Motorsports FanHouse

Report: Gibbs Racing Grants Tony Stewart His Release After 2008

Will Brinson — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:30:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR Rumors, NASCAR Sponsors

Tony Stewart will pick up the tempo and take it on home under the hood of Joe Gibbs Racing for the final time this season, as it has been reported that the he will gain his release from his long time racing team and, in all likelihood, take off on his own.

While exploring his options, Stewart was most intrigued in potential ownership opportunities and he's had an offer on the table since April to purchase the fledgling two-car team of Haas-CNC Racing. By owning his own team, Stewart believed he could ensure a spot for himself in NASCAR long after his driving days.

But he first had to gain his release, something owner Joe Gibbs and team president J.D. Gibbs had insisted they would not agree to.

When it became clear Stewart wanted out, the Gibbs' finally relented and will apparently sign off on his early departure Wednesday. The team is expected to replace the 37-year-old Stewart, one of NASCAR's most celebrated drivers, with 18-year-old phenom Joey Logano with Home Depot staying on board as the sponsor.

It's believed that the move would free up Stewart to invest in Haas-CNC. It's also believed that Ryan Newman could join Stewart on his new team, and that he would "gut" the current staffing of the company and bring in his own people.

Stewart and Gibbs Racing have been back and forth regarding contract negotiations, but apparently the outspoken driver stood firm enough to eventually gain his release. The most obvious benefit, as noted, to Stewart getting all entrepreneurial on his next go round, is that he stands to already have a large foot in the door when he decides to step away from the wheel and move into the administrative end of racing.

Of course, all of this is expressly contingent on the announcement that will come tomorrow, and even then, Stewart will still be a "free agent" following the season until he makes his specific plans known. Although based on the report that ESPN issued in the early Wednesday a.m. hours, it is almost a certainty that Stewart joins forces with Haas.

On Thursday at Chicagoland Speedway, Stewart will formally announce a move to Haas/CNC Racing as co-owner and driver, sources close to Stewart said. Haas/CNC, which currently fields the Nos. 66 and 70 Chevrolets, will be renamed Stewart Haas Racing in 2009.

Sources close to both sides told ESPN.com the deal will make Stewart the highest-paid driver in NASCAR.

Sources also said the Stewart Haas cars will carry different numbers. The No. 14, made famous in IndyCar racing by Stewart's hero, A.J. Foyt, is available, but sources would neither confirm nor deny that as his choice.

Sources said Stewart will own a 50 percent stake in the organization, but his financial investment in attaining it was not disclosed.

So, if you believe "sources" (and why not, right?) then this deal is as good as done. But, as we've seen over the past 12 hours, things can change pretty quickly in the world of athletic contract negotiations. Still, the noise that Stewart has made over the past few months -- and the freedom a 50% stake in a smaller company would afford him -- make this seem like a pretty logical next step.

Report: Gibbs Racing Grants Tony Stewart His Release After 2008 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kyle Busch Drives Like a Girl, Truex Says

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:41:00 EST

Filed under: Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Daytona Int'l Speedway, Kyle Busch

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.
On Sunday, stop by for the live blog of the 50th Daytona 500 at 3:00pm/ET.

Kyle Busch finished second Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Daytona driving like a girl, according to Martin Truex Jr.

Truex was heated after finishing 11th in the Camping World 300 despite challenging for the lead late in the race. A block by Busch as Truex tried to take second place killed his momentum and opportunity to challenge Tony Stewart for the win.

Busch wound up 2nd.

From the NASCAR Scene:

"Kyle drives like a girl," Truex said. "I mean, come on. We're out here racing for fun. We had a hell of a battle. I had a lot of fun racing today with him, and then I had a huge run and he just blocked me. I pretty much knew he was going to do it. I had such a run and had to go."

It sounds like Truex is a fan of the movie "The Sandlot", in which one of the most familiar lines is "You play ball like a girl!".

Busch's comeback wasn't nearly as awesome:

"What else you going to do, man? " Busch said "Shoot, he's pushing me through the tri-oval, wanting to spin me out. I'm sorry I saved it and kept it in front of him. Grow up, bud. What do you want me to do, pull over? Next question."

Kyle's comeback lacked mainly because someone younger than someone else can't tell that other person to grow up. That just doesn't make sense.

Busch is 22 while Truex is 27.

If this turns into a nice rivalry, I can't wait for the short tracks.

Who Will the Daytona 500? Find out at the Fanhouse Warmup: Daytona 500.

