NASCAR Notebook: Kansas
Barry F. Hess
September 29, 2006
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
As we rapidly approach the third race of the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup racers and fans alike are still collectively trying to catch their breath after an exciting race at Dover left little to be desired last Sunday…not including the torrential downpour that caught thousands of fans off guard moments after the race concluded of course.
After Jeff Burton’s nail biting win over Matt Kenseth and a No. 17 DeWalt Ford that was nothing short of dominant for most of the race we enter race day with a new point’s leader for the third consecutive week.
After a heroic effort to get his team back into the Chase after two last lap crashes in a row put him on the outside looking in Kasey Kahne had championship aspirations after his No. 9 Dodge Dealers Dodge finally qualified in Richmond.
A mediocre finish at New Hampshire and an unfortunate wreck with Tony Stewart at Dover, however, and Kahne finds himself ninth in points, 182 markers out of first.
But if ever there was a silver lining for the former Rookie of the Year winner it’s the fact that he has dominated most mile-and-a-half tracks on the circuit this year, including wins at Atlanta, Texas and Lowe’s.
Look for Kahne to challenge for the pole, something he has also done well at cookie-cutter tracks, and lead as many laps as he can before the checkered flag.
A solid top 10 finish this week coupled with the unpredictability of Talladega next week and Kahne’s once limp title hopes may rise up once again.
Another driver thought to make a legitimate run at the title was Dale Earnhardt Jr. but after a flat tire jumped up and bit him last weekend at Dover, turning a top 15 finish into a 21st place finish, Junior finds himself seventh in points and 102 markers out of first place.
With his one mulligan already used up Earnhardt Jr. will have to finish much better than the 34th place run he put together one year ago to keep his title hopes alive, especially with a track like Talladega in the foreground.
The most important factor for Junior is his race team’s ability to give him a solid car from the get go as he’s shown his ability to get the front and stay there when they’ve done so in the past.
If Tony Eury Jr. and company miss the set-up early look for Earnhardt to struggle, if they hit it look for him to lead laps and compete for his second win of 2006.
Carl Edwards hasn’t had much to smile about in 2006, at least in the Nextel Cup circuit that is, but taking the trip out to Kansas has to put a smile on the Missouri native’s face since he’s run well there since beginning his Nextel Cup career, including a third place finish last year.
Edwards, currently 13th in points and last week’s runner up, has failed to put several strong races together in a row in 2006 after finishing third in the point standings one year ago by doing exactly that.
With his infamously strong Roush Racing set up backing him up at cookie-cutter tracks like Kansas look for Edwards to salvage his season with another strong finish that will put him in contention for that million dollar bonus awarded to the driver who finishes 11th in points.
If ever there was something more frustrating than running out of gas late in a race it has to be driving the dominant car of the day before running out of gas late in the race.
That said, former Nextel Cup champion Matt Kenseth is happy to walk out of Dover with a top 10 finish, all things considered, and only 18 points out of the lead.
Look for Kenseth to put together another solid run that will not only have him competing for the checkered flag but the point lead once again.
With five top five finishes at mile-and-a-half tracks in 2006, including two second place finishes, look for the DeWalt Ford to run near the front all afternoon and with his notoriously strong pit crew maintaining that position look for the 2003 Champion to earn yet another top five finish.
Prediction: When you watch the No. 24 DuPont Chevy drive around the track, when you listen to the way four-time Nextel Cup champion, Jeff Gordon, speaks and when you see that look in his eyes we’ve all seen several times before it is quite apparent Gordon is more focused than ever
After two third place finishes in a row to start the Chase look for Gordon to earn his third victory of 2006, the points lead and a legitimate shot at his fifth title this Sunday in Kansas.
Gordon, who earned a 10th place finish in Kansas one year ago, is currently second in points and just six markers from the lead he has failed to grasp at any point this year.
With a track like Talladega lurking in the near future Gordon could potentially lock up his title chances in the next two weeks with strong runs and the only thing more dangerous than Gordon driving in the lead is Gordon driving in the lead AND the points lead.
Look out rest of the field here comes Jeffy!
Burton and Kenseth Put On Unfamiliar Driving Clinic
Last Sunday at Dover International Speedway drivers and fans alike knew they were witnessing one of NASCAR’s greatest moments when Matt Kenseth drove alongside Jeff Burton to congratulate him on his first win in over five years at the Nextel Cup level.
What they were privileged to see before that memorable encounter was one of the best driving clinics in the history of the sport, a 12 lap, though it seemed to be much more than that, sprint to the checked flag with Kenseth in the lead for much of the time before Burton was finally able to get around him and take the lead.
