Revvin' and Rantin'

As you may have noticed, I have been unable to post anything lately, due to lack of internet access. T'herefore, we will try to take care of several different subjects, including some photos from the 2009 Good Times Auto Show in Old Colorado City, while we have the opportunity.

As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase qualifying season winds down to its final race, there is still plenty of drama. Of Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Juan Montoya, Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch, two will not make the cut at Richmond Saturday night, so we know these nine drivers will be giving it their all. Carl Edwards could also be included in this group, but, no matter what happens with the other drivers, he can clinch his berth with a mid-pack finish or better.

We know that Kyle Busch will truly make it an all or nothing run for his team at Richmond, so we will have to say the driver with the toughest task in trying to make the Chase is Brian Vickers. He hasn't had a top five finish at Richmond in a Cup car,. and he almost needs to have bad luck happen to one or more of the other drivers who are currently in the top twelve in points. We would like to see him in the Chase, because we think he could bring some additional excitement to the championship season. At the same time we would hate to see any ot the drivers who are currently in the top twelve not make the cut, so we are, as usual, emotionally conflicted.

Tony Stewart's team's performance seems to have fallen off some since his victory at Watkins Glen. They may already be feeling the pressure of the Chase. We should remember that most of the members of Stewart's pit crew have never experienced being on a winning team prior to this year. They are still working out some kinks and some glitches, and hopefully they will get all of their bad stuff out of their system before the final ten races. We should also remember that we expected this to be a team building year for Stewart-Haas racing, and they have gone beyond all expectations. Most of us doubted that Stewart would make the Chase in his first year as a team owner, but those doubts have been dashed, as not only is Stewart in first place for the qualifying season, but his team mate Ryan Newman has a very good chance of making the Chase as well.

Jeff Gordon is boring. There, I said it. Certainly, he and his team have done well to stay in the top three in points throughout the season, but that is expected of the 24 team. We predicted that his fire would be back this season, but it seems to be smoldering. We also predicted that he would win the championship this year, which he still could very well do, but not while he is content with finishing in the top ten every race. Not when he is competing against the likes of Stewart and Johnson. He could step it up during the final ten races, and we hope he does. I have to say, however, that if he was not already locked into the Chase, I would rather see a more exciting driver in the final twelve.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr won't make the Chase, but we have seen some improvement since Lance McGrew came on board as his crew chief. It was fun watching him race with everything going good for him at Atlanta. Nobody rides the rim so close to the outside fence as well and skillfully as Earnhardt does, and it was fun to watch him do so at Atlanta. If he and his team continue to improve, we could see him back as a contender next year.

Atlanta showed us that these new cars can race wheel to wheel on an intermediate track, and they can race for the lead on the track, under green flag conditions. That was probably the best race we have seen on an intermediate track this year, as the Sprint Cup car is coming into its own. I have a feeling the performance of the car will continue to improve, and soon we will forget all about the aero cars. The only problem is parity. As predicted, the parity built into the CoT, CORN, or Sprint Cup Car (whichever one choses to call it), has resulted in separating the good drivers from the mediocre. There are no tweaks a crew chief could make to give Reed Sorenson or Elliott Sadler a chance to compete with a Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, or Jimmie Johnson.

Speaking of Reed Sorenson or Elliott Sadler, Richard Petty Motorsports will be merging with Yates Racing next year. As the tentative drivers' roster implies, the drivers for Petty-Yates will be Sadler, Kahne, Allmendinger, and Menard in Yates powered Fords, and Sorenson will be looking for a ride. This means that Kahne, who was a Ford man before he was a Dodge man, will be back in Ford, Sadler has an excellent lawyer, Allmendinger will get another chance to rise in the ranks with yet another manufacturer, and Menard's daddy is a great sponsor. We will think positively about Sorenson, who would be an excellent replacement for Brad Keselowski at JRM in the Nationwide Series, and we think that this would be an excellent opportunity for him to get that Nationwide Series Championship that so narrowly eluded him a few years ago.

Kahne, we might remember, was the subject of a lawsuit by Ford regarding his contract as a Ford driver, when he first went to Evernham as a Dodge driver. The merger also means that he will have driven for four different Cup Series teams without making a move from one team to another.

Sadler, we may remember, drove for Yates before he drove for Evernham. The number 44, driven by AJ Allmendinger, was once a Yates car number, and will be again. Ironic how things turn full circle, isn't it?

We can't close without remarking on the excellent finish at Bristol a few weeks ago. We got to see two excellent drivers race each other for the win, in a clean but intense battle. Mark Martin is a class act, and races the way he gets raced. If you race him clean, he will race you clean. So shame on those fans who would have rather seen a wreck at the end of the race than the exciting wheel to wheel racing it was.

