On Pit Row

Richmond International Raceway: Chevy Drivers Best

Charlie Turner — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:38:42 +0000

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Horses for courses is an old horse racing addage and as such maybe more appropriate for Dover Downs or some fairgrounds dirt track than for the wide, racey Richmond International Raceway. But looking at the drivers who have won races at RIR has to make you think that one kind of horse is best for this course. And that would be a Chevy.

Look at the top 14 drivers in the 2008 Sprint Cup standings through the race last week at Auto Club Speedway. Between them they have 15 Richmond victories. Only two wins - one each for Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne - came in non-Chevys.

The list of the win-less includes the Roush-Fenway trio of Greg Biffle, David Ragan and Carl Edwards along with Joe Gibbs Racing twins Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.

Anybody but Kyle or Carl?

It is tough any week in 2008, to not pick Edwards or the younger Busch. But Carl’s Loop Driver Rating for RIR is only 17th best at 79.7 and his Ave Finish is a dismal 20.7. He has only run 53.3 percent of the last seven Richmond races in the top 15 and has led just 15 laps. Ugly.

Kyle Busch at least has the third best DR of 110.6 and has the best Ave Finish of 5.6 over the seven Loop Data era races. He also has six top fives and no DNFs in those seven races. He doesn’t drive a Chevy. But I think he could win this year in a Hudson.

The Bow-tie brigade is led by Kevin Harvick with a top Driver Rating of 118.9. Harvick also has category bests of 278 Fastest Laps, 2677 Laps in the Top 15 and 599 Laps Led. One win, four top fives and nine top tens round out Happy’s RIR resume.

Two drivers have three Richmond wins each in Chevrolets but only one of those guys still drives one. Tony Stewart has the fourthbest DR at 102.3 to go along with those three wins in a Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy. Smoke has had seven top fives, 13 top tens and tops out a couple of Loop passing stats.

Dale Earnhardt Jr has three RIR wins too. His DR is only ninth best at 92.4 and he leads the Loop Green Flag Passes stat. Junior has seven top fives, nine top tens and he does still drive a Chevy. Are you confident yet Green Nation?

This is not statistically relevant maybe and certainly not scientific, but to me, Stewart and Earnhardt lead the series in bewildering performances this year. It just seems that they should do better than they do.

Virginia native Denny Hamlin has the second best Driver Rating at 114.8 and has run 97.5 percent of all of his Richmond laps in the top 15. Hamlin is one of the drivers on the bubble this week as he sits 11th in points. That will almost certainly lead to a conservative approach to Saturday night’s race. I don’t see a win from Hamlin.

Can Kasey do it?

Kasey Kahne is fifth in DR at 98.2 and is one of the non-Chevy Richmond winners. Kahne’s situation may be a bit different from Hamlin’s. Kasey is 14th in points and depending on how those he is trying to catch are doing in the race, he may run a conservative pace or go balls out for the highest finish he can get. He has won twice this year, so the car is capable. Watch Kasey.

Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman are sixth and seventhin Driver Rating but both are out of Chase contention, driving for an unsettled Penske Racing operation and in Dodges. I can’t see a win there.

Clint Bowyer is eighth at 93.2 DR. Bowyer is also the bubble boy in the Race to the Chase. He has to run a race based on where he sits in the points. Taking away his aggressiveness may be a mistake, but it will be the strategy Saturday night.

Neither Jeff Gordon nor Jimmy Johnson made the top ten in Driver Rating for RIR, though both are two-time winners there. Gordon is only about 100 points clear of falling out of the Chase, so he will have to run somewhat conservatively, one would think. Johnson will be thinking only of the ten bonus Chase points that go to the winner of the race.

I look for former Chevy pilot Kyle Busch to win for ninth time in 2008 and give Toyota its first Richmond victory. The upset special will have to be someone out of the Chase race, who can let it all hang out for a win. That sounds like Brian Vickers, who still has an outside chance of making NASCAR’s playoffs. But he needs a bunch of points.

Watch the weather. Rain is forecast for the weekend and some teams may go all out for mid-race track position in case this race ends early. Kurt Busch used that strategy earlier this season for his lone win. Maybe Penske does have a shot after all.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Here’s Hoping To The #3 Returning

Matt Mercer — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:30:58 +0000

It’s time.

It’s time for the #3 to come back to the track, week in and week out.

It’s time that fans move on and embrace the next generation of drivers to identify with.

It’s time to see Austin Dillon full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series piloting the #3 Chevrolet.

Oh, I can hear groaning already. I’m ready for it. Fact of the matter is, groan all you want, the weird sort of reverence for Dale Earnhardt isn’t helping NASCAR move on. Nearly everyone else has made peace and moved on. We’ll never forget what Dale Earnhardt meant, but that doesn’t mean we need to be reminded every five minutes that Earnhardt did this and Earnhardt did that. We know what he did in much the same way we know what Richard Petty did, what David Pearson did, what Darrell Waltrip did, what Cale Yarborough did, and so on. I was a big Davey Allison fan growing up and I’m glad the #28 still competes. I wouldn’t like a constant reminder of what happened. The seasons in which Yates ran the #38 and #88 were just… strange. After this many years, it’s time to see the #3 competing again. Honestly, isn’t that something Dale Earnhardt himself would want?

Austin Dillon is a rising star in racing. He’s up there in the East Series points this season and continues getting seat time in late models and an occasional ARCA start. I believe the story goes that he asked his grandfather (Richard Childress, if you didn’t already know) if he could run the number. Childress was cool to the idea at first, worrying about the reaction – but relented when he said he was running it to honor him. Childress made hundreds of starts with the #3 before hooking up with Earnhardt. From most reactions I’ve seen, the results have been positive. I imagine it’ll be a different story if/when Dillon runs the #3 in one of the higher divisions. He’ll drive the #21 at Richmond this weekend, but his full-time car could very well be the #3. I’m hoping it is. Dillon may be able to get away with running the number because of the special circumstance, which is unfortunate. Let other guys build a brand with a number. It’s seemingly blasphemous to not support never running the #3 in NASCAR. I want to break that ceiling because the sport needs to revere history, not live in the past.

Photo credit: Team Dillon Racing

Another Kevin Harvick Bobblehead Give-a-way

Charlie Turner — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:55:07 +0000

Bloggers love lists. And everybody loves bobbleheads. Our Shell Gasolines’ Top Five of the Week contest gives you the chance to win a Kevin Harvick bobblehead. All you have to do is give us your list.

We want your five best reasons that Kevin Harvick could win the 2008 Sprint Cup Chase to the Championship.

Leave your list in the comments section of this post. Be creative and have fun with it. One list per comment, please. The contest will run through Thursday September 12. We’ll pick the best list and Shell will send you a Happy Harvick Head.

Last week, L J Burgess was our winner. The comments were great. You can read more of L J’s writing here.

The Shell Gasolines’ Top Five of the Week is brought to you by Shell - reminding you to help keep your engines gunk-free and running at their best by using high-quality gasolines like Shell.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Break Out the Rain Tires: We’re Tight in Turn 2

Charlie Turner — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:20:18 +0000

There is a consensus among people who should know in NASCAR that 3400 lb, 800 horsepowered race cars can’t race in the rain - at least on ovals. There’s less agreement that road course racing in the wet is doable. Especially after this year’s Montreal Nationwide Series swim-meet. If NASCAR was ever going to give round-track rain racing a shot, this coming weekend at Richmond International Raceway might be the perfect opportunity. It looks to be wet. Real wet.

Hanna is coming. As in - currently tropical storm, maybe hurricane, Hanna. And she is heading for the North Carolina - Virginia coast. Expect delays.

Those who have tickets to Saturday night’s Race to the Chase finale may need some patience. If they are Dale Earnhardt Jr fans, patience may be in short supply.

Many, if not most, Dale Earnhardt Jr fans seem to be disappointed in Junior’s season so far in 2008. Are they justified?

Charlie: Some of the members ” Green Nation” will never be happy unless Junior is allowed to drive the black number three car. Others still feel that his step-mother should give him DEI and get out of the way. Many just blame everything that doesn’t go perfectly on Tony Eury Jr. For most of 2008, Earnhardt’s No.88 has been the best of the Hendrick Motorsports teams. Until a couple races ago, he had been in second place in Sprint Cup points - somewhat ironically, behind the driver who he replaced at Hendrick, Kyle Busch. He broke a two year, Cup race win-less streak at MIS. He won his qualifier race at Daytona and the Bud Shootout. He has a chance to win the Sprint Cup itself.

No. They are not justified. They are fans.

Bruce: I recognize that Jr. has just had one of his best seasons in living memory. For the fan, that’s pretty neat to see. We knew he had something in him and it’s nice to see that perspective justified.

On the other hand: It’s too late for him to have anything to do with DEI. They “not” in negotiations to sell the place. If you’ve ever listened to the radio between Jr and Jr, it’s a circus sometimes. I think Eury Jr is
the only one who can put up with Dale Jr and that’s why he’s there. Now if’ they’d just get it more together, they might be able to pull off a better race.

It’s a team effort. An effort to win, and an effort to lose. Case in point: They are now 4th in the standings. Once they get that communication issue out of the way (Will they ever?) I think they’ll get their act together. (That is once Kyle Busch cools down.) Until then, the unjustified finger pointing by the fan(atical) nation of
green, that was red, will keep on going. At least it’s nice to see fans sticking with their driver as opposed to the checkered flag chasing fans.

That’s what Bruce - NASCAR Bits and Pieces blog - and I - Charlie of the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie, Charlies - think. What do you think?

And go to Bruce’s blog to express yourself on this topic too…

Bruce wants to know who will get in the Chase. And will Kyle Busch be able to keep it together to win the Cup?

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Crazy Cautions at California Speedway

Charlie Turner — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:11:37 +0000

Our own Mindy Monday has the solution for Auto Club Speedway’s self-fulfilling caution lights in this week’s Monday Morning Crew Chief.

She really isn’t too happy with NASCAR this week. And she’s not a cheerleader for the open wheel revolution either.

See for yourself right here.

Quick Hits: Richmond International Raceway

Chris Leone — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:32:53 +0000

The Sprint Cup Series heads to the 3/4-mile Richmond International Raceway for its final race of the regular season, with eight drivers competing for six available spots in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. While Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Jeff Burton are already locked into the Chase, and Greg Biffle will be simply by starting this weekend, some of the sport’s top names and up-and-coming stars are still searching for a Chase berth.

Among those drivers is 13th-place David Ragan, the heir to Mark Martin in the No. 6 Ford at Roush Fenway Racing. Although Ragan could barely keep the car running straight two years ago in an abysmal start in Martinsville, he’s improved a full ten positions in the standings from his overall position last year. Although he hasn’t won yet, Ragan, fourth on the Roush food chain behind Edwards, Biffle and Matt Kenseth, has five top-5s this season, more than Burton, 12th-place Clint Bowyer, 14th-place Kasey Kahne, or 16th-place Ryan Newman, the 2008 Daytona 500 winner.

At the same time, however, many wonder whether the sophomore driver’s season has been a product of a newfound maturity behind the wheel, or a combination of luck and Roush power. Securing a spot in the Chase this weekend would prove that Ragan’s no fluke.

Obviously, longtime NASCAR sponsor UPS is banking on Ragan being an annual force in the series, as rumors are abound that place the Atlanta-based company on the Georgia driver’s car for the 2009 season and beyond. Having failed to visit Victory Lane since 2005, the company wants an up-and-coming driver to throw its support behind after leaving Michael Waltrip Racing this season, and Ragan appears to be the perfect fit for the company.

However, we’ve seen drivers with plenty of promise falter before. Remember Casey Atwood? He had full backing from Dodge and Sirius, and couldn’t find Victory Lane. Scott Riggs hasn’t exactly done much with his career, save one 20th-place in points a few years back, even with the undying support of Valvoline. And Todd Kluever - the man who was really supposed to replace Martin at NASCAR’s largest team - flipped his car in an ARCA race in Daytona and was simply never the same afterwards.

What makes Ragan such a sure bet to be successful? He’s never won in any of NASCAR’s top three series, while Atwood has 2 Nationwide wins, Riggs has 9 in Nationwide and the trucks, and Kluever has three second-places in one Truck Series season. However, besides an unshakeable confidence, Ragan generally does a better job of keeping the car off the wall, running smoothly, and in one piece - his 7 career DNF’s in 63 career Cup starts compare favorable to Riggs’ 22 in 156 starts, Atwood’s 12 in 75 starts, and Kluever’s 9 DNF’s in 51 Nationwide starts. This compares favorably, as well, to UPS’s current driver, David Reutimann, who has 12 DNF’s (and 8 DNQ’s)in 52 Cup starts dating back to 2005.

It should also be noted that of past champions who have competed in Sprint Cup this year, it took Terry Labonte 58 races to first visit Victory Lane, his first victory coming in 1980. Bobby Labonte waited until his 74th start to win his first career race, in 1995. Finally, Dale Jarrett won his first race in his 129th start, in 1991, after four full winless seasons. Don’t be concerned at Ragan’s lack of wins - he’s just hitting his stride.

Before the green flag drops on the action at Richmond, here are this week’s five Quick Hits:

5. NASCAR is getting ready to announce a modification to its drug-testing policy within the next few weeks. The modification, according to CEO Brian France, deals with the testing end of the policy, rather than the penalties for a positive test. France did not specifically say that NASCAR would implement random drug testing, but did say in a NASCAR.com report that “there’ll be more testing.”

4. Current Team Red Bull general manager Jay Frye is being courted to join Stewart-Haas Racing in the same position for 2009 and beyond, and is expected to accept the position. No word on what would happen to current general manager Joe Custer.

3. Brad Keselowski was spotted visiting the Penske Racing complex in Mooresville, NC last week. However, Keselowski reportedly turned down a contract offer to drive the team’s No. 12 Dodge for next season, replacing Ryan Newman. David Stremme remains the front-runner for the ride, as a current Penske test driver with a good past relationship with Dodge.

2. The Dario Franchitti experiment is over at Chip Ganassi Racing, with the 2007 IRL champion returning to that series with Ganassi to partner with 2003 series champion Scott Dixon.

1. A new format for the season-opening Bud Shootout will allow the top six teams for each manufacturer into the race, starting with next season’s event. Previously, all pole winners from the previous season, as well as previous Shootout winners, were allowed to enter the race. But with Budweiser being replaced by Coors Light as the official sponsor of NASCAR’s pole award, Anheuser-Busch wanted to distance itself from its rival brewery.