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Kyle Busch Drives Like a Girl, Truex Says originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dale Jr. Leads Tuesday A.M.; Drafting Starts

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:53:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet, Toyota, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Sprint Cup, NASCAR Testing

Dale Earnhardt Jr. jumped to the top of the speed chart Tuesday morning at Daytona International Speedway, in a possible effort to gain some credence to his crew chief's predictions for 2008.

Monday afternoon, Tony Eury Jr. predicted his driver would pilot the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 to four race victories in the coming season.

Earnhardt Jr.'s lap of 185.820mph landed him the fastest single-lap speed of any driver through both this and last week's test session at the legendary 2.5-mile track. That figure will stand as the top overall single-lap time as the Sprint Cup Series drivers will now switch to multi-car drafting mode for the afternoon session on Tuesday.

Wednesday, testing will wrap up with two more drafting sessions in the schedule -- pending forecasted afternoon rain stays away. If Wednesday is enough of a washout, Thursday is scheduled as the additional rain-date but the forecast that day looks even worse.

The Toyotas remained a strong presence at the top of the leader board Tuesday morning with Michael Waltrip, Brian Vickers, Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart rounding out the Top-5 of the final single-lap session.

There were no reported incidents in the morning session, but stay tuned to NASCAR Fanhouse for updates on the Tuesday afternoon session and activities on Wednesday.

Dale Jr. Leads Tuesday A.M.; Drafting Starts originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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4 Wins for Dale Jr. in '08? Eury Thinks So

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:18:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

It's not everyday that a crew chief makes a firm prediction on how many times he expects to visit victory lane before a season.

For the most part, they'll stick to quotes and phrases like "we'll find victory lane" or "we look forward to contending for some wins".

That thinking doesn't apply to Tony Eury Jr., the transplanted crew chief of the transplanted Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt Jr. will pilot Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet for the first time in Sprint Cup competition in February at Daytona.

Eury Jr. had a pretty dismal year in 2007 with Dale Earnhardt Inc. as he first watched his team rocked by the news that NASCAR's superstar of superstars was departing the team for greener pastures. Then, down the stretch of the season, Earnhardt Jr. had multiple chances to bring home a victory until a mechanical problem or other incident ruined his chances.

That being said, Eury Jr. says, 2008 looks pretty promising:

"I'd be very disappointed if we don't win at least four, to be honest," he said. "I mean, I just look at the races that we had problems with last year, and we were running in the top three and in contention."

Now four might be a stretch for most teams, but you can't count out the three pieces to the puzzle here: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Eury Jr., and Hendrick Motorsports. All of three of those have got to count for something.

But how does Eury Jr. expect to find victory lane with such a new team?

"We didn't win any last year, but it wasn't for lack of effort," said Eury Jr. "I mean there were several races where we were running in the top three, top four at the end of the race and something happen, motor blow up, we get in a accident, something. I don't think it's totally out of line. I think it's up to us what we do."

My take? I think it's entirely possible for Earnhardt Jr. to win at least 2 or 3 races. Four might be a stretch, but if Earnhardt Jr. gets off on a good foot with not-too-surprising Daytona 500 victory, anything's possible.

What say you?

4 Wins for Dale Jr. in '08? Eury Thinks So originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top 25 Year-in-Review: Jimmie Johnson

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:13:00 EST

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

Welcome to the 2007 NASCAR FanHouse Year in Review. Follow along each day as we look back on the top 25 drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for the 2007 season. Heck, bookmark us if you have to! Today, we review the season of NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson.

Driver: Jimmie Johnson -- El Cajon, California
Team: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet
Points: 1st place (+77)
2006: 2006 Champ
Key Stats: 10 wins, 4 poles, 20 Top-5s, 24 Top-10s
Back in 2008?: Yes

Other than "incredible", are there words that can accurately portray Jimmie Johnson's run to the 2007 championship?

"Amazing", "Wow", and "You've got to be kidding me" might make that list.

Regardless, the effort put out by Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and the rest of the No. 48 team was something for the ages in the final ten deciding races of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season in 2007. His average finish during that span? 5th.

And oh yeah, he won four-straight in the final 5 races.

In any other Chase season, Johnson would have waltzed away with the title with 1 or 2 races remaining with stats like that. But, amazingly enough, teammate Jeff Gordon finished within striking distance after averaging a 5.1-place finish.

NASCAR fans can say what they want about 2007 not being competitive -- but it frankly wasn't the case. The championship battle was plenty competitive all the way to Homestead. What more do you want?

Johnson started the season with an lowly 39th-place finish in Daytona, but slowly rose towards the top. Unlike 2006, Johnson seemed to play a little more aggressively throughout the season while teammate Gordon battled for consistency. But when the Chase started, the teammates were tied at the top due to race wins and maintained that position throughout.

