Requiem For A Goofball

When the checkered flag fell in Miami a few weeks ago, Denny Hamlin eon the race and Jimmie Johnson won his record shattering fourth consecutive championship. But there was one other headline that did not garner a whole lot of media attention until the last few laps. This race also makred the end of Michael Waltrip's career as a full time Sprint Cup Series driver. Starting in the 2010 Budweiser Shootout, Waltrip will hand the keys to his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry to Martin Truex, Jr who, if all goes as planned, will win a few races and join teammate David Reutimann in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Mikey will focus more on the ownership side of the team that bears his name and run a few races here and there so he doesn't completely lose his mind. But long before he became the successful owner he is today, "Mike" Waltrip was always just "Darrell's little brother."

Michael Waltrip's career in stock cars began in the Mini Modified Division, where he won the series title in 1981. He then moved up to the Goodys Dash Series, where he was the champion in 1983 as well as the series most popular driver in '83 and '84. Then in 1985, Michael's shot at the big time had arrived. He drove the Coca-Cola 600 for Dick Bahre, starting 19th and finishing 28th after a mechanical failure derailed his efforts. Waltrip made four more starts in the remaing races. In 1986, Michael moved over to Bahari Racing. The team ran the full schedule and showed a lot of potential. But unfortunatly, that potential never translated into success. Michael drove Bahari's #30 Pennzoil Pontiac for nine seasons before moving to a more established team.

In 1996, Mikey slid into the drivers seat of the famed #21 Ford feilded by the legendary Wood Brothers. Waltrip and the Stewart, Virgina based team ran competitivly in their first full season together. They also pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of NASCAR. The team went into the 1996 WInston All Star Race in the position of having to finish top five in the Open event to transfer to the big show. They did just that, beating out Johnny Benson for the fifth and final transfer spot. Since the team did not have a car that could contend with the likes of Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Michael was told that the car's backup ignition box had a little bit more timing than the primary. He was alos told to use it only if it was nessesary. After hearing that news, Mikey instantly flipped the switch to the B-box and they were able to keep up with the leaders. They maintained and found themselves in third at the start of the final segment. The two cars in front of Waltrip's #21, Earnhardt and Terry Labonte, got together, allowing the CITGO Ford to slip underneath and grab the lead. Mikey held off the pack and won his first ever Winston Cup race (albeit unofficial sice this wasn't a points paying race. It's just for fun and a little bit of cash).

Mikey drove the CITGO Thunderbird for two more seasons, before leaving to drive for Mattie Motorsports and their #7 Philips/Klaussner Chevy Monte Carlo. Waltrip instantly went back to being an also-ran like he was at Bahari, never quite getting to the next level. The next year, Nations Rent replaced Philips as the teams sponsor, but that didn't translate to any better performance, as they only had one top five and finished 27th in points. But it was a call from an old friend that would forever change Michael Waltrip's life.

Dale Earnhardt was looking to start a third team at Dale Earnhardt Incorperated and Michael Waltrip was looking for a competative ride. Earnhardt told Waltrip "You'd win in my cars" and after netting NAPA, DEI's Busch Series sponsor, to fund Waltrip's effort, Mikey got his big break. The team had accuired the #15 from Bud Moore's defunked team and they headed to Daytona for testing. Heading into the Daytona 500, the #15 team didn't qualify all that well, but that doesn't mean a whole lot at Daytona since anyone can win in such an unpredictble event.

In the late stages of teh 2001 Daytona 500, Waltrip emerged as a strong contener, swapping the lead with then teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr and owner Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Eventually the #15 was able to keep the lead and both Earnhardt's worked to keep Mikey in position to win his first Cup Series race. On the final lap, Waltrip's brightest day turned to NASCAR's darkest. In turn 4, Earnhardt threw a block on Sterling Marlin to keep the cars he owned in the lead. This sent the famous black #3 Chevy head on into the wall, killing Earnhardt instantly. Mikey, however, did go on to win the race and snap his streak of 463 consecutive winless races. The race was also made made extra special because Mikey's brother Darrell was in the booth broadcasting for FOX. The two talked in victory lane about everything from what Mikey would do with the million dollars he had won to how much better 1 for 463 sounded that 0 for 463. But when he learned of what had happened to his owner, his world was turned upside down. In the coming weeks, Michael became spokesman for the team, making personal apperances, speeches and such on behalf of a team that had just lost it's foundation, it's leader.

Michael finished the season 24th in points, still destraught about what had happened in Daytona that February, when his best friend was taken away. But his team perservired and won the Pepsi 400 at Daytona in July of 2002 and had a much more consistant season. That continued into 2003 when Mikey won the rain shortened Daytona 500, the second of his career. Michael still thinks that the race being rained out was God's way of letting him celebrate the victory that he never got to savor two years prior. The team also won the EA Sports 500 at Talladega, followed by Mikey popping out of the roof hatch (meant as a saftey device) on the frontstreach, arms raised triumphantly, to the delight of the crowd and his crew. This would be Michael's final win with DEI, despite having several strong runs in 2004 and in 2005, if not for a ton of bad luck, he would have made the Chase for the Cup on the heels of several victories and even more stong runs.

Late in 2005, Michael and DEI's "owner" Theresa Earnhardt, Dale's widow, agreed to part ways at season's end. The #15 went through a crew chief change that resulted in Mikey losing Tony Eury, Jr as head wrecnh to Earnhardt Jr's #8 team. Since he no longer seemed to be a priority, Mikey decided to dabble in the owner buisness himself. In 2006, he accuired the #55 and ran a NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger preped by Bill Davis Racing (now closed) under the Waltrip-Jasper racing banner. To say the 2006 season was a struggle would be putting it kindly. Davis's team had no manufactuer suport from Dodge, which meant neither did Mikey's and they could not afford things like wind tunnel time or other technological expences to better their organization. Mikey missed a few races and finished the season outside of the top 35 in owner points, meaning he would have to qualify on time for the first five races of 2007. But that would prove to be the least of his problems.

2007 was supposed to be a banner year for the newly formed Michael Waltrip Racing organization. They were able to aquire proven veteran Dale Jarrett and a rookie with potential in David Reutimann to drive as Waltrip's teammates. Jarrett brought his longtime, high dollar sponsor UPS to fund his #44 car, while Domino's and Burger King split the cost of Reutimann's #00 ride and NAPA would fund Mikey's #55 ride. the cars would also wear "shoes and socks," or, have chrome wheels, which is a touch tat Michael insisted that his cars have to make them look that much sharper. MWR showed up in Daytona for Speedweeks with three shiney, new, fully funded Toyota Camrys. Everything was going great, until an illegal fuel additive was slipped into the #55 car's intake manifold. That's when the chrome plated wheels came off the bus.

