Hotmail
Instant Analysis from Tom Jensen
|
Send your questions & comments to Tom |
Past races: California | Las Vegas | Atlanta | Bristol | Martinsville | Texas | Phoenix | Talladega | Richmond | Darlington | Charlotte | Dover | Pocono | Michigan | Sonoma | Daytona | Chicagoland | New Hampshire | Pocono | Brickyard | Watkins Glen
In recent years, Michigan International Speedway has been a Roush Racing track and today was no exception as Matt Kenseth wins his third race of the year and solidifies his hold on second place, and fellow Roushkateers Mark Martin and Greg Biffle finish fifth and seventh, respectively.
Realistically, Biffle, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch are now out of contention for the Chase. Kasey Kahne is still in 11th, 49 points behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr. But the gap from fourth to 10th place is just 89 points, with plenty of action still to come over the next three races.
Jeff Burton's blown engine dropped him to 42nd place and ninth in points, although he's 116 points ahead of Kahne.
Now, it's on to Bristol. Let the good times roll!
Lap 200: No drama for Kenseth as he easily takes his third win of the season, followed by Gordon, Stewart, Kahne, Martin, Earnhardt, Biffle, Sorenson, Hamlin and Sadler.
Lap 198: Bowyer pitting from third with an apparent blown engine.
Lap 197: Kenseth's lead is 1.212 seconds as he's about to head to victory.
Lap 196: None of the top-five positions is being contested.
Lap 195: Truex pits with two blown left-side tires.
Lap 194: Gordon has quit closing on Kenseth, who appears headed for an easy victory.
Lap 191: Gordon picks up nearly 0.4 seconds in one lap to cut the margin to 1.5 seconds. Bowyer is still third, Stewart fourth and Kahne fifth.
Lap 190: Kenseth's lead over Gordon seems to have stablized at about 1.8 seconds.
Lap 188: Earnhardt is coming back; he's now up to seventh after passing Biffle.
Can we be in for another Chicago finish?
Lap 187: Gordon passes Bowyer on the backstretch for second and is 2.093 seconds back of Kenseth.
Lap 186: Gordon is closing on Bowyer for second place.
Lap 182: Gordon is the fastest on the track and is about 1.1 seconds behind second-place Bowyer.
Lap 180: Kenseth's lead over Bowyer is 1.273 seconds.
Lap 177: Gordon is up to third place and charging hard.
With Earnhardt back in 11th place after looking so strong in the first half of the race, it appears his margin over Kahne for the final Chase spot will shrink considerably.
Lap 175: With just 25 laps to go, Kenseth leads Bowyer, Stewart, Gordon and Kahne. Sixth is Martin, followed by Biffle, Sadler, Sorenson and Johnson.
Lap 172: Stewart moves past Kahne for third place. Gordon his now up to fifth place.
Lap 169: After a spirited battle, Kenseth is back out front.
Dale Jarrett is blackflagged for smoking.
Lap 166: Bowyer passes Kenseth, moves back to first place.
Lap 165: Kenseth retakes lead, followed by Bowyer, Sadler, Johnson and Stewart.
Lap 163: Green flag. Bowyer leads Sadler. Kenseth is next, followed by Johnson. Jeff Green, Stewart, Edwards, Martin, Kahne and Biffle. Gordon is 12th, one spot ahead of Earnhardt.
Lap 161:Field pits. Bowyer leaves the pits first, followed by Sadler, both of whom took two tires.
Caution 10
Lap 159: Caution No. 10 as Yeley hits Turn 4 wall. This is a record for cautions at MIS.Lap 157: Edwards charges up to second place, with Johnson third, Kahne and Stewart.
Lap 151: Edwards passes Kahne for fourth.
Lap 150: No one can make it to the end without another fuel stop. The top 5: Kenseth, Stewart, Johnson, Kahne, Edwards.
Lap 146: Stewart to second.
Lap 145: Green flag. Kenseth leads Schrader, Stewart, Kahne, Johnson, Bowyer, Edwards, Biffle, Nemechek and Martin. Gordon is 12th, Earnhardt, 14th.
