NASCAR FanHouse

Johnson on Right Track to Make 3-Peat

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-09-08T01:39:00+00:00

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing

Boy, that guy is just sneaky.

Two weeks ago, all the rage was about Carl Edwards finally mounting a charge to overcome Kyle Busch's impressive stranglehold on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Then, Jimmie Johnson won two races (including Sunday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400), came out of hiding, and decided to play for the Chase for the Championship game as the veteran ace among championship newbies.

Who woulda thunk it?

You can bet Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus have seen this coming for weeks. Johnson was in position to win at Chicagoland in July but failed to convert and then followed it up at Indianapolis for his second win of the season. Now, he's riding a two-race surge with wins at California and Richmond just before the Chase.

Or, in other words, just like he set the tone for the 2007 edition of the Chase for the Championship. And that tone resulted in the No. 48 team's second-straight Sprint Cup title despite Jeff Gordon being the odds-on favorite for much of 2007.

Is anyone else seeing the similarities here?

Sunday afternoon, Johnson didn't appear to be a factor until -- of course -- it mattered in the final 100 laps. From there, Johnson made a beeline to the lead, got some excellent pit work from his No. 48 crew, and wisely held off Tony Stewart in the closing laps by taking the high lane to conserve his tires.

It worked, and the rest of the NASCAR world took note -- especially if they missed Johnson's RSVP for Chase contention last weekend in his dominating run at the Auto Club Speedway in California.

Johnson is primed, almost peaking (in his book), and has the experience to win another title despite not being the most-talked about favorite. That role probably isn't hurting Johnson's feelings, but rather giving him a heavy dose of inspiration.

Can you really pick against the experience of a former Chase-winning team (times two)? Is Jimmie Johnson capable of becoming a three-time (and consecutive) Sprint Cup champion?

That's certainly a bet I won't go against.

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Live Bloggin': Chevy Rock & Roll 400

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-09-07T12:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup

The weather at Richmond International Raceway is simply phenomenal the day after Tropical Storm Hanna breezed through, and after a day off, the stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series are ready to roll in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

Kyle Busch leads the field to the green just after 1pm/ET and FanHouse has you covered the whole way. Can David Ragan or Kasey Kahne make the Chase? Will Jeff Gordon get booted out?

Jump in below to the conversation as we get a heavy dose of NASCAR live bloggin' -- just in time to set the field for the 12-driver Chase to the Championship!

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Live Bloggin' Alert: Chevy Rock & Roll 400

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-09-06T21:15:00+00:00

Filed under: Greg Biffle, NASCAR Live Blogging, Sprint Cup

"Yo Biff - I heard FanHouse is running a live blog on Sunday afternoon for the race, and since you're locked in already to the Chase, I was thinkin' 'bout catchin' some of that. Whaddya think?" - Greg Erwin

So, in all likelihood (though not completely impossible), Greg Biffle's crew chief Greg Erwin probably wasn't talking about the live blog coming your way Sunday afternoon here at FanHouse, but that's not really too important.

What is important is that you need to sign up for your very own e-mail alert for Sunday's live blog so you can join in on the fun! So what are you waiting for? Go for it, sign up below and make sure you're back here on Sunday afternoon -- even if you've got to watch your favorite NFL team on the locals because we've got you covered here at the 'House!

See ya'll Sunday!

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Stewart Slams Busch in Rolling Stone Profile

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-09-06T21:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Tony Stewart, NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

Stop by NASCAR FanHouse on Sunday at 1pm/ET for some good ol' fashioned live bloggin' of Sunday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400. It'll be Chase-tastic!

I've had a few days now to muse over the recent profile piece done in Rolling Stone on the always lovable Tony Stewart.

If you haven't had a chance to read it yourself, I'd highly recommend it. And if you have read it, I'm sure you'll agree with me on a couple of fronts:

1) If you love Stewart because of his rank attitude and keen ability to not adapt to what people say he should be, then this piece exemplifies why so many people are so passionate in cheering for Tony and ...

2) If you're not the biggest Stewart fan but enjoy reading about how drivers really live outside of the limelight, it's again right up your alley.

The article is loaded with juicy tidbits about Stewart's life and the language he uses when he's not around the media -- or at least attempts to refrain from using. It mainly follows Stewart over the course of a few races earlier in 2008 and includes written imagery about Stewart riding back on his airplane, what the inside of his Hummer looks like, and just how "lavish" his Columbus, Ind. home is.

The best part by far, however, is when Stewart bashes Kurt Busch during the qualifying session this past May at Texas Motor Speedway [and as a slight warning, the language isn't exactly Disney movie appropriate]:

Stewart looks at the screen, and another car's time pops up.

"There's the d**head," he says to no one in particular.

On screen, Kurt Busch just ran his qualifying lap in his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. At the start of the season, Busch (the older brother of Kyle) got into a skirmish with Stewart during practice before the Daytona 500. Afterward, Busch and Stewart were called to the NASCAR official's hauler to iron things out, and while both decline to discuss what happened, rumor has it Stewart decked Busch with a punch to the face.

"You know those kids in high school that talk all the time and won't shut up?" Stewart says. "And every once in a while someone gives them a good wailing? That's Kurt."

Ziiiiiing!

