1st |
31 JB |
2nd |
29 KH |
3rd |
16 GB |
4th |
88 DE Jr |
5th |
18 KyB |
6th |
20 TS |
7th |
9 KK |
8th |
11 DH |
9th |
24 JG |
10th |
48 JJ |
11th |
12 RN |
12th |
07 CB |
13th |
1 MT |
14th |
99 CE |
15th |
17 MK |
16th |
2 KuB |
17th |
42 JPM |
18th |
6 DR |
19th |
19 ES |
20th |
83 BV |
* * * * * * * * * * *
March 30th - Martinsville
After a mediocre qualifying effort by team HMS, they ended up really well. For once the "HMS Freight Train" were all in the top seven. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all took turns leading the majority of the race. Johnson and Gordon were both spun, but still battled back to good finishing positions.
Now that we've had a great finish, it's time to put one of the boys in the winner's circle.
* * * * * * * * * * *
March 16th - Bristol
Richard Childress has got to be a happy man. The rain handed Clint Bowyer the Nationwide win on Saturday, and he had Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer in a 1-2-3 sweep.
Junior still seems to be the lone light spot on the HMS team. He's continuing to rack up Top 10s and Top 5s, while Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are having lousy starts to this season.
Hopefully with this Easter week off, the garage will be humming with things to help the guys get up to the front at Martinsville next week. I know Chad Knaus won't be resting. His mind is in high gear 24/7. I hope that he comes up with a solution.
* * * * * * * * * * *
March 14th - Bristol Quals
Rain has cancelled out qualifying this week. Positions will be according to 2007 Points.
* * * * * * * * * * *
March 9th - Atlanta
No one from HMS wrecked this weekend. Hardly anyone wrecked at all. Several drivers - including Dale Junior and Tony Stewart - were griping about the tires that Goodyear brought to the racetrack. Chad Knaus had a different take, though. He blamed it on the lack of aerodynamics of the car.
HMS's results weren't bad, but they weren't in keeping with the team that dominated last years relusts, and took the lead in COT development and winning. Both Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson need to step it up. Junior is having a great year - especially in comparison with last season. But the rest of the stable need to step it up.
* * * * * * * * * * *
March 7th - Atlanta Quals
It looks like the HMS boys are back to their old form - which is unfortunate for Casey Mears. Jeff Gordon and Dale Junior are sharing the front row. Way to go guys! Jimmie Johnson is starting in 11th. I don't know what happened to Mears, but he's starting way back in 39th position. Hopefully he can claw his way up with the rest of the guys so we can put all four in the Top 10 at the finish line.
* * * * * * * * * * *
March 5th
Carl Edwards has been fined 100 points for a missing or loose oil cap. That penalty dropped him from the lead in points to 7th. The Top 10 as it stands now is as follows:
1 Kyle Busch
2 Ryan Newman
3 Kasey Kahne
4 Kevin Harvick
5 Greg Biffle
6 Jeff Burton
7 Carl Edwards
8 Martin Truex Jr
9 Elliot Sadler
10 Dale Earnhardt Jr
11 Tony Stewart
12 Kurt Busch
* * * * * * * * * * *
March 2nd - Vegas
It was not a good day for the HMS crew. However, Junior is on a hot streak - if it weren't for getting tagged by Casey Mears last week. Junior came in second behind Carl Edwards. Other than that, no other HMS drivers were anywhere near the Top 10. Casey Mears finished 13th. Jimmie Johnson had a bad day, and only gained four slots, finishing in 29th (four laps down, I believe). And Jeff Gordon smacked the wall.
This is Edward's second win in a row, and everyone is scratching their heads wondering what's wrong with HMS. Maybe something...maybe nothing. After only three races you can't spot any trends. There is still 23 races in the regular season, then the 10 Chase races. Nothing's sealed in stone, yet.
At first look at the Standings, one would judge that this season is indeed upside down. Johnson is way down in 14th place. How often have you seen him outside of the Top 10? Junior has got to be feeling good in 10th place. Gordon's not even in the Top 20. On the bright side, though, you have to admit...The HMS team knows how to tourque it up a notch and get their drivers in gear. They seem to have a habit of doing that. So keep your eyes peeled. Anything can happen.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Feb 29th - Vegas Quals
OKay? What happened? Johnson qualified back in 33rd. The rest of the guys are in the top 12? That is bass-ackwards.
Everyone seemed to be predicting the demise of the HMS dynasty because of their poor showing at Daytona. Nobody seemed to remember that Johnson came in 39th at last year's 500, and walked away with another Cup for the trophy room at the end of the year.
Johnson and Gordon had a much better Cali, coming in second and third. Now everyone seems to be pulling for Johnson to win four in a row at Vegas. I know I'd like to see him do it.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Feb 24th - California
What a long one that was!! Rain, rain, go away! Everyone kept quoting that old '70s song "It never rains in Southern California", but they kept forgetting the second line - "But it pours. Man it pours."
The got almost 90 laps done on Sunday, but after Casey Mears hit the wall because of excessive water on the track, the red flagged the race. They didn't call the race, because Cali has lights, and it was still raining at almost 3:00 in the morning. Jeff Gordon was the front runner for most of the "first half".
They restarted the race on Monday afternoon, and Jimmie lead for most of the "second half". Instead of the usual Johnson/Kenseth dog fight, it was Kenseth's teammate, Carl Edwards that was duking it out with Johnson. Although Johnson took second, it was a good finish. Gordon wound up third. Casey's wreck also took out Junior, and they ended up 42nd and 43rd.
