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Tony Stewart # 20

Pre-2008 Dale Earnhardt Jr. # 8

 

NASCAR Teammates or Pit Crew

August 22, 2008

When trying to make NASCAR's Chase, who could be more of a hindrance to a driver, his pit crew or his teammate?  Well, this week in Michigan I think it was a toss-up for Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Dupont Chevrolet.  Gordon is always very supportive of his pit crew and always so polite, but this week in Michigan he went on the radio after his first pit stop and told his crew that they needed to do better, that they are an awesome team and were capable of much better stops than the one he just had.  He also added that if it was something he did to please tell him so he could correct it. Good pep talk?  Not really, the next pit stop they dropped a lug nut and cost him precious time and track position.

 

Next comes along his teammate, Jimmie Johnson.  He and Gordon are reportedly good friends, but not necessarily on the track according to Johnson's actions.  Johnson doesn't give an inch for Gordon.  It was surprising to see him let teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr go by.  He doesn't draft with his partners unless it benefits him.  In Michigan he bounced off Gordon which eventually caused Gordon to be out of the race and very possibly out of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Chase.  Was that Johnsons fault or Gordon's pit crew for putting him so far back in the pack?  Maybe Jeff Gordon needs a new pit crew as well as teammate.  Wait, maybe not, new teammates seem to get better pit crews and equipment.  Hendrick Motorsports needs to step up and give all of its drivers the same caliper cars and pit crews (even Casey Mears) or stop taking on new "star" drivers.

 

NASCAR's #14

July 30, 2008

Tony Stewart announced that he would be driving the #14 Office Depot/ Old Spice Chevrolet next season. Stewart has proudly released pictures of his new ride for next season.  So what happens to Carl Edwards?  Remember, he is currently being sponsored by Office Depot.  

 

Stewart also has yet to announce who is other driver will be for his team in the 2009 season.  If I had to guess, I would definately say Ryan Newman. Newman has been too quiet and there haven't been many rumors about other teams trying to take on the Rocket Man.   

 

Better get a program at the Daytona 500 in February 2009 so you can see what car your driver will be in.

 

 

NASCAR's Indy Race

July 30, 2008

NASCAR fans who went to the Indianapolis Speedway for the Allstate 400 race at the Brickyard were very disappointed.  I was disappointed and I watched it on T.V.  Goodyear provided unsuitable tires for the race and NASCAR had to throw competition cautions throughout the Sprint Cup race.  The longest green flag run was thirteen laps and that was only one time, they averaged between nine and ten laps. 

 

The Goodyear tires were wearing down to the cords and steel and were blowing out. NASCAR driver Bobby Labonte was unfairly penalized after pitting with a bad tire when NASCAR closed Pit Road to keep drivers from pitting immediately before the competition cautions for an unfair advantage, The #43 car of Labonte would have been the caution if he hadn't stopped and he would have probably have taken several others along with him.

 

Pitting every ten laps or so disallowed the drivers to do what they went there to do - race.  It was unfair to the fans as well as the drivers.  The drivers who were strong were always being clumped back with the weaker drivers and couldn't even race hard for fear of blowing out a tire.  The only racing there was during that race was on Pit Road and during the last seven laps of the race.  The outcome of the race might have been very different when it came down to the checkered flag even though Jimmie Johnson was a very strong throughout the race along with teammate Jeff Gordon.

 

The drivers (even Tony Stewart) were very tightlipped about the tires.  I guess Tony figured he better lay low after knocking the headset off an official and shoving him during a midget race the day before. I guess this has to do with NASCAR officials telling the drivers not to complain about the tires and drive.

 

This is not the first time this season that Goodyear let down the NASCAR fans and drivers by providing bad tires, but this was the worst.  NASCAR needs to clamp down on Goodyear to provide good tires or maybe give another tire company a try.

 

 

NASCAR Driver Changes

July 15, 2008

NASCAR's #20 Home Depot driver Tony Stewart announced his departure from Joe Gibbs racing where he has been a driver for most of his NASCAR career.  He has won two cup championships with Joe Gibbs Racing.  Stewart will leave behind crew chief Greg Zipadelli and it is rumored that Zippy will be crew chief for Joey Logano in the #20 Toyota in 2009.

