gNA$hCAR Notes
The Lowe's-down on Week 12
I told ya! I told ya! You knew Jimmie Johnson wouldn't go home empty-handed twice in a row at this track. Not only did he nail the victory, but he led something like 334 of the 400 laps while making it look easy. Maybe just a little too easy -- I had to pinch myself to stay awake after he lapped the entire field around lap 135. But thanks to late cautions there were at least a dozen lead-lap cars that had a chance to make things interesting.
After suffering through the rain-delayed Indy 500, I thought the 600-miler would be a treat to watch. In hindsight I wish I'd headed out for that Memorial Day picnic. Ah well. Here's my reflections on my predictions (5-of-10):
* Jimmie Johnson (winner) -- Winner! What does that make now? Three correct picks this season? A .250 average would make me millions in Major League Baseball. Jimmie's car was "on rails" as they like to say. His daring pass on Kasey Kahne and Jeremy Mayfield with less than 30 laps to go sealed the deal. What a sweet win (from the pole) for a most deserving team. Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans can hear the footsteps, or perhaps smell the tire smoke...
* Tony Stewart -- 9th, Never got the car going the way you'd expect. Lucked out to finish where he did.
* Matt Kenseth -- 3rd, Natch. All those late cautions helped him scrape together a great finish.
* Jamie McMurray -- 4th, If he could do this every week he'd be in the top 10 in points. Great run by the #42 team, but he did a Ryan Newman at the end and stayed out when the rest of the leaders pitted. Who knows, this might have been the best call, as his car wasn't strong enough to win otherwise.
* Jeff Gordon -- 30th, Ouch! Should have brought back the rainbow crunch car from last week's all-star. Went backward in a hurry and wound up seven laps off the pace.
* Ryan Newman -- 35th, Too painful for words. OK, I have just a few... He was on pace for a top 15, running a lap down most of the race. Then he got together with Derrike Cope and crunched the rear end. Still looked like he was going to have a top 20 thanks to all the lapped cars, but his engine failed spectacularly with about eight laps to go. Shades of early 2003. This bodes well for Dover, however, as Ryan usually finds a way to bounce back from catastrophe the following week.
* Greg Biffle -- 21st, It really wasn't Kurt Busch's fault, but there were those who wondered if Biffle wasn't trying to rough up the #97 when he brushed into the wall. The car wasn't quite the same after that.
* Sterling Marlin -- 39th, I worried about this pick going in. Shoulda listened to my intuition. Sterling had engine problems after running in the 20's.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 6th, Danged if the Bud boys didn't put together a good finish after looking mediocre much of the race. He even led a lap, which is the reason he is still in sole possession of the top spot in the points instead of tied with Jimmie Johnson. Give it time...
* Bobby Labonte -- 13th, Crashing on the last lap won't help your finish any. Thought for a while he might snare a win from Johnson. But he faded down the stretch.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Michael Waltrip -- 2nd, Yeah, Mikey! Looked exhausted at the post-race interview.
* Elliott Sadler -- 5th, Only guy beside Johnson to lead a lot of laps. Sorry I underestimated him.
* Casey Mears -- 7th, Finds his magic number for the third time this season. Still waiting for a top 5.
* Jeremy Mayfield -- 8th, My dark horse pick looked good for a while, but finished in true Mayfield fashion, fading when the heat was on.
* Rusty Wallace -- 10th, Where did he come from? Oh yeah, lucky dog beneficiary.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Kasey Kahne -- 11th, Too bad he couldn't make the show. Brushed the wall in the late frantic dash for the checkers and it wasn't as good as it had been. Best rookie finisher.
* John Andretti -- 19th, Was in the top 15 for a time.
* Kyle Busch -- 32nd, Saturday's Busch Series winner had a decent run, despite being down seven laps. At least he was there for the finish.
* Mark Martin -- 36th, How come equipment failures bite Mark so often when he's running well?
INDY 500 PREDICTION:
I was close. Robby Gordon's car finished 29th at Indy (without Robby Gordon in it) and then he struggled his way to 20th at Lowe's. Wonder if he'll try the double again next year? Will anyone? I hope not. Then I won't have to watch both races.
Here's another Indy stat: First two drivers out were AJ Foyt IV and Larry Foyt (whose claim to "fame" in gNA$hCAR is ramming into Steve Park's car at Pocono in a Busch race three years ago, effectively derailing Park's career). AJ Foyt Sr. should rest on his laurels as a 4-time Indy champ and get out of racing, or hire some talented people who can turn his program into something other than the joke it has become. Maybe Foyt and the Pettys can merge operations and field one good driver, rather than trying to run a lot of mediocre drivers a lot of different places in a lot of mediocre equipment.
