Johnson has opened as a 4.5/1 favorite to win this year's LifeLock.com 400, according to oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL. Other drivers receiving short odds for this weekend's race are Kyle Busch (6/1), Tony Stewart (8/1), Jeff Gordon (8/1), Carl Edwards (8/1) and Greg Biffle (10/1).

In 18 starts this season, Johnson has two wins, eight top-5 finishes and 12 top-10s. He currently trails Tony Stewart by 194 points in NASCAR'S Sprint Cup Series Standings. Stewart also has two wins in 18 starts, as well as 10 top-5 finishes and 14 top-10s. He also won the 2007 and 2004 LifeLock.com 400.

The latest winner of this race was Kyle Busch, who won last year in his Toyota #18 Joe Gibbs Racing car. In 18 starts this season, he has three wins, four top-5 finishes and six top-10s.

Another driver who has had success in this race is Gordon, who won the 2006 LifeLock.com 400. He trails Stewart in the Sprint Cup standings by 180 points and has one win in 18 starts. Gordon also has nine top-5 finishes and 12 top-10s.

The 2009 LifeLock.com 400 will take place this Saturday, July 11 from Chicagoland Speedway at 7:30 p.m. ET. For complete odds and track information on this year's event, see below.

Odds to win the LifeLock.com 400 - 2009 LifeLock.com 400 - Chicagoland Speedway - July 11, 2009

AJ Allmendinger +10000

Bobby Labonte +10000

Brad Keselowski +10000

Brian Vickers +2500

Carl Edwards +800

Casey Mears +10000

Clint Bowyer +4000

Dale Earnhardt Jr +2500

David Ragan +5000

David Reutimann +5000

David Stremme +10000

Denny Hamlin +1500

Elliott Sadler +10000

Greg Biffle +1000

Jamie McMurray +5000

Jeff Burton +4000

Jeff Gordon +800

Jimmie Johnson +450

Joey Logano +6000

Juan Pablo Montoya +6000

Kasey Kahne +1800

Kevin Harvick +4000

Kurt Busch +1200

Kyle Busch +600

Mark Martin +1200

Martin Truex Jr +5000

Matt Kenseth +1500

Michael Waltrip +10000

Paul Menard +10000

Reed Sorenson +10000

Ryan Newman +2500

Sam Hornish Jr +10000

Tony Stewart +800

zx Field (Any Other Driver) +5000

2009 NASCAR LifeLock.com 400 Race Information

Race Date: Saturday, July 11

Location: Joliet, IL

Pre-Race: 7:30PM ET

Green Flag: Approx. 8:00PM ET

TV Coverage: TNT & TNT HD

Radio Coverage: MRN

Track Type: Oval

Capacity: 75,000 source>>>

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   posted by ADMIN @ 7/08/2009  

Two Decembers ago, the notion of simultaneously owning a NASCAR Sprint Cup team and driving for that team first intrigued Tony Stewart. Eight months later, on July 10, 2008, the vague idea took form at a news conference at Chicagoland Speedway: the advent of Stewart-Haas Racing, one part team recalibration, one part wholesale fresh start.

Seven months after that, in the run-up to February's Daytona 500, that fresh start nearly spoiled. On a practice lap before the company's Daytona debut, Stewart's No. 14 car blew a tire. Ryan Newman's No. 39 car was right behind the carnage, which would not have been a big deal, except that the No. 39 was Stewart-Haas' other car in the field. One practice lap collision, two primary cars wrecked. Red flag, indeed.

Yet within 30 minutes, Stewart's team had a replacement car out. By the end of the weekend's rain-shortened Daytona 500, it had a top 10 finish.

As the Lifelock.com 400 in Joliet on Saturday approaches, Tony Stewart has his best ride going, driving to the Cup points lead and driving some to distraction because of the sheer improbability of it all.

But really, this is no middling driver who started with nary a wrench in the tool box. The 38-year-old Stewart is a two-time Cup champion who remade a lethargic but well-funded two-car operation. Still, Tony Stewart is not surprised that you are surprised at what Tony Stewart hath wrought.

"No, not at all," Stewart said. "Because we are too. We're surprised that it happened this quickly."

He said this last week on a break from the kind of midsummer Florida swelter that fills your lungs with something like liquid air, back at Daytona for last Saturday's Coke Zero 400, back at the same track where that February practice-lap crash and the ensuing recovery, in Stewart's estimation, "made a statement that these guys are for real."

