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I have been looking through the entry list for the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. I had plans to write something about road course ringers or some such.  Fact is, there aren’t that many ringers any more.  But there are an awful lot of experienced road racers driving Dodges this weekend in wine country.

Start with the Ganassi Racing trio of defending race winner Juan Pablo Montoya and teammates Dario Franchitti and Scott Pruett - strongest driver line-up in the race. Gillette- Everham has red hot Kasey Kahne with Patrick Carpentier - who will be good - and Elliott Sadler.  Penske’s Kurt Busch is strong here as is Ryan Newman and Sam Hornish Jr is experienced turning both ways.  The Labonte brothers will make Petty Enterprises a factor. Robby Gordon might be a favorite to win this thing.

No manufacturer has a stronger driver roster for Sonoma this year than Dodge.

Photo credit: Photo Credit: Mike Doran

There are, according to Google, twenty permanent casinos in the state of Michigan. For dice rollin’, all-in plays, they had nothing on Michigan International Speedway on Fathers Day.

The #88 team of Dale Earnhardt Jr and Tony Eury Jr did their seniors proud, parlaying a gutsy fuel strategy into Junior’s first win for Rick Hendrick and the National Guard car. It was - needless to say - a very popular win with the majority of the MIS crowd.

Rock star Bob Seger - another of Michigan’s favorite sons - has a song that seems to fit Dale Jr this morning.

Got to keep movin’, never gonna slow down
You can have your funky world, see you ’round
Cause I got to ramble (Ramblin’ man)
I got to gamble (gamblin’ man)
I got to ramble (ramblin’ man)
Lord I’m a ramblin’, gamblin’ man

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Kasey Kahne had the field covered at Pocono on Sunday.

Kahne beat Brian Vickers and perennial Pocono winner Denny Hamlin to the finish line for his second win in three weeks. After a race that found many of NASCAR’s elite complaining about everything at Pocono except trees, Kahne looked refreshed when he stepped out of his Budweiser Dodge.

Kahne had to battle back from 36th place after a botched pit stop forced him to return to pit lane to complete a four tire stop. Originally crew chief Kenny Francis called off a four tire stop to just take two, but not everyone got the message and lugnuts had already been removed from the drivers side of the race car when Kahne sped away. Francis explained it this way:

I got us in a pretty big hole there at the beginning of the race, just tried to take two tires, called off a four tire stop and called a two tire stop, and I thought I saw the tire changer out of the corner of my eye and didn’t realize he had hit some lugnuts already in the front, and got us all the way in the back, 36 or something. And Kasey did a great job driving it back up through the field.

Numerous drivers took pot shots at the racetrack over the week, complaining about the quality of the racing surface, the length of the race itself and the heat. Which leads us to this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

What should NASCAR do about the races at Pocono?

Let us know what you think about the buzz and we may use your reply on this week’s show. Check out ON PIT ROW at www.onpitrow.com tuesday at 5pm ET, followed by INSIDE ARCA.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway hosted The Prelude to the Dream.

Twenty-five drivers, mostly from NASCAR, took to the dirt at the Ohio speedway to have some fun and raise some money for Kyle Petty’s Victory Junction Gang Camp last Wednesday night. Heavy rains overnight and throughout the morning made the race in doubt until the sun came out in the afternoon in time to get the half-mile race track in shape to race. Stewart led the crew to prepare the track as race fans could see the Cup Champ working the tractor to help bring the track in.

Big time Cup drivers love the event as it allows them to get back to their younger days before all the media and fans made their every move circumspect. Jeff Gordon talked his team mate and friend Jimmy Johnson into running on the dirt this year and were said to be working on Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for 2009. Gordon characterized running at Eldora in the late models as addicting.

Joe Menzer at NASCAR.com writes about current Cup owner, former crew chief and dirt driver Ray Evernham being asked about putting a dirt race back on the Sprint Cup Series:

“That would be awesome,” Evernham says. “You’d probably see me come out of retirement and be a mechanic again. I think it would be great. These guys are the greatest drivers in the world, and, you know, why not? We run short tracks; we run superspeedways; we run mile-and-a-halfs; we run road courses. Why not run dirt, too?

“We could do it, and I think these guys would love to do it.”

The perfect opportunity to try out the concept comes up on Labor Day when the ARCA Re/Max Series heads to DuQuoin State Fairgrounds for the Southern Illinois 100. The Cup Series runs the Pepsi 500 on Sunday August 31st at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. The 7:30pm east coast start would have the race finished before 11pm. Drivers could be in DuQuoin for the 1pm Monday start and get some dirt track racing in on cars that more closely resemble their everyday race car.

Current NASCAR drivers have had some success in the ARCA Series on the southern Illinois dirt. Kenny Schrader has two wins and two poles at the 1 mile clay oval. Tony Stewart has a win and three poles, while Jeremy Mayfield and Mike Wallace also have a pole. DuQuoin is one of two clay ovals on the ARCA circuit. The Re/Max Series also runs on the dirt at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield on the 17th of August.

The logistics may have been impossible years ago, but with most drivers and teams having private aircraft, a NASCAR presence is quite possible–if they truly like “Playing in the Dirt.”

photo credit:Arcaracing.com

Kasey Kahne used some late race Tony Stewart bad luck to win on back to back weekends at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

After the last batch of gas and go stops for the leaders it looked for all the world like Stewart would get his first win of the season. Kahne’s pit crew took seven more seconds on pit lane to get the last bit of fuel into the Budweiser Charger than Stewart’s crew did and it looked as if that may end up being the margin of victory.

Stewart’s luck didn’t hold up as he blew a tire with three to go; allowing Kahne to seize his second victory in as many weeks and his first points paying win in fifty-three tries. Dale Earnhardt Jr. led for much of the middle of the race but he also had tire problems on lap 297; blowing a right rear, hitting the wall and being punted by JJ Yelley, forcing him to work his way back to the front.

“I was thinking second, and then I saw Tony slow up, I thought he was out of gas, and I couldn’t believe it. He went into Turn 1 and he was high (in the corner), and when I came off Turn 2 he was low and slow.”

Kahne is only the sixth driver to win the All-Star race and the 600 in the same year, joining Jimmy Johnson, who was the last to do it in 2003.

This all leads us to this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Will Junior’s and Tony’s luck change before the end of the season?

Please let us know what you think and we may usee your comments on this weeks ON PIT ROW. To listen live click here at 5pm ET on Tuesday 5-27-08. Scheduled to appear is Speed’s Wendy Venturini.

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Memorial Day weekend is a race fan’s dream.  The culmination is the Coca Cola 600 from the House that Humpy Built - Lowes Motor Speedway.  But getting there the race geek can watch the F1 cars twist through The Principality - Monaco (in the predicted rain, I hope) and then the - ahem - Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the Indianapolis 500.  That’s actually more like 650 chances to get Loose in Turn 3.

Bruce Simmons, Tim Zaegel and I will get a little loose with three different NASCAR topics again today - the first of which is right here at Bench Racing with me and the Dummy.  Proceed.

What was the more significant result from Saturday’s racing - Kasey Kahne’s selection by the fan vote, A J Allmendinger’s win in the Sprint Showdown or Sam Hornish Jr’s second place finish in the same race?

Charlie:  Even though Kahne and Allmendinger were race winners, Hornish was the most consistent runner on Saturday and probably would have won the Showdown if he had wanted to risk his second place, guaranteed transfer spot, in the qualifier.  Sam was my pickfor Rookie of the Year.  He has struggled since spinning out of a top ten early at California Speedway.  But he never makes excuses, he just works at this stock car racing thing.  The work is starting to pay off.  If Penske can get their act together, Hornish might just get a win in the second half.

TZ:  I think Hornish’s run was tremendous for the rook, and Kahne’s huge weekend could be enough to help get him back on track, but to me, the real winner of the weekend has to be Allmendinger.  I mean, here you’ve got a guy that has struggled to qualify ever since coming up to the Cup level with Toyota, and he even lost his ride for a few races earlier in the year.  For this cat to come out of there and win that race is going to be a huge boost to his confidence, and should give team Red Bull a nice warm and fuzzy to let them know that they’re finally getting the kid headed down the right path.

Bruce:  I think ‘Dinger winning a race was a great event for him, his team and his fans.  He’s gone from struggling, to sitting out of the car while his team consulted someone else on insights to setting up his car, and then gets back in the seat and though his points performance isn’t top notch, winning is winning.  Ala Jamie McMurray here at Lowes.

Well that’s what we think on that topic.  What do you think?  And while you’re at it, what do you think about TZ’s post….

Is 2009 the right time for Dale Earnhardt Jr to bring J R Motorsports to the Sprint Cup Series level?

And what about Bruce’s question….

With Kasey Kahne winning the All Star race, does that vindicate the process of the fan vote for the event?   

Follow the links and let us know how you feel.

Kasey Kahne parlayed his popularity into a million bucks.

Kahne used the fan vote to gain entry into the Sprint Cup All-Star race. When Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin had engine problems with their experimental home shop power plants, Kahne was able to race off to a 2 second win over Roush-Fenway drivers Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth.

Kahne joins Michael Waltrip and Ryan Newman as the only drivers to win the All-Star race after racing their way in from the preliminary race.

Which leads us to this weeks BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Did Kasey Kahne being voted into the All-Star race by the fans diminish his win?

We may use your answer ON PIT ROW Tuesday at 5-7pm ET. Tune in to listen live here.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media.

 Do you think that “the incident” at Richmond International Raceway Saturday night was evidence of the “vengeance of the Shrub”?  After-all, Dale Earnhardt Jr did spin out of the lead because of contact with the guy who used to have his seat at Hendrick Motorsports. 

Just about everybody that we have talked to in the last week - from Larry McReynolds to Joey Logano say that they think this was a racing deal.  Plain fact.  I just can’t find the stones to argue that.

I may not agree with Tim Zaegel or Bruce Simmons though, as we each give our opinions on three separate, NASCAR related topics in this week’s Loose In Turn 3 go-round.  Here’s my question of the week.

Should NASCAR drop the “ruse” of team owners being allowed only four Cup teams?

Charlie:  First, you have to believe that the present rule is a false one. The rule was written with a real intent to limit the size and power of the super-team organizations.  The advent of satellite teams for the Hendrick, Gibbs and Roush’s of the NASCAR world has effectively circumvented the spirit, if not the actual law, of the original ruling.  That said, there is still a limiting effect on the big teams which gives an impression that teams like Hall of Fame Racing and Yates Racing are maintaining independence.  I say let the ruse continue.

Bruce:  I think it’s ridiculous that they pretend to have a team limit.  First, owners, their wives, their kids, heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone’s dog shows up as an owner some day.  Now that we have satellite teams forming with partnerships, it’s getting even more complicated.  (I’ll avoid the ridiculous term here for the moment)  So if a team has a limit, is there a limit to how many satellite teams a team can have a team under with a team? (Look out Dr Seuss)

TZ:  I think that between the both of you, you two hit the nail on the head on this topic.  There is one thing Charlie said though, about Yates Racing maintaining independence, because they would actually be involved in the basis of my argument on this.  Yates is the beneficiary of Roush-Fenway in so many ways, it’s not even funny.  Roush plays a huge role in their engines, they’ve been trying to help them lock on some sponsorship deals, and in 2010, they’ll probably be handing them a driver.  To answer the question though, not only should they “continue the ruse” as Charlie put it, but I would actually like to see them limit it to three teams - that’ll never happen though.

There you have it.  That’s what we think.  What do you think?

Continue the discussion with Tim’s post:

Do you think that the Nationwide Series will ever truly develop its own identity and if so, what will it be?

Bruce’s post asks for comment on this:

Denny Hamlin is having the worst luck in the world.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

It was a swift turn around of fortunes for the #49 team over the Easter break.

From not making races in Gillett Evernham Motorsports engined Dodges to qualifying on the fourth row at Martinsville in a Bill Davis Racing engined Toyota, Ken Schrader must believe his Sprint Cup fortunes may have made a turn for the better. Schrader must be considered the oddity in the top ten at the paper clip known as Martinsville. He joins pole sitter Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, David Ragan, Jamie McMurray and Kasey Kahne in the top seven. Gordon is no kid at 36, but not really considered a gray beard either.

Dismissing Gordon; at 52 years of age Schrader is over twice as old as the rest of the top 8, who’s average ages are just over 25. Kyle Busch rounds out the top eight qualifiers and must make Schrader feel like a chaperone on a third grade field trip to the zoo.

“The car was good all day and we were good here last year too. I’m just excited about the Toyota deal and working with Bill Davis some. I’ve always been a big fan of Bill Davis and Dave Blaney. New name on the car with Microsoft Small Business and a new manufacturer — we’re still one of those hooligans who doesn’t have their truck in here (infield), but we’ll pull it in tonight.”

Bill Davis Racing has to be happy to have a second car in the field as well. It’s well documented that the car they counted on to be thatr second car; to be driven by Jacques Villenuve, never materialized. This working agreement (don’t call it a merger–yet) with BAM could be just what the doctor ordered for two struggling teams. Rarely does the coming together of two down and out entities make for a full and rapid recovery to dominance. Just look to the corporate world and the merger of Kmart Corp and Sears. Putting those two together has not really set the world afire. The other good news is that there is finally sponsorship dollars to go into the Toyotas. BAM has signed Microsoft Small Business to foot the bill for the remainder of 2008.

In this instance though, at least for one week, BAM and Kenny Schrader can hold their heads high as they have cracked the kiddy corp and will start the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 up front with the fast guys. Where he will finish is another story. Many times these feel good stories have very short chapters. They’re easy to read, but end quickly.

I hope not. Kenny is one of the greatest guys in the sport.

photo credit: from Microsoft SMB Community Blog

Survival at Atlanta Motor Speedway last week, in a NASCAR sense, had to do with driving within the limits of Goodyear’s questionable tire choice. Kyle Busch mastered the task, as did Carl Edwards, before mechanical gremlins ate his chances. Even the loudest critics of the tires – Tony Stewart, Dales Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon – used the combination of patience and talent necessary to bring their cars in with top five finishes.

Surviving Bristol will be a different story. It’s strange really. Bristol Motor Speedway has a history, maybe more than any other track, where certain drivers excel repeatedly. Darrell Waltrip had twelve wins in Thunder Valley, and is the historic king of the track. Three others were nine-time winners - Dale Earnhardt Sr, Cale Yarborough and Rusty Wallace – and there are several five-time winners including current contenders, Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch. If you scan the list of winners at Bristol, you don’t find many names outside the top-tier of NASCAR competitors. The recent winners, since Kurt Busch’s run of four out of five from 2002-2004, are; Dale Jr, Harvick, Matt Kenseth twice, Kurt’s fifth and the hottest drivers of 2008, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. What makes this odd is the prevailing feeling that to survive Bristol’s biennial wreck-fest, you have to be lucky. There has to be some truth to that, given the tight confines of the half mile bull-ring, the speed that the thirty degree banking allows and the fact that there just aren’t many single car wrecks. So, why do the same names consistently show well at Bristol? Why doesn’t the luck – both the good and the bad – spread itself around a bit more? Matt Kenseth has won two of the last six Bristol contests so his top Loop Driver Rating of 111.4 is not a surprise. Kenseth leads in eight other categories as well. Notably he has an Ave. Mid Race Position of 5.3, so maybe running upfront helps avoid the wrecks but the front runners at Bristol are dealing with lapped traffic the whole race. Not much help really. Matt has also led nearly a quarter of all laps in the last six Bristol meetings – 23.5% for a total of 706. Jeff Gordon has the next best Driver Rating at 103.1. Gordon is one of the five-time Bristol winners but his only win since 1998 came in the 2002 night race. He must be doing something right lately though, to be ranked number 2. It’s my oft-stated opinion that Jeff Gordon is always a good pick. These numbers and the fact that Jeff has been in position to win every race since Daytona make it obvious this week. Greg Biffle has never won at Bristol. His driver Loop Data Rating of 102.7 is third best but NASCAR’s traditional stats have him number one, career-wise at the Tennessee track. In ten starts he has six top ten finishes and three top fives. But get this – he has completed, amazingly at Bristol, 100% of all laps in the races he’s entered. There’s that combination of skill, patience and luck you need at Bristol. Biffle’s been good in 2008 too, sitting second in points and contending every week. The wins are coming. Kevin Harvick has quietly moved into third place in the Sprint Cup standings and he ranks fourth in Bristol Driver Rating at 99.2. He has spent 74.5 % of his time at Bristol in the top fifteen and has finished half of his fourteen races at Bristol in the top five.

Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr come next with DRs of 97.7 and 97.5. Both drivers are Bristol winners and both overcame there rubber induced frustration to finish top three last week at Atlanta. Junior as the better overall stats at Bristol with a series best Ave. Finish of 6.5 compared to Smoke’s 14.0. But Tony has run up front for 1085 laps to Junior’s 708.

Gillette-Everham Motorsports drivers Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler are top ten Bristol Loop drivers, coming in with DRs of 94.2 and 92.9. Kahne has led 305 laps to Sadler’s 113 but Elliott is the one who won a Bristol race. Kurt Busch had a miserable 2007 spring race but he is unquestionably one of the masters of Thunder Valley, with five wins – all since 2002. His current Loop DR of 92.8 reflects that poor 2007 finish. He has nine top tens and five wins in fourteen total races and has led 535 laps. Kurt should contend Sunday.Steady, fast, Jeff Burton and the spectacular Kyle Busch are tenth and eleventh with Loop DRs of 90.5 and 90.0. They are followed by Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman and Bobby Labonte. Jimmy Johnson is sixteenth. Of those drivers, only Edwards has won at Bristol before. Bristol races have a reputation as wild-cards, much like Talladega and the best car often finishes thirty laps down. At Bristol it’s best to be lucky and good. Biffle is my pick this week, on a hunch for sure. For a dark-horse, I’ll take Jeremy Mayfield – our Tuesday guest ON PIT ROW - a former Bristol winner driving a Hendrick powered Chevy and deserving of a bit of good luck too.Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

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