Bleacher Report - Articles by Mark Rudi

Motor City Bowl Receiving Name Change

Mark Rudi — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:25:50 -0400

The Motor City Bowl will no longer be known by that name.

Motor City Bowl CEO George Perles told WWJ Lansing, Mich. Bureau Chief Tim Skubick Monday that the name will be changed due the problems in the auto industry.

The "Big Three" had sponsored the game from 1998-2007, but Chrysler dropped its sponsorship for last year's game. However, Ford and General Motors kept their sponsorship for the 2008 game.

The new title sponsor is likely going to be Little Caesar's Pizza, while the company is expected to vote on the sponsorship later this week. The new name will be announced in a couple weeks, according to Perles.

"We're probably going to be know as the Little Caesar's Pizza, Pizza Bowl," Perles joked to WWJ. He also said the "Big Three" "have been good to the Motor City Bowl for 13 years.

The bowl game was first played in 1997, but played at the Pontiac Silverdome until 2002 when it was moved to its current at Ford Field. The Motor City Bowl has ties with the Mid-American Conference and the Big Ten and the 2009 game is scheduled for Dec. 26.

Florida Atlantic beat Central Michigan 24-21 in last year's game.

Hiller, Lefevour Among Nation's Top Quaterbacks

Mark Rudi — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:33:42 -0400

Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, and Colt McCoy. Two Heisman Trophy winners between the three and three names that come to mind when talking about top quarterbacks in the nation.

But two other names that fly under the radar are two quarterbacks playing in the state of Michigan and neither attend Michigan or Michigan State. Western Michigan's Tim Hiller and Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour are among the tops of quarterbacks in the country.

Last season, Hiller completed 64.9 percent of his passes and led the Mid-American Conference with 3,725 yards and 36 touchdown passes. Hiller led a Bronco offense that was ranked 11th in the nation in passing offense.

Hiller has already broken or is close to breaking many Western Michigan passing records. Last season, he broke WMU's single-season record for pass attempts, completions, yards, and touchdown passes, while leading the Broncos to the Texas Bowl, their second bowl game in three seasons.

Hiller can impress NFL scouts with his 6'5" 230 pound frame and scouts love his arm strength and decision making and some are even saying if he has a season like 2008, Hiller could be the first quarterback taken in the 2010 NFL Draft. Some scouts say his arm strength is better than Bradford's and McCoy's.

As for LeFevour, scouts rave about him as he's everything you look for in a NFL quarterback. LeFevour stands at 6'3" and weighs 226 pounds and is mobile at times. LeFevour came into the scene as a freshman in 2007 and has failed to disappoint Chippewa nation.

Since LeFevour has taken over, he's led CMU to two MAC Championships and three-straight Motor City Bowl appearances. LeFevour was the Motor City Bowl MVP in 2006 when CMU beat Middle Tennessee State 31-14.

LeFevour completed 251 of 376 passes (67 percent) last season for 2,784 yards with 21 touchdowns and being picked off only six times and he only played in only 10 games due to injury. He missed games against rival Western Michigan and Indiana. He also become only the second quarterback to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in 2007.

Former Texas and current Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young was the first to accomplish that feat.

Both Hiller and LeFevour are ranked very high as Hiller is ranked No. 5 top senior quarterback by NFL.com and LeFevour is No. 3 on that same list. LeFevour is also ranked No. 2 on Mel Kiper's best quarterbacks, just behind Bradford and many have hinted him as a Heisman candidate.

Hiller and LeFevour will have an interesting 2009 as they'll both led their respective teams to fight for a MAC Championship. They also will see some great competition as WMU faces three Big Ten teams (Michigan, Michigan State, and Indiana) and CMU will face the likes of Arizona, Michigan State, and Boston College. Western Michigan and Central Michigan will do battle on Oct. 17 in Kalamazoo.

Tebow, Bradford, and McCoy will be among the top quarterbacks this season, but some might want to look at two rival quarterbacks in Michigan as well.

IRL's New Changes Are Just Right

Mark Rudi — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:23:42 -0400

The fans wanted better side-by-side action and the fans got it in Saturday night's Meijer Indy 300 at Kentucky.

The high speed passing that has been absent from the oval racing in the IndyCar Series was finally present on Saturday night and it looks like the Indy Racing League has fixed its problem of lack of passing.

