California Qualifying

Danni

CUP RESULTS
1. Jimmie Johnson
7. Martin
9. Kurt
12. David
16. Casey
18. Dale Jr.
19. Brian
30. Michael

I guess it's a good Friday when six out of your seven drivers qualifies in the top-20! I was especially impressed with how David and Brian's laps held up because they went out early - especially Brian's because he went halfway up the track getting into one of the turns! However, Michael's lap was somewhat disappointing. He went out late so I was hoping for a little bit more considering it's one of the third generation cars MWR has been building. But Michael has never been the best qualifier - maybe it's better in race runs.

On a side note, the "pre-qualifying ceremonies" were painful at best. What is California doing? Trying to attract more people with another flyover? They brag about being so close to Hollywood, but I've heard ten-year-olds sing better than that woman who butchered the anthem. Just another reason why California Speedway is a joke of a facility.

NNS RESULTS
1. Kyle Busch
11. Brian
13. David
23. Brandon

Since the drivers have to qualify in the heat of the day but will race at night, it's hard to say who will come forward or drop back tonight. Regardless, Brandon's lap was a pleasant surprise and even more so considering he went out quite early. It will be a challenge for the rest of the field to catch Kyle Busch - he was over .400 seconds ahead of second place Jeff Burton!

Back Online!

Okay, so we're back in business after getting cable installed in our apartment. I had a couple wonderful friends keeping us updated on the big news in NASCAR as well as the chance to check Jayski every few days in the campus library. Since we honestly don't have enough time to write up four race reports, I'm going to list our heroes and anything interesting that's happened to them in the past two weeks.

BRANDON
Michigan:
Nationwide - Finished 32nd (8LD)
Bristol:
Nationwide - Finished 33rd (13LD), started 35th
Notes: *Sigh*...

BRIAN
Michigan:
Cup - Finished 7th
Nationwide - Finished 2nd, started 3rd
Bristol:
Cup - Finished 20th (2LD), started 26th
Nationwide - Finished 9th, started 7th
Notes: Continues to impress!!

CASEY
Michigan:
Cup - Finished 18th (1LD)
Bristol:
Cup - Finished 41st (DNF - ACCIDENT), started 17th
Notes: It was announced last Saturday that Casey will be the driver of the #07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet in 2009! It's such a relief that he's finally signed somewhere and at a team as good as RCR. What's interesting is that Casey will receive the #07's owner points (likely thanks to Jack Daniel's) so he won't have to qualify in the first five races of next season. Of course the Clint Bowyer fans aren't happy about it (who would be?) and somehow I think this whole deal is part of why Bowyer has been such a surly person these past couple weeks, but I'll get on with that later. I hope Casey has a lot of success at RCR! I think all he needs is to feel relaxed and he'll be just fine. Unfortunately at Bristol his spotter told him he was clear when he wasn't (again) and he ran up into Michael (again!!) and caused a huge wreck. Uhg...but like I can hope Hendrick will give him a new spotter now.

DALE JR.
Michigan:
Cup - Finished 23rd (1LD)
Bristol:
Cup - Finished 18th (2LD), started 40th
Notes: Not a great couple weeks for Junior. I guess he jumped the start at Bristol and was pretty much screwed from there.

DAVID
Michigan:
Cup - Finished 14th
Nationwide - Finished 34th (27LD), started 5th
Bristol:
Cup - Finished 25th (3LD), started 2nd
Nationwide - Finished 8th, started 10th
Notes: Well he got crashed by Bowyer at the Nationwide Michigan race (thanks a lot ) but had a great top-15 in the Cup race! But the best news came out last Friday, when it was announced David has signed a deal to race at MWR through 2010!!! Aaron's will be sponsoring his Cup car (which is going to be the #00 YES YES YES!!!!!) for eighteen races, while both David and Aaron's will be cutting their Nationwide program down (Aaron's will sponsor five races and David will drive some of those). I know David loves driving the Nationwide races so that's a little disappointing, but that's just about the only thing about this deal that isn't perfect. I wholeheartedly believe the second half of the Cup races will be sponsored and as a friend reported from an XM interview Ty Norris did he sounds very optimistic about things. Go David go! He qualified on the outside pole at Bristol and ran in the top 12 before getting involved in the Big One, which gave him damage.

KURT
Michigan:
Cup - Finished 36th (3LD)
Bristol:
Cup - Finished 15th, started 19th
Notes: Goodness, will the slump ever end? I love Pat Tryson and think Penske is a good team. You just have to wonder what's missing.

