Joey Logano, the Peacemaker?

Joey Logano was dubbed “sliced bread” by Randy LaJoie and came onto the NASCAR Cup Series scene in 2008. Since his Cup debut he has had one pole, one win and 13 top ten finishes...and has been a party in no less than three feuds with veteran drivers.

During the fall of 2009 Greg Biffle and Logano had a few run-ins that left Biffle wondering at the lack of respect that Logano showed to veteran drivers. Logano had gotten into Biffle during a Nationwide race at Kansas; Biffle said Logano had driven him up into the wall, smashed in Biffle's fender, and knocked Biffle on the car to his inside. The following week at Auto Club Speedway Biffle transmitted to Logano before the race that he “better be ready to race hard”. Greg ultimately said that maybe he should not have squeezed Logano quite as much on the backstretch and given “the kid” more room to race. The battle continued when Joey's father, Tom Logano gave Biffle a one-fingered salute after the race. The senior Logano's hard card was pulled after that incident for his display of a lack of respect for others.

Kevin Harvick caught Logano this year at Pocono in June and as Joey saw it “The 29 let me go down the straightaway then dumped me in the next corner.” The incident escalated after the race when Joey, after finishing 13th, drove up to the 29 car of Harvick in the post-race inspection line. Joey's father, Tom Logano could be seen urging his son to stand up for himself and was seen on camera shoving a member of Harvick's Richard Childress Racing Team. In post-race interviews, Joey went on to take the issue to a personal level by suggesting Kevin's wife DeLana “wears the fire suit in the family.” DeLana Harvick had t-shirts made up within 12 hours of the fire suit comment and has turned a nice profit from the incident.

During the Michigan Speedway Carfax 400 Logano and Ryan Newman were racing for position when Logano got loose and into Newman's back left corner. Newman spun and in a cloud of tire smoke managed to save the car. Newman saw the incident as intentional; video showed it was more likely that Logano simply got loose while racing for position and Logano agreed. After the race, Newman and Logano were seen having a discussion regarding the incident. Newman seemed to be the agressor whereas Logano seemed to be trying to make peace. The two were separated after Newman shoved Logano's chest and NASCAR Officials stepped in. In post-incident interviews Joey said that with 70 laps to go he felt Newman was racing him too hard. He went on to say “I tried to talk to him but didn't get anywhere...I guess he needs to calm down first.”

The difference between this incident and the previous incidents seems to be the absence of Tom Logano. The first two issues with Biffle and Harvick, Joey had his father was by his side. Tom Logano basically urges his son to fight or the elder Logano makes other gestures and remarks to escalate the event. Without his father at his side at Michigan Speedway Joey seemed to have an attitude that conveyed “let's just talk about it.” Without Tom Logano track side it seems that Joey has a lot more tolerance for drivers who are angry with him and more likely to try to find a peaceable solution to disagreements. Joey Logano is not a teenager racing on dirt tracks anymore; Tom Logano needs to realize that Joey is fine – better off even – at the track without parental supervision.
 
Photo Credits:
Photo 1: www.racintoday.com
Photo 2: Associated Press

Battle for the Bubble: Bowyer Vs. Martin

Going into Michigan Speedway's Carfax 400 Mark Martin held a 10 point lead over Clint Bowyer for the coveted 12th spot in the Series Points Race. Bowyer began the race in the third spot after a solid qualifying run on Friday while Martin earned the 12th starting position. The number 5 Hendrick Chevrolet found itself scraping the wall while racing for position early and Mark fell back rapidly through the pack

Kurt Busch's Blue Deuce blew up early and caused the first caution to come out on lap 31. Almost everyone headed to the pits for fuel, tires, and adjustments. Martin came into the pits showing in 34st position. Bowyer had stayed near the front of the field through the beginning of the race but lost two position in the pits and restarted in seventh place on lap 39 while Mark restarted in 33rd position.

After 50 laps in the Carfax 400 Mark had improved little and was watching his Chase hopes slide backwards. Clint was running in seventh place to Mark's 31st. At 59 laps complete a second caution came out for sprinkles at Michigan Speedway. Lap 60 saw the lead lap cars again coming into the pits. Mark offered the complaint that the car was “tight, tight, tight” and took an air pressure adjustment, added wedge, and took out rubber along with four fresh tires and fuel. Bowyer had no complaints regarding his car and took a full tank of fuel and four fresh tires. Bowyer came out of the second pit stop showing still in 7th place. Martin found himself back in the pits two more times for repairs to the front end of the car stemming from his earlier scrape with the wall before the green flag dropped and Mark restarted 34th on lap 67.

