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August 28, 2005
Points shake-up at Bristol for NASCAR's Chase
As expected, there was a points shake-up at Bristol Motor Speedway, the top seven stayed the same position wise, but the rest got shuffled up a bit.
Matt Kenseth not only won the race in dominating fashion, but he was also the one who gained the biggest amount in points, moving up four spots to 11th in the standings and is only 11 points out of 10th.
Just like with most Bristol races, there were a lot of cautions and bad feelings to go around because of the tight racing and bumping going on. Edwards seemed to have had in it for Petty Enterprise, it was just a coincidence mind you, but he first spun Jeff Green and then later in the race spun Kyle Petty. Petty talked to him after the race, they showed in on camera, them talking, but there was no audio, but it looked like Kyle was just explaining to him about what he did and maybe saying something about impatience on Edwards part and Edwards seemed to have been trying to defend himself from what Kyle was saying. They shook hands afterward, so it seems all good between them.
The other big incident was between Ryan Newman and Dale Jarrett, it didn't end that well, Jarrett refused to talk to reporters after the race. Newman bumped Jarrett and spun him, Jarrett hitting the rear of his car on the wall. Sixteen laps later when Jarrett was back out, Newman was passing him on the high side, Jarrett turned right into Newman and took both of them out, along with damaging Harvick heavily and also damaging McMurray, Bliss and Earnhardt Jr. Jarrett was held two laps for rough driving once they got the car repaired enough to go back out on the track.
Harvick was clearly mad and it didn't seem to be at Jarrett or Newman, it seemed more like he was mad at his spotter and team. Very frustrated about the whole thing and the way the team has been going this year, I wonder if he will re-sign with Childress or go somewhere else?
The second biggest mover, Chase wise, was Jeff Gordon, moving up two spots into 10th in the standings, although he is in now, he's got a lot of hungry guys behind him that are fairly close in points.
The top four - Stewart, Johnson, Biffle and Wallace are basically locked into the Chase, all they have to do is start the final two races before the Chase and they are in. The rest still can get shuffled up a bit, but I think Martin is pretty much safely in and also Mayfield and Busch as long as nothing catastrophic happens to them. The rest of the them will be fighting all the way until the checkered flag flies at Richmond.
Only 50 points separate 8th through 10th, so they can easily be shaken up in just one race as we saw at Bristol and only 117 points separate 10th through 15th, so these final two races are going to mean a lot to a lot of drivers. With as close as it is, it is too hard to say who will make it and who won't, we won't really know all of the Chase drivers until the checkered flag flies at Richmond.
The question that comes to mind is that when it does come to Richmond, how many drivers will remember what happened at Bristol and who will retaliate? No matter what, these final two races should be telling and Richmond should be very exciting.
Picture credit - CIA Stock Photo
August 28, 2005 in NASCAR | Permalink
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Comments
Chris,
Nascar drivers are just like NFL QB's and receivers spoiled over-achievers. Who do you want in your car..."Awwww shucks it was just a thing" or "WTF WAS THAT ABOUT". I guess my point is the best ones come with a built in attitude. We just dont always get to see it.
Posted by: Keith | Sep 2, 2005 10:40:51 AM
Speedracer, no offense taken! I didn't explain myself well enough! Trust me, I understand how it is to be upset about things that happen on the track - I've had to watch Sadler have the worst luck ever thru the past few months!
No harm, no foul! :)
Posted by: Christina | Aug 30, 2005 4:22:07 PM
Christina, you are right and I was wrong to judge you - I am just as pissed as harvick was over the weekend.
Posted by: speedracer | Aug 30, 2005 2:38:18 PM
Matt Kenseth is on a roll and should make the chase. Long year for the #17, but they hung in there and will be there when it counts. That's a class outfit!
Posted by: Jimmy60 | Aug 30, 2005 10:56:53 AM
speedracer - I wasn't blaming Harvick for anything, in fact, I like Harvick. However, I think that he isn't happy in the situation that he is in (and who can blame him, really?) and I think he's looking for a way out. And one of the reasons I like Harvick is because he's a hot head, and he likes paying back people for their mistakes. And I was at the track and I know he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm just saying that Harvick is out to cause chaos to get out of RCR. So maybe I didn't explain myself well enough!!!