Finally, congratulations to last week’s winners in California, Busch in the Nationwide Series and Johnson in Sprint Cup.

Pressure Packed Fast Laps Richmond Raceway Style

Charlie Turner — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:16:48 +0000

Wake up! It isn’t Auto Club Speedway’s fault that Jimmy Johnson had everybody covered for the last Labor Day race at Fontana. It was Johnson’s turn to be the Superman of the super speedways as he totally dominated the 500 mile in the fruitlands.

Carl Edwards had nothing for J J. Neither did Busch the Younger. And Kyle and Carl kept their tempers this time, perhaps waiting for a track with more of a door banging nature to wreak more havoc upon each other. Maybe they’re hoping for plausible deniability. Or perhaps the vaunted vengence that everyone expects was really squelched by NASCAR’s probation. I doubt it though.

Richmond is next. And Richmond is the last chance for a select few drivers to lock in their opportunity to win the 2008 Sprint Cup. This weeks Fast Lap questions have a Chase flavor of their own. Can you qualify?

1: Is Dodge in trouble if Kasey Kahne fails to make the Chase, which would mean no Dodges qualify for NASCAR’s playoff’s?

2: Will next years Chase be better for the replacement on the schedule of Atlanta Motor Speedway with Auto Club Speedway at Fontana?

3: Is Felix Sabates right? Have we seen the best of Reed Sorenson?

4: Who’s in and who’s out? Give me your twelve qualifiers for the Chase?

Remember, your Fast Lap answers are limited to 100 words or less. But come on back and bang fenders with your fellow Fast Lappers. Throw some debris on the track. Bench Race a bit. We want to have a reason to put someone on probation too dammit!

Johnson dominates in California heading to Chase

Steve Wronkowicz — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:38:57 +0000

Jimmy Johnson’s win at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana wasn’t much of a contest.

Johnson lead 227 of the 250 lap event and at times had over a nine second lead on the field. JJ has this place flat out dialed in.

The NASCAR circus moves to Richmond International Raceway for the final race to determine who will make it into NASCAR’s version of the playoffs.

Dodge had only one car in the Chase during the 2007 season. Their only hope for 2008 is dwindling. That hope is for Kasey Kahne to make it into the Chase as their only car. Kahne will need a lot of things to go his way for that to happen at Richmond.

And that my friends leads us to this weeks BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Which do you prefer; the old way of seeding drivers by merely readjusting their points, or the current system of seeding by wins?

This short post was brought to you by an early morning arrival back from the ARCA Southern Illinois 100.

Give us your ideas and we could use them on this week’s ON PIT ROW from 5 to 7pm ET; then listen to INSIDE ARCA from 7to 8:30pm ET

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Auto Club Speedway Will Preview the Chase

Charlie Turner — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:15:53 +0000

There are two races left in NASCAR’s Race to the Chase for the 2008 Sprint Cup. This week, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana California should give fans a preview of what the competition will be like in those final ten races that constitute the Chase.

The three drivers that I expect to battle it out for the Cup championship have three of the top four Driver Ratings for NASCAR’s Loop Data at the California two miler. Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards are first, third and fourth. They have to varying degrees and at different points in 2008, dominated NASCAR’s regular season this year. I don’t see any reason for that trend to end.

Johnson tops out at a DR of 114.7. Remember back to the spring race at Fontana and the day one (the first Auto Club Speedway race was repeatedly delayed by rain and wet track conditions and finally the finish was postponed to the following day) when Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon dominated early. Neither driver won that race but J J is a two time Fontana victor. He has the best Ave Position of 7.0 and the top Ave finish - 5.3. Johnson also has the most Laps in the Top 15 with 1630 for 92.9 percent of the last seven races.

Kyle Busch, who might just be the only NASCAR driver we would be talking about in 2008 if it weren’t for Johnson and Carl Edwards, has a win at California too. He has the third best Driver Rating at 109.9, three top fives and six top tens, the third most Laps in the Top 15, third best Ave Running Position and the second most Quality Passes.

The winner of that spring California race was Edwards. He comes back with a Driver Rating of 105.6, six top fives and seven top tens to go with his single win. Carl’s only category leading Loop stat is for Green Flag Passes. He is coming off a win at Bristol after bump passing Busch - who led most of the Bristol night race. But these guys have run up front most of the season.

Is There a Spoiler out there? Anyone? Anyone?

Two weeks ago, Edwards and Busch took turns dominating at Michigan International Speedway, with Edwards winning again and Kyle second. The top four in that first Fontana race were Edwards, Johnson, Gordon and Busch. I see trends that are too hard to ignore.

Matt Kenseth is the spoiler in the top four California ratings. Matt’s Driver Rating is second best at 112.7 and he’s a two time Fontana winner. Kenseth has the best Ave Mid Race Position and has led the most laps - 248, or 14.1 percent of the last seven races at the track.

