Dover Down

It was Dover Downer for most Chasers this weekend in Delaware. Some huge names may have just been dropped off the short list. While no one is mathematically out of it, they need a ton of speed to even have another chance. Just like everybody else, Monday came too soon.

 

Mix fire with water, and watch the steam. Kasey 'The Rain' Kahne watched all his Championship hopes go up in Smoke. Literally. 11 laps into the race, it was over. It was Tony Stewart getting loose and wrecking, and taking Kahne with him. Smoke didn't want to ruin any Chasers chances, but had no control over taking Kasey out. Putting the #9 in the garage for over an hour. Right as he exited the car, the TV reporters had their shot. The look of despair. The declaration of done. Kasey sits in 9th place in the standings, -182 points from the league leader.

 

"We're done." Were also the first words out of Kyle Busch when asked what his chances of a Championship were after engine failure retired him from the race in Dover. (TNT Sports) With a rare Hendrick Motorsports engine trouble, Shrub suffered his second blow in two Chase playoff races. Leaving nothing left of his Championship chances. And 10th place and -224 points behind, proves it.

 

Junior had another tough week behind the wheel of the #8. "It's another frustrating day." (Fox Sports) He held on to the top line, and looked good coming out of the corners, but tire trouble kept him losing ground all afternoon, and losing ground of any hope for the Cup at the same time. In 6th place and -102 points out of it, nothing short of dominating will be needed to give him a chance this year.

 

Jimmie Johnson continues losing his dream of the Cup. After last weeks wreck, he showed up this week with a solid car, but pit trouble put him in 40th place, and had too many positions to make up in one afternoon. It also looks like too much ground for him to make up, to be considered for a Championship. Sitting in 8th place, and -136 points off the top, the chances are fading as fast the #48 was for most of the year.

 

That could be it for all of them. The list of contenders may have just got shorter. Dover Downer already feels like a Monday hangover. It's time to go back to work.

The Chase for the Championship takes on the Monster Mile this weekend. The headlines are heating up as fast as the cars. We have the RCR team under the microscope of the media, along with the Gordon campaign, to set the stage for the second race in the playoffs. Jimmie Johnson is coming off a wreck from the week before, and a giant slip in the standings. His teammate Kyle Busch is also down on his luck. In addition, Gordon has the whole Hendrick team walking on pins and needles. Between the two teams, they make up the difference between Fast and Last.

It's a unique track with its offset lines, and high speeds in all four corners. The Monster Mile wins confidence, and momentum into a Championship run. Drivers don't have the benefit of friends on this short track, and afternoons can be short if you make the smallest mistake anywhere on the track.

Racers Race: Dover Down

12:30ET Sunday 9/24 TNT

At this point in the season, it's a tough call between who is Fast or Last. The Nextel Cup is so much more then a title. It is careers on display on every given weekend. While all minds are on the Championship, the Racers Race takes a look at the big picture. The Fast and Last Edition is a peak into the moving picture.

#31 Jeff Burton and #29 Kevin Harvick - RCR is a team that has taken this year to top speed. Turning around the franchise to a combination of experience and edge. Burton has been everything that he was ever once dreamed of being. The mind, the performance, and the soul. Harvick brings the attitude of going big, and not compromising for anything less. With two drivers in the Chase, RCR brings the history of NASCAR back up front, just by showing up. This last week they made headlines for their book bending, but in my book, that is a sign of focus. A mental edge of clarity in the bright lights. Each of them walk the line between Chance and Champion, and both won't settle for anything between Fast and Last.

#9 Kasey Kahne and #19 Elliott Sadler - Evernham Racing has there foot back in the door with Kahne in the Chase. And they also worked a huge talent of Sadler into the chemistry. A move that will put this team into the big three for the next five years. Kahne made a statement by breaking into the Chase with all out heart and soul. After 5 wins this year, respect came last. And Sadler has nothing more then a single Pole start to mark this season stats, but came out as one of the fastest in this years Silly Season. Together, the big picture is blinding.

