Races

Gibbs looking for a Tony Stewart replacement

Sources tell NASCAR FanZone that Joe Gibbs Racing is now heavily pursuing a driver to replace Tony Stewart, who appears will be leaving at the end of the season.

We were told the Carl Edwards was high on their wish list, but he has since signed an extension with his current team Roush Fenway Racing. However, during Carl’s contract negotiations there was another team that placed a bid for Edwards, and it turns out that that team was indeed Joe Gibbs Racing.

When reached for comment about the Carl Edwards bid, JD repeatedly said, “We don’t discuss driver negotiations.”

Greg Biffle could be the next on JGR’s wish-list.

****CORRECTION:  I wasn’t thinking straight.  Greg Biffle isn’t 100% happy at Roush, he complained of faulty parts last weekend, which led to his 43rd place finish.  My bad.****

Last time for Jarrett

The upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star race in Concord, NC is planned to be the career finale for Dale Jarrett. Wouldn’t it be great if he could win his first career all-star race this weekend?

Dale Jarrett will be in the race because of his 1999 Sprint Cup Series championship.

Dale Jarrett started his luxurious career in 1977. Racing at a Track his father (Ned Jarrett) owned, Hickory Motor Speedway.

“Enjoy this. We all have our time in this, and mine has been fantastic. To me, it has been an honor and a privilege to be able to race in this series and say I raced with and against and sometimes beat the best in the world. Thanks for allowing me to do that. Enjoy it. It’s a great sport, and you guys make it what it is.”

That was the quote from Dale Jarrett prior to his last points race at Bristol.

Dale Arnold Jarrett has achieved many awards and honors in his life. Including 1999 Sprint Cup champion, 2004 USG Person of the Year, and in 1998, he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers.

In 680 races, Jarrett has 32 wins, 163 top fives, 260 top tens, 16 poles, he has completed 185,947 laps (236,209.6 miles) - leading 6972 laps. Over 24 years of racing in NASCAR’s highest series, he has accumulated $46,725,581 in winnings.

At Lowe’s Motor Speedway, 3 wins in 42 starts.

So, this weekend, NASCAR will be saying Goodbye to a champion, and one of the greatest racers in the history of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.

(Left to right) H.A. ‘Humpy’ Wheeler, president and general manager of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and Dale Jarrett unveil the car that the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion will drive in his final event, the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. on May 17. (Photo Credit: HHP / Harold Hinson)

A near record

The speeds weren’t the only records in danger going into this weekend at Darlington. So was the lead change record. It was a near record breaking night as far as lead changes go. In total, 14 other drivers joined Rowdy in leading at least one lap at the track “Too Tough to Tame”.

There were 31 lead changes Saturday, which is tied for second on Darlington’s list. The most lead changes ever in one race is 41.

However, the race speed record was broken. The average race speed was 140.350, which is a new record.

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…

 

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.

Jim’s Race Re-Cap….

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

What is up with Smoke?

After some harsh criticism for Goodyear at Atlanta this year, Tony Stewart has did a complete flip on his opinion of Goodyear tires. Stewart actually gave some praise for Goodyear’s tire choice recently, including this weekends harder tire compound at Darlington Raceway - a race track that’s motto “Too tough to tame” speaks for itself.

“I’m the first one to tell them when they screw up and I want to be the first one to tell them when they do a good job, too,” Stewart said.

It only took Tony’s first career win at Darlington during Friday’s Nationwide Series race to give a friendly pat on the back to Goodyear.

There wasn’t many tire failures Friday. The only one that comes to mind was Carl Edwards on lap two of Friday’s race.

Tony wasn’t the only driver that has praised Goodyear’s tire choice this weekend. Jeff Gordon has said a couple times this weekend that he was happy with Goodyear’s decision.

Tonight will be the real test. With the new pavement for Darlington, it has knocked two seconds off the lap times of last year’s events.

Race Re-Cap: They’re Baaaack…..

Well, to be totally honest with you, I never thought Jimmie Johnson went anywhere. The driver of the Lowe’s #48 Chevrolet has the total package- the team, the crew chief, the driver. You may keep a man like Jimmie Johnson down for a little while, but you won’t do it for long.

Phoenix was a war of attrition. While we didn’t TOTALLY lose many cars, several good drivers were knocked out of contention for one reason or another. Guys that we’re accustomed to seeing towards the front. Matt Kenseth missed an extended stretch after bending the wall, Ryan Newman’s power steering squandered his pole position, and Kasey Kahne was victimized by late race troubles.

For a while, I was just sure we would see a Victory Lane visitor who hadn’t been there in a while. I haven’t seen ol’ Mark Martin run like that in a long time. It’s just my opinion (and one of many unpopular ones I hold- but you know me), but I think you can put away your DEI obituary and save it for another decade. Not only did Martin’s 5th place finish impress, but Martin Truex Jr. put together a solid performance. Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Kyle Busch looked like contenders at times too.

Ol’ “Junebug” just missed it. Junior, Newman, Martin, Carl Edwards, Johnson all had their runs and the good news for Earnhardt was that he finished with a car that was NOT 100 times worse than what he started with.

There was some good battling going one, and it seemed like there a boatload of cautions, but the real story was a gas- and no, I’m not talking about Tony Stewart’s pre-race Subway sandwich. I’m talking about the drama over fuel mileage and who had enough to finish, and how much drivers coming in would need.

Let’s just say it right now- Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus are the smartest driver/crew chief combo in NASCAR, unlike any other I’ve ever seen. The #48 team looked like they were taking a chance, but Knaus guided Johnson through those final laps with juts enough to cross the finish line ahead everybody else. It was so reminiscent of Johnson’s late 2007 run when he won 4 races in a row.

This team always finds a way to win and overcome mistakes. In a post-race interview, Knaus admitted that keeping the El Cajon, California native out on the caution at lap 129 was a mistake, but they found a way to recover.

That’s what champions do.

 I’m outta here. I”ve run a 10-mile race today, watched my daughter’s soccer game, helped coach my son’s soccer team, spent two hours working on my weekend job and tended to a sick wife (flu).

Keep it tuned right here. during the offweek, I’m cooking up a spirited debate with a couple of people whom I greatly respect, but profoundly disagree with.

Good night.