Racing Roundup February 23 - 25

Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud : Auto Club 500

The Key Moment: Carl Edwards took the green flag third on the final restart behind Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. He made quick work of Gordon, then set sail after Johnson, finally overtaking the No. 48 car with thirteen laps to go. From that point forward, Edwards took off into the sunset on cruise control.

In a Nutshell: Waiting that long for a race that bad isn’t going to improve fans’ moods any.

Dramatic Moment: When Johnson leapt out to a big lead on that final restart, there was some question as to whether Edwards had time enough to catch him. He did.

What They’ll Be Talking About Around the Water Cooler This Week

Why was the race allowed to start with water still seeping up through the track, dirt all over the place, and oil dry kicking up in thick clouds? (Thanks, Michael Waltrip!) Yes, the network and fans wanted to get the race in — but safety has to be an overriding priority. Brian France said prior to this season that the post-race discussion would be about the racing, not the off-track issues. Yeah, good luck getting around that this week. Despite NASCAR’s assurances (parroted by FOX) that the drivers all said the track was ready to go prior to the abortive first attempt at racing, Kevin Harvick and several others broke the party line and said they protested the track was still wet before the green flag dropped.

Honestly, I don’t know who made the call to try to restart the race at 2 AM ET. But whoever it was, nobody has stubbornly ignored more disaster since Pharaoh refused to let Moses and his people go despite a plethora of plagues.

Amount of time Jimmie Johnson’s wife got to spend with Tom Cruise : Two Days. Amount of aggravation holding a rain-delayed race at California instead of Rockingham caused fans : Two Years’ Worth … at least.

For the record, the weather in Rockingham, NC Sunday (where the second race of the season used to be held) was partly cloudy, topping out at a high of 51 degrees with no precipitation. However, it’s doubtful that Tom Cruise would have showed up in the Carolinas to try to convert Gordon and Johnson to Scientology.

FOX couldn’t wait to announce that ratings for all the Speedweeks events at Daytona were up slightly. Well, I can’t wait to see this week’s ratings. My guess is half the TV sets on the East Coast that tuned in when racing resumed were triggered by restive housecats accidentally treading on the remote.

I’m not sure where all that side-by-side racing was that the FOX team claimed was taking place this weekend — unless it was the drivers in their golf carts trying to get back to the motor coach lot around 11:00 PM PST last night. To me, the racing looked fairly similar as with the “old model.” Jeff Gordon’s Chevy was dominant when he led the race; but once that car got behind, the No. 24 couldn’t pass hardly at all when mired in traffic. That sounds remarkably like the same old story to me; the car up front always seemed to have the advantage, while the ones behind the leader struggled with grip on the front end. The only exception would come with a dominant car like Edwards, who could drop by a ways and make a hasty pass at a track as wide as California with clean air on the nose.

Bottom line, passing was at a premium once again at this two-mile facility. When the cars were on fresh tires, there was the usual wild scrambling just after the restarts — but then the field got strung out. If this is the sort of racing we’re going to see in 2008, it’s going to be a long season.

Does it seem that Tony Stewart is going out of his way not to mention his car is a “Toyota” the first few weeks of this season? It’s the “Home Depot Car” or “my car;” but if he’s used the word Toyota yet during a TV interview after or during a race… I’ve missed it.

Matt’s new friend.

The whole Robby Gordon penalty issued after the Daytona 500 has me scratching my head. On one level, it does seem like an honest mistake. Gordon switched from Ford to Dodge at the last moment prior to the season, so perhaps some bumbling warehouse worker with a rush order did indeed send the team the wrong nose. Either way, since the error was caught prior to any competitive racing, I can’t see any advantage gained, so perhaps a 100-point, 100,000 buck penalty is a little over the top. (In comparison, that’s the same penalty the No. 55 team got last year for doctoring their fuel, which was clearly an attempt to gain a competitive advantage post-inspection). I never thought I’d be in the position of defending Robby Gordon; but hey, this time send me the petition and I’ll sign it.

But here’s what’s really got me confused. With the new “Car of Tomorrow” bodywork, aren’t all the noses on all four makes supposed to be the exact same? If that’s the case, why then would Dodge be developing a new nose for 2008 — a nose said to be submitted to NASCAR for approval? What was the issue, an unapproved set of headlight decals? I don’t get it. And Robby might be playing the violin a little too loud saying that the penalty endangers the future of his team. Here’s an easy fix, Rob; go to that Gillett dude and tell him you need another few zillion bucks. In the end, he may need to, for my guess is that the appeals board will rule against Gordon; and when it does, they might recall his bizarre and violent behavior after taking out Marcos Ambrose in the Montreal Busch Series race last August.

Rain at a race track is never pleasant; but as long as races are held out of doors, there’s no preventing the occasional bout of lousy weather. Over the years, NASCAR has spent a lot of time and talent trying to perfect ways to dry race tracks, if even a small window of opportunity presents itself. Unfortunately, at the race track formerly known as the California Speedway a real challenge did present itself. While track drying efforts were monumental on Friday, the track officials’ best efforts were hampered by what’s known as “weepers,” cracks in the track that allow water to rise up from the ground below onto the racing surface. NASCAR could park a jet dryer aimed right at one of those weepers; but given water’s inherent ability to find the path of least resistance, their drying was all in vain. The last race track to feature such weepers was Texas way back in 1998; and after that problem became clear, an incensed Bill France told track owner Bruton Smith to fix the track or risk losing his race date. Well, considering that precedent it ought to be interesting to see what NASCAR tells the ISC to do with their own track — an order which amounts to the France family talking to themselves.

The “Car of Tomorrow” is admittedly a work in progress, but some new issues seem to arrive each time those ugly mutts of race cars are trotted out. It seems that each car must be rebodied or at least heavily tweaked after each event, because the normal flexing of the chassis during a race distorts the cars’ bodies to the point they will no longer meet the stringent templates applied to them before each race. And while the less aerodynamic bodies were supposed to slow the cars down, testing at Fontana and Vegas saw several drivers able to flatfoot it around the track. That resulted in speeds peaking at or over 210 MPH Monday down the front straightaway; that’s ten miles per hour higher than the figure NASCAR has told us they’ll allow a car to go airborne in a wreck. Whoops; now, I’m having nightmares of restrictor plates being required at any track longer than a half mile in length by season’s end.

You have to wonder if right about now the folks at Nationwide — the new title sponsor of NASCAR’s AAA level product formerly known as the Busch Series — are wondering what they bought into. The track set to host the second race of the Nationwide Series announced this week they’ve sold naming rights to the joint, creating the Auto Club of Southern California Speedway. Now, those dear friends at the Auto Club would like to sell race fans on… well, um, car insurance. And for the record Allstate, another provider of auto insurance, is the “Official Insurance Company of NASCAR.” That’s not including Geico, either, who is one of the leading advertisers during FOX race broadcasts. But then again, that’s the NASCAR way; take money from ‘em all, and let them sort it out later amongst themselves.

If they call Las Vegas “Glitter Gulch,” maybe they ought to call Fontana “Litter Gulch.”

Is there something peculiar to the Toyotas that makes them more susceptible to overheating than the other makes when the grilles get blocked?

You just know when it rains in California, a lot of folks are suddenly going to remember the “groovy” AM radio hit “It Never Rains in Southern California.” But a bar full of my fellow imbibers was unable to recall the artist who sang that lame little ditty so I looked it up… it’s Albert Hammond. He’s got no known relationship to Jeff Hammond, in case you’re wondering — but both are equally annoying nonetheless.

Honest to God, one more word about that stupid gopher cam in the pre-race show and I was would have launched a size nine-and-a-half workboot through the TV screen!

This week’s warning from Darrell Waltrip’s sponsor Just For Men hair coloring: Warning: Continued use may make your head look like a Chia Pet.

The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was simply along for the ride when his teammate Casey Mears hit a slick spot, caromed off the wall and slammed into the side of the No. 88. Earnhardt had some rather pointed words for NASCAR after that wreck; for a moment there, he almost sounded like his old man.

Before the Junior/Mears incident, Denny Hamlin was the first driver to provide graphic documentation that cars with slick tires shouldn’t race on wet race tracks.

Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman led this race briefly and was still running second when his car lost control enough to slap the outside wall.

Michael Waltrip had an engine oil line come loose prior to the green flag on Sunday night, then backed his car into the wall on Monday as he matched the ineptitude of his “Not Ready For Prime Time Players” squad during their second season of competition.

DJ’s retirement tour is going about as well as DW’s.

