Newspaper Page Text
12A
♦ FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2005
m m Hr v _ - / *jjF m
ON THE TUBE
All times Eastern
Nextel Cup
USG Sheetrock4oo, ..
3 p.m.. Sunday NBC
Bu»di Settee
USG Durock 300, TNT
2 p.m., Saturday
Truck Sail— fffWKI
Built Ford Tough 225. ==s?i
8 p.m.. Saturday
V VT*" f »«*'*""**"W ’
[•BURNING ISSUES*.
► Tony Stewart has now won at
every possible variety of
NASCAR track, and, oh yeah,
he's won two in a row and
moved up to third in the points.
► Stewart had finished second
five times in “restrictor-plate
races," and when he finally
made his breakthrough, he did it
in style by leading a record 151
out of 160 laps after starting on
the pole.
► Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finished
third in three consecutive Day
tona races since winning the
500 in February 2004.
► Third place provided Earnhardt
Jr. with a considerable lift, but
what will really measure his re
covery is how he fares at tracks
other than Daytona and Tallade
ga.
► One of the almost inevitable
wrecks claimed Greg Biffle’s
Ford, the practical consequence
being that Biffle no longer leads
the Nextel Cup standings. Jim
mie Johnson regained the edge
by finishing sixth.
► Why must NASCAR repeatedly
schedule night races at a place
where there are are thunder
storms almost every afternoon?
► There were a couple of Cin
derella stories at Daytona. Mike
Wallace and Ken Schrader both
finished in the top 10.
► Stewart rides his two-race win
streak to a track, Chicagoland
Speedway, where he is the de
fending champion.
► The unpredictable Stewart
shocked the crowd and drew
their approval by climbing the
fence at tbe start-finish line and
his victory from the
flagstand. He was a bit clumsy,
however, and nearly busted his
rear end when he tried to climb
down.
► With the official announcement
of Ray Evernham’s third team,
the selection of a driver will un
doubtedly set off a series of
switches. Uncertainty mars the
future plans of many drivers.
TOR l-04Mf»0«NT&-]
Nextel Cup
1. Jimmie Johnson 2,378
2. Greg Biffle -73
8. Tony Stewart -136
4. Elliott Sadler - 200
5. Rusty Wallace -205
<■ Ryan Newman - 263
7. Jamie McMurray - 285
8. Mark Martin - 310
t. Kurt Busch - 348
10. Dale Jarrett - 348
Busch Series
1. Martin Truex Jr. 2,510
2. Clint Bowyer -71
>. Reed Sorenson -94
4. Carl Edwards -214
8. Kenny Wallace - 217
6. Denny Hamlin - 352
7. David Stremme - 437
8. Ashton Lewis -442
0. Jason Keller - 521
10. David Green - 544
Craftsman Truck Series
X. DennisSetzer 1,744
2. Bobby Hamilton -38
8. Ted Musgrave -53
4. Ron Hornaday 134
5. Ricky Craven -147
8. Jimmy Spencer -157
7. Terry Cook -182
8. Jack Sprague -J43
8. Mike Skinner -265
IP. Matt Crafton -278
WHO’S HOT
AND WHO’S NOT
Stewart
► Who # hot
Tony
Stewart con
tinues to
pick up
steam as we
head down
the home
stretch. He
won his sec
ond straight
race this week. ... How about
Jamie McMurray? His second
place finish at Daytona was
his fifth top-five of the year.
► Who's not Kevin Harvick
has fallen from seventh to
14th in the points race in the
past three races.
► If you have a question or a comment, write: NASCAR This Week, c/o The Gaston Gazette. PO. Box 1893, Gastonia, NC 28053
Race USG Sheetrock 400
Where Chicagoland Speed
way, Joliet, 111. (1.5 miles).
267 laps/400.5 miles.
When: Sunday, July 10
Last year’s winner: Tony
Stewart
Qualifying record: Jeff Gor
don, Chevrolet, 186.942
mph, July 9, 2004
Race record: Kevin Harvick,
Chevrolet, 136.832 mph. July
14, 2002.
Last week: Stewart won for
the second week in a row,
dominating the Pepsi 400 for
his first restrictor-plate victo
ry. The ram-delayed race end
ed at 1:41 a.m. on Sunday
after beginning on Saturday
night. After five second-place
WHAFfrU P -N &XT
Rusty Wallace
|| jj||f „
' " ''
John Clark/NASCAR This Week
Rusty Wallace, who’s won 55 races In his iullustrious career, would like to win his second points championship in this, his final season.
