In a rare late-season off weekend for the Sprint Cup, drivers and crews get the chance to regroup and begin to focus on the final stretch of the year.

Whether you are fighting for a championship or trying to solidify yourself in the standings, though, this off week may or may not be a welcome break.

Sprint Cup driver and former champion Bobby Labonte and his sponsor, official NASCAR search engine Ask.com, have teamed up to promote NASCAR OFF WEEKEND.

Fans can log on and search "NASCAR Off Weekend" on Ask.com and find out what Jimmie Johnson, Scott Speed, Kyle Busch, and many others are doing on the final off weekend.

For example, the recently married Speed is going on his honeymoon.

Others who just can’t get enough racing will be competing in the Camping World Truck Series in Chicagoland or the Nationwide Series in Montreal, like Busch and Paul Menard.

I got the chance to interview Labonte recently about the program and what the off weekend can mean to not only the drivers going for the championship but the rest of the pack.

"It’s an opportunity for them to tell the fans what they are doing on the weekend off," Labonte said.

Fans will also get the opportunity to suggest what their favorite driver should be doing this weekend. They can email the ideas to DriverOffWeekend@ask.com and be entered to win autographed merchandise from Labonte.

Ask.com's current promotion is just another example of them reaching out to the fans, and really giving fans access to the drivers even when they are away from the track in a unique way.

"It’s great for the sport; it’s interactive and it doesn’t cost anything," Labonte said. "It’s great for the fans."

Every driver has a different agenda going into this off weekend in preparation for the race in Atlanta.

For the drivers, an off weekend can abruptly end any momentum you have going into the next race. For the Chase drivers, those who are inside the Chase and those who are fighting to get in, an off weekend may or may not be welcomed.

"The guys that are in the Chase that are trying to get in the Chase in the last two weeks, it might be more nerve-racking for them to have another weekend off," Labonte said.

But in such a long season, both the drivers and the fans need an off weekend, not only for drivers to regroup but to keep fans interested and wanting to come back for more.

NASCAR is the longest season in sports, and Labonte acknowledged that sometimes an off weekend isn’t so bad for the fans that travel to all the races.

"Thirty-six points races a year...it’s a long season for everybody," he said.

For Labonte, 2009 hasn’t been very easy; the team came together right before Daytona. With no testing and just a short time for Labonte and his crew chief Todd Parrott, they were starting from scratch.

The new team couldn’t find the success it had hoped for, it struggled coming out of the gate. His only top 10 finish came at Las Vegas where he scored a fifth-place finish.

In an effort to turn around their season, Yates Racing announced that Ben Leslie, former crew chief for the No. 28 Ford, would take over as the crew chief in late April. Parrott would move into a different role with Yates Racing.

Labonte acknowledged he didn’t expect a change.

"I didn’t know it was going to happen until it happened," he said.

"As far as the performance being off this season, all the Fords have not been quite there all year long."

Their results didn’t improve even with the crew chief change.

But Labonte knows that, even though they are not running for the championship in 2009. Using the final 12 races to learn and improve, the car will be key to finding success in 2010.

"You’re trying to build momentum for next year; you’re trying to find the right people to make your team better," he said.

While the season winds down, questions still remain about Labonte future with Hall of Fame Racing in 2010. Both his contract and his Ask.com sponsor deals go through 2009.

Right now, though, Labonte is focused on this year and showing signs of improvement with consistent finishes each week, then building this team from there.

For Jeff Gordon, Bristol is one of his best tracks with five career wins at the track. Gordon has found ways to win whether it was with bump and run on Rusty Wallace to pull off a win or just dominating the race.

Tonight though would not be easy for this team.

The weekend though started off strong for Gordon with sitting 11th fastest on the speed charts on Friday and then in final practice they were sitting in the top five in speeds.

Gordon had an early draw for qualifying but a very tight race car that relegated them to a 33rd starting position.

