No, I didn't forget about doing my TNQC and TNRC for Daytona...I just didn't really see the merit in posting them this week since the top 17 are, funnily enough, the top 17 qualifiers/finishers so I'll wait until after Fontana to put the list up here...congrats to the Penske bunch though.
So what is a Teretonga you may ask? I'll add two more words for you; Ruapuna and Timaru...no idea?
Well then I suggest you do some geography, or at least look to your right and read my profile...yep, those three are names of racetracks in New Zealand, South Island if I want to get picky. To get to Teretonga, you head towards Invercargill and keep going before you get to the sign which states that it is the southern-most FIA sanctioned track in the world...at least, I think that's what it said but the wind was howling and pushing the rain sideways so it was hard to make out at the time. Luckily the weather did clear up (well, the rain stopped at least) around lunchtime so I could confirm that's what it says.
2008 marked the first ever time, apparently, that NZ hosted a few of the CanAm cars...which strikes me as odd considering how much success Kiwis had during the nine seasons it was raced from 1966 to 1974. In fact, the series was often called the 'Bruce and Denny show' as Bruce McLaren (yes, the same McLaren as the F1 team...rather poor they don't play the NZ anthem when they win but you can't have everything I guess) and Denny Hulme (NZ's only F1 World Champion) pretty much thrashed everyone until the Porsches showed up in the last few years of them.
In the 58 events the duo entered, they collected a total of 39 wins...makes HMS effort of 18 from 36 rather poor really. Oh and another four races were won by drivers using McLarens bringing the total percentage of races won in the nine years to 60%.
A familiar scene...the two orange McLarens out front
CanAm managed to attract drivers from the world over including Mark Donohue, A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney and Jackie Stewart just to name a few. So what made drivers want to race these things? I suppose it would be the tight restrictions on what you could race...anything goes.
Yep, the rules for CanAm were very simple; build anything that has wheel arches and you could race it. That meant turbos, superchargers, four-wheel-drive, ground effects, wings, super-fat racing slicks...basically anything nowdays that you can't use *laugh*
CanAm provided the biggest Ferrari V12 engine ever (though I don't think they actually raced it) as well as the turbocharged Porsche flat-12. By the end of the series, the cars were pushing 1300 hp and well capable of speeds over 240 mph. Probably the funniest story we got told was that in a recent race over in the States, there was a quick flip-flop at the end of a straight which everyone was lifting off for. One driver however told his crew that if they #### more wing on, he'd be able to take it flat...and he did...at over 200 mph...rather him than me *hair rise*
Anyway, just thought I'd share that one here and would recommend going and seeing them if you get a chance (there were just five on display here so I can only imagine what 20 would be like)...I just wish the weather had been better than it was at Teretonga.
Ahh, Homestead...site of Greg Moore's final victory in the old CART series before his death in Fontana during the final race.
But this NASCAR, where they race with roofs and stuff so you're not interested in openwheelers...well, ignoring Messrs Montoya, Carpentier, Hornish Jr and Villeneuve I guess. Anyway, Miami has basically been Greg Biffle's personal playground the last few years so I must say I was surprised that he didn't score any points in qualifying. The main battle was whether or not not Jeff Gordon could pinch this title off Jimmie Johnson. To do so, he needed to grab the pole and hope that Jimmie was behind five other qualy-chasers...well that certainly worked....assuming he and Jimmie swapped cars this weekend and Jeff is driving the #48.
No?
Well then I guess that means Jimmie can celebrate for the second week in a row having clinched my TNRC title last time out at Phoenix. A sterling effort from Johnson, continuing his red-hot form to nab pole from Ryan Newman while the 2008 Budman will line up third.
Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship - Chase for the Plate, final standings
1 - Jimmie Johnson, 79 points 2 - Jeff Gordon, 63 points 3 - Ryan Newman, 57 points 4 - Kurt Busch, 49 points 5 - Kasey Kahne, 47 points 6 - Denny Hamlin, 28 points =7 - Dale Earnhardt Jr, 23 points =7 - Carl Edwards, 23 points 9 - Juan Montoya, 21 points 10 - Elliott Sadler, 20 points (sorry mate...been spelling your name with one 't', my bad) 11 - Kyle Busch, 14 points 12 - Jamie McMurray, 9 points
Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr end up tied in 7th with 1 pole each for the season...and I can't be bothered going through the whole season to figure out who had the better starting positions so they end up equal. I suppose the biggest story out of these 12 guys are the GEM boys of Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler. Compared to where they currently sit in the TNRC (Kahne in equal 22nd, Sadler in equal 31st), this has to be the best example of how big the difference is between getting a car to go fast for a few laps and a race distance...those guys just haven't had it in the races, maybe next year will be better.
So, another congratulations to Jimmie Johnson and the #48 bunch for winning the inaugural...I'm starting to sound like a broken record, sheesh *rolls eyes*...TNQC.
fine, so that's not a plate, but he still wins the TNQC anyway...and he's very pleased as you can see
Ok and here's the rest...I say preliminary since I have to check Mark's tally again.
Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship - Best of the Rest, preliminary standings
13 - Martin Truex Jr, 75 points (1 pole) 14 - Greg Biffle, 51 points (1 pole) 15 - Kevin Harvick, 42 points 16 - Bobby Labonte, 40 points 17 - Mark Martin, 36 points (must check this...he only had 25 in my post last week so maybe I stuffed up that number when I posted) 18 - Matt Kenseth, 35 points 19 - Scott Riggs, 34 points 20 - Clint Bowyer, 33 points (2 poles) 21 - Tony Stewart, 31 points 22 - Dave Blaney, 30 points (1 pole) 23 - Casey Mears, 29 points (1 pole) 24 - JJ Yeley, 28 points (1 pole) 25 - David Gilliland, 24 points (1 pole) 26 - Reed Sorenson, 21 points (1 pole) =27 - Jeff Burton, 19 points =27 - David Stremme, 19 points 29 - Ricky Rudd, 16 points 30 - Johnny Sauter, 15 points 31 - Michael Waltrip, 13 points (1 pole) 32 - David Ragan, 12 points 33 - Dale Jarrett, 10 points =34 - Joe Nemechek, 9 points =34 - Tony Raines, 9 points =36 - AJ Allmendinger, 8 points =36 - Robby Gordon, 8 points =36 - Brian Vickers, 8 points =39 - Sterling Marlin, 6 points =39 - Ken Schrader, 6 points =39 - Kenny Wallace, 6 points =42 - John Andretti, 5 points =42 - David Reutimann, 5 points =42 - Boris Said, 5 points 45 - Jacques Villeneuve, 3 points =46 - Ward Burton, 2 points =46 - Bill Elliot, 2 points =46 - Mike Skinner, 2 points 49 - Paul Menard, 1 point
And that's it until next year for this thing...thanks for (pretending to anyway *laugh*) being interested in it and I hope next years battle is as good as this one has been.
Ok so I haven't updated this since Talladega...urgh, great, five weekends ago *rolls eyes*
At that stage Jimmie Johnson had taken a good grip on the qualifying title and that hasn't changed. What has changed is that Jeff Gordon has moved up to second (how ironic since they're also 1-2 in the race standings; both NASCAR's and mine) with Ryan Newman dropping to third.
While Johnson has been on a tear in the races, doing a three-peat, it's been his consistancy that has seen him keep his points lead over Gordon. Not that Jeff hasn't been trying, he's outscored Johnson 39-31 over the last five races...he just let Jimmie get too far ahead at the start.
Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship - Chase for the Plate after Qualifying 9
So with one qualifying session to go, Jeff must outscore his teammate by nine points to win this thing outright and save me doing a countback...the bonus point for pole would be very helpful as would some bad luck for Jimmie. But, as this season has seen, those HMS cars are pretty much bulletproof so it's really Johnson's title to lose.
Down to two; only these guys can win the first TNQC title next week in Miami
To the rest then where, after this weekend, Martin Truex Jr has wrapped up 13th with Greg Biffle doing the same for 14th.
Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship - Best of the Rest after round 35
13 - Martin Truex Jr, 74 points (1 pole) 14 - Greg Biffle, 51 points (1 pole) 15 - Bobby Labonte, 40 points 16 - Kevin Harvick, 37 points 17 - Scott Riggs, 34 points 18 - Clint Bowyer, 33 points (2 poles) 19 - Dave Blaney, 30 points (1 pole) =20 - Casey Mears, 29 points (1 pole) =20 - Tony Stewart, 29 points 22 - JJ Yeley, 28 points (1 pole) =23 - Matt Kenseth, 25 points =23 - Mark Martin, 25 points =25 - David Gilliland, 21 points (1 pole) =25 - Reed Sorenson, 21 points (1 pole) 27 - David Stremme, 19 points 28 - Ricky Rudd, 16 points =29 - Jeff Burton, 15 points =29 - Johnny Sauter, 15 points 31 - Michael Waltrip, 13 points (1 pole) 32 - Dale Jarrett, 10 points =33 - Joe Nemechek, 9 points =33 - Tony Raines, 9 points =35 - AJ Allmendinger, 8 points =35 - Robby Gordon, 8 points =35 - Brian Vickers, 8 points =38 - Sterling Marlin, 6 points =38 - David Ragan, 6 points =38 - Ken Schrader, 6 points =38 - Kenny Wallace, 6 points =42 - John Andretti, 5 points =42 - David Reutimann, 5 points =42 - Boris Said, 5 points 45 - Jacques Villeneuve, 3 points =46 - Ward Burton, 2 points =46 - Bill Elliot, 2 points =46 - Mike Skinner, 2 points 49 - Paul Menard, 1 point
Well I have finally managed to become a true stats person...and have deleted my points system file by mistake *rolls eyes*
So...uh, I'll just put up the points for the last two weekends at once and only for the Chase as I will need to do another file up for the full points...got to love modern technology sometimes
Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship - Chase for the Plate after Qualifying 4
Well, well, not very surprising that Jimmie's taken a stranglehold on this thing as he's managed to nab two poles during the Chase races which has given him two extra points. His closest challenge is Ryan Newman who is proving once again that he can be the 'rocket man' when his car is hooked up. Kasey Kahne benefitted greatly from Talladega where he was the fastest Chaser...as did his teammate Elliot Sadler who started right behind him.
