|| *Comments on the 2012 Pure Michigan 400:* View the most recent comment <#375> | Post a comment <#post> 1. cjs3872 posted: 08.17.2012 - 6:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, Mark Martin tied Bill Eliott for seventh place on the all-time pole position list with his 55th, ironically matching the number on his car, and it was important for guys like Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, and Kasey Kahne to qualify up front, because with Trevor Bayne qualifying sixth and Landon Cassill ninth, that figures to hold up those starting behind them, and allow the top five qualifiers, along with Mrtin Truex, Jr., who qualified seventh, to move away quickly from the rest of the field, who will have to deal with the somewhat slower cars of Bayne and Cassill, who don't figure to stay up there anyway, particularly Cassill. If Bayne can stay up there, he'll be undone by his pit crew, who are just not as fast as the full-time teams. The top five qualifiers have a chance to make a real early break from the rest of the field at the start of the race Sunday, while those behind them will have to deal with the likes of Bayne and Cassill. 2. Daniel posted: 08.17.2012 - 6:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #33 Stephen Leicht & #37 J.J. Yeley Out using fastest 43: #36 Dave Blaney & #43 Aric Almirola 3. Jim posted: 08.17.2012 - 6:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nice job by Kligermann in the 22 for Hornish 4. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.17.2012 - 7:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That folks is what you call an ass beating. Mark won the pole by nearly a quarter of a second. That dude is a freak of nature. 5. Sean posted: 08.17.2012 - 7:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The top five qualifiers have a chance to make a real early break from the rest of the field at the start of the race Sunday, while those behind them will have to deal with the likes of Bayne and Cassill." If this was Bristol or something that might be a concern, but Michigan is one of the easiest tracks to pass on when you have a faster car... If Bayne and Cassill are slow (and I don't think Bayne will be particularly slow) they'll drop back quite quickly, unless the likely aero push is THAT horrible... I think the reason so many Michigan and Fontana races have been relatively dull is contrary to what everyone says about aero push, it is TOO easy to pass at those tracks and hence once the faster cars have gotten to the front literally nothing else happens. 6. Sean posted: 08.17.2012 - 7:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "That folks is what you call an ass beating. Mark won the pole by nearly a quarter of a second. That dude is a freak of nature." I still think Martin's largely washed up (although Pocono was far better than I remotely expected from him this year) and what we're seeing this year is an MWR ensemble with far better cars than drivers (definitely the opposite of MWR four years ago...) Their Sears Point performance was still inexplicable to me, although MAYBE they still had some setup info from when Ambrose drove for their JTG satellite, and Brian Pattie certainly understood road course setups from his stint with JPM... 7. David posted: 08.17.2012 - 7:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^You want to check the roster for MWR from 2008 again? 8. 10andJoe posted: 08.17.2012 - 7:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cassill has proven quick at Michigan and Pocono - I wouldn't write him off so (*ahem*) quickly. That said, I've heard rumblings that all is not well on the sponsorship front for BK Racing. Hmmmm... Parker Kligerman qualifies for the first time for a Sprint Cup race, however he won't actually start, barring unforseen circumstances. Stephen Leicht gets bumped by T.J. "14mph slower" Bell. This is another reason to ditch the top 35 rule - teams put their qualifying in the tank when they're locked in (FAS Lane being Exhibit A, and TBR last year Exhibit B). 9. cjs3872 posted: 08.17.2012 - 7:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sean, Bayne might be good in the race, though I doubt he'll stay in the top ten. He'll drop back some, due mostly due to nature of racing, but his pit crew is likely to kill him, because they're about 3 seconds slower on their pit stops, so his best hope to stay near the top ten is for the caution flag to come out about every 35 laps, so he won't have to make a green flag pit stop, because if he does, he could get lapped if he falls to far behind prior to the pitting. And also, Bayne is going to present a problem at the start for those directly behing him, which is why I said they might drop back immediately. If he started fifth or sevent, it wouldn't be much of a problem. Now Cassill may present more of a problem, in terms of speed, though having Jeff Gordon, starting 11th in a car that doesn't have speed, but rather consistency, may ease things. Also being on the inside on the start will help those trying to get around the usually conservative Cassill. Bayne will start on the outside, which will provide a temporary road block for Marcos Ambrose, who starts right behind him. Also, having other conservative drivers such as Paul Menard (starting right behind Ambrose in 10th) and Gordon, who's known for being conservative on the start, is another reason I think the top five or six may get an early breakaway. 10. NicoRosbergFan posted: 08.17.2012 - 8:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs, I wish you'd quit disseminating these lies about Trevor Bayne's pitcrew. THEY AREN'T THAT BAD!!! Yeah, they aren't Hendrick level, but they are about 15th-20th best each time they show up. 11. cjs3872 posted: 08.17.2012 - 8:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NicoRosbergFan, Eddie Wood admitted last year after their Daytona 500 win that his team could not afford to have a specialized pit crew, and that their pit stops are done by mechanics. That in itself would put them behind by about 2-3 seconds on their pit stops. The same thing is true about the Phoenix Racing team. Their cars last year were capable of running up front, but their pit crew undid those efforts. I remember that in last year's Firecracker 400, Landon Cassil, who was driving the #51 car then, was running with the leaders and made a green flag pit stop, and as a result of that, he fell 20 seconds behind. The Wood Brothers pit crew is a very capable pit crew, but it's just not up to the standard of the teams that run full-time. And not making pit stops every week (and there have been two races his year where they were knocked out inside the first 10 laps) is also hurting that team. A part-time team has very little chance to compete against the top-echelon teams that run the full circuit, and it's mostly because the pit crew gets out of practice. 12. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 08.17.2012 - 9:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I think the reason so many Michigan and Fontana races have been relatively dull is contrary to what everyone says about aero push, it is TOO easy to pass at those tracks and hence once the faster cars have gotten to the front literally nothing else happens." There is always something happening at a racetrack. Don't let the toolboxes in the media fool you. FOX/TNT/ESPN all have one thing in common: always showing up front, never caring about what else is happening (unless its a media darling like Danica, Junior or insert driver name here). At anytime during a race, THERE IS SOMETHING ALWAYS HAPPENING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The toolboxes on TV never show it. For some reason, TV people don't know how to cover a race anymore. Which is way most races are labeled as "boring." But what do i know. 13. Sean posted: 08.17.2012 - 9:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "^You want to check the roster for MWR from 2008 again?" Ha. Of course you're right. I was thinking solely of David Reutimann when I said that... I wish we'd been able to see what Reutimann could have done in one of THIS YEAR's MWR cars if even Truex is going to make the chase in one and Truex got his butt kicked by now-also-ran JPM in 2009 (although EGR's cars are horrible)... "There is always something happening at a racetrack. Don't let the toolboxes in the media fool you." Oh, for sure. Racing TV coverage has always been pretty bad with regard to showing where the real action is, and I do think Michigan and Fontana get something of a bum rap, but they're still not close to my favorites... 14. 18fan posted: 08.17.2012 - 10:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Despite being a 5-time winner at Michigan, this is Mark Martin's first pole at Michigan. 15. JG24FanForever posted: 08.17.2012 - 10:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "There is always something happening at a racetrack. Don't let the toolboxes in the media fool you." No shit. The only problem is that the only people that can see this is race goers. When I went to the 2008 Coke 600, there were over 3000 total passes. 16. cjs3872 posted: 08.17.2012 - 11:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 18fan, the fact that this is Mark Martin's first pole at Michigan may be the most shocking statistical fact of the year. Especially when you consider that Mark Martin has been running Cup races at Michigan since 1982, with this being his 54th Cup start at Michigan, the fact that his five Michigan wins lead all drivers participating in Sunday's race, and the fact that this is his 55th pole position, which as I mentioned in post #1, ties him for seventh on the all-time list (and third in the modern era) with Bill Elliott, and only three behind Bobby Allison and behind Darrell Waltrip, all make this the most shocking statistical fact of the year. In fact, how long has Martin been running at Michigan? Long enough that Ron Bouchard won the pole for Mark's very first race there in 1982 and that his first race at Michigan saw only five cars finish on the lead lap. (Cale Yarborough won that race for car owner M.C. Anderson, by the way.) Bouchard's car was sponsored by Jim Stacy, who also sponsored Harry Ranier's car with Buddy Baker, and owned two other cars, which were driven by Tim Richmond and Robin McCall. Of course, a year later, Mark himself drove for Stacy at the start of the 1983 season, but was released because Stacy didn't think that Mark could handle the rigors of NASCAR, because of his diminutive size (despite finishing third in the spring race at Darlington that year). Of course, you could start a Hall of Fame just with the drivers who drove for Stacy, most of which, he let go. 17. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 08.17.2012 - 11:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Decent effort for Kligerman. 18. 10andJoe posted: 08.18.2012 - 12:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Meanwhile over in Nationwide, Jacques Villeneuve has decided to point out the elephant in the room. 'Asked if there's an unwritten rule that drivers shouldn't touch Patrick, Villeneuve didn't mince words. "If it hadn't been Danica, no one would have said anything," the Penske Racing pilot told QMI Agency on the eve of practice at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. "It's never her fault. When Danica knocks out another driver, it's the fault of the driver who was knocked out, and when a driver knocks out Danica, it's the other guy's fault. That's part of the game, I guess." ' 19. Paul posted: 08.18.2012 - 12:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think that's pretty ballsy for Jacques to say that considering he'll be starting next to Danica in row 2 tomorrow. Still, I'm glad to hear someone finally say what a lot of us have been thinking since she came to NASCAR. 20. Anonymous posted: 08.18.2012 - 4:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Their Sears Point performance was still inexplicable to me, although MAYBE they still had some setup info from when Ambrose drove for their JTG satellite" The car that Bowyer drove to victory lane at Sonoma was the very road course car that Marcos Ambrose drove during his tenure at JTG. I'd say Marcos' setup info from back then had a LOT to do with the MWR performance this year. 21. cjs3872 posted: 08.18.2012 - 9:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anonymous (#20), that's something I've suspected since Sonoma. Although both Bowyer and Truex are underrated on road courses, neither had ever been dominant factors in those races, but they both were at Sonoma. And when Marcos Ambrose drove for JTG-Daugherty, that team got assistance from MWR, so it's only natural that Ambrose would share his set-up with the MWR guys, since they were unofficial teammates at that time. In a way, that kind of reminds me of an old story from 1971. At Indy that year, both Mark Donohue and Peter Revson were driving McLarens, Donohue for Roger Penske and Revson for the McLaren team. Donohue had shattered the record book all month long, but was much slower than expected in his qualifying run. Donohue had requested a setup that his team refused to put on his car. After his qualifying run, Donohue walked by Revson and told him this and even told him what his preferred setup was. Revson told his team, and they gave Revson the setup Donohue wanted on his car, and Revson knocked Donohue off the pole by a considerable margin. And this from a guy who wasn't known for sharing information with teammates and even coined the phrase "the unfair advantage" when it came to racing. However, it's odd that a couple of years ago, Richard Petty Motorsports helped Roush in much the same way, yet have never gotten anything back for that. If Petty stays with Ford, I look for him to team up more with Penske, and maybe bring his old friends, the Wood Brothers, with him, though they've got a better relationship with Roush than does Petty's team. 22. cjs3872 posted: 08.18.2012 - 12:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Things are going to get interesting with Jimmie Johnson (engine change) and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (back-up car) going to the back at the start of the race. Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, and Martin Truex, Jr. must really be licking their chops now, because this will be a perfect opportunity for those five to get an early break from the field. And I wonder how long it will take for Johnson to get up with the front runners. I predict he will be ahead of Jeff Gordon by the 50th lap, because Gordon's car is slow on the high-speed track, as usual. Of course, going to the back these days is like going back to 33rd before the start, instead of 43rd, because of all the S&P's. 23. Bronco posted: 08.18.2012 - 1:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I guess my pick for Dale Jr sweeping both Michigan races in 2012 goes out the window with him going to a back up car. He'll probably get a top 10 finish anyway and possibly clinch a spot in the Chase, but him winning in a backup car is doubtful. In the June race both the 48 and 88 cars fell to the very back after the first round of pit stops and ended with a win and another top 5 finish. 24. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2012 - 2:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is Parker Kligerman just a really good driver and just this weekend has got the chance to show his stuff? His runs in the NWide #22 were off Brad's pace, but that is normal with Cup guys running "limited schedules" for their replacement in the 3 or 4 races they don't run not to do as well since the team was built around the Cup guy and the lack of familiarity. He has had good qualifying practice runs in the Cup #22 and just looked great in the Truck #7 finishing way ahead of his old ride, the small time BKR. And congrats to Nelson Piquet Jr. Hope he gets a Cup shot eventually. Good to see a Brazilian doing good in NASCAR. Brazil rules. 25. Alex posted: 08.18.2012 - 2:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Mosport) will be getting a Nationwide or Truck race in 2013. I live just down the street from the track, and an employee from the track was talking to someone in my family this week and confirmed a NCWTS or NNS race for 2013. The track employee said the track is wanting to figure out how to put on a good lower-series race before putting on a good Cup race. 26. Spen posted: 08.18.2012 - 2:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think getting fired caused PK to step it up a notch for this weekend. This was pretty much the absolute best he's capable of, which is fairly good, but not race-winner good. He'll be back to his normal routine of running tenth in an effectively 15 truck field for the rest of the season. Though I do think RHR is an improvement over BKR right now. 27. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2012 - 3:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Canada deserves another date. They support NASCAR like crazy at Montreal and were it not for Canadians, the Michigan races would have about 25 total fans in the crowd. 28. Paul posted: 08.18.2012 - 3:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Had fuel mileage not been a factor, Kligerman would have won the Truck race. He finished 4th, but was the highest finishing driver who pitted on that last green flag run as Piquet, White, and Armstrong all pitted on that last caution. 29. Dave#38Fan posted: 08.18.2012 - 3:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) clearly, keselowski's trucks are not up to snuff with the rest of the competition. we've seen kyle and kevin tear up the competition whenever they run trucks, and keselowski is a better driver than either of them and is lucky to run top 5 in the truck races he runs. so i think kligerman is a lot better than most people give him credit for. remember he did sit on the pole in his first ever nationwide start back in 2009. 30. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 08.18.2012 - 3:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Mosport) will be getting a Nationwide or Truck race in 2013. I live just down the street from the track, and an employee from the track was talking to someone in my family this week and confirmed a NCWTS or NNS race for 2013. The track employee said the track is wanting to figure out how to put on a good lower-series race before putting on a good Cup race." It is a short track, so i fully endorse this idea of giving it a lower series date first. *currently looking at the track page as we speak* Only had double digit caution count twice, however it doesn't have very many lead changes. I also wounder how the track will handle having more then 20 cars on track at the same time. I'm sure Ron Fellows (who owns the track or is part of a group that does) will do his homework on getting the track ready for a lower series. But i fully endorse giving Canada more races. 31. 18fan posted: 08.18.2012 - 3:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mosport actually has both a short track and a road course, but I don't know which one they would use. 32. Alex posted: 08.18.2012 - 3:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I believe they want to use the road course. I'm not sure if the short track could handle a top 3 series race. 33. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2012 - 3:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Uh-oh, JV will now be back in the pack. China shop, meet bull. 34. Baker posted: 08.18.2012 - 3:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, I know of at least 25 people from my small town in Ohio alone that go to both Michigan races. I'd venture to say thousands oh Ohioians make the trip to see NASCAR in Michigan. Most would choose Lernerville, Attica, Eldora, Williamsburg and all the various dirt tracks around PA OH and IN, but we do a good job supporting NASCAR here in Ohio, at least my little neighborhood. 35. cjs3872 posted: 08.18.2012 - 3:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A big reason that guys like Kligerman, Joey Coutler, and Ty Dillon finished ahead of Kurt Busch and Johnny Sauter was because they stopped later, and as a result, did not have to take on as much fuel, thus making their pit stops about 5-7 seconds shorter than that of Busch and Sauter, which was about how much they beat Busch and Sauter by. And I posted either last week or the wek before about Sam Hornish, Jr. possibly winning the Nationwide championship without winning a race this year, as he's closing in on the point leaders, having moved up to third, and he stands a real chance of moving up even more today. Well, guess what. Ty Dillon moved into a tie for the lead in points with Timothy Peters, and he hasn't won either. Could this be the year a major NASCAR series crowns a winless champion? And there may have been another reason for Kligerman's success this weekend that nobody else seems to be mentioning, and that's the increased track time he had this weekend. Remember that he's done all the practice and qualifying in the #22 car, so he had as much track time this weekend as anyone, and it payed off with what was quite possibly his best performance in the Truck series yet. The confidence that Kligerman got by virtue of having Penske having him set up the #22 car for Hornish didn't hurt either. 36. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2012 - 4:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was just joking about the Michigan crack. But they do have a ton of Canadian fans there. And I must say, Danica has these low speed technical road courses figured out well. 37. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2012 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What's wrong Tony, starting to realize this monster you have signed up to tag along with is just that, a publicity monster? My heart just aches for you. Or maybe that is just gas. Yep, that is definitely gas. 38. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2012 - 4:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes, Ricky Craven bringing up how Dick Trickle used to smoke under cautions in the past. God bless the gool 'ol days. 39. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2012 - 4:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Alright, you guys have to admit it, if a female driver has her race ruined cause she ran over over a shoe, that would be hilarious irony. #stereotypescanbefunny 40. Spen posted: 08.18.2012 - 4:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm not usually one for conspiracy theories, but I honestly think Danica's playing up this supposed 'steering problem' for the camera. An attempt to get good publicity for being able to hold on to a car that isn't handling good. And of course, she gets a handy-dandy debris caution right now. 41. DanicaPatrick'sFlatChest posted: 08.18.2012 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, running over a shoe is a bad (and somewhat amusing) way to have your race ruined, but it does not seem like that's the only cause to her problems. Shame her equipment can't hold together when she has a great run like this 42. Mr X posted: 08.18.2012 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, it must have been a stiletto shoe. 43. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2012 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) She is doing a good job hanging in there with a badly vibrating steering wheel. I am impressed. She just has to figure out how to translate just a smidgen of this to ovals. And yeah, it appears the shoe isn't to blame. And if it was, then she picked a bad time to go shoe shopping #youjusthadtogothereDSFF 44. Jordan posted: 08.18.2012 - 4:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm not what you would call a Danica fan, but the scumbag who threw that shoe deserves to be banned from all NASCAR events in the future, that idiot probably just cost her a chance at her first win. 45. Schroeder51 posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Must I share Bob Jenkins' quote from the 1994 Winston 500? "A person who throws something on to the track is not a race fan. He's a race idiot." I could hardly be called a Danica fan at all (if she'd have won this race we'd have NEVER heard the end of it), but I think that quote is applicable. That "fan" is a moron. Why would you throw your SHOE on the track? I mean...just how dumb can you get? 46. Baker posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Someone threw a shoe at Danica's car or just threw a shoe on the track? I agree they should be banned for life. No place in throwing anything on the track at any type of race. 47. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Where did the shoe come from? Maybe it is just the camera angle, but there don't appear to be any grandstands there, just a row of trees. Was somebody on the other side of the trees and just up and decided to throw a damn shoe on the track? Was he hiking, getting a blister, got pissed off, and just chucked it, and it happened to land there? And really, a shoe? What happened to the days when fans only threw beer cans on the track? Luckily it sounds like an issue that team has been fighting since qualifying. Saves us from years of "ShoeGate" controversies. 48. Spen posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Obviously, I was wrong. Sorry, Danica. 49. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It had been there for a while, but she was leading and was the first to hit it. Just really random. And again, I have no idea where it came from. Unfortunately people throwing stuff on the racetrack (usually beer cans) has been an issue for a long time. Dale Earnhardt lost 2 laps at the 1986 Fall Charlotte race cause he twice cut tires running over beer cans (he made them up and won the race). And after his brutal defeat in the 1990 Daytona 500, he initially thought he ran over a chicken bone thrown on the track cause his tire cut right in front of the old backstretch grandstands right before Turn 3 before realizing it was a piece of bell housing. That is how much of an epidemic it is. 50. Jordan posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The shoe was thrown on the track while she was leading, directly in the driving line. I believe the grandstand is within one or two turns of that area but I'm not 100% sure on that. Whether they had intent to ruin her race or not doesn't really matter, that's still a jerk a move to do at a racetrack, or any sporting or entertainment event for that matter. Maybe the shoe wasn't the cause of Danica's problem, but I'm sure it didn't help. There does seem to be a relationship though as her car began having problems after she ran over the shoe. 51. cjs3872 posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, let's be fair to Danica here. she's done a great job today so far. She was leading the race when some idiot threw a shoe onto the track, which she hit because she never saw. Running over that shoe may have caused whatever just came out from under her car to come loose. This is two years in a row that there's been a major problem at this race. Remember last year in the Nationwide race at Montreal, Trevor Bayne almost ran into a stopped car because he was not given proper warning by the course workers. And now Danica's going to be taken right out of a chance to win because some idiot threw something onto the track. I'm certainly no fan of Danica's, but there's no excuse for someone being taken ou of a chance to win because of some idiots throwing stuff onto the track. 52. cjs3872 posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well remember Schroeder51, that incident at Talladega in 1994 occurred the very same day as Ayrton Senna's fatal crash at San Marino. In fact, that's how I learned about that incident. 53. Jordan posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Villeneuve would be the perfect villain if he was full time in Sprint Cup, you know... 54. New14 & 88Fan posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Villeneuve certainly showed his ass there, I really would of liked to see Tagliani get another win for Turner Motorsports. 55. DanicaPatrick'sFlatChest posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah it's bad enough when someone lets their trash get on the track (seriously, who are all these people who can't hold on to their hotdog wrappers? I've never lost trash at any race I've been to) but someone had to make a conscious effort to throw that shoe on the track. What a moron. 56. Baker posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What happened to Hornish? I saw him in 2nd now 15 laps later I see 23rd and off the pace. 57. Spen posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Captain Jesus rammed into him. 58. Jordan posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hornish got dumped by McDowell initially, then got caught in an incident with Danica after someone dumped her, think it was Mike Wallace but I'm not sure of that. 59. Baker posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Darn I was hoping he'd gain more points today 60. Jordan posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A couple of years ago I thought Stenhouse was just another Roush reject but he's really become a very talented driver all-around and I have gained a lot of respect for him sticking to it and becoming one of the bright young stars in the sport. He might have a chance to win with this caution, as Jacques and Billy Johnson have to be very light on fuel at this point. 61. DanicaPatrick'sFlatChest posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hornish got screwed. Hard. There goes his shot at the championship. And damn, late race restarts are embarrassing at this track. Those first two corners are not made for these cars, with these drivers, with double file restarts. 62. Spen posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica was dumped by Kyle Kelley. Mike just got swept up in it. 63. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DAMN!!!! I was pulling so hard for Ricky to spin out Jacques and he ended up wrecking himself. 64. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a joke. 65. Jordan posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thought Stenhouse was going to pull it off, but it backfired on him. It's refreshing to see a driver in contention for a championship choose a chance at victory over the points, but he could have timed it a little better. 66. Schroeder51 posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race is turning out to be just as comical as the Road America race last year. 67. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) McDowell (very underrated in how dangerous of a driver he is) was looking good to be the #1 villain of the race, but JV pulled a come from behind win. Shades of Rudd at Charlotte in '94 he just hooked and held him. No excuse for that shit. 68. DanicaPatrick'sFlatChest posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Somehow I forget every year, this is the most annoying race on the circuit. This track is way too tough for these drivers, the race is too long, it just turns into an amateur hour suck fest at the end, the last 5 laps drag on forever, and race and championship contenders just get taken out in the dumbest of incidents. It is interesting, I'll give you that, but it is also very frustrating to watch. 69. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2012 - 5:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If I were running the tower: "Okay, we are running under caution until JV runs out of gas" 70. JRacingFast posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) JV out of gas! 71. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) YES! I did NOT want to see Jacques win after what he did. 72. New14 & 88Fan posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Alright Justin Alligaier!! In your face JV 73. Jordan posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) After all Hornish went through, for him to finish 2nd is absolutely amazing. 74. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hell of a job Justin! Beat JV then did a burn out right in his grill! Ha! 75. Bronco posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Canadian fans are booing the hell out of Allgaier. 76. DanicaPatrick'sFlatChest posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Glad Sadler didn't shuffle out into the win. Hornish didn't lose points like I thought he would, but he didn't gain nearly as much as he needed. He'll have to come on strong in the coming weeks and get a win or two if he wants that championship. 77. cjs3872 posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #61, I don't know about that, since Hornish came back to finish second. In fact, Stenhouse after his spin came back to finish 12th, so he limited his damage as well. But if Elliott Sadler wins the title, he may look back on this day with his third place finish, and the same is true for Hornish with his second place finish. 78. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR fans have a history of throwing stuff on track and people wounder why NASCAR is continued to be sterotyped by the general masses. Yeah, i'll let you people figure it out. I'm glad JV didn't win the race, deserved to be runned into. 79. Spen posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sadler finished 4th. 80. LordLowe posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You Know I hate to admit this but I agree with you on Most of the NASCAR fans 1995 subaru 81. Dave #38 Fan posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) anyone else notice that the makeshift victory lane was set up literally 2 feet away from the #22 teams pit? that's the ultimate f-you. and i don't see why mcdowell deserves the nickname "captain jesus", if anyone does it should be trevor bayne, or even allgaier after his vl interview. anyone else dissapointed that allgaier didn't mention the fact that he beat beat both penske cars in victory, especially since penske let allgaier go after 2010? if it was me i would have shoved it in penskes face on live tv. 82. Schroeder51 posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR.com even called Shoe Man (whoever he is) an "idiot onlooker". Sadly post #78 isn't far off from the truth. Having been to many races at Darlington I can safely say a lot of NASCAR fans are ignorant. Half the fans there are walking stereotypes. 83. NicoRosbergFan posted: 08.18.2012 - 6:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Idiot moves by Captains Jesus and Jerk Veed make for probably the most impressive win of Allgaier's NNS careerl 84. Spen posted: 08.18.2012 - 7:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) McDowell gets the Captain Jesus nickname because he does his 'praise the Lord' schtick while being a moving chichane. 85. Paul posted: 08.18.2012 - 7:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Spen, I wouldn't call McDowell a moving chicane because when in competitive equipment, he's always running near the front and in contention for a win. But he has proven to be reckless when given an opportunity and today was no different with him plowing into Hornish and almost ruining his championship hopes today. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised by the animosity towards Villeneuve on this page. I always look forward to seeing guys like him and Kurt Busch running in the lower series because they're very exciting to watch and have a "go hard or go home" type of attitude that I find refreshing in this day and age. I know I'm in the minority by saying this, but I was very disappointed when Allgaier got into Villeneuve and took the win away from him. I'm not sure whether it was a fuel pickup issue or if Villeneuve just got out of the throttle too early. For me, it's upsetting to know that JV won't be back until June, because he's the most entertaining guy on the track whenever he's out there. Big respect for Hornish in this one. To be involved in two wrecks with about 20 laps to go and still finish 2nd, my hat's off to him. I didn't think this about three months ago, but as of late, Hornish looks ready to return to Cup full-time next season. 86. cjs3872 posted: 08.18.2012 - 8:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sorry about that, Spen. But still, if either Sadler or Hornish end up winning the championship, they may look to this day as a key point. And Paul, the biggest reason there's so much animosity toward Villeneuve is because he runs over and through his competitors, instead of trying to pass them cleanly, and the guys he runs over are usually guys who have respect among competitors and fans alike. And let's face it. Villeneuve has always had an attitude problem to begin with, and his on-track tactics make things worse for him. How many drivers' days has he ruined in the limited appearances he's made in the Nationwide Series? And by the way, big props to some of the teams and drivers on the lower rung of the series or that do not run the series regularly. For instance, Mike Wallace had a great day, finishing seventh, and Erik Darnell, was fifth late in the race before having to make a late pit stop in Curtis Key's #40 car. And Billy Johnson may have been the biggest victim of the second GWC attempt, as he had to make a pit stop on the last caution period, which was brought out by his teammate, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Otherwise, he might have won the race in Roush's #60 car, which would have given that team two wins in successive weeks with two different drivers. And that car was strong at Bristol with Trevor Bayne earlier this season in the last race that team ran before Watkins Glen last weekend, leading 64 laps, second-most in that race. The #60 will be back at Bristol next weekend with Bayne driving, though what happens from there depends on sponsorship. 87. Dave #38 Fan posted: 08.18.2012 - 8:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) what's roush going to do with billy johnson now? the kid has too much talent to stay buried in the continental tire series or whatever it is that he runs. maybe they can run two full-time nns cars again next season, or if bayne is smart and leaves roush maybe johnson will drive the #6 nns car full-time. 88. David posted: 08.18.2012 - 9:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 37 years ago, we lost Tiny Lund. 89. Paul posted: 08.18.2012 - 9:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I hope they give Montreal a Cup date next year and put it in the Chase. And they should put the Brickyard 400 in the Chase as well. Think about it: What better way to begin the Chase than with two internationally known tracks. The Brickyard could start off the Chase and Montreal could be the week after. And maybe we should have a week off before in order to create some buildup towards the Chase. Cjs, different strokes for different strokes I suppose. Personally I get a kick out of his driving, even if it has cost some drivers a shot at winning like Tagliani and Papis. But I think it's hypocritical to point out JV's acts of recklessness, yet not say anything when he gets turned around, such as when Captain Jesus turned him around at Road America. Of course, McDowell isn't entirely blameless as he almost single handedly ruined Hornish's championship hopes by plowing into him late in the race. 90. cjs3872 posted: 08.18.2012 - 10:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David, not only was 1963 Daytona 500 winner Tiny Lund killed on this day in 1975, but earlier that same day, 1972 Indianapolis 500 winner Mark Donohue had the crash in Austria that eventually killed him two days later. that's why I call August 17, 1975, "Black Sunday", because two racing champions suffered fatal accidents on that same day. And Paul, the problem with Villeneuve is that he's been a wrecking ball during these races, seemingly running over everyone he gets near. That, when combined with his perpetually bad attitude, makes him one of the world's most unpopular drivers in recent memory. If he had run over just a couple of guys, or had a good attitude, I don't think everyone would be so negative toward him, but he runs over everyone AND has a bad attitude. And your point about Michael McDowell is a good one. I don't remember the incident with Villeneuve you mention, but I do remember the one at the end of the first Nationwide race this year at Iowa when he spun Kurt Busch out running for third place. One of the reasons McDowell is as aggressive as he is when he races is that he doesn't get to race that often when he makes a Cup field, so he tries to make the most of it when he gets the opportunity to actually race. 91. MStall41 posted: 08.18.2012 - 11:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I love the Montreal track but I can't help but feel the track is too difficult for these NW drivers. That race was a noobfest. I completely agree with what DanicaFlatChest posted earlier. Its fun to watch bhut also very frustrating. If Cup goes there next year I half-expect it to be better, but not by a whole lot. That track was NOT designed for stock cars....lol 92. Watto posted: 08.19.2012 - 1:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "And when Marcos Ambrose drove for JTG-Daugherty, that team got assistance from MWR, so it's only natural that Ambrose would share his set-up with the MWR guys, since they were unofficial teammates at that time." While the 47 at the time fell under the JTGD banner, it simply was a 3rd MWR team. This year, JTG-Daugherty is running on its own for pretty much the first time since Ambrose started running the 47... this year it's actually a satellite team. When Ambrose drove it, it simply was an MWR team ran out of the MWR shop with MWR employees. 93. just sayin posted: 08.19.2012 - 1:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wish people didn't comment on this with nationwide race nonsense simply because the qualifying results comes up first... some of these pages, when you go back to em, it creates an element of confusion. Welcome to the Cup race comments page... the Nationwide race comments should go on the Nationwide race comments page. Maybe a forum will suffice until the race is posted. 94. Spen posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) We actually had a forum for a while. No one used it. 95. NicoRosbergFan posted: 08.19.2012 - 5:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #93, if you don't like it, shut up. Just sayin 96. Ivan Balakhonov posted: 08.19.2012 - 6:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Can't help stopping here and respond: 35. cjs3872 posted: "A big reason that guys like Kligerman, Joey Coutler, and Ty Dillon finished ahead of Kurt Busch and Johnny Sauter was because they stopped later, and as a result, did not have to take on as much fuel, thus making their pit stops about 5-7 seconds shorter than that of Busch and Sauter" Oh, really? 5-7 seconds? Are you kidding me? Kligerman pitted 4 laps after Kurt and Johnny, no way there could be a 5 second slower pit-stop because of the shorter refueling. But Parker didn't change tires, that is the key. Following your logic, Brad and Buescher should have been much much ahead of PK, Coulter and Dillon, but if my eyes don't lie, I see that Parker is ahead of them all. "And there may have been another reason for Kligerman's success this weekend that nobody else seems to be mentioning, and that's the increased track time he had this weekend." Trucks had three, I underline it, three practice sessions, three hours for getting acknowledged with new surface of the MIS. The difference in handling between trucks and Sprint cup cars in Michigan is immense, since truck can go full throttle the whole lap. I don't see how preparing #22 for Hornish could have influence Parker's performance 97. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 11:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ryan Newman isn't feeling well today. Should he have to exit the car, Dave Blaney and Scott Riggs are on deck. I guess that proves that Blaney will be parking today. Cjs, McDowell's incident with Kurt at Iowa is another great example. But don't forget Sonoma in 2011 when he turned and hooked Bobby Labonte into the wall...on the frontstretch! I guess if you've got a 24/7 smile and praise Jesus, your bad moves on the track don't matter as much. Also, you mentioned how McDowell tries to make the most of his opportunity when he actually gets a chance to race, but wouldn't that apply to Villeneuve as well? Honestly, I have no idea what he does from August to June. Driving that Penske #22 car twice a year is really is only chance to shine on a national level, and he's just trying to make the most of his opportunity the same as McDowell. The difference is that one runs into people trying to win a race, while the other simply runs into people. But you're right about JV's attitude. I think if his attitude was more like McDowell's, or vice-versa, then he would be looked at more positively than his Christian counterpart. 98. cjs3872 posted: 08.19.2012 - 12:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ivan Balakhonov, the difference in those pit stops may have been, much as what happened when Richard Petty won the 1981 Daytona 500, that Busch and Sauter needed to have at least part of the second can of fuel put in, so changing tires was really something they could do without costing them any time, because the fueling would have taken longer having to add the second can in, while those that stopped later only needed one can of fuel, thus making their pit stop much quicker. That's why they went from about 2 seconds behind to 5 seconds ahead. It wasn't just the changing of tires for those that stopped early, but also having to put in the second can of fuel, which made the tire change a freebie, in terms of time spent on pit road. And my point on how having practiced the #22 Cup car positively affected Kligerman's performance was not only the extra track time, which you can't have enough of, especially on a track you've never seen before, and he had not raced at Michigan since the repave, but also, he gained a lot of confidence because Penske had the confidence in him to practice and qualify the #22 Cup car. The extra track time that gave him is one thing, but the shot of confidence that gave him was even more important than the extra track time. And Paul, your point about Villeneuve racing only twice this year (three times last year) is well taken, but others are in that same position and just don't run over people at will like he does, and has a terrible attitude to boot. That's why there was almost a sense of joy in the garage area when Justin Allgaier booted him out of the way to take the win, because Villeneuve may be the most hated driver in any NASCAR garage area in all the years I've been following the sport, and it's been more than 20. Dale Earnhardt, Sr. ran over and through his competitors his entire career, but was almost always friendly with those same competitors before and after the event. That's not true with Villeneuve, who's always had a surly attitude. 99. just sayin posted: 08.19.2012 - 1:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) sorry for wanting to keep things on topic. hey maybe next week we can talk about the cup race in the F1 results page! durrr 100. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 1:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First caution out for David Gilliland spinning off turn 4. Looked like Almirola took the air off his spoiler. Great job by Hornish to avoid that. 101. cjs3872 posted: 08.19.2012 - 1:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What was that I was saying about a 4-car breakaway in the early laps? That's exactly what happened prior to David Gilliland's spin. I knew that with Trevor Bayne and Landon Cassill starting where they did, that it was a perfect opportunity for the first four or five cars to break away fro the field. The only surprise is that Carl Edwards didn't join them. And Jimmie Johnson took the green flag in about 31st, because of all the start-and-parks that elected to start behind him, which they are allowed to do. 102. David posted: 08.19.2012 - 1:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @99 The only reason that my fellow posters were discussing the Nationwide race was because the Nationwide race results weren't posted yet. 103. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 1:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey Cjs, Cassill and Bayne are doing pretty well out there so far. Both are still in the top 10 and haven't held anyone up that I've seen. 104. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 1:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also post #99, this page has been open since Friday and we were discussing the Nationwide race while it was going on and were continuing our discussion after it was over. 105. cjs3872 posted: 08.19.2012 - 1:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't totally agree with that, because while I thought they could stay up there for a while, especially Bayne, I also said it would also provide the opportunity, as difficult as passing is with the narrower groove and the aerodynamic effect of being on the inside, for a small group of cars to break away, while others would have a harder time passing Bayne and Cassill, which may have been one reason why Bayne decided not to race Edwards in turn one on the first lap, and fell behind him instead, because he did not want to hold up Edwards. 106. Mr X posted: 08.19.2012 - 1:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The only solution I could think of for not commenting on the truck or nationwide races on the cup comments page would be for the moderator to supply us with the qualifying results for those series, frankly it doesn't bother me. 107. just sayin to just sayin posted: 08.19.2012 - 1:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Then don't come to this forum. NRF 108. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 1:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnson's coming, up to 18th already. Granted, several cars let him start in front of him at the beginning, but his car seems bad fast. Also, Paul Menard's been running top 5 all race. Imagine the wild card battle should he win today. 109. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 1:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Did Josh Wise come back out onto the track for a few laps? Last I checked he was 3 laps behind Leffler, now he's up to 40th on the scoreboard. 110. Schroeder51 posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mark Martin crashed into the pit wall, how the hell? 111. Schroeder51 posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That is one of the most bizarre looking accidents I have ever seen. 112. Jordan posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That's one of the most bizarre accidents I've seen in quite a while... glad he's OK, but if the car was positioned a few feet differently this could have turned out REALLY badly. 113. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Montoya and Labonte, two of the biggest chicanes in the series. 114. Bronco posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Shame for Mark, luckily his car didn't wipe out crew members or crash into the 5's pit box. 115. cjs3872 posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Schroeder51, you ask how an incident like that could have happened? The answer is Juan Montoya. As always, he can't seem to run a race without running into someone, and this time, it took out the two leaders when he and Bobby Labonte got together. 116. murb posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, I'm really starting to think that Bobby needs to retire. The past few years, he was a backmarker. But now it seems like he can't even get out of the way. 117. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In Juan's defense, it didn't look like there was any contact between he and Labonte. Nevertheless, his "chicane-ery" caused the two leaders to spin and Mark Martin to hit that pit wall. Thankfully he didn't impale his car driver-door first into the wall and that no crew members were hurt. Damn, ESPN sure likes to replay that crash. 118. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Murb, sadly I'm starting to think the same thing. It's one thing to be a back marker, it's another be in the way. Last week he was laying oil all over the track, this week he's a chicane. It's sad how far a once mighty driver has fallen. 119. murb posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There's the inevitable spin caused by Ambrose. He's been sideways like that about five times today. 120. Jordan posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't think Juan touched Bobby, it was a case of aero looseness I guess... and Juan may not be the most productive driver in the series, but lately he's been way better than Bobby Labonte. Labonte's only a story when he's causing problems, whether crashing, laying oil on the track, or spinning out. He's just the latest driver to continue racing far too long, but I guess you can't really blame him. It's just sad because a lot of the younger fans will see him as a backmarker as opposed to a former champion. 121. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Stewart's pulled his car behind the wall, hoping to return with just seven cylinders. Ambrose gets loose and sends Regan Smith into the wall. Such a shame, that 78 team has been on a role as of late with Todd Berrier as the crew chief. 122. 18fan posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This seems like a race similar to Sonoma where all the MWR cars are way better than everybody else. 123. Sean posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, cjs3872 is being unfair. Montoya didn't touch him...just took the air off his spoiler, unless you think that's playing dirty. As opposed to Ambrose on Regan Smith, where that was all Ambrose... But Montoya will get bashed for everything because people don't like his personality while Ambrose, who probably causes more wrecks, gets away with it because people like his personality... It's that kind of stuff that tends to irritate me... 124. cjs3872 posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) But another factor in that big crash, as well as the one between Marcos Ambrose and Regan Smith, can be chalked up to a lack of racing room, because the grovve is only two car-widths. Neither of these crashes would have occurred last year, or would occur in two years, because there was, or would have been much more room to operate. 125. Sean posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not that I think either of those incidents were anything intentional. Nothing like what JV did yesterday... 126. cjs3872 posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) But Sean, the real problem that caused both incidents is the narrower racing groove. It appeared that Montoya may have hit Labonte, but you may be right, it might have caused by aerodynamics. By the way, Jimmie Johnson s moved up to the top five (though he's backing up while I speak), while Dale, Jr. is close to the top ten and Jeff Gordon is slow as usual, just barely hanging on to the top 20, and I think that lack of speed is finally starting to get to him. 127. Jordan posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It looks like we can count Logano out of the chase now, though no one was really considering him a real contender... another victim of aero looseness in front of JPM. 128. murb posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What the hell was Gordon whining about? I understand he's frustrated, but he really wanted to wreck his teammate? Montoya just caused another problem, this time with Logano. 129. Sean posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Okay, I'll give you that one, but I still think that people fixate on the accidents caused by drivers with personalities they don't like and downplay the accidents caused by drivers they like... 130. Sean posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jordan, are you making fun of me saying the 42 didn't touch the 47? He DIDN'T. The 42 did touch the 20... I still think his incidents are a bit overblown (i.e. people talking about him intentionally wrecking the pace car at Daytona, etc...) 131. David posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @128 What happened with Gordon? 132. murb posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David, they played a clip of him on the radio saying "Tell the 88 he's lucky I didn't wreck his f'n ass." And it was just because Jr. made it three wide. He did nothing wrong. It's just Jeff getting overly frustrated. 133. murb posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Travis Kvapil is running 12th? 134. David posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ouch. Please, Jeff. 135. Jordan posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No way Sean, I fully agree with you... people are way too sensitive about Montoya... I know he touched Logano, but I'm not sure if the touch is what caused him to hit the wall, he seemed to have lost control after that. 136. Schroeder51 posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gordon's championship hopes are over. Am I the only one who thinks he could still realistically finish outside the top 20 in points? 137. David posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Have you been working on your Bodine praise, DSFF? 138. Jordan posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like the Hendrick engines are having problems this weekend... Johnson after qualifying, and Stewart and Gordon already today... that doesn't look too good and Johnson, Earnhardt, Kahne, and Newman have to be concerned at the very least. 139. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Murb, Dale Jr actually made it 4-wide. Gordon had Ambrose and Smith outside of him. 140. Bronco posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff Gordon's chase hopes ended today. It's a bit of a longshot, but if Paul Menard could sneak a win today or at Atlanta, he would have a good shot at taking over the second wild card spot. 141. murb posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sam Hornish is really turning into a good driver. If they do end up with Logano for the 22 car, I think a good move would be to take that whole NNS 12 team up to Cup as a third car. He deserves after the last few weeks. It's also nice to see Truex and Harvick up there in the top five, as they have been probably the weakest teams in the top ten in points all year. I'd love to see both of them get wins before the Chase, just to add a little more excitement into the bonus points thing. 142. JG24FanForever posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Jeff Gordon's chase hopes ended today." How? He wins Either Atlanta, Bristol or Richmond and he'll be fine. 143. murb posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah Paul, but Jr still didn't do anything wrong. It's not like he touched him or anything. Jeff was just mad. He could probably feel his engine starting to go. 144. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You can't say Gordon's Chase hopes are over because the next three races are all at tracks where handling is more important than speed, which are tracks that he's excelled at this year. Don't count him out yet. 145. Jordan posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Do the owner points have a separate chase? The way Hornish is driving, it's within the realm of possibility he could win two races by Richmond. 146. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Murb, I know he didn't touch Jeff, I was just clarifying. 147. Schroeder51 posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Paul Menard in the Chase? I don't think he would be particularly deserving of being in the Chase seeing as he's been invisible virtually all year long. He's only that high in points because he's basically finished in 15th place every week. The only hope Gordon has now is if Newman and Busch also have trouble in the races ahead or if Gordon somehow (very, VERY unlikely) wins another race before the Chase. Bristol and Atlanta are probably his best shots out of the last 3 races. But, I don't see it happening. 148. murb posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I can see Gordon winning Atlanta again. I'm still not gonna count him out until Richmond. 149. Bronco posted: 08.19.2012 - 2:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Jr crosses 7000 laps led in his career. 150. murb posted: 08.19.2012 - 3:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Newman is one guy who absolutely doesn't deserve to make the Chase this year. He has a lucked up win at Martinsville and nothing else. If Menard were to get a legitimate win in the next four then I think he would be deserving of it. At least he's been a little bit competitive and consistent this year, unlike Newman. Like I said, I'm still not gonna count out Gordon until Richmond. And Kyle could also win a race or two if they can get that bad luck behind them. Although they don't seem to be running that well today. 151. Jordan posted: 08.19.2012 - 3:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I could see Ambrose getting a shock win at Michigan or Atlanta, he's been fast today and the pit strategy could play into his favor. Newman and Busch haven't really shown anything lately. You always have to go with who has the momentum, and I think either Ambrose or Gordon could very possibly win. 152. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 3:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm with you murb. I'd rather see someone like Paul Menard, who's run well in spite of his equipment, win a race and make the Chase than Newman, who lucked into a win and has run mediocre despite his great equipment. And for anyone who wants to say that the same could be said for Gordon, he was the driver who owned that race that Newman lucked into winning. 153. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 3:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Caution is out for Kurt Busch hitting the wall. This throws a dagger in Junior and JJ's "one more pitstop" strategy. 154. Schroeder51 posted: 08.19.2012 - 3:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Neither Newman or Kyle Busch appear to have very good cars, so they may not end up gaining very much on Gordon anyways. Plus, Gordon is actually back in the race. 155. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 3:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kenseth's off the pace. 156. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 3:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^Flat right rear tire 157. Baker posted: 08.19.2012 - 3:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bobby Labonte has now cost two drivers a win in the last two races. It is time for that talentless hack hang them up. 158. just sayin posted: 08.19.2012 - 3:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "@99 The only reason that my fellow posters were discussing the Nationwide race was because the Nationwide race results weren't posted yet. " no kidding. i thought i established that in the first sentence of my first post. it's just plain stupid. you look back at other cup races, and youll see shit like WOW BRAD KESELOWSKI JUST WRECKED and youre supposed to know that theyre not actually talking about the cup race even though its the cup comments. i have no problem knowing that it's the nationwide race that's being talked about, or trucks, but this comments section isn't an on-time message board. maybe the webmaster should just wait to post the qualifying results until the race ends so that the comments for the cup race will actually be about the cup race for the first 100 comments... 159. David posted: 08.19.2012 - 3:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^Yup. That talentless hack that somehow has a championship. 160. Jimmie J and his Chevrolet posted: 08.19.2012 - 3:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Win #59 baby!! 161. JRacingFast posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ at 160.....HAAAAAAAAAAAAA 48....ENGINE GONE! 162. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Win #59 will have to wait. JJ's engine has let go. 163. murb posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nope. 164. New14 & 88Fan posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) JJ just blew up, Hendrick engines have been jinxed today. 165. David posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @158 OK, man. 166. just sayin posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) and by qualifying results, i mean, just post qualifying results with the race when the race is posted like what he does with nw/trucks/etc 167. murb posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was just about to call this race into the "Good Race, Crappy Finish" club. But now it looks like we're gonna have a shootout here. Biffle looks pretty good along with Brad. 168. 18fan posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) OMG 169. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ah, the HMS hate is back. Haven't been this excited to see a car blow up since that #7 car about 20 times in 1994. Never seen JJ stomp off like this before. 170. Jordan posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I know I discussed the Nationwide race here yesterday, but if there was a Nationwide comment page already opened I would have definitely posted comments there instead. I guess this is something for the admins to look into. I wouldn't call Bobby a talentless hack but there's not much left tank at this point, just like Dale Jarrett a few years ago and just like his brother Terry over the last couple full time years of his career and the last few seasons where he runs one off races. And that's absolutely horrible for Johnson. He definitely was the best driver in this race and he had the best car until the engine let go. Hendrick's motor shop is having some serious problems that they better get sorted out in the next few weeks. It royally sucks when your biggest threat of costing you victory comes from inside your own organization. 171. just sayin posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) i should apologize for being harsh, sorry to those who took it harshly, but i just find it weird when the cup race comments dont actually talk about the cup race until comment #120 172. murb posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For some reason the way he walked off reminded me of Danica, lol 173. 18fan posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It looked to me like Biffle was starting to close on Jimmie a little bit and then all of a sudden Jimmie slowed off turn 2. 174. David posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^Of course! 175. JG24FanForever posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I posted # 160 to curse Johnson. it worked. 176. Baker posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Come on Kes And yes that former champ is talentless since 2003 also least talented champ ever 177. Jordan posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Biffle started to close as his engine began to let go already... the way Johnson blew by the #2, no one was going to beat him... that's the absolute crappiest way to lose a race. 178. David posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My previous comment was for post #169. Congratulations to Greg Biffle. 179. Baker posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kes please get more aggressive before it counts! 180. Watto posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kese was aggressive.. just didnt really have the car. 181. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a ending! JJ blows up and a Ford driver not named Carl Edwards wins. Other than Gordon's miscue, this was a perfect ending for me. 182. David posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Despite Biffle losing the points lead weeks ago, he is still having a career year. 183. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) He is either Jimmie Busch or Danica Johnson. Take your pick. 184. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anyone else suddenly rooting for Biffle to win the championship? Too Brad couldn't win in his home state, but a great finish nonetheless. Also, great runs for Paul Menard, who gets a top 10, and Kvapil and Gilliland, who finished on the lead lap. 185. Baker posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was thinking about his efforts to hold off Johnson and Biffle before Johnson blew up 186. Bronco posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Because of Kahne's strong finish, I don't think any of the top 4 clinched a chase spot today. 187. JakeTV370 posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DALE JR DUDE. DALE JR. DOES HE EVEN KNOW THAT JEFF GORDON IS TRYING TO MAKE THE CHASE? 188. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wouldn't mind seeing Biff win it. He is a pure racer and he doesn't drive for HMS. Definitely pulling for Brad overall, he is beginning to show Top 5 consistency which is the important thing to be a title contender. But the HMS cars have the speed. If they hold together for the last 10, they can't be beat. 189. Eric posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David, I wouldn't call this a career year for Greg Biffle yet. 2005 was Greg best season ever in cup with him having 6 cup wins, 15 top 5's and 21 top 10's. 190. Bronco posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Least Chad didn't drop an f-bomb like last year when the engine grenaded. 191. cjs3872 posted: 08.19.2012 - 4:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, Jimmie Johnson at Michigan is starting to look like Lloyd Ruby or Michael Andretti at Indianapolis or Buddy Baker at Daytona (until he finally won there in 1980). What happened to Jimmie today was similar to what happened to Baker at the Daytona 500 in 1973 and '78, especially '78, when he was right on Bobby Allison's bumper with a faster car until his engine blew with five laps to go. And actually, Hendrick Motorsports as a whole has never really had that much luck at Michigan, compared to everywhere else. Earnhardt and Gordon each have two wins at MIS for Hendrick and the only other HMS winners there were Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin, both in fuel mileage derbies. Ironically, Rudd's win came in a race that Martin dominated. And as for the Chase, if Edwards doesn't win, it's a two-man race for the last spot. Of course, with eighth, ninth, and tenth now all dropping closer to 11th, and with two short track races and a 500-mile race at Atlanta coming up, anything could happen. When the standings come out, I'll post my weekly Chase update, with the standings based on my system, and how the Wild Card stacks up, though it it's assumed the current top 11 are going to make the Chase, which may not be such a lock now, especially if both Stewart and Hamlin fall out of the top 10. Remember how bad Stewart's been at Bristol in recent years, and he's only 34 points ahead of 11th. But the current top 11 all make it, it's basically three drivers for one spot, and one of those drivers (Edwards) has to win to even have a chance at the Wild Card. 192. 