Chase Power Rankings: Have the Big Three become The Big Four?

15 Oct
2012
by in Fantasy NASCAR, General

The fifth race of the Chase is over, and that means it's time for Power Rankings! But we're doing things a little differently now that we're in the postseason. It's all-Chasers, all the time. Good job, good effort for those of you that didn't make it, but we've got bigger fish to focus on. We'll be judging who's running well, considering not just finishing position but quality of run, expected potential, and general gut feelings. As always, we hate your guy and are biased against him. Now, enjoy.

Oh, and as for last week's attempt at Mafia names for our favorite drivers ... let us never speak of that one again. Every race season has an Auto Club Speedway, right?

1. Denny Hamlin: This top spot is likely to rotate among the Big Three, and perhaps the Big Four, over the next few weeks. Right now, we're giving the nod to Hambone over Vader, but only by a hairsbreadth. This very easily could have been a big victory for Hamlin, and #11 fans should be pleased with the fact that he didn't seem to enjoy his second-place finish very much. Last week: 3.

2. Jimmie Johnson: Another week, another outstanding run from Johnson. Last year, we were all falling over ourselves at how amazing it was that Carl Edwards was finishing so high week after week. Now we've got three guys doing it. Johnson took the wise approach to fuel management on Saturday night; if he'd run out, he'd have a much higher hill to climb. Last week: 2.

3. Brad Keselowski: Sure, he falls out of the top spot here, but he's still running the show points-wise. This makes next week a key for Keselowski: you can afford to have an off week, but you need to be able to rebound immediately or you're going to get passed like you lost the draft. Last week: 1.

4. Clint Bowyer: Rawhide's rise is one of the more notable efforts of the season, and it'd be a shame if he doesn't get himself into the top crew here in the next couple weeks. Also: his press conferences are joys of (perhaps) Five-Hour-Energy-filled energy. Last week: 5.

5. Kasey Kahne: Decent run for Mr. Kahne at Charlotte, but we all expected a lot more out of him. Eighth place is not enough, sir! Anyway, his chances at a Cup are fading fast, but he's already turned a previously horrid season into a success. Last week: 6.

6. Martin Truex Jr.: True story: Truex wants everyone to mean HIM when they refer to "Junior." (May not be a true story.) Also a true story: this will never happen. But MTJ is establishing his good name all by himself. Last week: 9.

7. Jeff Gordon: Looks like the dream is about over for Jeff. Here's hoping that there's some kind of change in the points system (heresy!) in order to prevent one bad finish from decimating your entire season. Last week: 4.

8. Greg Biffle: All right, good to know that Biffle is starting to validate that first-place regular-season finish. Barring some lost haulers en route to a track, Biffle won't be in this hunt. Still, he's the class of the Roush squad this year. Last week: 12.

9. Matt Kenseth: Um, no offense with that "class of Roush" crack in the Biffle entry, Matt. You done good by winning Talladega, of course, but it's been a tough road these last few months. Hopefully your five-race swan song will go well for you. Last week: 10.

10. Tony Stewart: It's been a rocky Chase all the way around for Mr. Stewart, with the Talladega Monstrosity being the worst of a rough go. But he's getting sponsorship lined up for 2013, which has to be a big relief. Last week: 8.

11. Kevin Harvick: Sooner this season is over the better for Harvick fans. Nothing's working well enough, but nothing's going bad enough for a wholesale change, either. Well, at least he had himself a kid, so the year's not a total wash. Last week: 11.

12. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Salute to Junior for taking the tough path to stepping out of the car this year. Not like he'll miss out on Vegas; the "most popular driver of the year" always ends up there anyway. Last week: 7.

Non-Chaser of the Week: Carl Edwards. Good to see Carl running strong this week. Shame he wasn't able to earlier this year, but if history is any guide, he'll be right back in the mix in 2013.

All right, you're up. Who belongs where? Have your say!

Tags: carl edwards, , , , Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, , , Power Rankings, , ,
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Clint Bowyer reminds us that he’s still a force in the Chase

13 Oct
2012
by in Fantasy NASCAR, General

It's all right to admit if you thought the Chase was down to a three-man race. Just don't expect Clint Bowyer to go along with that idea.

Bowyer, whose phenomenal rise has to rank as one of the top success stories of this season, notched his third victory of 2012 on Saturday night in Charlotte, and he did it using a combination of driving skill and crew-chief savvy that might just put him back into this Chase after all.