NASCAR handed down record breaking penalties in the coming days. Waltrip was fined $100,000 and 100 driver points while his wife, and listed car owner, Buffy was fined 100 owner points. Waltrip's #55 car was also confiscated and his qualifying time dissallowed, forcing him to run the Gatorade Twins in teammate Reutimann's backup car. But the team did not give up. They repainted the car to bear the gold and blue NAPA sheild that Mikey is so synonimous with, practiced and when it came time to run the Gatorade Duel 150's, Michael was able to race his way into the 2007 Daytona 500, as did Jarrett and Reutimann. But despite this achievment, the remaining races were a struggle for a new organization. Reutimann missed a total of ten races with a best finish of 13th twice, Jarrett missed 15 races and never cracked the top ten. But it was Waltrip who experienced the hardest luck. After making the feild for the 500, Michael missed twelve straight events, rejoining the field at Dover that spring. He did, however, grab the pole position at Talladega in the fall and post two tenth place finishes at Michigan and Charlotte.

Over the offseason, speculation ran rampant that MWR didn't have the funds to continue and would have to shut it's doors. It turned out that was indeed a very harsh reality, but it wasn't one that Michael Waltrip was about to let take place. Through his wife Buffy, Michael became aquainted with Rob Kaufmann, owner and founder of Fortress Invesment Group and welcomed him as an equal partner, creating Michael Waltrip Racing Holdings LLC. This infusion of cash would prove to do a lot more than Waltrip bargained for.

In 2008, MWR's improvement continued. The season started off with Michael putting his #55 NAPA Toyota on the front row, just barely missing beating Jimmie Johnson for the pole. Reutimann also timed his way into the 500 field, while Jarrett getting in through the Gatorade Duels. Throughout the season, the progress continued with Reutimann leading the charge. He scored his first top ten finish in the Coca Cola 600, finishing tenth, and followed that up with three more top tens, leading the most laps at Richmond and netting the pole in the season finale at Homestead. Michael on the other hand had the spring Talladega race won until his motor let go on the final lap. He also finished second at Loudon due to a great startegy call from crew cheif Bobby Kennedy. He also netted a tenth place finish at Dover in the fall.

2009 proved a pivitol year for Waltrip Racing. They needed to get t least one car in the Chase and win a race to prove their legitimacy. This led to Mikey stating at the begimnning ot the season that if he didnt perform at the level Reutimann did or that NAPA expected, he would step out of the driver's seat and find someone that could. The year started off great for Mikey and crew chief "Bootie" Barker, posting a ninth place finish in the rain shortened Daytona 500 (a race they could have won had it gone the distance) and a fifteenth place run in California the next week, the wheels came off the bus and the remainder of Michael's season was filled with wrecks, blown engines and other ubiquitous bad luck not of his making. Waltrip didn't find the top ten anagin until he placed ninth in the fall Talladega event. Meanwhile, Reutimann posted five top fives, ten top tens, two poles, scored his first win in the 50th Coca Cola 600 and narrowly missed making the Chase (thanks to Denny Hamlin wrecking him at Pocono).

About halfway though the season, MWR announced that Martin Truex, Jr would replace Mikey in the NAPA Camry full time and the car would be renumbered 56. (This was Truex's number for every car he'd raced before signing with DEI in 2003). They also announced Mikey would run his #55 in the Daytona 500 with NAPA sponsorship, as well as a few other events, including the three other restrictor plate races.

In only 36 days from now, at 1pm eastern, the 2010 Daytona 500 will kick off another great season of NASCAR racing. It will also mark one of Michael Waltrip's last chances to win again in NASCAR's top division. But even if Michael doesn't win another race, he will still leave a legacy behind. No driver has been more perserverant and resilliant in the face of tragedy and adversity than Michael Waltrip. From a 462 race winless drought to the death of his best friend on the biggest day of his career, Waltrip kept his head up and stayed determined to win when a lesser driver would have given up and packed it in. That is something everyone can learn from. No matter what happened thoughout his 25 year career in NASCAR's premier series, "Mike" Waltrip the eternal optimist was always convinced that next week, he would run better and have a shot to win. That is what propelled him to over 700 Cup starts and over 1,000 career starts. While his crazy antics will continue in TV ads and he will still be at the racetrack, he will be missed as a driver by his fans. Hope you enjoy semi-retirement Mikey! Your're a helluva driver, a helluva owner and a helluva person! Heres to a banner 2010 season for MWR!

Brad Keselowski Is Cruisin' For A Bruisin'

Now I am all for a driver doing whatever it takes to win. It really livens up the racing action. Dale Earnhardt spinning Terry Labonte at Bristol on the last lap to take the win. Amazing! So much fun for the fans to see that kind of desire and passion for victory. The Intimidatior was the absolute best at rattling someones cage. But there is a fine line between driving aggressively and driving destructively. Brad Keselowski crossed that line during Saturday's Nationwide race in Phoenix when he spun Denny Hamlin late in the event. To better understand how this rivalry got started, let's go back to the beginning.

It all started back at Charlotte in the spring Nationwide race last season. Hamlin felt Keselowski was racing him too hard and cut across his nose under caution, crippling the #88 car's left front fender. A fight ensued on pit road after the race when both cars parked next to each other and the crew flocked to defend their drivers. A few weeks later at Watkins Glen, Keselowski, perhaps in retaliation, drilled Hamlin going into Turn 1, spinning the #32 Toyota out. Fast forward to Dover in the Spring of this season when Hamlin's #20 Toyota was tapped by Keselowski's Chevy, sparking another pit road tussle and reigniting the feud between the two drivers. After that, an incident at California where Brad ran Denny up the track into Greg Biffle's #16 Ford. Biffle and Hamlin wreck, while Keselowski went on. This incident really opened my eyes as to how reckless Keselowski really is. It doesn't matter who is around him, as long as he wrecks Hamlin, that is all that matters. Keselowski has also wreck fellow Nationwide driver and future Penske teammate, Justin Allgaier, on several occasions, along with David Reutimann's potential race winning car at Milwaukee in 2008. And after every incident, the one constant was Keselowski getting out of his car giving phony apologies and thinking up reasons why it wasn't his fault.