Can Johnson make it three-straight titles in 2008? Without a doubt, and anyone in the NASCAR world would be truly shocked to see him not within shot of the title come Homestead in November.

Love him or hate him, Jimmie Johnson's two-straight championships have put him among the best-ever in NASCAR, and that talent is going to leave for a long, long time.

Top 25 Year-in-Review: Jimmie Johnson originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR Top 25 Year-in-Review: Jeff Gordon

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

Welcome to the 2007 NASCAR FanHouse Year in Review. Follow along each day as we look back on the top 25 drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for the 2007 season. Heck, bookmark us if you have to! Today, we review the season of 2nd-place Jeff Gordon.

Driver: Jeff Gordon -- Vallejo, California
Team: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet
Points: 2nd (-77)
2006: 6th in Cup Standings
Key Stats: 6 wins, 10 poles, 21 Top-5s, 30 Top-10s
Back in 2008?: Yes

It's not often that a driver can set the record for the most Top-10s ever in a season, win six times, have a single DNF, earn the most points in each race of any driver and not walk away from the season-ending race without a championship trophy in hand.

That's the case, unless your name is Jeff Gordon and the season is 2007 and your facing Jimmie Johnson.

Gordon had arguably one of the best seasons ever put forward in NASCAR history -- one that rivals his 13-win 1998 campaign -- but fell 77 points short of the title after Jimmie Johnson put forth one of the best 10-race stretches in NASCAR history at precisely the right time.

That surge, of course, came during the ten-race Chase playoff system that NASCAR instituted in 2004.

Gordon was no slouch in the Chase, though. Two wins at Talladega and Charlotte combined with 9 Top-10s would have won the title for Gordon in any other Chase year, but the monster from within at Hendrick Motorsports ultimately showed Gordon up in a what would have been a storybook ending.
Getting married during the last off-season, having a baby with wife Ingrid in June, and an impressive run of consistency and winning would have made Gordon's 2007 one for the ages had the championship came in November. But it didn't.

That, though, doesn't mean Gordon is bitter. Some of his fans claim that the No. 24 scored the most points all season, though its not technically the truth. Gordon and the rest of the world knew back before Daytona in 2007 what the rules would be concerning the Chase, and so therefore, when things evened up after Richmond, Gordon didn't score as many points as Jimmie Johnson.

Plain and simple -- Johnson was the rightful champion.

2007 was still a storybook season for Gordon championship or not. Sure, it would have been nice for his fans to score a fifth title, but there's always next year.

Gordon and crew chief Steve Letarte have now been the fire of a championship battle and acknowledge they have to gamble a little bit more to find Chase success. With that in mind, Gordon will be one of a handful of drivers that could truly compete for the Sprint Cup title in 2008.

NASCAR Top 25 Year-in-Review: Jeff Gordon originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top 25 Year-in-Review: Clint Bowyer

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 18:07:00 EST

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

Welcome to the 2007 NASCAR FanHouse Year in Review. Follow along each day as we look back on the top 25 drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for the 2007 season. Heck, bookmark us if you have to! Today, we review the season of 3rd-place Clint Bowyer.

Driver: Clint Bowyer -- Emporia, Kansas
Team: No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet
Points: 3rd (-346)
2006: 17th in Cup Standings
Key Stats: 2 poles, 1 win, 5 Top-5s, 17 Top-10s
Back in 2008?: Yes

Easily, Clint Bowyer takes the 2007 season's NASCAR most improved driver of the year.

Not only did the Kansas native score a 14-place better finish in the season standings, but Bowyer scored his first career Cup Series win at New Hampshire. The win was impressive enough, but for Bowyer to come up with a such a victory when it truly mattered during his first Chase was all the more incredible.

Additionally, Bowyer turned out to be the lone driver who could effectively battle the two-headed Hendrick Motorsports monster of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson for a good majority of the Chase. Though the run didn't pan out, Bowyer showed some tough tenacity that bodes well for the future for the Richard Childress Driver.

Clint's two pole runs in 2007 came at Darlington in May and then he won from the pole at New Hampshire.

Bowyer's strong showing in the Chase was in direct correlation to the way the team battled through some adversity during the 10-race playoff run. Bowyer's worst finish came when he had officially been taken out of the running for the title in the season's final race at Homestead.

Otherwise, Bowyer saw a 19th-place finish at Texas ruin his chances at the Hendrick duo. The remaining eight finishes had five in the Top-5 and the rest still within the Top-15.

