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“I was reading in the headlines that Bruton (Smith) might be moving the place. My track record's not the best there. I'm all for it. Move it. Move it to the other side of Charlotte. ”
—Clint Bowyer

HAPPY BIRTHDAY:
Jimmy Hensley, David Starr

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TALLADEGA RESULTS

2007 Standings

1 +1 Jeff Gordon 0 5690

2 -1 Jimmie Johnson -9 5681

3 -- Clint Bowyer -63 5627

4 -- Tony Stewart -154 5536

5 +2 Carl Edwards -200 5490

6 -1 Kevin Harvick -120 5488

7 +2 Kurt Busch -210 5480

8 -2 Kyle Busch -260 5430

9 +3 Denny Hamlin -267 5423

10 -2 Martin Truex Jr -300 5390

11 -- Matt Kenseth -313 5377

12 -2 Jeff Burton -331 5359

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FALL FROM GRACE
Kurt Busch gaining positions but losing ground in Chase
By Charles Krall,Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service, October 11

Kurt Busch has seen the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup from both sides now.

In 2004, Busch won the first Chase race at New Hampshire and remained first in the points standings for nine of the 10 weeks, winning the inaugural Chase by eight points over Jimmie Johnson.

This season, Busch finished 25th at New Hampshire, the worst finish by the 12 drivers in the Chase. In the three races since, Busch has climbed from 12th to seventh in the standings.

But Busch's climb is misleading: He has dropped further behind the leader in points in the ensuing three races. After New Hampshire, Busch was 102 points back. After last Sunday's race at Talladega, Busch is five positions higher but 215 points off leader Jeff Gordon.

With six races to go, Busch must try to make up at least 36 points per race on Gordon. That's not to mention the ground he needs to make up on Jimmie Johnson (-9), Clint Bowyer (-63) or even Tony Stewart (-154). Busch's plight is not unique. Eight of the 12 drivers in the Chase are more than 200 points out of the lead.

Even with the points deficit, Busch refuses to give up on claiming his second Chase title, saying the odds of the leaders making it through the final 10 races unscathed are very high.

"One of those guys could very well make it through without any problems, but the odds of doing that have to be huge," Busch said Tuesday during a break in a Team Penske test at Iowa Speedway in Newton. "A crash or a blown engine would bring those guys back to us. We just have to keep focused and get every point we possibly can out of each and every race down the line."

Busch is speaking from experience. With nine races left in the regular season, Busch was 236 points out of the top 12. Four races later he had passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. for 12th, and he never looked back. Busch chased down Earnhardt for the final Chase spot by focusing on his own team and trying to win races (he won twice during his rally). That strategy will be the same as NASCAR's version of the postseason hits the stretch run.

Edwards loses appeal of points deduction
October 11

Carl Edwards and his Roush Fenway Racing team were denied a reduction in penalties assessed to the No. 99 car stemming from the Dodge Dealers 400 on September 23.

Carl Edwards waves his fists in the air after winning the NASCAR Dodge Dealers 400 at Dover International Speedway in Dover Delaware, September 23, 2007. Edwards was penalized 25 NASCAR driver championship points on Tuesday for rule violations found during a post-race inspection. (Robert LeSieur/Reuters)
Despite winning the race, Edwards was penalized 25 driver championship points due to rule violations found in post-race inspection at Dover International Speedway.

The No. 99 Ford Fusion driven by Edwards was found to be too low in the right rear area, which violated three sections of the NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Technical Bulletin.

The National Stock Car Racing Commission heard and considered an appeal to the penalties. They determined there was no indication the infraction was intentional, and noted they didn't know because the car failed to meet post- race height requirements if it constituted an advantage.

The loss of points dropped Edwards from third to sixth at the time in the Chase for the Nextel Cup standings. He is currently 205 points behind leader Jeff Gordon.

In addition to the points lost, Edwards crew chief Bob Osborne was fined $25,000 and there was a 25-point penalty of car owner championship points for Roush Fenway Racing. Osborne was also placed on probation until December 31st.

