Junior Out Of Chase But Not Spotlight

Amid the all-important O.J. Simpson bond hearing news today, a little spectacle took place in Dallas, Texas today. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports unveiled Junior’s rides for next year. As I suggested last week, Dale will drive the number 88 car next year with sponsors Mountain Dew, Amp and the National Guard.

Chase Set

Well, the Chase is set, so maybe we can talk about something this week other than Dale, Jr. In the weeks leading up to Richmond, it seemed all the media could talk about was Junior’s near impossible chance of making the Chase. It would be like the Weather Channel talking about the near impossible chance of a hurricane brewing in Lake Erie. NASCAR expanded the Chase so Junior could make it and he didn’t. Let it go.

Gibbs To Toyota

Joe Gibbs Racing made it official today; they are switching to Toyota next season. With a lineup of Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, a team that has won three of the last seven championships, and an engineering department second to none, Toyota has made a huge splash into next season. The manufacturer must be jumping for joy.

Found: Caution Flags

After the race at Bristol, something everyone mentioned was the shortage of caution flags. The race went over 100 laps, veritable eternity at Bristol, before the first caution waved. Then, as the race progressed, there were very, very few of them. We wondered what had happened to them. Well, we found them at California.