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Welcome to NASCAR Racing Online, a fansite for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Make sure to check out our definitive 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup entry list.
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Hornish Jnr set to skip some races to compete in Indy 500 |
 Penske Racing have hired David Stremme as a test driver for its NASCAR Sprint Cup programme, fuelling speculation that Sam Hornish Jr may compete in the Indianapolis 500 next month.
"It's a rare opportunity to have someone of David's calibre to work with Kurt (Busch), Ryan (Newman) and Sam to help us improve our NASCAR Sprint Cup programme," said Tim Cindric, president of Penske Performance Inc. "David has raced the new car and understands what it takes to compete at the highest levels."
Penske officials didn't address the issue of Hornish and the Indy 500 in their announcement about Stremme, however. Speculation was raised on Tuesday by several publications, including NASCAR.com, that Hornish would interrupt his Sprint Cup career to drive a third Penske car at Indy.
Penske currently have three entries in the Indy 500 - the two regular cars for Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe and an extra No. 77 car with its driver listed as TBA.
Hornish drives the No. 77 Dodge for Penske's Sprint Cup team.
Hornish won the Indy 500 in 2006 and is a three-time IRL IndyCar Series champion. He moved from Penske's IndyCar team to their NASCAR squad during the off-season, but like that of many of the other single-seater drivers this season, the transition has been difficult.
Hornish is currently 33rd in the Sprint Cup standings, 610 points behind leader Jeff Burton and better than only three other drivers who have competed in all eight races this year. Hornish's best finish was 15th at the Daytona 500.
He had finished outside the top 20 in six consecutive races before finishing 20th Saturday night at Phoenix.
Stremme, 30, is a native of South Bend, Indiana, who moved to national NASCAR competition in 2003 and has made 74 Cup starts since 2005. This year, Stremme has made seven starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, posting two top-five and three top-10 finishes.
"It's an honor to be working with an organisation with as much history and heritage as Penske Racing," said Stremme. "I look forward to a lot of productive testing so I can assist their NASCAR teams to run up front, make the 'Chase' and hopefully win many championships in the future."
Stremme will continue to drive for Rusty Wallace's Nationwide Series team. |
 All4Racing on April 16 2008 07:47:20
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Busch ready for challenge of Mexico City |
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner Kyle Busch is looking forward to enjoying the weekend off from his Cup duties by competing in Sunday's Nationwide Series event in Mexico City.
Busch will be among the seven Cup regulars racing in the first NASCAR road-course event of the year, which some will take as a preparation for the two events at Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen later this season.
The Gibbs driver will race at Mexico for the second time, after taking part in the 2006 event, when he finished seventh after leading five laps.
"We should have won that race a couple of years ago when I got wrecked going for the lead," Busch said. "The race track is a lot of fun. The whole atmosphere and how passionate the race fans are what make it exciting.
"As far as the race track, they took the chicane out, so I'm really going to miss that part of the track. It was really fun for me to go through the chicane and let the car slide around and then get it slowed down for turn one."
For Busch, who is by no means a road-course specialist, the opportunity of competing in this type of track is something he enjoys, making next weekend a very relaxed one for him despite being in contention for the lead of the championship.
"For me, I love road racing because it's almost like an off-weekend to me," he says. "You get a chance to turn right and left and be kind of crazy. You try not to go off course, but it does happen and you get a chance to rebound as quickly and smoothly as you can.
"For me, it's just a matter of going out there and relaxing and being as patient as I can be behind the wheel of the car. Sometimes driving it hard isn't the smoothest way around. You just try your best to get through the corners smoothly without losing your momentum."
Busch is currently not scheduled to compete in every Nationwide Series event, but after two wins in a row, he admits he would consider contending for the championship and making every race.
"The consideration is there, but it's a race-by-race deal for me right now," Busch said. "If I go out and win a bunch of these in a row, we might reevaluate. Our concentration is on our Cup effort, and we're second in points over there and running consistently near the front every week.
"We still have to concentrate on the Cup stuff to make sure we stay toward the front in points and make the Chase."