The “Seven Come Fore Eleven” Award For Fine Fortune

Jeff Gordon had the engine in his Chevy expire just as the yellow flag flew on the final lap of the race; still able to coast it home, he finished third.

Matt Kenseth was forced to the pits early in the race with a car that was overheating due to trash on the grille. He lost a lap in the process, and with the amount of water the car spit out, it seemed unlikely the engine would survive 500 miles. But the parts and pieces endured, and Kenseth staged a furious comeback to finish fifth in the race.

After an agonizing Daytona 500, it had to feel good for Ford and Jack Roush to score a dominant win at Fontana. Roush watched all four of his five cars finish inside the Top 15.

After a frustrating 2007 season, an eleventh place finish was a second straight solid run to start 2008 for Brian Vickers and Team Red Bull.

Nobody wants to end up wrecked forty miles into a 500-mile race, but both Casey Mears and Sam Hornish, Jr. were lucky to walk away from the tail end of Mears’ violent wreck. Hornish slammed the outside wall, was unable to stop, and pushed hard into the still spinning car of Mears, causing the No. 5 car to overturn while Hornish’s engine caught fire.

Worth Noting

* Edwards’ win was the fourth consecutive Fontana spring race triumph for Jack Roush (Greg Biffle won in 2005, followed by Matt Kenseth in 2006 and ’07).

* The Top 10 finishers competed in two Fords, four Chevys, two Dodges, and a pair of Toyotas.

* Regan Smith’s 31st place finish was the best by a Rookie Of The Year candidate at Fontana.

* Edwards won for the first time since Dover last Fall.

* Jeff Gordon has Top 10 finishes in nine of the last ten Cup points races dating back to last year.

* Kyle Busch hasn’t finished outside the Top 5 in any of the six points-paying races he’s completed in NASCAR’s top three touring series this season. He’s currently leading the Cup and Truck Series points, and he’s ten points behind teammate Tony Stewart in the Nationwide Series for that title, as well.

* Last September at Fontana, Johnson and Edwards also finished 1-2 — but in that race, it was Johnson who took the victory.

Overall Rating (On a scale of one to six beer cans, with one being a stinker and a six pack an instant classic): We’ll give this one cup of watery Amstel Light — which is pretty much water to begin with.

Next Up: It’s off to Lost Wages, a town whose nickname seems to be a pretty good summary of what’s going on with both the team owners and the New Cars these days.

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Nationwide Breakdown: Stater Brothers 300

In a Nutshell: The Nationwide Series played second fiddle to the Cup series on Monday afternoon, starting their race an hour after the big boys took the checkered flag. That meant that 12 drivers were running almost 700 miles thanks to the delay of the Cup race and the postponement of the Nationwide race. However, it didn’t make much difference to Tony Stewart, who ran away with much of the event.

Stewart started the race on the outside of the front row because qualifying was rained out and led the first 23 laps before relinquishing the lead to Morgan Shepherd. Yes, Morgan Shepherd. OK, it was on pit stops; but still, Morgan led a lap before he parked his car for the day. From that point on, Stewart regained the lead and wasn’t headed except for pit stops. Kyle Busch looked like he might have had a shot at Stewart before the end of the race, but it was not meant to be as whenever Busch would get close, Stewart would just pull away again.

Stewart’s team did not make an adjustment of any substance the entire day, and he was quoted after the race that his car was the absolute worst at the end — but he still took the checkered flag with a substantial lead. Busch was second to the line, followed by Kevin Harvick, David Reutimann and Carl Edwards to round out the Top 5 finishers. Jamie McMurray, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Stephen Leicht wound up in positions six through ten.

Who Should Have Won: Tony Stewart. Simply put, Stewart was the class of the field all day long. There are times when a driver steals a win or takes advantage of some development to get to Victory Lane; but that was not the case this week, as Stewart led the first lap and all but 14 the entire race. No one else led more than three laps in the event and those were all during the exchanges of pit stops, as Stewart was never passed on the track for the lead.

Worth Noting:

Stephen Leicht deserves a round of applause for his effort in the No. 21 car for Richard Childress Racing. Yes, that is a quality ride that has run quite well in the Nationwide Series for years, but right now they are searching for a sponsor, and Leicht is only in the car for two races. Leicht was smooth and consistent all day, though, and probably would have passed his teammate Clint Bowyer if he had had another three or four laps at the end of the race.

Morgan Shepherd actually led a lap during the race this week. Yes it was under caution while the rest of the field pitted, but the King of Start and Park actually completed 25 laps and finished ahead of five other drivers this race. The man deserves a shout out for making the trip all of the way to California and actually sticking it out until the first caution — perhaps by April, Morgan’s team will stick around long enough to run a whole race.

42 cars took the green flag on Monday, which is not a full field, and yet the race was still entertaining. There were no less than eight start and park drivers in the field, so the true competitive field was more like 34 cars; but, the fans got to see the same racing and Stewart would have dominated if there were 42 or 420 cars on the track.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. actually ran a Nationwide race on an intermediate track not located in Charlotte this week and put in a very respectable seventh place showing. After having to run around all day 41 laps down in the Cup race it was probably enjoyable to compete somewhat in the Nationwide race.

Better Luck Next Time:

Kyle Busch had hoped to be the first driver to lead the point standings in all three major NASCAR series simultaneously leaving California, but Tony Stewart spoiled that by obliterating the field for the second race in a row. Eventually, Busch will probably take over the lead since Stewart is not running the whole series — but the way Stewart is running now, as long as he’s in the race, its not going to happen.

Larry Gunselman (vibration), Scott Lynch (brakes), Mike Harmon (handling), and Brad Baker (rear end) all failed to complete 10 laps in the race. It is rather amazing that a car entered into a major national racing series could actually have brake trouble within five laps on a track where drivers are basically flat out for the majority of the time, but they were able to take home just over $22,000 — not too shabbyb.

Brad Keselowski was running well during the race and staying competitive with everyone besides Stewart and Busch when his transmission had an issue on a restart on lap 110. His engine expired when it over revved when the tranny broke, ending his day forty laps from the finish. His boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr., did not sound pleased when interviewed after the race about his car’s parts failure.

Underdog Performer of the Race:

Jason Keller might not be an underdog in some people’s books when he has the most starts in the history of the series, but he is running for a stand lone Nationwide team and had to overcome a 32nd place starting position. Keller finished the race in 14th and on the lead lap.

“Ambulance Chaser” Watch:

* 12 Cup regulars made the trek across the country and started the race in California.
* 29 of the 86 starting spots for the year have gone to Cup drivers.
* 9 Cup drivers finished in the Top 10 of the Stater Brothers 300.
* 2 of 2 races have been won by Cup regulars.
* 8 of the Top 10 in Nationwide Series point are Cup drivers.

Quotable:
“This car was really good in the little practice we got Saturday morning. To lead 130-some laps of a 150-lap race is pretty impressive. We got lucky there at Daytona, but this is just one of those days that you can count on your fingers and toes — having a car this good all day.” Tony Stewart on his dominant car

“Tony was pretty much in a league of his own for some reason. I got two second-places to the guy who won the first two races, so what else can you do? I’m happy with it. We’ll go on to Las Vegas [for Saturday’s Sam’s Town 300], and, hopefully, I can have another good run.” Kyle Busch after being waxed for the second week in a row

Next Up:
The Nationwide Series stays out west and goes racing in the desert on Saturday, March 1st for the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The action will be aired at 4:00 PM Eastern time on ESPN2 and 4:30 on MRN radio

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RacingOne Rewind: California

A look back at Carl Edwards' eighth career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in Monday's rain-delayed Auto Club 500 at the Auto Club Speedway, including news, notes and observations from the RacingOne staff.

Inside Line
Carl Edwards passed Jimmie Johnson with 13 laps to go to win the rain-delayed Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway.

Key to Victory Lane
Johnson took the lead coming off pit road during a late caution but Edwards was able to run him down and score the fourth straight Auto Club 500 victory for Roush Fenway Racing.

Zero to Hero
Brian Vickers was able to wheel his Toyota to an 11th-place finish from a 39th-starting position to post his third-straight finish of 11th or higher at the Auto Club Speedway.

Hero to Zero
Any of the four drivers that crashed during Sunday's laps run - Dale Earnhardt Jr., Casey Mears, Denny Hamlin and Sam Hornish Jr. - could fit this bill as they all started within the top 15. Most possibly those who suffered the worst were the two Hendrick teammates of Mears and Earnhardt Jr. as they watched teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon finish second and third.

