As predicted the weather played havoc with this past weekend’s race activities. Both Nationwide and Sprint Cup series teams and drivers were able to participate in their one and only practice session on Friday. However, Friday qualifying sessions were canceled and both races were postponed until Sunday with the Cup race set to run first.
The starting lineup for both races were set according to owner points, which meant Joey Logano was not able to make his Cup debut in the 02 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. It does look like he will be able to attempt to qualify for this weekend’s race in Loudon, N.H.
Last week’s Fontana, Calif. winner, Jimmie Johnson, won the race, making it two in a row for him and four wins this season, so far. He grabbed the lead towards the end of the race from Tony Stewart. Stewart was not too happy about not winning, but making the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the final time with Joe Gibbs Racing should be a well-enough feat.
Speaking of the Chase, the field is now set and no driver fell out of the Top 12 which means Kasey Kahne and David Ragan did not make the Chase. It also means that a Dodge (Kahne, in this case) will miss the Chase for the first time since it’s conception in 2004. Both Kahne and Ragan tried their best Sunday but luck and weather were not on either of their sides.
The 2008 class for the Chase are (in order of seeding): Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Stewart, Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth.
The next 10 weeks will be pivotal for all 12 drivers as they need to make the best effort to finish well and gain as many points as possible to contend for the championship. Busch and Edwards have shown they have a good idea of what it takes, now it is up to the others to prove them wrong or show them up.
As for the Nationwide race, Edwards, who didn’t fair well earlier in the day during the Cup race, went on to win his fourth Nationwide race of the season.
In other NASCAR news:
- Logano was signed to JGR to replace Stewart as the driver of the No. 20 for 2009.
- Ryan Newman was named as the driver of the No. 39 (not the No. 4) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet next season, joining fellow Indiana driver and new owner, Stewart.
- Darien Grubb, former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief and current engineering manager, has been named to be Stewart’s crew chief in 2009.
- J.J. Yeley was released as driver of the No. 96 Hall of Fame Racing Toyota prior to Michigan and Nationwide driver Brad Coleman was announced as the driver. However, Coleman did not fair well in the race in Michigan and will be splitting time with Ken Schrader and Logano at least.
- Nationwide driver and former Ganassi Racing Cup driver, David Stremme, was announced as the replacement driver for the No. 12 Penske Dodge after Newman vacates the seat at the end of this year.
- Georgian Reed Sorenson, driver of the No. 41 Dodge, was signed to drive for Gillett Evernham Motorsports next year, either in the No. 10 or a fourth GEM Dodge. This leaves Patrick Carpentier, current driver of the No. 10 Dodge, as a “free agent” if he is not signed for another year due to lack of sponsors.
- Sorenson’s teammate, Dario Franchitti, will return to IRL (Indy Racing League) to drive the No. 10 Ganassi Honda. Bryan Clauson will fill Franchitti’s seat as the driver of the No. 40 Dodge in the Nationwide series, at least for the races Franchitti was scheduled to run in.
- The 2009 NASCAR schedules were announced for all three top divisions. The Cup series will have an extra “off-weekend” the week before the Chase begins. Fontana, Talladega and Atlanta fall races switched amongst themselves. The Nationwide said “bye-bye” to racing in Mexico City and “hello” to racing at Iowa Speedway.
Don’t miss:
From Loudon
- Sprint Cup qualifying, Friday at 3 p.m. on ESPN2
- Camping World RV Rental 200 (Craftsman’s truck race), Friday night at 7:30 on SPEED
- Sylvania 300 (Sprint Cup race), Sunday at 1 p.m. on ABC
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Go Junior!
No Dodges. That’s crazy. You’d think there’d be at least 1 find its way into the top 12. On the up side for Kasey, I’m pretty sure he’ll be in the top 6 Dodge’s at the end of the year which will put him in the Shootout.