Following Sunday’s race at Atlanta, ten of the twelve Chase drivers are set, with Greg Biffle needing to finish only 42nd or better at Richmond to be in, and Clint Bowyer needing a 28th or better to be in.  So with the field all but set, who’s your pick to win the 2010 Cup Series Championship?

Just in case you need a little reminder, here are the twelve drivers that will battle for the title over the final ten races (barring any last minute heroics by Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, or Mark Martin):

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Kyle Busch
4. Tony Stewart
5. Carl Edwards
6. Jeff Burton
7. Jimmie Johnson
8. Kurt Busch
9. Matt Kenseth
10. Denny Hamlin
11. Greg Biffle
12. Clint Bowyer

After Richmond, the points will be reset among the twelve, with the number of wins being the determining factor for who starts where in the standings and with how many points.  Right now, Johnson and Hamlin have the most wins, each with five, so they will be atop the standings heading to New Hampshire.

Now, with everything we’ve seen this season, and what we know of each of these drivers and how they race, who’s your champion?  Does Jimmie win a fifth straight?  Will a Childress driver finally break through?  Will Ford emerge over the last ten races?  Let’s hear it!

Also, both Journo and myself wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!

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Just two races until the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup and the NASCAR Silly Season rolls on. Robby Gordon Motorsports and Kevin Conway announced this week they would partner for the remaining races this season. Conway spent most of this season with Front Row Motorsports – the two parted ways two weeks ago. In other news, Hendrick Motorsports announced on Saturday Quaker State would be expanding their relationship to include four races on the #5 car with Mark Martin next season. Other sponsorship announcements with HMS are pending. And finally NASCAR announced this week the reorganization of their communications department. The sanctioning body is currently looking for a chief communications officer. This is the NASCAR week that was, September 5 to 11, 2010.

SMI’s Smith talks the business of selling tickets

New Daytona president Joie Chitwood looking forward to challenge of running NASCAR’s most famous track

Heat races in the Camping World Truck Series?

The Story Of How Little RAB Racing Beat The Big Boys

NASCAR hopes “Changing Lanes” show on BET can change perceptions; other shows coming

Vintage Insiders

The Teams You Won’t See on TV

Are Rotating Sponsors Affecting Your Interest?

**Remember if you have a NASCAR blog or website and would like a recent article you wrote featured in this section email me and you could be part of next week’s NASCAR Week That Was. Please only send stuff you have written.**

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The idea of multi-car qualifying is nothing new to motorsports.  Our readers who follow Formula 1 racing (or other open wheel series) know what I’m talking about.  It is however, a fairly new system for NASCAR.  We’ve seen the Nationwide Series use the process for road course races over the last few years, and this season the Truck Series has used it at Pocono and will again use it at Kentucky this weekend.  CBS Sports reported on Thursday that NASCAR may be considering implementing multi-car qualifying for both the NNS and Cup Series on a regular basis.  Is anyone else wondering why?

It appears that the main reason this system would be adopted by all the NASCAR series is to speed up the qualifying process.  That’s fine, but I didn’t realize there was a problem with how quickly qualifying happened.  This appears to me as something that isn’t necessarily broken, but NASCAR wants to fix it anyway.

Personally, my biggest objection with the multi-car qualifying idea is how fair this would be for everyone involved.  We’ve seen plenty of times in other forms of racing where one driver’s bonzai qualifying lap was ruined by another driver in the name of strategy.  With so much at stake, and the measures that teams go to in terms of finding an advantage, it isn’t crazy to think that this could happen in NASCAR.  Single car qualifying runs eliminate any possibility of tampering by another team.

On top of that, what if a driver blows an engine while qualifying, and the other driver on track drives into the oil left behind and wrecks their primary car?  A team could potentially have their weekend ruined before the race even starts.  How is that fair?  Under the system we have now, this would never happen, because NASCAR has the ability to clean the track in between qualifying runs.

With the current state of the sport I realize that NASCAR is trying to find ways to improve the racing and get more people to not only attend races, but also to watch on TV.  To me though, implementing multi-car qualifying will cause more problems then it actually fixes.

