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Author: SM Staff

  • NASCAR: Tracking The Race to The Chase With Two Races To Go

    Following Bristol, the Chase is looking towards being set in stone with the top 12 drivers.

    Currently, the battle looks as follows: 

    Pos Name Total Points Points Separation
    8. No. 17 Matt Kenseth 3095 +175
    9. No. 48 Jimmie Johnson 3077 +157
    10. No. 2 Kurt Busch 3073 +153
    11. No. 16 Greg Biffle 3055 +135
    12. No. 33 Clint Bowyer 2920 +100
    13. No. 1 Jamie McMurray 2820 -100
    14. No. 5 Mark Martin 2819 -101
    15. No. 39 Ryan Newman 2802 -118
    16. No. 9 Kasey Kahne 2784 -136
    17. No. 00 David Reuitmann 2765 -155
    18. No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2750 -170
    19. No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya 2728 -192
    20. No. 56 Martin Truex Jr. 2660 -260

    All the drivers can still either fall out or jump in as in two races, a 360 point swing is possible. So who will be in and who will be out?

    A way to predict could be based off of past track performance, as shown through average finish. 

    Pos Name Avg. Finish Atlanta Avg. Finish Richmond
    10. No. 2 Kurt Busch 18.7 17.8
    11. No. 16 Greg Biffle 15 16
    12. No. 33 Clint Bowyer 16.4 10.2
    13. No. 1 Jamie McMurray 20.9 25.2
    14. No. 5 Mark Martin 17.3 12
    15. No. 39 Ryan Newman 17.9 11.4
    16. No. 9 Kasey Kahne 16 18.2
    17. No. 00 David Reuitmann 27.3 19.4
    18. No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12 13.2
    19. No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya 18.3 23.4
    20. No. 56 Martin Truex Jr. 24.6 23.7

    Based upon this, you can analyze who could possible get the most points.

    Following Atlanta, Busch (+144) and Biffle (+135) would still be 10th and 11th, above Bowyer, who’d sit 12th. Behind him, Martin would be 13th, now 104 behind. After him, it’d go McMurray (-115), Newman (-139), Kahne (-136), and Earnhardt Jr. (-158). Montoya and Truex, meanwhile, would now be locked out. 

    Following Richmond, Busch (+230), Biffle (+230), and Bowyer (+110) would make the Chase. Behind Bowyer, it’d be Martin (-110), Newman (-127), McMurray (-160), Kahne (-160), and Earnhardt Jr. (-167).

    This is obviously a guess as to what could happen as sometimes people can perform above average (win) or below (wreck) so anything and everything can happen. That is why we watch and what makes us fans.

  • Kyle Busch: What’s In A Name?

    In one of the most famous quotes from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the doomed heroine asks the famous question, “What’s in a name?” This past weekend, Kyle Busch could have asked the same question after some name calling at Bristol Motor Speedway that has continued throughout this week.

    The name calling officially started during driver introductions prior to the Cup race on Saturday evening when Brad Keselowski came out, introduced himself and said, “Kyle Busch is an ass.” Keselowski was still incensed from the night before where Busch admittedly dumped him to win the Nationwide race, positioning himself to sweep the three-race weekend to achieve a record held by none other.

    Since the race weekend, various other names have surfaced for the Bristol trifecta winner. Jennifer Jo Cobb, who was knocked out of the way and spun by Busch during the Camping World Truck race at Bristol on Wednesday evening, had her own name for the driver, “spoiled.”

    “When you don’t have to worry about your equipment and its costs, you become spoiled,” Cobb said. “When you don’t have to worry about punishment from NASCAR, you become spoiled. When you don’t worry about other team’s equipment or safety, you are spoiled. When you have no regard for anyone other than yourself, you are spoiled.”

    “This is not a smear statement,” Cobb continued. “I respect the heck out of Kyle Busch’s driving ability. But I cannot respect someone who has no regard for anyone other than himself.”

    “It’s not about winning because he is good enough to win without putting other teams in jeopardy, yet he does,” Cobb said. “Does he not believe in himself and his own abilities? Is that why he feels like he needs to wreck others to win?”

    In fact, Cobb was willing to give Busch a very different name, that of superhero, if he would just address and adjust his attitude and wrecking style.

    “We can all tell him that it is not necessary to wreck others to win,” Cobb said. “He would be a true superhero if he knew that.”

    “My heroes in this sport are fresh, respectable and have a sense of humility,” Cobb said. “If we are going to be lucky enough to fulfill our dream and be in a position to be looked up to by kids, then let’s have enough discipline to be real winners, not spoiled bullies.”

    In addition to the name of spoiled bestowed by Cobb, David Reutimann, runner up in the Cup race at Bristol, had his own names for Busch as well. Rooty sarcastically dubbed Busch “Professor” and “Superman” after hearing Busch’s post-race analysis of Reutimann’s Bristol driving abilities.

    “I don’t know if it was the fact that his Superman cape was flying out the back when I was behind him and I couldn’t see it or what the deal was,” Reutimann said sarcastically about his nemesis. “We got beat fair and square.”

    “That’s what it comes down to. We just got outrun,” Reutimann continued. “Professor Busch, maybe he can start a driving school at Bristol and the rest of the field can join in and go and he can show all of us what we’re doing wrong. I need help.”

    Other drivers willing to speak their mind, as well as many race fans, seemed to echo the naming sentiments of both Jennifer Jo Cobb and David Reutimann. Truck competitor Todd Bodine said much the same about Busch, dubbing him an outstanding talent, but one that he has little respect for due to Busch’s aggressive style.

