served by picapp.com

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (aka: the Brickyard) is home of the Indianapolis 500 and is highly regarded as one of the most prestigious tracks in all of motorsports. After taking a week off, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will now return to the Brickyard for the fifteenth time in a race whose prestige to NASCAR regulars is rivaled only by the season opening Daytona 500. In the previous 14 trips to the track, Indianapolis has produced only three multiple winners in NASCAR, and only two of them will be in the field on Sunday - Jeff Gordon (4 wins) and Tony Stewart (2 wins), with Dale Jarrett being the other. With the garage area finally being able to weed their way through much of the notorious Silly Season and a week of R&R in the rearview, the drivers will hit the track on Sunday more focused than ever as the countdown to the Chase begins to wind down.

Recent Winners:
2007 - Tony Stewart
2006 - Jimmie Johnson
2005 - Tony Stewart

Recent Polesitters:
2007 - Reed Sorenson
2006 - Jeff Burton
2005 - Elliott Sadler

the Usual Suspects:
As previously mentioned, Jeff Gordon has four wins at Indianapolis, which is tops amongst all drivers in NASCAR. Equally impressive, though, is that he also has 7 top-five’s and 10 top-ten’s through 14 races at the track, both of which are also the best in the Sprint Cup garage area. His 16th place run here in 2006 was his worst since he finished 33rd back in 2000, but he was able to rebound with a 3rd place effort last season. Though he is still without a win 19 races into the 2008 campaign, Gordon’s quietly been creeping his way up through the points standings, and the no. 24 team is beginning to show signs of life again - which could mean very bad things for the other 42 cars out on the track.

Tony Stewart seems to be getting back to enjoying life once again, and there are few places he likes to visit better than the Brickyard, as he has proven with wins here in 2005 and 2007. He’s going to need some strong showings to secure his place in the Chase, as I’m sure he’d love nothing more than to give the Coach one more championship before departing at the end of the season.

Indianapolis has yet to be conquered by the driving prowess of Kyle Busch, but then again, there were a lot of places Kyle had never won at prior to this season. He’s gradually improved each year he’s been here, though, going from 10th to 7th, and finally cracking the top-five with a 4th place finish last year ….. Kevin Harvick had his opportunity to kiss the bricks with his win here back in 2003, and another opportunity to do that would really straighten his season out as he continues to recover from his mid-season slump. He’s finished 11th or better in six of his seven races at Indy ….. Matt Kenseth has never won at the Brickyard before, but he’s been very consistent. In 8 races here, he’s cracked the top-five on four occasions, which includes a pair of runner-up finishes, and he’s finished 16th or better in each of his last six Indy races.

the Unusual Suspects:
Juan Pablo Montoya has run very well in a stock car at almost any track that they also race in the open wheel circuits, and Indianapolis was no exception last year as he finished 2nd in that race. With Pocono and Watkins Glen up next on the schedule, JPM could be looking at a pretty good stretch ahead ….. Brian Vickers has finished 21st or better in three of his four Indy races, which includes a 3rd place finish back in 2005. He’s been running much better this season and could be staring at a potential berth in the Chase field. He ran well at Pocono earlier in the season, a track that many feel shares similar characteristics to the Brickyard ….. Reed Sorenson has come to Indy only twice. The first trip resulted in a dismal 30th place finish, but last year’s visit was much brighter as Reed won the pole and then went onto finish 5th in the race itself.

the Unusual Slackers:
In three races at Indianapolis, Martin Truex Jr. has never finished better than 12th and holds an average finish of just 24.3. This is not a good place for Martin to be right now, either, considering that his team was just handed a 150 point penalty by NASCAR, and he’s going to need plenty of good runs if he plans on having any shot at making the Chase this year ….. Hometown crowd or not, Indy has not been kind to Ryan Newman thus far in his career. Seven times Newman has come home to Indiana with high expectations, but 2002 was the only one that resulted in a top-ten finish, when he finished 4th. He has only two top-15’s here since then ….. Despite winning the race here in 2006, Jimmie Johnson has experienced some unusual struggles here. The results haven’t typically been very indicative of how he’s run, but nonetheless, he’s got three finishes outside of the top-35 in only six tries. His other finishes were a win, a 9th, and an 18th ….. Greg Biffle has seen his share of struggles at Indy as well. In five races here, he’s finished in the top-ten only once, and only twice in the top-15. His overall average finish at the track is 19.2.

Best Driver Ratings (from racingone.com):
1. Tony Stewart - 121.4
2. Juan Pablo Montoya - 120.7
3. Kevin Harvick - 108.7
4. Matt Kenseth - 106.1
5. Mark Martin - 102.9

Best Average Finish (from racingone.com):
1. Juan Pablo Montoya - 2.0
2. Kyle Busch - 7.0
3. Tony Stewart - 7.6
4. Jeff Gordon - 7.6
5. Kevin Harvick - 7.7

Indianapolis Facts:
- 3rd is the only starting position to produce more than one winner at Indy. Three drivers have driven to victory from the third spot. The 1st and 2nd starting positions have produced one winner each.
- Four drivers have driven six different car numbers at Indianapolis: Bill Elliott, Joe Nemecheck, Jeff Green, Kenny Wallace.
- Dave Blaney is the only driver to have driven five different car makes at Indy. He has driven Pontiac, Ford, Dodge, and Chevy twice each here, and has also driven a Toyota once.
- Only four drivers have finished in the top-ten in each of the last three years: Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and Mark Martin.
- Jeff Burton has led more laps at Indianapolis than at any other track that he has not won at.
- The second NASCAR race held here, back in 1995, saw only one caution flag during the race. In 2004, there were 13 cautions.
- Chevrolet has won 9 of the 14 Cup races held at Indy.