It's good to know that despite what drivers claim in their weekly interviews, there is still plenty of sizzle and rivalry among drivers -- even if the general public doesn't much know about it.

Aside for that dig on Kurt Busch, Stewart offers some excellent stories about how he broke into racing (got tired of working in a machine shop), his run-in with Kenny Irwin Jr. at Martinsville many years ago (did you know Dale Earnhardt was involved?), and of course, his love for the opposite sex.

Most notably, Stewart is also an apparent fan of the ultra-ritzy Schlitz beer. Now that is something fans can relate to.

Go ahead and read it. It's the best 15 minutes you'll spend today.

NASCARs New Bad Boys

The late Dale Earnhardt Sr. may forever be "The Intimidator," but a new generation of drivers are building a case to be named among NASCAR's bad boys. Meet 10 young guns who are making a name for themselves through a series of collisions with the media, fans and fellow drivers.

Getty Images (4)

10. Dario Franchitti: Franchitti has had limited action in NASCAR's top-tier Sprint Cup Series, but the star came in with a ton of hype thanks to his 2007 Indy 500 victory, his wife Ashley Judd, and one of the best stories of the offseason -- he chased down an intruder in only his boxers.

Rusty Jarrett, Getty Images for NASCAR

9. Kasey Kahne: Don't be fooled by Kahne's boyish good looks and
mild-mannered attitude. The No. 9 driver got into a physical confrontation with a security guard last year which ended with the guard on the pavement and left Kahne with one charge of misdemeanor battery.

8. Juan Pablo Montoya: Juan Pablo Montoya is arguably one of the best open-wheel drivers of his generation, but he's gaining a reputation in NASCAR for "lowdown, nasty, dirty driving." He spun teammate and then-race leader Scott Pruett in last year's Telcel-Motorola 200.

Todd Warshaw, Getty Images

7. Denny Hamlin: While many could look past Hamlin publicly calling out crew members, no one could look past his recent incident with one of the most respected names in NASCAR. After crashing Kyle Petty last year at Dover, Hamlin's post-race comments left many NASCAR fans with a bad taste.

Todd Warshaw, Getty Images

6. Carl Edwards: Edwards may seem composed, but a more sinister side lurks beneath the star. One of the newest bullies has drawn the ire of NASCAR officials, threatened to make Tony Stewart bleed at Pocono in 2006, and faked a punch at teammate Matt Kenseth after the Subway 500 last year.

Marc Serota, NASCAR / Getty Images

5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick is no stranger to spats with angry drivers. He's considered by many to be NASCAR's most volatile driver due to his reckless driving style and bitter criticism of competitors. He was the first driver in NASCAR history to be suspended for a race in 2002.

Rick Havner, AP

4. Kurt Busch: The elder Busch has had confrontations with drivers, his former boss and even with a sheriff's deputy. His penchant for feuds began in 2003, when he instigated a fight with Jimmy Spencer, and he recently got into a physical altercation with Tony Stewart at Daytona.

Jason Smith, Getty Images

3. Robby Gordon: Gordon has established himself as one of NASCAR's most controversial figures over the years because of incidents that range from slamming his helmet at Michael Waltrip's car in 2005 to throwing debris onto the track in 2006, which resulted in chaos for drivers and a 50-point penalty.

Todd Warshaw, NASCAR / Getty Images

2. Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch's driving style has been called reckless, yet outstanding. NASCAR's Public Enemy No. 1 tried to pull a daring three-wide move on his older brother at last year's All-Star Challenge which sent both cars into the wall. The two didn't talk to each other for four days.

Jerry Markland, NASCAR / Getty Images

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Logano Won't Have to Wait Much Longer

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-09-06T20:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Toyota, Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing

Stop by NASCAR FanHouse on Sunday at 1pm/ET for some good ol' fashioned live bloggin' of Sunday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400. It'll be Chase-tastic!

Soon-to-be rookie Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano -- you've heard all about him I bet -- was planning to race Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway for the first time in NASCAR's top division.

Tropical Storm Hanna had other ideas, though.

The rain and winds from the weakened storm moved through the Richmond, Va.-area Friday night and Saturday, forcing the postponement of the event until Sunday afternoon, and in the process, forcing Logano to miss his first try at a Sprint Cup race because NASCAR canceled qualifying and set the field via points.

Logano was supposed to drive Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 02 Toyota in a paint scheme exactly opposite that of Tony Stewart's No. 20 Home Depot machine. Logano, of course, will be taking Stewart's seat at JGR in 2009.

In practice, he was 9th quickest on the speed chart.

Originally, his next start was supposed to be at New Hampshire Motor Speedway next weekend, though the plans for that seem to be evolving after the Richmond setback.

According to NASCAR.com:

The less-than-stellar news continued when a Joe Gibbs Racing spokesman said team officials were discussing options for when Logano's Cup debut would occur and in what vehicle. Hall of Fame Racing, a JGR ally, had previously announced Logano would run that team's No. 96 Toyota next weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The news doesn't seem bad for Logano, but rather likely more of JGR officials looking into racing Logano in his first Sprint Cup start under their banner, rather than with the JGR satellite operation of Hall of Fame Racing.

