SB Nation User Blog: tylerhead24

Johnson Kisses the Bricks Again

tylerhead24 — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:52:33 -0000

There were two things that stayed consistent the entire weekend at Indianapolis: tire wear was an issue, and Jimmie Johnson had the dominant car. Johnson led three out of four practice sessions and earned the pole on Saturday, and was the favorite heading into the Allstate 400 on Sunday.

Throughout the race tire wear continued to be an issue, as competition yellows were thrown about every ten laps so teams could put fresh rubber on their cars. Nearly every restart Johnson ran away from the field, as he lead 71 of 160 laps, and this was no exception on the final restart when he left Carl Edwards behind before earning the win.

On the final restart Johnson, along with almost everyone else, took two tires, the first time he had all race. That final stop saw Johnson get in front of Denny Hamlin and Edwards, giving him vital track position for the final restart.

"I knew what we were setting up for," Johnson said of the final stop. "I just can't say enough about this race car all weekend long."

It was Johnson's second win in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in three years, and he became just the second Nascar driver to win the race from the pole, a feat first accomplished by Kevin Harvick in 2003.

Several drivers trying to make the Chase had poor finishes at Indianapolis. Kevin Harvick was the first of that group to take a hit, as his car slammed into the wall after contact with Kurt Busch on lap 14, as he finished 37th.

Then Matt Kenseth had tire issues on the backstretch on lap 47, as his right-rear tire blew, ripping his quarter-panel to shreds. Kenseth would limp around the track and finish 38th. Brian Vickers suffered a blown engine just past the halfway point, leaving him with a 42nd place finish, while Tony Stewart fell from 4th to 23rd late.

This left Kevin Harvick outside the top-12 in points to 13th., two points behind twelth, and Matt Kenseth falling to 11th in points, in the Chase field by just six points. Tony Stewart still has a slight cusion with 39 points between him and Harvick, while Brian Vickers' hopes of being this years Cinderella may have blown up with his motor, as he's now 15th in points, 132 behind 12th place with just six races remaining.

At the end of the day Goodyear's quickly wearing tires were as much of a story as Johnson's big win. This isn't the first time this season Goodyear's tires haven't been optimal for racing, at Atlanta earlier this year when the tire compound was so hard there was almost no grip.

"We came with the best tire we had for the conditions and we fell short. We'll try to get it right," said Greg Stucker, director of race tire sales for Goodyear. "I don't think anybody likes to race like this, us included. We'll do what we can to make it better."

Power Rankings: Indianapolis

tylerhead24 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:44:13 -0000

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the most hallowed ground in auto-racing. The Brickyard is a place where a win means your own place in history, and anything else is just a failed try. This Sunday the elite drivers of Nascar storm through Indy's corners for a 15th time, with 160 laps before claiming a win at the Brickyard.

1. Kyle Busch

He led the most laps and passed Jimmie Johnson on the final restart to earn his seventh win of the season at Chicagoland, and he's earned a top-10 in every start at Indianapolis, including a 4th last year. It's nearly impossible to find a reason Kyle Busch WON'T win on Sunday.

2. Matt Kenseth

Kenseth recovered from a flat tire that put him a lap down to finish 7th at Chicagoland, his ninth top-10 in the last ten races. A win is just around the corner for Matt, maybe at Indy where he's earned four top-5's.

3. Tony Stewart

Stewart ran a good race all night long and finished a much needed 5th, going from 12th to 10th in points. Stewart has won two of the last three races at Indianapolis, and would love to be the first driver to earn back-to-back wins there.

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt had a terrible car at Chicagoland, but managed to stay on the lead lap and finish 16th. In eight career starts at Indianapolis, Earnhardt has earned two top-10's paired with two DNF's.

5. Carl Edwards

Edwards had one of the cars to beat at Chicagoland, but when one of the brackets supporting his splitter snapped he fell from contention, finishing a disappointing 32nd. Edwards has an average finish of 13th at the Brickyard in three starts.

6. Jeff Gordon

Gordon had an average car at Chicagoland, and mustered an 11th place finish. Gordon is still searching for his first win of 2008, and if he could earn it at the Brickyard it would be his 5th win there.

7. Jeff Burton

After finishing in the top-15 in all of the first 17 races, Burton has now finished 37th and 19th in the most recent two. Indianapolis isn't the best place for him to turn things around, with just three top-10's in 14 career starts.

