Pensacola, Fla. - Johanna Long outlasted two late-race cautions and overtime to clinch the 43rd Annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway on Dec. 5.

The eighteen-year-old became just the second female winner (Tammy Jo Kirk, 1994) and youngest overall to hoist the Tom Dawson trophy. The Pensacola native survived 32 additional laps beyond the 300 scheduled as Five Flags Speedway must finish with five green flag laps, non-consecutive and can not finish under yellow-flag conditions.

Confused? I was too. More on that later this week.

Long, who decided the race could not be won on old tires, pitted for new ones on lap 290, hoping for additional laps. Her gambit paid off, restarting tenth and methodically raced her way to the front, passing Donnie Wilson for the lead on lap 315. She survived two more restarts before the five-lap rule could be satisfied en route to capturing her first Snowball Derby.

"This is what I've dreamed of ever since I started racing," Long said. "It is my family's dream and I couldn't have done it without them - my dad, mom and sisters, my aunts and uncles and grandparents. They were all supporting us in the garage tonight. I'm speechless, and it's the best Christmas present I could ever get.  My nephew was born today too so we're joking that if we weren't a racing family before - wow - we really are now!  

"I can't wait to see what's next."

Next she hopes is a full-time truck series ride. Long previosly drove in six truck races for Billy Ballew Motorsports in 2010 with a best finish of 17th at O'Reily Raceway Park. Long requires a sponsorship package if she plans to run the full season. Defeating the likes of David Ragan, David Stremme and Chase Elliott should help the cause.

Long started fourth behind pole-sitter Cale Gale, formerly of Kevin Harvick Inc. Landon Cassill and Snowflake 100 winner Chase Elliott also started in the top ten.

Elliott led 61 laps during the middle stages but faltered after sundown. Elliott was gathered himself back to make a late-race charge but was spun by Landon Cassill just before overtime.

Bubba Pollard also led late before being spun hard into turn two by Donnie Wilson. Mike Garvey led for a total 55 laps but was involved in several cautions before finishing 12th. Even two-time winner Augie Grill had his day ended by a late crash.

"It's a tough race," Garvey said. "It's a race that requires aggression and patience at the same time."

Just 12 of the starting 37 teams finished the race.

Previous winners of the event, first held in 1968, include Darrell Waltrip, Donnie Allison, Steve Wallace and Kyle Busch, the winner of the 2009 event.

Busch, who would have had a guaranteed spot in the field as reigning champion, did not compete this year.

Quotables:

"We're here to win. We would not have come down here unless we felt like we could take home the win. -Chase Elliott, pre-race introductions.

"I'm coming in. We're not winning unless we have fresh tires. Passing is just too hard." -Johann Long, with less than 15 laps to go.

The finishing order and photos can be found after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

My Snowball Derby recap is long overdue. And I'll wrap that puppy up soon. But first, please allow for a little Gonzo Journalism.

I've got to explain why there was a delay in the first place. My stay at Five Flags Speedway was not entirely a pleasant one.

Pensacola Police failed to capture a mysterious tire slasher who cut over 50 fans' tires over the weekend. My Chevy Silverado's tires were amongst 15 gashed on Saturday. According to tailgaters, several fans were angry over parking conditions at the speedway and punctured tires in response.

On Sunday, Marines who assisted race officials would not allow select media, including yours truly, trackside to conduct post-race interviews. All of this despite my pretty green credentials and blue wrist band, citing the marine not being notified of my being allowed in victory lane.

What's past is past. Nothing more can be done nor do I want anything. But changes have to be made before next season's Snowball Derby. Fans will remember this sort of thing when their ticket renewals come around.

If the Snowball experiences criminal activity next year, it would be like taking one step forward and two steps back. Before the Bryant family purchased the speedway, Five Flags was at risk of being shut down and the Snowball discontinued.

Several seasons saw only the Snowball ran in Pensacola; No regular season racing for any division. The speedway was considered a sub-par facility before the Bryant purchase.

The Speedway is one of the top short track destinations in the Southeast. Let's band together and keep it that way.

