Bleacher Report - Articles by Toby Christie

Toby's Sicknissified Race Picks For Martinsville

Toby Christie — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:08:46 -0400

Welcome to the first weekly Toby's Sicknissified Race Picks. Each week I will predict all of the drivers that will finish in the top-five, and I will also choose one darkhorse.

Well before we begin, I must define the word "sicknissified" that I have created.

Sicknissified [sik-nis-i-fied]: adj. used to describe something so amazing and/or accurate that it is sick, or mystifying.

OK, with that out of the way, let's look at the race set for today, the Goody's 500 at Martinsville. Martinsville is a .526 mile paperclip that eats brakes and leans heavily on the rev limiter down the straight aways. It takes a really smooth driver who isn't afraid to lay the chrome horn to his opponents to move his way to the front.

Obviously, two drivers that will finish in the top-five today have to be Jeff Gordon (starting on the pole) and Jimmie Johnson (starting ninth). The Hendrick duo have won seven of the last nine Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville.

Gordon and Johnson have also each finished in the top-10 in eight of the last nine races ran here.

Another driver that will finish in the top-five today will be Denny Hamlin (starting eighth). Not only did Hamlin finish second last week at Bristol, but in his career at Martinsville he has only finished outside the top-10 once in seven career starts...Oh by the way, he also won this race last year, enough said.

Jeff Burton (starting 13th) finished third at Vegas, and eighth at Bristol. Well today, he will add a top-five at Martinsville to his 2009 stats. Jeff Burton is one of the smoothest and cleanest driving guys in the Sprint Cup Series, which will undoubtedly help keep him out of trouble today. Burton has one career victory at Martinsville in 30 starts, and his career average finish at this track is 14.6, not too shabby.

My final pick to finish in the top-five today may be scrutinized until the finish of this race, but Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (starting 19th) will finish in the top-five. Through five races in 2009, Earnhardt only has one top-10 finish and has only led one lap, so why pick him to finish in the top-five?

When Earnhardt came here as a rookie, he hit everything on the track but the pace car (actually I think he did). Since then "Lil E" has taken a liking to this track and it shows. Earnhardt has eight top-fives (including a second place last fall), and nine top-10 finishes at this track in 18 career starts. His career average finish at Martinsville is now a sporty 13.6.

My darkhorse pick for today is Juan Pablo Montoya (starting 15th). Now before you exit this article, give me a chance to explain myself.

Montoya is quietly putting together a consistent season. As long as he doesn't let his sometimes fiery attitude get in the way today, JPM will have a top-10 to top-15 run at Martinsville Speedway.

For those of you who doubt Montoya can make it through this race unscathed, let me give you a statistic to chew on; Montoya's career average finish at Martinsville is 12.8.

There you have it! Stay tuned for next weeks edition of Toby's Sicknissified Race Picks.

Martinsville is Anyone's Race Due to Rain

Toby Christie — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:21:54 -0400

Sunday should be an interesting race. The field is set by points instead of speed because of rain, so some of the faster cars will have to beat and bang their way to the front.

If there is one thing you can be certain about this week it is uncertainty. Rain has changed the complex of this race, and that may not be a bad thing.

There has only been one practice session, during which most teams focused on qualifying setups, so it's mostly whoever guesses correctly on the setup that will be victorious on Sunday.

This sets the race up for possibly a first time winner, or maybe Jeff Gordon who will start first due to being the point leader can shut up the media about his winless streak, and if Dale Jr. can make his way from 19th to win Sunday he may silence the critics that say he is overrated, who knows the possibilities are endless.

Only time will tell who will pull into victory lane on Sunday, but expect the unexpected in a race that is shaping up to be the most exciting event thus far this season.

Jeff Gordon On Pole, Sterling Marlin Misses Race Due To Rain

Toby Christie — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:10:31 -0400

When you're on you're on, Jeff Gordon proved it Friday by landing on the pole due to mother nature. Gordon was extremely fast in practice, so he may have nabbed the pole regardless, but his luck is looking great to this point in the season.

Gordon has won seven Martinsville grandfather clocks, and is now in a great position to add to his collection, not to mention snap his 41-race win-less drought this Sunday.

Because the field was set by points, Kurt Busch will start second, followed by Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards rounds out the top-five.

The person who really lost out because of the rain was Sterling Marlin. Marlin was 13th fastest in the first practice session this morning, but wasn't ever given an opportunity to show his car's speed in qualifying, and that is a shame.

Kyle Busch Is the Next Jaws, Not Intimidator

Toby Christie — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 02:24:57 -0400

When I hear that Kyle Busch is being compared to the late Dale Earnhardt, I can't help but think of how far off everyone is. Sure Mr. Busch has a intense racing style where he isn't afraid to root and gouge, but he does one thing very differently than Earnhardt. It is all in the way he carries himself.

Busch has a cockiness in his interviews, where Earnhardt was more of a let the car do my speaking type of guy. So when I go to compare Busch to a driver from back in the day, I look to only one man...That's right, Darrell Waltrip (Jaws).

Waltrip is a three-time Sprint Cup Champion, who may have had a fourth title if not for his cockiness getting the best of him in an interview in 1979, which cost him points ultimately leading to Richard Petty's Seventh championship.

