We are at the half way point to the chase for the 2009 Sprint cup championship, and the season is just beginning to heat up.  As with each new season that is just getting underway, don't mistake this one as just any ordinary season because from what has already transpired, it doesn't have the makings, nor will it be outdone by seasons past. Instead it's already building itself up to a very interesting season, just by some of the bizarre events that have already taken place in just the past 13 weeks. So far 2009 has not escaped without its share of drama, as well as controversy. We have also had some memorable moments, as well as some that could have probably been overlooked for the sake of those few drivers that seemed to be walking around with a big bull's-eye painted right in the center of their backs. With all the excitement that the series is meant to portray, a lot of it has materialized in ways that were not expected.

Excitement is just a small by-product of what is expected week and week out, as our favorite drivers take to some of the most historical tracks that any racing series have ever seen. NASCAR continues to showcase some of auto racings most seasoned, and energetic drivers because of the impact that the sport has had on generations past. Which other sport can you think of where not only are the drivers looked on with a very high standard, but also the brightly c*o*l*o*r*e*d racing machines that they strap themselves into have also taken on a life of their own. Take a deep look into the eyes of the younger fan as they sit there staring as if in some kind of magical trance, while their favorite drivers fly by them at speeds that are almost unheard while piloting a 3800 pound chunk of metal that at times has a mind of its own. NASCAR is known as a sport that does not follow a certain story line, but instead in the twinkling of an eye, or a slight miscue can cost a driver a top 5 finish.

But when you begin to look back at all the good times that have already passed us by, its no wonder that what the future holds should be just as exciting , or to say the least.....unpredictable. So far the season has shown us a different side of what many of us probably expected. Who would have ever thought that out of all the drivers, Jeremy Mayfield would be the first one to test positive for an illegal substance. Come to think of it, isn't this the same Jeremy that opened his mouth, and blasted team owner Ray Evernham for not spending enough time at the track, but instead Ray spent more time with his with developmental driver Erin Crocker, who is 24 years younger then him? That was not a very wise choice on Jeremy's part, especially since he only had 5 wins while being in the series for 13 seasons already. Once again Jeremy has opened his mouth when he should have kept quiet. Now he really has his hands full since NASCAR has filed a counter-lawsuit against him which will be heard in federal court. Unless he has the money to retain the dream team of lawyers that O.J. used to beat a murder rap, he just basically shot his own self in the foot.  

Now when you really talk about a driver having an impact on the sport in a negative way, its not hard to look at NASCAR's golden child Dale Earnhardt Jr. He once again has single-handedly stolen the headlines since the beginning of the season, when he and Brian Vickers had their little mishap during the Daytona 500. Ever since, Earnhardt has managed to keep himself within the radar of those who have chosen to try and make a mochary of his racing career. But in typical Earnhardt fashion he has once again been able to keep his cool, and not let all the detractors get the best of him even though Earnhardt hasn't done much in his own defense, especially when you look back at all the pit mistakes that were of his own doing, and he has no one else to blame because he is the one that is sitting behind the wheel. Now that he finally has a new crew chief, is it too late for him to get into the chase? Back in 2007, it was Kurt Busch was sitting 17th place finish overall in point's just 13 races into the season, and he was able to make it in and still salvage a 7

Looking on down the line to the sports most energetic driver Kyle Busch, this is one guy that you never know what kind of mood he will be in. Well at least he was like that last season, but as far as this season....he has made himself transparent and is very predictable. Just watch what happens when he finishes outside the top 5, he is not hard to find because all you have to do is look at any roadway that leads away from the track, and that is where he will be. Consistency has not been one of his strengths this season; along with his 3 wins he also has six finishes outside the top 20. Kyle is once again showing that he is his own worse enemy. Aside from his way-out actions he is a very good driver, but he still lacks the ability to manage his car, and save it for when he really needs it. Kyle drives every lap as if it was the last lap, and in today's racing world that is not the smartest way to make it to the end. If NASCAR were to ever shorten the length of most of the races, there is not one driver out there that would be able to keep up with him because of his hard style of driving.

