Gordon, Earnhardt Jr. ready for 2006

 

By Dustin Long
dlong@news-record.com

Their 10-week experiment over, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. enter next season hopeful that they'll contend for the championship.

Gordon and Earnhardt, the sport's two most popular drivers, both used the final 10 races to make changes after failing to make the championship chase. Gordon (11th in points) finished outside the top 10 in points for the first time since 1993. Earnhardt (19th) had his career-worst finish.

Both teams changed crew chiefs near the end of the season. Rookie Steve Letarte joined Gordon, and Tony Eury Jr. returned to Earnhardt's team.

Gordon showed more progress during the final stretch. He had five top-10s in 10 races, including a win at Martinsville. Gordon also improved at 1.5-mile speedways, which had been a weakness most of the season. He struggled with his car's handling at those races until late in the chase when he finished second at Atlanta, 14th at Texas and ninth at Homestead.

"That's the kind of momentum we need," car owner Rick Hendrick said. "I look for them to be really strong next year."

Those late-season results suggest that Gordon and Letarte already are communicating well. Letarte made adjustments to the car that made Gordon comfortable in it. Gordon and his previous crew chief, Robbie Loomis, could not always do that. Gordon needed to find that comfort level again during the 10-race stretch so he could go fast again.

Gordon looked strong in the season finale at Homestead, where he led 39 laps and ran in the top 10 most of the race. His finish helped him climb to 11th in the points and earn a spot at the NASCAR Nextel Cup banquet next Friday in New York.

"I was just really thrilled the way we ended the season," Gordon said. "Not making the chase, we just tried to get some momentum and I feel like we have recently. And (Homestead) was a great run for us, out there leading and I felt like at one time I had one of the best cars."

That's something Gordon rarely could say most of the season after winning three of the year's first nine races. It's also something Earnhardt rarely could say at all this season.

After Earnhardt won a career-best six races and placed fifth in the points last year, Eury Jr. was moved off Earnhardt's team because the cousins constantly fought.

Earnhardt was paired with Pete Rondeau, who had limited crew chief experience. Although Earnhardt climbed up the points standings after a slow start, Rondeau was released in May because driver and crew chief were not communicating.

Steve Hmiel filled in as interim crew chief, but the team's equipment was no match for others and Earnhardt struggled to get top-10 finishes.

Eury joined Earnhardt at the start of the chase. Earnhardt got three top-10s during the chase but finished 40th or worse three times because of accidents. Earnhardt finished the season 19th in the points.

One change, though, was that Earnhardt and Eury seemed to be working better together than before and not arguing as much.

"I'm still having fun," Earnhardt said after placing 40th at Phoenix when a blown tire sent him into the wall. "I wish the season would keep going a little more. I've just gotten a rhythm where we're going to the track and being fast. We got a little bad luck, but we've got good cars."

Wallace, Rudd NASCAR Careers Coming To A Close

 

By TONY FABRIZIO
afabrizio@tampatrib.com

HOMESTEAD - -- The numbers change, the colors change, but many of the stars remain the same. Though not forever.

Even in NASCAR, where a marquee driver's career can span a quarter-century, turnover happens eventually. It'll come Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway when icons Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd make, in all likelihood, their final starts as full-time drivers.

Wallace is sticking to the retirement plans he announced 15 months ago. Rudd is taking at minimum a hiatus after starting every race in the past 25 years. When the checkered flag falls in the Ford 400, two thick chapters in NASCAR history will close.

"It's the last one, and I think some of the emotions are starting to set in right now," Wallace said. "When I start that race and get out of that car around 7:30 at night, it's going to be, 'OK, what's next? You're not going to get back in the car.'

"It's a little bit sad. I've been doing this my whole life. It's going to be an adjustment."

Wallace, 49, took Rookie of the Year honors in 1984 and has been a force ever since. He won only one championship (1989), but his 55 victories rank eighth all-time.

Never one to duck the spotlight, Wallace wanted to go out with a splash, and he's done so. His "Rusty's Last Call" tour has had more parties than an undefeated Florida Gators season.

Moreover, Wallace has accomplished his most important goal -- he is going out as a championship-caliber driver. He made the Chase for the Championship, no small task given that Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't make it. With a little more luck, he might still be within range of leader Tony Stewart.

