A A THE NEWS STANLY PRESS I Albemarle, NC Thursday, November 8, 2007 1D NAS THIS WEEK If you have a question or a comment, write: NASCAR This Week, The Gaston Gazette, PO. ON THE TUBE Ali times Eastem Nextel Cup Checker Auto Parts abc 500.3 p.m. Sunday Busch Sones Artzona Travel 200, 4 p.m. Saturday Truck Series Casino Arizona 150. SO 3 p.m.
Friday BURNING ISSUES Carl Edwards finally down the Busch Series champ conship. He won it because he was the only driver who possibly could have, given the cast of Nextel Cup drivers who competTed in every Busch race. Bruton Smith bought New Hampshire International Speedway and said he had no plans to move one of its dates to Las Ve gas: He also said he didn't yet have any plans at all. It was a clever way of creating the impression the dates were safe without actually saying it, Smith continues to insist that he might build a new track to replace Lowe's Motor Speedway. Concord, N.C., city officials have caved in on virtually issue that originally angered Smith.
It's as if Smith takes delight in making life "miserable for them at this point. The Pinewood Derby cars make their final appearance of the year this week at Phoenix. Some people call them nextgeneration, others Car of Tomor-. row, and still others call them bars of soap with wings on the back. They'll be around for every race next year, though, Television coverage of NASCAR races has nothing to do with Journalism.
Considering the money it pays for the rights, it's Inexcusable that Is little more than a public rela tions arm of NASCAR. One of the chief consequences of the COT's development Is that veteran mechanics are BE: ting run out of the sport. The NASCAR Technical Institute is creating a huge pool of cheap labor, and the uniformity of the new car is eliminating the value of experience, 'attendance and TV ratings continue to sag, NASCAR officials seem to be in denial. In order to remedy the situation, they must acknowledge that their own policies are partly at fault. 4 WHO'S HOT AND WHO'S NOT A hot Jimmie.
Johnson has won three races In a row and nine this year. Martin Truex the 2008 qualified for Budweiser Shootout by winning the first pole of his career. Who's not Carl Edwards, a week after a second-place: finish, was mysteriously slow at a similar track. He finished three laps off the pace. AJ.
fifth but crashed twice early and three times overall. Race: Checker Auto Parts .500 Where: Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz. (1.0 miles), 312 When: Sunday, Nov. 11 Last year's winner: Kevin Harvick UP Nov. man, 5, Qualifying Dodge, 2004.: record: 135.854 Ryan mph, New- a Race record: Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 118.132 mph, Nov.
7, 1999. WHA 1 his son won Atlanta Last final moved by pit wook: on stop, changing to Texas Jimmie two winning and tires John- at in again after changing four. The lesson? Whatever Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus do CUP ITS easy, however. The final dozen laps of the Dickies 500 exciting. The final seven were dazzling.
This might have been a race that set itself apart from anything else this season. Except, of course, for the fact that, for the ninth time, Johnson won. "We've raced hard a bunch of times," said Kenseth, flashing a disarming modesty, "and come to think of it, he's (Johnson) won every one of them." The reigning champion, Johnson, now leads the point standings by 30, partly because he won for the third week in a row and Gordon committed the disastrous mistake of finishing seventh. CH CHARISMAN THUCK Race: Arizona Travel 200 Race: Casino Arizona whor*: Phoenix Interna- 150 tional Raceway, Avondale, Where: Phoenix InternaAriz. (1.0 miles), 200 tional Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.
(1.0 miles), 150 When: Saturday, Nov. 10 Last year's winner: Matt When: Friday, Nov. 9 Kenseth Last year's winner: John- Qualifying record: Kyle ny Benson Busch, Chevrolet, 133.819 Quallfying record: Johnny mph, Nov. 4, 2004. Benson, Toyota, 132.660 Race record: Jeff Burton, mph, Nov.
10, 2006. Ford, 115.145 mph, Nov. a Race record: Kevin Har4, 2000. vick, Chevrolet, 108.014 Last week: Kyle Busch mph, Nov. 8, 2002.
drove a Chevrolet to victory Last week: Ted Musin the O'Reilly Challenge at grave, driving a Toyota, won Texas Motor Speedway. the Silverado 350 at Texas Motor Speedway. is right. Johnson's win easn't Ru A IN THE SPOTLIGH THE CHASE Two for the Show France never meant for The Chase to be a two-driver showdown By Monte Dutton NASCAR This Week FORT WORTH, Texas As: it turned out, the changes implemented this year regarding the Chase for the Nextel Cup ended up being almost irrelevant. NASCAR chairman Brian France may not have personally devised the new, more contrived, Chase, but it was France who announced its details on Jan.
22 of this year. On the one hand, France said the changes, which provided for an increase. in the field from 10 to 12, were made in the name of a balance between FRANCE consistent performance race victories. That's why the points leader at the beginning the Chase was the driver with the victories, not the driver with" the most points in the regular season. Now, with two races to go, the championship is down to two drivers, one of whom (Jimmie Johnson) is the season's biggest winner and the other (Jeff Gordon) the most consistent.
However, France. clearly didn't mean for the Chase to come down to a two-way battle at all. Johnson and Gordon didn't need a Chase to provide competition between just them. "It provides hope to a driver who. gets hot late in the year, who may not be quite in the top 10," said France.
"Let's take Tony Stewart, who just missed the (2006) Chase, got hot late in the year, and he obviously would be very affected under this is new Stewart did indeed make the Chase, but the changes weren't enough to provide room for the sport's most pop'ular driver, Dale Earnhardt who was 13th in points after the season's first 26 races. i France said the idea for seeding the drivers on the basis of victories came to him when he was on the way to lunch, saying it was an example of "how free-flowing our 'compa1. PHOENIX FOX April 21. Nov. 11 abc FINISH I START TURNT Distance 1.0 mile oval Length of fronts 179.
Length of backstretch: Banking in 312 m. 312 tans Tums straights: 1 Lous DEL com 8 LOWE'S This Week Jeff Gordon, left, is 30 points behind teammate Jimmie Johnson, right, for the Nextel Cup points champlonship with two races to go. ny is." The Chase was designed for excitement, and perhaps it will in future years. But Johnson and Gordon have beaten the system by performing at the same level in the Chase as they did in the regular season. The Chase is between them, though that wasn't the plan.
Want to read more from Monte Dutton? Check out http://www.gastongazette.com/sections/sports/nascar T. Visit Stanly ACE Hardware in Richfield for Carhartt and Georgia Boots! 2 1 A Guaranteed To Keep You Dry GORE A Carhartt 4 STANLY LICE HA HARDWARE Two Stanly Ace Hardware Locations To Serve You: 401 W. South St. Albemarle, NC 704-982-2131 or 704-982-2129 497 East Church (Hwy. 52), Richfield, NC 704-463-0133 FEUD OF THE WEEK Stewart Harvick Tony Stewart vs.
Kevin Harvick The two friends mysteriously tangled early in the Dickies 500, with Stewart using his Chevy as a battering ram on Harvick's car. There had been a small rift between the two following Stewart's Indy victory, but few seemed to know what this one was all about. NASCAR This Week's Monte Dutton gives his take: "Happiness is never farther away than victory lane for Stewart and, come to think of it, Harvick, too. For both, it's been a while." AND LORE Is Texas by any other name still as sweet? Texas Motor Speedway was once known as Texas International Raceway. In August 1996, the owner of a quarter-mile dirt track in Alvin, Texas, filed suit to use the name Texas tor Speedway.
For a short time, Speedway Motorsports changed the name of the track, then under construction. On Dec. 2 of that year, the suit was settled, and the dirt track Is now Texas Thunder Speedway. FAN TIPS Johnson's victory meant a million for wildfire relief When Jimmie Johnson won the Pep Boys 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Nov. 4, it was worth more than $1 million for the American Red Cross' California wildfire relief efforts.
Johnson gave his earnings from the race and was joined by his sponsor, Lowe's, and by Sonic Automotive, Bruton Smith's auto ship corporation. YOUR TURN FROM OUR READERS Stewart's stupid move should have drawn penalty Why wasn't Tony Stewart called for rough (stupid) driving when he slammed into Paul Menard on pit road during a caution flag during the LifeLock 400? Other drivers have been called in and penalized a lap, fined and docked points for less. Billy E. Overman Whitsett, N.C. We appreciate you letting us know your opinion.
The opinion of NASCAR officials, obviously, differed. It's not like Stewart hasn't ever been penalized, though. 5 4.