2008 looks like it could be a good year for Bowyer. His lone victory came in the next-generation race car being used full-time in 2008 by NASCAR. His teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton were both in the Chase.

And most importantly, everything from his sponsor to his crew chief are back and ready to take on 2008 with no interruptions -- something that's hard to come across in this day of NASCAR racing.

Top 25 Year-in-Review: Clint Bowyer originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 18:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Tony Stewart, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Chevrolet

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing

Driver: Tony Stewart -- Columbus, Indiana
Team: No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet
Points: 6th (-481)
2006: 11th in Cup Standings
Key Stats: 3 wins, 11 Top-5s, 23 Top-10s
Back in 2008?: Yes, change from Chevy to Toyota

If you were Tony Stewart, you'd see that you didn't win the championship in 2007 and look no further.

You didn't win. End of story. Bring on 2008.

But fortunately, you're not Tony Stewart so you want to know why driver No. 20 didn't win the 2007 Nextel Cup crown despite a solid outlook for success heading in to the Chase.

Stewart has taken two career Cup titles and the last one he won came on the heels of a very, very strong run in the Chase. Tony has been known to habitually start the season slow (which he did, crashing at Daytona) and gain momentum in the summer (won at Chicago & the Brickyard in July and at Watkins Glen in August) and then finish strong as a guy to beat in the Chase.

Stewart followed that strategy to a near 'T' all the way until it really mattered. The Chase. Crunch time.
From Richmond at the beginning of May to Infineon in June, Stewart reeled off six top-10 finishes with a solitary 40th-place finish after wrecking with Kurt Busch at Dover.

Things continued to look solid for Stewart at the beginning of the Chase with two Top-10s to open the playoff. That all came unraveled at Kansas, though, when Stewart mistakenly should have pitted instead of staying out with a vibration, blew a tire to cause a wreck and finished 39th.

That was all Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon needed to pull away.

Stewart ended 2007 with three more Top-10s but two more 30th-place finishes ahead of moving to Toyota in 2008 with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Stewart's been silent about the move from GM to Toyota and has been reluctant to sign a new contract with Joe Gibbs Racing. Naturally, as Stewart's contract through 2009 runs closer to dry, plenty of talk will be had about whether or not Stewart will re-sign with Joe Gibbs and Toyota. If that doesn't get wrapped up quickly in 2008, look for it to become a distraction for Stewart -- or at least a point of frustration for the hot-headed driver.

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Tony Stewart, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Chevrolet originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Jeff Burton, No. 31 Childress Chevrolet

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

Welcome to the 2007 NASCAR FanHouse Year in Review. Follow along each day as we look back on the top 25 drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for the 2007 season. Heck, bookmark us if you have to! Today, we review the season of 8th-place Jeff Burton.

Driver: Jeff Burton -- South Boston, Virginia
Team: No. 31 Cingular/AT&T Chevrolet
Points: 8th (-491)
2006: 7th in Cup Standings
Key Stats: 1 wins, 9 Top-5s, 18 Top-10s
Back in 2008?: Yes

Jeff Burton's most newsworthy event of the year didn't even come on the race track.

Over the summer, Burton's sponsor AT&T sued NASCAR for the right to change the brand on the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet from Cingular to AT&T. The issue, which originally arose over a grandfather clause in the contract for Sprint/Nextel to become the title sponsor of the Cup Series, was eventually settled after AT&T agreed to depart the sport after 2008 with the allowance of running the AT&T brand on Burton's car until that point.

For a few races though late in the summer, though, Burton's car was painted bright orange with no sponsors -- an indication of some severe problems NASCAR is having with growing the sport by alienating potential sponsors.

On the track, though, Burton scored his lone victory at the track that he scored his first career one -- at Texas Motor Speedway in April. A thrilling duel with former teammate Matt Kenseth sealed the end of the race that interestingly enough with all of Burton's sponsor troubles saw the No. 31 enter victory lane with a special primary sponsor of Prilosec OTC.

Aside from Texas, Burton's 2007 campaign was nothing other than typical Jeff Burton -- consistent.

Burton made the Chase and likely would have fared much higher in the final standings if he would have been able to skip Talladega and Kansas. Burton finished those events 43rd and 36th, respectively.

Finishes of 18th and 12th coupled with six Top-10s -- four straight to finish the season, nonetheless -- showed Burton had a mildly successful playoff run with plenty to build on for 2008.

The sign of Burton's Childress teammates Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick also making the Chase should be good for the whole RCR outfit in 2008.

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Jeff Burton, No. 31 Childress Chevrolet originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Childress Chevrolet

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Childress Chevrolet originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 28 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Martin Truex Jr., No. 1 DEI Chevrolet

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Inc.

