Trouble in Turn2

If you missed Sunday’s race at Pocono here is a quick recap in a segment I like to call, “Pocono in a nutshell”: Carl Edwards won(again) the race on fuel mileage, Mark Martin was undone by no fault of his own (again), Jimmie Johnson looked strong(again) and the Deathstar(Kyle Busch) appears to be penetrable(slightly). Meanwhile my kitchen remodel is coming along nicely.

Pocono ended i a fuel mileage race which is becoming a trend this year. I have a theory why. The CoT is so hard to drive that teams are willing to take more risks with strategy because it’s so difficult to pass under green. The fact that there are fewer cautions late with the car also means longer green flag runs at long speedways like Pocono and Michigan which also contributes.

• Nice run for Chad McCumbee in the #45 Petty Enterprises car. He finished a career high 17th on Sunday. It was only the 3rd top 20 of the season for the team as they scramble to crack the top 35. They still sit in 40th place and Kyle Petty will return to the seat next week at Watkins Glen. Last year when Petty drove at the Glen he got in a wreck, finished last and injured himself after slamming his hand in frustration. In an unrelated story Petty Enterprises is ordering extra steering wheel padding.

• One of the silliest graphics during a broadcast is the “estimated fuel gauge”. Whenever there is a fuel mileage race, the networks pull that one out. It’s inaccurate, doesn’t really show the viewer anything they didn’t already know and usually all the drivers listed on the graphic are all low on fuel. Thanks for the info, TV.

• Speaking of no fuel, did anyone else think it was funny when Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon drag raced to the finish line as both ran out of fuel? It was like a photo finish in speedwalking.

• Kevin Harvick regained his spot in the top 12 with a 4th place finish. He spun on the first lap, but incredibly didn’t hit anything. Despite the 4th place result, he didn’t gain many points on his closest competition because David Ragan finished 5th, Clint Bowyer 6th and Matt Kenseth led a lap and finished 11th. Only 19 points separate the four drivers with only five races left. While everyone from TV, news and nerdy, stats-based bloggers will talk about the Chase and how close the points battle is, Harvick will take a different approach, “You just go out and race as fast as you can. That’s about all you can do.” And Harvick is exactly right. Everything else is out of his control. According to Sports Club Stats, Harvick has a 69.2% chance of making the Chase while Ragan in 14th has a less than 50% chance. It’s going to stay crazy until Richmond.

For more NASCAR mumbo jumbo, check out Racing Nation.

How to Piss off a Cup Driver: Part I

Last week Rusty Wallace claimed Ryan Newman was fired by Penske instead of a mutual parting. Newman didn’t appreciate his former teammate/bicker buddy sticking his nose into Newman’s business. Wallace went on to say that Roger Penske didn’t appreciate Newman’s criticisms of the company and the team’s performance.

Let me take this moment to remind Rusty that Penske has been a second tier team for years (prior to Wallace’s retirement) and Newman hasn’t been a front runner since 2004. Whether Newman used the proper platform for his criticisms is one thing, but it’s hard to say the criticisms are misplaced. Tune in next week when Newman will reveal the real reason why Wallace was removed from the ESPN booth.

How to Piss off a Cup Driver: Part II

To the likely bemusement of the Diecast Dude, ESPN.com’s NASCAR crew made someone mad again. This time it was Martin Truex Jr when David Newton tried to report that Truex had signed a new contract with DEI. Truex’s frank, “That’s bullsh*t” response left little room for interpretation that the report was false. Truex added that the two sides were still negotiating. A word of advice to Newton (beyond reporting facts), when Truex gets pissed off, he can be quite literal.

Jimmie and Randy: Homies

As a Vikings fan I was fortunate to see Randy Moss’ greatest seasons so despite his occasional pouting and one bizarre traffic incident, I still have a certain fondness for Moss. He is not a bad guy and can be pretty funny. Take the time he scored the infamous Mooning Touchdown at Green Bay (which has it’s own partially-justified story behind it). He was fined $10,000 by the NFL and when a reporter asked how he paid his fine, Moss simply said, “Straight cash homey.” I still use that line all the time.

Now that Moss is involved with NASCAR I picture him paying all of the team’s bills with straight cash, homey. And that is exactly how I think he convinced Jimmie Johnson to drive Moss’ truck at Bristol.

