A Different View

"Major League Baseball players don't play in Triple A baseball games, so why do NASCAR Cup drivers compete in the Nationwide Series?"

That is one of the questions we see on various forums, blogs, and news journals pertaining to the participation of NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. There are several premises, however, in that question that are wrong.

The first flawed premise is the assumption that NASCAR is structured in the same way as professional baseball. It isn't. The teams in baseball are franchises of Major League Baseball, while the teams in NASCAR are, at all levels, fully and independently owned private businesses. The players and the team owners in baseball are employees of Major League Baseball, while the team owners and drivers in NASCAR are not employees of NASCAR.

Major League Baseball can regulate the manner in which new players are recruited, and how much they get paid. NASCAR can not. Major League Baseball teams can not put their players in pads and helmets and play football against the Pittsburgh Steelers. NASCAR team owners can build or own cars for ARCA, Rolex Grand Am, American Le Mans Series, Indy Racing League, or even USAC, if they wished, and put their "Sprint Cup" driver in any of those cars at any time.

One logical comparison, if one must be made, is that while baseball teams use their affiliated Triple A teams for training and remedial training of their players, and NASCAR team owners often use the Nationwide Series to give their drivers "seat time" on certain tracks. Another comparison is that professional baseball players work their way up through the ranks to play in Major League, in order to learn the rules and the style of play, while NASCAR drivers must also gain experience and learn the rules in order to get a license to race on the superspeedways.

The major flaw in the statement that opened this item is that "Major League baseball players don't play in Triple A games."

If one actually follows Major League Baseball, one would know that players are "sent down" to and "called up" from Triple A teams on a nearly weekly basis. So Major League players often do find themselves playing on a Triple A team.

If the NASCAR Nationwide Series were a Triple A team to the Sprint Cup Series, some of the comparisons may be viable, but it isn't. Minor League sports events are not broadcast live on national television. The closest comparison would be that the NASCAR Camping World East/West Series is the Triple A of NASCAR. The Camping World Truck Series, the Nationwide Series, and the Sprint Cup Series are all different organizations in the major leagues of NASCAR, that feature different types of racing. The Truck Series is the sprint racing division of the major leagues. The Nationwide Series is the challenge racing division, and the Sprint Cup Series is the endurance division. This is more akin to the Midget, Sprint, and Triple Crown divisions of USAC than it is to the different levels of baseball.

The only thing that NASCAR is concerned about who races in which series is whether or not they qualify for the event, or if the driver is licensed to drive in the event. A suspended driver who is suspended due to NASCAR drug policy, for instance, is not licensed to participate in a NASCAR event, though that driver may participate in racing sanctioned by a different sanctioning body, such as ARCA or USAC.

In other words, a driver is a Sprint Cup driver if he qualifies for a Sprint Cup race, a Nationwide driver if he qualifies for a race in that series, or a Camping World Truck Series driver, if he qualifies for a Truck Series race. There is, otherwise, no official designation for a driver to race in a particular series.

The Nationwide Series is a challenge series because it gives drivers a chance to challenge, that is, to see how they measure up against, more experienced drivers. That is how it works in theory, and it often works out that way in practice. Unfortunately, since it is mainly the sponsors who determine who drives what car in the series, it is not perfect, nor is it possible for any up and coming driver to make a name for him- or herself in the series. These days, in reality, a driver almost has to have already made his or her name elsewhere. But that is not because there are Cup Series regulars participating in the Nationwide Series. Cup Series regulars race in the Nationwide Series because of the sponsors.

In nearly every race since the former Busch Series began in 1982, there has been at least one full time Cup driver participating. It wouldn't really be a challenge series if there were not Cup drivers involved. Furthermore, it is not necessary for a driver to win races or championships in the Nationwide series in order to become a Cup series driver.

How many drivers are in the Cup Series because of their performance in the Nationwide or Busch Series? Not very many. Jimmie Johnson, the three consecutive time Sprint Cup Champion, had only one win and sixteen top ten finishes in the Nationwide Series, out of 72 races, before he became a full time Sprint Cup driver. Joey Logano never even raced a full season in the Nationwide Series before he became a full time Sprint Cup driver. In fact, the only drivers I can think of who are or will soon be full time Sprint Cup drivers solely because of their performance in the Nationwide or Busch Series are Martin Truex, Jr, Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers, Brad Keselowski (not yet full time, but soon will be), Dale Earnhardt, Jr (or is part of it because of his name?), and Matt Kenseth. With the exception of Jeff Gordon, who had three Busch Series wins and 25 top tens out of sixty-one races, there is no other driver currently in the Sprint Cup series who had what would be called a notable record in the Nationwide or Busch Series. I may have missed some, so feel free to correct me in the comment section.

A few weeks ago, Jenna Fryer--the NASCAR beat reporter and gossip columnist for the Associated Press--was on NASCAR Now's "Monday Round Table" and suggested that NASCAR do away with the Nationwide Series. This would create a similar situation to what we had before 1982. There probably would be sixty to eighty teams show up on qualifying day for the Sprint Cup races. Those that consistently fail to qualify would soon drop out of NASCAR competition entirely, due to lack of the funds necessary to have a car that would be able to qualify. For those teams, the Nationwide Series is a good thing, just as the Busch Series was in 1982.

For the record, I don't agree with Jenna Fryer's suggestion, and am only mentioning it for the purpose of discussion.

One might very well ask, "If the Nationwide Series is part of the NASCAR big leagues, then why doesn't it have the prestige of the Sprint Cup Series?"

And that is a good question, but my guess is that it isn't because it doesn't have as many fans as the Sprint Cup Series. If the same number of fans followed the Nationwide Series as do the Cup Series, the level of prestige would be about the same, as would be the level of sponsorship. At any rate, it would be even more difficult to achieve those levels without the participation of popular Sprint Cup drivers.

Think about this: would the victory by Brad Keselowski in Saturdays US Cellular 250 have been as important or exciting if Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards weren't in the race? There is no way to be sure, but probably not. It is generally better for a Nationwide driver to win against Kyle Busch than it is to win against Kurtus Davis.

The Nationwide Series could be better, of course. It could, for instance, race only at tracks that are one mile in length or shorter. This would likely change the perception of the series from "Cup Light" to a series that has it's own unique identity. But the question remains, "would people watch it?"

Accidental Substance Abuse policy violations can't be excused

After it was announced, Saturday, that Jeremy Mayfield--the owner and driver for the #41 Sprint Cup team--would be suspended indefinitely for violating NASCAR's Substance Abuse Policy, , Mayfield issued a statement that implied the violation may have been accidental:

“As both a team owner and a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, I have immense respect for the enforcement policies NASCAR has in place. In my case, I believe that the combination of a prescribed medicine and an over the counter medicine reacted together and resulted in a positive drug test. My Doctor and I are working with both Dr. Black and NASCAR to resolve this matter."(AP newswire via Jayski's)

Although an accidental abuse of a substance can not be excused by NASCAR in dealing with its Substance Abuse policy, it goes to show how careful one must be when working in an environment that requires the person to avoid substances which could affect his or her ability to perform the duties required. A NASCAR driver or crew member under the influence of alcohol or other debilitating substance presents a danger to all other participants on the track. Furthermore, we expect that most experienced drivers, including Jeremy Mayfield, would not knowingly consume a substance that would impair their ability or reflexes on the track. There have been exceptions, such as Shane Hmiel, Taylor Walker, Aaron Fyke, and the late Kevin Grubb, and they are what brought us to the current NASCAR policy. I would not put Mayfield in that category, though we can't be certain that he isn't in the same category until we see what the conditions are for his reinstatement, if that information is released publicly.

