Dale Earnhardt Jr
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.
NASCAR Stocks: Headed for Turn Two
Let’s re-visit for a moment my Top Ten Power Poll from last week. Once again, here are the top drivers, in my not-so humble opinion (All-Star race- a non-points race is not factored in):
#1- Kyle Busch- Can’t argue with the wins and being a factor in EVERY race this season.
#2- Carl Edwards- He’d easily be #1 if not for Busch. A kinder, gentler Shrub.
#3- Denny Hamlin- Overshadowed by teammate Busch, he’s charging hard as of late.
#4- Dale Earnhardt Jr.- Only needs the wins to vault towards the top. Is not running bad races.
#5- Jeff Burton- Putting together his typical quietly solid season.
#6- Clint Bowyer- He’s on the verge of really breaking out. He’ll be here at the end of the day.
#7- Jimmie Johnson- This isn’t a bad position for the “sneaky fast” David Pearson-style.
#8- Tony Stewart- Like Johnson, he may only go upward. Look for upward movement in July.
#9- Jeff Gordon- Wow. I’m not sure he stays up here. He and his team just look out of sorts.
#10- David Ragan- “David Wreck-Um” has evolved. It’s gotta help he has good mentors at Roush.
Ready to Strike:
The wily vets (they run well, their equipment questionable)- Matt Kenseth (mainly a victime of bad luck), Greg Biffle (like teammate Kenseth, the Edwards mojo hasn’t rubbed off), Bobby Labonte (he and Robbie Loomis have upgraded Petty’s team, but they’re not quite there yet), Dave Blaney (put him with an organization that’s not strapped for cash and he’s a top 15 easy), Kevin Harvick (his struggles are a mystery to me).
The young dudes: Ryan Newman (has real moments of brilliance, and others not-so), Kasey Kahne (he’ll get a lift from the All-Star win), Brian Vickers (can be really fantastic, and at other times as consistent as a paer cup in a wind storm), Juan Pablo Montoya (gives us some foreign intrigue), Martin Truex Jr. (just needs a little luck).
Up Next: “Pull Those Belts Tight!” Race Preview (tomorrow), “Fearless Forecast” (Saturday), “Race Re-Cap” (Sunday), “Road To Glory” *Premier* (Monday).
Race Re-Cap: “The People’s Choice” Is All-Star Winner
What a breakthrough for Kasey Kahne. The last time the Enumclaw, Washington native visited Victory Lane was at this very same track in a sweep of Charlotte in 2006. If LMS is the “house that Jimmie built,” then Kasey must be the guy who bought it!
How fitting that the winner is the guy the fans voted in. The favorite of nutty soccer moms everywhere wouldn’t been here otherwise, but he fought, clawed from the back of the field and otherwise hung around and put himself in a position to be there when it counted- outlasting Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin and Greg Biffle.
A big assist goes out toe crew chief Kenny Francis. Commentators could not believe that Kahne and a handful of other drivers would pass up tire changes on the final pit stop before the 4th and final segment. In fact, Darrell Waltrip was JUST POSITIVE that “The Biff” would catch Kahne on the final green, but it was nothing doing for the #16 Ford.
Random Notes-
I want ya’ll to know I heard that snickering when Kyle’s car gave up. Love or hate him, he ain’t going away…What a bummer for Elliott Sadler. I think he had a car that could have made a good showing before he got hosed by A.J. Allmendinger in the “Showdown.”….I’ll be curious to see if there’s any truth to this idea that JGR experimented with an old engine tonight that had given them problems before. Here’s some free advice guys. If that was case, blow that mother up!….It will be interesting to see if there’s anything drivers can use from this experience to try to win at the Coca- Cola 600.
COMING SOON: “Everyone has a dream. Only a few get to live it.” Coming soon to the “Finish Line”- a weekly feature called “Road To Glory”where race fans will have the chance to follow a young racer who may one day be NASCAR’s “Next Big Thing”- Preston Jones, a 17 year old “Super 4″ racer from Central Point, Oregon.
Jones is already wracking up wins in the young season at Southern Oregon Speedway- a 1/3 mile dirt track near Medford, Oregon- including a dash from last to first. The high school junior aspires to NASCAR glory, one way or another. With a little help from me, Jones will chronicle his successes and failures as the 2008 season unfolds.
If you’ve ever wondered what it was like for a promising, young driver at the green flag of his career, you won’t want to miss this. That’s “Glory Road”- coming soon on Mondays at “The Finish Line.”
Fearless Forecast: Who Will Be “The Star” Among Stars?
