April 17, 2008 7:50 PM ET
Stewart has best 3-yr avg. on plate tracks
 The News
Tony Stewart has the best three-year average finish on restrictor-plate SuperSpeedways during the last three years, with a result of 12.9 in 12 races.
 Our View
As remarkable as this seems, it is still hard to call him a sure thing. From the 2006 fall Talladega race through last summer's Daytona duel, he finished 22nd or worse in four straight races.
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April 17, 2008 6:47 PM ET
J Gordon has second most 'Dega top-10 laps
The News
Jeff Gordon has the second-most laps spent among the top 10 during the last three years at Talladega, with 635 of 1,140 laps spent at the front.
Our View
This stat is misleading. Last fall—in the first COT race—Gordon chose to run at the back of the pack until the final laps. His sweep of victory lane last year, however, speaks for itself.
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April 17, 2008 5:45 PM ET
Ku Busch has most Talladega top-10 laps
The News
Kurt Busch has spent the most time in the top 10 at Talladega during the last three years, with 690 of 1,140 laps spent among the leaders.
Our View
Simple mathematics suggests, the further forward a driver is in the field, the less likely he is to get into trouble if a crash erupts, so this improves Busch's odds.
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April 17, 2008 4:35 PM ET
Confirmed: Schrader to drive No. 70 at 'Dega
The News
It's been confirmed. Ken Schrader will be the driver of the week behind the No. 70 Gene Haas Chevy, as that team continues to look for a full time replacement for Jeremy Mayfield.
Our View
While Talladega may be more about horsepower than driver input, experience still matters, and Schrader has a ton of that on this restrictor-plate SuperSpeedway.
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April 17, 2008 3:31 PM ET
JGR tests at Rockingham
The News
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) gave up-and-coming Joey Logano some valuable seat time this week by sending him and the Cup test team to Rockingham Speedway.
Our View
No speeds were reported, but that is really beside the point. Logano will benefit simply by turning laps. He will face his first competition on this track May 4th in the ARCA series.
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April 17, 2008 8:29 AM ET
Ganassi swaps crew chiefs
The News
Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) has begun making some changes to improve the overall performance of their teams. The No. 41 and 42 teams will swap crew chiefs effective at Talladega.
Our View
Drivers Juan Montoya and Reed Sorenson and crew chiefs Donnie Wingo and Jimmy Elledge are all talented individuals, but chemistry plays an important role. Fantasy owners need to wait and see if there is any benefit.
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April 16, 2008 2:05 PM ET
Schrader to race No. 70?
The News
BAM Racing may skip the Aaron's 499, but Ken Schrader might be in attendance. Rumor has him moving into the No. 70 Gene Haas car, for at least this race.
Our View
Johnny Sauter ran strong before getting caught in an accident at Phoenix last week, but without the strong result they needed, the team is still outside the top 35.
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April 16, 2008 12:04 PM ET
NASCAR adds Lowe's test
The News
Teams have asked for additional tests in the new body style, and NASCAR is listening. A test date has been added at Lowe's Motor Speedway for May 5th and 6th.
Our View
The car is extremely finicky on the unrestricted, intermediate speedways, and the only way to improve competition is to allow more test dates.
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April 16, 2008 10:03 AM ET
Nationwide: Barrett hires Barrett
The News
Stanton Barrett will have his father Stan Barrett driving at Mexico City in the Corona Mexico 200, marking his return after a n 18-year break from NASCAR racing.
Our View
In 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup starts, Barrett earned two top-10s—at Atlanta and Talladega—and the 64-year old he should make an interesting addition to the lineup.
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April 14, 2008 10:49 AM ET
BAM trims to part time schedule
The News
BAM Racing will scale back to a part time schedule, after learning that a sponsorship deal they were counting on, will not materialize.
Our View
It appears that the team will not show up to Talladega, and only run sporadically until the fall.
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April 13, 2008 11:07 PM ET
Stremme to become Penske test driver?
The News
Sporting News is reporting that Penske Racing South and David Stremme will announce this week that he will join the organization as a test driver.
Our View
If Sam Hornish Jr continues to struggle in the Cup series, there is also speculation that Stremme may run in the Coke 600, while Hornish runs in the Indy 500.
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April 13, 2008 1:01 AM ET
Hornish Rookie of the Race at Phoenix
The News
Sam Hornish Jr. earned Rookie of the Race honors for the third time this season, with his 19th place finish.
Our View
He was the best freshman by a wide margin; Dario Franchitti was second best with a 30th.
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April 13, 2008 12:15 AM ET
Johnson steals victory at Phoenix
The News
Jimmie Johnson outlasted the field on fuel mileage and won the Subway Fresh Fit 500k after Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had to pit.
Our View
All bets are off when one car can go so much longer than the competition, but most of the leaders had to pit, which evened the playing field somewhat.
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April 12, 2008 12:12 AM ET
Nationwide Regulars take three top-10s
The News
As predicted, the top Nationwide Regulars had a strong showing, with Mike Bliss in sixth, Stephen Leicht in seventh and David Stremme in 10th.
Our View
Leicht was notable among these drivers. In three starts, he has now swept the top 12.
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April 12, 2008 12:08 AM ET
Nationwide: Busch wins Phoenix
The News
The monkey is truly off Kyle Busch's back now that he's won back-to-back races in the Nationwide series.
Our View
Busch was strong throughout the race and had just enough to hold off a determined Carl Edwards at the end.
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April 11, 2008 8:58 PM ET
Martin wins Happy Hour
The News
Mark Martin posted both the fastest single lap and the quickest average speed to win Happy Hour no matter how you gauge it.
Our View
Worse still for the competition, he quit early, and when Martin is happy with his car, the field is often unhappy.
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April 11, 2008 8:13 PM ET
Yeley changes engine
The News
J.J. Yeley strained his engine and Happy Hour. He will make a change on the power plant and head to the back of the pack, giving up his 22nd place grid position.
Our View
This is bad news for the Phoenix, AZ native—and makes him a driver to avoid on Saturday.
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April 11, 2008 7:56 PM ET
Johnson posts fastest lap in Practice 2
The News
Jimmie Johnson posted the fastest lap in the second practice session, with a speed of 130.293.
Our View
His average speed of 126.728 during 29 laps was second on that char, but the conditions in this session were very different than the teams will face on Saturday night.
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April 11, 2008 7:45 PM ET
Truex wins Practice 2
The News
Martin Truex Jr. posted the quickest average speed of 127.354 during 21 laps.
Our View
However, the team was not happy with their carburetor and made a change about two-thirds of the way through. Keep an eye on him in Happy Hour.
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April 11, 2008 6:58 PM ET
Michael Waltrip slaps wall in Practice 2
The News
Michael Waltrip slapped the wall seven minutes into the second practice session. The contact was fairly light, however, and probably won't necessitate an equipment change.
Our View
The most amazing thing was that he hit the wall on the straightaway. The pressure is intense in NASCAR.
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