#24 Jeff Gordon and #25 Brian Vickers - It's about time these two held center stage. Gordon has done his share to stay in the headlines, and it would seem that no one ever gets tired of talking about #24. Gordon has a huge turning point in his career just miles ahead of himself, and on any given day he can have the momentum to take him there. Vickers had it easy on the Hendrick team, with Gordon, Johnson, and Kyle Busch as teammates. But with Toyota, and their checkbook entering the league next year, Vickers decided to take the high road with the Red Bull leap. Both teammates have been racing each other like a preview of next year, and the rival of the quick and sick.

When the race at Dover rolls into Victory Lane, the big picture will roll with it. At this point in the season, every move makes the difference between Fast and Last!

The big word going around the NASCAR media from this last weekend is the now infamous 'Bleeder Valve,' on Harvicks winning #29 car in Sundays race in Loudon. For those of you that have been living under a rock, supposedly both Richard Childress Racing cars that are in the Chase were found with questionable rims during post race inspections. The rims were allegedly measured at .003 of an inch at one point of the tire. It's not against the rules of NASCAR, but it is considered to be in poor taste of bending the book. This news seems to be new, but only to the media.

For those that are biting at this issue, let's get a few things straight. First, a bleeder valve is used in a lot of forms of racing. As the tires heat up, the air inside expands. (NASCAR tires are actually filled with Nitrogen to help maintain pressure 30% longer then air, and give the cars better gas mileage.) In some forms of racing these valves are encouraged to be used to perfect air pressure in tires. They are used to let out air as the heat rises, and give the tires more grip on the track. By laser cutting your rims, you are forcing a sharp edge into the tire where air can slowly escape, just like a bleeder valve would do. Although bleeder valves are against the rules in NASCAR, there is no such rule of constant rim width on the cars.

This is nothing new to NASCAR. The trick is common practice in the garage, and just one of many. The NASCAR rulebook is filled more with guidelines then actual rules. Every team works diligently on the most minor details to give them just a bit more of an edge. In this case, the edge is the part in question.

But the fact remains that there is no rule against a .003-inch edge of a rim. There is a rule against bleeder valves. Whether or not both Childress cars were found with laser cut rims is not news at all. The function of such rims is no big secret. And if NASCAR doesn't have a rule against it, let's get back to racing.

All season, NASCAR fans have been scratching their heads wondering where Kevin Harvick went. Maybe he was starting to live up to his nickname, 'Happy.' Harvick played it pretty cool all year, not getting into any trouble with anyone, and silently made his way into the top ten before the Chase cut off. That was the regular season, this is postseason, Harvick. A sign of his old self, and a sign of things to come.

 

Every NASCAR fan knew Harvick was going to make some huge waves during the Chase for the Championship, but no one could have predicted how soon. After just 30 laps into the first race of the Chase, Kevin Harvick got into rookie, Denny Hamlin. This is how Harvick intends to race for the Cup. If Sundays race in New Hampshire is any indication, the only person that is going to be happy with the results, is Happy himself.

With 9 races left in the Chase, and Harvick coming off of 2 wins in a row, and is now the league leader in the Chase for the Cup, everybody better watch out for #29. Don't let his regular season persona fool you. Harvick is ruthless, temperamental, and conscious free. Happy doesn't care if you're a fellow Chaser, a rookie, or a teammate. Because the only thing Happy cares about, is his own happiness. At this point in the season, his only friend is the Cup. And he is now that much closer to that nickname.

  Just a small post to remember the people that were forever lost on this day in history. There has not been a day since, that I have not thought about it. Innocent lives were taken, or changed forever. I am forced to try to think positive. To look forward to a future that we have the power to make. Whatever our government may lack, I know the people of America will never disappoint. We will always come together in moments of crisis, and we will always prevail.  

To all the men and women who our serving this country, and to everyone that has grown so dependable in our times of need, you all have made me proud. From prayers, to support, to donating your time, everything makes a difference. We must continue to work towards a better tomorrow. One with less suffering. We all need to do our part for a cleaner and safer world. In the memory of September 11th, 2001, lets look forward to the future....., Because we will never forget the past!

My Thoughts and Prayers