Haas Drivers fined 150 points

[Chris]

Road course ringers are getting sorta slim....

[scott b]

The road course specialists didn't have much impact at Sonoma this year.  66 still out, 7 and 41 slide closer to the bubble.  55 and 00 did better than I expected.

Of the upcoming races, Daytona and the Brickyard are the ones where you don't want to go in 36th.  The other tracks should draw just the usual 45 entries.

Not a good sign for Sorenson that he got pulled for a ringer with the car still in the top 35, BTW... seems to back up the talk that he will not be back next season.

[Fathead]

66 missed it this week.   That could be a deathblow.   

[Chris]

well I don't know so much if it'll be a 'deathblow'... but it WILL pretty much lock the top 35 in points into their positions for a while.
Up until today it was a 36 car race for 35 spots... now with the 36th place car missing the show.. it'll just be a 35 car show...
It will open up a gap between 35th and 36th.
IN time I think that gap could close... and we could see someone like Waltrip or McDowell (maybe Regan Smith or Soenson)  still end up out of the top 35 when the season ends.

[Chris]

Well as much as everyone thought the 150 point penalty would be a deathblow for the #66 .... they're back.
Moved into the top 35 this week... moving the #00 out.

SO that'll prompt a good question.  WHO will be the next team to fall out of the top 35.
It's GONNA happen.  The #84 is coming... no question.  That team has learned to put faith and confidence in what Allmendinger says, and has really made great strides in the last few months.  He's still outside the top 35 so he's gonna knock out someone.
Who's it gonna be..??   Here's the points from 29th on down right now..??

29 Chip Ganassi        41   1,657     -1,347 
30 Bill Davis             22    1,657     -1,347 
31 Robby Gordon      7    1,636     -1,368 
32 Michael Waltrip    55    1,597     -1,407 
33 Teresa Earnhardt 01    1,572     -1,432 
34 Roger Penske     77     1,522    -1,482 
35 Joe Custer         66     1,496

36 Rob Kauffman        00   1,482    -1,522 
37 Dietrich Mateschitz 84   1,433    -1,571 
38 Jeffrey Moorad      96    1,335

[south jersey girl]

I think as long as the 84 keeps making races they will definately move into the top 35.  Nice top 10 finish for AJ this week.

I'm thinking that the 66 will probably be the one to slip back out.  Just not consistent enough.  I think the 77 is good enough to stay in the top 35.

If the 66 does manage to stay in, then it will probably be the 01 slipping out, and that will probably be the end of that team...

[scott b]

I think the 66 and 77 will both stay in.  The 66 was safely in till the 150 point penalty, and should be able to maintain their position now that they are back in.  Hornish will be going back to tracks he's already raced at, so he should do just well enough to keep the 77 in, if he can avoid performances like the triple wrecks at the first Pocano race.

That leaves either the 01 or the 55 in the most danger of falling out, as neither team has money to throw around to improve their performance if the talk around the garage is correct.  Not to mention what morale must be like at those teams. 

If 'Dinger gets the 84 into the top 35, it will be quite an accomplishment for him and Red Bull after the way that team started the season... and it looks like there may be just enough races left in the season for them to make it.

The 00 dropping out after McDowell took over is something I expected since that plan was announced, and I don't think he'll finish the season without picking up a DNQ or two now that it has happened.

[Chris]

I tend to agree... I think now that the #00 is out.  He'll probably stay out.  Might go in and out for a couple weeks,.. but for the "big picture" when all is said and done,.. he'll finish up out.
Then it'll come down between the #01 and the #55 to see who gets knocked out.
Watkins Glen is gonna be telling for one thing.  I'm sure T Labonte will drive the #45 there,.. so if Waltrip don't have a road course ringer already lined up to drive his car,.. he'll have a poor finish.  Waltrips sucks on road courses, and he hates them.  I'd suspect DEI will have someone drive for the #01 at WG (possibly Fellows again).  That could provide a cushion between the #01 and the #55.
Waltrip hasn't show much as a driver or as a owner / team this season. 
I think between the two.  The #01 has the best shot at staying in the top 35.
Waltrip could already be on the outside looking in if not for the lucky break of it raining when it did at NH, and him just ACCIDENTLY being in 2nd place when the rain came.  He had run well back in the pack all day.  SO far that has been his only saving grace.

[Fathead]

The 00 will stay out now.  I bet he misses in the next 2 weeks.



The 01 may not exist long enough to keep a spot.