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Instant Analysis from Tom Jensen
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The title race is anything but settled and I can't wait for the final two races of the season.
I'll see you all in Phoenix next weekend. Have a great week everybody!
It's still anybody's championship and undoubtedly will go down to the wire at Homestead.
The points: Johnson leads for the first time in the Chase, Kenseth is second, 17 back. Earnhardt (-78) drove an incredible race to move up to third, Hamlin (-80) is hanging in in fourth place and Harvick (-105) is the last guy with a shot at the title.
Stewart led 278 of 339 laps to win his second race in a row and his third in the Chase. He becomes the 12th different winner in 12 Cup races at Texas.
Stewart wins, Johnson second and Harvick third. Then it's Kyle Busch, Bowyer, Earnhardt, Mears, Kurt Busch, Gordon and Hamlin.
Lap 339: Johnson is unable to mount a challenge on Stewart.
Lap 338: Green flag. Two laps for all the money. Stewart holds the lead.
Lap 334: The order now is Stewart, Johnson, Harvick, Kyle Busch, Bowyer, Earnhardt, Truex, Mears, Kenseth, Petty, Busch, Gordon and Hamlin.
Lap 333: Caution No. 12. We'll have a green-white-checkers finish.
Lap 332: Riggs bobbles out of Turn 2, then Harvick hits him in Turn 4, sending him hard into the wall and off Truex. Kenseth, Edwards and Gordon spin in grass.
Lap 331: Green flag. Single-file restart. Johnson passes Harvick for third. Remember, Johnson has four fresh tires.
Lap 330: One lap to go until green.
Lap 328: Kahne blows hit motor while second. Gordon in for four tires. Under caution, the top 10 is Stewart, Riggs, Harvick, Johnson, Truex, Kyle Busch, Bowyer, Earnhardt, Mears and Kyle Petty. Hamlin is 11th, Kenseth is 12th and Gordon 14th.
Lap 328: Caution No. 11 as Biffle hits wall in Turn 1 from an apparent blown right-front tire.
Lap 324: 10 to go and Stewart leads Kahne by 4.606 seconds. Then it's Riggs, Harvick and Johnson.
Lap 323: Stewart retakes lead.
Lap 322: Stewart is second, ahead of Kahne, Riggs, Harvick, Truex, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Bowyer and Earnhardt.
Lap 321: J.J. Yeley leads, but will need to stop.
Lap 321: Kyle Busch is in next, as is Carl Edwards.
Lap 320: Gordon stops.
Lap 319: Johnson pits for four tires in 13.8 seconds. Harvick takes right-side tires.
Lap 318: Stewart pits for two tires.
Lap 318: Bowyer pits for four tires.
Lap 316: Riggs pits from fourth.
Lap 315: Kahne pits for two tires but stalls car.
Lap 314: 30 laps to go. Johnson is right on Stewart's bumper. Earnhardt pits for four tires. Kenseth gets one of his laps back.
Lap 311: Johnson passes Kahne for second place and is now the fastest car on the track.
Lap 310: Stewart's lead is 1.002 seconds over Kahne.
Lap 307: Truex passes Earnhardt for seventh.
Lap 304: Kenseth is first car to pit and he comes out 30th, two laps down. But keep in mind, everyone else will have to stop.
Lap 304: 30 to go and Stewart leads Kahne by 0.517 seconds. Then it's Johnson, Harvick and Riggs.
Lap 300: Kahne has cut the margin behind Stewart to 0.524 seconds. Stewart has led 244 of 300 laps so far. It appears Kahne will have to pit much earlier than everyone else.
Lap 294: With 40 to go, Stewart leads Kahne by 0.568 seconds. Then it's Johnson, Harvick, Riggs, Busch, Earnhardt, Truex, Bowyer and Biffle.
Lap 292: Kahne starting to close gap to Stewart again.
Lap 290: 44 laps to go, and everyone is 12 to 15 laps short of fuel, meaning there will be one more pit stop to come.
Lap 287: Biffle passed by Riggs and Earrnhardt.
Lap 286: Biffle losing his motor, as Busch passes him for fifth.
Lap 285: No changes up front: Stewart over Kahne, Johnson, Harvick and Biffle.
Lap 283: Kenseth, who restarted 30th, is up to 19th.
Lap 278: Riggs passes Earnhardt for seventh.
Lap 275: Stewart has held off Kahne and stretched his lead to 0.764 seconds Then it's Johnson, Harvick, Biffle, Kyle Busch, Earnhardt, Riggs, Truex and Bowyer.
Lap 271: Harvick passes Biffle for fourth.
Lap 270: Johnson takes third from Biffle, but Biffle puts up a huge struggle before the No. 48 settles into third.
Lap 265: Kahne closes on Stewart's bumper, making it a race for the first time today.
Lap 263: Earnhardt takes seventh place.
Lap 260: Green flag.
Lap 259: Kenseth pits to top off the fuel tank and comes out 30th.
Lap 258: Leaders pit. Once again, it's Stewart out first, but Kahne comes out second in front of Biffle (two tires), Johnson, Harvick, Kyle Busch, Earnhardt, Truex and Riggs. Kenseth busted for being too fast on pit road. Bowyer falls to 11th after losing a lug nut.
Lap 256: Caution No. 10. Robby Gordon loses an engine.
