Three-race showdown set for manufacturer championship

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The strong 2008 seasons by Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch (from Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota, respectively) has made this year's Manufacturers' Championship one of the most heated — and coveted — in history.

With three races remaining in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, only five points separate the top three in the Manufacturers' Championship standings.

Chevrolet took the lead for the first time in 22 races after Jimmie Johnson's second-place finish at Atlanta. Chevrolet, with 198 points, now leads Toyota by one point and Ford by five. Dodge, with 138 points, is 60 points out.

"Several teams have made it a point to say that they'll do everything they can to 'get the next spot' if it means moving Chevy further ahead in the manufacturers' points race," said Pat Suhy, GM Racing NASCAR Group Manager. "I know they'd go for it anyway, but it feels good to know that they're thinking of us at the same time as they are themselves."

Kyle Busch, in winning eight races during the 26-race regular season, put Toyota in prime position to win the Manufacturers' Championship in only its second season.

"The competition between four manufacturers is one of the reasons we decided to become involved in NASCAR, and there's undoubtedly a huge sense of pride in earning the Manufacturers' Championship, especially with the intense level of competition in the series," said Lee White, president and general manager of TRD, U.S.A.

Ford entered the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup trailing Toyota by 18 points. But three wins in seven Chase races have cut the deficit by 13.

"It's obviously been one of the most competitive seasons, in terms of manufacturers that NASCAR has seen in many years," said Doug Hervey, North American Operations Manager, Ford Racing Technology. "Fortunately for us, we've got three race tracks coming up where our teams really excel, especially Homestead Miami Speedway, so we're optimistic about our chances of coming back and winning the manufacturers' championship."

Source: NASCAR

Fantasy Report: Dickies 500

There's only three races left in the 2008 season and Carl Edwards isn't going out without a fight. While Johnson still has the edge, Edwards has to really capitalize in the last few races to have a shot at the championship — and hope that Johnson finishes terribly. We'll all know soon enough. Onto the picks:

Brandon's picks:

Jeff Burton✔, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr.✔, Mark Martin✔, David Ragan, Ryan Newman, Travis Kvapil✔ and AJ Allmendinger.

Erik's picks:

Jeff Burton✔, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman✔, Jamie McMurray✔, David Ragan, Bobby Labonte, Paul Menard✔ and David Reutimann.

Use 'em, if you got 'em: If you still have Johnson and Edwards available put at least one of them in this weekend. Johnson has the best average here but only has one win to Carl Edwards' two. I would still think that Johnson is the favorite but if Edwards' ride is anything like it was this past weekend then he'll be hard to beat. Of course, I give this advice and I can't use either driver — I'm putting in Jeff Burton.

Honorable mentions: Burton has 2 wins and 7 top tens at Texas and could be an excellent pick this weekend. Matt Kenseth has also done very well here in the past with a win and 5 top five finishes and after looking strong in Atlanta he might have a shot at the checkered flag this weekend. Don't ever count Mark Martin out either. Even though he's heading to Hendrick Motorsports in 2009 the veteran is still looking to post his first win of 2008.

The unpredictable: What can you say? This stuff is hard. We've said time and time again that what might seem like a lock can quickly deteriorate into a 40th or worse finish. I had a pretty bad week in Atlanta and dropped to 6th spot. I'm hoping to have a solid finish this weekend even though I'm going to have to pick my drivers well before any practice or qualifying since your humble narrator will be spending the weekend in New Orleans.

Good luck race fans!

Fantasy Report: Pep Boys Auto 500

The action is heating up as 'The Chase for the Cup' draws closer to an end. In race seven of the Chase drivers will handle the high speeds of Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Pep Boys Auto 500.

Here are the picks ...

Erik's picks:

Jeff Burton✔, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman✔, Jamie McMurray✔, David Ragan, Bobby Labonte, Paul Menard✔ and David Reutimann.

Brandon's picks:

Tony Stewart✔, Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya✔, Mark Martin✔, Kasey Kahne, Elliot Sadler, Paul Menard✔ and Michael Waltrip.

Jimmie Johnson all the way: I think its safe to say Johnson might have the Cup locked up — unless he gets lost on the way to every track for the rest of the season. Even then I think he might find a way to win. If you have him left on your fantasy roster this is a great time to use him. There have been seven season sweeps at Atlanta and one of those by Johnson in 2007. He also has an average finish of 9th at Atlanta. If weather becomes a factor at Atlanta this could play in Johnson's favor once again. If qualifying gets rained out he would sit the pole and 55 races have been won from the first five starting positions.

Long shot: This week my long shot is Bobby Labonte. He leads the active list of drivers with six career victories at Atlanta. He also holds the track record. If he qualifies well then I will put him in. Being out of contention for a top five finish in the fantasy standings I don’t think it will really hurt me that much.

Good luck this week!

Rocket Racing League to take off

FAA Approves Rocket Races

SPACE.com — Rocket-powered racers received the go-ahead this week from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to soar at over 20 venues across the United States.

This certification marks the first time ever that the FAA has approved a production-scale rocket-powered aircraft for exhibition flights, the Rocket Racing League announced on Tuesday.

The league formed in 2005 to promote aerial NASCAR-style racing, and currently has a roster of six teams under title sponsor DKNY, a New York City-based men's sportswear line that is also backing the Bridenstine Rocket Racing Team headed by former U.S. Navy jet pilot Jim Bridenstine.

An earlier debut of the rocket-powered racers used a liquid oxygen and kerosene engine designed by XCOR Aerospace. However, the DKNY Bridenstine Rocket Racer that received recent FAA approval for public demonstrations is equipped with liquid oxygen and alcohol engines produced by Armadillo Aerospace.

"I would like to personally thank the FAA for their assistance through this process," said Granger Whitelaw, Rocket Racing League co-founder and CEO. "This historic moment was built upon the unprecedented cooperation between our company, Armadillo Aerospace, and the FAA."

He added that the League plans to confirm its venues for the 2009 exhibition season, before kicking off an official race season with 10 rocket racers in 2010.

Read more >>

Video of the RRL inaugural flight

Rocket Racing League's Web site

Fantasy Report: Tums QuikPak 500

With my hopes for at least a second place finish in our Fantasy league quashed by last weekend's dismal showing from my drivers I have no choice but to keep on truckin' and see how well I can finish. It's pretty funny to think that I was really trying last week and ended up getting fewer points than Erik who was trying to pick losers. Just goes to show how much of a roll of the dice this thing truly is. Well, we're in Martinsville this week ... onto the picks:

Brandon's picks:

Jeff Gordon✔, Denny Hamlin, David Ragan✔, Kasey Kahne✔, Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Reutimann✔ and Aric Almirola.

Erik's picks:

Jeff Gordon✔, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman✔, Jamie McMurray✔, David Ragan, Juan Pablo Montoya, Paul Menard✔ and David Reutimann.

Better than most: Look to Hendrick Motorsports for this week's locks. With 8 poles and 7 wins at Martinsville, Jeff Gordon will likely have a strong showing. His teammate Jimmie Johnson has one pole and 4 wins here. While Gordon's team has been getting better recently, if I had to bet I would say that Johnson might have the better shot at winning this weekend. Mark Martin has also been a top finisher and winner here but he won't be racing this weekend — Aric Almirola will be in the driver's seat.

High expectations: I have high hopes that my B drivers can do well this weekend. They were really my only sources of points last week. I think that David Ragan will continue his hot streak and Kasey Kahne will be able to capitalize on his second-place finish at Lowe's coming into this weekend. I'll likely start which ever one of my C drivers does better overall during practice and qualifying, which is usually the case.

Good luck!

Fantasy Report: Bank of America 500

Lowe's Motor Speedway is where NASCAR heads this week as The Chase for the Cup draws closer to the end. After my horrendous fantasy showing at Talladega this past weekend I am going to try something a little different. I figure I am already out of winning so why not have some fun.

During the Kansas race Brandon and I were talking about how much fun reversing the rules of fantasy racing would be. To pick the drivers who are going to finish closest to the back. It would give racing fans a chance to cheer on some of the other guys who don’t always make it to victory lane. In honor of my total debacle that is fantasy racing 2008 I am going to pay homage to the racers I believe will finish in the rear of the pack this week at Lowe's. It is going to be fun to root for the underdog. Who knows — they might even win!

Onto our picks …

Erik's picks:

Kurt Busch✔, Clint Bowyer, Dave Blaney✔, Robby Gordon✔, David Gilliland, Reed Sorenson, Michael Waltrip✔ and Paul Menard.

Brandon's picks:

Carl Edwards✔, Jeff Gordon, David Ragan✔, Kasey Kahne✔, Mark Martin, Elliot Sadler, Travis Kvapil✔ and David Reuitmann.

SMART MOVES: If you are looking to get points this week Kasey Kahne is a great move. He has won three of the last five races at Lowe's. If you still have him left on your roster, Jimmie Johnson is a powerhouse as this track. Since 2003, he has had five wins at Charlotte. I think Brandon has selected great drivers for this week and has a great opportunity to move into the second place spot in our fantasy league. Good luck to you B! Watch out for my underdogs though.

