NASCAR Notebook: Indianapolis
Barry F. Hess
August 04, 2006
The Brickyard…Enough Said
This week saw record setting highs all over the country as temperatures rose to well over 100 degrees and while some relief is on its way expect temperatures to rise even higher Sunday afternoon as the NASCAR Nextel Cup hits the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for its annual stop at the brickyard.
Last year, amidst his second run toward a Nextel Cup, Tony Stewart led the most laps on his way to the biggest victory of his career at what he considers his home track.
This year Stewart heads into the brickyard in a much different situation, tenth in points with Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch breathing down his neck for that all important last spot in the Chase, and needs a similar performance to solidify himself in the top 10.
Stewart comes off yet another controversial race after getting into it with Clint Bowyer two weeks ago in Pocono, an altercation that inadvertently ended any hopes Carl Edwards had at making a late run at the Chase.
Stewart has said repeatedly that he has turned over a new leaf and doesn’t let things bother him the way they did early in his career but with just six races until the post-season the defending champ is just one altercation away from missing out on a chance to go for the repeat.
There are only two race tracks on the Nextel Cup circuit Jeff Gordon has yet to take the checkered flag.
Indianapolis is certainly not one of them.
The four-time Cup champion has driven to victory lane four times in Indy, the last coming in 2004.
Gordon, currently ninth in points, has had an up and down year but if the veteran driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevy can get a rally going anywhere heading into the playoffs it would certainly be in Indy.
Gordon has finished inside the top three in three of his last five races, two of which were wins, and a win on Sunday combined with the misfortune of a few others ahead of him could bump him up as many as five slots in the points.
If anyone has been flying below the radar in 2006 it has to be Kevin Harvick in the No. 29 Goodwrench Chevy.
Harvick has earned six top 10 finishes in his last eight races and jumped to from ninth to fifth in points over that period of time.
Harvick, another former Indy winner, heads into Sunday looking to get a Richard Childress owned car into the Chase for the first time since its inception three years ago.
Expect the No. 29 team to bring the same car that earned them a fifth place finish at Pocono two weeks ago to the brickyard.
A strong qualifying run could give Harvick all the position he needs to take the checkered flag and all but guarantee himself s spot in the Chase.
When the 42 other drivers begin pulling into Indy this afternoon each and everyone of them will be hoping the hauler transporting the No. 11 FedEx Chevy that was dominating at both Pocono races takes a wrong turn somewhere along I-95 and never makes it to the race track.
I’m guessing, however, they will have no such luck.
Hamlin led a combined 234 laps in two races at Pocono and with similar long straight-aways at Indy Hamlin has the best chance in his early career to win back-to-back races for the first time.
Currently eight in points the odds on favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors has his sights set on not only making the Chase but winning it as well, a loft yet reasonable goal for the young Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
Expect Hamlin to compete for the pole, which the car earned in both Pocono starts, and don’t be surprised if the young driver from Richmond, Virginia gets out in front and drives away from the competition yet again.
Prediction: To be perfectly honest it’s very hard to pick against Denny Hamlin this Sunday but after crunching the numbers and figuring the odds, which usually end up not meaning a damn thing, this week’s prediction is Matt Kenseth.
Kenseth, who finished fifth at Indy last season, has had the closest thing to a bad run he’s had all year over the last three races.
After the controversial spin by Jeff Gordon sent Kenseth from the lead to 22nd in Chicagoland the driver of the No. 17 DeWalt Ford finished 14th in consecutive races, a far cry from doomsday but considering the season the team has had thus far it’s been above par.
Kenseth is second in points and only 97 points shy of Jimmie Johnson and the lead, look for a strong outing and a trip to victory lane for the 2003 Cup champion, who has second, third and fifth place finishes on this race track over the last three years
Talented Rookie Class Showing They Belong in the Big Show
Heading into 2006 there were a lot more questions than answers when it came to one of the largest rookie classes ever to begin a NASCAR season at the same time.
