Sept 29/08
New Bobsled Team Courtesy of JGR
Chase Edition Kansas
By Lori Munro (LAM) and Dennis Michelsen (DMIC)
Back by popular demand the dynamic duo of Lori Munro and Dennis Michelsen will thrill and amaze you with their NASCAR wits and acumen every week! If you can't get enough of these nuts on the "Doin' Donuts" radio show every Monday night on RaceTalkRadio at 8pm ET, now you can check out "Doin' Donuts for the Hearing Impaired" every week in print too! Race fans can even join in the debate with our easy to use comments section. Strap in for a wild ride as LAM and DMIC crank it up every week! You might even hear your comments on the radio so join in the fun today!

Grinding to a Halt
DMIC says…What in the heck has happened to Joe Gibbs Racing in the playoffs? Three weeks in a row the No. 18 team has found a way to self-destruct. Denny Hamlin's 11th place finish at Kansas was the best for the JGR Juggernaut! JGR drivers were 1st, 6th, and 9th heading into the Chase and now stand 10th, 11th, and 12th after three Chase races. Not only have they had bad performances it has been parts failures not crashes! While some of those problems are just luck of the draw, some of those are due to a lack of crossing the T's and dotting the I's! The Coach earned his entry into the football Hall of Fame by winning in the playoffs. But his race team has stubbed their collective toes this season in NASCAR's version of the playoffs!

LAM says… Far from a toe stub; more like a full amputation from the waist down. Nobody can deny that Kyle Busch's "luck"… or lack thereof recently… has certainly come to a grinding halt. Not to say he cant win, drive and succeed on his own merits but that black cloud that for some reason pulled up a chair and is parked over him simply is unexplainable. I heard an interesting speculation on satellite radio today about Tony Stewart and the possibility of his less than stellar efforts lately being due perhaps to the fact Tony doesn't want to see Toyota succeed especially now that he's returning to Chevrolet next year. In my opinion, it has less to to with black helicopters and more to do with a combination of Tony moving on next year and JGR making a place for Logano. It comes down to focus and at this level of racing, someone who usually runs at 110% can't afford to back it down to 100%. Face it, Joe Gibbs Racing downhill run has all the makings to become the next big bobsled team in America!! Tony as the brakeman, Kyle the driver and Denny as the runner. Logano can be the guy getting all the hype and attention.... Oh wait....... been there done that.

Final Three
DMIC says…NASCAR has their close Chase race with the top three separated by a total of 30 points but they can't be happy about the rest of the Chase. Their goal would be to have the top 12 all with a mathematical chance for the Championship at Miami. But unless the top guys stumble it could be down to the final two by midway through the Chase! The cream is rising to the top and the early bird is getting the worm in this year's Chase. (Does it show I am a recent graduate from the ESPN School of Cliché?) Thankfully we will not see one of the winless drivers steal the championship thanks to the format. The final three of NASCAR is a talented group that deserves a shot at the title!

LAM says…The final three deserve a shot but the fat lady ain't sung yet. As each race comes and goes, yes it gets clearer to see who is pretty much out of the running but I still can't make grandiose predictions at least until the next race… and then the next 8-) Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards could wad themselves up on the first lap at Talladega allowing another driver to nibble forward a bit in the points. The chances of that happening are less than likely, but the possibility still remains.

How Good is Old Man
DMIC says…Next season Mark Martin fans could be in hog heaven! (Arkansas cliché, get it?) This year the old man has been in the hunt for wins on at least six occasions despite only racing part time. Even more amazing is that this feat has occurred for the doormat of NASCAR racing that is Dale Earnhardt Inc! Put Mark Martin in Hendrick equipment and give him a crew chief that speaks Martin-neese and this will be a contending team for the championship! This cagey veteran could get out his fishing pole and reel in a championship if all the tumblers of fate mesh together. (Oh God is ESPN hiring?) How good is the old man? Martin has more top fives and top tens than all of the other DEI drivers combined! Mark has led almost five times more laps than Martin Truex Jr despite entering nine fewer races.

LAM says… Mark Martin's best days are behind him. The fourth Hendrick team will always be fourth in the HMS World Order.

Piss in a Bottle Sponsored By…
DMIC says…NASCAR announced new procedures for drug testing last week but fell short of making a list of banned substances. Shouldn't there be some chemicals that the experts can agree should be banned from the sport? NASCAR once again passed the buck to the teams for costs because NASCAR itself will only run the tests on drivers and their own officials. Pit crew members must be tested by the teams adding cost to their operations and also making it less effective since a team could find ways to skirt the rules. NASCAR did keep the best part of their old system and can test anyone with a NASCAR hard card based on suspicion. NASCAR also did the right thing with the toughest set of penalties in any sport! All that is left is to find sponsors for the tests and maybe even a live pay-per-view event complete with zipper cam!

LAM says… My only question is why are they waiting until next year. Start now and clean up whatever they suspect is going on which drove them to make a change anyway. What's the hold up NASCAR? Who are you waiting for to hit detox?

End of an Era at Petty
DMIC says…Will Petty Enterprises really replace Kyle Petty in the No. 45 car? Rumors abound that next season Michael McDowell or another young driver in the seat as they scurry for sponsors. Kyle has his own part time sponsor in Wells Fargo could we see him go back to racing with Felix Sabates again? Maybe its time for Kyle to step out of the car altogether and go into the commentators role full time. The Direct TV Hot Pass coverage combined with his work at TNT would give race fans a chance to hear the best former driver to be an announcer since Benny Parsons! While it is sad to see an end to the driving career of Kyle Petty, those who are fans of his have fond memories of his good years behind the wheel.

LAM says… Its unfortunate that Kyle Petty was never truly in line to take over Petty Enterprises anyway. It was shown to him this past year when he was left out of some major decisions such as moving their headquarters (The King had a meeting while Kyle was away and they all voted to move and not leave a forwarding address), or when he will or won't be in the car.
Kyle Petty openly admits that he still wants to drive stock cars. Just let him.

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