AutoDAFE » Kelly Crandall http://www.autodafe.org Auto Driving Action for Enthusiast Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:14:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Backdoor To the Chase? Giving Winner Automatic Bid Not Champion Material http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/backdoor-to-the-chase-giving-winner-automatic-bid-not-champion-material/ http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/backdoor-to-the-chase-giving-winner-automatic-bid-not-champion-material/#comments Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:24:04 +0000 Kelly Crandall http://bleacherreport.com/articles/442382-backdoor-to-the-chase-giving-winner-automatic-bid-not-champion-material With the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship growing closer the talk about what the Chase should look like is again front and center.

NASCAR officials have already announced one change for the 2011 edition: Chicagoland Speedway will be the host of the first race of the 10-race playoff. But just one change has not settled the demand from fans and drivers calling for a consistent change in tracks every season.

Even with four-time champion Jeff Gordon saying he would be in favor of a Chase change up, NASCAR is sticking by their guns. This is how things are going to be and attention turns to the final two races before 12 drivers will receive a clean slate as they race toward the most wanted trophy in the sport.

Not every driver has been locked into his Chase position, but it’s highly unlikely much will change before New Hampshire on September 19. Glancing through the current 12 drivers that consist of the Chase a new, yet old, debate has reignited.

Should drivers that win races get an automatic entry into the Chase?

Jamie McMurray has won two of the biggest races that NASCAR has to offer, the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. Even with those impressive victories on his resume, McMurray is set to miss the Chase, currently 100 points behind the 12th position.

With McMurray currently locked out, many have again stated that they would be in favor of drivers that win races being put in the Chase. Discussed almost every year since the Chase began, now with multiple drivers having won races but not going to make the Chase (McMurray, Ryan Newman, David Reutimann and Juan Pablo Montoya), a red flag has been thrown.

A hypothetical: your driver didn’t win a race in the first 26 events but was consistent enough to stay in the top 12 in points to qualify his team for the Chase.

NASCAR then stands up and announces that they only reward winners and therefore your driver will be removed from his top 12-point position and put in the 13th position, outside the Chase, so another driver can be moved up.

Sucks to think about right?

While it’s a hypothetical, under the current fan based suggestions, it could happen. A driver who had worked hard for 26 races, not only finishing majority of the events, but finishing in the top five or top 10 on a consistent basis is going to be punished.

In the 2010 Chase currently six drivers are in that hypothetical situation: Jeff Gordon (second in points), Carl Edwards (fourth in points), Tony Stewart (sixth in points), Jeff Burton (seventh in points), Matt Kenseth (eighth in points) and Clint Bowyer (12th in points).

Now you need to turn to them and tell them “almost” winning a race doesn’t count.

Another driver, who didn’t finish as many races, didn’t compile as many top fives or top 10s, is going to get a backdoor entry. Certainly winning a race should be held to a high standard in the sport, a driver and his team has accomplished a great feat, but there needs to be more than just winning when crowing the season’s champion.

In 2004 when the Chase debuted many wanted no part of it. This was not the way to give out the biggest trophy of the year, the belief being that any driver could be hot for 10 weeks when they should have been for an entire season and on every type of racetrack.

For those who hate the Chase, the best way to counteract it wouldn’t be by changing the rules on how to qualify for it. If a driver is good enough to win a championship, they won’t need to rely on winning to get them into the Chase.

That driver will have no problem putting together 26 consistent races to make it on their own.

NASCAR would be putting themselves in a situation where they were the ones deciding one over the other who deserved to be in the Chase. Would that be the drivers who put together a solid 26 races and proved they could compete on a weekly basis? Or the drivers that when they hit, they hit victory lane, but when they missed, they missed by a long shot?

Complaints about NASCAR being too controlling and “ruining” the sport are ever growing. Giving them the power to set the Chase field by hand instead of racing would be fueling the fire.

Never wanting to rest and settle is a good thing for the sport. Every year a rule change here or a track change there is needed. When something works, however, you don’t fix it.

The Chase isn’t as battered as many seem to think, just because Jimmie Johnson and his team won four straight titles.

The reason that Johnson did so will be repeated again: consistency, consistency, and consistency. The key to winning a championship has always been, and should remain the best drivers that are up front on a weekly basis.

The best drivers in the sport will race for 26 weeks and the ones who have the complete packages, wins and consistency, should be the ones racing for the championship. Not everyone qualified to do that and it’s the reason only 12 drivers make the field to begin with. 

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> With the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship growing closer the talk about what the Chase should look like is again front and center.

NASCAR officials have already announced one change for the 2011 edition: Chicagoland Speedway will be the host of the first race of the 10-race playoff. But just one change has not settled the demand from fans and drivers calling for a consistent change in tracks every season.

Even with four-time champion Jeff Gordon saying he would be in favor of a Chase change up, NASCAR is sticking by their guns. This is how things are going to be and attention turns to the final two races before 12 drivers will receive a clean slate as they race toward the most wanted trophy in the sport.

Not every driver has been locked into his Chase position, but it’s highly unlikely much will change before New Hampshire on September 19. Glancing through the current 12 drivers that consist of the Chase a new, yet old, debate has reignited.

Should drivers that win races get an automatic entry into the Chase?

Jamie McMurray has won two of the biggest races that NASCAR has to offer, the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. Even with those impressive victories on his resume, McMurray is set to miss the Chase, currently 100 points behind the 12th position.

With McMurray currently locked out, many have again stated that they would be in favor of drivers that win races being put in the Chase. Discussed almost every year since the Chase began, now with multiple drivers having won races but not going to make the Chase (McMurray, Ryan Newman, David Reutimann and Juan Pablo Montoya), a red flag has been thrown.

A hypothetical: your driver didn’t win a race in the first 26 events but was consistent enough to stay in the top 12 in points to qualify his team for the Chase.

NASCAR then stands up and announces that they only reward winners and therefore your driver will be removed from his top 12-point position and put in the 13th position, outside the Chase, so another driver can be moved up.

Sucks to think about right?

While it’s a hypothetical, under the current fan based suggestions, it could happen. A driver who had worked hard for 26 races, not only finishing majority of the events, but finishing in the top five or top 10 on a consistent basis is going to be punished.

In the 2010 Chase currently six drivers are in that hypothetical situation: Jeff Gordon (second in points), Carl Edwards (fourth in points), Tony Stewart (sixth in points), Jeff Burton (seventh in points), Matt Kenseth (eighth in points) and Clint Bowyer (12th in points).

Now you need to turn to them and tell them “almost” winning a race doesn’t count.

Another driver, who didn’t finish as many races, didn’t compile as many top fives or top 10s, is going to get a backdoor entry. Certainly winning a race should be held to a high standard in the sport, a driver and his team has accomplished a great feat, but there needs to be more than just winning when crowing the season’s champion.

In 2004 when the Chase debuted many wanted no part of it. This was not the way to give out the biggest trophy of the year, the belief being that any driver could be hot for 10 weeks when they should have been for an entire season and on every type of racetrack.

For those who hate the Chase, the best way to counteract it wouldn’t be by changing the rules on how to qualify for it. If a driver is good enough to win a championship, they won’t need to rely on winning to get them into the Chase.

That driver will have no problem putting together 26 consistent races to make it on their own.

NASCAR would be putting themselves in a situation where they were the ones deciding one over the other who deserved to be in the Chase. Would that be the drivers who put together a solid 26 races and proved they could compete on a weekly basis? Or the drivers that when they hit, they hit victory lane, but when they missed, they missed by a long shot?

Complaints about NASCAR being too controlling and “ruining” the sport are ever growing. Giving them the power to set the Chase field by hand instead of racing would be fueling the fire.

Never wanting to rest and settle is a good thing for the sport. Every year a rule change here or a track change there is needed. When something works, however, you don’t fix it.

The Chase isn’t as battered as many seem to think, just because Jimmie Johnson and his team won four straight titles.

The reason that Johnson did so will be repeated again: consistency, consistency, and consistency. The key to winning a championship has always been, and should remain the best drivers that are up front on a weekly basis.

The best drivers in the sport will race for 26 weeks and the ones who have the complete packages, wins and consistency, should be the ones racing for the championship. Not everyone qualified to do that and it’s the reason only 12 drivers make the field to begin with. 

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/backdoor-to-the-chase-giving-winner-automatic-bid-not-champion-material/feed/ 0 Ron Hornaday Is Not One To Let a Few Bad Races Keep Him From Having Fun http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/ron-hornaday-is-not-one-to-let-a-few-bad-races-keep-him-from-having-fun/ http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/ron-hornaday-is-not-one-to-let-a-few-bad-races-keep-him-from-having-fun/#comments Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:31:20 +0000 Kelly Crandall http://bleacherreport.com/articles/441038-ron-hornaday-is-not-one-to-let-a-few-bad-races-keep-him-from-having-fun When things are going well it’s easy to ride the highs. When things are going bad it would be easy to crawl into a bottomless pit.

That’s unless you’re Ron Hornaday Jr.

The defending Camping World Truck Series champion hasn’t had the greatest start to his title defense, but he’s still making the best of it. Now halfway through the 2010 season, Hornaday sits sixth in the championship point standings after getting off to what can only be described as a roller coaster start.

Wrecks in the first two races of the season, Daytona and Atlanta, gave way to three straight top five finishes. That looked more like the Hornaday everyone knew and counted on as a contender. But while he’s been able to climb his way toward the top of the point standings he hasn’t escaped the bad luck bug.

Wrecks have followed him from Daytona and Atlanta, to Iowa and Pocono. Suspension problems in Gateway have helped take the No. 33 team out of the consistency game.

As the series watches Todd Bodine continue to increase his point lead and put himself in the drivers seat, no pun intended, for the championship, Hornaday and others are just trying to stay on track. Finally capturing his first win of the season at O’Reilly Raceway Park, the longest into a season he’s gone without winning, Hornaday can’t be where he wants to be.

Yet, everyone knows you can’t always be the driver that can be found up front, the man everyone has to chase. Watching Hornaday however, you can help but be struck by the fact that he seems perfectly fine in the position he finds himself in. Sometimes it’s what isn’t seen that tells the best story.

The Hornaday away from TV cameras is still competitive, having no problem talking about his truck, other trucks, his competitors or season. It’s what he does on a weekly basis when asked, but this year is different considering his performance.

To Hornaday it’s nothing to get too worked up about, “You gotta learn how to lose them before you can win them,” he said two weeks ago in Darlington. “We’re just now starting to gel and put out team back together and that’s part of it [racing].”

“You can try to do everything right, we’ve got fast trucks, but you can’t help [broken] sway bar arms, you can’t help flat tires,” he continued. “You can help what I did at Pocono, making it three wide and wrecking, that stuff you put yourself into. We’re giving it all we can and maybe the problem is we’re trying too hard.”

The solution he said, “I just need to step back a little bit, take a deep breath and hopefully we can get back on track.”

Taking a deep breath in the Hornaday world doesn’t mean turn around and get over excited and start screaming. It doesn’t mean fighting with his crew or trying to place blame elsewhere.

Hornaday in fact seems to have put the heat on his shoulders for some of his team’s disasters this season.

In answering questions thrown his way it was, “if I don’t wreck ‘em [trucks].” Or after the race saying, “knock on wood [he knocked on his head] that I didn’t wreck.” The four-time truck champion also feels that if he hadn’t wrecked so many trucks his team would be a lot better prepared for upcoming races.

Other attention diverters would be in making jokes and picking on himself. The self-proclaimed “old man” of the truck series garage isn’t afraid to take a shot at his age (52). Repeatedly saying that it’s too far of a walk from the garage to the media center for someone like him. 

That came after he arriving in his new golf kart which he was proud to say, “that baby’s street legal too,” calmly struts in to take his chair. Almost as if he had not a care in the world, even though he drives a race truck for a living.

Comfortable in his own skin maybe or content with his accomplishments to date, many things to be thankful for. Things don’t always have to be as stressful and fast paced as the garage normally is and Hornaday does a great job of separating himself from it when need be.

