Motorsports FanHouse

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Sylvania 300

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:58:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Chase for the Sprint Cup

We promise to throw a caution with ample time to slow down in the event of a spinning car on this Chase edition of Notes & Quotes.

Pressure? What pressure? Juan Pablo Montoya's run into the Chase for the Sprint Cup is quite the enviable position for most other drivers simply because of the expectations that the former Formula 1 driver has on his back.

Or, make that the lack of expectations.

"I mean, what's the pressure? We made the Chase," said Montoya after his third-place finish. "From now on, anything about that, it's a balance. Come here, first Chase race, put on the pole, finish second. Can I ask for anything else? Not really. A win would be nice, but that will come."

Sure, a win would be nice for Montoya, but you can bet that's a little less important for the Columbian driver than, say, a championship. A title isn't completely a completely off-the-wall possibility for the No. 42 car, based on his slim 55 point deficit to leader Mark Martin and the consistency the team put together in regular season's closing races.

There was plenty of three-wide and otherwise risky maneuvers during Sunday's race -- and not just between drivers with nothing on the line except winning. The Chase drivers were fully involved with the good show we had for several laps.

Denny Hamlin surmised that it had a lot to do with track position and little to do recklessness.

"I think everyone is just -- I think everyone panics," Hamlin said after coming out unscathed in second-place. "When you see at the beginning of the race the top 10 and they're all Chase guys, you're like, man, I've got to fight for every position I can, and track position means so much that I think every hole that you see on the racetrack you immediately go for because it doesn't matter if your car is two tenths faster than the car in front of you. If he runs your line, you're not going to get around him.

"So I think everyone is just jumping to every opportunity that they can, and that's why you see the three wide is everyone is just trying to make up all the spots they can, and a lot of it has to do with the excitement of the start of the Chase."

Restarts played a big role in how two Chase drivers didn't perform as expected on Sunday, and left them both disappointed with their first of ten rounds of NASCAR's championship system.

Jeff Gordon, who looked strong early, ran 15th while Carl Edwards trailed him as the second-worst finishing Chase driver in 17th.

"If you're on the front row, you can get away with it a little bit but being fifth or sixth we just really struggled with the grip on the restarts," said Gordon. "We'd lose three or four spots every restart and then we'd start not being able to gain it back. It just wasn't a good day for us. It's one we've just got to put behind us and go on."

Edwards echoed Gordon's sentiments that the restarts -- especially on the low air pressures of new tires after a pit stops -- really hurt his march to the front.

"Our car just struggled all day and I couldn't go fast," said Edwards. "Once I got strung out I could hold my own and I could run well, but on those restarts I just got killed on the short run."

Thanks to their finishes, each driver has a pretty big hole to dig out of if a run at the championship is a possibility. Edwards sits 11th in points 113 back of leader Martin while Gordon is 10th, 102 back.

Brian Vickers managed an 11th-place finish, but felt like he could have gotten even more had the team not struggled through multiple problems throughout the weekend.

"We're not making it any easier on ourselves as a team," Vickers said. We started the weekend off and had a lot of engine problems in the first practice that put us about an hour and a half behind the competition. Then in the race, we had a lot of problems in the pits and some other problems that I think cost us an opportunity at a top-five."

Otherwise, Vickers called his 11th-place run a "solid finish" to his first ever race as a Chase competitor that leaves him 90 points from the top spot in the point standings.

Give some props to Elliott Sadler for his strong run Sunday at New Hampshire.

The Virginia-native is driving for the same team as Kasey Kahne and has certainly felt the setbacks and growing pains of the various mergers of Richard Petty Motorsports. His 8th-place finish was the best for No. 19 since his 5th-place run at Daytona in February and marked just his fourth Top-10 of 2009.

Remember, just a few years ago Sadler was a contender in the Chase with Yates Racing. His infectious down-home personality would only do good things for the sport if he could get back to being competitive again.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Sylvania 300 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR's Chase for the Cup Begins

Holly Cain — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:20:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup

RICHMOND, Va. -- If the Chase for the Championship can live up to the race that launched it, NASCAR will be must-see TV for these last 10 races of the season. So let the games begin.

The 12-driver playoff field wasn't set until the final lap of Saturday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway ending with a storybook scenario complete with heroes and villains, white and black hats, sentimental favorites and potential spoilers.

Mark Martin is in. Kyle Busch is out. Brian Vickers made it. Matt Kenseth did not.

Chevy Rock & Roll 400: Check Race Results | Series Standings

The 50-year old Martin starts the 10-race playoff as perhaps the most unlikely and most popular points leader in recent memory, not clinching his spot in the Chase until his fourth place finish Saturday night. Now as the points reset based on victories, he finds himself leading the championship standings thanks to a series-best four wins.

The other four-race winner, the season's fan-appointed villain Busch, missed making the playoffs by a mere eight points or two finishing positions -- and yet he climbed out of his car Saturday night never more gracious than in this defeat.

"We gave a valiant effort,'' Busch said. "Unfortunately it wasn't enough for tonight to get into the Chase, but it's not just tonight or the last week that kept us out. You can look at a whole different scenario or a different slew of things but what it boils down to is we missed it.''

Busch's older brother Kurt, Saturday's runner-up and Chase qualifier, was more sympathetic.

"When I did hear that he didn't make it, I sat down next to my car and thought for a moment what eight points means in this sport,'' Busch said.

"I was fortunate to win the championship by eight points in 2004. ... Eight points for him is tough, but his sun will rise again.

"It's a hard lesson to learn. You don't have to win them all, you have to run consistent. It's just tough not to see the kid make the Chase.''

Ten drivers came into the race vying for the final eight positions. Busch and Vickers exchanged the final 12th-place points position throughout the 400-lap race. It wasn't until the last lap that Vickers secured the spot, ultimately moving from 13th in the standings before the race to replace 12th-place Kenseth, whose fate was seemingly set very early in the night.

Kenseth, the 2003 champion, finished 25th and never contended, suffering from pit road problems and a car that could never make its way through the field after a disappointing qualifying effort.

Vickers meanwhile completed a pass with a lap remaining to give himself a cushion over Busch.

With the championship field set and the points reset, Martin takes the lead from Tony Stewart who had held a comfortable points margin for most of the season.

Now only 40 points separate Martin from 12th place Greg Biffle and the season essentially starts again."It's probably one of the most interesting starts we're going to have. It's really tough to give this to anybody or even pick a favorite.''
-- Jimmie Johnson

"It's probably one of the most interesting starts we're going to have,'' three-time reigning champion Jimmie Johnson said. "It's really tough to give this to anybody or even pick a favorite.''

And that's why the 12-driver lineup of Martin, Stewart, Johnson, Saturday night's race winner Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Vickers, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya and Biffle will provide one of the most competitive runs for the trophy in seasons.

Much of the hype leading into Saturday night's race centered on whether NASCAR needed the 24-year old Busch to make the playoffs to give the six-year old Chase format credibility and spunk. Nonsense.

In Martin, NASCAR has a 50-year-old that hasn't raced full time in the series for three years now leading the championship. It's got Tony Stewart trying to become the first owner-driver champion since Alan Kulwicki in 1992 -- and the first-year Cup owner has two shots at it, with himself and Newman, who will start 10th in the standings.

Johnson is trying to become the first Cup driver in history to win four consecutive titles. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon is going for a fifth championship and his first since 2005.

Kahne is hoping to help his team owner, NASCAR legend Richard Petty, to his first season title in 30 years.

Montoya, a Columbian native and former IndyCar champ and Formula One driver, is the first foreign driver to ever qualify for the Chase. It puts his team owner Chip Ganassi in championship contention in three major racing series -- NASCAR, IndyCar and the Grand-Am sports car circuit.

NASCAR doesn't need Busch to have compelling plot lines for the championship. It's got plenty of competition. And it's got a sentimental favorite in Martin. And watching the super-talented Busch play spoiler may actually turn out to be as fun.

"I feel like a whole new person, huge weight off my shoulders,'' Martin said. "It's like I said before, to make this thing is the icing and now we get to go race for the cake.

"This is certainly the best year of my career, the most fun.

"Anybody in this Chase can win this Chase. All it takes is the magic ten races and anybody can win.''

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Brian Vickers, right, sprays champagne on Jeff Gordon after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Chevy Rock & Roll 400 auto race at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., Saturday Sept. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Scott k. Brown)

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RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota takes the checkered flag winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2009 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Denny Hamlin

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RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: Confetti flies as drivers celebrate after making the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2009 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: Drivers celebrate after making the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2009 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: (Back row from L-R) Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot Chevrolet, Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Aflac Ford, Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 3M Ford, Mark Martin, driver of the #5 Kellogg's Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Dupont Chevrolet, (Front row L-R) Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Budweiser Dodge, Kurt Busch, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota, and Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, pose with the Sprint Cup trophy following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2009 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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The Sprint Cup Chase drivers pose in front of the trophy after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Chevy Rock & Roll 400 auto race at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., Saturday Sept. 11, 2009. The drivers are from left to right top row Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Bottom row, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Brian Vickers. (AP Photo/Scott k. Brown)

Chase drivers from left to right, Top row, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Bottom row, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Brian Vickers pose after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Chevy Rock & Roll 400 auto race at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va. Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Jason Hirschfeld)

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NASCAR's Chase for the Cup Begins originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kyle Busch Barely Misses Out on Chase

FanHouse Newswire — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:37:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Denny Hamlin suffered his fair share of heartbreak at Richmond International Raceway, the home track where he so desperately wanted a win.

He finally got it Saturday night, but the victory celebration was muted. Kyle Busch, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, fell eight points short of making the Chase for the championship in the tightest deciding race since the format was launched in 2004.