One more thing. I will be keeping the double file restart poll up until the end of the season, so we can see every instance of the restart at every type of track. I do believe I have the poll set up so you can vote as many times as you like. I will think of an additional poll to put up in the meantime, possibly about the NASCAR wives. The criteria for this poll will include more than being eye candy, as in how involved the wife is in the driver's career. However, there will be a slot marked "other" so you can write in your favorite eye candy wife. Eva and Nicole will be included because of their near cat fight in the pits a couple of seasons ago.

Until I get a chance to get on line again, enjoy the races!

Stremme is back

It is official that David Stremme will return to the Sprint Cup as a full time driver beginning next year, taking over the duties of Ryan Newman in the Penske #12 car. He has been the test driver for Penske for most of the current season, as well as a steady hand at the wheel of Rusty Wallace's #64 Nationwide Series car.

Many fans may ask why Stremme? He seemed to be involved in almost every wreck at every track in his rookie year, and in the first two races of his sophomore year. However, in the final thirty weeks of the 2007 season, before he was forced to give up his Ganassi/Sabates seat for Dario Franchitti, he seemed to put his perceived recklessness behind him and begain showing that he could perform competitively. In other words, many Stremme watchers felt as though he was released from his Cup ride just as he was getting good.

To be fair, Ganassi Racing needed to do something in terms of sponsorship and adding new energy to the team, so Franchitti seemed like a good idea at the time. But that didn't work out.

This may work out for Penske. Stremme has shown in the Nationwide Series that he is a competitive driver, and as the test driver for Penske's Cup teams, he has had plenty of seat time in the Sprint Cup car. He is aggressive enough to compete at the Cup level, without being as over-aggressive as he was in his rookie year in that series.

Were there other good choices to fill the #12 seat? Certainly, there were. There is a widespread fan movement--okay, one or two guys commenting in every comment section they can find--to put Jeremy Mayfield back in a Cup ride. But Jeremy has made it clear that he will not race unless he is with a team that can guarantee that he will make it to the Chase, so we can assume that if he was considered for the ride, he might have turned it down. The same goes for Ward Burton, who is happy where he is and will race in Sprint Cup only if it is with a championship team. On the younger side, Brad Keselowski was reportedly sought for the #12 car and turned it down, holding out for a ride with Hendrick in 2010.

Stremme, unlike Mayfield and Burton, is still young, still able to learn, and still learning. Penske can, with Stremme, look further down the road to the future than they would have been able to do with an older driver. We feel Penske's confidence in Stremme is well earned and well deserved, and wish him success in his born-again Cup career.

Strangely enough, the formation of Stewart-Haas Racing has potentially brought about a chain of events that will bring some result to NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program. Joey Logano's move to the #20 JGR Cup car, and Stremme's move to the #12 car, will leave openings for African American up and coming drivers Marc Davis and Chase Austin in the Nationwide Series next year. Both drivers have shown good results in the Hooters Pro Cup, ARCA, and the Camping World Series as developmental drivers for Joe Gibbs and Rusty Wallace Racing. If nothing else, their presence in the Nationwide Series will give NASCAR a much needed public relations boost.

More Silly Season changes

Silly Season is far from over. This week has brought a new flurry of activity, as a multitude of announcements and press conferences were held. This is not surprising, as now is about the right time for NASCAR's Silly Season to begin.

Reed Sorenson has signed with Gillett Everham Motorsports, which may or may not leave an opening in Chip Ganassi Racing for Dario Franchitti, who has had some good performances in the Nationwide Series. It was reported by ESPN's Terry Blount, Tuesday, that Target will be staying with Ganassi racing, rather leaving with Sorenson, as previously reported by Terry Blount. Both ESPN, and Reed Sorenson himself, GEM is looking at a four car team that would include Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, Reed Sorenson, and Patrick Carpentier, if sponsorship is found for all four cars.

If you haven't heard yet, Casey Mears is going to the more relaxed atmosphere of Richard Childress Racing, where he will drive the 07 car currently driven by Clint Bowyer, due to owners' points provisionals. Bowyer will move to RCR's new fourth team, the #33 car. Could Mears be the next Kyle Busch? He has said that he feels the structured atmosphere of Hendrick Motorsports cramps his syle, and he has strongly criticized his team, the Hendrick practice of constantly changing his crew chiefs, and his spotters.

It hasn't been officially announced yet, but it is looking more and more as though David Stremme will be in the Penske/Sabates #12 car next year. Stremme is already with Penske as a test driver, and there is no talk of any other driver under consideration for that car.

I believe everyone already knows that Joey Logano will be driving the #20 car next year for JGR, replacing Tony Stewart. This was expected, but it was made official Monday. Logano will be participating in six Sprint Cup races this year in the 02 car, and will be working to get his superspeedway approval by driving in the ARCA race at Talladega later this year.

