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The Heat Is On!! Next Up-Bristol Baby!!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Three races to go. Next up, Bristol!! The 1/2 mile track is always full of interesting happenings. This race is always so much fun to watch, one never knowing when "their" driver will be the one involved in a skirmish. Bristol. That one word says it all to a NASCAR fan. What will happen this weekend? With the Chase right around the corner, the heat is on!!
After a wild weekend at Michigan International Speedway, there was a major shake up in the points standings. Goes to show that nobody is safe in the top 10. Jimmie Johnson should have clenched a spot in the Chase, but, with tire troubles from the get go, that did not happen. Instead, Matt Kenseth gained points on the driver of the 48 car, leaving Jimmie only a 58 point lead over the 17.
Jeff Burton, who was soundly in 4th place, fell five spots to 9th. Now, one more bad race, and he is out! All season he has done a great job and has been very consistent. Now, with only three races till the Chase, he must stay on top of his game, allowing for not even a minor slip up. This goes to show that you are never safe in the sport of NASCAR. One tiny error could cost you an entire season.
Matt Kenseth, who won at Michigan, gained on number one Jimmie Johnson. Will he end up passing Jimmie up and move into number one before the Chase? He's been on Jimmie's coattails all year, right there, fighting to get passed him. What will Bristol hold for the seventeen car?
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. knew that in order to stay in the top 10, he HAD to keep Kasey Kahne in his site. Try to finish ahead of him, if not, then at least close to him. Well, Junior, after leading lots of laps, having one of the best cars of the weekend, had a minor catastrophe on pit road when it took the 8 crew a while during a crucial pit stop, causing him to fall to 19th. Junior fought back, though, and ended up finishing 6th, another great top 10 finish. Even though Kasey finished two spots ahead of Dale Jr., he only gained 5 points on him. Junior is leading Kasey by only 49 points. Junior has added a new edition to his pit crew, hoping that by adding this front tire changer that maybe their pit stops will get a little quicker. D.J. Copp has moved to DEI from Roush (Carl Edward's team), to help the 8 car. Don't you know he got picked on this past weekend! Bristol can be devestating to Dale Jr. and Kasey Kahne. They have to do their best! Great job Junior!!
Kurt Busch saw his Chase hopes completely disappear before his eyes on Sunday. After two horrible races in a row, Kurt really has no chance of getting in the Chase. Will Bristol be his race to fight back? He always is good at Bristol, so who knows.
Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin all have to be perfect this weekend. IF one of them wrecks, they will fall out of the top 10. Bristol has to be weighing on their minds this week. Yes, it is a fun track to race at, but with all the pressure, I bet these drivers are READY to get it over with and know where they stand for the final two races before the Chase. I doubt any of them are getting sleep this week!
It seems like yesterday we were watching Tony Stewart claim the Nextel Cup in Miami. We NASCAR fans moped around during the off-season, counting down the days until the Budweiser Shoot-out. Now, here we are, only three races to go before the Chase. 13 weeks left in the 2006 Season. To nonfans, it will drag by. To us NASCAR fans, it will fly and we will catch ourselves moping around again in the offseason. Can you believe it is already time for Bristol?
What on track rivals will bring trouble this weekend to the top 10? Will Carl Edwards pay back Dale Jr.? Or, will Carl make more enemies? Will old battles come back? Who will wreck who? Some drivers already have a bad case of road rage and Bristol will bring out the worst in those drivers. Bristol is a major test for all 43 drivers who make it into the race. How will it shake up the points race? Can't wait!! Go #8!
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