Things remained much the same through lap 150 between the pair fighting for the bubble spot. Pit stops began again for lead lap cars on lap 149. Martin and Bowyer both made slight adjustments, took four tires, and filled up with fuel. The pair came back out for green flag racing on lap 152 in familiar territory with Bowyer in 6th and Martin in 30th. Bowyer's car started tightening up on him and he began to slide backwards through the pack. By race end Martin had gained one place to finish 29th and Bowyer found himself in the 13th finishing spot.

Post-race Clint Bowyer holds a 35 point lead over Mark Martin for the 12th spot in the Chase for the Championship. 158 points separates Bowyer from 11th place Greg Biffle. The 12th spot battle will likely remain between Bowyer and Martin, with the possibility of Ryan Newman or Jamie McMurray gaining ground from another 68 and 70 points back, respectively.

Bowyer has been the stronger performer between he and Martin for most of the season. Clint Bowyer has an average finish in 2010 of 15.82 after the Carfax 400 whereas Mark Martin posts an average finish of 16.22. Going into Bristol next weekend Martin may have the edge; Mark's average finish at Bristol is a 12.93 while Clint's average finish is over five spots behind at an 18.00. Will the duo switch again after Bristol to find Mark Martin back in the Bubble spot or will Clint hold him off and finish ahead of Mark at Thunder Valley? One thing is for sure, with only three races left before the beginning of the Chase to the Championship neither Mark Martin or Clint Bowyer will give up easily.

Photo Credits:
Photo 1: www.aI.com
Photo 2 : www.racintoday.com

In the Rearview Mirror: The Last 7 Days of NASCAR

More scheduling announcements for 2011, driver moves and contract signings, Jeff Gordon and wife have a baby, and Jack returns. As always, it's been an interesting week in the world of NASCAR. Let's take a few minutes to revisit the week and get caught up on all the NASCAR news.

Chicagoland announced on Monday that it would be hosting the opening race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase to the Championship. Chicago is a fast track and will be the only new venue during the 2011 Chase. The Chicago race, historically held in July will open the Chase on September 18, 2011. This move by NASCAR regarding Chicagoland vacates the July date for Kentucky Speedway's foray into Cup Racing next year. The 400-mile night race on July 9, 2011 will be the second part of a double header weekend in Sparta, Kentucky after Nationwide racing on Friday night. In preparation of it's NASCAR Cup Series debut SMI's Bruton Smith has promised to expand seating in the Speedway from it's current 66,000 to 116,000. Looks like it will be a very busy off-season at Kentucky Speedway for construction.

Phoenix International Speedway announced on Thursday that it will again be host to two Cup Series events in 2011. The spring race at PIR will now be held in late February as the second race of the season. High daily temperatures in the area that time of the year hang around 70; this will be a boon to late winter local tourism and is a schedule change that makes sense due to weather limitations at other tracks. This February 27 racing date will have a Sunday afternoon 1 pm start. In addition to the February date, Phoenix also has their regular next-to-last season date in November. Moving Phoenix up in the schedule came at the expense of Fontana. Auto Club Speedway will be hosting just one race in 2011, held the last weekend in March. Fontana has never been one of my favorite tracks so I, for one am not unhappy about this particular schedule change. 

Other later season changes include Martinsville races being pushed back a week. This gives Martinsville the Halloween weekend. Talladega has the Halloween weekend in 2010. Talladega has their spring Cup date listed as April 17, 2011 but no final release has been made on when a fall race will run at Talladega. I am assuming this will be a simple swap between Martinsville and 'Dega meaning the AMP Energy 500 would the afternoon of October 23, 2011. With Chicago taking the first race in the Cup Chase Louden New Hampshire moves a week earlier to the September 25, 2001 date. Louden's June race will be moving to July 17.

