I am not sure how he managed to pull it off, but Tony Stewart finished in second place this weekend at Pocono behind Carl Edwards.
Edwards and Jimmie Johnson had dominated the race all day, so to see Stewart at the front was a surprise. Another surprise was that Stewart’s teammate Kyle Busch finished the race so poorly.
Apparently, that team was trying some new stuff on the car and ran really well until the last lap when Busch sped into the pits and stalled his car while trying to leave. He got a penalty for his entry, which cost him a lap, and he was relegated to 36th position. Did I mention that he came into the pits in fifth place?
The blunder cost the Sprint Cup Championship leader a ton of points over second-place contender Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Honestly, while the racing was OK at Pocono this past weekend, I really enjoyed watching the Nationwide Series race from Canada. The rain tires were awesome, and it added a dimension to the sport that has only once before been seen. Would I want to see the guys run in the rain every week? No. But that would be impractical anyway. The fact that NASCAR actually allowed it to happen was a shock. Overall, I think it was an excellent experiment for the Nationwide guys. But don’t go expecting to see rain tires in the Sprint Cup garage this weekend at Watkin’s Glen.
As the top series heads to the final road course event of the season, NASCAR has already said that racing in the rain is only a consideration for the Nationwide Series.
Oh, yeah. Say adios to Mexico. After this year’s dismal attendance and the extreme cost associated with taking the Nationwide Series teams to Mexico, NASCAR is saying hasta-la-bye-bye to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Honestly, I think it had something to do with the professionals at NASCAR being outnumbered by the professionals at the host hotels. You figure it out.
So, what do we expect this weekend? Well, if there is rain expect the race to be run on Monday or Tuesday.
Oh, yeah. Since it is a road coarse you can also expect to see some less-than-familiar names behind the wheel. Ron Fellows will drive the No. 01 DEI car — Regan Smith will jump to the No. 81 and continue his quest for the Rookie of the Year title. J.J. Yeley will sit out of the No. 96 Toyota this weekend as P.J. Jones takes over the wheel. Brian Simo will pilot the No. 34 machine for Front Row Motorsports. Max Papis will drive the No. 70 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet and Boris Said will be in the Mark Simo-owned Ford.
I am hearing that Ryan Newman is the shoo-in to race with Stewart at the newly created Stewart-Haas Racing next season. There has been much speculation about who would be Tony’s teammate and Newman was always at the top of that list. Now, rumors are starting to spread that it is a done deal. I think Newman and Stewart would make a great team. The fact that Stewart is the most recent past champion’s provisional helps him make the first six races. Add to that the ability of Newman to get his car on the pole more than any other driver and you have a pretty good shot of getting both Stewart-Haas cars in the race.
In case you missed it last week’s big story was Goodyear’ screw-up at Indianapolis. Well, a week after providing NASCAR teams with the worst tires imaginable for one of the biggest races of the year, the company is promising to do better. Goodyear released a laundry list of things that it will do in the future to ensure that tires are safe and provide for good racing, but will they live up to it? I mean, think about it. How many times have we heard this in the past?
At least once a year Goodyear’s race tires suck. They affect the outcome of the race and, in some cases, put the drivers in harm’s way. That was certainly the case at Indianapolis, where NASCAR had to throw a caution flag every 12 laps to keep drivers from blowing tires. This should be a no-brainer. It is time for Goodyear to put up or shut up. If they can’t provide a tire that can handle the racing action, then they need to get out of the sport. I am a big proponent of buying from companies that sponsor NASCAR, but my car doesn’t have Goodyear tires on it. Does yours? If they can’t get it right for guys whose lives depend on having the ultimate in quality and safety, what makes anyone think that their street tires are any better? When Goodyear proves that it can go an entire season without a tire issue, then maybe they will sell an extra set of Eagles.
That’s it for this week. If you like road course action then definitely watch this week’s race from Watkin’s Glen. And check www.kickinthetires.net for updates all weekend.
