All Sports All The Time

Tony Stewart was able to hold off David Gilliland at the end to win his third Bud Shootout last night at Daytona. For those who don’t know what the Bud Shootout is all about, I will tell you; race that pits the drivers that won a Budwieser pole award in the previous year and all past winners of the Bud Shootout. It is a 70 lap, two segment race; 20lap opener and 50l ap dash for the cash. The teams are given a 20 minute break in between the two segments where they can make adjustments, change tires and pack fuel in the fuel cell.

My favorite driver was haing a few issues with the car and he started to fade at the end, but he was involved in a late race wreck and he finished 15th out of 21 cars when he bump drafted the #19 Dodge (driven by Elliot Sadler) causing him to get loose and he was hit by the #11 car (driven by Denny Hamlin) and that put him into the wall right in front of Dale Earnhardt Jr. (my favorite driver) which collected Junior causing him to spinout.

Fortunately for Dale Jr. that was not the same car he was going to be racing in the Daytona 500 next week or in qualifying for the Daytona 500 coming up later today. The team had two completely different cars ready for this weekends festivities so him wrecking the car last night will not impact his qualifying for the big race coming up next week.

Jeff Gordon’s night ended early when his motor just shutoff on him and he went straight to the garage area and was done for the night. Most of the commentators in television booth were speculating the Jeff Grodon may have hit the engine kill switch by accident and it shut the motor off. I think he hit it on purpose when he saw that he was being out gunned on the track and didn’t want to embarrass himself.   Sorry Don, I couldn’t resist.

It all officially starts today with qualifying for the kickoff race to the 2007 NASCAR season and good luck to all of the 61 cars that are attempting to qualify for the big race next Sunday, but only 43 cars will make it to the big show.

My prediction for the winner of the Daytona 500 will be the exact same it has been since he first broke in the NASCAR Cup Series back in 2000; Dale Earnhardt Jr. in shiny red #8 Budweiser Chevy Monte Carlo SS.

 

For the fourth time since joining the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2000, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won the title of Most Popular Driver. I would much rather see him win a championship, but he is pretty proud that he is well liked by the NASCAR fans. It really isn’t hard to tell that he is a fan favorite, one only needs to watch the race broadcasts and listen to the fan reactions when he is introduced during driver introductions. He is generally the driver with the most applause no matter what track they are at.

Many people had some pretty high expectations of Dale Jr. when he moved up to the elite NASCAR series after winning back to back Busch Series championships and those same people feel that he hasn’t lived up to that hype. Well, just because he hasn’t won a championship doesn’t mean hasn’t had success. Afterall, he has 17 wins and has finished in the Top 10 in points four times, including 2 third place finishes.

I fully expect Dale Jr and the #8 Budweiser team to continue to build on the success they had this year since being reunited with his cousin Tony Eury Jr. as crew chief. I fully expect more wins and possibly a championships win come in the next few years.

Congrats to the #48 team and JImmie Johnson for winning the Nextel Cup Points Championship.

All of the eyes of the NASCAR world will be on Homestead-Miami Speedway this afternoon and running of the Ford 500. This is the finale of the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season and the end of NASCAR as we knew it. I say that because next season we will see the emergence of the Car of Tomorrow from the drawing board to the race track ar Bristol and that will signal the end of Stock Racing in NASCAR.

Now back to the discussion about this the final weekend of racing for the 2006 season, who is going to win the race and then the ultimate orize; the Nextel Cup. With Jeff Gordon safely out the picture, I can actually embrace any of the final drivers that still have a shot at winning the championship. Not that I am a huge Jimmie Johnson fan by any means, but he will have at least earned the championship, if that is indeed what is in the cards.

I will be pulling for my driver (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) even though he is a long shot, but he has a shot none the less. I think Kenseth or Johnson will end up with the Nextel Cup when it is all said and done, but I think we NASCAR fans will be treated to a exciting race and it will go down to the wire to crown the champion, unless Jimmie Johnson encounters trouble and finds himself way back in the field and that will Dale Earnhardt Jr. chances of a title back into play.

Prediction: Kasey Kahne will win race and Matt Kenseth will win the championship and Jimmie Johnson will be a bridesmade again.

Kevin Harvick out lasts Jimmie Johnson on Sunday to keep his hopes alive for a Nextel Cup championship at Phoenix International Raceway. Unfortunately, with the second place finish Jommie Johnson will only have to finish 12th place or better at Homestead in the conclusion of the 2006 Nextel Cup season.

The win was Harvick’s 5th of the season and second win at Phoenix this year, but it still wont be enough to overcome the consistancy that Jimmie Johnson has demonstrated all year. To the chagrin of most fans and driver, the points awarded by NASCAR at every race has always benefitted the most consistant drivers and not always the ones that win the most races in a given season.

