Next stop on the Nextel Cup Schedule is Infineon RacewayNext week, the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams head west to the golden state of California to race in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. Infineon Raceway is one of two road courses on the NASCAR
Nextel Cup circuit that adds another dimension to an already challenging schedule. NASCAR is the only American series that offers up super speedway, short track, and road course racing.
The grueling 1.99 mile road course of Infineon is a challenge to both drivers and cars alike. The track offers up 12 turns and varying elevation changes. Often times, even the most skilled road-course drivers suffer setbacks due to transmission or other mechanical failures. Expect to see drivers lose gears as they down and up shift their 3000lb, 850 horsepower rockets around the track.
Next week at Infineon, if his wife is not in the middle of labor, expect Jeff Gordon to race well. Gordon has an average finish of 8th at Infineon and is NASCAR's all-time wins leader at road course events.
Other drivers to note:
Ryan NewmanM - Average Finish 8th
Tony Stewart - Average Finish 11th
Denny Hamlin - Average Finish 12th
Jamie McMurray - Average Finish 13th
Next Week's Schedule:
Nextel Cup: @ Infineon Raceway (all times in PST; coverage on TNT)
6/22/07 - 04:05pm NASCAR Nextel Cup Toyota/Save Mart 350 Qualifying
6/23/07 - 12:20pm NASCAR Nextel Cup Toyota/Save Mart 350 Practice
6/24/07 - 02:00pm NASCAR Nextel Toyota/Save Mart 350
Busch Series: @ The Milwaukee Mile (all times in Central; coverage on Speed)
6/23/07 - 11:00am NASCAR Busch Series AT&T 250 Practice
6/23/07 - 04:35pm NASCAR Busch Series AT&T 250 Qualifying
6/23/07 - 07:30pm NASCAR Busch Series AT&T 250
Craftsman Truck Series: @ The Milwaukee Mile (all times in Central; coverage on Speed)
6/22/07 - 01:00pm NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series TOYOTA TUNDRA MILWAUKEE 200 Practice
6/22/07 - 05:30pm NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series TOYOTA TUNDRA MILWAUKEE 200 Qualifying
6/22/07 - 08:00pm NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series TOYOTA TUNDRA MILWAUKEE 200 See complete 2007 NASCAR Schedule DEI is on Fire!Despite the turmoil raging on the outside, evidently things have been running smooth at DEI on the inside. In the last 3 races, driver Martin Truex Jr has finished in the top 3 including a win at Dover 2 weeks ago. The recent string of top finishes now has Truex 10th in points and a legitimate qualifier for the Chase for the Championship.
Truex's teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr, has also been on the upswing. After announcing his plans earlier in the week to race for Hendrick Motorsports over the next 5 years, the short-timer finished captured his first top-5 finish of the year at Michigan. The 5th place finish at Michigan now has Jr 12th in points and the last qualifier for the Chase for the Championship.
Is it possible? Could Dale Earnhardt Inc rebound from what has been a year (or years as some would say) of turmoil marked by poor finishes and it's top driver's announcement to leave? If you were to start the Chase today, then the answer is yes. Both of DEI's drivers would currently qualify for the Chase and have a shot for the championship.
However, we are not even halfway through the 2007 season and there are many miles yet to be raced. Only time will tell if DEI can legitimately contend. Shop for Dale Earnhardt Jr merchandise Michael Waltrip Completes 2nd Race of the SeasonAfter spending much of Father's Day on the road, I returned home to catch the closing laps of the Citizen's Bank 400. At first, I thought Michael Waltrip must have finally gave in and let older brother Darrell drive in his place when I saw the #55 Napa car fly by. But then the scrolling leader board at the top of the television screen confirmed it was indeed Michael.
I was a bit confused because I thought having Sunday's off was one of the benefits of working at Michael Waltrip Racing (bad joke, I know!). I don't hold any animosity towards any driver or team, and I especially have tons of respect for teams that are owned and operated by their drivers.
The #55 team and Michael Waltrip Racing as a whole must have felt incredible after their driver and owner crossed the start finish line in 10th place. But I still have problems understanding how a team loaded with some of the best sponsors in NASCAR can finish in 10th place yet fail to qualify for the previous 13 races! Shop NASCAR merchandise Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway RecapIf you find the gymnastics sessions in the summer Olympics appealing and you crave speed, then you'll love Carl Edwards. Yesterday, Carl won the Citizen's Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway and back-flipped his way into victory lane and ended a drought that spanned 52 races dating back to his last win at Texas in November of 2005.
A lot of things came easy for Edwards then in what was his rookie season. Since then, the #99 team has suffered setbacks including a shuffling a crew chiefs amongst teams at Roush Racing. This year, Carl has been re-united with crew chief Bob Osbourne and the team now sits 6th in points.
The win was just the second for a Ford team in the 2007 season, and broke the 13 race winning streak held by Chevrolet. Perhaps Carl's win was somewhat attributable to the fact that no Chevy car has set its wheels in victory lane since 2001.
Other drivers to note:
Martin Truex Jr finished in 2nd place making this his 3rd consecutive top 3 finish. The DEI owned team now sits 10th in points.
Jeff Gordon finished in 10th position and still has a huge 264 point lead on over second place. Gordon will need every bit of that lead if he ends up missing a race for the birth of his daughter.
Denny Hamlin was the big benefactor when Jimmie Johnson ran out of gas late in the race. While Hamlin only finished in 14th place, it was enough to boost him to 2nd in points.
Jimmie Johnson gambled and lost on fuel strategy. Late in the race the #48 team ran out of gas after running in the top 5 for most of the day. Johnson finished in 19th place and now sits 3rd in points.
Dale Earnhardt
Jr put in one of his top finishes of the season after announcing his plans to race for Hendrick Motorsports over the next 5 years. The fan favorite finished in 5th position and is just barely hanging on to 12th position in points. If he stays in the top 12, he will make the Chase. See complete 2007 NASCAR Schedule
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