Lap 142: Pits open, but most of the leaders stay out.
The maximum fuel window is believed to be 54-55 laps.
Caution 9
Lap 140: Caution No. 9 for debris on the frontstretch. Scott Riggs gets the Lucky Dog. This ties the record for cautions at MIS.Kenseth leads Schrader, Stewart, Kahne and Johnson.
Lap 140: Teams are wondering how to play their final pit stops: Four tires, two or gas only?
Trouble on the left-rear tire during the pit stop dropped Earnhardt to 19th place.
Lap 134: Green flag. Kenseth is first. Second is Ken Schrader, followed by Dave Blaney and Sorenson. Then comes Kahne, Johnson, Nemechek, Stewart, Bowyer and Martin.
Lap 131: Kenseth stays out, most of the other leaders pit.
Jack from San Diego: Does this pit strategy work out for Gordon and Edwards? I understand they can make it on one stop but they are back in the pack just looking for trouble.
Tom Jensen: Jack, thanks for the question. As of Lap 130, Gordon was eighth and Edwards ninth so they are in decent shape still.
Doug from Florence, Ala.: When is Goodyear going to fix the tire problem at the tracks like this one or if it is tire pressure, fine the teams that go against Goodyear policy proper inflation?
Tom Jensen: Doug, glad you could be with us. Yes, you wonder why there are tire problems with only one tire supplier, though we don't yet know how many of today's tire woes were punctures and how many were the result of other issues. Also, Goodyear can't fine teams, NASCAR can. And NASCAR does mandate tire pressures and is vigilant about policing them now.
Caution 8
Lap 129: Caution No. 8 after Kurt Busch crashes for the third time. Newman is the Lucky Dog.Lap 127: Earnhardt repasses Kenseth.
Lap 126: Kenseth passes Earnhardt for the lead.
Lap 124: Quiet all race long, all of a sudden Stewart is up to third behind Earnhardt and Kenseth. Bowyer is fourth, points leader Johnson is fifth.
Lap 120: Some streaks will end this week: Burton's string of 16 straight top-15 finishes is done and teammate Harvick's streak of five straight top fives is in severe jeopardy.
Lap 119: Green flag. Earnhardt leads Bowyer, Kenseth, Stewart, Sadler, Biffle, Johnson, Sorenson, Martin and J.J. Yeley. Gordon is 12th, followed by Hamlin and Edwards.
Lap 115: Some of the leaders pit. Gordon and Edwards will only have to stop once more for fuel. But Earnhardt stays out.
Caution 7
Lap 113: Caution No. 7 after Busch spins in Turn 2 after complaining of bad handling problems. Stick a fork in any hopes he might have had in making the Chase. He's done.After round of pit stops, the order is Gordon, Edwards, Earnhardt, Kahne and Bowyer.
Lap 112: Sorenson last of leaders to pit.
Lap 111: Kenseth pits in 14.5 seconds.
Lap 110: Martin and Nemechek pits.
Kenseth inherits lead in round of stops
Lap 109: Bowyer and Kurt Busch pit.
Lap 108: Newman pits and so does Stewart.
Lap 107: Earnhardt and Johnson pit.
Lap 106: Hamlin pits.
Lap 105: Harvick pits in 13.7 seconds.
Art V.: After Caution No. 5 as David Gilliland hits wall, does Robert Yates still have Ward Burton's phone number? He may need it.
Tom Jensen: Art, thanks for being with us today. Gilliland's problem was caused by a tire failure, not driver error. Still, with inexperienced drivers, you will have some torn up equipment. That's part of the deal.
Newman has lost part of the grille of his car.
Lap 100: Earnhardt leads Kenseth, Bowyer, Biffle, Elliott Sadler, Hamlin, Reed Sorenson, Kurt Busch Stewart and Labonte.
Lap 96: Kahne pits.
Lap 95: Edwards and Gordon pit under green for tires and fuel.
Lap 93: Edwards retakes the lead from Earnhardt, with Gordon, Kahne and Kenseth rounding out the top five.
