Ashley Judd, NASCAR Hardly Knew Ye

Nearly nine months to the day we welcomed Ashley Judd to NASCAR as her husband Dario Franchitti inked a deal with Chip Ganassi Racing in the fall of last year to drive the #40 Dodge in the 2008 Sprint Cup Series.

And now, just as soon as she came (that’s what she said), we must say goodbye to Ashley Judd as team owner Chip Ganassi announced Tuesday he will be canning Dario’s ride due to lack of funds and a full-time sponsor.

Now allow me to be side tracked for a moment. I have to question the quality of the corporate sales representatives of Chip Ganassi Racing if they are unable to sell ample sponsorship on a car that drives in a racing series that is the most watched weekly American sporting event, like, ever.

Sure, Franchitti and the #40 team struggled to find success this year but it was not for a lack of a big-name owner or talent on Dario’s part. In fact, after being part of the winning team in the Rolex 24 at Daytona this year, Franchitti became only the third driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500, the IndyCar Championship, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the Rolex 24 in a career behind racing greats Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt — pretty solid company, if you ask me.

What is next for the open wheel senstation-turned-NASCAR failure, you might ask? My assumption is that he will shop around for another Sprint Cup or even Nationwide Series ride for the remainder of the 2008 season with a return to the now-unified IRL as a contingency plan for 2009 if needed.

Unfortunately for all of us this news means we won’t be seeing much of Ashley Judd in NASCAR anymore, at least for the time being, so we will just have to be content with all of the other drivers’ hot wives.

And look on the bright side, now we won’t be forced to listen to NASCAR broadcaster Larry McReynolds call Dario Franchitti, “Dario Francheatie.”

Now for gratuitous Ashely Judd pictures:

♣ Linkage: NASCAR.com

Food City 500 Preview

We haven’t had some NASCAR talk in a few weeks so dare I say why not? 

The Food City 500 is race #5 of 36 for the 2008 SCS campaign and is race that is a favorite among many NASCAR die hards.  Bristol Motor Speedway is known for its excitement but with the way Goodyear’s tires are performing, it could be another long day for the drivers.  Yes, Tony Stewart is the outspoken one but even Junior seems to think the complaints after last week’s race have fallen on deaf ears.

The Busch brothers tend to do very well at BMS with Kyle winning the first Car of Tomorrow race ever right here at the Food City 500 last year.  Of course the Hendrick boys also run well and with qualifying rained out, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon start 1st/2nd, respectively, thanks to point totals from last year.  This also means Kurt Busch starts deep in the field and is one Tony Stewart punch-to-the-face away from being lapped early on.

The starting grid can be found here:  Food City 500 Starting Grid

Predictions:

Winner:

Kasey Kahne – #9 Budweiser Dodge – Gillett Evernham Motorsports

Remaining Top 5 (no particular order):

Kyle Busch – #18 M&M’s Toyota – Joe Gibbs Racing

Dale Earnhardt, Junior – #88 National Guard Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports

Jeff Gordon – #24 DuPont Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports 

Kevin Harvick – #29 Shell/Penzoil Chevrolet - Richard Childress Racing 

Auto Club 500 Preview – 2008

California golden boys Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon start 1/2 in today’s Auto Club 500 by virtue of point totals from last season after qualifying was rained out. I don’t know that there is any other way but you would much rather qualify than line the cars up based on points from last season and I am not a big fan of the process; the rich get richer.

Along with Jimmie and Jeff, Matt Kenseth is a strong runner at Fontana and he starts 4th and will be in contention at the end as long as he can stay out of trouble, that I can almost guarantee.

The starting grid can be found here: Auto Club 500 Starting Grid

Predictions

Winner: Jeff Gordon – #24 DuPont Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports

Most Laps Lead: Matt Kenseth – #17 DeWalt Ford – Roush Racing

Dario Franchitti Watch: Dario starts 26th today and with the restrictor plates off, we’ll see if Franchitti fairs better than he did at the Daytona 500, a restrictor plate race.