Coming into this evening, conventional wisdom held that the Chase was already a three-horse race between Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin. And indeed, for most of the night the Big Three in the standings were the Big Three in the race, trading the top three spots back and forth.

But a crucial fuel issue put Keselowski far down in the pack. Some gambling on mileage left Bowyer alone with the other two, more than 25 seconds ahead of fourth place. And since no debris mysteriously/suddenly appeared, no caution flags flew, and Bowyer held off a charging Hamlin for the win.

[Related: Brad Keselowski's empty fuel tank tightens up Chase points race]

This doesn't quite put Bowyer into the Chase conversation, as he's still 28 points behind Keselowski. But 28 points is a total you can chip away at over the course of five races. And Bowyer and crew chief Brian Pattie, by remaining in the mix this late into the season, have shown they know how to hang around and take advantage of opportunities.

"At the end of the day we're a hell of a lot better than we were leaving Talladega," Bowyer said. "To be back in victory lane, new life, new hope going into Kansas, there's a lot of races left."

That, in itself, is something of a miracle. Recall that at this time last year, Bowyer was headed to Michael Waltrip Racing in what was widely, and almost universally, seen as a step down from Richard Childress Racing. Nobody's saying that now. With two drivers in the Chase, more than Childress or Joe Gibbs Racing and the equal of Roush Fenway, Michael Waltrip Racing has firmly established itself as one of NASCAR's elite teams of 2012. And in NASCAR, team success has a way of building on itself. We could be seeing a lot more of MWR in the years to come, and that's something nobody saw coming.

"Who would have thought in a million years after making this switch and coming over to a new family and everything that was new that we would be in victory lane three times?" Bowyer said. "Five races left, and we're still in contention for a championship."

For now, though, it's all about Bowyer. He's got very little margin for error, but he's also racing against guys who have been all but flawless these first five races. Everyone has at least one rocky time out, and if Bowyer can stay steady and take advantage, he could pick off the challengers one by one. Hey, at this point, in this season, would you expect anything different?

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Tags: , clint bowyer, , lane, michael waltrip racing, , nobody, , the Chase, , ,
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Chase Watch: Keselowski’s empty fuel tank tightens up the points race

13 Oct
2012
by in Fantasy NASCAR, General

For a significant portion of Saturday night's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte, status quo looked like it was going to be maintained at the top of the points standings.

Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin, the top three drivers in the points standings entering the Chase, were bunched together at the front of the field and even occupied the top three spots in the race for a segment. It was going to take something big to catalyze a meaningful shift in the points standings.

When the caution flag flew on lap 223 for debris just after the field had cycled through green flag pit stops, Johnson and Hamlin pitted to try to make it the rest of the race on one stop. Keselowski stayed out. It wasn't terribly surprising; Johnson has admitted that saving fuel is a weak link for his team, the fuel mileage of the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas has been much discussed and exceptional fuel mileage was a reason that Keselowski won two weeks ago at Dover.

What happened next was surprising, however. As the field started the green flag pit stop cycle again, Keselowski, who was the race leader and had led the most laps, cruised past the entrance to pit road with 59 laps remaining in the race. His car started sputtering.

[Related: Clint Bowyer reminds us that he’s still a force in the Chase]

Keselowski coasted around to the pits, losing precious seconds both while he coasted on the track and in the pits as the crew worked to refire the car. He rejoined the race in 16th place, and was going to need to pit again to make it to the end on fuel.

He moved up to 11th by the time the checkered flag flew thanks to a combination of differing strategies and the speed of his car, but the (minimal) damage had been done. Thanks to that caution flag pit stop, Hamlin was able to push until the end and finished second, and while Johnson had to back off the throttle significantly over the final few laps, the cushion he had built in third was more than enough to maintain the position.

"It's like playing blackjack. Sometimes you get a good deal but you're not going to win them all," Keselowski said. "You know that, and you hope that when you're sitting there with 13 that you can just not have a lot of chips in the pile. We didn't lose too much. We got 11th out of day where everything kind of fell against us; the cautions at the beginning and the lack of them at the end and we still put out a respectable effort."

But yes, like Keselowski said, the damage in the points standings could have been much worse; it's not often that drivers who run out of fuel for an entire lap late in a race come back to finish 11th. And the points lead is still Keselowski's, the cushion is just smaller.

Who's up? We'll give this one to Hamlin and Johnson. While Clint Bowyer might have just made this Chase a four man race, Johnson essentially cut the deficit between he and Keselowski in half to seven, and Hamlin is now 15 points back. After this race last year, Tony Stewart was 24 points behind.