Lap after lap Burton and Kenseth drove their cars to the max and at one point the two even drove through the start/finish line literally side by side but not once did the two touch or come close to wrecking one another.
In an era where aggressive driving is the norm and situations like what happened between Kenseth and Jeff Gordon at Chicagoland earlier in the year go hand and hand with Sunday breakfast the clean racing between two of the cleanest drivers ever to race in NASCAR was not only a breath of fresh air but proof that you don’t have to get drivers wrecking each other to put on a great race.
That was a lot of fun,” said Burton, who left Sunday’s race with the point’s lead. “It was all I had and I didn't know if I was ever going to get by him or not.”
Kenseth shared similar sentiments as he sat in pit road after the race.
I was happy that Jeff Burton won,” said the former Nextel Cup champion. “If I couldn't win, there's honestly no one else I'd rather see win than Jeff. He's a good friend and a great person.”
Kenseth went on to say he was not the only one happy to see Burton earn his 18th career win.
I think Jeff is well respected, he's a great driver and he had been in a little bit of a slump the past few years. It doesn't seem like it had been five years since he won, but it was and that's a long time,” Kenseth said. “Obviously, he's proven himself as a championship contender before…so when somebody goes through that kind of slump, everybody is happy for him. I think the drivers are a pretty close-knit community, so when people say a guy can't drive anymore and it's someone as respected as Jeff is, we all want to see him win again. When he does it makes all of us happy.”
With so much of modern NASCAR being promoted on rivalries like Dale Earnhardt Jr. vs. Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart vs. well let’s face it whoever is in front of him at any given time, Kurt Busch vs. Kevin Harvick and the list goes on it’s easy to forgot about drivers like Burton, Kenseth, Mark Martin and others who have done things differently from the get go.
Clean racing can be just as entertaining as nasty racing, oh and did I mention a whole hell of a lot safer to?
Let last Sunday’s race be a lesson to NASCAR officials who so desperately want to be a part of the big time professional sports scene…situations like Chicagoland or even earlier at the Daytona 500 may get you the highlights at the top of Sports Center but finishes like last week in Dover and a few weeks ago at Richmond will prove to be your meal ticket to the top!
Montoya Prepares For the Start of A New Era
After being officially released from his contract in the open-wheel Formula 1 series driver Juan Pablo Montoya is preparing to make the difficult transition to stock car racing.
Montoya, who drove an ARCA Series car in a test session at Talladega Super Speedway Monday afternoon stresses patience will be the key to a successful transition like that of the one Tony Stewart made several years ago.
It's a long-term deal because it's going to take time,” said Montoya after a lengthy test session. “I think a lot of you guys are expecting me to go out and win my very first race. I don't think that's going to happen.”
The high expectations swarming from every direction may seem a bit unfair for the driver who will replace Casey Mears in the No. 42 Texeco/Halvoline Dodge in 2007 but at the same time they may not be entirely unwarranted.
Montoya earned the checkered flag in what is widely considered to be the biggest race in all of motor sports, the Indianapolis 500, and on his first try no less.
Still, the young and inexperienced driver will have several mountains to overcome as part of a Chip Ganassi race team that has failed to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup since its inception three years ago.
I know Juan's committed to doing this and I know I'm committed to making it happen,” said Ganassi. “To steal a phrase from those poker games on ESPN, I can tell you I'm all in on this one.”
The analogy to a high stakes poker game may not be all that far off for Ganassi Racing.
Though young rookie driver Reed Sorenson is continuing to progress as each race passes a legitimate contender for a title has not driven a Ganassi car in several years, making sponsorship issues among others a struggle for the veteran car owner, a fact Montoya’s presence will only change in the short term if the plan doesn’t work.
I'm 100 percent committed to this… this is the only thing I'm going to be doing,” said Montoya. “And we're going to need to make this work.”
Though Stewart was successful in making the transition other drivers like Paul Tracy, Scott Pruett and Jimmy Vasser have all attempted to make the switch and were met with various levels of successful or failure.
Montoya is set to begin his career in NASCAR in February at the 2007 Daytona 500.
Random Thoughts
First Jimmie Johnson losses a cylinder in New Hampshire and the Kyle Busch blows an engine in Dover…when was the last time we saw a Hendrick engine fail two weeks in a row!!
Aside from Richmond three weeks ago last week’s race at Dover was the most exciting of 2006
While Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch may have already lost their shot at wining a Nextel Cup title this year I cant help but think we are going to see those two young drivers competing for several more titles before their careers are over
If rookie Reed Sorenson could just learn to be consistent he would be right up there with Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer this year.
