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Hendricks haters don’t want to hear it, but champions get lucky. Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon have been lucky in 2007.  That’s not to say that they aren’t good.  They are better than good.   They have won fourteen of the thirty three Nextel Cup races run so far this season.   Johnson made the right move - was in the right place at the end of the  Pep Boys 500 at  Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday -  avoiding the  fuel starved race leading and not so lucky Denny Hamlin as he stalled on the last restart.

Jimmy missed Hamlin.  Unlucky, Martin Truex Jr plowed into the back of the Fed Ex number eleven.  So did the - not lucky enough - #07 of Clint Bowyer.  Three very good Chase racers all - and all unluckilly done for 2007.

And who is more in need of a rabbit’s foot than Dale Earnhardt Jr.  What the she-devil else can happen to the Chosen One?  That was a scary hit he took when his - you gotta be kidding me - whole freakin’ wheel came off.  Come to think of it, maybe he was the luckiest guy out there Sunday.  He walked away with a headache.

There may be a few headaches in Texas next Monday morning as well.  Get yourself ready for a Thunderous Texas weekend with four fast corners from ON PIT ROW.

1)  Is Chad Knaus the best crew chief ever?

2) Is there anything to the Dale Jr. cospiracy theories?

3) Who is to blame for the tire problems, then wrecks, at Atlanta; Goodyear, NASCAR or the crew chiefs?

4) Does the GREEN -WHITE-CHECKER finish need adjusting.

We are developing a new blog-centered feature for ON PIT ROW and the Fast Lap comments that come in from here at the Fast Lap at the Thunder Lounge and the Bench Racing blog at OnPitRow.com will be a big part of that. 

Oh, and be careful at the Lounge this weekend.  Be very careful.

 

If you are any kind of NASCAR stat junky at all you certainly were not surprised by Jimmy Johnson’s victory at Martinsville Speedway this past weekend.  Johnson and teammate Jeff Gordon owned all the possitive statistics going into the race and have an even firmer grip upon them now that the actual race is over.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you better respect what they are doing to the competition in the Nextel Cup Series this year.  It is, basically, no contest.

Ryan Newman looked like he might have a chance to shake things up with a surprise win.  The late - some think very late - yellow on the last lap killed that chance.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. blew another motor.  Ho hum - is it over yet?  Junior is starting to talk like a victim, after going stoically and silently forward until up to now.  I wish he would just get his revenge next year.  Like send Theresa a bank statement or something.

On to Atlanta, one of my favorite tracks.  I know, but I don’t care that it’s a mile and a half - there’s nothing cookie-cutter about Hot-lanta!

High banked and faster than heck - try these four Fast Lap questions on for grins.

1)  With all the cautions for single-car spins early on;why was NASCAR so slow in throwing one when David Ragan’s car was ready to be T-boned at the end?

2) Was the Carl Edward-Matt Kenseth “Fist-Conference” for real or a joke?

3) How could, or should, The Chase be fixed?

4) What would you like to see done with the CoT?

Tell us what you think.  I already know that Steve will be wrong.  It’s the Fast Lap and we want to use your best stuff ON PIT ROW. 

I fell asleep while watching the Nextel Cup race at Lowes Motor Speedway Saturday.  When I woke up and went to the computer to find that Jeff Gordon had won - again - I sure wasn’t surprised. 

I had managed to stay awake long enough to see the unsurprising dominance of the early race by Jimmy Johnson spin away.  Johnson managed to salvage a decent finish from near disaster and those are the kinds of things that lead to championships.  Johnson can’t afford to let his team-mate get much farther ahead, so a battle at the Martinsville paperclip is up for the weekend.

Clint Bowyer is hangin’ in there, but he needs to win a couple more races if he plans on winning the Cup.  Tony Stewart had a good run in the Home Depot Chevy but at almost 200 points behind the leader the fat lady is tunin’ up for the aria.

Martinsville could be as much of a wild card as Talladega when it comes to potential points catastrophe.  While you wait for it, try these fast, flat corners.   

1)  Was Tony just being Tony, or are non-Chase drivers “weapons” to be dealt with?

2) Dale Jarrett will retire after running 5 races in 2008.  Is that his farewell tour, or further abuse of the past champion’s provisional rule?

3) Was NASCAR so desperate for a sponsor to take over the Busch Series that they sold out their first insurance company sponsor–Geico (and Loren/Warren/Lauren Wallace)?

4) Will Jimmy or Clint catch Jeffy?

There you go - have at them.  We want your input for the Fast Lap segment ON PIT ROW this week.  Come on, join the debate.

 

NASCAR held a restrictor plate race in Alabama Sunday.  It looked more like an short track bicycle race from the Olympic games though.  Lap after lap of sand-bagging boredom finished off with a dash for the cash at the end.

Jeff Gordon got himself career win number eighty and the lead in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.  The Toyota teams blasted their way into the race in qualifying and were competitive all day.  Nice job by Dave Blaney to grab the first non-Hendrick spot in third place. 

The DEI/RCR engine program took a hit with at least three and probably four bad motors out of the six that they fielded.  Three of those four used to be Chase contenders, too.  Used to be, but not no mo’.

The Chase comes down to Gordon and Johnson - as it probably should - with a little Bowyer and a dash of Smoke for talking points.  Speaking of talking points, try these four, high banked Lowes Motor Speedway corners - and do it fast before Bruton Smith moves them on us.

1)  Was the finish good enough to offset the rest of the race at Talladega?

2) Did Villinueve do the right thing by giving up his sixth starting spot and moving to the back of the field?

3) They were racing 3-4 wide at the start–and at the end–what happened in the middle?

4) What is the fix for the poor visibility with the CoT?

This is the Fast Lap, brought to you every week by Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie, ON PIT ROW and the Thunder Lounge.  We want your opinions! I promise to respect you in the morning.

 

Two rain delays, a near record number of cautions, Chase drivers falling like the value of my 401K and a race called by darkness.  You may think that these cookie cutter tracks are all the same - but the races at them certainly are not.

For the second week in a row, Greg Biffle starred for Jack Roush.  Also on consecutive weeks, Matt Kenseth showed how close the difference is between dominance and disaster.  Both this week and last, Matt seemed to have the car to beat early on, only to reap a devastating result.  It looks like Kenseth’s chances at the Chase are toast.

In other NASCAR news, Tony Stewart swore (again) at ESPN.  So, what’s wrong with that? I do it every time Eric Kuselius opens his mouth. 

The Talladega Car of Tomorrow parade is next.  If all of the open wheel rookies that are entered actually get in this thing, we may find out why Champ Car races typically have only six or seven cars running at the checkered flag.

Expect much bumping and banging regardless.  If you want a prelude to the carnage, jump in for four Fast Laps of NASCAR debate, right here.

1)  Should the race have been restarted after the second rain delay?

2) Should Tony Stewart have been fined for his expletive on ESPN during practice?

3) Should NASCAR allow Jacques Villeneuve to attempt to race at Talladega?

4) Where is the “No-hope” line at now–150 points behind–175–or 200 behind Jimmy Johnson?

We’re looking for input - talking points for you politicos - for this week’s ON PIT ROW.  Join us. 

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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