Bump-Drafts.com

(From the pages of bump-drafts.com)

Up Next: The Checker Auto Parts 500, Phoenix International Raceway, Sunday November 11, 2007, 3:25 p.m. EST. The Valley of The Sun has hosted NASCAR since 1988. After two weeks on mile and a half tracks, NASCAR drivers will go at it this week on a 1-mile oval, with 9 to 11-degree banking in the turns, 3-degree banking on the front stretch, 9-degrees on the back.

Phoenix trivia- Alan Kulwicki won the first Cup event at Phoenix International Raceway on November 6, 1988. The Craftsman Truck Series started running here in 1995, the Busch Boys didn’t start running here until 1999.

The fastest qualifying speed here is owned by "Mr. Pole," Ryan "Rocket" Newman with a 26.499 lap in November, 2004 with a speed of 135.854. for the Busch Series, Kyle Busch turned in a best qualifying speed of 26.902 or 133.819 mph. In the Truck Series, Johnny Benson is the best all-time qualifier with a lap time of 27.137 seconds and a speed of 132.660.

For best race speeds, Tony Stewart ran an average speed of 118.132 in the #20 Pontiac in his 1999 victory, Jeff Burton set the pace in the November, 2000 Busch race with an average 115.145 in a Roush Ford. For CTS drivers, Kevin Harvick set the standard with an average speed of 108.014 from his November, 2002 win.

The Big Winners at Phoenix- 2001 & 2006 Busch champ Kevin "Happy" Harvick, now the 2nd winningest driver in Busch history (32 and 6 this year) has won 2 Cup races, a Busch race, and a Craftsman Truck race. 2002 Busch Series titleist Greg Biffle has won 2 Busch races and a truck race in the Grand Canyon State, Jack Sprague has 3 CTS checkereds.  In Cup driving, Davey Allison, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. have all won 2 apiece. Chase leader Jimmie Johnson has never won at PIR, and 2nd place chaser Jeff Gordon just got his 1st Phoenix win back in April.

Caution- The record here is 11 in November, 2004. The fewest? Just 2 in 1999. A record 41 Cup drivers finished the fall, 1999 race. The record for the fewest finishers is 27 in the November, 1989 race.

In NASCAR news, Jimmie Johnson has seized the Chase lead from Jeff Gordon with a slim 30-point cushion, thank to his victory Sunday in Texas. This gives the 32-year old El Cajon, Ca. native 9 wins for the 2007 campaign, easily outdistancing teammate Jeff Gordon, second in the Chase and second in 2007 wins with 6. Richard Childress driver Clint Bowyer is still hanging tough, just 189 points back of Johnson in third. Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards round out the top 5. Tony Stewart checks in at number 6. Chasers Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth round out the top 10, but have been eliminated from title contention, along with Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr., who complete the top 12.

Carl Edwards clinched his first Busch Series title last week in Texas in the Dish Network #60 Ford Fusion, although Kevin Harvick made history with his 32nd Busch win, edging out Jack Ingram for 2nd all-time behind Mark Martin, who has won 47 in NASCAR’s 2nd Series.

Off the track, Gene Haas, one of the principals in Haas-CNC racing was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison after his conviction for tax fraud. Haas is owner of the #66 now being driven by Jeremy Mayfield, who replaced Jeff Green two weeks ago. He also owns the #70 Chevy currently driven by Johnny Sauter, who will reportedly be replaced by Scott Riggs in 2008.

Back to the Chase for the Cup, NASCAR followers are now speculating on whether or not Jimmie Johnson will manage a repeat of his 2006 NNC title. Adding to the intrigue is the fact his nearest competitor is his best friend and teammate. Chase naysayers are quick to point out that Gordon would be running away with the title under the old points system. For those of you keeping score, Gordon would be 439 out in front under the old scoring system. The Dupont Chevrolet driver is still very much alive in his "Drive For Five," but Johnson just looks so darn unbeatable. Every race, he’s running out front, avoiding the crashes that plagued him in mid-season, and Gordon, while good, just hasn’t had the car to keep up.

It’s a test of endurance for fans who dislike "Wonder Boy" and "J.J.". They try to maintain interest by speculating as to the end of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s winless streak, and they also wonder when recent strong runs by Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth might translate into victories. Kenseth drove his Ford Fusion to the limit, but just didn’t have the tires to catch Johnson last Sunday. In a show of class, Matty backed off when when it was apparent that the only way he could catch the 48 was by risking a wreck by driving a speed that the tires wouldn’t likely handle.

Track Terminology (your shot at impressing your friends with your knowledge of all things racing):

"A-frame" (it’s not just those funny looking houses they built in the 70s). "Either the upper or lower connecting suspension piece (in the shape of an "A") locking the frame to the spindle."

"Drag"- Besides what you take off a cigarette (which would be a "drag" I guess), drag is "The resistance a car experiences when passing through air at high speeds. A resisting force exerted on a car parallel to its airstream and opposite in direction to its motion."

"Greenhouse"- Al Gore loves to entertain us with talk of "greenhouse gasses." In NASCAR speak, however, the greenhouse is "The upper area of the race car that extends from the base of the windshield in the front, the tops of the doors on the sides and the base of the rear window in the back. Includes all of the A, B, and C pillars, the entire glass area and the car’s roof."

"Pit Road"- Not "Pit Row" for those of you in Rio Linda. "The area where pit crews service the cars. Generally located along the front straightaway, but because of space limitations, some race tracks sport pit roads on both the front and the back straightaways." 

Get all that? You’ll be quizzed on it later.

That’s all for this week. It’s hard to believe we just have 2 more races left before 2007 is in the books. A shout out to our family hairdresser Lisa. Lisa and her muffler shop-owner husband Mike  were given a trip from one of his vendors. Have fun and be safe! I expect a report.

That’s all for now. Keep your fenders away from the wall now, ya here?

Special Thanks to Drew, Amanda and Dixie Lady.

Extra Special Thanks to God, Lynnae, and the "Chicklettes."

Extra, Extra Special Thanks to….YOU for reading.

 

Sources: Yahoo! Sports and The Sporting News Officially Licensed NASCAR Record & Fact Book Book- 2007 edition.