Mayfield's error was allegedly in performing actions that many of us take as every day behavior.

If Jeff Gordon were taking medication for his back pain, would we expect him to race? If Matt Kenseth were to take an over the counter medication containing ephedrine, should he be allowed to race? What if Dale Earnhardt, Jr tested positive for marijuana, would NASCAR look the other way? Absolutely not, and if any if those drivers tested positive for any banned substances, they would certainly be suspended as well--no matter what their monetary value to NASCAR--wouldn't they?

Note that Mayfield did not deny use of a banned substance, nor did he criticize NASCAR's policy. He knows that NASCAR must stand by its policy, without prejudice or bias, and has agreed with the action taken against him. We do not know what the substance for which he tested positive is, nor do we know what his prescription contained, or how it may have reacted with an over the counter product, but we do know that there are many over the counter medications and other products that contain substances listed in the following overview of NASCAR's banned substances:

- Seven different amphetamines, including methamphetamine and PMA, a synthetic psychostimulant and hallucinogen.
- Three drugs classified under ephedrine.
- 13 different narcotics, including codeine and morphine.
- Ten different benzodiazepines and barbituates.
- Marijuana, cocaine, zolpidem, nitrites, chromates and drugs that can increase specific gravity. (from the Jayski's page cited above)

Ephedrine is found in many over-the-counter cold and flu medications. Ephedrine is also an ingredient in some sports or energy drinks.

Narcotics can be found in many prescription drugs used to treat pain, pneunoma or severe flu symptoms. It should also be noted, as researched by Snopes.com, that certain bakery goods can also result in positive results for opiates. 

"Opiates (morphine and codeine) can be detected in urine for at least 48 hours after one eats food containing poppy seeds. As little as a single bagel covered with poppy seeds could produce a false positive for these drugs."

Be careful, Tony Stewart.

Nitrites, particularly sodium nitrite, can be found in Slim Jims, processed beef jerky, smoked meat products, and lunchmeats when used as a preservative and food coloring. In other words, Elliott Sadler could get banned from racing because of his love for bologna burgers. It's okay for Jeff Hammond to eat a bunch of Martinsville hot dogs, but we have noted that the drivers wisely avoid them.

As easy as it seems to accidentally commit a violation, the drug policy requires that a driver or crew member should not lead a life that contains elements that most of us take for granted. Jimmie Johnson should get banned for eating a Johnsonville Brat as easily as Mayfield could for taking asthma medication and smoking a cigarette afterward.

A Capitalist Pig's View on Why NASCAR Sponsorship is a Good Thing

It is disturbing that there are some good teams with good drivers in NASCAR that are still unsponsored for the season. Disturbing because it seems to be due to a reluctance to invest money in what is an efficient, and effective, marketing system. The reason for such reluctance is that, in this day and age, investing money in a form of entertainment is looked down upon by the mob mentality that our society has acquired which makes us think that we know best how to run and market a business. Money is now evil, and making money is even worse. Now we have the equivalent of Hitler's Brown Shirters storming AIG shouting "Death to the Rich"

Granted, there should never have been a bailout, but isn't it silly to complain about 18 million dollars when we should be worried about getting back the 180 billion that we shouldn't have had to pay in the first place? Put that in perspective--18 million dollars to 180 billion is the same as one penny to 1000 dollars. If you can't pay the people who are capable of rebuilding the business to a point where it can pay us back, how do you expect to get the money back? Bear with me, I will tie this into NASCAR eventually.

Before you call me a "NASCAR shill" or a "Capitalist pig," you must first understand that, due to a debilitating condition, I am unable to work, and make less than $15,000 a year. Ironically, this has helped me to understand the importance of having a job and making money in the overall view of the economy. It also helps me to understand the importance of those who sign the paychecks, and do the marketing.

So, yes, you may call me a "Capitalist pig." It is true that con artists like Bernie Madoff, and bad players in the banking and financial industries who ran their businesses into the ground for their own personal gain, play a big role in the current economic crisis, but they make up a very small percentage of the people who keep the capital flowing. The person who makes over $500,000 a year is at least as important as the person who makes $9.00 an hour in making and keeping the economy healthy.

There was some backlash over GM's participation in motor sports, particularly in NASCAR, while they were accepting a bailout of taxpayer money. Why should taxpayers' money go to supporting the already wealthy Brian France, when there are over a hundred thousand North American jobs at stake? First of all, the premise that the money, between six and seven million dollars per car, goes to NASCAR is wrong. The money goes to the Chevrolet teams--Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and Richard Childress Racing. Since GM is in the process of restructuring, the high return for a relatively low annual payout is a good idea. Ninety-eight million dollars buys hundreds of hours a year of brand publicity for nine months. It costs more than fifty million dollars for one thirty second commercial during the Super Bowl, and over $100,000 for each fifteen second spot during any prime time program on any given night. The NASCAR route is the most efficient way of getting the brand out to the public. Now that the Federal Government is in charge of General Motors, even they--who have yet to figure out that if they don't build the Camero, they have to pay back the tens of thousands of buyers who pre-ordered it--understand that.

Okay, I got a little off track. What I was trying to illustrate was the advantages per advertising dollar a sponsorship of AJ Allmendinger, for example, would present. Allmendinger gets mentioned several times during a race, and often during the NASCAR news and entertainment programs such as Trackside and NASCAR Now That is about seven hours a week of advertising for thirty-six weeks, reaching at least 50 million potential customers, a great bargain as advertising dollars go. Instead of "AJ Allmendinger, who needs a sponsor to compete for the entire season," the message could be "AJ Allmendinger, driving the Food City car..."

I am purposefully using Food City as an example, because if they can shell out the estimated $47 million it costs to sponsor one race, they can certainly afford $10 million for 26 weeks of sponsorship for a potential NASCAR champion. Especially when the team has the Petty name tacked to it.

It is not corporate greed that requires sponsorship, it is the need to pay the workers on the teams, and the workers who make the parts the teams need. When these workers get paid, they can go to Best Buy, or Target, or Walmart, or even The Gap, and pay money that eventually gets to the employees of those companies. With that money in their pockets, these employees can go to Safeway, Food City, Best Buy, or Walmart, or maybe even be able to buy tickets to go to a race. That's how the economy is supposed to work, and it has nothing to do with corporate greed or government interference.

I'm not pretending to be an economist, but this is just common sense. Surely there is a need to spend three million dollars in advertising for nine fifteen second spots on each of four networks every night, in order to reach a wider market, but to me, common sense says that it is a much more effective use of the money to sponsor a team in NASCAR.