Who's down? No, this is not going to be a cop-out paragraph that will just say Dale Earnhardt Jr. and then be done with it. This award goes to Jeff Gordon, whose pit road speeding violation on lap 219 meant that he went a lap down serving the penalty. Gordon was never able to make the lap back and finished 18th, the lowest finishing position of any Chaser.

Who's out? And Gordon's penalty leads us to this. Sorry Jeff, you're now officially in the out column, 50 points back of Keselowski in 9th place. The same goes for you Tony Stewart. Smoke and company made a valiant effort after sustaining some substantial front-end damage on a restart crash early in the race, but a 50 point deficit is too much to overcome at this point. We're not going to split hairs, either. at 49 points back, you're done too, Martin Truex Jr.

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Tags: , , caution, clint bowyer, damage, , Jimmie Johnson, mileage, , points standings, , stop
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Chase Power Rankings: And then there were three

01 Oct
2012
by in Fantasy NASCAR, General

The third race of the Chase is over, and that means it's time for Power Rankings! But we're doing things a little differently now that we're in the postseason. It's all-Chasers, all the time. Good job, good effort for those of you that didn't make it, but we've got bigger fish to focus on. We'll be judging who's running well, considering not just finishing position but quality of run, expected potential, and general gut feelings. As always, we hate your guy and are biased against him. Now, enjoy.

1. Brad Keselowski: @Kes might just be the smartest driver on the circuit, or at least the best prepared. He seems to be finding angles that others miss, and he's setting himself up with plenty of cushion for the inevitable off day. Now he returns to Talladega, where he's won before ... just don't remind Carl Edwards.

2. Jimmie Johnson: Relentless. Absolutely relentless. Keeping Johnson from winning this race has to count as a major victory for all the non-Hendrick teams, but the simple truth is that if Johnson continues to post tiny-number finishes, this race is going to be over pretty darn soon.

3. Denny Hamlin: How much do you figure Hamlin learned from 2010? Hopefully plenty, because it looks like he's in this Chase to stay. And you know he'd relish a chance to take out Johnson in revenge for that Chase two years ago.

4. Clint Bowyer: It would be just perfect if Bowyer was able to sneak into the mix here after Talladega, because he above most other drivers is the epitome of what the world expects a NASCAR driver to be. He'll need lots of help that he's not currently getting to run down the Big Three, but it could still happen.

5. Kasey Kahne: Having your season depend on a dropped lug nut, as could well happen with Kahne, is like a football team losing on an offsides penalty ... it happens, but nobody feels good about it in any way. Still, Kahne has rebounded from adversity before.

6. Jeff Gordon: You've got to admire what Gordon's doing here, but when the points leaders are the ones either winning or leading the race, there's just no way for him to make up any ground. Talladega may represent his last, best chance to get back into this Chase.

7. Tony Stewart: Getting to be about time to start that all-out winning streak, Tony. Dover was another unspectacular effort from the reigning champ, and as a result, hopes for a repeat are pretty dim.

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: We weren't looking to write off Junior until after a poor Talladega showing, but he's one of the drivers already in danger of falling off the map. Not to say this is the most important race of the season for him, but ... it's the most important race of the season.

9. Martin Truex Jr.: We're getting perilously close to the moral-victory section of the power rankings, but Truex nonetheless did manage to wrestle a sixth-place finish out of a potentially disastrous day. He'll need more than that to scare anybody, though.

10. Kevin Harvick: One of many drivers victimized by the unfortunate Yeley caution, but let's face it, things haven't been going well for Harvick for quite some time.

11. Greg Biffle: The Biffster's rant on the radio at Dover was one of the all-time greats, a symphony of profanity and rage that I want to make into my ringtone. You can understand it, though, can't you? Three weeks ago the guy was in first place, now he's an afterthought. That kind of sucks.

12. Matt Kenseth: Of all the ways that Kenseth could have parted ways with Roush Fenway, stumbling to a last-place finish in the Chase had to be pretty low on the list. Kenseth is a prideful guy, but nothing's clicking for the 17 team right now.

Non-Chaser of the week: Kyle Busch ran exceptionally well for most of the day, but let's throw some love Mark Martin's way. The guy simply runs well no matter when he shows up. Impressive stuff, and it's too bad we won't be seeing more of him.

