gNA$hCAR Notes
Time to "wine" about Sonoma
It's so much fun being right about the winner. Of course, when you're wrong about just about everything else, it sort of takes the sparkle off the moment. You might say that correctly predicting Jeff Gordon's win was easy given that he qualified for the pole, was fastest in three practice sessions and had won this race three times previously. But I had a different method for predicting him in victory lane: I wasn't at the track. See, the past two years I jinxed him by sitting in the stands and cheering him on. This year I snuggled down on my couch and watched the entire race from the best seat in the house.
I never used to like the road courses, but having been to Infineon in person a couple of times has made me appreciate the race a lot more, and the changes they've made to the track itself have made the racing much more enjoyable... for the fans, anyhow. For the drivers it's another story. particularly those in Glenn's Ten this week.
I was a fairly abysmal 2-for-10 (ouch!) as I compiled a list of checkers and wreckers:
* Jeff Gordon (winner) -- Winner! Jeff led all but 18 laps and looked dominant en route to career win #67. No one could catch him and no one did.
* Ryan Newman -- 14th, Had a top 10 going until he cut a tire and had to make an unscheduled stop. Nice recovery.
* Kurt Busch -- 36th, Led the first lap, which was good for bonus points. Unfortunately for the #97, engine problems left him 16 laps down.
* Matt Kenseth -- 20th, Had his share of trouble, having to head to the back of the field after a good qualifying run, but recovered to have a not-too-awful day.
* Kevin Harvick -- 12th, Never got to the front, but at least he didn't hit anyone.
* Ricky Rudd -- 35th, Should have known the transmission woes in practice were a bad omen. Something broke in the race, too.
* Jeff Burton -- 9th, I knew I was in trouble when the only other guy besides Jeff Gordon to make the top 10 from my picks list was the unsponsored Burton brother.
* Tony Stewart -- 15th, Troubles continue for Tony the Terror, who made an ill-advised pass on Ward Burton early in the race and spun both of them out. He led a few laps during the transition of pit stops, but was never a factor for the win. After the race, he got into Brian Vickers' face and pushed him in the chest during what appears to have been a Tony-inspired argument. gNA$hCAR isn't going to look kindly on this. Tony needs to get his act together soon, or we might see a repeat of the 2002 season minus the championship.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 11th, Almost made that top 10, which is amazing considering that he spun out a couple of times.
* Robby Gordon -- 34th, I'm not a Robby fan, but I feel for anyone who had the problems he did today: Lost wheel due to faulty lug nuts... cut tire... cut tire and broken air wrench. He was off in the dirt on at least three occasions, and wound up stopped on the track late in the race. What an ugly day for the guy a lot of people expected to repeat his victory of last year.
REST OF THE TOP 10: (Could have and should have done better on these...)
* Jamie McMurray -- 2nd, Great day for Gnassi Racing. Jamie was an unlikely top 5, but ran well right to the finish.
* Scott Pruett -- 3rd, Knew I should have picked him. Best of the road course ringers, and the only guy who made Jeff Gordon break a sweat all day.
* Michael Waltrip -- 4th, This is becoming a trend. Too little too late to save his season, though.
* Jimmie Johnson -- 5th, Points leader shook off poor qualifying effort to have a good finish. No one else gained ground in the points chase as a result.
* Boris Said -- 6th, Always a sentimental favorite. I underestimated his chances in equipment that didn't belong to one of the big outfits.
* Casey Mears -- 7th, Seven is his magic number. What an awesome run for this kid. He led for a few laps after the final round of pit stops. Lack of experience probably hurt him more than anything else at the end.
* Mark Martin -- 8th, Led the Rousch gang of five. Lurked in the top 10 all day.
* Elliott Sadler -- 10th, He's making Robert Yates proud this season. But can he hang with the top 10 long enough to qualify for the Championship Chase?
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Ricky Craven -- 16th, Who would have thought? And at a road course...