“Up until now, you could get within about two or three car lengths of someone and your car would get loose and you would have to get out of the throttle,” Ryan Briscoe said to Racer Magazine. “Now, you can run down under people and get aggressive. That’s what made the racing so good.

The aero changes, the tires, the push-to-pass—I don’t think you can put your finger on one thing that made it better. It’s always going to be a combination of things.”

The IndyCar Series is known for very close racing on the ovals and very close finishes in its history. Saturday night was no different as Briscoe denied Ed Carpenter his first career win by only 0.0162 of a second and was the closet finish in Kentucky Speedway's history.

“Nobody knew if the changes were going to work, but they did,” Carpenter said to Racer. “Tonight it did. I hope the fans enjoyed it, because we’ve had some races this year that weren’t so good.”

Some if the changes the IRL made were aerodynamic changes to the car, with changes to the rear wing and sidebars. Also, a new push-to-pass feature was added to help drivers complete a pass with extra horsepower for 15 seconds.

At the IndyCar's earlier 1.5 mile races at Kansas at Texas, packs of cars were not present, nor was the passing or lead changes. Kansas had a total of 11 lead changes and only eight at Texas.

The final straw was a debacle of no passing at Richmond on June 27, which led the changes to help passing. The series also knows to attract new fans, good racing and lots of passing will help grow IndyCar's fan base. The lack of passing may have led to Richmond being dropped from the 2010 schedule.

Saturday's race had a total of 21 lead changes between seven drivers with only one caution and a race average of 200.893 mph, which is the second-fastest in IndyCar history. The fastest was a 207.151 mph average at California Speedway on Sept. 21, 2003.

The IndyCar Series will return to road course racing for the two races at Mid-Ohio and Infineon Raceway, but many are excited for the final stretch with three 1.5 mile tracks to finish the season.

The Series ends the season with Chicagoland Speedway (Aug. 29), which has is know for good passing and owns the two closest finishes in IRL history, Twing Ring Motegi (Sept. 19), and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Oct. 10).

Jamie McMurray Out at Roush for 2010

Mark Rudi — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:42:54 -0400

Jamie McMurray, whose contract expires at the end of the season, will not return to Roush Fenway Racing in 2010, according to Racer Magazine.

With Roush having to downsize to meet NASCAR's four teams per organization rule, much debate was to who would be the odd man out. Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, and Carl Edwards all signed contract extensions and it came down to McMurray and David Regan.

In the past weeks, many saw this coming. With DeWalt announcing it will not sponsor Kenseth's No. 17 car next season, McMurray's sponsor Crown Royal announced they'll be on the No. 17 car starting in 2010 and Regan's sponsor, UPS, announced it had signed a contract extension with Roush.

McMurray joined Roush in 2006 and has found little success. He finished 25th in 2006, 17th in 2007, and 16th in 2008 in the Sprint Cup standing and is currently 20th this season.

However, he did record a win at Daytona in July 2007. McMurray has an average finish of 20.2 this season with only three top-10 finishes and no top-fives.

“I’m happy that the [No.] 17 has a sponsor for half of the season next year so they only have another half season to sell, but I’m disappointed for Jamie and whatever he’s got going on,” Kenseth said to Racer.

“I think he knew for a while that he was the team and driver that would be moving to Yates, if they could keep that team funded, but we still haven’t brought another new sponsor into the organization, so it’s still a concern for the organization.”

Many rumors are going around that the No. 26 will become a part of Yates Racing, which is a satellite team for Roush.

Yates originally started the season with two cars, but is down to one due to lack of sponsorship for Travis Kvapil's No. 28 ride. Yates currently fields the No. 98 Menards Ford for Paul Menard.

However, rumors are also swirling that McMurray is the top driver for the No. 1 ride at Earnhardt Ganassi, which will be vacated by Martin Truex Jr. at the of the season. Truex has signed a contract to drive for Michael Waltrip Racing starting in 2010.

Randy Wells Has Shown to Be Top Chicago Cubs Pitcher Lately

Mark Rudi — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:16:00 -0400

When thinking about the Chicago Cubs pitching staff, names like Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, and Ryan Dempster come to mind.

But lately, none of those have been doing what Cubs rookie Randy Wells has been accomplishing.

Wells has been pretty much dominant lately. In his last eight starts, he's 7-1 with a 3.45 ERA, including getting a win in a 12-0 shootout of the Houston Astros Wednesday. He's lowered his ERA to 2.84 and is now 7-4 on the season.

