Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie

Will Junior get the first 2008 Hendrick win at Atlanta?

Only the most blindly rabid Dale Earnhardt Jr fan would have predicted that Junior would be the Hendrick Motorsports driver with the most series points after three races. Finishing strongly in two of the three 2008 events has been a mark of consistency that Earnhardt’s teammates at the House of Hendrick have not been able to match. 

Two time defending Sprint Cup Champ Jimmy Johnson bracketed his second place finish at

California

with a wreck in the Daytona 500 and a very so-so run to 29^th place at

Las Vegas

. 

Jeff Gordon has two DNF’s to go with a third place run and Casey Mears sits 34^th in points, only 19 points ahead of missing the top 35 cutoff - with only two races left for him to live on his 2007 owner’s points.

Earnhardt Jr won the Budweiser Shootout and one of the Gatorade 150’s at Daytona in February but it’s been awhile since he’s won a regular Cup race. Atlanta Motor Speedway is a place where his winless streak could end. He has one career win and seven top five finishes at AMS and Loop Data Driver Rating of 100.2 which is fifth best. He also has 410 Green Flag Passes, second most and a series-high 210 Quality Passes, which are passes of cars in the top fifteen, under green flag conditions.

to read the rest of this post go to the new home of the Bench Racing blog.

We've moved the home of Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie to the new OnPitRow.com site.  We'll continue to post over here for awhile, but please check out the new site and change your bookmarks. Thanks.

Bench Racing caption contest - win a Boris Said hoodie

Come up with the best caption for this picture taken of Mark Martin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday, prior to winning the Sam’s Town 300 and I have a great prize for ya.

to read the rest of this post go to the new home of the Bench Racing blog.

We've moved the home of Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie to the new OnPitRow.com site.  We'll continue to post over here for awhile, but please check out the new site and change your bookmarks. Thanks.

Six NASCAR questions the California race could answer

The 2008 Sprint Cup season got off to a rousing start with Ryan Newman’sDaytona 500  win.  The results of Speedweeks seemed to answer some of the off-season’s unknowns, but not all of them.  Here’s a list of some of the questions that remain and may be answered at Auto Club Speedway this week.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr won the Budweiser Shootout and one of the Gatorade Duals. Finishing ninth in the 500 wasn’t bad either. It was a nice week but Junior’s had strong plate track performances throughout his career. He’s also performed comparatively poorly at the flatter tracks, like California. The other Hendricks drivers have been good at these tracks historically. How will Junior stack up?

• Dodges finished in 6 of the top 8 spots at Daytona.  Was it real or restrictor plate madness?

to read the rest of this post go to the new home of the Bench Racing blog.

We've moved the home of Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie to the new OnPitRow.com site.  We'll continue to post over here for awhile, but please check out the new site and change your bookmarks. Thanks.

This Budweiser Shootout was pert’ near perfect

“I want a billion dollars and a monkey.”  I got what we all hope is just a bite-sized sample of the kind of race the 50th Daytona 500 will be a week from now.

That was one hell of a race, that there Bud Shootout.  And it was won by one hell of a driver too - the best restrictor plate racer there ever was, according to second place Tony Stewart.

Smoke said that Dale Jr is probably better at this plate racin’ stuff than his daddy, Dale Earnhardt the Legend.  All Senior did was win more times in Florida than the Marlins.

I don’t know about all of that. I do know that I had a big smile on my face at the end of that race. I mean even Tony Stewart seemed happy.

And NASCAR has a real race car in this Car of Today. To a man - announcers, ex-drivers, former crew chiefs - all praised the Car formerly known as the Ugly Little Freakin’ Toad.

Dale Earnhardt Jr, in mid-whoop as he ran his first victory lap in a couple years yelled “We got us a race car boys. Maybe a 500 winner!”.....

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Bench Racing’s top 18 Budweiser Shootout countdown

OK, Kurt Busch is on the pole for Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout but does that mean anything?  It might.  Check out our countdown of compelling Bud Shootout factoids and impress your friends at the 2008 NASCAR kickoff party.

70 - Total laps in the race, up from the 20 run the first year of the event in 1979

44 - No, not DJ’s UPS truck car number. It's the most laps led in a single Bud Shootout, by Greg Biffle in 2005

22 - Largest field in event history in 2002 also the number of career starts by Awesome Bill from Dawsonville

19 - Dale Earnhardt Jr’s starting position in ‘03, the farthest back anybody has started and won also the number of consecutive starts by Mark Martin, most by any driver also..... Go to the new home of the Bench Racing blog for the rest of this post.

New NASCAR Sports Blog Index likes Bench Racing

The Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog has been recognized as the fourth most influential NASCAR blog by the folks at Sports Media Challenge in their all new NASCAR Sports Blog Index™ (SBI).   The full press release is here. Pretty cool stuff.

The only trouble is, they got the link wrong in the announcement. I have emailed them and hopefully they will get it corrected.

Remember, we have moved this blog to our new OnPitRow.com family of sites.  Please change your links.

Thanks

Steve and Charlie

Earnhardt Junior's new duds coming to a store near you....