Six-Pack Challenge:
Winner - Jeff Gordon
2nd Place - Kyle Busch
3rd Place - Mark Martin
4th Place - Tony Stewart
5th Place - Matt Kenseth
6th Place - Clint Bowyer

Lock of the Week - Tony Stewart
Sleeper Pick - Juan Pablo Montoya
Steer Clear of - Greg Biffle

Video Footage of the 2007 Allstate 400:

Image details: Daytona 500 served by picapp.com

This week, NASCAR returns to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400, one of the biggest races of the year on the Sprint Cup schedule. With Daytona being one of NASCAR’s two restrictor plate courses, the track has fallen under quite a bit of scrutiny over the years. While it’s still loved by many, there are still those that feel as though things tend to get a bit overhyped whenever the series heads down to Florida. But, whether you love it or you hate it, one thing cannot be denied, and that is that the 50th running of the Daytona 500 held here this past February was one that brought plenty of excitement. In fact, some believe that race was actually one of the Car of Tomorrow’s shining moments to date.

Recent Winners:
2008 - Ryan Newman
2007 - Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick
2006 - Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson
2005 - Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon

Recent Pole Winners:
2008 - Jimmie Johnson
2007 - “Cancelled Qualifying”, David Gilliland
2006 - Boris Said, Jeff Burton
2005 - Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett

the Usual Suspects:
Despite the fact that he hasn’t won a Cup race all season long and that he’s been under the microscope this season in regards to his contract situation, Tony Stewart remains one of the favorites to win this Saturday. Along with boasting the highest driver rating over the last 7 races at the track, Tony has also won this race twice before (’05 & ‘06), and also holds the track record for most laps led in a 400-mile race when he led 151 circuits back in 2005. Additionally, Smoke leads all active drivers in the series with wins between June through August since 2003 with 12 of them to his credit. He also led the most laps at this year’s 500, only to lose the lead on the final lap of the race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is certainly considered the fan favorite to win the race this weekend, and rightfully so. Dale owns two Cup victories at Daytona himself, and has recorded 10 top-ten finishes over 17 starts. He ran very well during the Daytona 500 in February and at times appeared as though he might grab a victory in his very first start with Hendrick Motorsports, but eventually faded away near the end. Now that he’s finally broken his winless streak by taking the checkered flag at Michigan, perhaps the no. 88 team’s been able to relieve themselves of enough pressure to regain Jr’s status as the master of restrictor plate racing.

Both Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have seen their share of dominant days at Daytona. Gordon leads all active drivers with 6 wins here, and Johnson had a stretch of five consecutive Daytona races with a finish of 6th or better, which also included a win at the 2006 Daytona 500. Since that win, however, Johnson has recorded only one top-ten finish in the four races since, and he finished 27th here in February. Gordon’s last Daytona victory came at the 500 the year before.

Amongst the other favorites to win this weekend is Kevin Harvick, winner of the 2007 Daytona 500. Harvick has struggled at the track since then, finishing 34th last July and 14th earlier this year. He’s also had his struggles over the last few weeks of the season, but also known as one of the best night racers in the series, a return to Daytona could be just what the doctor ordered … Kyle Busch’s over all numbers at Daytona seem to be about middle of the road, but you can pretty much chalk that up to a few bad runs earlier on in his career. He’s finished inside the top-five in 3 of the last 4 trips to Daytona, to include a pair of runner-up finishes, and he finally picked up his first restrictor plate win earlier this year at Talladega … Kurt Busch may have gotten the monkey off his back with his win last weekend at New Hampshire, and it could’ve come at just the right time. With the number 2 time finding themselves in a much deeper hole than they could’ve ever expected to have to climb out of this late in the season, there might not be a track they’d rather visit more than Daytona. He has still yet to add a Daytona victory to his championship resume’, but he’s always considered a favorite here with 7 top-five finishes over 15 races. He has finished as the runner-up here on three occassions.

the Unusual Suspects:
When you start to think about sleeper picks at Daytona, probably the first name that jumps out to you is the guy that beat Kyle Busch to the line in this race last year, Jamie McMurray. The 2007 victory was only Jamie’s second top-five finish at the track in his career, but don’t let the numbers fool you. McMurray’s been a solid performer here ever since he started running full-time in the Cup Series, but as has been the case so many times throughout his career, he has been the unfortunate victim of bad luck more often than not.

Elliott Sadler has run well here at times, especially as of late. He has finished 6th in three of the last four Daytona races, and also scored a pair of top-five’s here back in 2001 … Brian Vickers has had a great run for his Red Bull Racing team over the past couple of months, and Vickers is especially known for his restrictor plate prowess. Though he typically runs stronger at Talladega, he does have a pair of top-ten’s at Daytona, and finished 12th here in February … Robby Gordon typically isn’t associated with many tracks other than road course races, but you may be surprised to learn that he is currently working on a string of five consecutive top-15 finishes at Daytona.

the Unusual Slackers:
It’s not very often that folks will make it a point to drop Denny Hamlin from there fantasy rosters for an upcoming race, but a trip to Daytona could call for such action. Not only has Denny failed to record a single top-15 finish in his five trips to Daytona, but his average finish of 27.0 actually matches that of JJ Yeley … Carl Edwards has been one of the top performers of the season, and is heavily considered to be amongst the true championship contenders this year. That does not mean, however, that he’s necessarily solid at every track on the schedule. Carl has only one top-ten finish in 7 Daytona races, which was a 4th place run here last July. He was unable to use that for any kind of momentum, however, as he then finished 19th here in February … Carl’s teammate, Matt Kenseth, hasn’t had much better luck taming Daytona, either. With only one top-five to his credit and an average finish here of 22.9 over 17 races, Daytona ranks amongst Matt’s worst tracks … Martin Truex Jr. is in dire need of a good run if he wants to return to the Chase for the Cup field this year, but if you ask him, Daytona’s not the best place to be given the current situation. Martin’s 13th place run here last July ranks as his best finish over six races at Daytona.