Waltrip was just about as aggressive as Earnhardt, but Dale had a way of getting into his opponents head by what he didn't say. Meanwhile Waltrip would ham it up on camera (Much like Busch does now).

Only time will tell if Busch will be a force for many years to come, or if his team just got an early leg up on the COT (Most likely the first option).

But one thing at least for now is true, if Busch wants to truly be compared to Earnhardt or Waltrip, he needs to capture the ultimate prize, the championship.

What's Wrong With Dale Jr.? The Answer Is In The Early 1980's

Toby Christie — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:14:07 -0400

The media, the fans, and the NASCAR outsiders all have one thing that they have asked in common through five races in 2009...what's wrong with Dale Jr.?

Well, let's see, where do we start? Hmm, I know Dale Earnhardt Jr. only has one win in the past 41 races. Let's compare that to four-time Sprint Cup Series Champion Jeff Gordon. Gordon has not won a race in his last 45 starts, so whats wrong with Gordon?

Not only that, but since Dale Jr. took over the No. 88 at Hendrick Motorsports at the beginning of 2008, only eight Sprint Cup drivers have more wins than him (Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, and Kurt Busch).

So, if we are gonna smash Dale Jr. we also have to ask what's wrong with Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart, and 30 other Sprint Cup Series drivers, but for some reason the only thing we hear is that Dale Jr. has a problem.

I myself don't see there being a problem with any of the drivers above, if you look at the numbers since 2008 only three drivers have more than two sprint cup wins. This reminds me of the early 1980s when NASCAR made a change much like the current change we have today. The 1980s sleek boxes that were Winston Cup cars, were made into larger un-aerodynamic boxes that handled terribly, and the drivers were not happy... doesn't this sound familiar?

The new car in the 80's lasted from 1981 to 1983. In that time Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison dominated, winning three championships and 48 races between them in that time, while Dale Earnhardt won three races, Harry Gant only had three wins, and so on and so on...doesn't this sound familiar?

Racing is much like the economy and everything else, it is one large cycle, well it has come back around to the era of the big bulky race car, so what will happen for a few seasons is some teams will have it completely figured out while the rest of the teams are left chasing them looking for answers, but the other teams will catch up. Hopefully, when they do we won't have to keep hearing the silly question...what's wrong with Dale Jr.(that guy who "only has eighteen career wins")?

Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing to Field Three Full Time Teams in '09, Four for Daytona

Toby Christie — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:05:40 -0500

It's official Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing will be fielding three full time teams for the 2009 Sprint Cup campaign. Juan Pablo Montoya will continue in the No. 42 car with Target coming over to sponsor him. Martin Truex Jr. will be in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy, and Aric Almirola will be in the No. 8 car, which according to EGR will have a sponsor announced "pretty soon."

They will also be running the 41 car in the Daytona 500 with a driver to be announced later. At least now they have a good idea of what their lineup for 2009 will be, this is a good sign for a team that has been shrinking faster and faster it seems everyday.

NASCAR's Plan for Survival in Poor Economy: Portable Toilets (humor)

Toby Christie — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:19:39 -0500

What is NASCAR's plan to make it through the tough economic times? Well according to a very reliable source, their plan is to sell sponsorship rights to everything. What does this mean?

Well apparently NASCAR will be holding a press conference to announce some new sponsorship deals for 2009, the biggest deal includes the Official Port-a-Potty of NASCAR. The coveted Portable Toilet sponsorship is according to reports worth $3 million per season.

NASCAR will not stop there according to my source, they will also sell the rights to official light bulb of the pace car of NASCAR (Worth $500K per season), Official shoe lace of NASCAR pit crews (Worth 12 bucks per season), and the Official microphone of NASCAR announcers (Undisclosed amount at this time). All of this will just be the starting point of this new plan to sell rights to everything (Even if the products have nothing to do with the sport once the green flag drops).

I for one am tired of all of the corporate sellouts that have happened in sports, but if it can save our favorite sport we may want to learn to embrace it.

(This story is of course not true in any way...well hopefully haha, but I hope you all got some enjoyment out of reading it)

Dallas-Utah: Mavericks, at Least For One Night, Have Proved Critics Wrong

Toby Christie — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:04:36 -0500

Saturday night against the Utah Jazz, the Mavericks gave something we haven't seen in quite some time, a team effort. Just when all were starting to doubt them, they give us all something to hope about.

Dirk Nowitzki (39 Points) and Jason Terry (22 Points) did their parts as usual, but it was the effort by the other pieces of the puzzle that helped this team overcome a huge second period deficit.

Jason Kidd finally looked like the guy we traded for, and Brandon Bass may have been the most impressive player not named Dirk, as he posted his season-high 17 points, to go with his nine rebounds.

This was the most impressive showing I have seen in some time for the Mavericks, it was like they smelled blood in the fourth, and just started hammering the Jazz, snapping a four game losing skid with the victory.

If the Mavs can continue to play with this kind of team camaraderie and intensity, this may be a team to reckon with.

Did Martin Truex Jr. Make All the Wrong Moves?

