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Who Is In, Who’s Out

Posted by Penni On July - 23 - 2008

With the last off weekend over, for the Sprint Cup guys, the drivers (and the fans) are on the final stretch — a 17-race showdown. Who will make it to the Chase for the Sprint Cup and who won’t? After Richmond September 6, it will be known. Most importantly, who will win the championship?

The current Chase contenders are:

•Kyle Busch: He’s been sitting on top of the charts for weeks, since Richmond in May to be exact. He currently has the most wins in the Cup series (seven), five wins in the Nationwide series and two wins in the Craftsman’s Truck series, making a total of 14 wins already this season. When the Chase starts, he’ll be seeded first, like he currently sits, but will have 70 bonus points.

•Dale Earnhardt Jr.: He has gradually and consistently made his way to the top, or as far he can get at the moment, putting himself in one of the best positions he needs to be in. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

Disappointments, Anyone?

Posted by Penni On July - 2 - 2008

Loudon, N.H. last weekend was the site for the first race in the “Race to the Chase” — the 10 races leading up to the final 10 races — the “Chase for the Sprint Cup.”

The “Chase” begins in Loudon also — in Septemeber.

Both races there tend to be either boring from start to finish or boring with a little excitement toward the end. This first race to the Chase was pretty much the first option. It had no real excitement but was filled with lots of disappointments from beginning to end.

It wasn’t totally without surprises.

Surprise number one came when Patrick Carpentier qualified his No. 10 Dodge on the pole position for Sunday’s Cup race. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

In Dominating Fashion…

Posted by Penni On June - 11 - 2008

Pocono races tend to be very uninteresting.

Anything you want to see typically happens early and maybe at the end. There isn’t usually anything “that interesting” in the middle, just a whole lot of racing. This weekend was no exception.

During Friday’s Cup practice session and qualifying, it was Kasey Kahne’s No. 9 Dodge on top. Kahne picked up his first pole of the season; he was the only driver to top 170 miles per hour around the tri-oval that is known as Pocono Raceway.

“It was perfect,” Kahne said after taking his qualifying laps.

Kahne continued to call his car “perfect” throughout both of Saturday’s practice sessions in which he was in the Top Five. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

Early Predictions Of A Novice

Posted by Penni On April - 23 - 2008

I know it may be a little early for this, but I thought I’d share my predictions for the rest of the season. Maybe in doing so, I can give you a little more insight as to who my favorite driver is — or maybe not.

He may have it in him, but I don’t think Jimmie Johnson will actually win a third championship in a row. I don’t think he’ll drop out of the Top 12 in points, either. He’s high enough up and he’s got very “Jimmie Johnson friendly” tracks up ahead.

I’m sure he’s going to win a few more races. What would the season be if Johnson didn’t win a handful of races and wasn’t a threat to win? Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

Sprint Back From A Break

Posted by Penni On March - 26 - 2008

An off weekend means, not only was I bored, but I have a chance to review the first five races of the season.

I have been very pleased with the racing, so far. I think this new car, respectfully the Car of Today (no longer should it be called the Car of Tomorrow), is worth the aggravation it brought last year. The racing has improved, maybe that isn’t just due to the new car, but nonetheless it has been enjoyable to watch.

The race finishes, most of them, have been spectacular. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

A ‘Newman’ For The New Year?

Posted by Penni On February - 20 - 2008

Last Thursday, all the 53 drivers entered into the Daytona 500 — the Great American Race — competed in two separate qualifying races — the Gatorade Duels. Only four were able to race their way into the Daytona 500 (John Andretti, Dale Jarrett, Kenny Wallace, and Brian Vickers).

The first duel win went to Dale Earnhardt Jr. who dominate the race and was able to secure his win thanks to Reed Sorenson, driver of the No. 41 Target Dodge, who help push him and keep in first position. This left everyone, including myself, to speculate whether he’d win the 500 or not. I was leaning towards the yes, as were many others that I talked with.

The second duel was won by Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota. This gave Toyota their first Cup win and momentum for the 500. Despite Hamlin being the first Toyota winner, he wasn’t the one everyone was eying for the first coveted win. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

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