"We had a bunch of great runs, and all of a sudden the world comes crashing in," Wallace said of his performance in the Chase -- he's eighth after climbing as high as second. "All the things that could go wrong went wrong -- loose lug nuts, flat tires, miscue on a pit stop.

"But all year long, it's been wonderful."

Rudd, also 49, actually has been around longer than Wallace in NASCAR's premier division -- since 1975. When he doesn't take the green flag in February's Daytona 500, one of the most remarkable streaks in racing, if not all of sports, will end.

NASCAR's iron man has made 787 consecutive starts, that's every race since 1981 and a record that probably never will be broken. Along the way, Rudd has won 23 races and finished in the top 10 in points 19 times. He was the 1991 championship runner-up.

To keep the streak going, Rudd has raced with injuries, postponed surgeries and thrown up in trash cans to rid his system of food poisoning. His toughness was best exemplified in 1984, when, after a spectacular end-over-end crash in the Busch Clash landed him in the hospital, he taped his eyelids open to race in the following week's Daytona 500.

At the time, he explains now, Rudd had just landed a top-notch ride with Bud Moore, and he feared that if he gave up the seat to a substitute driver, he might not get it back.

So he raced.

"When I got in the car [for Daytona 500 practice two days after the wreck], my face was still swollen and I had bruised and torn cartilage in my rib cage and other sprains and such," Rudd recalled. "Then, when I went into the corner, I couldn't see. It was like the lights went out."

Rudd first thought he had a brain injury but then realized his peripheral vision was being obscured because of swelling around his eyes. He came back into the garage, pulled a roll of duct tape out of the tool box and cut a few strips. He used them to tape his swollen eyelids to his forehead.

"You do what you have to do," Rudd says. "It wasn't for the media attention -- there wasn't much media around at the time. I guess it was part of my makeup."

Along the way, Rudd also picked up the nickname Rooster. A cartoon rooster has been painted on the back of Rudd's No. 21 Ford for Sunday's race.

"Roosters are feisty, and they're fighters," Darrell Waltrip told the Richmond Times-Dispatch in a story about Rudd. "That's how I view Ricky Rudd. He's real tenacious, a real feisty guy."

Rudd, who only announced his hiatus two weeks ago, plans to take some time off and consider his options. Since he's nearly 50 and wants to spend more time with his family, it's a long shot he will race full time again.

"It hasn't really registered yet that this is going to be the last one, potentially for good," Rudd said about Sunday's race. "It probably won't sink in until January testing when it cranks up and, for sure, February when the Daytona 500 cranks up and I'm not in the race."

Gordon, McMurray vying for $1M in last 400 miles

 

By B. Duane Cross, NASCAR.COM

It was the Drive for Five in '05 for Jeff Gordon. It was supposed to be a 36-race quest for his fifth Cup champion- ship. Instead, the season finale Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be a drive for five -- as in his fifth win of an otherwise disappointing year.

In addition to challenging for his fifth win, which would tie points leader Tony Stewart and Chase contender Greg Biffle, Gordon also is battling Jamie McMurray for 11th place -- and the $1 million bonus for being the highest points finisher outside the playoffs.

Gordon enters the weekend 10 points ahead of McMurray, who earned his first career pole position at HMS in 2003.

McMurray also finished 11th in points last year, and says Homestead promises to be "an all or nothing weekend for a number of teams including us."

"Even the teams that aren't racing for a position so to speak have something to prove," he said, "so the fans are going to see some very exciting and competitive racing on Sunday.

"We were hoping to go into this race with a firm grip on 11th-place in the standings and make those guys have to race us for the position. Unfortunately we had a tough go of it in Phoenix [18th-place finish] and we find ourselves 10 points out of 11th.

"Jeff Gordon is the guy we have to beat right now and that's going to be a tall order. We're just going to go out there and give it everything we have and we'll see how it all plays out."

In addition to Sunday's Cup race, McMurray also will compete in the Busch Series event Saturday in the No. 09 Dodge.

Despite the $1 million bonus, Gordon said 11th place isn't the team's focus. "If we do what we're supposed to do on the race track, it will work itself out.

