Number 41

Show number 41 of the 2007 Oval Operations tour is on the list. What a fantastic feature! There were two battles in progress, one for the feature win and one for the season championship. When the dust settled Jason Danley had won the race and Mike Boston the points championship. Congratulations to both.

My Take...

-The track took a lot of rubber, but it seemed that it was tacky rather than abrasive. I don't know for sure, but from the stands it looked like the cars were able to race pretty well on the surface.

-In a tight points race it's a shame someone has to come in second. Jeff Griffis raced hard all season and showed that again last night. He raced Boston clean last night and put on a great show for the fans.

-Trevor Grossenbacher put on his best performance yet. The young driver led from the outset until a late re-start gave Danley another chance at getting by. Danley took advantage, but Grossenbacher looked mighty smooth on a slick track, running the bottom. Grossenbacher would finish third and earn a parking spot on the front stretch. Have patience kid, it's only a matter of time before that first feature win.

-Another excellent crowd was on hand to watch the action, and a fun all around atmosphere. I watched from the grandstands and really had a nice time. The show was smoothly run and ended shortly after 10 p.m.

-I suppose it's fitting to spend my final night of summer at the races.

-One more to go. Next week is the Nebraska Cup on a Sunday night. I hope they have another healthy crowd and high car count.

And Finally...

-Jack Dover's rotten luck at Knoxville continues. Dover started on the pole for the 410 A feature and was running third when he got together with Wayne Johnson and flipped. The crew was able to make repairs to get the car back on the track but they would finish 18th on the night.

-Dion Hindi stayed off the Outlaws trail to win the Knoxville 410 feature, while Chad Meyer won the 360 race.

-Larry Pinegar II finished 12th, again running for Doug Lovegrove. Rick Ideus ran seventh and Ryan Roberts 14th. Billy Alley finished fourth in the 410 race.

-Knoxville will conclude their Championship Cup series racing next Saturday night. Brian Brown looks to have that championship in hand with a 310 point lead over second place Dusty Zomer. Last year's season champ Billy Alley sits sixth.

File this under "you heard it here first"

According to many in the media, Joe Gibbs Racing will replace Chevy with Toyota next year in NASCAR. What does this have to do with open wheel racing? Let me explain.

As you're aware, Tony Stewart is one of Gibbs' drivers. Tony recently signed a deal with Chevy, officially bringing that company into grassroots open wheel racing for the first time in that company's history. Chevy reportedly wanted Stewart, who currently drives a Chevy in NASCAR, to run Chevys in his many open wheel teams.

If the Gibbs team made a switch to Toyota, Stewart would again find his NASCAR ride at odds with his open wheel teams. As Toyota continues their push towards positioning themselves as an "American" company, it would make sense for their continued involvement in open wheel racing.

Consider they already have midgets, it might not be too long before they develop a sprint car motor. Surely Stewart could negotiate some stipulations in his contract with Toyota to help develop motors for his sprint, midget, and silver crown teams.

So IF Gibbs goes to Toyota, it might not be a long time before Toyota expands their involvement in grassroots racing.

It's all theoretical at this point, but if it happens, remember where you first read about it.

Stay Tuned...

Tomorrow I'm going to solve all of IndyCar's problems.

Next Up...
The Nebraska Cup, Eagle Raceway, 9/2/07