MARTIN
Michigan:
Cup - Finished 16th
Bristol:
Cup - Finished 35th (104LD), started 12th
Notes: Got caught up in a wreck at Bristol. Crap.

MICHAEL
Michigan:
Cup - Finished 19th (1LD)
Bristol:
Cup - Finished 30th (8LD), started 42nd
Notes: Had a good race at Michigan and it was also announced in the Aaron's extension that he will be running some Nationwide races in 2009, which is pretty exciting! But then there was Bristol. As said above, Casey got into him, which started this gigantic accident. What was awful about the wreck was what Clint Bowyer said in the aftermath, which in paraphrase was that Michael is the worst driver in NASCAR. First of all, Bowyer needs to learn how to respect his elders, since Michael has been racing before Bowyer could change his own underwear. Secondly, Michael wasn't responsible for the wreck (and Bowyer needed to chill out anyway since he didn't get much damage from it). Thirdly, ESPN played it over and over and over, and some shows even blamed Michael for the accident! That's nothing but unprofessional (but do we expect any more from ESPN?) and as far as I can tell all those idiots are trying to do is hurt Michael, his family, friends, sponsors and fans. Michael is not the worst driver in NASCAR and anyone who thinks that is obviously not very intelligent. There are drivers every week who run one or two laps and park, stealing money from teams who need it. At least Michael tries.

SCOTT
Michigan:
Nationwide - Finished 22nd (1LD), started 13th
Bristol:
Nationwide - Finished 6th, started 5th
Notes: Scott is a good driver. I'd say an above average driver. His average finish so far is better than Jeff Burton's. But he won't be at RCR next season. I'm disgusted - absolutely disgusted. He deserves so much better than that and shame on whoever doesn't want him.

Michigan Qualifying

Jess

CUP RESULTS
1. Brian!!!
4. Dale Jr.
7. David
13. Kurt
25. Martin
29. Casey
42. Michael

WOW way to go Brian!! He totally smoked 'em!

David was so, so impressive - he went out 5th and stayed on the pole for a long time. He knew he wasn't going to stay there but a top 10 starting spot is awesome!

Dale Jr. and Kurt also qualified very well - Martin and Casey will have some work to do. Michael...that was really disappointing. I have to question what he did in practice, though, and wonder if it had anything to do with how poorly he qualified. He only made five laps and spent most of his time sitting in the garage, listening to the radios of his teammates. I guess the plan was to see if they liked the spring changes they made and if they did the #55 team would make the same change. Apparently whatever he did didn't work out at all...if they decided to make a David/Skinner type of spring change and didn't make any practice runs on them I can see why he had such a horrible lap since a certain change for one or two drivers doesn't mean it will feel good to another.

Watkins Glen Int'l - Centurion Boats at the Glen

Danni

RESULTS
1. Kyle Busch
5. Martin
10. Kurt
18. Brian
19. Casey
22. Dale Jr.
33. David (1LD)
39. Michael (7LD)

After so much discussion about rain and rain tires, Sunday dawned at Watkins Glen sunny and pleasant, promising a good day of road racing. The drivers took advantage of the conditions - surprisingly, there were only four full cautions (but one red flag... more on that later).

Dale Jr. used his second place starting position to take the lead from Kyle Busch and head the field until Lap 29. Near the back of the pack, David was trying to get into a rhythm. As he was following AJ Allmendinger to make a pass on another car into Turn 1, he got in a little hot, locked up his wheels and spun off the track onto the concrete. Despite being disappointed, I was happy he didn't hit any other cars or the wall. He got back going, seven seconds behind the next driver. Though I'm sure he was hoping for a caution to catch back up, he didn't rely on it. Determination drove him back to the tail of the field. Go David! Hopefully he felt a bit better about himself when Pat Carpentier also dove into Turn 1 too hard several laps afterwards, but he turned himself as well as PJ Jones.

Green flag pit stops began, which unfortunately put David a lap down (and with the lack of yellows, trapped him there). Pretty much, when cars start pitting, all other cars are forced to pit because they lose so much time on the track. However, Dale Jr. waited much longer than everyone else and was one of the last cars to pull in. As a result, he dropped to 6th place. I thought they just made a mistake and it wouldn't happen again.

