gNA$hCAR Notes
DEI restricted to second place
Wow, it's a great day to be a Jeff Gordon fan! Not only did Super G escape with the win, but he did it by holding off the heir apparent to the Nextel Cup crown, Dale Earnhardt Jr., as the caution flew with less than five laps to go. It was surely a moment the fans at Talladega won't soon forget -- watching Gordon do his burnout amid a shower of beverage containers. Methinks they would have preferred another Chevy in Victory Lane.
That was a good race, and not just because Gordon won. The high number of cautions kept the field close, and the Big One only took out about a quarter of the pack, so there were lots of good cars running at the finish. Let me run through Glenn's Ten with commentary:
A 5-for-10 day, and I nailed the top four...
* Jimmie Johnson (winner) -- 4th, He led a good chunk of the day and looked like he had the car to get it done, despite the cut tire early. What might have been if they had finished under green.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 2nd, See Junior run high. See Junior run low. See Junior run just about anywhere he wants to at this track, except he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when the caution flew. He lost this race when he screwed his teammate Michael Waltrip after Mikey basically pushed Junior back to the front. Once they got separated, Little E had no drafting buddies. If those two had stayed nose to tail there is little doubt one of them probably would have won. Noticed he didn't gripe too much about finishing second, but why should he? He's not only still the points leader, but he padded the lead by a bunch.
* Michael Waltrip -- 12th, Anyone besides me think the DEI buddies might not be so chummy at the plate tracks anymore? I wonder if Mikey thinks twice about working with Junior late in the race next time.
* Jeff Gordon -- 1st, Didn't lead many laps. Didn't need to. His dive to the inside to pass Earnhardt just before the final caution proved to be the move of the race. Career win no. 65 leaves him nine shy of Earnhardt Sr. What a pathetic burnout. He ought to invite Brian Vickers to the head table at the victory party for chosing that moment to wreck.
* Kevin Harvick -- 3rd, Would have liked to see what he would have been able to do under a green flag finish. Car looked great today.
* Matt Kenseth -- 42nd, DNF. A spinout early, then a blown engine. Not a good day at the track. ... And down to fifth in points.
* Rusty Wallace -- 33rd, Victimized by circumstances beyond his control.
* Tony Stewart -- 22nd, Tony was in the spin cycle all day, either as the spinner or the spinee. He initiated the Big One when he clipped Kurt Busch on lap 83, then he got spun out to bring out the next-to-last caution. If not for that he would have been around for the top 10. And what was that lefthand turn in front of Terry Labonte as they were exiting the track after the checkers? Tony seemed remarkably calm in the postrace interview for a guy who was in the center of so much controversy today.
* Ryan Newman -- 11th, Hung out near the rear most of the day. Tried so tire strategy moves that got him to the front once, but any chance of a late-race sprint was cut short by finishing under the yellow.
* Bobby Labonte -- 10th, Like Newman, was a nonfactor most of the race. Had snuck into the top 10 before the caution.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Robby Gordon -- 5th, Ran well in the Busch race too. Childress cars had a decent day.
*Mark Martin -- 6th, Looked like he might steal a win, but then came that caution...
* Jeff Burton -- 7th, Yay! The unsponsored one makes the top 10.
* Casey Mears -- 8th, Still trying to carack the top six. Ran strong early and led a bunch.
*Jamie McMurray -- 9th, Mears' teammate had a good day too. Like I've said many times, I don't give him enough credit.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Brendan Gaughan -- 13th, top rookie.
* Dale Jarrett -- 16th, Was starting to make his move.
* Ricky Rudd -- 17th, Couldn't back up the pole, but overcame early woes for a decent finish.
* Brian Vickers -- 27th, Ran strong late race. Had faded prior to the crash. Jeff Gordon owes him big time.
* Kerry Earnhardt -- 35th, Was up in top five before fading... before getting wrecked when Waltrip had nowhere to go. Not the sort of finish he needed, but that was his lot in Busch series too. He'll get a few more chances in Childress machinery.
* Ricky Craven -- 43rd, My sleeper pick went to bed early with a blown engine on lap 7. I like Ricky a lot, but the guy needs better equipment.
Next week... The unrestricted wide-open spaces of California Speedway.
Week 9 — Talladega
Somebody ought to consider renaming this place Chevyville. I watched the Busch race this morning and wouldn't you know that the top 9 were all Chevys? And guess which one of 'em was in the winner's circle at the end? Not Dale Earnhardt Jr., but his protege, Martin Truex Jr. Does DEI own this track?