A million dollar prize ought to be enough motivation for even the most successful of drivers hyped up to make this a premier all-star event. We’re talking about a dash for cash under the lights in NASCAR’s own back yard.
Zeroing in on a favorite requires a little look at history and taking into consderation who might be inclined to run well at the mile and a half speedway.
In terms of history, we’ve got the likes of Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon (who’s won this event 3 times), Dale Earnhardt Jr. have all won the all-star race. What also has to help Martin’s chances is the fact that this will be his 19th consecutive appearance, tying the record held by Rusty Wallace. I guess what I’m sayin here is that because this race is slightly different from a typical Cup event, with a shorter race and a smaller field, there might be ways to parlay that knowledge into an advantage.
As far as success at Lowe’s is concerned, Lowe’s Motor Speedway is the “House that Jimmie Johnson Built.” In addition to his all-star win in 2006, he’s had incredible points race success here at the track that bears the name of his primary sponsor. It sure raises the eyebrows of the conspiracy theorists. Johnson’s teammate and mentor Gordon also has his share of success at Lowe’s with 4 points race wins ON TOP OF the all-star wins. Again, Mark Martin shows up in the mix with 4 Cup race wins, as well as 2 Nationwide Series wins at the Charlotte track.
But history will only take you so far. Teams change and evolve and so do the drivers. Let us also not forget that the the “CoT” also changes things as well. We have to look for any clues we can find from THIS season to help our prognostication. I want to know who’s performed well lately on the high speed tracks. When factoring that in- names such as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards come to mind. I’m thinking about top performers from Daytona, Talladega, Atlanta and Texas to name a few. I’ve gotta think that there smaller field (24) will make speed an even greater factor.
The shorter race will also benefit those who tend to go on mad bursts. Shrub, Junior, Smoke, and Cousin Carl and Denny Hamlin all have their 20-30 lap runs where they just look like juggernauts. If a driver can put it together at the right time, he may just make a route out of tonight’s race.
Then there’s the aggressive and the liberties one may take because it’s “all or nothing”, and because this is not for points. I will predict right now that Kyle Busch will NOT win this race. Don’t think for a moment that Junior or more likely his older brother Kurt might not “loosen him up” if they get near each other. Depending how hard or how obvious the incident is, the offending driver may get nothing worse than “probation.” I’d probably do it if I were somebody, though you don’t want to ruin your own chances in doing so. If that doesn’t happen- I still expect some guys that are known for their aggressiveness to really push the envelope.
The fans should be in for a fun night in the same vein of the Bud Shoot Out.
Oh…you want the winner. I’m gonna go with “Junebug.” Why? Think back to his performance at the Shootout or the Gatorade Duals or any shorter length event. He rocks! If Earnhardt has ha any problem this year, it’s just that his car seems to get away from him and his team as the race wears on. On the other hand, you take the first 100 laps of just about any race this year and you will find #88 at or near the front.
Other possibilities include Busch, Tony Stewart (who’s had great runs of his own), Jimmie, and the Evernham Dodges always look good in these events. You also can’t forget the ever-competitive Carl Edwards- who tends to be RIGHT THERE with Shrub and Junior.
A lot can happen. And it probably will.
Check it out!
JRM to field a Sprint Cup car in 2009?
Dale Jr said on Friday that his current Nationwide Series team is in the position to field a cup ride as soon as 2009. However, only if and when the right sponsorship and driver opportunity occurs.
When asked if he would consider Martin Truex Jr to be a driver of a JRM Sprint Cup Series Car, he responded, “Why would he want to come drive for me? He’s in good stuff now and he’s going to have great opportunities from other people. And I would never do that to him.”
“For the first year coming out of the box, man we’ll struggle like hell. Come on, man. He’s going to have deals offered to him by these great companies around here and from DEI. I’ll be at the bottom of that list, right there with Haas [CNC Racing] and a couple of other people. I don’t know with Tony [Stewart] if he goes [to Haas CNC], he might be able to talk Martin into it. But I don’t know, man. I mean no way would I even do that to Martin, even if he wanted to.”
Earnhardt doesn’t seem to think that costs to fund the team would be any higher than they are for the Nationwide Series.
“I used to say ‘No way, no way,’” Earnhardt Jr. said. “But it’s almost as expensive to run in the Nationwide Series. And they’re going to bring a [car of tomorrow] in and we won’t be able to race in the Nationwide Series with [it] probably. That’ll just be too expensive to switch all that over.”
