Ed Hinton

  (2:00 PM)

Hi, all. We've got a pretty sassy group this afternoon, so pull those belts tight one more time, as Larry Mac is wont to say.

Lee ( atlanta, ga)

hinton, you're in your glory now, arent you? they eye candy is back driving for rick's cash cow! let the fawning begin! btw, hinton, who's been the points leader in the sprint cup for the past 2 months or dont you bother writing about substance?

Ed Hinton

  (2:03 PM)

And a very pleasant afternoon to you, too, Lee. Let's see now -- I wrote about Harvick's last and only win this season, at Talladega. All of us at ESPN have written that he's the points leader. We wrote about his verbal clash with Joey Logano. So what more do you want? As for Danica, I'll repeat: a lot more people want to read about Danica than don't.

RealRaceFan (NC)

Danica, Danica, Danica,Danica, Danica, Danica,Danica, Danica, Danica,Danica, Danica, Danica,Danica, Danica, Danica,Danica, Danica, Danica,Danica, Danica, Danica,Danica, Danica, Danica,Danica, Danica, Danica,Danica, Danica, Danica. Well done ESPN, and all for a probable 34th place finish.

Ed Hinton

  (2:05 PM)

Let the trolling begin. Again: majority rules media coverage.

Ed Hinton

  (2:05 PM)

will list several of these 17 questions together, and then answer.

Tim (AZ)

Ed, What the hell is going on with the 17 team?

Tom (Maine)

Another crew chief switch for Kenseth? What gives?

Gene (Ohio)

Does there come a time in a drivers career, like Kenseth and Lil Junior, when they have to stop blaming the crew chief and man up?

Ed Hinton

  (2:07 PM)

If Kenseth is dissatisfied with Jimmy Fennig, who has worked to the satisfaction of drivers from Mark Martin to Kurt Busch, then we're going to have to say the only common denominator in this crew chief revolving door is Kenseth . . . just as if Lance is ousted, the only common denominator will have been Junior.

Cale (Boston)

Is the tiff between Bruton Smtih and the Loudon police a legit deal, or is is just a ruse to scuttle a date to LV/Kentucky? Is there anything we New Englanders can do to help keep both races here?

Ed Hinton

  (2:10 PM)

I think Bruton's just trying to cut his security costs. He plays games like this a lot -- look at when he threatened to close down Charlotte Motor Speedway and build a new one in South Carolina, just because local officials wouldn't give him everything he wanted. Don't know what New Englanders can do -- except maybe send in ticket orders for two races a year with the stipulation that you either want TWO or NONE. Don't even know if that would help. I think Bruton's playing politics, and it wouldn't be wise to take a race from loyalty-proven New Englanders out to the unknown Cincinnati market. But Bruton is Bruton.

Greg (VA)

What are Denny's chances to win this weekend?

Ed Hinton

  (2:10 PM)

Excellent, I say, and let that be my answer to all the "Who ya got this weekend?" questions too.

Scott (BALTO)

what was the deal with Brad K., JPM, and J. Gordon mowing over people left and right on Sunday's race? Punting people out of the way is not how you pass a car on a road course.

Ed Hinton

  (2:12 PM)

Well, K is going to drive rough regardless of venue; JPM is pretty rough on road courses. Gordon was the one who surprised us all, and I wonder if it's not that he's getting VERY frustrated not winning.

Tracy (Ohio)

Do you think JR will finish top 10 this weekend?

Ed Hinton

  (2:13 PM)

He's had some pretty good runs at NH until handling fell off late, so if his car will behave, he could get a top 10.

buddy (cookeville)

why dont they race the second race at daytona on the road track....and at night.

Ed Hinton

  (2:14 PM)

ha! you're kidding! First of all, the only reason they run road races at all is to get into those markets. Second, the sports cars that run the infield road course at Daytona have headlights. Infield isn't lighted like the oval.

Jake (Irving, Texas)

How many champions provisionals will Labonte be able to use for Robby Gordon Motorsports #7 and will RGM run 2 cars for Robby and Bobby?