The new schedule will improve many aspects of the 2011 season. Schedule changes have brought a new track for the first time since 2003 when Kansas and Chicagoland were added. Adding dates in the middle part of the country will enable more race fans to travel to venues outside of their home states. Changes also will make it easier on teams, media, and fans to travel without having to travel cross-country each week. Grouping some dates in the same part of the country like Phoenix and Las Vegas or Martinsville and Talladega will cut down on gas prices for teams regarding the car haulers. As teams struggle with finances in this economically trying time any improvement from the zig-zag travel patterns will be welcome.

In driver news, Richard Childress racing announced that they will be adding a fourth car to the stable in 2011. RCR tried this in 2009 and it didn't work out so well. After the 2009 season the owner's points and rights for the 07 car were sold to Front Row Motorsports. RCR driver Jeff Burton said this week that "We learned by having 4 teams (in 2009) how not to do it. We did it wrong (in 2009)." RCR has signed driver Paul Menard to drive the fourth car in 2011. Menard has had a average year, currently 23rd in the Points standings in his fourth full year of Cup Series driving and sixth place in his eighth year in the Nationwide Series. RCR said that Menard will be a good fit with the other RCR drivers and that this move is seen as a way to advance both Menard and RCR racing in the Series.

In the much discussed matter of where Kahne and Martin will be for the 2011 season we finally got some answers this week. Kasey Kahne will be driving for Red Bull in 2011. This gives Kasey four manufacturers in four years; Kahne drove a Dodge in 2009, he's in a Ford this year. Next year Kasey will be behind the wheel of a Toyota and then settle into a Chevrolet with Hendrick Motorsports in 2012. Kahne being with Red Bull Racing on a one year contract allows Mark Martin to finish out his Hendrick contract in the number five car for 2011. Brian Vickers' return is still uncertain, he won't know until November if he can get back behind the wheel of a race car in the near future. Scott Speed, currently 27th in Series Points Standings, is not performing as well as Red Bull Racing would like. Due to this uncertainty between the current Red Bull drivers the Red Bull Racing Team is waiting until later in the year before announcing the final 2011 driver lineup.

In another driver change, Kevin Conway has been replaced by Tony Raines in the number 34 Front Row Motorsports entry effective immediately. ExtenZe is quoted as saying they are "100% committed to Kevin Conway" and has removed sponsorship from the car. Tony Raines and the 34 car will be racing without a sponsor this weekend. Conway has been the recipient of the Rookie of the Race Award in all 21 of his Cup Series starts for 2010. This alone makes me wonder what friction between Conway, ExtenZe, and FRM exists to cause this driver change. Conway and ExtenZe are evaluating options for the remainder of the 2010 season.

Jeff Gordon and wife, Ingrid, welcomed their second child on Monday. Baby boy Leo Benjamin joins Jeff and Ingrid's three year-old daughter, Ella Sophia. NASCAR drivers have been quite proliferate this year; Gordon joins Jimmie Johnson, Elliot Sadler, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Carl Edwards on the new dad list. Ryan Newman announced earlier this summer that his wife Krissie is also expecting.

In my opinion, the best news of the week came on Friday when Jack Roush returned to the track at Michigan. Jack was, as we all know, involved in a plane crash when landing at an air show in Wisconsin on July 27th. Jack went from a local hospital to the Mayo Clinic where it was only said that he was being treated for "facial injuries". The seriousness of Jack's injuries came out yesterday when Jack revealed that he was in a back brace due to a fracture in his back, suffered a broken left jaw, had packing still in his nose, and lost his left eye as a result of the accident. Jack is optimistic about his future with one eye, saying that he expects to fly again once his recovery is complete. He also stated that his corrected vision had been 20/15 before the crash and since his right eye is dominant he feels he will still see better than he should. Jack wore large, dark sunglasses at Michigan Speedway but it can be seen that both eyes are blackened and the left is still swollen shut. One thing we can be sure of is that Jack's return to the track gives us all a reason to be thankful. Welcome back, Jack - we missed you!

Qualifying on Friday afternoon showed that maybe Red Bull DOES give you wings - After announcing the 2011 Red Bull deal, Kasey Kahne brought home the pole for the Michigan Carfax 400 on Sunday. Kahne won the pole by just 2 hundredths of a second over second place starter Jimmie Johnson. Clint Bowyer, who had been posting respectable but not great practice times found speed in Qualifications and will start third on Sunday. Tony Stewart will start fourth and Juan Pablo Montoya fifth. Greg Biffle, who had the fastest practice speeds earlier in the day will start sixth. Staring seventh will be Matt Kenseth followed by Kevin Harvick in the eighth starting position. Rounding out the top ten for Sunday's grid are Martin Truex, Jr. and Paul Menard. The top ten starters are separated by less than three tenths of a second in their qualification lap times.