And just so you know - I like Sadler - so tell ME, Mr. Know-it-all, when Sadler has EVER blamed someone else for his mistakes.
Speedracer, seriously, chill out!!!
Posted by: Christina | Aug 30, 2005 9:53:55 AM
I think you're right, BARman. It's hard for me to beleive that Harvick can move to any of the top tier teams. Just too much attitude, too many on and off track behavioral issues, and a woeful overall performance level. Maybe his wife can hire him for 2007???
Posted by: Chris | Aug 29, 2005 11:36:42 PM
I thought the premeditated manner in which DJ went after Newman deserved more than 2 laps, but that's just my opinion.
I thought Harvick acted like a petulant child, and I can just imagine the talk he and Childress had before Harvick put the suit on and got back in.
I am a Harvick fan and would like to see him in the Goodwrench Chevy for many more years, and help RCR and Burton and Blaney move into the top tier, but my feelings are his time there is fast waning.
Kenseth dominated, and deserves to ove up four spots to 11th. He and Gordon have brought the game when it counted.
Saddest sight is the freefall that Sadler has been in, as I really hoped he would make the playoffs.
Five Rousch cars in the payoffs? Yuck.
Posted by: BARman | Aug 29, 2005 8:15:11 PM
Christina you idiot-harvick had nothing to do with the jarrett and newman track payback-harvick was just in the wrong place at the wrong time - your guy must be the one who causes all the crap on the track and then blames everyone else for his mistakes. so bite me
Posted by: speedracer | Aug 29, 2005 6:21:53 PM
To be honest, I hope that most of the drivers will deal with their issues off the track... Just because paybacks are hell and some of those paybacks will cost some guys entrance into the Chase. I swear, I will be HOT if my guy doesn't make the chase because Newman is paying back Jarrett or Harvick is causing chaos. They just need to go back to the old way of settling things - beating the crap out of each other in the pits after the race is over with. LOL!!!
Posted by: Christina | Aug 29, 2005 4:21:25 PM
dam it's time to vent- dale screwed harvick- but the real problem is RCR- harvick has let it be known he want's as much from the team as he gives -harvick is starting to show his anger at RCR and some of the decisions RCR is making with team members just don't make sense. I see it this way harvick gives 110% each weekend, he is a very good driver and it just might be time for him to move on. the # 2 dodge comes to mind but as I have said all summer harvick might team up with Jr so the # 15 chevy could happen. Might be Goodwrench jumps ship from RCR. All I know is Dale would have never put up with some of the crap harvick has. PS why no fine of probation for what the # 88 did. anybody else would have gotten slammed by the powers that be.
DOUBLE STANDARD NASCAR AS ALWAYS
Posted by: speedracer | Aug 29, 2005 3:45:38 PM
Bristol thoughts:
Harvick has not had a lot of nice things to say about his team of late, and did seem to lay the blame for his wreck on his spotter. There are times when I wish NASCAR stopped awarding points after, say, 20th place. It was painful to watch Harvick have to crawl back into that wreck to try to move from 34th to 32nd or whatever it was. RCR may be in chaos right now, but it was great to see one of NASCAR's class acts - Jeff Burton - end up near the top.
I'm really disappointed in Jarrett. I'm glad he slunk away from the track. I hope he comes out with some sort of apology this week.
The pictures of Kyle Petty and Carl Edwards were terrific. I have no idea what they said, but it looked like a kindly grandfather explaining to the kid where he went wrong. I have read that Kyle is one of the best-liked guys in the business, and Edwards seemed to agree, saying that if Kyle's mad at you, you must be pretty bad. DJ and Newman could learn from Petty and Edwards.
Posted by: Doug | Aug 29, 2005 12:56:57 PM
misterschmo, I wasn't there and I didn't see the race. Moving the college freshamn into his apartment! I never said that was the only time DJ has punted! I said Tony was consistent with his punting!
Posted by: Donna | Aug 29, 2005 12:23:33 PM
how come you didnt see jarrett punt jr a couple of weeks ago watlins glen when jr wrecked him?
