4C
SPORTSAJi&e CJartoKe $o«t
Thursday, August 17, 2006
NASCAR QUIZ
Q: David Pearson holds the
record for most Cup wins at
Michigan International
Speedway (9). What was his
nickname?
NEXT RACE
Race: QFS Marketplace 400
Where: Michigan International Spe^wa]
When: 2 p.m. ET Sunday
Television: TNT
Defending race winner: Jeremy Mayfield
With NASCAR’s growing success connes a greater...
Pressure to
PERFORM
By RICK MINTER
Cox Netvs Service
Atlanta
A ggressive driving already has be
come one of the big stories of the
2006 NASCAR season. And tvith
four more races, including Sunday’s GFS
Marketplace 400 at Michigan
International Speedway before the start of
the Chase for the Nextel Cup, there likely
tvill be a few more chapters tvritten as
drivers try to join the elite 10 who ^vill run
for the tide.
Beating and banging used to be confined
mostly to short tracks and road courses,
but lately it has become almost common
place on high-speed ovals. Defending Cup
champion 'Rny Stewart blames much of
the problem on younger drivers who don’t
show patience or respect for veteran driv
ers. But SteAvart has triggered several inci
dents this season, including one in the
Da3l»na 500 when he sent Matt Kenseth
spinning into the grass at nearly 200 mph
and another at Pocono last month when he
^vrecked Clint Bo^vyer and Carl Edwards
in retahation for being crowded by Bo^vyer
earUer in the race.
Jeff Burton said it’s not fair to place aU of
the blame on younger drivers.
“We do have some young drivers who
don’t get it, but we have some older ones
who don’t get it, either,” he said.
He said that when he’s behind the wheel,
he doesn’t try to treat a competitor any dif
ferent because of his experience level.
“When I am out on the race track, I don’t
look at a guy and think, That guy is a
rookie and I need to stay a\vay from him,’ ”
he said. “The quahty of drivers and teams
that we have today is so high that I just
see somebody I have to pass or who is try
ing to pass me.”
Burton also pointed out that aggressive
driving is not new to NASCAR.
T \vould be ^vilhng to bet that Cale
Yarborough was pretty ticked off about
somebody being young and a^ressive,” he
NASCAR
Up and coming...
Shane
Huffman
said. Tt is part of the sport. It is part of
what we do. It is an aggressive sport.”
Burton said what really has changed
about NASCAR is that the sport has be
come more visible, which has put more
pressure on drivers to perform.
“The media coverage is more,” he said.
“You can’t turn on the TV \vithout watch
ing something to do wth NASCAR... [and]
I think the intensity of racing
is at an all-time high.
“I really believe
that from spot [No. ]
1 to spot 30 is more
competitive than it
has ever been. If
you are running
15th, you are in a
dogfight. You can’t
imagine how hard
it is to run 15th.”
But he said that
intensity and pres
sure from the
media and sponsors
and fans is not a bad
thing.
“[It’s] why people
watch it,” he said.
MICHIGAN
INTERNATIONAL
SPEEDWAY
Track length: 2 miles
Race length: 200 laps / 400 miles
Banking in corners: 18 degrees
Banking in frontstretch: 12 degrees
Banking in backstetch: 5 degrees
Length of frontstretch: 3,600 feet
Length of backstretch: 2,242 feet
Grandstand seating capacity: 137,243
First race: June 15, 1969; Motor State
500
Qualifying record: Ryan Newman,
Dodge; 194.232 mph; June 17, 2005
Race record: Dale Jarretl, Ford; 173.997
mph; June 13, 1999
Richard Childress
Racing driver Jeff
Burton believes the
heightened visibility of
NASCAR has put added
pressure on drivers to
perform. Burton is fourth
in the Cup standings
heading into Sunday’s
race at Michigan.
Shane Huffman, a 32-year-old Hickory^
N.C., short-track driver, is set to take over
the No. 88 Chevrolet fielded by Dale
Earnhardt Jr. in NASCAR’s Busch Series.
Huffman, who has been racing in the
Hooters Pro Cup Series in a Chevy o^vned
by the Nectel Cup star, ^vilI take over for
Mark McFarland, who was released last
week. Huffman recently was interviewed
by Rick Minter of Cox News Service.
