Come on out for Fan Day and meet a few of your heroes

Also on Oct 14 at the same Roush Fenway offices, the Greg Biffle Foundation will be having a little get together for fans to come out and enjoy. If this sounds like something you want to check out, you can get more information on this event at www.gregbifflefoundation.com.

On a slightly lighter note, five NASCAR competitors have decided they are smarter than five graders and will be testing their smarts for charity against kids that have done their homework on the all new Jeff Foxworthy hosted edition of Are You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader. First NASCAR competitors David Ragan and Michael Waltrip are scheduled to test their smarts and see just how much they have forgotten since they left school. On Oct 26, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin will be testing their knowledge against five graders who like nothing better than showing how much they know. There will be a different twist to this classroom event though, since the competitors will also have the opportunity to get help from other 5^th graders sitting on the sidelines, and if the 5^th graders they’re facing are like the ones I know, these celebrities will need the help of the 5^th graders on the sidelines to stand a chance.

“Image: Zuma Press”

Post from: EveryJoe

NASCAR Gives Back to the Fans

David Ragan beats Carl Edwards and the rest of the pack to the line

Ragan was in the front of the pack for the last 56 laps of the scheduled 250 mile race on the .533-mile surface of Bristol Motor Speedway. He was able to hold off Carl Edwards during the last few laps and pulled ahead of Edwards to stay in the final few corners. Edwards has a lot to be happy about as he reduced Kyle Busch’s lead in the Nationwide Series standings from 339 to 248 points. Kyle Busch on the other hand had a hard day and finished 28^th, 59 laps down, after his chances to win the Food City 250 was ruined by an early accident that left him running slower and behind.

Ragan’s smile was apparent as he came to the podium and he obviously had a lot of fun winning and racing in such a fast car. He raced on the outside line for the final restart that saw the race go 4 laps beyond the scheduled 250 miles. The inside lane of the track was slower all day long and the racers quickly figured this out and it was a battle to see who had the top line. It actually looked like Carl had the faster car with just four laps remaining but Ragan was able to pin Carl behind a lapped car. The race actually ended under caution due to an accident on the final lap that froze the running order in place with Ragan still in the lead.

Ragan played out the scene as he should have and he deserves credit for being able to win despite having a slower car. Ragan first passed Edwards for the lead on Lap 199 of the 254 they raced and he held the lead through a caution on Lap 243, which set up the two lap race to the finish.

Pole-sitter Brad Keselowski finished third, Kevin Harvick was fourth, and Matt Kenseth finished fifth, while Jason Leffler finished sixth. Clint Bowyer was seventh, Michael Annett eighth, Paul Menard ninth, while Michael McDowell rounded out the top ten.

“Image: Zuma Press”

Post from: EveryJoe

David Ragan Wins the Food City 250

NASCAR has reached its half way point for the 2009 season

The biggest disappointment of the year for many will be the disappointing year of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Expectations were high for Dale but he has had a hard time getting his car up to speed all year, but hopefully these are just growing pains and he’ll find his wheels next year.

The drivers at Roush have had a less than stellar year, with Carl Edwards yet to win and David Ragan with only one top ten finish so far this year, after it was predicted he would be in the Chase this year.

Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing have had an excellent year and get an A on their mid-term report card. Mark Martin stalled a bit coming off the line but in recent races he has been running fast and hot, and currently has four wins on the series, the best of all the drivers competing this year.

Kevin Harvick is likely going to miss the Chase by a country mile after making it three years in a row, while Jeff Burton has been plagued with accidents week after week. Clint Bowyer started the year real strong, but has tailed off lately, and hasn’t been able to get his speed back. Casey Mears has been one of the slower drivers all year. Harvick’s winless streak is currently up to 89, his last win was actually the Daytona 500, so there has been a trend developing.

Kyle Busch would certainly tell you his year has been somewhat of a disappointment for him, this is despite having three wins, and definitely making the Chase. A large percentage of drivers would be happy with three wins and making the Chase, but then Busch is aware of the potential of the people he works with and the car he drives week to week. Busch is a real competitor and lately he has been pushing his team to improve his car. Apparently even he isn’t aware of how well he has been doing and the speed of his car, but then maybe the car isn’t as good as we think and he’s a better driver than we realize. Either way, Busch’s desire to win every week has been noticeable lately.

