Bump-Drafts.com

(A Special Weekly Edition Prepared for NASCAR_Nation)

I should take the week off……but I won’t. I’ll keep it a little more brief, but the occasion gives me opportunity to weigh in on trends as we make our way into Turn One of the 2008 season.

Biggest surprise- For me, it’s not Junior, I expected improvement. It’s not Toyota’s performance, you may remember I predicted that. It’s Richard Childress Racing. I had been dissing on them after their late 2007 collapse in the Chase. Kevin Harvick has been remarkably consistent, Jeff Burton is our most recent winner (plus he’s posting an average finish of 8.2), and Clint Bowyer has flashes of true racing brilliance. The tire strategy at Bristol was a HUGE gamble- and they made it work.

Biggest disappointment- It’s not Jeff or Jimmie. I’m predicting no 3-peat for J.J., and I stand my forecast that Gordon will not make the Chase. For me, the biggest disappointment has to be…..The Open Wheel Invasion. I support their presence in NASCAR, but man I didn’t think we’d see Jacques Villenueve and A.J. Allmendinger without rides, or Dario Franchitti as a “go or go homer.” Sam Hornish is hanging on, and Patrick Carpentier can’t get in a race. Reed Sorenson isn’t fulfilling his potential either.

In my opinion, things are better in NASCAR in 2008. Our first 5 races have produced 4 different winners from 4 different makes from 4 different teams. In doesn’t get much more even than that.

Did anyone really think (outside his legion of fans) that Junior would be Hendrick’s Top Driver statistically?
Rock Solid Shops- Joe Gibbs has brought respectability to Toyota. Richard Childress is solid to to bottom (imagine Bowyer being your #3 driver). Roush-Fenway has three drivers running solid, with a 4th showing signs of promise. Penske and Gillett Evernham are getting their money’s worth from Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne.

Hanging On- Richard Petty Enterprises looks to be in rough shape. Yates Racing can’t get a sponsor for Travis Kvapil. Bill Davis and the Wood Brothers appear to be on life support.

Did anyone really believe that DEI would be doing as well as they are? Martin Truex is looking pretty good and so is the Martin/Almirola Show in the #8.
T.V. Ratings Are Up
Crashing Out Is DownI’m not ready to say that this is a great year, but NASCAR seems to have something for 2008.

Now get out there and enjoy some spring air. Oh yeah, enjoy the Nationwide race in Nashville.

(A Special Weekly edition of bump-drafts.com)

Now how’s that for a race? Old schoolers looking for the NASCAR they fell in love have got be happy with all the paint tradin’ we saw today. I’m really beginning to love short track racing. I can’t wait ’til Martinsville.

I’m getting a little humble pie from Richard Childress Racing- I really wasn’t impressed with their 2007 finish and predicted that RCR would have a rough ‘08. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The whole dang team goes 1-2-3, after it looked like we might have a 1-2-3 Joe Gibbs’ finish.

Congratulations to NASCAR’s respected ambassador Jeff Burton. You have to enjoy seeing one of NASCAR’s class acts win one. The fact his teammates Happy Harvick and Clint Bowyer finishing second and third respectively makes it all the sweeter.

Tony Stewart sure looked good early. Kyle Busch rallied quickly from the back, and Denny Hamlin looked like a winner today. In all, The JGR trio led an incredible 372 of 500 laps. The disappointment has to be palpable.

Let’s be sure we understand the Harvick-Stewart crash was a race incident. Stewart and Harvick are buds, and Smoke has even run for Harvick in the Nationwide, so there was no malice intended there. Harvick showed class by taking responsibility. Stewart showed world class restraint, by not going off during his post-race interview. Harvick just crawled up the track. That’s all.

Hamlin said something about the JGR cars not taking fuel well. Toyota’s still a work in progress, but they’re by no means a laughingstock.

OK, so Shrub shows he’s still mortal. There’s no truth to the rumor Busch took the first flight out. Between today’s loss of steering and yesterday’s mishap in the Nationwide, this weekend was a cluster for Rowdy.

