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Live Blog: NASCAR Awards Banquet

Hosts: Charlie Turner, Steve Wronkowicz

December 5, 2008 8:00 pm CST

Quick Hits: Texas Motor Speedway

by Chris Leone, Special To 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

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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, Carl Edwards, Casey Mears, Craftsman Truck Series, Elliott Sadler, Germain Racing, Gillette 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, brad coleman

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Kasey Kahne and David Ragan Fail to Make The Chase

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.

September 9, 2008 5:26 am CDT No Comments

Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin are among the drivers to survive in “the Race for the Chase.”

While Jimmy Johnson was on his way to another Sprint Cup victory, the race within a race to make it into The Chase saw David Ragan crash out. Kasey Kahne never had enough race car to make it past Clint Bowyer, thus eliminating any hope for a Dodge team to make it into NASCAR’s post season.

Tony Stewart was agitated with Greg Zippadelli and threw his Home Depot crew under the bus on the team radio for their inability to get his car out of the pits ahead of race winner Jimmy Johnson during the final pit stop.

The scenario that brought the fans to their feet however was the contact between points leader Kyle Busch and fan favorite Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Junior was trying to pass The Shrub on the inside making slight contact and spinning him out. A similar incident occured in the first race at Richmond International Raceway but with the roles reversed, which was the beginning of the season long hatred of Busch.

And that brings us to this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Was Junior’s spin out of Kyle Busch retaliation for the incident at the first Richmond race or coincidence?

Let us know what you think and we could use your reply on this week’s ON PIT ROW. Listen live from 5-7pm ET here. Stay tuned to INSIDE ARCA from 7-8:30pm ET. Call the show at 877-502-8255 with your opinions.

Photo credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Filed under: Chase for the Cup, Clint Boyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Ragan, Kasey Kahne, NASCAR, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: Clint Bowyer, David Ragan, Kasey Kahne, Race for the Chase, Tony Stewart

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Richmond International Raceway: Chevy Drivers Best

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.

September 6, 2008 7:38 am CDT No Comments

Horses for courses is an old horse racing addage and as such maybe more appropriate for Dover Downs or some fairgrounds dirt track than for the wide, racey Richmond International Raceway. But looking at the drivers who have won races at RIR has to make you think that one kind of horse is best for this course. And that would be a Chevy.

Look at the top 14 drivers in the 2008 Sprint Cup standings through the race last week at Auto Club Speedway. Between them they have 15 Richmond victories. Only two wins - one each for Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne - came in non-Chevys.

The list of the win-less includes the Roush-Fenway trio of Greg Biffle, David Ragan and Carl Edwards along with Joe Gibbs Racing twins Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.

Anybody but Kyle or Carl?

It is tough any week in 2008, to not pick Edwards or the younger Busch. But Carl’s Loop Driver Rating for RIR is only 17th best at 79.7 and his Ave Finish is a dismal 20.7. He has only run 53.3 percent of the last seven Richmond races in the top 15 and has led just 15 laps. Ugly.

Kyle Busch at least has the third best DR of 110.6 and has the best Ave Finish of 5.6 over the seven Loop Data era races. He also has six top fives and no DNFs in those seven races. He doesn’t drive a Chevy. But I think he could win this year in a Hudson.

The Bow-tie brigade is led by Kevin Harvick with a top Driver Rating of 118.9. Harvick also has category bests of 278 Fastest Laps, 2677 Laps in the Top 15 and 599 Laps Led. One win, four top fives and nine top tens round out Happy’s RIR resume.

Two drivers have three Richmond wins each in Chevrolets but only one of those guys still drives one. Tony Stewart has the fourthbest DR at 102.3 to go along with those three wins in a Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy. Smoke has had seven top fives, 13 top tens and tops out a couple of Loop passing stats.

Dale Earnhardt Jr has three RIR wins too. His DR is only ninth best at 92.4 and he leads the Loop Green Flag Passes stat. Junior has seven top fives, nine top tens and he does still drive a Chevy. Are you confident yet Green Nation?

This is not statistically relevant maybe and certainly not scientific, but to me, Stewart and Earnhardt lead the series in bewildering performances this year. It just seems that they should do better than they do.

Virginia native Denny Hamlin has the second best Driver Rating at 114.8 and has run 97.5 percent of all of his Richmond laps in the top 15. Hamlin is one of the drivers on the bubble this week as he sits 11th in points. That will almost certainly lead to a conservative approach to Saturday night’s race. I don’t see a win from Hamlin.

Can Kasey do it?

Kasey Kahne is fifth in DR at 98.2 and is one of the non-Chevy Richmond winners. Kahne’s situation may be a bit different from Hamlin’s. Kasey is 14th in points and depending on how those he is trying to catch are doing in the race, he may run a conservative pace or go balls out for the highest finish he can get. He has won twice this year, so the car is capable. Watch Kasey.

Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman are sixth and seventh in Driver Rating but both are out of Chase contention, driving for an unsettled Penske Racing operation and in Dodges. I can’t see a win there.

Clint Bowyer is eighth at 93.2 DR. Bowyer is also the bubble boy in the Race to the Chase. He has to run a race based on where he sits in the points. Taking away his aggressiveness may be a mistake, but it will be the strategy Saturday night.

Neither Jeff Gordon nor Jimmy Johnson made the top ten in Driver Rating for RIR, though both are two-time winners there. Gordon is only about 100 points clear of falling out of the Chase, so he will have to run somewhat conservatively, one would think. Johnson will be thinking only of the ten bonus Chase points that go to the winner of the race.

I look for former Chevy pilot Kyle Busch to win for ninth time in 2008 and give Toyota its first Richmond victory. The upset special will have to be someone out of the Chase race, who can let it all hang out for a win. That sounds like Brian Vickers, who still has an outside chance of making NASCAR’s playoffs. But he needs a bunch of points.

Watch the weather. Rain is forecast for the weekend and some teams may go all out for mid-race track position in case this race ends early. Kurt Busch used that strategy earlier this season for his lone 2008 win. Maybe Penske does have a shot after all.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Chase for the Cup, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Jimmy Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, NASCAR Fantasy Gaming, Richmond International Raceway, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: Chase for the Cup, Chevrolet, fantasy racing picks, Jimmy Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, NASCAR Fantasy, Richmond International Raceway

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Johnson dominates in California heading to Chase

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.

September 2, 2008 7:38 am CDT No Comments

Jimmy Johnson’s win at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana wasn’t much of a contest.

Johnson lead 227 of the 250 lap event and at times had over a nine second lead on the field. JJ has this place flat out dialed in.

The NASCAR circus moves to Richmond International Raceway for the final race to determine who will make it into NASCAR’s version of the playoffs.

Dodge had only one car in the Chase during the 2007 season. Their only hope for 2008 is dwindling. That hope is for Kasey Kahne to make it into the Chase as their only car. Kahne will need a lot of things to go his way for that to happen at Richmond.

And that my friends leads us to this weeks BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Which do you prefer; the old way of seeding drivers by merely readjusting their points, or the current system of seeding by wins?

This short post was brought to you by an early morning arrival back from the ARCA Southern Illinois 100.

Give us your ideas and we could use them on this week’s ON PIT ROW from 5 to 7pm ET; then listen to INSIDE ARCA from 7to 8:30pm ET

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Auto Club Speedway, Jimmy Johnson, Kasey Kahne

Tagged with: Auto Club Speedway, Jimmy Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Richmond International Raceway

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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.

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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Denny Hamlin: NASCAR Fantasy Racing Stud at Pocono Raceway

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.

August 2, 2008 9:40 am CDT 1 Comment

Joe Gibbs Racing star Denny Hamlin sports Jimmy Johnson-like Loop Data stats for this week’s Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway.

Whether that means he’ll win again is debatable, but the numbers are compelling. A NASCAR Loop Driver Rating of 100 or above is very strong. Three guys have numbers above 100 for Pocono this week. But Hamlin, with 130.4 is far and away the leader in that stat category.

In fact, Denny leads in seven of the Loop’s 16 Box Score stats. The others are Ave Mid Race Position - 2.6, Ave Position - 5.6, Ave Finish - 2.8, 75.9 percent Quality Passes, 92.6 percent of Laps in the Top 15 and 33. percent of all Laps Led.

In five career races at the Long Pond, PA track Hamlin has two wins, four top fives, five top tens and two poles. Spell Denny’s dominance with capital “D”s.

Can Kurt Busch or Tony Stewart Shake Off Early Struggles?

Second and third best in the Loop are Kurt Busch with 113.4 and Tony Stewart at 102.2 Driver Ratings. Kurt is the top Ave Points per Race gainer at 1094 in seven races. He also leads in Fastest Laps - 208, Laps in the Top 15 - 1074 and Laps Led with 343. He’s a two time winner with seven top fives and eight top tens.

Tony Stewart has one win, five top fives and 13 top tens at Pocono Raceway. He sports a series high 300 Quality Passes and a second best 1032 (78.8 percent) Laps in the Top 15.