Who else is good? Tony Stewart has the fifth best Driver Rating - a strong 101.0 - and the best Passing Differential. But he’s never been able to finish at California and 2008 just doesn’t look like the year of the Smoke.

Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, Gordon, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch round out the top ten in the Loop. Kasey Kahne has won twice in 2008 on long, fast tracks. He’s won at Fontana too. But I can’t see him beating my top three this week.

Nope, its got to be one of the big three. My pick is Jimmy Johnson with an upset special possibility coming from one of the Red Bull Toyotas. I’ll take Brian Vickers.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Tight in Turn 2 Again

Charlie Turner — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:16:15 +0000

Does an All Star event - in any sport - need to be fair to the competitors in the sport? Or is it more important that the contest be maxed out for ultimate fan interest?

NASCAR seems to be struggling with those questions and the additional issue of keeping the sponsors happy. Why else would they tweak the Budweiser Shootout? We’ll find out what you think in the Bench Racing version of this week’s Tight in Turn 2 posts.

The Budweiser Shootout will have a different format when it kicks off NASCAR’s Speedweeks next February. The 24 car all-star race will feature the top six cars in 2008 owners points from each of NASCAR’s four manufacturers. Do you like it or not?

Charlie: NASCAR has guaranteed that at least two, and probably more of its biggest stars will be watching this race instead of driving in it. Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman will not qualify. Two Michael Waltrip Racing cars will make it and so too, probably, will Travis Kvapil. It may not be a big deal, I guess. But tell me why they can’t start everybody? It would still be different from a regular Cup race. It’s a sprint. It’s short, fast, balls-out racing. Start 50 cars!

Bruce: I really like the idea that they’re changing it up to get more drivers in the “pointless” race. I think their approach is a bit blind sided by not anticipating that some of the better qualified drivers who could technically qualify for this race are going to be sidelined by drivers who don’t rate as high.

I would hope they re-evaluate their approach and take the drivers as they are, by years’ end, not who’s in what in the beginning of next year. Then, it would be fair, and mix it up a bit! Maybe they should add pole winners to the fray. That would get Ryan in at least. I’m sure they’ll come up with something to get Tony in!

That’s what we think. What do you think? Let us know in the comment section.

Bruce at NACAR Bits and Pieces has this topic up over at his blog…

So is this probation on Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards warranted?

Rowdy Busch: Grand Marshal of the Bristol Parade

Charlie Turner — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:41:13 +0000

That’s what Mindy says on this week’s Monday Morning Crew Chief. Check it out right here.

The Kez Invades Toledo Speedway

Beth Anne Heisler — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:40:43 +0000

On Tuesday, at the Toledo Speedway, while Steve, Charlie and I were preparing for the On Pit Row radio show, I could hear the sounds of a car outside on the track. It was ‘rumored’ that Brad Kesolowski was testing. I decided to go check it out and possibly capture a picture or two of the guys on the track.

The track is right outside of building where the show is broadcast. So I stepped out the door, into the track facility, and I looked over towards the pit area and sure enough, there was a Hendrick Motorsports hauler. As it turns out, the rumor was true. Brad and teammate Landon Cassill were both testing cars.

The #5 was running most of the laps while I was there. Brad’s #88 was being busily adjusted in the back of the track. He did eventually, get his car out for some laps right before dark.

I found a nice spot in the front stretch where there was a hole in the fence just wide enough to fit my lens through and waited. It wasn’t long before Cassill’s car came around turn 4. I felt the ground rumble, then the whoosh of the wind as the car went flying by within 4 feet of where I was standing. It was a little scary and I had to fight the urge to jump back when the car got that close; even though there was a wall and a chain link fence protecting me. It was also electrifying and an incredible rush.

A man came up to me and told me Brad and Landon had been there since 7:30am. We chatted a bit about how Kesolowski specifically wanted to come to Toledo for testing because it was a track he was familiar with and he needed to work on his short track program.

Mostly though, he wanted to warn me about the dangers of standing so close to the wall. I thought about the dangers involved with racing…even testing. I was done anyway, but I thought, I’d rather go out doing something I loved than wasting away alone in a nursing home. It was a good afternoon.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - ON PIT ROW

Quick Hits: Auto Club Speedway

Chris Leone — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:09:32 +0000

With two races left before the Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR heads to Auto Club Speedway in California. California is a state known for many things, from fine wines to celebrities to the greatest football game of Brett Favre’s career, a 41-7 rout of the Oakland Raiders the day after his father, Irvin, passed away.

With all the attention Favre’s been getting as of late, I feel it’s fair to direct our attention to a driver who similarly can’t retire from the sport he loves: Mark Martin. One of the reasons why I’ve been pulling so hard for Favre this season is because I’ve heard much of the same criticism used against Martin, in his many attempts to retire. Sometimes it’s just too hard to walk away from what you’ve been doing all your life.

