Bleacher Report - Articles by Erin Connolly

Denny Hamlin: The Guy No One is Talking About at Daytona

Erin Connolly — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:37:47 -0400

Is Denny Hamlin under appreciated or outshined at Gibbs Racing?

At the Coke Zero 400 Hamlin begin to look less like the student and more like his old master Tony Stewart.

Last season Hamlin himself questioned if his team deserved to make the Chase.

However, this season the No. 11 team have found quit consistency. In the media Hamlin has become the forgotten middle child of Gibbs racing.

The focus has been either on the “hot shot” Kyle Busch or the “protégée” Joey Logano.

But while they weren’t looking Hamlin settled into a mature contender, which was further illustrated by the No. 11 team’s performance on the 4th of July.

On Lap 2 Hamlin pushed Kurt Busch through the middle to take the lead from Jeff Gordon.

By Lap 4, Hamlin said good-bye to Busch and took the lead for himself. Hamlin would bring an aggressive driving style normally attributed to fellow Gibbs teammate Kyle Busch throughout the race.

A strong No. 11 car at Daytona is nothing new. Hamlin has lead in 3 out of the 4 last Daytona races, nevertheless till now had never been able to capture a top ten finish.

Fifteen laps in Hamlin would become a little tight dropping down third.

On Lap 30 an air pressure and wedge adjustment, would give Hamlin the handling he needed to challenge Tony Stewart for the lead.

Quickly Kyle Busch made a move on the inside. He was meet with a strong block by Hamlin. Kyle Busch’s charge was transformed into a push for Hamlin.

On Lap 40 the six lead cars would pull away from the pack.

Lap 46 Tony Stewart took the lead away from Hamlin, beginning the dance of Hamlin/Stewart for the lead. The No. 14 team would be prefect on pit road winning the race off every time.

Stewart would preferentially take the inside lane on re-starts. Hamlin on the outside would quickly take back lead position.

The high –line however, by Lap 109 would hanging Hamlin out to dry. Hamlin would have to race his way to the front, and did he ever.

With 46 laps to go teammate Logano would give Hamlin some much needed help moving Hamlin up to 7th .

By Lap 129 Hamlin would be back up to third only -.220 off the leader.

During the second to last pit stop Crew Chief Mike Ford, told Hamlin “this is your race”. The re-start would start with Stewart and Hamlin on the inside, Kyle on the outside.

Stewart and Hamlin pulled away past Kyle Busch and Jimmy Johnson for first and second.

One more yellow flag would bring a final re-start with nine to go. Again Stewart would choice the inside, Hamlin had the high line, and the strong 48 car behind him.

It looked like Mike Ford was right this was going to be Hamlin’s. Then the unthinkable, Jimmy Johnson abandoned Hamlin.

He would say later that he thought it would give him a better finish. But it felt more like, a teammate move, so much or Stewart not being on the “Hendricks Team”.

Hamlin and Johnson would fall back in line behind Kyle Busch and Stewart. If Hamlin and Busch timed it right they could have made their move and successfully gotten around Stewart.

Instead they waited too long. By the time they made the move it forced Busch to drive in his mirror. He had to hog the track to win.

Busch would block Stewart hard on the inside. Then quickly cut back across Stewart again, leaving no other option but contact. Basically Kyle Busch put himself in the wall.

The question that I believe needs to be asked is why Kyle Busch didn’t make the move sooner.

My hypothesis he was confident in taking Stewart, but didn’t want to give Hamlin a shot. If he passed earlier he would have had to race Hamlin to the end.

Funny Hamlin’s choices were all about team work, Busch’s, led to 2 wreaked Gibbs cars.

Maybe it is time to give credit where credit is due, Busch may bring fireworks, but Hamlin is the one that gets the job done.

Kasey Kahne and the No. 9 Team: Could Synergy Be the Key To Making the Chase?

Erin Connolly — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:40:58 -0400

The 2008 season for the No. 9 team lacked one major thing consistency. There were checkered flags and DNFs however, in the end the bad days would out number the good. When Francis hit the setup, the No. 9 could be counted on for a strong finish. Yet, if the day started out ghastly it became a forgone conclusion that a top 25 finish was out of reach.

The 2008 season begged the question what is the problem? Driver? Doubtful, 2006 demonstrated that the Cup series and Kahne are a good fit. True the fallowing seasons weren’t completely highlights in his career. Yet, he didn’t go winless last year something even the great Jeff Gordon can’t claim.

Next most likely suspect—Crew Chief? Francis has made the Chase three consecutive years (2004-2006) with different drivers including Kahne, therefore not making him the smoking gun either.

The answer is synergy (or lack there of).

History shows that this Crew Chief and Driver are able to work together. The new variable is horsepower. Yes, the No.9 team was a Dodge team in 2006 when they were winning so why is the engine now in question? The answer is the changes in horsepower of other engine.

Look at the success of Toyotas in 2008 horsepower defiantly factored into that equation. Many times last season Kahne would get hung up in lap traffic, the easy diagnosis of this situation is lack of driver confidence. The more likely truth was horsepower, although the result of the lack of power probably did nothing to boost driver confidence.

To synergize the No. 9 team needs three things from Francis and crew, on point (1) setup (2) fuel millage strategy and (3) pit-stops. These three things need to work together to overcome the horsepower issue. The No. 9 team needs to stay upfront, thus the need for the right setup for qualifying and consistent handling throughout the race.

Secondly, the fuel millage strategy and pit-stops have to keep track position in mind. For other teams a drop of four to five spots due to pitting is recoverable were for the No. 9 team this could have a drastic negative effect on their race.

Without question Kahne is a key component to this synergy as well. Kahne must be aggressive yet smart in qualifying. A good qualifying position is key for this team’s race strategy. Being smart in qualifying can’t be understated for the No. 9 having to go to a backup car would be much more of a gamble for this team, then say the No.48 team.

Again with keeping the horsepower issue in mine, Kahne most be aggressive (1) off pit row and (2) on restarts. As every spot counts for this team, it is key for Kahne maintain track position.

Going into this season both Crew Chief and Driver set a goal of constancy. Kahne himself set the personal goal of on bad days still finishing in the top 25. Currently, the No. 9 team is 16th in the standings. The No. 9 team today has an average finish of 17.4. They only fell short of their goal twice, Richmond and Talladega.

