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Last word
In the final 30 laps, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne all saw potentially good finishes squandered, while Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick dodged potential disaster.Next up is Talladega, and the real wild card in the Chase. See you then on FOX!
What a crazy, crazy, crazy finish as Stewart and Mears both run out of gas, but finish 1-2.
Burton finished fifth and now leads the Chase by 69 points over Hamlin. Martin is third, 70 points back, then it's Kenseth (-84), Harvick (-96) and Gordon (-120). Earnhardt is seventh (-123), followed by Johnson (-162), Busch (-233) and Kahne (-273).
Bill from Bagram, Afghanistan: Tom, what is the record number of cautions in a race at Kansas City Speedway?
Tom Jensen: Bill, the record for cautions in a Cup race is 13, set on Sept. 30, 2001.
After dominating the race, Johnson finishes 13th. Harvick is 15th, Hamlin 18th, Kenseth 23rd, Kahne 33rd and Gordon 39th. UNBELIEVABLE!!
Lap 267: Stewart out of gas, coasts across the finish line to win!!! Mears is second, Martin third, Jarrett fourth and Burton fifth. Then it's Edwards, Busch, Vickers, Bowyer and Earnhardt.
Lap 263: Johnson pits, Stewart takes lead. Kahne lost a whole lap. JOHNSON TOO FAST EXITING PIT ROAD!!
Lap 262: Kahne spins entering pits and stalls. No caution. Johnson slows, but misses pit road and has to go around another lap, expecting a caution that doesn't come.
Lap 261: Edwards pits for gas and go.
Lap 259: Stewart and Edwards nearly crash racing for second.
Lap 258: Burton pits for a splash of fuel and two tires.
Lap 257: Top 10 - Johnson, Burton, Stewart, Edwards, Mears, Kahne, Martin, Jarrett, Busch, Vickers.
Lap 255: Harvick pits for two tires and a splash of fuel.
Lap 253: Johnson leads Burton, Stewart, Edwards and Mears.
Lap 252: Edwards will have to pit. Earnhardt hits the pits for gas and two tires.
Lap 251: Stewart will stay out and not pit.
Lap 250: Biffle pits for two tires and fuel.
Lap 247: 20 laps to go. Johnson leads Burton, Stewart, Edwards, Earnhardt, Biffle, Truex, Mears, Kahne, Harvick and Martin.
Lap 241: After stalling on the frontstretch, Gordon gets a push from Terry Labonte and pits with engine problems. His fuel-pump appears broken. This is huge! He likely will finish 39th.
Ed from Peoria, Ill.: Why does NASCAR wait so long to inform drivers of pit road violations? Kyle Busch was about to take the restart before he got the word!
Tom Jensen: Ed: I think they're just trying to make sure they get the call right.
Lap 237: 30 laps to go and Johnson leads Burton by 4.938 seconds. Then it's Stewart, Biffle, Edwards, Earnhardt, Mears, Gordon, Truex and Kahne. Harvick is 11th, Martin 12th, Busch 15th, Kenseth 22nd and Hamlin 30th.
The big question now is who can go the distance, and who will have to stop? And who will run out trying to stretch it?
Lap 230: Burton passes Biffle for second place and trails Johnson by 4.606 seconds. Stewart and Edwards round out the top five. Unless the remainder of the race is run under yellow, Johnson will have to stop for a splash of fuel with 5-10 laps left.
Lap 227: Johnson has now led the most laps and almost certainly will pick up 5 bonus points for leading the most laps.
Lap 222: Harvick is 11th, Martin 12th, Busch 15th, Kenseth 24th and Hamlin 29th.
Lap 220: Johnson leads by 2.301 seconds over Biffle. Then it's Burton, Stewart, Edwards, Earnhardt, Kahne, Mears and Gordon.
Lap 220: Fuel is shaping up as huge issue as most cars don't have enough to make it to the end.
Jack from Imperial Beach, Calif.: According to Jeff Gordon's scanner, he is going to try and make it on fuel. Good idea or bad gamble?
Tom Jensen: Jack: We'll see, but my guess is it's a bad gamble.
John from NAS Lemoore I am standing watch today and cannot watch the race. I was just wondering what you thought about Jr's car today, and if he has a shot to win today.
Tom Jensen: John: No, Earnhardt's car isn't good enough to win today, unless something happens.
Lap 213: Hamlin makes unscheduled pit stop for a vibration. He falls to 33rd, one lap down.
Lap 210: Johnson leads Biffle by 0.758 seconds. Then it's Stewart, Burton, Edwards, Kahne, Earnhardt, Mears, Gordon and Truex. Harvick is 11th, Martin 13th, Hamlin 15th, Busch 19th and Kenseth 24th.
Lap 205: Earnhardt gets big-time loose and nearly loses it, falling to seventh place.
Lap 203: Johnson, who wants to lead the most laps, retakes the lead.
Lap 200: With 67 to go, the order is: Biffle, Johnson, Stewart, Burton and Earnhardt. Then it's Edwards, Kahne, Mears, Gordon and Truex.
Lap 200: Biffle passes Johnson for the lead.
Lap 198: Green flag.
Lap 196: Leaders all pit. Johnson takes four tires and gas in 13.6 seconds to emerge from the pits ahead of Biffle, Stewart and Earnhardt. Then it's Burton, Edwards, Kahne, Mears, Truex, Harvick, Gordon, Hamlin and Martin. Kenseth is 28th. Busch is 29th after a pit road speeding penalty.
Caution 11
Lap 195: Caution No. 11 as J.J. Yeley wrecks in Turn 2. David Stremme also goes around.Lap 190: Johnson leads Busch by 1.211 seconds. Then it's Stewart, Biffle, Edwards, Burton, Casey Mears. Then it's Earnhardt, Kahne and Gordon.
Lap 189: Biffle passes Edwards for fourth.
Lap 187: Stewart passes Edwards for third.
Lap 185: Busch passes Edwards for second.
Lap 184: Green flag. Eight of the Chaser are in the top 12, with only Hamlin (17th) and Kenseth (22nd) far back.
Over the four-month stretch from June through the end of September, Johnson had just one top-five finish, his victory at the Brickyard in August. But if he can finish like he's run today and then do it at the other four 1.5-mile tracks left on the schedule, he might still have a championship in his future.
Caution 10
Lap 181: Caution No. 10 as Newman spins coming out of Turn 2. Top 10: Johnson, Edwards, Kyle Busch, Stewart, Biffle, Martin, Burton, Earnhardt, Kahne, Gordon. Harvick is 12th, Hamlin 17th, Kenseth 24th.Lap 180: Johnson takes second and then passed Edwards.
Lap 178: Busch gets second, taking Johnson with him to third.
Lap 177: Kyle Busch passes Stewart for second, but can't make it stick, as he slides up the track.
Lap 176: Green flag. Riggs is very slow on restart.
Lap 175: Edwards got the lead because he took two tires while the rest of the leaders took four.
Lap 173: Leaders pit. Edwards leads off pit road, followed by Stewart, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Martin, Biffle, Kahne, Burton, Gordon and Earnhardt. Harvick is 13th, Hamlin 18th and Kenseth 27th, the last car on the lead lap.
Lap 171: Caution No. 9. Bowyer spins out while in second and tags the wall hard enough to bend up the car. Gilliland gets the Lucky Dog.
Lap 170: Harvick is up to 16th and looks like he can salvage a decent day of it at Kansas. The two Chasers struggling are Hamlin in 20th and Kenseth in 24th.
Lap 167: With 100 laps to go, Johnson leads Bowyer, Busch, Stewart and Burton. Biffle is sixth, followed by Martin, Earnhardt, Kahne and Gordon.
Lap 166: Johnson passes Bowyer for the lead.
Lap 163: Harvick and Kenseth are 19th and 20th.
Lap 160: Kyle Busch passes Burton for third.
Lap 159: Johnson takes second from Burton.
Lap 157: Burton returns the favor and lets Bowyer retake the lead.
Lap 156: Green flag. Bowyer moves over and lets his teammate Burton lead one lap to pick up 5 bonus points.
Lap 154: RCR teammates Bowyer and Burton lead, followed by Biffle, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Stewart, Martin, Jarrett, Gordon and Nemechek. Earnhardt is 11th; Kahne, 12th; Kenseth, 24th; Hamlin, 26th; and Harvick, 27th.
Caution 8
Lap 152: Caution No. 8 as Hamlin drifts high out of Turn 4 and lightly tags the wall. Harvick gets the Lucky Dog and will be back on the lead lap in 27th place.
Tim from San Diego, Calif.: Looks like that patch to his front really helped. Looked like he was moving before the caution
Jeff from Waverly, Tenn.: Do they know why it is smoking inside Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car? Could the hole in the front of the car have something to do with it?
Tom Jensen: Jeff: Thanks for the question. My guess is that Earnhardt had a minor fluid leak maybe oil or power steering fluid on a header. Whatever it was, it wasn't major. Yeah, it could be related to the hole in the nose.
Lap 150: Bowyer leads as Burton moves to second place ahead of Biffle, Stewart, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Martin, Jarrett, Gordon and Nemechek.
Lap 149: Green flag
Lap 148: Kenseth back on pit road.
Lap 147: Marlin pits. Burton, Bowyer and Biffle took two tires on pit road. Hamlin, Riggs and Truex all get pit-road speeding penalties.
Lap 146: Lead-lap cars hit pit road. Sterling Marlin stays out to lead a lap Bowyer wins race off pit road, in front of Biffle, Burton, Stewart, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Martin, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon and Nemechek.
Caution 7
Lap 144: Caution No. 7 as Kenseth spins out of Turn 4. Sadler spins out behind him trying to check out. Brian Vickers is the Lucky Dog.Lap 142: Bowyer takes Earnhardt for second, as Earnhardt has a hole in his front valence, which will slow him.