 

Tony Stewart will be half owner of Haas CNC which will be renamed Stewart-Haas CNC.  The #70 and #66 cars currently in Haas Racing are both out of the top 35 in points which brings me to the question - who will drive those two cars next season?  Obviously Stewart will drive one. Well, it was also announced that Ryan Newman will not be driving for Penske next season.  Newman has been very unhappy with performance for the last two seasons with only one win at Daytona he decided to move on.  So, possibly Ryan Newman may be Tony's choice as his teammate.    

 

Now, with Ryan Newman leaving Penske, who will drive the #12 Alltel Dodge?  Maybe Casey Mears, currently driver of the #5 Chevrolet, who will be ousted by Hendrick Motorsports next season to make room for Mark Martin.  Or maybe even David Stremme.  Meanwhile Dario Franchitti, Indy Car Champion who had joined the ranks of NASCAR' Sprint Series, was told by Chip Gianassi that he no longer had a car to race when they failed to secure sponsorship for the #40 car.

 

So, where will your driver be next season?

 

 

NASCAR Tidbits

July 9, 2008  

So much going on this week on the NASCAR Sprint Cup scene this week.  First of all, Mark Martin and Hendrick Motorsports announced that Martin will race a full schedule next season for Hendrick Motorsports.  Martin is desperately looking for that long evasive championship in the cup series and is hoping that Hendrick can give him the equipment to do it.  Hendrick is more than happy to oblige.

 

Kurt Busch won the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona last weekend making this his sixth win this season.  Busch actually raced Jeff Gordon in the #24 Dupont Chevrolt clean and waited for just the right moment to squeeze into the lead.  With many cautions at the end of the race, Gordon had an awesome race until the last handfull of laps. With the restart of the green-white-checkered finish, Carl Edwards in the #99 Office Depot car spun him and cost him a great finish, sending Gordon home with a disappointing 30th place finish. 

 

Meanwhile, Martin Truex Jrs bid for the championship was probably dashed when NASCAR declared his car illegal because it didn't fit the NASCAR template at Daytona International Speedway.  NASCAR impounded the car and docked Truex 150 crucial points.  They also suspended his crew chief and car chief for six races and imposed a $100,000 fine.  This dropped Truex from 14th to 18th in the standings with only eight races left until The Chase.

 

Tony Stewart started the Coke Zero 400 race in Daytona when the flu caused him to let JJ Yeley take his place in the #20 Home Depot Toyota.  Stewart's season just doesn't seem to be going his way. Tony has expressed his displeasure with Joe Gibbs Racing and I think he's disappointed about Mark Martin joining Hendrick Motorsports.  I'm pretty sure he had his eye on that #5 Chevrolet.  Will Tony leave behind the #20 Home Depot car next season or decide to stay and fulfill his contract thru 2009?   Rumor has it that sponsors such as Office Depot and Subway have offered him sponsorship, but where does that leave Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle?  

 

NASCAR Tempers

June 30, 2008

Tempers flared at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday as Kyle Busch and Juan Pable Montoya came together under caution.  Racing is racing - but this was on purpose.  Montoya swears that Busch hit him first on purpose and admits that he hit him back on purpose.  Busch said that he was just racing and that Montoya went after him.  Poor Kurt Busch.  Whenever he takes somebody out - it's just racing, but when something happens to him he gets all whiney. The sports commentators seem to have their favorites and have sided with Busch.  They dote on the drivers they like and pretty much ignore the rest.

 

Tony Stewart, on the other hand is trying to keep his temper and disappointment from this season under control.  He waited in his car and didn't say anything for a while until he got his emotions under control before he gave his interview.  His disappointment with yesterdays race, after leading 132 of 284 laps and then coming in 13th after pitting for a last small sip of gas, was obvious.   But the biggest disappointment was in this season where nothing can go right for Stewart.  No wonder Tony is exploring his options.

