NASCAR Blogs

OK, the Chase for the Sprint Cup starts next week, and here's my take. NASCAR fans -- and for that matter, writers, TV and radio guys, drivers, mechanics, owners and various others -- are notoriously bad students of history. They take their only notes from last week, or last year, at the latest. Historians are in short supply.

Just because Jimmie Johnson dominated the Chase last year doesn't mean this year's champion -- which might well be Johnson again -- will win it with excellence. That's just the way it worked last year. Johnson just won Chase race en route to the 2006 title. The same with Kurt Busch in 2004. Tony Stewart didn't win any in '05.

So if anything was an anomaly, it was last year.

On the other hand, last year was one of dominance in general -- Hendrick Motorsports won half the races -- and what followed was a Chase that followed the pattern.

There have been 26 races. The triumvirate of Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Johnson have combined to win 18 of them.

Another lesson to be learned from this trend: The new car hasn't made the competition closer. Not by a long shot.

What has been learned from this NASCAR rainout? Other than, say, memorizing the menu of the Uno adjoining the hotel? Or having an umbrella discovered in a backpack check, even though a sportswriter isn't going to be in a position to block anybody's view with it?

That's the rule, bub. No exceptions.

A Saturday without racing is a good time to catch up on reading. It's a good time to play guitar with a friend. It's a good time to look out a window and watch the wind blow. It's a good time for racers normally scheduled to the hilt to experience a day of enforced nothing.

Hanna, by the way, ended up being a braggart. All show. No go. She blew east and left Richmond barely blushing from her bluster. That doesn't mean the rainout was improper, though. The Commonwealth of Virginia exists to assist the entire citizenry, not just the concentration of race fans. With a rain storm, a wait-and-see attitude works. Not with a powerful tropical storm. It's too risky.

Naysayers are going to grouse about how it was clear and pleasant at 6 p.m. on Saturday. That's hindsight. Authorities of a wide range had to be preparing for a potential disaster, not traffic patterns at a stock-car race.

Sunday will be fine.

RICHMOND, Va. -- NASCAR wants its Chase for the Sprint Cup to be a perfect storm.

That's figuratively, not literally.

Besides, the Chase is still a week away. To get ready for that perfect storm, there's a storm headed for Richmond. It's called Hanna.

As these words are written, Hanna is tracking a little to the eastward end of its projected track. It's moving a little faster, too. What that means, according to the latest forecast, is that heavy weather will hit Richmond International Raceway on Friday night and keep on pounding the track and its environs all day on Saturday. The Chevy Rock & Roll 400 is scheduled for Saturday night.

The hope is that the storm weakens when it makes landfall, and its devastating effects will be minimal by the time it or the storms circulating outward crashes through this area. Whether it will be possible to put on the race as scheduled remains to be seen. Keep Sunday free on the calendar.

Just when you thought you could go back in the water ...

Duh-DUH, duh-DUH, duh-DUH ...

There's a shark prowling near the entrance of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. There's also a sense of deja vu. Jimmie Johnson dominated the Pepsi 500 on Sunday night at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., leading 227 out of 250 laps. He started on the pole, meaning that he was just as much faster than the rest of the field on Sunday as he was on Friday.

One year ago, Johnson arrived in California sixth in the point standings, 523 behind Jeff Gordon. Then he won the final two regular-season races and began the Chase in the lead. Then he dominated the Chase as no one else ever has.

Now he's gone out and made Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards irrelevant for a week. Edwards was sixth, Busch eighth. As it now stands, with only next week's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 left before the real heavy metal starts, Busch's practical point edge (based on current Chase bonus points) is 30 over Edwards and 50 over Johnson.

Fifty doesn't seem like much with a Johnson storm building like Gustav in the Gulf.

Johnson drove the only car that really mattered at Fontana. Greg Biffle also won because his only race was for second. Denny Hamlin was third, Kevin Harvick fourth and the always upwardly mobile Matt Kenseth fifth.

The Chase is all set, as a likely matter, for the top 11: in order, Kyle Busch, Edwards, Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Biffle, Harvick, Tony Stewart, Kenseth, Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin. David Ragan has a decent chance to catch Clint Bowyer. Kasey Kahne is a long shot now.

Busch and Edwards are out alone on their respective sailboats now. But the shark, Johnson, is growing ever more dangerous.

