Driver Stats: Mark Martin

Bittersweet, that my last post should come during an off week. Yes, I'm looking forward to Phoenix (and the end of this long, long semester.) But I have enjoyed my mandated foray into blogging and thinking up racing things to discuss has deepened my appreciation for the sport. That's why I picked another driver currently not in the top 10 rankings to profile this week, because of his staying power. That and the fact that he is riding a three-race top-ten finish streak with two poles in a row and he led a lot of laps last year in Phoenix (I saw it from the stands) and almost won it--maybe this year. The old guy is hot. 

Mark Martin ran his first Cup race in 1981 as an owner-driver, but raced only sporadically for himself and other teams until 1988 when he joined Rousch Racing and got his first career win in 1989. That means a lot of stats, so I'll just summarize--35 career wins, 44 poles, 243 top 5's, and 399 top 10's. He ran the last two seasons part time, and just joined Hendrick Motorsports this year to run again full-time, for how long no one knows. He currently drives the Kellogg's #5 Chevrolet and sits 18th in the standings. 

What is so remarkable about Mark Martin? Not only his longevity (in racing--he's really not that old in people years) but also his success. He has finished in the top 10 season rankings 16 times, and came in second four times--behind names like Earnhardt (twice), Gordon and Stewart. Twelve of those top-ten years were consecutive. The man is always a threat to win--a pole, a race, a championship. The NASCAR world sees him as the best driver never to win a championship. And now I melodramatically feel a little of what he must feel, although my success or longevity aren't even close to his. If it's fun and rewarding, it's hard to say goodbye. 

Track Trivia: Phoenix International Raceway

No, there is no race this weekend. NASCAR does espouse (Christian) family values, and sponsoring a race that would infringe on Easter just won't happen. So, we're actually peering into the future about a week and a half for the running of the Subway Fit Fresh in Phoenix. I was at this race last year, and the weather this time of year is gorgeous. The desert does actually bloom in the spring. 

Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale is really very close to the city, and easy to get to since it's so flat. It's a one-mile tri-oval, with 11 degrees of banking in turns 1 and 2, 9 degrees in turns 3 and 4 and the frontstretch, and 3 degrees in the backstretch. The grandstands hold 76,800 fans, and people sit up on the scrubby hills under tarps too. The race is 312 miles, and Jimmie Johnson pretty much ran away with it last year.  

The track was completed in 1964, but NASCAR Cup racing didn't start until 1988. So far, I haven't been to a track with fan amenities to challenge Las Vegas, but there have been some additions to PIR since I was there. Under that beautiful turquoise sky, buffeted by the roar of 43 cars going fast, all that really matters (aside from choosing your bathroom breaks so you don't have to stand in a long line) is having a sufficient supply of the appropriate beverage so you can keep your eyes glued to the track for the long green-flag runs. 

Driver Stats: Kasey Kahne

Finally, Jeff Gordon won again. I'm glad--I'm tired of hearing about how possibly the best active driver in the modern era has lost the ability to drive into victory lane. Yes, his marriage to a supermodel and his very adorable little daughter and his aching back are distractions, but Jeff Gordon is a huge talent and he hasn't decided he's done yet. Of course he realizes he's human now, and thinks about the consequences more--like the wreck last year when he hit the wall where there was no SAFER barrier. He has a family to consider, as opposed to when he was just starting all of his winning as a cocky young guy who thought he was indestructible. But he may be more of a threat to win now because he has matured and is very crafty in his race planning. Don't be surprised to see him win more since the pressure of the "losing streak" is off his back, and he can glimpse another championship title from his perch atop the points standings. 

Kasey Kahne, on the other hand, didn't come close to winning at Texas. But he still does sit tenth in points, which earns him the driver profile this week. (Everyone else above him has been glowingly or grudgingly covered in earlier posts.) Kasey drives the #9 Budweiser Dodge for the recently-formed Richard Petty Motorsports, which was Gillette-Evernham last year. He was an open-wheel racer for most of his career, until he spent two years in the then-Busch series. He started in Cup racing in 2004, and has 9 wins, 16 poles, 36 top 5's, 65 top 10's, and has been in the top-ten final standings once, in 2006 when he made the Chase. Although his performance didn't qualify him for last year's All-Star Race, the fans voted him in and as a thank-you he went out and won it--and used the momentum to carry him to a win at the Coca-Cola 600 the next week as well.

Kasey's been a little inconsistent this season, and the stability of the RPM teams, of which he is the highest-performing, seems to be in doubt. Although some of the commercials he appears in for his sponsors are hysterical, Kasey himself is a quiet, unassuming kid who is nonetheless a female fan favorite. His first career win came at Richmond, which I will be attending for the first time this year. If Kasey can focus on doing his best with what RPM gives him, maybe we'll see him win again in the coming weeks. I of course would be happiest if Tony found his way to victory lane first, but I'll consider it a good trip if I see Kasey in the Richmond winner's circle again too. 

Track Trivia: Texas Motor Speedway

Because cars are bunched up on the smaller tracks, wrecks and the attendant yellow flags tend to happen more frequently. That's one reason the short track races are not usually my favorite to watch, because I think it just slows down the action too much. But the last two races may have changed my mind a little, and now I'm hoping we don't go to the bigger tracks and have races where there's less contact but way too much single-lane, follow-the-leader racing. 

Texas Motor Speedway, north of Fort Worth, is a 1.5 mile quad-oval with 24 degrees of banking in the turns and 5 degrees on the straightaways. It's a newer track, completed in 1996, and holds 159,585 screaming fans in the stands. (Counts vary by who you ask and how you define "seat". I think this number means available tickets to sell for a permanently-positioned place to put your butt.)

The race Sunday will be 501 miles, or 334 laps. Carl Edwards is the defending race champion, and I do have him on my fantasy team despite my aversion for picking drivers who won the last race, or the last running of the same race. Tony might look a little more natural in victory lane sporting the black cowboy hat wielding six-shooters, though. 

Driver Stats: Clint Bowyer

JJ takes the checkers, at a track very important to his team owner. That's the top story, and it was a good race--I would have preferred for Denny to win, but I did have Johnson as my A driver and Hamlin as a B driver on my fantasy team, so it was overall a good day. However, because I have profiled the first four finishers of this race previously, this week I'll look at the guy who finished fifth--and currently sits second in the points standings. Clint Bowyer drives the #33 Cheerios Chevy for Richard Childress Racing, and is currently outperforming his bigger-name teammates like Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick. 

Bowyer is a relative newcomer to the series, but not to success. He won the Nationwide championship last year, but his first race in Cup was in 2005. His first full season in 2006 was the only time he's been out of the top five in the standings. He has 2 wins--the first coming in the first race of the 2007 Chase--2 poles, 19 top 5's, and 49 top 10's. Expectations were muted this year because he was moved from the #07 Jack Daniel's ride to his new team to help out new  Childress teammate Casey Mears. But he seems to be clicking with new crew chief Shane Wilson. Bowyer, a Kansas native, handles himself and his career with a no-nonsense, low-key approach that doesn't really put him in the spotlight. But quietly consistent performance on the track speaks for itself, and rising expectations for Boyer's return to victory lane may mean more media exposure as the season progresses. Even though he's well-spoken and polite in interviews, it's clear that Boywer's focus is on making a statement while driving, not talking, so watch out for a post-win celebration that speaks volumes in the near future. 

Track Trivia: Martinsville Speedway

Built in 1947, this track is the only one remaining running Cup events from the original lineup of venues from 1949. Martinsville Speedway, located in south-central Virginia, is a .526-mile oval and the 500 lap race will be 263 miles. The track is considered flat, with minimal 12 degree banking in the turns, and as such has some of the slowest speeds of any oval on the circuit. The grandstands hold 65,000 people, and while this may be the oldest, slowest track in the Cup series, the stands should be full. Like Bristol, fans love the short-track action at Martinsville because the cars have to run close together--there's nowhere else to go. 

Drivers who came up through their local short tracks love racing here, and usually do well, as do those with a background in road racing. Don't be surprised to see a faster driver nudge a slower driver who won't move over out of their way--it's just racin'. I have Jimmie Johnson on my fantasy league, and the Hendrick cars are expected to dominate. The race at this little paper-clip shaped track marks the first time this year the owner points from 2009 decide who is guaranteed a spot in the race, but qualifying still will be key for a good pit selection. Lets hope Sunday's trip back to the roots of stock car racing is a memorable one. 

Driver Stats: Denny Hamlin

Yes, Kyle Busch won in Bristol. Convincingly, dominating the race. It isn't the first time this season, and it won't be the last. But his teammate was right behind him, so that's why Denny Hamlin is this week's driver profile. Last year, Tony Stewart was the leader of the Joe Gibbs Racing garage, and Denny and Kyle were just two young up-and-comers. Now with Tony gone and 18-year old Joey Logano in his spot, 28-year-old Denny Hamlin finds himself in the disconcerting position of being the senior member of the team with just three full-time years in the series. Kyle's only been with the team one year, and at 23 he still has a lot of maturing to do. So Denny has buckled down and worked at being a good team player, and his team owner Coach Gibbs has noticed and commented on it. Let's hope it helps him win some this year. 

Denny Hamlin drives the #11 FedEx Toyota for JGR. He started in Cup in 2005, and won the Rookie of the Year title in 2006, his first full year in the series. He has 4 wins, 6 poles, 33 top 5's, 61 top 10's, and has finished the season in the top 10 twice. He did make the Chase all three years, but his best finish was third in his rookie season, so he's still reaching for the type of success expected of him. He has won at least one race each season. He experienced success in Late Model racing, coming out of the local NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. And he has that All-American, boy-next-door look about him. He's a talented racer who should have won a few more races last year but had some bad luck, so maybe some of Kyle's good fortune will rub off and we'll see Denny doing the victory laps a few more times this year. It's hard not to root for a driver who is actually buying and giving away tickets to the races on his website because he's concerned about the economy's effect on the fans. He makes me think about the American flag, but all Denny really wants now is that checkered one. 

Track Trivia: Bristol Motor Speedway

Why did the off week have to coincide with spring break? Unlike many of my younger peers, I had the enviable experience of remaining in the 'burgh the whole time. Oh well, the weather's been better, spring is almost sprung, and NASCAR's off to "The World's Fastest Half-Mile" this week. 

Bristol Motor Speedway is a .53-mile oval concrete track in northeast Tennessee. Completed in 1961, the tiny bullring boasts 160,00 seats, thanks to the renovation(s) by Speedway Motorsports owner Bruton Smith. They included adding variable banking from 24 to 30 degrees in the track's turns, and from 6 to 10 degrees on the straightaways. 

The Food City 500 is...well...500 laps, or 266.5 miles. Jeff Gordon is the going-away favorite for this one, and while I haven't picked my team yet, I have a hunch Kevin Harvick is going to do well. Finishing well is going to be very important for several marquee names, including Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt, and rookie would-be phenom Joey Logano, because after this race the top 35 cars in the points standings will be locked into starting races, and those outside will have to qualify on time. While this race is not yet sold out--for the past 53  Cup races it has been--this little track is a fan favorite, and the grandstands should be full. This girl, and I know I'm not alone, needs to see some bump-and-run short track action. 

Driver Stats: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Yes, he sits in 24th place in the standings currently. But Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard/Amp Energy Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports,  gets the spotlight this non-race week because he is still #1 with a bullet in NASCAR fans' hearts. After all, he has won the most popular driver award for the last six years running. There is a sizable minority, of course, who hate him because they think his name and not his talent got him to where he is today. From what I've seen, he may not ever approach the 7 Cup-series championships his late father achieved, but he is a decent driver and a pretty likable guy.

Dale Jr. won two then-Busch series championships before entering the Cup series in 1999. Since his first full season in 2000, he has 18 wins, 8 poles, 86 top 5's, 138 top 10's, and has finished four seasons in the top 10 rankings. He just may be the best active driver on restrictor-plate tracks, and he has won at least one race every season except for 2007--his last season with his father's old team DEI (where he drove the iconic red #8 Budweiser car). 

There's no denying the impact his father had on "June-bug's" career. And if fans of his father's switched their allegiance over to him after his father's death at Daytona, so what? If I had been a NASCAR fan in 2001, I probably would have cheered Jr. on too as he won the July Daytona race the same year, and again at Talladega, the site of his father's last victory. The fans voted the Intimidator most popular driver posthumously, so when Jr. started winning the contest they became the first father-and-son team ever to do so. I can't even begin to imagine what it's like racing the same tracks your father dominated, and always being compared, usually unfavorably, to him.

Dale Jr. hasn't been the most consistent driver lately, and everyone expects more out of him since his move to the dominant Hendrick organization. I'm not a diehard member of Junior Nation, but I enjoy watching him race when he's on, and I like hearing his opinion. Love him or hate him, when Jr. speaks everyone listens, and most of the time he's fair-minded and pretty funny. Here's hoping he settles down and gets his season back on track, for the good of the sport and its loyal fan base. 

Fast Facts: NASCAR Home Tracks

You don't have to go to a Cup race to experience the thrill of speed and the agony of crashing, of course. There are local tracks, dirt and paved, all over the country. South of Pittsburgh, the NASCAR-sanctioned Motordrome Speedway in Smithton provides die-hard race fans with a spring-through-fall schedule of Friday night racing under the lights. The Motordrome is a half-mile oval asphalt track featuring NASCAR's Whelen All-American Series, Super Late Models in a 50-lap race, Modifieds in a 30-lap race, Street Stocks in a 25-lap race, and the Chargers and Super Compacts in 15-lap races.  They do track performance and rank driver points nationally and by state by series. Partners include Hoosier Tires, Tony Stewart's tire of choice, and Sunoco race fuel, just like the higher-level series. 

It's a fun night out, and economical for families. Parking is free, or you can pay a little extra to park overlooking the track and have a picnic while you're watching the race. Adult admission is usually $12, or less with a season pass. There's the usual food concession stand too. My favorite is actually the Super Compacts, which are older-model four-cylinder cars with windows removed and reinforced for safety. You could pick out something from the junkyard that still runs, revamp the engine and go racing! I'm a little too old to actually risk it, but being there makes me want to try. 

Lots of top-tier drivers got their start at their local tracks at young ages, with their parents, family and friends serving as car owners and pit crew. Some big names even own some of the more successful teams. I've never seen anyone from higher up the NASCAR food chain at these local tracks, but you never know--maybe one of these days I'll bump-draft into somebody interesting at my home track. Plus, it's a cool t-shirt to wear to the big races because you always run into someone from Pittsburgh no matter where you roam. 

Driver Stats: Kurt Busch

Yes, I did have Carl Edwards anchoring my fantasy team for the Atlanta race, so I was holding my breath at the last restart. But Kurt Busch was not to be denied, and while he isn't one of my favorites, he did do a great job throughout the race. I'm not surprised to see him in victory lane--he has won at least one race every season since 2002--but I still do wish it had been Cousin Carl. But Tony was a bright spot as well, salvaging yet again another decent finish. 

Kurt Busch started racing in the top-level series in 2000, with his first full season in 2001. He has 19 wins, 11 poles, 63 top 5's, and 118 top 10's. He drives the #2 Miller Light Dodge for Penske now, but used to be one of Roush's drivers where he won the Cup championship in 2004. He has finished half of his seasons ranked in the top 10. 

The two Busch brothers have been controversial, not-extremely-well-liked but successful Cup drivers. They have even clashed with each other, on and off the track. I'm not sure what kind of attitude-adjusting offseason they had, but it seems to have benefited both of them in the early going this year. 

Sadly, there's no race this Sunday. And even more sadly, I have not managed to escape Pittsburgh for spring break. That could mean an installment about some other aspect of NASCAR racing, such as a lower-level or even local series. Stay tuned!

Track Trivia: Atlanta Motor Speedway

The Beast of the Southeast moniker has been claimed by many sports organizations. But it was true of Atlanta Motor Speedway last spring, when the Goodyear tires just got chewed up by the track surface (leading to one of the funniest grumpy-old-man quotes from Tony Stewart of all time). Greg Biffle says the tire tests he participated in show the tires will hold up this year so the racing will be better--we'll have to hold him to that. 

South of Atlanta, the track was built in 1960, but has been significantly renovated since the mid-nineties by the bad boy of track owners, Bruton Smith. It's a quad-oval, 1.54 mile track which makes for a 325-lap, 501-mile race. There's 24 degrees of banking in the turns and 5 degrees on the straightaways. The grandstands hold 124,000 fans--hopefully. Kyle Busch is the defending race winner, and I have used him to anchor my winning-streak fantasy team. I'm too superstitious, at least early in the season, to think the same driver can win two races in a row (which means I never expected Matt Kenseth's two-win start to the season, of course). I never advised actually taking my picks--I'm just sharing my thought process, flawed as it may be. 

I originally planned to go with Carl Edwards for this race, as he's won here before. But he didn't qualify well--starting position, for some reason, means a lot here--so I'm going with Kevin Harvick, again not an odds-on favorite pick. That's how the fantasy game goes, setting rosters before qualifying. Who knows, if he does well in final practice maybe I'll re-anoint Cousin Carl. In any case, let's hope it's a hot afternoon in the old town on Sunday, for all the right reasons. 

Driver Stats: Kyle Busch

He's got a few nicknames--Wild Thing, Rowdy, and the D00D. He hears choruses of boos everytime he wins. And he may just be the most fun driver on the track to watch. I'm talking, of course, about the first-time winner at his hometown track of Las Vegas, Kyle Busch. 

Kyle drives the #18 M&M's Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Only 23 years old, he graduated high school a year early so he could follow big brother Kurt's footsteps into NASCAR. He started in the series in 2004, and was the then-Busch series Rookie of the Year as well. In 2005, his first full year of racing, he won 2 races, becoming only the sixth driver to win multiple times in their rookie seasons. In his short career, he has 13 wins (eight coming last year), 10 poles, 49 top 5's, and 74 top 10's. The only time he has been out of the top ten was his rookie year in 2005. Last year, he won a NASCAR record 21 times across the top three series. 

No stranger to controversy, Kyle started with powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports but last year moved over to Toyota and JGR. Hendrick doesn't kiss and tell, but reportedly Kyle's less-than-mature attitude prompted them to release him in favor of free-agent Dale Earnhardt Jr. So how did Kyle respond? With the aforementioned career-high eight-win season, handing Toyota their first-ever Cup series win in the process. 

So far this year, he's been doing extremely well, with his lone poor finish a result of getting caught up in the Dale Jr./Brian Vickers wreck at Daytona. He won the pole at Vegas, but had to start at the back of the pack because of an engine change and worked his way--fairly patiently for Kyle--all the way to the front, then hung on through late cautions and restarts. Maybe because it was his hometown track there just weren't so many boos when he won this time. He may be cocky, but nothing wins fans like success. 

Track Trivia: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Look out Sin City, here comes NASCAR! I was at this race two years ago for my very first in-person race and Jimmie Johnson won. It's a really nice layout in the infield--if you have a pit pass you can see into the Neon Garage where the cars, crews and drivers are from two levels, plus there's a few stages and some decent food and places to sit. Also appreciated were the cooling misters, because even in early March the desert can bake under the sun.  

I will always remember Las Vegas fondly because during practice on the Friday before that Sunday's race, I was wearing my Tony Stewart hat and right by the entrance to the track when none other but Smoke was about to pull out. The NASCAR official stopped him right in front of where I was standing, to allow another car to exit the track. I was so excited to be so close I started jumping up and down, yelling "Go Tony" and whoo-whooing like a silly kid, and I know he heard by what happened next. Usually drivers just pull out smoothly--but good old Smoke spun the back tires and did a nice smoky burnout turning onto the track! I was one of the only women in the area, so I guess my higher-pitched voice cut through the background noise when Tony's car had to idle. Some of the guys hanging out even said things like they had been to a bunch of races and had never seen that happen. Pretty cool, and memorable. 

Las Vegas Motor Speedway opened in 1996 and had its first Cup race two years later. It's a 1.5 mile D-shaped oval with seating for 142,000. There's 20 degrees of banking in the turns and 9 degrees on the front and backstretch. I'm still not sure who I'll start for my fantasy team, but I'm bucking history and conventional wisdom--which indicate a Jimmie Johnson or Carl Edwards/Matt Kenseth Rousch win--and leaning towards Kyle Busch. This is his hometown, he's never won here, and the kid has a burning need to win at all costs. At least we shouldn't have to worry about rain, so burn, baby, burn!

Driver Stats: Jeff Gordon

O.k., so Matt Kenseth won it convincingly this time. He is a past series champion, after all...and although my fantasy team took a hit because of Jimmie Johnson's fade, Kenseth did keep my streak alive for another week. Kudos to him for being the only driver to win the first two races of the season since Jeff Gordon did it in 1997. And Jeff didn't roll over and play dead in California, but put up a good fight to make the last part of a fairly boring race pretty fun. For that, and because I already profiled Matt for last week's win, Jeff Gordon is this week's driver profile. 