Chris from Orlando: THERE GOES EARNHARDT'S CHASE, TOO!!! His car is fine, little to early to be saying something
Tom Jensen: Chris: It looked like Earnhardt's car was more heavily damaged than it turned out to be and that's good. You want to see titles decided by speed, not crashes.
Ed from Peoria, Ill.: Do the teams run an inner liner in the tires here at Texas?
Tom Jensen: Ed, I'll double check, but I do not think they do here.
Lap 251: Harvick is 6th, in front of Edwards, Riggs, Earnhardt and Gordon.
Lap 250: Stewart's margin over Kahne is 1.798 seconds. Then it's Johnson, Bowyer and Kyle Busch.
Lap 246: Earnhardt and Riggs are duking it out fiercely for eighth.
Lap 245: In terms of the lead, this race has been dull. But in terms of the Chase and positions 2-10 in the field, it's had all sorts of plot twists and turns.
Lap 241: Stewart leads Kahne by 1.345 seconds. Then it's Bowyer, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Harvick, Edwardss, Gordon, Earnhardt and Riggs.
Lap 239: Kahne passes Bowyer for second; Earnhardt is up to 11th in a remarkably gutsy run.
Lap 238: Earnhardt is up to 12th.
Lap 237: Green flag.
Lap 233: Leaders pit. Kyle Busch nearly hit Biffle on pit road. Stewart is out first again, as he's been all day long. Bowyer holds second, followed by Kahne, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Truex, Kurt Busch, Edwards, Sorenson - who didn't hit anything when he spun - and Harvick. Gordon is 11th, Earnhardt 15th, Hamlin 17th, Kenseth 18th, Martin 28th and Burton 42nd.
Lap 232: Caution No. 9. Reed Sorenson spins out in Turn 2, narrowly avoiding both Busch brothers. Joe Nemechek gets the Lucky Dog.
Lap 230: Stewart has opened his lead to 4.237 seconds, with Johnson 7.656 seconds behind the leader in third. Kahne and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
Lap 225: Johnson is up to third, behind Stewart and Bowyer. Johnson has all nine of the other Chase drivers behind him, which is where he wants them. But there's still a long, long way to go in this race.
Lap 220: No change up front, as Stewart's lead is 3.91 seconds. Earnhardt is up to 15th, while Kenseth is 18th, one spot ahead of Hamlin.
Lap 215: Stewart has led 163 laps so far.
Lap 210: Stewart leads Bowyer by 2.992 seconds. Kyle Busch is third, followed by Harvick, Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kahne, Gordon, Sorenson and McMurray. Earnhardt is 16th, Kenseth 19th, Hamlin 20th and Martin 22nd.
Lap 210: Stewart takes lead, Busch second, Bowyer third and McMurray fourth. Earnhardt is now 19th. Maybe his Chase is alive after all.
Lap 200: Stewart to second
Lap 199: Green flag.
Lap 197: Leaders pit. The order out is: Jamie McMurray, Brian Vickers, neither of whom pitted;Kyle Busch, who took just two tires; Stewart, Bowyer, Harvick, Johnson, Kahne, J. Gordon and K. Busch. Kenseth is 19th, Hamlin 21st, Martin 22nd and Burton, 31st.
Lap 196: Caution No. 8 as Paul Menard loses an engine. Biffle gets Lucky Dog.
Lap 194: Biffle pits with a suspected flat tire.
Lap 188: Gordon is driving a new car, one that's only been raced once before. It had better aero numbers than his favortet intermediate car, but it's been a handful. He's sixth.
Edwards loses four spots on restart.
Lap 186: Green flag. Earnhardt has made six stops to repair the damage from his crash. He is 34th.
Lap 183: Stewart leads, followed by Bowyer, Harvick, Edwards, J. Gordon, Johnson, Kahne, Kurt Busch, Reed Sorenson and Casey Mears.
Caution 7
Lap 182: Caution No. 7. Robby Gordon hits wall.Lap 180: Restart
Lap 176: Earnhardt in pits again.
Lap 176: Just past halfway and already Burton, Martin and Earnhardt have crashed, Hamlin is far back in the field because of a pit penalty, Kenseth has been slow all race.
Caution 6
Lap 174: Caution No. 6. Ken Schrader blows a tire in Turn 4 and a bunch of guys pile up behind him, including, Martin, Marlin and others. Earnhardt avoids the chaos.Lap 170: Green flag. Stewart leads Bowyer, Harvick, Edwards and Kahne. Johnson's problem apparently was not the ignition box, but a window net that had fallen down.
Lap 169: Because Kenseth pitted out of sequence, he's back to 32nd, spot ahead of Mark Martin and two up on Earnhardt.
Lap 168: Earnhardt back in the pits. Kenseth pits.
Lap 167: Kenseth stayed out to lead a lap. Behind him, it's Stewart, Bowyer, Harvick, Edwards, Ward Burton, Kahne, Johnson, J. Gordon and Kurt Busch.
Lap 167: Leaders pit. LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, WE HAVE REACHED THE HALFWAY POINT. THIS RACE IS OFFICIAL!
Caution 5
Lap 165: Caution No. 5. Bowyer closes on Earnhardt coming out of Turn 4. Earnhardt gets loose and goes hard into frontstretch wall, with the right-rear quarter slapping the barrier. THERE GOES EARNHARDT'S CHASE, TOO!!!Lap 163: Stewart has lead 118 of 163 laps so far.
