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

[glock rocks]

500!

well done :o)

[WestCoastGal]

Well, I was waiting for Nawthurn Burton to speak up....I knew he would.

---

It's also done something virtually unheard of. Unflappable Jeff Burton is livid.

"It's pissed us off," he said. "It's made us mad. It's made us very mad. We've done nothing wrong. We have no trick that's made us run well.

"We've worked hard. We've worked smart. And someone in the media who chose to use unreliable sources has tainted that. And it pisses me off and it pisses my team off and I have little patience for it."

snip~~


Journalists have a responsibility to report the facts. If you want to pretend to be an investigative journalist then do a full job of investigating," Burton said.

"And if a true investigation had been done this story never would have been on air. He'd have found it to be erroneous. But he's chosen to stand his ground on half the facts. If you're going to be investigative get all the facts. That hasn't happened in this case.

"We had nothing wrong with a wheel. Nothing. There was nothing NASCAR looked at that NASCAR had a problem with. There's nothing we're not able to take back. Bob's story is a fabricated story by someone.

"When I say that, I'm not saying Bob fabricated this story, I'm saying someone did, and Bob chose to believe someone that.......{Ack I missed that and I'm not going back to Nascar.com they foul up my computer with all that moving stuff. Not much more there anyway}


http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/09/19/jburton_rcr_speed/index.html

[LasVegasMac]

Oh yea I'm ready for the truck race this weekend! Finally!!

Some bad news in that area, though. The Doc just told us this morning that she is convinced the boy has mono. Blood test results to follow but she says virtually all of the signs are there. Mono = no truck race, obviously. The boy ain't happy, to say the least. :-(

And I just gave away two garage passes - got to be 18 yrs old to get in! Arrrrr.........

And it appears I will have an extra ticket for a primo seat...you get first dibs! lol

I think you have been following this mess with the tires and RCR, something is not right.

The first article I read about it (forget where !!) said they were laser cutting a channel on the inside of the rim - something like 0.004 deep (maybe mistaken on the actual depth) for the bleeder action. Now, in articles since, I see no mention of that. Nascar is saying things like, "We've been checking stem valves for four months now..." So flippin what - got nothing to do with it!

Conspiracy, I tell ya! And yes, my tinfoil is Nascar tested and approved! lol.

Anyway, I think Bob Dillner needs to avoid Jeff Burton for a race or three....from Nascar.com.....

"We've worked hard. We've worked smart. And someone in the media who chose to use unreliable sources has tainted that. And it pisses me off and it pisses my team off and I have little patience for it."

Jeff be pissed!

[LasVegasMac]

Well, I see you read that already - sorry for the repeat.

[WestCoastGal]

Oh gosh that's terrible, I bet he's so disappointed!

If I was still in Calif I would drive over. LOL

I think Dillner got this from someone who wanted to start this fiasco.

[LasVegasMac]

I think Dillner got this from someone who wanted to start this fiasco.

Really? Holy cow.

If that is true, then I'm more than a bit disappointed.

1) In Dillner for not checking it out more. Jayski, ok. Speed Channel, no. 2) Has Nascar sunk that low? That someone would intentionally start this crap? Silly me for thinking that only politicians would get this low.

If that is how this turns out, that this was nothing more than someone starting sh!t, then maybe you were right after all.

I sure hope not......

[SouthTexas]

Look back over Tubebender's and my comments on the "groove".

The more I think about it, the more absurd it seems.

I read .003 and that is the thickness of a human hair. Who saw this and did they put the rim under a microscope to see it????

Hope your son get's well before the race!