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NASCAR has perception problems – with fans, with the media (especially its own), and with the mainstream. It’s something I’ve written about twice (here and here). After spending what I’m sure was a lot of money on consultants, I think NASCAR finally believes it too – and they’re doing something about it.

This week they announced the reorganization of their communications department. According to Sports Business Journal:

Members of the communications team will be embedded in other departments, such as consumer, brand and corporate marketing, in an effort to broaden and help NASCAR’s communications efforts evolve both inside the sanctioning body and with the sport’s teams, tracks and sponsors.

What this means is NASCAR is going to be adding more PR people, what SBJ said could be 20 to the existing department of about 25, and hiring a chief communications officer. Among other things, this will, in theory, allow them to do a better job of shifting and crafting a more positive narrative for the sport. And lets be honest, the narrative has gotten away from them.

Right or wrong, we’re entrenched in a media environment that focuses heavily on the negative. I personally believe this has been the main contributing factor to the malaise among NASCAR fans – as Ed Hinton put it, NASCARmyalgia.

With the amount of negative coverage (and seemingly no coherent communications strategy from NASCAR), fans are just feeling down on the sport. There really isn’t one explanation either.  I refer you back to the Ed Hinton article. Pretty much all of the comments on the NASCAR PR story on SceneDaily.com went a little like this: “The product stinks. We don’t need NASCAR to spin things for us.”  It sounds good to say, but I’m not sure what there is to improve about the product (no one really articulated that). Maybe make the car look better? Shorten races?

I’m really at a loss for what’s so bad right now. I think a lot of people are. I certainly see issues, but I understand there have and always will be things wrong with NASCAR (just like every other sport). Nothing’s perfect. What I think we can improve on is how we talk about the sport.

For all NASCAR hopes to accomplish with this reorganization I think changing that conversation has got to be one of the top priorities. NASCAR is presenting a good product week in and week out, but if people aren’t seeing it, or interested in it, it really doesn’t matter.

We’ll see in the coming seasons whether this actually makes a difference, but it’s interesting to see how NASCAR is trying to improve things.

Oh, and if you need a job it sounds like NASCAR will soon be hiring…

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Is this week dragging by?  Don’t worry, a holiday weekend is approaching, and with it comes Truck Series action at Kentucky, and NNS and Cup racing at Atlanta!  While we wait for it to get here, we’ve got the 90th edition of ATIW for you.  If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here.  So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us.  On to the questions…

1. From Anonymous:

Training for pit crews, how is it done? Is UTI the only show in town? By the way great articles, very well written, has given me a much better understanding of NASCAR, and I haven’t watched my first race.

The UTI campus in Mooresville, also known as NTI, doesn’t actually specialize in pit crew training.  They are more about teaching guys to be mechanics.  They do offer a pit crew class as a part of their program, but it is very basic.  Performance Instruction & Training (PIT) in Mooresville does offer a much more comprehensive program for teaching people to go over the wall, as do a few other smaller programs.  Tire changer and TV analyst DJ Copp actually runs his own small program for teaching guys and providing pit crews for example.  Outside of that, some teams will have developmental pit crews they work with, or they will hand pick guys to bring in and train.  The opportunity also exists for some shop employees to come out and learn.  There are really several avenues for learning the skills. – T.C.

2. From Brandon:

Love the site! With the start and park drivers would NASCAR ever consider paying the purse based on laps completed? It seems if a team was only going to get 10% of the purse for running 10% of the laps it may eliminate some of the start and parking going on…

It’s certainly a novel idea. I think the big thing for NASCAR is not penalizing a team who competes every week and has bad luck but discouraging the practice of starting and parking. While this would certainly discourage the practice, as these teams wouldn’t be making much money off of this, it could also hurt a team trying to make a go of things. It’s definitely tough to find a perfect solution for this.- Journo

3. From Peter:

Sorry if this is a repeat question. Why do the gas can carriers always shake the empty can while timing down the balance of the second can?

What you are seeing when the catch can man is shaking the can is him signaling to the jackman that the car is full of fuel.  When the tank is full, fuel will run out of the vent tube on the back of the car and into the catch can.  Once the jackman sees the signal from the catch can man, and knows that his tire changers are finished, he will drop the jack and send his driver back to the race. – T.C.