Other drivers play along. Hornaday is one of the few drivers that everyone seems to respect and is grateful to race with. Ken Schrader, teammate to Hornaday when driving for Kevin Harvick Inc, wanted to take a jab at Hornaday for not going to the shop.

Timothy Peters joined in too. Peters sat in the media center giving remarks about finishing second when Hornaday walked in, however on SPEED he was giving his post race interview. Peters stopped and said, “Hey Hornaday, you’re on TV, how’d you get here so quick?”

“I’m good,” Hornaday replied.

The smile with which he delivered the answer was nothing more than further proof that even the seasoned of racers knows how to have fun. Behind the turning wrenches and sweat, there are smiles and laughs as each team tries to beat the other.

It’s all in good fun, one big family just enjoying the weekend. A weekend where while working hard, can still crack a smile and love what they do. Hornaday is one of those many individuals who even if things haven’t gone his way, has shown that he’s not one to get caught up in it. 

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> When things are going well it’s easy to ride the highs. When things are going bad it would be easy to crawl into a bottomless pit.

That’s unless you’re Ron Hornaday Jr.

The defending Camping World Truck Series champion hasn’t had the greatest start to his title defense, but he’s still making the best of it. Now halfway through the 2010 season, Hornaday sits sixth in the championship point standings after getting off to what can only be described as a roller coaster start.

Wrecks in the first two races of the season, Daytona and Atlanta, gave way to three straight top five finishes. That looked more like the Hornaday everyone knew and counted on as a contender. But while he’s been able to climb his way toward the top of the point standings he hasn’t escaped the bad luck bug.

Wrecks have followed him from Daytona and Atlanta, to Iowa and Pocono. Suspension problems in Gateway have helped take the No. 33 team out of the consistency game.

As the series watches Todd Bodine continue to increase his point lead and put himself in the drivers seat, no pun intended, for the championship, Hornaday and others are just trying to stay on track. Finally capturing his first win of the season at O’Reilly Raceway Park, the longest into a season he’s gone without winning, Hornaday can’t be where he wants to be.

Yet, everyone knows you can’t always be the driver that can be found up front, the man everyone has to chase. Watching Hornaday however, you can help but be struck by the fact that he seems perfectly fine in the position he finds himself in. Sometimes it’s what isn’t seen that tells the best story.

The Hornaday away from TV cameras is still competitive, having no problem talking about his truck, other trucks, his competitors or season. It’s what he does on a weekly basis when asked, but this year is different considering his performance.

To Hornaday it’s nothing to get too worked up about, “You gotta learn how to lose them before you can win them,” he said two weeks ago in Darlington. “We’re just now starting to gel and put out team back together and that’s part of it [racing].”

“You can try to do everything right, we’ve got fast trucks, but you can’t help [broken] sway bar arms, you can’t help flat tires,” he continued. “You can help what I did at Pocono, making it three wide and wrecking, that stuff you put yourself into. We’re giving it all we can and maybe the problem is we’re trying too hard.”

The solution he said, “I just need to step back a little bit, take a deep breath and hopefully we can get back on track.”

Taking a deep breath in the Hornaday world doesn’t mean turn around and get over excited and start screaming. It doesn’t mean fighting with his crew or trying to place blame elsewhere.

Hornaday in fact seems to have put the heat on his shoulders for some of his team’s disasters this season.

In answering questions thrown his way it was, “if I don’t wreck ‘em [trucks].” Or after the race saying, “knock on wood [he knocked on his head] that I didn’t wreck.” The four-time truck champion also feels that if he hadn’t wrecked so many trucks his team would be a lot better prepared for upcoming races.

Other attention diverters would be in making jokes and picking on himself. The self-proclaimed “old man” of the truck series garage isn’t afraid to take a shot at his age (52). Repeatedly saying that it’s too far of a walk from the garage to the media center for someone like him. 

That came after he arriving in his new golf kart which he was proud to say, “that baby’s street legal too,” calmly struts in to take his chair. Almost as if he had not a care in the world, even though he drives a race truck for a living.

Comfortable in his own skin maybe or content with his accomplishments to date, many things to be thankful for. Things don’t always have to be as stressful and fast paced as the garage normally is and Hornaday does a great job of separating himself from it when need be.

Other drivers play along. Hornaday is one of the few drivers that everyone seems to respect and is grateful to race with. Ken Schrader, teammate to Hornaday when driving for Kevin Harvick Inc, wanted to take a jab at Hornaday for not going to the shop.

Timothy Peters joined in too. Peters sat in the media center giving remarks about finishing second when Hornaday walked in, however on SPEED he was giving his post race interview. Peters stopped and said, “Hey Hornaday, you’re on TV, how’d you get here so quick?”

“I’m good,” Hornaday replied.

The smile with which he delivered the answer was nothing more than further proof that even the seasoned of racers knows how to have fun. Behind the turning wrenches and sweat, there are smiles and laughs as each team tries to beat the other.

It’s all in good fun, one big family just enjoying the weekend. A weekend where while working hard, can still crack a smile and love what they do. Hornaday is one of those many individuals who even if things haven’t gone his way, has shown that he’s not one to get caught up in it. 

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/ron-hornaday-is-not-one-to-let-a-few-bad-races-keep-him-from-having-fun/feed/ 0 Creature Vs. Creature Writers Pool: Results After Irwin Tools Night Race http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-results-after-irwin-tools-night-race/ http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-results-after-irwin-tools-night-race/#comments Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:23:23 +0000 Kelly Crandall http://bleacherreport.com/articles/440930-creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-results-after-irwin-tools-night-race It was a dominating weekend on the part of Kyle Busch as he completed the triple: winning the Camping World Truck, Nationwide, and Sprint Cup Series events at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

The win was his third of the season giving him 10 more bonus points for when the Chase starts in two weeks as he tries to capture his first championship. Once thought of as the man that would win that championship, Busch's teammate Denny Hamlin has not been able to catch a break lately.

Saturday he suffered from suspension problems to end his night in the 34th position and keep him tied for bonus points with Johnson. However, Johnson could have very well went to victory lane for the sixth time this year had it not been for Juan Pablo Montoya.

On a restart Montoya told his crew that Johnson, "pisses me off," and then spun the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet on the backstretch. Johnson finished the night 35th place finish.

Busch's win paid off big time for our Creatures as many of them correctly picked the Doublemint Toyota to be Saturday's night's victor. As such, the win column now has a completely different look and will help change the standings dramatically when they are re-set after Richmond.

Here's how they'll line up when the Sprint Cup Series arrives in Atlanta in two weeks.

Kara Martin (3,327) Carl Edwards finished 12th (2)

Christopher Leone (3,324) Kyle Busch won (4)

Billy Fellin (3,290) Greg Biffle finished eighth (3)

Dustin Parks (3,228) Kyle Busch won (3)

James Broomhead (3,210) Kyle Busch won (3)

Sal Sigala Jr. (3,191) Kurt Busch finished ninth (2)

Rob Tiongson (3,125) Kyle Busch won (1)

Misan Akuya (3,098) Jamie McMurray finished third (1)

Kelly Crandall (2,930) Denny Hamlin finished 34th (2)

Patti Rodisch (2,635) NO PICK SENT (0)

Alan Wade (1,567) Kurt Busch finished ninth (1)

Kyle Brandt (927) Kyle Busch won (2)

Next Up

The Sprint Cup Series has an off weekend before 12 straight weekends of racing. They'll head to Atlanta for the 25th race of the 2010 season in early September. 

Creatures have your picks for the Emory Healthcare 500 by Thursday, September 2 at 7 p.m. ET. 

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> It was a dominating weekend on the part of Kyle Busch as he completed the triple: winning the Camping World Truck, Nationwide, and Sprint Cup Series events at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

The win was his third of the season giving him 10 more bonus points for when the Chase starts in two weeks as he tries to capture his first championship. Once thought of as the man that would win that championship, Busch's teammate Denny Hamlin has not been able to catch a break lately.

Saturday he suffered from suspension problems to end his night in the 34th position and keep him tied for bonus points with Johnson. However, Johnson could have very well went to victory lane for the sixth time this year had it not been for Juan Pablo Montoya.

On a restart Montoya told his crew that Johnson, "pisses me off," and then spun the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet on the backstretch. Johnson finished the night 35th place finish.

Busch's win paid off big time for our Creatures as many of them correctly picked the Doublemint Toyota to be Saturday's night's victor. As such, the win column now has a completely different look and will help change the standings dramatically when they are re-set after Richmond.

Here's how they'll line up when the Sprint Cup Series arrives in Atlanta in two weeks.

Kara Martin (3,327) Carl Edwards finished 12th (2)

Christopher Leone (3,324) Kyle Busch won (4)

Billy Fellin (3,290) Greg Biffle finished eighth (3)

Dustin Parks (3,228) Kyle Busch won (3)

James Broomhead (3,210) Kyle Busch won (3)

Sal Sigala Jr. (3,191) Kurt Busch finished ninth (2)

Rob Tiongson (3,125) Kyle Busch won (1)

Misan Akuya (3,098) Jamie McMurray finished third (1)

Kelly Crandall (2,930) Denny Hamlin finished 34th (2)

Patti Rodisch (2,635) NO PICK SENT (0)

Alan Wade (1,567) Kurt Busch finished ninth (1)

Kyle Brandt (927) Kyle Busch won (2)

Next Up

The Sprint Cup Series has an off weekend before 12 straight weekends of racing. They'll head to Atlanta for the 25th race of the 2010 season in early September. 

Creatures have your picks for the Emory Healthcare 500 by Thursday, September 2 at 7 p.m. ET. 

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-results-after-irwin-tools-night-race/feed/ 0 Creature vs. Creature Writers Pool: Picks For The Irwin Tools Night Race http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-picks-for-the-irwin-tools-night-race/ http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-picks-for-the-irwin-tools-night-race/#comments Fri, 20 Aug 2010 04:20:09 +0000 Kelly Crandall http://bleacherreport.com/articles/439726-creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-picks-for-the-irwin-tools-night-race For all those with scores to settle, this weekend might provide the perfect opportunity to do so.

The Bristol Motor Speedway will play host to the 24th race of the 2010 season when the green flag falls on Saturday night. The Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol will also leave just three races before the Chase begins and there is plenty to watch entering the night when 43 machines hit the high banks.

Will Jimmie Johnson be able to sweep the events at Bristol for 2010? In March Johnson finally knocked the bullring off his bucket list but has been win less since June, leaving him in a tie with Denny Hamlin for bonus points. Johnson has also started to backslide through the point standings and desperately needs to regain momentum if he wants to defend his Sprint Cup championships.

There are also drivers like Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart who many are finding it hard to believe are still win less this year. While almost doesn’t count, each driver has had the potential to go to victory lane, but hasn’t knocked the door down.

On Saturday they’ll return to a track that they’ve won at before and might not hold back from knocking others out of the way.

Point leader Kevin Harvick will come to Bristol with nothing on his mind but winning. That comes from locking up his spot in the 2010 Chase thanks to his third win of the season last weekend in Michigan. The Shell/Pennzoil team has momentum on their side, but they need a few more wins in order to keep their top seed when the Chase begins.

On the other end of the spectrum, drivers on the Chase bubble will need to somehow manage to keep their noses clean in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer have traded the 12th and final position over the last few weeks as each tries to outrun the other.

Behind Martin come Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray who have both won races this season but haven’t been able to find the consistency they need. Both time and mathematics are running out for these drivers and Bristol won’t be easy on their Chase chances.

Our Creatures don’t have to worry about qualifying for the Chase, they’ll all make it, but now it comes down to crunch time. With the drivers being reseeded when the Chase starts, as will our Creatures, meaning they need to pick a driver over the next three weeks that can earn them bonus points.

Here’s whom they believe will accomplish the feat in Bristol.

Misan Akuya: Jamie McMurray

This week I’m going with Jamie McMurray.  Jamie Mac has been good at Bristol with an average finish of 19.27, one top five, five top 10s, but only eight laps led.  He ran third late in the race in March, but a late caution and bad pit stop put him in 11th.  He was able to rally to finish eighth though. McMurray is only 105 points out of 12th with three races reaming.  His chances very much alive and needs to gain 27 points on Clint Bowyer a race if he wants in.  His third win of 2010 win would help that effort.