On his Busch Series plans: Tt looks
like we’U get to go to Bristol. We’ll have to
miss California, then, pending NASCAR
approval, go to everyone we can following
that and then do a full year next year.”
On his Busch debut last month at
Gateway International Raceway: “It
was fun. We did some of what we needed
to do there. I was really disappointed with
the finish and the way the car ran. We
were just a httle bit too tight all night. It
was as much my fault as anybody’s, wth
me not being experienced enough to get it
freed up in practice. The next time I go, I’ll
have a lot better feel for what I need, so
that part ^vill be a lot better.”
On having Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a
car owner: ‘He’s cool. It’s a good time. He
criticfres you when you do \vrong and lets
you know when you do good. He’s just a'
cool guy to be around, a lot of fun. He’s
been pretty busy lately, so I haven’t gotten
to be aroimd him much at aU. He’s got a lot
on his plate, but he handles it well, to be as
young as he is. If he can handle as much as
he’s got going on, then what httle bit I’ve
got going on shouldn’t be anything.”
On the pressure of coming into a
ride in which the previous driver
(McFarland) was released because of
lackluster i>erformance: T think we all
realize we’ve got a little bit to gain as a
team. And I think they realize I’m not an
overnight answer. I certainly hope they
feel that way I think we need to get a cou
ple of people in some key positions. ... I
think it’s going to get better, but it’s going
to take some hard work and determina
tion to do it. It’s a work in progress.”
On racing against the top Cup driv
ers in the Busch Series: Tn a Busch
race, they’re Busch drivers, so it doesn’t re
ally bother me. You’re only as good as the
people you race, so if you can outrun those
guys on any given day that makes you
that much better.”
On being one of the few drivers
from the Carolinas to enter NASCAR
in recent seasons: “That’s about the
'truth. There are just a few of us out there.
I’m just proud to be in this position. I hope
I can make the best of it, but I know I’ll
have to work harder than I’ve ever worked
in my life. A lot of things that come with
this deal are new to me.”
HARVICK
Rick Minter’s
OBSERVATIONS
Some key storylines as the Cup Series heads to Michigan.:
Chevy dominance
Despite rules that have made the bodies and engines of
cars from various makes very similar, Chevrolet drivers are
speeding away fix)m the pack this year. Kevin Harvicks vic
tory Sunday at Watkins Glen was the 14th victory for
Chevrolet in 22 points races this season.
Harvick also had a victory at Phoenix
this season, but the bulk of Chevy’s victo
ries have been scored by diivers fix)m
Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs
Racing.
Drivers fit)m those two teams had
swept six consecutive races leading into
Watkins Glen and have 11 this year.
Dodge has five victories, four by Kasey
Kahne and one by Kurt Busch. Ford has
three, two by Matt Kenseth and one by
his Roush Itocing teammate Greg Biffle.
Last year, Ford had nine victories at this juncture, but the
speed is not quite there this year, according to Biffle, who
appeared to have a fast car at Watkins Glen, only to be
knocked into the wall, which relegated him to a 38th-place
finish.
“Our cars just aren’t as good as they have been in the
past,” he said during a teleconference last week. “We’re off a
little bit. I think the drivers are making up for a lot of it
right now ... [but] I think our competition has got us beat a
little bit, certainly more than they did last year.”
Chase scramble
The top 10 in the Nextel Cup standings were scrambled
somewhat by the finish of Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen,
but the players remain unchang^ ^vith four races left be
fore the start of the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup that
\vill determine the season champion.
The challengers just outside the top 10 held their posi
tions in the standings, but most weren’t able to close the gap
on the top 10.
Kasey Kahne, who was third in points after the Save
Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on Jime 25, held onto the
11th position, but went from 37 points out of 10th to 54 back
after crashing on the last lap for the second consecutive
week.
Greg Biffle, last year’s points runner-up, \vrecked at The
Glen and limped home 38th, which leaves him 174 points
behind lOth-place Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Kurt Busch, the polesitter at The Glen, appeared to be in
position to challenge for the race victory and gain needed
points, but was sent to the back of the line for pitting too
soon when a mid-race caution flag flew. He wound up 21st,
but added just three points to his deficit to Earnhardt. He’s
still 13th in points, 177 points out of 10th.
