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Auto Club Speedway Will Preview the Chase

by Charlie Turner

I'm Charlie Turner co-host of the syndicated, mostly NASCAR radio show On Pit Row. Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. Oh yeah, Steve is an idiot. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

August 31, 2008 7:15 am CDT 1 Comment

There are two races left in NASCAR’s Race to the Chase for the 2008 Sprint Cup. This week, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana California should give fans a preview of what the competition will be like in those final ten races that constitute the Chase.

The three drivers that I expect to battle it out for the Cup championship have three of the top four Driver Ratings for NASCAR’s Loop Data at the California two miler. Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards are first, third and fourth. They have to varying degrees and at different points in 2008, dominated NASCAR’s regular season this year. I don’t see any reason for that trend to end.

Johnson tops out at a DR of 114.7. Remember back to the spring race at Fontana and the day one (the first Auto Club Speedway race was repeatedly delayed by rain and wet track conditions and finally the finish was postponed to the following day) when Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon dominated early. Neither driver won that race but J J is a two time Fontana victor. He has the best Ave Position of 7.0 and the top Ave finish - 5.3. Johnson also has the most Laps in the Top 15 with 1630 for 92.9 percent of the last seven races.

Kyle Busch, who might just be the only NASCAR driver we would be talking about in 2008 if it weren’t for Johnson and Carl Edwards, has a win at California too. He has the third best Driver Rating at 109.9, three top fives and six top tens, the third most Laps in the Top 15, third best Ave Running Position and the second most Quality Passes.

The winner of that spring California race was Edwards. He comes back with a Driver Rating of 105.6, six top fives and seven top tens to go with his single win. Carl’s only category leading Loop stat is for Green Flag Passes. He is coming off a win at Bristol after bump passing Busch - who led most of the Bristol night race. But these guys have run up front most of the season.

Is There a Spoiler out there? Anyone? Anyone?

Two weeks ago, Edwards and Busch took turns dominating at Michigan International Speedway, with Edwards winning again and Kyle second. The top four in that first Fontana race were Edwards, Johnson, Gordon and Busch. I see trends that are too hard to ignore.

Matt Kenseth is the spoiler in the top four California ratings. Matt’s Driver Rating is second best at 112.7 and he’s a two time Fontana winner. Kenseth has the best Ave Mid Race Position and has led the most laps - 248, or 14.1 percent of the last seven races at the track.

Who else is good? Tony Stewart has the fifth best Driver Rating - a strong 101.0 - and the best Passing Differential. But he’s never been able to finish at California and 2008 just doesn’t look like the year of the Smoke.

Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, Gordon, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch round out the top ten in the Loop. Kasey Kahne has won twice in 2008 on long, fast tracks. He’s won at Fontana too. But I can’t see him beating my top three this week.

Nope, its got to be one of the big three. My pick is Jimmy Johnson with an upset special possibility coming from one of the Red Bull Toyotas. I’ll take Brian Vickers.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Filed under: Auto Club Speedway, Carl Edwards, Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, NASCAR Fantasy Gaming, Red Bull Racing, Sprint Cup Series

Tagged with: Auto Club Speedway, Carl Edwards, Chase for the Cup, fantasy picks, Fantasy racing, Jimmy Johnson, Kyle Busch, NASCAR Fantasy Gaming

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Tight in Turn 2 Again

by Charlie Turner

August 29, 2008 6:16 am CDT 2 Comments

Does an All Star event - in any sport - need to be fair to the competitors in the sport? Or is it more important that the contest be maxed out for ultimate fan interest?

NASCAR seems to be struggling with those questions and the additional issue of keeping the sponsors happy. Why else would they tweak the Budweiser Shootout? We’ll find out what you think in the Bench Racing version of this week’s Tight in Turn 2 posts.

The Budweiser Shootout will have a different format when it kicks off NASCAR’s Speedweeks next February. The 24 car all-star race will feature the top six cars in 2008 owners points from each of NASCAR’s four manufacturers. Do you like it or not?

Charlie: NASCAR has guaranteed that at least two, and probably more of its biggest stars will be watching this race instead of driving in it. Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman will not qualify. Two Michael Waltrip Racing cars will make it and so too, probably, will Travis Kvapil. It may not be a big deal, I guess. But tell me why they can’t start everybody? It would still be different from a regular Cup race. It’s a sprint. It’s short, fast, balls-out racing. Start 50 cars!

Bruce: I really like the idea that they’re changing it up to get more drivers in the “pointless” race. I think their approach is a bit blind sided by not anticipating that some of the better qualified drivers who could technically qualify for this race are going to be sidelined by drivers who don’t rate as high.

I would hope they re-evaluate their approach and take the drivers as they are, by years’ end, not who’s in what in the beginning of next year. Then, it would be fair, and mix it up a bit! Maybe they should add pole winners to the fray. That would get Ryan in at least. I’m sure they’ll come up with something to get Tony in!

