NASCAR Talk

We’re heading out West this weekend for the NASCAR races in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Craftsman Truck Series in the second week of the 2008 season. After a crazy and crash happy weekend in Daytona, the beaten and bruised teams are back for more and hoping for a win out in Southern California. Let’s take a look at what to expect this weekend during the races.

Sprint Cup Auto Club 500
Airs Sunday February 24, 2008 at 3:30 PM ET on FOX.

California is a generally good track for the cars of Roush Fenway Racing, with Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle both racking up wins at this track over the past couple of years. Of course you can never count out Hendrick Motorsports and in fact, reigning Champion Jimmie Johnson won the race last time the Cup series visited the track. Last week, the Dodges looked very strong at Daytona, and Kasey Kahne just happens to be a recent winner in California as well.

Nationwide Stater Bros. 300
Airs Saturday February 23, 2008 at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN2.

It has been a long time since a non-cup series regular took the checkered flag at California in the Nationwide Series race. The usual suspects like Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne like to sweep weekends at the race track. The weather calls for rain on race day, though, so let’s hope it clears up long enough to get in the race and we have a few less wrecked cars than we had in Daytona.

Craftsman Truck San Bernardino Co. 200
Airs Saturday February 24, 2008 at 3:00 PM ET on FOX.

Mike Skinner won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck race last year at California, and after the great end to his season last year, he could be poised to win the race again this year. Ted Musgrave has won twice in the recent past, and Toyota and Todd Bodine could really be on a roll from Daytona. Did I mention he’s a past winner in California, too? Keep your fingers crossed they make it through the rain and deliver a great race!

NASCAR, Weekend Race Preview California

Shortly after winning the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Ryan Newman and his car owner Roger Penske sat down to talk to the press about the experience and how it felt to win their first Daytona 500 for Penske Racing.

You can find out what Ryan thought about actually fulfilling his dreams from when he was a young boy in Indiana, how he attributes success to his family, and what it was like to be enshrined in concrete (or at least his hand prints and footprints) in victory lane. Just read the transcript of the Press Conference after the jump.

NASCAR, Ryan Newman Press Conference Transcript

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The 50th Running of the Daytona 500 came down to teamwork. None of the drivers could get by without a little help from their friends. Penske racing finished 1 - 2 with Ryan Newman getting pushed across the finish line by teammate Kurt Busch. Joe Gibbs Racing Teammates Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch were right behind and then came the Gillett Evernham Dodges of Elliott Sadler and Kasey Kahne. The super power Hendrick team ran into quite a bit of trouble, with only new kid on the block Dale Earnhardt Jr. placing a decent finish in 9th. The race was relatively crash free, avoiding “the big one” and only producing 7 cautions total.

To see where the entire field finished, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup Race Results Daytona 500

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Boogity, boogity, boogity…let’s go racin’!

All is right in my world again. It’s time to kick off the NASCAR season and what a way to do it! The 50th running of the Daytona 500 wraps up a weekend full of great racing at the culmination of Speed Weeks. There’s a lot to look forward to as the Craftsman Trucks, Nationwide Series, and the Sprint Cup cars all take to the restrictor plate race track. Drop the green flag and away we go, right after the jump!

NASCAR, Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, Craftsman Trucks, Sprint Cup race preview Daytona, Nationwide Series race preview Daytona, Craftsman Truck race preview Daytona, Daytona NASCAR race preview

Sprint Cup Daytona 500
Airs Sunday February 17, 2008 at 2:00 PM ET on FOX.

It’s the biggie! The 50th running of the Daytona 500 is here and there are a lot of new drivers or drivers with new teams who are out to prove themselves in the “Super Bowl” of NASCAR racing. Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his brand new Hendrick ride is on fire winning both the Bud Shootout and his Gatorade Duel at Daytona so far. He should be very strong and have a great chance of winning the race on Sunday. Let’s not count out his Hendrick teammates Jimmie Johnson, who is on the pole, and veteran Jeff Gordon who had a strong showing the Duels as well. Michael Waltrip is a great restrictor plate racer and starts on the outside pole, so keep your eyes on the #55 Napa Toyota, too. It will also be interesting to see how the Gibbs Racing Toyotas will stack up to the field, as they looked strong in the Duels and practice, too.

