"No Nextel Cup This Weekend, What Now?"

 

Well, there is "The Wallace Family Tribute 250" Busch race in St. Louis Saturday night. Rusty, Mike, and Kenny will all strap it on five ways, stand on it and turn left at Gateway International Raceway, which is actually in Madison, Illinois. Their Mom andDad are the Grand Marshals for the event. This is only the third time the trio has competed in the same Busch Series event, which is surprising since they have made a combined 600 Busch Series starts.

This is the last off weekend for Nextel Cup, then they have 16 consecutive races....What the hell are we going to do on Sunday...yard work? I doubt it....

At least 50 Nextel Cup and Busch drivers will test at Watkins Glen (my hometown) on Monday and Tuesday...Martin, Biffle, Stewart, Harvick and Edwards to name a few..."The Sirius At The Glen" roadcourse race is just a few weeks away.

I know....you're wondering if I am going to be there forthe race next month?

Answer: You betcha.....You can't miss me...I 'll be the one wearing a Nascar t-shirt, with an ice cold can beverage inmy hand....Say, "Hi" if you see me, okay!

But first, the Cup boys take it to Indy for the biggest payday on the schedule...$9,086,902.00 (was $8,771,458 in 2004). Just making the field pays over 100k .Pretty sure!

Hey, aren't the IRL teams already there qualifying for the INDY 500 next MAY?

Mark

Dude, Where's My Car?

 

Dude, where's my car?
By Mark DeCotisFlorida Today

Kevin Harvick's change of heart might have saved his career

Of all the sins committed at Bristol on Saturday night, the biggest was one that in the end didn't occur.

But had it, the once-promising career of Kevin Harvick could have and should have gone up in smoke.

Harvick, who failed to qualify for NASCAR's championship playoff in 2004 and is all but mathematically eliminated this season, has made no secret recently of his disenchantment with how business is being conducted by the man who signs his paychecks -- Richard Childress.

And Saturday night, thanks to the brainless antics of Dale Jarrett -- more on him in a minute -- Harvick was involved in a wreck not of his making and saw his shot at the playoff disappear.

Understandably upset because Harvick is a racer and racers want to race -- and win -- Harvick stormed to his hauler. Had the drama ended there, little or nothing further would have come of it.

But, it didn't and Harvick came as close as one can come to committing one of the unpardonable offenses of racing, refusing to get back into his car for no other reason than just being ticked off.

As his crew worked to repair the Chevy, Harvick stewed and by two accounts -- the TNT race broadcast and reporting at ww

Devo lembrar que insultos não serão permitidos, sob pena de serem banidos permanentemente.

É esse o motivo que leva este forum a ser só para convidados (qualquer pessoa pode pertencer, basta simplesmente que envie um e-mail para cmjatcelorico@hotmail.com), não para controlar quem quer que seja, mas para haver alguma ordem e respeito.

Vamos lá discutir o tema proposto!!
# posted by cmjatceloricontemente.

É esse o motivo que leva este forum a ser só para convidados (qualquer pessoa pode pertencer, basta simplesmente que envie um e-mail para cmjatcelorico@hotmail.com), não para controlar quem quer que seja, mas para haver alguma ordem e respeito.

Vamos lá discutir o tema proposto!!
# posted by cmjatcelorico

"Pocono Gets Busch-whacked!"

 

Ever heard the saying "Lead, Follow Or Get The Hell Out Of The Way!"

Kurt Busch led 110 of the first 150 laps, everyone else, either, followed or got the hell out of the way. "It was a matter of having everything fall our way," Busch said. "It was a big momentum run for us, we couldn't be more excited."

Busch took back the lead with 17 to go from Rusty Wallace. In what could be Rusty's last Ntextel Cup race at Pocono, Mark Martin finished third and Carl Edwards fourth.

"Shortly after the halfway point, we had a problem on a pit stop, but the guys got everything worked out and were awesome the rest of the day," said Rusty. "Track position is everything. It was a two-tire stop that got us in the lead and led to our best finish this season."

I mentioned in a pre-race interview yesterday on WGST Radio in Atlanta, that cars would be "wadding them up" all day in the tunnel turn at Pocono Raceway. Boy, was I wrong! Kyle Busch was the only one that really whacked the wall during the race and that was in turn three.

