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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
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ON THE 'TUBE-*-
All times Eastern
Nsxtoi Cup
Sylvania 300, TNT
12:30 p.m., Sunday
Busch Series
Dover 200, TNT
3 p.m.. Sept. 23
Truck Series §3BfK§
New Hampshire 200, cmam mmi
2 p.m., Saturday
► Kevin Harvick won the race at
Richmond. Kasey Kahne made
the Chase. Tony Stewart didn’t.
Harvick was the game. Kahne
was the set. Stewart was the
match. He lost it in straight sets.
► Television’s insistence on
tracking points standings lap by
lap is silly, since points aren’t
awarded until the end of races.
However, if they must foist this
nonsense upon us, the only ap
propriate time is the final race
of the regular season.
► Before the Chevy Rock ’n Roll
400, the Barenaked Ladies per
formed an awful version of the
national anthem. The rendition
was off-key and flat. A barber
shop quartet this group is defi
nitely not.
D- If the old system were still in
place, Matt Kenseth would lead
Jimmie Johnson by 57 points in
stead of five. He would lead
lOth-place Kahne by 466 in
stead of 45.
D- No one who has ever won the
Chase has a chance to do so
this year. Neither 2004 Nextel
Cup champion Kurt Busch nor
2005 titlist Tony Stewart made
the cut for this year’s champi
onship-determining Chase for
the Nextel Cup.
*■ Denny Hamlin is the first rook
ie to make the Chase since the
format was implemented in
2004.
► Only Kenseth and Harvick have
more top-five finishes this year
than Stewart.
a- Here’s the composition of the
Chase by teams: Hendrick Mo
torsports 3 (Jimmie Johnson,
Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon), Roush
Racing 2 (Kenseth, Mark Mar
tin), Richard Childress Racing 2
(Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton),
Dale Earnhardt Inc. 1 (Dale
Earnhardt Jr.), Joe Gibbs Racing
1 (Denny Hamlin) and Evernham
Motorsports 1 (Kasey Kahne).
*■ The Busch Series denies eligi
bility for its Wix Filters Lap
Leader Award to Nextel Cup driv
ers ranked in the top 35 of the
Cup points. Even though Kevin
Harvick led 154 of the 250 laps
at Richmond, the award winner
was Ted Musgrave, who led
once for 11 laps.
Kevin Harvick
staked his KAHNE
claim as a fa
vorite by winning for the third
time. That’s the most singe
season wins ever for Harvick.
► Who’s hot Tony Stewart,
the 2005 champion, failed to
make the Chase. ... Since
2004 champ Kurt Busch also
failed to make it, no one who’s
ever won it still has a chance
to do so this year.
TOP TO 4N POINTS*
Nextel Cup
1. Matt Kenseth 5,050
2. Jimmie Johnson - 5
3. Kevin Harvick -10
4. Kyle Busch -15
5. Denny Hamlin •20
8. Dale Earnhardt Jf. -25
7. Mark Martin •30
8. Jeff Burton -35
9. Jeff Gordon •40
10. KaseyKahne -45
Busch Series
X. Kevin Harvick 4,460
2. Carl Edwards • 619
3. Denny Hamlin - 659
4. Clint Bowyer - 845
5. J.J. Yeley -902
8. Paul Menard -1,103
7. Kyle Busch -1,223
8. Greg Biffle ' -1.270
9. Johnny Sauter -1,457
10. Reed Sorenson -1,524
Craftsman Truck Series
1. Todd Bodine 2,624
3. Johnny Benson -154
3. David Reutimann - 230
4. Ted Musgrave L 244
5. Rick Crawford ' - 301
8. David Starr - 329
7. Terry Cook - 376
8. Jack Sprague - 378
9. Ron Homaday -403
10. Mike Bliss - 423
► If you have a question or a comment, write: NASCAR This Week, c/o The Gaston Gazette, PO. Box 1538, Gastonia, NC 28053
- -Ng-KTgte-eUP -«EWg»_-_;
■ Race: Sylvania 300
■ Where: New Hampshire Inter
national Speedway (1.058
miles), 300 laps/317.4 miles.
■ When: Sunday. Sept. 17
■ Last year's winner: Ryan New
man
■ Qualifying record: Ryan New
man, Dodge, 133.357 mph,
Sept. 12, 2003.
■ Race record: Jeff Burton.
Ford, 117.134 mph, July 13,
1997.
■ Last week: Kevin Harvick, the
embodiment of Richard Chil
dress Racing's resurgence,
boosted his chances for a
championship with a victory in
the final race of the regular sea
son, Richmond International
Raceway’s Chevy Rock ’n Roll
400. Tony Stewart's utter failure
to defend his championship
=LVi:
’/ ' ' - r —Nsr
Photos by John Clark/NASCAR This Week
Jeff Gordon (24), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8) and Jimmie Johnson (48) race In close quarters at the season-opening Daytona 500 in February.
The trio are racing slde-by-side again, this time In the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup. (Below) Matt Kenseth leads the points going in.
The Chase Is On
Kahne in, Stewart out of season’s 10-race championship finale
By Monte Dutton
NASCAR This Week
RICHMOND, Va. When NASCAR narrowed its cham
pionship field by means of the Chase for the Nextel Cup
format, someone was bound to be left out.
Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson, whose regular-season
performances far exceeded those of anyone else, will begin
the 10-race Chase at the top of the standings, but it’s far
from assured that either will wind up winning the title. Un
der the terms of the chase, it’s now almost an even match
between 10 drivers: Kenseth, Johnson (-5 points), Kevin
Harvick (-10), Kyle Busch (-15), Denny Hamlin (-20), Dale
Earnhardt Jr. (-25), Mark Martin (-30), Jeff Burton (-35),
Jeff Gordon (-40) and Kasey Kahne (-45).
Forty-five points the separation from first to 10 th —is
roughly the difference between finishing first and 10 th in a
single race. Had the field not been tightened following Har
vick’s victory in the Chevy Rock ’n Roll 400, Kenseth’s mar
gin over Kahne would’ve been 466 points.
From here on out, the battle is between the 10 finalists,
though 43 drivers will continue to compete in every race.
Those not in the Chase can do no better than 11 th .
Since Nextel came on board as corporate sponsor of
NASCAR’s premier series, two men have won champi
onships: Kurt Busch (2004) and Tony Stewart (2005). Nei
New team, similar frustration for 2004 champ Busch
By Monte Dutton
NASCAR This Week
RICHMOND, Va. Kurt Busch won
the 2004 Nextel championship but wasn’t
around for the end of the season in 2005.
Busch, you may recall, was suspended
by his owner, Jack Roush. Now, in his
first year with Roger Penske, he won’t
make the Chase at all.
Busch, the only driver this year with
five poles, accentuated the positive, nat
urally.
“Like I’ve been saying, this hasn’t been
too bad of a season for our first-year
team,” said Busch, who succeeded Rusty
Wallace. “We’ve accomplished a lot al
ready and our future is so promising. It
wasn’t that hard to accept. I just kept go
ing along with Roger’s (Penske, team
owner) advice. Rome wasn’t built in one
day.”
■
Down goes that theory A published
report last week claimed Mark Martin
will drive Robert Yates Racing’s No. 88
Ford next year. The story cited unnamed
sources. Martin let the world know on
Sept. 8 that he wasn’t one of them.
“You know, next year we’re probably
going to see a two-headed man drive the
he finished 18th, a lap behind
put the final nails in a mysti
fying collapse at the very point
where, a year earlier, the champ
had been at his best. Third
place finisher Kasey Kahne was
the beneficiary of Stewart's col
lapse. He eked into the Chase,
clearing the hapless Stewart by
16 points. There was virtually
no competition between the two
in the actual race. Harvick, in a
Chevrolet, passed another
Chevy driver, Kyle Busch, on the
next-to-last lap. He held Busch
off by .154 of a second and en
ters the Chase third, 10 points
behind Matt Kenseth and five
behind Jimmie Johnson.
“There’s a long way to go,” said
winning crew chief Todd Berrier.
“If we win again next week, we’ll
talk some junk.”
IN THE SPOTLIGHT*
The Chase for the Nextel Cup
‘NyTS-ANB«BOLr^
‘BB.’ I hope it doesn’t come out that I’ve
got two wives next week,” said Martin. “I
don’t know. That’s about where that is.
There’s no serious consideration given
from me to that at this point.”
Martin’s words fell short of a complete
disavowal.
“Speculation-wise, it wouldn’t be a bad
thing,” he said. “The ‘BB’ doesn’t have a
driver right now and would love to have,
I’m sure, a veteran. I guess people sit
around and think what would make for a
good situation ... but I haven’t given it
serious consideration.”
Martin said he’d like to run no more
than 12 Cup races next year.
■
Basketball to NASCAR Chip Ganas
si has hired Chris Weiller, late of the
Charlotte Bobcats, as vice president of
business development.
Weiller had been the Bobcats’ execu
tive vice president and chief marketing
officer. He also worked for the NBA as
vice president of events and for the New
York Knicks as vice president of commu
nications.
Weiller is a New York native and Itha
ca College graduate.
SPORTS
BuseHftefflgs
■ Race: Dover 200
■ Where: Dover (Del.) Inter
national Speedway (1.0
miles), 200 laps/miles.
■ When: Saturday, Sept. 23
■ Last year's winner: Ryan
Newman
■ Qualifying record: David
Green, Chevrolet, 157.916
mph, June 6, 2004.
■ Race record: Dale Earn
hardt Jr., Chevrolet,
130.152 mph, May 30,
1998.
■ Last week: Kevin Harvick
began a weekend sweep
with a win in the Emerson
Radio 250 at Richmond.
ther is in contention for one this year.
Said Stewart after falling out of the Chase field: “This is
proof of how tough this series is and how tough it is just to
make this Chase. It’s a big letdown, obviously, but at the
same time, there are 10 guys that earned their way in, too.”
Invariably, someone prominent is bound to be left out. In
2005, neither Gordon nor Earnhardt Jr. made the Chase
field.