10andJoe posted: 08.19.2012 - 5:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >And Paul, the biggest reason there's so much animosity toward Villeneuve is because he runs over and through his competitors, instead of trying to pass them cleanly, and the guys he runs over are usually guys who have respect among competitors and fans alike. Precisely. See: Alex Tagliani. >[Gordon] wins Either Atlanta, Bristol or Richmond and he'll be fine. Given that the 24 team has clearly been buying their equipment from the ACME Racing Company, oh, I'd say the odds of that are terribly slim, Brain. Also: What happened to Landon Cassill? He stayed out, caught the caution, pitted...then finishes three laps down? 193. 10andJoe posted: 08.19.2012 - 5:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #10 sponsor: TMone/Melling Engine Parts #51 sponsor: Phoenix Racing (plain red car) 194. David posted: 08.19.2012 - 5:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I have actually got the current standings for your points system, cjs. Do you want to post them or shall I do the honors? 195. Watto posted: 08.19.2012 - 5:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Also: What happened to Landon Cassill? He stayed out, caught the caution, pitted...then finishes three laps down?" He lost those laps because of a transmission issue, which is a shame. Had a solid run going. 196. Mr X posted: 08.19.2012 - 6:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cjs# 191, Mark Martin's MIS win came in a race that JJ dominated. 197. Mr X posted: 08.19.2012 - 6:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If Biffle were to win the title it would be huge IMO, as he would become the first driver to win the title in all three of NASCAR's top series, but personally I am more of a quiet Brad Keselowski fan, mind you I'm pretty sure that JJ is actually going to win it. 198. joey2448 posted: 08.19.2012 - 6:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was watching the race on RaceBuddy online, and I saw Jimmie take the lead from Brad with 10 laps to go, and with about six to go, I started to tell my dad that Michigan is one of the few tracks that Jimmie hasn't won at. Then his engine blew! Haha! Now on to the redone Bristol! 199. Thomas posted: 08.19.2012 - 6:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 35. cjs3872 "And I posted either last week or the wek before about Sam Hornish, Jr. possibly winning the Nationwide championship without winning a race this year, as he's closing in on the point leaders, having moved up to third, and he stands a real chance of moving up even more today. Well, guess what. Ty Dillon moved into a tie for the lead in points with Timothy Peters, and he hasn't won either. Could this be the year a major NASCAR series crowns a winless champion?" In 1994 we came within one of the most epic mental mistakes of all time of having a winless champion in the Busch Series. David Green won the championship, only winning at Bristol where Mark Martin was leading on the final lap under caution and pulled off to go to victory lane before he took the checkered flag. It was the only lap Green led all race. 200. Matt L posted: 08.19.2012 - 6:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good race, but no way there were 83,000 people there. 201. Bronco posted: 08.19.2012 - 6:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff Gordon ties Dale Earnhardt with 676 Cup starts, but as I said earlier his Chase hopes ended today, combined with his spin last week at Watkins Glen. Very immature of him to blast his teammate, or anyone else for that matter, for making a clean 4-wide pass on him. He needs to go back and watch a replay of the 1999 Daytona 500. Hard to believe that Kevin Harvick is where he is in points now and is on track to make the Chase with a mediocre season so far. He hasn't led since Charlotte, hasn't had a top 5 since Dover and has been invisible the whole year except Phoenix. Finishing behind Travis Kvapil and barely ahead of David Gilliland has got to be embarassing. He is by far the weakest driver in the top 10 now. Dale Jr returns to form with a 4th place finish in a backup car. Since his Michigan win, all his top 10s have been 4th place finishes. He is definitely looking like a true title threat now that he's leading more laps as well. Additionally, he now hits double digit top 5s for the first time since the 2008 season, and there's still 13 races left. First time that Marcos Ambrose picks up consecutive top 5 finishes. For the next three races, I say Bristol goes to Brad or Kyle, Atlanta to Carl, Dale Jr or Greg and Richmond will have a surprise finish but a previous winner of a 2012 race. 202. cjs3872 posted: 08.19.2012 - 6:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David, I want to post them, because I've got other information I want to put in that post, but thanks for the offer anyway. and with the misfortunes of Jeff Gordon, and the fact that, even with his good run today, Marcos Ambrose is out of it, short of winning another race, and Joey Logano is in the same situation, it's basically three drivers, four at the most, for one spot, if you're under the asumption that the current top 11 in points are going to be in the Chase. But then again, with two short tracks races and a 500-mile race coming up, anything could happen. But that margin between 10th and 11th shrunk again today, and now even eighth and ninth in points were brought down, along with 10th. Two weeks ago, the top ten was a foregone conclusion. Now drivers such as Carl Edwards could sneak into the top ten without winning, which would change things entirely. If Kasey Kahne were to knock Denny Hamlin or Tony Stewart out of the top ten, the situation doesn't change at all concerning the Wild Card, only the positions of some of the players change. But if Kahne were to knock Kevin Harvick out, the situation drastically changes. And Mr X, you mention Martin's win in 2009 came in a race Jimmie Johnson dominated. That's true, although if not for Johnson running Greg Biffle out of fuel (and vice versa, Martin would not have won. And that was a case of one Hendrick driver dominating, only to lose to another Hendrick driver, so the team that won didn't change. And also, didn't anyone else find it strange that on those last round of green flag pit stops, that no team changed four tires, even though they had to put in both cans of fuel? I'm surprised more than one car didn't have a problem with a left side tire. Sad for Trevor Bayne, of course, as he had a potential top ten run ruined (which would have been his third this year in nine races had he pulled it off), but it was shocking to me that no team changed all four tires, in case a driver flat-spotted a left side tire. And also, did anyone else notice the unusual amount of sloppiness on pit road, especially on the early stops? 203. ch posted: 08.19.2012 - 6:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor changes: 19 - Humphrey Smith Racing 39 - Wix Filters 51 - Phoenix Racing 91 - Humphrey Smith Racing Can't wait for the top 35 rule to go away... Stephen Leicht should, hands down, have made this race! 204. cjs3872 posted: 08.19.2012 - 6:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Like I said Bronco, I think the fact that Jeff is the only Hendrick driver without any speed has finally gotten to him. (How he's keep his cool all year long to this point is beyond me, when he's so far off the pace.) How many times have we seen the front of the field on a high-speed track and have fund all the HMS drivers up front, except Gordon? Even when he won at Pocono, he was about 2 MPH slower than all his teammates. I think his lack of speed all year finally got to him today. His teammates all seemed to be able to run about 194 at Michigan today, while he seemed incapable of running over 190 or 191 before his engine problems hit. 205. David posted: 08.19.2012 - 6:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Let the points standings variations begin. 206. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.19.2012 - 6:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I knew Gordon was coming up on equalling Dale's career starts, we shall now have to do an extensive evaluation of their career's. But not now, I have to work tonight and have a big oral board test with our Medical Director tomorrow. Maybe Tuesday. 207. Eric posted: 08.19.2012 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs3872, While it was strange that no one took 4 tire, there is something that you forgot to mention. Teams were able to fill the cars full of fuel faster than putting on 4 tires. I watched the race on ESPN, and I saw team completed their pit stop in less than 10 seconds. Some teams were able to complete the pit stop less than 8 seconds matter of fact. If they did 4 tires, it would have taken them more time to complete the pit stop. 208. Eric posted: 08.19.2012 - 7:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs3872, I forgot to mention of post 207 that crew chiefs found there was not a lot of difference between old tires and new tires. That means team didn't want to take a chance of doing 4 tire if the tire give up isn't there plus the fact it is faster for the teams to full the car than do 4 four tires. 209. cjs3872 posted: 08.19.2012 - 7:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) But the thing is, if you take four tires under green, instead of two, the one thing you won't run into is what Trevor Bayne ran into, and that is not changing a flat-spotted tire. That close to the end of the race, drivers are going to try to get all they can, and often come in too hot, flat-spotting the tires I ould much rather take the couple of extra seconds changing the left side tires in cae they were flat-spotted. But Eric, you're right, changing the left side tires would not have provided a performance advantage, but it would have protected against a blowout due to a flat-spotted tire. And if they had to take on a full load of fuel, and the first wave of drivers that piited did, they just as well could have changed all four tires. Now in the case of drivers like Bayne and Denny Hamlin, their teams were in a better position to gamble because they didn't have to take on a full load of fuel, but for those that had to take on a full load of fuel, four tires is the safest way to go. 210. 18fan posted: 08.19.2012 - 7:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Harvick is where he is in the same fashion that his teammate Paul Menard is where he is, which is that they don't have really bad days while guys like Hamlin, Stewart, Kyle Busch, Kahne, and Gordon have had more good runs than Harvick or Menard, but they've had many more bad runs as well. 211. startandparkfan posted: 08.19.2012 - 7:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mark Smith cars were different makes in the same race! I've only seen that in ARCA where Venturini Motorsports runs Chevy, Toyota, and Ford. I know SR2 Motorsports in N'wide runs their car mostly Chevy, but sometimes Toyota, but 2 makes for same team in the same race seems odd to me in cup. 212. Anonymous posted: 08.19.2012 - 7:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) can anybody say who has scored the most point since Kentucky speedway 213. cjs3872 posted: 08.19.2012 - 7:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well #211, how long haveyou been a fan, because about 20 years ago, Leo and Richard Jackson owned team cars that even had the same sponsor, Skoal, but after Oldsmobile left following the 1992 season, Leo's car (#33) became a Chevrolet, but Richard's car (#1) became a Ford, so it has happened before. 214. startandparkfan posted: 08.19.2012 - 8:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #213 Ok thanks. Never knew that. 215. startandparkfan posted: 08.19.2012 - 8:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No one pointed out that if Martin had crashed about 2 feet difference, he would have been killed. 216. ozgqnascar4 posted: 08.19.2012 - 8:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Either the #19 or #91 should put Vickers in the car. He is running for points, and even though it is s&p, it would still add points. What ever happened to Kevin Conway? He needs to start some races Brian Keselowski and Andy Lally should enter some as well. 217. ncplant posted: 08.19.2012 - 8:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Michael McDowell should come back to the #98. 218. Spen posted: 08.19.2012 - 8:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lally's back in sports cars where he belongs. Conman would never be able to make the field on time at a non-plate track. And Brian's in the same boat. startandparkfan: Back in 2006, Front Row Motorsports switched between Ford, Chevy and Dodge on a weekly basis. 219. Schroeder51 posted: 08.19.2012 - 8:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) We were very lucky we didn't see a horribly gruesome fatal crash today. Had Mark Martin hit the pit wall a few feet further up from where he hit, he would have basically been a shish kebab. I wonder what NASCAR will do to prevent anything like that from happening again. 220. rtcrules posted: 08.19.2012 - 9:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) When RPM switched to Fords a few years ago they left one of the cars a Dodge for the remainder of the season. 221. Jordan posted: 08.19.2012 - 9:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @#215: See post #112. 222. Ed posted: 08.19.2012 - 9:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #212: That would be Brad Keselowski. 223. 10andJoe posted: 08.19.2012 - 9:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >Either the #19 or #91 should put Vickers in the car. He is running for points, and even though it is s&p, it would still add points. The teams still get owner points regardless of whether or not the driver is eligible. 224. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 9:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Everyone try to remember post #206. That'll be an interesting conversation for sure. startandparkfan, I wouldn't say he WOULD HAVE been killed, but he probably wouldn't be all smiley and cheerful after the race had he hit the wall driver-door first (then again, you never know with Mark). Spen, Front Row ran both Chevrolets and Dodges throughout 2009 as well. John Andretti drove Chevys every week in the No. 34, while the No. 37 ran part-time as both a Chevy and a Dodge, primarily Dodge. 2010 was the first year that Front Row stuck to one manufacturer (Ford), which they continue to use today. 225. David posted: 08.19.2012 - 9:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Off the top of my head Richard Petty Motorsports ran Dodges for most of 2009 and then at least Allmendinger switched to Ford for the last three races. 226. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 10:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) RPM started running Fords for the final four races of 2009, but only with one car in each race. Sadler drove a Ford at Talladega, Allmendinger drove a Ford for the final three races. Kahne and Sorenson only ran Dodges that season. It made sense to not make those two run Fords because Sorenson was leaving after '09 and Kahne was in the Chase and changing manufacturers would mess with his rhythm. 227. cjs3872 posted: 08.19.2012 - 10:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Schroeder51, I'm not sure that crash would have been fatal had Mark hit the end of that wall with the driver's door, only because of the foam blocks that are required on both sides of the car in the door area. Remember that Jimmie Johnson (the Daytona 500) Matt Kesneth (at Pocono a couple of weeks ago) both had driver's side impacts and both walked away as if nothing had happened. Also, does anyone else find it ironic that where Martin's car struck the end that wall and caught fire was almost the exact same place where the worst pit fire in American racing history ever took place, which came at the very first Michigan 500 in 1981. Where Martin hit was almost the exact same spot in the pit area as was Herm Johnson's pit tank in that Michigan 500 when the tank exploded at least twice. 228. Evan posted: 08.19.2012 - 10:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) -Martin's wreck in the tire barrier always brings the old adage, never turn your back from the track, next thing NASCAR will try and prevent THAT from happening, NASCAR basically has been desperately taking preventative measures however the more preventive stuff you take, takes the human element out of NASCAR completely and adds more politically correct and NASCAR being politically correct is miserable to watch. But I digress, I am happy he's OK, but let's be real there's enough safety enhancements to choke a horse so Mark was gonna be OK. -Jeff Gordon was frustratated with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in this race after he raced him awful hard on a four wide pass. 229. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 11:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It wasn't so much Junior making it 4-wide as it was him sliding up in front of Gordon that made him so upset. It's been well-documented that his car isn't very fast, and on restarts, where speed is so important, he's almost guaranteed to lose a couple positions (except at Pocono, go figure). So when Junior slid up in front of him, it caused Gordon to have to get out of the throttle, which only made him lose even more ground than he already would have. I think people are making this to be a bigger issue than it really was. It was a racing incident and nothing more. I'm sure the two of them will hash it out before Bristol. 230. Schroeder51 posted: 08.19.2012 - 11:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs, I still think the wall COULD have killed him (the wall being sharp and blunt-edged, more so than the front of a race car-I think it COULD have pierced through the foam), but I think we can agree on one thing. Let's both be glad we didn't get to find out if the wall could have killed Mark or not. That's one thing we should be glad for. 231. Paul posted: 08.19.2012 - 11:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Let's both be glad we didn't get to find out if the wall could have killed Mark or not." Amen to that. 232. cjs3872 posted: 08.19.2012 - 11:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, what happened at Pocono was that Martin Truex, Jr. actually pushed Gordon ahead of Kahne, then when the top four tangled, Gordon was the one that benefitted. It wasn't Gordon's restart as much as it was that of Martin Truex, Jr. that won Gordon the race. nd peopl are making this to be bigger than it really was, because of the principals involved. And Schroeder51, amen to that, especially on the anniversary of Mark Donohue's death and the anniversary of Tiny Lund's death on Friday, both due to crashes that occurred on August 17, 1975, American racing's "Black Sunday". 233. 10andJoe posted: 08.19.2012 - 11:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >Michael McDowell should come back to the #98. McDowell's only /not/ been in the 98 because he's been running full races in the 18 in Nationwide. Now that the Summer Seperate Swing is over... 234. Ryan posted: 08.20.2012 - 12:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) You know for someone that has won 5 Spring Cup Titles and been as successful as Jimmie Johnson he could have at least stayed around and talked to the media. That was real unclassy and very uncalled for. Like him blowing his engine was really going to cost him this year or take titles away from him. What he did today was something Tony Stewart or Kyle Busch would do. Dale Earnhardt lost a heart-breaking Daytona 500 in 1990 and he still had the guts to face the media and camera. And if there was anyone who deserved to not talk to the media that day after dominating that race all day it was Dale. He still talked to the media. Jimmie Johnson was a big baby today and you usually don't see that out of him. I lost a little respect for him today because of that. 235. Ty (fourturns.blogspot.com) posted: 08.20.2012 - 1:00 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was an absolutely amazing race. I definitely thought Mark Martin would have a car that was capable of contending, but Bobby Labonte screwed things up for the second weekend in a row -- he should retire at the end of the season. JTG-Daugherty might as well hire David Reutimann to run the car in 2013, he'll be the best driver they can get. Labonte needs to call it quits at the end of the season. Anywho, I couldn't believe what happened to Johnson. When he passed Keselowski for the lead, I immediately changed the channel after seeing him quickly pull away. A few minutes later, I changed it back to the race to see how bad Jimmie was whacking the field and they were under caution with the ticker in the late-10s and early-20s. Then, I saw Johnson in 22nd and immediately started yelling. I was ecstatic, to say the least. Regardless, congrats to Biffle for capitalizing on a great opportunity that Hendrick left behind. Unbelievable. Too bad for Keselowski though -- two 2nds in the last 2 weeks -- he'll probably get the win at Bristol next Saturday. Anyway, I was definitely pleased with the race, especially with the fact that Jimmie Johnson, Gordon, Montoya and Logano all had problems. Wish it was like that every weekend... 236. Schroeder51 posted: 08.20.2012 - 1:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #235 Considering the kind of year Gordon has had, I'd take it you've probably LOVED this season. 237. Paul posted: 08.20.2012 - 1:26 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cjs, I guess I should have added "with a little help from his friends" when I mentioned his restart at Pocono. Sadly Ty, JTG Daugherty Racing has made it clear that they're more interested in the marketing aspect of NASCAR than trying to build a team that can win races. So Bobby Labonte, who (as noted) is well off the pace and starting to become a weekly chicane, most likely isn't going anywhere anytime soon. He's a former champion and is very likable, thus making him more marketable than a guy like Reutimann, who comes off a little awkward and shaggy when on camera. I know Reuti's a very nice guy and has had more success than Bobby in recent memory (including, to an extent, this season), but he's not as marketable as Bobby, which is what JTG Daugherty's after. There's been rumors than Reuti could join them next season in a 2nd car, which I hope he gets because he's done a heck of a job in that TBR car this year. Ryan, that's one of the reasons why Dale was the most respected driver of his era, both on the track and off the track. While Jimmie's the most successful driver of this era, he's not the most respected by fans because he comes off like he's better than everybody else. Dale on the other hand was very friendly off the track, even in situations where it was very difficult (1990 Daytona 500 for example). So while they've each kicked their share of ass on the track, Earnhardt will always be miles ahead of Johnson simply because of the amount of respect he held off of it. 238. Jordan posted: 08.20.2012 - 1:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) If I was Jimmie Johnson, I definitely would not want to spend another second at that racetrack... he had no obligation to talk to anyone. Why should the media be allowed to dictate the drivers' lives? Most of the time in a situation like this they'll just ask annoying questions trying to antagonize the driver. Knowing ESPN, they would probably ask something like, "Hey Jimmie, are you disappointed that your engine didn't last?" 239. Paul posted: 08.20.2012 - 1:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually Jordan, I think it would go more like, "Jimmie Johnson, your motor blew up with just four laps to go...what's it feel like knowing that you're leaving here at Michigan without a win yet again?" You have a point that he doesn't have to give anybody an interview. But it doesn't look good for him or NASCAR that supposedly their biggest star walked off with his helmet still on without giving an interview. 