Off the Beaten Path

On the personal side of this blog, things have been pretty busy. The second Pocono roughly marks the 2 year birthday of Trouble in Turn2. If it lasts another 2 years, I’ll be amazed.

If you are looking for something fresh for your iPod, try Eddie Vedder’s soundtrack for Into the Wild. Most of the songs are only 1 or 2 minutes, but they are really good. If you haven’t seen the movie, that too is excellent. It makes you want to go camping…for a year.

Have a good weekend. I will again be rating the Pocono race versus undesirable home improvement projects. This week it’s installing a dishwasher!

Until last year the second Pocono race fell prior to the Brickyard 400. Under that arrangement we all believed that Pocono served as a tuneup for the Brickyard. We could catch a glimpse of who might run well at one of NASCAR’s elite events. Nevermind the fact that only two drivers, Jeff Gordon (’98) and Bill Elliott (’02) have won a Pocono race and the Brickyard 400 in the same season. We wanted to believe that the second Pocono had a place of meaning on the schedule. Now it’s the week after the Brickyard, granting it slightly more importance than the Pro Bowl in relation to the Super Bowl. It’s a points paying race, but boy is it hard for a fan to get excited about it. The one advantage Pocono does have is that it promises to be feature the longest green flag runs in three weeks and tires shouldn’t be an issue. I realize I’m hard on Pocono, but I also admit I will watch with the same weekly interest and the hope for a good race. The spring race was one of the more exciting Pocono finishes in recent years in fact.

What Happened Last Year

Dale Earnhardt Jr won his first Cup pole since 2002 but couldn’t hold back Kurt Busch. Busch led 175 of 200 laps and cruised to an easy victory. The race paralleled the points battle between the two drivers that also saw Busch eclipse Earnhardt Jr for 12th place and the final Chase spot. The race was also notable for the absence of Robby Gordon. He was busy sitting in a corner on timeout thanks to his antics at the Montreal Busch race the day before.

Notes

AJ Allmendinger and Red Bull Racing are only one or two solid runs from cracking the top 35 in owner points. Allmendinger failed to qualify for the first two races of the season and was then replaced by Mike Skinner for the next six. After returning to the car at Talladega, Allmendinger has run very well and only sits 63 points shy of 35th place Scott Riggs.

Chad McCumbee will drive the #45 for Petty Enterprises this weekend. McCumbee has failed to qualify at Texas and Dover, but did finish 25th in a Pocono race last year while subbing for Kyle Petty. Petty will return to the car next week at Watkins Glen. It doesn’t look like Petty Enterprises is in a huge rush to get Petty back in the seat which is the strongest signal yet that Petty is nearing retirement. Whether it’s Kyle Petty’s decision or not, more time out of the car will allow him to devote more time and energy to greater things like the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Petty definitely has some very personal reasons for remaining behind the wheel of the #45 and if it NASCAR rides were based on merit over performance Petty would have a ride for life.

5 Drivers Who Like Pocono

Jimmie Johnson has two wins in 13 starts. He only has one finish worse than 15th in his career which includes 4 top 5’s and 8 top 10’s. Johnson has run well all summer and more wins should follow his Indy triumph (please don’t call it momentum).

Kurt Busch has seven top fives including 2 wins and four 2nd place finishes.

Denny Hamlin won his first two times at Pocono in 2006. Since then he has never finished worse than 6th and has led 300 laps in only five starts.

Tony Stewart owns the third best driver rating(102.2) over the last seven Pocono events. He led 14 laps at the June race and appeared set for a top 5 run but was caught speeding on pit row, pinning him a lap down and relegated to 35th.

Ryan Newman has won the pole twice, the race once and has five other top 5’s. His 13.9 average finish is also above average.

Champs, Chumps and Sleepers

Champ: Kurt Busch See above. No matter what the rest of Busch’s season looks like (and right now it looks bleak), he always finds a way to run well at the Triangle of Tedium.

Chump: Clint Bowyer Bowyer hasn’t run well at speedways all season and that trend will likely continue at Pocono.

Sleeper: AJ Allmendinger: Check out his recent speedway driver ratings: Pocono I(95.2), Michigan (79.7), Chicago (83.2), Indy (98.4). That’s a driver ready for some top ten finishes.

