Motorsports FanHouse

Track Position is Sprint Cup's Trump Card

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:22:00 EST

Filed under: Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Hendrick Motorsports, Lowes Motor Speedway, Car of Tomorrow, NASCAR Tracks, Sprint Cup

So how does a "Top-5" car run in the middle of the pack for nearly an entire race?

Just ask Jeff Gordon.

Following last Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Gordon found himself with a fourth-place finish in NASCAR's longest event after stretching his fuel mileage late in the race. That finish, though, wasn't an accurate picture of Gordon's night at LMS.

According to NASCAR's loop data, Gordon had an average running position throughout the race of 19th. Winner Kasey Kahne however averaged a 5th-place effort.

In years past, statistics like that and Gordon pulling out a fourth-place finish would be indicative of a car that just wasn't performing throughout the event, but that simply wasn't true. Instead, what kept Gordon -- and plenty of other drivers -- from moving through the field was his track position.

"...When we got up front there and got our lap back, I thought hey, you know, we've got a pretty decent car. We just need track position," said Gordon after the race. "Once we got our lap back, we were back in the back again and there were cars all over the place."

"You just can't go anywhere and you can't pass anybody."

As a race fan, I'm not particularly fond of a driver saying "you can't pass anybody".

The moment Gordon is talking about came in the middle portion of the race when he had gone a lap down and ended up being the first car one lap down on a restart. While Gordon couldn't pass the leader, he settled in as the "Lucky Dog" car and maintained position as the fourth or fifth car in the line of leaders.

In other words, Gordon had a car capable of running with the leaders in the Top-5.

A subsequent caution 50 laps later -- with Gordon still in the same position -- gave the No. 24 a trip back to the lead lap but in 18th-place as the last car on the lead lap. That meant that the rest of the field was in front of him either on the lead lap or a lap down for the restart.

A caution then came out on lap 307 and then lap 331, and in that time Gordon had driven all the way to 15th-place, with a car that had easily stayed with the Top-5 cars just laps earlier.

So what gives? What is it about NASCAR's new vehicle that's keeping people from advancing their position in green flag runs?

To Greg Biffle, it's the equality that the car brings.

"We're all going a similar speed, and our car is identical. That makes it more difficult because you have to be a fair amount faster than the guy in front of you in order to pass him, in order to get beside him and pass him.

"It's a double-edged sword. We've made them all equal or made them more equal, but at the same time that makes it a little bit more difficult to pass the guy in front of you when everybody is the same."

In other words, NASCAR has almost overly leveled the playing field with a car that either handles, or it doesn't. And when it does handle, every other driver on track has the same feel and runs the same speed.

Combine that with two other factors -- Goodyear bringing racing tires that don't lose hardly any grip any more and the aerodynamic problems presented with a car's ability to grip the track when trailing another one -- and you've got a pretty good recipe for why the drivers, and fans, are frustrated with the current style of racing.

Track position truly has become the trump card of Sprint Cup Series racing, as a majority of the biggest swings in a race's lineup isn't happening under green flag conditions. Instead, its become about the race off pit road, any spots a driver can grab on a restart, and fuel economy.

I had been quite worried about the show we were going to be treated to last week at LMS, but my worst fears weren't realized. The leaders did mix it up quite a bit, but those passes generally came when the first lead car reached a lap down car, and his machine changed handling due to the dirty air he was racing in.

While the Coca-Cola 600 brought out the unexpected -- as should be expected with that 600-miler -- it also showcased how drivers are more at the mercy of their race car now than ever before.

Track Position is Sprint Cup's Trump Card originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 30 May 2008 09:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday Not Good for Haas-CNC Racing

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:55:00 EST

Filed under: Scott Riggs, Lowes Motor Speedway, Sprint Cup

They probably knew it was coming, but probably not to this extent.

Haas-CNC Racing, which fields NASCAR Sprint Cup cars No. 66 and No. 77, had more than just a book thrown at them Wednesday as NASCAR levied the penalties for rear-wing mount infractions stemming from last weekend's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The penalties, for both teams, included:

150 Driver points from Johnny Sauter and Scott Riggs
150 Owner points from the No. 66 and No. 70
Six week suspensions from Sprint Cup Series racing for both crew chiefs and car chiefs
$100,000 fine for crew chiefs "Bootie" Barker and Dave Skog, each
Both race cars will not be returned after NASCAR confiscated them Friday at LMS

I think you can call that getting the entire library thrown at you.

In all, having rear-wing brackets that weren't correct -- Barker maintains he's used them all season -- just cost the team roughly a three-quarters of a million dollars.

I understand NASCAR's desire to clean up the sport and prevent teams from skirting the rules, but costing a team $750,000 seems a little overwhelming, considering the stats the Haas-CNC teams have put together in 2008.

Riggs has a best start of 7th this season with a best finish of 16th, while Jeremy Mayfield (who was canned from the ride earlier this season) only finished a high of 16th with a best start of 23rd. At Lowe's, the cars had qualified 13th (Riggs) and 43rd (Sauter).