"We didn't have the performances and we had some bad luck, which happens, and we didn't make the Chase," Gordon said. "As soon as we missed the Chase, we did a bunch of restructuring and changed how we were setting up race cars. We did drastic things that you can't do when you're in the middle of the season trying to make the Chase or in the Chase. It's so easy to do it when you basically have nothing to lose."

Gordon won three of the first nine races this season, but then hit the skids and careened out of the Chase picture with a 30th-place showing at Richmond in September. That race was the culmination of a 16-race stretch where the four-time champion's average finish was a dismal 22.1 with just four top-10 finishes.

In the wake of Gordon missing the Chase, crew chief Robbie Loomis stepped aside for Steve Letarte, who had served as car chief under Loomis.

"We just made a decision after we missed the Chase that these last 10 races we were just going to start trying things out and experimenting and putting different people in places and getting ourselves ready for 2006.

"The neat thing is that philosophy has been working for us and that gives us some momentum toend the season and that's what we really need so when we go into the off season, the guys in the shop are pumped up and excited about building cars and all the hard work that's going to come getting ready for Daytona and the rest of the season."

In the past six races, Gordon has accumulated 829 points -- sixth-best in the series -- and has a win, three top-five finishes and four top-10s.

"I think we have a little bit of new life in the team, which happens sometimes," Gordon said. "Sometimes you need to get a spark going and get some excitement. Sometimes it takes changes. We've got that right now.

"I like working with Steve Letarte. He's exceeded my expectations. He's been making some great calls. I'm looking forward to next season. We don't like finishing outside the top 10 in points. We want to make sure next year we're battling for the championship."

Roush: Busch 'used up his equity' with team

 

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - When Kurt Busch was suspended from Roush Racing for the final two races of the 2005 season, it afforded a rare look at the complex relationship between car owners and drivers.

Sometimes those relationships erode quickly. In Busch's case, his actions in Arizona were the straw that broke the camel's back.

Busch had been on the Roush Racing payroll for six full seasons, but dialogue between Busch and owner Jack Roush ceased as the season wore on.

Roush now says that he has not talked to Busch in a month, and it is unclear whether Busch will represent the team at next month's Nextel Cup awards ceremony.

Even with the two-race suspension, Busch is guaranteed 10th place in the standings -- and a spot on the stage at the ceremony.

"I don't know about the banquet. I'm not sure what convention requires or what Nextel will require there. I'm just not sure," Roush said. Roush said on Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway that reinstating Busch for the season finale was not an option.

"Kurt had been a challenge for everybody that interacted with him on the team at some time or other," Roush said."He used up his equity with his sponsors. He used up his equity with me."

Initially, Roush was going to let Busch finish the season, but as facts were collected, Roush reconsidered.

"When I heard of what happened on Friday night out there, I thought I could personally stand aside from it," Roush said. "I thought that we'd be able to go on through the two races here and get through it.

"As the news came in I didn't understand, first of all, how animated and how much difficulty the people had stopping him and talking to him. I didn't realize the angst that was there and the emotion that went with that and their willingness to report it and talk about it.

"Then, of course, the outrage in the broader community and the embarrassment that we felt for it, it was just time for Kurt to fix his problem and to let the rest of us move on."

Busch was scheduled to take part in track appearances at Homestead-Miami in conjunction with his Nextel Cup title reign, but those appearances were canceled.

Fennig has solid advice for NASCAR contenders !

 

Associated Press
November 17

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig has some advice for the contenders for this year`s NASCAR Nextel Cup title as they head into the season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway over the weekend.

Fennig is in a unique position to offer such help, since he helped Kurt Busch win the inaugural Chase for the championship last year and qualify again for this year`s 10-race playoff.

With Busch suspended for the final two races of the season by Roush Racing after being charged by police in Phoenix with reckless driving, his hopes of repeating as champion are long gone. But Fennig, who will work with substitute driver Kenny Wallace, knows what it takes.

``You`d like to qualify up front and try to get those five bonus points for leading a lap early in the race if you can,`` Fennig said. ``Last year, Kurt sat on the pole and we were able to get off to a good start right off the bat. That does a lot for everyone`s confidence.``

As for the teams, they need to double and triple check everything on the car and all of their pit equipment before Sunday`s race.

``You want to make sure that you don`t overlook anything as far as equipment goes,`` he noted. ``We might not be able to control what happens on the racetrack, but we can make sure all the bolts are tight and nothing falls off from being careless.

