| Hornish's chief knows importance of quals | Friday 7/25, 11:11 PM CT |
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How important will qualification be on Saturday? According to Sam Hornish's crew chief "It will be intense. Everybody will be looking at the weather because this race track is probably the most temperature-sensitive that this series goes to."
Our View: At Indy, a driver wants to go out early to get a good qualification time. Hornish will roll off mid-pack, which does not bode well for the No. 77. |
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| Indy to be Mears' 200th start | Friday 7/25, 10:38 PM CT |
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The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will mark the 200th start for Casey Mears, and it couldn't come at a more important place for his family. His uncle, Rick Mears has four Indy 500 victories.
Our View: Mears needs a good finish to help land a quality ride for 2009, but he was only 15th fastest in Friday's practice, |
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| N'Wide: Leffler comfortable at Braun | Friday 7/25, 9:47 PM CT |
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While his career with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) was winding down, Jason Leffler drove for free with Braun Racing while that team found a sponsor. His charity to them eventually resulted in a fulltime Nationwide ride for this season.
Our View: Loyalty, respect and camaraderie go a long way to building trust and that has allowed this team to run up front on so many occasions in 2008. |
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| Ky Busch finishes 8th in Truck | Friday 7/25, 9:12 PM CT |
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Kyle Busch finished eighth in the Ford Power Stroke Diesel 200—a race won by Johnny Benson Jr.
Our View: Busch didn't make very many friends in this race, but with increasingly regularity, he is become much less popular with the Truck regulars. |
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| ESPN says Wallace could own car | Friday 7/25, 8:52 PM CT |
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In light of Brad Daugherty's announcement that he has bought into JTG Racing, ESPN has apparently relaxed its policy about their talent owning NASCAR Sprint Cup teams. This opens a door for Rusty Wallace to advance one of his drivers.
Our View: David Stremme has been linked to several rumors—particularly Penske Racing South—but this could keep him in the fold as a placeholder until Steven Wallace is ready to make the move top Cup. |
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| Kahne says team is improving | Friday 7/25, 7:48 PM CT |
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Kasey Kahne isn't overly concerned about his recent slump and says that the team is both improving and on the verge of being competitive on a weekly basis.
Our View: Even though Kahne hasn't had a top-five in four races, he cannot be overlooked—especially on the speedways. |
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| Newman has made team selection | Friday 7/25, 7:32 PM CT |
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Ryan Newman told the media at Indy that he has made his selection for a team in 2009, but remains mum on exactly who that is.
Our View: Speculation still centers on his joining Tony Stewart in the second car and will until a formal announcement is made. |
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| Roush disappointed in McMurray | Friday 7/25, 5:44 PM CT |
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At Indianapolis, Jack Roush told media members that no one is going to take Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan or Greg Biffle away from him. The odd man out of that statement was Jamie McMurray.
Our View: Roush is eventually going to have to trim down to four teams and it seems pretty obvious which four drivers will run those cars. |
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| Raines, Barrett, Sauter, Ambrose are slow | Friday 7/25, 3:59 PM CT |
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The four slowest "go-or-go-home" drivers in Friday's practice session for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard were Tony Raines with a speed of 168.98, Stanton Barrett (172.55), Johnny Sauter (172.69) and Marcos Ambrose (174.26).
Our View: Only one thing matters on Saturday. If these drivers cannot find an extra burst of speed, they won't race on Sunday. |
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| Carpentier fastest "go-or-go-homer" | Friday 7/25, 3:53 PM CT |
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Patrick Carpentier was the fastest among the "go-or-go-home" drivers by a wide margin. His top speed of 178.76 mph easily bettered Jason Leffler at 177.57.
Our View: Often Carpentier is among the slower drivers required to qualify on time during practice and he is forced to pick up the pace in qualification. This is a good omen for his chances in Saturday's qualification. |
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| Johnson wins Indy P2 | Friday 7/25, 3:35 PM CT |
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Jimmie Johnson posted the single fastest lap in the second practice session for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard with a speed of 180.047. Teammate Jeff Gordon was second fastest at 180.007.
Our View: Both drivers posted faster laps than Elliott Sadler, but that is largely attributable to the fact that more rubber has been applied to the track. Qualification is important at Indy, however, and these drivers should be favored to start up front. |
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| Stewart names number and sponsor | Friday 7/25, 2:34 PM CT |
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Tony Stewart revealed that his new number in 2009 will be the No. 14 and his sponsors will be Office Depot and Old Spice.
Our View: Few surprises here: Office Depot will be on the car in 60 percent of the races with Old Spice in the remainder. |
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| Sadler tops Indy P1 | Friday 7/25, 2:21 PM CT |
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Elliott Sadler posted the single fastest lap in the first practice session for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, with a speed of 179.190 mph.
Our View: This session was largely used to find a single fast lap for qualification, but drivers took only five laps of practice on average and not much rubber was laid down on the track. |
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| Teams get two additional sets of tires | Friday 7/25, 1:11 PM CT |
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NASCAR and Goodyear have allowed teams to purchase two additional sets of tires for practice. This will allow the teams more time on the track, which could be good news for rookies such as Michael McDowell.
Our View: Of course, the veterans also will benefit from additional track time, so don't look for the Young Guns to get a distinct advantage—just a little help. |
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| Hornish spins early in Indy P1 | Friday 7/25, 1:06 PM CT |
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It only took a few minutes for caution to wave over the first practice session of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Sam Hornish spun out in turn four without making contact with a wall.
Our View: Hornish has a lot of experience in IndyCars, but the stockers have far less downforce so it could take a while to find the handle. |
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