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Bump & Grind
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Phoenix
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Carl Edwards earns his second pair of boots at Texas Motor Speedway, having won there in fall 2005.
NASCAR.com
Richmond.com
Friday, April 11, 2008
Here's the latest from NASCAR.com:
Edwards Erasing Penalty
The roller-coaster that has been Carl Edwards' season hit another peak this past weekend, with a victory at Texas – his third win of the season. Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, comes into Phoenix International Raceway this weekend 10th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points.
That 10th-place standing reflects a nice comeback from a 100-point penalty incurred several weeks ago because of a rule infraction at Las Vegas, a penalty that knocked Edwards off the points lead.
Edwards, Part II
Edwards, winner of three of the first seven races, has set himself up for a strong points finish – and maybe even the Sprint Cup Series championship.
In Cup Series history, a driver has won three of the first seven races 22 times – and the statistics show the quick start usually results in a strong points finish.
The average points position finish for a driver who wins three of the first seven races is second, and he often ends the season with a series championship. A driver who wins three of the first seven races has won the championship 11 times – most recently by Jimmie Johnson last season.
The other drivers are Jeff Gordon in 1995 and 1997; Rusty Wallace in 1989; Dale Earnhardt in 1987; Darrell Waltrip in 1981 and 1982; Cale Yarborough in 1977; Richard Petty in 1975 and 1971; and Joe Weatherly in 1962.
RCR is 1-2 in Standings
Richard Childress Racing is rolling, with two of its drivers – Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick – sitting 1-2 in the series point standings. In addition, the third RCR driver, Clint Bowyer, is 11th.
All three drivers made last year's Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Phoenix looks promising. Burton and Harvick each have two victories there.
Local Flavor
J.J. Yeley, driver of the No. 96 Toyota for Hall of Fame Racing, gets to race in his hometown this weekend. Yeley and his team are 33rd in the car owner points this week, assured of a starting spot. Yeley is one of several Arizona natives heading homeward.
The others are Bill Wilburn (Tempe) – crew chief for the No, 45 Petty Enterprises Dodge; Brian Darr (Tempe) – transporter driver for the No. 41 Dodge of Chip Ganassi Racing With Felix Sabates; Michael McDowell (Glendale) – driver of the No. 00 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing; and there's also Pierre Kuettel, a Canadian now living in Phoenix, crew chief for Carl Edwards in the NASCAR Nationwide Series; they won that championship last season.
Different Directions
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon are 10 positions apart in standings. This amounts to two big stories, for two different reasons.
Earnhardt, in his first year with Hendrick, is fourth in the series standings; Gordon, the four-time series champion in his 16th season with Hendrick, is 14th in the standings.
Last year at this same juncture, Gordon was the series points leader while Earnhardt, in his final year with Dale Earnhardt Inc., was 18th.
Bubble Report
Each week, the top 35 teams in car owner points are guaranteed starting spots. This week, the precious 35th and final guarantee goes to the No. 01 Chevrolet entry of Dale Earnhardt Inc., with Regan Smith the driver.
Looking at both sides of the bubble, positions 33-37 are separated by only 32 points.
In 33rd, Yeley is only nine ahead of Smith. In 34th, Sam Hornish Jr. is only six ahead.
In 36th, Johnny Sauter trails Smith by six. In 37th, Dave Blaney is 23 points behind Smith.