|| *Comments on the 2008 3M Performance 400 Presented by Bondo:* View the most recent comment <#38> | Post a comment <#post> 1. michael posted: 08.17.2008 - 7:06 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) great win carl #5 2. Clayton posted: 08.17.2008 - 7:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Finally! A race not determined by FUEL MILEAGE!!! Carl Edwards ran so good today and had the dominate car all day, and my boy Ragan showed his potential, moving closer and closer to the chase. Elliott Sadler continued his hot second half and Mark Martin continued to run better then his equiptment!! Denny Hamlin moved through the field pretty soildly, until he blew his engine. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson made contact, which made Johnson had to pit and Gordon later hit the outside wall, ending his day. Johnson ended up spinning across the start finish line after he came up on Travis Kvapil. And Dale Jr's car went away at the end and he hit the wall hard! He ended up 23rd. All in all, a pretty good race. Just glad to not see a fuel mileage race. Can't wait for Bristol!! 3. GeoffreyStephens.com posted: 08.17.2008 - 7:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A pretty weak Cup debut for Brad Coleman in the #96 Toyota. Perhaps it was the team and not J.J. Yeley that was problematic. 4. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.17.2008 - 8:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Save us Obi Wan Edwards, you're our only hope. Is Tony Eury Jr TRYING to get fired?? And Denny, YOU are the one who doesn't belong in the Chase. I've been so disgusted with him these last two years, constantly throwing his team under the bus. He is the only person I've seen actually regress from a maturity standpoint from his rookie year. I'd like to see JGR force him to drive the Hall of Fame car the rest of the year just to show him how good he truly has it!! 5. Willy on Wheels posted: 08.17.2008 - 9:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Another great win for Carl Edwards. It will be a really tight battle between him and Kyle Busch for the title. I hope Kasey doensnt fall out of the chase, since he blew his engine here and is 11th, especially to a winless driver like David Ragan in 13th or Brian Vickers in 15th. 6. Edwards99 posted: 08.18.2008 - 10:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a restart by Carl with 2 to go going against the best restart driver in the business! Also loved the pit stop to get him out in front of Busch. I do have to say though it was impressive by Busch getting 2nd at what has been one of his worst tracks. 7. Anonymous posted: 08.18.2008 - 12:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A surprisingly decent race put on by the COT. As Clayton said, it sure was great not having to hear about fuel mileage at the end of the race. 8. WallaceFan posted: 08.18.2008 - 1:16 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Great Race. Dave Blaney got airborne but didnt role over after contact from Ryan Newman on the back stretch. Bad debut for Brad Coleman who didnt make one real green flag pass .(except during pit stops) During the prerace show Jimmy Spencer basically tore HOF apart for putting Coleman in the car...and i agree, hes not ready at all for Cup. Anyways great runs for Carl, Kyle, DAVID RAGAN, Vickers, Sadler, and basically the whole Roush Team. 9. New88Fan posted: 08.18.2008 - 2:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great win for Carl Edwards.I believe he and maybe JJ could give Kyle Busch a run for his money once the Chase begins. Dave Blaney gets involved a wild wreck for the second race in a row.Ouch Denny Hamlin's comments were so uncalled for.It's ok to be upset over blowing an engine with five laps to go,but saying his team doesn't belong in the Chase.Talk about being a sore loser *facepalm*Maybe JGR should make him work in the engine shop,then he might understand all the work that goes into putting a good race motor togather and think twice before sticking a knife in his team's back. 10. Rusty posted: 08.19.2008 - 1:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Man, can Kurt Busch's season get any worse? He had a top 10 car for the entire first half of the race, then fell of badly and got hit by Tony Raines causing him to cut a tire and finish 36th....his third time in the last four races he had a finish outside the top 35. Also, Brad Coleman is making my thoughts from the Pocono comment section look true. The guy is no better than JJ Yeley, which is saying a lot. 11. #20 (soon to be #14) fan But #48 hater posted: 08.19.2008 - 3:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) absolutely freakin awesome to see ALL the hendrick cars suck in one race i NEVER get to see this from hendrick and it was thoroughly entertaining for me 24: Wreck from blown tire caused by jimmie johnson when the 24 48 41 and 20 went four wide. 48: pitted because of tire rub AND spun out on the last lap. 88: Hit The Wall Thus ending his chance to take the sweep 5: just being himself 12. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.19.2008 - 3:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Next year NASCAR will be going to Atlanta on Labor Day instead of California. Why didn't they give that date back to Darlington?? Didn't they learn anything? So it is too hot in California for Labor Day, is it? It is a good thing that it doesn't get hot in Georgia on Labor Day, right? And why are they giving California a different date to try to sell more tickets? Why wasn't Rockingham afforded the same opportunity? Do you have any idea how awful the weather usually is in that area in February and November? California doesn't deserve a second date. So it is too hot on Labor Day which keeps the fans away huh? Well then what is their excuse for the February race? Its attendance is even worse. The Dodgers season hasn't started yet, USC is finished til September, the Lakers are in "sleepwalk until the NBA playoffs begin" mode, and the LA Kings... who cares? I don't care about the media market there because their media doesn't care about us. Heck, the September race gets preempted for Dodgers games just in case they missed the other 161 games. Face it, LA doesn't care about NASCAR. They have some loyal fans out there, but not enough. They are right near LA which has millions upon millions people and only draw 40,000 people, while Martinsville, which isn't near anything, draws 70,000. Take it completely off the schedule. Don't reward them for dismal attendance and DREADFUL racing by giving them a Chase date, while you just kicked Rockingham off the schedule without blinking. Thank you NASCAR for slapping us in the face once again. And I hate to say I told ya so NASCAR, but..... actually I don't hate to say it at all. I TOLD YA SO!! Thank you for destroying the oldest and one of the greatest traditions, the Southern 500 on Labor Day, for 5 years of crap out west. Was it worth it? No, it wasn't. You dropped the ball big time, and you are once again failing to pay restitution for it. Give us the Southern 500 back!! I don't care if they call the Mother's Day race the "Southern 500", it ain't the Southern 500. It is history, it is tradition, it is what we do, and you ruined it. I hope you are happy. NASCAR just doesn't get it. 13. Anonymous posted: 08.19.2008 - 6:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Texaco / Havoline is leaving Nascar after this year. This is a major loss. They have been in Nascar since 1987 at least. Chip Ganassi is hurting for sponsors for next year. I think they might be down to one car by the end of next season if they are lucky. 14. Anonymous posted: 08.19.2008 - 7:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I have a difficult time to see California keeping their 2nd date after 2013. I see an increase of attendence in 2009, but it will decrease for the next 4 years. It is a lost cause winning the LA market. That race has no excuse. I am waiting for that track to ask for its first date to be moved too. That part of California bad history with Nascar in terms of selling tickets. What Nascar should've done is get a rid of one of California's two dates for 2009. They needed to add Iowa Speedway to the schedule. They may not have the most seats, but the cup series needed another short track date on their schedule. They needed another short track after North Wilkesboro Speedway lost their two race dates. Nascar doesn't have a clue right now. Fans are not attending races. Not all of it is caused by gas prices, despite what Nascar claims. 15. Anonymous posted: 08.19.2008 - 7:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Atlanta receiving the labor day race and going under the lights will not save the facility. Something has never really been right with the track even when it was the paperclip shaped Atlanta International Raceway. NASCAR should take away one of its races and give it to another facility. Attendance for the spring race is probably the worst all year (percentage wise). I would say it is possibly 60% capacity. The president of the track knows that and this is the first step towards the disappearance of one of its events. Las Vegas is the next facility to receive a second date. Look for the date to go to sin city. 16. Baker posted: 08.19.2008 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think Nascar should either A) Cut