Toby Christie — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 22:46:42 -0500

Its seems like a long time ago, but in 2007 Martin Truex Jr. really began to come into his own, scoring his first career victory at Dover, launching him to his first appearance in the Chase. Then something out of his control happened.

Teammate/friend Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced he couldn't strike a deal to remain at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, and would be moving on in 2008. Many speculated that this would be the beginning of the end for DEI.

Truex was competitive at times in 2008, but had quite a bit of bad luck on his way to a 15th place finish in the points. At the end of 2008 Truex came to a crossroads of his career. Should he stay at the team that originally gave him a chance, or move on to a team on the upside? Truex decided to stay loyal to DEI, but in hindsight did Truex make the wrong move?

Since Truex re-upped with DEI things have changed majorly. In 2008 the team had four full-time Sprint Cup teams. DEI has since merged with Chip Ganassi Racing, who also at the beginning of 2008 had four Sprint Cup teams, but now after the merger meant to save both teams, each team only has one fully funded representative in the merger.

Only The No. 1 car of Martin Truex Jr., and the No. 42 car of Juan Pablo Montoya have sponsors for 2009. Hopefully the team can find more sponsorship for their other cars, because when eight teams merge to just two, that is not a good sign, and it would be a shame for Truex Jr. (A rising star in NASCAR) to be shuffled out due to sticking with a dying team out of loyalty. My oh, my how things change quickly in NASCAR.

Dallas Mavericks Report Card

Toby Christie — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:21:17 -0500

Ok now that the NBA season is just about halfway over I thought I would grade out each player from this years Dallas Mavericks, then give the team an overall grade for the season thus far.

Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk is the only player in the NBA to have 2 games of over 44 points this season, he's hitting 91% of his freethrows, and averaging 25.6 points per game, he's definitely not the reason we are losing. GRADE A

Jason Terry

JET's numbers are up from last season in a big way, he's averaging over 20 points per game, and he's hiting 87% of his free throws, all of this off of the bench. He's definitely also not the reason we're losing. GRADE B+

Josh Howard

Lots of turmoil off the court, but there is no denying when Josh Howard is on the court he helps his team. his numbers may be a little down from last season, but he is still averaging 18.8 Points Per Game. GRADE C

Erick Dampier

Damp is doing okay... about 1.5 blocks per game, to go with 5.6 points per game for the big man. GRADE C-

Jason Kidd

Kidd has scored double digits in much less than half the games this season, his Assists per game, Free throw %, and shooting % are all down from last season. The Mavericks may never be able to overcome the silly trade for Jason Kidd. GRADE D

Antoine Wright

Acquired in the Jason Kidd trade, nothing with that trade went right, and Antoine is no exception. GRADE F

DaSagana Diop

Diop is only getting 13 minutes per game, and is only averaging 1.3 points per game. GRADE F

Jose Barea

Barea has 17 multiple turnover games which is not good for a guy who is rarely on the court. GRADE F

Jerry Stackhouse

Stack has only been in 8 games this season due to injury. GRADE Incomplete

Overall mid-season Grade for the Dallas Mavericks

3 games out of 4th in the West is kinda impressive with the way the team has played at times. It looks like the Mavs missed their huge opportunity they had a couple years back. D+

What Started As a Publicity Stunt Now a Reality (Humor)

Toby Christie — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:55:48 -0500

Kevin James, actor in the new movie "Paul Blart, Mall Cop" had a publicity day at Texas Motor Speedway yesterday where he raced NASCAR race cars with his Segway Scooter from the movie.

This started out as a crazy publicity stunt to spike interest in the film, but then NASCAR got to thinking...

According to a source who wishes to remain anonymous, NASCAR, who is under pressure due to the fact less than 43 cars will be at tracks this year, is currently constructing a template for a stock-car version of the Segway.

Under this plan, Kevin James will actually be able to compete week in and week out in a sport he loves.

This will also give fans what they have complained about since Pontiac left the sport...another manufacture.

Other drivers in the sport have obviously jumped on the bandwagon supporting this idea, because it will be nearly impossible for the Segway to seriously compete with the 800 horsepower cars we see every weekend.

More importantly, if the deal goes through Segway will have a contract worth $30 million over three years, to become the official pace car of NASCAR.

This is an astonishing storyline we will all closely follow throughout the year to see if it really develops.

Lifetime Supply Of Memphis Ribs for Dale Jr.?

Toby Christie — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:51:25 -0500

Dale Earnhardt Jr. hasn't competed in a Nationwide race at Memphis since his runner-up finish to Jeff Green in 1999, but that may be getting ready to change.

Apparently, Dale Earnhardt Jr. according to reports loves Memphis ribs so much, he has them FedEx'd to his house, and they can be spotted on his tour of his house on MTV Cribs.

The company that makes his favorite ribs is PIG-N-WHISTLE (The official BBQ of the track), and they have made a deal with Memphis Motorsports Park, to give Dale Jr. a lifetime supply of ribs if Earnhardt competes in the Oct. 24 Nationwide race at Memphis.

No word yet from Earnhardt or JR Motorsports, but this is a storyline to keep an eye on.

This of course is not the first time someone has tried to entice Earnhardt to compete in a race to help sell tickets.