Matt Weaver is the Sports Editor for The Vanguard (USA) and can be reached at jmatthewweaver(at)aol.com

UPDATE: NASCAR driver Scott Speed filed a $6.5 million breach-of-contract lawsuit Friday afternoon against Red Bull Racing, the team that released Speed following the 2010 season. In the lawsuit, filed in North Carolina Superior Court in Statesville, N.C., Speed claims that Red Bull did not fund the team as necessary to compete at the Cup level. According to the lawsuit, Speed signed a three-year deal in September 2007 for a salary of $300,000 in 2008, $500,000 in 2009 and $1 million in 2010. He would receive 50 percent of prize money for each top-10 finish, 45 percent for finishes 11th-20th and 40 percent of prize money for finishes of 21st or worse. In June 2008, the deal was amended to include 2011 at a salary of $1.5 million and options for 2012-2013 at raises of $500,000 annually. In January 2010, the deal was revised to cut Speed's pay from $1 million to $500,000 for 2010, according to the complaint. In May 2010, Red Bull picked up Speed's option through 2013, according to the complaint, but then fired him Nov. 23. The $6.5 million figure represents the salary Speed would have received from 2011-2013, in addition to the $500,000 reduction for 2010. Speed said Wednesday that the filing of the lawsuit was in hopes of being able to pay bills due next year, given that the chances of now getting a ride for 2011 are slim

Can't say I didn't see this one coming.

Scott Speed, former driver of the Team Red Bull no. 82, publicly announced a lawsuit against his former employers on Wednesday. Speed was let go by the organization that he has driven for since its Formula One inception in 2006.

Tweeting to his followers on Twitter, Speed said, "today should be the day my lawyer files this lawsuit against Red Bull...Had to tell my loyal twitter followers before they saw it online".

In a later post he made clear that he is looking for a ride for next season, "Sure not easy to find something when u start looking in December but we workin on it! Ill keep ya posted. sure we will find something".

In 2008, Speed made the jump from open-wheel cars to the Arca/ReMax Series for TRD (through Eddie Sharp Racing), winning four races in that same year. Speed has also enjoyed success in the Camping World Truck Series, having won a single race in four tries.

His Cup career has not ran as smoothly. He finished 30th in Sprint Cup standings, a disappointment for a team who made the Chase for the Championship with Brian Vickers in 2009. But Speed was disappointed over the way he was let go, telling Scene Daily:

“I’m obviously stupid disappointed that I didn’t even get a phone call, not a conversation, not anything from anyone from Austria,” Speed said Wednesday in a phone interview. “They all showed up at Miami. None of them spoke a word to me. I got a fax.”

Speed has said he had a contract for 2011 declined to discuss details, saying he has spoken to a lawyer about his options.

“I can’t describe how upset I am just over the morality of it,” Speed said. “I don’t understand how you can treat people like this. Whatever. I know that’s not how I treat people.”

We spoke with Speed last February and asked him if he had the support of Team Red Bull in his ongoing NASCAR tutelage. His response seemed overly optimistic.

"I know 110 percent that Red Bull has my back," Speed said. "I've known these guys for a long time. We're both really excited about this deal moving forward."

The season began with high promise for Speed, who had three top-20 finishes in the first four races to reach 12th in points, even leading a large stretch at Daytona. But he struggled after that, posting just four top-20 finishes in the next 12 events.

Speed has been replaced by former Richard Petty Motorsports Driver, Kasey Kahne in 2011. Vickers suffered blood clots in May and should finally be healthy enough to return by next February's season-opening Daytona 500.

Matt Weaver is the Sports Editor for The Vanguard (USA) and can be reached at jmatthewweaver(at)aol.com

Pensacola, Fla. - We're living in Chase Elliott's world. We just don't know it yet.

Elliott drove from deep in the field to win the Allen Turner Snowflake 100 at Five Flags Speedway on Saturday night.

Elliott had his Snowflake 100 qualifying time rejected after his car was found illegal in post race tech inspection. Race officials ruled that the nose of his Ford was too low and his starting time was revoked. The penalty forced Elliott to race his way into the Snowflake via the last chance race.

Elliott started that race eighth of eight cars and battled his way to the front, taking the lead on lap 10 of 25. The 15-year old son of Bill Elliott would run away over the final 15 laps to win the heat and start 31st in the Snowflake 100 .

Augie Grill dominated the feature before dropping off over the final third of the race. Grill would eventually settle for seventh place.

Elliott passed Bubba Pollard for the lead on lap 86 and never looked back.

"It just shows how hard we worked for this thing," said Elliott. "To have as many problems today as we've had and to comeback from them all, I'm just really thankful. We've been really fast here all year and I really felt like we were too loose at times."

Pollard finished third while Charlotte's Landon Cassill took home second. Cassill's car was later disqualified in tech inspection after his right side was found to be too light.

