| Upcoming Events in the World of NASCARNext | | | | bride sites.Who's Not?I'm going to go out on a limb |
| week, the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams head to the | | | | here and say that Carl Edwards is a definite |
| largest sporting venue in the Northeast, New | | | | non-qualifier for the Chase for the Championship. |
| Hampshire International Speedway, NIS. As it turns | | | | Currently, Carl sits 193 points out of tenth and 625 |
| out, the friendly residents of New Hampshire who live | | | | points out of first.After a dazzling rookie season, |
| by the state creed of "Live Free or Die" are huge | | | | many set high expectations for Carl and thought he |
| NASCAR fans and regularly pack the seats to the | | | | would back flip his way through the 2006 Nextel Cup |
| tune of 100,000+.The mile long oval with its | | | | schedule. However, the careers of all NASCAR |
| low-banked turns can be considered a close relative | | | | drivers can be compared to a race at Bristol. |
| to Martinsville Speedway. Just like at Martinsville, the | | | | Sometimes you're racing in the inside grove smoking |
| racing at NIS offers hard-braking & nail-biting passing | | | | everyone, sometimes you're in the outside grove |
| in the turns but with the added benefit of a second | | | | watching everyone smoke you, and sometimes |
| grove. Drivers push their cars and each other to the | | | | you're going around the track a$$-end first looking at |
| limits as they jockey for position and sometimes | | | | your competitors in eye before they dip down to |
| "lean" on each other for support.Of all current drivers | | | | pass you. Right now, I would say Carl is definitely in |
| with 2 or more career starts at New Hampshire, | | | | the outside grove watching the world go by.Carl's |
| Ryan Newman, who also holds the track qualifying | | | | performance at Chicagoland Speedway left a lot on |
| record with a speed of 133.357mph and who sports | | | | the table for a Roush driver who normally dominates |
| an average finish of 8th, leads the pack.Also expect | | | | the 1 1/2 mile super speedway events. Carl's 20th |
| the following drivers to do well next week:Other | | | | place finish is all drivers like Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, |
| drivers to note:Jimmie Johnson - Average Finish 9th | | | | and Jeff Gordon needed to give them a chance to |
| Matt Kenseth - Average Finish 11th | | | | make the Chase for the Championship.Last Week's |
| Mark Martin - Average Finish 12thNext Week's | | | | HeadlinesThere were a number of winners at |
| Schedule:Nextel Cup: @ New Hampshire International | | | | yesterday's USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland |
| Speedway | | | | Speedway. The principal winner was Jeff Gordon |
| 7/15/06 - 10:05pm NASCAR Nextel Cup LENOX | | | | who had the car to beat for most of the day. After |
| Industrial Tools 300 Practice | | | | starting 13th, Gordon rocketed his way to the front |
| 7/14/06 - 03:10pm NASCAR Nextel Cup LENOX | | | | before making a pit stop that would leave him behind |
| Industrial Tools 300 Qualifying | | | | the leaders for much of the day. However, when the |
| 7/16/06 - 02:10pm NASCAR Nextel LENOX Industrial | | | | time was right, Gordon pushed his way to the front |
| Tools 300Busch Series: @ New Hampshire | | | | and outlasted a gasoline starved field to take the |
| International Speedway | | | | checkered flag.The other big winner of the day was |
| 7/14/06 - 02:00pm NASCAR Busch Series New | | | | NASCAR's "Car of Tomorrow" set to make its debut |
| England 200 Practice | | | | next year. The "Car of Tomorrow" has received lots |
| 7/15/06 - 03:10pm NASCAR Busch Series New | | | | of flack from NASCAR purists who think the car's |
| England 200 Qualifying | | | | boxy look and rear-winged spoiler make it even |
| 7/15/06 - 03:00pm NASCAR Busch Series New | | | | further removed from a stock car. However, |
| England 200Craftsman Truck Series: @ Memphis | | | | NASCAR's intentions in developing this car were to |
| Motorsports Park | | | | make for better side by side racing.Future races at |
| 7/14/06 - 07:45pm NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | | | | Chicagoland, and at every other 1 1/2 mile super |
| O'Reilly 200 Practice | | | | speedway, will be more entertaining because the "Car |
| 7/15/06 - 05:00pm NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | | | | of Tomorrow" will allow the drivers trailing the leader |
| O'Reilly 200 Qualifying | | | | to make runs at the leader. Often times during the |
| 7/15/06 - 08:15pm NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | | | | USG Sheetrock 400, the car in front wasn't the most |
| O'Reilly 200Who's Hot?It always helps when your | | | | powerful or the best handling car on the track. |
| Belgian supermodel girlfriend says, "I do", and it | | | | Instead, it had the benefit of breathing clean, less |
| certainly has helped Jeff Gordon. Now I don't mean | | | | turbulent air. The cars following the leader couldn't |
| to discredit all the hard work put in by the countless | | | | make runs or even pass the leader while bouncing |
| number of employs at Hendrick Motorsports and I | | | | around in his turbulent wake. Not until Matt Kenseth |
| definitely do not mean to discredit Jeff Gordon's | | | | was slowed by Casey Mears could Jeff Gordon make |
| driving abilities, but the only difference between the | | | | his winning move (or wrecking move as some angry |
| last 3 weeks and the first 15 races of the 2006 | | | | fans will call it).Other key finishes of the day were |
| season (and not to mention all of the 2005 season) is | | | | Tony Stewart (32nd) who slid fast after running out |
| that Jeff has a new future wife in Ingrid | | | | of gas with two laps to go. Matt Kenseth fell on hard |
| Vandebosch.I've done some research of my own, | | | | times after getting the boot from Jeff Gordon. |
| and have determined that if I were to pick my very | | | | Shortly after in the ensuing caution, Kenseth also ran |
| own supermodel to assist in my racing career, that | | | | out of gas. He was able to recoup, and explode |
| she would indeed have to be from Belgium. To no | | | | across the start/finish line in 21st place |
| avail, I've been racking my brain trying to determine a | | | | sideways.Kenseth's finish moved him 48 points out of |
| clever way to weave Belgian supermodels back into | | | | first place currently occupied by Jimmie Johnson. |
| a NASCAR track for success. It's just that Belgium is | | | | Jimmie had a non-eventful yet typical day finishing |
| a land of beautiful people.All jokes aside, Gordon is | | | | 6th after starting 5th.The big point's mover of the |
| driving like his a$$ is on fire, and it's up to the | | | | day was Jeff Burton who finished in 2nd place. |
| competition to figure who or what lit it. He has won | | | | Burton gained 3 spots in the points, and now |
| 2 of the last 3 races, and now sits in 10th position in | | | | occupies 4th.Yesterday's USG Sheetrock 400 at |
| the driver's standings. Next week at New Hampshire | | | | Chicagoland Speedway marked the halfway point in |
| International Speedway, expect Gordon to keep the | | | | the 2006 Nextel Cup season. The race featured 18 |
| fire burning. In 22 races at NIS, he finishes in the top | | | | lead changes between 10 different drivers, and 8 |
| ten 55%, and in the top five 41% of the | | | | total cautions.This article is provided to you by |
| time.Perhaps Tony Stewart, and the rest of the | | | | Everything Sports, Inc. is owned and operated by |
| backsliders who are dropping down the points | | | | Everything Sports, Inc. |
| standings, needs to visit a few Belgium mail-order | | | | |