Sunday's Michigan Carfax 400 will be televised on ESPN, starting at 1 pm EST. MRN Radio will also broadcast beginning at Noon EST. Jeff Burton was on top of the leaderboard for practice number one Friday. Saturday's first practice found Greg Biffle on top with the fastest car on the two mile tri-oval. Final practice shows Jimmie Johnson fastest, followed by David Ragan, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and Greg Biffle finishing out the top five. Who can bring the speed tomorrow in the 200 lap race? Tune in to see who wins, who wrecks, and what feuds may be revisited or born.


Photo Credits
Photo 1: Getty/Nascar Images www.aI.com
Photo 2: www.race2win.net
Photo 3: Kim Holland www.facebook.com/KevinConway
Photo 3: http://www.nascar.com/
Photo 4: http://www.nascar.com/

Michigan Carfax 400: By the Numbers...and Beyond

On this, the second weekend of August we head to Michigan for the Carfax 400 for 200 laps around the two mile D-shaped oval. Michigan Speedway is located just to the south of Brooklyn, Michigan and is about an hour and a half from Detroit. Practice will be televised on SPEED Friday at Noon and Saturday at both 9:00am and Noon. Qualifications are on SPEED Friday at 3:30pm and the race will air on ESPN at 1:00pm. MRN will begin radio race day broadcasts on Sunday at Noon (All times Eastern). The current race day forecast is intermittent clouds and a high of 79 degrees.

Mark Martin won the June 2009 race and has the most wins of any active driver in the August race with three, but hasn't seen a win at Michigan in August since 1997. With the news now out that Mark will remain in the number five Hendricks car in 2011 he can focus on driving this weekend and should be near the front of the field when the checkers fly. This is a big race for Martin in the Chase to the Championship as he sits in the precarious 12th spot after last week's 19th place finish.

Ryan Newman hasn't seen a lot of success this season but does hold the Sprint Cup Qualifying Record with a speed of 194.232. Newman had a 15th place finish last year in this race and a disappointing 32nd place finish in the June race at Michigan. His 12th place finish last week at Watkins Glen says the team is doing something right, however, and I think we will see Ryan finish well on Sunday. If Ryan wants a chance at the Championship he will have to finish strong. With just four more races to go until the final twelve are locked in, Ryan is in 14th place, 84 points out of the twelfth spot.

Denny Hamlin won the June race here, has had a mostly strong season and sits in sixth place in the current Points standings. His 37th place finish last week after being involved in the big pile-up at Watkins Glen lost him three spots in Chase points so I'm sure we will see Denny aggressively moving to the front of the field throughout Sunday's Carfax 400. Speaking of the Chase, points leader Kevin Harvick keeps bringing solid performances on the way to the Championship. Kevin finished 11th last week at the Glen and brought home just a 19th place finish at the June race at Michigan. Harvick will be coming into Sunday's race wanting to show he can do better on this track. Kevin is definitely a top-five contender this weekend.

Second place in the Chase, 185 points back is Jeff Gordon. Jeff has a win from 1998 under his belt for this race, is coming off a tenth place finish at the Glen last week, and placed fourth in the June race at Michigan as well. Jeff wants to close that gap as the end of the Chase grows near. He'll want to lead on Sunday, and he'll want to lead the most laps. Most importantly, he will be looking to lead the last lap and end his now 52 race winless streak. Speaking of former winners at Michigan, Carl Edwards won this race in 2008. Carl finished 12th here in June, and fifth last week. Still under probation, Carl will need to keep his temper in check as he fights through traffic to get to the front of the pack. Carl is currently ninth in the points and gained a spot after last week's Pocono race.

Greg Biffle will be another driver to keep an eye on this weekend. Greg won this race in 2004, had a big win two weeks ago, and finished ninth in the newly renamed Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan in June. Biffle sits in 11th place in current points, with Mark Martin breathing down his neck. To be more secure in the Chase to the Championship, Greg will need to find himself in the top ten at the end of the day at Michigan Speedway. Clint Bowyer is only ten points out of that 12th spot in the Points Standings. Clint had several strong finishes but has lacked some element in the past two races that his team is trying their best to rediscover. He held the twelfth spot in Points after the Brickyard 400 but since then has had a 15th place finish at Pocono and 32nd at the Glen last week. Clint wants to be a contender for the Championship but knows he has to come out strong this week to get back into the top twelve.

Tony Stewart is eighth in the Chase and should bring home a solid finish at this two mile track. Tony finished fifth here in June and is coming off a seventh place finish at Watkins Glen last Sunday. Tony has had a solid season and can prove his racing talent on any length or shape of track. I expect to not only see Smoke finish strong on Sunday but to also be a contender for the pole on Friday afternoon. Jimmie Johnson has no wins at the Michigan Speedway, but posted a sixth place finish in June. Another track that Jimmie hasn't won at is dangerous for the rest of the field a we know that Johnson wants to add a Michigan Speedway win to his resume. Jimmie resides in fifth place in the current Points Standings and provided that the rest of his season doesn't implode should be able to go out Sunday and do his job with little pressure. A solid top ten will keep his Championship dreams alive.

My top ten picks for the week are Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart, and Jimmie Johnson. Since Ford has the most wins at this race with 16, leading Chevy by 9 wins, I'm going with Carl Edwards for the win and will call for Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin to complete the top three. Dale Earnhardt,Jr. will effectively be out of the points race after this week with another mid-20's finish and I'm going out a limb to say that a multi-car wreck will occur just past halfway involving Matt Kenseth and Juan Pablo Montoya. Don't forget to keep an eye on SPEED on Friday and Saturday for practice and tune into ESPN on Sunday at 1:00pm for the Carfax 400 from Michigan Speedway.

Photo Credits
Photo 1: www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com
Photo 2: www.espn.com
Photo 3: http://www.race2win.net/
Photo 4: www.nacasr.com
Photo 5: http://www.race2win.net/
Photo 6: www.choiceracing.com

In the Rearview Mirror: The Last 7 days of NASCAR

Since last Saturday we saw Elliot Sadler take what make have been the hardest hit ever into a guardrail at Pocono, AJ Allmendinger signed a multi-year deal with RPM, Atlanta lost the Spring race for 2011, and teams traveled toward New York for the race at Watkins Glen. It was a busy week in NASCAR, but what week isn't?

On July 31 - the day before the running of the 500 mile race at Pocono - an article came out at NASCAR.com that reminded us Pocono Raceway had announced in June plans for safety upgrades to the track that will include SAFER Barriers along the inner wall before the Series returns in 2011. The plans look good but are coming a little too late for Elliot Sadler who hit a guardrail on the inside full-on during Sunday's race. Fans, teams, and media alike were relieved to see Elliot climb out of the car under his own power. He later told Michael Waltrip during an interview that he laid down after getting out of the car to try to get his breath back. The safety crews got to Elliot quickly, as always, but before going to the infield care center to be evaluated and released Sadler opted to lay on the ground and "try to stretch a bit and get my breath back". Other than some soreness where the belts ran down Sadler's chest he was thankfully unharmed in the crash. The new CoT design seems to be standing up to it's toted reputation as a safer car for drivers.

Greg Biffle brought home the win at Pocono for Roush Fenway Racing. The much-needed win for Biffle gained him 190 point in the Chase, kept him in 11th place in the standings, and keeps him 88 points in front of Clint Bowyer in the 12th spot. Greg took the checkered flag more than 3.5 seconds in front of second place finisher Tony Stewart in his impressive win. Biffle definitely had the best car on the track at the end of the race.

All Roush Fenway cars are sporting a decal that says "Get Back to the Track, Jack" until team owner Jack Roush returns following his plane crash almost two weeks ago. Roush was upgraded to "serious" condition on Monday of this past week. Biffle's win came as a boost to the team and before taking the checkers Biffle said on his radio "This one's for Jack." I think all NASCAR teams, media, and fans echo that sentiment.

