Bring On The 'Bama Big One, Baby!

 

Welcome to another edition of NASCAR Wrecks.

Last week, while you were watching the Nextel Cup action at the "Monster Mile". I was trackside in Watkins Glen (my hometown) to witness the return of open-wheeled racing, after a 20+ year absence.
The Indy Racing League visited "The Home of American Road Racing" for the first time and quite frankly...It Sucked!

Here's why: it had nothing to do with the fact that Danica was racing, or that Dan Wheldon would win the IRL Championship..or even the fact that there was only 20 cars in the entire field, which meant...the cars would go by, then you would wait, and wait (beer and burger), and wait (more beer) until they came back around again. On what I consider, the most beautiful three plus miles of racetrack in the country. (Mark.. aren't you a little biased towards the Glen?...Damn skippy, I am)

Nope, what sucked was....I fell out of my little brothers damn truck getting firewood and shoved about a cord of upstate New York's finest cherrywood, right up my tuchas...okay, it didn't actually insert...but it was damn close....I am pretty sure that my lower vertebra became a "slinky" at that point and now all my pants are too long... which led to an immediate epidural (shots and beer) back at the campsite....Having sphictner splinters still hurts like hell, but, I'm going to "Cowboy Up" through the rest of this issue, before I inhale another handfull of Motrin and ask "Miss Warmth" (the ol' lady) to climb three flights of stairs to change the channel...Hey, I dropped the remote and it's a good two feet away...okay..

While Jeff Gordon won't be among the 10 drivers battling for the Nextel Cup championship when he competes in UAW-Ford 500 on Sunday, it could prove to be a race important in his quest for NASCAR history.

Has anyone noticed this season where Gordon failed to finish seven races and that he has won three races bringing him just four shy of the 76 career races won by Earnhardt Sr. Earnhardt was 49 at the time of his death. Gordon is just 34.Should Gordon find himself in victory lane Sunday, the win would also put him alongside Earnhardt in a couple of categories in the record book.

Gordon is one shy of Earnhardt's record of 11 wins on restrictor-plate tracks. He is also poised to tie Earnhardt's record of winning three restrictor-plate races in a season.Earnhardt won the Winston 500 and DieHard 500 at Talladega in 1990 as well as the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. Gordon won the Daytona 500 in February and won the Aaron's 499 at Talladega in the spring. In 25 career starts at Talladega Gordon has posted four wins, 11 top-fives and 14 top-10s.

Dale Jr. heads here not only as a favorite but also as the defending champion of this event. Last year he started fifth and led 78 laps en route to his fifth victory at Talladega; overall he has finished first or second in seven of his last eight races. He also holds a track record of four consecutive victories from Oct. 21, 2001 to April 6, 2003. In fact Dale Jr. has led laps in 10 of his 11 career races; the only race he didn’t lead a lap was his very first (April 16, 2000).

So the focus on the 10 drivers in the "Chase" won't be as huge as it's been for the last two races. There are 33 other drivers in the field that are all vying to play the spoiler Sunday.

Keep this mind, they are the two Chevrolets in the Chase, and they are at a track where Chevrolet has everything going for it. Ford has not won at Talladega since 1998 and Dodge has yet to win there since the brand's return in 2001.

However, only one of the ten "Chase" drivers has won at Talledega.
Here's a tip on who it is:...His sponsor's product can turn a man into a human tri-pod!

Mark

P.S. Erin Crocker...(NASCAR's version of Danica Patrick...I bet she loves that) will be in a Ray Evernham car forthe Busch race Saturday..and the sponsor is..."Betty Crocker!" No, really..it is...

Dominating Dover!

 

First, late breaking news...that's about as fresh as a flood in New Orleans.

Michael Waltrip and NAPA today announced they have entered into a partnership with Bill Davis Racing for the 2006 Nextel Cup Series season.

Bill Davis Racing hasn't visited Victory Lane since 2002. But with the addition of a second car and solid sponsorship next season, Michael Waltrip says he is optimistic the team can contend for a victory at Daytona International Speedway in February and eventually work its way into the top 10.
Uh...okay!