    There is one name, however, befitting for Busch that no one can dispute or deny. That name is winner and record setter. No one but Kyle Busch has ever won three major touring series races in NASCAR in one weekend, a feat which Busch accomplished handily at Bristol.

    Busch’s team credited their driver with the record-setting moment, dubbing him with their own new name, that of great.

    “We are in the presence of greatness,” one of Busch’s team members said after the driver crossed the start finish line for the final time at Bristol.

    “I’ve been trying to do this since I got to NASCAR,” Busch said. “I love Bristol and I love winning. And to do it for the first time ever in NASCAR, to sweep the weekend, man that’s pretty awesome.”

    Yet even with that phenomenal accomplishment, the name calling of Busch continues and most likely will do so throughout this off weekend for the Cup Series. Perhaps David Reutimann summed it up best as he took exception to the naming of Busch as great.

    “Kyle Busch is a phenomenal talent,” Reutimann said. “He’s a heck of a race car driver. But it’s not always the stuff you do on the track that makes you great. Richard Petty is great. He was great behind the wheel but he’s also great off the race track. You have to do a little of both.”

  • On Pit Road: Pit Pass at Bristol – A fans ultimate experience

    On Pit Road: Pit Pass at Bristol – A fans ultimate experience

    Ask any race fan what they would want most at a NASCAR race, and most would tell you they’d give almost anything for a garage pass.  Now, ask them what track they would most want one at, and 90% would tell you Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Of course, as any longtime fan would tell you, a hot pass is out of the question for a normal fan and that pass at Bristol is simply impossible.  Well, any fan except maybe Barbara Albert from Camden, Tennessee.  Barbara has been a fan since her first NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1993.  She attended that race with her husband and by lap 25 she was totally lost.  She could not determine who was running where, but she was enjoying the show.  It was at that point that she decided that she needed to educate herself about racing and the drivers, which she began doing then.

    Now, seventeen years later, at 73 years old, Barbara is a near expert at NASCAR and it’s drivers.  But like most fans, she cannot afford to attend a bunch of races each year, so she and her daughter, Tiana Lemons of Nashville have season tickets for Nashville SuperSpeedway and then try to attend one other race per year at another track.  This year they picked Bristol for that second race and were looking forward to experiencing the ’Night Race’ in August.

    Both mother and daughter living in and near Nashville, they were both quite familiar with the devastation of the floods that struck the Nashville area earlier this year, but they surely never thought the floods would present a rare opportunity for them.  As they were preparing to attend  the NASCAR Nationwide Series race, the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville they learned of  the efforts by Nashville SuperSpeedway, NASCAR, Nationwide Insurance and several of the Nationwide teams to raise funds for the flood relief efforts. 

    Among the efforts was a silent auction to be held at the track on race day, with items donated by several teams.  As they perused the list of sheet metal, and various clothing items, Barbara spotted one item that she could not believe, it was an auction for a pair of pit passes at one of three upcoming NASCAR Nationwide Series races.

    The passes were being offered by the #70 team of  ML Motorsports and driver Shelby Howard.  The three race options were at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Gateway International Raceway and the ’Night Race’ at Bristol Motor Speedway.   As they made their way through the auction items, they finally found these ’pit passes’ and discovered that no one had bid on them. The silent auction was an open bid system where you signed your name and entered your bid amount.  Other race fans then had the allotted time frame to up the bid in an attempt to ’win’ the auction.  With this in mind Barbara bid what she hoped was a high enough bid to secure the auction.  Each time she and Tiana checked back, they anxiously discovered that no one had bid against them.  Finally, just before race time, the auctions were closed and Barbara was notified that she was indeed the auction winner.  The choice of which race was simple, they already had tickets for the Bristol race.

    Two months later Barbara and Tiana made their way east from Nashville, TN. to the Mecca of Motorsports, Bristol Motor Speedway, early enough to attend the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series  race on Wednesday.  They set up their tent at nearby Red Barn Campground, showing that they are true diehard NASCAR fans and headed to the track to attend the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. That turned out to be a good night for Barbara as she watched her favorite driver, Kyle Busch win the first race of the weekend.

    Thursday they dodged the early rain before heading to downtown Bristol, to attend the Food City Family Day. Mother and daughter took time to do a bit of sightseeing, shopping and then to have lunch. From lunch they headed back to the track and reported to the NASCAR Nationwide Series credential office to be issued those illusive Bristol hot Passes.  Later, the evening was capped off as they headed back to the track where they found themselves a place near the track’s south entrance to see the famous NASCAR Sprint Cup hauler parade.

    Finally, on Friday, the big day arrived, after working their way through track security, they entered the tunnel to the Bristol infield in search of the #70 ML Motorsports hauler.  They had spoken with Jennifer Weaver, Team rep for ML on the phone but they were anxious to meet with her in person.  To this point, neither mother or daughter were sure just what kind of access they were really about to have, but they were instructed to report to the team hauler for assistance.  While passing through the tunnel they spotted a girl wearing an ML Motorsports shirt and stopped her.  The girl was in fact Jennifer who escorted them to the hauler and got them started on their experience.

    Excited about the opportunity, they arrived at the hauler bearing homemade baked goods in appreciation for the team members.  In disbelief they were invited to join team members in the Lounge area of the hauler where they began to ask just what and where they where allowed to go.  When told that they basically had access to all open areas of the garage they happily headed to the Cup side in quest of  driver autographs. Bristol Motor Speedway was really a great choice for this pass, as it is the only track on the circuit where the Nationwide and the Sprint Cup share the same garage area on Friday.  The first driver they encountered was Jimmy Johnson, then came Jeff Gordon.  Tiana managed to track down Bobby Labonte as he was headed back to the hauler after practice.  “ I don’t know how those guys do it,” stated Tiana, “ when Bobby was signing, his arm brushed against mine, and his driver’s suit was soaking wet.”