* Brian Vickers -- 22nd, From 39th to 2nd and finished in between. Then got roughed up by Tony Stewart for no apparent reason after it was all over.
* Rusty Wallace -- 28th, Same old Rusty, cursed with bad luck at a track he should have done well on. He was looking at a top 5 before the tank ran dry on the final lap. Jeff Gordon could empathize after Watkins Glen 2003.
* Joe Nemechek -- 29th, Yet another race in which Joe has had problems while running near the front. Hope the Army builds better soldiers than it does race cars.
* Kasey Kahne -- 31st, Poor kid. Rookie mistake late in the race cheated him out of a shot at a top 10.
* Scott Riggs -- 42nd, How many times can a guy crash in one race? Not a good place for rookies.
Next week... Saturday night fireworks under the lights at Daytona.
Week 16 — Infineon Raceway (a.k.a. Sears Point)
Twice a year, the gNA$hCAR boys leave their bland ovals behind and hit the road courses in Sonoma and Watkins Glen. This is my "home track," which is to say that it is the one closest to where I live that has gNA$hCAR races at least once a year. I was in the stands the past two years to watch Ricky Rudd and then Robby Gordon win races at Infineon, but this year I am opting for the best seat in the house, in front on my television set. That's a shame, because this is the year one of my favorites will finally go to victory lane.
All bets are off when you get to a track like this one, where the regular competitors that are contenders any other week struggle, and you mix in a few road course "ringers" -- guys who only come out for these tracks -- to produce a lineup that reads like the roster of football team during a strike season. It's time to check out...
Glenn's Ten:
* Jeff Gordon (winner) -- They might as well rename this place Jeff Gordon Raceway. He has won three times and finished in the top 10 something like close to 10 times he has raced here. He grabbed the pole position despite a *mediocre* qualifying lap which, by the way, broke the track record. He says he's on a mission, and he has every incentive to win, having blown up while dominating the race at Michigan last weekend. He will crush the competition in the wine country Sunday.
Rest of the top 10 (in no particular order):
* Ryan Newman -- Gotta plug my other favorite, who despite rolling off 22nd has four top 10s in as many starts on road courses. He could have qualified as high as third if not for screwing up the final turn on his qualifying lap.
* Kurt Busch -- Runs well here, for some reason.
* Matt Kenseth -- Starting 5th??? Has never had a top 10 at Infineon. This is the year.
* Kevin Harvick -- Was a contender last year. Drives well at the road courses.
* Ricky Rudd -- This race marks two years since his last win. Had to change the transmission before qualifying, so may not bode well, but I'll go out on a limb for the two-time Sears Point winner...
* Jeff Burton -- Quietly resurrecting his career, even if gNA$hCAR won't allow a hard-liquor company to sponsor the team.
* Tony Stewart -- I worry a lot about this pick. Any other year I'd say Tony would be one of the guys to beat, but this hasn't been a good year for Tony. Starting 17th is going to be more of a hole to crawl out of at a track where it is tough to pass.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Like Kenseth, has never had a top 10 here. But like his late father, Junior is developing into a savvy driver at all the tracks he runs on.
* Robby Gordon -- 24th??? What's he doing back here? Not to worry, last year's winner won't stay there all day.
What? No ringers in my top 10? OK, my sleeper pick would have to be Scott Pruett, who shows up here every year and actually gets decent equipment. Might be a top 10 contender if someone like Harvick or Greg Biffle doesn't put him through the spin cycle. Note that Pruett, at 6th on the grid, is the highest qualifyer among the ringers, the others being Boris Said (19th), Jim Inglebright (28th), PJ Jones (technically -- 31st), Austin Cameron (32nd), Tom Hubert (35th), Brandon Ash (37th), Klaus Graf (38th) and Larry Gunselman (whom technically I wouldn't call a ringer, but he's no regular either -- 43rd).
We'll also keep an eye on Rusty Wallace (2nd), Mark Martin (4th), and Jimmie Johnson (34th, thanks to an abysmal qualifying run).
Newman finally wins one!
(a.k.a Junior loses points lead...)
What a great Father's Day treat that Michigan race was. Not only did the action on the track resemble racing for a change, but the right guy finally won (in my humble opinion). Career victory number 10 for the Rocket Man, and it came after he got into trouble early with a premature pit stop that left him a lap down for about half the race.
The real bummer of the day? My VCR didn't record the race! Thank God for Speed Channel.
Here's my Glenn's Ten recap. 6-for-10, not bad considering that at one point I had only two guys at the front:
* Jeff Gordon (winner) -- 38th, Jeff had the car to beat before engine failure on lap 88. In fact, he had led all but a half dozen laps up to that point. Still got the lap-leader bonus at the end of the day, but slips into a tie for sixth in points with his third sub-30th place finish in the past four races.
* Jimmie Johnson -- 4th, Did this without third gear. Car looked good otherwise.
* Ryan Newman -- 1st, Maybe this is the race Ryan needs to turn his season around. Coming in 10th in the standings and over 400 points behind put him in precarious position, but the win combined with Junior's awful day boosts him to ninth and back to *only* 361 out. (11 more races and that goes back to no more than 100...)
* Kurt Busch -- 11th, Damaged in an early crash but bounced back to finish well.
* Matt Kenseth -- 7th, Another good finish for Probation Boy.
* Bobby Labonte -- 8th, Was never really a factor, but benefited from the shuffle during and after the final caution.
* Tony Stewart -- 24th, Tony, Tony, Tony... He was doing so well until it got to crunch time and he got a little wobbly trying to past Greg Biffle. For Tony, it really was *crunch* time.
* Dale Jarrett -- 3rd, Great to see DJ leading laps again and contending for the win. It'll happen eventually.
* Rusty Wallace -- 22nd, Had transmission trouble after a strong start and ran mid-pack rest of the day.
* Kasey Kahne -- 2nd, No one knows how to be the bridesmaid better than this kid. A couple more laps under green and there would have been a different winner at Michigan. He recovered from going a lap down early and struggling with an ill-handling car to give Ryan Newman a run for the money. Last-lap caution flag spoiled another photo finish.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Elliott Sadler -- 5th, Should have known to pick Jarrett's teammate at MIS.
* Sterling Marlin -- 6th, Why pit under caution when you've got the lead with about 15 to go and maybe two guys who can beat you? Duh. Guess Sterling figured it was win or nothing. He settled for a worse finish than he deserved, in my opinion.
* Brian Vickers -- 9th, Another good finish for the rookie. Maybe these guys are starting to come around. Better pick it up on pit road, though -- 17 seconds under green doesn't get it done.
* Michael Waltrip -- 10th, Ran well and got a finish to match. But now that his contract issues with DEI are resolved he can go back to finishing in the 20s.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Jeff Burton -- 13th, Very quietly starting to show signs of life. Won't be with Rousch after this fall.
* Kevin Harvick -- 17th, Probation hasn't changed his attitude much. He was blasting Chris Myers during the pre-race interview. Probation hasn't changed his rank in the finishing order much either.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 21st, Awwww. Would have had a top 10 if not for a flat tire on the last caution. I like the way the FOX boys qualified in their comments today that no one has given the championship to Little E yet ... as if we thought it was his. He's only 7 points behind Jimmie Johnson ... and just 173 ahead of Matt Kenseth...
* PJ Jones -- 25th, Had a good run today, crashing on the last lap. Road course ace will be at Sears Point next week. Can we still call him a road ringer since he's been running regularly the past couple of weeks?
Next week... A test that any future Nextel Cup champion should be required to pass: 110 laps on the undulations of Infineon Raceway.