The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series heads back to the Dover International Speedway for the second and final time in 2005. The Monster Mile will provide plenty of fast and furious action as the second race of the Chase for the Championship kicks of Sunday at 12:30.

Yes, that means you have to wait that long till Bill Weber (NBC/TNT Anchor) can soothe your "need for speed" with his "cutting edge" commentary on a sport, he has proven so far this year...He knows nothing about!

Ryan Newman will head to Dover this week riding a wave of momentum after climbing from 10th to third with his first win in nearly a year in the Sylvania 300. That timely win, which ended stretch of six races where he finished no better than 12th, moved him within 40 points of Tony Stewart for the lead and 20 behind second-place Greg Biffle.

Now, Newman could be setting himself up for the sort of championship charge made by Busch last year as he arrives at a race where he is the two-time defending champion.

In seven Dover starts, Newman has four top-five and six top-10 finishes, including three victories. Newman led 325 of the 400 laps in the 2004 MBNA RacePoints 400 at Dover and swept the 2003 Cup races there. With an average finish of 6.71 at Dover, he is second only to Stewart among the top 10 drivers.

Factoid: Crew chief Matt Borland is taking chassis PRS-46, aka "Monster," to Dover. It earned its nickname after winning the 2004 fall race at Dover, and it finished fifth at Lowe's Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway this year.


Tony Stewart led six times for a race-high 173 laps at New Hampshire International Speedway before finishing second after Newman passed him with two laps to go. For his efforts he collected just five fewer points than the race winner. The finish widened his standings lead from five to 20 points. The finish was also his 13th straight top-10 finish, two more than Biffle for the series lead.

In 13 Nextel Cup starts at Dover, Stewart has finished out of the top 10 twice, an 11th in June 2002 and a 15th last June. He has two wins, nine top-fives, a sixth and a seventh there. His average Dover finish is fifth.
.
Factoid: Stewart swept both 2000 Dover races on the way to becoming the winningest Cup driver that year with six. Eight others have swept both Dover races in one season.

Greg Biffle barely hung on to his second in the standings after falling 20 points off the pace following his fourth-place finish at last week's Sylvania 300. He did stage a rally coming from a starting spot of 26th to claim his fifth straight finish of sixth or better.

He’s tied with Tony Stewart for the circuit lead with five victories and is second with 11 top-fives. In the June race at Dover, Biffle led 150 laps on his way to his fourth win of the year. Besides his Nextel Cup victory, he has two Busch Series wins at Dover and a second-place finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In six races at Dover, he has one win, one top-five, two top-10s and no poles. "Dover has always been a pretty good track for me," he said.

Factoid: Biffle's team is taking chassis RK-275 to Dover, the same car that won at California Speedway in February.

Jimmie Johnson finished eighth at the Sylvania 300 and dropped two spots and rolls into Dover 53 points off the pace. On the plus side the finish at New Hampshire was his first single-digit finish in five races since placing fifth at Watkins Glen last month, on the downside it might seem that Johnson is in the throes of his annual late-season stumble that has cost him series championships in each of the last two years He has won twice this season but not since the Coca-Cola 600 in May.

Johnson won the pole but finished fourth at the MBNA RacePoints 400 here this summer. He has completed 2,621 of 2,800 laps in his seven starts at Dover. He has an average starting spot of 8.9 and average finishing spot of 13.4 and owns two victories at Dover, both in 2002. Johnson said he has to alter his driving style for the Dover concrete surface. "Yes, a little bit because you really have to recognize when you are being abusive to the car and as a result to the tires."

Factoid: Johnson has an average starting spot of 12.7 in his career and an average finishing position of 12.8. He has finished on the lead lap 103 times.

Rusty Wallace will stage a “Last Call’ here this weekend. Wallace kicked off his pursuit of a second series title by finishing sixth in the Sylvania 300, which dropped him one spot to fourth in the standings, tied with Newman and 40 points behind Stewart. In his last 12 races, Wallace has eight top-10 finishes, including five top-fives and has been running at the finish in a series-high 40 consecutive events - not bad for someone retiring at the end of the season. He took this race back-to-back in the 1990s, winning in a Pontiac in 1993 and a Ford in 1994; ran fifth after starting 11th here in the MBNA RacePoints 400 in June.

