Sprint Cup Series
Race Re-Cap: Muscle On The Monster Mile
I’m honestly not sure that big wreck on lap 18 really did much to affect the outcome of today’s race. Today’s real contenders were nowhere near this mess as it seemed that before we even got here, the race at Dover was about the Roush-Fenway Racing team, the old guard at Hendrick Motorsports, and the ever-present Kyle Busch. He wrestled the Monster Mile and made it cry “Uncle.”
Did you ever have a premonition? I swear when they went to Elliott Sadler’s on-board camera, I was thinking “Watch- he’s gonna wreck.” Sure enough, ol’ “Rabbit Release” moves down on David Gilliland, goes sideways on the track- and next thing you know, a collection of racers- including top runners like Kevin Harvick, Junior, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer are all wadded up. Could this change the outcome? Note the absence of Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Jamie Mc Murray from this mishap.
Did you catch Tony’s interview? Some fans were saying, “Wow, this is a different side of Tony. He’s taking responsibility for the mess. Why?” I think they missed the sarcasm. Basically, Tony was so much as saying that it’s his fault for being anywhere near Elliott Sadler. That’s the second time in the last few weeks the two have gotten together. I also got a kick out of Smoke’s “dune buggy” line. I appreciate his sense of humor about the whole thing.
By the time the smoke cleared, and Smoke was cleared, it was obvious that there was really only three serious contenders for the win at Dover. Greg Biffle put together another fine effort before mechanical problems set him back. Teammate Carl Edwards once again showed himself to be light on his wheels on concrete. The Roush Gang sure got it done today. Not only did Biffle and Edwards shine, but Matt Kenseth is becoming the 2008 edition of Lazarus as he seems to be bringing his Chase hopes back from the dead. Jamie Mc Murray is running like a guy who wants to stay with the team. But really, but late race, it was obvious that barring a catastrophe, there would be only one real serious contender.
Kyle Busch is just on one of those runs that drivers have from time to time. Don’t get me wrong, you have to be talented and have good equipment to do it, but it also helps to have Lady Luck in your corner. She’s got a real affinity for “Wild Thing” right now. But again, remember that “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.”
If you don’t like him, give him credit for this much: he spread the love around. Busch was quick to credit his crew for good stops, to Joe Gibbs for their top flight organization, and for all his fans and all NASCAR fans.
Maybe’s he’s learning something. Nobody likes a champion who is not gracious.
The way he’s going right now, I wouldn’t bet against him. All the ingredients are there to take it all in 2008. I still think Edwards, Junior, Jimmie and maybe even the old guard like Gordon, Smoke, JB or even Biffle may have something to say about that- right now, it’s “Rowdy’s World” and we’re living in it.
Other random thoughts…
Brian Vickers’ pit penalties sure screwed up a good opportunity to have an awesome finish….did you see Paul Menard weave through that big wreck? Dinging the inside barrier looked like a better altnernative than getting crumpled up in the middle of the crash….FOX reported their NASCAR ratings were up this year, so much for the death of NASCAR, huh?….Jeff Hammond made a good point and I must concede that I agree. Unlike free-agent-to-be Greg Biffle, who’s stated he’d prefer to stay at Roush, you don’t hear how Smoke want to stay at Gibbs. He may be gone- or he’s screwing with the media big-time…The speculation that Franchitti will give up NASCAR was something I foudn interesting. There seems to be a school of thought that this “stock car thing” is harder than it looks…According to Darrell Waltrip, even Sam Hornish is not sure a sure bet to stick around.
It’s all the drama that keeps us watching, and helps us endure a race like today.
Sorenson with one foot out at Ganassi
After Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates made former open wheeler Juan Pablo Montoya when they fired his crew chief, Jimmy Elledge, against his request just a couple of weekends to go.
With Silly Season getting sillier, there is now speculation that Juan Pablo may make the move to Joe Gibbs Racing if Tony Stewart decides to leave the organization this year.
This scenario may be the only way Reed Sorenson will be able to stay at Ganassi.
Sorenson started as a developmental driver for the team in the Busch series (now Nationwide Series). He was quickly given a cup ride at the age of 20. In all, Sorenson has been within the CGR organization for five years.