Many thought drivers like Clint Bowyer and Reed Sorenson didn’t have the experience to make the jump from the Busch Series so quickly while hardly anyone even knew who Denny Hamlin or J.J. Yeley even were.
But after 20 points races these rookies are proving to everyone they can get it done in a big way.
Hamlin, in his first year as a full time Cup driver, has been the most successful of the bunch.
After quickly grabbing the attention of NASCAR as everyone involved with the sport sighed a collective “Who??” when the young Virginia native took the checkered flag at the Budweiser Shootout during Speedweek in Daytona.
A few short weeks later Hamlin earned his first top 10 in a points race with a 1oth place finish in Las Vegas before earning his first top five in Texas just a few weeks after that.
Fresh off two of the most dominating performances in the history of the Pocono International Speedway, Hamlin has two wins to his credit, nine top 10 finishes and sits eighth in points with just six races before the start of the Chase.
Hamlin’s teammate and driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevy, J.J. Yeley, hasn’t enjoyed the immediate success of his teammate but has held his own for the most part in his first year ever in a Nextel Cup car.
Yeley, currently 26th in points, earned his first top 10 finish of his career in just the second race of the season, finishing eighth at California.
Since that time the 30-year old from Arizona has only earned two additional top 10 finished but has five top 15 finishes to his credit.
Though he isn’t contending for a title like Hamlin the talent and potential is certainly there and according to several people on and off pit road Yeley is considered the bet driver not to win a race thus far in 2006.
Clint Bowyer and Reed Sorenson were also two names that left people scratching their heads at the beginning of the season.
The 27-year old Bowyer finished runner up in the Busch Series last year and quickly thereafter was named driver of the No. 7 Jack Daniels Chevy by Richard Childress Racing.
Bowyer started the season with an impressive sixth place finish at the Daytona 500 and his reeled off four additional top 10s since that time, including a career best fifth in Phoenix.
Bowyer sits 19th in points and has impressively run 96 percent of the possible laps this year.
Sorenson, has also run 96 percent of all possible laps and currently sits 23rd in points.
The 26-year old from Peachtree City, Georgia earned the first top 10 of his career in Atlanta, finishing 10th, before finishing a career high third at the rain-shortened Michigan race in June.
In all Sorenson has four top 10 finishes and another four top 15 finishes inside the No. 41 Target Dodge, not bad for a driver, who before this year, never raced a Nextel Cup event in his life.
Perhaps the most disappointing of all the rookies, if you can even classify a career as disappointing after a mere 20 races, is also the most recognized, two-time Busch Series champion, Martin Truex Jr.
The 26-year old driver of the Dale Earnhardt Incorporated No. 8 Pro Bass Shop Chevy has run solid in many races this year but has few strong finishes to show for it.
Currently 21st in points Truex has just two top 10 finishes to his credit, an eighth place finish in Texas and a 10th place finish two weeks ago in Pocono, and just two additional top 15 finishes.
But the future is looking bright for the New Jersey native and under the tutelage of Dale Jr. expect big things from this talented young driver in the future.
In all, including David Stremme in the No. 40 Dodge, the 2006 rookie class has accumulated 2 wins, 14 top 10 finishes and six top five finishes.
With the future of NASCAR on the track as we speak each of these talented rookies has a special future ahead of them and with a little more time to polish their skills there is no telling just how special they really are.
Is Yates Racing As Bad As We All Think?
Ever since Dale Jarrett announced he was leaving Yates Racing at the end of 2006 for Michael Waltrip’s new Toyota team things have gone from bad to worse for the former championship caliber race team.
At least it appears that way.
Soon after he announced his departure Jarrett revealed he was brining long time sponsor of the No. 88 Ford, UPS, with him to team Toyota.
Days went by and team general manager Eddie D’Hondt was released by the company before Elliot Sadler also announced he was leaving the team at year’s end.
So here we are 20 races into 2006 and already Robert Yates is down two drivers and one sponsor.
No wonder people all over are talking about the near extinction of the once great team.
But is it really as bad as we all think it is?