Week 15 — Michigan
Sean likes Pocono, I like Michigan. They could run four races a year here and I wouldn't get tired of them. MIS is a fast two-mile oval that really separates the men from the boys. The tems with good equipment should and usually do run well here. We also shouldn't have the high number of cautions we saw at Dover and Pocono, which means more green flag laps, which means more fun for the fans. And what would make it really fun is if Jeff Gordon can win from the pole. Read on for Glenn's Ten:
* Jeff Gordon (winner) -- Jeff's ready for another win. He could have won last week if not for a pitting error. He wants to atone for a couple of very poor finishes. And his Hendrick protege Jimmie Johnson visited victory lane last week. With three Hendrick cars starting in the top three spots, this team is on its game.
Rest of the top 10 (in no particular order):
* Jimmie Johnson -- No reason to think he couldn't repeat last week's performance.
* Ryan Newman -- This is Ryan's type of track. He won here last August and might have in June if not for a fiery engine failure. I just don't think anyone will be a match for Hendrick power Sunday.
* Kurt Busch -- Defending June race champ. Has been a quiet top-10 performer this season.
* Matt Kenseth -- Oh yeah, gotta give the reserved spot to Matt. He's $25,000 poorer this weekend along with Kevin Harvick, so wants at least to stay ahead of the #29. Shouldn't be a problem.
* Bobby Labonte -- Bobby Likes Michigan. Too much bad luck lately, but turned it around last week.
* Tony Stewart -- Where Labonte goes, Tony follows.
* Dale Jarrett -- Starting deep pack, but had a good run last week before mechanical woes. He likes Michigan. Team is slowly coming around.
* Rusty Wallace -- Penske cars probably second best to Hendrick. He flamed out last August, much like Newman did in June. Let's see if they put the engine issues to rest finally.
* Kasey Kahne -- Qualified poorly, but he should be able to stay out of trouble and work his way up.
Sleeper picks: Dale Earnhardt Jr., who seems to be finding ways to salvage good finishes when he needs them, and Casey Mears, who has been finishing well and just might surprise us eventually.
I Like Pocono
In spite of some of the Senior Bro's comments, I'm glad they race at Pocono twice a year. Pocono is a unique track in a sea of ovals. Yes, there were WAAAAY to many cautions last weekend, but blame the Nascar officials more than the racetrack itself. There were several quickie cautions that could have easily stayed green. I would like to see the Pocono races spaced a bit further apart, however.
I'm a big believer that Nascar champion drivers should show the ability to win on many different types of tracks. However, most of the new tracks being built are very standard and uniform oval tracks. In the process, Nascar is losing some unique old tracks which happen to be at bad locations. Nascar needs more short tracks, more road courses, and more quirky tracks like Pocono. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the trend.
Childress boots Sauter
{Blaney replaces rookie Sauter}<
WELCOME, N.C. (AP) Dave Blaney will replace rookie Johnny Sauter in
Richard Childress Racing's No. 30 in NASCAR's top series.<
Blaney finished 29th at Sunday's Nextel Cup Pocono 500 while filling
in for Sauter, who raced in Saturday night's Busch series event in
Nashville, Tenn.<
Sauter, who will remain under contract with RCR and could still drive
some races for the team this year, had been racing full-time in the
Busch series, for Brewco Motorsports, and Nextel Cup.<
This sport has gotten so tough and complicated, sometimes tough
decisions have to be made, team owner Richard Childress said Tuesday.
Our sport is driven by business decisions and that is what this driver
change is, a business decision.<
Blaney has a strong, consistent driving style that will fit well
with the No. 30 team.<
... In short, Johnny Sauter sux.
Pocono rehash
OK, this is getting ridiculous. A week after the debacle in Dover, gNA$hCAR was supposed to be getting its act together to avoid the long delays that spoiled last week's event. Instead, they gave us another yawner that fittingly was decided under caution. If I were a paying fan on Sunday I would be demanding my money back -- or at least half of it for the final 87 laps of which 42 were run under caution. Maybe they should take to ending the races at the halfway mark. Seems that's about as long as they have been going under green.
The FOX boys were criticizing the fans for throwing trash on the track at the end of this one, but can you really blame them? The final 20 laps featured more caution laps (11) than some of the "NASCAR Thunder" races I've run on my Nintendo GameCube. The only positive was that the cautions wound up helping the guy who deserved to win anyways.
I had a disappointing 4-for-10 day. Here's how Glenn's Ten fared:
* Bobby Labonte (winner) -- 3rd, He overcame a broken oil pump to wind up with a top 5. Not bad.
* Ryan Newman -- 30th, Led for a bit and was looking at a top 10 before he got too close to "Wrecking Robby" Gordon. Thanks, Robby. Now Ryan is 10th in points, just a couple ahead of Jamie McMurray for the last transfer spot in the Championship Chase.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 6th, Overcame early difficulties to hang on to his points lead.
* Tony Stewart -- 27th, Might have been the car to beat if not for transmission problems. Only reason he only lost six laps was thanks to all the cautions.
* Ward Burton -- 17th, Got close to the top 10, but got shuffled back during the final cautions.
* Jeff Gordon -- 4th, Would have won this thing if not for the pit road screwup in which someone missed a lug nut. Cost him a lap on the penalty stop, and he never fully recovered. Cautions helped him.
* Kasey Kahne -- 14th, Another guy who got shuffled out of a top 10 by late pit strategy. Ran well today.
* Jeremy Mayfield -- 2nd, Bet he still wouldn't have won, even if the race had finished under green. This is Ray Evernham's luck.
* Matt Kenseth -- 21st, Yikes! Haven't seen Matt this hot over an incident in some time. He and Kevin Harvick got into it and both drivers spun each other out, which is likely why the race didn't get restarted after the final caution. Kenseth roughed up Harvick on a pass, Harvick came back and spun Kenseth, then Kenseth returned the favor under caution, nearly planting the #29 into two other cars. Can't wait to see the $$ figure on these fines. He was running top 15 before the dustup, then pitted under the final caution and dropped to 21st. NASCAR probably would have penalized him a lap anyhow, so pitting probably didn't affect the finish much.
* Dale Jarrett -- 26th, A top 5 car until lap 195, then up in smoke.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Jimmie Johnson -- 1st, Don't ask me why I didn't pick him. I must have been possessed. NASCAR's screwup in which pit road shouldn't have been open but was looked like it would cost the #48 the race, but the late cautions and pit strategy restored the win to the most deserving party. That's three for the year, but I'll bet he's not finished...
* Kurt Busch -- 5th, Don't ask me why I didn't pick him. I must have been possessed...
* Terry Labonte -- 7th, All the Hendrick cars had a good day.
* Robby Gordon -- 8th, Didn't deserve to finish this well.
* Jamie McMurray -- 9th, No one talked about him today. Strong, silent run.
* Casey Mears -- 10th, Another top 10. Might have to take a serious look at this kid next season.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Brian Vickers -- 13th, top finishing rookie. Ran up front part of the day.
* Kevin Harvick -- 20th, NASCAR penalized him after the fact. Who gets the bigger fine? Him or Kenseth?
* Rusty Wallace -- 32nd, Claims to have lost brakes getting into the back of Michael Waltrip.
* Michael Waltrip -- 33rd, In Rusty's way. Hit the Turn 2 wall pretty hard. He didn't need a finish like this.
* Kyle Petty -- 37th, Best thing about his week is opening of the Victory Junction camp. Maybe now he'll think about retirement.
Next week... the wide-open spaces of Michigan.
Week 14 -- Pocono
Why do they race at this track twice a year, let alone twice within six weeks of each race? I must say that Pocono is one of the more unusual tracks, which makes for some interesting racing, but once a year is plenty. Well, plenty for about 35 of the guys that will be on track Sunday. Seems there are only about five to seven drivers who have this place down. Who will be in Glenn's Ten this week?
* Bobby Labonte (winner) -- He
always runs well here and is coming off some poor performances of late. Time to step it up and get back to victory lane.
The rest of the top 10 (in no particular order):
* Ryan Newman -- won here last time and ran well before that.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Has run some close races here. Might be my sleeper pick to win.
* Tony Stewart -- Hungry for a victory and has come close past couple of races. Performance often mirror's Labonte's.
* Ward Burton -- Huh? Starting way back, but will work his way up through timely cautions.
* Jeff Gordon -- Needs to atone for sub-30th place finishes past two weeks. Once was a dominant force here.
* Kasey Kahne -- Starting on the pole has to be worth something.
* Jeremy Mayfield -- Will shake off bad luck at Dover. His last win came on this track in 2000 (when he was driving what is now Ryan Newman's ride...).
* Matt Kenseth -- Needs a permants reserved spot in the top 10. He's actually starting in a good spot for a change -- 15th -- so won't need to work as hard to get up front.
* Dale Jarrett -- Has been quietly improving. Might just sneak in here
D-Day, Dover style
...Or should we say Double-D Day, as in Demolition Derby? I will confess up front that I slept through most of the first 320 laps and didn't see how it was that nearly everyone was a lap or more down. I'm fighting off a summer cold that has left me pretty wiped. But I was awake for the last 78 laps, which by themselves took about as long as the rest of the race. What a bizarre mess this one was -- at least three leaders eliminated from contention while they were leading, more time spent under cautions or red-flag conditions than under green, and an unlikely winner in victory lane.
I've been reading some of the message boards this afternoon, and most of the comments were very critical of gNA$hCAR's decision to run a couple dozen laps under caution after the Ryan Newman incident while officials sorted out the running order. Seems there needs to be a better way. What a stinker of a way to finish a race.
Speaking of stinkers, Glenn's Ten didn't fare too well (2 for 10). I've got a lot of commentary for so little success:
* Ryan Newman (winner) -- 24th, I tuned in about the time Ryan's comedy of errors began, except none of it was very funny. He had the field a lap down when he came in for a green flag stop, missed the entrance to pit road and spun out, hitting the commit cones and whacking the safety barrier. Then under caution he ran out of gas and had to be pushed into the pits. He was penalized for speeding off pit road, among other things, and by the time it was over he was a lap down in 14th. Then after the restart he got involved in the Big One that took out half the field. The fact he wound up with a mid-pack finish shows just how high the attrition was. I did like his comment when asked what happened to precipitate his disastrous day: "The driver ran out of talent," he said.
* Jeremy Mayfield -- 8th, Caught up in the big wreck while leading. They patched him back together enough to still claim a decent finish.
* Elliott Sadler -- 18th, Got in trouble early and ran laps down rest of the afternoon. Decent finish all things considered.
* Jamie McMurray -- 15th, Another victim of the big crash.
* Tony Stewart -- 2nd, Clearly had the best car much of the race, but got a lap down and then didn't have the benefit of time to get caught up. Good effort holding off Little E at the finish.
* Jeff Gordon -- 36th, Can it get much worse? Two weeks in a row with finishes in the 30s. Cut down a tire that took him out on lap 222.
* Jimmie Johnson -- 32nd, Was sitting pretty for a big points day until the big wreck, which had his team loading up early. Consequently, he lost ground to Dale Jr., who salvaged a good finish. More on that in a moment...
* Bobby Labonte -- 25th, The sponsors, MBNA, have gotta be pleased with this showing, especially at their namesake race.
* Matt Kenseth -- 22nd, Was set for a top five when fate intervened in the form of oil from Casey Mears' car. #17 was torn up beyond driveability.
