MotoX News

Tuesday

Chase Watch: Chasers take the top seven spots at New Hampshire

In the season's first race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the 12 Chase drivers all finished in the top 13. On Sunday, the second race of the Chase, the stranglehold at the front of the field loosened just a little bit.

This time, all 12 Chase drivers finished in the top 18, including in the first seven positions. However, six of those seven drivers at the front were the top six entering Sunday's race. And the drivers that finished in 17th and 18th were Greg Biffle and Martin Truex Jr., who were in 8th and 9th place after Chicago, respectively.

So that means the Chase right now is essentially divided into a top half and a bottom half. None of the bottom half are out of it by any stretch of the imagination, but if the drivers in that top half continue to clog the top 10, well, there won't be any room to make up any ground.

1. Jimmie Johnson 2096 points, (2nd place on Sunday): Johnson did exactly what he needed to do to blunt Hamlin's gain from Sunday's victory, finishing second and getting a lap led bonus point. He's at the top of the heap heading into Dover, where he's won four of the last seven races.

2. Brad Keselowski, 2095 points, (6th place): Yeah, Keselowski lost the points lead to Johnson, but crew chief Paul Wolfe's decision to take two tires on the team's final pit stop meant that the the team went from 10th to fourth after the stops cycled through. It's a decision that could loom large later in the year.

3. Denny Hamlin 2089 points, (1st place): With Sunday's win, Hamlin gained eight points and one spot in the standings on the points lead. Now, his next task is to maintain the gap between he and Johnson at Dover, where Hamlin's last three finishes are 16th, 18th and 19th.

4. Tony Stewart, 2086 points (7th place): After starting third, Smoke darted to the lead early, but faded to the back of the top 10 after the race's competition caution at lap 40. He crept back into the top 5 for a few brief moments and made up two spots after pitting during the race's final caution flag.

5. Kasey Kahne, 2081 points (5th place): Kahne finished a spot ahead of where he qualified and almost exactly where he ran most of the day. It was an appropriate result and enough to maintain his gap to first place.

6. Clint Bowyer, 2081 points (4th place): Rawhide's car went from too loose to too tight over the course of the race and felt he didn't have enough rear grip to contend for the win. But like Kahne, he hung around the top five all day and stayed tied with him.

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr, 2070 points (13th place): Junior ran around the back of the top 20 for most of the day and was close to going a lap down when two of the race's debris cautions came. Like Keselowski, Junior and Letarte took two tires on the final green flag, which gave Junior a couple spots of track position.

8. Kevin Harvick, 2065 points (11th place): Harvick was solidly around 10th for most of the day, typically a "good points day." However, it's notsomuch of one when you lose seven points to the points lead.

9. Biffle, 2063 points (18th place): Where were the Roush cars? Biffle wasn't a factor all day, though the racing that he had with Truex late in Sunday's race was some of the closest and most compelling all day.

10. Truex, 2062 points (17th place): Truex hung around with teammate Bowyer for the early stages of the race, but faded late. And it was a costly fade too, as Truex lost 13 points to the top spot.

11. Matt Kenseth, 2061 points (14th place): Flatline's Zestfully clean car was Zestfully not in contention for the win. He stayed out to lead a lap during two green flag pit stop cycles. Woo!

12. Jeff Gordon, 2051 points (3rd place): Here starts Gordon's march back into title contention! What? He only made up two points on the points lead? Yeah, it stings when the guy you're trying to make up acres of space on finishes second.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/chase-watch-chasers-top-seven-spots-hampshire-222246634--nascar.html

Ivan Capelli Piero Carini Duane Carter Eugenio Castellotti

Monday

Power Rankings: The Hamster Dance continues

The race is done, and that means it's time for Power Rankings. Each week throughout the season, we'll size up who's rising and who's falling, based on current standings, behind-the-scenes changes, expected staying power, recent history and general gut feelings. It is not scientific, nor is it meant to be. And remember, whoever your favorite driver is, we're biased against him and like someone else better. We continue with a guy who's on a roll leading into the Chase:

1.� Denny Hamlin: Is Denny the championship favorite heading into the Chase? Nope, but then, anybody who says they can pick the champion at this point, especially after last year, is either lying or they're in on the fabled NASCAR conspiracy. (Speaking of which: go to Vegas and throw a few bucks on Truex. Trust me.)�Last week: 1.

2. Jeff Gordon: Problem with being a critic in NASCAR is that there comes a time when you'll have to eat your words. All season long, people have been dogging Gordon's chances, and here he is finishing the regular season 3-2-2. Crow is delicious with a few drops of Tabasco sauce. Last week: 3.

3. Jimmie Johnson: As journalists, or whatever passes for one, we're expected to root for the story, not the individual. And of the 12 drivers racing in the Chase, about 11 of them would be a better story than Jimmie Johnson winning. That said, we're also expected not to be complete idiots. (Granted, we often fall short.) And for that reason, it's tough to pick against the 48. Sorry. Last week: 4.

4. Brad Keselowski: Where do you see Keselowski falling in this year's Chase? He's the kind of guy who could throw together a couple wins and really scare some people. Plus, I really want to see him trash-talking during those infamous Homestead joint press conferences.�Last week: 2.

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: It never fails to buoy my spirit when Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead and his fans go absolutely batcrap insane in the stands. I mean, these people love Dale Junior more than you love anything in your life. It's nice to see people happy. If he does win the championship, however, I'm sure I'll regret saying all this.� Last week: 7.

6. Greg Biffle: Has there ever been a regular-season leader so overlooked in the playoffs?�I am hereby starting a campaign for the next 10 weeks of the Chase: WHY NOT BIFFLE? Let's see if we can use a little social media joy to get him to respond. Post it on Facebook, use #whynotbiffle on Twitter. Time to mobilize, Biffle Nation!�Last week: 6.

7. Clint Bowyer: Ol' Rawhide had that nine-spot locked down in these rankings for so long we started mistaking him for Marcos Ambrose! Ha ha! Anyway, you've got to love Bowyer making such a turnaround (literally) at Richmond, and the fact that Juan Pablo Montoya knocked him out of the Chase last year has to make this even sweeter. Last week: 9.

8. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex isn't quite in the happy-to-be-here class, but I would be a lot higher on him if he'd won a race along the way. Something about the Chase clocks the top guys into a higher gear. You don't want them to get too far ahead of you, or your Chase will be over before you leave Chicago. Last week: 5.

9. Tony Stewart: I really would love to accompany Tony Stewart to someplace out of his comfort zone, like a kid's birthday party. He'd either charm the heck out of everyone there, or he'd be throwing cake and inspiring the kids to riot within minutes. Probably both. Point being ... ? Oh, right. You never know quite what you're getting with Stewart, so it's best to just hope he doesn't destroy everything around you as he rolls through your life.� Last week: 11.

10. Matt Kenseth: I don't have much to write about Matt Kenseth this week. I really don't. I wish I did, but he wasn't particularly outstanding at any facet of the NASCAR game this week. That's OK, it happens. We all have weeks where we just sort of let it roll and don't really make much of an impact ... oh, hey, we've got enough here.�Last week: 10.

11. Kasey Kahne: Whatcha thinking about Kasey's chances? He's one of the few guys I think could sneak up on the field, running well and then winning a key race or two to stay in the conversation through into November. He'd be fun to see as a champion, if only because watching crazy cougars chase him is more fun than watching JK Simmons in those Farmers ads.� Last week: 8.

12. Kevin Harvick: All right, FINE, I guess we have to put Harvick in here because he made the Chase. We don't really use Nationwide races in our factoring here (or maybe we do; rules tend to change when we feel like it). But Harvick has been a Nationwide beast of late. Plus, he said that fatherhood hadn't softened him; he still wants to punch Kyle Busch in the face. Good quote, that. Last week: NR.

Dropping out of the rankings: Kyle Busch, of course.�

The Mark Martin Lucky Dog: We were going to give this to Mark Martin yet again, but he's run well enough to earn its entire title. So we give it to Jeff Burton, who deserves it for his strong Richmond performance. Don't go measuring yourself for the 31 just yet, Austin Dillon.

The Carl Edwards DNF: Kyle Busch. Seriously, this had to be one of the most disappointing races of his life. The wild card, and an entry into the Chase, was there for the taking and things fell apart.