Lap 160: Stewart leads Earnhardt by 4.182 seconds. Then it's Bowyer, Johnson, Kahne, Harvick, Edwards, Truex, J. Gordon and Kurt Busch.
Lap 159: Burton back in the race after 42 minutes of repairs in the garage.
Lap 158: Johnson had a major scare as he apparently had to switch ignition boxes.
Lap 155: Bowyer is up to third, his best position of the day.
Lap 150: Stewart leads Earnhardt by 2.353 seconds. Then it's Johnson, Bowyer, Harvick, J. Gordon, Kahne, Edwards, Truex and Kyle Busch.
Lap 146: Harvick is up to fourth and looking better than he has in weeks, at least in his Cup car.
Lap 143: Michael Waltrip's season of woe continues as he's 42nd and out of the race with an engine failure.
Lap 141: Green flag. Stewart is off like a shot.
Lap 140: Earnhardt feels like he's going to get sick in the car.
Lap 139: Sadler in pits with suspected loose brake line. Marlin pits.
Lap 138: Leaders all pit. There are 34 cars on the lead lap right now. Stewart wins the race off pit road again, ahead of Earnhardt, Bowyer, Gordon, Kahne, Truex, Edwards, Harvick and Kurt Busch. Sterling Marlin stays out to lead a lap. Kyle Busch is 1th, Kenseth 25th, Hamlin 26th and Martin 34th.
Caution 4
Lap 136: Caution No. 4. Debris on the frontstretch. And yes, I saw the debris this time with my own eyes. Sadler gets the Lucky Dog.Lap 135: Frankly, it hasn't been much of a race today. And frankly, Friday's Truck race and yesterday's Busch race were snoozefests, too.
Lap 130: Stewart leads Earnhardt, Johnson, Kahne, Bowyer, Gordon, Truex, Harvick, Edwards and Kurt Busch.
Lap 126: Earnhardt retakes second, but he's 5.4 seconds behind Stewart.
Lap 124: Here's where the Chasers run right now:
2. Johnson
3. Eanrhardt
4. Kahne
6. Gordon
8. Harvick
14. Kyle Busch
22. Kenseth
27. Hamlin
33. Martin
43. Burton
Lap 121: Earnhardt back to third.
Lap 120: Stewart is making a laugher out of this one. His lead over Johnson is now 4.616 seconds. Everyone else is racing for second right now.
Lap 117: Kahne passes Earnhardt for third.
Lap 116: Johnson passes Earnhardt for second place.
Lap 112: Vickers nearly spun out of Turn 2. His new team for next year, Team Red Bull, was 0-3 in qualifying attempts this season and will not attempt to race again until next year.
We only need 57 more laps for the race to be official.
Lap 110: Stewart leads Earnhardt by 3.359 seconds. Then it's Johnson, Kahne and Gordon.
Lap 105: Stewart is in his own zip code, leading by 2.282 seconds. Burton is 43rd, the only car out of the race; Martin is 33rd, Kenseth 32nd and Hamlin 29th. Another massive points shakeup is likely today.
Lap 102: Kenseth is back to 29th. This is shaping up to be a huge points day for Johnson has three of the top five in points are having wretched days and the fourth (Earnhardt) is sick.
Lap 100: Stewart leads Earnhardt by 1.157 seconds. Then it's Johnson, Kahne and J. Gordon. Sixth is Truex, followed by Riggs, Bowyer, Harvick and Edwards.
Lap 99: Kenseth has left-rear tire issue and may pit soon.
Lap 98: Kahne's right shoe is wet and sticking to the throttle.
Lap 95: Green flag.
Lap 94: Hamlin penalized for leaving the pits with a wedge wrench still in his car, which drops him to 32nd-place. Earnhardt complaining of heartburn. Martin gets the Lucky Dog, Sadler gets a 1-lap penalty for pitting outside his pit box.
Lap 92: Regardless of where he finishes in points, Jeff Burton has had a whale of a season, as has his Richard Childress Racing team. Like his former teammate Martin, Burton is a classy guy and an excellent ambassador to the sport.
Lap 90: Leaders pit. Stewart is first off pit road, followed by Earnhardt, Johnson, Kahne, J. Gordon, Truex, Riggs, Bowyer, Edwards and Harvick.
The driver who led the Chase earlier is done for in terms of the title.
Caution 3
Lap 87: Caution No. 3. BURTON BLOWS A RIGHT-FRONT TIRE ON THE FRONTSTRETCH AND HITS THE WALL HARD!!!Lap 86: Martin goes a lap down in what surely will be a long day.
Sadly, Terry Labonte's last Cup race won't be a great one. He's now 41st, one lasp down.
Lap 86: Kenseth hasn't been able to make up any ground and is still 22nd.
In all three Chases, Johnson has been behind in points. If this race keeps going the way it's unfolding now, he'll leave today with the points lead. But it's still way early.
Why haven't we had a ton of cautions? Because none of the drivers wants to stay in Texas tomorrow! So everyone's being extra careful and patient because they don't want a yellow flag.
Lap 80: The top five is unchanged and we're nearly halfway to official distance.
