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Vegas Odds

By Keith Ott

Being that we’re at Vegas, the betting capitol of the world, it’s only right that we start here with their lines on the race and other racing items that get bet on.  Because, you name it, if there’s a way to make a wager out of it, they will.   

The Top 10: Johnson (9-2); J. Gordon (6-1); Kyle Busch, Edwards (8-1); Stewart (9-1); Kenseth (10-1); Earnhardt (12-1); Kurt Busch (14-1); Hamlin (15-1); Biffle (16-1)

Selected Others: Kahne (20-1); Newman (25-1); Truex Jr. (25-1); Burton (28-1); Harvick (30-1); Montoya (40-1); R. Gordon (100-1); Schrader (200-1); Mayfield (200-1)

These are just the odds posted Wednesday, so don’t bet the farm.  They do seem to be covering the spread, though.  They have plenty of multiple race winners with Johnson, Kenseth, and Gordon.  Johnson, who is going for his fourth consecutive Vegas win, is seldom ever a bad pick.  So, with the Gibbs boys, the Hendrick’s stable, the local Busch Brothers, strong Roush Fords and a Penske Dodge, it’s improbable the winner will come from outside the top group.  But, that’s why they race.  Just remember.  No-one in Vegas is there to make you richer.  Separating you from your money is still the only game in town.

Other Bets:

Johnson – Third consecutive Cup title (4-1)

Knaus – Serves another suspension (15-1)

Earnhardt – Wins a race (2-5); Makes the Chase (2-5)

No First time winner in 2008 – (3-1)

Open wheel rookie wins a race – (20-1)

Toyota wins a race – (even)

As a final note, the weather predicted for Vegas is calling for clear skies and a moderate temperature of around 68 degrees.  I would bet that the only potential chance for weeping here would be if you actually placed a bet.

Toyota's Time Is Now

By Mark Young

Las Vegas, what happens there stays there......I say B.S.!!  This weekend will be the first points victory for Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and it will speak millions for the NASCAR world.  The Gibbs' teams have been too strong so far in this short 2-race season.  Kyle Busch has been up front both races, he is out to prove Rick Hendrick that he made a bad decision to replace him with Dale Earnhardt Junior.  Tony Stewart has been up front and in case you haven't noticed Brian Vickers has made both races and been very strong in both.  Call me stupid, but I have a feeling Toyota is a lock for Vegas.

I might be way off, and if I am I will admit it in front of all of you but something is telling me this is Kyle Busch's weekend to shine. First off it is his home track, it always means more to win at home.  And if it isn't Kyle then Tony is going to climb the fence on Sunday.  Gibbs has found power that they couldn't find with the Chevy's and I just have a gut feeling that this is the race that Toyota will shine.

Tell me if I am crazy, we will find out Sunday night.  Call me a band wagon jumper, this is Kyle's weekend, whether I like it or not.

U WANT SOME?

Kyle Busch is King Of The Mountain

By Mark Young

There is no denying this one people.  Kyle Busch is the hottest driver in NASCAR.....period.  This kid has made the transition from Hendrick Motor Sports to Gibbs Racing in seamless fashion.  Perhaps he is out to prove to Rick Hendrick the decision to show him the door to make room for Dale Jr.  Perhaps he is finally maturing a little and taking advantage of that maturity to take care of his equipment early in a race to have something at the end of the race.  I think it is just because this guy can flat out drive the wheels of of anything he straps into.

U WANT SOME?

Now I have been one of the first ones to jump Kyle case when he runs his mouth and says something stupid.  I ripped him a new on when he climbed out of the car at Bristol last spring after winning the first ever COT race and promptly said the car sucked.  I challenged his maturity at the end of last year when he had problems and whined and complained over the radio.

One cannot deny that Kyle is king.  He is leading the Sprint Cup Series point standings as well as the Craftsman Truck Series standings.  He is second in the Nationwide Series Standings as well showing me that the proof is in the pudding.  Three different series, three different types of car (er truck too), whatever he has touched he has dominated.

I could have chosen Carl Edwards, who has started out well.  I could have kept Ryan Newman on top for back to back top tens.  Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson can't be left out of the running as well but to me there is only one obvious choice.  So write the date down somewhere, Mark Young has given Kyle Busch props instead of grief.

I have a feeling it won't be the last time this year either.

Fontana

By Keith Ott

“Fontana,” the only thing I can think of on Fontana right now is that if one more person quotes the Mama's & Papa’s, I will puke. 

