Have you ever noticed how sometimes something wonderful falls right in your lap during an activity when it wasn’t your actual goal? Mark Martin has probably experienced this before, so when his plans to try for a top five finish in Sunday’s LifeLock 400 turned into a victory lap, he might not have been as surprised as a younger driver. This didn’t stop him from expressing his joy to the world in a bright smile that certainly speaks miles about his opinion about his good fortune and the final result at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday.

Mark Martin looks as stunned at his victory as the other drivers

Fuel conservation again played a pivotal role in the final standings in the race as race leaders Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle misjudged the amount of fuel they had used during their battle and ran out of fuel in the final two miles of the scheduled 400 miles. Mark Martin on the other hand had been in fuel-conservation mode for a large part of the race, which included turning off cooling fans and units in order to save fuel, and resulted in his car having enough fuel to complete the last 44 laps. He crossed the line just 2.992 seconds ahead of Jeff Gordon, who also had enough gas to complete the race due to fuel conservation.

This victory was Mark Martin’s 38^th career win and moved him through the pack from 13^th to 8^th position in the series standings, just 321 points behind series leader Tony Stewart, who managed to finish seventh on Sunday. This is the third victory of the 2009 Sprint Cup season for Mark Martin’s No. 5 V Chevrolet tying him with Kyle Busch for the Cup Series lead.

Jimmie Johnson, who managed to lead the race for 146 laps and twice built up leads of more then seven seconds, managed to coast into the pit. After refueling, he drove around Martin’s car and crossed the finish line in 22^nd position.

Denny Hamlin finished third, just ahead of Carl Edwards in fourth, and Greg Biffle who grabbed fifth position, despite running out of fuel on the backstretch of the final lap. Juan Montoya finished sixth, Tony Stewart took seventh, Kurt Busch managed eighth, Brian Vickers survived to finish ninth, and the top ten was filled out by Clint Bowyer.

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The pit stop during a NASCAR race, is one of the most important and critical events to success - as has been shown plenty of times in the past and recently in NASCAR races. Mistakes or problems while a car is pitting are often the reason a team and car are successful in winning a race or a failure.

This problem once again reared its ugly head on Saturday night at Phoenix, this time taking a chunk out of Jeff Gordon, as the current points leader fell behind two laps due to a lug nut that just wasn’t where it was suppose to be. Unfortunately, this is just the most recent problem in the pit for drivers in NASCAR and one that has industry professionals and fans asking a few questions about the reasons for all the pit errors occurring during the races. A NASCAR race is often won or lost in the blink of an eye and this makes split seconds in the pit, one of the most critical factors to winning or losing, and sparks the question of whether or not pit stops are too much of a factor in determining the losers and winners in a NASCAR event.

In a sport that has always featured the driving skill of the athletes as the key to success, has the importance of the pit overtaken the importance of the drivers’ skill in determining the winners and losers?

Problems in the pit are making drivers and officials ask questions

Just why are all these mistakes occurring in the pit in a regular pattern? Are all the pit problems due to the human factor? Or, is there a problem occurring due to adjustments on a car that has produced the current problems?

NASCAR had made changes to the rules on the length of studs, could this be change in pit road that has caused tire changers to have problems getting lug nuts to stay tight? NASCAR officials and race teams have probably been asking themselves this question every time this problem pops-up, but only additional races and study of the problem will answer this question.

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The Cup Series moves its vans to the one-mile tri-oval of Phoenix International Raceway this weekend after a much needed weeks rest over Easter to recharge batteries and prepare mentally for the grind to come during the rest of the Cup Series season. It’s time to tune the engines and get the cars set up for a track that is unique as far as tracks go on the circuit. The Phoenix International Raceway is in disguise, it’s actually a short track dressed up as an intermediate oval.

