MICHIGAN REVIEW

Don't get this race confused with the one run back at Daytona in July. That was the Pepsi 400, this was the Pepsi 400 Presented By Farmer Jack. We're talking a huge difference here.

Thanks to the concessions given to Pontiac/Chevy qualifying turned into a DEI/RCR show (much to the dismay of Jack Rosch and other Ford teams), with Dale Jr, Kevin Harvick, Michael Waltrip, Steve Park, and Robby Gordon taking the first five positions. Red-hot Bill Elliott checked in at sixth, but the car to beat appears to be the Ford of Ryan Newman � who would had easily won the pole except for a slip-up during the qualifying lap. The only car not to make the field was Greg Biffle � so much for my dark horse prediction. Biffle was unable to make the top 36 in speed, and Tony Raines got in on owner�s points � thanks to the #74 hiring Joe Varde for the road race last weekend.

Elliott is the big mover on Lap 1 moving from sixth to second. Bobby LaBonte is also running hot, and moves into third by the end up Lap 2. One driver moving back is Michael Waltrip who drops from his starting position of third back to out of the top ten. Elliott gets Harvick for the lead on Lap 7. First Caution occurs on Lap 12, with a race favorite apparently falling by the wayside as Dale Jarrett gets loose off Turn 4 and ends up skidding across the infield. As DJ gets the car straight, the front of the #88 snowplows through the grass, with the fender sheet metal buckling, which had to be repaired on pit road. DJ stays on the lead lap, but one thinks the aerodynamics/downforce will be affected the rest of the day. Junior gets gas only and comes out first, while Harvick and Elliott take two tires. Ryan Newman had temperature problems early, running at about 230 degrees � appearantly a stray wrapper got on the grill. Harvick quickly gets around Jr. to re-assume the race lead soon after the restart. Matt Kenseth is moving quickly up the field, moving into the top five. Newman gets second from Jr. on Lap 23. Second caution on Lap 25 for debris. Round of wedge out for Newman 16.9, most others take on four � although Harvick takes only two. Meanwhile, the #9 car is now popping out of gear, which will force Bill Elliott to literally drive one-handed the rest of the day.

Harvick restarts in first, followed by Jeff Green and Jeff Gordon. Gordon gets second from Green on Lap 35. Junior, in turn gets Gordon a couple laps later. Junior starts to close in on Harvick by Lap 50. Junior�s charge appears to be thrawted as for a second time there is a wrapper on his grill, sending the water temp up to 240. Junior does get Harvick on Lap 52, with four tires v. two being the difference. Kenseth still running fast and is now in third, followed by Stewart and Newman. All cars are still running on the lead lap 60 laps in. Kurt Busch is running sixth, but the team thought they had a motor scare during the pre-race. Jeff Green is falling back as he is running high on old tires. Dale Jarrett has made a great recovery and is now moving into the top ten. Kenseth takes Harvick for second on Lap 62. Robby Gordon has not run well and is back outside the Top 25. Tony Raines becomes the first retiree 74 laps in. Green-flag starts begin. Wedge adjustment for Park, who is not running well. Massive adjustment for Ward Burton 17.8, rubber out for J. Gordon, chassis adjustment for Elliott, chassis and air-pressure adjustments for Jr. 15.2, No adjustments for Newman 15.0, tract-bar adjustment for Stewart 14.5, wedge adjustment for J. Burton, R. Gordon chassis adjustment 16.2, wedge adjustment for Busch 14.2, tract-bar for J. Green, Rudd with a fantastic 13.4 stop. Kenseth with the lead once pits are cycled through, as a caution does fly for debris. Harvick has dropped from first to eighth.

