Earnhardt believes spin upset Bowyer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – From afar, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has watched Martin Truex Jr.’s body language to see how his former teammate is handling the fallout from Michael Waltrip Racing race-fixing fiasco at Richmond.
He’s had a much closer view of the toll it’s taken on Clint Bowyer, who triggered the entire controversy when he spun in the Sept. 7 race with seven laps remaining. NASCAR said it could not prove the spin was intentional; should Bowyer admit that, he risks retroactive penalties.
NASCAR did have evidence that MWR attempted to manipulate the finish of the race to get Truex into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. It issued harsh sanctions against the organization that included knocking Truex out of the Chase. In response, Truex sponsor NAPA Auto Parts said it’s ending its association with the team at the end of the year.
Getting physical: Not many drivers consider Dover their favorite track.
Mark Martin isn’t like many drivers.
The ultra-fit Martin considers the physically demanding Monster Mile his favorite track on the circuit, and heads to the concrete bullring this weekend in the same car Tony Stewart drove to victory in June. It will be Martin’s 55th start at Dover, where he has four wins and a series-best eight runner-up finishes.
“I love the way you can attack the race track. I like the banking. I like the shape of it. I’ve just always enjoyed it,” Martin said.
Grand-Am finale: Riding a two-race winning streak into the Grand-AM season finale, Max Angelelli and Jordan Taylor are in prime position to knock off the three-time defending champions.
Kimmel clinch?: Indiana native Frank Kimmel is on the verge of clinching his 10th ARCA Racing Series championship.
Kimmel, driver of the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Toyota, heads to Kansas Speedway with a 315-point lead in the point standings needing only to attempt to qualify for the Oct. 4 race to clinch the title. He got to the cusp of the championship by grabbing his 20th top-10 finish of the season last Saturday at Kentucky Speedway.