Check out One Bad Wheel for more Fantasy news and info on Sleepers.

Who Will Stay Awake Win?

Before I get to this week’s pick, it’s important to remind everyone of the cardinal rule of Fantasy sports: Don’t Outsmart Yourself. Over the past few weeks I have grown tired of choosing Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson to win races each week. So this past week for the Brickyard I decided to tab a darkhorse, Brian Vickers to win. Vickers finished 42nd with an engine failure. While Vickers has certainly impressed this year and is a front runner on speedways, Red Bull Racing isn’t quite ready for prime time and it cost me.

That means this week I’m sticking my hand back into the heavy favorites hat and pulling out a name.

In five races Denny Hamlin has a 130.4 driver rating. That is not the result of one fast car or lucking out. Denny Hamlin is simply awesome at Pocono. After a pit road mistake cost him the race at Indy, you can be sure that was a point of emphasis at the Gibbs shop this week.

It’s been a few weeks since I have done a roundup of the news stories in NASCAR. Apoligies for some of these nuggets being a little old, but it’s a slow news week anyway.

• DEI is reportedly looking for an investor. Apparently after saying no thanks to Dale Earnhardt Jr, Teresa Earnhardt is now looking for an investor in the company. It’s a sign of the times with more and more teams seeking additional capital to combat rising operating costs. It also makes you wonder whether the acquisition of Ginn Racing last year was a wise move. The good news is that I forwarded an email from a Nigerian friend to Teresa that should take care of the companies money worries.

• JJ Yeley and the #96 ran into some trouble last weekend for exchanging water bottles prior to the race. If there is one thing that is detrimental to stock car racing I would point my finger directly at water bottle infractions. It’s gone on for too long. Apparently there was some question about whether the team was attempting some funny business with weight in the water bottle during the inspection process. Filling the water bottle with something heavy during inspection and then swapping it out with a lighter material would allow the car to go faster. Instead of running in the 30’s like normal, they figured they could at least run 24th.

• Earlier this week Ryan Newman notified his boss, Roger Penske, that he would not be back next year. According to reports, Newman began his speech very well. His first sentence was fast, concise and well delivered. Unfortunately he meandered after the first sentence and it caused the entire speech to be less than impressive.

  Newman will be a free agent, for about a week. Then he will likely announce he is joining Stewart-Haas. Lost in some of the talk about how Stewart will do without Greg Zipadelli is that Haas does have a few good crew chiefs in house. Bootie Barker and Matt Borland are both good crew chiefs with engineering backgrounds. It was with Borland that Newman won 13 of his 14 career races. Barker is also a highly regarded crew chief in the garage and while Stewart will probably hire someone else for his team, Barker is far from the worst Plan B.

• GM is reining back their manufacturer support of NASCAR teams as part of a plan to cut $10 billion in spending for the company. It’s not surprising and is simple economics. Sadly some yahoos fans will still blame Toyota for running domestic manufacturers from the sport. Toyota shouldn’t apologize for being profitable, and if they decide to spend their money in NASCAR when others can’t afford to, that too is their prerogative. While the announcement is bad news, it will not signal the demise of Chevy in the sport.

• The weekly Nationwide recap finds Kyle Busch living a charmed life as he discusses the Gibbs domination of the series:
  

  It’s everything, you know, you can make an engine look exceptional if you’ve got a car that goes through the corner as well as it does, and I blew by a lot of guys in the corners, not necessarily just down the straightaway tonight. So you know we’ve got good bodies, we’ve got great chassis, and you know we’ve got front-end stuff that’s working well, we’ve got rear-end springs and stuff that just works and track bar height – mean it’s everything, it’s a whole package, and that’s what you’ve got to have in these series in order to run well. You’ve gotta have the whole package.

  You can listen to audio of this interview plus Denny Hamlin at Nationwide’s website.

• This week Jay Busbee at Yahoo (which is very different than a lowercase yahoo) breached the subject of racism in NASCAR. It was a very interesting, and thoughtful dialog on a sensitive subject in the sport. NASCAR sometimes gets a reputation for being a redneck sport, and while progress has been made, things like the Mauricia Grant litigation took over. I’m no historian, but didn’t the pilgrims flee the tyranny in England in search of a land where they could play Whiffle ball in peace?