All right, you're up. Who should rise and who should fall? Go!

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Tags: , clint bowyer, , , , Jimmie Johnson, kasey kahne, , , , , Talladega,
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Brad Keselowski takes the points lead at Dover with his second Chase win

30 Sep
2012
by in Fantasy NASCAR, General

On a Sunday at Dover that saw the Joe Gibbs Racing cars of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch lead the first 311 laps only to be usurped by Jimmie Johnson on pit road under caution, Brad Keselowski lurked in the weeds behind them and struck when everyone's fuel supply started dwindling, taking the AAA 400 for his second win of the Chase and seizing the points lead by five over Johnson.

Keselowski emerged from the final set of caution flag pit stops third, ahead of Hamlin and behind Johnson and Busch, but when the field took the green flag after a second caution flag for Matt Kenseth, he immediately radioed his crew that the car was hitting the splitter in the corners. At that point, it was looking like simply a race to stay as close as possible to Johnson, who entered the day with the points lead.

The combination of Keselowski, Wolfe and the Penske engine program has meant some of the best fuel mileage in the Cup Series. The race stayed green until the finish. You can guess what that meant.

Johnson held onto the lead after the restart and maintained his advantage over Busch, who had been almost untouchable since taking the lead from Hamlin after lap 36. Hamlin had snuck by Keselowski for third, but the JGR cars were going to be short on fuel. Keselowski's only competition was going to be Johnson, who was right on the edge of making it to the finish under power.

As the laps ticked down, Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus made the decision to back off to save fuel, knowing that the JGR cars couldn't make it to the finish. Busch went by. Hamlin went by. And then Keselowski closed in on his bumper. It was going to be a battle for the race win and the Chase lead.

Keselowski's presence and superior mileage meant that Johnson couldn't be in full conservation anymore. He needed to stay ahead of the Blue Deuce, who could make it to the finish.

Did that force Johnson to push the fuel envelope more than he wanted? After Keselowski snuck by with less than 15 laps to go, Knaus told Johnson, who ended up third behind teammate Jeff Gordon, that he was a lap short on fuel and to back it down even further, allowing Keselowski to pull away and play his own conservation game to ensure that he would have plenty of fuel in the tank at the end and be atop the Sprint Cup points standings.

But Keselowski said after the race that it's still too early to consider he and his team the favorite in the Chase.

"There are seven races to go and it feels great to win, I'm so proud of my team, but I can't state loudly enough how much longer this battle is," Keselowski said. "It's very tempting, whether it's the media or the teams themselves, to get in a comfort zone of saying 'such-and-such has control of this Chase' but there's a reason why it's 10 rounds. And we're not even halfway, we're three rounds in, and by no means do I think we're the favorite. Certainly we're not the underdog probably at this point, but you know, I think there's so much racing to go and so many opportunities for things to go wrong, or right, for anyone out there, that it's way too early to point those fingers and say those things."

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Tags: , caution, , , , Jimmie Johnson, Joe Gibbs Racing, , , mileage, , snuck,
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Happy Hour: When is a guarantee not a guarantee?

28 Sep
2012
by in Fantasy NASCAR, General

Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.

Yeah, we're late this week. Sorry. Anyway, right now in golf there's the Ryder Cup, which I know you probably don't care about but hear me out. It's a team-vs.-team competition. How awesome would that be for NASCAR? Two-on-two battles, head-to-head showdowns? Tell me you wouldn't want to see a 20-lap showdown between Jimmie Johnson/Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin/Kyle Busch. Brad Keselowski vs. Kevin Harvick for all the marbles? Make this happen, NASCAR.

Also, update on our Last Chaser Standing competition: Greg Biffle came in last among eligible Chasers last week, so he joins Jeff Gordon on the virtual sidelines.

All right, your letters:

Seriously, why is the media playing up Denny Hamlin's supposed "called shot" so much? If anything, it was a balk at best. He kept saying in all of his interviews heading into the race, that he didn't mean it as a called shot and only meant it like every other driver that says "we'll go get 'em next week." But then after he won, because the media hyped the false intention of the statement, he plays it up like he really did call the shot with his antics after getting out the car and pointing, then swinging.

Either own it or don't, but don't take credit for it after you retracted your call, Denny.

— Nick J
Los Angeles, CA

OK, look, I'm biased here, but is there ANY chance that both drivers and fans won't default to the tired "it's the media's fault!" every time a storyline doesn't play out exactly the way they want? I thought Hamlin not only did a great thing by guaranteeing a win at Loudon, I thought he shot himself in the foot by backing off of it.

