Stock Car Insider - April 3rd Issue

Upcoming Events in the World of NASCARwith a 13th place finish. The only driver to finish in the
If you're looking for a fan of races at Martinsville,top 10 was Jamie McMurray (9th) who currently sits
don't look at me. I have never felt that any trackin 17th place in the Nextel Cup Points standings. The
with a qualifying speed less than 100 mph should be aremaining Roush drivers finished as follows:
part of NASCAR's top circuit. However, yesterday'sKenseth - 24th
DirecTV 500 was exhilarating. Watching NASCAR'sBiffle - 31st
top drivers, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr comeEdwards - 16th
from the back multiple times to finish in the top 5Kenseth was poised to take an 8th place finish, but
proves that there is action to be seen at Martinsville.that opportunity was dashed when he lost his brakes
Next week's Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texaswith 8 laps to go.
Motor Speedway will be anything but slow! Just askHowever, Roush fans do not be dismayed. The
Bill Elliot who holds the fastest qualifying time atRoush Racing organization has committed themselves
Texas with a speed of 194.2236 mph. Of the currentto the most popular type of track on the Nextel Cup
Nextel Cup drivers, Jimmie Johnson has held the keycircuit, the 1 1/2 mile to 2-mile tracks.
to Texas. In 5 starts, Johnson has 5 top 10's with anFast forwarding to next week, NASCAR heads to
average finish of 6th.Texas Motor Speedway (1 1/2 mile track). Of the
However, Johnson will have his work cut out for himcurrent drivers, the Roush drivers rank as follows:
next week. There are a number of drivers, both theJamie McMurray - 3rd
young and the seasoned, who have had success atCarl Edwards - 5th
Texas.Matt Kenseth - 10th
Other drivers to note:Mark Martin - 11th
Jamie McMurrayGreg Biffle - 22nd
Kurt BuschLast Week's Headlines
Carl EdwardsRecap of the 2006 DirecTV 500 at Martinsville
Casey MearsSpeedway:
All of the above drivers average a top 10 finish.I don't like to repeat myself, but here I go.
Next Week's Schedule:Reference the "Upcoming Events in the World of
(all times CST)NASCAR" section above:
Nextel Cup"If you're looking for a fan of races at Martinsville,
4/07/06 - 12:05pm Samsung/RadioShack 500 Practicedon't look at me. I have never felt that any track
4/07/06 - 3:40pm Samsung/RadioShack 500with a qualifying speed less than 100 mph should be a
Qualifyingpart of NASCAR's top circuit. However, yesterday's
4/08/06 - 12:05pm Happy Hour PracticeDirecTV 500 was exhilarating. Watching NASCAR's
4/09/06 - 1:00pm Samsung/RadioShack 500top drivers, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr come
Busch Seriesfrom the back multiple times to finish in the top 5
4/06/06 - 1:00pm O'Reilly 300 Practiceproves that there is action to be seen at Martinsville."
4/06/06 - 6:05pm O'Reilly 300 QualifyingThere was almost as much paint and rubber
4/08/06 - 2:00pm O'Reilly 300swapping at Martinsville as last week in Bristol. Even
Craftsman Truck Seriesafter 500 laps of beating and banging in the Food
Off till April 29th when they head to GatewayCity 500, no car finished the race looking as cool as
International Raceway.Dale Earnhardt Jr's! Who new that losing a right front
Who's Hot?fender can actually be beneficial? It turns out the lack
With disappointing finishes last week from their topof sheet metal on the right front helped improve
drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, theairflow over the right front brakes. With the
Hendrick Motorsports organization redeemed itself inextremely low banks at Martinsville (only 12 degrees
an action packed DirecTV at Martinsville Speedway.compared to 36 degrees at Bristol), keeping the
Three Hendrick drivers finished in the top 5 (Jeffbrakes cool is crucial.
Gordon-2nd, Jimmie Johnson-3rd, and Kyle Busch-5th).On a side note, I'm not sure why NASCAR believes it
Jeff Gordon has the most eventful day where hehas to punish aggressive behavior. I'm referring to
came from dead last after he cut a tire on lap 89 tothe $10,000 fine and probationary period slapped on
challenge Tony Stewart for the win.Jeff Gordon after shoving Matt Kenseth after last
Leaving Martinsville, the Hendrick drivers rank asweek's Food City in Bristol. Avid sports fans love to
follows in the race for the Nextel Cup Championship:know they're cheering for passionate competitors.
Jimmie Johnson-1stWe all love a good fight and trash talk in football, and
Kyle Busch-5thnothing beats a good 'ole fashioned shirt pulled over
Jeff Gordon-7thyour head hockey fight. So why not show the few
Brian Vickers-15thaltercations that do occur at a NASCAR race after
Who's Not?the race? In my opinion, NASCAR should only
Martinsville is no friend of Jack Roush. The only driverconcern itself with policing aggressive behavior on the
in the Roush stable who has had any measure oftrack. Whatever happens off the track is for the
success at Martinsville is Mark Martin. In 40 starts,fans' enjoyment.
Mark has only 2 wins with an average finish of 13th.A recap of EverythingStockCar.
Yesterday, in the DirecTV 500, Mark met his average