NASCAR RACING SCENE

Silly Season Winners and Losers

2012-01-03T13:23:00.005-05:00

Kurt Busch- It is no doubt that Busch came out a loser in this year's crazy rendition of silly season. After shooting himself in the foot, figuratively of course, he "mutually" parted ways with Penske Racing and the Shell/Pennzoil sponsor. Busch will pilot the No. 51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet in 2012. While the short term results will suffer, Busch will land on his feet, and probably in the Home Depot No. 20 Toyota in 2013. That is just my prediction.

A.J. Allmendinger- Allmendinger comes out a winner in this year's silly season, as he was selected to replace Kurt Busch in the No. 22 Dodge. It is a step up from Richard Petty Motorsports, and there are no sponsorship angst surrounding this ride. Look for Allmendinger to become the next first-time winner in Sprint Cup.

David Reutimann- It is safe to say the Reutimann got a raw deal from Michael Waltrip. The two were friends, which makes it difficult to believe that Waltrip hung Reutimann out to dry so late in the year. Reutimann gave MWR its first two, and thus far only wins in Sprint Cup. What a way to say thanks. While on the surface, going from MWR to Tommy Baldwin Racing appears as a downgrade, Reutimann may be more comfortable working with a smaller team that is a distance from the spotlight. He may pull off an upset win on one of the restrictor plate tracks.

Aric Almirola- As of the writing of this article, no formal announcement had been made regarding RPM naming Almirola as the driver of the No. 43, but all signs point to this taking place in the near future. Almirola was unable to produce Brad Keselowski-like results in the JR Motorsports Nationwide Series ride, but he still finished fourth in the standings. I believe he may come out a loser in this deal. I think this team has too many question marks, unlike the team he will leave behind.

David Ragan- Wow, if Ragan cannot land the No. 88 JRM gig in the Nationwide Series, he will be that kid that lost the game of musical chairs. He almost landed a solid ride with Phoenix Racing before the No. 22 became available. He abandoned the No. 51 possibility and aggressively pursued the Penske opportunity. Penske chose another driver, but hey, the No. 43 was now available. However, it appears that Almirola provides some needed sponsorship, so it's back to the Nationwide Series in the No. 88. According to Jayski, Cole Whitt is now the leading candidate for that ride. Ragan must be banging his head against the wall. Unless things change quickly and he lands the No. 88 JRM ride, he will come up a loser in silly season. It appears he may be forced to settle for TRG Motorsports, FASLane Racing, or one of the Front Row Motorsports cars.

Kurt Busch in Richard Petty's Ride?

2011-12-13T21:12:00.004-05:00

I must say, I've followed NASCAR for decades, but this has certainly been the most bizarre of silly seasons. I mean, the dominoes are still falling nearly month after the 2011 Sprint Cup season ended. This Kurt Busch situation has dominated the NASCAR off-season headlines. Who won the title again? Just kidding Tony Stewart fans, as I've mentioned that his championship run was reminiscent to a Dale Earnhardt moment.

Anyway, the fact that a driver such as Kurt Busch is a free agent at this point in the year is an extremely rare occurrence. Of course, he only has himself to blame. However, if the rumblings coming from Sirius radio are accurate, his talent and proven resume will put him in a solid ride before Christmas Eve. Richard Petty Motorsports co-owner Andrew Murstein and Chief Operating Officer Robbie Loomis both admitted that they would love to put the 2004 champion in the legendary No. 43 Ford.

"I think he's a great competitor who just needs to take a step back and clear his head. Perhaps someone as well-respected, talented, and universally loved like the King (that would be Richard Petty in case you reside beneath a rock) could help him accomplish that," Murstein told Foxsports.

That sounds like a guy ready to put together a deal. Of course, RPM is hoping to retain Best Buy as a sponsor, and if they are able to get over Busch's past transgressions, it is doubtful that they would pass on a driver with the skill set that Busch possesses. RPM had to work hard in order to persuade Best Buy to remain with current driver A.J. Allmendinger, who has yet to win a race or qualify for the Chase for the Championship.

Where there is smoke there is fire, and I believe this is inevitable. Loomis and Murstein want Busch, and Best Buy wants a proven winner. Of course, there will be obstacles...starting with RPM's helpful neighbors at Roush Fenway Racing. Jack Roush has made it clear he does not care for Busch following their nasty divorce six years ago. Roush and RPM have a close alliance, with Roush providing most of the benefits. Roush may attempt to use his persuasive powers to block any deal that would include bringing Kurt Busch back to the Ford camp. Ultimately, Roush does not own RPM, and the decision will be based on Murstein, Petty, and Best Buy.