All right, your turn. Fire away, friends.

Fantasy Football video from Yahoo! Sports:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/power-rankings-hamster-dance-continues-002606556--nascar.html

Jimmy Davies Colin Davis Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz

Drivers react to new rules changes dictating rear steering

This week, NASCAR issued new rules (or, if you prefer, "clarifications") regarding bushings in the rear suspension that gave drivers the ability to manipulate the rear handling of their cars. Both the reasons behind, and the potential effects of, the rule change were a topic of conversation at Richmond International Raceway on Friday.

In easy terms: NASCAR has decreed that the tiny sleeves that allow the car's rear arms to move may now be no longer than a quarter of an inch. Hendrick teams had been making the sleeves of softer material, giving the driver more control over the car's movements. Brad Keselowski, among others, has criticized the engineering maneuver, but until now, it was perfectly within bounds.

The timing is curious (and, for Hendrick conspiracy theorists, problematic): making a change in the first race of the Chase is a recipe for controversy, at the least. Still, there's doubt as to how much of an effect the change will have.

[What to watch for: Federated Auto Parts 400]

"It probably won't change a lot," Matt Kenseth said on Friday. "Everybody was kind of on to what they were doing anyway. For me, it might make it better because it didn't seem like we had it quite nailed down like the other guys did."

Jimmie Johnson, as expected, had a slightly different view: "I think NASCAR made it known that they are just putting parameters on what is going on," he said. "There is no change ... The field migrates quickly in certain directions, and I think NASCAR is just making sure that people understand the parameters so they can regulate in post-race and find ways to make sure no one is going above and beyond."

And Jeff Gordon? The man whose interests depend on getting that extra edge noted that he is, indeed, trying to get that extra edge: "When you watch on TV and see the cars skewed, running sideways down the straightaways, it's pretty obvious what everybody is trying to do," he said. "Everybody is trying to get as much downforce in the car as possible. And every time NASCAR comes up with a rule, you go, OK, how do we get around the rule? I feel like that's what everybody is doing, and our guys have done a lot of work in that area to gain that advantage and I give them all the credit in the world."

However, Gordon was quick to point out that this wasn't anything done without NASCAR's knowledge: "When we presented it to NASCAR for approval, they didn't act like it was something they had never seen before," he said. "I don't even think we were the first ones to do it."

And, naturally, where one team goes, others will follow. "We all started working on it once we saw what they were doing," said Kyle Busch. "It's follow the leader. You really don't have many secrets here in the garage area very long. We started going to work on those kind of things, too, and trying to manipulate some of the same things they were doing."

The effects of the change will depend on exactly how reliant each team was on the bushings' benefits. Like everything else in the Chase, it'll be a wait-and-see situation.

Baseball video from Yahoo! Sports:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/drivers-react-rules-changes-dictating-rear-steering-175258683--nascar.html

Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey

2012 Portimao World Supersport QP1 Results: Lowes Leads Cluzel

Sam Lowes swaps top places from this morning with fellow PTR rider Jules Cluzel as the two maintain their dominance.

Results:

Race Details

Round Number:

2012

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/KIvqMenfTUI/2012_portimao_world_supersport_qp1_resul.html

Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise

Almirola and Ambrose?s teams swap crews for final 10 races

Richard Petty Motorsports announced Monday that it would be swapping the crews for it's No. 43 team of Aric Almirola and No. 9 team of Marcos Ambrose for the remainder of the season.

The swaps include crew chiefs, as Mike Ford moves to the No. 9 and Todd Parrott moves atop Almirola's box.

"We're continuing to make improvements at Richard Petty Motorsports and we've added talented people to our organization this season," RPM director of competition Sammy Johns said in a release. "This move is to make sure that we are using that talent to the fullest to get the best results for our teams each weekend. We feel this adjustment will strengthen the organization, allow us to continue to compete for wins and ultimately challenge for championships."

Ford was Denny Hamlin's crew chief in 2011, and replaced Greg Erwin as Almirola's crew chief after the first nine races of the season. Almirola's highest finish in the 17 races they were together was a 6th place finish at Dover.

