Darlington thoughts and observations

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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.