Kyle Brandt: Kyle Busch

He has two wins and an average finish of sixth at Bristol since 2008. Winning the truck race on Wednesday night doesn't hurt either!

James Broomhead: Kyle Busch

Can't really explain this - call it a 'something in my water' pick. Kyle's not had a stellar year (though he's picked up a few wins) but he's still one of the drivers you have to consider for a win just about every single week, and Bristol is a good a place as any for him to add another win and ten points to his post-chase tally. One step further towards the title he must feel NASCAR owes him from 2008.

Kelly Crandall: Denny Hamlin

Both Busch brothers will be favorites and with good reason, but Hamlin has also come close at this racetrack. He finished second last weekend in Michigan and might be regaining his momentum. Throw in the fact that I just don't have good luck with picks lately, why not go out on a limb. 

Billy Fellin: Greg Biffle

Roush Fenway has been absolutely tearing it up lately. Biffle won two weeks ago and then the team finishes with all four cars in the top 10 at Michigan. Biffle has done well at Bristol in the past, so I like the 16 to keep up the momentum this week.

Christopher Leone: Kyle Busch

Bristol is one of Busch’s best tracks, and its tendency to produce interesting and exciting on-track action makes it a perfect fit for him. His 10.1 average finish trumps all other active drivers. Besides this spring’s aberration, Busch hadn’t failed to lead in a Bristol race since his 2005 rookie season. He has three wins at the track, and top-two finishes in three of the past four Bristol events. He’s my pick.

Kara Martin: Carl Edwards

While I am guessing the obvious choice would be to pick Kyle Busch since he swept Bristol in 2009, I am going with Carl Edwards instead.

Last week Edwards moved up three positions in the Sprint Cup standings and has practically sealed his fate as a Chase driver without a single win this year. While that might look good on paper, Edwards is the kind of driver that enjoys the win and as we well know, will do just about anything to get it.

A Sprint Cup back-flip is long overdue!

Dustin Parks: Kyle Busch

There is quite possibly no better combination for Rowdy to get to victory lane.  Think about it, the last few weeks Busch has been really aggravated with his car, and at some points his team.  Who can forget when at Watkins Glen when some of the lead in the car came loose, and then he keys the radio saying, "You guys should be ashamed of yourselves."

If there was ever a track where an angry driver can take out his aggression, Bristol is that track. Let's not forget, this is a great track for him. He has three wins here, including sweeping last year's races.  Combine that with five top-fives and eight top-10s, he has a strong chance of getting to victory lane.

At the very least, he will be all up on the wheel on the way to the front.  I have to go with the No. 18 Doublemint Toyota.

Patti Rodisch: NO PICK SENT

No pick sent.

Sal Sigala Jr.: Kurt Busch

With five wins at this high speed half mile, Kurt almost grabbed win No. 6 earlier in the season when he finished third behind Tony Stewart, and first time race winner Jimmie Johnson.

Rob Tiongson: Kyle Busch

Nobody's made the concrete bullring known as Bristol look so effortless in recent times like Rowdy, who just might bag his third Cup win at this facility on Saturday night. Needing a win to truly solidify his spot in the Chase, I look for the No. 18 M&M's Toyota team to take it to the house and dominate.

Alan Wade: Kurt Busch

No strategy, no stats—just the first name that popped into my head. 

Point Race

Kara Martin (3,200) Jeff Gordon finished 27th (2)

Billy Fellin (3,148) Jeff Gordon finished 27th (3)

Christopher Leone (3,129) Carl Edwards finished third (3)

Sal Sigala Jr. (3,053) Jeff Gordon finished 27th (2)

Dustin Parks (3,033) Carl Edwards finished third (2)

James Broomhead (3,015) Jimmie Johnson finished 12th (2)

Rob Tiongson (2,930) Jeff Gordon finished 27th (0)

Misan Akuya (2,928) Tony Stewart finished sixth (1)

Kelly Crandall (2,869) Kurt Busch finished 40th (2)

Patti Rodisch (2,635) Jeff Gordon finished 27th (0)

Alan Wade (1,429) Carl Edwards finished third (1)

Kyle Brandt (732) Carl Edwards finished third (1)

Final Thoughts

Bristol is about survival and with much on the line Saturday, many will be looking to survive. If the Camping World Truck Series race that was held on Wednesday was any indication, Saturday night could be filled with cautions and tempers.

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> For all those with scores to settle, this weekend might provide the perfect opportunity to do so.

The Bristol Motor Speedway will play host to the 24th race of the 2010 season when the green flag falls on Saturday night. The Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol will also leave just three races before the Chase begins and there is plenty to watch entering the night when 43 machines hit the high banks.

Will Jimmie Johnson be able to sweep the events at Bristol for 2010? In March Johnson finally knocked the bullring off his bucket list but has been win less since June, leaving him in a tie with Denny Hamlin for bonus points. Johnson has also started to backslide through the point standings and desperately needs to regain momentum if he wants to defend his Sprint Cup championships.

There are also drivers like Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart who many are finding it hard to believe are still win less this year. While almost doesn’t count, each driver has had the potential to go to victory lane, but hasn’t knocked the door down.

On Saturday they’ll return to a track that they’ve won at before and might not hold back from knocking others out of the way.

Point leader Kevin Harvick will come to Bristol with nothing on his mind but winning. That comes from locking up his spot in the 2010 Chase thanks to his third win of the season last weekend in Michigan. The Shell/Pennzoil team has momentum on their side, but they need a few more wins in order to keep their top seed when the Chase begins.

On the other end of the spectrum, drivers on the Chase bubble will need to somehow manage to keep their noses clean in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer have traded the 12th and final position over the last few weeks as each tries to outrun the other.

Behind Martin come Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray who have both won races this season but haven’t been able to find the consistency they need. Both time and mathematics are running out for these drivers and Bristol won’t be easy on their Chase chances.

Our Creatures don’t have to worry about qualifying for the Chase, they’ll all make it, but now it comes down to crunch time. With the drivers being reseeded when the Chase starts, as will our Creatures, meaning they need to pick a driver over the next three weeks that can earn them bonus points.

Here’s whom they believe will accomplish the feat in Bristol.

Misan Akuya: Jamie McMurray

This week I’m going with Jamie McMurray.  Jamie Mac has been good at Bristol with an average finish of 19.27, one top five, five top 10s, but only eight laps led.  He ran third late in the race in March, but a late caution and bad pit stop put him in 11th.  He was able to rally to finish eighth though. McMurray is only 105 points out of 12th with three races reaming.  His chances very much alive and needs to gain 27 points on Clint Bowyer a race if he wants in.  His third win of 2010 win would help that effort.

Kyle Brandt: Kyle Busch

He has two wins and an average finish of sixth at Bristol since 2008. Winning the truck race on Wednesday night doesn't hurt either!

James Broomhead: Kyle Busch

Can't really explain this - call it a 'something in my water' pick. Kyle's not had a stellar year (though he's picked up a few wins) but he's still one of the drivers you have to consider for a win just about every single week, and Bristol is a good a place as any for him to add another win and ten points to his post-chase tally. One step further towards the title he must feel NASCAR owes him from 2008.

Kelly Crandall: Denny Hamlin

Both Busch brothers will be favorites and with good reason, but Hamlin has also come close at this racetrack. He finished second last weekend in Michigan and might be regaining his momentum. Throw in the fact that I just don't have good luck with picks lately, why not go out on a limb. 

Billy Fellin: Greg Biffle

Roush Fenway has been absolutely tearing it up lately. Biffle won two weeks ago and then the team finishes with all four cars in the top 10 at Michigan. Biffle has done well at Bristol in the past, so I like the 16 to keep up the momentum this week.

Christopher Leone: Kyle Busch

Bristol is one of Busch’s best tracks, and its tendency to produce interesting and exciting on-track action makes it a perfect fit for him. His 10.1 average finish trumps all other active drivers. Besides this spring’s aberration, Busch hadn’t failed to lead in a Bristol race since his 2005 rookie season. He has three wins at the track, and top-two finishes in three of the past four Bristol events. He’s my pick.

Kara Martin: Carl Edwards

While I am guessing the obvious choice would be to pick Kyle Busch since he swept Bristol in 2009, I am going with Carl Edwards instead.

Last week Edwards moved up three positions in the Sprint Cup standings and has practically sealed his fate as a Chase driver without a single win this year. While that might look good on paper, Edwards is the kind of driver that enjoys the win and as we well know, will do just about anything to get it.

A Sprint Cup back-flip is long overdue!

Dustin Parks: Kyle Busch

There is quite possibly no better combination for Rowdy to get to victory lane.  Think about it, the last few weeks Busch has been really aggravated with his car, and at some points his team.  Who can forget when at Watkins Glen when some of the lead in the car came loose, and then he keys the radio saying, "You guys should be ashamed of yourselves."

If there was ever a track where an angry driver can take out his aggression, Bristol is that track. Let's not forget, this is a great track for him. He has three wins here, including sweeping last year's races.  Combine that with five top-fives and eight top-10s, he has a strong chance of getting to victory lane.

At the very least, he will be all up on the wheel on the way to the front.  I have to go with the No. 18 Doublemint Toyota.

Patti Rodisch: NO PICK SENT

No pick sent.

Sal Sigala Jr.: Kurt Busch

With five wins at this high speed half mile, Kurt almost grabbed win No. 6 earlier in the season when he finished third behind Tony Stewart, and first time race winner Jimmie Johnson.

Rob Tiongson: Kyle Busch

Nobody's made the concrete bullring known as Bristol look so effortless in recent times like Rowdy, who just might bag his third Cup win at this facility on Saturday night. Needing a win to truly solidify his spot in the Chase, I look for the No. 18 M&M's Toyota team to take it to the house and dominate.

Alan Wade: Kurt Busch

No strategy, no stats—just the first name that popped into my head. 

Point Race

Kara Martin (3,200) Jeff Gordon finished 27th (2)

Billy Fellin (3,148) Jeff Gordon finished 27th (3)

Christopher Leone (3,129) Carl Edwards finished third (3)

Sal Sigala Jr. (3,053) Jeff Gordon finished 27th (2)

Dustin Parks (3,033) Carl Edwards finished third (2)

James Broomhead (3,015) Jimmie Johnson finished 12th (2)

Rob Tiongson (2,930) Jeff Gordon finished 27th (0)

Misan Akuya (2,928) Tony Stewart finished sixth (1)

Kelly Crandall (2,869) Kurt Busch finished 40th (2)

Patti Rodisch (2,635) Jeff Gordon finished 27th (0)

Alan Wade (1,429) Carl Edwards finished third (1)

Kyle Brandt (732) Carl Edwards finished third (1)

Final Thoughts

Bristol is about survival and with much on the line Saturday, many will be looking to survive. If the Camping World Truck Series race that was held on Wednesday was any indication, Saturday night could be filled with cautions and tempers.

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-picks-for-the-irwin-tools-night-race/feed/ 0 Austin Dillon: On The Way To Becoming Most Popular Truck Series Driver http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/austin-dillon-on-the-way-to-becoming-most-popular-truck-series-driver/ http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/austin-dillon-on-the-way-to-becoming-most-popular-truck-series-driver/#comments Sat, 14 Aug 2010 19:44:05 +0000 Kelly Crandall http://bleacherreport.com/articles/435988-austin-dillon-on-the-way-to-becoming-most-popular-truck-series-driver

 

 

 

When you put a No. 3 on the side, it becomes more than just another race car.

With that number on the side, there comes a guarantee that whoever is behind the wheel is bound to get plenty of fan and media attention. Call it a gift from Dale Earnhardt, or maybe even a curse.

Since the death of the Intimidator on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, the once-quiet whispers have turned into shouts about whether the number should ever be raced again. If it is, who should be the lucky driver that gets to be the one behind the wheel?