Chevy Rock & Roll 400: Check Race Results | Series Standings

"We did all we can do. We gave a valiant effort and it was a good night," Busch said. "We will live to see another day. We'll go on for the rest of the year."

Hamlin, with the momentum of his Richmond win, believes he's the favorite to win the Sprint Cup title. He twice before led the most laps at Richmond, where he sat in the stands as a child rooting on boyhood idol Bill Elliott, only to have late pitfalls sabotage his shot at victory.

Now he's got his Richmond win, his second of the season, and a ton of confidence headed into the Chase.

"They better watch us," he vowed. "I am telling you, this team is dangerous."

Mark Martin, who at 50 is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career, leads the Chase field as the top seed and is followed by Tony Stewart and three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson.

Hamlin starts the Chase in fourth and is followed by Kasey Kahne, three-time series champion Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Brian Vickers, who finished a career-best seventh Saturday night to grab the final qualifying spot.

Carl Edwards will start the Chase in ninth and is followed by Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya and Greg Biffle.

Busch and Matt Kenseth, who had made the Chase in each of its first five seasons, were the two drivers shut out of the field.

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RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota left, talks with Team Owner Joe Gibbs after failing to make the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" by finishing in fifth place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2009 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

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It made for a compelling night of racing, where 11 drivers vied for the final eight available spots in NASCAR's title-deciding Chase.

On the bubble was Kenseth, the Daytona 500 winner, who started the race in the 12th and final qualifying spot. Vickers, charging hard the past 11 races, and Busch were right on his bumper.

But Kenseth struggled from the drop of the green flag and quickly fell out of contention. Busch and Vickers swapped the final spot multiple times over the 400 laps, setting up a final 14-lap sprint to the finish.

Busch used a flawless final pit stop to beat Vickers off of pit road, but he restarted the race sixth and could only gain one spot on the track. He finished fifth and said he'll focus now on helping Hamlin win a championship.

"I'll do my best to help Denny out and bring Joe Gibbs Racing a championship," Busch said. "I think Denny has got a lot going forward, especially winning here. He's going to have a big momentum boost next week."

Vickers, meanwhile, grabbed his best finish at Richmond when his season was on the line. He had feuded with Busch, his one-time teammate, over the past month but the two showed no ill-will toward each other after the frantic finish. Busch extended a handshake and said, "Good job," as Vickers entered the post-race news conference.

Vickers, who got upstart Red Bull Racing into its first Chase, promised a long night of celebrating.

"I genuinely mean that, I'm going to party hard tonight," he said.

Kenseth, winner of the first two races this season, was shut out of the Chase for the first time since it started in 2004.

"Third race of the year, Las Vegas, we finished last and it's been downhill from there," Kenseth said. "The way we're running right now, even if we made it, we wouldn't have a shot at the championship."

By JENNA FRYER, AP Sports Writer

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Kyle Busch Barely Misses Out on Chase originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richmond Is Last Chance to Make Chase For Vickers And Busch

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:31:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup

They've fought on-track and tossed fighting words at each other off-track, but now Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch are more focused on the fight ahead of them this weekend at Richmond International Raceway.

Busch, a winner of four races this season, and Vickers, a winner of one, stand the best chance to fight their way into the top-12 of NASCAR's point standings at the end of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Saturday night. By doing so, they'd secure themselves a spot in the coveted Chase for the Sprint Cup and a chance to race for the title.

But judging by performance of previous drivers on the edge of making it in during Richmond's final opportunity, their chances are 50/50 at best.

The math at the moment is simple. Vickers trails 12th-ranked Matt Kenseth by a slim margin of 20 points, while Busch sits behind by just 37 points. For Vickers and his No. 83 team, the deficit is close enough that should he lead the most laps and win the 400-lapper, Kenseth would have to do no worse than lead a lap and finish second.

If that happened, the two would end up tied. The first tiebreaker in that situation falls to total race wins in 2009 and Kenseth currently holds that advantage with his season-opening wins at Daytona and Fontana. But if Vickers adds a win at Richmond to his win in mid-August at Michigan, both drivers would be tied with two wins each this season. The tiebreaker would continue to second-, third- and fourth-place finishes and so forth until a decisive edge is reached.

In this case, since neither Kenseth nor Vickers has a runner-up or third-place finish this season, it would be extrapolated out to fourth-place finishes, which Kenseth has one and Vickers none, thus giving Kenseth the Chase berth despite Vickers' best efforts.

For Kyle Busch, a difference of one car length -- either in front of or behind him -- could have very well have made the difference in his run to qualify for the Cup.

On lap 123 of February's season-opening Daytona 500, Busch was running nose to tail with Reed Sorenson in front and Kenseth behind when Vickers got turned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the backstretch. It began the biggest wreck of the day and snared Busch while Sorenson and Kenseth narrowly slipped by.

Busch led 88 laps that day and easily had the car to beat until the wreck. Had he been able to skirt through and even pull out his average finish at Daytona (18th), he would have scored 69 more points -- plenty enough to find himself in 12th ahead of Richmond. The wreck wasn't his fault, but looking back on it now, the ramifications of his finishing position in that race have wound up being huge.

Had Busch avoided the wreck and finished in his average finishing position at Daytona (18th), he'd simply be battling to hold a Chase spot instead of scrambling for one.

Certainly no one thought the wreck in Daytona -- or any troubles Busch has had in 2009 -- would leave him on the verge of not running for the championship.

Fortunately, Busch and Vickers aren't completely out of it yet. Since 2004, the final race before the Chase at Richmond International Raceway has seen three instances where drivers managed to squeak their way into the Chase despite being on the outside looking in going into the race.

In 2004, Jeremy Mayfield pulled off an improbable win to overcome a 55-point deficit and jumped six spots in the final standings to make the Chase. In 2005, Ryan Newman overtook Jamie McMurray after McMurray suffered a crash that left him 40th in the pivotal race -- and ultimately on the outside looking in when the final Chase field was decided.

The 2006 race at Richmond was the last time the lineup of Chase drivers changed after that race when Kasey Kahne finished third to knock Tony Stewart (finished 18th) out of the playoffs by 16 points. Ironically enough, Stewart won the then-Nextel Cup championship the year before, but was unable to defend his title.

In a further twist of irony, Stewart wound up stealing much of the thunder from the Chase competitors in 2006 by winning three of the 10 Chase races. Unfortunately for him, it went for naught, as he still was unable to finish any higher than 11th-place -- the first guy on the outside looking in.

Also, had NASCAR changed to the top-12 format before 2006 (it switched in 2007), a teammate battle between Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle would have seen Edwards miss the Chase thanks to Biffle's 6th-place finish.

As it was, neither made the Chase in 2006.

In the last two years, the deficit between 12th and 13th has been noticeably larger. In 2007, Dale Earnhardt Jr. entered Richmond out of 12th place by 128 points. His day didn't turn out any better as he finished the race 13th, leaving him 201 points out of the Chase.

Last year was very similar as Kahne slid to 69 points back of 12th place and never really challenged.

This year though has two drivers quite close to making the Chase, meaning we might just see an upset before Saturday night is over.

Richmond Is Last Chance to Make Chase For Vickers And Busch originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Cup N's & Q's: CARFAX 400

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:53:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Sprint Cup

There's no car foxes -- see the commercial -- around this Michigan edition of Sprint Cup Notes & Quotes.

Brian Vickers seems to be a polar opposite of Kyle Busch in that he doesn't let things stick to him. He said as much during his post-race press conference Sunday night when asked about his run-in during Saturday's Nationwide Series race with Busch -- a former Hendrick Motorsports teammate.

"You know, there's some people that you meet in life that are just gonna do stupid things. You just learn to accept it. You just don't let it bother you. You know, you have patience," said Vickers. "You just live your life and run your race.

"In a lot of ways I feel sorry for Kyle, that he lives that angry about stuff, something so small. I hope that he can get past it. I don't have any hard feelings. I'm ready to just go race. That's the way I approached today."

Of course, Vickers had a bit of Busch in him just a few weeks ago when he angrily consulted and then verbally bashed his Sprint Cup teammate Scott Speed after a Nationwide race at New Hampshire. I suppose it all depends on which end of the bad move you end up on.

Despite Jeff Gordon making it clear Friday that he's done talking about his back, someone managed to squeak in a question about it during his media visit after a 2nd-place finish -- his second straight runner-up result at MIS.

Gordon, as usual, deflected it well.

"My back is fine," said Gordon. "I would rather be third in points right now and had that win today. That's all that really matters at this point for us. We're having a great year. We're showing that we're strong, a great team."

A mistake in preparation for Tony Stewart prior to Sunday's race appeared to do in any chances that the Sprint Cup point leader had for running for the win.

"We struggled today and we had a problem at the end of happy hour that we found yesterday and didn't realize it," said Stewart. "We had a spring that was out of a bucket and so we got all of our loads, and pre-loads all messed up."

While I'm no suspension ace and couldn't tell what "out of a bucket" is referring to, I know one thing: it wasn't good considering Stewart wound up 17th. Stewart held the points lead following the race, but it made him keenly aware of the tiny problems that can bite race teams in the Chase.

"It just shows that you can't let your guard down," said Stewart. "Especially in something as simple as happy hour like that. We just had one little mistake and it got us behind going into today, so it just shows that you can't relax and you can't lose concentration and you have to stay on top of it."

Hand it to Michigan International Speedway and track president Roger Curtis. He announced Sunday that everyone who either renews a ticket or wants to make a deposit on one (see track website for details) will be paying less in 2010. All seats, no matter the location, have been discounted.

His track couldn't have got a better advertising boost than when the brief rain shower deluged MIS just laps in to the race -- allowing ESPN to interview the track president when most of the race audience was tuned in.

