The real race has begun
Of course, there was a little tift between Juan and Kevin Harvick on the track, but it never got past a little shoving and in the end – they realized neither one was to blame. But in the end, not really a big deal.
The big deals on the other hand come when we look at the overall picture and mention the driver carousel.
First, there are only four more races left until the Chase for the Championship begins. When it reaches that point the top twelve drivers will have their points set to an even 5000, plus ten points for every race run. Then, it's full out chaos theory until Homestead at the end of November and we find out which of those twelve had it in him to win the chase. So, when you're watching the races over the next four weeks pay attention to those guys who are in 9-15 in the point standings (don't worry the broadcasters will be sure to tell you a few billion times who exactly is on the bubble.. and if you're like most of the NASCAR fans that belong the Earnhardt Nation you already know that Junior has slipped back to 14 th after engine troubles and may once again not make the chase. Second, the chase makes things interesting because drivers in those top six positions are racing for wins! And they are racing hard as evident by both Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon's late race mistakes that let Stewart have the win. But what you can tell from this is these guys aren't solely focused anymore on having big points days once they get in that top ten, they're racing hard to get the win and that bonus ten points for when the chase begins – they know that bonus could be the difference between winning a championship and going home in second place. So, you'll see these guys taking a few more risks before the chase because they know they can afford to.
Third, the carousel - Kyle Busch signed with Gibbs earlier in the week taking him officially off the market. But fret not you junkies who love to watch the team transactions/trading, there are still several big spots open on good to decent teams for next year – including DEI. My personal favorite that I hope lands himself a good cup ride – Patrick Carpentier – the Canadian who actually led laps in his first ever Cup race this last Sunday and came in second in his Busch series debut. Additionally, Boris Said is also looking for a full time cup ride next season and that may very well come in at DEI too. After starting nearly last Boris was able to get the Woods Brothers car up into a high enough position to guarantee them a car in this Sunday's race as they now are in that top 35 in owner's points for the weekend at least.
By the way, tattoo parlors will be getting some extra work this year during the off-season as it became official that the number 8 will not follow Dale Jr. to his new home at Hendrick Motor Sports. No announcement has come yet on what number Jr will be driving next season yet, but it won't be the number eight.
So.. to end this ramble of news and thoughts – go enjoy some NASCAR races before you get consumed into the NFL (or even when you are) because the season is heating up and the races are definitely getting more exciting.
Posted 08/16/07 by Jaime Sue | Filed under: NASCAR/Auto Racing
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