After a disappointing turnout of cars led to cancellation of the racing program at Reno-Fernley's clay oval last Friday night, expectations are much higher for tonight's show for Modifieds, Pro Stocks, and Hobby Stocks. If you go, tickets are $8 for general admission, $5 for youth and seniors. Racing starts at 6 p.m.
•••
It was great to see Jack Roush back on the pit box at Michigan last weekend, after recovering from his second plane crash. Roush suffered a broken back and the loss of sight in his left eye, but had to be cheered by his team's performance, with Roush-Fenway Fords finishing third, fourth, fifth and 11th. The only thing that would have made it sweeter would have been a win.
However, Kevin Harvick's Chevy was too strong at the end, despite Greg Biffle leading the most laps. Harvick's win clinched him a spot in the Chase for the Championship, and the win move him up a notch in the seeding for the 10-race championship run.
Mark Martin had a miserable day and fell out of the top 12 by 35 points in the continuing seesaw battle with Clint Bowyer for the final Chase spot. The race was exciting down to the final laps, and didn't turn into a mileage contest as so many Michigan races do.
•••
Tonight the Cup cars will take to the track for the Bristol night race, an experience that Jimmy Spencer once likened to "flying a fighter plane in a gymnasium." Bristol always provides a lot of entertainment value, especially for those of the "rubbin' is racin'" school.
The race will be broadcast by ESPN on ABC, as will the remainder of the season's Cup night races.
Harvick, locked into the Chase, can continue the "vacation" he declared himself to be on prior to the start of the Michigan race. If that's any indication of what the rest of his "vacation" will be like, the rest of the Chase drivers should be very worried.
•••
You may have noticed that Formula 1 has been missing for the past few weeks. This is because Europe basically closes for vacation the month of August. F1 will return next weekend with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps. A couple of the F1 drivers have been active during their time off, with both McLaren's Jensen Button and Mercedes' Nico Rosberg running triathlon events. Who says race drivers aren't athletes? Last Sunday's Wind Tunnel show on SPEED featured an interview with F1 points leader Mark Webber. I was interested to learn that Webber is a mentor to fellow Australian driver Will Power, who currently leads the IndyCar points for Team Penske. I also had to laugh at Webber's dry response to a question about Michael Schumacher's return to F1. Webber noted that we haven't yet seen a successful comeback in the series.
•••
The IndyCar series makes its closest stop to us this weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. I had wanted to attend the race, but I'll be laid up from recent knee replacement surgery and won't be able to make it. It's probably just as well, because I consider the former Sears Point to be my home track, where I have done a lot of racing, announcing, and officiating over the years. And to see the Indycars have to race there with the stupid "blocking" rule preventing the leader from taking the proper racing line into a turn would make me see red. I might be tempted to pull a Robin Miller on series competition director Brian Barnhardt on the subject. However, there may be light at the end of that particular tunnel. New Indycar CEO Randy Bernard recently appointed former Champ Car VP of operations and competition director Tony Cotman to oversee the development of the new car for the 2012 season. It's not much of a stretch to see Cotman's role expanded to replace Barnhardt for 2011. It would be the answer to most IndyCar fans' dreams.
•••
Finally, I have to apologize for a "senior moment" in last week's column as I incorrectly identified Paul Menard's current team as Earnhardt-Ganassi. Menard in fact drives a Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports.