| Upcoming Events in the World of NASCARNext | | | | rookie class has been compared to the same rookie |
| week, the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams head west, or | | | | class that yielded Jimmie Johnson & Ryan Newman. |
| mid-west to be more exact, to the 1 1/2 mile tri-oval | | | | Is Denny Hamlin on the same level as Jimmie & |
| at Michigan International Speedway. Initially, MIS was | | | | Ryan? Time will only tell, but what we do know is |
| modeled after the other great 1 1/2 mile speedway, | | | | that he is a serious big-time competitor.Denny started |
| Lowe's Motor Speedway. But after nearly 30 years | | | | his season with a bang by winning the Budweiser |
| or racing, it has developed a personality of it's own | | | | Shootout in Daytona. Since then, Hamlin has posted a |
| that no single driver has been able to dominate. Unlike | | | | 4th place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in the |
| other speedways, since the 2000 season there has | | | | Samsung/Radioshack 500, a 2nd place finish at the |
| never been a single driver to win consecutive races | | | | Richmond International Raceway in the Crown Royal |
| at Michigan.Don't run to the store or sit on the toilet | | | | 400, and a win in this past weekend's Pocono 500 at |
| too long next Sunday. The races at Michigan tend to | | | | Pocono International Raceway. Along the way, his |
| go by very fast!!! Of the tri-oval tracks currently on | | | | average finish of 16th has been enough to catapult |
| the Nextel Cup circuit, Michigan holds the fastest | | | | him into the top 10 in driver's points.The rest of the |
| average race speed clocking in at just over 174mph. | | | | NASCAR world is starting to see what Joe Gibbs & |
| Only Daytona and Talladega have faster average | | | | Co. have known all along, Denny Hamlin is the real |
| speeds.Next week at MIS, expect Carl Edwards to | | | | deal!!! Not only can Denny make a mean hamburger |
| continue to make his move to qualify for the Chase | | | | and funny commercial, he can drive the hell out of a |
| for the Championship. In three starts at Michigan, Carl | | | | race car too!Who's Not?Jeez Jeff Gordon, where |
| has 2-top 5 finishes and 1 top 10.Also expect the | | | | have you gone? I was hoping last week's section of |
| following drivers to do well next week:Other drivers | | | | Who's Not? would serve to motivate Jeff and the |
| to note:Matt Kenseth - Average Finish 8th | | | | rest of the Rainbow Warriors to turn their season |
| Jeff Gordon - Average Finish 10th | | | | around. From the results at Pocono, it appears neither |
| Greg Biffle - Average Finish 11th | | | | Jeff nor the brake technician at Hendrick Motorsports |
| Mark Martin - Average Finish 12thNext Week's | | | | bothered to read my article.Oh well. If they had, |
| Schedule:Nextel Cup: @ Michigan International | | | | perhaps they would not be in the dreaded 11th place |
| Raceway | | | | position headed into Michigan next week. Jeff |
| 6/17/06 - 10:35pm NASCAR Nextel Cup 3M | | | | currently sits 25 points out |
| Performance 400 Practice | | | | of 10th behind his ever-charming teammate Kyle |
| 6/16/06 - 03:10pm NASCAR Nextel Cup 3M | | | | Busch. Fortunately for the 24 team, of the last |
| Performance 400 Qualifying | | | | tracks to be raced prior to the cut-off for the Nextel |
| 6/18/06 - 01:40pm NASCAR Nextel Cup 3M | | | | Cup Championship Race, Jeff has always posted |
| Performance 400Who's Hot?Denny Hamlin is sitting at | | | | strong finishes (an average finish in the top 12). |
| the top in a class of outstanding rookies. This year's | | | | |