Sorenson is a free agent after this season. With his performance at CGR, it is a long shot that he will be resigned.
Sorenson’s performance isn’t the only thing that could play against him.
One of Ganassi’s IndyCar drivers, Dan Wheldon is rumored to be interested in following the likeness of Dario Franchitti and Montoya in making the jump for the Sprint Cup Series next year.
Sorenson’s performance has not changed much for the better since his rookie year. He has now wins yet in the Sprint Cup Series. He only has 5 Top-5s, 12 Top-10s, and 1 pole. He has compiled $9,383,680 in career winnings, and out of 23,036 laps he has only led 132 laps.
When reached for comment from Amy Vadnais - Public Relation for Reed Sorenson - she wished not to comment until she had more information. So there is now word if there are contract negotiations at this time. I will be following this and other free agent stories throughout the year at NASCAR FanZone and the Finish Line blog.
Fearless Forecast: Empire Strikes Back
It just seems like certain TEAMS own certain race tracks. It’s kind of odd how it works that way. I mean you expect certain drivers to have a particularly good feel for certain surfaces and distances. Jeff Gordon does very well on the short tracks and road courses. Bobby Labonte has 6 of his 21 career wins at Atlanta. You may not be able to count on Michael Waltrip to win too many races, but he’s a darn good bet on super speedways, as well as his former teammate- Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kasey Kahne rules on the intermediates, as does fellow young gun Carl Edwards. Speaking of Edwards, he’s known as the “King of Concrete.”
Dover is a concrete track, a one miler with a short track feel, loads of banking and changing elevations, giving it a roller coaster ride effect. It’s interesting to know then, that while Edwards is ordinarily awesome on concrete tracks (Nashville, for example), Edwards is just well,, ordinary at Dover. His driver rating of just over 98 puts him at #8 among active drivers. His starting position of 14th is not something get all tingly over either. At the same time, this is a track where Roush-Fenway has a solid track record. For tomorrow’s race, Roush driver Greg Biffle is one the pole and Jamie Mc Murray is in the #5 spot. Biffle has the best driver rating here at 113, while another Roush veteran, Matt Kenseth is second with a rating of 111. Just about the only driver that’s an unknown quantity at Dover is David Ragan- who’s been on a roll lately.
Speaking of drivers on a roll, Kasey Kahne is coming on an all-star win and a trip to Victory Lane at the Coca-Cola 600. Kahnehas a poor track record at Dover, with a driver rating of 86. His starting position of 15th is nothing to write home about.
As far as driver ratings go, the top 5 at Dover are Biffle, Kenseth, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch. Something tells me “Rowdy” won’t be that great this week. Just a feeling.
Bringing up Johnson’s name reminds us that “Team Hendrick” is strong here too. You don’t see Jeff Gordon’s name on that top 5 list, but the veteran leads active drivers at Dover with 4 wins (Gordon is joined at the top by Bill Elliott and Mark Martin). Johnson has 3 wins here, and the newest addition to the HMS stable, Dale Jr. has one of his 17 career wins on this track (the MBNA Cal Ripken 400 in 2001).
In fact, I’m going to say that a Hendrick driver is going to pull off the win. A driver ready to bounce back. It’s tempting to go with Jeff Gordon, but I’m going to say that….
Jimmie Johnson will win tomorrow’s race.
The Lowe’s “48″ will start out of the #4 hole, and all the adjustments being made seem to be working for Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus. Johnson, a two-time defending champion is hungry after some less-than-satisfying recent runs. Johnson has a way of doing constructive things with that kind of hunger. Hendrick has only one victory in 2008 after owning the NASCAR schedule in 2007, but I think they’ll add another win tomorrow- whether it’s Johnson or Gordon.
I also look for other drivers to bounce back tomorrow. Kurt Busch ran some great laps last week and Matt Kenseth isn’t giving up. Never give up on Tony Stewart, who has two wins at DIS.
Now a sure sign of a Kahne resurgence would be a win here.