240. JP88 posted: 08.20.2012 - 1:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) When I saw that Martin wreck, I was scared...thank god nothing bad happened but if he hit directly on the driver, I can't imagine what would of happened. NASCAR needs to protect every single opening on the track, no matter where it is, because somehow a car always finds an opening. Also thank god no crew members were hurt or in this case were servicing a car. I've been thinking this for years but tracks like Daytona, Atlanta, Dega, or Vegas without a pit wall seriously need to have one...just because it hasn't happened or is unlikely to happen, a car could easily slide through the grass and hit cars on pit road. Luckily no one was hurt today, but I was very worried. Onto the finish, I couldn't believe that Johnson blew up...for a driver with a "Golden Horseshoe" I have to wonder where it went...lol 241. Biscuits in a Red Bull posted: 08.20.2012 - 2:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #240 - NASCAR only ever seems to act upon safety once something has happened, and generally only acts when somebody dies, or follows IndyCar (HANS, SAFER barriers...) and F1 to add more safety. It is honestly pathetic. 242. Sally V posted: 08.20.2012 - 2:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anybody who didn't like Kyle Busch blowing off the media after the last race better be just as upset with Jimmie Johnson for his actions after today. Kyle's loss was much tougher to take as A) it could have been prevented if Nascar threw a caution where Jimmie's engine was all team enduced - And B) May have cost Kyle a chase spot!!! If Kyle Busch is immature and a crybaby for what he did after Watkins Glen, then so is Jimmie for what he did today. 243. NicoRosbergFan posted: 08.20.2012 - 5:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes, but it is frustrating to watch these guys stomp when you know Jeff Gordon or Mark Martin would be still calm even if they blew the engine after having led every lap of the race. 244. Gator posted: 08.20.2012 - 8:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 228, I highly doubt doing something to prevent a driver from hitting the end of a pit wall will take any of the "human element" out of racing. 245. John Royal posted: 08.20.2012 - 8:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Martin's crash looked worse than it was. The concrete block happened to hit the car right in the section between side roll cage and rear tire. If it had hit in the side roll cage it would not have collapsed like that, thus protecting driver. That particular area of the car is pretty darn strong. Real danger however was that Martin's car could have swerved in the garage area. All those people and fuel at there. 246. Paul posted: 08.20.2012 - 10:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Real danger however was that Martin's car could have swerved in the garage area. All those people and fuel at there." There was a Truck race back in the '90s where a truck spun, went through the infield, and came within a couple feet of running into a camper. I forget where it occurred; might've been at IRP. "Yes, but it is frustrating to watch these guys stomp when you know Jeff Gordon or Mark Martin would be still calm even if they blew the engine after having led every lap of the race." And we saw both of those guys give interviews yesterday after their day's ended early. Both Mark and Jeff are great examples as to how drivers should present themselves, both on and off the track. 247. cjs3872 posted: 08.20.2012 - 12:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And I go back to the point I made referring to where Martin's car hit being where the biggest pit disaster in American racing history occurred back in 1981. Sometims when strange and bizarre incidents happen, they happen at places where horrific events have previously occurred. And you're right Paul, about how Dale, Earnhardt, Sr. generally handled major disappointments, which is why he's stll such a popular figure today, and why, even though he was the dirtiest driver in the sport's history, he really isn't remembered that way, because the very same drivers he ran over and through during a race are guys he was friendly with both before and after the race. Sure he had his off-track moments, such as his comments at North Wilkesoboro in 1989, but with the elder Earnhardt, what you saw was what you got, and he never made any attempt to sugarcoat himself. And that was my point about guys like Jacques Villeneuve. Not only is Villeneuve a dirty driver on the track, but he's extremely surly off it, which is a toxic combination. Earnhardt was dirty on the track, but was friendly off it, so a lot of people, including his competitors forgave him. And yes, Mark and Jeff showed after their disappointments why they're both champions, even though Mark never actually won a NASCAR championship. It takes more than just leading laps and winning races to be a champion. Being a true champion also requires handling disappointments with the same class that driving to victories does. 248. cjs3872 posted: 08.20.2012 - 12:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, if Brad Keselowski is to be believed, HMS is definitely cheating with at least three of their cars (5, 48, and 88) because he seems to think that those three cars actually have a rear suspension pieces that are moving after inspection, so that it doesn't get discovered by the officials. Perhaps that might be a reason why the #24 car is marketly slower than the other Hendrick cars, especially on the intermediate tracks, because they may not be using those radical setups. If that's the case, then I think we know why the #24 car isn't up to the other Hendrick cars, in terms of performance on the high-speed tracks. 249. Bronco posted: 08.20.2012 - 1:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brad's comments are exactly why I don't like the guy, no matter how much he may win. He just can't keep his mouth shut. Whether it was openly trashing Allmendinger last month to now accusing the HMS car of cheating because he got passed by one, he just seems to run his mouth just to stir controversy and hear himself talk. Hoping that anyone but him wins the championship. Kyle Busch for some reason skipped final practice at Michigan in order to go to Canada for the NW race there, resulting in him falling further behind Newman, who was sick but still finished 8th. Unless Kyle wins of the next three races, I say Newman gets in as he has a solid record at the next three tracks. Although the points may not reflect it, it seems Paul Menard is regularly outperforming Harvick. Even though I don't think he'll win this year, he's on track for his best points finish ever. Dale Jr and Matt Kenseth both hit the 7000 career laps led mark. Michigan becomes the 10th different track where Dale Jr has 10 or more top 10 finishes. 250. Dave #38 Fan posted: 08.20.2012 - 1:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) i hope that busch's bad run that came as a result of him missing final practice will cause him to miss the chase. was it that important for him to run the nns race at montreal? i don't care what his sponsor says, he shouldn't be running a full-time cup driver (him or his brother kurt) in EVERY nns race this season. the guy who qualified the #54 at montreal, owen kelly, qualified in 5th position, he also practiced and qualified the car ambrose won with at montreal last year, he would've had just as good or a better run than busch did. the #54 is also the only full-time nns team that has not had a non-cup driver behind the wheel for any races this year. 251. murb posted: 08.20.2012 - 3:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't understand why he didn't send Kurt to run Montreal. Kyle obviously has more important things to be worrying about at this point, while Kurt is just running any races he can get. He should have just sent Kurt to Montreal and then drove the Truck race himself or get Denny or someone to run it. 252. cjs3872 posted: 08.20.2012 - 3:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bronco, Brad's just saying what many people believe. You don't hear him accusing Roush or any other team of cheating, because they're probably not. But if what he's saying is true about the moveable parts of the suspension to avoid detection in the inspection process, that's about as blatant as cheating can get, short of doing something with the engine. Remember Brad raced hard with the #48 at Indy and thought something was up with the rear end of that car then. But if they've got some moving parts that cause the rear end of the car to ofset like that, but move in such a way that it's hard to detect in the inspection process, it's going to be hard to catch. Also, having raced for Hendrick, he knows the mindset of that organization and how it functions. 253. Bronco posted: 08.20.2012 - 3:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Bronco, Brad's just saying what many people believe. You don't hear him accusing Roush or any other team of cheating, because they're probably not." That's because Roush isn't contending for wins every week - Michigan was only their third win this year while HMS already has seven, in addition to a few near misses. And what about Brad's team themselves? By the same token once could suggest that they're cheating because they always gets better fuel mileage than anyone else, allowing them to stay out longer and even have less pit stops. He needs to shut up and let the policing to the NASCAR inspectors. 254. Daniel posted: 08.20.2012 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bristol entry list: -Danica Patrick in the #10 -Mike Bliss in the #19 -Ken Schrader in the #32 -Jason Leffler in the #49 -Brian Vickers in the #55 -Kelly Bires in the #79 -Scott Speed in the #95 -Mike Skinner in the #98 255. Paul posted: 08.20.2012 - 4:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like McDowell won't be back in the #98 this weekend, even though the Nationwide Series race (which he isn't entered in) is at the same track as the Cup race. I wonder if Phil Parsons trusts Skinner to qualify the car into the field more than he does McDowell. 256. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.20.2012 - 5:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The one thing Jimmie Busch Jimmie Johnson has going for him is a decade of excellent behavior to fall back on, so this isn't a weekly thing like with the Busch boys or Smoke depending on the year. We have to remember Danica Johnson Jimmie Johnson facing the media after both crushing disappointments at Michigan in 2009. If anything, this odd stomp off makes me wonder if something is going on we don't know about. 257. Jim Davis posted: 08.20.2012 - 6:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He needs to shut up and let the policing to the NASCAR inspectors." Keselowski is just trying to get in the heads of the Hendrick drivers. Nothing more than a little gamesmanship. I don't think it will work but it's worth a shot. 258. 10andJoe posted: 08.20.2012 - 7:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 47 cars entered at Bristol: -Patrick in the 10 -Bliss back in the 19 -Schrader in the 32 -Yeley in the 37 (< from now on considered 'standard') -Leffler in the 49 (< ditto) -Vickers in the 55 -Kelly Bires in the 79 -Sorenson in the 91 -Speed in the 95 -McDowell back in the 98 (per Jayski) No Reutimann. 259. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 08.20.2012 - 7:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "If anything, this odd stomp off makes me wonder if something is going on we don't know about." I've been woundering that myself. This is just me, ever since 2010 when they *almost* lost the championship, i've noticed something it alittle bit off with the #48 crew. Jimmie and Chad usually during the 5 year run didn't get after each other but during that year they did and more the next year. And usually they show up the field once and in while with the statement "hello we are still here. You know the people who have kicked your butts last year?" They didn't do it much last year, and not so much this year. *Waring conspiracy theory alert* Perhaps Jeff Gordons attitude is effecting everyone. Jeff has been slower then pretty much then every HMS car this year (minus a few good runs) and couple with the fact that his luck this year has been well "bad" (understatement), it could just be getting to everyone. Jimmie could also be getting burned out. How long has he been near/at the top the mountain? 10-11 years now? Jimmie has tremendous drive but eventually it will get to you. I honestly have more to say but those are just a couple things could be happening. 260. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.20.2012 - 7:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Holy crap, the guy who directed Days of Thunder (and Top Gun) jumped off a bridge to commit suicide. Regardless your opinion of the movie, it brought a lot of attention to NASCAR and helped its growth as a mainstream sport. And some of the quotes are still epic. "Rubbin' is racin'" "Loose is fast and on the edge of out of control" "Since you have hit everything else, go hit the pace car" And my personal favorite: "If you're from California you're not a Yankee, you're not really anything" #isthereanygroupyouwontpickatDSFF 261. Talon64 posted: 08.20.2012 - 7:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Greg Biffle picks up his 18th career Sprint Cup Series victory and 2nd of 2012. Biffle now has exactly 2 wins in every even-numbered season he's competed full time in Cup (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012). In odd-numbered seasons he's gone 1-6-1-0-0. Biffle now has 10+ top 5's in a season for the 4th time in his career and first since 2009 (8+ in 6 of 10 seasons), and he's on pace for just his 2nd season with 20+ top 10's (21 in 2005). It's Biffle's 3rd win at Michigan (first since winning back-to-back in 2004 & 2005), tied with Homestead for his most at any track, and his 11th win at 1.5-to-2 mile intermediate tracks. His 9 top 5's and 12 top 10's at Michigan are also his most at any track (11.8 avg fin in 20 starts). It's Roush Racing's 12th win at Michigan but their first since Carl Edwards won in 2008. Brad Keselowski establishes a new career high with his 7th consecutive top 10 finish, which also ties Kasey Kahne for the longest top 10 streak in 2012. Keselowski finishes runner-up for a 2nd straight race and for the 4th time in his career. He has a 4.4 average finish over this stretch, despite a 16.4 average start. It's also Keselowski's 20th top 5 in 112 career Cup starts. Keselowski finishes in the top 3 for a 2nd straight August Michigan race, his only top 10's in 7 career starts there (18.3 avg fin). Kasey Kahne gets his 4th top 3 finish in the last 7 races, during which he ranks 2nd only to Brad Keselowski in points scored (1 win, 5 top 10's, 5.7 avg fin). Kahne now has 7+ top 5's for a 4th consecutive season, but is on track for his first season with at least 10 since 2006. Kahne's 7 top 5's at Michigan are tied with Charlotte for his most at any track. But it's just his 4th top 10 in the last 12 races there (3 top 5's, 18.7 average finish). Dale Earnhardt Jr. has 10+ top 5's in a season for the 5th time in 13 full seasons in Cup, the first time he's done it since his first season with Hendrick Motorsports back in 2008. He's on pace for 15-16 top 5's his most since a career-high 16 in 2004. In the 8 races since his Michigan win, Dale Jr. has four 4th place finishes and 3 finishes of 23rd or worse (14.25 avg fin). It's the first time Dale Jr.'s had back-to-back top 5 finishes at Michigan, and it's just his 6th top 5 in 27 starts there (10 top 10's, 14.8 avg fin). Marcos Ambrose records back-to-back top 5's (none in the first 21 races of 2012)and 3 straight top 10 finishes for the first time in his Cup career. Of his last 5 top 5 finishes (over his last 37 starts), two are wins and 3 are fifth place finishes. It's Ambrose's first top 5 in 9 Michigan starts, and after having no top 10's in his first 7 starts there (27.0 avg fin), Ambrose now has back-to-back top 10's. Carl Edwards picks up his 2nd top 10 in 4 races since Chad Norris became his new crew chief (12th most points over that span). However, after leading the series with 19 top 5's in 2011, Carl's now gone 18 straight races without a top 5 finish. It's the 2nd longest top 5 drought of his career (22 in a row between 2009 and 2010). Carl gets his 13th top 10 in 17 career Michigan starts, his most at any track (8.2 avg fin), but just his 3rd in the last 6 races (12.2 avg fin). After having just 1 top 10 in the previous 4 races, Clint Bowyer now has 3 top 10's in a row and is as high as he's been in the standings in 2012 in 7th. It's just his 6th top 10 at Michigan but his 4th straight. Ryan Newman finishes in the top 11 for a 6th consecutive race (5 top 10's, 7.8 average finish). After going the previous 13 straight Michigan races without a top 10, Ryan Newman now has 3 in the last 4 (8.5 avg fin). Paul Menard gets his first top 10 in 9 races, but he hasn't finished better than 9th in the last 20. It's just his 2nd top 10 in 13 Michigan starts (22.1 avg fin) but they've both come in the last 4 races. With his 4th consecutive top 10 finish (2nd streak of 4+ races this year), Martin Truex Jr. now has 13 in 2012 and needs just one more to tie his career high for a season (14). Since finishing 2nd in both Michigan races in 2006, Truex Jr. now has just 2 top 10's in the last 10 races (18.2 avg fin). Sam Hornish Jr. has back-to-back finishes of 12th or better for the first time in his Cup career. Travis Kvapil gets BK Racing their best career finish in 15th. 262. cjs3872 posted: 08.20.2012 - 8:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Okay, you'veall been waiting, so here's how the Chase would start using my weighted points system of three points per standings position in the top ten, with three points per win for top ten drivers after that with the standings as they are now (tie-breakers go to the driver higher in points): 1. Greg Biffle (points leader, 2 wins) 2036 (2030+6) 2. Matt Kenseth (second, 1 win) 2030 (2027+3) 3. Jimmie Johnson (fourth, 3 wins) 2030 (2021+9) 4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (third, 1 win) 2027 (2024+3) 5. Brad Keselowski (fifth, 3 wins) 2027 (2018+9) 6. Martin Truex, Jr. (sixth, no wins) 2015 7. Clint Bowyer (seventh, 1 win) 2015 (2012+3) 8. Tony Stewart (ninth, 3 wins) 2015 (2006+9) 9. Kevin Harvick (eighth, no wins) 2009 10. Denny Hamlin (10th, 2 wins) 2009 (2003+6) 11. Kasey Kahne (11th, 2 wins banked) 2000 12. Ryan Newman (13th, 1 win banked, gets tie-breaker due to higher points position) 2000 NOTE: Ryan Newman gets the second Chase spot due to being higher in points (13th) than Kyle Busch (14th), Jeff Gordon (16th), Marcos Ambrose (17th), and Joey Logano (18th). Also, it looks like a lot might change since the botom of the top ten seems to be coming back into play for drivers such as Kahne, Carl Edwards (12th in points, but winless), Newman, and maybe even Kyle Busch, as Hamlin and now Stewart, and even Kevin Harvick seem to be backing up to the drivers in 11th, 12th, and 13th in points. And if Edwards bumps Hamlin or Stewart out, or if Harvick gets knocked out of the top ten, the entire picture changes. There's even a possibility that Kahne may not be a sure thing for the Chase if Newman or Edwards knock Hamlin AND Stewart out of the top ten. And also keep in mind that most of the drivers in the bubble positions were involved in early wrecks in the spring race at Bristol, the next stop. In fact, Kahne, Edwards, Harvick, and Busch were all in the same wreck on just the 25th lap of the last Bristol race, and Gordon was involved in a crash later, so much can change just at Bristol, and there's a 500-mile race right after that, so as we saw at the end of the race at Michigan, anything could happen. 263. Cooper posted: 08.20.2012 - 8:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a great weekend at MIS. Race was 10X better than last year. There was more people by the way. Even though they tore down a section of seats. Fans were more involved and excited as well. When Jimmie blew up the crowd went nuts. Even Jimmie fans were celebrating for some reason. I was cheering for Brad so much. Him on restarts is an automatic loss. He would have had a better shot if Jimmie just pitted the car after losing his engine. After Jimmie Johnson, Brad K is next in line. Brad right now is the hottest driver in the sport. All of this success and Roger is switching manufacturers to play second fiddle. Unbelievable. 264. 10andJoe posted: 08.20.2012 - 8:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ I think that says a lot about Dodge's level of factory support, or lack therof. As I've pointed out before, both Whitney Motorsports and even K-Automotive, which had been a Dodge team from the beginning of time, switched away from Dodge to be bottom feeders at Ford and Chevrolet, instead of No. 3 team at Dodge. That says something right there. 265. murb posted: 08.20.2012 - 9:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It sounds like Shane Wilson is getting replaced by Gil Martin as the crew chief on the 29 car. I'm one of the few Harvick fans on the site here, so I am ecstatic about this. I thought it was a huge mistake that they replaced Gil at the end of last year. Him and Kevin always had this great chemistry together. So hopefully this will give that team a little shot of adrenaline going into the Chase. 266. Paul posted: 08.20.2012 - 9:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) After 23 races of doing next to nothing (it would be nothing if he wasn't in the Chase), Shane Wilson has been replaced as Kevin Harvick's crew chief. Ironically, he will be replaced by the very man that Kevin "couldn't do better than 3rd in the championship with," Gil Martin. This is great for that #29 team, though I question thr timing of this change so close to the Chase. If anything, this move should've happened over a month ago, or better yet never happened at all. I guess finishing behind Travis Kvapil and almost getting beat by David Gilliland was the last straw in Harvick and/or Childress' eyes. Hopefully RC has learned not to rely on Harvick to make decisions for his team anymore. 267. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.20.2012 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Amen Paul. I don't know why Kevin wanted a change. With Gil he had by far his best back to back seasons in Cup. 268. RaceFanX posted: 08.20.2012 - 11:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tony Scott was the Hollywood director who teammed with actor Tom Cruise in 1989-1990 to make the NASCAR-themed blockbuster 'Days of Thunder.' At the exact same time this race was being run, about 3:30 EST and 12:30 PST, Scott jumped to his death off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles. R.I.P. Tony. 269. 18fan posted: 08.20.2012 - 11:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) We'll see if the problem with the 29 team was the Harvick/Wilson combo or if the Childress cars are really that bad this year. 270. Mr X posted: 08.21.2012 - 12:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Okay, as promised here are the current standings under the points system I created, which I last showed to you guys on last weeks Watkins Glen cup series comments page, comment #272. Top 15 as of MIS-Race #23 Driver-Points Total-Bonus Points-(Difference) 1. Greg Biffle-25916-348-(Leader) 2. Jimmie Johnson-25653-577-(-263) 3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.-25198-226-(-718) 4. Matt Kenseth-25082-278-(-834) 5. Brad Keselowski-24469-261-(-1447) 6. Clint Bowyer-23600-128-(-2316) 7. Martin Truex Jr.