When the Wallace biography is finally completed, it should contain a chapter on the special relationship he has enjoyed with Dover — three wins, 10 top-fives, 21 top-10s and five pole positions. He has about $2 million in career winnings on the Monster Mile.

Factoid: Wallace's affection for the Monster Mile goes much further than just what has occurred on the track the last 20 years. A longtime friend was Melvin Joseph, a Dover board member and vice president and director of auto racing who died suddenly in April.

Mark Martin is one of just two drivers eligible for the "Chase" who has yet to win this season, joining Rusty Wallace. Martin slipped one spot to seventh in the standings after a seventh-place finish last week at New Hampshire. That run ended stretch of four finishes outside the top 10 and he now has just one top-10 finish in his last 12 races.

Martin ran third after starting 12th in the MBNA RacePoints 400 here in June and that gives him a record of three top three’s in his last three starts at Dover — a win, a second and a third. This will be his 39th start at Dover, where he has won four times. Three of Martin's wins at Dover came in the fall. The four wins tie for the most at the track.

Factoid: Martin posted his first career Busch Series win at Dover in 1987. He has four poles at Dover and started in the top 10 in 23 of his first 29 races there. Martin also holds the race record of 132.719 miles per hour set in his 1997 win.

Matt Kenseth continued his amazing run up the points ladder with a third-place finish at the Sylvania 300. He was 20th after the Pepsi 400 in July and appeared to have no chance of making the Chase but has scored a remarkable six top-five finishes since - including a win at the Sharpie 500 - to climb to fifth, 50 points behind leader Tony Stewart.

The 2003 series champion managed just one top-10 finish in last year's Chase but has matched that total already and is one of the hottest drivers on the circuit.

In 13 Cup starts at Dover, Kenseth has finished in the top 10 seven times with one pole. His first Cup start came at Dover in September 1998 as a substitute for Bill Elliott. "We had a good run there in June (finishing seventh), and I think we'll be in good shape for this weekend," Kenseth said.

Factoid: Kenseth's team is bringing chassis RK-39 ( that car boasts a record of four top-10 finishes in five starts this season).


Jeremy Mayfield may have dropped one spot to eighth in the standings, 95 points back, with his 16th-place finish in the Sylvania 300 but he continues to avoid trouble and stay in the hunt with 20 finishes in the top 20 in his last 24 races. He has scored a win this year, at Michigan on August 21, which helped lift him into the Chase. Bad news for Mayfield though, he has just four top-fives all year, by far the fewest of any Chase contenders.

Mayfield has three poles, four top-fives and seven top-10s at Dover. He shattered the Monster Mile qualifying record in June 2004 with a speed of 161.522 mph and 22.288 seconds; the record had been 22.967 seconds at a speed of 156.747 mph. He won the pole in both races last year. His best Dover finish (second) was in the 2003 fall race.

Factoid: Mayfield ranks first in laps completed (99.4%) among drivers who have run in all the Cup races this year.

Kurt Busch has a mighty tall hill to climb the next nine weeks. He took a nosedive from fifth to 10th in the standings, 142 points back, after a crash in lap 3 when Scott Riggs wrecked his Ford Taurus last week at New Hampshire.

Busch’s misfortune is a reversal from last year, when he won the first Chase race at New Hampshire and rode the momentum to his first series title. Busch has three wins this season, including the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond two weeks ago.

Busch has started 13th or better in his last seven appearances at Dover, a streak that has resulted in three top-10 finishes, including fifth in this race a year ago.

"It's a track similar to Bristol, almost like a bigger brother to that track, being a mile in length at Dover vs. a half-mile in Bristol," Busch said of Dover. "But our success at Bristol hasn't translated as well to Dover."