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Martin Truex Jr., No. 1 DEI Chevrolet originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 27 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Gibbs Chevrolet

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing, Denny Hamlin

(Note: The NASCAR FanHouse apologizes for the delay in the Top-25. Sometimes, holidays are just a little busy! Thanks for reading!)

Welcome to the 2007 NASCAR FanHouse Year in Review. Follow along each day as we look back on the top 25 drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for the 2007 season. Heck, bookmark us if you have to! Today, we review the season of 12th-place Denny Hamlin.

Driver: Denny Hamlin -- Chesterfield, Virginia
Team: No. 11 Fedex Chevrolet
Points: 12th (-580)
2006: 3rd in Cup Standings
Key Stats: 1 win, 1 pole, 12 Top-5s, 18 Top-10s
Back in 2008?: Yes

Denny Hamlin's 12th-place finish in the Chase for the Nextel Cup in 2007 was not at all indicative of the season he put together. It definitely comes off as a sophomore slump-type of season for Hamlin after near-miss of a championship in 2006.

However, Hamlin picked up a win at New Hampshire and had the fourth-most (12) top-5 finishes of any driver in 2007. Those Top-5s came in the midst of 18 Top-10 runs.

It wasn't until the Chase that Hamlin truly started struggling. A bad move of taking out lapped-down Kyle Petty at Dover put him in a deep hole -- and on the wrong side of the veteran driver -- from the get-go of the Chase. The next week at Kansas kept making the whole deeper with a 29th-place finish.

Hamlin rounded out the Chase with three Top-10 finishes, but four other finishes in those final runs outside the Top-15 kept him out of the victory celebrations in New York City.

2008 looks promising on one hand for Hamlin under one condition -- Joe Gibbs Racing can run an effective Toyota program. The switch from Chevrolet to Toyota for JGR was big news in 2006, but I've got to say that it will be even bigger news if JGR can come out of the box at Daytona and California and run strong.

The entire shot of JGR success for 2008 -- Hamlin included -- will be easily defined early in the season because if all three teams stumble from the start, it will be a deep, dark hole to dig out of come mid-summer.

I have a feeling though that the talent of newcomer Kyle Busch, Hamlin, and Tony Stewart combined with the engineering expertise of Gibbs Racing will make that transition virtually seamless.

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Gibbs Chevrolet originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 25 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Casey Mears, No. 25 Hendrick Chevrolet

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Casey Mears, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

Welcome to the 2007 NASCAR FanHouse Year in Review. Follow along each day until the end of 2007 as we look back on the top 25 drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for the 2007 season. Heck, bookmark us if you have to! Today, we review the season of 15th-place Casey Mears.

Driver: Casey Mears -- Bakersfield, California
Team: No. 25 National Guard Chevrolet
Points: 15th (-2774)
2006: 14th in Cup Standings
Key Stats: 1 win, 1 pole, 5 Top-5s, 10 Top-10s
Back in 2008?: Yes, swapping from Hendrick's No. 25 ride to the No. 5 Kelloggs car

Casey Mears could have easily rode his middle-to-late season consistency all the way to his first Chase for the Nextel Cup in his first season with Hendrick Motorsports had 2007 gotten off on a better foot.

Mears suffered through two DNF's in 2007 at Las Vegas and Talladega -- off the hood of teammate Jimmie Johnson -- that both occured before the month of April was over. Coupled with a suspicious handling problem at Martinsville and a lack of experience with his new team at California and Atlanta, Mears found himself in a hole early in '07.

During the final twenty races of 2008, Mears average a 14.8th-place finish. During the final 15, that number bumped up to 14.4. In the final ten? 13.7. (Click to continue reading)

The numbers there definitely paint a picture for Mears of improvement during 2007 -- something that any owner likes to see. Add the stat that Mears won his first race in May at Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600 and life is looking on the up for the California driver.

Casey definitely helped ride the coattails of his family's name into the racing business, but from there he has made his own way. Legitimately, four drivers could make the 12-man Chase to Sprint Cup in 2008 from the Hendrick Motorsports stable, and I think Mears wouldn't be the most surprising of the group.

That said, two or three victories in 2008 wouldn't be out of question either.