As we rapidly approach the third race of the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup racers and fans alike are still collectively trying to catch their breath after an exciting race at Dover left little to be desired last Sunday…not including the torrential downpour that caught thousands of fans off guard moments after the race concluded of course.
After Jeff Burton’s nail biting win over Matt Kenseth and a No. 17 DeWalt Ford that was nothing short of dominant for most of the race we enter race day with a new point’s leader for the third consecutive week.
After a heroic effort to get his team back into the Chase after two last lap crashes in a row put him on the outside looking in Kasey Kahne had championship aspirations after his No. 9 Dodge Dealers Dodge finally qualified in Richmond.
A mediocre finish at New Hampshire and an unfortunate wreck with Tony Stewart at Dover, however, and Kahne finds himself ninth in points, 182 markers out of first.
But if ever there was a silver lining for the former Rookie of the Year winner it’s the fact that he has dominated most mile-and-a-half tracks on the circuit this year, including wins at Atlanta, Texas and Lowe’s.
Look for Kahne to challenge for the pole, something he has also done well at cookie-cutter tracks, and lead as many laps as he can before the checkered flag.
A solid top 10 finish this week coupled with the unpredictability of Talladega next week and Kahne’s once limp title hopes may rise up once again.
Another driver thought to make a legitimate run at the title was Dale Earnhardt Jr. but after a flat tire jumped up and bit him last weekend at Dover, turning a top 15 finish into a 21st place finish, Junior finds himself seventh in points and 102 markers out of first place.
With his one mulligan already used up Earnhardt Jr. will have to finish much better than the 34th place run he put together one year ago to keep his title hopes alive, especially with a track like Talladega in the foreground.
The most important factor for Junior is his race team’s ability to give him a solid car from the get go as he’s shown his ability to get the front and stay there when they’ve done so in the past.
If Tony Eury Jr. and company miss the set-up early look for Earnhardt to struggle, if they hit it look for him to lead laps and compete for his second win of 2006.
Carl Edwards hasn’t had much to smile about in 2006, at least in the Nextel Cup circuit that is, but taking the trip out to Kansas has to put a smile on the Missouri native’s face since he’s run well there since beginning his Nextel Cup career, including a third place finish last year.
Edwards, currently 13th in points and last week’s runner up, has failed to put several strong races together in a row in 2006 after finishing third in the point standings one year ago by doing exactly that.
With his infamously strong Roush Racing set up backing him up at cookie-cutter tracks like Kansas look for Edwards to salvage his season with another strong finish that will put him in contention for that million dollar bonus awarded to the driver who finishes 11th in points.
If ever there was something more frustrating than running out of gas late in a race it has to be driving the dominant car of the day before running out of gas late in the race.
That said, former Nextel Cup champion Matt Kenseth is happy to walk out of Dover with a top 10 finish, all things considered, and only 18 points out of the lead.
Look for Kenseth to put together another solid run that will not only have him competing for the checkered flag but the point lead once again.
With five top five finishes at mile-and-a-half tracks in 2006, including two second place finishes, look for the DeWalt Ford to run near the front all afternoon and with his notoriously strong pit crew maintaining that position look for the 2003 Champion to earn yet another top five finish.
Prediction: When you watch the No. 24 DuPont Chevy drive around the track, when you listen to the way four-time Nextel Cup champion, Jeff Gordon, speaks and when you see that look in his eyes we’ve all seen several times before it is quite apparent Gordon is more focused than ever
After two third place finishes in a row to start the Chase look for Gordon to earn his third victory of 2006, the points lead and a legitimate shot at his fifth title this Sunday in Kansas.
Gordon, who earned a 10th place finish in Kansas one year ago, is currently second in points and just six markers from the lead he has failed to grasp at any point this year.
With a track like Talladega lurking in the near future Gordon could potentially lock up his title chances in the next two weeks with strong runs and the only thing more dangerous than Gordon driving in the lead is Gordon driving in the lead AND the points lead.
Look out rest of the field here comes Jeffy!
Burton and Kenseth Put On Unfamiliar Driving Clinic
Last Sunday at Dover International Speedway drivers and fans alike knew they were witnessing one of NASCAR’s greatest moments when Matt Kenseth drove alongside Jeff Burton to congratulate him on his first win in over five years at the Nextel Cup level.
What they were privileged to see before that memorable encounter was one of the best driving clinics in the history of the sport, a 12 lap, though it seemed to be much more than that, sprint to the checked flag with Kenseth in the lead for much of the time before Burton was finally able to get around him and take the lead.