Next week... One of Ryan Newman's favorite tracks (last year, at any rate) -- Dover.
Week 12 — Lowe's
On the heels of last weekend's all-star crash fest we're back at Charlotte for 600 miles under the lights. This place is a Young Guns sorta track, which means we should expect a show from the Johnsons, Harvicks, Newmans and Busches. I've got a very strong feeling about this race, so without further adieu...
Glenn's Ten:
* Jimmie Johnson (winner) -- He owns Lowe's, or is it the other way around? Nothing like a crappy finish in the all-star to fire you up for a points race at your home track. He's the defending champion, on the pole, and no reason to think he won't repeat. Hendrick drivers have this place figured out. (See Kyle Busch winning the 300-miler on Saturday...)
The rest of the top 10 (in no particular order):
* Tony Stewart -- Smoke loves the lights... and he hasn't won yet this year.
* Matt Kenseth -- 37th on the grid is a little tougher start than last week's 3rd, but he's got 400 laps to work with.
* Jamie McMurray -- Won here fall '02. had a good car in the all-star open. Look for a top 10.
* Jeff Gordon -- Would be cool if he celebrated the 10th anniversary of his first career victory by getting his 67th...
* Ryan Newman -- Missed the pole by thousands of a second. Won't gamble on old tires this time.
* Greg Biffle -- If he stays away from Kurt Busch...
* Sterling Marlin -- Always dangerous at Lowe's. Due for a top 10.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Points leader has incentive.
* Bobby Labonte -- Will show his colors in the final 50 laps.
Dark horses: Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin and Jeremy Mayfield.
Prediction: Robby Gordon finishes below 25th after finishing about the same at Indy.
All-Wreck Challenge results
What a wild night, as is typical of the all-star. I don't think I can remember a race where they didn't get to the scoring stripe before the big one occurred. Casey Mears lost his transmission on the green flag in the all-star open and gathered up 11 cars with him. Took out some of the favorites, but then it was fun watching guys like Derrike Cope and Kirk Shelmerdine running up front, however brief that run was. Another tough night for Kerry Earnhardt, who had he not been wrecked in the pile-up would certainly have gotten the fan vote to advance to the feature. I was sort of disappointed to see Ken Schrader get the nod over Jamie McMurray, who rightfully should have been there after that tough loss to Sterling Marlin after he got roughed up by Jeremy Mayfield. Funny thing, though -- McMurray was the only one of the Gnassi teammates to get his car on the hauler in one piece at the end of the night.
I can't say I'm excited about the outcome of the All-Star, being that I am a Ryan Newman fan, but it was a fun race. Here's how my picks went (and it is only coincidental that my order nearly mirrored the points standings even as the finishing order didn't):
1... Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 5th, Had a winning car until the final segment, when he faded.
2... Jimmie Johnson -- 17th, What a disappointment. Got taken out of contention in the Kurt Busch-inspired fracas. They never did get the car patched back together the way it was. DNF when he hit the wall on lap 55.
3... Jeff Gordon -- 6th, Wins my atta-boy award. There was more black duct tape than paint in his retro rainbow paint scheme. That he finished where he did is a credit to his crew and all the repair work they did on a very torn-up car.
4... Matt Kenseth -- 1st, See what a good qualifying spot can do? He started third, which is probably the last time all year he'll get a top-10 start. I was seriously beginning to wonder if he would take Ryan Newman at the end. Sadly, he did.
5... Tony Stewart -- 3rd, Tony ran out front a long time, but had trouble on the last restart and couldn't get caught up.
6... Bobby Labonte -- 15th, Last car on the lead lap.
7... Ryan Newman -- 2nd, Not taking tires when everyone else did the first time was a gutsy move. Not taking them twice was pure wishful thinking by Matt Borland. That Ryan led until the final three laps just shows the talent level behind the wheel of the #12.
8... Kevin Harvick -- 22nd, Victim of the Busch crash.
9... Mark Martin -- 10th, About where I picked him, although ran better part of the night.
10... Kurt Busch -- 20th, This was too kind a ranking, considering he was responsible for taking out three of the cars that finished behind him. What a bonehead move! You don't bump draft at Lowe's, especially on your teammate. Greg Biffle had every right to be pissed. Only redemption was that Kenseth, being a Rousch teammate, won the mil.
OTHER TOP 10 FINISHERS:
* Michael Waltrip -- 4th, Good finish for the NAPA crew.
* Kasey Kahne -- 7th, Got here because of Bill Elliot's win in the #9 last year and had a solid run.
* Elliott Sadler -- 8th, Quietly snuck into the top 10.
* Rusty Wallace -- 9th, Pole winner was a top 10 car most of the night, not much better.
Next week... The 600-miler at Lowe's.
The All-Star Challenge
I promised I would, so here it is—my prediction for Saturday night's all-star event at Lowe's. Humpy Wheeler likes Jeff Gordon. I like Jeff too, but sadly I'll have to pick against him. Here's my top ten (in order):
1... Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- The Bud boys are on a roll and have a full head of steam coming off last week's win. Junior is a previous all-star winner and has the crowd behind him. He nearly won two years ago, but played nice and let Ryan Newman take home the mil. He'll be the last one left standing at the end.
2... Jimmie Johnson -- Won this event last year on the #48 team's namesake track.
3... Jeff Gordon -- He'll make the cut this time, but Jimmie runs better here.
4... Matt Kenseth -- Why not? Matt runs well everywhere he goes. At least one of the Rouschers has to make it.
5... Tony Stewart -- The loud-mouthed one has to do well in the all-star to silence some critics.
6... Bobby Labonte -- If Tony can do it, so can Bobby.
7... Ryan Newman -- If he doesn't find a way to win, at least he'll be in the final cut.
8... Kevin Harvick -- This is Harvick's sort of track, and the bucks are on the line. He'll step up.
9... Mark Martin -- He's eligible? Apparently so. Love's Lowe's, which is the site of his last points win almost two years ago.
10... Kurt Busch -- It's a Rousch sorta night.
Will Tony Stewart Be This Year's Champion?
Let's see... Tony Stewart has been bumping and banging into other drivers for weeks. He has a different driver angry at him each week. Some have questioned his temper.
Now all that has to happen is for Tony to be put on probation for the rest of the season and that will clinch it...Tony Stewart will be this year's Cup champion!
Testing
Just checking out Blogger's nifty new feature that allows us to post to the
blog via e-mail. If this works I'll probably post a lot more often...
Beer spills, Tony runs off at the mouth
Now that was fun, wasn't it? Where to begin with the Richmond recap... The fireworks began even before the green flag, with Tony Stewart dissing Darrell Waltrip something good during a prerace interview. Tony, apparently, is a little miffed at DW and the FOX boys for getting on his case about his on-track antics the past few weeks. Tony took umbrage at the suggestion that NASCAR should park him for a week to get his head straight and "reminded" DW that if it hadn't been for the past champion provisional starting spot that DW wouldn't have gotten to race his last two years on the circuit. Ouch! The look on Jaws' face said it all. But Tony didn't quit. After his strong finish he laid into DW again in the postrace interview. What a jerk. You made your case, shut up and race.
And then there was the #8 crew in their victory lane celebration, giving a Bud bath to Chris Berman and Jeff Hammond. What a classless show that was. Hammond was about to lose it on camera after that, but Berman calmed him down and they carried on with their phony jovial banter through beer-soaked microphones. Hammond later treated Tony Eury Sr. to a drink of Gatorade. This isn't the first time the #8 crew has gotten on Berman's case with potable liquids, and frankly he probably deserves it. But once is enough. It will be sweet if the Bud boys wind up missing the championship by a couple of points at the end of the season because they get docked a few points for unsportsmanlike conduct.
And then there was the race... An interesting night of short-tracking, even if the wrong guy won. Time to see how my picks fared. I was 8-of-10 until the caution came out on lap 102. It went downhill after that, but I still managed 6-of-10 overall:
* Ryan Newman (winner) -- 9th, Still looking for that first win of '04. He ran near the top five most of the night, but fell off near the end and barely held off Michael Waltrip at the finish. At least got to lead a few laps and moves up to 6th in points.
* Jimmie Johnson -- 2nd, Hendrick cars did well. Jimmie didn't have the tires to catch Little E.
* Jeff Gordon -- 6th, Once again Super G complained about his car most of the night, but he looked like he would be a contender after the final caution. Like Johnson, tires became an issue.
* Brian Vickers -- 8th, Hey! He finally cracks the top 10! Got back in traffic early, but the staggered pit strategies paid off in the end.
* Joe Nemechek -- 36th, Front Row Joe got victimized. That seems to happen a lot to the #01. Had a top 10 car before then.
* Kevin Harvick -- 25th, He was on the move until he cut a tire, then it happened again and he was up in the wall. Lost a few laps, but still managed a mid-pack finish. What might have been...
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 1st, What will stand out from this win (his second at Richmond in Cup) is the comment that was made mid-race when he said for a few minutes he felt like his old man. And his driving style looked like it. He took no prisoners in running up front much of the night. Made a good call not to pit on the last caution in order to preserve (the winning) track position.
* Kurt Busch -- 31st, I thought Kurt was going to make a mockery of this race the way he charged up from his 23rd starting spot in the first 100 laps. But then he lost a few belts in the engine compartment on the restart and lost about 15 laps in the garage.
* Tony Stewart -- 4th, When Tony wasn't making a moron of himself on camera he was actually racing, and racing well. This guy needs to get a win and settle down.
* Rusty Wallace -- 16th, I picked him over Mark Martin. Looks like I blew it. As did Rusty.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Bobby Labonte -- 3rd, Should have guessed that if one Gibbs car did well the other would too. You just never know what to expect from Labonte these days. Either he'll finish top five or check out early. Did the hero rather than zero at Richmond.
* Matt Kenseth -- 5th, Knew I'd be kicking myself for not picking him. Tried to delay a pit stop to lead a lap and paid the price by running out of fuel. But he got his 5 points.
* Mark Martin -- 7th, Rousch cars looked good until Busch's problem and Jeff Burton's spectacular spin at the scoring stripe as he was challenging for the lead.
* Michael Waltrip -- 10th, A top 10 for Mikey! Woo-hoo! Even led a few laps.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Ricky Rudd -- 11th, Quietly put together a solid night.
* Jeff Burton -- 14th, Never led, but came darn close. Just isn't the same old Jeff since he lost Citgo as sponsor. Won't be a Rouscher next season.
* Bobby Hamilton Jr. -- 17th, A lead lap car most of the night with mediocre equipment.
* Kasey Kahne -- 27th, Not about to let anyone push him around. Just ask Jeff Green...
* Jeff Green -- 37th, Great qualifying effort (3rd), but typical finish. Maybe next time you'll think twice before putting a bumper to the #9.
Next week... All Star action Saturday at Lowe's. I'll try and pick the winner.
Week 11 — Richmond
We've been away for a couple of weeks and it feels like a month. But now the NASCAR Cup boys are back at it with the first of this season's Saturday night races. There's nothing quite like short track racing under the lights, and Richmond is always good for thrills. Who will be left standing at the checkers?
Glenn's Ten:
* Ryan Newman (winner) -- Ryan is long overdue for a victory, and seeing as how he was the last guy to win a Cup race on this track it stands to reason that he should do well here Saturday night.
The rest of the top 10 (in no particular order)...
* Jimmie Johnson -- See the Hendrick teammates steal the show...
* Jeff Gordon -- See the Hendrick teammates steal the show...
* Brian Vickers -- See the... OK, this one might be a stretch, but Joe Nemechek won this race with the #25 car a year ago. Brian has the pole.
* Joe Nemechek -- He likes the short tracks, but the #01 isn't the #25.
* Kevin Harvick -- Always dangerous on the short tracks. Keep him away from Ricky Rudd.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- If I must. He starts 4th.
* Kurt Busch -- Another guy who likes the night.
* Tony Stewart -- I know, he starts 28th and he's been running into folks lately, but he's also due for a win and could break through here. Just keep him away from Rusty Wallace.
* Rusty Wallace -- Such a toss-up for the 10th slot, but I'll give him the nod over Mark Martin.
What? No Matt Kenseth? I'll probably regret it, but I'm taking a chance that the bad luck bug's gonna start biting.
Gordon wins again!
Well what's this? Super G does the victory lane double for the 19th time in his career. That is 66 wins for the 4-time champ, and just 10 shy of a certain Dale Earnhardt — Sr., not Jr. As is typical for Fontana, fuel mileage became an issue at the end and dramatically changed the fortunes of several teams.
It was a mediocre 4-for-10 day for Glenn's Ten. Let's run down the list:
* Jimmie Johnson (winner) -- 2nd, Jimmie ran well but finished better than he should have thanks to the fuel issue. Closes in on Little E for the points lead.
