Weekend Preview, Dover, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Coeburn?
Friday, September 21st, 2007By: Drew Hierwarter
Amid all of the hype and hoopla this week surrounding the announcement of Dale Earnhardt, Jr’s new sponsor, number, and colors, most of the media seems to have forgotten that we’ve got another race coming up this weekend! Round two of the run up to the 2007 Nextel Cup Championship goes off this Sunday at Dover, Delaware’s “Monster Mile” The track at Dover has produced some excitement in the past and this week’s event should prove no different. In addition to all of the usual suspects attempting to qualify at Dover will be another Jr.Three-time Indy Racing League champion, Sam Hornish, Jr will once again try to get a Roger Penske Dodge into the 43 car field. This will be the second straight week for Hornish in a stock car as he failed to make the field in Loudon. He’s got his work cut out for him as 50 cars, all of them driven by those with much more experience in this type of car, have filed entries for the “Dodge Dealers 400″.
Also racing on the concrete mile at Dover this week are the Busch Grand National cars. They take to the track on Saturday and of the five races this series has run on concrete tracks this season, Carl Edwards has won four of them. He scored wins at Bristol, twice on Nashville’s concrete, and the early season race at Dover. He has also led the most laps on this type of surface this season. It’s no wonder his competitors are calling him “The Concrete King”! It doesn’t hurt that Edwards is also leading the Busch Series points by 733 over second place driver Kevin Harvick.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will take the green flag Saturday night in Las Vegas. Ron Hornaday will be trying to extend his slim 29 point lead over Mike Skinner but they will both have to contend with Jack Sprague. Sprague is the only multiple winner in the truck series at that track with victories in 1996 and 1998.
Race number 20 of 23 in the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season will happen this weekend at the Texas Motorplex outside Dallas. It’s also the third event of the four race “Countdown to Four” as the straight line racers try to secure a spot for themselves in the final two races when only four of them in each of the professional categories will have a shot at the championship. After this week’s event in Dallas, and next week’s at Richmond, the eight championship contenders will be cut to four for the final two races of the NHRA season. Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel, Robert Hight in Funny Car, and Dave Connolly in Pro Stock are the current point leaders in each of the pro categories going into the Texas race.
Once again we’re hitting the road this weekend to attend a short track race. Yours truly will be cruising up to Coeburn, Virginia to sample the action at Lonesome Pine Raceway. The schedule calls for twin 40 lap late model features as that track is in the middle of their five-race version of a championship countdown. It should be a lot of fun and with the fall season almost upon us, the opportunities to see some great local short track action are becoming fewer. Be sure to get out to local track near you before the season closes.