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: EveryJoe

NASCAR 2009 Mid-Term Report Card

The Coke Zero 400 will be run on the pavement of Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night

The Coke Zero 400 will be the 18^th race of the season for the racers and teams, in a season that has been exciting, and as we look ahead to Saturday night at one of the most recognized and popular race tracks in the world, this competition should be a real barn-burner.

Thursdays practice at Daytona International Speedway for the upcoming Coke Zero 400 was pretty scary for almost all the teams as they all had to deal with tire issues that have left some of the teams and drivers scratching their heads and wondering what will happen on Saturday night.

The action started early as with 10 minutes left in nighttime Happy Hour, which took place before the scheduled practice for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400, Greg Biffle and Sam Hornish Jr. got involved in an accident that left them both planning on using their backup cars in the next race. This accident along with rain helped delay the running of the practice for Saturday’s race by 83 minutes and had the drivers sitting around.

David Ragan was fastest in the late-afternoon practice session with a lap time of 47.191 and an average speed of 190.174 mph in his no. 6 Roush Fenway Ford, but he ended in 32^nd place on the evening chart. The track seemed to be a little tighter when he was on the track and his team made a few adjustments that helped him record faster times.

David Reutimann spent most of the day atop the chart and afternoon practicing drafting off of his competitors, and finished best with a time of 46.842 and average speed of 192.135 in his No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota.

Casey Mears was pretty fast in his No 07 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, he finished second in both sessions, and he could definitely win if things go his way. Unfortunately, his history at Daytona isn’t very good, so he may not be feeling too confident despite his fast car. He has only managed two top ten finished in thirteen races at Daytona, which isn’t going to get him in the record books.

You can watch the Coke Zero 400 on TNT TV at 7:30 on Saturday night or listen to the race on MRN Radio at 7:15. Enjoy the race!

“Image: Zuma Press”

Post from: EveryJoe

Coke Zero 400 on Saturday at Daytona

Nationwide Series at Nashville on Saturday

There will be three Roush Fenway Race cars on the track on Saturday, as Stenhouse will be racing beside Carl Edwards and David Ragan. Edwards will be trying for his fourth victory at Nashville and is the current series points leader, while David Ragan currently sits third in the points standings and is putting heat on his teammate to pick up the pace.

Other drivers to watch at Nashville on Saturday are No. 40 Scott Wimmer, besides being the defending champion he has finished in the top ten in eight of his nine races at the track. No. 60 Carl Edwards is always a threat to win at Nashville, with six top five finishes in seven races, including three victories; he’s probably the one to beat. My dark horse is No. 88 Brad Keselowski, who finished fourth and second last year at Nashville, and ran a pretty respectable third last week at Texas, so he seems to be running good.

It will be fun to watch the battles on the track and see who comes out on top Saturday in Nashville, so we’ll see you after the race, and we’ll compare notes.

Image: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Nashville 300 on Saturday

10. Matt Kenseth – 22 races – Last Win: Homestead-Miami Speedway, Fall 2007
9. Jeff Gordon – 27 races – Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Fall 2007
8. Greg Biffle – 29 races – Kansas Speedway, Fall 2007
7. Tony Stewart – 36 races – Watkins Glen International, Summer 2007
6. Jamie McMurray – 40 races – Daytona International Speedway, Summer 2007

5. Martin Truex Jr. – 45 races – Dover International Speedway, Spring 2007
4. Kevin Harvick – 57 races – Daytona International Speedway, Spring 2007
3. David Ragan – 60 races – No NSCS wins
2. Brian Vickers – 68 races – Talladega Superspeedway, Fall 2006
1. Elliott Sadler – 141 races – Auto Club Speedway, Fall 2004

Post from: EveryJoe

List of the Week: Longest Winless Streaks Inside the Top 20

With the cutoff for the Chase quickly approaching, a mere 5 races now separates us from the beginning of NASCAR’s playoff season. Yet, still, there is quite a bit of uncertainty in the air as to whom will be competing for a championship in the final 10 races and who will be racing to build momentum for the 2009 season. Only 80 points separates 7th place Kasey Kahne from 12th place Clint Bowyer, and only 46 points from Bowyer back to 14th place David Ragan. Even Brian Vickers all the way back in 16th still has a shot at this thing as he lingers 203 points out from the final Chase cutoff spot.

