NASCAR Race to the Chase

Could it be that I actually slept better last night, after watching the satisfying conclusion of NASCAR's race to the chase at Richmond?

A good outcome

Except for a few glitches, the outcome of the race was very satisfying.

My own personal satisfaction

Ryan Newman overcame immense obstacles to make the Chase. I have chronicled some of them in this blog. I predicted he would accomplish his goal to make the chase early in the year. I never gave up, because he never gave up.

Over the course of this season I have heard Ryan's voice on the radio exhibit frustration and anger, that accompanies falling short, being victimized by Lady Luck, or a bad-handling race car, or making an uncharacteristic mistake.

I've heard him sound defeated, exhausted, and sickened.

But I've heard the exhilaration and hope that comes from a job well done. I've seen him place in the top 10 with a car capable of running no better than the 20th spot.

It was quite satisfying -- to hear the sound of Ryan's voice following the Richmond race, the happy banter between he and Crew Chief Tony Gibson as the last lap pass that put Ryan into 10th place in the race.

There was no doubt that this race was adrenalin-driven, perhaps even more so than usual. That translated to the fans. Not only was there a race to watch, but for me, it was also the numbers element. I watched the performance of each of the drivers around the latter end of the top 12 on the leader board.

I didn't see qualifying, but when I learned that Ryan was to start 21st, I was nervous. It was said that he'd have to finish 16th to remain in the chase. But as I watched, I realized that figure was meaningless. It failed to take the other drivers' performance into account. I soon realized this would not be as difficult as predicted.

Other goals were achieved

Denny Hamlin won his first race at his home town track.

Tony Stewart accomplished greatness, both as a team owner and driver this year. Not only did he win the points battle overall, but both of his cars made the chase in Stewart-Haas Racing's first season.

Mark Martin had a great night -- and a great season. He is genuine when he says this is the best season of his career. He has worked very hard and done very well.

Juan Pablo Montoya accomplished his 3-year goal.

Brian Vickers worked his butt off to make the chase this year. And he did it, by just 8 points.

Not everyone had a good night

It was not a satisfying race for Matt Kenseth or Kyle Busch.

Matt Kenseth had no preconceived notions about this race. His team had not been performing well all season. While he had a few good runs, he had more that were not. He is a past champion and certainly championship caliber. So, he knows what he has to do in the future.

Kyle Busch was a gentleman about his near miss. He finished eight points out. That fact paled in comparison to the good run he had that caused him to finish in the top five. I admit being surprised by his reaction. The Kyle Busch we saw a few months ago would not have been so genial about his loss. This was good to see.

Will the Sprint Cup Champion be the Best of the Best?

It is entirely possible that the new champion may be one who has not won a race. So the burning question that must be asked, however: With four wins this season, why isn't Kyle Busch in contention for the Sprint Cup Championship? There are those who believe that the championship should be based on wins, not some arbitrary points system.

This debate will likely rage on just as it did in 2003 when Kenseth became the Champion with one win while Ryan Newman won eight races.

Atlanta race outcome dictated by tires

Sunday's race in Atlanta was not a good race. There was certainly no shortage of action, but it was not the kind of action that is indicative of good racing.

Goodyear Tires

The real excitement came from the points battle. And of course there was the potential for crashes, due to so many poor-handling race cars on a track with no grip. Hmm, it isn't the track that lacked grip, it was the tires.

So here was another race, where the outcome was dependent on which team could best deal with the tires they were given. That doesn't make for good racing.

So why can't teams choose their own tires? Why can't they modify their own cars? Why can't NASCAR stop dictating every variable? Next, they will institute a height and weight limit for drivers.

Return to southern roots

It was very nice to see a night race at Atlanta. And NASCAR was wise to bring the Labor Day Race back to the south.

Dodge seems to have made a comeback

It was very interesting that Dodge seemed to prevailed in this race, with not only the run by Kasey Kahn, but Juan Pablo Montoya. Perhaps the problems that plagued Dodge last year have been resolved.

Tony Stewart

Stewart took no unnecessary chances, but then he didn't need to. He had an ill-handling car, so why wreck it -- especially since fixing it now comes out of his own pocket. Stewart and everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing can hold their heads really high. No one expected so much out of these two teams. They have far exceeded expectations.

Ryan Newman

It was another frustrating night as Newman turned his lemon-like race car into lemonade with another top 10 finish. He crossed the stripes in 9th, even after struggling the entire race with an ill-handling race car again. Tires seemed to be the problem, as each set seemed to provide inconsistent results.

Under enormous pressure, Newman ran in the 20-somethings for most of the race, when it counted most he got-er-done!