Gordon dropped back early, struggling with a tight race car. On the first caution Gordon came in they changed tires and made adjustments.

The car was still too tight, and Gordon would be good for a few laps on a restart but would tighten up as the run went on.

The team used every caution to come in and work on the car, making tire pressure adjustments and on the fourth caution for Bobby Labonte, Gordon came down pit road and they continued to make adjustments on the car.

With fresher tires they quickly made their way into the top 10. On the fifth caution for debris, he lost a couple positions on pit road.

Gordon unhappy with the adjustments quickly began to drop back in the field. Gordon went down a lap to the leader Jimmie Johnson and needed a caution to make a massive adjustment on the car.

The car though just would not handle well; the team was struggling just to keep positions. They got lapped again on lap 405 and systematically there day was over.

Gordon was not happy with the car he said the car was nothing like the car they had at the beginning of the race. They went back on adjustments on the car, but still nothing would help with the handling.

Crew Chief Steve LeTarte decided to stay out and use the wave around rule and hope for a quick yellow. After numerous yellows, Gordon was racing to get back on the lead lap late in the race.

They never did get the lucky dog.

LeTarte did mention that when they got back to Charlotte and tear down this car, they will look for something mechanically wrong with the car. With every adjustment they were unable to correct the handling.

Tonight wasn't easy and with their place in the standings a rough race like this didn't hurt them as much as they had been father back in the standings.

For Gordon he couldn't catch a break both for a caution or to have a better handling racecar.

The only highlight for this team is they clinched a spot in chase but slipped back to third. The one thing they are lacking is bonus points, sitting with only 10 when the chase reseeds.

In 2009 the short tracks have what has been this team's biggest issue. They have struggled with setups, although Gordon has been able to have decent finishes.

On Saturday though all they could muster was 23rd.

With Richmond and Martinsville still ahead, Gordon and his team need to regroup and try and find the missing piece that has cost them at the short tracks with this new car.

Gordon looks to Atlanta to not only rebound from a rough night at Bristol, but to get 10 more bonus points for the Chase.

 

For Reed Sorenson Lugnut Report click here. If you missed the very first Lugnut Report from Michigan click here for Casey Mears and Juan Pablo Montoya.

With the final off week of the season coming up, the teams head to Bristol with a lot on the line. whether it is points, Chase aspirations, or rides. Bristol plays a pivotal role for many drivers, but surviving was key.

Check out this week’s winners and losers.

Winners

Kyle Busch

For Kyle Busch, Bristol is becoming his house and with good reason he leads many if not all the statistical categories at this track, so it’s not a big surprise to see him running within the top 10 for most of the day and then to win was also not so surprising.

Busch who qualified 15th for the race quickly moved forward. Busch found himself battling for a spot in the top five. He was battling some of the same issues that everyone else was fighting a very tight race car.

Busch early had a good car on restarts but would fall off a bit as the run went on. His team had great pit stops and was able to adjust on the car. Busch took the lead late from Michael Waltrip.

With multiple late cautions, Busch had to hold off a hard-charging Mark Martin for the win. Busch who came into the race sitting 15th in the standings, couldn’t afford to have a bad run or a poor finish. With so much on the line, the team rallied behind Busch and earned this finish.

Heading into Atlanta in two weeks, Busch is hoping to find the same success he had last year at the track and to continue his gain on the standings. Busch needs to finish in the top 10 on Sunday night if he wants to have a shot come Richmond.

Busch needs Bristol to be added to the race more than twice a year, it’s his house.

Points: 13th

Marcos Ambrose

Now I usually put the second-place driver in this position but I had to give this one to Marcos Ambrose. This rookie driver in the Sprint Cup series is having a great year. Even without a win, Ambrose is proving each week that he not only belongs in this series, he will be factor each week.

 Ambrose started in 25th but quickly moved forward. He was in the top 10 and battling for positions in the top 10 by lap 179. Ambrose would lose a few spots on pit road, but he was able to gain them back with a great car that allowed him to get better as the run went on. Ambrose would finish third Saturday night.