Restart on Lap 86. Dale Jarrett is all the way up to sixth. Junior gets Kenseth on Lap 89, and Busch is about to get second. Tony Stewart has a bad restart and has fallen all the way back to 20th, Tony would quickly recover though. According to Stewart, it may be a vapor-lock problem which he�s had the past couple of weeks. Busch takes the lead from Junior on Lap 90. Jeff Burton with some temperature problems, running about 240. Junior falls back to fourth, as the #8 would go slowly away the rest of the afternoon. Casey Atwood (engine) retires as we reach the halfway point, with Busch leading. Drivers leading at halfway have only won three of the past 20 events. Jarrett gets Junior for fourth on Lap 107. Point-leader Sterling Marlin is riding a quiet but efficient sixth at this juncture. Busch continues to lead, with Ryan Newman in tow drafting off the #97. Newman wins a lap-long drag with Busch to get the lead (around Lap 115??). Green-flag stops begin on Lap 124 with Jimmie Johnson. Meanwhile Kenseth passes Busch for second. Busch loses a cylinder at Lap 126. J. Gordon 15.3, two pound tire adjustment and two rounds of Wedge for Wallace, Rudd 14.7, B. LaBonte 15.2, and has also had both spring rubbers removed. Tract-bar adjustment for Marlin, chassis adjustment for Stewart, round of wedge out for Newman, wedge adjustment for J. Green, more adjustments for Martin � who has not been happy with the cars performance all weekend. Air-pressure adjustment for Jarrett, 14.5, Harvick 15.7. Craven 14.8. Stacy Compton has not pitted and leads as Hut Stricklin slaps the wall (after being tapped by R. Gordon), bringing out the caution with 68 laps to go.

Restart on Lap 138 with running order of Kenseth, Newman, Jarrett, Marlin, Harvick. Steve Park spins and wrecks in Turn 4 (Lap 142), Jerry Nadeau tries to check up behind him and spins as well. Fuel mileage a big issue now. Newman takes fuel only (but is supposedly six laps short), Kenseth takes two tires. Junior, Jarrett, and Harvick are out first among those who pitted. Six cars led by Mark Martin did not pit. About a dozen or so cars come back in to top off. Mark Martin restarts in first, followed by Mayfield, Sadler, and Andretti - with the annoying lapped car of Jimmy Spencer running on the inside. Kevin Harvick, one of the cars who topped off is back in 20th. Bobby LaBonte has also topped off and is running back around the same position. Harvick thinks he has a tire going down for a while, but those fears came unfounded. Jarrett restarts fifth, but quickly moves up to second with his sights set on Martin, who is going to have to pit again. Newman�s motor starts to fail with 40 laps to go, while Kurt Busch takes the #97 behind the wall. Caution for debris with 38 laps to go, throwing the fuel dilemma out the window. Martin and Jarrett take four tires, Jr. as promised earlier is taking on two. Jeff Burton, Robby Gordon, and Bobby Hamilton are among those who stay out, and restart in front. . Jarrett restarts in the 17th position. Restart occurs with 32 laps to go, complete with the annoying car of Jimmy Spencer wrecking havoc. R. Gordon momentarily grabs the lead, drags with Burton for a while, until Junior gets on the inside to take the race lead. Derrick Cope restarted fourth but makes contact with the wall. I only mention Derrick since the rock group �Poison� has gotten temporary sponsorship on the #49 � with a lime green color scheme. It is not a woman�s car anymore. Jarrett to tenth with 26 to go. Stewart passes R. Gordon for third with 25 left, meanwhile Burton is dragging Junior for the lead. Stewart, with two fresh tires, closes the gap while Burton eventually overtakes Junior. Stewart then gets Junior and is trying to track down Burton. However Junior comes back and is racing Stewart with 22 to go. Burton still leads but is now overheating badly. Jarrett gets Harvick for fourth with 17 laps remaining. Jarrett is in hot pursuit of Junior, but Cope hits the wall again to bring out the caution � and Jarrett does not attempt to race Junior back to the stripe. Kenseth (12th), Waltrip (15th), and Ricky Rudd (16th), are the top drivers to give up their positions to pit. Kenseth would restart in the 22nd position. Restart with 11 laps remaining. Jarrett is trying to move past Stewart for third, but the #88 is forced to get off the throttle with the annoying lapped car of Jimmy Spencer in the way. Meanwhile, Burton starts to open it up. Jarrett eventually clears Stewart, and then Junior to gain second with seven laps remaining. Burton leads by a second, by Jarrett picks off about half of that in the following two laps. Then Jarrett really closes the gap, and gets Burton on the frontstretch with four laps remaining for the 23rd and final lead change among 12 drivers. 32 cars still remain on the lead lap. Meanwhile, Junior�s car is running �tighter and tighter� and starts to fade. Jarrett cruises from here, while both Stewart and Kevin Harvick pass the fading Burton, who does hang on to fourth before the motor expires during the cooldown lap. Meanwhile, Jarrett crew chief Todd Parrott gets all broken up in a TV interview en route to Victory Lane. Something about racing being somewhat insignificant compared to family and life itself.

The final finishing order is Jarrett, Stewart, Harvick, Burton, Martin, Marlin, Jimmie Johnson, Johnny Benson (on his �home� track), Jeff Green, and Dale Jr. Other notables include Matt Kenseth (moving from 22nd to 11th with the fresh tires), Ricky Rudd (who also took tires late) 12th, Bobby LaBonte (with what he called the best car he has had all year) 13th, Michael Waltrip 15th, Jeff Gordon an alarming 19th, Robby Gordon 21st, Bill Elliott (fighting the gear problem all day) 22nd, Ryan Newman 31st, and Kurt Busch 39th (what a crying shame). For the 22nd consecutive week, Sterling Marlin manages to hang on to the #1 spot in the point standings (I don�t think Sheryl Crow even hung to #1 that long this year), but Mark Martin (-43), Jimmie Johnson (-60), and Tony Stewart (-84) could all come away taking over the lead by the end of Bristol. And Jeff Gordon still lurks in fifth, 150 points back.

If you�re into �what have you done for me lately�, Kevin Harvick has been the best over the past six races, accumulating 919, Ryan Newman is second with 890, followed by Tony Stewart (854), Dale Jarrett (831), Jimmie Johnson (805), Robbie Gordon (793), Bill Elliott (774), Mark Martin (760), Jeff Green (758), and Ricky Rudd (750) � notice the presence of all three RCR (Harvick, R. Gordon, Green) drivers.

GARAGE NOTES

Prior to RCR�s recent charge � the team making the most noise this season had been Rosch Racing. But what exactly is the pecking order there these days??? Going into this season, Jeff Burton and Mark Martin were the established stars, Matt Kenseth was the rising force, and Kurt Busch was the #4 driver just getting his feet wet. This year Martin has been running great, while Burton has struggled very much like the #6 did in 2001. Meanwhile both Kenseth and Busch have stepped up their games to the point that both are right up there (or even better) than the veterans. One can almost say now that all four drivers are on equal footing. My ranking of the four right now would be 1. Kenseth, 2. Martin, 3. Busch, 4. J. Burton � look for Burton to rebound in �03, meanwhile Busch�s last two humbling finishes (or lack thereof) proves that much like Ryan Newman, this is still a young driver who needs to improve on taking care of his equipment.

In perhaps racing�s worst kept secret, it was announced Sunday morning that Elliot Sadler is signed, sealed and delivered for Robert Yates Racing in 2003. Sadler will have Ricky Rudd�s current pit crew, with Fatback McSwain as his crew chief. Sadler�s # will be 38 with M & M�s providing the sponsorship. Perhaps a bit more surprising is that Rudd's potential deal with Chip Ganassi fell through, Rudd will now effectively be taking Sadler's place driving the Wood bros. #21. Sadler now appears primed for a breakthrough in 2003 while Rudd's value will probably slip somewhat.

In a further trickle-down effect, current M & M�s driver Ken Schrader will now be scrambling for a sponsor, although MB2 Racing will probably re-up with him. Dropping from 19th to 30th in the standings hasn�t helped the Schrader cause. Even if unable to procure a sponsor, Ken would be among the first candidates as a �fill-in� driver, as he seems willing to step into any race care at any time. The truck series (where veterans such as Ted Musgrave have found a niche) is another option. Also, the #14 (Foyt Enterprises) will have a new sponsor next year in Harrah�s Casino, replacing financially troubled Conseco Investments. It�s a bad day when casino�s are uprooting investment firms. A.J. would probably turn to son Larry to drive the #14 next year. Do not expect much � Larry is currently 18th in the Busch Series. Meanwhile, Pontiac has found a couple of additional teams for next season in PPI/Cal Wells (Ricky Craven and perhaps a second driver in �03), and Morgan-McClure racing (currently #4 Mike Skinner).

In schedule news, the '03 schedules for both the Cup and Busch series are out, with very few changes. The best news to come out of it is that the October race in Charlotte will now be on a Saturday night, and thus leaving another fall weekend where NASCAR is not in conflict with the NFL. Darlington may be following suit, with the 2004 Labor Day weekend Southern 500 possibly becoming a night affair. The only other schedule change has the Kansas and Talladega races swapping dates in the fall, Talladega will now follow Dover in September, than be followed by Kansas. Other than that it will be 36 races at the same tracks as the past two seasons.

There is further speculation about the smaller 13-gallon fuel cell (as opposed to the usual 22-gallon cell) that will be used in Talladega. The talk is that the 13-gallon tank could be used across the board for all races next season. Then there were the concessions made to Pontiac and Chevrolet for this past weeks race, early indications are NASCAR will keep the Michigan package for the rest of the campaign. NASCAR has another week to think about that as downforce/handling issues usually do not come into play at Bristol. Finally, there was a bizarre comment apparently made by Crew Chief/garage legend Junior Johnson about Jeff Gordon�s performance this season. JJ indicated that Gordon �has been driving scared� since the death of Dale Earnhardt. Had Gordon struggled in �01 as well as this year � maybe that statement would have some merit. The bigger reason with the woes of the #24 car this year probably lies in a simple slip with the entire program, not unlike what has been witnessed with Jeff Burton and Bobby LaBonte, as well as Kevin Harvick just earlier this year. One thing is for certain, two straight finishes in the middle of the pack is downright alarming, especially when one of those is on a road course where Gordon usually owns the competition.

Finally, Michael Waltrip survived a late race confrontation with Todd Bodine to win the Michigan Busch race on Saturday. The bigger story though was that point leaders Greg Biffle and Jason Keller both saw their cars blow up during the course of that event...

BRISTOL PREVIEW

We now enter the tenderloin of the NASCAR season, with a month�s worth of bruising, grinding tests awaiting, starting this Saturday Night in Bristol � where as usual tempers will be frayed. Following Bristol, it will be a torturous 500-miler in Darlington, followed by another Saturday Night short-track encounter in Richmond. That is followed by a return trip to the treacherous track in New Hampshire. After that, there will only be nine-races remaining, which begins the homestretch.

For a review on NASCAR�s previous visit to Bristol, which culminated with a Kurt Busch/Jimmy Spencer showdown, click here. As far as this weekend is concerned keep an eye on Friday night�s Busch race as well, if the Spring race (Harvick/Biffle, Spencer/Jack Sprague) was any indication there will be plenty of fireworks as well. Also, as was the case in March, all drivers will have to go through both the front and backstretches during pit-stops. That is to negate the huge disadvantage those pitting on the backstretch previously had, until this year Dale Earnhardt was the only driver assigned a rear pit box to win a Bristol race.

48 cars are entered, with Shawna Robinson allegedly being one of them, that could be hilarious. The drivers to watch Saturday night are as follows�

Rusty Wallace - Rusty gets upgraded from the usual 'possible contender' status to definite contender here. Nine lifetime wins speak volumes.

Tony Stewart - Perhaps the best bet of all this week. Won last August and was in the mix in March before having to give way to a relief driver due to a sore back from a crash the previous week in Darlington.

Ricky Rudd - Only driver besides Rusty to score top-tens in the last three races here - placing tenth, fourth and third. I'll ignore the lame-duck status here.

Kevin Harvick � Again, your point leader for the past six weeks. Also coming off tenth and second place finishes here. A definite contender again this week.

Kurt Busch � Do you want Door #1 or Door #2??? You could get a win out of the #97, as what occurred in March � or the #97 could blow up, as was the case the past two weeks. And then there is the possibility of either a PO�d driver wrecking Kurt, or Kurt retaliating and winding up in the �penalty box�. I don�t think a middle-of-the-road finish will be an option here.

Ryan Newman � Then there is the other �Checker Or Wrecker�. Ryan looked great for a while in March, before encountering his all-too familiar mechanical problems. I still see a win in the very near future for the #12.

Jeff Gordon � Notice he didn�t get mentioned first??? Gordon was leading back in March when he inexplicably lost control of the #24 and slapped the outside wall. Although still very capable of winning, it�s time to realize that this program is way off.

Sterling Marlin � What you probably won�t get out of the #40 this week, a win. But then there is what you will probably get, and that�s a solid top 10, or top 15 finish at the very worse � as this team is clearly playing for points at this juncture.

Mark Martin � Change one letter in the last name, but you get the exact same strategy, as the #6 tries to steal a title in �02.

Jimmie Johnson � Earned his Bristol merit badge with a fantastic seventh place run in March. Also a serious championship player.

Bill Elliott � I don�t know what I admire more, two straight wins or finishing on the lead lap driving one-handed for three-quarters of the race. Another fascinating note, after the Brickyard 400 nine engines were confiscated for dyno-testing. Elliott's engine had the least amount of horsepower of the nine. Don't expect a win here but very possibly a top ten.

Matt Kenseth � The sixth place finisher back in March. Pit strategy will figure huge, so expect the #17 running near the front at some juncture Saturday night.

Bobby LaBonte � Fifth place in March, to go along with a short-track triumph at Martinsville. This is one track the #18 still runs great at.

Jeff Green � Yes, he gets mentioned as a contender this week as the #30 is coming off two straight top ten finishes. RCR not a bad team to ride with right now.

Dale Jarrett � Not his best track, but DJ has to get a mention nonetheless.

SLEEPERS

Jimmy Spencer � We don�t know if the #41 will contend, as was the case in March. We do know that Spencer will be a lightning rod for controversy at some point this weekend. The only suspense is will it come driving the Busch car or the Cup car � or both.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. � Came away with a fourth back in March and could gain some momentum from last weekend. See how the #8 does in qualifying before treading forward.

Elliot Sadler � The Spring �01 winner here. A late fuel mileage run would put the #21 in the mix again.

Michael Waltrip � The #15 is usually anything but a dream here, but Mikie is having a huge season.

Terry LaBonte � 6th, 10th, and 16th his last three times here � you could do much worse.

Robbie Gordon � Low point of Robbie's season was in March, wneh the race ended with Robbie attempting to punt Dale Jr. on pit road Tony Stewart style, and winding up doing more damage to the #31 than to Junior.

Ricky Craven � His momentum has slowly stalled from this time last year. It is just so tough for �lone-wolfs� to survive in this game.

Look for the top ten to shake out as follows...

1. Stewart, 2. Harvick, 3. Rusty, 4. Kenseth, 5. Busch, 6. Rudd, 7. J. Gordon, 8. Elliott, 9. Johnson, 10. Green

NASCARODDS has the field as follows...

Rusty 3-1, Stewart 4-1, B. LaBonte 9-2, J. Gordon 5-1, Johnson 6-1, Harvick 7-1, Marlin 8-1, Busch 9-1, Kenseth 10-1, Elliott 11-1, J. Burton 12-1, Rudd 13-1, Martin 14-1, Dale Jr. 15-1, Jarrett 16-1, Newman 17-1, T. LaBonte 18-1, Mayfield 19-1, Park 20-1, R. Gordon 22-1, Spencer 24-1, E. Sadler 26-1, J. Green 28-1, Waltrip 30-1, Hamilton 32-1, W. Burton 34-1, T. Bodine 36-1, Nadeau 38-1, Craven 40-1, Blaney 42-1, Schrader 44-1, Benson 46-1, Skinner 48-1, Andretti 50-1, Petty 55-1, Nemechek 60-1, Stricklin 65-1, Atwood 70-1, B. Bodine 75-1, M. Wallace 80-1

Now for the odds of drivers blowing a gasket...

Spencer even money, Harvick 2-1, Stewart 5-2, Rusty 3-1, Rudd 4-1, Junior 5-1, R. Gordon 6-1, J. Gordon 8-1, Sadler 10-1...