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Fuel economy runs don’t exactly put me on the edge of my seat. That said, the finish of the Coca Cola 600 was pretty cool. I gotta admit, I was hoping Ricky Rudd would be the winner of the octane roulette game, but Casey Mears unexpected win, even though it was another for HMS, was a feel good moment. JJ Yehley, Kyle the Good, Sorenson and Brian Vickers all in the top five was a nice change up.

I doubt that fuel mileage will play much of a role at the next stop. The new car should look good at the concrete Monster Mile at Dover Downs.

Try these four fast funky corners while we wait. Remember to try and save your tires because this Fast Lap thing isn’t over ’til the last commenter sings.

1. Have you ever seen such an unlikely top five as this?

2. Should the 600 be moved to Saturday?

3. Humpy Wheeler suggested changing the qualifying format to four segments with a quarter of the cars on the track for each segment. Yeah or nah?

4. Which was better, this year’s 600 or the 500?

The new car likes to be set up loose.  It helps to be a little loose in here too.

That twenty lap at a time thing NASCAR prescribed for the All Star race didn’t work too well for me.  It may help to prove a theory that I have about racing and, really, sports in general. 

My thinking is that there is a reason that a given sport has grown to a level of popularity.   The games work.  By that I mean the combination of the length of games - or races in the NASCAR sense - the size of the venues, even the liveliness of the ball or hardness of the tire, whatever.  All of those things have evolved in to a sport that works competitively.   Artificial competitions often don’t work as well.

The All Star race has produced some great finishes.  This one didn’t.

Last week we had great debate and tasty trash talk on the Fast Lap blog.  Try these four corners.  Flat out.

1)  Should NASCAR change the “qualifications” to be in the All-Star race?

2) Do you prefer the All-Star race with or without the fan voted inversions?

3)  What race do you like better; The Bud Shootout or the All-Star Race?

4)  Should NASCAR change or eliminate the past champions provisional?

Put up your best and be part of this week’s ON PIT ROW which will feature guest appearances from Larry McReynolds and Rocket Ryan Neuman.  As they say at Toledo Speedway - be there!

There’s a Craftsman Truck race tonight that ought to be awesome.

There’s a crew chief competition that has the potential to be a blast. Especially if they let the regular drivers crew for the crew chiefs and do illegal things to the cars. I’m thinking Junior would have some ideas for Tony Eury’s car. Oh, sorry, Tony is not allowed to be there.

Then we get the big All Star extravaganza Saturday night.

You know, nobody is complaining about how drivers qualify for this race. Maybe NASCAR could change the top 35 rule to a more All-Star-like format. I know, it wouldn’t work. I just hate the top 35 fiasco so much, it’s nice to fantasize sometimes.

Enough of this, lets have some Fast Laps.

As this week proceeds, if you read my blogs or listen to ON PIT ROW, you may get the sense that I am not crazy about all-star races and made–for–th–media competitions.  To me it’s all just more reality TV.  I get more of that than I want now.

Darlington gave us a fun CoT race.  I don’t know about you but that surprised me a bit.  Lots of fast squirrelly laps.  This week we get a bunch of squirrelly made –for–the–sponsor BS.  I need an argument!

1)  Was Dale Earnhardt Jr’s decision to leave DEI the best for ALL involved?

2) Who will win the Junior sweepstakes?

3)  What is the best timing for NASCAR’s all-Star race; now, later or never?

4)  Darlington was supposed to be “THE” test for the CoT.  His it passed or should it be passed…over?

What do you think.  As always, the best comments, or maybe the worst, will be featured ON PIT ROW this week. Catch it live or on Race Talk Radio on Thursday.

Picture credit: Tail pipe times

After close to forty eight hours of first speculation about, and then analysis of the Massacre at Mooresville, the Cup boys are back on pavement and qualifying at the Lady in Black.

If the Car of Tomorrow machines are as bad as Dale Junior and others say they are, this race could set the program back significantly. Darlington is tough enough when a driver likes his handling. We’ll see.

If my math is correct, with about ten cars to qualify, it looks like D J and Mikey will miss another one. Not by much. They needed a better Fast Lap.

The Richmond International Raceway rain-out was a disappointment to night race fans, and anyone who couldn’t stick it out until the Sunday restart.  The race produced some promising performances from various Ford, Dodge and even Toyota Cuppers.  But at the checker it looked like another Hendrick parade with Jimmy (doesn’t get enough credit) Johnson chalking up his fourth win.

Darlington’s next. The egg shaped Lady in Black has four turns unique in NASCAR. Take these Fast Lap topics on and you may have a few Darlington stripes on your ego before the green flag flies Saturday.

1)  Who is to blame for Kevin Harvick’s accident on pit road?

2) Robert Yates Racing says it will definitely field Fords in 2008; Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he will definitely drive Chevys in 2008.  How is that going to work?

3)  How can Johnny Benson’s Tyler Motorsports Toyota make the first race it attempts, and so many Toyotas can’t make more than a handful of races?

4)  Could NASCAR be setting itself up to endure the same fate as Indycars if someone had the guts and wherewithall to start a competing series?

Last week we featured comments from Luke, Marc, Michael and CarMike, and also plugged the blogs of those that have them, ON PIT ROW.  Get involved this week and you can join scheduled guests Robbie Gordon and Kenny Shrader.

This is one race where I think the home teams are a lock. Ever since the tragedy at Virginia Tech, Hamlin and other Virginia born drivers have put extra pressure upon themselves to win one and bring, perhaps, a bit of extra joy back home.

Jeff Burton’s Impala will sport VaTech colors and I’m sure, emotions will be raw.

So, good luck boys. I hope that this is one of those feel good NASCAR weekends.

NASCAR Fantasy Racing

On Pit Row is glad to be a part of such a great NASCAR fantasy racing game like Champs, Chumps & Sleepers. Grand prize is a Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure. How cool is that?

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