Lap 91: Earnhardt has opened up a gap of 1.369 seconds. If Earnhardt, who came into this race 10th in points, can hold on, he'll pretty much definitely knock Biffle, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards completely out of Chase contention.
Lap 84: Earnhardt takes lead from the driver he tangled with in yesterday's Busch race.
Lap 78: Earnhardt has trimmed Edwards's lead to less than a second.
Lap 75: Earnhardt is catching up to Edwards. The gap is just 1.80 seconds.
Lap 71: Earnhardt passes Gordon for second. Kahne is fourth, Harvick fifth.
Lap 69: Edwards has run off to a 2.71-second lead.
Lap 66: Green flag. The top 10 are: Edwards, Gordon, Kahne, Harvick, Hamlin, Mears, Michael Waltrip, Labonte, Travis Kvapil and Elliott Sadler.
Lap 63: Edwards, Gordon and Kahne stay out, most of the rest of the lead-lap cars pit.
Caution 6
Lap 61: Caution No. 6 for debris on the frontstretch.Gilliland says a blown right-front tire put him into the wall.
Lap 60: Biffle passes Busch for third.
Johnson is up to 20th after pitting for fresh tires.
Lap 58: Kurt Busch leads briefly, but falls to third behind Edwards and Gordon.
Lap 56: Green flag. Gordon leads Edwards, Kurt Busch, Kahne, Biffle, Earnhardt, Kenseth, Nemechek, Newman and Tony Stewart.
Lap 55: Casey Mears is the first of the lead-lap cars to pit as most of the frontrunners stay out. He pitted from 12th.
Caution 5
Lap 54: Caution No. 5 as Gilliland hits wall.Lap 54: Gordon retakes lead.
Lap 53: Edwards passes Gordon for lead.
Lap 49: Earnhardt slips off Turn 4 going for lead, falls to sixth.
Lap 48: Green flag. Gordon passes Edwards on restart. Edwards and Earnhardt side by side, Earnhardt takes second.
Jerimy from Hueytown, Ala.: Wasn't Kevin Harvick parked in a Cup race after a Truck series incident a few years ago? Why wouldn't NASCAR do something similar with Carl Edwards?
Jerimy: Thanks for the question. I think Harvick getting parked then (it was at Martinsville in 2002) had a lot more to do with his unwillingness to apologize to NASCAR officials after losing control than with the incident itself. That shouldn't be a problem with Edwards.
Lap 44: Petty pits, Sadler takes over lead.
The top 10 is now Petty, Hermie Sadler, Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Earnhardt, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Biffle, Mears and Newman.
Lap 43: Field pits, led by Earnhardt. Edwards takes only two tires, leads field out of pits. Kyle Petty and Hermie Sadler stay out, Petty picking up five points for leading a lap.
Caution 4
Lap 41: Caution No. 4 as Kyle Busch hits wall in Turn 1, heavily damaging the right-side of his Hendrick Chevrolet. He goes straight to the garage after the heavy impact. Stremme gets Lucky Dog.A lot of the Chase hopefuls are far back in the field: Harvick is 26th, Denny Hamlin 27th and Johnson 29th.
Lap 40: It's been five years since a Chevy won at MIS, but they are running 1-2-3 now.
Lap 36: Earnhardt passes Gordon and Kyle Busch for the lead; Gordon moves to second, with Busch third, Edwards fourth and McMurray fifth.
Lap 33: Earnhardt passes McMurray for third.
Lap 32: Busch passes McMurray for lead, takes Gordon with him to second.
Lap 30: Kyle Busch passes his teammate Jeff Gordon for second place behind McMurray.
Lap 26: Burton is officially out with a broken engine and will finish 42nd, which will drop him in the points.
Lap 25: Green flag.
Lap 23: Kenseth leads the field into the pits. Kenseth's takes four tires and fuel in 14.4 seconds and is first out of the pits, followed by Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch.
Caution 3
Lap 22: Caution No. 3. Harvick, challenging for the lead, spins coming out of Turn 4 and damages his Chevrolet's right-front when he goes into the infield grass. RCR has been the hottest team in the sport but is off to a wretched start today.Lap 20: Burton's car is being pushed to the garage.
