Pete's Pit Stop : CBSSports.com Blogs

New Points System on Horizon

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 8:15:07 EST

Here we go again.

Those fans who have tired of the seemingly endless string of changes that have come into the NASCAR world in recent years won't like the potential news of yet another massive modification to big league stock car racing.

Forget about rumored tweaks to the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship system. By all accounts it appears NASCAR is ready to overhaul its entire points system and scrap a format that has been in place since 1975.

Speculation is NASCAR will replace the current system and implement championship points for every race with a 43-1 formula, meaning the race winner will receive the maximum 43 while last place gets one point. How bonuses for laps led and most laps led in a race will work out have yet to be determined but the new plan will at the very least simplify numbers and how they are distributed.

Drivers Can Only Run for Title in One Series

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 1:00:31 EST

Any hope of NASCAR keeping its new policy regarding Sprint Cup drivers and their eligibility to compete for a Nationwide title under wraps are over.

Even though the sanctioning body remains tight-lipped about the plan to enforce drivers to declare for one and only one championship in 2011, wording on this year's competitor license application has confirmed what has been rumored for weeks.

Veteran driver Kenny Wallace told NASCAR.com about the new declaration policy after he received his application to apply for a 2011 license which read:

"A driver will only be permitted to earn driver championship points in one (1) of the following three series: NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide or NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Please select the series in which you would like to accumulate driver championship points. Choose one."

Shoot the Shootout

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 16:24:49 EST

NASCAR could take a big step in tightening up the season and in turn whetting fans' appetites for racing by finding ways to shorten the schedule.

One easy fix is to consider the elimination of the Budweiser Shootout.

Simply put the Shootout has outgrown its welcome and is really an unnecessary part of the season. What started as the "Busch Clash" back in 1979 has evolved into an unsightly mess that really has no rhyme or reason.

The Shootout originally was an "all-star" event open to pole winners from the previous Sprint Cup season. Winning a pole at one of the regular season events punched a driver's ticket to the "Shootout" and was for a time a prestigious way to award each week's fastest qualifier.

Wrong Choice for Driver of the Year

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:06:17 EST

A panel of twenty esteemed media members bestowed the 2010 "Driver of the Year Award" to Jimmie Johnson.

Simply put my colleagues made the wrong choice.

No driver had a better performance in the past year than Kyle Busch, who won an amazing 24 races across all three of NASCAR's national divisions with victories in the Sprint Cup Series (3), Nationwide Series (13) and the Camping World Truck Series (8).

Busch set the single season Nationwide Series victory mark with his 13 triumphs, shattering Sam Ard's previous record. He won half of the 16 truck series starts he made for a .500 average. In its first year, Kyle Busch Motorsports also won the truck series owner's points title on the strength of the boss' performance.

Petty Stays in the Game

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:26:34 EST

The Petty name has been a part of NASCAR since the sport's beginnings more than sixty years ago.

Thanks to some financial wheeling and dealing it will remain a part of big league stock car racing for the immediate future.

Richard Petty Motorsports was saved when a group of investors led by Medallion Financial Group and DGB Investments came to agreement to relieve the embattled race team from the mountain of debt compiled by former owners George and Foster Gillett and allow the organization to move forward with plans to continue competing in the Sprint Cup Series.

The financial collapse of Gillett put the Petty operation on the very brink of extinction and the very real possibility of the team closing its doors for good after the Homestead season finale seemed imminent. Many wondered if Petty would go the way of other legendary NASCAR figures who tried their hand at ownership only to walk away from the sport.

Hendrick Shuffles the Deck

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 20:22:04 EST

Only two days removed from a fifth straight Sprint Cup Series championship and tenth overall, Rick Hendrick basically blew up his organization.

Hendrick has decided to shuffle every one of his crew chief-driver combinations with the exception of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus in an effort to make the entire operation stronger.

The search for chemistry is one of the most daring science experiments in the history of NASCAR.

