The Chance at Most Improved .. your opinion

[Bram Hume]

I'll make no bones about.. I think RCR will see even stronger positioning in standings,at day's end..I wouldn't be surprised at all four RCR entries in the top 12... and I do think that points position-wise, no one stands a better chance at brass-covered tin-ring than Casey Mears.. he's fully funded and from all outward signs, has a much stronger support system behind him at the Welcome, NC shops as opposed to the 'and we must mention...' status he got at Hendrick.. and this is his last chance, of that, there should be no mistake. can you say..INCENTIVE?.. the supply is there, equipment-wise.. now to supply the fuel for demand.. game-face, Casey, game-face..

Otherwise.. it's the usual suspects as I've said before.. Kurt Busch may retire from the ranks without just an exceptional season... he's hinting at it...

Jr. , Paul Menard, Juan Pablo, Jamie McMurray and Reed Sorenson better step-up and get born again hard... excuses are wearing thin..Truex needs to become a better deal-closer, Allmendinger and Almirola need to hope for miracles..and David Stremme better also

and I'm curious as to what the application, albeit limited, of the new Ford engine will bring..

I'll be very interested to see what changes to the Nationwide Series will be brought forward.. will the NNS COT take the shape in the form of 'pony-cars'.. that is Mustang, Camaro, Challenger, Solara..and the like?... just a thought..

Over in IRL.. to me it's gonna be a 'no-brainer' ..Dixon/Franchitti running the shows.. AGR sniffing for and finding what's scrapped from the table...Marco Andretti needs to get his estrogen level in check.. or dad Michael needs to look to his capable Indy Lights driver. J.R. Hildebrand is good.

In ALMS.. one word.. Acura.. OK.. two words..Porsche.. Farnbacher-Loles and Flying Lizard rules GT2 class.. and maybe Dyson will bring some new-found glory to Mazda. BMW Rahal Letterman will make some noise. Auberlin/Hand driver combination doesn't lose.

The GT class isn't going away, even though Corvette Racing moves solely to GT2 atfter the 24 Hours at Le Mans..it'll be good to see the factory Vette house in horse-to-horse match-up with the Porsches and Ferraris... the Series and IMSA will not allow a non-competitive entrant into GT1 class simply to accumulate points and victories due to a lack of competition. ACO demands 4 classes to remain affiliated with Le Mans.. but if no manufactuer has an entry?.. Aston Martin has no plans to bring supported efforts across the pond, neither does Saleen...how's that working out fer ya, Mr. Atherton?

Grand-Am.. Brumos team has new, shiny Rolex Daytonas to wear.,and the Porsche engine is strong.. but let's see what chassis/engine works in the sprint races.. Ford could be factor there. Pontiac isn't... and it's Riley vs. Dallara...Lola sneaking up on them..

NHRA.. The year of the little independent engine that could.. is probably going to be short-lived.. the majors will be back in front.. Force and DSR, with Tim Wilkerson and Predregon continuing to nip at the heels and keep the big boys honest..It might just be Ashley's turn to make complete history.. the 2009 F/C Championship... Antron Brown will take Mike Ashley to the Top Fuel championship.. sorry Tony Schumacher, it's someone else's turn... and Jeg Coughlin will add more champ numbers.. with Mopar teams making the most noise over the Pontiac, Chevy camp overall.

Pro Stock bikes? Suzuki, Buell, Harley.. throw a blanket over them.. it's all about who has the best cash and biggest set of cajones.. regardless of gender..

your turn...

[Revvin Jim G]

I have to go with you on ALMS and Grand Am, and also NHRA. I Don't think Suzuki and Buell are done, but I do believe, and I either dreamed it or actually read it somewhere, Harley is pulling out of racing altogether.
You left out AMA, which is a bust, but I think Moto GP will continue its rise to surpass its past glory.
I believe Bobby Labonte will be the comeback story of the year in NASCAR. He will be for Yates Racing what Jeff Burton was for RCR in 2006. Speaking of 2006, Jimmie Johnson will have a season in 2009 similar to Smoke's in 2006. Things just won't work out right for him, the right things will happen at the wrong time, and the wrong things will happen at the wrong time, as well. I'm not wishing him bad luck, I think he is already going to have enough of that on his own.
Speaking of Smoke, the enthusiasm and energy with which he has gone about rebuilding Haas Racing has made me a believer. Add to that his track record of being a successful team owner in WoO and USAC. He knows what he is doing, and many of the naysayers, one of whom was myself until recently, will be surprised at the performance and success of Stewart-Haas Racing this year.
So, if six of the seven Hendrick's cars, four of the RCR cars, one Roush-Fenway (Edwards), and one JGR (Busch)car make the Chase, will NASCAR feel a need to race the number of Chase participants to 14 for 2010? Or maybe drop the Chase altogether.Or, they could just make the Chase consist of the top three cars from each manufacturer. Hmmmmm.......