Kenseth comes out in eighth place, behind seven cars that didn't pit: Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Joe Nemechek, Casey Mears, Dave Blaney, Scott Riggs and Paul Menard. Many Michigan races are decided on fuel mileage and already the field is jumbled on pit strategy due to the plethora of early yellow flags.
Lap 19: Burton pits as his Richard Childress Racing crew goes under the hood of his car.
Lap 17: Burton thinks he may have broken a motor. This will shake up the point standings in a huge way if he goes out.
Lap 15: Green flag. After pit stops, the top 10 is: Kenseth, Newman, Harvick, Biffle, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Martin Truex, Jr. and Carl Edwards. The top seven cars did not pit.
Lap 12: Most of the field pits, including Sadler. Robby Gordon is the lucky dog.
Caution 2
Lap 11: Yellow flag. Bobby Labonte slides out of Turn 2 into Todd Kluever, who also collects David Stremme in the collision.Lap 10: Kenseth passes Newman for lead.
Lap 9: Green flag. Newman leads Kenseth, Biffle, Harvick and Sadler.
The top 19 cars did not pit, many from 20th on back did.
Lap 6: Johnson pits again for repairs to his right-front fender and the valence. Johnson now scored on lead lap; he only lost one lap on his pit stops.
Caution 1
Lap 4: Caution out as Robby Gordon spins out in Turn 3 with a flat right-rear tire. Jimmie Johnson is the Lucky Dog and gets one of his two laps back.Lap 3: Johnson pits. Top 5: Newman, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler.
Lap 1: Ryan Newman takes the lead. Jimmie Johnson's car hits the wall, and he is reporting a right-front flat tire.
2:41 p.m.: Green flag.
Jeff from Cleveland, Ohio: Do you forsee any of yesterday's problems boiling over into today's race? I am a big Kurt Busch fan, and I would hate to see another setback caused by two drivers that feel the need to settle their issues on the track.
Tom Jensen: Jeff, welcome to FOX! No, I don't forsee any problems boiling over into today's race. But I expect next Saturday night's race at Bristol to be even more of a brawl than usual.
David Gilliland will move to the rear of the field because he crashed his primary car in practice and had to go to a backup.
2:31 p.m.: Engines fired. There will be three warm-up laps under yellow before the track goes green.
J.M. from Naperville, Ill.: Tom, I respectfully disagree with the line that the second car doesn't run over the leader... period... no exception. It looked to me like Carl got loose and came up the track in front of Junior and checked up. To me, the replay looks like the bump was unavoidable. Just my opinion. BTW, I would LOVE it if you were to take a survey in the garage from the other drivers about the incident! Now, more importantly, you said Carl will probably get a slap on the wrist. What do you think NASCAR should do?
Tom Jensen: J.M., thanks for the response. There is nothing that says anyone has to agree with me or anyone else on matters concerning NASCAR or anything else. This is America, and free speech is one of our fundamental rights! Disagreeing is totally cool. As far as a penalty for Edwards, it can't be anything Cup-related, because it happened in a Busch race, and to the best of my knowledge, NASCAR has never penalized a driver in one series for something he did in another. My guess is NASCAR will put Edwards on probation in the Busch Series and maybe give him a nominal fine in points and/or money. But as long as the penalty only applies in the Busch Series, by definition, it will be a slap on the wrist.
Brent from Huntsville Missouri: Why do you think Jeff Burton hasn't won in 170 races... I mean one year he's 3rd in the championship battling with Dale Earnhardt and Bobby Labonte and now he can't even win a race... but he's winning poles, something he's never done very well at. Thank you for your time.
Tom Jensen: Brent, thanks for the question. One of the big keys, obviously, is that Richard Childress Racing made some big changes internally to improve the organization, and it shows in both Burton's performance and in the that of teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer. Harvick, like Burton is in the midst of one of his best seasons ever, which says to me that the biggest difference is simply that the team is doing everything better building faster cars, doing more consistent pit stops and not making the mistakes they made in prior years.