Carl Edwards remains 14th in the standings despite an
impressive fifth-place finish at The Glen, but he’s 185 points
out of the elite 10.
It’s all silly
NASCAR used to have a “Sflly Season” late in the year,
when drivers and crew chiefs began revealing plans to move
to new teams. But Silly Season has become a year-round
event, and in many cases, the changes take effect immedi
ately rather than at the end of the year as they once did.
Last week, veteran crew chief Tbdd Parrott left Petty
Enterprises, which he joined this year, and returned to
Robert Yates Racing, which saw tivo of its crew chiefs leave
tivo weeks ago. One ofYates’ ex-crew chiefs, Tbmmy
Bald^vin, already is at work at Bill Davis Racing.
And'Jeremy Mayfield, after makii^ the cut for the Chase
the past two seasons, was fired by car o^vner Ray Evemham
after the team dropped out of the top 35 in owners’ points.
It’s possible that Elliott Sadler, who already has an
nounced plans to lea've Yates, 'will take over for Mayfield,
possibly as soon as this week, while Yates may turn to
Mayfield as a temporary fill-in in the No. 38 Ford.
Mayfield is expected to join one of the teams planning to
field Tbyotas next season.
Yates team co-owner Doug Yates said mid-season swaps
are best if a change is going to be made anyway “There’s no
point in ^vaiting until the end of the year if you can go ahead
and get a start on next year,” he said.
Foreign invasion
The addition of several new Tbyota teams next year is
going to swell the ranks of Nextel Cup entries, but that may
not necessarily be a good thing, according to some of the
sport’s major players.
“There are going to be too many cars,” said Che'vrolet driv
er Jeff Burton. T don’t think it’s healthy for our sport to
have 47, 48, 49 fully sponsored, fully prepared teams be
cause we’re going to send major sponsors home,”
Only 43 drivers start Nextel Cup races under the current
rules.
Burton and plenty of others also beheve that Tbyota is
spending fi^ly on personnel and equipment, driving up the
cost for every other team.
STANDINGS
NEXTEL CUP
Following the AMD at The Glen
1. Jimmie Johnson
3,241; previous: 1
2. Malt Kenseth
3,117; previous: 2
3. Kevin Harvick
2,918; previous: 4
4. Jeff Burton
2,879; previous: 3
5. Kyle Busch
2,871; previous: 5
6. Mark Martin
2,815; previous: 6
7. Tony Stewart
2,794; previous: 9
8. Denny Hamlin
2,782; previous: 7
9. Jeff Gordon
2,756; previous: 8
Cup next up: GFS Marketplace
400; Michigan International
Speedway
TV: 2 p.m. ET Sunday; TNT
Busch next up: Carfax 250;
Michigan International Speedway
TV: 2:45 p.m. ET Saturday; TNT
Truck next up: O’Reilly 200;
Bristol Motor Speedway
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. TV: 9 p.m. ETAug. 23; Speed
2,726; previous: 10 Channel
BUSCH SERIES
1. Kevin Harvick
3,778.; previous: 1
2. Carl Edwards
3,335; previous: 2
3. Denny Hamlin
3,281; previous: 3
4. Clint Bowyer
3,208; previous: 4
5. J.J. Yeley
3,121; previous: 5
TRUCK SERIES
1. Todd Bodine
2,454; previous: 1
2. Johnny Benson
2,310; previous; 2
3. David Reutimann
2,260; previous: 4
4. Ted Musgrave
2,215; previous: 6
5. Rick Crawford
2,199; previous; 3
Are you single, attractive BUT selective?
Tired of trying to meet mnytofk through friends,^ at the work yhee, tJr at
the local handout? That's the very reason why many fiabty singles like
you are tumlH^ to j/rofessmal match makers to find their next date.
Caul, for an arpointment 704-302-1 745
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT WWW.Sai-ACECONSUUTINC3.NET
Consulting, Bringing Hearts Together
i 40^^ «K y9ur tat ymr h