 

NASCAR - More Changes

June 30, 2008

NASCAR fans have had so many changes in drivers and teams and more to come, it'll make your head swim.  Hendrick Motorsports announced that Casey Mears would not be returning to drive for them next season.  Jimmie Johnson implied in an interview that Hendrick Motorsports has not given Casey the support that they should have.  Rumor had it that Mark Martin and Brad Keselowski would split the ride in the #5 Kelloggs Chevrolet for the Sprint Cup 2009 season.  I don't think that will happen because Hendrick Motorsports will want a driver who will be a contender for the Sprint Cup Championship and you can't do that unless you drive full-time.  Will Mark Martin come out of partial retirement?  Tony Stewart, on the other hand, is keeping his options open.  He has been very unhappy with Gibbs Racing this season as they have obviously favored Kyle Busch.  He has said that he would favor an owner/driver position.  I think Hendrick would oblige him that.  But would that be a good move for Stewart or the teammates of Hendrick Motorsports?  It's obvious that contracts don't mean anything if you want out or someone wants you out.  Both Stewart and Mears have contracts with their existing team thru 2009.

 

Meanwhile Greg Biffle announced that he would be staying with Roush Fenway Racing and Clint Bowyer will be staying with Richard Childress Racing.  Mark Martin may leave DEI.  Martin Truex and Ryan Newman are weighing their options after disappointing seasons. 

 

Kurt Busch's win Sunday was a surprise because he just didn't seem to be a contender hanging around mid to the back of the field.  Good strategy got him track position under the last caution when the leaders went in for enough gas to take them to the end.  The rain started and ended the race under caution.  I guess a win is a win. 

 

 

 

NASCAR - End of JR's Winless Streak

June 16, 2008

NASCAR's favorite driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke his winless streak in Michigan after 76 races without a win.  Although the race ended under caution and Jr. won after a fuel milage gamble, the fans of Junior Nation got their wish.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. coasted to take the checkered flag without enough fuel to take a victory lap.  Brian Vickers complained that NASCAR officials radioed him with just a few laps remaining and told him to let the #88 car go past or risk being black-flagged.  What was that about?

 

Meanwhile, the officials of NASCAR's Sprint Cup have told drivers to shut-up about the COT and drive.  They have said that the complaining has lessened fans loyalty and dropped ratings.   Maybe they should listen to their drivers.  The COT cars have been a target of controversy since they were introduced.  They are supposed to be safer for the drivers.  Not necessarily true if the drivers get so hot inside the car that they risk passing out from the heat.  What about the tires?  Shouldn't the drivers be entitled to have tires that don't shred and blow out. 

 

Maybe NASCAR officials should stop trying to model NASCAR after other sports like football - with a playoff.  They may retain more fans if all drivers had a chance at the championship until the end.  Think about it, would you go to races if your driver basically just rode around in the shadow of the more popular drivers or The Chase drivers?  Especially since the race analysts now make it very clear who they support. Every driver out there in the 43 car Sprint Cup field deserves recognition.  Maybe NASCAR shouldn't let Sprint Cup drivers compete in the Nationwide Series as this allows the drivers addional practice time and creates an unbalanced field.  It also takes away from the Nationwide drivers by not allowing them to work their way up through the ranks by racing drivers of the same skills. 

 

NASCAR officials need to listen to their drivers and their fans to save our sport.

 

 

NASCAR Changes

June 12, 2008

This weeks NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono showed us all that no one has The Chase tied up.  Kyle Busch's lead in points dwindled this weekend when Busch made a very aggressive move and found himself crashing into the wall.  Kasey Kahne took the checkered flag.  The win was well deserved, he had an awesome race even with the setbacks he suffered during the race.  This was Kasey's second win this season not including the All-Star race.  His season started out bad, but after the All-Star Race Kasey got all fired up and now it's time to go.

 

Speaking of time to go, it's more than half-way until The Chase for the Sprint Cup begins.  As the points get closer there will be many drivers out to grab their spot.  I think there will be more drivers like Kyle Busch trading paint out on the racetrack.   Some of the drivers who foolishly thought their spots were secure will be forced to step it up as the drivers a little further back in the points do the same in attempts to take a spot in the top twelve points. 

 

So, yes it is time to go.

 

 

NASCAR's New Driver to Hate

June 6, 2008

NASCAR Sprint Cup fans now have a new driver that they love to hate.  Kyle Busch draws boos from the fans upon introduction.  But more recently at Dover he drew many boos after taking the checkered flag and winning his fourth race this season.  His reaction - he doesn't care - his only reason for racing is to win. He doesn't even mind the boos.  Not even his brother,  Kurt Busch, is his ally.  In fact, I don't think he has any friends on the track.  Do you think it's because of his multiple wins? Or do you think it's his reckless driving style that shows no regard for other drivers? Or maybe the many fans that object to the incinuation that Kyle Busch is the next intimidator to replace Dale Earnhardt.  It could be that they just don't like the Wild Thing. 

 

Either way,  Kyle Busch keeps expanding his lead in the race for The Chase.  His lead is now 142 points over Jeff Burton.  You have to wonder how Busch can run so far out in front for all these races.  Maybe he is truely a good driver or maybe he's using rocket fuel.

 

 

NASCAR at Lowe's Motor Speedway

May 29, 2008

Kasey Kahne became only the sixth driver to sweep both the All-Star race and the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.  The Coca-Cola 600 is NASCAR's longest race in the Sprint Cup.  This win at Lowe's puts Casey twelfth in the Sprint Cup Standings.  As you know, only the drivers in the top twelve positions will be eligible for The Chase.   Jeff Burton, who led the points last season for a short while at the beginning of the season is second in points with Dale Earnhardt Jr in third.  From fourth on back it has been a back and fourth battle for position.  

 

Even with a DNF (did not finish) Kyle Busch still leads the standings.  As a matter of fact, he has been expanding his lead little by little.  Not so for the guys at the tail end of the top twelve positions.  The Chase is still open to many drivers, but not for long. 

 

 

NASCAR's 2008 All-Star Winner

May 22, 2008

NASCAR's 2008 All-Star race had a surprise winner.  For only the third time in NASCAR history, the driver picked to race in the All-Star race by the fan vote and not qualifying by NASCAR's pre-set rules won this prestigous race.  Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Budweiser Dodge was chosen by the fans to race.  Kasey started last in the field of twenty-four cars.  He worked his way forward in the field, but it was pit strategy and the bad luck of Kyle Busch that put him in victory lane.  On a mandatory pit stop in the last segment of the race, Kahne did not take tires in favor of track position.  This move put him in position to take the checkered flag and the the status of winner of the All-star race which entitles him to race in the All-Star race for the next ten years.  Kyle Busch, who dominated the first part of the race, did not finish due to engine failure.

 

Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr looked like they had a real shot at the win, but weren't able to pull it off.  Meanwhile, a lot of people thought Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson would put in a good showing, which was not the case. 

 

It's back to Lowe's Motorspeedway on Sunday.  Will these twenty-four drivers have the edge over the other drivers in the field - or will there be more surprises in store for us?

 

 

 

NASCAR's All-Star Race

May 16, 2008

Tomorrow night is NASCAR's Sprint Cup All-Star race.  This is where some of the stars of NASCAR show their stuff in a no-points race.  This race consists of at least 20 cars (21 this year plus the 3 drivers from the Showdown) and drivers who have won races in preceding and current years.  Included on this list are active drivers who have won the All-Star race in the last ten years,  active drivers who have won the Sprint Cup (Winston Cup or Nextel Cup) Championship in the last ten years. Also included are the winner and the second place winner of the Sprint Showdown and the driver picked from the Showdown by the Sprint All-Star Fan Vote. 

 

Most of the drivers in this race are the elite of the elite.  They will compete in a race consisting of four segments of twenty-five laps each.  Here the drivers will be forced to make pit stops under green among other mandatory rules.  Here the drivers are out for one thing only - to win.  The purse for this race is one million dollars.   This race proves to be a very exciting race.  This race is a prestige race.  This race is a win or crash and burn trying race.  These drivers have nothing to loose (points) and everything to gain (one million). So sit back (or on the edge of your seat) and watch the show.