While the RCR crew chiefs made great calls at the end, Tony Eury blew it for Junior. I will give Lil “E” credit for his class in the post-race interview. In a twist of irony, Junior said it was Eury’s fault for getting him a good enough car to run up front, so that we can even speculate what Earnhardt would have done at the end with fresh tires.

Props have to go out to Aric Almirola. In his 7th Cup start, on a hellacious track, Mark Martin’s back-up pulled out a top 10 for DEI. David Gilliland ran a heck of a race as well.

The Rocky Balboa Award for the Fighter of the Week has to go to Hamlin. #11 overcame a number of adversities to be in a position to win at the end.

We saw today why I LIKE the Car of Tomorrow. Look at all the cars we had out there at the end- including the #84 of Mike Skinner AFTER HIS CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE. These cars look like those old cracker tins, but man, they are tanks!

Other random thought include:

What was with Paul Menard today? That whole bit with crashing Franchitti was very uncool. I also blog at Fanboom, and in a post yesterday where I had a top 10 overrated drivers list, Menard made it. I swear if it weren’t for the fact that Menard’s is a major DEI sponsor, I don’t think he’d be here. I’m not to keen on this guy right now.

The Dodge Boys have sure fallen back. After promising starts, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, and Elliott Sadler have fallen off the radar. Kasey Kahne’s still looking good. I’ll maintain Bobby Labonte was a victim of bad luck.

The Top 35 will sure look different next time out. We’ll have to sort through that soon. I really question how effective the points swap for Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish was. I hate to see Dave Blaney fall below NASCAR’s “Mendoza Line.”

Dale Jarrett rides off into the sunset with a respectable finish See ya in the broadcast booth, my friend. Thanks or the memories. Papa Ned must be proud.

Good race today. Keep it up boys!

(A Weekly Special Edition of Bump-Drafts prepared for letsgoracingfans.com)

You could see the race was effectively over on the last two re-starts. Each time, Carl Edwards-in his #99 Dish Network Ford- took off like a scalded jack rabbit to win the UW-Dodge 400. This makes 6 wins for Team Roush at Las Vegas, to go with a pair of victories each by Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth, as well as Mark Martin, who took the #6 to Victory Lane back in 1998.

Roush Racing did themselves proud. Not only was Edwards strong, Kenseth looked good up until the Gordon incident at the end, Greg Biffle finished 3rd, and even David Ragan got in on the fun by edging Kasey Kahne out for 6th. Jack Roush must have some magic in his hat that he uses for Vegas, because his teams are good to the point of making you think that somebody at the “Diamond In The Desert” must owe him a favor or two.

I was just sure this was Kyle Busch’s race to lose, in spite of the fact that no one has ever won from the pole at Sin City. The younger Busch made me look like a prophet for a bit until the handling on his car went south on him late in the race. Edwards ran with the #18 M&M’s Toyota all day, first overtaking Shrub on lap 21. By lap 117, Busch surrendered the lead, and although Dale Jr. and Jeff Gordon had good runs- today seemed destined to be a Roush day.

It didn’t look that way at first. Roush driver Jamie Mc Murray almost took flight in the infield after a spin-out and Edwards darn near got penalized for a pit road incident involving a stray tire. Fortunately, crew chief Bob Osborne kept a cool head, stayed on top of officials, and they ultimately ruled in favor of Edwards, blaming a TV camera man for being in the way (Dang media types anyway).

There were a record number of cautions as it seems that NASCAR teams are still figuring out how to work the “new” car at Las Vegas. Accidents cut short the days of Tony Stewart (who bit the wall hard on lap 109) and Robby Gordon (victimized by a lfat tire on lap 144), Patrick Carpentier, DaleJarrett, Kurt Busch, and Scott Riggs.

Speaking of Riggs……it was nice to see some less familiar names up front. I thought the Haas-CNC cars of Scott Riggs and Jeremy Mayfield looked great in stretches, and it was good to see another solid performance by Elliott “Rabbit Release” Sadler. It was also weird seeing Ken Schrader up front, though he gave way later in the race.

It wasn’t a good day for Open Wheelers. Sam Hornish, Patrick Carpentier and Dario Franchitti all saw their best laid plans go up in smoke.

I’m glad Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon weren’t hurt too seriously.Gordon had two words for track owner Bruton Smith concerning the inner wall “Safer Barriers.”

