STOCK CAR PIT PASS - Race News Without A Restrictor Plate

June 26, 2007

MPG Instead of MPH
Making the Grade-Infineon
By Dennis Michelsen
It was time to turn right and left through the hills of wine country! Infineon Raceway provides race fans and NASCAR drivers with something completely different every season. This year the race was more about miles per gallon and less about miles per hour!

Pace Laps

Do we really need 51/2 hours of pre-race stuff?

TNT gets credit for their Pride of NASCAR series

Why was NASCAR so much against Kyle doing in-car reports?

NASCAR loves these hard tires because anyone can win in a fuel mileage race!

Congrats to support race winners David Gilliland (NASCAR West), Steve Fensler Jr (Legends Invitational), and Alex Kennedy (Pro Division Legends Invitational)

Nextel Cup- Michigan International Raceway

1. Juan Pablo Montoya
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Jeff Burton
4. Clint Bowyer
5. Greg Biffle
6. Tony Stewart
7. Jeff Gordon
8. Kyle Busch
9. Boris Said
10. Denny Hamlin

F for Goodyear and NASCAR
Why can't we see the best team and driver combo win more often? Use of these hard tires turns too many races into fuel mileage events. While this allows guys like Montoya and Casey Mears to pull off surprise wins, it leads to strange racing in my opinion.

D for Matt Kenseth
This is the only kind of racing where Matt Kenseth struggles. Perhaps it is time for Matt to get some more road course experience. It is almost painful to watch Kenseth in action every season at Infineon and Watkins Glen.

C for Juan Pablo Montoya
How the heck did this car make it on fuel mileage? Juan Pablo Montoya showed excellent road racing skills but would have been an also ran if not for fuel mileage that was better than everyone else!

B for Robby Gordon
Robby Gordon might be the best road course racer to ever race in NASCAR! If he had the best equipment Robby Gordon might out do the other Gordon's remarkable record at the road courses. Once again Robby had a better race than finish thanks to gas mileage.

A for Jeff Gordon
Rallying from back in the pack to finish in the top ten earns our point leader the top grade today. Crew Chief Steve Letarte will no doubt earn a four to six week "vacation" from NASCAR after his car failed inspection, but the pit strategy used to rally for a top ten and Jeff Gordon's hard driving earns this team the top grade again this week.

Tuesday on Race Talk Radio
8 pm Eastern-ASALMS Radio and Down on the Farm-Each week the best in minor league racing is profiled including the news from the cars and stars of the ASA Late Model Series. Host Dennis Michelsen interviews the drivers, series promoters, and others making news at local short tracks all over the country.

9pm Eastern-Inside the ARCA RE/MAX Series-Host Mike Harper brings you the news from inside the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Since 1953 the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) has featured some of the best stockcar racing in the country! Meet the drivers making news in the ARCA RE/MAX series every Tuesday night.