* Rusty Wallace -- 35th, Got banged around from start to (early) finish. He was on the receiving end of Tony Stewart's wild driving in the first 10 laps, then later he tagged a spinning Kurt Busch and went behind the wall for a while. He was understandably steamed at Stewart after the race. Always fun to hear drivers talk about how they had a car capable of winning when they're standing next to it in the garage mid-race.
* Jeff Gordon -- 1st, And he almost made it look easy. The car ran up front all race, then took charge in the final 40 laps when it counted most. Bobby Labonte looked a bit stronger at the end, but fuel was the difference.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 19th, A tough day for Driver 8. Slid backward quickly, and only avoided going a lap down until the final laps because there were so many timely cautions. Never did get the car right, and lost about half his points lead to Johnson.
* Matt Kenseth -- 4th, Where else would you expect for the #17 to finish? Ran out front for a while, and I started to worry he might have what it took to win the thing. But fortunately the car wasn't as strong toward the end.
* Kurt Busch -- 23rd, Looked decent even after the crash with Wallace. But if you tag the wall enough times it won't improve your handling. That's what Busch did, and he paid for it with a mediocre finish.
* Tony Stewart -- 16th, NASCAR to Tony: This ain't bumper cars, buddy! He tagged Rusty Wallace twice, crunched fenders with Jeff Gordon once, and got air under Ricky Rudd — and that's just the stuff we saw on camera. Amazing he finished where he did, but don't expect this sort of stuff to go unrequited forever. (Richmond in two weeks...)
* Jamie McMurray -- 15th, Suuuure, the week I finally pick him he finishes outside the top 10. /8-(
* Ryan Newman -- 3rd, This looks a lot better than it was. He gained about three spots on the final two laps when cars ahead of him ran out of fuel. First top 10 at Fontana, up to 7th in points.
* Kasey Kahne -- 13th, Burned by fuel economy (ran out) and rookie impatience (hit wall) after running in first much of the race. The car was in third when the trouble started. Second highest rookie of the race.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Bobby Labonte -- 5th, Coasted home and lost three positions on the last lap. With an extra gallon of gas and about five more laps I think he would have overhauled Gordon.
* Brendan Gaughan -- 6th, Top rookie. Best finish of the year.
* Terry Labonte -- 7th, Best finish since winning Darlington last September.
* Casey Mears -- 8th, Fuel issue allowed him to crack the top 10 late. Still gunning for his first top five.
* Kevin Harvick -- 9th, Don't know why I didn't pick him, given this is his home track. Looked pretty average most of the day.
* Ward Burton -- 10th, Hung around in the leap group all day and rewarded with a show.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Jeremy Mayfield -- 14th, Former winner here, but like teammate Kahne burned by poor fuel economy.
* Greg Biffle -- 33rd, Looked like a top five car until ignition problems left him laps down.
* Jeff Green -- 37th, Started third and ran in the top five about the first 50 laps. Then got a lap down. Then dropped out.
* Kyle Petty -- 39th, Got an early start on his annual Charity Ride after dropping out on lap 41.
Next week... Mother's Day, and another bye on the schedule. But in two weeks we get our first Saturday night event under the lights at Richmond.
Week 10 — California Speedway
A few times each year NASCAR forgets its Southern roots and ventures out to the Left Coast. This year marks the first time that the big 2-mile oval at Fontana will host two races in a season, the second one scheduled for Labor Day weekend. For some reason this seems to be a Young Guns track, with rookies and twentysomething drivers running well here. Who will crack the top 10 on Sunday in the Napa Auto Parts 500?
* Jimmie Johnson (winner) -- I'm giving the Lowe's boys another chance this week. After a strong run at Talladega they seem poised to win a few.
The rest of the top 10 (in no particular order):
* Rusty Wallace -- Before he won Martinsville I would have picked him for a top finish here, but now somewhere near the front if not victory lane.
* Jeff Gordon -- winner of two races here, and a frequent top-five finisher.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Might even win. Has something to prove after a second-place finish last week.
* Matt Kenseth -- Natch.
* Kurt Busch -- last year's winner. Thinks he can repeat.
* Tony Stewart -- Had a great run in the Busch race Saturday.
* Jamie McMurray -- OK, I'll give him his due this week. Don't let me down, now!
* Ryan Newman -- Let's just forget about last year. Please!
* Kasey Kahne -- Highest qualifying rookie will be only one to finish in the top 15.
