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Archive for the ‘From the Marbles’ Category

It’s the Chase, and that means it’s time for some serious, no-screwin’-around, get-down-to-bidness NASCAR chatting. Come by to talk Denny, Kyle, Jimmie and all the rest of those wacky Chasers. Who’s the favorite? Who’s already out the door? Have your say here!

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Now that’s how you begin a Chase! Sunday’s Loudon race showed that there’s absolutely nothing we can take for granted; when a guy who wasn’t even in the Chase one week before is upsetting his way to a win and second place in the standings, you know something’s afoot. The Chase pushed the reset button on the season, and so we push the reset button on the season storylines. Here are five sparkly new stories that could determine how this Chase turns out:

A brand-new rivalry: With less than 100 laps left in the race, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin got together. Well, more to the point, Edwards slid up the track and sent Hamlin into a spin. It looked like the end of the day for Hamlin, but amazingly, he not only dodged a Chase-killing wreck, he came back to nearly win the race. Edwards claimed it was an accident, but Hamlin was having none of it, and given Edwards’ track record, you can see why he doesn’t exactly have a well of goodwill in the garage to draw on.

Kyle vs. his team: Another sign that the regular season is done and everybody’s serious: when Kyle Busch badmouthed his team, crew chief Dave Rogers basically told him to shut the hell up and drive better. Busch isn’t really accustomed to that kind of pushback, and it’s yet to be seen if that will spur him to greater heights or send him into a pouting fit.

Kenseth vs. mediocrity: Let’s not take anything away from Matt Kenseth. The man is a former champion, after all. But let’s not give him anything, either. He ran an uninspiring mid-pack race all afternoon long. Yes, he earned his spot in the Chase, and no, I’m not suggesting a whole new Chase system. But the fact that Kenseth is in and Jamie McMurray, who’s far more of a threat to win every week, seems to indicate something’s a wee bit amiss.

Jimmie vs. The Field: Coming into the Chase, there were two camps: the underestimating-Jimmie crew and the don’t-underestimate-Jimmie crew. After week 1, it’s clear: Johnson is going to be very, very tough, but he’s most certainly not invulnerable. The Jimmie-vs.-the-field betting proposition isn’t as open-and-shut as it might have been at this point in the past.

Chase fans vs. old-schoolers: The NASCAR Chase for the Cup could run right into fans’ driveways, with the drivers jumping out and delivering pizzas, beer and wings, and some fans would whine that the wings were too hot. In other words, no matter what NASCAR does, certain fans are going to complain, and complain loudly. But we’re on the cusp of what could be the most wide-open Chase in years. So let the whiners whine. The rest of us are going to enjoy a postseason whose ending nobody can predict.

And there you have it. Some outstanding storylines to begin the Chase. How about you? What did you learn from Loudon?

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It’s Chase time, and that means it’s time to run down the field of our competitors. We continue with the zero-win Chasers. Next up: Carl Edwards. Say hello, everybody!

2010 record: Zero wins, two poles, six top 5s, 14 top 10s.

Best finish: Second (Chicagoland, Atlanta II)

High point: The entire second half of the season. Nobody’s run better than Edwards on the whole since the start of July, a period over which he’s amassed eight top-10s in 10 races and finished no lower than 12th.

Low point: Pretty much the first half of the season, stretching all the way back to late 2008. For much of the year, Edwards was all but invisible. Put it this way — he led only six laps from the start of the season to Labor Day. That’s not the pedigree of a Chase champion, but here we are.

Prospects for the Chase: Based on momentum, quite good. But he’ll have to pick up some wins in the Chase; Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch are just too good to be beaten on consistency alone.

Related 2010 links:

The NASCAR World Cup: Edwards takes the trophy
Carl Edwards will jump straight from race to postrace coverage
Nasty Edwards-Keselowski feud flares up once again
Edwards sends Keselowski flying; was it intentional?

All right, your turn. How will Edwards fare in the Chase? Make your best case for Cuz right here!

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Here is a quick look at how the 12 Chase drivers fared in Race No. 1 of the Chase at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

1. Denny Hamlin — Finished 2nd: Hamlin turned a potentially disastrous day into a great one. Spun out with less than 100 laps to go, yet rallied to maintain his points lead. (-)

2. Clint Bowyer — Finished 1st: Three years ago, Bowyer came into the Chase as an afterthought, won the opener at New Hampshire, then went on to finish third in the standings. Déjà vu? (-35 points)

3. Kevin Harvick — Finished 5th: Was buried deep in the field for most of the day, yet once again found his way toward the front. This is how Harvick won the regular season, and it’s how he starts the Chase, which is a good sign for him. (-45 points)

4. Kyle Busch — Finished 9th: Had a mini-meltdown inside the car and had to be put in his place by crew chief Dave Rogers, who made it clear he’s not taking any flack from Busch. Is it only a matter of time before Busch implodes? (-62 points)

5. Jeff Gordon — Finished 6th: Once again, Gordon is strong in the beginning, weak at the end. Still he managed to wheel his car home to a top-10 finish. It’s all smoke and mirrors at this point for Gordon. (-75 points)

