Trouble in Turn2

The NASCAR Cup race at Indianapolis Motorspeedway is arguably the second biggest race of the season. With two weeks since the last Kyle Busch conquest race, there has been plenty of time for everyone to be whipped into a frenzy of pre-race hype. So why does it feel like just another race this weekend? Maybe I am in the minority or too isolated from the hype, but there is a real lack of juice to the race this year. Why? Did Tony Stewart reveal his 2009 plans two weeks too early? Maybe it will crank up later in the week and by Sunday it will feel bigger. Am I (hopefully) wrong on this?

I had the chance on Tuesday afternoon to talk to Steve and Charlie on their radio show On Pit Row. We talked about Stewart’s big move to Haas and the multitude of questions it created. They dudes also asked which drivers should win more races? I think Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr based on how they’ve run this year. I will let you know when the podcast gets posted. Thanks again to Steve and Charlie for my ten minutes of NASCAR fame.

For part three in my series on past rookie classes, you will have to wait until Friday. Or you can check out parts one and two. I’ll be back tomorrow with a Brickyard preview certain to create mass-hype for this weekend’s race. If you need your daily dose of Mike Maruska generated drivel, be sure to check out my column on One Bad Wheel where I take a look at potential sleepers for this weekend.