season banquet in December. This is one of the misgivings I have about the Chase for the Championship points system. There are ten races left, and there are more than ten drivers who could finish in the top ten under the old points system. However, under the Chase rules, the top ten will already be chosen, and there are only eleven drivers who could possibly make the top ten. On the other hand, the Chase rules do make this race very important for those eleven drivers, and the excitement level is high. Richmond is a short track, which means there will be a lot of contact, and a little bit of bad luck could take one of those drivers out.
Matt Kenseth and Jimmy Johnson, currently first and second in points, respectively, are mathimatically locked in to the top ten, meaning they don't have to finish the race to still be in the chase. For all practical purposes, Kevin Harvick, currently in third, has a spot on the podium, if he finishes the race. The other seven, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Jeff Burton, are all in jeopardy.
That jeopardy comes in the form of Kasey Kahne, the heartthrob of many a teenage girl--and the three women in a very funny series of Allstate Insurance commercials. Kahne, undoubtly a very talented driver is only thirty five points out of tenth, and is the winner of last year's final race at Richmond. This doesn't bode well for one of those seven.
I want to see Kahne in the top ten, but who would I want to see out? They all deserve to be on the podium, in fact, they all deserve to be crowned Champion. My first thought would be Jeff Gordon, but upon further thought, I would rather see Gordon in than his over-exhuberant team-mate, Kyle Busch. Don't ask me why, for I highly respect both drivers for their talent, Jeff Gordon, as I have said before, is arguably one of the best drivers in the history of NASCAR. But I like my drivers to be racers, guys who would get in an car at any time just to participate in a race. Jeff Gordon doesn't do that--he is exclusively NASCAR Cup. He doesn't have time for extracurricular racing. While many of the other drivers will jump in a sprint car, or a late model dirt racer, often for charity events, Gordon would rather be on his yacht with his super-model fiance. So, maybe it is just his lifestyle that rubs me the wrong way. He is a NASCAR driver who would be a better fit socially with the likes of Formula One superstars Kimi Raikkonen or Michael Schumacher.To be fair, though he doesn't make himself as accessable to the fans as the other drivers do, he is not above signing autographs between the drivers' meeting and the garage.Like him or not, he truly deserves a spot on the podium with the season he has had.
The same could be said for Kyle "The Schrub" Busch. With an immense natural talent in driving, he has an immense ego to match. For some drivers, the ego is exactly what makes the driver a winner. No doubt, he is a champion in the making, and, as young as he is, Busch has a long and illustrious career ahead of him. He will have plenty of chances to compete in the top ten, and plenty of chances to be a champion. That is why I would pick Gordon to be in the top ten rather than Kyle this year.
I am nervous, but not too much, about Tony Stewart making the cut. If he doesn't, it would be the first time in his Cup career he wouldn't end the the season in the top ten. In fact, not counting his year in the Busch Series in 1998, he has never finished outside the top ten in any series he has ever raced in. That includes from go-carts to USAC sprints, midgets, and silver crown, to the Indy Cars, to NASCAR. Just a little nervous, knock on wood, because Stewart is smart, and though he doesn't like points racing, he will do the best he can to get the best finish without risking his position in the top ten. Like his idol and mentor, the late Dale Earnhardt, he has a knack for taking a twentieth place car to a top ten finish. Anything keeping him out of the top ten will not be by his own doing. He finished second in this race last year.
I want to see them all in the top ten. In fact, I would like to see twenty drivers in the Chase for the Championship. With any luck, there will be a tie for tenth place points, and we will see all eleven in the Chase. So, I wish the best of luck to all these drivers, and let's go racin'!

World's Shortest Personality test

I wonder how many people get the same result I did? Probably most, but maybe I shouldn't judge.

Your Personality Profile

You are funky, outdoorsy, and down to earth. While you may not be a total hippie... You're definitely one of the most free spirited people around. You are very impulsive - every day is a new adventure. However, you do put some thought behind all your actions. Still, you do tend to shock and offend people from time to time!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

NASCAR Season Still Strong As It Nears End

My cats were afraid of me, because I was jumping around, yelling, whooping and exhibiting all sorts of strange behavior. They got over it, they always do. After all, all I was doing was watching the last few laps of the Sony HD 400 from California Sunday night. I was excited, because it looked as though Reed Sorenson might get his first win. Not that I am a great fan of the young driver, but it is exciting to see any NASCAR driver get his or her first win.
It is still hard for me to get used to not having the Southern 500 from Darlington to watch on Labor Day weekend. The anticipation I experienced toward the end of last week was a holdover from what was a holiday tradition. The races at Darlington are always exciting, for it is a very unique and very difficult track. Passing isn't that easy at Darlington, because the track is narrow and the surface is uneven, and traction is easily lost. It is these kinds of risks that make a race exciting.
But at some point, I suppose we have to let tradition go. NASCAR is, after all, a business, and if a business doesn't profit, then there is no point in running it. Darlington wasn't making the kind of money NASCAR wanted, so they moved the Labor Day venue to California.
Not to say that they can't have an exciting race at California--Sunday's race proved that they can. It is a different kind of racing from Darlington--wide open and plenty of room to pass. Normally, though, this would result in a long single file parade, because, in the past, the competition wasn't at the levels it has been this year. As much as I hated the idea of the Race for the Chase when it first came into play two years ago, it has noticeably raised the stakes for the last quarter of the season, which in turn raises the competition level, and the level of excitement. The drivers take more risks, and though the risk factor isn't as high at California as it was at Darlington, it still makes for better racing.
In the end, it became a fuel mileage race. Thouigh not always desireable, at certain tracks, such as California Speedway, the strategy in this type of racing can be captivating. It is gambling, and we all like to watch the big gamble, the taking of chances and the out-thinking that goes with it. It was a gamble that put Sorenson in front, and the gamble was lost, for Sorenson ran out of fuel with four laps to go. Kasey Kahne, the Cute Little Guy, and one heck of a racer, took the win, completing a Busch/Cup sweep of the weekend.
I felt happy after the race, because it once again affirmed that we are seeing some of the best racing this season in over ten years. Whether or not the drivers who are racing up front are among our favorites doesn't matter, for we love watching Earnhardt, Martin, Gordon, Kenseth and Kahne trying to out-maneuver each other at very high speeds. I like to believe that we all got what we wanted from Sunday's race, and that is what keeps us looking forward to the next race. The next race should be a "doozie." Next weekend's race at the short track in Richmond, VA is the last race before the cutoff for the championship series. Eleven drivers have a chance to make the top ten, and it all comes down to the finish line next Saturday. Though there will be forty-three drivers in the last ten races of the season, only the top ten after Richmond will be competing for the championship. Matt Kenseth holds the points lead, with Johnson right behind him. Kevin Harvick, in third, is pretty much locked in, but the fourth through tenth positions are up for grabs. Any mistake, no matter how small, will put one of these drivers out of the top ten for the rest of the season. Needless to say, as much as we disliked the idea when it was first enacted, we watch with great interest.
"NASCAR--how bad you got it?" I got it bad.

Oh, California!

For once, I believe I can write a race preview that is short and sweet, because I can bypass the description of the California International Speedway, because it is so similar to Michigan, which I have gone into in depth twice in the past two months. Suffice it to say that I love the kind of racing that goes on at the 2 mile circuits as much as I do the demolition derbies at Bristol, though it is a completely different type of racing.
So, without repeating myself, I;m picking Greg Biffle to finally come through and win one. Though Matt Kenseth is on a roll, and can be considered the favorite, Biffle's luck has to change sometime, and this could be it. Don't bet on my pick, though, because it is gut feeling, not expertise that I base my pick on. However, if Goodyear is using a different tire compound than they did in Michigan--see, I even neglected to get the tire report--fuel mileage will come into play, and Da Biff's crew chief, Doug Richert, is very good at fuel mileage races. Bifle has nothing to lose except for the chance to show that he is still a winner of the championship class.
The stiff competition will come from Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton, and Kyle Busch, the first five working to stay in the top ten, or, in Kenseth's case, to keep the best position possible going into the chase.
The only downer about this weekend is that I, being a traditionalist of sorts, still expect the laber day weekend race to be at Darlington, a very unique and interesting venue. But, those days are gone, and we have to accept change. Nothing wrong with reminiscing, though.
I enjoy the wide-open side by side racing that we get on these tracks, so once again I say it should be a good one.