Richard Petty Motorsports announced that AJ Allmendinger will continue to drive the number 43 Ford after signing a multi-year contract. During the Friday morning press conference announcing the deal, Allmendinger said "Hopefully, when people think about Richard Petty Motorsports, they think about me as the guy and the leader." He says he is ready to be a team leader, as Kahne, Sadler and Menard look to be going elsewhere for 2011. Could Marcos Ambrose possibly land a home at RPM with Allmendinger after the recent announcement by Ambrose that he is leaving JTG Daugherty Racing?

Thursday brought us the news that Atlanta will only play host to one Sprint Cup Series race in 2011. The spring race has been removed from Atlanta to make room for a new date at Kentucky Speedway. Announcements from Kentucky Speedway are planned for August 10th and the rumor is that an early July date will be given to the Sparta Kentucky location. Possible switch away from a 4th of July weekend at Daytona to give Daytona a race later in the season? Just this morning an anonymous source "familiar with the 2011 NASCAR schedule" said that Kansas Speedway will be gaining a second date. AP sources say that an official announcement regarding Kansas having two races in 2011 could come as early as next week. It seems when NASCAR said the schedule would reveal major changes to the schedule they weren't kidding. Kansas gaining a date shows that someone other than Atlanta is going to come out one date short in 2011. Texas Motor Speedway has a press conference scheduled on August 17th...this looks to be another track whose dates will be shuffled.

The teams are at Watkins Glen for a Sunday afternoon road race this weekend. WGI has been praised this week for the safety improvements made at the track after severe wrecks over the last few years. The tire barriers that contributed to last year's crash involving Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Sam Hornish Jr, and others have been replaced with Sand Barrels. SAFER Barriers have been installed on the inner loop, guardrails have retreated, and pavement placed over the sandtraps to try to reduce the number of cautions.

Greg Biffle, coming off a great week at Pocono, shows fastest in both first and happy hour practice on Friday. After Friday's practices Biffle stated "It is funny because after that win last week, I just felt like we were going to run well here I just felt we had a good opportunity to win at The Glen." Kurt Busch was in the top five for both sessions, it's no surprise that both Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya posted fast speeds, and points leader Kevin Harvick found speed during happy hour to crack the top five as well.

Qualifying at Watkins Glen closes with Carl Edwards on the pole, turning a one minute 10.88 second lap just one-tenth of a second slower than the track record. Tony Stewart, winning five of the last eight races at Watkins Glen will start sixth. Jamie McMurray came out strong and brought a second place start, behind Juan Pablo Montoya in third. Rounding out the top five starting position for Sundays 1pm race at The Glen are AJ Allmendinger and Kurt Busch. Those going home tonight are Yeley, Blaney, and Ave.

Driver feuds between Edwards and Keselowski or the budding feud between Johnson and Busch may come out during the Sunday race where tempers tend to flare. Maybe we will see Harvick and Logano mix it up again. Check back  Tuesday for the Michigan By the Numbers and Beyond Preview, and next Saturday when we will take a look at what happens this week...by then it will be In the Rearview Mirror.

Photo Credits:
Photo 1: www.nascar.com
Photo 2: www.destinationhero.com
Photo 3: www.rsiwgi.com
Photo 4: http://www.nascar.rbma.com/

Rescheduling NASCAR: Why it has to be a Three-Way Trade

News was released this morning that Atlanta's March race is no more. NASCAR has pulled the spring race from Atlanta Motor Speedway leaving a gap between the Las Vegas and Bristol races. Kentucky Speedway would be the obvious choice, since news was leaked on August 1st that the 1.5 mile oval would be getting a Cup Race on the 2011 schedule. If you visit the http://www.kentuckyspeedway.com/ web site you even get an intro screen stating "We have big news coming in 5 days" over a shadow of the Sprint Series Cup Racing logo.

The problem with Kentucky fitting into that slot is that the weather is a factor in early season racing in that area. On March 7, 2010 (the day of the 2010 running of the Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta) the high temperature was just 55 degrees and the low registered at 38 degrees. The average high for that day in Sparta Kentucky is 51 degrees. On that same day in 2008 the temperature never got above 33 degrees at the speedway. Kentucky Speedway is not going to work for the March  race slot.