When the 2011 Cup season rolls around it will be veteran Mark Martin paired with former Dale Earnhardt Jr. crew chief Lance McGrew, Jeff Gordon working with Alan Gustaffson and Earnhardt Jr. tied with Steve Letarte. The famous "2-4-8" shop, which has housed the Johnson/Gordon combo for years, will now see Junior's No. 88 squad bunk with Johnson's title winning team while the Gordon and Martin entries work together in another building on the massive Hendrick campus.

Charting the Chase - Homestead

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:42:03 EST

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - The curtain came down on the 2010 Sprint Cup Series season Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway and with it the championship dreams of everyone except Jimmie Johnson were officially to put to rest:

(1st) - Carl Edwards

Goes into the off-season with back-to-back victories to savor and has laid early claim as perhaps the man who could unseat Johnson's run for a sixth straight title.

(2nd) - Jimmie Johnson

Charting the Chase - Phoenix

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 18:38:42 EST

AVONDALE, Ariz. - You could probably hear the sound of high five slaps from NASCAR headquarters in Daytona Beach Sunday after the checkered flag flew in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick are separated by only 46 with the top two only fifteen apart - the closest margin in the history of the Chase format:

(1st) - Carl Edwards

Made a big statement over the weekend with his Nationwide and Sprint Cup race sweep that he'll be a championship contender in 2011 and Roush Fenway Racing is back on track from its early season problems.

(4th) - Greg Biffle

Next Big Thing - Again

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:04:35 EST

AVONDALE, Ariz. - If you haven't heard of Travis Pastrana there's a good chance you're under the age of, oh about twenty.

But he's a worldwide household name among the younger set who have followed his exploits on either motorcycles or in the X-Games or in rally racing.

Next year he'll throw his hat into the NASCAR arena and no doubt his millions of fans will follow him.

Just how long he'll stay there however is very much in doubt.

Charting the Chase - Texas

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:26:35 EST

If you missed Sunday's race at Texas Motor Speedway you have my apologies. The AAA texas 500 had just about anything a race fan could want and then some including a shake-up of the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings with only two races to go:

(1st) - Denny Hamlin

Became first driver to sweep Texas since Carl Edwards in 2008 and in the process took over the Sprint Cup point lead by 33 over Jimmie Johnson. The good news for Hamlin is the driver leading the points with two races to go has won every Chase since its inception in 2004.

(2nd) - Matt Kenseth

Nationwide News

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 11:33:46 EDT

Even with the closest point battle in the history of the Chase for the Sprint Cup after seven races rolling into Texas Motor Speedway this weekend it's the Nationwide Series that is capturing the most headlines.

CBSSports.com has learned NASCAR is very close to making a decision on what level Sprint Cup regulars will be able to participate in the Nationwide Series next year with a formal announcement said to be one or two weeks away. Speculation is the plan will allow Cup drivers to compete in an unlimited number of Nationwide events but not be eligible for the championship. Drivers planning on competing full-time in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide schedules will need to declare which of the two titles they will compete for in 2011.

Charting the Chase - Talladega

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 23:39:02 EDT

The race thought of as the "Wild Card" of the Chase was just that - pretty wild, especially at the finish. When the smoke cleared (literally) the championship standings were the closest with seven races in the book since the Chase was introduced in 2004:

(1st) - Clint Bowyer

How important is that 150 point penalty Bowyer was assessed after the New Hampshire infractions? He has no chance of winning this year's championship but enjoyed a sweet Halloween treat with his win Sunday at Talladega.

(2nd) - Kevin Harvick

Thanks Hunter

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 10:41:46 EDT

The passing of long-time NASCAR official Jim Hunter is more than the sad loss of a family man who spent his life contributing to the world of racing. It's also the the end of an era to be sure.

Hunter (no one who knew him well called him Jim) was as Old School as they come, a former sports writer who moved into the PR and track management game at his beloved Darlington Raceway before heading up NASCAR's public relations efforts for years. With Hunter it was all about the relationship - between drivers, media, track presidents, PR reps hell even maintenance people. A smile, a handshake, a pat on the back, a dirty joke or two and a smile was how Hunter got the job done. And he did it in a way that will be sorely missed in today's very non-personal age of iPhones, Blackberries and Twitter.

