Fan columnist: Chase shakeup adds excitement

By Calvin Rowland - SceneDaily Fan Columnist
Thursday, September 18, 2008
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SceneDaily

COMMENTARY

I was up early last Sunday to create a new batch of homebrew before the start of the New Hampshire race. I make eight to 12 batches of beer a year, but my summer schedule has been busy, and it’s been awhile. I did my pre-brew check list, tweaked and cleaned my equipment and started a batch of India Pale Ale. I caught the prerace show on the radio and pushed hard to finish in time for the national anthems.

The Chase For The Sprint Cup has started brewing, too. Kyle Busch guzzled up eight wins already this year and was the clear favorite prior to the start of the first Chase race. His No. 18 team showed championship potential at Richmond by finishing 15th after being spun by Dale Earnhardt Jr. How Jimmie Johnson champion-like in nature.
 
New Hampshire Motor Speedway generally offers subpar flat racing, but this Chase race set the bar pretty high. The 34th-place disaster of a finish by Busch just made things interesting. Yikes, who is going to win the Chase now? Drivers must be foaming at the mouth.
 
Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards finished second and third at New Hampshire and are already showing they will be around at the end. It is refreshing to see the No. 88 team gel up for a strong Chase run; Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team seems as if it can come together for a stout championship run. Envision Earnhardt Jr. finishing as runnerup to our champion this year.
 
Other drivers will not capitalize on the 18’s bitter start. Thinking Jeff Gordon’s team would turn it on for the Chase is like having beer goggles on. He may not win this year. Gordon’s cars drive like they have kegs for wheels, and he doesn’t seem thirsty for a win.
 
Matt Kenseth’s crushed can of a car might have put him over his limit. He is usually a very realistic kind of guy, but he has been rather depressing to listen to as of late. Kenseth’s interview after the red-flag wreck at New Hampshire raises the question of what is he so unhappy about? It may be something personal that we will only find out about after the season is over. Kenseth and crew chief Chip Bolin need to be careful that this spoiled race does not affect their shot at a championship.
 
Dover International Speedway is next and might be the most under-hyped NASCAR track. Dover consistently hosts pretty good races year after year. It’s fast, there is a risk of big wrecks, and the race paces itself out nicely. Carl Edwards should be golden for this race; three consecutive finishes in the top three in the last three races at Dover make him the immediate favorite.
 
Although there are no beer-sponsored cars in the Chase this year, it suddenly has the potential to be one heck of a party.

Mentioned Drivers: Jeff Gordon

Comments

2 responses to "Fan columnist: Chase shakeup adds excitement". Post a Comment.
  1. 1
    Sal Sigala Jr. said:
    Sep 18, 2008 at 10:41 AM

    Very Good Read! I loved the humor in it. Keep it up.

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  2. 2
    Flying Squirrel said:
    Sep 18, 2008 at 4:01 PM

    I'll raise an IPA to your column again this week. Good stuff, a refreshing read & exactly what a fan column should be all about

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2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings

Driver Standings after the AMP Energy 500

1 Jimmie Johnson 6248
2 Mark Martin -184
3 Jeff Gordon -192
4 Juan Pablo Montoya -239
5 Tony Stewart -279
6 Kurt Busch -312
7 Greg Biffle -340
8 Ryan Newman -402
9 Kasey Kahne -414
10 Carl Edwards -437
11 Denny Hamlin -448
12 Brian Vickers -556

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