Looks like a battle between Jimmie and Ryan right now...should be a cracker.
It's a bit early to celebrate, Jimmie...still have 6 sessions to go, mate.
Into the West...where, instead of rain, we had a stinking hot track in California. Jeff Gordon was looking to fend off the hard charging (as of recently anyway) Kasey Kahne and keep a strong hold on the title, and also for getting the extra two bonus points going into the Chase as leader (something I decided to do to give the leader a reward for their consistancy).
However, that plan got thrown out the window as Kahne pulled out his Bristol form to plant his #9 Dodge Charger on the second row, cutting a further six points out of Gordon's lead. Ryan Newman also took advantage and stole five points for starting alongside Kahne in fourth. The front row belongs to Kurt Busch (who is making a tear late in the season in the race standings) and Jimmie Johnson. Amaizingly, this was Busch's first pole of the year and the fifth for the Penske boys.
Kurt got his first pole for 2007 and Kasey is closing on Jeff for the lead.
Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship - Standings after round 25
With just the one qualifying session remaining, Martin Truex could very well be kissing the single point he scored this weekend since he's now outright 12th. You would think that the final spot will be between Truex, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer...but we shall see.
The other battle is between Jeff and Kasey; six points...and we head to Richmond where Kahne isn't too shabby at (his first Cup win came from the pole in 2005 remember).
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 ;)
Alrighty then, a bit of information regarding this underground movement that was started up in 2005.
The ability of a 'Stopper' is in their capacity to be the final post in the vast majority of topics or to completely ruin the momentum of a topic and/or sporting person/horse/etc. Until recently, our numbers were scarce, testament to how difficult it is to become a 'Stopper', but over the last month a re-evaluation has taken place and the following foxsport bloggers have been given a place on the register;
photogr - his main skill lies in picking Jimmie Johnson for Cup races. Jimmie's performance at Dover (flat tyre), Pocono (crash) and, at the present moment, Sonoma (penalised and will start from the back of the field) have earnt photo this honour. He has since switched drivers for the Sonoma race having seen Jimmie's predicament...this has the potential to end up in tears on Sunday.
Dave_In_Indy - it takes a great amount of talent to be able to pick two drivers out of three who will run out of fuel, but that is exactly what Dave did last week for the Cup and Busch races. Another strong showing in the Formula 1 however may see his membership come under question from the other members.
williamwilman - Will is currently doing exactly what he needs to do since he is running the Trifecta competition; not leading it. His main ability lies in picking drivers who he believes are certainties to do well and they bomb out instead...expectations are that he will rig his competition so he ends up winning anyway ;)
volfan69 - this application was brought forward by other members. Picked Bobby Hamilton Jr in last weeks Busch race as part of her Trifecta and he got caught up in a crash. By dint of trailing the field in Will's Trifecta percentages, she gets a well-earned spot on the board.
14Falcons - Started off with a hiss and a roar by winning the Memorial Day Trifecta but has since stumbled into obscurity and found his seat at the table after picking Kenseth in last weeks Cup race...only for it to be the first race Matt hasn't finished on the lead lap.
Tezgm99 - the founder based on his ability on another messageboard where his record of being the final post on a thread topic was hovering around 90%, he therefore calls the shots on who gets in and who has to prove their worth before being accepted into this elite club. Any questions about his place as leader are met with the following names and races; Massa at the Canadian GP (got DQ'd), Rosberg at Indy (running in the top 6 with 5 laps to go...then his engine blew up), Newman at Michigan (qualified in the top 4...finished 37th having lost 3 laps early and managed to take out Kenseth, ruining Falcons day too) and Heidfeld at Indy (having said that both drivers starting with 'Nic' were driving well, both failed to finish the race).
To receive an invitation is all about fully recognising this special talent.
Notable Mentions:
JayJayDean - a stats guru through and through, JJD scours the history books any chance he gets in an attempt to gain a 'leg up' on the compeition in the Trifecta. He is the only multiple round winner so not all members agree with him being placed at the table, hence only provisional status has been granted. His pick of Robert Kubica at Montreal though was a spectacular move...nearly as spectacular as Robert's horror crash. Amazingly, Robert escaped with only a few bruises and a mild concussion.
Candystar - not part of the foxsports community but deserves a mention on here regardless. A feisty Canadian who loves nothing better than leaving Tez at awkward moments when instant messaging with him, she can only make the grade based on her ability to be the last poster on messageboards as she isn't a sports fan (likes horses though). At present, her record of achieving that isn't brilliant...but she is learning patience.
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.
