A number of NASCAR notables will be making fan appearances on the Atlanta Motor Speedway property and around Atlanta leading up to the Emory Healthcare 500 race weekend.

Tony Stewart will sign autographs at the Office Depot location in the Buckhead Crossing Shopping Center in Atlanta on Piedmont Road at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2. Wristbands are required for autographs and will be distributed to the first 350 customers.

Kasey Kahne will sign autographs at the Academy Sports & Outdoors location on Eisenhower Parkway in Macon at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2.

Brad Keselowski will sign autographs at the Discount Tire location in Peachtree City on Friday, Sept. 3 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Petty will appear at the Krispy Kreme location in downtown Atlanta at 295 Ponce de Leon Ave. on Saturday, Sept. 4 between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

A group of Chevrolet-sponsored drivers – Jamie McMurrary, Juan Pablo Montoya and Ryan Newman – will participate in question-and-answer sessions at the Team Chevy Display on Sunday, Sept. 5 beginning at 2:45 p.m. The Team Chevy Display will be located in the Display Lot. Montoya will participate first at 2:45 p.m., followed by Newman at 3:30 p.m. and McMurray will conclude the event at 3:45 p.m.

Newman will also appear at the U.S. Army Interactive Display at 3:50 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6.

Georgia-native David Ragan will sign autographs at his souvenir hauler at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 5.

Three-time Atlanta winner and 2004 NASCAR champion Kurt Busch will sign autographs at the Miller Lite souvenir hauler at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 5.

Martin Truex, Jr. will sign autographs at his souvenir hauler at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 5.

Be sure to attend the RubbingsRacing.com and Jeff Gluck tweetup at 4 PM on Sunday, Sept. 5, outside of Gate 15 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Drawings will be held for 30+ prizes!

Photo credit DJ DeSpain for RubbingsRacing.com

By: DJ DeSpain

Ryan Newman, driver of the number 39 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, is a pretty smart fellow. That’s not to disparage his peers in saying that they’re dumb, but Newman probably has somewhat of an edge over most of his competitors when it comes to understanding cars and racing them. You see, Ryan is a graduate from Purdue University with a degree in Vehicle Structure Engineering. A degree like that should be very helpful in working with his crew chief, Tony Gibson, and the rest of the U.S. Army/Tornados race team!

“I think crew chiefs appreciate my perspective when it comes to engineering,” says Newman. “My language, being able to talk to the race engineers, I think that definitely helps.”

Having that engineering background makes Newman more aware of how to phrase his own questions. Ryan states, “I’ve always said that an engineer, every time he gets one answer, he gets two additional questions, which is easily ‘How’ and ‘Why.’ I think that for me, it has made my career more successful being an engineer.”

So having that mindset helps Ryan to analyze the pros and cons of changes in the sport, especially not only in terms of performance, but also in making sure that such changes are safe for both the driver and the sport of racing.

One such change to come would be the introduction of fuel injectors to replace the use of carburetors in NASCAR engines. Personally, Newman would hate to see that particular change. “Carburetors I still love. I enjoy history. I enjoy old things. I enjoy old cars, and old cars have carburetors.” However, Ryan is realistic about the change because “most of the things we hear about ‘going green,’ fuel injection is the way to go.”

Ryan knows the fuel injection change will happen, but he wants to put on the brakes to slow the process of its inception in order to make sure all the safety aspects are thought out first. Ryan points out, “It’s one of those things we have to consider when we get in a crash and knock the fuel line off. Fuel injection is going to have a lot more pressure than a carburetor would, and you got 70 pounds of gasoline shooting out at you, or shooting out in somebody’s direction.”

That is a scary scenario of an engine fire situation, certainly more so than can happen today with carburetors. It’s not something that most fans have probably considered themselves with all the talk about fuel injection being green is the reason it has to be done.

But maybe that is why NASCAR is slow to come out with the fuel injector in their cars because they don’t want to jump into fads without considering all the consequences first. NASCAR is all about safety these days. Maybe NASCAR hasn’t been proactive in some cases, but certainly reactive when dangerous situations have happened in the past that result in safer cars, safer tracks, or safer race procedures.