Lap 75: Stewart leads Kahne by 1.486 seconds, followed by Johnson, Earnhardt, Riggs and J. Gordon. Kenseth is up to 22nd.
Lap 70: No change in the top five. Positions 6-10: Riggs, Kyle Busch, R. Gordon, Martin Truex, Jr. (from 34th starting position), Vickers.
Lap 65: Hamlin, third in points starting out the day, has slid back to 15th, surprising given how well his teammate Stewart is running. Hamlin, who has had an awesome rookie season, can't afford a bad points day now.
Lap 63: Stewart may well end the Chase with more points over the final 10 races than any of the top-10 drivers. Wouldn't that be interesting?
Lap 60: Stewart leads Kahne by 1.615 seconds. Then it's Johnson, J. Gordon and Earnhardt. Points leader Kenseth is up to 26th.
Lap 58: Earnhardt is up to fifth, behind Stewart, Kahne, Johnson and J. Gordon. Earnhardt won his first career Busch and Cup wins here.
Kenny from Fremont, Calif.: Tom, Why is NASCAR throwing the competition yellow? Don't the teams have enough common sense to make their own pit stops? The strategy of who goes first and who stays out would be interesting to second-guess.
Tom Jensen: Kenny: The weather is cold, the track had a lot of moisture. I think NASCAR wanted to be a on the side of safety. Better a quick caution so everyone can pit than a long one because someone blew a tire.
Craig from Fairless Hills: Am I the only person that this makes no sense to? I know they want to get the race in, but don't we already have enough caution laps during the race? Another disappointing decision by NASCAR.
Tom Jensen: Craig: Starting the race under green/yellow conditions was a safety decision, and while the delay was irritating, it now looks like a smart decision as so far, we've had an incident-free race.
Jo from Rock Hill, S.C.: Hi Tom! Interesting that NASCAR let Robby Gordon change the tire without dropping to the back. Any chance that's a makeup call to offset the penalty he incurred last week?
Tom Jensen: Hi, Jo! Nah, that wasn't a make-up call for Robby. Make-up calls are given when NASCAR made the wrong call in the first place. They weren't wrong about Robby.
Lap 50: Stewart leads Kahne by 0.879 seconds. Then it's Johnson, J. Gordon and R. Gordon.
Lap 48: Vickers is slipping back.
Lap 47: Kahne passes Vickers for second and takes Johnson with him to third.
Lap 46: Stewart leads and looks as good as he did last week when he won in the same car.
The rain delay at the start was 50 minutes.
Lap 46: Green flag
Lap 43: Leaders pit. Disaster for race-leader Kurt Busch, who has trouble with the right-front tire in the pits and falls to 11th. Stewart comes off pit road first, folllowed by Vickers, Kahne, Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon, Earnhardt, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer and Scott Riggs. Hamlin is 12th, Burton 18th, Harvick 22nd, Kenseth 30th and Martin 33rd, his back-up car really struggling.
Caution 2
Lap 42: Caution No. 2. This is a competition caution to allow teams to come in and check tire wear. Except all the lead-lap cars to pit.Lap 39: Stewart nearly passes Busch for lead.
Lap 38: Michael Waltrip gets lapped.
Lap 35: Stewart, last week's winner, passes Vickers for second and goes high-tailing it after race-leader Kurt Busch.
Lap 33: Busch laps 43rd-place Kenny Wallace.
Lap 32: NASCAR will fly a competition caution at Lap 40.
Lap 30: All 43 cars are still on the lead lap. The top 10: Busch, Vickers, Stewart, Johnson, Kahne, Riggs, R. Gordon, Earnhardt, Kyle Busch and J. Gordon.
Lap 28: Jeff Gordon is 11th, Denny Hamlin 12th, Kevin Harvick 17th and Jeff Burton 21st.
Lap 25: Vickers has cut the gap to Kurt Busch to 0.304 seconds.
Lap 20: Kurt Busch leads Vickers by 0.848 seconds. Then it's Stewart, Johnson, Robby Gordon, Kahne, Earnhardt, Kyle Busch, Riggs and Gilliland, who is looking better than he ever has in a Cup race before. Kenseth is 32nd, Martin 34th.
Lap 18: Everyone wants to get the race in today and so far, everyone is behaving as a result.
Remember, we need 167 laps to have an official race.
Lap 15: Third-place Johnson is the only Chaser in the top five on the track.
Lap 13: Earnhardt passes Kyle Busch for sixth. Then it's Kahne, Gilliland and Scott Riggs.
Lap 10: Busch leads Vickers by 1.032 seconds. Then it's Vickers, Johnson, Gordon and Stewart.
Lap 8: Kenseth is up to 30th, Martin 34th.
Lap 7: Busch leads Vickers, Johnson, Gilliland and Robby Gordon.
Lap 5: Green flag. Brian Vickers takes the lead from the pole, but Kurt Busch rockets by on the backstretch and leads.
Lap 4: One lap to go until we get the green for real. ABOUT TIME!!!
Caution 1
Lap 1: The race finally begins at 3:45 p.m. Unfortunately, the first few laps will be run under yellow.3:38 p.m.: The cars are on the track, but just driving around under yellow in an attempt to dry the track.
Mark Martin and David Stremme to the back of the field because they are each in back-up cars after separate crashes in practice.