Truth is, Martin’s been on top of his game these past few years the same way Favre has: producing enough to warrant continued mentions as one of the best in the field week in and week out. Martin led NEXTEL Cup points through 4 races last year, and even still had a shot at the Chase after missing the first few of his 12 scheduled off weeks. This year, despite running in equipment of far lesser quality, Martin has nearly equaled his top-10s from last year (8 so far, compared to 11 last year) and nearly won at Phoenix. He also won the Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas.

Even more important, however, is what Martin’s done to make part-time driving a viable option for aging stars, especially splitting rides with development drivers.

Originally, the plan was to put two “retiring” drivers in one car to split a full season. In a 2005 interview with Claire B. Lang, Martin dismissed the option of splitting a schedule between two retiring drivers as “far-fetched” and “hard to do right.” At the time, Jack Roush was looking to fill the No. 6 Ford for 2006 while waiting for Jamie McMurray to take over the car in 2007. Roush’s idea was to split the car between Martin and Rusty Wallace for the 2006 season.

While the Martin-Wallace deal never materialized, Martin has run part-time schedules in Sprint Cup with development drivers the past few seasons, and the results have been surprisingly decent. Martin’s average finishes were 14.5 in 2007 and 13.9 this year, not far out of line from his career average of 13.3. Last season, the No. 01 Ginn Racing Chevrolet that Martin split with Regan Smith sat 17th in owners’ points, better than 16 cars to start all 36 races and 28 that attempted full schedules. This year, the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet that Martin and Aric Almirola share is 15th in owners’ points, ahead of 19 other teams to start all 24 races.

Martin won’t race this weekend at California, but has an impressive record at the track: 15 starts with 7 top-10s and a win in the track’s second-ever race in 1998. His 13.3 average finish at the track is 8th best out of active Sprint Cup drivers. In his 700th career Sprint Cup start, which occurred at California earlier this season, Martin started and finished 16th in the No. 8 Principal Financial Chevrolet.

Although Martin will have to wait until next year to make a full-blown comeback, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in his first full-time schedule since 2006, he’ll certainly continue to face the same criticisms as Favre, for soldiering on with a different team for the love of the sport. But, as has Favre, Martin will continue to persevere in his chosen sport, going until he simply can go no longer.

Before the green flag drops on this weekend’s action, here are this week’s five Quick Hits:

5. Former Formula 1 driver Scott Speed will make his Sprint Cup debut by the end of this season in a third Toyota for Team Red Bull. Former Daytona 500 winner Slugger Labbe and TRB’s test team will pit the car. Speed may run a full-time Sprint Cup schedule next season after winning a Truck Series race at Dover and challenging for the ARCA title this year.

4. Chip Ganassi Racing will definitely field two cars next season, as longtime backer Target has re-signed with the team. Juan Pablo Montoya will drive one car, with Dario Franchitti perhaps making his return in the other.

3. David Reutimann will return to the No. 00 Toyota at Michael Waltrip Racing in 2009, with an 18-race sponsorship deal from Aaron’s Rent. Reutimann drove his first race for Aaron’s in 2005 and currently sits 4th in Nationwide points driving for the company. Reutimann’s father, Buzzie, raced on short tracks in Florida in cars carrying the No. 00.

2. Reed Sorenson will land on his feet in 2009, after signing a multi-year deal to drive for Gillett Evernham Motorsports. While nothing else is a certainty at this point, expect Sorenson to drive the #10 car next season, taking into account the team’s issues finding a full-time sponsor for its third car.

1. After a post-race tangle last weekend in Bristol, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch have both been placed on probation for the next six Sprint Cup races, effective this weekend. Unhappy about being muscled out of the way in the final laps of the race, Busch drove his right-front fender up into Edwards’ door panel after the race had ended. In retaliation, Edwards followed Busch to the bottom of the track and spun the No. 18 Toyota.

Finally, congratulations to last week’s winners: Busch in the Truck Series, Brad Keselowski in the Nationwide Series, and Edwards in Sprint Cup.

Kasey Kahne: Tell Him There’s No Bristol Wild Card

Charlie Turner — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:34:54 +0000

This picture shows Kasey Kahne getting dealt one of Bristol Motor Speedway’s legendary wild cards.

Last week, Steve and I got into it pretty good ON PIT ROW. No surprise there. This time it was about whether or not the Bristol night race is a wild card race. I say yes. Steve says, emphatically no. Steve is wrong, of course, but maybe this is a matter of semantics. Bristol is legendary for big wrecks that often take out some of the best cars. There from came the legend of the wild card. The dictionary has this for legendary…

1. Of, constituting, based on, or of the nature of a legend.
2.
a. Celebrated in legend.
b. Extremely well known; famous or renowned.

