Jeff Gordon

Anthony Fontanelle asked:


After winning only one out of the last four races going into the USG Sheetrock 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway, Chevrolet teams are looking to once again dominate the field. Although far from a dominating performance since four non-Chevy cars are in the top eight, a win is a win for Chevrolet teams.

Tony Stewart, driving the Number 20 Home Depot Monte Carlo SS, took the win for Chevrolet. His win at the USG Sheetrock is his first victory this season. The win also marked the former two-time champion’s 30th Cup career win and the second at the Chicagoland Speedway.

Aside from Stewart, five other Chevrolet drivers finished in the top ten after the race with two Ford and two Dodge drivers completing the list. Roush Fenway Racing’s Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards finished second and third respectively. Kenseth and Edwards are both driving Ford cars. Kevin Harvick, driving for Richard Childress Racing on board his Chevrolet Monte Carlo, finished fourth. Casey Mears rounded up the top five on-board his Number 25 National Guard/GMAC Monte Carlo SS.
Kurt Busch, on his Dodge Charger driving for Penske Racing, finished sixth. Seventh after the race was Jeff Burton on his Number 31 AT&T Monte Carlo SS for Richard Childress Racing. Ryan Newman driving for Penske Racing finished eighth. Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon finished ninth and Clint Bowyer finished tenth onboard his Number O7 Jack Daniel’s Monte Carlo SS which is designed to go faster than road bound Chevy vehicles, even those equipped with Chevrolet pickup power tuning chip.

Stewart credited his car’s condition and his team’s performance for his win at the nineteenth race of the season. “It was good,” said Stewart of his car. “It was really good all day. The thing about here is you’ve got to have it so free on the front of a run to be good in the center and the end and we luckily, even with all those restarts, we never got a chance to get enough laps on the tires to really let us get tight enough. We were still just a little bit free there at the end….”

“It was good enough in clean air even though it was free to stay out front. We just kept wanting a long run. We didn’t want to see those cautions there at the end. Matt (Kenseth) was really good on restarts, I mean really, really good on restarts. I couldn’t make a mistake. If I made one mistake I was going to have a hard time explaining to these guys how I lost the race,” Steward added.

As for his team, the veteran driver has to say: “What won us the race is (crew chief Greg) Zippy (Zipadelli) and these guys - the pit crew - did an awesome job today. They kept us the track position at the end and that’s what we needed. Track position was so important to let us run our pace and run the line that we wanted to run without having to worry about getting in dirty air. Thanks to these guys around me, that’s what got us in Victory Lane again.”



JOEY

Rick Grantham asked:


Anthony Wayne Stewart is a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver. He was born on May 20 1971 at Columbus, Indiana. If there is one thing that Stewart wants, it is racing.

While growing up, he developed a keen interest in go-karts. He started racing, and in 1987, he became the champion of the World Karting Association. This is just the beginning of his long list of achievements. Aside from the go-karts, he also tried riding three-quarter midgets and raced. He joined the United States Auto Club Series. On his debut, he won the Rookie of the Year award. He was relatively successful in the open-wheel auto racing.

He had an interesting start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He faced the much-favored racer, Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a Gatorade Twin 125 races. Although Earnhardt won, Tony Stewart has grabbed many of the spectators’ attention. He gained more following as he continued to race. Many were impress in his strong finishes. He always managed to find a spot in the top ten. This made him deserving to win another Rookie of the year Award, this time from the Winston Cup.
After winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 1999, he did not show any sign of slowing down. During the next season, he was still consistent with his strong driving abilities. Although this was the case, the competition was tougher. The tight competition caused him to drop to the sixth spot. However, he won the midget car event in the Turkey Night Grand Prix and he could not be prouder.

The following season, Stewart was in an accident during the race but he was able to walk away without major injuries. Controversy also filled the season. He had unpleasant encounters with a NASCAR official for some violations. He also had some unlikely encounter with another driver, Jeff Gordon. This led to his fining. Many consider him as short tempered. These encounters earned him the nickname the bad boy of NASCAR.

He had a good run in 2002. It did not start right for him though. He placed seventh in the standings during the first part of the season. NASCAR placed him on probation after a misunderstanding with a photographer in the Brickyard 400. However, this did not alter his ability to ride. He had a good run during the last few races. By the end of the year, he would have his very first Winston Cup Championship title.

There are quite a few highlights in his career in 2004. He started out strong. He had notable wins in Chicagoland and Watkins Glen International. He also teamed up with two of NASCAR’s great drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Andy Wallace for the 24 Hours of Daytona. Although they had a great start, they were not able to pull it off, their suspension broke, and the rear wheels dislocated.

The next season was a success. It included his second NASCAR Nextel Cup Title. However, he missed his chance to win it again in 2006.

Tony Stewart is one talented racecar driver. However, that is not the only highlight in his career. He also made his mark because of the various unpleasant encounters he had with other drivers and officials.



JARVIS

Anthony Fontanelle asked:


At the ongoing Nextel Cup Series, Chevrolets have been dominating by winning thirteen out of the fourteen point races so far. This domination is what Ford, Dodge and Toyota are planning to challenge at the upcoming Citizens Bank 400 which is scheduled to take place on the 17th of this month at the Michigan International Speedway. While the speedway will be held at the hotbed of the Big Three, so far, Chevrolet cars remain to be the only car to beat this season.

Aside from winning all but one race this season, the Chevrolet Impalas have taken most of the top five finishes in all races. The domination of Chevrolet cars in this year’s Nextel Cup Series is apparent in the fact that the top twelve spots in the standings are occupied mostly by Chevrolet teams. In fact, out of the twelve drivers leading the season, ten are driving Chevrolet Impalas.

The leader, Jeff Gordon, racing for Hendrick Motorsports, is driving a Chevrolet. This goes true for Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and Mark Martin. The only non-Chevrolet driver to place in the top twelve are Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards - both driving a Ford.

“We’ve had a great start to the year, but we want to carry it up to and through the Chase”, says Jeff Gordon. The co-owner of Hendrick Motorsports, Gordon is currently tied with teammate Jimmie Johnson in number of victories this season. Johnson is last year’s winner of the Nextel Cup Series.
Dodge and Ford drivers though have history on their side. Since 2001, no Chevrolet car has won a race at the Michigan International Speedway. The last Chevy driver to post a win at the circuit is Jeff Gordon when he took the win on June 10, 2001. For eleven races, either a Dodge or a Ford car has won at the track in Michigan. This means that the struggling Toyota teams will have to contend with Chevrolet’s domination as well as history being on the side of Dodge and Ford and both of which call Michigan their home.

The only non-Chevy car to win a race this season is the Ford driven by Matt Kenseth at the Auto Club 500 - the second race of the season held at the California Speedway. After that race, Chevrolet has affirmed its dominance by winning all races and taking numerous top five finishes. “Certainly we realize there’s a little work to do to be a contender for a win every week like (Gordon) and some of them guys,” says Kenseth.

Meanwhile, Gordon is keen to extend Chevrolet’s winning streak on board his Chevy Impala, the performance of which can be likened to a Chevy light truck with a Chevrolet pickup throttle body assembly. “We’ve been competitive almost every race,” says Gordon. “When we weren’t, we either worked really hard on the car throughout the race and made it better, or my crew chief, Steve Letarte, made the right call in the pits to give us a shot at the win or a good finish.”

Meanwhile, Dodge’s hope of breaking the dominance of Chevrolet was strengthened by Dodge Charger driver Ryan Newman who posted back-to-back second place finishes. Mike Accavitti, the Dodge brand director, has this to say: “We’re not going to count on breaks. We’re going to count on performance, and our performance is improving.”



ADOLFO

KatieJones asked:


The Citizens Bank 400, the fifteenth race of the 2007 Nextel Cup Series, is just around the corner and talks in the paddocks revolve around Chevrolet’s winless streak. The winless streak, of course, does not point out to the current season because Chevy teams have been dominating the season so far. To date, Chevrolet Impalas has already won thirteen of the fourteen races this season.

The winless streak is about Chevy teams not being able to win at the Michigan International Speedway where the next race will take place. The last driver to win at the MIS driving a Chevrolet is Jeff Gordon who posted a win at the circuit on June 10, 2001. From that time onwards, either a Dodge or a Ford has won at the Michigan track.

With history against them, Chevrolet teams need a boost which J.J. Yeley gladly gave them. The 30-year old NASCAR driver won the pole position which means he will start at the front row come raceday on Sunday. Yeley drives the Number 18 Chevy Impala for Joe Gibbs Racing. Another Chevy car will be starting alongside Yeley on the front row. Defending champion Jimmie Johnson recorded the second fastest lap time in the qualifying round to secure a front row start.

Kyle Busch, another Chevrolet Impala driver, will start on the second row after he qualified at the third spot. He will start alongside the Number 12 Dodge of Ryan Newman. Newman drives the only non-Chevy car in the top nine spots. His teammate Kurt Busch will start tenth on the grid.

While Chevrolet cars have dominated the season, drivers are talking about the MIS being a Ford track because it seems to favor Ford cars in recent years. Jimmie Johnson expressed his feelings towards the track saying: “It’s weird how certain tracks favor certain teams.” This consensus among NASCAR drivers is based on the fact that Ford cars have won three out of the previous five races at the MIS. In 2002, Matt Kenseth won the Sirius Satellite Radio 400 while in 2003 Kurt Busch won the Sirius 400. In 2005, Greg Biffle won the Batman Begins 400.

“Manufacturers, unfortunately, have their hands tied and can’t do a lot,” says Johnson. “It really revolves around the teams. And this has been a Roush track, for whatever reason. I know Jeff (Gordon) has won here… but it kind of falls into being a Roush track. They carry the Ford logo, so thus it’s been considered a Ford track, too.”

With their NASCAR Chevrolet Impalas engineered for high level of performance which leaves no room for components such as Chevy window motors, Chevrolet teams have performed well at the MIS in the past only to falter during the later stages of the race.

“I think that the Chevy teams have been close here,” says Johnson. “I know from my own experience, we were running up front in the fall here and had a flat tire. I’ve personally had a lot of crazy things happened to me late in races here, whether it’s strategy, running out of fuel, tire failures. We just haven’t had the finishes we thought we would. But if you look at the statistics probably up to the two-thirds mark, Chevy teams are in contention - but when the checkered falls, weird things happen. I don’t know why, but the statistics certainly show that Ford camp seems to rule here.”



DOUG

KatieJones asked:


Last month, the most popular NASCAR driver today announced that he will be leaving his father’s team at the end of the season. Dale Earnhardt Jr., voted as the most popular NASCAR driver today by fans, publicized that he will be leaving the Dale Earnhardt Inc. after the 2007 Nextel Cup Series. The NASCAR team was put up by his late father - the legendary seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt Sr.

After the announcement, the NASCAR community has been speculating which team Junior will be racing for next year. For weeks, fans of the superstar have waited for his decision. Recently, he announced that he will be racing for Hendrick Motorsports next year.

With Junior joining Hendrick Motorsports, he will replace Kyle Busch. For the next season, Junior will still be driving a Chevy which is currently dominating the Nextel Cup Series. Chevrolet cars with their Chevy door handles shaved have already won ten of the fourteen races so far this season.

Brian France, son of the late Bill France, the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of NASCAR, has this to say of Junior’s jump to Hendrick: “Today’s announcement of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s move to Hendrick Motorsports is indeed an important announcement for this season and beyond, and it should be noted that high-profile partnerships have always been a part of NASCAR’s competitive history. There have been so many great partnerships involving people of great character and ability. We’re proud of what they have brought to our sport. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has always said that first and foremost, he wants to win a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship. We wish him the best of luck.”

There are questions surrounding his sponsorship with Budweiser. The company has been the most notable supporter of the 34-year old NASCAR driver. Tony Ponturo, the Vice-President for Global Media and Sports Marketing for Anheuser-Busch Inc., has this to say after Junior’s announcement: “Anheuser-Busch has enjoyed a remarkable relationship with Dale Earnhardt Jr. since our sponsorship commenced back in 1999. Dale Jr. is an excellent ambassador for the sport and our company, and we look forward to exploring options with Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports to continue Budweiser’s relationship with him as he enters this new stage of his racing career.”

Ironically, Junior will be joining the team which knocked off his father from the top spot of the motorsports in the 1990s. His new teammate Jeff Gordon led the uprising of young drivers which took the place of Dale Earnhardt Sr. and his contemporaries at the pinnacle of the sport. Aside from Gordon, Junior will be joining defending champion Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears.

Analysts saw the jump to Hendrick by Junior as an excellent decision. Tim Brewer, an analyst for ESPN, says: “I think it’s a great decision because he wants to go and win races and win championships. He’s going to make the change for himself, get in a good race car and he’ll get the job done. He’s been saying all along that he really wants to drive the No. 3 car at the end of his career so I think that’s the reason he didn’t go to Richard Childress yet. They are proven winners and proven champions at Hendrick. The combination he’s had hasn’t been working, and that’s no disrespect to anyone. If I were him I would show up, not even take my helmet, and just ask ‘which car do you want me to get in?’ If I’d implemented a change and gone this far, I believe I’d make a big change.”



DEAN

Mike Bartley asked:


James Kenneth Johnson, popularly known as Jimmie Johnson, took his fourth victory of the season and the ninth for Chevy in an atypical day race at the Richmond International Raceway. Rescheduled from Saturday night due to rain, the 300-mile, 400-lap race witnessed the Chevy Impala SS drivers brush the top four finishing spots. To stress, seven out of top ten finishers were Chevy drivers.

Johnson, the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Impala SS and the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion, has this to say: “This means the world to me to win here. We haven’t been that strong here. It reminds me a lot of Indy last year where we came back and we were able to beat a track that’s tough on us. I think this car has been an opportunity for myself and for the team to kind of learn the right setup; feeling the right the rhythm at this track. We did well at being here. I was hoping one-two-three for Hendrick Motorsports, it was awesome racing with my teammate Kyle Busch.”

In his rookie year, Johnson became the first rookie in the Cup series to sweep both races at a track when he won both races at the Dover International Speedway. He became the first rookie ever to lead in the point standings. In addition, Johnson is the only driver to finish in the top five in the standings in his first five full seasons.

How does it feel to wear the Virginia Tech hat? Johnson said, “I feel honored to win this race here in Virginia. Obviously what took place, no one could ever describe. It’s just so sad, I don’t even know where to start. I didn’t go to school there, have a lot of close friends that did, great people that work at Hendrick Motorsports that have and certainly want to dedicate this win to them.”

Johnson ran near the front for most of the race, taking the lead for good with 20 laps to go. With a performance likened to that of ACT, he finished ahead of teammate Kyle Busch, the driver of the No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Impala SS and Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 FedEx Impala SS, who finished second and third, respectively.

Jeff Gordon, the owner of Johnson’s Impala SS, finished behind Hamlin. Another teammate of Johnson, the driver of the No. 24 DuPont Impala SS, kept his points in the driver with his fourth-place finish. Johnson’s win pushed him up to second place in the standings up from fourth.

Richmond’s race was the fourth race for Chevy’s new Impala SS race car. The Impala SS has won all four new-generation race car events this season with Hendrick Motorsports - Johnson’s team. Chevy drivers also hold nine of the top twelve spots in the series standings. Additionally, Chevrolet has won nine of ten races in the ‘07 series to date and leads in the Manufacturer’s Cup chase with 87 points.

Finishing second was Kyle Busch, the driver of No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Impala SS. “That was a good run for our Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Impala SS. You know we struggle in qualifying with these things but we seem to get it when the race turns around so we also want to thank all my sponsors and all the people that are behind us,” Busch quipped.

When asked whether his car fell off on the last restart or Johnson’s car just got better, Busch said, “Well both. I think mine fell off a little bit and his got better, because we kind of gapped out. Normally we could run together but the restart before I was a little bit better than he was and I got a good start and I got down in one and two and got a good jump on everybody but that last caution came out again. I think he would have caught us anyway. He was a little bit better overall than we were but it’s still a good day for Hendrick Motorsports - one, two, four, I believe.”

Denny Hamlin, the driver of No. 11 FedEx Express Impala SS and finished third in the event, noted: “We definitely had an up-and-down day but for the most part our car was pretty good. We were coming on there at the end and got caught behind a lot of cars. It seemed like the fist couple of cars could clear and we just had a tough time running on the outside. For the most part I was happy about it. The FedEx Chevrolet was a winning car there at the end but we just didn’t have the track position.”

Driving No. 24 DuPont Impala SS is Jeff Gordon who finished fourth. Describing his race, Gordon said, “We’ve got to be proud of that. This has been one of our worst tracks. To come out here in the top five just tells you what kind of improvements we’ve made with the DuPont Chevrolet team. We had great track position and we were able to maintain that. That probably helped us out for the most part. At one time I thought we had the car to beat and then we made some adjustments trying to keep up with the changing conditions of the track and just lost it.”

He added, “I’ve got to congratulate Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch. Those guys drove one heck of a race. We’re so proud to have those guys at Hendrick Motorsports. I was trying so hard to get that one-two-three Hendrick finish but just couldn’t pull it off. Denny Hamlin drove a great race as well. Congratulations to Jimmie and all those guys. We’ll just take our top-five and move on from here.”



ANTWAN