Rate this article:
REVIEWED: “Rust In Peace” By Malcolm Tucker
Malcolm Tucker delves into the photographic archives of the celebrated motoring historian Mike Worthington-Williams
Our Price: $49.00
"Le Mans", Starring Steve McQueen
The greatest racing film of all time! Dramatization of a man's tentative participation in the Le Mans race
Our Price: $14.99
“Monaco Grand Prix"
A photographic portrait of the world's most prestigious motor race.
Our Price: $75.00
Signed Bobby Allison Coca-Cola 1/24
1/24-scale die-cast replica is now available and personally autographed by Bobby Allison on the windshield!
Our Price: $54.95
Man-Made Thunder
Examine how the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has transformed from a performance-based sport into a personality-driven enterprise.
Our Price: $49.00
Jeff Gordon's victory in Sunday's Subway 500 marked one year since 10 people perished in the crash of a Hendrick Motorsports plane at Bull Mountain, near Martinsville. The crash claimed the lives of team owner Rick Hendrick's son, Ricky; Rick's brother, John; John's daughters, Kimberly and Jennifer; Hendrick team manager Jeff Turner; engine department head Randy Dorton; sponsor rep Joe Jackson; and pilots Scott Lathram, Elizabeth Morrison and Richard Tracy.
Sunday victory obviously had a special poignancy for Gordon and teammate Jimmie Johnson, who won this race last year.
"It brings back a lot of tough memories, with what happened here a year ago," said Gordon. "We just want to keep honoring those folks that were lost and I can't think of a better way to do it than to pull into victory lane and celebrate here.
"I know they're looking down on us and really smiling. And I hope we honor them properly," said Gordon.
Team owner Rick Hendrick remained at home with his family in Charlotte.
With four races to go in the 2005 season, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson are threatening to make it a two-man race in the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. Stewart, runner-up in Sunday's Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway, leads Johnson by 15 points.
The only other drivers within 100 points of the lead are Ryan Newman (-63) and Greg Biffle (-83).
Realistically the top four drivers are the only ones with an honest shot at the title, as fifth place Carl Edwards is 149 points in arrears and the gap grows from there.
Series point leader Tony Stewart and second-place race finisher was unamused when Jimmie Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, told NBC that on Saturday he had tried to engage Stewart in "mind games" over the radio during final practice.
"I'd say it started yesterday," Stewart said. "We were listening to Jimmie's (radio) frequency. And it wasn't Jimmie. It was, of all people, his crew chief, trying to play games like we used to do in seventh grade."
Stewart added that "It's like being inside a kindergarten room listening to it. When you've got a friend, it's hard not to put that above what his crew chief is doing."
Earlier this season, Stewart complained of Johnson's driving by ordering T-shirts that carried the caption, "1-800-BITE-ME48."
For his part, Johnson dismissed the radio chatter, noting, "It's stuff that takes place all the time and it's your guys' job to twist it and turn it and find something to write about it."
Jack Roush's five-car Ford armada has dominated the season, but Sunday's Subway 500 was one of the team's worst races in recent memory.
Kurt Busch (sixth) was the only Roushkateer to finish in the top 10, with disappointing runs from Matt Kenseth (12th), Greg Biffle (20th), Carl Edwards (26th) and Mark Martin (34th).
Martin, who has four runner-up finishes in points over his stories career, was surprisingly upbeat despite brake failure that led to his second Chase finish outside the top 30.
"We've got four more (races) to go and we're going to go battle back," said Martin. "From wherever we're at, we're going to move up."
Kurt Busch, who earlier this year received a verbal whipping from NASCAR officials for an obscenity-laced tirade over his radio at Darlington, was unfazed after receiving a one-lap penalty Sunday for rough driving after contact with Michael Waltrip. "I used to get excited about stuff like that," admitted Busch. "That's NASCAR and they make their decisions, so we have to abide by them."
