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Is Mark Martin Going to Be Derailed by Changes to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Team?

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

May 28, 2009 7:12 pm CDT 8 Comments

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As I was reading a story this afternoon on what new Dale Earnhardt Jr. crew chief Lance McGrew plans for the #88 team, I started worrying about the chances of Mark Martin’s title run this year. McGrew says that among the first items to be evaluated is the #88 team’s relationship with that of their shop-mate, the #5 team. McGrew says that they aren’t a unified outfit because they were two entities brought together, unlike the #24 and #48 teams. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the #5 and #25 teams were together since what, 2002 when Hendrick added a 4th car? The teams have been there, with mixed success, since the days of Terry Labonte/Kyle Busch in the #5 and Joe Nemechek/Brian Vickers/Casey Mears in the #25. McGrew was even a big part of that #25 team, serving as crew chief for Vickers in that time. I have to wonder why McGrew seems to fault the new combination of Martin and crew chief Alan Gustafson in the #5 for being successful. Maybe I’m reading the story wrong, but that’s how it looks.

My main concern here is that Martin’s team has been very successful with fast cars nearly ever week of the year while Earnhardt Jr. and his team haven’t adjusted their equipment to meet the demands of 2009 yet. It’s no guarantee the change will work the first time around. Is McGrew implying that he wants to change the way Gustafson is running the #5 team? This quote scares me:

“Basically, the crew chiefs have to steer the ship. If you want [the 5/88] building to perform and function with the 24/48 shop does, it has to be managed like the 24/48 shop is. The crew chiefs steer the ship there. I feel like you have to do that in unison, because the idea is to have two teams in one building that operate as one. Those [24 and 48] teams do that. Right now that’s not happening [in the 5 and 88 shop].”

Right. Because it’s the #5 team’s responsibility for the #88 not using the notes and setups the #5, #24, and #48 do. McGrew is right about this part: ideally, both teams in the shop should operate as one. It seems that the #88 team led by Tony Eury Jr. was willing to break away from that and do things their own way.

All I’m saying is, this could easily drag down Martin during the rest of the 2009 season. If McGrew wants to change the #5 team’s method (which is clearly working) it could derail Martin’s title hopes this season. I do not want that to happen and I suspect that even Dale Jr. himself wouldn’t want that to happen. Hendrick needs to be careful he isn’t tearing down the strong to build up the weak.

Photo credit: Sports Illustrated

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Casey Mears, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Nemechek, Mark Martin, NASCAR

Tagged with: Alan Gustafson, Brian Vickers, Casey Mears, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Nemechek, Kyle Busch, Lance McGrew, Mark Martin, NASCAR, Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup Series, Terry Labonte, Tony Eury Jr

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NASCAR’s Most Improved Driver: Casey Mears?

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

January 29, 2009 4:10 pm CST No Comments

NASCAR’s 2009 Sprint Cup Series is revving up all the usual suspects picked by someone to grab the France Family jewels. But who is your version of the Phoenix - the legendary bird that rises from the ashes?

Bram that sage Scottish Racer of Backstretch Motorsports acclaim asked just that over at the BenchRacers forum . Who has the chance to be most improved? Here’s a bit of Bram’s answer to his own question…

“no one stands a better chance at brass-covered tin-ring than Casey Mears.. he’s fully funded and from all outward signs, has a much stronger support system behind him at the Welcome, NC shops as opposed to the ‘and we must mention…’ status he got at Hendrick.. and this is his last chance…”

Is this Casey Mears’ last chance in Cup? It’s hard to argue that logic. Mears has had what seemed at the time, to be very good rides. The second car at Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Racing and then the No 5 car at Hendrick Motorsports. But, the results of the Ganassi team show that they have been annually overrated and Hendrick has never gotten the fourth car up to the level of the No 24 or 48.

Mears seems the perfect fit for Richard Childress Racing. He reminds me of Jeff Burton, in fact. I’ve had to opportunity to interview Mears and it would be tough to come away from that experience with anything but hope for his success.

It would seem that all is in place for Casey to have that “Most Improved Driver” kind of season. The caveat is that RCR has never run four cars for a full season. It can be argued that only Jack Roush has done so successfully. I like Casey’s chances though.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - ON PIT ROW

Filed under: Casey Mears, Chip Ganassi Racing, Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, NASCAR, Richard Childress Racing, Sprint Cup Series

Tagged with: BenchRacers, BethAnne, Bram Hume, Heisler, most improved driver, NASCAR, Sprint Cup Series

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Quick Hits: Texas Motor 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.

October 29, 2008 8:04 pm CDT 1 Comment

This weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for the third to last race in this year’s Chase for the Cup. By this point, all but the 12 Chase teams are in preparation mode for 2009, experimenting with new setups and personnel. Many drivers with limited Sprint Cup experience are attempting to make starts this weekend in preparation for next year, including Joey Logano, Bryan Clauson, and Brad Keselowski.

However, one of the most intriguing driver-team combinations attempting to make the race this weekend is Max Papis and Germain Racing. Papis, a former CART competitor who made two starts for Haas CNC Racing earlier this year, will drive a No. 13 GEICO Toyota for Germain in 18 Sprint Cup races next year, and possibly attempt up to 25 depending upon sponsorship. Papis will also attempt to qualify at Homestead, regardless of whether he makes the race this weekend or not.

This is the next natural step in Germain’s progression from a Truck Series-only team up to NASCAR’s top level. Formed in late 2004, the No. 30 truck has consistently been one of the series’ best, winning the championship in 2006 with Todd Bodine. The team added a second truck in 2005 and a Nationwide Series team in 2007, experiencing success with both.

Currently, Mike Wallace has that No. 7 Nationwide team 8th in series’ points. Bodine has the No. 30 in 3rd in the Truck Series, and Justin Marks has impressed in the No. 9 truck, winning a pole at Texas and finishing 8th at Daytona. Bodine also made one Nationwide start for the team in a second car this year, finishing 4th at Darlington. In other words, the brothers Germain - Bob, Stephen, and Richard - have managed to make all of their cars competitive, regardless of who’s in them or how often they compete.

With its expansion into Cup racing with Papis, Germain has picked the optimum time to move up the ladder. With many teams pressed for sponsorship in a difficult economic climate, the Sprint Cup field should be shrinking next year, making it much easier for a team that doesn’t plan on attempting all 36 races to make the most of its limited schedule.

Germain also has never expanded beyond its means to be competitive. While the 2005 season was a trying one for the second truck, much of that was based on Shige Hattori’s lack of stock-car experience. While Ted Musgrave only won one race in the No. 9 truck in 2006 and 2007, he also had 28 top-10s in 49 starts for the team and two top-10 finishes in points.

The team only moved up to the Nationwide Series after establishing a strong foundation with Bodine last year. In five races, the team had an average finish of 17.8 (negatively affected by a crash at Homestead that led to a 37th place finish) and led 15 laps at Gateway. They also waited to move up until finding the right driver (Wallace) and sponsor (GEICO), and the team has carved its niche in the series despite most of the wins and top finishes going to Cup “claim jumpers” running in both series.

Even with the recent trend of open-wheel flameouts, don’t expect Papis to disappear in the first year of his four-year contract with the team. Papis, unlike some of the other open-wheel drivers to give NASCAR a try recently, has been successful in many different forms of motorsport. He won a handful of CART races in the late 1990s with Team Rahal and has driven for Corvette Racing at Le Mans. He also won the 2002 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

Papis has also had his share of remarkable and memorable drives in other series. He nearly won the 1996 24 Hours of Daytona in a car that had been damaged by collisions. After unlapping himself in the final stint of the race, Papis pushed his car to the max, only losing by 64 seconds at a track in which fast laps can take nearly 2 minutes.

In other words, though we’ve all heard this before, Papis has the talent to succeed in a limited schedule with Germain. And unlike drivers like Villeneuve, Carpentier, Hornish, and Allmendinger, he has the team behind him to do it.

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

5. A few interesting notes from Motorsports Authentics’ sell sheets for 2009 die-cast:

At Stewart-Haas Racing, Burger King is featured on the B-pillar of Tony Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet. Also, DirecTV is featured on the B-pillar of Ryan Newman’s No. 39 Chevrolet. It is no longer on the No. 07 Chevrolet of Casey Mears.

At Gillett Evernham Motorsports, McDonald’s has vacated its post on the lower quarter panel of Elliott Sadler’s No. 19 Dodge. Allstate is also gone from the lower quarter panel of Kasey Kahne’s No. 9 Dodge.

Finally, Scott Speed will run a No. 82 Red Bull Toyota next year, as opposed to a No. 84. No word on why the change occurred.

4. A recent rumor suggests that Wood Brothers Racing is looking around the garage for a new partner after JTG Daugherty Racing’s defection to Toyota for 2009. That partnership could come in the form of a deal with Hall of Fame Racing, which currently fields Toyotas for former Wood driver Ken Schrader. Hall of Fame would also bring a top-flight sponsorship, in the form of Texas Instruments, and a bona-fide driving talent in Brad Coleman to the partnership. Hall of Fame’s current deal with Joe Gibbs Racing expires after Homestead.

3. An interesting note: No Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender has finished in the top 10 all season. Sam Hornish Jr.’s 13th at the Coca-Cola 600 is the best finish for any contender. Aric Almirola’s 8th at Bristol does not apply, as he is not registered for the award. Regan Smith’s win at Talladega, had it been upheld, would have been the only top-10.

2. While Kyle Petty has been unable to lay down any serious Sprint Cup plans for next year, he may have a full time Rolex Sports Car Series deal in place for 2009. Petty will run the No. 45 Orbit Racing BMW Prototype at next year’s 24 Hours of Daytona, and potentially beyond. No word yet on if the Wells Fargo sponsorship currently tied to Petty in Sprint Cup would transfer with him, remain in NASCAR, or both.

1. Kodak is leaving the sport after a successful sponsorship campaign that spanned over two decades and produced three Daytona 500 wins. Drivers like Ernie Irvan, Sterling Marlin, Bobby Hamilton, and most recently Ryan Newman piloted the gold cars for Morgan-McClure Motorsports and Penske Racing from the late 1980s to this year. Kodak will also abandon its sponsorship programs in all other forms of motorsports, including those in the Rolex Sports Car Series and Indy Racing League.

Finally, congratulations to Newman for winning last weekend’s Truck Series race at Atlanta, and Carl Edwards for winning the Nationwide race in Memphis and Atlanta’s Sprint Cup event.

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Brad Coleman, Carl Edwards, Casey Mears, Craftsman Truck Series, Elliott Sadler, Germain Racing, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Haas CNC Racing, Jacques Villeneuve, Kasey Kahne, Kenny Shrader, Max Papis, NASCAR, Nationwide Series, Regan Smith, Ryan Newman, Sam Hornish Jr, Scott Speed, Sprint Cup Series, Stewart Haas Racing, The Wood Brothers

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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

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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Quick Hits: Bristol Motor Speedway

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

August 20, 2008 6:37 pm CDT 2 Comments

Bristol Motor Speedway is a track with a long and storied history, having hosted its first NASCAR race in July 1961. It’s seen everything from last lap wrecks (Terry Labonte and Dale Earnhardt most readily come to mind), to nearly deadly accidents (Michael Waltrip and Mike Harmon have had two of the worst wrecks in NASCAR history at the track), to the first Sprint Cup Series Car of Tomorrow event in 2007.

On August 25, 1990, the track saw a little team from Abingdon, Virginia win its first ever Winston Cup race. The car, the No. 4 Kodak Chevrolet, piloted by a promising Californian driver named Ernie Irvan, was fielded by Morgan-McClure Motorsports. Before parting amidst an ugly lawsuit in late 1993, Irvan and MMM won six more races together, including the 1991 Daytona 500. MMM won that race again in 1994 and 1995 with Sterling Marlin, and scored a total of seven more wins with Marlin and Bobby Hamilton.

After an abysmal 2007 with Ward Burton, however, the long-struggling team decided to go on hiatus instead of, as owner Larry McClure stated, “just sliding by.” The team intends to return to the track once proper sponsorship is found. “With the right sponsorship, I have no doubt that we can be a top-15 car within a year or two. And then we could be a top-five car within 2-3 years. We know what it takes to be successful,” McClure said in this Bristol Herald Courier report.

But what NASCAR will be in 2009 is nothing like what NASCAR was in MMM’s heyday. The last time a single-car team won a race was at Darlington in 2003, when Ricky Craven won at the line in a thrilling duel with Kurt Busch. A single-car team hasn’t finished in the top 10 in points since Burton finished 9th in 1999. No single-car team has won a championship since the late Dale Earnhardt won his seventh title in 1994.

Unfortunately, if MMM returns, it’ll likely see more of the same misfortune as it did between 2004 and 2006. Seven drivers combined to score one top 10 finish, an 8th in the 2005 Pepsi 400 with driver Mike Wallace. Drivers who have combined to score 9 Sprint Cup wins, 43 Nationwide wins, 18 Truck Series wins, and 1 Truck Series title couldn’t do any more than that in MMM cars.

Especially in a struggling economy, it’s highly unlikely that any company is going to take a chance on a single-car team trying to rebound after a year off like MMM, regardless of its storied history. With teams like Petty Enterprises and the Wood Brothers struggling to find sponsorship as well, it’s clear that the NASCAR landscape has forever changed, leaving the little guy behind.

Now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for, this week’s five Quick Hits:

5. Michael Waltrip Racing will reveal its 2009 plans for David Reutimann in a press conference this Friday. Rumor has it that Aaron’s Rent will shift sponsorship from Reutimann’s Nationwide Series car to the No. 44 Toyota Reutimann currently drives. Current sponsor UPS is looking at the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford of David Ragan.

4. Congratulations to Casey Mears, who will land on his feet at Richard Childress Racing for 2009. Mears will drive the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet, while Clint Bowyer will move to the No. 33 Cheerios Chevrolet. Mears won’t drive the No. 33 because General Mills expressed reservations over a driver currently endorsing rival brand Kellogg’s.

3. Congratulations to Joey Logano, whose Sprint Cup debut is close at hand. “Sliced Bread” will drive a No. 02 Home Depot Toyota at Richmond and multiple other races before replacing Tony Stewart in the No. 20 at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2009.

2. Speaking of Smoke, the Stewart-Haas puzzle is beginning to come together, finally. Ryan Newman will drive a No. 39 Chevrolet, likely sponsored by Burger King. Darian Grubb is the leading crew chief candidate for Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet. Subway will not renew with Stewart, most likely, and is looking to sign Carl Edwards to a personal services contract.

1. Longtime NASCAR sponsor Texaco/Havoline will leave the sport at season’s end, ending a continuous presence in the sport that began in 1986. This means that an already sponsor-desperate Chip Ganassi Racing needs a new primary for Juan Montoya.

Finally, a big congratulations to Carl Edwards for sweeping the Sprint Cup and Nationwide races at Michigan last week.

Image credit Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Casey Mears, Chip Ganassi Racing, Clint Boyer, David Reutimann, Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano, Juan Pablo Montoya, NASCAR, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: Bristol Motor Speedway, Morgan-McClure Motorsports

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Ryan Newman is Loose in Turn 3

by Charlie Turner

July 18, 2008 9:40 am CDT 7 Comments

Ryan Newman is on the loose. From team Penske, at least. Everyone seems to think they know where he’s going. But so far, the Rocketman has kept mum.

You would think that, with the Sprint Cup Series off this weekend, some of this silly season stuff would settle out. But that probably makes too much sense.

The Bench Racing blog’s slice of the Loose in Turn 3 pie has to do with Newman’s seat in the #12 Alltel Dodge.

Who is your choice as the next driver at Penske Racing?

Charlie: I’ve read and heard the Juan Pablo Montoya speculation. I heard months ago, that Martin Truex Jr was headed to Penske, and a fourth car there, along with his Bass Pro Shops sponsor. For sponsors, those deals make sense. But the #12 already has Alltel. I think that Casey Mears is the better teammate for “the franchise”, which is still Kurt Busch. The Mears name and Penske go way back. This could be the perfect place for the talented Casey to flourish.

Bruce: After the Sam Hornish debacle, and that’s what I think it is, they need to make sure that they get themselves a good talent, and they need to put more into that No. 12 team than it’s been getting. It’s got an odd history of mediocre performance. Mears is a great emotional choice, but if you look at the business side of things, Juan Pablo Montoya would be a great addition to the team. He’s got the experience that Hornish can lean on and Penske and toy the guys with rides in “other” series.

TZ: The idea of Montoya being a candidate for the 12 car is news to me, but I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked considering the interest he showed when they announced Mears’ departure from Hendrick. But, really, I think Penske comes out of this Silly Season as the biggest loser. They’re not going to field a fourth car next year because they can’t even get any of the three that they already have into the Chase, so they’d just be creating a formula to wind up just like Ganassi. David Stremme gets the 12 car, end of story.

That’s what we think. What do you think? Leave you feedback in the comments section of this post.

Then go to TZ’s DoYouNascar and weigh in on this topic….

What are the realistic expectations for the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009?

Then cruise over to Bruce’s NASCAR Bits for this one…

Do you think with the purchase of the Budweiser maker, Anheuser-Busch by InBev will have any sort of impact on the sponsorship of NASCAR teams and events?

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Casey Mears, Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Haas CNC Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Bidness, NASCAR Rumors, Penske Racing, Ryan Newman, Sam Hornish Jr, Sprint Cup Series, Stewart Haas Racing, Tony Stewart, Top 35 Rule, Turn 2 posts