NASCAR was founded as a marketing tool. If Bill France hadn't thought of it, someone else, like Bruton Smith, would have. It is still, today, an effective marketing tool, not only because it puts the best "tin top" drivers in the world in competition with each other, bringing the entire show on a nationwide tour, but it gives every sponsor the advantage of a partnership, of sorts, with every other sponsor. This is the "Business to Business (B2B)" model developed by Bill France, Jr. These businesses offer discounts and other perks to each other by association in NASCAR. They help each other out.

Then there is Action Sports, the collectable souvenir business owned jointly by ISC (NASCAR) and SMI (Bruton Smith). I know there are some who grumble that every retro paint scheme is just another deal to make and sell another diecast car. Even though these car models are made in China, the paint, detailing and packaging is done in the United States. This means more circulation of capital in the economy. But the real reason for special paint schemes is for the sponsor, and that is where the attention goes. That is the idea of the special paint--to draw attention to the sponsor. It doesn't hurt to have the sponsor's name on the diecast, though. .

Again, this is not corporate greed, it is running a business the smart way. Running business the smart way avoids loss of jobs, bankruptcy, and government interference. This is why it is so hard for me to understand, even in tough economic times, why more businesses do not take advantage of the benefits of sponsorship.

Tony Stewart is a smart man. Rather than trying to get one or two sponsors to cover the two cars in his team for the entire season, he offered joint sponsorship, which is less costly to the sponsor, while being more beneficial to the team. Perhaps this is what could work out for the teams that are hurting, such as Yates and Petty. Granted, they have probably already tried that, but just haven't had the offer accepted for a satisfactory arrangement.

I know I sound like a NASCAR shill, and I expect to be called that by some, but the point of this post is not so much to sell NASCAR as it is to note how strange it is that the smartest way to get the brand name out to the public is being ignored. I would, if I were in such a position, be trying to sell drivers such as Johnny Benson, the current reigning champion in the Truck Series, Todd Bodine, a former Trucks champion, and Allmendinger, the fastest rising star in the Sprint Cup Series, to the potential sponsors. There is no reason why these drivers shouldn't already have sponsorship for the entire season. Perhaps it is the way the teams are going about trying to get sponsors, or maybe potential sponsors just don't appreciate the value of a sponsorship, but either way somebody needs to think of something.

Postscript: There are exceptions to every rule, however, and GM wasn't running business the smart way. They were building cars they couldn't sell, and spending money they didn't have to spend. They offered outrageous legacy plans to their employees that couldn't be covered by any amount of money they could make. . The worst, and the least smartest thing they did was ask the government for money, rather than going the more traditional route of bankruptcy and restructuring. But that is a different subject for a different blog.

'09 should be a wild ride

Rev' Jim's RantsnRaves always tends to be late for the party at the beginning of each season, and we have yet to change that habit. However, rather than missing the pre-season picks party altogether this year, we decided that we will be fashionably late.

2009 will bring many surprises to those who expect the expected. With all the team mergers and partnerships, and with some of the driver changes, more drivers and teams are actually in a position to win races than before. And, because of the heightened level of competition, some drivers and teams who are expected to have a successful season, may not even make the Chase for the Championship.

This year, we may see as many as 23 different race winners over the entire season, so consistency will be more important than ever in making the Chase. Though the ban on testing at NASCAR sanctioned tracks will not improve the racing at the 1.5 mile venues, there will be no one team that dominates at the type of track that makes up the majority of venues on the schedule. This will hurt some teams that have been powerful on the intermediate class tracks, and will help others.

Scott Speed should take Rookie of The Year honors, hands down this year. He not only has a year and a half of ARCA experience, but made a respectable showing in the Truck Series last year with one win, four top fives and nine top tens in sixteen starts. He should be a quick study in the Sprint Cup Series, with more previous racing experience than some two or three year drivers in that series. We may even expect him to win a race or two during the regular season, and may even make the Chase for the Championship. He should also replace Kyle Busch as "The Most Hated Driver" in NASCAR.

Joey "Sliced Bread" Logano, on the other hand, will falter. He may get some top tens, and some top fives, but the Joe Gibbs Racing wonder boy has been moved up way too quickly, with little experience in NASCAR. That will lead to some anxiety, and some frustration. Logano may earn some respect from other drivers, but he will end the season knowing that he will still have a lot of work to do.

Other Surprises

Bobby Labonte, in the #96 Hall of Fame Racing entry under the Yates Racing banner, will be the comeback story of the year. Driving in substandard equipment for the past few years does not mean he is not a top-notch driver. The 2000 Winston Cup Champion will be the same kind of "Kick in the Behind" for Yates Racing that Jeff Burton was for Childress in 2006. He will get a win or two, and with Roush-Yates Ford power, he will be able to show the same consistency that awarded him his first Championship. Expect Labonte to make the Chase.

An early season surprise will be Tony Stewart. Many writers, including the one writing this post, expressed strong doubts of the wisdom of Stewart leaving Gibbs at this point in his career. We doubted that he could be successful, at least in the near future, as an owner-driver. Smoke took that as a challenge, and, as is usually the case when Stewart accepts a challenge, seems to be up to it. Assailing Daytona Speed Weeks with a brand new car and a brand new team, Smoke showed us all that his Stewart Haas Racing team is ready to run for the lead right out of the box. This should also mean a good season for his team mate, Ryan Newman. We gladly eat our earlier words of doom and gloom for NASCAR's newest owner-driver.

David Stremme is back. He was showing some remarkable improvement during the last full Sprint Cup season he ran in 2007. In spite of his reputation for crashing, he was involved in only four wrecks that year, and could not be faulted for three of those. He will be Penske Racing's Ace in the Hole this year, coming back to show that he is, indeed Championship material.

Who won't make the Chase?

Thirty-one drivers won't make the Chase for the Championship, but under this banner, here are a few who may be expected to make the cut-off, but probably won't.

If reigning three-time champion Jimmie Johnson's team follows the same path that has been successful, the #48 team will not even make the Chase. "Peaking at the right time" may be peaking too late for "Knaus and Kompany" and they will fail to make the Chase by just a few points.

As much as we love Matt Kenseth, it will be a stretch to expect him to make the Chase this year. In the era of heightened competition, he will have to be more aggressive than we are used to seeing him to make the cut to the final twelve. Though he did show some uncharacteristic aggression last year, he would have to sustain that level, something he may not have the heart to do.

Denny Hamlin's lack of self confidence will plague him this season, and he won't even be an also-ran when it comes down to race 26. It isn't that he isn't a great driver, because he is. Rather his penchant for folding under pressure will bite him this season.

Others we may expect to see in the Chase

Mark Martin, now driving the #5 car for Hendrick Motorsports, should be able to take advantage of this opportunity by winning at least one race, and perhaps even making the Chase. He has always been a skilled driver, and is one of the most dangerous to pass, in spite of his reputation for being a "clean" driver. He will win some races at intermediate tracks, most likely Charlotte (Lowe's) and Texas, and may even get a win at Richmond or Darlington. He will be one of the top contenders for the Championship this year.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr will make the Chase this year, by sheer will and determination on his own part, not on the part of his fans. He is a racer, and he will use his equipment to the maximum of its endurance. Hopefully, the Hendrick shop has figured out how to build a car that will stand up to his abuse, and he will have his best season yet.