-23562-214-(-2354) 8. Tony Stewart-23238-246-(-2678) 9. Denny Hamlin-22960-332-(-2956) 10. Kevin Harvick-22504-64-(-3412) 11. Kasey Kahne-22101-105-(-3815) WC1 12. Carl Edwards-21163-91-(-4753) 13. Kyle Busch-21063-399-(-4853) WC2 14. Ryan Newman-20928-4-(-4988) 15. Jeff Gordon-20029-185-(-5887) 271. Bronco posted: 08.21.2012 - 5:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Keselowski is just trying to get in the heads of the Hendrick drivers. Nothing more than a little gamesmanship. I don't think it will work but it's worth a shot." I know, that's exactly what he's doing and which why I can't respect him or anyone else for doing that. Just shut up and drive your car. Surprised that it isn't Burton that's getting a new crew chief, for the second year in a row he's going to finish out as the lowest ranked driver on his team. He's 99 points behind Paul Menard currently(!). 272. Jordan posted: 08.21.2012 - 9:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm pretty sure neither Earnhardt Sr. nor Jimmie Johnson have ever whined that the opponents are cheating. And those two are in an altogether different class than Brad, because if the opponents did cheat they would just make it up on the track. For that matter, I've never heard the Busch brothers whine about cheating either... 273. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.21.2012 - 11:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson can't accuse anybody of cheating with the long rap sheet his team has. 274. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.21.2012 - 11:57 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) And Brad is saying they are living on that edge that could go either way as to being considered cheating or not. Not only is he trying to get in HMS' head, he is trying to get NASCAR's attention. And Earnhardt might not have accused anyone of cheating, he often made public comments about NASCAR allowing other manufacturers to have advantages the Chevrolet's didn't. In a roundabout way, that is what Brad is doing. 275. Scott B posted: 08.21.2012 - 11:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Sr. may not have whined about cheating, but he certainly did everything he could to get inside a rival driver's head. It is part of the sport, both pre-race and on the track to keep the other guy off his A-game. 276. Baker posted: 08.21.2012 - 12:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anyone accessing Hendrick of cheating is more than likely right. They have been the scum of NASCAR for 15+ years. Off topic, I was watching the 2002 Daytona 500 last night, does anyone else miss Ward Burton? 277. Smiff_99 posted: 08.21.2012 - 12:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I miss Ward Burton every single weekend. 278. cjs3872 posted: 08.21.2012 - 12:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And Baker, the thing about that 2002 Daytona 500 was the teams that finished up front. You had Bill Davis Racing winning with Ward Burton, the Wood Brothers finishing second with Elliott Sadler, and Phoenix Racing finishing third with Geoff Bodine. None of those ever were, or currently are high dollar teams, and yet they finished 1-2-3 in that race. The only major race that even comes close to that would be the 2011 Daytona 500, with the Wood Brothers winning with Trevor Bayne, Front Row Motorsports finishing third with David Gilliland, JTG-Daugherty finishing fourth with Bobby Labonte, and each of the top 13 finishers being represented by a different team. And of course, those two races also have something else in common, and that's a winner that will probably be nothing more than a footnote in the sport's history, though it was Burton's second crown jewel win (the other being the 2001 Southern 500), Burton only won one other time after that, and it was a win inherited because of a flat tire Matt Kenseth had late, and Bayne may never win again at NASCAR's highest level, though it's still WAY too early to judge that. I just think that Bayne may never see a top ride because the number of good cars are dwindling, and there's another crop of drivers coming up. Bayne's best chance was the #22 Penske car, but that's apparently going to Joey Logano next year, and I see him possibly out of the sport within three years if nothing happens for next year, other than what he has currently, which would make Bayne's 2011 Daytona 500 win the ultimate one-time win. 279. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.21.2012 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The 2002 Daytona 500 makes me think of both Ward and Sterling. Those were two tremendous personalities that the sport misses dearly. They were not vanilla marketing machines (think Gordon or Johnson) but they also weren't jerks most of the time (think the Busch Boys). That is what we miss. And not just because they are Southern (although their respective accents certainly added to their charm). Mid Westerners like Tim Richmond, Rusty Wallace, and Ken Schrader also brought great personalities that are dearly missed. On another topic, anyone think Jeff Gordon is really feeling like he has lost most of his currency within HMS which, as recently as 2003, clearly saw him as its top dog. Now, with JJ eclipsing him historically, Rick tending to each and every one of Dale Jr's many needs (no wonder Big E sent him to military school, he probably just needed a break from the little bastard), and the Kahne/Francis combo really starting to bear fruit, Jeff might be on the complete ass end of the company's priorities now, something that may not change for a while. As for JJ, I also wonder if he is feeling the "Dale Jr Effect". Is he thinking "um Rick, I am on the inside track to to delivering you your 6th Cup title in 7 years, all courtesy of this 48 team, and you are more concerned with the team that has 2 wins a solid 4 years apart". 280. cjs3872 posted: 08.21.2012 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, there might be another factor in Jeff Gordon's malaise this year. Remember that at Daytona, Alan Gustafson, Jef Gordon's crew chief, had some not-so-kind comments about Chad Knaus when that whole thing about the aerodynamic rule infraction came down. Gustafson was the only mamber of HMS to speak his mind about Knaus. Sine then, his cars have been about 3 MPH off the pace of the other Hendrick cars on the high-speed tracks this year, a margin that seems to be increasing by the race. And now there's this thing about how the HMS cars are being set up, with the greater amount of offset and now the issue about moving parts. I wonder if Gustafson is, either not getting access to this, or just flat refusing to run those setups because he believes these setups are illiegal, and if that's the case, maybe that's why Gordon's so far off the pace of his Hendrick teammates on the high-speed tracks, but equal to, if not better than them on some of the other tracks. Rusty Wallace has been saying that Gordon's not paying as much attention to what's going on and that he seems to be, in Rusty's opinion, too relaxed. I don't see it that way at all. I just see that he's doing the best he can, but the fact is that his cars are about 3 MPH slower than that of his teammates, and he's also had four engine failures this year, and six engine failures in the last 10 months, going back to last year. Even in the race he won at Pocono, which will go down as the flukiest win of his career, his car was 3 MPH slower than his teammates. We saw what he could still do when he had a car at least as equal as his teammates last year. His was the best of the HMS cars from about the one-third mark of the season through about race 28. Gordon's just horribly down on speed this year, and I wonder if some of this has to do with Gustafson's comments about Knaus at Daytona this year. 281. Paul posted: 08.21.2012 - 6:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I wonder if Gustafson is, either not getting access to this, or just flat refusing to run those setups because he believes these setups are illegal" If that's the case, I've gained some respect for Gustafson for playing within the realms of the rules. Brad Keselowski's been getting a lot of heat for accusing HMS of cheating (which is like accusing Dale Jr. of being lazy; neither are discussed, but both are true), but he may be onto something when he says that. If three Hendrick cars are running top 5 all day on the high speed tracks while the other car, being driven by a 4-time champion and 86-time winner, is struggling to stay in the top 10 or 15, I'd be suspicious too. And the fact that nothing's changed since the start of the season, with the 24 still the slowest car in the HMS stable and possible tension between Alan Gustafson and both Chad Knaus and Kenny Francis, I'd say Brad definitely has a point, albeit indirectly since he was accusing the 48 of cheating when it's possible that the 5 and 88 are as well. 282. 10andJoe posted: 08.21.2012 - 6:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Meanwhile, buried on page 5 (as it were), Aaron Fike has completed the Road to Recovery program and had his competition license reinstated by NASCAR. 283. 10andJoe posted: 08.21.2012 - 6:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ...while the #18 team has been socked 25 grand for loose weight during Saturday's practice. 284. Jordan posted: 08.21.2012 - 6:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm not sure if the Aaron Fike news really matters. At absolute best, he'll get a few start-and-parks for a truck team, and that's if he's lucky. He's got to be considered damaged goods at this point. 285. Chevy Driver, Roush Fan posted: 08.21.2012 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Best race all season. Very competitive, my driver wins, my home track, and a lot of guys I don't like had problems. That about does it for me. Also, one last thing: RIP Tony Scott, director of my all time favorite movie, Days Of Thunder. 286. Bronco posted: 08.21.2012 - 7:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Brad Keselowski's been getting a lot of heat for accusing HMS of cheating (which is like accusing Dale Jr. of being lazy; neither are discussed, but both are true), but he may be onto something when he says that." Quoted for fail. How is Dale Jr a "lazy" driver, when he's in been top 5 in points the entire season and led the points as recently as two weeks ago? "If three Hendrick cars are running top 5 all day on the high speed tracks while the other car, being driven by a 4-time champion and 86-time winner, is struggling to stay in the top 10 or 15, I'd be suspicious too." There's no conspiracy theory here. Each year 3 HMS cars are up to speed and run well, while the 4th is plagued with mechanical issues and just plain slow cars. What's happening to Gordon now is now different than what happened to Mark Martin last year, Dale Jr from 2009-2010. Like I said before, it would be nice if Brad wasn't such an attention whore to mouth off about different topics in order to make a few headlines. Danica will run Bristol next week. Place bets on how many laps down the #10 will finish. If she doesn't get wrecked, I'll go with 8 laps down. 287. JG24FanForever posted: 08.21.2012 - 7:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "You know for someone that has won 5 Spring Cup Titles and been as successful as Jimmie Johnson he could have at least stayed around and talked to the media. That was real unclassy and very uncalled for. Like him blowing his engine was really going to cost him this year or take titles away from him." He's never won Michigan. These drivers don't go to every event thinking "Championship" they want to win every race, because that's what racing's really about. and why should he be grateful when he's as close as he was to winning Michigan for the first time, than his engine detonates and he still doesn't have a win here. He was well within his rights to walk off without giving an interview to the Media Vultures. 288. Baker posted: 08.21.2012 - 8:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, you can't forget one of my favorite NASCAR personalities ever Bobby Hamilton! It's a shame corporate spinsters have ruined such a great sport. 289. Jim Davis posted: 08.21.2012 - 8:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He was well within his rights to walk off without giving an interview to the Media Vultures." Johnson (and Kyle Busch the week before) were well within their rights but these episodes won't sit well with their sponsors. The media may well be vultures but they were giving Johnson and Busch golden opportunities to praise their sponsors to a national audience. Both passed them up. This was out of character for Johnson but Busch has to be trying the patience of the folks at M&M/Mars. 290. Benjamin Lowe posted: 08.21.2012 - 8:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wonder If Rick Hendrick will ever see Dale Jr for what he truly is and that is an albatross that may sink his team. 291. cjs3872 posted: 08.21.2012 - 8:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Now Paul, it's not like Alan Gustafson hasn't gone toward the edge of the rulebook before, but the only two infractions I can remember him being involved with had to do with the rear suspension (spring rate) and ride height in the rear of the car being too high. He was caught at Las Vegas in 2005 and was told that, although he was within the rules at the fall race at Dover in 2009, he was barely within the rules. His car finished second to Jimmie Johnson on both occasions, and in the case of the incident at Dover in 2009, Gustafson backed off his suspension setups, while Knaus pressed onward, and that may have made a big difference in that year's championship battle betwen those two teams. When Gustafson pushes the rules, he has pushed them within the rulebook, as of now, but Knaus has gone over the line of the rulebook countless times, which was the basis of Gustafson's comments at Daytona in February. But he was the only man within HMS to speak out against Knaus. However, while there seems to be a rift between Gustafson and Knaus, and appears to have been one for numerous years, your comment is the first I've heard about a rift in the 24 and 5 teams since Kenny Francis and Kasey Kahne came over this year, but it wouldn't surprise me, since Francis has never been known to share information with the other crew chiefs within the organization he's been working for, no matter which organization it's been. And that philosophy is the exact opposite from what Gustafson has been used to at HMS. 292. Eric posted: 08.21.2012 - 9:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't see Aaron Fike being in any ride for Trucks, Nationwide or cup. He admitted to being while high on heroin while he was racing including getting a top 5 at Memphis in 2007. No race team would consider hiring him after admitting doing something like that. What Fike did was a big no-no in racing because him put competitors at risk by racing while high on drugs. 293. Paul posted: 08.21.2012 - 9:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cjs, I believe that the lack of information sharing between the 5 and 24 teams has caused a rift between Gustafson and Francis. It seems like wherever Kenny Francis goes, the team(s) from the same organization suffer. Such examples include Jeremy Mayfield's 2006 season after making the Chase the previous two seasons and Brian Vickers' 2011 season after making the Chase in '09 (he missed most of 2010 due to health reasons). I'd include several teams during the GEM and RPM years ('07-'10), but honestly, I don't know which teams may have been affected by him and which were affected by the organization itself. Bronco, I stand by what I said about Junior being lazy. Sure, he isn't lazy now, but he wasn't from '98 to '04 and again in '06 either. It's all about who he's got in his ear. When he had his father and uncle Tony Eury Sr. around him, he wouldn't allow himself to get phased for fear of getting his ass whipped. What after he no longer had those two in his ear, he allowed himself to become lazy by just sliding by. Whether it was having weak crew chiefs like Pete Rondeau, Tony Eury Jr., and Lance McGrew, or an owner who re-signed him because "he liked him," Junior hasn't been pushed enough the last five years. Thankfully for him, he's got Steve Letarte now who knows how to communicate with him and keep him focused during a race, which I think is the main reason why he's been performing better the last two years than he has the previous four combined. One more thing, you mentioned about there always being one Hendrick car being slower than the rest. Well if that's the case (and I'm not saying it isn't), then Junior performed even less in Hendrick's #3 car in 2009, when his teammates finished 1-2-3 in the standings, than Brian Vickers and Casey Mears did in Hendrick's #4 car from 2004-2008. The sad thing though is that Junior has more talent than both of them, and yet he competed for as many wins in his first 3 years at Hendrick as they did (ironically, each win by the three of them were either fuel mileage or involved wrecking the leaders, not because they had a dominant car). Not only that, but Junior finished lower in the standings in '09 (25th) than both Vickers (9th, driving for Red Bull; a team in its 3rd year in NASCAR) and Mears (21st, driving in RCR's 4th car; the first year RCR ran 4 cars). And you can't blame a lack of speed for Junior losing to Mears because Junior had more top 5s and 10s in superior equipment to Mears, and he still finished 4 spots lower in the points. I'm happy that he's found his edge again and is a contender for the championship, but I still believe that he's capable of falling back into the same rut he was in the past five years. 294. Paul posted: 08.21.2012 - 9:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think there might be hope for Aaron Fike because he did show that he did have talent, running pretty well for Red Horse Racing back when they were only in their 3rd season. Granted, he'll probably have to do some start-and-parks at first in order to prove he still has speed and is willing to humble himself as a driver, which he seems to have done for himself as a person. Of course, he'll need a ride first, but if he gets one, I wouldn't be surprised if we see him stick around for a while. And hey, if he could finish 5th in a race where he was high, who knows what he's capable of doing... (I kid because I care) 295. Daniel posted: 08.21.2012 - 10:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) -Michael McDowell now listed in the #98 296. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.21.2012 - 11:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Junior is a very talented but very unfocused and unmotivated driver. Every now and then he will find motivation and show what he is truly capable of. The 2010 Daytona Busch race when he was driving the #3 Wrangler car. He didn't have the best car but smartly maneuvered his way to the front when it mattered cause he didn't want to disappoint in that car. The Fall Atlanta race saw his team make an extremely boneheaded decision not to give him tires. Yet he drove for all he was worth and somehow got a Top 5 out of it in perhaps his greatest driving performance in his entire NASCAR career. And this year he has been motivated for the most part by HMS' supercars. But overall he leaves a lot on the racetrack. A LOT. As for Aaron Fike, what may ultimately hold him back is the drug he was caught with: heroin. That is pretty much the most hardcore of hardcore drugs. First off, you don't just wake up one day and say "Hmmm, think I'll try some heroin today". You have to work your way up to that. Secondly, it isn't a drug like Meth that any trailer park white trash dipshit can make in their bathtub, and you can't find it on every street corner like crack/cocaine. Heroin is for advanced druggies. Those who are in deep. I am usually for second chances, but he would concern me. Of course, then again, he also finished Top 5 in a race after shooting up earlier in the day (at Memphis '07, or as we know it now, The Race That Launched Brad Keselowski's Big Time NASCAR Career On An Upward Trajectorary That Is Still Rising). So if he can do that under the influence of a narcotic (which depresses your senses), who knows what he could do while straight. 297. Paul posted: 08.22.2012 - 12:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "or as we know it now, The Race That Launched Brad Keselowski's Big Time NASCAR Career On An Upward Trajectorary That Is Still Rising" Thank goodness for Ted Musgrave losing his cool a week earlier and getting parked that week for slamming Kelly Bires into the wall under caution. Who knows when, or if, Brad would've gotten his chance to prove himself in NASCAR. "Junior is a very talented but very unfocused and unmotivated driver." How ironic that it was for Junior's team that Brad had his first shot at a full-time ride in competitive equipment in NASCAR. Luckily, neither of those negative traits rubbed off on Brad during his 2.5 years at JR Motorsports. 298. Paul posted: 08.22.2012 - 12:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Does anybody know when Fike entered NASCAR's "Road to Recovery" program? He was suspended in July 2007, and since then I only know of his interview with ESPN and heard he was racing sprint cars as recent as 2008. And you're right about heroin possibly derailing any possible comeback, DSFF. The fact that he was using it daily means that he'd been on it for awhile and probably been using drugs for years prior. In fact, I read today that he had been addicted to painkillers for six years before he started using heroin. Also in somewhat related news, NASCAR's latest suspended driver has been scratched from the upcoming video game NASCAR The Game: Inside Line. Early screenshots showed that A.J. Allmendinger would be in the game in the #22 car, but just today they released a photo of the car with Sam Hornish Jr.'s name on the car. I find this a little odd because Shane Hmiel was suspended in May 2005 for a far worse drug suspension, yet he was still in the video game that came out four months later. I'd imagine Allmendinger's lost a lot of money in the past month and a half, and this only adds to that amount. 299. Jordan posted: 08.22.2012 - 1:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Apparently Fike entered last summer. 300. Jordan posted: 08.22.2012 - 1:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Then there was the 2010 phone call with his mother, a conversation -- and turning point -- that he better appreciates now he is a parent of a seven-month old little girl. Fike checked himself into a treatment facility, but in a cruel twist, faced more struggles when he became dependent on the drugs prescribed to treat the heroin addiction. It was a tortuous cycle, but one he finally broke. He said his girlfriend -- the mother of his child -- also successfully underwent treatment to stop the drug use. After completing an inpatient rehabilitation program on his own, Fike was sober for almost a full year before he contacted NASCAR about participating in the Road to Recovery program last summer. NASCAR.com 301. Ryan posted: 08.22.2012 - 1:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 'Jimmie Johnson, your motor blew up with just four laps to go...what's it feel like knowing that you're leaving here at Michigan without a win yet again?" You have a point that he doesn't have to give anybody an interview.' He owes it to the fans to talk, without them he doesn't get to drive for money every Sunday. 'even though he (Dale, Sr.) was the dirtiest driver in the sport's history, he really isn't remembered that way' Lol, wowâ?