Local Look: The Glen

Events: Sirius at The Glen, Toyota Tundra 200 (Nashville)

Local papers covering: Corning Leader, Elmira Star-Gazette, The Tennessean

Junior eager to return to Watkins Glen

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The deal: Chris Gill of The Corning Leader says until last year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted mediocre-to-downright-rotten finishes of 40th, 12th and 35th at Watkins Glen and his results at Nextel Cup's other road course -- Infineon Raceway -- are even worse. Then last July, Earnhardt tested at The Glen for two days with Ron Fellows and found what was missing.

"Being out front last year (leading 11 laps) was one of the coolest times I've had in a race car," Earnhardt said. "When you're in a car that's that good and you're out front, man, it's like you own the place. It's a hell of a lot better than feeling like the place owns you."

Why we care: In only his third full Cup season, Johnson displays the poise of a veteran. Compared with the colorful drivers (think Earnhardt, Tony Stewart), Johnson is vanilla. But he's proven that he's very effective.

For more news about Dale Earnhardt Jr., click here.

Defending Glen champ has something to prove

Robby Gordon

The deal: Michael Sharp of the Star-Gazette says with wins at Watkins Glen and Sonoma, Calif., last season, Gordon swept the two road courses on the Nextel Cup schedule. The victories were part of a hot streak that saw him grab six top-10 finishes over eight races.

But since finishing no higher than 20th over the final seven races of the 2003 season, Gordon has struggled to regain last year's mid-summer momentum.

"A lot of weekends," he said, "we have a top-10, top-15 car, and we end up with a big old goose egg. Or I make a mistake, or we call a bad race, or we leave the tires loose or something. The team has all the ability to be a top-10 team right now, and we've just beat ourselves to this point in the game."

Why we care: Since winning the 2003 Sirius at the Glen at Watkins Glen International last August, Gordon has finished in the top 10 just five times in 34 races. He finished 22nd at Sunday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis and is ranked 22nd in the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings, a daunting 348 points behind 10th-place driver Kevin Harvick for the final spot in the Chase for the Championship.

For more NASCAR news on Robby Gordon click here.

Nip and tuck Trucks

The deal: Larry Woody of The Tennessean says most of the attention in Nextel Cup is focused on the Chase for the Championship, NASCAR's new system that will bunch up the top drivers for an explosive final 10-race shootout.

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Meanwhile, NASCAR's third-tier series needs no such drama-inducing system. The Craftsman Truck Series already has a tight fight on its hands.

Why we care: Nashville's Bobby Hamilton last week took a five-point lead over Dennis Setzer, and going into Saturday's Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway the title chase is tense and wide open.

"The truck series has become the most competitive series in NASCAR," Setzer said. "I think there's more parity in our races and that's what keeps things exciting."

For more NASCAR news from around the nation, click here.

Kenseth without trademark consistency this season

The deal: Michael Sharp of the Star-Gazette says so far this year, Kenseth has 12 top-10 finishes in 21 races, including two wins and seven top-five finishes. He rolled to back-to-back wins in the second and third races of the season, and he sits fifth in the series standings.

Matt Kenseth

But ask him about that glowing resume, and he offers mixed reviews.

"It's been all right," he said. "It's been up and down for us. It hasn't been as consistent as it was last year, but it's been good. We've had some really good runs and we've had some bad ones too."

Why we care: Kenseth enters this weekend's action coming off a disastrous week at Indianapolis. With 20 laps to go, Kenseth hit a piece of metal debris on the track, turning what could have been a race-winning day into a 16th-place finish. Kenseth was also critical of NASCAR's decision not to throw the caution flag sooner.

For more NASCAR news on Kenseth, click here.