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Champs Sports
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Die-Cast Specials
Can Ryan Newman Make The Chase?
By: Keith Bloemendaal
The race tonight is in California, and the green flag drops at around 8pm est. As I watch the Raceday show, it occurs to me that there is a really good race going on for 35th in owner points.
While most of us are aware of the Chase, and who is fighting for the top 12 spots to get in. And with only two races left, one after tonight, a few drivers are still fighting for the Chase. Ryan Newman, in the #12 Alltel car, is in 15th (179 points out of 12th) and really needs to race well and hope that someone like Clint Bowyer, in the #07 Jack Daniels car, or Denny Hamlin, in the #11 FedEx car has some real problems and finish out of the top 30 for Newman to have a chance.
David Ragan and Kasey Kahne have a better chance of making the chase, currently in 13th and 14th positions. Kahne is 56 points out of 12th, and David Ragan is only 12 points out. Kenseth, Hamlin, and Bowyer are running 10th thru 12th, but are on the bubble and have to race well to stay in the Chase.
Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Burton should lock their spots in the Chase tonight. While Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards guaranteed their spots last week.
With owner points, the 35th spot is very important to guys for next year as it guarantees they race the first ten races of the year, regardless of the qualifying times. Sam Hornish Jr is in 35th (owner points), but the #96 car owned by Hall of Fame Racing will have new phenom 18yr old Joey Logano driving 5 races towards the end of the season. Can he finish well enough to gain 3 spots (and about 300 points) to get them in the top 35? I don't know, but it will be interesting to watch this kid race. He takes over the #20 Home Depot car for 2009, and I think he is going to be a driver we should keep our eyes on!
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Cautions & Rain Don’t Slow Down Kasey Kahne at Pocono
Kasey Kahne won the Pocono 500 from the pole, despite 11 cautions & Rain delays, to get to victory lane.
At the start of the race Kasey Kahne leads the field into turn 1 with high expectations but the day would prove frustrating for many drivers. On lap 60 the caution flew because of a multi-car wreck, when #10-Carpentier, #38-Gilliland & #77-Hornish Jr. Amazingly #45-Terry Labonte dodged the wreck.
On lap 70 Rain brought the Red Flag out, everone had time to contemplate strategy, but no work can be done on the car during red flag delays.
Juan Montoya and Clint Bowyer tangled on lap 81 bring out another caution. (Bowyer was passing the 15 of Paul Menard when he got loose and turned sideways off of the third corner. Unfortunately, Montoya had no where to go and slammed into the side of Bowyer catching fire in the process.)
One scary incident occured on rit Road when #16-Greg Biffle hit a crew member and then gets tagged by #26-Jamie McMurray.
On lap 129 Kasey Kahne took the lead away from Jimmie Johnson. And only dropped to 3rd place once before the end of the race. Kasey Kahne re-took the lead at the end and wins from the pole at Pocono!
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Check NASCAR.com for a list of complete results.
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Next up: Michigan International Speedway.
WHO TO WATCH FOR AT MICHIGAN? Kyle Busch, Dave Blaney, AJ Allmendinger, and Kasey Kahne.
Mark Martin Fills In Juniors Shoes at DEI Just Fine
Mark Martin Fills In Juniors Shoes - Just Fine Thank You
Officials at Dale Earnhardt Inc. could not have picked a better driver to fill the seat of the No. 8 in 2008. Popular veteran Mark Martin, 49, is into his second part-time season at the Cup level. Martin will compete in 24 races this year with rookie Aric Almirola, age 24, driving the other 12.
After scoring two top-10 finishes in his first five events this season, Martin had consecutive top-fives in his next two races-at Phoenix, where he led for 68 laps, and at Richmond. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had back-to-back top-fives only once in his final season at DEI. Martin also has three straight top-10s and appears to be picking up steam for the competitive months ahead.
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The Arkansas native and father of five will also drive in the May 17 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, an event he won just three seasons ago at age 46.
SceneDaily.com says Martin may be the best all around driver in NASCAR, even as he begins to ride into the sunset. While other drivers of similar age seem to be fading fast-e.g. Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty, et al.-DEI may consider hiring Martin for the long haul for as many races as he wants.
Replacing Earnhardt Jr. in one of the world's most recognizable cars, with the most tattooed and reproduced number in America , could not go to just any driver. When long-time sponsor Budweiser took its monogram off the hood of the fire-truck red Impala, the U.S. Army saved the day and the team, in part due to of Martin's image and stature in the sport. The nation's primary defense force had supported his part-time ride with Ginn Racing in '07 before DEI bought out the fledgling team, and gladly came on board in '08.
Martin, a 35-time winner at the Cup level with three runner-ups in the final point standings, along with four thirds but never a championship, had five top-fives in a part-time role for Ginn Racing last season (Ginn merged with DEI last summer). His last bridesmaid role came in '02. He had consecutive fourth-place finishes as recently as '04-'05.
The main excuse for Junior missing his second Chase in three seasons, and not winning in '07, was the "shoddy equipment" and "poor engines" he was handed. Martin, one of the greatest Busch (now Nationwide) Series drivers ever and a Cup racer since 1981, was certainly the best choice to take the wheel of the No. 8 and to mentor a promising newcomer in Almirola.
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Were it not for some lapped cars running unintentional interference at Richmond , Martin might have been in the position Clint Bowyer inherited when Kyle Busch and Junior had their late-race tango on May 3. As it is, Martin has out-performed nearly half the Cup field as a part-timer, and is fairing better than Earnhardt Jr. did one year ago with the same organization and much of the same crew.
Not bad for an 'aging' hired gun.
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More articles about NASCAR news and auto racing can be found at http://www.speedweekly.net Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mel_Kizzidek |
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