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Champs Sports
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Die-Cast Specials
Jimmie Johnson Wins Tums 500 at Martinsville
By: Keith Bloemendaal
Jimmie Johnson won again at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, padding his lead in his bid for a third straight title with four races to go.
The two-time defending series champion led 339 laps as he and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates dominated once more on the oldest, smallest and trickiest circuit in the Sprint Cup Series.
Johnson won the fall race at this track for the third consecutive time. It was his fifth career victory on the 0.526-mile oval and fourth in the last five races.
“It’s just been good to me,” he said.
Teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second, followed by Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon, giving Hendrick three of the top four spots. The 1-2 finish was the 23rd for the multicar team and third at Martinsville.
“I didn’t have anything for Jimmie,” Earnhardt said. “That car was so awesome.”
Johnson increased his lead from 69 points over Jeff Burton to 149 over Greg Biffle. Burton started second and finished 17th.
As they had in the spring, when they combined to lead 371 laps, Johnson and Gordon set the pace all day with Gordon leading 57 laps. Earnhardt made it a three-car Hendrick party near the front and, unlike in the spring, Johnson this time managed to close the deal.
In March, Denny Hamlin won on pit strategy.
Johnson led seven times in all, passing Gordon for the top spot with 209 laps to go. He then made quick work of Matt Kenseth, who stayed out on the track under caution with 38 to go.
Johnson heads to Atlanta with the largest points lead in the history of the Chase at this point. He’s not ready, however, to start thinking about another title.
“It’s getting closer,” he said. “It’s still not time.”
The day was shaping up as a great one for Jamie McMurray, who started 20th and climbed into contention quickly. He was running fourth with about 100 laps to go when his car suddenly slowed on the backstretch. He drove it directly to his garage and wound up 38th.
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Did Tony Stewart Really Win The Amp Energy 500?
By: Keith Bloemendaal
NASCAR really needs to get a handle on the way they enforce the rules at these restrictor plate races. Regan Smith crossed the finish line in first, but NASCAR rules he went below the yellow line and gave him a finishing position of 18th. Tony Stewart, as of the writing of this article won the Amp Energy 500.
The win is the Home Depot team's first this season.
The way I understood the yellow line rule is if you pass below the yellow line, you will be penalized. UNLESS YOU ARE FORCED BELOW THE LINE! While watching the end of the race, it was clear to me that Stewart forced Smith below the yellow line. Had Smith held his ground, Tony Stewart would have been in the wall on the frontstretch!
Some will also argue that the last lap is anything goes, NASCAR did away with that last season.
Other restrictor plate races have been just as controversial. In 2007 Jeff Gordon got pummeled with debris on his victory lap at the Aaron's 499 by the fans after NASCAR awarded the win to him through the use of scoring loops because the caution flew on the last lap.
Get a grip on this NASCAR! Set rules, enforce them the same week in and week out!
What do you think, am I wrong? Comment to give your opinion.
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Jeff Gordon Gets New DuPont Paint Job For 2009 Season
By: Keith Bloemendaal
The new paint scheme will be dubbed "Fire Storm".
The unveiling of the #24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports DuPont Chevrolet came on Thurday's edition of the Today Show on NBC. It marks only the 3rd major paint scheme change for the DuPont Team. The design came from renowned motorsports artist Sam Bass who said "“I have been most fortunate to have had the opportunity to design the graphics for the DuPont/Hendrick Motorsports/Jeff Gordon race cars since they entered the NASCAR Cup Series in 1992."
The first time we the fans will officially see "Fire Storm" will be during speed weeks in Daytona. The Hendrick Team holds one of the longest standing sponsor/driver/owner relationships in NASCAR history. Richard Petty and STP come to mind when I think of other long standing relationships with sponsors. Of course, Jeff Gordon is no Richard Petty, but you have to give him credit for being a great driver and champion.
I am not the biggest fan of Jeff Gordon over the years, I don't hate him, just don't particularly root for him on Sunday unless he is somewhere near Kyle Busch! I do, however, like this paint scheme. Having DuPont as the primary sponsor of the Hendrick #24 for the last 16 years, you would think they would have cool paint schemes popping up all the time. This, by far, is the best paint job I have seen on the DuPont car. The flames look good, and I especially like the black background better.
What do you think, better, worse, don't care. Comment below to voice your opinion.
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$700B Bailout Gives A Tax Break To NASCAR Tracks
By: Keith Bloemendaal
Yes, you heard right. The Government decided to include NASCAR in it's plan to "rescue" the country from the economic crisis we are facing.
Under the terms of the financial “rescue plan,” motor sports facilities will be allowed to depreciate their capital investments over a 7 year period rather than the previously stated 15 year time frame. That means less of the earnings from each of those seven years will go towards taxes, helping the track owners achieve a higher annual profit in the short term. The new provision will provide incentives for track owners to invest in their facilities on improvements such as repaving tracks, new concession stands, parking lots and more.
Normally, I would be screaming "FOUL" at this point, but I gave it more thought and you should too.
This not only helps NASCAR track owners make upgrades to the facilities that have earned them millions, but jobs get created through it. When the tracks contract the repaving of the racing surface so Kyle Busch can get put in the wall by someone paying him back for an earlier race incident, this creates jobs for the contractors involved in the paving. Or when the owners of these facilities repave the parking lots, so drunken fans can pass out on a smooth piece of concrete, this creates jobs and revenues for construction workers (who are suffering through this housing crisis tremendously, I know because I am in construction as well).
In the past, owners used this tax break to install the safer barrier walls on many tracks, which could have saved lives had it been on the tracks sooner (lives like Dale Earnhardt Sr).
In closing of this short post, before you cry foul because the government gave a tax break to track owners, essentially, this will boost economic growth by providing revenues to many companies and the folks who work for them. This creates revenues for all the businesses that these workers do business with, from grocery stores, to restaurants, to landlords, to mortgage companies, gas stations, retail shops (Christmas is soon!) and many more. I though about what the average construction worker makes, maybe $500 a week. Do you think he gets to keep any of it under his pillow? No, it all gets spent somewhere. So, every job created, in a sense, helps the rest of us who luckily still are working.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr Auctions Ride In #88 At Lowes Motor Speedway
By: Keith Bloemendaal
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, is collaborating with Wrangler in a charity auction bid on ebay.com. The winner of the bid will get to ride with Earnhardt, Jr. for three laps around Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. The winner will also receive free lessons from the Richard Petty Driving Experience. The proceeds from the auction will benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp.
Other items available for bid include the door panel from the No. 88 car that was driven in the Auto Club Speedway race in Fontana earlier this year, and a pair of jeans worn and autographed by the driver. The door panel is scratched since Earnhardt, Jr. was involved in a crash in that race.
Anyone interested can bid for any of the prizes at this link.
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FavoriteTeamWear asks: Would the Points Race Be Different Without Chase Points?
After watching Kyle Busch fall to 12th in Sprint Cup Chase points over the last 2 weeks, I can't help but wonder where the chasers would be without the Chase setup. I did some research on this, and found that the points race would be different.
Chase Points After Dover:
| Rank | Driver | Points | Behind Leader |
| 1 | Carl Edwards | 5390 | ------- |
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 5380 | -10 |
| 3 | Greg Biffle | 5380 | -10 |
| 4 | Jeff Burton | 5308 | -82 |
| 5 | Kevin Harvick | 5289 | -101 |
| 6 | Clint Bowyer | 5284 | -106 |
| 7 | Tony Stewart | 5277 | -113 |
| 8 | Jeff Gordon | 5272 | -118 |
| 9 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | 5261 | -129 |
| 10 | Matt Kenseth | 5123 | -167 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | 5197 | -193 |
| 12 | Kyle Busch | 5180 | -210 |
While I believe everyone in the Chase still has a chance to win the Championship, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin really need to get their acts together to get there.
Dale Earnhardt Jr has fallen significantly, but still has a chance if he can win Talledega and Texas, which he historically runs well at for both.
All in all, the Sprint Chase For The Cup is still up for grabs, and any of the teams still have a chance to win it, or to throw it away.
In contrast, let us look at the points if there was no Chase Points:
| Rank | Driver | Points | Behind Leader |
| 1 | Carl Edwards | 4011 | ---- |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 3978 | -33 |
| 3 | Jimmie Johnson | 3916 | -95 |
| 4 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | 3739 | -272 |
| 5 | Jeff Burton | 3682 | -329 |
| 6 | Greg Biffle | 3660 | -351 |
| 7 | Kevin Harvick | 3572 | -439 |
| 8 | Tony Stewart | 3562 | -449 |
| 9 | Jeff Gordon | 3493 | -518 |
| 10 | Denny Hamlin | 3422 | -589 |
| 11 | Clint Bowyer | 3390 | -621 |
| 12 | Matt Kenseth | 3355 | -656 |
As you can see, this would be a much different chase, had the points not been realigned with 10 races to go. It would only be a 3 car race at this point, a Ford, a Toyota, and a Chevrolet. Also, three teams: Rousch, Gibbs, and Hendrick.
Kyle Busch would obviously be in better shape.
Looking at the top three, Jimmie Johnson would have more work to do to win a historical Championship for him (3 in a row). Kyle Busch would only be 33 points behind leader Carl Edwards, showing the benefits of having such a strong season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr, and everyone behind him could almost be counted out, making it a three car race.
I can't help but wonder, is the Chase For The Cup really more exciting, or is it unfair to those having raced so well all season, only to fall back from 1st to 12th after 2 races.
What do you think? Is the Chase setup better?
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