Daytona 500 Preview – 2008

I don’t know if we have too many NASCAR fans around here but I absolutely love the sport more and more each season.  I have always been a huge Dale Earnhardt, Junior fan and that won’t change this season despite his move to the ‘Evil Empire’ of NASCAR.  I am also adding Dario Franchitti to my stable of drivers –  I am a big open wheel fan and the rookie makes his move to stock car racing after winning the Indy 500 last year and I am also a big fan of, and fellow UK alum with, his wife Ashley Judd.

The Daytona 500 is my second favorite race of the year with the Indianapolis 500 being my personal #1.  With the week he has had – biases aside even – I don’t think anyone is stopping Junior.  He’s one of the best restrictor plate race car drivers in the world and has pretty much dominated Speed Week.

I am taking Dale Junior to win, Jimmie Johnson to lead the most laps, and my man Dario to finish in the Top 20.

Predictions

Winner: Dale Earnhardt, Junior – #88 National Guard/Amp Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports

Most Laps Lead: Jimmie Johnson – #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports

Dario Franchitti Watch: Top 20 finish.

Nextel Cup To Be Renamed ‘Hendrick Motorsports Cup’

Well, probably not…but it should be.

You see, Jimmie Johnson went on to win yesterday’s Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway to record his third consecutive victory, taking a 30 point lead on teammate Jeff Gordon in “The Chase for the Nextel Cup.”

But the ridiculousness of it all doesn’t stop there. Johnson and Gordon have combined for victories in each of the last five races as well as seven total victories in the last 10 races.

The hated dynamic duo boasts victories in 15 of the 34 races to go along with 13 combined Poles, 39 combined Top 5 finishes, 50 combined Top 10 finishes, and 2532 combined laps lead. All the while, Johnson and Gordon have expanded their lead in “The Chase” to 181 points and 151 points, respectively, over third place Clint Bowyer setting up a two-car sprint to the finish in the last two races of the NASCAR Nextel Cup season.

The success of Johnson and Gordon can not be denied and I can only congratulate them on two impressive seasons yet again as NASCAR has likely never seen the two-man domination that we’re witnessing this season. However, in a sport that boasts upwards of 50 different drivers trying to qualify each week, a two-man competition is bad for the sport – especially when, on top of it all, it is from the two most globally disliked drivers on the circuit – as fans are growing tired of seeing the same two Californian faces in Winner’s Circle each week.

H.M.S. is clearly on top of it’s sport but hopefully the “Car of Tomorrow” increases competitive balance – as it has been advertised to do – when it is put in to use full time next season for the inaugural “Chase for the Sprint Cup” because I don’t know how much longer I can go on being an active fan when Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson (a.k.a. The Gordon Brothers) are effectively embarrassing the rest of the field on a weekly basis.

Subway 500 Preview

The Chase for the Nextel Cup brings the boys back to Martinsville Speedway for the Subway 500, a track that saw Jimmie Johnson win in April after trading paint late with teammate Jeff Gordon, who just so happens to start on the Pole for today’s race.  These two Hendrick Motorsports drivers have also won the last four Subway 500s here at Martinsville.

Starting Grid: Subway 500 Starting Grid

Predictions:

Winner:

Jeff Gordon – #24 DuPont Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports

1. Starts on the Pole for today’s race.

2. Comes in to today with two consecutive victories.

3. Came in a close second to teammate Jimmie Johnson in the Spring race here at Martinsville Speedway in April.

4. Won this Fall race at Martinsville Speedway in 2003 AND 2005.

Others To Watch For:

Jimmie Johnson – #48 Lowes Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports

1. Starts in the Top 5 today in the 4th position.

2. Needs a quality finish to keep pace with Jeff Gordon, the hottest driver on the circuit right now.

3. Won here at Martinsville Speedway in the Spring race in April, edging out the aforementioned Jeff Gordon.

4. Won this Fall race in 2004 AND just last year in 2006, giving Johnson the last two victories at this track.

UAW-Ford 500 Preview

Did Toyota finally get it right at Talladega Superspeedway?  A struggling Michael Waltrip sits atop the Pole with the Top 3 cars all being Toyotas along with seven of the Top 10.  With returning champion Brian Vickers sitting in the 3rd position it looks as if today can be the day Toyota puts it all together across the board.

