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 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.

NASCAR’s getting to be a regular soap opera. They talk about silly season? I think silly season in this sport runs January 1 through December 31. The rumors, suggestions of conspiracies, and whining by fans never ends. This is some of the stuff going on lately and rumors I’ve been hearing about:

"Smoke" Breezing on to RCR- That’s right. Rumor has it that Tony Stewart will move on to become a 4th driver at Richard Childress Racing when his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing ends. As one who has been following pro sports journalistically for a long time, let me tell you a lot of talk (and I mean talk) gets thrown around. Suffice it to say, Tony Stewart and his agent know darn well his value to JGR as the veteran leader and most consistent performer. While Denny Hamlin and the soon arriving Kyle Busch are fantastic drivers, they don’t have Smoke’s mileage and track record. No doubt Stewart would love to get top dollar for his services. Floating rumors about a move to RCR would serve that end well, especially knowing that Gibbs’ Racing would highly value the credibility Stewart would give JGR while they begin work with a new manufacturer (Toyota)  that has not performed especially well in its first season with NASCAR.

Let me assure you that this is just a rumor. J.D. and Joe have plenty of money to keep Tony around, and while his presence on the team comes with a psychological price tag, as well as monetarily, they know what they have and will do everything to keep him.

To be perfectly honest, those who hate the presence of the Japanese auto giant in the Cup Series are more likely the source of this talk- if it’s not being "leaked" by someone in the Stewart camp posturing for more money.

A Tony move to RCR ain’t gonna happen folks.

Hall of Fame Racing to go with Toyota- Hall of Fame Racing, owned by executives from the Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as NFL legends Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, are quite likely to move to Toyota next year.

Considering their affiliation with Joe Gibbs’ Racing, the move makes sense. The owners of the #96 currently driven by 44-year old Tony Raines will also be hiring on former Gibbs’ driver J.J. Yeley, aced out of the JGR picture by the arrival of Kyle Busch, who lost his ride at Hendrick Motor Sports when Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced he was leaving DEI to go with Jeff Gordon and Company. This my friends is what you call a domino effect.

This WILL happen.

Sam Hornish Goes Cup- This IS happening. An announcement is being made that Indy Car Champion Sam Hornish will join the growing legion of open wheel drivers joining up with NASCAR. Roger Penske is adding a third team with a car that Hornish will pilot. He will drive a #77 Dodge with Mobil One as a primary sponsor. Some fans are disturbed by the move, as they question the commitment of Penske to his two current teams for Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman. Busch made the Chase for the Nextel Cup this year, but his performances have been a bit uneven. Newman hasn’t won a race in over 2 years. Meanwhile Hornish has been unable to qualify the #06 Penske Dodge.

Hornish joins Juan Pablo Montoya, Jacques Villanueve, Dario Franchitti, and Patrick Carpentier as former open wheel drivers who’ve recently made the jump.

Driver Scramble- This week Johnny Benson will take over the #36 Toyota recently vacated by Jeremy Mayfield. Mayfieldis finishing out the 2007 season in his 2008 ride, the #66 Chevrolet once driven by Jeff Green. Mike Skinner has seen recent action in the car Benson will be driving.

Kyle Busch will be a busy guy this week. We learned in the Thursday edition of ESPN’s NASCAR Now that Busch the younger will enter the Busch Series race, the Craftsman Truck race, and will be running a Late Model race in Las Vegas (Busch’s home town). And oh by the way, Kyle will still be looking to fortify his 4th place standing in the Nextel Cup chase Sunday.

Busch Series stalwart Brad Coleman will see Cup action in 2008. The Texas native has signed on to do 7 races at NASCAR’s top level in 2008 for Hall of Fame as they will add a second team. Earlier, the 19-year old Coleman had committed run with Brewco Racing in what will be called the Nationwide (soon to be formerly Busch) Series in 2008.

There’s a lot of movement and not certain word on the 2008 whereabouts of Green, Tony Raines, Johnny Sauter, David Stremme (who seems to have a Nationwide ride lined up) and Kenny Wallace.

There’s lots of commotion in the pits as well. Denny Hamlin has just announced a change on his crew for changing tires. Fatback Mc Swain (Crew Chief late of Wood Bro’s.) is looking for work, and we’re hearing that yet another Crew Chief will guide the #43 Dodge driven by Bobby Labonte. jayski.com says Doug Randolph, who took over the lead in the pit box, is moving to to guide the #15 Chevy of Paul Menard. Menard’s Crew Chief is being promoted to technical director at DEI.

Wow! this is making my head spin.

We’ll try to stay on top of it.

Gosh ladies, you thought following the soaps was complicated.

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.

If you’ve come here looking for great revelations, I have none. I do this more for the purpose of record-keeping than anything else. There will be things that seem like big deals today that won’t be tomorrow. It will also measure on some level my prognosticating skills. Ahem, I warn you that my track record is VERY spotty on a good day. I subscribe to the “hand grenade theory” of predictions: if I throw enough of them up there, I’ll hit something sooner or later. Here’s what’s making noise today:

1) We can stop asking questions about Jr.’s number and sponsor. He’s driving the #88 car with Mt. Dew/Amp and the National Guard. I like the green car.

2) Silly Season For Sponsors. Word has it that the #18 car that Kyle Busch will be driving in 2008 will be sponsored by M&Ms. No idea what this means for David Gilliland who currently drives the #38 M&Ms car, or Interstate Batteries for that matter. The Budweiser logo will now go to a guy who doesn’t look old enough to drink the stuff- Kasey Kahne.

3) David Reutimann. There’s word going around that Reutimann could be leaving Michael Waltrip Racing to take on a 4th car at Richard Childress. Officially, Michael Waltrip is committed to keeping “Beak.” Rumor has it that Reutimann is seeing who ponies up the best offer. Prediction: IF RCR takes on a 4th team, Scott Wimmer will be driving it. #00 is staying put.

4) Mighty Mo is with Jimmie Johnson. JJ won the pole today at Dover. This guy can’t seem to do anything wrong right now. I still say this is the most underrated driver in NASCAR. I think he’s a victim of being an HMS driver (which makes him unpopular in some circles), his crew chief has been in trouble (Chad Knauss)- so some label Jimmie a cheater. Soome hate him because they fancy him a “Gordon lite.” I say the man’s a winner. Prediction: His late charge will steal Jeff Gordon’s thunder, and he’ll win a 2nd consecutive cup.

5) A NASCAR invasion.It looks like open-wheelers Dario Franchitti and Jacques Villanueve will be joining the ranks next year, as well as Sam Hornisch Jr. I spoke with a fellow fan today who’s concerned we may see more Juan Pablo Montoya types in the sport. Hopefully, they have learned from JPM’s experience and have a smoother transition.