Ryan Newman is looking to run 1,100 miles laps this week at Bristol.

He'll get it kicked off on Wednesday by racing both the Truck Series and in the modified series events before running the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races on Friday and Saturday nights. Newman apparently asked team owner Tony Stewart if he was OK with the heavy load and Stewart, naturally, didn't have a problem with it.

If you need a fun race to watch on Wednesday night, be sure to check out those modifieds. They get around Bristol faster than Sprint Cup cars and actually need restrictor plates because the power to weight ratio is so high.

Just in case you're hanging around the White House on Wednesday, be sure to catch a few of NASCAR's royalty waltzing the halls of America's most famous home.

Jimmie Johnson, the three-time defending Sprint Cup champ, will be the main guest of honor, but 8 of the other 11 drivers who made the Chase in 2008 will also be on hand. Those will include Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart. Kyle Busch is entered in Wednesday night's Camping World Truck Series race and won't make it and neither will Matt Kenseth or Kevin Harvick thanks to 'scheduling conflicts'.

Plenty of past champs and a special guest, none other than Mr. Juan Pablo Montoya, will also be on hand.

Here's to hoping that at least one White House staffer won't be sleeping Tuesday night in anticipation of meeting some of the biggest names in NASCAR.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: CARFAX 400 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bet on Fuel Pays Big for Brian Vickers

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:15:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Jimmie Johnson, Sprint Cup

The tone in Brian Vickers' voice over the in-car radio was all crew chief Ryan Pemberton needed to know.

"I think he yelled at me, told me not to give him lap times any more," said Pemberton of the closing laps in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway while Vickers stalked leader Jimmie Johnson. "I knew right then he knew what he was doing, how he was doing it. He was just managing."

Manage, he did.

More: Vickers Snags Victory | Final Results | Sprint Cup Standings

Brian Vickers outlasted Jimmie Johnson in the reserved, fuel-saving dash to the checkers and kept his Toyota Camry -- or was that a Toyota Prius? -- far enough ahead of eventual second and third-place drivers Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., respectively, to score his second career win and first team win for Red Bull Racing.

And boy was it a gamble for Vickers both in terms of winning the race and finding a way to earn a coveted spot in NASCAR's championship system -- all revolving around how well Vickers could stretch his fuel mileage.

NASCAR's tire supplier estimated before the race that teams could expect to get 40-44 laps on a full, 17.5-gallon tank. In June, winner Mark Martin had his fuel last until just before the finish lane in a 47-lap run to the checkers.

All of that, of course, meant one thing to Vickers and the rest of the leaders who decided to attempt making it 51 laps on a single tank to finish the race: it was going to be a gamble.

"Sometimes you put a stake in the ground," said crew chief Pemberton. "Either we were completely out of the Chase or we'd win the race."

Completely in or completely out couldn't have been more on the money.

As it turns out, Vickers' win left him just 12 points shy of making his first Chase for the Sprint Cup as one of NASCAR's top-12 drivers in terms of points after the third race from now in Richmond. Running out of fuel, though, would have been disastrous to those chances.

Jimmie Johnson did run out of fuel, though his team had nothing too terrific to lose thanks to their all-but-guaranteed spot in the Chase. He fell from 2nd to 33rd in the final two laps. Such a fall for Vickers -- say he ran out and finished 32nd -- would have put him nearly 140 points out of the Chase, a margin nearly impossible to overcome.

Talk about all or nothing.

"I got to tell you, when you're coming to two to go, I'm still sweating bullets no matter how much confidence you got," said Vickers. "It was definitely a sickening feeling in the bottom of my stomach we could run out at any minute. I felt confident about how much I saved, but, you know, it's hard not to worry about it."

The worries weren't any less in the command center of Vickers' Chase destiny where Pemberton sat on the pit box.

"You talk about the sickening feeling, what a relief to get that one over with," said Pemberton. "It was. If we ran out, that was going to be what we'd be talking the rest of the season."

The win, as they seem to do quite often, came at the opportune time for Vickers & Co. -- even without considerations for making the Chase.

Vickers has grown a little more vocal in recent weeks about his contract with the team not being picked up for 2010 -- late in terms of what other teams' standards have become. Team manager Jay Frye, though, assured that Vickers is a guy Red Bull wants to hang around.

"We have every intention of getting this done and getting it done very quickly. Today things are complicated," said Frye. "Sometimes we overcomplicate things. Every intention has always been to redo this. We're working hard to get it done. We certainly don't want him to go anywhere, except right where he's at."

The bode of confidence in his future has to be nice, but for Vickers to finally find Victory Lane after several near-misses has to ring quite nicely.

He's been close at Charlotte many times -- including once when a loose wheel came off his No. 83 while in the top-5 and ended up bouncing into an infield pop-up camper -- and just last year at Michigan, Vickers felt he got shafted after NASCAR confirmed they mistakenly placed him further back in the lineup on a late restart.

"It's been a long time coming. It's been a long three years," said Vickers of the team that began racing in 2007. "A lot of struggles, a lot of pains. No one gave up. That's the reason we're here in Victory Lane."

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BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 16: Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, celebrates with his crew after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 16, 2009 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers

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BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 16: Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota pits during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 16, 2009 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers

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BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 16: Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, races during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 16, 2009 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers

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BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 16: Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, celebrates with his crew in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 16, 2009 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers

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BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 16: Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, celebrates with the trophy in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 16, 2009 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers

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BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 16: Kurt Busch, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge makes a pit stop during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 16, 2009 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kurt Busch

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BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 16: Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Dupont Chevrolet, congratulates Brian Vickers (R), driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, after Vickers won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 16, 2009 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Jeff Gordon;Brian Vickers

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BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 16: Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, celebrates with his crew in victory lane during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 16, 2009 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers

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Bet on Fuel Pays Big for Brian Vickers originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Warmup: Carfax 400

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:08:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup

The Essentials

Race: CARFAX 400

Where: Michigan Int'l Speedway
Time: Sunday 2PM ET
TV/Radio: ESPN, MRN Radio
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: Sunny, 91 degrees, 30% rain
Distance: 200 laps (400 miles)
Pole Winner: Brian Vickers
2008 Winner: Carl Edwards

The Storylines

'Hot! Hot! Hot!' has long been the opener to a Jimmy Buffett concert [much like the one yours truly attended this week] and theme should have major crossover appeal Sunday in Michigan. The mercury is expected to be bubbling with highs in the 90s -- a first for Sprint Cup in 2009.

Just as the weather pattern has been for the upper midwest all summer, the high temperatures and imposing humidity have finally kicked for the NASCAR season's stretch run after a round of events in June and July have been mostly temperate.

Drivers will be feeling fortunate to only have 400 miles at the 2-mile MIS, as will the engine tuners. Innovations such as a helmet coolers and in-car drinking systems that always leave a cold refreshment at hand for drivers make a big difference in staying focused for the entire race, but 3+ hours in a car generally topping 120 or 130 degrees inside is still a workout.

And more than likely, at least one driver will feel the effects of technical difficulties if those cooling systems malfunction or are forced off thanks to another electrical issue inside the car. That's when 'Hot! Hot! Hot!' really comes to play.

And the award for most awkward media visit goes to... none other than Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers. The former Hendrick drivers and not so best friends had an interesting post-race press conference after Saturday's Nationwide Series race at MIS.

For background, Vickers and Busch were clamoring for the win with two laps to go in the 250-miler. Busch was trying to pass Vickers, who got loose, corrected, and tried to force Busch to the bottom of the track down the frontstretch coming to the white flag.

It ended up being a successful defensive move but gave the third-place car Brad Keselowski a wide-open area to swing past them both in the next corner. Keselowski then held off Vickers and Busch to score the win in his home state, as well as one for the Nationwide Series regulars.

Busch was none too pleased with Vickers efforts and showed it by bumping Vickers' No. 32 on pit road. Busch then hopped from his ride to confront a still-seated Vickers about the move, walked away, returned to flip the visor on Vickers' helment and then headed to a national television interview where he said Keselowski didn't deserve to win.

The insults kept flying when Vickers had his interview -- a la "I didn't know it was the Kyle Busch show" -- before they were both hoarded to the media press conference area for their obligated post-race question-and-answer. Of course, they were seated next to each other, leading to this gem of "Awkward Moments presented by Youtube":

Kinda reminds you of those pre-fight boxing matches with a staged controversy, doesn't it? Only difference was that it was very real -- these guys just don't seem to get along.

Brian Vickers, of course, is on the pole for Sunday's race, a mark that tallies his third-straight at the track. It also marked his sixth of the season though he has yet to claim a victory for the prime starting spot.

You can bet that Vickers probably will be pressing harder than normal on Sunday to get to victory lane, mainly to help shore up his yet-to-be-resolved contract situation with Red Bull Racing. Red Bull has always figured out their plans for the next season in an odd, seemingly late fashion, but the possibility of the team's Austrian bosses making a radical change is always there.

For reference, see A.J. Allmendinger being replaced by Scott Speed last season.

Jeff Gordon and his back may finally be off topic for Sprint Cup reporters after the four-time champ finally had it with the questions on Friday during a small media gathering outside his hauler.

"Man, let's stop talking about my back," Gordon said. "We're done talking about my back. Let's move on. I'm here. I'm fine. Let's move on to something else."

Sure, it's an issue, but nothing has really changed on the matter in the past two or three months -- even with some hard hits at Dover in June and last week at Watkins Glen. The questions, though, haven't stopped.

I suppose I can understand a brief "loss of composure" -- as the Associated Press put it -- on the issue, especially given that Gordon has been very up-front about any changes to his situation.

Kasey Kahne confirmed that he had a photo shoot recently for 2010 marketing campaigns that included both a Dodge version and Toyota version of his No. 9 Budweiser car.

