Tony Stewart wins third place of the year! – SCI August 13 Edition
The next stop on the Nextel Cup schedule is Michigan International Speedway
Next week, NASCAR Nextel Cup teams head west, or the Midwest to be more exact, to the 2-mile tri-oval at Michigan International Speedway. Initially, MIS was inspired by the other great tri-oval of its day, Lowe’s Motor Speedway. But after almost 30 years of racing, he has developed a personality of his own that no driver has been able to master on his own. Unlike other circuits, since the 2000 season there has never been a single driver to win consecutive races at Michigan.
Don’t run to the store or sit in the bathroom too long next Sunday. Michigan races tend to go by very fast! Of the tri-oval tracks currently on the Nextel Cup circuit, Michigan has the fastest average race speed at just over 174 mph. Only Daytona and Talladega have faster average speeds.
Next week at MIS, expect Carl Edwards to continue to make his move to qualify for the Championship Chase. In 6 starts at Michigan, Carl has an average finish in seventh place.
Also expect the following drivers to do well next week:
Matt Kenseth – Average finish 10th
Jeff Gordon – Average finish 11th
Denny Hamlin – Average finish 12th
Reed Sorenson – Average finish 12th
Next week’s schedule:
Nextel Cup: @ Michigan International Speedway
08/17/07 – 03:10 pm NASCAR Nextel Cup 3M Performance 400 Practice
08/18/07 – 01:50 pm NASCAR Nextel Cup 3M Performance 400 Qualifying
08/19/07 – 02:00 pm NASCAR Nextel Cup 3M Performance 400
Busch Series: @ Michigan International Speedway
08/17/07 – 04:45 am NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series CARFAX 250 Practice
08/18/07 – 11:10 am NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series CARFAX 250 Qualifying
08/18/07 – 03:30 pm NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series CARFAX 250
Craftsman Truck Series runs through August 22 at Bristol Motor Speedway
Kevin Harvick is not happy anymore!
All hell broke out at the Centurion in Glen. On lap 75, Juan Pablo Montoya tried to block Martin Truex Jr at Turn 1 and caused a major accident and even greater consequences. In the accident were the pilots Kevin Harvick, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jeff Burton.
Neither driver, it seems, was very happy with the result. But Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya decided to discuss the events in a more hostile tone and face to face. Later in the pits, when asked about what they discussed, Harvick said, “I talked about kicking his butt.”
This is the kind of passion and excitement that has been absent from the often bland and happy world of NASCAR censorship. A side effect of NASCAR’s effort to make the sport family-friendly and politically correct (which I applaud) is that the drivers’ real and most passionate emotions are squashed or hidden. From the off-road interviews to the victory lane celebration, the driver’s behavior and responses are written.
However, NASCAR had no chance of guiding the Harvick and Montoya altercation on Sunday. The two nearly square off in a Cale Yarborough-reminiscent fight against the Allison brothers. In the end, there was no bloodshed, just two ultra-competitive individuals exchanging words. And what great adult entertainment he made!
Dale Earnhardt Jr is on the outside looking in!
Dale Earnhardt Jr hoped to at least catch, if not beat, Kurt Busch at the Centurion at the Glen yesterday. Going into yesterday’s race, Kurt and his 7-point lead was all that stood between Jr and qualifying for the Chase.
However, the voodoo gods of NASCAR thought otherwise. Bad luck found NASCAR’s most popular driver in the form of a blown engine valve. After being in the top 10 for much of the day, Earnhardt suffered engine problems with just 26 laps remaining.
As a result, Dale Earnhardt Jr is now 14th in points and 100 points out of the 12th and final qualifying position for the Chase for the Championship. With only 4 races remaining to qualify for the Chase, Team # 8 will need to find their luck and make friends with it. There is no margin for bad finishes.
Centurion at the Glen at Watkins Glen international summary
Who said road racing was boring?!?!?! Yesterday’s Centurion at Glen turned out to be one of the most exciting races in recent weeks. From Dale Earnhardt Jr blowing up an engine and Jeff Gordon losing it at Turn 1 while leading the race with 2 laps remaining, to the altercation between Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya, fans were thoroughly entertained!
Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of the race was the last lap with the ever aggressive Carl Edwards challenging Tony Stewart for victory. Carl was so aggressive that he went around a curve and into the gravel stops. Fortunately for Carl, he had enough momentum to clear the gravel and still finish in the top ten.
In the end, the Glen race had little impact on the points race, but provided incredible entertainment for those of us who watched it at home.
Other drivers to consider:
Points leader Jeff Gordon was about to capture his fifth win of the season when, with 2 laps remaining, he lost control of his car at Turn 1. Ultimately, Gordon finished in ninth place and is still there. firmly at the top of the points standings. .
Jimmie Johnson made a queue and unexpected top 5. Road courses are not high on the list of favorite tracks of the reigning Nextel Cup champion. However, Johnson ran convectively and consistently enough to finish third and maintain his seventh place in points.
Tony Stewart must love the heat of summer. Perhaps because it goes hand in hand with his nickname, “Smoke.” In the last 4 races, Stewart has achieved 3 wins, including a win at yesterday’s Centurian at the Glen.
Carl Edwards owes Boris Said a lot of thanks. Several years ago, Jack Roush made a deal with Boris to provide him with cars for his own team in exchange for Boris to mentor the Roush drivers. It seems that Carl graduated as the leader of Boris’s class. At the end of yesterday’s race, Tony had to fend off a hard-charging Edwards, who finished in eighth place after turning trying to catch Tony. As a result, Edwards moved up one place in points and is now in fifth place.