Daytona 500: Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch wrecked while running 1-2 in dominant cars, and Mark Martin loses the Daytona 500 by inches in a heartbreaker as a last-lap crash occurs coming off turn 4, and Clint Bowyer flips onto his roof.
Auto Club 500: Matt Kenseth earns Ford it's first of only three victories so far this season, and David Reutimann endures a wreck of record proportions. Brian Vickers earned Toyota it's first top-10 in his first start of the season.
UAW Daimler-Chrysler 400: The new surface was the story at Las Vegas, with cars slipping and sliding, causing wrecks. Jimmie Johnson went on to claim his third strait win at the track.
Kobalt Tools 500: Jimmie Johnson earned his second consecutive victory. Mark Martin led the NEXTEL Cup Series points, but wouldn't race the next week.
Food City 500: The Car of Tomorrow debuted at the "World's Fastest Half Mile", and provided a fantastic finish, with it coming down to a green-white-checkered finish, and Jeff Burton racing Kyle Busch to the line. Kyle Busch took the victory, which was also Hendrick Motorsport's 200th victory.
Goody's Cool Orange 500: The COT was used once again, and again there was a door-to-door finish, with Hendrick Motorsports teammates battling for the win. Jimmie Johnson edged out Jeff Gordon for Hendrick Motorsport's fourth consecutive victory.
Samsung 500: Jeff Burton passed Matt Kenseth on the last lap to win his first race of the season. Meanwhile, after an accident involving Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Earnhardt Jr. drives the #5 after Busch leaves the track.
Subway Fresh Fit 500: The third COT race saw Jeff Gordon tie the late Dale Earnhardt in career wins by earning his first career victory at Pheonix. Tony Stewart was upset by debris cautions during the race, and later compared Nascar to wrestling on his radio show.
Aaron's 499: Jeff Gordon passed Dale Earnhardt on the all-time victories list on what would have been the Intimidator's birthday. Gordon's victory sparked a shower of debris thrown by distraught fans. 10 fans were arrested and banned from buying tickets at Talladega.
Jim Stewart 400 presented by Crown Royal: The COT ran in it's fourth race at Richmond, and a rain delay pushed the night race into Sunday afternoon, and it came down to Hendrick teammates Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch at the end, with Johnson prevailing.
Dodge Avenger 500: The COT ran on the track "Too Tough to Tame", and due to yet another rain delay, the race ran on Mother's Day. Dale Earnhardt Jr. failed pre-race inspection, and was docked 100 driver and owner points, and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. was fined $100,000 dollars and put on probation. Jeff Gordon won the race despite having overheating problems.
Coca-Cola 600: Two early multi-car wrecks took out many contenders, and late race fuel strategy allowed Casey Mears, who ran in the top-10 all day, to earn his first career victory. Brian Vickers earned Toyota's first top-5.
Autism Speaks 400 presented by Visa: The COT was used at Dover, and for the first time a COT race was won by a non-Hendrick driver, with Martin Truex Jr. winning the rain-delayed race. Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch again had an encounter on the track, an incident that inspired Kurt Busch to nearly hit one of Stewart's crew members. Nascar fined him $100,000 and docked him 100 driver and owner points.
Pocono 500: Jeff Gordon won a race that was delayed and ended by rain. It was close at the end however, with the final caution coming out as Ryan Newman tried to pass Gordon in turn 2 as rain downpoored on the Long Pond Straitaway.
Citizen's Bank 400: Carl Edwards earned his first victory since November of 2005, much to the delight of crew member Tom Giacchi, who hadn't shaved his beard since Edwards last win. The win was only the second of the season for Ford, both belonging to team owner Jack Roush.
Toyota/Savemart 350: Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson failed inspection on Friday, and had to start at the back, and were eventually docked 100 points, and their crew chiefs, Steve Letarte and Chad Knaus, were fined $100,000 and suspended for 6 races. In the race, rookie Juan Pablo Montoya earned his first career victory on the twisting road course in the COT. His victory was the first COT victory not claimed by Chevrolet.
Lenox Industrial Tools 300: Denny Hamlin earned his first victory of the year, racing in the COT. Kyle Busch and Johnny Sauter failed post-race inspection, and each lost 25 driver and owner points, and their crew chiefs, Alan Gustafson and Robert "Bootie" Barker, were fined $25,000 and put on probation.
Pepsi 400: Daytona once again provided a fantastic finish, with Jamie McMurray edging out Kyle Busch for the victory by only 0.005 seconds, tied for the second closest finish since Nascar started using electronic scoring in 1993. The victory was just McMurray's second victory, with his first coming all the way back in 2002 in just his second start at Charlotte. The victory was Ford's third of the year, all to Jack Roush's credit.
On lap 15, Denny Hamlin led Tony Stewart coming off the 4th corner. Fans watched as the teammates wrecked and eliminated their chances of winning, and for Stewart ruined a chance at making history.
"All of a sudden he just stops on the exit of turn four in front of 42 cars and he can't expect all of us to drive around him," Stewart said when interviewed after the incident. "He just wrecked two really good race cars. He tried to wreck us in practice on Friday and didn't get it done. At least he finished it off today. He's a young guy and he wants to be successful, but I don't know if he knows what the definition of team is right now."
