Bump-Drafts.com

(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!

Anybody looking for good story lines in NASCAR need look no further than Joe Gibbs Racing. There’s more potential here for high drama than National Treasure with a combustible mix of personalities, a switch in manufacturers and a heightened presence of the team owner, who just gave up his day job as coach of the Washington Redskins. There’s more question marks here than there are for the presidential primaries for one of the sport’s most successful, yet colorful teams.

Tony Stewart is without a doubt the most recognized figure on the team. As one writer has put it, the driver known as “Smoke” (for his ability to smoke the competition) has 12 personalities, nine of whom are likable and funny and three that would like to punch you in the month. A solid late season run, including one in his home state of Indiana, helped temper an otherwise frustrating season that included more run-ins with the press and teammate Denny Hamlin- plus a tactical mistake at Kansas that cost a shot at a third Cup title.

All eyes are on Stewart as his current contract will be up faster than you can say Dale Earnhardt. Some have intrepreted his “wait and see” stance on negotiations as a sign of unrest or perhaps unhappiness with JGR’s switch to Toyota- a rumor chiefly perpetuated by fans who can’t fathom the Rushville Rocket in anything but a Chevy.

Me? I’m predicting a third Cup title for Stewart in 2008. Because of those looming contract talks, I think he wants to pull down maximum money, and nothing would solidify his high profile stock more than a third Cup trophy, and a first for JGR’s new manufacturer.

Where things will really get interesting is what happens with the younger drivers in the Gibbs’ garage. Denny Hamlin was firmly cemented in the role as the up and coming golden boy until the arrival of Kyle Busch. Hamlin had his ups and downs of late. Hamlin picked up a win and rced well enough to make the Chase. On the other hand, Hamlin faded down the stretch and the driver of the #11 FedEx Chevrolet got into with Tony Stewart at Daytona, and also mixed it up with the otherwise calm and collected Kyle Petty in a late season skirmish. No doubt Hamlin would like a strong start to demonstrate that HE is the most promising young driver at Gibbs, not the driver known as “Rowdy”, or “Shrub” by his detractors.

Kyle Busch could certainly make things interesting in either good or bad ways at Joe Gibbs. Many NASCAR insiders, including the aforementioned Petty, think that Busch the younger is the most promising driver of the younger set. No doubt the guy who’ll be driving the #18 M&Ms Camry in 2008 had his moments of brilliance in 2007. By the same token, Busch is given to moments of immaturity- leaving the track early after a wreck at Texas (ironically, the already knocked out Dale Jr. finished the race in Busch’s car), and negative comments about his team after a narrow loss in the Pepsi 400 did nothing to enhance his image in a positive way. Still, Busch put on a good face down the stretch (for the most part), and finished with solid performances.

This little battle could play out a number of ways. The question is- will the two youngsters fight like Cain and Abel? or will this be a friendly team rivalry like that of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson that brings out the best in each other? Inquiring minds want to know.

If the truth is known, it could go either way. With Busch and Hamlin, you want to believe that they get it, but there’s as good a chance that they don’t.

This team has a lot riding on it. Joe Gibbs couldn’t have timed his return to his racing team any better. If he can’t hold this bunch together, no one can. Personally, I wouldn’t bet against the team that has helped put Stewart on the champion’s podium twice and made a 2000 Cup champion out of Bobby Labonte. For all the drama and hijinx, these guys know a thing or two about winning.

What we’ve been hearing for months has become official today: beginning in 2008, Toyota will become a manufacturer for Joe Gibbs Racing, home to perennial Cup contender Tony Stewart, the up-and-coming Denny Hamlin, and soon to be home to Kyle Busch- regarded by some as the best young racer in the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit. The move ends Gibbs’ 15-year association with General Motors.

NASCAR purists are up in arms. Most fans of the traditional NASCAR bent have loathed the presence of the Japanese-based auto maker since the announcement came down that they would enter the world of NASCAR auto racing in 2007. I’ve read more than one comment that amounts to, “NASCAR is an American sport. Rice rockets don’t belong here.” The fact that Toyota cars have struggled this season has no doubt caused such individuals to snicker with glee. First, we had the Michael Waltrip Racing violation before the season even began. Second, Toyota being a bit behind the curve has resulted in several otherwise reliable drivers (Dale Jarrett, Michael Waltrip, and Jeremy Mayfield) struggling and often not making the field. Then, when they do, the good runs are short lived. How many times have we seen Brian Vickers and David Reutimann run well for short stretches, only to “peter out?” There’s also been more than one occasion where we’ve seen Dale Jarrett and Michael Waltrip encounter engine trouble. The maiden voyage of Toyota at NASCAR’s top level has a ride filled with sea sickness.

Given that, I’m sure that purists are questioning the sanity of Joe and J.D. Gibbs, who are putting their winning reputations on the line. I’m also sure they’re waiting for the outspoken Tony Stewart to go on some kind of strike. I mean, you can only imagine what Smoke’s reaction would be if he would run into the same problems that say, Jarrett has. You’d have to be thinking, what in the name of Dale Earnhardt is going on here?

Let me first of all say, this move has been a win for Toyota, because the switch by the Gibbs team to the makers of the Camry gives them a higher level of credibility. Purists would say “Duh.” There’s no comparing the brain trust that has produced 3 Nextel Cup championships (2 by Tony Stewart, 1 by Bobby Labonte) to Michael Waltrip Racing, Red Bull Racing, or Bill Davis. The JGR folks are proven winners and wouldn’t make the move if they thought it would ruin their standing as a top team.

It’s also a win for Gibbs as well. WHAT??? Think about it, after what has happened this year, don’t you think Toyota is HIGHLY motivated to produce a better product in 2008? No question about it! Do they have the engineering and the funds to pull it together? Hmmmm, since we’re talking about one of the top selling manufacturers in the world, I’d say, “Yes.” How about their track ecord elsewhere: the Craftsman Truck Series, for example. Toyota’s doing quite well there, thank you very much, and that’s just ONE example of how, after an adjustment or warming up period, Toyota kicks butt.

It’s real simple: Gibbs had a good gig with GM. This was not a move born of deperation or anything resembling it. I’m sure there were boatloads of cash involved and replete assurances by the manufacturer that they’d supply the product needed to continue JGR’s winning ways. Who could say no to that? It’s not like this move will destroy Chevrolet. You figure they still have Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and DEI as top teams to represent them. I somehow think GM won’t miss Gibbs a whole lot.

So its real simple. Toyota gets a top team to work for, and Joe Gibbs gets a lot of money and support.

This marriage will work. Either that, or it will have the same shelf life of a Britney Spears union. Stay tuned.