The Essentials
Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Race: Time: Sunday 2:00pm/EDT
TV/Radio: ESPN, IMS Radio Network
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: 82 degrees, Partly Cloudy
Distance: 160 laps (400 miles)
Pole Winner: Mark Martin
2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
The Storylines
Bill Elliott was probably the happiest guy in Indianapolis Saturday afternoon when the skies cleared and, most importantly, NASCAR chose to avoid canceling qualifying.
Elliott put his No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford fourth on the starting grid for Sunday's race at the Brickyard with a lap of 180.357 mph. Had NASCAR chose to allow the rain to cancel qualifying and set the grid by points, Elliott and his part-time team would have packed up and gone home because they wouldn't have been one of the eight cars eligible per the rule book.
Instead, the 53-year-old former Brickyard winner is in the race and is hoping to make headlines as the 'other' graybeard in the field.
"I'm gonna give it my best shot," said Elliott. "If a 50-year-old can win, I think a few more years ain't gonna hurt a thing."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. may have been battling a nasty case of the stomach flu on Friday, but his hopes for Sunday's race seem to be raised thanks to the confidence he's seen this weekend in crew chief Lance McGrew. Sunday's 400-miler will mark the first race for the No. 88 team with a car that was prepared completely by McGrew.
"He seemed real excited the last couple of weeks talking about the car, some of the advantages the car seemed to have over what we've been using," Earnhardt Jr. said Saturday after qualifying 3rd -- his first Top-10 start of the entire 2009 season. "I guess I like it because if he feels this way or feels that much confidence and he knows the car as well as he does, then I have the ability to feel a little more confident in his decisions during practice and during the race on what to change, what's he's trying to do to improve the car.
"I feel like he'll know the car better."
As for Earnhardt Jr.'s health, it's apparently improved considerably from Friday as the team won't have Brad Keselowski or any other driver standing by in the pits during Sunday's race for relief.
NASCAR, and more narrowly, Goodyear need to be commended for the fantastic work they've done to make the tire right for racing Sunday at Allstate 400.
Words like debacle, disaster and anything else to describe the ugliness of last year's Allstate 400 Miles of 10-lap Feature Sprints have been completely erased from the stories of the media pool, and instead Sunday's race is promising to be a darn good show. The tires have rubbered in the track very well and most importantly, they are showing signs of wearing evenly throughout a run.
In fact, the tires have been so good that drivers have commented about being able drive more aggressively in the corners than in previous years and the possibility of making two-tire stops.
Anybody that's planning the build a new race track doesn't need to look at Richmond International Raceway as the ideal layout for stock car racing. Instead, they need to look no further than the .686-mile track just down the road from IMS at O'Reilly Raceway Park.
Both the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series competed at the mostly flat but variably-banked on Friday and Saturday night and the racing was just fantastic. ORP is different than any other short track because the fastest groove is often up top, which opens the inside lane for passing.
The only problem? It's not too easy to make a move on the low, flat part of the track and that creates a side effect that every race fan loves -- side-by-side racing nearly all night long.
ORP proves that flat tracks can be fun to watch, and before we get another 1.5-miler added to any NASCAR series, the brain trust of track designers need to take a good hard look at what their doing out at ORP. It's one heckuva show, every single year.
Kurt Busch's car bumped and bucked like a bronco Saturday afternoon during his qualifying run, and it was feat in itself that the backup wasn't rolling off of the No. 2 hauler to replace the primary machine. There was an obvious problem with the car's suspension, but the team wasn't saying much.
Busch surmised after his lap that it was an issue with the shocks or bump stops, but when his crew chief Pat Tryson was asked later about the issue, he declined to specify what the problem was. Team owner Roger Penske appeared on Sunday morning's ESPN NASCAR NOW and mentioned that the team had "tried" something in qualifying that didn't work, but didn't elaborate.
Generally, if the issue was a problem, a team will divulge the information, but it seems that Busch's team was trying something from way out in left field and didn't want the rest of the competition to know about it. Busch lines up 40th for Sunday's race.
There's plenty of storylines for Sunday's 400-miler, and each of those are making this race an appealing one to watch.
Does Juan Pablo Montoya or Sam Hornish Jr. have a chance to be the first crossover winner in Speedway history? Can Jeff Gordon become a 5-time winner at IMS? Is there a driver lurking the shadows that we haven't talked about ready to make a run at history? And -- gasp -- does Dale Earnhardt Jr. really have a car that can compete for a win today?
We'll know in just 160 laps. Until then, enjoy the race and we'll see you right here after the race for extensive post-race coverage, live from Brickyard.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-03-2009 @ 9:39PM
riversgiftshop said...
from your #2 fan in and your #3 fan on earth ,jr you know what your dad said when you first started racing ? you can win !!! and i want to apologise for my mom if you filt you head move while you were racing she gets excited sometimes. so from your real fans in mississippi go for it !!!!! and make them non believers choooooke in your smoke in the winners circle god bless you
Reply
8-09-2009 @ 10:50AM
Tomcat Leader said...
You're just in a slump right now and slumps are made to be broken. You are every bit the driver your father knew you are. Just shrug it off and keep going, you're going to be fine. All of us in Earnhardt Nation are behind you. GO Dale Jr.! You are the best.
Reply
8-09-2009 @ 12:23PM
Kathy Petty said...
Dale Jr.
You are my favorite driver. I think that you got what it takes to be a champion all you have to do is believe in yourself. You are the best. I have never gotten to see you race live but I watch you on tv every week. Go show those other drivers whose boss. Keep your chin up. you will win it's just a matter of time.
K.
From TEXAS
Reply
8-10-2009 @ 1:19PM
laff68david said...
the way your driving looks like your getting no wheres quick JR. !!!
Reply
8-23-2009 @ 11:43AM
Dutchboy said...
Kurt your doing great what a turn around! Just keep it up and you will be in the chase. JR your still racing you have not done anything for so long I thought that you retired. Brad K the kid you discoverd better watch out JR before long he will be bigger than you
Reply