Alrighty then, time for another round at Pocono (special thanks go to photo for beating how to spell this track correctly into my head...yes, the bruise is healing nicely, thanks for asking) and we had, possibly, the most dominant performance of the year as Kurt Busch piloted his #2 Miller Lite Che...uh, make that Dodge (sorry, just used to a Chevy winning this season) to lead over 170 of 200 laps. The race behind him was hard fought however with Dale Jr managing to work some strategy to come back from a spin to finish in second with Denny Hamlin just holding off championship leader, Jeff Gordon, for third.
Not surprisingly, the two drivers who jumped up the most were Kurt and Dale, while Jeff was able to eek out another point on Jimmie to stretch his lead to 27 points.
Kurt gave the Penske team that first win in '07 they'd been longing for
A reminder to those reading this for the first time that my system is what they use in F1; top 8 only score points - 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1...too bad if you finish in ninth.
Tez's NASCAR Race Championship (TNRC) Standings - after round 21
(* denotes half points only awarded as race did not reach 75% completion)
So there we have it, the race at this stage appears to be for second place as Jeff's consistancy is making it hard for anyone to make a charge on him. But, we still have 15 races to go so one driver can, potentially, make up 150 points so 27 isn't all that big in comparison...but the odds are against someone doing that obviously.
The Cup circuit (circus? There's a case for either I suppose) rolls into the weirdest looking oval on the planet for the second time this year. Expectations are if you're good on a road course, you should go ok at Pocono and, potentially, vice versa...and Watkins Glen is next week.
Last time here, Ryan Newman managed to nick pole from Denny "Mr Pocono 2006" Hamlin. This time, those guys won't be sharing the front row...though a Chevy and Dodge will be there. For the first time in, apparently, 172 races Dale Earnhardt Jr will start from the pole with Kurt Busch lining up beside him. Jr, Newman and Kasey Kahne all managed to chomp into Jeff Gordon's lead since Jeff could only manage 11th on the grid.
Jr managed to leapfrog Kasey into third in the points and his performance was more impressive to me as I had thought he was no chance of pole since the rain came as he started his run. I figured the track would have no grip when he went out...shows why I'm sitting here and not behind the wheel I guess.
Jr proved me wrong by planting his #8 car on the pole despite rain...his first pole since 2002
Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship - Standings after round 21
So the gap is five points between Jeff and Ryan with Jr and Kasey both trying to get in on the action as well. Those four guys look to be the ones who will fight out this title. Denny might be able to make a move but he, like Jeff, is more interested in experimenting setups for the Chase so this could be a good chance for Ryan, Jr and Kasey to make their charge.
I hope everyone enjoys the race...and keep an eye on turn four of this track, it's quite a doozy ;)
Tez is a rare creature; an Australian who was living in New Zealand before moving to Canada. He's also a Civil Engineer who is hoping to spend his Monday to Friday sitting in front of a computer surfing the inter...uh, working hard for an Engineering Consultant or Contractor when he finds a job. His heart is torn between his two loves; F1 and NASCAR.
Due to his high interest in those, his blogs will likely focus on them with the occasional foray into sports that don't get much (if any) mention on this website. All blogs and/or comments will more than likely have his usual dollop of sarcasm and general Aussie spin on them.
Amazingly, he also managed to score 2 MiB nominations on consecutive days (August 5 & 6, 2007) after announcing he had been keeping track of them...he's considering hiding under his bed as a result.