Matt Kenseth will have his work cut out for him, starting from 36th position.
Achim from Germany: When is the rain expected to begin?
Tom Jensen: Welcome, Achim. At 3:30 p.m. ET, we have a window of at least 60-90 minutes before the next line of rain showers are due.
Today's Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway is race No. 36 of the 38 in the NASCAR Nextel Cup season and race No. 8 of 10 in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
Texas Motor Speedway is a fast, 1.5-mile tri-oval that looks a lot like tracks in Charlotte and Atlanta, but has entirely unique handling characteristics. Today's race will be 334 laps. It will become official after Lap 167.
3:22 p.m, EST. Engines fired!!!
Have a great race, everyone and thanks for being with us at FOX!
Let's hope we can get 'er done ahead of the rain.
Barb from Mt. Vernon, Ohio: Is it raining? Why hasn't the race started?
Tom Jensen: Barb: Welcome to FOX. It's not raining, but the safety vehicles are out on the track making sure it's dry.
Rich from Mary Esther, Fla.: Why aren't the sweepers out getting rid of loose rubber on every yellow so we won't be having cars spinning out when they have to go to the top?
Tom Jensen: Rich: Thanks for the question. The preferred line around Texas is NOT way up high all the way around. As far as the sweepers, they'll be used as needed.
The weather isn't great at Texas, but it looks like we'll at least get started.
Among the title contenders, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Burton have all looked good this weekend so far, but Matt Kenseth has not and has to hope his car will race better than it's practiced and qualified.
Benny Parsons told me yesterday that he's feeling better but will undergo some additional radiation treatments that he termed "voluntary" as followups to his lung cancer treatment.
Pretty much everyone and I'm guilty, too has discounted Hamlin's chances because he's a rooke, but he has looked strong all weekend.
The top 10 starters for today's Dickies 500:
- Brian Vickers
- Elliott Sadler
- Kurt Busch
- Kasey Kahne
- Jimmie Johnson
- Denny Hamlin
- David Gilliland
- Tony Stewart
- Robby Gordon
- Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said he's finally feeling a little better after a weeklong bout with the flu.
Tony Stewart will be driving the same car he won with last week in Atlanta and ought to be tough again today.
Last pre-race note
Moments ago, I spoke briefly with NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France in the garage here at Texas and he confirmed that next year's Chase for the Nextel Cup will receive only minor tweaks.There will still be 10 drivers and 10 races, France told me, and there will not be a separate points system for Chase drivers.
What could change, France said, was the 400-point threshold. In addition to the top 10, any driver within 400 points of the leader after 26 races is Chase eligible. In three seasons to date, no driver has made the Chase by being outside the top 10 but within 400 points of the leader.
Expect a change in the 400-point threshold next year.
KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED. WE MAY GET TODAY'S RACE IN AFTER ALL!
Jeremy from Waterbury, Vt.: Do you think NASCAR will finally put a Chase format into these series? I think for the trucks, it would draw more attention, Busch it may help the regular bush teams race agianst those cups teams later in the season?
Tom Jensen: Jeremy: Great question. NASCAR's rationale in the past has been that it wants to differentiate the Nextel Cup Series from the Busch and Truck series. My opinion - and it's only my opinion - is that if it's good enough for NASCAR's biggest series, it ought to be used for all its top three series.
Caryn from Franklin, N.J.: What was the REAL reason for the second caution at last week's race? I know several people that still think it was to benifit Dale Jr.!! I know they say Nascar would never do that, but it is very suspicious since when you listen to all the commentators you would think that he is the only one in this chase and it is reallly getting ridiculous!
Tom Jensen: Caryn: You raise a very difficult question. The official reason for the second caution last week at Atlanta was debris. NASCAR's official scoring does not go into any more detail than to say "debris," so we don't know where it was or what it was. And since so few people saw the debris - I missed it - it's tempting to speculate about other motivations were at play. But the official reason is debris.
Gordy from East Point, Ky.: I noticed that Terry Labonte "qualified" 44th, but when the lineup was posted, he was listed as 43rd and in the race. How did this happen? What are your thoughts on Texas Terry's final race?
Tom Jensen: Hello, Gordy! Terry Labonte earned the 43rd and final position in the field by virtue of the past champion's provisional. As for my thoughts on Texas Terry, he is a true champion, a gentleman and a class act on every level, a man who is old school in the best sense of the phrase. For more thoughts on Labonte, check http://www.speedtv.com/articles/nascar/nextel/33761/.
A couple of quick news updates
It's raining lightly in Texas. The odds of getting the race in today are about 50-50. The good news is the weather forecast for tomorrow is much better.Robert Yates told me the No. 88 Ford Fusion will race next season, possibly with multiple sponsors.
Despite published reports to the contrary, both Penske Racing South crew chiefs, Matt Borland (Ryan Newman) and Roy McCauley (Kurt Busch) will be back with the team next year. The Dodges will have a new nose next year, which should tame the aero instability the cars have had this year and last.
Michael from Lewisburg, W.V.: Good Morning Tom, Countdown to green is now countdown at 3. As usual, your article's for SPEEDTV and NASCAR on FOX tend to make the avid NASCAR fan question NASCAR's arrival on certain decisions. This year's practice speeds at the two plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega were in the 194 range. Atlanta, a non-plate race, yet termed often as one of the fastest tracks, was around 189. At Talladega, much to the dislike of fans and drivers, they made a last-minute change in the plates. That was like an umpire making bad calls for strikes. As long as it was consistent, it is an even playing field for all teams. What other factors go into determining the use of restrictor plates other than the track temperature?
