NASCAR Notebook: Watkins Glen
Barry F. Hess
August 11, 2006
Pressure Mounting at The Glen
With just five races remaining until the Chase for the Nextel Cup is set to begin some drivers will be all smiles this weekend heading into the Watkins Glen road course and many others will be counting each passing second, waiting to get as far away from the tough 11-turn course as they possibly can.
Unfortunately for drivers on the outside of the Chase looking in like Greg Biffle, who has never scored a top 10 at the track, it has become a do or die situation in less than ideal conditions.
Making matters even more interesting is the fact that drivers near the bottom of the top 10 in points have a great deal of road course experience while several drivers at the top will be a long way from home this Sunday.
Tony Stewart, however, will feel very at home on the second road course of the schedule as he is the defending race champion.
After gaining one position in the point standings last week in a wild Indianapolis race Stewart will look to gain several more with a strong finish this Sunday.
Currently ninth in points, the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevy had the car to beat one year ago in what turned out to be a string of races that lead him to his second championship.
With his road course experience Stewart will qualify very well and could possible jump into the top five in points by the end of the weekend.
Another driver looking to cement his position in the Chase with a strong run is Jeff Gordon.
Gordon, who earned his first win of the season at the Nextel Cup’s first road course visit earlier in the year, will look to pull the sweep of sorts when he and the No. 24 DuPont Chevy team head up I-95 for a weekend drive in the New York Mountains.
Gordon has dominated the road course scene since his arrival at the Cup level and he will look to continue his string of solid finishes as he tip-toes closer to locking himself into the very same Chase for the Nextel Cup he missed out on last season.
In addition to drivers like Gordon and Stewart the rest of the field-regulars know whenever the circuit travels to a road course it’s not just the No. 20 and No. 24 they have to worry about but the various ringers driving around them as well.
Road course specialists like P.J. Jones and Ron Fellows always have a shot to play the role of spoiler when it comes to taking the checkered flag at Infineon or Watkins Glen.
The most talented ringer of the all, however, has to be Boris Said.
Said, who has earned a top 10 finish in each of his last three Nextel Cup road course starts, will not only compete for the pole position but the checkered flag as well.
Driving in his No. 61 No Fear Ford Said, who is in the process of fielding a full-time cup car, will be a force to be reckoned with all afternoon if his previous performances prove to be any indication as to how he will drive.
With a career high third place finish in this race one year ago The Glen may prove to be the track Said solidifies his place among the Cup Series greats for many years to come.
Prediction: In a race that forces you to battle not only your own car but the course itself the driver that takes the checkered flag at Watkins Glen has to know when and where the right time to take that calculated risk, or in most cases risks, that may catapult him up front.
And if there is any one driver in the Nextel Cup Series that not only recognizes the times to take risks on the race track but actually enjoys doing it with a passion it has to be the driver of the No. 7 Jim Beam Chevy, Robby Gordon.
Gordon, who gave Stewart a run for his money in this race last season, has developed his race team into a respectable organization all season long and though the majority of his finishes don’t show it, he actually has quite a bit of momentum heading into The Glen.
The former Indy Car driver, turned road course driver, tuned off-road driver, turned Nextel Cup driver will be the most versatile and talented drivers on the course Sunday afternoon.
Expect a qualifying position near the front of the pack before the No. 7 Chevy leads the pack to Victory Lane.
Burton Still Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
The success Jeff Burton and the rest of the No. 31 Cingular Chevy team has experienced this season has been bitter sweet.
2006 has, by far, been Burton’s best year on the track since his days with Roush Racing in the mid 1990’s.
In his first five seasons driving the No. 99 Ford Burton accumulated 15 wins, six of which came in 1999, and over 50 top five and 10 finishes.
But with no championship to show for his efforts and two consecutive seasons with no wins Burton made the switch Richard Childress Racing, a move that was intended all along to revamp his career.
I didn't go join Richard Childress Racing because I was trying to wrap up my career,” said Burton. “I went to Richard Childress Racing because I was trying to restart my career. A lot of athletes, late in their careers they make a move, and that's the end of it. That wasn't my intention, my intention was to get it stepped back up.”
After another sub-par year in 2005 Burton and Childress Racing have finally succeeded in stepping up the level of competition.
