Banking 500 preview/HOF reactions

Race No. 5 in the Chase brings us to the midway point of the quest for this season’s championship title. This weekend at the Banking 500 should give us a good idea of what to expect in the following weeks. The Saturday night race will be the second intermediate oval in the 10 races of the Chase. Mark Martin and Juan Montoya’s solid consistency, and Jimmie Johnson’s two wins in the Chase have elevated them as the favorites for the championship. But they aren’t the only ones to watch at this Saturday’s Banking 500.

1. Kasey Kahne –Kahne hasn’t had the best results to show for as of late, but the 29-year old has been one of the most successful drivers at Lowe’s Motor Speedway recently. The No. 9 team has won three of the last seven races held at the North Carolina oval and seems to be a serious threat for Saturday’s title. Despite the crash and DNF at Fontana last week, Kahne seems to be a serious threat to win the NASCAR Banking 500.

2. Jimmie Johnson-After seemingly sleepwalking through the regular season, the No. 48 team is finally heating up. Coming off two wins in the Chase at Fontana and Dover, Johnson is riding a tidal wave of momentum into one of his favorite venues. Johnson hasn’t visited Victory Lane at Charlotte since the 2005 season, but he owns five career victories at LMS. A win on Saturday Night would tie Johnson for the most all-time victories at the track with Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison.

3. Mark Martin-With the first championship of his career within his reach, Martin will be pushing the envelope at the Banking 500 this weekend. Only trailing Jimmie Johnson in the points, Martin knows how tough Johnson can be in the Chase and will have to be aggressive this weekend. Martin has been very tough at 1.5-mile ovals this season and owns four career victories at LMS. After a recent top-five finish at Atlanta (another 1.5-mile oval), Martin is riding a wave of confidence into Charlotte.

4. Jeff Gordon-With two runner-up finishes and a sixth-place finish in four Chase races so far, Jeff Gordon has been sneaky good. Despite just one win in 2009, Gordon has been strong with eight runner-up finishes and 14 top-fives and looks to be a threat at Charlotte. With a win on Saturday, Gordon would move into third all-time in wins at the track with five.

5. Tony Stewart-In fourth place in points, just 84 behind leader Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and the No. 14 team has finally come back to life. Stewart has led the team to one win and three top-10’s in the four Chase races. The 1.5-mile oval provides the opportunity to climb back within reach of the championship for Stewart. His recent win at Kansas demonstrates the ability Stewart has on this style of track.

Hall of Fame discussion headlines pre-race press conferences
NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. headlined the five inductees into the Hall of Fame class, a group that drew mixed reactions about the exclusion of driver David Pearson. Bill France Jr., Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Junior Johnson were also inducted.

Second in the voting was NASCAR’s all-time wins leader and seven-time series champion Richard Petty. Petty won the Daytona 500 seven times, amassed 200 career victories, and had 700 top-10 finishes in his illustrious career.

Following Petty was France Jr., who spent nearly 30 years at the helm of America’s top motorsports series. The final two nods went to Earnhardt, winner of 72 races and seven championships, and Junior Johnson, a former driver and car-owner.

The top news of the induction might not be who was inducted, but the fact that David Pearson was left out. After hearing who would be inducted with him in next May’s ceremony, Petty was definitely surprised.

“That wouldn’t have been my pick,” he said.

Known by many as the “Silver Fox”, Pearson ranked second on NASCAR’s all-time wins list with 105, only trailing Petty’s 200 victories. The three-time series champion had a 27-year career including an 18.2 winning percentage.

Much of the discussion in the media center Thursday morning was geared toward the exclusion of Pearson, and the number of inductees.

Second in the current point standings, Mark Martin thinks maybe there should have more than five inductees in the 2010 class but is generally happy with the selections.

“I would have liked to see them induct a lot more than five,” Martin said. “The guys that went in, they certainly need to be there. I just wish that we could have put another 15 in along with them; but it’s exciting to finally have it started.”

Three-time series champion Jimmie Johnson is happy with the 2010 inductees and feels like it’s a step in the right direction that so many people care about the controversy surrounding the inductions.

“I’m excited to see the first five selected,” Johnson said. “I think it was going to be tough either way for the world to be happy with the five. I understand there is some controversy about the overall picks but I think it’s a great class, I think it represents our sport very well.”

Defending race champion Jeff Burton think it’s important for any sport to have a Hall of Fame and says that although the first decision was a tough one, the first two or three class selections will be the easiest.

“I think it’s important for every major sport to have a Hall of Fame,” Burton said.” I think it’s important to recognize the people that have had a major impact on the sport, have moved the sport, and have done things that have made it what it is. The first two or three processes are going to be pretty easy.”