Ambrose, who shows humility even when he has poor finishes, was probably happier tonight than winner Busch. Ambrose insists he is still trying to earn the respect of the drivers who have been racing in this series for so long. I think he did that a long time ago.

It’s a good sign for NASCAR when a single-car team can run with the big boys, even though they have technical support from the Michael Waltrip Racing.

]Ambrose is to Stewart as Michael Waltrip Racing is to Hendrick Motorsports. (They said I didn’t pay attention in class).

Points: 17th

Jamie McMurray

Once again there were probably a few other drivers who could have landed in this spot, but Jamie McMurray had a solid run and for a guy driving for a ride next year, he showed tonight that when they hit on the setup he can run competitively.

McMurray started 17th on Sunday but found his way into the top ten by lap 195. They fell behind a bit on an adjustment but were able to keep position and with solid pit stops and a good car they finished 11th.

McMurray has a lot more on the line than most drivers and with the races winding down and not many rides available, finishes like this will only help him when it comes down to signing a contract. McMurray has run better than his teammate David Ragan, but it’s Ragan with th

e ride at Roush Fenway Racing 2010.

McMurray is an example of a driver with the talent but poor luck and tough economy has this driver looking for work.

Points: 22nd

 Losers

Clint Bowyer

If Busch had the best points night of any driver, Bowyer had the worst. Before the race Clint Bowyer could do nothing but praise BMS and the great racing. He was then reminded how close he was to making the Chase and how important it was for him to finish strong.

 Well it looked good early and he nearly walked away not only with a good finish but a top 10 finish. Bowyer had been running very well, he was battling some handling conditions but they were able to maintain track position.

On lap 438, contact between Sam Hornish Jr., Casey Mears and Kurt Busch set off a chain reaction involving Bowyer. Bowyer had some damage but was on pit road multiple times to repair it and was able to stay on the lead lap.

With only a handful of laps left, a cut tire for Michael Waltrip sent him into the wall and into Bowyer. With those two hits, Bowyer saw his Chase chances all but slip away.

Bowyer didn’t need another race like this, he has had too many this year and that’s why he fighting to get into the Chase.

 Looks more and more like Richard Childress Racing's only hope to make the Chase won’t be crashing the party.

 Points: 15th

Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart has nothing to lose, he is already locked into the Chase, and all he has to do is race for wins. Well on Saturday it would have helped if he would have been able to race communicate in the first place.

Stewart couldn’t hear nor could he talk back to his team. They were forced down pit road to change radios and in the process lost a lap when they barely made the restart coming off of pit road.

Four radio changes later and losing multiple laps to the leaders, it all came down to something so simple. Stewart had switched frequencies to wish teammate Ryan Newman good luck and was never able to get back to the correct frequency with his team.

They figured this out after all the swap outs of helmets. To make matters, worse an electrical issue relegated him to 11 laps off the pace. Stewart finished 33rd. Stewart hasn’t had many races this year where they completely missed the setup.

Even after the radio issues were solved they struggled to keep up with the car. Stewart could afford a race like this but let’s hope this mini slump ends by the Chase.

 For the first time in 2009, Stewart had to consecutive finishes outside the top 10.

Points: First

Carl Edwards

One year ago, Carl Edwards was celebrating in victory lane and was on his way to a series leading nine victories. A year later, Edwards has zero victories and at a track where Edwards has found so much success, he wasn’t even a factor.

Edwards’s day didn’t start out very well; he was way back in traffic in 32nd. At a short track, poor track position can kill your day before a poor handling car does. Edwards, though, was struggling with a poor handling race car and he went a lap down early.

His team was never able to find the handling on this car and instead of battling for the lead, he was battling to stay on the lead lap: a battle he lost.

From then on, they were trying for the free pass just to get a decent finish. On lap 438, he got the free pass he finished 16th.