NASCAR needs to seriously look at the way this kid (who bears a stunning resemblance to The Incredible Mr Limpet) is racing. And I am in no way sticking up for Hamiln either. He gets out of his car, talks about wrecking him back and does nothing and at times, he is just as bad as Keselowski (like wrecking David Reutimann at Pocono, taking the #00 out of the Chase and a top five finish). It is all a matter of perspective in Hamlin's case. If he is the spinner it is okay, but if he is getting spun, he whines like a little girl. But in Keselowski's case, he is endangering the lives of the driver's he's racing against. He won the race in Memphis this year by spinning several cars and triggering several big accidents. Very inconsiderate, not to mention dangerous. NASCAR met with him before the race on Sunday and all he talked about afterwards was how "impressed" he was that NASCAR chairman Brian France was there and how in tune and concerned he is about the goings on of the sport. Nowhere did he mention anything about a message getting across. Hamlin may be a whining baby girl, but he does have a point. A lot of drivers owe this punk big time and whether or not Hamlin is first or not (he won't be), someone will take Brad out behind the garage and knock some sense into him. I for one can;'t wait till it happens.

McMurray Happy After Victory In One Sad Excuse For A Race

Before the discussion of yesterday's "race" begins, I would like to congratulate Jamie McMurray on winning the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega. It was his third career win and since he's looking for a ride every little bit helps. Jamie is a good guy and he deserves an 'atta boy for his efforts on Sunday. Also, props to my man Michael Waltrip on a solid sixth place finish too. He ran a great race and if the race had finished under green, Mikey may have been the victor. So congratulations to both Jamie and Mikey on a job well done.

But alas, those two drivers will go unheralded as NASCAR heads to the Lone Star State. The 2009 AMP Energy 500 will be remembered for it's lackluster racing and spectacular last lap crashes. The controversy all began during the pre-race drivers meeting when NASCAR president Mike Helton told the drivers that if they bump drafted in the corners, they would be penalized for aggressive driving. They were also warned not to use the new phenomenon that has surfaced with the new car, where two drivers can lock bumpers, gain about five to ten miles per hour and break from the pack, under threat of pass through penalty. But as drivers and fans know all too well, the rules have become nothing more than a list or gray areas and no driver knew what constituted a bump draft and what constituted being in the corner. But what NASCAR didn't understand was that with the smaller restrictor plate that they gave the teams, the only way that they could get up enough speed to pass was by bumping each other.

But the race went on as scheduled, the drivers left to ponder how to pass without drawing a race ruining penalty. This lead to about a quarter of the race being run single file around the top side of the race track, no passing, no wrecking, not even so much as a fender ducking out of line. Kevin Harvick was actually heard asking his crew for his iPod over the radio to help keep him occupied and Tony Stewart asked his crew to tell him something interesting before he fell asleep. It was speculated that this was the drivers way of protesting NASCAR and their ban on bumping. Hopefully NASCAR got the message. But this will typically happen at Talladega about halfway through the race for maybe 15-25 laps before all heck breaks loose at the end. Never before has it occurred for 55-65 laps at the beginning of the event. Aside from a Kurt Busch spin, nothing else happened in this race because of this single file riding along. That is until five laps to go. That is when the gloves came off.

Since drivers could not bump draft bin the corners, when the race actually got exciting, they bumped extra hard on the straightaways. This led cars darting around from being shoved and that led to one wild ride for Ryan Newman and his U.S. ARMY Chevy. The cars in front of Newman's #39 slowed, but Marcos Ambrose did not slow as quickly and bumped Newman into his boss, and teammate, Tony Stewart. This squeezed the #39 out of line and he spun backwards across Kevin Harvick's nose and while the car was backwards, the rear end lifted off the ground flipping the car backwards and lifting it off the ground. The rear of the #39 landed on the front of Harvick's #29, the car slid up the turn three banking on it's roof, down the banking and barrel rolled several times before coming to rest on it's roof on the grass. To see the footage, along with Ryan's comments afterwards, click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uolyLoCNmTc

After several tense moments, Newman was freed from the wreckage and walked to the ambulance under his own power. Say what you want about the new car and how i doesn't race or look as good as the old car, but it is head and shoulders above the old car from a safety standpoint and that is what really matters. The safety of the car was tested again on the final lap when Mark Martin's #5 Chevy rolled over, slid on it's roof and righted itself just before hitting the wall. This resulted in the caution being thrown and Jamie McMurray being declared the winner. You can see this wreck as well as the last lap here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2pgA-f4ZVQ

So as you can see, this was not a race by any stretch of the imagination. It was traffic on the parkway followed by two cars flipping over. Talladega has become known for being about it's high speeds, close, three and four wide racing and huge multi-car crashes. Yesterday's race was not even close to any of the classic 'Dega races we have seen in the past. Contrary to popular belief, NASCAR needs to be held at least somewhat accountable. They tell the drivers not to bump draft or be penalized and not to pass below the yellow line. And where did the two big wrecks happen? The frontstrech and backstretch, where bump drafting was allowed. (Also, without bumping in the corners two cars flipped as opposed to one in the spring when you could bump draft. Coincidence or irony? You decide.) These wrecks will happen no matter what NASCAR mandates. Let the drivers sort it out and stop telling them how to drive their cars. I used to, and still do, get really mad when I hear people say NASCAR is boring because it is just cars driving in circles for four and a half hours because there ids so much more to it. But after yesterday's pitiful display, those bogus accusations are becoming a reality. If NASCAR wants to gain fans and put butts in the seats at the track and at home, they need to do something, and fast. Oh, here's an idea. How about letting the drivers RACE and NOT RIDE!!! What a novel concept: Racing in NASCAR. We may be on to something here!

"Hallow-Dega" Weekend Off To Crazy Start

Happy Halloween everyone! NASCAR, Talladega and Halloween weekend- now that is a scary combination! Stock cars biggest stars took to the track Friday afternoon and there was ction right from the get-go. The cars started right away racing three and four wide, which led to trouble for a few drivers. Jeff Gordon slowed at the front of the pack and pulled out of line, causing the rest of the cars in his pack to check up. That abrupt slowing resulted in Sam Hornish Jr getting rear ended by Carl Edwards and having to roll his backup #77 Dodge off the trailer. Clint Bowyer also spun out after getting hit in the back by Erik Darnell in the #96 a little further back in the pack. The # 9 of Kasey Kahne was the fastest in that first session.

The second session, better known as Happy Hour, was a little more subdued, but NASCAR warned several drivers about leaving a little daylight between their bumpers. Since the restrictor plates on the car's carburators have been downsized, the cars have about 12-15 horsepower less than they did in the spring Talladega race. So since the cars are slower, the mos effective way to draft is to bump draft and stay sucked to each other's cars trough the corners, which is something that NASCAR has always discouraged. They actually parked Michael Waltrip's #55 NAPA Toyota for part of the practice for bumping Jimmie Johson's #48 Chevy in the corners. But, there was no malice intent on Mikey's part. He was only trying to figure out what his car would do in that situation because, like he said, that is what you'll have to do to win the race. NASCAR will also let you make moves like that in the race. They were just trying to keep practice under control. Clint Bowyer and Michael Waltrip were the two fastest cars in the session.