    As the Nationwide cars lined up for qualifying, they joined the team on pit road to wish Shelby Howard good luck on his qualifying effort.  With the #70 car off, they worked their way down pit road, snapping pictures of several drivers along the way.  Working their way back to the Nationwide garage area, Barbara was surprised when she was introduced to and asked to pose for a picture with her first winner, Morgan Shepherd.

    To their complete surprise, team members invited them to join them on the front stretch of the track where they got to be front and center for driver introductions. Come race time, mother and daughter found themselves the guest of the #70 ForeTravel Motor Coach team in their Pit area, where they had highboy chairs behind the pit box.  Interacting with team members, they got to know each one and their duties.  During the race, they were both invited to sit on top of the pit box with crew chief Chris Rice.  Barbara declined, due to a bad knee, but Tiana wasted no time in accepting the offer and climbing topside. They remained with the #70 throughout the race, and then headed to the end of pit road to see the drivers as they exited their cars and headed toward the haulers.

    Saturday afternoon they returned to the track to take their place as ‘normal’ fans for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race festivities.  But to each of them, they will never again be ‘normal’ fans. Tiana summed up the weekend and especially their Friday as “An incredible experience that I will never forget.”  Barbara said,” I really enjoyed the races, the whole weekend was Fantastic!” “The ML Motorsports team really treated us like Royalty” said Barbara “This whole experience was really much more than I could have dreamed for, and the fact that this was the result of efforts by so many people to help the Nashville Flood victims made it even better“ 

    Barbara and Tiana are not sure just which races they will attend next year, but you can be sure they will be at Nashville SuperSpeedway on April 22 and 23rd.

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A new rowdy racing adventure for the rowdy one

    Last week Kyle Busch ran three races at the Bristol Motor Speedway and made NASCAR history by winning all three of them. It marked the first time any driver has won events in the Camping World Truck Series, Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup on the same weekend at the same track.

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be taking a well deserved weekend off before they wind down their regular season before the Chase starts. That actually turned out to be somewhat of a dilemma for Kyle Busch. He only has one scheduled race this week: the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event Friday night at the Chicagoland Speedway.

    This is a driver who pads his busy schedule with as many races as possible. So to fill the racing void of this week’s schedule, Busch has recently turned his attention to the world of short course stadium racing and their high powered racing trucks. In particular he has chosen to visit the Traxxas TORC Series, presented by Amsoil.

    TORC, which stands for The Off Road Championship, is one of the most intense, and often brutal, racing series you could name. The series turns half mile dirt track ovals into one mile off road racing courses complete with sweeping, high banked, road course style turns, motocross style jumps and special features like turn tables and whoops that gives the appearance that these trucks were shot out of a cannon.

    This is a form of racing where hard contact is the norm and not the exception. The life expectancy of sheet metal fenders is approximately five laps. It’s a racing world where a truck can land on its roof without warning. It’s also an incredibly exciting form of racing that attracts a growing legion of fans and has garnered the attention of national television. The first of 26 episodes of “The Off Road Championship” will debut on the Discovery HD Theatre Network on September 2nd.

    Should Coach Joe Gibbs, the owner of Kyle Busch’s NASCAR Sprint Cup team, be worried about his superstar driver entering this particular brand of rough and tumble racing? You bet he should.

    Busch will make his Traxxas TORC debut on Wednesday and Thursday at the Route 66 Raceway in Joliet-Illinois. He will be driving a Traxxas sponsored Toyota Truck in the series’ Pro 2 division. This division features custom, full size two wheel drive trucks. The Toyota Busch will drive in the pair of races was built by Mark and Mike Jenkins widely regarded as two of the best in the business.

    Busch’s venture into short course racing this week is also an opportunity to do some sponsor co branding. Traxxas, “the fastest name in radio control,” is a renown designer and retailer of some of the finest radio control race vehicles in the country. Traxxas recently signed a three race deal to sponsor Kyle Busch’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota. The first of the three races will be Friday night at the Chicagoland Speedway.

    To prepare for this new racing adventure Busch spent some time last week at the Wisconsin based Crandon International Off Road Raceway where he worked out with Rob MacCachren, the current Pro 2 Series points leader, and Jeff Kincaid, the winner of the most recent TORC Series race.

    Busch began his new racing orientation slow and easy at first but, by the end of the day, turned his best lap which was one-tenth of a second from the fastest lap turned in by anyone during the test session. An elated Busch sent a “Twitter” message that read: “was in Cranston-Wisconsin today testing the Traxxas TORC off road truck. What a blast to drive. Got pretty good I guess. As fast as the good guys.”

    Team co owner Mike Jenkins was extremely impressed with Busch during the test. “He started the day off with no experience and ended it as an off road racer,” Jenkins said. “He was tip toeing around the first session, getting the feel. He was within three seconds of the fastest lap in his first time out. That’s mind blowing. Its one thing to race on pavement and it’s another to do it off road. All the possible track conditions and he made the transition to off road racer in one day,” Jenkins added.

    During a television interview Monday afternoon, Busch commented on his TORC debut and said “I have no real expectations; I think it just going to be a lot of fun.”

    It wouldn’t surprise me if he won all three of his scheduled races this week.