Nationwide Series Camping World 300
Airs Saturday February 16, 2008 at 12:00 PM ET on ESPN2.

It’s the first time the cars will run under new title sponsor Nationwide Insurance, so what should we expect? Well, with Tony Stewart on the pole for the race, he will definitely be one to watch. This race is usually dominated by Sprint Cup regulars and the Buschwhackers (Nationwidewhackers?) with Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning in the recent past. Jason Leffler is the highest qualifying full time Busch Driver in third, so hopefully he’ll get a good finish as well.

Craftsman Truck Series Chevy Silverado 250
Airs Friday February 15, 2008 at 7:30 PM ET on SPEED.

The past couple of years, the pole sitter at the start of the Craftsman Truck race at Daytona also won. Last year it was Jack Sprague and the year before it was Mark Martin. This year, Erik Darnell is sitting on the pole for the Chevy Silverado 250. Will he be able to hang on to that lead for the entire race and end up in victory lane? I guess we’ll find out!

What a couple of great races! There were close calls, crashes, cut tires, and all around edge of your seat suspense in both races. Congratulations to the winners, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin, as well as all of the drivers who raced their way into the 50th running of the Daytona 500.

To see a list of where everyone placed in both races and who is now locked in for the Daytona 500, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Gatorade Duels, Gatorade Duels Results

Gatorade Duel #1 Race Results

Pos. | Start | Car | Driver
1 5 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2 18 41 Reed Sorenson
3 9 12 Ryan Newman
4 3 5 Casey Mears
5 15 99 Carl Edwards
6 23 43 Bobby Labonte
7 19 42 Juan Pablo Montoya
8 11 87 * Kenny Wallace
9 20 77 Sam Hornish Jr. #
10 16 15 Paul Menard
11 6 83 * Brian Vickers
12 2 78 Joe Nemechek
13 7 84 AJ Allmendinger
14 17 1 Martin Truex Jr.
15 8 66 Scott Riggs
16 22 21 Bill Elliott
17 10 01 Regan Smith #
18 21 07 Clint Bowyer
19 4 60 Boris Said
20 12 70 Jeremy Mayfield
21 25 09 Sterling Marlin
22 14 19 Elliott Sadler
23 1 48 Jimmie Johnson
24 26 96 J.J. Yeley
25 24 45 Kyle Petty
26 13 2 Kurt Busch
27 27 08 Carl Long

#-denotes rookie
*-raced way into Daytona 500

Gatorade Duel #2 Race Results

Pos. | Start | Car | Driver
1 5 11 Denny Hamlin
2 8 20 Tony Stewart
3 6 24 Jeff Gordon
4 18 9 Kasey Kahne
5 12 8 Mark Martin
6 9 6 David Ragan
7 21 29 Kevin Harvick
8 15 16 Greg Biffle
9 14 44 * Dale Jarrett
10 25 34 * John Andretti
11 20 18 Kyle Busch
12 2 00 David Reutimann
13 1 55 Michael Waltrip
14 17 7 Robby Gordon
15 10 17 Matt Kenseth
16 4 28 Travis Kvapil
17 13 38 David Gilliland
18 22 49 Ken Schrader
19 7 10 Patrick Carpentier #
20 19 37 Eric McClure
21 3 22 Dave Blaney
22 24 31 Jeff Burton
23 11 27 Jacques Villeneuve #
24 16 26 Jamie McMurray
25 26 50 Stanton Barrett
26 23 40 Dario Franchitti #

#-denotes rookie
*-raced way into Daytona 500

Are you as excited as I am? I don’t know if that’s even possible, but NASCAR racing is back! WOO HOO! Tonight we will get a preview of what’s to come in the 2008 Sprint Cup season as we watch the first (non-points) race of the season at Daytona, the Budweiser Shootout. I love the Shootout because everyone is in it to win it and not play it safe (as was shown by Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch’s battle in practice that wrecked both of them). What a great way to kick of Speed Weeks at Daytona. Tomorrow is Daytona 500 qualifying, and then on Thursday you can catch the Gatorade Duels, all leading up to the 50th running of the Daytona 500 next Sunday.