GFS Marketplace 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup pre-race notes
This race will have a critical impact on the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. Right now, the spread from third-place Kevin Harvick to 10th-place Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is just 192 points. And the spread from 14th-place Carl Edwards to 10th-place Earnhardt is 191 points. Look for lost of positions to be shuffled today.The four drivers outside the top 10 right now Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards all run extremely well at MIS. At the June Michigan race, Kahne won, Edwards was second, Biffle fourth and Busch ninth. All but Edwards have won here before.
Two drivers to watch are Richard Childress Racing teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton. Harvicks victory at Watkins Glen last Sunday was his fifth consecutive top-five finish and top fives are what win championships. And Burton has 16 consecutive top-15 finishes, truly a remarkable statistic. Burton is on the pole for today's race and was the fastest driver in Happy Hour on Saturday.
Elliott Sadler will make his first start in the Evernham Motorsports No. 19 Dodge Charger today, and his replacement, David Gilliland, makes his first Cup start in the Robert Yates Racing No. 38 Ford Fusion.
Ford and Dodge have each won five of the last 10 races at Michigan. The last victory there by Chevrolet was the 2001 Kmart 400 - 11 Michigan races ago.
Roush Racing has enjoyed phenomenal success at Michigan: Among the Roushkateers, Mark Martin leads all active drivers in MIS victories (four), top-fives (15) and top-10s (26). Matt Kenseth has one victory and an average finish of 8.428. Greg Biffle has five top-10 finishes, including two victories. Carl Edwards has finished in the top-10 in all four of his Michigan appearances. His 5.25 finishing average here is the best of all active drivers.
There have been 13 back-to-back victories at Michigan but only seven season sweeps. The last season sweep was in 1995 (Bobby Labonte). Mark Martin, Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle have all posted cross-season back-to-back victories since that time.
David Pearson leads all drivers with nine NASCAR Nextel Cup victories at Michigan.
Bill Elliott has seven Michigan victories six of which came in an eight-race span. He won the first race in 1984 then swept 1985 and 1986 and won the second race of 1987.
Jeremy Mayfield, the defending champion of the GFS Marketplace 400, is not in the race today, as he released by Evernham Motorsports. Kasey Kahne won the June Michigan race in an Evernham Dodge Charger.
The Bud Pole has been the most productive starting position at MIS, providing 15 race winners. And 43 of 74 Nextel Cup races at Michigan won from the first four starting positions.
Ryan Newman will make his 175th Cup start today and Brian Vickers will make his 100th.
Michigan is the fourth-fastest track on the current Cup schedule behind Talladega, Daytona and Atlanta based on Ryan Newman's Bud Pole speed of 194.232 mph set in June 2005.
Gene from Carmel, N.Y.: Tom says, "If you run into the guy in front of you, it's your fault. And that's not just my opinion, but the opinion of most of the drivers in the garage." Go back in that same garage and ask how many of those drivers would ever lift off the gas on the last lap or two or a race? I bet you'd find the same results, which means everyone would be saying they wouldn't bump the leader but they wouldn't lift either ... a conundrum! How can you say something as dangerous running into a car on purpose during a caution lap warrants a "slap on the wrist"? Especially when the guilty party has shown a past propensity for such childish, dangerous, rude, disrespectful and wrongheaded moves? Robby Gordon got a 25-point penalty for throwing a helmet at Waltrip's car, isn't throwing your own race car at another competitors far, far, far more dangerous and, as such, deserve a far, far stiffer penalty?
Tom Jensen: Gene, thanks for the question. One of the great things about a finish like Saturday's Busch race is everyone has a opinion about it. It is indeed a conundrum about what to do in such a situation. Earnhardt voted with his right foot and ran over Edwards. End of story. Why do I think Edwards deserves a slap on the wrist? At the Daytona 500, Tony Stewart rammed Matt Kenseth at nearly 200 mph at the end of the frontstretch, putting Kenseth's car hard into the wall. At Pocono, Stewart deliberately rammed Clint Bowyer at about 160 mph coming out of Turn 3, wrecking Bowyer and Edwards. At Daytona, NASCAR did nothing to Stewart for his action. Nada. Zip. Zilch. No fine, no points, no probation. Nothing. And they did little more at Pocono, simply giving him a one-lap penalty. Stewart's actions were done in anger, at full speed and resulted in three wrecked race cars. That's far, far more dangerous than what Edwards did yesterday. If NASCAR wants to be fair, they can't do anything more to Edwards than they've done to Stewart.