4. From Craig:

With the NFL determined to go to an 18 game schedule, possibly pushing the Super Bowl deeper into February, do you think it will force NASCAR to change to the Daytona Speed Weeks schedule? Possibly going back to the old days when they started the season at another track before speed weeks to avoid a conflict with football?

It’s certainly possible that NASCAR would consider pushing the race back, or trying to accommodate the NFL if they pushed the post-season further into February. From the way I understand it though the NFL is just talking about taking away two pre-season games and starting the season earlier. If that happens it shouldn’t affect NASCAR’s schedule. – Journo

5. From Joe:

Have you heard anything about all of the engines NASCAR took to check for differences in horse power?

I know there weren’t any penalties associated with the check.  And since we haven’t seen any more about it, we can assume NASCAR decided everything was fine.  If they had found one manufacturer had a significant advantage over another, they would have made a rule change to level the playing field. – T.C.

6. From Brian:

With Petty saying this week that there will only be two cars, what was all the “exciting news” Petty, AJ, and Marcos talked about coming at each of there press conferences? What else is in store at RPM? Or is there nothing left to announce?

I’m sure what they were talking about were sponsor announcements. As far as I know they’re just going to be a two car team next season. – Journo

7. From Allen:

I’ve noticed when I attend Cup races if there was a Nationwide or Truck race the day/night before the “official” haulers are still in the infield. You know the ones with the giant Series logo’s on them, is there a reason they don’t leave with the team haulers?

As far as I know the Series haulers don’t generally return to North Carolina after races, so they aren’t in a hurry to leave the track like the teams are. They have to be at the next track early in the week, so they go straight from wherever they’re at to wherever they’re going. – Journo

8. From Michael:

“There was passion (and one middle finger), and boy was there carnage.” Who flipped the bird?

Steven Wallace to Ron Fellows. Here is the video – fast forward to 7:30. - Journo

9. From Michael in SoCal:

During Villeneuve’s last pit stop on Sunday, why was the catchcan kept in the car after the fueling was complete as they finished the four tire change?

Once the car is completely full, sometimes excess fuel will spill out of the vent tube.  Keeping the catch can in until the last minute means less of that fuel ends up on the ground.  Remember that it only takes one spark from a lugnut to set fuel on fire, and the less there is on pit road, the better it is for everyone involved.  Also, spilled fuel is very slippery, so by not allowing spillage, it also aids in keeping the crew members on their feet during the stop. - T.C.

10. From Marcus:

Do you guys know what the state of the new Cup car is? They were really talking about it alot and lately they haven’t said a thing about it. With only 12 races left this season you would think that if they really wanted to implement it they would be designing it and getting ready to test it but all I have heard is that they would like to make changes to the current car to make it look more like the new Nationwide car. Just wondering if you guys have any more info or if you have heard anything in the garage area lately. Thanks.

Changes to the COT have certainly been discussed, but we’ve heard probably not until the 2012 season.  NASCAR and the teams need enough time to properly test any proposed changes, and the teams would need time to implement these changes to their fleets. – T.C.

11. From Red Neck:

What type of coolant is used in NASCAR? Is it plain old water, anti-freeze or a mix?

Teams just use water to cool the engines.  Anti-freeze is not needed because the cars are never driven in conditions that would require it. – T.C.

12. From Mike:

At the near end of the Nationwide race in Montreal, Robby Gordon ran out of fuel. Nascar told him to pull over and park (I believe the grass area in turn 2). Was that a safe move? What if his car would have been hit? Or Robby!

Absolutely. Robby got out of the car. This is actually not at all uncommon in most road course racing series. This is why they have local cautions to alert drivers of an issue in a certain part of the course – this avoids unecessary full course cautions. While NASCAR doesn’t utilize the local caution, this was not a surprising move given there were only a couple of laps left. So to answer your question, Robby was safe and the drivers were all well aware of his car’s position on the track. – Journo

And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close.  Thanks to everyone who sent in questions.  And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!