The season is also feeling the impact of a dwindling economy. Along with track attendance at an all-time low, the T.V ratings have also been hit hard which had to be unexpected since you would have thought that fewer fans at the track would have meant more fans watching at home. Could it be that maybe the initial shock of the sport coming over to National T.V. in 2001 is finally starting to wear off? With some of the changes that the sport has gone through, that alone could have also had an adverse affect on why some fans have chosen to abandon the sport. Sports fans in general are creatures of habit, and anytime a change is made, it will usually reflect the way that each fan chooses to view the sport. It's no big secret that this season as well as last season, Fox has decided that maybe more commercials would be in the best interest of the sport. With all the commercial breaks, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that NASCAR is not in the same boat as it was when they first became an everyday fixture once they decided it was time to leave the confines of cable T.V., and to test the waters of National T.V.

NASCAR is a never-ending a story with twists and turns happening just about every weekend. We all have out favorite drivers and story lines that we choose to follow, and just like the sport itself, there is a lot of complexity in how each one of chooses to view it. Not to be left out in the dark, there are some who are wondering what is happening with Richard Childress Racing. And of course the dilemma that Roush/Fenway will encounter once the season is over. Does Jamie McMurray stay, or is David Ragan out? Actually when you think about it there are many more scenarios that are talked about at the work place, home, through email, or even on the phone as you discuss what you feel as a fan will be the next breaking story, but no matter how each one chooses to discuss or even view the sport. All we have to remember is that it's our sport. Im Out

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean in which a number of aircraft and surface vessels are alleged to have disappeared in mysterious circumstances which fall beyond the boundaries of human error, piracy, equipment failure, or natural disasters. Popular culture has attributed some of these disappearances to the paranormal, a suspension of the law of physics, or activity by extraterrestrial beings. To this day, the Bermuda Triangle continues to raise eyebrows whenever its mysteries are discussed.

Pocono raceway is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond. It can almost be likened to the Bermuda triangle because of its irregularly shaped triangle that features three turns of varying degrees, forcing teams to pick their turn for the best set-up, knowing in return they will not have their cars as good as they would like elsewhere on the track. While Pocono features the longest front straightaway on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, the variable turns have also been known to defy the law of physics, and cause some of the most mysterious racing conditions that are only seen at this track. The odd design makes the setup of the car and the crew's ability to make chassis adjustments even more crucial here than at many other tracks.

Pocono is also one of three tracks that are privately owned, the other two are Dover Speedway, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dr. Joseph R. "Doc" Mattioli, along with his wife, Dr. Rose C. Mattioli, built, struggled and ultimately flourished at the 2.5 mile triangularly shaped oval. Three generations of the Mattioli family are involved with operating the track, and a fourth generation is coming up from the cradle. Grandsons Brandon and Nick Igdalsky serve as the track's President and Senor Vice President. Granddaughter Ashley Igdalsky is a Vice President and is in charge of construction. Grandson Chase Mattioli is a Vice President. Pocono Raceway has been in almost a constant state of evolution since 1990, with millions of dollars of improvements and renovations made each year. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series takes to the track for the 63rd time this weekend, while it continues a relationship with its fans that date back to the first race in 1974.

Pocono, along with all of its rich history has given JGR driver Denny Hamlin some his best racing memories. Hamlin's memories are far from mysterious, and from the way he has dominated this track since he first set his eyes on it three years ago, it was more of a match made in heaven then a mistake from its wicked three turn configuration. As a rookie in 2006, Hamlin not only swept the two races that were run, but he also won them both from the pole. Hamlin's first five races were all top 10 finishes, with four of the five inside the top three. "Pocono has been a very good track for us since I started in the #11 car. To get the two wins in my rookie season was an incredible start and this track will always mean something special to me and this team because of that," said Hamlin while talking about the upcoming race.

Pocono has also been the site of success for Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Penske Racing. The teams account for six of the top-seeded drivers in the standings, and 23 Pocono victories. Hendrick Motorsports is Pocono's all-time leading win producer with 11. Hendrick drivers Jeff Gordon (4), the late Tim Richmond (3), Jimmie Johnson (2), Geoffrey Bodine (1) and Terry Labonte (1) have contributed to the Pocono win total. Joe Gibbs Racing and Penske Racing have six Pocono victories each. Bobby Labonte swept both Pocono events for Gibbs in 1999, and added another win in 2001. Tony Stewart took one Pocono win in 2003. Current Gibbs driver Denny Hamlin dominated Pocono in 2006 sweeping both event pole awards and races. Gibbs' rookie driver Joey Logano will be making his first Pocono start this weekend, while teammate Kyle Busch is still looking for his first Pocono win.