Here's the thing that both athletes and fans are realizing, now that they've got instant access via social media: maybe the media does serve a purpose after all. Denny wasn't misquoted when he guaranteed that win; that was straight from his phone to your eyes. Every time an athlete says something dumb/provocative/misguided on Twitter, the whole "the media twists our words" argument gets that much weaker.

But enough Journalistic Whining. Hamlin should've owned the guarantee from the start. Playing it tentative is what people hate about NASCAR these days; what's the harm in talking big at a track where you know you have success?

____________________

After perusing the new schedule I think it would help NASCAR if a few changes were made. Swap Miami with Vegas. Take the second race at Pocono and Michigan and replace them with North Wilkesboro and Rockingham. Last but not least put that shiny new road course at Kansas in the Chase as their second date. I would love to see all the west coast stuff back-to-back as well for logistical reasons for smaller teams, but some concessions have to made.

— Matt Lightner

The biggest problem with that scenario is that Vegas is owned by SMI and Homestead by ISC, and no way ISC is giving up that plum season-ending date without some serious compensation. Also, the North Wilkesboro and Rockingham tracks aren't really Sprint Cup-ready (sorry, guys). The Kansas road course is a great idea, but for whatever reason NASCAR is against a road course in the Chase. Nice thoughts, though.

____________________

Did I see the headline right: "Kyle Busch annoyed with lack of TV interviews"? Are you kiddin' me? He can't be serious. "I've had a second-place, third-place, fourth-place, fifth-place and sixth-place finish this year with no drama throughout the race and don't get a TV interview." Think about it, Kyle, if you weren't such a butt-head when the TV people did interview you, maybe if you didn't storm off like a kid who just got his favorite toy taken away, maybe if you didn't just give two-word answers to questions ... I'm just sayin'.

— Steve Donovan
Davenport, Iowa

Yeah, that was a bit curious to me too ... to be fair, Kyle has been a lot better in interviews this year, but truth is, he hasn't yet hit that sweet spot of interesting-without-drama; other drivers, like Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson, can be engaging even when they've had a bad day. With Kyle, you never know what you're going to get. That's the way it goes, though. There are ways to change that, though, Kyle.

____________________

A NASCAR fan in a "non-NASCAR city" ... that's the story of my life. I'm from Long Island, born and raised. The Island used to have a big racing culture with Islip Speedway and Freeport open as well as the still-operating Riverhead Raceway. But Islip and Freeport are gone. Riverhead is barely surviving. The NY media could care less about racing. If it isn't about Mark Sanchez, Eli Manning, David Wright or Derek Jeter, the NY sports media doesn't want to hear about it.

And that is reflected in the culture here now. All I heard from pre-K through 12th grade was the traditional "how can watch cars go in circles?" If I go to a place like Buffalo Wild Wings, I have to ask at least three times to get the race on one of the TVs. Contrast that with the BWW in Charlotte at the Hall of Fame, racing is always on.

Don't get me wrong, I love Long Island (minus how damn expensive the place is to live). But it's very frustrating being a race fan from NY.

— Rob
Long Island

What, no Tebow? Keep fightin' the good fight, Rob.

____________________

The mile and a half tracks with long green flag runs have gotten really boring. Tires are reliable. Engines are reliable. Cars are tough and hold up under moderate pounding. The winner is the driver that can best get his 800+ hp down to the pavement. It is a chassis tuner's race and less of a driver's race.

How can we make this more of a driver's race? Oval tracks are so 19th century, when cars raced on horse tracks because the roads weren't fit to race on. How about putting wedge and track bar electric adjusters inside the cars for the drivers to adjust ( or maladjust) as conditions change? Maybe even regular competition restarts to liven things up (which are now called competition cautions). There must be some way put more driver skills and
thrills back in front of the fans.

— Ken

Here's what you do: switch the stickers on the cars between qualifying and the race. So Jimmie Johnson might qualify with a rocket and find himself driving a sled. Stephen Leicht might find himself behind the wheel of a winning automobile. Hey, you got a better idea?

____________________

The original Indy 500s went on for 7 or more hours and were an endurance run as well as for flat out speed. Using that as a model, shouldn't someone build a five-mile track and run a 1000-mile race?

