Jeff Gordon secured his spot in NASCAR's 2011 Chase for the Championship with his historic 85th victory in the rain-delayed Atlanta race on Tuesday.
He and teammate Jimmie Johnson both put on an amazing demonstration of car control in diabolically loose race cars in the closing laps. Too bad it happened on a weekday with the stands only half full.
Tonight's Richmond race is do or die time for 14 Sprint Cup drivers who have a mathematical chance at one of the three remaining available spots in the Chase. Eight are locked in on points with Johnson atop the standings. Brad Keselowski's three wins guarantee him a wild card spot even if he doesn't advance into the top 10 in points. Dale Earnhardt Jr. needs a finish of 20th or better tonight to lock himself into the Chase, and Tony Stewart needs to finish 18th or better to secure a Chase berth. A win for Stewart would give him a wild card spot if Keselowski bumps him out of the top 10. A second win for Denny Hamlin, Marcos Ambrose, or Paul Menard could give them a wild card berth. Other drivers who need a win to give them a mathematical shot at the Chase are; A.J. Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, Juan Pablo Montoya, and David Ragan. If you see one of your favorites on that list and you're feeling lucky, you might want to get a bet down at your local sports book. In honor of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the track announcer and race broadcast teams will observe a moment of silence on laps 9-11 tonight.
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The Izod IndyCar series had a very successful inaugural race in Baltimore last Sunday. It may have been the best-attended event for the series this season, with the exception of the Indy 500. Penske Racing's Will Power once again showed his mastery of street and road courses, winning from the pole. In doing so he closed to within just five points of championship leader Dario Franchitti with only three races left on the schedule. Next weekend is the Twin Ring Motegi road course race in Japan, followed by oval events at Kentucky and Las Vegas. Aside from Power, the best drive of the day at Baltimore was turned in by Tony Kanaan, who started dead last in a backup car after a horrifying warm-up crash on race morning. He charged through the field to finish third, a nearly impossible task on a tight street course with few passing zones. He's beginning to remind me of Sir Stirling Moss, who was the best Formula 1 driver never to win a championship. Hopefully Tony will get his turn soon.
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On Sunday, the Formula 1 field will roar off the starting grid to contest the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Ferrari's home track. Today is the 50th anniversary of Phil Hill's Monza victory that made him the first American to win the Formula 1 driving championship. Today's F1 cars bear little resemblance to the torpedo shapes of 50 years ago, when everything was much simpler. The racers will have their hands full tomorrow, because the teams' engineers have installed the smallest possible rear wings to reduce drag. Unfortunately, it also reduces downforce, giving the drivers much less grip than they might like. The small wing also negates much of the effect of the DRS (drag reduction system), so we may not see the slingshot passes on the long straights that have become a signature move this season. Qualifying is taking place as the Nevada Appeal lands on your doorstep, and I would not be at all surprised if Red Bull driver and points leader Sebastian Vettel takes his 10th pole of the season on his way to his eighth win tomorrow. I don't recall seeing a driver so dominant in F1 since Michael Schumacher's heyday.
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The clay oval at Reno-Fernley raceway hosts its full NASCAR Whelen program tonight, with five divisions competing. The Golden State King of the West Winged 410 Sprint Car Series that had been scheduled for next weekend has been scratched.