Lap 141: Stewart passes Johnson for fourth.
Lap 140: Busch leads Earnhardt by 0.976 seconds. Bowyer is third, Johnson fourth and Stewart fifth.
Lap 134: Harvick pits to get a spring replaced.
Lap 134: Kenseth makes another pit stop as his crew attempts to find out what's wrong beneath the rear end of his Ford.
Lap 134: Halfway and still under yellow, Busch leads Earnhardt, Johnson, Bowyer, Gordon, Burton, Stewart, Edwards, Kahne and Hamlin. Martin is 23rd and Kenseth, 25th, the last car on the lead lap. Harvick is 35th.
Caution 6
Lap 131: Caution No. 6 as Jamie McMurray spins and hits Turn 2 wall. Martin is the Lucky Dog.Lap 130: Busch leads Earnhardt by 5.088 seconds. Then it's Johnson, Travis Kvapil, Bowyer, Gordon, Burton, Stewart, Edwards and Nemechek. Kvapil has not pitted.
Lap 128: Busch passes Newman to retake lead; Martin and Harvick are a lap down, Kenseth is nearly a lap down.
Lap 127: Burton and Bowyer pit. Newman takes race lead briefly.
Lap 126: Busch, Martin, Gordon and Johnson pit.
Lap 125: Earnhardt and Edwards pit.
Lap 124: Kahne pits.
Lap 123: Riggs pits.
Lap 122: Kenseth pits, as does his Roush Racing teammate Biffle.
Lap 121: Harvick pits.
Lap 120: Busch laps Newman, which means Harvick isn't eligible for the Lucky Dog. Busch leads Earnhardt, Johnson, Bowyer and Gordon.
Lap 119: Gordon has moved all the way up to fifth, an excellent recovedry from his earlier spin.
Kevin from Tennessee: Why is Kevin Harvick so far back and can he come back for a top-10 finish?
Tom Jensen: Kevin: Thanks for the question. Harvick is trapped deep in the field in dirty air. If his team can cure the push in his car, yes, he can get back up to the top 10, but it's going to be an uphill struggle.
Lap 116: Kyle Busch puts Harvick a lap down.
Lap 110: Busch leads Earnhardt by 1.694 seconds. Johnson is third, then Bowyer, Gordon, Burton, Kahne, Stewart, Carl Edwards and Biffle. Hamlin is 13th, Martin 20th, Kenseth 22nd and Harvick 27th.
Lap 108: The Roushkateers are fighting opposite problems: Martin has a bad push, Kenseth is so loose he can barely hold onto his car.
Lap 105: The track has been green since Lap 71; if it stays green, expect green-flag stops in 15-20 laps.
Lap 100: Busch leads Earnhardt by 0.612 seconds. Johnson is third, then Bowyer, Burton, Gordon, Kahne, Stewart, Biffle and Riggs. Hamlin is 13th, Martin 18th, Kenseth 23rd and Harvick 25th.
Lap 97: Harvick is struggling, too, laboring in 23rd. Earnhardt, meanwhile, is holding on to second place.
Lap 94: Kenseth is really struggling. He's back in 25th place, worst of the Chasers.
Lap 93: Earnhardt reporting his car is smoking inside.
Lap 90: Busch leads Earnhardt by 1.205 seconds. Then it's Johnson, Bowyer, Burton, Kahne, Gordon, Biffle, Stewart and Riggs.
Lap 80: Busch leads Earnhardt, Johnson, Kahne, Bowyer, Burton, Stewart, Riggs, Biffle and Jeff Gordon.
Lap 79: Kyle Busch takes the lead going into Turn 1.
Lap 76: Kahne passes Bowyer for fourth.
Bill from Zeeland, Mich.: Why was Elliott Sadler off the track for several laps?
Elliott Sader is back in the race in 42nd after lengthy repairs to the nose of Dodge, which hit McMurray in an earlier pit stop.
Lap 72: Green flag. Earnhardt leads Busch, Johnson, Burton, Kahne, Riggs, Stewart, Martin Truex, Jr. and Yeley.
Lap 71: So far, Johnson is on pace for his best finish since winning the Brickyard 400, something he needs if he hopes to stay in title contention.
Caution 5
Lap 67: Caution No. 5. David Gilliland spins coming out of Turn 4 but avoids hitting anything.Lap 65: Bowyer passes RCR teammate Burton for fourth place.
Lap 63: Green flag. Earnhardt makes a clean break with only the lapped car of Kenny Wallace to pass low.
Lap 60: Lead-lap cars pit. Bowyer has a bad 15.9-second pit stop and loses four places. Earnhardt takes the lead with a 13.4-second stop, followed by Kyle Busch, Johnson, Burton and Bowyer. Then it's Kahne, Riggs, Stewart and Yeley. Hamlin is 12th, Martin is 14th, Gordon is 17th, Kenseth is 19th and Harvick is 28th.