California and Pocono races down to 400 miles or B) just gut one race out of the schedule from each giving them one 500 mile'r. Las Vegas should get one of California or Pocono's dates and then either Kansas or like someone mentioned Iowa should get the other date bc Nascar is lacking in short tracks. About the race though: Man are Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards good. They are going to be thrilling to watch in the chase. I'm going to bank on Busch and Edwards each finishing in the Top 5 in 8 races or better during the chase. They're both getting hot right now and both are very good on 8 of those tracks. The only two tracks that could slow them down are Talledage and Martinsville because they're such wildcard tracks. 17. Matt G posted: 08.20.2008 - 2:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DaleSrFanForever nailed it. LA just doesn??t care enough about Nascar to have two races on the Cup schedule. (Actually they don??t deserve to have one) This date swap is just the latest in a long line of attempts by Brian France and company to fit a square peg in a round hole. So far these geniuses have given this garbage facility a second event, the Labor Day race, and now a slot in the Chase. Are you kidding me? Nascar salivates over the idea of being successful in LA so much that they reward incompetence. Any facility that had a weeper fiasco like the one last February deserves to be chastised; not awarded a Chase race. (What are they going to say when this move doesn??t work out? ??People didn??t want to buy tickets during wildfire season.?) Nascar??s laughable treatment of California is only topped by their complete disregard of Darlington. Don??t insult us by calling a Saturday night race before Mother??s Day the Southern 500 and expect us to believe it is the same thing when it isn??t. That??s almost as good as slapping a bowtie sticker on the front of a COT and calling it a Chevy. This is the problem; Nascar thinks the fans are stupid enough to believe anything they say. How many hits in the wallet are these bozos going to have to take before they get back to what got them here and stop trying to get people in big markets to jump on their BS wagon? 18. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.20.2008 - 3:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here is my take on how the schedule should be. The first race of the year should be at California Speedway. Just kidding. After the season opening Daytona 500, I would go to Phoenix for the second race of the year. That is a great track with great fans and the weather shouldn't be too bad. I would give Phoenix's current mid April date to Rockingham and see how that facility does at a decent date for once (attendance wise, you know the racing will be top notch). I would then switch the spring Atlanta and Bristol dates. Let's face it, fans will show up to Bristol no matter what, so maybe Atlanta has a chance for better weather being two week later (with the off week). I would do the fall switch of Talladega and Atlanta. Again, they will show up Talladega no matter what. Oh and one other thing: I WOULD RUN AT DARLINGTON ON LABOR DAY!!! That's right, two dates for the Lady. With all the incredible tradition that track has, it deserves two. California is GONE!! And a little word of warning for those who think Las Vegas should have two dates. Yeah, they are selling out now, but so did California and Texas before they got two dates. It doesn't automatically mean both events will be as successful as the one. NASCAR's track record with two dates in big markets is not good (Los Angeles, Atlanta, Fort Worth/Dallas). 19. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.20.2008 - 3:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 5: just being himself #20 (soon to be #14) fan But #48 hater | 08.19.08 - 3:47 pm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- That is hilarious and true. I cannot believe he is probably going to get the new RCR ride. What is my hometown hero thinking? If Casey can't get it done at Hendrick, what will happen when he steps into lesser equipment? Richard, say it ain't so!! 20. Anonymous posted: 08.20.2008 - 11:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Two dates at Darlington would be a breath of fresh air for a while but the fulfillment of the fantasy would die down in 2-3 years of having two events. The spring race would go back to only 50,000 fans while the Southern 500 was near capacity. NASCAR knows that and wouldn't go for it. Vegas could sell 85-90% of their tickets for both events. I am not a big fan of the track but it is where the fans are coming. Also, Pocono deserves just one 400 mile event sometime in the summer. The track has fairly good attendance but is lacking in so many other categories. 