Charting the Chase - Martinsville

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 17:28:59 EDT

Denny Hamlin had Martinsville Speedway in his radar since the beginning of the Chase. Sunday in the TUMS Fast Pain Relief 500 he showed why.

Hamlin continued his mastery of what he considers his home track with his third straight win and in the process did exactly what he said he'd o - shaved Jimmie Johnson's lead in the Sprint Cup Series point standings.

Hamlin's victory cut his deficit to only six points behind Johnson with four races to go but he wasn't the only one who improved his title hopes. Kevin Harvick's third place finish pulled him to within 62 of the top spot:

(1st) - Denny Hamlin

More to the Story

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:49:21 EDT

At first glance Kasey Kahne's early exit from Richard Petty Motorsports isn't that big of a surprise. Kahne isn't the first driver to leave an organization before his contract officially expires to get a jump on next season. We've seen several high-profile drivers in recent years make an early exodus from their lame duck status in attempt to get a head start on the next phase of their careers.

But dig a little deeper and the story reveals some bigger issues and the potential for disaster at Richard Petty Motorsports. Kahne's unhappiness with the organization, which came to a head after last Saturday night's race in Charlotte when he left the track after crashing with Sam Hornish Jr. but not before voicing his frustration about what he believed to be inferior equipment and the lack of leadership within the team, was something made known months prior.

Charting the Chase - Charlotte

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 23:58:33 EDT

The Chase hit the halfway mark and although a non-Chaser spoiled the party with Jamie McMurray's win, the race for the championship stretched out even further. Jimmie Johnson's miraculous comeback coupled by the myriad of problems that plagued his competitors gave the four-time champion another step toward an unprecedented fifth consecutive title:

(2nd) - Kyle Busch

Had one of the fastest cars all night and battled through a throttle issue that bothered Busch early in the race. Could not hold off th ehard-charging McMurray in the closing stages and was forced to settle for the runnerup finish.

(3rd) - Jimmie Johnson

Call to the Hall

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 7:20:00 EDT

The NASCAR Hall of Fame will welcome its second class next May and the five men nominated on Wednesday are all worthy candidates.

By naming Lee Petty, Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett, Bud Moore and David Pearson as the second class to be enshrined in the Hall, the committee struck the right balance of honoring those who helped build the sport while at the same time excelling as participants.

The voting process for the Hall should not be a popularity contest. There were perhaps more recognized names on this year's list of nominees - everyone of them worthy of enshrinement with due time - but the group that will go in next spring is what I believe to be a perfect cross-section of the sport.

Enshrinement in the HOF isn't simply a process of looking at statistics, numbers and career records and then punching someone's ticket to enter. Other contributions to the sport both on and off the track are an important part of the criteria and that appears to have been paramount in the committee's mind this year.

Charting the Chase - Fontana

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 18:57:49 EDT

Race number four of the Chase turned out to be maybe the best race at Auto Club Speedway in the track's Sprint Cup Series history. The reduced distance of 400 miles seemed to raise the intensity level from February's 500-mile grind at the two-mile track and by the end of the afternoon the final results had major implications on the 2010 championship picture:

(1st) Tony Stewart

Cross Auto Club Speedway off Smoke's list of tracks where he hadn't scored a Cup win until his victory Sunday afternoon which put the two-time champion right back in this year's championship hunt. Stewart now finds himself 107 points out of the lead with six races left to decide this year's title.

(2nd) Clint Bowyer

Charting the Chase - Kansas

Sun, 03 Oct 2010 17:57:38 EDT

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The third race of the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup at Kansas Speedway produced what some are calling a surprise winner. But Greg Biffle's victory in the Price Chopper 400 shouldn't be that much of a shocker. Remember this is a guy who won the first two races of the Chase in 2008 and also drove to victory lane at Kansas back in 2007. Everything added up for the Roush Fenway racing driver on Sunday who notched his second win of the 2010 season.

Here's a look at how all twelve Chase drivers fared Sunday in the Sunflower State:

1st - Greg Biffle

Came into the weekend one of the bottom four in the standings and leaves Kansas nearly cutting his deficit in half. Maybe more importantly with the plethora of mid-sized tracks left on the Chase schedule, Sunday's performance should give Biffle confidence moving ahead.

Charting the Chase - Dover

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 17:06:08 EDT

DOVER, Del. - Race number two of the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup belonged to Jimmie Johnson, who dominated Sunday's AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway. Johnson's win was good enough to pull him to within 35 points of series leader Denny Hamlin.

Here's a quick capsule on how the twelve Chase drivers fared Sunday at "The Monster Mile."

(1st) Jimmie Johnson - Put his 25th place finish in last week's Chase opener far in the rear view mirror with a commanding win to score the 53rd victory of his Sprint Cup career with 19 coming within the Chase.

(2nd) Jeff Burton - Stayed far away from the Richard Childress Racing controversy that swirled around Dover all weekend to notch a much-needed second place finish behind Johnson and lay claim that the veteran driver should not be forgotten as a title contender.

He Said, He Said

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 1:12:03 EDT

DOVER, Del. - The controversy surrounding Clint Bowyer's penalty following his New Hampshire win and subsequent appeal by Richard Childress Racing about the infraction has dominated the conversation this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Read: Penalized Bowyer says 'I wouldn't cheat for victory' Despite one of the best races in the history of the Chase to open the championship season last Sunday in New Hampshire, the topic has been all Bowyer, all the time here at "The Monster Mile."

NASCAR maintains Bowyer's car was out of bounds of its rule book when it was taken back to the sanctioning body's Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C. after last weekend's race. While that margin of error was reportedly 60/1000 of an inch past the accepted tolerance level of how the car's body should be attached to its chassis, NASCAR's stance remains it was still illegal.

Hammer Time

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:32:42 EDT

The feel good story of Richard Childress Racing and its turnaround season was doused with a big bucket of cold water on Wednesday when NASCAR levied one of the biggest penalties in the sport's history against Clint Bowyer and his New Hampshire race winning team. Bowyer penalized 150 points | Updated Chase standings Bowyer's car body was not properly located on the chassis per NASCAR's rule book and the sanctioning body came down hard. Although as has been NASCAR's policy over the years Bowyer's win will still stand, he was docked 150 championship points which basically evaporated any ground he made up in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings.

Bowyer had rocketed from the last berth in the twelve driver field to second only 35 points behind leader Denny Hamlin after he originally took the checkered flag in Sunday's Chase opener. After Wednesday's penalty he fell to the basement of the playoff field.

Charting the Chase - New Hampshire

Sun, 19 Sep 2010 17:11:54 EDT

A look at the twelve drivers in this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship and how they fared in Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

1st - Clint Bowyer

Fired the opening salvo in the Chase race with a dramatic win, taking advantage of Tony Stewart running out of fuel on the final lap, to score an important victory for one of the long shot championship favorites. Rocketed from 12th to 2nd in the standings.

2nd - Denny Hamlin

Chasing Dollars

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:31:54 EDT

On the eve of the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup NASCAR continues to be hammered by economic pressures. Sponsorship dollars, or more precisely the lack of that funding, is taking its toll on some of the biggest names in the sport.

Kyle Busch told the media Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway he may have to seriously consider shutting down his fledgling Camping World Truck Series team because he is having trouble finding sponsorship dollars. What started as a three truck plan at the beginning of the year has shrunk to primarily Busch campaigning his No. 18 ride which may disappear completely by 2011.

Busch is hardly alone. Tony Stewart has been searching for at least a half-season of 2011 sponsorship on his No. 14 Sprint Car ride after Old Spice informed Stewart-Haas Racing it would leave the team after this year. Jeff Gordon is in a similar boat with Hendrick Motorsports trying to augment the limited sponsorship schedule long-time backer DuPont will support next year.

Refreshingly Unique

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:33:45 EDT

On the eve of a new NFL season talk of a labor stalemate and lockout in 2011 filled the headlines. Are you ready for some football indeed.