The track designers have produced a track that has an irregular D shape and moderately flat banking in the corners while retained that short track feel in a one mile form. The statistical history of the Phoenix race can tell you quite a bit about the possible rankings at the end of the Phoenix race, but then you always have to figure in the driving history of teams and racers into the equations. These two variables have helped me in my calculated guesses for the final standings at Phoenix. The following is our race rankings for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway which you can catch on Fox at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Kyle Busch will win again

•1. Kyle Busch

Kyle has consistency shown to have the fastest car, even though he hasn’t always driven as well as he can.

•2. Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie would probably like to race at this Arizona oval every week, considering he’s won the last three races at this venue, and he’s already won on a short track this season.

•3. Jeff Gordon

Expect Gordon to run fast and provide competition to Kyle through out the race, he’s always run pretty good here over the years and I think he’s ready to let his little devil loose.

•4. Mark Martin

Mark started pretty slow early in the season, but he got his race in order on the short tracks of Bristol and Martinsville, so expect him to be ready to rock and roll at Phoenix.

•5. Denny Hamlin

Hamlin has raced hard and fast on the circuit’s short tracks so far in 2009 and he’s finished in the top five four times before at Phoenix.

•6. Jeff Burton

•7. Kevin Harvick

•8. Tony Stewart

•9. Ryan Newman

•10. Clint Bowyer

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NASCAR fanatics watching Jeff Gordon’s recent Texas-victory in the Samsung 500 probably never gave a thought to how much effort, time, energy and soul goes into creating a NASCAR racecar. But the creation of a machine capable of running in a Cup Series race and winning involves thousands of hours of preparation by engineers and technicians specializing in all aspects of racecar design. To produce a space-age racecar able to produce in excess of 800 horsepower and run safely at speeds approaching 200 miles per hour for hours on end requires the effort of a team of professionals dedicated to this singular task.

The proper racecar setup means more celebrations

NASCAR racecars are designed to move as fast as is possible within the limitations of technology and materials, but in order to make this possible need to have the right setup in all factors recognized as important to producing a fast car. These factors consist of a variety of things, like gear ratios, chassis weight distribution, brakes, steering, to name but a few, that have to be managed, modified, and fiddle with to have a NASCAR racecar run well enough to win.

The race team needs to work together to get the setup just right to allow the NASCAR to race at the speeds required and give the driver needed control over all aspects of the car to drive safely at such dangerous speeds. Racecars with setups that aren’t quite right will run slower and be harder to maneuver around the track at speed, which means each lap takes longer.

A NASCAR has many parts that are implemented in trying to create a car capable of winning in a Cup Series race; the following list will give you some information about some of them. The Front Splitter is located on the bottom of the front fender and allows for tuning of the downward force on the car to individual driver preferences and track requirements. The Roll Cage is a cage of steel tubing surrounding the drivers’ area that will cushion and protect the driver if the car crashes or rolls during impact. Safety has been improved with Double Frame Rail and Energy Absorbing Material located between the roll cage door bars and door panels to disperse crash-energy upon impact.

The next time you’re watching a Sprint Cup race keep these points in mind as you watch the cars race and try to visualize how you would feel when the racecar reacts and drives like it’s designed too, and maybe you’ll have a better understanding of what drives the racers, designers, and all the legions of people required to produce a winning NASCAR.

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Fort Worth, Texas was just the remedy Jeff Gordon needed to put him back in the winners circle as he finally won another race after being off the top of the podium for 47 straight races by beating team mate Jimmie Johnson to the checkered flag by a .378 second gap in Sunday’s Samsung 500.

Jeff Gordon finally celebrates after 47 losses in a row

The win allowed Gordon to increase his points gap in the Sprint Cup to 162 points over the second place driver, who just happens to be Johnson, and gave him his 82^nd career victory in Sprint Cup, which puts him in sixth place on the list for career victories in the popular series.

Gordon will probably be buying his crew a drink or two after the race, it was their efficiency and skill that allowed him to get out of the pit first under caution on lap 305 to take the lead. The race restarted on lap 309 of 334 with Gordon pulling away from the field, but around lap 319 Johnson started to pull Gordon back in by about two seconds, but he was only able to get as close as three or four car lengths by the time Gordon crossed the line.

