Author: Ron Thornton

It was sure something to witness. The two contenders running just over a second apart, first and second, with the winner of the race the winner of the season. Would an engine blow, a tire go down, a split second lack of focus bounce one off the wall? It all made for one heck of a finale, as Tony Stewart won his third Cup championship against a very game Carl Edwards.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]Only two drivers have won the title over the past seven seasons. There was Tony Stewart, then there was J–i–m–m–y   J–o–h–n–s–o–n for five, then Stewart again. The new points system gave us the closest finish ever, dead even in points as Stewart won based on wins, 5-to-1. To do it, he had to overcome a couple of repairs that sent him to the back early on Sunday, along with an air gun that did him no favors twice, and drive like a demon to make hay during the restarts. What a wonderful end to the season, but this isn’t really the end and not everything is wonderful.

For example, Stewart wins with Darian Grubb as his crew chief, that same Darian Grubb who apparently is unemployed today. “Thanks for the title but”, as the Donald would say, “you’re fired.” What the hell? Grubb guides his boss to five Chase wins, makes a real gutsy call late that helped set up the final run to the championship, sees Stewart carrying his boy on the podium like a favorite uncle, and his butt is out the door? That decision was made five races ago, at Charlotte, but what now? Whatever happens, Grubb won’t be unemployed for long, but Stewart could find himself going from Smoke to Grinch in a hurry.

Kevin Harvick Incorporated looked like the next outfit that would grow to become a major player in NASCAR. They won a pair of truck titles, claimed 43 races, and even ten Nationwide series checkered flags. Then, they merged it all with the Richard Childress operation for 2012. We are told it makes economic sense, that it would free up time for Harvick to devote to Cup, but we are left to wonder that if Harvick and KHI can’t make it, who can? I’m sure it will also free up capital to allow Kevin and DeLana to invest in other areas where folks can make honey if they got the money to invest when prices are low.

Goodbye David Reutimann. Adios Brian Vickers. See you later, David Ragan. Sponsorship or the lack of a team send the latter duo shopping for jobs, while it appears Aaron’s did not consider Reutimann their lucky dog any longer and requested a change. Mark Martin and Michael Waltrip will take over the #00, while Red Bull’s possible demise frees Vickers as UPS moves the big brown elsewhere to park Ragan.

Jeremy Mayfield, what in hell happened? Most of us don’t know these men, just know of them and have, at best, a perception of who they might be. Of course, Mayfield could be totally innocent of all the things NASCAR and the law say he has done, but we are getting to the point where, if he is, we are in the midst of one heck of a conspiracy.

Some might not consider this good news, but I do. Might RCR’s #3 make a return to Cup action? Austin Dillon, the grandson of Richard Childress, claimed the truck title this year, and Junior is okay with the 21 year old taking the number Dillon has carried this season, that his grandpa had carried, and what Earnhardt’s daddy made famous driving for RCR back to the Cup level. It might not happen next year, but it could be running in the Nationwide series this year. You know, I would be just fine with it, too.

The new baseball season is still five months away. Our boys, and Danica Patrick, have just three months to get ready for Daytona as Tony tries to make it four championships, Jimmie six, Jeff five, and Carl seeks his first. Enjoy the winter.

As the boys moved on from Martinsville en route to Texas, the Chase has come down to essentially a two man race. Carl Edwards went to Virginia hoping to avoid disaster, which would have been to maintain his average of 16th place finishes there, but moved up in the end to claim 9th. Tony Stewart was in junk all day, told his crew that nothing they did seemed to change that fact, yet moved around Jimmie Johnson in the late stages to claim his third win of the Chase. It was called the Turns Fast Relief 500, and for a pair of guys it sure did.

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”241″][/media-credit]Eight points separate Edwards from his nearest challenger, and if you don’t think wins matter this season, think again. Stewart is eight back, but if those three Chase wins had turned out to be just runner-up results the difference would have been 20. Wins matter, and after what took place last Sunday so does Stewart.

As they move into the Lone Star state, some have a chance if Edwards, at least, finds himself about as lucky as the hare who sacrificed the rabbit’s foot. Kevin Harvick was 4th last weekend and now sits third in the standings, 21 points out. Brad Keselowski was 17th, and he finds himself 27 points back. The rest don’t matter unless Texas turns into the Alamo for the leaders. So, what are the chances?

Edwards has won at Fort Worth three times in 13 starts, but has an average finish of more than 16th. More than half the time he is outside the Top Fifteen, three times 33rd or worse. Stewart has ran there on nineteen occasions, won there five years ago, and has an average outcome of 13th. Six times he has finished fifteenth or worse, three times outside the Top Thirty. Advantage Stewart, unless Edwards wins. I guess that means you will have to watch the action to see how this turns out.

Harvick has never won there, but 60% of his seventeen encounters have ended with him inside the Top Twenty. Keselowski has not done much of anything in his four visits, so that does not bode well for him. Should both Edwards and Stewart falter, Harvick has a shot of getting back into it. If Edwards claims his fourth victory at the track, then Phoenix and Homestead could be somewhat anti-climatic.

While you will be watching the action from Texas, my family and I are taking a short break to visit New York City, Philadelphia, and Gettysburg. We know we should expect to see tall buildings, the Liberty Bell, and the site of Pickett’s Charge on our tour. I don’t know what to expect at Fort Worth, other than maybe the unexpected. The picture should be much clearer when I return as the boys head to Homestead in a couple of weeks. Enjoy your week.

The south has a reputation of being somewhat conservative, and after the weekend’s action in Talladega, Alabama, one Carl Edwards might fit in just nicely. After riding around at the back of the pack most of the day, Cousin Carl settled for just outside the Top Ten, and that suited him just fine.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”256″][/media-credit]You see, as long as you improve the gap between you and the next guy, especially with just four races left in the season and a championship in the balance, 11th place can work for you. Kevin Harvick started the day just five points back, but when he and Kyle Busch both got a good piece of A.J. Allmendinger’s spin they ended up outside the Top Thirty. Another Chaser, Kurt Busch, nailed the spinning Bobby Labonte to end his day with a bang. Ryan Newman was sailing along until his boss sent him sailing into the infield to tear up the front end. All finished back in Nemechek country, which is fine as long as winning is not a consideration.

Only three Chasers finished ahead of Edwards. Brad Keselowski was fourth, and is now third in the standings 18 points back. Matt Kenseth did not do well, as his 18th place finish leaves him 14 in arrears. Tony Stewart had a Top Ten, and is 19 away, as did Denny Hamlin but the damage to his hopes coming into Talladega had him already in next year country. He joins Newman and Jeff Gordon more than 80 out.

Dale Earnhardt Jr was pushing Jimmie Johnson, but in the end they discovered they had nothing for the big boys on the day, both more than twenty spots behind at the line. While Harvick is “just” 26 out of the hunt, the rest are done. If you are Kurt Busch and you see that you are next, 40 back, you are not working on that acceptance speech, at least barring some pretty bad things happening to at least one guy, maybe three or more.

Clint Bowyer is off to be part of Michael Waltrip’s group next year. However, he did manage to slip by team mate Jeff Burton at the line to give Richard Childress his 100th victory as a team owner in this, the 100th year since race car driver Louis Chevrolet started pushing his autos out the door. NASCAR tried to mess with the cars to make two-by-two driving a tougher thing to do on the superspeedway. They failed.

Junior and Jimmie were a team, but the once dominant Earnhardt only led two laps at Talladega, Johnson one as the five-time defending champ now sits 50 points out. The fat lady is now on the stage and the opening bars of her song are being played. Johnson needs more than just Edwards to falter, and it is doubtful to expect that much bad can be expected to come to that many people on the tracks at Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix, and Homestead.

We stay in the south another weekend, as they move on to Virginia. Harvick won there in the spring, Kenseth was 6th, and Edwards was 18th. That would work. Keselowski hopes to improve, as he saw Edwards finish just ahead of him at Martinsville in April. Edwards has never won on this track, was third once three years ago and had a pair of eights in 2010. It could be a track someone might make up some ground, but my conservative estimate is that time is running out for someone to show me they can make a move on the man from Missouri.

This Chase is becoming more and more like one of those reality series. A week goes by and somebody’s nice chef coat gets skewered and their photo bursts into the flames. They get their torch put out, they dance their last waltz, or sing their final tune. Whatever the race’s outcome, somebody seems to get eliminated, though unlike those shows we still get to see them back on the track the next week.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]This week at Charlotte, a few more were at least sent along to Exile Island, as Matt Kenseth came through for his third win of the campaign, and 21st of his career. He had the car to beat and nobody, including a game Kyle Busch, could do it. The victory leaves Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR champion, one of three who need to have bad things happen to them to allow the rest a chance.

Kenseth is seven points behind Carl Edwards, who finished third Saturday night, with sixth place finisher Kevin Harvick just five points back. With just five events left on the season calender, if any one of this trio can keep out of trouble the title could be their own. Not that anyone is wishing them bad fortune, but if it does…

Last week, we pretty much put to bed the chances for Dale Earnhardt Jr, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, and Denny Hamlin, all at least 60 points out into the weeds. Kyle Busch is 18 back, and he is in fourth. Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski, and Kurt Busch now sit between 24 and 27 away. As for Jimmie Johnson, the late wreck that buried him in 34th and left him thirty-five big ones out of the hunt, could have taken him out of the mix for six. Unless, of course, bad things happen to three certain amigos.

I imagine one would need to be within 30 points at Homestead to even have a shot. You know there are a dozen or so cars out there that have no business even starting and can be expected to be back in the garage before most of the rest. The way this season has gone, it is a good bet that the contenders are going to average a minimum of 30 points per race, the champion at least 35. By my way of calculating, that would mean Edwards needs only to average 30 points from here on to maintain a shot at the crown, Johnson 37, and Junior 42. Yes, definitely bad things need to happen to our top three if the rest want to have any hope.

This Sunday they take on the great equalizer, the Talladega Superspeedway. It is a track where Johnson has won twice, including this spring. Harvick also has a win there, but neither Kenseth or Edwards have had the good fortune. In fact, over the past three seasons Carl’s average finish has been 20th on the 2.66 mile circuit, Matt even worse at 27th. Hey, maybe bad things do happen to good people…at least at Talladega.

It has been more than a decade since we lost Dale Earnhardt, but we were again sadly reminded how dangerous this sport can be this past weekend at Las Vegas. Dan Wheldon’s death in what was to have been the IRL’s season finale has taken from us a most talented and likeable young champion. We think of him and those he leaves behind this week.