¦ So he liked to bump and run at short tracks for people that was slow and wouldn't move out of the way. Give me a break. There were many drivers before him that were dirty as _ _ _ _ 'If anything, this odd stomp off makes me wonder if something is going on we don't know about.' Very interesting to say the least, maybe Gordon and Johnson feel that Rick is doing whatever it takes for Jr. to win it this year. Maybe it's something at home, or maybe just maybe it could be that Johnson's Texas sized ego is getting the better of him nowâ?¦ I think with the way things are going for Gordon and it really is hard to believe this after his amazing years that he had from '95-2004 and '07 that he might be on his way out at Hendrick. Who would have ever thought that? This guy was well on his way to 100 wins at one time. From '95-'99 he won about 46-47 races and was on the top of the Nascar world for a couple of years after that. Evernham left in '99, Johnson arrives about the time he has his divorce, then the 88 and the 5 later on. It's safe to say for right now that he could be last on the priority list at Hendrick and that is unbelievable. I really think his days are numbered, and the break up is near. Crazy. Let me ask this... Who is the person out there that Rick considers closest to a son and who is the person that Jr. probably feels is the closest he has to a father? I think Rick is content with doing whatever it takes for Jr. to be competitive. 302. Ryan posted: 08.22.2012 - 1:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think with the way things are going for Gordon and it really is hard to believe this after his amazing years that he had from '95-2004 and '07 that he might be on his way out at Hendrick. Who would have ever thought that? This guy was well on his way to 100 wins at one time. From '95-'99 he won about 46-47 races and was on the top of the Nascar world for a couple of years after that. Evernham left in '99, Johnson arrives about the time he has his divorce, then the 88 and the 5 later on. It's safe to say for right now that he could be last on the priority list at Hendrick and that is unbelievable. I really think his days are numbered, and the break up is near. Crazy. Let me ask this... Who is the person out there that Rick considers closest to a son and who is the person that Jr. probably feels is the closest he has to a father? I think Rick is content with doing whatever it takes for Jr. to be competitive. 303. Benjamin Lowe posted: 08.22.2012 - 7:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Jr is nothing more then a spoiled rich kid. He is completely unmotivated and untalented He isn't even qualified to be serving food at a fast food restaurant much less driving a race car. How he still has a job is beyond me. 304. A-Frame43 posted: 08.22.2012 - 7:57 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Benjamin Lowe; you must hate Jr. a lot if you can't look beyond your narrow-minded views to see why Junior still has a job. Ryan and cjs, you sure have vivid imaginations and that's all I'll say. 305. David posted: 08.22.2012 - 10:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just in: Paul Menard's team could be busted big time for irregularities in the frame rails. 306. cjs3872 posted: 08.22.2012 - 10:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ryan, I said before this season even started that Gordon would be last on the priority list for HMS, but that I thought he'd make the Chase because of how he still is, and he would be in position to make the Chase, despite how slow he's been, if not for freakishly bad luck and four blown engines. I based this on the fact that Hendrick had two priorities before this season started. One was to get Dale, Jr. back in victory lane and the other was to get his flagship car (the #5 that HMS began with in 1984) back up front, and you knew that the #48 was his #1 car. So based on that alone, I figured that the #24 team was going to have an off year, but the freakishly bad luck, combined with all of Gordon's engine problems, was totally unexpected. And although the lack of speed of the #24 was not unexpected, the fact that it's so far off the pace (about 2-3 MPH at almost all high-speed tracks) is another surprise. But I don't think Gordon's on his way to being forced out, especially with the lack of quality teams and cars today. Let's remember that last year, Greg Biffle was having similar problems at Roush because one of Roush's priorities last year was to get his flagship car, the #6, back among the leaders, which he did, but it came at Biffle's expense. Now that the #6 is gone this year, we see what's happened with Biffle. He's having his best season since 2005 and is now leading the points by half a race over Matt Kenseth, and you know that with Kenseth not coming back and Carl Edwards still in that hangover from last year, ALL of Roush's focus will be on getting Biffle the championship. This same thing happened to Tony Stewart in 2008 when Joe Gibbs hired Kyle Busch to bring his flagship car, the #18, back up front and Stewart, a 2-time champion with well over 30 wins at the time, paid the price. Stewart struggled throughout the 2008 season, winning only once, and he didn't even cross the finish line first in that race, but won due to a 1-lap penalty given to Regan Smith for passing on the apron at the finish. Otherwise, Stewart would have gone winless in 2008, the year that Gibbs decided to not put any emphasis on the #20 car, which makes one wonder what happens over there if Matt Kenseth does, in fact, go to the #20 car. Which driver suffers? Will it be Busch or Denny Hamlin that feels the effects? I think we'll see Gordon run better next year, and probably win some races, but 2012 for Hendrick Motorsports has been all about getting Dale, Jr. back in weekly contention and getting the flagship car back to victory lane and in contention. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Gordon won a fourth Daytona 500 next year. 307. cjs3872 posted: 08.22.2012 - 10:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) If that's true David, RCR picked a terrible time to do something to the frame, considering Mark Martin's crash into the end of that wall on pit road. Fudging something in that area is a no-no anyway (teammate Jeff Burton was once DQ'd before a race at Richmond for a cockpit safety infraction), but after what happened at Michigan with Mark Martin, you know that NASCAR is not going to tolerate anything in that area. 308. David posted: 08.22.2012 - 10:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^Good post cjs. I so badly hope that Jeff at least makes the Chase this year. But it looks unlikely at this point. 309. Scott B posted: 08.22.2012 - 11:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just heard about the frame rail investigation. If this involves anything that could be considered a safety issue the penalties will be big... really big... compared to a violation that just gives a team a competitive advantage. I'm curious what they had going on under the #27. 310. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.22.2012 - 11:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Heroin is a son of a bitch. Not only is it HIGHLY addictive drug (even among illicit drugs, all of which are highly addictive) the detox program, as happened to Aaron, also produces a highly addictive result. Thank the Good Lord that Aaron appears to have come through and I hooope he is able to stay clean. Most heroin addicts either wind up ODing or committing suicide (Kurt Cobain). Paul, you are right about wondering how Brad's career would have gone were it not for Ted's suspension and his one off chance. That is why I initially jumped on the Brad K wagon. He had been driving cars for his family's Truck team and Keith Coleman's NWide team, none of which were very good, then took this one chance and ran exceptionally well and handled getting spun out in the end with incredible grace. I wanted to see him take his good opportunity and take it all the way to the top, and sure enough he has (he had a little hiccup in his transition to Penske with a horrible first season in 2010, but that looks to be the best thing that could have happened to him). Along the way, his attitude really won me over. Do I agree with everything he says? Nope. But I respect his stance. 311. Baker posted: 08.22.2012 - 12:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) When Brad first started winning and making waves he acted like another spoiled little brat. I don't see how that attitude won you over. He was no different that Busch, Hamlin or Edwards. The difference and what has won me over is how he grew up. You always here about the new Kyle or new Kurt, but only one guy in. NASCAR has really grown up the last few years and it's been Keselowski. He matured as a driver and off the track. I understand why you'd be a fan now, but when he first started winning he tried his best to be unlikable. 312. Spen posted: 08.22.2012 - 3:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I missed this earlier. Bronco: "Hard to believe that Kevin Harvick is where he is in points now and is on track to make the Chase with a mediocre season so far. He hasn't led since Charlotte, hasn't had a top 5 since Dover and has been invisible the whole year except Phoenix. Finishing behind Travis Kvapil and barely ahead of David Gilliland has got to be embarassing. He is by far the weakest driver in the top 10 now." Totally agree. However, he's got a better average finish, top ten percentage, top five percentage and lead lap total than Junior had going into the chase last year. So while it's weak for this season, it's still better than some chase seasons I could name. DSFF: Heroin freaks me out too. I lost my big sister to it in '95. 313. Talon64 posted: 08.22.2012 - 4:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Thank goodness for Ted Musgrave losing his cool a week earlier and getting parked that week for slamming Kelly Bires into the wall under caution. Who knows when, or if, Brad would've gotten his chance to prove himself in NASCAR." I bet Bronco's cursing Ted Musgrave's name as I type this. Considering I've been a Tony Stewart fan ever since he came to the Cup Series, these little moments of Brad Keselowski speaking his mind are nothing to me. lol btw, the #27 RCR team got nailed hard by NASCAR for intentionally modifying the frame rails to fool NASCAR's gauges. 25 driver & owners points, $100k fine, Slugger Labbe and the car chief are suspended until October 3rd. I guess RCR's cheating in Nationwide has caught on to the Cup side. 314. Bronco posted: 08.22.2012 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul Menard's massive penalty means that RCR teams have now been penalized four teams through only 2/3 of the 2012 season for various infractions. 1) The #2 NW team was docked 6 points after the May Iowa race for an unapproved nose. 2) The #3 NW team was docked 6 points after winning Kentucky for a height infraction. 3) The very next week, the #3 NW team started the Daytona race from the back after their qualifying time was disallowed for a shock violation, again they were docked 6 points. 4) The #27 Cup team takes a massive hit after losing 25 points for modifications done to the frame rails of the car. 315. cjs3872 posted: 08.22.2012 - 6:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, I think the guys that were suspended on the #27 team got away lightly if you ask me. I know I would have suspended them for the rest of the year, especially in light of Mark Martin's crash Sunday. The monetary fine of about $100,000 and the loss of 25 driver and owner points is minor, considering that Menard wasn't going to make the Chase anyway, even if he had won one of the three remaining races prior to the Chase. But the three parties that were suspended, should have been set down for the rest of the year. The reason has to do with the compromise in safety, not any potential advantage they maight have gotten. I also wonder that since Menard is sponsored by his father's multi-million dollar corporation, how this may effect future sponsorship of Childress, should John Menard be so upset that the safety of his son was compromised, that he would pull backing from Childress. Remember that Menard has gone through tragic moments, as well. Remember that 3-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet, Sr. had his feet crushed in a practice crash at Indy in 1992 (ironic, since he hardly ever crashed) and Scott Brayton was killed at Indy while driving for John Menard in 1996. Of all the drivers he has in his operation other than his two grandsons, why would, and how could Childress ever allow anyone to compromise with the safety of the one driver that brings millions in sponsorship dollars for the entire organization? That makes no sens to me. If I was Childress, I would fire everyone that was suspended in this case, because of the possible ramifications to his organization. 316. David posted: 08.22.2012 - 6:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Top 25 in the Standings using my Points System: 1. Jimmie Johnson - 1006 2. Greg Biffle - 948 3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - 909 4. Brad Keselowski - 904 5. Matt Kenseth - 902 6. Denny Hamlin - 843 7. Tony Stewart - 826 8. Clint Bowyer - 797 9. Kasey Kahne - 785 10. Martin Truex, Jr. - 762 11. Kyle Busch - 704 (WC1) 12. Kevin Harvick - 677 13. Jeff Gordon - 655 (WC2) 14. Carl Edwards - 637 15. Ryan Newman - 628 16. Marcos Ambrose - 560 17. Joey Logano - 510 18. Paul Menard - 474 19. Jeff Burton - 433 20. Jamie McMurray - 426 21. Mark Martin - 394 22. Juan Pablo Montoya - 373 23. Aric Almirola - 367 24. A.J. Allmendinger - 315 25. Regan Smith - 311 All penalties have been factored in accordingly. 317. murb posted: 08.22.2012 - 7:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This modified race is like a demo derby. 318. David posted: 08.22.2012 - 8:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Could someone tell me how the heck NASCAR came up with 97 as their "magic number" for clinching an automatic Chase berth? 319. Anonymous posted: 08.22.2012 - 8:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #315 What makes you think they compromised the frame rails and Paul's safety? The penalty, from what I read, was modifying them to trick NASCAR inspection gauges, and that it might have been related to the RFID chips that NASCAR uses to ensure the chassis is not modified past specs. 320. Jordan posted: 08.22.2012 - 8:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've been thinking all along that it's at least "possible" that Kenseth has been so quiet about his decision all along because going to Gibbs is not the sure thing everyone expects. You would think official word would already be out if that was the case. My instinct ever since Roush talked about him going to the "dark side" is that he's replacing Gordon at Hendrick. Sure Roush may be a xenophobe, but I think it's fair to say his team's biggest rival since inception has been Hendrick. And it's strange to hear Gordon talking and the fact that he seems to be the odd man out at Hendrick, and his recent frustrations are only making it even stranger. I think he's planning to retire at the end of this year but doesn't want the big scene of a retirement tour (or tours, since we have seen at least one driver named Mark Martin try that). Gordon's a family man at this point and with his charities and such, he has a lot to deal with off the track and I don't think his heart's really in the weekly grind anymore. Also, Gibbs needs sponsors if they want to run 4 cars. They would be completely moronic to already have Kenseth hired and not use the hype of an announcement to attract sponsors. Even if you give Kenseth the Home Depot deal, it still boosts the marketing profile of the entire organization to bring that level of a driver in. 321. 18fan posted: 08.22.2012 - 8:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The thing about the lack of an announcement from Kenseth is that he cannot contractually make an announcement until a certain date, which I believe is toward the end of August. 322. Eric posted: 08.22.2012 - 8:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I am watching the truck race. This is not the old Bristol. I saw trucks were able to go three wide at least a couple times. The track doesn't look like a single groove track to me either. 323. cjs3872 posted: 08.22.2012 - 8:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Did you not see Mark Martin's wreck, Anonymous (#315)? It's pretty obvious that they compromised the safety onf the side of that car, even if that wasn't what was intended. Anything that a team does to the chassis, especially the frame area has the effect of compromising safety, whether it was intended or not. And David, NASCAR came up with 97 as the magic number to clinch for an obvious reason. You can gain or lose as much as 48 points (the amount you get for winning and leading the most laps) in a given race. 48 (the maximum number of points that can be gained) multplied by 2 (the number of races prior to the Chase cutoff after Bristol) plus 1 equals 97. That's assuming the drivers that could clinch don't start the last two races prior to the Chase. If they do, the magic number becomes 95. 324. murb posted: 08.22.2012 - 8:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jordan, with all due respect, that post sounds like something Jimmy Spencer would say. First of all, it's well known that Jack Roush hates Toyota. He's hated them ever since they came into Nascar. So to me, when he says "darkside" that's exactly what it means. Speaking of Jack Roush, he's probably the reason why Kenseth's deal hasn't been announced yet. Kenseth already has a deal with JGR to go to the 20 car with Home Depot and Dollar General. Pretty much every insider in the sport has reported this. I'm pretty sure he had the deal in place before he even told Jack he was leaving. So I think Jack made him agree to this confidentiality agreement or something that made it so Matt can't announce his plans until a certain time. At least that's what I have heard. It completely fits in with Jack's ability to be butthurt over things like this. But there is pretty much no doubt that Matt will be in the 20 car. As for Jeff Gordon, there is no way in hell that Rick Hendrick is going to cut ties with him. Ever. Rick sees Jeff almost as a son. Plus, Jeff has stated multiple times that he is motivated to win in front of his kids. He's said that he wants his kids to experience his success first hand. I'll give you credit though, that is one hell of a conspiracy theory, lol. 325. murb posted: 08.22.2012 - 8:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It doesn't look like the old Bristol, but it still seems way better than the last Bristol. 326. cjs3872 posted: 08.22.2012 - 9:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Eric, while it's not the "old" Bristol (which I think is a good thing), the racing groove has narrowed to 2-2 and a half grooves because they can't run next to the wall. Let's remember that with the lower horsepower of the modifieds, trucks, and Nationwide cars we'll see on Friday, it's actually better on the high groove. Now for the Cup race, it might be a different story. But there's no worse thing than cautions coming out every 15-30 laps because of wrecks caused by the fact that the only way to pass is to knock the guy in front of you out of the way. I think I've said it before, but that's like a caution coming out every 6-10 laps at a place like Daytona, or 8-12 laps where they were last week, at Michigan, or about every 10-15 laps at Atlanta, where they'll be next week. I prefer a track where you can race, but a tighter one on short tracks, as well, but still one you can race on. The Bristol prior to the 2007 reconfiguration was one you couldn't race on, but they overdid it when they did the first reconfiguration. A two-groove track at Bristol is the right way to go, as long as one lane does not have a big advantage over the other, and that was the big problem with the first reconfiguration five years ago. The upper groove had an insane advantage. If they can get where the two lines are equal, you'd have great racing with each line having an equal chance to prevail. I think Martinsville is starting to get back to that, as well, race-by-race. Of course, they're going 40-50 MPH faster at Bristol, hence the need for a two-groove track, because nerfing someone to get by will most likely put him out of the race completely. 327. David posted: 08.22.2012 - 9:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Boy, am I stupid. I knew that!!!! 328. David posted: 08.22.2012 - 9:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Let me clarify my idiocy. I kept dividing the "magic number" by 3 instead of 2. I was a race off. That was a total brain dead moment. 329. Benjamin Lowe posted: 08.22.2012 - 9:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I feel like the black sheep of this comment board 330. murb posted: 08.22.2012 - 9:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Uh oh. Here comes another Bodine Tantrum. My prediction: "How stupid do you have to be?" 331. cjs3872 posted: 08.22.2012 - 9:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, unlike the situation with Nelson Piquet, Jr. at Pocono, which was clearly Todd Bodine's fault, Bodine has every right to be upset over this incident, because Cale Gale drove right into him. It also appears to me that part of the problem with the racing at Bristol is that aerodynamics appears to be important, especially if you get beside someone, becaue air is sucking the inside trucks arounden at Bristol. It doesn't really affect it from behind, but it really affects the ability to stay side-by-side, especially if you're on the inside. 332. cjs3872 posted: 08.22.2012 - 10:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, there's going to be some controversy about NASCAR letting them finish under green with Ty Dillon just creeping along next to the pit wall, but nothing happened, so "no harm, no foul". But after the last two weeks in the Cup series, with the mfinishing a race on an oil-slicked track at Watkins Glen and the horrendous crash Mark Martin had last week at Michigan, one has to wonder what's going on in the NASCAR control tower, in terms of on-track safety conditions are concerned. And what would have happened if someone had spun into Dillon's lifeless truck at the end. Like I said on more than one occasion, NASCAR can't seem to run a complete race competently. But you can't run a race with a practically stalled car on the track. They got away with it this time, but if Dillon's truck had gotten hit, who knows what the result might have been. 333. Dave #38 Fan posted: 08.22.2012 - 10:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) parker kligerman has two top fives in his first two starts for red horse racing, teammate todd bodine has had dnf's three weeks in a row now. if they kept bodine over john king because they thought a veteran driver would help attract sponsorship and lead to less torn up racetrucks, they sorely miscalculated. i don't know that they were thinking hiring the onion in the first place. at the rate he's tearing up trucks i doubt he lasts with them till the end of the season. 334. 10andJoe posted: 08.22.2012 - 10:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >But there's no worse thing than cautions coming out every 15-30 laps because of wrecks caused by the fact that the only way to pass is to knock the guy in front of you out of the way. A cookie-cutter race on a track a mile shorter than the average cookie-cutter is still a cookie-cutter race. 335. cjs3872 posted: 08.22.2012 - 11:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 10andJoe, I partially agree since aerodynamics is now a big factor at Bristol, especially when you get beside someone else on the inside. And another disturbing case is what happened to Nelson Piquet, Jr.'s truck after he got tangled up in the Bodine-Gale crash. With the damage on the front of his truck, he started going backwards in a hurry. It used to be that aerodynamics didn't matter at Bristol, so much so that in the 1995 spring race, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., who was 20 laps down due to crashing on the backstretch, was running competitively with, and even passing the leaders wth no sheet metal at all on th front end. It looks like aerodynamics is going to be a factor this weekend, and if that's so, that will create more conservative racing, because of how a bent front end could adversely affect th performance of the cars. When aerodynamics is affecting the racing at a short track like Bristol, you know something's wrong. 