From the August, 2007 issue of Stock Car Insider

Kurt Busch Dominates! - SCI August 6th Issue

Next stop on the Nextel Cup Schedule is Watkins Glen International

The weeks are rolling by and the race for the Chase is nearing its end. NASCAR has to be ecstatic with the standings heading into Watkins Glen next week. The biggest names in NASCAR so far are all qualifiers for the Chase. Unlike previous seasons where key drivers missed the Chase (Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon in 2005 along with Tony Stewart in 2006), this years Chase promises to be the best ever.

Given this star-studded cast who has everything to lose, next week's Centurion Boats at The Glen is building up to be a can't miss race! Of all current drivers with 2 or more career starts at Watkins Glen International, Tony Stewart has had the most success. In 8 starts at the Glen, Tony has an average finish of 6th.

Also expect the following drivers to do well next week:

Kevin Harvick - Average Finish 9th
Robby Gordon - Average Finish 9th
Carl Edwards - Average Finish 12th
Jamie McMurray - Average Finish 13th

Next Week's Schedule:

Nextel Cup: @ Watkins Glen International
8/10/07 - 03:10pm NASCAR Nextel Cup Centurion Boats at The Glen Qualifying
8/11/07 - 01:50pm NASCAR Nextel Cup Centurion Boats at The Glen Practice
8/12/07 - 02:00pm NASCAR Nextel Cup Centurion Boats at The Glen

Busch Series: @ Watkins Glen International
8/10/07 - 05:30pm NASCAR Busch Series Zippo 200 Practice
8/11/07 - 11:35am NASCAR Busch Series Zippo 200 Qualifying
8/11/07 - 03:30pm NASCAR Busch Series Zippo 200

Craftsman Truck Series: @ Nashville Superspeedway
8/11/07 - 12:30pm NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Toyota Tundra 200 Qualifying
8/11/07 - 05:30pm NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Toyota Tundra 200

See complete 2007 NASCAR Schedule

Kurt Busch Gets 1st Win of 2007

Kurt Busch dominated Pocono in a way no one has dominated a NASCAR race in years. He led all but 25 laps of the Pennsylvania 500 and set a new Pocono Raceway record in the process. Not even lug nut issues on pit road could keep Kurt "Kid Vegas" Busch from cashing in with his hot rod.

The win ended a long drought that had extended for 51 races back to the 2006 March race at Bristol. The win could not have come at a better time for Busch. Going into Sunday's race, Kurt was in 13th place at 13 points behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. Despite Dale Earnhardt Jr finishing second, Kurt was able to leap over Jr in the points standings and now sits 29 points ahead in 12th position.

The win is a result of a resurgence Kurt Busch is having at Penske Racing. Over the last 5 races, Kurt has the second highest average finish of 8.4. Only the point’s leader, Jeff Gordon, is hotter. Can Kurt keep pouring it on over the final 5 races until the field for the Chase for the Championship is set?

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Jimmie Johnson Back on Track

Jimmie Johnson looked visibly relieved at the conclusion of yesterday's Pennsylvania 500. Jimmie appeared to have gotten over the case of the shanks, the bad luck that plagues golfers, at Pocono.

Over the last 5 races, during crew chief Chad Knaus' absence, the #48 Lowe's team has had uncharacteristic bad luck. The average finish over that stretch plummeted down to 19th best, and with it so did Jimmie's standing in the points.

Bad luck, of course, is bad luck which indicates that no matter who is sitting atop the pit box, it's going to happen. To a casual observer, it does seem however, that when Chad Knaus sits upstairs, things run a bit more smoothly.

None-the-less, Johnson appears to be back on track after finishing 5th in the Pennsylvania 500. He'll need luck next week when NASCAR heads to Watkins Glen.

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Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway Recap

It was a battle of the beer sponsors, but not really, as the cars came by on the final lap. Kurt Busch was out in front, and Dale Earnhardt Jr was a distant second. Such was the day for Dale and the rest of the field in the Pennsylvania 500.

No one could get close enough to Busch to even give him a love tap on the back bumper. Even mishaps on the final pit stop that forced Busch to restart in the 9th position couldn't hold him back. With in a matter of laps, Busch was back at the front commanding the race.

In a rare attempt to be modest, Busch said, ``You never for one instant think you have the race in the bag. The only time I really thought about it was coming to the checkered, lap 199 coming to 200.''

Other drivers to note:

Points leader, Jeff Gordon, continued on in his domination of the point's standings. Gordon finished in 4th and increased his points lead to 366 over 2nd place Denny Hamlin.

Jimmie Johnson turned his ship around with a 5th place finish. The top 5 finish gave Johnson some traction on what had been a slippery slope down the point's standing. Johnson gained 2 spots and now sits in 7th place.

Dale Earnhardt Jr had about a good a race as anyone could wish for. Fighting an ill-handling car for much of the day, Earnhardt was able to pull out a 2nd place finish. The only problem with 2nd place is that the guy he's competing with in points won the race. As a result, Jr fell to 13th in points and is currently out of the Chase.

Tony Stewart's bid to win 3 straight fell just a bit short. 5 places short in fact. Last week's winner at the Brickyard finished in 6th place at Pocono and now sits 5th in the points.

See complete 2007 NASCAR Schedule