Other young guns that bear watching include the ubiquitous Kyle Busch, A.J. Allmendinger- who qualified in the 8th spot, and A.J.’s Red Bull teammate Brian Vickers. The North Carolinian qualified 6th and was wicked fast at Lowe’s before the infamous “wheel incident.” Ryan Newman’s looking good, in spite of all the complaint he’s recently logged in his Yahoo! blog.
Drivers seem to have a lot of fun at this track. It also seems that the shorter the distance with the new car, the better the racing.
I can’t wait.
To some fans, the countdown ends this weekend
Some fans may have been counting down the number of races left on the FOX Sports broadcast schedule. Well that countdown is near zero. This weekend’s Dover race marks the last broadcast for this season for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. This means, there won’t be another NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on FOX until the 51st Running of the Daytona 500 in February.
Word on the grapevine is that a majority of fans enjoy the FOX race broadcasts more than TNT, and ESPN/ABC’s. Much of the reason is FOX’s all-star broadcast team - Darrell, Larry, and Mike.
NASCAR on FOX has broadcast NASCAR races since 2001 and now televises 17 events, including 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup points-race events and two NASCAR Craftsman Truck races.
Mike Joy, with almost 40 years in racing, returns as race announcer, and is joined by NASCAR racing legend Darrell Waltrip and former Daytona 500-winning crew chief Larry McReynolds, who return to provide race analysis for all NASCAR on FOX events. Prerace coverage is again hosted by Chris Myers with analyst Jeff Hammond, and returning to cover pit road are reporters Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Krista Voda and Matt Yocum.
I think fans this season will be better for TNT and ESPN/ABC.
TNT’s broadcast team is well equipped with a lot of talent and knowledge.
Bill Weber, who joined the team in 2001, as the pre-race host and pit reporter. Weber also served as an auto racing commentator on ESPN and ESPN2, mostly as a pit reporter for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Matt Yocum, pit reporter, once worked as a pit reporter for ESPN’s NASCAR coverage, and reported for “RPM2Night” and “NASCAR2Day”.
Another pit reporter, Marty Snider, was CNNSI’s NASCAR reporter from 1998-2002. Since 1995, he worked as a pit reporter for MRN. And 1994-1997, he worked as a pit reporter and associate producer for ESPN’s “NASCAR Today.”
Wally Dallenbach has had an impressive career. The NASCAR analyst for TNT has won the 24 hours of Daytona four times, the 12 hours of Sebring three times, won the Sports Car Club of America Trans-Am Series championships in 1985 and 1986. He is also a Sprint Cup Series vetern, appearing in 226 cup races throughout his career.
Kyle Petty, is a Petty. So he obviously has a great knowledge for the sport.
Raplh Sheheen is in his first year at TNT. He works for Speed, working split time as a reporter and announcer. He has also worked for ESPN, FSN, TNN, and CBS.
Lindsay Czarniak, a pit reporter, has experience at Speed, she is the former co-host of “George Michael Sports Machine,” and she was an associate producer for CNN.
Larry Mac is a pit report. He is the only FOX announcer to be on the TNT broadcast team.
After the six races for TNT, ESPN will take over.
Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer, joined in the booth for analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer will continue to report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center.
ESPN took a lot of heat last year for bad broadcasts. I didn’t think they were bad. But remember. They were kicked out of the sports for a while. In fact, not many people know, but they weren’t even allowed to show highlights or cover the sport on any of their networks.
ESPN has shown great progress, and does a splendid job with the Nationwide Series. So this year, expect them to hit full stride as they take us to Homestead.
NASCAR Stocks (Top 10 Rankings): Movin’ Up, Goin’ Down
It’s a tight field in the top ten, and the ranks keep shifting. What I like about this season, is you never really know what’s going to happen. I was lucky enough to predict Kasey Kahne’s victory, but the truth is that there’s very little separation from driver to driver. Things are a little different this week, and I think you’ll be surprised where some guy landed.
#10- Kasey Kahne- (unranked last week)- Can a little confidence make that much difference? Apart of the reason, I predicted a Kahne win was the way he carried himself during his press conference after the All-Star win. He’s gone from acting like a top 15 driver to acting like a champion. Gillett Evernham has benefited greatly on Ray Evernham’s emphasis on the racing side of things. They keep this up, and we’ll see Elliott Sadler in the chase!
#9- Greg Biffle- (unranked last week)- The two week run at Lowe’s has been good for “The Biff” too. Except for Kahne’s Coca-Cola 600 win, Biffle is better across the board than the “9.”
#8- Tony Stewart- (unchanged from last week)- A flat tire was all that kept him from winning at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. But have no fear Smoke fans, it ain’t July yet, and history tells us that Stewart heats up with the weather. Statistically, the “Big Orange” is just ahead of Biffle in terms of average finish, 14.7 to 15.1.
#7- Jeff Gordon- (up 2 spots from 9th last week)- Based on the way he ran most of the race, I never would have imagined him here. The way Gordon’s talking right now, he’s the “anti-Kahne.” Take it easy Jeff, you’re getting better. Your average finish of 9.6 is 4th behind Kyle Busch, Junior, and Jeff Burton.
#6- Denny Hamlin- (down 3 spots from 3rd last week)- I’m quite sure some members of Junior Nation feel like Denny’s 24th place finish was just desserts after Hamlin swatted JRM driver Brad Keselowski in the Nationwide Series Saturday night. Hamlin’s starting to fade, but his 4th place standing in the points reminds us of what he’s accomplished up until recently.
#5- Clint Bowyer- (up 1 spot from 6th last week)- Bowyer’s been kind of quiet since the traveling NASCAR circus came to Concord, but 1 win, 3 top 5s, and 7 top 10s cannot be ignored.
#4- Jeff Burton- (up 1 spot from 5th last week)- “Mr. Consistency” racked up another top 10, 6th in Sunday’s marathon race. All race long, you kind of forget he’s around, then, the checkered flag drops, and by golly, there he is. Burton is 2nd in the points, and tied for 3rd in top 10s with Carl Edwards- both racers have 8.
#3- Carl Edwards- (down from 2nd last week)- Did Edwards really race Sunday? I gotta say that’s just about the quietest top 10 anyone’s ever run. I think Carl lucked up on attrition, but hey, it’s all about where you are at the end, and the Missourian managed to miss all the mid-race fireworks and kept gas in his car.
#2- Dale Earnhardt Jr.- (up 2 from 4th last week)- Give Junior props for not quitting on his team Sunday. It would have been a legendary finish if he could have come back from the wreck with J.J. Yeley to take the checkered. Kinda makes you think of Earnhardt’s old man, doesn’t it? The only drivers more consistent than Lil “E” have been Kyle Busch and Burton.
#1- Kyle Busch- (unchanged from last week)- Love him or hate him, you can’t ignore him. Give “Rowdy” props for fighting through mechanical problems to finish 3rd at Lowe’s behind Kahne and Biffle. I thought the altercation with Gordon was childish, but that doens’t affect the points, it just solidifies his standing as “NASCAR’s resident bad boy.” Still, Busch keeps running like a scared jackrabbit.
Falling Out- Sorry Johnson fans, Jimmie’s 38th place finish hurt him this week. He’ll be back. David Ragan didn’t last long in the top 10, BUT Ragan’s 12th place run Sunday reinforces the idea he’s capable of running up front and staying there.
Ready to Strike- Kevin Harvick is actually 7th in points, a couple of good races and he’ll be back. I’d also keep my eyes open for runs by Matt Kenseth, and maybe even Juan Montoya.
Up next is the “Monster Mile”- Dover. Check out tomorrow’s preview as we bring you another edition of “Pull Those Belts Tight!”
Race Re-Cap: Raisin’ Kahne (Here’s to The End of a Long Dry Spell)
Kasey Kahne is back! Fans are witness to a transformation as a rising NASCAR star gets his career back on track. It’s hard to believe that it was only two short years since Kasey Kahne won 6 races in one season. After a winless streak of 52 races, the 5th year driver follows up an encouraging All-Star effort with a win in the 2008 edition of the Coca- Cola 600. If you include last week’s non-points win, Kahne won his 4th race at Lowe’s. It bears repeating: if Lowe’s is Jimmie Johnson’s house, then Kasey Kahne must be renting out a floor from Jimmie.
