A Look at Loudon

Cross-posted at NASCAR Bloggers FT Digest
If Dover can be thought of as Bristol on steroids, then New Hampshire Motor Speedway would be Martinsville on steroids. The frontstretch and the backstretch are identical, and just over 1500 feet long, which leaves little room for the corners on the one mile track. This gives the track a "paper clip" look, much like Martinsville, only bigger.

Needless to say, this doesn't allow much for side by side racing and quality passes. That has been a problem for many race fans watching the race on television, but to the fans in New England, NHMS is the place to go. Every NASCAR race there has been sold out. The fans also turn out for droves in the Whelan Modified Series and Busch North Series, to watch all the racing they can. This is not only the home track for Concord, NH, but for Boston, Portland Maine, Providence Rhode Island, and the two or three race fans in the Soviet Socialist Republic of Vermont. In addition, many race fans from Canada make their way "south of the border," twice a year to watch the races at Concord (aka Loudon, to prevent confusion with Concord, North Carolina, aka Lowe's). In short, New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the home of NASCAR to many in New England and Southeastern Canada.

Those fans received some good news from owner Bruton Smith, this morning. While there have been rumors that Smith, who bought the track last year, would ask NASCAR to ammend the schedule to move a race from NHIS to Las Vegas or Kentucky, on NASCAR Live Smith said, "If I were a fan, I would not be worried. We are not considering that."

I love it when the rumor mongers who call themselves "journalists" end up with egg on their faces. As a blogger, not a journalist, I depend on journalists to present the facts, on which I, in turn write my opinion. If the facts aren't straight, we, meaning myself and other bloggers, wind up writing our opinions on what turns out to be nothing. Hence, you can see my skepticism toward many so-called "main stream" journalists.

Much of a driver's success at Loudon depends on qualifying position, pit strategy, and the driver's ability to rise to the challenge of the "Magic Mile." Unlike most of the races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit, winning at NHMS does not so much mean being able to outrace the other drivers, but to be near perfection at getting the right line through the turns and to have the right amount of throttle control exiting the turns. Since the race is fairly short, there is very little time to fix a bad setup during the race, so the crew chief must have the car at its best before the green flag waves. While this may mean a "boring" race for many fans, it is exciting for most of the drivers. This is a track where skill, more than luck, determines the winner, and the outcome of the race is mostly in the hands of the driver.

Mercifully, for us fans, the race is relatively short--301 miles, or 300 laps around the 1.058 mile speedway. However, we may be surprised Sunday as the Lennox Industrial Tools 301 takes place. The track saw new pavement and progressive banking added last year, and is showing signs of having a second groove, according to some drivers. While Las Vegas, Texas, Atlanta, and Dover were disappointments compared to the anticipation of the races, we have been pleasantly surprised by some great racing at Lowe's, Talladega, Phoenix, and Martinsville this year. We are sincerely hoping that Sunday's race may turn out to be a pleasent surprise as well.

In other news, Greg Biffle has signed a three year contract with Roush Fenway, so the rumor mongers were wrong again about Biffle being the driver for RCR's fourth team or Tony Stewart's replacement at Gibbs.

The Nationwide Series powerhouse, Braun Racing, is mourning the passing of "Mama B," Linda Braun, owner Todd Braun's mother. She was a fixture at every race, so much so, she was considered a team member. She will be missed by all who knew her. The # 32 and # 38 cars of Braun Racing will be racing without sponsorship decals and painted black in memory of Mrs. Braun.

The Future makes History

In what was only his third Nationwide Series race, the future of NASCAR made NASCAR history. Only twenty-two days ago, Joey Logano was too young to race in the top tier of NASCAR, and now he has become the youngest driver to win a race in one of NASCAR's premier series.

Logano, who has shown exceptional talent in racing since the age of six, passed the race dominating Kyle Busch with around forty laps to go and took off with the lead. He never looked back. With thirty-six laps to go, Kyle Busch lost the handle of his car and spun out, and Logano no longer had to look back even if he wanted to.

The feat surprised no one. It was certain that Logano, given his natural talent, would win a race. That it was in the Joe Gibbs #20 Nationwide Series car was no surprise either, for it has been the winningest team in the series, under the leadership of Dave Rogers. Four different drivers have won six races in that team.

Still, it was a moment to be marked, as Logano is expected to be the next big thing in NASCAR racing. Only time will tell if he lives up to those expectations, and, right now, it is looking as if he will.

