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Man, I love races at Martinsville.  I admit that it is often hard for me to maintain my focus for the three and a half hours of most Sprint Cup races.  But it never seems a problem at the little paper clip in Virginia.  Sunday was fun to watch.

I am a bit shocked that Jeff Gordon failed to win the thing.  Both he and Jimmy Johnson had to work back, through the pack, to the front.  The relentless way that they did so showed they ain’t as dead as the haters had hoped.

Nice comeback by Jamie McMurray and ditto for Casey Mears.  There were plenty of short track tempers shown and the carnage within the fleet was a joy to behold.  Too bad it’ll be so long before they go back again.

Next up is something completely different, as they use to say on Monte Python’s Flying Circus.  Heading down to the home of the Thunder Lounge at Texas Motor Speedway.  One of NASCAR’s fastest tracks will be a real change of pace for the cupsters.  Try out TMS with four highly banked Fast Lap questions and you might just be featured ON PIT ROW.

1.  Even without a win at Martinsville, is Hendrick Motorsports back?

2.  In retrospect, should Michael Waltrip Racing have handled the Dale Jarrett/David Reutimann owner’s points swap situation differently?

3.  With the awful weather conditions so far this year - is it time for NASCAR to look at wholesale schedule changes?

4.  Was NASCAR’s in-race penalty sufficient for Matt Kenseth’s retaliation towards David Gilliland or should they levy additional punishment? 

Go to the comments section and give us your best answers to our four Fast Lap questions but remember you are limited to 100 words or less for each.  Then remember to stop back throughout the week to defend yourself from the fender banging of your friends.  While here, feel free to bump draft fellow Fast Lappers too.  We use the best - and sometimes the worst - comments on the radio version of ON PIT ROW.  You can listen live on Tuesdays from 5-7 PM EDT at OnPitRow.com.

Photo credit - Icon Sports Media, Inc.

With Richard Childress Racing taking the top three spots at 2008’s first short tracker at Bristol, do you expect Chevy domination at legendary Martinsville Speedway this week? 

Maybe a better question is, can Jeff Burton actually string together multiple wins - something missing from his career so far - and put some kind of RCR stamp on the early Race to the Chase for the first Sprint Cup Championship?

Last year, the first Martinsville finish was a scene that turned ominous for non-Chevy, non-Hendrick competitors as Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon went one-two in a Car of Tomorrow tour du’force.  Can they do it again - at Martinsville or anywhere - in 2008?

 While we wait for the answer, bang fenders with your fellow internetters through the following flat, drag-strip connected Fast Laps and we might just put your opinions on  a future edition of ON PIT ROW.

1. Which Hendrick Motorsport driver will kick their “slump” quicker - Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon or Casey Mears?

2. Should Aric Almirola get more DEI seat time after his eighth place finish in the Food City 500?

3. Kyle Busch was the biggest positive surprise of the first five races.  Who will shine over the next six, leading to Charlotte?

4. Whose fortunes will turn downward before Memorial Day?

Go fast - you only have a hundred words to use - turn left and slap fenders with your playmates.  The Fast Lap blog is blogging’s version of short track racing.  Play rough.

Chevrolet is on the Sprint Cup board thanks to a last lap, Fast Lap by Jeff Burton at Bristol Motor Speedway.  Burton has been lurking in the Cup shadows.  Jeff never seems to dominate a Cup race, though he often stomps the Nationwide Series competition.  He won this one though and led a Childress phalanx of himself, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer to Chevy’s first win of 2008.

The early laps were a Toyota story with Tony Stewart leading the most and Denny Hamlin taking the sloppy seconds.  Those two couldn’t close the deal though - which is getting repetitive for all but Kyle Busch in the Toyota camp - as Stewart got bumped by Harvick and Hamlin had fuel pick-up problems at the end.

The Cupsters will take a break for Easter this week and we’ll have to find our Fast Laps elsewhere.  Nashvillle Super Speedway seems an OK place as the Nationwide Series camps out in the land of the Grand Ol’ Opry.  ‘Course if you are afflicted with insomnia, you could opt for the Formula One race in Malaysia.  Tune in at 2:30 am edt Sunday morning.