Rule clarification regarding passing at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — At yesterday's Drivers Meeting, NASCAR reiterated the rule about passing under the yellow line and provided the same information to all drivers and crew chiefs in a hand out, as we've done in past Daytona and Talladega races. The verbatim language is:

"This is your warning: race above the yellow line. If, in NASCAR'S judgment, you go below the yellow line to improve your position, you will be black-flagged. If in NASCAR's judgment you force someone below the yellow line (in an effort to stop him from passing you), you may be black-flagged."

"During the last lap of yesterday's race at Talladega Superspeedway the driver of the No. 01 violated NASCAR policy by driving under the yellow line to improve his position," said NASCAR President Mike Helton. "In NASCAR's opinion he was not forced below the yellow line. NASCAR correctly took immediate action to enforce the policy by penalizing the No. 01 and scoring the No. 20 as the race winner."

Helton continued, "Since the end of the race there has been some confusion as to what is allowable during the last lap at Daytona and Talladega. To be clear, as we go forward, there will be no passing under the yellow line at any time during NASCAR races at Daytona or Talladega, period. This includes any passing below the yellow line near the start/finish line on the final lap," said Helton.

Video: Amp Energy 500 race recap

30 laps to go

We're sitting with 30 laps to go. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is leading.

Things have pretty much calmed down. Three-wide racing is off for now.

Be back later.

Halfway point

We're at the halfway point in the race and we've already seen the Big One. We've also seen what could be called a tire problem.

And we've witnessed a ton of lead changes, being on pace for the most ever.

During a recent caution Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of the day's many leaders, said anybody could basically go to the lead whenever you wanted to.

The big thing will become in the last 10 laps when everybody wants to go to the lead at the same time.

On a side note, Denny Hamlin has also just blown a tire. He was leading the race and slammed hard into the wall on the 99th lap. His car came to rest on the wall, where he was removed from it, walked to the ambulance and was taken to the infield care center.

The Big One

Death, taxes and The Big One at Talladega Superspeedway --- they’re all guarantees. And on lap 68 in the Amp Energy 500, the latter came on Sunday.
It all started when Brian Vickers blew a right front tire. Vickers then collected Martin Truex Jr., sending him spinning and collecting cars all along the way.
“It’s frustration certainly, we had a great car,” Truex said. “I was having a lot of fun running up front drafting with Junior.
“The 83 car was right beside me and I heard bam, like a shotgun going off…. I’m going to have a bit of a headache tonight.”
Vickers said the situation that happened to him was much like what happened to Earnhardt in practice on Friday when he also blew a tire and wrecked.
“A bomb exploded in my right front tire,” he said. “It didn’t go down, it didn’t cut.”
All total, nine cars were involved, and the race was stopped to clean debris off the race track. Vickers, Truex, David Gilliland and Tony Raines were all treated and released from the infield car center.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was leading the race when the wreck happened.

Third caution

The third caution of the day caused a big hit in the points standings. David Reutimann blew a tire and when he did, he collected Jeff Gordon.

Reutimann was above Gordon when the tire went down, then losing control and shooting in front of Gordon. After narrowly missing Reutimann, Gordon could keep control of the car and nose-planted the wall.

"We got shuffled to the back, I was all the way in the back," Gordon siad. "I tried to avoid him, and when I did car turned to the right and I lost control."

It was evident what happened to Reutimann's car with only looking at the car of Gordon's teammate, Jimmie Johnson. He was riding around the track with the ruber from the tire hung on the nose of his car.

Gordon's car went behind the wall, while Johnson's team elected to repair the damage to his Lowe's 48 on pit road.

"I'm sure we'll get the DuPont Chevrolet back out there," Gordon added.

The caution came out on Lap 55, nearly one-third of the way into the race.

Junior leading

Everybody knew it would happen at some point, and 26 laps into Sunday's race it happened.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. changed engines and moved to the back of the pack to start Sunday's race. He found drafting partners and quickly moved to the front.

Earnhardt didn't stay there long, relenting to David Ragan, who also started at the back of the pack.

On a side note, Earnhardt's teammate Jimmie Johnson lost the draft early and is a lap down. this could be huge as he is atop of the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings.

Live from Talladega

Sports Editor Bran Strickland here. I'm sitting in the infield media center at Talladega Superspeedway.

They've belted out "God Bless America" and fooled half of the media center, thinking it was the other song. You can only see some singing on the monitors, and none of us could read lips.

OK, I'm back. Right in the middle of this, they had the "National Anthem," and I didn't want to be rude. They also had the flyover. It was four jets, looked to be F-15s, which I want to address ...

We're smack dab in the middle of a fuel crisis. I don't know for sure, but I'd be willing to be that a jet -- much less four of them -- uses a ton of fuel, which could be better served in somebody's car.

