FanHouse Darlington

Because of the struggling economy, 2009 could be the best year in a long, long time to see a handful of NASCAR races for a great value.

Thanks to this whole recession thing, several tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit aren't exactly selling too many tickets at the moment, and the speedways have wisely dropped some prices trying to get people through the gate. Here's a few of the offers that would make some really great -- but really late -- stocking stuffers:

In case you missed last Saturday night's Dodge Challenger 400 at Darlington Raceway, Greg Biffle was fully dominating the first half of the Mother's Day weekend Sprint Cup event.

After sitting on the pole, Biffle led 95 laps -- the second-most to race winner Kyle Busch -- before being relegated to finish of 43rd due to a broken timing belt. Upon exiting, Biffle was nothing short of heated with the performance put forth by the efforts of his Roush Fenway Racing team.

"It is really frustrating, but, you know what, I've just come accustomed to expecting it because it's just week after week it's something. Something breaks. Something falls off. We've got wheels loose. We had wheels loose twice tonight," said Biffle.

Biffle has become so used to his problems in 2008 -- like these myriad of issues at Texas -- that it's obviously starting to drain on the driver who's up for a new contract after this season. In other words, could greener pastures be on Biffle's horizon?

The FanHouse spoke of this possibility last year, but now more than ever, Biffle seems to putting himself in line to leave the security blanket of racing known as Roush Fenway Racing. Remember, just one week prior to Darlington, Biffle said that he wasn't talking to other teams, and he's told the media that he was 90% sure he'd be back with Roush.

So what's with the harsh words, then?

Jeff Gordon ran a very respectable third on Saturday night in the Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway.

The only problem, though, was that Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch was much, much faster and cruised away with the win for the third time in 2008 to tie Carl Edwards for the most this year.

It was Gordon's highest finish since his third-place result at California in February and showed that the extensive testing work that Hendrick Motorsports' teams have combined to do has started to pay some dividends for the new race car.

It still, in Gordon's mind, wasn't enough:

"I wish I wasn't so darn competitive because you have no idea," said Gordon. "I am happy that we have a top-five and we are third, but also how frustrated I am because of how far off we are from winning races right now. We did the tire test here at Darlington and the No. 18 just kicked everybody's tails tonight."

Tails kicked, indeed.

Four of the 2008 season's first 11 races have gone to Joe Gibbs Racing and just one to Hendrick by way of Jimmie Johnson's win at Phoenix. Stats like that are a far cry from 2007 when Hendrick picked up seven wins up this point a year ago.

Whether it was jeers from a large contingent of Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans during driver introductions or a plethora of lug nut problems, Kyle Busch wasn't close to being contained Saturday night at Darlington Raceway. Busch, 23, drove to his seventh-career Sprint Cup win in the Dodge Challenger 500.

Busch's win in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 secured him as the youngest winner in the history of the 58-year-old speedway.

In the prerace ceremonies, Busch was heckled by Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans angry about last week's incident between the two at Richmond. Busch played right along as he waved his hands, cupped his ear to hear the crowd, and pretended to cry on his pre-race ride along tour. ThatsRacin' even says he flipped off a crew member from the No. 88.

All of that, of course, was before the green flag. Greg Biffle led the field to the green and proceeded to lead 95 laps before suffering a loose wheel and then a broken timing belt.

What: Dodge Challenger 500
Where: Darlington Raceway, Darlington, S.C.
When: Saturday May 10 (Green Flag Approx. 7:20pm/ET)
Distance: 367 laps, 501.3 miles
Weather: Sunny, then isolated showers after 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
2007 Winner: Jeff Gordon
Predictions: Keep Reading






Say Hello to the Lady - This will be Darlington Raceway's 58th consecutive year of hosting a NASCAR race after it all began when Harold Brasington decided that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway wasn't the only place in the world race fans would go to.

Darlington Raceway has apparently not lost a single bit of its dangerous edge.

At least three backup cars rolled off Sprint Cup haulers Friday afternoon after no less than 9 drivers had an incident in the practice sessions leading up to both qualifying on Friday night and Saturday night's Dodge Challenger 400. For the third week in a row, the cars will be impounded immediately after qualifying until the race.

Most notably of the four drivers heading to a backup car was Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson, who used his primary No. 48 in the early session, and then in the final practice, spun again. The damage to the backup will be repairable, though.

Additionally, Reed Sorenson and Paul Menard will head to a backup car before the qualifying session.

The wrecks came Friday on a weekend schedule for the Sprint Cup Series that differed quite a bit from the norm. Instead of simply practicing and qualifying on Friday and racing Saturday at Darlington, the teams were given extra track time Thursday afternoon and evening after the legendary speedway was repaved over the off season.