Just a few thoughts that occur to me while I wait for things to heat up:

So much for all those questions to first-time pole winners about qualifying for the Budweiser Shootout. Sorry, guys, NASCAR has legislated you right out of business. Now the field is set by the top six drivers from each manufacturer (by owner points), which means it's going to be nearly all-inclusive for Ford and a lot of big names won't be competing for Chevrolet.

Good news and bad news regarding the prospects for another Kyle 'n' Carl tiff in California. Which is good and which is bad probably depends on one's opinion of what happened in Bristol. Auto Club Speedway isn't exactly a bruiser of a track. But both are likely to run up front there.

There's a Rolling Stone profile of Tony Stewart in the current issue. It's, uh, frank.

Kenny Schrader's in the Hall of Fame Racing No. 96 this week, but as expected, Joey Logano's ticketed for five races later in the year. Meanwhile, whatever happened to Brad Coleman?

The two drivers who have dominated the season are no longer merely competitors. They're rivals.

Carl Edwards beat Kyle Busch by doing what 160,000 fans come to Bristol Motor Speedway to see. His Ford bumped Busch's Toyota. For the fourth time this season, they finished 1-2, and now each has won twice.

Afterwards, Edwards was nothing if not honest. Busch, perhaps because he lost, was petulant. There wasn't much sportsmanship in Busch's reaction to what has been done at Bristol by many other drivers, including the late Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. The race's conclusion was evocative of the movie Days of Thunder: "He didn't wreck you, son. He rubbed you. And rubbin' is racing."

And then they tangled on the cool-down lap. It was the stuff of Allison vs. Petty, Earnhardt vs. Bodine and Wallace vs. Waltrip. In another time and another sport, it might lead Keith Jackson to intone dramatically, "These two just don't like each other."

"Carl's going to say he's sorry and he didn't want to race that way," said Busch. "We'll race him that way in the Chase if that's what he wants."

Edwards didn't claim the contact was unintentional. Whether or not one approved of the method, the candor was admirable.

"What I asked myself was would he have done that to me," said Edwards, "and he has before.

"I kind of just ran into him."

Close competition is one thing. A full-blown rivalry between the two drivers at the top of the sport is another. The danger to each is that they become preoccupied with the other, thus opening the door for others to capitalize on what they might do in the heat of battle.

That's an issue for another week, though.

Some fans want the number of races a Sprint Cup driver can run in the other principal series (Nationwide and Craftsman Truck) limited.

Almost no drivers publicly favor limits. They're like cattleman on the frontier. They won't want it fenced in. A hundred sixty-two baseball games may be plenty for Ichiro, but for the "I'd race in my sleep" crowd, 36 races apparently aren't nearly enough.

There's not much evidence of harm. The Cup point leader, Kyle Busch, has won six Nationwide and three Truck races. The runner-up, Carl Edwards, is a championship contender in Cup and Nationwide. Busch is competing in not one, not two, but three races at Bristol.

"I don't think it's that difficult, honestly," said Edwards. "It's fun, and, yeah, there's the potential for getting worn down or something like that, but if you're young, and you love racing and you've got good people around you, it's not physically difficult. You're busy. You've got a lot going on."

Each sport has its traditions. Baseball players once barnstormed through small towns once their seasons were over. Not just in NASCAR, but in auto racing in general, drivers have always cherished the freedom to race whenever and wherever they want. A.J. Foyt used to win both sprint-car races and Indy 500s. Many drivers occasionally compete on dirt tracks. David Ragan even races Legends cars from time to time ... now. He said on Friday that he will compete in 86 races of various kinds before the year is over and said he wants to reach 100 in 2009.

Drivers talk about the freedom to race the same way hunters talk about the right to bear arms. They're against limits of any kind.

NASCAR's hanging judges came down on Joe Gibbs Racing on Wednesday, and it was fairly predictable. The ruling body suspended everyone in sight except the drivers and owner, who had points deducted. The points mean nothing to the drivers because they don't run full-time, so NASCAR, for some unknown reason, put them on probation, which is the NASCAR word meaning "don't do anything but make it look like you did." No driver has violated probation, even though Tony Stewart tried hard several years back, creating deafening silence in Daytona Beach.