The problem comes here. The Thesaurus has these two options for legend...

known - apprehended with certainty; “a known quantity”; “the limits of the known world”; “a musician known throughout the world”; “a known criminal”

unreal - lacking in reality or substance or genuineness; not corresponding to acknowledged facts or criteria; “ghosts and other unreal entities”; “unreal propaganda serving as news”

Steve is still wrong. So is the Thesaurus.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

NASCAR Chase Makin’ or Breakin’ Fontana Fast Laps Next

Charlie Turner — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:01:04 +0000

Bristol was interesting wasn’t it? Nothing like a little short track carnage and door banging to spice up the final two weeks of NASCAR’s Race to the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.

There is still a race for the last few spots in the Chase top twelve. Clint Bowyer, in 12th is only 12 points up on steady David Ragan. Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin are in right now and Kasey Kahne is not. The two race showdown is all that is left.

First up is the two miler at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. The track is a near twin to Michigan and two weeks ago, MIS hosted the Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards show. Of course, last weekend’s Bristol night race was a Carl and Kyle show - with a side of short track fireworks.

These two really only have the twenty remaining bonus points - that are up for grabs to the winners of Fontana and Richmond - to race for. Carl grabbed the ten extra points for Bristol with his bump-to-pass move. Can’t wait to see what happens next.

Until then, we have four fast variably banked and slickly paved Fast Lap questions for your debating pleasure.

1: Given his history with Hendrick and Ganassi; can Casey Mears’ move to the #07 car be successful?

2: Is the racing better to watch at the new Bristol?

3: Will “Magnetgate” change the way you view Joe Gibbs, JD Gibbs and/or Joe Gibbs Racing?

4: Will having the Labor Day weekend race move to Atlanta at night be enough to stop the nostalgia mongers from calling for a return to Darlington?

You can bang doors, bump pass, even wreck your competitors in this race. The Fast Lap doesn’t cater to whiners. Kyle.

Check out this Bench Racing post for a shot at a free Kevin Harvick bobblehead, courtesy of Shell Gasonlines.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Joey Logano Officially A Sprint Cup Driver

Matt Mercer — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:18:34 +0000

It’s been a whirlwind season for young Joey Logano.
(Note: this post also appears on my regular website, www.thecatfishshow.com)

The Middletown, CT native is a talent that rarely comes along. Regular readers know how highly I think about him. This is a guy that won the East Series title at the age of 17. He followed that up by dominating the ARCA race at Rockingham this May in preparation for his Nationwide Series debut, which came at Dover this May. He would go on to capture poles at Nashville and Kentucky, winning in Kentucky in just his third series start. Logano followed up with consecutive runner-up finishes at Milwaukee and Gateway and top-10 runs at IRP, Watkins Glen, and Michigan. The kid’s ready to contend at any level you put him in.

For Gibbs, this meant not going outside of the organization to find a replacement for Tony Stewart in the #20 Home Depot Camry. Why go through that process and deal with possible chemistry issues when the best choice is already there? Logano’s been a teammate to both returning drivers next season, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch this year. Hamlin in particular has taken an active role in Logano’s development, which will only accelerate the learning curve. Logano may actually be on the same level as most drivers in the COT, since he has been the primary test driver for the cars since their inception. I’m going on record right now and saying that Logano wins in 2009 and qualifies for the Chase. I’m that confident in his ability, not to mention the JGR camp and the quality of the team he will inherit.

As for the rest of 2008, Logano is looking at running 6 Sprint Cup races in the #02 - Richmond, New Hampshire, Kansas, Lowes, Atlanta, and Texas, 9 Nationwide races in the #20, as well as the ARCA race at Talladega in order to garner some plate experience before the Daytona 500 this fall.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Edwards and The Shrub Dust it Up at Bristol

Steve Wronkowicz — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:58:40 +0000

When all was said and done Carl Edwards had used the ole bump and run to get past Kyle Busch for the win in the Sharpie 500.

Busch dominated this race. Leading 415 of the 500 laps, the Toyota driver was not thrilled by the bump that allowed Edwards to slid past the out of shape M&M’s ride. Kyle let it be known that he wasn’t happy with the way he was treated by the race winner:

”If that’s the way he wants to race, we’ll race him in the Chase that way.”

Of course Edwards wouldn’t back down. During his post race news conference Edwards had this to say in rebuttal to Busch’s statement:

“Okay. Here’s the deal. That doesn’t mean anything. He’s raced me that way and that’s the reason it went down like that. That’s it.”

Whether anyone was done wrong here is the biggest question. The replays of the incident that has everyone talking wouldn’t even have ruffled the feathers of most drivers pre-2000. “The Move” was barely a tap and with the design of the new car, Busch wasn’t in imminent danger of losing his hold on the car.

The press and the fans may make more out of this than the drivers. ESPN pre-race showed clips of many famous Bristol confrontations. Bristol has had its share of driver moments and that is what fans have come to expect from the half-miler.

But, in rank of the famous Bristol moments this one between the Roush-Fenway and Joe Gibbs Racing drivers is minute in comparison.

And that leads to this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Was Carl Edward’s bump and run really as big of a deal as Kyle Busch has made it out to be?