• I try my best to avoid political discussion on this blog, but sometimes I see something that is just too much. John McCain sounds like a decent guy with some good ideas, but I’m not sure about him anymore:
  

  At a press availability today, John McCain expressed concern about relations between Russia and a country that hasn’t existed for quite some time. According to a rough pool report transcript, he said:

  “I was concerned about a couple of steps that the Russian government took in the last several days. One was reducing the energy supplies to Czechoslovakia. Apparently that is in reaction to the Czech’s agreement with us concerning missile defense, and again some of the Russian now announcement they are now retargeting new targets, something they abandoned at the end of the Cold War, is also a concern.”

  Czechoslovakia, of course, split into two separate countries in 1993.

  As someone that takes a great deal of unnecessary pride in being 25% Czech, John McCain is officially on notice. Maruskas everywhere are not amused.

• If you’re looking for some good summer music off the beaten path, check out Iron & Wine. He has a (very) mellow, acoustic sound with a Southern flavor.

Enjoy the weekend. Remember, there is no race on Sunday so go play outside. Or see the Dark Knight, which could be the best movie of the summer. Me, I’m going to skip my Sunday afternoon nap. That way I can double-up in two weeks for the Pocono race. Whatever you do, have a good weekend.

We’re in a recession. Everyone’s felling it and it’s not very funny. But what’s the point if you can’t at least try and laugh about it.

1. The Labor Day race at Fontana will be moved to LA and filmed in front of a green screen. (note: I’ve seen the script and you won’t believe what happens to Kirk Shelmerdine!)

2. Fans at Talladega cease throwing bottles and cans at Jeff Gordon in order to collect the deposit.

3. Pocono sets up a tollbooth at the start of the Long Pond straightaway.

4. With DEI exceeding their budget for tires, crew chief Bono Manion tells Martin Truex to stay out…the entire race.

5. In addition to their necks, fans are now seeing red on their bank statements.

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr collectors only buy nine diecast cars this year instead of the normal eleven.

7. The pace car becomes a Toyota Prius. Pace car driver Brett Bodine is replaced by a remote control operated by a 12 year old.

8. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart can’t even buy a win.

9. After the prerace invocation, Mike Helton tries to pass offering plates around the pit area.

10. In an effort to save fuel the #18 pit crew will push Kyle Busch’s car during all burnouts.

11. Bloggers can’t even afford to complete their top ten lists.

Enjoy your weekend and may Saturday’s race be a nice diversion from reality.

During Sunday’s race I had to paint a room in our house while listening to MRN and occasionally stealing time in front of the TV. With that context I can certifiably state that the Pocono race was more exciting than watching paint dry. Actually it was a lot more exciting. Whether it was the CoT, the new patch in turn 3, the hot and sticky weather, a great tire package from Goodyear or a combination, the racing was pretty good. Cars could make their way through traffic, but the leader didn’t necessarily check out in clean air.

Kasey Kahne was strong again winning his second Cup points race in three weeks and third Cup race (the All-Star exhibition race) in four. Kahne was obviously the best car on the track, but once again he got a little bit of help via other cars’ misfortune. Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart both suffered pit road speeding penalties on the final pit stop, ruining top five runs. Carl Edwards, who was content to lurk during the first 150 laps, got a flat tire on the final pit stop and watched his chance at the win vanish. Even the way Brian Vickers was able to hold off the faster Denny Hamlin in the final segment allowed Kahne to pull away without any serious challenges. Kahne had the best car and deserved to win, but it’s interesting all the different cars that could have challenged him but instead fell short for a variety of reasons.

• In the Top 35 Derby, Michael Waltrip fell outside the bubble giving way to Scott Riggs. Riggs had a very solid day, starting 9th then leading six laps on his way to a 21st place showing. It’s only one race, but that will make the #66 team’s week much easier not having to worry about qualifying for the next race without crew chief Bootie Barker. The Top 35 remains a tight scrum. Regan Smith is in 31st place but only leads 36th place Waltrip by 56 points. With Somoma and Daytona pending, the next month could really shuffle the top 35 battle.