So all the fear of suffering cut tires from the shabby repair job in the tunnel turn, to running aggressive camber set-ups and blowing out tires from having too little air pressure never materialized.

What did happen was a million late race cautions for debris on the track!

So, where did this debris come from? Was there really any debris at all? NBC/TNT hardly showed any shots of debris....oh, wait a minute...I got it..Debris on the track means....

• Lets take a commercial break and make some more money...
• The race is getting really, really boring. Let’s find some way to mix it up.
• He's got to big of a lead.
• My car sucks, let's throw this out of the car.
• Gotta tire going down.

If cars aren't crashing, then NASCAR finds debris.

Watch Indy in two weeks, if one car is dominating towards the end, place your bets, Ladies & Gentlemen...because the flag will fly for debris on the track!

Honestly, the only debris yesterday came out of Bill Weber's mouth.(NBC/TNT race announcer) I wish NBC/TNT would put Alan Bestwick back in the booth with Wally and Benny to call the race. It's very clear that Weber has no idea what he is talking about...that and...."Hey Bill, Jimmy Swaggert just called andhe wants his wardrobe back!"

Mark

www.nascarstockcar.com

"Pocono Raceway Forces Teams To Back Up!"

 

Just ask Jimmie Johnson, Elliot Sadler, and Kyle Busch. All three had to pull out their back-up cars after wadding them up in practice.You can expect a few more during qualifying today.

Pocono Raceway claims to have fixed the rumble strips and the rough track in turn two (tunnel turn). Those rumble strips, aggresive camber set ups, and low tire pressure caused 22 flat tires among 12 teams during the last Pocono race.

Tony Stewart - "What did they fix? I guess in defense of Pocono...I'm not gonna be going to the dentist to get caps put on my teeth like I did six weeks ago!"

Rusty Wallace - "I don't think they fixed anything, actually, it might be worse than it was last time, the tunnel turn is like hitting a big ol speed bump in the middle of a parking lot." Wallace, went on to say "the curb they replaced those rumble strips with reminds me of that curb they had on the inside at Martinsville in '89."

Heading into the 20th race this season, it appears that most teams are still trying to find the right balance in their cars. You can be great in two corners and just plain junk in the third turn.

Not being able to shift gears was the big concern heading into the first Pocono race six weeks ago. Now, it's tires, camber, and having enough horsepower coming out of turn three to motor down the longest straightaway in Nextel Cup racing.

Practice was a challenge for just about everyone, Dale Jr. even left a doughnut on Michael Waltrip's car after getting loose during practice. Waltrip finished the day second fastest in practice.

The last 11 Pocono races have had 10 different winners. Look for that trend to continue on "The SuperSpeedway That Drives Like A Roadcourse!"

Mark

"Same Old 'Tire'd Pocono Raceway!"

 

Ever heard the phrase "I spent a week there one night?"

For some reason, that's what a Nextel Cup race at Pocono is like most times. Boring!...until last June that is.

Here's why: the pace car was the only one that DIDN'T have a tire problem. Only 21 of the 43 who started the Pocono 500 finished on the lead lap. The race went 201 laps, one more than scheduled in order for it to finish under the green flag.

Teams blamed the track and Goodyear.Goodyear blamed the track and the teams. Track blamed Goodyear and the teams.

So what caused all the tire problems?

Remember the "rumple strips" in the turns that cut down all those tires? (see June 13 issue in archives) Pocono Raceway smoothed those over for Sunday.

Goodyear will bring the same tire they used in June for this race,claiming: "the teams used too much camber, last time!"

Okay...okay...so...ummm..."What The Hell Is Camber?"

Let me 'splain what camber is...try and follow me on this:

When you’re looking at the front of the car, camber is the angle at which the wheel sits. It’s measured in degrees, so break out your old geometry notes. We’re sure you’ve seen lowered cars where the wheels “butterfly” in or out. When the top of the wheel is angled inward, tucked in the wheelwell, the camber is negative. If the top of the wheel is sticking out of the wheelwell, the camber is positive. Whether your car has negative or positive camber, it will cause your tires to wear very unevenly. Negative camber will wear the inside of your tires, and positive camber will wear the outside of your tires.