That’s what we think. What do you think? Let us know in the comment section.

Bruce at NACAR Bits and Pieces has this topic up over at his blog…

So is this probation on Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards warranted?

Filed under: Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR & the Media, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: Budweiser Shootout, NASCAR, Ryan Newman, Tight in Turn 2, Tony Stewart

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Rowdy Busch: Grand Marshal of the Bristol Parade

by Charlie Turner

August 28, 2008 1:41 pm CDT No Comments

That’s what Mindy says on this week’s Monday Morning Crew Chief. Check it out right here.

Filed under: Bench Racing TV, Bristol Motor Speedway, Kenny Shrader, Kyle Busch, NASCAR video

Tagged with: Ken Shrader, Kyle Busch, Mindy, Monday Morning Crew Chief, NASCAR video

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Quick Hits: Auto Club Speedway

by Chris Leone, Special To NASCAR commentary,NASCAR video,NASCAR pictures, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

If OnPitRow.com was a NASCAR team, I’d be the development driver of the bunch. In the same way that young hotshots like Joey Logano have been driving since they were in grade school, I’ve been following and writing about all forms of motorsports since I was barely old enough to talk.

August 27, 2008 1:09 pm CDT 3 Comments

With two races left before the Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR heads to Auto Club Speedway in California. California is a state known for many things, from fine wines to celebrities to the greatest football game of Brett Favre’s career, a 41-7 rout of the Oakland Raiders the day after his father, Irvin, passed away.

With all the attention Favre’s been getting as of late, I feel it’s fair to direct our attention to a driver who similarly can’t retire from the sport he loves: Mark Martin. One of the reasons why I’ve been pulling so hard for Favre this season is because I’ve heard much of the same criticism used against Martin, in his many attempts to retire. Sometimes it’s just too hard to walk away from what you’ve been doing all your life.

Truth is, Martin’s been on top of his game these past few years the same way Favre has: producing enough to warrant continued mentions as one of the best in the field week in and week out. Martin led NEXTEL Cup points through 4 races last year, and even still had a shot at the Chase after missing the first few of his 12 scheduled off weeks. This year, despite running in equipment of far lesser quality, Martin has nearly equaled his top-10s from last year (8 so far, compared to 11 last year) and nearly won at Phoenix. He also won the Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas.

Even more important, however, is what Martin’s done to make part-time driving a viable option for aging stars, especially splitting rides with development drivers.

Originally, the plan was to put two “retiring” drivers in one car to split a full season. In a 2005 interview with Claire B. Lang, Martin dismissed the option of splitting a schedule between two retiring drivers as “far-fetched” and “hard to do right.” At the time, Jack Roush was looking to fill the No. 6 Ford for 2006 while waiting for Jamie McMurray to take over the car in 2007. Roush’s idea was to split the car between Martin and Rusty Wallace for the 2006 season.

While the Martin-Wallace deal never materialized, Martin has run part-time schedules in Sprint Cup with development drivers the past few seasons, and the results have been surprisingly decent. Martin’s average finishes were 14.5 in 2007 and 13.9 this year, not far out of line from his career average of 13.3. Last season, the No. 01 Ginn Racing Chevrolet that Martin split with Regan Smith sat 17th in owners’ points, better than 16 cars to start all 36 races and 28 that attempted full schedules. This year, the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet that Martin and Aric Almirola share is 15th in owners’ points, ahead of 19 other teams to start all 24 races.

Martin won’t race this weekend at California, but has an impressive record at the track: 15 starts with 7 top-10s and a win in the track’s second-ever race in 1998. His 13.3 average finish at the track is 8th best out of active Sprint Cup drivers. In his 700th career Sprint Cup start, which occurred at California earlier this season, Martin started and finished 16th in the No. 8 Principal Financial Chevrolet.

Although Martin will have to wait until next year to make a full-blown comeback, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in his first full-time schedule since 2006, he’ll certainly continue to face the same criticisms as Favre, for soldiering on with a different team for the love of the sport. But, as has Favre, Martin will continue to persevere in his chosen sport, going until he simply can go no longer.

Before the green flag drops on this weekend’s action, here are this week’s five Quick Hits:

5. Former Formula 1 driver Scott Speed will make his Sprint Cup debut by the end of this season in a third Toyota for Team Red Bull. Former Daytona 500 winner Slugger Labbe and TRB’s test team will pit the car. Speed may run a full-time Sprint Cup schedule next season after winning a Truck Series race at Dover and challenging for the ARCA title this year.

4. Chip Ganassi Racing will definitely field two cars next season, as longtime backer Target has re-signed with the team. Juan Pablo Montoya will drive one car, with Dario Franchitti perhaps making his return in the other.