Caution 4
Lap 59: Caution No. 4 for debris on the backstretch.Lap 58: Gordon passes Kenseth for 19th place.
Lap 56: Bowyer's lead is holding steady at about 2.40 seconds.
Lap 55: Kyle Busch and Johnson pass Riggs to move to third and fourth, respectively.
Lap 50: Bowyer leads Earnhardt by 2.335 seconds. Then it's Riggs, Kahne, Burton, Johnson, Yeley, Stewart and Hamlin. Mark Martin is 12th, Kenseth 18th, Gordon 21st and Harvick 30th.
Lap 49: Earnhardt now second.
Lap 48: Kyle Busch passes teammate Johnson for sixth.
The Kansas track has really come in, as cars are able to run in all three grooves.
Lap 45: Earnhardt is charging; he's up to third place.
Lap 40: Bowyer leads Riggs by 0.432 seconds. Kahne is third, then Burton, Earnhardt, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Yeley, ony Stewart and Hamlin. Kenseth has fallen to 12th. Gordon is 25th, Harvick, 28th.
Lap 37: Bowyer finally puts Riggs behind him. Kahne, Burton and Johnson wage furious battle for third place, with Kahne taking it and Burton moving to fourth.
Lap 36: Riggs retakes the point.
Lap 35: Bowyer takes the lead at start-finish line. Hamlin's worked himself up to 11th.
Lap 32: Hometown here Clint Bowyer from Emporia, Kansas, passes Johnson for second place. Like Riggs, he's won Busch races, but never at the Cup level.
Lap 30: Riggs leads Johnson by 0.192 seconds. Then it's Bowyer, Kahne, Burton, Earnhardt, Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Blaney and Yeley.
Lap 28: Riggs takes the lead for the first time, as he looks for his maiden Cup victory. Bowyer is up to third and is looking strong as well.
Lap 27: Harvick is up to 32nd, Gordon to 34th.
Riggs passes his Evernham Motorsports teammate Kahne for second.
Lap 24: Green flag. Johnson's already led more laps than he has in the five previous races combined.
How hard is it to come from behind in the Chase? In 2004 Kurt Busch was never more than a single point out of the Chase lead; last year, Tony Stewart's worst deficit was 23 points. That's proof that getting out front early in the Chase matters and one more reason why today's race is so critical.
The Banquet 400 kicks off a stretch that will see five 1.5-mile tracks in the final eight races. The exceptions? Talladega, Martinsville and Phoenix.
Caution 3
Lap 19: Caution No. 3. Reed Sorenson crashes and backs into the wall between turns 3 and 4. Top 10: Johnson, Kahne, Riggs, Kenseth, Bowyer, Burton, Yeley, Earnhardt, Dave Blaney and Kurt Busch. Other Chasers: Kyle Busch, 12th; Martin, 13th; Hamlin, 17th; Harvick, 37th; Gordon, 38th.Lap 18: Green flag. Burton held onto sixth place, as he decided not to pit after nearly hitting Newman.
Lap 16: Gordon, Harvick pit for tires, with Harvick reporting high engine temps. Top five: Johnson, Kahne, Riggs, Kenseth, Bowyer. Harvick now 37th, one spot ahead of Gordon.
Caution 2
Lap 14: Caution No. 2. Newman spins in Turn 4. Gordon and Harvick spin in frontstrretch infield with no damage, but Burton has slight contact with Newman. That could have been a disaster for several contenders.Lap 13: Green flag. Newman took the lead because he didn't pit, but on the restart Johnson takes the lead.
Other Chasers Mark Martin, 14; Earnhardt, 15th; Kyle Busch 16th; Hamlin 21st.
Lap 11: Leaders pit. Kahne and Johnson take two tires. Jamie McMurray spins out at entrance to pits, Joe Nemechek spins on pit road. Order out: Ryan Newman, Kahne, Johnson, Riggs, Kenseth, Bowyer, Burton, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, J.J. Yeley.
Caution 1
Lap 9: Caution No. 1 as Robby Gordon spins off Turn 4 but doesn't hit anything. Top 10: Kahne, Johnson, Riggs, Kenseth, Vickers, Bowyer, Elliott Sadler, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton.Lap 7: Kenseth passes Vickers for fourth. Historically, he hasn't been good here, but he ran great at Chicago, a similar track, earlier this year.
Lap 6: Denny Hamlin is 22nd, the last of the Chase contenders.
Lap 5: Kahne has led from the drop of the flag. His lead his 0.118 seconds over Johnson.
Lap 3: Kenseth passes Bowyer for fifth.
Lap 1: Green flag. Kasey Kahne leads the first lap, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Scott Riggs, Brian Vickers and Clint Bowyer.
Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne must have strong races today if they hope to get back into title contention.
2:12 p.m. ET: Engines fired for the Banquet 400. Time to get it on and get it done!
More Banquet 400 Prerace Notes
The weather is Kansas is much warmer than it was Friday and Saturday.Mark Martin, the defending race winner, said a few moments ago that he hasn't been able to get his car to feel like it did last year.
Top 10 starters at Kansas:
- Kasey Kahne
- Scott Riggs
- Jimmie Johnson
- Brian Vickers
- J.J. Yeley
- Clint Bowyer
- Kyle Busch
- Matt Kenseth
- Elliott Sadler
- Jeff Burton
Cheryl from Richfield Springs: OK, I've been wondering for about 2-3 yrs and i was just wondering, what do you have to do to become a NASCAR driver or anything that deals with NASCAR?
Tom Jensen: Cheryl: Welcome to FOX! The best way to become a NASCAR driver is simply to start out at a local track and try to develop as a driver, have excellent results and move up to bigger and better series. As far as "anything that deals with NASCAR," the place where the lion's share of NASCAR jobs are located is in the Charlotte, N.C., area. That's where most of the teams are based.
Darrel from Sioux Falls, S.D.: Good Afternoon Tom....My question is about the points system, and would like some feedback....I do wish they would go back to the old system, you know the one that rewards for running good all year........Anyway with that said, What i would ask nascar is why couldnt we go to a system when the Drivers would all have 3 mulligans ill call them....so you race all 36 races but only 33 count....ok heres the twist.....The team has to decide by the following tuesday... After saturday or sundays race, if they are gonna take the race as a mulligan....for instance......if its early in the season i probably wouldnt use a 30th place finish as a mulligan....but if i was 25 races into the year and i had only used one i might want to use it as a mulligan, as long as the tracks coming up had been good in the past......ok one more thing also.....have the points not drop off so fast....1st through 43rd,....the same, and i believe it should only be 3. And would only give 3 for leading a lap and leading the most laps......
Tom Jensen: Darrell: Thanks for the question. There might be some merit to having "mulligans," but you can't wait until Tuesday to decide. It would automatically have to be your three (or however many) worst finishes. When the race ends, fans want to know what the point standings are right then.
David from Louisville, Ky.: Hey, just wanted to thank you for putting my e-mail on here. One thing even better was I asked you why owners are overlooking drivers like Mike Wallace, and I got to looking around and found out Mike Wallace has a new "billon dollar company" to sponsor him, not the owner or car. But his loyalty is showing because he is using this sponsor to assist James Finch. That's what I was talking about when I said he is a racer. Thanks Tom and good luck Mike Wallace.
Tom Jensen: David: Welcome back. Wallace is a class act; no doubt about it.
M.E. from Houston, Ala.: Why can't Jeff Gordon get his pit crew up to par? Last week they were bad slow, not a stop under 15 sec. Why?
Tom Jensen: Greetings, M.E. Pit crews are like any other sports teams: They have good days and bad days. In general, Gordon's pit crew is among the best in the series, and I think, more often than not, they are an asset.
Jo from Rock Hill, S.C.: Hi Tom and happy Sunday! I've got a question about all the rumors for bringing back drivers like Ward Burton, Ricky Rudd, Ricky Craven and Bill Elliott to the Cup series. Given how much trouble the continuing full-time drivers (e.g. Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte) have had adjusting to these new coil-binding setups, is it reasonable to assume that a driver who's been out of a Cup car for a considerable period would be able to get comfortable with them? We know they haven't "forgotten how to drive a racecar," but are these racecars that much different than what they remember? Thanks.
Tom Jensen: Jo: Hello and welcome back FOX. You raise a great question and a real issue. I absolutely think that the radically different chassis setups used today would be very difficult to adjust to, especially if someone's been out of the cockpit for a couple of years.
Michael from Lewisburg, W.V.: Good Afternoon. Tom. The days of the backyard shade-tree mechanic are long gone. Today's high tech engineering comprises of many engineers and technology in engine building. With the maximum allowable HP of 750HP (I think) for Cup cars, why does it seem some teams appear to have more HP than others? You would think they could achieve the same 750HP.
Tom Jensen: Michael: Hello and thanks for being here. There is no maximum allowable horsepower in NASCAR it's whatever the teams can generate. And all the top teams are very, very close in horsepower. Some of the differences you see might be attributable to how specific drivers like their engines tuned. Obviously, everyone wants the most power, but teams sometimes might sacrifice 5-10 horsepower in the interest of fuel economy if they think that will have an impact on the outcome of the race.
Tom from Grays Chapel, Ala.: Tom, NASCAR needs a separate points system for the Chasers for the final ten races. I propose keeping the FIVE point system intact where the highest finishing Chase driver gets FIFTY points, second to him FORTY FIVE, etc. Keep the FIVE point deal for a lap led and leading the most laps. What Nascar needs to add to this equation is: TEN extra points for a Chaser who wins the race and ZERO points for Chasers who have a DNF. Give the DNF position (tenth) points (FIVE) to the ninth place driver. Two Chasers DNF, 8th and 7th get those FIVE points each respectively. This system would make for a more exciting Chase and create a possible tie in points by the end of the race at HOMESTEAD. If that occurs, here is the best part for this proposed system: A TEN LAP SHOOTOUT amongst those tied at the top!!!! Of course give the drivers and teams 10 minute break for car preperation and a potty break. TALK ABOUT EXCITEMENT!!! WHEW!!!!
Tom Jensen: Tom: Thanks for the note. Your system has some merit. Like I noted earlier, though, no matter what system you come up with, some people will like it, others won't. There is no system that will satisfy everyone.
John from Richmond Hill, Ga.: I think it would force all the drivers to race hard but clean if the Chase drivers received points equal to their finishing position. For example, first gets 43 all the way down to 1 for 43 place. Forget bonus points for winning with the Chase drivers only. All drivers not in the Chase would be where the current points system would apply. Highest non-chaser would receive the max points for each race whether they win or not. If 11th in the points finishes 10th but leads the most laps among the non-Chasers, then they receive 190 and so on. It would help create two Chases going on at the same time. As a bonus, up the ante for finishing 11th at the end. Just a small money separation from the 10th place finisher.
Tom Jensen: John: Welcome to FOX. That's another good suggestion. It will be interesting to see what NASCAR ultimately decides on.
Amelia from Philadelphia, Pa.: I got one thing to say about Vickers not allowed entry into Hendrick meetings. How come Lance McGrew is allowed in on the Hendrick's team meetin, without his driver? If Brian isn't allowed in, why is his crew chief? If Hendrick is so scared of so-called team secrets, why let a team in on the meetings without their driver? Unless Casey Mears is joining the party on the team meetings, getting him ready for the "West Coast" team? How juvenile...and sad to see a team as highly praised as one of the best teams to work for to treat a driver this way. No wonder Brian is leaving. A past Busch champ, which reminds me, I don't think that any of the present day, full-time drivers at Hendrick as well as their new driver Casey Mears was a past Busch champ. Talk about disrespect. Brian never played that over any of his so-called teammate's heads in all his days at Hendrick. Especially, since a certain driver could have cost him not one, but two point victories...a Jeff Gordon...I do wish Brian the best...He deserves it for all the team spirit he had for Hendrick. Wasted away. Best of Luck to Dale Jr. Take care. Have a nice one.
Tom Jensen: Amelia: Welcome to Instant Analysis and thanks for the question. There's a real, real basic reason why Lance McGrew is allowed in Hendrick Motorsports team meetings and Brian Vickers isn't: Vickers quit the team, and McGrew didn't. Vickers opted to go to a rival team and a rival manufacturer so it's not surprising that the team is reacting the way it has. It doesn't want Vickers bringing information with him. It's nothing personal; it's business. And it's hardly uncommon in such a fiercely competitive sport. In 2005, once Kurt Busch told Jack Roush he was leaving Roush Racing, Roush never spoke to him again.
Chris from Dover, N.H.: I'm just trying to get some input on the point system. I don't understand how a driver who just won his first race in five years can be leading the standings, just doesn't make sense or seem fair to the drivers who are winning every year. Please give me some input from you and your collegues who are around the sport every week. Thank you.
Tom Jensen: Chris: Glad you could be with us today. What most people believe — and what I tried to indicate with my sample revised points system I illustrated earlier — is that NASCAR needs to emphasize excellence more and penalize bad finishes less. In other words, a lot more points for wins and top fives, and a smaller gap between, say, positions 30-43.
Kevin from Germantown, Md.: What are your thoughts on Jeff Gordon walking away with the win at Kansas?
Tom Jensen: Hello, Kevin, and welcome. I like Jeff Gordon's chances a lot today. He's run well at Kansas in the past, winning twice, and he's hot right now. More importantly, he and his team have really upped their performance on the 1 1/2-mile tracks this season. I think he's got as good a shot as anyone today.
Prerace notes
Today's race, the Banquet 400, is the third of 10 races in the 2006 edition of the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup.It is being run at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway, the newest track on the Nextel Cup schedule.
The weather is expected to be hot and sunny, with temperatures near 90 degrees.
Kasey Kahne starts from the pole for today's Banquet 400. Three of his five victories this season have been at 1.5-mile tracks. The other two were at 2.0-mile tracks.
POINT STANDINGS
- Jeff Burton
- Jeff Gordon (-6 points behind leader)
- Matt Kenseth (-18)
- Denny Hamlin (-18)
- Kevin Harvick (-54)
- Mark Martin (-75)
- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (-102)
- Jimmie Johnson (-136)
- Kasey Kahne (-182)
- Kyle Busch (-224)
| Chase Drivers at Kansas (Ranked by Average Finish) | ||||
| Rank | Driver | Starts | Avg. finish | Laps led |
| 1. | Jeff Gordon | 5 | 6.000 | 169 |
| 2. | Jimmie Johnson | 4 | 13.750 | 21 |
| 3. | Mark Martin | 5 | 14.400 | 141 |
| 4. | Kasey Kahne | 2 | 15.500 | 39 |
| 5. | Kevin Harvick | 5 | 18.400 | 49 |
| 6. | Jeff Burton | 5 | 19.200 | 4 |
| 7. | Matt Kenseth | 5 | 19.400 | 85 |
| 8. | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 5 | 20.000 | 22 |
| 9. | Kyle Busch | 2 | 29.000 | 0 |
| 10. | Denny Hamlin | 1 | 32.000 | 0 |
There have been six different pole winners in the six NASCAR Nextel Cup races at Kansas Speedway: Jason Leffler (2001), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (2002), Jimmie Johnson (2003), Joe Nemechek (2004), Matt Kenseth (2005) and Kasey Kahne (2006).
Dodge swept the top-three finishes in the 2003 Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway with Ryan Newman, Bill Elliott and Jeremy Mayfield. That remains the only sweep of the top three for Dodge since they returned to Cup racing full-time in 2001.
Twenty drivers have competed in all five Cup races at Kansas Speedway. While four drivers have all scored four top-10 finishes there - no one has posted a top-10 in all five.
Four different drivers have won Cup races at Kansas Speedway: Jeff Gordon (two), Ryan Newman (one), Joe Nemechek (one) and Mark Martin (one).
Mark Martin is the defending race winner for the Banquet 400.
The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Kansas was 19th by Mark Martin in 2005.
Seven drivers have competed in all five races at Kansas without posting a DNF: Jeff Gordon, Jeremy Mayfield, Joe Nemechek, Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader, Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace.
Four drivers posted the same finish in each of their first two races at Kansas: Jeff Gordon (first), Ryan Newman (second) Tony Stewart (eighth) and Mike Wallace (19th).
Twenty-four of 50 top-10 finishers at Kansas Speedway also started from the top 10.
There have been four different race winners in the five races at Kansas Speedway. Jeff Gordon is the only driver to score multiple victories at Kansas winning the 2001 inaugural race and again in 2002.
All five races at Kansas have been won from a top-20 starting position, including two from the front row.
Greg Biffle has posted two straight top-10 starts at Kansas, the longest current streak.
Greg Biffle has posted two straight top-five finishes at Kansas, the longest current streak.
Rick Hendrick leads all owners scoring two victories at Kansas Speedway. Both of those victories were by Jeff Gordon (2001-2002).
Jeff Gordon has led 169 laps at Kansas - more than any other driver. However, he has not led in his last three races there.
Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all drivers, each with three top-five finishes at Kansas.
Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon leads all drivers, each with four top-10 finishes in five races at Kansas.
Retired drivers Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd also scored four top-10 finishes in five races at Kansas.
Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with a 6.0 average finish at Kansas.
Last week's race at Dover was a "show stopper" of sorts with Jeff Gordon ending a streak of 47 races without a pole and Jeff Burton ending a streak of 175 races between victories. Kevin Harvick also had a significant streak end at Dover. He had been running at the finish in 39 consecutive races until engine failure ended his run with 34 laps to go in the Dover 400.
Mike from Hooks, Texas: I was wondering during the Dover race why the 17 car was able to change the rear tire while pitted outside the box with no penalty? While the official was telling them to back up, they put the front yire back on but changed the rear tire. After he backed up, they changed the front tire but went around and started removing the left side tires. They discussed it on Inside Nextel Cup but never gave an answer. And I have not seen it discussed by any of the media, including the race commentators.
Tom Jensen: Mike: Welcome to FOX. I have seen no official word from NASCAR on the Kenseth situation. I agree that his crew should have had to replace the rear tire, too. It could be something as simple as the official missed the call.
David from Louisville, Ky.: What's going on in the search for quality drivers? One of the best drivers in NASCAR has had one chance in a quality car and he passed the test with flying colors, and this driver is stuck in a field-filler car. Wake up Robert Yates! Look at what Mike Wallace did for Roger Penske. Someone give this guy a quality ride. You will be doing yourself an unbelieveable favor. He is a driver, not just a fill-in.
Tom Jensen: David: Thanks for the question. You raise a great point. The real problem is that sponsors all want the next Jeff Gordon or Kasey Kahne someone young who can be groomed to be a champion and develop with the team and the sponsor package. There are a ton of quality guys out there Wallace, Ward Burton, Todd Bodine, Mike Bliss, Ted Musgrave and Johnny Benson, to name just a few but they aren't the young guys the sponsors want.
Kris from Wright City Mo.: Hey Tom, do you think we should really do what Darrell Waltrip has come up with on tweaking the Chase point structure? Numerically giving out points 1 thru 10 according to finishes. Seems to me a driver finishing first would be ticked if he only gained one point on the next closest driver finishing say 12th. That is way to much of a departure from the old NASCAR days for me.