"I wonder where we'd be without him," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said to the Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday. "We really needed that (Wells' pitching on Wednesday). Our bullpen was pretty used up."

Chicago has had some problems with injuries in the rotation with Lilly on the DL and Dempster just came off the 15-day DL July 28 after a broken right big toe.

"He's been huge," Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee said. "He's probably been better than he could have expected."

Piniella has also said Wells is the surprise of the team this year.

Even though Wells isn't a big strikeout pitcher (he only fanned one in the win Wednesday), he's been limiting hits and not walking very many batters. Wells only walked two Astros Wednesday and has 21 for the season with a WHIP of 1.15.

Wells has 60 strikeouts for the season, with a season high of six against the Chicago White Sox June 26.

Wells is now starting to be in talks for National League Rookie of the Year, but he does not want to talk about it.

"I don't even want to talk about it," Wells said to the Sun-Times. "I don't want to answer that question."

Wells commented that he's trying to stay focused and stay on this "little ride I'm on."

If Wells wins NL Rookie of the Year, it would be the second year in a row a Cub has won the award. Catcher Geovany Soto won the award last year, and Wells could become the first Cub pitcher to win the award since Kerry Wood was Rookie of the Year in 1998.

If the Cubs continue the run they've been on since the All-Star break, Wells is a big reason why.

At Season's End, McMurray May Be Looking For a New Ride

Mark Rudi — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:30:29 -0400

At the end of the season Roush Fenway Racing will have to phase out a team to comply with NASCAR's four-car team rule. That driver may be Jamie McMurray.

After NASCAR implanted the rule in 2005 after Roush put five cars in the Chase of the Nextel Cup, he was allowed to keep five teams because of sponsorship and driver contracts. However, at the end of the season, some of the contracts are up and one team will not compete in 2010.

Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, and Carl Edwards' teams will not dissolved. Kenseth, the 2003 series champion, signed a multi-year extension with Roush at the end of last season. Biffle is signed through 2011 after siging a three-year extension last season and Edwards is signed through 2011.

So it comes down to David Ragan or McMurray, whose contracts expire at the end of the season.

McMurray, in my mind, has not met expectations with Roush. Since joining the team in 2006, he's finished 25th, 17th, and 16th in the season standings with only one win in those three seasons (2007 Pepsi 400 at Daytona by barely beating Kyle Busch at the line).

He currently sits in 19th in the Sprint Cup Series standings and only has three top 10 finishes, not good enough for Roush. McMurray has been one of the top teams in NASCAR for four seasons now and has done nothing. One win in four seasons isn’t good enough and don't forget this is the team that won the 2004 championship with Kurt Busch.

On the other hand, Ragan is a young and is developing well as a driver. The other drivers were complaining about his driving in his Sprint Cup debut at Dover in 2006 and now he's running among the big boys.

Ragan will most likely stay because he's only in his third season and a victory for the No. 6 UPS team is right around the corner. Ragan also has been with Roush since he won a ride with Roush in Discovery Channel's Roush Racing: Drive X in 2005. However, you could pose a arguement against Ragan as he's 28th in points with only one top 10 this season, which was in the Daytona 500.

You have to remember that Ragan almost made the Chase for the Championship last season as he finished 13th in the standings after floating around 13th-14th for much of the year. McMurray has never been a Chase contender since joining Roush Fenway.

Even though Crown Royal is signed through 2011, UPS came on board the No. 6 car this season and Roush would not be likely to drop that team.

Ragan has proven he can compete in NASCAR’s top series, while McMurray has failed Roush season-after-season and he’s had his chance to prove his case. Look for the No. 26 car to be gone after the season finale at Homestead.

Right now, it's all speculation and Roush is keeping quiet about his plans for 2010. Who knows, maybe McMurray stays with Roush or even goes to Robert Yates Racing, who receives support from Roush. But at this point, it seems like McMurray is the odd man out.

From Hockey to Racing, Annett Finds Home In Nationwide Series

Mark Rudi — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:48:12 -0400

Hockey and auto racing are two completely different sports. One is played on ice where speed on skates is required while controlling a puck down the sheet. The other is speed at a whole other level, driving 180 mph on a weekly bases.

You don’t hear about many hockey players making a switch to drive stock cars, but NASCAR Nationwide Series rookie Michael Annett has made that switch and proved to be pretty good at both.