"I'm not mad at all," said Cassill. "We ran a really good race just to get to second place. Things just happen sometime and we're really looking forward to tomorrow."

As is the rest of the late model racing community.

Elliott starts on the outside of row five on Sunday afternoon and has one of the better chances at winning the 43rd Annual Snowball Derby. Should he win, the legend could very well begin here in Pensacola. This just may be the stuff of greatness.

Matt Weaver is the Sports Editor for the Vanguard (USA) and can be reached at jmatthewweaver(at)aol.com

Additional photos and a complete running order can be found after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Qualifying is in the books and Cale Gale is your pole sitter for Sunday's Snowball Derby.

For 33 drivers, the consummation of a dream is just one step away on Sunday. For those 21 drivers that just missed out on qualifying on time, the clock is ticking and one race will change the fates of four drivers.

Saturday night at 6 p.m. will mark the last chance race for all drivers who could not make the race on speed. The 50-lap sprint will be spearheaded by Scott Hantz (16.772) who just fell just short of the bubble by qualifying in the 31st position. Joining him on the front row will be Ryan Blaney, son of former Sprint Cup Series competitor Dave Blaney.

The top-four finishers will make it into Sunday's Snowball Derby.

Kyle-caustic

According to Speed51's coverage of the Snowball Derby, Kyle Busch is still finalizing plans to make it to Pensacola for Sunday's race. With only one Kyle Busch Motorsports entry (T.J. Reaid's no. 51), Busch would likely be here as a spectator only.

Allen Turner Snowflake 100

The Snowflake 100 is a Snowball Derby enhancement race ran using the less powerful Pro Late Models. The Snowball Derby runs the Super Late Models on Sunday and is 200 laps long. To further differentiate the Snowflake 100 from the Derby, the Saturday race is a 100-lap, just green flags count showcase. Several Snowball drivers, including Landon Cassill,  Augie Grill, Johanna Long, Eddie Mercer and Chase Elliott are set to participate.

The Allen Turner Snowflake 100 is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. CST or 45 minutes following the conclusion of the Last Chance Race.

A starting lineup for Saturday's Last Chance race can be found after the fold.

Continue reading this post »

Update 10:15 p.m. CST: According to track officials, Gary Balough's 16.333 record lap is not counted as the record for this event because there were different rules at that time. In other words, Gale is the sole owner of the race record.

Cale Gale has won the pole for the 43rd Annual Snowball Derby.

Gale's qualifying time of 16.335 also tied Gary Balough's Snowball qualifying record. The pole is Gale's second at the Derby, also having set the pace in 2007. Remarkably, Gale's pole-setting performance took only one lap. His car failed to meet centerline templates in pre-race tech inspection and was penalized one of his two qualifying laps.

Gale, 25 and a Mobile Ala. native, is a developmental driver for Kevin Harvick Inc.

"I don't know if I could have gone any faster but I actually missed my mark on turns one and two," Gale said.

Gale was the 25th driver to hit the track and unseated Donnie Wilson's time of 16.484.

"I left it all on the track out there," Wilson said. "We have a great car for Sunday and we're excited about what's next."

Wilson will start seventh on the outside of row four.

More information and complete results can be found after the jump!

Continue reading this post »

The above photograph features Kyle Busch and Johanna Long. Could we see a repeat of this on Sunday at the Snowball Derby?

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The Snowball Derby is often called the Daytona 500 of short track racing.

A lot like the Great American Race, the Snowball is difficult to access. But unlike Daytona, the 2010 Snowball Derby has 58 entries gunning for 37 starting spots. So getting into the Snowball Derby is no simple task. But there is guaranteed starting spots for exceptional race winners.

For example, the previous race winner receives an automatic berth into this year's race. If defending race winner Kyle Busch manages to appear in Pensacola before Friday qualifying, he'll have one of the guaranteed 37 starting positions.

The rest of the procedure is better described by Jamie Secola of the Pensacola News Journal.

"The top 30 qualifying times among 58 drivers entered will make Sunday's field. Each driver gets two qualifying laps around the half-mile, high banked oval. Their fastest lap of the two is their qualifying time.

Those who don't qualify will try and finish in the top four of a 50-lap, last-chance race on Saturday afternoon. There will be other provisional positions, based on points by top Blizzard Series finishers. Last year, a field of 37 cars started the 2009 Snowball Derby."

The Blizzard Series is a five-race Snowball Derby Qualifying Series held during the summer in Pensacola. This year's champion is 15-year old Chase Elliott, son of former Cup Series Champion Bill Elliott. Elliott also finished seventh in last season's event.