Though it was a bummer to see wrecks mess up otherwise good days, there’s no doubt this race belonged to Edwards. The Columbia, Missouri native was just too much. He and his Roush teammates (Kenseth and Biffle) were easily the most consistent cars out there, with apologies to RCR teammates Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick, and the HMS combo of Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It just hit me- another random thought- no Jimmie Johnson today. Apparently, Johnson was a victim of Murphy’s Law. Everything that could go wrong apparently did to the #48.

This may not have been the best race I’d ever seen, but it was a good one. Today’s outcome springs forth yet more new story lines in a 2008 season that bears no resemblence to 2007.

Will Carl Edwards make it three in a row, to turn At-lanta into Hot-lanta? I wouldn’t bet against it.

Richard Childress Racing has been one of the fixtures in the sport ever since Richard Childress and his good friend Dale Earnhardt joined forces as owner and driver back in the early 80’s. Yes, you could say that RCR is the “Team That The Intimidator Built”, as Earnhardt won all seven if his titles while driving for Richard Childress. All three of Childress’ drivers made the Chase in 2007, demonstrating depth and veteran driving talent. Unfortunately, all drivers not named Clint Bowyer faded badly down the stretch- a combination of bad luck and car problems.

No question Clint Bowyer is a rising NASCAR star. He shone brightly in the first Chase race after barely getting in, earning his first victory at New Hampshire. Die hard race fans have to love Bowyer, as he is a pure “car guy” through and through with his own dirt track and an impressive collection of classic cars. The Emporia, Kansas native is a hard charger, I just think the guy needs to mellow out a bit (he was a nervous wreck towards the end of his victory race). Nonetheless, he’s a likable good old boy and provided a nice fan alternative in the Chase for those who don’t like the HMS drivers. If this guy really starts to put it all together, look out.

It helps Bowyer that he has a couple of proven studs like Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick as teammates. I wouldn’t say Burton had a banner year, but he certainly was solid, ending a long victory drought with a win at Texas. The 40-year-old Virginian shows he still has plenty of gas in the tank and continues to impress me as a guy who would be a great driver’s rep if indeed NASCAR ever had a union. He’s shown he still has the fire, and as long as he has that, Ward’s younger brother will be just fine.

“Happy” Harvick had plenty of reasons to smile. It’s not just anybody who wins the Daytona 500, and the guy who took over Dale Earnhardt’s ride after he died in 2001 won it in dramatic fashion against the venerable Mark Martin. Harvick also hauled in a nice paycheck with a win at the all-star weekend and his racing team got it done as well. Harvic still runs a pretty ambitious Busch schedule and he moved into second place all-time for wins in NASCAR’s second series behind the aforementioned Martin. A hallmark of Harvick’s career is either he’s way up or way down, and true to form, 2007 had it’s not-so-great moments for the driver of the #29 Chevrolet. There was the run-in with Juan Pablo Montoya, car troubles galore in the latter half of the Chase, and a maddening inconsistency that no dobut left a bad taste in his mouth.

Childress has done an awesome job of running this team, making it one of the most viable in NASCAR. Given that, I expect another competitive year for his drivers. I’d look for another couple of wins for Bowyer and the others will be very visible and competitive, even if they don’t win much.

Keep your eyes on Bowyer. If you haven’t heard of him already, you soon will. This guy’s the real deal, and an organization like RCR is just perfect for him.