Michael from Lewisburg W.V.: Tom, we know that the NEXTEL cup regulars generally learn a lot in running the Busch races to use on Sunday. Yet some like Dale Jr seem to do well on a Saturday but do not have the same results on Sunday. Other than horsepower, what is the biggest difference in the Busch and Cup cars and are the same pit crews used?
Tom Jensen: Michael, that's a great question. The Busch cars run a five-inch shorter wheelbase (105 inches vs. 110 in the Cup cars) and do indeed run about 100 fewer horsepower than the Cup cars. The biggest difference, though, is depth in the fields. There are more Cup cars capable of winning any given race than there are Busch cars. That said, Junior's in the top 10 in Cup points so it's not like he's having a bad season. As far as the crews go, it varies from team to team, but most full-time Busch teams have dedicated crews. You're a lot more likely to see the crew do double duty for a team that only runs a partial Busch schedule.
J.M. from Naperville, Ill.: Excuse me. Were you watching the same race? Please explain to me what you think Junior should have done on a green, white, checkered restart. And as for colt22, Dale Jr didn't cheat. PLEASE watch the replay of his in-camera and you may change your mind. What will be interesting to see is what NASCAR will do about Mr. Edwards hitting Junior's car after the race and almost taking his hand off. It is obvious he was using his car as a weapon. Then Carl shows up in Victory Lane, confronts Jr and grabs his firesuit. Anger management anyone?
Tom Jensen: J.M., thanks for being with us today. It should be a great race this afternoon. Now for your question. What should Dale Earnhardt, Jr. have done? Simple: Not run into the back of Carl Edwards. It is the responsibility of the second car in line not to run over the leader. Period. No exceptions. Doesn't matter if it's Earnhardt, Stewart or Gordon or anyone else. If you run into the guy in front of you, it's your fault. And that's not just my opinion, but the opinion of most of the drivers in the garage.
Marc from Cincinnati, Ohio: The one thing that we as fans will never find out is was Dale E's nudge of Carl Edwards was intentional or did Carl back off just a little to make it look like a flagarant hit. Robby Gordon, Dale E and Carl Edwards were all running a great race and if you watched closely to the end of the race you saw that carl was close to the wall and Gordon was next to Edwards on the inside. What if Carl backed off instinctively to keep from being sucked into the wall and inadvertently set up the spin that took Carl and Gordon out of the equation. The answer to that question will never be known. It appeared that Jr. was only drafting off Edwards, but Edwards coming back on the track to purposely hit Jr's car was something that he never should have done. In that respect, Carl should be penalized, but it's going to be very difficult to determine if the bump was intentional or an accident.
Tom Jensen: Marc: Welcome to FOX' Instant Analysis. I agree that we'll never know if the bump was deliberate or not. When Jeff Gordon wrecked Matt Kenseth after the race, he swore it was an accident, and Kenseth swore it was a deliberate payback for Bristol in the spring. As for the post-race stuff, my guess is NASCAR will penalize Edwards for it, but probably it'll be a slap on the wrist.
Becky from Tecumseh, Mich.: I'm torn between two drivers. Hey, I feel like someone just kicked my dog. I would like to see the finish again at Michigan just to really see what happened. For two drivers to be such cool guys and good drivers, I can't believe it was Junior and Edwards. Edwards is my favorite driver, but I also love Junior just because I have watched him grow up in this sport and he is such a great person. Was it just one of those "racing things," or was Earnhardt being a driver above the law? (You know, I can do what I want because you can't punish a driver that brings in the money). I guess I don't want to admit he was capable of doing such a thing. Do you know what I mean? But the rules are the rules. If indeed he wrecked Edwards on purpose to win, or says Edwards wasn't on the gas, a typical answer, then he should be punished. Edwards is trying his hardest to keep his cool being wrecked week after week, but he needs to be careful that he doesn't hurt someone in the end. He needs to be punished to keep him in check, too. I can't believe I am saying this. I am still shaking my head.