The question is where can a race be comfortably run in March that won't cause a complete mess of the spring schedule with races at the same venue ending up too close together? Talladega could be a good pick for this date. The average high on March 7th is similar to that in Fort Worth at an average 64 degrees but over the last five years the lowest high temperature has been 55 degrees. Three of the last five years showed high temperatures above 65 degrees and two of those three were above 70 degrees. Giving Talladega the second race in March would make the fourth weekend in April open for Kentucky Speedway. Average highs in the fourth week of April in Sparta Kentucky show as 68 degrees. Over the past five years the high temperature at Kentucky Speedway has been 70 degrees or above all five years. Further supporting that Talladega will be the recipient of the date trade to accommodate weather issues with Kentucky in March is that if a visitor to the http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/ web site clicks the link for the Aaron's 499 Weekend in 2011 each weekend entry is started with "Date Tentative and Subject to Change".

I checked a couple of other track sites and found that the only other track web site that makes mention of dates changing for 2011 is http://www.phoenixraceway.com/. In their Season Ticket Renewal booklet it states "PIR's 2011 Subway Fresh Fit 600 race date will likely be different from the 2010 race date." Putting Kentucky Speedway in this 2nd week of April slot would give average high temperature around 63 degrees. The five year average is 65 degrees with a five year high of 74 and a low of 55. Giving Phoenix the second weekend in March would give fans high temperatures in the low to mid 70's. Phoenix would be better in the March 7th slot than would Talladega but having Kentucky in the second weekend in April instead of the last weekend of the month could mean more of a chance of uncomfortably cool weather.

There is also the possibility of a three-way switch. Kentucky goes to the 4th weekend in April, Phoenix goes to the second week in March, and Talladega gets the 2nd weekend in April. 'Dega's average highs in the second week of April are in the low to mid-70s. Phoenix high temperatures in early March are in the low to mid-70s. In Kentucky at the end of April the highs are in the upper 60s. Perfect race weather for all three dates. This is my pick for what is going to come out next week when NASCAR announces the 2011 schedule. Phoenix to the 2nd weekend in March, Talladega in the 2nd weekend in April, and Kentucky at the end of April is the option that makes the most sense weather-wise and disrupts the current spring schedule as little as possible.

Proximity comes into play in this scenario, as well. This schedule would have Phoenix following Las Vegas; teams have been known to complain about the amount of travel required of the haulers from Phoenix to Atlanta in the past. This also puts Talladega between Martinsville and Texas, conveniently enough Talladega is between the two on the map, too. After Texas, teams would go back over to Kentucky on their way to Richmond for the following weekend. This is a pretty easy fix to help the current spring schedule work better for all team members, media, and for fans in planning travel. What other changes and rearranging might NASCAR have in store for 2011? Check http://www.nascar.com/ next week on August 10th to check for the full 2011 Sprint Cup Schedule!


All weather data collected from
Photo Credits:
Photo 1: www.nascar.com
Photo 2: www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com
Photo 3: www.racecrazy.com
www.wunderground.com

Watkins Glen Preview: By the Numbers...and Beyond.

Watkins Glen International, sometimes called simply "The Glen" is located in central New York southwest of Seneca Lake. It's the second weekend in August and it's time for another installment of The Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen...which, in my opinion is the longest, weirdest name to all races on the circuit. It's a 2.45 mile road course and the drivers will complete 90 laps covering 220.5 miles on Sunday afternoon in an attempt to take home the trophy at the end of the day.

Tony Stewart won last year's August race at The Glen. He's had some success recently, including a second place finish at Pocono last week and a fifth place run at The Brickyard. Tony also won at The Glen in 2007, 2005, 2004, and 2002 making Smoke the man with the most wins at Watkins Glen. Mark Martin holds the records for the most starts from the pole (3), the most top fives (12), and most top ten finishes (16) but had a fairly disappointing 23rd place finish at The Glen in 2009 and has not been running strong of late. The Glen has generally been kind to Martin though; Mark won at Watkins Glen in 1994, 1995, and 196. We could very well see Mark close to the front at the end of Sunday's 90 laps.

Jeff Gordon has led the most laps at Watkins Glen with 227. He also holds the record for the fastest qualifying speed from a 70.798 second lap turned in 2003. 2009 was not good for Gordon, Jeff was part of an accident in last year's race and finished 29 laps down; Jeff has something to prove to this road course. Sitting comfortably in second place in Cup Series Standings, Jeff can afford to drive it like he stole it this weekend and try to get that elusive win he has been searching for since April 5, 2009 when he last won at Texas. Prior to that win Jeff had ridden along on a 47 race winless streak. I'm predicting the current winless streak of 50 will grow to 51 this week but that Jeff will finish in the top ten.