In the meantime, Martin was running very well and was pleased with his car. Kurt, Brian and Casey were also in the top-20. When Sam Hornish went off the track and scattered gravel onto the racing surface to bring out the caution on Lap 48, most of the field stayed out - in about ten laps, a pit stop would bring them into their fuel window for the remainder of the race. But it was during this yellow that Junior pitted again, allowing him to go further than his competitors. This strategy would be his undoing.

The race took a green trend again and as expected the cars that had to pit did so. To my unease, the #88 stretched it out again - he was 22 seconds in front of second place Kyle Busch! The comentators warned over and over again that it was risky to stay out when a caution could fall at any moment. As if to punish the team, Travis Kvapil took an off-road excursion through the gravel pit and dumped his souvenirs onto the track. The caution didn't come out immediately, giving a chance for Junior to pit, but he continued racing as the yellow waved. I was confused and frustrated - after pitting under the caution, he dropped all the way back to 31st! Win gone! Even the chance of a decent finish was over. I am certainly not one to bash Tony Jr. every time something doesn't go right with a call, but I wasn't all too satisfied with the way this turned out.

Green laps resumed until Ryan Newman, running 3rd, lost control into Turn 1. It stalled, rolling backward into the groove. NASCAR waited to see if he could get it refired, but with cars swerving to miss the #12 by inches, eventually they were forced to throw the caution. Watching the cars just barely get by made me wince - it would have hurt a lot to hit a stationary vehicle.

But that was nothing compared to what came next. After the next restart, with less than ten laps remaining, things got heated. Apparently David Gilliland and Michael McDowell had an issue on the backstretch (though no footage was ever shown, so the whole truth of that is questionable). On the exit on the last turn, McDowell got into the back of Gilliland and shoved him out of the way. On the frontstretch, with the #38 still outside of him, McDowell suddenly swung to the left and hit Gilliland's right front. This caused Gilliland to hit the wall head first and bounce back into the path of oncoming traffic on the narrowest part of the track near the entrance of pit road, right after a 90 degree turn. This was the perfect recipe for disaster. Cars flew in, unable to stop. Bobby Labonte hit the broadside #38 hard, ricocheting onto pit lane. Sam Hornish spun and hit the sand barrels protecting the sharp entrance of the outside pit wall in an explosion of grit and shattered plastic. Max Papis, an Italian road racers, slammed into the outside track wall driver's side. Also involved were Dave Blaney, Joe Nemechek, Reed Sorenson and of course, Michael Waltrip. It was tense and scary until everyone got out of their cars, but Labonte appeared to be in a lot of pain and was taken to the hospital for observation (he was later released unharmed).

Because of the carnage, a lengthy red flag was ordered. It gave me enough time to study the replays and come to the conclusion that the crash was McDowell's fault. It even appears that he did in intentionally (that's what I think - he may not have). Why? Obviously, he whacked the #38 out of the way exiting the corner. If you watch the replay close enough, Gilliland remained high and straight, while the #00 turned to the left at an angle. Now, if McDowell simply didn't realize he was there, he probably would have gone straight into the wall. Instead, McDowell swooped left, made contact, then banked to the right, clipping the wall with his left rear. Just the odd physics alone implies that the whole move may have been planned by McDowell.

To clear Gilliland's name, as said above, he held his line entering the frontstretch. But the manner in which the #38 wrecked speaks for itself. If Gilliland had tried to hook the #00, why did he end up nailing the wall with his front end? It doesn't make physical sense to even suggest Gilliland caused the mess... which is why I'm absolutely floored about what Michael Waltrip said on TWiN Monday night. At first, I thought he'd take full advantage of both McDowell and Gilliland stating post-race that the incident was just racing (personally, I think McDowell is lucky that Gilliland isn't a driver with a short fuse). But when he said, "Let me explain what happened," my heart dropped before he even uttered another word. He went on to say that Gilliland lost his temper and tried to hook McDowell! I could barely believe what I was hearing. Not only was Michael going against what pretty much all the media and fans said and against what even his own driver said, to declare factually that Gilliland lost his cool and caused the crash was arrogant and downright ignorant. At first I was angry but now I'm just at a loss. Gilliland went off on Michael during a radio show interview and now fans are emailing NAPA their disapproval. While most of the mail likely consists of immature mob mentality, it's not good exposure for NAPA when they just extended with Michael for next year. Hopefully this whole mess gone messier will blow over. It doesn't look good for McDowell either, because he's been replaced by Mike Skinner for the next three races. So... just more drama that MWR doesn't really need right now. I really wish sometimes Michael would think before he speaks. It is not only him that his words affect anymore.

The race continued without major event until Kyle Busch took the checkers, an impressive feat considering that Tony Stewart was behind him. That #18 team can win on anything!

I was really struck with Martin's excellent finish and delighted with Kurt's 10th - after all his bad luck, the #2 crew deserved it! Brian and Casey did decently but I was upset with Dale Jr.'s final position. The strange pit strategy hurt. David was able to gain a handful of spots because of the crash (he barely got through it himself!). I know he's a good road racer - he just needs track time! With practice comes confidence and with confidence comes good results! The involvement with the wreck, however, put the #55 in a horrible spot in points. Now, with only 21 markers separating him from 36th, Michael needs a good finish to make a cushion again. I'm so afraid he'll be on the bubble now for the rest of the year. He ran very well at Michigan so it's probably one of the better tracks to go to next.

There won't be any races reports (at least for some time) for either Michigan or Bristol () because my sister and I are moving to Syracuse for college and we won't be getting cable until the 26th! Without NASCAR, we'll be forced to explore the city so hopefully we'll survive for the race at Fontana.

POINT STANDINGS
1. Kyle Busch
4. Dale Jr. -269
16. Martin -835
17. Brian -836
18. Kurt -985
24. Casey -1184
27. David -1327
32. Michael -1572 (33rd in owner points +21 from 36th )

NNS Watkins Glen Int'l - Zippo 200

Jess

RESULTS
1. Marcos Ambrose
15. David
30. Dale Jr. (4 LD)

No rain tires this weekend!

When the green fell David was deep in the field but immediately began picking his way through the pack. I was very impressed watching him gain positions just about every time the scoring loop would come around!

Brandon was out early, after eight laps. No surprise there... It's just really disappointing that someone as talented as him would be with a start-and-park team. Chris Cook also ended up in the garage (as did teammate and MWR driver Michael McDowell, another road course expert) without making a single lap.

Despite Dale Jr. not liking his car he was running decently in the top 15.

There were a surprising amount of cautions - people were just running into each other! A caution came out on Lap 15 as a result of contact between Jeff Burton and Wheeler Boys (doesn't that name sound more like a racing team than a single driver? ). On the following restart a huge wreck broke out involving Patrick Carpentier, Mike Bliss and Brad Coleman - and Coleman went airborne! David narrowly missed the accident. On the next restart (but an unrelated incident) Brad Keselowski ran into the back of Denny Hamlin because he was too busy staring at Kevin Harvick in his rearview mirror (Keselowski had gotten into Harvick earlier in the race so I guess he was nervous!). Later Steve Wallace and PJ Jones had it out, concluding with Jones being black-flagged for retaliation when he spun the #66. Soon after Mike Bliss and Stan Silva Jr. would have an issue and finally (phew!) Sam Hornish was hit by Marcos Ambrose - he saved it and then was hit again by Antonio Perez as he was waiting for cars to go by.

With some of the leaders pitting, Junior was now in 3rd and David in 7th. This was a turning point in this race since it was vital for drivers to get into their fuel window so they would be good to the finish and after racing resumed many drivers began to pit. The goal of road course fuel strategy is to pit just before the caution comes out and unfortunately for David this bit him and the #99 boys. He took the lead, was most likely just about to pit and then the yellow flew. Uhg!! Thankfully he did make it to pit road before he ran out of gas and got five bonus points for leading as well.

There was some action as the race wound down, including a gasp-worthy wreck when Carl Edwards dove under Clint Bowyer and lost control, taking the #2 with him! Now this was first and second in points! Both drivers sustained damage and neither would finish in the top 20. Edwards apologized after the race but since the two have had history before I suspect Bowyer's patience is running thin.

More drama ensued when Kyle Busch bumped Jeff Burton and Burton proceeded to viciously pursue the #92 until he reached him and knocked him out of the way to take the lead.

The final laps was a game of who had enough fuel and who didn't. Jimmie Johnson was several laps short, then Burton ran out, handing the win to Marcos Ambrose. Unfortunately Dale Jr.'s Nationwide race would come to an end when he reported he had a possible broken sway bar.

David would hang on and take advantage of others running out of fuel to get a top 15 and gain points on Bowyer. I'm incredibly proud of him because he's struggled on the road courses in the past - he did a great job staying on the track and keeping out of trouble.

How cool was it for Ambrose to win! He was so excited and did a wonderful Tasmanian burnout! Congratulations to him and his team!

POINT STANDINGS
1. Clint Bowyer
4. David -290

Watkins Glen Qualifying

Danni

CUP RESULTS
1. Kyle Busch
2. Dale Jr.
17. Brian
18. Martin
19. Kurt
24. Casey
28. David
33. Michael

Qualifying was rained out once again thanks to New York's typical afternoon showers and thunderstorms. I thought for a while that NASCAR would consider letting them time trial on rain tires but I guess the drivers have a hard enough time keeping their cars on the track when it's dry!

The nice thing about rain is time to kill, so ESPN invited several drivers into the booth for interviews. I was very pleased to see David up there! A lot of casual fans may view David as being nervous and shy, but watching him speak for a lengthy period of time shows how intelligent and focused he is. I loved the segment about his daughter Emilia and her horse Schatzi - amazing how David can drive at 200MPH but gets uneasy about a little pony!

NNS RESULTS
1. Dario Franchitti
18. Dale Jr.
35. David
40. Brandon

Nationwide cars qualify in stints, with five cars going out about fifteen seconds apart for several minutes. There is no draw order - instead drivers go out based on their practice speeds, slowest first.

None of our guys really did too well! Junior wasn't happy with his car all through practice yesterday. I'm sure he'll be fine once he gets into a rhythm. David's lap didn't surprise me at all - I know he doesn't like to push it since there is no use in crashing before the race. He and the #99 team have a long way to go but they're good enough to move forward.

Chris Cook is in the #90 car. He raced his way into the field (and even spun out!) and in an interview was asked where he was running to. He replied that he was going to talk to David! In addition, he said that he really appreciates and admires David... Well, Chris should know that I really appreciate him! He's helped David out a lot at the road courses and I'm hoping to hear his voice on the #44 radio Sunday. Have a good run today, Chris!

Martin Truex Jr. Extends Contract with DEI

Danni

After a long negotiation period and many, many rumors and false reports, today at Watkins Glen Martin finally announced that he has agreed to the extension on his contract to race at DEI through next year. I can't stay I'm thrilled, but I'm glad that his future actions have been confirmed, at least until around this time in 2009.

From both an interview he did during today's rained out first practice and the official press conference, Martin certainly did not look as "excited" as he said he was. He appeared awkward talking about it during practice and downright uncomfortable in NASCAR.com's video of the conference. Of course, the latter may have been because he was sitting between DEI's president of global operations, Max Siegel and John Story, VP of motorsports operations. Of course, I was not surprised at all when he gave the typical spiel about people being overly critical of DEI. Does DEI tell everyone who works for them to make sure and include that? It's pretty obvious the organization has a lot of internal issues, but they seem to take every chance they get to act like they are at their prime. After reading some things about Doug Richert's odd contract with freakish privacy concerns, things seem to be on the rather paranoid and controlling side at DEI and I really wouldn't put them above being something like dictators. I'm not calling Theresa Earnhardt and Siegel out personally, but neither appear to know how to run a normal business and are leaning on the company's legacy, not its future or integrity.

So why did Martin resign? He was obviously bothered by the 150 point penalty nailed on the team after the car's roof was too low at Daytona in July (without it he would be 15th in points, only 98 markers away from the Chase). A lot of people, myself included, had a feeling that may have been the last straw. However, his relationship with crew chief Kevin Manion is strong and may have been enough to overcome the irritation the penalty brought to Martin. I know he loves his team and his sponsor, Bass Pro Shops, which is signed for the #1 car through 2010.

Who knows? Martin was rumored to go to the #12, #33 and the second Stewart-Haas car. Speculation runs that he may not have gotten an offer good enough money-wise and that disappointed him. With Mark Martin leaving DEI for Hendrick Motorsports next season, Martin may have actually received the best deal from his current team, since he would be top dog and DEI needs him desperately to keep the organization afloat.

The extension is only one year, leaving Martin the option to start the job search again next season. He could watch Stewart-Haas and see whether they'll succeed to the extent of their hype or fall on their faces. Then there is the notorious #5 car. Despite the likelihood of the ride being filled in 2010 by either Brad Keselowski or Landon Cassill and Martin living in Dale Jr.'s "shadow" again, he may very well fight for consideration.

All thoughts, of course. DEI just doesn't seem like a nice place to work since everyone has been trying to get out of there for the past couple of years. It's a shame because it isn't the people who work on the cars that make it that way - it's the administration!

Hopefully Martin will make the best of what he has. He's an above-average driver and deserves a shot. Maybe DEI will turn themselves around one day and become the team Dale Earnhardt wanted them to be. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone's holding their breath.

YES!!! NAPA will be Back in 2009!

Jess

This is such great news!

It was made official today at Watkins Glen that NAPA Auto Parts will return to Michael's #55 through 2009. It's such a relief to know that everyone at MWR - and all the fans! - can have one less thing to worry about. NAPA is a wonderful and loyal sponsor and it makes me so thankful that they've stayed faithful to Michael since 2001. They have definitely made the right choice by re-signing because when people think of NAPA they think of Michael. I don't think there is anyone else out there right now that can be as memorable of a spokesperson for NAPA as Michael Waltrip.

Plus it's also a relief because back in 2006 I named my new guinea pig Napa in celebration of NAPA leaving DEI to remain with Michael.

I know Michael wants to perform better than he has and he wants to make NAPA proud. I think if they stick with him they will have a lot to smile over! Thank you NAPA!!

In other news Jayski is now hearing that Aaron's may be be on the #44 part-time next season. This would be awesome but it also means that they'll be giving up races on the #99 Nationwide car - does that mean the #99 will be a full-time ride or will other sponsors fill the gaps? And who would fill the gaps on the Cup side? Most importantly, who is going to be driving the #44? The rumor mentions David and McD but nothing final. I'd assume it would be David since he's in the #44 right now and already has a great relationship with Aaron's.

Today during the rained-out practice David was up in the ESPN booth with Jerry Punch, Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett. It was an enjoyable interview (as always) but DJ said something I thought was a little interesting:

"I gotta ask - since I haven't been in the car since back in May and everything - you've got UPS as the sponsor and I know everything is going well over there...I just have to ask though, have they made you drive the truck yet or anything?"

Okay, is DJ...
1. clueless about all the UPS-leaving-MWR rumors?
2. actually aware of something nobody else is?
3. putting pressure on UPS to stay?
4. referring to the team as "going well"?
5. or just being nice because he adores David?

Things that make you go, "Hmm..."

I'm about ready to rip my hair out over all this. Why doesn't UPS just come out and say it if they're leaving? Are they stalling? If so, why? Is it because they are rethinking (because David is awesome!!)? I wish they'd just say something and get it all out in the open.

Silly Season Goes On and On...

Jess

Jayski has been filled with a plethora of interesting Silly Season tidbits, some better than others and many involving our heroes.

Is NAPA resigning with MWR?

- On This Week in NASCAR this past Monday Michael announced at the end of the show that there would be major sponsorship announcements during a company picnic held Tuesday. MWR fans everywhere tirelessly checked the internet as often as they could, hoping to read something wonderful and hop, skip and make merry. But as Tuesday drew to a close there was nothing to be heard. What happened?

- Most likely I think NAPA will be back at MWR. But the bigger question is will they be with Michael? That's a "most likely" as well but Michael did seem a little off at times on TWiN. I guess we won't know until the announcement is made.

- I'm also anxiously awaiting sponsorship announcements for the other two MWR cars. It's all but officially known that UPS is leaving and if that's their choice, fine. David is one of the best things that has ever happened to them so if they don't see that then they don't deserve to have someone of his caliber. Plus it's so nice of them to basically spit in the face of Dale Jarrett's judgment. But anyway, I can't comment on that much more without having a complete two-year-old tantrum with many grown-up type words, so onto the future! I suppose Aaron's could come into Cup but then that would leave the #99 Nationwide car in question...

Will MWR merge with another team?

- This one's a good one. Since Rob Kauffman and Cal Wells had breakfast with Chip Ganassi and Felix Sebates in July, rumors have been flying around that there may be talks of a merger between MWR and CGR. I guess it would make some sense because as far as we know CGR already has two sponsored cars and MWR definitely has the potential to have two as well. Michael has been talking very highly of Juan Pablo Montoya as of late.

- It sounds like a good idea at first because both teams need a little help and four cars is the way to go. Personally I don't like Ganassi in the least (I'm a Casey Mears fan, what more do I have to say) and I feel his business ethic and the way he likes to blame the crews for everything that goes wrong is not what MWR needs. In addition I already don't like how Michael has a minority ownership of MWR and wouldn't be too happy to see yet another owner (or two, or three) written on the list. There would also be a manufacturer switch, either MWR to Dodge or CGR to Toyota and that takes time and a lot of money. Lastly, MWR has three teams and CGR has two. Yeah, that doesn't add up to an even four. Someone would get canned, and I hate that.