Tom Jensen: Becky, thanks for the question, which I think you already answered yourself. I'm not saying Earnhardt hit Edwards on purpose, but he did say in the post-race interview that if he had gotten disqualified, that Robby Gordon's car which Junior owns would have won, so he would have won either way. And he knew that when he and Edwards tangled.
Kevin from Germantown, Md.: Dale Jr. should be black-flagged for spinning Carl Edwards. Jr. could have let off the gas. Now Edwards should be suspended for one race for coming out on the track and slamming into Dale Jr. Days of Thunder? Remember?
Tom Jensen: Kevin, it was a wild finish, that's for sure. It will be interesting to see what penalties NASCAR ultimately hands out and what, if any, retribution follows from Carl Edwards. First Tony Stewart at Pocono, now Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Michigan. I bet Edwards is seething and has every right to be. He really got the raw end of the deal again.
colt22 from Wewahitchka: Hi! Why is it that every time someone like Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Tony Stewart wins a race even though the TV plainly shows them CHEATING to get the win, then NOTHING is never none about it? Well, this is one more fan that you will lose if NASCAR does not do something about this DIRTY RACING that has being going on this year. I say stand up NASCAR and put a STOP to this CRAP NOW or LOSE more FANS.
Tom Jensen: colt22, I don't blame you for being angry. It was a terrible call to let Earnhardt wreck Edwards and the win stand. Frankly, it's going to really make a lot of fans question the fairness of the officiating. Then again, there's nothing like a little controversy to get people talking about racing.
Scott from Tilden: What is the biggest points lead ever held by a driver in Nextel Cup or Busch Series history?
Tom Jensen: Scott, thanks for the question. The biggest Nextel Cup points margin under the modern scoring system came in 1975, when Richard Petty beat Dave Marcis by 722 points. Petty had 13 victories that season, while Marcis had just one. In the Busch Series, the largest margin was 616 points. That came in 2000, when Jeff Green bested Jason Keller.
Jason from Willow Park: Are the Hendrick cars good enough for a sweep of the top four spots this week. Why is the Haas team strugling so much? They have the same engines and cars Hendrick, but they just have not performed this year.
Tom Jensen: Jason, thanks for joining us. It is extremely unlikely that Hendrick or anyone else, for that matter will sweep the top four places at Michigan. Fords and Dodges have split the last 10 races at MIS. The last Chevy win here was in 2001. As far as the Haas team struggling, they are still a one-car team, even with Hendrick parts. And one-car teams don't have the budgets, the personnel or the depth that the bigger teams do.
Paul from Olympia, Wash.: What is wrong with Kahne? Two weeks in a row, Kahne has wrecked on the last lap. Seems to me that he has stopped concentrating on the race and maybe thinking about being shut out of the Chase or something else.
Tom Jensen: Paul, that's a good question. I think there are a lot of possible things wrong with Kasey Kahne right now, including the turmoil surrounding Evernham Motorsports and the firing of Jeremy Mayfield. Kahne won at Michigan in June so Sunday's race should be a good barometer of where he's at. But Kahne isn't the only driver struggling now, and he has an excellent team and plenty of time to get back on track.
C. Galbreath from Elkhart, Ind.: Johnny Benson was a very good Cup driver and now a very good Truck driver. I would love to see him have another chance at Nextel Cup with a good car and team! Do you think he'll be back next year?
Tom Jensen: C., glad you could be here. Benson has enjoyed an excellent year in the Truck Series this year and seems happy there. I have not heard his name mentioned for a Nextel Cup ride, but you never know. This is the strangest Silly Season of all time, and anything is possible.
