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Tim Cowlishaw

  (2:58 PM)

We're chatting to you live from the track at Fontana, where, mercifully, it's about 50 degrees cooler than a year ago. Maybe not 50, but it's fine outside. For now.

Tyler (snohomish)

what's up Tim? Do you expect anyone else to join Stewart-Haas raceing next year?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:00 PM)

Well, Stewart and Newman are the drivers. They have plenty of jobs to fill but those won't be as big as the names of the drivers, of course. Jimmie Johnson had a nice honest answer a few minutes ago when asked what drivers thought of what Tony was doing. Said Jimmie, "What the hell are you thinking?'' He laughed, but you know that has got to be the prevailing sentiment.

Brandon (Teutopolis,IL)

Who do you think will make the chase and how will fall out at the end?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:01 PM)

I think David Ragan is going to get in over Hamlin, not Bowyer. The 11 team is one more inexplicable mishap away from missing the Chase. As for how it plays out, at this point I have to rank the likely winners: 1. Kyle; 2. Carl; 3. Jimmie. If it's not one of those three, it's anyone's guess.

Dylan (Rochester, Ny)

When are they going to announce David Stremme to the 12 car already?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:03 PM)

Dylan, I assume the only holdup is the sponsorship. You know it's funny, the 12 car doesn't even officially have a driver for '09 but it's already one of 24 cars in the new (ridiculous) all-star format at Charlotte. So a car with no driver is in, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman are out.

Matt (Wynnewood, PA)

Do you agree with Jay Mariotti's statements about the death of newspapers?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:04 PM)

I don't want to get into that whole thing, Matt, but clearly newspapers are struggling all across the country either to attract younger readers or to make real money from their on-line product.

Jerry (Seattle)

DO you think the punisment was fair for Kyle Bush and Carl Edwards last week? because it seemed like only Kyle should have been punished.

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:11 PM)

You have to punish both because Carl, in addition to clearly spinning him out to take the lead, did retaliate. I don't think probation is much of a penalty. More like something NASCAR has to do to maintain credibility while privately thinking, "This is great stuff.''

Chad (Savannah, GA)

Hendrick motor sports knows better than anybody that anything can happen in the chase. That being said do any of them have a legit shot at the Cup?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:12 PM)

I wouldn't say Hendrick knows it, I would say the 48 team knows how to win it. Gordon hasn't done it yet and certainly Junior hasn't come real close while driving for DEI. But Jimmie Johnson has a legitimate chance for sure. Eleven wins in 40 Chase races speak for themselves.

Chad (Savannah, GA)

See what happens, someone mentions Mariotti and the chat blows up like a bad engine.

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:13 PM)

It did derail things for a minute, Chad. I think we're back on the track with fresh tires now.

JORGE GONZALEZ

Around the Horn today?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:13 PM)

Sorry, Jorge, you should have had your fill of me by now, winning twice this week. I am at the track at Fontana today.

Brenden (Portland)

what if Hendrick motorsports didn't get rid of kyle bush and insted got rid of casey meers. That would be the biggest dynasty in all of sports!

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:16 PM)

Except we can't assume that Kyle would have won eight races in Hendrick equipment. Clearly, he likes what he has at Gibbs Toyota. Your point is understood, though, it would be quite a team. Won't be bad at least for a year in '09 when Mark Martin goes fulltime for HMS.

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:22 PM)

I think everyone overplayed the success that the open-wheelers might have based on Juan Pablo Montoya winning races and finishing 20th in the Cup last year. It didn't happen.

Brian (Milwaukee, WI)

Tim...How do you think Kyle Bush would have reacted if Dale Earnhardt Sr had bumped him out of the way?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:24 PM)

I don't know, people used to get into it with Dale Sr., too. Certainly there was a respect factor and maybe a bit of a fear factor, too, but we sometimes forget in the wake of his death, that he was booed by fans and disliked for some of his tactics that he now seems beloved for.

John (Spokane WA)

Which driver/team change will have the biggest impact on the chase next year, in your oppinion?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:27 PM)

I think Martin driving fulltime will be a factor. I think Joey Logano has a chance to at least be in the discussion for most of the summer in the 20 car. I wouldn't be surprised if Mears performed better at RCR than he has done at Hendrick but I wouldn't pick him for the Chase. No Chase for Tony or Ryan next year.

Dave (Denver)

Tim, Regarding Kyle Busch, did the stars line up just right for him this year? Do you think that the other drivers and teams will do their work and catch up to the 18 team? It does not look like the 11 or 20 teams have what the 18 does. Almost looks like a one horse team from JGR.

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:28 PM)

Well, I talked to Tony when he was at TMS this week and he clearly doesn't think they have the same chance as Kyle. It's not that the equipment is different, it's just some of the younger drivers have adapted their driving styles to fit the COTs faster than the experienced winners of races.

Kevin (Boston, MA)

Proposed this to Newt the other day and want your opinion. Points racing is killing the finishes of races. Guys are too worried about wrecking to go for wins. New format: Win and you are in. Win more than once and get bonus points like they do now. Could this work? Every year there are at least 10 different winners so numbers shouldn't be a problem.