Best Driver Ratings (from racingone.com):
1. Tony Stewart - 108.1
2. Ryan Newman - 98.6
3. Jimmie Johnson - 95.5
4. Kyle Busch - 95.3
5. Kurt Busch - 93.0

Best Average Finishes (from racingone.com):
1. Clint Bowyer - 13.0
2. Jimmie Johnson - 13.2
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 13.8
4. Sam Hornish Jr. - 15.0
5. David Gilliland - 15.7 

Daytona Facts:
- A Cup race at Daytona has gone without any lead changes on two different occassions, the last of which came back in 1963.
- The race has gone caution-free 12 times, most recently the Daytona 500 in 1971.
- The most drivers to ever finish on the lead lap at Daytona is 33. Eight races have seen only one driver finish on the lead lap, most recently in 1976.
- In 122 Cup Series races at Daytona, only 10 times has the winner come from outside of a top-15 starting position. 55% of the races have been won from the top-five, and 23 winners have started from the pole.
- Only four drivers have ever won both the Daytona 500 and the July race at Daytona in the same year: Fireball Roberts, Cale Yarbrough, LeRoy Yarbrough, and most recently, Bobby Allison in 1982. Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500 this year, giving Penske Racing their first-ever restrictor plate victory. 

Storylines for the Weekend:
Hendrick Motorsports has recently announced the release of Casey Mears from the no. 5 car next season. They’re expected to make an announcement on Friday in regards to whom will fill the seat in 2009, and heavy speculation at this point is that the announcement will involve the legendary Mark Martin … Though he is not on this weekend’s driver entry list, DEI has named the young Aric Almirola as the full-time driver of their no. 8 car in ‘09 … In a surprise move, Chip Ganassi Racing announced earlier in the week that they would be forced to shut down operations on their no. 40 car, which until then had been driven by 2007 Indy 500 winner, Dario Franchitti, due to a lack of sponsorship opportunities … This weekend’s Cup entry list includes Boris Said (making his 2nd start of the season) and Sterling Marlin (making his 6th start). Marlin leads all drivers on the entry list with 589 laps led at Daytona - 57 more laps than Tony Stewart, and 78 more than Jeff Gordon … Kerry Earnhardt will run the no. 8 entry in the Nationwide Series this weekend, marking his first official start in a DEI car in a NASCAR event.

Six-Pack Challenge:
Winner - Tony Stewart
2nd Place - Jimmie Johnson
3rd Place - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4th Place - Kurt Busch
5th Place - Kyle Busch
6th Place - Greg Biffle

Lock of the Week - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Sleeper Pick - Brian Vickers
Steer Clear of - Martin Truex Jr.

Video - Jamie McMurray wins the 2007 Pepsi 400

Recent Winners:
2007 - Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin
2006 - Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch
2005 - Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart

Recent Pole Winners:
2007 - Clint Bowyer, Dave Blaney
2006 - Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman
2005 - Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers

Best Driver Ratings (from racingone.com):
1. Tony Stewart - 117.9
2. Jeff Gordon - 108.7
3. Ryan Newman - 102.7
4. Denny Hamlin - 102.4
5. Kevin Harvick - 102.0

Best Average Finishes (from racingone.com):
1. Denny Hamlin - 6.5
2. Jeff Gordon - 9.8
3. Matt Kenseth - 10.5
4. Jimmie Johnson - 10.7
5. Ryan Newman - 11.1

Most Wins - Jeff Burton (4)
Most Wins (Active) - Jeff Burton (4)
Most Poles - Ryan Newman (4)
Most Poles (Active) - Ryan Newman (4)
Most Top 5’s - Jeff Gordon (9)
Most Top 10’s - Dale Jarrett (14)
Most Manufacturer Wins - Chevrolet (12)
Track Qualifying Record - Ryan Newman (28.561 seconds / 2003)

Odd Facts:
- Four active drivers on the Sprint Cup roster have earned their first career victory at New Hampshire: Joe Nemecheck (1999), Robby Gordon (2001), Ryan Newman (2002), Clint Bowyer (2007)
- Ryan Newman has led a lap in every New Hampshire race since entering the Cup Series, with the exception of the Fall race in 2006.
- Four active drivers have competed in all 26 Cup races ever held at New Hampshire: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby LaBonte, and Joe Nemechek.

Six-Pack Challenge:
Winner - Matt Kenseth
2nd Place - Denny Hamlin
3rd Place - Ryan Newman
4th Place - Kevin Harvick
5th Place - Tony Stewart
6th Place - Kyle Busch

Lock of the Week - Denny Hamlin
Sleeper Pick - Jamie McMurray
Steer Clear of - Kasey Kahne

Through 55 years of racing at NASCAR’s top level, the Wood Brothers have established themselves amongst the all-time winningest teams in the sport’s history with an accumulated 97 wins amongst the organization. The organization has housed such legendary names as Cale Yarbrough, David Pearson, Davey Allison, AJ Foyt, Tiny Lund, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd, and Dan Gurney. The team made history in the late 70’s when they were invited to the White House by former U.S. President, Jimmy Carter … Yet, Wood Brothers Racing has not visited Victory Lane since Elliott Sadler’s 2001 win at Bristol Motor Speedway, and the organization has been relegated to one of stock car racing’s proverbial laughing stocks in recent years.

With the team struggling, and the evolution of the NASCAR economy seeming to work against them and the Ford Racing program, team owner Glen Wood sought to keep the driving program afloat by signing veteran drivers Bill Elliott and Ken Schrader to drive the no. 21 Ford for the team in 2007. The end result, however, was less than desirable as the combination failed to net the Wood Bros. a single top-ten finish, and much hasn’t changed in 2008 with Elliott again behind the wheel this year, this time being complimented by Jon Wood on occassion.

So, what does a team do when they’ve fallen so far off of the mark of excellence that they themselves established so long ago? They go out and fetch themselves the 31-year-old Aussie that’s largely credited with the revival of Ford Racing in Australia - Marcos Ambrose. Adequately named the “Tasmanian Devil,” Ambrose, a former Formula Ford Euro Cup and 2x former V8 Supercar Championship Series champion, broke into the NASCAR scene in 2006 when the Wood Brothers / JTG Racing partnership signed Ambrose to compete in full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series. Not being cleared by NASCAR to compete in the first three races of the season, Ambrose was limited to 22 races in which he garnered 4 top-ten finishes, including a pair of 3rd place runs at Nashville and Kansas.

The team then set Ambrose’s sights on the Nationwide Series in 2007, where Marcos tallied 6 top-ten runs through 35 events and ultimately finished 8th in the overall points standings, and was the third highest ranked non-Cup regular in the standings. 2008 has gotten Marcos off to a bit of a slower start in the series, where he currently sits 13th in points, but a 2nd place run at the road course in Mexico earlier in the season prompted a callup from the Wood Brothers this past weekend at Infineon.

Slated to make his long-awaited Sprint Cup debut behind the wheel of the famed no. 21 Ford Fusion, Ambrose got the weekend off to a great start when he was the 7th fastest during qualifying, and then led the final practice session on Saturday. Looking to prove his road course prowess was no joke and that he belonged at NASCAR’s premier level, Ambrose then established himself as one of the top cars in the field and definitely one of the guys to beat on Sunday, though looking at the box score following the race, you’d have never known it unless you’d watched the race yourself.

Marcos ran with the leaders and stayed up around the top-five all day long, even when pit strategies shuffled several of the other race leaders back into the pack. Only some unprovoked contact from Elliott Sadler late in the race kept him from getting the finish he deserved, and yet, even after a 42nd place run, both Ambrose and the Wood Brothers organization were rather upbeat following the race.

“Just awesome,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it. Here I am, passing Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, racing with Earnhardt Jr, it’s just fantastic. It’s what I dreamed about, what I dreamed it would be like. It’s certainly like that. It’s just fantastic. It’s just a real shame we couldn’t finish the race.”

While most people probably find it tough to see the silver lining in a 42nd place finish, those that have followed the Wood Brothers throughout the years know that they’ve been far from competitive the last few years, and that even though the finish wasn’t indicative of the good run, it’s a huge morale booster for the organization to have a car run as well as Marcos did on Sunday. Ambrose is now scheduled to compete in seven more Cup events in the no. 21 car, including next weekend at New Hampshire and the August road course race at Watkins Glen.

*Credit photo to Newscom.

Recent Winners:
2007 - Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards
2006 - Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne
2005 - Jeremy Mayfield, Greg Biffle

Recent Pole Winners:
2007 - Jeff Gordon, JJ Yeley
2006 - Jeff Burton, Kasey Kahne
2005 - Joe Nemecheck, Ryan Newman

Best Driver Ratings (from racingone.com):
1. Carl Edwards - 112.3
2. Kurt Busch - 106.8
3. Greg Biffle - 105.4
4. Jimmie Johnson - 104.7
5. Matt Kenseth - 104.1

Best Average Finishes (from racingone.com):
1. Carl Edwards - 7.3
2. Matt Kenseth - 9.7
3. Denny Hamlin - 10.0
4. Jeff Gordon - 12.5
5. Martin Truex Jr - 12.5

Most Wins - David Pearson (9)
Most Wins (Active) - Bobby LaBonte (3)
Most Poles - David Pearson (10)
Most Poles (Active) - Jeff Gordon (5)
Most Top 5’s - Cale Yarbrough (21)
Most Top 10’s - Bill Elliott (29)
Most Manufacturer Wins - Ford (30)
Track Qualifying Record - Ryan Newman (37.069 seconds / 2005)

Odd Facts:
- David Pearson, Cale Yarbrough, Bill Elliott, Rusty Wallace, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett, and Mark Martin have combined to win 45 of the 77 Cup races at Michigan, or 58.4% of the races.
- The track record for a 400 mile race at Michigan is 173.997 mph, whereas the record for a 500 miler is only 139.254 mph. That’s an average 34 mph slower for that extra hundred miles! This weekend’s race is 400 miles.
- A Cup race at Michigan has gone caution free on three separate occassions, most recently in 1999. The most cautions at MIS? Only 10, which came in August of 2006.
- Five times has a Michigan race ended with only 2 drivers on the lead lap. The last time was in 1975.
- Roush-Fenway Racing has more wins at Michigan (10) than they do any other track.
- A driver has won from the pole position at Michigan 15 times. Last weekend at Pocono marked the first time this season such a feat had been accomplished.

Six-Pack Challenge:
Winner - Greg Biffle
2nd Place - Carl Edwards
3rd Place - Tony Stewart
4th Place - Kasey Kahne
5th Place - Matt Kenseth
6th Place - Jimmie Johnson

Lock of the Week - Carl Edwards
Sleeper Pick - Brian Vickers
Steer Clear of - Clint Bowyer

We all know that Joe Gibbs Racing has established themselves as the powerhouse of the field at this point in time. We know that Roush-Fenway Racing has come a long way in figuring out this new car and that Hendrick Motorsports seems to have lost the edge that they had on everyone else last year. We’ve analyzed potential contractual signings every which way we could, and still found ourselves locked in a guessing game. Been there, done that, but perhaps one of the stories that we haven’t talked nearly enough about are two teams that are holding out hope of getting a driver into contention for the Chase for the Cup for the first time in their team’s history, and another that hasn’t fielded a Chase contender since 2004.

Once considered one of the top organizations in NASCAR, Yates Racing last visited Victory Lane back in the Fall of 2005 when Dale Jarrett drove the no. 88 car to a win at Talladega and the last time they were able to land a driver inside the top-12 in points was with Elliott Sadler back in ‘04. Since those days, the team has gone through a horrendous rebuilding stage and continue to struggle week in and week out to find primary sponsorship of their cars driven by Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland. Both are highly regarded as “underdogs” every Sunday when the series hits the track, and both have failed to land a top-five finish all season long. Still, they’ve continued to push forward, and have managed to turn a few heads along the way, particularly Kvapil. Coming into the season as a driver that nobody really paid much attention to, Travis admittedly got off to a rather slow start. But, something seems to have clicked within this team ever since a solid run at Phoenix turned sour and he finished 22nd. After that race, Kvapil sat 24th in points, but four finishes of 16th or better in the last six races - highlighted with a 6th place run at Talladega and an 8th place run in Darlington - have now moved Travis up six spots in the standings. He’s now 18th in points and trails 12th place, Tony Stewart, by only 150 points.

Red Bull Racing has been the team that quite a few people have been talking about as of late. With Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger behind the wheel for the organization, the team managed to qualify for only 40 races in a combined 72 attempts in their inaugural season in 2007. Coming into the season with both cars outside of the top-35 in points and forced to qualify on time, Allmendinger again missed out on the first three events of ‘08 before being replaced temporarily by veteran driver, Mike Skinner. Despite failing to finish inside of the top-25 in any of the five races that Skinner filled in, the move appears to have paid dividends. AJ has been able to take what he’s learned from Skinner and put it to good use on the track, first winning the All-Star Showdown at Lowe’s to make the cut for the All-Star event itself, and then scoring a career best 12th place finish last week at Pocono. Still, the focus of the media on this team has been placed with Brian Vickers, who appears to be on the verge of scoring the second Cup victory of his career. After a disappointing 2007 that brought him only 1 top-five and 5 top-ten’s, Vickers has been impressive on several occassions this year, though it may not always show up in the results column. He’s been strong on all of the superspeedways, but the team really started to turn heads when they established themselves as one of the dominant cars in the Coca Cola 600 before an equipment failure ended their day. Since then he’s bounced back with a 13th place effort at Dover and finished 2nd last week at Pocono. Brian has now moved up to 17th place overall and trails 12th by a mere 112 points.

Rounding out the list of underdogs making a charge towards the Chase is non-other than Petty Enterprises. Despite the fact that this team has more wins than any other organization in the history of the sport and a slieu of championships from when “the King” himself, Richard Petty, drove the car, the company hasn’t celebrated a win since 1999 when John Andretti won at Martinsville, and the closest they’ve come to a bid for the Chase was an 18th place finish in the standings last year from Bobby LaBonte. Now, nobody’s really sure who will drive the no. 45 car next year as Kyle Petty, Chad McCumbee, and Terry LaBonte have all failed to do much with the ride, but Bobby continues to press forward. Though he’s failed to score a top-ten all season long, he does have seven top-15’s and has gone the entire year without a DNF, something that has hindered the team in recent years. Additionally, he’s got six finishes of 18th or better in the last eight races, which started with a 12th place run at Phoenix, and LaBonte now resides in 19th in the standings, trailing his former Gibbs teammate in 12th by 159 points.

As many of the drivers in the top-12 continue to experience their share of misfortunes as they bounce back and forth between the bubble spots, this could be a prime opportunity for one of these teams to capitalize. But, with the recent emergance of guys like David Ragan, the resurgance of Matt Kenseth, and other perrenial Chase hopefuls such as Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr. standing between them as well, the guys currently in the top-12 may not be all they’ll have to contend with.

DYN Imposes:
This week, Do You NASCAR also asks its readers …

1. Which driver in these 3 organizations will be the first to score their first / next win?
2. Are consistent top-15 and top-20 runs going to be enough to land a driver in the Chase field?
3. Which of these teams has made the best organizational move(s) in the last 2 years?
4. Will any of these 3 teams get a driver into the 2008 Chase? If so, who?

*Credit photos to Newscom.

Image details: Dale Earnhardt Jr celebrates the win served by picapp.com

It’s another week off from points racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but this week brings us something a little different … NASCAR’s annual All-Star weekend from Lowe’s Motor Speedway. For those of you unfamiliar with the format of this great race, it’s very different from what you’ll find in Major League Baseball, or the National Football League, or the National Baskeball Association. Instead of the fans voting in the best of the best, here in NASCAR, the fans will vote in only one entry. The rest of the field will be made up of race winners of any Cup Series points race from either last year or this year, Cup Series champions and All-Star race winners from the past decade, and the top two finishers in the Sprint Cup Showdown (formerly known as “the Open”). If anything, I think the best comparison for the race would be to the Bass Elite Series of fishing. Go to nascar.com now to Vote For Your Favorite Driver that’s not already eligible for the All-Star Challenge itself.

The All-Star Race format itself (click on the link to see NASCAR’s own description of the entire race format) is rather unique as well. The race is divided up into four portions, or segments. The first segment consists of a 20-lap run, after which teams have the option to forefeit their track position in favor of a four-tire pit stop under caution. Segment 2 is another 20-lap run, but after this segment, NASCAR mandates a ten-minute stop for the teams, and the cars will return to the track in the same order that they ran at the end of the segment. Cars running at the back of the pack will be eliminated prior to the ensuing 20 laps that make up segment three, and then again prior to the fourth and final segment. Another mandatory pit stop will occur prior to the final segment, with the order of the field for the restart being determined by the order in which they exit pit road.

What’s At Stake?
So, if they’re not racing for points, why even bother, right? Wrong. Along with bragging rights, the winner of the All-Star Challenge will pocket $1 million. Second place … goes home with nothing but a used up car.

The Field
The following 21 drivers are already locked into the event: Martin Truex Jr, Kurt Busch, Casey Mears, Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Juan Pablo Montoya, Bobby LaBonte, Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Carl Edwards.