``There`s a lot of pressure on the pit crews and the driver in that last race, so it`s important to remain calm and concentrate on your job. It can all come down to one pit stop and you have to be ready.``

Fennig said another important thing is to worry about your own team and not about anyone else.
``I think it`s important for the driver to concentrate on his car and not worry about the competition,`` he said. ``You can`t control how the other guys are running, so just concentrate on what adjustments you need to make in your car and then race them at the end.``

A year ago, Busch was able to overcome a lost tire and finish fifth, just enough to beat Jimmie Johnson, who finished second, for the championship by eight points - the closest finish in the history of NASCAR`s top series.

Tony Stewart goes into Sunday`s race holding a 52-point lead over Johnson and is 87 ahead of third-place Carl Edwards. A finish of ninth or better by 2002 champion Stewart and he wraps up the title, no matter what the other drivers do.

Big Mouth Ends Season Early For Another Sports Star!

 

Last week, Terrell Owens big mouth got him kicked off the Eagles and out for the rest of the season. This week, Kurt Busch's big mouth (to a cop) gets him kicked off Rousch Racing and gone for the rest of the Nextel Cup Season.

------------------------

Busch out of the #97...NOW - Kenny Wallace IN, Busch suspended: been told by sources at the track that Kurt Busch, driver of the #97 Roush Racing Ford may not be driving the car at Phoenix today...no word on who would drive the car, if this is true....see the news about Busch's 'traffic citation' below.Kenny Wallace will drive the #97 Irwin Tools Ford at Phoenix, as he reported himself on Speed Channel's NASCAR This Morning. Roush Racing and NASCAR will be making an announcement soon.

UPDATE: Roush Racing's Geoff Smith said on Speed Channel's NASCAR This Morning that Busch has been suspended from Roush Racing for the final two races at Phoenix and Homestead, Kenny Wallace is in the car at Phoenix, no word on who will drive the car at Homestead.(11-13-2005)

Kurt Busch Statement: regard his reckless driving citation:"I regret the incident that occurred near the Phoenix International Raceway Friday evening where I received a traffic citation. It is important to understand that this citation is not alcohol related. I want to apologize to the Maricopa County Sheriff's department for my actions."(Kurt Busch Inc)(11-13-2005)

Kurt Busch charged with reckless driving: NASCAR driver Kurt Busch was detained on suspicion of drunken driving and cited for reckless driving after a confrontation with police near the track where the NASCAR champion is to race Sunday.

Busch was stopped Friday night after trying to avoid another car and running a stop sign about 2 miles from Phoenix International Raceway, said Lt. Paul Chagolla "As a result of the roadside investigation the deputy did take Mr. Busch into custody for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol," said Lt. Chagolla. Chagolla said the deputy smelled alcohol on Busch, but the driver refused to perform standard field sobriety tests. Busch did submit to a field breath alcohol test, and the device showed the presence of alcohol.

The deputy drove Busch to the raceway, where a sheriff's facility is located, to administer another breath test but the machine there failed. The deputy then decided to cite Busch for reckless driving and he was released, Chagolla said. Busch was spotted driving about 60 mph in a 45 mph zone, Chagolla said. A deputy tried to pull Busch over but there was some delay, Chagolla said. When he did stop, Busch was argumentative and uncooperative, Chagolla said. The deputy then called for a supervisor.Busch, the reigning Nextel Cup champion, is in Phoenix to race in Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500. Busch, eighth in points for the season, qualified 17th for the race. His team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said: "It's a traffic ticket as far as we know."(ESPN.com/AP)

UPDATE: NASCAR president Mike Helton was seen escorting Busch to a NASCAR hauler for a private meeting [at Phoenix]. Hunter also attended but refused to reveal any details of the meeting.

---------------------------------

Jack Roush explained in a pre-race interview with NBC how Owners and competitors in Nextel Cup hold ourselves to a higher standard than other sports and how sponsor contracts can be voided with conduct like Kurt Busch displayed over the weekend.

T.O. lost millions with his "holier than thou" attitude, and now Kurt has done the same.

It's been said that one of the reasons Busch went to Penske (to take over the ride left vacant by Rusty leaving), was to improve his reputation with the fans..