Kyle Busch will once again be the top winner during the regular season. When he is on, he is unbeatable, and his ability to drive a car that doesn't feel or look right, will remain his signature, even as he matures. He will again be the points leader entering the Chase, but will once again fade towards the end of the season.

Carl Edwards will continue to show off his exceptional talent, as well as his driving skills. He will enter the Chase right behind Kyle Busch in the points standings.

It has to be Kevin Harvick's turn. Things are going well for him--with some very strong showings in '08, and a hard fought Bud Shootout victory--and he seems to be poised to be a multiple race winner this year. His team is known for its consistency, and, as noted earlier, consistency will be very important in 2009.

In spite of appearances, those of us who follow the drama of The House That Jack Built, know that Jamie McMurray is not the proverbial "red-headed step child." of the Roush-Fenway organization. That honor falls to Greg Biffle. If Da Biff can overcome the handicap of driving Roush's second rate equipment--something he did with authority toward the end of the '08 season--he will be in the Chase. This could very well be his final year with Roush, but there will be no problem for him in getting a ride for 2010, especially if he finishes the season in the top ten.

And your 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion

That would be no other than Jeff Gordon. He will not only make up for his unproductive season last year, but will be out to kick the proverbial donkey this year. We know he is not letting '08 get him down, and will use that as a learning experience. Remember, the greatest drivers never stop learning, and we will not see Gordon stagnate. During last Saturday's Bud Shootout, he seemed to have the COT--that has caused him problems up to now--under control. He not only expertly threaded his way through a mess of spinning and wrecking cars untouched--a feat that required pure instinct--but controlled what other drivers on the track did. He put at least three drivers into the wall, for example, and it was the other drivers' fault that they ended up there.

This is the Jeff Gordon of the old days, the one we haven't seen since 2001. If he can continue to drive like he did Saturday, for the entire season, he will be a Jeff Gordon to fear. The drive for five is definitely still alive.

In recap, our picks for the Chase drivers at the end of the season are, in no particular order:

Tony Stewart
Ryan Newman
Scott Speed
Kevin Harvick
Mark Martin
Dale Earnhardt, Jr
Bobby Labonte
Greg Biffle
Carl Edwards
Kyle Busch
David Stremme
Jeff Gordon*

*Projected Champion.

Santa didn't forget

We almost let Christmas slip by without offering a wish list for some of our favorite drivers, teams, and NASCAR personalities. I'm not going to let that happen.

Silly season never really ended. Bobby Labonte was released from Petty Enterprises even after avowing his loyalty to that team. So of course, for Bobby Labonte: A full time Interstate Battery sponsorship and a full time ride for 2009.

For Tony Stewart: A four-leaf clover, or a lucky horseshoe, or both, wishing him the best of luck with his new team.

For Stewart/Haas Racing: A full time sponsorship from Interstate Batteries and Bobby Labonte for a third team.

For Scott Riggs: A ride where he will be appreciated. Perhaps the Team Formerly Known As Bill Davis Racing has an opening?

For Bill Davis: A happy retirement after going out on top.

For all Crew Chiefs: A free pass for "pushing the envelope." We won't see much of that anyway in '09, due to lack of open testing, but if it happens, give them a break.

For Mark Martin: A Championship. Why not? He certainly deserves one.

For Kyle Busch: Some love from the fans.

For Greg Biffle: Some love from his team.

For Brian France: A key so he can escape his ivory tower, for a temporary taste of reality.

For All NASCAR Fans: A Merry Christmas, and a great 2009!

"Parity" doesn't have to restrict competition

From its very beginnings, NASCAR has attempted to impose parity among the teams participating in the races they sanction. From the very beginning, car owners and drivers have been trying to find a way to get an edge on the competition by going around the rules and finding "gray areas."

NASCAR began as a "strictly stock" series, where the only modifications allowed to the cars was to tape the headlights and bolt the doors shut. The "strictly stock" rules only lasted all of 1949 and 1950, because, after constantly having to disqualify cars because of modifications, NASCAR conceded to the owners that modifications were part of the competition.

Since then there have always been parameters within which the teams can modify their cars, but there has also been some leeway in which the teams can try to find a competitive edge. As the NASCAR version of the stock car evolved, so did the methods in which the teams and even the manufacturers "tweaked" their cars to make them run better than the competition. Notorious "tweakings" were Chrysler's Hemi engine, which was disallowed by NASCAR in the mid sixties, and Chrysler's flying wing, which was also disallowed by NASCAR in 1971, and resulted in Chrysler's withdrawal from NASCAR competition as a manufacturer.

In 2007, NASCAR began introducing what was then known as the "Car of Tomorrow" or CoT to the series. The idea behind the car was twofold--safety and parity. Now known as the "Car of Today (CoT)," the "Car of Right Now (CoRN)," or simply "the Cup car," absolutely no aerodynamic modifications to the body or the rear wing are allowed. In addition, NASCAR dictates what rear end gearing can be used, and how far the rear end tracking can be offset. This was supposed to even things up between the well financed and the not-so-well financed teams. It was also meant as a way to cut costs for the teams and sponsors.

While there have been some good races this year, most notably at Lowe's, Phoenix, Talladega, and Martinsville, the Cup car has shown that it still needs a lot of work. Often, "parity" becomes "mediocrity," as the cars are able to catch up to other cars, but unable to complete a pass while racing wheel to wheel. In order to leave the fans completely satisfied at a race, NASCAR needs to allow more competition by allowing the teams to do a little more with the aerodynamics, and allow some experimentation with the other aspects of the car. Until the introduction of the Cup car, the crew chiefs could custom fit the car's handling characteristics to the driver's wants and needs, but now, with specifications nearly as limited as they were in the "strictly stock" days, that has become much harder to do.

If NASCAR wants to find the competitive edge among the teams that would keep the fans happy, while maintaining some semblance of parity, they might want to consider administrively limiting the amount of money a team may spend on a car during the racing season. This would be similar to the salary caps imposed in other professional sports.

It has been estimated that it costs about $7 million to run one race car in the Sprint Cup Series for an entire season. That includes the construction of the car and its engines, testing costs, transportation, salaries, tires, repairs, and entry fees. "Testing" doesn't include wind tunnels and seven post shaker rigs, those are extra. If NASCAR were to limit all teams to $7,000,000 per car, if that were possible, that would be a type of parity. But there would still be engineers and crew chiefs on each team who would want to change something on the car, and they would. In that case there would still be competition within the limits of parity. The downside would be that, just as in the "parity" we see now, innovation would be strictly limited.

Of course, NASCAR is correct in not trying to impose spending. It probably would take too much administration, and would also be an overstepping of authority by the sanctioning body. The idea of the teams having their financial records under review by NASCAR would not sit well. The best sponsors want to see the teams they sponsor have a competitive edge, and will provide as much financial support as is needed. As private corporations, the teams and their sponsors would be free to go to another series and race at venues not sanctioned by NASCAR, if they didn't like the rules that NASCAR imposed. It would likely result in NASCAR losing its top notch participants, and tranfering their power and prestige to, for instance, a new sanctioning body organized by Bruton Smith.*

*In 2004, Bruton Smith was rumored to be involved with Cale Yarborough in forming a new series featuring more traditional style stock car racing than NASCAR offers, but the idea never got off the ground due to lack of interest by sponsors and team owners.