For Edwards Saturday night was a snapshot of his season, either he has a good car and bad luck or bad car that they can’t adjust on.

 Edwards might be a lock for the Chase, but he doesn’t look like a contender with runs like this.

Points: Fifth

Lucky Dog: Denny Hamlin

For Denny Hamlin the night did not start out very well, on lap 64 he cut a tire and had to come down to pit road and make repairs. He was a lap down until Bobby Labonte spun and hit the wall that was lap 163.

 Hamlin restarted 29th and started moving forward immediately. By lap 250 he was in 13th and by lap 361 he was in the top five. He had a great comeback tonight. His tire issues were early enough that he was able to continue to work on the car and benefit from cautions early.

Hamlin finished fifth after starting 41st. Hamlin had the best car out there after he went sideways in qualifying and had a flat tire in the first 100 laps, and then he was one of the best cars out there.

Points: Fourth

Final Lap…

Congrats to Bristol Motor Speedway, and all the folks who worked hard to earn the 55th consecutive sellout. In this economy, not many tracks can claim a sell out so far in 2009 and not surprisingly Bristol sold out.

BMS had the fans into the driver-picked songs for their intros, reverting back to old school racing with the drivers addressing the crowd before their parade laps around the track.

This weekend was packed with racing, and BMS put on a show. From Wednesday to the checkered flag, every track should look to Bristol not only for how the drivers are involved, but the fan involvement.

Before the checkered flag, the fans did a karaoke to Garth Brooks, during the red flag late in the race, an impromptu wave began. There is a reason why Bristol sells out and is such a coveted ticket and I wouldn’t be surprised if next spring we are talking about another sell out.

With an off weekend for the Sprint Cup teams, drivers are getting ready for the final push for the Chase.

With so many agendas going into the Atlanta race, we will see some drivers being conservative and others going for the win.

 Enjoy the off week and see you in Atlanta for a Sunday night special under the lights.

With so much focus on the Chase and the top 12 and those drivers fighting to get in, what seems to get lost is the 31 other drivers that are fighting for not only a win, but possibly their rides for the remainder of this year and next.

Jen Preston and I will each be focusing on either a Chase driver or a driver not in the chase. With every point important and every final position key, it's not just the guys fighting for a championship that have a lot riding in the final stretch of the season.

Were calling it the "Lugnut Report," and this week's featured drivers are Juan Pablo Montoya and Casey Mears. From Practices to qualifying to the race, find out how they ran at Michigan.

For Casey Mears the remainder of this season is critical. He has had a difficult year so far, moving from Hendrick Motorsports to Richard Childress Racing and taking over the No. 07 from Clint Bowyer.

It was the same crew and crew chief that guided Bowyer to the Chase for two consecutive years.

So with expectations high Mears needed results and he hasn't found the same success that Bowyer has had in that car.

Heading into Michigan Mears was sitting 21st in the standings.

His practice speeds in the first practice, put him 13th on the charts, the team ran 26 laps and 22 of them were fast laps.

Mears best lap was a 38.7 seconds.

They drew 14th for qualifying order. On Friday the later you went, the faster your laps, Mears though struggled on his lap and had a disappointing 39.6 second lap. When all was said and done he was starting 42nd on Sunday.

On Saturday during the first of two practices Mears found his way to 15th on the sheet, working on green flag runs and trying different set ups. They ran five laps and ran one fast lap with his best speed of 39.4 seconds.

During the second and final practice Mears struggled found his way to 32nd on the chart and only ran one fast lap of 25 they ran.

The team struggled with loose condition and unable to find an adjustment that Mears was comfortable with.

His best speed was 40.6 seconds.

On Sunday he began to move forward and was in 34th when a rain shower moved in and forced the cars on pit road.

Mears and his crew came in when the red flag was lifted and came in just for tires on that first stop. They came out 40th after issues on the right side.

