Three-Wide: The final 50 miles of the Dover race were about as good as it gets for Sprint Cup racing. Three guys - all Roush-Fenway teammates - battling like mad while Mark Martin tried in vain make it a four-car battle. On-the-edge (but clean) three-wide racing is tough to beat, and I felt compelled to comment on it since I've been harsh on many of the other races being sleep-inducing marathons. Only seems fair, right?!
Speaking of Mark Martin, I would like to see the #8 bunch get a victory - with Martin or Aric Almirola. From crew chief Tony Gibson, to long-time crewmembers like Kevin "Two Beer" Pennell, Jay Guarneri and Jeff Clark, they all survived the Junior hoopla and hysteria for years and are deserving of a return to Victory Lane.
The Kyle Busch Scenario: NASCAR talk radio was abuzz today with conjecture about whether Kyle Busch really is out of the running for the title this season. My take? Without taking anything away from his brilliant season and recognizing Kid Kyle could blast off four or five victories in the remaining events, the fact he's 12th in the standings with eight races to go means it's near-impossible to make his way back to the top spot. While 210 points can be made up in eight races if it were only versus a single driver, the more serious issue and higher hurdle for Busch is he is now behind all other Chase drivers. While he may go on a hot streak and gain points in bunches, the likelihood of 11 superb teams and drivers stumbling out of his way seems remote. For example, Biffle's blast to two wins has been impressive, yet he still remains third in points because Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson have remained steady and strong. The NASCAR point system still rewards consistency versus victories, which makes Kyle's climb an Everest of a traverse going toward Homestead.
SPEEDtv.com: This week's Faster. Louder. column (hitting an internet browser near you) regards one poor man's view of the impact of a failing economy on NASCAR's top divisions. If you have ideas on how to save the Nationwide Series, this will be your chance to sound off... Have at it.
MEA CULPA: I titled a segment of the previous blog entry "Can Americans Really Be This Stupid?" After reading Seth Godin's blog entry for the day, "Probably Not Stupid," I'll withdraw the 'stupid' claim and opt for "Can American's World View Be So Limited?" It likely won't change any minds, but I'm doing my best to avoid ugly politics and present ideas in a rational, reasonable manner.
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