The numbers also speak volumes as to how critical being upfront is for the No. 9 team. Taking into account only those races upon which the No. 9 team had low starting position <18, they had an average finish of 22.5. Now juxtapose that to high start positions which were they had an average finish of 14, the importance of track position for this team is striking.

	Finished	Start	Lead
Darlington	23	7	45
Richmond	29	18	0
Talladega	36	35	0
Phoenix	13	21	0
Texas	19	6	0
Martinsville	19	6	0
Bristol	5	5	0
Atlanta	7	13	0
Las Vegas	11	7	1
California	12	22	0

Granted just looking at start and finish data doesn’t tell the whole story of a race, yet for this teams there seems to be a correlation between start position and race success.

However, there is another interesting number to address as wells and that is laps lead. Until Darlington this was basically a non-stat for the No. 9. Nevertheless could Kahne’s performance on the “Lady in Black” mark the beginning of true synergy for the No.9 team?

The egg-shaped Darlington with her mismatched ends makes this track a particular challenge for Crew Chefs. The No. 9 team started Darlington in 7th; they stayed out in front indicating Francis and crew were on point. By Lap 71 Kahne was in the lead, clearly driver was in the game too. As with pass races this year it was apparent that they had addressed the horsepower/lap traffic issue of last season, yet it hasn’t been enough, no synergy.

The definition of synergy is 1+1=3. I would argue until Lap 84 at Darlington, No.9 team math was 1+1=2. What changed?

The No. 9 crew and Kahne became the No. 9 team. The No. 9 crew could bring a good car to the track, and Kahne could drive that car, as seen by good qualify times and reasonable finishes. Yet, they weren’t leading or wining. The change could be seen when in the lead the No. 9 crew made a fast four tire stop and Kahne won the race off pit row and the No. 9 team was on fire.

The clear indication that the No. 9 team had become more then just the sum of their parts came on Lap 205. Kahne lost a tire after contact with David Stremme. The nose was knocked in forcing a green flag pit stop, ultimately putting the No. 9 team two laps down.

If this was 2008 the lack of horsepower plus team frustration would have equal disaster 1+1=2. This wasn’t the case at Darlington. Multiple cautions gave the No. 9 crew time to address the handing problems. Kahne’s decisive driving choices put them back to only one Lap down. The desire to finish strong was clear in this team 1+1=3, leading to a 23rd place finish on a “bad day.”

The big question is will it hold. Darlington hinted at the possibility that the rest of the season could look more like 2006 then 2008. Kahne will defend his All Start title this weekend, and although it isn’t for point this maybe the perfect place to make their new found synergy stick. If it does the Chase could still be in reach for this team.

Victory Lane for Jeff Gordon at the Samsung 500

Erin Connolly — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 18:03:07 -0400

Jeff Gordon won the Samsung 500 Sunday, slaughtering the fear of another winless season.

Gordon fans would say they could just feel it, Texas would provide then with a victory. Texas Motor Speed had humbled this champion in the past. Last year Texas added the footnote of Gordon’s second last place finish ever, to his career. Therefore, it seemed fitting that this year Texas became a highlight in Gordon’s career.

The No. 24 team’s decisive choice not to pit on Lap 221 gave Gordon the advantage he had been lacking in the first half of the race. Gordon wasn’t alone in being denied the lead. Greg Biffle made dominating the first half of Samsung 500 look like taking a Sunday drive.

Gordon, Kenseth and Stewart would mount a challenge, but none could close the gap to less then a minute. As not pitting had saved Gordon, pitting was Biffle’s downfall. The No. 16 team was consistent, Biffle’s pitting as no longer then other stops. Nevertheless, the No. 16 team simply wasn’t as fast enough. Maybe they could learn something from the bees in Kenseth’s pit.

The sight of the No. 24 car in the lead must have been exhilarating for Gordon fans, but on Lap 294 it looked that they maybe robbed of victory once again, as Edwards dropped to the inside for a push to the front.

Gordon was able to answer Edwards’ advance until he was blocked by the lapped car of Joey Lagano. Shortly after Edwards took the lead from Gordon, Stewart on Lap 298 took second from Gordon as well. Was the champion slipping?

Gordon needed a reprieve, a hard hit by David Stremme into the wall give it too him in the form of a yellow flag. Gordon fans were out of their seats or leaning into the TV, willing pit row to give Gordon the advantage twice in one race. As Edwards experienced trouble on pit row, the No. 24 team was perfect.

Gordon would take the lead never to relinquish it again.

The Bucket Report: Texas, Earnhardt Jr. Out of Gas and Hamlin Has No Handling

Erin Connolly — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:53:17 -0500

The Texas Motor Speedway is quad-oval 1.5 mile track really similar to the Atlanta Motor Speedway as well as Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Texas is banked 24 degrees in the turns.

As the Texas Speedway aged it lost its title as the fastest non-restrictor plate track to Atlanta, but speed is definably still a factor at Texas as by Lap 276 only fifteen cars were on the lead lap.

However, the real story at Texas on Sunday was fuel millage. The leaders were driving on vapor, for some this gamble equaled victory for other disappointment.

Ranked 12th – Denny Hamlin (No. 11)

Start	Finish	Change in Standing
17	17	-1

Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 team brought Chassis JGR 204 to Texas, the same chassis that brought them third places at Atlanta, so what happened?

A perturbed Denny would tell a reporter from FedEx.com:

“We definitely fought a car that was really hard to drive all afternoon. We just didn't get it figured out. The FedEx Office guys tried almost everything they could and we just couldn't get it right. We were loose on exit, tight in the center; we couldn't put the throttle down. There was no reaction out of the front end - you say it, it happened to us”.

Denny’s handling problem were evident early in the race as on his first pit, Lap 50 the No. 11 team made a wedge adjustment and added a spring rubber. The changes regrettably, didn’t improve the handling issues, evident as Denny fell deeper back in the field. By Lap 287 he would be off the lead lap.

The No. 11 car fought coming off the corners for grip, but as Denny would say over the radio “We just can’t put the throttle down”. By Lap 113 Denny was at 26th.

As Texas is a speed track, the leader, Carl Edwards make quick work of catching Denny. On Lap 132 Edwards knocked the No. 11 team off the lead lap. Denny would fight the rest of the day in hope of the luck dog position, however, despite his efforts the No. 11 team would finish were they started at seventh.