Annett, driver of the No. 15 Pilot Travel Centers Toyota, was born in Des Moines, Iowa and quickly became a rising star on the ice. Hockey scouts were raving over Annett and he was signed to his first junior hockey gig when he was 16, playing for Team Illinois, a tier one AAA team based in Lake Zurich, Illinois. Annett would lead the team to the 2002 Calgary Mac’s AAA Hockey Tournament Championship.

In 2003 he led the league in penalty minutes and even played against Pittsburgh Penguins captain and 2009 Stanley Cup Champion Sydney Crosby in the national championship that year.

Annett would be catch of the eyes of the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League. The USHL is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is full of potential future college and pro hockey players.

He played in 100 regular season games in his USHL career with eight career assists and 89 penalty minutes for the former defenseman. Annett was also named 2004 USHL Most Improved Player.

At the end of the 2005 season, Annett decided not to go into college hockey, but instead to follow his passion for racing. He would go from the ice into a stock car in the now defunct American Speed Association (ASA).

"It (racing) was a life-long dream of mine. I made my decision towards the end of the 2005 season," Annett said to the Black Hawks' website on Feb. 11. "I felt like I reached all of my hockey goals and my best opportunity was to pursue other goals. I had the support needed to pursue racing, so that is the choice I made."

Annett's family has long been into racing as his dad owned three time World of Outlaws Champion Sammy Swindell's car. So racing was natural for Annett.

He started in the ASA Late Model Series/Northern Division and had an average finish of 14.7 with three top fives, finishing eighth in the championship standings with no wins and a best finish of fourth in 2006. He also finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year Standings.

Annett would compete in one ASA race in 2007, finishing 21st at Indianapolis Raceway Park, but his career was moving fast as two months after his IRP race, he would find himself piloting a ARCA Re/Max Series car at Iowa Speedway in 2007. Annett made his presence felt as he won the pole for his first ARCA start. He would lead eight laps and finish third.

Annett would run at Nashville Superspeedway and Gateway International Raceway finishing eighth and sixth, respectively, until Oct. 5, 2007 at Talladega Superspeedway, when he would win his first ARCA race. He dominated the event, leading 75 laps on his way to his first career victory.

He then caught the eye of owner Bill Davis, who would enter Annett in ARCA and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races in 2008.

He would start the 2008 ARCA season with a win at Daytona and had an average finish of 9.3 in five races last season. He made his Truck Series debut at the Milwaukee Mile on Jun. 20, 2008, finishing sixth. Annett had an average finish of 13.5 in eight truck races in 2008, with one top five and two top 10 finishes.

Another team would see something in Annett, but this time it was a NASCAR Nationwide Series team. Germain Racing signed Annett to run the full 2009 Nationwide Series schedule and he made his Nationwide Series debut in the 2008 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He finished 36th after being involved in a wrek.

Annett has struggled in 2009 as he only has two top 15 finishes this season and currently sits 16th in Nationwide Series points. However, he recorded his first ever top 10 finish last Saturday, finishing seventh in the Mejier 300 at Kentucky.

We’ll see if Annett can find success in the Nationwide Series and maybe someday be a contender for the championship and get a Sprint Cup ride.

We’ve seen some athletes play two sports like Bo Jackson and Deon Sanders with baseball and football. Some college athletes have played multiple sports, but going from hockey to racing is not the same as baseball to football. Annett has shown it was a smooth transition for him.

This article was also featured on Michael Annett's website.

In Case You Forgot, Chris Osgood Is One of the Best in the Playoffs

Mark Rudi — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:21:25 -0400

When it comes to the pressure of the NHL Playoffs and the Stanley Cup Finals, you need a solid goaltender in net—one that can come through in pressure situations to make that big save.

Chris Osgood has all those aspects and is that type of goalie.

Every year, I hear that Osgood is no good. Are those people not watching the games? Osgood is probably one of the best goalies in Stanley Cup Playoffs history. He's 15-10 all-time in the finals, only behind former Colorado Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy, who is 14-8.

Osgood doesn’t bend under pressure in the finals either. He’s 10-3 all-time in the Stanley Cup Finals, which includes three Stanley Cups and a possible fourth this season.

Some people say that he struggles during the regular season. At times, he did. Osgoodpossessed a 3.09 goals against average, which was 41st in the league and at one point was backing up Ty Conkilin. In 2008, he was backing up Dominik Hasek to start the season while at on occasion splitting time with Jimmy Howard.

But no matter how good or bad Osgood is in the regular season, he always turns it up in the playoffs. He’s one of those players who thrives under pressure. He's the man between the pipes for coach Mike Babcock and has been the best goalie in the current playoffs.

The Osgood of the 2009 playoffs looks nothing like the Osgood in the regular season. People were worried about Osgood at the end of the regular season. But once again, he came alive in the postseason.

In 2009's playoffs, Osgood has a 2.00 goals against average, which is second only to Boston's Tim Thomas. He also has a 92.7 percent save percentage and carries 14 wins, which is the most of any goalie in the 2009 playoffs.

It's not just the last two seasons that he's been doing so well in the playoffs. In 1998, Osgood was 16-6 with a 2.35 goals against average while the Wings won the Stanley Cup.

Osgood has a 2.11 goals average for his career in 106 playoff games. That's better than Roy (2.30), Grant Fuhr (2.90), Jacques Plante (2.16), Tony Esposito (3.07), and Glenn Hall (2.78)—all Hall of Fame goalies.

Osgood only trails New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, who has a 1.98 goals against average in the playoffs. Brodeur also owns three Stanley Cups.

Osgood may pass him this season.

When you're talking about who the best goalies in the playoffs are, Brodeur and Roy come to mind. But you may want to include Osgood on that list, or maybe even at the top.

Brandon Inge Needs To Be Considered for the All-Star Team

Mark Rudi — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:26:20 -0400

Just last season, the Detroit Tigers were trying to trade Brandon Inge, now he’s having a career season.

Inge as been one of the many reasons the Tigers are leading the American League Central Division. Inge is quietly hitting .274 with 12 home runs and 33 RBI. To put this season in perspective, he only drove in 51 runs all of last season.

Inge tends to get overlooked because of the quality of players at his position. Names like Alex Rodriguez, Evan Longoria, and Mike Lowell overshadow Inge.

Even though Inge isn’t a household name, he needs to be considered for the AL All-Star Team. The fans will most likely vote Longoria to start at third, which Longoria rightfully deserves. Longoria is in a zone of his own this season.

However, Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon needs to take a serious look at Inge when assembling the All-Star Team.

One should point out that Inge isn’t at the top of the AL among third baseman in batting average, but he is in all other offensive categories.

Among his position in the AL, Inge is tied with Longoria for the most home runs (12), second in runs scored (31), fourth in slugging percentage (.535), and third in OPS (.902).

Sounds like All-Star type numbers to me.

It’s not only at the plate, but in the field too. Inge currently posses a .966 field percentage with only four errors in 400 and 1/3 innings, and could be on his way to winning a Gold Glove. Those are some solid numbers for a corner infielder.

Part of why Inge is having a great season, in my opinion, is that he’s back at third base. After the Tigers traded Ivan Rodriguez to the New York Yankees last season, Inge was forced to catch because Detroit simply had no one else.

Inge struggled down the stretch, hitting only .205 with 11 homers and only 51 batted in, his worse numbers since 2003. Inge at third base works better.

Even when he was the everyday catcher for Detroit from 2001-03, Inge struggled until he moved to third in 2004, when he hit .287, which is his career best.

But now that Inge is back at third, he’s more calm and collected, and it’s showing at the plate and in the field, as he’s become one of the most fundamentally sound third baseman in the league.

Inge is pretty much the total package MLB managers are looking for in a third baseman, and his breakout this season needs to recognized.

Inge’s season so far proves he should be on the All-Star team, and if the Tigers go on to the win the division, Inge would be one of the reasons why.

Rising Star? Allgaier Making Statement In Nationwide Series

Mark Rudi — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:54:08 -0400

He's Roger Penske's newest protégé, and he could be the next rising star of NASCAR.

Nationwide Series rookie Justin Allgaier has burst onto the racing scene this season. Every week, he's got the No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge running up front, and competing with the best of the Sprint Cup Series.

The 22-year-old from Riverton, Illinois currently sits 10th in Nationwide Series points with two top five and five top 10 finishes, and leads the Rookie of the Year point standings.

Allgaier's best career finish is fifth, which he's done twice this season at Bristol and Darlington. Two tracks rookies don't tend to do well at.

Allgaier came out of the gate strong at the beginning of the season. After finishing 40th in the season opener at Daytona, he racked off five top 15 finishes in the next six races.

He also led five laps at Las Vegas where he finished eighth, earning his first career top 10.

Allgaier has been as high as fifth in the point standings this season, but ran into two bad weeks in a row, finishing 32nd and 38th at Talladega and Richmond, respectively. After Richmond, he dropped down to 12th in the championship standings, the lowest since after the second race of the season at Fontana, California.

But lately Allgaier has been coming back up in the point standings. He's back in the top 10 now after a 14th place finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway last Saturday.

Allgaier started in the ARCA Re/Max Series in 2004 and appeared on the Discovery Channel's "Driver X: The Race For The Ride" in 2005. A show where Jack Roush was looking for a fresh new driver and the winner would win a seat in a Roush car.

Allgaier didn't win the ride, but continued to drive in ARCA and won his first race at Springfield, Illinios, his hometown track, in 2006. He would pick up a victory at Salem, Indiana in 2007 before making a statement in 2008.

Allgaier won the 2008 ARCA Re/Max Series Championship, dethroning Frank Kimmel, who had won the title the previous eight seasons from 2000-2007. Allgaier beat Kimmel by 50 points and collected six victories, including the last three races in 2008.

He caught the eye of Penske, who gave him a shot in the Nationwide Series in late 2008 and signed him for a full-time ride in 2009.

Allgaier says his biggest problem is his aggressive driving, which cost him a lot early in his ARCA career, saying it was either checkers or wreckers for him.

"I'm much more like Kyle Busch; I kind of like to let it all hang out," Allgaier said to NASCAR.com. "My ultimate goal is to race like Mark Martin. He might not run up front the entire race, but he's always there at the end, and that's where I'm headed."

Allgaier has the talent and the equipment with Penske to become a star in NASCAR. Allgaier's early success could produce a victory for him this season, and he could be a contender for the Nationwide Series Championship in 2010.

There also is a rumor that Penske might field a fourth Sprint Cup team for Allgaier this season for him to run a limited schedule. If he can continue his early success, the future looks bright for Allgaier.

Lidstrom, Datsyuk Will Be Game-Time Decisions

Mark Rudi — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:42:49 -0400

Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk will be game-time decisions for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, according to the Associated Press.

Lidstrom and Datsyuk were both held out of practice Tuesday and Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock said they're feeling better, but he wants them to skate before Wednesday's game before a decision is made.

Lidstrom is out with an undisclosed injury and Datsyuk has been bothered by a injured foot. Lidstrom missed Game 4, while Datsyuk missed Games 3 and 4.

Detroit currently leads the series 3-1 over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Source: Associated Press

Penske May Add Fourth Cup Team

Mark Rudi — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:41:52 -0400

Penske Racing may add a fourth Sprint Cup team this season, according to Jayski.com

The report is that Penske may add the fourth team with driver Justin Allgaier, sporting No. 22. A sponsor on the machine was not mentioned.

Allgaier, a rookie in the Nationwide Series, is currently 10th in Nationwide Series points driving the No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge for Roger Penske.

Allgaier currently leads the rookie standings in the Nationwide Series with two top five and five top 10 finishes. His career best finish is fifth, which he did twice (Bristol and Darlington).

Allgaier was also the 2008 ARCA Re/Max Series Champion.

Source: Jayski.com

Joey Logano Could Be Next First-Time Winner

Mark Rudi — Mon, 25 May 2009 21:25:35 -0400

Joey Logano came into a difficult situation at the beginning of the season.

When Tony Stewart announced that he was leaving Joe Gibbs Racing to form Stewart/Haas Racing, Gibbs decided to turn to the then-18-year-old Logano.

Logano, who's nicknamed "Sliced Bread" by two-time Busch Series Champion Randy LaJoie, was put in the No. 20 Home Depot Chevy a year earlier then Gibbs would have liked and it showed at the beginning of the season.

Logano finished dead last in the Daytona 500 after wrecking early and only had two finishes in the top 15 in the first seven races. During that stretch, he finished 30th or worse five times.

After Martinsville, he was 34th in the points standings and in danger falling out of the top 35 in owner's points. There were even rumors that Gibbs was going to replace Logano with Martin Truex Jr.

But ever since a Nationwide Series victory at Nashville April 11, Logano has come on strong. He's only finished outside the top 10 twice in Sprint Cup action since his Nationwide victory, and he's racked up three top 10s in the five races since.

That includes a ninth place finish at Darlington, a place not kind to rookies, and he even led 19 laps at "The Track Too Tough To Tame."

He's also climbed to 25th in points after a ninth place, running as high as fourth, finish in the Coca-Cola 600 Monday.

"Momentum is starting to kick in for sure," Logano said to NASCAR.com, signing autographs for hundreds of fans in line at the Home Depot in Cornelius, N.C., on Friday.

"You know we had a rough start and that pretty much puts you in a hole. And now I think, even a couple races before Darlington, we were starting to get better.”

“We kept improving and the confidence level with me and the team keeps improving and it is shows in our finishes and how we run."

I think that Nationwide win gave Logano some confidence and the team hasn't given up on him. Crew chief Greg Zippideli and Gibbs have complete confidence with the 19-year-old rookie.

They're making the car right for Logano and it was reported on FOX’s telecast of the Coke 600 that the team is no longer using notes from last season. Not to mention that Logano is under the wing of teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin.

Even Cale Yarborough had been working with Logano, showing him around Darlington Raceway.

In the next few weeks, expect to see Logano racking off top 10 and top five finishes and maybe even a win. He could be the next first-time winner in the Sprint Cup Series.

If Logano picks up a win from now until the middle of next season, he would become the youngest driver ever to win a Sprint Cup race. The youngest is Busch, who won at California in September 2005 at just 20 years and 125 days.

Only time will tell if Logano makes the Chase for the Sprint Cup, since he’s 283 points behind 12th place, but if things keep going right, a victory and the Chase could be in sight.

Quote source: NASCAR.com

Let It Rain! Reutimann Wins First Career Race

Mark Rudi — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:20:06 -0400

David Reutimann's team took a gamble and it paid off for them.

Reutimann won his first career Sprint Car race Monday in the rain shortened Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

On lap 221, the caution came for rain and many of the leaders, including race leader Kyle Busch, hit pit road with thoughts the race would continue.

But Rodney Childress, Reutimann's crew chief, decided to roll the dice by staying out and inheriting the lead. Reutimann was 14th when the caution came out.

The race was red flagged at lap 227 and after a two-plus hour rain delay, NASCAR decided to call the race, giving Reutimann the win.

Pole sitter Ryan Newman was second, followed by Robby Gordon, Carl Edwards, and Brian Vickers rounding out the top five.

The victory was a first in many ways as it was also the first victory for Michael Waltrip Racing, for Childress and before Monday, the No. 00 had never won. Reutimann's win is also the first win for a Toyota team other then Joe Gibbs Racing.

The Coke 600 had a total of four red flags, three for rain, and one to park the cars on Pit Road to honor all veterans of the United States Military at 3:00.

All the crew members lined up on in the pits and the cars shut their engine and there was a moment of silence at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The win now catapults Reutimann up to 13th in Sprint Cup points, only six points behind 12th place Mark Martin. The top 12 qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

The top five in points did not change.

Kevin Harvick continued to struggle and his car never got going from the drop of the green. Harvick got loose early in the race, getting into Sam Hornish Jr. and putting some damage on the right front of the No. 29 Shell Chevy.

Harvick finished 41st, three laps down.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. also had to wrestle with his car. Like Harvick, the No. 88 machine was not competitive and many times it looked like Earnhardt was going to wreck the car. He finished 38th, two laps down.

Earnhardt and Harvick dropped to 19th and 23rd in points respectively.

Couldn't Write a Better Story, Castroneves Wins Third Indy 500

Mark Rudi — Mon, 25 May 2009 15:24:16 -0400

Everyone's been saying Hollywood couldn't write a script like this, and quite frankly, it couldn't.

Helio Castroneves, who just last month was acquitted from tax evasion charges, won his third Indianapolis 500 Sunday capping off a perfect month.

The story really got started just days after being in court. He came to Long Beach, CA Apr. 19 and finished seventh, followed by a second place finish at Kansas Apr. 26.

But who would have thought that after staring jail in the face, Castroneves would dominate the whole month of May and would be holding the Borg-Warner Trophy in Victory Lane?

From the time the No. 3 Penske Racing machine came off the truck Castroneves was fast. He was fast in practice, won the pole and his team won the pit stop competition.

Castroneves would take the lead from 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon on lap 142 and never looked back from there.

He won by a margin of 1.98 seconds with Dan Wheldon and Danica Patrick trying to catch him, but no body was catching Castroneves on this day.

Castroneves crossed the finish line and parked his car on the front stretch to perform his signature climbing of the fence. A move, which gave him the nickname "Spiderman" and led to NASCAR's Tony Stewart rendering of the move.

Once in Victory Lane, Castroneves let his emotions go. A tearful Castroneves didn't know to what to say to ABC's Jack Arute, but collected his thoughts and realized he'd won the Super Bowl of IndyCar racing for a third time and drank the goat's milk, followed by pouring it all over himself.

Castroneves was also joined by his mother, sister, father and girlfriend in Victory Lane and on the parade lap after the race. Castroneves' sister was also accused of tax evasion. She is Castroneves' business manager.

Castroneves became the ninth driver to win three or more Indy 500s and joins an elite club that includes A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, Al Unser, Bobby Unser and Johnny Rutherford.

Because of his age, 34, and he drives for one of the elite teams in IndyCar racing, Castroneves could join Foyt, Mears and Al Unser as the only drivers to win four 500s and could become the only driver to win five.

Castroneves now has jumped to second in the point standings and is only five points behind leader Dario Franchitti. Previous point leader Tony Kanaan dropped down to fifth in the championship standings, after a 27th place finish after wrecking on lap 98 in turn three.

We'll see if this momentum can keep up as the IndyCar Series heads to The Milwaukee Mile, a track where's he had little success at, for the ABC Supply Co. A.J. Foyt 225 Sunday.

Is 2009 Danica Patrick's Year in Indy?

Mark Rudi — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:54:35 -0400

Four years ago, "Danica Mania" started when Danica Patrick became the first woman to ever lead a lap in the Indianapolis 500.

Patrick ended up leading 19 laps before surrendering the lead to eventual winner Dan Wheldon with seven laps to go. Patrick finished fourth.

But what about 2009? Is this the year Patrick finally completes her trophy collection by adding the Borg-Warner Trophy?

The answer is a big maybe. Patrick has all the power she needs in her Andretti-Green Racing machine and she's currently on track for the best season of her career, but AGR has struggled all month at Indianapolis.

With exception of Tony Kanaan, Patrick, and AGR's other drivers Marco Andretti and Hideki Mutoh, have been quiet all month.

Kanaan was frustrated with his car, the team turned to its backup car before Pole Day and Patrick said she could have done better than her 10th-place qualification.

Andretti will start eighth, while Mutoh was bumped from the field on Pole Day and had to qualify on day two. He'll start 16th Sunday.

But Patrick can win the 93rd Indianapolis 500; she has the horsepower and team to do it.

Patrick is currently tied for fifth in the IndyCar Series with Ryan Hunter-Reay and has two top five finishes in the first three races of the season, with a best finish of fourth at Long Beach.

She has a great track record in Indianapolis, finishing in the top-10 in three of her four starts in the 500. The only blemish being last year's 22nd place finish after Ryan Briscoe clipped her on pit road.

Patrick also seems a little more relaxed this season. She said before the season opener at St. Petersburg that she wasn't going to get mad anymore, and she's no longer the top story at Indy.

Stories such as Helio Castroneves winning the pole after being acquitted from tax evasion charges, Dario Franchitti, the 2007 winner and IndyCar Champion, returning to the 500 after a season in NASCAR and Alex Lloyd putting Sam Schmidt's entry in the field on Pole Day have all overshadowed Patrick heading into the race.

But she's not being avoided.

She does have a new orange and black paint scheme on the car (Boost Mobile is on the car instead of her traditional sponsor Motorola), and she was just featured in a new milk advertisement.

However, Patrick has had to dodge questions of whether or not she will return to AGR next season. Her contract expires at season's end, but co-owner Michael Andretti hopes to keep Patrick.

According to the Associated Press, Andretti said he has been in discussions with Patrick about an extension.

But don’t expect to see Patrick drinking the goat’s milk in Victory Lane Sunday.

Team Penske has been the class of the field all month with Castroneves and Briscoe taking the first two spots on Pole Day and Will Power's strong performances for Penske all month, as well. Power will start ninth Sunday.

The only team that has been able to keep up with Penske is Target/Chip Ganassi Racing, who will have Franchitti starting third with defending Indy 500 winner and IndyCar Champion Scott Dixon starting fifth.

Target/Chip Ganassi also comes into Sunday winning the last two IndyCar events. Franchitti won at Long Beach, while Dixon was victorious at Kansas.

If Patrick is to win Sunday, she and the whole AGR organization must improve by race time. AGR will need to do a lot of work Friday on Carb Day to catch up to Penske and Ganassi and be race ready.