Daily NASCAR

Following Sunday’s race at Atlanta, ten of the twelve Chase drivers are set, with Greg Biffle needing to finish only 42nd or better at Richmond to be in, and Clint Bowyer needing a 28th or better to be in.  So with the field all but set, who’s your pick to win the 2010 Cup Series Championship?

Just in case you need a little reminder, here are the twelve drivers that will battle for the title over the final ten races (barring any last minute heroics by Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, or Mark Martin):

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Kyle Busch
4. Tony Stewart
5. Carl Edwards
6. Jeff Burton
7. Jimmie Johnson
8. Kurt Busch
9. Matt Kenseth
10. Denny Hamlin
11. Greg Biffle
12. Clint Bowyer

After Richmond, the points will be reset among the twelve, with the number of wins being the determining factor for who starts where in the standings and with how many points.  Right now, Johnson and Hamlin have the most wins, each with five, so they will be atop the standings heading to New Hampshire.

Now, with everything we’ve seen this season, and what we know of each of these drivers and how they race, who’s your champion?  Does Jimmie win a fifth straight?  Will a Childress driver finally break through?  Will Ford emerge over the last ten races?  Let’s hear it!

Also, both Journo and myself wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!

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by Holly CainI hope you’ll join me for a FanHouse Motorsports exclusive live chat with two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart from the media center at Daytona International Speedway at 2 p.m. Friday, the day before the Coke Zero 400.

The annual Independence Day classic comes at the traditional halfway point of the season, and after a slow start, Stewart has been coming on strong, with five top-10 finishes in the last six races, including second last weekend at New Hampshire.

Tony is still looking for his first win, but Ryan Newman, his hand-picked teammate at Stewart-Haas Racing, took the checkered flag at Phoenix.

Tony has joined me for FanHouse exclusive chats before, such as in 2009 during Speedweeks at Daytona, when we talked about a wide range of subjects ranging from personal preferences to the state of the sport.

It’s going to be a big weekend of racing, and I hope you’ll help kick it off with me at 2 p.m. Friday when we spend some time with the popular river of the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet.

Tony Stewar Live Chat

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I know this seems like a weird question, but it’s a legitimate concern for many of the sport’s marketers.

Michael Smith, who among other things covers NASCAR at Sports Business Journal, wrote a piece this week looking at the changing face of the NASCAR sponsorship – namely the proliferation of fragmented sponsorship deals. He notes there are just 10 teams (he missed the #37 Extenze sponsored car, so 11) that carry the same sponsor for the entire season (of those, three are owned by the sponsor).

Through this, many in the sport and around the sport are questioning the effect it has on fans – many are even suggesting it drives fans away. The thinking is that it becomes hard to associate the driver, the team and their corporate partner – in other words they all look different every week. It certainly is a strange new world.

From the beginning of sponsorship in the sport one of the real values has been the ability to tie a sponsor to a driver, and vice versa. Think GM Goodwrench and Dale Earnhardt, STP and Richard Petty, Skoal and Harry Gant, and many, many others. This, so the thinking goes, builds fan loyalty.

Today it’s almost difficult to tell who sponsors whom, when. Carl Edwards has four? sponsors, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman have three, and Marcos Ambrose has six different products and/or companies adorning his car at various times throughout the season. It’s impossible to keep up with.

Now my question to you is, does this make any difference to your enjoyment of the sport? Does it change the way you see your favorite driver or team?

I don’t know if I necessarily believe it’s driving people away from the sport, but I can see how this might make it hard to follow for someone who is new to the sport. It would be like the Chicago Cubs calling themselves three different names during the season. You know the players play for the same team, and you know the Cubs are also the Pups and the Fawns, but you can’t keep your apparel straight and you’re not sure when you go into the stadium just what team you’re following.

As the article suggests this fragmentation and confusion dilutes the sponsorships and the brands. It’s hard to see how anyone is getting any value from these few race deals, or from ever changing paint schemes. And I can’t imagine fans are connecting all that well.

What do you think about all of this? Since this is likely the future of sponsorship in the sport, will that change how you feel about NASCAR? Do you find this frustrating? Is it a non-issue?

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by Holly Cain

Filed under: Talladega Superspeedway

Here’s the replay of FanHouse Senior Writer Holly Cain’s live chat, which took place at noon (ET) Sunday from Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway - site of Sunday’s NASCAR doubleheader, the Sprint Cup Series’ Aaron’s 499 and the Nationwide Series’ Aaron’s 312.

Racing is always exciting at Talladega, but the last two events here have resulted in dramatic last-lap crashes and surprise winners. FanHouse thanks those who joined us to make your predictions about this typically unpredictable race and share your opinion about the potential of the first Talladega triple-overtime.

We discussed everything from what Ryan Newman is really like to whether Talladega should remain as it is or the banks knocked down.

Click below to see a transcript of the chat.

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by Holly Cain

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, Talladega Superspeedway, Stewart-Haas Racing

AOL FanHouse’s on-the-scene coverage of the NASCAR races at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway was anchored by a FanHouse exclusive Live Chat with 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman, which took place at 5:30 p.m. Friday (ET)

Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation-Office Depot-sponsored Chevrolet, joined FanHouse track side and took questions on a variety of topics ranging from his favorite tracks to his favorite fishing equipment.

As FanHouse’s senior motorsports writer, I’ll be at the track at Talladega this weekend to give you all the latest news and perspective. Also, I’d like to thank everyone who joined in my chat with Ryan. And I’d like to invite everyone to join me for my own Live Chat at noon Sunday (ET) shortly before the green flag drops for the Aaron’s 499 - - one of the most exciting events on the NASCAR calendar.

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