Richard Childress had the perfect plan; the No. 3 after all is the Childress family number that friend Earnhardt made famous. It shouldn’t go to waste or be retired, and it seemed his grandson agreed.

When Austin Dillon prepared for his truck series debut at Iowa in September of 2009, the No. 3 would be on the side of the truck. Not only would the number be there, it would be a black No. 3 hitting the track in shades of Earnhardt.

Dillon wanted to show that even though Earnhardt may be gone, his number could still go to victory lane. The decision to climb aboard the famous number could have played out one of two ways.

First, the media circus could have been waiting, wanting to see what the 20-year-old could do while comparing him to Earnhardt.

Or Dillon would quickly quiet the critics and make the number his own.

Halfway through the 2010 season, it’s safe to say that he’s accomplished the latter.

Entering Saturday night’s event in Darlington, S.C., Dillon sits fifth in the Truck Series standings with his first career win under his belt. It came at the same track that he qualified for his first start, Iowa.

The fans have taken to the Bass Pro Shops team, those enjoying seeing the number back on the track and succeeding.

Or there are those who enjoy watching Dillon make his way to the top of the sport. Either way, walking through the garage area, it’s hard to spot the No. 3 truck and it doesn't have to do with the paint scheme.

The throng of people around Dillon's garage stall is a much better disguise. 

The crew members go about their business, preparing the fastest and toughest machine they can for the Lady in Black. Photographers snap away, admiring the paint scheme that can only truly be appreciated when up close and in person with the Chevy Silverado.

In the middle of it all and seemingly unfazed, stands Dillon.

Waiting for when he gets the word that he can climb aboard and strap in, he glances around other garage stalls. A content look on his face, hands resting comfortably on his waist, hanging onto the straps of his HANS device.

If he’s bothered by all the attention, Dillon does a great job not showing it. Only in his first full year of competition, there will be many more of these days for Dillon. Days that will come and go, some more memorable than others.

The future of the Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR is once again behind the wheel of a black No. 3. Isn’t it funny how those things always work out?

Competitors like Ron Hornaday and Todd Bodine will always draw attention when around; they’re the veterans and champions of the sport and have earned their due and respect.

But not far behind is Dillon, who has captured his own attention and will gain the respect of those around him the more he shows that he belongs in the series. 

During the first practice session for the Too Tough to Tame 200, he showed everyone that he belonged at Darlington. Instead of a steep learning curve, it was the rookie visiting the tough track for the first time that put down the fastest lap, running a 29.09, which was 169.01 fast.

The next practice session was more of the same, as Dillon again took it to the field by laying down a lap of 28.96, which was 169.78 mph.

So far, he's halfway to the perfect weekend, winning both practice sessions. Bring on qualifying and the race for the No. 3 team. Just bring anything else you want to throw their way, they can handle it.

And so can Dillon.

He’s fast, he can win, and people love him for it. Now it becomes a journey of watching how much brighter his star can shine and just how far he can go.

There’s one guarantee that wherever Dillon goes, there will most likely be a crowd following. 

Photo Credits: David Yeazell

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]>

 

 

 

When you put a No. 3 on the side, it becomes more than just another race car.

With that number on the side, there comes a guarantee that whoever is behind the wheel is bound to get plenty of fan and media attention. Call it a gift from Dale Earnhardt, or maybe even a curse.

Since the death of the Intimidator on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, the once-quiet whispers have turned into shouts about whether the number should ever be raced again. If it is, who should be the lucky driver that gets to be the one behind the wheel?

Richard Childress had the perfect plan; the No. 3 after all is the Childress family number that friend Earnhardt made famous. It shouldn’t go to waste or be retired, and it seemed his grandson agreed.

When Austin Dillon prepared for his truck series debut at Iowa in September of 2009, the No. 3 would be on the side of the truck. Not only would the number be there, it would be a black No. 3 hitting the track in shades of Earnhardt.

Dillon wanted to show that even though Earnhardt may be gone, his number could still go to victory lane. The decision to climb aboard the famous number could have played out one of two ways.

First, the media circus could have been waiting, wanting to see what the 20-year-old could do while comparing him to Earnhardt.

Or Dillon would quickly quiet the critics and make the number his own.

Halfway through the 2010 season, it’s safe to say that he’s accomplished the latter.

Entering Saturday night’s event in Darlington, S.C., Dillon sits fifth in the Truck Series standings with his first career win under his belt. It came at the same track that he qualified for his first start, Iowa.

The fans have taken to the Bass Pro Shops team, those enjoying seeing the number back on the track and succeeding.

Or there are those who enjoy watching Dillon make his way to the top of the sport. Either way, walking through the garage area, it’s hard to spot the No. 3 truck and it doesn't have to do with the paint scheme.

The throng of people around Dillon's garage stall is a much better disguise. 

The crew members go about their business, preparing the fastest and toughest machine they can for the Lady in Black. Photographers snap away, admiring the paint scheme that can only truly be appreciated when up close and in person with the Chevy Silverado.

In the middle of it all and seemingly unfazed, stands Dillon.

Waiting for when he gets the word that he can climb aboard and strap in, he glances around other garage stalls. A content look on his face, hands resting comfortably on his waist, hanging onto the straps of his HANS device.

If he’s bothered by all the attention, Dillon does a great job not showing it. Only in his first full year of competition, there will be many more of these days for Dillon. Days that will come and go, some more memorable than others.

The future of the Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR is once again behind the wheel of a black No. 3. Isn’t it funny how those things always work out?

Competitors like Ron Hornaday and Todd Bodine will always draw attention when around; they’re the veterans and champions of the sport and have earned their due and respect.

But not far behind is Dillon, who has captured his own attention and will gain the respect of those around him the more he shows that he belongs in the series. 

During the first practice session for the Too Tough to Tame 200, he showed everyone that he belonged at Darlington. Instead of a steep learning curve, it was the rookie visiting the tough track for the first time that put down the fastest lap, running a 29.09, which was 169.01 fast.

The next practice session was more of the same, as Dillon again took it to the field by laying down a lap of 28.96, which was 169.78 mph.

So far, he's halfway to the perfect weekend, winning both practice sessions. Bring on qualifying and the race for the No. 3 team. Just bring anything else you want to throw their way, they can handle it.

And so can Dillon.

He’s fast, he can win, and people love him for it. Now it becomes a journey of watching how much brighter his star can shine and just how far he can go.

There’s one guarantee that wherever Dillon goes, there will most likely be a crowd following. 

Photo Credits: David Yeazell

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/austin-dillon-on-the-way-to-becoming-most-popular-truck-series-driver/feed/ 0 Previewing the Camping World Trucks Series Too Tough To Tame 200 http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/previewing-the-camping-world-trucks-series-too-tough-to-tame-200/ http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/previewing-the-camping-world-trucks-series-too-tough-to-tame-200/#comments Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:08:46 +0000 Kelly Crandall http://bleacherreport.com/articles/435236-previewing-the-camping-world-trucks-series-too-tough-to-tame-200

For the first time in six years the Camping World Truck Series is back at the Lady in Black, the Darlington Raceway. After a brief hiatus following a victory by Sprint Cup Series regular Kasey Kahne, the trucks have found their way back south for a stand-alone event on Saturday night.

Since their last visit, the track has been repaved and the trucks have gotten stronger and faster. The 32 trucks entered this weekend will need it when taking to the raceway where the racing is bound to be exciting, expect plenty of sparks, and maybe some tempers, flying under the lights.

The Too Tough To Tame 200 will consist of 147 laps around the 1.366-mile track and a new winner will be crown. That could include a first-time winner following the likes of Aric Almirola and Austin Dillon who each accomplished the feat earlier this year, as well as a first time victor at Darlington.

None of the previous winners of this event – Bobby Hamilton in 2001 and 2003, Ted Musgrave in 2002, and Kahne in 2004 – are entered in Saturday’s field.

It leaves the door open for another driver to experience the thrill of victory and it won’t come easy. Beware of the Darlington Stripe as it’s called, which will be out in full force, no truck will leave the racetrack and not have a sign that they've visited Darlington. Whichever driver can take a licking and keep on ticking will be able to say they tamed Darlington at the end of the night.

Outside of the big picture however, there’s more to watch then just the point race between Todd Bodine and Almirola, or who will be the first to the checkered flag. Here are three things to watch entering the Too Tough To Tame 200.

Todd Bodine Only Driver in the Field With Darlington Victory

It didn’t come in his No. 30 Germain.com Toyota, but Bodine will be the only driver on Saturday night that has won at Darlington in the past. The victory came in dramatic fashion back in 2003 when he and Jamie McMurray waged a war to the finish of the Nationwide Series race.

McMurray went sliding toward the infield wall and Bodine slid across the finish line for the victory.

He enters the 15th race of the 2010 CWTS season with a 174 point lead over Almirola and will be counting on his past experience to help him hang onto and expand his lead. If he wins on Saturday night it will be his second in a row, coming off a victory last weekend in Nashville and third of the season.

Bodine made history earlier this year when he won for the sixth time at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Winning at Darlington though, isn’t just any other race win; winning at Darlington shows you are the toughest of the tough. The Onion of the truck series wants to stink up the show on Saturday and show everyone that you’ll have to beat him for the championship as he looks to beat everyone else to the checkered flag on Saturday.

 

Says Bodine entering the weekend, “Every corner is different. It’s fast, it’s aggressive, it’s Darlington – I love it.”

Dodge Looking to Make it Five-For-Five at Darlington

Between 2001 and 2004 when the truck series came to Darlington there was one manufacturer that would always end up in victory lane: Dodge. Bobby Hamilton, Ted Musgrave, and Kasey Kahne were all behind the wheel of a Dodge truck.

Saturday night when the trucks return to the raceway for the fifth time the manufacturer will return undefeated and looking for another trip to victory lane. They’ll have four trucks in their stable that will be ready to try and get the job done.

Butch Miller will be behind the wheel of the No. 21 SS Green Light Racing machine for Steve Urvan. Miller has only competed in four of the 14 races this season and consequently sits 48th in the points.

In the No. 46 Team Gill Racing truck will be J C Stout for owner Joy Gill. As like Miller, Stout has also not competed in every race of the 2010 season, only running seven events. He sits 31st in points entering the weekend, but with high hopes.

Next comes the No. 95 of Dillon Oliver. Also driving for Team Gill Racing, but under ownership of Danny Gill, Oliver will be looking to qualify for only his second start of 2010. He qualified for Nashville in April where he started 25th and finished 23rd.

 

The bullet in the Dodge gun that could be their only shot to take the checkered flag is the No. 23 of Jason White. When the season started in Daytona in February it was White who captured the pole, the first of his career.

Now in his in third full year of competition in the truck series, still looking for his first career win, White has impressed many and proven that if everything goes according to plan he can be a contender. Entering Saturday nights race he sits 10th in the point standings with four top 10 finishes and one top five.

The GunBroker.com Dodge had an engine problem last weekend in Nashville, but White will be ready to try and tame Darlington. It'll come with with extra motivation as he tries to join friend Denny Hamlin as a winner at the raceway. Hamlin went to victory lane in May during in the Sprint Cup race.

Nothing Beats Experience for Ken Schrader

Of every driver in the field this weekend, none will have the experience of running at the Darlington Raceway that Ken Schrader carries. At the reins of the No. 2 truck for Kevin Harvick Inc Schrader wouldn’t be a surprise to end up in victory lane.

The former NSCS driver has 55 starts at the Lady in Black, 43 in the cup series, nine in the Nationwide Series and he’ll make his fourth start in the trucks on Saturday. With as much as he’s raced at the track though, he’s never been able to pull off a victory, but driving for KHI certainly makes him one step closer.

 

The No. 2 truck has been involved in four champagne sprays this season, team owner Kevin Harvick at the wheel of three of them, while Elliott Sadler was the most recent just two weeks ago in Pocono.

Schrader has logged over 14,000 laps at the facility with four poles, seven top fives, and has 20 top ten finishes under his belt. When looking for a safe pick on Saturday, fans won’t have to look too far.