Another 29 drivers will be vying for either a ticket in via the fan vote, or by finishing in the top two spots in the All-Star Showdown. Follow the link for the complete Entry List for the All-Star Showdown.

What Else?
Pit selection for the teams will be determined by their finishing order in the annual Pit Crew Challenge. The Pit Crew Challenge will test teams’ speed, strength, agility, endurance, and accuracy to the limits. Last year’s competition was won by the Ryan Newman’s no. 12 crew for Penske Racing.

NASCAR will also putting on their first Burnout Contest. Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, and Greg Biffle will all hop into identically prepared Petty Enterprises cars to perform a full drag-style burnout throughout the course that NASCAR has setup. The contest will air prior to the Showdown race.

Broadcast
Coverage for the race itself begins at 7 pm eastern time on Saturday, May 17th live on Speed with Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds, Jeff Hammond, and Krista Voda bringing you the coverage. Please visit nascar.com for a complete schedule of All-Star coverage.

All-Star Race Stats & Fun Facts
- Most All-Star Wins:  Tie - Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt (3 apiece)
- First All-Star Race Winner:  Darrell Waltrip (1984)
- Most All-Star Showdown / Open Wins:  Sterling Marlin (4)
- Best Average All-Star Finish (Drivers Locked into the Race):  Jimmie Johnson (5.2), Jeff Gordon (6.3), Matt Kenseth (7.6), Ryan Newman (7.8), Bobby LaBonte (8.4)
- Number of Drivers to Qualify Via the Showdown / Open & Go Onto Win the All-Star Race:  2 - Michael Waltrip (1996), Ryan Newman (2002)
- Most All-Star Appearances: 19 - Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin (counting this year)
- Former All-Star Winners in the Field:  7 - Kevin Harvick (2007), Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2003), Mark Martin (2005, 1998), Matt Kenseth (2004), Ryan Newman (2002), Jeff Gordon (2001, 1997, 1995), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000)
- Former Cup Series Champions in the Field:  7 - Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Bobby LaBonte, Dale Jarrett
- First time entrants: Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya
- Number of Rookies to Win the All-Star Race:  2 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000), Ryan Newman (2002)
- Humpy Wheeler, President of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, has predicted a win from Carl Edwards. Humpy has been successful with his picks 8 times out of his 20 tries, and only twice in the last 8 years.

TZ’s Six-Pack Challenge (Bonus Round):
Fan Vote (worth 5 bonus points) - David Ragan
Showdown Winners (worth 10 bonus points each) - Kasey Kahne, Travis Kvapil
All-Star Race Winer (worth 25 bonus points) - Tony Stewart

For related articles, please visit RevJim’s NASCAR Ranting ‘n’ Raving as he runs through the NASCAR All-Stars and also go to Racing for the Win for Cesar’s predictions on Who Will Dominate the 2008 Sprint Showdown.

The votes are in, and I’ve tallied your winners. So, strap in, and let’s get you ringside for the first-ever NASCAR Mania! Enjoy!

Rookie Brawl - Five Way Elimination Match:
Patrick Carpentier and Regan Smith eliminated one another via a double countout. Dario Franchitti pinned Sam Hornish Jr via a Small Package. Then, Michael McDowell closed the match out by defeating Franchitti with his patented finishing move, the “Suicide Spin,” to pick up the victory. Following the match, Aric Almirola attacked McDowell from behind, claiming that he should have had the opportunity to compete in the match, stating that he, too, is a rookie - even if not by NASCAR standards.
Winner: Michael McDowell

East Coast vs. West Coast: Tag Team Match:
Elliott Sadler / Denny Hamlin vs. David Gilliland / Kevin Harvick
Hamlin and Sadler dominated more than half the match and appeared to have the victory well-in-hand when DaLana Harvick strutted down to ringside and distracted them. This gave Gilliland an opportunity to dropkick Sadler over the top rope, and the two proceeded to battle outside the ring. With the ref distracted, DaLana then slid Kevin a metal folding chair, which he smacked over Hamlin’s back before making the cover for the win.
Winners: David Gilliland & Kevin Harvick

Battle for the ESPN Booth:
Rusty Wallace vs. Dale Jarrett
The two battled one another feverishly, and the crowd was really getting into this battle of the legends. Late in the match, Rusty attempted to suplex Jarrett into the turnbuckles, but DJ blocked with his foot on multiple occasions before reversing it into a variation of his finishing move, “the Special Delivery.” He nailed the move and made the cover for the three count.
Winner: Dale Jarrett

Battle of the Legends … Sons:
Dale Earnhardt Jr vs. Kyle Petty vs. Casey Mears
Casey Mears was dominating the match, going to town on both of his competitors. After throwing Earnhardt Jr to the outside of the ring, he was setting Petty up for the kill. He stomped away several times to Petty’s right knee before applying the figure four leglock. Just when it looked as though Kyle was going to tap, though, Earnhardt scaled the top turnbuckle and signaled for his finisher, “the Whisky River!” He nailed it and proceeded to make the pinfall on the unconscious Mears.
Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Hair vs. Hair:
Jeff Gordon vs. Jimmie Johnson
In this highly anticipated battle of the villains, the momentum switched back and forth several times, but in the end, it was Jimmie Johnson picking up the win. He was able to land his “Three-Peat” after Gordon missed with the “Drive for Five.” Fans then watched on as Johnson proceeded to shave his tag team partner bald.
Winner: Jimmie Johnson

Loser Leaves Match:
Paul Menard vs. Robby Gordon
Despite the ramifications of this match, several fans in the arena chose to take an intermission at this time, and the pay-per-view channel itself even went to commercial. We’re told, however, that Gordon did pick up the victory and that Menard must now leave and never wrestle again. Incase you were wondering, yes, FOX coincidentally happened to have majority ownership in this ppv channel.
Winner: Robby Gordon

Tag Team Match:
the Busch Bros (Kyle & Kurt) vs. the Waltrip’s (Darrell & Michael)
Coverage of this event finally returned about five minutes into this matchup, at which time the Waltrip Brothers were well in control. They finally polished their foes off when Darrell reluctantly took Kyle out with the “Boogity Slam.” After the match, Darrell attempted to befriend Kyle, but the youngster just stormed out of the arena, refusing to offer his comments to reporters.
Winners: the Waltrip’s

Cage Match:
Jack Roush vs. Lee White
As several of the Roush and Toyota drivers surrounded the ring on the outside of the cage, these two enemies battled ferociously back and forth. Both men tried to escape the cage several times, only to be dragged back down. Finally, a bloodied Lee White attempted to crawl out through the cage door, only to have it slammed in his face by Carl Edwards. The impact knocked White out cold, and Roush was able to escape the cage with the victory!
Winner: Jack Roush

#1 Contenders Match:
Carl Edwards vs. Ryan Newman
Edwards stormed the ring like a madman and absolutely pounded Newman from pillar to post, scoring several near falls in the early goings. About 15 minutes into the match, however, Edwards appeared to be getting a little too cocky. As he was posing to the crowd, Newman staggered to his feet and attacked Edwards from behind. Newman’s offense lasted several minutes before setting Edwards on the top turnbuckle for a superplex. Edwards was able to push Newman away, however, and then proceeded to turn around and … he nailed Newman with a backflip from the turnbuckles! He made the cover and scored the win to earn himself a match with the winner of the Heavyweight Title match!
Winner: Carl Edwards

Heavyweight Title Bout:
Tony Stewart vs. Jimmy Spencer
The two men beat each other to a bloody pulp in an effort to be crowned as the first-ever DYN World Heavyweight Champion. Both men came close to getting the three-count on several occasions in this matchup that last nearly a half hour. In the end, though, it was Stewart walking away with the hardware after he punished Spencer with his devastating “Smoke Screen.” Stewart was immediately interviewed by Marty Smithson in the middle of the ring. As he drank his Coca Cola and snacked on two Subway Subs, the Champ talked about how he was looking forward to his upcoming match with #1 Contender, Carl Edwards. We’re still not really sure what it has to do with anything, but in the interview, Tony made several comments about blown tires and give ‘n’ take.
Winner: Tony Stewart

Well, the Sprint Cup Series returns to action this week, and what do ya know – seemingly overnight stories start surfacing once again. Funny how that works, eh? So, it’s been a little while, but I’ve decided to bring back your Saturday Morning Quick Fix, but this time with a slightly different format. Rather than trying to inform you of all the news in the NASCAR world by providing links to each of the story, this time ‘round I’m simply going to brush up on a few of the select storylines from this week. So, let’s get to it!

-  After removing their hands from each other’s throats for a couple of weeks, the Toyota / Roush-Fenway Racing picked right back up this week when ESPN publicized comments that Jack Roush made earlier in the month in regards to Toyota winding up with a  missing Roush part. Jack has allegated that they had a sway bar go missing last September at Dover, and that it was later found with an unnamed Toyota team. Toyota personnel have stated that it the team in question did in fact wind up with the missing part, but that it was completely unintentional and immediately returned to Roush Racing. While Jack is contemplating seeking legal action against the team, NASCAR has stated that they will not get involved in the incident, citing that it’s a team squabble and that those types of things need to be sorted out amongst the teams. When ESPN asked Dale Earnhardt Jr. for his opinion on the matter, he stated that if it were intentional, then whoever took the part should have their hard card revoked, meaning that they wouldn’t be allowed in the garage. Jeff Gordon, on the other hand, felt that Roush was blowing the situation completely out of proportion and that these types of things happen all the time – sometimes intentional and sometimes not. Roush was infuriated that NASCAR refused to take action.

-  Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced that there would be a possibility that Elliott Sadler could not compete in this Sunday’s Goody’s Cool Orange 500 in Martinsville due to a lower-back injury he sustained during the Sprint Cup Series’ off-week. Details of how the injury occurred are a bit sketchy, but it’s believed to have resulted from Elliott’s daily routine on Wednesday afternoon, and later on it was aggravated further from a sporting activity of sorts. The team brought Dennis Setzer to the first Cup practice session on Friday morning, but it was Elliott who qualified the no. 19 McDonald’s Dodge Charger 25th. As of right now, all plans seem to indicate that Sadler will at the least attempt to make the start on Sunday, but Setzer will be on stand-by either way.

-  Robby Gordon was rather outspoken – like only Robby can do – back in January when the Dakar Rally was cancelled due to terrorist threats. He made some very outlandish statements insinuating that the threats and the deaths incurred by the French tourists were blown way out of proportion. Vanguard Integrity Professionals – Gordon’s scheduled sponsor for the Rally – was none too pleased with Robby’s comments, and have since severed all ties with Robby Gordon Motorsports. After making a public statement regarding the split, it has also been learned that Vanguard has filed a lawsuit for $1.5 million against Gordon in an effort to recoup all of the money they had given to Gordon prior to the scheduled event. Robby Gordon has responded by claiming that Vanguard has no legal rights to terminated the contract, and on March 5th a US District Court denied Vanguards motion for a restraining order to prohibit Gordon from using their logo in his NASCAR ventures.

-  NASCAR has denied Michael Waltrip Racing’s request to swap the owner points between the 00 and 88 teams. Before the season started, MWR announced that upon Dale Jarrett’s retirement after the first five points races that David Reutimann – then the driver of the 00 car – would replace him, and that the 00 seat would be filled by rookie Michael McDowell. Reutimann is currently 27th in points, while Jarrett ended the day in Bristol 34th in points, and a mere 16-points away from falling outside of the top-35. Due to NASCAR denying the team’s request, Reutimann now sits 34th in owner points, so the team could have a panic on their hands should something happen to go awry in Martinsville. NASCAR stated that this situation does not meet the criteria that they’re usually looking for when approached about a potential points swapping.

-  Starting with this weekend’s race in Martinsville, BAM Racing will begin equipping their no. 49 car driven by Ken Schrader with Bill Davis Racing’s Toyota-powered engines. The team is currently under contract with GEM to receive their engines from Gillett Evernham Motorsports, but GEM has since then granted them permission to pursue Toyotas. If qualifying is of any indication, then the move is paying off thus far as Schrader qualified 7th for Sunday’s race. He has currently qualified for only two of the five races run.

- Tony Stewart is attempting to prove that every split mili-second counts on the racetrack, which is why he’s spent the majority of the off-week looking into methods of how he can make his no. 20 Toyota Camry carry a lighter load, thus resulting in faster speeds. He started last Monday by getting his body waxed on live radio, and has followed it up this week by “getting his ears lowered” and chopping the mullet. This should officially end any rumors that Smoke was letting it grow out in preparation for a future sponsorship from “Locks of Love.”

As NASCAR heads into its first breaking point in the season and we put the first five Sprint Cup races behind us, it’s also time to put last year’s points standings behind us. That means that drivers will no longer be safe from qualifying based on the 2007 car owner points, but rather on the 2008 points they’ve accrued. To clarify, that means that any team currently outside of the top 35 will have to qualify their car each week based on time, and it all starts with Martinsville next week.

So, how have the first five weeks shaped us to the point we’re at now? Two of those races had their qualifying events scrapped altogether due to the unlikely storms in southern California, and then again last weekend at Bristol. That put the teams that headed into 2008 outside of the top 35 at a serious disadvantage, because with 6 of the 8 remaining provisional spots remaining going to Kurt Busch and Dale Jarrett – being that they’re past Cup Series champions – that turned it into slim pickins for the remaining teams, and it was all really more of a matter of blind luck and seeing how the cards fell into place from there.

There are quite a few drivers that have landed themselves safely inside the top 35 – at least for the time being – that were not there last year. A large chunk of these spots are currently consumed by the emergence of Toyota as an actual factor in the ’08 season. Aside from the obvious drivers inside the Joe Gibbs Racing camp, Brian Vickers, David Reutimann, and Michael Waltrip are in the show, despite the fact that none of them had guaranteed spots throughout the first five events. Also in that mix is Dale Jarrett, though due to his recent retirement, Reutimann will now jump into his car and consume his car owner points, while Michael McDowell will come into the Cup Series with the advantage of having Reutimann’s current car owner points on his side. Complicated, I know.

Not to be outdone, Penske Racing has also complicated matters when they transferred the car owner points from Kurt Busch’s team at the beginning of the season over to the new startup team of Sam Hornish Jr. Merely being able to compete in the first five events proved to be enough for Hornish as he rides into Martinsville right on the bubble in the 35th spot, and safe for at least another week.

Travis Kvapil has perhaps been the most impressive of the guys that had to fight their way into the top 35. Not only has he been out of the Cup Series for a few years now, but he’s also driving for a struggling Yates Racing program and he’s been doing it without a sponsor to throw on the hood of his car. Yet, he’s continued to scratch and claw his way not only into the top-35, but all the way up to 28th in points and continuing to look solid each and every week. Also joining the “in crowd” this year are Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Riggs whom both inherited top 35 owner points positions coming into the season and were guaranteed starting spots in the first five races.

With all the talk centering around whether or not drivers will be able to crack the top-12 in points and qualify for the Chase field, amazingly enough there’s still such a distinctly different view between 35th and 36th place. If you don’t believe me, just go ask Jamie McMurray, whose worst season in Cup came last year when he finished 17th. He’s now all the way down in 36th, and despite that he trails Sam Hornish by just four points, he remains in danger of being forced to miss a race if he fails to qualify on time at Martinsville. Such a feat would be the first time since 2003 that a full-time Roush Racing driver failed to start a race. Jamie’s rapid decline in the points standings has been a result of consistent on-track mishaps, but if he can find the same consistency at Martinsville that he’s had at that track so far in his career, he should be okay by the time the series heads to Texas.

 Kyle Petty currently sits 40th in driver points, but he’s certainly no stranger to having to fight his way into the top 35. It was a constant back-and-forth struggle for him all last season, and this year is shaping up to be much of the same. There was some talk about possibly switching over the car owner points from Bobby LaBonte’s car, or possibly even replacing Petty behind the wheel. Both ideas have been scrapped, however, and Kyle will continue to just keep giving it his all. He’s likely to remain a bubble driver throughout the course of the year.

You don’t have to try to convince Dave Blaney that things can change quite a bit over the course of a few months. When the 2007 season ended last November, Blaney sat 31st in driver points and represented Toyota as the only one of their drivers to finish inside the top-35. This season, however, Toyota currently has six representatives inside the top-35 while Blaney sits in 37th.

Looking to turn their seasons around will be Dario Franchitti and Regan Smith – both of whom have competed in all five races, yet currently sit in 38th and 39th in points. Meanwhile, Patrick Carpentier has had the opportunity to race only twice due to NASCAR’s current top-35 format and Mother Nature not cooperating, and after AJ Allmendinger failed to qualify for the first three races, Mike Skinner has now gotten the car in the show twice and continues to build points for Allmendinger’s coming run later in the season. Joe Nemecheck is also currently on the outside in 41st place despite running in four of the five races.

“DYN Imposes”:
This week, Do You Nascar also asks its readers …

1) How many Toyota teams will finish 2008 inside the top-35 in owner points?
2) Which team(s), if any, will transfer – or need to transfer – their car owner points between their teams at some point in 2008?
3) How long will it take for Jamie McMurray to climb safely and solidly back into the top-35, or will he?
4) What drivers are likely to fall outside of the top-35, and who will take their place?