In comparison, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a similar violation in 2007 with his No. 8 car that cost them 100 driver and owner points, $100,000, and a six-week suspension. The car was returned.

Going overboard, though, might be NASCAR's best answer to putting away concerns of cheating, whether its minor or major.

Wednesday Not Good for Haas-CNC Racing originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 28 May 2008 19:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live From Lowe's: Sunday's Observations

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 26 May 2008 01:33:00 EST

Filed under: Kurt Busch, Lowes Motor Speedway, Sprint Cup

Geoffrey Miller is in Concord, N.C. for Sunday's Sprint Cup Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He'll aim to eat as many elephant ears as possible while blogging away "Live from Lowe's" throughout Memorial Day weekend.

As the fans stream from the parking lots after the Coca-Cola 600, here's some final thoughts on the weekend:

Is Kasey Kahne for real? We've seen him run well and win at the 1.5-mile tracks often, but can he make 2008 a season to remember? Winning two-in-a-row at Charlotte is a great thing, but will the No. 9 be around in the Chase?
Kurt Busch Was Pissed. Busch cut down a right-front tire on lap 161 while having his best non-restrictor plate run of the year. He was in second at the time, but had led substantially before that. After the accident, Busch was irate over the team radio and here's some of the important lines I remember.
"Typical Penske Racing s***. I was loose, how in the (bad word) do I blow a right front tire?"

Track Position Is the Wonder Drug. I'm going to write more about this later in the week, but track position was the single-most important thing drivers could have Sunday night. For instance, Jeff Gordon ran similar lap times for much of the race while in 20th-place as the leaders did, but he couldn't go anywhere. That's the biggest thing NASCAR needs to work on.

I love fuel mileage. How fitting was it, in times of $4/gal gasoline to have teams getting good finishes based on how efficiently they used their fuel? Kidding aside, watching the strategy of Edwards, Gordon, and Junior for the final 62 laps is as, if not more, entertaining than a side-by-side duel late for the win. It's a definitely a "you have to be at the track" thing, though.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Maturity Still Impresses Me. Most drivers -- like, uh, Kurt Busch -- would have been tremendously ticked off to blow a tire while leading and be taken out of contention. Never once, though, did Earnhardt Jr. get worked up or angry after hitting the wall with the best car in the field on lap 296. Instead, he stayed patient, helped diagnose problems, didn't draw any significant penalties while hustling around under yellow to fix the car, and even provided some comic relief by saying "Yeah, blew a tire. That's cool" after hitting the wall.

That's the mark of a guy who has a future as the top dog on stage in New York.
Charlotte Bites Vickers. Again. Brian Vickers is going to win a race at Lowe's Motor Speedway, even if it kills him. I told my dad Friday night that Vickers looked like one of the top dark-horse favorites, and sure enough, he got out front early. Vickers would have had something for Kahne, I think, but a loose wheel sent the Red Bull Toyota flying into the turn 1 wall on lap 183.
To Keep the Wheel or Not? Speaking of that loose wheel, NASCAR immediately went to confiscate Vickers' bouncing wheel that sailed into the first row of the camping section.

Now, I may be in the minority in saying this, but because that 80-lb flying wheel could have killed someone (as they have in the past), I would gladly give up the wheel if NASCAR can figure out a way from having that happen again. Would it have made a cool souvenir? Definitely. Would that souvenir been as a cool had someone at Dover next week been injured by the same thing because NASCAR wasn't able to find the problem? Nope.

I don't mean to be a negative Nancy, but the truth is NASCAR cannot allow parts like that to find themselves into the stands. Hopefully, a tether of some sort can come out of it.
Juan Pablo Montoya Is Great Fun on the Radio. After his little skirmish with Tony Stewart early in the race, Juan desperately wanted to catch Stewart again to hit him back. As Stewart started to pull away, Juan kept trying harder until he nearly put his No. 42 in the wall in Turn 3. A laughing Montoya came over the radio and simply said "Woops, Too Hard" to which his crew chief replied, while laughing, "Yep, keep on digging".

Well, that pretty much wraps up the "Live from Lowe's" coverage for the weekend. The next race on my calender will be Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400 (err... Allstate) in July, and there's a possibility Chicago might sneak in there. As always, I'll be playing armchair Sprint Cup driver at the FanHouse in the mean time, too.

I hope you've enjoyed some of my coverage, as I've had a ball while being here. The race was chock full of several great elements of NASCAR, the weather was great, and the people of North Carolina impress me more every time. I'll definitely be back for my 14th-straight race next May. For the first time in a long time, I feel like NASCAR is starting to turn the corner, and become more much, much more fun again with a good cast of characters and many drivers that can win.

That, for me, is exciting.

Now, it's back to the Hoosier State. Enjoy your Memorial Day.

Live From Lowe's: Sunday's Observations originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 26 May 2008 01:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Coca-Cola 600 is for Kasey Kahne

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 25 May 2008 23:59:00 EST

Filed under: Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Lowes Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch, Gillette-Evernham Motorsports, Sprint Cup

PRN Radio said it best following Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway:

Kasey Kahne has taken a lot of money from Greg Biffle.