In the Craftsman Truck Series, Joe Gibbs Racing's top developmental driver, Marc Davis, will be driving the #81 truck of Randy Moss Motorsports for six races beginning Sept 6. Since Davis is under contract with JGR, Moss had to get permission from JD Gibbs for Davis to drive Moss's Chevrolet. Since Gibbs does not have a team in the Truck Series, that okay was given. We can see how this could help out both JGR and Randy Moss Motorsports, if Davis lives up to expectations.

The most surprising Silly Season News, is that one of our favorite bloggers, Mike Maruska, has scrapped his Trouble in Turn 2 blog, and is now blogging for the excellent fantasy racing and stats site, One Bad Wheel. The changes have been made on my blogroll here. But this, for me, is shocking news. Congratulations to Mike.

Beware! The Gordon is back!

When Jeff Gordon says he's going to "go for it," he usually means it. The gloves are off. No more Mr. Niceguy.

Showing his frustration a little, after the Watkins Glen race, and a lot after Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway, Gordon indicated that he is tired of seeing the mistakes in the pits and bad car set ups ruin his chances to win a race. The last time he felt like this, Robby Loomis, who was his crew chief when he won his fourth NASCAR Cup Championship in 2001, lost his job. Now we have to believe that Steve Letarte is on his way out.

Gordon is not one, in spite of what some fans and media pundits may think, who is at the end of his career. He still has the fire, the desire, and the talent to win. That is why he is frustrated when it seems that his team and his teammates *cough*Jimmie Johnson*cough* are working against him. He is frustrated with points racing, because he is a winner, not a points racer.

And when Jeff Gordon is racing as a winner, he can out intimidate The Intimidator. If the late Dale Earnhardt was still with us, he wouldn't admit to that, but he wouldn't tell us we were wrong, either. Rusty Wallace, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, and Matt Kenseth are still around to affirm that statement, and they have and they will.

What will Hendrick Motorsports do with Gordon as far as giving him another crew chief? Darion Grubb seems to be on his way to Stewart-Haas Racing, but that may change. We doubt if Hendrick will want to switch crew chiefs between the 48 and the 24 team, because, if you have paid attention to Jimmie Johnson's driving abilities and the kinds of errors in judgement he is constantly making,* most of the 48 team's success is due to the genius of Chad Knaus. The 48 team is once again in contention for the championship, and HMS won't jeopardize that position in favor of the 24 team. What we expect to see is a crew chief switch between the 5 and the 24 team. We haven't seen Alan Gustafeson work with Gordon, not that we can remember, anyway. Just having someone with a different attitude on the pit box may be what Gordon needs.

* We don't mean to imply that Johnson isn't a top-notch driver, but he still has a lot to learn. Every race he has lost has been due to driver error, not by any call Knaus has made. He has made some dumb moves. Trying to pass between Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart and making it four wide is only one error in a long list. How many times have we seen him give up the lead while trying to block another car? How many times have we seen him miss his pit box--a nearly habitual error of his. All we are saying is that without Chad Knaus it is unlikely he would be a two time champion this early in his career. Knaus has done a great job of covering for Johnson's mistakes and overcoming the Champ's drawbacks.

Whatever happens within the Hendrick organization, we look forward to watching Jeff Gordon race with his fire stoked. Even though we are quick to say he is the driver we don't want to see win, he is, in a backhanded sort of way, one of our favorites. It is a thrill to watch him race when he is focused on winning, and to see him race with everything he has makes the experience exciting.

The season can only get better from here on out.


The Gordon is Back

Optimism

This was to be a special "Live on Type Delay" installment featuring the Tony Stewart-Joe Custer press conference announcing the establishment of Stewart-Haas Racing, but technical difficulties on the feed made the part of the press conference we got to see very short.
The main points managed to get from the conference are as follows:

• Tony Stewart recieves 50% equity in the organization for signing with Haas. This is unprecidented in NASCAR, and Stewart admits that's what caught his attention. The deal is potentially worth up to $66.5 million, which makes him the highest paid driver in NASCAR. That isn't even close to what the stars of the NFL, the NBA, and MLB get paid, but it is very high for a NASCAR driver.


• Joe Custer, the general manager of Haas CNC, believes that Stewart's presence alone will turn the chronic back marker into a winning team. You have to give some credit for that kind of faith and optimism.


• Tony Stewart believes that "it isn't the equipment that makes a winning team, it is the people. If you put the right people in the right place, you will have a winning team." We wonder where and how Stewart is going to get the right people to put in the right places.


• Tony also declared that he believes "we can win at Daytona in February."