21. #20 (soon to be #14) fan But #48 hater posted: 08.20.2008 - 11:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) got this off of jayski just like last week it is funny. enjoy FRONTSTRETCH TOP 15 POWER RANKINGS: AUGUST 20TH, 2008 1 Kyle Busch Both Michael Phelps and Kyle Busch are 23 years old, and both have eight victories this season. What??s the difference between them, you ask? Simple: America loves Phelps. 2 Carl Edwards His backflip landings this weekend were about as controlled as the one Chinese gymnast who face planted on the vault, but still finished in the medals. Could be a forebearer of things to come. 3 Jimmie Johnson Probably didn??t get the nicest phone call from Jeff Gordon on Monday. 4 Tony Stewart Everyone??s so focused on Stewart??s new team, no one realizes he??s positioning himself to try and waltz out of Gibbs with a third title. 5 Kevin Harvick Trying to look like he??ll contend for the title, but RCR??s poor performance on intermediates should quickly put the kibosh on that. 6 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Tony Eury, Jr. is looking to sabotage a very strong season on a weekly basis. 7 Greg Biffle To a point now where weekends with no bad luck just mean the Biff finishes behind Busch and Edwards. 8 Matt Kenseth When Top 5 finishes put you on suicide watch, you know you??re not happy being Roush??s number two. 9 David Ragan Sure, he runs well on an intermediate track ?? but let??s see him finish better than his 29th place career average at Bristol. 10 Jeff Gordon Gordon said he??s kind of glad that they??re in the position that they??re in for the Chase, because now they can just go flat out and race for it. We guess that means he??ll drive right into the side of Junior this weekend. 11 Jeff Burton If it wasn??t for his early cushion, Burton would be racing himself right out of the Chase. T - 12 Kasey Kahne Quote from the engine in Kahne??s No. 9 Dodge this past weekend at Michigan: ??For all you do, this dud??s for you.? T ?? 12 Denny Hamlin Hey Denny, would you like some cheese with that whine? 14 Martin Truex, Jr. Not moving up fast enough to make the Chase, but still looking like a good candidate for the 13th spot. 15 Brian Vickers Still has an outside shot at making the Chase; and for some odd reason, we have a feeling he??s going to make it. Maybe that??s all related to Denny Hamlin??s bad luck. 22. Baker posted: 08.21.2008 - 1:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) That is hilarious and true. I cannot believe he is probably going to get the new RCR ride. What is my hometown hero thinking? If Casey can't get it done at Hendrick, what will happen when he steps into lesser equipment? Richard, say it ain't so!! DaleSrFanForever -------------------------------- I don't think it is the equipment at all. I think it is the people around Casey because he performed better at Ganasi. I sure hope they figure something out because Mark Martin running bad will be a sad day....aka fire that piece of garbage crew cheif Alan Gufacantmaketherightadjustments 23. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.21.2008 - 12:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thank you Matt G. I agree with all of your points, NASCAR is insulting us on a regular basis. There is a phrase that is very fitting for NASCAR currently: "The natives are restless". That is exactly what is going on with the car and the racing. If we get any more restless, it won't be good. You can only be frustrated and kicked around for so long before you just quit. And if they give Kansas a second date just because they build a casino and kick off a great track like Martinsville or Dover, that might be the end. 6 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Tony Eury, Jr. is looking to sabotage a very strong season on a weekly basis. I am not kidding anymore. He cannot honestly be that inept. EVERY SINGLE WEEK he is making horrible calls. And the first Michigan call would have blown up in their face had that last caution not come out. Baker, I agree that Casey hasn't had great chemistry at HMS, and I've expressed my doubts about Alan before. You make good points, but still!! He isn't even close. Kyle Busch ran up front with those same people. Granted he is a once in a generation talent, Casey shouldn't be that far off, in my opinion. To me, he is the California Speedway of drivers, constantly given chance after chance while other, more deserving drivers are disregarded like sacks of garbage. How many times can you be recycled before people just give up on you? 24. Matt G posted: 08.21.2008 - 4:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I