Qualifying was scrubbed today due to heavy rain showers, putting Jimmie Johnson's $#48 on the pole, yet again. But, anyone can win this race tomorrow. Hopefully, it will be my man, Mikey Waltrip. This is his last realistic shot to win one more race before his full time career comes to a close. Seeing that NAPA Camry in victory lane would be really special for him, his team and all the "Wal-Nuts" waching on television and in the stands. But however the race ends, hopefully all 43 cars will stay on the ground. Here is the finish from the spring race earlier this season, in case you have never seen it. It is really something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXwpsaHueUk&feature=related

Several Teams Making Key Changes Early In Preperation For 2010 Season

Yes there are still several more shopping days left before the 2010 Daytona 500 gets underway, but it is never too early to start preparing for the new season at hand. The first team to blink was Richard Childress Racing. This organization started the season out with a bang, winning the Budweiser Shootout with Kevin Harvick's team, but they have since fallen on hard times. Only two of their cars (Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer) cracked the top twelve this season, but they failed to make the Chase cut once Richmond rolled around. This, among other disappointments throughout the season, lead to several key personnel changes in the organization. The most publicized was the movement of Scott Miller from his current position as Jeff Burton's crew chief to director of competition. Many people wondered where Burton's new head wrench would come from, but since the future of Childress' #07 team is still up in the air, Todd Berrier was pulled from that team and he and Miller will take over their new assignments this weekend at Talladega.

Another change that will take place this weekend is a change in manufacturers for Elliott Sadler's Richard Petty Motorsports team. RPM announced a few weeks ago it's intent to merge with Yates Racing next season and become a Ford team, switching over from Dodge. Sadler will help get his team off on the right foot and trade in his #19 Dodge Charger for a Ford Fusion for a week. This will help the team figure out how a Ford drafts in comparison to a Dodge and help prepare them for the Daytona 500 that will kick off the 2010 season.

The last major change in personnel that will take effect after this weekend's AMP Energy 500 is Steve Addington's removal from the crew chief spot on Kyle Bush's #18 Camry. I don't really understand this move, since Bush and Addington won twelve races together (eight last season and four this year) and made the Chase last season as well. They did struggle mightily once the 2008 Chase started and they didn't even make it at all this season. That still is no reason to break up what looked to be a fairly successful relationship. And let me make this clear, I am not a fan of either of these men, but the chemistry was their, so it seems like a poor decision on the part of Coach Joe Gibbs' part. Dave Rogers will move from the #20 Nationwide Series car to Bush's #18 as of Texas next weekend.

What other changes are in store for next season? Drivers need rides, rides need to be filled and sponsors need to be found to keep some of those rides going. Round and round and round they go. Where they'll stop, nobody knows.

FedEx Team Delivers Bigtime In Martinsville

Well, it's finally happened. Jimmie Johnson, winner in five of the last six trips to the Martinsville Speedway, was dethroned on Sunday afternoon. It was bound to happen at some point and a lot of NASCAR fans, myself included, look pretty foolish for handing Johnson the check before the race was even started. But much to my surprise, or is that chagrin, Denny Hamlin took the checkers at his other hometown track. Hamlin, a native of Chesterfield, Virginia, won in Richmond in September and snagged the win at the half-mile Virginia "Paper Clip" on Sunday.

Ryan Newman led the field to the green flag, flanked by Jeff Gordon. The beatin' and bangin' didn't take long to get underway, because on lap seven, Matt Kenseth's #17 Ford slid up into the #47 Toyota of Marcos Ambrose, sending the "Tazmanian Devil" around, collecting Kenseth's Ford, as well as Robby Gordon's #7 Toyota. Ambrose received the most damage, having his left front fender sheered off. Michael Waltrip caused the next yellow when his left rear tire blew out, sending the #55 NAPA/Adaptive One Brakes Toyota around off of Turn 2. Not much else happened caution-wise, but the fans were treated to a good ol' fashioned shoving match between Juan Montoya and Jeff Gordon. The drivers exchanged shots, hitting each others cars for several laps, but eventually it settled back down. Sam Hornish, Jr was spun by teammate David Stremme, sending both to the inside wall and Hornish tried to knock the outside wall down only a few laps later. Chase driver Kasey Kahne drilled the outside wall with the back of his car, then the front a few laps later. The final major incident occurred when Scott Speed lost his brakes and destroyed his Red Bull Toyota in Turn 1.

On the final restart, Hamlin led Johnson (like he had for most of the day) and managed to hold the Martinsville Ace off and net his second win at the historic half mile. But for once, I would have preferred Jimmie Johnson as the winner. Not only do I think Denny Hamlin is a dirty dog (to put it politely) for wrecking David Reutimann at Pocono to get the win, putting the kibosh on Reuti's Chase chances, but it was the five year anniversary of the 2004 Hendrick Motorsports plane crash that claimed the lives of ten Hendrick employees and family members. For Johnson to win on that same date five years later, i think, would have been really special. But, it wasn't meant to be and Dirty Denny won the fight. But, although Johnson lost the battle, he may still win the war. The #48 still leads the points over Hendrick teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon. Could Johnson really win a record four titles in a row? First, they need to survive the carnage that will happen at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. From NASCAR's smallest track to it's biggest, 'Dega will be sure to please, since the 2.66 mile oval produces such close racing and such huge crashes. This race is gonna be a real barn burner and it should also shake up the Chase standings quite nicely.

This weekends race will also be a big one for me personally. Michael Waltrip is a restrictor plate racing ace, winning all four of his career wins at Daytona and Talladega. Since this will be the Sprint Cup Series' final plate race of the season, and since this is Mikey's last full season, this is his last realistic shot to take one last trip to victory lane and obtain some glory before he drives off into the sunset. Nothing would be cooler than seeing Mikey and the #55 NAPA Toyota team that he owns in victory lane after the race on Sunday. LET'S GO MIKEY!!!

Johnson Cashes In Big In NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowe's While Other Drivers Bouce Bigtime

Well the only Saturday night race in the Chase was rather uneventful as far as night races at Charlotte go. The night, no the weekend, was dominated by the Lowe's team of Jimmie Johnson, which is no surprise given his career numbers at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. He has won countless races, a few poles and seldom finishes outside the top ten at the track that bears his sponsors name. This weekend was no different. Johnson was fastest in all three practice sessions, he won the pole in qualifying and was hardly ever outside the top five all night. The only action that happened, aside from the usual Sam Hornish spin, was really Juan Pablo Montoya's mid race spin. Montoya had already received damage from being bunched up on a restart and rear ended by Mark Martin, and later in the race, he got loose and lost his #42 Chevy off of Turn 4. After repairs to the Lysol machine, the forty deuce returned to the racetrack, but Montoya never returned to contention.

But other than that, nothing else really happened to spice up the night. Greg Biffle was spun late in the race by David Stremme, who will not be racing a Sprint Cup Series car next season, sending "The Biff's" #16 Ford through the infield grass. On the subsequent restart, Jeff Gordon was overtaken by his teammate Johnson and it was all over but the crying. The fat lady had sang and started warming up for next week. Johnson has won at Martinsville Speedway just about as much as Lowe's. He's been untouchable at the half-mile Virginia Paper Clip. Ironically, despite all the victories and celebrations, the track has also become a very somber place for Hendrick Motorsports. In 2004 a Hendrick plane crashed into the mountains outside the track killing ten Hendrick employees, including Ricky Hendrick, the son of team owner Rick Hendrick. That is the place where the Sprint Cup tour returns this weekend and there is no doubt that the #48 machine of Jimmie Johnson will be right up front, with teammate, and fellow Martinsville ace, Jeff Gordon in close pursuit.

So three tough questions will be answered this weekend. They are: "Who will win the race?", "Who will be eliminated from Chase contention?" and "Who can eat the most Martinsville Hot Dogs?" The last short track race of the year promises to be a keeper. Lots of beatin' and bangin', rootin', and gougin' should make this a great, great race! Enjoy!

Official Inagural Class Announced For Hall Of Fame

Well, the inaugural Hall of Fame class was announced today and there were almost no surprises. And I almost had it picked out perfectly! I want to offer my congratulations to the five that did get in and each one of them is so deserving to be enshrined in this hub of NASCAR history. The first round of NASCAR legends will consist of Bill France Sr, Bill France Jr, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson. All of these men deserve to be in the hall at some point, but I still don't think that both Frances should have gotten in in the first class. Bill France Jr is hall worthy, but pioneers of the sport like Lee Petty, David Pearson and others were a lot more deserving than Bill Jr.

Lee Petty, as I said in my last post, won the inaugural Daytona 500 in a photo finish with Johnny Beauchampe, along with 51 other races, as well as three championships. He was, in a way, NASCAR's first superstar. David Pearson is second to Richard Petty on the all time wins list with 105, second on the all time poles list with 113 and winner of three championship titles. The "Silver Fox" also won the 1976 Daytona 500 after wrecking with his rival Richard Petty just feet from the start-finish line. The difference was that Pearson kept his foot in it and kept his wrecked #21 Purolator Ford running and drove past Petty's wrecked and stalled #43 STP Dodge to nab the win in the last few inches.

Drivers with those kinds of accomplishments, as well as the crew chiefs and mechanics who worked with them, such as Dale Inman and "Suitcase" Jake Elder, are a lot more deserving to go into the Hall of Fame before someone who was NASCAR's Chairman and CEO for thirty one years. Bill France Jr was going to get inducted at some point, but compared to someone like David Pearson, NASCAR's "Silver Fox" should have gotten it first. But, there is always next year. Who will be the next five inductees to receive this great honor? We'll just have to wait till next October to find out!

Difficult Desisions Await Hall of Fame Voting Panel

Well, this is it! At 4pm eastern time today, the five inaugural inductees to the NASCAR Hall of Fame will be announced to fans across the country. To be honest, I don't envy the position anyone on that voting panel is in. My five have changed quite a few times since the 25 legends who make up the list of inaugural nominees were announced a few short months ago, so I wouldn't want the pressure of making the final executive decision as to who goes in and who must wait until next year. If you would like information as to who is on the panel, who the nominees are and how the whole process will work, you can go to http://www.jayski.com/pages/hallsfame-nascar.htm.

While my original five inductees have changed from the beginning, after much deliberation, I have narrowed my selections down. I think that the inaugural class will consist of Bill France Sr, Lee Petty, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson. Now for the reasoning.

Bill France Sr was the founding father of NASCAR by organizing a meeting with drivers and track promoters in a Daytona Beach hotel and creating the sports governing body. He also was the brains behind the historic Daytona International Speedway.

Lee Petty was the patriarch of NASCAR's "Royal Family", winning 52 races and three championships. He also won the very first Daytona 500 in 1959, beating out runner-up Johny Beauchampe in a finish that took days for NASCAR to officially call.

Richard Petty, NASCAR's King, won 200 races and a record tying seven championships during his incomparable Winston Cup career. That's really all I need to say.

The late, great Dale Earnhardt, known as the "Intimidator", is the only driver ever to tie Petty's championship mark and, in my opinion, the only driver that ever will. He also fought his way to the top of the sport and won 76 races during his 25 year plus career. The "Man in Black" was also a working man's hero. He would race on Sunday and work on his farm on Monday. He also grew up working in a cotton mill and was forced to make his own way in the sport. Starting out on North Carolina dirt tracks he cut his teeth and developed his rough, tough, hard driving style. That is why people were able to relate to him because he was one of them. He was a blue collar worker like most NASCAR fans are and that is why he was so popular. And somebody who was that talented and worked that hard to accomplish what they did should be in the Hall of Fame. You don't win 76 races and seven titles by accident.

Junior Johnson was one of the sports pioneers. He was a moonshine runner turned stock car racer and won the 1970 Daytona 500. He also brought R.J. Reynolds tobacco into the sport as title sponsor of the Winston Cup Series. He won 52 races as a driver before retiring in 1966. He then ran his team, Junior Johnson and Associates, winning 139 races and six championships (three with Darrell Waltrip and three with Cale Yarborough). Even as a small town, country boy, Johnson was a mechanical wizard. He drove his cars, and told his drivers to drive his cars, basically until they broke and if a motor blew or another piece broke, he would fix it and make it better for next time. Junior Johnson really lives up to his nickname, "The Last American Hero."

These are only a few reasons as to why I believe these men should be in NASCAR's inaugural class. All of the drivers on the list of nominees deserve to be in the Hall of Fame and they will be at some point. There is no doubt in my mind. But I believe that the five drivers that I have talked about here help to bridge the past and the present of the sport of NASCAR and that is why they would make a great first class.

Despite The Chase, There Are Still 43 Drivers On The Track

I realize that the twelve drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup are the twelve best drivers on track for the most part. But just because thy are running for the title from Loudon to Homestead, that doesn't mean that the other 36 drivers on track should be excluded from coverage. If they do something great, they deserve just as much recognition as a Chaser. The Price Chopper 400 at Kansas this past weekend saw a record nine Chasers finish in the top ten and during the post race interviews, ESPN talked to the top 3 finishers, as is tradition, and the rest of the top ten, except for the driver that finished eighth. David Reutimann was mentioned at the end of the broadcast, but he was never interviewed. ESPN talked to Ryan Newman who finished 22nd one lap down all because he is in the Chase and several of the Chase crew chiefs without even so much as a mention of Reutimann's name. The driver that finishes 22nd and the crew chiefs are never interviewed, but just because they are Chasers, they are automatically more important than the driver who proved that he can run with the best drivers in the sport and that his win at Lowe's Motor Speedway and run at the top twelve were no fluke by being the only non Chaser in the top ten. There are still 43 drivers on the track and the fact that only the top twelve are recognized during broadcasts is a smack in the face to those of us fans who are rooting for those drivers outside of the Chase cutoff. If the Chasers are so stinkin' important, then put them on a track by themselves.