Pocono could be the place for either of these guys to start a 2009 run. But I’m not confident. I think Stewart is too distracted. Kurt’s team, though they have a 2009 win, has not looked good most weeks this year.

There are three drivers with DR’s of 97 or better. Ryan Newman - 98.7, Brian Vickers - 97.9 and, who else, Jimmie Johnson - 97.3. Johnson, with two wins, four top fives and eight top tens looks strong again, especially coming off the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard win on the similar Indy track.

Newman has won at Pocono too and has five top fives and six top tens. But the winless Vickers. with four top fives is the Cup driver most likely to get his first ever win soon. Pocono Raceway is the perfect track for him and his Red Bull Toyota.

Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards all have 90 plus Loop Driver Ratings. Gordon is a four time Pocono winner. Martin has 19 top fives and 30 top tens. Edwards is a past winner and Kasey Kahne won here in June.

If this were an IQ test, you might flunk it if you didn’t pick Hamlin. My pick is Vickers. And my dark-horse is his Red Bull Racing Teammate, A J Allmendinger.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - ON PIT ROW

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Brian Vickers, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, NASCAR Fantasy Gaming, Pocono Raceway, Ryan Newman, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: Brian Vickers, Denny Hamlin, fantasy racing picks, Kurt Busch, NASCAR fantasy racing, Pocono Raceway, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart

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Attack of the Two-Headed 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.

July 25, 2008 10:55 am CDT 3 Comments

It’s Brickyard 400 weekend so put your hype hats on. Be prepared to be blasted with the history of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Having been there a few times, I will say that Indy has a different feel than most race tracks. And no place looks quite like Indy.

But if you wrote an unbiased history of what the NASCAR racing has been like at the famous track, it would be more like the story of Millard Filmore than that of Abe Lincoln. Not real compelling.

But we’ll be watching. And someone is bound to get Loose in Turn 3, and slide up into the short shute wall.

This week, veteran Looser, Bruce of NASCAR Bits, is on assignment. TZ of Do You NASCAR? has recruited, or kidnapped, loyal reader Roc to fill in for Bruce. Here is my query.

Tony Stewart, currently tenth in Sprint Cup points, is 49 markers ahead of 13th place Clint Bowyer. Four drivers, icluding Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne, within 49 points of each other with only three spots up for grabs. Who doesn’t make it to the Chase?

Charlie: Everyone talks about this being Stewart’s time of the year. In the past, it has been. It didn’t happen for him at Chicagoland, but
betting against Smoke is tough. Kasey Kahne is the only two-time 2008 winner in the bunch, so I can’t take him out. Too many good Kahne tracks left on the schedule. Hamlin and Bowyer must be drawing confidence from their Nationwide Series years. The unsettledness of Stewart’s year is the deciding influence. I say that Tony will miss the Chase.

TZ: Great timing for this question, because I just talked about this on my site a few days ago, and without a race taking place between then and now, I can’t really backtrack on my answer. Charlie, you talk about how there’s plenty of Kahne tracks left on the schedule, but the funny thing is that Stewart’s actually won a Cup race at every track left except for Talladega, and there he has one of the top driver averages. With the weight of controversy off his shoulders, Stewart’s in by a long
shot and even competes for the championship. Kahne, on the other hand, has proven to me that he’s a very streaky driver, and he’s lost a lot of steam the past couple of weeks. I also haven’t been too impressed with Hamlin as of late, who to me still lacks a lot of discipline behind the wheel. I say Kahne and Hamlin are both out of the Chase, Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers are in.

Roc: Well I sure wouldn’t bet against any of these drivers for the Chase but Tony will be in. Hamlin is not having the perfect year but his teammate is, so they have the cars to beat and he’ll be in there as well. My choice for the third spot is a little harder. I do like TZ dreaming of Vickers, but I think that Bowyer will also make the Chase. Kahne has had a good year but he always seems to find the bad
luck bug. Still think Stewart maybe one of the two or three drivers to beat for the championship. Tony has had a weight lifted off of his shoulders and with the Brickyard this weekend and the anouncement of his second driver maybe on friday I look for him to charge.

That’s what we think. What do you think?

And go over to TZ’s place tell us what you think about this…

NASCAR recently placed restrictions on the engines in the Nationwide Series, limiting the airflow, and therefore putting a restriction on the horesepower. Should we expect to see similar measures be implimented into the Sprint Cup Series, and if so, when?

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - ON PIT ROW

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Car of Tomorrow, Chase for the Cup, Clint Boyer, Denny Hamlin, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kasey Kahne, Sprint Cup Series, Stewart Haas Racing, Tony Stewart, Turn 3 posts

Tagged with: blog, Brian Vickers, Brickyard, Chase, Clint Bowyer, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kasey Kahne, Loose in Turn 3, motorsports, NASCAR, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart

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Who is NASCAR’s Monster of the Midway?

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.

July 12, 2008 7:22 am CDT 1 Comment

NASCAR’s Loop data for Chicagoland Speedway pulls stats from only the three most recent races run at the midwest ~~cookie cutter~~, er, intermediate track. There have been seven races held at the facility.

Twelve drivers have Loop Driver Ratings above 90.00. Seven have ratings of 102.3 or higher. Those are big numbers.

Matt Kenseth leads with 126.2 and an average of 462 points gained per race. Matt has category leading stats of 146 Fastest Lap, an amazing 792 Laps in the Top Fifteen (98.5% of all laps in three races) an Ave Position of 3.9 and 289 Laps Led - 35.9% of the total. Kenseth is looking good to continue his recent resurgence.

Second best is Kevin Harvick at 114.6 DR. Kevin is a two time winner at Chicagoland Speedway but leads only in the Quality Passes Loop stat with 75.0.

Another two time winner, new Sprint Cup team owner, Tony Stewart, is next at 112.2. Can Smoke keep focused on the current year as he plans for 2009 and Stewart-Haas Racing’s debut? This is where Stewart started his 2007 summer hot streak. Why not again?

The next four in the Loop are Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Only Earnhardt has won at Chicagoland.. Brian Vickers has an Ave Start of 3.5 and Kyle Busch an Ave Mid Race Position of 3.0. Jimmy Johnson is, well, Jimmy Johnson.

This has not been a particularly good track for 2008 stallwarts of Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne or Clint Bowyer. But Jeff Gordon has a win on the track and a twelfth best Loop Rating.

I would pick Stewart if not for the all the distractions of the week. I’m looking at Kenseth to win for the first time in 2008. The upset special is, if you can ever call him an upset, Jeff Gordon.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards, Chase for the Cup, Chicagoland Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmy Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, NASCAR Fantasy Gaming, Sprint Cup Series, Stewart Haas Racing, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: blog, Chicagoland Speeddway, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Kyle Busch, motorsports, NASCAR, NASCAR fantasy game, NASCAR Fantasy picks, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart

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Fantasy NASCAR Thoughts on the Coke Zero 400

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.

July 5, 2008 8:53 am CDT No Comments

Tony Stewart remains win-less so far in the 2008 Sprint Cup Series. So close, so many times, it seems inevitable that Smoke will break through soon.

Stewart has the best Driver Rating - 108.1 - for Daytona International Speedway for the last seven races run in NASCAR’s Loop data stats. In fact Smoke has led 32.2% of all the laps run in those seven events - 415 total . He’s a two time Daytona winner. Often stated and maybe, overrated is the fact that Stewart has a history of getting hot when the weather does. He had the best car and led the most laps last week at Loudon, until the rain screwed him - and most of the rest of the field - up. Maybe that was a sign. But 2008 doesn’t have the feel of a Stewart championship season. Maybe it’s karma. I’d pick him this week, but not with confidence.

It ain’t all Smoke though.

Many of the drivers who have been tough this year, score poorly in Daytona Loop data.

2008 race winners, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin have Driver Ratings of 78.1, 78.4 and 72.2 respectively. Newly re-signed, Roush- Fenway pilot Greg Biffle is tied with Elliott Sadler at 78.8.

Ryan Newman is second best, no doubt helped by his Daytona 500 win in February, with a Driver Rating of 98.6, but no individual stats jump out.

Jimmy Johnson is a past winner and third in the Loop DR with a 95.5. Johnson has run the most laps in the top 15 with 985 for 76.5% and has a series best Ave Position of 9.8.

Johnson is followed by the Busch brother tandem - Kyle at 95.3 and last week’s winner Kurt with a DR of 93.00. Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon are next, also in the 90’s. Earnhardt Junior, the former king of the plate tracks is tenth with a 87.5 Driver Rating and a couple wins.

I have to go with Stewart, but as I said, I’m not real sold on it. Other than Smoke, I like Dale Earnhardt Jr. He was strong in February and has been the best of the Hendrick Motorsport drivers so far in 2008.

For a dark-horse - and sooner or later you won’t be able to call him that - Red Bull Racing’s Brian Vickers.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Filed under: Car of Tomorrow, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, NASCAR Fantasy Gaming, Ryan Newman, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: blog, Brian Vickers, Coke Zero 400, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Daytona, Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, motorsports, NASCAR, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart

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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

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, NASCAR Rumors, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart