The state of NASCAR racing as Keselowski sees it

   Brad Keselowski has been vocal about the perceived advantage Hendrick Motorsports cars have this season, but on Sunday he took it a step further offering a big-picture look at how the quality of the racing has been affected this season.

   Keselowski's answers to some questions following Sunday's race were quite interesting.

   Is this a new era here at Michigan? All of kind of things happened in today's race.
   Keselowski: Well, I just think there’s big discrepancies in the cars right now. I think there are certain parts and pieces that are on the cars that are making them quite a bit different to where we’re seeing different paces throughout the field. I think there’s probably a half-dozen to a dozen cars that are drastically faster than the rest of the field and that’s disruptive the parity and created a lot of side-by-side action that, you know, is maybe good, maybe bad; depends on who you are. But I think right now in the sport the cars are perhaps the most separated than what we’ve ever seen. 
   I think if you look at qualifying, the difference between the pole and 20th was over a second. We haven’t seen that in over 10 years in this sport. I think there’s a major pace discrepancy now. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing but that’s just an observation to note and that creates more side-by-side racing which opens up the possibilities and potential for issues like you described.
   What were you saying about the cars having an advantage? What is the trick?
   Keselowski: There are parts and pieces on the car that are moving after inspection that make the car more competitive. Some guys have it, some don't. There's a question to the interpretation of the rule. Penske Racing errs on the safe side because we don't want to be the guys that get the big penalty.
   Obviously, there's a question to the interpretation; that as of right now, it's legal. But I'm sure that Roger doesn't want to be the one caught red handed. As a group at Penske Racing, we have not felt comfortable enough to risk that name and reputation that Roger has over those parts and pieces. Others have, which is their prerogative. I'm not going to slam them for it.
   But it's living in a gray area. Roger doesn't do that. There's certainly some performance there that we've lost. I shouldn't say lost, but haven't gained, because we choose not to do that. That's something that we have to continue to evaluate every week that goes by, that those components are permitted to be run. We have to make a re-evaluation of that internally to decide if that's the right way to go.
   But as it stands now, certainly that's part of the speed discrepancy through the field. Some of the teams haven't figured out how to make it work, some of them just don't feel comfortable risking the piggybank on it. It's part of how this sport works behind closed doors. We're still working our way through it. I'm not saying I have all the answers to it, but it's certainly part of that discrepancy that we were speaking to earlier.

Kyle Busch and Doug Herbert to kick off Summer Shootout finale

    The annual Summer Shootout Series will go out with a bang Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway with fireworks and appearances by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and former Legend Car racer Kyle Busch, as well as NHRA driver and B.R.A.K.E.S. founder Doug Herbert.

   As part of Champion’s Night, Busch will serve as Grand Marshal and Herbert will be the Honorary Starter. Both racers will participate in an autograph session on the concourse beginning at 6 p.m. for the first 150 kids to get wristbands from the main ticket office in Smith Tower. Children can pick up their wristband starting at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

   The autograph session will take place at the special B.R.A.K.E.S. display featuring a Top Fuel dragster. B.R.A.K.E.S., which stands for Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe, is a nonprofit organization that teaches teens and their parents about the importance of safe driving. Herbert founded the organization after he tragically lost his two sons in a car accident in 2008.
   On Tuesday night, champions will be crowned in six Legend Car and Bandolero divisions during Round 10. At the end of the night, there will be a fireworks display saluting the new Summer Shootout champions. In addition to Legend Car and Bandolero racing, four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive Stadium Stocks, which run weekly at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., will take to the frontstretch 1/4-mile oval for a special race.

   Gates open at 5 p.m. with opening ceremonies at 7 p.m. Tickets for the Summer Shootout Series are $7 for adults and are available in advance at the speedway ticket office or at Gates 4 and 5 the night of the event. Kids 13 and under get in free. For tickets to the Summer Shootout Series, call the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticket office at (800) 455-FANS (3267); or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Fuel or no fuel: Jacques Villeneuve talks about Saturday's race

   Jacques Villeneuve, driving the No. 22 Dodge for Penske Racing in Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide race at Montreal, appeared to run out of fuel on the final lap while leading, but continued on to finish third.

   Villeneuve talked about the finish and his run-in with race winner Justin Allgaier.

   Can you talk about your race?
   JV: Dodge and Penske gave me an amazing car today. We had the car of the field today. We were untouchable. It makes the end result a little frustrating. We were a little bit low on fuel so I was being careful and as often happens (here) it goes a little bit crazy on the last lap.

   Did the car sputter on the last restart? Did you run out of fuel?
   JV: No, I got run in to. It (fuel) was no problem. Into Turn 6 I think it was (Justin) Allgaier (who) just hit me really hard and that was it, which is very frustrating because our car was untouchable. My Dodge was amazing.

   What ghappened when you made contact with Tagliani?
   JV: Well, we got together. He was really slow, just blocking on the inside, and the guys behind me were catching me so coming out of Turn 2 I was a little bit on the inside and we tangled a little bit. I thought it would be alright so I didn’t get off the gas, I didn’t want the cars behind me to get to me. I ended up turning him around. That’s a shame. That wasn’t my intention. At that point I couldn’t stay behind him.

What do NASCAR fans want to see Tony Stewart drive?

   Last year, Tony Stewart's sponsor, Mobil 1, helped Stewart helped arrange an opportunity for Stewart to drive a Formula One car. This year, Mobil 1 to give Stewart the chance to drive something else, but it would like race fans' help.

   Until Aug. 27, fans have the chance to vote in three separate rounds to choose Stewart's ride. The winning vehicle, as decided by fans, will be announced during the “Mobil 1 Choose Tony’s Ride” exhibition at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Aug. 28 where Stewart will unveil the winning vehicle by driving it at the track.

   In the Round One, fans are voting between a Chevrolet Astro Van and a M36 GMC Jackson Tank!

   To vote, visit the Mobil 1 Facebook page here.

Jeff Gordon clearly wanted a caution

   Jeff Gordon wasn't about to mince words when it came to his opinion on how the final laps of Sunday's Finger Lakes 355 at Watkins Glen International went down.

   Gordon wasn't in contention for the win, but he was set for a Top-10 finish when he spun in oil on the last lap of the race. Several drivers complained of oil on the track, but it was not readily visible. NASCAR said its officials did not report seeing any oil on the track, only black smoke trailing from Bobby Labonte's No. 47 Toyota.

   Gordon was asked about his incident immediately after the race.

   "Oil all over the race track, it’s pretty ridiculous they don’t want to end a race under caution and put that many cars in jeopardy. I had no idea that there was oil out there. I knew there was all kinds of havoc happening all around, but it was a great effort by our Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet. I’m pretty bummed out right now because we didn’t have the day that I thought we were going to have," Gordon said. "I thought our car was a lot better than that. We started pretty good, but I knew something wasn’t right. Then we tried to make an adjustment it didn’t go the right way, went backwards. Yet Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the guys made some adjustments there on that last stop and we weren’t good on the restart, but man did it come on. 

   "We were just passing cars left and right. I was having a blast. To work that hard all day long, come all the way from way back all the way up into the top 10 and have it taken away because they don’t want to throw a caution it’s pretty disappointing. I jumped out there to the outside of (Matt) Kenseth and I think he could see the oil because he just gave it to me. I went out there and there was just no grip just completely came around. I went to the outside and hit it (oil on the track) and just spun right out. I’m just really disappointed because we fought hard today to come back to get what was going to be a pretty nice finish.

   "The thing is, I’m just disappointed at how hard we had to fight for the position. The points are going to be what the points are going to be. We can’t control what other people do. We can only control what we do. And today, we took back control when we got off, and we were coming. It’s just unfortunate that that gets taken away from you because NASCAR doesn’t want to end the race under yellow (caution). I understand. You want to keep it entertaining and give the winner a shot at it but there are a lot of other things going on our there too. I think they completely disregarded that and hey, it’s over now. We’ll move on."

All remaining Pocono lightning strike victims released

   All of the remaining race fans injured from lightning strikes following Sunday's Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway have been released from area hospitals.

   A total of 10 race fans were struck by lightning in the Pocono Raceway parking lots after the conclusion of Sunday’s race. One was killed and nine were transported to local hospitals with various degrees of injuries.

   The tenth victim, Brian Zimmerman, was fatally injured during the storm. Private funeral services will be held on Saturday. Relatives and friends may pay their respects on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Thomas P. Kearney Funeral Home, Inc., 517 North Main Street, Old Forge, Pa.

Kyle Petty on Allmendinger situation

   NASCAR veteran and Speed TV analyst Kyle Petty was asked about the newest revelations surrounding A.J. Allmendinger's indefinite suspension from NASCAR for failing a random drug test.

   Allmendinger on Tuesday told several media outlets he took a pill from a friend of a friend that turned out to be Adderall, for which he did not have a prescription.

   Q: Allmendinger has said Adderall was the substance found in his drug test. Are you surprised a driver would risk a top ride by taking a substance from a friend without knowing what it is or what ingredients it contained?

   Petty: “If you had asked me this question two months ago, I’d have said ‘Yes, I can understand how anyone could make that mistake.’ How many times have any of us been to dinner with someone and said, ‘I’ve got a headache,’ and they say, ‘I’ve got something for that,’ and they reach into their purse and hand you a pill and you assume it’s a Tylenol or Advil and take it without asking questions. So, two months ago, the answer to that question would have been ‘yes.’ Now after talking to Mike Helton and Robin Pemberton and all the NASCAR executives and understanding their policy and the extent to which Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and those top guys go before they take any supplement period, almost before they even eat dinner, just to check in and make sure what they ingest is okay, then I probably don’t understand how A.J. would take something without knowing what it is first. I’m baffled anyone would put themselves in that position nowadays.”

    Q: If the substance for which he tested positive indeed was Adderall, how, if at all, does that affect his chances of making a comeback in NASCAR in a middle-to-top-tier ride?

   Petty: “That’s going to be the career question for AJ. It’s more than the million-dollar question – it’s the career question. Owner-wise and sponsor-wise, who will say it was an honest mistake and he deserves another shot, or who will say he should have known better and they can’t risk their company on that type of recklessness? That is the big question and I do think AJ’s explanation of what happened will have an effect. He has put himself in a position to be suspended. Since NASCAR implemented the substance abuse policy, no driver has really, truly made it back. People have gone through the program, but a driver hasn’t really made it back. However, a driver of his caliber hasn’t been put in that situation yet, and I think he probably has as good a chance as anyone and probably a better chance than most to make it back. But I think it’s out of his hands. All he can do is go through the process and hope somebody out there gives him a shot at some point in time. But with each passing year, he gets older and the opportunities and amount of really good cars available lessen. The odds definitely are against him.
     “After everything that has happened over the last couple of months to AJ and the sport, I hope drivers in the future would look at this and learn from it and understand not only do they put themselves in a bad place, they also put their teams, sponsors and the sport in a bad situation – in a place this sport never thought it would be. We are not a stick-and-ball sport that usually has these issues. I hope they’d learn from this. On a more cautionary note, I hope that every PR rep in the country who has anything to do with a major athlete looks at how this situation was handled by AJ’s camp and does exactly the opposite the next time this happens.”

     Q: Do you think statements made by AJ’s camp throughout this process have made it more difficult for him to rebound and return to the driver’s seat in NASCAR down the road?
   Petty: “This is only the perspective of one guy who sits at a desk on SPEED on the weekends and runs his mouth, but from what I’ve been told and from what I know of this situation, the bridges may be mended in the garage area, but media-wise, it could be a while before those bridges are mended. A lot of things were told to the media to the degree the media almost felt used. You cannot put the media in that position. They may not be your friend as a driver, but they’re not your enemy, either. When you start treating them that way and with that disregard, then you end up in situations such as this one.”