336. Sally V posted: 08.23.2012 - 2:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not sure why the hell they asked fans what they wanted after the last Bristol race. Fans overwhelmingly wanted the old Bristol back and this was not it. I live in New England and was ready to take Friday off and drive down to see the race this weekend if old Bristol was back. It's not - (I promised the folks at Bristol in an email back in the Spring that I would buy a ticket to the Fall race if they changed the track back). Such a shame!!! I want ONE grove Bristol back(!!!) and I'm not buying a ticket there until that's the product they are offering. 337. Benjamin Lowe posted: 08.23.2012 - 7:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think Michigan speedway is becoming to Jimmie Johnson what the Daytona 500 was to Dale Sr. 338. Benjamin Lowe posted: 08.23.2012 - 7:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) For some reason you seem to be the bearer of bad news CJS. Did you just gaze into a crystal ball and predict that the racing this season would be Abysmal. 339. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 08.23.2012 - 12:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Not sure why the hell they asked fans what they wanted after the last Bristol race. Fans overwhelmingly wanted the old Bristol back and this was not it. I live in New England and was ready to take Friday off and drive down to see the race this weekend if old Bristol was back. It's not - (I promised the folks at Bristol in an email back in the Spring that I would buy a ticket to the Fall race if they changed the track back). Such a shame!!! I want ONE grove Bristol back(!!!) and I'm not buying a ticket there until that's the product they are offering." Yeah it sucked because of no wrecks, drivers getting angery and throwing helmets. I'm laughing right now, you people keep giving me more ammo to hate on you. You people should look at the Bristol facebook page, it is just PATHETIC. I guess Jimmie, Tony and Truex Jr. are correct, people care more about actually wrecks and caution then actually racing. I rest my case. 340. Bronco posted: 08.23.2012 - 1:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The reason has to do with the compromise in safety, not any potential advantage they maight have gotten." Is every instance of cheating mean safety was comprised to you? I seem to remember you saying that the #48 team's illegal C-pillars at Daytona was also a safety issue. Your safety issue with the #3 truck just stalled there makes sense, the above point does not. And this. "I also wonder that since Menard is sponsored by his father's multi-million dollar corporation, how this may effect future sponsorship of Childress, should John Menard be so upset that the safety of his son was compromised, that he would pull backing from Childress" Now you're really stretching it - you think the Menards sponsorship is going to go someplace else over a trivial issue like this? "Well, unlike the situation with Nelson Piquet, Jr. at Pocono, which was clearly Todd Bodine's fault, Bodine has every right to be upset over this incident, because Cale Gale drove right into him." Todd has no right to be upset with anyone given all the wrecks he's caused over the years. Just look at his brilliant move at Kentucky, where he dove to the bottom and took out Lofton and Piquet. Can't stand that guy. 341. Anonymous posted: 08.23.2012 - 1:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tony Stewart's engine problems means that Dale Jr now was the longest streak of finishing races, his last DNF was Sonoma in 2011. After 5 DNFs in his first two years driving the #88, he has had only 2 in the past 2.5 years, both coming last year. This was Stewart's first engine DNF while driving the #14, his last engine failure was February 2006 at California. 342. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.23.2012 - 2:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Btw, for anybody wondering what the expectations for the GoDaddy Girl are at Bristol, let's ask her Cup crew chief, 2 time Cup champion Greg Zippadelli: "I don't care if we run 53rd, as long as she can run all day," Inspiring. Purely inspiring. 343. cjs3872 posted: 08.23.2012 - 3:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No Bronco, not every case of cheating is a potential safety issue, but when you tamper with external parts of the rollcage, such as the "C" post and the frame by the door, those are potential safety issues. And no, I don't consider what happened with Menard's car trivial at all, especially considering the tragedy his father's had to endure in the past. And no, I don't think John Menard is going to think about taking his money somewhere else over this. But remember how Childress sullied Menard's name last year at Richmond by having him intentionally spin out to cause a caution to aid Kevin Harvick. I just wonder how much more of this kind of thing the elder Menard is willing to take before seriously considering the possibility of taking his sponsorship elsewhere. And no matter how many incidents a driver has caused, you have to take each indicent as they go, and Todd Bodine has every reason to be upset at what happened in last (Wednesday) night's race, because he got run into. 344. Benjamin Lowe posted: 08.23.2012 - 3:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Love your sarcasm DSFF 345. Bronco posted: 08.23.2012 - 4:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I don't care if we run 53rd, as long as she can run all day," Sickening. They will give her TV if she's running in the 30 after all the start and parks have dropped out saying how much she has improved, and if she gets wrecked, they'll still show her car being repaired similar to the Daytona 500. There's no escaping her coverage and I hate it. If she had run any races during the TNT portion of the schedule they wouldn't have given a shit about her. "No Bronco, not every case of cheating is a potential safety issue, but when you tamper with external parts of the rollcage, such as the "C" post and the frame by the door, those are potential safety issues." I'm no expert on NASCAR templates, but modifying the frame rails of a car to trick the inspection gauges and massaging the C-pillars of a car to make it more slippery in the draft don't count as cheating. I remember how you swore that Almirola would cause a wreck early in the 600 due to his inexperience and him starting from pole position, so I have to take other things you say with a grain of salt. "I just wonder how much more of this kind of thing the elder Menard is willing to take before seriously considering the possibility of taking his sponsorship elsewhere." That isn't even a possibility for Menard. Currently at RCR he beats Burton every week, and many times finishes ahead of Harvick and is a solid top 15 driver overall. Where else would he achieve that kind of status? 346. murb posted: 08.23.2012 - 5:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ugh. I didn't even know Danica was racing the Cup race until now. I'm expecting some torn up stuff this weekend. Bristol is not one of her best tracks in NNS. It's really a shame that SHR is gonna quickly turn into the Tony and Danica show. It was such a promising organization. To win a championship in your third year of existence is undoubtably impressive. But next year, when she's full time, we'll get to see Tony and Danica constantly flirting with each other every week on camera, in addition to Danica probably tearing more stuff up. Tony will bash reporters each time they ask about her. And Newman will probably be back as the third wheel, making more wisenheimer remarks and getting more lucky wins. The media coverage of it will be ridiculous, or course. Danica will add absolutely nothing to the organization when it comes to performance. Obviously, she's bringing a ton of sponsorship money. But next year, I'm really expecting her to bring that entire team down. 347. New14 & 88Fan posted: 08.23.2012 - 5:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs's post may have a doom and gloom ring to them at times, but he generally knows what he's talking about and is pretty knowledgeable in regards to racing. Plus he did admit that his prediction of Almirola dropping like a rock after he won the pole for the 600 was wrong, so cut him some slack. 348. New14 & 88Fan posted: 08.23.2012 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "But next year, when she's full time, we'll get to see Tony and Danica constantly flirting with each other every week on camera, in addition to Danica probably tearing more stuff up. Tony will bash reporters each time they ask about her. And Newman will probably be back as the third wheel, making more wisenheimer remarks and getting more lucky wins. The media coverage of it will be ridiculous, or course. Danica will add absolutely nothing to the organization when it comes to performance. Obviously, she's bringing a ton of sponsorship money. But next year, I'm really expecting her to bring that entire team down." Danica shouldn't even be running any of the chase races at all, in fact she'd been mush better off running more ARCA races first(she alright at the Daytona ARCA race in her first try), perhaps even a full season while entering a few truck and NNS races here and there to get the feel of the cars and what not before moving up to NNS full time. But since GoDaddy only cares about getting the attention of the media and Danica fanboys she's basically being thrown to the wolves and reduced to being a high status backmarker, which is sad and pathetic since as she showed at Montreal she can run up front and hold her when things go right. 349. New14 & 88Fan posted: 08.23.2012 - 5:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mush should be *much* I goofed there 350. Ryan posted: 08.23.2012 - 9:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I actually think Gordon might be on his way out if there aren't changes. Rick just has too many egos and personalities on one team. A three car team is too much I believe. It hardly ever works out to have a 4-car team, much less with those drivers on his team. People never stay and they get jealous at other team members' success. I just don't see it lasting too much longer for the 24 there if things stay the way they are. 351. Paul posted: 08.23.2012 - 10:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Where else would he achieve that kind of status?" Roush-Fenway Racing isn't such a far-fetched idea. Menard drove for Roush in the Nationwide Series in 2010 and bringing sponsorship from Menards could help keep Roush's Nationwide program afloat. I highly doubt anything will happen between Menard and RCR, but you never know. "I don't care if we run 53rd, as long as she can run all day." I think that's pretty pathetic coming from a Hendrick team. I know she's a rookie and it is Bristol, but you've got to have more brass than that if you're driving arguably the best equipment in NASCAR. If she wants to ride around in 30th all day that's fine, but do it in TBR equipment. When you're driving a Hendrick car with TBR owner points and you run as if you're in a TBR car, rookie or not, that's pathetic. Maybe the plan is for Danica to imitate that 7-Up commercial where the guy drives a race car around the track EXTREMELY slow in order for the fans to read his car. "Don't drive the car too hard, we want your GoDaddy money to help fund Stewart and Newman's cars." Good driver development right there. By the way, here's the link to that commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xBlsE2w4BU 352. Paul posted: 08.23.2012 - 10:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Where else would he achieve that kind of status?" Jack Roush would love to bring back his 4th Cup team and continue his Nationwide program. Hypothetically speaking, if Menard came to Roush, it would provide enough money on the Cup side that can be used to fund their Nationwide team. I don't expect Menard to go anywhere, but there's always another option. Plus, Menard drove for Roush in the Nationwide Series in 2010, so it's not so far-fetched. "I don't care if we run 53rd, as long as she can run all day." Danica reminds me of a 7-Up commercial in which the driver is intentionally driving very slow so that all the fans can read his sponsor as he drives by (here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xBlsE2w4BU ). Seriously, how's she supposed to learn how to do anything if she doesn't take a chance and try to race with those Cup drivers that she'll (for some reason) be racing against full-time next season? If she and her team want to ride around in 30th all race that's fine, but don't waste that Hendrick equipment on someone who has no plans on running up front. I know it's Bristol and everything, but I just find it pathetic that that's the mindset that team has going in. 353. Paul posted: 08.23.2012 - 11:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sorry for the double post guys. I've been having internet trouble all day. 354. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.24.2012 - 3:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It seems to me that the best way to driver development if you want to be successful in Cup is to take the Earnhardt - Gordon Memorial Approach. That is, your first two years, drive really fast but wreck a whole bunch of cars (and if you are Earnhardt, go ahead and grab your first championship). That way you get the experience of running up front and you also find the edge. Then you can step it back just a bit and start a dynasty. 355. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.24.2012 - 8:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paint scheme thoughts: Every time I see a headline saying "special scheme for Gordon" I get excited cause I figure DuPont is finally gonna announce a race with the throwback rainbow scheme in celebration of their 20 years. And I am always disappointed. This time it was announced he will run a hideous red and blue farmville scheme. Also, I read "Keselowski runs a Rusty tribute scheme" and get VERY excited thinking it will be a black and gold MGD car like Rusty ran at Chicago '05. Nope, it is just the generic white and blue 2000 paint scheme. Also, is anyone EVER gonna run a throwback Bobby Allison red and gold Coke paint scheme? 356. David posted: 08.24.2012 - 10:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^I thought the scheme would have been the black and gold car too. But this one isn't bad. 357. cjs3872 posted: 08.24.2012 - 10:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, it would make sense, especially this weekend, for Brad Keselowski to run a throwback scheme to Rusty's 2000 paint scheme, since they're celebrating Rusty's milestone 50th career win, which came at Bristol in 2000, hence the 2000 paint scheme. Also, it appears that Shell/Pennzoil may be trying to work with Ford to get Carl Edwards to drive a Shell sponsored car next year, though what that would mean for both Penske and Roush is not yet known. Would that mean that Shell would be on the #99 car, or is Shell trying to do something with Edwards and Penske, as extremely unlikely as that would be? 358. Paul posted: 08.24.2012 - 11:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's just been announced that Trevor Bayne will run full-time in the Nationwide Series next season for Roush-Fenway Racing. He will also continue to drive part-time for the Wood Brothers in Cup. Talk about being welcomed into the Ford family. Penske Racing hasn't even switched to Ford yet and already the manufacturer wants their sponsor, Shell/Pennzoil, represented on another car. This is more proof that Penske's the #2 Ford team. Forget about getting second-rate Ford engines and chassis, they're getting second-rate treatment from the Ford executives. 359. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.24.2012 - 12:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That really sucks about Shell. 360. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.24.2012 - 12:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) She is onyl 2 mph off the pace. Of the second to last place car! 361. 10andJoe posted: 08.24.2012 - 12:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ Meanwhile, /Kelly Bires/ sits in second place...?! >But next year, when she's full time, we'll get to see Tony and Danica constantly flirting with each other every week on camera, ...you do know Danica's married, right? 362. Paul posted: 08.24.2012 - 12:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's a shame that four drivers will miss this race while she can just coast around the track and be locked in. There's another reason why the top 35 rule should be removed for next season. Sadly, I think NASCAR won't make their decision on that rule until they have proof that she can qualify for a race on her own. Judging by her practice speeds, that looks very unlikely. 363. cjs3872 posted: 08.24.2012 - 1:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well Paul, that is great news about Trevor, though it will be different to see that car not just be driven into the ground as it has been in recent years by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., but rather be a little farther back in the field. In short, we probably won't see Roush's Nationwide team win as much, but we may not see it crash as much, either. 364. 10andJoe posted: 08.24.2012 - 1:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 90 minutes into practice...4th - Kelly Bires, 6th - Josh Wise, 7th - Mike Bliss. It's the grid turned upside down! 365. murb posted: 08.24.2012 - 2:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "you do know Danica's married, right?" Yeah, but you know how Tony is. They flirted in their press conference at Texas last year when they announced that she would drive for him. Glad to see that Trevor will be finally running full time. I was getting worried because I hadn't heard anything about him in recent weeks. You're right Paul, that whole Shell-Pennzoil thing is already making it seem like Penske will be the second fiddle team over there. If this whole thing does go down, and Shell goes to the 99, I don't know what Penske would do. Brad's paint scheme is awesome!!!! For me, I was just a little kid in the late '90s, so that scheme to me is Rusty Wallace. But yeah, I think the MGD scheme still would have been cooler. On the other hand, I have no comment on Gordon's Farmville scheme. 366. cjs3872 posted: 08.24.2012 - 3:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) But murb, this whole Shell/Pennzoil thing is apparently being driven by Ford, not Roush, which makes me wonder whether or not they'll try to get someone like Edwards into one of Penske's cars. Otherwise, this makes no sense at all. Now Ford has been known to move their drivers. Swede Savage was a perfect example of this. Savage actualy began his big-time racing career with Holman-Moody in NASCAR, which is how Bobby Allison got to know him, as well as some of the other NASCAR teams of the era. Ford then ran him in the road racing series, as well as with the Wood Brothers in the 1969 Daytona 500, which made himthe Woods' youngest driver until Trevor Bayne came along. Also remember that Dan Gurney, who is credted with discovering Savage, was a big-time Ford driver as well, winning five times at Riverside, all in Fords. But Swede Savage was one example, as there have been others, as well. Remember that Ford also put Mario Andretti in a Holman-Moody car in the late-60s, and was rewarded with a Daytona 500 win. In other words, Ford may be pulling the strings as it relates to Edwards. And also remember that Penske can afford to run a team from his own pocket if he has to. Remember that he did so a couple of years ago in the Cup series, and he did so in the 1980s with Al Unser through Hertz car rental, which Penske was a major part of. And all Unser deilvered for Penske was two championships (1983, '85) and the most improbable Indianapolis 500 win in the modern history of the event in 1987. And I want to expand on my point about Trevor Bayne possibly not winning as many races next year as Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. has this year. Bayne may win races, but he's more likely to do so in a low-risk manner, while Stenhouse is going to take more risks. Bayne's best Nationwide finishes, even late last year, came when he just rode in fifth through eighth place, conserving his equipment, and then when cautions caught him up to the field, he ran hard when he needed to, even stealing that race at Texas from Carl Edwards on a late restart when Edwards had a much faster car. I said it, sometimes a nausieum, but the main difference between Stenhouse and Bayne is that Stenhouse is a high-risk, high-reward driver, while Bayne is a low-to-medium-risk, medium-to-high-reward driver, which is why I compared Bayne to drivers like Benny Parsons, Ricky Rudd, and the Labonte brothers, while Stenhouse is much more like Buddy Baker, Cale Yarborough, and Dale Earnhardt was. 367. David posted: 08.24.2012 - 4:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Uhh...wow. Casey Mears led first practice? And Johnson was 41st. Next thing you'll know, comments made on NASCAR.com will actually become intelligent. I suppose Johnson may have been sandbagging. But you never know. Stranger things have happened. 368. murb posted: 08.24.2012 - 4:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I doubt Carl will end up in a Penske car. But it would be pretty hilarious to see him and Brad as teammates, given their history. I still think Logano is the odds on favorite to get the 22 car. Remember, Penske went to Brad asking for his input on who he would like as a teammate. Brad and Joey have always worked well together those in NNS plate races. I think they've even pushed each other to wins there before. So I'd be willing to bet that Joey is the guy Brad wants. But I don't know, that's just what I think. This whole Shell deal is the monkey wrench in all of this though. 369. 10andJoe posted: 08.24.2012 - 10:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >I suppose Johnson may have been sandbagging. If so...Rain=Laser Guided Karma. 370. fooggyy posted: 09.04.2012 - 7:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Menard - 36 point 371. Brandon posted: 05.10.2013 - 12:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last start of Mike Skinner to date... and he's announced his retirement. Who wouldn't want to start and park in that car? LOL 372. ch posted: 07.18.2013 - 3:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #26 Sponsor: MDS Transport (consistent with all 2012/2013 starts) 373. Anthony posted: 09.11.2015 - 10:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Probably the last time Mark Martin had a car that was a legitimate threat to win. Shame it ended the way it did. 374. Paul posted: 08.06.2017 - 2:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Driver changes: DC | Parker Kligerman | 22 | Shell / Pennzoil | Roger Penske | Dodge 375. E-Rick95 posted: 03.05.2020 - 2:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Final cup race for Mike Skinner ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: