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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL _______ _________ x_f r■■ _ m «Mja| 1 4 , 1 . f1 ..,„,., 11 JV KK m wti « » Mr MJf iV 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