There are so many superlatives attached to the career of the guy who drives the #24 DuPont Chevy I couldn't possibly include them all here. Some of the more interesting tidbits are that his first race in 1992 was Richard Petty's last, and that he was the youngest-ever winner of the Daytona 500 at 26. Since his first full season in 1993, when he finished 14th in the standings, he was only outside the top ten once--in 2005, when he finished 11th. He has 81 career wins, 74 poles, 248 top 5's, 337 top 10's, and has won the Cup championship four times. Jeff is third on the all-time titles list after only Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, and is fifth on the list of all-time wins. He was the Busch (now Nationwide) Rookie of the Year in 1991, and the 1993 Cup ROTY--the first ever to win both awards. He also won championships in many lower level open-wheel series, including the USAC Midget and Silver Crown, which accounts in part for his mastery on road courses. 

So why didn't Jeff win any races last year, for the first time in 14 seasons? He says he had trouble adjusting to the CoT, but has made that transition now. He also says he's getting older, and has taken steps to prepare physically to increase his endurance in the car during the grueling, sometimes four-hour long races. Based on his pre-season performance and his demonstrated drive to win in California, it's only a matter of time before this champion wills (and wheels) his way back to Victory Lane. 

Track Trivia: Auto Club Speedway

The weather for this event last year--very rainy--made for a miserable race. Let's hope Mother Nature got her crying done last week, and we can have a good showing this week. It's an evening race for us on the East Coast, so hopefully the Auto Club 500 will be clean and not run into the wee hours (although I'm sure many of the female NASCAR enthusiasts out there will be switching over to the Oscars anyway.)

Built in 1997, the track is a 2-mile D-shaped oval with 14 degrees of banking in the turns and 11 degrees in the frontstretch. The grandstands hold 92,000 fans, which would seem easy to fill only 50 miles from Hollywood. But most drivers and a large percentage of fans are from east of the Mississippi, and the track has had trouble drumming up enthusiasm from both groups recently. 

Jimmie Johnson smoked practice and qualifying--and has won 3 times here--so he's my fantasy pick this week (and I used Matt Kenseth for my top-ten winning streak.) He's a California boy, so let's see what happens when we're California dreamin'. 

Driver Stats: Matt Kenseth

I hate it when it rains on my parade. The anticipation, the pageantry--the flyover, the celebrity drama...and oh, there was a race. Dale Jr. screwed up, Kyle drove it like he stole it, Tony came in a respectable 8th. And the winner? Matt Kenseth, driver of the #17 DeWalt Ford. In a shortened race called for rain. Disappointingly anticlimactic. My pick, Jeff Gordon, showed some promise but had tire and/or setup issues and came in 13th. (I did pick Kevin Harvick for a top-10 streak contest, and he came in 2nd, so there's my bright spot.)

Kenseth ran his first Cup race in 1998, but his first full season and first win was in 2000 when he beat out Dale Earnhardt Jr. for Rookie of the Year. He won the championship in 2003, and has had a consistent career, with 17 wins, 6 poles, 89 top 5's and 163 top 10's. Last year was his first time out of the top ten, in 11th place, since he broke in in 2002. He's also won at least one race ever year since then except for last year.

This was owner Jack Roush's first trip to Victory Lane for the Daytona 500. While well-liked in the garage, Matt isn't one of the more outgoing drivers, so his visible display of emotion after winning the race was unusual. Should he have won? No, given how he was performing until being caught up in the wreck Dale Jr. started, Kyle Busch should have won in a fun, close finish. But wrecks at restrictor plate tracks make picking winners of races a crapshoot. And Matt Kenseth hung in there all day driving a backup car, made a pass right before the rains came, and was in the right place at the right time for the win. It counts--it just wasn't the thrill everyone was expecting.

Fast Facts: Racing Terminology

Daytona is a superspeedway, and a restrictor plate race. That makes it different from most of the other races in how drivers strategize their positions. You'll hear a lot of these terms (some definitions from Nascar.com) on Sunday. 

Clean Air--driving into air without the turbulence from the wake of other cars; only at the very front of the field.

Dirty Air--driving into turbulent air created in the wake of other cars; usually slows down the following cars.

Drafting--two or more cars, nose-to-tail, racing together are more efficient because the car in front displaces air and creates a vacuum between it and the trailing car, actually pulling it along.

Loose--(also free, or technically oversteer) condition when the back end of the car has more momentum than the front entering or exiting a turn but the front wheels have more traction than the rear wheels, causing the driver to possibly lose control and have to let off the gas. 

Tight--(also push, or technically understeer) condition where the front wheels lose traction before the rear wheels do, making it difficult for the driver to steer sharply through turns and he has to let up on the throttle. 

and finally, my favorite...

Pit Lizard--reference to attention-seeking women who hang out in the pits--race-car driver groupies, in other words. (I am definitely not a pit lizard, but you can pretty much tell who they are if you ever get into the pit area at a race.)

The field is set, practice is ending...I won't keep you in suspense. I think because of his talent, experience, and performance in the Duel, in addition to his hunger to win after not going to victory lane last year for the first time in a loooong time, Jeff Gordon will win the Daytona 500. He's had a whole year to adjust to the new COT, and possibly most important, he has been quoted as saying he thinks he can win. Let's go racin', boys AND girls!

Driver Stats: Kevin Harvick

Wow, what a ride! Yes, the Shootout at Daytona isn't a points race, but it is the first time this season that drivers got out on the track to compete. And they were ready, testing or no. Despite sustaining some damage to his car early, Kevin Harvick did what he does best--he hung in there and finished the race, this time crossing the finish line first. And for that, he's this week's driver profile. 