That was before Kyle Busch careened into the wall on the last lap and Tony Stewart took home his second points victory of the season for Tony Stewart. In victory lane, Stewart lamented winning that way. It was just another statement on 2009: The year when Tony Stewart takes on owner-driver double duty, and winning is what stresses him out the most.

"Honestly, I thought it would be that way, too -- I thought I would be five times more stressed out than I've ever been," Stewart said. "It has been something that has been a really good fit for me. I enjoy being a track owner, I enjoy having my race teams in Indiana. This has just fallen right in suit with everything else."

The short version of the success story is this: Stewart and Gene Haas form the Stewart-Haas brand last July, officially. Haas CNC Racing had little on-track success but had its own wind tunnel and Seven Post Shake Rig, a machine designed to simulate suspension dynamics.

In layman's terms: important stuff for getting a championship car together.

Stewart-Haas would get its engines and chassis in a partnership with Hendrick Motorsports. As director of competition, Stewart hired veteran racing executive Bobby Hutchens. For his crew chief, Stewart tapped Darian Grubb, who Hall of Fame-nominated driver Darrell Waltrip had on his "hero list" for years.

"This company that he is now a part of had one top 10 finish in like three years," said Waltrip, now a Fox NASCAR analyst. "But they have a state-of-the-art facility -- as good or better as anybody in this sport. When it comes to resources, technology and now the people, it should not be a surprise they are having the success they're having."

It undercuts the logic that owning and driving is a formula for failure -- just ask Waltrip, who says his brother Michael's operation "really struggled just to keep their legs under them" for some years. But that was the point; Stewart would cocoon himself in the expertise of others so as not to encounter the same tribulations.

"When he straps the helmet on and gets in the race car, he turns 100 percent of his focus to making that race car better and giving us the feedback we need," Grubb said. "He's not sitting there with his phone texting back and forth wondering what's going on with payroll or anything like that."

Said Stewart: "This isn't a company that I have to be hands-on every day, 100 percent. That's part of having hired these key people -- you hire these people to be in the right positions and do the right jobs."

Most of all he's winning. And now he revisits a track at which he has the most top fives in the Speedway's short history -- six in eight races -- to go along with two victories.

"This is one of the most fun years I've had in NASCAR in a long time," Stewart said, something that, at this point, should surprise no one source>>>

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   posted by ADMIN @ 7/08/2009  

Before and after every race at Daytona, the same question is always asked: If Daytona is NASCAR's most famous and exciting track, why doesn't it host a race in the Chase for Tthe Sprint Cup?

Some have even suggested that the Sprint Cup season should both start and end at Daytona International Speedway, which hosts the season-opening Daytona 500 and the mid-summer classic.

Jeff Owens (NASCAR Scene)

Many believe that the championship-deciding season finale should not be held at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a 15-year-old track that has only been on the Cup schedule since 1999 and sits in a market that is not exactly a racing hotbed. Instead, they contend, it should be at tradition-rich Daytona, NASCAR's "World Center of Racing."

Saturday night's spectacular conclusion to the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona certainly adds weight to that argument.

But it is also exactly why Daytona -- and Talladega -- should NOT be part of the 10-race Chase.

The last-lap showdown between Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch, which sent Busch spinning into the wall and bouncing around like a pinball, was breath-taking, scintillating stuff.

It was the type of finish NASCAR fans dream of and the reason races at Daytona and Talladega are among the most anticipated each year.

For more news from the track and the shop, check out our NASCAR Scene headlines page.
# Get NASCAR Scene headlines

NASCAR has held three restrictor-plate races this season, and mayhem has broken out at the finish of two of them. (It likely would have happened at the conclusion of the Daytona 500 as well had it not been stopped and then shortened by rain.)

Carl Edwards was bumped out of the lead at Talladega in April and his car wound up flying into the frontstretch fence, creating both thrilling excitement and frightening controversy. And, as a bonus, it was rookie and part-time Cup driver Brad Keselowski who sent him flying, adding a Cinderella story to the finish.

In one mesmerizing moment, Talladega produced everything that NASCAR is all about -- thrilling bumper-to-bumper, side-by-side competition, spectacular crashes, outrageous controversy and a storybook ending.

For months, the Talladega spectacle was the most exciting moment of the season.

Then came the July 4 race at Daytona, which trumped it because of the players involved.

Busch, NASCAR's win-at-all costs driver and its biggest villain in the minds of many, made a brilliant move to take the lead from former teammate Tony Stewart and looked poised to steal the victory from the dominant Stewart. Then, as they sped toward the checkered flag, Stewart made his move, forcing Busch to block him and nudging him just enough to send him careening toward the wall.

