Sports
Related Photos
de la BASTIDE: Hendrick sets a pace few can match
Anderson to draw Fisher tonight, Busch on Monday
With just seven races before the Chase for the NASCAR championship begins, the spotlight is squarely shining on the Hendricks Motorsports team.
Hendrick Motorsports has four drivers running officially under their stable, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Three of those drivers have tasted victory in the first 19 races and three are currently in the Chase field.
Defending three-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and four-time champion Jeff Gordon are locks to make the Chase field. Martin is currently in the 11th position, but has the most wins, four, at this point in the season.
It appears that despite being in the best equipment in NASCAR racing, Little E is going to miss the Chase field again and it appears doubtful that he will record a victory in 2009.
The Stewart/Haas team, consisting of Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, also uses Hendrick Motorsports engines. Both are in the Chase field and are likely to remain there. Stewart has recorded two wins in point races and one in the All Star race.
With the Allstate 400 slated for Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it’s almost impossible to imagine that a Hendrick car will not be in victory lane after 400 laps.
Perhaps the only team that can challenge the Hendrick block is that of Joe Gibbs Racing with Kyle Busch and Joey Logano at the wheel. Busch has three wins this year and has challenged for the win at 18 of the 19 races.
Don’t look for a Ford to be in a contending position, since Matt Kenseth won the first two races of the year the Blue Oval teams have struggled on a weekly basis.
I expect Martin or Johnson to record the race win at Indy. A long shot might be Kasey Kahne in the Budweiser Dodge.
Expect a Toyota truck to win at O’Reilly Raceway Park on Friday and Busch to win in a Toyota on Saturday night in the Nationwide Series.
In other racing news
Fans of open-wheel racing will want to visit Anderson Speedway this week. Action starts tonight at 8 p.m. with Sarah Fisher returning to the track to compete in a Kenyon Midget and Tracy Hines driving a USAC Regional Midget.
Saturday night the USAC Mopar Midget Series will be at Anderson Speedway for a 200-lap event. This will be the longest midget event since the 1990s when a 500-lap race was attempted at the Indianapolis Speedrome.
There is no halfway break so the action among the top drivers will be non-stop for 200 laps.
Kyle Busch and the Champion Racing Association late models will be at Anderson on Monday for the Red Bud 300.
• Ken de la Bastide may be reached at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com
- Sports
-
-
Spall steps down as Post 6 skipper
When Don Spall took over as the manager of the Post 6 senior baseball team in 2007, he knew about the responsibility that went along with wearing the pinstripes.
-
Local squads flex muscles in baseball tourneys
As July draws to a close, local youth baseball teams are playing in their final events of the summer. The following are looks at how some squads with local connections fared over the weekend.
-
Kokomo bows out of American Legion regional
It wasn’t the way Don Spall wanted to go out. But, then again, it was hard for the Post 6 baseball skipper to be upset, considering the fact that his squad put together its best performance in nearly a decade this season.
-
Beas: Favre captains list of NFL prima donnas
The fact that a violent sport such as professional football is able to manufacture no shortage of divas straddles the fence separating amusing from disgraceful.
-
Brickyard winner adds to Ganassi’s remarkable 2010
Car owner Chip Ganassi made history at the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, but it wasn’t with the driver who was expected to accomplish the feat.
-
Post 6 offense goes cold in regional loss
Throughout the Kokomo Post 6 senior baseball team’s 2010 campaign, manager Don Spall has had the luxury of sending a highly potent offense to the plate.
-
Saints win state tournament; eye ‘A’ nationals in Oregon
Kokomo’s Creative Financial Designs (CFD) Saints men’s fastpitch softball team is making its final season one to remember.
-
Sixers upset Terre Haute
Don Spall called it the biggest win of his managerial career.
Jake Gorski was elated to lead his team in the waning days of his American Legion career.
-
Sixers finish third in junior tourney
Kokomo Post 6 saw its run in the American Legion Junior (17 and under) State Finals come to an end Saturday evening at CFD Investments Stadium in Highland Park.
-
Post 6 senior team survives in regional opener
Kokomo Post 6 senior team manager Don Spall told reporters this week that his team was notorious for spotting teams extra runs, only to come back and steal victories.
- More Sports Headlines
-
