Team Chevy Continues Its Domination In The Sprint Cup Series

With five races remaining in the Race to the Chase.

Team Chevy is once again flexing its muscle, by showing the other manufacturers how to dominate a series by putting six drivers in the top-12 so far this season.

General Motors Company, one of the world's largest automakers who traces its roots back to 1908.

Boasts a whopping 979 cup wins, with Chevy picking up 644 of them. With Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick having also contributed wins under the General Motors name.

Chevy has also won a total of 32 manufacturers championships, dating back to their first win in 1958.

Chevy also brings to the table 25 drivers championships, with the first win coming in 1957 by Buck Baker As the Sprint cup series heads into Watkins Glen International for this Sundays road course race.

Team Chevy still continues to lead the series with 11 victories out of the 19 races that have been run.

While at the same time leading 2,855 out of the 5,821 laps that have been completed so far this season.

Leading the Team Chevy charge will be Sprint cup points leader Tony Stewart.

Stewart who has four wins of his own at this 2.45 mile road course, talked about how much he has enjoyed racing the road courses.

“I’ve just always liked it (racing on road courses)."

"I won a national championship racing go-karts on road courses, so the concept of what it took to win races on road courses wasn’t totally unknown to me."

"But driving cars with suspension, and definitely driving cars that you had to shift, that’s something that came relatively easy to me."

"And still comes easy to me as far as knowing how to synchronize the gears without having to use the help of the clutch.”

Jimmie Johnson who has finally gotten his first road course pole.

Is once again showing the racing world why he and the 48 team, are strong contenders to win their fourth championship in a row.

Last weekends race at Pocono, was a strong indication just how focused they are to continue in their winning ways.

After going three laps down because of engine problems, the team was able to make up the ground and still come home with a very impressive 13th place finish.

But their biggest win of the year came at Indianapolis, when Juan Montoya was caught speeding on pit row giving the win to Team Chevy and the 48 team.

"I think we're making great gains (on road courses)."

"I'm becoming much more aware of what these cars need on road courses.” “We were very fast at the race last year at The Glen, so I think we have a shot; our best shot yet."

One of the biggest differences between Sonoma and Watkins Glen is the speed,” said a very enthusiastic Johnson.

Jeff Gordon who also shares a love for the road courses with Stewart.

Has also shown how dominant he can be while picking up four of his own wins, which also includes a three in a row win streak from 1997-1999.

Gordon who is sitting third in points, had already begun preparing for this Sundays race when he tested at Road Atlanta earlier in the year.

"We tested at Road Atlanta, which is a better track for Watkins Glen and we're certainly hoping that pays off for us at Watkins Glen."

"The keys for success there is that it's a fast road course and you've got to get up through the esses really well."

"You've got to get through the carousel good and you've got to get into all the braking zones good. It's the same concept it's always been.”

Another Team Chevy driver who is still winless this season, despite having come so close to victory just a couple weeks ago.

Juan Montoya who was just about to win the biggest NASCAR race of his career. Was caught speeding on pit road at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

Montoya who only has one Sprint cup victory back in 2007 at Infineon Speedway, is by far having his most productive season in the series.

Montoya showed a lot of maturity with his second place finish last weekend at Pocono, by putting his heartbreaking loss behind him from the previous weeks race at Indianapolis.

So just how focused is the number 42 team at making the chase?

“For us going to a road course is good, especially Watkins Glen."

“In Sonoma our car never runs good. Watkins Glen we normally got a really good car.”

“For us, if we can get a top five out of there, I know we can probably win the race, but if we get a top five out of there, the points for the Chase would be huge."

Ryan Newman, who’s last chase appearance was back in 2005, when he finished sixth with eight poles and one win while driving for Penske racing.

Newman has once again found himself back on familiar ground sitting in the number nine spot in points, after leaving Penske racing last season to become Tony Stewarts teammate at Stewart Haas racing.

Newman has a second place finish at this track while driving for team Penske, during his rookie year in 2001.

But since then, he has only been able to lead a total of eight laps during the next six races.

Newman spoke about coming back to a track where he has had limited success. “The physical race on Sunday."

"We’re not in the position we want to be, but we’re in position that we can expand upon being ninth in points."

"If we have a good run on Sunday, it will kind of set the tempo for the next three or four races and how we get in to the Chase.”

Mark Martin who seems to have found the fountain of youth.

Has been able to mysteriously freeze the hands of time, in order to get himself in contention for another try at his first cup championship at the age of 50.

Martin who is no stranger to finding victory lane here at the Glen, with three wins in a row of his own dating back to 93, 94, and 95.

Martin also holds the record for most top fives with 12 to go along with his record setting 16 top 10 finishes.

Martin also has the most poles by any active driver with three, which also happens to coincide with his three race wins.

“Not only did we win three in a row, but we ran second maybe the year before to Ernie Irvin and then, you know, things just changed.”

“It’s good to be back to the Glen. It’s been about three years, so I’m pretty excited about it."

"To me this is the superspeedway of road course racing so it should be fun. I’m looking forward to it and can’t wait to get out on the race track and get started.”

So as Team Chevy gets ready to invade Watkins Glen International this Sunday, the list of drivers who have helped the manufacturer to take a 38 point lead over Toyota in the manufacturers standings.

Are ready to once again do battle as our racing season continues towards the chase for the Sprint cup championship.

SYMT Line Up- Watkins Glen

Aero13= Jimmie Johnson
Klvalus= Kurt Busch
YeeMum= Denny Hamlin
Outlaw/Le Crab= Marcos Ambrose
Frevr3fan= David Stremme
SoCa24fan= Ryan Newman
Moseby= Greg Biffle
HotFootLori= Kyle Busch(Is this a good thing or a bad thing????)
Hanahan= Boris Said
CR_Racing= Juan Pablo Montoya
Tezgm99= Casey Mears
Gerrel= Kasey Kahne
GUNAQUAT= Tony Stewart
SpeedBeagle= Paul Menard(We who are about to crash salute you!)
RLGuido= Andy Lally ??????
go9car= Max Papis
Storkjrc= Patrick Carpentier
Volfan69= AJ Allmendinger
JokersWild= Elliot Sadler
Tsfanpc= Brian Vickers
Forensic2= Kevin Harvick

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RA6AN!!!!!

Today our very own Roush-ka-teer is celebrating her birthday today! I won't say how old she is but she has been around longer than the length of her camera lens!!

Woot! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Gas and Go--The Glen

My Gas and Go is up. You can go there by clicking on the title.

Whinning in my coffee

GREETINGS FROM SW OKLAHOMA:

GOOD LORD, WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET A GOOD DRIVER IN THE SYMT THING, ROAD COURSE OR NOT MAX PAPIS, IT MIGHT AS WELL BE DAVE BLANEY, LOL LOL, AND I THINK I HAVE ALREADY HAD HIM TWICE.

OH WELL GOOD LUCK TO EACH OF YOU AND HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND AND ENJOY THE RACE, I WILL STILL BE ROOTING FOR JR., TONY AND CARL, EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE NO POINTS IN IT FOR ME.

GUNAQUAT

Ready for some Football

Ah yes, the college and NFL teams are reporting for training camps and the football season has officially begun. This Sunday night kicks everything off with the annual Hall of Fame Game from Canton, marking the beginning of the NFL pre-season. It's a time of optimism and excitement. Sure, some teams have higher expectations than others, but last season the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins proved that a poor team can become a very good team over the course of one off-season. Make the right moves and suddenly the playoffs become very achievable.

Heck, if the Arizona Cardinals can make it to the Super Bowl then I'm pretty sure just about anything's possible.

I'm still smiling that my Bears stole QB Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos during the off-season, and I'm bigtime jazzed to see how the Bears do with an actual NFL-caliber QB running the offense. Yeah, the Chicago Bears will always be known for defense and running the ball, but having a quarterback that can threaten the opponent's defense will really open things up. Even just the threat of Cutler throwing deep to Hester should create opportunities for guys like RB Matt Forte and TE Greg Olsen.

Every year I mean to drive over to Bourbannais and see the Bears pre-season training camp, and every year I never actually get it done. I've always wanted to see how a pro team runs their practices, so maybe with the excitement surrounding this year's team I'll finally get motivated and hop in the truck to go check things out at the Bears camp. (Probably not though, and I'll just wind up writing this very same paragraph for next season.)

Looking around the NFC North, I have to say that the Bears should be favored to win the division.

The Detroit Lions are, well, still the Detroit Lions. Keep top draft pick QB Matt Stafford in your prayers. He'll need them to survive if the Lions decide to play him right away.

The Green Bay Packers have had troubles on defense, and to combat those they've decided to switch from a 4-3 alignment to a 3-4. Uh, maybe it's not about how they line up, but actually about players making plays? Anyways, the Packers still look to be vulnerable on D.

The Minnesota Vikings missed out on a helping of Favre Beans as the Holy Brett will actually stay retired and throw passes to high school kids in Mississippi. Shortly after that little bit of news, possible starting QB Tav Jackson came up lame in an early practice with a sprained knee ligament. Talk about adding insult to injury . .. or is it injury to insult? Either way, the Vikings have serious quarterback issues.

Never thought I'd be writing that about a team other than the Bears!

Picking the gap

I thought I'd try something a bit different...rather than trying to pick polesitters or winners, how about what the margin will be between first and second on the grid (assuming it's not rained out)?

I'll go with 0.249 seconds.

JUST LETTING YOU KNOW IM HERE

GREETINGS FROM SW OKLAHOMA:

HI GUYS, JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I NOW HAVE A SITE SET UP HERE, ALONG WITH OUTHER STUFF I WILL BE PUTTING HOT OR NOT ON BOTH MY DASHBOARD SITE AND ON FOX

GUNAQUAT

The Trifecta- On the Road Again

Ok, so we're not Morocco bound, but this week, the Trifecta is road course bound.

Our first race is Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Race from Watkins Glen, green flag drops at 2:18pmET.

Our second race takes us to Ohio for the IRL Honda Indy 200 on Sunday, green flag drops at 1:45pmET.

Lastly, we head back to Watkins Glen for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Race also on Sunday, green flag drops at 2:18pmET.

One driver per race, no restrictions on selection.

Good luck, and let's go racing!

New Bolt Blog Post

I've got a new post up on the Chargers and the future of Antonio Cromartie. I would love your input, if you are interested. Click on the title, or link below.

The Tweating's On The Wall For Chargers Cromartie

Shocking, Isn't It?

Hey all -- I've got a new blog up about the shock procedure over on my blog...I *think* just click the title!

***ALSO DON'T FORGET TO UPDATE YOUR FANTASY TEAMS OVER ON FOXSPORTS FOR THE GLEN!***

In The SpotLight: Moses Smith

Please check it out! Just click on the title and it will take you there.

Class Act - SYMT

When I was introduced to the local racing scene back in the mid seventies, the Reutimann brothers were firmly established as fan favorites in the Tampa Bay area. Buzzie, Wayne, and Dale were among the most dominant drivers at both Golden Gate Speedway (the asphalt track now long gone) and East Bay Raceway, the dirt track located just south of Tampa.

It all started in the early twenties when Emil Reutimann moved his family to the small town of Zephyrhills, Florida. It was there that he started the family business of working on Model A automobiles.

Emil started out as a mechanic, but it wasn't long before he was experimenting with differrent ways to make a car go faster. Emil Jr. shared his fathers need for speed and soon they both were participating in car races with friends and neighbors in a small field just outside of town.

By the time little Emil L. (Buzzie) was born racing cars had become a part of the families life. If anyone was ever destined to become a race car driver it was Buzzie. It wasn't long after he started working on cars that he began building his own to race along side his father against all comers.

Buzzie was followed in the tradition by younger brothers Wayne and Dale. While the older brothers Buzzie and Wayne were on the road in the northeast making a name for themselves, younger brother Dale was back home racing with his dad in central Florida. In fact Dale was developing into a very talented driver and according to older brother Wayne, " if any of us would have made it he would have". That hope ended late one afternoon when Dale and his father were killed when a drunk driver crossed the center line of U S Highway 301 and crashed head on into their truck.

It is now over thirty years later and one of the family has made it to the big show. David Reutimann has taken the family tradition all the way to the top. He represents three generations of drivers who were also skilled mechanics and fabricators who built their own cars and established a reputation of being a class act.

David now drives for Michael Waltrip Motorsports and is out there on the biggest stage in American sports. Being from the same area I feel a sort of kinship to the Reutiman family. I grew up not far from Zephyrhills and traveled the short distance on Highway 301 to Golden Gate Speedway to watch Buzzie, Wayne, and Dale tear up the track and competition.

Being a part of NASCAR's top series has always been a dream shared by the Reutimann family, but to have the 00 on the side of David's car is truly the stuff of which dreams are made. You see the Reutimanns not only have a rich tradition in racing, but have been associated with the 00 since the early days back in Zephyrhills.

David now continues the proud tradition of the old 00 and of living up to the family creed of going first class all the way.

Will Someone Do Me A Favor????

Please!

Right now I am unable to to anything on my old blog at Foxsports.com. I can't even comment to other people on their blogs. For some reason, when I try to access my account, or to comment, or anything else, it sends me to my registration screen and doesn't let me do anything after that.

So, I have a favor to ask (or two).

Favor 1: Fuzzboss has commented a couple of times on my blog and has now asked where I went and if the Film game is still going. Will someone go on Fox and leave fuzzboss a message, tell him what's up and give him the link to my blog? http://boltbacker21.blogspot.com/

Feel free to leave this blog's link as well. I think fuzz would be a great addition to this site.

Favor 2: Will someone leave a blog post telling everyone on Fox where I am and that they can use that same link to find me? http://boltbacker21.blogspot.com/

Thanks bunches!!!

Will

(Bolt)

Name that Film!

Here is the post to this week's Name that Film! Hope to see you there and thanks to those who have already played!

http://boltbacker21.blogspot.com/2009/08/name-that-film-miscellaneous-edition.html

View From The Flagstand

Check out the red-eyed, View From the Flagstand.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- Pocono (2nd race)

You can read this week's Good, Bad, and Ugly by clicking on the title.

Could Jimmie Be Retiring Soon?????

Well, it seems that Friday's rains brought out the silliness in the NASCAR press corps gathered at Pocono. One enterprising reporter even went so far as to ask Jimmie Johnson if the three time champ would forego a fourth straight championship in exchange for $100,000,000. Jimmie first asked if the money would be tax free, and when the reporter said yes, JJ said he'd have to seriously consider it.

So come on NASCAR bloggers(and anyone else who wants to contribute), let's get together and get this thing done!!

"We can raise the money. We have decals to prove it."
--Hanahan

Mike Hanner: Private Eye VII

Click on the title for the latest exploits of the NASCAR private eye.

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Who Would You Throw Under The Bus? -- August 2, 2009

After a three-week hiatus, this column is back in a new locale. As before, Who Would You Throw Under The Bus? will be posted on Sundays for the foreseeable future with the exception of the 14th of this month. I will be taking a brief vacation from the 15th to the 18th. I have some nominees.

Minnesota Vikings: they flirted with the possibility of Brett Favre coming into camp for several months. I wonder how Sage Rosenfels and Tavaris Jackson were feeling, particularly Rosenfels. Favre spurned the Vikings, now the team has egg on its face. I realize that the Vikings HAD to do something in order to bolster its Super Bowl chances, but to court a washed-up QB? For giving its fans false hope, the Vikings get thrown under the Bus.

Pittsburgh Pirates: for being a farm team to the more successful teams, particularly the Boston Red Sox. Seriously, did the Red Sox’ AAA team move to Pittsburgh? This once-proud franchise, the franchise of Roberto Clemente, the franchise of Willie Stargell, has become a clearing house. Every year it’s the same song: the Pirates trade their best players for prospects. Meanwhile, the Buccos are well on their way to their 17th straight losing season, a major league record. To say that they are the Clippers of the MLB would do the L.A. Clippers no justice. The Clips HAVE made the playoffs in recent years, unlike the Pirates. The Pirates, their ownership, and their front office ALL get thrown under the Bus.

Those are my nominees for the week. Feel free to come in with yours!

Legend of the Beach

What really gets race fans and drivers going are the cars. It is all about the automobile. These fourwheeled gasoline driven machines changed this country and the world. Going to the store for supplies went from an all day trip to just a few minutes thanks to the car. For the first time people could quickly travel hundreds of miles to visit family and friends or just to take a drive.

A new world was at our finger tips and with it came a new addiction, Speed. Not long after automobiles became available to the masses we wanted to go fast. Speed became king, the thrill and excitement of going fast is part of our deep seeded desire to feel good.

Daniel Boone blazed the Wilderness Trail from the Cumberland Gap to Kentucky during the 1800's by walking slowly. What would Boone think if he were here today standing beside the backstretch at Talladega with a freightrain of cars blasting by at 200 miles per hour. He would be amazed and in awe as we are of him being a legendary frontiersman.

The love affair with cars is part of the fabric of our society and our desire for speed will never go away. From Indianapolis to the sandy Florida beaches a young William France's desire for going fast started a dream and a vision to create a world of speed never before seen. His idea to build a curved ribbon of ashpalt would surely come true as France knew the legend of Indianapolis very well and had an idea on how improve it. Race tracks were very popular at the beginning of the 20th century from the famed speedway in Indiana to the much smaller high banked wooden speed bowls and dirt tracks that dotted the country at the time. This knowledge gave France the motivation to create something that would change the face of motorsports forever.

Bill France decided to do something completely different. Why not build a track as big as Indianapolis but with steeply banked turns similar to the wooden tracks that were prevalent early in the century. The same cars that were in everyones driveway would be running on the high banked Super Speedway. Daytona truly is the birthplace of speed as Big Bill France accomplished the smooth transition from having automobiles race on the same beach where the first land speed records were established to the opening of Daytona International Speedway in 1959. The age of the Super Speedway was about to take center stage.

The American Muscle car was born on Daytona's sprawling two and a half mile tri oval and our love affair with the car had now reached a fever pitch. The sparkling new Daytona Speedway grabbed everyone's attention from the best Indianapolis racing drivers to auto manufactures that wanted their cars and engines to be showcased and of the homegrown drivers that were cutting their teeth on the bull rings. Daytona was it. The inception of Darlington Raceway gave a little taste of speed but Daytona was different. With it's long straight aways and steeply banked turns a car could negotiate the entire circuit at close to full throttle. For a driver to run on Daytona's high banks meant that he was one of the fastest men on wheels.

Daytona singlehandedly changed the way that racing cars and engines were built due to it's unique layout. The big track changed everything. No one had ever gone this fast before on a closed circuit in something very close to a production car. It would take several years for the stock cars to reach Daytona's potential. Within ten years of the first Daytona 500 qualifying speeds increased by almost 50 mph as men and their machines continued the search for speed. The high banked super track enticed engine manufactures and builders to produce more power but the introduction of the HEMI engine in 1964 forced the competitors to rethink every aspect of navigating this track. The cars could not handle the powerful engines requiring better wheels and tires, and stronger chassis to handle loads created by the steep banks.

The Muscle car and the Superspeedway were in their renaissance during the late 60's with beefed up factory production models ripping around Daytona at over 180mph. For the real speed junkies the love affair with Daytona and the addiction to speed was in full force with some of the greatest racing drivers in history gracing Daytona's hallowed banks. Where else could you see the same car that you drove or could buy hammer Daytona's Superspeedway at blinding speeds. The sweetest of addictions is to go fast and Daytona filled that desire perfectly.

Big Bill France Sr. also had the addiction and his dream coming true gave us something we may never see again but we will always have our love affair with speed and with the real Hot Rod.

Poconocchio race chat

I haven't seen it posted on here yet so here we go....please don't shoot me, ofi and SB *laugh*

A few things to watch for:

- can Tony Stewart do the sweep (ever since Denny Hamlin did it in 2006 as a rookie, no one else has)?
- was last week the start of the typical 'Jimmie Johnson surge' as he pushes to make NASCAR history and go 4-in-a-row?
- can Juan Montoya put the disappointment of last week behind him and take his first win since 2007?
- can we have yet another first time winner with weather being a factor as usual here?

Pocono 2 Tsfanpc SYMT Grid

The Grid.

1,14, Tony Stewart - Tsfanpc, Last time in a back up car and a fan he won the race.
2,48, Jimmie Johnson - Aero13 & Jack
3,24, Jeff Gordon - Klvalus
4,2, Kurt Busch - YeeMum
5,99, Carl Edwards - LeCrab

6,11, Denny Hamlin - Frevr3fan
7,39, Ryan Newman - SoCa24fan
8,9,Kasey Kahne - Moseby
9,5, Mark Martin - HotfootLori
10,42, Juan Motoya - Hanahan

11,16, Greg Biffle - CR Racing
12,17, Matt Kenseth - Texgm99
13,00, David Reutimann - Gerrel
14,18, Kyle Busch - Gunaquat
15,83, Brian Vickers - Speedbeagle

16,33, Clint Bowyer - RG Guido
17,31, Jeff Burton - Go-9-Car
18,47, Marcos Ambrose - Storkrc
19,20,Joey Logano - Volfan69
20,26, Jamie McMurry - Jokerswild

21,07, Casey Mears - Forensic2

Good luck to all. Cheers2All