Following Sunday’s race at Atlanta, ten of the twelve Chase drivers are set, with Greg Biffle needing to finish only 42nd or better at Richmond to be in, and Clint Bowyer needing a 28th or better to be in. So with the field all but set, who’s your pick to win the 2010 Cup Series Championship?
Just in case you need a little reminder, here are the twelve drivers that will battle for the title over the final ten races (barring any last minute heroics by Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, or Mark Martin):
After Richmond, the points will be reset among the twelve, with the number of wins being the determining factor for who starts where in the standings and with how many points. Right now, Johnson and Hamlin have the most wins, each with five, so they will be atop the standings heading to New Hampshire.
Now, with everything we’ve seen this season, and what we know of each of these drivers and how they race, who’s your champion? Does Jimmie win a fifth straight? Will a Childress driver finally break through? Will Ford emerge over the last ten races? Let’s hear it!
Also, both Journo and myself wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!
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Filed under: Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Sprint Cup, NASCAR
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I don’t care who you are, if you didn’t think the end of the race at Loudon was good, then you aren’t a race fan. There, I said it.
As a whole, I realize this probably wasn’t the most exciting race of the season, but the last 15 laps were awesome. We saw Jeff Burton make a rare mistake, and two bump-and-runs for the win.
It all started on lap 289. Burton got into turn three too deep, slid up the track, and got into Kyle Busch’s left rear. At the time, the two were racing for third, and both had led laps. Busch ended up 11th, with Burton one spot back in twelfth. Apparently the New Kyle Buschwas driving today, as he was surprisingly calm after the race with his comments. Don’t forget though, these two crossed paths a few weeks ago at Charlotte, in an incident that ended with Burton yelling at Busch on pit road after the race. This burgeoning feud is far from over.
Just a few short laps later, Kurt Busch pulled the classic bump-and-run on Jimmie Johnson to take the race lead. Busch got under Johnson into turn three, and he made just enough contact to send Johnson up the track and scoot by. The elder Busch was able to get away for a few laps, but Johnson ran him back down, and pulled the same maneuver on Busch! Johnson would go on to win his second straight race.
In his post race press conference, Jimmie told reporters that after Busch got into him, he only had one thing in mind: ”wreck his ass.”
We’ve now had two straight weeks where a number of drivers were upset after the race. Last week, the common theme was Jeff Gordon. This week, Clint Bowyer was mad at Juan Pablo Montoya, Montoya was mad at Reed Sorenson, and so on. The drivers have shown that the gloves are off, and anything can and will happen during these races. And if you think these guys are going to forget what has happened over the last two weeks, think again. It might not happen right away, but scores will be settled.
And you know what? There ain’t a damn thing wrong with it.
Some Drivers are talking from the Media center at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Carl Edwards is Up
I like Carl and the way he answers questions. He has a nice enjoyable manner about him. Lots of Carl Edwards questions were based on his new baby. A reporter asked if he changed a diaper yet and he told everyone how he practiced on Matt Kennesth’s baby a few times. The media got a kick out of that. Carl said his car will be in race trim for practice due to the chance of rain. He said his wife Kate and the baby are doing just fine. Congrats once again Carl and Kate.
Kevin Harvick was up next
Kevin Harvick did a lot of talking based on the spoiler and how it will effect the building of the race cars. He also talked about the passing of his dog this week when Jeff Gluck of SBNation.com asked a question. Kevin also talked about the upcoming race next week in Atlanta. Kevin has a good record at the Atlanta Motor Speedway and got his first win there. Marty Smith from ESPN asked about losing last weeks race and his comments about the 48 team. He kind of avoided the answer the media was really looking for. It was a nice try though Marty, much appreciated.
Next up was Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton started off by asking the media why they were so quiet. He found out no one was lucky on the slots last night, it was good way to get the media on your side from the start. First question was about how a driver feels in the car. Jeff talked about how a little change in the building process gave the cars much more grip. Jeff Wolf asked about his win 10 years ago in the rain shortened race. He asked about Jeff’s practice and race set ups. He was asked about small tracks and how it is the base for NASCAR on the local level. Jeff talked about how RCR racing has been very good this year so far but with the spoiler change comes it will make a difference. Jeff was asked about the win by the 48 team last week and Jeff talked about how he did everything he could to win the race last week. Jimmie and his team just did it a little better.
Jeff talked about next week in Atlanta and how the cars handling is a key to winning races there. He was asked about Bristol and how the racetrack got smaller with the addition of safer barriers. Jeff said he liked racing at the old Bristol.
