NASCAR has three races in two days on this weekend's schedule. Two races and all the attention are at the Monster Mile, Dover International Speedway. It's Week Two of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the AAA 400, Sunday at 1 p.m. (ABC).
They call it the Monster Mile for a reason. DIS is exactly one mile long with high banking (24° in the turns and 9° on the 1076-feet straightaways), which leads to higher speeds. The cars get good grip on the concrete surface, which leads drivers to push the issue, but the surface is bumpy, which can lead to trouble, especially with the new double-file restarts. The confines are tight -- a single-car spin can quickly turn into a multi-car accident that can cause problems with twelve drivers racing for a championship.
In Friday qualifying, Jimmie Johnson captured the pole with a lap of 22.878 seconds (157.356 mph). It was his second pole of the season. Juan Montoya will be beside Johnson on the front row after a lap of 156.699 mph. Chase drivers took six of the first seven starting spots. Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle start on Row Two. Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon start in sixth and seventh respectively. Carl Edwards has the best average finish among active drivers at Dover, but he has his work cut out for him Sunday. He qualified 30th, worst among the Chasers. (Race lineup)
Mark Martin comes into Dover with a 35-point lead over Johnson and Denny Hamlin. Nine drivers are separated by less than 100 points. Jeff Gordon is in tenth, 102 points back. Kasey Kahne trails the Chase field, he's 161 points behind Martin after just one Chase race.
Showing posts with label Jeff Gordon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeff Gordon. Show all posts
Friday, September 25, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
NASCAR: Loudon Preview
NASCAR travels to New Hampshire for a two-race weekend. The big race is Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It's the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, twelve drivers vying for the championship separated by just forty points.
I'm not a big fan of the Chase. I like the old system where a driver had to be consistent over the entire season to win the championship. Now, a driver just has to be consistent enough over the regular season, the first 26 races, to be in the Top 12 and make the Chase. The Chase is a playoff format; the points of the 12 Chase drivers are reset and they begin the playoffs on an almost equal footing. The winner of the Sprint Cup champion is the best of the 12 over the final ten races of the season. Big leads are almost always erased. Last season, Jimmie Johnson took home the championship that should have belonged to Jeff Gordon. Now, I'm not a Jeff Gordon fan so that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I am a Tony Stewart fan and this year eleven other drivers are vying to take home his championship. He had a 197-point lead after Richmond, but starts this Chase ten points behind Mark Martin. NASCAR got tired of drivers running away with championships, clinching them with races left on the schedule, and came up with this playoff format.
I also don't like the scoring system for the Chase. It's the same as any other time of the season, but twelve drivers are competing for the championship alongside 31 other drivers who have their own reasons for being there. Shouldn't the Chase drivers be scored separately from the other drivers?
I'm not a big fan of the Chase. I like the old system where a driver had to be consistent over the entire season to win the championship. Now, a driver just has to be consistent enough over the regular season, the first 26 races, to be in the Top 12 and make the Chase. The Chase is a playoff format; the points of the 12 Chase drivers are reset and they begin the playoffs on an almost equal footing. The winner of the Sprint Cup champion is the best of the 12 over the final ten races of the season. Big leads are almost always erased. Last season, Jimmie Johnson took home the championship that should have belonged to Jeff Gordon. Now, I'm not a Jeff Gordon fan so that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I am a Tony Stewart fan and this year eleven other drivers are vying to take home his championship. He had a 197-point lead after Richmond, but starts this Chase ten points behind Mark Martin. NASCAR got tired of drivers running away with championships, clinching them with races left on the schedule, and came up with this playoff format.
I also don't like the scoring system for the Chase. It's the same as any other time of the season, but twelve drivers are competing for the championship alongside 31 other drivers who have their own reasons for being there. Shouldn't the Chase drivers be scored separately from the other drivers?
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