Kahne scored his second consecutive victory in the Sprint Cup Series in the 600 to add to his Sprint Cup All-Star Race win from a week ago -- both of which came over 2nd-place Greg Biffle. Kyle Busch was third, Jeff Gordon fourth, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. fifth.

It was a crazy night here in Concord and the race provided what we expect from 600 miles on Memorial Day weekend. What we expect, of course, is the unexpected.

Kahne was easily one of the fastest race cars all night long, but he and his team managed to pull out the win despite the event ending as a fuel mileage event after the the yellow flag didn't wave for the final 62 laps.

Kahne hit pit road on lap 384 for a splash of fuel as a few drivers -- Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, and others -- stayed on track and conserved fuel. The No. 9 Dodge, though, was quite fast and combined with the fact that those drivers were saving fuel for much of the final 62 laps allowed Kahne to catch them despite the stop and drive past them.

Tony Stewart, though, seemed to have the upper hand late in the race as he had a full straightaway lead on Kahne after a quicker stop. That lead and the 600 win went up in smoke after Stewart blew a tire in Turn 2 with 3 laps left, forcing Stewart to pit road, and handing Kahne the win.

Much of the first part of the race was a green flag sprint with the first caution for Robby Gordon brushing the wall on lap 61 and the next on lap 161 when Kurt Busch slapped the wall after blowing a tire.

Many drivers looked quite strong for different parts of the race, but ultimately came up snake-bit while racing in the lead or near the front. Stewart had the tire issue, Busch had one, Earnhardt Jr. led a bunch of laps until cutting a right rear tire while in the lead, and Brian Vickers slapped the wall after losing a wheel in Turn 1 while having his strongest race of the season.

Stay tuned to the FanHouse for plenty more coverage Live From Lowes.

This Coca-Cola 600 is for Kasey Kahne originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 25 May 2008 23:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live From Lowes: Denny Hamlin, JR Motorsports Snarl As Kyle Busch Wins Again

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 25 May 2008 07:30:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, Lowes Motor Speedway, NASCAR Fights, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Nationwide Series

Geoffrey Miller is in Concord, N.C. for Sunday's Sprint Cup Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He'll aim to eat as many elephant ears as possible while blogging away "Live from Lowe's" throughout Memorial Day weekend.

What a night it was here Saturday in Concord, N.C.

Kyle Busch scored the victory in one of the most entertaining Nationwide Series races at Lowe's Motor Speedway I've seen. Busch's ninth total NASCAR win in 2008, though, wasn't exactly the top memory.

Instead, it was Denny Hamlin taking on two-thirds of the JR Motorsports contingent present for the event.

You can read more into at the Associated Press piece, but the gist of the happenings was that Brad Keselowski gave Hamlin a little tap under the yellow from behind to let Hamlin know he was there, Hamlin slowed and swerved into Keselowski's left front fender bending it in, and then Dale Earnhardt Jr. then stood up for the car he owns (Keselowski) and bumped Hamlin in the door.

Busch ran first with those three behind him and appeared to be in danger of getting beat in the final two-lap green flag finish until a caution came out on the final lap before the teams could enter turn three. Instead, he held on.

When the cars came to a stop after the race on pit road, there was plenty of pushing and shoving and NASCAR officials trying to maintain order. It was as close to an all-out brawl as you can get, but tempers evantually settled, allowing for some tremendous quotes.

Said Hamlin, referring to Keselowski's actions:

"You throw a rock, I'm going to throw a concrete block back," Hamlin said.

Keselowski then said:

"We raced hard and that's what racing is," Keselowski said. "He doesn't like when guys race him hard? Well, that's the sport and that's what I do."

And finally, the owner-minded Earnhardt Jr. wasn't too pleased.

"Brad bumped him in the back just a little bit under caution, and Denny knocked the fender off his car," Earnhardt said. "I'm not happy about that, but it hurt Brad's chances of having a good run. It just tore his fender up. I mean, it wasn't no excuse in it."

To make matters worse? Keselowski and Hamlin had to sit in the media center, one seat apart from one another to be interviewed. Tense moments, I'd say, as a NASCAR official stood guard in case anything broke out.

Both teams were called to the NASCAR hauler after completion of the media obligations, and if I were NASCAR, I'd be handing significant penalties in the form "Hey, Great Job!" and plenty of slaps on the back to both teams.

Was Hamlin an idiot for running into Keselowski? You bet. Did Keselowski have the intent of wrecking Hamlin on the restart? Probably. Do NASCAR fans love this stuff -- the characters and the controversy?

For sure.

Needless to say, if Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 can provide half the late-race drama this one did (can you imagine what happens if Hamlin and Busch can race for the win provided there was no race-ending yellow?) it's going to be a fantastic race.

Saturday night was right for fighting, and I hope Sunday is, too.

Live From Lowes: Denny Hamlin, JR Motorsports Snarl As Kyle Busch Wins Again originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 25 May 2008 07:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live From Lowe's: Friday's Observations

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 24 May 2008 00:59:00 EST

Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series

Geoffrey Miller is in Concord, N.C. for Sunday's Sprint Cup Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He'll aim to eat as many elephant ears as possible while blogging away "Live from Lowe's" throughout Memorial Day weekend.

Today was simply an off day for all of the NASCAR teams in Charlotte, as there was no on-track activity at Lowe's Motor Speedway. In other words, if you had a boat on Lake Norman in nearby Mooresville, N.C., you'd likely have seen your fair share of drivers and team members enjoying the day.

Despite the fact that I've found myself a bit under the weather, we managed to kick up some dust today in and around the Concord area. Here's a look back on some of the sights:

For those who worried that the "Sea of Red" wouldn't change to a "Sea of Green" after Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s departure from DEI, there is nothing to be concerned about. In fact, I tried to see one person walking around today with a No. 8 Budweiser shirt on, and they were nowhere to be found.
For as long as I've been here, the main drive leading from I-85 to LMS was "Speedway Blvd." until this year, when it became "Bruton Smith Blvd." The name change came as a concession made the Concord City Council after they tried to challenge Bruton on his new drag strip and lost big time. That's a nice reminder to the Council about what not to do when working with a billionaire whose product has brought so much to your community.
Speaking of that new drag strip (horribly named zMax Dragway @ Concord) it's coming along quite quickly with many of the main buildings erected, the stands and suites coming to shape, and the track grading in progress. Of course when the first race at the track is in September...

Bass Pro Shops in the Concord Mills mall? Still a favorite of mine.
Speaking of Concord Mills, I walked by the "No Fear" store (I think that was it) that Boris Said was signing autographs in a few years ago hoping to see him again. I remember it so fondly because as we walked past the store, we looked in the window to Said sitting there all by himself like a lost puppy dog. I gave in and got an autograph mainly out of pity. It was funny then, at least. Poor guy.
I really, really like the Mountain Dew die-cast of the No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran back at Darlington. Unfortunately, the first production saw just 888 units, meaning prices are way, way up right now at resellers.
If you're one of those die-cast collectors, a must-see at any event is the area of independent vendors that set up all together. Look around enough and you'll easily save $10-$20 off what you'd pay for the same items in the team merchandise trailers.
Interestingly enough, those merchants have drastic discounts on No. 8 Budweiser merchandise. I wonder why...

Saturday is the CarQuest Auto Parts 300 starting around 7:30pm/et. Before that, we'll see Sprint Cup final practice, another practice, and Nationwide qualifying. Let's hope the 60% chance of daytime storms doesn't mess that up.

I won't be doing the live update because it really distracted from enjoying the festivities at the track and prevented me from catching everything on Thursday night. But, as always, I'll have nightly updates on the daily proceedings.

Live From Lowe's: Friday's Observations originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 24 May 2008 00:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live From Lowe's: Practice/Qualifying Updates

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, NASCAR Live Blogging, Sprint Cup

Geoffrey Miller is in Concord, N.C. for Sunday's Sprint Cup Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He'll aim to eat as many elephant ears as possible while blogging away "Live from Lowe's" throughout Memorial Day weekend.

As the Coca-Cola 600 weekend gets underway, watch below as I offer some live updates from the track via text message. Sprint Cup practice runs from 3:00pm/et to 4:30pm/et with qualifying set to begin at 7:10pm/et. Note: this requires Flash player, and if the updates aren't appearing, refresh your screen.

Got a comment? Leave it at the bottom of the post.

Live From Lowe's: Practice/Qualifying Updates originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 22 May 2008 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live from Lowe's: The Humpy Plot Thickens

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 22 May 2008 11:51:00 EST

Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, Speedway Motorsports Inc.

Geoffrey Miller is in Concord, N.C. for Sunday's Sprint Cup Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He'll aim to eat as many elephant ears as possible while blogging away "Live from Lowe's" throughout Memorial Day weekend.

As I left Indianapolis Wednesday afternoon, I read that NASCAR's penultimate promoter, H.A. Humpy Wheeler of Lowe's Motor Speedway, was retiring effective after Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.

Humpy has long been the most recognizable track president on the Sprint Cup tour, and with that, he has been a fan favorite. His retirement, to say the least, was a shock.

Thursday the Charlotte Observer offered a little bit more into why Wheeler is exiting his role and it definitely helps affirm how big of a surprise his move is.

It turns out that Humpy is retiring, but not completely on his own terms.

H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler said Wednesday his retirement as president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway and as president and chief operating officer of Speedway Motorsports Inc. did not come entirely on his own terms.

"Some of it is," Wheeler said in officially announcing his decision. "I won't say it all is. We'll just leave it at that."

The "that" Wheeler is referring to is a rift between himself and the owner of SMI, Bruton Smith.

In the article, it cites Smith as saying a few instances in which Humpy didn't agree with decisions made by SMI involving LMS -- including building condos in Turn 1 and the new drag strip going up across Highway 29 on the property.

Additionally, the article also hints at Smith's son taking over the reigns of LMS, though that isn't official by any means yet.

To me, it seems pretty disappointing to know that Wheeler was ultimately forced into his retirement. There's so many things he's done for both the speedway and for NASCAR in general that its definitely sad to see him walk away from an influential spot in the sport under these terms.

I think LMS and NASCAR as a whole will miss a character like Humpy, even if Bruton & SMI never do.

Live from Lowe's: The Humpy Plot Thickens originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 22 May 2008 11:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live From Lowe's: Follow Me at the Track

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:45:00 EST

Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, NASCAR Live Blogging, Sprint Cup

It's been a 13-year tradition that will continue this year: attending the Coca-Cola 600 in Concord, North Carolina.

1996 was my first experience of NASCAR after my father decided that the Indianapolis 500 -- a race he had attended for many years -- was no longer worth it after the open-wheel world was literally fractured in two parts. Charlotte-bound, we were.

And finally, after all this time, IndyCar is one again, but that doesn't change the fact that us Indiana natives will be hundreds of miles from the so-called "Greatest Spectacle in Racing". The NASCAR bug has bitten hard, you could say.

Thanks to my gig here with the FanHouse, I've got the privilege to share it with you. While we're not the camping type, we'll definitely be hitting every major event at Lowe's Motor Speedway this weekend starting with Thursday afternoon's Sprint Cup practice and the following night-time qualifying session.

From there, its race shop tours (maybe a romp around the newly-remodeled Hendrick Motorsports museum?) and discount souvenir shopping. Saturday, we'll be in the LMS parking lot by 8am/ET for the Carquest Auto Parts 300 at 7:30pm/ET and Sunday will look much the same for the 400-lapper, 600-miler.

If you're going to the race, I'll be the guy wearing shorts, a NASCAR t-shirt, and a camera around my neck. Shouldn't be hard to find, right?

I'll definitely try to get as much of the fan experience on to this blog for those of you who can't be there, and I'm looking at ways to offer in-race updates via text message directly to the blog.

In other words, this weekend on the FanHouse will be unlike any other, and I'll hope you'll join me as I go "Live from Lowe's".

Live From Lowe's: Follow Me at the Track originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 21 May 2008 11:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If Passing Is a Problem For All-Stars...

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 20 May 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, Car of Tomorrow, Sprint Cup

...then this blogger is worried about Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.

Face it, NASCAR fans. The introduction of the Car of Tomorrow into full-time use for 2008 has produced some less than desirable racing at the 1.5-mile tracks that are near cookie-cutters of Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Tony Stewart first blamed it on the tires at Atlanta in March, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a subtle criticism a week ago at Darlington when he said after the race that passing other cars was as bad as its been in a long, long time at the Lady in Black.

My favorite comment, though, about how the new car is behaving on-track in race mode came from Matt Kenseth after Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race XXIV when he referred to clean air as "magic" for the handling of the car.

Clean air -- undisturbed air that allows full downforce on a race car -- started to become a quick antidote for bad handling race cars with the previous version of the Sprint Cup car. The addition of a wing and splitter on the next-generation race cars used full time this year was supposed to decrease the effect of that variable.

Instead, it seems to have made it much, much worse.

I'd say that after Kasey Kahne shocked everyone and himself after winning the all-star event, that had Kahne restarted any further back than third, his No. 9 Dodge wouldn't have driven away from the field. In other words, Kahne likely won because a pit call put him up front in that clean air while Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards got mired up in the "dirty" air and didn't have near the handling afterwards.

And as the tape shows, Kahne drove away from the world en route to the win during the final segment.

Now, NASCAR fans will get NASCAR's longest night of 600 miles to see just how well this new car can perform in race conditions. From everything we've seen in 2008 like Kahne pulling away to an improbable win or Jeff Gordon falling flat on his face at Texas, the new car walks a razor-thin line of handling.

Throw the thing in a pack of cars compared to driving in the lead and drivers essentially have the tale of two race cars during the same race.

On Sunday night, there may be several leaders, but there won't be several battles for the lead. Just like the all-star race, the battle for the lead after a restart will last 5 laps, one driver will fly out to a big lead and thats how it will remain until a caution comes out.

I'm hoping to be surprised, but frankly, NASCAR fans might find the majority of the Coca-Cola 600 to be a great nap time after a long Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully though, NASCAR will see that with the economy the way it is, a sterilized racing product that drivers can't race with won't be good for the bottom line.

And once that bottom line is impacted, there will likely be change in the Sprint Cup rulebook. Vicious cycle, huh?

If Passing Is a Problem For All-Stars... originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 20 May 2008 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumors Link Stewart, Earnhardt Jr. in Cup

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:45:00 EST

Filed under: Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, Lowes Motor Speedway, NASCAR Gossip, NASCAR Rumors, Sprint Cup

It wouldn't really be a NASCAR season without Dale Earnhardt Jr. at least grabbing a part of the headline spotlight, would it?

The folks over at the Charlotte Observer (arguably the sport's best coverage in my book) seem to be getting wind of Junior starting to work with Tony Stewart about a ride with JR Motorsports at the Sprint Cup level. From the story:

Several sources have confirmed to The Charlotte Observer and ThatsRacin.com that JR Motorsports, which currently fields two Nationwide series teams and is owned by Earnhardt Jr., is also an option.

Under this scenario, JR Motorsports would field at least two Cup teams and likely abandon its Nationwide program or scale it down significantly, sources said. JR Motorsports already receives chassis and engines from Hendrick Motorsports and could continue that relationship on the Cup side.

Stewart first started to make news a few weeks ago when he announced that all options are on the table after his contract ends with Joe Gibbs Racing -- the only team Stewart has ever raced for in Sprint Cup -- after 2009.

Of course, it's widely known that Stewart and Earnhardt Jr. are very good friends, so this connection seems to make sense on that level. The fact that Dale Earnhardt Jr. told the media last week in his interviews that he's looking at moving JR Motorsports to the Cup level only tosses gallons of fuel on to this fire.

So let's put this together. Dale Earnhardt Jr. driving for Hendrick, while he owns a JR Motorsports Sprint Cup operation.

The shades of how his father, Dale Earnhardt, ran such an operation (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) while racing for Richard Childress Racing did the same thing can't be overlooked.

And for Stewart the JR Motorsports option seems like it would be much, much more successful in the long-run than Haas-CNC Racing.

Rumors Link Stewart, Earnhardt Jr. in Cup originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 19 May 2008 23:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR Cracks Down on Crab Walking

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:18:00 EST

Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, Car of Tomorrow, Sprint Cup

I first noticed the phenomenon last week at Darlington, and boy, was it ever noticeable in Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race XXIV at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

That phenomenon? NASCAR Sprint Cup cars driving down the straightaway sideways.

Yes, the "Car of Tomorrow" was designed to reduce the amount of tweaks that a team could do to the body and frame settings of the car as it traveled down the track. NASCAR wanted to rope in the gray areas of the rulebook that permitted teams to essentially build a race car that resembled a wave more than an arrow.

Teams trying to find the newest edge with the new car design have seemingly stumbled across a way to make a car faster by jogging the rear end out to the right side of the car, causing a "crab walk" effect as it drives down the straightaway. Literally speaking, if one was to stand in front of the car, you could plainly see the right rear tire.

NASCAR -- outfoxed on the rules for its new car -- has decided to take a stance and force the teams to take out the awkward rear ends to a certain degree.

Sprint Cup Series director John Darby said Saturday that teams will get a memo, likely this week, telling them to "clean up" the way they're turning their wheels to help the cars handle better.

"They need some of that, but there are some of them that have pushed it," Darby said.

Good for NASCAR on this one, I say. Frankly, the dirt track-type look on the straightaway isn't very visually appealing.

But I do think NASCAR is probably just getting to the tip of the ice berg in terms of the new car.
The new car was designed to be more racy (it isn't), safer (job well done), and help smaller teams race on an even playing field. The final goal is likely going to be the one thats missed the most because NASCAR didn't seem to take into account that teams with tighter rules create looser engineering budgets.

Will it get to the level of a Formula One Series? It's not there yet, but its well on its way. Teams will not stop at any cost -- as long as the sponsorship dollars are rolling in -- to win. And that cost?

From the engineers, where the crab walking cars came from.

NASCAR Cracks Down on Crab Walking originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 19 May 2008 22:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grandma Brings Kurt, Kyle Busch Closer

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 16 May 2008 23:55:00 EST

Filed under: Kurt Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Penske Racing, Lowes Motor Speedway, NASCAR Fights, Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup

(Note: The picture on the right is from 2004. Yes, it freaks me out too. Thank you, Getty Images.)

If you remember back to one year ago, Kurt and Kyle Busch weren't exactly the happiest set of brothers in the NASCAR garage.

That's generally what happens -- brothers or not -- when you wreck each other while racing for $1 million. I will give credit where credit is due, of course, and say that Kurt Busch easily had one of the best lines of all of 2007 when he said "I definitely won't be eating any Kellogg's any time soon."

Since then, though, the relationship in the family between the two hasn't been the greatest. For much of 2007, a quote from one or the other came out about how they weren't talking or hadn't discussed things.

In other words, they just didn't want to kiss and make up.

Then Grandma stepped in:

Kyle said the two made amends after their grandmother asked them to work out their differences for the Christmas holiday.

"It was a little edgy to begin with because that was about the first time we'd ever sat down together," Kyle said of Christmas dinner.

"The more it kind of went, the more it kind of got back to normal and friendly and whatever. By the end of the night we were playing games and everything anyway."

Well isn't that just ... precious.

I'm glad that Grandma got her wish and all in the Busch family, and that Kurt and Kyle can handle playing cards together, but that makes for zero fun on the race track.

I'm all for the brotherly love off the track, but come on guys, make sure you spice up the night a little bit this weekend for the Sprint All-Star Race XXIV. On the track should be totally different.

Grandma Brings Kurt, Kyle Busch Closer originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 16 May 2008 23:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guess Who? Busch Scores All-Star Pole

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 16 May 2008 23:10:00 EST

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Lowes Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup

If nothing else, Kyle Busch is proving that his 2008 success at Joe Gibbs Racing is a total team effort.