There are obviously problems from the Gibbs organization right now, with these two teammates taking each other out on just the 15th lap of a 160 lap race, and then the post-race comments that came afterwards. The tension between these two drivers has shown itself, but is it really hard for there to be tension with Tony Stewart?
In his 8 year career, Tony Stewart has had many run-in's with drivers, including Matt Kenseth at Daytona last year and Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards at Pocono last year. In fact, Stewart even got on the wrong side of Nascar with his comments about Nascar being similar to wrestling.
The tension between these teammates may only be temporary, but once again Stewart has brought out the bad-side in him. He is a driver that was one of the calmest people in the 2005 season, and he ended up having a fantastic season, he never got mad or accused anybody of anything. Just when you think Stewart has turned things around, he makes comments like these after he's been involved in what was at least a mutual wreck, arguably his fault, at the expense of teammate Denny Hamlin.
Sunday's Pepsi 400 started with fireworks when race favorite Tony Stewart tangled with teammate Denny Hamlin while the two where running 2nd and 1st. Several wrecks throughout the night, but when it came down to 20 laps to go, all the cars, which had struggled just to run single file all night, ran side-by-side and three wide going for the win.
It came down to Kyle Busch, who is trying to prove himself for next year, and Jamie McMurray, who won his only race in his 2nd career start back in 2002, coming down to the line for the win. 0.005 seconds seperated Jamie McMurray from Kyle Busch, as he won just his second career race on the famed Daytona International Speedway.
The finish was tied for 2nd as the closest finish since Nascar started using electronic scoring. It tied with Dale Earnhardt's win over Ernie Irvan at Talladega in 1993, and the closest finish ever was in 2003 when Ricky Craven edged out Kurt Busch at the line.
Here are the top-5 finishers from this thrilling race:
This article is not a report on where Busch will go, it is merely a prediction based on previous occurences.
In modern day Nascar, drivers are leaving big-time teams to go to start-up teams or start their own team. Why is this? Maybe it's because they are sick of being a 2nd or 3rd string driver, and would like the chance to be the leading role in the future of a team. Maybe it's because they want to prove they are capable of winning in any equipment, or for that matter being the driving force that allows a low-budget team to get sponsorship and become a contending team. It's all started to develop in the past few years, and I've seen it happening.
Robby Gordon was the driver of the #31 AT&T Chevy for Richard Childress Racing in the 2004 season. However, Gordon decided to leave the team at the end of the season, despite the offer for a contract extension. Gordon had been 2nd to Kevin Harvick at RCR, and with the import of Jeff Burton, he would likely be the tag-along driver of RCR. In 2005, he started his own team, with four sponsors lined up to sponsor him through the season, Gordon only managed to qualify for 29 races and had only 2 top-10's, but the high point ofthe season came at Watkins Glen, where he charged from the back of the pack and finished 2nd to Tony Stewart, proving that although not in stellar equipment, Gordon was still able to contend for the win at tracks that he specialized at. In 2006, he again ran well at the Glen, with a 4th place finish, qualified for all the races, and had 3 top-10's. However, he had 17 top-20 finishes, a more consistent stat. In 2007, he has 7 top-20's in 17 races, and scored a top-10 at Dover. Gordon has proved that he can still contend in races even in sub-par equipment, which may be why he left RCR for a much worse situation that is, however, steadily becoming a good investment.
Michael Waltrip was the driver of the #15 Napa Chevy for Dale Earnhardt Inc. However, he left DEI, the team he won two Daytona 500's with, at the end of the 2005 season to start his own team. He too was second fiddle to Nascar Superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. at DEI. In 2006, Waltrip struggled with his single car team, having just 5 top-20's ,due to many mechanical issues and poor handling cars, and failed to make 3 races. 2007 hasn't gone much better for Waltrip, with controversy at Daytona with an unknown substance found in the intake manifold of both his cars, and making only three races all year. However, in those three races he has a top-10, which came at Michigan, and was 5th fastest in qualifying for the Pepsi 400 through 39 cars before rain eventually cancelled qualifying and set the field by points, bumping out Waltrip. His performance is steadily improving, but he's already seen sucess in his other teams, the #44 of Dale Jarrett and the #00 of David Reuttiman. Although those two have also failed to make all the races, they have had some strong runs. For Jarrett, it's his All-Star Race performance, finishing 12th while racing Nascar's elite. And Reuttiman has run well, with a top-15 and a potential top-5 at Talladega that was taken away due to an engine failure with 4 laps to go. This is just Waltrip's first year managing a multi-car team, and he does so with the unproven Toyota. So far, if you look at it in perspective, Waltrip's cars are improving and his decision to manage his own team, although it's unproven, could contend in future years.
Brian Vickers was the 2003 Busch Series champion. He announced midway through the 2006 season that he would leave Hendrick Motorsports, which since it's founding in 1984 has always contended for wins, and had been a dominating force in years past. (We've seen that dominance again this year, but we're talking back when Vickers made his decision at the moment.) Vickers was, lets face it, the least accomplished Cup driver from the Hendrick stable, with, at the time, no wins and inconsistent runs. Vickers would go on to earn a controversial victory later on in the year at Talladega. He went to a Toyota team for 2007, the new team Red Bull Racing, which featured, along with Vickers, the unproven driver of A.J Allmendinger and the new Toyota Camry, which itself was unproven. Vickers has made history this year, earning a top-10 in his first start in California(He failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, the first race of the season) Which was Toyota's first top-10. Then he earned the first top-5 for a Toyota in the Coca-Cola 600, a race in which he also led 76 laps, the most laps led in a single race for a Toyota in it's short history. He may have only qualified for 9 races, he has 6 top-20's in those 9 races, and the three races that he hasn't finished in the top-20, it was because he either had been involved in a wreck or had engine trouble. In fact, his 823 points in his first 9 starts this year is just a little off track of his total of 978 in his first 9 starts last year with the mighty Hendrick Motorsports. Vickers is making a name for himself and history thanks to his move to Red Bull Racing.
So now that brings us to Kyle Busch, the star from Hendrick Motorsports who will be a free agent at the end of the year. According to Scene Daily, Busch has had offers from and is considering, amongst others of course, a team outside the top-35 in owner points. Before I say anything, I would like to repeat that these are predictions of mine, and no report is backing up what I am about to say. I think the team that has made this offer is a Toyota team, or for that matter I believe that it is Red Bull Racing. I believe that Busch may, in an unlikely sequence of events, follow the path of former teammate Brian Vickers, going to Red Bull Racing either replacing the struggling AJ Allmendinger or joining as the driver for a third team. If it is not Red Bull Racing, then it has to be Bill Davis Racing(if it is a Toyota team) which could have a third team started, having Busch be the star of a team that includes Jeremy Mayfield and Dave Blaney, who earned the first pole for Toyota in New Hampshire. The reason it couldn't be Michael Waltrip Racing is because that team already had three cars in it's stable, and I don't see it going to four for quite some time, if ever, and already has Dale Jarrett signed through next year, and Reuttiman has performed too well to be replaced, and I don't see Waltrip completely giving up his spot. To think more realistically, I think that Busch will go to Joe Gibbs Racing.
The Daytona International Speedway is Nascar's second largest track. At 2.5 miles it is the sister track of Talladega, and like Talladega restrictor plates are used to reduce speed, although the cars will still go around the track at 190 mph. The most famous track in stock car racing is under the lights, so who are the favorites?
The Favorites:
Tony Stewart- Daytona may be unpredictable because of the unavoidable big one. However, you can't bet against Tony Stewart here. He has won the last two Pepsi 400's, and in 2005 won from the pole while leading 151 of 160 laps. In 6 of his last 7 races here, he has finished 7th or better, and the occasion that didn't was this year's Daytona 500, when he was wrecked while leading the Great American Race. Tony will run up front Saturday night, it's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
Kurt Busch- The numbers are decieving for the driver of the Miller Lite Dodge. An average finish of 28th in his 12 career starts doesn't show the plate racing potential Busch has. He has 3 top-5's in his last 6 starts, and was the class of the field at Daytona earlier this year before he wrecked with Tony Stewart while running 2nd. Busch has had bad luck and poor runs since his run in with Stewart at Dover, but there couldn't be a better place for Busch to get his Chase hopes back on track.
Jeff Gordon- You can't bet against the point leader. Even though he's racing with interim crew chief Jeff Meendering on the box, Gordon is continuing to run strong like he has all season. Gordon's poor performance in the Daytona 500 this year made the 10trh place finish a surprise, considering that he had run outside the top-20 most of the race. However, with a new body and the momentum this team has, expect the man who has 6 wins at this track to try to repeat his 2004 Pepsi 400 performance, where he won from the pole while leading the most laps.
Other Noteables:
Jimmie Johnson- 2006 Daytona 500 champion looking for first Pepsi 400 win. No brainer.
Denny Hamlin- He has yet to prove himself on plate tracks, but won the 2006 Bud Shootout, and after his win last week he would like nothing better than to go back-to-back.
Kevin Harvick- Won the Daytona 500 this year, and has always run well at plate tracks. Watch out for this man on the last lap.
Who to Avoid:
Juan Pablo Montoya- The Sonoma winner has an average finish of 25th on the plate tracks in his first two plate track races. With Montoya's style of racing where he want's to get up front as quick as he can, he could be a driver who helps start the big one.
Clint Bowyer- He has greatly improved this season, but has yet to prove himself on the plate tracks. Also, to succeed on the plate tracks you have to keep your car right-side up.(lol)
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1. Jeff Gordon 
2. Denny Hamlin 
3. Matt Kenseth 
4. Jimmie Johnson 
5. Jeff Burton 
6. Carl Edwards 
7. Tony Stewart 
8. Kurt Busch 
9. Kevin Harvick 
10. Martin Truex Jr. 
11. Clint Bowyer 
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 