There was some talk of suspending the car, not just crew chiefs and mechanics, but that wouldn't be corporate-friendly, and NASCAR hates to be unfriendly to corporations. Money talks, so the sponsors of the Gibbs Nationwide Series teams won't face anything that would unduly humiliate or embarrass them. Sponsors, of course, had nothing to do with the violations, but, then, neither did drivers Tony Stewart and Joey Logano.

Could Logano, by the way, be the youngest driver ever placed on probation in NASCAR? Yet another entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for the 18-year-old, whose rise was originally predicted by either Nostradamus or Mark Martin.

There was no risk in punishing Gibbs, who, along with his son and team president J.D., basically said, publicly, "thank you, sir, may I have another?" after the dastardly deeds -- they put magnets under the accelerators! oh, the shame! -- and said they wouldn't appeal the penalties if they involved sending small children to work camps and eating nothing but Fruit Loops for five years.

So the punishment was stiff. It ought to have been. It was cheating. It was intentional. It wasn't a matter of the way the rule was phrased. It was cheating.

Now Coach Gibbs needs to do what Michael Waltrip said he would do and didn't back at Daytona in February 2007. Gibbs needs to publicly announce who did what, who was responsible and what he -- not NASCAR -- is going to do about it.

Or, better yet, let J.D. handle it.

Nothing remains the same for very long in NASCAR. Schedule changes were overdue, maybe not so much because they were needed but because NASCAR's leaders have itchy trigger fingers. They can't stand to leave well enough alone, so there's a Chase and there are generic cars, free passes to the lead lap and way too many "debris cautions."

In the 2009 Sprint Cup schedule, there are three principal changes:

The disastrous California Labor Day experiment -- the Southern California 500, unofficially -- has been abandoned. The sport's most sparsely populated speedway is going to give a Chase date a try. Sadly, the Labor Day weekend date won't go back to Darlington, as God intended. It will move instead to another empty-seats capital, Atlanta. Darlington, the mother of all tracks, remains on Mother's Day weekend.

Atlanta's acquisition of the Sunday-night Labor Day weekend race moves Auto Club Speedway (California) to Oct. 11, a Sunday previously reserved to Talladega.

Talladega gets the old Atlanta spot, Nov. 1.

Essentiall,y a three-way trade of days, a stock-car racing equivalent of the three-way trade that sent Manny Ramirez to L.A., a passel of prospects to Pittsburgh, and Jason Bay to Boston.

Darlington sells out on Mother's Day weekend, so there it will have to stay. The sport's most tradition-rich track will get the official rights to "Southern 500," but not on Labor Day weekend.

Take heart, though. At least Atlanta is "Southern." It's something.

In most cases, NASCAR penalties can be rationalized away. The litany of excuses is familiar.

It wasn't intentional. We didn't gain an advantage. The rule wasn't clear. We'd been doing it for months, and no one said anything about it till now.

There's a "C word" in NASCAR that no one wants to use. Cheating. It's fashionable to claim "it wasn't really cheating."

In the case of what Joe Gibbs Racing's Nationwide Series teams did at Michigan, there's no other relevant word. Here's the background. Concerned at Toyota's dominance in the series, NASCAR officials limited the power of the manufacturer's engine in the Nationwide Series. What JGR -- someone at JGR, someone no one wants to name -- did was attempt to mask horsepower testing by attaching magnets to the underside of the throttles. This, unfortunately for JGR, was detected after Saturday's race.

There's no getting around this one. It's cheating, pure and simple, and Joe Gibbs, the squeaky-clean owner who knows what the "C word" means in both racing and football. He doesn't condone it. The suspicion is that heads are going to roll.

Here's Coach Gibbs' statement:

“If this alleged incident proves true, it goes against everything we stand for as an organization.  
            
“We will take full responsibility and accept any penalties NASCAR levies against us. We will also investigate internally how this incident took place, and who was involved, and make whatever decisions are necessary to ensure that this kind of situation never happens again.
             
 “The expectations we set for everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing begins with me, and I personally apologize to NASCAR, our partners and our fans for the negative light this situation has cast upon all of us.”

Back in 2007, at Daytona, Michael Waltrip made similar promises, but no results were ever released. He said he would get to the bottom of it and make appropriate moves, but then Waltrip pretty much let the controversy die out and never made good on his promises.

When the investigation noted by Gibbs occurs, it will be interesting to see whether or not the results are made public.
            