In racing, some things sneak up on you. Jimmie Johnson can tell you a bit about that in pondering his narrow loss to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon. Just when you think someone has gone away, whoosh! See ya! That’s why I’m saying we better not be so fast to count out Richard Childress drivers Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick out of the chase for the Nextel Cup crown.
Here’s what impresses me about Bowyer: he has zero, count ‘em zero DNFs this year. Remember the season opener at Daytona? He finished on his head! No question Jack Daniels’ favorite driver has had some bouts of bad luck (like the battery switch snafu at the Pepsi 400), but he’s finished the race in the car every time! Never mind he’s had only one win. He almost captured a second in his home state of Kansas. He may yet win another before the year’s out, and even if he doesn’t grab the brass ring this year, he will have come away a big winner, having gained a much larger share of the spotlight. Not only that, I think he WILL put a couple of championships under his belt before it’s all over.
As for Harvick, I’m impressed he’ still there and checking in at number five. “Happy” hasn’t had a lot to smile about thus far in the 2007 home stretch, but he’s made the most of every ride. It seems like every week, the #29 car comes limping home with something out of whack, and we’re not talking about problems that are the result of foolish driving. In fact, Harv’s been a real survivor, dodging pile up after pile up. If Kevin Harvick wins the 2007 Cup, it will be on sheer guts and determination. It’s kind of fitting for a guy who cut his cup teeth in Dale Earnhardt’s old ride.
For many fans, it seems the only question is one of which HMS driver wins the championship this year. Seeing how quickly things can take a turn for the surreal, I wouldn’t be drafting that acceptance speech just yet. A dark horse could emerge on to NASCAR car glory. And don’t be surprised if it’s a dark colored horse with the #07 on the sides, or a bright-colored horse numbered 29. Stranger things have happened. And they often do in NASCAR. That’s why we watch.

I walk away from today’s race in Kansas with the same reaction I frequently had with a former co-worker who just tended to babble on in unrelated cliches: Huh?
I should have known something was up when the answering machine at home featured a cryptic message from my brother-in-law Brad. He with an evil Beavis-n-Butthead laugh and a “watch what happens around lap 30″ remark. I’ll let you in on a little secret: we frequently have to TiVo the races because we’re usually in church when a race starts 10 am PST. Given the fact he returns home earlier than we do, we often get such messages when something good, interesting or downright bizarre happens. In today’s case, the latter occurred on cue.
In my mind, it ranks up there with the Busch race in Montreal as the weirdest race we’ve had all year. Everything started out the way you’d expect with all the usual suspects (Kenseth, the Busch boys) running up front and all the usual suspects (Michael Waltrip, Scott Riggs) fading back after qualifying well. Then, as promised, Junior inexplicably whacks Kyle Busch on lap 28 for no apparent reason. Now I am no real fan of the #5 Kellogg’s Chevy, but it looks fishy. Junior apologized later and took responsibility, but you really have to wonder if the guy who had nothing to lose felt like messing with the guy he replaces at HMS next year. It makes me wonder.
Then there was the 2nd red flag of the day, and the ensuing drama of Tony Stewart’s fuel supply. In my mind, you could have made an argument for finishing the race here. I knew that a resumption of the race would result in circus following it, but since Tony’s no favorite of mine, I didn’t fuss much about it. I got to watch my beloved Broncos get pummeled by the Colts and would get to see the finish in real time. Like I said, it was shaping up to be a weird day.
I can’t forget the Jeff Burton “I wasn’t messin’ with my car” flap. He got sent to the back because he was working on his car during a red flag- a NASCAR no-no. I like J.B., but he’s gotta be the worst actor in NASCAR. I’m not a big fan of Rusty Wallace as a commentator, but I got a laugh as Wallace shared about having one of his crew on sentry duty when he would do the same. Seriously Jeff, with all those cameras around, you need to plan your skullduggery better than that.
Sure enough, though the race would be shortened, we weren’t shortchanged on drama. Throughout the race we watched the lead get tossed around like the old baseball game of “Flip.” We had Matt Kenseth running hard and running well, Dave Blaney making some noise, Kurt Busch representing Penske and Dodge well in this race, Jimmie Johnson charging hard from the back, and Kansas’ favorite son Clint Bowyer looking like he could be a man of destiny. Let us also not forget that Tony Stewart was looking pretty good for a while there too.
The Tony and a whole gaggle of other participants set off a chain of events that greatly altered the outcome. Chasers Kyle Busch and Jeff Burton were already having a bad day. Smoke already had a bent up fender and there were questions about how the fender on the Home Depot Chevy would “travel.” Crew Chief turned commentator Andy Petree questioned the move by the #20 team to stay out, and by golly, Greg Zipandelli and Tony Stewart made the former Earnhardt pit boss look like a prophet. Sure enough, Tony seemed to slow down a bit, got hit by his old buddy (NOT) Kurt Busch and got taken out of the game, while collecting Carl Edwards in the process. Unlike yesterday, Tony wisely took a look around and declined comment. The picture of him throwing his steering wheel said quite enough.
Oh, but only if the drama ended there! You remember how things got nasty between Denny Hamlin and Paul Menard yesterday. It was followed with more drama between the 26-year-olds. On one of the restarts, we had 3-wide action between Menard, Hamlin and Jamie Mc Murray. Mc Murray on the inside, brushed Menard in the middle, who in turn, rammed Hamlin. Of course Hamlin’s people blamed Menard. It was his fault right? Sure (cough,cough- Nextel’s next nasty rivalry).
So, as the race nears the finish we have Kevin Harvick gutting out a tough day and yet running towards the front with company from fellow chasers Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. As the laps click away, it sure looks like Bowyer may have a shot at catching Mr. Hard Luck himself- Greg Biffle. Just as it looks like we’re gonna have a Dayonta style dogfight at the end, Juan Pablo Montoya brushes the wall. Caution comes out, darkness prevails, and Greg Biffle finishes under yellow. Or did he?
Of course there has to be more drama. For reasons unclear to me and a lot of other people, the #16 Aflac Ford cruises onto the infield grass. Some say Biffle was running out of gas and couldn’t finish under his own power. Others would say that the “frozen field” rule was in effect and this whole flap is immaterial. I’m not sure myself (after all, I am a fan and not an expert), but it gives those unhappy with the NASCAR governing body one more reason to complain about how such matters are handled.
Me? I was just glad to have it over, glad to see a face in Victory Lane we had not seen in a while, and glad to see the leaderboard shuffled just a little bit more.
Man, I need a nap.

It all starts tomorrow campers! The Chase is on beginning at Loudon, New Hampshire. All week long there’s been a load of buzz and speculation on what the final 10 races of the 2007 season hold in store.

I’ve got my swami turban on and heck my opinion counts for no less than Rusty Wallace, so here goes:

1) The primary battle for the Nextel Cup will come down to two teammates from HMS- Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. My heart’s with Gordon, if I had to bet money, I’d go with Jimmie.

2) Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards will push these guys real hard and should not be counted out. Oh, count Kurt Busch in this group too.

3) This year’s chase will put Martin Truex and Clint Bowyer on the map- so to speak. I had no idea who Truex was when this season started. I do now.

4) I really like Jeff Burton but I just don’t know if he can be better than top 10.

5) Clint Bowyer will win a race before the year’s over.

6) Due to his success this season, Denny Hamlin may steal some more of the young female vote from Kasey Kahne.

7) The Rushville Rocket in the #20 Home Depot Chevy will win one more race in a Chevy before moveing on to Toyota in 2008.

We may end up forgetting that Kevin Harvick is even in the Chase. Still a good racer though. Same for Matt Kenseth.

9) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will still keep stealing the spotlight away from the Chase. Not his fault. He will win a race before this year’s over. Could be at Mardi Gras, I mean Talledega.

10) Tony may win tomorrow at New Hampshire. He was crazy fast yesterday. Big Shrub and Jimmie may have something for him.

11) A Toyota will win one race before it’s over in 2007- thanks to either Brian Vickers or David “The Beak” Reutimann.

12) And the winner of the 2007 Nextel Cup is………Jimmie Johnson in a repeat.

It’s chase time! This is new to me. I find a lot of old school NASCAR fans who really hate the idea, but on first glance, I like it. Think about it, up until the finish of the Chevy Rock ‘n’ Roll 400, Jeff Gordon was cruising along with a nice, fat lead. Suddenly, on the basis of wins, Jimmie Johnson is suddenly ahead of him, and from here on out, I don’t think the Rainbow Warrior will be mailing it in.
I’m looking forward to wide open crazy racing over the last 10 of 2007- ya know, the kind of racing we saw on the final laps of last night’s race at Richmond. It was cool to see the likes of Junior, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson going toe-to-toe. In the field, we have:

Jimmie Johnson, #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet. He’s behaving like a guy who wants a repeat of 2006. Week after week, he’s a contender. Johnson had a mid-season slump, but he’s sure running right now.