After all, if the Jimmie Johnson capture the Nextel Cup Championship without a win at Homestead this coming Sunday, he would be tied with three other drivers with 5 wins and one shy of the Kasey Kahne’s 6 wins this season and he would still win the Nextel Cup trophy. This is because he has finished in the Top 10 23 out of the 36 races in the season including 13 Top 5’s and 5 wins and only one DNF (did not finish the race).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. continues drive well, but he still loses ground again to the points leader Jimmie Johnson. With a ninth place finish at Phoenix Earnhardt loses two positions in the standings and also falls back 35 points (-115) behind points leader Jimmie Johnson heading to the finale at Homestead. It just goes to show you that it is not good enough to finish in the Top 10 when it comes to the Chase for the Nextel Cup format.

Despite a good run at Phoenix and finishing in the Top 5 (4th), Jeff Gordon has been officially eliminated for a shot at the Nextel Cup and his 5th overall Points Championship. He fell behind the points leader by 165 points which is beyond the total number of points any driver can gain after a single race. It has to be obvious to all Gordon fans by now which Hendrick driver is getting all of the best equipment at Hendrick Motor Sports; Jimmie Johnson. After all until Jimmie came along Jeff Gordon was king rooster at HMS and now that Johnson has been having all the success and Jeff Gordon has been uncharacteristically down .

A saving grace for Jeff Gordon this season if Jimmie Johnson goes on to win the Nextel Cup at Homestead he will be a championship car owner (in name only), because he is the registered owner of the #48 car.  

In another development, Tony Stewart locked up the 11th position in the points standing and he will receive the bonus from NASCAR for finishing just outside of the Chase for the Nextel Cup. The bonus will bring his end of season check to a cool million dollar. He leads 12th place Carl Edwards by 323 points and he cannot finished futher back than 11th.

 

Tony Stewart proved to be the class of the field and cruised to his 5th win of the season (3rd of the Chase and second in a row). He outlasted Jimmie Johnson to take the checkers at Texas Motor Speedway and solidify his hold on the 11th place position in the points standing.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was needing a great finish to help gain some ground on the leader and he had to over come a couple of obstacles if he was going to have that great finish. The first obstacle was the flu, he spent most of his non driving time at the track in the Infield Care Center getting fluids and the second one was the wall. His pit crew earned their keep after the late pancaking the wall that required 7 trips to pit road to repair. With not many laps to go Dale Jr. climbed from 32th position to finish 6th and with that 6th place finished he moved up one spot in the standing and gained 6 points in his drive for the Cup.

The post race festivities were marred by an unnecessary attack on Kevin Harvick and his wife Delana by a crew member of the #10 Valvoline car. The two were walking back to the garage area and a unidentified crew member of the #10 car pushed Harvick and they both were knocked to ground, causing Delana to twist her ankle. The crew member was angry because he was too stupid to watch the replay that shows the Kevin Harvick didn’t make contact with Riggs (#10) car until he had already lost control of the car. Many angles showed that Harvicks car got close behind Riggs causing the wind off the spoiler of the #1o car causing him to get loose and start to come around and that is when Harvick made contact with Riggs.

NASCAR called all parties involved to the hauler to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack on Harvick and penalties should be handed out tomorrow.

It was a very sunny day in Atlanta when the Bass Pro Shops 500 NASCAR race started and it proved to be challenging for the drivers when the sun was setting it made it difficult to see on track. But the drivers survived and when it was over Tony Stewart took the checkered flag for the second time in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Stewart climbed the fence at the start finish line to get the checkered flag from the official as he has in almost every win this season. Once he got the flag he got back in his car and did the customary victory lap with the flag sticking out the window. The climbing the of fence after a victory has become Stewart signature way of celebrating the victory.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a great race as many people expected he would, he lead more than 80 laps in the race, despite having to make a green flag stop for a severe vibration. The stop put him at least one lap down and he was able to make up the lap and eventually get to the front. He ended up battling Matt Kenseth at the finish line and he edged out Kenseth for third place and he moved up 2 spots into fourth in the points standing with three races to go.

Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are actually tied 84 points behind the points leader (Matt Kenseth) and with 3 races to go it is still anyones championship to win. With victory, Tony Stewart pretty much has sewn up the 11th spot in the points standing and because of that he will receive the bonus money that will bring his end of the season check to $1 million dollars.

The next stop is Texas Motor Speedway and another good track for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and a chance to pick up some more points.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. found himself in a very familar spot; leading the race with a handful of laps to go. Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out quite as he wanted them too and he was the victim of a racing deal that saw his chance at a victory turn into a 23rd place finish.

