Ramblings of a Copy Editor

Pork Roll......

2008-11-20T16:09:00.000-08:00

I'm a little surprised that more people don't know about Pork Roll in this area of the country. It seems to me (and my father as well) that it would be the perfect southern food. You can cook it just about any way you want and each way it tastes great.

For those that aren't in the know, Pork Roll is a northern food, mainly restricted it seems to New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania. According to the all powerful Wikipedia (sarcasm abounds) Pork Roll, otherwise known as Taylor Ham, was created by one John Taylor of Trenton, New Jersey. It is referred to as Pork Roll because of the "roll" or tube-like sack it comes traditionally packaged in.

My family, being from New Jersey originally, all love this stuff. When we get to have it we almost fight each other for it. I'll admit, it's not exactly the healthiest of foods, but sometimes the best foods aren't that healthy at all.

The typical way of preparing Pork Roll, at least in my family, is frying in a frying pan. If you bought the actual "roll" like my family usually does, you want to slice it pretty thick, at least 3/4 of an inch (I usually slice it thicker then that myself). Once done, just throw it in the frying pan and let it sizzle away. Flip it a few times and after a few minutes once it is throughly cooked throw it on a hamburger bun and serve. Tasty tasty tasty.

A hint: If you have more than one frying pan try to reserve one pan for your pork roll and DON'T CLEAN IT. If you can let the grease build up on the frying pan the meat will have a better flavor. But, if your health consciouses, I wouldn't even eat the stuff.

Anyway, I'm going to go eat my supper, which just happens to be some boxed Pork Roll I found today at Harris Teeter in Shelby. It ain't great, but it is DEFIANTLY Pork Roll.

A days work

2008-11-13T14:53:00.000-08:00

So I had Thursday off and really had nothing to do other then sit around the house and piddle around or play a video game. I was determined to actually do something with my day but I didn't know what I could do. Then, a light bulb went off.

I had been meaning for months to put together a collage from my day at Lowe's Motor Speedway during the All-Star Race in May. I was going to package together some of the pictures I took with the front page story I did on local boy Anwar Parrish. So I decided today was as good a day as any to actually sit down and MAKE the collage.

After some runs to Ingles and Wal-Mart to pick up some supplies (double sided tape, monster poster frame, pictures from 1 hour photo at Wal-Mart) I sat down and began the creation process. Two and a half hours later, this was the final result. It's not great, but I think it came out pretty darn good. Let me know what you think!

Signs the (NASCAR) economy is in bad shape

2008-11-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

Here are five signs that the NASCAR economy is in bad shape:

1. Crowds have been down at nearly every track this season during the Chase.

2. Former dominate teams are struggling. A multiple time Daytona 500 winning team, Morgan-McClure Motorsports, was forced to shut down due to a lack of sponsorship. Lets not forget Yates Racing, a former Championship winning team, hasn't had a full time sponsor all season long.

3. Another legendary team, Wood Brothers Racing, has not only been struggling to find sponsorship, but have also struggled to race their way into the top 35 in owner points. Without Bill Elliott around to guarantee them spots in races, Wood Brothers Racing would likely have folded already.

4. Merger, merger, merger. Wasn't it only last year that Dale Earnhardt Inc. merged with Ginn Racing? Now, all of a sudden, DEI is set to announce a merger with Chip Ganassi Racing (to create Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, supposedly). Lets not forget Bill Davis Racing, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Hall of Fame Racing, Wood Brothers Racing, Petty Enterprises and Robby Gordon Motorsports have all been in talks to merge with one team or another.

5. Owners are selling stakes in their teams to investment groups. Roush/Fenway? Gillett/Evernham? Boston Ventures/Petty Enterprises? What's next? Hendrick/Steinbrenner?

Maybe all of these things really amount to nothing, maybe not. Truth is a lot of things are going to change in 2009. Will it be good or bad for the sport? I'm not really sure, but we will soon find out.

Chase = over

2008-10-27T12:26:00.001-07:00

Well if Johnson's win at Martinsville didn't end the Chase, his finish in Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500 certainly did. It's too bad for Edwards, he thought he gained at least 50 points on Johnson when in reality he only gained 15 while Johnson actually padded his points lead. Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle also faltered, leaving Edwards as the only real threat to Johnson at this point. Do I think Johnson can be caught? No, not really. This Chase is effectively over no matter what Edwards or anyone else might think.

Rain rain go away

2008-10-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or is anyone else really getting tired of all the rain at NASCAR events this year? For the 10th time this season qualifying was canceled Friday due to wet weather. I'm inclined to believe that there has got to be a better solution to this rain issue rather then canceling qualifying every week.

Granted, weekend schedules at NASCAR events are usually more then a little cramped but that doesn't mean NASCAR can do something to make things better under the circumstances? What about drivers like Bryan Clauson and Joey Logano? Both drivers have missed races due to rain that otherwise they probably would have made. I've heard the suggestion before and I like the idea of holding a special round of qualifying (if rain cancels the main qualifying session) just for go-or-go homers like Clauson or Logano. At least then you would give the drivers not guaranteed a spot in the race the chance to prove how good they are.

Or, NASCAR can keep doing what they are doing and continue to get disgruntled looks from drivers and fans alike. Unless of course your the points leader, in which case you don't mind qualifying getting canceled. At least then you can start from the pole.

See, there is always a positive for every negative.

How about them Craftsman Trucks?

2008-10-18T15:37:00.001-07:00

I've spent so much time this year talking about the Sprint and Nationwide Series' that I almost totally overlooked what many would say is the most competitive series in NASCAR, the Craftsman Truck Series.

For me, when I get the chance to watch the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series it feels almost like your going back in time, back when hard racing was not only common but expected of every driver in every race. These guys beat, bang, bash and just in general race hard.

While watching the Sprint Cup race the other week a TV interviewer stopped a moment and talked with Mike Skinner after a crash during the race. She mentioned that Mike was helping the No. 84 Red Bull team that he was driving for (replacing AJ Allmendinger) work on the car after the crash. Skinner simply replied, "I'm a truck driver, that's how we do it over there."

THAT is the kinda of tenacity that I like to hear from a race car driver. The Craftsman Truck Series has created some great drivers to never see much mainstream success in the Sprint Cup Series. Skinner, Jack Sprague, Ron Hornaday, Johnny Benson, Bobby Hamilton, Dennis Setzer, Ted Musgrave and I could name countless others. All of these drivers tried their hand at running in the Sprint Cup Series but ultimately found themselves driving Truck's for a living. And believe you me, that is no insult to their abilities, they just found that the Truck Series is more suited to their driving abilities.

So if you find yourself with a chance to sit down and watch a Craftsman Truck Series race, do it. You might just be surprised at how good the racing really is.

Busy as a bee

2008-10-13T15:56:00.001-07:00

It's been a long few week's around the newsroom and I often find myself a little overwhelmed on occasion. Yet I wanted to sit down today and write a blog about the Chase for the Sprint Cup, despite the fact that I've got work floating up to my eye balls. It's probably gonna be short, but why not.

When the chase started, things looked good for Kyle Busch. Now he finds himself more than 300 points behind current leader Jimmie Johnson and all but out of the championship hunt. What's left for him to do? The same thing he was doing before his bad luck began, win everything in site.

The truth is Kyle Busch, much like everyone about 200 points back of Johnson, has nothing to lose at this point. For Busch it's go for broke or go home. So if I am Busch and company, I start putting caution to the wind and aim at getting as many wins as possible before the end of the season at Homestead. He's already started in that direction, he won Friday's Nationwide Series race at LMS easily (FYI, that is his 20th win this year in NASCAR's top three divisions).

I wish I had time to say more, but I'm swamped. I'll touch base later with more.

Flat Rock Music Festival Videos

2008-09-29T11:19:00.001-07:00

I shot two videos while I was at the Flat Rock Music Festival. Here they are for your viewing pleasure:

The SteelDrivers - "If It Hadn't Been For Love"

Skinny Legs and All - "The Weight"

Flat Rock Music Festival

2008-09-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

It's not often that I take time off, much less time to go do something I've been looking forward to for some time. For the last two years my parents have been pestering me to attend a music festival with them. Finally, I decided that since I have this paid vacation just collecting dust, I'd best go ahead and use it. With that, I decided I'd join my parents at this years Flat Rock Music Festival in Flat Rock, N.C. Needless to say I was so happy I attended.

The weekend started Friday with everyone waking up early and preparing my parents RV for the trip. When I say RV I mean an old old RV. I don't remember right off what year the RV is, but it's from the early 1970s, I know that much.

My transporation/bed for the weekend. Stylish huh?

We had to stop at three gas stations just to get enough gas to make it to Flat Rock. But once we got fuel and made a few other stops we hit the road to Flat Rock. Of course, once we got there, we were met with the stark realization that Friday was probably going to be a wash. Of course, for those that don't remember, much of the region was met with much needed rain on Friday. Of course, it had to rain on the first day of my mini vacation. Go figure. Oh, I best not forget that in order to get to the festival you had to go ALL THE WAY UP A MOUNTAIN. We parked in a field at the bottom of the mountain and in order to get up to the festival you had to either walk a very bad looking trail (well, it wasn't that bad once it was dryish) or take a shuttle van up to the top (which was one heck of a wild ride in the wet weather on dirt roads).

This is the view from across the pond at the top of the mountain. All the way over there is the main festival stage.

A zoomed in few of the festival grounds.

While Friday was a total wash, Saturday was NOT! I got to see all the bands I was looking forward to from the get go, including The SteelDrivers, Skinny Legs and All, Sonny Landreth and WSNB. I admit my musical taste is a bit out there, so I don't honestly expect many that read this to know who these groups are. Here are a few photos from those sets:

The SteelDrivers

Skinny Legs and All

Sonny Landreth

WSNB

Oh my its been awhile

2008-09-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Boy has it really been more than a week since I last posted on here? Seems like a lot less (or, depending on who you are, a lot more). I've been amazingly busy since my last post with my regular copy editing duties, including laying out the sports section a couple nights a week in addition to my regular role of news copy editor. On top of that I am also designing the syndicated NASCAR page that appears every week in The Star with content produced by Freedom Communications resident NASCAR writer, Monte Dutton.

Anyway, I apologize for not posting my regular NASCAR stories on here. With my additional duties on the copy desk in addition to my work writing the historical racing stories recently I haven't had much time to do anything, with the exception of sleep of course. But, life goes on.

I wanted to note that I've been having a blast writing my historical racing stories. The things I've heard and the stories that have been passed on to me have been amazing and I would never trade the experience for anything. I have even gotten to do a phone interview with former Daytona 500 winner Cotton Owens (he commented on Stick Elliott and the Cleveland County Fairgrounds).

With any luck the stories will keep flowing out of me in the coming weeks. I've already got the next story written and prepared. I'd tell you what it's about but I don't want to ruin the surprise.

I would like to continue to remind you, the readers of The Star, to keep submitting information to me about things you'd like to hear me write about. Want to hear about an old driver from the '60s? Let me know! Do you have old stories or old photographs floating around? Let me know! These stories will keep coming as long as I have great people here in Cleveland County who are willing to pass on their stories to me.

Also, i'm seeking information on the following for possible stories. If you or anyone you know can help me out, that would be great:
Herb Thomas and his career ending crash at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds
Doug Cooper, Gastonia native, former NASCAR Rookie of the Year in 1964

Thanks folks and keep on reading!

Richmond, last stop before the chase

2008-09-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

Richmond is the last stop before the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. 12 drivers will be entered into the competition by the end of Saturday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 and everyone else will just be raising for bragging rights. Five drivers, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton, have clinched their spots in the chase. One more, Greg Biffle, only needs to start Saturday's race to clinch his spot. That leaves six chase spots for eight drivers. With that being said, here's who to watch on Saturday...

Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: 3rd place finish in the Pepsi 500
Career at Richmond: 10.0 Avg. Finish, 2 top 5's, 3 top 10's
Why he could win: This man dominated Richmond in the Spring like Jimmie Johnson dominated at the Auto Club Speedway last week. The only difference is Johnson closed the deal while Hamlin blew a tire and finished back in the pack. I suspect Hamlin and crew will be more determined then ever now to win at Hamlin's home track. Watch out for him Saturday.

Clint Bowyer, No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet (Richard Childress Racing)
Last Week: 10th place finish in the Pepsi 500
Career at Richmond: 8.8 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 1 top 5, 3 top 10's
Why he could win: If there was ever a time for Bowyer and company to pull out all the stops this weekend would be the perfect time. He sits only a few points ahead of 13th place David Ragan and he needs to have a solid run to earn himself a second consecutive trip into the Chase.

David Ragan, No. 6 AAA Ford (Roush Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 13th place finish in the Pepsi 500
Career at Richmond: 13.3 Avg. Finish, 1 top 5, 1 top 10
Why he could win: Much like Bowyer, everything is riding on Ragan's performance in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. If he were competing for a chase spot this time last year his third place finish in last year's event would have clinched it for him. The problem is that was last year and this is this year. Can Ragan prove everyone wrong and make the chase?

My underdog this week is a driver many consider to be the next big sensation...

Joey Logano, No. 02 Home Depot Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: Did not race
Career at Richmond: Attempting to make first career start
Why he could win: Everyone expect's Logano to make headlines fast in the Sprint Cup Series. Who knows, he very well may. I wouldn't put anything past this kid considering how fast he went to victory lane in the Nationwide Series. Watch out for him on Saturday.

California thoughts and observations

2008-09-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry I didn't get to this sooner, its been a busy week.

Jimmie Johnson dominated Sunday's race at the Auto Club Speedway, leading 228 of the 250 laps to win the Pepsi 500. He was followed to the line by Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth.

Thoughts and observations

Johnson was hardly challenged during Sunday's race. The 228 laps that he led are a proof of that. About the only time he was passed was on pit road where Greg Biffle's crew consistently beat the No. 48 team. It ended up not mattering since Johnson's car was far too strong for Biffle to beat.

I was a little disappointed in the Red Bull Racing team of Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger. I honestly thought one of those two teams were going to have something for Jimmie Johnson. Guess I was wrong.

Carl Edwards finished ahead of Kyle Busch Sunday, by one position. Again. This is becoming a pattern.

I swear, this year couldn't get much worse for Kurt Busch. He keeps having awful luck and Sunday was no exception with that blown tire relegating him to a 39th place finish, his ninth finish of 30th or worse this season.

David Reutimann did a great job on Sunday keeping his car in tune with the track and bringing the car home a strong 9th. Very impressive to say the least.

Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle are going to win this year, mark my words.

The race for the 12th and final chase spot is going to be a tight one. Clint Bowyer leads David Ragan by only 12 points and Kasey Kahne is also lurking back in 14th place, only 48 points out of 12th. I really feel like this could be a toss up. Ragan finished third at Richmond in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 only one year ago while just this spring Clint Bowyer won at Richmond. It's anyone's guess as to who will make the chase.

The one positive for AJ Allmendinger after Sunday's race was it catapulted the No. 84 Toyota from 36th in the Owner Point's to 31st. It's the highest the No. 84 team has ever been in the Sprint Cup Owner's standings to date. Meanwhile, Sam Hornish Jr. and the No. 77 team now is forced to qualify for this weekend's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond.

What we know for 2009, Part 2

2008-08-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

Here is part two of my Silly Season 2009 recap.

No. 10 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge
2008 Driver(s): Patrick Carpentier
2008 Sponsor(s): LifeLock, Valvoline, Charter Communications
What we know for 2009: Patrick Carpentier's future in the No. 10 doesn't look to good with the recent signing of Reed Sorenson by GEM. Carpentier has publicly stated that he is a free agent, but that hasn't been confirmed by anyone at GEM. Sponsorship remains a question for this team as well.

No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2008 Driver(s): Denny Hamlin
2008 Sponsor(s): FedEx
What we know for 2009: I have heard of no changes for this team, nor do I expect any.

No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge
2008 Driver(s): Ryan Newman
2008 Sponsor(s): ALLTEL
What we know for 2009: This team is going to look nothing like the 2008 Daytona 500 winning team. Newman leaves for Stewart Haas Racing, ALLTEL is likely gone at season's end thanks to the Verizon merger as well. Rumors have David Stremme as the likely full time replacement, but nothing is confirmed yet.

No. 14 (was No. 70) Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Jeremy Mayfield, Johnny Sauter, Tony Raines
2008 Sponsor(s): Haas Automation, Hunt Brothers Pizza
What we know for 2009: Tony Stewart leaves Joe Gibbs Racing and buys into Haas CNC Racing, making it Stewart Haas Racing in 2009. He will take over the No. 70, changing the number to 14. Sponsorship will come from Office Depot and Old Spice.

No. 15 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Paul Menard
2008 Sponsor(s): Menards, Johns Manville, many more
What we know for 2009: Lots of unconfirmed rumors floating around about this team. Paul Menard is expected to stay with this team in 2009 and keep his family sponsorship there as well. I see no reason not to expect that myself.

No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
2008 Driver(s): Greg Biffle
2008 Sponsor(s): 3M, Dish Network
What we know for 2009: Greg Biffle signed a contract extension and will remain with Roush Fenway Racing for the extended future. 3M will remain as primary sponsor.

No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
2008 Driver(s): Matt Kenseth
2008 Sponsor(s): DeWalt
What we know for 2009: I've heard of no changes for this team in 2009, much like the last, oh I don't know, 5 years.

No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2008 Driver(s): Kyle Busch
2008 Sponsor(s): M&M's, Interstate Batteries
What we know for 2009: No changes at all. Why would you change something that has worked so good in 2008 anyway?

No. 19 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge
2008 Driver(s): Elliott Sadler
2008 Sponsor(s): Best Buy, Stanley Tools, McDonald's
What we know for 2009: Elliott Sadler signed a contract extension earlier in 2008 and will remain with this team for a few more years. Sponsorship lineup will likely stay the same.

No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2008 Driver(s): Tony Stewart
2008 Sponsor(s): Home Depot
What we know for 2009: Tony Stewart leaves at the end of 2008 to become an owner/driver at Stewart Haas Racing. Joey Logano will get the call and drive this car with sponsorship from Home Depot in 2009.

What we know for 2009, Part 1

2008-08-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

Silly Season 2009 is well on its way so far this year. I figured it best to go ahead and do a post summing up the known changes that are coming when the Sprint Cup series takes the green flag for next year's Daytona 500. I'll be doing these 10 at a time, so here is part one:

No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
2008 Driver(s): David Reutimann, Michael McDowell, Mike Skinner
2008 Sponsor(s): Champion Mortgage, Aaron's
What we know for 2009: David Reutimann has been announced as returning to this ride for the 2009 season after leaving the team to replace Dale Jarrett in the No. 44 early in 2008. He brings with him an 18 race sponsorship deal with Aaron's. That still leaves 18 unsponsored races that this team needs to deal with. No word on the status of Michael McDowell, who is still under contract with this team.

No. 01 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Regan Smith
2008 Sponsor(s): Principal Financial Group
What we know for 2009: Not much. This team only had partial sponsorship throughout most of the 2008 season and there is no firm word on the status of this team for the 2009 season. If sponsorship doesn't come up I can't imagine this team will remain active in 2009.

No. 07 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Clint Bowyer
2008 Sponsor(s): Jack Daniel's
What we know for 2009: With the creation of RCR's long awaited fourth team, Richard Childress decided to do some driver shuffling. He has moved Clint Bowyer from this team to the new No. 33 team and replaced him with free agent driver Casey Mears. Sponsorship remains the same for this team.

No. 1 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Martin Truex Jr.
2008 Sponsor(s): Bass Pro Shops
What we know for 2009: There were lots of rumors about Truex Jr. leaving this team but they all ended up being wrong, as Truex Jr. signed a contract extension with the team and will remain with them for the immediate future. Bass Pro Shops should return as the sponsor.

No. 2 Penske Racing Dodge
2008 Driver(s): Kurt Busch
2008 Sponsor(s): Miller Lite
What we know for 2009: There are no changes expected for this team, despite the fact that 2008 has been by far one of the worst seasons this team has ever faced.

No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Casey Mears
2008 Sponsor(s): Kellogg's, Carquest
What we know for 2009: Casey Mears leaves this team at the end of 2008 and will move to Richard Childress Racing to drive the No. 07 Chevrolet. Mark Martin will come out of semi-retirement and drive this car full time for one last shot at a championship. He will then run this car part time in 2010.

No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
2008 Driver(s): David Ragan
2008 Sponsor(s): AAA
What we know for 2009: AAA has decided they will be leaving this team at seasons end, meaning Ragan and Roush Fenway Racing need to find a sponsor if they want to keep this team around. Considering the way Ragan is driving I have no doubt that this team will find some form of sponsorship for next season.

No. 7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge
2008 Driver(s): Robby Gordon
2008 Sponsor(s): Jim Beam, Menards, Camping World
What we know for 2009: Besides the constant question of sponsorship, I haven't heard about any changes for Robby Gordon and company in 2009. Of course, this team would would love to secure a full time sponsor rather then multiple sponsors like they've had for the last two seasons.

No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Mark Martin, Aric Almirola
2008 Sponsor(s): U.S. Army
What we know for 2009: Aric Almirola will drive this car full time in 2009 and Mark Martin will move over to Hendrick Motorsports full time to take one last shot at at championship. U.S. Army has been shopping its sponsorship dollars around so they may or may not return to this team.

No. 9 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge
2008 Driver(s): Kasey Kahne
2008 Sponsor(s): Budweiser
What we know for 2009: No changes are expected or known for that matter. I don't see any reason to change anything. Despite a little bit of inconsistency this team has been strong in 2008, winning two races and fighting for a chase spot.

NASCAR gets Californicated

2008-08-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

With two races left before the start of the Chase, NASCAR makes it second stop this season at the Auto Club Speedway in California. This, along with next week's race at Richmond, will make or break Chase chances for several teams. Here are my top picks to win this weekend:

Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last week: 2nd place finish in the Sharpie 500
Career at Auto Club Speedway: 10.2 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 3 top 5's, 6 top 10's
Why he could win: He has won everywhere else, why not? He does have a win here, his first career Sprint Cup win in fact.

Carl Edwards, No. 99 Aflac Ford (Roush Fenway Racing)
Last Week: Won the Sharpie 500
Career at Auto Club Speedway: 6.8 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 6 top 5's, 7 top 10's
Why he could win: He has won everywhere else, why not? Edwards won the spring race which automatically makes him a serious threat to win this weekend.

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 R+L Carriers Ford (Roush Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 9th place finish in the Sharpie 500
Career at Auto Club Speedway: 9.9 Avg. Finish, 2 wins, 5 top 5's, 9 top 10's
Why he could win: In the last six races at the Auto Club Speedway Matt Kenseth hasn't finished worse then 7th. If he doesn't win on Sunday i'd bet my bottom dollar he'll finish no worse then 7th.

My underdog this week is another Roush Fenway driver...