Ed Hinton

  (2:15 PM)

Provisionals turn out to be irrelevant here, because Labonte and James Finch have just announced Labonte will drive the 09 at Daytona and Chicagoland. But for the record, I think the upper limit on using former champions' provisionals is six.

Doug (Morgantown)

EdPlease give us Bobby Labonte fans hope that he will find a competitive ride if not this year then next year. Is there any ray of hope?

Ed Hinton

  (2:16 PM)

I couldn't give you a ray of hope until the announcement about the 09 a few minutes ago. The 09 is that ray of hope. Remember, Brad K won in it last year at Talladega.

Tracy (CT)

Do you know the person that posts anything with a question that says "lil Junior or Henric" is the one we call octotroll?

Ed Hinton

  (2:17 PM)

Didn't know, but "troll" is a fitting name for a lot of the nasty comments that are made just for the sake of nasty comments.

Ricky (Austin)

How bout Martin and Labonte buy Phoenix Racing from Finch so they can both race next season?

Ed Hinton

  (2:18 PM)

Who'd be the sponsor? AARP? Just kidding, and I'm in position to. I'm older than both of them.

Ironhead Forever (New York)

How long should open wheel drivers like Hornish, Speed, Allmendinger get before we say they are NASCAR drivers or not? Montoya is a unique talent.P.S. I will actually watch Nationwide race this weekend because of Danica.

Ed Hinton

  (2:19 PM)

All they've gotta do is convince sponsors and team owners. It's not up to us.

Patrick O'Shea (Lyndon, KY)

Did you find it almost desperate the way the 24 was driving on Sunday? Do you think he actually has it coming to him at New Hampshire?

Ed Hinton

  (2:21 PM)

Desperate is a pretty good word for it. Whether he'll get it at NH depends on how close Truex comes to him, and whether Truex will follow through. In '99, when Earnhardt Sr. blatantly wrecked Terry Labonte to win Bristol, word was all over the place that Labonte was going to pay back Big E, bigtime, at Darlington. It didn't happen -- although at one point Terry rode about two feet from the 3's left rear quarter panel for nearly a full lap, and all he'd have had to do was flick the wheel right.

buddy (cookeville)

do you think JRM will move up to the cup level and little e go to that team so that KK can had a ride next year?

Ed Hinton

  (2:22 PM)

That would depend on sponsorship. My understanding is, Rick Hendrick owns 50 percent of JR Motorsports. If they could fund a move up, that would solve both the KK issue and the question of Danica for the long-range future.

Jenny (Elizbeth Town)

Will Martin Truex Jr spin out Jeff Gordon this week end. Thank you for your time.

Ed Hinton

  (2:22 PM)

I'd rate the chances as about 70-30 he won't.

Celia (Albany, NY)

How come people are so quick to be critical of Kyle for showing emotion but when Tony Stewart wrecks Boris after the race he gets a pass?

Ed Hinton

  (2:23 PM)

Oh, but people have been critical of Tony for being emotional too. 'Way back when, NASCAR sent him to anger management counseling.

Matt (Phoenix)

10 Lap shoot-out @ Charlotte, all cars set up by knaus: Mears, M Waltrip, Riggs, R Gordon & Hornish Jr - Who Wins?

Ed Hinton

  (2:24 PM)

Robby wins. In only 10 laps, he wouldn't have time to run over anybody. In pure talent, he's 'way above the others, except that he's too rough. Can't ever get the off-road out of his system.

YAR8pack (Candor)

Mr Hinton, thinking thru your longstanding history with NASCAR, where does the 47 team's gaffe rank on all-time NASCAR screw ups?

Ed Hinton

  (2:26 PM)

You know, I can't think of ANY where I felt more sorry for the guy. This may be the worst. When RP won his 200th in a duel with Cale, they actually raced back to caution with laps left in the race. Cale pulled down the pit road, thinking the race was over, and cost himself second place. Then there was the Nationwide (Busch) race where Mark Martin pulled down the pit road too early. But for Cup, I think Ambrose's deal was the worst -- and the saddest. I really feel for him.

Mel (Michigan)

Why was Edwards parked at Atlanta, but JPM and Harvick were not parked for blatantly spinning out Logano? I know that BK went into the fence, but Edwards did not intend for that to happen.