Take for example the current car used today in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series. The design came about because of car crashes that occurred in the early part of this decade that resulted in tragic losses or career-ending injuries. Since the new design, there have been several serious crashes such as Carl Edwards’ flip last year at Talladega, or the most recent crash at Pocono that Elliott Sadler experienced, that could have resulted in more serious or tragic consequences for both drivers.

It’s good that the cars are safer, but what about the tracks themselves? The tracks now have the SAFER barrier system in place, which is a system of steel tubes and pads of hard foam affixed to the concrete walls of entry and exit ways of corner turns. Catchfences have been strengthened to lessen the chances of car parts, or cars themselves, smashing through fences and into the grandstands. Sand and gravel traps have been installed at road courses to slow the cars down when spun out of a turn.

But even with all that, there are still instances where improvements can be made. At Pocono earlier this month, Elliott Sadler spun his car off the back straight away, and crashed into the earthen berm so hard that his engine flew out of the car on impact! Yet, the car protected Elliott from serious injury, even potential death, by being such the safety cocoon that it is today.

Ryan says that “cars can go 250 mph in the right conditions and at the right time but they can also do that in the wrong conditions and at the wrong time. Different race tracks can bring up different conditions.”

The track safety conditions at Pocono are noticeable, and not in a positive way. For starters, the track is one of the few that still uses old, steel guardrails. Hit one of those just the wrong way and a guardrail can become a potentially dangerous spear. Next, there aren’t as many SAFER barriers there when compared with other tracks. Finally, the existence of earthen berms, with about the same resistance as a concrete wall, along with slick, grass runoff areas leading to those berms, is exactly the wrong thing to have at a track as Elliott Sadler found out.

Regarding Sadler’s wreck, Newman says “that same wreck could have happened at several racetracks. It happened at Pocono, which is probably one of the most underdeveloped from a safety standpoint. There are a lot of things that are out there that need to be revised, but with a different perspective put on them. Elliott Sadler has got a good perspective about the back straight away at Pocono.”

Sadler is sure to be consulted about that perspective and it says much about NASCAR that they value the input of the drivers. Not just because drivers are thinking about themselves, but because they are helping to preserve the sport for generations to come.

Newman sums up it up best by saying, “There are some things we have to look at in the future in the safety of our sport, in respect to the things that we change, or things we’re going to change, that are going to be impactful from a safety perspective.”

Please join us on our Facebook page at facebook.rubbingsracing.com to comment on this article.

Be sure to follow DJ DeSpain on Twitter, @DJ_DeSpain, for more NASCAR news and updates!

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide teams invaded Michigan this past week, while the Camping World Truck teams tackled ‘The Lady In Black’. A lot of things happened, as is the case with any given race weekend, but there are five things that stood out more than anything else.

Photo Credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images for NASCAR

1. Kasey Kahne, and Paul Menard have found a home for the 2011 season

This past week silly season, which has been in full swing all season long it seems, began to look a little clearer. Months of speculation on where Kasey Kahne would drive in 2011 finally came to an end, as it was announced he would be driving for Team Red Bull while he awaits his shot to take over for Mark Martin at Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.

Kahne has driven the No. 9 car since he came to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2004, but his departure has left a vacancy at Richard Petty Motorsports… and it’s not the only one.

Kahne’s RPM teammate Paul Menard also announced his departure from the team this week. Menard will be taking sponsorship from his father’s company (Menards) with him to Richard Childress Racing next season, as they try to expand to four teams again.

Now the only question is who will take their spots at Richard Petty Motorsports?

Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR

2. Ryan Newman and Joey Logano will not be exchanging Christmas cards this year

During Sunday’s Sprint Cup series race at Michigan, Joey Logano got loose early on in the event which led to contact between he and Ryan Newman.

Newman, who is looking to make the chase, spun out, and had to work his way from the back of the pack to finish a disappointing 23rd on the day.

Following the race the two drivers exchanged words in a heated confrontation.

Logano attributed the incident to Newman’s habit to race people too hard, too early in the race. Whatever the case the two will most likely not be swapping Christmas cards, but it will be interesting to see if they do swap paint at Bristol.

Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

3. Roush-Fenway Racing is heating up heading into the chase

All season long the Roush-Fenway Racing teams have struggled, due to horrible handling cars, however there has been a turnaround as of late.

This all came to a head this week at Michigan when Roush-Fenway had all four of it’s cars finish inside the top-12 Sunday. Three of their cars finished inside the top-five. The team obviously took pride in wanting to do well for their car owner, who returned to the racetrack for the first time since being injured seriously in a plane crash, and they did just that.

Throw in the fact that Greg Biffle got the team’s first victory of the Sprint Cup season last week, and Carl Edwards has finished inside the top-ten more than anyone over the last six races, and what you have is a team that could sneak up on some people when the chase begins.

Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t “chase worthy” this season

Time is winding down for any driver to try to attempt to work their way into the chase for the championship, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. was inside the top-12 just a five races ago.

Since then though the team has collapsed under the pressure, and has finished 19th or worse in every race. As a result Earnhardt has now plummeted from 11th in the standings all the way down to 17th.

Now that he sits 129 points outside the chase with just three races remaining… it appears that this will be another season to forget for NASCAR’s most popular driver.

Photo Credit: Mary Ann Chastain/Getty Images for NASCAR

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

5. Points leaders are where they are for a reason

This weekend it was a clean sweep for the point leaders in NASCAR competition. Todd Bodine took the checkers in the Camping World Truck race at Darlington, while Brad Keslowski was victorious in the Nationwide race at Michigan, and Kevin Harvick silenced his doubters by winning Sunday’s CARFAX 400.

What this really tells us all, is that these guys are in the points lead for a reason… they are the best this year in their respective series.

Photo By: Farrah Kaye

By: Farrah Kaye

Continuing the Richard Childress Racing domination of the weekend, Kevin Harvick won the late-race battle with Denny Hamlin and took his No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil machine to Victory Lane, becoming the only driver to earn a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup at the CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway Sunday.

Although Kasey Kahne sat on the pole, he failed to lead even one lap. Outside pole-sitter Jimmie Johnson immediately took the lead and led the first 14 laps. However, Johnson began to fall back, and RCR weekend-rival Roush Fenway driver Greg Biffle took over the lead. The two battled for nearly 70 laps, which included two cautions (oil on the track and rain on the track).

Finally, on lap 83, Biffle had a tire problem which took him out of contention and Harvick battled with Tony Stewart until lap 155.

Biffle commented after the race about his tire issue.

“We got a weird set of tires in the middle of the race and were super-tight. I didn’t adjust on it and then I came back loose again and we did two and it wasn’t very good. So at the end I said ‘I’m going to leave it alone,’ and I put four on it and that was almost as loose as I had been all day.”

Overall, he said he was happy with the day he had.

While Stewart and Harvick battled for the lead, other drivers battled behind them for position.

On lap 149, Joey Logano got loose and took out Ryan Newman, causing him to finish 23rd. The two had a heated exchange after the race.

On lap 155, it was a battle of the Jeffs when Jeff Burton and Gordon got together. Burton finished 24th and Gordon finished 27th, the last car on the lead lap.

Stewart got back into the game for 10 laps towards the end until Hamlin surged forward and battled side-by-side with Harvick. But the No. 11 had nothing on the 29 and with five laps to go, Harvick took off.

“It was a battle for sure,” Hamlin said of the last laps against Harvick. “We are definitely happy with that run. We are trying all we can to get 10 more bonus points, but Kevin [Harvick] had a really strong car. It showed all day. We just kind of snuck up there. I knew we had a good car but we never had really good track position.”

But the RFR dominance was still there, as Carl Edwards finished third, Biffle finished fourth, and Matt Kenseth finished fifth. (David Ragan finished 11th.)

With Jack Roush being at the track, the RFR drivers wanted to bring him a win, but the strong performance was good enough for Edwards.

“We really wanted to get a win. That’s a strong performance for us and Ford. That’s huge. [It] meant a lot to perform that well for him.”

Rounding out the top 10 were Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr., Elliot Sadler, and Joey Logano.

This is Harvick’s 14th win in 345 starts and third win in 2010. He has 16 top-10 finishes in 2010 and is first in the point standings by a 293 point lead over second-place Jeff Gordon. It is his first win at Michigan and also brought RCR their first win at MIS since Dale Earnhardt Sr. in 1990.

“The first time I came to Michigan was in 1999. we announced our AC Delco sponsorship. That was the first time I actually met Earnhardt. I walked up in the lounge. I sat down in the lounge and just kind of didn’t really have much to say. Then we went out and watched the race. To see all the people, I think we were in the last pit stall that day, watched the race, watched Earnhardt I think race at the front that day, just took it all in.”

Harvick continued discussing how important today’s win was.

“To come here and win is great for RCR for the fact that this hasn’t been our best racetrack. Our cars had run good here before, but I hadn’t. Last couple times we’ve really committed ourselves to driving in different spots on the racetrack and doing different things from inside the car and trying to manage the practice as well as we can to not fool ourselves.”

Hamlin posted his sixth top-10 at MIS and 10th top-10 of 2010. Edwards posted his 11th top-10 finish at MIS and 12th top-10 of 2010. They are now third and sixth in points respectively.

Noteworthy mentions:

- The first caution (oil on the track) occurred after Kurt Busch’s No. 2 Miller Lite Vortex Dodge’s engine “let go.” There was a trail of oil from the track to his garage stall. Busch said of the incident, “It was a big surprise for the Miller Lite Dodge. We’ve had great reliability with the Penske engines over the years. I thought that I had the conservative motor this weekend, the 12 and the 77 had a bit more power. We just needed a nice, smooth run today and nothing big to happen. It’s unfortunate. We’ll bounce back next week.”

- There were 17 lead changes among 9 drivers. They were Biffle (3/66), Harvick (5/60), Stewart (3/36), Johnson (1/14), Hamlin (1/12), Truex (1/5), Elliot Sadler (1/4), David Ragan (1/2), and Travis Kvapil (1/1).

- Seven cars did not finish the race. PJ Jones (7 – Brakes), Landon Cassill (09 – Electrical), Robby Gordon (07 – Brakes), Kurt Busch (2 – Engine), Max Papis (13 – Rear Gear), Michael McDowell (55 – Electrical), and Joe Nemecheck (87 – Ignition).

- The top 12 in points are now: 1) Kevin Harvick; 2) Jeff Gordon -293; 3) Denny Hamlin -353; 4) Tony Stewart -380; 5) Jimmie Johnson -386; 6) Carl Edwards -414; 7) Jeff Burton -414; 8 ) Kyle Busch -425; 9) Matt Kenseth -439; 10) Kurt Busch -465; 11) Greg Biffle -487; 12) Clint Bowyer -645

By: Holly Blake

On a perfect weather day in Watkins Glen New York, Marcos Ambrose lead the field to the green flag to start the Zippo 200 at the Glen. Ambrose won the pole during the group qualifying session earlier in the day. He also went on to win the race.

The front runners began the race fairly agressively with some running two-wide and Kevin Harvick sustained damage to the left front fender of the Jimmy John’s Chevrolet from contact with Carl Edwards on the first lap. Harvick said he got loose in turn 1.

On lap 4 Brendan Gaughan spun himself but there was no other contact and the race remained under the green. On lap 18 Mike Wallace spun and Tony Raines spun to avoid him. No caution. Green flag stops had been in session from lap 16 and all cars have now cycled through. The 05 of Victor Gonzales Jr. blew a left front tire causing considerable damage to his car.

Harvick was penalized for too fast exiting the pits sending him to the rear of the longest line due to the caution flag on lap 20 for debris on the track. Normally this would have been a pass through penalty. Carl Edwards pitted for a possible engine problem and he was unable to hear the crew on the radio. The crew was checking under the hood for a long period of time and ended up sending him behind the wall for more examination before determining that it was a problem with the valve train and loss of part of a cylinder that eventually ended his race early on lap 30.