Tom Jensen: Kris: Glad you could join us. Understand one fundamental truth about the point system: However it's tweaked, some people will like it, others will hate it and some won't care. And that applies equally to fans, drivers, owners and media members. So you're not going to make everyone happy no matter what you do. Personally — and I'll admit I've waffled about how to do this — I think there should be much more emphasis on winning and finishing in the top five and much less emphasis on bad finishes. One example: Give the winner 200 points, second place 175, third 165, fourth 155 and fifth 145. Then go in five-point intervals from positions six through 10; four-point intervals from 11th to 20th; two-point intervals from 21st to 30th; and one-point intervals from 31st to 43rd. Under this system, the point spread from first to 43rd stays virtually identical to what it is now, but gives the drivers a lot more incentive to finish in the top five.
Jeff from Cleveland: I was reading a story about possible changes to the All-Star race. Although I am not a big fan of letting just anybody into the race, I think there is a way to make the race mean more to the drivers and increase drama for the fans. What if the winner of the race was given an automatic spot in the Chase? This could be the wild card everyone is looking for.
Tom Jensen: Jeff, welcome to FOX for race No. 3 in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup. You raise an interesting point with your suggestion, and I'm not opposed to it. In the three Chase seasons so far, however, the three All-Star race winners — Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson — all made the Chase anyway, so it might be a moot point. Come to think of it, those three are the only three drivers who've made the Chase all three years it's been run.
Louis from Pomona, Calif.: Do you think that Casey Mears will get a win in the No. 25 next year, and what is with Hendrick Motorsports uninviting Brian Vickers to team meetings? Can't he help the other three teams?
Tom Jensen: Louis, yes, I think Casey Mears will get his first Cup win next year in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 25 next year. No disrespect to Brian Vickers, but what's a guy who's never won at the Cup level and has only nine career top-five finishes going to teach his three teammates who've combined for seven victories just this season alone?
Tom from South Daytona, Fla.: Frequently I read or hear fans claim that a certain driver is not doing well because he doesn't get the "good" stuff from whatever team might be the subject. Would you kindly explain that orgainzations such as Hendrick, Roush, Childress etc. do not have different levels of quality parts and that everything they build or buy is the best available? Or is that not true?
Tom Jensen: Tom, thanks for the questions. It's not that the top teams have vastly different levels of quality as such. But this time of the year, teams who have drivers in the Chase will try to give their drivers in the Chase the absolute best equipment. For instance, Mark Martin or Matt Kenseth might get a brand-new car for a Chase race, where Jamie McMurray might run an existing car. Also, this time of year, the big teams use their cars outside the Chase as R&D test beds for 2007. So McMurray might be testing a setup for next year, while Martin and Kenseth will be sticking to the tried and true.
Todd from Sugar Hill, Ga.: The race at Dover between Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton was some of the best racing I have seen. Tony Stewart talked about it at the beginning of the year, but could not follow through. Why can't more drivers drive like Matt and Jeff did? It was great. NASCAR should sit everyone down, show them the replay and let the drivers know that's what they expect. Stop wrecking people to gain a postion. Maybe a five-lap black flag for aggressive driving would be in order instead of what they do now. Would that not be a good enough penalty to ensure that all of the drivers stop wrecking for position? If you get caught, you are not going to win the race.
Tom Jensen: Todd, you are absolutely correct. Dover featured great R-A-C-I-N-G. Neither Matt Kenseth nor Jeff Burton traded so much a fleck of paint, nor did either of them bump or muscle the other guy out of the way. They raced hard and they raced ferociously, but they raced clean, exactly the way they needed to. It was a textbook example of two veterans doing everything right. And I agree that NASCAR needs stiffer penalties if they want to stop the rough stuff between drivers.
Toni from Sacramento, Calif.: Tom, why is it taking so long for the sponsors and/or owner of the new Michael Waltrip No. 00 Burger King and Domino's Pizza team to make a decision on who the driver will be next year? Seems like this is dragging on forever. Your thoughts on who the driver might and/or should be? And what number will Dale Jarrett drive?
Tom Jensen: Toni, thanks for joining us. Sponsoring a race team is a huge investment: $15 million to $20 million per car per year and a smiliar amount of money for "activating the sponsorship" buying advertising, doing promotions, hosting people at the track, etc. So figure the two MWR sponsors are combining to spend $30 million to $40 million a year on their NASCAR program. For that money, the sponsors get to approve the driver. And for that sum of money, you can bet each company's board of directors has to sign off on the decision. It's a complicated process with a lot of different people needing to give their OK's. And it could be the sponsors don't agree. As for Jarrett's number, I've heard 44, 77 or 28 mentioned as possibilities. The No. 88 is staying with Robert Yates.
Suzy from Bristol, Va.: What's up with RYR? I heard he turned down Ward Burton, who had a sponsor, and Robby Gordon, who also had sponsorship. Without sponsorship, there's no driver. The first thing a sponsor wants to know is who will drive. Any word on the plans for the No. 88 car?
Tom Jensen: Suzy, welcome to FOX. I spoke with Robert at New Hampshire about 10 days ago, and he said the team was very close to signing a big-name sponsor. I also heard Ford was working hard to put a sponsor and Yates together. Expect an announcement soon.