Factoid: Busch's first start in NASCAR's premier series came at Dover on Sept. 24, 2000 that day he qualified 10th and finished 18th in the No. 97 John Deere Ford Taurus
No. 97 Ford for Roush Racing. He won the inaugural Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover that same weekend.

Carl Edwards seems to be slumping at the wrong time; he fell from eighth to ninth in the standings, 109 points down, after a 19th-place finish in the Sylvania 300. That finish adds to his nine finishes of 12th or worse in the last 12 races.

Edwards in his first full year on the Nextel Cup circuit, is one of five drivers from Roush Racing eligible to win the title but may become the team's first forgotten man should he continue to slide. He’s also in contention for the title on the Busch circuit, where he is fourth; last driver to win the Busch title and finish in the top 10 in the Nextel Cup was Kevin Harvick in 2001.

Edwards has four starts at Dover (two in the Truck Series and two in the Cup Series). His best Truck Series finish was 14th, and his best Cup finish was 16th last spring. In the Cup Series, Edwards has an average starting position of 11.5 and an average finish of 17th. "Handling is really important at Dover," he said.

Factoid: CNN will be the primary sponsor of Edwards' No. 60 Busch Series car at Dover.

Here's the real factoid.....All of the drivers are going to be "milk toast" nice to each other on Sunday....as a result of the few bad apples last Sunday!

My choice for a checkered flag this Sunday at "The Monster Mile"......look out for that #6 car!

Mark

Hey, Anyone Seen The ATM?

 

Robbie Gordon & Kasey Kahne are truly NASCAR wrecks!

After wadding up their cars and then, trying to do the same to the Nextel Cup cars of Michael Waltrip and Kyle Busch. Instead of going to theinfield care center for the mandatory check-up, following a Nascar wreck. They both needed to find the closest ATM, so they could have cash-in-hand, when they went into the principle's office (NASCAR trailer) to get detention for their actions on and off the track!

I couldn't agree more with Greg Engle from "Cup Scene Daily"....

Greg,you took the words right out of my mouth!

NASCAR wasted no time in handing down punishments for last Sunday’s incidents at New Hampshire, issuing a slew of reprimands Monday less than 24 hours after the checkered flag dropped on the Sylvania 300.

Robby Gordon walks onto the track to exact his revenge on Michael Waltrip after Waltrip and Gordon got together on the backstretch. And despite indications that the sanctioning body would come down hard on those involved in Sunday’s rash of incidents up to and including suspensions, Monday’s fines and points losses seemed to say otherwise.

Robby Gordon was fined a total of $35,000 and docked 50 points in the driver standings for intentionally trying to hit Michael Waltrip's car during Sunday's race, throwing his helmet at Waltrip's car, and cursing during a television interview.

Kasey Kahne was fined $25,000 and docked 25 points in the driver standings for intentionally hitting Kyle Busch's car as retaliation for an earlier accident. In addition to those penalties, both Gordon and Kahne were placed on probation until the end of the season.

Both their car owners were also penalized. Ray Evernham, Kahne's car owner, was docked 25 points, and Jim Smith, the owner of Gordon's car, was docked 50 points.

Also penalized yesterday was Michael Waltrip, who was fined $10,000 and 25 points for pointing the wrong finger during the televised broadcast and having a bad hairdo during his interview, okay not really I’m making that part up. His car owner, Teresa Earnhardt was also penalized 25 points, although she doesn’t know it yet because her teenage daughter, Taylor, has been using her cell phone and no one can get through to let her know.

Now let’s put that in perspective:NASCAR drivers all make at least 6 figure salaries. A nice paycheck that is well deserved and hard earned. But let’s face it, for most of us working stiffs if we were given just one paycheck equivalent to that of a NASCAR driver, we would faint then after we woke up, move to Hawaii buy a condo and never be heard from again. And if you or I were fined $10,000 for something.

It would destroy most of us. We’d be out behind Joe’s Appliance Warehouse looking for an empty refrigerator box to live in. But this isn’t about our world, it’s about NASCAR’s world and that means that there’s ‘NASCAR money’ and ‘Real World money’. The exchange rate is running about $1000 to $1, meaning that every $1000 a NASCAR driver makes is equal to about $1 in the real world.