Through 21 races Burton is currently third in the point standings with 17 top 10 finishes, four of which were top fives.
In addition to that Burton has dramatically improved his starting position on the track, earning three Budweiser Pole awards thus far, including the season-opening Daytona 500, equaling his career number heading into 2006.
Amidst his success, however, Burton can’t help but scratch his head and wonder how he is still winless despite dominating the better part of races like Pocono and Indianapolis.
I'm glad, to a point, that we can be disappointed with a 15th place finish,” Burton said. “But to lead that many laps and not be in the mix when the checkered flag comes down is really disappointing.”
Burton has led the most laps of any driver this year without winning a race and while his position inside the top 10 is hardly in jeopardy with five to go until the post-season filed is set, the 39-year old Virginian is still hungry to get back in victory lane, something he hasn’t done since the Fall race in Phoenix of 1999.
Win or nor wins, however, Burton comes to the track each week with a positive outlook and a determination to win the parallels no other driver.
His laid back personality and his knowledge of the sport of auto racing has helped him get through the longest win drought of his entire career.
I will tell you that even though we were not running well, I never lost confidence in my ability to drive,” Burton said. “I've seen it happen to everybody. I saw Dale Earnhardt get where he couldn't run well. I’ve watched enough sports and I've paid enough attention to the things around me to know that not everything is always going to go your way. And when it doesn't, you've got to go to work and try to make it better.”
Biffle’s Chances at the Chase Slim to None
Greg Biffle’s shot at making the Chase for the Nextel Cup may have crashed right along with him during the final lap of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard last Sunday afternoon.
With a solid top 10 finish and the checkered flag in his sights Biffle watched helplessly as his No. 16 National Guard Ford and his possible spot inside the top 10 in points slammed into the wall after Robby Gordon spun out right into the side of his Ford Fusion.
Making matters worse, NASCAR officials, failed to throw the caution flag after the accident, which would have at least given Biffle a chance to drive through the start/finish line and salvage what most likely would have been a top 15 finish.
NASCAR officials, however, deemed the wreck was independent in nature and did not impede on the remainder of the field as it came to take the checkered flag, a bad break for Kasey Kahne, who went on to wreck moments later, but an even worse break for last year’s championship runner up.
Biffle has flirted in and out of the top 10 in points since winning in Darlington several months ago after his season started with two DNF’s and two more finishes of 35th or worse.
In short, his season has been one nightmare after another.
A wreck in the final laps of the Daytona 500, a blown engine in California after leading more laps than anyone else and putting nearly half the field a lap down, blowing a tire in Pocono and having to surrender second place, the list goes on and on.
After such a promising 2005 in which he put himself among the top of the list of drivers who were expected to win the championship this season Biffle, currently 12th in points and over 100 points out of the final spot in the Chase field with just five chances remaining, will likely not compete for the championship.
But if there is anything to hang their hat’s on it’s the fact that the entire No. 16 team has battled all season long and refused to concede.
Crew chief Doug Richart has built several cars capable of winning races while the pit crew has done a steady job all season, especially in the June Pocono race when a brake issue was resolve while keeping the car on the lead lap.
In NASCAR, more so than most any other sport, there are dozens of invariables that can work with or against you on any given Sunday.
And while 2006 has seen most of the invariables go against him Biffle will hardly go quietly into the sunset never to be heard from again.
The talented driver from Washington is young, experienced and hungry, attributes that with a little bit of luck will undoubtedly make him a championship contender for years to come.
Then again, as far as luck is concerned, Biffle himself will tell you without the bad luck he’s had all year he would have no luck at all.
Random Thoughts
The fact that Kasey Kahne was able to walk away from that heart stopping crash last weekend is a real tribute to NASCAR and it’s always evolving safety program. Without those Safer-Barriers Kahne may not have walked away at all.
Is it just me or do road course belong in NASCAR about as much as short white guys belong in the NBA???
It seems like each week a new team is formed in NASCAR, has someone told all these people that only 43 cars are going to make the field? There are going to be a whole hell of a lot of angry sponsors and owners next year sitting at home and watching the race on TV!
Content Note: With just five races until the Chase all you Notebook regulars please keep in mind that once the Case for the Nextel Cup begins there will be an official race story following each of the 10 races as well as a special Championship feature following the crowning of the 2006 Nextel Cup Champ!