After firing crew chiefs Tony Baldwin and Slugger Labbe this week Yates is setting the team up for what he believes to be addition by subtraction, or the concept that in order to get better you must first get worse and build from the ground up.
Both Sadler and Jarrett have publicly voiced their disagreement with the way Yates believes his teams can win races, hardly an environment to contend for a championship.
So now what?
How does the rebuilding process work?
Reports early this week indicated the part time race team of Busch Series phenom, David Gilliland, has folded, indicating the young rookie has signed a deal with Yates, at least in princable.
Yates Busch driver Stephen Leicht has also been named as a potential Cup driver for 07, which would make them the youngest and most inexperienced race team in all the Nextel Cup Series.
But if NASCAR has proven one thing in recent years it’s that the recent youth movement in the sport has not only been good for competition but it has downright made the field a whole hell of a lot better.
Young drivers can be molded, unlike veterans like Jarrett and Sadler.
Robert and his son Doug clearly have a stradegy they believe can win races and contend for titles, so here is their chance to prove it.
Sign the two youngsters, hire themselves as crew chiefs and get the ball rolling boys!
With the Yates tandem leading the way, the talented young rookies they believe are capable of making it in the big show and of course with a little bit of luck along they way Yates Racing may just be back in title contention within the next few years, who knows.
Sure, it’s easy to point out the teams glaring deficiencies of 2006 but Robert and Doug clearly believe in their system and if they have two drivers that do as well, who knows what the future holds for the once great team.
Random Thoughts
Best wishes from The Notebook to Benny Parsons as he continues to battle with lung cancer….our thoughts and prayers are with BP! Get Well Soon.
Next year NASCAR will be covered by FOX, TNT, ABC, and ESPN…seriously I’m already confused.
Just curious, did nobody think it was a bad idea to build a huge tower in the middle of the infield at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I’m not sure if anyone has noticed but it kind of blocks your sight for say..oh, I dunno, 2/3 OF THE TRACK!!!!!
A word of advice for Tony Stewart (Not that he ever listens to anyone but himself) People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones…Think about that one over your next slice of greasy, deep dish pizza Smoke!
This week saw record setting highs all over the country as temperatures rose to well over 100 degrees and while some relief is on its way expect temperatures to rise even higher Sunday afternoon as the NASCAR Nextel Cup hits the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for its annual stop at the brickyard.
Last year, amidst his second run toward a Nextel Cup, Tony Stewart led the most laps on his way to the biggest victory of his career at what he considers his home track.
This year Stewart heads into the brickyard in a much different situation, tenth in points with Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch breathing down his neck for that all important last spot in the Chase, and needs a similar performance to solidify himself in the top 10.
Stewart comes off yet another controversial race after getting into it with Clint Bowyer two weeks ago in Pocono, an altercation that inadvertently ended any hopes Carl Edwards had at making a late run at the Chase.
Stewart has said repeatedly that he has turned over a new leaf and doesn’t let things bother him the way they did early in his career but with just six races until the post-season the defending champ is just one altercation away from missing out on a chance to go for the repeat.
There are only two race tracks on the Nextel Cup circuit Jeff Gordon has yet to take the checkered flag.
Indianapolis is certainly not one of them.
The four-time Cup champion has driven to victory lane four times in Indy, the last coming in 2004.
Gordon, currently ninth in points, has had an up and down year but if the veteran driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevy can get a rally going anywhere heading into the playoffs it would certainly be in Indy.
Gordon has finished inside the top three in three of his last five races, two of which were wins, and a win on Sunday combined with the misfortune of a few others ahead of him could bump him up as many as five slots in the points.
If anyone has been flying below the radar in 2006 it has to be Kevin Harvick in the No. 29 Goodwrench Chevy.
Harvick has earned six top 10 finishes in his last eight races and jumped to from ninth to fifth in points over that period of time.
Harvick, another former Indy winner, heads into Sunday looking to get a Richard Childress owned car into the Chase for the first time since its inception three years ago.
Expect the No. 29 team to bring the same car that earned them a fifth place finish at Pocono two weeks ago to the brickyard.