Marcos Ambrose has a little something of his own to prove after his infamous screw up at Infineon earlier in the season. While trying to save fuel, the road course aficionado stalled his car to give Jimmie Johnson the win at Infineon Raceway. Marcos has been toted as a road course expert - he finished second at The Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen last year and had a good chance to win at Infineon this year. Ambrose has a plan this weekend and it's not to come in second. What about Jimmie Johnson? He proved he can tame a road course in June he's coming back to show that wasn't a one-time fluke. Johnson finished 12th in last year's event and is coming off of a 10th place finish last week at Pocono. Jimmie has never won at Watkins Glen - this is one of only four courses on the current NASCAR circuit that Johnson has not won at. Sitting in fourth position in the Chase he can gamble a bit on this road course and run hard for that first time track win without worrying about his points placement.

Points leader Kevin Harvick has also had success at this track. Harvick won in 2006 but finished 35th in 2009 after getting caught up in a spin by David Stremme on lap 23. Kevin is coming off of a 4th place finish at Pocono and second place at The Brickyard; he's consistently performing strongly and is ready for another win. Kyle Busch is another driver who has shown that he can be competitive at Watkins Glen. Kyle finished fourth in last year's Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen and won the event in 2008. Coming off a 23rd place finish at Pocono last week, 8th at Indy, and 17th at Chicago Kyle is sliding backwards in the points standings. Sitting in 6th place with five races to go before the Chase for the Championship begins Kyle doesn't want anymore finishes outside of the top five. Kyle can be more aggressive than usual when he wants a race badly; winless in Cup racing since winning at Dover in May, Kyle will need to watch how aggressively he attacks this road course or he could find himself pointing the wrong direction with the field flying by.

Juan Pablo Montoya has proven he can handle the curves of road courses. Montoya scored his first (and only) Cup Series win in 2007  at the road course in Sonoma and has posted wins in F1 racing on road courses and in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. He finished 6th at The Glen in 2009 and I expect a similar finish from Montoya on Sunday. Max Papis is one of those names that seldom comes up unless we are at a road course. Papis brought home a 8th place finish last year in this event but finished last at Sonoma after being involved in a four-car accident. Max is another so-called "road course ringer" who has a vast amount of experience on road courses from other auto racing series. He can run through the corners strong and pass in places others won't go. Watch for Max to be near the front by the halfway mark in Sunday's race.

Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin round out my top ten for this week. Clint came home with a 9th place finish last year at Watkins Glen and has made a strong run this season towards making the Chase for the Championship. Bowyer's crew had been doing a great job of getting the car comfortable for Clint and keeping it there throughout recent races. Coming off of top ten finishes at three of the five last Cup races Clint is in 12th place in the Cup Points Race. Bowyer can't afford a bad finish this week; there are many drivers knocking on the door to that 12th place points spot. Clint does not want to give anyone an opening that could keep him out of the Chase to the Championship. Denny Hamlin brought a 10th place finish at last year's Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen. He's had a good year but has been in a bit of a slump lately, as compared to the first part of his season. Denny sits third in the Points after last week's 5th place finish at Pocono. I'm going with Denny and Clint as top five picks for Sunday's race.

My top ten picks for the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen are Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya, Max Papis, Clint Bowyer, and Denny Hamlin. Mark Martin gets the nod for the win, which would make Mark the oldest winner at a Watkins Glen Cup Race by more than four years over Geoffery Bodine who won in 1996 at 47 years, 3 months and 24 days. Should Mark bring it home this week he would have the record at an age of 51 years, 7 months, and 30 days.

In other speculation I predict that we will see Dale Earnhardt Jr finishing in the mid-20's, Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski will qualify near one another and cause many warnings from their crew chiefs reminding each that they are on probation, and both Joey Logano and Kurt Busch will be put out of the race through being caught up in someone else's wreck. Tune into SPEED on Friday at noon for practice, ESPN on Friday at 4pm for second practice, Saturday at 11am for Qualifying on ESPN, and Sunday at 1pm for the running of The Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen on ESPN.

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