Ed Hinton

  (2:27 PM)

NASCAR works in mysterious ways . . .you oughta know that by now.

Rob F (Hoboken, NJ)

Hey Ed, glad you're back. I didn't watch last week's race, was traveling, but why are people labeling Gordon's aggression as being overly desparate? He's been aggressive all year. Also, do you think Labonte will race in trucks too? It seems like that series welcomes able vets.

Ed Hinton

  (2:28 PM)

Gordon was unusually slam-bang at Sonoma. Really rough on Kurt Busch, Sadler, and Truex. If you'd seen it, you'd know that's more than par for his course, even on road courses.

Tim (El Cajon, CA)

Ed, I think if they do decide to add another road course that one in Wisconsin looked real nice during the Nationwide race. I think they should add one for the Chase anyway.

Ed Hinton

  (2:29 PM)

I agree. I think Road America provided lots of action. Villeneuve was spectacular before the tire rub and the engine problem. Gaughan called it "a man's man's road course," and I agree.

JDM (Atlanta)

Ed, in your opinion, who is the biggest surprise and the biggest disappointment of this season as of now in the Sprint Cup Series? And also, do you see any unexpected driver making a late regular season run to enter the chase?

Ed Hinton

  (2:31 PM)

Can't say there have been any surprises on the good side. On the down side, there's a bunch of disappointments. JPM is No. 1 to me; I thought he'd have won two or three races already this season. Then there's Tony Stewart, although a sophomore jinx for the team is not a shock.

Scott (Balto)

When is Logano going to finally dish out some payback to Harvick and JPM? He can't keep letting people run all over him like that every week.

Ed Hinton

  (2:31 PM)

I, and every other pundit I know around NASCAR, agree with you. He's going to have to start hitting back.

ely (state college, pa)

whenever james finch is mentioned, it is always said that he is a cool guy and a great owner to drive for. can you elaborate with any quick stories to tell us why this is the case?

Ed Hinton

  (2:33 PM)

You'd have to hear him face to face or on the phone, but he's just full of one-liners, good cheer and total honesty. He's a construction magnate in the Florida Panhandle, and I mean this in the best possible way when I say he's as good a good ol' boy as they come. Just keeps you smiling and laughing all the way, except when you're gasping at his honesty.

Layne (Minnesota)

Move Sonoma into Californias spot in the Chase and move Fontanas 2nd race to well...nowhere

Ed Hinton

  (2:33 PM)

Pretty good plan if you ask me.

Steve (St. Anthony, MN)

Why is Robby Gordon stepping out of the car this weekend?

Ed Hinton

  (2:35 PM)

Two reasons. First, he's planning a trip to Argentina to prepare for the Dakar Rally. (Why they now run the Dakar in Argentina is a long story). Second, he didn't have enough money to do anything but send a start and park effort, until he picked up Labonte, who has a former champion's provisional to guarantee a start.

Tracy (CT)

Why on earth would Bruton leave Louden? It sells out!! Dump Atlanta. That race is a snooze fest!

Ed Hinton

  (2:36 PM)

I agree with those points. And Atlanta never sells out. Bruton's threatening with Kentucky. But I think he's just fishing for a drastic cut in his security costs at NH. He's always playing muscle games like that. If he actually moves a race to Kentucky, he'll get his comeuppance right in the wallet.

Rui (Fort Lauderdale)

Not only that, but I'm pretty sure Bruton is the only person in the world that wants to see a second race at Las Vegas.

Ed Hinton

  (2:36 PM)

Just letting the Bruton venting run now.

Tek (Madison, WI)

Robby is already guaranteed a spot in the race by being in the top 35. Could it be that he trusts a seasoned vet (bobby) to not tear up his car as opposed to PJ Jones?

Ed Hinton

  (2:37 PM)

You're right, and that's right. He's hoping for a better finish . . .and Labonte may be bringing some sponsorship money. that's not clear yet.

Doug (Maumee, Ohio)

Good afternoon Ed, Tony Stewart is not running up to snuff so far this year. Do you expect him to turn it around as he ussually does during the summer?

Ed Hinton

  (2:39 PM)

That's going to be one of the key questions of July and August -- his knack for hot streaks in hot weather, vs. whatever it is that's hampering them now. Remember, he and Darian won Watkins Glen going away last summer.

Andy (Cali)

Has Kyle forgotten Stewert wrecking him out on the last lap at Daytona last July or can we expect to see Kyle getting some revenge for that?

Ed Hinton

  (2:39 PM)

It's just not a good idea to do revenge on plate tracks. And if Kyle wanted payback for that one, he should have done it within a few weeks afterward. These things don't normally last a whole year.

jon (houston)

How many laps before danica wrecks out of this weekends race, the Danica 200.

Ed Hinton

  (2:40 PM)

The Danica trolling continues.

Drew (Bloomington, IN)

Ed, what's your stance on Cup regulars running a full-time Nationwide schedule? I understand a lot of Nationwide regulars enjoy the competition that the Cup guys bring, but I still wish they'd stay away because it should be a developmental series. Terry Blount likes the idea of a Nationwide Chase format that doesn't allow Cup regulars; what do you think?

Ed Hinton

  (2:41 PM)

I agree with Terry on this one. I don't think Cup drivers should be allowed in Nationwide AT ALL, even one-offs. But track promoters demand the big names to sell tickets, so we'll never see Nationwide be what it should be -- a pure developmental series.

Ironhead Forever (New York)

Do you have any opinion on the proposed Delta Wing as the new IndyCar?

Ed Hinton

  (2:42 PM)

I think they ought to give it a shot. What have they got to lose? The other designs are too close to the usual to give them any pizzazz. It's risky if they do it, but they're in trouble if they don't. They just can't spur interest without something revolutionary.

Tim (AZ)

Ed, Could all the Kenseth crew chief swaps be Roush's doing? What I mean is, Roush pulled Reiser from that team in their prime, let's not forget that. What driver wouldn't be upset with that? Could it be possible that he has told Kenseth "we'll try Chip to see how it goes", "we'll try Drew and see how it goes", etc... Basically what I'm asking is, is Roush hoping one will work out so Matt will stop wanting Robbie back on the box, rather than it just being a case of Kenseth pulling a "JR"?

Ed Hinton

  (2:43 PM)

Na, I think this has been all Matt. Roush has been known to do this, but Matt seems to be making the calls in all these switches.

Lee (atlanta, ga)

since you failed to answer the question, 'what good has happened in nascar this year', how about the resurgance at childress racing?

Ed Hinton

  (2:44 PM)

Lee, you are a pistol. Got a stomach ache or something? The question was about SURPRISES. RCR's resurgence was not a surprise to me. Now comb back through the transcript for a more reasoned complaint.

Joan (Seattle)

If seems that 100% of your readers are anti-Danica. Why don't they accept her as a Nascar marketing tool just like Dale Jr?

Ed Hinton

  (2:45 PM)

It's not 100 percent. The only ones who complain are the complainers.

Joe Mc (Bartlett, Illinois)

Hey Ed, how about you try answering a question not about Jr or Danica for once

Ed Hinton

  (2:46 PM)

Read the transcript, Joe, and you'll see 90 percent of the answers here don't concern either of your fixational problems. What do you guys get out of trolling, anyway? Would you speak to someone this way face to face?

Ed Hinton

  (2:47 PM)

Tell you what, Joe. I'm going to post all of your troll posts. Take an hour, go back and see how silly they make you look to a national audience.Posting them now. Every one of them.

Joe Mc (Bartlett, Illinois)

OH MAN ANOTHER DANICA QUESTION IMAGINE THAT

Joe Mc (Bartlett, Illinois)

Yeah Ed forgets to answer NASCAR questions because of his infatuation with the Danica

Joe Mc (Bartlett, Illinois)

Hey Ed, answer a question not about Overrated Danica, Do you think Kasey Kahne can still make the Chase following back to back top 5 finishes?

Joe Mc (Bartlett, Illinois)

Hey Ed, you're a beast. How do you do it?

Brian (Wall, NJ)

The 39 won at Phoenix, does that mean he can be a factor on Sunday?

Ed Hinton

  (2:49 PM)

Maybe, but that win was a bit flukish, so we'll see.

Ed Hinton

  (2:49 PM)

confidential to Joe: feel better now? Got enough attention now?

Tim (El Cajon, CA)

Joe, you got a BIG problem. Chill dude!!

Ed's Favorite Fan John (Illinois)

Ed, Joe is just jealous because he's not your favorite fan, and I am. Don't feed the trolls, it just gets them more riled up.

Derrick (Iowa)

buzz off Joe Mc... i want answer to my questions and not your Danica nonsense!!!

Mike (CT)

Just for Joe here's a Danica question. All the Danica haters have to realize that all of her added publicity is just going to grow the sport more making every driver more accessible to media coverage. Or maybe I'm losing my mind

Ed Hinton

  (2:51 PM)

Joe is a star! Mike, you're right.

Sid (Atlanta)

whose drop-off this season has surprised you most: Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya or other (who)?

Ed Hinton

  (2:52 PM)

Montoya certainly. And I forgot to mention Mark in the other answer. JPM No. 1, Mark No. 2, Stewart No. 3

Joe Mc (Bartlett, Illinois)

Hey Ed, I didn't ask for attention man, I asked for you to answer questions about REAL DRIVERS not tools like all these other chat members

Ed Hinton

  (2:52 PM)

Joe, we're going to see if we can get you your fill of attention. You've only asked one question, about KK, and I'm trying to find it in the deluge here.

Joe Mc (Bartlett, Illinois)

How about Kasey Kahne, back to back top 5 finishes?

Ed Hinton

  (2:54 PM)

How about him? What am I supposed to say? Whether he'll make the Chase? He's 150-something points out of 12th, with a weak team.

Tracy (CT)

Hey Joe, keep talking about Danica! It only helps in her popularity!

Joe Mc (Bartlett, Illinois)

Hey Ed, it was nice chatting with you today. Don't forget to give me a shout out on the next NASCAR Now on ESPN!!

Ed Hinton

  (2:55 PM)

Rave on.

Lee (atlanta, ga)

hinton, i feel fine, thanks for asking, the only thing upsetting me is your steady diet of negativity. gwc is a 'rasslin' gimmick, driver rivalries is a 'rasslin' gimmick, same with double file restarts. i just want to know why dont you like anything about nascar?

Ed Hinton

  (2:56 PM)

Read my archive and you'll see it's not always negative -- not nearly. But when I see the fans being taken as suckers, I say so.

Paul (Providence)

Montoya's performance really hasn't been that bad, his finishes and luck have been though.

Ed Hinton

  (2:57 PM)

Yeah, I know, but I really thought he and Chip were going to put together some wins.

Rena (Atlanta)

Are these young guys like Scotty Speed, Kyle, Joey and Denny good interviews or just programmed like Johnson?

Ed Hinton

  (2:58 PM)

A lot of it depends on their mood. Kyle can be great at times, and Denny can be quite candid.

Jack (Brooklyn, NY)

Ed, who ya got tonight? Junior or Shaq?

Ed Hinton

  (2:59 PM)

Shaq

Lee (atlanta, ga)

we agree to disagree. you believe nascar is playing the fans for suckers, i think nascar is giving them what they want, thanks for the forum

Ed Hinton

  (2:59 PM)

well, we've got one of you cooled down anyway.

jon (houston)

did joey confront jpm about spinning him out like he did harvick, maybe his dad wasn't there

Ed Hinton

  (3:00 PM)

Don't think he confronted JPM, but would imagine he's eased up on that since Pocono -- his dad's presence notwithstanding.

Richie Mikemond (French Island, Wi.)

Excellent article on Raymond Parks. Imagine the show Robby Gordon could have put on if they gave Ambrose his spot pack! That had the potential to be one of the best moments of the year.

Ed Hinton

  (3:01 PM)

Thanks on the Parks column. And you're right -- a rematch from Montreal of Robby and Marcos. That would have been a show. Wonder if Robby would have shown a little less roughness. Doubt it.

Ed Hinton

  (3:02 PM)

With that, folks, gotta go. Thanks to all for stopping by.