  • Speedway Media News and Bits NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

    Here is your NASCAR Sprint Cup Series News and Bits:

    ** This week is a off weekend for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, their next race will be the Emory Hamilton 500 at the 1.54-mile-tri-oval Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday September 5th at 7:30 P.M.(ET) and televised on ESPN. These are your current point standings going into race 25.

    Position Driver Points
    1 Kevin Harvick 3,521
    2 Jeff Gordon 3,242
    3 Kyle Busch 3,170
    4 Carl Edwards 3,113
    5 Denny Hamlin 3,108
    6 Tony Stewart 3,107
    7 Jeff Burton 3,101
    8 Matt Kenseth 3,095
    9 Jimmie Johnson 3,077
    10 Kurt Busch 3,073
    11 Greg Biffle 3,055
    12 Clint Bowyer 2,920
    13 Jamie McMurry 2,820
    14 Mark Martin 2,819
    15 Ryan Newman 2,802
    16 Kasey Khane 2,784

    **Emphasis on Winning, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase breakdown with potential Chase bonous points added in.

    Driver Wins Current Position Potential Chase  Bonous Ponts Potential Chase Seeding
    Jimmie Johnson 5 9th 50 1st
    Denny Hamlin 5 5th 50 2nd
    Kevin Harvick 3 1st 30 3rd
    Kyle Busch 3 3rd 30 4th
    Kurt Busch 2 10th 20 5th
    Greg Biffle 1 11th 10 6th
    Tony Stewart 0 6th 0 7th
    Jeff Gordon 0 2nd 0 8th
    Carl Edwards 0 4th 0 9th
    Jeff Burton 0 7th 0 10th
    Matt Kenseth 0 8th 0 11th
    Clint Bowyer 0 12th 0 12

    **Just because it is a blank spot on the calender, does NOT make it an off week for some Sprint Cup Series regulars. On Friday night at Chicagoland Speedway, Kyle Busch will race in the Enjoyillinois.com 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event. Busch, the current defending champion at Chicagoland will attempt to win four consecutive national series races.

    On Sunday, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Brad Keslowski,Max Papis,Marcos Ambrose,Carl Edwards, Michael McDowell,Joe Nemechek, and Paul Menard will run the NAPA Auto Parts 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series event. Edwards is the defending winner.

    Kasey Khane will head to Alger, Washington to run a sprint car in his foundation’s Sage Fruit Showdown at Skagit Speedway. Khane started racing at the high-banked, .300-mile dirt track when was 15.

    Some drivers are taking time off to travel: Juan Pablo Montoya is vacating in Aruba and Jamie McMurry is flying to Italy.

    **In other news Michael Waltrip Racing and Insurance Office Of America &  Announce Corporate Partnership Agreement. The agreement marks IOA’s debut in NASCAR.

    The partnership between MWR and IOA is for an initial five-year term with a five-year option. In addition to the insurance brokerage services, the IOA program includes hospitality and intellectual property usage that IOA will add to its national branding campaign.

    IOA’s program uses sports and entertainment as its lead platform for strategic growth. MWR joins a growing number of professional sports teams as IOA’s client, including partnerships with teams in the National Football League (Jaguars), National Basketball Association (Magic) National Hockey League (Devils) and the NCAA (University of Central Florida).

    “This is an exciting time for IOA to enter into NASCAR. We look forward to working with Michael, (MWR Co-owner) Rob Kauffman and the entire team at MWR,” said IOA founder John Ritenour.

    Chris Marciani, vice president of sales and service at Michael Waltrip Racing, said the team is honored IOA chose MWR as its first NASCAR Team.

  • Suspended Indefinitely! Unless We Like You!!!

    Today, Randy LaJoie was reinstated into the sport of NASCAR, after being “suspended indefinitely” by the sanctioning body after a failed drug test during a party Memorial Day Weekend. News of the failed drug test broke on June 22nd.

    Now Randy LaJoie is a good guy and I understand he is sorry for what he has done, but this is an extreme slap on the wrist by NASCAR. This is a sport that has a “no tolerance” when it comes to drug tests and didn’t even want to listen to Shane Hmeil’s nor Jeremy Mayfield’s excuses.

    So what makes Randy LaJoie different? I understand he doesn’t drive anymore, but when Mayfield wanted to run his team NASCAR would not let him anywhere near the track. So is that fair to Jeremy Mayfield.

    I understand he has been a thorn in the side of NASCAR since his penalty was announced, but why penalize him for caring about his career and putting up a good fight! I haven’t heard anything about letting Mayfield into the sport as an owner and not a driver, but perhaps they should.

    This to me is just one of many things NASCAR does to favor other people. LaJoie is a loveable character; I hear him on Sirius NASCAR Radio every other week and see him on television just as much.

    Yet, because of that he is allowed to be in the sport! I don’t understand NASCAR’s logic! You can’t take drugs or you will be suspended for a long time, unless of course we like you then we will let you back in after two months!

    That sends a real strong message through the garage area let me tell you! The no tolerance policy is a good one. With all the problems NFL and NBA and other sports have with the law, it’s refreshing to see that NASCAR doesn’t have much of that or drug problems.

    Carl Long was suspended longer for having his engine 1/16th of an inch wider than it should have been during an all-star race! I don’t know about you people, but I would rather have my kid measure wrong or forget to double check than take drugs.

    This is a terrible move by NASCAR and everyone involved!