With just five races remaining until the Chase for the Nextel Cup is set to begin some drivers will be all smiles this weekend heading into the Watkins Glen road course and many others will be counting each passing second, waiting to get as far away from the tough 11-turn course as they possibly can.
Unfortunately for drivers on the outside of the Chase looking in like Greg Biffle, who has never scored a top 10 at the track, it has become a do or die situation in less than ideal conditions.
Making matters even more interesting is the fact that drivers near the bottom of the top 10 in points have a great deal of road course experience while several drivers at the top will be a long way from home this Sunday.
Tony Stewart, however, will feel very at home on the second road course of the schedule as he is the defending race champion.
After gaining one position in the point standings last week in a wild Indianapolis race Stewart will look to gain several more with a strong finish this Sunday.
Currently ninth in points, the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevy had the car to beat one year ago in what turned out to be a string of races that lead him to his second championship.
With his road course experience Stewart will qualify very well and could possible jump into the top five in points by the end of the weekend.
Another driver looking to cement his position in the Chase with a strong run is Jeff Gordon.
Gordon, who earned his first win of the season at the Nextel Cup’s first road course visit earlier in the year, will look to pull the sweep of sorts when he and the No. 24 DuPont Chevy team head up I-95 for a weekend drive in the New York Mountains.
Gordon has dominated the road course scene since his arrival at the Cup level and he will look to continue his string of solid finishes as he tip-toes closer to locking himself into the very same Chase for the Nextel Cup he missed out on last season.
In addition to drivers like Gordon and Stewart the rest of the field-regulars know whenever the circuit travels to a road course it’s not just the No. 20 and No. 24 they have to worry about but the various ringers driving around them as well.
Road course specialists like P.J. Jones and Ron Fellows always have a shot to play the role of spoiler when it comes to taking the checkered flag at Infineon or Watkins Glen.
The most talented ringer of the all, however, has to be Boris Said.
Said, who has earned a top 10 finish in each of his last three Nextel Cup road course starts, will not only compete for the pole position but the checkered flag as well.
Driving in his No. 61 No Fear Ford Said, who is in the process of fielding a full-time cup car, will be a force to be reckoned with all afternoon if his previous performances prove to be any indication as to how he will drive.
With a career high third place finish in this race one year ago The Glen may prove to be the track Said solidifies his place among the Cup Series greats for many years to come.
Prediction: In a race that forces you to battle not only your own car but the course itself the driver that takes the checkered flag at Watkins Glen has to know when and where the right time to take that calculated risk, or in most cases risks, that may catapult him up front.
And if there is any one driver in the Nextel Cup Series that not only recognizes the times to take risks on the race track but actually enjoys doing it with a passion it has to be the driver of the No. 7 Jim Beam Chevy, Robby Gordon.
Gordon, who gave Stewart a run for his money in this race last season, has developed his race team into a respectable organization all season long and though the majority of his finishes don’t show it, he actually has quite a bit of momentum heading into The Glen.
The former Indy Car driver, turned road course driver, tuned off-road driver, turned Nextel Cup driver will be the most versatile and talented drivers on the course Sunday afternoon.
Expect a qualifying position near the front of the pack before the No. 7 Chevy leads the pack to Victory Lane.
Burton Still Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
The success Jeff Burton and the rest of the No. 31 Cingular Chevy team has experienced this season has been bitter sweet.
2006 has, by far, been Burton’s best year on the track since his days with Roush Racing in the mid 1990’s.
In his first five seasons driving the No. 99 Ford Burton accumulated 15 wins, six of which came in 1999, and over 50 top five and 10 finishes.
But with no championship to show for his efforts and two consecutive seasons with no wins Burton made the switch Richard Childress Racing, a move that was intended all along to revamp his career.
I didn't go join Richard Childress Racing because I was trying to wrap up my career,” said Burton. “I went to Richard Childress Racing because I was trying to restart my career. A lot of athletes, late in their careers they make a move, and that's the end of it. That wasn't my intention, my intention was to get it stepped back up.”
After another sub-par year in 2005 Burton and Childress Racing have finally succeeded in stepping up the level of competition.
Through 21 races Burton is currently third in the point standings with 17 top 10 finishes, four of which were top fives.
