Chase for chase begins in earnest with Brickyard

OK, I wasn't really complaining about too much racing on TV last week, just too many races being aired at the same time.

With Nextel Cup off this weekend, we have only a Busch race, the Indy Racing League at Michigan, and Formula 1 at Hockenheim in Germany, all at widely spaced intervals. I can deal with that.

This is the NASCAR Nextel Cup's last "bye" weekend until the end of the season, with the Brickyard 400 on tap for next Sunday. This race is taking on an importance second only to the Daytona 500, and may even be more important to drivers with open-wheel roots, like last year's Brickyard winner Tony Stewart, four-time Brickyard victor Jeff Gordon, and drivers like Casey Mears and Kasey Kahne, who are still looking for their first win at the venerable track. There are some who say that the Brickyard 400 has surpassed the Indy 500 in prestige, and it is certainly the equal (or more) of the 500 in terms of spectator attendance and TV ratings.

Indy is one of the last few remaining races to decide the 10 finalists in this year's "Chase for the Championship." It's an interesting mix of events, with three superspeedways (Indy, Michigan, California), a couple of short tracks (Bristol, Richmond), and the road course at Watkins Glen. And the Chase roster is anything but firm, with drivers bouncing in and out of the top ten from week to week.

Speaking of Watkins Glen, Sports car driver "Mad" Max Papis will drive the No. 36 Chevy for McGill Motorsports in the upcoming Busch race at the Glen. Papis is the latest road course ringer to try his hand at one of NASCAR's top series. Max has raced in Champ Car, IRL, Formula 1, and sports cars, and is one of the more exciting drivers to watch on a road course. So far this season he has competed in the Daytona 24 hour race, the Indy 500, and Le Mans, and is excited about his first-ever NASCAR start.

The other shoe has dropped on Danica Patrick's destination for 2007. As expected, she will drive in the IRL series for Andretti Green Racing, one of four drivers on the AGR team. Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, and a driver to be named will be her teammates.

It appears that current AGR racers Dario Franchitti and Bryan Herta are not on the short list for the remaining seat, which will probably be filled by a young hot shoe from the Indy Pro Series. Franchitti and Herta will likely field AGR's new Acura entry in the American Le Mans series for 2007. AGR Team leader Michael Andretti, speaking at a press conference, said that he felt Patrick would help to advance AGR's team philosophy.

"Our focus has been and always will be on winning races and winning championships," said Andretti. "We certainly believe Danica will do that. She has made it very clear that one of her goals as a driver is to win the Indianapolis 500 and we are looking forward to giving her a great opportunity to do that."

In a more serious vein, it was revealed last week that NBC commentator and 1973 NASCAR champion Benny Parsons has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Parsons, 65, will begin treatment immediately, and plans to continue broadcasting during the course of treatment. One of Parsons' team of physicians is Dr. Steve Limenpani, who treated car owner Rick Hendrick for leukemia in 1997. Hendrick's cancer is in remission, and he is currently in good health. Parsons was a smoker, but quit in 1978.

If you want to see some exotic race cars live in the sheet metal, you'll get your chance at Reno-Fernley Raceway next Saturday night. New West Distributing/Coors T-shirt Night at the Races will feature the Pacific Coast Fast Track Late Model Series. These 800 horsepower monsters are similar to the Extreme Dirt Cars you see on SPEEDTV. They only make one appearance a year in the area, and it's a show well worth seeing. Spectator gates open at 3 p.m., and racing starts at 6 p.m. Take Highway 50 east to Silver Springs, turn left on 95A, and follow the road to the racetrack.