Edwards Wins A Dover Mess

Carl Edwards

In what has become a bigger Bristol, the racing at Dover is just one crash after another as the "Monster Mile" has justly earned it's name. Not only seen in the Cup race but also the Busch race the day before, wreck after wreck seemed to dominate the action. When you did get to see some racing it was for a very short period of time. But Carl Edwards was able to dodge the bullet all day and came up with his first win in the final ten race format to the championship.

But did Carl win fair and square? Seems his car was a little too low when it went for post race inspection which puts a damper on the win. As competitive as the series is I guess all the teams will try to find a way to gain an advantage. But the Nextel Cup rules are there for a reason and I think a penalty should be handed down to save the integrity of the sport.

Getting back to the main point of this article, which is the racing at this particular venue. Is this a track that they should be running at? Are the constant yellow and red flags what the fans want to see? Is it the particular tire that NASCAR ran for this weekend the problem? These are all questions that come into play when evaluating the train wreck of a weekend at Dover. What do you think? The "Auto Racing Junkie" wants to know!

Carl Edwards

Bowyer Wins First Cup Race In Loudon

Clint Bowyer

On a track that has always been difficult to pass on, Clint Bowyer didn't have to worry about that as he dominated the field to take his first Nextel Cup win. In what seemed a very easy victory, Boyer never seemed to be in trouble as his RCR prepared Chevy Impala won in convincing fashion.

It's always nice to see a first time winner on the Cup circuit, as we did previously this year with Martin Truex Jr. Both Boyer and Truex are two of the up and coming drivers on the Cup circuit and they both race the field clean as all good drivers do. With his win Bowyer now finds himself in fourth place just 15 points behind co-leaders Gordon and Johnson and only five back of third place Tony Stewart.

It seems that this new scoring format has done it's job and has created a real close competition among several drivers. It would be really cool to see a young driver like Bowyer get hot these last nine races and take the championship away from the favorites of the series. If not him then maybe Martin Truex, Kyle Busch or Denny Hamlin can steal the title.

Wouldn't it be fitting if Kyle Busch, who was released by Hendrick to make way for Dale Jr., won the championship and takes it to his new home at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008. So keep it up guys, this race fan wants to see a first time champion crowned at Homestead in November.

Clint Bowyer

Raikkonen Wins Belgian Grand Prix

Kimi Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen won the Belgian Grand Prix in what proved to be a dominant performance by the Ferrari F1 team. Raikkonen started from the pole followed by teammate Felipe Massa and then the McClaren duo of Alonso and Hamilton. With the smallest of margins to Alonso's qualifying time, the McClaren's had nothing for the "Prancing Horse" stable of Raikkonen and Massa as they out paced them the entire race.

But pay tribute to the McClaren team as they had to race under the cloud of being penalized heavily for there involvement in possessing secret technical documents of the Ferrari car. In what was the largest penalty accessed any race team, McClaren lost all constructor points for 2007 and some $100 million in fines for their wrong doing. But the punishment must fit the crime and apparently the crime was close to murder in the eyes of the ruling faction of Formula 1.

With Ferrari now having locked up the constructors title, what remains is the battle for the drivers title. With Hamilton and Alonso only two points apart with three races remaining it will be interesting if the rookie can beat the two time defending world champ. Kimi Raikkonen has an outside chance at the drivers title but he will need both McClaren drivers to have problems in the final three races for it to happen. My fear as a Raikkonen fan is that he will again have the most wins (as in 2005) and not come away with the title. But anything can happen in racing so let's keep our fingers cross for the "Iceman" as the races in China, Japan and Brazil end this very entertaining F1 season.

Kimi Raikkonen

Chase Ends For Dale Earnhardt Jr

Dale Earnhardt Jr

He fought a strong battle but the 2007 chase for the cup ended for Dale Earnhardt Jr. with yet another blown engine. The finish of The Chevy Excitement 400 was just that, very exciting as Dale Jr., Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and finally David Ragan tried their best to hunt down race winner Jimmie Johnson.

But even if Earnhardt finished first it would not have mattered because all the drivers ahead of him had locked up the first twelve positions to qualify for NASCAR'S version of a ten race play off. Jimmie Johnson has come on strong again just at the right time as his Lowes Chevy team is primed for a defense of his 2006 championship. Johnson will go into next weeks race at New Hampshire as the #1 seed in a very strong field of 12 cars and drivers.

Don't feel to bad for Dale Jr. because win or lose he still remains the most popular and most highly paid driver in the Cup garage. With the move to Hendrick Motor Sports in 2008 he has a strong future in a sport that his given him more than most can expect. Being a big Dale Jr. fan I myself can't wait for next year to start and see what he can do with an inherently stronger team.

Back to the chase, we have to keep our eyes on Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards as they seem to have the most momentum going into the championship run. Put your money on Johnson and Stewart to battle for the top prize that NASCAR has to offer because they have the two best teams, which is what you need for a chance to win the big prize. Who do you think will win? Drop me a line and give me your opinion.

Dale Earnhardt Jr

Gibbs Makes The Move To Toyota

Gibbs to Toyota

In a move that had been anticipated for several weeks, Joe Gibbs Racing has made it official and signed on to be the #1 team for Toyota. In 2008 Toyota will now have a top notch team to field it's Camry's with three of the best drivers on the Cup circuit, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and newcomer Kyle Busch.

In what was characterised as a squeeze play from the Chevrolet stable, JGR sited the fact that it was tough for Chevy to support four of the top teams of the sport. With Hendrick, Childress and DEI in the mix, I guess the Gibbs organization felt the move would be the best long term deal for them. Obviously Toyota has deep pockets and needed a strong front running team with a winning history in the most competitive form of American motor racing.

This move now gives Toyota what it needs to win races and eventually a championship. The next thing JGR needs to do is sign Stewart and Hamlin to long term deals so that there will be no questions to be answered, either on a driver or sponsor level. The chemistry is there for a winning combination and in this writers opinion, JGR will be a bidding for the number 1 position within the next three years. Let me know what you think.

Gibbs to Toyota

Another Win for Johnson In Fontana

Jimmie Johnson

It was another stellar performance by Jimmie Johnson and his Lowes Chevy team as he scored his fifth and series leading victory at his home track in southern California. For the first half of the race he stood there lurking in the top five and then proceeded to take over past the half way point and cruise along to another victory for Hendrick Motor Sports.

This NASCAR Nextel Cup race had some descent racing among the front runners as this huge 2 mile oval boast three and four racing grooves. Dale Earnhardt Jr. found himself in the hunt early on but faded at the end and finished a disappointing fifth, all but eliminating him from the chase. With the final race next weekend in Richmond he will need a miracle to get in.

But once again Hendrick showed why they are the dominant team in the cup series as Johnson, Kyle Busch and Casey Mears all ran well. The only exception is points leader Jeff Gordon who struggled all night. Gordon will most likely see his points margin of over 400 points erased by the bonus system NASCAR has adopted and Johnson will lead going into the final ten races for the championship. Oh well, at least it's a Hendrick car unless another team can step up and give them a fight. Tony Stewart, are you listening? See you next week in Richmond.

Jimmie Johnson