The Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola. Every year there is an exciting finish, and the event lives up to all the hype. It ends with Fourth of July style fireworks and one happy driver. Last year it was Jamie McMurray, and this year it was Kyle Busch. At one point in the race, he was back in 37th and having steering wheel issues, but he bounced back. Writers are claiming that Kyle is becoming a fan favorite, but I don't think that has happened. Half the crowd cheered, and half the crowd booed. Some even threw beer cans. But I must say, he has won 6 out of the first 18 races. Also, he has been a contender almost every week. The question is: Will he keep it up?

It stinks that Tony Stewart had to climb out mid-race. I have to give credit to J.J. Yeley for getting the number 20 car a top 20 finish under the circumstances. He barely avoided a terrible finish by squeezing through "The Big One" on the final lap. Hope "Smoke" gets to feeling better.

Jeff Gordon had a dominant car all race but didn't make the right move. What cost him the race was when he slid to the high line to block Matt Kenseth and let "Shrub" by on the inside. Then, the field got a slow restart and laid back. Carl Edwards spun him around, accidentally. As a result, Jeff ended up with a 30th place finish. What a heart breaker.

Dale Jr. is gradually sliding up in points. After Jeff Burton's first finish out of the top 15, Earnhardt moved up to 2nd in points. Consistency pays off, and Junior has put himself in a contending position. By the way, Dale had a great car all night long but ended up with an 8th place finish. So much drama can happen at the end of a Daytona race.

In Carl's post-race interview, he commented about how the Busch brothers don't have a good relationship. I know that Kyle won't talk to Kurt in the garage. Can anyone tell me more about it? I think it might be about jealousy. They both have had or are having their shining moments. Kurt had his a couple of years ago, and Kyle is having his now.

It was terrible after the race when all the beer cans were thrown at Kyle Busch. What kind of message does that send about our sport? In order for it to be stopped, NASCAR may have to ban alcoholic beverages from inside the track gates and stop selling beer. But then, the so-called "fans" would just throw soda cans. And also, NASCAR would lose tons of money from beer sales. This is a complicated issue that must be resolved. What are your thoughts?

In one of my early blogs, I said that I thought TNT was really desperate to hire Kyle Petty. But I must say, I have changed my mind. Kyle is a great announcer with extra good analysis because he is a current driver. Petty knows what is going through the racers' heads. Everyone has to give credit to a guy who will joke about himself.

I thought that TNT did a good job with their "Wide Open Coverage." It was nice to be able to see more racing on a bigger screen. They should consider adopting it for all of their races. It did seem as if they played the some of the same ads over and over again. That got tiring.

Enjoy your free Cokes, everyone!

                                       

Tony Stewart, 37 years old, is on the verge of opening up a whole new door for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He has to decide whether to leave Joe Gibbs Racing and either go to another team or take ownership at Haas-CNC Racing. Stewart has become the outsider at Gibbs with 0 wins after the first 17 races of the season. Tony is considered the veteran of his team, and if he leaves, his team will become a bunch of young guns. Here are the pros and cons of "Smoke" having his own team:

Pros

- He would give many drivers another option for "Silly Season" 2008. Tony may end up with drivers like Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman, or Casey Mears.
- Stewart would have control of who his teammates are and what his team does.
- Tony would finally feel like he has equity in something and like he is a successful businessman.

Cons

- He would have a bunch of weight on his back about managing his own team. In addition to racing, Tony would have to worry about his drivers' contracts, salaries, etc.
- His team might not have as good of equipment as his old team did.
- Wrapping up the things I just said, Stewart's performance level might drastically decrease. And if it does, this could be the biggest mistake of his career. He is already struggling at Gibbs, and if he leaves and starts his own team, then he might not ever make the chase again.

Drivers like Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. own Nationwide teams but not Cup teams. Owning a Cup team is a whole different world. Racers have to keep their focus on and off the track and have to worry about many additional things. I do not think this is the right move for Tony, and he needs to realize that. It would be best for him to take over the 5 car at Hendrick Motorsports and be on a top-notch team. Remember Bobby Labonte when he was good? Then, remember when he went to a risky team that was struggling at the time? Haas-CNC Racing is currently a struggling team. They have gotten penalized this year, and their drivers do not always qualify for the races. Stewart just needs to explore all of his options and decide very carefully. Even if it would be good for our sport (as DW says), it would not be good for our drivers.

Tell me what you think about the Stewart situation!

On another topic, it was interesting to see Kyle Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya duke it out (two hot heads). I have to respect Montoya for admitting that he took Busch out on purpose even though it was stupid. Kyle finally got a taste of his own medicine.

"Silly Season"- the time of the year that is total mania. It is when the pieces of the puzzle are being shuffled to fit in better places. Each year it gets more and more hype. Here is what I think would be best:

Tony Stewart- He is the biggest piece of the puzzle that has to fit before any other piece can. I think that it would be in his best interest to take Casey Mears' place at Hendrick Motorsports. Look at Dale Jr. when he was having trouble with his last year at DEI. When he came to Hendrick, he became a chase contender. Hendrick Motorsports has the best equipment over a long period of time. Tony starting his own team would add a twist to our sport, but it might not be in his best interest.

Martin Truex Jr.- He is having a not-so-great season at DEI. I think the key is for him to leave DEI. For drivers to be legitimate championship contenders, they have to depart from DEI. Truex might do well as the fourth driver at Richard Childress Racing. RCR has very good equipment that would allow him to do well every week. All three of RCR's teams are chase material.