Regardless, we're all going to get to see plenty of Joey Logano in the near future, but in the time being we've got something really important to pay attention to: the race to the Chase.

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Hanna Knocks Sprint Cup to Sunday

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-09-05T18:42:00+00:00

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup

I'm not really sure why it took until Friday afternoon, but NASCAR and Richmond International Raceway's staff have pushed what-was-to-be Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 to Sunday thanks to Tropical Storm Hanna.

The bad part? We're not getting to watch NASCAR on a Saturday night.

The good part? FanHouse will be live bloggin' the race Sunday afternoon at 12:45pm/ET to make flipping between opening weekend NFL and the Sprint Cup Series easier to follow.
Cars did get some practice on Friday afternoon at RIR before heavy rains swept in to force the postponement to Sunday, with Jeff Gordon leading the way on the speed chart. David Ragan, Juan Pablo Montoya, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Mark Martin rounded out the practice top-5

Joey Logano was supposed to make his first start in a Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond but will fail to make the show because the field was set by owner points after qualifying was officially canceled. Logano reached 9th-quick on the practice chart.

The Nationwide event scheduled to run Friday night at Richmond also got the axe and will now be run at 7pm on Sunday night following the Sprint Cup race. That's the second time this season (California in Febuary) that the Nationwide Series has raced following a Sprint Cup race.

I would have enjoyed watching the Sprint Cup race on Sunday evening, but in NASCAR's mind, the priority is for the race to get completed -- which makes logical sense.

In the mean time, let's wish all the folks in Richmond this weekend the best of luck as Hanna cruises through on Saturday, and we'll look forward to seeing you back here all weekend for plenty of more stories and, of course, that live blog.

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Hanna Could Play Havoc on Richmond Race

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-09-03T15:52:00+00:00

Filed under: Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup

Saturday night's Sprint Cup race -- and potentially Friday night's Nationwide Series race -- appear to be in jeopardy of postponement thanks to the beautiful tropical weather.

And by beautiful I mean that nasty Tropical Storm Hanna that is currently churning off the coast of Florida.

Hanna -- which already has lived a short life as a hurricane -- is expected to strengthen some before it makes landfall late Friday night or early Saturday morning somewhere along the South Carolina coast.

The problem with that location is that Richmond, Va. is less than 300 miles to the north -- or about how far out the tropical storm-force winds and rain are extending right now. With the race Sprint Cup series race scheduled to start after 7pm/ET on Saturday, that rain and wind would have likely reached the Richmond area making it nearly impossible to run a race -- let alone keep fans safe if the storm gathers more strength.

Simply put, it's just not that good of an idea to try to run a lengthy outdoor event with conditions like that bearing down on the track, competition, and fans -- many of whom will have to drive straight into the storm following the conclusion of the event if it is run on time.

Right now, RIR and NASCAR say all things are a go for this weekend, but they are monitoring the situation and are providing updates twice-a-day.

If the race does get postponed, it brings up an interesting scenario for NASCAR because of the lack of an off-week before the season ends. More than likely, Richmond will be having rain in the forecast until at least Monday or Tuesday, so attempting to push back the event might not work so well.

Doubly, the race is last one before NASCAR locks in its Top-12 drivers for the Chase to the Championship, meaning that a complete weekend postponement would result in next week's race at New Hampshire being the final race to the cut off if Richmond gets rescheduled for later in the season -- potentially even being the season finale even after Homestead. (A season finale at Richmond? Now that would be fun)

The last time NASCAR had a season-finale change thanks to a postponement was in 2001 after the attacks on 9/11 moved the New Hampshire race to the last on the schedule, though Jeff Gordon had the championship wrapped up handily.

Of course, all of this is complete speculation as to what NASCAR & RIR will do for this weekend (heck, they might even push the race up to a Saturday afternoon affair though the ratings would be horrible) but it does seem like TS Hanna will have some influence over the weekend.

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Deserved Ride: Stremme in Penske No. 12

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-09-03T13:42:00+00:00

Filed under: Dodge, Penske Racing, Sprint Cup

Penske Racing made a solid choice Wednesday by selecting, officially, David Stremme to drive the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge in 2009.

From the team's press release:

"We're pleased to have David join Penske Racing as the driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge," said Roger Penske. "His past accomplishments and current experience as our NASCAR test driver, as well as his character and desire for success, make him a good fit into our culture."

And I certainly couldn't agree more.

Penske could have easily gone with one of the two trends in the NASCAR garage of recent years by hiring in either 1) a young guy with limited experience or 2) an open-wheel driver. Of course, the latter seems to not be working out so well.

But by hiring Stremme, they are putting a driver behind the steering wheel that not only has NASCAR experience (he drove for Chip Ganassi Racing before getting canned after 2007), but also has plenty of experience behind the wheel of a Penske Racing car.

Stremme has served as the team's test driver for all of 2008, which will prove quite beneficial in 2009 because he won't be learning NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow like its something brand new.

Without a doubt, Stremme's wise decision to test for Penske kept him from other Sprint Cup opportunities, but I would imagine the one-year full-time Sprint Cup hiatus will be well worth it when he officially gets the keys to Ryan Newman's old ride at Daytona in February.

In the mean time, Stremme has been racing in the Nationwide Series for Rusty Wallace Inc. and is currently sitting 12th in that series' standings despite not racing in three events in 2008.

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NASCAR's Open-Wheelers Slowly Fading

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-09-03T12:16:00+00:00

Filed under: Dario Franchitti, Chip Ganassi Racing, Other Racing Series, Sprint Cup

Dario Franchitti is done with NASCAR, and if you're surprised, then, well, you shouldn't be.

Franchitti announced Tuesday that he'd be heading back to life in the IRL IndyCar Series with the same owner who drove for in NASCAR, Chip Ganassi. The move was a little puzzling especially knowing that Franchitti would be replacing Dan Wheldon -- one of the series' top drivers.

But more telling of Franchitti's move was how quickly the idea by NASCAR owners to bring open-wheel talent to NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series with limited stock car experience at best became a bust.

Franchitti is the third driver to take the reins in NASCAR with intentions of making a long-term career move at the beginning of 2008 to succumb to the economics of NASCAR. In other words, open-wheel drivers with limited experience struggle early in their stock car careers and sponsors just don't want to spend money and time on such a move.

That list includes Franchitti, Jacques Villenueve and Patrick Carpentier, and leaves just one question.

Who's next?
Villeneuve departed from his intentions to become a full-time NASCAR driver nearly as quickly as he started when he failed to qualify for the season-opening Daytona 500 in February.

Carpentier, as we mentioned last week, was unofficially cut from his No. 10 car after 2008 thanks to Gillett-Evernham Motorsports signing Reed Sorenson and placing Carpentier into the group of "we'll race you if we get a sponsor, but you're not a priority with us."

The former open-wheel drivers who haven't made the cut list include A.J. Allmendinger, Sam Hornish Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya and, if you're really digging deep, Casey Mears. Mears, however, has been in Sprint Cup for six years now and has made a name for himself only because of his stock car exploits, despite getting into racing via open wheel.

Allmendinger has likely shown the most overall improvement from the point at which he started in NASCAR with Red Bull Racing until now (so much so that I was inclined to write about how Red Bull would be simply stupid not to re-sign the guy in 2009), and he'll undoubtedly have a future in NASCAR no matter where he ends up.

Hornish Jr. appeared to come in to NASCAR much like Franchitti -- on the back of a team owner with previous IRL ties (Penske Racing) that saw his raw talent and wanted to adapt it to the more prestigious Sprint Cup. Hornish has been able to maintain sponsorship on his No. 77 car despite having a mediocre season in 2008, though there have been flashes of brilliance. And much like Franchitti, Hornish isn't exactly driving for NASCAR's best teams and has done what he can.

And for Montoya -- driving for the same team Franchitti did -- his career took off like a rocket in 2007 with some wins in both the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series. Combine that with his brash personality, F1 experience, and ability to market to the hispanic NASCAR audience and you've got a poster child for how the open-wheel experiment should work.

But the statistics don't lie, and when three of the six open-wheel aces are already exiting NASCAR less than a year after their arrival, the story is quite telling about the simplicity of NASCAR.

Or, in other words, NASCAR isn't quite as easy as some people give it credit for, and when drivers come in with high aspirations because life has been easy in everything else they've raced, they seemingly get a punch in the gut when they find learning the stock car craft takes time and effort -- especially when they are thrown into the meanest of the NASCAR wolves in the Sprint Cup Series.

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Dale Jr. Keeps Old Cars in the Weeds

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-09-01T22:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports

After reading about yet another one of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s personal quirks, my head is still spinning.

And it's spinning because frankly I just don't get it, despite the article talking about his way of collecting old race cars like its an entirely normal thing. From the NASCAR Scene:

So whatever happened to the car that slid along the Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway wall last year, leaving a trail of flames as driver Brad Keselowski held on?

It's not at JR Motorsports.

It's at Junior's home.

OK, it's not inside the home, but it's on team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s property. [...]

"It's a good conversation piece," Keselowski said. "It's actually out back in the woods. It's on a hill and there's vines and stuff growing through it. It's cool because Dale left it completely intact. Every single piece other than the radio is in it. It's really cool to see."

So, in short form, Dale Earnhardt Jr. collects old race cars only to leave them to rust, rot, and generally just turn to nothing on the deepest parts of his property.

Is that not at all weird?
Is that really an entirely normal thing that people do? Am I missing out on this car collecting fad that involves absolutely zero maintenance -- much less a garage? Could I be having amazing conversations by parking my old 1989 Honda Accord in my backyard and not mowing around it?

Is that really what people do?

Keselowski seems completely OK with the fact that the car could have died in is sitting out in the weeds, and I can't really blame him. But that can't be the only car Earnhardt Jr. has ever just dropped off.

Is he waiting to build a garage? Or his is just trying to make a statement about getting rid of the demons that Keselowski had with that car and its horrible, horrible crash in 2007?

Whatever it is, it confuses me. Dale Earnhardt Jr., though, has never been just another guy when it comes to learning things about his personality.

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Jimmie Johnson Dominates Pepsi 500

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-08-31T23:59:00+00:00

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports

Jimmie Johnson made his case Sunday night at Auto Club Speedway in California that Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards aren't the only contenders for the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

And, boy, did he do it in style.
Johnson started from the pole as the green flag waved over the Sprint Cup Pepsi 500 and simply overpowered the field all night long -- giving his fans something to smile about and emphasizing why NASCAR has no business racing twice a year at ACS.