 

 

NASCAR Day

May 16, 2008

Today is NASCAR day.  Do you have your NASCAR Day pin? It's not too late.  You can still go online and get your pin or go to Home Depot (100% of the funds will benefit The NASCAR Foundation) to purchase your pin.   Show support for your drivers and your sport.  But, most importantly - keep in mind that your donation for this pin is a donation to The NASCAR Foundation and a family of foundations.

 

Almost five million dollars has been raised over the last five years. Last year 1.64 million dollars was raised. This money benefits KaBoom, Victory Junction as well as Speediatrics and other organizations that help ill children and their families.   

 

For more information on The NASCAR Foundation please visit: www.nascar.com/foundation

 

 

More NASCAR Changes?

April 24, 2008

Rumor has is that NASCAR's Sprint Cup driver Tony Stewart is trying to get out of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing.  His current contract goes through the 2009 season.   Could Tony's request for departure have anything to do with Kyle Busch?  I say definately - yes.

 

Tony Stewart, driver of the #20 Home Depot Toyota, went from being top dog for Joe Gibbs Racing last season to backseat driver this year when Kyle Busch joined the stable.  Busch, with his aggressive driving and carefree attitude has pretty much taken over the spotlight in this racing team.  Even Tony's bad boy image hasn't gotten him much attention this season.  He made headlines shortly for criticizing tires at one race but can't compete with teammate Kyle Busch for the media's attention.  Rumor also has it that Joe Gibbs isn't going to let him go.  Maybe that's what Tony is counting on.   Remember last season when Dale Earnhardt Jr decided to move to Hendrick Motorsports and Kyle Busch was thrown to the curb?  Think about it.  The media made Junior and Busch  (mostly Junior) their top stories all last season and it looks like this season they will be the top news items as the teams give them the best of everything to prove that it was a great move for the drivers as well as the teams.

 

So, is Joe Gibbs Racing doing the same thing to Tony Stewart as Hendrick Motorsports is doing to Jeff Gordon?  Sacrificing Championship drivers for their new teammates?  Or is Tony's ego just need stroking?

Maybe he just needs a new gimmick besides climbing the fence.

 

 

NASCAR Predictions

April 10, 2008

At the beginning of the season I questioned the ability of teams to support the addition or changes of drivers to existing teams.  I questioned whether some of the drivers would be sacrificed or compromised because of the new "star" drivers.  I think this may be a concern to some of the teams such as Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing.

 

As for Joe Gibbs Racing, Kyle Busch has seemingly taken over as the star of this race team.  Busch, the driver of the #18 Toyota made history by winning the first NASCAR race in a Toyota has become quite a reckless and aggressive driver this season letting no one get in his way.  Although it hasn't hurt the standings of teammates Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin, who are currently fifth and seventh in the standings, I'm sure Stewart's ego is a little deflated.

 

The story is not so pretty for Hendrick Motorsports who took on Dale Earnhardt Jr this season.  Junior, driving the #88 Amp Chevrolet this season has had his best season ever (although no wins) and is currently fourth in the standings.   Jimmie Johnson the 2007 Champion of the Nextel (now Sprint) Cup Series has been struggling along with teammate and four time champion Jeff Gordon.  Johnson has somehow managed to pull himself up to sixth in the standings after a rough start.  Gordon, however hasn't been so lucky.  He's had a high number of mechanical problems that have plagued him since Daytona.  Even his second place finish was in jeopardy when his engine blew on the last lap - luckily he had enough momentum to make it to the checkered flag.  How can some teammates have cars that can endure the rigors of a race and some that are buckets of junk.  It seems to me that this is deja' vu for Jeff Gordon who suffered the same fate when Jimmie Johnson came onboard Hendrick Motorsports as a teammate.  Does Hendrick Motorsports have to prove itself worthy of Dale Earnhardt Jr?  Jeff Gordon came off one of the best seasons of his career and is now struggling in cars so bad that it makes him look like a rookie.   He finished 43rd in Texas, only the second time in his racing career to come in last.  Will Hendrick Motorsports step up to the plate and give all of their drivers cars that will last till the checkered flag waves?  What about Casey Mears?  You don't hear about him very often, what kind of a driver is he really? Or is it the car he drives that make him so unnoteworthy?