see the Casey Mears situation as a very difficult one to read. If he does land at RCR next season it will be the fifth different team he has been with in five years. (I??m counting the #41 and #42 at Ganassi and the #25 and #5 at Hendrick as four teams) That means he has to work with a combination of new cars, setups, sponsors, crew members, and crew chiefs each year. Unless you??re a star, which Casey clearly is not, that??s a lot to ask. If he ever finds a team with good chemistry and is not the forgotten driver, it wouldn??t be unreasonable to consider him a borderline Chase contender. At the same time the statistics are ugly. In Cup he has one win in 203 starts while in Nationwide he has one win in 91 starts. (Both wins came on fuel mileage) You would think if he had the potential of finishing in the top five in points one year he would have won at least one race by driving to the front. I don??t think he is the right man for RCR??s forth car but what else is Richard going to do? Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Bobby Labonte, and Martin Truex are all no longer options. My gut tells me this is why naming a driver for this car is taking so long. (They had a car and sponsor set weeks ago.) Childress, a smart owner, may be waiting to see if another last minute option opens up. Unfortunately, I think Mears may be the best driver left available. I agree with the comments that have been made on Eury Jr. (If I were a Jr. fan I would be pulling my hair out.) Aside from the abysmal race strategy Eury Jr. has displayed this year, the #88 team??s incredible ability to make a car worse as the race goes on is unbelievable. If their car is bad at the start, you know it isn??t getting any better; and if they??re dominant early, you think they might have a top five car by the end of the day. Teams that win championships survive bad days and capitalize on good ones. The #88 has failed to do either consistently. This could be the best race to the Chase battle since 2004. Seven drivers within 103 points of each other with three races left going for five spots. I CAN??T WAIT FOR SATURDAY NIGHT! (If David Ragan can get through Bristol, which has been a house of horrors for him, he has an excellent chance of making it.) 25. Baker posted: 08.21.2008 - 5:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DaleSrFanForever, It isn't always about the talent of the overall team. Like you mentioned...he hasn't had great chemistry. Most of the time it is about how well you work with certain people. Still I don't think Mears is a chase level talent, but none the less he is better than he is performing this year. 26. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.21.2008 - 10:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Matt G and Baker, you both make good points. I can't really argue with that. It's hard to explain my stance on this. I just haven't seen "it" from him so far in 6 seasons. You are right about him not having a chance to mesh with a team and gain a comfort level. We really don't know what he could do in that situation. I just haven't seen that spark or that flash that makes me say "this guy could be good." Of course I thought David Ragan was a big time bust. Matt G, you talked about Bristol for him, last year's night race was one of many times I said he would never make it. I am eating crow now. I agree, I am looking to see what David can do in these next three races. I agree that Richard's choices are very limited at this point. I just think that giving an unknown a chance would be better at this point. Pair him up with a veteran crew chief and see what he can do. It just seems drivers are getting recycled a lot lately, and not many new, capable guys are breaking through. I think this car would be a good opportunity for that. Like when Roush took a chance on Carl Edwards or Gibbs with Denny Hamlin. I just don't see Casey being higher than a 13th place driver. He has a clear ceiling to me. Heck, give Steven Leicht (sp?) a chance. I know he is VERY inexperienced, but so was Ragan and Edwards. Let him run all the companion Nationwide events to get seat time and be patient initially. But you guys make a great case too, maybe he is the best option. Oh well, maybe he'll surprise us. 27. dUDE gUY posted: 08.21.2008 - 11:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think Wimmer could do a good job in the #33 next year. At this point I think he'd do a better job than Mears. 28. Dodge posted: 08.22.2008 - 8:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Two things about Wimmer though. 