The bottom line is that the new Stewart-Haas team is going into business with an abundance of optimism and enthusiasm. Maybe they know something we don't. Perhaps Haas Engineering, the multi-million dollar corporation that owns Stewart-Haas is willing to pour unlimited funds into the team to make sure they get what they need.
Since Stewart is my favorite driver, I wish I could share that optimism and enthusiasm. I want to believe that Stewart is that much better a driver than Scott Riggs that he can make a difference in the team's performance. I do think he is better than Riggs, but only by about five or six positions. I say this because I have seen Riggs race Greg Biffle wheel to wheel in both the CTS and what was then the NASCAR Busch Series, at various races I attended at PPIR. I have to say, based on the performance I saw there and then, that Riggs is probably a better driver than Biffle, and Biffle is definitely one of the best. Therefore,I have reached the conclusion that the only reason Scott Riggs has not been a championship contender in the Sprint Cup is that he is not with a team that can win.
I really do want to see Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing succeed, and succeed quickly, but I remain skeptical and fear that Stewart may be entering the realm of Kyle Petty. I certainly hope I am proven wrong.

It will be Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009

I'm going to have to add anger management counseling to my weekly reginmen. I've always seen Tony Stewart as an honest man, and that steadfast image was shot down when it was confirmed that he will leave Joe Gibbs Racing after this year to be co-owner and driver of Stewart-Haas Racing.

Back in 2004, Stewart announced that he would retire from NASCAR after what is now his current contract. He lied. He said he had other things he wanted to do in his life that didn't involve NASCAR, and now it seems that he has given up on his dreams and will stay with NASCAR until he is an old man. He will probably die a bachelor, as we know that NASCAR and a wife can not exist simultaneously in Stewart's life.

The only satisfaction that we can find in this news is that, although Marty Smith took the credit for breaking the news, it was actually Lee Spencer who did so, so we won't have to apologize to Smith or David Newton or Tom Bowles.

I'm not worried about my credibility, because at Rev' Jim's RantsnRaves, we have always made sure that the reader knows that what is written here is strictly opinion and observation, and is not meant to be factual news. However, it would have been nice if Stewart had stuck to his word, and maybe we would have had some credibility here with which to work. But that would have changed the tone of this blog, and I don't know if that can be done.

Anyway, we can't expect any wins from Stewart-Haas next year, unless maybe they stay out on a gamble and it rains while their car in the lead. It isn't that Stewart or Newman aren't that good as drivers, they are, but without equipment, they will be back-markers, and until the time that is needed to build a winning team has passed, that is the only kind of equipment they will get. But that is only my opinion, and we all know now what my opinion is worth.

First of all, Stewart will need a crew chief with whom he can communicate. This is not to say Bootie Barker isn't a good crew chief, because he has proven himself on several occasions to be one of the best. But how would he get along with Stewart. As long as he was with Gibbs, Stewart had Greg "Zippy" Zippadelli to keep him focused, and to try to keep his temper in check. Since Barker has quite a temper himself, we could only imagine the following radio chatter between Smoke and Bootie:

Smoke: $%&*!
Bootie: $%#! @#$% &*#@ !!!
Smoke: I'm gonna get him
Bootie: Get the #$%@&*@&%#, we can't win now anyway. Make sure they can never drive that car again!
Smoke: $%&*@#*%$#@*&%@!!!!!

And so on. Perhaps sometime around 2011, Stewart-Haas could start negotiations with Hendrick for Chad Knaus. Perhaps they will dangle ownership of the other half of the team, and it could be Stewart-Knaus Racing. Wouldn't that be a dream team?

But we digress into the world of fantasy while in the denial stage of grief. Stewart may actually have to retire before he wins another race in NASCAR.

How Silly is Silly Season?

Dario Franchitti has found himself without a ride. This was something that was predicted by many in the media, but it wasn't entirely because of non-performance. According to Chip Ganassi the costs of running the team without a primary sponsor was too high.

This will undoubtedly generate even more grist for the rumor mill. Certainly, there will be stories about Tony Stewart finding a sponsor and getting a ride in the #40 car. His relationship with Chip Ganassi is well known, as it is Ganassi who has provided Smoke a car for the Indianapolis 500 in the past, when Stewart was doing double duty on Memorial Day weekend.

Stewart is already rumored to be signing with Haas/CNC, where he will be part owner and drive a car for the chronic backmarker, and wave some kind of magic wand that will suddenly make a top forty team a top ten team. While he is doing that, he is also rumored to be driving for Hendrick Motorsports in the number 5 car, since it has been announced that Casey Mears will no longer be driving the car next year. That alone should generate more rumors concerning Mears in the #40 car next year, even if Stewart is supposed to be in that car next year, according to rumor mongers, who have yet to explain how Smoke will be in the #5 car if that is where Mark Martin is supposed to be for 2009.

If Tony Stewart isn't driving the #33 car for Richard Childress next year, that may be the ride for Ryan Newman, who is reportedly unhappy with his Penske South team and is looking for a better offer before he renews his contract. Of course, everybody knows that Newman will be driving for the miserable #77 team for Haas CNC after Tony Stewart buys it and turns it around with his amazing powers. Or, perhaps Newman may want to stay with Dodge and drive the #40 car for Chip Ganassi.

There are those who would argue that Stewart could make a winner out of Haas. They say that he would have a better chance of winning a championship because he wouldn't be competing with Kyle Busch. What would happen to Busch if Stewart was with Haas that would keep him from being competitive is unknown at this time. They say that support for the team from Hendrick Motorsports would provide Haas with better cars. Hendrick is already providing as much support for Haas as they can without violating the four car limit, building their cars and engines. The only way they could do more would be to release Chad Knaus from the #48 team so Stewart could hire him.

Stewart would also need to find other personnel, such as chassis specialists, engine tuners, and car chiefs, since Haas is presently lacking in talent in those areas. Since Haas Industrial Systems sponsors the Haas cars, there may be enough money to get the best talent away from the teams that have it, but that is doubtful, as Stewart is also rumored to be looking for other sponsors.

But wouldn't Chevrolet Racing Division provide a lot of support, as they want Stewart back in their stable so badly they would lay off all the workers left in their North American operations to afford it?
Or maybe they would opt out of their support contracts with Hendrick, DEI, or Childress in order to give Stewart all the support he would need to turn Haas around. They wouldn't be likely to put more money into a new team, as GM has reported a fiscal loss for the third year in a row, and is rumored to be considering the withdrawal of support from NASCAR.

Of course, there is the often forgotten rumor that Stewart may stay with Gibbs to finish his contract through 2009, and then retire. Or he could still sign for three more years with Gibbs, but that is only if he can put up with "that punk Kyle Busch."

Is all this confusing? Of course. Obviously, not all of these rumors can be true, but we would like to think that if Tony Stewart has enough power to turn Haas CNC around, he could also drive for Hendrick, Ganassi, Childress and Gibbs all at the same time.

"Silly Season" has truly earned its name this year.

Really?

Warning: The following has the look and feel of a hoax, and is, at best an unconfirmed rumor. However, if you wish to pass it on, please do. We will be awaiting a call of employment from Sports Illustrated Online, ESPN, The New York Times, or the National Enquirer.

An unnamed source has probably confirmed that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. may be considering exercising his option to be released from his contract with Hendrick Motorsports. It may be reported that Richard Childress has possibly offered Earnhardt a seat in the #3 Chevrolet made famous by Earnhardt's late father. This will possibly leave Hendrick open to hire Tony Stewart, who is reported by unnamed sources to be leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of this year, to drive the #88 car in 2009.

"Well, um," Earnhardt, Jr. may have been reported to have said, " It has, you know, always, well, been a, um, you know, dream, you know, of, well, mine, to, um, carry on, you know, my, well, Dad's, um, name in the same, you know, number car that he, um..."

At that point, the alleged reporter's tape reportedly ran out. Meanwhile Tony Stewart, who, according to unnamed sources, has not confirmed that he will be driving for Joe Gibbs in 2009, has not denied that he will accept the alleged offer from Rick Hendrick.

"We would be very happy to have him (Stewart) on our team," Hendrick could have said. "We might have to train him to be more friendly and open to the press, but we can not deny that his talent would be a great asset to Hendrick Motorsports."

It is not known if Tony Eury, Jr, Earnhardt, Jr.'s cousin and Crew Chief, will be going with Earnhardt to Richard Childress, nor is it known if Stewart's long-time Crew Chief and friend, Greg Zippadelli, will be going with Stewart to HMS.

"I haven't talked to Zippy about it, yet," Stewart is reported to have said, "I want him to be able to concentrate on winning races this year."

Credence can be given to this alleged report by the fact that Tony Stewart has been caught in front of the television cameras talking to Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, and Casey Mears. Also, Dale Earnhardt, Jr has been seen talking to Clint Bowyer of Richard Childress Racing.

According to the unnamed sources, Craftsman Tools could possibly reportedly be the sponsor of Jr.'s #3 car.

"Craftsman has long been associated with NASCAR, and it would be good for us to have them aboard," Richard Childress could possibly say, "But we don't want that stupid pit robot. Look at all the problems it has caused Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth, leaving two lug nuts loose on each wheel. They can keep the robot."

It is suspected that if Stewart drives the #88 car for Hendrick in 2009, he will be Amped.

Live on type delay: Dover

Wasn't that the cutest "Shentlemens, sharatart yo ehnshinens" you ever heard? It made me go awwwww! That made me forget all about Darrell Waltrip calling JD Gibbs a liar during the prerace show. "The one thing that says that (Stewart) will be making a move is that he hasn't said he will be at Gibbs next year."