Something that would make the cars race better would be to have tires that were made for the Cup car. NASCAR is still using tires designed by Goodyear for the conventional racing stock car. Since the Cup car has far less downforce than the conventional car, the tires either provide not enough grip to make the car controllable at high speeds, as we saw earlier this year at Atlanta and Texas, or have a compound so soft it does not hold up to the rigors of the track itself, as we saw at Indianapolis and Las Vegas. The Cup car requires a wider tire that would provide more grip while using a rubber compound that would stand up to the track conditions.

Goodyear, who has an exclusive contract with NASCAR through 2012, is working on a tire that would fit the needs of the Cup car, but that tire is not expected to be available for two more years.
This leaves the responsibility for better racing now in the hands of NASCAR.

Putting louvered vents on the left side of the car that would allow air to pass through the oil tank container would give the car a little more downforce, without affecting the aerodynamic characteristics of the car itself. That would be a quick fix that would not require an overall redesign of the body, and would not be too expensive for the teams to implement. Several teams, including the #99 team of Roush-Fenway Racing, tried to get away with leaving the lid of the oil tank container loose to allow air to pass through, so it must be a good idea.

The most practical thing for NASCAR to do right now is to allow a little more adjustment. Raising the front splitter would provide a little more downforce on the front end of the car. NASCAR could allow more adjustment on the rear wing as well, giving the teams a little more leeway. The #66 and #70 teams got caught a few weeks ago trying to raise the rear wing by 1/32 inches, so, again, it must be a good idea.

At Lowe's, for the Coca Cola 600 this year, we saw some great racing. This could be attributed to the fact that NASCAR allowed the teams extensive testing at that track, and also allowed the teams to offset the rear tracking of the car by so much it seemed as thought the cars were crabwalking around the track. This required a tougher differential and rear axle, so, NASCAR, in trying to limit the cost to the teams, limited the rear end offset to 1/2 inch. If NASCAR could ease up on that restriction, and allow the teams up to 1/4 inch offset more, we may get to see, once again, the kind of racing we saw at Lowe's.

It was wrong, in our opinion, for NASCAR to design this car and then leave it up to the teams to figure out how to make it race well, without allowing more tolerance within which the teams could work than they have.

Granted, for the second time around at the tracks, the racing is expected to be better than the first time, because the teams have had some experience at those tracks. But it has become obvious that more testing is needed at each track before the teams race at each track, and NASCAR has promised that more testing will be allowed next year. They have said, however, that there will be no more testing scheduled for this year. The problem is now, and we fear that the final race of the season at Homestead may be a disaster of the kind we saw at Indianapolis.

NASCAR needs to listen to the feedback given them by the teams, and relax the rules just a little bit this year, rather than waiting until next year. Parity shouldn't mean supressing innovation. It seems that a little bit would go a long way toward better racing.

On the verge of history

The NAPA 200 Nationwide Series race at Circuit d' Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, ran eight laps before it started raining. They ran under caution for several lap while the pit crew readied the rain equipment.

For the first time, NASCAR is using rain tires in competition. The teams also added windshield wipers. ESPN touts this as "history in the making."

We can't be sure that it's going to be good history. Even when lighter cars, such as the ones used in Grand Am or Formula 1 racing, run in the rain, the racing isn't much more than it is while running under caution. These cars will be even harder to slow going into the corners, as they are much heavier than what we are used to seeing in the rain. Even with rain tires, we will see a lot of cars sliding off the track.

You can tell this is NASCAR's first time racing in the rain. What was supposed to be a three minute stop took much longer. You can tell that they aren't very enthusiastic about running in the rain, and that is understandable, as very few drivers have any experience in the rain at all. Also, NASCAR will make the call as to when to change back to slicks, if the situation comes up, rather than letting the teams make the decision.

They are running more laps under caution. This also makes sense, as the tires, though new, have been in storage for seven years. The rubber needs to be heated some, so it can loose some of the stiffness of age. But it is still clear that NASCAR is not ready for a race in the rain.

At this point, I am curious as to whether they are just going to drive around under caution until the track is dry.

Scott Pruitt, Brad Coleman, Jaque Villeneuve, Max Papis, Patrick Carpentier, Boris Said, and Ron Fellows, as well as whatever road course ringers we may have missed, all have experience racing in the rain, and most of these drivers are near the front anyway. We may see some action from them, but from the NASCAR regulars, with the exception of Marcus Ambrose, perhaps, we will see a learning experience as they try to hold their positions, find the rain line, and try not to spin out.

Hopefully, we will soon see how this experiment works out. Keep in mind--making history isn't always a good thing.

Changes in the new car may happen, but when?

A few weeks ago, NASCAR officials held a meeting with the drivers and "asked" that they refrain from dissing the new Sprint Cup car in front of the press. It was widely known as the "shut up and drive" meeting. As we saw from Sunday's race, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, "shut up and drive" didn't seem to help the car at all, and may have hurt NASCAR's image some.

Now it isn't the drivers that are complaining about the car, having dutifully conformed to the sanctioning body's wishes, but it is the fans and the sports journalists who see the car as a disaster.

The 2008 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard woke somebody up, it seems. According to reports on ESPN's NASCAR Now, both Mike Helton and Competition Director Robin Pemberton seemed to indicate Tuesday that they would consider a wider tire for the Sprint Cup Car. The wider tire would require a change in the body style of the new car, something NASCAR has previously said wouldn't happen.

Wider wheels on the car would help, as it would give the tires a bigger footprint on the track, which would mean more traction with a harder compound, and it would reduce the "billowing" effect on the sidewalls.

A New York Times article seems to confirm that NASCAR officials are considering changes:

“The fans didn’t get what they exactly wanted, and we’ll do everything in our power and it won’t happen again, I can tell you that much,” Pemberton said in a conference call. “So we’re going to put a lot of effort towards it and get a better plan moving forward.” (read entire article)

On this blog, we have suggested before that NASCAR should allow the teams a little more leeway in adjustments, and in finding ways to make the car work better with the tires they are given. More testing is needed, and Pemberton has indicated that there would be more testing in the future. However, NASCAR has also said that they will not add any additional open testing to the schedule this year.

So, it seems, things will get better, and nothing like what happened at IMS Sunday will happen again. We will just have to wait until the off season to get a view of what changes will be made for next year.

Nothing boring about this weekend at Indy

Until 2006, this was always an exciting weekend for me because it meant it was time for the NASCAR Busch (Nationwide) Series race at PPIR. That excitement stays with me to this day, as a matter of habit, for there is no more race at PPIR*.

There is, however, still reason to get excited, because it is now Indianapolis weekend. With the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, and the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series races at O'Reilly Raceway Park, there is plenty of exciting racing in store.