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Casey Mears, No. 25 Hendrick Chevrolet originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 8 DEI Chevrolet

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Welcome to the 2007 NASCAR FanHouse Year in Review. Follow along each day until the end of 2007 as we look back on the top 25 drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for the 2007 season. Heck, bookmark us if you have to! Today, we review the season of 16th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Driver: Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Kannapolis, North Carolina
Team: No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet
Points: 16th (-2794)
2006: Made Chase for Nextel Cup, Finished 5th
Key Stats: No wins, 1 pole, 7 Top-5s, 9 DNFs
Back in 2008?: Yes, but moving to Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet

2007 was the first time in a long, long time that a NASCAR driver from North Carolina did not win a race in its premier Cup Series.

Knowing that, it's pretty easy to sum-up Dale Jr.'s year on-track.

Frustrating.

Multiple blown engines, a lack of confidence in the setups, a next-generation race car that didn't particularly run well for DEI and others definitely brought down Dale Jr.'s performance. After all, not only did Junior not add North Carolina to the win column, but it was also his first ever full-time Cup Season that he found himself outside of the winner's circle.

It's not to say that Dale Jr. ran habitually bad, but more of an issue with being there consistently at the end of a race with a shot to win.

Who's to say if things would have been different had an extension with DEI been signed, but obviously, Dale Jr. likely isn't wondering what could have been for his 2007 for long as he knows that Hendrick power is at his disposal in 2008.

That's got to be a great feeling. (Click to read more)

Obviously, Dale Jr.'s departure from Dale Earnhardt Inc., the company that his dad formed, drew huge shockwaves across the NASCAR Nation -- from fans to sponsors and everywhere in between. Never before has a driver allowed no less than three press conferences in the same season to be nationally broadcast as a "breaking news" feature for mostly a few new changes.

But Dale Jr. indeed did, and he knows that 2008 will be a season where both himself and new team owner Rick Hendrick will expect to see great things. For a long time, Junior has been able to use the DEI-performance crutch so to speak, but with Hendrick, that doubt is gone.

Could he win the Daytona 500? Highly likely. Could he win the 2008 title? It wouldn't be a shock.

Obviously, though, one thing is clear for Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans -- he's got loads more opportunity than he's ever had in 2008 for the small price of having to dress a little nicer to meet Mr. Hendrick's guidelines.

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 8 DEI Chevrolet originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
J.J. Yeley, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Dodge

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing, J.J. Yeley

Welcome to the 2007 NASCAR FanHouse Year in Review. Follow along each day until the end of 2007 as we look back on the top 25 drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for the 2007 season. Heck, bookmark us if you have to! Today, we review the season of 21st-place J.J. Yeley.

Driver: J.J. Yeley -- Phoenix, Arizona
Team: No. 6 AAA Ford
Points: 21st (-3267)
2006: Finished 20th in Season Standings
Key Stats: 3 Top-10s, 1 Top-5, 5 DNFs
Back in 2008?: Yes, no longer with JGR, moves to No. 96 Hall of Fame Racing Toyota

J.J. Yeley undoubtedly has some of the most raw talent in the garage area.

That talent, though, doesn't mean a lick when your ride in the Joe Gibbs Racing three-part operation is compared with two Chase for the Nextel Cup contenders Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin.

Yeley comes from the same background Stewart, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and others come from -- USAC. Like his teammate Stewart, Yeley has driven in the Indianapolis 500 as well as winning the USAC Triple Crown. They're the only two drivers to ever do that.

Yeley scored 24 wins in USAC in 2004 -- more than anyone, ever. If need to understand the size of that, look it up, but know A.J. Foyt used to hold the title with five less.
That all didn't matter in 2007. A lone Top-5, and a career first, during the fuel mileage ending of the Coca-Cola 600 highlighted a season that was better than his last but not enough. Sponsor issues could have been a factor in the team performance after it came to light that Interstate Batteries paid considerably less than Home Depot and Fedex did.

The fact that his teammates had a combined Top-10 effort of 41 races between them to Yeley's 3 in 2007 showed the major disparity between the teams. I hesitate to call Yeley out on performance issues mainly because of past racing success, however, a change was definitely needed.

In 2008, Yeley will work for Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman in the No. 96 DLP Toyota -- a team that isn't far-removed from Joe Gibbs Racing. He's replacing Tony Raines in another sub-par 2007 car, but will have help from JGR engineers along the way. Don't look for Yeley to drop any record-breaking seasons on the Cup world any time soon, though.

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
J.J. Yeley, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Dodge originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 14 Dec 2007 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And Now for This Surprise: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wins 5th-Straight Most Popular Driver Award

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:32:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Inc., NASCAR Awards, Nextel Cup

NASCAR fans don't care about wins, poles, or championships for their favorite drivers.

Performance on the track? Well, it's kind of important, but not nearly as important as having multiple television commercials, a pretty-darned famous last name, and a down-home attitude and look.

For those reasons, Dale Earnhardt Jr. just won his fifth-straight NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver award Thursday in New York City. Junior gave his obligatory remarks on winning his 5th-straight popularity contest that came as a surprise to -- well -- no one.

"When I became a Cup driver in 1999, I never would've imagined that we'd be talking about five consecutive Most Popular Driver awards. I have a special place at JR Motorsports where I put the MPD trophies, so I'm honored to add another one to the collection," said Junior.

"I don't want it to sound like a cliché, but this award really does mean a lot to me after all we have been through this year. This year has marked a significant transition in my life and career [...]"

You do kind of have to feel sorry for the folks at the NMPA because of the absolute domination that Junior holds on the contest. According to this article, of nearly 3.8 million votes cast online for each of the top 50 drivers in NASCAR, Dale Jr. managed to pull in 1.4 million of those -- nearly a third of the votes cast.

In other words? Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to have to start building a new room onto JR Motorsports to house the trophies from the popularity contest he is bound to continue winning for a long time.

This victory, of course, comes during the year when Dale Jr. was the single-most talked about driver on the planet because of his departing of Dale Earnhardt Inc. for greener pastures at Hendrick Motorsports in 2008 -- a move that precipitated over several months.

The move, Earnhardt hopes, will take him from his zero-win 16th-place 2007 series finish to contending for wins and championships.

And Now for This Surprise: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wins 5th-Straight Most Popular Driver Award originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Jeff & Jimmie Show: Homestead-Miami

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:33:00 EST

Filed under: Miami, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports, Nextel Cup, Chase for the Sprint Cup

Heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend for the tenth and final race of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, things in the Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson Show changed dramatically since last week's edition. Gordon now trails Johnson by 86 points in the standings. Here's a breakdown of their stats at Homestead and the possibilities that loom within the last Chase race of the season.

Homestead Stats: Neither Gordon nor Johnson have a win at Homestead, a track that has seen a myriad of layout changes since it first came on the Nextel Cup tour. Johnson has the best career finish with a 2nd-place in 2004. Gordon's best finish also came in 2004 with a 3rd-place.

A year ago, Gordon finished 24th while Johnson finished ninth to wrap up his first title. A 40th-place finish in 2005 left Johnson with an average finish at HMS of 14.5 while Gordon has average 11.4.

Chase Stats: Phoenix stuck a fork in Jeff Gordon's title hopes after Johnson won his fourth-straight to Gordon's 10th-place finish. The 86-point deficit will be nearly impossible to overcome unless Johnson has serious trouble in the race. If Johnson finishes 18th or better, he automatically looks up the title, even if Gordon leads every lap and wins the race.

In doomsday scenarios for Johnson, if he finishes 40th or worse, Gordon could take the title with a 10th place finish or better. A 43rd-place finish for Johnson would mean Gordon would have to finish 14th or better.

I wouldn't put too much stock in those possibilities this year knowing that he has only failed to finish a race four times. Johnson should have his second NASCAR Nextel Cup title in hand come Sunday evening.

The Jeff & Jimmie Show: Homestead-Miami originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Johnson Makes It Four-In-a-Row at Phoenix, Ruins Chase Excitement

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:18:00 EST

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports, Nextel Cup, NASCAR Tracks, Chase for the Sprint Cup

The folks that run Homestead-Miami Speedway cannot be Jimmie Johnson fans.

Even though they do have a sell-out for next Sunday's Nextel Cup season-ending Ford 500, Jimmie Johnson has ruined any type of excitement that was building in the fight to win the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Johnson won Sunday afternoon's Checker Auto Parts 500k at Phoenix International Raceway for not only the fourth-straight race, but also to take a commanding 86-point lead into the final race at Homestead.

Talk about a lead balloon.

A lead balloon, that is, if you wanted to see a finish to the season like we got in the first edition of the Chase, when Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Johnson all had legitimate title chances.

But if you are a Johnson fan, life is good.

After Johnson's late-race domination at Phoenix -- a race in which he led the final 24 laps -- Johnson leads Gordon's No. 24 team by 86 points. The basic math on that is that Gordon must win and lead the most laps at Homestead and Johnson has to finish 18 or worse.

In other words, it's not going to happen.

Gordon stated in the post-race interview that Johnson & Co. have "flat-out killed everyone" in the past few weeks. After all, it's not very often that a driver can lose 154 points in the point standings by consistently finishing in the top-10. To top that off, Johnson becomes the first driver since Gordon in 1998 to win four-straight races.

But in 2007, Jimmie Johnson has been good enough to do that. And because of that, he has stuck a fork in Brian France's Chase.

Johnson Makes It Four-In-a-Row at Phoenix, Ruins Chase Excitement originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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France: We Will Keep Chase, You Will Like It

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 19:54:00 EST

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, NASCAR Gossip, Nextel Cup, Car of Tomorrow, Chase for the Sprint Cup

NASCAR Chairman Brian France really loves the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

And because of that, don't expect any major amends to the format, or a complete reversal back to the standard point system -- regardless if many fans and at least one top driver questions how it affects the sport's future integrity.

France cited the increased point amounts for winning a race as a major reason why the Chase is working so well.

Example 1-A? Jimmie Johnson last week at Texas Motor Speedway.

"I actually called Jimmie Johnson on the phone and told him that [afterward]," France said. "By going after that win, he risked a lot -- because he knew how close it was and he knew that those bonus points were maybe going to be necessary to win it all. I think in the old days, a couple years ago, somebody might have settled for second."

Sure, you can't argue with the fact that adding 10 points to the winner's prize for a race was a good move. In fact, that number should be 20 to 30 points higher.

But are winning championships in the 10-race Chase playoff comparable to the "old" point system? Jeff Gordon doesn't see it that way.

"The points are whatever NASCAR decides when it comes to racing for a championship. The one issue that I've got is that there is no way you can write history or compare history if they are constantly changing it," said Gordon.

You could say Gordon is bitter knowing that he would be celebrating his sixth championship right now had the point system not been changed. But he isn't, as he acknowledges that racing under the system is laid out at the beginning of the year and everyone knows the goal.

"I don't think anything is unfair because you know going into it what it is," Gordon said. "You knew that they were going to get bonus points for winning races in the regular season, and those guys earned those points. We know what we've got to do."

So what's right? What's wrong? It's hard to say.

But I've got to agree wth Gordon that the Chase does change the overall makeup of a Cup champion, and that they aren't comparable. But is the lack of comparison woth giving twelve drivers a shot at a title with ten races left?

What say you?

France: We Will Keep Chase, You Will Like It originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 10 Nov 2007 19:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No. 20 Fans Rejoice When Stewart Finally Speaks

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 01:34:00 EST

Filed under: Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing

Tony Stewart has been pretty much MIA for any questions from the media in a few of the past Nextel Cup events in the Chase.

Currently, the Home Deport Chevrolet sits fourth in series points, 249 points back of the series leader Jeff Gordon.

Now, I fully realize that Stewart's rule about attending media sessions was clarified after Phoenix this year, and from that I know that he doesn't have to talk to anyone unless he finishes in the top-3.

Let's just say that the top-3 has been elusive for the Indiana driver during the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Regardless, it just doesn't seem fair to Tony's fans that they have to wait for driver No. 20's comments either from the satellite radio show he hosts or from a press release from Joe Gibbs Racing as an advance press release for the coming race weekend.

As a result, I, as one of your gracious hosts of the NASCAR FanHouse, have posted some thoughts and observations from Stewart about the coming race at Atlanta and his position in points.

"Until somebody comes up and says, 'OK, mathematically you are out of it,' until then, we have a shot," said Stewart.

Hm. That was meaty. I can see why that would be tough to talk about after a race. Right.

"All we can do is just do our job," he said. "Even if we win the race for the last four weeks in a row, there is still no guarantee that we could close the gap.

Enjoy it while it lasts, I suppose.

No. 20 Fans Rejoice When Stewart Finally Speaks originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 26 Oct 2007 01:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorsports FanHouse

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Top 25 Year-in-Review: Jimmie Johnson

NASCAR Top 25 Year-in-Review: Jeff Gordon

Top 25 Year-in-Review: Clint Bowyer

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:Tony Stewart, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review: Jeff Burton, No. 31 Childress Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review: Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Childress Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review: Martin Truex Jr., No. 1 DEI Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review: Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Gibbs Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review: Casey Mears, No. 25 Hendrick Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 8 DEI Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:J.J. Yeley, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Dodge

And Now for This Surprise: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wins 5th-Straight Most Popular Driver Award

The Jeff & Jimmie Show: Homestead-Miami

Johnson Makes It Four-In-a-Row at Phoenix, Ruins Chase Excitement

France: We Will Keep Chase, You Will Like It

No. 20 Fans Rejoice When Stewart Finally Speaks

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Tony Stewart, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Jeff Burton, No. 31 Childress Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Childress Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Martin Truex Jr., No. 1 DEI Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Gibbs Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Casey Mears, No. 25 Hendrick Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 8 DEI Chevrolet

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
J.J. Yeley, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Dodge