Friday, Aug. 10, 2007 | 7:20 a.m.
With five races to go in NASCAR's regular season, the rekindling of racing's "beer wars" is providing the best excitement in the Nextel Cup Series.
The top 11 drivers in points appear to be assured of making the 12-driver Chase for the Nextel Cup and, at least for the time being, the battle for the 12th and final spot is being waged by Kurt Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt, of course, drives the red No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet. Busch, a Las Vegas native, pilots the blue No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. Thanks to his victory Sunday at Pocono (N.Y.) Raceway, Busch knocked Earnhardt out of the 12th spot in points and holds a precarious seven-point lead over the sport's most popular driver.
And if you think the "beer wars" angle is a figment of the media's imagination, consider this:
"They lay a piece of paper on August's desk every week and there's like three cars highlighted on it," Earnhardt said, referring to August Busch IV, president and chief executive of Anheuser-Busch Cos. "They've always paid attention. It matters when you win and run good, but they'd rather you just outrun all the other beer cars."
Busch, who beat Earnhardt to the checkered flag Sunday, agreed.
"I enjoy the way people in Milwaukee get pumped up by their racing program," he said of Miller's hometown. "They always strive to be the best beer, but they always tell me go get that 8 car."
So, who has the edge in these next five races? It's too close to call.
Although Busch has recorded eight of his 16 career Cup victories at these five tracks, his average finish at those venues is only 17.7 , compared with Earnhardt's 15.1. Earnhardt has 10 more career starts, 65-55, and four victories at these tracks.
Both drivers have had issues with consistency this season. Earnhardt has an average finish of 16.5 in 21 races, but has yet to win a race; Busch's average finish is 16.9 and his lone victory of 2007 came Sunday at Pocono.
Busch said he expects the beer battle to continue to the final regular-season race at Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 8.
"You know it's going to come down to the final race at Richmond," he said. "We feel like we have a good group of racetracks coming up.
"Even though you win and the guy you're racing finishes second, that's just a tribute to the competition at this level. There's no time for resting and there's no time for looking back."
All in the family
When NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver J.C. Stout lost his rear tire carrier because of emergency surgery, he didn't have to look far for a replacement.
Patricia Stout, J.C.'s mother and the only licensed NASCAR crew member on the No. 91 Sterling Trucks Chevrolet team who is available, will don a firesuit and helmet and serve on her son's over-the-wall crew for Saturday's race at Nashville Superspeedway.
"She can do whatever she puts her mind to, and I love her for being willing to do this for me and our team," J.C. Stout said.
It is believed to be the first time a mother has worked as an over-the-wall crew member on her son's team in a NASCAR national series.
Collector's item
The race car in which Dario Franchitti went airborne during a spectacular crash in Sunday's IndyCar race at Michigan International Speedway was the same one he piloted to victory in the Indianapolis 500 in May.
It also was the same one Franchitti had been trying to buy from team co-owner Michael Andretti to display in the trophy room of the Scottish farmhouse Franchitti has renovated.
"You can have it now," Andretti jokingly told Franchitti after the race.
"I'm devastated to see my 500 car torn up like that," said Franchitti, who was not injured in the accident. "I have to say, though, that it did it s job. It really saved me. I guess I owe that car a lot.
"Hopefully, now Michael will drop the price on it for me. I hope we can eventually get it repaired and to Scotland sometime."
17.6
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s average finish in seven career starts at Watkins Glen International, the site of Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race.
25
Kurt Busch's average finish in six career starts at Watkins Glen International .
"When I went upside down, I thought that was it, but then I hit (Scott) Dixon on the way down. I have to thank Scott because he definitely softened the blow."
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