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Roger Penske may have yet another star in the making in the person of young Parker Kligerman.  While everyone focuses on the continued presence of Cup drivers in Nationwide, and other prospects like Trevor Bayne, Kligerman has been quietly racing and finishing well.

So far this season, Kligerman has only seven starts in the Nationwide Series although he has attempted ten races.  He’s driven for underfunded Smith Ganassi Racing and gotten a few starts in Penske equipment masked as K-Automotive #26 Dodges.  While the three early season DNQs certainly don’t look good on his resume, his last four starts (Daytona, Chicago, Bristol, Montreal) all turned into very impressive runs.  After finishing 13th at both Daytona and Chicago, Kligerman has cracked the top ten in his last two races with a ninth at Bristol and an eighth at Montreal.  Not bad considering he was up against Cup regulars at Bristol and a slew of road course aces at Montreal.

Kligerman signed on as a Penske development driver for the 2009 season, and then spent the rest of the year dominating the ARCA RE/MAX Series.  He brought home nine wins and lost the championship battle to Justin Lofton by only five points.  His very good ARCA season earned him the opportunity to run two races for Penske in the Nationwide Series towards the end of ’09, and Kligerman again didn’t disappoint.  In his first ever NNS attempt, he sat on the pole, led laps, and brought his car home with a top 20 finish.

For 2010, Kligerman has been running a limited NNS schedule on very little support, but he is starting to make a very solid case for why Roger Penske & Co. should find a more permanent home for his future.  The young driver from Connecticut has been overshadowed this season by his Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Justin Allgaier, who currently sit first and fourth in the NNS championship standings, but his future appears to be no less bright.

Let’s hope a full slate of Nationwide races in a fully supported Penske car await Kligerman for 2011.

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Wow, what a race! Drama. Damage. And a drag race!

What we saw Sunday in Montreal is why we all enjoy watching racing. There was no anointed winner, leading the most laps led to disaster, and the best funded team didn’t win. There was passion (and one middle finger), and boy was there carnage.

What really got me excited though was the very large and very passionate crowd. Our friends to the north love NASCAR and I’m starting to think they deserve more than just one Nationwide race a year.

NASCAR entered the Canadian market in 2004 and has since expanded with the acquisition of the former CASCAR series (now the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series), and the staging of that one yearly event at Circuit Gilles Villenueve in Montreal.

Unlike their four year foray into Mexico, NASCAR’s Canadian event has remained quite popular. And it’s no wonder given the occasionally strange, and always entertaining events Circuit Gilles Villenueve produces.

Some last week were calling for NASCAR to bring a Cup Series event to the track. And I say why not? Given the Nationwide races we’ve seen at the track I’d love to see what kind of hijinks the Cup cars could get into on the 2.71 mile road course. But honestly I’d be fine with a Cup race anywhere in the country. I thinks the fans have earned it – I think they deserve it.

Have you heard about the proposed Canadian Motor Speedway in Fort Erie, Ontario (near Buffalo, N.Y.)? It’s nothing more than an idea right now, but the developers are working with Jeff Gordon and they’re in talks with racetrack architect Paxton Waters to build the one mile tri-oval. They’re still a ways from anything being built, but the potential is interesting.

In the meantime we have a perfectly good (or as I should say, exceptional) facility with a group of people who can’t get enough stock car racing. I’m always an advocate for bringing the sport to people who want to see it, so why isn’t NASCAR doing more?

As we just wrapped up the scheduling for 2011 and saw what could have been pretty big changes turn into some cosmetic moves, we got a front row view of the politics involved.

NASCAR is privately owned by the France family. The France family is the majority shareholder (with 70% of the voting stock) in the publicly traded International Speedway Corporation. And then we have Bruton Smith and his publicly traded Speedway Motorsports Inc. Those two control all but three of the tracks that have NASCAR Cup Series dates and neither is giving up one of their very valuable dates anytime soon. Ask Jerry Carroll how hard it is to get a Cup date to your track.

Still, Canada is a market NASCAR should be more involved in. We’ll see in the future if NASCAR thinks so. I just hope Canadian NASCAR fans get the respect they deserve.

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