Steve's NASCAR Racing Blog

NASCAR announced on Friday night that both the Nationwide Series race scheduled for Friday night and the Sprint Cup series race scheduled for Saturday night would be postponed until Sunday afternoon. The Cup series race is scheduled for 1pm with the Nationwide series race scheduled for Sunday evening at 7pm.

I can't remember NASCAR washing out both races at the same time before. Normally NASCAR at least makes an effort to get the show off on time. The forecast for Saturday does look bleak. What do you think? Is the early rainout good for fans or should NASCAR have at least tried to get the race in on schedule?

The 2008 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway is the final race before the Chase for the Cup kicks off. This week the twelve drivers that will compete for the 2008 Championship will be locked in while the rest of the series is left to battle among themselves.

Clint Bowyer and David Ragan are locked in the battle for twelfth place with Bowyer holding a slim seventeen point lead. Will Bowyer hang on and make his second Chase in a row or will David Ragan knock him off and qualify for his first? All eyes are on the battle for twelfth this week.

This weekend in Richmond Clint Bowyer and David Ragan will settle the matter of who will get the twelfth and final spot in the 2008 Chase for the Cup. Bowyer currently holds the spot by just seventeen points over David Ragan. Can he hold on or will David Ragan slip past him?

Here is a look at the two relative newcomers' recent performances in Richmond. Based on these stats I have a prediction. Who do you think will make the Chase?

Two-time defending Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson has been relatively quiet in 2008. While Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards have been sweeping most of the headlines Johnson has been quietly hanging out near the top of the points. This was "only" Johnson's third win of the 2008 season.

Just one race remains until the 2008 Chase for the Cup begins. Jimmie Johnson's dominating performance today served notice to the rest of the Chase competitors. Johnson intends to win his third Sprint Cup title in a row and his Hendrick Motorsports team is peaking at the right time.

Auto Club Speedway in California is the site of this Sunday evening's Pepsi 500. Only two races remain before the top twelve drivers are locked into the Chase to battle for the 2008 Sprint Cup Championship.

Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, David Ragan and Ryan Newman in positions eleven through fourteen are separated by just 101 points. It is likely that only two of these drivers will be in the Chase when the series leaves Richmond next week while the other two will be left to battle for thirteenth. The 2008 Race to the Chase is winding down and the pressure is building.

Joe Gibbs Racing made it official today. JGR named 18 year old Joey Logano as the 2009 driver of the Home Depot #20 which Tony Stewart currently drives on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit. Joey will make a few starts in the Cup series this year in a special #02 to build some experience for next season.

Who do you think will have the better year in 2009 based on the final Sprint Cup point standings Joey Logano or Tony Stewart? Tony has tons more experience, but Logano clearly has the more established team. For my vote I'll take the rookie over the two-time champ in 2009.

Ah, Bristol! Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch put on quite a show in the closing laps of the 2008 Sharpie 500. That excitement continued past the checkered flag as those two got together on the track after the race. Hard racing and short tempers are exactly what Bristol is known for. Tonight's race did not disappoint.

NASCAR called Kyle Busch to their hauler after the race. I hope that there are no penalties as a result of this incident.

This Saturday night the NASCAR Sprint Cup stars will take to the tight confines of Bristol Motor Speedway under the lights for the 2008 Sharpie 500.

This summer classic is one of the biggest nights on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. With the Chase looming in just three more races the battle to get into the top twelve in points is heating up. Add in the uncertainty of NASCAR short-track racing and this Saturday night could help shape the face of the 2008 Chase.

Today NASCAR announced the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. There were no new tracks added to the schedule and much of next year's NASCAR calendar looks the same as this season.

Some minor date shuffles occur later in the season. Atlanta gives up it's date in the Chase to take over Labor Day weekend. That race also moves under the lights on Sunday night before the US holiday. In its place Talladega moves into November and deeper into the Chase while Auto Club Speedway moves from Labor Day into October for the fourth race of the 2009 Chase.

You can see the full 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule here.

Carl Edwards helped his Sprint Cup dreams today by winning the 2008 3M Performance 400 presented by Bondo. Edwards had the best car at the end and survived two late-race restarts to claim the win in Michigan.

With this win Edwards earned ten additional Chase bonus points. This was Edwards' fifth win of 2008 compared to Busch's eight wins. Each win is normally worth ten bonus points. However, NASCAR penalized Edwards ten bonus points for failing post-race inspection in Las Vegas. As a result Edwards is still 40 points behind after today's win.