The pit stop turned out to be the achilles heel for Carl Edwards, who was in the lead when he pitted, but restarted 11^th on lap 309 after spending an unusual amount of time in the pit and eventually finished 10^th. Edward’s teammate, Greg Biffle, also fell to pit problems, despite having one of the faster cars, when he had problems with lug nuts on his tires during his pit stop, but managed to finish third. The third Roush teammate, Matt Kenseth, also had a slow pit stop due to lug nut problems, and ended up in fifth place.

Tony Stewart once again had a strong race driving for Stewart-Haas, running fast for the majority of the race, without any real pit problems and finished fourth in the grid. The sixth through tenth places were taken by Mark Martin, Juan Montoya, Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton, and the before mentioned Carl Edwards.

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There’s a revolution occurring in the background of the NASCAR universe these days, one that will see a stronger, more physically fit, and better prepared generation of race driver in the years to come in the world of NASCAR, if it becomes the norm. NASCAR drivers who take their physical fitness seriously are being seen and heard of more and more in the NASCAR world and are no longer the minority among the drivers.

Race drivers of old who new that routine workouts can improve a drivers physical ability and driving performance while on the track weren’t an animal found in the NASCAR world very often years ago, but today a majority of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series top drivers are embracing the truth about the ability of physical fitness to make better, more alert, and stronger drivers.

Feeling strong and fit

The NASCAR drivers of old ignored such beliefs, in favor of hamburgers, pizza, and steak that certainly taste better than tofu, but if the opinion of the drivers who have implemented this new strategy means anything, the belief that workouts improve a driver works fine.

The results and opinions of the drivers implementing physical workouts in their driver training regiments are beginning to turn the heads of many drivers who have never lifted a weight. Carl Edward and Jeff Burton have been two drivers that head to the gym on regular basis, but lately Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and even Dale Earnhardt Jr. have been seen heading to the gym to try to give them a driving edge. Pushed toward the gym by age, injury, pain, and team managers, many of the older drivers have decided training routines can help them gain back some of the ability age might have taken off their driving ability. We will be watching to see what effects this new revolution might have on the race results of drivers using this new fitness philosophy. Many of the younger drivers might start to head to the gym with the older drivers once they realize many of the drivers twenty or more years older then they are in better shape and achieving better race results because of it.

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The start flag will drop Sunday on a race track that owner Richard Petty is the current title holder for the most wins, the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. A record that could be in jeopardy if Rick Hendrick continues its record of running hard and fast on the oval of Martinsville Speedway. Rick Hendrick and drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, have won nine of the last twelve races at Martinsville, and the owner is second only to the king, Richard Petty, who has a total of 17 wins at the Paperclip. Jimmie Johnson has earned a total of 740 race points at the Paperclip in the last four competitions at Martinsville, has done the victory lap five time at Martinsville, completed the race in the top five in 10 out of the past 11 races, never finished worse than 35th in fields that were some of the toughest, and in the last 13 times pulling up to the start line at Martinsville, has never finished worse than ninth. Jeff Gordon on the other hand has carried the checkered flag around the oval twice in the last eight competitions at the Paperclip, while finishing in the top five in the races he didn’t win. Three of Rick Hendrick’s four drivers have stated that the Paperclip is one of their favorite ovals, with its tight corners and fast upper skirt that seems to be to the liking of his drivers, Rick Hendrick could be one race closer to toppling the king off his throne at the Paperclip, after Sunday.

Jimmie Johnson at the 2008 Subway 500

The 2009 NASCAR season is Hendrick Motorsports 25th year in Cup Series racing and with a return to the spot of the owners first victory Sunday, Geoffrey Bodine raced to victory for Hendrick Motorsports on April 29, 1984 in the Sovran Bank, the owner is probably planning on having a huge party after the race to celebrate the occasion, and hopefully another victory at a oval that hasn’t been as generous to other owners.

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Good news for those involved in the Chase. Saturday’s practice times/speeds were faster for most than qualifying. Three of the top six times were the likes of Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle - the top three in the Chase standings.

Biffle’s No. 16 car posted the fastest time during the practice round, cutting up the Kansas Speedway at 167.385 MPH. Biffle is tied for second in the Chase standings, along with Johnson, who finished the practice round with a top speed of 166.528. Edwards posted the third-best top speed in the No. 99 car at 167.271.

So what are we looking at this afternoon? Well, the Kansas Speedway has been notorious for being extremely hard to win for those 12 drivers involved in the Chase. It’s all been almost expected to see a wreck that will impact the race standings. So, here’s my prediction. With the history of the track hard to ignore, I’m staying on the side of caution. Both Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart looked impressive in practice Saturday, however both are starting near the back of the pack. With so much to make up, I don’t feel comfortable choosing either as a hands-down winner. But I do feel comfortable picking either Mark Martin or Jeff Gordon.

Martin starts alongside Johnson on the front row after Montoya was disqualified. Gordon will start in the 13th position. Yet, it’s hard to ignore Biffle and his chase for a third-straight win. So, here are my top three finishers for today’s race. Gordon will win, followed by Martin and Biffle fighting for second.

Now, time to sit back and wait for that green flag.

The winless streaks by drivers such as Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick have ranked amongst some of the biggest stories so far this season. They came into this week’s race at Watkins Glen as some of the odds-on-favorite to win, but alas, Kyle Busch shut the door on those plans yet again. This week’s “List of the Week” will feature the 10 longest winless droughts amongst the drivers inside the top-20 in points.

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

Kyle Busch made perfect on his efforts to sweep the road course races in the Sprint Cup Series this season as he nabbed his first career victory at Watkins Glen International on Sunday. He led four times for a race high 52 laps, giving him his 8th win of the season and making him the first driver to win the races at both Infineon and Watkins Glen in the same year since his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Tony Stewart, did it back in 2005. He also won the Nationwide Series race in Mexico City earlier in the year, making him the only driver in NASCAR history to win three road course races in the same season.

After rain canceled Friday’s qualifying session, the field lined up based on their order in the car owner’s points standings, setting Kyle Busch out on the pole position for the start of the race. Kyle led the first lap before handing it over to Dale Earnhardt Jr, who started on the outside of the front row. As Busch dropped back to third in the running order, Earnhardt gradually expanded his lead through the next 28 laps, but found himself in 6th after the field completed their first round of green flag pit stops.

Kyle Busch once again took the race lead on lap 30, and was still in charge when the first caution of the day came out on lap 47. NASCAR made the decision to waive the yellow due to debris on the track that was a result of some loose gravel that had been kicked up on the track. The caution was a huge break for Jimmie Johnson who had just pitted a few laps earlier when he had a rear left tire going down, but because he was running up in the top-five at the time, he was able to make his stop without losing a lap. Once pit road opened up, 14 cars remained on the track, including Johnson. Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart - running 1st and 2nd at the time - also elected to stay out.

Kyle Busch was still the race leader when the field went back to green, but the most impressive story to this point was Marcos Ambrose, who was driving the no. 21 Wood Brothers Ford. He was forced to start dead last due to the car’s position in owner points, but had worked his way all the way up inside the top-15 for the restart.

Kyle Busch moved to the side to allow his teammate, Tony Stewart, to lead a lap and pickup the 5 extra bonus points on lap 53, but Tony returned the favor and let Kyle go back by the following lap, and that was the only movement up front until the leaders again came into pit on lap 56. Juan Pablo Montoya and Jimmie Johnson each led a lap during the exchange of green flag stops. Johnson came into pit on lap 58, which handed the lead back over to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

With more than a 25 second lead, Earnhardt was the only car still out on the track that had not yet made his final pit stop. Despite continuing to lose a second per lap to the 2nd and 3rd place cars, Tony Eury Jr. - crew chief for the no. 88 team - elected to keep Earnhardt out on the track, but the call completely backfired when NASCAR waived the second caution flag on lap 64. The caution was again for loose gravel that Travis Kvapil kicked onto the track when he ran off the track. Earnhardt was forced to pit while the other race leaders remained out on the track, and with just 25 laps remaining, he lined up 37th for the restart.