Rookie of the Race
Not a good weekend for the freshman class with Regan Smith's 31st-place finish the best of the bunch in Fontana.

Notables
Brian Vickers started 39th and drove the Red Bull Toyota home 11th. Kurt Busch started near the rear of the field for the second straight week and came from 36th to end up 13th. And Mark Martin's 700th career Sprint Cup start ended in a 16th-place finish.

Auto Club 500 Loop Data Leaders

Average Running Position: Jimmie Johnson - 2.4

Fastest Early In a Run: Jimmie Johnson - 177.095 mph

Fastest Late In a Run: Carl Edwards - 171.679 mph

Fastest Laps Run: Carl Edwards - 72

Fastest on Restarts: Jeff Gordon - 176.568 mph

Most Passes During Green Flag Conditions: Robby Gordon - 52

Pit Stops

Edwards captured his eighth career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in his 123rd start. Detailed Active Driver Wins

Edwards won the 103rd race for car owner Jack Roush. Detailed Active Car Owner Wins

Edwards became the second driver to win at California from the ninth starting-position. He also became the 61st driver overall to win a race from that starting place. Starting Position Facts

The Auto Club 500 saw 33 lead changes, with Edwards leading a total of 64 laps. Johnson led the most laps for a total of 76 laps. Lap Summary

This was the 584th overall win for the Ford. All-Time Manufacturer Wins

Jimmie Johnson (second) posted his seventh top-five finish in 11 races at California.

Jeff Gordon (third) narrowly posted his eighth top-five finish at the Auto Club Speedway in 16 starts after suffering an engine failure on the white flag lap.

On the strength of his fourth-place finish, Kyle Busch now leads the point standings by six points over Ryan Newman.

Matt Kenseth leads all drivers with nine top-10 finishes at Auto Club Speedway, including his fifth-place finish Monday.

Martin Truex Jr. posted his second straight sixth-place finish at Fontana, a career best for the young DEI driver at the track.

Tony Stewart's seventh-place finish was his best finish at the track in this race since the series began racing twice a year at California in 2004.

Kevin Harvick's eighth-place finish was his best at Fontana since a sixth-place finish in the race in 2005.

Kasey Kahne's ninth-place finish was his sixth top 10 at ACS.

Ryan Newman posted his 100th career top-10 result in Cup competition with his 10th-place finish at California.

The Auto Club 500 saw 11 cautions for a total of 43 laps.

The Auto Club 500 lasted three hours, 46 minutes and four seconds, not counting the rain delay.

Lug Nuts

Not much to laugh at about this weird weekend - except Brad Garrett's plea to find a missing two-year-old in Kyle Busch's left ear. Wow.

You think Dario Franchitti isn't wishing the open wheel war ended last year at this time?

Rick Hendrick was reunited with Cole Trickle this weekend as Tom Cruise was a guest of the team.

Remember the cool weather because it will no doubt be 100 degrees plus when the series returns to Fontana on Labor Day weekend.

For those on the east coast raise your hand if you watched infomercials on FOX waiting for the race to start at 2 a.m.

Speaking of FOX enough with the name the Gopher contest. We know there was time to be killed, but even the drivers didn't care.

Lets hope we don't hear the word "Weepers" again!

Garage Talk

"We went to Bristol (for the first COT race) and we were 2,000 miles behind what they did in testing on non-sanctioned NASCAR tracks. That was my fault."- Jack Roush

"We could have had a 55-hour red flag and we were still going to go out there and race as hard as we can.”- Carl Edwards

"It was cool to race with the 24 (Gordon) and 48 (Johnson) like that -- we aren't teammates anymore, but still we respect each other. That was fun." - Fourth-place finisher Kyle Busch

"We need a little work right now, in all honesty. They had some problems earlier in the week (with the engines) and so they tamed them down for this week to make sure they would live and they did. I would rather make it live than take a chance on it being fast and not making it to the end here. " - Tony Stewart

RacingOne Rating
On a scale of one to ten umbrellas, we'll give this weekend's rain-plagued Auto Club 500 a five. You can't fight Mother Nature and unfortunately NASCAR's plans to do so weren't the best, so it all added up to a tough weekend for everyone. Let's hope that next weekend's trip to the desert can bring some dry racing conditions as the Sprint Cup Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Sunday's UAW-Dodge 400.

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