Well... there's the big question every time the Cup guys race here. Dale and his teammate Michael Waltrip have won the past five races at 'Dega. Will that streak continue tomorrow? Simple answer: NO! It's time for someone to break the curse, and take a gander at Glenn's Ten to see who will get it done:
* Jimmie Johnson (winner) -- Hendrick seems to be the only outfit that can hold a candle to DEI at the restrictor tracks, although they haven't had the luck. Time for the law of averages to play out. If Ricky Rudd can knock DEI off the pole, certainly someone like Johnson can do it at the checkers.
The rest of the top 10 (in no particular order):
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Would be shortsighted to not include him somewhere in the front -- barring accident.
* Michael Waltrip -- ditto.
* Jeff Gordon -- If he doesn't win he'll still find a way to make the top five.
* Kevin Harvick -- For some reason he runs better than his teammates here.
* Matt Kenseth -- Starting 31st, but always finds a way.
* Rusty Wallace -- Coming off a win and has confidence again. Runs well on the restrictor tracks.
* Tony Stewart -- 37th on the grid. Will run back there until about the last 10 laps, then watch out.
* Ryan Newman -- I don't feel comfortable with this pick, but he did manage 4th here last October.
* Bobby Labonte -- How come Tony never qualifies well here, but Bobby (19th) does? Won't matter, they'll be nose-to-tail at the end.
Sleeper picks: Dale Jarrett, who starts 7th, and Ricky Craven(?!), who seems to find his way into the thick of the leaders at least once at the restrictor tracks. Maybe it will be at the finish.
Martinsville rehash
I don't think I've ever learned so much about concrete repair from watching a NASCAR race. That was absolutely pathetic. They red-flagged the race for about an hour fifteen minutes after a chunk of concrete became dislodged and (unfortunately) found the front of Jeff Gordon's Chevy. I realize that Martinsville is an old track and that it is scheduled to be repaved, but you would think with the buck$ these tracks are raking in off the Cup series that they might have wanted to resurface *before* the race. Sunday was reminiscent of the race at New Hampshire a couple of years ago where the new asphalt was faulty and cars were sliding into the wall all day. It is unfortunate when a good car gets beat by circumstances unrelated to the competition. Jeff has every right to be upset, but... well, that's racin'.
Looks like my avoidance of Rusty Wallace was a mistake, as the Blue Deuce found its way into the winner's circle for the first time in 105 races. Now that he's gotten that out of the way perhaps he won't be so motivated for California. This changes everything. Or does it?
How did Glenn's Ten do this week? It was a 6-for-10 day. Comments follow:
* Jeff Gordon (winner) -- 6th, Defeated by concrete chunk. Does that count as mechanical problems? He was the car to beat until the rock got in the way of his front right fender and forced the red-flagging of the race on lap 291. Jeff made repeated pit stops under caution and got the car back together well enough to claw his way back from 23rd to 6th, but he needed some more cautions. I still think that the concrete might have emerged from a secret compartment under the #8, which was leading under caution when the incident occurred.
* Bobby Labonte -- 2nd, Almost stole this one from Rusty. He made a quiet run toward the front and kept the car out of trouble. With Rusty's luck of late I was convinced we would see a repeat of Homestead-Miami last November in which Labonte won on a last-lap pass of Bill Elliott when Bill's tire went flat. Not to be this time.
* Kurt Busch -- 11th, The *former* points leader just missed a Top 10. Unlike most of his Rousch teammates, at least he was running at the end of the day.
* Matt Kenseth -- 8th, Best of the Rouschers. Down to third in the points. Can we call 12 points back "slumping" for a guy who has been numero uno for most of the past year?
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 3rd, Have you ever seen a guy look so down after finishing this good and taking back the points lead? The FOX guys have taken to calling him the "points champion" again. Sheesh. Can we just crown Junior now and forget the rest next 28 races? The TV interviewer tried to buck him up by commenting how much the #8 team and its driver have "matured" over the past year. Dale's response: "I don't know how much more mature we can get." This guy wants to win races. Gee, look at that, someone put Talladega on the schedule next week...
* Ryan Newman -- 5th, Pretty good finish for taking only two tires on the last stop. He did to Jeff Gordon what he did to Little E here before -- sat in the way for about 20 laps and wouldn't let the better car by. His "reward" for getting the top five? He lost a spot in the points race and fell out of the top 10 again. 8-/ Someone needs to remind Newman and Wallace that they are on the same team.