6. Kurt Busch — Finished 13th: Was in and out of the top 10 the entire race, which is a lot like Busch’s season. He’s been inconsistent to this point, and, well, he was again Sunday. (-86 points)

7. Jimmie Johnson — Finished 25th: It will be an interesting run if he’s going to make it five in a row. Bad luck found Johnson early in this year’s Chase, coming in the form of a loose wheel. He wasn’t dejected afterwards. And why should he be? Four years ago he left New Hampshire in a 139-point hole. (-92 points)

8. Carl Edwards — Finished 11th: Claimed responsibility for spinning out Denny Hamlin. Looked like he was heading for a top-5 finish only to fade at the end. (-95 points)

9. Greg Biffle — Finished 17th: Was Biffle even in New Hampshire? He cracked the top 10 for a few laps early, but for the most part he was a non-factor. He’s just hoping to get through these first two weeks, then flex his muscle at Kansas Speedway. (-108 points)

10. Jeff Burton — Finished 15th: He was heading for a third- or fourth-place run until he ran out of gas, which is a big blow to Burton’s Chase chances. He needed to be near perfect in all 10 races. He was almost perfect on Sunday. Almost. (-112 points)

11. Tony Stewart — 24th: Victory was his until he ran out of gas. "I think I ran me out of fuel," Stewart said afterwards. He ran out just before he took the white flag. The worst part was that he wasn’t able to make it back to the start/finish line. (-124 points)

12. Matt Kenseth — 23rd: No surprise here. Kenseth has been mediocre all season, and was just that on Sunday. He never ran higher than 15th. (-136 points)

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Chase time! It’s here at long last. Which drivers will step up, and which will fall apart before our very eyes at Loudon? Hang here and discuss these and other matters, like the 14′s paint scheme there — seems a curious choice, very out-of-focus and all. We’ll also be hanging at the big main chat. Enjoy the race, all!

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Hey Chase-haters. Chill out.

Stop telling us how badly the format stinks. Stop fantasizing about the good old days when NASCAR races were won by laps, not seconds, and championships were locked up before the final race of the season. I’m starting to think that you’re NASCAR’s version of the Tea Party. A bunch of bark, some flash, but ultimately, little bite. It’s more for the glory, not the cause.

And what is the cause? Is it the campaign against manufactured drama? Here’s a newsflash: every sport in this country has manufactured drama. It’s called playoffs.

Oh, you say, it may not be fair that NASCAR decides their championship over the final 10 races, rendering the first 26 meaningless. Well, how did the 12 drivers qualify for the Chase? Random draw? Major League Baseball decides their champion over the course of (a maximum of) 19 games after a 162 game season. Given the flukiness that can happen in such a small sample size (paging the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals), that’s considerably less fair, isn’t it?

If there wasn’t a Chase, we’d be watching Kevin Harvick waltz his way to a championship. No disrespect to Cupcake, but given the behemoth that is the NFL, what reason would casual fans have to watch NASCAR? Can anyone legitimately make the case that a late season race with no title implications is somehow more meaningful than a race that could decide the championship?

And please, don’t try to say that the Chase is contrived. It’s pretty simple, actually. The driver who scores the most points over the last 10 races wins the title. Easy enough, right? Yes, the Chase may not be perfect, but no sport is. Hell, college football’s imperfection keeps it at the forefront in the fall.

Just sit back, relax, and enjoy what could be a fantastic 10 weeks. Jimmie Johnson could get his fifth championship in a row — something that we’d look back fondly on in 20 years — or someone like Kyle Busch or Denny Hamlin could knock him off. Isn’t the uncertainty and drama what draws us to sports anyway?

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As practice for the Sylvania 300 began Saturday morning, Kurt Busch sat parked on pit road, having been penalized by NASCAR.

NASCAR allotted teams six sets of tires for Friday’s practice session and qualifying. NASCAR discovered Busch had seven, the extra set apparently coming from the stash of Landon Cassill.

Busch’s crew chief Steve Addington said the extra set was a mix up and that they didn’t even use it on Friday.

Regardless, both Busch and Cassill were penalized 15 minutes of practice time and both were only allowed five sets of tires for the two Saturday practices. Will that matter? Just a few laps into practice, Busch was up to sixth on the speed chart.

UPDATE: Busch said the tire issue was a mix up in communication between NASCAR officials. He said they asked an official if they could trade a pair of used tires for new tires with another team.

"He said that was fine," Busch explained. "We have another official, who will remain nameless but he has two first names — can’t trust guys with two first names — he said that we had black wheels on our car." Busch is referring to the black wheel wells. Busch’s No. 2 car uses yellow wheel wells. Cassill’s are black, making it obvious that the tires on Busch’s car weren’t his, which Busch isn’t denying. "If we had black wheels on our cars, then he would have never noticed," Busch continued. "So, it wasn’t anything we were trying to do.

"Bottom line is there was miscommunication among the officials. We paid our 15-minute penalty. It’s just like calling balls and strikes. You go with what the umpire says, and we moved on from there."