Posted by: misterschmo | Aug 29, 2005 11:21:02 AM
Tony Stewart and Dale Jarrett are completely different situations. Tony has punted plenty of drivers unlike Dale Jarrett. Tony is consistent! While we're talking about one driver getting special treatment over another, what about Junior's punting during the Busch race? He did it several times and never received any reprimand! I was there, I saw it!
Posted by: Donna` | Aug 29, 2005 10:51:21 AM
Please, people have been using their cars to take revenge on drivers that "did them wrong" since Nascar started. It's the way it's always been and the way it should be. Jarrett had every right to retaliate against Newman. Newman was trying to bump Jarrett to get by and ending up wrecking him. Newman screwed up Jarrett's night and whatever slight possiblity Jarrett had of getting into the chase. Why shouldn't Jarrett pay him back for it? You screw up my chance at the chase why shouldn't I screw yours up? Watch the replay, Newman came from a long way back in the turn to bump Jarrett. He could have backed off, but he wasn't trying to. He wanted to bump Jarrett out of the way and screwed up. The problem is none of the new guys can do the bump and run move correctly. Earnhardt Sr., Jeff Gordon, they could do it right. And frankly, if you want to blame anyone for the aggressive driving, blame Nascar. They invented the Chase, giving a lot more people the opportunity at the Championship. Drivers are knocking people out of the way to get in. Nascar and the fans got the excitment they wanted.
Posted by: Michael | Aug 29, 2005 10:09:47 AM
You can't compare Jarrett and Stewart. It was made clear back in the day that Stewart's fines were big because he kept acting bad. This is Jarrett's first incident in a long while. You must remember that Tony Stewart is the only driver ever ordered to take anger management classes. With all of the people saying how great of a guy he is and kissing his ass people seem to forget that. Don't worry something will happen that will set Tony off, I can see it coming, it always does. I was suprised that to celebrate his Brickyard win he didn't punch a reporter.
Posted by: Bob | Aug 28, 2005 11:19:18 PM
I would hope that NASCAR would at least announce some sort of probation, because no one should be able to use a race car to take revenge on another driver.
But I suppose probation for rough driving is reserved just for Stewart only.
Posted by: Buddynoel | Aug 28, 2005 8:00:11 PM
Buddynoel
What could they do to him, a fine? Those guys have plenty of money, and it just goes back to them anyway. Take points? Why? he's all washed up, and will soon be gone.
But you're right, NASCAr seems to tread each event different, depending on who it is
Posted by: DonB | Aug 28, 2005 5:56:58 PM
I got this quote off of Nascar.com:
"NASCAR Nextel Cup director John Darby said Jarrett faces no further penalties."
I'm not sure what this means, but I don't think Tony Stewart would have gotten the same treatment. Are they afraid of Jarrett?
Posted by: Buddynoel | Aug 28, 2005 4:54:15 PM
Jef Gordon and Vickers had a few love taps also, and they both sounded pissed at the other, but they are pretty good friends, and even a few cross words were said on the radios, I'm sure it will be over by the next race.
Posted by: DonB | Aug 28, 2005 2:26:27 PM
I can't believe that Harvick said that his team didn't deserve to make the chase. RCR has just fallen into complete disarray. Oh well, Jeff Gordon back into the top 10!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Bob | Aug 28, 2005 1:35:14 PM
If Harvick were to make the jump and fill in for Martin on the 6, then move to the 97 when McMurray comes in, I believe we can start playing the Emporer's Theme from Star Wars every time they talk about Roush Racing. I'd hand out NWO shirts to every crew member and change all paint scemes to black (except Edwards). Maybe hoist a pirate's flag at the Lavonia headquarters.
Posted by: Buddynoel | Aug 28, 2005 12:33:35 PM
I would bet RCR won't sign Harvick after that display. He has been hinting around moving on and this may be the back breaker.
For the team to bust their collective butts getting the car repaired, then to have to search for the driver is inexcusable. And hats off to Scott Riggs for agreeing to step into an ugly situation.
Posted by: Marc | Aug 28, 2005 11:05:45 AM
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