“Darlington is a track where I have a lot of Cup Series starts, so I’m pretty familiar with its characteristics and challenges,” Schrader said. “Some people call that ‘character,’ while others call it ‘frustrating,’ but make no mistake about it, Darlington is unique.”

“There will never be another track like it, because I believe they broke the mold, and a lot of drivers breathed a sigh of relief.”

The Too Tough To Tame 200 will be Saturday, August 14 at 7:00 p.m. ET on SPEED.

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]>

For the first time in six years the Camping World Truck Series is back at the Lady in Black, the Darlington Raceway. After a brief hiatus following a victory by Sprint Cup Series regular Kasey Kahne, the trucks have found their way back south for a stand-alone event on Saturday night.

Since their last visit, the track has been repaved and the trucks have gotten stronger and faster. The 32 trucks entered this weekend will need it when taking to the raceway where the racing is bound to be exciting, expect plenty of sparks, and maybe some tempers, flying under the lights.

The Too Tough To Tame 200 will consist of 147 laps around the 1.366-mile track and a new winner will be crown. That could include a first-time winner following the likes of Aric Almirola and Austin Dillon who each accomplished the feat earlier this year, as well as a first time victor at Darlington.

None of the previous winners of this event – Bobby Hamilton in 2001 and 2003, Ted Musgrave in 2002, and Kahne in 2004 – are entered in Saturday’s field.

It leaves the door open for another driver to experience the thrill of victory and it won’t come easy. Beware of the Darlington Stripe as it’s called, which will be out in full force, no truck will leave the racetrack and not have a sign that they've visited Darlington. Whichever driver can take a licking and keep on ticking will be able to say they tamed Darlington at the end of the night.

Outside of the big picture however, there’s more to watch then just the point race between Todd Bodine and Almirola, or who will be the first to the checkered flag. Here are three things to watch entering the Too Tough To Tame 200.

Todd Bodine Only Driver in the Field With Darlington Victory

It didn’t come in his No. 30 Germain.com Toyota, but Bodine will be the only driver on Saturday night that has won at Darlington in the past. The victory came in dramatic fashion back in 2003 when he and Jamie McMurray waged a war to the finish of the Nationwide Series race.

McMurray went sliding toward the infield wall and Bodine slid across the finish line for the victory.

He enters the 15th race of the 2010 CWTS season with a 174 point lead over Almirola and will be counting on his past experience to help him hang onto and expand his lead. If he wins on Saturday night it will be his second in a row, coming off a victory last weekend in Nashville and third of the season.

Bodine made history earlier this year when he won for the sixth time at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Winning at Darlington though, isn’t just any other race win; winning at Darlington shows you are the toughest of the tough. The Onion of the truck series wants to stink up the show on Saturday and show everyone that you’ll have to beat him for the championship as he looks to beat everyone else to the checkered flag on Saturday.

 

Says Bodine entering the weekend, “Every corner is different. It’s fast, it’s aggressive, it’s Darlington – I love it.”

Dodge Looking to Make it Five-For-Five at Darlington

Between 2001 and 2004 when the truck series came to Darlington there was one manufacturer that would always end up in victory lane: Dodge. Bobby Hamilton, Ted Musgrave, and Kasey Kahne were all behind the wheel of a Dodge truck.

Saturday night when the trucks return to the raceway for the fifth time the manufacturer will return undefeated and looking for another trip to victory lane. They’ll have four trucks in their stable that will be ready to try and get the job done.

Butch Miller will be behind the wheel of the No. 21 SS Green Light Racing machine for Steve Urvan. Miller has only competed in four of the 14 races this season and consequently sits 48th in the points.

In the No. 46 Team Gill Racing truck will be J C Stout for owner Joy Gill. As like Miller, Stout has also not competed in every race of the 2010 season, only running seven events. He sits 31st in points entering the weekend, but with high hopes.

Next comes the No. 95 of Dillon Oliver. Also driving for Team Gill Racing, but under ownership of Danny Gill, Oliver will be looking to qualify for only his second start of 2010. He qualified for Nashville in April where he started 25th and finished 23rd.

 

The bullet in the Dodge gun that could be their only shot to take the checkered flag is the No. 23 of Jason White. When the season started in Daytona in February it was White who captured the pole, the first of his career.

Now in his in third full year of competition in the truck series, still looking for his first career win, White has impressed many and proven that if everything goes according to plan he can be a contender. Entering Saturday nights race he sits 10th in the point standings with four top 10 finishes and one top five.

The GunBroker.com Dodge had an engine problem last weekend in Nashville, but White will be ready to try and tame Darlington. It'll come with with extra motivation as he tries to join friend Denny Hamlin as a winner at the raceway. Hamlin went to victory lane in May during in the Sprint Cup race.

Nothing Beats Experience for Ken Schrader

Of every driver in the field this weekend, none will have the experience of running at the Darlington Raceway that Ken Schrader carries. At the reins of the No. 2 truck for Kevin Harvick Inc Schrader wouldn’t be a surprise to end up in victory lane.

The former NSCS driver has 55 starts at the Lady in Black, 43 in the cup series, nine in the Nationwide Series and he’ll make his fourth start in the trucks on Saturday. With as much as he’s raced at the track though, he’s never been able to pull off a victory, but driving for KHI certainly makes him one step closer.

 

The No. 2 truck has been involved in four champagne sprays this season, team owner Kevin Harvick at the wheel of three of them, while Elliott Sadler was the most recent just two weeks ago in Pocono.

Schrader has logged over 14,000 laps at the facility with four poles, seven top fives, and has 20 top ten finishes under his belt. When looking for a safe pick on Saturday, fans won’t have to look too far.

“Darlington is a track where I have a lot of Cup Series starts, so I’m pretty familiar with its characteristics and challenges,” Schrader said. “Some people call that ‘character,’ while others call it ‘frustrating,’ but make no mistake about it, Darlington is unique.”

“There will never be another track like it, because I believe they broke the mold, and a lot of drivers breathed a sigh of relief.”

The Too Tough To Tame 200 will be Saturday, August 14 at 7:00 p.m. ET on SPEED.

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/previewing-the-camping-world-trucks-series-too-tough-to-tame-200/feed/ 0 Creature vs. Creature Writers Pool: Picks For the Sonoco Red Cross 500 http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-picks-for-the-sonoco-red-cross-500/ http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-picks-for-the-sonoco-red-cross-500/#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:34:43 +0000 Kelly Crandall http://bleacherreport.com/articles/427180-creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-picks-for-the-sonoco-red-cross-500

The Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA will be the site of the 21st race of the 2010 season. The Sonoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 won’t have the glitz and glamour that the Brickyard 400 had last weekend, but that doesn’t make it any less important.

Sunday leaves just five races before the Chase begins and many drivers are starting to feel the pressure of trying to lock in a Chase position. Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are the first two drivers who are sitting on the outside looking in and each will look to a track that they’ve never won on before to change their luck.

Drivers like Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson will be looking for another Pocono win to add to their growing total on the season. The two are still tied in bonus points at the moment and each is a strong contender at the tricky triangle. But point leader Kevin Harvick isn’t going to let them out of his sight after coming off a second place finish last week.

Two others coming off strong runs at the Brickyard are winner Jamie McMurray, who will look to continue his climb through the standings with his third win of the year, as well as the third place finisher Greg Biffle. Biffle and his Roush—Fenway teammates will be racing with special inspiration as their team owner, Jack Roush, recovers in a hospital after a plane crash that has resulted in facial surgery.

Last weekend, Biffle was the best of the Fords and RFR’s bright hope of their first win of the season. Sunday’s race will be more of the same as the company continues their season-long fight to the front.

Whichever driver ends the day in victory lane, will do so in the 100th Sprint Cup race held in Pennsylvania. It will be a special day for more than just the driver celebrating.

Will one of our Creatures being celebrating as well? A win was lost last weekend, but they are back at it again. Here’s who they believe will be the first to the checkered flag.

 

Misan Akuya : Tony Stewart

Until he wins in the regular season I am sticking with Tony Stewart. He just finished fifth at his home track, Indy, and heads to a track similar to Pocono. His success at Indy is also similar to Pocono with two wins, eight top fives, 17 top 10s, 154 laps led, and an average finish of 11.91. 

Stewart continues his summer surge and has been the most consistent driver in the last nine races. A win is bound to happen and it could happen at Pocono.


 
Kyle Brandt: Greg Biffle

I'm going out on a limb and picking Greg Biffle to win on Sunday. It seems like things are starting to turn around for the No. 16 team and last week at Indy proved it. Pocono and Indy are very similar and I believe they will transfer that success over to this weekend .



James Broomhead: Denny Hamlin

What's that? Pocono? End of discussion; Hamlin wins.


 
Kelly Crandall: Denny Hamlin

It’s Pocono and it’s Denny Hamlin, the two just go together. Hamlin needs a win to get his mojo back and I need a win for bonus points. Sunday is the perfect time to accomplish that.



Billy Fellin: Denny Hamlin

Hamlin has struggled of late, but he dominated at Pocono earlier in the year. I see him doing the same on Sunday.


 
Christopher Leone: Denny Hamlin

Hamlin’s successes at Pocono are widely known. Here they are anyway: four wins, seven top 10s, an average finish of 8.6 in nine career starts, and tops of all active drivers. Sounds like a pretty obvious pick to me, based on his history.



Kara Martin: Denny Hamlin

He’s the Pocono king!



Dustin Parks: Denny Hamlin

There are not many people that can say they have a track figured out, let alone do so in such a short period of time.  But, when it comes to the triangle, Hamlin just has it down.

The stats just speak for themselves.  Through nine races, he has four victories and an average finish of eighth.  That's mind-boggling.  Now, he enters this weekend not only the defending winner, but also the winner of the previous race at Pocono.  With Johnson struggling, this is his chance to pounce and get another win heading into the Chase.

He has momentum, and has this track figured out.  There's no doubt that Hamlin can get the job done.



Patti Rodisch: Denny Hamlin

Since Hamlin’s last win this season, his numbers have not been all that impressive. Hamlin was looking like the one to beat this season. His best finish since his win at Michigan was eighth and that was at Chicagoland.

This is the perfect weekend for Hamlin to get back to his winning ways and sweep the season races at Pocono. He is more than capable of doing so; with four wins, six top fives and seven top 10s. Bring out the brooms Hamlin fans and get ready for a sweep.



Sal Sigala Jr.: Denny Hamlin

Can Hamlin make it three in a row?



 Rob Tiongson: Denny Hamlin

Nobody's made a 2.5 triangular shaped speedway look so easy in recent years than a guy who, prior to his first visit to the track in 2006, only "raced" Pocono on the NASCAR Racing 2003 Season PC game. If he and his No. 11 team are hungry and want to win the Sprint Cup title, a solid victory at this track will speak volumes that Gibbs can beat the Childress and Hendrick bunch.

 
Alan Wade: Tony Stewart

Smoke has earned an outstanding 17 top-10 finishes in 23 starts at Pocono Raceway, with only two DNFs. However, this year has been a bit of a struggle for the 14 team to find consistency.  But I think now is the time for the "Summer Slam" to begin for Stewart, and the tricky triangle is as good a place as any to commence.

 

Point Race

Kara Martin (2,812 ) Tony Stewart finished fifth (2 )

Billy Fellin ( 2,760 ) Tony Stewart finished fifth (3 )

Sal Sigala Jr. ( 2,665 ) Jimmie Johnson finished 22nd (2 )

Christopher Leone (2,658 ) Tony Stewart finished fifth (3 )

Dustin Parks (2,562 ) Tony Stewart finished fifth (2 )

James Broomhead ( 2,553 ) Juan Pablo Montoya finished 32nd (2 )

Rob Tiongson ( 2,542 ) Jeff Gordon finished 23rd (0 )

Kelly Crandall ( 2,496 ) Jimmie Johnson finished 22nd (2 )

Misan Akuya ( 2,452 ) Tony Stewart finished fifth (1 )

Patti Rodisch ( 2,251 ) NO PICK SENT (0 )

Alan Wade (943 ) Jeff Gordon finished 23rd (1 )

Kyle Brandt (231 ) NO PICK SENT (0 )



Final Thoughts

Starting position and pit road pit stall might be the deciding factor in Sunday’s race. The last 10 winners have all been drivers that started near the front, the lowest starting spot being 18th by Jeff Gordon in 2007.

