Welcome to “Fuel It Up”! The racing world is chock full of intriguing stories, but sifting through them to get a good general sense of the landscape can be challenging. In Fuel It Up, I take the biggest, more interesting storylines and present them to you in a quick, compact 300-words-or-less format.
The winner of this week’s paint scheme award goes to the #39 Quicken Loan PTA Chevrolet driven by Ryan Newman. Special mention to Kasey Kahne in the #5 Pepsi Max Chevrolet…………… The NASCAR silly season has now officially begun. Chip Ganassi Racing announced Tuesday that Juan Pablo Montoya will not be returning for the 2014 season. No word on who will replace him. The list of contenders who may be in line to replace Montoya include Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Regan Smith and Kyle Larson. My money is on Ryan Newman.…………… Brian Vickers, who could have been a frontrunner for Montoya’s ride, has signed with Michael Waltrip Racing in a deal, which was reported to be for 2 years. Vickers has been sharing the #55 Aarons Toyota with Mark Martin this season. After Vickers drove his car to victory at New Hampshire last month, contract talks took a more serious note…………… Silly season top free agents now include Montoya, Newman, Mark Martin and Kurt Busch. There may be more drivers than cars and someone will be left out of the loop…………… Good news on the Tony Stewart front. Stewart, who had his second surgery to place a metal rod in his left leg, is now recuperating at home after spending 6 days in the hospital. There has been no word on how long he will be sidelined but the team said it will be at least three more weeks, and possibly more. Austin Dillon will drive the #14 Bass Pro Shop car this Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.…………… Kasey Kahne was livid with Joe Gibbs Racing after the race at Watkins Glen last Sunday. The normally clean driving Matt Kenseth was racing hard against Marcus Ambrose and took out both Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the process. After the race Kahne tweeted, “Headed to Joe Gibbs racing to talk to whoever will come out front.”…………… Greg Biffle has won the last two races held at Michigan. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won here in 2012…………… The weather forecast for Brooklyn, Michigan Sunday calls for Sunny skies and high around 79f (26C). The race can be seen at 1:00 pm on ESPN and TSN.
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