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For a long time I thought the trips to Chicagoland for NASCAR races felt odd. You just don’t think of NASCAR when you think the Windy City. But I’ve changed my mind.  Stay with me now.

Chicago of the 1920′s was the home of one of the most notorious gangster-bootleggers of all time - Al Capone. I don’t know if any of Scarface’s drivers ever aspired to take their Duesenburgs and Packards to the race track or not. But not much more than a generation later, bootleggers of a different sort took to the tracks of the south just fine, thank you.  And Bill France built an empire from that.

I doubt that Capone’s guys could put the muscle on the Sprint Cup Series any stronger than Kyle Busch has so far in 2008. The season is officially half over, and the Race to the Chase is two races deep. Six wins in eighteen races is more than a trend. The Shrub is putting his stamp on this thing. Of course, Jeff Gordon did the same in 2007.  And Jimmy Johnson got hot in the Chase and took the Cup.  As Big Al may have said – it ain’t over ’til the shootin’ stops.

Here are this week’s Fast Lap questions, brought to you by the fine folks at ON PIT ROW and the all new BenchRacers home for wayward racing lovers. We hope you will check them both out, repeatedly.

1. Could NASCAR continue, as is, without involvement from the big three?

2. Was TNT’s “Wide Open Coverage” of the Coke Zero 400 distracting or a model for others to emulate?

3. What purpose does it serve NASCAR to impound all cars after qualifying, when only a few have to really qualify to get in the race?

4. What fate does NASCAR hold for the Martin Truex team after having their car confiscated for illegal roof height?

Limit your answers to 100 words or less. But remember also, to come back and comment on the opinions of others and be prepared to defend your own positions. This is the Fast Lap.  We are going to be using the best of the commentary here in a new feature ON PIT ROW.  We want your absolute best shot. Bring it on.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Scott Pruett wasn’t able to hold off a hard charging Kyle ” the Shrub ” Busch in the closing stages of the Corona Mexico 200, but at least this year he didn’t whine about it. 

Pruett finished third, passed by the “Australian Turtle” (man, I loved those old Busch Series commercials) , Marcos Ambrose.  Ambrose claimed he just needed a few more laps to run down Rowdy.   Yeah, and I only need a few hairs to be a bear.

It was Busch the Younger’s first road course win and third consecutive Nationwide Series win and he did it on the track – not ON PIT ROW.  Whew, I was tryin’ to figure out how to get that link in there.

Next weekend the Cupsters take to the high banks ofTalladega Super Speedway and a return there of the New Car.  Well, kind of a return.  The last time there it was called theCoT, among other less complimentary things.  Jimmy Johnsonsays ‘Dega is the perfect CoT/NC track. I guess we’ll see Sunday.  While awaiting that verdict, try on these fast, highly banked Fast Lap questions.

1.  Chevy has pulled the new Camaro (and, incidentally, the Corvette) from contention as bodies for NASCAR competition.  Does that kill the “Pony Car” Nationwide Series?

2.  Do you like the “foreign” trips the the Nationwide Series is making?

3.  Danica Patrick won an Indy Car race, finally.  Will NASCAR see a competitve female driver in the next 5 years?

4.  Jimmy Johnson says that Talladega is the “perfect” track for the New Car.  Is that a good thing?

This is the Fast Lap so remember you get 100 words or less to answer each of these debate topics.  But make sure you come back often to defend your positions and slam the hell out of every other idiot (yes Steve will be answering too) who gets it wrong.  We just might use your best stuff on the next ON PIT ROW radio type program.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Now the Hendricks Haters finally have something to focus on.  Jimmy Johnson and Chad Knaus fueled the field, doing just enough to win the Subway Fresh Fit 500 and grab the first win of 2008 for the outfit that many look upon as the evil empire.

Speaking of evil – the recently evil handling new car looked pretty racy to me Saturday night.  Three races and a few test sessions on the flat miler in the dessert paid dividends for drivers and fans of the Sprint Cup Series.  Now if NASCAR would just set up some additional tests on the intermediate tracks, we might see better racing on those as well.

This would be the perfect time for just such testing, with an idle weekend on the Sprint Cup schedule this week.  The Nationwiders are heading south – way south – to Mexico City and one of my favorite races to watch at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course.

While waiting for that action, and listening for private Sprint car testing news, try your digital hand at this week’s Fast Lap questions.  Four turns, some left, some right.  Put up your dukes, it’s debate time, ON PIT ROW style.

1.  Is the anticipation at the end of a fuel mileage race as exciting as door-to-door racing at the end of an event?

2.  Did FOX handle the overlapping baseball and racing coverage adequately?

3.  Was NASCAR’s scheduled start time for the race at Phoenix too late?

4.  Mark Martin said his crew chief didn’t know how much fuel  he had saved during the end of the race.  Should Martin have over-ridden the call from the pits to come and get fuel?

We look for the best Fast Lap comments to be used on a future broadcast of ON PIT ROW.  Give it your best shot and you might just get a guest shot on the show, which can be heard online live right here on  Tuesdays from 5-7 pm EDT and on re-broadcast at Race Talk Radio Thursday nights at 7 pm.

Remember the rules – comments are limited to 100 words or less, but there is no limit on attacking other commenters.  Just be nice – like Jimmy Johnson. 

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.

Well, that sure was fun. Didn’t NASCAR dump Rockingham because of the bad February weather? Once the track at the Auto Club 500 got sufficiently wrung out the racing was decent and Jack Roush’s charges showed that 2007 is in the rear view mirror. The Fords will be there to challenge for the Chase and the Sprint Cup.

Matt Kenseth finished a solid 4th, Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray hung around up front for most of the race. Even Travis Kvapil showed some strength before falling to mechanical problems in the Yates Racing #28.

But the Fusion that relentlessly ran down the front running Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon was the #99 of Carl Edwards. According to Mr. Excitement, Jimmy Spencer ON PIT ROW tonight, Carl had been the favorite of nearly everyone in the garages all weekend.

The NASCAR caravan is headed to the mile and a half Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the first race for the new car on one of NASCAR’s best tracks. While you wait for a hopefully on-time start to Sunday’s big race, give these four variably banked Fast Lap questions your best shot.

1. In the interest of safety, should NASCAR stop drivers from climbing fences and doing back flips off of cars?

2. Would you have picked Kyle Busch to be leading the points after two races?

3. Did NASCAR handle the rain delays at California properly?

4. Will/should Bobby Labonte move to Richard Childress Racing in 2009?

Go high or go low, but remember to limit your answers to 100 words. This is The Fast Lap and we have big plans for some of the best comments here. Stop back often during the week to defend your position and trade some paint with commenters who don’t necessarily agree with your line through turn two.

Photo credit: Jeff Gross – Getty Images

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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