So, with 8 drivers still caught up in a tight race for those final 6 positions in the Chase, and 2 others still holding out hope, this week’s “List of the Week” is a look at each of the ten drivers’ average finish throughout races 22 to 26 on the Schedule – or, the final 5 races leading into the Chase, rather – since the inception of the Chase back in 2004. It should be noted, however, that of these 10 drivers, three of them – Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, and David Ragan – have not been full-time drivers through all four seasons that carried the Chase format, and these numbers reflect only race results from which the drivers were competing full-time.

10. Brian Vickers – 16th in pts – 21.5
9. David Ragan – 14th in pts – 21.2
8. Ryan Newman – 15th in pts – 17.9
7. Clint Bowyer – 12th in pts – 16.8
6. Greg Biffle – 8th in pts – 16.6

5. Kevin Harvick – 11th in pts – 15.6
4. Kasey Kahne – 7th in pts – 14.4
3. Denny Hamlin – 10th in pts – 12.1
2. Matt Kenseth – 13th in pts – 11.1
1. Tony Stewart – 9th in pts – 8.8

Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart also lead these drivers with the most wins during those races with 3 apiece; Harvick has 2 wins in the final 5 races leading to the Chase since 2004; and Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle each have a win to their credit as well.

Best Single Season Average Run Through Final 5 Races Leading to the Chase:
5. Kevin Harvick – 7.8 (2006)
4. Matt Kenseth – 7.6 (2006)
3. Matt Kenseth – 6.2 (2005)
2. Tony Stewart – 6.0 (2007)
1. Tony Stewart – 5.2 (2005)

Post from: EveryJoe

List of the Week: Bubble Drivers Race to the Chase

Rain played a large part in pretty much anything NASCAR tried to accomplish this weekend, and Sunday’s race at Pocono was no different. It was also one of the more interesting weekends in Carl Edwards’ professional racing career, that’s for sure. He had to squeegee the rain off his own windshield under caution during Saturday’s Nationwide Series race in Montreal (in which he finished 6th). Then, after both of the Sprint Cup practice sessions were rained out on Saturday, his team unloaded off the hauler on Sunday with a car that Crew Chief, Bob Osbourne, described as “experimental.” Then, they had to weed their way through a slieu of pit strategies that overcame the field when rain crept its way back into Pocono a little over past the halway point in the race, and in the end, it was Carl Edwards stretching his fuel en route to his fourth win in the Sprint Cup Series this season.

Jimmie Johnson was looking to continue his current hot streak when he started the day out on the pole, but it was Mark Martin from the 2nd spot that led the first 21 laps of the race, which saw three caution periods. The first came on the very first lap of the race when Kevin Harvick was spun by Joe Nemecheck, and then just 7 laps later, it was Kurt Busch going around in a single car spin. The third caution was brought out by NASCAR on lap 21 as a competition caution due to the teams not having the opportunity to run Saturday’s practice sessions as a result of inclimate weather.

The field pitted during the lap 21 caution, and Johnson was able to take advantage of a slow stop by the no. 8 team and came out front to take the lead. But, Mark Martin was able to comeback up through the field to take the lead on lap 36 and stayed out front all the way until lap 66, minus a few laps in which he surrendered the lead during a round of green flag stops. The fourth caution was brought out on lap 66 for debris, and this time it was Carl Edwards jumping out to the front.

Edwards held onto the lead until the next caution on lap 87 – also for debris, but it was again Jimmie Johnson’s team getting him out up front off of pit road followed by Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr, and Matt Kenseth. Edwards came out of the pits in 7th, and Mark Martin came out 17th. Carl later passed Johnson for the lead under green on lap 111.