— Greg Spahr
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association

As nice as the idea is in theory, the truth is that if you think the Pocono and Michigan races are too long at 400-500 miles, you're going to loathe one that goes on twice that long. Unless it was a thousand miles in a straight line, Cannonball Run-style. Then I'm all over it.

And on that note, we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at . You can find Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR coverage on Facebook right here, and you can follow me on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook here. Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!

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Happy Hour: When is a guarantee not a guarantee?

28 Sep
2012
by in Fantasy NASCAR, General

Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.

Yeah, we're late this week. Sorry. Anyway, right now in golf there's the Ryder Cup, which I know you probably don't care about but hear me out. It's a team-vs.-team competition. How awesome would that be for NASCAR? Two-on-two battles, head-to-head showdowns? Tell me you wouldn't want to see a 20-lap showdown between Jimmie Johnson/Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin/Kyle Busch. Brad Keselowski vs. Kevin Harvick for all the marbles? Make this happen, NASCAR.

Also, update on our Last Chaser Standing competition: Greg Biffle came in last among eligible Chasers last week, so he joins Jeff Gordon on the virtual sidelines.

All right, your letters:

Seriously, why is the media playing up Denny Hamlin's supposed "called shot" so much? If anything, it was a balk at best. He kept saying in all of his interviews heading into the race, that he didn't mean it as a called shot and only meant it like every other driver that says "we'll go get 'em next week." But then after he won, because the media hyped the false intention of the statement, he plays it up like he really did call the shot with his antics after getting out the car and pointing, then swinging.

Either own it or don't, but don't take credit for it after you retracted your call, Denny.

— Nick J
Los Angeles, CA

OK, look, I'm biased here, but is there ANY chance that both drivers and fans won't default to the tired "it's the media's fault!" every time a storyline doesn't play out exactly the way they want? I thought Hamlin not only did a great thing by guaranteeing a win at Loudon, I thought he shot himself in the foot by backing off of it.

Here's the thing that both athletes and fans are realizing, now that they've got instant access via social media: maybe the media does serve a purpose after all. Denny wasn't misquoted when he guaranteed that win; that was straight from his phone to your eyes. Every time an athlete says something dumb/provocative/misguided on Twitter, the whole "the media twists our words" argument gets that much weaker.

But enough Journalistic Whining. Hamlin should've owned the guarantee from the start. Playing it tentative is what people hate about NASCAR these days; what's the harm in talking big at a track where you know you have success?

____________________

After perusing the new schedule I think it would help NASCAR if a few changes were made. Swap Miami with Vegas. Take the second race at Pocono and Michigan and replace them with North Wilkesboro and Rockingham. Last but not least put that shiny new road course at Kansas in the Chase as their second date. I would love to see all the west coast stuff back-to-back as well for logistical reasons for smaller teams, but some concessions have to made.

— Matt Lightner

The biggest problem with that scenario is that Vegas is owned by SMI and Homestead by ISC, and no way ISC is giving up that plum season-ending date without some serious compensation. Also, the North Wilkesboro and Rockingham tracks aren't really Sprint Cup-ready (sorry, guys). The Kansas road course is a great idea, but for whatever reason NASCAR is against a road course in the Chase. Nice thoughts, though.

____________________

Did I see the headline right: "Kyle Busch annoyed with lack of TV interviews"? Are you kiddin' me? He can't be serious. "I've had a second-place, third-place, fourth-place, fifth-place and sixth-place finish this year with no drama throughout the race and don't get a TV interview." Think about it, Kyle, if you weren't such a butt-head when the TV people did interview you, maybe if you didn't storm off like a kid who just got his favorite toy taken away, maybe if you didn't just give two-word answers to questions ... I'm just sayin'.

— Steve Donovan
Davenport, Iowa

Yeah, that was a bit curious to me too ... to be fair, Kyle has been a lot better in interviews this year, but truth is, he hasn't yet hit that sweet spot of interesting-without-drama; other drivers, like Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson, can be engaging even when they've had a bad day. With Kyle, you never know what you're going to get. That's the way it goes, though. There are ways to change that, though, Kyle.

____________________

A NASCAR fan in a "non-NASCAR city" ... that's the story of my life. I'm from Long Island, born and raised. The Island used to have a big racing culture with Islip Speedway and Freeport open as well as the still-operating Riverhead Raceway. But Islip and Freeport are gone. Riverhead is barely surviving. The NY media could care less about racing. If it isn't about Mark Sanchez, Eli Manning, David Wright or Derek Jeter, the NY sports media doesn't want to hear about it.

