Crew Chief Shuffles
Richard Petty Motorsports has grabbed Greg Erwin from Roush/Fenway Racing to replace Mike Shiplett to crew chief their famous #43 car and AJ Allmendinger.

Brian Pattie is out and Jim Pohlman is in as crew chief for Juan Pablo Montoya and their #42 team which is 17th in point standings, 59 back of 10th place.

Are drivers athletes? You and I both know they are, but a firestorm of comments on Twitter and Facebook consumed this past weekend after Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate said via twitter “Driving a car does not show athleticism” during the ESPN ESPY awards.  Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and others responded essentially by challenging anyone to try it.

Kyle Bush winning the Nationwide Series race on Saturday is not exactly big news, but this particular win was his 100th across all 3 of NASCAR’S top series. But wait there’s more! It’s also his 49th in the Nationwide Series which ties Mark Martin on top of the all time wins list.

POINT STANDINGS | CUP SERIES
The Top 10 are all within 82 points
10 Denny Hamlin
9 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8 Ryan Newman
7 Jeff Gordon
6 Matt Kenseth
5 Kyle Busch drops from the points lead
4 Kevin Harvick
3 Kurt Busch
2 Jimmie Johnson
1 Carl Edwards regains the points lead by 7

POINT STANDINGS | NATIONWIDE SERIES
Heading into Nashville
5 Aric Almirola
4 Justin Allgaier
3 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2 Reed Sorenson
1 Elliott Sadler leads by 7 points

POINT STANDINGS | TRUCK SERIES
5 Matt Crafton rockets up 3 spots with his win
4 James Buscher
3 Cole Whitt
2 Austin Dillon
1 Johnny Sauter is up by 22

Newman Another New 2011 Winner
Ryan Newman joined the parade of 2011 winners after his start-to-finish win from the pole at New Hampshire. He becomes the 13th different winner this season, matching the total from all 36 races last season. The last time there were more different winners through the first 19 races was 2003 (14).

Looking at the list of drivers still winless this season, you could make this fair assumption: That number will grow. Especially since wins are at a premium in the 26-race regular season because of the two wild card spots to get in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Here’s the list of winners from last year who are still winless in 2011: Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya and David Reutimann.

A rundown of that group…

Stewart nearly won at New Hampshire, and has some strong tracks coming up. Figure on Smoke locking down the elusive win at either Indianapolis (where he has two wins) or Watkins Glen (a series-high five wins).

Biffle might have an adaptation period for a bit. His No. 16 team welcomed a new crew chief atop the box – Matt Puccia – and growing pains might surface. Still, Biffle is a proven winner. Figure on Michigan in August as a best-guess win opportunity.

Bowyer has struggled of late, coming off three consecutive finishes outside the top 10. His average finish in the last three: 29.3. His team – Richard Childress Racing – is too good to keep down, and his teammate Kevin Harvick held the points lead for a week. Strong at short tracks, Bowyer’s a threat at either Bristol or Richmond.

At the outset of 2011, McMurray was the darling pick for a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup spot. Thus far, that prediction hasn’t panned out. It looks like McMurray will need a wild card spot if he hopes to make the Chase. He won the next race on the schedule last season – Indianapolis.

Simply put, Montoya dominates at road courses. No need to get cute on this analysis: Watkins Glen is his best opportunity.

Reutimann has proven his mettle on intermediate tracks; both his career wins (Charlotte and Chicagoland) have come on tracks 1.5-mile in length. Could he find a home in Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Victory Lane?