Say what you will about NASCAR and the challenges the sport has faced in recent years, stock car racing doesn't have anywhere near some of the problems of its professional sports cousins.

It's rare when a NASCAR driver or crew member makes the police blotter, something that is a daily part of the either the NFL or NBA it seems. TMZ would probably fall asleep following a NASCAR driver around, most whose lifestyles are warm milk and cookies compared to some other pro athletes.

And since drivers are independent contractors, there is no NASCAR union or drivers' association so the words strike and lockout won't ever permeate the garage area.

Indy Car 2011 Schedule

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:44:54 EDT

The IZOD Indy Car Series will officially unveil its 2011 schedule at a Friday press conference but CBS Sports.com has learned what that slate will most likely look like.

All International Speedway Corporation tracks have vanished from the Indy Car calendar while Speedway Motorsports Inc. facilities in New Hampshire and Las Vegas join the fold added to other SMI properties in Texas and Sonoma. The Milwaukee Mile comes back after a one year absence and a new street circuit race in Baltimore will also debut in 2011.

In all 18 races will be held albeit at 17 different venues as Texas plans a doubleheader program.

Here's how the 2011 schedule should play out:

Locked and Loaded

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:06:21 EDT

I guess I can understand why NASCAR is contemplating changing the format of the Chase - again.

This year's version of the "Race to the Chase" is non-existent.

There is no drama on who the twelve drivers will be once the 2010 edition of NASCAR's playoffs kicks off in New Hampshire. The dozen that went into Sunday night's race at Atlanta are the same twelve that will begin the Chase in Loudon.

Jamie McMurray and Mark Martin thought they might have a shot at maybe overtaking Clint Bowyer for the final transfer spot, each coming into Labor Day weekend at about 100 points out. And though the optimists in the bunch point to Kasey Kahne coming from 90 behind to grab a Chase spot in 2006, the underdog run to the post-season won't happen this year.

Open Wheel Blues

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:00:03 EDT

I've received more than a few emails and other correspondence from readers who have labeled me an Indy Car hater.

Please allow me to defend those allegations.

If you've noticed I've been harsh on the American open wheel world in recent years you're right. The constant mismanagement and off the track maneuvers have more than soured my taste for Indy Car racing. Like all fans I lived through the IRL-CART war and thought after about fifteen years of madness things would get back on track once that nasty chapter in Indy Car racing ended.

I never expected any overnight cures. When something has been virtually destroyed there's no way for it to be replaced in any short order. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Busch Bash

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:47:39 EDT

I don't expect he's losing much sleep over it but criticism of Kyle Busch continues to flow this week.

While his feat of winning three NASCAR national series races in one weekend at Bristol remains an impressive performance in most everyone's eyes, Busch still has a long way to go for some as the complete package.

His celebrated run-in with Brad Keselowski in Friday night's Nationwide Series race and incident with Jennifer Jo Cobb in last Wednesday's truck series race, when Busch ran into the young driver's rear tailgate at full speed and spun her out, have raised the ire of not just a faction of fans but drivers as well.

Truck series point leader Todd Bodine stated "he had no respect" for Busch based on those actions even while acknowledging the triple win accomplishment. Veteran road racing specialist Boris Said was also critical of Busch saying he "would take him over his knee and spank him" if he could after his Bristol behavior.

Impact After All

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:50:51 EDT

Brian France said "impactful changes" were coming when NASCAR's 2011 schedules were released. They were this week and the NASCAR CEO was right depending on what your definition of impactful might be.

All the reported modifications on the Sprint Cup slate were made official when the schedule came out so there really weren't any surprises. The Kentucky, Atlanta, Auto Club and Kansas shuffles are all sorted out and the Chase begins in Chicago. Other than that a slide back here and a fast forward there is about all else fans will have in terms of change Cup-wise.

However NASCAR's second and third divisions' schedules bring a bit more of a drastic look to things when the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series calendars are thrown into the mix. Across NASCAR's top three divisions there are 41 straight weekends from February through November when one or more of the tours are in action.