Speaking of expectations, we can probably expect talk of Kyle Busch spinning out intentionally. Thirty-six laps was within the fuel window, for the teams to make it to the end of the race. The timing couldn't have been better. Since Busch is not running the full Nationwide Schedule, and therefore, not in the running for the championship, it could have been on his agenda to let Logano win.

But Rev' Jim's RantsnRaves remains skeptical of conspiracy theories, and even though we may have originated this particular theory, we feel that the chain of events was only a coincidence. We can only speculate as to whether Logano could have won if Kyle Busch had stayed in the race.

In the meantime, Brad Keselowski, finishing fourth in the race, has moved up to second in points in the series, 170 points out of the lead. A championship win by a series regular driving for a non-Cup team, if JR Motosports can truly be considered as such, would be just what the series needs to regain its legitimacy. For the rest of the season, we will be rooting for Keselowski to beat the "claim jumpers" from the Cup series in every race. Lets hope he can keep up the good work.

Other notable Nationwide regulars finishing in the top ten at Kentucky Motor Speedway were Scott Wimmer (2nd), Mike Wallace (3rd),Bryan Clauson (5th}, Marcos Ambrose (6th), Mike Bliss (8th), and Jason Keller (10th).

2 Questions you don't want to ask me...

...but I will ask them and answer them anyway, after this disclaimer: The following are hypothetical questions, and, therefore, so are the answers.

Will Tony Stewart leave JGR to own a Cup team?

No. The ownership offers presented to Stewart so far this season have been contingent on Stewart leaving JGR after this year, which doesn't seem to be happening. As recently as last Saturday afternoon, Stewart said, "We were never considering leaving (Gibbs.)"
Joe Gibbs is all about teamwork, and since both Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have both recently stated that Smoke's experience and expertise is very important to the team ("as long as you do what Tony says, and not as he does," Hamlin quipped) it seems that Gibbs would be inclined to keep that team together. The ball seems to be in the team's court as far as what happens after 2009. With Joey Logano's entry into the Cup being highly anticipated, Smoke's future with the team will depend on the answers to several questions: Will Logano be immediately successful in NASCAR's big leagues? Will JGR want to run three or four cars/teams in 2010? And, can Tony Stewart still win races and/or championships with JGR? The contract signing seems to have reached a standstill until some or all of the above questions can be answered.

What will happen to make Jr Nation forget about Kyle Busch?

For the answer, let's imagine the closing laps of an upcoming race at an intermediate track: Neither Dale Earnhardt, Jr nor Jeff Gordon has won a race yet this season. Dale Jr has been running in the lead for several laps, but Gordon has been charging quickly up through the field. The fans are on their feet going crazy! Jr takes the white flag as Gordon comes up on his tail. Entering turn one, Jr, who has been running near the top, takes the lower line to block Gordon's faster car. Gordon moves up, Earnhardt moves up, exiting turn two now. Turn three, both cars take the lower line again, but this time, Gordon touches the rear bumper of Earnhardt's car. Jr spins! Gordon wins! Kyle who?

Quote of the day

From Scene Daily:

He (Stewart) said, though, that he has not made a decision about what he is going to do and has not requested to get out of his contract.

“We’re going to do our due diligence and go through looking at every option, looking at the pros and cons to everything and then make a decision,” Stewart said. “The good thing is we have a year left in our contract. We’re not in any rush right now. There is nobody putting any pressure on us to make something happen next week.”

It looks as though Smoke will be staying with Gibbs at least until the end of his contract through 2009. Get over it.

What about the drivers who are at the end of their contract this year? That list includes:

Martin Truex, Jr. Is he happy with what DEI can give him? He has already driven in the Nationwide Series for his good friend, Dale Earnhardt, Jr, and HMS may have an opening if they release Casey Mears. This looks like a good item to toss into the rumor mill.

Ryan Newman seems less than enthusiastic about Dodge's overall performance in the Sprint Cup Series this year. He has yet to sign a countract beyond the end of the 2008 season. Could he be looking for a change?

It is generally accepted that, because Roush-Fenway must pare down to four cars, Jamie McMurray will be without a ride in 2009. But Greg Biffle isn't necessarily happy with his role at RFR, and he has yet to sign a contract that will take him beyond the end of this year with Roush-Fenway. The possibility of a switch between Penske and Roush involving Newman and Biffle seems like a great rumor to toss into the mill.