8. Greg Biffle

With his fourth place finish Biffle climbed four spots to 7th in the points standings. The 4th place finish was his first top-5 in five races. In five career starts at Indy Biffle has only earned one top-10.

9. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson came so close to earning his second win of the season, as he was running away from Kyle Busch before the final caution. This shows, however, that Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus have greatly improved their COT program, which may lead to a 2nd win in the Brickyard 400.

10. Brian Vickers

Vickers had yet another strong run at Chicagoland, finishing 6th, his seventh straight finish of 16th or better. Vickers is now within 95 points of 12th, and as he continues to run strong he may just contend at Indy.

Other Notables:

11. Kevin Harvick- Harvick finished 3rd at Chicagoland, and would like to continue that success at the Brickyard, where he won in 2003.

12. Denny Hamlin- Hamlin has fallen to 12th in points, and desperately needs to perform at Indy, where he has a top-10 in two starts.

13. Juan Pablo Montoya- Montoya finished 2nd in his first start in a stock car at Indy last year.

14. Kasey Kahne- Finished a solid 15th at Chicagoland, and would like to get a strong finish at Indy, where he has two top-5's.

15. Sam Hornish Jr.- He'll make his first start at Indy in a stock car. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 2006.

Nascar Restricting Toyota Engines, the Wrong Decision?

tylerhead24 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:19:18 -0000

On Wednesday Nascar made an attempt to even the competition of the Nationwide Series by ordering all teams using Toyota engines to use a small restrictor, which will knock off about 15 horsepower.

If you ask me, this is wrong and unfair to the teams using Toyota motors. The only reason this has come to be is because of the success of Joe Gibbs Racing cars in the Nationwide Series, in particular the #20 car which has found victory lane 9 times. This frequent success has led to the assumption that Toyota has some sort of advantage, though Joe Gibbs Racing has provided all but one of Toyota's victories, the other coming from Braun Racing with Kyle Busch behind the wheel.

It would be understandable to think there was an overwhelming advantage if Morgan Shepherd switched to Toyota and suddenly started leading 50 laps a race and running lap times two-tenths quicker than anyone else in the field, but that's not the case. Talented drivers such as Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and the young Joey Logano are getting behind well-setup cars and using them to their full potential.

Of course, even if there is a horsepower advantage for Joe Gibbs Racing over the entire field, critics will claim the success only comes because of that. Well according to the engine tests Nascar performed on the Nationwide engines a couple of weeks ago, Toyota had a 21 horsepower advantage over Ford, 20 over Chevrolet and only 5 over Dodge. However, the individual motor results showed Roush/Fenway Racing's #16 and #17 car's Ford motors both in front of the #20's, which has had the overwhelming success.

If those two Ford motors generated more horsepower than the #20, obviously horsepower isn't the reason it's won all of those races this year. And even if it was, this is Nascar, and in Nascar you are supposed to prepare your equipment to perform at the best level possible, and if you're in front of the competition it's up to your competitors to step-up their performance, rather than Nascar's responsibility to lower your performance.

Regardless Joe Gibbs Racing will still be a threat to win the remaining races this season despite the lost horsepower. Something similar to this happened back in 1997 when Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports were winning all of those races in the Cup Series. They decreased how big the rear spoiler could be for all Chevrolets, but in the end Gordon still went on to win ten races, even after the adjustment had been made.

Success in this sport doesn't come just because of an advantage in one area like horsepower or downforce, it comes from high performance in all areas, and until the other teams improve on all areas of their team, Joe Gibbs Racing will continue to win, despite the lost horsepower.

Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Contenders

tylerhead24 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:27:30 -0000

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the most hallowed grounds in auto racing. On July 27th, Nascar's elite will visit the speedway for the 15th time, as one driver will etch his name into history books, and get the chance to kiss the bricks. Here are the likely contenders:

Toyota:

Tony Stewart-

A native of Indiana, Tony Stewart has contended for the win at Indianapolis almost every time he's raced there, especially since he finally claimed his first victory there in 2005. Last year he made a late pass on Kevin Harvick to claim his third win in three races there. He also has four straight finishes of 8th or better at the Brickyard, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he earned his first victory of 2008 here.