Ryan Newman- He should probably stay at Penske. There really is not any other empty slot that he could fill in.

Casey Mears- I am unsure of where he should go. He does not seem to have a perfect fit in the puzzle.

Mark Martin- He is a phenomenal race car driver, and he has made a huge impact on our sport. I just feel like it is too late for him to run for a championship at Hendrick Motorsports. A 50-year-old man does not need to run a full season. For now, he should stay at DEI. He seems to be doing better there than at G2 Racing last year. DEI needs an experienced driver like him because their organization is falling apart.

Greg Biffle- I think that he made the right decision to stay at Roush-Fenway. It is the place where he should have the most success.

Joey Logano- He is doing great in the Nationwide Series and should take over for Tony Stewart in 2009. Then, Joe Gibbs would have three hot heads that would duel every week to be the top driver.

Joe Gibbs Racing has become the team to give young drivers stardom. Look at Denny Hamlin, and look at Kyle Busch. And maybe in the future, look at Joey Logano. Then, there is Tony Stewart. Stewart is the odd man out at Gibbs (I think he knows that), and his time there is ticking. If Logano joins Gibbs, then he may run off Kyle Busch. Joey might take over as the star driver, and Kyle just migrates wherever he can be the star.

It seems lately that "Silly Season" is made into too much of a big deal. And each year, it starts earlier and earlier. We fans just want to watch the races and keep track of the points. I consider all the driver changes behind-the-scenes stuff. It is just like other sports and free agents.

Another Thought: Who ever would have guessed that Patrick Carpentier would win the pole for Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at Loudon? He will start well, but he will end up having a poor finish.

Race Info: Lenox Industrial Tools 301     New Hampshire Motor Speedway- Loudon, New
Hampshire, USA
2 p.m. (eastern time) on TNT

Well, the Toyota/Save Mart 350 was one heck of a race. At the beginning, it looked like Kahne would dominate, then Johnson. On lap 33, Biffle had the lead, and he wrecked himself. In the middle of the Biff incident, Kyle Busch sneaked past Montoya in the middle of the dust to take the lead. For the rest of the race, it was the "Shrub" show. At one point, he had an 11 second lead over second place Jamie McMurray. Jeff Gordon was falling like crazy at the beginning but rebounded to third at the end. The conclusion of the race was total mania. It started when David Reutimann slammed into the tire barrier on lap 102. Then on lap 105, Kevin Harvick rammed into McMurray which turned into a chain reaction, taking out Stewart and Ron Fellows. Tony Stewart fell a long way back in the pack which made him so aggressive for points that he made his charge for 10th place. On lap 108, Stewart was running behind Scott Pruett and nudged him a little. Pruett got turned around because there was a car jam in front of him. Hamlin wrecked when he was accidentally tapped by Martin Truex, Jr. when Truex got pushed as Pruett spun out. As a result, the race was red-flagged for over ten minutes to get fluid off the race track. Finally, the race ended as "Wild Thing" took the checkered flag and burned his tires out. It was not a surprise that a "Road Ringer" did not go to victory lane. After the race during an interview, Tony Stewart told TNT pit reporter, Marty Snider, "You aren't in the car; you don't know what you're talking about."

Jack Roush said that he thought Toyota was doing something illegal, maybe testing parts in England. I, too, have to wonder because Toyota just dominates almost every race. On each restart during Sonoma, Kyle Busch just left the field in the dust. How can one manufacturer be so terrible one year and so dominant the next? Something is fishy. But of course, Darrell Waltrip would argue with me.

It seems with the Car of Tomorrow that the leader always takes off from the pack which is a huge advantage. It happens almost every week. NASCAR needs to figure out how to make it so that the rest of the field has a chance with the leader. That would make better racing.

Infineon Raceway- Sonoma, California. It is where the rich come for a spa vacation year round. It is where much wine is produced. But most important of all, it is where the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series comes for an excruciating summer challenge. 10 turns and 220 miles are what the drivers will face in the middle of summer heat. The names of guys running near the front of the pack may surprise you.

Boris Said, Ron Fellows, and Scott Pruett are some of the names toward the top of the scoring tower that people may wonder about. Road racing is their special talent that they prepare for as the Cup racers drive their hardest each and every week. But who wins most of the races at Infineon? The Cup regulars. Drivers like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, and Juan Pablo Montoya are the ones who finish the deal in the Toyota/Save Mart 350. These regular drivers have more experience in a stock car. "Road Ringers" are not as familiar with the Car of Tomorrow, and most of them have only driven it a couple of times. The road racing experts need to run some other races at 1.5 or 2 mile tracks to get some more practice with the new car. Boris Said, the 45 year-old, has run at Daytona some, and he is usually the highest-finishing "Road Ringer." The special, road course drivers will challenge the Sprint Cup regulars all race long, but they will not celebrate after 110 laps.

Race Info: Toyota/Save Mart 350        Infineon Raceway    Sonoma, California USA
                   Sunday, June 22, 2008     5 p.m. (eastern time) on TNT

Pole Question: Tell me the car number and/or driver of the racer who you think will go to victory lane on Sunday. If you wish, please tell me why you chose that driver.

An Interesting Idea: NASCAR should have Infineon Raceway add lights, and they could have a night race there.