Rumor around the garage area has said his Richard Petty Motorsports team is thinking of switching to Toyota next season, and Dodge CEO Mike Accavitti said Sunday he wouldn't speculate on the manufactuer's future with the team.

The Prediction

GM: I'm going with one Brian Lee Vickers to finally win a race. There's plenty of reasons not to pick him, but I'd look like a genius if he did win. Fingers crossed, indeed.

FanHouse Warmup: Carfax 400 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keselowski Snags Nationwide Win as Sparks Fly Between Busch and Vickers

FanHouse Newswire — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:28:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch, NASCAR Fights, Nationwide Series

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) -- Brian Vickers didn't see it coming. Brad Keselowski sure did.

With Vickers and Kyle Busch fighting it out on the final lap, Keselowski swooped in to grab the lead in the final turn and hold on to the Nationwide Series race Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.

"I knew they'd do what they did and that's why I was sitting there lurking,'' said Keselowski, a Michigan native. "The two of them together are a recipe for what you saw -- that's just putting it the way it is.''

Vickers finished second and Busch third, and they exchanged some heated words on pit road afterward.

More Coverage: See Race Results | Nationwide Series Standings

Busch said in a television interview that Vickers' tactics were "just stupid,'' and Vickers responded by saying that Busch came over to his car on pit road "crying like a little baby'' but ran off when Vickers offered to get out and "talk about it like men.''

It also was a rough afternoon for Carl Edwards, whose hopes of a championship in NASCAR's second-tier series took a hit when he crashed early.

"Man, just early in the race,'' he said, "and I probably should have been more cautious.''

After trading the lead for much of the race, Busch and Vickers pitted with most of the lead-lap cars after a caution with 20 laps to go. They lined up in the second row for the restart behind Justin Allgaier, who didn't pit, and Keselowski, who took only two tires, for a 12-lap dash to the finish.

Busch immediately took the lead when Vickers got hung up behind Allgaier, but Vickers came back to challenge and the two were side-by-side when another caution came out with 10 laps left.

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Brad Keselowski (88) does a burnout after winning the CARFAX 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Bob Brodbeck)

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ERIE, CO - AUGUST 15: Paulie Harraka, driver of the #12 NAPA Auto Care/Adaptive One Brakes Toyota, looks on in the garage during practice for the Toyota/NAPA 150 NASCAR Camping World Series West at the Colorado National Speedway on August 15, 2009 in Erie, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Paulie Harraka

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ERIE, CO - AUGUST 15: Blake Koch, driver of the #21 GodSpeaks.com Chevrolet, laps the track during practice for the Toyota/NAPA 150 NASCAR Camping World Series West at the Colorado National Speedway on August 15, 2009 in Erie, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Blake Koch

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ERIE, CO - AUGUST 15: Jason Bowles, driver of the #6 Sunrise Ford.com Ford, laps the track during practice for the Toyota/NAPA 150 NASCAR Camping World Series West at the Colorado National Speedway on August 15, 2009 in Erie, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Jason Bowles

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ERIE, CO - AUGUST 15: Jason Bowles, driver of the #6 Sunrise Ford.com Ford, looks on from behind the wheel in the garage during practice for the Toyota/NAPA 150 NASCAR Camping World Series West at the Colorado National Speedway on August 15, 2009 in Erie, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Jason Bowles

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ERIE, CO - AUGUST 15: Brett Thompson, driver of the #61 Rich Thompson Trucking Chevrolet, gets behind the wheel during practice for the Toyota/NAPA 150 NASCAR Camping World Series West at the Colorado National Speedway on August 15, 2009 in Erie, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Greg Pursley

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ERIE, CO - AUGUST 15: Eric Holmes, driver of the #20 NAPA Toyota, walks to his car for qualifying as he went on to win the pole position for the Toyota/NAPA 150 NASCAR Camping World Series West at the Colorado National Speedway on August 15, 2009 in Erie, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Eric Holmes

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ERIE, CO - AUGUST 15: Greg Pursley, driver of the #26 Gene Price Motorsports/Star Nursery Chevrolet, laps the track during practice for the Toyota/NAPA 150 NASCAR Camping World Series West at the Colorado National Speedway on August 15, 2009 in Erie, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Greg Pursley

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Vickers chose the outside lane on the final restart with seven laps to go and was poised to run away with the race. Busch caught back up and the two appeared ready to fight it out on the final lap when Keselowski came seemingly out of nowhere and passed them both.

Busch apparently bumped Vickers' car pulling onto pit road and the two exchanged words, but the confrontation didn't escalate. Then came a delightfully awkward news conference where they sat together and talked about one another while staring straight ahead.

"Ever since Richmond, I've had a trouble racing with (Vickers) so it's just another escalation of that,'' Busch said.

Busch criticized Vickers for not giving him enough room or paying attention to Keselowski.

"I knew (Keselowski) was coming and man, I was stuck,'' Busch said. "I didn't have anywhere to go.''

Vickers admitted he didn't know Keselowski was coming so quickly, but wasn't willing to entertain Busch's second-guessing.

"I race everybody the way they race me,'' Vickers said. "We were racing for the win. Kyle, if you want to be upset with that, I'm sorry. That's my job to try and win the race. If anyone else disagrees, if anyone else thinks I should have just rolled out of it and let Kyle win, please raise your hand. I'm fine. The only thing I'm upset with is how he handled it after the race. I'm sure we can get past that.''

The confrontation is unlikely to spill over into Sunday's Sprint Cup race, when Vickers will start from the pole and Busch will start near the back.

"He'll be up front tomorrow and I'll be in back, so we won't have anything,'' Busch said.

Both drivers then sped away on separate golf carts.

Keselowski admitted he probably wouldn't have won if Vickers and Busch had stayed single-file at the end.

"They didn't, so I guess it's irrelevant,'' Keselowski said.

It was a big moment for Keselowski, and up-and-coming talent who was thrilled to win a race in his home state and put on a pretty good show in the process.

"It was just good racing,'' said Keselowski, a native of Rochester Hills, Mich. "I sure hope everybody enjoyed it -- it's not very often you get a three-wide battle for a lead with one to go.''

The third-place finish put a slight damper on what has been a remarkable streak for Busch, who hadn't finished worse than second in his previous 10 Nationwide races. With Edwards' wreck Saturday, Busch now holds a commanding 339-point lead in the standings.

Edwards was uninjured in his early crash with Trevor Bayne, who managed to continue while Edwards took his damaged car to the garage.

Bayne, an 18-year-old driving for Michael Waltrip's team, was making only his ninth career Nationwide start but was second-fastest in qualifying earlier Saturday.

"It definitely looked like I didn't give Trevor enough room,'' Edwards said.

By CHRIS JENKINS, AP Sports Writer

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Keselowski Snags Nationwide Win as Sparks Fly Between Busch and Vickers originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Gasoline Alley

Holly Cain — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 19:17:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sprint Cup

INDIANAPOLIS -- Some notes and quotes from inside Indianapolis Motor Speedway's famous Gasoline Alley:

*Four-time Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon said Saturday he does not plan on getting any more invasive treatments for his nagging back pain.

Earlier this year an MRI revealed that Gordon suffers from mild arthritis. He underwent a procedure in May to inject anti-inflammatory medicine and Gordon said he's feeling better but credits that mostly to an improved training regiment, not the procedure.

He said some tracks irritate the injury more than others joking that he could take a month off, "then go to Bristol (Tenn.) and it will hurt.""The procedure really didn't have an impact so I made the decision after talking with my doctors not to do anything more,'' Gordon said. "And frankly, I don't like having needles in my back.''*Moments after earning a front row starting spot for Sunday's race Juan Pablo Montoya told reporters his mind was on Felipe Massa, who was injured in a crash during Formula One qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Montoya, a former F1 star, noted the differences between safety in F1 and NASCAR.

Montoya praised NASCAR's COT, the carbon seats used by many drivers and a responsive medical team as being superior to what they have in Europe.

"What really shook me about Massa is how long it took the medical response,'' Montoya said. "I always said that when I was over there, but then you get here and see what NASCAR does. ... ''

Massa was in the intensive care unit of a Hungarian hospital after a piece of steel flew off of another car and struck Massa in the helmet. The debris tore Massa's helmet visor and struck the young Brazilian in the forehead. It comes a week after 18-year old Henry Surtees was killed after being struck in the head by a tire that came off another car in an F2 race.

Another former F1 driver, American Eddie Cheever, said he didn't know enough about the Massa incident to comment directly on that, but did offer, "For open-wheel racing there's always that risk of your head being exposed. Safety is never an issue that ends with one innovation.''

*Brian Vickers has won five pole positions, had eight top-10 finishes, led almost 100 laps this season and qualified sixth here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Red Bull Racing Team, but the 25-year old still doesn't a have a job for next season.

quot;We've agreed to everything verbally and they've stressed to me time and time again they want me to stay,'' Vickers said of his Red Bull team. "But I look at it as until the contract is signed I'm a free agent. I'm keeping all my options open at this point.''

*Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin topped the speed charts in final practice for Sunday's AllState 400 at the Brickyard on Saturday evening, with defending winner Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and pole sitter Mark Martin rounding out the top-five. Greg Biffle spun on the last lap of practice but didn't hit anything. Two-time Brickyard winner Tony Stewart ran the most laps (50) in practice.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Gasoline Alley originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 25 Jul 2009 19:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After Crash, Vickers Slams Teammate

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:24:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Scott Speed, Red Bull Racing

Get in the groove for today's race with FanHouse Warmup.

Veteran Brian Vickers couldn't have been less of a Red Bull Racing team player during Saturday afternoon's Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, while his teammate Scott Speed handled a dicey situation beautifully.