Tom Jensen: Hello, Michael! The single biggest factor NASCAR considers with regard to restrictor plates is safety. Directly related to safety is speed. The reason NASCAR went to smaller plates at Talladega was that speeds were climbing near 200 mph in practice and 200 mph is the threshold beyond which NASCAR feels like cars will stay planted in the event of a spin. In other words, if a car starts a spin at 195 mph, NASCAR is confident it won't get airborne. If it happens at 205 mph, it might. That's why NASCAR slows the cars down with plates. Atlanta holds the record for qualifying speed at a non-restrictor plate track, when Geoffrey Bodine qualified at more than 197 mph in 1997. But as the pavement has aged, the track has slowed. Here at Texas, Brian Vickers won the pole at a speed of more than 196 mph, but yesterday in practice, no one topped 190 mph, so restrictor plates became moot.
Kay-J from Orlando: In my opinion, Kevin Harvick totally killed (in a bad way) the Busch Series. Him winning every other race is getting real old, real fast. I'm probably not the only one happy about him only running couple Busch races next year. The only reason why I watched the Busch race Saturday was to watch Tony race, and what do you know? Harvick wins. Even the commentators make jokes about his point lead. Kyle Petty made a point that Harvick should have just sat out the next few races. I agree. What do you think about Kyle's comment?
Tom Jensen: Kay-J: Welcome to Sunday on FOX. Yep, Kevin Harvick has pretty much stunk up the show in the Busch Series. You can't ask him to sit out the final two races of the season, though. His sponsor is paying for him to be in the car and a fair number of fans are there to see him. It would wildly inappropriate for him not to be there, even if it means another Harvick blowout.
George from San Antonio, Texas: Whatever happened to the series that used to run on dirt and asphalt in the same year? It may have been ARCA. I remember well-known racer Dean Roper used to run a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer sponsored entry back in the '80s. Can you help? That was awesome racing and I miss that type of competition.
Tom Jensen: George: Happy to help. The series you are referring to is the ARCA RE/MAX Series. ARCA's website is http://arcaracing.cmagic.com and the series still races at least once a year on dirt. Tragically, Dean Roper was killed in an ARCA race at Springfield, Ill., in 2001, 10 months after his son, Tony, perished in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway,
Robert from Atlanta: Fords rarely run up front and aren't qualifying well anymore. Is it the engines or the Fusion? Everyone says the Fusion is a great car, better than the Taurus, but this year's numbers don't back that up. How could they fall so far so fast without it being the Fusion?
Tom Jensen: Robert: Good question you raise. There are fewer full-time Ford teams (three) than there are Chevrolet or Dodge teams. That means there are fewer Fords to draw data from and fewer Ford teams to share notes and resources. Roush Racing had exceptional seasons in 2003-'05, but the team has fallen behind this year for a variety of reasons, most related to technology. The Fusion is virtually identical to the Taurus in terms of aero characteristics. Still, it's a new car and teams tend to struggle with new cars, as Dodge did last year when the Charger came out. I expect the Ford teams to improve next year, just as the Dodge teams have this season.
Chris from Latham, N.Y.: Will Juan Pablo Montoya run both the Cup and Busch Series next year to get maximum seat time or will he just run a handful of Busch races?
Tom Jensen: Chris: Welcome to FOX. Montoya met with us reporter-types last night at Texas Motor Speedway and at that time, he said the tentative plan is to run the full Cup schedule and all the companion Busch events — those run at the same tracks on Cup weekends. He did say that was tentative, though, and he could run fewer Busch races. He also left the door open for at least one Cup start this season.
Scott from Grafton, Wisc.: Will other teams besides Hendrick and Penske start utilizing tracks such as the Milwaukee Mile next year to improve their car tuning pre-races since they do not count towards their test sessions?
Tom Jensen: Scott: Thanks for the question. Virtually all the top teams already test at the Milwaukee Mile, Kentucky Speedway, Virginia International Raceway and anyplace else they can get away with legally testing.
Jason from Willow Park: Will Brian Vickers going be the only Toyota in the Bud Shootout?
Tom Jensen: Jason: Thanks for being here. No, Brian Vickers will not be the only Toyota in the Bud Shootout. Dale Jarrett is eligible on the basis of winning the event in the past (1996, 2000 and 2004). Also, Bill Elliott is eligible for the same reason, having won in 1987. I haven't heard anything about Elliott entering the race, but he is eligible and has driven in the past for both Michael Waltrip and Team Red Bull.
Gentry from San Gabriel, Calif.: Did you notice the last two drivers to qualify for the race wer the top two in the lineup? Their speeds are much faster than the 3rd and 4th driver. Is there any way to make qualifying more even for all who attempt to get into a race?
Tom Jensen: Gentry: You raise a great question. There is absolutely no doubt that the cars that went out at the end of qualifying had a huge advantage because the track got so much faster once the sun went down. But because qualifying takes so long sometimes more than two hours there's no way to guarantee the weather will stay consistent and be equal for all drivers at all times. No matter how you do it, it'll be an advantage for some drivers and a disadvantage for others.
Chris from Latham, N.Y.: When the Nextel Cup Series races at Atlanta, Charlotte and Texas, why are there a lot of engine failures?
Tom Jensen: Chris: Thanks for your question. Put simply there a lot of engine failures at Atlanta, Charlotte and Texas, because of three factors: The races are long, the races are fast and the teams are trying to wring every last ounce of horsepower out of their engines.
Greg from Commerce Okla.: Hey Tom, I'm a huge Tony Stewart fan, and I really wish he was in the Chase, but his post-race climbing of the fence after a win is a little scary. I'm really surprised that NASCAR has not put a stop to it. I seriously think the guy is going to fall one of these days. Your thoughts?
Tom Jensen: Greg: Glad you could join us. Unfortunately, I share your opinion about Tony Stewart's fence climbing: Sooner or later, I think there's a good chance he could fall. I hope I'm wrong, though.
John from Newburgh, N.Y.: What is the exact date that the Cup cars will be in New York City for the awards?
Tom Jensen: John: Thanks for your questions. The Waldorf-Astoria will host the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Awards Ceremony on December 1.
More pre-race
Good news: Speeds are way down in the opening round of practice, meaning there's virtually no chance NASCAR will decide to use restrictor plates in Sunday's Dickies 500. Click here for more from SPEEDTV.com.Toyota will have four full-time cars and three teams racing in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2007. Braun Racing will field Toyota Camrys in NASCAR's AAA division for Jason Leffler and Dave Blaney, David Reutimann will drive a Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing and Auggie Vidovich will be behind the wheel of a Camry for Biagi DenBeste Racing.
The announcement of the Toyota Busch teams was made Saturday morning at Texas Motor Speedway, less than 12 hours after the automaker clinched its first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Manufacturers Championship at the track.
Toyota, of course, will also enter the Nextel Cup Series next year, with three teams and seven cars.
Ron from Midlothian, Texas: Tom: I enjoy reading your columns and Instant Analysis. The forecast for Sunday is calling for a good chance of showers, with an even greater chance of rain on Monday. In the event that they could not get the race in by Monday and considering the next race is in Phoenix, would it be feasible that Texas would host the final Chase Race on the weekend following Thansgiving?
Tom Jensen: Ron: Thanks for the question. The unofficial answer is, I sure hope not. It would be a huge logistical mess to try and run the race after Thanksgiving. Let's hope we get the race in on Sunday.
Nick: What are your predictions for Sunday's race?
Tom Jensen: Nick: Welcome to FOX. I like Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson a lot for Sunday, although the Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart are really serious contenders, too. I was frankly surprised at how bad the Roush Fords were in qualifying, given that Roushkateers have won five of 11 races here.
Freddy from Houston: Is NASCAR thinking or considering going abroad? With pilots like Juan Pablo Montoya, Paul Tracy, Danica Patrick and even Jacque Villeneuve trying to come here, is the next step to keep growing?
Tom Jensen: Freddy: Hello and thanks for joining us. NASCAR is indeed going abroad, having run two Busch races in Mexico City, with a third planned for next year, as well as a first trip to Canada with the Busch teams. But NASCAR has been adamant in recent years that it will not race the Nextel Cup Series outside the U.S.
Larry from Clarksville, Tenn.: My suggestion to stop the drivers from throwing stuff from their car? Simple. Dock the driver, crew chief and owner one point and forfeit their entire purse. Send them home with no money and I think it will stop. That's inexcusable behavior.
Tom Jensen: Larry: That's a good suggestion, but I think the sting of 50 owner and 50 driver points will hurt a team much worse than fining them the race purse will.
Prerace notes for Dickies 500
Sunday's Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway is race No. 34 of the NASCAR Nextel Cup season and the eighth of 10 races in the season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup championship.Some pre-race updates:
The Dickies 500 will be the 848th and final Nextel Cup race in Terry Labonte's storied career.
The top 10 in points are:
- Matt Kenseth
- Jimmie Johnson (-26)
- Denny Hamlin (-65)
- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (-84)
- Jeff Burton (-84)
- Kevin Harvick (-121)
- Jeff Gordon (-146)
- Mark Martin (-201)
- Kasey Kahne (-210)
- Kyle Busch (-249)
The average finish of the Chasers at Texas:
- Hamlin, 5.5
- Johnson, 7.0
- Earnhardt, 10.75
- Kenseth, 12.13
- Harvick, 13.43
- Martin, 13.55
- Burton, 17.45
- Gordon, 17.55
- Kahne, 20.0
- Busch, 25.333
Five Chase drivers have scored one victory at Texas: Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin.
Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon lead all Chase drivers in top-five finishes at Texas, with four.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Mark Martin lead all Chase drivers in six top-10 finishes at Texas, with six.
Six of the Chase drivers posted top-10 finishes at Texas in April, including Kasey Kahne, who won from the pole.
Denny Hamlin has posted top-10 finishes in both of his races at Texas. His 5.5 average finish at Texas is the best of all Chase drivers.
Jimmie Johnson has posted top-15 finishes in all six of his races at Texas Motor Speedway.
The five fastest drivers in the opening round of practice Friday were Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers, Kurt Busch, Scott Riggs and Kyle Busch.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said Friday morning that he's nursing a severe sore throat heading into the Texas race weekend. I feel a lot better than I did yesterday, but I've got a real bad sore throat, Earnhardt said.