Starting Grid: UAW-Ford 500 Starting Grid

Predictions:

Winner:

Brian Vickers – #83 Red Bull Toyota – Team Red Bull

1. Won this race at Talladega in 2006.

2. Starts from the 3rd position for today’s race.

3. With 1 Top 5 and 4 Top 10s, Brian is stronger in the larger, faster tracks such as Talladega Superspeedway

We Welcome Ashley Judd To NASCAR

Mr. Ashley Judd has inked a deal with Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the #40 Dodge in the Nextel Cup next season and Dario Franchitti will start his preparation in an ARCA race at Talladega this weekend.

Being known best for being Mr. Ashley Judd as opposed to being an open-wheel driver with 17 career victories and 18 career poles must suck ass — oh wait, it would be sweet as all hell.

The deal for 34-year-old Franchitti marks the first time a European driver has been on the NASCAR circuit.

But who really cares about that? Nobody.

Now for more Ashley Judd, University of Kentucky’s favorite daughter:

LIFELOCK 400 Preview

With just seven races to go in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, four drivers are within just 20 points of Chase leader Jeff Gordon.  It will no doubt be a shootout amongst the Top 5, but drivers towards the bottom of the standings may be starting to look towards making a move as the Chase nears a finish.

Starting Grid: LIFELOCK 400 Starting Grid

Predictions:

Winner:

Matt Kenseth – #17 DeWalt Tools Ford – Roush Racing

1. Is 10th in the standings at 116 points behind the leader and will be looking for a strong finish to boost his ranking.

2. Finished a frustrating, yet strong, 2nd in last night’s Busch Series race at Kansas Speedway

3. Starts 2nd in today’s Nextel Cup race

Dodge Dealers 400 Preview

Today’s Dodge Dealers 400 is at Dover Internation Speedway, a track more affectionately known as “The Monster Mile.”  Jimmie Johnson leads the pack from the Pole while the remainder of the starting grid can be found here: Dodge Dealers 400 Starting Grid.

Predictions:

Winner:

Jimmie Johnson – #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports

1. Starts from the Pole today.

2. Won here in 2002 AND 2005.

3. Hendrick Motorsports has effectively owned the Car of Tomorrow races and Clint Bowyer proved a wire-to-wire victory to be possible last week in  Car of Tomorrow with late-lap passing is somewhat difficult.

Others To Watch For:

Time To Add Another ‘8′ To My Tattoo

When Dale Earnhardt, Junior announced he would leave his late-father, and redneck deity, Dale Earnhardt, Senior’s garage for the 2008 edition of the NASCAR Nextel Cup series, a million rednecks suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

But Republicans around the Nation shouldn’t fear because Junior’s new sponsors are the next best thing to Budweieser:  Mountain Dew and the National Guard (I guess it could be better if it were RC Cola and Moonpie, but you get the point).  Junior also maintains his trademark number 8 by merely adding another 8 to it.  This will be the biggest non-issue as by the time the race started, most Junior fans were so wasted that they saw two 8s anyways…and if this was the plan the entire time:

Touche, Dale.

Author’s note:  before you go filling up my inbox or the comments thread, I am a Junior fan, and I am a NASCAR fan, and drink Budweiser and Mountain Dew, so there was no harm meant.

Sylvania 300 Preview

The “Chase” is upon us and Jimmie Johnson leads the cast of NASCAR in to New Hampshire International Speedway today at 1:00PM EST for the Sylvania 300.  The Busch Series was off yesterday so there is no “tune up” race to speak of so we’ll take a look at the qualifying grid and past results and break this one down.

Starting grid: Sylvania 300 Starting Grid

Predictions:

Winner:

Kevin Harvick – #29 Shell/Penzoil Chevrolet – Richard Childress Racing

1. Starts 8th today.

2. Won here last year.

3. Can breath a sigh of relief after making the “Chase.”

Others To Watch For:

Presenting Your Chase Contestants

Beginning next weekend as the Nextel Cup heads to Loudon for the Sylvania 300, 12 drivers will have a shot at winning 2007 Nextel Cup championship.

And after a wild finish in determining the 11th and 12th spot in the Chase, the postseason for the most part, should also have no shortage of high drama as we begin the “second season”.

1. Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet

• 6 wins in 2007, including a sweep in both Richmond races.
• 96.6 percent of laps ran in 2007
• Past Chase race wins: Dover & Charlotte in 2005

2. Jeff Gordon #24 DuPont Chevrolet

• 4 wins in 2007, including wins at Talledga and Phoenix
• 95.0 percent of laps ran
• Past Chase race wins: 2004 Sylvania 300, 2006 Dover 400, 2006 Checker 500

3. Tony Stewart #20 Home Depot Chevrolet

• 3 wins in 2007, including wins in the Brickyard 400 and the Centurion Boats at the Glen
• 97.5 percent of laps ran in 2007
• Past Chase race wins: None

4. Carl Edwards #99 Office Depot Ford

• 2 wins in 2007, including the Sharpie 500 on August 25th
• 94.8 percent of laps ran in 2007
• Past Chase race wins: 2005 Bass Pro Shops 500, 2005 Dickies 500

5. Kurt Busch #2 Miller Lite Dodge

• 2 wins in 2007, including the fall race at Michigan
• 96.1 percent of laps ran
• Past Chase race wins: 2004 Sylvania 300

Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Preview

The NASCAR Nextel Cup series heads back to Richmond International Raceway for a night race this time and we all know what Richmond means:  Car of Tomorrow.  Furthermore, we all know what a Car of Tomorrow race means:

• Chevrolet Domination – 8 of 10 Car of Tomorrow race victories
• Hendrick Motorsports Command – 5 of 10 Car of Tomorrow race victories

Hendrick Motorsports also finished first, second, and fourth (Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Jeff Gordon, respectively) during the spring race here at Richmond International Speedway and start first, second, and third today (Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Kyle Busch, respectively).  The combination of Richmond and Car of Tomorrow has Hendricks Motorsports poised for another dominating weekend, especially with Kyle Busch already notching a victory in last night’s Busch Series race at this very track.

If you’re looking for the starting grid, look here: Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Starting Grid (ESPN.com)

 Predictions:

Winner:

Jeff Gordon - #24 DuPont Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports

1. Finished 4th here in the spring race after starting from the Pole.

2. Starts today from the 2nd position.

3. Hasn’t won a race since the Pocono race on June 10th meaning that by Jeff Gordon standards, HE IS DUE.

Others To Watch For:

Kyle Busch – #5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports

1. Chevrolets and Hendricks’ boys have owned the Car of Tomorrow races this season and luckily for Kyle, that is just the category he falls under.

2. Won last night’s Busch Series race at this track.

3. Finished and impressive 2nd in the spring race at this track after starting 34th.

4. Starts MUCH higher this week in the 3rd position.

5. Won the very first Car of Tomorrow race ever at Bristol Motor Speedway.

 Jimmie Johnson – #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports

1. Won last week in California and is riding that hot streak in to Richmond.

2. Finished 1st in the spring race at this track after starting 4th.

3. Starts from the Pole position in today’s race.

4. Has experience winning Car of Tomorrow races this season, along with the rest of the Hendricks Motorsport ‘Power Trio,’ after winning the Richmond AND Martinsville races this season.