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:30 PM)

I still think you have to reward consistency although I would like to see more points for winning races. I just disagree about your other point, you still see wrecks on the last few restarts week after week as guys go for position. Now with just a few races until the Chase, maybe that has changed but it hasn't been a year-long thing.

brock las vegas nv

Do you think lagano will win a race it the cup series this year?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:31 PM)

This year? No. He's going to be driving mostly for Hall of Fame Racing which hasn't even been close this season, so that would be tough to pick him to get into Victory Lane in a Chase race driving the 96. Will be fun to see how he does, we know what he's capable of with good Nationwide equipment.

Chad (Savannah, GA)

Win and you're in? Are you kidding me, what about Gordon who has been consistant enough to get into the chase but not fortunate enough to get a win?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:32 PM)

Right, Chad. You would have Gordon, Stewart and Kenseth (that's seven championhips) not In it right now along with Biffle and Harvick also out. But Kurt Busch would be in. Can't do it quite like that.

Tyler (snohomish)

It seems that the people that come over from indy car raceing do not have the best careers in nascar(eg. Sam Hornish Jr. Dario Franchitti) When do we stop seeing these guys tranfer over?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:35 PM)

When the sponsorship for bringing them in dries up, which is probably right now. All of them were interested in a safer form of racing but it's a difficult one to adjust to and all have really struggled. I thought Hornish at Penske would have the best chance but he hasn't done much, either.

Kevin (Boston, MA)

As a star gets older he seems to get a little more cautious. Is that a function of hitting the wall a few times and not wanting to go through the pain and soreness? Is it fear that they could get really hurt? Why does it seem to be a young mans game?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:36 PM)

I think it's all of those that you mention, Kevin, plus a little bit of reaction time and in some ways experience is not a good teacher. The veterans know what to avoid whereas the younger drivers will just take their chances. Remember the veteran drivers were in NASCAR when death was a regular part of the sport. Knock on wood, that hasn't been the case for seven years.

Matt (TX)

Hey Tim. I'm a little concernced about my boy Dale Jr. I only saw one post-race interview, but he spent the whole time complaining about his car. Maybe it would have been better if he hadn't used it up trying to get back on the lead lap after his bonehead move on the start. I may have just missed it, but hopefully he took some blame for his team. Does he have his head right with ball?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:38 PM)

He had a bad race, Matt, and he was at fault early on. I don't know why he didn't own up to it, he has done that in the past. I think six straight runs out of the top 10 are taking a considerable toll as he sees the Chase slipping away again.

Kevin (Boston, MA)

Look if you can't win a race you don't belong in the hunt for a championship. I am sorry that some of those guys would miss but I respectfully submit that there were races where they would have taken chances to win a race rather than ride around third happy to get the points. There is no way those guys would be out if the win or go home format was in place.

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:39 PM)

I agree that you can't predict what would happen if the rules were changed. That's true. But in your system, a guy wins the Daytona 500, he's in the Chase six months later. That doesn't work, either.

Jerry (Seattle)

Tim, Marcos Ambrose looked good in the road race a while ago. Is he that good all the time or is just a road specialist?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:42 PM)

He's good at road courses. Think he has a chance to be more than that but he isn't there yet.

Jeremy B (Columbia, MO)

You stated that probation for Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch wasn't much of a penalty, what type of penalty should NASCAR have handed down?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:44 PM)

I meant that it doesn't have any impact on standings, points, etc. It's the proper penalty. It wasn't that big of a deal. And as I said, while NASCAR has to make a show of discipline, they had to love the fallout from the new "rivalry'' that has been created.

Chad (Savannah, GA)

I guess Kevin (Boston) has a problem when wild cards win championship. Might that have something to do with the Giants beating the Pats?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:45 PM)

That could be the case.

Brenden (Portland)

DEI is one of those teams that have fallen alot without their star. but will Martin Truex jr. ever replace Dale Earnhart Jr. as that star person?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:47 PM)

Truex could win a championship and he wouldn't have Junior's appeal. That's just not going to happen. He's a good driver and capable of getting into the Chase again (not this year) but it's going to be an uphill fight at DEI.

Bo (FL)

What do you think of McMurray's turnaround the last 6 weeks? He's gained the 6th most points over that time period...

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:49 PM)

He has moved up six spots and shown he can still drive. For a guy who has been in the Chase and won at Daytona last year, it's too little too late. Gotta run out to the track after a couple more.

Bill (NY)

If you were starting a two car team and had to choose between Hamlin, McMurray and Ragan, who do you choose and why?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:49 PM)

I choose Hamlin because he's the one most capable of winning a championship. Ragan might be the safer pick because he's younger and more level-headed.

Jerry (Seattle)

What will happen to nascar if that lawsuit by that woman is foung guilty and nascar loses all that money?

Tim Cowlishaw

  (3:52 PM)

NASCAR has a lot of money to lose although I don't think they plan on losing more than $200 million. The case could settle if it appears to be going badly for NASCAR. That's all we have time for this week, chat with you next time as we are getting ready to eliminate the field for the Chase at Richmond. Thanks, everyone.Courage.