This Week in Auto Racing June 1 - June 3

This Week in Auto Racing June 1 - June 3
May 29th, 2007

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Though it can't compete with the drama of last Sunday, this weekend will still be an active one for racing fans.

NASCAR

Nextel Cup

Autism Speaks 400 - Dover International Speedway - Dover, DE

Another race, another victory for Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports. Through the first 12 events of 2007, Chevrolet owns 11 wins. More to the point, Hendrick Motorsports leads the way with nine of the 11 Chevy victories, while Kevin Harvick (Daytona) and Jeff Burton (Texas) have the other two.

Only Matt Kenseth's victory at California is keeping the "Bow-Tie" from a clean sweep.

Kenseth also happens to be the defending champion in the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway. He edged his Roush Fenway Ford teammate Jamie McMurray for the win.

With 20 laps to go, Harvick was leading McMurray but the No.29 Chevrolet was putting on heavy pressure. The side-by-side battle allowed Kenseth to catch up. Seven laps from the finish Kenseth made an inside pass of Harvick for second and with three laps to go went inside of McMurray in turn two for what was the winning pass.

A Ford-powered car has won this race the past three years. To be more specific, a Roush Ford has won the last three years - Kenseth in 2006, Greg Biffle in 2005 and Mark Martin in 2004.

So the concrete "Monster Mile" has been very good to Ford and Roush. But this is 2007 and the "Car of Tomorrow" is the bailiwick of Hendrick Motorsports.

Therefore, the question is can anyone find a way to compete with HMS?

They will have their work cut out for them at Dover. The COT test at Dover was cancelled earlier this month due to weather problems.

And Hendrick Motorsports is five-for-five with the COT. Kyle Busch won the first COT race and was followed by two Jimmie Johnson wins and two Jeff Gordon wins.

Gordon was cruising to a spot in the "Chase" until last week's unfortunate accident at Charlotte. Gordon is still the points leader, but his 231 point lead was chopped to 132 points after a 41st-place finish on Sunday.

After starting towards the back, Gordon was driving his No.24 DuPont Department of Defense Chevrolet up through the field when he was clipped by the No.96 of Tony Raines. The car went head first into the outside wall, only to be sent momentarily airborne by A.J. Allmendinger. The damage ended his evening far too early for his many fans.

"I tell you what, when the car is driving like that, you drive from 32nd to the top-five, the way we did, I was liking it," said Gordon of his car before the accident. "We have been having so many things go our way...This will be the one bad race."

Gordon is still in very good shape, although there is a chance he will have to miss a race due to the birth of his daughter (due on or about June 24). According to sources, Gordon has asked Mark Martin to drive the No.24 Chevrolet should he need to miss a race and after checking with Ginn Racing, Martin said yes.

Martin will fly to Sonoma, during a weekend when he was slated to be idle from racing. If Gordon doesn't require his services, Martin will remain on hand to coach Regan Smith.

Martin is scheduled to drive at Michigan the week before and at New Hampshire the week after and if needed Regan Smith would get in the No.01 and Martin would drive for Gordon at either location.

Should Gordon miss one race, he would still likely have a 500-point lead over the 12th-place driver in the standings (the last position to qualify for the 'Chase').

The race for the final spot in the "Chase" is warming up nicely.

McMurray currently holds the positions with 1320 points (-601) behind Gordon. But there is no margin for error. Just behind him is Dale Earnhardt Jr.(who is dealing with a 100-point penalty). "Junior" is just 13 points back. Also right in the heat of the battle for the final spot are J.J. Yeley (-59), Martin Truex Jr. (-88), Bobby Labonte (-89) and Ryan Newman (-106). And still on the edge of contention are Biffle, Elliott Sadler, David Stremme and Juan Montoya. All are less than 200 points out of the "Chase."

There are still 14 races to go in the "regular" season, but the playoff race should be very exciting this year.

Busch

Dover 200 - Dover International Speedway - Dover, DE

Edwards continues to pace the series without serious challenge. He owns a 423- point lead over Kevin Harvick and 592 over third place Dave Blaney. Edwards owns two wins and an amazing nine top-fives in 13 starts.

The most interesting name in the top-10 is Regan Smith who sits in a tie for fifth place 682 points behind Edwards.

The 23-year old Cato, NY native has performed well in his first year with Ginn Racing. After 84 starts and only one top-10, Smith has earned four top-10s in just 13 races this season.

Last week in Charlotte, Smith collected his second top-five. And he could have had more success except for "driver error" in Mexico City and Las Vegas.

"Mexico and Las Vegas were shoo-in top-10s, but driver error in one and an accident in the other ruined those racing days," said Smith on his team's website.

"Regan not only has an incredible amount of skill, but also a very strong work ethic," said crew chief Doug Randolph.

With Randolph's help and the coaching of NASCAR great Mark Martin, his co- part-time driver in the No.01 Ginn Racing Nextel Cup Chevrolet, Smith has been solid in both the Nextel Cup and the Busch Series.

"I know I have a lot to learn and that's why I listen intently when Mark speaks. Mark has been a huge help - he has taught me so many things that are making a difference on the track," said Smith. "Without his advice I am pretty sure I would not have had some of those top-10 finishes.

Smith finished all three Nextel Cup races on three very tough tracks (Bristol - 25th, Martinsville - 26th and Talladega 24th).

"I couldn't be in a better position at this stage of my career," said Smith.

With Ginn Racing and Hendrick horsepower, Smith should continue to improve as the season progresses. A top-five finish in the final standings is certainly with reach.

Craftsman

AAA Insurance 200 - Dover International Speedway - Dover, DE

Many people, including NASCAR drivers will tell you the most exciting racing takes place in the Craftsman Truck Series.

It is certainly the most competitive of NASCAR's three National series'. Carl Edwards is running away with the Busch Series and more than 500 points separates first-place Jeff Gordon from 10th-place Clint Bowyer.

But in the truck series, less than 375 points separates first from 10th. The series includes six former or current series champions.

"When the series first was going, you had (Jack) Sprague, (Mike) Skinner, (Ron) Hornaday and a couple other guys that pretty much dominated every week, but now you have 15 trucks that could win any week," said 2006 Craftsman Truck Series champion Todd Bodine.

Skinner, the 1995 champion, leads the series with five poles, three wins and seven top-10s. With all that, he is still just 121 points ahead of Hornaday Jr.

Hornaday Jr. is a two-time champion (1996, 1998) and has a win and six top-10s. He is the series' all-time leader with 30 wins.

In third place is Bodine. In 2006 Bodine collected three wins and 16 top-10s en route to the title. Though he has yet to win in 2007 he has six top-10s.

Behind Bodine is Ted Musgrave, the 2005 champion, sixth-place Sprague, the only three-time Craftsman Series champion and Travis Kvapil the 2003 champion.

Last week on the half-mile at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway it was Dennis Setzer edging Sprague for the victory. It required more than seven hours from green flag to checkered flag but Dennis Setzer and Spears Motorsports returned to Victory Lane for the first time since August 2005.

Now its on to the concrete "Monster Mile" in Delaware where Mark Martin will attempt to defend his 2006 win.

"Any fan would have a ball watching the race from the base of the track in the infield at Dover," said driver Terry Cook. "Watching the vehicles drive off into the corner there is breathtaking. That's the way it is from the driver's seat, too."

IndyCars

ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Indy 225 - Milwaukee Mile - West Allis, WI

Having just completed their most important race of the year at Indianapolis, the IndyCar Series continues on, though with much less fanfare. At Milwaukee they will race in front of 45,000 fans instead of 450,000 and first prize will be worth in the neighborhood of $125,000 instead of $1,645,233 for the "500."

But in the championship race, a win on the flat one-mile oval of Milwaukee is worth the same as Dario Franchitti's historic win at Indy.

Franchitti, a native of Edinburgh Scotland but a resident of Nashville, TN, led the race on three different occasions, but took the lead for good on lap 155 when his Andretti Green Racing teammate Tony Kanaan pitted for fuel. A multi-car accident brought out a caution flag on lap 163 and when rain began to fall on lap 165, Franchitti hydroplaned his way across the start/finish line for the victory.

The win brings Franchitti (181 points) to within three points of Scott Dixon (184), the series points leader. Dixon was the runner-up at Indianapolis. Between Dixon and Franchitti is Dixon's Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dan Wheldon just one point behind the leader. Helio Castroneves (-13), Kanaan (-33) and defending series champion Sam Hornish Jr. (-33) are all within striking distance.

Kanaan won last year's race at Milwaukee crossing the finish line a solid 1.8276-seconds ahead of Hornish Jr.

Under caution with 20 laps to go, Kanaan led Marco Andretti, Franchitti and Hornish Jr. On the first green flag lap, Hornish Jr. flew past Franchitti for third place and took aim on Andretti and Kanaan. Two laps later he gobbled up Andretti and was 1.6444 seconds behind Kanaan. But Kanaan wasn't about to let this one get away and managed to keep Hornish Jr. far enough away that he couldn't make a final passing attempt.

In three races at "The Mile." Kanaan has never finished worse than fourth. Even better is Hornish Jr. who has never finished worse than third including a win in 2005.