The 23-year-old driver drove to the pole for Saturday night's Sprint Cup All-Star Race XXIV at Lowe's Motor Speedway, just ahead of former teammate Jeff Gordon and brother Kurt Busch.

The qualifying format for the All-Star event is much, much different than a time trial for any other race on the Sprint Cup Series schedule. Instead of a driver making laps on track alone, in the All-Star format the driver has to complete three laps and the pit crew has to perform a four-tire pit stop.

Kyle Busch's crew dropped a four-tire stop of 13.4 seconds, and that combined with his laps gave Busch an elapsed time of 121.956 seconds. Gordon had the same speed of pit stop, but was about a half-second off of Busch's time.

A few penalties were assessed including Dale Jarrett, Kevin Harvick, and Casey Mears earning five-second penalties and speeding on to pit road were Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards, earning each of them a 20-second penalty.

Jimmie Johnson's time was disallowed after missing a lug nut on the pit stop, pulling ahead, and then having service done outside of the pit box area by the Lowe's crew.

Kurt Busch's Miller Lite crew busted out a 12.9-second pit stop which was the fastest of the night. Harvick's team had the same time, but the penalty was a killer.

Guess Who? Busch Scores All-Star Pole originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 16 May 2008 23:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All-Star Memories: Busch Wrecks the Field

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Roush Fenway Racing, Lowes Motor Speedway, NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Videos, Sprint Cup

The Sprint All-Star Race XXIV is scheduled for Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. As the teams prepare for the winner-take-all non-points event, stay with the FanHouse all week for plenty of All-Star coverage.

"The Winston" in 2004 was the beginning of the end, you could say, for Kurt Busch at Roush Fenway Racing. The elder Busch from Las Vegas would go on to win the championship that year, but his antics in the all-star race sure didn't make him any friends.

Greg Biffle, his teammate, was likely at the top of the list as he got wrecked by Busch to set off a massive crash in turn one. Watch below at 0:46:

One lap after a restart, Busch got a big run down the frontstretch behind Biffle. By the time they passed the start/finish line, Busch was trying to push Biffle ahead, but instead, lifted Biffle's wheels off the ground. Biffle couldn't hang on, and lost it.

The ensuing crash took out many of the race's contenders including Biffle, Busch, Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Ken Schrader, Sterling Marlin, Bobby Labonte, Michael Waltrip, and Joe Nemechek.

Biffle's comments afterward definitely summed up Busch's move to the fullest extent.

"I think the replay shows that Kurt got his head up his ... whatever," said Biffle. "I just don't understand. You've got to finish the race to do anything. He wrecked us on the straightaway. I mean not the corner, not in the corner -- the straightaway."

I think Biffle, as well of the rest of us, were nothing short of perplexed by Busch's move.

Controversey and memories like that, though, are what keep us coming back.

All-Star Memories: Busch Wrecks the Field originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 15 May 2008 10:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All-Star Memories: Allison Wrecks to Win

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:59:00 EST

Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, NASCAR Videos, Sprint Cup

The Sprint All-Star Race XXIV is scheduled for Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. As the teams prepare for the winner-take-all non-points event, stay with the FanHouse all week for plenty of All-Star coverage.

Buddy Baker in the TV booth sure summed up Davey Allison's win in the 1992 edition of The Winston by saying "he won the race, but sure paid the price." Indeed, he did.

Watch below as Allison battles Kyle Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the final lap.

Heading to the white flag, Earnhardt was leading in the first event at the then-Charlotte Motor Speedway to be run under the lights. Earnhardt led until Petty mounted a charge down the backstretch and got to his rear bumper in Turn 3.
With Earnhardt spinning, Petty battled a charging Davey Allison on his inside out of turn four. As they reached the checkered flag, Allison took the win, the two made contact, and Allison slammed the frontstretch wall with the driver's side.

Allison was knocked unconscious in the impact and instead of heading to victory lane, he was transported to the hospital. If you ask LMS president Humpy Wheeler, it was the likely the only time in racing history that a driver never made it to victory lane after a win.

Regardless, the event was the ideal finish (minus Allison's crash) for a non-points race and was exactly what promoters had hoped for. Not bad for the first superspeedway race ever held under the lights that was billed "One Hot Night".

All-Star Memories: Allison Wrecks to Win originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 13 May 2008 23:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lowe's Testing Wraps; Dale Jr. Crashes

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 06 May 2008 23:59:00 EST

Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, Sprint Cup, NASCAR Testing

The Sprint Cup Series wrapped its two-day test session at Lowe's Motor Speedway Tuesday night, and apparently Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended it with a bang.

Driver No. 88 hit the wall hard enough to prevent the damage from being repaired and further participation in the session for the Hendrick Motorsports driver. These was no word on whether Kyle Busch was involved. Grin.

Jamie McMurray paced Tuesday's finish session, but it was Dodge's Elliott Sadler taking fastest lap honors after running a lap of 186.245mph during the Monday night session.

In comparison, the pole speed for last year's Coca-Cola 600 was 185.312mph by Ryan Newman.