Jeff Gordon, #24 Du Pont Chevrolet.. My personal favorite. A 5th Nextel Cup seems like a fitting finish for a guy who just became a dad, and has been behaving like a real leader out there. All you folks who have been labeling Gordon a whiner must admit he has been vocal in his praise of other winning drivers, and he’s taken responsiblity for the mistakes he’s made. Gordon’s first four Cups came from 1995, 1997, 1998 & 2001.

Tony Stewart, #20 Home Depot Chevrolet. Smoke’s recent performance has done nothing to tarnish his image as a strong second half driver. With his recent wins (especially at his beloved Indianapolis) and strong finishes, all the conterversy seems to have faded into the past. He’s going great, just when he needs to. Smoke has two Cups to his credit from 2002 & 2005.

Kurt Busch, #2 Miller Lite Dodge. The big blue beer can has just been flying as of late. Was he unstoppable at Pocono and Michigan, or what? It’s been a slight surprise to see him kind of back away at the end of the last two races. No doubt, he’s represented Penske and Dodge well. “Big Shrub” is looking for Nextel Cup number two, winning his first in 2004.

Carl Edwards, #99 Office Depot Ford. The King of Concrete is sure to win at least one title this year. As far as I’m concerned, the mockery he’s made of the point standings in the NASCAR Busch Series makes a case for the chase. As good as he is, it’s easy to forget he’s a young guy, and this is only his second chase. It might be kinda cool to see a back flip in response to a 2007 Nextel Cup presentation.

Kyle Busch, #5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet. By no less than Kyle Petty (who’s probably seen a race or two), “Little Shrub” has been called the best young racer in NASCAR today. He definitely reinforced the notion with a dominating performance in the Busch race at Richmond Friday night. For Kyle, a Nextel Cup title would be a fitting swan song for the Hendrick Motorsports driver headed next year to the Joe Gibbs’ Racing team.

Denny Hamlin, #11 Fed Ex Chevrolet. Denny has done nothing but make noise (99% positive noise) since coming on board in 2006. He’s been racking up wins here and there, and along with Tony Stewart, gives JGR a powerful 1-2 punch. Don’t count him out. His chase opponents sure aren’t.

Martin Truex, Jr., #1 Bass Pro Chevrolet. Thanks to Truex, Dale Earnhardt Inc. has representaion in the Chase. He hasn’t been around all that long, but don’t forget he was a two-time (2004 & 2005) winner of the Busch Series title not all that long ago. A Cup would sure cement Truex as a leader at DEI.

Matt Kenseth, #17 De Walt Ford. The 2003 winner of the Nextel Cup has flown under the radar this year. It seems like the only time I hear much about him is when he’s complaining about how his car is running. But, by golly, here he is. He does have one victory to his credit (the 1st race at Fontana this year), and his appearance among the list is testament to his consistency.

Jeff Burton, #31 AT&T Chevrolet. J.B. is one of three Richard Childress Racing drivers in the chase. He’s had some real ups and downs, but somehow, he’s here. The victory at Texas was a great moment for the pride of South Boston, Virginia in 2007.

Kevin Harvick, #29 Pennzoil Chevrolet. The 2nd member of the RCR team in the chase. Kevin had to race smartly last night to weave his way in. The winner of the Daytona 500 and All-Star Weekend managed to thread the needle on what seemed like every crash. There must have been some nervous moments when he had all that grass caught in his grill, but “Happy Harv” made it through.

Clint Bowyer, #07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet. If you’ve read articles or seen stories about him, you know this guy could easily be the face of NASCAR. The Kansan has a certain middle-American charm, and he is a car guy through and through- complete with an oval track in his back yard- something to do when he’s not restoring cars. It’s hard to believe that as good as Bowyer is, he hasn’t won anything at this level yet.

This is a very impressive field. I think that due to consistency- you have to rate Stewart, Gordon, Johnson and maybe even Hamlin as favorite to take it. The Busch Brothers, Edwards, Kenseth and Truex are racers poised to pounce should the favorites fall off, and goodness knows they could. The 2007 road has had it share of potholes for Bowyer, Harvick and Burton , but there’s a reason races are run on tracks and not paper.

This will be a good one. Stick around.