O'RP is a 0.687 mile oval that is home to some of the most exciting short track racing we have seen in the Nationwide and Truck series. It seems to breed a lot of cautions, because the drivers feel like they have to go for broke here, maybe because it's near Indianapolis, or because it is just that kind of track. That kind of track is the classic Saturday night circle burner, where it's every man, or woman, for him or herself. With a tight championsip points competition between the CTS drivers, we can expect Friday night's race to feature plenty of action and drama.

Last year's Busch (Nationwide) Series race was an absolute wreckfest, to the point of frustration for both the fans and the drivers. If we want to see a demolition derby, as that "race" was, we would go to a demolition derby. But many of the drivers in the race last year had little experience at O'RP. Most of those drivers are back this year, and, hopefully, they remember from last year what not to do. If you want parity, there will be parity here, because on a short track like this, horsepower doesn't matter.

Every driver has had a period in their career racing at tracks similar to O'RP, but there are some who are masters at such racing. Joey Logano comes to mind, as do Denny Hamilton, Jason Keller, and Clint Bowyer. Kyle Busch will also be on hand, which will likely mean plenty of action and drama for Saturday's Nationwide Series race as well. July isn't over yet, and there should be plenty of fireworks on the track.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is arguably the most well-known American racing venue in the world. The 2.5 mile rectangular speedway provides a special challenge for the Sprint Cup cars. Only for teams tested at IMS earlier this year, other than that the new car has not seen the track.

Even in the older car, the track was a challenge for stock cars. Nearly twice as heavy as the open wheel cars, and not nearly as responsive in handling, NASCAR's machines do not seem fit for the for separate ninety degree turns on the track. To this day, drivers and crew chiefs alike wonder how it is even possible for the heavy cars to make the turns. And that is the challenge of the track. If a driver and car negotiate the corners as near perfectly as possible, they can hit the long straightaways at speed. A missed set up, a bad pit stop, or taking the wrong line through a turn can spell the end of the day for a team, or, at least, a very long day.

That is why there is so much preparation for this one race. Most of the teams build a special car for the Brickyard. This has never been a race known for a lot of passing and position changes--old car or new car, it is very difficult for the stock cars to pass one another. This is a race about pit stops and adjustments, as well as perfection of the driver in hitting his marks. That by no means indicates a boring race. The competition is stepped up for the Brickyard, because of the sheer prestige of winning at IMS. The broadcast crew at Speed TV brought up an interesting statistic indicating what it takes in talent to win a race at IMS--every winner, with the exception of Kevin Harvick in 2003 and Ricky Rudd in 1997, has been a NASCAR Cup series champion. That says a lot.

Tony Stewart is by no means a "lame duck." In spite of what we have written here previously--for which we apologize, because that was a purely emotional reaction--the #20 team has had a winning attitude all season long. The races at Daytona, Las Vegas, Bristol, Lowe's, Loudon, and Talledega were all wins for Tony Stewart had it not been for misfortune. We also apologize for forgetting about Jimmie Johnson's 2006 Brickyard win, but if Smoke can pull off a victory it will be three out of the last four, not three in a row as previously written here. This blogger has never claimed to be perfect, but mistakes make us seem human. We only regret that we are so darn human.

The competition at an especially high level here this year, because some of the drivers who have performed the best at IMS have yet to win a race in 2008. Jeff Gordon's team has been improving all year, and he is every bit as poised to win at the Brickyard as are Stewart and Ryan Newman. Newman, who did win the first points race of the season at the Daytona, is an Indiana native who has yet to win at the famed speedway.

However, and please don't shoot the messenger, since this is the first race at IMS for the Sprint Cup car, don't rule out a win by Kyle Busch. He seems to be the one driver who can consistantly take the car to its first win at any venue. It would not be surprising if he were to win Sunday. We hope the fans can remember that it is very wrong to throw beer at the Hallowed Grounds of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

*As I was getting ready to post this, I received news that PPIR will be reopening, and will be running a National Automobile Sports Association (NASA) event on Labor Day weekend. ISC decided to relax the requirement that the buyer not use the facility to host automobile racing, and reworded that stipulation to mean no NASCAR events. However that doesn't mean we won't see ARCA/Remax back here in the future. Why ISC is so certain that they will be able to build a track near Denver, and why I think they are wrong is subject for a whole new post, but for right now, I am doing a happy dance at the news that PPIR will have racing again.

NASCAR Technical Director was responsible for safety initiatives

Thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Steve Peterson, who passed away at his home in Concord, North Carolina, Tuesday at the age of 58.

Peterson was NASCAR's technical director, who oversaw the implimentation of SAFER Barriers, the CoT, and the HANS device.

From Sports Illustrated.com:

Peterson joined NASCAR in 1995 and spearheaded several safety initiatives, including installation of the SAFER Barriers and the implementation of safety features in the Car of Tomorrow. He also helped the circuit get approval for head and neck restraints and improved seat belts.

Peterson won the 2006 Society of Automotive Engineers Motorsports Achievement Award. He previously served as crew chief for Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin in 1982.

Needless to say, Peterson's mark has been made in history.

Live on Type Delay: Chicagoland

"Gentlemen start your engines!" as shouted by Brenden Frasier, was the most enthusiastic we have heard since Kevin James did it last year. The race starts just as enthusiastically, and JJ Yeley is black flagged for dumping weight!?! Wow, we haven't seen that since the seventies. Did he have sand in the roll bar, like they used to do in the old days? Maybe it's only me, but the mere fact that someone actually tried that in this day and age is exciting.

Before the third lap, Michael McDowell and Jason Leffler illustrate the hazards of running near the back and McDowell gets the worst of it. The laps are passing quickly, and Kyle Busch is way out in front by lap 24 and is nearly three seconds ahead of Carl Edwards. Jimmie Johnson is third, and the front three cars are way spread out in single file. As can be expected at a night race, all the teams have started the race with a loose set-up, and this will be worked on during the competition caution on lap 35. Kyle Busch loves loose, and Tony Stewart doesn't seem to have a problem with it either, as he has gained six spots since the start of the race.

Planned competition caution after lap 35, and everybody pits, as expected. Jeff Burton comes out first, and Kyle is second. But Burton is penalized for exiting too fast. You don't want to make that kind of mistake here. Stewart takes some adjustments and looses two spots. Dale Earnhardt, Jr, who was in fifth, gains one spot. Carl Edwards is in second, Earnhardt Jr restarts third, because of the Burton penalty. Jimmy Johnson is fourth.

The front two, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards quickly move away from the field, and they are racing hard for the lead. And clean. After about a lap locked in battle, Edwards takes the lead. There has been a lot of racing going on behind the leaders, and as things clear up, Johnson is in third, Matt Kenseth is fourth, and Tony Stewart is fifth. Dale Jr and Denny Hamlin seem to be having trouble, and Hamlin's car looks like the trouble is serious. He has no electrical power at all. A Gibbs Toyota with electrical problems is not unprecedented. Caution, to get the eleven car off the track. I do not think Denny stopped on purpose this time.