If you recall, Eddie Gossage of Texas Motor Speedway offered Dale Jr. over $500,000 on top of his prize money to compete in an Indy Racing League race at Texas.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: The Daytona 500 Race Date Has Significance

Toby Christie — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:35:44 -0500

There are some statistics in sports that you cannot ignore. One of these statistics have helped me with my 2009 Daytona 500 prediction.

The last two times the Daytona 500 has been run on Feb. 15, an Earnhardt has ended up in victory lane. In fact, the worst an Earnhardt has performed on a Feb. 15th race date was fifth place, by Dale Earnhardt in 1981 and 1987.

Feb. 15th Winners of the Daytona 500:

2004: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

1998: Dale Earnhardt

1987: Bill Elliott (Dale Earnhardt finished 5th)

1981: Richard Petty (Dale Earnhardt finished 5th)

The 2009 Daytona 500 will be on Feb. 15, 2009, so it will be hard to pick against my Daytona 500 favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. Not only is he one of the best restrictor plate drivers, but he also has history on his side.

Chad McCumbee the Real Victim of Petty's Merger

Toby Christie — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:09:03 -0500

Chad McCumbee, who played Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in ESPN's TV movie 3, is the man nobody has mentioned through the Petty Enterprises merger.

McCumbee had a fast rise to stardom. From 1995-2000, he won more than 100 races in the WKA dirt series. After that, he became the only two-time champion of the Allison Legacy Series.

His championship years came in his first two seasons, 2001 and 2002. In 2003, he became the youngest winner at Myrtle Beach Speedway, and finished fourth in the overall points standings in ARCA in 2005.

Since 2005, McCumbee has made a name for himself by running the Truck Series. In addition, he stepped in for Kyle Petty while Kyle was doing TV for TNT. Petty Enterprises announced they were going to phase out Kyle Petty in favor of McCumbee. He would team with Bobby Labonte to restore Petty Enterprises to its greatness.

However, Petty Enterprises informed Bobby Labonte to look for a new ride, due to the Gillette-Evernham merger. The organization was given widespread kudos for keeping Labonte informed, but what about McCumbee?

The kid who has done so much so quickly to prove he is worthy—the kid nobody has mentioned as getting the raw end of this deal through the entire merger—now has to wait for another shot. Another shot that I believe will come soon.

NASCAR Pre-Race Festivities, An Inside Look

Toby Christie — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:20:20 -0500

It's a place that not many people ever get a chance to be, and that fact is a shame. So to better paint a picture of pre-race festivities I will relive a story from 2005.

In 2005 I worked for MBNA Bank, I was a telemarketer (not fun). We had a raffle at our building, where everyone put there name in the hat once, and the winner gets to hand the Mid Race Leader award and check at the beginning of the race. I thought hey why not there might be a chance. Sure enough my name was called and the rest is history.

The day of the race we woke up early... real early. We pulled up to Texas Motor Speedway's credential center, which gives off a real feeling of having a purpose for being at the track. After a few moments I have my credential around my neck. It says I'm with MBNA, and I am part of the pre race extravaganza.

Along with this pass come garage passes, pit passes, and just about every other kind of pass they can hand out, it is a real sweet deal.

So we walk around the track for a while just taking in the surroundings, when these two guys pull up in a golf cart. They say they've been looking for us everywhere, apparently the passes come with a ride around the track too. These guys take us anywhere we want to go on this golf cart all weekend long. So they take us to the infield where the pre-race show is going on.

We get to bypass all security and we are literally placed in the center of a crowd of 43 of the greatest drivers on the planet. Everywhere you look there's somebody you know. Rusty Wallace to my right, Dale Jarrett to my left, Dale Jr. in front of me, and Ken Schrader behind me. You get to talk to all of your hero's moments before they are to be introduced on stage.

Once driver introductions begin the seemingly seamless show you see on television, is extremely hectic backstage. People are rushing drivers back and forth, and rushing people with over-sized checks here and there. Finally, you all are in line. I'm right in front of the guy with Mobil 1, We both are handing out awards to Dale Jr. for his performance the week before at Atlanta. There is a guy who goes over your que's and everything like a conductor leading the orchestra.

They start calling driver name after driver name. The crowd begins to build as each name gets bigger and bigger as they head toward the front of the field of 43. They get to Dale Jr. the crowd goes insane, from that little stand you're placed on it is deafening to say the least, but awesome.

The announcer says, "Now on behalf of MBNA, We have Toby Christie, and Ron Christie to hand the $10,000 Mid Race Leader Award to Dale Earnhardt Jr. So I go up the ramp with my dad (who I wisely chose to give the second ticket to). We hand Earnhardt the check. We shake his hand and share a moment with him. He hands us his hat and we are on our way, as the announcer gives the Mobil 1 team their cue to go on stage.

It was an experience you can't even put a monetary value on, which is sad because NASCAR doesn't, and because of that not many people get to experience this part of the weekend enless they are working for the right company at the right time, but it was definitely something that four years later I haven't forgot anything about.

ARCA Loses Series Title Sponsor RE/MAX For 2010

Toby Christie — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:24:12 -0500

ARCA, going into 2010, has no title sponsor for its series. For those of you who don't know what ARCA is, It's the Automobile Racing Club of America, and this is more important than you know. If ARCA folds we will lose a series that opened in 1953, a series that has spawned such talent as Benny Parsons and Ken Schrader, just to name a few.

ARCA(not affiliated with NASCAR) has been a developmental feeder series for NASCAR, where many young guns go to gain more valuable experience. Drivers such as Scott Speed, Casey Mears, and Sam Hornish Jr. have the series to thank for where they are at in the learning curve of open wheel to stock car.

Let's all hope that by 2010 ARCA can find a company who finds their series as a viable place to get their company out there, because motorsports can survive a few teams folding, but when major racing series such as ARCA can't make it, its not long before the other racing series can't make it.

Scott Speed to Share No. 99 in the Nationwide Series

Toby Christie — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:08:31 -0500

We all know that Scott Speed has taken over A.J. Allmendinger's Red Bull Sprint Cup ride for 2009, but no news on who Speed would drive for in the Nationwide Series...Until today.

It was announced that Scott Speed will be sharing the No. 99 with Michael Waltrip, for Michael Waltrip Racing. Waltrip will drive the majority of the schedule with Aaron's and Best Western on the Toyota, but in the races Speed is at the helm Red Bull will be on the car, according to Waltrip.

It is currently unknown whether David Reutimann, who finished seventh in Nationwide standings, will be back next season. All initial signs definitely point to no with the current economic times.

More of the Same For Matt Kenseth In '09 With Yet Another Crew Chief

Toby Christie — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:06:28 -0500

2008 was a year to forget for Matt Kenseth. The 2003 Cup Champion started '08 very sluggish, but stormed back to make the chase when he and new crew chief Chip Boland started to gel. Kenseth's 2008 Chase bid ultimately fizzled with four finishes of 25th or worse in the final 10 races. Not only that, but Kenseth failed to win a race all season, but at least the team was starting to form some chemistry...

Now we fast forward to the 2008 offseason where it was announced Chip Boland would move to a different role at Roush Racing, and Drew Blickensderfer would be taking over crew chief duties for the team. This is a huge step backward for a team that finally was showing some progress.

Chemistry in sports is very difficult to obtain, but it is one of the most important things to secure (Especially in NASCAR). Fooling with pieces that are finally starting to click is just like starting over.

Would Jimmie Johnson have three Sprint Cups without Chad Knaus? Would Dale Jr.'s transition to Hendrick have been as easy without longtime crew chief Tony Eury Jr.? What happened when Ryan Newman and Matt Borland Split? And what about Kurt Busch and Jimmy Fenning? You get the point...

Chemistry is hard to find and when it is there it is hard to create again. I just hope that Kenseth can find chemistry as fast in 2009 as he did last season, or he could for the first time in his career, miss the chase.

Hall Of Fame Bound? Bobby Labonte to the Number 96 in 2009

Toby Christie — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:53:44 -0500

It is official. Even with many sources saying he was heading to Gannassi-Earnhardt's No. 8 car, Bobby Labonte has struck a deal with Hall of Fame Racing to drive their No. 96 car through the 2009 season.

Hall of Fame earlier today announced they are teaming up with Yates racing, in a deal that is expected to move the team from Gibbs Toyotas, to the Yates Fords. According to NASCAR.com, there will be a formal announcement Wednesday.

Bobby Labonte was the Champion of the Cup Series in 2000, and is with no question the most talented driver to ever drive the 96 car (no offense to Tony Raines and J.J. Yeley).

NASCAR Survival: Go Back To What Works

Toby Christie — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:16:20 -0500

It is becoming obvious that the sport we love, NASCAR, is starting to suffer. Stands are less packed, cars are increasingly unsponsored, and viewers are becoming less and less interested.

Less action on the track.

Less fans in the stands.

Downward spiral of TV ratings.

What is NASCAR doing wrong? It has nearly abandoned what initially attracted their fan base. People loved that NASCAR was different. However, with "cookie cutter" tracks, NASCAR has begun to look like the unsuccessful IRL series. For NASCAR, it isn't too late to fix their problem. They have to go back to what worked.

The short track can fix these issues. We are down to just three short tracks on the Sprint Cup Series! Let's say you move the Daytona 500 to the last race of the season to boost the Chase ratings. Then, you move California's first race to North Wilkesboro, and move Texas races to Texas World Speedway (a wonderful two-mile super oval).

One of Pocono's races is moved to Rockingham, and California's second race is moved back to Darlington. Finally, one of Atlanta's races is moved to Indy Motor Speedway.

The Budweiser Shootout is a joke and should be scrapped, and the All Star Race should be moved to Daytona—Speedweeks would end the season.

NASCAR: Nationwide Engine Rule Change Possibly Upcoming

Toby Christie — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 11:27:44 -0400

The last time NASCAR analyzed the engines of NASCAR Nationwide Series teams was back at Milwaukee, a race which was won by Carl Edwards' Ford. Milwaukee was one of the six races that have not been won by a Toyota thus far this season.

According to sources, here are the results of the last engine test by NASCAR:

#60 Ford Carl Edwards—611 horsepower

#88 Chevrolet Brad Keselowski—612 horsepower

#40 Dodge Dario Franchitti—628 horsepower

#20 Toyota Joey Logano—632 horsepower

As you can see, Toyota had approximately 20 to 21 horsepower over the Chevrolet and Ford teams.

Toyota, through no fault of their own, has built an impressive piece for the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, but with a romping 14 race wins in just 20 events thus far this season, NASCAR has to do something to level the playing field some.

A frustrated Clint Bowyer told reporters "a monkey could drive that 20 car and win."

We may never know if that's quite true, but it does seem that way.

NASCAR Nationwide Series officials took the engines (after the race at Chicago) from:

#18 Toyota Kyle Busch

#20 Toyota Tony Stewart

#10 Toyota Brian Vickers

#88 Chevrolet Brad Keselwoski

#11 Chevrolet Jason Keller

#2 Chevrolet Clint Bowyer

#16 Ford Greg Biffle

#17 Ford Matt Kenseth

#9 Dodge Elliott Sadler

#40 Dodge Dario Franchitti

NASCAR will dyno these engines this week—expect a possible rule change on the engine packages for the series soon, if the horsepower race is as lopsided or even more so since the last dyno test.

NASCAR: J.J. Yeley Will Face No Further Penalties After Chicago

Toby Christie — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:27:43 -0400

There were reports that the No. 96 team, with driver J.J. Yeley at the wheel, had hidden lead in their driver drinking water system in the car, then before the race replaced it with the real drinking system, in an effort to lighten up the race car.

It turns out that these reports were false. The 96 car did suffer a problem with the drinking system in the car before the race at Chicago, so they did replace it, but the one lap penalty at the start of the race will be all that is dished out to the DLP Hall Of Fame Racing team, which is a satellite team for Joe Gibbs Racing.

"They were replacing or changing out their drink system without NASCAR's supervision, and we take moving weight around in the car seriously," said Robin Pemberton, the circuit's vice president for competition. "...We're comfortable with what the car's weight was before the start of the race. As far as we know [Saturday], we're all flush. They've served out penalties."

Team co-owner Tom Garfinkel had this to say after the race:

"I think there were a couple of mistakes that were made by our crew that were honest mistakes ... [and] NASCAR had reason to believe we were doing something we shouldn't have been doing," he said. "We weren't doing it, but they had reason to believe that because of some mistakes in procedure that we made."

J.J. Yeley ended up 24th in Saturday night's race at Chicago. The finish moved him up two spots in the point standings from 38th to 36th. According to NASCAR officials, that position should be safe—at least for this week.

NASCAR: Penalty Probably Forthcoming for Juan Pablo Montoya

Toby Christie — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:20:17 -0400

Juan Pablo Montoya currently, after the Lennox 301, sits tied for 20th in the point standings with Bobby Labonte, but may not be there for long following an on-track incident with Kyle Busch. The incident alone could have been brushed over, it's really the interview afterwards that will come back to bite Montoya.

Montoya after the race stated, "He banged me and tried to wreck me—It gets to a point it's too much you know?

"He runs good, yeah, he's got a good car, yeah, but you know I thought we had a decent car today and I don't appreciate when people race me like that, there's a fine line and he just crossed it."

Montoya was then asked:

Did you intentionally spin out Kyle Busch?

Montoya replied: "Well..Yeah."

NASCAR has not responded kindly to drivers intentionally wrecking other drivers or intentionally causing accidents.

Back in 2002, Dale Earnhardt Jr. purposely spun himself out for a caution at Bristol and was hit with a 25-point penalty. Kurt Busch used his car to retaliate against Tony Stewart on pit road, and he was penalized as well.

The question is, with NASCAR's escalating penalties, and the fact that the guy Montoya spun was the point leader, how big does this penalty become? Stay tuned for the verdict on Monday.

Toby's NASCAR Power Rankings After LifeLock 400 at Michigan

Toby Christie — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:02:10 -0400

Kasey Kahne may not have won Sunday, but he did enough to maintain the top spot in my power rankings this week, but not many other positions stayed the same.

[ 1 ] Kasey Kahne

Average finish of 8.75 in the past four races—and it's only that low because he finished 31st at Dover. In his last four races, he's finished first, 31st, first, and second at Michigan. Second consecutive week at the top of the rankings.

[ 2 ] Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Snapped a 76-race losing streak. Who cares how he did it, he did it. Not to mention he is tied for the most Top 10s in the series, and has four Top Five finishes in his last five races. Moved up a spot from last week.

[ 3 ] Matt Kenseth

Five races ago, Matt was 22nd in points and had no chance of making the chase. Since then, he has clicked off Top 10s in every race. He is now 14th in points after finishing third at Michigan, and he's closing fast for the chase. Moved up two more spots this week.

[ 4 ] Kyle Busch

Announced he would focus more on his Sprint Cup program rather than run for three championships. This may just be the shot in the arm he needs in the power rankings next week—the past two weeks he has lost his mojo. Finished 43rd at Pocono, and 13th at Michigan. Stayed the same this week.

[ 5 ] Jeff Burton

Burton was riding high at second in the rankings last week, but a blah day at Michigan—where he finished 15th—drops him this week. Down three spots.

[ 6 ] Jimmie Johnson

Starting to look more like Jimmie. Would have had a chance to win Sunday if fuel mileage wasn't an issue. With a sixth place finish at Michigan, he now has three consecutive Top 10s going into Infineon. Up one spot.

[ 7 ] Carl Edwards

I know—the man has six straight Top 10s now, with his sevemth place finish at Michigan. But he finished one spot behind Jimmie Johnson Sunday, so now he's one spot behind him in the rankings. No, this isn't really how I rank people, haha. Down one spot.

[ 8 ] Brian Vickers

After a slow start to the season, Vickers has been the top-finishing Toyota the past two races, and is riding on a high of two straight Top Fives. He finished second a week ago, and fourth at Michigan. Up two Spots.

[ 9 ] Denny Hamlin

Okay, I dropped him out of my rankings for a couple of weeks because of boneheaded moves—like plowing into the field at Dover during the first wreck. But after finishing 14th at Michigan, that's two smart, solid runs in a row—and he's solidly back. New to the rankings this week.

[10] David Ragan

Ragan continues to impress this season with an eighth place finish at Michigan, but how much has this kid really improved from last season? His 2007 average finish was 24.5, and his current average finish in 2008 is 16.2—that, folks, is a huge improvement. Up three spots this week.

[11] Greg Biffle

Biffle had another good car Sunday, he couldn't seal the deal again. I'm being forced to wonder whether it's bad luck, or if I've been thinking this team is better than they are. Biffle finished 20th at Michigan. Down two spots.

[12] Tony Stewart

Only two Top 10s in the past six races is the reason Tony is so low, but a fifth-place finish at Michigan helps move him up a little. Up two spots.

[13] Clint Bowyer

From Atlanta to Richmond earlier in the year, he had a seven-race Top 10 streak going. But since then, he hasn't had a Top 10 finish in five races. He's starting to self destruct with an average finish of 28.2 over the past five weeks. Down five spots.

[14] Kevin Harvick

Had a great start to the season—but like his teammate Bowyer, he's hit a roadblock, and gone five weeks with no Top 10s. In Harvick's defense, he did finish 12th at Michigan. Down two spots.

[15] Jeff Gordon

Something is missing this year for the four-time Sprint Cup champion. He finished a disappointing 18th at Michigan, but he's now off to a road course. Gordon has a record nine Sprint Cup wins on road courses. He is going to need one at Infineon, because he's in danger of dropping out of the rankings. Down four Spots.

Dropped Out This Week: Kurt Busch

NASCAR: How Much Has Changed Since Dale Earnhardt Jr. Last Won?

Toby Christie — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:26:39 -0400

Just to put it in perspective, how long had it been since Dale Earnhardt Jr. had won a points race in Sprint Cup?

It's been 76 Sprint Cup races...or 770 days.

When he won his last race in May 2006, I was still in high school for 23 more days. Saddam Hussein was still alive. Let's not forget that Slovenia adopted the Euro as their official currency.

If you would have told someone Earnhardt was going to be driving any car other than the No. 8, they would have told you to calm down, it's just a commercial! Oh, and Joey Logano was just being born (that last one was a joke) but you get the picture. That was 2006, and this is 2008.

Since his last win in 2006, NASCAR TV ratings started to plummet, leading many to wonder if NASCAR's popularity had peaked.

Coincidentally, Dale Jr. has been much more consistent this season and TV ratings are back up. So whether you are a Dale Jr. fan or not, if you are a NASCAR fan, this may be the best thing for the sport in a trying economical time.

Let's not forget just months ago, many were wondering if Dale Jr. could ever win again (some were still saying that Sunday morning before the race.) But with his win in the LifeLock 400 at Michigan, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has silenced his critics for at least one week.

NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ends Winless Streak in Dramatic Fashion at Michigan

Toby Christie — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:30:56 -0400

In a race where it looked like Dale Jr. had it in the bag due to fuel mileage with two laps to go at Michigan, Sam Hornish Jr. spun out and brought out the caution. This put the race into overtime, which made Earnhardt, who was already sweating the amount of fumes in his tank, sweat even more.

Jr. shut his car off as much as he could during the caution laps, some times passing the pace car while coasting to save gas. After NASCAR warned him to stay in line, the race was scheduled to restart for a green-white-checkered finish, but the question was: did Dale Earnhardt Jr. have enough petrol to make it to the line?

When the green came out, Tony Eury Jr. told his driver to basically go for broke because they were probably going to run out of gas anyway. So Dale Jr. started to pull away to a comfortable lead over Kasey Kahne.

Then, with one lap to go, Michael Waltrip and Patrick Carpentier spun to bring out the final caution of the race. This may have saved Earnhardt from running out of gas, but alas we'll never know for sure now.

Dale Jr. would coast to the finish line under caution, victorious for the first time in 76 Sprint Cup events. And he didn't even have enough gas for a victory burnout.

Kasey Kahne was second, followed by Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers, and Tony Stewart rounded out the Top Five.

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If you follow my Fantasy Picks each week let me update you on how my picks came in at Michigan.

Jimmie Johnson: Sixth

Carl Edwards: Seventh

Kasey Kahne: Second

Matt Kenseth: Third

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: First

Brian Vickers: Fourth

My picks had an average finish of 3.8. That's pretty good stuff right there. Stay tuned for my Fantasy Picks for Sonoma coming up Thursday.

With Pocono Top5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Quietly Builds On Best Year Of His Career

Toby Christie — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 18:26:19 -0400

Dale Earnhardt Jr. may not have a win under his belt yet this season, and we already are all aware the same is true for his past 76 Sprint Cup starts, but he is quietly putting together the best season of his 9 year career.

The thing that has always been his downfall has been consistency, but this season he continues to put down great finish after great finish, and Sunday at Pocono was no exception.

Dale Jr. was running Top5 to Top10 all day until pit strategy moved him further back. But he continued trucking along, picking his way back up through the field, finishing a solid fourth at the tricky triangle that is Pocono.

He has only finished outside the Top15 in two races thus far this season, and with Kyle Busch's 43rd place finish Sunday, he has climbed back within shouting distance of the point lead at 145 markers back.

We are 14 races into the 2008 season and here are Earnhardt's current stats this season:

Starts: 14

Poles: 1

Wins: 0

Top5: 6 (Tied for 2nd most in 2008 Sprint Cup)

Top10: 10 (Tied for most in 2008 Sprint Cup)

Laps Led: 527 (Has led in all but four races in 2008)

DNF's: 0

Avg. Finish: 11.2 (Career Best)

Those are some pretty impressive stats through 14 races, even though he hasn't been flashy like Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards have by pulling into victory lane, its alright because he is correcting the one thing we all used to criticise him on...being consistent.

Truck Series: "Year Of The Rookie" Continues As Justin Marks Wins Pole

Toby Christie — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:46:40 -0400

There is a new story to keep an eye on all of a sudden in the Craftsman Truck Series garage: the rookies.

Three weeks, ago a trend was started when Donny Lia made a heart-stopping last-lap pass of David Starr for his first career victory in just his eighth start.

The very next race, fellow Truck Series rookie Scott Speed (shown in picture above) won in just his sixth career start by holding off Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday.

I know you're probably wondering...what's the big deal? Well, there hadn't been a rookie winner in this series since 2003, but now all of a sudden the rookies are on a two-race winning streak.

The next chapter in the year of the rookie was written on Thursday, when Justin Marks narrowly grabbed the first pole position for a rookie since 2006. He qualified at a speed of 176.961 mph at Texas Motor Speedway. Mike Skinner qualified second, followed by Ron Hornaday, Jon Wood, and point leader Rick Crawford.

Make sure to tune in to the Truck race Friday night on SPEED.

Kyle Busch: Unstoppable? Maybe Not

Toby Christie — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:29:11 -0400

Since Kyle Busch has cruised to his fourth Sprint Cup victory of the season last Sunday at Dover, many have come to believe he is a lock for the 2008 Sprint Cup championship.

But before you put your "Sure Thing" money down for the championship, don't forget we were saying the same thing about Jeff Gordon last season. Gordon had a 317-point lead going into the Chase for the Cup, and still ended up short in his quest for a fifth Cup Championship.

There are three more things that could harm Busch's chances—aside from the point reset after Richmond:

1. Getting burned out. Shrub is running in so many races you have to wonder if his schedule will eventually take its toll on the young Busch.

2. He's not making any friends. With his hardheaded driving style—especiall y this season—Busch hasn't made nearly as many friends as he has enemies. That may come back to bite him in the chase, when some of his enemies aren't racing for a championship.

3. The possibility of a Joe Gibbs Racing meltdown due to the distractions from Tony Stewart's contract situation.

In my opinion the only thing that can truly beat Kyle Busch this season is himself. He is having a fantastic season thus far, but it isn't over until November.

Tony Stewart Dominates 2008 Prelude To The Dream

Toby Christie — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:56:37 -0400

Wednesday night, Tony Stewart put on a driving clinic at the race track he owns, Eldora Speedway.

Stewart led all 30 laps of the charity event, beating Robby Gordon to the finish line by 1.502 Seconds.

"After crashing out last year, I was bound and determined that I was going to run better," said Stewart, after last year's frustrating 22nd finish.

The Prelude to The Dream was available on HBO with all proceeds going to the Victory Junction Gang. This race is extremely unique because it is an invitation only race for all-stars, and is raced on dirt.

If you missed the action, SPEED will be re-airing the race in the near future.

2008 Prelude To The Dream Race Results:

[ 1 ] Tony Stewart

[ 2 ] Robby Gordon

[ 3 ] Clint Bowyer

[ 4 ] Kenny Wallace

[ 5 ] Denny Hamlin

[ 6 ] Matt Kenseth

[ 7 ] Kevin Harvick

[ 8 ] Jimmie Johnson

[ 9 ] Ken Schrader

[10] Kyle Busch

[11] David Reutimann

[12] Ryan Newman

[13] Red Farmer

[14] Jeff Gordon

[15] Cruz Pedregon

[16] Ray Evernham

[17] Ron Capps

[18] Carl Edwards

[19] Aric Almirola

[20] Dave Blaney

[21] J.J. Yeley

[22] Kasey Kahne

[23] Bobby Labonte

Mark Martin Did not Start (Accident in Heat 1)

Bill Elliott Did not Start (Oil Pump Belt)