Clint Bowyer was up next
Clint was asked about how he was feeling about how good the RCR cars were this year. He is looking forward to the spoiler change and how it carries out. He is very happy with the start of the season for the RCR teams. He was asked about Greg Biffle’s new dirt track in Oregon. Clint says its too far from home, unless Biffle is paying him good he won’t be there. That got a chuckle from the media. He was asked about how he felt about last weeks dirty grill pit stop and how it could have cost him the race. He basically said it happens but he was happy to finish in the top 10. He talked about hard work and how it will pay off this year. Clint mentioned how going from 4 teams to 3 teams is good in a way as they are able to focus more on the teams. Clint was asked about his pit crew and he told us he is happy and how his pit crew gets him 5 more positions every week. Once again a reporter asked about next week in Atlanta and Clint answered that it reminded him of a dirt track with all the slipping and sliding the car has. Marty Smith from ESPN asked about the race last week and how the 48 got lucky with the win. Clint answered that Jimmie has a good team but it is not good for the fans in the stands and something needs to be done about the speed coming around to the start finish line during a caution.
Mark Martin was up next
Mark was asked about the rain tomorrow and how it will change the qualifying and set up changes. Mark said it will be a minor change in routine but nothing major. Mark said “Everyone will be in race trim for practice.” He was asked about all the babies being born lately and he is happy to see it. He likes the NASCAR family getting bigger. His was asked about what he remembers from his first win, he responded with how him and Jeff Burton had a good race that day. Mark told us about how he took off from the helicopter after the race and thinking about how cool it was to win a race in Las Vegas. Mark was asked about the younger drivers and he mentioned the 99 driver in the Nationwide series and how he likes him.
Mark was asked about the changes in NASCAR and the media. He talked about how its changed a lot for the better. Mark was asked about how the track condition is as it is maturing. Mark said he likes driving here. He said it is a great venue for the fans and Las Vegas is a great place and the people are great.
Jimmie Johnson Up Next.
First question was what was he looking forward to this week and he said he likes the track “Its a very aggressive track.” Jimmie was asked about how the 48 team breaks down a race. He said he gets the big adjustments out of the way on the first stop or a very early stop just like many teams do. Jimmie talked about how he won the race last week and how luck was involved but he still had the car to win the race. He was asked about how he feels about people who are naysayers and he pretty much said to heck with them. (I chuckled over that one)
Jimmie was asked about his winners circle appearance has changed over the years. Jimmie doesn’t think the program is working as needed for selling tickets but he will do anything to get fans in the stands. I am enjoying him being very candid with the media, it is quite refreshing.
Jimmie was asked about the Hendricks problem with the axles lately. He said they have been keeping an eye on it but he doesn’t know all the details. Jimmie was asked about Danica-mania from a local reporter.(Go figure) Jimmie said it would have been good for her to race in the lower levels first but the exposure for NASCAR is huge and we should ride the train while its here. Same thing for Max Papis and how he jumped right into oval racing.
Jimmie was asked about his domination and if it’s good for NASCAR. Jimmie talked about other sports and dominance. He mentioned Shawn White and Tiger Woods (until his latest troubles) and how they have been good for their sports. Another question was about his success and how he handles it, he talked about how he can’t dominate forever and he knows that. He said he will be driving for a long time and it’s bound to happen. Jimmie was asked about a second race in Las Vegas, he said it is tough to add a second race to any venue. People will skip a race a year because they know they can make the second race there later in the year. Last question was about the condition of the track. Jimmie said he likes the “Progressive banking and the resurfacing”. It takes 3 to 5 years to get a track back to good racing after it has been redone.
Las Vegas Media Session : AwesomeWreckage.com ~ Nascar Fan Forum
Following the 2008 season, Journo and myself wrote a series of posts that covered all the major teams in the Cup Series. We looked at where they had been in 2008 and where they were going in 2009. The posts contained some predictions for the 2009 season, with some being more specific then others. I thought, since 2009 is in the books, that it would be fun to go back over the posts and see how we fared with our predictions. Listed below you will find all the teams we covered, our predictions, and what actually happened. Enjoy!
Hendrick Motorsports Prediction: All four drivers will be contenders for the 2009 title. Actual:We were right, with one notable exception. Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, and Jeff Gordon finished 1-2-3 in the standings for HMS. But, Dale Earnhardt Jr. struggled all season and finished a disappointing 25th.
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Prediction:Martin Truex Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya should win a few races each and both could make the Chase. The jury is still out though on Aric Almirola. Actual: He never won a race, but Montoya did make the Chase and was a factor until late; we missed on Truex though. The Bass Pro Shops team only had one top five finish all season and they finished way down in 23rd in the standings. Almirola did struggle, and ended up only running eight races before the sponsorship money dried up.