• After Juan Pablo Montoya was collected by a wrecking Clint Bowyer, he was more concerned with how he was running prior to the crash. He only spent 17 laps in the top 15 and was clearly unhappy with Team Ganassi’s performance. When you see Montoya outperform his teammates and most other Dodge cars on a weekly basis, it’s pretty obvious Montoya is holding up his end of the bargain. It’s also clear that Ganassi, and to a smaller degree Dodge, is not providing strong enough equipment for Montoya.

• Red Bull Racing had their best race so far in their short NASCAR career. Brian Vickers led 18 laps and held off Denny Hamlin for second place. Teammate AJ Allmendinger qualified 8th, spent three fourths of the race inside the top 15 and came home 12th. It was Allmendinger’s best Cup finish and his 95.2 was by far his highest driver rating. Obviously the large horsepower from Toyota helps, but it takes more than a strong engine to threaten for wins and top tens. Allmendinger still endures his share of struggles, but he is also showing signs that he is getting comfortable in a stock car. Vickers explained the difference from last year:
  

  in this sport, it’s all about people. Jay Frye (general manager, Red Bull Racing Team) coming on board has been great leadership from the top. It always starts from the top down, but there’s been a lot of other people. Jay has been a large part of it, but I don’t want to give him all the credit. There’s a lot of people that have come on board and a lot of great people that are still there from last year

  Some people thought Vickers made a mistake to leave Hendrick two years ago, but that bold decision now looks like the right one. He is getting strong cars and is also proving his driving talent away from the spotlight of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Vickers is a legitimate threat to win a race this year and could even compete for a spot in the Chase in 2009.

For more racing news and opinion check out Racing Nation

This week’s Cup race is at the uniquely shaped Poconnnghh. [wakes up]Sorry, Pocono Raceway. In my unofficial poll of Cup drivers I have interviewed, 100% have admitted that the Pocono race can get pretty long. The popular opinion is that Pocono races are at least 100 miles too long. While that may be true, and the actual racing could improve, calling a race at Pocono dull is not always true. Check out a few of the events in recent years:

• June 2004: Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick took turns spinning and hitting each other at the finish line. The spat prompted Harvick to sport a Matt Kenseth T-Shirt the following week at Michigan.
• June 2005: Carl Edwards, having never seen the track in person wins the race. He credits his win to playing a video game simulation.
• June 2006: Denny Hamlin spins, hits the concrete curb, suffers substantial damage while pulling a large patch of grass into the car, and still comes back to win in dominant fashion.
• July 2006: Tony Stewart “teaches” Clint Bowyer a lesson about give and take…by spinning him into Carl Edwards. The innocent victim Edwards responds by spinning Stewart on pit road. A furious Bowyer (utilizing his patented Dolph Lundgren glare) confronts Stewart after the race.

See? That’s why it’s important to watch the race. Monday morning you’ll need to know what to talk about.

What Happened Last Year

Denny Hamlin was on his way to dominating his third straight Pocono race, when rain shuffled everything. The result was Jeff Gordon using pit strategy to gain the lead and then narrowly edging Ryan Newman before the rain fell. It was Gordon’s 4th of six wins and emphasized how teams were willing to gamble on track position in hopes of precious Chase bonus points for wins.

Champs, Chumps and Sleepers (on the track, not your couch)

Champs: Ryan Newman He nearly won last year, has the fourth best driver rating (101.9) and his career Pocono line reads 1 win, 5 top 5’s and 6 top 10’s in 12 starts. Penske knows how to set up a car here.

Chumps: Clint Bowyer I admit, this week has me a little stumped. Bowyer has 2 top 10’s in 4 starts, but only a 72.2 driver rating.

Sleepers: Michael McDowell This pick is Sleeper with a capital “S”, but here’s why. He won an ARCA race and finished 6th in the other last year at Pocono. His problem this year has been wrecks, which typically aren’t an epidemic at the long track. Why not?

Who Will Win?

Is Big Brown entered? If not, then you have to look at one organization. Joe Gibbs Racing knows how to get around Pocono. Denny Hamlin has 2 wins, 3 top 5’s and 4 top 10’s in four races. Tony Stewart has 1 win, 5 top 5’s and 13 top 10’s in 18 starts. Maybe JGR has a killer NASCAR simulation game. Whatever it is, Stewart is ready to finally ready to make a deposit in his 2008 win account.