The two Sprint Cup Series teammates tangled while battling Mike Bliss for fourth on the last lap, sending Vickers into the wall. On the cool-down lap, Vickers bumped Speed numerous times in retaliation.

What Vickers said, though, likely will have some lasting repercussions on the team.

"He ran into the back of us," said Vickers. "I don't know if he's frustrated because he's running so bad in the Cup series."

When asked what Speed told him after the two had exchanged words upon exiting their cars, Vickers said Speed explained that Vickers' No. 32 and Bliss' No. 1 machines slowed too quickly in the corner to avoid contact.

"That's not much of an excuse," Vickers said.

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Kyle Busch drives to victory at the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 auto race in Loudon, N.H., Saturday, June 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Jon Pierre Lasseigne)

LOUDON, NH - JUNE 27: Brian Vickers, driver of the #32 Dollar General Stores Toyota, leads a group of cars during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 27: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Z-Line Designs Toyota, leads Joey Logano, driver of the #20 GameStop/Singularity Toyota, during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch;Joey Logano

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Kyle Busch's crew celebrates his victory from the pit wall as Busch burns his tires in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 in Loudon, N.H., Saturday, June 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

LOUDON, NH - JUNE 27: Carl Edwards, driver of the #60 Scotts/Ortho Ford, leads a group of cars during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Carl Edwards

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 27: Kyle Busch (C), driver of the #18 Z-Line Designs Toyota, celebrates with his team after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 27: Brian Vickers, driver of the #32 Dollar General Stores Toyota, leads Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Z-Line Designs Toyota, during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers;Kyle Busch

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 27: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Z-Line Designs Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

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Kyle Busch celebrates his victory at the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 auto race in Loudon, N.H., Saturday, June 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Jon Pierre Lasseigne)

Kyle Busch's crew celebrates his victory at the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 auto race in Loudon, N.H., Saturday, June 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Jon Pierre Lasseigne)

Television replays, however, seemed to tell a different story for the Sprint Cup teammates that drove for different teams on Saturday. Vickers piloted the No. 32 for Braun Racing while Speed drove the No. 99 for Michael Waltrip Racing.

As the three cars went to turn three on the one-mile flat oval during the final lap, Bliss was on the outside of Vickers with Speed trailing about two car lengths back. As Vickers tried to pass Bliss, he appeared to get loose and slide up the race track. His No. 32 lost momentum at just the moment that Speed appeared to be getting back in throttle.

Speed then nudged the rear of Vickers' Toyota, spinning it into the outside wall. The wreck dropped Speed to an 8th-place finish and Vickers to 12th.

"We all went into the last corner and they just checked up and I couldn't stop in time," said Speed. "Brian's a little bit heated for sure but luckily we're teammates so we'll get to talk it out -- maybe in counseling or something."

After Crash, Vickers Slams Teammate originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Warmup: LifeLock 400

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Sprint Cup

The Essentials

Race: LifeLock 400

Where: Michigan Int'l Speedway
Time: Sunday 2:00pm/EDT
TV/Radio: TNT, MRN Radio
Twitter: At-track updates at FanHouseRacing
Forecast: 75 degrees, Partly Sunny
Distance: 200 laps (400 miles)
Pole Winner: Brian Vickers
2008 Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The Storylines

It's now been a full year since NASCAR's most popular driver was in victory lane and a Dale Earnhardt Jr. win on Sunday would be a nice-sized upset -- though we can't really expect it.

After undergoing the crew chief change we all thought would never happen two weeeks ago, the No. 88 hasn't taken the world by storm, but it has certainly showed marked signs of improvement.

Earnhardt Jr. even commented on Saturday after posting the second-fastest lap time in practice about the level of support he's seen from his Rick Hendrick-owned team.

"I think Rick has gone far beyond what I anticipated in trying to get us assistance and trying to help me. More so, I'm surprised by how much the crew chiefs and drivers are participating and trying to help us," said Earnhardt Jr.

In other words, nearly any excuse to not start contending for Top-5s has started to lose credibility because of the resources Earnhardt Jr. has. I get the feeling, though, he wants it that way.

I can't say I'm disappointed to hear that Bruton Smith doesn't think there will be a Sprint Cup race at his 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway in 2010.

The track hosted its annual Nationwide Series event on Saturday night with Joey Logano taking the checkers. From the laps I saw, the track has a little wider groove than most of the flatter, d-shaped tracks on the schedule, but still doesn't offer any 'wow!' factor to the average race viewer.

Have no fear, though -- Smith will get his way eventually and have Sprint Cup racing in Kentucky, but ya just might have to wait awhile.

Impeccable might be the best word to describe the forecast for Sunday's weather in Brooklyn, Mich., home of MIS, after a downright evil system or 12 threw off many racing plans over the past few weeks.

In fact, forecasters are saying it will be a mostly sunny day with a high of 74 degrees in the Irish Hills Region.

The Prediction

I'd feel beyond terrible if Brian Vickers handed Red Bull Racing their first team win ever and I didn't pick him. That leaves me without any options:

Geoffrey Miller: Brian Vickers

FanHouse Warmup: LifeLock 400 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 14 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vickers Riding High, Eyes Red Bull Win

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:11:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Sprint Cup, Red Bull Racing

It's been a good week to be Brian Vickers.

First, he completed what was likely the first-ever live-action pit stop in New York City's Times Square (gotta love the Red Bull marketing ideas; video here) and then ESPN reported that he had signed a multi-year contract extension with Red Bull Racing.

Friday, he won the pole for the LifeLock 400 and figures to be a huge favorite come Sunday's race.

"We had to make a lot of adjustments during practice," said Vickers. "By the end of practice we were really happy with the car and the final lap in practice I told the guys before I even crossed the line, 'I can't ask anything else out of you, it's up to me.' We were either going to be on the pole or I was going to mess it up."

He didn't mess up.

The No. 83 stormed around the two-mile D-shaped Michigan International Speedway with a lap that averaged 189.110 mph -- faster than his pole-winning speed for the same race a year ago.

Now all that's left is to put the whole puzzle together on Sunday and give the three-year-old Red Bull Racing its first Sprint Cup victory.

"We've had the poles and we've had the fast cars," said Vickers. "We had the car to win here last year, right up to the very end of the race we thought we put ourselves in a great position. A late caution came and we got put back several positions under the last caution."

And several of those spots were a mistake by NASCAR that it later admitted. Had it not been for that, Vickers may have topped Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the final laps of a race that saw his blue No. 83 lead 44 of 203 laps.

A win would just be a final period on string of races both this season and last that Vickers looked strong in but couldn't close out. Just three weeks ago at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Vickers proved to be the only car that could pass Kyle Busch under green flag conditions, but got caught by the final caution for rain that ultimately played into the hands of a gambling David Reutimann.

The rest of the top-5 for Sunday's race include Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Reutimann and Kurt Busch. Point leader Tony Stewart lines up 11th while second-place Jeff Gordon qualified 27th but will start at the tail end of the field after losing an engine during practice.

Vickers Riding High, Eyes Red Bull Win originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Warmup: Russ Friedman 400

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 02 May 2009 14:14:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Denny Hamlin, Sprint Cup

The Essentials

Race: Russ Friedman 400 by Crown Royal

Where: Richmond Int'l Raceway
Time: Saturday 7:30 p.m./EDT
TV/Radio: FOX Sports, MRN Radio
Twitter: Live updates at FanHouseRacing
Forecast: 60 degrees, 60% chance of rain
Distance: 400 laps (300 miles)
Pole Winner: Brian Vickers
2008 Winner: Clint Bowyer

The Storylines

Who in the world is Russ Friedman? After winning a promotion though Crown Royal, Saturday night's presenting sponsor, Friedman earned himself naming rights to the event in a program that's been going for a few years now.

Friedman, as it turns out, is a veteran of the war in Iraq and has received -- count 'em -- two purple hearts during his service.

"When I found out in Daytona that I was the winner, I knew I wanted to use the race to celebrate all those individuals who protect our country every day," said Friedman in a press release. "I just hope I can do my part to make my fellow soldiers proud this weekend in Richmond."

Crown Royal has helped Friedman's mission by supplying tickets to service members at many races this season, making 'Thank You' signs for Saturday night's crowd and sending various racing-related merchandise to soldiers stationed overseas.

Last fall, it was a tropical storm that forced the Saturday night event into a Sunday afternoon start, and it appears Mother Nature wants to spoil the show again for Saturday night's race.

Sporadic rain that has been moving across the midwest at a snail's pace has seemed to set in around the Richmond region, leaving the forecast for Saturday for scatterd thunderstorms and Saturday night with a 60 percent chance that the region will get doused with precipitation.

Sunday doesn't look any better, forecast-wise, so NASCAR might be in for a long night to get this one done. We'll keep the fingers crossed.

Roush-Fenway Racing doesn't seem to have improved since the last time it was at a short track. During the season's first two small track events at Martinsville and Bristol, the five car team managed just one Top-10 finish with Jamie McMurray's 10th-place at Bristol.

All five cars will start Saturday night's 400-lapper from 20th or worse with Greg Biffle (starting 20th) leading the pack. David Ragan lines up 22nd, Jamie McMurray 27th, Matt Kenseth 35th and last week's aerial performance winner Carl Edwards starting 37th.

The problem, many of the drivers have said, is that Roush's flat track program is just behind right now.

Twitter has just gotten that much cooler after Motorsports FanHouse officially opted to jump on board this week. We're still new at this, but we'd love to have all you Twitterheads on-board for yet another way to get some breaking NASCAR news and live race updates.