Stewart Follows Yellow Brick Road to Kansas Victory Lane

Well, we're not in Kansas anymore. Literally. NASCAR's once yearly stop at the midwestern oval wrapped up yesterday afternoon and it was an exciting one. The action didn't take long to start, as just two laps after Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr took the green flag, Joey Logano lost his #20 Home Depot machine off turn two. It was only single car spin and nothing that four fresh Goodyears couldn't fix. A few laps after the restart, Paul Menard spun his Menards Ford off turn two, the same spot where Logano lost his car. The difference was that Menard held his brake pedal, keeping his car in the middle of the track, while Logano rolled his car to the infield grass when he spun. Menard's car created a slight road block that collected the cars of Reed Sorenson, Michael Waltrip, Bobby Labonte and David Ragan. All the drivers, except Labonte were able to continue, but Mikey would later fall out of the race as well.

There were almost no wrecks after this point, aside from Brian Vickers going for a spin off turn four during a round of green flag pit stops. The race was dominated early by Dale Jr, who led the first 41 laps with his National Guard Chevy. Then during the first round of pit stops, a lug nut was left off the left rear tire, prompting NASCAR to bring him back in to replace it for safety reasons. Greg Biffle then emerged as the favorite to win it all. Crew chief Greg Erwin put two right side tire on the #16 Sherwin-Williams Ford and it came to life instantly. Later, it all came down to fuel mileage. Who would have enough gas to make it to the end? Would a Chase driver win or would some falter? We'll never know, since the caution came out for fluid on the race track, possibly oil from Junior's #88 which had just suffered a possible broken oil pump. Now tire strategy would come into play. Would drivers take two tires or four? Several driver elected to take four, even Biffle, whose car was so dominant on two tires, and a few, including Tony Stewart took a gamble and bolted on two.

On the final restart, Stewart's #14 checked out on the rest of the field, but not without a challenge. Jeff Gordon was also shot out of a proverbial cannon and closed in to within a half a second of Stewart. But Tony's two tires trumped Jeff's four and the Office Depot Chevy returned to victory lane and to Chase contention after a rough first two races. Biffle maintained to grab a third place finish, Juan Montoya finished fourth and Denny Hamlin fifth. Kasy Kahne nabbed sixth, Mark Martin seventh and David Reutimann grabbed a hard fought eighth place finish to be the only non chaser in the top ten. Ninth and tenth were Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards respectively. Mark Martin still has the point lead, albeit a slim one, over Jimmie Johnson by 18 markers and Juan Montoya can still play spoiler, being only 51 in third and fourth place Tony Stewart can still overcome a 67 point deficit to become the first owner/driver champion since Alan Kulwiki in 1992. Now on to the Auto Club Speedway in Southern California to help make the Chase picture a little bit clearer.

Congrats To Ryan Truex, NAPA and Michael Waltrip Racing on First Title

I just wanted to say congratulations and job well done to Ryan Truex and his #00 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota team out of Michael Waltrip Racing team on netting the NASCAR Camping World East Series title this past Friday night in Dover. Truex finished eighth in the Sunoco 150 and won the title by a scant 34 points over Eddie MacDonald, who placed ninth. Truex, the 17 year old younger brother of Martin Truex Jr, who will pilot MWR's #56 NAPA Camry next season in Cup, exceeded just about everyone's expectations this past season, including mine. He and crew chief Mike Greci, who won the same series title several years back with Martin Jr, won the 2009 championship to the tune of three wins, seven top fives and eight top tens during the 11 race schedule. Ryan Truex will also go down as the first champion in any series in MWR's short three year history. This is huge for MWR, NAPA and the Truex family. But, it didn't come easy. The first two races were a struggle for the team, but they overcame and in a way, overachieved, exceeding many an expectation. So here's to a great season, great teamwork and a lot more titles for MWR down the road. Awesome job guys!!!

Johnson Tames Monster Mile, While Logano Gets Grabbed

It was a tale of two races for NASCAR's two home improvement cars this past Sunday. The Lowe's Impala, wheeled by Jimmie Johnson, was the dominant car all race long and the eventual winner. On the other hand, the Home Depot Camry, driven by freshman Joey Logano, was claimed by "The Monster Mile" early on in the event. The #96 DLP Ford of Bobby Labonte was the cause of the mayhem because Labonte was cleared low by his spotter. As he moved down the track, Logano wisely lifted off the gas to let Bobby in. However, Logano's predecessor in the #20, Tony Stewart, didn't get the memo and drilled Logano from behind in the entry to Turn 3. Since Joey's wheels were turned left to make the corner, his car spun down to the apron, back up the track and into the wall. This collected the #1 car of Martin Truex Jr, the #7 car of Robby Gordon and the #43 car of Reed Sorenson. Sorenson's Dodge t-boned Logano's Toyota, lifting the right side off the ground and rolling the Middletown, Connecticut native down the steep banks of Dover. Logano barrel rolled down the track seven and a half times before coming to rest on the apron. The crowd was totally silent, waiting for the rookie to emerge from the wreckage, and when he did, the grandstands erupted with clapping and cheering. And Joey Logano will be back racing at Kansas this weekend. You can say what you want about NASCAR's new car and how it races, but it sure is safe. And that is the most important part.

Now, back to the action. There were very few wrecks aside from an three car pileup on the frontstrech late in the race, involving Regan Smith, Elliott Sadler, and the aforementioned Martin Truex Jr, and an earlier incident involving Michael Waltrip, the #55 NAPA Camry, a blown right front tire and the Turn 1 wall. Waltrip and his crew worked feverishly to return to the track and gain valuable points toward next season, but it was all for naught, as the NAPA car never returned to the track. Kyle Busch also managed to hit the fence twice, taking some right side paint off of the #18 machine to the delight of the fans and Sam Hornish Jr spun off of Turn 2 by himself and received very minimal damage. But other than these incidents and some "debris" cautions, nothing much else happened to allow another team to take a shot at ruining Johnson's "monster" run. His Hendrick teammate Mark Martin finished second in the Kellogg's #5 and Matt Kenseth's #17 Ford had one of his best runs since winning the season's two opening races, finishing third. Earnhardt-Ganassi's Juan Pablo Montoya finished fourth and the "Blue Deuce"of Kurt Busch finished fifth. Rounding out the top ten were the #24 of Jeff Gordon, the #44 of AJ Allmendinger with a phenomenal run, the #9 of Kasey Kahne with a great rebound after last weeks blown motor, the #14 of Tony Stewart and his teammate, Ryan Newman in the #39. Despite Johnson's best run in some time, he still trails Martin by a mere 10 points in the standings and Juan Montoya assumed third from Denny Hamlin. Outside the Chase, Matt Kenseth was able to wrestle 13th place away from Kyle Busch.