A strong qualifying run could give Harvick all the position he needs to take the checkered flag and all but guarantee himself s spot in the Chase.
When the 42 other drivers begin pulling into Indy this afternoon each and everyone of them will be hoping the hauler transporting the No. 11 FedEx Chevy that was dominating at both Pocono races takes a wrong turn somewhere along I-95 and never makes it to the race track.
I’m guessing, however, they will have no such luck.
Hamlin led a combined 234 laps in two races at Pocono and with similar long straight-aways at Indy Hamlin has the best chance in his early career to win back-to-back races for the first time.
Currently eight in points the odds on favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors has his sights set on not only making the Chase but winning it as well, a loft yet reasonable goal for the young Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
Expect Hamlin to compete for the pole, which the car earned in both Pocono starts, and don’t be surprised if the young driver from Richmond, Virginia gets out in front and drives away from the competition yet again.
Prediction: To be perfectly honest it’s very hard to pick against Denny Hamlin this Sunday but after crunching the numbers and figuring the odds, which usually end up not meaning a damn thing, this week’s prediction is Matt Kenseth.
Kenseth, who finished fifth at Indy last season, has had the closest thing to a bad run he’s had all year over the last three races.
After the controversial spin by Jeff Gordon sent Kenseth from the lead to 22nd in Chicagoland the driver of the No. 17 DeWalt Ford finished 14th in consecutive races, a far cry from doomsday but considering the season the team has had thus far it’s been above par.
Kenseth is second in points and only 97 points shy of Jimmie Johnson and the lead, look for a strong outing and a trip to victory lane for the 2003 Cup champion, who has second, third and fifth place finishes on this race track over the last three years
Talented Rookie Class Showing They Belong in the Big Show
Heading into 2006 there were a lot more questions than answers when it came to one of the largest rookie classes ever to begin a NASCAR season at the same time.
Many thought drivers like Clint Bowyer and Reed Sorenson didn’t have the experience to make the jump from the Busch Series so quickly while hardly anyone even knew who Denny Hamlin or J.J. Yeley even were.
But after 20 points races these rookies are proving to everyone they can get it done in a big way.
Hamlin, in his first year as a full time Cup driver, has been the most successful of the bunch.
After quickly grabbing the attention of NASCAR as everyone involved with the sport sighed a collective “Who??” when the young Virginia native took the checkered flag at the Budweiser Shootout during Speedweek in Daytona.
A few short weeks later Hamlin earned his first top 10 in a points race with a 1oth place finish in Las Vegas before earning his first top five in Texas just a few weeks after that.
Fresh off two of the most dominating performances in the history of the Pocono International Speedway, Hamlin has two wins to his credit, nine top 10 finishes and sits eighth in points with just six races before the start of the Chase.
Hamlin’s teammate and driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevy, J.J. Yeley, hasn’t enjoyed the immediate success of his teammate but has held his own for the most part in his first year ever in a Nextel Cup car.
Yeley, currently 26th in points, earned his first top 10 finish of his career in just the second race of the season, finishing eighth at California.
Since that time the 30-year old from Arizona has only earned two additional top 10 finished but has five top 15 finishes to his credit.
Though he isn’t contending for a title like Hamlin the talent and potential is certainly there and according to several people on and off pit road Yeley is considered the bet driver not to win a race thus far in 2006.
Clint Bowyer and Reed Sorenson were also two names that left people scratching their heads at the beginning of the season.
The 27-year old Bowyer finished runner up in the Busch Series last year and quickly thereafter was named driver of the No. 7 Jack Daniels Chevy by Richard Childress Racing.
Bowyer started the season with an impressive sixth place finish at the Daytona 500 and his reeled off four additional top 10s since that time, including a career best fifth in Phoenix.
Bowyer sits 19th in points and has impressively run 96 percent of the possible laps this year.
Sorenson, has also run 96 percent of all possible laps and currently sits 23rd in points.
The 26-year old from Peachtree City, Georgia earned the first top 10 of his career in Atlanta, finishing 10th, before finishing a career high third at the rain-shortened Michigan race in June.