* Kurt Busch -- 12th, Kurt could have given me another top 10 car, but he was too torn up from the big wreck and got passed by a few faster cars in the closing laps.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Mark Martin -- 1st, The Viagra Ford was in the right place at the wrong times and missed all the mayhem. Didn't have the best car, but he had plenty of luck. Good to see Mark back in victory lane.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 3rd, Dangitall, if he didn't turn a lousy day into a great one. Not only did he overcome early difficulties that had him down to 37th at one point, but he had a car good enough to win if he'd just had more time. Instead of losing the points lead, thanks to all the misfortune of his nearest competition, he now has an almost-100 point lead.
* Jeff Burton -- 4th, Where'd he come from? Didn't recognize that all-white paint scheme. Has to be a confidence booster. Best finish of the year, but at the end he was griping about losing third to Earnhardt because the car wouldn't go. Hey Jeff, you're lucky the car was still going at the finish.
* Scott Riggs -- 5th!!, Top rookie. You know it's a weird day when the #10 gets a top five.
* Michael Waltrip -- 6th, This could be a trend. Think he's got incentive after Little E's vote of no-confidence regarding Mikey's future at DEI earlier this week?
* Terry Labonte -- 7th, Not too often Texas Terry gets to be the Hendrick standard bearer.
* Scott Wimmer -- 9th, Another rookie seldom seen in these parts.
* Kevin Harvick -- 10th, Somehow he salvaged a decent day. Missing the big wrecks helps.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Dale Jarrett -- 11th, No one notices anymore when he has a good day.
* Jimmy Spencer -- 17th, Sorry I dissed him in my preview.
* Kasey Kahne -- 21st, This one's gotta hurt. He had the race all but won until he hit Casey Mears' oil slick and spun into the wall while leading with 19 laps to go. He'll get victory #1 eventually.
Next week... The longest road course race that isn't -- Pocono.
Week 13 — Dover
OK, here's the question of the week: What will take longer at Sunday's MBNA 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sunday? The salute to the late President Reagan or the number of laps after the drop of the green flag before Jimmy Spencer (or substitute the name of another back-marker driver here)pounds the wall?
This track breeds a lot of wrecks because of its high banking and high speeds. It's the kind of track guys with good, fast cars usually do well at, and one where those with poor equipment don't normally fare well for long. This could be a dangerous week for some teams that have been humming along at the top of the standings.
Glenn's Ten:
* Ryan Newman (winner) -- This cat's overdue. He missed the poll by a fraction of a second, but he has two consecutive wins here and four top 10s. He has confidence and a good car, which make Ryan a force to be reckoned with Sunday.
The rest of the top 10 (in no particular order):
* Jeremy Mayfield -- On the pole and has been running well. The confidence has returned, even if he has yet to snap an 88-race drought in Victory Lane.
* Elliott Sadler -- Quietly having his best season.
* Jamie McMurray -- On the bubble for the Championship Chase. Needs a good run.
* Tony Stewart -- Has a score to settle with Ryan Newman after being aced twice by him at this track last year despite having a great car.
* Jeff Gordon -- When doesn't the DuPont team run well at their home track? Could steal the show if things go his way.
* Jimmie Johnson -- Not one of his better tracks, but he's closing in on the points lead and has incentive.
* Bobby Labonte -- Here's the line on the #18: Crappy finishes like last week's often are followed up by strong runs.
* Matt Kenseth -- Are we surprised he's starting 39th? Probably means he'll be dueling for the lead around lap 395.
* Kurt Busch -- Fastest in final practice. Can he keep it off the wall?
And why not these guys???
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Starting 26th. I've got a hunch we're going to be seeing the #8 in the spin cycle more than once. This is the week he loses the points lead...
* Kasey Kahne -- Looked awful in the first 28 laps of Saturday's rain-delayed Busch race.
* Rusty Wallace -- Waiting for that blown engine or collision damage. Bet he gets together with Junior at some point.
Dark horses: Sterling Marlin, Greg Biffle (who goes to the back of the field).