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New York Group Returns; signs partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing
October 11

It looks like Michael Waltrip Racing will have a new partner to go along with its new driver lineup in 2008.

Dale Jarrett will announce this week he plans to race six times next year, then retire. By driving in the first six races, he can use his past champion's provisional exemption to make the starting lineup; the maximum allowed by NASCAR. He's then expected to turn over the No. 44 Toyota, along with the UPS sponsorship, to current teammate David Reutimann.

If Waltrip decides to keep a third team, the driver that’s being mentioned is David Stremme formally of Chip Ganassi Racing. Sponsorship for a third team is still up in the air however.

As to the partnership, speculation centers on a New York based investment group that will buy into MWR.

Word is that this is the same group of investors who were prowling the garage area several months ago; on that occasion several team owners who cited the group’s funding methods rebuffed them. The group faded from view but appears to be back, and Waltrip looks to be the team owner receptive to their advances.

Dustin Skinner Tests NASCAR Truck With Dad at New Smyrna
October 11

Dustin Skinner, son of 1995 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Champion Mike Skinner, tested a Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra Monday and Tuesday at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway. The younger Skinner exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Mike’s No. 5 Tundra team tested at New Smyrna in preparation for next week’s event at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Since the Skinners live in Florida, the elder Skinner decided to see how his son, Dustin would do behind the wheel.

"Dustin did incredibly well," Mike reported. "I was pleasantly surprised with how well he ran. Heck, he ran just as fast as I did, and I don’t know any rookies that have ever done that. Jeff [Hensley, crew chief] threw a lot of things at him over the two days, and he adapted to everything. He gave incredible feedback. It was amazing. He reminds me of a younger Kyle Busch behind the wheel: very trainable."

The proud father was not the only one pleased with Dustin’s performance. Other Bill Davis Racing employees noticed the young driver’s talent.

"Dustin did a good job," said Team Manager Mark Chambers. "He did a great job of adapting to the truck and gave good feedback as well. Dustin has the potential to be a great racer for someone."

"He did great," Hensley commented. "I made several adjustments to the truck Dustin was in during the test session, and he adapted to everything rather well. There’s no doubt about it he can go fast."

This test session will not be Dustin’s lone venture into NCTS racing. According to Mike, expect to see the young driver behind the wheel next year.

"Angie and I are seeking sponsorships for him," Mike said. "Our goal is to run him in some races next year. Right now we are focusing on winning this Championship, and we don’t need to take our focus off that. But our long term goal is to have Dustin in a Craftsman Truck next year."

How other drag strip owners deal with the noise
`Quite frankly, we're loud'
By Jefferson George and Adam Bell, The Charlotte Observer,October 11

They built a wall in New Jersey, cut races in Southern California and added mufflers to the cars in Oregon.

When noise from racing collides with neighbors' need for quiet, drag strip owners and government officials across the U.S. have taken different paths to compromise.

Concord likely will see similar negotiations now that city officials have softened their stance on a proposed drag strip at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The View From Fanville
Heroes and Dads
By Amy Hair, Senior Columnist Cup Scene Daily, October 11

When you started following NASCAR was it because of this whole father and son thing that seems to be prevalent throughout the whole scene? No? Not me either…about the only father and son thing I paid any attention to was the Earnhardt’s, Dad and Jr. And it wasn’t because they were father and son; it was because they were talked about pretty much every time NASCAR was on the television or radio.

This Day in NASCAR History
By Bill Marx, The Sporting News,October 11

2003: On this day, a Saturday, all three of NASCAR’s top series run a race, the first time this occurs. Because of rain, the Busch Series Little Trees 300 moves to Saturday, the same day as the Winston Cup UAW-GM Quality 500 (both at Charlotte) and the Craftsman Truck Series’ Silverado 350 at Texas. Eleven drivers run both races at Charlotte. Greg Biffle wins the Busch race and finishes 17th in the Cup race (won by Tony Stewart). Brendan Gaughan wins the truck race. Jamie McMurray finishes fifth in the Busch race and seventh in the Cup race.

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