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A truck series tailgate party in the windy city

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be bringing their high energy tailgate party to Joliet-Illinois, the home of the Chicagoland Speedway. Friday night’s Enjoy Illinois Dot Com 225 is expected to be another exciting evening with NASCAR’s truck brigade on a massive 1.5 mile oval. The series has been rather busy lately. Friday night’s race is their eighth consecutive week. The Chicagoland Speedway event will be a shared billing event with the Indy Racing League a collaboration that has worked well for everyone involved in the past.

    THE STORY BREAKDOWN

    Kyle Busch is the defending race winner and, following his amazing performance at Bristol last week, the question is will he win his fourth consecutive NASCAR national touring race in a row? The raw numbers certainly seems to support the theory. First off, he’s the defending race winner from 2009. In 77 official series’ starts he’s won 19 of them and that computes to approximately one win for every four starts. In a very short matter of time Busch is already fifth on the series’ all time winner’s list.

    Kyle Busch Motorsports will also be looking forward to welcoming a new team sponsor to victory lane Friday night. Traxxas Radio Controlled Cars will be on the hood, of the team’s Toyota Tundra, for the first of three races. KBM is hoping that the company’s first venture into NASCAR racing will entice them to further the new relationship into the 2011 season.

    The Chicagoland Speedway event is also a home coming for Busch and his family. Both his parents, as well as his fiancée’s parents are originally from the Chicago area.

    ***********

    However Todd “The Onion” Bodine has a different plan in mind for Friday night. First off he’ll be looking to pad his points lead, currently 211 points, over Aric Almirola while seeking his fourth win of the year as well as his 21st career win. There are also strong numbers to support this winner’s theory as well. Bodine’s efforts on 1.5 mile tracks are outstanding. He’s won 11 times on these tracks.

    *********

    Meanwhile Aric Almirola will have something at his disposal that Kyle Busch used to have. It’s the very same Billy Ballew Motorsports Toyota Tundra that Busch drove to victory at Chicagoland last year. Almirola, second in the championship standings, will be looking to trim some fat from Bodine’s points lead in addition to seeking his third win of the season.

    ***********

    Ron Hornaday Jr has endured an uncharacteristic up and down season based on some specific racing incidents that were not of his making. He goes into Friday night’s race fifth in the standings based on one win, eight top five finishes and ten top tens. The driver of the #33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc will be looking for his first Chicagoland win Friday night. There are presently eight 1.5 mile speedways on the series’ schedule. Hornaday has found victory lane at six of them. The two tracks missing on Hornaday’s list are Chicagoland and Las Vegas where the series will race at next month.

    **********

    The law of averages states that Mike Skinner is bound to find victory lane this year sooner or later. The driver of the #5 Randy Moss Motorsports Toyota is currently ranked eighth in the standings based on eight top five finishes this year.

    There has been a lot of speculation regarding the team finances of the Randy Moss Motorsports operation over the past several weeks. There are genuine concerns in place but it will not impact Skinner’s ride. His Toyota is fully funded by International Trucks and Monaco RV’s for the remainder of the season.

    But the same cannot be said for his team mate David Starr and the #81 Randy Moss Motorsports Toyota. That operation has been parked for the next two races with plans to put it back on the track at the New Hampshire race. The team has sponsorship from Zachary but it’s only a part time program. The other problem is some recent crashed trucks such as the devastating damages to Starr’s truck at last week’s Bristol race. There has also been a recent report of temporary lay offs from this team.

    ***********

    THE RACE BREAKDOWN

    The Enjoy Illinois Dot Com 225 is 150 laps/225 miles around the Chicagoland Speedway’s 1.5 mile D shaped oval.

    The race has 38 entries vying for the 36 starting berths. 13 of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning they do not have a guaranteed start because they are currently outside of the top 25 of the series’ owner’s points standings.

    The series will once again use the multi truck qualifying program debuted earlier this year. Two trucks will be sent out on the track at the same time. Qualifying will be broadcast live by SPEED on Friday afternoon beginning at 430 pm eastern time.

    SPEED will also broadcast the Enjoy Illinois Dot Com 225 live beginning at 830 pm eastern time.

  • NASCAR Nationwide Series Going Through Changes for 2011

    As the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule centers the majority of the discussion, the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule is also getting flipped upside down.

    The majority of the changes center on the changes of the Cup schedule, though some are unique to the Nationwide Series.

    Daytona International Speedway will still open the schedule, starting the season on February 19th.

    Phoenix International Raceway becomes race No. two as it replaces Auto Club Speedway (Fontana).

    Fontana will become race No. five as it goes back to it’s traditional slot, replacing Nashville Superspeedway.

    Texas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway each will move up a lot on the schedule as a result of the changes, with Nashville taking Talladega’s old date in slot No. eight.

    While these changes take place, Las Vegas Motor Speedway keeps date No. three and Bristol Motor Speedway keep dates No. five.

    Races nine through 11 will stay the same as it will be Richmond International Raceway, Darlington Raceway, and Dover International Speedway.

    Race No. 12 will now become Iowa Speedway, replacing Charlotte Motor Speedway. Iowa will now have two dates on the schedule for the first time.

    Charlotte will bump down to race No. 13, replacing Nashville.

    Nashville moves down to race No. 20, replacing O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.

    Races No. 20 to No. 22 on the old schedule will each get bumped down as a result of the changes, becoming races No. 21 to No. 23. These three races are Indianapolis, Iowa, and Watkin’s Glen International.

    The last fall in the schedule causes Watkin’s Glen to bump Michigan International Speedway. Michigan will move to slot No. 15, bumping Road America down to slot 16, replacing New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    New Hampshire will then move to slot 19, replacing Gateway, who will no longer have neither date on the schedule.