Casey out early?

- I don't even want to think about this! Jayski is hearing that Mark Martin may run the last four races of the season in the #5. Just the idea of that makes me sick. Hendrick already broke Casey's contract by firing him a year before 2009, you'd think he'd at least honor the rest of this year! Unless Casey can find another ride soon and be in it with four races to go I fear he's going to be put at a major disadvantage for 2009. In my opinion, every race, every lap of seat time is so vital.

Did Martin really extend with DEI?

- Back and forth, back and forth. I believe Martin really wanted to leave DEI (probably that "difference of philosophy" thing that's become the catchphrase of many ex-DEIers) and it even got to the point where he apparently flipped out at Max Siegel after a rumor came out he had signed a contract. Now however the rumor has appeared again. Maybe we'll find out tomorrow.

- I wish he could have left. There is definitely something wrong over there.

Pocono Int'l Raceway - Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500

Jess

RESULTS
1. Carl Edwards
12. Dale Jr.
15. Martin
22. Casey
28. Brian
30. David (1LD)
38. Kurt (2LD)
43. Michael (DNF - ENGINE)

Another fuel mileage race! Uhg!

It did take long for some of our guys to face trouble. I was soon suspecting that Michael was having some sort of issue because after the Lap 1 caution he was on pit road for a lengthy period of time. Several laps later Kurt would spin and bring out the caution - luckily his amazing talent behind the wheel kept him from hitting anything! Unfortunately for Michael he couldn't recover like Kurt did because the #55's problems were out of his control: the engine was dying. He barely made it to the competition caution on Lap 21, but I'll give him a lot of credit because he stayed out to lead a lap and collect five bonus points before taking the poor NAPA Camry to the garage. Judging by his 42nd-place starting spot the motor was going south long before the race - the lack of practice on Saturday gave the crew no time to diagnose the problem and thus no time to change engines.

On the #44 radio David was having a tough time with the handling of his car but like always he makes the best out of it. Shawn wasn't spotting this weekend and I had a hard time catching the new spotter's name; I think it was Clayton but don't quote me on that. He was doing a great job and spotting is no simple task. I also liked him because he was very encouraging and willing to help when he could. David was running extremely competitive laps at points, well into the top 10 compared to the rest of the field.

Green flag and yellow flag pit stops ensued with teams opting to do four tires and two tires. Generally Dale Jr. ran well the entire race - everyone else was up and down depending on what other teams chose to do. Something that surprised me was that Brian, who was awesome at Pocono in June, seemed to be struggling. His teammate AJ Allmendinger also was having a very trying day.

Rain began to fall after the midway point of the race and the red flag flew on Lap 131. If only the race had been canceled! Most of the leaders had pitted before the race was stopped, leaving Kurt in 6th and David in 7th! But alas the track was able to be dried off and racing resumed again. A small shower would lengthen a caution on Lap 138 but for the rest of the day it was clear sailing.

Fuel strategy didn't work out for the #2 team in the least, for he ran out of gas two laps before he was supposed to pit. This absolutely killed his chances of a good finish and made me seriously worried that David was going to run out as well. Thankfully he didn't and was able to make his green pit stop without trouble.

After this it was very difficult to keep up with what drivers were on what strategy and who could make it and who had to stop again...it was driving me insane! All I knew was that in the last few laps I was praying that there was enough fuel in the #44's gas tank to keep him where he was running in 12th. But he ran out with half a lap to go. That was one of the most heartbreaking things ever...they worked so hard and didn't deserve to finish 30th. Kurt also ran out (again) and so did Brian at about the same time David did. It was horrible.

One guy who was saved by fuel mileage was Casey. He was able to drive by the other cars coasting to the finish and salvage a decent finish. Not a noble way to do it but you take 'em how you get 'em! Dale Jr. ran out on the frontstretch and participated in a drag race with Jeff Gordon (also running on fumes) to the line! It was so funny to watch - they must have felt like they were weighed down with lead!

Michael's second last-place in a row has brought him within 100 points from dropping out of the top 35 again. I hope he can have a good run at the Glen this weekend and get a bigger gap between he and 36th.

#44 Quotes of the Race

(Before the green)

David: "If I need to set the pit road speed light, if I want to set the max, do I run it up to five grand and then press the button?"

Ryan: "No, don't touch this one!"

David (joking): "Don't tell me what to do!"

