Pocono pit stall selection

Jayski.com has posted the pit stall selections and as expected Tony Stewart chose the final pit before the end of pit road.

Our View Even though his crash will cause him to drop to the back of the pack, he gets to keep his pit selection. Jeff Gordon—who inherits the inside of the front row—has the second best pit stall with one of only three openings in front of him.

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F1: Concorde agreement signed

It appears the Formula 1 crisis is finally over. Max Mosley and the Formula 1 Team Association have signed an agreement that will extend into 2012, according to SpeedTV.com.

Our View A breakaway league would have been devastating for Formula 1 style racing—the same as it was for the Indy Racing League and CART—so this is good news for fantasy players.

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Bowyer wins Pocono Happy Hour

Clint Bowyer posted only the seventh fastest single lap in Pocono's Happy Hour, but he was the quickest overall with a speed of 163.007 during 16 laps.

Our View Especially on a long track like Pocono, races are run in the long run. Bowyer could be a surprise top-10 driver this week.

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Johnson fastest in both Saturday Pocono practices

Jimmie Johnson posted the fastest lap in both Pocono practices. He went 167.292 in the morning session and was 165.795 in Happy Hour under slicker conditions.

Our View Better still, he was the quickest in the combined sessions in terms of average speeds. His mean time was 163.281 during 44 laps.

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Stewart has Darlington backup

The backup car Tony Stewart will start this week is the same one that finished eighth at Auto Club Speedway and third at Darlington Raceway, according to @NASCAR_Says.

Our View In June, this team pretty much proved they only have fast cars, so fantasy owners should be overly concerned about his starting position.

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Stewart crashes in Pocono practice 2

In his first laps of practice in the morning session at Pocono, Tony Stewart got loose off turn three and slammed the wall. He will have to roll out a backup car.

Our View Amazingly, he also wrecked in the first race at Pocono this year. That race was also set by points when qualification was canceled and after going to the back of the pack, he won the race.

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Lowe's will not resume naming rights with Charlotte track

After 11 years, Lowe's has decided not to renew naming rights with the track, according to Sports Business Journal. The two sides could not reach an agreement on a price, which Charlotte wished to be $9 million annually.

Our View Just when we were getting used to calling it Lowe's Motor Speedway. It is expected that the name will return to Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2010.

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IRL: Kentucky qualification canceled

Qualification has been canceled at Kentucky Speedway and the field will be set by the rule book. Notably, qualification was also canceled for the NASCAR race in Pocono.

Our View However, there was no rain at Kentucky. The track developed "weepers" after heavy rain overnight.

This comes during the middle of the anti-trust action between the former owners of this track and NASCAR—and it does not help in the court of public opinion.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Pocono

For the fifth time this year, Mother Nature canceled qualification. In June, Tony Stewart won the race after time trial were rained out; can history repeat itself? Check out this week's story (.pdf).

F1: Massa heading home

Felipe Massa is expected to be released from a Hungarian hospital and will return to Brazil after this weekend, according to Crash.net.

Our View That is great news. His incident in the Hungarian Grand Prix was extremely scary.

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IRL: 1.5 million reasons why Indy won't race Richmond

There are 1.5 million reasons why the Indy Racing League won't return to Richmond International Raceway in 2010, according to the Richmond Times Dispatch. In poor economic times, the sanctioning fee was just too much for International Speedway Corporation.

Our View With a $53 million dollar impact on the local economy, however, one thinks they could have figured something out.

Perhaps the most interesting comment in this article, however, was this: "Fan and industry feedback largely was negative after repeat winner Scott Dixon won the June 27 race by finishing ahead of his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and pole-sitter Dario Franchitti. During the race, there were long stretches of uninterrupted racing with few lead changes." Isn't that what racing is about?

For years, NASCAR fans have decried the questionable cautions waved by the sanctioning body; be careful what you wish for.

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Pocono: qualification canceled

For the second time this year, qualification has been canceled at Pocono and the field will be set my owner points. That puts Tony Stewart on the pole.

Our View Stewart hopes the same thing does not happen to him this week as in the first Pocono race. He crashed in practice and had to go to the back of the grid with a backup car to start the race.

On the other hand, he does hope for the same race result: he won the Pocono 500.

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F1: Hamilton looks forward to racing Schumacher

Fresh off victory last week in Hungary, Lewis Hamilton is looking forward to finally getting a chance to race against Michael Schumacher in Spain, according to Crash.net.

Our View Hopefully the early season struggles are behind him and Hamilton in his McLaren and Schumacher in the Ferrari will get a chance to contend.

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N'Wide: another caution at Iowa, for Wimmer

It's been a busy practice session at Iowa. Scott Wimmer spun on the frontstretch, according to @NACARS_NNS.

Our View This is an opportunity race since few NASCAR Cup drivers will be in attendance and it appears that everyone is a little too anxious.

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N'Wide: early caution in Iowa

Caution has waved early in Iowa, with an incident between Mike Harmon, Aric Almirola and Brad Coleman, according to a tweet from @NascarNNS.