Waltrip may be an expert when it comes to racing, but it should be noted that he resorted to that logic precisely because he has no more of an idea what is going on in contract negotiations than anybody else in the media. All he had to do was listen to Tony say, on the pre race show before Darlington three weeks ago, "We were never planning on leaving Gibbs."

Nor did Waltrip read the article last week in which JD Gibbs asserted that Smoke will be held to his contract through 2009, and that Gibbs Racing would be fielding a fourth team to accomodate rising star Joey Logano, when he is ready. If Waltrip did read the article, then he called Gibbs a liar, and that is the point at which I muted the TV and tuned the radio in to MRN. In Waltrip's defense, however, we must remark that perhaps he doesn't know that Stewart's current contract runs through 2009.

The first seventeen laps of the race were without incident. Then came disaster. Elliott Sadler was trying to "Diamond" the track, which means trying to make the straightest line possible by moving from the outside of the corner to the inside for the exit of the turn. That is fine, as long as there is nobody trying to run the inside. Unfortunately, for Sadler, Junior, Smoke, Bowyer, Riggs, Harvick. Kahne, Labonte, and Hamlin, David Gililand was trying to run the inside of the turn, and as Sadler came down the track, the front of Gililand's car hit the left rear of Sadler's car. Sadler's car spins and is hit by the #20 car, which results in a big pile up behind them.

When the race restarts, after the red flag period, everybody pits. Biffle restarts in the lead. Some of the cars that only received minor damage are back on the track quickly, and Labonte's car is the first one that needed repair to reenter the race, two laps down. He is joined by Earnhardt, Jr. who comes on to the track ten laps down.

There is some great racing going on with Biffle, who had taken two tires during the first pit stop in the lead, and Kyle Busch in second. It may be too early to see the dream race match between the two, but the anticipation is there.Biffle seems to be pulling away from Busch. Further back, there has been some good racing between Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards for third place, as the two battle back and forth. On lap 56, Edwards seals the deal for third place.

Of the cars that were involved in the big wreck on lap 17, Tony Stewart's is the last one out, 114 laps down. Hamlin and Sadler are out of the race.

Giving credit to Mike of Trouble in Turn 2, we will fast forward to the final twenty percent of the race, since this is the part of of the race that matters. Besides, we had to run an errand/fall asleep/check on the Indycar race, for a while, so we may have missed something, but it doesn't seem so. Nothing much has happened up to this point. There were some lead changes, but by the time we get to the final green flag pit stops, beginning on lap 317, nothing has changed in the running order of the top six. By the time the pit stops cycle through, Ryan Newman has had to take extra time in the pits to repair brakes, which takes him out of contention, and there are only seven cars on the lead lap.

With 41 laps to go, Kyle Busch has extended his lead over second place Carl Edwards by seven seconds. We are not surprised by that, nor are we surprised that Matt Kenseth is running in fourth place. Kyle Busch, who has been taking care of his car, having finally learned to look at the big picture, much to the disappointment of fans who want to see him wreck someone or be wrecked.

MRN has an interview with Tony Stewart on Kyle Busch:
"I am proud to have him as a team mate...I don't usually stay in the hauler and watch the truck races, but he is a lot of fun to watch...he gets everything he can out of the car and that is what you want in a driver."

One of the reasons folks think Smoke wants to leave JGR is that he doesn't get along with Kyle Busch. If "Jaws" Waltrip heard that interview, he probably thinks Stewart is lying again.

Fourteen laps to go, and Kyle Busch is still first, five seconds ahead of Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle is third, Matt Kenseth is fourth and Jeff Gordon is fifth. Ho hum. That's the way it finishes.

Patience and restraint is the order of the day for today's race. Even the "Wild Thing" decided he didn't have to be so wild to win the race. It didn't make the race exciting, by any means, but it was a race, and it showed that even Kyle Busch can be perfect in hitting his marks and getting around lapped traffic. If you are going to blame the win on the "extra horsepower" of the Toyota engines, you should know that the only other Toyota finishing in the top ten was Dave Blaney in ninth.

I don't know if the reason for the mediocrity of the race was the restrictions on the rear end tracking, or maybe that many of the possible contenders were taken out early in the race. Since NASCAR still allows a half an inch of rear end toe out, I don't think that was really the problem, so we have to believe it may have been a better race if it wasn't for that big crash. The race definitely went downhill from there.

Still, its racing, and we wouldn't have missed it for anything.

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?

Grist for the rumor mill: Dale Earnhardt Jr going fishing?