Despite all the wrenches NASCAR and the track could throw at him and the No. 48 crew, Johnson led 227 of the 250 laps at the 2.5 mile track. Cautions waved multiple times for debris cautions (including two separate yellows for pieces of the caution light equipment falling to the track and one for when Marcos Ambrose appeared to just barely graze the outside wall) and brought the field back to Johnson's bumper.

A few times, even, other teams used better pit stops or pit strategy to jump ahead of Johnson, but he would regain the lead very, very quickly and would pull out to a sizeable lead. Greg Biffle held the lead following a caution with about 30 laps to go, but Johnson made short work of the No. 16 and drove off into the night less than a lap later.

Attendance at ACS has long been a hot-button issue for NASCAR, and despite a drop in temperature by over 20 degrees from one year ago, there were noticeable sections of empty seats all around the roughly 80,000 seat grandstand. The racing package on-track could have something to do with that as the cars would get very strung out within 10 laps, and the leader could easily pull away from the field.

The win was Johnson's third of the season and second in-a-row at ACS' fall race date. Last year, Johnson used his ACS win combined with a win the following week at Richmond International Raceway to propel himself to a second-straight Sprint Cup championship.

Johnson's teammate Jeff Gordon was optimisitc about his chances in Sunday's race after starting from third position, but quickly fell back to about 15th for much of the race and continued his winless streak with a 15th-place finish.

Sprint Cup point leader Kyle Busch was mediocre for much of the race but managed to make adjustments on the car and wind up with a 7th-place finish.

Photo by Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

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NASCAR to Finally Step Up Drug Testing

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-08-31T22:13:00+00:00

Filed under: Craftsman Truck Series, Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup

If nothing else from NASCAR's Labor Day weekend trip to Auto Club Speedway in southern California is a positive, at least the sanctioning body is taking steps to make the sport safer in the coming weeks.

NASCAR CEO Brian France announced Sunday at the track that NASCAR will be unveiling a new drug testing policy in the coming weeks that will likely take effect when the 2009 season begins at Daytona in February.

NASCAR officials have approached several teams in recent weeks, using them as sounding boards on ideas for the new policy. A form of random testing is expected, members of several team sources have confirmed.

"We're going to expand the scope of the policy," NASCAR's Brian France said. "That's where we are today. We have a very good policy," he said.

"We will be looking at broadening testing, even though we have a lot of latitude today. We're going to broaden it. The circumstances around all of sports have changed in the past three, four or five years. We need to be mindful of that."

That stance is a long way from the one NASCAR originally took earlier this season when former driver Aaron Fike admitted that he used heroin on race days.

Fike -- who was arrested in June 2007 after getting caught with the drug outside the King's Island amusement park in Ohio -- admitted to his use during an ESPN the Magazine interview.

NASCAR's original response was that its drug testing program of testing drivers and team members who show signs of using drugs was sufficient enough -- despite the fact that it never once suspected Fike. Naturally, NASCAR took quite a bit of flack from the incident, but didn't make any major changes.

While the changes they appear to be making for 2009 are more than a little delayed -- driver Kevin Harvick already has instituted a random testing policy among the race teams he owns -- the changes are at least coming.

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Allmendinger Deserves Red Bull Ride in '09

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-08-31T17:26:00+00:00

Filed under: A.J. Allmendinger, Toyota, Sprint Cup

A.J. Allmendinger has a lot in common with Patrick Carpentier.

Both are former open-wheel racing drivers. Both have struggled at times to get a strong foothold on NASCAR racing.

And both have now been strung along by their race teams, with Carpentier finally getting the word this week that his services aren't a top priority at his Gillette-Evernham Motorsports home. Allmendinger has yet to receive word on his 2009 plans.

Most people in the NASCAR world would have signed Allmendinger a month ago to an extended contract after the driver has shown an obvious improvement in not only finishing races, but qualifying for them, too. But Red Bull Racing isn't like most other teams.

The operation has its NASCAR base in North Carolina, but most of the big personnel decisions -- like hiring a driver -- are handled by the ownership group in Red Bull's native country Austria. And that ownership group is used to the Formula One train of thought when it comes to driver decisions of waiting until September or October to make plans for the following year.

That has got to be frustrating to Allmendinger for many, many reasons -- the least of which is Scott Speed.

Speed won Red Bull's driver search a few years ago and made his way to F1 under the Red Bull banner. The relationship didn't work out well, but Red Bull kept a hold of Speed and has now pushed him into stock car racing. His best finish is a win in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover, and he appears destined to make it to Sprint Cup racing -- possibly as soon as 2009 with Red Bull, which creates the problem for Allmendinger.

Speed would more than likely take over Allmendinger's ride unless another sponsor is found if such a move is made.

And if that move happens, Allmendinger would be out of a ride that he has put a ton of effort into making a competitive one at a point in the NASCAR calendar that would make it very, very tough for him to find a quality ride.