Our View Harmon sustained the most damage, but Coleman is in the stronger car. He's driving the Joe Gibbs' No. 20 and would be considered a dark horse contender for a top-five. Let's hope his damage is not great.

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Pocono practice 1 canceled, Martin fastest

The remainder of the first practice session at Pocono has been canceled and it featured Mark Martin at the top of the charts with a speed of 169.354 mph. In fact, all four Hendrick Motorsports cars were the class of the field with Jimmie Johnson second (167.604), Dale Earnhardt Jr. third (167.470) and Jeff Gordon fourth (166.799).

Our View Affiliates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman were sixth and seventh on the chart. This is a pretty clear sign that Hendrick should dominate your fantasy roster.

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Waltrip will roll out a backup

It's official: Michael Waltrip will be forced to roll out a backup car after tearing the front splitter off his Toyota.

Our View If qualification gets underway, he will be able to keep his position so long as he keeps his primary engine.

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Rain delays, will probably cancel Pocono practice 1

Rain has finally arrived at Pocono and it will probably cancel the remainder of Pocono's practice.

Our View Chances are good that qualification will get canceled as well, but with only 43 cars at the track that should not matter.

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Waltrip spins in Pocono practice 1

Michael Waltrip missed the entrance to pit road, rolled through the grass and destroyed his front splitter entering the pavement on pit road at the 45 minute mark of the first practice session.

Our View The damage is actually fairly significant and this could either mean they will have to roll out a backup car or miss the rest of practice while making repairs.

If Waltrip moves into a backup car, he will be able to keep his qualification spot so long as he changes engines and puts the primary powerplant in the new car.

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Lally to run the Glen

Andy Lally will attempt to make his debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series at Watkins Glen International in a second TRG car, according to NASCAR.com.

Our View Lally has two previous starts in the Nationwide Series, finishing 29th at Montreal and 10th at the Glen in a Wood Bros Ford. While his stock car experience is limited, he did make 12 starts in the Camping World Truck Series and should be familiar with the heavier machinery.

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Sorenson out at RPM?

Reed Sorenson is part of the latest rumor mill. According to Autoracingsport.com, Richard Petty Motorsports is considering shuttering the No. 44 team, moving A.J. Allmendinger over to the No. 43 and releasing Sorenson.

Our View All four RPM teams have been improving this year, but the weakest link seems to be Elliott Sadler. After abortively trying to release him at the start of the season, however, it would be hard to ring that bell again. Sorenson could become a victim of circumstances.

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F1: Schumacher to sub for Massa

Michael Schumacher will come out of retirement and substitute for the injured Felipe Massa at Valencia, Spain, according to Autosport.com.

Our View Only 24 hours before the announcement, his manager Willi Webber had this to say: "Whoever sits in the car at the next race in Valencia, it will not be Michael Schumacher. I am not 100 per cent sure; I am 200 per cent sure."

Guess you can't trust PR people in any sport.

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Mayfield's stepmom files suit

The latest twist in the Jeremy Mayfield methamphetamine case has his stepmother filing suited, claiming Mayfield slandered her in an interview with ESPN, according to Autoracingsport.com.

In that interview, he said she tried to extort money from him, probably took money from NASCAR for false testimony, shot and killed his father and was basically a … let's say, "woman of ill-repute."

Our View Who needs soap operas when you have NASCAR? One wonders just how many more worms will crawl out of this can before the conclusion of the trial.

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Ky Busch wins at Anderson

Kyle Busch won the CRA Super Series Redbud 300 at Anderson Speedway after dominating the race Monday afternoon.

Our View How can you fail to love Busch when he is the consummate racer?

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F1: Hamilton finally wins

After suffering through an abysmal first part of the season, Lewis Hamilton finally earned his first victory of the season in the Hungarian Grand Prix. It was also only his second podium finish of 2009.

Our View This was a bizarre weekend that witnessed serious injury to Felipe Massa in qualification and a broken wheel for pole sitter Fernando Alonso during the race. Incidents like these make the race harder to handicap, but more interesting for fantasy owners.

Massa is listed in stable condition for now; keep sending up prayers for him and his family.

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Earnhardt feeling fine

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is feeling fine, according to @DustinLong, and should be able to go the distance in the Brickyard 400.

Our View Qualifying third was probably the best medicine. This could be the week he breaks out of his funk, but he is still a riosk.

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Logano to the back

Joey Logano has changed and engine and will have to drop to the back for the start, according to @DustinLong.

Our View Logano will be forced to give up his 18th starting position, but he was good in practice on long runs. He should be able to keep his top-20 streak alive, but it's unlikely he will earn a surprise top-10.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Indianapolis

Mother Nature was ornery, but NASCAR still got qualification in the books. Check out this week's Yahoo! qualification story (.pdf).

N'Wide: Edwards wins over Busch, Kenseth

Carl Edwards. Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth all had to go to the back of the pack to start when other drivers qualified their cars. It didn't matter; they finished first, second and third.

Our View So much for track position meaning everything on this track.

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IRL: Power on Edmonton pole

Will Power has won the pole for the Edmonton Indy road course race with a speed of 116.414, according to @RacingOne.

Our View Power was also fast in practice and track position means a lot on road courses. Look for him to be strong in the race.

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F1: Massa injured in freak accident

Felipe Massa has undergone surgery for injuries sustained in the qualification session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, according to Autosport.com. A spring from Rubens Barrichello's car struck him in the head giving him a concussion and he is currently under observation in intensive care.

Our View Two stories here: Massa is unlikely to compete in the race and Barrichello's owner Ross Brawn is perplexed as to why a component came off his car, which could signal troubles for both teams.

Update: Massa will certainly not race; he is currently listed in serious condition with life-threatening injuries. Our prayers go out to him and his family.

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Revised Indy schedule

Nationwide Series cars are currently practicing at O'Reilly Raceway Park and track drying activity is underway at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NASCAR expects to get Cup qualification started a little after 2 pm eastern and Happy Hour is scheduled for 5:30, according to a @DustinLong.

Our View Rainy days are long days, but so long as NASCAR gets qualification in for the Cup race, it's worth it. Fantasy owners get one more piece of the puzzle with time trials.

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Rain delays Indy activity

Rain has delayed all on track activity at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and O'Reilly Raceway Park on Saturday, according to a tweet from @RacingOne.

Our View Stay tuned for details. NASCAR has all day to try and get qualification in, but they have shown to be quick to cancel this session during the last two years.

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F1: Alonso on Hungarian pole

Fernando Alonso won the pole for the Hungarian Grand Prix—his first pole of the season.

Our View The field is closing in on Brawn Racing, so the second half of the season may just be competitive and fantasy owners will have options from here on.

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Trucks: Hornaday wins record 4th in a row

For the first time in Camping World Truck Series history a driver has won four consecutive races by holding off a determined Mike Skinner.

Our View O'Reilly Raceway Park can be difficult with very little passing, but Hornaday and Skinner ran side by side for the final seven laps. He also extended his series winning record to 44.

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Trucks: Braun on pole at ORP

Colin Braun backed up his fast speed in practice by winning the pole for Friday night's AAA Insurance 200 at O'Reilly Raceway Park. His pole speed was 109.965 mph.

Our View The top five hold no surprises with Mike Skinner, Stacy Compton, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Matt Crafton rounding out the list. It is incredibly hard to pass on this track, so these are your favorites.

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Ganassi has eyes for Danica

At Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week, Chip Ganassi admitted that like many car owners, he has had discussions with Danica Patrick about joining his organization, according to FullThrottle.com.

Our View Ganassi offers Patrick a unique opportunity to cherry pick IRL and NASCAR races. While this would be a marketers dream, it would certainly slow any potential development she has as a stock car driver.

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Martin tops Indy practice 2

Mark Martin posted the fastest single lap of the second Friday practice session, posting a speed of 180.643.

Our View He took only five laps, so like Greg Biffle from the first practice session, he was almost certainly working on race trim.

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Trucks: Caitlin Shaw to race at ORP

Caitlin Shaw will become the latest female driver to run in a major NASCAR race at O'Reilly Raceway Park. She practiced 25th best in the No. 1 Toyota Tundra with a speed of 103.804—approximately five miles per hour slower than Colin Braun at 108.966.

Our View Here is look at her tire test earlier this year at Richmond:

IRL: Power tops first Edmonton practice

Will Power posted the fastest single lap of practice for the Rexall Edmonton Indy race in Canada, according to a tweet from @IndyCarPR.

Our View The remainder of the top five were Raphael Matos, Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves and the Canadian favorite Paul Tracy.

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Biffle fastest in Brickyard 400 practice 1

Greg Biffle posted the fasest single lap of practice in the first session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 with a speed of 177.075 mph.

Our View With four practices this week, drivers worked on a combination of qualification and race trim. Biffle posted only seven laps, which suggest he mostly worked on qualification.

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Brickyard 400 Yahoo! preview

The Brickyard 400 may well be the second biggest race of the season. Who is favored to win? Check out this week's Yahoo! preview (.pdf).

Jr under the weather

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is fighting flulike symptoms this week, according to a tweet from @NASCARSays.

Our View This has been a terrible season for Earnhardt and even little things can combine for a terrible race. If you have been on the fence about him; this might encourage you to leave him parked.

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Ky Busch passes 10-lap mark

Eighteen minutes into the first practice session, Kyle Busch has recorded 12 laps.

Our View Why is that important? At this stage of last year's race, tires were popping in as few as 10 laps. Let's hope that means the issue is firmly put to be.

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Brickyard 400 Practice underway

It's been two weeks since cars were on the track, but practice is now underway at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Our View: Keep an eye out for practice times on Friday; qualification is not until Saturday.

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