Team Red Bull Prediction:Expect Scott Speed to struggle in his rookie season, and a top 30 in points would be a victory. Brian Vickers will finish in the top 15 in points, but the Chase will still be out of reach for this team. Actual: Speed did indeed struggle, and did not qualify for three races. He ended up 35th in driver standings and 36th in owner standings. He will be on the outside looking in for 2010. Vickers did a little better then we expected, with one win and a Chase appearance.
Joe Gibbs Racing Prediction:Denny Hamlin will make the Chase, but isn’t good enough to really contend yet. Kyle Busch will continue being a force and will contend for the Cup. In his rookie season Joey Logano will finish top 25 in the points and show flashes of brilliance. Actual: We were right about Hamlin and Logano, but we missed the call on Busch’s season. Hamlin finished fifth in the final standings, but too many DNFs in the Chase killed his chances at the Cup. Logano won at Loudon and finished 20th in the standings. Busch won four races, but struggled for much of the season and missed the Chase.
Richard Childress Racing Prediction: Jeff Burton will win 1-3 races and make the Chase, but will not be a contender. Clint Bowyer will win 3-5 races and challenge for the Cup. Casey Mears will finish top 20 in points at best. Kevin Harvick will win a couple races, make the Chase, and have an outside shot at the Cup. Actual: RCR was probably our biggest missed prediction. Bowyer, Burton, Harvick and Mears finished 15th, 17th, 19th, and 21st respectively. The whole organization struggled all season and didn’t win a single race.
Stewart-Haas Racing Prediction: Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman will finish top 20 in points, we might see a couple wins between the two teams, but a Chase appearance and title contention are a few years away. Actual:SHR was definitely a pleasant surprise this season. Stewart won four races and finished sixth in the standings. He led the points going into the Chase, but lost his momentum and slipped down the stretch. Newman never found victory lane, but did make the Chase on his consistency and finished ninth.
Penske Racing Prediction: The whole organization will struggle with the exception of maybe Kurt Busch. Actual: Kurt Busch won two races and finished fourth in the Chase. Sam Hornish showed a little promise, but could only manage a 28th place points finish. David Stremme continued his history of lackluster performance and finished 32nd in the standings.
Gillett Evernham Motorsports/Richard Petty Motorsports Prediction: The team won’t improve much over 2008, Kahne and Allmendinger are their greatest hopes. Actual:Kahne won two races and did make the Chase, finishing 10th, but that was the bulk of their success. Allmendinger, Reed Sorenson, and Elliott Sadler all failed to finish inside the top 20 in points.
Roush Fenway Racing Prediction: Carl Edwards will be dominant and could be the leading contender for the championship. Matt Kenseth will win 1-2 races and make the Chase. Greg Biffle will also win a race or two and make the Chase, but will not be a serious contender for the title. David Ragan and Jamie McMurray should improve over 2008 but neither will contend or make the Chase. Actual: Edwards was a miss, as he failed to win a race and was never really a factor in the Chase. Kenseth did win two races, but just missed making the Chase. Biffle also went winless, but did make the Chase, finishing seventh. Ragan and McMurray had disappointing seasons, but McMurray did find victory lane at Talladega.
Yates Racing Prediction: Travis Kvapil and Paul Menard will continue to struggle. Bobby Labonte could surprise, but past history doesn’t bode well for him. Actual: Kvapil ended up only running the first five races before his team was shut down due to lack of funding. Menard didn’t earn a top five or top ten all season and finished 31st in the points. Labonte did manage one top five finish, but ended up 30th in the driver standings and was replaced in the #96 late in the season by Erik Darnell.
Michael Waltrip Racing Prediction: David Reutimann should continue to improve, but expect Michael Waltrip to hang up his driving gloves after 2009. Actual: Reutimann did indeed improve in 2009, and collected a win, five top five, and ten top ten finishes. His team nearly made the Chase, but they faded late in the season and finished 16th in the standings. Waltrip’s struggles continued and a 33rd place points finish will see him run only a part time schedule in 2010.
Robby Gordon Motorsports Prediction: Expect more of the same from Robby Gordon, a good finish here and there is the best he’ll do. Actual: Gordon struggled most of the season, and only mustered a 34th place points finish. He did finish third in the rain shortened Coke 600 though.
Filed under: Chase for the Sprint Cup, Speed TV
Setting Up 'Race to the Chase' originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Michael Waltrip, Sprint Cup, Richard Childress Racing
Sprint Cup N's & Q's: LifeLock 400 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.