Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!!

Cup Series - Richmond

And here's how they line up for tonight's race .....

#99-Carl Edwards - starts 10th
#9-Kasey Kahne - starts 5th
#2-Kurt Busch - starts 13th
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya - starts 14th
#39-Ryan Newman - starts 21st
#5-Mark Martin - starts 1st
#16-Greg Biffle - starts 24th
#17-Matt Kenseth - starts 28th
#83-Brian Vickers - starts 6th
#18-Kyle Busch - starts 8th
#00-David Reutimann - starts 23rd

It looks like Newman, Biffle and Kenseth are starting out in the hole. They'll each have to step it up several notches with Vickers and Kyle Busch starting the race so far ahead.

Also, watch for 'Team Orders' (a staple of Formula One, but rarely seen in NASCAR) with respect to allowing another team member to 'lead a lap' and collect those all - important bonus points - especially since Martin should lead lap one.

And let's not forget the group of drivers already locked into 'The Chase' (Smoke, Gordo, Johnson and Hamlin). A win at Richmond places them higher up the 'seed' chart at the start of 'The Chase' (next week at Loudon). Having already 'clinched' a spot in The Playoffs, these guys can simply go for the win.

Should be one exciting race tonight.

Scheduled time for drop of the Green flag - 7:43 PM (coverage begins at 7:00 PM Eastern Time on your local ABC Network).

- Spydertrader
 
How a Race at Talladega should look like, and not, the single file snoozefest we had on Sunday.

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Kevin Harvick starts off the year by winning The Bud Shootout. Jamie McMurray grabs the checkers at The Great American Race. Attempting his fifth consecutive Championship, Jimmie Johnson snags victories at Fontana and Las Vegas. Finally, Kurt Busch emerges victorious down in Hot 'Lanta.

Not to be out done, Cousin Carl provides a little 'payback' to Brad Keselowski sending the #12 airborne and into the catch fence.

Formula 1 racing starts this weekend with The Bahrain Grand Prix.

We'll see how seven time champion Michael Schumacher performs now that he has un-retired.

Welcome back to racing.

Bristol next weekend!!

Bye week this week in NASCAR (all series).

- Spydertrader
 
Would Kurt have won if he had gone for two tires at the end?

I was a little disappointed that Keselowski didn't take out Carl Edwards in the latter stages of the race when Edwards passed him. He could have repaid Edwards for knocking him out of a top 6 finish at Atlanta. It would have been interesting to see how NASCAR handled it, since they gave Edwards nothing but a slap on the wrist.

Anyway, another mostly boring race. I know NASCAR is desperate to make the races more exciting and seemingly clueless as to what to do. They make a lot of arguments about how close the racing is and how competitive, but any race fan knows they are boooooring. One thing that drives me crazy is the interminable yellows. They throw a yellow for a chewing gum wrapper and then it takes 9 laps to get things sorted out. Throw the yellow, pick up the trash, then restart the race. Put a little uncertainty into pit strategy.
 
Quote from AAAintheBeltway:

Anyway, another mostly boring race.
More...

Bristol hasn't been the same since they repaved the track a few years back. Ten years ago, if you told me I'd choose to watch Bristol on TV (vs. actually attending the race) I'd have questioned your sanity. Now, the Spring Race doesn't even sell out.

Looks like many fans have voted with their feet. Attendance is down at most tracks, and TV ratings continue to plummet. Gee, nobody saw this coming, did they? With cookie cutter tracks, cookie cutter drivers and taking dates from Historic Venues and moving those races to California, what exactly did NASCAR expect?

The whole CE vs. BK deal is a bit over blown in my opinion. If BK's car doesn't head airborne into the catch fence, we don't even have but a passing discussion on the whole thing. Of course, NASCAR feigns shock when witnessing cars spinning backwards with a wing on their deck lid reach liftoff.

Maybe NASCAR should have just left the damn spoiler in place.

Bottom line, the CoT has been a complete failure in all measureable aspects. NASCAR, in its attempt to legislate a spec car series has removed most of the 'fun' from this sport.

No wonder nobody is watching.

- Spydertrader
 
<img src=http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=2785192>

Rain Out!!

Cup race at M'ville to run on Monday (Noon Eastern Time) due to rain.
First time since 2001 track has hosted race on Monday.
 

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