This week, NASCAR travels to the Heartland and the Kansas Speedway. Will Dover spark a surge for the 48 bunch? Will Mark Martin keep this run he's on going and win the title? Will we see another daring last lap pass for the win, as we did last year with Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson? Who knows. We'll just have to see after all 400 miles have been run and the race has been won.

Junior's Latest Remarks Nothing But Bullheaded

I gotta tell ya. I have lost so much respect for Dale Earnhardt Jr this past week. NASCAR's most popular driver was asked if he had talked to David Reutimann after their skirmish in New Hampshire last weekend. Driver 88 told reporters that he knows Reutimann is a nice guy, but that "ain't gonna be good enough no more." Junior also said the MWR Toyota driver also needs to "sharpen up and polish up his craft a little bit." He said that The Franchise needs to learn from his mistakes and stop costing him good finishes. "We don't get opportunities to finish in the top five too often... and neither, really does he." Earnhardt also managed to throw Reutimann's teammate, Marcos Ambrose, under the bus as someone who will "...just go in the corner and wipe you out." The article I'm referencing is on http://www.scenedaily.com/ if you would like to read it for yourself.

If you ask me, this is just the pot calling the kettle black. If you take a look at the 2009 stats, Reutimann has a win, 5 top fives, 8 top tens, 2 poles and is 16th in points. He also remained in Chase contention right up until the last race in Richmond. Now, compare that to Juniors 0 wins, 2 top fives, 5 top tens, 0 poles and 21st place standing in the points. Oh, and Reutimann's average finish is 16.4 compared to Junior's stellar 21.9.

And Junior is not as innocent as everyone is making him out to be. In the Daytona 500, just 28 races ago, Earnhardt was racing Brian Vickers for the Lucky Dog to get back on the lead lap after several pit road blunders by the Hendrick Motorsports driver. Down the backstretch, Junior turned Vickers' #83 in front of the rest of the field, raking out several cars that could have had a shot at the win. And while the 83 was loaded on a tow truck, the 88 was given a free pass to get back on the lead lap. After the race, Earnhardt blamed the incident on Vickers blocking him too far down the racetrack. At least Reutimann apologized and admitted his mistake and didn't make up some lame excuse.

Hey Junior! Here's a great idea! Leave Reutimann alone, shut your mouth and drive your car so you can work on "polishing your craft." Then maybe next year you will be able to run closer to David's league. Follow your own stinkin' advice, you baby!

AAA 400at Dover

The second race in the Chase for the Championship is set to run Sunday afternoon. After two practices tomorrow, it will all be over but the racing. Big surprise in qualifying today as Jimmie Johnson grabbed the pole in his #48 Lowe's Impala with a lap of 22.87 seconds, or 147 mph. This will be Johnson's second pole of the season and his 21st top 10 start of 2009. Jimmie will be flanked by Bogota, Columbia's Juan Pablo Montoya and his #42 Target Impala. The rest of the top five will include Ryan Newman's #39 U.S. ARMY Chevy, Greg Biffle's 3M Ford and David Reutimann's Aaron's Toyota. Elliott Sadler lost an engine due to a broken crankshaft, a problem that ended teammate Kasey Kahne's race one week ago. So Salder's #19 Geek Squad Dodge will start from the rear of the field due to the engine change. The lone car that did not qualify was Scott Wimmer's #4 Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevy team.

Earlier in the day, practice was held and, big shock here, the #48 team topped the leader board with a time of 22.78 seconds, or 158 mph. The rest of the top ten included Newman, Montoya, Biffle, Kurt Busch's #2 Miller Lite Dodge, AJ Allmendinger's #44 Super 8 Dodge, Reutimann, Kevin Harvick's #29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, Mark Martin's #5 Kellogg's Chevy and David Gilliland's #71 unsponsored TRG Chevy.

Like I said, there will be one Happy Hour practice tomorrow, so there is one more chance for the rest of the field to get to where the 48 is, setupwise, and keep him from getting the repeat in Deleware.

Sponsors That Stick Are a Rare Find These Days

We all know by now that we are in an economic recession and it has hit hard. Not a lot of sports are tied to the economy, but in NASCAR, the economy is what makes the sport run. If the economy is up, sponsors will be more than willing to brand a racecar, but when it's down, there is not a lot of sponsorship to go around. This week it was announced that Jack Daniel's will leave Casey Mears and Richard Childress Racing's #07 Chevy at seasons end, as well as Jim Beam bolting from Robby Gordon's #7 Toyota. Earlier this season, DeWalt announced they will leave 2003 champion Matt Kenseth's #17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford and Irwin Tools is leaving Roush's #26 Fusion in favor of sponsoring the night race at Bristol. There is also talk that Ask.com could leave Hall of Fame Racing's #96 Ford and 2000 champ Bobby Labonte, leaving yet another team to scrounge for every sponsorship dollar it can find. But not all sponsors are leaving their teams.

Bass Pro Shops has only scaled back the number of races it will fund for Martin Truex, Jr and the #1 Chevrolet. But it is still unclear who will drive this car next year, as Truex has left Earhardt Ganassi Racing for the comfort of a full season of sponsorship from NAPA Auto Parts at Michael Waltrip Racing, driving a Camry with his family's number, 56. Even current points leader Mark Martin could face a decrease in sponsor income from Kellogg's and CarQuest next season. Martin is signed to drive the #5 for Hendrick Motorsports through 2011 and only has 20 races worth of sponsorship from GoDaddy.com signed for certain so far. But some teams are in even worse shape.

Some teams do what is known as "start and park" where they go all out to qualify and only run a handful of laps and collect the last place money to compensate for their lack of sponsorship. However, this is not a long term solution, as very few of these teams make it through the season.

In the 2010 season there are only about 30 t0 35 teams planning to run the full season. Typically 43 teams make the field each weekend with at least two or three teams failing to qualify. Nine teams that ran the full season last year did not make it to through the off season due to lack of sponsorship and unless the aforementioned teams, like the #7, the #07, the #96, and some other smaller organizations find some sponsorship, that list of nine teams could grow a little bit bigger.

