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10A
♦ FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2005
- W Hh 3jA M 4 ' a \ I it
ON-THE-TUBE-
All times Eastern
WextatCwp
GFS Marketplace 400. TNT
1 p.m.. Sunday
Busch Series
Domino's Pizza 250, TNT
3 p.m.. Saturday
Bm >
0 Reilly 200, ettMtama i
5 p.m.. August 24
■BURNINGfSSUES^J
► This time Tony Stewart didn't
climb the fence. Why? There are
no grandstands at the flagstand
at Watkins Glen, only a scaffold
for the use of TV cameramen.
‘There would've been, like,
three people to enjoy it," said
Stewart.
► Look at the variety of Stewart’s
five victories in the past seven
races: Two road courses (Sono
ma and Watkins Glen), a restric
tor-plate track (Daytona), a flat
mile track (New Hampshire) and
Indy. Some drivers don't pro
duce that kind of variety in a ca
reer.
► One day a road-racing special
ist is going to win one of these
races. Road racers finished sec
ond at Watkins Glen in 2003
and 2004. This time, they took
third and fourth, respectively,
with Boris Said and Scott Pruett.
► Perhaps Robby Gordon has
turned the corner. His runner-up
finish to Stewart was his first in
the top 10 all year. He expects
to be strong next week in Michi
gan. Then again, he's expected
to be strong all year.
► By winning his 24th race, Stew
art took over 24th place on
NASCAR's all-time list of win
ners.
► Stewart has led the most laps
in eight of the season’s 22
races, including six of the past
eight. The last time the circuit
visited Michigan, Stewart led 97
laps but finished second to Greg
Biffte, but it's where his hot
streak really began.
► During that span of eight races,
Stewart has gone from being
. 380 points behind Jimmie John
son to leading him by 105 in the
Nextel Cup point standings.
► After four more races, of
course, point margins won't
mean very much. "Who cares?"
asked Stewart. "Nobody else is
going to.” That's because the
points will be reconfigured after
the regular season, with the top
10 separated by only 45 points.
TOP HO -JNPOINTO'
Nextel Cup
X, Tony Stewart 3,113
2. Jimmie Johnson - 105
3. Gregßiffle 252
4. Rusty Wallace - 258
8. Mark Martin - 331
6. Kurt Busch - 421
7. Jeremy Mayfield - 429
8. Ryan Newman - 467
9. Jamie McMurray - 514
10. Carl Edwards - 520
Cutoff for The Chase
11. Elliott Sadler _ - 523
Dale Jarrett - 523
13. Jeff Gordon -587
14. Kevin Harvick - 590
18. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 683
Busch Series
X, Martin Truex Jr. 3,441
2. Clint Bowyer -122
3. Reed Sorenson - 219
4. Carl Edwards - 356
8. Kenny Wallace -472
6. Denny Hamlin -530
7. Davkl Green - 715
8. David Stremme - 736
8. Paul Menard - 744
10. Ashton lewis - 798
Craftsman Truck Series
1. Dennis Setter 2,400
2. Ted Musgrave -178
3. Bobby Hamilton - 212
4. Ron Homaday - 267
8. David Reutimann - 286
L AND WHO'S NOT J
► Who’s hot
Who
else? Tony
Stewart.
He's fin
ished in the
top 10 in
eight
straight
races, win
ning five of
Stewart
them. ... Mark Martin has fin
ished in the top 10 in four of
the past five races.
► Who's not Kurt Busch and
Ryan Newman lost ground in
the points race thanks to poor
performances at Watkins
Glen.
► If you have a question or a comment, write: NASCAR This Week, c/o The Gaston Gazette, PO. Box 1893, Gastonia, NC 28053
-T-€4r"olJ•=» »€Wi€B
Race GFS Marketplace 400
Where: Michigan Internation
al Speedway, Brooklyn (2.0
miles). 200 laps/400 miles.
When: Sunday, Aug. 21
Last year's winner: Greg Bif
fle
Qualifying record: Ryan New
man. Dodge, 194.232 mph,
June 18, 2005.
Race record: Dale Jarrett,
Ford. 173.997 mph. June 13.
1999.
Last week: Tony Stewart's re
cent successes have almost
eliminated the need for com
ment. He's so hot that words
are irrelevant: Five victories
in seven races, resulting in a
rise from 10th to first in the
points standings. Stewart
-WH AT J «-4J P TM EKT
Kurt Busch
Musical Chairs
Kurt Busch leaving Roush Racing in ’O7 ...
By Monte Dutton
NASCAR This Week
Kurt Busch surprised most ob
servers last week when he abruptly
announced he had signed a deal to
leave Roush Racing when his contract
expires at the end of the 2006 season.
Busch will join Penske Racing South,
taking over the No. 2 Dodge currently
driven by retiring Rusty Wallace,
though the move apparently won’t
take effect until 2007.
What would appear to be a unique
set of circumstances seems to be get
ting commonplace. Jamie McMurray
will make a similar move, going from
Chip Ganassi’s team to Roush but only
after his contractual obligations are
filled in 2006.
Busch, of course, is the reigning
Nextel Cup champion. Why would he
leave his current team, giv
en its level of success?