Kahne looked like a finisher from the green flag. I have to admit, the action was slow enough in the opening laps, I snuck in a power nap. I awoke to find I didn’t miss much. However- over time- I’ve learned some races run in stages and it pays to stick around. After “Rowdy Shrub” Busch played Pied Piper for the first 100 laps or so, things began to get interesting. Kahne hung around, but we got looks at Brian Vickers up front, Kurt Busch looked as good as I’ve seen since Daytona, and Jimmie Johnson and Junior looked predictably good. We had a lot of drama and craziness along the way, but Kahne ran a smart race and he was there to capitalize on troubles for Stewart, Earnhardt and Busch. “The Coke” is a battle of attrition, and the team of Kahne, Kenny Francis and Ray Evernham had it all going for them today.
“The Rocky Balboa Award” has to go to Lil ”E.” I must admit that while Junior was ”rolling fly and lookin’ phat” there was a part of me saying “I wonder how it’s going to fall apart on Junior this week.” And sure enough, Earnhardt brushes the wall and gets rammed by J.J. Yeley. BUT after all that, Dale hung in there and pulled out a 5th place. He will win soon Junior Nation, you can bank on it. Just remember, Junebug is 3rd in points, finishing races and running well. I’d take that over Kyle Petty’s problems any day of the week. Kevin Harvick also had another solid finish, in spite of the fact that “Happy” once again seemed to have a mediocre race car. Harvick looks like he’s been taking lessons in survival from teammate Jeff Burton.
What a bummer for Brian Vickers. It’s obvious that the “83″ really likes Lowe’s and he sure looked like a top 5 today, but what a wreck! That crash will make its way to plenty of crash montages for years to come. Poor David Gilliland takes the loose wheel on the hood and it lands in the infield with the campers. It’s kinda funny, but I’m just glad no one got hurt. It was also an unlucky day for Jimmie Johnson (HMS’ first blown motor since the Bronze Age), and Tony Stewart (blown tire).
It would have been nice to see an old hoss like Mark Martin, Dave Blaney or Bobby Labonte win today, but by the same token I’m happy for Kasey Kahne.
There was a lot of wheel and tire troubles today. It will be interesting to hear what the drivers have to say about this over the course of the next several days.
I may be a West Coaster and get to see the race earlier than a lot of you, but even I was wornout by race’s end.
It wasn’t the best race I’d ever seen, but perhaps we can say it was the best mile and a half race we’ve had all year.
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! AND TO ALL YOU VETS OUT THERE, WE SALUTE YOU. THANKS TO YOU, WE CAN ALL ARGUE ABOUT NASCAR INSTEAD OF TILLING CROP IN KOMRADE PUTIN’S GARDEN.
When will it stop??
[Kyle Ocker - NASCAR FanZone]
Rumor has it that Bruton Smith is now shopping for Pocono. In the event that he does purchase it, he plans to close the track down and make an extra date for Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and add Kentucky to the 2009 schedule.
Now, this is where NASCAR needs to step in. Bruton is slowly getting too much power in my mind. If Bruton does purchase Pocono, it would hurt the racetrack and the community, and NASCAR.
This is going too far in my mind. The NASCAR community should be greatly upset with this.
Don’t get me wrong, I want to see Kentucky on the Sprint Cup Series Schedule. But in turn, I don’t want to see Pocono off of it. Pocono is a very unique track. It is the only triangular race track on the circuit. It throws a curve to the teams and has great racing in my mind.
First off, the track is missing a turn, it only has three turns!!!
The track was completed in 1968. It is 2.5 miles in length, with three turns. Each turn has different banking and characteristics, so it is extremely unlikely that a team can get the car perfect in every turn. It seats 76,812, not counting RV space. Pocono is very tailgate friendly, and has one of the most accessibly pit areas on the circuit.
Right now, Las Vegas has two Cup Dates. In the event that this purchase takes place, it would have three? That just makes no sense. Las Vegas is a new market, yet is a big one. NASCAR wants to stay in its roots. So Pocono cannot be taken away from NASCAR. Yes, we have only been racing there since 1982, but we have only been racing at LVMS since 1998.