Harvick was a rookie in 2001, and had the challenging role of replacing Dale Earnhardt at Richard Childress Racing after Sr.'s death in the season-opening Daytona 500. In the bright-yellow #29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, he has 11 wins, 5 poles, 56 top 5's, and 120 top 10's. "Happy" Harvick has finished in the top ten for the season 5 times, and last year marked his third straight year in the Chase for the Championship. Widely regarded as a constant threat to win, his last win was actually in the 2007 Daytona 500, where he beat out sentimental favorite Mark Martin in a photo finish. 

Harvick has mellowed  a little since his early Cup years, when he had several probations for altercations. I'm not crazy about grown men acting like drunken idiots in a bar brawl, but I have to say the on-track argument he had with Juan Pablo Montoya in 2007 at Watkin's Glen was pretty entertaining. (No innocent drivers were hurt in the making of this shoving match...) He and his wife own a Nationwide team, and maybe that's helping settle him down a little, or maybe he's just maturing a tad. But if Childress can give him quality equipment and he can focus,  he has the talent to contend for wins and championships. Experts are ranking his chances in the top five this year, but my in my opinion, despite his consistency and obvious passion for the sport, there are at least three other drivers standing in his way to the title. (And we already know who I am cheering on to win it all this year.) 

It's been a long, cold winter, but the rubber has hit the road at Daytona, finally. Martin Truex and Mark Martin have the front row for the 500, but next up--the duels to line up the rest of the field. And I have a feeling that come Sunday, it's checkers or wreckers for a lot of drivers, and we're all feeling a need for speed!

Track Trivia: Lowe's Motor Speedway

Like horse racing, Sprint Cup racing has it's triple crown. Daytona is the most coveted win for most drivers, but Indy and the Coca-Cola 600 race at Lowe's Motor Speedway are right up there. This track, located in Concord, N.C., is in the heart of NASCAR country--most of the race shops are somewhere close to Charlotte, and that means no traveling for the LMS races. This year's May 24th race marks the 50th running of the Memorial Day race weekend, held under the lights since 1992. Besides being NASCAR's hometown track, Lowe's is notable for being the first major superspeedway to install lighting and have night racing, as well as having the only 600-mile race in the schedule. (The fall race is exciting too because it's part of the Chase.) 

The track itself is a 1.5 mile quad oval with 24 degrees of banking in the turns and 5 degrees on the straightaways. The stands hold 165,000 fans. And to you football fans out there--I was surprised to learn that most NASCAR tracks offer free parking, as does Lowe's. Yes, Pittsburgh Steeler tailgating is a sight to see. But (and don't get mad--I'm not judging) it really is dwarfed by the sight of acres of cars, trucks and R.V.'s all parked for the race weekend, with shuttles to take people to the track because it's so far away from the furthest lots. I have not yet been to LMS, but it is certainly (third) on my list of must-see races. And finally--the season (kind of) begins; the teams are at Daytona, media day has given us all kinds of new news, and the Shootout will give us an idea of who's ready and who's not. One more week until the big show!

Driver Stats: Jimmie Johnson

The lack of testing will make Daytona interesting. But Jimmie Johnson himself said testing a lot last year after his slow start gave his season some momentum, which carried through the Chase into his third straight championship. So what will this year bring for him? Hard to tell, but he should do well--he always does. 

Johnson entered Cup racing in 2001, and since beginning a full schedule in 2002 has never finished the season outside the top 5 and is the only driver to accomplish that to date. He has 101 top 10's, 156 top 5's, 28 poles and 40 wins. He drives for arguably the best team in the business, and has solid sponsorship in the Lowe's #48 Chevy. 

All of this should make me thrilled to see history being made, as it was when he became the only other driver besides Cale Yarborough to win three straight championships. I've even seen Jimmie win, at Las Vegas in 2007 and Phoenix last year. But for some reason I just can't get excited about Jimmie. His crew chief is undeniably bright--but to me he's unlikable. Jimmie is a handsome, talented guy who does a lot for charities with his foundation, and he seems likable enough. Maybe it's just that nobody likes the smartest kid in the room--Jimmie Johnson may just be too perfect. But his fan base is growing because of his repeated success on the track, and I'm not going to bet against results. 

Fast Facts: Flags

To really get into a race, you need to understand what's happening before the announcers tell you. The action is extremely fast, and if there are a few things going on at once sometimes an incident isn't even mentioned. And if it involves your favorite driver, you'll definitely want to know what's going on. One of the best sources of information is the team communications at the track, which anyone with a scanner can hear. But at home, watching the officials at the start-finish line and which color flag they use at a crucial moment will also give you a heads-up. So, here are the flags and what they mean--

Green--the start of the race and any restarts; the track is clear and cars can get up to speed

Yellow--caution; the track isn't clear and cars have to slow down and stay behind the pace car, usually because of an accident or weather

Red--stop; the track isn't clear and cars have to stay where they are (or sometimes go to pit road if they can), usually because of a very serious accident or long weather delay

White--one lap remaining in the race

Checkered--finish of the race

Black--infraction for an individual car, or waved in conjunction with red flag to end practice

Black with white cross--after disregarding the black flag, no further scoring for individual car until they return to pits

Blue with Yellow stripe--faster car approaching from rear

Yellow with Red vertical stripes--localized debris or hazardous condition, on road courses only

Judging from the tone on various NASCAR-related websites, everyone's just waiting for the green to drop on the season. And I will definitely have a guess on who will take the checkered at Daytona soon!

