Tony Stewart wins the pole at Charlotte

Tony Stewart won the pole last night at Charlotte, I was suprised to see him get the pole. If this is any indication to how fast his car is in race trim, he might be hard to beat Saturday night. Kasey Kahne was the only Toyota in the top 10, could he possibly get his first win of the year? He was fastest in first Cup practice.

Top 10:
1. Tony Stewart
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Carl Edwards
4. A.J. Allmendinger
5.Greg Biffle
6. Ryan Newman
7. Paul Menard
8. Kasey Kahne
9. Jimmie Johnson
10. Trevor Bayne
notables: 14. Kevin Harvick 17. Denny Hamlin 20. Kurt Busch 23. Jeff Gordon 25. Kyle Busch 26. Brad Keselowski 31. Brian Vickers

Kevin Harvick will drive with a special paint scheme at Dover

Kevin Harvick will be driving a pink and black paint scheme on the #29 Rheem Chasing the Cure Chevy in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is all part of a program that Rheem is doing. The purpose of this program is to raise the awareness of Breast Cancer. I think it's a great thing Rheem is doing, and I think that more sponsors should also be doing something like this to support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month as well.



picture from: http://www.rcrracing.com/news/index.cfm?cid=50846

Tony Stewart wins the 2nd Chase race

Tony is 2 for 2 in the chase so far. Can he make it 3 for 3 next week at Dover? The race at New Hampshire, just like last weeks race, was a fuel mileage race. I thought it was interesting how this year Clint Bowyer was leading and ran out of fuel so Tony passed him for the win, while last year Tony was leading and ran out of fuel and the winner was Clint. I think Tony and his crew chief got fuel mileage races figured out. I didn't think Tony will be leading the points at this time in the chase, but he is. Another thing that suprised me was Jimmie Johnson, he is 10th in the points right now, and that's the lowest he has ever been in the chase. I think Jimmie still has a shot at the championship though, there still is 8 races to go, and this is a very close chase. Lots of drivers still have a shot at the championship.

Top 10:
1. Tony Stewart
2. Brad Keselowski
3. Greg Biffle
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Brian Vickers
6. Matt Kenseth
7. David Ragan
8. Carl Edwards
9. Juan Pablo Montoya
10. Regan Smith
Notables: 13. Jeff Burton 15. Kasey Kahne 17. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 18. Jimmie Johnson 23. Jamie McMurray 25. Ryan Newman

Point standings:
1. Tony Stewart
2. Kevin Harvick -7
3. Brad Keselowski -11
4. Carl Edwards -14
5. Jeff Gordon -23
6. Kyle Busch -26
7. Matt Kenseth -26
8. dale Earnhardt Jr. -26
9. Kurt Busch -28
10. Jimmie Johnson -29
11. Ryan Newman -34
12. Denny Hamlin -66




picture: Nascar.com

Kyle Busch dominates the Truck series race at the Magic Mile

Kyle Busch started on the pole and dominated the race, in fact he led all but 10 laps, and the laps that he didn't lead were because of green flag pit stops. At the end of the race there were only 6 trucks on the lead lap. It wasn't the most exciting race, but it was still a race. In my opinion I think all cup drivers should stay out of the lower Nascar series so the regulars can showcase their talents without  being overshadowed by the cup drivers dominance in those series. Austin Dillon was the highest finisher of the truck regulars, finishing 2nd, that also gave him the points lead.

Top 10:
1. Kyle Busch
2. Austin Dillon
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Ron Hornaday
5. Johnny Sauter
6. Matt Crafton
7. James Buescher
8. Todd Bodine
9. Timothy Peters
10. Miguel Paludo
Notables: 11. Joey Coulter 15. Cole Whitt 18. Parker Kligerman 29. Josh Wise 33. Mike Harmon 35. Jennifer Jo Cobb

Point Standings:
1. Austin Dillon
2. James Buescher -2
3. Johnny Sauter -7
4. Timothy Peters -25
5. Ron Hornaday -47
6. Matt Crafton -51
7. Joey Coulter -58
8. Cole Whitt -66
9. Parker Kligerman -68
10. Todd Bodine -68



picture: Nascar.com

The chase shakes up after the race at Chicagoland Speedway

The first race to the Cup has concluded, and Kevin Harvick leaves with the points lead, 7 points ahead of Tony Stewart who is now 2nd in points. With that win Tony gained 7 positions in the standings and put himself in position to contend for the championship. Jimmie Johnson however finds himself 8th in points after the race, and he is 16 behind points leader Kevin Harvick. Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch both lost 8 positions in points after the race, Gordon is sitting 11th in the chase 25 points back and Kyle Busch is 9th and 11 points back.

Standings after Geico 400
1. Kevin Harvick
2. Tony Stewart -7
3. Carl Edwards -10
4. Kurt Busch -11
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -13
6. Brad Keselowski -14
7. Ryan Newman -14
8. Jimmie Johnson -16
9. Kyle Busch -19
10. Matt Kenseth -24
11. Jeff Gordon -25
12. Denny Hamlin -41

      I think this will be a very close chase this year, and I think it will come down to the last race of the year. I honestly think that most of the drivers in the chase have a shot at winning the championship. For a driver to win the championship he will have to be very consistent in these next 9 races and possibly win a race.
     

Tony Stewart wins the first chase race

      Tony Stewart won the race by saving enough gas to make it to the checkered flag. Others were not so lucky, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, and Jeff Gordon were some of the drivers that ran out of fuel. Although Matt ran out of fuel he crossed the finish line in 8th, but was penalized because J.J. Yeley gave him a push on the last lap which is against the rules. Kenseth ended up finishing 21st but it didn't matter that he got pushed because if he didn't get pushed he would have ended up in the same position anyway.

Top 10:
1. Tony Stewart
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Carl Edwards
5. Brad Keselowski
6. Kurt Busch
7. Clint Bowyer
8. Ryan Newman
9. Mark Martin
10. Jimmie Johnson

notables: 12. Kasey Kahne 13. Brian Vickers 21. Matt Kenseth 22. Kyle Busch 24. Jeff Gordon 31. Denny Hamlin 35. Scott Speed

      I'm not a fan an of fuel mileage races, but it's still a race. I like races that come down to a pass to the finish line, and I'm sure after this race some drivers aren't fans of fuel mileage races either. The next race will be at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday. It will be the 2nd race in the 2011 chase for the Sprint Cup.

     

The Chase begins at Chicagoland Speedway

The 2011 chase for the Sprint Cup will begin at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday.
     Chase lineup:
1. Kyle Busch - 4 wins
2. Kevin Harvick - 4 wins
3. Jeff Gordon - 3 wins
4. Matt Kenseth - 2 wins
5. Carl Edwards - 1 win
6. Jimmie Johnson - 1 win
7. Kurt Busch - 1 win
8. Ryan Newman - 1 win
9. Tony Stewart - 0 wins
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 0 wins
11. Brad Keselowski - Wild card, 3 wins
12. Denny Hamlin - Wild card, 1 win

      I believe this years chase to the Sprint Cup will be one of the most exciting chases so far. I think the chase will come down to the last few laps at the final race of the chase. I think that Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon would be the ones battling it out at Homestead for the championship. It will be hard to beat Jimmie but Jeff has the consistency to do it. I also think that if Brad Keselowski is consistent and wins a race or two in the chase he can suprise everyone and possibly win the championship.

      I also think that there will be non chase contendors winning some of the last 10 races. Now that the race to the chase is over, they can just try to win and not worry as much about points. Some drivers need a ride for next year and want to prove that they can win, well this could be the perfect time for that.

      The chase starts Sunday at Chicago and I'm excited to see how it's all going to unfold, are you?





picture from nascar.com