Amanda’s articles

By Amanda Vincent

It seems like just a few years ago when Dodge had a significant amount of representation in the Sprint Cup garage as far as numbers go. There was Chip Ganassi Racing, Evernharm Motorsports, Penske Racing, and Petty Enterprises to name a few.

With team mergers, Dodge seems to be the manufacturer that has fallen by the wayside. Evernham and Petty merged awhile back, making two Dodge teams one. Then the resulting team, Richard Petty Motorsports, announced a merger with Yates Racing, resulting in a switch to Ford.

Before the Petty-Yates merger, the Ganassi organization merged with Dale Earnhardt Inc. to form Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. With the former DEI fielding Chevrolets and CGR running Dodges, a common manufacturer had to be decided on upon the merger. The new team went to Chevrolet, meaning another decrease in Dodges on the racetrack.

As on now, it looks as if Penske Racing will be the only Sprint Cup Series team that will be putting Dodges on the track in 2010. Penske’s three cars to be driven by Kurt Busch, Sam Hornish Jr., and Brad Keselowski appear to be the only ones that will be “grabbing life by the horns” when the green flag waves on the 2010 Sprint Cup season.

Pontiac pulled out of the sport several years ago by manufacturer’s choice, General Motors making the move to focus on a single manufacturer — Chevrolet. Is Dodge following by the wayside, because teams just don’t want a Dodge anymore?

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and not this website.

To read more from this author, visit Louisville NASCAR Examiner.

Three races remain in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, but for most teams, 2010 preparations have been underway for some time.

Penske Racing made one of the more visible moves this week with its announcement that Brad Keselowski will take over the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge for the rest of the season.

Keselowski already was to succeed David Stremme in that seat in 2010. Doing so now was deemed important for momentum’s sake.

“Penske Racing wants to give Brad an opportunity to work with the team and get to know the race car as we prepare for the 2010 season,” owner Roger Penske said. “These three races will provide a good base for both Brad and the team as we head into next year. Penske Racing also thanks David Stremme for his contributions to the team this year. We wish David the very best moving forward.”

Continue reading “Brad Keselowski gets a jump on 2010 season”

It’s been a quiet season for Carl Edwards, who was pursuing reigning and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson this time last year.

The 2008 series runner-up, Edwards won a series-high nine races, eventually finishing 69 points behind Johnson in the Chase standings.

This season? No wins for Edwards, who’s also had a very quiet Chase. He heads into Sunday’s Dickies 500 in 10th place in the standings, with a Chase-best finish of sixth at Auto Club Speedway four weeks ago.

But here comes Texas Motor Speedway, where Edwards swept both events in 2008.

Instant turn-around? Could be.

His win in last year’s season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway was the last time he visited a Victory Lane. Drought makes good motivation, not that the upbeat Edwards requires it, but Texas has emerged as a special place for the 30-year-old, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on him on Sunday.

Continue reading “Carl Edwards wants to defend Texas win”

Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon did more than simply win this past April at Texas Motor Speedway. He excised 12 years’ worth of frustration, finally capturing a victory at one of the few tracks where he hadn’t yet triumphed.

Sunday, he’ll begin Sunday’s Dickies 500 with larger stakes. In third place in the 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Gordon trails leader and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson by 192 points and second-place (and teammate) Mark Martin by only eight points.

A rigorous climb? Yes, but Gordon does have the chops and stamina to capitalize should Johnson and Martin falter. The April win gave him seven top fives and nine top 10s in 17 Texas starts, plus the confidence to find his way to Victory Lane there.

Johnson isn’t the only Chase driver with momentum; prior to last Sunday’s 20th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway, Gordon had amassed five consecutive top-five finishes.

Continue reading “Jeff Gordon hopes for Texas Sweep”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Reigning and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) is exactly where he likes to be in early November — at the head of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup class.

And as series teams prepare for Sunday’s Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, he’s staring down some personal and historical benchmarks.

No driver has won four consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup titles. Johnson could be the first.

But the 2009 Chase hardly is over. Beginning Sunday, three races remain, which means Johnson has plenty to do to cement his position and fend off pursuers.

Continue reading “Jimmie Johnson primed for Texas and Title”