We'll have a pop quiz on camber later, okay?

Some teams didn't run the recommended air pressure either:
"We recommended 18 (pounds per square inch) tire pressure in June, and the teams that had trouble went under that," Goodyear said. "They got in trouble also when they set the camber too aggressive. They were riding on the side of the tires. You're going to have trouble when you try to race on a couple of inches of tire."

Michael starting from the pole for the first time in 14 years, led the field by almost 8 seconds until the first caution, then it seemed like he'd keep going backwards with each pit stop afterwards. So, they brought in some faster tire changers. Michael battled back with a 6th place finish. Mikey will have a different car this time...he wrecked the one that did so well there in June.

Carl Edwards, had never even seen Pocono before and won that race, after practicing the course on his XBox! Giving Roush his first Pocono Raceway win.

So...Pocono has smoothed out the corners....the teams will run the recommended air pressure and lighten up on the camber...and that leaves us with what?

The Same Old 'Tire'd Pocono! Boring...

I need a nap!

Mark

"Smoke Rises To The Top At Loudon!"

 

Nextel Cup has a new checkered flag celebration, and it belongs to Tony Stewart.

Win the race, drive to the exit of pit row, turn around, do a burnout back to the start/finish line, park the car, then climb up the fence into the flagmans stand, and wave your checkered flag...

Tony Stewart started this in Daytona, a few weeks ago, and, I'm guessing he would love to climb the fence again and again...

Hey, it's an added thrill for fans...not to mention...those that are waiting for him to fall and go splat on the track....it's bound to happen. How many of you are waiting for Carl Edwards to miss a backflip?

It's grueling enough to whip a Nextel Cup car around the track for almost 4 hours, now you gotta be good at gymnastics!

So what's next....Jeff Gordon wins and does one-arm pushups, followed by a set of squats?...or how about...you win the race, then get out of the car and do a pommel horse routine off the hood of the car!

Jeff Gordon looked like he was on his way to the front late in the race, then his brakes went away and NASCAR told him to pick it up or park it. So he white-knuckled it to the checkered flag and went from a top five finish to coming in 25th. Ouch!

Dale Jr. came in 9th and could be in the top ten in points after a good day at Pocono next weekend. Kurt Busch finished right behind Stewart in 2nd, and jumped 5 spots to fifth in the points race. Elliott Sadler, who has flown under the radar all season,got backed into the wall as a result of numerous cars getting stacked up on a restart. He could be out of the top ten in points if he has another bad day in Pocono.

Tony Stewart, showed everyone why his knickname is "Smoke"...when you're hot, you're hot and Tony Stewart is on fire.

He "smoked" anyone that even got close today.

Mark

"Mark Martin's 'Salute To You' Tour, 2nd Anniversary!"

 

Mark Martin has been asked by Jack Roush to stay in the #6 car until Jamie McMurray can climb in, which could be in 2007.

"I made my appeal to Mark, I asked him if he would make an encore performance for one more year to help me keep this team together," Roush said "He thought about it and had a conversation with his wife, Arlene, and his son, Matt, who were expecting to spend more time with Mark. He told me the next day they were OK with it. He said, 'I hope you don't need me, but I'll do it if you need me.' "

Mark's not exactly thrilled at the idea, but after 18 years with Roush, his devotion to the team won't let anyone down.

Chip Gannassi (owns Jamie's ride) has indictated that Jamie will have his option picked up for 2006 to drive the #42 car in Nextel Cup.

Mark, wants to get going on his Nextel Truck racing program and it could be September before any of these decisions need to be made.

Martin is currently sixth in points, with five top-five and nine top-10 finishes. The top 10 in points, plus any drivers within 400 points of the leader, qualify for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Hey, never say never, but, you got to think Mark needs this (proposal)...like a fish needs a bicycle.

Drive it like you stole it,

Mark
www.NascarStockCar.com

"New Hampshire Speedway, Flat Like A 7th Grade Dance!"

 

It's the only 300 mile race on the schedule, and it's the only track in both the “Race for the Chase” and the “Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup”.

Driver's are most concerned about being smooth thru the corners, front end bite, track position, and pit strategy.