“And the COT program is going to be too expensive for me to justify creating a whole new program with COT stuff, so I’d just as soon go into the Cup Series or get out of the Nationwide Series altogether,” he said.
If indeed he does decide to field a part-time or full-time ride in the Sprint Cup Series, it is a near certainty that he WON’T be the one driving.
Pull Those Belts Tight! NASCAR Sprint All-Star Edition
What’s Next: NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Saturday May 17, 2008, Lowes’ Motor Speedway, Charlotte, North Carolina. NASCAR Sprint Showdown (”Race In” Race)- 7:30 Eastern, 4:30 Pacific. All-Star Race starts 9 pm EDT, 6 PM PDT. Broadcast: Television- SPEED Channel, Radio- MRN, Sirius Satellite Radio.
Track Facts: Lowe’s Motor Speedway is a 1.5 mile oval track with 24-degree banking in the turns, and 5-degrees in the straightaways.
This is the best All-Star Event in Professional Sports. Keep in mind this is from the perspective of an 18 year sports media member who’s covered numerous “stick and ball” events and also has a 30 year history as a sports fan. No other sport’s all-star event even comes close.
NASCAR’s All-Star Challenge has given us many GREAT moments: Think about this- this race has given us Dale Earnhardt’s “pass in the grass” in 1987, Mark Martin’s 1998 victory after leader Jeff Gordon ran out of gas, Gordon’s 2001 win in a back-up car, and Darrell Waltrip’s win in a somewhat mysterious car whose engine blew after crossing the finish line.
The other sports can’t compete. Baseball’s All-Star game comes close, but there’s that goofy rule that all teams must be represented and deserving players get left out. The game also has the same problem any other baseball game has- it’s kind of slow. (I still love baseball though). The NBA All-Star game is a little fake. The players act like matadors on defense to make the game more thrilling, but I think that just lacks the integrity of the way a real basketball game is played. The Pro Bowl? The problem with the NFL’s post-season all-star event is the fact many good players are terribly beat up and often choose to sit out, and thus we miss seeing all of the best players.
NASCAR’s All-Star race offers all the thrills and spills of a regular NASCAR event, plus the incentive of a million dollar winner’s purse. No “mailing it in” here!
The lead for all-time wins is a tie between two legends- Dale Earnhardt (who won in 1987, 1990, and 1993) and Jeff Gordon (who won in 1995, 1997 and 2001) have won 3 all star races. Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Davey Allison and Terry Labonte have two wins apiece.
The field is already comprised of 21 drivers- 17 who won races in 2007 & 2008, 2 (Martin and Junior) who won previous all-star championships, 2 (Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte) are in the field because they are past Cup champions.
Three more will get in the field by the green flag tomorrow night. The top two finishers in the “All-Star Showdown” will also get in, as well as the driver who gets the most votes in fan balloting.
No for the burning question- Will somebody put Kyle Busch in the wall? People are still talking about “Shrub’s” bad boy rep, and the fact that he keeps running up wins. People must also remember that the younger Busch wrecked out his older brother in last year’s event won by Kevin Harvick. My question is will Kurt retaliate? Hmmm.
It’s gonna be a great race. There’s no doubt the racing will be hard and it will be fun.
Don’t miss it!
Stop by tomorrow, because I will make a “Fearless Forecast” on who the winner might be!
The Red Bull Crew: Winning It In The Pits
Are you looking for athletes in NASCAR? If you can’t buy the argument that the drivers are, then look no further than the pit crews.
Depending on your job- it takes strength, agility, and even some foot speed. Besides that, you need precision thinking and a clear head to change tires, put gas on the car, make the needed chassis adjustments, and tear off or bang out whatever needs it on the car. Many crews have guys who’ve excelled in everything from football to hockey. These guys are a far cry from the brothers, cousins and mechanics down the street who used to make up a driver’s crew. I once watched a condensed version of the 1963 Daytona 500, the race that Tony Lund won- man, back in those days, you were doing good if a pit stop took 26-30 seconds. More than twice the time it takes now!
Tonight, congratulations are due to the Brian Vickers crew. The #83 Red Bull boys fought off the the likes of the crews for Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart to win the All-Star Pit Crew Challenge. What set them apart is all seven guys running hard clean to the finish. On more than one occasion, the team rallied in the back half of the dash to the checkered line.
Tonight’s competition is just one example of the fun during all-star week. It’s also cool to see NASCAR’s true unsung heroes with the spotlight on them for doing. All too often NASCAR pit crews are like offensive linemen in football- nobody notices them until they screw up. It’s a sight to behold watching a team doing more in 15 seconds than what my mechanic does with my car in 4 hours.