Our regular reader knows that when it comes to silly season and rumors, Rev'Jim's can be skeptical, and even downright cynical. So when we find something that we label "grist for the rumor mill," is it time to be afraid?
Probably, or perhaps time to think about the possibilities with an open mind. Or not.
The headline at Scene Daily.Com reads "Earnhardt Jr. considering moving JR Motorsports to Cup."
Now that seems innocuous enough. We would expect that would be in Jr.'s plans for the future of his racing team, as he did take people such as his uncle Tony Eury with him when he left DEI. Tony Eury has a lot of Cup experience, so we know he didn't go to JRM to stay in the Nationwide Series.
He has good reason to want to move to cup as soon as possible. NASCAR will be beginning the transition to the Nationwide Series version of the Sprint Cup car, and Jr anticipates the transition will be difficult and expensive.

“I used to say ‘No way, no way,’” Earnhardt Jr. said. “But it’s almost as expensive to run in the Nationwide Series. And they’re going to bring a [car of tomorrow] in and we won’t be able to race in the Nationwide Series with [it] probably. That’ll just be too expensive to switch all that over.”

So it seems like a good idea, if the GM Racing Division can support another team in the Sprint Cup series. They are already committed to Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, Richard Childress Racing, and Hendrick Motorsports through 2012. At best, JRM could expect as much manufacturer support as Haas CNC gets. But,. and this is what caught my attention:

But the popular driver said such a move would occur only “if the right opportunity comes along with the right sponsorship and driver.”

Does he mean like Home Depot, and maybe Tony Stewart?

Moving on

There will come a time when Tony Stewart retires. Whether it is after the 2009 season or the 2013 season, we don't know, but that time will come.
When that time comes, there will be a need for me to select a new favorite driver. Since I have always been loyal to my favorites, I will stick with that driver until he or she retires.
Dale Earnhardt was my favorite, because he made racing exciting for me. He was controversial as well, and yet he had a heart of gold when it came to helping out younger drivers coming into NASCAR, and when it came to charities. When Dale left us so suddenly and prematurely, the only logical choice was another driver who had many of those same attributes, and that was Tony Stewart. Well, he made racing exciting enough for me to start watching again, but the charity part of it, and helping younger drivers didn't come to my attention until later.
So who is next on my list?
I don't know how long Greg Biffle will stay in racing. He is even older than Smoke, and he may retire sometime around the same time Smoke retires, give or take a year. I like to watch him race, barely on the edge of control, and doing whatever he can to get to the front. But how long will he stay? I want to pick a driver who has a little more longevity ensured. For the same reason, even though Matt Kenseth reminds me very much of one of my first favorite drivers, David Pearson, he won't be around long enough to be a viable replacement for Smoke as my favorite driver.
If Tony doesn't retire for three more years, there may be some more interesting drivers who catch my attention between now and then. Joey Logano, for instance, shows a lot of natural talent, and could become an exciting driver. Or, he may just be one of those who hits his marks perfectly, avoids trouble, and takes advantage of somebody else's mistake. I have a lot of respect for drivers who can do that and win, but that is not the kind of talent that gets me excited about a NASCAR driver.
Besides, we will have to wait and see how he does when he enters the NASCAR arena, and how he reacts to the competition. He may very well be the kind of driver I want to call my favorite by 2013.
If Smoke were to retire after the end of next season, my choice is very simple. Kyle Busch. He will grow up, and stop making the mistakes his aggressive style influences him to make. He is among the best talent out there, and I am confident that he can turn that aggression into victories without wrecking others. In fact, he has already done that, this year at Atlanta and Talladega.
But if Tony Stewart were to stay in full time racing for a few more years, that opens possibilities to drivers like Kelly Bires.
Bires has quietly shown that he can compete with the Cup guys, and has shown some fairly consistent finishes in the Nationwide Series. He now stands twelfth in points in that series, but, among Nationwide regulars, he ranks seventh. With the exception of DNF's at Talladega and Mexico City, he has finished only one race outside the top twenty, when he finished thirtieth at Fontana. His highest placed finish was fifth, at Nashville. Bires has caught my attention because he has shown some of the competitive aggressiveness I like in a driver. After a total of thirty Nationwide series races, and eight Truck series races, I think this guy has shown some potential.
There is also Brad Keselowski, whom we all know has cast-iron 'nads. That right there gives a driver a good score for being my next favorite. But his performance has been near the top as well, and I think Dale Jr picked a good'un there. He now ranks seventh in the Nationwide Series points, second among Nationwide regulars, and is only 183 points out of the lead. He is only forty-two points behind Mike Bliss, the leader in points among Nationwide regulars. He has shown us that he can mix it up with the Cup guys, and, in fact, Cup teams are already courting him. And why not? I think he is poised to win one soon, even against the "claim jumpers."
I would like to stick with Smoke as long as possible, but I am ready to jump on the Shrub bandwagon if Tony does retire next year. If he doesn't, then I have time to look at all my options until 2013.

More "pure speculation" on my part, this time.

In spite of all my initial pessimism, skepticism, and cynicism toward the early attention given Tony Stewart's racing or non-racing future, Rev'Jim's RantsnRaves finds itself sucked into the speculation game, hip waders and all.
The blame for this can be put squarely on Randy Moss' entry into the business of NASCAR Truck Series team ownership.
Moss isn't just a NASCAR fan with a lot of money. According to the article he is already somewhat involved in racing:

The interest in racing isn't new to Moss, a 1998 first-round draft pick out of Marshall. He sponsors a local dirt track program in his native West Virginia and serves as a goodwill ambassador for the Urban Youth Racing School headquartered in Philadelphia.

Moss seems to know what he is doing, contracting with Integrety Sports Marketing Group to help him kick start the team and find sponsors, team members, and a manufacturer.

He also told ESPN's NASCAR Now that he has talked to Joe Gibbs for advice and guidance.

Building a successful team means "putting the right people in the right place doing the right things."

If that sounds like Tony Stewart talking about his management at Eldora Speedway ot his Tony Stewart Racing team's success in World of Outlaws and USAC, it is. But, it is also the exact words Randy Moss used on NASCAR Now, Wednesday afternoon while discussing his chances for success as a truck series owner.

Tony Stewart has been listening to offers from other teams, some of which include a partial team ownership, and has described these offers as "exciting."

In statements to the press last week, Joe and JD Gibbs made it clear that such an offer was not in the works for Stewart, if he were to stay with JGR. However, "Our [ownership] deal is set the way it is," Gibbs said. "But we could do some stuff to help him get started with his own team if that's what he really wanted."

Until 2003, JGR fielded a Truck Series team for Coy Gibbs, who gave racing a try then decided he wasn't cut out for it. It is logical to assume that "some stuff" may include supporting a Tony Stewart team in the Truck Series. To those of us who have paid attention to Smoke over the years, it is unlikely that he would be involved in team ownership on the Cup level while racing full time. But if he were to have ownership in the Truck Series, that may be a different story.

If Tony Stewart decides to stay with Gibbs, to race full time until he turns forty, there seems to be an opportunity here for a possible "Stewart-Moss" Toyota team in the Truck Series in 2009. Can you see it?

Maybe not, but the speculation is fun, even without "unnamed sources." And if it actually comes to pass, remember you read it here first.

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.

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.

The Silliest Silly Season of All Time Invokes Hollywood

The hottest news today is that David Stremme, who has been showing a lot of promise this season, will not be driving the #40 car for Ganassi next season. Instead, it looks like we may see the IRL driver, Mr. Ashley Judd (Dario Franchitti) in that seat. For the rest of the year, after the end of the IRL season, Franchitti will be driving Gasassi cars in the ARCA and Busch Series', so it seems as if it is already a done deal. Ashley Judd, the popular Hollywood star, is married to Francinni, and the close association and name recognition means there should be no sponsership problems. From listening to trackside interviews with Judd, one can tell that she is very involved and knowledgeable about racing. She may not be a Delana Harvick, but she is an enthusiastic racing chick.
The scope of this deal goes beyond NASCAR--2003 Champion Sam Hornish, Jr, is also leaving the IRL for NASCAR, which leaves the already thin ranks of Indycar drivers even thinner. That may give Danica Patrick a better chance to make history, but it will be sad when there are only eleven or twelve cars to watch in an Indycar Race.
A quick aside here--I have been watching Danica race this year, and she definitly has what it takes to win a race in the Indycars. She could probably win with Franchitti and Hornish in the race, so I mean nothing derogoatory in my previous statement.
One last word about Dario--his presence in NASCAR means that Carl Edwards won't be the only driver called "Flipper," because, this happened two races in a row:


Click here if you can't see the video


Click here if you can't see the video

Mark Martin will drive part time in the DEI #8 car, which will be the US Army sponsered car. Tony "Stiffy" Eurey, Jr. is joining Dale Earnhardt, Jr., at Hendrick, so where does this leave Alan Gustafson? David Yates will take over the operation of Yates Racing, after his father, Robert retires at the end of this season. Yates Racing says it has a driver for the #88, preumably Travis Kvapil.
To tiredawg In The Pits: No, the world isn't coming to an end, it's only that NASCAR's silly season has managed to last all year, and has opened a wormhole into an alternate reality.

Ricky Rudd -- Back Where He Belongs

I am happy to see Ricky Rudd come out of retirement and go back with Yates Racing. According to this article, he will be racing for Yates with out-of-nowhere and possible ROTY sensation David Gilliland as his teammate. I was ready to bury the entire Yates team, when they were talking about selling all or part of the team to DEI, but I'm good at being wrong, and that is a good thing sometimes. Rudd has plenty of talent, and some of his best races were with Robert Yates. You go, Ricky! It's good to see him back.