The contact ignited a spectacular crash in which Busch's car bounced off the wall and then got hit by Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano and others. The chaos that ensued sent nearly a dozen cars spinning and crashing across the finish line.

It was the type of drama worthy of Daytona and a Fourth of July fireworks display.

But it was also the type of incident that you don't want to see happen during a race for the championship.

Imagine the controversy that would erupt if Busch, Stewart and other Chase drivers were involved in a last-lap crash while racing for the series title on the final lap of the final race of the season?

Stewart and Busch were both victims of restrictor-plate racing at Daytona, as were Edwards and Keselowski at Talladega.

No one was at fault. All four were doing what they had to do to try to win the race on the final lap. That Edwards wound up in the Talladega fence, and Busch in the Daytona wall, was merely a result of the type of racing that occurs at NASCAR's two fastest, most dangerous tracks.

And unless it tears down the two tracks, there is little NASCAR can do to prevent it from happening.

Nor should it. It is indeed the most spectacular racing of the season, and NASCAR doesn't need to tamper with tracks or a style of racing that practically guarantee thrilling finishes.

In fact, you could make a strong case for more restrictor-plate racing. If tracks were awarded race dates based on competition and the shows they produce, Daytona and Talladega should each have more than two Cup races a year.

Actually, if NASCAR wants to do something to entice and enthrall fans, it should find a way to add more restrictor-plate and short-track races to its Cup schedule, providing more events where contact and controversy are likely.

Fans would certainly get more excited about those events than some at other big tracks that are almost always uneventful and anticlimactic.

But, NASCAR should absolutely not conclude its season at Daytona, where a thrilling finish is almost certain to include a multicar crash.

Nor should Daytona be in the Chase, where each of the 10 races is crucial toward winning the championship.

It also should seriously reconsider putting Talladega in the Chase.

The November event at Talladega is the Chase race that championship contenders fear and dread the most. Nearly every year, at least one Chase driver sees his championship hopes evaporate in one of the big multicar crashes that are so common there.

In April, nine drivers who either were or still are in Chase contention were swept into one of two multicar accidents. If that happens in November -- and it likely will -- it is going to cost someone a shot at the championship.

NASCAR does not need its championship decided by races in which drivers have little control over the outcome because one slip can create mayhem, sweeping innocent victims into a multicar crash that ends their race and possibly their season.

Though that can obviously happen at any track, it is far more likely at Daytona and Talladega.

And NASCAR does not need its championship coming down to the final lap at a track where the leader is likely to get wrecked because that is just the nature of racing at that track.

Saturday night's race at Daytona was spectacular, as was the thriller at Talladega in April.

Both will go down as two of the best races this season.

And NASCAR should try to create even more of that type of excitement.

Just not when a championship is on the line. source>>>

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   posted by ADMIN @ 7/08/2009  

With Martin Truex Jr.'s declaration Tuesday that he's leaving next season for Michael Waltrip Racing, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing faces a hiring decision critical to the future of the organization.

Truex was the final remnant of the once-potent Dale Earnhardt Inc. organization. He won the 2004 and 2005 Nationwide championships for DEI's Chance 2 Motorsports, then moved up to Sprint Cup for the past four seasons. Truex won at Dover, and made the Chase in 2007, credentials that established him as the best driver available this year.

Bass Pro Shops has been Truex's primary sponsor in both the Nationwide and Cup Series -- six seasons of building his identity as the company's spokesman and advertising image. Long term associations with drivers are major assets in the marketing world. Truex will be pitching Napa Auto Parts next season.

Earnhardt Ganassi's contract with Bass Pro Shops ends following the 2010 season, leaving it a one-season window to establish a new relationship between driver and sponsor. With the team down to two full-time Cup entries and new sponsors very difficult to find in a weak economy, they desperately need to retain Bass Pro Shops with a strong on-track performance.

So who are the drivers with the best chance of delivering for Earnhardt Ganassi?

1. Brad Keselowski. With Truex off the market, the 25-year-old Nationwide driver ascends to the head of the free agent class. He's won races the past two seasons in Nationwide for JR Motorsports, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick, and has a Cup victory at Talladega this season. Hendrick would like to keep him in the family, which could mean farming him out to Stewart-Haas Racing or helping JR Motorsports move up to Cup, but finding sponsorship is a problem. EGR can offer Keselowski a full-season deal and that's what he's looking for. With Keselowski, EGR can sell the future; he's got a big upside and it shouldn't take too long for him to get there.