1 The sponsor supposedly said no for him to drive the Cheerios car. And 2, RCR told him that he is not a part of their Nationwide plans. If I were a betting man, I'd say Childress's grandson, Austin Dillon will probably replace him as a Nationwide only driver at RCR. 29. Roadkill posted: 08.22.2008 - 11:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) As far as I'm concerned, Casey Mears has absolutely proven he's not an elite or even Cup level talent. Other than Homestead `05, Mears has never been a legitimate contender for a win, in over 200 starts. And no, winning on fuel mileage with a 12th place car doesn't count. Remember, being sponsor friendly is more important than driving skill in today's NASCAR. Just ask NAPA. It's a damn shame Mears has a good ride while a guy like Johnny Benson doesn't even receive any offers. 30. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.23.2008 - 11:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Amen Roadkill. I agree with everything you said. 31. Baker posted: 08.23.2008 - 12:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No, you guys are both wrong. Casey Mears is easily a Cup Level talent. There are several drivers in cup who are not cup level talent which does not include Mears. There are also less cup level drivers in other series right now. He is by no means a Chase talent driver, but he is still one of the top 43 drivers in stock car racing. Michael Waltrip Patrick Carpentier Regan Smith Reed Sorenson J.J. Yeley Michael McDowell just to name a few drivers who are actually not cup level talent. 32. Kit posted: 08.23.2008 - 1:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No kidding, Roadkill. I like Casey Mears as a person but why do good drivers who can actually win get shafted? Look at Sterling Marlin. He was a serious championship CONTENDER in '02. He should have been able to retire in a GOOD ride. Ward Burton is also a proven winner and yet can no longer get a ride at all. Benson as well along with many others. The #5 might not be the best Hendricks car but it has to be a lot better than many of the cars in the field. I guess good drivers get shafted just so sponsors can have a spokesperson who can also pretend to be a driver. 33. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.23.2008 - 2:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Baker, those guys don't belong in Cup either. I'm not saying that Casey is the worst or even close to it. I think he could be a Top 15 driver, which is way more than I would say about those other scrubs you listed. I agree with you in that area. I just don't think he deserves good ride after good ride (the 4th Hendrick car is still better than 90% of the rides out there). Recycled drivers just don't have good track records for the most part. How many times is somebody let go by one organization and able to find success in another? (Kyle Busch doesn't count, he wasn't let go for "performance issues"). I just think he is limited, that 15th place overall is his ceiling. Why not take a chance somebody who might be a bust, but might become elite like Carl Edwards or Denny Hamlin (attitudue issues aside). I think others should be ahead of him. Kit brought up a number of them. Sterling, Johnny B, and Ward have actually driven to the front to win races before, Casey hasn't. I know those aren't "up and comers", but they should be ahead also. 34. dUDE gUY posted: 09.01.2008 - 11:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow. Over the last twelve races at Michigan, Jeff Burton hasn't finished in the top ten once, though he has five 11th place finishes and nine top 15s over that span. 35. CBASS posted: 01.27.2013 - 7:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates #01 Dale Earnhardt Inc./ Principal #08 FUBAR #41 Target/ Polaroid #31 AT&T #96 DLP HDTV/ ABC Warehouse http://www.frontstretchphotos.com/p1052555341 36. Big Mac Fan posted: 10.11.2015 - 12:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the last time Roush had all 5 cars finish in the top 10. 37. RaceFanX posted: 02.24.2018 - 5:06 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) This ended up being Brad Coleman's only Cup series start. Coleman was a rising star in the Nationwide series at the time in the Gibbs driver development program but left NASCAR after 2010 when sponsorship woes and second thoughts about a career in motorsports led to him moving back to Texas in 2012 and becoming a driving instructor. 38. Rich posted: 12.20.2020 - 5:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett were the commentators. Mike Massaro, Dave Burns, Shannon Spake and Jamie Little were the pit road reporters. Tim Brewer was at the Chevy cut-away car. Allen Bestwick, Brad Daugherty and Rusty Wallace were at the ESPN pit studio. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: