NASCAR - Race for thr Chase Race #1, Loudon, N.H.Sun. 9/17 TNT/12:30 p.m. E.T.

Nascar.com,Jayski's ^

[Pete-R-Bilt]

New Hampshire International Speedway







A glance at the 10 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup championship, in order of points standings:

Drivers in the Chase, a closer look

DRIVER: Matt Kenseth

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,050

HOMETOWN: Cambridge, Wis.

AGE: 34

CAR: No. 17 DeWalt Tools Ford

CREW CHIEF: Robbie Reiser

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 1st (2003)

OUTLOOK: Kenseth, the driver many believe forced the Chase format because of his lackluster 2003 title run, has momentum on his side as he tries to win a championship under the new system. He's got four wins this season and has turned it up a notch heading into the Chase.

DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,045

HOMETOWN: El Cajon, Calif.

AGE: 30

CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Chad Knaus

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 2nd (2003, 2004)

OUTLOOK: Johnson, who has four wins this season, led the points for most of the year. A perpetual title contender, he's hoping this is the season he finally finishes the job.

DRIVER: Kevin Harvick

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,040

HOMETOWN: Bakersfield, Calif.

AGE: 30

CAR: No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Todd Berrier

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 5th (2003)

OUTLOOK: Harvick is the darkhorse of this championship Chase. He's running away with the Busch Series title and will get extra track time running both schedules. A championship would be the first for Richard Childress Racing since Dale Earnhardt's 2001 death.

DRIVER: Kyle Busch

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,035

HOMETOWN: Las Vegas.

AGE: 21

CAR: No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Alan Gustafson

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 20th (2005)

OUTLOOK: After a rocky start to the season that had him on almost every driver's bad side, Busch has quietly stayed out of trouble and made himself a championship contender. Probably too immature to win a title just yet, but talented enough to make a run at it.

DRIVER: Denny Hamlin

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,030

HOMETOWN: Chesterfield, Va.

AGE: 25

CAR: No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Mike Ford

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: --

OUTLOOK: The surprise of the Chase field, the rookie has been impressive and thrust himself into Chase contention by sweeping the Pocono races. He lacks the experience to win the title this year but could pull off a stunner like he did at the start of the year when he won the Budweiser Shootout.

DRIVER: Dalr Earnhardt Jr.

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,025

HOMETOWN: Kannapolis, N.C.

AGE: 31

CAR: No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Tony Eury Jr.

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 3rd (2003)

OUTLOOK: Earnhardt is on a comeback after finishing a career-worst 19th in the standings last year. But he's been hit-or-miss this year and had a pair of engine failures at inopportune times. Unless he gets really hot, he's a longshot to win the title.

DRIVER: Mark Martin

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,020

HOMETOWN: Batesville, Ark.

AGE: 47

CAR: No. 6 AAA Ford

CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 2nd (1990, '94, '98, 2002)

OUTLOOK: Martin has yet to prove this season that his team is strong enough to win a title, and he's yet to win a race this year. But he'll go down fighting in what's likely his final season of full-time Cup racing.

DRIVER: Jeff Burton

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,015

HOMETOWN: South Boston, Va.

AGE: 39

CAR: No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Scott Miller

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 3rd (2000)

OUTLOOK: Although he's winless this season, Burton is having a tremendous year after several miserable seasons. He's led a ton of laps, but late-race slips have prevented him from making it to Victory Lane. If Burton can put it all together, he's got a chance.

DRIVER: Jeff Gordon

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,010

HOMETOWN: Vallejo, Calif.

AGE: 35

CAR: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Steve Letarte

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 1st (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001)

OUTLOOK: After missing the Chase last year, Gordon's team has rebounded in hopes of getting him his fifth title. His season has just been OK by Gordon's standards, but the driver nicknamed "Money Man" is sure to turn it up a notch over the stretch run.

DRIVER: Kasey Kahne

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,005

HOMETOWN: Enumclaw, Wash.

AGE: 26

CAR: No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge

CREW CHIEF: Kenny Francis

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 13th (2004)

OUTLOOK: Kahne, who has five wins this season, dominated on 1.5-mile tracks earlier this year. With five of the Chase races on 1.5-milers, another hot streak could make him the runaway Chase winner

[tubebender]

allegations in the media after the Sept. 19 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway that two of RCR’s teams had manipulated the rules:

The weasel word here is in bold. There was no rule against what they did just as the 48 did not violate a rule on the shocks but the more I think of the nick the more it does not pass the smell test...

[tubebender]

500

Now you have stepped over the line into a sport dominated my Meg-Men...

[WestCoastGal]

Here is another statement.....

We’ve been checking valves and valve stems for about 4 months now,” said Jim Hunter Vice President of Corporate Communications for NASCAR said Monday. “What it was, was one reporter trying to make something that wasn’t there. Then another reporter went on TV and reported it as fact, when it was actually totally untrue.
http://www.cupscene.com/

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I did see where Bowyer's tire was confiscated at the Busch race in Martinsville for having a small pin hole in the sidewall. Here's what they said about that.......

Richard Childress, said that it was much ado about nothing. "Our left-front was leaking," Dillon said. "It was a valve stem leaking, but it was leaking at the rim, a bad seal or just not tight. A lot of people have been experimenting with bleeders, and I know there are guys drilling holes in sidewalls, too, to control the air. But if you wanted to use a bleeder at Martinsville, you'd want your left-rear to bleed.I don't think anything will come from it. We've talked with our crew chiefs, and they assured us there wasn't anything going on." Crew chiefs say that some tires have such naturally thin sidewalls that, even without doctoring, if they were submerged in a big vat of water, air would bubble out from a number of areas

[WestCoastGal]

Oh nooooo, do I get penalized points?

[tubebender]

As I understand the rules we must petition the Grand Poobaa to call a committee which consists of Gork, Tork and NYX and Nork as Poobaa is the tie breaker. We'll get back to ya but don't leave the state...

[tubebender]

Ya know if they did something as reported it makes more sense to nick the hole for the vale stem. A big time Harvick fan here said that notching the rim could lead to a wheel failure and I did have a good friend injured when a rim burst while he was inflating it but the pressure he was using was excessive.

[SouthTexas]

I tend to agree with your take here, although .003 is not much. Seems like the rubber would flex enough to seal a groove that small anyway.

[SouthTexas]

Happy's up on Speed.

[tubebender]

Harvic on Speed Now...

[tubebender]

Will MeMe apologize when this turns out to have legs???

[SouthTexas]

Has he ever? LOL

Pie throwing contest is ON!

[WestCoastGal]

LOL Ok, can ST be my lawyer?

[WestCoastGal]

I caught it.........That 33 Busch car behind him was nice looking. I think he and Jr have the best future as far as having their own teams.

I was waiting for him to say something to MeMe but he didn't.

[WestCoastGal]

As The Wheel Turns {music on}.....................

"I absolutely think it was a plant from another team," said Harvick. "NASCAR didn't say anything, so it's pretty obvious to me where it came from. It's an attempt to try and distract us from what we're doing, but they're going to have to do a lot better than that." Harvick said he knows who planted the story, but declined to name names.

/music

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We {Jr fans} suspect Roush because he said on air just before the Chase started that some teams were going to get caught pushing the limits or something like that.

[SouthTexas]

I will check my calendar. ;)

[WestCoastGal]

Thanks ST!

LVM......are ya ready for the truck race on the NEW high banked LV track?

And, for anyone worried about BP........


BP on his hospital visit last week:
Feels good now. Was pretty tanked Friday, blood levels down, so they said he should go to the hospital. Compared it to having a car tuneup, lol. Should be at Dover this weekend. Said his doctors feel like the next scan will turn up clean. Great news!

BBL

[tubebender]

It was Roush who cried Everham was putting something on Flash's tars to make them "sticky".

OTOH, Harvick sounded like a politician spinning a response after getting caught with his hand in a lobbyist's cookie jar...

[tubebender]

I object!!! You could be called as a witness and a possible indictment yourself...

[SouthTexas]

Your right, the "plant" thing was a bit much. Maybe he is working on a future in politics????

[SouthTexas]

Wouldn't be the first time. LOL