Robby Gordon was fined and penalized during the preceding week, and his fans (both of them?) were upset. Even Jim Beam came to his side. However, if you think about it, for once NASCAR was showing consistency. Junior and Eury got fined and penalized for that wing last year. No difference here. At least Gillette offered to pay Gordon's fines. It was GEM's fault that Gordon got the bad noses.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Feb 22 - Qualifying at Cali
Well, guys and gals, qualifying was rained out. So for the most part, HMS is starting in the top five - Pole, JImmie Johnson: Second, Jeff Gordon: and Fifth, Casey Mears. Junior gets to start in 15th.
I said for the most part, because of NASCAR's rules for rain-outs. The first five races of the year are determined from the previous year's points standings, and Mears inherits Kyle Busch's place in the rankings. However, there are some people in the race that shouldn't be, but they pulled their provisionals. Hopefully the rain clears up before tomorrow.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Feb 17 - 50th Anniversary Daytona 500
Who'd a' thunk it? Two Dodges followed by two Toyotas for the first four positions. Kurt Busch drafted with Ryan Newman to get Newman the win. Some people say that Tony Stewart faded back to get some help from Kyle Busch, but others say that Stewart shut the door on Shrub. I couldn't tell which it was from the videos that I saw.
I wanted to be mad at Juan Montoya for taking out Clint Bowyer, but I couldn't really tell if he did that on purpose or not.
HMS just plain had a bad day. Junior did well, to get a top ten finish, buit the rest of the guys wrecked. Casey Mears hit the wall, near the end of the race, and Jimmie Johson went for a spin. Jeff Gordon had suspension problems. The good part of that deal is that if it happens once, the crew at HMS won't let it happen again.
One race, even if it is the Daytona 500, doesn't mean squat. Too many people are trying to predict too many great things for too many teams and drivers. There's still a whole season, and 35 races to go. Only time will tell.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Feb 14 - Penalties and Duals
Probation? Is that the best that NASCAR can do to someone who uses his car as a wepon? Kurt Busch needs to be parked. No excuses. It would have served him right to make him sit out the whole Daytona week. They are now talking about their probationary periods having teeth. I'll believe it when I see it. Probation is a joke.
So Junior gets two wins in two races, with his vicory in the first Dual. A great start to the season - at least for him. It was disappointing seeing Jimmie Johnson coming in 23rd, but he already has the pole, so there wasn't any need for him to push himself.
Now all the exhibition races are over. Sunday is the real deal! Let's go racin' boys! Boogity x 3!
* * * * * * * * * * *
Feb 11 - Bud Pole Shootout Weekend
What a great start to the 2008 season of the Sprint Cup. (Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is now Sprint Cup. It is no longer the Nextel Cup.)
On Friday (2/8) we had a continuation of the Kurt Busch - Tony Stewart feud. During the practice session for the Shootout, Stewart was trying to find a way to get by Busch. Busch was up near the wall, and Stewart couldn't go down lower, so he tried to squeeze in between Busch and the wall. There wasn't quite enough room, and Stewart clipped Busch's right bumper, causing Busch to slide and spin. Both cars headed toward pit road. When they got there, Busch pulled up along side Stewart and slammed him, not once, but three times. Then they both tried to block each other in the exit to the garage area. Both drivers were immediately called into the "Oval Office" (the NASCR Hauler), and told to stay away from each other. They also had to come back Saturday morning for a follow up conference. JD Gibbs flew in for that meeting. Any fines and/or penalties were to be announced on either Monday or Tuesday.
The Shootout on Saturday night was equally exciting. Junior appeared to love his new HMS car, and dominated both halves of the race. There were other leaders, including Tony Stewart, towards the end, but Junior never fell too far back was able to get the lead back.
Not only that, the rest of the "HMS Freight Train" (as the team has been dubbed) was right up there with Junior during the second half. Casey Mears ended up the worst of the HMS drivers, but his final place was sixth! When Stewart was leading toward the end of the race, his mirror was filled with HMS cars. Both Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon gave Junior some drafting help. It was a nudge from Johnson that got Junior past Stewart for the last time, for the win. When all was said and done, Junior had won his first race in an HMS car, and the first race of the season. Johnson was third, Gordon was fourth, and as I said, Mears was sixth.
On Sunday, there were qualifying runs, but the only speeds that counted were for the first two slots at the Daytona 500. The rest of the positions will be determined by the Gatorade Duals on Thursday. Jimmie Johnson continued his dominating ways, and won the pole position. Toyota has been on a tear since testing began in January. Michael Waltrip won the outside pole position.
We can only hope that the rest of the season is this exciting.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Feb 1
What a long three months it has been. I should have been busy writing here, but there wan't much to write about This weekend is Super Bowl Sunday (Big Whoop!), next Saturday is finally the Bud Pole Shootout. Speed Weeks is about to get underway. There will be lots to watch this year. I don't make predictions. The best we can do is keep our eyes open, and hang on for the ride.
* * * * * * * * * * *
NASCAR
Scene Daily
Hendrick Motorsports
5 CM |
22nd |
24 JG |
18th |
48 JJ |
5th |
88 DE Jr |
Pole |
5 CM |
|
24 JG |
|
48 JJ |
|
88 DE Jr |
|