 

So, how many quality drivers can a race team support? 

 

 

NASCAR's Final Start

March 17, 2008

NASCAR honored Champion Dale Jarrett at Bristol's race on Sunday.  It was his last points race in his twenty-four year racing career.  Jarrett, driver of the #44 UPS Toyota, was the 1999 Champion of NASCAR's elite series. His Dad, race car driver Ned Jarrett dropped the green flag signaling the start of the short track race in Bristol to honor his son.  The elder Jarrett was also on hand at Dale's first win at Daytona as a commentator of the race.  Dale Jarrett went on to win two more Daytona 500s in his career.  He will now be a news commentator for the NASCAR races. 

 

Dale Jarrett is noted as being a gentleman driver who always showed great respect for his fellow drivers.  He always raced a clean race.  Can a driver of this caliber simply hang up his helmet and hans and watch other drivers race?

 

Dale Jarrett will be missed by many as one of NASCAR's finest.

 

 

NASCAR's Wild Thing

March 10,2008

NASCAR's new nickname for Kyle Busch after Atlanta's Kobalt Tools 500 race is Wild Thing.  So far this season, Busch has made good on a promise to make Hendrick Motorsports sorry that they sent him on his way.  Kyle Busch has had some awesome finishes in the first four Sprint Cup events.  Wild Thing has been said to now do most of his driving below the white line (apron), which is legal in NASCAR races with the exception of Daytona and Talladega.  He's a man on a mission, but will it earn him a cup title or will it create more hazardous conditions for the other forty-two drivers in the field.  Is it pure skill or is it from the unfair extra practice he gets while racing in the Craftsman Truck Series and the Nationwide Series?

 

In an interview with Carl Edwards pre-race on Sunday he made the statement that his penalty was fair.  Does this mean he acknowledges cheating?  If so, then the penalty wasn't stiff enough.  He got to keep his win.  Got to keep ninety-five of the points for winning and still got to keep the $300,000 plus over the penalty amount.  So cheaters do prosper.  He did have a great race going until his transmission blew at the end of the race.  He was the car to beat.  But why didn't NASCAR officials black-flag him when his car started spewing out smoke?  It created an unsafe environment for the other drivers due to visibility and the possibility that he might have been dumping oil or other fluids onto the track for the other unsuspecting drivers.

 

So, it's on to Bristol next week in what is said to be Dale Jarrett's last Cup race of his career. It's always sad to see such fine drivers disappear from the line-up.  He will be missed in the #44 UPS car.

 

 

NASCAR's Las Vegas Woes

March 6, 2008

NASCAR's Las Vegas race started out with many drivers with dreams.  The Busch brothers wanted to win in their home state.  Jimmie Johnson wanted a fourth win in a row at Vegas.  Jeff Gordon wanted to redeem himself and pull himself up in the standings.  Carl Edwards wanted two wins in a row.  The only one who got his wish was Carl Edwards in the #99 car.  Well almost,  until he got caught cheating (or so they say) by not having a cover on his oil pan.  His crew claims that the nut holding it on failed and came loose and allowed the cover to come off.  This allows about ten percent more down force while driving.  Did this happen during contact with another car? Sorry, I missed that.  Or maybe it fell off when Jeff Gordon's transmission and most of the front of the car came flying off in a hard crash with five laps left in the race.  Gordon and Kenseth came together when Dale Earnhardt Jr spun the tires on a late restart and forced the #17 and #24 car to go around him.  Jr said that he wasn't experienced in being up front on restarts.

 

So dreams weren't meant to be had that day.  Jeff Gordon hit the wall at the only place where there wasn't

a new safer soft wall in probably one of the hardest hits in his career and blew that top five finish.  Johnson just had a lousy race.  Neither of the Busch brothers won. Carl Edwards had his dream for a short time until the post race inspections.  Now he will be penalized for one hundred points plus loosing the ten points he would have carried into the Chase if he qualified. Not to mention loosing his crew chief for six weeks and a $100,000 fine and loosing the lead in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Standings.