In all Sorenson has four top 10 finishes and another four top 15 finishes inside the No. 41 Target Dodge, not bad for a driver, who before this year, never raced a Nextel Cup event in his life.
Perhaps the most disappointing of all the rookies, if you can even classify a career as disappointing after a mere 20 races, is also the most recognized, two-time Busch Series champion, Martin Truex Jr.
The 26-year old driver of the Dale Earnhardt Incorporated No. 8 Pro Bass Shop Chevy has run solid in many races this year but has few strong finishes to show for it.
Currently 21st in points Truex has just two top 10 finishes to his credit, an eighth place finish in Texas and a 10th place finish two weeks ago in Pocono, and just two additional top 15 finishes.
But the future is looking bright for the New Jersey native and under the tutelage of Dale Jr. expect big things from this talented young driver in the future.
In all, including David Stremme in the No. 40 Dodge, the 2006 rookie class has accumulated 2 wins, 14 top 10 finishes and six top five finishes.
With the future of NASCAR on the track as we speak each of these talented rookies has a special future ahead of them and with a little more time to polish their skills there is no telling just how special they really are.
Is Yates Racing As Bad As We All Think?
Ever since Dale Jarrett announced he was leaving Yates Racing at the end of 2006 for Michael Waltrip’s new Toyota team things have gone from bad to worse for the former championship caliber race team.
At least it appears that way.
Soon after he announced his departure Jarrett revealed he was brining long time sponsor of the No. 88 Ford, UPS, with him to team Toyota.
Days went by and team general manager Eddie D’Hondt was released by the company before Elliot Sadler also announced he was leaving the team at year’s end.
So here we are 20 races into 2006 and already Robert Yates is down two drivers and one sponsor.
No wonder people all over are talking about the near extinction of the once great team.
But is it really as bad as we all think it is?
After firing crew chiefs Tony Baldwin and Slugger Labbe this week Yates is setting the team up for what he believes to be addition by subtraction, or the concept that in order to get better you must first get worse and build from the ground up.
Both Sadler and Jarrett have publicly voiced their disagreement with the way Yates believes his teams can win races, hardly an environment to contend for a championship.
So now what?
How does the rebuilding process work?
Reports early this week indicated the part time race team of Busch Series phenom, David Gilliland, has folded, indicating the young rookie has signed a deal with Yates, at least in princable.
Yates Busch driver Stephen Leicht has also been named as a potential Cup driver for 07, which would make them the youngest and most inexperienced race team in all the Nextel Cup Series.
But if NASCAR has proven one thing in recent years it’s that the recent youth movement in the sport has not only been good for competition but it has downright made the field a whole hell of a lot better.
Young drivers can be molded, unlike veterans like Jarrett and Sadler.
Robert and his son Doug clearly have a stradegy they believe can win races and contend for titles, so here is their chance to prove it.
Sign the two youngsters, hire themselves as crew chiefs and get the ball rolling boys!
With the Yates tandem leading the way, the talented young rookies they believe are capable of making it in the big show and of course with a little bit of luck along they way Yates Racing may just be back in title contention within the next few years, who knows.
Sure, it’s easy to point out the teams glaring deficiencies of 2006 but Robert and Doug clearly believe in their system and if they have two drivers that do as well, who knows what the future holds for the once great team.
Random Thoughts
Best wishes from The Notebook to Benny Parsons as he continues to battle with lung cancer….our thoughts and prayers are with BP! Get Well Soon.
Next year NASCAR will be covered by FOX, TNT, ABC, and ESPN…seriously I’m already confused.
Just curious, did nobody think it was a bad idea to build a huge tower in the middle of the infield at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I’m not sure if anyone has noticed but it kind of blocks your sight for say..oh, I dunno, 2/3 OF THE TRACK!!!!!
A word of advice for Tony Stewart (Not that he ever listens to anyone but himself) People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones…Think about that one over your next slice of greasy, deep dish pizza Smoke!
Print
Email
