McDowell, K Hamlin and Gilliland in jeopardy

Michael McDowell (in the No. 36 this week), Kevin Hamlin (37) and David Gilliland (04) were the three slowest drivers among the go or go homers and as such are in the greatest jeopardy of going home.

Our View Each of these drivers are most likely start and park drivers, so fantasy owners will be unaffected if they fail to make the Price Chopper 400 by Kraft Foods.

More Cup newsbreakers

Salo coming to NASCAR?

According to Autosport.com, Mika Salo will test a Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota this November. "It will be great to get to test a NASCAR at last," Salo told AUTOSPORT magazine, "After two years of trying, I finally met the person who could make it happen. Racing sportscars in the US has definitely helped.

"My hope next year is that I can do some races in Nationwide, maybe even a full season - but I understand that I may have to raise some money to make it happen."

Our View This time is right to try and make a move with Juan Montoya currently running so well. This has to increase recognition for former F1 drivers.

More Cup newsbreakers
More IRL newsbreakers

Wind may be an issue at Kansas

Chicago is supposed to be the windy city, but nestled on the plains outside of Kansas City, wind may play a huge role in practice, qualification and the race at Kansas Speedway.

Our View It's going to be hard to dial the cars in under these conditions. Kansas is traditionally kind to dark horses, and this uncertainty will contribute to some comers and goers at the top of the grid.

More Cup newsbreakers

Kansas using Auto Club tires

Goodyear has brought the same tire to Kansas Speedway they used at Auto Club Speedway earlier this year.

Our View That might favor drivers who were fast there: Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon were the class of the field in the Auto Club 500. The California track is slightly longer at two miles in length, but it bears a lot of similarities in shape to the 1.5-miler in Kansas.

More Cup newsbreakers

Patrick mum on 2010 plans

Last week it was reported that Danica Patrick had signed a three-year deal with Andretti-Green Racing. Not so fast, it seems; Patrick has been mum on the subject.

Our View According to the Associated Press, "Patrick refused Wednesday to confirm widespread reports that she's agreed to a three-year extension of her IndyCar contract with Andretti Green Racing. Asked specifically about the extension, Patrick simply shook her head, not saying a word."

Come on over, girl – diversity needs to be served.

More Cup newsbreakers
More IRL newsbreakers

N'Wide: Cobb to attempt Kansas

Kansas City native Jennifer Jo Cobb will attempt to make the Nationwide Series Kansas Lottery 150 this week. if she is successful, it will be her fourth start.

Our View It wild be great to see a female driver in the field, but in two of her three previous starts, Cobb crashed and finished last. Last year, however, she finished 30th in this race.

More Nationwide newsbreakers

Johnson, Martin "too close" to tolerance from Dover

According to FoxSports.com, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin's cars were "too close" to tolerance on fitting the templates at NASCAR's R&D center. Martin was barely under; Johnson was barely over. No penalties are forthcoming, but they were told not to bring the cars back to the track.

Our View As the story developed into Friday morning, however, John Darby reported neither car was illegal (according to a trackside Tweet from @BobPockrass). The teams that win are going to get as close to the line as possible, so Johnson and Martin are still favorites for the Price Chopper 400 by Kraft Foods.

More Cup newsbreakers

Gilliland in second Robby Gordon car at Kansas

David Gilliland will pilot a second Robby Gordon Motorsports car at Kansas this weekend.

Our View This keeps Gilliland in the field while Bobby Labonte takes over the Racers Group ride. Keep an eye out for a sponsor on the quarter panels of the No. 04, because this car has been known to start and park in previous events.

More Cup newsbreakers

Yahoo! Kansas Preview

Five of the final eight races will be run on similarly-configured, 1.5- and two-mile tracks, so this week will set the tone for the rest of the Chase Find out who'll be strong in this week's Yahoo! Preview (.pdf).

Johnson sweeps Dover

Jimmie Johnson completed the sweep of Dover after leading the most laps and dominating the closing laps of the AAA 400.

Our View If Johnson wasn't your favorite to win a fourth straight championship before today, you have to give it some serious thought now.

More Cup newsbreakers
Autism Speaks 400 newsbreakers
Official tweets from the track

Possible problems for Ku Busch

According to a tweet from @BobPockrass, Kurt Busch had electrical issues this morning, mot likely because of the heavy moisture. The team believes this problem is fixed, however.