Ambrose and Parrott have won the last two Watkins Glen races and had eight top 10s in 26 races this season. Ambrose is currently 15th in the points standings.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/almirola-ambrose-teams-swap-crews-final-10-races-004942740--nascar.html

Kevin Cogan Peter Collins Bernard Collomb Alberto Colombo

Cool, canny Alonso seems to have all the answers

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/07/cool_canny_alonso_looks_diffic.html

Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem Martin Donnelly Carlo Abate

Sunday

Singapore Grand Prix FP3 Roundup: Vettel On Top Again

Sebastian Vettel made it a clean sweep of Practice sessions, as he went fastest in FP3 at the Marina Bay Circuit. The German, who topped FP1 and FP2, notched a quickest time of 1.47.947, as the RB8 looks to be the car to beat. Lewis Hamilton came in 0.325 seconds behind his rival, with leader [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/9omqYTRZURk/singapore-grand-prix-fp3-roundup-vettel-on-top-again

Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot

INDYCAR: The Long and Twisty Sonoma edition

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/wk991ta1Qgc/indycar-long-and-twisty-sonoma-edition.html

Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle

Martin Truex and NAPA re-up with MWR for three more years

Though he was scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the season, Martin Truex Jr. wasn't mentioned as a candidate to switch teams for the 2013 season. Why? Because it was a safe assumption that Truex would be staying with Michael Waltrip Racing, as both parties made it clear that they preferred to keep their partnership intact.

On Friday, that assumption became the official truth, as MWR announced that Truex, along with sponsor NAPA Auto Parts, had signed on for three years.

"Re-signing Martin was huge for us," Waltrip said in a release. "We've given him competitive race cars and engines this year and he's been able to showcase his talent. Where I am most proud of Martin is off the track. He has dedicated himself to be a leader in our organization and has accepted his role as an ambassador for our sponsors. His work with NAPA, Toyota, AAA, along with his foundation work, has shown his maturity as a person and he makes me proud."

Truex is currently fifth in the points standings and can clinch his first Chase berth with MWR with 14th-place finish Sunday night at Atlanta. In his first two years at MWR, Truex finished 22nd and 18th in the points standings. Teammate Clint Bowyer, who came to MWR from Richard Childress Racing before 2012, is also poised to make the Chase as well.

NAPA's extension with the team includes all 36 Sprint Cup Series points races, and in this current period of rising competition costs and a sagging economy, will continue to be one of the only companies to sponsor the entire season. (MWR also had sponsor 5-HOUR Energy expand its sponsorship for all but one of Bowyer's 2012 races earlier in the season.)

There's no word if there are any provisions in the new NAPA contract that prohibit commercials featuring Michael Waltrip booty shakes.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/martin-truex-napa-mwr-three-more-years-221110280--nascar.html

Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise

Could Their Dreams Turn To Nightmares In Singapore?

Since making its first appearance in Formula One in 2008, the Singapore Grand Prix has always seemed to court controversy, whether it has been the infamous ‘Crashgate’ from 2008, or simply the scene of a crucial moment in deciding the race for the title, the almost infamous night race, has left an early mark on [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/njHXGcpSpq8/could-their-dreams-turn-to-nightmares-in-singapore

Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu

On mergers and unifications: enduring the long road ahead

Source: http://www.popoffvalve.com/2012/9/6/3298289/on-mergers-and-unifications-enduring-the-long-road-ahead

Toni Branca Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon Don Branson

Saturday

ALMS and Grand Am merge - finally

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/sBA4O8iggcM/alms-and-grand-am-merge-finally.html

Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot

Tony Stewart flings his helmet at Matt Kenseth in the best NASCAR video of the year

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @JayBusbee.-

Short-track racing makes a man a mite feisty. Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth were battling for the lead when both turned downward and hit the wall, effectively ending both their chances at a win. Stewart's car was the more damaged, and as Kenseth passed him on pit road, Stewart fired a low strike right at Kenseth's hood. Hop-step, two hands ... that was Olympic-quality helmet tossing, friends.

Interviewed as his car was under repair, Stewart made no attempt to hide his disgust with Kenseth. "I'm going to run over him every chance I get for the rest of the year," he said of Kenseth. And when informed that he'd get his helmet back, he shot back, "I don't give a crap. Hell with the helmet."

NASCAR has a fine tradition of drivers throwing helmets: Robby Gordon slung one at Michael Waltrip in New Hampshire in 2005. Elliott Sadler fired his helmet at Ryan Newman at Charlotte in 2002. And Dale Jarrett lobbed his helmet right at Bobby Hillin Jr. at Bristol back in 1993.

NASCAR, baby. NASCAR.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/tony-stewart-flings-helmet-matt-kenseth-best-nascar-023316081--nascar.html

Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston

Based on recent results at Chase tracks, your 2012 winner will be ?

The Chase begins this weekend at Chicagoland, and that's one of only two tracks (Homestead is the other) out of the 10-race Chase which is a one-time visit for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. That gives us a statistical basis, if not necessarily a representative sample size, to make some guesses as to which driver is in the best position to make a run at the Cup.

Here are the average finishing positions of each of the 12 Chasers at the eight Chase tracks at which the Sprint Cup series has already run this season. We start with the worst average finish and move upward. No fair peeking at No. 1 ...

12. Tony�Stewart (average finish: 19.0)
11. Clint Bowyer (15.00)
10. Jeff Gordon (13.25)
9. Kasey Kahne (12.75)
8. Brad Keselowski (10.5)
7. Kevin Harvick (9.875)
6. Martin Truex Jr. (9.75)
5. Jimmie Johnson (9.375)
4. Denny Hamlin (8.125)
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (7.125)
2. Matt Kensenth (6.875)
1. Greg Biffle (6.375)

So this tracks fairly well with what we've expected. It's important to note that even a single finish in the 30's can torpedo your average ranking, and Stewart did himself no favors by not having any of his wins come at a Chase track. (Apologies to those of you who saw an earlier, less accurate version of this.)

Obviously this is by no means definitive ? there are two tracks unaccounted for, for starters ? but this is an interesting look at past history and consistency. And it's another way to keep Biffle Nation watching, am I right?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/based-recent-results-chase-tracks-2012-winner-142419709--nascar.html

Luiz Bueno Ian Burgess Luciano Burti Roberto Bussinello

Honda Confirms the Civic Type R for 2015 and Shooting for Fastest FWD on the Ring

The Honda Civic Type R is one of those cars that import tuners ? regardless of their make preference ? would give just about anything to get their hands on. We knew that Honda was working on an all-new Civic type R, thanks to a few savvy spy photographers, but the details were still rather sketchy on when and where it would be released.

Well, with a news release that Honda sent out today, we have found out that the Civic Type R is a certainty and that this beast will hit the market in 2015. Unfortunately, this model will remain a fabled unicorn for the U.S. market, as Honda also announced that the Type R will be developed specifically for the European market ? what a bummer.

According to Honda, the Civic Type R will apply technologies developed while preparing for the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). Given its WTCC roots, Honda has huge expectations of its 2015 or 2016 Civic Type R, as it also announced that it is aiming to make the Civic Type R the fastest front-wheel-drive car to ever lap the mighty N�rburgring.

That 2-year-old record is currently held by the Renault Megane RS Trophy and the time to beat would be 8:07.97, which is about 54 seconds slower than the Porsche 918 Spyder popped off the other day. Rather lofty goals indeed, Honda, as the Megane RS Trophy is no slouch, pumping out 256 horsepower, 360 Nm (265 pound-feet) of torque.

Reports are showing that the Civic Type R will arrive with between 220 and 230 horsepower, putting it far short of the Renault. Plus, if Honda is planning to use its aging i-VTEC technology, there is simply no way the Civic Type R can produce the torque required to navigate the `Ring fast enough to beat the Renault?s time. The only way that Honda can expect to pull off this feat is to add a little boost to its VTEC engine to pump up the bottom-end torque and top-end horsepower, or simply create the most ridiculous power-to-weight ratio by deleting half of the body panels?

We?ll keep an eye out for more.

gallery: 2013 Honda Civic Type-R

Honda Confirms the Civic Type R for 2015 and Shooting for Fastest FWD on the Ring originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 21 September 2012 16:00 EST.

Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/honda-confirms-the-civic-type-r-for-2015-and-shooting-for-fastest-fwd-on-the-ring-ar135265.html

Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels

Happy Hour: Will we see a rookie revolution in 2013?

Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.

This week, I'm on the golf beat, covering Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and the rest at the FedExCup. (Don't know what the FedExCup -- yes, all one word -- is? Read my preview here. Trust me, you'll enjoy it.) Anyway, this gives me the opportunity to run one of my favorite Onion articles ever: "Confused NASCAR driver runs over 30 golfers in attempt to win the FedExCup." No bueno, Denny.

One more programming note: if you enjoy this silliness, tune in every Monday for my new all-sports column Case Of The Mondays. We treat every sport there with the same reverence we treat NASCAR here.

All right, enough with the previews. Let's get to your letters.

I'm not sure when Jeff Burton's contract runs out, but I have to think CAT is not happy with the Senator, much the same way Home Depot forced JGR's hand. Given that Harvick and Menard are solid in the RCR camp, do you think it's likely Austin or both of the Dillon boys makes the leap next year? Both have shown pretty good skills in the Nationwide series.

Next year may bring a pretty good rookie crop for a change.

? Jeff "The Real Slim Sarge" Smith
Wherabouts Classified

Agreed. Between Stenhouse, the Dillon boys and ol' whatsername, we've got some interesting new blood coming into the Sprint Cup series in coming months. I don't want to begin to speculate on sponsor-driver relations, but I will say that Burton is an absolute sponsor's dream for the demographic CAT wants to hit, and he's signed through 2013. Much better fit than, say, Zest and Matt Kenseth or Bass Pro Shops and Jamie McMurray. Those two should've switched, you ask me.

To answer your question directly: I can't see either Dillon making a big splash next year, but they'll get the equivalent of a September callup, much the same way Stenhouse is getting this year. Come 2016, we're going to have a whole new bunch of cats in the Chase...hopefully.

____________________

If the rumors are true, and Kurt Busch joins RCR, how will that work out with two alpha-males on the same team? Harvick is the predominant personality on that team, with a history of confrontation, being short- tempered, and some (minor) violence. Kurt has the same (more extreme) history. Can the two actually work together on the same team, or will there be drama between the two as they fight to be the top dog of their team?

?�Dayna B.
California

We make it our policy not to comment on rumoHA HA WHO ARE WE KIDDING? Look, I flat-out love this rumor. LOVE it. I love it so much I don't even want to bother with verifying that it's made up out of spare tires and bullcrap, because I just want it to live on forever. Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick on the same team? Are you kidding me? I'd love to see that happen, mainly because I think Kurt is a better driver than Kevin and Happy would go insane if he got upstaged in his own team. (RCR has shot this one down, alas. Too bad.)

That said, I don't know what becomes of Kurt. He's simmered down quite a bit in the last few weeks, and while he's had a few radio blowups, he's apparently kept the support of his team around him. Will talent win out over temper? We'll find out soon enough.

____________________

So what becomes of AJ Allmendinger and his 'indefinite ban' of what, 60 days?? Lost his ride and I'm sure lots of dough along with a question mark over his lack of sense. But, he took a pretty big hit for this to be expunged in less than 60 days?

Sam Hornish should get the ride to do the Nationwide race and Indy 500 next year since Penske bailed on him in favor of Joey. And now AJ too!

?�Old School

There's this assumption that "indefinite" should have meant "forever and a day," but "indefinite" (which has to be one of NASCAR's favorite words, along with "debris in Turn Two") can mean four years or four minutes. The impression I get is that Allmendinger made a phenomenally stupid move, did everything he could to get right with NASCAR as soon as he could, and they held up their end of the bargain. You're right, it does seem like he paid a heavy price for such a short term, but I think he set himself up well for the future: he's proven (hopefully) that he's gotten scared straight, and that he can live up to his word when he's screwed up.

Dinger doesn't have that many options, and he's got some heavy competition for the seats that may open. I wonder if he'll give open-wheel a shot. Regardless, you've got to hope for the best for a guy who seems to have straightened things out.

___________________

This can't possibly be what the guys in charge of NASCAR want as far as promoting their sport and growing the audience. This race was so boring that, I a die hard NASCAR fan changed channels to watch the Browns-Bengals game! Mile-and-a-half cookie cutter tracks made sense in the '90s when the speeds and RPMs were not so high. The cars are so well made now that the top teams don't have engine failures like they did twenty or thirty years ago. My idea: expand restrictor plates to the mile and halfs. Bunch the field up and have actual side-by-side racing, see some passing on the track instead of wins just because one pit crew is a few tenths of a second faster than another team.

?�Francis

Restrictor plates at mile-and-a-halfs? Good heavens, Francis, you'll have people coming to your door with torches and pitchforks. You have hit on a point, though: technology has outstripped the tracks' capacity to contain it. It's no longer a question of if you'll make it to the end of the race. Which is why I have an audacious proposal. Instead of shortening races, let's lengthen 'em! Who wouldn't watch the Daytona 5000? Why not run 10,000 laps around Bristol? You could watch the start of the race, go to college, get married, have a couple kids, and take them to the finish!

Anyway, I get your pain. But until someone steps up and constructs a new short track and gets it on the schedule, we're stuck with the cookie-cutters. And they're crappy cookies, too, like those peanut-butter ones with fork crisscrosses. Those suck.

____________________

Here is an idea: take the last-place Chase guy and throw him out each week, and see which three are left at the end for the Homestead race. Then compare that to what the real results are and you might wonder just how much WINS count for against the mulligan factor. So keep a week by week tally and take it from there. I myself like wins, but those come-from-behind performances are really great.

?�Steve T.
GO # 88

I think we did this last year, and Carl Edwards ended up winning. Smoke got eliminated early on. So let's give it a go. Mr. Gordon, please exit the stage and collect your prize. We need a name for this particular competition. "Last Man Driving"? Come up with something better. Of course, in reality it wouldn't go anywhere because of sponsor concerns, but we don't live in reality here.

Finally, we got a great letter that just begs to be run in its entirety. Editing would only destroy the flow of this beauty:

___________________

WOW! here I am living in Pittsburgh, actually born here lived here for most of my life except for 2 years in Oklahoma(army) and 8 years in southwest Florida. I became a slight fan of NASCAR in the mid 80's and dabled a bit until the KIDD came about started watching it when i could get it in PGH then i went to the first Brickyard and WOW i was hooked and jumped on rooting for Jeff! But i was still a die hard Steelers fan and watched them like religion until!!!! one sunday in septtember while living in San Carlos Park on the west coast of florida I decied to goto the local watering hole The San Carlos Lounge to watch the steelers cause they were finally on tv and i didnt have to watch a Miami or a Tampa game so as i make my way to the bar I notice all 8 TVs on the nascar race I belive it was Talledega, so i ask the bartender quietly hey can you put the Steeler game on!!!!!!ooppps!!! it was like i broke every glass in the place it got eiriely quiet almost deafening was the silence (and i use this term with no offence to anyone)this toothless old redneck with a Dale sr hat n Shirt on turns and in a voice as loud as thunder he states Listen here Yankee there aint no G*& damned football on these here TV's until the 3rd week of November and you can walk your yankee ass right outta here with that black and gold bumblbee looking get upo you have on!!!! Wow i was floored but i satyed and watched for a while!! Now living inFla i never missed a daytona 500 or a pepsi 400 at Daytona and made every Miami race while i was there and i goto Richmond evry year for both races! But what kills me is living in Pittsburgh I am again on the wrong side of the fence i cant get NASCAR on any public tv during football season and belive me these yankees up here have no concept of what NASCAR is I am fighting a loseing battle with all the fantasy football people too i play NASCAR fantasy and they just have a good laugh at me and constantly hearing how hard is it to go fast and turn left???? GRRRRR well just to say that this is not the easiest city to be a NASCAR fan !!!!!!

?�Sean T Byrnes

Awesome letter, Sean. Anybody else want to give us a rant about where you're from and how little they like NASCAR there? Come on, step up! Tell us how you get your race fix in Europe or Asia or the Indian Ocean or Massachusetts or whatever strange land you live in. Have at it!

And on that note, we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com. You can find Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR coverage on Facebook right here, and you can follow me on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook here. Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!

NASCAR video from Yahoo! Sports:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/happy-hour-see-rookie-revolution-2013-022340929--nascar.html

Luciano Burti Roberto Bussinello Jenson Button Tommy Byrne