You see, Dale Jr. was leading the race and the laps were winding down and teams Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vicker’s were waiting to make their move until the white flagh flew signaling one lap to go. This is when the melee began and it ended with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson both spinning into the infield and Brian Vicker’s going to Victory Lane. What led to the wreck was Jimmie Johnson had a run on Earnhardt and he apparently waiting a tad bit too long to pull out from behind Earnhardt to make the pass and Brian Vickers who was helping Johnson to stay up with Earnhardt tried to pull up behind Johnson for second. But it looked like Jimmie Johnson had to slow up a bit because he didn’t have Earnhardt cleared and Vicker’e ended up clicking Johnson in the rear quarter panel causing him to spin directly into Earnhardt and they both spun off the track into the infield.

The wrecked put Dale Jr. at the end of the lead lap in 23rd and Jimmie Johnson finished a lap down in 24th place. This touched off a very raucus response from the very partial crowd at Talladega and Brian Vicker’s was greeted to a loud chorus of boos when he climbed out of his #25 Chevy Monte Carlo SS in Victory Lane. As you would expect Johnson and Earnhardt weren’t exactly thrilled at what happened on the tract that caused them to go from the front of field to the back. Dale Earnhardt Jr. actually congratulated Vicker’s on his win and chalked the wreck as a racing deal. Unfortunately, Jimmie Johnson and his crew chief Chad Knaus were so gracious; both of them took their turns blasting Vicker’s.

Here are some comments from Johnson and Knaus after the race:

"I just can’t believe it. Here we go all day long, I had a great chance to make up some points, and I end up getting wrecked by a teammate," he said. "Knowing the situation we’re all in, I would hope that someone would be a little more patient than they were back there.

"I honestly don’t think Brian was trying to wreck us, I think he was trying to help us," crew chief Chad Knaus said. "I just don’t think he has the talent to understand what he has underneath him."

Here is what Dale Earnhardt Jr. had to say:

"Brian was just excited there," he said. "I’m not really that upset, I mean, that’s just the way racing goes here and sometimes you come out on the good end of those deals and sometimes you don’t."

The points standings got a bit tighter with points leader Jeff Burton had a little trouble and that allowed the Top 5 drivers to get back into Chase with 6 races to go. The flat tire Burton suffered put him a lap down and he finished 27th and he lost too many valuable championship points.

It was a very disappointing race for Jeff Gordon, he was looking to get a good finish at a track that he has won at 4 times in his career. Unfortunately, he got caught up in a multi-car wreck and his day was done. He finished 36th and all he could do was whine about Dale Earnhardt Jr. bump drafting. I guess he needs to talk to his team mate (Vicker’s) who used the bump drafting to put Jimmie Johnson in the position to even have a t at passing Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jeff Gordon has been whining about Dale Jr. bump drafting for quite some time and it is getting pretty tiring that he singles out Earnhardt and yet many drivers bump draft at the restrictor plate tracks (Talladega and Daytona).

Top 10 finishers

1. Brian Vicker’s

2. Kasey Kahne

3. Kurt Busch

4. Matt Kenseth

5. Martin Truex Jr.

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Jeff Green

8. Mark Martin

9. Carl Edwards

10. Bobby Labonte

It is restrictor plate time again and it usually means exciting racing and the Big One. I look for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to run out front for parts of the race and hopefully he can find his way to Victory Lane. He will need it to help his chances to win the Nextel Cup, since he lost ground in the standings despite finishing in the Top 10 (10th) last week at Kansas. Earnhardt is sitting in 7th in the Chase Standings and more than 120 points out of first and if he doesn’t get at least a Top 5 or better he will not gain much ground.

My biggest fear this weekend is that Jimmie Johnson finds himself way back in 8th place in the points and he will most likely be looking for move up in the standing. The trouble with that is he is dangerous enough on the restrictor plate tracks, but when you factor in the extreme necessity to win, he will no doubt make some very dangerous moves on the track and probably cause at least one major wreck. Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth will be looking to rebound from their troubles last week and hopefully gain some ground on point’s leader Jeff Burton.

Rookie Denny Hamlin, this years surprise driver, is sitting in 2nd place and within striking distance on Jeff Burton. If he could manage a Top 5 finish and Burton stumble a bit or he gets caught up in the big wreck, he could easily take over the top spot. After the first three races it looks like it is shaping up to battle between the top 5 drivers in the standings now Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick. The rest of the Chase filed are 120 points or more behind the leader, Jeff Burton.

I am looking forward to a very exciting race and I expect Jimmie Johnson and/or Kyle Busch to cause at least one of the big wrecks on Sunday.

Jeff Burton wins his first race in over 3 years and he picked a great time to do it. He fought with Matt Kenseth for the better part of 18 laps at the end and he was able to get by kenseth for the lead. Kenseth would have finished second, except for the fact he ran out of fuel with two laps to go.

The most important thing was that with the win he took over the points lead from Matth Kenseth and Kevin Harvick.