POINT STANDINGS
1. Kyle Busch
2. Dale Jr. -176
16. Brian -750
17. Martin -795
18. Kurt -924
24. Casey -1095
27. David -1196
32. Michael -1423 (33rd in owner points, +63 from 36th)

NNS: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve - NAPA Auto Parts 200

Danni

RESULTS
1. Ron Fellows
11. Scott
18. David (1LD)
38. Brandon (DNF - BRAKES)

Even from the prerace video, you could tell that history would be made. The skies were dark with rain clouds. However, NASCAR had a trick up their sleeve - rain tires. While the drivers would never dream of racing on a wet oval, road courses present an opportunity to try out treaded tires, even if they were almost ten years old!

On the green flag, a fork of lightning shot down over the city of Montreal, ominously warning the racers that rain was imminent. It held off for 8 laps. Under a red flag, NASCAR allowed the teams to put on their rain tires (this was when Brandon went out, whether because of a lack of tires or not wanting to risk racing on a wet surface - I don't believe the brake excuse ). I was pretty shocked that several teams did not put a windshield wiper on the car! During the pace laps approaching the restart, excitement and apprehension about Turn 1 was in the air.

To everyone's surprise, racing in the rain turned out to not be such a disaster. Only one driver (Max Papis) wrecked during green flag runs! Granted, everyone was going slow and being careful, but it was still impressive.

David and Scott marched their ways forward. David had a long way to go, too! I love that little NAPA car - and David doesn't look too bad in the suit either! Cars began pitting for the race's last time. When David came in, he was running 9th and looked to be in a good position for the finish. Then the commentators announced the most disappointing news - the #99 had been caught speeding and had to make a pass through! I was pretty upset, especially when I saw that the leader was now just behind him. A couple laps later, the caution came out for heavy rain and I thought, "Okay, he'll get the free pass and charge ahead again."

But the rain poured down. Eventually it got so bad that cars began running into each other under caution because the visibility was so low. As a result, NASCAR called the race 25 laps before the finish. They had to do it, but it was still a let-down to see David end up much lower than he should have had it gone green again.

I like Ron Fellows and was happy to see him win! He said before the race that Gilles Villeneuve (who was killed in a crash in 1982) is one of his heroes and he got chills just thinking about winning at the track named for him. To see him celebrating the victory with so much emotion is very satisfying to me as a race fan.

POINT STANDINGS
1. Clint Bowyer
4. David -319

Friday at Pocono!

Jess

At the last minute I found out that a friend had gotten us hot passes for Pocono! For financial reasons (college) we couldn't stay for the entire three days since hotels are so expensive on race weekends, but we were able to go down Friday and had a great time!

The garage is definitely a wild place, even way before practice starts! Engines are running, crewmen are running around, drivers are starting to show up. You can really feel the intensity and excitement in the air!






(Spare part?? Where's the other half?! )

Of course I had to go see where Michael's garage stall was! His car wasn't in it yet (still in inspection?) but after a few minutes a couple of his crewmen pushed it down the lane and into the stall.





I never did see Michael walking around - he must have snuck in through the other side of the garage - but I did get a few photos of him sitting in his car.



After that we headed over to David's stall to check that out.



All of a sudden he showed up and was chatting with a couple people. Then before I knew it he was walking right toward me! He was so incredibly nice and friendly! I can't say enough about what an awesome person David Reutimann is - no doubt one of the sweetest people in the garage. I feel so lucky to have met him again! Unfortunately Danni and I were so overwhelmed we didn't get any pictures of him - darn it!

From where we were we could also see into Casey's stall!



We also had a couple of the #15 crew smiling and waving to us, which was incredibly amusing. The funniest part was when Paul Menard arrived they turned and said something to him and he stared over as well!

We stayed there for a while as practice went on but then we had to move because we were in the way. So we went down to a big clear spot and were able to take some really cool ground-level photos of the cars driving by.







We watched qualifying from the infield, which was pretty cool (it gets really hot in the garage during practice and I'd forgotten my water in the car, so we decided to stay out in the field where it was cooler). I wish we had a taller car so we could have climbed on the roof to get a better view! It's really too bad Michael went out first - I was so unhappy when he the the first guy that I saw out there!

We had to leave after quals to get back home before it got too dark out. I'll tell you what, we have a Garmin and it's a lifesaver! I don't know what we'd do without that thing.

I would have loved to have stayed all three days but it was still such a great experience and worth the 200+ miles we drove that day!

There are quite a few more photos and a video of the #44 coming out of the garage in my Photobucket.