To see the entire starting grid for the Budweiser Shootout (determined by blind draw on Thursday on SPEED Channel), keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Budweiser Shootout, Budweiser Shootout Starting Grid

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So the NASCAR Media voted in a poll over the last few weeks as to how they think the end of the year Sprint Cup standings would shake out. The results really aren’t that surprising, if you think about it. Most people voted safely and the top twelve predicted pretty much is a mirror image of the 2007 top twelve in the Chase for the Championship.

The only major difference is that the top two Hendrick cars swap positions. That’s right. Most of the NASCAR Media voted for Jeff Gordon to get his fifth Cup Championship in 2008. Jimmie Johnson ended up second in the voting, keeping the Hendrick duo number one and number two again. That seems to be a safe bet with Hendrick Motorsports being so dominant the last couple of years. However, the media showed no love for the newest Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., as he didn’t make the list.

To see the whole top twelve predicted order, click after the jump. Then leave me a comment to tell me how wrong (or right) the media is this season.

NASCAR, NASCAR Media, NASCAR Media Sprint Cup Predictions, Media predictions Sprint Cup top twelve

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Someone at the NASCAR headquarters must have heard my request. Okay, so I’m sure I’m not the reason behind the change, but I am definitely pleased. I am, of course, speaking of NASCAR’s decision to keep start times earlier than 2 pm ET for their Sprint Cup Sunday races for 18 of their competitions. I had a lot of trouble keeping track last year of what time a race was on and I found myself either missing the start or having plans before the race starts if it were later in the day. Now if only I can get them to choose one network and stick with it so I’m not frantically hitting the guide button on my remote with only seconds until the green flag is scheduled to wave. That is not likely, so I guess I’ll just have to refer back to this post to figure out what’s going on.

For your convenience (and my own…I won’t lie), I’ve compiled the starting times of all the races and what network they will be broadcast. To see my list, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, NASCAR broadcasts, NASCAR 2008 Sprint Cup Broadcast Schedule

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In 2007, Kelly Clarkson was named as an ambassador for NASCAR. She ended up her year performing live at the Nextel Cup Championship Week Awards Banquet. Enjoy this clip of Kelly singing “Since U Been Gone” live at the ceremony.

NASCAR, Nextel Cup Banquet 2007, Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Clarkson live at NASCAR Banquet 2007

Wow! Who could have known these guys could look so well dressed? You mean they don’t always wear their fire suits? I know they don’t, but sometimes it’s hard to picture NASCAR Nextel Cup Drivers in anything except their racing gear. Well, it’s Championship Week for the Nextel Cup drivers in New York City, and they’ve been making the rounds–and looking good! I thought I would bring you a few photos of the drivers in their dress attire along with some of their dates. I hope you enjoy!

Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson and Crew Chief Chad Knauss show off their Nextel Cup Championship trophy in Times Square

To see even more great photos of the Nextel Cup drivers during Championship Week, keep reading after the jump. You will find some red carpet pictures from the celebration last night at Tiffany & Co. which included Kristen Bell and Ali Larter from NBC’s hit show “Heroes”.

NASCAR, NASCAR photos, Nextel Cup Driver photos, Nextel Cup Championship Week photos

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Taking a “victory lap” around New York City during Champion Week.

The racing may be over for the season, but there is one last hurrah for all three major NASCAR series in the form of the end of the year Awards Banquets. This is the time when we get to honor the top drivers in the point standings, the Rookie of the Year, as well as to be entertained by comedians and musical acts.

The Nextel Cup banquet is the first one up and it actually is going to be held this Friday, November 30th live from New York City. The Busch Series banquet is December 12th in Orlando, Florida, and the Craftsman Truck drivers were honored on Monday November 19th, but you can still catch the airing of the ceremony on SPEED in December.