    Getting back to the middle of the schedule, Chicagoland Speedway will gain a second date, replacing Kentucky’s race in slot 14.

    Kentucky will then move to slot 18, replacing Chicago’s old date.

    Chicago will then move that date to slot 28, bumping Dover and Kansas down to slots 29 and 30. Fontana, who held slot 30 before, will no longer have a second date.

    Meanwhile, race No. 17 will stay as Daytona, races 24 and 25 last year at Bristol and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, will be flipped for next year, and Atlanta Motor Speedway and Richmond will remain as races 26 and 27.

    Getting to the last four races of the schedule, they’ll be Charlotte, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    Gateway, which held a race between Charlotte and Texas, will become an off-week due to the previous statement of Gateway disappearing off the schedule.

    As seen by the article, the changes are a mess of confusion for everybody.

    As far as format changes, there is talk of a way to focus only on Nationwide regulars and maybe also an addition of a Chase format.

    With the new car, the schedule and possible rule changes, next year could be quite interesting.

     

    2011 NASCAR Nationwide Schedule

    1. Daytona International Speedway
    2. Phoenix International Raceway
    3. Las Vegas Motor Speedway
    4. Bristol Motor Speedway
    5. Auto Club Speedway
    6. Texas Motor Speedway
    7. Talladega Superspeedway
    8. Nashville Superspeedway
    9. Richmond International Raceway
    10. Darlington Raceway
    11. Dover International Speedway
    12. Iowa Speedway
    13. Charlotte Motor Speedway
    14. Chicagoland Speedway
    15. Michigan International Speedway
    16. Road America
    17. Daytona International Speedway
    18. Kentucky Speedway
    19. New Hampshire Motor Speedway
    20. Nashville Superspeedway
    21. O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
    22. Iowa Speedway
    23. Watkin’s Glen International
    24. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal
    25. Bristol Motor Speedway
    26. Atlanta Motor Speedway
    27. Richmond International Raceway
    28. Chicagoland Speedway
    29. Dover International Speedway
    30. Kansas Speedway
    31. Charlotte Motor Speedway
    32. Texas Motor Speedway
    33. Phoenix International Raceway
    34. Homestead-Miami Speedway

  • The Bristol Verdict? Nationwide Good, Sprint Cup Ehh

    Race weekend at Bristol had a little of everything. There for all to enjoy were hot days, humid evenings, lots of people, and one heckuva thunderstorm in the early hours of Sunday morning that woke up the whole area and tore the outside awning off our RV.  Luckily, all was dry for the three races run at the high-banked track oval, but something was missing and you can point to the progressive banking as the cause. Or was it?

    I missed the truck race for various reasons, but eyewitnesses tell me it was a spirited event and a crowd pleaser. The same with the Nationwide Series race, which I did attend.  That little event had it all. Good, close racing and a couple of “incidents” that had the crowd buzzing into Monday. 

    Kasey Kahne got pinched and found his Toyota with its right side tires on top of the wall. I’d never seen anything like it anywhere and the fans talked about it all night. 

    Later, eventual winner Kyle Busch and point leader Brad Keselowski were fighting for the lead. Keselowski passed Busch and in the process pushed him up near the wall. Busch came back immediately and got into the left year of Keselowski and sent him spinning. 

    The crowd booed. Kyle Busch is not the most popular driver on the tour, but especially at Bristol, he is clearly the villain. Later, listening to fans and talk radio, many insisted that Busch should be fined for his actions. 

    Citing the penalty given Carl Edwards earlier in a skirmish with Keselowski, Busch should have been banned from the sport. Or so they say. Balderdash! Having watched a lot of races at Bristol, what happened was just Bristol racing. Something we’ve seen little of lately. I submit to you the Sprint Cup race.

    At this point, many point to the new track configuration and the progressive banking used on the concrete surface. 

    I’m torn on this, but I believe it has more to do with The Chase than the banking. Although the new banking made the track a more than one groove track, which eliminated the multiple cautions that used to dominate the racing, the race comes at the time of the year when drivers are more interested in points than going for the gold. 

    Several times, I watched those contenders tip-toe around cars and take the safe route rather than racing hard. That’s a shame. It didn’t seem to affect the drivers in the Nationwide or Camping World truck races, so is it really the banking? Good question. Regardless, it looks like many fans have given up on the night race at Bristol. 

    Sure, it was a good crowd. I’d guess at about 125,000, but I’m sure the track estimate will be higher. There were large areas of empty seats masquerading as fans.  

    For sure, it’s not the same and never will be. Once the hardest ticket to obtain in sports had people offering ducats for as low as $20 on Saturday morning and people giving their extra tickets away at race time. Scalpers were paying so little for tickets that many just gave up. It was not the economy when that many did show up. It had to be the expected show.

    I don’t know the answer, but maybe a Bristol night race in June or one in the Chase? Beats me, but I didn’t like what I saw, and it had nothing to do with the winner of all three races.

  • HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: The Bristol victory lane gets a clean sweeping

    During the Bristol Motor Speedway’s Festival of Speed we witnessed a young driver create NASCAR history that had him literally sweeping victory lane. We were entertained by another episode from “Bad Brad” who once again found himself the unwanted center of attention. We also witnessed another free fall by a four time NASCAR champion that has us all wondering what’s going on. With those thoughts in mind, let’s begin with:

    HOORAH for Kyle Busch for sweeping all three races at the Bristol Motor Speedway and setting a new NASCAR record that may never be broken anytime soon if at all. There is a small list of drivers who have the distinction of saying they won races in all three of NASCAR’s national touring series at the same track. But in those cases there were long gaps of time between those wins. Kyle Busch toppled that feat in three consecutive races within a period of 72 hours. His accomplishment is indeed NASCAR history.

