FanHouse Busch Series

The Essentials
Coverage: ESPN on ABC @ 3:00pm/ET
Green Flag: 3:45pm/ET
Distance: 312 laps/312 miles/500 kilometers
Other: Follow it on ESPN360 if available
Venue: Phoenix Int'l Raceway, sold out

Keep These in Mind...
1) Chasing Dreams - The second-to-last round of the Jeff and Jimmie Show: 2007 gets underway with the green flag. It's simple, Jeff Gordon has to overcome a 30-point margin in the next two races to win his fifth Nextel Cup title. Johnson has to beat him to claim his second.

Johnson averages a finish of one spot higher than Gordon at Phoenix, but Gordon was the last to win at the track in April.

2) Three-peat? Kyle Busch could become the first driver in NASCAR history to win in all three divisions on the same weekend. Busch took the victory in Friday night's Craftsman Truck Series race and followed that up with a Busch Series win Saturday night at PIR.

He starts 38th Sunday at Phoenix in the Nextel Cup race.

3) A Flavor of Indy in the Desert - For just the third time in history (thanks, Jayski!), three former winners of the Indianapolis 500 are in Sunday's race. Sam Hornish Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya, and Jacques Villeneuve all made the field.

Add in former open wheel drivers Patrick Carpentier, Casey Mears, Robby Gordon, and Tony Stewart and you see very quickly how quickly NASCAR has become the all-around proving ground for drivers.

4) Truex Strong in Practice - Martin Truex Jr. starts second at Phoenix but had the car to beat in Happy Hour practice yesterday. He ran the fastest lap of the session, followed by Kasey Kahne, Casey Mears, David Stremme and Jeff Gordon.

Chase point leader Jimmie Johnson was seventh on the time sheet.

So that Thursday announcement didn't pan out.

But the the Friday one certainly will. (At 12:30pm EST, actually!)

That announcement also won't likely carry any new news along for Lowe's Motor Speedway vs. Concord City Council, either, as Speedway Motorsports CEO Bruton Smith is expected to announce a purchase of Bob Bahre's independently owned track in New England -- New Hampshire International Speedway.

On Friday, Smith is expected to announce only the purchase of the track in Loudon, N.H., and not speculate on any plans to move either of its two Nextel Cup Series race dates, multiple sources said.

Smith has previously stated his desire to add a second Cup date to his track in Las Vegas. He also has expressed interest in an earlier date for his second Texas race to avoid a conflict with the opening of white-tail deer hunting season.

Yes, you read that correctly -- to avoid a conflict in Texas with not an open wheel race, a Cowboys game, or a rodeo but rather white-tail deer hunting season.

Think that just threw out every stereotype that the NASCAR bigwigs in Daytona have been trying so hard to abandon? You can bet Brian France is cringing to hear that a track owner is trying to help the fans that don't drink martinis or Perrier -- but rather is making them us a priority.

And to think, just Tuesday, I was questioning Bruton's commitment to the fans. (And well, I probably still would if he moves LMS, but as for now, he's got some points in my book.)

But the real announcement on this issue, apparently, isn't being made Friday at Texas Motor Speedway.

We've seen and heard the battle that the City of Concord (N.C.) and Lowe's Motor Speedway have had in the past month.

Thursday could be the day of reckoning on whether or not LMS' parent company, Speedway Motorsports Inc., and CEO Bruton Smith will either ruin yet another fantastic piece of the NASCAR history (remember North Wilkesboro?) or if he will remember the fans that earned his his wealth and keep the legendary speedway.

From NASCAR.com's Ron Lemasters:

There is talk of an announcement on Thursday that will go a long way toward determining if Lowe's Motor Speedway will remain in its present location or go on the road to a neighboring community, as Smith has threatened.

I honestly feel a little bit sick to my stomach knowing that such a place could potentially be leveled -- and for what, a billionaire owner on a power trip?

That really sounds like a track owner who is touch with the fans.

The city council has given Smith the go-ahead to build a NHRA drag strip, are willing to help with tax incentives on new building projects at LMS, and most importantly -- they want to rename a street already named "Speedway Boulevard" to "Bruton Smith You Are Our King Street" (or at least something or the sort).

What else could he possibly want? (other than some Carolina-fave Bojangles Famous Chicken 'n' Biscuits, of course)

That didn't take long.

NASCAR confirmed Sunday morning at Atlanta Motor Speedway that they will switch to the new generation race car in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The new car (I'm tired of calling it the Car of Tomorrow when its here today) will be raced full-time in the top NASCAR series next season.

"We're working on an '09 [Nationwide] car," Bodine said. "[Having it ready for] '09 is tentative. It's not set in stone but we're working on it. We've informed some of the Busch owners and we've got a prototype at the R&D center."

"There will be a different body style and different aerodynamic package," Bodine said. "We're working on all that stuff. We're just not there yet, still working through all that process.

Sporting several new safety features, a rear wing, and a front splitter, the next generation chassis and body style brought hope that NASCAR would finally apply some clarity and definition between the Sprint Cup Series and the Nationwide Series.