After Atlanta it looked that the No. 11 team had gotten their second Chase wind. Texas wasn’t the race we expected from the No. 11. However, looking at the positive with a dreadfully handling car, Denny was able to pull off a top twenty finish.

If the No. 11 team can fix the handling problems, look for Denny to move up after Phoenix.

Ranked 11th – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88)

Start	Finish	Change in Standing
5	20	-1

Minute yet track position consuming issues would plague Dale Jr. through out the first half of the race. He made a charge to the front but a loose wheel would cost him a few spots by Lap 58.

Although, the No. 88 team had smooth pit-stops, handling issue would drop Dale Jr. to sixteenth by Lap 117. Quickly putting him in danger for dropping off the lead lap as only the top eighteen cars were on the lead lap at this point.

Dale Jr. would fall a lap down, however, with fresh tires by Lap 297 the No. 88 team was back on the lead lap and at seventh. By Lap 324 Edwards was leading Dale Jr. by 10.659.

The No. 88 teams, as well as the No. 24 choose to take the fuel millage challenge with Edwards and stay out. However, at Lap 328 then second place Dale Jr.’s luck with his fuel would run out.

This gamble would cost the No. 88 team one spot in the standing. However, I think most would agree it was be right choice for the No. 88 team, had it paid off the Dale Jr. would have moved up. Furthermore, being in the Chase bucket dropping one spot isn’t as dramatic a lost as if he was in the top five.

Sidebar: Edward fuel millage choice; Edward’s last fuel pit was on Lap 264. There would be four more laps under that caution, thus giving him an extra four laps of fuel millage as the general rule is two yellow laps to one green. At that point there was 70 Laps to go, on average a tank of fuel last for 30-40 laps. Taking in account for the caution, to go to the end he would have to squeeze out between 36-26 Laps, or pit around Lap 310. However, it seemed cars were squeezing out above average fuel millage at Texas. Therefore, on Lap 315 with only 19 Laps to go the No. 99 team takes the gamble to stay out. It absolutely paid off.

Ranked 10th – Kyle Busch (#18)

Start	Finish	Change in Standing
29	6	+2

Prior to Texas Kyle Busch told SceneDaily.com last Friday “I wish it was over with and done with after the third race of the Chase”. However, he didn’t drive at Texas like someone who had filed this season away.

Whether you love or hate the MM, one thing most won’t dispute is Kyle Busch has a gift for seeing the wholes in traffic. He made quick work of the 24 cars ahead of him to enter the top five at Lap 207. By Lap 218 he would be riding Jamie McMurray’s bumper for third.

After a quick wedge adjustment and four tires Kyle would pass David Reutiman on Lap 247 for second. It looked like the pre-Chase Kyle had found his way back into the No. 18 car, as by Lap 263 Kyle was 1.756 of Edward’s lead. Kyle would slip down to at Lap 276 seventh after pitting.

Yet, again in typical Kyle fashion he was charging back though the field. It looked like a top five finish was possible.

However, as the rest of the field tried to squeezes out fuel mileage the No. 18 went with a different strategy, one which would cost them a top five finish. On Lap 314 Kyle got fuel and new right side tires, assuming that as others began to run low on gas, the fresh tires would give him the competitive edge.

It wouldn’t be enough.

The Chase is coming to an end. With just a couple of races to salvage a little pride, will we see more gambles or will some drives just want the 2008 season past quietly? I will predict that those drives at the bottom of the Chase bucket aren’t the quite type.

Well until next time, happy cheering for the bottom of the bucket!

The Taxman is Coming for Larry McClure of Morgan-McClure Motorsports

Erin Connolly — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 03:36:27 -0400

Morgan-McClure Motorsports is one of the little guys in NASCAR. It can boast three Morgan-McClure drivers that have won the Daytona 500, including Sterlin Marlin in 1994 and 1995. However, Morgan-McClure Motorsports hit tough times, trying to keep up with multi-car organizations. Last season, with Ward Burton as their driver, they finished 47th in the points.

With the lost of their top driver—Marlin—and their major sponsor, Kodak, Morgan-McClure Motorsports was forced to put the No. 4 Chevrolet in the garage and close its doors. In closing their door, 28 employees were laid off.

Now, it seems, as Morgan-McClure Motorsports was struggling to stay alive, Larry McClure had a different addenda. On Tuesday, Oct. 28, the taxman caught up with McClure, as he was indicted on charges of federal tax law violations.

An Abingdon (Va) federal grand jury returned the indictment which charged McClure with filling a false tax return, obstruction of tax investigation, mail fraud, money laundering, and finally wire fraud. If convicted, McClure could be fined $2.75 million and possibly up to 115 years in prison.

The unreported income was allegedly a $325,000 payment from an unnamed individual for the use of race cars in the Automobile Racing Club of America series for 2002 through 2004. McClure made the statement that the $325,000 was a loan, which his wife paid back in 2006.

The IRS considers this statement to be false. Also it should be noted that McClure made this alleged “loan repayment” a week after IRS investigator contacted the unnamed person.

Additionally, the indictment declares that McClure fraudulently claimed that between January 2003 and March 2003, he spent $59,852 on painting four show car trailers.

The president and co-owner of Morgan-McClure Motorsports, Tim Morgan defended McClure in an interview with Bob Pockrass and Kenny Bruce of the Associated Press “We don’t think Larry is guilty of what he’s been accused of. Certainly, I can assure you a lot of it is fluff. It’s hard for me to understand where it came from. Ultimately, I think he will be cleared”.

Morgan went on to state that if McClure was found guilty, Morgan-McClure Motorsports can operate without him.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Bucket Report: Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin in the Top Five at Atlanta

Erin Connolly — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:13:20 -0400

That’s right the Bucket Report is back! As Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson make the big headlines, the Bucket Report likes to shine a light on those a bit lower in the standings at the bottom of the Chase bucket so to speak. At Atlanta the Bucket drivers did shine.

Atlanta’s quad-oval track is one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit. There are no restrictor plates at Atlanta thus leading to the track's slogan, "Real Racing, Real Fast". However, track temperature at Atlanta often changes drastically over the duration of the race, which can lead to handling issues.

Ranked 12^th – Kyle Busch (#18)

Start	Finish	Change in Standing
12	5	--

Over all Kyle Busch hasn’t had the Chase everyone expected, however maybe his Atlanta top five finish will make all that humble pie being thrown at him a little easier to get down. Not to say that Atlanta was easy on Kyle, for almost half the race he struggled with a really loose car. On Lap 88 the No. 18 team tried a wedge and air pressure adjustments. Kyle was able to move up to tenth, but battling with car prevented a stronger push. On Lap 185 a track-bar adjustment seemed to tighten up the No. 18 car.

