■ 22 June 2008 | 11:16 PM
The biggest news from Infineon Raceway isn't that Kyle Busch won again but what could happen next season.
It appears as if Hendrick Motorsports could soon announce that Mark Martin will replace Casey Mears for next season.
This is another sign of how much of an arms race the top teams in the sport are in. Never has the pressure for an organization to have all its teams running well been higher. Look at the strength of Joe Gibbs Racing and how it has domianted, putting all three of its drivers in the top 12 in points and winning six of 16 races this season. If you want to keep up with Gibbs and Toyota you can't be weak in any area. Hendrick can't say that. Its program isn't as strong and its fourth car with Mears is nowhere close to being in same category as a Gibbs car.
Thus, Hendrick's situation. While patient with Mears _ a driver Hendrick wanted years ago for one of his Busch teams before his late son overruled and picked Brian Vickers _ Hendrick doesn't appear he can wait much longer for Mears and that team to develop. Hendrick has already changed crew chiefs. Now, he might have to change drivers.
Mears is 24th in points even after his season-best fifth-place finish. Although Hendrick hasn't dominated the sport like it did last year, his cars haven't been as far off as Mears has been this season. Getting Mark Martin would be a step up. While questions persist of if Martin would do a full season or not, there are benefits to both. If he runs a full season that gives Hendrick even more of a super team than it has now. Should Martin run 20 or some odd races, that could allow Hendrick to run Nationwide driver Brad Keselowski in the remaining races and have Martin tutor him as Martin has tutored Aric Almirola for DEI.
# On to Kyle Busch's win. What stands out is the variety of tracks he's won at this season just in Cup. He's won on a road course, a 1.5-mile track (Atlanta), a high-banked concrete track (Dover), a restrictor-plate track (Talladega) and perhaps the circuit's toughest track (Darlington).
Also, Busch's five wins means he now has 50 bonus points for the Chase. Remember, everyone who makes the Chase has their points reset to 5,000 and then any bonus points added. Busch now has 30 more bonus points than any other driver (Carl Edwards has three wins but was penalized 10 bonus points after his car failed inspection after winning at Vegas earlier this year).
The more Busch's gap grows, the more room for a mistake he has in the Chase and still be able to recover. There's only 10 more races left before the Chase begins so the opportunity for bonus points is running out for competitors.
# One has to wonder what that friendship between Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart is going to be like. Harvick's hard charge into a corner late in Sunday's race spent him sliding into Jamie McMurray, who bounced into Stewart, who was running second. He was lucky to place 10th.
This is the second time this season contact from Harvick has cost Stewart a number of positions late in the race. They battled for second at Bristol in March and Stewart finished 14th after the incident. That's about 80 points Stewart has lost becuase of those incidents. Stewart ranks 11th in the season standings, 18 points ahead of 13th. Those incidents could come back and cost Stewart a chance for the title.
# Jeff Gordon again struggled with his car for a good part of the race, yet when the checkered flag flew, there he was in third, scoring another top five. He moved up three spots to sixth in the points. If this team ever gets it going and starts outrunning people, Gordon would seem to be the biggest challenger to Busch if things stay the same. Busch vs. a former Hendrick teammate. It would make for an interesting Chase.
# Podcast is up. Listen to what Jeff Gordon has to say about Kyle Busch and what Busch has to say about Kevin Harvick.
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