Kyle Busch was once again deemed the race leader by virtue of Earnhardt’s misfortunes with Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman chasing him. With the laps dwindling down, it almost looked as though we might have another caution when Sam Hornish Jr. spun PJ Jones on lap 70, but both cars were able to get going again, and NASCAR saw no reason to bring out the yellow.

The complexity of the race changed on lap 77 when Ryan Newman got into the corner too hard, resulting in a single car spin in Turn 9. Unable to get his car restarted, he had several close cars as the rest of the field tried to avoid the stalled car as it rolled back out onto the track. NASCAR eventually brought out the third caution, and luckily, the entire field was able to get around Newman without hitting him.

The fourth and final caution came with just 8 laps to go when Michael McDowell spun David Gilliland, setting off a huge multi-car crash that involved 9 cars right near the pit road entrance. Michael Waltrip, Bobby LaBonte, Sam Hornish Jr, Reed Sorenson, Max Papis, Dave Blaney, and Joe Nemechek all got caught up in the mess, and LaBonte appeared to be mildly injured as he was seen limping back to the infield care center.

After NASCAR stopped the race under red flag conditions for more than 40 minutes, they finally got the race restarted with Kyle Busch still in the lead, and behind him were Tony Stewart, Marcos Ambrose, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr, and Kevin Harvick. Busch took the green flag with just five laps to go with Stewart keeping within a couple car lengths for the first few laps. With about 2 to go, though, Busch started to pull away, and Stewart’s new task became keeping the no. 21 of Ambrose in his rearview mirror. Busch went onto take the checkers, and Stewart was able to fend off Ambrose to give Joe Gibbs Racing a 1-2 finish.

Marcos Ambrose fought off Juan Pablo Montoya to hang onto third, and JPM finished 4th. Martin Truex Jr. held onto 5th to earn his first-ever top-five finish at Watkins Glen. He was followed by the 2006 winner of this event, Kevin Harvick, in 6th. 7th place went to Denny Hamlin, who capped off a solid run inside the top-ten for most of the day. Jimmie Johnson rebounded from his cut tire earlier in the race to finish in 8th. AJ Allmendinger walked away with the best NSCS finish of his career in 9th, also giving him his second top-ten in the last 3 races. Carl Edwards completed the top-ten.

Other Notables:
Matt Kenseth had a pretty quiet day, but finished 12th ….. Kasey Kahne matched his best Watkins Glen finish with a 14th place run ….. Dale Earnhardt Jr. wound up 22nd after his team’s race strategy put him in the back of the field with just over 20 laps to go ….. Jeff Gordon had an eventful day. His team had to have NASCAR black flag him to get him into the pits for the first round of stops after the team’s radio became disconnected. Gordon’s car, unfortunately, handled much like the radio, as his struggles throughout the day led to a 25th place finish ….. Robby Gordon started near the back of the pack and never was able to find his way to the front, finishing with a very disappointing 27th place finish ….. Ryan Newman’s spin on lap 77 led to a 28th place effort, as that team continues to watch their Chase hopes keep slipping away.

Kyle Busch now holds a 242 point lead on 1st in the standings, while Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson both moved past Earnhardt Jr. to take over the 2nd and 3rd spots. Tony Stewart’s back-to-back 2nd place efforts have also moved him up to 7th overall, and he now has a 138 point cushion in the Chase standings. Matt Kenseth also moved up a spot to take over the 12th and final spot in the Chase, moving Clint Bowyer back down to 13th. He’s now 22 points out of the Chase.

Grades:
the Race: 75%
Drama: 74%
Coverage: 90%
Pre-Race: 81%

Overall Grade: 78.4%

Complete Results (from nascar.com):

Sprint Cup Series Standings (from nascar.com):