Another Hot one in Atlanta

Racing at Atlanta under the lights was everything we'd hoped and more. NASCAR has made a very smart move in bringing the race to Atlanta for the Labor Day weekend, as instead of a snoozefest we usually got in California, we actually got to see racing. Yep, that's right, racing, a foreigh commodity in the era of the COT, it seemed for awhile.

In the Cup series race here we saw 13 different leaders in the race, unheard of in recent races. Granted, some of those were the inevitible "stayed out to lead a lap for 5 bonus points" moves, but Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Juan Pablo Montoya all looked like they were the car to beat at one point or another during the race.

In the end though, it was all about Kasey Kahne, although the other drivers who had a good night looked equally as pleased with their performances, specifically Kevin Harvick. He really wanted to win the double and seemed poised to do so when his teammate brought out the caution with only a handful of laps to go. Kevin hadn't been good on the short run, needing 12 to 14 laps for his tires to warm up and loosen his car up.

With only 15 laps to go on the restart, his crew added a full pound of air to the tires to try to give him a better short run, but when David Reutimann gave Kasey a little nudge to get him going, Kasey was able to check out. He openly thanked Reutimann in his Victory Lane interview, admitting that he hadn't been able to shift through the gears properly all night long and having that bump eased his shifts and propelled him forward. He quickly got ahead of the rest of the pack and there was simply nothing anyone else could do. Juan Pablo Montoya appeared to be strong enough to take over second from Kevin, but when his car got scarey sideways with two to go, JPM settled for third.

Although the top 12 in the Chase Race got shaken up a little, no one from outside the top 12 move in to displace those in. In fact, Matt Kenseth, who was a lap down early in the race after scrubbing the wall, managed a 12th place finish and has 20 points on Brian Vickers - not a lot, but at least he is ahead instead of behind. Vickers didn't have a horrible day, finishing in 7th and leading a couple of laps, but he needs to do better than that and have Matt fail miserably in order to get in the Chase.

Kyle Busch lead 24 laps in the race, and at one point had jumped up to 9th in the point standings, but as we all know, it's the finish that counts. Kyle's true passion for his sport showed yet again and he refused interviews after the race. Interestingly enough,he is making history, even without running for a Championship in the Cup side. if he is unable to make the Chase, I have no doubt he will still go out to win every race, and will likely also concentrate on wrapping up a Nationwide Championship.

Kasey's win jettisoned him five spots in the Chase standings, up to sixth, just behind Carl Edwards, who had a terrible night. Carl, racing with broken bones in his foot, was also racing for Cancer, in a car designed by Cancer patient Jodi Lawrence. She was interviewed prior to the race and also road around the track with Carl and Dave Burns and a camera crew. She looked as if she wished the camera crew would just go away, as she was videotaping her own little souvenir the whole time. Carl's car ended up in the garage early on, with an oil lead that was diagnosed as an oil cooler failure. Unfortunately, that oil cooler is in the radiator, and it took the crew 23 laps to get it repaired.

Jimmie Johnson had catastrophic problems fighting a loose race car all night long and finished way back with Carl Edwards, in 36th. Kurt Busch as well, had a loose car and he crashed out of the race with around 100 to go, and accompanied Carl and Jimmie in the back.

In all, JPM and Kasey were the ones who moved forward, while Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle, really not even mentioned during the race, dropped. The stories of the race, however, had to be Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. For a good portion of the latter part of the race, they were the only two non-chasers in the top ten. While Kevin's crew made a great call on the final pit stop, however, Jr's did not, and whateer tires they put on the car resulted in him going backwards, quickly. And yes, it is the finish that counts, but 17th place is a lot better than the mid 30's he was getting earlier this year.

And Kevin? Well, now that he and Richard Childress have come out publicly to deny any movement anywhere, they seem to have a new-found burn to succeed. Maybe they aren't in the Chase this year, but I do look for them to challenge next year as well.

The second story simply has to be the feel good story. Bobby Labonte, ousted from the 96 car earlier in the week in favor of Erik Darnell, jumped into the Taxslayer Chevy and pulled off a 18th place finish. Although he didn't lead a lap, he was in the top ten throughout the day.

Oh, and his "replacement"? Well, he finished in a stellar.....30th. Oh, and David Gilliland, who was displaced for Bobby, jumped into the Wood Brothers 21 when Bill Elliott was injured, and managed 19th. right behind Bobby.

With 11 races to go in the Season, there are still a ton of stories to play out. Next week it's on to Richmond for the Race to the Chase finale. Only 4 drivers are locked in, Tony, Jeff, Jimmie and Denny Hamlin. Carl isn't, surprisingly, and with only 85 points separating Carl in 5th from Matt in 12th, almost anything can happen.

Streak to the Finish...Michigan LifeLock 400

Well Good afternoon to everyone. I am finally back and ready to start my weekly article called Streak to the Finish. I have been away far too long and it is about time to Crank this up!!!

First and foremost, congratulations to Junior, it has been quite a dry streak for him but he proved that even on vapors he can win a race, thank goodness for a Yellow. I know for a fact that one very special person in my life is so happy to see him win and that is my daughter Amanda. She is a diehard Junior fan and that past couple of races have been heart breaking for her with him coming so close but yet so far. Enjoy the win Amanda!!!

Here are some of my thoughts about the race at Michigan:



1. Did anyone else notice the amount of empty seats in the stands? It is hard to believe that a track like Michigan would have that many empty seats. It shows just how much the economy is really taking effect on the sport and it is not going to get any better. Gas prices are soaring and people are just having a hard time driving from point A to point B let alone going to a race. Ticket prices are still high and that coupled with fuel prices, people are opting to just sit at home and enjoy the race. Can you see race tickets going up in price with the price of fuel for the cars to race? I believe it is coming but come on people, this sport makes soo much money it is really sickening. Lets remember the fans and perhaps if more incentives are there for race packages, people might be willing to go to one.



2. How about Citizen Kahne? Is this guy on a mission or what? Back to back wins and now gets a second place finish. Do you think driving under Budweiser has given him that extra umph to get the job done or is it he is out to impress more of those older women...LOL, just kidding. I am very impressed with Kahne this year and after his poor showing last season, he is showing he has what it takes to win races. Now we just have to figure out what is wrong with his teammate Elliott Sadler.



3. Vivacious Vickers!!! I really did think that Brian would win the race yesterday, gotta hate those late penalties. His Toyota was so strong yesterday and the way he was cutting through the field was quite impressive. Heck, even his teammate AJ looked impressive yesterday. That kid is going to get the job done and you bet your sweet you know what that after he had to sit out a few races that that gave him the push he needed to start getting his head in the game. Watch out for this kid in the future and he should do well next week at Sonoma.



4. Time for Tony. Alright, we all know that Tony is not having the most stellar season of his career. He is hanging on to the 12th spot in the standings and could drop out at anytime. Tony has the talent but I do think deep down inside he is more concerned about what he is going to do once he decides to either leave Gibbs Racing or not. He has made it clear he does like driving under the flag of Toyota but a good driver can adapt to any condition even though he might be driving a different brand of car. We all know it is just a matter of time before Tony gets in that winner circle and next week is right up his alley with a road course race.



5. Fox Fanatic. I really do miss the broadcasters at Fox. It is something about that Boogity, Boogity, Boogity. I am not a big fan of TNT and Bill Weber is like listening to nails on a chalkboard. Can we get a replacement for Wally? I know we can find someone else to drive the TNT car around the track. One thing I do miss is Benny Parsons. It is strange not to see him in the booth. I do like Kyle up there and he does bring alot of knowledge, lets just hope it bleeds over to Wally.



6. Ho-Hum. Lets put just another so so race in the books for Michigan. It wasn't really that exciting of a race and the only highlight was everyone wondering if Junior would have enough gas to cross the finish line. It is a very fast track but lets admit it, sometimes an insurance seminar is a tad bit more exciting.



I know some of my comments may sound harsh but hey that is my opinion and my blog. We all have our views and opinions on what happened during the race. Let's hear yours.

Is That Really A Dollar Sign in the Word NA$CAR?

Why is this question asked you say? After reading a recent article on NASCAR.com about the awards that were handed out in New York, I was shocked at how much money was given out for those separate awards. Some of these awards seem either far-fetched or just plain ridiculous. Don’t these drivers make enough money already with their sponsors? Here are some questions that I have about this whole awards fiasco:

1. Why would you get an award for being an announcer that has helped promote NASCAR? You are doing your job and getting paid for it. Yes, it is nice to get recognition for your contributions, but that healthy paycheck, your travel and accommodations paid for and not to mention getting to be at the track calling the race.

2. Chevrolet presented Johnson's wife with a 2007 Corvette? You don't think she drives a nice car already? I wonder what the trade-in value is for that Corvette.


3. Despite getting caught for so-called cheating at the beginning of the season, Chad Knaus still managed to receive the Crew Chief of the Year Award.

4. The engine department at Hendricks Motorsports received $107,000 for their engine building capabilities. Hmmm, I wonder how many people make up that department. Will they get the money or will it be just put back into the department funds? Yeah right but if you have 100 people in that department, each person gets roughly $1000 but then factor in taxes and you get around $720.

5. Are these awards taxed? Do they have to be claimed on their taxes? Not that they would see any difference.

6. Is this why the ticket prices for us loyal fans keep going up every year? It is like when a professional team has a big name on their team and has to pay big bucks to get him, the end result is jacking up the prices for tickets to help pay the payroll. Sound familiar?

7. What does it mean when they say that Jimmie Johnson received a scale replica of his No. 48 Chevrolet made from gold? Are we talking a 1:1 scale, or the diecast scale of either 1:18 or 1:24?

8. Only $50,000 for the Rookie of the Year award given to Hamlin? Heck, the one with the most Budweiser Poles gets $100,000. Is that fair?

9. Kenseth gets $75,000 for the fastest lap. Okay, what does that mean? Which track was he the fastest? He didn't appear that fast all the time. Can we get a little more specific NASCAR?

10. Two punch knockout for Citizen Kahne. He gets $100,000 for having the most poles during the season and then gets $101,000 for the Commit to Win Award. Is it me or do those two figures not look right? Was someone trying to out do the other? Was someone jealous?

11. Oh and here is just something totally outrageous, in that during the ceremony tonight, the NASCAR Foundation will have a Red Carpet Online Charity Auction for fans to bid on clothing and accessories worn by NASCAR celebrities at the Nextel Cup Series Awards Banquet in New York. Who wants a smelly t-shirt? Do I really need a tuxedo so when I go to all my social functions I can say, "Hey check out my new tux, it was worn by Kevin Harvick." Like someone is really going to believe you. Do you get a certificate of authenticity? I do hope that NASCAR does put the money towards the foundation.

12. What the heck is a Drive Thru Pit Award? You get $105,000 for being the most courteous driver when you are told by NASCAR that you are penalized for entering or exiting pit road too fast? Jimmie Johnson got this award. As my favorite comedian, Bill Engvall, says "I believe that the most courteous driver should be the one that throws his water bottle out his window while coming down pit road to serve his penalty and hits his crew chief right on the head." Robby Gordon should have been the winner.

13. Why are the awards given out just for the Top 10 and 11th place finishers? You don't think that some of those other teams below them had their shining moments. How about Fatback McSwain and his contributions to the #21 team? Scott Riggs as possibly the most improved driver or comeback story of the year despite missing the Daytona 500? How about Petty Enterprises? Let’s share the wealth.


Are the paychecks really warranted for these awards? Do they really need to have a dollar figure attached to them? Does it know you accomplished something worthy of recognition by a trophy with your name engraved on it? It just seems that NASCAR is all about the money and trying to be the #1 sports event. Wonder what the old veterans of the sport think?