In the last fourth of the race Kyle would pass brother Kurt for fourth on Lap 309. On a sidenote what a race for Kurt Busch! This Chase has highlighted the nothing to lose attitude of the non-Chasers. Kurt Busch was the embodiment of the attitude at Atlanta as he kissed the wall multiple times but wasn’t being pushed out of the top ten. Jimmie Johnson would pass both brothers on Lap 322 leading to a fifth (Kyle) and sixth (Kurt) finish, a commendable day for the Busch family.

Ranked 11^th – Denny Hamlin (#11)

Start	Finish	Change in Standing
11	3	--

Martinsville hinted at a turnaround for Denny Hamlin and Atlanta confirmed it. Early on in Atlanta Denny, like teammate Kyle Busch struggled with his car, reporting a vibration. In his first pit-stop on Lap 86 the No. 11 team would make a chassis adjustment. Through out the first half of the race the No. 11 team would go on making minor adjustments. With the car coming together Denny entered the top five.

Sidebar: Chassis Adjustments; think of the chassis as the selection of the car. Often a team as a chassis setup that has works for a given track and hopes to only need to make minor adjustment, such at air pressure etc. during the race. An ideal situation would be when as Jeff Huneycutt put it, “it feels like you’ve got Velcro tires and you're racing on a felt track”. If minor adjustments can’ t make this happened then changes to the chassis setup such as adjusting the sway bar or rear axles may get your closer to Velcro.

On Lap 254 feeling his car was to tight Denny called for a wedge adjustment. The No. 11 team was superb during that pit-stop, giving Denny the edge he needed to win the race off pitrow and take the lead for the first time. Denny would go on to lead for 56 laps. Early after taking the lead (Lap 275) Denny would pull away from Matt Kenseth by 1.999 seconds. Cautions would reel Denny back in however, he would maintain the lead position through three restarts.

On the fourth restart of Denny’s lead on Lap 309 Carl Edwards quickly dived beneath Denny to take the lead. Denny would hold a solid second, his only challenge coming from Jimmie Johnson, who with the white flag out finally caught Denny, leading him to finish third.

This Chase has offered Denny a chance to grow as a driver, his turn around in Martinsville and strong performance at Atlanta maybe foreshadowing the racer to come.

Well until next time, happy cheering for the bottom of the bucket!

Martinsville Marks a Turnaround for Denny Hamlin

Erin Connolly — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:54:29 -0400

Martinsville for Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch was a tire nightmare. However, for teammate Denny Hamlin, was it the start of a come back?

There was a lot of hype surrounding teammate Kyle Busch entering the Chase, so the fact that Hamlin finished 3rd in the last three races before the Chase was somewhat over looked.

Hamlin’s consistency made him a good pick for a dark horse coming into the Chase. Yet, as fate would have it as the Chase began the Gibbs team would be cursed with blown engines and crashes and Hamlin was no exception.

Talladega sent Hamlin to the hospital, but he was back in the saddle for Charlotte earning finish of 16th. At Martinsville back in full health, with a solid car it seem the old Hamlin has found his way back to the track.

Due to qualifying being rained out Hamlin started in 12th. At Martinsville lap traffic can be an issue but Hamlin was able to quickly move up into the top ten.

By Lab 124 Hamlin was side by side with Jimmy Johnson for seventh. Hamlin’s connection and confront with the Martinsville track was clear as he didn’t let up on Johnson for a minute, following right with him as they both passed Bobby Labonte on Lap 127 for fifth (Johnson) and sixth (Hamlin).

By Lap 133 Hamlin was in the top five.

Knowing the tire issue of his teammates Hamlin was vigilant over the radio checking on his tires and brakes. Mike Ford assured Hamlin the brakes had very little color.

Hamlin was continuing to dig but found himself slipping in track position, as his tire were giving out. The No. 11 car was reanimated after pitting and Hamlin was quickly back to regain a top five position.

Hamlin would pass Gordon for sixth place on Lap 375, which began a heated ballot between the two of him. Gordon would retake his position from Hamlin on Lap 400.

However, after dispensing with some strong lap traffic opposition from Juan Pablo Montoya, Hamlin would catch Gordon on Lap 453 and pass him for fourth. However Gordon would take fourth from Hamlin after gaining track position from pitting.

Fourth may have slipped through Hamlin’s figures but fifth was as fight Hamlin won. Casey Mears wasn’t simply going to allow Hamlin to drift into fifth. Mears brought a brutal fight for fifth right until the end. Hamlin stayed steady and fifth was his.

The No. 11 team was quick and efficient in pitting. The car required only minor adjustment and Hamlin was a smart aggressive driver once again.

Did Martinsville mark a turn around for the No. 11 team? Could Hamlin be the spark the Gibbs team needs? Atlanta will say for sure.

Jr. Nation: Nation of Fans or Fakes?

Erin Connolly — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:11:57 -0400

Martinsville was engulfed in a sea of green as Jr. Nation descended upon her, in their Wrangler jeans and Amp Energy gear. As a non-Nation member I found myself surrounded on all sides, and as luck would have it my seat was directly in front of Jr.’s pit. As the races began I braced myself for the full impact of Jr. Nation.

At the end of the race all I can say is, Nation what a let down. The majority of the Jr. “fans” around me could give you better stats on the Martinsville dog line, then how the No. 88 team did. Which brings me to my question is Jr. Nation a nation of fans or fakes?

Yes, I am completely aware that the above statement has just called for the wrath of Jr. Nation to crash down on me. I say bring it on! I for one want to hear what real Jr. fans think of their Nation. I am making the assumption that the fakes won’t be reading this article.

So now that I have your attention Jr. Nation I hope you will indulge me by answering a question, if you are a nation of fans and not fakes then has Jr. Nation become jaded?

Looking just at the facts Dale Earnhardt Jr. has earned his right to be called one of the top drivers in NASCAR. Currently he can boast a career of 22 wins /67 top ten finishes(Nationwide) and 18 win /133 top ten finishes (Sprint Cup). Perhaps since Jr. performs at this level the Nation feels it doesn’t need to cheer unless he takes the lead.

At Lap 413, a true Jr. fan in front of me sporting an old school Winston Cup Series jacket was on her feet. Her enthusiasm was infectious, my eyes were drawn to the No. 88 car. Jr.’s race was coming together as he was going for Edwards on the inside.

My mental spotter was going off, still there, still there, clear. My eyes darted to see the Nation in action, although there were some cheers, the major of the “fans” were silent. Did they not see it or did they no care I wondered.

On Lap 455 suddenly the Nation came alive as Jr. closed in on Jimmy Johnson.

Which brings me back to my question of, is Jr. Nation jaded, should a true Nation member only cheer for a lead change? If you (the Nation) are not jaded then we come back to the notion that the Nation has become overrun with fakes.

Thus I call for all true Jr. fans to stand up and be heard at the next race. Cheer loudly, clue in the silent Jr. fans around you (in a peaceful non-violent manner please). Take back the Nation you once were.

Kasey Kahne Missed History by Seven-Tenths of a Second at Charlotte

Erin Connolly — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 03:10:24 -0400

Kasey Kahne just missed history by a mere 0.7 seconds at Charlotte on Saturday. All were on the edge of their seats last Saturday wondering if he could, willing him to catch Jeff Burton (except Burton’s fans, of course) but it wasn’t meant to be.

There was a lot of hype surrounding Kahne coming into Charlotte. If he won, he would have been the first to win all three events hosted by LMS in a single season.

At testing, there was a clear drop in the No. 9 team’s tone, a crew that had been childishly upbeat had become painfully pessimistic. The car was junk. It wasn’t possible the car was the setup that give Kahne his two other LMS victories (the All-Star race and the Coca-Cola 600). Yet, the impossible was happening and the No. 9 car wasn’t what it once was.

On Saturday, Kahne struggled in the first two-thirds of the race. All the buzz around him was gone, the broadcasters weren’t talking about him anymore. He had gone back to a non-Chaser footnote.

Then the impossible happened again. After pitting on Lap 305, a switch was clearly flipped for the No. 9 team, as they entered the top five.

Kahne chased down Jimmy Johnson then passed him. Kahne was back on the broadcasters' lips; the crowd’s excitement grew as Kahne closed the distance on Kurt Busch for second.

On Lap 322, Burton was in sight. Hope returned to the No. 9 team, as he was 1.841 seconds behind. Lap 329, Kahne was 0.977 seconds of the leader; fans were standing in Charlotte and leaning into the TV at home. Lap 331, Kahne was only 0.7 seconds behind Burton, then it was over—the recorded had slipped away. Yet, in that moment it didn’t feel like a loss, did it? For one moment, second place was amazing.

Later, Joe Menzer from NASCAR.com asked Kahne if he though he could have won if he had more time. Kahne went on to say no that they gave it all they had and acknowledged the strong fight Kurt Busch brought for second. Menzer’s article made second feel like second; he missed the point, and he didn’t ask the right questions.

The question I would have asked was, "In that last moment, did it all go away? The record, the season, all of it—were you just racing?"

We have seen Kahne fight to the bitter end before this season. Remember Fontana, when he was side-by-side with Kyle Busch to line. I think in those moments Kahne is the young driver racing in the Midgets, when it was just about going fast. When he's pushing the car and himself for those extra seconds not because in the long run anyone will care, but because he knew he could.

That moment may be lost to the record books, but it will always be part of my NASCAR history. I am glad I got to see second become more then just losing.

Have the Gibbs’ Boys Arrived at The Chase or Not?

Erin Connolly — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 06:25:43 -0400

Until Talladega, it looked like the Gibbs Racing, Sprint Cup story could be titled, "Penalties and Blown Engines." The No. 18 team’s great season was blowing up all over tracks from New Hampshire to Kansas.

Kyle Busch’s cautions about the car fell on a deaf pit crew. Denny Hamlin also covered Dover in oil when he blew, and Tony Stewart’s ride was not without its problems.

But when the cars held together, all three members racked up the penalties. Yet, at Talladega where the cars seemed magnetically drawn to each other out the crashes, Gibbs Racing came to life, Stewart got his first win and Busch was in the top 20.

Coming off the momentum of Talladega, Gibbs Racing brought three strong cars to Charlotte. Nevertheless, Busch and Stewart lost their track positions because they didn’t drive smart, again I am talking about penalties.

Coming into pit row too soon and speeding on the way out has been the Gibbs Racing signature move in this Cup series. With that aside, Charlotte was a good showing for all three teams of Gibbs Racing. Has the Gibbs racing crews finally found their groves?

Kyle Busch No.18 Finish: 4^th Start: 11^th

Kyle Busch was pretty in pink with a nice fourth place finish. Kyle immediately demanded his spot in the top five at Charlotte. The No. 18 team was well-organized and quick at pitting.

A little over halfway through the race at Lap 177, Kyle reported being tight—a problem that was swiftly addressed. It looked like Kyle was in position to have a shot at the win, but on Lap 260, he was caught speeding out of pit row.

After the pass through penalty, Kyle’s talent of dispatching with lap traffic put him back into the top five. However, the finish was tainted with the question of whether or not he actually got the penalty.

Tony Stewart No.20 Finish: 11^th Start: 7^th

Tony Stewart’s raw hunger for another win rolled over the seven cars in front of him to take the lead by Lap 32. Tony would only fall from the lead for pitting too quickly to regain it.

His energy seemed unstoppable until his car came loose on Lap 111. But the No. 20 team was able to make the proper adjustments, and Tony was back in the lead until he flushed it away by speeding out of pit row with teammate Kyle Busch. But unlike Kyle, Tony wasn’t able to regain his track position.

Denny Hamlin No.11 Finish: 16^th Start: 12^th

Denny Hamlin was a victim of lap traffic at Charlotte. Early in the race, Denny was unable to brake into the top-10 as he was caught behind lap traffic going two wide.

He fought his way up to 13th only to come loose and be sent into the wall on turn two, courtesy of Clint Bowyer in Lap 232.

The wall gave it hard to Denny’s right rear. The No. 11 team wouldn’t allow Charlotte to have the last word and made quick work of putting the car back on the track. Denny dug in and responded to his team’s hard work by bringing home an acceptable finish for them.

As the Chase enters the halfway mark, are the Gibbs racing teams heating up.

Thus far, the Kyle Busch of races past hasn’t been seen at the Chase; Tony Stewart, on the other hand, seemed to save it all for the Chase—he truly has become electrifying to watch, and Denny Hamlin hasn’t been able to find the consistency he had in the race for the Chase.

Martinsville will show if the Gibbs’ boys have arrived at the Chase or not.

Gordon Gets the Pole But Martin Brings a Strong Challenge at Dover

Erin Connolly — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 03:18:43 -0400

Could Dover be Jeff Gordon’s come back?

Gordon set the pole however we have seen him bring a fast car to the track only to watch it dead one pit stop at a time. Although, I am sure he won’t appreciate my comparison, I can’t help but see Jeff Gordon's season as a clap for TinkerBell moment.

If we all just believe he may pull off a win, but at this point is there anyone out there still clapping?

However, Gordon’s Hendrick teammate didn’t even come close to him at qualifying. Dale Earnhardt Jr., qualified tenth, (-0.230) off Gordon. Yet, with the big man Hendrick himself in Earnhardt Jr.'s pit box, it will be interesting to see what Dale can do at Dover. Perhaps the Hendrick’s story out of qualifying though, is Jimmy Johnson placing twentieth (-0.306) off Gordon. What is going on with Johnson’s ride?

Mark Martin brought another Chevrolet to the top of qualifying. Martin was only (-0.001) off Gordon. Martin has an average finish of 12.6 at Dover and has won there four times. Like Gordon, Martin also has no wins this year. Two men with really fast cars, one in the Chase, one not both needing a victory for pride, this could get ugly.

When the rest of racing was looking at Kyle and Tony, Denny Hamlin became the consistent, on point driver for Gibbs racing. He posted third in qualifying (-0.080) off Gordon. Plus, Hamlin has done well maintaining track position if his team is able to find away to give him a little more power Hamlin could be a proper threat to Gordon and Martin.

But where were his teammates? Kyle Busch placed eleventh (-0.230) off the leader. Was the No. 18 team able to fix the disaster they put on the track last week? For Kyle, I hope his team pulls it together and I don’t just mean the car.

Unlike Kyle where last weekends problems resonated from the crew, it was all Tony Steward’s fault for the No. 20 team. Is a lack of crew/driver harmony showing through in qualifying with Tony posting 33? Tony was (-0.489) off Gordon.

This Chase has already seen emotions hit the stratosphere; I think Dover will be not exception. These high emotions come out of the fact that the Chase is still young and divers haven’t left everything they have on the track yet. They will give a little more to Dover and when the dust settles we will see who gained or lost a little pride.

The Gibbs Boys: the Good (Hamlin), the Bad (Stewart) and the Ugly (Busch)

Erin Connolly — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:43:00 -0400

The Ugly: Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch’s attitude has often been described as less than attractive; however, this article is referring to last weekend's showing of the No. 18 team.

When Busch is on, he seems unbeatable; however, when he is not, he is nothing short of dreadful. Busch and the No. 18 team brought a fast car to New Hampshire but couldn’t keep her in one piece.

Early on, they struggled with a loose sway-bar. The sway-bar is a component of the suspension system. The left and right wheels are linked together by arms connected to a torsion spring. The sway bar increases the car's ability to resist rolling in the turns.

Kyle keeping the car on the track was beautiful, but his team’s call to enter pit row early for extra time to fix the sway bar was ugly.

That call led to two penalties on the team. It is decisions like that which should have Kyle Busch fans concerned. Yes, they needed to fix the sway bar, but putting your driver down two laps because of penalties is unforgivable. Busch finding himself in the wall just seemed to go with the disaster the No. 18 team dealt with all day.

Is the No. 18 team feeling too confident from the bonus points they bought to the Chase? I would say most of the blame for New Hampshire falls on the team rather than Kyle, but what does that showing say for the rest of the Chase?

Kyle Busch has always been a hard one to call, but I don’t see him holding the Cup this year. Will he be close? Absolutely.

The Bad: Tony Stewart

If Stewart were a superhero, his nemesis would be named Pit Row. Early on, Stewart had to give up second position due to damage caused by a Pit Row collision with John Sauter.

His team worked fast and was able to keep him on the lead lap. However, later Stewart would slap his team in the face, going down a lap by exiting Pit Row too fast.

Stewart would be the lucky dog on Lap 221; however, he didn’t let teammate Denny Hamlin line up for the restart, causing damage “indirectly” to Hamlin’s tires. Stewart would be able to race his way up to eighth place.

Stewart has been a slow burn this season. He is hungry, and I think we will see some great racing out of him; however, he needs to settle down and stop making rookie mistakes if he wants a shot at the top.

The Good: Denny Hamlin

Hamlin has the one thing Busch and Stewart need: consistency. Hamlin has finished third in the last two races before New Hampshire. He was in the top five for most of the first half of New Hampshire. As a matter of fact, he hung around third plenty.

However, the No. 11 team did seem to have some fuel call issues, but overall, without the above mentioned restart issue, I think we would have seen a higher finish for Hamlin.

Yet, it was a good call to bring Hamlin in to check the tire; if it had blown, they could have been looking at a fourth-place finish rather than ninth.

Hamlin and the No. 11 team have really come together at the end of the season. Look to Hamlin to become the Cinderella story of Joe Gibbs Racing.

The Bucket Report: The Chase Heats Up, Does Bowyer Merit Qualifying?

Erin Connolly — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:56:59 -0400

As time runs short for those looking to make it into the Chase, the racing heats up. Fontana Auto Club Speedway is a D-shaped oval with low-banking, where cornering counts. They may be long and sweepin,g but if you over drive them you will end up in the wall, something Robby Gordon learn the hard way this race.

Fontana is also a horsepower race in and out of the corners—no brake for engines here. For many teams, the cautions were the only things which reeled the leaders back into challenging range.

Ranked 12^th – Clint Bowyer (#07)

Start	Finish	Change in Standing
31	10	--

What can one say about Bowyer? If you can’t say something nice...Well, okay here is nice: Bowyer, in the last two races, has constantly finished in the top ten. Not nice: Bowyer is only in the Chase because the field above him blows engines and crashes. In my opinion it should be Kahne or Ragan in the Chase, not Bowyer.

However, with that said, Bowyer did have a good showing at Fontana. By Lap 92 after passing Edwards, he entered the top ten, where he would stay until Lap 125 (falling to 12th). He would lose some ground on pitting but eventually gain it again with the help of cautions. Bowyer was able regain tenth and hold it to the end.

So what is my problem? Simple: Look at Kahne during that same race, fighting for it, going side-by-side multiple times, racing Kyle Busch right to the end. Sure, it is not Bowyer’s fault that Kahne blew an engine then wrecked in the fallowing race, but if you are going to get into the Chase through others' failure, the least Bowyer can do is step up and race like he is meant to be there.

Ranked 11^th – Denny Hamlin (#11)

Start	Finish	Change in Standing
21	3	--

Michigan led to an angry Hamlin lashing out publicly on his team—not the best move, but you can’t say it didn’t get results. The last two races Hamlin has finished third.

I, for one, have had a hard time determining my view on Hamlin. At midseason he looked like the underdog of Gibbs racing, worthy of support. Then he just fizzled—he wasn’t dreadful or good, I described him as lackluster. He didn’t fight for a top-five position, certainly that has changed, thus I can’t help but look at him as that underdog once again.

Last weekend Hamlin started at 21st, but quickly moved into the top ten by Lap 31. Hamlin took advantage of the restart after the early yellow flag on Lap 68 to move up to third. Hamlin’s team was strong on pit stops and he lost very little track position throughout the race.

Hamlin was in a solid third for the last half of the race. Nonetheless, he simply didn’t have the horsepower to challenge Biffle. The many cautions helped Hamlin stay close to Biffle, but the longer they were green, the faster Biffle slipped away.

With one race to go sitting 11th in the standing isn’t comfortable, but if Hamlin continues to bring the energy of his last two runs to the next race, he should coast into the Chase. Once in the Chase, it will be interesting to see if Hamlin goes for it or settles back into third-driver mood.

Ranked 10^th – Jeff Gordon (#24)

Start	Finish	Change in Standing
3	15	-1

If there is one word to sum up Gordon’s problems, it is handling. The No. 24 team can bring a fast car to qualifying, yet they can make it drivable for the race.

The lack of handling was clear early on when Gordon dropped to eleventh by Lap 65. From then on, we would see the cycling of Gordon trying to hold track position then pitting for major adjustment, a routine which unfortunately has become the No. 24 team's style for the last part of this season.

Many people’s analysis of Gordon's falling in the standing has focused on him as a driver. Gordon's record is one of the best out there, thus the bar is set high for him. The theory that Gordon should be able to drive through it despite the car is flawed. Could the star quarterback make the winning pass with a deflated ball?

The astonishing thing about Gordon is that even with the “deflated ball” he gets out there goes side by side with Ragan in Lap 177 for 18th.Gordon races no matter what you give him.

Plus, whatever the frustrations the No. 24 team are having in the garage, you won’t hear Gordon set the problems at their feet publicly. For all his faults, Gordon has always been classy in that regard.

Will America's Premier short track shake things up? I, for one, am looking forward to Ragan or Kahne knocking Bowyer out of the Chase. Will we finally see the No. 24 team pull it together and Gordon come out with a win? I would like to say yes, but I would look more to Harvick pulling off a last minute win before Gordon. Richmond will be raw emotions and it should be exciting.

Until next time, happy cheering from the bottom of the bucket!

Sources: NASCAR.com, ESPN, ESPN.com, and autoracingblog.net.

Jeff Gordon's Doubters Will Soon Be Disappointed

Erin Connolly — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:22:57 -0400

Jeff Gordon is sitting sixth in the Sprint Cup standings. But to read the latest articles about him, you would think that he has thrown in the towel. NASCAR fans have very high expectations of Gordon, but maybe we are being just a little unfair to him.

The last article I read made that argument that Gordon isn’t winning because he loves his daughter and drinking wine. Come on. What, did little Ella get into the family’s wine collection and then go out and trash daddies radio before the Glen? Somehow I don’t think so.

Let's face it: Gordon is a substantial part of the No. 24 team, but it is still a team. Gordon is a great road-course driver, and I know we were expecting a lot from him at the Glen, but you can’t put all the blame on Gordon.

Things haven’t been going right with the car; you can only ask Gordon to do so much. The fact that he is still so high in the standing is a testament to his driving ability. A lesser driver couldn’t handle the problems Gordon has had.

Yes, Gordon needs a win. However, he hasn’t been driving like a rookie or a guy about to quit. Gordon is a four-time series champion. I believe what people are calling lack of interest is really just poise. He doesn’t need to freak-out publicly; that won’t fix the problems the No. 24 team is having.

Nevertheless, if you need to cite a time when he lost his composure to know he still has a passion for racing, then I would point to his trash talk about Kyle Busch after Pocono. If you aren’t interested in racing anymore, why do you care how Kyle is or isn’t performing?

Finally, let’s look at Gordon's numbers this season. If you spilt that season into two halves—the Daytona 500 to Darlington, and Charlotte to Watkins Glen—the numbers say that Gordon is warming up, not dying out.

The first half of this season, Gordon had an average finish of 16.5. He has since brought that up in the second half of the season to 12.7. The fact that the team has been having problems with the car is also clearly shown in black and white.

Starting position is a direct result of how well the car ran during qualifying. At the beginning of the season, Gordon had and average start of 9.4, which has now dropped to 12.9. Despite his qualifying issues, however, still he has maintained his place at the top of the Chase.

That sure sounds like a driver who isn’t trying out there.

It seems to me that Gordon’s slump has finally given all those haters of Jeff Gordon something to sink there teeth into. Well, the season is far from over. Haters may find themselves eating crow before long.

Kasey Kahne and Kenny Francis Becoming Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Tony Eury, Jr.?

Erin Connolly — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:53:57 -0400

After the Glen a lot has been said about Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s crew chief Tony Eury, Jr. I say if we are throwing crew chiefs on the fire, nominate Kasey Kahne’s, Kenny Francis. Francis has made a mess out of the last two races. Let's have a look, shall we?

Pocono

What went wrong at Pocono? Simple: Kenny Francis! Pocono is a "Kahne track" as we all saw in June. Then why, I wonder, was Francis’ strategy all about things he can’t control, like cautions and weather?

Kahne did his part. He fought hard for track position throughout the whole race.

By Lap 67 he had made his way up into the top five and he would stay in the top 10 through the halfway mark of the race. At Lap 126 it went yellow, and Kahne stayed out.

Many, including Francis, think this decision is where the race went wrong. On www.KaseyKahne.com Francis stated, "If it keeps on raining, we win. It didn’t and we got seventh. We took a chance and it just didn’t work out like we wanted it to. We still got a top 10 and had one of the best cars out there today.”

I think Francis' call to keep Kahne out during the caution was right on. It gained him track position as well as bonus points. However, Francis shouldn’t look to cautions to win a race. Sure, a caution is a tool for crew chiefs to use, but depending on them is a slap in the face to your driver.

Plus, like at the Glen (which I will get to) it was Francis’ bad fuel mileage call that killed Pocono for Kahne and the rest of the No. 9 team. Do you keep your driver out for bonus points or pit for fuel mileage?

I think this was the question Francis must have been asking himself around Lap 166 as many hit pit row. Yes, Kahne pitted at Lap 155 so he didn’t need gas yet, but it would mean having to stop by Lap 185.

Francis took the gamble and it worked at Pocono as Kahne was able to work his way up to a top 10 finish after pitting on Lap 185. However, some of that was due to others simply running out of gas, and not due so much to Kahne.

Pocono could have turned out a lot worst, like at the Glen.

The Glen

Kahne has said it himself. Road courses don’t fit his driving style. He needed his team at the Glen and Francis let him down again.

Let's face it, Kahne isn’t always an aggressive passer, and on a road course passing is a challenge. He lost track position early on and had dropped seven places from his starting position by the halfway mark.

Francis should have left Kahne out during the caution, but he decided to let Jr.’s team make the call for him. His strategy was if Jr. were to pit, he'd have his team pit, too.

In his defense, I think he thought the top of the field were all going to come in after Jr., but even if they did it would still have been a bad call! Why, you ask, was pitting on Lap 50 a bad call?

Fuel mileage—Kahne’s late pit stop was on Lap 27. On a road course Kahne needs time to regain track position. It is just a fact. Therefore you can’t have him pitting too late in a race, or he will never recover. Cautions are great for fuel mileage as two yellow equal about one green lap.

Kahne could have held out until Lap 57 and then squeezed the extra three laps out like Busch and Stewart did. Instead Francis pitted Kahne on Lap 50, which means that he would have to pit again or squeeze five laps out. See the bad call?

Francis tried to recover and pitted Kahne at Lap 62 just for fuel. Pitting him early after the mistake was a good call on Francis' part. This gave Kahne as much time as he could get.

There are only four races left until the Chase. Will Kahne make it in? Most likely.

However, it seems like Francis has lost his feel for what Kahne needs. Can these two reconnect before the Chase?

The Bucket Report: Midseason Update

Erin Connolly — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:39:57 -0400

The front runners in the Chase get a lot of sound bites and headlines, but what about those drivers at the bottom of the bucket, just making the Chase?

With the exception of those devoted fans with TrackPass, the spotlight just doesn’t make it to the bottom of the bucket often. Well ESPN can have Kyle and JR, the Bucket Report is about those teams fighting at every race to stay in it.

Ranked 12^th, Denny Hamlin (#11)

Points	Behind	Wins	Poles	Laps Led
2283	-598	1	1	679

Hamlin had an adequate start but things seem to have gone downhill for him following Talladega. He had some rather public off-track problems with his team early on. Many point to the downward trends in his stats as being a sign of a lack of confidence, originating from these earlier issues. However, Hamlin is doing well in the Nationwide Series, which Joe Gibbs Racing is dominating. Teammate Kyle Busch, understanding he maybe spreading himself too thin, has switched his focus to the Sprint Cup Series. Is Hamlin focusing somewhere else as well?

Looking at Hamlin’s Laps Led from the Budweiser Shootout to Talladega, his average was 23. Richmond was a high note as he led 381 laps, but from Darlington to Chicago, Hamlin’s average dropped to five laps. Is the radical reduction in LL from Talladega (excluding Richmond) showing a lack of focus? Hamlin needs to get his head back in the Chase or he will be out of it.

Ranked 11^th, Kasey Kahne (#9)

Points	Behind	Wins	Poles	Laps Lead
2295	-586	2	2	163

The critics of the #9 team won’t let last year die. Yes, there is no way to sugarcoat it: Kasey Kahne was appalling last year. It seems his punishment for last year is to be thought of as nothing more then the pretty boy of NASCAR. Hello, have we all forgotten 2006? That pretty boy can drive! Don’t count him out just yet; his trends are going in the right direction. He doesn’t seem to be burning out rather finding his groove.

He has two cup wins in the last eight races. However, getting caught up in traffic and not holding his position has plagued him this season. The Dodge has the horsepower to answer Busch’s Toyota but does Kahne have the swagger to pull if off?

Side note: Toby Christie had an article posted July 13^thaddressing horsepower testing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series; interesting read, check it out.

Ranked 10^th, Tony Stewart (#20)

Points	Behind	Wins	Poles	Laps Lead
2305	-576	0	0	549

We all know Stewart can pull off a Cup win. After all, he has done it twice. Judging by his illness at Dayton, as stress wreaks havoc on the body, the decision to depart Gibbs Racing clearly has had an impact on Stewart. The #20 car was running well in Chicago, needing only a track-bar adjustment. Stewart seems to be feeling the car well and communicating what he needs to the crew. Maybe his problems with the CoT are in the past. It seems like the Brickyard just may give Stewart the opportunity he needs to remove himself from the Bucket Report.

Ranked 9^th, Kevin Harvick (#29)

Points	Behind	Wins	Poles	Laps Lead
2308	-573	0	0	95

Can Harvick keep his early season momentum up? Last year staying power was an issue for him and caused Harvick to finish 10^th in the Chase. The fist half of this season (up to Talladega) he had an average finish of 10.8. From Talladega on, he has dropped to an average finish of 17.6. These numbers look like the beginning of burnout. With that said, he did have a notable finish (third) in Chicago. Nevertheless, he seems to be making more headlines for the crashes he causes. He has the time to make a turn around, but the field above him is going to be tough competition.

What will the Brickyard have in store for those drivers down at the bottom of the bucket? I believe we maybe losing some to higher and higher spots. There also maybe newcomers to the bucket dropping down from above or coming up from below. Clint Bowyer (#07) has done well at Indianapolis in the past, so he is definitely on the radar for working his way up.

Well until next time, happy cheering for the bottom of the bucket!

All numbers are based on stats reported on NASCAR.com and ESPN.com