A team’s pit selection is also key because of how long the straightaway is and because six of the 10 winners have come from the front row, making the first pit stall the one everyone wants.



Summary of Picks

Denny Hamlin – 9

Tony Stewart – 2

Greg Biffle – 1 

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]>

The Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA will be the site of the 21st race of the 2010 season. The Sonoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 won’t have the glitz and glamour that the Brickyard 400 had last weekend, but that doesn’t make it any less important.

Sunday leaves just five races before the Chase begins and many drivers are starting to feel the pressure of trying to lock in a Chase position. Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are the first two drivers who are sitting on the outside looking in and each will look to a track that they’ve never won on before to change their luck.

Drivers like Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson will be looking for another Pocono win to add to their growing total on the season. The two are still tied in bonus points at the moment and each is a strong contender at the tricky triangle. But point leader Kevin Harvick isn’t going to let them out of his sight after coming off a second place finish last week.

Two others coming off strong runs at the Brickyard are winner Jamie McMurray, who will look to continue his climb through the standings with his third win of the year, as well as the third place finisher Greg Biffle. Biffle and his Roush—Fenway teammates will be racing with special inspiration as their team owner, Jack Roush, recovers in a hospital after a plane crash that has resulted in facial surgery.

Last weekend, Biffle was the best of the Fords and RFR’s bright hope of their first win of the season. Sunday’s race will be more of the same as the company continues their season-long fight to the front.

Whichever driver ends the day in victory lane, will do so in the 100th Sprint Cup race held in Pennsylvania. It will be a special day for more than just the driver celebrating.

Will one of our Creatures being celebrating as well? A win was lost last weekend, but they are back at it again. Here’s who they believe will be the first to the checkered flag.

 

Misan Akuya : Tony Stewart

Until he wins in the regular season I am sticking with Tony Stewart. He just finished fifth at his home track, Indy, and heads to a track similar to Pocono. His success at Indy is also similar to Pocono with two wins, eight top fives, 17 top 10s, 154 laps led, and an average finish of 11.91. 

Stewart continues his summer surge and has been the most consistent driver in the last nine races. A win is bound to happen and it could happen at Pocono.


 
Kyle Brandt: Greg Biffle

I'm going out on a limb and picking Greg Biffle to win on Sunday. It seems like things are starting to turn around for the No. 16 team and last week at Indy proved it. Pocono and Indy are very similar and I believe they will transfer that success over to this weekend .



James Broomhead: Denny Hamlin

What's that? Pocono? End of discussion; Hamlin wins.


 
Kelly Crandall: Denny Hamlin

It’s Pocono and it’s Denny Hamlin, the two just go together. Hamlin needs a win to get his mojo back and I need a win for bonus points. Sunday is the perfect time to accomplish that.



Billy Fellin: Denny Hamlin

Hamlin has struggled of late, but he dominated at Pocono earlier in the year. I see him doing the same on Sunday.


 
Christopher Leone: Denny Hamlin

Hamlin’s successes at Pocono are widely known. Here they are anyway: four wins, seven top 10s, an average finish of 8.6 in nine career starts, and tops of all active drivers. Sounds like a pretty obvious pick to me, based on his history.



Kara Martin: Denny Hamlin

He’s the Pocono king!



Dustin Parks: Denny Hamlin

There are not many people that can say they have a track figured out, let alone do so in such a short period of time.  But, when it comes to the triangle, Hamlin just has it down.

The stats just speak for themselves.  Through nine races, he has four victories and an average finish of eighth.  That's mind-boggling.  Now, he enters this weekend not only the defending winner, but also the winner of the previous race at Pocono.  With Johnson struggling, this is his chance to pounce and get another win heading into the Chase.

He has momentum, and has this track figured out.  There's no doubt that Hamlin can get the job done.



Patti Rodisch: Denny Hamlin

Since Hamlin’s last win this season, his numbers have not been all that impressive. Hamlin was looking like the one to beat this season. His best finish since his win at Michigan was eighth and that was at Chicagoland.

This is the perfect weekend for Hamlin to get back to his winning ways and sweep the season races at Pocono. He is more than capable of doing so; with four wins, six top fives and seven top 10s. Bring out the brooms Hamlin fans and get ready for a sweep.



Sal Sigala Jr.: Denny Hamlin

Can Hamlin make it three in a row?



 Rob Tiongson: Denny Hamlin

Nobody's made a 2.5 triangular shaped speedway look so easy in recent years than a guy who, prior to his first visit to the track in 2006, only "raced" Pocono on the NASCAR Racing 2003 Season PC game. If he and his No. 11 team are hungry and want to win the Sprint Cup title, a solid victory at this track will speak volumes that Gibbs can beat the Childress and Hendrick bunch.

 
Alan Wade: Tony Stewart

Smoke has earned an outstanding 17 top-10 finishes in 23 starts at Pocono Raceway, with only two DNFs. However, this year has been a bit of a struggle for the 14 team to find consistency.  But I think now is the time for the "Summer Slam" to begin for Stewart, and the tricky triangle is as good a place as any to commence.

 

Point Race

Kara Martin (2,812 ) Tony Stewart finished fifth (2 )

Billy Fellin ( 2,760 ) Tony Stewart finished fifth (3 )

Sal Sigala Jr. ( 2,665 ) Jimmie Johnson finished 22nd (2 )

Christopher Leone (2,658 ) Tony Stewart finished fifth (3 )

Dustin Parks (2,562 ) Tony Stewart finished fifth (2 )

James Broomhead ( 2,553 ) Juan Pablo Montoya finished 32nd (2 )

Rob Tiongson ( 2,542 ) Jeff Gordon finished 23rd (0 )

Kelly Crandall ( 2,496 ) Jimmie Johnson finished 22nd (2 )

Misan Akuya ( 2,452 ) Tony Stewart finished fifth (1 )

Patti Rodisch ( 2,251 ) NO PICK SENT (0 )

Alan Wade (943 ) Jeff Gordon finished 23rd (1 )

Kyle Brandt (231 ) NO PICK SENT (0 )



Final Thoughts

Starting position and pit road pit stall might be the deciding factor in Sunday’s race. The last 10 winners have all been drivers that started near the front, the lowest starting spot being 18th by Jeff Gordon in 2007.

A team’s pit selection is also key because of how long the straightaway is and because six of the 10 winners have come from the front row, making the first pit stall the one everyone wants.



Summary of Picks

Denny Hamlin – 9

Tony Stewart – 2

Greg Biffle – 1 

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-picks-for-the-sonoco-red-cross-500/feed/ 0 Just Like Jamie McMurray, NASCAR Also Went from Nothing To Everything http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/just-like-jamie-mcmurray-nascar-also-went-from-nothing-to-everything/ http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/just-like-jamie-mcmurray-nascar-also-went-from-nothing-to-everything/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:01:40 +0000 Kelly Crandall http://bleacherreport.com/articles/425652-just-like-jamie-mcmurray-nascar-also-went-from-nothing-to-everything When Ben White’s “NASCAR Then and Now” hits store shelves next month you won’t need to be a history buff in order to enjoy it. Photography from Nigel Kinrade and Smyle Media, however, might make you one as they bring the story of NASCAR alive through the camera lens. 

Beginning with the book’s cover, fans are on a travel through time that starts with the inception of NASCAR in Daytona Beach's Streamline hotel in 1948, to the multi-billion dollar industry that it has become today. There was a time when racing was nothing but tearing through back roads with cars full of moonshine, before moving to dirt, and then beloved tracks such as Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway.

Consisting of just six chapters, White's book lays out how the sport has evolved in nearly every aspect. That includes the personality of drivers once known as the good ol’ boys to the diverse field that now invades tracks each weekend.

Fans will then get a glimpse of the great crew chiefs that have sat atop the pit boxes, legendary owners, and the men who work behind the wall. Viewing the photography makes it easier to believe that there was a time when the only uniform of NASCAR wasn’t the multi-colored, sponsor driven one that makes drivers easy to spot, but instead was a dirty pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

Some aspects of the book won’t be new to fans; such as how their favorite driver’s car is no longer one you could drive right off the showroom floor. Strictly stock cars were the thing of the 1950s before giving way in the 1960s to Grand National stock cars. Followed were cars straight out of the production lines, then the twisted sister, which led to wing-gate, as some will remember it.

Now in 2010, NASCAR has brought back some of the past, going back to the traditional spoiler. No matter how big a sport, company, or industry becomes, sometimes all you need is a little bit of your roots to be successful.

Step-by-step through the weekend the journey goes. What is it like to be a driver who only wants to climb aboard their machine and take the checkered flag? Meeting fans, media availability, because like them or not, media members are the individuals that bring fans the stories they look for each week.

Of course, not be to be left out are the living quarters that grace the infield. Drivers could, at one time, be found staying with the race fans that came to support them each weekend, or using the family vehicle as their home away from home. Kurt and Kyle Busch bring fans an up close and personal view of driver’s new personal space: infield motor homes.

NASCAR, over the course of their 62-year history has become the biggest auto racing sport in America. Over the next 62 years, anyone of us can only imagine what’s in store.

As the age old saying goes, “In order to know where you’re going, you first must know where you came from.” Most NASCAR fans will say they know the history of their favorite sport; however, this is a different look. White’s book provides a side-by-side comparison of a time when cars graphics and computers would have sounded like a foreign language.

“In the early days, a car’s livery, or paint scheme, usually included a number and sponsor displayed by way of white shoe polish and tape,” wrote White. Shoe polish won’t be seen anywhere near a racecar now a days until someone like Chad Knaus finds a way to use it to make the car go fast.

Tape, on the other hand, that’ll always be a mechanic’s best friend. It goes with the machines that thanks to decals, wraps, and the lightest paint a team will find are transported to each race, not on the back of a pickup truck, but by haulers that have also come a long way.

They too, are just another part of the sport that has grown with the times and now your chance to relive and celebrate the past with “NASCAR Then and Now.” Look for a copy on store shelves near you starting on August 2nd or through www.motorbooks.com

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> When Ben White’s “NASCAR Then and Now” hits store shelves next month you won’t need to be a history buff in order to enjoy it. Photography from Nigel Kinrade and Smyle Media, however, might make you one as they bring the story of NASCAR alive through the camera lens. 

Beginning with the book’s cover, fans are on a travel through time that starts with the inception of NASCAR in Daytona Beach's Streamline hotel in 1948, to the multi-billion dollar industry that it has become today. There was a time when racing was nothing but tearing through back roads with cars full of moonshine, before moving to dirt, and then beloved tracks such as Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway.

Consisting of just six chapters, White's book lays out how the sport has evolved in nearly every aspect. That includes the personality of drivers once known as the good ol’ boys to the diverse field that now invades tracks each weekend.

Fans will then get a glimpse of the great crew chiefs that have sat atop the pit boxes, legendary owners, and the men who work behind the wall. Viewing the photography makes it easier to believe that there was a time when the only uniform of NASCAR wasn’t the multi-colored, sponsor driven one that makes drivers easy to spot, but instead was a dirty pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

Some aspects of the book won’t be new to fans; such as how their favorite driver’s car is no longer one you could drive right off the showroom floor. Strictly stock cars were the thing of the 1950s before giving way in the 1960s to Grand National stock cars. Followed were cars straight out of the production lines, then the twisted sister, which led to wing-gate, as some will remember it.

Now in 2010, NASCAR has brought back some of the past, going back to the traditional spoiler. No matter how big a sport, company, or industry becomes, sometimes all you need is a little bit of your roots to be successful.

Step-by-step through the weekend the journey goes. What is it like to be a driver who only wants to climb aboard their machine and take the checkered flag? Meeting fans, media availability, because like them or not, media members are the individuals that bring fans the stories they look for each week.