After a few laps Mears was tight through the center but loose on exit after just taking four tires and fuel. Mears though was still moving forward to 27th since they returned to green.

Mears continued to struggle with an extremely loose race car on exit and a very tight car in the middle of the corner, but Mears continued to move up 25th.

For his second pit stop Mears and his crew made an adjustment to help with the loose race car, they came out in 26th.

After the second caution of the day for Robby Gordon, Mears complained of being really, really loose in and loose off. Mears though was moving forward by lap 84 he was in 21st place.

After another green flag stop Mears was holding station in 21st. They were having a solid run with great lap times, but still struggling with a loose race car.

Mears on what they thought would be the final pit stop, Mears and crew came in and took four tires and fuel and came out 28th. They couldn't get track position all day long, with so many drivers trying to gamble on fuel, Mears was unable to capitalize.

Mears was good on fuel as they came in and topped off on the final caution, so it became about getting every position in the end. Mears worked his way up into the top 10. With less than 10 to go Mears worked his way into sixth place.

A great finish for a team that needed a strong finish. They improved their point's position to 20th. It was impressive to see this team rally and make the correct adjustments on this car to get them into the top 10.

Coming into the race on Sunday it didn't look very good for this team, battling track position and a loose race car for most of the day. They had solid stops and Mears drove a great race.

Check out Jen Preston's report on Juan Pablo Montoya.

The big boys headed to the big track in Michigan for the second and final time in 2009. The track has changed somewhat from the early June race, it's hot and slick.

If the race today is anything like the race on Saturday in the Nationwide series we were in for a show and that is exactly what we got.

Check out this week's winners and losers in Michigan.

Winners

Brian Vickers

On Saturday, Brian Vickers in post race remarks reminded us that the Nationwide series is not the Kyle Busch show, and on Sunday Vickers was the show as well. Well, at least the supporting actor to Jimmie Johnson dominating performance.

Vickers won the pole for Sunday's race and although he lost the lead early, he never really fell out of contention.

Vickers and his team lost the handling a bit mid-race but they were able to adjust on the changing conditions and keep with the race track.

As the race went on Vickers though got better and faster and when it came time for fuel conservation Vickers was able to conserve just enough and hold off Jeff Gordon for the win.

Vickers who is only 12 points out of the chase now, put on a show this weekend, dominating in both races.

Vickers who has series leading six poles this year finally was able to close the deal and win his second career race.

Vickers was the show this weekend. Period.

Points: 13th

Jeff Gordon

There was lots of talk this week of Gordon's back, whether he should even show up at Bristol or if he could even get in the car this weekend. Well Gordon not only showed up but also quieted some critics who had written off this team as not contenders for the championship, finishing second.

Gordon had an early draw in qualifying and found himself starting 21st. They quickly began moving forward and when the rain moved in and moved out Steve LeTarte called Gordon in and took just fuel and gained track position.

Gordon fought the same conditions that everyone else did. Track conditions changed sometimes lap to lap, but Gordon and his crew were not only able to gain positions on pit road but were able to pass on the track.

Gordon has run well on mile and half tracks this year, and they have said thye are saving there best cars for the chase.

If this wasn't their best car and they weren't able to move through traffic like they did, the rest of the competition might want to keep an eye on the 24 crew when the Chase starts.

I don't think you could wipe the smile off the face of Gordon after the race, unless you asked him about his back.

Points: Second

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It hasn't been a great year for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and as well documented as it has been recently there has been signs of life with this team. Michigan has always been a good track for Earnhardt, being the track where he won his last race in June of 2008.

Earnhardt started off the race struggling back in traffic; he was having trouble with a loose race car and also with traffic. They brought the car in and worked on it, but it wasn't making much head way.

During a green flag run, they had to bring the car on pit road because of what Earnhardt thought was a vibration, so they changed all four tires. When it all cycled out, Earnhardt remained on the lead lap and soon found himself in the lead late.

