ESPN

Mark Garrow

  (1:17 PM)

Good afternoonn everyone...It's a great day to be in North Carolina..

becka, va

should I give up on reed sorenson until next season

  (1:18 PM)

Becka,Probably...unless he switches over to Gillette Evernham before the season ends..and there is a possibility that is going to happen...I think Ganassi wouldn't mind him going and GEM probably wouldn't mind getting an early start on 2009..maybe the final five races or so..maybe..

JG24 (Lincoln)

Where did J. Gordons car go this year? He had a great car last year. He will get a win this year however

  (1:20 PM)

Man..he just isn't comfortable in this car and they haven't really found anything he likes on tracks one mile and up..Plus, Rick Hendrick admitted they started the season a little bit behind...Looking at the upcoming tracks I think Martinsville..maybe Phoenix are his best chance to win...I think there is a distinct possibility he'll go winless this year and that is totally unbelievable..

fran (alabama)

What in the heck is going on with Kyle Busch?

  (1:23 PM)

Fran, it's bad karma right now that's for sure..It's crazy how these two opening races have mirrored what happened to him two years ago..it's more than a little eery that's for sure..He's got to win two or three of the next four or five races to have any chance..If he can match some of what he did in the first 26 races in the next four or five he might be able to climb out of that 210 point hole..but if he stubs his toe one more time..bye bye...This from a team just three weeks ago we were talking about as the favorite...This sport again shows how humbling it can be..

Joan

Is Kyle really out of the running for the Cup?

  (1:25 PM)

Joan, At 210 points behind it's very tough to see a scenerio where he can come out on top..The only thing he can do now is going and try to win races and see what happens...He has two problems..One, there are 11 guys in front of him and there's no way all 11 will have a bad race at the same time or over the course of two or three races...Secondly, it looks like Edwards, Biffle, and Johnson are going to run top-five every week, which gives Kyle virtually no chance to make up the kind of ground he needs to, even if he's winning a race or two or three...This team has the talent, but the luck left them starting at Richmond.

Bill (GA)

Mark, if you were starting a 2 car team, who do you hire out of these guys: Hamlin, McMuraay, Almirola or Hornish?

  (1:29 PM)

I'd probably go with Hamlin..He's got the most upside, but I've also got to tell you I'm not impressed with some of the things he says or does...I still can't believe he just parked on the track at Richmond back in May to bring out a yellow..I thought he was being a big baby after he led all those laps and the race got away so he decided to mess with who was leading at the time, which turned out to be Dale Jr. McMurray has a lot of talent and seems like a really good guy, but doesn't appear to have the talent Hamlin has..Almirola it's really too soon to tell whether he's got the right stuff..And the thing that scares me about Hornish is the constant crashing and it seems to be the constant making the same mistakes..It's tough to see what he's learned in his first full season.

Dave (Denver)

Did Kyle Busch pull the same stunt yesterday as he did last year when Junior drove his car? What happened to all the supporters who said he had matured?

  (1:31 PM)

Dave..you have to give him a little credit yesterday for at least "cowboying" up and facing the press after he dropped out and not splitting like he did at NH...Maturing is a process and to be fair to Kyle he's made some progress this year, but he's still a young guy with a fiery personality so it's just going to come out every once in awhile in a way we all think is inappropriate..Bottom line he's doing better but still has a way to go..

Brett (Cleveland, TN)

If Busch wins 3 or 4 races do u think that will be enough to keep up with Edwards and the Biff or is he done?

  (1:32 PM)

That's the only chance he has and that might not be enough the way Edwards, Biffle, and Johnson are running..Busch, though, could make things very interesting if he catches fire and wins three or four races...Having a guy with nothing to lose racing amongst the big three that do...now that could be fun..

lynn, va

is it true that speed is replacing dinger

  (1:35 PM)

Lynn, There's a good chance that's going to happen. Team Red Bull General Manager Jay Frye has been trying to convince the sponsor/owner they need to start a third team to keep Allmendinger..but I'm not sure if he succeeded in that..That's probably why Allmendinger was talking with Chip Ganassi last week about the seat about to open up when Reed Sorenson leaves..It's tough for A.J. because I think he's one of the most improved drivers this year and would be a shame for him to not get one more year at Team Red Bull to show what he can really do..If they stay with two team, though, more than likely Speed will take his place.

Marc (Malden, MA)

I was watching the Ryder Cup, what did happen to Kyle Busch?

  (1:35 PM)

His engine blew up and he finished dead last in 43rd..It's deja vu all over again..He wrecked at NH and blew up at Dover two years ago too.

Will (Fayetteville, NC)

I couldnt help but notice they played the Canadian national anthem as well as the USA national anthem at New Hampshire. I also believe they did this at Michigan. Why do they do this? If they are playing it for Carpentier because he is Canadian, then shoudlnt they play the Colombian national anthem for Juan Pablo Montoya? I think whatever country that the race is taking place in should only play that country's national anthem. What do you think?

  (1:37 PM)

I agree with you that whatever country is hosting the event that's the anthem that should be played..They are not, however, playing the Canadian anthem for Carpentier..but Michigan and New Hampshire do it because of the large contingent of Canadians who flock to those two races..Being from New England I can tell you a large chunk of the fans at NH are from north of the border..

Jill (TX)

What's happened to the GEM cars lately? A few weweks ago, they were contenders eveywhere, lately, theyve really struggled....

  (1:39 PM)

Jill, it's like Kasey Kahne said four weeks ago..they had that hot little summer run and then they reverted to the way they had been running most of the year...I thought they had caught up..They thought they had caught up..but guess what they either didn't catch up or the other teams moved the bar higher..In any event, GEM has some more catching up to do..