Things started to get a bit more interesting when the race fell under caution on lap 127 due to rain – about 7 laps after the field cycled its way through a round of green flag stops. With pit road open, all but 19 cars decided to pit for fuel, including Edwards, Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Tony Stewart who led the field down pit road.

Kasey Kahne, the winner of the June race at Pocono, was handed the lead for the first time on the day by virtue of the leaders’ decision to pit, followed by Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, and Kurt Busch when the race was red flagged on lap 131 when the rain began to pickup.

The race restarted about a half hour later, and Joe Nemecheck and Paul Menard were the first to find out where the slick spots on the track were as they wrecked on lap 137 to bring out the 7th caution. Juan Pablo Montoya then blew his engine about 8 laps later, but NASCAR decided not to waive the caution. Kurt Busch inherited the lead on lap 158 when some of the cars in front of him started to make their scheduled green flag stops, but he was the next to work his way toward disaster after stretching his fuel out a bit too far, eventually running out of gas on lap 161. He was able to make it to pit road, but lost a ton of time on the track as a result.

Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson both found themselves back out in front momentarily as the 19 cars that stayed out during the rain caution all worked their way to the pits, but it was eventually Kasey Kahne back in the lead with 30 to go once they made their stops as well. Kahne continued to run the next 15 laps out front praying for the caution that never came, knowing that he would be forced to make one more pit stop while some of the other cars claimed that they could run the rest of the way without stopping.

Kahne and Mark Martin both made their final stops with 15 laps to go, handing the lead over once again to Carl Edwards as they watched their premonition come true. Edwards run out to more than a 6 second lead over Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson as he crossed the line to pickup his fourth win of the season.

Knowing that he couldn’t catch Edwards for the lead, Stewart backed off the throttle in the closing laps to conserve fuel, but still ran it hard enough to finish 2nd. Johnson ran out of gas right as he crossed the finish line in 3rd, and from there, things started to get ugly as a ton of cars behind him started to bobble as they ran out of gas as well. Kevin Harvick – who worked all day long to rebound from his spin on lap 1 – kept enough fuel in the tank to finish 4th, and 5th place went to one of the guys chasing him in the points, David Ragan.

Clint Bowyer overcame a long day of struggles to walk away with a 6th place finish. Behind him in 7th and 8th were Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin, both of whom made up a ton of ground despite having to make earlier stops under the green. In 9th was Jamie McMurray, who now has back-to-back top-ten finishes to his credit. And, 10th place went to Jeff Gordon, who ran out of gas after crossing the line and had to be pushed around the track by his Hendrick teammate, Casey Mears.

Other Notables:
Matt Kenseth finished in 11th. He made his final stop with 16 laps to go after he and Crew Chief, Chip Bolin, originally planned on trying to stretch their fuel out ….. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 4th coming going through the final turn, but ran out of gas just before the line and had to coast his way to the finish. He wound up 12th ….. Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman finished 13th and 14th ….. Denny Hamlin had previously finished no worse than 6th in his first five trips to Pocono, but wound up 23rd after his car got away from him late in the race. He was running 9th when he made his final stop of the day with 26 laps to go ….. Brian Vickers fell victim to a disappointing 28th place finish after running up in the top-15 for most of the day ….. The no. 18 team for Joe Gibbs Racing appeared to have finally gotten the flat track program turned around for Kyle Busch, as he ran inside the top-five late in the race. But, he ran out of gas and was forced to pit with just two laps to go, and they were unable to get his car restarted. He finished 36th.

Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. remain 1st and 2nd in the points standings, but Carl Edwards’ win moved him up two spots to third overall.  Jimmie Johnson held onto 4th, while Jeff Burton’s 21st place run dropped him down to 5th. Kevin Harvick came into the race 2 points out of the final Chase spot, but his top-five effort was enough to move him up to 11th in the standings, while Matt Kenseth gave up two spots and now finds himself on the outside looking in. He’s no 11 points behind 12th place Clint Bowyer.

the Grades:
the Race:  84%
the Drama:  94%
Coverage:  92%
Pre-Race:  90%

Overall Grade:  88.2%

Complete Results (from nascar.com):

Sprint Cup Series Standings (from nascar.com):

Recommended Reads:
- Carl Edwards Captures 4th Victory of the Season in Pocono (Racing for the Win)
- Live on Type Delay: Pocono II, Part One (Rev Jim’s Rants ‘n’ Raves)

Post from: EveryJoe

Rating the Race: Pocono – Pennsylvania 500

Image details: LifeLock.com 400 Practice served by picapp.com

There’s only 6 races to go before we make it to Richmond, and then, after that 7th race is over, we’ll know once and for all who’s in and who’s out of the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. Historically speaking – since they first turned to the Chase format a few years ago – those who were in at this point in the season have typically stayed in, and those who were out have typically stayed out ….. but, this season could be one that breaks all the rules. While I think it’s safe to assume that Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon – the top-six in points – are all in, I can’t speak of spots 7 through 12 with the same level of certainty. Only 133 points separates 7th place Greg Biffle from 15th place David Ragan, and only 245 points separates 12th place Denny Hamlin to 18th place Kurt Busch.

That means that there’s six teams currently sitting outside of the Chase that I still believe it’s too early to count out of it, and that gives you 12 teams vying for those final 6 spots. That, of course, is the inspiration for this week’s “List of the Week”. Here’s who I say makes in 7th through 12th by the end of Richmond:

(*Note – I’m not going to move anyone out of the top-six any higher than sixth heading into the Chase, though I think they will be)

7th – Matt Kenseth
8th – Tony Stewart
9th – Greg Biffle
10th – Kevin Harvick
11th – Brian Vickers
12th – Clint Bowyer

This puts both Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin out of the top-12 where both currently sit, and also shuts the door on David Ragan, Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr, and Kurt Busch.

Post from: EveryJoe

List of the Week: Bottom Half Chasers

Image details: Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 served by picapp.com

Even with the Sprint Cup Series taking the week off, it was still a busy weekend for Missouri native, Carl Edwards …. particularly because he decided to commit to a three-day bicycle trip from his hometown of Columbia, MO to the track that lies in Madison, IL – just outside of the St. Louis metro-area.

Edwards made the trip and got to the track in time to qualify third for the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at Gateway International Raceway, and then passed Jason Leffler with 48 laps remaining en route to picking up the win Saturday night. The win gave Edwards his second Nationwide Series win of the season, and the second of his career at Gateway.

Driving the dominant no. 20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing in just his fifth NNS start, Joey Logano started the race fourth and finished second, as he was unable to track down Edwards in the closing laps of the race. Jason Keller, Jason Leffler, and Brad Keselowski completed the top-five finishers, with rookie driver, Landon Cassill, running in 6th.

An incident involving David Reutimann and Brad Keselowski brought out the final caution of the day. The restart came on lap 146 with Edwards running third behined Jason Leffler and eventual 7th place finisher, James Buescher. The top two cars, however, took only two tires under the caution period, with Edwards taking four, which ultimately made all the difference in the world, passing Leffler for the lead just six laps later.

Earlier on a lap 116 restart, Landon Cassill got into the back of Scott Wimmer, setting off a chain reaction that eliminated the cars of Mike Bliss, Steve Wallace, and defending race winner, Reed Sorenson. Polesitter, Jamie McMurray, was in the lead at the time, but later retired with engine problems after lap 152.

Points leader, Clint Bowyer, finished 8th; David Ragan was 10th; and Marcos Ambrose ran in 15th. The hometown favorites of Mike, Kenny, and Steve Wallace finished 11th, 18th, and 26th respectively. Kenny was the only one of the three to lead any laps during the race.

Clint Bowyer and Brad Keselowski maintained the top two spots in the Nationwide standings, while Carl Edwards jumped up a spot to #3, where he now sits 201 points out of first.

Complete Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Results.

Nationwide Series Standings (from nascar.com):

Post from: EveryJoe

Edwards the Hometown Victor at Gateway