Yep, fire up the cell or the ol' Commodore 64 and follow us at twitter.com/FanHouseRacing for tonight's Russ Friedman 400. It's like a live blog that you can do at your couch!

David Poole's legacy in this sport isn't something that soon move on, and that's deservedly so. FH's Holly Cain talked about his impact earlier this week after the Charlotte Observer NASCAR beat writer passed away suddenly at the age of 50, and it was impossible to find another NASCAR news site that didn't have concurring opinions.

I'm not in any status to write at length about him, but in the sole meeting we had he proved why all of those kind words came flowing this week. He was approachable, respectful, and in my case, gave a complete stranger the time of day to discuss briefly the future of journalism in NASCAR. Most importantly, the fans lost a huge voice of reason in the ever-muddy world that is NASCAR racing.

In a move of utmost respect this week, NASCAR has asked that all tracks remaining in the 2009 schedule leave an empty seat in the media center each week in memory of Poole, and also several teams will be sporting decals Saturday night in honor of his work and contribution to the sport.

Here's to hoping that his family truly understands our gratefulness for sharing him with us for the last 13 years.

The Prediction

I ripped Denny Hamlin a year ago for his on-track antics that brought out an intentional yellow flag and likely changed the outcome of the race, but in the year since he's showed a better level of maturity (see: Martinsville 2009) and an overwhelming competitive desire to be more than just a has-been in Sprint Cup.

None of that, of course, matters when it comes to predicting Saturday's night's winner other than looking at his stats from a year ago. Hamlin led an astounding 381 of the 407 laps ran a year ago in Richmond before a flat tire stopped his all-but-guaranteed ascent to victory lane. There's no reason to believe he can't do the same tonight at the track that is truly his hometown speedway.

He'll roll off 3rd.

Geoffrey Miller: Denny Hamlin

Closing note: Just realized that this post marks my 1,000th entry to this ever-growing world of FanHouse since my start in March of 2007. FanHouse has grown tremendously and I'm grateful for everyone who has stopped by our little corner of the web to make this successful. It's been one helluva ride, and here's to at least a couple thousand more. Thank you!

Enjoy the race.

FanHouse Warmup: Russ Friedman 400 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 02 May 2009 14:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Talladega Marred by Early 13-Car Wreck

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:57:00 EST

Filed under: A.J. Allmendinger, Brian Vickers, Casey Mears, Clint Bowyer, David Gilliland, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Scott Riggs, NASCAR Crashes, Sprint Cup

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) --The "Big One" hit early at Talladega Superspeedway.

A massive 13-car accident just seven laps into Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway took out race favorites and left it open for an unlikely winner to emerge from the field.

The accident started just seven laps into the race near the front of the field when Matt Kenseth appeared to make contact with series points leader Jeff Gordon.

The bump made Gordon's car slide toward the top of the track, and the drivers running around them couldn't avoid the wreck.

"It was a little bit of aggressive driving, but everybody's jockeying for position here in the early laps," Gordon said. "I got squeezed and didn't have anywhere else to go. I saw an opening, went for it, and it closed up in a hurry."

Six of the drivers caught up in the wreck are Chase for the championship contenders. They are Gordon, Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin, winner of last week's race at Phoenix.

"It's Talladega. You expect it," Gordon said. "You just hope to survive it."

Kevin Harvick, Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray, Scott Riggs, AJ Allmendinger, David Gilliland, and Brian Vickers were also involved.

"How could it not happen," Martin said. "It's not guys losing control of their cars. It's so many in such a wad that you can't help but move up or down on each other and it starts a wreck."

DYST V3 test

LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers watches as Mo Williams #2 takes a shoe to the face by Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers after a steal in the closing seconds of the first half at The Quicken Loans Arena on February 8, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. (David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images)

David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images

Brazil's Diogo (L) vies for the ball with Paraguay's Hernan Perez during their U-20 South American Championship football match in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela on February 8, 2009.(Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images )

Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images

A Dalmatian looks at its handler as a judge goes to touch the dog during the first day of the 2009 Westminster Dog Show in New York February 9, 2009.(Lucas Jackson, Reuters)

Lucas Jackson, Reuters

Denver Nuggets forward Chris Anderson touches his head during a time out in the first half of their NBA basketball game with the New Jersey Nets in East Rutherford, New Jersey February 7, 2009. (Ray Stubblebine, Reuters)

Ray Stubblebine, Reuters

Margarita Marbler, of Austria, skis to a bronze medal finish the ladies moguls freestyle FIS World Cupskiing qualification at Cypress mountain in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. (Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP)

Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP

West Virginia guard Darryl Bryant (25) is fouled by Providence guard Jeff Xavier (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Morgantown, W.Va. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. West Virginia won 86-59. (Don Wright, AP)

Don Wright, AP

Missouri's DeMarre Carroll, top, celebrates the Tigers' 62-60 win over Kansas in Columbia, Missouri, Monday, February 9, 2009. (Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT)

Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT

David Clarkson #23 of the New Jersey Devils fights Erik Reitz #4 of the New York Rangers during their game on February 9, 2009 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (Al Bello, Getty Images)

Al Bello, Getty Images

Driver Patrick Sheltra (60) begins to spin coming out of the fourth turn during the ARCA 200 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.

Darryl Graham, AP

Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives serves the ball, in this multiple exposure, to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic during their Fed Cup tennis match in Brno February 7, 2009.

Petr Josek, Reuters

NASCAR issued a stern warning before the race, telling the drivers to avoid aggressive driving, which is common at Talladega but policed heavily for safety precautions.

Race director David Hoots warned drivers at the prerace meeting to show caution on the track.

"If you're thinking you're getting ready to get too close to crossing over this line then draw back," he said.

Several teams were in the garage trying to repair the cars and get them back on the track and get in more laps in the 500-miles race. Others, like Martin, had already called it a day.

Harvick returned about 50 laps later. Gordon, the points leader, and Kahne also returned.

"Everyone's trying to position themselves," Harvick said. "I don't think it's anybody's fault."

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Talladega Marred by Early 13-Car Wreck originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR Off-Week Check-Up

Holly Cain — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, Joey Logano

During one of only four off-weeks all season, it's a good time to breathe and check out the early-season statistics. It's way to early to come to any conclusions, but it's been an interesting few weeks of haves and have-nots.

Here's a look at who's getting the thumbs-up or thumbs-down as we prepare for one of the best shows NASCAR has to offer -- 500 laps at the half-mile Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway next Sunday afternoon.

Jeff Gordon: Thumbs Up
This is an obvious and, let's face it, sentimental selection for the points leader. Gordon never fell off the championship wagon, but his first winless season last year convinced the non-believers that he was somehow on his way out. Come on, this is Jeff Gordon.

The four-time champ has returned to form with two runner-up finishes in the last three races -- and his 13th place in the roll-of-the-dice Daytona 500 is his only effort worse than sixth. Get used to seeing his name atop the leaderboard and soon his car in victory lane over and over.

Clint Bowyer: Thumbs Up
This is not only because Bowyer is ranked second, only 43 points behind Gordon, but because of the fact that Bowyer is the best-performing driver most of the country still doesn't know about. The quiet, personable Kansas native is proving you don't have to have a household name to consistently better the household names. Last year he qualified for the Chase and won the Nationwide Series title. This year he's right back in the thick of the Sprint Cup Series championship -- with three top-six finishes -- even after having his former car, sponsor, and crew uprooted at Richard Childress Racing. That's C-L-I-N-T B-O-W-Y-E-R.

Mark Martin: Thumbs Down
This is not of his own doing, unless you count that dark cloud of so-close that has followed Martin throughout his career. After coming out of retirement for a fulltime ride with NASCAR's most dominant Hendrick Motorsports team, even the typically cautious Martin got caught up in high expectations. That's what makes his 34th place ranking so disheartening. He's started from the front row twice -- won the pole last week at Atlanta -- but had two DNFs (engine failures). The 50-year-old's only finish higher than 30th came in the Daytona 500. Even Martin admitted last week, "I do have a history of not being the luckiest guy in the world."

Latest NASCAR Images

In a photo provided by the NHRA through Auto Imagery Inc., NHRA Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta is seen in an undated photo. Much like NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt's racing death in February of 2001, the deaths of the 33-year-old Eric Medlen and the 46-year-old Kalitta have been a catalyst for major safety changes in the sport. (AP Photo/NHRA, via Auto Imagery Inc.) ** NO SALES **

In this Oct. 15, 2006 photo provided by RacersEdgePhotography, Eric Medlen celebrates winning a Funny Car race at the TORCO RACING FUELS NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Va. Much like NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt's racing death in February of 2001, the deaths of the 33-year-old Medlen and 46-year-old Scott Kalitta have been a catalyst for major safety changes in the sport. (AP Photo/RacersEdgePhotography, Ken Sklute) ** NO SALES **

** FILE ** This is a Feb. 5, 2009, file photo showing NASCAR driver David Reutimann at media day at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Reutimann is proving that nice guys don't always finish last. The polite-almost-to-a-fault driver for Michael Waltrip Racing is off to a decent start in 2009, good news for his boss' struggling franchise. (AP Photo/Reinhold Matay, File)

** FILE ** This is a Feb. 5, 2009 file photo showing NASCAR driver Mark Martin at media day at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. This was supposed to be Mark Martin's best shot at a championship. Instead, two motors and a tire failed him the past three weeks, leaving the Hendrick Motorsports driver 34th in the Sprint Cup Series standings. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

** FILE ** This is a March 8, 2009, file photo showing Mark Martin sliding across the infield grass during the NASCAR Kobalt Tools 500 auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. This was supposed to be Mark Martin's best shot at a championship. Instead, two motors and a tire failed him the past three weeks, leaving the Hendrick Motorsports driver 34th in the Sprint Cup Series standings. (AP Photo/Mark Young, File)

Kurt Busch (2) leads a pack of cars into Turn One during the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday, March 8, 2009. (Johnny Crawford/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT)

MCT

ATLANTA - MARCH 08: Fans watch action during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8, 2009 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Getty Images

HAMPTON, GA - MARCH 08: Kurt Busch, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8, 2009 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kurt Busch

Getty Images for NASCAR

ATLANTA - MARCH 08: Fans watch during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8, 2009 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Rookie Class: Thumbs Down
Come on guys, even without the testing we expected more. And that's the irony. Australian Marcos Ambrose is schooling the marquee wonderkids Joey Logano and Scott Speed thus far. With three top-22 finishes, Ambrose was ranked 20th until a DNF at Atlanta Sunday dropped him to 28th. Still that's better than "Sliced Bread" Logano, who is 33rd in points without a single finish better than 32nd in the famously strong No. 20 Home Depot Toyota vacated by Tony Stewart. Former F1 driver Scott Speed is also looking for his first top-30 run and is ranked even worse -- 37th. We're not expecting a victory, but how about a glimpse of competitiveness.

