Will the Big Domino Fall this Week?
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.
June 28, 2008 12:56 pm CDT 4 CommentsIf you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
How good would a team of Smoke and the Rocket be? Will Tony Stewartfans have to endure the trauma of - Oh no, not again - changing numbers, as Junior fans did this year? Tony Stewart driving the #66 Office Depot Chevrolet? According to those closest to the silly season contenders, those are some of the questions we may just get to answers to in the coming days.
Semi-regular, ON PIT ROW contributor Lee Spencer of Fox Sports has a few of sponsor names to mix in with the driver speculation….
Stewart is currently 11th in the point standings — 500 points behind teammate and leader Kyle Busch and closer to the bubble than he and crew chief Greg Zipadelli care to be. J.D. Gibbs insisted last Sunday that nothing has changed with Stewart’s status at Joe Gibbs Racing although there are reports that Office Depot and Old Spice will join the driver in his next venture — and rumors that Burger King and Jack Daniels could also be coming aboard.
Tom Jensen at Speed has this ….
One way or another, it is likely Stewart will be out at JGR, either next year or in 2010, and almost certainly with a Chevy team. If he goes to Haas-CNC, he’ll likely take another front-line driver with him, either Martin Truex Jr. or Ryan Newman.
I have a feeling that Tony’s next big press conference will be a good one.
Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - ON PIT ROW
Kyle Busch is a Five Tool Driver
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.
June 23, 2008 11:04 pm CDT 4 Comments
Kyle Busch won the Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway and with his first Cup Series road course win has answered perhaps every question but one.
Rowdy….I really hate that nickname. Rowdy was Clint Eastwood’s character on the old Rawhide TV show. Kyle Busch is no Clint Eastwood. But, as my friend the Dude would say, I digress. Rowdy is now, in my opinion, a five tool racer.
The “five tool player” moniker is a baseball term. Five tool ballplayers are said to have it all. Wikipedia says this about them…
In baseball, a five-tool player is one who excels at hitting for average, hitting for power, baserunning skills and speed, throwing ability, and fielding abilities.
The road course win was the missing “tool” for the Shrub. In my version the five tools are really five track types that make up the Sprint Cup schedule. Kyle had already won on NASCAR’s prolific intermediate tracks. He has a short track victory at Bristol. This year brought a plate race triumph at Talladega. On one mile tracks, of every sort - flat Phoenix, concrete Dover and tough Loudon - he’s Jack the Bear.
Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick are five toolers. So is Mark Martin. Earnhardt Sr was one, but Junior isn’t. The list is short.
You can win a championship in the Cup Series and not be a five tool driver. Jimmy Johnson has won two straight Cups and he’s a good enough road racer that a win at the Glen or Infineon will probably come, but hasn’t yet. The un-answered question for Kyle Busch is - can he close the whole deal and win a Cup championship?
The evidence for Busch - 9 Cup wins, 15 Nationwide and 8 Truck Series victories - points to a yes answer to the question. Mark Martin fans would tell you not to count your chickens too soon.
Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - OnPitRow.com
Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Earnhardt Jr Gets Lucky at MIS
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.
June 16, 2008 9:33 am CDT 1 Comment
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.
Coca Cola 600 Fantasy Thoughts
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.
May 24, 2008 11:00 am CDT No Comments
I chose David Ragan to win the Coca Cola 600 during our picks weekly segment ON PIT ROW this week. What was I thinking? Admittedly that segment of the show is pretty “off the wall”. It isn’t meant to be serious fantasy racing analysis. It’s more about who can “out stupid” whom. Looking at NASCAR’s Loop Data this week makes me think maybe I have a lock on that for the 600. Ragan isn’t even on the sheet!
Now I will admit to being influenced by the Sprint Showdown - the qualifier for the Sprint All Star Race. David finished a strong third, just out of the last transfer spot. Then Sunday I got to watch him - in person - start from the back of a 35 car field and work to the front for third place finish in the ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Toledo Speedway. Plus I talked to him in the infield at Toledo. He’s a nice guy. But 200 laps at the Glass City half mile isn’t even close to 400 at Lowes. I may have over-bought.
If not Ragan, who?
Once again, Jimmy Johnson is the overwhelming leader of the Loop Data stats. If Dave Ragan is a stretch - and he is - then Johnson is a steal if you get to pick him. But J J has looked the part at many other races in 2008 too, only to disappoint. His Driver Rating of 120.2 - nearly 26 points better than second place Kyle Busch - is a big number. He has Series best stats in nine other Box Score categories including Ave Finish of 5.0, Ave Position 7.5, 246 Fastest Laps and 1956 Laps in the Top 15 for 88.6% of the last six Lowes races. Johnson’s 990 Ave Points Gained is 100 pts better than the next highest total - the 899 for Carl Edwards.
The Loop stats for Lowes are a bit strange though. As stated, Kyle Busch has the second best Driver Rating, but his Ave Points Gained per race is only 596 - almost 400 less than Johnson’s total. The Shrub will start from the pole and he has been one of the best this season but the Loop stats don’t point to consistency at Charlotte. His Ave Finish is only 23.5.
Carl Edwards’ Driver Rating, despite the second most Ave Points Gained per race, is even lower than Busch the Younger’s at 88.6. Carl has been strong on the intermediate tracks this year and I expect he’ll do well at Lowes too. Five top tens in his six starts are a good indication.
Veteran Mark Martin has the number three DR at 93.2 and he’s a four time winner at the N Carolina track. There hasn’t been much talk about Martin in 2008. He could make some noise this week though.
Kasey Kahne, winner of the Sprint All Star race and two time Lowes winner has a Driver Rating of 92.9 and has led the most Loop Laps with 338 to Johnson’s 298. If the Thursday ruling on suspension settings by NASCAR doesn’t throw the #9 teams setups off too much, Kahne could be the pick this week.
You can throw a Loop blanket over the next dozen contenders. The only stat of the bunch that jumps out at me is Bobby Labonte’s Ave Points Gained - 812 from the 13th overall DR ranking position.
I haven’t seen enough from the #9 to pick Kahne for a 600 mile race. To me it’s between Johnson and Edwards. I’ll go with Jimmy, the big stat advantage and the five wins. Carl could get his first Lowes win, but I have to see it first.
Dark horse pick - Kurt Busch.
The Track Too Tough to Tame for Fantasy Picks
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.
May 10, 2008 8:36 am CDT No Comments
Kevin Harvick was - by all statistical evidence - the right pick for last weeks Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway. It didn’t work out. Picking winners in NASCAR racing often doesn’t. You can begin to doubt the viability of the stats.
But the drivers who rated right behind Harvick for RIR were two of the most dominant and - as it turned out - controversial guys in the event.
Denny Hamlin led 381 of the 400 race laps but finished 24th - due to a tire going down under green and his attempt to draw a caution. The controversial part came of that try for a yellow flag.
Kyle Busch finished second. He got there by - some say - driving through Dale Earnhardt Jr while going for the win. There has been plenty of hash and re-hash on that subject.
Harvick had a dominant position in the NASCAR Loop stats for RIR. The spread between drivers at Darlington Raceway is tighter and there are only three races in the Loop database for the Lady in Black.
Fantasy Picks for the Track too Tough to Tame
Some weeks ago, Steve and I interviewed several of the NASCAR internet community’s most knowledgeable writers for our first 7 Post Podcast. We asked each of our guests who their pick would be for Darlington in May. Most chose Greg Biffle. Goodyear had just completed the spring tire test at the South Carolina track. The news that Biffle had topped 200 mph on the back stretch was big. Maybe that was an influence on the picks. Or perhaps those blogger folks are pretty smart too.
Gregg Biffle has the top Driver Rating of 126.1. He is the top dog in Fastest Laps with 141 and Laps Led at 346 or 31.3% of the last three races at Darlington. Greg has the second most Laps in the Top Fifteen the third best Ave Running Position of 5.2. Top those numbers with three top tens and two wins and The Biff looks good this week.
Jimmy Johnson looks good every week, doesn’t he? Second best Driver Rating, Fastest Laps, Laps Led and the top Ave Finish of 2.3 make it so again. JJ has two top fives and eight top tens.
Hamlin has only raced twice in Loop races at the Lady. He has the third best DR of 119.2 in those two and two top fives and four top tens all together. Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Busch has only one top ten ever and a Driver Rating of 85.7 which is 13th.
Darlington has been good to Ryan Newman. Ryan is fourth in DR with 116.4 and number one in Ave Running Position of 4.951. Five top fives and six top tens show his consistency at this track.
Jeff Gordon has gained more total Loop Points per Darlington race than anyone else - 540 compared to Biffle’s 498 - and has the best Ave Finish - 1.7 - and Laps in the Top Fifteen - 1091 for 98.8%. Gordon is also a seven time winner here. Yikes!
Earnhardt Jr, Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne all have similar DR’s - 99.6, 98.8 and 97.8 respectively. None of the three has ever won at Darlington. The only Loop stat that jumps out is that Junior has zero Laps Led.
I’m going with Jeff Gordon as my fantasy pick. That Ave Finish stat of 1.7 and his top Ave Points Gained combined with his history at the track and the fact that he is, well, Jeff Freakin’ Gordon finish the self-argument for me.
If you want a driver outside the Loop stat top ten, take Jeff Burton.Steady Jeff has two wins, eight top fives and fourteen top tens at Darlington to support his 2008 success.
My dark-horse pick is Bobby Labonte - hopefully in that Speed Racer-painted #43 again.
Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.
Maybe Kyle Busch Just Got Loose in Turn 3
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.
May 9, 2008 9:52 am CDT 5 Comments
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.
Why Would Tony Stewart Take Over Haas CNC Racing?
by Matt Mercer, Special To Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie
I'm the new guy at Bench Racing and I'm supposed to be the younger perspective. I'm the guy behind The Catfish Show, which you can access through the links on the right.
April 24, 2008 2:09 pm CDT 7 CommentsOK, so Marty Smith posted a story he has about Tony Stewart being in negotiations with Chevy teams, mentioning Haas CNC by name. The story has even been here earlier this week. So, would Tony really leave JGR for ownership of Haas? I
think it is very likely. Haas is a satellite team of Hendrick Motorsports, of course. I would imagine if Tony takes over the team, he would be receiving much more assistance in that aspect. Then there is the option of him buying into the team, and driving for another Chevy team. Hello #5? Hello #33? Casey Mears hasn’t lit the world on fire, but the NASCAR world may explode if Stewart joins Jeff, Jimmie, and Junior. That would leave the #33, flush with funds from General Mills, and Stewart has a champion’s provisional to guarantee the team makes the field. Also, at RCR, he has a good relationship with Kevin Harvick.
It certainly would be intriguing if Tony becomes an owner. He would the highest-profile new owner in the series since Dale Earnhardt Inc. moved to Cup in 1998 with Steve Park. What is interesting to look at is how owning a team affected Dale Earnhardt’s performance from ’98 until 2001. He won just once in ’98, three times in ’99, and twice in ‘00. That’s a total of six wins, but taking a closer look, three were at Talladega, and one each at Daytona, Bristol, and Atlanta. Four of his six wins came at plate tracks, where he was the acknowledged master. Did owning those teams really affect his performance? Hard to say, but it’s worth mentioning. He finished seventh in ’98, eighth in ’99, and rebounded to finish second in ’00. Perhaps the biggest factor is the equipment, and depending on whom Tony is driving for: himself, Childress, or Hendrick, he may not add significantly to his win total.
What I’ve failed to mention is Gibbs in this scenario. How willing is Gibbs to let Tony go? Well, I think it depends on how well Joey Logano performs in the Nationwide Series this year. If Logano proves to be what he is hyped to be, he could very well find himself sitting in the #20 come Daytona in February 2009.
Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.
ARCA Young Guns are connected to NASCAR Teams
by Steve Wronkowicz
I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Charlie likes to call me an "idiot". I'm not an "idiot"; I just prefer not to let the facts get in the way of my opinions.
April 19, 2008 9:22 pm CDT No CommentsTwenty year old Matt Hawkins wins in his ARCA ReMax Series debut at Iowa Speedway.
ARCA’s premier series is perfectly suited to NASCAR owners for the development of their younger talent. Roush-Fenway Racing is using the series to develop #99 Ricky Stenhouse Bill Davis Racing has two drivers using the unique series to give #28 Michael Annett and #02 Bobby Santos some much needed heavy-car experience.
Chase Austin is a Rusty Wallace Inc. driver. Also running the ARCA series is Landon Cassill, driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Michael Waltrip Racing has Ken Butler III running #22 Toyota’s for Eddie Sharp Racing. Also in a ESR Camry is former F1 driver #2 Scott Speed with his ties to Red Bull Racing.
Not all drivers listed are running a full ARCA schedule and some NASCAR teams may add or change drivers at a later date. Be sure to check out arcaracing.com to get a look into all the drivers, developmental or not, in the ARCA ReMax Series.
photo credit: arcaracing.com
Johnson Finally Puts Hendrick in Victory Lane
by Steve Wronkowicz
I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Charlie likes to call me an "idiot". I'm not an "idiot"; I just prefer not to let the facts get in the way of my opinions.
April 13, 2008 8:39 am CDT 3 CommentsJimmy Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus used a fuel mileage strategy and guts to win the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
Johnson may not have dominated the race in the truest sense, but he did lead the most laps and more importantly for him and Hendrick Motorsports ; he got the monkey off the team’s back before the off week. Mark Martin, pole sitter Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. were the only other drivers to lead laps during this first trip to the desert for 2008.
Denny Hamlin’s third and Kyle Busch’s tenth place finish were the only Toyotas in the top ten, while you have to look to 12th place Bobby Labonte as the top finishing Dodge. Carl Edwards’ fourth place finish led the Ford contingent and saw another Roush-Fenway driver, Greg Biffle, land in the top ten.
In other NASCAR news; former Craftsman Truck Series driver, Aaron Fike admitted to using heroin on race days before getting into his race truck. This is a “Pete Rose type revelation” considering that Fike had previously denied using drugs during race events. And this leads us into…
…this weeks BUZZ ON PIT ROW is:
Should NASCAR change its drug testing policies, and if so, what should they be?
photo credit: Icon Media Sports,Inc.
Phoenix Phantasy Phacts
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.
April 11, 2008 4:38 pm CDT 4 CommentsPhoenix International Raceway has hosted two of the sixteen Car of Tomorrow races in 2007 and a couple of test sessions for the Sprint Cup new car. It is one of the tracks where the teams have some data, real race experience and an off-season to work on things.
Hendrick Motorsports pretty much owned the CoT races in 2007. You could say they owned the whole ‘07 season but for sure the CoT tracks. Jack Roush famously admitted last year to being “caught out” when it came to testing and developing the new machine. Roush’s Carl Edward’s results so far in 2008 seem to indicate that Jack has caught up with and perhaps surpassed the Hendricks . Carl has three wins in the all-new car series and could have had a fourth. That’s close to domination of the seven races so far but the good result have come on the super speedways, not the two short tracks. Phoenix, at a mile in length, isn’t a short track but it’s no cookie-cutter or two-miler either.
Trying to predict performance by analyzing statistics from past races is dicey enough anytime. This track, this time around is especially tough.
Once again, Jimmy Johnson has the top Loop Data stats based on the last six races at Phoenix. Johnson is at the top of the Loop in Ave Mid Race Position, Ave Position and Finish. He’s run 1758 laps - 93.9% in the Top Fifteen and has the best Driver Rating at 115.9
By contrast, Jeff Burton leads only the Passes Under Green category, has spent only 63.8 % of his PIR Loop laps in the Top Fifteen and has a driver rating of 86.1 - 14th best.
What have you done for me lately?
What’s the point? It’s this - Phoenix Loop Data are for the last six races there. Loop Data for the first seven races of 2008 are “what have you done lately” numbers. Jeff Burton tops the season-to-date Loop stuff. At least he has accumulated the highest total points in the Loop Box Score categories for 2008. Burton leads only one other stat and that is an Ave Finish of 7.1, which makes sense since he leads the Sprint Cup Series in points.
Johnson is rated a respectable sixth for 2008, but doesn’t lead in any single category. Does a combination of a first at the track and sixth for the season make you lean more to JJ this week?
Carl Edwards has won three races this season but is rated only seventh best in the 2008 Loop-to-date. Even with three wins in seven events, Carl’s Ave Finish is 12.7 for the year, indicating inconsistency. He has the best Ave Position for 2008 and tops the Number of Fastest Laps Run - 312 for 15.7%. He’s rated seventh best overall at PIR with no category bests.
Kyle Busch has the top Driver Rating, Ave Mid-Race Position, Quality Passes and Laps Led for 2008. Phoenix hasn’t been as kind though, with a twelfth overall and no top numbers.
Kurt Busch has been good at PIR as has Jeff Gordon. Both are in the top four with Driver Ratings of 103.7 and 107.0. But 2008 has been a totally different story as Gordon is 14th and Busch 15th overall. Too many DNF’s for both ex-champs.
Two drivers put together a perfecta of PIR and 2008 Loop Stats that challenge Jimmy Johnson’s combo.
Tony Stewart ranks fifth in PIR DR at 103.5, he is at the top of a couple of the passing categories and actually has the fourth highest Ave Points Gained per race. Match that up with fifth best 2008 Loop stats. Smoke’s Driver Rating for ‘08 is second to Kyle Busch at 104.8 and he’s led 289 laps.
But the driver I like this week is Kevin Harvick who combines the second best Driver Rating, Laps in Top Fifteen and Laps Led in the PIR Loop era with the runner-up Loop Box Score rating for the year-to-date.
Johnson, Stewart and Harvick are all win-less for 2008 and that can’t last much longer. All three have won at Phoenix though- Harvick twice. It looks to me like this week’s winner comes from these three and I’ll take Happy.
Watch JJ Yeley for a C-teamer. That Hall of Fame Racing Camry is going to come around and home cooking might put a talented driver over the top.
Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.