Penske Racing also has six Pocono wins, including four scored by retired driver Rusty Wallace in 1991, 1994, 1996 and 2000. Former team driver Ryan Newman got a Pocono win in 2003 while current driver Kurt Busch won there in 2007. In addition, Roush Fenway Racing has posted three Pocono wins with Carl Edwards in 2005 and last year's Pennsylvania 500 and with Kurt Busch in 2005. Richard Childress Racing has a pair of Pocono wins, both with the Dale Earnhardt in 1987 and 1993. This weekend also marks a very special time in the life of Stewart/Haas driver-owner Tony Stewart.

You have to go all the way back to 1992, when Alan Kulwicki was the last owner-driver to lead the point standings. Alan also went on to win the championship that same year. Stewart, who was only a 21 year old U.S.A.C. driver at the time, still remembers when Kulwicki accomplished the feat. "Everybody respected Alan because he was an owner-driver and what he was able to accomplish," Stewart said. "It was a little bit before I was really a die-hard NASCAR guy. You know, you go through a time and you're able to go back and look at how the history of the sport has evolved and what milestones and moments shaped the sport to what it is," Stewart said. "So it's a pretty cool moment to have your organization mentioned with his organization."

Just like the triangle itself, there are many stories from the past that have given this track its unique personality. Whether it remains a mystery is still yet to be seen. Just ask Kasey Kahne who was the last driver to escape its many mysteries. Since after all Kahne is the defending winner of the Pocono 500, and just like Hamlin he also won it from the pole. "The straight-aways are so long, you need to get all of the speed down them that you can so your car can come off of turn three as fast as possible. I've always liked the uniqueness of the three different corners and the challenge that it presents to the teams to set up your car to be fast at each of the different ends." Im Out

When you think of the word "Monster," what's the first thing that comes to mind? Well it usually is something of unnatural size, shape, quality, excessive ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty. And that is probably the first thought that comes to mind when you take your first glimpse at "Miles the Monster," which stands inside of victory plaza before entering Dover Speedway. Miles by far is not your everyday run of the mill monument, but instead his dimensions are of monstrous proportions with 27 foot biceps, 31 foot neck, 56 foot waist, 22 foot forearms, along with a 67 foot chest.

Miles is about as menacing as they come until you step beyond the iron gates, and take your first glance at the concrete mile long race track, that not only tested the skills of NASCAR's finest 43 top road warriors, but also the fury that this concrete monster unleashed once the green flag dropped for 400 laps of side-by-side racing action. The track magically came to life once again this Sunday afternoon, along with the agendas that the 43 warriors brought with them hoping to slay this mighty monster. It was pole sitter David Reutimann, who brought the other 43 drivers down past the start/finish line to kick off the Autism Speaks 400, while at the same time leading the first of the 400 laps that would be challenged throughout the day.

But it was HMS driver Jimmie Johnson, who after starting 8th on the day would also lead a race high 298 laps, while having to overcome voltage issues on lap 270 lap to show the other 42 drivers exactly how you to put the beat down on a monster as mighty as Dover. It's an almost impossible task to beat Chad and Jimmie when they are dialed in, and they are not a team that ever lets a minor setback get in the way of what they set out to do, and that is to win races.  The #48 team would pick up their 2nd win of the season, to bring their grand total up to 42 wins in only their 8th season while racing in the series. A lot the team's success can be directed in the way that crew chief Chad Knaus has taken that position to a whole new level.

 Chad continues to show the racing world exactly how they win as a team with the right pit calls, and also that no matter what adversities might come their way during a race, that there can always be light at the end of a long dark tunnel. "You know, we come to the race track every single event with the hope and the desire to try to win. That's been our mind-set since we started together in 2002," Knaus said. And this is the attitude that Chad has always instilled upon the team, which seems to have that magical touch whenever reality decides it wants to slap them in the face. Anytime a team can have a minor setback or two, and still manage to pull out either a win or a top 10 finish, all that does is give the team more confidence which is the best food to feed off of, especially in this highly competitive sport where distractions can cost any team a good finish.

The reason I say team, is because it takes every person who is involved to make things work. Continuity also plays a big part because where one part of the team might falter; there is always the other part that will do his job as he did after a late caution because of David Stremme who hit the wall on lap 371.  It was then that Jimmie Johnson would enter the pits as the race leader. But after a slight miscue during his pit stop, Johnson knew he had his hands full, and it was up to him to pick up the slack if he ever expected to get back to the front after coming out 8th, and be able to challenge for the win. "To have to run that hard and pass that many good cars to get the lead, that's a challenge. I thought I was going to pound the wall a couple of times."