Into the sunset
Rejuvenated Wallace
making the most of
final NASCAR season
By Monte Dutton
NASCAR This Week
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - All
things considered, Rusty Wallace is
driving into the sunset with remark
able alacrity. The setting sun hasn’t
blinded him.
Wallace, who will turn 49 in August,
is nickel-and-diming his way into
NASCAR’s championship-determining
Chase. In a year in which two teams
Hendrick and Roush are dominat
ing, it’s not so surprising that Wallace
hasn’t won. What’s surprising, on the
one hand, is that he hasn’t finished
Always ahead of the curve, Evernham adds another team
By Monte Dutton
NASCAR This Week
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -
Ray Evernham announced that
he will run a third Dodge next
year with sponsorship from
Valvoline, though no driver
was announced.
Earlier in the week, MB2 Mo
torsports announced officially
that it was buying out Valvo
line’s stake in its so-called
MBV entity. That announce
ment freed Valvoline to join
Evernham as sponsor. The re
maining piece of the puzzle
concerns whether Scott Riggs
will join Evernham along with
finishes at so-called “restric
tor-plate tracks," this was
Stewart’s breakthrough. It
was his 21st career victory
and filled in the last remain
ing blank in his record. With
a "plate victory." Stewart has
won on every possible variety
of track: short track, road
course, intermediate, super
speedway and, finally, a plate
race. He led 151 out of 160
laps, breaking Cale Yarbor
ough’s record for laps led in
a 400-mile Daytona race.
Yarborough led 142 laps on
July 4. 1968.
HN^TH&’gPQTMQHT—
Nextel Cup Series No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
better than fourth. Despite that fact,
he ranks an improbable fifth in the
Nextel Cup standings.
The Pepsi 400 marked Wallace’s
second fourth-place finish in a row.
“I’ve got a lot of positive feelings
about Daytona even though I haven’t
won,” said Wallace, who’s won 55
races and one championship. “I’ve had
a lot of good runs here and a lot of bad
runs, bad runs with some horrifying
crashes in the past. The track has
been pretty good to me, though.”
So far, Wallace has managed to
maintain his composure. His so-called
“Last Call” a trademarked synonym
for his farewell tour has been more
traditional and less low-key than Mar
tin’s “Salute to You.” A victory, Wal
lace said, would probably lead him to
drop his guard.
“I think that will happen more and
more, although the only thing that
could cover that up is just the intensi
his sponsor or remain at MB2.
Meanwhile, Robert E. Sutton
boosted his ownership share in
MB2, meaning that the tandem
that once consisted of Read
Morton, Nelson Bowers and
Tom Beard - hence the term
“MB2” - now consists of Bow
ers, Sutton and team general
manager Jay Frye.
Evernham will enter three
Dodges in all the races next
year a fourth with Bill Elliott
in some and his third car will
carry Valvoline sponsorship
and wear No. 10, which is on
the current Valvoline-spon
sored Chevy that Riggs drives.
The new No. 10 will, howev-
SPORTS
g-
Race USG Durock 300
Where: Chicagoland Speed
way, Joliet, 111. (1.5 miles),
200 laps/300 miles.
When: Saturday. July 9
Last year's winner: Justin
Labonte
Qualifying record: Bobby
Hamilton Jr.. Ford. 183.611
mph, July 9, 2004.
Race record: Bobby Hamil
ton Jr., Ford, 129.730 mph,
July 13. 2003.
Last week Martin Truex Jr.,
in a Chevrolet, won the Winn-
Dixie 250 at Daytona.
> NUTS AND BOLTS'
er, not retain the current No.
10’s owner points, which will
remain at MB2 Motorsports.
Asked about the increasing
proliferation of multi-car
teams, Evernham said, “It’s
hard to say where it’s going to
stop. For a while, it seemed dif
ficult to make a two-car team
work, but now the handwrit
ing’s on the wall. One-car
teams are falling by the way
side, and soon that will be the
case with two-car teams.”
L vfiWr i giTlHfs i nVfvT\
Race Built Ford Tough 225
Where: Kentucky Speedway,
Sparta (1.5 miles). 150
laps/225 miles.
When: Saturday, July 9
Last year's winner: Bobby
Hamilton
Qualifying record: Jon Wood.
Ford. 169.614 mph, July 11,
2003.
Race record: Mike Bliss.
Chevrolet, 143.515 mph,
July 13, 2002.