Instead, NASCAR will revert back to the old thinking of running two series that are hardly different, which will continue to lead to insane amounts of Cup regulars parading the Nationwide Series (formerly Busch).

The safety additions are without a doubt a good idea, but let's hope Bodine is right in that they will use a different body style and aerodynamics.

What happened to this fun idea?

NASCAR fans now a few more good examples of why NASCAR racing will never get boring after the steaming weekend at California Speedway -- for they know that at any time anything can happen in NASCAR.


Brad Keselowski, Ricky Rudd (as the video shows at 0:16) and Michael Waltrip are feeling why today.

Waltrip was the only driver of the three that had a faint idea that his race was about to end early when the left-front tire finally cut down entering turn three during Sunday night's Sharp Aquos 500, sheering an oil line and igniting the No. 55 Napa Toyota. Luckily, Waltrip was able to get out in time -- but not very quickly.

Rudd's fortunes weren't as obvious.

It's been a rumor on the Fanhouse for a quite a while now, but now it seems we're getting some validation.

Joe Gibbs Racing has an announcement scheduled for next week that is supposed to involve Toyota, according to ESPN.

Joe Gibbs Racing is expected to announce next week it will join Toyota beginning next season, sources told ESPN.com.

A news conference has been scheduled for Wednesday morning at JGR headquarters. Expected to be in attendance are team drivers Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin.

JGR, which boasts a three-car lineup that will include Stewart, Hamlin and Kyle Busch next season, is leaving General Motors after 16 years. The team earned three series championships, including two with Stewart, under the GM banner.

All three of those championships, of course, have come within the last seven seasons as well, making one believe that there is quite a bit of cash being thrown around by Toyota.

For JGR fans, this move has to go down a little bit uneasy after all the problems we've seen in Toyota's Nextel Cup debut. From aerodynamics to a lack of engine performance, Toyota just hasn't solved a lot of the big issues this season.

Will JGR's experience and engineering department be a tremendous asset to Toyota? You betcha.

But I'll go out on a limb right now -- a pretty short limb, that is -- and guarantee that JGR won't run out to the same start that they got in 2007 during the 2008 campaign.

According to Greg Biffle, his lack of appearance in the press box following the Kroger 200 at O'Reilly Raceway Park was due to a misunderstanding.

The Roush driver was fined $5,000 and placed on probation through the end of the year. He apologized Wednesday.

"I talked to every reporter on pit road, which included television, radio and print. I also offered to stay and speak to any other media member at the track. I believe there was a misunderstanding on my part as to how we would be getting to the press box, and at the time it seemed that we would be trying to walk in the opposite direction of thousands of fans trying to exit the grandstands," said Biffle.

But then again, how did Jason Leffer, Saturday night's winner, make it to the media room?

I think its fair to say NASCAR went a little more lenient than the last media snafu than with Biff's case for a few reasons.

He did actually talk to some reporters after the race and he didn't use a radio show to rip NASCAR's integrity. For the most part, NASCAR isn't a fan of that behavior.

There must have been a sale on mergers in the month of July.

Ginn Racing led off with their merge with DEI, Robert Yates Racing hooked up with Newman-Haas and like 15 other people, and today, both Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing added some depth to their Busch Series programs.

That depth for Hendrick Motorsports came in the form of a pact with JR Motorsports. The hard and fast facts are that Hendrick will ultimately ship its program to the JR Motorsports shop with about 30 employees and also supply engines, chassis, setup, and some sweet talent.

For Richard Childress Racing, Kevin Harvick Inc. will "take a more active role in increased technical alliance with regard to testing, aerodynamics, suspension and chassis" on the Busch side according to a statement from RCR.

Carl Edwards is tearing up the Busch Series.

He's averaged 163 points per race in the first 12 races this season, giving him a 433 point lead over distant Kevin Harvick.

Harvick knows all about the dominance in the Busch Series. After all, he wrapped up the 2006 title at Lowe's Motor Speedway last fall -- a full four races before the end of the season.

Edwards was second to Harvick at that point, and if he would have led the most laps and won the last four events, Harvick would still have won the championship by 15 points had Harvick not raced another lap.

Now, Cousin Carl seems to be heading in that direction.

The lone bright spot on the race track in recent memory for Kyle Busch came last Saturday night when the "Shrub" finished 5th in Phoenixin his Cup car. Saturday at Phoenix, as the picture shows, emphasized the luck Busch has had lately.

At Texas two weeks ago, Busch wrecked hard in turn 2 during Saturday Cup practice, forcing him into a backup for the race. The backup car fared no better after Busch banged up his wrist after planting the car's nose in the rear of end of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car after a Tony Stewart spin.

Busch has struggled to win a Busch Series race this season, and Phoenix was no different after Ryan Newman turned him into the wall on the frontstretch. Things were looking up for the younger Busch after the top 5 in a Cup car, but then he returned to Talladega -- and his Busch Series ride.