    With that accomplishment came some equally impressive numbers. Busch now has 16 wins this season in NASCAR’s big three national touring series. The breakdown is three wins in the Sprint Cup Series, three in the Camping World Truck Series and he tied his own Nationwide Series record that he shares with Sam Ard, with ten wins. During the Bristol weekend Busch ran a total of 956 laps while leading 514 of them. The paychecks were hefty also. Busch collected a total of $432,001 during the three Bristol events.

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    But WAZZUP with the drama that surrounded this amazing accomplishment? The attention grabbing drama started during Wednesday night’s O’Reilly 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Busch, in his self owned Toyota, won the pole in qualifying only have to start at the back of the pack due to pre race engine repairs.

    But the real drama in this truck race came at the end of the race. Some WAZZUP contact between Justin Lofton and David Starr, with only two laps left in the race, resulted in the Starr truck sliding up the track and into Ken Schrader’s truck. The contact was hard and a red flag was thrown by officials in order to safely perform the track clean up.

    The green-white-checker finish that was to come created another dramatic question for Busch to consider: was there enough fuel in the tank to run the overtime laps? The team only made one stop for fuel in the race while gambling there would not be any overtime. The problem lied in the fact that the high banks of Bristol, 24 to 30 degrees, caused all of the fuel to collect to the left side of the tank. Unfortunately the fuel pick up, that feeds the fuel line and pump, is located on the tank’s right side. On the restart Busch admitted that the engine sputtered and he seriously wondered if he would make it to the checkers.

    He got incredibly lucky coming into the final lap. Busch crossed under the white flag just as the final accident of the race presented the final caution flag. But even approaching the combined yellow and checkered flags his engine was sputtering. That’s how close he came to losing this race.

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    Friday night’s Food City 250 also presented some WAZZUP drama as well. With 32 laps remaining, Busch and Brad Keselowski were racing hard for the race lead. Keselowski did a bump and run, which caused Busch to get loose and nudge the wall, and then passed for the lead. An angry Busch hooked him on the left rear quarter panel and turned him. Busch made it quite clear in victory lane that he didn’t appreciate Keselowski racing him that way and made it even more clear that he intentionally “dumped him.”

    HOORAH to NASCAR for standing behind their “have it boys” policy established last January. NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said they viewed the incident as “good, hard racing and no action will be taken.”

    HOORAH for the reaction that came from this incident. The anticipation that the hard feelings between the two drivers could spill over into Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race led to a last day surge in ticket sales that filled a lot of expected empty seats. Saturday night’s race drew 155,000 fans. Many of them stood in the rain Saturday afternoon to purchase tickets for that night.

    That fact did not escape the attention of NASCAR icon Bobby Allison who quipped “I think old Brad and Kyle probably sold some tickets for tonight’s race at the end of last night’s race. There’s nothing more a promoter loves than a good fight, or at least the chance there might be a fight.”

    That moment never came during Saturday night’s race. In fact the two drivers used a great deal of common sense and caution whenever they found themselves racing together. But you can bet those 155,000 fans jumped to their feet every time these two drivers approached each other.

    Kyle Busch led the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol by leading four times for a total of 283 laps. But WAZZUP with his mind playing tricks on him during the final laps? Busch radioed in and swore that the track bar mount fell off of his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Then he called back again and said it could be a possible flat tire. That was him hearing every little creak and groan from the car while trying to get that Bristol sweep.

    Not only did he get the sweep and his third Sprint Cup win of the season, but he also moved to third in the points standings. All Busch had to do is just start the next two races and he will clinch a guaranteed spot in the Chase. Then again, the way he’s running he will probably sew up the Chase berth at the Atlanta race.

    HOORAH to Bristol Motor Speedway officials for presenting Busch an official broom in victory lane. A delighted race winner was only too happy to symbolically sweep the Bristol victory lane.

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    HOORAH for some great one liners from some of the drivers during the driver introductions prior to the Sprint Cup Irwin Tools Night Race. The drivers were introduced to the fans backed by musical selections they picked out and were allowed to say a few words over the microphone.

    When Kyle Busch was introduced he was presented with a giant bushel basket of freshly picked boo berries from the fans. The “Rowdy” one, who seems to revel in these moments, laughed and said “Y’all are so loving, I’m ready to win again.”

    His Friday night rival said “I’m Brad Keselowski, driver of the #12 Penske Dodge-Kyle Busch is an ass.” Needless to say, that announcement was greeted with a standing ovation.

    Driver A J Allmendinger said “I just hope I’m ahead of Kyle and Brad when this all goes down tonight.”

    Tony Stewart responded by saying “I do want to be around Brad and Kyle when they get together because I want to see a good wreck.”

    Carl Edwards, who’s past problems with Keselowski has been very well documented, walked out on to the stage to the refrains of “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” the old classic by War from 1975.

    HOORAH to the 155,000 Bristol Motor Speedway fans who stood and cheered after Kyle Busch completed the Bristol sweep. Many of them are not Kyle Busch fans, and never will be, but they truly respected his NASCAR history making moment.

    Busch himself deserves another HOORAH for a typically sarcastic, but very funny, comment made during the traditional winner’s post race press conference. A reporter asked him about Brad. Busch replied “who?” The reporter said “Brad Keselowski” and Busch replied “I’ve never heard of him.” The reporter countered with “he drives the red #12 Dodge.” Busch responded with “oh yeah, I seen him then I passed him.”