Kyle Busch-

With the simply amazing season he's had so far this season, it's hard to doubt that Kyle Busch will be one of the drivers to beat, but his statistics make just as strong of an arguement. In three races at Indianapolis, Busch has finished 10th, 7th and 4th. If that trend continues, he'll be first when the cars come across the bricks for the final time.

Brian Vickers-

Vickers is a darkhorse pick out of the Toyota camp, but a likely contender nonetheless. In four career starts Vickers has managed a third place finish, but that's not why he's one of my picks, this team has improved so much over last year and the past couple of months have been one of the most consistent teams on the circuit, with a worst finish of 16th in the past seven races.

Honorable Mention- Denny Hamlin

Chevrolet:

Jeff Gordon-

When you think of drivers who have success at Indianapolis in any form of racing, Gordon is one of the drivers that comes to mind. Gordon won the inaugural event here in 1994 and has gone on to win three more times, most recently in 2004. Gordon is still searching for his first win of 2008, and it could come here for the fifth time in his career.

Kevin Harvick-

Harvick has been consistent at Indianapolis, with only one finish worse than 11th in seven career starts. Harvick has kissed the bricks here before as well, winning at the Brickyard in 2003. He was a few laps from winning last year before being passed late in the race. Harvick will be one of the drivers to watch when the cars take the green on Sunday.

Jimmie Johnson-

Johnson is either really good at Indianapolis, or way off. In six career starts he has two top-10's, but also three finishes of 36th or worse. Johnson has been able to find victory lane at Indianapolis in 2006. The fact that Johnson's team has greatly improved their COT program since the beginning of this year makes them a threat to contend for the win.

Honorable Mention- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer

Ford:

Matt Kenseth-

After struggling in his first two starts, Kenseth has been a front runner the past six races, with five top-10's. Kenseth has finished second twice, and would like to finally win this year. If he could accomplish that, he would be the first Ford driver to win at Indianapolis since Dale Jarrett did in 1999.

Carl Edwards-

In three starts at Indianapolis, Edwards has finished in the top-10 once, with a worst finish of 18th. However Edwards' team has been strong all year long with a COT program that has improved greatly over last year. If Edwards is given another strong car at Indy, he'll likely be doing backflips after the race.

Honorable Mention- Greg Biffle, David Ragan, Travis Kvapil

Dodge:

Kasey Kahne-

Kahne was stellar in his first two starts at Indianapolis, with a 4th and 2nd place finish. In his last two starts he's been caught up in wrecks, but he's had good cars. This year he's been strong since his win in the All-Star Race, with cars that can contend almost every week, and that may be the case once again at the Brickyard.

Kurt Busch-

Busch has struggled most of the season, but has earned top-5's in two of the past three races. He's also been consistent at Indianapolis, with five finishes of 12th or better in seven career starts. If Busch can avoid the bad luck that has plagued him for most of the season he may have a good run at the Brickyard.

Honorable Mention- Ryan Newman, Sam Hornish Jr.

My Thoughts on Favre and the Packers

tylerhead24 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:06:38 -0000

Certainly not an expert on the NFL, but I'm gonna say what I think about the whole situation surrounding Brett Favre. Personally, if he had done this comeback at the end of March like he almost did, I would have embraced his return. But now it's mid-July, and the Packers have made the changes necessary for the young Aaron Rodgers to finally assume the role as Packers' quarterback.

It is now that Favre decides that he wants to come back. The Packers basically say that they've committed to Rodgers, but he could come back as a backup. Favre wants a release, and when the Packers don't grant it, Favre gets pissed. The Packers are saying they are trying to look out for Favre's legacy, which Favre says is "a bunch of bull."

Personally I think this comeback in the middle of July by you is a bunch of bull. You expect everyone in the Packers management to bend over and let you have your way. Personally, I think you are tarnishing your legacy with this move to even come back after that show you gave us in March, and the hissy-fit you're throwing now. And if you go to another team, that will only make it worse.

I really don't see why any team would want Favre anyway. The guy is going to turn 39 this October, why would you want to get basically one year from the guy when you could get a younger QB and have a chance to win the Super Bowl a few times the next few years, not just this year. With that said I'm not sure if Favre is capable of winning the Super Bowl on another team.

Favre had a fantastic season last year, yes, but that was with recievers such as Donald Driver whose strengths and weaknesses he knew better than anyone, and he was able to use them to drive down the field. Now you take Favre and put him on a completely different team with players who have never played with him. What if the chemistry isn't there and your team goes 5-11 for the year? Then does taking the 39 year old QB who just couldn't stop playing look like a good decision?

Whatever, as far as I'm concerned Brett can come back, just not on the Packers. As a cheesehead I'm ready for a new era, one that doesn't circle around one player's possible retirement for three months. I belive in Aaron Rodgers, I think he can lead this team to a win in the Super Bowl in the coming seasons. This kid was great in college play, leading the California Golden Bears to an upset win over a then #3 ranked USC in just his second career start.

The next year he broke several school records, and his team suffered only one loss to #1 ranked USC, 23-17, before making it to the Holiday Bowl, losing to Texas University. It was 2005 and he enrolled in the NFL Draft, being picked up by the Packers in the first round. He spent the next three seasons watching Favre lead the Packers. His only playing time was when Favre was injured or the Packers were dominating.

Last year he came in and played most of the game against the Dallas Cowboys after Favre left the game with a shoulder injury. He completed 18 of 26 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown, losing the game 37-27. These numbers are pretty good, especially considering he was playing against the Cowboys, which was thought to be the best team in the NFC. I think this year he will have even better numbers than this against some of the weaker teams of the NFC, but will still be able to pick his way down the field against tough opponents like Dallas.

And if we struggle this season I'm not going to question whether or not Favre should have come back, because in the long haul Rodgers is the right decision. I wouldn't put it past him to lead the Packers to the playoffs again this year. Once your there, heck, who knows maybe they could win the whole thing.

Busch Tops Johnson to Win at Chicagoland

tylerhead24 — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:52:39 -0000

For much of the Lifelock.com 400, it looked as though Kyle Busch would run off to his 7th victory of the season. Busch led a record 165 laps, and as competitors such as Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth fell from contention to win, it seemed that there was nothing in Busch's way.

Then there was Jimmie Johnson, who took the lead with 17 laps to go from Busch on a late restart. Johnson was in the lead when the caution came out with six laps to go, and led to the field to the restart with just two laps to go. And that's when Busch made his move, darting to the outside of Johnson entering turn one. The two raced door-to-door down the backstraightaway and into turn three, and coming off turn four Busch had the advantage coming to the white flag.

Busch held off Johnson's final efforts to earn his seventh victory of the season, and third in the last four races.

“I gave up on myself. I just didn’t think I could do that. I’ve watched Jimmie do that several times," Busch said in victory lane. "I don’t know how I did it... I pushed Jimmie to go. This is a dream season, man. I just cannot believe this.”

While Busch was celebrating in victory lane, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards were left wondering what could have been.

For Kenseth it started on lap 125 when he had to pit under green when he suspected a flat tire.This left Kenseth a lap down in 30th place, just minutes after he had battled for the lead with Busch. After getting the free pass Kenseth was able to recover for a 7th place finish, but didn't have enough time to get back into contention for the win.

Edwards was leading when he also suspected a flat tire with just 55 laps to go while leading the race. He made a green flag pitstop and fell a lap down, but his problem was worse than a flat tire. One of the braces to Edwards' splitter had snapped, and the splitter was now dragging on the ground, giving Edwards a huge aerodynamic disadvantage. Edwards would lose another lap and finish 32nd, a disapointing end to what started as a good race.

There was controversy before the race even started as J.J Yeley's car sat in the inspection bay just minutes before the start of the race. Nascar officials found two water bottles filled with 15 lbs of lead each, one of the oldest tricks in the book for losing weight. Yeley was given a pass-through penalty at the start of the race, and would go on to finish 23rd. For the 96 team, which is 38th in owner points, more penalties could come later in the week.

The Downfall of Dale Earnhardt Incorporated

tylerhead24 — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:19:42 -0000

Last week rumors spread around the garage that Teresa Earnhardt was going to sell the company that her husband, the late Dale Earnhardt, founded. She has recently denied these claims, but one has to wonder why she wouldn't. Dale Earnhardt Incorporated has quickly fallen from being one of the top-notch organizations in 2004 to it's mediocre status it holds today.

It was just four years ago that Dale Earnhardt Jr. won six races and just fell short of his first championship while driving for DEI. Back then it seemed as though the success would only continue, with Jr. earning a championship driving for his father's team.

However the collapse started in 2005, when DEI switched the crews for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip. Throughout the year both teams suffered before the teams were restored at the start of the Chase. Neither driver made the Chase, and in the first 26 races Earnhardt and Waltrip only had eight top-5's combined.

It was after that season that Michael Waltrip left DEI after only having three top-5's throughout the entire season, to make his own team, eventually with Toyota. Though certainly not the best driver on the circuit, Waltrip was still a vital part of DEI, as he is a sponsor's dream. When he left he took the big bucks with him.

In 2006 the team looked to be recovering, with the addition of Martin Truex Jr. in 1 car and Earnhardt reuinted with cousin Tony Eury Jr. as his crew chief. Though Earnhardt only won one race, he was consistent all year and made the Chase, while Truex had a mediocre rookie season. However 2007 would be another stutter for DEI that has lead to it's downfall.

Throughout the 2007 season engine troubles plagued the teams, as they had a combined 10 engine failures between them. In May Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced his departure from DEI, eventually signing with Hendrick Motorsports. DEI had lost the driver with the largest fanbase and, in turn, all the sponsorship and merchandise sales that he brought.

DEI then bought Ginn racing, aquiring the talented veteran Mark Martin. However besides him they only had Truex, who earned his only career victory early in the year, and the young drivers of Aric Almirola, Regan Smith and Paul Menard.

This year DEI has been plain and simply miserable, with the exception of Martin. Their young drivers of Smith, Almirola and Menard have for the most part struggled in their starts, with only one top-10 between the three drivers. Meanwhile Truex has also struggled, with only five top-10's throughout the season, leaving him 18th in points and unlikely to make the Chase.

On top of these woes Martin, who has carried this team, will be leaving to Hendrick Motorsports next year to take one more shot at a championship, while Truex is trying to leave the team at the end of the year, possibly to Stewart/Haas Racing. This leaves DEI with only Almirola, Smith and Menard.

With these inexperienced drivers combined with low-grade equipment, things are destined to only get worse for DEI, with it's downfall seemingly imminent.

Power Rankings: Chicagoland

tylerhead24 — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:27:35 -0000

After the wild race at Daytona, the Sprint Cup Series heads north to the Chicagoland Speedway, where they will race under the lights for the first time. Adding the COT to the changed track conditions, this could be another wild race.

1. Kyle Busch

Making a fantastic save, coming from the back and making his move at just the right time to win at Daytona; just another race for Kyle Busch. Kyle has now won 1/3 of the races run this season in Sprint Cup, with six victories in 18 races. He has an average finish of 10th at Chicagoland, with a best finish of 3rd. The way he's racing right now, he'll probably improve on that.

2. Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth earned the best finish of his career at Daytona, finishing 3rd, rebounding from his disappointing finish at Loudon. Matt now has seven top-10's in the past eight races, and that consistency should carry over to Chicago, where he's come just short of the victory the past three races. In those races he's led 289 laps, finishing 2nd twice, with a 22nd that was the result of being spun from the lead with four laps to go.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt Jr. led the most laps at Daytona, but faded from contention towards the end of the race, but still finished a solid 8th. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been a contender the past three races at Chicago. In 2005 he earned a win, then in 2006 he finished a solid 5th. His result last year, 19th, is deceiving, because he was running in the top-5 before he lost a cylinder late in the race.

4. Carl Edwards

Edwards was battling for the win on the last lap when the caution flew, ending the race. After two finished of 20th or worse, Edwards earned a 3rd place finish at Chicagoland last year. Edwards' teams has been strong on the 1.5 mile tracks all year long, expect him to contend for the win.

5. Tony Stewart

Stewart had to give way to relief driver J.J Yeley when his illness became too much to handle. Stewart has to be a favorite to win at Chicagoland though, where he's earned five top-5's in the past six races, including two wins. He is the only driver besides Kevin Harvick to have multiple victories at the track.

6. Jeff Burton

Burton finished outside the top-15 for the first time this season when he wrecked late in the race. Don't expect this to happen at Chicago though, where he has finished in the top-10 the past two races, including a career best finish of 2nd in 2006.

7. Jeff Gordon

Gordon was in position to win his first race of the season at Daytona, leading the majority of the closing laps. However, he was spun on a green-white-checkered restart, leaving him with a 30th place finish. Gordon has five top-10's in the past six races at Chicagoland, including a win.

8. Greg Biffle

Biffle finished last after and early wreck at Daytona, dropping him three spots to 11th in the points standings, just 10 points in front of 13th place Kevin Harvick. Biffle has been slumping, with no top-10's in the past five races, and Chicagoland may just continue his woes, where he's never finished in the top-10.

9. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson ran up front most of the race, but lost track position when he damaged his fender and needed repairs. This put Johnson back in mid-pack, where he was caught up in a wreck, finishing 23rd. He should rebound at Chicagoland, where he has five top-10's in six career starts, with a 37th last year that resulted from a blown tire while running 2nd.

10. Brian Vickers

Vickers finished 11th at Daytona, his sixth straight finish of 16th or better. He'll need to finish even better though if he wants to make up enough ground to make the Chase, which he is still 112 points out of. In three starts at Chicagoland, Vickers has a worst finish 14th, with a 4th in 2005.

Other Notables:

11. Kurt Busch- Busch backed up his win with a 4th place finish in a backup car. Things may just be turning around for Busch, who has three straight top-10's at Chicago.

12. Kevin Harvick- Harvick won the inaugural event at Chicagoland in 2001, then again in 2002. He needs another strong run here to get back in the top-12.

13. David Ragan- After a couple of bad runs at Infineon and Loudon, he excelled once again in the plate race, finishing 5th. He's earned top-5's in two of the three plate races this year.

14. Robby Gordon- He finished 6th at Daytona in an unsponsored car. He's also earned two top-10's at Chicago, but none since 2003.

15. Ryan Newman- Had a rough day at Daytona, but Chicago is a good place for him to turn it around. He won here in 2003, and finished 8th here last year.

Power Rankings: Daytona

tylerhead24 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:19:29 -0000

This weekend the Sprint Cup Series heads to the hallowed grounds of the Daytona International Speedway, a track where victory is the most prestigious among the stock car racing world. 43 drivers will try to etch their names into history with a win under the lights, but only one will succeed.

1. Kyle Busch

Busch had an off day at Loudon, racing with a bad setup and never cracking the top-10. A late race scuffle with Juan Pablo Montoya added insult to injury, dropping Busch to 25th for the finish. However Daytona is a good place for Busch to rebound. In the Daytona 500 this year, Busch finished 4th after leading the most laps. He also finished second in this race last year by just .005 seconds. If things go his way this weekend, he may just end up in victory lane this time.

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt also had late race trouble when Jamie McMurray plowed into the rear end of his car while he was trying to enter pit road. From there he would limp his way around to a 24th place finish. Again though, Daytona is a great place for Earnhardt to recover. He is an excellent plate racer, and he's won at Daytona twice, including this race in 2001.

3. Matt Kenseth

Kenseth's car was off at Loudon, but he had started making a comeback before the final round of pitstops. When the rains came, however, Kenseth was back in 18th, and that would be where he would finish. Kenseth has been stout at Daytona lately though, with six top-10's in the past ten races.

4. Carl Edwards

Like his teammate, Edwards' car was off most of the day at Loudon, but had worked his way back into the top-15 before the last round of pit stops. When the rain came, Edwards was mired back in 17th, giving him a worse finish than he deserved. He hasn't been very stout at Daytona, with just one top-10 finish in six starts. However, that was a 4th place finish in this race last year.

5. Jeff Burton

Burton was consistent as usual at Loudon, charging into the top-10 after starting 31st. When he made his final pit stop Burton fell to 12th though, and that was where he finished. Burton hasn't done very well at Daytona lately though, with only one top ten in the past nine races.

6. Greg Biffle

Biffle was never in contention, spending most of the race on the tail end of the lead lap. When it was finally over Biffle settled for a 21st place finish. In his past two races at Daytona, Biffle has been able to crack the top-10.

7. Jeff Gordon

Gordon had a top-5 car all day long at Loudon, but had to settle for an 11th place finish when other drivers stayed out. Gordon is still searching for his first victory of 2008, and Daytona may be the place to earn it. Gordon has earned six career victories at Daytona, including a win in this race in 2004.

8. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson had a top-5 car all day at Loudon as well, and after others stayed out he still ended up with a solid 9th place finish. He's enjoyed sucess at Daytona in his career. His first career pole came there, and he's earned 8 top-10's in 13 career starts, including a win in the Daytona 500 in 2006.

9. Tony Stewart

Stewart had the car to beat at Loudon, but poor strategy late cost him not only the victory, but a top-10 finish, leaving him 13th. Stewart is also looking for his first victory of 2008, and Daytona is the perfect place for him to do it. He has won this race twice in the past three races, and he also finish 3rd in the Daytona 500 this year after leading on the final lap.

10. Brian Vickers

Vickers continues to be consistent as he tries to work his way into the top-12 in points, as he finished a solid 16th at Loudon. Vickers only has two top-10's in eight starts at Daytona, but his only victory came in a plate race at Talladega in 2006.

Other Notables:

11. Ryan Newman- Newman won the Daytona 500 earlier this year, he should be a driver to watch on Saturday night.

12. Kevin Harvick- Harvick had a good run at Loudon, but had to settle for a 14th place finish. He won the Daytona 500 in 2007.

13. Kurt Busch- Busch earned a much needed win at Loudon, and might make it back-to-back wins at Daytona, where he finished 2nd in the Dayton 500 this year.

14. Martin Truex Jr.- Truex earned a good top-5 finish at Loudon, finishing 4th. Though he hasn't had good finishes at Daytona he has run well in plate races in the past, having learned from former teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

15. Michael Waltrip- Waltrip earned his best finish in over three years at Loudon, finishing 2nd to Kurt Busch. Walrtip may carry that over to Daytona as well, where he's earned three of his four career victories.

Strategy, and a Little Luck, Give Busch Much Needed Victory

tylerhead24 — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:08:16 -0000

Heading into the Lenox Industrial Tools 301, Kurt Busch, the 2004 Sprint Cup Series Champion, had struggled all season, with just two top-10's. Busch spent most of the race outside the top-10, but came to the pits on lap 217 for fuel, with plans to stay out the rest of the way.

After a wreck by Dale Earnhardt Jr. on lap 271, Busch gained the lead as the rest of the leaders came into the pits for fuel. Busch's concerns were making it to the end of the race with the remaining fuel in his tank, and holding off the pack in the final 25 laps.

However, just a couple of laps after the restart, Sam Hornish Jr. made contact with Clint Bowyer, sending the two spinning in turns three and four. The caution came out for the seventh time, and then the race was red-flagged for rain. Less than ten minutes after the red flag was thrown, Nascar called the race, giving Kurt Busch his first victory since August of last year.

"These guys made an awesome call," Busch said. "Sometimes you just don't win 'em the right way, I think we can honestly say that, but we had a lot of work and a lot of effort put in today and we'll take it."

The win vaulted Busch from 22nd to 18th in points. Busch is still 215 points behind Bowyer, who sits 12th in points, but this win was the first step towards a possible rebound for the team that has finished 32nd or worse five times in 17 races.

Behind Busch was Michael Waltrip, who earned his best finish since April of 2005, and J.J Yeley, who's third place finish tied the team's all-time best.

Meanwhile Tony Stewart dominated the race, leading 132 of 284 laps, but fell to 13th when Busch and others stayed out on the track or took fuel only on the last stop, and when the race ended just a couple laps later he was left with another disappointing finish.

"It's just been the oddest year I've ever seen for this race team," Stewart said. "It's just frustrating. There isn't anybody that's going to tell you any different than that. There's nothing you can do. If there was something we could do about it we'd change it."

Stewart's teammate Kyle Busch was involved in a late-race conflict with Juan Pablo Montoya. The two had bumped and banged in the laps before the final caution. Several moments after the field had slowed to caution speed, the two exchanged bumps on the front straightaway before Montoya turned into Busch, who's spinning car came back and made contact with Montoya and sent him spinning as well.

Montoya would be penalized two laps for reckless driving, and finished 32nd, while the points leader Busch finished 25th.

With just nine races left before the Chase begins, the battle to be in the top-12 is heating up, with 9th to 14th place seperated by just 97 points. 12th place Clint Bowyer is just 8 points ahead of Matt Kenseth who sits 13th.