When all is said and done that means that when you add up all the fines handed down from NASCAR to the drivers in question from this weekend, it something along the lines of a speeding ticket to you and me.

No big deal. And despite all the crowing from NASCAR about parking drivers and the like, Kahne and Gordon will sign their checks made out to NASCAR this week and endure their ‘super-secret’ probation for the rest of the year. It’s ‘super-secret’ because no one in the history of NASCAR has ever really figured out just what probation in NASCAR really means.

So why didn’t NASCAR park these guys?

The only plausible explanation of course is that Gordon and Kahne still has certain ‘compromising’ photos he took of mousier’s Helton and Hunter at last summers NASCAR company picnic and while we can’t reveal exactly what’s on them, let’s just say they involve the lack of clothes and swimming in Lake Lloyd.

I’m kidding naturally, but the point is this:
If a driver gets swept up in the emotions of a race, go ahead cuss like a sailor; throw your helmet at another guy who’s safely tucked away inside his car. But when you start using your 3400-pound stock car as a weapon against another driver, whatever the reason, you need to be sent home so you can watch the next race on TV from the comfort of your very own living room; end of story.

That’s the proper stance for NASCAR to take; a stance that needs to be taken before someone gets hurt, seriously.

Knock, knock, anyone home?

Thanks Greg, Oh BTW, (this just in) for telling the truth....using the same scale NASCAR does for issueing fines..That'll be $13 and you have to listen to Bill
Weber call an entire race!

Your right....that is a little harsh...how about just the 13 bucks....
Mark
'

Gone, Gone, Gone!

 

Welcome to another issue of Nascar Wrecks...

This week, boys and girls, we tell the tale of what happens when your Nextel Cup driver misses "The Chase"

Loomis leaves...Kyle Petty, CEO of Petty Enterprises, today announced that crew chief Robbie Loomis will be the executive vice president of race operations. In his new role, Loomis will head the day-to-day operations of Petty Enterprises and its two full-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams -- the #43 Dodges driven by Jeff Green and the #45 Dodges piloted by Petty.

"We are excited that Robbie will be rejoining Petty Enterprises," Petty said. "Robbie won races as a crew chief here, and then won a lot of races and a championship with Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports. We have great respect for the entire Hendrick organization, and know that Robbie's experience with the Hendrick team has prepared him well for the role he will take on at Petty Enterprises.

( uh.. would that be...oh, I don't know...finishing in the back?)

Robbie Loomis will direct our entire race operation, and we expect his experience and his ability to mold a team to help us get to the next level. Robbie has been a part of our family for a long time, and we'rehappy to have him come home."

(OMG, who wants a hug!)

Our next story is about a man that isn't exactly gone per-say...let'sjust say...he's back where he belongs with family...

(I'm gonna puke)

Dale Earnhardt Incorporated announced Wednesday that, starting this weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway, Tony Eury Jr., will take over as crew chief for the #8 Budweiser Chevy. Eury Jr., who has been crew chief for DEI’s #15 Chevy this season, will be reunited with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who Eury Jr. worked with for eight seasons prior. The two will be paired for the remaining races of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season in preparation for 2006 where they will compete together for the NASCAR championship. “This is the best plan for us as a company,” Eury Jr. said. “We haven’t been in the same pit box this year, but we’ve been working closely as a team. Looking at where we want to be for 2006, it made sense to switch now and get that much further ahead.”

Now, if only NBC could get Alan Bestwick 'back home' in the booth with Wally and Benny....and send Bill Weber to a local dirt track for the rest of the year...

Mark

Richmond Refugees

 

Richmond Refugees

Because when the checkered flag falls late Saturday night, there will people left behind.

It will not only determine a winner of the event, but also mark the end of the ‘Race for the Chase’.

The field will be set with the ten competitors who will make that final 10-race run in the “Chase for the Nextel Cup’, beginning with the race at New Hampshire.

And while the top six positions are locked in, the positions behind that are still open for discussion. The math shakes out like this:

The most points a winner can score in a race are 190. The drivers ranked seventh to 10th in the standings are all just 145 points or less ahead of 11th-place Ryan Newman. The drivers 11th through 17th in the standings are all 174 points or less behind 10th-place Jamie McMurray.

That means 11 drivers will be battling for the four remaining spots. And 11 drivers racing for four spots equates to a Saturday night short track battle that could make Bristol look tame by comparison. According to Greg Engle ~ Cup Scene Daily.

Among all the drivers who are on the outside looking though, perhaps no one has more motivation then four-time champ Jeff Gordon. Gordon fell from his secure 10th place position to12th-place after his 21st-place finish Sunday at California Speedway. He comes into Richmond 30 points behind McMurray.

“It's intense pressure going into one single race, and you'll remember last year, seeing what all those guys that were battling to get into the top 10 were going through, and seeing what Jeremy Mayfield pulled off,” Gordon said Tuesday.

”I mean, we're kind of in that same situation where, you know, we're not in the best position, but anything is possible, especially on a short track like Richmond.”

Die-hard Nascar fans look at this one like it's the Daytona 500.

BTW...who won the Daytona 500?

Yep, he'll be in it..

Mark

The Last NASCAR 'Nextel Cup' Series Schedule

 

The 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series schedule was announced today, a 36-race slate starting with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 19 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 400 on Sunday, Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In addition to those 36 “points” events, there also will be two “non-points” events – the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona set for Feb. 11.

The NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge on May 20 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

The two 150-mile qualifying races for the Daytona 500 – the Gatorade Duel at Daytona – will be held on Thursday, Feb. 16.

There are no schedule changes from 2005 in terms of sites. Two tracks, though, have “swapped” race weeks.Next season, Richmond International Raceway’s spring race will be held on May 6, with Darlington Raceway’s event on

May 13; this season, Darlington preceded Richmond.Also, Kansas Speedway’s 2006 event will be held Oct. 1, followed by Talladega on Oct. 8; this year, Talladega precedes Kansas.

New Hampshire International Speedway again will host the initial event in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, the 10-race stretch that ends the season – and determines the series champion.

The third annual “Chase” will commence Sept. 17 at NHIS. Starting times and television information will be available at a later date.

Feb. 11 Budweiser Shootout - Daytona International Speedway*
Feb. 19 Daytona International Speedway
Feb. 26 California Speedway
March 12 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 19 Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 26 Bristol Motor Speedway
April 2 Martinsville Speedway
April 9 Texas Motor Speedway
April 22 Phoenix International Raceway
April 30 Talladega Superspeedway
May 6 Richmond International Raceway
May 13 Darlington Raceway
May 20 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge - Lowe's Motor Speedway*
May 28 Lowe's Motor Speedway
June 4 Dover International Speedway
June 11 Pocono Raceway
June 18 Michigan International Speedway
June 25 Infineon Raceway
July 1 Daytona International Speedway
July 9 Chicagoland Speedway
July 16 New Hampshire International Speedway
July 23 Pocono Raceway
Aug. 6 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Aug. 13 Watkins Glen
Aug. 20 Michigan International Speedway
Aug. 26 Bristol Motor Speedway
Sept. 3 California Speedway
Sept. 9 Richmond International Raceway
Sept. 17 New Hampshire International Speedway
Sept. 24 Dover International Speedway
Oct. 1 Kansas Speedway
Oct. 8 Talladega Superspeedway
Oct. 14 Lowe's Motor Speedway
Oct. 22 Martinsville Speedway
Oct. 29 Atlanta Motor Speedway
Nov. 5 Texas Motor Speedway
Nov. 12 Phoenix International Raceway
Nov. 19 Homestead-Miami Speedway

You may be wondering why it's titled
"The Last NASCAR 'Nextel Cup' Series Schedule" ?

The Series will be named "Sprint Cup Series"
after the merger between Nextel and Sprint goes thru
for 2007.

Mark

Katrina Gets The Cash

 

"I can't thank my crew enough," said Edwards, who won $89,076. "I'm going to donate my winnings tonight to the hurricane relief fund. We're thinking about you guys."

That was Saturday, after the Busch race.

"It's unbelievable," Kyle Busch spoke after winning $224,765 in the Sony HD 500 Sunday night, "But I wouldn't be able to do it without the support of all those people down in Louisiana and Mississippi. This is fun and joyful for us, but they're going through some hardships and hard times right now and I dedicate this win to them."

"Hey Mr. H," Kyle referring to car owner Rick Hendrick, "I'm giving all winnings tonight to the relief fund, how about you?" Rick shakes his head in agreement, "I saw Carl Edwards do that last night and thought what a cool thing to do!"

Busch became the third first-time race winner in 2005, joining Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne and became the 12th different race winner in 2005. Busch has scored nine top-10 finishes in 25 races in 2005.

Not only did this twenty year old become the youngest winner in NASCAR's highest division, but he led 95 laps, the most laps that he has led in a single race in his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup career.

"My nerves were getting to me," said Busch. "I think I've had enough of that. That was just unbelievable. It's kind of like my first win in the NASCAR Busch Series. You’ve got Greg Biffle hunting down your rear spoiler -- and he's just working there and working there. To be able to beat all 42 competitors out here on the NEXTEL Cup Series level. It's just amazing. It's been a great task. It's been a hard road for us. But these No. 5 team guys deserve it so much. We should have been here at least five times or so but we haven't been able to close the deal. But tonight we did."

One to go before "The Chase"...

The most points a winner can score in a race is 190. The drivers ranked seventh to 10th in the point standings are all just 145 points or less ahead of 11th-place Ryan Newman The drivers ranked 11th thru 17th in the current point standings are all 174 or less behind 10th-place Jamie McMurray.

Eleven drivers will be racing for the four remaining unsecured spots in the Chase to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup at Richmond:

So who's got a chance of making it ?

Jeremy Mayfield, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, and Elliot Sadler.

Dale Jarrett, Kevin Harvick, Joe Nemechek, and Brian Vickers have a have a mathematical shot to make it in...But, I seriously doubt it.

If Mayfield is 39th or better at Richmond, he's in. Carl Edwards gets locked in with a 19th or better finish, regardless of what any other driver does.

"Yeah, but Mark...you assured us that Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr. wouldbe there."

Jeff Gordon , who's hopes seem to fade by the minute, "We sucked" is how Gordon summed it up, and when asked if Richmond and his history there is his best shot, Gordon replied, "I'm not the one to ask about performance of the past being the indicator, we haven't performed all year, we're either great or we stink, what we've done in the past makes no difference"

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s day went from bad to worse. Earnhardt started 41st on the field and moved into the top-20 by lap 55, but started complaining to his crew that there was a lack of power in the car. The engine erupted in smoke on lap 211, ending his evening and all hopes of making the Chase for the Championship.

“Oh yeah, it blew up big time," Earnhardt Said, "It had really run like hell most of the night and it finally broke. It’s a real disappointment to have a car that handled real well in the corners early in the race, but we were getting killed on the straights. I couldn’t keep up with anyone unless I had an advantage off the corner.”

The Nextel Cup Series moves to Richmond International Raceway next Saturday night for the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 under the lights. TV coverage of the race will start at 7:00 pm EST on
TNT.

I fully expect Bill Weber (TV race anchor) to say something moronic by 7:03 pm.

Mark

P.S...Please make a donation to help out our neighbors along the Gulf Coast. The best list I've found of groups that are in the region and doing what needs to be done right now can be found at:

http://www.interaction.org/katrina

Please copy and paste this message to friends, family and all of your NASCAR buddies.

Katrina And California

 

Katrina And California

This is going to be a very long issue and if you just want to get to the racingpart, please scroll way down the page.

First, Katrina...

It seems to me it would be almost sacrilegious to write about anything in this issue other than the massive misery and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina.

NASCAR fans and just about everyone involved in the sport is and will be contributing either time and/or money to help those afflictedin the Gulf region.

Being a broadcaster for 26 years in the southeast and being on airin Houston during a terrible flood a dozen years ago. After, finally having a few days to really think about what we can do. Everyone(including myself) suggested giving money to the Red Cross.

I've heard some things about the Red Cross which makes me think twice about that organization. I've heard from veterans of World War II who said the Red Cross would come close to the front lines where our boys were fighting with hot coffee and donuts... and then... charge them for this "service". I don't know if this is true but, I've heard numerous stories like this from a number of different people.

And then after the terrorist planes hit on September 11, millions, tens of millions, perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars were donated to the Red Cross for the express purpose of helping the 9/11 victims. Unfortunately, a large portion of that money was NOT given to the victims of 9/11.

The Red Cross then explained when money is donated to them, they put it all into a big pot and distribute it to people who need it, as the Red Cross sees fit. That's sure not how the generous people who donated money to the Red Cross specifically for the victims of 9/11 intended it to be used.

Also, there has been somewhat of a scandal a few years back about the executives of the Red Cross siphoning off a good deal of the money donated to that organization. The funds were not used for humanitarian purposes... but rather... put into these executives' own pockets.

Don't get me wrong. I don't mean to paint the Red Cross with a black brush. It's just I am now skeptical about how they use the money they get from all generous citizens who want to help their far-away neighbors experiencing unexpected suffering. Like with Hurricane Katrina.

So I would like you to make up your own mind by offering a link to a verycomprehensive web site that not only details what relief organizations are currently engaged in the Gulf coast region, but also describes the scope and scale of their activities.

I'd like to encourage you to go over this list, read about the missions each one of these groups is involved in, select one you feel an affinity towards and make a contribution today.

Recovery from this disaster will be a long, multi-stage process, but there is an immediate need right now to provide food, water, and medical attention to the people who have lost their homes and means of support.

This is the best list I've found of groups that are in the region and doing what needs to be done right now.

http://www.interaction.org/katrina

Please copy and paste this message to friends, family and all of your NASCAR buddies. Time is of the essence.

Racing at Michigan West.....

The California Speedway is very similar to Michigan Speedway.You need to have an aerodynamic car, but you've got to have the horsepower to pull it, too. You can't have one and not the other and expect to win the Sony HD500 race.

California is a track where a driver can search for different grooves,

This trip to California could spell the end of the season -at least in terms of the Chase for the Nextel Cup- for several teams who are ‘on the bubble’ for the coveted tenth place spot in the points.

Here are your drivers to watch at the Sony HD500 at California Speedway.

Tony Stewart stretched his lead in the standings to 213 points with an eighth in Bristol last week. That was his 10th consecutive top-10, a streak that includes each of his five victories this season

Greg Biffle is back where the hot streak started and he is the leader among the ‘Roushkateers’ and took the checkered flag here in February leading a total of 46 laps before finishing .231 seconds ahead of second-place Jimmie Johnson to win the first of his five victories this season.

Carl Edwards, Biffle’s Roush Racing teammate, moved up a spot to eighth in the standings this week despite a 24th in last week's Sharpie 500.

Elliott Sadler won last year's inaugural Labor Day weekend race here afterit replaced Darlington, a race that had occupied that spot on the calendar for 39 years. It was that victory here that clinched his spot into last year's "Chase" and stands as his most recent win.

Gordon is the only driver to win more than once here with three wins, including the Auto Club 500 last spring when he crossed the start-finish line 12.871 seconds ahead of teammate Jimmie Johnson, establishing the largest margin of victory at California to date.

Jimmie Johnson is a native of El Cajon, California and recorded his first career victory on this track in 2002. Johnson rolls in here is second in the standings and clinched his spot in the "Chase" with a 10th in Michigan two weeks ago.

Rusty Wallace is on a bit of a hot streak and after he takes the green flag,he'll be locked into the "Chase"

The next issue of NASCAR Wrecks will be on Monday.

Take Care and God Bless All of You,

Mark