Busch is currently second in the Sprint Cup Series standings, third in the Nationwide Series and he leads the points in the Craftsman Truck Series. |
| All4Racing on April 16 2008 07:40:51
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Crew Cheif swap around for Montoya and Sorenson from Talledega onwards |
Juan Pablo Montoya and his teammate Reed Sorenson will swap their crew chiefs from the next Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega, Chip Ganassi Racing officials announced on Tuesday.
Montoya will work alongside Jimmy Elledge, who has been the only crew chief Sorenson has had in his Cup career.
Elledge, who is married to Dale Earnhardt Jr's sister and manager Kelley, has been working at Ganassi since 2003, when he served as crew chief for Casey Mears before switching to Sorenson's No. 41 team in 2006.
Meanwhile Montoya's former crew chief Donnie Wingo will start work with Sorenson at Talladega.
"I really feel that these changes can be instrumental in moving Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates to the next level," Chip Ganassi said in a statement. "I have a lot of respect for both Donnie and Jimmy and the jobs that they do and they both agree that this move can be very beneficial to the entire organization."
The change comes after Ganassi was openly critical of two of the three teams of his Sprint Cup series squad, following Dario Franchitti's non-qualification at Texas two weeks ago.
Despite a strong start to the season for Sorenson, who was fifth in the Daytona 500, his recent trend of results have dropped him down to 31st position in the points, while Montoya, who started the season in 32nd, has already climbed up to 17th in the driver standings.
"I have said all along that I believe us to be a championship organization and that Felix and I will do whatever we can to make us better," Ganassi said. "This is toward that end."
No changes were announced for Dario Franchitti's team, which remains outside the top 35 in the owners' standing. |
| All4Racing on April 16 2008 07:38:56
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Johnson takes gamble to win at Phoenix Raceway |
Jimmie Johnson and his team gambled on fuel strategy to win the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, taking the first win of the year for Hendrick Motorsports.
The reigning Sprint Cup Series champion led more laps than any of his rivals during the race and was the fastest car on the track for a while, but still had to go very slow in the last few miles before the chequered flag to be able to complete the distance.
With no caution flags coming out since the leaders pitted for fuel and tyres at what they expected to be their last stop, most of the frontrunners' calculations showed they wouldn't be able to finish the race without a splash-and-go.
However Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus made the call for his driver to stay on the track while others drove into pitlane. Johnson ran slower that many backmarkers but his gamble paid off, as he was able to take his first victory of the season.
In the end there was more than enough gasoline in the 17.7-gallon fuel cell of the 48 car, allowing Johnson to do a burnout after finishing the race and then complete one more lap to drive his car into victory lane under its own power.
"We're back," Johnson said after winning his second race in a row at Phoenix.
"I'm shocked that I was able to save fuel running that hard through the field. I restarted in 14th on that last restart and drove to third on my own and then when I got to the front I was able to manage the fuel.
"We adjusted the car through the race and then brought it back to where we started and that's where we finished."
Before Johnson regained the lead with ten laps remaining. Mark Martin looked favourite to take what would've been his first victory since 2005, but his team played it safe and that meant they only managed a fifth place finish.
"We were saving gas," a disappointed Martin said. "I thought we were going to go (without stopping) so we went real slow. We had such an incredible car and then I guess there was some confusion on the figure and they decided that we were going to have to come."
Clint Bowyer finished second by staying out but he was too far behind Johnson to be a threat for victory. Denny Hamlin recovered to third after being among the first choosing to pit for fuel and two tyres with more than 15 laps remaining.
Carl Edwards was one of the last to pit and was right on Johnson's rear bumper before driving into the pits to take a couple of gallons of fuel that allowed him to score yet another good result with a fourth place finish, recovering also from a pitroad penalty early on.
Points leader Jeff Burton continues to top the standings with a solid sixth place finish, also gambling on staying out in the closing laps like teammate Bowyer. He also recovered well after spinning on lap 133 when he drove over oil left by Ryan Newman's fuming Dodge.
Dale Earnhardt Jr was also among those contending for victory, leading 87 laps but losing some speed in the end. He also pitted for fuel and two tyres shortly before the end and crossed the finish line in seventh, losing in the battle of the 'eights' with Martin's DEI's car.