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It’s Chase time, and that means it’s time to run down the field of our competitors. We continue with the zero-win Chasers. Next up: Jeff Gordon. Say hello, everybody!

2010 record: Zero wins, zero poles, 10 top 5s, 13 top 10s.

Best finish: Second (Darlington)

High point: Normally, you’d think that an entire season would be a high point when you finish the regular season in second place. But nooooo. Gordon didn’t win a single race this year, and as a result is up against the wall as the Chase begins. He ran very, very well throughout the year, most notably a stretch of seven races from mid-June to August when he notched six top 10s.

Low point: Every restart. Gordon lost several races because he couldn’t quite keep up with speedsters like Kyle Busch on green-white-checkers or late restarts. He’s been practicing at that, but still … if one of the final races comes down to a GWC, the smart money won’t be on Gordon.

Prospects for the Chase: Depends on whom you ask. Gordon is without a doubt one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR, but is he already too far behind to catch up to Hamlin and Johnson? Perhaps. He’ll need to start fast and hope that the 11 and the 48 falter in order to have any hope.

Related 2010 links:

Jeff Gordon will make his 600th career start Saturday night
Jeff Gordon: The Infineon Eliminator
Yep, Jeff Gordon is ticked at Jimmie Johnson

All right, your turn. How will Gordon fare in the Chase? Make your best case for Rainbow right here!

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A separate points system for Chase drivers has been at the forefront of speculation for possible changes to the Chase. No official changes have been announced, and there isn’t a consensus among drivers about a separate points system. Tony Stewart is for it. Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards want to keep it the way it is.

Would a different points system be better than the current one? Well, let’s take a look. We went through each Chase race by race and used a points system for Chase drivers only. The top finishing Chase driver received 12 points, while the last finishing Chase driver got one point. So if Jimmie Johnson finished fifth but was ahead of everyone in the Chase, he got 12 points. And if Johnson finished 12th and all the other Chase drivers were ahead of him, he got one point. Make sense? (For the years with 10 drivers in the Chase, a 10-point scale was used)

2004: Kurt Busch beat Jimmie Johnson by eight points in real life, but in our points system Busch, Johnson and Jeff Gordon would have finished in a three-way tie for first with 69 points each. (This would have been a giant boom or bust situation for NASCAR. It would have gotten people to buy into the Chase for years to come or it would have set the system up for a massive failure among many fans if subsequent Chases weren’t nearly as close) The first NASCAR tiebreaker is victories, so the 2004 title would have gone to Johnson. Vader had eight victories to Gordon’s five and Busch’s three.

2005: Tony Stewart beat Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards by 35 points, but Stewart would have lost to Biffle by a single point, 66 to 65. Edwards would have tied Stewart at 65, but Stewart would have the tiebreaker, and Mark Martin would have finished fourth with 64 points.

2006: Johnson beat Matt Kenseth by 56 points and still would have won the Chase with this points system. Johnson scored 70 points, and would have beaten Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin by five points. Kenseth would have finished fourth with 56 points.

2007: Johnson beat Gordon by 77 points and would have barely beaten Gordon and Kenseth under this points format. In the first 12-driver Chase, Johnson scored 94 points, while Gordon and Kenseth each had 92. No other driver would have been within 20 points.

2008: Once again, the winner didn’t change in 2008. Johnson beat Edwards by 69 points and would have beaten Edwards 96 to 94 under this system. It would have clearly been a two-driver race, as Greg Biffle would have finished third with 78 points, the only other driver to score more than 66.

2009: Nope, the outcome doesn’t change for Vader this year either. Johnson scored 95 points to Mark Martin’s 82. Jeff Gordon would have scored 80, while Juan Pablo Montoya would have finished fourth with 71.

Yes, under our system, Johnson would be a five-time champion. But for all you Vader-haters out there, would that have been worth it for more drama? Should Chasers continue to be scored against the field or just against other Chasers? Let us know in the comments.

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If you’re in the Atlanta area … well, first off, consider yourself lucky. Second, you’re probably familiar with the Regular Guys morning show, an Atlanta radio fixture for more than a decade. Eric Von Haessler, one of the titular Regular Guys, is a huge NASCAR fan, and today he joins us to hang and hit all the high points of your favorite sport. If you’re already a Regular Guys fan, you’re going to dig this, and if you’re not, you’re going to want to hear more from Eric and his mates holding forth on subjects many and varied at their website and via podcast on iTunes.

The topics of the day are many and varied, ranging from the reasons for NASCAR’s decline — Eric has some interesting thoughts on how the at-the-track experience can be vastly improved — to the failure that is the Car of Tomorrow to the virtues of the Chase to the truth about Dale Earnhardt Jr. And that truth is … well, you’ll just have to listen, won’t you? Trust me, it’s well worth your time.

As always, we welcome your thoughts, ideas, and recommendations on the podcast. Hit me up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com, or feel free to call our direct podcast line at 678-389-9173 and leave a comment or question for use on a future podcast. For now, though, click the little arrow below to play the podcast or right-click the link to download, and hit the iTunes site linked below to subscribe. Enjoy!

The Chrome Horn, episode 39: Eric Von Haessler

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