Newman seems to be in a pretty good place in the points, despite a loss of two spots in the standings -- moving from 7th to 9th. With another top 10 finish at Atlanta, he can feel good about the final race before the Chase at Richmond, one of his favorite racetracks. Still, his position is not locked in and anything can happen. But as long as he finishes in the top 16, he will be guaranteed a place in the Chase.

Kasey Kahne

Congratulations to Kasey Kahne who had a great day.

Kevin Harvick

Kevin Harvick came oh so close. He should have had an Atlanta sweep. Congratulations for his stellar job in Saturday's Nationwide Race.

Ray Evernham & Erin Crocker

The two were married recently. Congratulations to the happy couple.

Great race at Bristol Motor Speedway

As expected, another good race at Bristol. I'd like to make several observations:

Congratulations to Mark Martin who started his 1000th race tonight at Bristol. As an Arkansan, I am very proud of Mark. The pre-race show on Speed that told his story was moving. Mark drove a great race tonight. He led the most laps and came so close. His second place finish is nothing at all to be ashamed of. It is just too bad he couldn't have made it to the front one last time.

Congratulations to Kyle Busch, who seemed a little bit humbled (even if it was an act, I am buying it). He pulled off a great win tonight. While he is still not in the chase, it is just a matter of time.

Congratulations to Ryan Newman who proved with his 6th place finish in tonight's race that this week at Bristol had no effect on his precarious 9th points position. It is nice to see him prove this point and to allow me a little 'I told you so' by moving up two spots in the points race - to 7th. Good job Ryan!

Kurt Busch did a magnificent job, finishing in 7th place after all the adversity he had to overcome.

Poor Tony Stewart - did they give him Ryan's race car by mistake? I have a funny feeling that Tony will rebound by winning the next race, or maybe even the next several races or perhaps the championship. Tony can do just about anything. He is that good!

Ryan Newman capable of four-peat

I just read a citizen journalist's story that was picked up by a blogger. I refuse to provide the links because no one else should waste their time reading either.

But the headline was:

Ryan Newman could risk NASCAR Chase spot by attempting four races at Bristol

I responded to both posts just as I will respond to this headline here:

That is just baloney! Ryan isn't risking any more by entering other races than he would without them. Bristol is a crapshoot for all the drivers. Staying out of trouble, usually cause by someone else is the real risk. And that has nothing to do with driving in other races. One race has nothing to do with another. Besides two of the races are tonight. One is Friday. How does that affect Saturday night?

Sprint Cup Race at Michigan

Whew! What an interesting race. I don't know how much of the actual race I saw. I was so busy monitoring points, positions, and times on NASCAR.com's live leaderboard that I probably missed some of the action on the track.

The early part of the race was disheartening as I watched a very frustrated Ryan Newman struggle with an ill-handling racecar. I have to hand it to his crew, however, because they pulled together to get the car drivable again. And the two-tire strategy to get track position was just what the doctor ordered. It was enjoyable to watch Ryan start picking off positions once again. This race could have been a total disaster for him in the points standings, but they pulled it out, leaving him with a no-gain, no-loss scenario. The way this race started today, that is good enough for me. Ryan remains 9th in the points standings. The pressure is really on, however.

A few of my other observations in this race include:

• Congratulations to Brian Vickers. He deserved to win one. He fought hard, especially when considering his run yesterday when he was so close.
  

• If I were Jimmy Johnson, I wouldn't listen to Chad Knaus next time he wants to try the fuel strategy game. Johnson finished 33rd. That marks twice at Michigan that he led most of the laps of the race and came up short at the end.
  

• Good run for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. However, even though it has been some time since he ran well enough to gush over, it was disgusting to hear the ESPN guys, especially Andy Petrie rave over how Dale Earnhardt, Jr. could win this race, even though he was running sixth. Yes he was the fastest on the track at the time, but that has happened before only to see him lose it and smack into the wall. Can we not have a little reality check boys? They actually put up a graphic showing Jimmy Johnson, Brian Vickers, and Dale Jr. as the commentators talked about the amount of fuel each had left. Trouble is they were running first, second, and sixth at the time. C'mon! They were practically salivating over the possibility that Jr. could win this race, totally discounting the other drivers ahead of him, not to mention those behind him who could have come from behind to win it. This Dale Jr. thing is just a wee bit sickening!
  

• Kyle Busch was not a factor in today's race. And I'll bet he wasn't happy about Vickers' win after the way the two behaved in yesterday's Nationwide race.

• Poor Kurt Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya. They were doing great until lady luck bit them where the sun doesn't shine.
  

All things considered, that's racin'. So now -- it's on to Bristol.