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Stock Car Insider - July 23rd Issue

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Author: Jon Vandergrift

A recap of the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway, and a look ahead to the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Upcoming Events in the World of NASCAR

Roughly three years ago, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) was the site for a publicity show down pitting the top NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon, against one of the top Formula One drivers, Juan Pablo Montoya. Each driver swapped cars for 7 laps on the 2.6 mile road course through the Indy infield. At the day’s end, both drivers, especially Juan, and teams gained a new found respect for the style of racing each series has to offer.

In two weeks, Jeff Gordon and the rest of the Nextel Cup boys return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400. Of the 36 races on the Nextel Cup circuit, The Brickyard 400 ranks in top 5 favorite for many of the NASCAR drivers due to the rich racing history of IMS.

Of all current drivers with 2 or more career starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the favorite amongst female fans, Kasey Kahne, has had the most success. In two starts at IMS, Kasey has an average finish of 3rd.

Also expect the following drivers to do well next week:

Tony Stewart - Average Finish 8th

Jeff Gordon - Average Finish 9th

Kevin Harvick - Average Finish 9th

Next Week's Schedule:

Nextel Cup off until August 6th @ Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Busch Series: @ Gateway International Raceway

7/29/06 - 10:00am NASCAR Busch Series Busch 250 Practice

7/29/06 - 03:30pm NASCAR Busch Series Busch 250 Qualifying

7/29/06 - 07:15pm NASCAR Busch Series Busch 250

Craftsman Truck Series off until August 6th @ Indianapolis Raceway Park

Who's Hot?

Yesterday at Pocono Raceway, all three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers finished in the top eleven. What makes this feat even more impressive is that two of the three drivers, Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley, are rookies.

The “Tro-Val” of Pocono is not an easy beast to tame even for veteran drivers. How then, might you ask, does a rookie driver dominate the two races at Pocono in his rookie season? The simple answer would be to claim Denny Hamlin is the next great superstar to come out of Virginia since Michael Vick. However, I believe the answer lies just a bit deeper.

For much of its existence, Joe Gibbs Racing has essentially been a one-trick pony. Despite fielding multiple teams in the past, typically only one of the teams would be noticeable come Sunday. I believe this season, JGR has expanded its stable and now has the ability to produce multiple, competitive cars every weekend. The proof is in the points. After yesterday’s Pennsylvania 500, both Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart are in the top 10 in driver’s points.

Who's Not?

Could this be the second year in a row that Dale Earnhardt Inc. fails to put the most popular driver in all of NASCAR in the Chase for the Championship? Two years ago, DEI was considered one of the top teams in NASCAR. They dominated the restrictor plate races and had successes at the short tracks. However, two years is miles away in the competitive world of NASCAR.

This season, DEI’s top driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr, has failed to win a single race. Not only is Earnhardt winless, his average finish at restrictor plate races thus far is 17th! Yesterday’s 43rd place finish at Pocono was the 5th race in a row that Dale finished 25th or worse. This recent string of poor performances has knocked Junior out of the top 10 in driver’s points, and will possibly cause him to miss the 2006 Chase for the Championship.

Last Week's Headlines

Yesterday’s Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway was chock full of the drama and action that has made NASCAR one of the most beloved sports in America. The fun started on lap 31 as Tony Stewart intentionally cut across the front of Clint Boyer’s Jack Daniel’s #07 car. Stewart’s love tap was in retaliation for Boyer forcing Stewart up high and into the wall upon exiting turn 3. The end result of Stewart’s tap cost Carl Edwards a chance of having a successful day at Pocono (where he’s already one twice), and most likely knocked Carl out of championship contention.

As one could imagine, Carl wasn’t flashing his toothy grin at Tony the rest of the day. Instead Carl gave Tony a love tap of his own while entering pit road. The tap caused Tony to spin almost completely around, and force NASCAR to black flag Edwards.

The rest of the drivers maintained their poise, and battled the tough “Tro-Val” of Pocono. The rain-canceled practice on Saturday caused troubles for most of the teams who use the practice set-up the cars in race trim. The only team not affected from the lack of practice was the #11 FedEx car driven by Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin dominated the race from start to finish. He started the race in the pole position and relinquished the lead only during pit-stop cycles. Denny’s first place finish and 8th place standing in the points has made him a front runner for Rookie of the Year.

The ever-consistent Jimmie Johnson finished in the 6th spot. Jimmie has dominated the 2006 season and has an average finish of 8th. His Hendrick teammates also faired well. Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag with a much-needed 3rd place finish while Brian Vickers finished in 4th. Gordon now sits 9th in points, and currently qualifies for the Chase for the Championship.

Tony Stewart was able to rebound from a black flag penalty served to him after the altercation on lap 31. He ended the day, and his recent streak of bad finished, with a 7th place finish that moved him back into to the top ten in driver’s points.

Dale Earnhardt Jr suffered the most yesterday when he wrecked on lap 87. Junior’s car was unable to get up to full speed coming off of turn 2 causing Dave Blaney to bump his car from behind. The bump crashed Earnhardt into the wall and out of the race.

Jon Vandergrift's Last Articles :

Stock Car Insider - August 7th Issue

Stock Car Insider - July 23rd Issue

Stock Car Insider - July 17th Issue

Stock Car Insider - July 10th Issue

Stock Car Insider - July 3rd Issue

Stock Car Insider - June 26th Issue

Stock Car Insider - June 19th Issue

Stock Car Insider - June 12th Issue

Stock Car Insider - June 5th Issue

Stock Car Insider - May 29nd Issue

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