You can't win if you don't gamble

First things first … Kurt Busch had a terrible car and had no business winning Sunday’s race at Loudon.But guess what … that doesn’t matter. He was the one in Victory Lane holding the trophy, and the day’s dominant drivers only have themselves to blame for their disappointing finishes.Often, you must take chances to win, and the drivers who stayed out figured the rain was coming quickly, and it

New Hampshire lineup is deceiving

For those of you who looked at the lineup for Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and thought we might get a surprise winner this week … think again.A rain delay changed track conditions in the middle of qualifying, and that’s about the only scenario that would give Patrick Carpentier a pole position. Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick and Scott Riggs are in spots 2 through 4, but out of that

Stewart should look to Kulwicki for inspiration

When Alan Kulwicki won the 1992 Winston Cup championship as an owner/driver, he stunned the NASCAR world. He was battling with Junior Johnson driver Bill Elliott and Robert Yates driver Davey Allison, yet somehow used his do-it-yourself, never-say-die attitude and extreme, sometimes fanatical, dedication to perfection to will himself to win that title, shortly before his tragic death in a plane

Jr. may follow his dad's path to Cup team ownership

As rumors spread Monday about the future of the 5 car, one interesting possibility came about. It’s possible Mark Martin will split time in the car next year with Rochester Hills native Brad Keselowski, who currently drives for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Nationwide series.This would be the natural lead-in to a full-time Cup ride at Hendrick in that 5 car for Keselowski for the 2010 season. It

It’s Kyle Busch’s world … the other drivers just live there

Kyle Busch has been called a lot of things over the years … great road racer was never one of them.Until Sunday that is.NASCAR’s trip to wine country was not the usual battle between the typical favorites.Jeff Gordon struggled all day, and lucked into a top-3 finish. Robby Gordon was a contender all race, until Kurt Busch pulled a bonehead move and wrecked him. Juan Pablo Montoya contended, but

R.I.P. Scott Kalitta

I have to take a moment to offer my condolences to the family, friends and fans of the latest member of the motorsports community to lose his life while doing his job.Scott Kalitta, a veteran and two-time NHRA champion, died in a terrible, fiery wreck Saturday while driving his Funny Car during the final round of qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

And the winner is ... one of the Gordons

On a normal race weekend, if I told you Gordon was going to win, we'd all know I was talking about Jeff.But this is not a normal weekend, it's a road course weekend. So this is one of two weeks each year when I can legitimately say that Robby is almost as likely to win as Jeff. True, his car may not be of Hendrick quality, but Robby is quite possibly the best road racer in the field. And he has

Doubters should give road course racing a chance

When the Cup series takes its annual treks to Sonoma and Watkins Glen, fans are usually divided into two distinct groups -- those who love to see the guys turning right, and those who absolutely hate it. The doubters find the racing at these tracks boring compared to the ovals, and hope for a day when their spots on the schedule will be replaced by oval tracks.Count me in the other group. I look

'Big Brother' NASCAR should let drivers speak their minds

Do you remember earlier this year when NASCAR let the fans know they were going to allow drivers to speak their minds more this season, and not police their words as much?Well, that didn’t last very long.‘Big Brother’ NASCAR is at it again, having called all the drivers to a special meeting last Friday morning at Michigan Speedway to tell them to stop criticizing the so-called ’Car of Tomorrow’

Monkey off Jr.'s back

Don’t be surprised if you’re still hearing a chorus of screams every time you open your windows.That’s just the echo of Jr. Nation celebrating their driver’s first win in a points race in more than two years, after a brilliant fuel management performance that literally took him to his last drop of fuel.While many people like to discredit victories that come from fuel mileage, being able to save

Busch’s reign of terror continues; The Logano era begins

After watching the Truck Series race at MIS Saturday, I’ve come to one conclusion: Kyle Busch is doing this on purpose. I think he wants every driver in every series to hate him. That’s the only logical explanation for his childish actions this year in all three series.In the first part of yet another triple-duty weekend (though this time at only two tracks, and with much less flying), Busch,

Look for a Roush team in victory lane at MIS

Jack Roush’s name is big around these parts. The controversial team owner is from Livonia and his racing business started decades ago as an offshoot of his successful automotive engineering and road-racing equipment business, based in Livonia.He won back-to-back Cup titles with Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch, and his drivers have taken more than 100 Cup victories over the years. Many people hate him

Don’t stereotype all NASCAR fans as racist

The issue of racism has been lurking in the background for a long time in NASCAR.The sport started in the South, a place that -- whether justified of not -- many people associate with racism to this day, and there have been a small number of minority drivers in its 60 years of existence.When NASCAR’s greatest black driver, Wendell Scott, won a race in Jacksonville, Fla., in 1963, the sport was so

Battle royale for Chase spots; Local boy Keselowski gets first win

First things first, Kasey Kahne did a masterful job or driving through the field after a pit road penalty to continue his hot streak and make another trip to Victory Lane. He’s on a roll, up to 9th in points, and has elevated himself back to where he was a couple years ago -- a legitimate title contender.But the biggest story to come out of Sunday’s race, in my mind, was the bunching up of the

Gibbs drivers will lead the pack at Pocono

Pocono has always been a mixed bag for me.There have been some great races there, including the one in 2000 when Jeremy Mayfield knocked Dale Earnhardt out of the way to take the checkered flag, then used Earnhardt’s own line about “just wanting to rattle his cage” in the post-race interview. But too often, I have found myself eager to nap during the races at this big triangular track.Pocono is a

Stop complaining and give Toyota credit

One of the biggest stories in NASCAR this year has been the rise of Toyota from a manufacturer whose teams could barely qualify for races last year, to the likely make of the series champ this season.This meteoric rise echoes Toyota’s success in the Craftsman Truck Series, where they are contenders for the win every week. The haters (including Jack Roush and Kevin Harvick) have already started to

Does anyone have any Kryptonite?

I predicted Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle would battle for the win and one of them would take the checkered flag at Dover. Three-quarters of the way into Sunday’s race, my prediction was holding up.Then something happened. That something was … no surprise … Kyle Busch. A combination of fast pit stops and his crew fixing whatever was ailing his car vaulted him to the lead. Not only did he win, he