In addition to that Burton has dramatically improved his starting position on the track, earning three Budweiser Pole awards thus far, including the season-opening Daytona 500, equaling his career number heading into 2006.
Amidst his success, however, Burton can’t help but scratch his head and wonder how he is still winless despite dominating the better part of races like Pocono and Indianapolis.
I'm glad, to a point, that we can be disappointed with a 15th place finish,” Burton said. “But to lead that many laps and not be in the mix when the checkered flag comes down is really disappointing.”
Burton has led the most laps of any driver this year without winning a race and while his position inside the top 10 is hardly in jeopardy with five to go until the post-season filed is set, the 39-year old Virginian is still hungry to get back in victory lane, something he hasn’t done since the Fall race in Phoenix of 1999.
Win or nor wins, however, Burton comes to the track each week with a positive outlook and a determination to win the parallels no other driver.
His laid back personality and his knowledge of the sport of auto racing has helped him get through the longest win drought of his entire career.
I will tell you that even though we were not running well, I never lost confidence in my ability to drive,” Burton said. “I've seen it happen to everybody. I saw Dale Earnhardt get where he couldn't run well. I’ve watched enough sports and I've paid enough attention to the things around me to know that not everything is always going to go your way. And when it doesn't, you've got to go to work and try to make it better.”
Biffle’s Chances at the Chase Slim to None
Greg Biffle’s shot at making the Chase for the Nextel Cup may have crashed right along with him during the final lap of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard last Sunday afternoon.
With a solid top 10 finish and the checkered flag in his sights Biffle watched helplessly as his No. 16 National Guard Ford and his possible spot inside the top 10 in points slammed into the wall after Robby Gordon spun out right into the side of his Ford Fusion.
Making matters worse, NASCAR officials, failed to throw the caution flag after the accident, which would have at least given Biffle a chance to drive through the start/finish line and salvage what most likely would have been a top 15 finish.
NASCAR officials, however, deemed the wreck was independent in nature and did not impede on the remainder of the field as it came to take the checkered flag, a bad break for Kasey Kahne, who went on to wreck moments later, but an even worse break for last year’s championship runner up.
Biffle has flirted in and out of the top 10 in points since winning in Darlington several months ago after his season started with two DNF’s and two more finishes of 35th or worse.
In short, his season has been one nightmare after another.
A wreck in the final laps of the Daytona 500, a blown engine in California after leading more laps than anyone else and putting nearly half the field a lap down, blowing a tire in Pocono and having to surrender second place, the list goes on and on.
After such a promising 2005 in which he put himself among the top of the list of drivers who were expected to win the championship this season Biffle, currently 12th in points and over 100 points out of the final spot in the Chase field with just five chances remaining, will likely not compete for the championship.
But if there is anything to hang their hat’s on it’s the fact that the entire No. 16 team has battled all season long and refused to concede.
Crew chief Doug Richart has built several cars capable of winning races while the pit crew has done a steady job all season, especially in the June Pocono race when a brake issue was resolve while keeping the car on the lead lap.
In NASCAR, more so than most any other sport, there are dozens of invariables that can work with or against you on any given Sunday.
And while 2006 has seen most of the invariables go against him Biffle will hardly go quietly into the sunset never to be heard from again.
The talented driver from Washington is young, experienced and hungry, attributes that with a little bit of luck will undoubtedly make him a championship contender for years to come.
Then again, as far as luck is concerned, Biffle himself will tell you without the bad luck he’s had all year he would have no luck at all.
Random Thoughts
The fact that Kasey Kahne was able to walk away from that heart stopping crash last weekend is a real tribute to NASCAR and it’s always evolving safety program. Without those Safer-Barriers Kahne may not have walked away at all.
Is it just me or do road course belong in NASCAR about as much as short white guys belong in the NBA???
It seems like each week a new team is formed in NASCAR, has someone told all these people that only 43 cars are going to make the field? There are going to be a whole hell of a lot of angry sponsors and owners next year sitting at home and watching the race on TV!
Content Note: With just five races until the Chase all you Notebook regulars please keep in mind that once the Case for the Nextel Cup begins there will be an official race story following each of the 10 races as well as a special Championship feature following the crowning of the 2006 Nextel Cup Champ!
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