3. David Reutimann will return to the No. 00 Toyota at Michael Waltrip Racing in 2009, with an 18-race sponsorship deal from Aaron’s Rent. Reutimann drove his first race for Aaron’s in 2005 and currently sits 4th in Nationwide points driving for the company. Reutimann’s father, Buzzie, raced on short tracks in Florida in cars carrying the No. 00.

2. Reed Sorenson will land on his feet in 2009, after signing a multi-year deal to drive for Gillett Evernham Motorsports. While nothing else is a certainty at this point, expect Sorenson to drive the #10 car next season, taking into account the team’s issues finding a full-time sponsor for its third car.

1. After a post-race tangle last weekend in Bristol, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch have both been placed on probation for the next six Sprint Cup races, effective this weekend. Unhappy about being muscled out of the way in the final laps of the race, Busch drove his right-front fender up into Edwards’ door panel after the race had ended. In retaliation, Edwards followed Busch to the bottom of the track and spun the No. 18 Toyota.

Finally, congratulations to last week’s winners: Busch in the Truck Series, Brad Keselowski in the Nationwide Series, and Edwards in Sprint Cup.

Filed under: ARCA Remax Series, Carl Edwards, Casey Mears, Chip Ganassi Racing, Clint Boyer, David Reutimann, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, NASCAR, Red Bull Racing, Reed Sorenson, Richard Childress Racing, Scott Speed

Tagged with: Auto Club Speedway, Mark Martin

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Kasey Kahne: Tell Him There’s No Bristol Wild Card

by Charlie Turner

August 26, 2008 1:34 pm CDT 3 Comments

This picture shows Kasey Kahne getting dealt one of Bristol Motor Speedway’s legendary wild cards.

Last week, Steve and I got into it pretty good ON PIT ROW. No surprise there. This time it was about whether or not the Bristol night race is a wild card race. I say yes. Steve says, emphatically no. Steve is wrong, of course, but maybe this is a matter of semantics. Bristol is legendary for big wrecks that often take out some of the best cars. There from came the legend of the wild card. The dictionary has this for legendary…

1. Of, constituting, based on, or of the nature of a legend.
2.
a. Celebrated in legend.
b. Extremely well known; famous or renowned.

The problem comes here. The Thesaurus has these two options for legend...

known - apprehended with certainty; “a known quantity”; “the limits of the known world”; “a musician known throughout the world”; “a known criminal”

unreal - lacking in reality or substance or genuineness; not corresponding to acknowledged facts or criteria; “ghosts and other unreal entities”; “unreal propaganda serving as news”

Steve is still wrong. So is the Thesaurus.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Filed under: NASCAR

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Joey Logano Officially A Sprint Cup Driver

by Matt Mercer, Special To NASCAR commentary,NASCAR video,NASCAR pictures, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I'm the writer of The Catfish Show NASCAR Blog, which you can access through the links on the right. Follow me on Twitter: @mattmercer

August 25, 2008 11:18 pm CDT 3 Comments

It’s been a whirlwind season for young Joey Logano.
(Note: this post also appears on my regular website, www.thecatfishshow.com)

The Middletown, CT native is a talent that rarely comes along. Regular readers know how highly I think about him. This is a guy that won the East Series title at the age of 17. He followed that up by dominating the ARCA race at Rockingham this May in preparation for his Nationwide Series debut, which came at Dover this May. He would go on to capture poles at Nashville and Kentucky, winning in Kentucky in just his third series start. Logano followed up with consecutive runner-up finishes at Milwaukee and Gateway and top-10 runs at IRP, Watkins Glen, and Michigan. The kid’s ready to contend at any level you put him in.

For Gibbs, this meant not going outside of the organization to find a replacement for Tony Stewart in the #20 Home Depot Camry. Why go through that process and deal with possible chemistry issues when the best choice is already there? Logano’s been a teammate to both returning drivers next season, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch this year. Hamlin in particular has taken an active role in Logano’s development, which will only accelerate the learning curve. Logano may actually be on the same level as most drivers in the COT, since he has been the primary test driver for the cars since their inception. I’m going on record right now and saying that Logano wins in 2009 and qualifies for the Chase. I’m that confident in his ability, not to mention the JGR camp and the quality of the team he will inherit.

As for the rest of 2008, Logano is looking at running 6 Sprint Cup races in the #02 - Richmond, New Hampshire, Kansas, Lowes, Atlanta, and Texas, 9 Nationwide races in the #20, as well as the ARCA race at Talladega in order to garner some plate experience before the Daytona 500 this fall.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: ARCA Remax Series, Car of Tomorrow, Daytona 500, Denny Hamlin, Dover International Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano, Kentucky Speedway, NASCAR, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: ARCA, Denny Hamlin, Dover, East Series, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano, Kentucky Speedway, Kyle Busch, nashville, Nationwide, Rockingham, Sprint Cup, Tony Stewart