Last week's winner at Richmond Clint Bowyer, Kyle Petty, Denny Hamlin, David Ragan, and Robby Gordon all got a piece of the wrecking action as well on Friday. Numerous other cars earned a "Darlington Stripe" after scrubbing the wall. Hamlin ended the final session with the top posted lap speed.

Qualifying starts at 5:00pm/ET Friday live on SPEED.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has stated many a time that he's not one for controversy and stirring the pot like his father Dale Earnhardt used to.

Thursday at Darlington in preparation for Saturday night's Dodge Challenger, I can bet Junior was trying to just be done with the entire Kyle Busch incident, and said that Busch has a very similar driving style to the elder Earnhardt. Here's the quotes:

"On the racetrack, there may be some comparisons there," Earnhardt Jr. said Thursday. "He's fast ... he's slick, he's aggressive."

"That's the way dad raced and Kyle has that same style," Earnhardt Jr. continued. "Very aggressive."

Hmm. Bold statement, Mr. Earnhardt. Bold.

I definitely understand where Junior is coming from in this situation, but it seems a little over dramatic. Is Kyle Busch aggressive? Does trouble to seem follow him? Is controversy nearly a synonym for his name?

Well, because I answered "Yes" to my own three questions, I'm going to have to say that on track, Busch can be very similar. Earnhardt was the only driver that I had even seen race for position in 43rd like he was going for the win.

Busch can do, and has done, the same.

I think Earnhardt Jr. makes a valid description, but after the week of Kyle Busch vs. Dale Jr. comments after their incident at Richmond, I'd like to hear your side. What say you?

Is Kyle Busch the next Dale Earnhardt?

1. Jeff Gordon - The last time the FanHouse picked a Hendrick driver to win, the occasion was Easter. Since then, Hendrick Motorsports has won 3 of 4 races. We're getting on the bandwagon late, but how can you pick against them in a COT race? And Gordon has a pretty nice record at Darlington.

2. Greg Biffle - It's been two wins out of the last two tries for the Biff at Darlington. COT or not, he's been stout there, and it's a nice way for Ford to show that it actually races in the Nextel Cup Series again.

3. Jimmie Johnson - Before Biffle's 2-fer, Johnson had the same feat, winning two in a row. Can you honestly pick against those eyebrows -- ever?

Darlington Speedway track president Chris Browning is really happy this morning. His historic race track in central South Carolina is getting fresh pavement, concrete pit stalls, and a larger infield access tunnel. Among other improvements, this $10 million project is the second large investment that parent company International Speedway Corporation has put into the track in the past two years.

"I think that this shows the commitment our company has to this racetrack," Browning said. "If you really look at the scope of what they approved, the track surface was really what needed attention."

That's all fine and dandy, but I'm looking for one improvement that wouldn't cost a dime.

The new pavement? It's a needed investment, as much as some drivers don't think it is. The track apparently met with Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton during a recent Goodyear tire test and discussed what needed to be done. In my book, if you've got the Jeff and Jeff approval, you're good to go.

After all, weren't they two driver who battled for one of the most memorable Southern 500 finishes ever in 1997?

Oh, wait, what was that? Southern 500? Why can't we have that improvement too?

Sure, it's been written about, complained about, and discussed many, many times. But eventually, you would think that NASCAR would listen. That static noise about one of NASCAR's forgotten crown jewels can't end, because one day, they'll have to listen. I'm not patient with having a single date there -- unless one of those falls on an early fall weekend.

NASCAR and Labor Day don't equal California, they equal the sandy soil of South Carolina.

So yesterday, I harped on NASCAR's -- err, I mean ISC's -- plan to drop the current Washington track idea. And today, I've got more food for thought on the future of NASCAR.

The Roanoke Times said today that NASCAR has finally admitted that the sport's growth spurt has leveled. They use the term "stagnant", and I use the term "duh".

Which part of the fact that TV ratings have been down for over a year didn't tell that story last season? Wasn't it NASCAR CEO Mr. Brian France who said last year that "we're not too concerned about it and frankly expected it" when asked about dwindling TV ratings? Is that why ISC's stock price has dropped -- an expected leveling of fans?

Honestly, I'm doubting its a leveling of ratings as fans, but rather a loss of old die-hards and gaining of a few with an interest as to what NASCAR is all about.

I still remember the good ol' days. You know, the ones where Darlington still had a Southern 500 and California was only a road course and some other track for two total dates a year. New York City was the place for a banquet and Rockingham wasn't just a place to test. Know what's different about then (yes, that was less than five years ago) and now?