And that is reflected in the culture here now. All I heard from pre-K through 12th grade was the traditional "how can watch cars go in circles?" If I go to a place like Buffalo Wild Wings, I have to ask at least three times to get the race on one of the TVs. Contrast that with the BWW in Charlotte at the Hall of Fame, racing is always on.

Don't get me wrong, I love Long Island (minus how damn expensive the place is to live). But it's very frustrating being a race fan from NY.

— Rob
Long Island

What, no Tebow? Keep fightin' the good fight, Rob.

____________________

The mile and a half tracks with long green flag runs have gotten really boring. Tires are reliable. Engines are reliable. Cars are tough and hold up under moderate pounding. The winner is the driver that can best get his 800+ hp down to the pavement. It is a chassis tuner's race and less of a driver's race.

How can we make this more of a driver's race? Oval tracks are so 19th century, when cars raced on horse tracks because the roads weren't fit to race on. How about putting wedge and track bar electric adjusters inside the cars for the drivers to adjust ( or maladjust) as conditions change? Maybe even regular competition restarts to liven things up (which are now called competition cautions). There must be some way put more driver skills and
thrills back in front of the fans.

— Ken

Here's what you do: switch the stickers on the cars between qualifying and the race. So Jimmie Johnson might qualify with a rocket and find himself driving a sled. Stephen Leicht might find himself behind the wheel of a winning automobile. Hey, you got a better idea?

____________________

The original Indy 500s went on for 7 or more hours and were an endurance run as well as for flat out speed. Using that as a model, shouldn't someone build a five-mile track and run a 1000-mile race?

— Greg Spahr
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association

As nice as the idea is in theory, the truth is that if you think the Pocono and Michigan races are too long at 400-500 miles, you're going to loathe one that goes on twice that long. Unless it was a thousand miles in a straight line, Cannonball Run-style. Then I'm all over it.

And on that note, we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at . You can find Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR coverage on Facebook right here, and you can follow me on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook here. Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!

Tags: , , Happy, , , road, ,
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Join us for the latest Yahoo! Sports NASCAR chat, 1 p.m. ET here!

25 Sep
2012
by in Fantasy NASCAR, General

Time again for another NASCAR live chat! Join us to talk Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Loudon and Dover, and oh so much more! Bring a dish for all to share, please.

Tags: Bring, , dish, Kurt Busch, Live, , , , , Yahoo! Sports NASCAR
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Chase Power Rankings: Cue the Imperial March

24 Sep
2012
by in Fantasy NASCAR, General

The first race of the Chase is over, and that means it's time for Power Rankings! But we're doing things a little differently now that we're in the postseason. It's all-Chasers, all the time. Good job, good effort for those of you that didn't make it, but we've got bigger fish to focus on. We'll be judging who's running well, considering not just finishing position but quality of run, expected potential, and general gut feelings. As always, we hate your guy and are biased against him. Now, enjoy.

1. Jimmie Johnson: We call Jimmie Johnson "Vader" around these parts. (No, we've never figured out who Luke is, though we're cool with Chad Knaus being the Emperor.) It's because the 48 is relentless, like the Vader in the first two Star Wars movies, not the indecisive goof in "Return of the Jedi" or the whiny twit in the prequels. (Last week: 2)

2. Brad Keselowski: The Chase is all about keeping yourself in position, and Keselowski did exactly that by finishing sixth. If you can't win, keep the winner in your sights. (Last week: 1)

3. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin made a guarantee of victory last Sunday, which was awesome. Then he backed off it on Friday, which was weak. And he made a Babe Ruth called-shot motion when he won, which was ridiculous. Ride it out, Hamlin. Own it. (Last week: 5)

4. Kasey Kahne: Exactly where he needs to be. After his early-season debacles, Kahne has specialized in keeping close without screwing up too badly. A top-5 finish? That'll do. For now. (Last week: 3)

5. Clint Bowyer: We didn't give Bowyer much of a chance to win this thing, and absent a couple victories we still don't, but hey ... there's always a chance. (Last week: 7)

6. Jeff Gordon: This is how badly one terrible finish can hurt you: Gordon is still mired in last place despite a third-place finish this week. He's running well but has zip to show for it. (Last week: 9)

7. Tony Stewart: Decent but unspectacular week for Smoke, but at least he's keeping himself in the mix. He's currently only a handful of points off the lead, which at this point is saying something. (Last week: 4)

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: About time to make that move, Junior. Two straight weeks of mid-high-pack finishes ain't gonna cut it. (Last week: 6)