He lost the lead when he had to pit, but was able to make a furious run through the top 10 and finished third.

It was a great sign to see him able to move forward and to make positive gains on the car throughout the race.

Junior nation nearly had themselves a win, and if the race was 206 miles he might have won.

Points: 21st

Losers

Bobby Labonte

It didn't take long for Bobby Labonte to know that today was going to be a long day. As soon as the green flag waved, Labonte could hear engine issues and quickly dropped to the rear.

When the caution came out for the rain and then the red flag the team huddled together and made a game plan. They thought it was loose spark plugs so they intended on changing them as soon as it went back to yellow.

They stayed on pit road to give themselves enough time to change the plugs while the rest of the field prepared to make pit stops. Those changes did not work-they pulled to the garage and worked on the second cylinder and had Labonte back on the track though 21 laps down.

They went to the garage soon after, falling out of the race.

It hasn't been an easy year for Labonte, he has struggled adapting to his car and the switch of manufacturers also hasn't helped him.

He is one of the drivers who may be driving for a ride in 2010. Finishing 43rd on Sunday didn't help.

Labonte should ask his sponsor ask.com, where is that Yates engine power?

Points: 29th

Kurt Busch

For Kurt Busch, he should be glad he was sitting in the top five in the standings, so an accident like this won't end his chase hunt, but you can bet they sure didn't need a hit like this that puts them dangerously close to the danger zone.

Busch and David Ragan and Carl Edwards were racing on a restart, Ragan got loose and came down on Kurt Busch who then slammed the inside wall hard, headed for the garage.

His team was furiously making repairs to get him back on the track with points so important, even though a win was not a possibility.

Busch had a great car today. He was struggling with an electrical issue but was able to keep his car in the top 10.

He finished 36th.  

 

Busch should hope this was his mulligan before the Chase begins.

 

Points: Sixth

Jimmie Johnson

Okay, so it is a bit ridiculous to put him on the loser list after leading a race-high 134 and finishing 33rd. They didn't have mechanical issues and they didn't have an accident but they did run out of fuel, again.

Johnson had a fast car all day long as they were up front and had the best car for most of the day. When they did get stuck in traffic Johnson was able to work it perfectly and quickly made his way into the top five.

With the race coming down to fuel mileage Johnson was in conservation mode, but the problem is he didn't conserve.

Racing hard to take the lead on the final restart and then battling Vickers hard before he ran out of gas once again short of the checkered flag.

Now I do not doubt that Chad Knaus wasn't telling Johnson to conserve but Johnson couldn't conserve enough and once again lost a race with a dominating car to fuel mileage.

You'd think instead of racing so hard early in the run, Johnson would have been willing to ride along in second.

Points: Third

Lucky Dog...

Sam Hornish Jr.

Well it's been a tough couple weeks for Sam Hornish Jr. After a hard wreck at Watkins Glen, Hornish was looking for a solid run. Well it didn't start out so solid, he got penalized for fueling twice on pit road.

He was held a lap, and then had to fight back getting the lucky dog on lap 116. Hornish though was able to rebound and top off for fuel and battled for a top five finish in fifth. This was a great run by this team.

While it didn't look very good early they were able to adjust on the car.

Top five finish, check, car in one piece, check, check.

Points: 26th

Final lap...

So many people say they should take a race away from this track. Two races in two months, seems a bit much, they question what changes between June and August. Well for one the weather, rain pounding this track changes the grip in a short amount of time.

The heat also affects this race track, and the drivers have found this the track hot and slick.

I like Michigan, it's big and wide and the drivers can use multiple lanes. The passing happens all around the track and tires are not as important when the speeds level off only a handful of laps into a run.

What a race out there today, every driver was racing 110% out there for every point and every position. Some drivers risking a spot in the top 12 for a good finish others, going all out for a win not worrying about what was at stake.

Next up is the racing world's version of the Coliseum, Bristol Motorspeedway