The views and opinions expressed in this articles are not necessarily those of NASCAR FanZone, The Finish Line Blog. They are the opinions of the author only.
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.
Pull Those Belts Tight!- The Coca- Cola 600 Edition
Up Next: The Coca-Cola 600, Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina, May 26, 2008. Green flag- 5:30 p.m. EDT, 2:30 p.m. PDT. Broadcast on FOX-TV with Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry Mc Reynolds. Radio broadcast on MRN and Sirius Satellite Network.
Track Facts: The First green flag waved for a Cup race here on June 19, 1960. Joe Lee Johnson was the first to see the checkered flag.
Lowe’s Motor Speedway is a mile-and-a-half oval track with 24-degrees of banking in the turns, and 5 degrees on the straights. Track conditions will change considerably mid-race as the race goes from day to night.
The Sprint Cup record for wins at LMS is shared by Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison who each won 6. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon lead active drivers with 5 apiece. Mark Martin has won 6 races at this track in a Nationwide car.
Casey Mears won last year’s Coca-Cola 600, Jeff Gordon won the Bank of America 500 in October, 2007.
Other Track Records: The qualifying record is held by Elliott Sadler with a time of 27.948 seconds at a speed of 193.216 m.p.h. on October 15, 2005. The “King Of Qualifying” is David Pearson, who captured 14 during his lengthy career.
The fastest race? That was run by Jeff Gordon with a speed of 160.306 m.p.h., running the October 11, 1999 race in a time of 3 hours, 7 minutes, and 31 seconds. Fred Lorenzen has the record for a 400 mile race (1964), and Bobby Labonte has the record for a 600 mile event (1995), but their speeds (134.559 m.p.h. and 151.952 m.p.h. respectively) do not approach Gordon’s.
The oldest winner at Lowe’sis Cale Yarborough, winning the 1985 Miller 500 at age 46 years, 6 months, and 9 days. The youngest? Jeff Gordon, who at age 22 years, 9 months and 25 days won the 1994 Coca- Cola 600.
A record number of yellow flags waved here 22 times on May 29, 2005. 0 cautions flew on May 21, 1961.
“The 600″ is NASCAR’s answer to a marathon event. Fuel mileage smarts helped pave the way to Casey Mear’s maiden victory last year. The fact the J.J. Yeley and Kyle Petty finished second and third tells yo this race’s outcome can be a little different.
As I mentioned earlier, drivers and crews have to be prepared for changing conditions as the race goes on. You can figure that about the first 2 and a half hours will be in dwindling daylight, and could go as late as another hour to an hour and half under the lights. A driver’s endurance will also be tested. I don’t know how you’d measure a driver’s ability to focus long-term, but it’s not hard to imagine you will need plenty of mental and physical fuel in the tank to take the checkered flag at about 10 p.m.
No doubt Kasey Kahne (who for those of you in Rio Linda won last week’s all-star race at LMS) also has demonstrated mastery of the speedway by sweeping the 2006 races, will be poised for victory. The aforementioned Gordon and Johnson have their record of success, plus Ryan Newman has a pile of poles. Some other racers to keep your eye on who’ve run well here are Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, and Mark Martin.
Saturday- I’ll offer up my predicted winner in the “Fearless Forecast.”
NASCAR Terminology- A NASCAR For Dummies Primer
Bite: We have two definitions for this term. (1) “Round of bite” describes the turning or adjusting of a car’s jacking screws found at each wheel. “Weight jacking” distributes the car’s weight at each wheel. (2) Adhesion of a tire to the track surface.
Tri-oval: A racetrack that has a “hump” or “fifth turn” in addition to the standard four corners. Not to be confused with a triangle shaped speedway, which has only three distinct corners.
Stagger: The difference in size between the tires on the left and right sides of a car. Because of a tire’s makeup, slight variations in circumference result. Stagger between right-side and left-side tires may range from less than a half inch to more than an inch. Stagger only applies to bias-ply tires and not radials.
That’s all for this week. Be sure to thank a vet as we celebrate their sacrifices this weekend. Until race day, be sure to take it easy in the turns and keep it off the wall!
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.
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