I missed the restart, but it looks like Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle stayed out, and are racing each other for the lead. Brian Vickers is up there as well, and when I get back to the keyboard, there is a good race between Gordon and Vickers for second. It is some exciting racing that goes on for two or three laps, and Vickers takes the spot. But these guys are still racing. Vickers makes the bottom work, then the top works for him. Further back Stewart in fifth is challenging Kyle Busch in fourth, and Carl Edwards is in that mix. There is some great racing going on in the top five or six spots. We are actually getting some good excitement early in the race.

Johnson, Harvick, and Truex, Jr are also racing hard further back. Jr's problems continue, though, and he is back in 29th spot because of a slow pit stop, taking four tires and adjustments, while everyone else took fuel and two during that last caution. This race is actually pretty good so far, and we have a long way to go.

Biffle seems to have a car that can stay out front, and he has pulled away from the rest of the field while they have been racing each other. Kyle has lost more ground to Johnson, Truex, and Kenseth, and this tells us how much clean air means to these cars. By the time the commercials on both the TV and radio are over, Vickers is in second and gaining on Biffle. Stewart is running in third. Edwards is in fourth, and Jeff Gordon has fallen back to fifth. The last pit strategy has worked so far for Biffle, who stayed out, but not so well for Gordon.

Vickers is still gaining on the leader, and, by lap 86, Truex has entered the top five. It still seems the race is going by fast.

When the commercials are over, Vickers is only .4 seconds behind Biffle, who is negotiating lapped traffic. Stewart is over seven seconds behind Biffle. Truex passes Edwards for fourth, using the top of the track. Biffle reports that he is too loose, but remember, he did not pit when most of the other cars did. TNT is playing catch up on commercials, since this is their last week of coverage, interrupting the race coverage every three minutes, or so it seems.

Biffle makes a green flag pit stop, as expected. Vickers pits as well and Stewart takes the lead on lap 94. Jeff Gordon makes a very good pit stop. Stewart and Truex haven't pitted yet, and are running first and second. Lap 99, and Smoke still hasn't pitted. He likes that lead. Johnson and some of the others in the lead pack begin pitting around lap 102 or 103. Stewart finally pits on lap 105 or thereabouts, as does Kevin Harvick. It seems that everybody is out of pit stop sequence with everybody else. This is interesting.

Biffle is back in the lead after the pit stops cycle through, by lap 108, and Gordon is second. Stewart comes out of the green flag pit stops in fourth, and if there weren't commercials, I could tell you the rest of the top five line-up.

Michael Waltrip spins and brings out the third caution of the race around lap 112, while MRN is interviewing Brendan Frasier, and TNT is showing commercials. This is Frasier's first experience at a NASCAR race, and he is very impressed and very excited. "This is my first race," he says, "but it is definitely not my last."

Everybody takes to the pits again, and Tony Stewart is the first off this time. Biffle and Gordon take four tires, everyone else seems to take two. Truex has to come back into the pits for too fast exiting the pit lane.

Yeley's penalty at the beginning of the race was for changing the driver's water bag, it is now revealed.

Matt Kenseth, Kyle and Kurt Busch, AJ Allmendinger, David Ragan, and Reid Sorenson stayed out, and after the green flag waves, Kenseth and Kyle are racing hard for the lead, as Tony Stewart closes in. We have a three way race for the lead now. Stewart watches them race for a while, then sees an opening and takes second place. As he stalks Kyle Busch for the lead, they face Jeff Burton who is at the end of the lead lap. Kyle uses the 31 car for a pick and keeps Stewart behind him, but it looks like Stewart may have the faster car.

Kenseth has to pit because of a tire going down. And Kyle Busch is now putting some distance between his car and Stewart's. Simultaneous commercials again! But we can't complain, because, surprise, surprise, surprise, this is the latest I ever remember my local MRN radio station staying on the air after seven PM.

At the halfway point of the race, Busch leads, Stewart second, David Ragan third, AJ Allmendinger with his new crew chief Jimmy Elledge is fourth, and Brian Vickers is fifth. A great run for the Red Bull.

One of the things Kyle Busch's crew chief has attributed to the success of the #18 team is the fact that his driver is never happy with the car, even when the car is in the lead. "He is always pushing us to do better, no matter what," Addington said, "so we just keep getting better."

I never should have mentioned MRN, as the station that carries it here is now off the air. Meanwhile, we are watching Larry Mac sawing a guy in half. I feel like I have been blinded.

I still like the Montoya Juicy Fruit commercials. They really emphasize racing, and that is a good thing.

I am really wondering what is going on in the race. It seems like it has been about ten minutes since the last time we had race coverage. I don't know if it has actually been that long, but it just seems that long. Now we are watching action from 2006.

Okay, caution for debris. Kyle Busch will restart in the lead. Tony Stewart is second, Kevin Harvick is third. Don't wreck Tony, Kevin, he is your friend. Stewart gets hung up in lapped traffic, and Busch takes off. They may have over-adjusted the 20 car, because it looks very loose.

Edwards is fourth and Vickers is fifth. The sunset is very orange, so we can take that as a sign that Stewart will win. I really hope I haven't jinxed my favorite driver. Yes, there is a bunch of BS here now, because TNT still refuses to give us a clue as to what is happening on the race track. I still think the Coors Light commercials are pretty awesome, but that won't make me drink Coors.

The only thing that has changed is that David Ragan is in fifth and Vickers is in sixth.

Does anyone else wonder what Jeff Burton would look like with a Mullet? "Business in the front, party in the back" sounds like a good assessment of JB, doesn't it?

Don't know what happened during the commercials, but Tony Stewart has caught Kyle Busch. Busch has mentioned that he felt like his right rear tire had low air pressure, and he is fighting tight. Stewart is about to engage in a race for the lead, when the caution comes out for a spring rubber on the track. The leaders all pit.

They come off pit road with Busch in first, Stewart in second, and Carl Edwards in third. Harvick and Ragan fill out the top five.

Does anybody else get the impression that TNT is actually trying to leave the fans with the affirmation that TNT really does suck at race coverage? I do like their camera coverage, usually, and they did a good job at explaining why Kyle Busch won last week at Daytona, so there was no mistake that he was in the lead when the caution came out. But other than that, this race coverage really does suck. No wonder people think the races are boring.

Stewart, starting in second, gets a good restart this time, but not quite good enough, and Kyle Busch again takes off.

Wally Dallenbach is thought of as being from Colorado, so I don't say anything bad about him. We watched for years as he and his father tackled the Pike's Peak Hill Climb. They are part of what is left of the racing identity of Colorado Springs. Sad, isn't it?

Carl Edwards takes second from Stewart, but Stewart is better on the long runs, so he will probably gain that spot back, later.

I'm tired of Loren Wallace, and the Toyota fan controllers. I think there might be an over-abundance of commercials tonight. This is very frustrating.

Something is wrong with Stewart's car, it seems. Harvick has taken third. Stewart has said he is too loose, but he feels it will come back to him. I think the car is just the way he wants it, and we will see that toward the end of the race. Carl Edwards takes the lead, but both Edwards and Busch are increasing their lead over the rest of the field.

Kyle Busch retakes the lead with 55 laps to go, as Carl Edwards has to pit due to handling problems. It seems that the front splitter has broken, and the car is very tight as a result. Jimmie Johnson takes second from Kevin Harvick, as Tony Stewart continues to have no problem and has now fallen back to fourth.

Caution for debris. Ryan Newman does two tires and fuel, and comes off the pits second, after Kyle Busch, but that strategy gains him twelve positions. I wonder if it is supposed to rain?

Restart with 37 laps to go. Everybody has enough fuel to make it to the end. Johnson is in third. He may be a contender. If he doesn't wreck while trying to get through lapped traffic. Busch is pulling away. Stewart and Biffle almost wreck, as Stewart gets loose and moves up the track. Stewart loses momentum Johnson has taken second from Newman, and Harvick has taken third. Paul Menard, whose daddy bought and sponsored a car for him so he could wreck the big boys, removes the rear panel from the #70 car in front of him and brings out another caution.

Restart with 27 laps left. Johnson gets a good restart and stays close behind Busch. This could turn into a good race here. I like this, the 48 is using the track to beat Kyle Busch, but is still studying a way to get the lead. He makes a move, but falls back. This is good racing, and smart at that. Personally, I like Kyle Busch better than I like Jimmy Johnson, but that doesn't mean I don't want to see Johnson try to beat him. Bobby Labonte spins and brings out yet another caution.

This race doesn't have the intensity that the Coca Cola 600 had, but it does hold our interest a little better than the Michigan race did. But TNT really is playing catch up with the ads and is showing six weeks worth of commercials during this broadcast. That is a shame. We should be enjoying this race more than we have been.

Still good racing up front, and Jimmy Johnson is racing hard for the lead. He catches Kyle this time and takes the lead. Yeah, I guess that means another commercial. David Gilliland's blown engine brings out a caution. Two laps to go at the restart. It will be a shootout between Johnson and Kyle Busch. This is the stuff. Whoo hoo is right. Kyle Busch goes deep in turn three and takes the lead. A very intense final lap, where Jimmie Johnson almost wrecks three times trying to beat Busch, but Busch takes the lead. Kyle Busch gets stuck in the mud trying to celebrate and the crowd goes wild.

This is Kyle's seventh Sprint Cup win this season, and, I believe, his fourteenth NASCAR win for 2008. Those last two laps were wonderfully wild. Johnson is known for driving hard into the turns, and Kyle had to go even harder. It was good hard racing, and the adrenaline level was high for the finish. Good job, guys.

Horsepower in the Windy City

The pre-race programming for the Nationwide Series races has the recurring theme of Nationwide teams complaining about the alleged Toyota horsepower advantage. Previous dynamometer tests on the engines have shown that the Gibbs Nationwide engines produce about twenty-two more horsepower than does the team's engine with the lowest horsepower. Rusty Wallace whose team runs Chevy engines, wants NASCAR to restrict the Gibbs team so they can't build powerful engines, while the rest of the Chevy and Ford teams want their manufacturers to step up their engine development programs in the series. The Dodge teams, notably Evernham and Ganassi, have remained strangely quite about the issue, perhaps not wanting to publicize the fact that they have as much horsepower as Toyota, something alluded to by one of the Dodge drivers early in the season (I attributed the blurted out information to Ryan Newman, but it may have been Elliot Sadler who said that).

Chevy plans to introduce the RO-7 engine that they use in the Cup Series to the Nationwide Series in 2009, while Ford and Dodge currently have no new engine program to compete with the Toyota.

NASCAR has said they will look into the difference in horsepower and see if they have to take any action to even things up (Rusty wants to even things down, but "up" is what the rest of the teams are looking for). That could include larger openings in the spacer plates NASCAR uses in the Nationwide and Truck Series for the Chevy and Ford engines.

Anyway, after the race at Chicagoland Friday night, NASCAR confiscated engines from nine different teams to ship to their R&D lab in Charlotte for dynamometer testing. They will see if there is a need to do anything to help the teams with the lower horsepower engines become more competitive with the teams that get more output from their engines.

As far as the race itself went, it was a clean race with only three cautions for the entire 300 miles. There wasn't much racing to talk about, and Kyle Busch won in the JGR #18 car, making it his fifth win in the Nationwide Series this season. The margin of victory was by a little more than three seconds over second place Denny Hamlin, who was driving the #32 Toyota for Todd Braun Racing. During the last part of the race, Hamlin had the fastest car on the track but all he could do in twenty laps was to turn a nine second deficit into a three second deficit. Brad Keselowski, who was ill, did not wimp out and brought his car to a third place finish, the highest finish among the Nationwide regulars.

The #20 team experienced its first missed set-up of the season, fighting a tight condition all evening long. Tony Stewart was able to "trick the car" into making the turns by driving harder than usual into the corners, and ended up with a ninth place finish.

The race should serve to remind us that Chicagoland is a boring track, even with the conventional cars. Still, there is no telling what could happen with the Sprint Cup cars Saturday night until it happens.

Does the stereotype of NASCAR fuel lawsuits?

I don't know if there is or is not any credence to the allegations in this story or if it is just a lawyer trying to capitalize on NASCAR's stereotypical reputation with charges that can't be proven or dis proven.

Mauricia Grant, a former NASCAR inspection official has filed a lawsuit against NASCAR claiming "sexual and racial harassment."

Personally I can't believe that some of the charges are true in this day and age. It is very hard to believe that anybody who would treat another person the way it is claimed Grant was treated would even be able to get a job these days. This is not to deny that some of the alleged incidents could have happened, because there are still a lot of stupid people out there. If Grant was treated in the way her attorney claims she was, then NASCAR should deal with those individials in the harshest way possible.

While prejudice and imbecilic behavior have not been wiped completely from society and the work environment, it is hard to believe that such a case of harassment would involve so many perpetraters. As Marc points out at Full Throttle if the practice is as common as the language of the lawsuit suggests, why haven't women and other minority members who are employed by NASCAR had similar experiences?

True, there is the story of David Scott, a hauler driver for Penske who was harassed by other hauler drivers at New Hamshire International Speedway in 1999, but those drivers were suspended indefinitely for their actions, and we can safely assume that such behavior is not tolerated in NASCAR.

Of course, fall out is unavoidable, and we are already seeing opinions from those who believe that NASCAR is a bunch of racist hillbillies, such as this one from the Nation of Islam Sports Blog:

We would proffer that Ms. Grant should never have taken the job in the first place. Clearly, a Negro woman working in what is essentially a large scale KKK meeting is not a good idea.

When one accepts employment, one also accepts the certain obvious dangers involved. If she had been hired by a circus to walk a tight rope, and fell and broke her legs, would anyone be the least bit surprised?

That is essentially what happened here. Ms. Grant picked up a stick and poked a bear.

We are talking about NASCAR! What sane Negro would accept employment with them and not expect to be maligned, mistreated, harassed, shamed, whipped, shackled and eventually lynched?

Those of us who watch NASCAR on a weekly basis, and are aware of the many African-American people who are employed by teams involved in NASCAR and by NASCAR itself, know better than to even try to respond to the above statement.

The blogger who wrote the opinion for Nation of Islam Sports Blog chose to respond to a story about racist behavior with a statement accepting a stereotype that should have long since been overcome. Racism seems to go both ways.