Qualifying for Sunday's Snowball Derby is Friday night at 6 p.m. C.T. Live results can be accessed via Twitter @4ever3 and @USAVGSPORTS.

Matt Weaver is the Sports Editor for the Vanguard (USA) and can be reached at jmatthewweaver(at)aol.com

This Week in Ford racing
November 30, 2010

David Ragan, driver of the No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion, will begin his off-season from Sprint Cup racing by participating in the Snowball Derby, a 300-lap super late model stock car race held annually at the half-mile Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. The race has been contested every year since 1968 and is always run on the first weekend in December. Ragan talked about his plans for the Derby, the car he built for the race and what his other off-season plans are.

For those that are not familiar with its history, what exactly is the Snowball Derby all about?

"The Snowball Derby is the biggest late model race in the country. They will have 75 or 80 cars for the Super Late Model race and another 50 or so for the Two-Barrel race. The best of the best have been down there and have won it. A lot of guys from Rusty Wallace to Darrell Waltrip to basically everybody that has raced short tracks before have gone down and raced and won the snowball. I have never been down there, and I have built a late model car over the last off -season just to go race around the Southeast and I thought, 'Heck, let's go down here and run it.'"

The race has become pretty popular with Cup drivers recently with Kyle Busch winning last year. What is the appeal?

"We are all racers and we want to go race with the best of the best. We don't get a chance to run every weekend like a lot of these guys do. The first Cup off weekend in December there is usually no racing going on, so this is the perfect time of year to go race. It is the best of the best of short track racers down there. It is going to be a challenge. If it was going to be a cake walk I don't think anybody would want to go down there. It is a tough race. For me, it is all about learning something else, being competitive and seeing what I've got. By no means do I think we are going to go down there and win just because I race a Sprint Cup car. These guys will probably teach me a lot."

"You mentioned building your own late model for the Snowball?

"It's a straight rail late model car. It is a Ford with a 700 horsepower, 358 engine in it. It is similar to our Cup cars. The race cars only weigh 2,700 pounds, so it is about 500 pounds lighter than what our Cup car is. The cars are fast, they are hard to drive, but they look cool. Our Fusion that we will take down there is sporty and slick and it is going to be fun. I am teaming up with Richie Waters, who is a great late model racer and the crew chief for Aric Almirola on the Craftsman Truck side and he will help me out a lot. It is fun, but we all are competitive and want to win."

Outside of the Snowball, what are the rest of your off season plans?

"The biggest thing is to spend time with my family. So much over the racing season they are always second or third. Anytime I can spend some time with my girlfriend or go back home to Georgia and spend a few weeks seeing my grandparents really means a lot. Once Daytona rolls around we are testing and I just don't get a chance to see them. If I get to see them for a few weeks around Christmas and make sure I don't miss out on any good Christmas gifts, that is a good off-season. If I get a chance to go race or go on a trip or do something else, it is a bonus."

-Source: ford racing

After hyping the race last week, we'll now look at who has the inside shot at actually winning Sunday afternoon's Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla.

2009 race-winner Kyle Busch is likely unable to attend the 2010 race, meaning we could easily have a new champion crowned on Sunday. In looking at possible contenders, we'll separate the most likely winners into two categories.

The first is composed of long-time local entrants who have raced at Five Flags for at least three years. Several members of this group have even raced at the speedway for several decades. The second group consists of drivers with large enough financial backings, giving them a shot at overcoming even the most experienced of local drivers. We'll start with the latter group:

Kyle Busch Motorsports: Team-owner Kyle will be attending the Cup Series Championship banquet on Friday and has an outside shot of driving the no. 51 Toyota Camry on Sunday.  KBM has two entries with T.J. Reaid expected to race the second car. KBM has competed in the Snowball for half a decade and has brought powerful machines, capable of winning, each season. Busch, Reaid or any other combination of KBM drivers will lead this group on Sunday.

David Stremme: This is only Stremme's second Snowball Derby after competing in last season's event. Stremme lacks the experience that most other divers have but has an engine built by two-time Snowball winning team Augie and Frankie Grill. The Grills helped build both cars and has been successful at Five Flags in the past. Keep an eye out for Stremme in 2010's event.

Ross Kenseth: Kenseth, the son of former NASCAR Cup Series champion Matt, qualified on the outside pole for the 2009 Snowball Derby and has an excellent shot at the front row again on Friday. Kenseth struggled with a ill-handling machine and avoided several accidents to finish 12th. The Wisconsin State Champion expects this year's race to end much differently.

Chase Elliott: The 15-year old prodigal son of former NASCAR Cup Series Champion Bill Elliott has turned a lot of heads in the world of late model racing, having secured several top wins across the country. At 14-years old, Chase turned even more heads at last year's Snowball Derby, securing seventh place in that race. Elliott is also the youngest winner of a race at Lanier Speedway and is the youngest winner in the Georgia Asphalt Series, having also won their Season Championship and Rookie of the Year honors. If you think that Elliott is done breaking records, think again. Elliott just might be poised to become the youngest Snowball Derby Champion ever.

The local drivers' chances can be found after the jump!

Continue reading this post »

The NASCAR season ended on Sunday but that doesn't mean that the racing has to. In fact, some of the better independent short track races take place after the season. Thus allowing some of NASCAR's best to take place.

One such race is the Snowball Derby.

It's considered by many to be the most prestigious short track race in America. And with previous winners named Allison, Wallace, Waltrip and Busch, why shouldn't it be?

The event has been won by two NASCAR Cup Series champions, five Sprint Cup Series and four Camping World Truck Series race winners.

The 43rd Annual Snowball Derby features Kyle Busch Motorsports (TBA), Steve Wallace, Bobby Gill, Chase Elliott, Ross Kenseth, David Stremme, David Ragan, Landon Cassill and Nationwide Series newcomer Johanna Long.

These drivers and more will compete at Five Flags Speedway, a half-mile oval located in Pensacola, Fla. that has been home to NASCAR, ASA, and USCS sprint car racing.

The track is best known for it's Bristol-like bumper-car action and high-banked (15°) turns. The straightaways are also banked to the tune of 9°, creating an exciting on-track product.

Kyle Busch won the race last season but is unable to defend his crown for the Dec. 5 event. That's because he'll be in Las Vegas attending the Sprint Cup Series Championship banquet. He's there by virtue of finishing third in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings.

Instead Busch will be represented by two Super Late Model entries with T.J. Reaid as the driver of one car.

Three other former Snowball Derby winners are entered, including two-time race winner Augie Grill, Eddie Mercer and Dave Mader III, who last won the event in 1978.

NASCAR Ranting and Raving will attend Five Flags Speedway all week providing video, images and sound. A raceday open thread will be posted on Sunday Dec. 5 for all interested parties.

Beneath the fold is a list of past winners and the entry list for this week's events.

Continue reading this post »

When Kasey Kahne stepped out of his trashed Budweiser Ford on Saturday, there was no way he was going back into it.

Kahne said that he threw up following Saturday's race and felt like he had no need to get back in a racecar that didn't meet his standards.

It's the third time this season that Kahne's Richard Petty Motorsports brakes had failed him, and the second time in just three races. Kahne had reportedly refused to drive the car afterward and J.J Yeley finished the race, finishing in the 38^th position.

"I just lost it. I was mad. I came into the race thinking we had a shot to win, thinking we had a good car in practice, we had a good shot," Kahne said. "It went green. We were a little bit tight, but still actually passed cars and really felt good.

"And then boom, my brakes are gone. [My feet goes straight to the floor]. It bottoms out. It's a joke."

The accident came just before an altercation with an RPM crew member who told Kahne that he needed to start doing his part.

"I was told...to start doing my part, right after the race, and I told him he needs to do his part," Kahne said. "I mean, I can't control the issues. I don't know how many parts I've broken, how many shifter handles, control arms, brakes. If I really thought about it, I could come up with all kinds of stuff.

"I can't control that as a driver. I'm doing my part. I just need the car."

Kahne has clearly burned a bridge with RPM and will leave them at the end of the season. He'll join Team Red Bull for a one-year near-sabbatical before moving to Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.

Robbie Loomis, the competition director for RPM was more sympathetic to Kahne.

"Kasey wasn't feeling good, and we're trying to keep the car in the top 20 in owner points, so we put Yeley in there," said Loomis. "We're thankful to JJ for doing that."

Yeley was the race's first DNF and finished in 43^rd for Tommy Baldwin Racing.

It appears that the sanctioning body has been fairly busy over the past 24 hours.

The fuel and fuel injection systems for the 2011 season has been decided upon as well as a new nose and splitter for two top chasis manufacturers. The Nationwide points battle was all but decided on Friday night but another top Nationwide driver just may have secured a ride for 2011.

Keep reading after the jump for all the juicy details.

Continue reading this post »

Well this is interesting.

It was reported this week that 7-Eleven would not return in 2011 to sponsor Tony Kannan in the IndyCar Series. Instead the package would move over to Andretti teammate Danica Patrick.

Most curious is that SI's Bruce Martin is reporting that 7-Eleven is reportedly interested in becoming Jeff Gordon's primary sponsor in 2011.

This makes a lot of sense for both drivers.

Patrick is affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports in NASCAR and thus would be a perfect relationship to transfer from Gordon onto Patrick when she makes her big step to Sprint Cup, presumably in 2013, when her latest Andretti deal ends.

For Gordon, the four-time champion would have a viable partner to finish his career with and could still keep Dupont in a limited role in 2011 for historical value. 7-Eleven would market both Gordon and the sport to a different demographic than Dupont ever could and Gordon's brand will be stronger as a result.

Having Danica take over Gordon's colors lends an air of credibility to the IndyCar star and should help build Patrick up to the fans of her new employer.

7-Eleven makes a ton of sense for all parties involved. Hendrick Motorsports must jump on this, should there be any truth to the opportunity.

Matt Weaver is the Sports Editor for the Vanguard (USA) and can be reached at jmatthewweaver(at)aol.com

Running fourth in the Chase and with only one victory over the past three seasons, has Jeff Gordon become just another face?

As a young boy, I was enamored by Gordon’s mystique. The California Kid took NASCAR by storm and by the end of the 90’s, had become a cultural phenom.

In what still seems like a passing of the torch, Richard Petty retired on the same afternoon as Gordon’s first start.

Fans would later call it was symbolic and fitting - the dawn of a new era.

Armed with master crew chief Ray Evernham, Gordon was unstoppable. He would win 47 races and three championships from 1995-1998 and would even dethrone the legendary Dale Earnhardt.

By 2000, Evernham had left to start his own race team but the magic was still there. Gordon and new crew chief Robbie Loomis won 23 races together, even capturing Gordon’s last crown in 2001.

But the times have changed. Gordon is still popular amongst fans and the media but just isn’t the same force.The consistency is still there, given his 12 runner-up finishes over the past three seasons. Yet the wins just will not come.

Most blame it on current crew chief Steve Letarte. His mechanical miscues have far outweighed his success but a driver of Jeff Gordon’s caliber must be held accountable.

Letarte gave Gordon a winning car for each of those 12 races but Jeff has been unable to close the door.

This is especially true on restarts and Overdrive finishes. Gordon just doesn’t have the aggressive drive that is needed to win in 2010.

Things had best change soon. Gordon is still NASCAR’s second most popular driver (behind Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and could even win the 2010 championship without a victory.

But short of a fifth title, Gordon’s stock will continue to fall.

It’s obvious to most that Steve Letarte just isn’t working. It’s time to cut ties, especially given the success of Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus.

It’s not that Letarte is a failed crew chief. He’s not. Letarte has worked at HMS since 1996 (at age 16) and has been groomed for the job by both Evernham and Loomis. Letarte’s typically loose set-ups just aren’t working for Gordon. In other words: "It’s not you, it’s me".

Gordon likely has five more years left in his legendary career. Drastic changes must be made or else something sadder will happen:

Jeff will become just another has-been legend.

Fearless leader is out today, charging me with getting you guys a race thread. The closest Chase in recent memory continues today and without further ado, here's today's hot topics!

Jamie McMurray captured the pole (185.285 mph) for today's Pepsi Max 400, at the Auto Club Speedway. The money driver of 2010 earned his seventh career pole and sixth of 2010 with a qualifying time of 38.859.

MacMurray has had a solid season and could easily win Sunday's race. That being said, all focus from here has to be on the Chase for the Championship.

Jimmie Johnson's name is often invoked with 'championship'. After qualifying eighth, Johnson (183.702/39.194 s)could easily put the early claim on his fifth title with a strong run on Sunday.

The notoriously slow-to-qualify Matt Kenseth shocked the California crowd, becoming the top qualifying Chaser with a 184.096/ 39.110 qualifying time. The 11th place chaser needs a strong run on Sunday if he's to stay in Championship contention. Kenseth has always been strong in the spring event at Auto Club Speedway but will need a fall win if he's to get back in the championship picture.

Denny Hamlin is is going to have to come from deep in the field if he is to take back the Championship lead. Look for him to make it close.

Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards have put themselves in a solid position entering Auto Club Speedway but both need a win if they are going to win the title. Will today be the day?

Find out after the jump!

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