NASCAR Talk

Sometimes I don’t think Mother Nature is a NASCAR fan. Last week it was snowing, this week it’s rain. In fact, qualifying for the Sprint Cup race this weekend in Bristol was rained out. According to the NASCAR rule book, the starting grid will be set by the point standings. However, since this is only the fifth race of the season, that means last years’ point standings will be used to set the starting line up. That’s good news for Jimmie Johnson considering his 2008 has been off to a less than spectacular start. Since he’s the reigning Sprint Cup Champion, he gets to sit on the pole for the race.

To see the entire starting line up, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Sprint Cup Starting Grid Bristol

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Hendrick Motorsports haven’t been as dominant this year as they were last year. However, it looks like that could be starting to come to an end. After Sprint Cup qualifying, two of the Hendrick Teams will be starting on the front row. Jeff Gordon landed on the pole just one week after his seriously hard crash into the inside wall in Las Vegas. His new teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start next to him in the front row. Could they use that great qualifying effort to propel the team to their first win this season? Carl Edwards will start in the second row, though, and he’s on a roll with two consecutive wins. He did get a large penalty and lost his crew chief for six races as of this week, but veteran crew chief Robbie Reiser will be sitting on top of his pit box come Sunday, so you can’t count him out.

To see where everyone qualified, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Sprint Cup Starting Grid Atlanta

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The Toyotas are looking strong this weekend for both races in Las Vegas. In fact, Brian Vickers is on the pole for the Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas Motorspeedway. Not only that, but there are 4 Toyotas in the top 5. One of those Toyotas is Tony Stewart, the winner of both of the Nationwide Series races so far this season. He starts 4th and should be a contender for the win again this week.

To see where all the drivers start for the Sam’s Town 300, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Nationwide Series Starting Grid Las Vegas

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Hometown boy Kyle Busch will start on the pole of this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup UAW-Dodge 400 at the Las Vegas Motorspeedway. Hot on his heels in qualifying was last week’s winner at California, Carl Edwards. Kyle’s brother Kurt will also start in the top ten, as will Edwards’ Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle.

The track seemed slick with a couple of crashes in qualifying, so let’s hope the Nationwide Series race lays down some rubber and the track gets some grip before Sunday’s race. If you want to see the entire starting line up, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Sprint Cup Starting Grid Las Vegas

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Rain, rain, go away! Geesh! Last year at the beginning of the racing season was definitely rainy. Are we destined for a repeat? Let’s hope not so we can see some great racing. It’s not been very good luck so far in southern California for the weekend races. Sprint Cup Series qualifying was rained out, so the starting grid will be set by 2007 Owner’s Points. There are a few driver and team changes, however, so it’s probably a good refresher to all of us to see where the cars will start in the race.

Keep reading after the jump to see where which drivers will be in the race and where they will start.

NASCAR, Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup Starting Grid California

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So, yesterday we talked about the first race of the Gatorade Duels at Daytona, and now it’s time to find out how things are going to line up at the second race of the Gatorade 150 Duels. The first race will set the field on the inside lane behind Jimmie Johnson, while the second race will take care of lining up the drivers behind Michael Waltrip for the outside lane at the start of the 50th running of the Daytona 500.

Some of the drivers outside of the top 35 have the opportunity to race their way into the Daytona 500 by doing well in their particular duel race. The drivers already in the top 35 also have a lot at stake. They want to try to win and secure a starting spot as close to the front as possible for Sunday.

If you want to see the starting lineup for the second race of the Gatorade Duels, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Gatorade Duels, Gatorade 150 Duels, Gatorade Duels race 2 Starting grid

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The only two drivers right now who know where they are starting come Sunday at the 50th running of the Daytona 500 are Jimmie Johnson and Michael Waltrip who qualified for the pole and outside pole respectively this weekend on Pole Qualifying Day. Where does that leave the rest of the field? Well, it leaves them in a race to see where they will start. The two Gatorade 150 Duels will happen on Thursday February 14th and will finish setting the field and doling out starting positions. The drivers in the first race will be trying to jockey for a starting position on the inside lane in rows 2-20 depending on how they finish in their duel race.

To see who is racing in the first Gatorade 150 Duel and where they will start that race, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Gatorade Duels, Gatorade 150 Duels, Gatorade Duels race 1 starting grid

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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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Is it really any surprise that Jimmie Johnson will be on the pole come Sunday during the last race of the season at Homestead Miami? He’s been winning everything recently, so really, it shouldn’t be a surprise at all. He’s not only won the last four races, he’s also number one in the point standings for the Nextel Cup. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, is currently in second in the point standings and will roll off in 11th at Homestead Miami. Will he have what it takes to regain the points lead and win the Nextel Cup Championship? It should be a great race!

To see where the entire field will start (and who missed the race) on Sunday, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Nextel Cup, Nextel Cup Starting Grid, Nextel Cup Starting Grid Homestead, Nextel Cup Starting Grid Miami

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Carl Edwards is still rolling after clinching the Busch Series Championship last weekend in Texas. His momentum got him the Budweiser Pole for this Sunday’s Nextel Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway. Martin Truex Jr. will start on the outside of the front row after just barely missing the pole by less than .02 seconds. Jeff Gordon, who is currently sitting second in the points standings, will roll off in third–three spots in front of teammate and current points leader Jimmie Johnson.

To see where all of the drivers will start, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Nextel Cup, Nextel Cup Starting Grid Phoenix

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Jeff Gordon may not have won at Texas in the past, but he’s got a shot at today’s race since he’ll be rolling off on the outside of the pole. Fellow Championship Chaser Martin Truex Jr. won the Bud Pole Award and will lead the pack to the green flag at the start of the race. All four of the DEI cars looked strong in qualifying, as did most of the Dodges. Of course, Gordon is hoping to increase his small 9 point lead by finishing well, or even winning his first race at Texas. To see where the entire field qualified, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Nextel Cup, Nextel Cup Starting Grid Texas

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The Dodge cars looked strong today in qualifying for the Nextel Cup Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motorspeedway, but a Ford Fusion came out on top. Roush Fenway driver Greg Biffle won the Budweiser Pole Award and will be the car that leads the field to the green flag on Sunday. However, 6 of the top 11 qualifiers drive a Dodge. Since Dodge has seemed to struggle this year in the races, it has yet to be seen if the fast qualifying times will transfer over to the actual race. With the drought and unseasonably hot temperatures in Atlanta, it will most likely come down to the engines holding out until the end.

To see which cars made the race and where they will start, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Nextel Cup, Nextel Cup Qualifying Atlanta, Nextel Cup Starting Grid Atlanta, Pep Boys Auto 500

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Can anyone stop Jeff Gordon? After his win at Lowe’s Motorspeedway in Charlotte last weekend, he is the points leader in the Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship and now he can add a pole at Martinsville to his current streak. Since Martinsville seems to favor Hendrick Motorsports cars, there is a good chance Jeff could come out on top in this race. His teammate Jimmie Johnson currently sits second in the points and will roll off in the second row at Martinsville in the fourth position. To see the entire field and who didn’t qualify for the race, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Nextel Cup, Nextel Cup Starting Grid, Nextel Cup Starting Grid Martinsville, Nextel Cup Starting Grid 10/21

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A couple of years ago, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see Ryan Newman’s name at the top of the starting grid. However, Ryan Newman and his Penske Racing team has been struggling for quite some time now, so his Budweiser Pole award at Lowe’s Motorspeedway in Charlotte, NC was somewhat unexpected. Starting on the outside of the front row will be Jimmie Johnson whose history at Lowe’s Motorspeedway is somewhat storied. He has a great starting position and could really be hard to beat this weekend in the Bank of America 500.

To see which drivers made the race and where they will start, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Nextel Cup, Nextel Cup Starting Grid, Nextel Cup Starting Grid Charlotte

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Qualifying at Talladega turned the field on its head. Toyota seems to have the Car of Tomorrow’s number for the superspeedway qualifying. Michael Waltrip, who has seen success in restrictor plate races in the past won the Bud Pole and will be joined on the outside pole by another Toyota–Dave Blaney in the #22. In fact, 5 of the top 10 cars will be Toyotas in the UAW-Ford 500 including Jacques Villeneuve in his cup debut. Actually, that should be 6 because Dale Jarrett had the 8th fastest time in qualifying, but the rulebook puts him in the back of the field because they’re not a top 35 team. Kurt Busch and David Ragan did not pass post race inspection and were sent to the back of the field. Also, the majority of the Chase drivers will be starting in the back half of the field. This is already shaping up to be an interesting race. For the entire field, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Nextel Cup Starting Grid Talladega, Nextel Cup

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