Roush Racing has won the most recent races at the last four tracks the series will race at this season - Atlanta (Carl Edwards), Texas (Greg Biffle) and Kurt Busch (Phoenix) all earlier this season; and Miami (Biffle) at the season-ender last year.
Perhaps that's the reason Biffle, referring to three drivers ahead of him in the points, proclaimed after the race, "We've got
Ryan Newman professed to be encouraged about his title hopes, even if was disappointed by his 10th-place finish at Martinsville. "That's another top 10 and that was good. We've had five top 10s in six Chase races now, but it's going to take some wins and top fives in these final four races," said Newman, who drives one of three Roger Penske Dodges. "We've got to run better than that to win the championship. Qualifying is always good for us at Atlanta (site of next week's race), but we need to step up our racing program. I think we can do that. I think we've got a pretty stout car to take down there. We're not out of it by any means."
Rusty Wallace had a heartbreaking afternoon, wrecked out of a top-five finish - and likely title contention - after being spun by Jeff Burton on a restart with 16 laps to go.
"I went up to pass a lap down car and when I got up to pass him he was on the outside and he came over," Wallace said. "When he came over he clipped my left front fender and I had to jump out of the gas and when I jumped out of the gas I got hit in the rear end. Burton got me and sent me around.
"It's hard to take that one. We were top five all day long and with 16 to go that happens. It's just unbelievable. We had it pretty close at the end. It was really pretty good, and I know we could have got a top five out of it. It was just a bad deal," Wallace said.
Joe Gibbs Racing appears to have found itself a strong candidate to take over the team's No. 11 FedEx-sponsored car. Denny Hamlin drove the No. 11 to a seventh-place finish at Martinsville, his second consecutive top 10 in just his third career Cup starts.
More impressively, perhaps, Hamlin made it back up into the top 10 after being black-flagged on Lap 112 when contact with another car left the rear fascia of his car dangling precariously off the rear of his car.
He lost two laps for repairs but still finished seventh. "It just really feels good to me being in the Cup series and just the way everybody races and everything," said Hamlin. "It's just good racing with these guys and I'm definitely happy to be here."
Hamlin and fellow JGR Busch Series regular J.J. Yeley have been auditioning for the seat in '06 and Hamlin has had by far the better results.
Ricky Rudd appeared to have the only car capable of challenging Tony Stewart in the first half of the race and had closed up on the then-leading No. 20 when disaster struck on lap 174. That's when Scott Riggs drifted up the track in Turn 4, sending Mike Bliss into the wall at the entrance to the frontstretch. Bliss in turn hit Sterling Marlin, who then drove Rudd's car into the inside retaining wall on the frontstretch.
The accident knocked out Rudd's front end and the Virginia native out of contention. He restarted 27th, the last car on the lead lap and despite a heavily damaged car worked his way back to an outstanding 11th-place finish in his Wood Brothers Ford.
"I can't believe this car, as torn up and as bad as it was, it kept going," Rudd said. "It knocked the steering wheel out of my hand and knocked the front end out of alignment, but it kept on going. We got 11th out of it, but we had a top-two or three car."
Queried about his plans for where he'll drive in 2006, Bobby Labonte declined to offer any specifics. "It's not in my best interest to tell you, so I'm not going to tell you," said the 2000 NASCAR Cup champion.
Labonte did confirm that he has two years left on his contract with Joe Gibbs, but he's been rumored to be on his way out, possibly to drive for either Petty Enterprises or Chip Ganassi.
Quote of the day: "That guy's an idiot. They name streets after guys like that: One Way and Dead End." - Tony Stewart on Greg Biffle.
Quote of the day, part deux: "See if Mr. Pessimist ever predicts another win." - Mark Martin, who predicted he'd win this weekend, but qualified 35th and finished 34th.
- Press Releases | Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | FOXReality | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen | BeliefNet -
The Online Motorsports Authority© Copyright 2009 Speed Channel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.