Lap after lap Burton and Kenseth drove their cars to the max and at one point the two even drove through the start/finish line literally side by side but not once did the two touch or come close to wrecking one another.
In an era where aggressive driving is the norm and situations like what happened between Kenseth and Jeff Gordon at Chicagoland earlier in the year go hand and hand with Sunday breakfast the clean racing between two of the cleanest drivers ever to race in NASCAR was not only a breath of fresh air but proof that you don’t have to get drivers wrecking each other to put on a great race.
That was a lot of fun,” said Burton, who left Sunday’s race with the point’s lead. “It was all I had and I didn't know if I was ever going to get by him or not.”
Kenseth shared similar sentiments as he sat in pit road after the race.
I was happy that Jeff Burton won,” said the former Nextel Cup champion. “If I couldn't win, there's honestly no one else I'd rather see win than Jeff. He's a good friend and a great person.”
Kenseth went on to say he was not the only one happy to see Burton earn his 18th career win.
I think Jeff is well respected, he's a great driver and he had been in a little bit of a slump the past few years. It doesn't seem like it had been five years since he won, but it was and that's a long time,” Kenseth said. “Obviously, he's proven himself as a championship contender before…so when somebody goes through that kind of slump, everybody is happy for him. I think the drivers are a pretty close-knit community, so when people say a guy can't drive anymore and it's someone as respected as Jeff is, we all want to see him win again. When he does it makes all of us happy.”
With so much of modern NASCAR being promoted on rivalries like Dale Earnhardt Jr. vs. Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart vs. well let’s face it whoever is in front of him at any given time, Kurt Busch vs. Kevin Harvick and the list goes on it’s easy to forgot about drivers like Burton, Kenseth, Mark Martin and others who have done things differently from the get go.
Clean racing can be just as entertaining as nasty racing, oh and did I mention a whole hell of a lot safer to?
Let last Sunday’s race be a lesson to NASCAR officials who so desperately want to be a part of the big time professional sports scene…situations like Chicagoland or even earlier at the Daytona 500 may get you the highlights at the top of Sports Center but finishes like last week in Dover and a few weeks ago at Richmond will prove to be your meal ticket to the top!
Montoya Prepares For the Start of A New Era
After being officially released from his contract in the open-wheel Formula 1 series driver Juan Pablo Montoya is preparing to make the difficult transition to stock car racing.
Montoya, who drove an ARCA Series car in a test session at Talladega Super Speedway Monday afternoon stresses patience will be the key to a successful transition like that of the one Tony Stewart made several years ago.
It's a long-term deal because it's going to take time,” said Montoya after a lengthy test session. “I think a lot of you guys are expecting me to go out and win my very first race. I don't think that's going to happen.”
The high expectations swarming from every direction may seem a bit unfair for the driver who will replace Casey Mears in the No. 42 Texeco/Halvoline Dodge in 2007 but at the same time they may not be entirely unwarranted.
Montoya earned the checkered flag in what is widely considered to be the biggest race in all of motor sports, the Indianapolis 500, and on his first try no less.
Still, the young and inexperienced driver will have several mountains to overcome as part of a Chip Ganassi race team that has failed to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup since its inception three years ago.
I know Juan's committed to doing this and I know I'm committed to making it happen,” said Ganassi. “To steal a phrase from those poker games on ESPN, I can tell you I'm all in on this one.”
The analogy to a high stakes poker game may not be all that far off for Ganassi Racing.
Though young rookie driver Reed Sorenson is continuing to progress as each race passes a legitimate contender for a title has not driven a Ganassi car in several years, making sponsorship issues among others a struggle for the veteran car owner, a fact Montoya’s presence will only change in the short term if the plan doesn’t work.
I'm 100 percent committed to this… this is the only thing I'm going to be doing,” said Montoya. “And we're going to need to make this work.”
Though Stewart was successful in making the transition other drivers like Paul Tracy, Scott Pruett and Jimmy Vasser have all attempted to make the switch and were met with various levels of successful or failure.
Montoya is set to begin his career in NASCAR in February at the 2007 Daytona 500.
Random Thoughts
First Jimmie Johnson losses a cylinder in New Hampshire and the Kyle Busch blows an engine in Dover…when was the last time we saw a Hendrick engine fail two weeks in a row!!
Aside from Richmond three weeks ago last week’s race at Dover was the most exciting of 2006
While Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch may have already lost their shot at wining a Nextel Cup title this year I cant help but think we are going to see those two young drivers competing for several more titles before their careers are over
If rookie Reed Sorenson could just learn to be consistent he would be right up there with Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer this year.
Print
Email