Last week: Todd Bodine. in a
Toyota, won the O’Reilly 250
at Kansas Speedway.
ty of competition right now,” Wallace
said. “I’m relentless at wanting to win
and relentless at wanting to get in the
top 10 in the points. I’m relentless
wanting to go out at the top of my
game at a very high level, so right
now, I’m on track. Points look good.
“We’re in position right now, no
doubt about that. I think a lot of guys
who thought they were going to be in
position or thought were going to be
out, it’s the other way around. There’s
a lot of good cars that aren’t in it now.
We’ve got a great car and we’re in it,
so I’m liking that part. Being so in
tense at doing that, that could over
shadow some of the sorrow of leaving
and going back to some of these
tracks for the last time.”
After all, a man’s got to dream, even
as the curtain starts to fall.
Contact Monte Dutton at
hmduttonso@aol.com
He’s a hard man Wally
Dallenbach Jr., who took the
analyst mike when NBC/TNT
picked up TV coverage of Cup
and Busch races here, repre
sents about the only vestige of
frankness left in a TV culture
that has grown increasingly re
luctant to criticize anything.
Dallenbach’s remarks on
drug use in racing was the
highlight of NBC’s introducto
ry press conference.
“I always felt that if you
were caught, and you had it in
your system, you were out,”
said Dallenbach. “That’s it,
game over. I’m not in favor of
giving somebody second, third,
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
OffIOAGOLANO OATA
Rtg*
NBC
Chicagoland 400 - July 10
MTKOM
00-
Tt
Distance:. .1.5 mile trioval
Length of frontstretch: 2,400 fL
Length of backstretch: 1,700 ft.
Miles/Lap5:.. 400.5 mi. - 267 laps
*
Banking in
trioval
m
18*^
Banking in
turns 1-4
■■■■ iiiggi/ .
ccn
3
V
E
R
S
U
S
Jamie
McMurray
Scott
Riggs
Scott Riggs
vs. JBmie McMurray
Early in the Pepsi 400, a multi-car
crash began when Jeff Gordon and
McMurray both slowed to enter pit
road and, behind them, Riggs
swerved to the right, which caused
Mark Martin to lose control of his car
while trying to avoid Riggs. McMurray
went on to finish second.
NASCAR This Week's Monte
Dutton gives his take: ‘Gordon sig
naled with his hands that he was go
ing to pit. McMurray said he signaled
on the back straight but, because his
car wasn't handling well, he couldn’t
signal again through turns three and
four. Riggs said he never saw McMur
ray's signal. At Daytona, the little
things mean a lot.”
V L€GENPS»ANP*OR£^
Petty, Pearson forged
greatest rivalry ever
The greatest rivalry in NASCAR
history was between Richard Petty
and David Pearson, who ended their
respective careers with the highest
victory totals in history. Petty won
more races, 200, but Pearson had a
higher winning percentage (.183).
"When we got in our race cars, we
both looked at racing the same way,”
said Petty. “We don't care who leads
the race. We just want to win what
ever it takes to get the job done.”
Calendar casts NASCAR
drivers in a different light
Here's a surprise. In addition to
driving race cars at breakneck
speeds, NASCAR's finest have pets.
Some of them even sneeze occasion
ally and watch HBO.
As a result of this breathtaking
development, NASCAR has issued a
calendar made up of drivers and their
pets. In many instances, wives are
also included.
Furthermore, proceeds benefit the
Greg Biffle Foundation. The calendar
may be purchased at
www.nascar.com, by the way.
■t-CTTERSfROIVIOURfIEAOEfIS-v
NASCAR should take note
of Formula One’s mistake
If we ever needed further proof
that Formula One isn't a sport that
will catch on in the USA, the tire de
bacle in Indy should convince us (sev
eral teams pulled out of the race at
the last minute over a tire issue).
If that ever happened to a
NASCAR race, we'd have a major riot
on our hands. Cap you imagine only
seven cars competing at Daytona or
Charlotte? I shudder to think ....
Gene Monahan
Lancaster, Pa.
or fourth chances on some
thing like this. I feel that it’s a
privilege to be in this series,
you’re dealing with people’s
lives, they’re on the line.
“This isn’t a baseball game
or a footbaH'game. You’re driv
ing cars at two hundred miles
an hour an inch off your com
petitor, and there’s no room for
it. I hope this is taken serious
ly, and I just don’t believe a
guy should get a second shot,
that’s just my personal opin
ion. I feel it’s just too impor
tant, and it’s a privilege to be
here and if you can’t play by
the rules, you shouldn't be able
to play."