That’s just the beginning. We’ll be talking more about the upcoming race and all it’s history.
But tonight..the light shines….on NASCAR’s lesser lights.
Never let it be said that it doesn’t take athleticism to compete in NASCAR.
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: Busch Dominant In Darlington
This weekend at Darlington broke the mold in so many ways. On the re-paved surface, we got a new qualifying record, a surprisingly low number of cautions and DNFs, and a new race speed record.
I couldn’t have been more off the mark. I picked the wrong Busch brother (Kurt) to win, and in a message board pool, I picked Kyle to finish dead last. I also figured that a lower division nameplate to do well here, I just didn’t expect it to be Ford instead of Dodge. I also said that the kids wouldn’t run well tonight. David Ragan and race winner Kyle Busch proved me wrong.
I was with Greg Biffle’s spotter. He suggested Biffle give up the lead early in the race to “Wild Thing” because there was no way he’d finish it. Once again, the guy who wouldn’t finish it was The #16 3-M Ford. The younger Busch, coming off a controversial 2ndplace finish in Richmond, looked like he was going to use his car up before he ever got to the final lap.
It’s weird to think that the guy with the most wins here (David Pearson) was known for conservation and cunning. The 23 year old from Las Vegas runs more in the tradition of Fireball Roberts (notorious for using up his cars) and Junior Johnson (his racing philosophy was to get up front as quickly as possible…and stay there).
We may be witnessing a driver re-writing the rulebook for how races are won in the new car. Lord knows Busch broke all the old ones. Did you see all that brake dust coming out of his right front? And how about the way he was brushing the wall? I was expecting “Shrub” to bust into a chorus of the Johnny Cash tune “I Got Stripes” at any time. It just didn’t seem like he should win when you also throw in the pit violation and his complaints about his “pathetic” car. Oh, that Dave Blaney’s car could be that pathetic.
Besides Busch, a lot of guys we don’t talk much about should get some credit for a good race. Though the Roush team was plagued with wheel problems, upstart David Ragan finished 5th in addition to Edwards in 2nd. Teammate Matt Kenseth shook loose of a few demons and ended up 6th. Journeyman Dave Blaney ran his best race of the year in crossing the line 9th. Travis Kvapil, who’s making a Cup comeback this year after a solid career in the Craftsman Truck Series finished 8th on a fitting night where he was sponsored by Lafayette Ford, sponsor the #28 back in the Freddy Lorenzen days.
Some the other name drivers deserve a shout out for their performances. Carl Edwards’ finish is amazing when you consider he started at near the back of the field. Jeff Gordon has a great race to vault himself into the top 10 for the point standings. And Dale Jr.? Well, he was consistent again, racking up another top five and ready to strike if anyone faltered.
But above all else, Tony Stewart gets the “Rocky Balboa” Award- fighting, gouging and clawing his way to a respectable 21st after tangling with Elliott Sadler on the 3rd lap.
No- this race was definitely NOT what I expected- however, I was not disappointed with the racing and the thrill of a Saturday race under the lights.
 By the way- Happy Mother’s Day to the two best Moms in the world- my mom, Lenore Pittock of Keizer, Oregon. Thanks for believing in me, and letting me test out my ever-running mouthon your longsuffering ears. Then of course, there’s my lovely wife Lynnae, without whom I would not be a dad to the cutest kids in the world.
To all you Moms- HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY FROM THE BOYS AT ‘THE FINISH LINE.”Zooooom…
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Consistency is Key
This year for the Sprint Cup Series, consistency is all around us. AJ Allmendinger in the number 84 Red Bull Toyota is finally making races, Hendrick Motorsports is starting to have consistent top tens each week. Jeff Gordon and his DuPont team seems to be picking things up. Don’t forget the sport’s most popular driver who is still third in points after Saturday’s race at Darlington. And Kyle Busch, who is a winning machine right now.
UNOFFICIAL SPRINT CUP POINTS AFTER DODGE CHALLENGER 500
| # | DRIVER | CAR | POINTS |
| 1 | Kyle Busch | 18 | 1495 |
| 2 | Jeff Burton | 31 | 1477 |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 88 | 1391 |
| 4 | Clint Bowyer | 07 | 1372 |
| 5 | Kevin Harvick | 29 | 1350 |
| 6 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | 1349 |
| 7 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | 1318 |
| 8 | Tony Stewart | 20 | 1297 |
| 9 | Greg Biffle | 16 | 1269 |
| 10 | Carl Edwards | 99 | 1230 |
