The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 36

C4 SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 2006 FN AUTO RACING THE ENQUIRER NASCAR Nextel Cup Brickyard 400 a mix of prestige, pressure Status of Indy race increases as Chase for Championship cut looms Today's race iv; i 'Si Tne Associated PressDarren Cummings races, needs a good run. NASCAR notebook Waltrip's streak stalls at Indy The Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS Michael Waltrip will miss a Nextel Cup race for the first time since 1998 after failing to qualify for today's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. The top 35 cars in team owner points are guaranteed a starting spot at each Cup race, but Waltrip is 38th and has to qualify each week on speed. The two-time Daytona 500 winner needed to finish in the top eight Saturday among those who didn't automatically qualify, and his lap of 178.091 mph was 10th. Waltrip, who declined to be interviewed, drives the No.

55 Dodge for Bill Davis Racing. He also has formed Michael Waltrip Racing, which will field three cars next season when Toyota enters the Cup series. "He said the car was pushing a tad bit," Chris Goodnight, a spokesman for Waltrip, said. "We picked up nearly half a second from our best lap at practice yesterday, but it wasn't good enough." Waltrip missed the Daytona 500 at the start of the 1986 season, then started every race until he failed to qualify at Phoenix late in 1998, a streak of 387 consecutive races. The next week at Rockingham, he began a streak of 270 straight starts that ends today.

BUSCH SERIES: Points leader Kevin Harvick earned his fifth victory of the season, leading 117 laps in Saturday night's Kroger 200 at O'Reilly Raceway Park near Indianapolis. Polesitter Denny Hamlin didn't make a pit stop until Lap 133, and racing on worn tires cost him. Harvick got past Hamlin just before the halfway point of the 200-lap race. Harvick wasn't challenged for the lead, despite a caution with 15 laps remaining. He dusted Reed Sorenson on the restart and coasted to Victory Lane.

Sorenson finished second, followed by J. Yeley, Greg Biffle and Danny O'Quinn. Dale Earnhardt who fell from third Johnson Kenseth Driver standings By Jenna Fryer Vie Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS Since making the Chase for the Championship is all that matters anymore in NASCAR, the pressure and prestige of winning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has intensified. There are six races to go before the Chase field is set, and a tight pack of drivers is jockeying to get in. No one not even points leader Jimmie Johnson is guaranteed a spot.

It means today's Brickyard 400 could be the defining race of the summer. Those who run well should go on to compete for the Nextel Cup title; those who don't could end up as also-rans. "It is clear you have to race your way into the Chase you can't have bad races, you have got to go," said polesitter Jeff Burton. "I think the intensity of the races will pick up. The emotion level will pick up.

"If you are a team that needs to have some things happen, you are going to try and make things happen, you are going to push a little harder than maybe you should. If you are a team that is in the top 10 but on the edge, you might get a little conservative." Playing it safe is not a viable option for anyone. They've seen Dale Earnhardt once-promising season take a hit behind back-to-back last-place finishes. A lock to make the Chase three races ago, Earnhardt has gone from third to 11th in the standings and needs six mistake-free races to ensure himself a spot. But he has three former series champions -Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Kurt Buseh and last year's runner-up, Greg Biffle, jumbled around him for the final berths.

Busch was dealt a setback Saturday, qualifying third in his backup car after he wrecked his No. 2 Dodge during an afternoon practice. He'll start at the back of the field today. "It's not our best foot forward, because that was a great car," Busch said. "You put so much emphasis into one car to make it better.

Obviously one is an 'A' car and one is a But we tested the backup car here, and it shook down OK. We should be all right." Busch will need to rally to avoid being eliminated from the Chase. He's 13th in the standings, 166 points out of 10th place. Everyone is striving to be in the top 10 after today's race. Nine of the top 10 drivers coming out of Indy last season made the Chase, and in 2004 eight of them made it.

Formula One DRIVER POINTS STARTS WINS TOP 5 TOP 10 MONEY 1. Jimmie Johnson 2,939 20 3 7 16 $5,959,217 2. Matt Kenseth 2,842 20 2 10 11 $3,922,738 3. Jeff Burton 2.621 20 0 4 13 $2,859,067 4. Kyle Busch 2,582 20 1 7 10 $2,873,403 5.

Kevin Harvick 2.563 20 1 8 11 $3,396,052 6. Mark Martin 2,557 20 0 3 9 $2,500,953 7. Kasey Kahne 2,515 20 4 6 11 $3,717,698 8. Denny Hamlin 2,514 20 2 4 8 $2,654,297 9. Jeff Gordon 2,512 20 2 7 9 $3,599,247 10.

Tony Stewart 2.477 20 2 8 10 $4,047,555 to 11th in the standings the past Burton "It doesn't matter to me where it happens, how it happens," Gordon said. "I would love to get to 76. To get No. 5 (at Indy) and to tie Dale Earnhardt, it almost sounds too good to be true. We're going to give our best effort and see what happens." OF TRADITION The Cincinnati Reds are offering PMHI two Best of the rest in points 1L Dale Earnhardt 2,462.

12. Greg Biffle, 2,433. 13. Kurt Busch, 2,311. 14.

Carl Edwards, 2,242. 15. Casey Mears, 2,185. 16. Brian Vickers, 2,134.

17. Jamie McMurray, 2,088. 18. Ryan Newman, 2,080. 19.

Clint Bowyer, 2,064. 20. Elliott Sadler, 2,035. Did you know? Dale Jarrett is expected to make his 400th consecutive NASCAR Nextel Cup start at Indy. Three of the past five races at Indy have been won from outside the top 10 starting positions.

Jeff Burton has competed in all 12 races at Indy and has never started a race there from the top 15. Ryan Newman has posted five straight top-10 starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the longest current streak. Kasey Kahne has posted two top-five finishes in two races at Indianapolis. Eleven drivers have competed in all 12 Cup races at Indianapolis. Those 11 drivers won nine of the 12 races there.

Rusty Wallace finished second at Indy three times in his 12 races there but never visited victory lane. Jeff Gordon is clearly the standout at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, leading all drivers with three poles, four victories, seven top-fives and 10 top-10 finishes in 12 races there. He has led in nine of the 12 races, for 433 laps. mi tup $1 3 17:10 1 12:35 L--'i -j- AUGUST Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Site: Indianapolis Race: 2 p.m., NBC Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (rectangular oval, 2.5 miles, 9 degrees banking in turns) Race distance: 400 miles (160 laps) Next race: Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen, Aug. 13, Watkins Glen, N.Y.

"It is clear you have to race your way into the Chase you can't have bad races, you have got to go. I think the intensity of the races will pick up. Vie emotion level will pick up. Jeff Burton, today's polesitter And a win at the Brickyard? That's even more valuable. Five of the last eight winners at Indianapolis went on to win the NASCAR title, including Stewart last season.

Stewart used his Brickyard victory to surge into the points lead, then carried the momentum into the Chase, winning his second Nextel Cup championship. Stewart will start 32nd in pursuit of his second Brickyard 400 win. "I'm confident," he said. "I'm not going to say we can go out and win the race, but I know we're going to finish a lot better than where we're going to start." Stewart will do his best to keep his emotions in check this weekend after consecutive on-track altercations helped drop him to 10th in the standings. Tempers appeared to be tamed this weekend when NASCAR president Mike Helton brought Stewart, Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer into his office to discuss their wreck July 23 at Pocono Raceway and ensure there won't be any payback today.

One spot ahead of Stewart in the standings is Gordon, who will be trying to race his way into several record books. He's one win from tying the late Dale Earnhardt with 76 Cup victories, which rank sixth all time and second in the modern era. Indianapolis is a likely place for Gordon to get it he has won the Brickyard The Associated PressRoberto Pfeil Michael Schumacher, seeking his eighth Fl title, trails leader Fernando Alonso by 11 points. so made "unnecessary, unacceptable and dangerous" actions in an encounter with Red Bull test driver Robert Doornbos. Alonso had a hard time passing Doornbos, made a hand gesture to him, veered off the racing line toward him then slowed around a curve, making Doornbos take action to avoid a crash.

Alonso also was judged to have passed a car while under caution, resulting in a 2-second penalty to be added to his fastest time per session. "We're 15th. You never know It depends on the tires and the pace," the Spaniard said. "We have the power. With Michael penalized as well, we have not lost so much." The top 10 drivers from the second period advanced for a chance for the pole position in the 70-lap race on the 2.722-mile circuit.

In 2003 at Hungaroring, Alonso became the youngest driver to win a Formula One race. But last year Alonso had his worst finish in a race, 11th. He needs to come in eighth to score at least one point. Schumacher is coming off a convincing victory in the German Grand Prix, where Alonso struggled with tire blistering problems and came in fifth. lit Penalties put Alonso, Schumacher mid-pack tsm ft HOTDO 7 -7 5 400 four times and parlayed two of those triumphs (1998 and 2001) into Cup championships.

If he pulls off another win, Gordon will tie Formula One star Michael Schumacher as the only five-time winner in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history. Today's race Hungarian Grand Prix Site: Budapest Race: 7:30 a.m., Speed Channel Track: Hungaroring (road 2.465 miles) Race distance: 172.55 miles (70 laps) Next race: Turkish Grand Prix, Aug. 27, Istanbul Driver standings Driver 1. Fernando Alonso, Renault 2. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 3.

Felipe Massa, Ferrari 4. Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault (tie) Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes 6. Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren-Mercedes 7. Jenson Button, Honda 8. Rubens Barrichello, Honda 9.

Ralf Schumacher, Toyota (tie) Nick Heidfeld, Sauber-BMW Points 100 89 50 49 49 26 21 16 13 13 RED ROOTERS Pittsburgh Motorcoach Tour-Final Series of the Season September 29-October 1,2006 Call Provident Travel 513-247-1100 or 800-354-8108 wwvy.providentvacations.com HALF-PRICE tickets In 10 seating locations for Monday, Tuesday and Thursday games against division rival St Louis! And to make it even easier, get your half-price tickets at Great American Ball Park ticket windows, online at reds.com or by calling (513) 381 -REDS. It's all the fun, all the action, all the excitement of Reds at half the price! Plus, during the entire 4-game Cardinals series, get hotdogs for just $1 each! TOMORROW! AUGUST 7th I vs. CARDINALS 1 7:10 TUESDAY! AUGUST 8 I vs. CARDINALS WEDNESDAY! AUGUST 10th I vs. CARDINALS WEDNESDAY! 9th I vs.

CARDINALS 1 7:10 4.ub PRESENTS DAVib CONCEPCIQN B08BLEHEAD IIEGHT Third of three in a "Power of Tradition Reds Bobblehead Series celebrating Reds shortstops. Free to the first 40,000 fans in attendance. By Salvatore Zanca The Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso were hit with time penalties Saturday and will resume their championship duel from the middle of the starting grid at today's Hungarian Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen of McLaren-Mercedes, last year's winner, won the pole position in 1 minute, 19.599 seconds. It was the 10th career pole and second straight for the Finn.

Schumacher and Alonso incurred 2-second penalties per qual--ifying session. Schumacher was 12th and Alonso 15th in qualifications, but Schumacher will move to Uth when Jenson Button moves from fourth to 14th because of an engine change, which indirectly caused Schumacher's penalty. When Button's car caught fire, the session stopped. Schumacher was judged to have passed two cars, including Alonso's, despite red flags. "Of course, I am angry but I blame myself, too," Schumacher said.

"It is a bit difficult to explain what happened out there." Said Raikkonen: There are rules. If you don't respect them, you get a penalty." Alonso leads Schumacher in the season standings, 100 points to 89, and their contest could become closer after the race on the tight, twisting Hungaroring circuit that makes passing difficult. The championship is still open," Schumacher said. The German driver, a seven-time Fl champion, has won the last three races, with Alonso finishing second once and fifth twice. If Schumacher wins today and Alonso goes scoreless, the lead will be cut to one point (a victory is worth 10 points) Three races ago, Alonso's lead was 25 points.

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