Saturday, Saturday, Saturday!!!

Of all the tracks on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit, my favorite tends to be the one on which they are racing. But, I must admit, I really like the one mile tracks. Every one of them is unique in obvious ways.
Take, for instance, Phoenix International Raceway, which is shaped like Lowe's Motor Speedway, but is one-half mile shorter. half mile makes a big difference in the type of racing we see, as the turns are tighter and the straightaways are shorter. Phoenix is big enough to accommodate forty-three cars, yet small enough to keep the fastest cars from getting strung out.
What really gets me excited about the Phoenix race is that it is Saturday Night Racing! Those of us who grew up watching stock car races, Saturday night is the proper time to race stock cars.
The Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fans have plenty to be excited about Saturday's race--it is one of his favorite tracks, and his record there proves it, with two wins to his credit.
No doubt that Mark Martin will, in his first COT (retrocar) race, get a top ten. The way things are going for him--especially his driving while just having some fun--it is unimaginable that Phoenix will stop his streak of top five finishes.
One of the drivers who is claimed to be an Alien by The Church of the Great Oval, Kurt Busch, not only seems to be assimilating into Earthling society, but he also looks good for Phoenix, where Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is known to be tough on Aliens has made him an honorary Deputy Sheriff.
This race could be a turn around for Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne, a breakthrough for Scott Riggs, and a continuation of the potentially exciting Johnny Paul/Smoke Stewart feud. It should noted that another driver likely to enter that fray, The “Jeff” Gordon, holds the pole, and though that starting position has yet to win a race at Phoenix, The Gordon has the best finishing average of all active drivers at Phoenix.
No matter who wins, Saturday night's race will be a good one, as will be tonight's NASCAR Busch Series race. That race, as are all Busch Series races, will be run in what is still the standard NASCAR machine. Carl Edwards is already in the process of running away with the NBS championship, and there is no doubt that the race is on at Phoenix to beat him.
I should note here that One Bad Wheel has an excellent site for stats, drivers, teams, tracks, and races, and is very easy to navigate and read to find the information you may want to find. Still, it hasn’t improved my accuracy, since I still tend to write off the top of my head no matter what stats I see. But, for those who do appreciate states, One Bad Wheel is highly recommended.