In Defense of David Reutimann

Having just read more of Dale Junior's comments after the race yesterday, I would like to come to the defense of my driver, David Reutimann. I've been pulling for David since his Truck Series days and Junior longer and to me, yesterday's incident was nothing more than a racing deal. And most of Junior Nation will obviously see this as a personal attack to Junior, an attempt to ruin one of the best cars he's had all year and somehow make his abysmal season even worse. I can almost guarantee that next week at Dover, at least half the crowd will erupt in a chorus of boos and hisses when D-Reut is introduced to the masses during pre-race festivities. But I will not be one of them. I'll be in the minority cheering for Reutimann through all 400 miles.

This wreck was not intentional in the least bit. And if Reutimann wanted to run someone over intentionally, he has a lot more sense than to spin the sports most popular driver. Reutimann has been run over several times before in the past and this isn't the last time either Dale or David will get run into. Lets all jump in the Wayback Machine and look at the second Pocono race from this year. Reutimann was in Chase contention and was on his way to a top 5 finish when Denny Hamlin blatantly turned the #00 into his teammate Marocs Ambrose, ruining both of their day. Hamlin went on to win the race while Reutimann was left to think about what might have been. Did anyone say that Hamlin was in the wrong for bumping Reutimann through Turn 1 and pushing him from the exit of Turn 3 down the first part of the straightaway? No. Has Reutimann payed Denny back yet? No. Will he ever? Probably not. Because that isn't the way he races. David races with respect and doesn't take other drivers out on purpose. That was evident at the Memphis Nationwide race last season. Reutimann had three or four good chances to at least move Carl Edwards out of the way, but he didn't. He didn't want to race unfairly and so he settled for second. Now would a guy like that take Someone else out on purpose?

Like I said yesterday, I'll cut Junior some slack and assume he was just mad after the race. And he had every right to be. But he shouldn't have come out of the care center and said that "...he ain't got enough talent to run in the top five, I guess" or that "He ran down int the side of me and spun me out" or that " You've to know how much car you've got and you've got to know how much talent you've got before you go down in the corner. He never knows." Junior, you can be mad and talk about it being disappointing for you and you're team, but trash talking a nice guy like Reutimann is just uncalled for. I think you need to take a look at your own abilities first before you criticize other people's. Reutimann's crew chief, Rodney Childers, raised a great point after the race. Between Junior and Reutimann, who has more top fives? Who has more top tens? Who was in Chase contention longer? And most importantly, who has a win? I rest my case.

One Down, Nine to Go

Well, the first race in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup was very exciting. There were several cars that had a chance to win, but few were as dominant as Juan Pablo Montoya. The polesitter from Bogota, Columbia looked to be headed to his second career victory, and his first of the season. That is until pit strategy came into play and the Target Chevy, along with several other teams, got off sequence with the rest of the leaders. Montoya raced back up to the front, with the help of several late cautions, and looked poised to win. But on the last restart, Mark Martin's #5 Impala SS beat Montoya's back to the line and the 50 year on championship chaser was declared the victor. The crowd erupted with cheers. But that isn't where the excitement starts.

There were several incidents through the day as well. The first involved several cars and was started when the 19 Stanley Tools Dodge of Elliott Sadler was tapped by the 20 Home Depot Camry of Joey Logano. This sent Sadler spinning, collecting the #55 NAPA Camry of Michael Waltrip, the #98 Menards Ford of Paul Menard, the #82 Red Bull Toyota of Scott Speed, along with several others. Speed and Menard sustained the most damage with the other cars sustaining next to none.

There were other smaller incidents, like the shoving match between Montoya' s #42 and the #31 of Jeff Burton. Montoya drove into turn three over his head and slid into Burton's CAT Chevy. Burton is not someone that you typically want to aggravate either. He'll race you clan until you hit him. Then the courtesy goes out the window. Under the subsequent caution, for an unrelated incident, Jeff hit the rear of JPM's car for some well deserved payback. There was also an incident between Marcos Ambrose's #47 Bush's Baked Beans Camry and AJ Allmendinger's #44 Dodge. AJ hit Marcos and almost wrecked the Aussie phenom (thus spilling the beans. ha ha). Then Marcos found "Dinger and returned what he started. Marcos jacked the 44's rear tires off the ground and showed him who's boss. Ambrose, like Burton, is very well liked and respected, but if you race him dirty, you'll regret it.

But the incident everyone will remember involved an unlikely duo. David Reutimann and Dale Earnhardt, Jr went into turn three side by side. Jr didn't give Reutimann a whole lot of room and David's #00 Aaron's Dream Machine slid up into his #88 AMP Energy Chevy sending it into the wall and rendering it unraceable. Junior got out of the infield care center, got on camera and preceded to throw Reutimann under the bus. "Some guys you can't race side by side with" Junior said. "I know that he can't hold his line and I should've know that... David just ran out of talent." Oddly enough, Reutimann was never given an interview to apologize and explain his side. Everyone will tell you that Junior was right and Reutimann is the idiot because he can't drive and he races for Michael Waltrip Racing and his team stinks, but that is not the case. Reutimann is one of the cleanest racers out there and one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. The fact that he is being accused of wrecking someone intentionally is absurd. I'll give Junior some credit and think he was just mad and didn't mean what he said but Reutimann would never run someone over without a very, very, VERY good reason. That wreck was not all Reutimann's fault.

Onward to Dover. Can Mark Martin parlay a victory at Loudon into his first championship, or can someone else turn the tide in their favor? That's why they run the races. We'll find out on Sunday afternoon.

Sylvaia 300 Weekend

The Chase for the Sprint Cup finally starts this weekend. After 26 races, the 12 drivers who will run for the championship have finally been determined. And while some still consider Jimmie Johnson's #48 team the perennial favorite to win it all after the Homestead season finale, there are at least five other drivers who can dethrone Johnson and capture the upset.

Lets start with Johnson's teammates, Mark Matin and Jeff Gordon. They have much more consistently than the 48 in the last few races and have some momentum heading into NASCAR's "playoffs". The Stewart Haas Racing team of Tony Stewart runs the same engines and chassis as Johnson, and can easily run on par with the three time defending champ. Another team with no pressure is the Miller Lite team of Kurt Busch. They will be contenders because he and crew chief Pat Tryson will part ways at seasons end, with Tryson heading to Michael Waltrip Racing's #56 Camry. All they will be focusing on is how to net the cup in Miami.

It is still too early to tell who the champ will be, but as for this weekend's winner, I wouldn't bet against Greg Biffle's #16 3M Ford team. They are the defending winners of this race and are looking for their first win of the season. And don't be surprised if the polesitter Juan Pablo Montoya is the victor on Sunday afternoon. But with the championship on the line, anything is possible.