2. Jamie McMurray. He's in the fourth and final season of his contract with Roush Fenway Racing, which NASCAR has mandated must downsize from five to four teams for 2010. With Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth and David Ragan signed for next season, McMurray has to move somewhere. Jack Roush could sign him and farm him out to Yates Racing, which uses Roush-built Fords, but McMurray may be interested in a fresh start at age 33. He's a decent 19th in the points this season, but out of Chase contention. McMurray has two wins, with Chip Ganassi in 2002 and Roush Fenway in 2007 and his best finish in the points was 11th (when the top 10 made the Chase) in 2004.

3. Travis Kvapil. He was 23rd in the points with four top 10s in 2008 with underfunded Yates Racing, which didn't test all season. Yates wanted to keep him and Kvapil drove in four races early this season before a lack of funding put him on the sidelines. Kvapil, 33, has never been in a front-line car in Sprint Cup. He finished 33rd in Penske Racing's No. 77 third entry in 2005, and 36th with Cal Wells' one-car PPI Team in 2006. He won the Camping World Truck Series in 2003 and returned to trucks to win four races 2007 with Roush Fenway. Kvapil has the potential to do more than he's shown at the Cup level.

4. David Gilliland. He's done a good job qualifying the start-up and small TRG Motorsports operation this season, making 17 straight races. Gilliland hasn't raced as well and sits 37th in the points without a top 10, but he's also had little luck with seven DNFs. He's best known for his Nationwide victory for a small team at Kentucky Speedway in 2006. It vaulted him to Robert Yates Racing for the final 14 races that year. Gilliland was 28th in the points for RYR in 2007 and 27th for the reconstituted Yates Racing in 2008. At 33, with his experience level and a competitive team and a proper budget, Gilliland's best years would be in front of him.

5. Aric Almirola. He's an Earnhardt Ganassi development driver. He started the season in the No. 8 and drove in seven races. Almirola, 25, has one top 10 in 25 Cup starts. He also has one top five in 36 truck starts and two top 10s in 28 Nationwide starts including a shared victory with Denny Hamlin at Milwaukee in 2007. Almirola qualified on pole at Milwaukee and ran well before surrendering the car to Hamlin, who arrived late from a flight from the West Coast. Almirola was officially credited with the victory. He has talent, but may need more seasoning before he's ready for Cup.

Earnhardt Ganassi would prefer to have a proven race winner and Chase contender to choose from, but none is available. But in Keselowski, there may be a slightly older and more experienced version of Joey Logano and in McMurray, Kvapil, and Gilliland, a younger version of David Reutimann. Almirola is a long shot for the job. source>>>

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   posted by ADMIN @ 7/08/2009  

Michael Waltrip Racing announced Tuesday that Martin Truex Jr. will drive the No.56 Toyota with NAPA as the team's primary sponsor in 2010.

Waltrip will run a limited schedule next year, including the Daytona 500, an event he has won twice (2001 and '03). He will continue to drive the No.55 Toyota. Waltrip had contemplated his driving future throughout this season.

"As an owner, I knew there was a time that would come when I wouldn't be a full-time driver anymore, and that time is now," Waltrip said during a press conference held at his race shop.

NAPA will sponsor Truex and Waltrip in 2010.

"To me, it's always been about the sponsor and NAPA has been the greatest sponsor I could ever have, and I thought this was an opportunity to put them in victory lane on a regular basis, and that's why we're sitting here today," Waltrip added.

Truex, 29, has one victory and 34 top-10 finishes in 135 career Sprint Cup Series starts. His first win came in the 1997 spring race at Dover International Speedway. He also qualified for the title chase that year, finishing 11th in points. Truex is currently 24th in the standings.

"I'm looking forward to next year, and I think we're going to do really good things," Truex said.

Truex has spent his first four years in NASCAR's top-tier series with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates formed an alliance during the offseason.

Prior to his full-time Cup career, Truex won back-to-back Nationwide Series championships from 2004-05.

Waltrip formed his Cup team in 2007, fielding a three-car stable at the time. He has also owned a Nationwide team since 1996.

In May, David Reutimann won the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and gave Waltrip's organization its first Cup victory.

Waltrip currently holds the 33rd spot in points, while Reutimann sits in 14th.
source>>>

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   posted by ADMIN @ 7/07/2009