Casey Mears

NASCAR Season Midway Review

Well, Kyle Busch capped off the season’s midway point at Daytona with his 10th career win and his sixth this season.

NASCAR’s premier series is in their first full year with the Car of Today, and it has undergone some criticism.  It actually got so out of hand that NASCAR President Mike Helton called a mandatory meeting to tell drivers to basically, “Shut up and drive.”

The first half of the Sprint Cup Series season has provided NASCAR fans with some good, bad, and very ugly races.

On paper, for the most part, this is a record breaking season for competition.  The California race had a record 33 lead changes, the Coca-Cola 600 had 2,580 green flag passes, that was up almost 900 from the 2007 Coca-Cola 600.  The Michigan race tied a track-best 3,204 green flag passes.

NASCAR is getting more coverage than ever.  TV Ratings are up for the most part from last year.  Although some tracks are struggling with attendance, tracks are still selling out.

NASCAR is also going through some economic hardships.  Sponsors willing to fork out millions of dollars a year are few and far between.  Teams are shutting down, Petty Enterprises sold 50% of their company to Boston Ventures.

The competiton is also even, all four manufacturer’s have won at least three races.  All four manufacturer’s are represented in the top 12 in driver points.  There has been 10 different race winners, 11 different pole winners, 74 drivers have attempted to qualify for at least one Sprint Cup Series race, and 46 driver had led at least one lap.  All evidence that NASCAR has accomplished one goal — make competitors and manufacturer’s even.  Chevy no longer has a stangle hold on the field.  In fact, the first Chevy in the top last week at Daytona will Dale Earnhardt Jr. who finished 8th.

Also, Hendrick Motorsports is apparently struggling.  Despite the fact that they only have two wins, and have three of their drivers in the top six in points.  At this point in the season, Hendrick Motorsports drivers had 10 wins.

Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, and Ryan Newman all led the points standings for the first time in their careers this year.  And, Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle are back!  They are both back in the top 12, and Kahne has two wins so far.

And don’t forget.  The most-popular driver is showing that he indeeds deserves the attention.  He ended a two year winless streak with a win at Michigan, he has matched his 2007 numbers already, which is answering the question on how Dale Jr. would perform in 2008 after leaving DEI in 2007.  The answer — Great!

Speaking of DEI, recently, sources close to DEI are reporting that DEI could be sold to Max Siegel for as much as $130 million, which would take Teresa out of the picture.  This is still developing, but could get very interesting.

And, you can’t talk about the 2008 season without talking about Silly Season — 2009 edition.

Rumors have been circulating and some are very tasteful.

Sources yesterday confirmed that Joe Gibbs Racing will go to four teams, and Juan Pablo Montoya would be the driver.  Now, wouldn’t that be a combination.  Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Juan Pablo Montoya.  Add Joey Logano in the 20 after Stewart leaves to buy into Haas CNC Racing with Ryan Newman as a teammate, and you get headlines for the rest of the year.

Sources close to Tony Stewart say that he is expected to announce his future plans as soon as Indianapolis in two weeks.

As Silly Season continues to unfold, and the season heats up for the chase — stay tuned to NASCAR FanZone for all your NASCAR updates.

Martin to Hendrick?

Sources are reporting that Casey Mears was told last week that he would not be returning to Hendrick Motorsports next year. It was also reported that Mark Martin was leaving DEI.

Now, we have learned from ESPN.com that Mark Martin will make one more full-time run at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver Championship with none other than, Rick Hendrick and the Number 5 Chevrolet Impala SS Car of Today.

“I don’t know yet,” Mears said when asked if he would return in 2009. “Obviously, we haven’t had a good season. I think anything could happen. Right now, I don’t really have anything good to talk about.”

Hendrick would not say whether or not the rumors are true, but he never seemed to have much faith for the return of Casey Mears.

They call it Silly Season for a reason folks, and that’s what it is becoming.

This will effect a lot of drivers. Clint Bowyer, who is in his last year on his contract at Richard Childress Racing, was rumored to be the driver for the Number 5, but that is no longer available, so it appears that his best effort would be to stay at RCR.

It also may open Aric Almirola who currently splits the Number 8 with Martin to a full-time Sprint Cup Series ride.

Kyle Ocker covers NASCAR for The Finish Line and can be reached at kyle@nascarfz.com.

Fearless Forecast: Deja Vu at Charlotte?

It has to be a match made in Heaven when a driver rocks at his sponsor’s track. Of course, conspiracy theorists who say NASCAR is rigged have a field day with the fact that Jimmie Johnson has 5 victories at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. It would also be too easy to predict the “48″ as the winner of the Coca-Cola 600, especially given that he’s won the holiday marathon race 3 times.

But I’m not going to….

Don’t get me wrong, Jimmie is in the mix big time. I, for one, do not think his mojo is completely gone, and I believe he will be top 5 for the 2008 season. By the same token, something in my gut tells me he’s not winning this one. As a matter of fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the best Hendrick performance will come from Jeff Gordon. Johnson still has some bouts of inconsistency with getting the car set up just right for him. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that Johnson may be the surest evidence how difficult this car is to get a handle on for driving. By the same token, it’s like Jeff Burton said on “NASCAR Confidential” yesterday- it’s still way early yet, and in due time, teams will get it figured out. As for Dale Jr., my opinion is that he’s pressing and still over-driving his cars, something that does not bode well for a 600-mile race.

Speaking of people who over-drive their cars, I will go on record once again this week by saying Kyle Busch will NOT win. Granted, it wasn’t his fault that Joe Gibbs’ experimental engine bailed on him and cost him the win in the All-Star race. I am also aware that “Shrub” said he would work to not push his car over the line. Saying it and doing it are two different things however.

I expect that Roush will be represented at or near the front. Matt Kenseth is too good to stay down long. Greg Biffle is coming off a good week. Carl Edwards is well, Carl Edwards- and he has a mastery of the mile and a half’s. David Ragan may also continue his unlikely run of looking good and running strong. This is, after all, a race known for producing first victories (such as last year’s Coke 600 winner Casey Mears).

Keep your eyes open for Childress boys. I’m not sure which one, if not all three drivers between Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer will run well. I actually think this race favors Burton’s conservative approach. One if not all of these guys will run well.

But my pick does not come from this team…

My pick is a guy who’s running with a high level of confidence right now. He’s also a good one for not wearing out his equipment. He’s also been a multiple race winner here, sweeping the 2006 schedule at Lowe’s, and he was also last week’s All-Star race winner.

I’m going to go with Kasey Kahne.

Kahne’s had SOME good runs, though he’s had a hard time getting to the top five or victory lane. But just listen to his interviews, and you can tell he’s there in terms of his confidence. Your crew chief is important in a distance race like this, and I think the Enumclaw, Washington native’s pit boss, Kenny Francis has the perfect working relationship with his driver. The gutsy call from last week only enhances that relationship.

Of course, having former race strategist extrodinaire Ray Evernham as your owner certainly doesn’t hurt.

 

 

 

Keepin’ It Off The Wall: Ready for the win

Heading into NASCAR’s longest race - the Coca-Cola 600 - three Hendrick drivers do not have a win yet this season. A lot of the questions this year about Hendricks, quote “Slump”, is triggered by last year’s performance with now two-time, defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion - Jimmie Johnson, the only driver in the Hendrick stable this year with a win.

With this be the week that another Hendrick driver - say Casey Mears who won the Memorial Day event last year. The Mears family, however, has a lot of history in Charlotte. In fact, Casey’s uncle, Rick Mears, started the Mears success of auto racing events occurring on Memorial Day weekend.

“Going into the 600, I am just real excited,” Mears said. “To come back and be able to defend a title for the first time at one of the biggest races of the year, being the month of May … I think we have a great shot at it and I am looking forward to it. Once of the real cool things from a team standpoint, coming back to Lowe’s we are bringing the 500th chassis that Hendrick Motorsports has built. That is a big deal and a milestone for the team. It would be great to have a victory with that car.”

Casey Mears isn’t the only Hendrick driver hunting for a win, don’t forget the likeness of Jeff Gordon. His last win was last year’s October 13, 2007 win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Bank of America 500. Gordon led 72 laps in his DuPont Chevrolet, holding off Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, and Carl Edwards for the win in the 500 miles race.

And, who can possibly forget the most popular driver, you know the one without a victory in 73 races. Don’t even begin to tell me or JR Nation that his fans, and Dale Jr. and the rest of the Amp Energy Chevrolet aren’t ready to take the checkered flag this weekend. Dale Jr. is at the point where nearly every track is one where he has performed well at, so he can almost be considered a favorite every weekend. Many people believe that he is close to his breaking point. He is by far the most consistent driver in the HMS stable. And, it’s hard for too many guys to win when Rowdy keeps taking the checkers. Talk about sticking it to the man. Kyle Busch is a winning mad man right now, and he is also a favorite for this weekend, as he is a favorite at everything right now!

This weekend will hopefully be a little more interesting than last week’s All-Star Race. Last weekend, the leader would always lap the field when he was in clean air. If that is the case, NASCAR’s longest race will seem even longer.

Vickers team wins the Pit Crew Challenge

It took a team with a former Appalachian State Fullback and two former college hockey players to win the Sprint Pit Crew Challenge presented by Craftsman.

Vickers’ team beat the team of Denny Hamlin, with a time of 23.011 seconds, giving them pit selection number 1 for the All-Star Race Saturday, and they also collected a $70,000 prize.

Records:

Crew Member Name	Position	Team	Time
Eric Wilson	Jackman	No. 9 Budweiser Dodge	5.431 seconds
Caleb Hurd	Gas Man	No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet	10.031 seconds

Hendrick continued their bad luck in the competition, all Hendrick teams were eliminated in or before the quarterfinals, leaving them without a showing in the semifinals for the third year.

Race Re-Cap: Draftin’ & Dealin’ In ‘Dega

Denny Hamlin said it best- “If you didn’t like this race, you don’t like racing.” Right down to the bloody, bumping end, there were at least a dozen drivers in contention for the win. Can you believe this top 10?

1- Kyle Busch, 2- JP Montoya, 3- Denny Hamlin, 4- David Ragan, 5- Brian Vickers, 6- Travis Kvapil, 7- Casey Mears, 8- Ryan Newman, 9- Clint Bowyer, 10- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

How crazy was this race? Tony Stewart looked like the man to beat, but wasn’t even there at the end, after trying to thread a hole between Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. This screwed up Day Two of a seemingly ongoing alliance between Smoke and Junebug. Michael Waltrip looked at moments like HE would win this race! At last count this race had 17 different leaders!

I have a nickname for Denny Hamlin- “The Chauffeur.” How many times did he hook up with a driver to escort them to the front? On several occasions, the combination of two cars tail to bumper made it look like we had a limousine on on the track.

I kept hearing about ”patience” from Jeff Burton. He’s right! This race reminded me of the big local 10-mile road run (ya know the kind on two legs instead of four tires). Once the gun sounds (or the flag lowers), you find your stride, and you size up how you’re doing that day, and sizing up the field around you. Who’s going to have something for you? Who do you avoid because they’re going to be trouble? Once you ind your groove and your stride, it’s good to find a partner. Someone who’s company you can enjoy as you pass the miles away. Someone who can help you throw a rough patch if you hit one. Then one you hit the big hill in the middle you have to bear down a bit and not do anything to beat yourself in terms of expending too much energy, or getting tangled up in anyone else’s mess. THEN….as you approach the end, it’s every man for himself. Some crazy stuff can happen. Some will have enough gas in the tank to “kick” at the end. For others, it’s just a matter of trying to hang on and make it. Unfortunately, some who looked good early won’t make it. For a driver, this place keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times- perhaps the most challenging track on the circuit.

Like him or not, Kyle Busch overcame a pit mishap and numerous other challenges to come out on top. We knew it’d be a battle pitting the Gibbs Toyota’s versus the Hendrick bowties, but I’m really not sure anyone really envisioned a Shrub win here. Stewart and Earnhardt for sure. Of course Jimmie and Jeff and even denny would be in the mix. But Busch (who’s previous Talladega best was 11th) a winner and Casey Mears in the top 10? It wasn’t what I was thinking. And don’t lie to me, you didn’t either.

It was a heckuva race, maybe the best we’ve had all year, even if the wreck at the finish kind of deflated things. You can always count on soemthing wild at Talladega.

Today did not disappoint.