Track Trivia: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

I've been lucky enough to be at three Sprint Cup races, in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Michigan. But again partly because of the history of the place, besides Daytona another race I'd really like to go to is the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, held since 1994. The track itself celebrates its centennial this year, and of course the most famous race ever is the Indianapolis 500 in May. The Brickyard NASCAR race is on July 26th this year, which is my biggest impediment to actually going (most people can't find a place to stay, but my sister would let me crash.) It is meltingly hot in Indianapolis in late July and my skin fries like an egg after a while in that kind of heat, no matter what I cover it with. 

The track itself is a quad-oval, with squared-off corners and 9 degrees of banking in the turns. The stands hold over 250,000 (sweating) fans, and the track says it is the world's largest in seating capacity. Jimmie Johnson won here last year, and Indiana native Tony Stewart finally won at his "home track" in 2005 and again in 2007. The track surface has been ground down to make it smoother--but last year all that did was wear down the tires so fast they only lasted 10 laps, making the race just a series of sprints and very frustrating for drivers and fans. I still want to go and see the place--it's got a golf course, it's so big, and you can actually drive your own car around on the track if there's no testing going on--but I hope for everyone's sake this year Goodyear gets the tires right so we can see some 200 m.p.h. action!

Driver Stats: Carl Edwards

I am an unlikely NASCAR fan. My sister lives in Indianapolis, and although I wasn't that interested, racing to me used to mean the open-wheel Indy cars and the Indianapolis 500. I thought NASCAR was silly, just a bunch of cars going around in circles. But then my other sister and her husband became interested in stock-car racing, and by being around them I was exposed to some of the excitement and strategy NASCAR embodies. We all have different favorites, but it's the sport itself that is the attraction. Rooting for your "team", including driver, crew chief, owner and manufacturer, only makes it more personalized. 

That being said, you can enjoy the success of more than one driver at a time. Nothing is more convincing to me than success that someone deserves my support, although I do cheer on the underdogs like Robby Gordon too. That's why I think I'll be following Carl Edwards' exploits in the #99  more closely this season. He actually looks a little like my brother-in-law in Indianapolis, and although he had success in the lower levels of racing on dirt tracks in the Midwest, he was a substitute teacher before he got into the big leagues! 

Carl came into Sprint Cup in 2004. He does have the trucks Rookie of the Year award and a lower-level Nationwide Series championship under his belt. He finished in the top 10 in his first career Sprint Cup start, one of only 5 active drivers to do so. In his four full-time seasons, he has finished in the top ten in rankings three times, missing out in 12th position in 2006. Carl finished the 2008 season in second place in the standings, but with the highest overall driver rating based on finishes and wins--he went to victory lane 9 times. In his overall Sprint Cup career, he has 16 wins, 4 poles, 54 top 5's and 85 top 10's. 

"Cousin Carl" is a another driver you either love or hate. He's had his share of controversy, but his intensity is focused on winning races. Period. He does backflips off his car after a win instead of burnouts, which I respect--do you realize the abdominal strength doing something like that takes? He even tried a "banzai move" in a race in the Chase last year, kind of a slide-off-the-wall to try to pass, that he said he learned in a video game. It didn't work in the end, but you have to admire the gutsiness. He has sponsor and owner support, and Ford is the least affected of the Big Three by their recent problems. And he's a newlywed--that first year of wedded bliss should add a little stability to his personal life. I actually got to see Carl win a race in person last year, and he really helped my fantasy team too. I'm not yet ready to predict individual race winners, but I'm not going out on much of a limb here to say I expect to see Carl flipping out on his way to victory lane this season. 

Fast Facts: Car Owners

First of all, I neglected to say in my post about new team owner Tony Stewart that he won two championships, in 2002 and 2005. Very big omission. Also, he is now in the Bud Shootout, the field for which is selected by manufacturers by owner ranking, because of a newly-added wildcard spot. It's confusing, but I'm glad he's in it, because he is the top seed based on his record over the last 5 and 10 years of this race. 

As far as other owners, the recession has really changed the look of many teams. The biggest news is that Richard Petty's name will continue in the sport as a result of a complicated merger with Gillette-Evernham Motorsports, now named Richard Petty Motorsports. If you've ever seen the animated movie Cars, the iconic blue King was Richard. As far as I know, they will be racing with a 4-car Dodge team. The lead car will still be the #9 Budweiser car driven by Kasey Kahne.  This merger was a classy move that respects the history of the sport. 

Other important teams include Hendrick Motorsports, with 4 Chevrolets driven by an all-star cast of Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and this year veteran Mark Martin. The top Ford team is Roush-Fenway racing, whose most-successful driver recently is Carl Edwards, but the whole stable is talented. The top Toyota team is Joe Gibbs Racing, looking to see if Kyle Busch can resume his winning ways this year. And another key Chevrolet team is Richard Childress Racing, with Jeff Burton in the lead there. There are many other teams, including the newly merged Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing in Chevrolets and Penske Racing in Dodges, but it's an expensive sport and in hard economic times sponsors are hard to come by. You'll see a full field at Daytona, but some of the smaller teams are underfunded and won't be able to keep up the weekly grind for long without sponsorship. 

I think knowing who the team owners are is important because it gives you a feel for the culture of the shop and what is tolerated (or not) from drivers and crew, beyond what NASCAR mandates. When I'm at a race, if I'm lucky enough to get to pit road, it's almost as exciting to see an owner as a favorite driver, and it makes me feel more a part of the sport when hardly anyone else recognizes them. Plus, if the team owner is a successful one, that success will filter down to your driver in equipment which will make his winning races more likely. Which is all we really want, to go fast and win, right?

