NASCAR Checker Auto Parts 500 Phoenix Int'l Raceway Sunday 11-7-04 NBC 3pm ET

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[WestCoastGal]

PHOENIX INT'L RACEWAY

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 7, 2004 NBC 3PM ET

THREE RACES LEFT

Nextel Cup Qualifying Record Rusty Wallace 134.718 2000

Nextel Cup Race Record Tony Stewart 118.132 11|07|99

[steveegg]

Chase Winners/Losers (no mere winners or losers; everything is either way too clear-cut or too muddled this week) - Week 7:

• Kurt Busch - THE BIG WINNER - He should be close to out of it (4th, 222 points back) instead of leading.
• Jeff Gordon - THE BIG LOSER - Without The Rubberhead Special (aka The Chase), he would be leading by 57.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr - Mixed bag of nuts - He would be 10 points further back (57 versus 47), but he would have nobody between him and the leader.
• Jimmie Johnson - Mixed bag of nuts, part 2 - Would be one spot closer, but 14 points further out without the Chase
• Mark Martin - Big Winner - Instead of mathematically eliminated and in 6th, he still has a shot.
• Tony Stewart - Mixed bag of nuts, part 3 - Good news; he's only almost one full race behind instead of almost 2 full races. Bad news; he's 6th instead of 5th.
• Ryan Newman - Big Winner Part II - Gets 2 spots, 331 points and a mathematical chance out of the Chase.
• Elliot Sadler - Big Winner Part III - Without the Chase, he would be 89 points from losing his seat at the Banquet.
• Matt Kenseth - Mixed bag of nuts, part 4 - The best news is he's still mathematically in it despite getting Mark Martin's engines twice in a row.
• Jeremy Mayfield - THE BIG WINNER PART II - Without Richmond and Brian France, he would be 141 points and 4 spots away from his guaranteed ticket to the Banquet.
• Jamie McMurray - Big Loser - How, you may ask, when he has a 214-point lead on 12th, and would still be mathematically eliminated without the Chase? Because he would be in 7th and that same 214 points away from losing the NYC trip.
• Dale Jarrett - Big Loser, Part II - Instead of staring elimination from the $1 million booby prize in the face next week, he would be a mere 89 points out of 10th.
• Kasey Kahne - Big Loser, Part III - Add a spot, a point, and "double-dip" to Jarrett's description.
• Kevin Harvick - Big Loser, Part IV - See Jarrett, add 2 spots and 44 points.
• Bobby Labonte - Big Loser, Part V - Add another 2 spots (Mayfield would be in front) and 56 points to Jarrett's blurb.

[steveegg]

Inching closer and using up what's left of the cheese...1-11-18-20

[steveegg]

Amen.

[WestCoastGal]

"Kasey Kahne - Big Loser, Part III - Add a spot, a point, and "double-dip" to Jarrett's description. Kevin Harvick - Big Loser, Part IV - See Jarrett, add 2 spots and 44 points."

Maybe that's why they were having "words" on pit road after the race!!

Do you have a recap for the FRL as in JDT big loser part 1?

[WestCoastGal]

Closer??? you're right on my bumper...too bad we're not going to Dega next week.

[WestCoastGal]

Amen to the politics in Fallujah!!!!

[steveegg]

No FRL winners/losers yet (nothing's officual until Monday). Besides, you're still up by 7 (if my math's right), and I have to figure out a way around you without adding a Darlington stripe.

---

As for the Fast Kasey/Happy words, I missed what happened to trigger it.

[WestCoastGal]

Looked like they had a bumping match on the last lap!!

Happy went over to KK's car and Baldwin pulled him away. Happy said KK was afraid to come out of the car and 'talk' to him. lol

I think I have you gaining 64 points!! 7 would be the magic number. We could share the trophy?? Send it south in the winter and north in the summer. ;-)

[steveegg]

Sounds like a plan (can't let the trophy catch cold :-)

[Wolfstar]

Thanks for the ping, WCG.

First of all, for those who are politically tone deaf, there is a very big difference between endorsing a candidate and supporting that same candidate. An endorsement means the campaign can use your name in their ads and literature. Of the 112,000,000 or so people who voted, only a tiny fraction of a fraction endorsed a candidate, yet every single one of them supported a candidate just by voting.

We all bitch and moan -- WHINE -- about the relatively small number of lound-mouthed Leftist celebrities who actively campaign for Democrats. However, we rarely stop to think that, like most of the American people, most celebrities keep their voting preferences to themselves.

The week the news came out about the Top 10 drivers who endorsed GWB, Jeff Gordon issued a statement. I don't have the time right now to search for the thread, but here's the gist of it:

Jeff said he didn't appreciate the pressure that was brought on NASCAR drivers to endorse candidates. He said he thought President Bush was doing a fine job. However, Jeff said his vote is private and he intends to keep it that way. He also said that politics is not his thing, and that he's never been interested in politics.

So what we have is a celebrity who made it clear who he favored, but also made it clear he was not going to be one of those celebrities who gets actively involved in politics. Personally, I'm grateful to Jeff for his statement. Why? First, it took courage to go against the pressure to formally endorse. Second, because I think President Ronald Wilson Reagan was an exceedingly rare exception to this rule: Celebrities should do whatever it is they do best, and not misuse their fame or profession to propagandize their fans.

[WestCoastGal]

See post 63 to prevent colds/flu.

[WestCoastGal]

Thanks, I knew you would have the information we needed.

As you know I'm constantly having to stick up for Jr about this kind of stuff and I just hate seeing other drivers get accused of something that isn't true.

[USAFJeeper]

I am a Gordon fan, but unlike others, I almost hope Jr. wins it all. He is a good kid no matter who his daddy is :)

[WestCoastGal]

OK 7 it is....Yeek, Yark, Yikes....I've got the track bar set a round down and took a 1/2 lb out of the tars. I do not look good in stripes so be careful if you pass. Besides yellow and red clash!! lol

9453 me
9446 you
9169 rainbow
9072 20

[WestCoastGal]

Oops put turtle in there at 9103 between rainbow and 20, he picked up a spot.

[Wolfstar]

...I'm constantly having to stick up for Jr...

I came close to losing my temper when I saw what you pointed me to. It gets so frustrating, doesn't it. They are championship caliber racecar drivers. They're fighting tooth and nail for this year's championship. What do the fans expect? That drivers the caliber of Junior and Jeff would be sing happy songs when they have a lousy racecar? Sheesh!!!!

BTW, what's this I hear about the #8 facing another penalty? Something about the windshield being the wrong weight? Man, I just hate this crappy chase for the championship. The 97 team doesn't deserve it based on their YEAR-LONG performance, but they'll probably win it. The pressure it's putting on the teams in the chase is making them crazy. And the poor guys just outside the top ten are completely locked out of being able to advance their place in the standings.

[WestCoastGal]

"BTW, what's this I hear about the #8 facing another penalty? Something about the windshield being the wrong weight?"

Yikes, I didn't hear that.

I'm going to check his board now, they always know everything!! Nascar needs to butt out!!

I did hear they are planning next year to change qualifying for Cup and the fuel filler thingy will be bigger or something in order to slow down the pit stops.

[WestCoastGal]

Ok here it is. Doesn't it depend on when they confiscated the windshield (sounds like before the race)and isn't it usually a fine charged to the crewchief?? Anyone??

I am willing to go out on a limb here and say if they dock any more points from Jr there will be a riot at Darlington!!

---

Posted on Sun, Nov. 07, 2004


New Earnhardt Jr. infraction cited

By JIM UTTER

ThatsRacin.com Writer


AVONDALE, Ariz. - NASCAR officials confiscated the windshield from Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 8 Chevrolet over the weekend.
According to spokesman Mike Zizzo, the windshield was too thin and not approved.

A penalty is likely, but to what extent will be determined by Nextel Cup series director John Darby, Zizzo said. The penalty should be announced this week.

Twice this season Earnhardt Jr. has lost points as a result of infractions – one for intentionally causing a caution and the second for using profanity during a live post-race interview.

[WestCoastGal]

[WestCoastGal]

12.8 second pitstop!