“It’s too early to talk J
about ’O7 stuff,” Busch
said. “Right now, I’ve
got 2005 to drive for
this championship
We’re in good posi
tion. ... So, that’s
where we sit. It’s
hard to go into the
future.” #
Busch asked
Roush to re
lease him
from the fi-
nal year of
his exist- i
ing con- I
tract, but 1
so far,
Roush A
seems to I
be intent "
on requir
ing that
Busch
remain ' as v
driver of the No.
97 Ford next year.
“I’m still contractu-
Terry Labonte replaces Leffler at Joe Gibbs Racing
By Monte Dutton
NASCAR This Week
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. As
usual, a vote of confidence
eventually preceded a firing.
It’s happened so often in sports
that it’s the subject of jokes.
Earlier in the season, Joe and
J.D. Gibbs gave Jason Leffler a
vote of confidence, but when
things didn’t get better, they
fired him.
Leffler is out and replaced
on an interim basis by Terry
Labonte, the semiretired driv
er who will take over the No. 11
Chevrolet for most of the rest
of the season. From there, a
permanent solution will have to
be reached. Some rumors have
suggested that Michael Waltrip
might eventually move into the
No. 11, bringing NAPA as a
sponsor, with FedEx moving to
Bobby Labonte’s No. 18 and In
terstate Batteries being rele
gated to associate-sponsor sta
tus on all the Gibbs teams.
Not now, anyway Paul
swept the circuit's road
courses with a victory in the
Sirius at the Glen. At Watkins
Glen International, the his
toric road course in upstate
New York, Stewart's runaway
freight train just picked up
more steam. His orange
Chevrolet scurried away like a
jack rabbit, leading 83 out of
92 laps. Some of racing's
other great names led laps,
of course: Jimmy Johnson led
two, Jeff Gordon led two. Rob
by Gordon led two and Ryan
Newman led one. After all,
occasionally Stewart had to
pit.
Nextel Cup Series No. 97 Irwin Industrial Tools Ford
:•> xr t i .
. W c r NHZ DI : {
W
/AY*
Tracy, the Champ Car star,
tested a Richard Childress
owned Monte Carlo for two
days last week at Michigan In
ternational Speedway, but
eventually Childress put a rest
to rumors that he would enter
Tracy in the Cup race there
next week.
Make no mistake, though.
Tracy made it clear that he
wants to give NASCAR a shot.
“I’ve done about all I can do
and accomplished everything I
wanted to in Champ Car,” he
said. “I have a lot of victories,
30 of them. I’ve won a champi
onship. When this opportunity
comes around to get in with a
good car, it’s really what keeps
you motivated. I need to try
something different to keep
my motivation high.”
High hopes Robby Gor
don’s second attempt to field his
own team has been a struggle,
but Gordon is already talking
about expanding his team and
building it into a potent force.
“The next Rick Hendrick,
SPORTS
CUJC/'U choice
pjj jv*n
Race Domino's Pizza 250
Where: Michigan Internation
al Speedway, Brooklyn (2.0
miles), 125 laps/250 miles.
When: Saturday, Aug. 20
Last year's winner: Kyle
Busch
Qualifying record: Kasey
Kahne, Ford, 186.490 mph,
Aug. 16, 2003.
Race record: Todd Bodine,
Chevrolet, 162.749 mph,
Aug. 19, 2000.
Last week: Ryan Newman, in
a Dodge, won the Zippo 200
at Watkins Glen.
UNI <3l-1
ally obligated to drive this car in 2005
and in 2006. I told Jack (Roush) that. I
signed with a different team for 2007
because of opportunities and timing. I
believe it was good for Kurt Busch,
but I’m still obligated to
drive this car,
which I told
Jack I’d do
it
According t
to Roush, i
Busch I
called the
move “an W 1
opportuni
ty of a life
time.”
“It’s really
a matter of /
sur- M
DRAFTSMAN TRUCK
, Race: O'Reilly 200
Where: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor
Speedway (.533 miles), 200
laps/106.6 miles.
When: Wednesday, Aug. 24
Last year's winner: Carl Ed
wards
Qualifying record: Ken
Schrader. Chevrolet, 126.922
mph, Aug. 25, 2004.
Race record: Travis Kvapil,
Chevrolet, 88.813 mph. Aug.
20, 2003.
Last week: David Reutimann.
in a Toyota, won at Nashville
Superspeedway in Gladeville,
Tenn.
-NUTS AND BOLTS
Richard Childress or Joe Gibbs
has to come from somewhere,”
said Gordon, who swept the
road courses in 2003 while
driving for Childress. “I love
the sport. I like the competition
that Nextel Cup gives us. The
schedule is difficult, but this is
something I want to do for
sure.
“I’m 35 years old now, and I
believe that if we can stay on
the same path, we’ll be able to
grow our company. We’ve
dreamed of growing our com
pany into something like
Richard Childress has. We’re
working really hard and we’re
getting more competitive.
Hopefully that becomes a re
ality.”
Already sold out Home
stead-Miami Speedway, which
had struggled to sell out Cup
races in the past, announced
that the Ford 400, the season fi
nale, is already sold out months
ahead of the Nov. 20 race.
is he a lame duck?
rounding /ourself with the right
equipment in a timely manner,” said
Busch. “I believe, with the way that
I’m set up right now, we still have a
shot at winning the championship this
year, as well as 2006. When 2007 ar
rives, it will be a whole new opportu
nity to see what I can do to win races.”
A subpar showing at Watkins Glen,
where Busch was involved in an acci
dent and wound up 39 th , dropped him
from fifth to sixth in the Nextel Cup
points standings with four races re
naming until the Chase begins.
“The chemistry is great with our
| program,” Busch insisted. “We’re a
i strong team, on what we did last
' year, at this point. And just the
speech and the motivation that I
gave them (the team), they know that
it wasn’t them, they know that it was
n’t me, they know that it’s not Roush
Racing, they know that it’s this busi
ness. And, they’re here to give 100
percent, just like I’m going to
give 150 percent to try to
win this champi
onship this year
and in ’06.”
In case you didn’t know
Ron Fellows has won five
NASCAR races at Watkins
Glen: three in the Busch Series
and two in trucks.
The Canadian driver was one
of many road-racing specialists
on hand here. Among others
were Boris Said, Scott Pruett,
Johnny Miller, Jorge Goeters,
Anthony Lazzaro, P.J. Jones,
Tom Hubert and Chris Cook.
Hubert and Cook failed to
make the field when qualifying
was rained out. Busch Series
regular Paul Menard, who has
a road-racing background, was
also on hand.
“I grew up learning how to
race at a track very similar to
Watkins Glen up in Ontario
called Mosport,” said Fellows.
“It’s a real fast track with high
speed cornering. As a matter of
fact, I don’t think there are
many drivers out there who
don’t enjoy racing at Watkins
Glen because of the high-speed
cornering. Anybody can go fast
in a straight line. Watkins Glen
boasts some of the fastest cor-
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
MICHIGAN DATA
nrsm
(0* ■
Michigan 400
June 19
/7VTFff\AT7miAI SPEEDWAY*s s ~& /
Banking in
frontstratch
Distance: 2 mite oval
Length of frontstretch: 3,600 ft
Length of backstretdi: 2,242 ft
Mlles/laps: 400 mi. - 200 laps
John Clark/
NASCAR This Week
GFS Marketplace 400
Aug. 21
mmna
Si -v i -Z c i £»11 -IVi
■ ■
VERSUS
Casey
Mears
Casey Mears vs.
NASCAR officials
Mears had high hopes at the
Glen but had to settle for 23rd place
after being punished for speeding on
pit road. “They called us for pit-road
speeding, and I was very conserva
tive coming into the pits. I’m con
fused. I don't know what happened.
They say it’s really accurate. ... I'm
really baffled why I got called for
speeding. We had to come back in
and make a pass (through the pits),
and we were in the back the rest of
the day.”
NASCAR This Week's Monte
Dutton gives his take: ‘Supposedly
NASCAR monitors pit-road speeds
electronically, but its officials have
never publicly provided a complete
listing proving that certain cars went
too fast and certain others didn’t.
Mears isn't the first to be 'baffled' by
a call.”
..mrrrrjK*.
New rule could help with
recent tire problems
Repeated tire problems in recent
races have led NASCAR officials to
step in and limit chassis adjustments
credited with causing some of those
problems. Beginning with this week's
race at Michigan International Speed
way, a new camber rule will be imple
mented limiting the angle of front
tires to eight degrees. NASCAR al
ready has a rear-camber rule of two
degrees and checks cars with a cam
ber gauge during inspection.
»L€TT€RB-FROMOUR READERS]
If Stewart’s not the champ,
ft’s time to scrap ‘Chase’
I’m still not sure why this “Chase
for the Championship’ is necessary.
Tony Stewart doesn’t need to prove
himself over the last 10 races; he's
proving every week that he’s the best
driver on the circuit. Whether you love
him ot hate him. that point really
can't be argued.
Here's what's sad: The fact that
he’s controlling his emotions is
what’s led him to great things this
year. But watch him blow up if he
leads the pack by 200 points enter
ing the final 10 races and doesn't
win the title!
Margaret Davenport
Lancaster, Pa.
ners in the world, and that’s
fun for a driver.”
Now officially known As
expected, Chip Ganassi an
nounced what he labeled an of
ficial driver lineup for 2006 that
still includes lame-duck Jamie
McMurray, who has signed with
Roush Racing for 2007.
Ganassi previously an
nounced that David Stremme,
currently in the Busch Series,
would be promoted to replace
Sterling Marlin next year. Reed
Sorenson, twice a Busch win
ner this season, will move up to
drive Ganassi’s No. 41 Dodge,
with the current driver of that
car, Casey Mears, moving to a
new team sponsored by
Homel23, a mortgage lender.
McMurray’s No. 42 is carry
ing a Homel23 paint scheme
this weekend instead of its usu
al Texaco-Havoline colors. As
suming that McMurray re
mains in the fold, Mears’ num
ber may end up being 39.
Contact Monte Dutton at
hmduttonSo@aol.com
TOT
SF
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Banking in
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