Of course, not be to be left out are the living quarters that grace the infield. Drivers could, at one time, be found staying with the race fans that came to support them each weekend, or using the family vehicle as their home away from home. Kurt and Kyle Busch bring fans an up close and personal view of driver’s new personal space: infield motor homes.

NASCAR, over the course of their 62-year history has become the biggest auto racing sport in America. Over the next 62 years, anyone of us can only imagine what’s in store.

As the age old saying goes, “In order to know where you’re going, you first must know where you came from.” Most NASCAR fans will say they know the history of their favorite sport; however, this is a different look. White’s book provides a side-by-side comparison of a time when cars graphics and computers would have sounded like a foreign language.

“In the early days, a car’s livery, or paint scheme, usually included a number and sponsor displayed by way of white shoe polish and tape,” wrote White. Shoe polish won’t be seen anywhere near a racecar now a days until someone like Chad Knaus finds a way to use it to make the car go fast.

Tape, on the other hand, that’ll always be a mechanic’s best friend. It goes with the machines that thanks to decals, wraps, and the lightest paint a team will find are transported to each race, not on the back of a pickup truck, but by haulers that have also come a long way.

They too, are just another part of the sport that has grown with the times and now your chance to relive and celebrate the past with “NASCAR Then and Now.” Look for a copy on store shelves near you starting on August 2nd or through www.motorbooks.com

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/just-like-jamie-mcmurray-nascar-also-went-from-nothing-to-everything/feed/ 0 Creature vs. Creature Writers Pool: Results After Toyota/Save Mart 350 http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-results-after-toyotasave-mart-350/ http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-results-after-toyotasave-mart-350/#comments Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:45:12 +0000 Kelly Crandall http://bleacherreport.com/articles/409002-creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-results-after-toyotasave-mart-350 One giant mistake and one golden horseshoe.

The 2010 Toyota/Save Mart 350 would have been remembered as the day that Jimmie Johnson dominated and lost it at the end to Marcos Ambrose. Instead, it will be remembered as Ambrose giving Johnson another win.

While leading with nine laps to go, the caution came, erasing Ambrose's two second lead. He was told to conserve fuel and shut the engine off in case of the dreaded green/white/checkered finish. When he went to re-fire the engine going up the hill into turn one, the engine didn't start and the car came to a stop. Johnson and five others went past Ambrose before he got going.

NASCAR made the ruling that he didn't maintain cautious speed and moved him to the seventh position; Johnson took the lead and the win. It was the 51st victory of his career and the first on a road course. Ambrose was credited with a sixth place finish.

Elsewhere throughout the field, plenty of storylines were provided for the week leading up to New Hampshire. Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski may be marked men, after the two of them played bumper cars with almost half the field. Martin Truex Jr. has vowed payback on the No. 24, with Gordon saying that he'll deserve what he gets. 

Other teams not happy with each other, included Tony Stewart's and Boris Said, who both would have preferred to have had better days than they did. Stewart entered Sonoma still searching for his first win of the year, but finished ninth. Said was marked as a driver to watch since he's a road course ace; however, he was never a factor and finished eighth. 

As for our Creatures, Ambrose's one big mistake took away a win for them. Other picks came close as well, but no one thought Johnson was going to get his first career win today, leaving bonus points on the table. Here's how they'll look when the Sprint Cup Series heads back to the ovals at the New Hampshire International Speedway. 

Billy Fellin (2, 281 ) Tony Stewart finished ninth (3 )

Kara Martin (2, 273 ) Jeff Gordon finished fifth (2 )

Sal Sigala Jr. (2, 182 ) Jeff Gordon finished fifth (1 )

James Broomhead (2, 164 ) Marcos Ambrose finished sixth (2 )

Kelly Crandall (2, 129 ) Marcos Ambrose finished sixth (2 )

Christopher Leone (2, 122 ) Juan Pablo Montoya finished 10th (3 )

Dustin Parks (2, 121 ) Jeff Gordon finished fifth (2 )

Rob Tiongson (2, 072 ) Juan Pablo Montoya finished 10th (0 )

Patti Rodisch (1, 996 ) Jeff Gordon finished fifth (0 )

Misan Akuya (1, 934 ) Tony Stewart finished ninth (1 )

Adam Heasley (962 ) NO PICK SENT (0 )

Alan Wade (435 ) Tony Stewart finished ninth (0 )


Next Up

The Magic Milem where fireworks won't be at a loss. Last year, drivers fumed after a restart stacked up the field, and with many upset after Sonoma, it could get dicey next weekend. Joey Logano returns to his home track as the defending winner, looking to rebound after a tough day on the road course.

Creatures have your picks for the Lenonx Industrial Tools 301 by Thursday, June 24 at 7 p.m. ET. 

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> One giant mistake and one golden horseshoe.

The 2010 Toyota/Save Mart 350 would have been remembered as the day that Jimmie Johnson dominated and lost it at the end to Marcos Ambrose. Instead, it will be remembered as Ambrose giving Johnson another win.

While leading with nine laps to go, the caution came, erasing Ambrose's two second lead. He was told to conserve fuel and shut the engine off in case of the dreaded green/white/checkered finish. When he went to re-fire the engine going up the hill into turn one, the engine didn't start and the car came to a stop. Johnson and five others went past Ambrose before he got going.

NASCAR made the ruling that he didn't maintain cautious speed and moved him to the seventh position; Johnson took the lead and the win. It was the 51st victory of his career and the first on a road course. Ambrose was credited with a sixth place finish.

Elsewhere throughout the field, plenty of storylines were provided for the week leading up to New Hampshire. Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski may be marked men, after the two of them played bumper cars with almost half the field. Martin Truex Jr. has vowed payback on the No. 24, with Gordon saying that he'll deserve what he gets. 

Other teams not happy with each other, included Tony Stewart's and Boris Said, who both would have preferred to have had better days than they did. Stewart entered Sonoma still searching for his first win of the year, but finished ninth. Said was marked as a driver to watch since he's a road course ace; however, he was never a factor and finished eighth. 

As for our Creatures, Ambrose's one big mistake took away a win for them. Other picks came close as well, but no one thought Johnson was going to get his first career win today, leaving bonus points on the table. Here's how they'll look when the Sprint Cup Series heads back to the ovals at the New Hampshire International Speedway. 

Billy Fellin (2, 281 ) Tony Stewart finished ninth (3 )

Kara Martin (2, 273 ) Jeff Gordon finished fifth (2 )

Sal Sigala Jr. (2, 182 ) Jeff Gordon finished fifth (1 )

James Broomhead (2, 164 ) Marcos Ambrose finished sixth (2 )

Kelly Crandall (2, 129 ) Marcos Ambrose finished sixth (2 )

Christopher Leone (2, 122 ) Juan Pablo Montoya finished 10th (3 )

Dustin Parks (2, 121 ) Jeff Gordon finished fifth (2 )

Rob Tiongson (2, 072 ) Juan Pablo Montoya finished 10th (0 )

Patti Rodisch (1, 996 ) Jeff Gordon finished fifth (0 )

Misan Akuya (1, 934 ) Tony Stewart finished ninth (1 )

Adam Heasley (962 ) NO PICK SENT (0 )

Alan Wade (435 ) Tony Stewart finished ninth (0 )


Next Up

The Magic Milem where fireworks won't be at a loss. Last year, drivers fumed after a restart stacked up the field, and with many upset after Sonoma, it could get dicey next weekend. Joey Logano returns to his home track as the defending winner, looking to rebound after a tough day on the road course.

Creatures have your picks for the Lenonx Industrial Tools 301 by Thursday, June 24 at 7 p.m. ET. 

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-results-after-toyotasave-mart-350/feed/ 0 Creature vs. Creature Writers Pool: Picks for the Showtime Southern 500 http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-picks-for-the-showtime-southern-500/ http://www.autodafe.org/motorsports/creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-picks-for-the-showtime-southern-500/#comments Fri, 07 May 2010 11:49:22 +0000 Kelly Crandall http://bleacherreport.com/articles/389017-creature-vs-creature-writers-pool-picks-for-the-showtime-southern-500 She’s the Lady in Black and her claim to fame is that she’s too tough to tame.

Saturday night 43 of NASCAR’s best will try to be the one to do so, as they take the green flag on the Showtime Southern 500 at the Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.

Over the years some of NASCAR’s best racing has occurred here. Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch recorded the closest finish in history back in 2003, and Kyle Busch all but knocked the wall down on his way to victory in 2008.

The infamous Darlington stripe will be out in full force Saturday and it’ll come down to which driver can earn it, but keep on going. Mark Martin is the defending winner of the event and is still looking for his first win of the 2010 season.

But Kyle Busch wants his second. After dominating and winning at Richmond last weekend, he’s ready for another Saturday night celebration. He’ll debut his No. 18 Doublemint Gum paint scheme and says he’s ready to double his fun with another win.

Will another win slip through Jeff Gordon’s fingers?

After having the best car at both Las Vegas and Texas, Gordon made mistakes that saw others get to the checkers first. Then in Martinsville, Phoenix, and Richmond, it looked like he might be able to steal one by using pit strategy but once again wasn’t able to close the deal.

He heads to Darlington where he’s a seven-time winner.

Gordon and Martin aren’t the only two Hendrick winners. Jimmie Johnson hasn’t won a race with the new spoiler but that’s got to end soon, right? No better place than a track where he’s a two-time victor and finished second at last year to Martin.

But Johnson won’t be going to Darlington as the point leader. Kevin Harvick has climbed back atop the board after his early season stint there. Harvick won Talladega and finished third at Richmond, but he’s never won at Darlington.

Then we have our Creatures who have turned it up a notch from last season. Three of them already have two wins on the season and are looking for more. After Kyle Busch dominated in Richmond it set them apart from the field and shook things up.

But can they pick the right driver to help them tame Darlington? Here’s whom they believe will do it.

 

Misan Akuya: Jamie McMurray

Jamie McMurray has had a great season performance-wise in 2010.  Won the Daytona 500 and has ran well ever since.  But has only posted one more top five and two more top ten's since.  McMurray was at least a top five car at Richmond, ran as high as third but broke a bump stop and managed to bring it home 19th.

McMurray runs well at Darlington with a win here in the Nationwide Series, and from 2003 to 2005 he scored two top fives, three top tens and led 79 laps.  Last year had a car capable of winning but cut a tire then got slammed into the wall when Brian Vickers cut a tire.  McMurray will make the chase in 2010 and his second win at a non-plate track will help that goal.

 

James Broomhead: Jeff Gordon

Quite simply, what does this man have to do to win? Pay off the flagman? Confiscate the Yellow Flag (and turn off the caution lights)?

He's been so close, so many times that he simply has to win soon, and on yet another track he is amongst the top performers on, he surely has to convert all those "nearly's" into a "there."

 

Kelly Crandall: Jimmie Johnson

Johnson’s losing streak is dragging on and he can’t be happy about it. After winning at Bristol he hasn’t been much of a factor except for a last-lap dash to second at Texas. It seems that since the spoiler has returned, its spoiled Johnson’s run.

But all good things must come to end for the competition, and it’s not going to take long for Johnson to get back to the top. In this race last year he crashed in qualifying, had to use a backup car, and still managed to finish second to teammate Mark Martin.

He’s a two-time winner at Darlington and should be in contention for his fourth win of the year this Saturday.

 

Billy Fellin:

So I'm not going to be like every other media person and automatically mention the word "knee" or "surgery" in the same sentence as the driver of the 11 car (whoops, just did). But the FedEx Toyota with Hamlin at the wheel has found victory lane in two of the past five Darlington races. I'll take that.

 

Adam Heasley: NO PICK SENT

No pick sent.

 

Christopher Leone: Jimmie Johnson

Yes, Johnson is good just about everywhere but at only three tracks does he have a better average finish than the 6.9 he’s put up in 11 Darlington starts. Two wins and nine top ten's show remarkable consistency, even for an all-world talent like Four-Time. He’s my pick for the weekend; meaning Jeff Gordon is going to put him in the wall or something. Oh well.

 

Kara Martin: Jeff Gordon

Not only does Gordon have a pretty good track record at Darlington, he is hungry for a win! Coming in second again last week in Richmond he had proven this season that he "could" be a powerful force to be reckoned with. It is time, Mr. Gordon, to show us whatcha got! Oh, and put Johnson into the wall while you are at it for good measure!

 

Dustin Parks: Jeff Gordon

Sooner or later, this guy will get in victory lane.  He's come so close, so many times but has just missed out.  But, here is a track that is his best chance yet to win.

Gordon has seven victories at Darlington, including four consecutive wins in the Southern 500 from 1995-1998.  He took home the last Winston Million bonus in 1997 after a furious battle with Jeff Burton.  Plus, just two years ago he took his seventh win despite water spewing out the overflow.

He loves this track, and he's got an attitude that has not been seen from him in years.  It's that kind of attitude that will get him a win, and this weekend could be it. I just have a good feeling about this track and that car.  I have to pull for the No. 24 National Guard Facebook/DuPont Chevrolet at the "Lady in Black."

 

Patti Rodisch: Mark Martin

It’s been somewhat of a rollercoaster start to the season for Mark Martin. Last week at Richmond his team never got their hands around the car and it showed with their lackluster finish. I think this weekend Martin will get back into form with a win at Darlington. Last year he wasn’t up front till it counted and I would not be surprised for a repeat visit to victory lane.

 

Sal Sigala Jr.: Jeff Gordon

Last week at Richmond he handed the race to Busch on a silver platter, and the week before at Dega he had a car that could have possibly won the race had it not been for the wreck he was involved in.

Frustration, anxiety, or father time catching up to him, if Gordon is running up front with one to go, expect to see either checkers or wreckers from him. He will not let another race get away from him at any cost.

 

Rob Tiongson: Jeff Gordon

At some point, his bridesmaid role has to be handed to someone else in the Cup series. Having won at Darlington seven times, you know how badly he wants to win a race again. Fittingly, he'll be driving a National Guard Chevy, driving with soul even if he's not a soldier. I look for the No. 24 to put together a victorious effort culminating in a scene we've not seen in over a year.

 

David Yeazell: Tony Stewart

Going out on a limb this week.


Point Race

Kara Martin (1,446 ) Kyle Busch won (2 )

Kelly Crandall (1.351 ) Denny Hamlin finished 11th (0 )

Sal Sigala Jr. (1,330 ) Denny Hamlin finished 11th (0 )

Billy Fellin (1,326 ) Kyle Busch won (2 )

Christopher Leone (1,305 ) Kyle Busch won (2 )

Dustin Parks (1,292  ) Denny Hamlin finished 11th (1  )

David Yeazell (1,254 ) Jimmie Johnson finished 10th (0 )

Patti Rodisch (1,182 ) Jeff Gordon finished second (0 )

Rob Tiongson (1,170 ) Clint Bowyer finished 12th (0 )

James Broomhead (1,167 ) Denny Hamlin finished 11th (1 )

Misan Akuya (1,095 ) Tony Stewart finished 23rd (0 )

Adam Heasley (792 ) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 32nd (0 )

 

Final Thoughts

After 500 miles at Darlington on Saturday night most cars are going to look like they just race 500 miles at Martinsville. Paint will be missing, letters on tires will be long gone, and the surrounding walls will have a new shade. The Darlington stripe does not discriminate; if a driver lets his guard down she’ll reach out and strike.

Qualifying at Darlington isn’t a factor that will keep a driver out of victory lane. In the last 10 races, the winner has started as high as third and as low as 31st so don’t get discouraged if your driver doesn’t do well on Friday.

Darlington also doesn’t discriminate with car makes. The last four race winners have been in a Chevrolet, Toyota, Chevrolet, and Ford. However, Dodge has not won at the track since Sterling Marlin captured the checkered flag in 2002.

 

Summary of Picks

Jeff Gordon – 5

Jimmie Johnson – 2

Denny Hamlin – 1

Jamie McMurray – 1

Mark Martin – 1

Tony Stewart – 1 

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

]]> She’s the Lady in Black and her claim to fame is that she’s too tough to tame.

Saturday night 43 of NASCAR’s best will try to be the one to do so, as they take the green flag on the Showtime Southern 500 at the Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.

Over the years some of NASCAR’s best racing has occurred here. Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch recorded the closest finish in history back in 2003, and Kyle Busch all but knocked the wall down on his way to victory in 2008.

The infamous Darlington stripe will be out in full force Saturday and it’ll come down to which driver can earn it, but keep on going. Mark Martin is the defending winner of the event and is still looking for his first win of the 2010 season.

But Kyle Busch wants his second. After dominating and winning at Richmond last weekend, he’s ready for another Saturday night celebration. He’ll debut his No. 18 Doublemint Gum paint scheme and says he’s ready to double his fun with another win.

Will another win slip through Jeff Gordon’s fingers?

After having the best car at both Las Vegas and Texas, Gordon made mistakes that saw others get to the checkers first. Then in Martinsville, Phoenix, and Richmond, it looked like he might be able to steal one by using pit strategy but once again wasn’t able to close the deal.

He heads to Darlington where he’s a seven-time winner.

Gordon and Martin aren’t the only two Hendrick winners. Jimmie Johnson hasn’t won a race with the new spoiler but that’s got to end soon, right? No better place than a track where he’s a two-time victor and finished second at last year to Martin.

But Johnson won’t be going to Darlington as the point leader. Kevin Harvick has climbed back atop the board after his early season stint there. Harvick won Talladega and finished third at Richmond, but he’s never won at Darlington.

Then we have our Creatures who have turned it up a notch from last season. Three of them already have two wins on the season and are looking for more. After Kyle Busch dominated in Richmond it set them apart from the field and shook things up.

But can they pick the right driver to help them tame Darlington? Here’s whom they believe will do it.

 

Misan Akuya: Jamie McMurray

Jamie McMurray has had a great season performance-wise in 2010.  Won the Daytona 500 and has ran well ever since.  But has only posted one more top five and two more top ten's since.  McMurray was at least a top five car at Richmond, ran as high as third but broke a bump stop and managed to bring it home 19th.

McMurray runs well at Darlington with a win here in the Nationwide Series, and from 2003 to 2005 he scored two top fives, three top tens and led 79 laps.  Last year had a car capable of winning but cut a tire then got slammed into the wall when Brian Vickers cut a tire.  McMurray will make the chase in 2010 and his second win at a non-plate track will help that goal.

 

James Broomhead: Jeff Gordon

Quite simply, what does this man have to do to win? Pay off the flagman? Confiscate the Yellow Flag (and turn off the caution lights)?

He's been so close, so many times that he simply has to win soon, and on yet another track he is amongst the top performers on, he surely has to convert all those "nearly's" into a "there."

 

Kelly Crandall: Jimmie Johnson

Johnson’s losing streak is dragging on and he can’t be happy about it. After winning at Bristol he hasn’t been much of a factor except for a last-lap dash to second at Texas. It seems that since the spoiler has returned, its spoiled Johnson’s run.

But all good things must come to end for the competition, and it’s not going to take long for Johnson to get back to the top. In this race last year he crashed in qualifying, had to use a backup car, and still managed to finish second to teammate Mark Martin.

He’s a two-time winner at Darlington and should be in contention for his fourth win of the year this Saturday.

 

Billy Fellin:

So I'm not going to be like every other media person and automatically mention the word "knee" or "surgery" in the same sentence as the driver of the 11 car (whoops, just did). But the FedEx Toyota with Hamlin at the wheel has found victory lane in two of the past five Darlington races. I'll take that.

 

Adam Heasley: NO PICK SENT

No pick sent.

 

Christopher Leone: Jimmie Johnson

Yes, Johnson is good just about everywhere but at only three tracks does he have a better average finish than the 6.9 he’s put up in 11 Darlington starts. Two wins and nine top ten's show remarkable consistency, even for an all-world talent like Four-Time. He’s my pick for the weekend; meaning Jeff Gordon is going to put him in the wall or something. Oh well.

 

Kara Martin: Jeff Gordon

Not only does Gordon have a pretty good track record at Darlington, he is hungry for a win! Coming in second again last week in Richmond he had proven this season that he "could" be a powerful force to be reckoned with. It is time, Mr. Gordon, to show us whatcha got! Oh, and put Johnson into the wall while you are at it for good measure!

 

Dustin Parks: Jeff Gordon

Sooner or later, this guy will get in victory lane.  He's come so close, so many times but has just missed out.  But, here is a track that is his best chance yet to win.

Gordon has seven victories at Darlington, including four consecutive wins in the Southern 500 from 1995-1998.  He took home the last Winston Million bonus in 1997 after a furious battle with Jeff Burton.  Plus, just two years ago he took his seventh win despite water spewing out the overflow.

He loves this track, and he's got an attitude that has not been seen from him in years.  It's that kind of attitude that will get him a win, and this weekend could be it. I just have a good feeling about this track and that car.  I have to pull for the No. 24 National Guard Facebook/DuPont Chevrolet at the "Lady in Black."

 

Patti Rodisch: Mark Martin

It’s been somewhat of a rollercoaster start to the season for Mark Martin. Last week at Richmond his team never got their hands around the car and it showed with their lackluster finish. I think this weekend Martin will get back into form with a win at Darlington. Last year he wasn’t up front till it counted and I would not be surprised for a repeat visit to victory lane.

 

Sal Sigala Jr.: Jeff Gordon

Last week at Richmond he handed the race to Busch on a silver platter, and the week before at Dega he had a car that could have possibly won the race had it not been for the wreck he was involved in.

Frustration, anxiety, or father time catching up to him, if Gordon is running up front with one to go, expect to see either checkers or wreckers from him. He will not let another race get away from him at any cost.

 

Rob Tiongson: Jeff Gordon

At some point, his bridesmaid role has to be handed to someone else in the Cup series. Having won at Darlington seven times, you know how badly he wants to win a race again. Fittingly, he'll be driving a National Guard Chevy, driving with soul even if he's not a soldier. I look for the No. 24 to put together a victorious effort culminating in a scene we've not seen in over a year.

 

David Yeazell: Tony Stewart

Going out on a limb this week.


Point Race

Kara Martin (1,446 ) Kyle Busch won (2 )

Kelly Crandall (1.351 ) Denny Hamlin finished 11th (0 )

Sal Sigala Jr. (1,330 ) Denny Hamlin finished 11th (0 )

Billy Fellin (1,326 ) Kyle Busch won (2 )

Christopher Leone (1,305 ) Kyle Busch won (2 )

Dustin Parks (1,292  ) Denny Hamlin finished 11th (1  )

David Yeazell (1,254 ) Jimmie Johnson finished 10th (0 )

Patti Rodisch (1,182 ) Jeff Gordon finished second (0 )

Rob Tiongson (1,170 ) Clint Bowyer finished 12th (0 )

James Broomhead (1,167 ) Denny Hamlin finished 11th (1 )

Misan Akuya (1,095 ) Tony Stewart finished 23rd (0 )

Adam Heasley (792 ) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 32nd (0 )

 

Final Thoughts

After 500 miles at Darlington on Saturday night most cars are going to look like they just race 500 miles at Martinsville. Paint will be missing, letters on tires will be long gone, and the surrounding walls will have a new shade. The Darlington stripe does not discriminate; if a driver lets his guard down she’ll reach out and strike.

Qualifying at Darlington isn’t a factor that will keep a driver out of victory lane. In the last 10 races, the winner has started as high as third and as low as 31st so don’t get discouraged if your driver doesn’t do well on Friday.

Darlington also doesn’t discriminate with car makes. The last four race winners have been in a Chevrolet, Toyota, Chevrolet, and Ford. However, Dodge has not won at the track since Sterling Marlin captured the checkered flag in 2002.

 

Summary of Picks

Jeff Gordon – 5

Jimmie Johnson – 2

Denny Hamlin – 1

Jamie McMurray – 1

Mark Martin – 1

Tony Stewart – 1 

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

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