The former champions in the field are Kenseth and Gor
don. Former champions who competed in every race but
did not make it are Stewart, Kurt Busch, Dale Jarrett and
Bobby Labonte.
Kahne, the season’s biggest winner with five victories,
made the Chase at Stewart’s expense by finishing third in
the final regular-season race. Stewart was 18 th , a lap down.
The reigning champion missed out by 16 points.
“I’m just relieved,” said Kahne. “I had so many things to
think about if I didn’t make it. To make it is huge for my
self, for Dodge ... and for my whole team.
“I raced all night long. When there were about 15 (laps)
to go, I knew I couldn’t finish second, that I needed to hold
on for third, and it was time to just take it easy and make
sure I didn’t do anything stupid.”
Contact Monte Dutton at
hmduttonso@aol.com
rCRAFTSMA^RUCK
■ Race: New Hampshire
200
■ Where: New Hampshire
International Speedway,
Loudon (1.058 miles), 200
laps/211.6 miles.
■ When: Saturday, Sept. 16
■ Last year’s winner: Rick
Crawford
■ Qualifying record: Matt
Crafton, Chevrolet,
128.819 mph, Sept. 17,
2005.
■ Race record: Jack
Sprague, Chevrolet,
109.244 mph, July 21,
2001.
■ Last race: Mark Martin,
in a Ford, won the O’Reilly
200 at Bristol Motor
Speedway. It was his fourth
victory of the season.
The practical move A few weeks
ago MB2 Motorsports announced that
Richard Labbe had joined the team in a
“to be determined” capacity. Surprising
no one, that capacity ended up being as
Sterling Marlin’s crew chief.
Labbe replaced Scott Eggleston, who,
according to the release, “mutually
parted ways.” In other words, Eggleston
left.
■
Bright lights, big city Tony Raines
discussed the aspects of night racing
that drivers enjoy.
“I think driving at night is fun because
it’s typically better for the driver,” he
said. “The temperature of the track is
more consistent, andyou don’t have the
sun beating down on the track. The car
runs better because it’s cooler, the
brakes are cooler, the tires are happier,
and everything just seems to go along
with racing a little bit easier.
“Most of the time it’s a little bit more
comfortable for the fans, because they
aren’t sitting in the boiling sun. At night,
watching the race, the lights and the
flashes, it just makes it look more spec
tacular.”
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2006 ♦
0 New England 300 Sytomla3oo ©
July 16 Sept 17
fflfepr New Hampshire j
V INTERNATIONAL SPEEDKAT &
Distance: 1.058 mile oval
Length of frontstfetdc 1.54)0 ft.
Length of backstretch: 1,500 ft
Mfles/Lap5:..317.4 mi. - 300 laps
Banking in
straights
k Walt j|
IwALT ~J
John Clark/NASCAR This Week
Matt Kenseth leads the points race as
the Chase begins this weekend.
Banking in
turns 1-4
feup of the week
V
E
* ~ 4** m y
2 I JH
Stewart g Marlin
Tony Stewart
vs. Sterling Marlin
The reigning champion’s night
began to go south and his reign
began to end when Stewart
tapped Marlin from behind and spun
out the veteran driver on the 35th
lap of the Chevy Rock 'n Roll 400. "I
don’t know what Tony’s problem
was," said Marlin. “He just dumped
us trying to get by. I know he wanted
to get to the front in a hurry, but it’s
a long race, and it was too early for
that.” Added Marlin’s crew chief,
Richard (Slugger) Labbe: “A lot of
people had something vested in the
race, but just because this team
wasn’t vying for a spot in the Chase
didn’t mean tonight wasn’t impor
tant for us."
NASCAR This Week's Monte
Dutton gives his take: “A cynic
would suspect Stewart might have
been trying to bring out a caution
flag to keep from getting lapped.
Whatever happened, it didn't work."
...... i !i.;
- F/VINI'
‘R is for Race’ is a
children’s NASCAR primer
“R is for Race: A Stock Car Al
phabet” (Sleeping Bear Press,
$16.95) is a children’s sports picto
rial. Author Brad Herzog has earned
awards from the Council for Advance
ment and Support of Education. The
publisher’s web site is www.sleeping
bearpress.com.
WETTfR&fRQMTTORREAOERS^
Earnhardt liked Gordon,
but why don’t his fans?
If Jeff Gordon's name was Earn
hardt, the fans would be screaming
"go Jeff, yah-yah!” The only thing
wrong with you fans is that Jeff is ca
pable of beating Earnhardt's record
and you can't stand it. Earnhardt rec
ognized that Jeff was a great driver
and gave him credit for it. Wake up,
fans!
If NASCAR thought Jeff was in the
wrong, they would have done some
thing about it. After all, we are not
watching "powder-puff Saturday night
race.” This is the real thing, and
"racing stuff happens."
Ruth Tomlinson
New Bern, N.C.
Everyone has a right to his or her
own opinion. Many, many fans rate
Gordon at the top of their personal
lists. Others dislike him. It's their right.
11B