* Ward Burton -- 22nd, lost a lap early on and never got it back.
* Jimmie Johnson -- 4th, Should have been 1st. Bad decision not taking tires next to last pit stop, which Chad Knaus admitted left him little chance to win.
* Tony Stewart -- 14th, Thought he would give Jeff Gordon a run for the money when he climbed to fourth early in the race on fresh tires. But he settled into the teens and never got back to where he had been.
* Greg Biffle -- 35th, What a miserable day. Should have dumped him for Wallace.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
*Rusty Wallace -- 1st, Congrats, Rusty. Shows you what a driver who's hungy enough can accomplish. Might not be the last time he wins this year.
* Jamie McMurray -- 7th, I don't give him enough credit. Ran well all day and challenged for the lead briefly.
* Sterling Marlin -- 9th, The Gnassi crew had something for Martinsville afterall.
* Dale Jarrett -- 10th, What's this? DJ in the top 10? Hoosah! Got little attention all day, but made perhaps his best run of the year starting from 25th.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Brian Vickers -- 13th, Highest-finishing rooking. Still on the fringes of elimination from the Chase of Champions.
* Michael Waltrip -- 15th, Second best finish of 2004.
* Mark Martin -- 34, A top five car before mechanical failure.
Next week: Shove in those restrictor plates and let's see if anyone can knock off the DEI guys at Talladega.
Week 8 -- Martinsville
I think NASCAR should take a week off more often. It is a case of absence making the heart grow fonder, especially when my guys haven't been winning lately. But that is about to change as we head into Martinsville and that half-mile paper clip of asphalt and concrete that lesser drivers love to hate. No Busch action here this week. In fact, the Busch series doesn't race at this track, which you would think should be a disadvantage to some of the rookie class. Let's see how Glenn's Ten looks for tomorrow's Advance Auto Parts 500:
* Jeff Gordon (winner) -- Book 'em, Dano. He's on the pole, has a two-race winning streak in this place and is ready for a trip to victory lane. He'll get it if he can keep the car out of trouble in the pits and doesn't suffer mechanical failure on track.
The rest of the top 10 (in no particular order):
* Bobby Labonte -- starting toward the middle of the pack, but he runs well here.
* Kurt Busch -- Sitting atop the points standings and wants to stay there as long as he can.
* Matt Kenseth -- Was sitting atop the point standings and looking to get back there soon. Starts in his traditional 20something slot (29th this week).
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Might have won the last race here if not for taking about 20 laps to pass Ryan Newman late in the race.
* Ryan Newman -- It's about tire preservation, buddy. Don't mash the gas. Please. And stay out of Little E's way.
* Ward Burton -- Say what? No kidding, he knows how to drive at these short tracks. But will the car not self-destruct?
* Jimmie Johnson -- Why not? His boss has won here often enough that some of that success has to rub off.
* Tony Stewart -- Starting deep in the pack, but you can never count out Smoke.
* Greg Biffle -- I give him the nod over Rusty Wallace only because he's showing signs of improvement this year. It's time for Biffle to serve notice that he really is a good driver.
Sleeper picks: Rusty Wallace (who runs well her but who I fear is due for a fender-bender) and Kevin Harvick (he might mash a few cars out of the way before it's over).
Busch race at Nashville
Thought I'd get a breat this week with Easter and the Cup guys taking Sunday off, but I had to chime in on yesterday's Busch event at Nashville. I didn't see most of it, but watched the last five laps and got all the fireworks I needed. That was a whale of a finish. Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch were racing hard for the lead and spun out, taking Johnny Benson and Robby Gordon with them, which allowed Michael Waltrip to sprint from fifth to first as the caution came out with two to go. So much wrecked sheet metal on that final lap. Guess that's why the fans stick around to the very end. There was no way anyone -- least of all Mikey -- would have picked Waltrip to win that one following his final pit stop under caution in which he wasn't able to get into his pit box because another car was coming out at the same time, and he had to settle for eighth on the restart. The fans got their money's worth in this one, and of course there was the added bonus of Waltrip's antics in victory lane.
Texas rehash, y'all
Looks like I missed the boat in not picking Elliott Sadler today. He led a bundle of laps here last year before a wreck, and this year he was not only strong all day, but won the race. His second career victory. Congrats to a team that desperately needs some good finishes.