Allmendinger will start second Sunday night in California despite qualifying as a car that was outside of the Top-35, and very easily could be a Top-10 finisher based on how well his teammate Brian Vickers has run recently at 1.5 and 2-mile tracks. And if that happens, the heat will have turned up that much more on the Red Bull folks in Austria to sign Allmendinger immediately.

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It's Over: No Minced Words for Carpentier

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-08-29T21:03:00+00:00

Filed under: NASCAR Rumors, Sprint Cup, Gillette-Evernham Motorsports

Reed Sorenson made his way to Gillette-Evernham Motorsports earlier this week, transferring across Sprint Cup team lines from Chip Ganassi Racing.

And as he did so, rookie Canadian driver Patrick Carpentier in first year with GEM's No. 10 car could read the writing on the wall.

Simply, the team was placing him on the back burner of its sponsorship search -- meaning he more than likely won't be in a sponsored car if he decides to stick with the GEM team in 2009 because the emphasis will now be on Sorenson.

And when he was asked about Friday afternoon at Auto Club Speedway, he didn't exactly toe the company line:

"They hired Reed Sorenson for next year, so it's over," Carpentier says. "They're working on a fourth team and looking for sponsorship, but you know how that goes."

So Carpentier says he's a free agent. "I'm talking with other teams to see what's out there," the Montreal native says.

I'd classify what was said by Carpentier as another round of those "you can't blame him"-type comments.

He's been vocal for many weeks now about how GEM hasn't let him know about his future while other drivers snap up other rides, and to have the team string him along like that just frankly can't feel good and doesn't come across as professional.

The stats for Carpentier aren't exactly compelling him in to another ride or sponsorship in 2009, but one has to remember that his first stock car experience came just over a year ago in a road course race in Montreal.

Carpentier has a great personality and does have driving talent, and any team that decides to let him refine himself as a stock car driver could be very well-served -- if only to allow Carpentier to rub his talent in GEM's face.

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Dale Jr. Hates the New Shootout Format

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-08-29T20:48:00+00:00

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports

I wrote the other day about how much I disliked the new format NASCAR is going with for the season-opening Budweiser Shootout in 2009 at Daytona, mainly because of the qualification procedure.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. hates the new format for a completely different reason, though:

"I don't know what the extra five laps are for," he said Friday at Auto Club Speedway, site of Sunday's Pepsi 500 Sprint Cup race. "What the heck? They [NASCAR] don't get it. They messed up The Winston, the all-star race, and they're messing up the Shootout.

"They ought to line us up, make us run 10 laps. They want us to run around there for 25 first and have a 25-lap segment? That'd be cool. But 10 laps to go, all or nothing - that's what the fans want, that's what the drivers want.

"The last segment being 50 laps? We're just going to sit there for 30. I just don't get it. They don't get it. I don't understand. I don't know what the focus group is they're talking to to get these formats.

"It's frustrating because I want to like running those races. I don't want to dread them, but right now I'm dreading running them because the formats are no fun."

If Earnhardt Jr. was aiming for a scathing critique of the format, then he was spot on. And can you blame the guy?
Earnhardt Jr. has plenty of credentials when it comes to the Budweiser Shootout and racing overall at Daytona International Speedway with both his family's history and his own personal record at the track. Most recently, Earnhardt Jr. won this year's version of the non-points race.

You've got to believe that NASCAR probably isn't the biggest fan of hearing their most-popular driver rag on their new format, and if anything they might consider changing the way the race is run.

It honestly can't be a good thing to have Dale Earnhardt Jr. claim he gets bored on a race track because of how a race is set up, right?

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

FONTANA, CA - AUGUST 29: Dale Earnhardt Jr. drives the #88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway on August 29, 2008 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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FONTANA, CA - AUGUST 29: Dale Earnhardt Jr. driver of the #88 AMP Energy National Guard Chevrolet waits for his qualifying run for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway on August 29, 2008 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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FONTANA, CA - AUGUST 29: Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his #88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway on August 29, 2008 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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FONTANA, CA - AUGUST 29: Sam Hornish Jr. drives the #77 Penske Truck Rental Dodge ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his #88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway on August 29, 2008 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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FONTANA, CA - AUGUST 29: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (L), driver of the #88 AMP ENERGY/National Guard Chevrolet, speaks with team owner Rick Hendrick (C), as crew chief Tony Eury Jr. (R) smiles, during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway on August 29, 2008 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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FONTANA, CA - AUGUST 29: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 AMP ENERGY/National Guard Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway on August 29, 2008 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. chats with a crew member during practice for the NASCAR Pepsi 500 auto race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., Friday, Aug. 29, 2008. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

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FONTANA, CA - AUGUST 29: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, drivers during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway on August 29, 2008 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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Busch, Edwards Feud Earns Probation

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-08-27T13:49:00+00:00

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, NASCAR Fights, Sprint Cup

NASCAR had to rain on its own parade, but thankfully they didn't induce a downpour.

The sanctioning body placed Sprint Cup point leader Kyle Busch and last Saturday night's winner Carl Edwards on probation Wednesday morning for their post-race antics following the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 27, 2008) - NASCAR announced today that it has placed Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards on probation for the next six races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as a result of their on-track incident last Saturday at the conclusion of the race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Busch, driver of the No. 18 car and Edwards, driver of the No. 99 car, both violated Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing; hitting another competitor's car after the race had concluded) of the 2008 NASCAR rule book.