The green flag was back out on lap 24 and then there was a huge crash involving Colin Braun, Brendan Gaughan, Boris Said, Alex Kennedy, Jason Leffler, Tony Raines, Justin Allgaier, Trevor Bayne, Victor Gonzales Jr., and Billy Johnson. It appeared that Jason Leffler swung wide and lost control hitting the safer barrier and was bounced back onto the course right in front of Justin Allgaier who had no warning and slammed Leffler. The track became virtually blocked at that point collecting all the other cars. Leffler said Braun didn’t give him much room but accepted blame for the accident. Billy Johnson was jammed under the 34 of Tony Raines which ended up partially suspended in the air on top of the hood of Gaughan. Boris Said didn’t get stopped and flew up next to Harvick who did manage to get stopped. Harvick said on the radio he stopped but 3 other cars flew into the crash after he stopped. The race was red flagged while the track was cleared.
Restart on lap 27 led by Logano, Ambrose, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Ron Fellows, and Paul Menard. Kyle Busch was in the lead before the lap was over with Ambrose in close pursuit.
On lap 41 Ambrose resumed the lead while Busch was held up by the lapped car of Mark Green and then Ambrose remained in the lead as he stayed on the inside of the lapped car of Eric McClure.

Green flag pit stop on lap 48 for Kyle Busch who was in second place was a long one at 17.8 seconds. Ron Fellows pitted on lap 49 out of the third position as did Keselowski, and Menard. Alex Kennedy and Eric McClure spun separately without incident and continued on. Menard was penalized for too fast on pit road and served a pass through penalty.
Marcos Ambrose pitted under green from the lead on lap 51 and resumed the lead by lap 53. The caution flew again on lap 53 for a spin from Justin Allgaier and the track was checked for possible fluid in turn 5.

Restart with 26 laps to go Ambrose led the field with Busch, Keselowski, Logano, and Harvick following close behind. Ambrose built a 3.5 second lead in 4 laps and Logano got by Keselowski. Busch, Logano, Keselowski, and Harvick were nose to tail with 21 laps go to with Busch complaining about being loose. Ambrose on his radio said, “This is a lot of fun” with a little chuckle.

Caution on lap 63 for debris from Paul Menard’s car forced Ambrose to give up the large lead he built up. Kyle Busch fell back to the fifth position just before the caution came out by getting wide and allowing Logano and Keselowski to get by. He told his crew he might as well take the rest of the day off (insert sarcasm).
Restart with 16 laps to go and Ambrose was in the lead and quickly built his lead back to over 3 seconds on the rest of the field. With 2 laps to go, Ryan Newman blew a left front but didn’t draw a caution. Marcos Ambrose crossed the line well ahead of Joey Logano in second, Harvick was third, Keselowski fourth and Kyle Busch came across the line in fifth.

Post race Logano and Harvick shared words and smiles after racing each other cleanly for the last several laps. Marcos Ambrose again proved he is a force to be reckoned with on the road course and on this day he was flawless and won. And as a bonus he was driving the race sponsor car.

Photo Credit: Harry How/Getty Images

By: Toby Christie

We live in a world where everyone has a thirst for the truth, and a passion to be in the know.

That being said; obviously the proverbial droppings hit the fan this week when it was revealed by Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press, that two ‘star drivers’ have been fined this year for derogatory comments towards the sport.

First everyone wanted to know who the drivers were, and secondly why NASCAR kept this from the fans of the sport.

Well, in a week that has had a lot of stories of which to wage an opinion, I must say that I am actually with NASCAR on this.

Let’s think about this for a moment.

In the NBA when someone such as Mark Cuban speaks out against the referees, fans begin to question the product on the court whether there is an issue or not.

When ‘Spy-Gate’ with the New England Patriots went public in the NFL, everyone was quick to say the fix was in for the Patriots over the past few years that led to their dynasty.

