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Week of 7/30/06
Burton on Brickyard poll
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Qualifying - Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis, Ind.
Saturday, August 5, 2006
1. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 182.778 mph.
2. (07) Clint Bowyer #, Chevrolet, 182.771 mph.
3. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 182.752 mph.
4. (9) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 182.441 mph.
5. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 182.238 mph.
6. (18) J.J. Yeley #, Chevrolet, 182.171 mph.
7. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 182.065 mph.
8. (12) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 181.925 mph.
9. (7) Robby Gordon, Chevrolet, 181.877 mph.
10. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 181.734 mph.
Full Starting Lineup: http://www.finallapradio.com/newsfiles/stats.shtml August 5, 2006
Chad Knaus stays with 48 through 2010
INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 5, 2006) - NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series crew chief Chad Knaus has signed a contract extension that will keep him with Hendrick Motorsports through the 2010 racing season, mirroring the organization's recent agreements with driver Jimmie Johnson and team sponsor Lowe's. Financial terms were not disclosed.
"Chad is one of the great young minds in NASCAR and a key member of our organization," said Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick. "He's done an unbelievable job building the Lowe's team into a championship contender and we're excited about continuing our relationship with him."
In December 2001, Knaus was named crew chief of Hendrick's No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolets driven by Johnson, then a Cup-level rookie. The team earned the pole position for its first race, the 2002 Daytona 500, and has since posted 60 top-five finishes, 102 top-10s and a series-leading 21 victories in only 167 starts.
Johnson has raced each of his four full seasons with Knaus as crew chief, never finishing outside the top five in championship points. The team is currently first in the 2006 standings with three wins, seven top-five performances and 16 top-10s, best among all NEXTEL Cup competitors.
"I'm proud to have been with Jimmie and the Lowe's team since the beginning," said Knaus, who is celebrating his 35th birthday today. "I think we've proven ourselves, but there's still much more to accomplish and I'm looking forward to the challenge.
"I've spent the better part of a decade at Hendrick Motorsports and consider it my extended family. It's an incredible group of people who are all passionate about what we do and the company we work for. Everyone knows about Rick Hendrick the car owner, but he's also a true friend and I'm honored to continue the relationship we've built, both personally and professionally."
Knaus' contract was set to expire following the 2007 NASCAR season. August 5, 2006
Tight points, top stars at bottom
So just how tight are the points right now?
-Positions third through sixth are separated by only 64 points.
-Positions seventh through ninth are separated by only three.
-Positions 10th through 12th are separated by only 46.
...and keep in mind Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are at the bottom of this list right now. August 3, 2006
Who's hot going into this weekend?
Tony Stewart finished top 10 at Pocono and is the defending race winner
His teammate won Pocono, and should run on the flat track at Indy
Kevin Harvick has scored 4 straight top-10 finishes August 3, 2006
TRACK STATS | INDY
Race 21 of 36 and only 5 races left until the chase
Distance: 2.5-mile rectangular oval
Banking/Turns 1-4: 9 º
Miles/laps: 400 miles, 160 laps
Last years poll sitter: Elliott Sadler
Last years winner: Tony Stewart
Up for grabs: The prestige of winning at The Brickyard, and $9.2 million dollars August 3, 2006
KHI appeal denied
Kevin Harvick Incorporated's appeal request was denied by the National Stock Car Racing Commission. It's regarding their #77 car driven by Burney Lamar and post race inspection at the Daytona Busch race on June 30th. So the loss of 50 driver, and 50 owner points stands, as well as the $15,000 fine and suspension of crew chief Gene Nead. August 3, 2006
Edwards thinks 200mph is slow
Carl Edwards feels that 200mph isn't a fast enough thrill for him. So this week in the skies over the Mojave desert in California, Carl had a chance to go 500mph dog fighting in an L-39 jet. Edwards is a licensed pilot and put the jet through it's paces doing barrel rolls, flips, twists, and high-speed rollover's. In typical Carl Edwards fashion he climbed out of the jet and said "That was an awesome day of flying, very cool" August 3, 2006
Brickyard 400 is moving next year
As fans we are of course accustomed to The Brickyard 400 running the first week in August right? Well next year it will be running a week earlier on July 29th instead. The reason is to accommodate ABC/ESPN returning to NASCAR coverage and this will be their debut race. There are many changes in store for the 2007 season, so keep it right here on The Final Lap and online at finallapradio.com for all the latest. August 2, 2006
Gordon could tie two records this weekend
Jeff Gordon has a shot this weekend at tying a couple of records in motorsports at The Brickyard. The first of which is career wins would be at 76, putting him even with Dale Earnhardt. The second being all time wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway which F1's Michael Schumacher just took over at 5 wins. Gordon is a 4 time winner at the track along with Rick Mears, A.J. Foyt, and Al Unser. August 2, 2006
Yates parts ways with two crew chiefs
Robert Yates Racing announced that effective immediately both Tommy Baldwin and Richard 'Slugger' Labbe are no longer with the company. Baldwin has already been named the new director of competition at Bill Davis Racing. August 1, 2006
Gilliland's Busch team shut down
Clay Andrews Racing shut it's doors on Monday after fielding cars for 7 Busch races this year for David Gilliland, including his 1st Busch win at Kentucky on June 17th. Gilliland has signed with Robert Yates Racing for at least 1 race and that's this weekend at Indianapolis. August 1, 2006
Papis to make Cup debut
Italian Max Papis will attempt to make his 1st ever Nextel Cup race at Watkins Glen next weekend on August 13th. Max has quite a resume with wins in Indy cars, sports cars, he's raced in Formula One, and finished second to Tony Stewart in the most recent IROC race where the cars are very similar to stock cars. August 1, 2006
POINT STANDINGS | BUSCH SERIES
After Gateway this past weekend
10 Kenny Wallace
9 Johnny Sauter
8 Greg Biffle
7 Kyle Busch
6 Paul Menard
5 J.J. Yeley
4 Denny Hamlin
3 Clint Bowyer
2 Carl Edwards
1 Kevin Harvick leads by 318 points August 1, 2006
Race Recap: Edwards wins Gateway
Race Recap: Carl Edwards' Victory Thrills Hometown Fans
Carl Edwards passed Denny Hamlin with eight laps to go to win the Busch Silver Celebration 250 presented by Shop’n Save at Gateway International Raceway, his hometown track. Edwards, from nearby Columbia, Mo., had been running second to Hamlin for most of the race, but took advantage of good pit strategy to pull off the victory.
As the teams filed down pit road for the final green flag pit stops with under 20 laps remaining, the No. 60 team of Edwards opted to change right side tires in addition to adding fuel. When Hamlin came in a few laps later, his team decided to take their chances with their tires and went with fuel only. Edwards’ tires were the difference in the race as he easily passed Hamlin and coasted to victory in front of scores of friends and family.
The victory gives Edwards’ title chances a slight boost as he was able to shave 35 points off Kevin Harvick’s series lead. More significant is the fact that five drivers have won the championship after winning the race at Gateway. Edwards is currently second in the point standings, 318 behind Harvick.
Clint Bowyer, who spent most of the race in the top five, passed Hamlin on the last lap to finish second. He is third in the point standings, 387 behind Harvick. Hamlin led 169 laps in the race but had to settle for a third-place finish. He remains fourth in the standings, 430 out of first.
Kenny Wallace, a St. Louis native, finished ninth in the race, his fourth top-10 finish of the season. The race didn't go as well for his nephew Steven Wallace who was driving the No. 64 Dodge for his father Rusty. Steven, making his eighth start of the season, got into the wall on Lap 92 and was never able to recover finishing 31st. July 30, 2006
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