For more specific information, including airdates and scheduled performers, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Nextel Cup Banquet, Busch Series Banquet, Craftsman Truck Banquet, NASCAR Awards Banquet

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Name : Jeff Gordon
Car #: 24
Series: Sprint Cup
Sponsor : DuPont
Manufacturer : Chevrolet
Car Owner : Rick Hendrick
Team : Hendrick Motorsports
Crew Chief : Steve Letarte
Birthdate: Aug 4, 1971
Birthplace: Vallejo, CA
Hometown: Pittsboro, IN
Personal: Married to Ingrid Vandebosch, daughter Ella Sofia

Jeff Gordon was introduced to the racing world at age 5 when his stepfather got him started in Quarter Midget races. Only a year later, Jeff had won the Western States Championship with a total of 35 race wins. He soon got bored winning everything and took an interest in water skiing, but his grandfather kept him racing. He started driving Sprint cars when he was 13, but was too young to race in events.

In 1991, Gordon first got into a stock car and began what would become his storied NASCAR career. His first year in the Busch Series, he ended up 4th in the points. Soon after, Rick Hendrick asked Jeff to drive the #24 Winston Cup car and he ended his first full season in 1993 14th in the points standings.

Gordon’s domination of the Cup series began with his first Championship in 1995, and then back to back championships in 1997 and 1998. His fourth title came in 2001. The only other drivers with more championships is Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Richard Petty with 7 each.

Jeff finished up 2nd in points in the 2007 season behind teammate Jimmie Johnson. Besides having a great year on the track, Jeff had a big year in his personal life as well when he welcomed his first child, Ella Sofia, in the summer.

Jeff Gordon Websites:
Hendrick Motorsports
Jeff Gordon Official Site
NASCAR.com Driver Page

If you know a great Jeff Gordon Website that should be added to the list, please leave a comment below!

NASCAR, NASCAR Driver Bios, Jeff Gordon Bio

Name: Jimmie Johnson
Car #: 48
Series: Sprint Cup
Sponsor : Lowe’s
Manufacturer : Chevrolet
Car Owner : Jeff Gordon
Team : Hendrick Motorsports
Crew Chief : Chad Knaus
Birthday: Sept. 17, 1975
Hometown: El Cajon, Calif.
Personal : Married (Chandra)

Jimmie started out riding motorcycles at the age of 4 and was winning championships on those by the age of 8, so this back to back Nextel Cup Champion is no stranger to success. He continued his winning ways in motocross with three consecutive years of championships from 1992-1994 in the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group Stadium Racing Series. After that, he moved on to off road racing and won more championships in that series in 1996 and 1998.

Soon after in 1998, Jimmie made his Busch Series debut in three races and began running the Busch Series full time in 2000. It only took a year before he posted his first Busch Series win at Chicago in July of 2001, which earned him a ride in the Nextel Cup series that October at Lowe’s Motorspeedway in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The following year, Hendrick Motorsports gave him a full time job driving a Cup car owned by none other than Jeff Gordon. In his rookie season, Jimmie finished 5th in the Championship Standings.

Now with back to back Nextel Cup championships under his belt, Jimmie Johnson is negotiating a lifetime driving contract with Hendrick Motorsports.

Jimmie Johnson websites:
Hendrick Motorsports
Jimmie Johnson Official Site
NASCAR.com Driver Page

If you know a great Jimmie Johnson Website that should be added to the list, please leave a comment below!

NASCAR, NASCAR Driver Bios, Jimmie Johnson Bio

Can you believe the season is over? The championship trophies have been handed out in Miami and the 2007 NASCAR season has come to its checkered flag. Congratulations to Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson, Busch Series Champion Carl Edwards, and Craftsman Truck Series Champion Ron Hornaday.

Where did you favorite driver end up in the standings? Keep reading after the jump to see the top 50 drivers in all three series.

NASCAR, NASCAR point standings, Nextel Cup point standings, Busch Series Point standings, Craftsman Truck point standings

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Domination was the word of the weekend. If I had a nickel for every time I heard any form of the word “dominate” as I watched the NASCAR championship week coverage on various channels, I wouldn’t have to write this blog anymore for the extra money. Jimmie Johnson stayed consistently dominant throughout the chase and came away with his second Nextel Cup championship in a row. Matt Kenseth also had the dominant car this weekend and rolled his way to a win at the Homestead Miami track in his final race with long time crew chief Robbie Reiser who will become Roush Fenway Racing’s General Manager for the 2008 season.

To see where the entire field finished in this weekend’s race, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Nextel Cup, Nextel Cup race results, Nextel Cup race results Homestead Miami

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