Alrighty then, Dover saw Roush-Fenway somehow lose a race that they should have won…and no guesses on picking who the driver was that spoiled their party.
Qualifying had Greg Biffle collect his second pole of the year, fending off both Busch’s from securing a brotherly front-row. Kyle kept increasing his lead over the rest of the field as Dale Earnhardt Jr failed to score any points this week.
One new face in the top 20 this week as Jamie McMurray relegates Reed Sorenson.
Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship - top 20 standings after 13 rounds:
On to Pocono where Jeff Gordon won by dint of leading when the rains came and everyone will be hoping Kyle has a bad finish to tighten things up a bit at the top…well, everyone except Kyle of course.
Another side note, that’s it from me for a while…and also the end of my "Trans-Tasman Traveller" title as I make my move further overseas this weekend. Hope the race/s I don’t get to see are great and thanks everyone for putting up with me this past year and a bit *laugh*
Ok so I didn't update my points after last week since I didn't have the time...and due to qualifying being cancelled (so the points stay the same as last week) I figured I might as well just combine both races into a single update.
New Hampshire saw a Joe Gibbs car (finally) wind up in victory lane as Denny Hamlin and his crew gambled on a two-tyre stop late in the race to hold off a charging Jeff Gordon. It was a close run thing with Denny driving the last few laps "like a wuss" as he was busy seeing that Dupont bonnet bear down on him. The win elevated Denny into the top 3, but still quite a way behind the HMS duo of Gordon and Johnson.
Then we arrived at Daytona...and the final restrictor plate race for the current car. Boy did it give a great finale! Hamlin and Tony Stewart tripped over each other early on (with Tony blaming Denny who shrugged it off saying that if Tony said that then it's probably true since he's got more experience than himself) and the eventual race winner Jamie McMurray getting pinged for passing below the yellow line. But Jamie went on a tear and beat out Kyle Busch (who was gunning for a daily double having won the Busch race earlier in the day) by the huge margin of 0.005 seconds...or the equal second closest finish in NASCAR history since the live scoring was introduced.
Tez's NASCAR Race Championship Standings - after round 18
(* denotes half points only awarded as race did not reach 75% completion)
So halfway through the season and the top 10 guys are the ones you'd expect to be up there and only Tony is without a win so far this year. Jamie gained a few spots to sneak into the top 15.
The only question for the second half is this; can anyone catch Jeff Gordon?
We hit the streets this time as the Cup teams tackle the road course at Sonoma near Napa Valley; the wine capital of California.
The biggest news was to hear that Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson would sit out qualifying due to...car infringements shall we say. If Tsfan is anything like myself (highly unlikely I know, but just stay with me here), then she is rather miffed at what to think now after photo says she reminds him of Jeff (while I get Jimmie).
Anyway, Jamie McMurray went out reasonably early and had to wait as the rest tried to pinch pole from him but all ended well. Jamie scored his third career pole and first on a road course.
After starting 2nd for last years race, Jamie McMurray went one better by grabbing pole
Due to some guys being real good on road courses, the number of drivers with points has jumped from 33 last week to 36. Robby Gordon was the big gainer this week, getting his first points of the year to leap up to equal 24th. Despite having to start from the back and scoring no points as a result, the other Gordon keeps his spot at the top:
Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship Standings - after round 16
After Happy Hour, the guys who look in the best shape going into the race tomorrow are Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and Jeff Burton with Ron Fellows looming as a dark horse.
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.
