NASCAR’s Odd Couple Spar For Championship

NASCAR’s Odd Couple Spar For Championship

 

When the words “Carl Edwards had better be real worried. … He's not going to sleep for the next three weeks" tumbled from Tony Stewart’s mouth in Martinsville Speedway’s Victory Lane, a storybook grudge match was born.

A healthy feud blossomed between two drivers overdosing on talent – just about the only thing they have in common. Their differences make you question why they haven’t been going at it for much longer.

Note the accompanying photos. Carl in the white hat. Tony in the black. It’s a perfect illustration of the two prime championship contenders as the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ rolls to its final three races.

Their opposite characteristics cannot be ignored. Tony’s Burger King. Carl’s Subway. Tony’s outspoken, quick with verbal jabs – political correctness be damned. Carl’s a sponsor’s dream, a guy you’d want to take home to mom. And last week at Martinsville, when asked what NASCAR personality he’d be for Halloween, Tony said anyone sponsored by a beer company, so it could match what he’s drinking. Carl’s probably doing sit-ups as you read this.

Though there are others very much in contention (Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski are only 21 and 27 points out of the lead, respectively), Stewart vs. Edwards will likely attract the spotlight this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Only eight points separate the two with three races remaining in the season.

Carl Edwards: Well, maybe the two DO have something in common, but only if Edwards goes on to win the championship without winning another race. One driver in the Chase era has won the title without winning a Chase race: Tony Stewart in 2005.

It’s doubtful Edwards goes winless over the next three. He has a combined six wins at the next three tracks – three at Texas Motor Speedway; one at Phoenix International Speedway; two at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His Driver Rating over the next three tracks is 102.4, which is second only to Jimmie Johnson’s 107.9.

Over the first seven races of the Chase, Edwards has the most top 10s (six) and the best average finish (6.1).

But are those numbers deceiving? Edwards has doubled as a magician in three of the last four races. He has struggled at Kansas (his Driver Rating was 87.6), Talladega (57.2) and Martinsville (79.0), yet crafted finishes of fifth, 11th and ninth, respectively.

How do you analyze that? Is it: “His luck has got to run out one of these days.” Or: “That’s what champions do, and now his bread-and-butter tracks await. He’s got this.”

Tony Stewart: Stewart has sandwiched two finishes outside the top 10 at Dover and Kansas with brilliant runs. His three Chase victories in 2011 match his all-time high. He also had three Chase wins in 2006, a season he did not make the Chase. His Martinsville victory put his Chase wins total at nine, second only to Jimmie Johnson’s 20.

Like Edwards, Stewart has wins at all the remaining tracks: one each at Texas and Phoenix; two at Homestead.

He also has the championship pedigree, something Edwards lacks in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. Stewart, a two-time champion, is the only driver to win under the pre-Chase (2002) and Chase era (2005) formats. A third title would put Stewart’s name among the all-time greats, joining NASCAR Hall of Famers Lee Petty and David Pearson and NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip with three titles. If he does erase the eight-point deficit, he’ll become the first driver-owner champion since Alan Kulwicki in 1992.

 

About Time: Intrigue Surrounds NASCAR Nationwide Series Return

 

After two open weeks in the latter stages of its schedule, anticipation has ballooned in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The series heads to the big track in Texas, with just three races remaining in arguably the most exciting season in its 30-year history. Consider these impactful storylines:

•           Danica Patrick returns to series competition this weekend, effectively now as a full-time NASCAR driver.

•           Kenny Wallace will make his 520th career start, a new record.

•           The driver championship carries a 15-point difference between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Elliott Sadler. The owner standings between the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford are separated by three points. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year is a one-point race between Timmy Hill and Blake Koch.

For an in-depth look at those stories – and more – check out page 3 of this release.

 

Kenseth, Biffle Rank High Among Lone Star Favorites

 

A Roush Fenway Ford may be in Victory Lane on Sunday but it maybe not the one you think.

While Carl Edwards leads the points standings, his RFR teammates Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle – one in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the other a non-qualifier – could be the drivers to watch in the AAA Texas 500.

Each has at least one victory at the 1.5-mile track. Kenseth, twice a winner in Ft. Worth, led 169 laps in racing to victory in the spring. That performance backed up a runner-up finish in Texas last fall.

Biffle, one of four 2010 winners yet to taste victory this season, ranks third in TMS Driver Rating (100.3) behind Kenseth (105.2) and Tony Stewart.

•           Roush Fenway leads all owners in Texas victories with eight.

•           Kenseth has nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes at the track and ranks first in average finish (6.8). He ranks third in laps led (519). His start to finish differential – +8.9 positions – is a Texas best among Chase qualifiers.

•           Biffle finished fourth in the Texas spring race; fifth in last year’s AAA Texas 500. He led the most recent three races and twice has led 200 plus laps. Biffle is the Texas Motor Speedway leader in two key Loop Data categories: laps led (619) and most fastest laps (384).

Both drivers have Texas victories in other NASCAR national series – Kenseth in NASCAR Nationwide and Biffle in NASCAR Camping World Trucks. Biffle clinched his NCWTS title at Texas in 2000.

 

Texas Perfect Place For Junior’s Winless Streak To End

 

One of NASCAR’s most enduring images is of father and son – Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – celebrating Junior’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Texas Motor Speedway in 2000.

Thus, there would be no better place for the third generation competitor to end a 126-race winless drought.

Special, yes. Unexpected, probably not.

A “new” Junior emerged last weekend at Martinsville Speedway where he finished seventh: an aggressive, do-what-it takes driver anxious to end the 2011 season on a winning note.

Earnhardt finished ninth at Texas in the spring, his second top 10 in the past three Texas races. He also led his 13th race in 18 starts at the 1.5-mile track. Earnhardt twice won the Coors Light Pole and posted three top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

The eight-time Most Popular Driver boasts the track’s eighth-best Driver Rating (93.1) outranking Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin. He also has a NASCAR Nationwide Series victory at the Texas speedway.

 

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Etc.

 

If Roush Fenway Racing sweeps the NASCAR Nationwide-NASCAR Sprint Cup races this weekend, it’ll reach NASCAR national series win No. 300. … Milestone Watch: Hendrick Motorsports will attempt to post its 200th series win; Kurt Busch is going for his 25th series win; AJ Allmendinger will attempt to make his 150th series start; Kasey Kahne will attempt to post his 100th top-10 finish; Juan Pablo Montoya will attempt to post his 50th top-10 finish and Ryan Newman is going for his 50th Coors Light pole. … Stewart-Haas Racing announced Tuesday that Quicken Loans will be the primary sponsor of the No. 39 team and driver Ryan Newman for nine races in 2012. … Back in Miami for its second year, NASCAR Championship Drive, the outdoor fan festival and Coca-Cola Racing Family Concert featuring Blake Shelton, which is free to fans, will take place Nov. 17-18 at Lummus Park. For more information visit www.nascar.com/championshipdrive … Texas Motor Speedway's "No Limits" Garage Party Presented by WinStar World Casino on Sunday, Nov. 6, is constructing a 100-by-100-foot dirt arena for an authentic bull-riding event put on by Stockyards Championship Rodeo. The event consists of 50 bull riders and 60 head of cattle, and a $3,000 purse is up for grabs. … Sunday’s pre-race show will feature Trace Adkins. … The world’s #1 show is coming to Texas Motor Speedway to get a taste of American auto racing. Top Gear (BBC) is sending host Richard Hammond to experience his first NASCAR race, where he’ll meet with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, tour a hauler with Steve Letarte, drive the pace car before the NASCAR Sprint Cup race and even help out in the pits with the No. 5 team. … HGTV’s show Celebrity Coaches is traveling around the country, looking for the best motorhomes around. On Saturday, November 5 they’ll come to Texas Motor Speedway to meet Casey Mears and tour his personal trailer. The camera crew will also tour the No. 13 team hauler to see how Casey lives, and works, while at the track.