Kyle Busch is evaluating whether to run the entire NASCAR Busch Series schedule next year or just a partial program.
Petty Enterprises is looking to beef up its pit crews for Bobby Labonte and Kyle Petty in the off-season.
Roush Racing announced Friday that 3M will be the primary sponsor for Greg Biffle's No. 16 Nextel Cup Ford for seven races in 2007, as well as the primary for Todd Kluevers Busch car all season.
Heartburn and acid indigestion treatment Tums will be the primary sponsor of Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Reed Sorenson and David Stremme for one race each next season and an associate sponsor on both cars for the whole year.
Dollar General will be the primary sponsor of Kevin Harvick Inc.'s No. 77 Busch Series car next season. Harvick will drive the car in five races, Kertus Davis in 13 and Bobby Labonte in 18 races.
Industrial tool company Lenox will be the primary sponsor of Jeff Burtons No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for two races next season and an associate sponsor for the entire year.
Mark Martin said Friday he expects to run a handful of truck races for the Wood Brothers next year.
Texas Motor Speedway had two first-time winners in the first four Nextel Cup races held there: Jeff Burton posted his career-first Cup victory in the inaugural race in 1997 and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won his career-first race in 2000.
There have been 11 different winners in 11 Cup races at Texas.
Ford has won seven of the 11 races at Texas. Chevrolet posted back-to-back victories in 1999 and 2000 for its two wins there and Dodge won the race there in 2003 and earlier this season.
Roush Racing has won almost half of the Cup races here all with different drivers. Five Roush drivers have visited the Texas victory lane: Jeff Burton, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin.
Dale Jarrett has led 407 laps at Texas, the most of any driver. Jarrett has led in seven of the 11 races there, leading in each of the first seven races. He has not led since 2003, when he led just one lap.
Texas natives Terry and Bobby Labonte finished in the top 10 in each of the first four Cup races at Texas Motor Speedway. Both have competed in all 11 races here and both now have five Texas top-10 finishes.
Ten drivers have started all 11 races at Texas: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield, Ken Schrader and Michael Waltrip.
Greg Biffle leads all drivers with four straight starts of seventh or better at Texas.
Jimmie Johnson has finished 11th or better in all six of his races here.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has finished 12th or better in seven of his eight races at Texas.
Casey Mears has posted top-15 finishes in each of his last four races at Texas.
Jeff from Dale, Ind.: What does it say about the open-wheel industry when Sam Hornish Jr, A.J. Allmendinger and Juan Pablo Montoya go from the open wheel ranks to NASCAR? It doesn't look good for the open wheel industry does it? And don't forget about Paul Tracy either.
Tom Jensen: Jeff: Welcome to FOX's Instant Analysis! I think you've pretty much answered your own question. The reason so many top drivers and team personnel are moving to NASCAR is because they have far, far greater opportunities here. The jobs pay better, there are a lot more of them and the teams are much more stable. Champ Car and the Indy Racing League have spent the last 10 years locked in a death battle to see who would fail first. The truth is, both series have failed miserably and let the fans down in the process.
Bill from Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Has anyone noticed that Tony Stewart has outscored all 10 of "The Chase" finalists with seven of the ten races completed? He would currently be in fourth place in the chase. Nice format NASCAR!!!
Tom Jensen: Bill: Thanks for the question. Tony Stewart has had an excellent run in the Chase and the Chase no doubt would be more exciting if he were in it. But the reality is, no matter what system you use to set the Chase lineup, some good drivers are going to fail to make the field. And that's going to upset some people. Last year, tons of fans were up in arms that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon didn't make the Chase. But you know what? Life went on. Remember: Only three drivers have been in all three Chases so far.
John from Austin, Texas: Tom, you seem to know all the truth about things. How about setting the record straight about Toyota? What is an American-made car? I just bought a Nissan Titan Truck that was made in Mississippi and a friend's new Hyundai is made in the U.S. The Toyota Camrys are made in Georgetown, Ky. and the Tundras made in Princeton, Ind. (Soon to be San Antonio, Texas.) How much more American do you have to be? Where are the Chevys, Fords and Dodges made? Dodge is owned by a "foreign" company = DaimlerChrysler AG, based in Stuttgart, Germany. Is it that Toyota is SO STRONG in the NCTS that NNCS is scared of them or is it anti-Japanese? If the latter, when are "we" going to get over it?
Tom Jensen: John: I appreciate the kind words. There is absolutely no question that the world is getting smaller and with each passing day, the words "domestic" and "import" seem to lose more and more relevance at least when it comes to automobiles. I think in terms of Toyota and the Nextel Cup Series, there are several factors at work: Some fans have anti-Japanese sentiment; some teams and manufacturers are concerned that Toyota has deeper pockets and will try to buy championships simply by spending exponentially higher sums of money than non-Toyota teams and manufacturers. I asked Toyota's racing boss, Lee White, about that a couple of weeks ago in Charlotte and he insisted that Toyota was not spending more than the other manufacturers. Here's the bottom line, to me at least: Much of the fear has to do with the unknown. Once the racing starts, I think a lot of the fears and backlash will dissipate, especially if Toyota proves competitive, but not dominant.