I’ve also decided that I’m going to espouse the Dane's philosophy for Fontana .  When expecting the worst, anything above that will be excellent.   The Dane's overrun by invaders for centuries; not exactly the healthiest of people with their high alcohol abuse and weight, are the happiest people on the planet, according to recent polls.  Why?  Because ( maybe, they've never seen a Fontana race) they've been down so long everything else is up.   They have low expectations so everything is good.  How does this fit Fontana?  Perfectly, in my opinion.  It’s a track that that hasn’t lived up to anything.

Why should we expect more?  

I would love to be wrong and I would relish the blog abuse, but I don’t see it happening.

This race will be like all the others...I see a Toyota win. 

Reasons to care about the IRL-Champ Car merger

By DAVID GREEN

Everyone who anticipates a boring weekend at Fontana might distract themselves with a little pondering of the long-awaited, long-overdue merger of the Indy Racing League and Champ Car (formerly CART), announced Friday.

Even if you're not into open-wheel racing, even if your disdain for it is even greater than your fervor for stock cars, you can find something to chew on. Just take a look at the column by the Associated Press' Nancy Armour.

With all due respect to Nancy and her opinions (hey -- after all, her column is posted under a kicker headline that says, IN MY OPINION), like many mainstream sports columnists and a good many motorsports specialists, she misses the boat on a few points.

The point of interest to most NASCAR addicts is her assertion that the split of open-wheel racing that ensued in 1996 after Tony George's formation of the IRL is what fueled NASCAR's rise to the pinnacle of American motor sport.

The more accurate milestone would be 1978, when Indy car team owners formed CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams). At that point, the die was cast for the decline of Indy car racing and the rise of NASCAR. Anybody remember what happened in the very next Daytona 500?

Such was the arrogance of CART team owners that, smart guys that they are, they couldn't see fit to put Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart in one of their cars. I don't think it's a huge reach to suggest that Indy car racing and its signature event would have been much healthier had just these two guys been driving those cars instead of NASCAR sedans the past 10 or 15 years.

But not only would Gordon and Stewart have handsomely filled the gap left by the retirement of the likes of A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti and Rick Mears, they would have paved the way for other USAC drivers such as Kenny Irwin Jr., Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Mike Bliss, and others who instead followed them to NASCAR.

When the 1996 split occurred, NASCAR was already a juggernaut destined to rise to the pinnacle of American auto racing. The momentum was built on a mix of great racing, colorful characters, widespread television coverage and a couple of decades of unparalleled sports marketing and promotion by R.J. Reynolds and the likes of H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler. The IRL-CART split merely provided a catalyst -- or, perhaps more accurately, an unwitting capitulation.

Here's hoping that the merger will put Indy car racing back on the track to progress. I think competition is good -- not only among the cars on a single track at one time, but within motorsports overall.

Just Shut Up!!! And Pay Your Fine

By Mark Young

Yesterday was judgment day in NASCAR land.  Fines and suspensions were passed out to all those teams who tried to sneak stuff under the radar in technical inspection at Daytona totaling over $200,000, hundreds of points deducted, and over 50 total race suspensions.  I am not going to go into the details because it would take up too much space but I encourage you to go check out Jim Utter’s article on the main page to understand the depth of these fines.  What really has me shaking my head and asking myself “Don’t these guys get it?” is that they are all so surprised that it happened and that NASCAR is being un-just.

For that I say to all the teams JUST SHUT-UP and pay your fines.

Now I have written here and said on the radio that NASCAR’s rule book is actually an etch-a-sketch. Don’t like a rule?  Just shake it up and rewrite it.  But dog-gone-it these teams know what is legal and what is not.  Robby Gordon is telling anyone who will listen that the $100,000 fine, 100 point deduction, and six race suspension of his crew-chief is not his fault.  HE says that the nose piece of his Dodge, an unapproved design, was purchased from Gillette-Evernham and should have been right when it came to his shop.  Come on Robby, are you telling us you don’t have a set of templates at your shop to make sure your car leaves legal?  The last thing that should happen before the car goes into the hauler is have “the claw” lowered onto it and verified that everything is right.

David Poole put it best to a fan who called in defending Robby.  That car had it’s nose piece confiscated.  But when it went out onto the track later that day it had a legal nose piece attached to it.  I bet the back-up car in the hauler still had the one that was there when it left N.C. too.  These guys KNEW what they were doing.  ALL OF THEM.

The teams should have figured out after Junior’s boo-boo and the Hendrick oopsie at

Sonoma

that NASCAR isn’t screwing around when it comes to trying to bend the rules with the CON.  The fines will be stiff and so far they have been consistent, the teams better figure it out and play by the rules.

Another Daytona in the Books

By Keith Ott

I’m going to start with the finish and probably ramble around from there.  Talk about a punch.  Tony may have had the advantage in the trailer, but Newman and Busch pulled off the one-two combo that put the Toyotas on the canvas.  Toyota’s loss is all on Stewart and Shrub.  Big egos, great cars, and that, “I must win mentality,” did them in.  There’s an “I” in win, but it takes a team to get one.  So, congrats go to Penske, Newman, and Busch.  The first Daytona win is always the sweetest.  On the other hand, Toyota earned a bunch of respect Sunday.  They came to play ball.

With the price of racing gear, team 88 must have made a killing.  The stands were conspicuously absent of red.  I’m not sure I’d even like to look at the net sales over at DEI.  But, I know Hendrick is smiling all the way to the bank.  I’m not sure anyone is smiling at DEI.

I’m kind of so so on the coverage.  It seemed like there was no through the field coverage.  If your team didn’t have “ota or icks,” at the end, you weren’t in the shot and seldom mentioned.  It sometimes almost seemed like they setup the cameras for the old cars where 10degs or so of viewing angle had the whole field in it.  Everything was focused totally on the front.  I don’t think the announcers did too badly.  However, if Waltrip had expressed much more “man-love” for Kyle, I might have checked a certain national registry.  GopherCam seemed to be this year’s new video twist.  It was annoying, but harmless.  I guess last year’s military spec 3D global positioning video game didn’t work out so well.  I’m surprised they didn’t go with the UM-1 Predator for overhead shots.  Maybe they had an issue with the Hellfire missiles and debris cautions. 

I like the new car, the CON, for safety.  Especially the safety provided, by the wing, and the bumpers being inline.  I’m still not all that excited by its looks, and yes I am going to say again that the black spoiler looks like crap.  The racing was decent but not spectacular.  It had its up and downs and a decent finish.  At least, and thank you NASCAR (<- won’t hear that often from me), they had more horsepower, because of a larger plate, to play with.  In other words…it was racing.  We may have been thrilled with the “Big Pack,” or “The Big One,” but that was artificial.  Real racing has its ups and downs.  Unless you’re at Fontana, and then it’s all down (Sorry, Doug, you know I had to say that), that’s how racing goes.

Ok, I’ve rambled long enough.  Most everything else has been covered.  I’m fabreezing all my Fontana pillows, so I can write about that venue.  Quick prediction…more horsepower, no restrictor plate, and Toyota will walk away with their first Cup win (Didn’t say which Toyota), in this one.  You want to fill Fontana?  Run the GN’s and Cup’s on the same day.  It won’t make the racing better, but the TV cameras could at least do crowd shots once in a bit.

Your turn…

Ryan Newman Is King Of The Mountain

By Mark Young

Put it in the books race fans, the 2008 Daytona 500 has come and gone and we have some firsts to talk about.  The first 500 with the Car Of Today passed with, in my opinion, with flying colors.  The Good Year tires performed well under the microscope after concerns that blistering problems from the events leading up to the big race had people concerned.  The open-wheelers performed well also, keeping out of trouble and hopefully gaining the respect of the veterans.  We also had many past champions of previous 500's there to celebrate the 50th running of stock car's greatest race.  The media, including me (if you care to consider blogging the media), was predicting a Hendrick display of domination mixed in with moments of Toyota to spice things up.  Well thankfully Ryan Newman stole the show and won his first Daytona 500 and the first ever for Roger Penske as well.  For that Ryan Newman is King.

U WANT SOME?

I think we had a great race yesterday.  Kyle Busch showed that the Toyota teams will be strong along with Tony as did the Dodge teams.  I was very surprised to see the Hendrick teams, primarily Jimmie Johnson, have trouble staying up front.  Junior could have done better but nobody chose to draft with him.

I heard earlier today, and to quite a surprise I should ad, that Roger Penske is now the only car owner to win the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.  That is pretty darn impressive whether you are an open-wheel fan or not.

Ryan wouldn't have won the race were it not for his team mate Kurt Busch.  Kurt seemed just as excited and emotional about finishing second and pushing his team mate to victory as Ryan did at winning.  Now I know I have bashed Kurt pretty hard in the past and I am sure it will happen again if history repeats itself but my hat goes off to Kurt for putting his team first.

Reed Sorenson was fast again on Sunday.  He didn't win but I guarantee you that kid is going to win a race soon and contend for the Chase.

Props to Sam Hornish Jr. deserve some props as well for running up front all day and staying out of trouble.

But this post belongs to The Rocket Man Ryan Newman.  He flew under the radar during all of Speed Weeks and won the biggest stock car race of the year.  81 races is a long time between wins and it is hard to believe it was that long since the last time Ryan made it to Victory Lane.  South Bend, Indiana is five miles from my house so seeing a "home boy" win is big news here.  It is even bigger news to see a non-Hendrick team win at a plate race after they have been so strong in recent year.

Hats off to Ryan, enjoy your whirl-wind media tour this week, show up at California and prove them all it wasn't a fluke.

This and That on Daytona

By Keith Ott

Just my general rundown…

- Not that there aren’t a whole bunch of things I don’t like about the Cup car, but for the races at Daytona, the Cup car has proven to be a winner. I’m not sure how it’ll run at mid-size tracks, or short tracks, but it’s the same car for all of them and they have all had a good look at it now. I still hate the JC Whitney black spoiler. And, no, there is no aerodynamic reason the spoilers can’t have color. F1 cars can have color. It doesn’t seem to hurt them.

- Didn’t take me long at all to forget about the #8 car. It’s not my favorite number, but 88 works as well as any. And, Jr. seems to be making it work.

- Toyota drivers seem to want to work only with other Toyota drivers. Last year they’d work with anyone not worried about them blowing up or crashing. I think it’s a great attitude…Ford, Chevy etc. have been doing that forever. Maybe, it’ll force more unity among the other marquees.

- I am so over this name change thing and how they announce things…Earnhardt does not have 7 Sprint Championships, nor does Petty.  You can’t define careers with a name that changes with a bunch of dollars and a pen stroke.    NASCAR needs to dump the identity sale.  You want to be a sport or a phone company subsidiary?

- I’m not even throwing the Nationwhacker flag.  NASCAR has decided this is the way it needs to be.  Actually, a bunch of drivers from Cup (NOT SPRINT) are sharing rides and this is the way it should be.  The big boys will always go to the big purses, but at least they’re sharing.  Except for those few that think a Nationwide crown would add to their resumes.

- So, what are you doing for Daytona?  Me, it looks like Buffalo Wings and beverages.  That worked out well for the Super Bowl.  But, all my buds shipped out for a short cruise, so if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by.  If I don’t have extra I can make more.

Let’s enjoy fast, safe, entertaining racing tomorrow.  I’m putting the emphasis on safe…for the drivers and you wild fans.

Who’s your pick? 

Bravo! Dario, Sam, et al

By DAVID GREEN

First of all, let me reaffirm my position on U.S. open-wheel racing: I am encouraged by the latest push for a resolution of the split triggered by the formation of the Indy Racing League in 1995, and I wish Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr. had stuck around to help that form of racing heal its wounds.

Having said that, let me say this: Bravo! to Franchitti, Hornish, Jacques Villeneuve, Patrick Carpentier and Juan Pablo Montoya for having the courage to make the switch to NASCAR and give a new, radically different form of racing a try.

Montoya has already scored a Cup Series victory, but there is a distinct possibility that all of these guys will fall flat on their faces, in comparison to what they have done in open-wheel cars. That could be a pretty daunting thing. They are putting a lot on the line.

Not that anything short of domination in NASCAR should diminish their stature. The number of drivers who have truly conquered multiple forms of motor sport are exceptionally rare, and I'd love to be considered "not quite as good" as A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti.

Villeneuve, Montoya, Hornish and Franchitti are bona fide American racing stars, owing to their Indianapolis 500 victories. Carpentier never reached that pinnacle, but he was a winner in that form of racing.

What they are attempting fits in neatly with one of the reasons I admire Tony Stewart. Except for the big-race triumphs at Daytona and Indy, Stewart deserves to be ranked alone in third place, behind Foyt and Andretti, for his varied resume. He has won NASCAR and Indy Car championships titles, if not the series' flagship events.

Stewart, too, took a gamble when he switched from the open-wheel world to NASCAR. Say what you want about Smoke's attitude, his pudgy appearance (hey -- I resemble that remark!) and his hairstyle, but take nothing away from his ability to drive racecars -- all kinds of them.

Too bad we couldn't have had a trade, with Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth going to race Indy cars.

Except for Stewart, that would have been one heck of a risk. So, let's give the open-wheeler "interlopers" some credit for not taking the attitude, "I gotta rep to protect."