 

NASCAR officials will not put up with cheating, but they will back down when they are wrong as in the case with Robbie Gordon's #7 car last week.  Gordon had changed car manufacturers and ordered a nose for his new car.  His team was sent the prototype with the same part identification number as the part he should have had.  Long story short, Gordon was given back his points and his crew chief was unsuspended but the fine was increased. 

 

So what is cheating?  Some drivers say it is only cheating if you get caught.

 

 

NASCAR Rain Delays

February 28, 2008

Rain caused delays in Fontana, California for NASCAR's Auto Club 500.  Drivers complained that the race should never have been started.  Drivers like Denny Hamlin who smashed into the wall during the beginning laps of the Sprint Cup race.  Also Casey Mears who took out Dale Earnhardt Jr  before rain delays stopped the race until Monday. Junior finished the race about 42 laps down.  Jeff Gordon led most of the laps that evening and held on while many other drivers suffered at the hand of the weepers.  Weepers, you say, what is that?  The track is concrete with seams that hold the water and let it seep onto the track and make the cars loose control. 

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup race begins again on Monday under clear skies. The stands are almost empty. Drivers who had damage to their cars from the previous evening had a chance to make repairs.  Unfortunately for some drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr it wasn't enough for a good finish but it was enough for him to be able to finish the race and gain points. 

 

Carl Edwards celebrates his victory with his signature back flip with Jimmie Johnson coming in right behind him in second. Jeff Gordon came in third, blowing his engine under the white flag lap with enough speed to reach the finish line.  This put the Hendrick teammates back up into the eighth and fourteenth spots in the standings after miserable finishes in Daytona.

 

 

 

NASCAR - A New Experience

February 26, 2008

Have you been to the races?  It's an awesome experience.  But, I'll tell you what, you haven't really experienced being at the race until you visit the Fanzone.  It is the most amazing thing you will do at the races (other than possibly seeing your driver have an awesome race and winning). 

 

With Fanzone passes, you can go down onto the track and walk along the embankment to the start/finish line.  Be sure to bring a permanent marker to mark your spot on the checkered strip marking the start/finish line.   Then head up to the pit boxes and see where your favorite driver and their pit crew will race against the clock to see if they can gain any track position.  Go over to the garage before the race and possibly see the crew working on their car or see your driver.  Experience pre-race inspections.

 

Then, when you think you've had the experience of a lifetime - attend an interview with one or more of the  current drivers or possibly even Champions of the past such as Bobby Allison, David Pearson, Junior Johnson, etc.   Listen to the drivers tell stories of past track experiences and incidents.

 

Watch the driver introductions from the infield of the track before you go to your seats and watch the green flag drop, maybe at the hand of the King of NASCAR, Richard Petty.  And the race begins. 

 

 

 

NASCAR's Daytona 500 Winner

FEBRUARY 19, 2008

NASCAR's historic 50th Daytona 500 held many surprises.  Congratulations to Ryan Newman, driver of the #12 Dodge, who won this prestigious race.  Newman had not visited victory lane in eighty-one races.  With a push from teammate Kurt Busch, the"Rocket Man" took the checkered flag during the last seconds of the race with teammate Busch following him to secure a second place finish.  A stunned Tony Stewart followed with a third place finish.  Was Busch, driver of the #2 Dodge, simply trying to help his teammate or get even with Stewart for run-ins earlier in the week?

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr started his week out with great wins in the Gatorade Dual and the Budweiser Shootout, hoping to sweep the weekend.  After Sundays race, newspapers had headings that his new team let him down.  Just the opposite, Junior has has a better start than ever this year.  One can say that maybe his new teammates may have been the ones to suffer. Hopefully history won't repeat itself.  When Jimmie Johnson joined Hendrick Motorsports it appeared that he got the best equipment and pit crew and Jeff Gordon floundered with mechanical breakdowns and mishaps in the pits. Hopefully Hendrick Motorsports can balance its assets to accommodate all of its awesome drivers.  No one can complain about Hendrick Motorsports dominating this race. Jimmie Johnson didn't have a particularly good race even before his mishap on the track and Casey Mears slid along the wall trailing sparks as he went.  Although Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Dupont Chevrolet did have a pretty good start to this race before his mechanical problems forced him behind the wall for a number of laps only to return to only log laps.  

 

This race was an exciting race sporting only one caution (for debris) during the first 150 laps and many in the last 50 including one with less than ten laps to go. I think many fans feared a green-white-checkered finish or worse - under caution.  The checkered flag was up for grabs but many assumed that either Tony Stewart, driver of the #20 Toyota, or Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Toyota who dominated much of the race would take the checkered.   

 

This season has all the makings of exciting races with many surprises.  So NASCAR fans, strap in and enjoy the ride.

 

 

 

NASCAR's 50th Daytona 500

February 14, 2008

On Sunday February 17, the King of NASCAR, Richard Petty will wave the green flag at Daytona International Speedway to start the 50th Daytona 500.  Richard Petty holds the record of seven cup championships.   The Daytona 500 will kick off the 2008 Sprint Cup season.  This special event has a record purse of $18 million with the winner receiving $445,250, a far cry from the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959 where Lee Petty won $100 for taking the checkered flag.

 

On hand for this prestigious race will be all twenty-four living past Daytona champions such as Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker, David Pearson, Geoff Bodine, Junior Johnson, Marvin Punch, Pete Hamilton, Ernie Irvan, Ward Burton, AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti, Pete Hamilton and Cale Yarborough.   It would be interesting to see how these drivers would fare if they had to drive the new COTs with all the new rules.  

 

This season has the promise of an exciting season with many surprises (and some not so surprising moments).  Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch will start the season on probation for the first five races (not surprising) that started with an on-track incident including pit-road and then the NASCAR trailer.  Many cars crashed in practice creating the need to use back up cars and bad lifters causing engine trades.  This will result in drivers finding themselves in the back of the pack trying to work their way to the front.  Dale Earnhardt Jr won the kickoff of the Daytona Speedweek races by winning the Bud Shoot-out.  Tempers will flare as drivers settle into the season and race for The Chase.  And that is only the beginning.

 

So - are you ready?  Let's go - GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES!

 

 

NASCAR's New 2008 Season

January 29, 2008

As The racing season begins, there are many changes in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series.  For starters, it's not the Nextel Cup anymore, it is now the Sprint Cup Series.  There are changes to the Busch Series as well. It is now the Nationwide Series. So, will we recognize our sport when we get to Daytona? Better do some research on the new drivers numbers and what teams they are driving for so you recognize the drivers on the track.

 

Ginn Racing and DEI merged at the end of last season (2007).  This caused some drivers to be out in the cold on their own.  Drivers like Sterling Marlin who has had some rough seasons in the last couple of years.  Martin Truex Jr. remains at DEI as the driver of the #1 car.  Veteran Mark Martin (formerly driver of the #6 Viagra Car) will share a ride with Aric Almirola in the #8 car formerly the beloved car of Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Kasey Kahne will remain in the #9 car but he will now have Budweiser as his sponsor.  Maybe that accounts for all the hoo-ha with the security guard. Gotta get rid of that good guy image.

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. joins Hendrick Motorsports as the driver of the #88 Chevrolet. He will now be a teammate to Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears.  Who will his fans hate now?  You can't hate his teammates, or can you? Casey Mears will now drive the #5 car formerly driven by Kyle Busch.  Kyle Busch will now drive for Joe Gibbs Racing driving the #18 car with new teammates Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. Joe Gibbs will certainly have his hands full with that combo.  By the way, Busch, Stewart and Hamlin will now be driving Toyotas. 

 

Last season, Michael Waltrip introduced Toyota to NASCAR and had a very rough and controversial season. Some fans claim that they won't back their drivers if they drive Toyotas.  Only time will tell.  The Cars all look the same now anyway.  With that said and the specs used for building the cars leaving

little room for changes, the cars will virtually be almost exactly alike except for maybe setups. This will result in races being won purely on the skill of the drivers and the performance of the pit crews.

 

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