The probation takes effect beginning with this weekend's event at Auto Club Speedway.

Prior to 2008, the typical penalty for such post-race encounters included a monetary fine and seemed much steeper, but this penalty falls more in line with NASCAR's pledge from the beginning of the season to let the rough side drag a little more in the sport.

And can you blame them? The biggest news from Bristol was Busch & Edwards, not anything else.

It's been a long while since NASCAR has had a quality rivalry, and as these two drivers have sparred for wins in the past few weeks, one has definitely developed. A big part of that creation was the Bristol post-race bump between the two.

Of course, you can't forget either that this rivalry is deeper than a personal thing, as it's also about each driver winning his first Sprint Cup championship. That, my friends, is exactly why this brew of intensity and verbal lashings between the two is going to make the rest of the NASCAR season fun.

And this six-week probation thing? It merely looks like a formality.

Sounds good to me.

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New Bud Shootout Rules a Step Back

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-08-27T12:24:00+00:00

Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Tracks, Sprint Cup

For years and years and years, winning a pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series meant a whole lot more than getting to start out front for that specific race, or getting first selection of a pit stall.

Now, because of NASCAR's fumbling of sponsorship contracts, it means a whole lot less.

Winning a pole in the Sprint Cup Series in the previous season meant a driver was guaranteed a spot in the next season's opening event, the Budwieser Shootout at Daytona. The race is an exhibition of sorts that serves as a great tune-up to the coming NASCAR season a week in advance of the Daytona 500.

The race will still exist in 2009, but the format has changed the qualifying procedures have turned the event more into a showcase for sponsors instead of an underdog team that might have snuck into the race with a pole win in the previous season.

NASCAR announced the format change on Tuesday, and the specifics of the race include lengthening it by 5 laps to 75 laps and giving teams a 10-minute break after lap 25. The qualfying procedure, though, is what ticks me off.

Now, instead of drivers getting locked in at any point in the previous season by winning one of the 36 available pole position awards, the top six teams from each manufacturer based on the final owner points of the previous season will get the start in 2009 Budwieser Shootout.

The changes comes as the result of Budwieser departing its position as the pole award presenter prior to 2008, but maintaining its sponsorship of the season-opening event. Coors Light picked up the pole award, leading to an obvious sponsorship conflict.

I understand the reasoning for wanting to change things up, but the Shootout has been a pole-winners event for such a long time and to change it because the NASCAR marketing folks couldn't package the two together to Coors is disappointing.

If a change was needed because the format was altering the competition level of the race, I'd be fine with it, but I just don't like the way the new procedure brings teams into the field that might not have really done anything in previous year. Case in point? Michael Waltrip and David Reutimann would currently make next season's event, while Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr. wouldn't.

The only positive I see from the format change is that the manufacturers are going to get more exposure in return, and if that keeps all four makes around the sport for that much longer, then this wasn't as bad of move as it could have been.

Regardless of 2009's format, I'll still be excited to see racing back on-track at Daytona come February.

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Break Up with Clint Bowyer, Find FHM

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-08-27T12:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, NASCAR Gossip

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Clint Bowyer must have the magic touch -- after you break up with him.

Athena Barber, shown to the right, was voted the hottest NASCAR Girlfriend back in 2007 in a vote done by Sports Illustrated, but lost that title in 2008 after she and the Emporia, Kan.-driver parted ways to the puzzlement of male NASCAR fans everywhere.

Well, as TGOM over at Answer This spotted this week, Barber has found her way into the camera lens of the magazine FHM. I've included the link below.

In the interview/photo shoot, Barber opens up quite a bit about being the arm candy of Clint Bowyer and what its like for the wives and girlfriends of the sport, both at the track and at home.

A lot of it's very informative (she talks about how Clint would never, ever drive even if he had a sip of alcohol) and a lot of it's kind of humorous (she says that the WAGs even take sides when drivers get into it on the track).

The most impressive part of the still-single Barber's interview, though, was how Barber is legitimately is a NASCAR fan and car lover:

What's the best part about being a NASCAR girlfriend?

Barber: For me it was personally the fact that I just loved the sport. The fact that you could do that every weekend, be at all those tracks and be rubbing shoulders with guys that are legends and champions. That to me was awesome. [...]

You've always been around auto-racing, have you always been attracted to the drivers?

Barber: Always! I can't honestly date somebody who doesn't know stuff about cars. It drives me nuts. If I know more about cars than a guy, it's just not gonna happen! It might be the nicest guy in the world, but it's a total turn-off to me.

Later in the interview, she even talks about her favorite car of all-time, the 89-93 generation of the Ford Mustang, which, to me, solidifies her auto enthusiasm as quite realistic.

Barber seems well-educated enough about the sport, and the fact that she doesn't want to really date another NASCAR driver because she doesn't want to be labeled as a girl that gets around the sport is pretty classy.

She's attractive, classy, and loves cars.

FHM: Thank you. Clint Bowyer: What the heck were you thinking?

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Sorenson Moves to GEM; Carpentier Gone?

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-08-27T11:33:00+00:00

Filed under: Chip Ganassi Racing, Sprint Cup, Gillette-Evernham Motorsports

You can now call Reed Sorenson the former Chip Ganassi Racing driver:

Reed Sorenson isn't waiting for Chip Ganassi Racing to figure out the Car of Tomorrow.

The 22-year-old driver signed a multiyear contract to join Gillett Evernham Motorsports next season, where he'll join Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler.

Sorenson said his decision to leave Ganassi, where he began his NASCAR career as a precocious 18-year-old, was difficult but necessary.

"I'm going over here to try to make myself a better racecar driver," Sorenson said during a conference call Tuesday shortly after the announcement. "I wanted to be more competitive and I wanted to have some more opportunities to win races and things like that."

For Sorenson fans, this is great news, but for Patrick Carpentier fans it's probably not.

Sorenson's move to the GEM racing operation means the team now has four drivers on the plate for 2009, which likely means one more than sponsorship dollars can support. How does GEM relieve that problem?

Bye, Bye Patrick.

It's been no secret that GEM has struggled to find full-time sponsorship for the No. 10 ride for both 2008 and 2009, and bringing in Sorenson into the No. 10 will likely land a sponsor much easier than the older Carpentier can find.

Is that fair to Carpentier? No way. The guy has been fun to watch in 2008 as he gets better and better with each race despite having, at this point, about a year total in a stock car. Carpentier is a former Canadian open-wheel racer who jumped into NASCAR last year during the Nationwide Series race at Montreal.

In his first event, he won the pole for the road course race.

Carpentier even has a pole in 2008, though his finishes haven't exactly been top-notch. His best finishes of 2008 include a 14th at Daytona and 18th at Indianapolis in July.

As for Sorenson, look for his performance to improve I believe. He's finally had enough experience in NASCAR to fully "get it" after jumping into the sport as an 18-year-old. I fully believe Sorenson's career would have taken off much easier had he been able to wait to join the Sprint Cup Series at such a young age, but he's learned from his experience -- and pressure at Ganassi -- and will apply that well to GEM.

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Success Will Come for Joey Logano, But...

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-08-26T00:24:00+00:00

Filed under: Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing

Joe Gibbs Racing finally took away the suspense that was involving the newly-vacant No. 20 ride effective 2009 with Tony Stewart leaving with a press conference on Monday.

OK, maybe there wasn't that much suspense.

Joey Logano, the 18-year-old Connecticut driver with a single Nationwide Series win at Kentucky in 2008, will take over the reigns of the Toyota with Greg Zippidelli as crew chief. Home Depot will be the sponsor, and will continue to do so past 2009 for the young driver.

Anything else you need to go along with that silver platter, Joey?

I'll admit it, this Logano situation just doesn't sit well with me. It's not Joey -- he's a well-trained in dealing with the media, has been successful, and seems to be a nice kid (guy, man, what's really appropriate?) -- and its certainly not the Joe Gibbs Racing team.

It's just that to me, this whole Logano story has been shoved done our throats for too long. It was years (not months) ago that Mark Martin told the world that Logano was best thing to drive a race car since sliced bread. Well, not bread, but you get the picture.

And it was last season that nearly every week we got a report from a lower NASCAR series about JGR's new phenom and how he won this or did that. Then, Logano's 18th-birthday rolled around this May and we finally got to see him in a Nationwide Series car.

He won two poles, earned a sixth-place finish in his first race at Dover, and then won at Kentucky, and was otherwise very impressive when it comes to results. All of that, though, came in equipment that had dominated the Nationwide Series up until his arrival.

In other words, JGR's Nationwide dominance made Logano's win look less-than-impressive, and I took that stand after his win at Kentucky.

And now, he gets to jump in a race team that has won two Sprint Cup championships that will see little-to-no change outside of the driver's compartment. Isn't this NASCAR thing supposed to be hard?

I understand that Logano has raced for a long, long time already and that he has won in more cars and races that we could ever dream about. But is that really a fair test of a driver who undoubtedly has had plenty of support and help with his racing equipment since NASCAR teams started taking notice of him years ago?

Face it -- it's been a long time since Logano was normal racer that had to use talent rather than equipment to win races. How well can he handle the bad times at JGR like every race team has? Is he a solid communicator when the car goes south? Does he handle criticism well?

I would hope JGR has been able to solidly say that he can do all of that and more, rather than feeling forced into putting Logano in a Sprint Cup car in fear of losing him to another team. To put it bluntly, if JGR sticks another driver in the No. 20, you can bet Logano would have felt disrespected after all the testing work he's done for the Sprint Cup team.

There's no doubt in my mind that Logano is going to be a solid driver in the Sprint Cup Series, but even a a driver with the talent of Kyle Busch took a number of seasons to get a full hold on how to be consistently successful in NASCAR.

At age 18, how long will that take Logano? And what happens if he doesn't work out, kind of like Busch and Hendrick Motorsports? Will another big-name team want to take on the kid that had everything in his pocket and couldn't handle it?

It may be jealousy or a self-centered sense of what is just for everyone, but I (not so) secretly hope to see Logano struggle somewhat, if for nothing else to prove to the NASCAR world that he has the tenacity to keep going and to become the driver Mark Martin was talking about.

But until then, I'm Joey Logano'ed out.

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