Last I checked our Top 10 and the Chasers that would be going to New York for the banquet are:

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Carl Edwards
3. Greg Biffle
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Clint Bowyer
6. Jeff Burton
7. Jeff Gordon
8. Denny Hamlin
9. Tony Stewart
10. Kyle Busch

Unfortunately, Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr missed the top ten and will not be appearing at the banquet.

I am curious to see who comes in as the rookie of the year for 2008. I just hope the banquet is on a night I don’t have to work, as I’d like to be able to watch and won’t be able to tape it.

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Jimmie Johnson Takes It Again

I know I’m being silly and sappy here, but I have a distinct feeling I might just cry when the race is over. Because once it’s over, it’s over. No more Tony in Home Depot orange & black. No more Tony and Zippy bickering at each other on the radio. No more looking for the #20 next to Stewart on the leaderboard at the top of my TV screen.

Next year it’ll be Office Depot/Old Spice red & black. Tony & Doug (I think that’s his name) bickering at each other on the radio (can the new dude handle Tony - I guess we’ll just have to see ). Looking for the #14 next to Stewart on the leaderboard at the top of my TV screen.  Looking for Ryan Newman and Tony to be working together at tracks where you need a drafting buddy.

It’s definitely the end of an era but also the beginning of a new one. While I’m sad to see this one end, I’m also a little excited for the new one to begin. There’s only one thing marring the end of this era - JGR’s choice of replacement driver. Logano hasn’t shown a whole lot of the reason they call him Sliced Bread in the Cup series and frankly, I hope he gets it together next year, because he’s got some big shoes to fill and frankly, like Karah said, I don’t think he can even fill one of Tony’s pant legs, much less his shoes when it comes to the legacy of the #20 Home Depot car.

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End of an Era

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A New Contest!

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Because I Can…

This does pose the question for me - if the Army has gone with Stewart-Haas, and Office Depot has also gone with Stewart-Haas, then who is Rousch going to have for Carl Edwards next year, and who will be Aric Almirola’s sponsor next year at DEI? Interesting goings on here - I’ll have to stay tuned for more word on who those primary sponsors will be for the 2009 season.

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Army to Sponsor #39 for 23 Races

And it would seem that Kevin Harvick is not as forgiving as other drivers are regarding the big one at Talladega that Edwards started. Word is that Edwards and Harvick went fist-to-cuffs and had to be seperated. The funniest thing is - Edwards started it by going to Harvick’s pit garage and Harvick tried to walk away but Edwards wouldn’t let him. Then it seems all hell broke loose, with allegations of Harvick shoving Edwards and then one of Harvick’s crew members putting Edwards in a headlock. Harvick wasn’t commenting and Edwards didn’t deny they argued but didn’t discuss details. Wow.

Good news for Denny Hamlin - he was cleared to go ahead and race this week after a tired exploded last week and sent him hard into the wall. He’d been awake and alert, though complaining of a headache and favoring his right foot after the crash, which sent him for overnight observation at a local hospital. Despite his being cleared to race, he will not be racing the Nationwide Series this week - Dave Blaney will take his spot.

Last but not least - Congrats to Casey Mears and his girlfriend Tricia on the birth of their daughter Samantha Mae Mears - and thanks Amy for letting me know about it.

Well that’s all I have for this edition of Where There’s Smoke -  and I hope you all like the new theme.

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Qualifying Rained Out?

I haven’t been posting the past few weeks because frankly, every week has just been a big disappointment as far as the races go. I’m hoping that now that Tony’s finally gotten himself a win, things will get better. Look for a new theme soon.

And as far as that thing with Regan Smith  - ok - if you’re forced down there and have no recourse but to pass to get back on the track, that’s one thing, but when you go down there to pass - and don’t tell me you were forced, I saw the video several times - you went down there ON PURPOSE. You could have dropped back a bit and stayed where you were. Instead when Tony blocked you, you chose to drop past the yellow line and then claim you were forced when they took the race away from you. Besides, why would the rules change for the last lap? That’s when you’d have every car going to the out of bounds area to try and pass to get a better position. It just doesn’t work that way. Sorry.

I hope Denny Hamlin is all right. No updates were given on how he was after they said he’d been taken to a hospital in Birmingham. Reports on FoxSports.com stated he was complaining of a headache and favoring his right foot.

Congrats to the members of Elliott Sadler’s team on their new children. Wow…two sets of twins! And congrats to Casey Mears, who’s girlfriend at last I heard was at the very least in labor.

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Smoke Wins!

If you didn’t see the race and haven’t seen the results, your top 10 finishers are:

1. Greg Biffle
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Carl Edwards
4. Jeff Burton
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
6. Kurt Busch
7. Martin Truex Jr.
8. Tony Stewart
9. Denny Hamlin
10. Kevin Harvick

And the current point standings are:

1. Carl Edwards
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Greg Biffle
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5. Jeff Burton
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Tony Stewart
8. Kyle Busch
9. Clint Bowyer
10. Kevin Harvick
11. Jeff Gordon
12. Matt Kenseth

The funny thing is, a few of the Chase runners finished in the same position as they’re in on The Chase. LOL Kind of interesting.

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Greg Biffle Wins!

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Jimmie Johnson Wins the Chevy Rock N Roll 400

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Jimmie Johnson Wins the Pepsi 500