Teams were given a choice of six sessions -- three per day -- to test in with each team only allowed a maximum of four sessions. It appears that many teams opted not to test in the 9am-12pm session each day, as only 10 cars hit the track early on Monday and 13 on Tuesday.

I know I've said it before, but I've got to commend NASCAR on giving teams this extra test session. For the good of the sport, at least, teams are going to have a better idea on what they can throw at a race car.

Lowe's Testing Wraps; Dale Jr. Crashes originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 06 May 2008 23:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best. Idea. Ever? LMS to Host Burnout Contest

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:10:00 EST

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Lowes Motor Speedway, Sprint Cup

Lowe's Motor Speedway President Humpy Wheeler wanted to add some spice similar to baseball's home run derby to NASCAR's all-star weekend in May at the track.

Consider that mission accomplished.

Wheeler and Clint Bowyer, who managed to hit the pit wall during a demonstration with a Richard Petty Driving School car, announced today that the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will feature a prerace burnout contest.

The festivities started Tuesday, when Wheeler and his staff recruited Bowyer to introduce a new feature to the All-Star race. NASCAR will now showcase a "burnout" competition, in which five drivers will showcase their victory celebrations by spinning their tires, doing two doughnuts and finally slide into Victory Lane in an event scheduled to precede the May 17th race.

Bowyer, who already has agreed to participate in the competition, had planned to demonstrate a burnout for the assembled media in a car loaned to him by the Richard Petty Driving Experience. But he wrecked the car as he returned to pit road.

"It was practice, man," joked Bowyer. "That's what you're here for - to see what to do and what not to do. I had a little disagreement with the wall. It didn't work out so good."

So we know Bowyer will be in the event, but if you were picking, who's filling the four remaining spots?

Kevin Harvick? Kyle Busch? What about a special appearance by NHRA driver John Force?

Regardless, I'm going to be tuning in for it.

Best. Idea. Ever? LMS to Host Burnout Contest originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR Scores With Extra LMS Test

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:50:00 EST

Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, Sprint Cup, NASCAR Testing

It's not too often that NASCAR will change the course of its previously set direction, so Tuesday should be celebrated.

The sanctioning body announced today that it will indeed take up the opportunity Lowe's Motor Speedway has granted to test at the 1.5-mile track on May 5 & 6. Originally, Concord, N.C.-based LMS wasn't on the master plan for the Cup Series to have an official test at the track.

According to the presser, many drivers and teams campaigned heavily for the track time at the venue that is a virtually a hometown to every Sprint Cup team at Phoenix over the weekend:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR announced today the addition of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test session May 5-6 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. On May 5 practice times are set from 9 a.m. - 12 noon; 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.; and 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. On May 6 practice times are set from 9 a.m. - 12 noon and 1 p.m. - 5p.m. Teams may test a maximum of four of those five practice segments. NASCAR visited with the teams this past weekend at Phoenix about the possibility of adding a test to further prepare for the remaining 17 events the series has at intermediate tracks the rest of the season, including next month's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"We received input from the teams last weekend at Phoenix and a vast majority of them were receptive to adding a test next month at Lowe's," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition"

It's a step in the right direction, if nothing else, to help get teams and drivers better acquainted with the next-generation race car, and in turn, to make the racing better.

Kudos, NASCAR.

NASCAR Scores With Extra LMS Test originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lowe's Offers NASCAR Extra Testing Days

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, Sprint Cup, NASCAR Testing

Face it, the racing last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway left a lot to be desired for the fans of the Sprint Cup Series.

Carl Edwards won his third race of the season in a fashion that hasn't changed. Each race, Edwards has simply had a car that was the class of the field after the halfway point and no one could touch him.

It's obvious that Edwards & Co. at Roush Fenway Racing have figured something out that the rest of the teams haven't with NASCAR's new car. After all, it's not too often that you hear Jimmie Johnson talk about how drivers are worried to race side-by-side and Jeff Gordon race like Kyle Petty.

So what's NASCAR to do? Scrap the new car? Make some drastic rule changes?

Nah, they just need to take advantage of an offer from Lowe's Motor Speedway head Humpy Wheeler:

"We have offered NASCAR at least two days, May 5-6, to bring the teams in so they can test the new car. We'll have the track open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. so they can experiment with chassis set-ups during both daytime and nighttime conditions," Wheeler said.

NASCAR's current policy for testing means that teams cannot test at any track they currently compete at, leaving teams heading to Nashville, Kentucky, and a plenty of other tracks to try to get a handle on the next-generation car.

By letting the teams test at Lowe's, it would save a bundle on transportation costs associated with testing and teams could spend their time simply working on making their race cars easier to drive and, in turn, better to race.

I may be partial to this in that I'll be attending the Coca-Cola 600, but LMS could truly offer teams plenty of on-track time to really help drivers get a feel for the car if nothing else.

NASCAR, especially in the state of the economy at the moment, simply can't afford to "waste" a year of racing for teams to get a handle on the car. The problems need to get fixed now.

Lowe's Offers NASCAR Extra Testing Days originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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