What will Bobby Labonte do? What will Kevin Harvick do? They are both currently unsigned beyond the end of this year. I don't have any unnamed sources to rely on here, and I can't think of any good unsubstantiated rumors to start about them. Anybody care to help?

None of the rumors mentioned above have any credence to them, but they should still give us some topics for speculation, if that is our bag.

Finally, for those who believe that Tony Stewart may buy into Haas/CNC, Dennis Michelson, of Race Talk Radio's Spin Out Zone, has some very compelling arguments as to why he won't. Please read his article "Haas Bowtie Will Not Fit Stewart."

We leave you with a tantalizing teaser from that article:

Do you know how to tell when a NASCAR rumor is a bunch of buffalo chips? The easiest way to tell is when so many writers and broadcasters jump on the bandwagon to tell you that this driver or that driver is definitely heading to such and such team. If you have a short memory may I try to talk some sense into you this week? DALE EARNHARDT JR HEADED TO RCR. Does anyone remember that headline? The track record of certain writers in breaking stories is pitiful. Even when the next wave of articles with more exclusive sources hit it is just another case of media misdirection NASCAR writing style. The Haas bow tie will not fit Tony Stewart!

Pure Speculation

According to unnamed sources, Marty Smith of ESPN and Tom Bowles of Sports Illustratedwere sitting in a Charlotte bar Tuesday night, discussing an editorial by Fox Sports' Lee Spencer. In the article, posted April 12, Spencer speculated that Tony Stewart might be talking to Haas/CNC Racing about his prospects of being a part time driver and part owner of the team.

Stewart, who is under contract to Joe Gibbs Racing through the 2009 season, was in talks regarding his future with Coach Gibbs earlier in the week. When Stewart was asked whether or not he had interest in being an owner in the Cup garage he joked, "I don't think I'm politically correct enough to be an owner in NASCAR"

Anyway Bowles and Smith were allegedly wondering what they could come up with that could top that story. "What if the deal is already being made?" Marty allegedly asked Bowles.
"And what if Stewart decides to get out of his contract early," Tom Bowles allegedly added to the speculation.
They allegedly drank a few more beers and secretly decided what they would write about the next day, Wednesday being a traditionally slow news day for NASCAR.
Tom Bowles woke up early the next morning and allegedly got to work on his story. Citing "unnamed sources" (allegedly Lee Spencer and Marty Smith) he wrote his article about how Tony Stewart would leave Joe Gibbs Racing before his contract was up at the end of next year, and would be driving full time for and be part owner of Haas/CNC Racing. He could find nothing to support his story, so he included the following:

"He's there this year and he's there next year," claimed Arning (Stewart's PR spokesman). "And I know for a fact that JGR is interested in retaining Tony for '10 and beyond. They'd like him to retire at Joe Gibbs Racing. As Tony's said many times, 'Nothings broke. Why change it?'

"Tony's going to have a lot of options in front of him; why wouldn't he? But I don't see [an early out happening] ... everyone is going to live up to the terms of the contract that runs through '09."

Realizing that he didn't really have a story, Bowles dropped the names Jamie McMurray, and Kurt Busch, relating how they left their former contracts early, and went on to tell the story of how Darrel Waltrip left Junior Johnson's team and joined Hendrick Motorsports.

Marty Smith went with something a little more conservative, publishing this story and supporting it this way:

"He definitely has some options," JGR president J.D. Gibbs said. "To me it's no different than any of the the options he's had before. The reality is he's racing here through 2009. There's no ifs, ands or buts about that one. Our stance is he's racing for us through 2009."


Stewart's publicist, Mike Arning, said "Tony's contract is through the 2009 season. When that is up he'll have a lot of options for 2010 and beyond. But in terms of what he's going to do, or might do, for now and in between, as far as JGR is concerned he's their driver for 2009."

Haas GM Joe Custer said he has spoken with several people about the future status of his team, including Stewart's group. He was adamant that his team has reached no deal with Stewart, but would "by all means be interested in discussing a partnership with a driver of his caliber."

He mentioned unnamed sources (allegedly Tom Bowles and Lee Spencer) as a large part of his speculation.

The real story was that it was just a slow news day, after the Sprint Cup had an off week, and there was nothing to report. The week after the Easter break was another off season, and you may remember this story about stolen priority parts, which Geoff Smith, GM of Roush-Fenway dismissed as nothing more than bickering between Roush and Lee White.

To confuse the rumor mill even more, Fox's Lee Spencer updated her original "story" and added two more possibilities:

Behind curtain No. 2: The fourth seat at Richard Childress Racing. With two of RCR's cars on top of the point standings, there's no question that R.C. could provide Smoke with a competitive ride. RCR has a fourth sponsor lined up with General Mills but has not announced who will replace AT&T at the end of 2008. Stewart could be that rock-star driver that draws another eight-figure deal.

Behind curtain No. 3: Stewart remains in the No. 20 Home Depot car, rides off into the sunset with a humongous raise and perhaps a piece of the Gibbs' pie. Stewart loves to gamble. He wouldn't be the first driver to bluff before showing his hand.

That should give Bowles and Smith more stories to "break" the next time the news is slow.

I remain skeptical that Tony Stewart would opt out of his contract early. Certainly it is possible, but he has said many times in the recent past that he would not race without his crew chief, Greg Zippadelli, and that he would probably retire with Joe Gibbs Racing. If he does become co-owner of Haas/CNC it will be after 2009, and he will not be driving a Sprint Cup car, at least not full time. I am basing this on what Stewart has said in the past about his career plans, and if there is anything to what Bowles and Smith have written, I'll believe it when I see it.

Ya Gotta Love...

...Junior Nation! In general terms, their loyalty for their driver goes beyond mere fan loyalty. It is what they know to be the truth! Jr is in fourth place in the standings after seven races, so it must be the crew chief's fault. The #88 team is brand new, and has outperformed all the other Hendrick Motorsports teams, but that isn't good enough. Tony Eury, Jr. is letting Junior Nation down. Why not give Jr Alan Gustafsen as a crew chief? Sure, Gustafsen is sitting in 26th place in points, with struggling driver Casey Mears, but he has to be better for Dale Junior's interests because he is not related to Junior, and he never worked for DEI.
If you don't understand that logic, don't worry. You are not part of Junior Nation, and you are not expected to understand it. You don't even need to understand it. That's another thing I love about Junior Nation. They don't try to push their driver on you if you are the fan of another driver. They have a great sense of humor, and their logic is kept secret from outsiders. God Bless them!
I recently posted a satirical piece, and the only people who commented on it were Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fans. They generally liked it. To be honest, they saw it in a completely different light than in which it was intended, but that is just a sign of good satire--it can be seen in many different ways, and can be funny to different people for different reasons. To my friends, and I mean that sincerely, thank you for your comments, and for letting me see the joke in a different way.
Ya gotta love night racing. The drivers do, but the crew chiefs often don't. The changing conditions create unique situations for both the driver and the crew chief, and the challenge to both is different. The driver is expected to adjust his driving to the changing conditions, but the crew chief is responsible for making sure that the driver has a car in which he can adjust to the changes. This is even more pronounced in the new car. But that doesn't really matter to the fans, as long as it is fun to watch.
And you have to love night racing at Phoenix. The track layout is crazy--there is nothing remotely like it anywhere on the Sprint Cup circuit.
It is the first Saturday night race of the season, which also gets us excited as fans, and that excitement is enhanced by the atmosphere of a venue at which the entire community gets enthusiastically involved.
While we're on the subject of Phoenix and the community around it, we gotta love Jaynelle Ramon, the enthusiastic NASCAR blogger with journalistic credentials for the Arizona Daily Star, who is blogging from the track this weekend. She makes no secret of the fact that she is a diehard Jeff Gordon fan, but since the beginning of the season, she has become a semi-official Ryan Newman reporter. Fun, and awesome. Congratulations, Jaynelle.
Back to the track, we will probably see better racing Saturday night than we did at TMS last weekend. That is mostly because the camera angles will be better because it is a smaller track. But short track racing, which is what a race on a one mile or shorter track is considered, is almost always better than intermediate-class track racing anyway. At Phoenix, there are as many lines to follow as there are drivers, which always makes for an interesting race. In addition, unlike, TMS, this is not the first race for the new car at Phoenix, and there has been testing earlier this year. If Goodyear brought the same tire to the race as was used in testing, the teams should be better prepared for this race than they have been for any other race so far this season.
If Dale Earnhardt, Jr isn't saving his first win with HMS for Talladega, let's hope he lets his cousin Tony Eury, Jr off the hook by not only winning this one, but by gaining first place in the points. Are you with me, Junior Nation?

The 'Dega Factor

Notice: The author of this blog is undergoing a fit of snarkiness. Please take everything written here with a grain of salt.


We all love mysteries. The best kind of mystery is the one that has so many twists, subplots, and surprises that it keeps us guessing until the very last page.
We'll set this mystery at the site of an old Indian burial ground in Alabama. Strong forces are at work. But are they physical forces, or a Spiritual force that defies all physical explanation?
The main characters number forty-three, with another forty-three supporting characters. At least seven of these eighty-six are villains, with more evil lurking in the background. There are over a hundred thousand minor characters who all figure into this mystery.
The name of the place is Talladega, a 2.66 mile D-shaped oval. Twelve out of the forty-three heros all quest for one object--the coveted Nextel Cup, the last one in the future history of mankind. Only one may capture it.
But that moment of capture is far off, for first an icon called the Checkered Flag must be collected. If it isn't, it is important to each of the Chasers, as those on the quest are known, to finish in front of the other eleven. And, there are thirty-one additional heros questing for the Checkered Flag.
The most popular, by far, of the thirty-one non-Chasers, is The Golden Child, Dale Earnhardt Jr. His following is multitudnous--fanatical worshippers who would throw a beer can through the windshield of a competitor, possibly causing serious injury or death at 190+ miles per hour, rather than seeing their hero lose. Dale, Jr. himself is a humble man, and a very talented driver, warranting much of the accolades heaped upon him by the rowdy multitudes. He can do no wrong in their eyes, even when he admits it and apologizes for it. If he runs into mishap, his fans say, it is because those close to him are out to stab him in the back. There have been claims that Junior's second cousin, Tony Eurey, Jr, is not really related to him, and that he is only going to Hendrick so he can sabotage Jr.'s car and spy on HMS for the Evil Teresa. So Talladega will be Tony Eurey, Jr's last chance to destroy Jr's car before he leaves DEI. Meanwhile, the Evil Teresa may not be done yet. She has been known to put miniature explosive devices in Jr's engines to make them fail with six laps to go in a race. But none of that should matter, because rookie Jaques Villeneuve is going to wreck the entire field by lap 182. Or will he?
With all the positive Spiritual energy emitted by the Jr Nation, as The Golden Child's following is called, Dale Earnhardt, Jr may prevail, escaping all the traps and pit falls being laid for him. This is the type of quest at which he is best.
There will be others who want to achieve that goal. The mean and nasty Tony Stewart--who has been known to take out the entire field just to be mean and nasty--posted the top speed at both practices. He is determined to win, even if it means taking out his best friend.
The evil Kyle Busch will be out for revenge, because The Golden Child accidently took him out of the running for the Cup, or so it seems. He may be driven to take out Junior, especially if he goes down a lap, for he will have nothing to lose.
Then there is the greatest Villain of all, The Gordon, and his non-identical clone JJ (Jeff Junior, aka Jimmie "Unibrow" Johnson.) They make up their own rules as they go through a race, with the blessings of the Gods, Mike Helton and John Darby, and the Devil Hinself, Brian France. One of the two is favored to win, not just the Checkered Flag, but the Holy Cup itself. We don't know which one, but since they are clones, it doesn't matter.
We honestly don't know what will happen. We will just have to wait for the last page on Sunday.

The Artful Dodger

Followup to The Silliest Silly Season of All Time Invokes Hollywood
The IRL at Chicagoland:
It was quite a race, being the last race of the IRL season, and it was for the championship. Going into the last lap, with Scott Dixon leading and Franchitti in second, Dixon was ahead of Dario by two points in the Championship race as they stood.
Then, going into the final turn, Dixon ran out of fuel, and Franchitti, just making a slingshot move aroune the leader, narrowly missed him and won the race and the championship.
In both the post race interview, and on the Speed TV program, Wind Tunnel, Dario artfully dodged questions about the rumors of his going to race in NASCAR next season.
Though he neither confirmed, nor denied the rumors--including one that Ganassi offered him a five-year contract in NASCAR--he said that he only wanted to celebrate his victory and his Championship.
"I'm not thinking about the future, right now," he told Wind Tunnel's Dave Despain.
"I'll think about it, maybe next week, and, sometime after that, I'll talk about it."
If Franchitti does make the move to NASCAR while being the reigning Champion of the IRL, he won't be the first to do so. Tony Stewart was the 1997 IRL Champion when he moved to NASCAR in 1998.