Today is the start of Reno-Fernley Raceway's Fernley Jackpot shootout, and it looks as though the weather is going to be perfect for dirt track racing. The action starts at 3 p.m. today with heat races for Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Hobby Stocks, and Dwarf Cars. The show continues at noon Sunday with the Mains for all four divisions. General admission is $15 for each day or $25 for a two-day ticket. Visit www.reno-fernleyraceway for more information.
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Congratulations to Dario Franchitti and the Target/Ganassi organization on another IndyCar championship. Franchitti drove a conservative race at Homestead/Miami last Saturday, aided by a miscue on the part of Penske Racing's Will Power, who came into the final race in the points lead. When Power took himself out in a brush with the wall, Franchitti cruised to a safe finish and the IndyCar champion's unusual trophy (which he likened to a "naked guy on a unicycle").
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Speaking of championships, NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup is getting exciting. Eight of the 12 Chase drivers are within 85 points of the lead, the closest of any Chase at this point in the season since the format was adopted. However, Jimmie Johnson has taken the points lead, and he may well be on his way to a fifth straight championship. Johnson has won four of his last six starts at California Speedway, including this year's spring race, so look for him to extend his eight-point lead on Sunday. Looking ahead to the rest of the tracks on the Chase schedule, Johnson's record at those venues is downright discouraging to his fellow Chasers. With Chad Knaus (arguably the best strategist NASCAR has ever seen) on the pit box and Hendrick Motorsports equipment underneath him, Johnson could conceivably go on winning championships until he retires!
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The David Reutimann fan club increased by a huge amount after last weekend's Sprint Cup race at Kansas, when he gave Kyle Busch a taste of his own medicine. After being punted by Busch and sent to the pits for repairs, Reutimann returned to the track and took the opportunity for a little retaliation. Although Reutimann spun himself out in the process (deducting style points), he nevertheless inflicted enough damage to ruin Shrub's day. The incident pointed out the dangers of mixing Chase drivers with everybody else on the same track, but that's the way the system works. It probably won't be the last tangle between a Chase and non-Chase driver in the next seven races, either. Reutimann wasn't penalized for the retaliation, nor even called to the NASCAR hauler for a chat. That's in keeping with NASCAR's new "have at it, boys" philosophy, but I'll bet that the teams who are in the Chase are doing some heavy lobbying to nip this sort of activity in the bud.
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Now that the IndyCar season is over, we will be seeing Danica Patrick in the number 7 Go Daddy Nationwide car for the final six races of the season. This could be make-or-break for Danica in NASCAR. If she can improve significantly and finish a race or two on the lead lap or in the top 20, she could be invited back for 2011. If she continues to finish laps down and in 30th or worse, it could be curtains for her stock car career. However, looking back historically at former IndyCar driver Tony Stewart, who had a much more successful IndyCar career, he didn't do much in his first few Nationwide starts, either. It wasn't until he ran a 22-race season for Joe Gibbs Racing in 1999 that he started putting up top five finishes. And Stewart was not under the intense media scrutiny that has followed Danica as one of the country's top female racers.
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With four races left to go including this weekend's round at Suzuka in Japan, there are still five drivers in contention for the Formula 1 World Driving Championship. Red Bull's Mark Webber leads the charts with 202 points, followed by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso with 191. In close contention for third place are McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton (182) and Jensen Button (177), sandwiching Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel (181). Vettel, 2009 Suzuka winner, and Alonso, 2008 victor, are favored to win.
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