Sam Hornish Jr was the best rookie finisher in what was his fourth NASCAR race at the one-mile oval. He leads the rookies standing after his 20th place finish, ending a lap down on the winner but two ahead of Dario Franchitti who was 32nd, right ahead of fellow rookies Patrick Carpentier, Michael McDowell and Regan Smith.
"Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you're unlucky and tonight we got unlucky," Franchitti said. "We came to pit road about three laps before a yellow came out and that put us an extra lap down and that was that. We were two laps down instead of being one.
"We were running top-15 times pretty much all night but we just got put those two laps down and that was it."
Johnson's victory has moved him up two places in the standing to fourth, while Kevin Harvick lost three places in the points and is now fifth. Kyle Busch now ranks second after a quiet but productive day with a tenth-place finish, while Earnhardt Jr has moved up to third.
Sprint Cup Series teams will enjoy a weekend off before returning for the first race of the year at Talladega in two weeks' time.
Pos Driver Make Laps
1. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 312
2. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 312
3. Denny Hamlin Toyota 312
4. Carl Edwards Ford 312
5. Mark Martin Chevrolet 312
6. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 312
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevrolet 312
8. Martin Truex Jr Chevrolet 312
9. Greg Biffle Ford 312
10. Kyle Busch Toyota 312
11. Casey Mears Chevrolet 311
12. Bobby Labonte Dodge 311
13. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 311
14. David Gilliland Ford 311
15. Juan Montoya Dodge 311
16. Jamie McMurray Ford 311
17. David Reutimann Toyota 311
18. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 311
19. Sam Hornish Jr Dodge 311
20. Paul Menard Chevrolet 311
21. Tony Stewart Toyota 311
22. Mike Skinner Toyota 310
23. Robby Gordon Dodge 310
24. Travis Kvapil Ford 310
25. Kurt Busch Dodge 310
26. Michael Waltrip Toyota 310
27. Brian Vickers Toyota 310
28. Scott Riggs Chevrolet 310
29. David Ragan Ford 310
30. Dario Franchitti Dodge 309
31. Dave Blaney Toyota 309
32. Bill Elliott Ford 309
33. Patrick Carpentier Dodge 308
34. Michael McDowell Toyota 307
35. Regan Smith Chevrolet 298
36. Kasey Kahne Dodge 273
37. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 271
38. Matt Kenseth Ford 269
39. J.J. Yeley Toyota 224
40. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 208
41. Elliott Sadler Dodge 161
42. Reed Sorenson Dodge 144
43. Ryan Newman Dodge 134 |
| All4Racing on April 14 2008 20:25:37
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Busch takes victory in Nationwide series |
Kyle Busch scored his second victory in a row in the Nationwide Series holding off Carl Edwards in a green-white-chequered finish to win the Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.
Busch had started the race from pole position and had an intense race-long battle with Edwards, which went all the way to the last lap.
For a moment the event seemed to be turning into a fuel gamble for the frontrunners until a caution flag with 23 laps remaining allowed them to pit for four tyres and fuel. On that last stop Busch jumped Edwards for the lead, which he held to the chequered flag under intense pressure.
"Carl and I had a great duel out there," Busch said. "It was really a lot of fun to battle it out. He probably had a better car than us for about the last five of fifteen laps. Our car was good; it just wasn't the best it could be. Especially early in the race it was awesome.
"But towards the end of the race, the guys kept making adjustments and kept their cars getting better and better and we made some gains on ours but not as much as they did."
"I'm glad that we had the cautions that we did there in the end. They probably helped us get to victory lane."
Busch had a visibly loose car in the closing laps but he once again showed to be a master of getting the most out of it in those conditions. He ran a higher line to try to keep his momentum through the turns, while Edwards' car seemed to be in better shape.
With five laps remaining Edwards was right on Busch's rear bumper and working on that crucial pass to steal victory away from the Gibbs' driver, but Jeff Burton crashed with only three laps left, bringing out the caution flags and saving Busch from imminent attack.
"I needed a couple more laps," a disappointed Edwards said. "I didn't need that last caution. We had a good run and the car was great. I just hate to lose that thing. I'm glad we get to race tomorrow because it's going to be hard to sleep tonight. Running second is no fun."
Denny Hamlin drove the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing car to third place ahead of Kevin Harvick Incorporated's Kevin Harvick while David Ragan had his best race of the season taking fifth in his Roush Fenway Ford.
Among the Richard Childress Racing cars, Stephen Leicht was the highest finisher in the No. 21 machine taking eighth place just one better than points leader Clint Bowyer and Michael Waltrip Racing's David Reutimann. Ahead of them was Mike Bliss as the best of the non-Cup regulars.
Dario Franchitti had a good race on his second outing in the Nationwide Series at Phoenix, finishing in 11th place for the second week in a row, charging through the field in the second half of the race after being penalized for a lug nut that was off on the team's first pit stop.
"The car was not bad tonight," Franchitti said. "It wasn't as good as some of the cars. We struggled a little bit through the center of the corner but we were easily a top-ten car. But we had a lug nut issue on the first stop and that lost us track position and after that it was just hard work just trying to take it one person at a time.
"It was just so difficult to gain an advantage but we fought our way back and ended up 11th again. Not a bad night."
Clint Bowyer has seen his lead in the points narrow to reigning Nationwide Series champion Carl Edwards, while Kyle Busch has moved up to third in the drivers' standing, although he is still not expected to contest every race.
However, he will be one of the drivers crossing the border south next weekend, when the Series make their fourth annual visit to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City for the first road-course event of the year.
Franchitti will not race in Mexico and Scott Pruett will drive his car instead.
Pos Driver Car Laps
1. Kyle Busch Toyota 202
2. Carl Edwards Ford 202
3. Denny Hamlin Toyota 202
4. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 202
5. David Ragan Ford 202
6. Mike Bliss Chevrolet 202
7. Stephen Leicht Chevrolet 202
8. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 202
9. David Reutimann Toyota 202
10. David Stremme Chevrolet 202
11. Dario Franchitti Dodge 202
12. Brad Keselowski Chevrolet 202
13. Bobby Hamilton Jr Ford 202
14. Jason Leffler Toyota 202
15. Mike Wallace Toyota 202
16. Steve Wallace Chevrolet 201
17. Marcos Ambrose Ford 201
18. James Buescher Toyota 201
19. Kelly Bires Ford 201
20. Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 201
21. Chase Miller Dodge 201
22. Landon Cassill Chevrolet 201
23. Brad Coleman Ford 201
24. Kyle Krisiloff Dodge 200
25. Kertus Davis Chevrolet 200
26. D.J. Kennington Dodge 200
27. Robby Gordon Dodge 199
28. Kevin Lepage Ford 199
29. Eric McClure Chevrolet 199
30. Robert Richardson Chevrolet 194
31. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 192
32. Jason Keller Chevrolet 181
33. John Borneman Ford 167
34. Morgan Shepherd Dodge 127
35. Derrike Cope Chevrolet 55
36. Jamie McMurray Ford 39
37. John Young Ford 32
38. Johnny Chapman Chevrolet 19
39. Larry Gunselman Chevrolet 16
40. Mike Harmon Chevrolet 12
41. Mike Potter Chevrolet 9
42. Brett Rowe Chevrolet 7
43. Scott Gaylord Ford 2 |
| All4Racing on April 12 2008 06:35:53
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Other drivers join Johnson's call for car changes |
 Despite comments made by reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson about changes needed to the new Cup car, many drivers have come out in support of it despite some of them still struggling with its handling.
Kevin Harvick, who runs second in the standings but has yet to win a race, believes it is too early to call for changes as Johnson has said. He says the intermediate tracks such as Texas will always be tougher to drive and to find the right balance with the car.
"I think after watching Michael McDowell flip several times and drive straight in the wall, the mission was accomplished as far what everybody wanted to accomplish from that car," Harvick said.