But Who is Wearing the Black Hat?:

Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards battle for the lead at Bristol/Getty Images

NASCAR has needed this for a LONG time. Finally a rivalry, between two drivers battling for something . Sure there have been other rivalries but real other that the physical David vs Goliath twist, Kurt Busch vs Jimmy Spencer is not THAT interesting. But here it is, Kyle vs Carl. Both young, both hungry, both capable of racking up wins in bunches. They don't seem to like each other and neither seems to be phased by the criticism and boos that come with mixing it up. And now here we sit, two races til the chase. Busch has 8 wins, Edwards 6. It isn't that far fetched that BOTH could have 8 wins when the chase begins.

Carl Edwards talks about this scuffle with Kyle Busch at Bristol:

Disappointing Second:

Edwards and Busch have accounted for 14 of the 24 race wins this season, but I am the guy who picks when they DONT win. Edwards gave me a disappointing 17th earlier in this game, this week I pick Kyle on one of the few weeks he doesn't make it to victory lane. Still second is strong and I am now within 4 points of breaking into the top 25 (again this is against 150 or so of my fellow media members). On to California, and one of the picks I feel the least secure about. Come on wonder boy, right the ship and get me in the top 25!

Jeff Gordon Celebrates a 2004 win at the Auto Club Raceway

Silly Season Getting Less Silly (or Not):

The race team line ups are starting to clear up when it comes to who will be in what car for 2009. Casey Mears was introduced as RCR's 4th Driverover the weekend at Bristol. He will jump into the 07 Jack Daniels car and Clint Bowyer will slid into the 33 Cheerios Chevy (a move mostly driven because Mears currently drives for a General Mills cereal rival). We know what Stewart Haas racing will be lead by Hoosiers Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman and that it is just a matter of hours until Joe Gibbs racing names Smokes successor in the 20, 18 year old prodigy Joey Lagano. Then what? Rumors are it could be Patrick Carpantier out, Reed Sorenson in the number 10 at Gillette Evenham. Good Luck with that. That would put Ganassi in the market for a driver and possibly two sponsors (Texaco will not return to the 42 next year). Penske has an opening but no sponsor.Outside of Aric Amirola and Martin Truex, the rest of the DEI team could look completely different. One of them, Paul Menard could be headed to Yates Racing (and bringing his built in sponsor with him). Roush has to be down to 4 teams by 2010, so one of their teams could be sent to Yates soon as well. Bill Davis racing still needs a sponsor. And who knows what is going on at Hall of Fame Racing? Talk is they could soon be turning to Jeremy Mayfield. Again, good luck with that. The Race to 2009 is almost as compelling as the race for the chase.

(The views and opinions represented here are mine and mine alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of any other employee or the management of WTVC-TV or Freedom Broadcasting Corp.)

Cousin Carl vs the Wild Child:

Carl Edwards wins Michigan/ Getty Images

It's one of the great lines from one of my favorite movies, and in the words of Farmer Ted in 16 Candles, "This is getting good." Just when it looked like Kyle Busch was going to lap the field before the Chase even started, Carl Edwards has found the mojo he had that made him a favorite for the cup when the season began.

Edwards Talks About Michigan Win:

The Roush Rout:

It wasn't just Edwards running up front this week...David Ragan had a career best 3rd place finish, Greg Biffle was 4th, Matt Kenseth was 5th and Jamie McMurray 10th, which put all of the Roushkateers in the top 10. Proving once again that Michigan really is the house the Jack built.

My Chase for The Cup:

I was no dummy, I picked a Roush car this week and Matt Kenseth did me right. Just like Jason Lezak against the French in the 4X100 Free Relay, I am sneaking up on the field. This week we head to Thunder Valley, and speaking of not being a dummy, I am going to take Kyle Busch.

Kyle Busch Celebrates his Bristol in in 2007

(The views and opinions represented here are mine and mine alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of any other employee or the management of WTVC-TV or Freedom Broadcasting Corp.)

Kyle Continues to Make History:

Busch Celebrates Watkins Glen Victory/Getty Images

Who knew Kyle Busch was a road racer? His win Sunday at Michigan gives him three wins and a second place in 4 road course races on the Cup and Nationwide series this season. But do you ever get the feeling you could give this guy a shopping cart and a lawn-mower motor and he would still find a way to win this season? The run he is on is unbelievable. He has won 8 times this season, eight times. Which means we are all gonna have to take off our shoes soon to keep up.

Busch Talks About His History Making Win:

The Other Brother:

So the other Busch (you know the one who already has a cup championship) did well for me this weekend finishing 10th. I am still lurking around the 70th position out of 150 media members in the chase. Time to rally. I am taking Matt the Brat at Michigan. 

Matt Kenseth Makes a Lap Around Michigan/Getty Images

I'll Tumble For Ya:

Carl Edwards Celebrates Pocono Win/Getty Images

Well, after the debacle that was Indy, it sure is nice to have a race with little controversy. Carl Edwards team took a gamble and took the checkereds for the 4th time this year. It looks like the chase could be a two man race as Cousin Carl seems to be the only other driver that looks like he is capable of running of three or four wins in a row. And let's face it that is gonna be what it take to knock of Busch this season.

Carl Likes Winning (or so he says):

Gas and (My Place in the Chase) Goes: 

The was a commercial in Kansas City where I grew up for a gas station called Vickers where they sang "You Can Always Make It To Vickers." Too bad my choice Brian Vickers didn't have the fuel mileage to make it to the end of the race. A 28th Place Finish pushes me deeper into the pack among my media brethren. This week at the Glen I am going with Busch. But it is not what you think. I am taking Kurt Busch.

Kurt Busch Celebrates a Win/Getty Images 

Weren't We Just Here?

I'n my opinion these Pocono races are too close together. We were just in the Granite State. Nothing against the fine people at Pocono, but I say spread the races out, or give one date to Nashville or Kentucky. But I digress. Jimmie Johnson will start on the pole for Sunday's race, and like clock work that 48 team is really starting to come on.

Jimmie Johnson is on the pole at Pocono/Getty Images

Race to the Chase:

Time to make those picks. Hot off a third place finish by my by Denny Hamlin, it's time to go out on a limb a little this week. Remember the rules now, I can only pick a driver once so Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards Greg Biffle and Hamlin are out. I promised to go out on a limb this week, but based on his qualifying the limb is a fairly steady one. My pick this week in Pocono is...Brian Vickers,

Getty Images

A Little Song Before I Go:

I told you last time NASCAR was in Pocono that I get that Beach Boys song Kokomo in my head. So in honor, I have rewritten the words about NASCAR, enjoy:

"Bristol, Atlanta when they're coming at you in

Daytona and Dover, they will bowl you over at

Las Vegas and 'dega oooo I wanna take you up to

Pocono, the racing's fast but you can take it slow

That's where the racers go

Why up to Pocono."

Yep you will have it stuck in your head the rest of the weekend too now.

(The views and opinions represented here are mine and mine alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of any other employee or the management of WTVC-TV or Freedom Broadcasting Corp)

NASCAR Director of Competition Robin Pemberton talks Tires with a Goodyear Rep/Getty Images 

Four Hours of My Life I am Never Getting Back:

I don't get it. I mean I get it, but I don't get it. How does Goodyear miss the mark so badly when it comes to tire compounds? The longest run of the day was something like 20 laps.  Saturday night heat races at the local dirt track last longer than that. It was both boring and embarrassing for a race that is considered of of the crown jewels of the sport.

"That wasn't a race. It's ridiculous," said Indiana native Ryan Newman told NASCAR.com. "That's a lack of preparation from NASCAR to Goodyear to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to put on a show like they did for the fan. It's disrespectful to the fans, and I wish that it didn't have to be that way. That's not the way NASCAR racing is supposed to be."

It's like he read my mind. But really, how could you feel any other way after sitting through that race? And why did we have to continue to sit through this when it was clear these tires were not working? They had the Pocono tires on site. Could we not have tried them for on 20 lap sequence and just see if they worked better? I mean since the day turned into a tire test anyway.

" We'll take our lumps," race winner Jimmie Johnson said after the race. "I'm sure, and come back next year and put on a better show."

Boy I hope so.

Third Place Finisher Denny Hamlin Talks About Indy's Tire Troubles:

It's Mid July, Time for Johnson to Shift Into Gear:

It's like JJ and Chad Knaus know they can turn it on when ever he wants, so they sit back and watch Kyle Busch or Jeff Gordon jump out to a huge points lead. And they are just toying with them, trying stuff on the car waiting for the Chase and their chance to pounce. One years ago after Indy, Johnson was in 9th place, 607 points behind Gordon who was the points leader. We all now how that worked out. Now I am still not convinced that Hendrick is as strong as Gibbs (right now). But they still have 6 races til the Chase starts to figure it out. And I think they just might do it.(For more on Johnson's Indy win click here)

Johnson Celebrates Win at the Brickyard/Getty Images 

Race to the Chase Game Update:

Denny Hamlin was good to me and baring a freak accident on his last pit stop, could have won.  As it was he finished 3rd, and I moved up to 39th out of 150 Media members playing along. I am 26 points out of first.  I have gone out on a limb for Pocono. I let you know my pick on Friday.

(The views and opinions represented here are mine and mine alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of any other employee or the management of WTVC-TV or Freedom Broadcasting Corp)

No Different Than Other Sports:

I can see it coming now. The days of drivers, number and sponsors being sunonamous are coming to an end. Richard Petty is the 43. Dale Earnhardt is the 3. Jeff Gordon is the 24. But over the past few weeks, drivers many thought would be in their cars for ever, are moving on. First Tony Stewart and then Ryan Newman. Now I know driver movement is nothing new. But there have always been those big time driver that have had a special relationship with their manufacturer, their car owner and their sponsor. But these days all of those relationships seem to be available to the highest bidder, and no car, no driver is immune. Not that I am condemning the drivers or the car owners or the sponsors. In these tough economic times, you got to do what you got to do. It's just sad that NASCAR is now in the same league as baseball, football and basketball when it comes to free agency.

NASCAR Puts the Breaks on Toyota:

Or at least they want to slow them down a little bit in the Nationwide series. After taking 10 engines two weeks ago  for a little trips to the dyno test, they issued this bulletin this week:

"At all Events, unless otherwise specified, all engines with a cylinder bore spacing less than 4.470 inches must compete using a tapered spacer with four (4) 1.125-inch diameter holes. At all Events, unless otherwise specified, all engines with a cylinder bore spacing of 4.470 inches or more must compete using a tapered spacer with four (4) 1.100-inch diameter holes. Unless otherwise authorized, the carburetor restrictor will be issued by NASCAR."
-- Amendment to Section 20A -- 5.10.4, Nationwide Series Rule Book

So what does that mean? The rule change limits the air flow to the engine, thereby reducing horsepower. And it is noe hard to see why folks would want to slow down Toyota. They have won 14 of the 21 races in the Nationwide Series. Will it matter though? I don't thinks so. As long as they have guys like Kyle Busch Denny Hamlin, Joey Lagano and Brian Vickers behind the wheel, they will still find victory lane at a pretty good clip.

Me Against the World:

Or at least the NASCAR Media world. Yours truly is battling it out with other media types to pick the races from Daytona til the chase begins. Through 3 races I am 27 points out of first place about mid pack. You can play along if you want for the remaining 6 races, but here's the catch, you can only pick a driver one time. I have Denny Hamlin for the Brickyard.

Getty Images 

(The views and opinions represented here are mine and mine alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of any other employee or the management of WTVC-TV or Freedom Broadcasting Corp)

Number Seven With A Bullet:

 Kyle Busch wisn his seventh race of the season in Chicagoland/Getty Images

We are just 19 races in to a 36 race season. At this rate Shrubby could have 14 wins when it is all said and done. The record for wins in the modern NASCAR era is 13 set by Richard Petty in 1972 and tied by Jeff Gordon in 1998. Right now Busch is 19th on the all time list, the rest of which looks something like this:

12 in 1981 and 82 by Darrell Waltrip

11 in 1973 by David Pearson, 1985 by Bill Elliott and 1987 Dale Earnhardt

10 in 1972 Bobby Allison, 1074 by Cale Yarborough, 1976 by David Pearson, 1993 by Rusty Wallace, 1996 -97 Jeff Godron 20007 by Jimmie Johnson

9 in 1977 by Cale Yarborough and 1990 Dale Earnhardt

8 in 2003 by Ryan Newman and 2004 by Jimmie Johnson

7 in 1978 and 79 by Darrell Waltrip, 1984 and 86 by Rusty Wallace, and  1994, 95 and 99 by Jeff Gordon

Can Kyle do it? It will be tough. Three people on the list above are still racing. Through in names like Carl Edward, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt, Jr, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick , Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne all of which can win on any given Sunday. It seems like their are way too many good cars he would have to keep out of victory lane to even seem possible. But then again Hendrick Motor sport accounted for HALF of the wins last year, so it certainly is possible. I think he can do it. Why not? Did you see any of this coming at the beginning of the year? I didn't.

Kyle Busch Talks About the Winning Pass at Chicagoland:

(The views and opinions represented here are mine and mine alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of any other employee or the management of WTVC-TV or Freedom Broadcasting Corp)

Before I was a fan of this sport, I knew three names: Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty and Ricky Rudd. The reason for Earnhardt and Petty being on the radar are obvious, and with Dale no longer with us, King Richard's roll as ambassador of the sport is more important than ever. Richard Petty is NASCAR. He is it's history and he is what today's driver should strive to be. He carries himself with class, he always let his race car do the talking (oh sure he had his moments, who hasn't. But with 200 wins and 7 championships Petty could always back it up). There will never be another Petty. To reach his level of success is just not possible in the modern era. Petty and NASCAR grew up together. And for newer fans like myself, Petty is like a grandfather with his amazing stories about the good old days. As Petty celebrates 50 years in our sports, we should consider ourselves lucky because not all heroes are good guys and Petty is one of the good guys. I just hope his race team will soon live up to his legecy. (See previous post: The King's Move Not So Petty)

Hear Richard Petty Relect on His Place in NASCAR History: 

(The views and opinions represented here are mine and mine alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of any other employee or the management of WTVC-TV or Freedom Broadcasting Corp)

Second to None:

Tony Stewart will part was with Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the year. (To read more about that move check out Stewart Leaving Gibbs). Now, I have only met Tony Stewart one time, five years ago at an Atlanta MotorSpeedway Media Event.

(Smoke and I do some bowling on 2003, he won)

And I have interviewed him maybe a dozen times during my 7 years of covering the sport.  But one thing I feel confident about, Tony Stewart does not like being second banana, let alone third or forth.  I said months ago that Gibbs probably couldn't make this last. (To see that posting check out The Backstretch Blog: The Gibbs Boys). There were too many egos. Tony needs to be a star. Kyle Busch needs to be a star. Denny Hamlin needs to be a star. But all three can't be "the man." Kyle and Denny have won this season. Tony has not. Now throw into the mix Joey Lagano, the kid they call "Sliced Bread", and the spotlight is awful crowded. (Don't know who Joey Lagano is? Check out The Backstretch Blog: Believe the Hype).

I could be way off base here, and because they don't want any hard feelings, neither Stewart nor Gibbs would ever likely admit that is was happened. But really why else would he leave the top team right now (you could argue Hendrick or Roush are up there, but right now Gibbs is the best)? Why would he leave behind his crew chief, his sponsor of 10 years and everything anyone has ever related to his image to follow a model that just has not worked in recent years. Ask Michael Waltrip how being an owner is going or Robby Gordon or Kyle Petty. All were competing for race wins before heading to their own teams, now each is fighting for a spot in the top 35 in owners points. Even if Stewart's drop of is just proportional ( by that I mean, even if Smoke goes from being a title contender to being just a one or two race winner and in the top 20 in points) will take make him happier?

Who knows, Stewart could make this work. They have any toy you could ever dream of having at Haas CNC and Tony will have top notch sponsors (Office Depot, Old Spice and Bass Pro Shops are rumored to be heading to Stewart Haas Racing). But if you think he is grumpy now, how do you think he will feel when he is 18th in points?

Inside Haas CNC:

Owner Gene Haas launched his Sprint Cup team in 2003. The team gets engine and support from Hendrick Motorsports and as you might expect, drives Chevys. Current drivers for Haas CNC racing are Scott Riggs(66) and Johnny Sauter (70). In June of 2006, Gene Haas went to jail on tax evasion charges and is currently serving a 24 month sentence.

Among the tools at Haas CNC, it's own wind tunnel. The tunnel is actually owned by Gene Haas and operated separate from the race team. The wind tunnel is one of  4 such rolling roads in the world and two in North America (if memory serves me, I am getting old so the numbers could be a little off).

Go Inside the Wind Tunnel:

(You will really need to crank the volume to hear, but the pictures are really cool even though the volume is low)

(The views and opinions represented here are mine and mine alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of any other employee or the management of WTVC-TV or Freedom Broadcasting Corp)