Joe from West Manchester, Ohio: How much of a Nextel Cup car is actually Chevy, Ford, Dodge specific? I know the noses and tails are, but if that is all, what is the big deal with manufacturers? Tom Jensen: Joe, thanks for the question. Actually, very, very little of the modern NASCAR Nextel Cup cars are specific to each brand. The engines and some body parts are the most prominent manufacturer-unique parts. The reason the automakers are in NASCAR is simple: They feel — and have hard, empirical data to back it up — that their multimillion-dollar annual investments are repaid many times over by the benefits racing brings to their brands in terms of sales and image. And that's why, eventually, Toyota won't be the only foreign maker in the game.
Tom from St. Clairsville, Ohio: Michigan ranks right up there with Loudon as the most boring races on the circuit. How does the fan tell NASCAR that these tracks suck? Tom Jensen: Tom, glad you could join us. Everyone has their favorite and least favorite tracks. Michigan, like everywhere else, has had boring races and great finishes, including the thriller in 1991 when Dale Jarrett won his first Cup race by half a fender over the late Davey Allison. If you want to write to NASCAR, their address is:
- NASCAR
1801 W. International Speedway Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114.
Scott from West Valley City, Utah: Who do you think will finish in 11th? In my opinion, 11th place this year will come down to Kasey Kahne, Dale Jr. or Jeff Gordon. The guys above them seem to be more consistent at the moment and the three drivers mentioned above are showing inconsistency. Out of those three, who do you think has the worst shot at making the Chase? Tom Jensen: Scott, you're puttting me on the spot here! I've looked at this a lot of ways and either of the three guys you've mentioned could fall out. None has run especially well lately. In the seven races, Kahne has finished 22nd or worse six times and he's crashed on the last lap of each of the last two races. In the last four races, Gordon has finished 13th or worse three times, while Junior has two finishes of 43rd and another of 18th. That said, it's easier to protect a lead than it is to move up, so I think Gordon is in the best position and Kahne is in the worst. Of course, that could all change Sunday.
Cheryl from Albuquerque: Dear Tom, my husband and I were wondering since Elliott Sadler won't be in the 38 M&M Ford Fusion in 2007 but won a Bud Pole in 2006. Will he race in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona in February in his new ride?
Tom Jensen: Hello, Cheryl. Elliott Sadler is eligible for the Bud Shootout because he won the pole at Talladega in April. You can bet Ray Evernham will have a car ready for him in the 2007 Bud Shootout. That's the first race of the season and a valuable test session for the Daytona 500. Count on Sadler being there.
Robert from Huntsville, Ala.: With Jeremy Mayfield being fired, what does this do for him getting a ride for another team, especially this late in the season?
Tom Jensen: Robert, welcome. We appreciate you joining us. Don't shed any tears for Jeremy Mayfield. He'll be just fine, thank you very much. There is a critical shortage of experienced drivers in the Nextel Cup Series now so Mayfield will have no problem finding a ride next year, most likely with one of the Toyota teams or perhaps even as Sadler's replacement. Whether he drives again this year, though, is a little cloudier. Still, in the long run, he'll be fine.
Robert from Pittsburgh: After the recent changes at Evernham and Yates, do you see Brian Vickers going to the Red Bull team before the season is over and having Casey Mears move into the No. 25 car?
Tom Jensen: Robert, thanks for the question. To the best of my knowledge, there are no plans for Casey Mears to move to the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo before next season. For one thing, the Red Bull team Brian Vickers is moving to in 2007 isn't going to race full-time for the remainder of this season. And in the past, neither Rick Hendrick nor Chip Ganassi has been known for making midseason driver swaps.
Hernando from Grand Junction, Colo.: What happened to Boris Said and Ron Fellows? Their finish positions changed from the unofficial result displayed at the end of the race. Were they penalized?
Tom Jensen: Hernando, that's a great question. Both Ron Fellows and Boris Said were given 30-second penalties for shortcutting and bypassing the Watkins Glen International inner loop on the final lap. That's why Said ended up 31st and Fellows 32nd in the final standings. The mistakes were costly, dropping both drivers out of the top 10.