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NASCAR Natalie

Turn 4 Transitions
by Natalie Anthony

LifeLock 400
June 15, 2008 (Sunday) - 2:15 pm (ET) - TNT


Happy Father's Day!

It seems as though only a few drivers are earning their keep this season. Out of the 14 races NASCAR Sprint Cup has hosted this season, three different drivers have won a total of nine of them. With the current momentum of all three, I don't foresee too much of a change the rest of the season. There may be the addition of a driver or two that will win a couple races this season, but the Top three race winners will probably remain the same; Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, and the newest entry Kasey Kahne.

Front Line Finishers

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Hendrick Motorsports - Chevrolet
Point Standings: 3rd
Dale may not be winning any races this season, but his consistency is sure paying off. He is ranked 3rd in the points standings. That has to say something about his performance. Dale may have a chance this Father's day to pay tribute to the Father of NASCAR Dale Earnhardt Sr. Dale Jr's record at MIS shows that he is starting to understand his way around the 2 mile track. Junior placed 5th in the June and 12th in the August races.

Carl Edwards
Roush Fenway Racing Motorsports - Ford
Point Standings: 4th
Oh Carl. Oh how you come so close to winning and than are sadly denied. Carl is the past winner for the June race at Michigan with a follow performance of 7th in the August race. Fear not my flipping friend, for you may grasp that checkered flag yet again this Sunday night.

Denny Hamlin
Joe Gibbs Racing - Toyota
Point Standings: 5th
Denny may not have had the performance that he is known for at Pocono, but this weekend at Michigan will give him the opportunity to make up some lost ground from last Sunday. Denny's past history proves that he can bank on a Top 10 finish at MIS. Denny hasn't won at this scenic track his last four starts, but coming in 5th at the June race puts him much closer to finalizing a win.

Tony Stewart
Joe Gibbs Racing - Toyota
Point Standings: 12th
Tony is considered a late bloomer for winning races in a NASCAR Sprint season, but if he waits any longer, he will not be in contention for the chase for the cup in September if he doesn't man up. Tony could possibly maintain his points position if he sticks with his recent finishes at MIS. Tony has a whopping 12 Top 10 finishes out of 18 starts at the D-shaped track. Not going around in circles this Sunday.

Last Lap Challengers

Martin Truex Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Incorporated - Chevrolet
Point Standings: 16th
Martin, quite frankly, should be ranked in the section above, but I generally stick to a Top 4 format. So, you can consider him the runner up because of his minimal experience at MIS (4 races). Martin did finish 2nd both races last season. Maybe Martin can put the #1 car in the number one spot this time out. If not, see you in August for a re-do.

Casey Mears
Hendrick Motorsports - Chevrolet
Point Standings: 26th
Haven't seen a lot of the Hendrick boys up front this season, but Casey may be one of the underdogs who will be celebrating a little bit more than his teammates on Sunday. Casey has had almost back to back Top 10 finishes for the 2007 season. He came in 4th for the summer race and 11th for the fall race. If you average the two races out, he actually did have Top 10 finishes.

Bottom 35 Feeders

Juan Pablo Montoya
Chip Ganassi Racing - Dodge
Point Standings: 20th
Wow is Juan on fire this season. But you know I don't mean as far as his driving ability. Last weekend at Pocono, marks the 2nd time this season that Juan has had to quickly remove himself from the #42 car because for some strange reason it had caught on fire. This race is another one where he will go up in smoke. Juan showed his rookie strips last season by wrecking in one race and finishing 23rd in the other.

Elliott Sadler
Gillett Evernham Motorsports - Dodge
Point Standings: 28th
Too bad Elliott is not sharing in the winning success of teammate Kasey Kahne. Elliott's running at Michigan is not his best. His best finish in the last three years was 8th and that really was three years ago. I am not saying any of the other Gillett Evernham drivers are going to do great things this weekend, but Elliott is the one who will finish the worst.

Track Stats
Michigan International Speedway (Brooklyn, MI) - MIS
LifeLock 400
(Sister Tracks - Lowe's, California, Texas, Kansas
Dover, Chicagoland, Homestead-Miami, Darlington, & Atlanta)

Michigan 400
(June 17, 2007)
Top 10 Results
1. Carl Edwards
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Tony Stewart
4. Casey Mears
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
6. Kyle Busch
7. Kevin Harvick
8. Jamie McMurray
9. Jeff Gordon
10. Michael Waltrip


3M Performance 400
(August 21, 2007)
Top 10 Results
1. Kurt Busch
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Denny Hamlin
6. Dave Blaney
7. Carl Edwards
8. Brian Vickers
9. Bobby Labonte
10. Tony Stewart

Reader Board
"Is Jamie McMurray going to get the boot next season?"
Adrian - Washington DC

Well, as you know, Roush Fenway Racing does have to lighten their load of drivers by one by the end of the 2009 NASCAR season. At this point in the season and without foreseeing the performance of the five teams next year, it is hard to determine who will go. Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle and possibly Matt Kenseth are drivers that will be hanging around for awhile. As for the rest of the bunch, your guess is as good as mine about who will be homeless next season.
-NASCAR Natalie

Post questions & comments to:
NASCARNATALIEANTHONY@yahoo.com




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