All I can say is....Kurt better continue to wear a hat...to hide his circumcision scar!

Mark

Drivers To Watch At Phoenix International Raceway

 

Drivers To watch at Phoenix

by Greg Engle - Cup Scene Daily,

As the Series gets ready to duke it out in the Valley of the Sun this Sunday, it will be a contest of the ‘Chasers’ and the ‘Non-Chasers’. Those drivers not in the hunt for the championship will be looking to finish the season on a high note, while those who are in the running for the Chase for the Cup will be trying to grab a good finish in preparation for the final race of the 2005 season at Homestead in just one short week.

Mark Martin sits in his vehicle on pit road after qualifying for Sunday's Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, Friday Nov.4, 2005, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Cup Here are you drivers to watch at Phoenix.

Carl Edwards cruised to his second straight victory last week in Texas and in the process gained 30 points on Tony Stewart with his fourth victory overall in his amazing rookie season. He’s now just 77 points off the pace with two races remaining in his quest to become the third different Roush Racing driver to win a championship in as many years.

Edwards has run in the top 10 six times in the last seven races since opening the Chase with a 19th in New Hampshire. Edwards finished seventh at Phoenix International Raceway in April, the best of his two finishes there. "The last two weeks have been awesome and our goals have definitely evolved throughout the year. My primary focus right now is to win this championship. Both Tony and Jimmie will be tough to beat, but this team isn't out of contention just yet," Edwards said.
"We're going to do everything we can to go out there and run up front and try to win this thing," he said.

Edwards wished his girlfriend, Olympic gold medalist Amanda Beard, happy birthday after winning at Texas. He should have done it after he won the October 30 race at Atlanta because Beard's birthday was October 29.

Factoid: Four short years ago Edwards made his pavement debut at Phoenix in the 2001 Copper World Classic.

Jimmie Johnson passed Stewart for fifth in the closing laps of last week's Dickies 500 and pulled within 38 points of the lead with two races to go. Johnson believes he's still got a chance at the championship with two races remaining.

"I would like to take the lead. To be in control isn't a bad thing, especially with a few races left. Where we are, especially from last year, we experienced a lot leading the points all year long," Johnson said.

Johnson has run four races at Phoenix with two top-10 finishes; he placed 15th in April, tying his worst effort there in his 2002 rookie season. His 9.5 average finish in Phoenix is second among championship-eligible drivers.

Johnson’s sixth place finish in this event last year marked his worst result over the final six races of 2004 as he made a furious comeback to finish just eight points behind Kurt Busch in the closest standings finish in stock car racing history. He also finished the 2003 season second to Matt Kenseth. Johnson is the only driver besides Edwards with two checkered flags during the Chase, winning at Dover and Charlotte; has run eighth of better in all but two of the first eight Chase races

Factoid: Johnson tested at Homestead this week in preparation for next weekend's season finale.

Mark Martin finished second to teammate Edwards in Texas, but it didn't really help him significantly in the standings, he’s 123 points off the pace but just one behind fourth-place Biffle. Martin is tied with Kenseth for the most top-fives during the Chase, including that runner-up finish last week in Texas.

"We've had some really strong runs in the last couple of races. These cars that they are giving me are awesome and it's a lot of fun to drive them. We had a really good car this past weekend at Texas and we almost pulled it off, but we just lost out to the best car," Martin said.

Martin has competed in all 18 races at Phoenix, scoring one victory and 13 top-10 finishes. His only Phoenix victory came in October 1993. He finished 16th in April.
Martin finished 16th here in April but his 9.055 average finish on this track leads all Chase drivers.

Factoid: No matter whether Martin is successful in overcoming the odds in the next two races to win the championship, he is buoyed by the accomplishments of this season. "I've had the best racing season of my life," he said.

Matt Kenseth led 149 laps from the pole and finished third last week in Texas for his fifth top-five during the Chase. The 2003 series champion managed only one top-10 in last year's 10-race battle for the championship, but has posted back-to-back top-fives to improve three spots to sixth in the standings, 135 points back.

Engine trouble led to a 36th in this event last year and his bad luck here continued in April when an early accident saddled him with a 42nd; has recorded 15 of his 16 top-10s and each of his 11 top-fives over the last 22 events; won this event in 2002 and followed with a sixth here the following year.

"I'm looking forward to this weekend in Phoenix. We're coming off a good run in Texas. It felt really good to lead all of those laps. I don't know if we can still win this thing, but we can certainly continue to move up, and our whole team is focused on that," Kenseth said.

Factoid: Kenseth will be competing in the Busch Series event Saturday in the No. 17 Waste Management Ford. In his five Busch Series starts at Phoenix, Kenseth has three top-10 finishes.

Ryan Newman’s slide to the rear of the Chase field continued with his 25th-place finish in Texas. That 25th-place finish dropped him out of a tie for fourth to seventh place, 174 points out of the lead. Newman's weekend at Texas went down the tubes on his qualification attempt Friday when he won the pole on his first lap but crashed on the second lap, forcing him to start at the rear of the field in a backup car.

Newman has competed in six races at Phoenix, scoring two top-10 finishes. He finished 14th at Phoenix in April, his third straight top-15 finish there. Newman's 19.666 average finish at Phoenix ranks sixth among the Chase drivers. "The team is really anxious to get back to Phoenix," Newman said. "The last two weeks have been rough on us. We've had a fair amount of success at PIR and we're ready to find that again this weekend."

The Ryan Newman Foundation is hosting its first charity dinner on Friday in Scottsdale, Ariz. Proceeds from the event will go to the foundation as well as the Arizona Animal Welfare League and the Maricopa County Animal Care & Control. More information can be found at www.ryannewmanfoundation.org.

Factoid: Newman will be driving chassis PRS-55, which won at New Hampshire.

Kurt Busch finished 10th in Texas, but his biggest victory came a day later when he was released from Roush Racing and freed to go drive for car owner Roger Penske next season. Busch now sits 281 points behind Stewart, more than can be made up in a single race. Busch ranked first in the point standings after 34 races one year ago and went on to record his first Cup championship, by just eight points over Jimmie Johnson.

Overall in 2005, Busch has scored 18 top-10 finishes in 34 races this season.
Busch has competed in six races at Phoenix with four top-10 finishes, including a victory in April. He has a 12.0 average finish at Phoenix, third among the Chase drivers.

"I feel good about Phoenix this weekend," Busch said. "Phoenix is a track where I have a lot of experience from my Southwest Tour Series and Truck days. With good finishes in the past there, our team is poised for a top-five run there.

We picked up our first victory of the year at Phoenix in April, and we're bringing the same car this time around, so we're looking for another solid run.”

Factoid: Busch will be driving the same car (chassis No. 52) that won at Phoenix in April, and it will be in the blue-and-yellow paint scheme of IRWIN Industrial Tools. This chassis has finished first or second in six of its 10 starts and also won at New Hampshire and Homestead.

Jeremy Mayfield became the first driver to be mathematically eliminated from the Nextel Cup championship after finishing 35th at Texas. He trails first-place Tony Stewart by 407 points, more than can be made up if all drivers start in the two remaining races.

This team has become the Atlanta Braves of NASCAR — successful in making the playoffs, only to be eliminated early. Mayfield has posted one top-10 finish in the 2005 Chase, a seventh at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

"We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there. Only two races are left to get back on track. The problem isn't for a lack of effort. Anything that could go wrong seems to have gone wrong since we made the Chase," Mayfield said.

He has competed in 11 races at Phoenix, scoring just one top-10 finish, second in November 2000. He finished 13th at Phoenix in April. Mayfield has a 26.363 average finish at Phoenix and ranks last among the Chase drivers in average finish here.

Factoid: Mayfield ranked 10th in the point standings after 34 races one year ago.

Rusty Wallace was strong the entire race at Texas, but decided not to pit for tires under the final caution and dropped from fourth on the restart with 11 laps to go to 22nd and he now trails first-place Tony Stewart by 315 points, more than can be made up if all drivers start in the two remaining races.

In his final season, Wallace has scored 24 top-15 finishes in 34 races. He is making his first appearance in the Chase and has scored three top-10 finishes in the first eight races in the Chase.
Wallace has competed in all 18 races at Phoenix, scoring one victory (October 1998) and eight top-10 finishes. Wallace's 16.888 average finish ranks fifth among the Chase drivers.

"The thing about racing all these years at Phoenix is that the figures just don't do us justice. We really should have us about four or five wins there, not just the one. We've finished second several times there and really should have been to Victory Lane more than once," Wallace said.

Factoid: Wallace will drive the car he named "The Predator" at Phoenix. He first drove it at Martinsville on April 18, 2004, where he led the final 45 laps en route to claiming the 55th win of his career. Its last outing was in the Sept. 10 Richmond race, where Wallace started 15th and finished a strong fifth

Greg Biffle likely saw his shot at the title slip away in Texas by finishing 20th, worst of the Roush Racing drivers. He spun out twice, once on the front stretch after Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Chevrolet took the air off his rear spoiler on lap 83 and in the fourth turn on lap 291. He now trails first-place Tony Stewart by 122 points after the eighth of the 10 Chase races. He arrived at Texas 75 points out of first. The last time Biffle ran at Texas, he dominated the 500-mile race in April; leading 219 laps to drive to an easy win.

Biffle has scored four top-10 finishes in the first eight races in the Chase. His worst Chase finish of 27th came at Talladega.

"It looks like we're not out of it, but it's going to take a big turnaround for us to be on the podium in Homestead," Biffle said.

Biffle has run three races at Phoenix, his best effort there was a 13th in 2004. He was 41st in April. Biffle has a 23.0 average finish at Phoenix; ranking ninth among the Chase drivers in average finish there.

"I love racing in Phoenix," Biffle said. "I've had a lot of success out there in the Busch and Truck series, and we had a good run going there in the spring in the Cup car until that incident on pit road took us out of the race."

Factoid: Biffle will be racing the same car he used at Phoenix in the spring.

Tony Stewart finished sixth in Texas, and his lead over Jimmie Johnson was cut to 38 points. But he's become the master of bonus points, leading three laps to earn a five-point bonus. He's scored 50 bonus points for leading laps during the Chase, the most among the Chase drivers. Stewart has been first in the standings for six weeks. Stewart, who has six top-10 finishes in the first eight races of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, has won at both of the remaining venues — Phoenix in 1999 and Homestead-Miami Speedway in 1999 and 2000.Stewart is closing in on his second Cup title and merely needs to drive at a consistent pace the next two weekends to win the championship.

"With the last couple of weeks the way they've been, we've been able to stay pretty consistent in our point margin. With only two weeks to go it probably makes it a little easier on us to just worry about doing what we've been doing," Stewart said.

If the old points system still was used, Stewart would have a 302-point lead over second-place Greg Biffle and a 339-point lead over third-place Jimmie Johnson, enough to clinch the championship if Stewart were to finish 41st or better in the last two races

Stewart has competed in seven races at Phoenix with four top-10 finishes, including a victory in 1999. Stewart has run USAC Midgets, USAC Silver Crown cars, Indy cars, Supermodifieds, a NASCAR Busch Series car and a Nextel Cup car at Phoenix, in fact Stewart's last win at Phoenix came behind the wheel of a USAC Midget during the 2000 Copper World Classic.
He placed 33rd at Phoenix in April, his worst finish there.

Factoid: Stewart will drive chassis No. 63 at Phoenix. This car won at New Hampshire in July and finished second there in September, and it also finished second at Martinsville last month

Others:
Jamie McMurray: Phoenix has not been one of McMurray's better tracks; his best finish in four starts there is 12th. Car owner Chip Ganassi on Monday released McMurray from his contract so he can drive for Roush Racing in 2006. ...

Jeff Gordon: Gordon has 11 top-15 finishes in 13 races at Phoenix, including 10 top-10s. But Phoenix is one of only four active tracks where Gordon has not scored a victory. Chicagoland Speedway, Homestead and Texas are the others. ...

Elliott Sadler: Sadler said his goal in the last two races is simple — "Man, we just want to win a race." But Phoenix has not been one of his better tracks. He has one top-10 finish in seven starts there. ...

Kevin Harvick: Harvick thinks he can gain points this week in his quest to finish 11th. Harvick is 14th, 81 points behind McMurray. "We had a top-five car back in the spring race before running out of gas on the last lap," he said.

Greg Engle, the Editor of the Cup Scene Daily is seeking employment within the motorsports journalism industry. If you are interested, please contact him at:greg@cupscene.com