Finally, a quick word about manufacturers. The NASCAR Car of Tomorrow, or Today now, is rigorously inspected within very narrow tolerances so they are almost identical among manufacturers. The bodies are not like those of cars on the street. The real difference is under the hood--Chevy, Toyota, Ford and Dodge still have different engines. Also, manufacturer support helps maintain teams as well. We'll see how much this year, with the Big Three crying bankruptcy and even Toyota posting its first-ever yearly loss. But even with all the changes and challenges, they're still going to start their engines in February, ladies and gentlemen!

Track Trivia: Daytona

The Daytona 500 is often referred to as NASCAR's Super Bowl. There are similarities--it is arguably the biggest race of the year--but it's the first race in a long season, not a race to determine the champion. It's prestigious because of its history--what we now know as NASCAR racing really has its roots in beach racing at Daytona and the France family who owns N'car started their empire here. To me, it's exciting just to get the season underway. There are a lot of activities before the NASCAR weekend, including the Bud Shootout and qualifying the weekend before plus other types of auto racing collectively termed SpeedWeeks. Then the Daytona 500 weekend starts with the Duel to determine starting position in the race, and there's a truck race and a Nationwide (kind of Sprint Cup minor league) race plus practice before the big race on Sunday. I haven't ever been to Daytona for racing, but one of these years I will go--it's a must-do on a NASCAR fan's list, plus it would be nice to get out of this awful weather. There's apparently a lot to do at the track and it would be great to combine it with a NASA launch--Cape Canaveral is very close. I have been to the Kennedy Space Center and loved it--one of my favorite souvenirs ever is my sweatshirt from there that reads "I need my space" over the NASA meatball. What can I say, the space program was still cool when I was a (very young) kid :)

So, I will be parked in front of the t.v. for the flyover and pre-race introductions on Feb. 15th, and to be prepared I refreshed my Daytona info. The race is a restrictor-plate race--they put an actual metal plate on the engine to reduce power, or else on a high-banked superspeedway like this there would be 43 cars capable of going over 200 m.p.h., which could get ugly. They still go VERY fast, but they're kind of bunched up in a pack because they're all running around the same speed which can lead to some nasty pile-ups. Some spectators like the wrecks, but I don't--I feel bad for the driver who didn't make a mistake but still gets collected and misses out on his chance to shine in the biggest race of the year through no fault of his own. Daytona is something to see, but I'm not a huge fan of restrictor-plate races.  The track is one of the longest in the schedule at 2.5 miles, and it's a tri-oval, with essentially three corners. There's 31 degrees of banking in the turns--if you ever get a chance, take a track tour (anywhere) and see what's it's like to stand upright on any degree of banking. 31 degrees is amazing--it's probably like driving in a pinball machine up the chute. But the best part is how fired up the drivers are to get into the car again, because everyone wants to do well in the first and one of the most important races of the year. I'm not going to make any predictions (maybe after I have a chance to select my fantasy team) but I will say this is a good chance to see how some of the old favorites and new teams are looking this year. I hope they're ready, because I sure am!

Driver Stats: Tony Stewart

Compared to other sports, the off-season in NASCAR really isn't that long. But it comes at the worst time of the year--when it's nasty outside, and it would be really nice to bask in the glow of a good race in front of the t.v. So I put on my new red #14 Tony Stewart hoodie my boyfriend got me for Christmas, to keep me warm and tide me over at least for today. 

Every NASCAR fan has a favorite driver. Mine happens to be Mr. Tony "Smoke" Stewart, new owner of Stewart-Haas racing. What I will do with all of my orange Home Depot #20 stuff, I don't know, although I will wish Joey Logano, a very young rookie taking over in that car, good luck in 2009. 

Tony joined the top-level series with Joe Gibbs racing in 1999, and has a career 14 poles, 33 race wins, 129 top 5's, 207 top 10's, and only finished outside the top ten for the season once--in 2006, when he finished 11th. He is temperamental and outspoken, but I see that as a manifestation of his drive to win. 

He's a smart guy--he runs a dirt track in Ohio and has several lower-level open wheel teams--and he has surrounded himself with experienced people. Regretfully, I don't think Tony will have the kind of success he demands of himself this first year in his new ride. Times are tough in NASCAR--they're not even allowing testing this year before races. And Tony is a driver who thrives on consistency, where a new team is still developing. Of course I will be happy if I'm proved wrong, and Tony the driver is talented enough to drive anything to victory lane at least once. But the distractions of 2008 were frustrating for Tony, and I don't see that changing in the new shop right away.

Fast Facts: Schedule

For my very first post of my very first blog ever, I am taking the easy way out. I plan on providing my thoughts on upcoming drivers and tracks in twice-weekly posts, but since we are still anticipating the long-awaited start of the season at Daytona, I thought starting with the schedule for about the first third of the Sprint Cup season would get the mental gears turning...

2009 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES SCHEDULE
Date Site
Feb. 7 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, Daytona International Speedway*
Feb. 15 Daytona International Speedway
Feb. 22 Auto Club Speedway
March 1 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 8 Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 22 Bristol Motor Speedway
March 29 Martinsville Speedway
April 5 Texas Motor Speedway
April 18 Phoenix International Raceway
April 26 Talladega Superspeedway
May 2 Richmond International Raceway
May 9 Darlington Raceway
May 16 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Lowe’s Motor Speedway*
May 24 Lowe’s Motor Speedway
May 31 Dover International Speedway
* – Denotes non-points event.