"As you look back and you go to those types of race tracks, the high-banked 1.5-mile race tracks have been the toughest on the COT car and it's been that way with the old car as well, those types of tracks are a little less conducive to the racing it seems for whatever reason.
"But being the first time that we went to Texas I don't think anybody wants to throw up a red flag and say we need to change everything because we had a tough race at Texas."
Jeff Gordon, who struggled all weekend at Texas, said he is following Carl Edwards' advice of concentrating on driving and learning how to get the most out of the car. Edwards said after his win last week that drivers should stop complaining to the media about the car's handling.
"I am going to follow Carl Edwards' advice, shut up and drive," Gordon said. "Obviously he is not having those issues with his car, so we have to go to work on ours. I am really trying not to focus on that anymore, it is what it is, we are stuck with it whether we like it or we don't like it."
Three-time winner this season Carl Edwards obviously wants the new Cup car to stay the way it is, and said teams struggling with it are missing on something that his team has probably figured out.
"I'm well aware that it takes everything being perfect in these cars to go fast," Edwards said. "And we've got to stay on top of that because some of the guys that are struggling, it's not because of the way they're driving the cars, it's because it's something they haven't got figured out, and that could happen to us just as well."
His Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle said drivers should concentrate on simply doing their best behind the wheel and working with crew chiefs to work out the best set-up.
"I don't think you're going to fix this car," Biffle said. "One, is how the windshield is stood up. And the size of it. It's what NASCAR wanted. This is what NASCAR wanted. NASCAR built this car, and it's our job to race it, race it the best we can, get it to handle the best we can and do what we can with it.
"That's out job, so that's what we're going |
| All4Racing on April 12 2008 06:31:20
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Drivers call for stricter rules on drug testing |
A number of Sprint Cup drivers are calling for stronger substance abuse policies in NASCAR after Truck Series driver Aaron Fike admitted to have raced under the influence of drugs.
In an interview with ESPN's The Magazine, Fike said he had used drugs on race days while competing in the Craftsman Truck Series. He is currently serving a suspension from NASCAR and faces legal charges after being arrested last year while in possession of drugs in an incident unrelated to racing.
NASCAR drivers sign a waiver before the start of each season, consenting to random testing for drugs and alcohol during race weekends. However, the policy seems to have not been enforced enough recently, given Fike's revelations.
Following the driver's admission, many Sprint Cup drivers have said that they would support the implementation of a stronger policy to control the use of drugs by drivers, some even suggesting that Fike's case may not be the only offender.
"I have been in a race with [Fike] and I know for a fact that he's not the only one," said Kevin Harvick, for whom Fike drove in three Nationwide Series races in 2006.
"There's another driver that is suspended that I can almost guarantee you was in a race car while under the influence, and that pisses me off.
"If I'm a fan of another sport, I don't want to watch and think that I don't know if those drivers are really clean. What difference does it make if they do random drug testing every week on every driver in the garage and you have to do it 15 times a year?
"I'm sure I'll have to [be tested] for speaking my mind, but if I have to pee in a cup 15 times a year I'm happy to do that. Just to make sure that everybody in the world knows that our sport is clean."
Harvick said he had spoken with NASCAR officials about the issue but his words had apparently gone "on deaf ears." He also claimed that despite being involved in NASCAR for nearly ten years, he has never been drug tested, something that would never happen in other professional sports.
Meanwhile Jeff Gordon said that while probably there has not been a reason for NASCAR to enforce a tougher policy on substance abuse, it would not be a bad idea to do random tests on drivers.
However he says he is not sure that there are any drugs that could actually enhance his performance as a race-car driver.
"I don't feel like there is a reason to do more (tests)," he said. "But at the same time, I have never been randomly tested and just to do it every once in a while, might not be a bad idea, just to get everybody's attention even though you sign that waiver that it could happen.
"It probably does need to happen from time to time just to make sure. But, you know, I think most of us have the impression that we only want to do something that is going to enhance our performance.
"There isn't anything that can really enhance the performance of a race car driver. Not that I know of, I can't imagine doing anything that would take away from my performance. I don't think we need a knee-jerk reaction here."
Dale Earnhardt Jr also supported the idea of random tests, although he believes that motorsports should have different policies than other professional sports such as baseball, basketball or football.
"I wouldn't have problem with random drug testing if it's important to the integrity of the sport," Earnhardt said. "That's what's important to me and maybe it would be able to help maintain that.
"We've always sort of had it differently than other stick and ball sports because we drive cars. It's just overall handled differently.
"People would assume that steroids and things like that wouldn't be an advantage here and I don't see how they would but I suspect the only reason a guy would do that in this profession is just physical appearance of his own perception of himself."
In 2006, Nationwide and Truck Series driver Shane Hmiel was banned from NASCAR for life after failing three separate drug tests, having tested positive for marijuana in 2003 and then also for cocaine in 2005.
NASCAR's current policy on substance abuse is based on "reasonable suspicion" rather than random tests as other professional sports. |
| All4Racing on April 11 2008 18:01:08
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Newman grabs Phoenix Sprint Cup Pole |
Ryan Newman scored his 43rd Sprint Cup Series career pole in qualifying for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
'The Rocket' set a lap time of 26.975 seconds at an average speed of 133.457 mph, going a couple of tenths faster than what he had managed in practice, where he had already been quickest.
The Penske driver's first pole of the season is also a record fourth at the one-mile-oval, also adding to his impressive tally to put him 10th overall in the Sprint Cup pole winners' ranking of all-time.
"It was a good run," Newman said. "I was really happy with the car in practice. Our last run was our best run and moved us to P1. In general, I thought it was a good lap. It was a bit conservative, but it was a good lap.
"Both laps were almost identical - I think within four-thousandths of a second. It wasn't perfect, but obviously good enough. I think we have a good car."
In a good day for some of the Dodge runners, Gillett Evernham's Elliot Sadler grabbed second after lapping only nine thousandths of a second slower than Newman. The top eight in qualifying were actually covered by less than a tenth of a second.
Texas winner Carl Edwards will start the race from third beside DEI's Mark Martin, who looked very strong during the afternoon practice. The third Dodge in the top-five was Kasey Kahne's, which will take the green flag on Saturday beside Kyle Busch's Toyota.
Jimmie Johnson, winner at Phoenix last November, was the fastest of the Hendrick cars in seventh, while Jeff Gordon, winner a year ago at the Arizona track, will start the race from eleventh on the grid.
Dave Blaney was the fastest of those who needed to qualify on time for the event, taking 19th on the grid, two places ahead of Dario Franchitti, who bounced back from a disappointing weekend at Texas to put himself back in the grid this time.
"After last week it feels really good," said Franchitti. "The guys on the 40 team did a great job all week. It was a pretty bad week for us not getting in the show last weekend but everybody pulled together and the whole organization did an amazing job.
"That's what teams are all about and we're in the show so I'm pretty happy about that."
All the former open-wheel drivers qualified for the race, including Michael McDowell who was 29th, beating both Sam Hornish Jr and Patrick Carpentier.
With 45 cars entered into qualifying, only two missed the field for the race. Kyle Petty, who had returned to the No. 45 car, will not make the show for the third week in a row. John Andretti also failed to qualify.
Pos Driver Make Speed Time
1. Ryan Newman Dodge 133.457 26.975
2. Elliott Sadler Dodge 133.412 26.984 + 0.009
3. Carl Edwards Ford 133.378 26.991 + 0.016
4. Mark Martin Chevrolet 133.368 26.993 + 0.018
5. Kasey Kahne Dodge 133.304 27.006 + 0.031
6. Kyle Busch Toyota 133.274 27.012 + 0.037
7. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 133.240 27.019 + 0.044
8. Jamie McMurray Ford 133.190 27.029 + 0.054
9. Martin Truex Jr Chevrolet 132.876 27.093 + 0.118
10. Scott Riggs Chevrolet 132.871 27.094 + 0.119
11. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 132.851 27.098 + 0.123
12. Tony Stewart Toyota 132.836 27.101 + 0.126
13. Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevrolet 132.714 27.126 + 0.151
14. Paul Menard Chevrolet 132.704 27.128 + 0.153
15. Juan Montoya Dodge 132.553 27.159 + 0.184
16. Denny Hamlin Toyota 132.416 27.187 + 0.212
17. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 132.397 27.191 + 0.216
18. Greg Biffle Ford 132.256 27.220 + 0.245
19. Dave Blaney Toyota 132.256 27.220 + 0.245
20. Reed Sorenson Dodge 132.071 27.258 + 0.283
21. Dario Franchitti Dodge 132.042 27.264 + 0.289
22. JJ Yeley Toyota 131.970 27.279 + 0.304
23. David Ragan Ford 131.945 27.284 + 0.309
24. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 131.921 27.289 + 0.314
25. Mike Skinner Toyota 131.887 27.296 + 0.321
26. David Reutimann Toyota 131.801 27.314 + 0.339
27. Matt Kenseth Ford 131.762 27.322 + 0.347
28. Michael Waltrip Toyota 131.757 27.323 + 0.348
29. Michael McDowell Toyota 131.704 27.334 + 0.359
30. Casey Mears Chevrolet 131.656 27.344 + 0.369
31. Sam Hornish Jr Dodge 131.617 27.352 + 0.377
32. Travis Kvapil Ford 131.608 27.354 + 0.379
33. Brian Vickers Toyota 131.473 27.382 + 0.407
34. Bobby Labonte Dodge 131.416 27.394 + 0.419
35. Robby Gordon Dodge 131.277 27.423 + 0.448
36. David Gilliland Ford 131.224 27.434 + 0.459
37. Patrick Carpentier Dodge 131.167 27.446 + 0.471
38. Regan Smith Chevrolet 131.105 27.459 + 0.484
39. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 130.928 27.496 + 0.521
40. Kurt Busch Dodge 130.928 27.496 + 0.521
41. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 130.581 27.569 + 0.594
42. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 130.482 27.590 + 0.615
43. Bill Elliott Ford Champion's Provisional |
| All4Racing on April 11 2008 17:59:05
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Calls from Johnson over Cup Car changes |
Reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has called for changes to be made to the aerodynamic configuration of the new Cup car, after struggling with its handling in the traffic last weekend at Texas.
Johnson has said NASCAR needs to find the way to generate more front downforce on the new Cup car and improve its handling in dirty air at intermediate tracks like Texas, because the teams are currently very constrained in what they can do to change that.
"This car is so much bigger," Johnson said. "It is safer and that's a great thing. But I'd love to see NASCAR talk to some team engineers and their guys get together and think: 'All right, what’s a logical step that’s not going to cost millions and millions of dollars to get some more front downforce in the cars so you don’t get so tight in traffic'.
"It seems that we have plenty of rear grip from time-to-time with the aero balance and you can adjust the wing there. But the cars really need some front downforce."
The new Cup car has a rear wing instead of the spoiler that the old car had, and an adjustable splitter helps generate downforce at the front, while in the past they only relied on tweaking with the air dam.
Most teams have struggled to get enough front-end grip with the new car to get it to turn properly in the middle of the corners, not only due to its aero balance but also due to the different suspension layout, which relies a lot on bump-stops on the front dampers.
Johnson also believes it is necessary to make changes to the car so that racing on the bigger tracks improves, because due to its current characteristics, drivers are afraid of running close to one another.
"The cars are more important now, in set-up, than what they were before," Johnson added. “Now this is on the big tracks. The shorter tracks, aero is bad. Bristol, we saw a good race. Martinsville is still Martinsville. But these bigger tracks, you can’t hide the aero deficiencies that these cars have. That’s just how it is.
“We’re all afraid to run side-by-side and you can only get so close to the guy in front of you and we just sit there in a safe spot and ride because you can’t go anywhere.”
Johnson had already mentioned the issue in January after struggling during a test at Las Vegas where he later raced and finished 29th and two laps down.
Some teams are believed to have already spoken to NASCAR about tweaking the front end of the cars and possibly adding a larger splitter to generate more downforce and improve its aerodynamic balance. |
| All4Racing on April 09 2008 18:45:55
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