I have a Fast Lap option to help tide you over to the weekend.  Take these four fast ones flat out and maybe we’ll put you ON PIT ROW!

1.  The tire test at Darlington saw speeds over 200 mph. What should NASCAR do about that?

2.  Was Harvick getting into Stewart a “racing thing” or retaliation for a similar incident at Indy in 2007?

3.  Is Sam Hornish at his best with his back against the wall?

4.  Has Richard Childress Racing taken over as the number one Chevy team?

Four fast little gems to ponder and pontificate over. This is the Fast Lap - NASCAR debate in the digital world.  Wade on in and be prepared to defend your position  and counter-attack as you see fit.  Just remember, only 100 words or less, per comment.  ON PIT ROW speed limit strictly enforced.  Or not. 

The pump has been primed.  Kyle Busch won the Kobalt Tools 500 and grabbed the first win for Toyota in Sprint Cup Series competition.  That should have been the biggest story ON PIT ROW in Atlanta, but it wasn’t.

Like an old Paul Simon song, those New Cars were slip-slidin’ away, all day long and a cadre of drivers led by Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and  Dale Earnhardt Jr let loose on Goodyear for bringing an inadequate tire to the party.

Smoke didn’t complain - he attacked Goodyear and in the end did everything but blame the California weather on the Akron tire maker.  Tony was pretty hot for someone who actually finished second to his rowdy teammate, Kyle Busch.

On Monday, several drivers, current and former, stepped up to defend Goodyear.  Michael and Darrell Waltrip along with Ryan Newman praised Goodyear for erring on the side of safety with the Atlanta tire compound.  It seems kind of funny that Stewart and Gordon, the drivers most recently involved in hard crashes, would be the ones on the flip-side of that argument.

The first Bristol race of 2008 is on tap and it’s a near certainty that heads will be hot in the post-race pits on Sunday.  Goodyear could use the diversion of some hotly contested Fast Laps.  Let these four high-banked testers divert you for a few hundred words.

1.  Is Tony Stewart’s criticism of Goodyear justified?

2.  Now that Toyota has it’s first win, are Jack Roush’s worst fears set to come true?

3.  Was Kyle Busch the right guy to get Toyota’s first win?

4.  Was the #99 team of Carl Edwards, guilty of premeditated down-force addition?

Four Fast turns and you get 100 words or less to respond.  Of course, you can use as many words as you want to put your fellow commenters into the wall.  The Fast Lap blog is about NASCAR debate.  Bring your best and we may use it on our next show.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

The new car looked awfully squirrely at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday. The current tire package seemed to keep these cars right on the very edge “whoa Nellie” the whole day.

For the second straight week, Cousin’ Carl Edwards owned the last 100 miles or so and led a relative parade of Fords including teammate Greg Biffle and Yates Racing’s Travis Kvapil. Kvapil’s sponsor-less, all white #28 sure looks strange out there, but after two straight strong runs, the colors ought to start popping soon.

Two nasty, hard crashes by Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon were a reminder that auto racing is still dangerous business. The new car and safety equipment may have prevented tragedy.

There were other issues, in and around the actual race and Steve and I will be fighting about some of them ON PIT ROW this week. Check out these four high banked lefties and show us what you got in the comment section.

1. Did NASCAR make the proper call on the #99 team’s pit infraction?

2. Is it time for Team Red Bull to pull the plug on A J Allmendinger?

3. Should the Coca Cola 600 or the Indy 500 move back to Memorial Day, so more drivers could attempt “the double”, or is that all just a stunt?

4. How can NASCAR inspectors allow the #48, #88 and #17 teams to “fix” minor problems after the cars failed pre-qualifying inspections, then go through inspection again without penalty?

Remember, this is the Fast Lap and your comments are limited to 100 words or less. So be fast and be prepared to come back throughout the week to defend yourself. Some of your fellow commenters just may bump draft you a little hard. We’ll use the best - or worst - stuff on a future broadcast of ON PIT ROW.

Photo credit - Icon Sports Media, Inc.

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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