We've moved the home of Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie to the new OnPitRow.com site.  We'll continue to post over here for awhile, but please check out the new site and change your bookmarks. Thanks.

As long as you live in Daytona, that is. Adidas, one of Dale Earnhardt Jr's new marketing partners is prepping for the launch of their new Three Stripes Dale Jr fan gear.

"Dale Jr. will debut his new three stripes on February 17 at Daytona 500. Working closely with the adidas Innovation Team, they have created a race suit featuring advanced ClimaCool technology. With extreme temperatures in the car, ClimaCool will lower Dale Jr.’s body temperature and combat fatigue, allowing him to be more alert and responsive in those final laps."

Two days prior to the race, Adidas will roll out their Dale Jr fan gear at The Sports Authority in Daytona. I wonder how those stores will do that week? Here's a link to more pics of Dale Jr's new Adidas duds.

Where are the Kasey Kahne Budweiser commercials?

We've moved the home of Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie to the new OnPitRow.com site.  We'll continue to post over here for awhile, but please check out the new site and change your bookmarks. Thanks.

I was cruising the magazine rack at a local bookseller. Images of Dale Earnhardt Jr., draped in various Amp Energy Drink uni's - and to a lesser extent National Guard garb -  are everywhere.  No surprise there but it makes me wonder.

This time last year, and for several years past, Budweiser was the beneficiary of the immense popularity of NASCAR Nation's favorite driver.  That Bud #8 and Junior in Bud duds were everywhere.  I wonder what value is attached to all that incidental exposure?  Advertisers know the answer.  How much less did Bud fork over for the privilege to sponsor Kasey Kahne and his #9 Dodge?

And where are the Budweiser commercials featuring young citizen Kahne?  I keep watching for them.  Bud has had great ad campaigns.  Some of Junior's Bud commercials are classics.  The one where the Mutant Guys are chasing Junior's #8 is a favorite.  Kasey has done some very funny spots as well.   

Maybe they will combine and have Kasey chased by drunken AND desperate housewives, this time.  We may find out during the Super Bowl.

What does NASCAR testing mean?

With one week of testing in the books and the second week under way--what have we learned?  Anyone--anyone--anyone?

We have seen that the cars from Hendrick Motorsports are fast.  Is it learning if you already know the answer?   The Toyotas have been fast in all test sessions.  But, perhaps they have the most to prove and are just not part of the sandbag parade that has been so prevalent in years past.

It hasn't really been much of a secret that many teams would come to Daytona testing without much to prove and would, therefore, go through the testing sessions without their best cars or intentions.

There have been exceptions to the rule.  Years past would see new car owners, new manufacturers or new drivers with a message to send and Daytona in January was a great place to send that message.

Could that be what Toyota is using the 2008 test for?

This week the Fast Lap asks:

1) With Morgan-McClure being the latest team to close their doors due to lack of sponsorship dollars, who might be next?

2) Are the speeds being turned by the Toyotas at testing, indicative of their 2008 performance?

3) Would Teresa have allowed Junior to open a nightclub in Charlotte and risk distraction?

4) Darrell Waltrip ran a poll to see if he should boogity-boogity-boogity, or not.  How do you vote?

Let us know how you feel about these questions, or anything else that happened since last February in Daytona.  If we like your comments, whether we agree or not, we may use them on the air during Tuesday's ON PIT ROW.  Leave us a comment on the blog or call the show--toll free at 1-877-502-8255 between 5-7pm ET on Tuesdays.

Which of the Preseason Thunderers has the most to prove?

Even after an admittedly short, semi-off-season without NASCAR's Chargers and Impalas, it's tough to guard against putting too much stock in the daily results of the Preseason Thunder testing going on this week in Florida.

The NASCAR news for the last couple days has been full of reports of how Kyle the Younger Busch has been faster than anyone in Daytona.  Kyle's switch from his Hendrick ride to a Gibbs Toyota would have been the big story most years in the France Republic. But 2007 saw his story barely make the top five, behind the loss of the late Bill France, a couple of Earnhardt related sagas and the Gibbs to Toyota switch.

One of our Fast Lap questions ON PIT ROW this week asked who has the most to prove at testing this month.  It might be Kyle, and if it is, he is showing some pretty good stuff so far.

Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing team and even his manufacturer of choice, Toyota, have plenty to prove to sizable numbers of NASCAR watchers too.  Staunch Tony Stewart/Chevrolet followers are going to take plenty of convincing that Smoke's kidnapping by them evil fereners was, in the long run, a good thing.  Tony being fast out of the 2008 box would help with that.

I'm sure that Earnhardt Jr feels some pressure to start well and he probably will.   How about Michael Waltrip, who may be feeling heat from sponsors and his manufacturer?  Do you think that J J Yeley might have a little extra motivation to put that Hall of Fame Racing Camry in front of a Gibbs car or two?

Yates Racing is looking for sponsorship.  Gillette-Everham Motorsports sucked last year and has all new sponsors - and partners - to please.  On and on and on, throughout the garage the pressure -  if it ever let up at all during the shortest winter in sports - is back on in full.  Thank you NASCAR.

Picture credit: Sam Greenwood - Getty Images for NASCAR