And you think they do this stuff all the time, why?

I think we'd all be just as happy if we didn't have flyovers. But maybe NASCAR covers the cost of fuel. And I know that the cars on the track today use a lot of gas, too, but in my mind, it's there money. Those jets, though, might be using tax-payer gas.

OK, my rant is over. I'll check back in throughout the race and keep you up to date.

What you can bring to Talladega Superspeedway; scanner frequencies

Allowed

■ Binoculars, cameras, headsets, etc., worn separately around the neck or belt are allowed, along with seat cushions carries separately.

■ Cell phones, scanners, pagers and radios can be clipped to the belt.

■ One soft-sided bag no larger than 6x6x12 inches. Soft-sided bags include insulated coolers, scanner and camera bags, fanny packs, pursues, diaper bags, etc. They may also contain ice. All soft-sided bags are subject to search.

■ One clear plastic bag no larger than 18x18x4 inches. Clear bags may be used to carry items such as: Scanners, apparel, cameras, snacks and canned beverages. They may not contain ice. All bags are subject to search.

Not allowed

■ Items not allowed include: Hard-sided coolers, backpacks, thermos bottles and insulated cups on any size; strollers, umbrellas, etc.; any bags, or containers larger than the allowable size of 6x6x12 inches. For fans’ safety, any items left unattended in or around the gate area will be removed and disposed of. Talladega Superspeedway assumes no responsibility.

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Scanner frequencies for the Amp Energy 500

NASCAR newscast: Chase race 4 preview

Fantasy Report: Amp Energy 500

Residents of Calhoun and Talladega counties may notice an influx of people into the area this weekend as 200,000 fans descend upon the Talladega Superspeedway for the Amp Energy 500, the Mountain Dew 250 and the ARCA RE/MAX Series 250. The Chase is on with 3 top contenders eyeing the trophy and Talladega could be the determining factor in who stays in it or takes themselves out of the running. Onto this week's picks:

Brandon's picks:

Jimmie Johnson✔, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr.✔, David Ragan✔, Juan Pablo Montoya, Elliott Sadler, Travis Kvapil✔ and David Reutimann.

Erik's picks:

Jeff Gordon✔, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr.✔, Jamie McMurray✔, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler, Travis Kvapil✔ and Scott Riggs.

Frontrunners: There's no doubt that since this is an impound race that there will be some lesser teams running toward the front of the pack to start this race but they probably won't stay there for long. Case in point: Joe Nemechek sat on the pole in the spring and finished a not-so-bad 25th, whereas Montoya started 26th and finished 2nd. However, this isn't an exact science since Kyle Busch started 5th and won earlier this year at 'Dega. It couldn't hurt to put in some drivers you think doesn't have a shot at winning but might qualify well if you've already decided on who you're putting in this weekend ... for me that's Elliott Sadler (can't ever tell with him though.)

Eye on the prize: There's little question about Talladega's importance in terms of Chase points and it could be an excellent opportunity to really rake in some Fantasy points as well. You can be sure that the top guys in the point standings will be factors this weekend but I think that when the checkered flag is dropped the #48 of Johnson will be out front. Call it a hunch from the perspective of his 13th place finish in the spring, but he's had a win here and 4 top-5 finishes. After his victory last weekend in Kansas and the revival of his teams performance he's got my pick. Other notables to watch out for would be J. Gordon, Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart.

Trouble in turn 4: Kyle Busch ... oh, how unpredictable you have become. I would like to say that he's a lock this weekend given the fact that he dominated the season but with dismal performances in the Chase and his innate ability to get into trouble at 'Dega he might not be a good choice. Despite the fact that I haven't been able to use Kyle for quite some time and his winning the last 2 restrictor plate races this year, I'm not sure he'll do that well on Sunday. Remember: he doesn't have anything to lose and for "crazy" drivers like Kyle that could end well for him or very badly. Although not his fault, this comes to mind: The Big One from the 2007 UAW-Ford 500.

They can't all win: When playing Fantasy one must not always try to knock it out of the park week-in, week-out. So, when picking your drivers this week, especially for B and C, try to pick someone that is a solid finisher and has the experience to stay out of big wrecks. Earnhardt Jr. is the guy I've been holding for this very race. Not only is he the fan favorite but he could also turn a few heads with a great finish, if not a win, this weekend if he can stay out of trouble. Remember in 2006, Junior almost won before getting spun out on the last lap. Another driver that could have a decent week is Montoya. He's coming off a pole at Kansas that was taken away by technicality and a near win the the spring at Talladega.

Good luck and enjoy the race!