Brian Vickers: Thumbs Up
If not for a melee in Daytona, Vickers would be ranked even higher than the 11th place position he finds himself in. That Daytona DNF -- on the frustrated bumper of Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- is his only finish outside of the top-10. Few people predicted this one-time Cup winner would be hanging with the big boys even this early on. And while Vickers infuriated the Junior Nation by calling Earnhardt out on national television for their Daytona dust-up, he's having the last laugh. For now. Earnhardt is ranked 24th -- 80 points behind.

The Rest of Hendrick Motorsports: Thumbs Down
Of course three-time defending Sprint Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson will make the Chase and so will his teammate Earnhardt. But if people are surprised that second-year driver David Reutimann and Vickers are ranked among the top-12, they are even more surprised that Johnson and Earnhardt aren't. It's way early and both have had their best results in the past two weeks, but it's time to go. Johnson has spotted Gordon 177 points already, but is less than 20 points behind 12th place Reutimann in the Chase cut-off position. He made up six positions last week alone. Earnhardt is 237 behind Gordon, but only 78 points out of 12th place.

The Busch Brothers: Two Thumbs Up
Older brother Kurt -- you know, the guy who won the 2004 Cup championship -- says he's beginning to hold up his end of the family bargain. His win Sunday at Atlanta moved him up four positions in the rankings to third -- right by younger brother Kyle -- and marked his third top-10 of the year. It was a big victory for Dodge, which has struggled in the past year, and a redemption for Kurt and the once perennial favorite Penske Racing team. Kyle, meanwhile, has a victory at hometown Las Vegas, is ranked seventh and has already earned a pair of Camping World Truck Series wins in his spare time. As NASCAR's winningest driver in 2008, everyone expected to see Kyle out front. It's his big brother's resurgence that has people talking and the rest of the garage on its toes.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Thumbs Up and Down, A Push
Team owner-driver Tony Stewart admitted to surprising himself with a tremendous outing right out of the box at Daytona. He's had three eighth-place finishes in four races and is ranked solidly among the early Chase contenders. All's well on the owner-driver double. It's the owner-only hat that's struggling. His teammate Ryan Newman is ranked 32nd and doesn't have a top-20 yet. He trails 12th place Reutimann by 151 points. Newman has only 48 points more than David Gilliland -- and Gilliland's only competed in three of the four races.

Drug Testing: Thumbs Up
Two crew members -- one from the Sprint Cup Series and one from the Nationwide Series -- have tested positive for illegal substances and have been suspended indefinitely by NASCAR. It's a small percentage of the thousands who took the mandatory test in the preseason. But it makes you wonder. If two people have been suspended in as many months knowing that they were subject to testing, what was going on before NASCAR modified its policy for 2009? Random tests continue at every race venue (about a dozen per week) and hopefully that will be a successful deterrent. There's no gray area in a life-and-death sport.

Attendance: Thumbs Down
This is a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty situation. Attendance has been down, but the television ratings are up and the camera operators have taken creativity to new heights with their crowd shots.

Tires: Thumbs Down
We're tired of having to hear about them. Let's get it right.

NASCAR Off-Week Check-Up originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Warmup: Auto Club 500

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:02:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards, Sprint Cup

The Essentials

Race: Auto Club 500

Where: Auto Club Speedway
Time: Sunday 6 p.m./EDT
TV/Radio: FOX Sports, MRN Radio
Forecast: "Isolated Sprinkles", Cloudy, 76
Distance: 250 laps (500 miles)
Pole Winner: Brian Vickers
2008 Winner: Carl Edwards

The Storylines

After a week of debate about Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s driving abilities and Matt Kenseth's soggy Daytona win, NASCAR as we know it has returned to form.

Unfortunately, it returns Sunday afternoon/evening at one of the most underwhelming tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit, Auto Club Speedway (the track formerly known as California Speedway). Fortunately, that return aims to be a little better than last year's events at the track that were nearly washed away in a weekend chock full of wet weather.

Brian Vickers has had a topsy turvy week after serving as Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s anger management device in the waning laps of last weekend's Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Vickers laid down an impressive lap during qualifying to pick up the top starting spot for Sunday's 500-miler -- a nice reversal of fortune from his 39th-place Daytona finish.

His roller coaster of starting and finishing positions kept going after he secured the Coors Light pole award Friday when his team detected a possible issue with his original engine and opted to swap a new one in the No. 83 for the race. Per NASCAR rules, the engine change forces Vickers to start at the tail-end of Sunday's starting grid.

Ironically, Earnhardt Jr. was also forced to the back after the team changed his transmission following final practice on Saturday.

Kyle Busch, as usual, is looking to do something no driver has ever done by winning all three of NASCAR's sanctioned races in one weekend.

Saturday, Busch waltzed to a Camping World Truck Series win in the afternoon and later in the evening, led a bunch more laps and took the lead back on a late restart thanks a nudge of Carl Edwards to win the Nationwide Series event at Auto Club Speedway.

According to NASCAR, 31 drivers have done the Nationwide-Sprint Cup sweep, but never has a driver won all three in a weekend.

NASCAR amended its new restart rules for Sunday's race after they decided the original 50-foot window was too short. In the past, NASCAR put a line on the outside wall ahead of the start/finish line and anytime after the leader passes it on a restart, he could decide when to start the race.

For Daytona, NASCAR created a 50-foot window for drivers to start the race, but after a week of use, it was deemed too short. For Sunday's race, it was extended to 110 feet -- an intelligent move considering a car moving at 65 mph (typical for big track restarts) moves over 95 feet per second.

The Predictions

Geoffrey Miller: Carl Edwards

Holly Cain: Kyle Busch

FanHouse Warmup: Auto Club 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tempers Boil After Junior's Daytona Dare

Holly Cain — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:20:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Crashes, Sprint Cup

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the talk of the Daytona 500 once again.

Only this time it was all about a punt, not a pass.

Contact between his Chevy and Brian Vickers' Toyota on Lap 125 took out eight other cars -- including the race leader -- and left some of his competitors questioning the fairness of how NASCAR doles out penalties.

Did You See That?

Rich Frankliln with an eye patch over his right eye after UFC 93.

Rich Franklin/American Fighter

Rich Frankliln with a bruised right eye after UFC 93.

Rich Franklin/American Fighter

Marion Kreiner of Austria takes 1st place during the FIS Snowboard World Championship Women's Parallel Giant Slalom on January 20, 2009 in Gangwon, Korea.

Agence Zoom, Getty Images

Russia's Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Maisuradze perform their pairs short program at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, on January 20, 2009, during the European Figure Skating Championships.

Lars Lewen #12 of Sweden leads through a turn in front of Xavier Kuhn #5 of France and Beni Hofer #20 of Switzerland during the Men's Ski Cross heats on day two of the Freestyle World Cup on January 19, 2009 at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, New York.

Tunisia's Mahmoud Gharbi shoots against Russia during the Men's World Handball Championship Croatia 2009 Group C match in Varazdin city January 19, 2009.

OBERHOF, GERMANY - JANUARY 11: Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway skates during the Men mass start of the E.ON Ruhrgas IBU Biathlon World Cup on January 11, 2009 in Oberhof near Erfurt, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ole Einar Bjoerndalen

Martin Rose, Getty Images

Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald (11) reaches the ball over the goal line for a touchdown as Carolina Panthers' Chris Harris (43) defends during the second quarter of an NFL divisional playoff football game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009.

Chuck Burton, AP

Pilots make an exhibition of Motocross Free Style in Rio Hato, some 120 km north of Panama City, on January 11, 2009. Motocross free style world champion, US Travis Pastrana, also participated in the show.

Elmer Martinez, AFP/Getty Images

San Jose Sharks forward Mike Grier hits the boards after he scored a goal during the second period of their NHL hockey game against the Calgary Flames in Calgary, Alberta, January 6, 2009.

Todd Korol, Reuters

More Coverage: Daytona 500 Results | Kenseth Wins | Junior Triggers Crash

"He hit me the first time on the way down, which is fine, we all do that," Vickers said. "Then when he came back up, he just hooked me in the left rear and typically NASCAR penalizes. ... I guess they're not going to penalize him for that."

Earnhardt denied he was intentionally wrecking anyone, instead claiming that he was just trying to regain control of his car after Vickers blocked his pass and forced his car down the race track.

"Penalize me? For what?" asked Earnhardt. "I got run into and sent down below the yellow line. What the hell am I supposed to do? Stay down there? No.

"I got to get back up on the race track. ... It was unfortunate man. If he wasn't so damn reckless, we would have never had that problem, that would never happen.

"As far as I'm concerned, it is all his responsibility," added Earnhardt, who stayed in the race and finished 27th.

"I don't hate it for him, but for everybody else that got wrecked."

Those collected in the accident weren't as understanding. Especially Kyle Busch, who was leading the race at the time, led a race-best 88 laps and insisted he was "100 percent" confident in winning.

Latest NASCAR Photos

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: David Ragan, driver of the #6 UPS Ford, spins into a gravel pit during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** David Ragan

Getty Images for NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: A view of cars racing during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images for NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard Chevrolet, races Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Dale Earnhardt Jr.;Kyle Busch

Getty Images for NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Crew members work on the #82 Red Bull Toyota, driven by Scott Speed, in the garage are during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Scott Speed

Getty Images for NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Crew members work on the #18 M&M's Toyota, driven by Kyle Busch, on pit road during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

Getty Images for NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Crew members work on the #29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, driven by Kevin Harvick, on pit road during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kevin Harvick

Getty Images for NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, sits in his car on the grid prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

Getty Images for NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, sits in his car on the grid prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers

Getty Images for NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Denny Hamlin (R), driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, talks with his crew chief Mike Ford on the grid prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Mike Ford;Denny Hamlin

Getty Images for NASCAR

NASCAR driver David Ragan talks with reporters as he leaves the infield care center after he was involved in an accident during the NASCAR Budweiser Shootout auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.(AP Photo/John Raoux)

"Some guys having some bad days and not doing their best made their bad day, our bad day," said Busch, who ended up 41st. "It's just a shame. That M&Ms Toyota was so, so strong today and led all those laps. It was just unfortunate that two guys got together that were a lap down and were fighting over nothing."

Busch didn't buy Earnhardt's explanation either.

"I'm not really very surprised (Earnhardt made the move), but it doesn't matter -- it could be anybody out there," Busch said.

"It's not very difficult to ease back in, you just roll out of the throttle and fall back in line," he said.

There was precedent for a penalty. NASCAR handed Jason Leffler a 5-lap penalty in Saturday's Nationwide Series race here for causing a very similar incident. In that case, however, they deemed Leffler's move as aggressive driving.

And actually Earnhardt did receive a penalty in the race. Officials held his car for one lap after his tire was slightly on the line, therefore the car not technically in the pit box during a stop. He was trying to make up that lap when he was racing Vickers for position.

Ironically, the only race Vickers has won in the Cup Series was at Talladega, Ala. in 2006 -- and he took the checkered flag after spinning out the leader Jimmie Johnson -- then his teammate at Hendrick Motorsports.

Then, as in Sunday's incident, Vickers maintained he was within his rights of competition.

"I think I was doing what I had to do," Vickers said. "That's superspeedway racing. You watch your mirror and try to keep the guy behind you, behind you.

"People blocked me the whole race. ... but I don't just hook them in the left rear and turn them in front of the field. I don't think that's an excuse to do that.

"Everybody has their own opinion I guess."

Tempers Boil After Junior's Daytona Dare originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chase Hangover? Not for Kyle Busch

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:21:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Sprint Cup

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch hasn't lost a step from 2008.

Well, the Kyle Busch from before the Chase for the Championship, that is.

Thursday afternoon, Busch took his No. 18 Toyota high and then low on the final lap of the second race of the Gatorade Duels at Daytona to block Mark Martin and Brian Vickers and score the victory in the 150-miler.

The win marked the 23-year-old's second win in the last three outings at the east Florida track, as he took the win last July in the Coke Zero 400 after a last-lap duel with Carl Edwards ended prematurely thanks to a caution on the white flag lap.

Last July's win was one of eight that Busch picked up in the Sprint Cup Series during a summer stretch that probably should have been named in his honor. Atlanta, Talladega, Darlington, Dover, Sonoma, Daytona, Chicago and Watkins Glen all handed out trophies and checks to NASCAR's younger K. Busch.

Needless to say, Busch was clearly looking like a favorite to walk away with a Sprint Cup title.

But then, as you, Kyle and NASCAR's first winner of three consecutive championships in 30 years -- Jimmie Johnson -- things didn't go quite as planned in the ten race prime time of the Sprint Cup got underway.

First, his suspension failed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, then his engine blew at Dover and to cap it off, a fuel pressure problem at Kansas Speedway reduced the high-flying Busch to nothing more than a fourth quarter disappointment in a season he had so easily dominated the first three in.

So when Busch's spotter guided helped guide the No. 18 Toyota towards the wall up high in Daytona's turn four to block a quickly advancing Mark Martin -- a move that was awful similar to Martin's unsuccessful attempt at blocking Kevin Harvick for the Daytona 500 win in 2007 -- and when he bolted back down the track along the final stretch to slow a surprising advance by Brian Vickers, did he feel like he was making a statement to the rest of the field about 2009?

"Not really. Not here in Daytona. You know, the statement's more so when we get to California, Vegas, Atlanta, that we'll be a force to be reckoned with." said Busch.

What does it mean, then, for Busch to come out of the box at Daytona, score a tough win, and shrug it off?

Nothing more, of course, then knowing that the Kyle Busch full of swagger and confidence hasn't disappeared after an ending to 2008 that could -- with the most positive spin allowed -- be declared a disappointment.

Heads up, NASCAR.

Chase Hangover? Not for Kyle Busch originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'08 Rear-View Mirror: Brian Vickers

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:01:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Toyota, Sprint Cup

Warning: Objects in this post may be the only way to successfully live through the NASCAR off-season. For best results, read rearview mirror early and often.

Driver: Brian Vickers
Team: No. 83 Red Bull Racing Toyota
'08 Final Standing: 19th (-3104)
Best Race: Pocono 500 (2nd-place)
Worst Race: Phoenix, Indianapolis & Lowes (42nd-place)

Season in a box: Aside from a not-so-surprising impressive first year under the Toyota banner for Joe Gibbs Racing, Brian Vickers was easily the brightest star from NASCAR's newest manufacturer with some near-wins and consistent finishes.

Vickers, in just his second full season with Red Bull Racing after leaving Hendrick Motorsports at the end of 2006, put together a nice effort of finishes -- especially in midsummer stretch of the racing season -- to make himself a viable contender for several race wins. Vickers took his best finish of 2nd-place at Pocono, but had likely his best chance to win at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May until a loose wheel broke off the car sending him into the wall while he was up front.

In the next seven races, Vickers put up 2 Top-5s, 3 Top-10s and didn't finish below 16th until engine problems took him out of the running at the exploding tire fest that was the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Consistency wasn't really the problem for Vickers, but rather luck was -- especially if you look at the Lowe's tire problem, the Indy engine problem, a suspension problem that resulted in a crash at Phoenix, and a blown tire to cause a huge wreck at Talladega.

Through the crystal windshield: I may be somewhat partial to Vickers -- he just seems like a real neat, down-to-Earth kind of guy -- but I'll be quite surprised if he doesn't land RBR in victory lane for the first time in 2009. The No. 83 has been so, so close many times and has had race cars that have shown they can compete on a high level.

If this team can learn to get all of its mechanical ducks in-a-row and maybe find a little bit more luck (especially with wheels and tires), this team can be a contender to make the Chase in 2009, along with a win or two at the series' 1.5- and 2-mile tracks.

Next up: Kurt Busch

'08 Rear-View Mirror: Brian Vickers originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Red Bull Repentent Over Huge Penalty

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:23:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Toyota, Sprint Cup

Brian Vickers and Red Bull Racing weren't expecting to be the big news of the week -- especially after ex-Formula 1 driver Scott Speed made his Sprint Cup debut at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.

Instead, the team was given all but a heavy dose of corporal punishment Wednesday afternoon thanks to NASCAR finding that the sheet metal on Vickers' No. 83 was too thin for NASCAR's specifications.

The lack of depth left Vickers with 150 less points (drops from 15th to 17th in the driver point standings) and without a car cheif (Craig Smokstad) or crew chief (Kevin Hamlin) for an unknown amount of time after both were suspended indefinitely by NASCAR.

Ouch.

However, the team took complete responsibility for the violation in a subsequent press release saying they wouldn't appeal the ruling and that they realize it's a "privilege" to compete in NASCAR. Ominous words for the person mainly behind this penalty were also included in the release as it said "necessary steps will be taken to rectify the situation and ensure it won't happen again".

All that being said, what in the world does it mean and why does it help for a team to have thin sheet metal?

For that, we'll turn to the folks over at Fox Sports that first reported this story Tuesday night.

According to sources familiar with the situation, the sides of the car - the doors, fenders and quarter panels - were too thin. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rule book states that teams must use a minimum of 24 gauge (0.025 inch thick) sheet steel for their car bodies. Also, the practice of "acid dipping or chemical milling," which makes the sheet metal thinner, is strictly forbidden.

One individual close to the situation said acid dipping would allow a fabricator to make the metal thinner. Once the steel is sanded and painted, it is nearly impossible for NASCAR to detect.

Alright, so if this sheet metal is thin, how can a team benefit from such a move?

It's simple really -- when sheet metal is thinner, it weighs less. NASCAR imposes a minimum weight limit, so the team then compensates for the change by putting lead weight ballasts in lower areas of the car that allow it to handle better.

It's a beautifully concocted plan to get by the rules, but its obvious now that it definitely wasn't worth it for Red Bull.

They deserved every penny and point of penalty they received -- this was an intentional violation -- but it still leaves NASCAR in the position that teams will still push the rules.

It's my belief that NASCAR will finally make headway on cheating issues in the sport when a team gets booted from racing in the next race or two because of the sponsorship implications. Unfortunately, that term -- sponsorship implications -- is likely the same reason NASCAR won't get that harsh.

Red Bull Repentent Over Huge Penalty originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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