Jamie McMurray, No. 26 Crown Royal Ford (Roush Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 12th place finish in the Sharpie 500
Career at Auto Club Speedway: 13.7 Avg. Finish, 3 top 5's, 5 top 10's
Why he could win: If anyone could pull off a surprise win I suspect McMurray could be the man to do it. Historically he has always seemed to have a pretty good car here.

Bristol thoughts and observations

2008-08-25T13:57:00.001-07:00

Carl Edwards put the bumper to Kyle Busch Saturday night at Bristol, the result being Edwards' 6th victory of the 2008 season. Busch crossed the line second followed by Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon.

Thoughts and observations

Uh oh ... looks like we have a little bit of a rivalry going on between NASCAR's two hottest drivers. Kyle Busch, who has had no problem moving people out of the way in the past, got moved out of the way by Carl Edwards, a move that ended up winning Edwards the race. Busch didn't exactly agree with the move and showed it by bumping Edwards after the checkered flag. Edwards' response? He simply spun Busch out. My how I love Bristol night racing.

Remember the last few Bristol races, they were boring and frankly not all that interesting right? Well the Bristol of old popped its ugly head out from under that pavement and bit several drivers, including Jeff Burton, Kasey Kahne, Michael Waltrip, Casey Mears and several more. Welcome back Bristol, I missed ya.

Ryan Newman had a strong car all weekend at Bristol, running up front and never really falling from the lead pack. I have to wonder if he'll earn another win for Penske before jumping ship at seasons end.

Several drivers, including the DEI trio of Aric Almirola, Regan Smith and Paul Menard, had strong race cars all night long and really impressed me. Almirola ran in the top 10 for a good chunk of the race before falling a little short. Smith qualified well and backed it up with a very respectable 14th place finish. Menard meanwhile qualified 16th and finished, shockingly enough, 16th. Good night for all three drivers.

The bad luck bug didn't just bite Chase contenders Kahne and Burton, it also bit Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. While it hurt Kahne and Burton much more then it did Johnson and Earnhardt Jr., you never like to see Championship contenders have bad luck like that.

Am I the only one that was mildly impressed with how well Bill Elliott hung out up front for the first 150-200 laps of the race? He raced in the top 10 for over 100 laps before finally slipping back to a 26th place finish. I was kinda hoping 'ole Bill might pull off a top 10, but alas, it was not to be.

David Ragan is so close to a berth in the Chase he can taste it. He is only 12 points behind 12th place Clint Bowyer with only two races left before the Chase. Meanwhile, Kasey Kahne fell out of the Chase all the way back to 14th, behind both Ragan and Bowyer.

Elsewhere in the points, Scott Riggs is barely holding on to the 35th and final guaranteed spot on the starting grid over AJ Allmendinger in 36th. This might be a more interesting race to watch then the one for the championship if Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards go on a tear during the Chase.

Back to Bristol

2008-08-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

NASCAR returns to Bristol for its second race of the 2008 season and it brings with it a lot of drama leading up to the start of the Chase. Everyone knows who the drivers to beat are (Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards) but the question is who is going to make the chase and who is going to be sitting on the sidelines watching. If Saturday's race is anything like it usually is, this race will make or break some drivers chances of making the chase. Here are my drivers to watch this weekend:

Greg Biffle, No. 16 DISH Network Turbo HD Ford (Roush Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 4th place finish in the 3M Performance 400
Career at Bristol: 9.7 Avg. Finish, 4 top 5's, 7 top 10's
Why he could win: Greg Biffle is probably the best driver who has yet to win in 2008. In addition, he has the best average finish of all active drivers at Bristol. Combine that with the added push every driver wants before the Chase begins and you have a great choice to win at Bristol.

Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge (Penske Racing)
Last Week: 36th place finish in the 3M Performance 400
Career at Bristol: 14.3 Avg. Finish, 5 wins, 5 top 5's, 9 top 10's
Why he could win: In recent years its been hard not to bet on Kurt Busch to win at Bristol. Despite having an awful 2008 season I still think Kurt Busch will have a car to watch on Saturday night.

Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: 2nd place finish in the 3M Performance 400
Career at Bristol: 14.0 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 2 top 5's, 4 top 10's
Why he could win: Kyle Busch, besides being the best driver in the world right now, also won the first COT race at Bristol. Why wouldn't you think he'd be a threat to win Saturday?

My underdog this week is a man who got his first career victory at Bristol.

Elliott Sadler, No. 19 Stanley Tools Dodge (Gillett Evernham Motorsports)
Last Week: 9th place finish in the 3M Performance 400
Career at Bristol: 22.4 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 3 top 5's, 4 top 10's
Why he could win: Sadler has shown remarkable consistancy in the last several weeks and a trip to Bristol might be a perfect chance for Sadler to break his winless streak. I'd keep a very sharp eye on Sadler Saturday night.

Back from vacation

2008-08-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

Its been awhile since i've been able to make a detailed post here on my blog. The last several weeks have been pretty hectic for me and last week I took some time off, so much time in fact that I totally missed this weekend's Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races. I'm hoping on getting back on track this Thursday by posting my picks for the weekend at Bristol. Everything should pick back up as usual on my blog by then.

Speaking of vacation, I took a trip to Charlotte this weekend for the NWA Legends FanFest. For those that don't know what that is, it is an annual gathering at the Hilton Hotel in Charlotte for pro wrestling fans. Legends from the sports past, present and future make appearances during the three day, four night event. My goal was to get a shirt with the logo from my website on it totally filled with autographs. I got to meet a lot of legends, including Bruno Sammartino, Ted DiBiase, J.J. Dillion, Magnum TA, Ken Patera and more. I heard lots of stories, had lots of fun and bought a bunch of DVD's (at amazing prices). Big thanks to Mr. Graham Cawthon for encouraging me to attend, if I can I'm going to make that an annual event.

Also, i'm still searching for sources for my history of racing in Cleveland County project. I've spoken to a few people in the County and I even spoke with former Daytona 500 winner Cotton Owens in Spartanburg, S.C. about the project so far. If anyone has any suggestions on who I should contact, again, please don't hesitate to let me know by dropping me an email (adamfenwick@shelbystar.com) or calling me at work (704-869-1728). The more information the better, I can never have enough.

Looking for help finding racing's past

2008-08-10T08:31:00.001-07:00

Some who read this blog know that recently I wrote a story about NASCAR racing that was held at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds in the 50's and 60's. Well that article and the interest it spawned has given me the inspiration to do further research into the history of racing in Cleveland County and the drivers from the County and surrounding areas.

But in order for me to do that I need your help.

I can make all the phone calls and find all the old photos and stories that I want, but what I need is to speak to people who know about the history of racing in Cleveland County and the surrounding area. For example...

I know Stick Elliott, a former NASCAR driver and regional star, was from Shelby. I'm looking for anyone that might know something about Mr. Elliott and his history in NASCAR or just his racing career in general.

I know Doug Cooper, a former NASCAR Grand National Rookie of the Year in 1964, was from Gastonia. I can find little to no information on Mr. Cooper, save the picture above where he appears in car No. 60 at Daytona International Speedway. Any information on him would be very helpful.

I'm looking to speak with any old drivers from the 50's or 60's. I've spoken to two or three, some receptive of the idea of talking about their racing career's, some not so much. The more drivers I can speak to from that era the more stories i'll be able to pass on to the next generation.

I'm not trying to break any new ground here. I'm sure there are those out there who have done something like this before. What i'm trying to do is find out about the history of racing in Cleveland County and at the same time put pen to paper and let the people of Cleveland County read about exactly what i'm hearing and seeing.

If you know anyone, have any old newspaper clippings, or are interested in speaking to me about this project yourself, please feel free to contact me by email at adamfenwick@shelbystar.com.

Racing at the Glen

2008-08-08T12:45:00.001-07:00

The first NASCAR race I ever attended was held at Watkins Glen. Rusty Wallace won the race with a splash of gas late in the running. Do I remember it? No. But my dad made sure i'd see the race when I got older, he taped the entire thing and I use to spend my afternoon's watching it. Boy was that fun.

Anyway, Watkins Glen has always been a great place for road course races. Lots of great names have won at Watkins Glen and races here tend to be not only fun but oftentimes heated. Just ask Juan Pablo Montoya and Kevin Harvick.

Anyway, here are my picks to win this weekend.

Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: 36th place finish in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
Career at Watkins Glen: 16.3 Avg. Finish, 0 top 5's, 2 top 10's
Why he could win: Busch proved at Infineon earlier this year that he was a threat to win anywhere on the circuit. Because of this I have every expectation (especially now that qualifying has rained out and he is on the pole) that he will run up front and be a threat to win.

Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: 2nd place finish in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
Career at Watkins Glen: 6.1 Avg. Finish, 4 wins, 5 top 5's, 7 top 10's
Why he could win: It's Watkins Glen, why shouldn't Tony Stewart be a serious threat to win? Just look at that average finish! If he isn't running up front by the end of the race something is seriously wrong.

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)
Last Week: 10th place finish in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
Career at Watkins Glen: 12.4 Avg. Finish, 4 wins, 6 top 5's, 8 top 10's
Why he could win: Please see Tony Stewart's why he could win, all the information there pretty much applies to Jeff Gordon as well.

My pick for the under dog driver isn't really an under dog, but in the grand scheme of things I really think he is.

Robby Gordon, No. 7 Jim Beam Dodge (Robby Gordon Motorsports)
Last Week: 37th place finish in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
Career at Watkins Glen: 8.8 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 7 top 5's, 7 top 10's
Why he could win: If any independent driver can win at Watkins Glen Robby Gordon is the man to do it. He always brings quality equipment to the road courses and should always be considered a threat to win. Anyone that overlooks him will be in for a rude awakening Sunday.

Pocono thoughts and observations

2008-08-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

Carl Edwards used great fuel strategy Sunday afternoon to win the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500, his fourth victory of the 2008 season and second career win at Pocono Raceway. He was followed to the line by Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and David Ragan.

Thoughts and observations

It was actually kinda funny to watch Edwards disagree with his crew chief Bob Osborne after the race was halted after 131 laps due to rain. Edwards wasn't happy with Osborne's decision to pit, a decision that left Edwards far far behind on the grid. Lucky for Edwards however, the race got started and that pit strategy ended up working in his favor.

Kevin Harvick recovered beautifully after an early spin to finish fourth. Its recoveries like that that prove Harvick is a legitimate threat once chase time comes along.

Another week, another great run for one David Ragan. Sooner or later people are gonna realize that this kid might have actually figured out how to drive in the Sprint Cup Series.

Mark Martin looked like he had the car to beat early in the race Sunday before fading. Yet, thanks to fuel mileage, he found himself back up front looking to earn a win. I really feel like Martin is going to win a race this year in the Sprint Cup Series, he still has it no matter what anyone else thinks.

Kahne almost stole the race Sunday with his slick move to stay out right before the rains came. Another 20 or 30 minutes of heavy, hard rain and Kahne would likely have won both Pocono races this season. Alas, it just wasn't to be.

Luck is suddenly NOT on Matt Kenseth's side. After last week's horror filled run at Indy where he blew a tire, this week he saw a solid top 10 disappear thanks to fuel mileage. Yet he still rallied back and finished 11th. Regardless though, Kenseth has gone from 8th in the standings two weeks ago to 13th, one spot out of the Chase. And the bad news? Watkins Glen is next week.

Bummer for Scott Riggs, it looked like he had a guaranteed top 10 run going until he ran out of gas. Considering he came all the way back from 43rd on the starting grid after an engine change he still had an outstanding run despite the final finishing position.

Speaking of good runs going bad, Kyle Busch looked on his way to a top 5 finish before he ran out of fuel. To make matters worse he couldn't get the engine restarted late and ended up finishing way back in 36th place. Ouch.

Another week and AJ Allmendinger gets a little closer to getting himself a guaranteed spot in each race. Scott Riggs holds onto the 35th position in points, but not by much. Michael McDowell is only four points behind Riggs with Allmendinger (only 38 points behind Riggs) nipping at their heels.

NASCAR in the rain?

2008-08-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Mother nature must have a sense of humor.

After last week's tire fiasco at Indianapolis NASCAR's Nationwide Series made history at the historic Circuit Gilles Villeneuve by racing for the first time under wet conditions with specially designed rain tires.

It was certainly an interesting attempt by NASCAR to bring something different into the sport and I give them credit for making every effort to run the race despite the awful conditions. But eventually the rain just became way too much. Jacques Villeneuve and Joey Logano both ended up crashing under caution while running up front. That, along with the heavy down poor and standing water on the track, convinced NASCAR to call the race early, handing the win to road-racer (and Canada native) Ron Fellows.

It was another disappointing day for one Marcos Ambrose, who looked like he had the car to beat until a miscommunication on pit road dropped Ambrose back to third. I really feel like Ambrose is bound to win one of these races sooner or later, its just a question of when.

I think the deer missed me

2008-08-01T08:55:00.001-07:00

I recently moved to Shelby after a year of driving back and forth from Polk County and its nice to not have to drive as far every night to work.

On Tuesday I went back home to Polk County to see my parents, pick up my mail and generally be as lazy as possible (though it didn't work out that way). As I was leaving late Wednesday afternoon to come back to Shelby this fella was just hanging out by a series of trailers less then an 1/8 of a mile from my families home.

Apparently the deer missed seeing me every night and hearing me slam on the brakes to avoid hitting them. Well sorry fella, I didn't miss seeing you.

Returning to Pocono

2008-07-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

After last week's tire fiasco at Indianapolis I'm sure most race fans will be happy to know that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams are headed to Pocono this weekend for the second time this season. Here are my picks to win this weekend's event:

Carl Edwards, No. 99 Office Depot Ford (Roush Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 2nd place finish in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Career at Pocono: 16.1 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 2 top 5's, 3 top 10's
Why he could win: I'm almost positive that after last week's race at Indianapolis that Carl Edwards is more determined then ever to get back to victory lane. Why not do it at Pocono where Edwards earned his second career Sprint Cup victory.

Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Budweiser Dodge (Gillett Evernham Motorsports)
Last Week: 7th place finish in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Career at Pocono: 17.7 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 2 top 5's, 3 top 10's
Why he could win: Kahne dominated at Pocono earlier this year, leading the most laps en route to his second win of the 2008 season. If he can duplicate that run this weekend I don't think anyone will be able to beat him.

Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: 3rd place finish in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Career at Pocono: 2.8 Avg. Finish, 2 wins, 4 top 5's, 5 top 5's
Why he could win: A 2.8 average finish? Is that real? Apparently it is. With that kind of consistency its hard to believe he's only been a full time driver on the circuit for a few years.

This week's underdog just earned his first career Sprint Cup top 10 last week and had a strong run at the spring Pocono race.

A.J. Allmendinger, No. 84 Red Bull Toyota (Red Bull Racing)
Last Week: 10th place finish in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Career at Pocono: 25.5 Avg. Finish, 0 top 5's, 0 top 10's
Why he could win: Allmendinger had a very competitive car here when the teams visited this track earlier this season, running in the top 10 most of the afternoon before fading late. After last week's strong run at Indianapolis I have every reason to expect Allmendinger to continue running up front.

Fire on the mountain

2008-07-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

So I was relaxing at my parents home in Polk County, NC today when the phone rang. My father, who works in and around Lake Lure daily, was in Lake Lure watching fire helicopters trying to put out a forest fire on the backside of Chimney Rock. So what do I do? I jump into superhero mode and grab my camera and fly out the door to Lake Lure. Below are a few of my favorite photos, the end results of my labor shall we say.

Was that really a race?

2008-07-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

I can only assume that when NASCAR returned to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend they had no idea the tires Goodyear planned to supply were going to be as bad as they were.
What was presented to fans Sunday on ESPN and live at Indianapolis could hardly be considered a NASCAR race. It seemed that NASCAR had to throw a caution every 20 laps or so to prevent tires from shredding.

For lack of a better term, Goodyear just screwed up. Tires were coming apart right down the middle tire and there was nothing anyone could do about it. The images of tires blowing apart, ala Matt Kenseth, are not what anyone wanted to see.

While I understand why NASCAR was throwing the cautions, I highly disagree with it. The fans at home and at Indianapolis came to the track to watch a NASCAR race, not heat races, which is what the race ended up turning into.

The fans at Indianapolis were obviously not happy with the way the race was being run and I can’t imagine the fans at home weren’t much happier. I can only hope that both NASCAR and Goodyear use Sunday’s race as a learning experience so that they don’t make the same mistakes again.

Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson earned his second win at the Brickyard by out dueling Carl Edwards. Johnson lead a race high 71 laps and was easily the class of the field most of the day. Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus did a good job managing their tires and using strategy to keep them up front when it counted most.

Interestingly, Johnson’s victory Sunday is the first win this season for Hendrick Motorsports that didn’t come thanks to fuel mileage. Who would have guessed that after the 2007 season Hendrick Motorsports had?

Elsewhere in the field, Elliott Sadler, Jamie McMurray and and AJ Allmendinger all recorded their best finishes of the 2008 season. Sadler looked like he had a car to catch Denny Hamlin before that late caution reset the field with Johnson out front, yet he still finished an impressive fourth. McMurray ran in the top 10 most of the day and so did Allmendinger, who recorded his first career top 10 finish.

Tater pictures from Alive After 5

2008-07-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

I walked up to Alive After 5 for a few minutes yesterday afternoon to say hello to some friends and snap some photos of local Shelby favorite Tater as they made their second appearance this summer at Alive After 5. Here are a few of those photos.

A fan, whom I actually know but will decline to name, gives a big 'ole thumbs up to Tater

Roger Padgett bends some strings on his guitar

Roger Padgett, left, and Luke Edwards

Phil Simmons using his regular pose

Luke Edwards singing one of Tater's fan favorite songs

Luke Edwards, left, and Phil Simmons

Luke Edwards, guitar and lead vocals

From left, Roger Padgett, Luke Edwards, Kelly Hull and Phil Simmons

Kelly Hull, drums

Brittany Randolph, Star photo intern, how did this get in here? :)

Stewart announces sponsors, car number

2008-07-25T12:43:00.001-07:00

Tony Stewart made the announcement that everyone was expecting since he announced he was leaving Joe Gibbs Racing a few weeks ago. Old Spice and Office Depot will co-sponsor his new ride with Stewart Haas Racing in 2009. The car number will be 14, in honor of racing legend AJ Foyt.

These announcements were pretty well known even before the official press conference today to unveil the car. Regardless, its another brick in the foundation of the 2009 Sprint Cup season. No other announcements were made by Stewart today in regards to his second car and who may drive and sponsor it. A rumor did pop up that the second car's number could be 4, but of course that has yet to be confirmed.

The legendary Brickyard

2008-07-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

Most NASCAR drivers would agree that the second biggest race on the NASCAR schedule, only behind the Daytona 500, is the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A lot of teams and drivers put a lot of focus on winning at the Brickyard and the winner of the race is usually a precursor to whomever ends up winning the Sprint Cup Title. My picks this week include the seasons dominant driver, the constant Brickyard favorite and the most consistent driver in NASCAR in the last two months.

Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Two weeks ago: Won the LifeLock.com 400
Career at the Brickyard: 7.0 Avg. Finish, 1 top 5, 3 top 10's
Why he could win: Come on folks, Kyle Busch has been a serious threat to win almost every weekend so far this year. What makes you think this weekend is really going to be any different? He'll run up front and probably lead a good chunk of the race. Winning? He has a lot of other drivers to beat first.

Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Two weeks ago: 5th place finish in the LifeLock.com 400
Career at the Brickyard: 7.6 Avg. Finish, 2 wins, 4 top 5's, 6 top 10's
Why he could win: If you travel to Indianapolis you MUST consider Tony Stewart the odds on favorite no matter how well he has been running in the weeks leading up to the Allstate 400. There is no doubt that in his last season with Joe Gibbs Racing Stewart would love to add his third Allstate 400 trophy to his trophy case.

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford (Roush Fenway Racing)
Two weeks ago: 7th place finish in the LifeLock.com 400
Career at the Brickyard: 13.2 Avg. Finish, 4 top 5's, 5 top 10's
Why he could win: In the last six races at Indy Kenseth has finished in the top 10 5 times, including two second place finishes (2003, 2006). Lets not forget he has been the most consistent driver in NASCAR in the last two or three months, earning 8 top 10's in his last 9 races. He's bound to win sooner or later, so why not this weekend at Indy?

My underdog this week is a past Allstate 400 winner and a past Sprint Cup Series Champion.

Bill Elliott, No. 21 Motorcraft Ford (Wood Brothers Racing)
Two weeks ago: 35th place finish in the LifeLock.com 400
Career at the Brickyard: 11.0 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 5 top 5's, 9 top 10's
Why he could win: Alright, so he probably won't win the race. Compete in the top 20 or maybe even make a run at the top 10? Sure, it could happen. In Elliott's first 11 races at Indy he finished in the top 10 an amazing nine times. Even if Awesome Bill is on his last leg that still makes him a legit threat in anyone's play book.

Off weekend thoughts and observations

2008-07-21T13:10:00.001-07:00

Despite the fact that the Sprint Cup had the weekend off, several drivers didn't bother resting. Instead, they just kept racing. Carl Edwards, for one, didn't do much resting. He road his bicycle 200 miles from his home to Gateway International Raceway where he later won the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250. He was followed to the line by Joey Logano, Jason Keller, Jason Leffler and Brad Keselowski.

Meanwhile in Kansas Johnny Benson earned his second win of the year in the Craftsman Truck Series by besting rookie and teammate Michael Annett, Matt Crafton, Dennis Setzer and David Starr.

Off weekend thoughts and observations

I often wonder how much free time drivers in the Sprint Cup Series get during a year. With 36 points races on the schedule (not counting the All-Star Race, Shootout and Gatorade Duel's) they only get 3 weekends off during a season. Yet, on the last off weekend of the season, seven full time Cup drivers could be found at one of the two NASCAR sanctioned events this weekend. That's not counting all the drivers racing on local short tracks around the country (Kenseth, Harvick and Sauter where just some I know about). I guess if its really in your blood you never really take a break from racing, huh?

Talk about hometown pride. Carl Edwards win at Gateway was his second in the Nationwide Series at the track that Carl considers his hometown track. He said in victory lane that winning that race means more to him then pretty much any other race in any of NASCAR's top divisions.

Joey Logano continues to impress. This 18-year-old put on another show on Saturday and came home a convincing 2nd behind Edwards (the second time Logano has finished 2nd to Edwards). Yet, i'm still very apprehensive about the idea of moving Logano straight into Tony Stewart's soon to be vacant No. 20 Sprint Cup machine. As good as Logano may be i'm a strong advocate of experience. I think Logano may be better served spending his 2009 season racing full time in the Nationwide Series before making the full time move to Cup in 2010. But hey, that's just my opinion.

Food for thought: Three of the top 10 finishers in Saturday's race at Gateway were less then 20 years old. Logano (18), Cassill (19) and Buescher (18) are certainly showing their stuff against the veterans of the sport like Edwards (28), Keller (38) and Leffler (32). Wait, those are veterans? Wow, things sure have changed a bit haven't they?

Elsewhere this weekend Johnny Benson continues to prove just because your not racing in the Sprint Cup doesn't mean your a bad driver. Benson's win at Kansas (his second this year and 11th of his career) moved him into the Craftsman Truck Series point lead, all of 1 point ahead of Matt Crafton. Former champion and constant championship threat Ron Hornaday sits third, only 5 points behind Benson.

One thing i've always liked about the Craftsman Truck Series is how competitive the racing is. It doesn't matter if your at Daytona, Bristol, Kansas or anywhere else for that matter. The racing is always good. On top of that, it seems like everyone has a chance to win. For example, nine different drivers have wins this season in the Trucks. Guess how many of them are Truck only drivers. Eight. Yes, eight. Kyle Busch is the only one who isn't a full time Truck driver (he has two wins).

More food for thought: The two youngest drivers in the top 10 in the Craftsman Truck Series points are 8th place Erik Darnell (25) and 2nd place Matt Crafton (32). After that, the next youngest driver is 7th place Terry Cook (40). Maybe they should rename the Truck Series the Veterans Series.

Marcos Ambrose and JTG/Daugherty Racing have entered this week's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, the first attempt at a Sprint Cup race for the new team. Is anyone else interested in just how well they perform?

No cup race, but plenty of news!

2008-07-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

The Sprint Cup is taking this weekend off leading into next week's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But, worry not my fateful NASCAR fans, there are still Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series races this weekend. The Nationwide Series will be traveling to Gateway International Raceway and the Craftsman Truck's will be hitting Kentucky Speedway. I'm sure those two races will hold you over until next week's BIG race at Indy.

In the mean time, there is a little bit of news to touch on.

JTG Racing made a few big announcements. First, ESPN Analyst Brad Daugherty has purchased part of JTG Racing, making the team JTG/Daugherty Racing. Second, the team will field a full-time Sprint Cup Series team next year for Marcos Ambrose. Sponsorship will come from Little Debbie Snack Cakes and the car number will be 47. No word on the manufacturer just yet, the team said the are unaffiliated for the 2009 season (but they currently field Ford's in the Nationwide Series for Ambrose and Kelly Bires). Ambrose, as far as I know, is the first confirmed Rookie of the Year Canidiate for 2009 season.

Yates Racing might have finally gotten a little bit of sponsorship help. The No. 28 Ford driven by Travis Kvapil will be getting sponsorship from Hitachi Power Tools for six races, with the first race being next week's Brickyard 400. This is great news for Yates Racing, both cars have been searching for sponsorship most of the 2008 season and this could be a sign of things to come.

Speaking of tools, Kobalt Tools looks to be the top choice as a sponsor to replace Craftsman as the the Truck Series sponsor. Its unfortunate that Craftsman is leaving as series sponsor, they've been with the Truck Series since the very beginning. But, with any luck, whomever replaces Craftsman will do as much for the series as Craftsman has.

I'll be back Monday for some offweekend news and notes, including my thoughts on the weekends Nationwide and Truck races.

The silly season so far

2008-07-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

With silly season really getting kicked off last week with the announcement that Tony Stewart would be leaving Joe Gibbs and becoming part owner of Haas/CNC Racing, I thought it might not be a bad idea to go ahead and put here everything we already know about the 2009 season.

Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet
Mark Martin will join Hendrick Motorsports full time in 2009 and take one last shot at a championship. Current sponsorship is expected to remain with the team.

Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford
AAA leaves this team at seasons end, meaning Roush Fenway and driver David Ragan are in need of a new sponsor.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. No. 8 Chevrolet
Aric Almirola will drive this car full time in 2009, allowing Mark Martin to move to Hendrick Motorsports. Rumors have the U.S. Army shopping its sponsorship around to other teams so sponsorship is uncertain.

Penske Racing No. 12 Dodge
Ryan Newman and Penske Racing part ways after 9 years and a Daytona 500 win in 2008. Newman is the top choice to drive the second Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet in 2009. David Stremme, Martin Truex Jr. and Casey Mears seem to be top choices to replace Newman.

Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota
Tony Stewart leaves to form Stewart Haas Racing. Joey Logano is expected to replace Stewart in 2009 but no announcement has been made. No word on the status of current sponsor Home Depot.

Bill Davis Racing No. 22 Toyota
Current sponsor Caterpillar leaves to join Richard Childress Racing on the No. 31 Chevrolet. Rumors have U.S. Army as a possible replacement.

Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet
Caterpillar joins the team as a replacement for AT&T, who can no longer sponsor the team after 2008 due to an agreement with NASCAR and Sprint. Burton will remain the driver.

Richard Childress Racing No. Unknown Chevrolet
General Mills leaves Petty Enterprises and joins RCR as the sponsor for its fourth team. Rumors have Casey Mears as the top choice to drive for this new team in 2009, but Scott Wimmer could also drive for this team. Car numbered is expected to be 33.

Boston Ventures/Petty Enterprises No. 43 Dodge
Boston Ventures bought into Petty Enterprises during the 2008 season, allowing the team to re-sign Bobby Labonte. General Mills leaves for Richard Childress Racing, leaving this team searching for a sponsor.

Stewart Haas Racing No. Unknown Chevrolet
Tony Stewart leaves Joe Gibbs to become part owner of Haas/CNC Racing, renaming the team Stewart Haas Racing. Stewart will drive one of the teams two cars, rumors have Stewart's car number being 14 and sponsorship coming from Office Depot and Old Spice. Announcement could come at Indianapolis

Stewart Haas Racing No. Unknown Chevrolet
The second Stewart Haas Racing team. Ryan Newman appears to be the top choice to drive this car. Sponsorship could come from UPS, Jack Daniel's or Burger King. Martin Truex Jr. could also drive this car or maybe even a third car.

Roush Fenway Racing No. 99 Ford
Aflac will replace Office Depot as the primary sponsor on the No. 99 Ford driven by Carl Edwards in 2009.

Chicagoland thoughts and observations

2008-07-14T12:04:00.001-07:00

Is anyone else getting a sense of deja vu? Kyle Busch swept the weekend events at Chicagoland Speedway, winning both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series races. Busch powered by Jimmie Johnson during a late restart in the LifeLock.com 400 to earn his seventh win of the season. Johnson was second, followed by Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart.

Thoughts and observations

I have what may be a dumb question. I thought the car of tomorrow was supposed to even things out and allow more teams to compete for wins. If that is in fact the case, how does Kyle Busch have seven wins this season?

Speaking of Mr. Busch, I have to give credit where credit is due. His move to pass Johnson on that last restart was a masterpiece. He set him up perfectly and used the momentum on the high side of the track to move past Johnson. No one ever said Kyle Busch can't drive a race car.

One last tidbit on Kyle Busch. Does everyone remember how the chase field is set once we have our 12 drivers? The top 12 are each given 10 bonus points for each victory you earn in the stretch before the chase. With that being said, here's how it would look if we started the chase right now:

1. Kyle Busch (5,070 points)
T-2. Carl Edwards (5,020 points, lost 10 bonus points for rules infraction)
T-2. Kasey Kahne (5,020 points)
T-4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5,010 points)
T-4. Jeff Burton (5,010 points)
T-4. Jimmie Johnson (5,010 points)
T-4. Denny Hamlin (5,010 points)
T-8. Jeff Gordon (5,000 points)
T-8. Greg Biffle (5,000 points)
T-8. Matt Kenseth (5,000 points)
T-8. Kevin Harvick (5,000 points)
T-8. Tony Stewart (5,000 points)

Yes, Busch would have a 50 point lead on Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne and a 70 point lead on the last five drivers in the chase. If he keeps doing what he's doing, that point spread may be as much as 100 points by the time the chase starts.

The hottest driver in the Sprint Cup Series not named Kyle Busch has to be Matt Kenseth. Despite falling a lap down with a flat tire midway through the LifeLock.com 400 he still managed to fight back to a 7th place finish, his 8th top 10 in the last nine races. That finish moved Kenseth up another spot in the standings to 8th, only 1 point behind teammate Greg Biffle for 7th. It's only a matter of time before he earns his first win of the season.

Brian Vickers and David Ragan continue to be the biggest surprises of the 2008 season. While neither driver has visited victory lane, they both continued to impress with top 10's this weekend at Chicagoland. Neither driver is out of chase contention either (Vickers is 95 points behind 12th, Ragan is 98 back).

The top 6 in the points have pretty much stabilized and are all pretty much locked into the chase, leaving as many as nine drivers to fight for the final 6 spots in the chase. The point separation from Greg Biffle in 7th to Denny Hamlin in 12th is only 35 points and the separation from Biffle to 15th place David Ragan is only 133 points. This thing ain't over, not by a long shot.

A new crew chief sometimes does wonders for a drivers confidence. Jimmy Elledge was announced as the new crew chief for AJ Allmendinger last week and the duo responded with a very competitive 13th place finish. But even that is misleading, the No. 84 Red Bull Toyota ran in the top 10 a good portion of the race and many (including myself) thought Allmendinger was going to get his first top 10, but alas, it wasn't to be. More runs like that and Allmendinger might just be the next breakout star.

Three drivers saw big drops in the point standings after Saturday's race. The biggest drop saw Denny Hamlin drop 5 spots in the standings to 12th, only 27 points ahead of Clint Bowyer. Speaking of Bowyer, he dropped three spots after Saturday's race and was replaced in the top 12 by Kevin Harvick. Lastly, Kasey Kahne also dropped three spots, forcing him all the way back into 11th. These three drivers can't afford to let that happen again, especially this close to the chase.

The No. 66 car driven by Scott Riggs continues to be just outside the top 35 in owner points, now only 13 points behind Michael McDowell in the No. 00 Toyota. The man on the move though is AJ Allmendinger. He is now only 122 points out of 35th and a guaranteed spot in every race. If I'm Scott Riggs and Michael McDowell he is the man I'm on the lookout for.

Fun at Chicagoland

2008-07-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

NASCAR heads to Joilet, Illinois this weekend for the LifeLock.com 400 (wait, didn't we already have a LifeLock 400?) at Chicagoland Speedway. This weekend will be the first time the race takes place on a Saturday at night, which add a little something different to the mix. Here are my picks to win this weekend:

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 USG Ford (Roush Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 3rd place finish in the Coke Zero 400
Career at Chicagoland: 10.1 Avg. Finish, 2 top 5's, 3 top 10's
Why he could win: Chicagoland owe's Matt at least two wins. He had the best car at Chicagoland a few years ago when Earnhardt Jr. used pit strategy to beat him and then Jeff Gordon punted him out of the way at Chicagoland to win another race. With the role he's on is Saturday finally the day he'll earn that first victory at Chicagoland?

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)
Last Week: 23rd place finish in the Coke Zero 400
Career at Chicagoland: 9.2 Avg. Finish, 4 top 5's, 5 top 10's
Why he could win: Johnson has always performed well at Chicagoland yet he hasn't been able to seal the deal yet. After a disappointing run last week at Daytona this could be the perfect time for Johnson to break out and go on one of his winning streaks.

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet (Richard Childress Racing)
Last Week: 12th place finish in the Coke Zero 400
Career at Chicagoland: 8.0 Avg. Finish, 2 wins, 4 top 5's, 5 top 10's
Why he could win: Harvick has two wins at Chicagoland, one of them being his second career cup victory. Harvick has been in a bit of a slump lately and has fallen outside the top 12 in points but I feel like Harvick will come away with a good top 5 or a win on Saturday.

Underdogs are always tough to pick at track's like this. But i'm gonna go with someone that has a bullseye on his back (and his hood).

Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Target Dodge (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Last Week: 22nd place finish in the Coke Zero 400
Career at Chicagoland: 9.5 Avg. Finish, 0 top 5's 1 top 10
Why he could win: Reed's only run two races at Chicagoland but he's been able to put together consistent runs during both races (7th in 2006, 12th in 2007). Don't be shocked to see him running in the top 10 by day's end.

Let the silly season begin

2008-07-08T10:04:00.001-07:00

The NASCAR silly season, its one of the craziest times of the year. It usually starts right around the time NASCAR teams make it to Daytona for the second time during a season. It's at that time teams who maybe aren't in championship contention begin to consider the next season. Questions begin to surface, who's going to drive for us, who is going to be our sponsor, will we be able to field another team next year, etc.

For NASCAR teams, that time of the year is now. I wanted to touch on a few of the annoucments that have already been made and some rumors that are floating around.

Casey Mears leaves Hendrick Motorsports at the end of 2008, will be replaced by Mark Martin, who leaves DEI opening the door for Aric Almirola to drive the No. 8 full time in 2009
Casey Mears has spent the last two seasons struggling to find a place to fit in at Hendrick Motorsports. Sure, he won the 2007 Coca-Cola 600, but he did it on fuel mileage and hasn't been able to duplicate the win since that time. I feel like his departure from Hendrick was to be expected considering his lack of performance over the last two years (while everyone else at Hendrick has done so well).

Mark Martin joining the team shouldn't be a huge surprise either, considering the relationship he has had with them the last few years. What surprises me is he is coming out of semi-retirement to make a run at that championship that has always eluded him. I personally don't think he'll win the title next year, even driving for Hendrick Motorsports. I do, however, suspect he'll be a serious threat to win next year with Hendrick power under the hood.

As far as Aric Almirola is concerned, the only way for him to get the experience he needs is to drive full time somewhere. If DEI couldn't put together a full time Nationwide ride the next best thing was to go ahead and put him in the No. 8 full time in 2009, so they did. It's probably the best choice they could have made under the circumstances.

Rumor: Tony Stewart set to buy into Haas/CNC Racing and take Ryan Newman with him. Sponsorship is likely to be Office Depot and Jack Daniel's.
Stewart has said for sometime now that he is interested in ownership oportunities in the Sprint Cup series and Joe Gibbs Racing has said for awhile that they won't be selling part ownership to anyone, not even Stewart. So that leaves Stewart with one option, look elsewhere.

Granted, Stewart's contract isn't actually up until the end of 2009, but contracts can be bought out. I'm on the fence about this decision should it become reality, the Sprint Cup Series hasn't seen an owner/driver champion since the late Alan Kulwicki and the few current owner/drivers (Robby Gordon, Michael Waltrip) haven't exactly been lighting the world on fire.

But, on the plus side, rumors seem to indicate Stewart will have some good company with his new team. Ryan Newman is apparently unhappy with Penske Racing and his contract is up at seasons end. Newman and Stewart on the same team could make for a great combination. Sponsorship shouldn't be an issue either, rumors have Office Depot (who is being replaced by Aflac on the No. 99 in 2009) and Jack Daniel's (who is probably going to be replaced by UPS on the No. 07 next year) coming on board to sponsor the team's two cars. If this actually happens, it'll be the biggest move during the silly season this year and much like the Dale Earnhardt Jr. ove last year, people will be waiting to see what happens.

Other moves/announcements/rumors floating around:
Rumors have suddenly surfaced that Teresa Earnhardt is looking to sell her majority ownership in Dale Earnhardt Inc. to an investor, much to the dismay of many longtime Earnhardt supporters. If this happens the team could loose a lot of loyal fans but they may gain the financial backing to catch back up to the NASCAR field.

Caterpillar is leaving the No. 22 Bill Davis Racing machine driven by Dave Blaney to go to the No. 31 car driven by Jeff Burton in 2009. In addition, Bill Davis Racing announced their intent to expand back to two teams in 2009. The U.S. Army is one rumored sponsor and Michael Annett from the ARCA/ReMax Series could get the call to drive the car.

General Mills is leaving the No. 43 Petty Enterprises Dodge driven by Bobby Labonte to join Richard Childress Racing's new fourth team (likely to be No. 33) in 2009. No driver has been announced yet for the new team, but Casey Mears seems like a possible option.

Aflac will replace Office Dept as the primary sponsor on the No. 99 Ford driven by Carl Edwards in 2009. Of course Office Depot is rumored to be joining Stewart at Haas/CNC Racing, should that deal take place.

Bill Elliott will retire from NASCAR competition at the end of the 2008 season. There is no confirmed word yet on who, exactly, will drive the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford in 2009. The obvious choices would be Jon Wood and Marcos Ambrose. The problem with Ambrose is rumors are floating around that his Nationwide team (JTG Racing) may make the move to Cup next year with him behind the wheel.

With the success of Scott Speed in the Craftsman Truck Series this year their are rumors that Red Bull Racing may try and move him up to the Sprint Cup Series in 2009. They would need additional sponsorship to do it, and that may come from the U.S. Army (another rumored landing spot for this sponsor). I don't expect Allmendinger or Vickers to be replaced and their are no rumors out there saying that is possible either at this point.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. With the NASCAR season a few months from being over things could change in a hurry. Who knows, Tony Stewart might just stay with Joe Gibbs Racing, you really never can tell.

Daytona thoughts and observations

2008-07-07T11:48:00.001-07:00

For the fourth straight race, the fans at Daytona got to see a wild and crazy finish. Kyle Busch was inches ahead of Carl Edwards when the caution flag flew in Saturday's Coke Zero 400, giving Busch his sixth win of the season and his first career victory at Daytona. Edwards crossed the line second, followed by Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and David Ragan.

Thoughts and observations

That finish at Daytona was insane wasn't it? First, Carl Edwards punts Jeff Gordon out of the way. Then a melee breaks out while Busch and Edwards are side by side for the lead on a green-white-checkered finish. For a few tense moments no one really knew who won the race. Granted, I'd rather that have happened at the line instead of under caution, but it still made for a very dramatic finish.

With his sixth win of the season, Kyle Busch extended his point lead to 182 points over Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kyle is making things look easy at this point and unless a disaster happens his place in the Chase is all but locked up.

While two of the Roush Fenway cars faltered, the other three made their presence known on Saturday. Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and David Ragan finished 2nd, 3rd and 5th respectively on Saturday. For Edwards and Kenseth it marks both drivers best career Daytona finish. For Ragan its his second career top 5 at Daytona in just four starts. After that performance, I'm interested to see how these teams perform at Talladega later this year.

For the second time this year Robby Gordon showed up late in the running of a race at Daytona and picked up a top 10. At least this time he didn't have the wrong nose on his car.

The bad luck brigade at Daytona were: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle. Everyone but Stewart were involved in wrecks that ended their nights early. Stewart on the other hand wasn't feeling all that well and had to get out of the car and seek medical attention. J.J. Yeley was doing a fine job in his place until getting involved in a late crash that relegated the No. 20 car to a 20th place finish.

Kurt Busch looks like he finally has some momentum on his side. After winning last week at New Hampshire he rolled into Daytona and picked up his third top 5 of the season. Is the older Busch finally back on track?

Jeff Burton's string of consecutive top 15 finishes ended at Daytona where he finished 37th. Before Daytona he hadn't finished any worse then 15th all season long (a string of 17 straight races).

Jeff Gordon looked primed to win his first race of the 2008 season on Saturday, right up until getting punted into the infield by Carl Edwards. Everything i've seen and heard indicates that Edwards didn't mean to do it and even Gordon said he didn't think Edwards meant to either. It's just unfortunate that Gordon was in position to win and he ended up on the wrong end of someone else's bumper.

Mark Martin looked strong most of the race Saturday before coming home 10th. For those that don't know, Martin was part of an announcement last weekend at Daytona that confirmed he would take over the No. 5 being vacated by Casey Mears at the end of the 2008 season. Martin will drive the car full time in 2009 and take one last shot at winning that elusive Sprint Cup Championship. He'll also drive the car part-time in 2010 (likely splitting time with Brad Keselowski unless something changes). Do I think he'll win the title? No, probably not. But that doesn't mean he won't show up in victory lane before 2009 is over.

With only 8 races left before the chase begins things changed a lot after Daytona. Kenseth jumped all the way from 13th to 9th in the standings, a jump of 4 positions. Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved past Jeff Burton into 2nd, Kasey Kahne moved up 2 spots to 8th and Bowyer moved up 1 spot to 10th. In addition to Burton dropping a spot, Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart dropped three spots each down to 11th and 12th. Kevin Harvick fell out of the chase, slipping back to 13th position, 2 points behind Tony Stewart.

Nothing changed after Daytona in the top 35 in owner points. Scott Riggs failed to qualify at Daytona, meaning he couldn't gain any points on 35th place in the standings. He remains 36th in the points, 70 points behind Sam Hornish Jr. in 35th. The man who is really making moves toward 35th is AJ Allmendinger in 37th. If he continues improving he could make his way into the top 35 by season's end.

So much to do about Taylor Hicks

2008-07-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

So apparently my blog about The Benefit Concert Vol. 8 was pretty popular. It, to date, has drawn 19 comments, many of which discussing how good (or for some, how bad) a musician Taylor Hicks really is.

In all honesty, I'm not much of a Taylor Hicks fan. I never watched American Idol (and probably never will unless forced) but I knew the name simply because of how much the media was covering the show. And oh yeah, those Ford commercials he did. Needless to say when he came on stage at the Christmas Jam I wasn't sure if I needed to be afraid and run for the hills or stay and see what he could do. As you know by now I stayed and it turns out he's a pretty good harp player.

Does that mean I'd go see Taylor Hicks in concert? No, probably not. What it does mean is I won't discount someone's musical ability without hearing or seeing it for myself first.

Besides, in the long run, what can hanging around and hearing one song do to you? You might just realize that some guy who was on some reality TV show can actually blow on the harp like no buddies business. Want proof? Check this video out of Hicks playing the harmonica in Twin River, Rhode Island.

Daytona, Round 2

2008-07-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

It's back to Florida this weekend for the Coke Zero 400 (the former Pepsi 400) at Daytona International Speedway. As many might remember, last year's race had a great finish between Kyle Busch and Jamie McMurray with McMurray just edging Busch for his first win at Daytona. Will this weekend's race have the same great finish? Who knows, but i'm still gonna try and pick the drivers to watch this weekend.

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)
Last Week: 9th place finish in the LENOX Industrial Tools 301
Career at Daytona: 13.2 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 5 top 5's, 8 top 10's
Why he could win: Of active drivers with more then 10 career Daytona starts, Johnson has the best average finish (13.2) with 1 win ('06 Daytona 500). Johnson has been a serious threat to win at the super speedway's for the last few years, so saying he could win really isn't that big of a stretch.

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)
Last Week: 11th place finish in the LENOX Industrial Tools 301
Career at Daytona: 14.7 Avg. Finish, 6 wins, 11 top 5's, 17 top 10's
Why he could win: Say hello to the active drivers win leader, Jeff Gordon. If there is a race at Daytona Jeff Gordon is a threat to win, no matter what the conditions.

Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: 13th place finish in the LENOX Industrial Tools 301
Career at Daytona: 17.6 Avg. Finish, 2 wins, 6 top 5's, 10 to 10's
Why he could win: The second Daytona race is traditionally Tony Stewart's jumping off point. In his 19 races at Daytona, Tony has led 531 laps total. The only semi-active drivers to do better? Bill Elliott and Sterling Marlin. Yeah, i'd put money on Tony this weekend.

I'm gonna pick a former Daytona 500 winner as this week's underdog.

Michael Waltrip, No. 55 NAPA Toyota (Michael Waltrip Racing)
Last Week: 2nd place finish in the LENOX Industrial Tools 301
Career at Daytona: 20.6 Avg. Finish, 3 wins, 6 top 5's, 12 top 10's
Why he could win: Waltrip has two Daytona 500 wins under his belt, so its obvious he knows how to drive at Daytona. Plus, he has a little momentum on his side after his strategy driven second place finish at New Hampshire last week. Could Michael surprise everyone and win on Saturday?

DVD Review: The Benefit Concert Vol. 8

2008-07-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

I'm a big music fan. When I say big, I mean BIG. I have over 250 CD's worth of music, hours upon hours worth of stuff to keep me listening for days on end. So when I get something new, naturally I sit down and listen to it for a day or two or three until I'm either very happy with a record or totally disgusted. Both have been known to happen.

But yesterday I got something in the mail i've been looking forward to for awhile. What is that might you ask? That would be Warren Haynes Presents The Benefit Concert Volume 8. Why is this particular item so special? Well, first of all, its actually a DVD. Secondly, I was actually AT this show.

For those that don't know, Asheville native Warren Haynes holds the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam every year in Asheville to benefit Habitat For Humanity. My father, my brothers and I made a point for several years to attend the Christmas Jam, it was our father/son outing every year. My first Christmas Jam was in 2001, a show headlined by Warren Haynes' band Gov't Mule, Phil Lesh & Friends, Blues Traveler and Drivin' & Cryin'. I also attended the 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006 editions.

This DVD is of the 2006 edition, featuring the Taj Mahal Trio, The John Popper Project, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, The New Orleans Social Club, Dave Matthews and Gov't Mule. Needless to say watching this DVD brings back a lot of good memories.

The first thing that I really remembered wasn't actually from the Christmas Jam, it was from the Pre-Jam the night before in The Orange Peel. It's sort of a dress rehearsal for the Christmas Jam that is held every year in the Orange Peel for a select group of guests. In 2006 I managed to get on the guest list for that show and, along with my father, attended. Marty Stuart was on stage with his band when he did something different. He picked up his mandolin and just started ripping it up, playing whatever his fingers could play. I remembered it instantly when I saw it on the DVD and went straight to it.

My memory of the 3 or 4 minute jam was pretty much dead on, it was a great little jam session. Then the DVD transitioned seamlessly into the next night with Marty Stuart and his band (The Fabulous Superlatives) going into a song called "Streamline." The rest of Marty's set was great as well, with the band finishing with covers of "Wait Til The Morning" and The Band's "The Shape I'm In."

But my favorite set of the night belonged to the New Orleans Social Club. They really surprised me when they came on stage and just handed out a great jamming session of songs that got even the sleepiest member of the audience up and swinging. They even brought out Taylor Hicks, yes, American Idol's Taylor Hicks. I had no idea, but Hicks is apparently a KILLER harmonica player. He joined the band on a cover of John Fogerty's "Fortunate Son" and wailed on the harmonica. Great set.

The rest of the show wasn't bad, Dave Matthews joined Gov't Mule on a cover of Neil Young's "Cortez The Killer" and most of the musicians joined Gov't Mule on stage for the finale, "I Shall Be Released" (another song from The Band).

All in all it was a great show live and it transitioned well onto DVD. If you are a fan of any of these bands i'd pick this DVD up ASAP. It's well worth the purchase.

Favorite Songs:

1. I Shall Be Released by Gov't Mule with Marty Stuart, Kevn Kinney, Taylor Hicks, Mike Barnes, Brendan Bayliss, Mickey Raphael & Robert Kearns

2. The Shape I'm In by Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives with Warren Haynes & Danny Louis

3. Fortunate Son by The New Orleans Social Club with Warren Haynes, Taylor Hicks & Branford Marsalis

Loudon thoughts and observations

2008-06-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes its better to be lucky then good. Kurt Busch proved that old adage Sunday by winning the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 thanks to a timely rainfall in Loudon, New Hampshire. Michael Waltrip finished second, followed by J.J. Yeley, Martin Truex Jr. and Elliott Sadler.

Thoughts and observations

Considering the kind of year Kurt Busch has had since finishing second at Daytona, this was just what the doctor ordered. He didn't have the best car Sunday, i'd go so far as to say he didn't have the 20th best car. But, sometimes it doesn't matter how good your car is. More importantly, it matters where you are on the track when that black rain cloud comes flying into the area.

Tony, Tony, Tony. What does Tony Stewart have to do to win a race this season? The man dominated Sunday's race and led the most laps but thanks to pit strategy he ended up a disappointing 13th. But that's alright, Daytona is next week and Tony's been known to use Daytona as a mid season launching pad.

Michael Waltrip and J.J. Yeley couldn't have asked for a better forecast Sunday afternoon. That rain gave both drivers their best finishes of the 2008 season. It was Yeley's best finish since his 2nd place in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2007 and Waltrip's best since a 10th place finish at Charlotte last fall.

Less then a week after his announcement that he'd be leaving Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the season, Casey Mears led 53 laps and finished 7th on Sunday. That follows his season best finish of 5th last week at Infineon Raceway. So, let me get this straight, you announce your leaving your job and you have your two best performances of the season back to back? I don't get it.

Despite qualifying first, Patrick Carpentier didn't exactly have a great race. He did hang up front until the first round of pit stops, but after that he fell sharply through the field all the way to the back. He ended up finishing 31st. But hey, on the plus side, he's in the Shootout at Daytona in February.

You don't usually see many tempers flare up at New Hampshire but Juan Pablo Montoya let his temper get the best of him Sunday. For those that missed it, under the last caution flag Kyle Busch and Montoya were racing hard for position. Once the caution came out the two exchanged bumps. Apparently Montoya didn't really appreciate it and attempted to spin out Busch. The result? Busch over corrected when Montoya hit him and he spun right back down into Montoya taking both drivers out. A bone head move if I've ever seen one. And oh yeah, NASCAR penalized Montoya 2 laps for rough driving. D'oh.

So much for all those cars that qualified in the top 10. Some of them did good, others, well not so much. Carpentier (pole sitter) finished 31st, Bobby Labonte (outside pole) finished 10th, Kevin Harvick (3rd) finished 14th, Scott Riggs (4th) finished 34th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5th) finished 24th, Reed Sorenson (6th) finished 6th, Dario Franchitti (7th) finished 38th, Martin Truex Jr. (8th) finished 4th, Matt Kenseth (9th) finished 18th and A.J. Allmendinger (10th) finished shotgun on the field (in other words, dead last). So, 3 of the top 10 starters finished in the top 10 while the rest were 14th or worst. Ouch.

With only 9 races left for drivers to claw their way into the chase, Kevin Harvick moved back into the top 12 with his 14th place finish, 15 points ahead of Matt Kenseth who dropped back into 13th after his first finish outside the top 10 in the last 7 races. It looks like Harvick, Kenseth, Bowyer, Kahne and Stewart are the drivers who will be battling for the 12th place spot. Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman and Brian Vickers are also pretty close but will need some help to get there. David Ragan has free fallen a bit to over 120 points behind but he can still make a charge and get into the chase with a little bit of luck.

Now, to the other race, the race to get into the top 35 in owner points. The No. 66 car driven by Scott Riggs sits 36th in the standings, 25 points behind both the No. 00 driven by Michael McDowell and the No. 77 driven by Sam Hornish Jr. (they are tied with 1,294 points).

Loudon it is

2008-06-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

New Hampshire is the place to be this weekend as the boys of NASCAR invade Loudon, New Hampshire for the LENOX Tools 301 this weekend. So who is gonna win? Who's gonna lose? Who's gonna need to buy a new car after this weekend? I've got a few guesses that i'm gonna share.

Jeff Burton, No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet (Richard Childress Racing)
Last Week: 13th place finish in the Toyota/Save Mart 350
Career at Loudon: 13.2 Avg. Finish, 4 wins, 7 top 5's, 12 top 10's
Why he could win: If there is any one track that Burton knows how to drive on, Loudon is certainly a top choice. His four wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the most by any driver in the tracks history. And oh yeah, he led every lap in his 2000 victory at New Hampshire.

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford (Roush Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 8th place finish in the Toyota/Save Mart 350
Career at Loudon: 10.5 Avg. Finish, 5 top 5's, 11 top 10's
Why he could win: He's LONG overdue and his recent hot streak (six straight top 10 finishes) shows he still has it. New Hampshire has always been a good track for Kenseth and I suspect he may try and take advantage of it this weekend.

Clint Bowyer, No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet (Richard Childress Racing)
Last Week: 4th place finish in the Toyota/Save Mart 350
Career at Loudon: 22.2 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 1 top 5, 1 top 10
Why he could win: Bowyer totally dominated the fall race here one year ago en route to his fantastic Sprint Cup points finish. If he can replicate that run this weekend no one in the field will be able to touch him.

For my underdog this week i'm picking a former winner here with lots of racing experience.

Joe Nemechek, No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet (Furniture Row Racing)
Last Week: 26th place finish in the Toyota/Save Mart 350
Career at Loudon: 24.7 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 3 top 5's, 5 top 10's
Why he could win: Nemechek earned his first career Sprint Cup victory at this race track in 1999, besting the Joe Gibbs duo of Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte to go to victory lane. While I don't expect a duplicate performance, Nemechek could come away with a strong top 20 run this weekend.

Infineon thoughts and observations

2008-06-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

So much for the slump. Kyle Busch snapped a recent streak of bad luck by winning the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in dominating fashion, his first Sprint Cup Series road course win. David Gilliland finished a career best second, followed by Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer and Casey Mears.

Thoughts and observations

So much for starting positions mattering on road courses. Kyle Busch drove all the way from 30th place to win Sunday's race and second place finisher David Gilliland started 31st. Of course, Juan Pablo Montoya won last year's race from 32nd position.

Whatever slump Kyle Busch was in was quickly washed away with that dominating win. Busch is becoming arguably the best all-around driver on the circuit this year with wins on a road course (Infineon), super speedway (Talladega), intermediate (Lowe's, Atlanta) and short track (Dover). Incase your wondering, that's every type of track that the Sprint Cup races on. Not bad huh?

Considering I picked everyone and their brother to surprise this weekend, the one driver I didn't pick was David Gilliland. I should have known better frankly. Gilliland cut his teeth at Infineon, winning two Camping World West races at the track. He also made his first career cup start there in 2006 driving for CJM Racing in the No. 72 Chevrolet. Watch out for him at Watkins Glen in a few months, he might do even better there.

Casey Mears certainly picked a good time to finish in the top 5 considering all the talk about his future. Rumors are flying about Mears and his future with Hendrick Motorsports. One rumor has Mark Martin jumping ship from Dale Earnhardt Inc. and either driving full or part-time in the No. 5 next year. Of course, that would leave Casey Mears high and dry. One hopes he can nail down a few more top 5's and maybe secure his future with Hendrick Motorsports.

It wasn't a very good day Sunday for the road course ringers. The highest finishing ringer ended up being former Cup champion Terry Labonte who finished 17th. Both Ron Fellows and Marcos Ambrose were threats to win at one point in the race but bad luck hit both drivers. Ambrose broke his transmission when Elliott Sadler spun him out while running in the top 5 and Ron Fellows got caught up in the Stewart/Harvick/McMurray mess while running 6th. Boris Said, Scott Pruett, Brian Simo and Max Papis were all non-factors.

Speaking of Ambrose, wasn't it good to see the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford running up front, even if it didn't last? I, for one, was really rooting for the team to pull off the huge upset. But alas, it wasn't to be.

When did Matt Kenseth become a road racer? Somehow, against all odds (and history), Kenseth some how managed to earn his 6th straight top 10 at his worst career track. Oh, and by the way, he's moved himself up into the 12th position, the last chase eligible spot.

Matt Kenseth's gain is Kevin Harvick's pain. Harvick's bad luck late in the running of Sunday's race bumped him down 3 spots to 13th in the Cup points standings.

No changes in the top 35 in owner points after this weekend's race. The No. 66 Haas/CNC Racing Chevrolet remains in 36th, 20 points behind the No. 41 Target Dodge of Chip Ganassi Racing in 35th place.

Kindness from Tater

2008-06-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

As most who read The Star know by now, I wrote a story about local hillbilly bluegrass band Tater for Thursday's Star. The story was the idea of City Editor Graham Cawthon, he wanted to have something on the band in the paper as sort of a lead in to the band playing Thursday's Alive After 5.

So, knowing that i'm very much a Tater Head, Graham asked if i'd like to do the story. Of course, I gladly accepted. A few days later I had a two hour interview with the entire band at Guitar RX, which, if you don't know, is right across the street from Mi Pueblito's. Stories were told, laughs were had and a few pictures were taken. And oh yeah, I got a ton of information for my story.

Fast forward a few weeks later to when the story appears in the paper. My dad, being the sneaky person that he is, called Amanda Edwards, the wife of Tater's lead singer Luke Edwards, and hatched an apparent plan. He wanted to get a copy of the paper autographed for me and have it waiting for me when I got to Alive After 5 yesterday. He knew I wanted to get it done anyway, so he figured he'd "help out" and get it done for me. No complaints here, by the way.

In any case, while I was hanging out around the stage with the other Tater Heads Luke came running towards me with a flimsy piece of paper in his hand. Keep in mind, they were about to be introduced to the audience to start performing. He hands me a laminated, signed cut out of my story from Thursday's front page, shakes my hand and with a big smile says "Thanks so much Adam." I hardly had time to get a thank you out of my mouth before he had to run back to the stage to start performing. Of course, all the Tater Heads gathered round and started looking at the cutout with the signatures and everyone was congratulating me.

Needless to say I was rather happy. Tater went on, blew a circuit somewhere in the PA system, went off stage, fixed the PA, then got back on stage and continued playing. At some point I saw a few Star employees, Graham, Cherish, Kristy and Brittany, and went and sat with them in the grass alongside the stage. Then, as we are sitting their goofing off, I hear my name over the PA system.

"First of all we'd like to thank Adam Fenwick for his great article in The Star!"

Yup. That's what I heard. I'd have to ask Cherish or Graham, but I bet my face was red as a cherry. After Tater went off stage I went over and shook Luke's hand and thanked him for his kindness. It was the least I could do.

To sum it up the story was fun to write, much like the band Tater is fun to watch and listen too. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Time to hit the road (course that is)

2008-06-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

It's time to go road racing boys!!! Sprint Cup teams head out west this weekend for the first roadcourse race of the season at Infineon Raceway. Headlines always seem to go to the roadcourse ringers but those so called "ringers" haven't been able to seal the deal in a long time. So here are my picks to win this weekend:

Robby Gordon, No. 7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge (Robby Gordon Motorsports)

Last Week: 4oth place finish in the LifeLock 400

Career at Infineon: 20.7 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 2 top 5's, 3 top 10's

Why he could win: When you go to a roadcourse, no matter where it is, Robby Gordon is a threat to win. He led the most laps in this race last year before falling behind via strategy and losing the race to Juan Pablo Montoya. He also has an extra reason to race this weekend, he doesn't yet have a sponsor for this weekend. A good showing will help him lock one up for any remaining sponsorless weekends this season.

Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)

Last Week: 5th place finish in the LifeLock 400

Career at Infineon: 10.0 Avg. Finish, 2 wins, 3 top 5's, 5 top 10's

Why he could win: Stewart hasn't been having a stellar season so far, but last week's top 5 could be a start of some much needed momentum. And of course he's always been good at Infineon. Could we see Smoke back in victory lane this weekend?

Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge (Chip Ganassi Racing)

Last Week: 38th place finish in the LifeLock 400

Career at Infineon: 1.0 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 1 top 5, 1 top 10

Why he could win: Last year Montoya came into this race with a lot of expectations. What did he do? He went out and won this race to earn his first Sprint Cup victory. Now I don't know if he can do it again, but I wouldn't bet against Montoya on a roadcourse, ever.

Usually I choose an underdog who could surprise and come out with a strong run but this week I won't pick just one. Actually, i'm gonna pick several. Why you ask? Because frankly there are several underdogs that could win this weekend, and I do mean several. I'm not going to go into full detail like I usually do, i'm just gonna list the driver and team and a bit about why I think they might surprise.

Ron Fellows, No. 01 DEI/Principal Financial Group Chevrolet (Dale Earnhardt Inc.)

Fellows steps in for Regan Smith this week so the team can gain maximum owner points. DEI couldn't have picked a better roadcourse ringer in my opinion, he finished second several years ago driving for Joe Nemechek at Watkins Glen in a Cup race.

Patrick Carpentier, No. 10 Valvoline Dodge (Gillett Evernham Motorsports)

Carpentier got noticed last year by winning the pole for the Nationwide roadcourse race in Canada and finishing second. He then jumped in a cup car and lead some laps at Watkins Glen. Anyone else think he could really surprise?

Marcos Ambrose, No. 21 Little Debbie Honey Buns Ford (Wood Brothers Racing)

Ambrose should have won the Nationwide race in Canada last year had it not been for an arrant Robby Gordon. I suspect that Ambrose, who will be making his first Cup start, will certainly try to impress on the roadcourse in California this weekend.

Jamie McMurray, No. 26 Crown Royal Ford (Roush Fenway Racing)

McMurray won the pole for this race last year and battled Juan Pablo Montoya late in the running before running out of gas. Don't be surprised to see him up front again this weekend.

Dario Franchitti, No. 40 Texaco/Havoline/The Hartford Dodge (Chip Ganassi Racing)

Dario hasn't had much to smile about this year. He's had bad finish after bad finish, not to mention suffering a broken ankle. Maybe this weekend he can show his driving skills by racing circles around some of the Sprint Cup competition.

Scott Pruett, No. 41 Target Dodge (Chip Ganassi Racing)

When NASCAR goes roadcourse racing Scott Pruett almost always shows up in someone's car. This weekend he takes over for Reed Sorenson to try and earn the team maximum points. Pruett should finish in the top 10, maybe even compete for the win.

Terry Labonte, No. 45 Wells Fargo Dodge (Petty Enterprises)

Labonte nearly shocked the world a few years ago when he was driving the No. 96 car for Hall Of Fame Racing. He led late and almost won this race before falling to third. It was a good showing for Labonte and he could surprise again.

Boris Said, No. 60 7-Eleven Slurpee/No Fear Ford (No Fear Racing)

The Said Heads will be out in force this weekend to root on Boris in his attempt to win his first Cup race. Boris almost always finishes in the top 5 or top 10 on the roadcourses so watch out for him, he is a real threat to win.

Max Papis, No. 66 Haas Automation Chevrolet (Haas/CNC Racing)

Papis has been trying to break into NASCAR for a few years and a good run this weekend might just earn him that ride. Don't underestimate Papis, he's an accomplished roadcourse racer and could earn a top 10.

Sam Hornish Jr., No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge (Penske Racing)

Hornish had a great run last week until a late spin ruined everything. This week though will be the first roadcourse race for Hornish since joining the cup series and there is a chance he could make up for last weeks spinout.

A.J. Allmendinger, No. 84 Red Bull Toyota (Red Bull Racing)

Allmendinger made a name for himself by winning a bunch of roadcourse races in 2006 in the now defunct CART Series. Will that translate to the Cup Series this weekend?

Michigan thoughts and observations

2008-06-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

The long, agonizing wait is over for Dale Earnhardt Jr. The prodigal son returned to victory lane Sunday, coasting across the line on fumes to win the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway. He was followed to the line by Kasey Kahne (who is still red hot), Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers and Tony Stewart.

Thoughts and observations

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said it perfectly in victory lane, the critics can say whatever they want, Dale Jr. and the No. 88 team won one. In the long run that's really all that matters. Besides, with the year he is having he was bound to earn himself a victory sooner or later.

Food for thought: The only two victories for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008 have been on fuel mileage.

Question: Name three drivers who seem to be getting it all right lately. Answer: Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth and Brian Vickers. These three have been spot on lately. Kahne, as we all know, has been on fire. Kenseth found his consistency again and is back to his old self. And Vickers? Well Vickers looks like a serious threat to win every week suddenly. I'd wager that the No. 83 will find itself in victory lane by seasons end.

Since you did so well on the last question, lets ask another. Question: Name three drivers who have been slipping back off the radar. Answer: Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch. Bowyer, who sits 12th in the points (the last chase eligible spot) has been free falling since winning at Richmond. His last four finishes? 25th, 36th, 39th, 26th. Not good at all.

As for Newman and Busch, these two saw their finest hour during the Daytona 500. Since then? Well ... lets just say it hasn't been all peaches and creme. Newman has been falling steadily back in the points for weeks now and his 42nd place finish at Michigan certainly didn't help that. Busch? Well, he only has two top 10's this season and 8 finishes of 20th or worse. That should say everything.

David Ragan continues to impress. His 8th place finish at Michigan Sunday was his 4th top 10 of the season, which is more then he achieved all of last year. These strong runs continue to keep him in the hunt to make the chase. He sits 13th in the points, only 10 points behind the struggling Clint Bowyer.

Two drivers in desperate need of solid runs found them Sunday, Elliott Sadler and Jamie McMurray both earned top 10 finishes at Michigan. Sadler has been on the verge of something, maybe this is the start of it. As for McMurray, there are lots of rumors about him losing his ride, maybe this top 10 will knock out some of those rumors.

What a shame Sam Hornish Jr. couldn't hold onto his car late in the running of the LifeLock 400 Sunday. He raced up front late in the race, even taking the lead from Jimmie Johnson for a few laps before handing it back. The fact is Hornish looked good running up front and I'll bet it felt good too. Now, lets see if Hornish can capitalize on the positive of running up front and ignore the negative of spinning out.

Despite that late crash with Patrick Carpentier, Michael Waltrip managed to scratch and claw his way back into the top 35 in owner points Sunday, pushing the No. 66 driven by Scott Riggs back into 36th place. That's going to hurt Riggs heading into next Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infienion Raceway, Riggs has never been known as a road course racer and with all the experts coming in for that race, Riggs may be watching the race from his RV.

A trip to Michigan

2008-06-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

Michigan International Speedway is the site of this week's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, one many expect to be very competitive. The track has traditionally been a Roush-Fenway dominated track. Why do I say that you ask? Well, looking back, since 2002 there have been 12 races held at Michigan. Of those 12 races, 6 have been won by Roush-Fenway drivers. With that being said, here are my choices to win...

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 DEWALT Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 7th place finish in the Pocono 500
Career at Michigan: 9.7 Avg. Finish, 2 wins, 7 top 5's, 11 top 10's
Why he could win: Matt's been one of the most consistent drivers at Michigan in the last few years, earning two victories at the track. It also can't hurt that this team has four straight top 10 finishes in the last four weeks. Momentum here we come.

Carl Edwards, No. 99 Office Depot Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 9th place finish in the Pocono 500
Career at Michigan: 7.3 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 4 top 5's, 6 top 10's
Why he could win: This is Carl Edwards' kind of track. Michigan is a rhythm track, a place you get into a groove and go. Much like Atlanta, Texas or any other track designed in the same manner. Carl should run up front and be a threat to win all weekend.

Mark Martin, No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet (Dale Earnhardt Inc.)
Last Week: 10th place finish in the Pocono 500
Career at Michigan: 13.0 Avg. Finish, 4 wins, 16 top 5's, 27 top 10's
Why he could win: History is on Mark Martin's side. He's always done well at Michigan, as you might guess from his 4 career wins and 16 career top 5's. Mark has been on the verge of winning a race this season on a few occasions and I feel like Michigan might be as good a place as any for it to happen.

The underdog this week drivers for a team who just made a big merger announcement. Can you guess?

Bobby Labonte, No. 43 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge (Petty Enterprises)
Last Week: 11th place finish in the Pocono 500
Career at Michigan: 13.5 Avg. Finish, 3 wins, 9 top 5's, 16 top 10's
Why he could win: As we all know by now, the majority of Petty Enterprises was sold to Boston Ventures, a private equity firm, this week. With any luck, this will be the start of a push forward for Petty Enterprises back into the forefront of the NASCAR world. Wouldn't a top 10 or even a top 5 be a great way for this partnership to start?

Pocono thoughts and observations

2008-06-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentleman, i'd like to award the hottest driver in NASCAR title to a new owner, Kasey Kahne. The driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge won Sunday's Pocono 500, his third victory in the last four weeks. He was followed to the line by Brian Vickers, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton.

Thoughts and observations

Did someone flip a switch on Kasey Kahne's back that told him it was time to go on a tear? Before the Coca-Cola 600 started Kahne was 14th in points, 426 points behind points leader Kyle Busch. But now after winning two of the last three points races (and three out of his last four, counting the All-Star Race) he is 9th in points, 365 points behind Kyle. That is a mighty impressive jump if I do say so myself.

Brian Vickers showed that he does, in fact, know how to drive a race car this weekend. He battled all day and was a threat to win the Pocono 500 late before being passed by Kasey Kahne. Add to that the fact that AJ Allmendinger was consistently in the top 10 a good chunk of the day and you'll have the best combined run for Red Bull Racing since the teams creation last year. Keep an eye on Red Bull Racing, they are gonna be a threat before its all said and done.

Kyle Busch's attempt at a historic weekend went up in smoke Sunday. After finishing 2nd and 20th in the Truck and Nationwide races, he ended the weekend in 43rd at Pocono. He did something you very rarely see at Pocono, he wrecked on the front stretch, and not while coming out of the last turn, he did it in the middle of the front stretch. In an even more shocking move, he actually admitted it was his fault. Is that a little maturity slipping through the cracks of young Rowdy Busch?

Kyle Busch's misfortune was Jeff Burton's gain. With a 5th place finish, Burton went from 142 points behind Busch to only 21. If Burton continues this kind of constancy it'll be hard to bet against him when the Chase starts.

More bad luck for Tony Stewart. By finishing a lap down in 35th position, Stewart has fallen all the way back to 12th in the standings, the last chase eligible spot. Now Stewart has a bullseye on his back and drivers like David Ragan, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr. are all taking aim at the two-time Sprint Cup Champion. The one good thing to come out of all of this? Its almost time for Tony Stewart's annual mid-season run up the standings.

Its amazing to think that Hendrick Motorsports only has one win in 2008, Jimmie Johnson at Phoenix (and even that was on fuel mileage, he didn't have the best car their). For comparison's sake, at this time last year Hendrick Motorsports had 10 victories. Its not like the teams have been lacking horse power, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 3rd in points and has been a threat to win almost every weekend. They just haven't gotten back to victory lane yet.

Congrats to Kurt Busch, he finally got his second top 10 of 2008. Next goal? Get a top 5.

Scott Riggs seemed like he had something to prove early in the race. He led some laps and ran in the top 10 for a pretty good chunk of the early going. That hard work has payed off, his 21st place finish moved him and the No. 66 State Water Heaters Chevrolet back into the top 35 in owner points. The unlucky team to fall out of the top 35? Michael Waltrip's No. 55 NAPA Toyota. Does anyone else think it might be time for Waltrip to consider handing over the driving duties to someone else?

Pocono Mountain Way

2008-06-05T12:04:00.000-07:00

It's time for NASCAR to take a trip to the Pocono Mountains and Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania this week for the annual Pocono 500. Pocono is one of those tracks where a race can either become very exciting or very boring very fast. With any luck, this year we won't be seeing one of those boring races. Here are my picks to win this week's race.

Ryan Newman, No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge (Penske Racing)
Last Week: 14th place finish in the Best Buy 400
Career at Pocono: 13.6 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 5 top 5's, 6 top 10's
Why he could win: Remember, last year Newman was the man to beat in this race until the rains came. He was right in the middle of passing Jeff Gordon for the lead when the caution came out that ended the race. I'll bet money Newman hasn't forgotten.

Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: 43rd place finish in the Best Buy 400
Career at Pocono: 2.8 Avg. Finish, 2 wins, 3 top 5's, 4 top 10's
Why he could win: No folks, that average finish is not a typo. In four career starts at Pocono Denny Hamlin has NEVER finished outside the top 10 and he has an average finish of 2.8. Best part? He'd never actually seen the track until the weekend that he won his first race there. Frankly, that's scary.

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)
Last Week: 5th place finish in the Best Buy 400
Career at Pocono: 10.2 Avg. Finish, 4 wins, 15 top 5's, 21 top 10's
Why he could win: Gordon has consistently been one of the men to beat at Pocono throughout his career. If he starts the race at Pocono he is a serious threat to win, no matter if he starts 43rd or 1st.

In terms of underdogs, i'm picking someone who's got a pretty good record at Pocono but just hasn't been able to continue being consistent everyone on the circuit.

Brian Vickers, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota (Red Bull Racing)
Last Week: 13th place finish in the Best Buy 400
Career at Pocono: 14.4 Avg. Finish, 3 top 5's, 3 top 10's
Why he could win: Vickers has an off and on sort of team. One week they will be really good (Talladega) and the next the team will end up at the back of the pack (Charlotte). If Vickers can nail down some consistency I suspect he might be tough to beat.

Dover thoughts and observations

2008-06-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

The hits just keep on coming for Kyle Busch. He added another trophy to his trophy case yesterday, cruising to victory in the Best Buy 400 at Dover International Speedway. Following him to the line were Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon.

Thoughts and observations

Dominant is the word of the day ladies and gents. That's exactly what Kyle Busch has been this year. Lets do a little math: 10 wins in NASCAR sanctioned events this year (4 in Cup, 4 in Nationwide and 2 in Truck), 5 poles (2 Cup, 2 Nationwide, 1 Truck), 19 top 5's (9 Cup, 7 Nationwide, 3 Truck) and 21 top 10's (10 Cup, 7 Nationwide and 4 Truck). Can anyone stop this guy?

I think the Roush Fenway camp must have felt a little bit like they were trying to catch a Ferrari in a van. While Greg Biffle did in fact lead the most laps (though not by much) once Kyle Busch got out front he checked out and wasn't heard from again.

Looks to me like Dave Blaney and his Bill Davis Racing crew finally have his Toyota's figured out. The team earned their second top 10 this year Sunday and firmly secured themselves inside the top 35 in owner points. Is their a chance we may see the No. 22 Caterpillar car back in victory lane?

Now I may be wrong, but am I the only one that thinks that race was exceptionally boring? The most interesting thing happened on lap 17 when a total of 11 cars crashed coming out of turn 2. The wreck started when David Gilliland gave Elliott Sadler a light tap, sending him into the outside wall. When Sadler came back down, he was met by a number of cars, including six drivers currently in the chase (Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne). Other then that, the race was a sleeper and candidate for most boring race of the year.

While one Busch continues to dominate, the other one continues to falter. Kurt Busch finished 20th Sunday, his 7th finish of 20th or worse this season. I can't imagine what the issue is, Kurt Busch has never had a problem racing up front, no matter what car he is driving. I can only hope for his sake that he gets it turned around quick, otherwise he will be on the outside of the chase looking in.

Next week we get to welcome back Dario Franchitti to the Sprint Cup Circuit. He returned this weekend to the Nationwide Series, finishing a respectable 15th after recovering from his ankle injury suffered at Talladega. Now, lets just see how he does at Pocono.

Alright, about this Joey Logano kid. I won't go out and say he is going to be the next big thing. That gets thrown around way too much for my taste. They have said that about a lot of drivers in the past (Casey Atwood, Brian Vickers, Reed Sorenson, etc.) and he needs to prove he is exactly what everyone is saying he is. Step up Logano, if you've got what it takes, show it.

Going back a week, i'm going to touch on the penalties assessed to the No. 66 and No. 70 teams owned by Haas/CNC Racing. In my personal opinion, the penalties were a bit harsh. Do I think penalties were needed? Yes. But 150 points? That's very extreme. That really hurt both teams, and after the No. 66 had a poor finish this weekend, both teams find themselves having to qualify on time for next weekend's Pocono 500. I can only hope they get things turned around, they really need something to smile about in the Haas/CNC camp.

A trip to the Monster Mile

2008-05-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

It's time for NASCAR to visit the Monster, the Monster Mile that is. This week all three of NASCAR's top series make the trip to Dover International Speedway, a 1 mile concrete paradise for race fans. So who's gonna come out on top this week? I don't know, but I certainly have a few guesses.

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 DEWALT Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 7th place finish in the Coca-Cola 600
Career at Dover: 15.3 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 5 top 5's, 10 top 10's
Why he could win: A lot of people remember Matt Kenseth's first win in the Sprint Cup Series, the 2000 Coca-Cola 600. Many fail to remember, however, that the following week Matt Kenseth finished second at Dover. Lets not forget he dominated the fall race here until having various issues, so don't be surprised to see him running up front.

Carl Edwards, No. 99 Office Depot Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 9th place finish in the Coca-Cola 600
Career at Dover: 9.1 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 3 top 5's, 4 top 10's
Why he could win: Edwards has been the king of concrete in the last several years. At the three concrete tracks on the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series (Dover, Bristol and Nashville) Edwards has 7 wins. You can't argue with success.

Mark Martin, No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.)
Last Week: 15th place finish in the Coca-Cola 600
Career at Dover: 12.7 Avg. Finish, 4 wins, 20 top 5's, 27 top 10's
Why he could win: Look at those numbers, do I really need any more reason to pick Martin? I mean come on, 2o top 5's and 27 top 10's at one track? That's dominance, no matter what language you use.

This week's underdog is a driver with a little bit of success at Dover and he is desperately in need of a good run (like so many drivers are).

Joe Nemechek, No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet (Furniture Row Racing)
Last Week: Failed to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600
Career at Dover: 23.8 Avg. Finish, 1 top 5, 5 top 10's
Why he could win: Winning is out of the question for Joe and the boys at Furniture Row Racing, but a solid top 15 or top 20? Sure, why not. At Dover anything is possible.

Coca-Cola 600 thoughts and observations

2008-05-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

Quick, someone take Kasey Kahne to Las Vegas, pronto! He needs to cash in on this luck now while he has it! Kahne took advantage of Tony Stewart's bad luck Sunday to win his second Coca-Cola 600. It was Kahne's first win in a points race since the fall race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 2006. Rounding out the top 5 were Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Thoughts and observations

I think NASCAR needs to make a movie about the last 12 months in Kasey's career, maybe call it "How Kasey Got His Groove Back." Ok, in all seriousness, it looks like Kasey Kahne and his Gillett Evernham crew finally got things sorted out after a year's worth of struggles. Its great to see teams turn it around like that after a tough year, makes for a great story.

Kahne's win makes him the sixth driver to ever win the All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 in back-to-back weeks. The previous five? Darrell Waltrip, Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. How's that for history boys?

Greg Biffle must be feeling like he just had a case of Deja Vu. Last week he was bested by Kahne in the All-Star Race and this week Kahne outdid him again to take home the Coca-Cola 600 trophy. Biffle is bound to get a win sooner or later as long as he continues to run like this.

Ok, I think Tony Stewart has had enough with the ice age style meltdowns late in races. He loses the Daytona 500 on a last lap pass by the Penske teammates, then he cuts down a tire with less then five laps to go at the Coca-Cola 600 while leading. Don't worry Tony, the Brickyard 400 will be here very soon.

Speaking of cut tires, what was the deal with that Sunday? It seemed like being in the lead was the last place you wanted to be. Men who led a bunch of laps, including Brian Vickers, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart all cut down tires after (some while leading the race.) All of these men could have used a win, but it just wasn't to be. Guess it wasn't good to be the alpha dogs at Lowe's Motor Speedway this week.

Speaking of Earnhardt Jr., how about him soldiering home to a 5th place finish with a car that looked like it had battled 300 men rather then 43 race cars and the safer barrier.

This David Ragan kid just keeps looking more and more like the real thing. Is he really going to make the chase? Who knows, maybe this really is no country for old men.

How about David Reutimann and the No. 44 UPS team? They hung out in the back half of the top 10 a good chunk of the race and managed to come home 10th. Not bad for a team who struggled to stay in the top 35 in owner points during the entire 2007 season. Go Reuti go!!!!!!

After that series of bad races Matt Kenseth looks like he might finally be on the right track. Top 10's at both Darlington and LMS have Kenseth up to 16th in the points. The Chronicles of Kenseth continue...

It looks like Sam Hornish Jr. might finally have this Sprint Cup thing figured out. He raced his way into the All-Star Race (where he finished 7th with a crashed car) then managed to finish 13th this week in the Coca-Cola 600. I guess you could say he was "The Rookie" at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson looked like he was well on his way to another victory at Lowe's Motor Speedway, that is, until his motor came apart. It's ok, just wait, superman will return in the fall when the Sprint Cup boys come back to Lowe's Motor Speedway.

In our weekly top 35 watch nothing has changed, but things did get a little tighter. Another bad finish from Michael Waltrip has him only three points ahead of rookie Sam Hornish Jr. Regan Smith and Dave Blaney are only an additional 8 points ahead of Waltrip with Michael McDowell up only 12 additional points. It might be worth placing bets at the Casino Royale on who will be in and who will be out after next weeks race at Dover.

Family on Memorial Day

2008-05-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

When celebrating Memorial Day, family always seems to come to the forefront in my mind. Lucky for me my cousin Becka, who lives in Pennsylvania, was coming through the area and stopped by to say hello to the family. Apparently Becka came down south with two of her friends, one of which is preparing to get married very soon, and decided they'd stop by on the way home for a day. I didn't get to hang out with Becka much, but I did get to say hello and hold a conversation with her this morning before she hit the road for Pennsylvania.

I'm glad Becka stopped by, it was a nice surprise and it reminded me just how cool a family I really have. My parents are great, i've got two great brothers who I wouldn't trade for anything, and i've got a host of relatives like Becka who are better then anyone could ask for.

If you have anyone who is a veteran in your family, like my late grandfather who was a World War II veteran, honor them tomorrow and hold your head up high. It's men like them who allows us to live the way we do today and its men like those in Iraq and Afghanistan who will allow our children to live free for a long, long time to come.

The longest race in NASCAR

2008-05-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

This week the boys in the Sprint Cup Series strap into their cars for the longest race in NASCAR, the Coca-Cola 600. In order to win this race, you have to a have a lot of factors fall into place, a good car, a strong motor, and a lot of luck. So who do I think will have all of those factors this weekend? Well lets take a look shall we?

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe 's Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)

Last Week: 4th place finish in Sprint All-Star Race

Career at LMS: 6.8 Avg. Finish, 5 wins, 8 top 5's, 11 top 10's

Why he could win: Johnson is the supreme ruler of Lowe's Motor Speedway. Ask anyone and they'd agree. Betting against Johnson here was like betting against Dale Earnhardt in the Gatorade 125's, sure you could, but why mess up a sure thing?

Greg Biffle, No. 16 DISH Network Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)

Last Week: 2nd place finish in the Sprint All-Star Race

Career at LMS: 21.0 Avg. Finish, 1 top 5, 3 top 10's

Why he could win: Biffle looked to have the best car late in the going last week at the All-Star Race but the new tires killed his car. I'll bet money Biffle and company learned from that mistake and may try to use it to their advantage this weekend.

Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Budweiser Dodge (Gillet Evernham Motorsports)

Last Week: Won the Sprint All-Star Race

Career at LMS: 15.8 Avg. Finish, 2 wins, 2 top 5's, 3 top 10's

Why he could win: I was going to pick Kasey as the underdog, but that was before he shocked everyone and won the Sprint All-Star Race last weekend. Now Kasey has the momentum and the confidence to go out and picked up another Coca-Cola 600 win.

In terms of underdogs, this guy had a car that could have won last years Coca-Cola 600. I wouldn't be surprised to see him up front again this year.

Brian Vickers, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota (Red Bull Racing)

Last Week: 4th place finish in Sprint Showdown, failed to qualify for Sprint All-Star Race

Career at LMS: 22.9 Avg. Finish, 1 top 5, 2 top 10's

Why he could win: If there has been any one style of track that Red Bull Racing seems to run well at, its the intermediate tracks like Lowe's Motor Speedway. Last year at this race Vickers was strong and led a lot of laps before fading. Maybe this year he will have a little bit better luck.

All-Star thoughts and observations

2008-05-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

Being popular sometimes pays off, just ask Kasey Kahne. Kahne won the fan vote and then won the Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway Saturday night. He beat Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart to the line to claim his first All-Star Race victory.

Thoughts and observations

Kahne admitted that during the Sprint Showdown his No. 9 Budweiser Dodge was, for lack of a better term, junk. It didn't deserve to be in the All-Star Race. But the fans didn't agree. Good thing for Kahne and crew. I wonder how the No. 9 team is going to pay back all those fans who voted for Kahne and company. Maybe they will buy the country a round, I bet that would do it.

What a great day for AJ Allmendinger. Earlier this season their was talk that he was going to loose his ride in the No. 84 Red Bull Toyota. Fast forward to the Sprint Showdown and Allmendigner is standing in victory lane with the trophy. It wasn't exactly a huge victory in the grand scheme of things, but Allmendinger said it felt like he had won the Daytona 500.

Speaking of great days, Sam Hornish Jr. might have finally figured out this stock car thing. Not only did he race his way into the Sprint All-Star Race by finishing second to Allmendinger in the Sprint Showdown, but he came back from two laps down and a meeting with the wall to finish 7th in the All-Star Race. To put that into perspective, here are some of the All-Stars he beat to finish their: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. Impressive, no?

Outside of the great story that was Kahne winning the All-Star Race, the race itself was pretty lackluster. No cautions for accidents during the All-Star Race and only two cars failed to finish (both Joe Gibbs Racing cars, which had engine issues). There were a few close calls, like Sam Hornish Jr. brushing the wall, but outside of that, the Sprint Showdown was more interesting then the main event. Another format change may be on its way for the All-Star race, as much as I hate to admit it.

Speaking of the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota's, it came out today that they were testing their own engines this weekend during the All-Star Race. The result? All three drivers broke their motors, though Stewart broke his in practice. Apparently the JGR engine builders need to work on their rocker arms (the culprit in all three motors).

Elliott Sadler's response to wrecking out of the Sprint Showdown was a bit of a surprise from the Virginia native. He obviously wasn't happy with Allmendinger, even if he didn't actually know his name. I think maybe Sadler needs to look back to Darlington before he decides to say anything about anyone wrecking him.

All-Star Race leftover photos

2008-05-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Here are a few leftover photos from Saturday's Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Hope you all enjoyed the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Greg Biffle describes to Matt Kenseth events that took place during the Sprint All-Star Race at the post-race press conference in the media center at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Matt Kenseth answers a question in the Media Center at Lowe's Motor Speedway after the Sprint All-Star Race.

This sign was hanging outside the garage area on Saturday afternoon.

A shot of the ESPN NASCAR hauler.

The No. 49 Marathon Oil Dodge driven by Chad McCumbee gets pushed to the inspection line on Saturday.

Jeff Green, left, and Carl Long walk to their cars after driver introductions for the Sprint Showdown.

Carl Long, driver of the No. 46 Dodge, waits for the Sprint Showdown to start.

Pre-race photos from Sprint All-Star Race

2008-05-17T18:23:00.001-07:00

I tried to take more photos from the pre-race but my camera just isn't made for night photos folks. Hopefully these will do. Enjoy!

The crew of former Sprint Cup Champion Bobby Labonte waits to be introduced.

Ryan Newman, far left, leads his crew during driver introductions.

A member of the U.S. Armed Service leads the No. 1 team of Martin Truex Jr. during driver introductions.

Sprint All-Star Race polesitter Kyle Busch stops to sign an autograph after being introduced.

Fireworks go off at the end of driver introductions.

Post Race photos from Sprint Showdown

2008-05-17T17:42:00.001-07:00

The Sprint Showdown trophy.

AJ Allmendinger, right, being interviewed after winning the Sprint Showdown and earning himself a spot in the Sprint All-Star Race.

AJ Allmendinger celebrates with the Sprint Showdown trophy.

Sam Hornish Jr. in the Media Center after placing second in the Sprint Showdown and earning a spot in the Sprint All-Star Race.

AJ Allmendinger in the Media Center after winning the Sprint Showdown.

Photos from Sprint Showdown Driver Intros

2008-05-17T16:45:00.001-07:00

The crew of the No. 01 high fives one another before the start of the Sprint Showdown.

David Ragan's crew gets hyped up for the Sprint Showdown.

The cars already qualified for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race sit idle as they await their chance to take the track.

The car of Sam Hornish Jr. sitting on pit road before the start of the Sprint Showdown.

Driver of the No. 21 Air Force Ford, 1988 Winston Cup Champion Bill Elliott.

Team owner Chip Ganassi talking with his injured driver Dario Franchitti.

David Reutimann plays with his daughter before the start of the Sprint Showdown.

Reed Sorenson, driver of the No. 41 Target Dodge.

Patrick Carpentier shows off a smile.

David Ragan talking with a member of the media on the way to his car.

J.J. Yeley walks with his family.

Sprint Showdown Pole Sitter Elliott Sadler.

Driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, Brian Vickers.

Coverage of NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race

2008-05-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

I'm LIVE at Lowe's Motor Speedway today, and boy have I had a heck of a day. Woke up bright and early at 7 a.m. and I wasn't really happy about it. My dad was in the living room on the computer when I came upstairs. He simply stated "Good Morning" to which I responded "What's so good about it?" in a grumpy tone. He laughed and said "Your covering the All-Star race, that's what." He was sure right.

Today, i've seen all sorts of people and had the chance to get lost in the garage area and on pit road. I've done interviews, taken pictures and just generally had a huge grin on my face all day. Here are a few photos from my day at the track so far:

Above, car owner Chip Ganassi (Nos. 40, 41, 42) gives an interview to a member of the media in the media center early in the afternoon.

My pit pass to get into the garage and pits!

The crew of Reed Sorenson's No. 41 Target Dodge pushes it to the inspection line before the Sprint Showdown.

Crew members work on the car of Kevin Harvick before the All-Star race.

The crew of the No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota driven by Dave Blaney prepares the car for the Sprint Showdown.

The All-Stars of NASCAR

2008-05-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

NASCAR is back home in North Carolina this week for the annual Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The All-Star race is one of my favorite events all year, only second to the Daytona 500. Its totally different from anything else the drivers do all year long, so its always a fresh change by the time May rolls around. Here are my picks to win this year's All-Star race.

Carl Edwards, No. 99 Office Depot Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 2nd place finish in the Dodge Challenger 500
Career at LMS: 7.3 Avg. Finish, 3 top 5's, 5 top 10's
Why he could win: Carl didn't even get to race in last year's All-Star race. He tried to race his way into the race by competing in the Sprint Showdown, but he got nipped by Martin Truex Jr. and Johnny Sauter. This year, on the other hand, he is back to his old self, winning races on the cookie-cutter tracks like its nothing. If recent history is any indication, expect Carl to be one of the fastest once the green flag drops.

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)
Last Week: 13th place finish in the Dodge Challenger 500
Career at LMS: 6.8 Avg. Finish, 5 wins, 8 top 5's, 11 top 10's
Why he could win: Johnson is the king of Lowe's Motor Speedway, period. Johnson won the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Coca-Cola 600's along with the 2004 and 2005 fall races at the track. Oh yeah, he won this race in 2003 and 2006.

Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: Won the Dodge Challenger 500
Career at LMS: 25.9 Avg. Finish, 1 top 5, 2 top 10's
Why he could win: Come on, he is the hottest man in NASCAR. Why would he NOT win?

Rather then picking an underdog this week, i'm going to attempt to pick the driver who is going to win the Sprint Showdown, the qualifying race before the All-Star race. The winner and second place finisher automaticly advance to the big dance. Lots of drivers like Kasey Kahne, David Reutimann, Robby Gordon, Travis Kvapil, Brian Vickers and Michael Waltrip will be trying to race their way in via the Showdown, but I don't think any of them will win. So who do I think will?

David Ragan, No. 6 AAA Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 5th place finish in the Dodge Challenger 500
Career at LMS: 38.5 Avg. Finish, no top 5's or top 10's
Why he could win: I don't know about winning the All-Star race, but winning the Showdown? That could very easily happen if he is able to drive his car like he did at Talladega and Darlington. Of course, we will just have to wait and see.

Don't forget folks, i'll be at the race looking for stories all day Saturday, so if you see me don't hesitate to come over and say hello!

Darlington thoughts and observations

2008-05-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

Kyle Busch is hotter then the sun. Busch drove to victory Saturday in the Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington International Raceway, leading a race high 169 laps. He beat Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and David Ragan to earn his third win of the season.

Thoughts and observations

What can stop Kyle Busch this year? I mean really? Your not supposed to be this good after leaving Hendrick Motorsports, that just doesn't happen. However, Kyle Busch seems to be the exception to the rule.

I think the next driver to earn his first career win very well may be David Ragan if he keeps up his outstanding runs. His 5th place finish this weekend at Darlington moved him into 12th place in the points, the last chase eligible spot. I certainly would not have picked Ragan to be in the chase at any point during the 2008 season.

Speaking of drivers who have been impressive, say hello to Travis Kvapil. Travis had his second top 10 in three races this weekend, bringin home his retro Ford sponsored by Lafayette Ford in 8th position. The finished moved Kvapil up one position in the standings to 18th, ahead of former Cup champions Bobby Labonte, Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch.

Speaking of Matt Kenseth, after four awful weeks of racing he finally had a good race, coming home in 6th position. Kurt Busch didn't do too bad himself either, coming home 12th after a season full of bad luck. While 12th isn't a win for Kurt, its at least a place to start.

Greg Biffle must be wondering what he did to anger the racing gods. Biffle, the winner of the 2005 and 2006 races at Darlington, sat on the pole and looked to have the only car that could race with Kyle Busch at all on Saturday. So what happens? His motor breaks and he finishes 43rd. Go figure. At least he still finds himself in the top 12 in points and chase eligible.

A big 'ole that a boy to Dave Blaney. His first top 10 of the year (and first at Darlington since finishing third behind Ricky Craven & Kurt Busch here a few years ago) catapulted his team into the top 35 in owner points, bumping rookie Sam Hornish Jr. into 36th.

Did anyone else catch the announcement out of Petty Enterprises this week? Terry Labonte is coming out of retirement, again, to race for Petty Enterprises in a few races this year. The plan, as I understand it, is to put Terry in the No. 45 Dodge normally driven by Kyle Petty for five races during the summer when Kyle is working as an analyst for TNT. Chad McCumbee is also scheduled to drive the car in two races for Petty Enterprises as well. Who'd have thought, Terry and Bobby Labonte on the same team. 10 years ago any car owner in NASCAR would have LOVED to have that combination.

Next week NASCAR comes home to Lowe's Motor Speedway for the annual Sprint All-Star Race. I will be attending the race personally as a member of the media, the first time in my career I've had the chance to do so. I'll be at the track all day, taking pictures and chronicling my day along the way. I even ordered a brand new Apple MacBook (using money my parents had been saving as a graduation present from last year) to use at the event. If anyone see's me feel free to come over and chat, and if I look lost don't be surprised. I'll probably be looking for the media center.

Tater in Charlotte at The Neighborhood Theater

2008-05-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

Local band Tater made the trip east to Charlotte on Saturday to open for Hayseed Dixie at The Neighborhood Theater. Here are some pictures I took during the show:

Darlington, The Lady in Black

2008-05-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

NASCAR teams are going back to their roots this weekend when they visit Darlington Speedway, affectionatly known as "The Lady in Black." Darlington is known for leaving black stripes on the sides of cars whose drivers get too arrogant. She also likes to eat up tires like no other track on the circuit (though NASCAR is hoping a new racing surface will hinder that just a bit).

So who are the odds on favorites to win this weekend's Dodge Challenger 500? Let's find out!

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)

Last Week: 9th place finish in the Crown Royal presents the Dan Lowry 400

Career at Darlington: 11.8 Avg. Finish, 7 wins, 15 top 5's, 18 top 10's

Why he could win: No one bets against Jeff Gordon at Darlington Speedway, not nobody, not no how. Gordon is the modern day king at Darlington, a winner four consecutive Southern 500's from 1995 to 1999. And oh yeah, he's the defending winner of this event. If your betting in Las Vegas, Jeff Gordon is a good choice.

Jeff Burton, No. 31 AT&T Wireless Cherolet (Richard Childress Racing)

Last Week: 11th place finish in the Crown Royal presents the Dan Lowry 400

Career at Darlington: 11.5 Avg. Finish, 2 wins, 8 top 5's, 14 top 10's

Why he could win: Besides Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton has been pretty darn good at Darlington as well. Remember when Gordon won the Winston Million? Who did he fight to win the Southern 500 that year? Jeff Burton. Don't bet against Jeff Burton, he might just surprise you.

Mark Martin, No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.)

Last Week: 3rd place finish in the Crown Royal presents the Dan Lowry 400

Career at Darlington: 12.2 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 16 top 5's, 25 top 10's

Why he could win: Martin has been knocking on the door a lot lately. He probably should have won at Phoenix and had a car to win at Richmond but the cards didn't fall in the right places. At a track like Darlington experience matters, and if anyone's got the experience to win at Darlington, Mark Martin is the man to do it.

This week's underdog is the man that had the best seat in the house for the closest finish in NASCAR history, which just happaned to take place at Darlington...

Dave Blaney, No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota (Bill Davis Racing)

Last Week: 18th place finish in the Crown Royal presents the Dan Lowry 400

Career at Darlington: 24.3 Avg. Finish, 1 top 5, 1 top 10

Why he could win: Blaney's best career finish came here in 2003 when he watched Kurt Busch and Ricky Craven battle in the closest finish in NASCAR history. I don't suspect he will be able to repeat that great run this weekend (qualifying will just be a victory for this team) but I wouldn't be shocked if he finishes in the top 10.

Richmond thoughts and observations

2008-05-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

Clint Bowyer stole the show Saturday night, squeezing by Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. during a late crash to take home the victory in the Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond International Raceway. It was Bowyer's second career victory, he was followed to the line by Busch, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart and Martin Truex Jr.

Thoughts and observations:

Its been a very long time since I've seen anyone dominate a race like Denny Hamlin did Saturday then fall short at the end. It had to be a major disappointment for Hamlin, who's hometown is basically a superb of Richmond. He's young, so I'm sure he'll get another shot at victory at Richmond.

Question: Why in the world did Denny Hamlin wait and let his tire blow rather then just pitting? He knew it was losing air, why not just pit and get the tire replaced? Instead, Hamlin let the tire blow and he ended up stopping on the track to draw a caution, which resulted in a two lap penalty. Not smart driving by any means.

The question on the lips of every NASCAR fan in America: Did Kyle Busch mean to wreck Dale Earnhardt Jr. on lap 298 or was it really just good, hard racing? I honestly don't know the answer to the question, and odds are the NASCAR world in general probably will never know. The fact is both men probably could have given each other a bit more room, so its hard to say really who was at fault, if anyone was.

I thought Talladega was last week, wasn't it? That monster crash that involved 11 cars was just ugly. Pretty much everyone involved was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kenseth, Johnson, Montoya, Busch, McDowell, Sauter, Burton, Gilliland and more were involved. Carpentier got the worst of it, getting spun down into the entrance of turn three where he smacked the wall hard. Then the car, still spinning, went right back up into traffic. Ouch.

Mark Martin's gotta be itching to win a race, he's had cars capable of winning at Phoenix and at Richmond now. If he keeps that up its only going to be a matter of time before the No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet ends up in victory lane.

Clint Bowyer proved that just hanging around and keeping your nose clean can pay off. When Busch and Earnhardt Jr. got together, Bowyer saw his opening and grabbed it, taking the lead for the first time all night. I bet if he could win every race that way, he'd gladly take it.

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Champions Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch have got to be wondering what is wrong. Kenseth has finished 30th or worse in four of his last five starts. Busch on the other hand hasn't had a top 10 since finishing second in the Daytona 500 in February (he also hasn't finished in the top 20 since Bristol and only has 9 laps led all year). Kenseth is 22nd in points, Busch sits 24th.

The top 35 battle didn't change any this week, much like last week. The first car in is Sam Hornish Jr. in the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge. The first driver out, on the other hand, is Dave Blaney in the No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota.

NASCAR set to rock Richmond

2008-05-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

The rowdy boys from NASCAR are set to invade Richmond International Raceway this weekend for the first of two annual events held at the track. Richmond always seems to produce good races with close finishes and I am confident this weekend's event will be no exception.

So who do I like to win this weekend's Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400? Well...

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)
Last Week: 13th place finish in the Aaron's 499
Career at Richmond: 17.8 Avg. Finish, 2 wins, 3 top 5's, 3 top 10's
Why he could win: Johnson dominated at Richmond in 2007, winning both races at the short track last year. If he is able to run as well this year as he did last year everyone else is going to have a hard time catching him.

Tony Stewart, No. 20 The Home Depot Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: 38th place finish in the Aaron's 499
Career at Richmond: 11.3 Avg. Finish, 3 wins, 6 top 5's, 12 top 10's
Why he could win: Early in Tony's career Richmond was his house. Between 1999 and 2002 Tony won 3 out of 6 races held at the track. That's a 50% winning percentage! Tony's overdue for another trip to victory lane and Richmond might just be the place to do it.

Greg Biffle, No. 16 DISH Network Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 18th place finish in the Aaron's 499
Career at Richmond: 16.0 Avg. Finish, 2 top 5's, 5 top 10's
Why he could win: Besides Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle has been the most consistent driver out of the Roush-Fenway camp in 2008. For some reason I feel like this weekend might be Biffle's weekend, so look for him up front.

This week's underdog is someone who had a great run here last year and a great run last week:

David Ragan, No 6 AAA Insurance Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 4th place finish in the Aaron's 499
Career at Richmond: 11.5 Avg. Finish, 1 top 5, 1 top 10
Why he could win: Ragan had an amazing run at Richmond last fall, coming home in 3rd place. As the race got into its closing laps Ragan's car came alive and he started passing everyone on the track. He might have had a shot at Johnson but he just ran out of time. Maybe after last week's run at Talladega he might have another great run left in him.

Talladega thoughts and observations

2008-04-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

Kyle Busch survivied a wild day Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway to win the Aaron's 499, his first win at the fastest track on the NASCAR circuit. Following him to the finish line were Columbian Juan Pablo Montoya and Busch's teammate Denny Hamlin.

Thoughts and observations

When I picked Kyle as one of my three possible winners on Thursday, it was based totally on his performance at Daytona in February. He proved that his performance at Daytona was no fluke Sunday, coming back from a lap down to win the race. That's an impressive performance if I do say so myself.

What a great job by second year drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and David Ragan. Both came home with impressive top 5 finishes. It's not like they just appeared at the front at the end of the race either, both drivers were regular faces at the front of the field most of the day. Montoya's run actually pushed him into the top 12 in points. Does anyone else wonder if he can maintain that position?

Another that-a-boy should go out to Yates Racing and driver Travis Kvapil. With sponsorship from Northern Tool + Equipment, Kvapil raced a smart, safe race and came home 6th, his best finish of the young season. More runs like that and he should have fulltime sponsorship on that car in no time flat.

Another bad week for Matt Kenseth. Another early crash ended any shot Matt had at being a threat Sunday. That wreck caust Matt another four spots in the standings, dropping him all the way to 19th in the points.

Other victims of bad luck (aka the big one(s)) this weekend: Martin Truex Jr., Joe Nemechek, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart (who led the most laps), David Stremme, Regan Smith, Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler, Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, A.J. Allmendinger and i'm sure i'm missing a few.

I was highly impressed with Joe Nemechek and his pole winning run, until I remembered he had a qualifying setup in the car when most of the other field didn't. Still, that pole run will help the team and qualifies Nemechek for the Shootout (or whatever it will be called) in 2009.

Tough, tough break for Dario Franchitti and the entire No. 40 Chip Gannassi Racing team on Saturday. Incase you missed it, Franchitti broke his right ankle in a hard crash during the Nationwide race Saturday. It's likely he will miss as much as a month, maybe more, depending on the seriousness of the injury. Too bad they can't have David Stremme, who just signed a test driver contract with Roger Penske, drive the car like he did this weekend at Talladega. Before he wrecked on the last lap of the race Stremme was a threat to win the race (he actually pushed Montoya to second, where he ended up finishing).

Another woman made a big statement over the weekend in the world of motorsports. Ashley Force, daughter of NHRA Funny Car legend John Force, beat her own father to win her first NHRA Funny Car final, becoming the first woman to win a Funny Car final in the history of the NHRA. Ashley is not the first woman to have success in the NHRA, Shirley Muldowney won three NHRA Top Fuel drag racing championships (1977, 1980, 1982). She was the first woman to win any major racing championship (that i'm aware of) in the United States.

Not much change in the weekly Top 35 report. Everyone that was in entering this week stayed in. 61 points seperate Regan Smith's No. 01 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet from the No. 40 Chip Gannassi Racing Dodge in 36th.

Talladega Nights (Ok, so not really)

2008-04-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

NASCAR is in Alabama this week, the home of Talladega Superspeedway and this week's race, the Aaron's 499. Talladega is an interesting track, speeds are fast and mistakes lead to wrecks seen no where else. So who is a likely choice to win this weekend? Well, lets see...

Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)

Last Week: 14th place finish in the Subway Fresh Fit 500

Career at Talladega: 12.6 Avg. Finish, 8 top 5's, 11 top 10's

Why he could win: Stewart has six straight second place finishes at Talladega. The phrase "Always a brides maid and never a bride" certainly fits the bill. I'd say he has the best chance to win out of anyone on the circuit.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)

Last Week: 7th place finish in the Subway Fresh Fit 500

Career at Talladega: 14.3 Avg. Finish, 5 wins, 7 top 5's, 9 top 10's

Why he could win: Earnhardt Jr. is the modern day king of restrictor plate racing. 5 wins at Talladega is just scratching the surface. Could he finally end this winless drought?

Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)

Last Week: 10th place finish in the Subway Fresh Fit 500

Career at Talladega: 31.7 Avg. Finish, 0 top 5's, 0 top 10's

Why he could win: I'm basing this pick totally on his performance at Daytona in February. If he is able to reproduce that run then I would hate to be in one of those other 42 cars on the track.

This week's underdog is a former winner at the track in the not to distant past:

Brian Vickers, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota (Red Bull Racing)

Last Week: 25th place finish in the Subway Fresh Fit 500

Career at Talladega: 21.3 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 2 top 5's, 3 top 10's

Why he could win: Everyone remembers Brian Vickers' lone win, he took out his own teammate at the time along with Dale Jr. to win here two years ago in the fall. But the fact is he got himself in that position by driving a smart race, so don't be surprised to see him running close to the front by races end.

Off weekend thoughts and observations

2008-04-21T12:13:00.001-07:00

While the boys in the Sprint Cup Series took the weekend off (well, most of them anyway) the Nationwide Series was busy tearing up the streets in Mexico at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez during the Corona Mexico 200. Kyle Busch earned his third straight victory in the Nationwide Series, holding off Tazmanian Marcos Ambrose and roadcourse ringer Scott Pruett.

Off weekend thoughts and observations

Ok, we get it Kyle, you can win in anything that has four wheels. You've won in the Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and Craftsman Truck Series this year. Let someone else win, would ya?

Was anyone else a little surprised at just how upset Boris Said got with Marcos Ambrose after Ambrose wrecked him on Sunday? Boris going over and actually apologizing to Ambrose's crew chief for the car he's gonna wreck in the future is mind blowing. If that actually ends up happening you know NASCAR will be mighty upset with Boris.

You've gotta think Carl Edwards is getting tired of all this double dipping. When's the last time Carl took a weekend off during the NASCAR season?

Speaking of Carl, him going into that Office Depot in Mexico and NO ONE knowing who he was, well that was just hilarious. I'm sure Office Depot was just a little embarrased by that little video.

Way to go Danica Patrick!!!! I'm a huge fan of women in racing, we need more of it, and Danica winning the Indy Japan 300 is a big step in proving that women can drive just as good as any man can.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy Talladega is next week!!!

Anyone wanna buy some NASCAR diecast? I've got a bunch i'm looking to get rid of.

If anyone can make it out to the ARCA Carolina 500 in Rockingham in early May, do so. If I could take the time off and go I would, because that is going to be one heck of a show. It will be the first major race at Rockingham since new owner Andy Hillenburg bought the track. Here's hoping with a little bit of work Andy can bring NASCAR back to the old oval.

Phoenix thoughts and observations

2008-04-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Jimmie Johnson earned his first win of the 2008 season and the first for Hendrick Motorsports Saturday by gambling on fuel mileage at Phoenix in the Subway Fresh Fit 500. He bested Clint Bowyer, the only other driver to take a gamble on fuel mileage, by over 7 seconds to earn his second straight win at Phoenix.

Thoughts and observations

I must admit, that was not the way I expected Hendrick Motorsports to earn their first victory of the 2008 season. Having to resort to fuel mileage is something Hendrick doesn't usually do with its top tier drivers (Johnson, Gordon and now Earnhardt Jr.) but they have done it with guys like Casey Mears last year (who was just trying to win a race).

What a heart breaker that finish must have been for Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Inc. That No. 8 team looked to have the car to beat in the late stages of the race but they just couldn't make it on fuel. That might have been Mark's best shot at winning another race before he finally calls it a career (whenever that may be).

An impressive Dodge front row turned out to be, well, not so impressive by the end of the race. Both Ryan Newman and Elliott Sadler ended up with DNF's after having engine issues. I wonder if Elliott Sadler will ever return to the form he had with Robert Yates those couple of years...

With Chip Ganassi threatening changes within his race teams if things don't change, what happens? Reed Sorenson wrecks, again. While probably not his fault, the fact is he has torn up plenty of equipment. I'm having a hard time figuring out why he still has a ride in the No. 41 frankly.

Another strong run for Jeff Burton as he continues to build a good points lead. If he keeps this up i'd have a hard time betting against him in the later stages of the season.

Speaking of strong runs, Dale Earnhardt Jr. just keeps racking up the top 10's. You've gotta know that a win is right around the corner for Jr. and the No. 88 bunch. Talladega is up next in two weeks, anyone wanna place bets on who the favorite is there?

Not a good week for Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 DEWALT Ford. He sits outside the top 12 in points and really needs a good run in two weeks at Talladega.

Oh, before I forget, FINALLY one of my picks managed to win a race! Am I just that good? No, not really. I just make educated guesses on the facts of the racetrack and who's been good their in the recent past.

Checking on the battle for 35th place in the points, a good run by David Reutimann gets him back into the Top 35 in owner points but punts J.J. Yeley and the No. 96 Toyota out of the Top 35. Everything else pretty much stays the same.

NASCAR in the desert

2008-04-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

NASCAR ventures west to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend for the Subway Fresh 500. Phoenix has one of the more unique track designs in NASCAR with different turns on each side of the track, making it harder for drivers to conquer this desert track. It took Jeff Gordon more then 10 years to finally claim a win at Phoenix, he finally took the checkered flag here last year. So, who's gonna take it this year? My best bets are....

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)
Last Week: 2nd place finish in the Samsung 500
Career at Phoenix: 6.6 Avg. Finish, 1 Win, 4 Top 5's, 7 Top 10's
Why he could win: Johnson picked up the win at Phoenix in the fall last year which all but locked up his Championship win in 2007. Plus look at that average finish! A 6.6 average finish anywhere is great, but at Phoenix that is amazing!

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet (Richard Childress Racing)
Last Week: 11th place finish in the Samsung 500
Career at Phoenix: 13.2 Avg. Finish, 2 Wins, 3 Top 5's, 5 Top 10's
Why he could win: Harvick likes tracks where he can manhandle the car and drive deep into corners. Phoenix is that kind of track for Harvick, and his resume at the track shows he knows how to get around it.

Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: 3rd place finish in the Samsung 500
Career at Phoenix: 16.3 Avg. Finish, 1 Win, 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10's
Why he could win: Kyle has learned something this year I think, he has become more consistant and is patient much more often. I think this will translate well at Phoenix, where patience is oftentimes a needed trait.

And who is the underdog this week? Someone who is trying to earn a fulltime ride, that's who!

Johnny Sauter, No. 70 HAAS Automation Chevrolet (Haas/CNC Racing)
Last Week: Did not race in Samsung 500
Career at Phoenix: 22.2 Avg. Finish, 0 Top 5's, 2 Top 10's
Why he could win: Sauter has a lot to race for this weekend. With Mayfield removed from the No. 70 Chevrolet, Sauter is racing for a fulltime job. Phoenix is just the place for Sauter, of his three career Top 10 finishes he has two of them at Phoenix. I suspect he might be a big surprise come race day.

Mayfield out of No. 70?

2008-04-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

Jayski.com is reporting (via Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway) that Jeremy Mayfield has parted ways with the No. 70 Haas/CNC Racing Chevrolet effective immediately. The same report indicates that Johnny Sauter, the driver of the car in 2007, will take over driving duties of the car starting next weekend at Phoenix.

It's been a rough couple of years for Mayfield. After making the Chase for the Cup in 2004 and 2005 and winning a race each year for Evernham Motorsports, his performance hit rock bottom which resulted in him losing his ride in the No. 19 Dodge in August 2006.

He signed with Bill Davis Racing in 2007 to drive the No. 36 360 OTC Toyota but only managed to make a total of 13 races in 32 attempts with the team. He was eventually let go by BDR and he replaced Jeff Green in the No. 66 Best Buy Chevrolet at Haas/CNC Racing late in 2007. He then was placed in the No. 70 for 2008.

In a total of 7 races in 2008 with Haas/CNC Racing, Mayfield has no top 5's or top 10's, with a best finish of 16th at Las Vegas. He has averaged a 31st place finish so far in 2008.

Texas thoughts and observations

2008-04-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

Carl Edwards earned his third victory of 2008 on Sunday, winning the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in dominating fashion, leading the most laps and cruising to victory following a green-white-checker finish. The win catapulted Edwards up four spots in the standings to 10th, once again making him chase eligible.

Thoughts and observations

Edwards' victory Sunday makes him the second driver to earn two victories at Texas Motor Speedway. The first? Jeff Burton, who won the inagural event held here way back in 1997 and last year's spring event.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Edwards become the king of the intermediate tracks (or as I like to call them, the cookie-cutters). Seven of Edwards' 10 wins have come on the "cookie-cutters" (two at Texas, two at Atlanta, one at Michigan, one at California and one at Las Vegas). The other victories came at Pocono, Dover and Bristol.

Jeff Burton continues to channel his inner Matt Kenseth, pulling in a solid sixth place finish Sunday. He still leads the Sprint Cup points standings by 59 points over Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick, who has also been remarkably consistant this year.

I still believe their to be nothing wrong with Hendrick Motorsports. They are still producing strong cars and posting strong finishes. They just haven't won yet this year. Trust me, it won't last the entire season. It's just not possible.

Though speaking of Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon once again failed to figure out Texas Motor Speedway. I am honestly shocked by this, because if any one track was going to give him trouble I certainly would never have picked Texas (simply because it is so much like Charlotte and Atlanta, both tracks he has done very well at).

What happaned on the last lap between Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin? Bowyer got a heck of a restart on that green-white-checker, jumping as far up as fourth. However, coming out of turn four on the last lap Hamlin went high and clipped Bowyer, forcing him into the wall and religating him to a 10th place finish. I'm sure Bowyer wasn't too happy about that.

Speaking of Hamlin, I guess he wasn't feeling all that great at the end of the race. Apparently while talking to reporters he nearly fainted and was promptly taken to the infield care center for medical treatment.

Lots of teams got strong runs that they really needed, including David Ragan, Jamie McMurray (two in a row for Jamie), David Gilliland, Brian Vickers, Paul Menard and Travis Kvapil. All of those drivers finished between 13th and 18th, something each of them really needed.

On the other hand, several drivers had bad days (excluding Jeff Gordon). David Reutimann (who had one of the fastest cars all weekend) ended up 41st, Greg Biffle finished 39th, Jeremy Mayfield crossed the line 37th and Martin Truex Jr. finished 36th. Rough days all around for those guys.

Checking in on the top 35 battle, a few things changed after this week's Texas race. Jeremy Mayfield dropped out of the top 35, allowing rookie Sam Hornish Jr. to sneak back in for another week. Dave Blaney, David Reutimann, Dario Franchitti, Kyle Petty, Patrick Carpentier and Joe Nemechek are all on the outside looking in. The No. 84 Red Bull Racing Toyota and the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford are also still struggling.

It's a small world...

2008-04-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I used some of my free time to volunteer at WNCW 88.7 FM in Spindale and while doing so I heard a great story about one of my current favorite musicians that I just had to share.

While sitting in the hot seat (the first phone on the volunteer line) I was talking to Roland Dierauf, one of the DJ's at WNCW, about what i'd been listening to recently. I just happaned to be wearing my Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit shirt and he asked me if Jason's record from 2007 was my favorite from that year. I said no, that my favorite was Scott Miller & The Commonwealth's "Reconstruction," which I just kept returning to at least every other week no matter what new music I had just picked up. At this point Roland smiled and said he had a great story for me.

The story begins like many other great stories ... "While I was in college..."

No really, it did start just like that. Anyway, while Roland was in college he lived in a house with a bunch of other college students, mainly a way to save money. In this home lived a friend of Roland's who, at the time, was pursuing a girl that he went to college with. The problem was that this girl wasn't interested in him at all, she was dating "Some guy from William & Mary" as Roland put it. This "guy," as it turns out, was named Scott and he use to come down and play guitar in the living room of the house Roland lived in and the two would talk about music and books and other such things.

Well, after college, Roland moved on and never gave this fella named Scott another thought. A few years pass and Roland ends up as a DJ at WNCW in Spindale. One day he gets an assignment to interview a band, Scott Miller & The Commonwealth, who are playing live that day in WNCW's live studio, called Studio B. So its almost time for the interview to begin and Roland enters the studio to introduce himself. Scott Miller looks up and goes "I know you." Roland responds "Umm...no you don't." Scott Miller then proceds to remind Roland about the girl he was dating in college that went to Roland's college. Anyone thinking of the song "It's A Small World?"

Anyway, to finish off the story, the two got to talking and Roland asked Scott if he ended up following that girl and Scott said yes, "I followed her to graduate school and she dumped me..."

Hey fella, whatever your name is, if your out there that girl you wanted to date is single now. Maybe Scott can give you her number.

Texas Two-Step

2008-04-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

After two straight short track races NASCAR returns to the big speedway's, hitting Texas Motor Speedway for the first time in 2008. The Sprint Cup Series will do battle this week in the Samsung 500, the first of two dates at Texas Motor Speedway this year. Here are my drivers to watch this weekend:

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont (Hendrick Motorsports)
Last Week: 2nd place finish in the Goody's Cool Orange 500
Career at Texas: 15.2 Avg. Finish, 5 Top 5's, 7 Top 10's
Why he could win: Texas is one of two tracks on the current Sprint Cup schedule that Jeff Gordon has never won on. That alone gives Jeff an extra reason to drive a little harder this weekend. Plus he has a little momentum after his 2nd place finish last week at Martinsville.

Jeff Burton, No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet (Richard Childress Racing)
Last Week: 3rd place finish at the Goody's Cool Orange 500
Career at Texas: 16.9 Avg. Finish, 2 Wins, 3 Top 5's, 6 Top 10's
Why he could win: Name the only driver with two wins at Texas. If you said Jeff Burton then you were correct! Plus, he is the points leader going into Texas this week. Great chance for him to extend his point lead.

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 DEWALT Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 30th place finish at the Goody's Cool Orange 500
Career at Texas: 10.3 Avg. Finish, 1 Win, 5 Top 5's, 6 Top 10's
Why he could win: In the last four races at Texas Matt Kenseth has finished 2nd three times. The man has got to be getting a little tired of being the bridesmade instead of the bride. Plus after last week he definatly needs something good to happen for him.

This week's underdog is a former winner at Texas, and his name is...

Elliott Sadler, No. 19 Best Buy/Garmin Dodge (Evernham Motorsports)
Last Week: 15th place finish at the Goody's Cool Orange 500
Career at Texas: 21.7 Avg. Finish, 1 Win, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10's
Why he could win: After a gutsy performance last week at Martinsville (where Elliott was suffering from some serious back pain) I wouldn't be surprised to see Sadler and his Evernham Motorsports team come alive and surprise a lot of people. A top 10 or top 5 isn't out of the question and if the right things happen a win could too.

Martinsville thoughts and observations

2008-03-31T12:06:00.001-07:00

Native Virginian Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag at Martinsville over the weekend, winning the Goody's Cool Orange 500, his fourth career victory and first at the famed Martinsville Speedway. He bested the dominant Hendrick Motorsports trio of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a little pit strategy and a little bit of luck.

Thoughts and observations:

Never, ever underestimate the power of pit strategy. Denny Hamlin didn't have the fastest car in the field but with a little bit of brains, rather then brawn, Hamlin outwitted the field and took home the coveted grandfather clock that Martinsville gives away every year.

Did anyone notice Michael McDowell getting in EVERYONE'S way at the end of the race? If Denny Hamlin wanted to thank anyone he should thank him, he probably held up Jeff Gordon longer then anyone else on the track. Carl Edwards certainly let McDowell know how he felt once the cars in front of him got past McDowell, giving the rookie a shot in the left rear as if to say "MOVE IT ROOKIE!"

While half of Roush-Fenway Racing was strong this weekend, the other half struggled mightly. Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards and David Ragan all had strong cars from the drop of the green flag but Matt Kenseth & Greg Biffle could hardly keep up with the guys running around 20th.

What was Matt Kenseth thinking when he spun out David Gilliland? Did he mean to do it? Maybe. Fact is that caust him two laps and he ended up finishing well off the pace, which cost him his slot in the top 12 in points.

Good strong run for Regan Smith and the No. 01 DEI Chevrolet. While he didn't finish in the top 10, his 14th place finish was more then acceptable under the circumstances.

Save of the race goes to Jimmie Johnson who somehow got stopped when everyone, including teammate Jeff Gordon, wrecked in front of him on the frontstreach Sunday. How he saw anything to make his way through that wreck, which blocked most of the track, amazes me to no end.

A big that-a-boy to Elliott Sadler who was in serious pain all weekend after tweeking something in his back earlier in the week. Somehow, despite all the pain he was in, he fought back and finished 15th and on the lead lap. Guess he didn't need Dennis Setzer, who was standing by incase a relief driver was needed.

With Kyle Busch's struggles this week that allowed Jeff Burton to sneak his way into the points lead over RCR teammate Kevin Harvick. Burton's been one of the most consistant drivers in the Sprint Cup series in the last few years so its no surprise to see him at the top of the standings.

In the weekly Top 35 race a few drivers moved into the Top 35 while a few dropped out. Thanks to strong runs at Martinsville, Jamie McMurray and Regan Smith moved into the Top 35, bumping out the No. 44, now driven by David Reutimann, and the No. 77 driven by rookie Sam Hornish Jr. Reutimann and Hornish will now be forced to qualify on time for next week's race at Texas.

Rock Report: Drive-By Truckers @ The Orange Peel

2008-03-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I took a day off of work and, along with my twin brother who came in from Wilmington, made the trip up to Asheville to enjoy a night of loud music. The Drive-By Truckers were finishing up the second leg of their "Home Front" tour and I was very much looking forward to the show. I ordered tickets to the event in January and i'm glad I did, the place ended up selling out. Needless to say I really enjoyed myself! My brother and I left before the encore, my back was killing me (I shouldn't have worn my cowboy boots) and my twin was tired (he had been out the previous day mountain biking, he rode over 30 miles in one day). It's fine though, we had a rip roaring good time anyway! Here are a few pictures from the show:

Patterson Hood, guitar & vocals, getting really involved in one of the songs.

John Neff, left, guitar and pedal steel, and Patterson Hood tear it up for the Asheville crowd.

Shonna Tucker, bass and vocals, sings one of her two songs during the show.

Mike Cooley, guitar and vocals, plays a solo for the rowdy crowd.

Needless to say Patterson Hood was having one heck of a time in Asheville, as you can see by his huge grin.

Patterson screamed at the top of his lungs a few times during the show.

This was one of the best shots I got from the entire show, don't you think?

Old school racing at Martinsville

2008-03-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

Week six in the NASCAR season and the Sprint Cup boys are packing up all their gear and heading to Martinsville, Virginia to the only track that has appeared on the Sprint Cup circuit every year of NASCAR's existance. Martinsville Speedway is the sight of this weekend's Goody's Cool Orange 500 and here are my picks for the men to beat.

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)Last Week: 18th place finish in the Food City 500

Career at Martinsville: 6.2 Avg. Finish, 4 wins, 8 Top 5's, 11 Top 10's

Why he could win: Johnson has been the man at Martinsville for the last year and a half. He has three straight wins at the track and has been basicly unbeatable. The last time he didn't win at Martinsville he started on the pole and finished 3rd at the spring event in 2006. Odds on favorite anyone?

Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)

Last Week: 5th place finish in the Food City 500

Career at Martinsville: 14.8 Avg. Finish, 7 Top 5's, 7 Top 10's

Why he could win: Anyone remember a few years ago at Martinsville when Dale Jr. had half of his front end missing and he was still one of the fastest cars on the track? Yeah, that's why i'm picking him this week.

Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)

Last Week: 14th place finish in the Food City 500

Career at Martinsville: 12.3 Avg. Finish, 2 Wins, 6 Top 5's, 10 Top 10's

Why he could win: The last man to win at Martinsville before Jimmie Johnson became dictator at the track, Stewart has always been good at Martinsville. Seeing him run up front will be no surprise to anyone this weekend.

And this week's underdog is....(insert drumroll here)....

Ken Schrader, No. 49 Microsoft Small Business Toyota (BAM Racing)

Last Week: 41st place finish in the Food City 500

Career at Martinsville: 17.2 Avg. Finish, 1 Top 5, 18 Top 10's

Why he could win: Before being involved in a wreck not of his doing last week Schrader was poised for a great finish. I expect the same of Schrader and BAM Racing this week, who oddly enough picked up sponsorship from Microsoft and switched to Toyota this week in association with Bill Davis Racing. Is this a sign of good things to come for Schrader and BAM Racing???

Off weekend thoughts and observations

2008-03-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

I get so bored on NASCAR off weekends. I have nothing to watch on TV and I feel like i'm missing something.

Before you ask, no, i'm not a huge basketball fan so i'd much rather have my NASCAR over the NCAA tournament.

Of course, that's not true, but I can't help it. Most drivers took the weekend off, like Ryan Newman, who probably went fishing (just guessing from this photo I found on the net, at left). Either way, here are my weekend thoughts and observations regardless:

When do you think Ryan Newman caught that fish and what kind of bait did he use? I bet fellow Copy Editor Hugh Koontz knows.

It was good to see Scott Wimmer win the Nationwide race this weekend at Nashville, he was long overdue for a victory. My little brother would be jealous of that Gibson Guitar that he gets to take home as his prize.

Speaking of the Nationwide Series, i'm so glad one of the Cup regulars didn't win the race over the weekend. They win enough races as it is and they frankly shouldn't be allowed to race in the Nationwide Series as much as they do. I'd say more about this but I think this is going to be the topic of my column this week, so i'll leave it alone for now.

Kyle Busch got over aggressive in the Nationwide race and crashed, again. He has gotten to know the safer barriers at several of the tracks on both the Sprint and Nationwide circuits lately. Oddly, he still leads the Sprint Cup standings after wrecking at Bristol.

Umm.....that's about all i've got. I'll be back next week with my regular predictions and such. I'll also be adding a special blog about my trip to see the Drive-By Truckers in Asheville at The Orange Peel on Saturday. My twin brother is driving in from Wilmington for it and i'm looking forward to attending the rock show. Everyone have a safe and happy Easter!

Bristol thoughts and observations

2008-03-17T12:07:00.001-07:00

Jeff Burton picked up his first win of the 2008 season yesterday by winning the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was the first win for a Chevrolet in 2008 (a shocking statement to say the least). Burton also led a contigent of Richard Childress Racing cars to the checkered flag, with teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer following Burton across the line in second and third.

Thoughts and observations:

That finish yesterday is exactly why you never count anyone out at Bristol. With 5 laps to go Jeff Burton wasn't even in the picture to win the race, then all of a sudden when Harvick punted Stewart there Burton was, in prime position to capitalize on Denny Hamlin's misfortune. As they always say, the key to winning at Bristol is to survive the first 400 laps.

How about Aric Almirola coming home in the top 10 in his first start in 2008? Great run for the rookie in the U.S. Army No. 8 for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. If he can have more runs like that then the 2008 season might be very interesting over at DEI.

Also worth mentioning is David Gilliland, sneaking in to the Top 10 at the end of the race. If Gilliland and Kvapil keep having solid runs like that then the pair of them will soon end up with fully sponsored racecars. At least one can only hope.

A few drivers had good runs go bad yesterday, namely Paul Menard & Ken Schrader. Both had cars that, by the end of the race, could have easily cracked the top 10. However they got caught up in someone elses mess and ended up wrecked. Menard wound up 32nd and Scharder 41st.

Another outstanding run for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his No. 88 team over at Hendrick Motorsports. That run places Earnhardt Jr. 5th in the standings going into the off weekend. The most shocking thing about that is NONE of the other HMS cars are in the Top 12 right now. Jimmie Johnson is 13th, Jeff Gordon is 14th and Casey Mears is 33rd. I don't expect this to keep up, but what if it does?

Such a disapointing day for Tony Stewart at Bristol. For Tony Bristol seems to be just about as hard luck as Daytona. To dominate all day and end up not going to victory lane is heartbreaking, no matter what track your racing on. The ending to the day was probably that much harder for Tony, ending up wrecked while racing with one of your best friends (Harvick).

It is now time for our weekly Top 35 watch. Lots of teams are in serious trouble heading into the first race under the 2008 points in two weeks at Martinsville. The most surprising of which has got to be Jamie McMurray and the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford out of the Roush-Fenway stable. Who would have thought McMurray would be fighting to qualify for races at all this season? Also being forced to qualify on speed next week are Dave Blaney, Dario Franchitti, Regan Smith, Kyle Petty, Ken Schrader, Joe Nemechek and Patrick Carpentier. Also outside the Top 35 are the No. 84 Red Bull Racing team and the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing team.

Since the Sprint Cup series is off next week i'll have to come up with something else to do on my blog. Any thoughts? I'm thinking of showcasing some of my NASCAR collectibles I have stashed away at home.

It's Bristol Baby!

2008-03-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

Besides Daytona, I think Bristol Motor Speedway is my favorite race track on the Sprint Cup circuit. Tight racing, bumping, banging and tempers flaring have long been part of NASCAR visiting Bristol and something tells me this week may not be an exception. Several drivers have had lot success at Bristol, but i'm gonna limit my choices down to a handful. And here they are:

Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge (Penske Racing)

Last Week: 11th place finish in Kobalt Tools 500

Career at Bristol: 14.5 Avg. Finish, 5 Wins, 5 Top 5's, 9 Top 10's

Why he could win: In the last few years Kurt Busch has been almost unbeatable at Bristol, earning 5 wins at a track many consider to be one of the toughest in NASCAR. Betting against him would be like betting against the late Dale Earnhardt on a restrictor plate track, you just don't do it.

Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)

Last Week: Won the Kobalt Tools 500

Career at Bristol: 13.5 Avg. Finish, 1 Win, 2 Top 5's, 4 Top 10's

Why he could win: It could be a brotherly affair this week at Bristol between Kurt and Kyle Busch. While Kurt has more experience at Bristol, Kyle won the first ever Car of Tomorrow race at Bristol one year ago, besting Jeff Burton to pick up the checkered flag. I wouldn't be surprised to see Kyle win it again considering the hot streak he is on.

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 DEWALT Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)

Last Week: 7th place finish in Kobalt Tools 500

Career at Bristol: 12.5 Avg. Finish, 2 Wins, 7 Top 5's, 9 Top 10's

Why he could win: Much like Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth has seemed most at home in Bristol over the last few years, earning two trips to victory lane (including sweeping the fall races here only a few years ago). He's had a bit of bad luck as of late but Bristol could be just what he needs to get going in the right direction.

Choosing an underdog at Bristol is hard because anyone could end up in the fence at any time, making it that much more difficult to choose someone who could surprise. But, i'm gonna give it a shot anyway:

Scott Riggs, No. 66 State Water Heaters Chevrolet (Haas/CNC Racing)

Last Week: 18th place finish in Kobalt Tools 500

Career at Bristol: 24.4 Avg. Finish, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10's

Why he could win: I don't suspect anyone else is going to pick Scott Riggs, but i'm willing to take that chance this week. This team, with Jeff Green behind the wheel, finished 6th in this race one year ago and Riggs has had mild success here. While they are a long shot to win, a top 10 or even a top 5 could be within reach.

Atlanta thoughts and observations

2008-03-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

Kyle Busch picked up his first win of the 2008 season yesterday by winning the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Busch dominated much of the race, leading a race high 173 laps in route to taking home the checkered flag. It's the first victory for Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing, not to mention the first victory for Toyota in the Sprint Cup series.

Thoughts and observations:

I take back what I said last week, Kyle Busch is still the hottest driver in NASCAR. Had it not been for a blown tire on Saturday Kyle Busch likely would have picked up three trophies over the weekend at Atlanta. He leads the Sprint Cup and Craftsman Truck standings and is third in the Nationwide Standings. That, my friends, is getting it done.

Anyone else curious how the race would have played out had Carl Edwards not had a transmission issue?

Several drivers made strong impressions during the race Sunday. First, Dale Earnhardt Jr. dominated the early stages of the race, making it look like he was going to just run away with the race before Kyle Busch took over. Next, Clint Bowyer ran up front for awhile, passing Kyle Busch and leading 52 laps of the event.

Matt Kenseth had, for lack of a better term, a Matt Kenseth like day. Started out back, struggled early, but eventually him and his team got the car figured out and he ended up with a top 10 finish. How often did he do that when he won the championship in 2003?

What a difference a year makes for Brian Vickers and the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota. Last year at this time Vickers was 40th in the standings after missing two races. This year he sits 9th in the standings and a legit contender to make the chase. Is anyone else not really surprised?

Question: Who is second in Sprint Cup points right now? Answer: Greg Biffle. Wait, huh? How did that happen? He has two top 5's and three top 10's, that's how.

With one race left for teams to lock themselves into races, several world class drivers are in serious trouble. Sam Hornish Jr., Dave Blaney, Dario Franchitti, Regan Smith, Kyle Petty are all in serious trouble.

Speaking of serious trouble, I think now would be a good time to hit the panic button for the Wood Brothers Racing team. They've missed three out of four races (only making the race in California thanks to the help of some rain) and that doesn't look to be improving. On the plus side after Bristol Kurt Busch will be locked in the field and Dale Jarrett will be retiring, allowing Bill Elliott to use the Past Champions Provisional. That might help the team, but they need more then that to get the ship righted.

Hot 'Lanta

2008-03-06T12:08:00.000-08:00

Week 4 in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season and its time for the teams to visit one of the fastest tracks on the schedule, Atlanta Motor Speedway. Atlanta is known for close, emotional finishes that can stop your heart in an instant. Drivers like Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt have won races in unbelieveable fashion at Atlanta and I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen again this weekend. So, who is got the best shot to win this weekend? Well i'm so glad you asked:

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)

Last Week: 29th place finish in UAW-Dodge 400

Career at Atlanta: 9.4 Avg. Finish, 3 Wins, 8 Top 5's, 9 Top 10's

Why he could win: Let's see, well besides the fact that Johnson won both races here at Atlanta last year, he is due for a rebound after his awful finish last week at Las Vegas.

Carl Edwards, No. 99 Office Depot Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)

Last Week: Won the UAW-Dodge 400

Career at Atlanta: 8.7 Avg. Finish, 2 Wins, 4 Top 5's, 6 Top 10's

Why he could win: Carl picked up his first career win at Atlanta back in 2005, besting Jimmie Johnson to take the checkered flag. He is also the hottest driver on the Sprint Cup circuit, despite the massive penalty he received from NASCAR this week.

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet (Richard Childress Racing)

Last Week: 4th place finish in UAW-Dodge 400

Career at Atlanta: 24.4 Avg. Finish, 1 Win, 2 Top 5's, 2 Top 10's

Why he could win: Kevin also picked up his first career win at Atlanta, beating Jeff Gordon back in 2001 after replacing the late, great Dale Earnhardt. He hasn't had a lot of luck at Atlanta since then, but I feel like that bad luck is about to come to a close.

And this week's underdog is.......

Bobby Labonte, No. 43 Cheerios Dodge (Petty Enterprises)

Last Week: 17th place finish in UAW-Dodge 400

Career at Atlanta: 16.4 Avg. Finish, 6 Wins, 12 Top 5's, 13 Top 10's

Why he could win: Bobby Labonte leads all fulltime Sprint Cup drivers in wins at Atlanta with 6, almost all of them under the current configuration (he has one victory under the old configuration). With 6 wins under his belt its hard to call him the underdog, but considering he'll be going up against teams with a lot more backing I have no other choice but to call him the underdog.

Las Vegas thoughts and observations

2008-03-03T11:57:00.000-08:00

Carl Edwards picked up his second win in a row this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, outlasting a couple late caution flags and a hungry Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the UAW-Dodge 400. The victory is the sixth for Roush-Fenway Racing at Las Vegas. The win pushed Carl Edwards to the top of the Sprint Cup points standings, though that will likely change on Tuesday. The car Edwards drove to victory failed post race inspection. The infraction, the lid of the oil tank reservoir was off, has received 25 point penalties in the past, which would drop him to second in the standings, four behind Kyle Busch.

Thoughts and observations:

If Kyle Busch was the hottest driver in NASCAR entering Las Vegas, what does that make Carl Edwards now?

While Carl Edwards hit the jackpot in Las Vegas, it appears Tony Stewart rolled snake eyes over the weekend. Stewart crashed hard in both the Nationwide race on Saturday and the Sprint Cup race on Sunday. Reports indicated he had to be helped from the racetrack following his second hard hit in as many days. Lets hope he doesn't get hurt like he did in 2006 after crashing hard twice at Lowe's Motor Speedway, fracturing his right shoulder blade.

Speaking of crashing hard, Jeff Gordon took one heck of a shot when he and Matt Kenseth wrecked late in Sunday's race. The front end of his car just went everywhere. Yet, Jeff Gordon walked away unharmed, probably a little tender, but otherwise fine. Following the wreck Gordon let it be known that he wasn't happy with how the lower wall that he hit was constructed. For those that don't know, that lower wall has a big lip in it which allows emergency personnel to get on and off the track quickly. However, if a driver hits that wall, it turns nasty quick, just ask Gordon.

What in the world happaned to Jimmie Johnson this weekend? The three time defending champion of the UAW-Dodge 400, Johnson looked like a field filler this weekend, coming home a disappointing 29th. That's not normal for Johnson, so don't expect to see him do that again anytime soon.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has got to be getting more and more hungry after that second place run. I wouldn't be surprised to see him win in the next two or three races.

How about Travis Kvapil coming home a strong eighth. Yates Racing needs more strong runs like that from his two car team if they hope to lock down sponsorship for the full season.

Poor poor A.J. Allmendinger, the guy just can't catch a break. He has missed all three races thus far in the 2008 season and now word is spreading that Team Red Bull Racing might take him out of the No. 84 car and put a veteran driver behind the wheel to help them determine what the issue is with their team. They claim they aren't giving up on Allmendinger, but I've seen this sort of thing before. If Allmendinger doesn't turn it around soon he could end up sitting alongside Jacques Villeneuve, on the outside looking in.

Good runs for Jeremy Mayfield and Ken Schrader, both of whom finished on the lead lap and ran on the lead lap consistently all day long.

As the standings are right now, several drivers are on the outside looking in to the top 35 in points. Among them are rookie Dario Franchitti, Robby Gordon, rookie Sam Hornish Jr., Regan Smith and Kyle Petty. They've got two more races to get their acts together and they'd better do it quick, otherwise this season could be a rough one.

Local racing this weekend

2008-02-29T14:37:00.000-08:00

For those that don't know, Cleveland County Speedway (formally known as Thunder Valley Speedway) will be hosting the Twister 100 this weekend. A picture of the track taken by ace photographer Brittany Randolph can be found at left. We ran a front page story today about the event, which is expected to draw racers from as far away as New York, Kentucky, Missouri and more.

I, however, will be unable to attend this weekends races since I will be working all weekend. Bad for me, but that doesn't mean you local folks can't check it out.

As local driver Richard Clew said in the story today (found at http://www.shelbystar.com/articles/track_29150___article.html/clew_drivers.html) everyone starts at this level, even the most experienced NASCAR guys had to get their start somewhere. So who knows, you might just see the next Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards or Matt Kenseth this weekend.

For more info check out http://www.clevelandcountyspeedway.com/. Also, if anyone has any results from this weekends races feel free to email or call with that info, the sports department would be glad to run them assuming someone lets us here at The Star know.

Viva Las Vegas NASCAR Style

2008-02-28T12:21:00.000-08:00

NASCAR is heading to the bright lights of Las Vegas this weekend for the UAW-Dodge 400. Las Vegas has always been a great race track for finishes and i'm betting 2008 will be no exception. As far as my choices to win this weekends event, it again comes down to two teams, Roush-Fenway and Hendrick. Why? Math once again tells the entire story. Roush-Fenway has five wins at Las Vegas (2 for Kenseth, 2 for Burton and 1 for Martin) while Hendrick has 4 (3 for Johnson and 1 for Gordon). So that really should narrow down my choices to win here this week, right?

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)Last Week: 2nd place finish in the Auto Club 500

Career at Las Vegas: 6.0 Avg. Finish, 3 wins, 3 Top 5's, 4 Top 10's

Why he could win: Well, besides the fact that Johnson is the 3-time defending champion of this race, he's Jimmie Johnson. Plus he has the best average finish of all active drivers in the Sprint Cup Series at Las Vegas.

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 DEWALT Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)

Last Week: 5th place finish in the Auto Club 500

Career at Las Vegas: 7.6 Avg. Finish, 2 wins, 4 Top 5's, 5 Top 10's

Why he could win: Kenseth has always been good at Las Vegas, winning two events at the track before Jimmie Johnson became the "King" so to speak. If anyone in a Ford is going to win this week, Kenseth is the man that could do it.

Mark Martin, No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.)

Last Week: 16th place finish in the Auto Club 500

Career at Las Vegas: 11.2 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 5 Top 5's, 8 Top 10's

Why he could win: Mark Martin has made a career out of winning at tracks much like Las Vegas. He won the first Sprint Cup race ever held at the track and can more than hold his own against the powerhouse teams from Hendrick and Roush-Fenway. Look out for Mark this weekend.

So who is this week's underdog? Hmm.....

Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Target Dodge (Chip Ganassi Racing)

Last Week: 37th place finish in the Auto Club 500

Career at Las Vegas: 35.5 Avg. Finish, 0 Top 5's, 0 Top 10's

Why he could win: Does anyone remember who the only team was to win at Las Vegas that WASN'T a Roush-Fenway or Hendrick car? That's right, Sterling Marlin driving a Chip Ganassi backed entry in 2002. While Sorenson has never exactly had great success at Las Vegas I wouldn't be surprised to see him run up front Sunday.

California thoughts and observations

2008-02-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

Carl Edwards won the oft-rain delayed Auto Club 500 this afternoon at the Auto Club (formally California) Speedway. He took the lead for the final time with 13 laps remaining and drove away from Hendrick teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon to secure his eighth career Sprint Cup victory and Roush-Fenway's sixth victory at the Auto Club Speedway as a team.

Thoughts and observations:

I thought it never rained in Southern California, I guess I was wrong. Needless to say the wet conditions made a mess of this weekend at the Auto Club Speedway and a few teams payed the price. NASCAR should have waited out the wet conditions rather then starting the race on Sunday with water still seaping out of cracks on the track. The picture at left is a direct result of that water. It's no wonder Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin and others were upset after wrecking early Sunday.

If Kyle Busch does well enough in tonights Stater Bros. 300, he could become the first driver to lead all three of NASCAR's top racing divisions at one time. He already leads the Sprint Cup and Craftsman Truck points standings, meaning a good run this afternoon will give him the Nationwide points lead. Even if it is just the second weekend in the NASCAR season, that is still pretty impressive.

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson looked like the class of the field for a good chunk of the race, but once Carl Edwards found the handle on his car he took off like a rocket. Anyone else not all that surprised by that?

After two races, Denny Hamlin sits a dismal 31st in the Sprint Cup points standings. Not the way he, or anyone else really, expected to start the 2008 season. Casey Mears isn't really doing much better, after two consecutive early exits he sits all the way back in 42nd in points. John Andretti has more points right now then Casey Mears for goodness sake! These two better get it together quick or they may be on the outside looking in to the top 35 in owner points.

Robby Gordon had a pretty good race again this week, running well and finishing a decent 18th. Of course it really doesn't make much difference after NASCAR fined Robby 100 driver and owner points for an unapproved nose on the front of his Dodge at Daytona. It may have been an honest mistake, which all sides seem to agree on, yet it appears NASCAR is going to stick to its guns and not take back the penalty. I hate that for Robby, he really looks like he might have something in that No. 7 Dodge this year.

Dave Blaney needs to catch a break, just one. The poor guy never seems to have any luck going for him and when he finally does get a good finish (like his 3rd place at Talladega last year) his momentum just dies during the next race.

The best rookie in this week's race was Regan Smith, who came home 31st. Dario Franchitti snuck in behind him in 32nd and poor poor Sam Hornish Jr. ended up dead last. Let's hope next week is a little better for the 2008 rookie class.

NASCAR is California Dreaming

2008-02-21T12:41:00.001-08:00

This week marks the first week i'll be posting my predictions for each upcoming Sprint Cup event. I'll be choosing the Top 3 drivers to win and the underdog of the race. I wonder how close i'm gonna get...

This week NASCAR heads out west as they make the first of two stops at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Historicly, California Speedway has been owned by two teams. Hendrick Motorsports (which has 6 wins with 4 drivers) and Roush-Fenway Racing (5 wins, 4 drivers). So two of my three choices will come from the Hendrick and Roush-Fenway camps. The third is a driver I feel like has a ton of momentum coming out of Daytona. With that being said, my picks to win this week at California are:

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 DEWALT Ford (Roush-Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 36th place finish in the Daytona 500
Career at California: 10.3 Avg. Finish, 2 wins, 4 Top 5's, 8 Top 10's
Why he could win: Matt is the two-time defending champion of this race at California, not to mention his career stats at California are outstanding.

Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: 4th place finish in the Daytona 500
Career at California: 11.1 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 2 Top 5's, 5 Top 10's
Why he could win: The momentum Kyle has going for him after such a dominating run at Daytona could very well prepel him to victory this week at California, where he picked up his first career win.

Jeff Gordon, No. 24, DuPont Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)
Last Week: 39th place finish at Daytona 500
Career at California: 11.8 Avg. Finish, 3 wins, 7 Top 5's, 7 Top 10's
Why he could win: Well, besides the fact that he is Jeff Gordon, he's won this race three times in his career, which gives him the most wins at California by any driver. Need I say more?

So who is the underdog this week? Let's go with a "Go or Go Home" driver...

Brian Vickers, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota (Red Bull Racing)
Last Week: 13th place finish at Daytona 500
Career at California: 17.9 Avg. Finish, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10's
Why he could win: Last year after he missed the Daytona 500 he came out and picked up Toyota's first Top 10 in Sprint Cup history. I wouldn't be surprised to see him do even better this year.

So that's it, those are my predictions for this week's Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know!

Daytona thoughts and observations

2008-02-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

Ryan Newman broke an 81 race winless streak Sunday night by winning the Daytona 500, the first for both him and his car owner Roger Penske. Newman only led eight laps all day, but he led the one that counted. It was also the first one-two finish for Roger Penske in the Great American Race, as Kurt Busch pushed his teammate Newman to the victory.

Thoughts and Observations:

People are already starting to wonder if Tony Stewart is ever going to win a Daytona 500. Sunday's race was Tony's 10th attempt to win and his 10th failure. He was obviously upset after the race and he had every right to be. He was running first when he took the white flag and he ended up third. I'd be upset too.

Did anyone else notice Kyle Busch trying to lay the blame on NASCAR for not catching drivers laying back on the final restart? Granted, Kyle had the car to beat all night, leading a race high 86 laps, but blaming someone else for not closing the deal really isn't gonna work. It's Daytona, things happen.

Regardless of how the race ended for the Joe Gibbs machines, they proved they were the class of the field most of the day. Out of 200 laps, Joe Gibbs Racing cars led 134 of them. I'd be very afraid of those three cars when they return here for the Coca-Cola 400 (formally the Pepsi 400) in July.

How about Robby Gordon coming home an impressive 8th in his first run under the Dodge flag. Not bad considering he made that change less then a month ago.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wasn't nearly as impressive as I, and I imagine a lot of other people, thought he was going to be. In fact, Hendrick Motorsports as a whole had a bad night. Earnhardt Jr. was Hendrick's lone bright spot. The rest of the Hendrick drivers finished well outside the top 10 (Johnson 27th, Mears 35th and Gordon 39th).

Was anyone else impressed with how well Sam Hornish Jr. did during the race? Not only did he run with the leaders most of the day but when he fell a lap down he didn't give up and rallyed to a 15th place finish, the best finish by a rookie.

Where did Reed Sorenson come from? We didn't hear a word about him all day and then when it came down to it he was right in the thick of things and ended up with a top 5. Too bad his two teammates, former open-wheel stars Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti, couldn't do the same.

Nice run for the Gillett-Evernham Dodge's of Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler. Both drivers ended up with top 10 finishes. Let's hope they can build on that and get one of those cars back into victory lane this season.

What happaned to the Ford drivers in this race? Last's year's Pepsi 400 winner Jamie McMurray was a non-factor and the only Ford's to get out front at all were Matt Kenseth (for one lap) and Greg Biffle (for seven).

Summing it up:

The first race at Daytona for the Car of Tomorrow (now the Car of Today) was better then I had thought. The drivers did a good job keeping the race interesting and the finish, while not as good as last years, was still an exciting way to end NASCAR's biggest race. Here's hoping we get more finishes like that in the year's to come.

Bad news for Jacques Villeneuve

2008-02-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

Looks like former Indy 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve's venture into the world of Sprint Cup Racing might be over before it really begins.

Bill Davis Racing announced today that unless they can find a sponsor in the next 24 hours they would be forced to replace Villeneuve in their No. 27 Toyota next week at California with NASCAR veteran Mike Skinner. They still plan to keep Villeneuve in the fold and if a sponsor becomes available Villeneuve will be returned to the car ASAP. However at this time it's not looking very likely.

This is a big blow for Villeneuve, who at one point thought he had a sponsor lined up for the entire 2008 season. Now however, after missing Sunday's Daytona 500 after crashing out in the second Gatorade Duel, Villeneuve has been relegated to watching and waiting for something to develop.

In other news.....

Tony Stewart captured the pole for Saturday's season opening Nationwide (formally Busch) Series race at Daytona while Erik Darnell is on the pole for the Craftsman Truck Series race tonight. If you aren't planning on watching the Craftsman Truck race, I suggest you rethink that decision. Last year's finish to the truck race at Daytona may have been better then the 2007 finish to the Daytona 500, depending on who you ask of course.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s start to the 2008 season has been perfect, with one minor exception. NASCAR confiscated the trunk lid and spoiler from his No. 5 Nationwide Series entry after discovering the team altered the spoiler to give the car an aerodynamic advantage. Expect a fine for both the team and its crew chief, Chad Walker, who I also expect to be suspended.

Bill Elliott finally appears ready to retire for good. He announced today that after his 2008 schedule he will hang up his helmet. As a long time Bill Elliott fan i'm glad he made this announcement. It's been hard for me to watch him struggling day in and day out after watching him return to victory lane in his last few fulltime years on the circuit.

Speaking of Bill, when he missed the Daytona 500 it was the first time in the history of the Daytona 500 that a Wood Brothers car FAILED to make the race. The last time Daytona was without a Wood Brothers car in the Daytona 500 was 1962 when the team didn't enter the race. Of the previous 49 Daytona 500's, the Wood Brothers entered and succesfully got a car in 47 of them. They also didn't attempt to make the 1960 edition of the race. So on the 50th anniversary of NASCAR's biggest race the Daytona 500 is going to be without one of its most legendary teams. Disapointing doesn't quite cover it.

Puppy!

2008-02-08T12:39:00.001-08:00

So my dad had been talking for awhile about getting a new dog, a beagle to be exact. I'd heard it, but sorta let it pass by my ear. My dad, years ago, had a beagle called Lady. I didn't know Lady, but I know stories about her. When my dad and mom got together Lady's seat in my dad's truck got taken away. They ended up having to go buy her a pillow to sit on so she could see out the window of the truck (she sat in the middle between my mom and dad, dad had bucket seats in the truck).

Anyway, a few weeks ago I decided i'd do something about it and try and track down a beagle for my father. I told my dad what I wanted to do and he was all for it. Everyone in the house was a bit excited, except my little brother. I can't blame the kid really, every animal we let in the house seems to like bouncing off his door at 2 a.m. I'd be worried if I were him too.

Anyway, yesterday we found our puppy. She's a beautiful thing really. Found her down in Lyman, SC (about an hour drive from my home in Polk County). She was the runt of the litter but she is cute as a button. Fifty dollars later and she was riding in my dad's lap on the way home. She's gonna be a beautiful thing to be around when she gets older.

The best part was watching our cat, Gizmo (the one who likes to bounce off my little brothers door), examining the new addition to the house hold. He didn't know what to do. He looked like a spy hovering around the dog, trying to determine if it was a friend or foe (as seen in the picture at left).

And before anyone asks, no, we haven't named her yet. We have to get to know her first. Anyone got any suggestions?

NASCAR Tidbits

2008-02-01T16:50:00.000-08:00

A few NASCAR tidbits floating around the world wide web:

Robby Gordon switches to Dodge, will run GEM motors

It was announced today that Robby Gordon will team up with Gillett-Evernham Motorsports in 2008. The agreement calls for Gordon's self-owned team to switch from Ford to Dodge and to run GEM prepared motors.

Adam's thoughts: While probably a smart move, I can't imagine its a good financial decision for Gordon. Remember, he switched to Ford last year from Chevrolet. How much do you think that move caust him? Now he's switched from Ford to Dodge? Robby, come on buddy, make up your mind.

Texas Motor Speedway takes down billboards referencing Earnhardt, his step-mother Teresa

Texas Motor Speedway announced today that they would be removing four billboards that referred to the hostile relationship between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his step-mom and former car owner Teresa Earnhardt. The billboards (seen above) were designed to promote the April Sprint Cup race weekend at the track. Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, Earnhardt's sister and business manager, objected to the images and asked that they be removed.

Adam's thoughts: Who's bright idea was this anyway? Promote your race, that's fine, but for goodness sake don't start picking on families when you already know the situation is volatile to begin with.

Yates Racing finally lands a sponsor?

Rumor has it Yates Racing finally landed a sponsor. Freecreditreport.com is rumored to be sponsoring David Gilliland for the first six races of the 2008 season. Teammate Travis Kvapil still appears to be without a primary sponsor.

Adam's thoughts: It's about time! Now, all they need to do is find a few more sponsors to fill out the schedule for both teams and then they can focus on getting back to their winning ways (which might take awhile).

Hamlin, Toyota fast during California testing

Denny Hamlin and Toyota continued to prove that Daytona's test session speeds were no fluke this week after posting top speeds during test sessions at California. Hamlin toped 182 MPH in his Toyota, the only driver to break the 182 MPH mark. Toyota's also placed 3rd (Kyle Busch) and 7th (Waltrip). The fastest Dodge was Ryan Newman (2nd), the fastest Chevorlet was Mark Martin (4th) and the fastest Ford was Carl Edwards (5th).

Adam's thoughts: What I thought when Toyota entered the Sprint Cup last year was that it would probably take them a year, two tops, to get it right. Once they did it would be hard to stop them. Seems like such a predicition might actually be true.

Other minor notes:

Claritin will sponsor Carl Edwards in a few races (Adam: Great, that means another paint scheme to keep up with).

Hornish probably won't run Indy 500 in 2008 (Adam: Well, it might be his best shot at winning something in 2008, so I suggest he rethink that one).

John Andretti to drive No. 34 Front Row Motorsports entry at Daytona (Adam: Sorry John, I don't care if you are a former winner at Daytona, you won't be in the race).

Front Row Motorsports lands sponsorship for its Daytona entries (Adam: Sorry, it won't matter anyway, they won't be making the Daytona 500, whoops, said that already).

A new appreciation for sleep

2008-01-31T13:32:00.001-08:00

I have gained a new appreciation for sleep. Really and truly. I spent Friday, Jan. 25 through Tuesday, Jan. 29 in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital where I took part in a sleep study. As part of that sleep study I was required to stay up for 38 straight hours.

...

I didn't think it would ever end. It started Sunday evening when I woke up (7:30 AM) and didn't end until Monday evening (10 PM). Needless to say by the time I finally did get to sleep I was out in around 30 seconds. Look for a nice feature about my trip at some point in the future. For now I did want to show off this really cool photo I shot on the plane ride back home.

Look ma! I'm on top of the world!!!!