The day obviously was a very fun one for us," Johnson said. "We had an awesome, awesome race car. We've been fast, but this was a very special car today. "Johnson, who led the race for most of the day, would pick up a late race challenge from Stewart/Haas owner-driver Tony Stewart, after Stewart would take the race lead from Roush/Fenway driver Greg Biffle with only 8 laps to go. Johnson knew he had the better handling car because of the four tires that he took on the last pit stop. He also knew that he had 7 cars to pass, along with Tony Stewart who is hungry for his first win as an owner-driver. "To have to run that hard and pass that many good cars to get the lead, that's a challenge. I thought I was going to pound the wall a couple of times." The day obviously was a very fun one for us," Johnson said. We had an awesome, awesome race car. We've been fast, but this was a very special car today.

Jimmie earned his second perfect driver rating of the season even with the miscue that the team had on their final pit stop, which is proof that the team is back on stride looking for that 4th championship-in-a-row.  Earlier in the year while racing for their win against  Denny Hamlin, who was also searching for his first win of the season at Martinsville.  Jimmie raced by Hamlin going low to take the win away for his first win, as well as HMS's first win of the 2009 season.  This Sunday would be B.O.H.I.C.A.* time again but instead of Hamlin, it would be Tony Stewart who took on only two tires on his last pit stop, who would eventually fall victim to Jimmie and the #48 team, who took on four tires while taking the lead for good along with the win with only two laps remaining in the race. "At the end I just had to go. I had one heck of a race with Tony. That's how racing is supposed to be done." Im Out

*Bend Over Here It Comes Again

While sitting at my desk going over last weekend's race results, I once again found it very difficult to put aside all the troubles that the #88 team has been experiencing so far this season, especially now that Dale Earnhardt Jr is in the spotlight once again. But then it hit me, did he ever leave the spotlight, or did somebody turn the dimmer switch up to high, just to magnify what was always there. Either way as hard as it was, I turned my cheek and began to look up and down the point standings thinking to myself, which driver has really shown some type of consistency so far this season, who could really make a bold statement with a win this weekend at Dover? It didn't take much to look over what was right in front of me, and realize that one driver stood out above all the rest. Now I wasn't looking for the obvious, but instead I was looking for somewhat of a sleeper.

Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx sponsored Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, has been very quiet so far this season, and I can't think of one instance where he has spouted off at the mouth like in seasons past. Hamlin has been quietly making his presence felt, without all the outbursts that he has been known for in the past. Its almost as if someone magically put a spell on him, while at the same time he has stepped up to more of a leadership role amongst his co-drivers. It's not hard to look around at the teams that have the greater success, and know that there is usually one driver that will fill in the gap as the so-called team leader. It's usually this driver that will set the tone each week, and at times will also play the role of the team cheerleader trying to keep the teams spirits up, when things aren't going so good.

So far this season, it's not hard to see just how much he has matured since Tony Stewart left at the end of the season to pursue his own dreams. The role that Denny has taken on is not an easy one, especially when you have the series most unpredictable driver in Kyle Busch, who is single-handedly taking the series by storm. Then you throw in Joey Logano, who is still trying to find his comfort zone within the organization, while at the same time having some really big shoes to fill since he took over the #20 car, which was driven by two-time Sprint cup champion Tony Stewart. Denny who came over to Joe Gibbs racing in 2004 while replacing J.J. Yeley in the #18 Busch series car, would eventually move up to the Sprint cup series after Yeley was released prior to the Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway the following year in 2005.

Denny would go on to win rookie of the year honors in 2006, which was also his first full year in the Sprint cup series beating out, Martin Truex Jr, and Clint Bowyer for the award. Hamlin has also made the chase all three years while racing in the series, and his chances this season are looking really good as he sits 5th in the points standings so far. "I look at Dover as a faster version of Bristol. That's about the best comparison you can make - and we are taking our Bristol car there this weekend for that reason. Dover is a really unique place - from the surface to the banking to the pit road. It's a unique challenge for the teams to go there but it's a place where we've run pretty well in the past even though our results don't show that." Denny has also finished each race on the lead lap, and has led 479 out of the 3848 laps that have been run so far this season.

Race Track Start Finish Laps Ran/Completed