Kenny Schrader:.."Think of it as a long Martinsville. They're both flat tracks, flat turns, with long straight-a-ways. Except at New Hampshire, because the track's a half mile longer, you're carrying a lot more speed going down into the turn. You have to have good brakes to get the car 'woahed down' going into the turns. Then you have to be able to pick the throttle up as quickly as possible in order to get down the front stretch."

Kurt Busch won both Cup races at the "Magic Mile" last year and Jimmie Johnson took both the year before. You might have a really good car and not be running up front. But, the way the pit stops cycle, everyone pits again and the next thing you know you are running up front. You'll see alot of two tire stops to leap-frog up front.

There really isn't just ONE team that really dominates at New Hampshire Speedway, actually, Dale Jarrett has the best record at this flat one mile track.With 14 top-10 finishes, Jarrett leads all active drivers in that category.

Yeah, but what about Junior?

The Brew Crew has four top-10s in 11 races, most recently finishing third there last September. Dale Jr. is alright on one-mile ovals, In four of the last five races, he's put the #8 car in the top 10.

And the Boy Wonder?

Did you ever think you would see Jeff Gordon have a season like this? We forget that he's won three races this year, but he just can't seem to catch a break. Manyhave stated, they have never seen Jeff with that "deer caught in headlights" look that he had after wadding it up in Chicago.

Like I said before, Gordon and Earnhardt WILL be in the chase, so get a grip!

There's a long way to go before the chase even starts and with the long straights and the flat turns at New Hampshire. you have to have a car that can handle and really get through the center of the turn. You have to be able to set the nose of the car in order to get back on the throttle. If you have a car that is "tight" and won't turn thru the corner this Sunday. Then, 300 laps will seem like a whole season.

I just wonder what kind of tire Goodyear will bring!

Mark

"Chicagoland Speedway - What Have You Done For Me Lately!"

 

For the 18th race of 36 Nextel Cup Events, this 1 ½ mile track, more than an hour outside of Chicago, in Joliet, welcomes this band of men that are all suffering from OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).

Track position, gas mileage, a car that’s not afraid of some dirty air, and the ability to pass, on this intermediate track, get's the prize this weekend. Greg Biffle, Jimmy Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Kevin Harvick, should be the guys to follow on Sunday.

Biffle, seems to have a better handle than anyone when it comes to whipping these smaller spoilers around this type of track. He has won at tracks similar to this five times this year. (California, Texas, Darlington, Dover and Michigan)

Jimmy Johnson, hopes the progression continues, as he has wheeled the #48 Lowes Chevrolet to a 4th, 3rd, and 2nd in his first three Nextel Cup races at Chicagoland.

Where there is "smoke", there's fire, and after dominating the last two races...Tony Stewart, brings his flaming orange #20 Home Depot ride, to a track where he has three consecutive top-three finishes, including a win in 2004.

This is the fifth time the Cup boys have come to this track, and Kevin Harvick, has been to victory lane twice.

(But, Mark...what about Dale Jr?..you can't write a column about Nextel Cup racing,without mentioning, how bad it's been for the brew crew!)

Chicagoland hasn't been kind to Earnhardt. In four starts at Joliet, he has finished 10th, 11th, 38th and 22nd. You won't even recognize the car, either! Dale Jr.'s #8 Budweiser Chevrolet will carry a red and blue paint scheme promoting the 2005 Major League Baseball All-Star game (July 12 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich.), not to mention, sell a ton of die-cast cars too. Look for Dale Jr. to be a part of the All-Star activities, as the Budweiser Clydesdales will gallop him to Comerica Park on Monday, July 11, prior to the home run derby.

And finally, there is Jeff Gordon, who had a decent Daytona, has a string of top fives at Joliet. The Rainbow Warriors are very worried about making the Chase this year. To qualify for the Chase, he must either be in the top 10 come Sept. 10, or be within 400 points of the leader. He's currently 396 back, but he doubts seriously the safety net of "within 400" is going to save anybody this year. It's starting to look like even the final top 10 of regular season will include teams more than 400 points out.

Jeff has already banked close to 5 million dollars this year and we are only half way thru the Nextel Cup season. Hey, have you seen the latest Gordon shirt? http://www.badboyzshirts.com/

Mark

P.S. Due to a family obligation, it's going to be a few days before I talk with you again.imawreck2@nascarstockcar.com is where you should leave a blank email, and I'll get right back to you with the next issue of "Nascar Wrecks!"