Let us know what you are thinking and we could use your response on this week’s ON PIT ROW. Listen live from 5-7pm ET to ON PIT ROW and stay tuned to INSIDE ARCA from 7-8:30pm ET.

Photo credit: Icon Sport Media

Sell Me Your NASCAR Team: Win a Kevin Harvick Bobblehead

Charlie Turner — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 11:27:50 +0000

No NASCAR race on Sunday? I know. Free stuff is good though. Let’s have a contest!

Here’s the deal. Our ON PIT ROW Rules committee - that would be Steve and Me - will choose the best answer every week for what we will call the Shell Gasolines’ Top-5 of the Week. The winner will receive a Kevin Harvick Bobblehead courtesy of the folks at Shell Gasolines.

Here is your mission.

You have a NASCAR team. Congratulations! You need sponsors. Good luck. Give us your top five best reasons to sponsor you and your own version of Ricky Bobby.

Leave your answers in the comment section of this post. Limit your response to five answers per comment. Be creative! The bobbleheads are cool.

The Shell Gasolines’ Top Five of the Week is brought to you by Shell - reminding you to help keep your engines gunk-free and running at their best by using high-quality gasolines like Shell.

Photo credit: WJR.com

Bristol Night Race is a NASCAR Fantasy Dice Roll

Charlie Turner — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:13:16 +0000

Tony Stewart led the most laps in three of the last five Sprint Cup Series races held at Bristol Motor Speedway. His Ave Finish in those three races was 20.3.

The driver with the best Ave Finish - 6.3 - over the last seven Bristol races is Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior has led just 36 laps in those seven contests though.

If you are making fantasy NASCAR picks for Bristol and looking for help from NASCAR’s Loop data, good luck. It’s going to be tough.

The top five in Loop Driver Rating for Bristol are all winless in 2008. That’s winless everywhere, not just in Thunder Valley. All five have DR’s above 100, led by Matt Kenseth at 109.0. Kenseth has the top stats for Ave Position and Ave Mid Race Position - 7.3 and 6.1. He leads in Percent of Quality Passes, Fastest Laps and Laps in the Top 15.

Greg Biffle is next with a DR of 103.2, followed by Kevin Harvick -102.6, Tony Stewart - 102.4 and Jeff Gordon at 101.4. Harvick leads one of the passing categories and Stewart has his leading Laps Led stats. Harvick and Stewart each have one Bristol win. Kenseth has two and Gordon five while Biffle remains winless.

The Busch Factor

The other five time winner in the field is Kurt Busch, who has a tenth best Driver Rating of 91.4. Kurt is followed in 11th by the Busch the Younger. Kyle Busch has a win at Bristol. Hell, it seems like he’s won everything this year. He did take the Craftsman Truck Series race this week, for his 18th NASCAR win of 2008. Incredible feat.

The other drivers with 2008 seasons that challenge Kyle Busch are Carl Edwards, Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Burton and Earnhardt Jr. Edwards and Johnson have DR’s of 86.2 and 78.2 respectively. Not strong, but Edwards won this race in 2007. Junior has those Ave Finish stats and Burton is sixth best in Driver Rating at 94.5 - right behind Junior at 96.8.

I don’t see how you pick anyone but Kyle Busch here, so I will take him to win. Dark horse is the wrong word for Greg Biffle but the Biff is my alternate pick. He is the only driver to finish 100 percent of all of his Bristol Laps. And at Bristol, it’s almost as much about missing the wrecks as being fast.

ARCA Angels is Driven to Help

Charlie Turner — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:04:39 +0000

Sometimes things just feel right. Today, ARCA and our company, Bench Racing Productions are announcing the launch of a cause marketing effort to be known as ARCA Angels.

The program will run for eight weeks in conjunction with ON PIT ROW and INSIDE ARCA sponsored by Team Glock Racing, the two radio programs that are co hosted by Steve Wronkowicz and Charlie Turner from the Toledo Speedway Bar & Grill each week.

“We are just trying to help,” said Mark Gundrum, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for ARCA. “There are people who are associated with ARCA and the sport of auto racing who need help, and we have formed a small group of people who are willing to help if they
can.”

You can read the entire ARCA press release here.

We’re proud to be a part of the ARCA Angels effort and we hope to help continue the good work far beyond the initial eight week promotion. We presently have plans for several different fund raising activities, many of which will center around the live broadcasts of the radio shows. But we want to include the internet community in the program too. If you have any suggestions, please let us know.

We have wanted to get ON PIT ROW and OnPitRow.com involved in some kind of charitable program for some time now. As NASCAR observers, there is a tendency to immediately think of Victory Junction Gang Camp or one of the many driver foundations. They all support great causes. ARCA Angels is a start-up. Something to help build from the beginning. We are directing the help towards three specific situations. It will be great to see, from close up, how the efforts benefit those who need it. As I said, this just felt right, right from the beginning.