In Major League Baseball several players have been caught using steroids, and all of a sudden people basically just assume everyone ‘juices’. Whether everyone does or not is irrelevant, as the perception reigns supreme.

Do you see where I’m going?

People look up to athletes and owners of teams.

Regardless of whether the person says something in the heat of the battle that may not be 100-percent the truth, their fans will take it as the gospel.

Today NASCAR went ahead and released the names of the two drivers that were fined; Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin.

If NASCAR would have announced these fines directly after the quotes that led to them, news outlets such as ESPN and others would have been quick to play the sound bites of the drivers downgrading their sport.

Every hour on the hour the story would have been pounded into your head, and along the way you’d probably start believing what the drivers said.

That is not good for business, especially for a sport that has lost ratings and considerable amounts of attendance in recent years.

Also for those who don’t understand why NASCAR will announce when someone has failed a drug test, yet they were hesitant to give any information on this story.

It’s pretty obvious why.

The decision to fine these drivers had no effect what-so-ever on the actual racing on the track.

When a driver fails a drug test they are officially suspended from the sport. Fans of those drivers have the right to know why their favorite is no longer going to be running for victories on Sunday.

In this case what good does it do for any of us to know that Denny Hamlin or Ryan Newman were fined for their bad decision to bash the sport in which they are a part of?

It was probably a pretty embarrassing moment for each of them and it should end there, instead of doing excess harm to the sport by having the comments re-air on television time after time.

NASCAR has done everything right over the past year as far as correcting a product to make it more enjoyable for fans. We are seeing the best racing ever, and the advent of the chase, double-file restarts, and green-white-checkers have made it where every week is unpredictable.

They have aligned themselves for a big rebound in the near future, and with possible schedule changes on the horizon, the old notion that ‘any press is good press’ no longer applies.

You have to understand that this wasn’t an instance of NASCAR keeping it’s fans in the dark, it was an example of them trying to help pave the future of the sport in my opinion.

And for that I applaud them.

Credit: Holly Blake for RubbingsRacing.com

By: Holly Blake/Dave Thompson

The 2009 Chase For The Sprint Cup Competitors. Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

By: Toby Christie

There is a heck of a battle going on for the final spot in the Chase For The Sprint Cup, and we are entering a five race stretch without an off-week. It all begins this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

What we virtually have going into this pivotal stretch is eight drivers vying for three spots inside the top-12 in the standings. Pretty cramped huh?

These drivers are: Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, David Reutimann, Ryan Newman, and Kasey Kahne.

Currently these eight drivers are separated by just 179 points. Edwards, Biffle and Bowyer find themselves inside the chase while the others are outside looking in, however a lot can change quickly in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

So I know what you’re asking who is in and who is out? Well let’s look to the past to see if we can get a glimpse into the future.

Over the next five races here are the career average finishes at these tracks for these drivers:

Carl Edwards, 10.66

Mark Martin, 11.70

Greg Biffle, 16.56

Clint Bowyer, 16.96

Kasey Kahne, 17.40

Dale Earnhardt Jr., 17.74

Ryan Newman, 17.86

David Reutimann, 24.14

So if the past holds true over the next five races for these drivers… what would the point standings look like heading into the final two races before the chase?

10. Carl Edwards, +164 points to chase

11. Mark Martin, +38 points to chase

12. Greg Biffle, +6 points to chase

————Chase Cutoff————–

13. Clint Bowyer, -6 points to chase

14. Dale Earnhardt Jr., -36 points to chase

15. Ryan Newman, -120 points to chase

16. Kasey Kahne, -126 points to chase

17. David Reutimann, -207 points to chase

As you can see Carl Edwards would look virtually safe with two races remaining according to past results, and David Reutimann would look like a huge long-shot… however every driver would still mathematically have a shot at making the chase with two races remaining. However as we all know things don’t always go according to plan.

This is where we have to begin weighing in the intangibles. Here are my thoughts on what will happen the rest of the way to the chase.

Carl Edwards has led just four laps all season long, has had two DNFs (Did Not Finish), and lets not forget that Chicago was just his second top-five finish of the entire season.

Throw into the mix that Carl is hated by Kevin Harvick, and has had run-ins with Kurt Busch, and of course the on-going saga with Brad Keselowski and what you have is a pretty big list of people waiting in line to kick his butt. In my opinion that is not a good recipe when trying to make the Chase For The Sprint Cup.

Mark Martin has performed mediocre for the majority of the season when you compare 2010 to his monstrous 2009 campaign. However when you look closer at it, if ‘the kid’ can avoid trouble on the track he could sneak into the chase with the durability of Hendrick engines.

Don’t forget he and Kasey Kahne are the best of this group as far as top-five finishes go this season… each of them have five.

Greg Biffle is a true wild card in this entire deal. Not because of his talent, the guy can certainly wheel the car. However Roush-Fenway Racing has been behind the eight ball all season long, and just when it appears he has a good run going… poof goes an engine.

Biffle has ten, top-ten finishes on the season, but over the past three races his best finish is 16th and he has had two DNFs over the last six races. I don’t like what I’m seeing and if this trend continues count Biffle out of the chase.

Is there anyone in this field that has been unluckier than Clint Bowyer? Bowyer saw great runs mired at both Infineon and Daytona and as a result he sits just outside of the chase. However I see Bowyer overcoming and pushing his way back into the chase with ease.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been riding a roller coaster all season long. He is either really really good, or really really bad. Which Earnhardt will show up over these next five races? That remains to be seen, but the good news for Earnhardt is that he is coming off of his best four race stretch of the season before the debacle at Chicago.

The saving grace for Earnhardt is that he has been running at the conclusion of every race thus far this season. Call me crazy, but I think the 88 team will do just enough to make it into the chase this season.

Ryan Newman for the majority of the season was inside the chase, while his owner Tony Stewart was not. Over the past few weeks the two have virtually flip-flopped and now Newman is left wondering what has gone wrong. Good news: Newman got his first win since the 2008 Daytona 500 this year. Bad News: He will not make the chase.

Kasey Kahne has arguably been the best performing car from this entire group all season long… just luck hasn’t been on his side. He was sent nearly out of the track at Pocono on the final lap, and he had an FR9 engine expire on him at New Hampshire. If Kahne can bide his time, avoid trouble on the track, and the engine holds together he’s a lock in my opinion… but that’s easier said than done.

David Reutimann, the feel good story of the year… and last year. Reutimann is coming off of his second career victory at Chicago, and now finds himself in the thick of the chase hunt. However this is precisely where he was last year, when things fell apart. I like the guy, and his Michael Waltrip Racing team is getting stronger, but I think its still a year or two away from them being in the chase.

So there you have it I have Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kasey Kahne in the chase after Richmond heading into the chase. What’s your take? Who do you see making it in? Who will come up just short? Let your voice be heard below.

NASCAR crew chief Tony Gibson from Stewart-Haas Racing joins us to talk about the success that the entire organization had this past weekend at New Hampshire, but also talks about their overall season and his relationship with Ryan Newman. Gibson collected his second DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Race Award, and Tony Stewart picked up the O’Reilly  Auto Parts Position Improvement Award. Another great show with candid conversation.

Read the entire press release here.

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For Immediate Release

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (June 29, 2010) – Strategic calls on the pit box and hard driving helped both NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams from Stewart-Haas Racing to collect two post-race contingency awards to go along with their top-10 finishes on Sunday at the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Strategic moves by crew chief Tony Gibson of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet proved key to winning Gibson’s second DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Race Award, presented to the crew chief of the driver who demonstrates the best qualifying and race effort as determined by the average of qualifying result and race finish.

Likewise, hard driving, pit stop timing and some good fortune enabled Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet to come as far back as 33rd to capture the runner-up spot and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Position Improvement Award presented to the eligible driver who improves the most positions from their starting position to their finishing position.

The awards are part of the NASCAR Prize Money and Decal Program, also referred to as the contingency program, which provides teams prize money and weekly awards based on performance in several categories.

For Newman, the strong qualifying effort had the No. 39 starting fifth with the same car that won earlier this season at Phoenix International Raceway. After battling some handling adjustments throughout the majority of the race, Gibson’s decision to pit twice during the long green flag runs and take four Goodyear tires and make adjustments improved the handling of the car and thus Newman’s position on the track.  With just 20 laps remaining, Gibson pulled the No. 39 into the pits for two tires and air pressure and returned Newman to the track in eighth place, where he avoided trouble during an incident on track and brought the car home sixth.

“The Haas Automation Chevrolet was really a good car all day,” said Tony Gibson, crew chief of the No. 39. “We really only had to make minor adjustments that helped Ryan to turn better in the corners. At the end, we had the choice to take four tires, two tires or to stay out, and we were confident that our car was good enough to make it on two tires so we were able to hold on to our track position.

“At the end of the race, the track position was really the most important thing and our car was good enough that we took two tires and were able to restart in the top five. The pit crew did a great job, Ryan did a great job and it was really a team effort all the way around. We’re definitely in the hunt for a spot in the Chase, and we have to make the most out of every one of these races. We’re a team that doesn’t give up and we’re going to fight right up to the end, and we proved that at New Hampshire.”

Stewart, who started 25th, found himself back in the pack early but was able to make his way back up to the top five during a 201-lap green flag run. Just when Stewart had to relinquish track position due to off-sequence pit stops, a caution on Lap 240 and a call by crew chief Darian Grubb to stay out on the track enabled the No. 14 to get back on the lead lap and set up the push to the front.

“I appreciate everybody’s work at Stewart-Haas,” said team owner Tony Stewart. “Nobody has quit on this deal and we all just dug deeper.” The last time both Stewart-Haas Racing cars finished in the top 10 was October 2009 at Martinsville Speedway.

The Stewart-Haas Racing teams return to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola (8 p.m. ET; TNT). Stewart has won four of the last 10 races at Daytona International Speedway including last year’s Coke Zero 400. He has also claimed three consecutive victories in the February NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Daytona and recorded a top-10 finish at the 2009 Daytona 500. Teammate Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500 two years ago.

Official winners of this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Prize Money & Decal Program special awards include:

• COORS LIGHT POLE AWARD: Juan Pablo Montoya (132.337 mph. 28.781 secs.)
• DIRECTV CREW CHIEF OF THE RACE AWARD: Tony Gibson (crew chief for No. 39 Ryan Newman)
• GOODYEAR GATORBACK BELTS FASTEST LAP AWARD: Juan Pablo Montoya (128.784 mph, Lap 4)
• MAHLE CLEVITE ENGINE BUILDER OF THE RACE AWARD: Hendrick Engines (No. 48)
• MOBIL 1 “COMMAND RFORMANCE DRIVER OF THE RACE” AWARD: Kurt Busch
• MOOG CHASSIS PARTS PROBLEM SOLVER OF THE RACE AWARD: Gil Martin (crew chief for Kevin Harvick)
• O’REILLY AUTO PARTS POSITION IMPROVEMENT AWARD: Tony Stewart (23 places)
• RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE RACE AWARD: Kevin Conway
• SUNOCO DIAMOND PERFORMANCE AWARD: Jimmie Johnson
• TISSOT “PIT ROAD PRECISION” AWARD: Jeff Gordon (172.661 sec.)
• WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD: Kasey Kahne (110 laps)

About the NASCAR Prize Money & Decal Program

The NASCAR Prize Money & Decal Program, commonly referred to as the contingency program, is administered by the NASCAR Automotive Group. The program strives to build strong relationships with high-quality, performance-driven brands that are leaders in their respective categories and award money to NASCAR teams via per-race and year-end postings. Competitors become eligible for awards money by displaying partner decals on the front fender of their race vehicles and, in some instances, use of a sponsor’s product. National series contingency sponsors will contribute over $8.8 million to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams in 2010.

Listen to “Gas and Go: Episode 15” to hear what Tony Gibson, crew chief for the 39 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet had to say about their performance.