"Tony Stewart Over The Top At Daytona!"

 

There are two things that Tony Stewart didn't lead Saturday Night in Daytona. Lisa Marie Presley's band and the pace car! Just about everything else was watching the back of the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet.

Not only did "Smoke" (btw, a very cool nickname...I should know, my friends call me ashtray or is it butthead?...sumthin like dat!) win the pole for what is now called "The Mid-Summer Classic!" That didn't even start until around10:45pm east coast time. Gosh, you don't think anybody was drunk when that green flag fell do you?

Tony, introduced America to a brand new celebration. Never mind the polish victory lap (Alan Kulwicki), or the backflip (Carl Edwards), or even the "slam your car into the wall doing donuts burnout" (Greg Biffle). Nope, Sir Tony, took a page from the IRL Boys and went right up the fence at the start/finish line.

Not only did he go up the fence to wave at the crowd when the race ended around 2am...but, he went over the top of it, and right into the flagman stand!

And here's the topper, when he finally made it back to the winner's circle, Tony proclaimed: "I'm too damn fat to be climbing a fence!"...funny line!

Earnhardt Junior had a great night, finishing third....Jeff Gordon got that Dupont Chevrolet back in the top ten, and a very excited Rusty Wallace came home forth in his last ride as a full-time Cup driver. You couldn't help but feel for Mark Martin, who ate the wall, after a very unfortunate chain of events following Jeff Gordon's attempt at entering the pits, early in the night.

NBC carried the broadcast, and from the anchor booth, Wally Dallenbach was great! Benny Parsons was informative and funny! and Bill Weber (who really takes himself way too seriously) I believe, during the evening, he should have recieved a call from his proctologist "Hey Bill, we found your head!"...This guy is an idiot!

Chicago is next, another cookie cutter track!

We know every race is important...We know, every point is important...But, could we please calm the hell down, on who's in the chase and who isn't, until at least August!

Mark

P.S....the email address to be notified when my next "Live, Local, and Late Breaking, Hard Hitting, Brought it to you first, Doppler Radar 9000" Nascar report is imawreck2@nascarstockcar.com sign up now, so you don't miss a moment!

"Nascar's Favorite Couple Has Begun To Heal!"

 

Half way thru the Nextel Cup season, so what's the story? The story is that Dale Jr.and Jeff Gordon aren't in the top ten in points! Here's why: Gordon has had bad luckand Dale Jr.'s has had no luck at all.

Jeff Gordon hasn't had a season like this in more than a dozen years, and Jr. has never had a season like this. Gordon has had mechanical problems and got caught caught up in a few Nascar wrecks. Jr.'s boss and his Dad's widow decided the day after the last race, last year, that the #15 and #8 were going to swap teams....Bad Move!

So now, DEI has a nightmare on their hands and it looks like they tried to fix what wasn'tbroken. Gordon, on the other hand, is just having a bad run of luck. I'm going to go out on a limb here, and tell everyone to calm the hell down. Both Jr. and Gordon will be within 400 points to make a run at the Nextel Cup championship!

(I can't believe I just wasted three paragraphs, talkin about this!)

NBC/TNT takes over the TV from Fox/FX for the remainder of the season. There has been a change in the NBC booth with Bill Weber taking over as lead anchor and AlanBestwick moved down to the pits and pre-race show.

Note to NBC crew: Hey guys, we are half way thru the Nextel Cup season, stop talking to us like we're retarded and don't understand anything about the sport! But,I do want to congratulate your pit reporting and interviews so far, you actually have reporters that ASK A QUESTION, as opposed to the reporters on FOX and theSpeed Channel...that ONLY make statements and then stick the microphone in the driver's face.

In a future issue, will be a column about "What happened to the REAL men in Nascar?"

Have you noticed how some driver's come off as a kid that spent a lot of time, locked in their locker at school, while pulling a wedgie out of their butt?

Mark

P.S....imawreck2@nascarstockcar.com will add your name to my notificationlist for future issue's...I promise to never share your email address with anyone...you see...I hate spam....about as much, as I hate getting locked in a locker, pulling a wedgie out of my butt!