My picks looked good much of the day, despite the 5-of-10 finish. Let's run through them:
* Matt Kenseth (Winner) -- 16th, He went to the rear of the field early, but had made strong progress before brushing the wall in Turn 4. Still, hung in there for a decent day. Drops to second in points, though.
* Bobby Labonte -- 25th, Started going backward early, but looked like a top 10 car mid-race until battery problems left him a couple laps down.
* Ryan Newman -- 39th, *Sniff* Was on a top five sorta run until he hit the wall on lap 195. Clings to 10th in points.
* Jeff Gordon -- 3rd, *Sniff!* Looked like he was going to break the Texas jinx until battery problem on final restart did him in. Recovered one position, but fell too far behind to catch the leaders. Buck up, Gordon fans -- Martinsville is in two weeks...
* Jeremy Mayfield -- 34th, A good day ruined when Brian Vickers rear-ended Scott Wimmer into Mayfield's path. He had been near the top 10 when it happened on lap 294.
* Kasey Kahne -- 2nd (again), I thought for sure he was finally going to get his first victory. He has given the winners all they could handle, and it's just a matter of time before he's spraying the champagne.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 4th, And he didn't have to spin out to get it! He said the car wasn't very good today. Just stayed out of trouble and was in the right places when it mattered.
* Jimmie Johnson -- 9th, Looked like a contender early, but struggled a bit down the stretch.
* Greg Biffle -- 31st, Was a top 5 runner until the car crapped out on him.
* Tony Stewart -- 8th, By the grace of God. Avoided the attrition all around him to sneak into the top 10 with an awful car.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Elliott Sadler -- Winner, They threw M&M's in Victory Lane. Bristol 2001 seems so long ago.
* Rusty Wallace -- 5th, Had the wrong Penske driver pegged for a top 5. Think California... California... California...
* Kurt Busch -- 6th, Don't know why I didn't pick him. Didn't get much mention by the FOX crew.
* Casey Mears -- 7th, Matches his career best finish. Dig that Fuji green.
* Jamie McMurray -- 10th, Just like Stewart. Had a mediocre car and tuffed it out. Perhaps the Bristol fine settled him down. No payback from Kasey Kahne... this week.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Dave Blaney -- 11th, Wish he could get a full-time sponsor.
* Brian Vickers -- 12th, Best finish of the season for #25.
* Bill Elliott -- 36th, Ran away from the field on the green, but crashed late in the race when a tire blew. Awesome Bill didn't look like a field filler.
* Derrike Cope -- 37th, Was in the top 10 before pit stop miscue that left him down a couple laps. As I said before, this team has definitely improved. Unfortunately, still driving with deck stacked against him.
Next up... Easter. No races until Martinsville on April 18.
Week 7 -- Texas
I should be really jazzed about this race, because this is the track where Flyin' Ryan Newman nabbed the first of his 8 wins last season. I'd like to believe that he can repeat that performance Sunday. He can. But... I don't have good vibes here. Something tells me another of Gillette's "Young Guns" is going to be in victory lane tomorrow.
Here's Glenn's 10 for the Samsung-Radio Shack 500:
* Matt Kenseth (Winner) -- Yep. The man's on a mission this season. Has to proove that he can win another championship under the new rules. I'm not betting on him for the year, but I am for this race. He won the Busch event Saturday the same was he wins all his races -- starts slow, works his way up quietly with great pit stops and stays out of trouble.
The rest of the top 10 (in no particular order):
* Bobby Labonte -- Won the pole and would love to win the race on his "home" track.
* Ryan Newman -- Top 5. Will find a way to overcome a disappointing qualifying run.
* Jeff Gordon -- One of only three tracks on the current circuit on which he has never won. Don't look for that to change.
* Jeremy Mayfield -- Haven't given the #19 much mention, but these guys have turned it up a notch this year. With teammates Kasey Kahne and Bill Elliott both qualifying well, I expect Jeremy to have a decent day.
* Kasey Kahne -- Should recover from bad week at Bristol and wreck in Saturday's Busch race here.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Gotta keep in the points chase. Slick trick last week intentionally spinning out to avoid going a lap down.
* Jimmie Johnson -- Likes his car. Watch out!
* Greg Biffle -- Has run well but not caught the breaks. This is a good track for Greg.
* Tony Stewart -- If Bobby Labonte runs well, look for Smoke to do the same.
Sleeper pick: Mark Martin. Dale Jarrett also has a handful of top 10s here, but hasn't looked impressive of late. (Keep the car off the wall, DJ!)