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    The Bristol Motor Speedway, with its progressive banking and concrete surface, can easily bring out the best and the worst of any driver. It will also run them through every human emotion you can name in between. The following is just a few examples.

    HOORAH to Miguel Paludo, the Brazilian sports car champion who made his NASCAR debut last Wednesday in the Camping World Truck Series. Many racing observers said that Paludo and his team owners, the Germain Brothers, were completely nuts for staging a NASCAR debut at the Bristol Motor Speedway. However Paludo responded to the Bristol challenge and finished an amazing ninth and on the lead lap. Now those same critics are wondering if the Germain Brothers have landed something very special

    HOORAH to Michael Waltrip Racing’s David Reutimann for a strong second place finish in the Bristol Sprint Cup race despite spending two days in bed while suffering horribly from food poisoning.

    HOORAH to Richard Childress Racing’s Clint Bowyer who turned a 24th place starting berth into a fourth place finish in the Irwin Tools Night Race. More importantly, the good points night has returned Bowyer to the top 12 in points with a 100 point cushion over Jamie McMurray in 13th.

    HOORAH to Jeff Gordon and the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team for officially clinching his berth in the Chase line up at Bristol. That’s the good news. The WAZZUP lies in the fact that the four time NASCAR champion, and multiple Bristol race winner, just couldn’t seem to get a handle on his car’s set up. He started 26th in the race due to a spin out in qualifying but did manage to claim an 11th place finish. It was, surprisingly, the best run of the four Hendrick cars.

    Speaking of Hendrick teams, WAZZUP with Jimmie Johnson and the continuation of the #48 team’s downward spiral? Midway through the race Johnson was hooked and turned by Juan Pablo Montoya into the wall. A split oil cooler forced Johnson behind the wall. Even worse, the latest round of bad luck has dropped the four time champion to ninth in the points, The good news is the fact that he’s still 257 points ahead of 13th place in the standings and his five previous wins, along with the 50 bonus that comes with them, will return him to the top of the ranking when NASCAR resets the points for the 12 Chase contenders. But the point that cannot be overlooked here is the fact that this powerhouse team hasn’t scored a top ten finish in the last seven races and everyone is wondering why that is.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr gets a HOORAH for keeping his #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the top ten for much of the Bristol race although he faded to a 13th place finish by the end. But, for the kind of season this team is having, a 13th place finish has got to feel pretty good. Maybe the fact that Junior shaved his beard last weekend had something to do with it.

    But WAZZUP with frustration and temperament again disrupting Earnhardt’s communication levels with crew chief Lance McGrew? During Friday’s final practice session Earnhardt came over the radio and yelled “this car is crap.” Unfortunately, that doesn’t exactly tell the crew chief that the car is so tight he’s having trouble driving it. It actually doesn’t tell anyone much of anything. More and more this level of communication is becoming a real problem between Earnhardt and McGrew and could turn out to the the catalyst for a parting of the ways.

    WAZZUP with more bad luck for the Sprint Cup Series’ other five time winner? Denny Hamlin had to take his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota behind the wall for a reported bad vibration. It turned out that the problem was a snapped drive shaft which is a rarity in this day and age. Hamlin finished 34th in the race but still remains fifth in the Chase standings.

    WAZZUP with Mark Martin and the mediocre performance of his #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet? Many felt that Bristol might be a positive turning point for Martin and company because he has such strong numbers there. But the car didn’t seem to ever hit it’s stride and all the adjustments in the world couldn’t seem to make it right. Martin finished 23d and unfortunately fell from 12th to 14th in the Chase standings. He’s now 101 points from returning to the top 12. But, with only two regular season races left before the Chase begins, it appears that his championship hopes may be over.

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    There were also a couple of bizarre WAZZUPS from Friday night’s Food City 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race as well. The first one absolutely goes to that wild ride Kasey Kahne took on lap 82 in his #38 Braun Racing Toyota. Contact between Trevor Bayne and Justin Allgaier collected Kahne. The car went up on its side with his right side tires above the wall while his left side tires transported the car down the straightaway and into the turn. The entire scene resembled the old Joey Chitwood Thrill Show from days gone by. In a post wreck interview Kahne was diplomatic and said the wild was no big deal and he’s been in worse situations.

    Another WAZZUP goes to Mike Wallace, and his #01 J Davis Motorsports, due to some unbelievable bad luck at Bristol. It started on Saturday morning prior to qualifying when the Wallace car was pulled from the line. NASCAR’s policy is to place a team on a five minute time clock and if they fail to return to the qualifying line in the allotted time then they are officially listed as a DNQ-did not qualify. Fortunately for Wallace his team is within the top 30 in owner’s points so he was placed at the end of the field, 42nd position, for Friday night’s race. The bizarre part here is the fact that the car was pulled from the line because they could not get their window safety net to fasten.

    His appearance in the Food City 250 was equally frustrating. With only 24 laps remaining in the race, Wallace checked up to avoid to two car accident in front of him and then was collected by the very fast Clint Bowyer who was leading the race at the time. Wallace had to settle for a disappointing 31st place finish and probably couldn’t wait to get home.

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    The final HOORAH goes to a collection of fun race fans who were captured live by the SPEED Channel cameras. These guys were camping in the Bristol infield complete with a large inflatable swimming pool. Right in the middle of the pool was a fiery hibachi BBQ grill cooking dinner. That probably wasn’t a good idea and it was likely a Budweiser moment but they were seriously having fun at the Bristol Motor Speedway.