Our View Unfortunately, electrical problems are pesky little gremlins. Busch will probably be all right, but you want to be aware of the possible problem.

More Cup newsbreakers
Autism Speaks 400 newsbreakers
Official tweets from the track

Dover pit stall selections

Jayski.com has posted the pit stall selections and as expected, Jimmie Johnson took the final stall leaving pit road.

Our View Juan Montoya and Ryan Newman are the only two other drivers with openings in front of them and this pit is extremely tight, so those are the only truly good stalls.

Greg Biffle, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne each have an opening at the back.

Pit stall selection can often be the final piece of the puzzle for fantasy owners.

More Cup newsbreakers
Autism Speaks 400 newsbreakers
Official tweets from the track

Competition caution coming at Dover

NASCAR will throw a competition caution on lap 25 at Dover because of heavy rain overnight and this morning that washed the rubber off the track—whenever the AAA 400 starts, that is.

Our View Of course, Mother Nature has her own plans and rain keeps popping up and the race will most likely be delayed. The afternoon forecast is for clear skies, however.

More Cup newsbreakers
Autism Speaks 400 newsbreakers
Official tweets from the track

Hamilton wins Singapore GP

Lewis Hamilton posted his second victory of the season by winning the Singapore Grand Prix after starting from the pole.

Our View Hamilton's first win this season didn't come until race 10 and the Hungarian Grand Prix and previous to that his best result was fourth in the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Since Hungary, however, Hamilton has three poles and two wins in five races plus another runner-up result in Spain.

More F1 newsbreakers

N'Wide: Bowyer wins at Dover

Kyle Busch dominated Dover early but Clint Bowyer had the right handle when it mattered most. He held off late-race charges by Busch, Mike Bliss and Brad Keselowski to win his second career race on the concrete high banks.

Our View In addition, Bowyer now has a seven-race top-10 streak there.

More Nationwide newsbreakers

Johnson wins 1st Sat. Dover practice

Jimmie Johnson had the quickest average speed in Dover's first Saturday practice session with a speed of 148.984 during 29 laps.

Our View Johnson's fastest single lap of 151.989 was fourth best, which makes him just as appealing as Kurt Busch. He's bound to be a little more expensive in salary cap games, however.

More Cup newsbreakers
Autism Speaks 400 newsbreakers
Official tweets from the track

Ku Busch fastest in 1st Sat. Dover practice

Kurt Busch posted both the single fastest lap of 153.035 and the second quickest average speed of 148.943 mph during 33 laps.

Our View Last week, Busch was also fast in practice and at the end of the Sylvania 300 he was battling for the lead. If you were on the fence about him; this might push you over the edge.

More Cup newsbreakers
Autism Speaks 400 newsbreakers
Official tweets from the track

Finch to run fulltime in 2010?

NASCAR has requested that James Finch field a fulltime car in 2010, according to Lee Spencer, which reveals that the economic situation is not expected to be any better next year and full fields will be hard to come by.

Our View From a competitive standpoint the start and park drivers—which has been Finch's role in most of this year's races—have been frustrating, but it limits fantasy owners choices and makes their job just that much easier.

More Cup newsbreakers
Autism Speaks 400 newsbreakers
Official tweets from the track

Yahoo! Qualification Story – Dover

Jimmie Johnson, Juan Montoya, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne provide you with a diverse list of marquee drivers and sleepers on the first three rows, which makes the game interesting this week. Check out the Dover edition of the Yahoo! qualification story .pdf story.

Danica staying in IndyCar

According to the Indianapolis Star, Danica Patrick will be staying in the Indy Racing League for three more years after signing a three-year deal with Andretti-Green Racing.

Our View One has a sense that this story is not complete yet. Could we still see Patrick in one of the junior NASCAR series during the next three years?

That would allow her to truly decide if she wants to race the heavier stockers and make her a more well-rounded driver.

Johnson wins Dover pole

Jimmie Johnson backed up his fastest time in practice with the fastest time in qualification and will lead the field to the green on Sunday after posting a lap of 157.356 mph.

Our View Johnson was the winner this spring and he is well positioned to earn a second consecutive Hendrick Motorsports victory in the Chase.

More Cup newsbreakers
Autism Speaks 400 newsbreakers
Official tweets from the track

Johnson fastest in Dover practice 1

Jimmie Johnson posted the fastest single lap of practice at Dover International Speedway in practice for the AAA 400. His top lap of 158.026 was more than one mile per hour faster than second-place Ryan Newman with a 157.020.

Our View The top of the board was dominated by Chasers. In addition to Johnson and Newman, Juan Montoya (156.986), Greg Biffle (156.952) and Kurt Busch (156.474) rounded out the top five.

More Cup newsbreakers
Autism Speaks 400 newsbreakers
Official tweets from the track

Yahoo! Dover Preview

Last week the Chasers got off to a strong start at New Hampshire. Guess what, the same thing is going to happen again this week at Dover. Find out why in this week's Yahoo! preview (.pdf).

Montoya wins NH Happy Hour

Juan Montoya completed his sweep of fast times with another first in Happy Hour. His lap of 130.376 mph was joined by the fastest time on Friday (132.485), the fastest time in Saturday morning (130.131) and the pole for the Sylvania 300 (133.431).
If that were not enough: Montoya also had the quickest average speed of 128.337 during 39 laps in Happy Hour.

Our View This is just too good to overlook, but fantasy owners know all too well that the race is a living organism and trouble can strike at any time.
More Cup newsbreakers
Lenox Industrial Tools 301 newsbreakers

Official tweets from the track

Hamlin wins NH Sat. am practice

Races are won during long runs and Denny Hamlin posted the quickest average speed of 128.303 during 43 laps.

Our View Hamlin was our pre-weekend favorite and his fourth-place qualification effort and this practice only confirms our opinion.

More Cup newsbreakers
Lenox Industrial Tools 301 newsbreakers

Official tweets from the track

Montoya fastest in NH Sat. am practice

Juan Montoya posted the single fastest lap in the morning practice session for the Sylvania 300 with a speed of 130.131 mph. This proves his pole winning run on Friday was not a fluke.

Our View You are seeing a lot of Montoya's name this weekend. Expect him to keep his strength into the race and record a solid top-10 finish.

His average speed wasn't bad either. With a 128.208 during 33 laps, he landed third on the grid.

More Cup newsbreakers
Lenox Industrial Tools 301 newsbreakers

Yahoo! Qualification Story – New Hampshire

The Chasers are getting off to a strong start by qualifying in the top five positions. Can they keep up the pace? Our opinion is available in this week's Yahoo! qualification story (.pdf).

Cope, Bean going home from New Hampshire

Derrike Cope and Dexter Bean had the two slowest cars in New Hampshire qualification and will be the ones heading to the house early.

Our View No surprises here. Those two drivers were also the slowest in practice.

More Cup newsbreakers
Lenox Industrial Tools 301 newsbreakers

Montoya wins New Hampshire pole

Juan Montoya took his second career pole at New Hampshire with a speed of 133.431. His previous fastest lap came at Talladega SuperSpeedway this April.

Our View Back in April, he slipped to a 20th-place finish, but the plate tracks are more about track position and the drafting pack. Montoya could be a sleeper this week on the short, flat track that requires many of the same skills as a road course.

More Cup newsbreakers
Lenox Industrial Tools 301 newsbreakers

Montoya tops New Hampshire practice 1

Juan Montoya jumped to the top of the leaderboard at New Hampshire Motor Speedway late in the first practice session, with a speed of 132.485 mph.

Our View Montoya could be a sleeper on any given week. He ran consistent in the last 10 races of the regular season, but had to be conservative. Starting this week, the bit should be out of his mouth.

More Cup newsbreakers
Lenox Industrial Tools 301 newsbreakers

Yahoo! New Hampshire Preview

While the media focuses on 12 drivers during the next 10 weeks, fantasy owners will be looking for some great values outside that group. So will we in this week's Yahoo! preview (.pdf).

Inspection complete

Both the post-race tear down and the engine inspection is complete following the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond and everyone passed.

Our View Most fantasy games don't adjust points for penalties, but it's still nice to carry into the next race without any negative press.

More Cup newsbreakers

MWR confirms Tryson

According to a tweet from @MartySmith, Michael Waltrip Racing has confirmed that Pat Tryson will be the crew chief for Martin Truex Jr. next year in the Cup series.

Our View It remains to be seen if the short time status of Tryson will affect Kurt Busch's Chase efforts. Follow the No. 2 team with some caution.

More Cup newsbreakers

R Gordon wins off-road race at Primm

Last weekend, Robby Gordon turned his car over to David Gilliland so he could race in the Primm 300 off-road race. It paid off; he won over Rob MacCachren by only a minute, according to Race-dezert.com.

Our View It's rare to see a NASCAR driver forego a points' paying Cup race, so this underscores Gordon's love of his off-road roots.

More Cup newsbreakers

With career best Richmond finish, Vickers makes the Chase

Brian Vickers earned his first career top-10 at Richmond since his inaugural start in 2004 (in which he finished eighth) with a solid seventh-place finish and that was enough to clinch his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase berth.

Our View By the numbers, he was a long shot, but this is why they run the race and Vickers is one of two drivers to make his first playoff appearance.

More Cup newsbreakers
Crown Royal Russ Friedman 400

Hometown Hamlin wins Richmond

After dominating most of the night, our pre-race favorite Denny Hamlin won the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

Our View Yee haw.

More Cup newsbreakers
Crown Royal Russ Friedman 400

Richmond pit stalls

Jayski has posted the pit stall selections, and as expected Mighty Mark Martin has taken the best spot after winning the pole for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

Our View Martin Truex Jr and Kasey Kahne have the only other two spots with an opening in front of them, but Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski chose stalls with openings behind them.

This could be especially positive for Keselowski, who is bound to be cheap in cap games and under-utilized in allocation games.

Complete List

More Cup newsbreakers
Crown Royal Russ Friedman 400

N'Wide: Crippled Carl wins Richmond

Carl Edwards won the Richmond Nationwide race with one foot tied behind his back. Broken right foot and all, he outpaced the field after taking the lead late in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250.

Our View Edwards had to come from the back of the pack after a poor qualification effort. This gives him confidence entering the Saturday night Cup race, but his record is still not good enough to recommend starting him in the big show.

More Nationwide newsbreakers

Ku Busch loses crew chief

If the stress of the Chase were not enough, SPEED TV reported on Friday that Kurt Busch would lose his crew chief Pat Tryson at the end of the 2009 season.

Our View This situation could deteriorate in a hurry if the No. 2 team starts to struggle, so keep a close eye on Busch. If you are in conflict about starting him at all, err on the side of caution.

More Cup newsbreakers
Crown Royal Russ Friedman 400 newsbreakers

Yahoo! Qualification Story – Richmond

Nearly all of the bubble boys will be clustered together on the start grid, adding to the drama of the final regular season race. The most popular Yahoo! players are together as well, so check out this week's qualification story .pdf story.

And in case you missed it, click here for this week's preview.

Martin wins Richmond Happy Hour

Mark Martin posted the quickest average speed in Happy Hour practice at Richmond, with a speed of 122.013 mph during 11 laps.

Our View That was a relatively short run, but he was also third-best in the morning session. His fastest lap in Happy Hour was third on the grid, so he should be considered a favorite to win both the pole and the race.

More Cup newsbreakers
Crown Royal Russ Friedman 400 newsbreakers

Montoya fastest in Happy Hour

Juan Montoya had a seesaw Happy Hour session, but when the red and black flags were waved to signal its end, he was at the top of the charts with a lap of 124.412 mph.

Our View Montoya has been strong on the short tracks this year, but he has yet to score a top-five. If you are content with a top-10 at his level, however, he's still a good value.

More Cup newsbreakers
Crown Royal Russ Friedman 400 newsbreakers

Truex wins Richmond practice 1

Martin Truex Jr. posted the quickest average speed in the first Richmond practice session among drivers working primarily on race trim. His average speed was 119.718 mph during 25 laps.

Our View After dominating early last week at Atlanta and falling off the pace late in the Pep Boys Auto 500, Truex needs redemption, but it's unlikely to come here. He has only one top-five in seven starts with an average of 23.9.

More Cup newsbreakers
Crown Royal Russ Friedman 400

Nemechek fastest in Richmond practice 1

Joe Nemechek posted the fastest single lap of practice in the morning session, with a lap of 122.867 mph.

Our View As one of the "go-or-go-home" drivers, he only turned 12 laps, but as a start and parker, this is pretty much the only thing on his agenda.

More Cup newsbreakers
Crown Royal Russ Friedman 400 newsbreakers

F1: Sutil paces Italy GP practice 2

Adrian Sutil posted the fastest lap in the second practice for the Italian Grand Prix with less than five minutes remaining in the session.

Our View As impressive as that was, it was more notable that the driver he kicked off the top spot was Romain Grosjean, the rookie driver in the second Renault entry.

Complete Results