9. Matt Kenseth: Looking a bit grim for Kenseth, who appears to have lost whatever single-digit mojo he had earlier this season. (Last week: 9)

10. Kevin Harvick: This is a 10th-place kind of year for Harvick, and fittingly enough, he finished 11th at Loudon. (Last week: 12)

11. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex may have seen his best chance to get in the Chase hunt pass him by before the Chase even began. (Last week: 11)

12. Greg Biffle: That points lead seems a long, long way away right now. (Last week: 10)

Non-Chaser of the week: Brian Vickers, with yet another top-10 performance that ought to get him a better ride next year. What's a brother got to do?

All right, your turn. Who goes where?

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Tags: , , , Jimmie Johnson, , , , , Power Rankings, , the Chase,
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Chase Watch: Chasers take the top seven spots at New Hampshire

23 Sep
2012
by in Fantasy NASCAR, General

In the season's first race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the 12 Chase drivers all finished in the top 13. On Sunday, the second race of the Chase, the stranglehold at the front of the field loosened just a little bit.

This time, all 12 Chase drivers finished in the top 18, including in the first seven positions. However, six of those seven drivers at the front were the top six entering Sunday's race. And the drivers that finished in 17th and 18th were Greg Biffle and Martin Truex Jr., who were in 8th and 9th place after Chicago, respectively.

So that means the Chase right now is essentially divided into a top half and a bottom half. None of the bottom half are out of it by any stretch of the imagination, but if the drivers in that top half continue to clog the top 10, well, there won't be any room to make up any ground.

1. Jimmie Johnson 2096 points, (2nd place on Sunday): Johnson did exactly what he needed to do to blunt Hamlin's gain from Sunday's victory, finishing second and getting a lap led bonus point. He's at the top of the heap heading into Dover, where he's won four of the last seven races.

2. Brad Keselowski, 2095 points, (6th place): Yeah, Keselowski lost the points lead to Johnson, but crew chief Paul Wolfe's decision to take two tires on the team's final pit stop meant that the the team went from 10th to fourth after the stops cycled through. It's a decision that could loom large later in the year.

3. Denny Hamlin 2089 points, (1st place): With Sunday's win, Hamlin gained eight points and one spot in the standings on the points lead. Now, his next task is to maintain the gap between he and Johnson at Dover, where Hamlin's last three finishes are 16th, 18th and 19th.

4. Tony Stewart, 2086 points (7th place): After starting third, Smoke darted to the lead early, but faded to the back of the top 10 after the race's competition caution at lap 40. He crept back into the top 5 for a few brief moments and made up two spots after pitting during the race's final caution flag.

5. Kasey Kahne, 2081 points (5th place): Kahne finished a spot ahead of where he qualified and almost exactly where he ran most of the day. It was an appropriate result and enough to maintain his gap to first place.

6. Clint Bowyer, 2081 points (4th place): Rawhide's car went from too loose to too tight over the course of the race and felt he didn't have enough rear grip to contend for the win. But like Kahne, he hung around the top five all day and stayed tied with him.

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr, 2070 points (13th place): Junior ran around the back of the top 20 for most of the day and was close to going a lap down when two of the race's debris cautions came. Like Keselowski, Junior and Letarte took two tires on the final green flag, which gave Junior a couple spots of track position.

8. Kevin Harvick, 2065 points (11th place): Harvick was solidly around 10th for most of the day, typically a "good points day." However, it's notsomuch of one when you lose seven points to the points lead.

9. Biffle, 2063 points (18th place): Where were the Roush cars? Biffle wasn't a factor all day, though the racing that he had with Truex late in Sunday's race was some of the closest and most compelling all day.

10. Truex, 2062 points (17th place): Truex hung around with teammate Bowyer for the early stages of the race, but faded late. And it was a costly fade too, as Truex lost 13 points to the top spot.

11. Matt Kenseth, 2061 points (14th place): Flatline's Zestfully clean car was Zestfully not in contention for the win. He stayed out to lead a lap during two green flag pit stop cycles. Woo!

12. Jeff Gordon, 2051 points (3rd place): Here starts Gordon's march back into title contention! What? He only made up two points on the points lead? Yeah, it stings when the guy you're trying to make up acres of space on finishes second.

Tags: , , , Greg Biffle, , Jimmie Johnson, martin truex jr, , New Hampshire Motor Speedway, , stop, ,
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