What about Richard Petty? He is a legend on the track, as well as off the track. He is a symbol of class in NASCAR. Basically, he is the polar opposite of Kurt Busch. Petty has a strong fan base that still exists nearly 20 years following his retirement. He is also very image conscience. Is he ready to add a self-destructive driver like Busch to his driver roster? Clearly, there will be a lot of backlash from the anti-Busch fans, and there is thousands upon thousands of them.

Is he ready to lose fans, because he will if Busch takes over the No. 43. Many will consider this as blasphemy. I know that is extreme, but some fans are downright passionate.

On the other hand, Petty wants to win now just as bad as he did during his driving days. He will enjoy many more visits to victory lane with Kurt Busch behind the wheel.

What happens to Allmendinger if this rumor transforms into reality. Here is a guy coming off his best season in Sprint Cup. He finished 15th in the Sprint Cup standings, scoring 10 top ten finishes. He seems to improve each year.

If this goes down, Allmendinger better hope that Penske Racing takes their time in the pursuit of Busch's replacement. In fact, Allmendinger would be better off if this happens now so he can make a case for the No. 22 ride. As of now, David Ragan is the leading candidate, and could be signed by the end of the week.

If this happens, it would completely shoot down my prediction, which was that Busch would sign with Phoenix Racing's No. 51 Chevrolet, but replace Joey Logano in the No. 20 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing by June of 2012.

Speaking of Phoenix Racing, James Finch is clearly going to get an upgrade behind the wheel. If he does not land Kurt Busch, he has options that include two-time winners David Reutimann and Brian Vickers. Allmendinger and Ragan could also be available. Nothing against Landon Cassill, who was actually impressive in 2011, but any of the five mentioned drivers would be an upgrade.

Tony Stewart was Earnhardt-esque in championship run

2011-11-21T13:03:00.003-05:00

For those who never had the privilege to watch the late Dale Earnhardt race, well, I will say that watching Tony Stewart on Sunday night at Homestead was about as close as a driver can get to mirroring the Man in Black.

Stewart drove from the back of the pack twice after a hole was punched in his front grill. He reached the front despite the setbacks with a number of aggressive passes, especially on the restarts. Stewart was able to pass three, four, sometimes five cars following a restart. Thankfully, other drivers raced Stewart smart, understanding what was on the line.

Stewart drove with the dogged determination that we find in only the greatest drivers. He was aggressive and smart at the same time. Not every driver could have made some of the moves he made Sunday night. He simply outdrove Carl Edwards, who led the standings by a mere 3 points heading into the event.

Now, Edwards did just about everything right on Sunday. He did everything he was supposed to do, by winning the pole and leading the most laps. Edwards had the car to beat. However, the experience meshed with the sheer determination of Stewart conquered the speed of Edwards. Stewart was on a mission, and he was not going to leave South Beach without his third championship trophy in NASCAR's upper echelon of competition.

He joins an exclusive and elite group by winning his third championship. He matches Hall of Fame drivers Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Lee Petty, and David Pearson with three Cup titles. He trails only 7-time champions Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty, 5-time champion Jimmie Johnson, and 4-time champion Jeff Gordon. That is a group of 9 drivers in the history of the 64-year sport, where thousands of drivers have competed, that has won at least 3 champions.

Stewart's incredible drive on Sunday was reminiscent of several Dale Earnhardt moments, most notably the 2000 comeback at Talladega, and his aggressive charge through the field at Bristol in 1995, when he finished second to Terry Labonte before ramming him coming to the checkered flag. The determination in Stewart matched the determination of Earnhardt during the 1987 All-Star race at Charlotte. If you recall, Earnhardt refused to lose no matter what. Refusing to lose is exactly why Stewart won the 2011 Sprint Cup championship.

Why Kyle Busch did what he did

2011-11-10T12:49:00.006-05:00

As of the writing of this article, no decision had been made regarding Kyle Busch's immediate future with Joe Gibbs Racing and sponsor M&M's. However, there has been a report that Nationwide Series sponsor Z-Line Designs wants to oust Busch from the seat for the Nationwide Series season finale. Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin is likely to replace Busch.

As of mid-day Thursday, the future of Busch was still in discussion. Is M&M's seriously about to part company with one of the most talented drivers in the garage? It appears that they are seriously contemplating it.

Busch has been the talk of the media since 2008. The media frequently refers to him as the most talented driver in NASCAR. Some folks in the media even compare Busch to the late Dale Earnhardt, which is absurd in my opinion. When Busch eases through a weekend or two without controversy, we constantly read about the new and improved Kyle Busch, the kinder and gentler Kyle Busch. Well, that does not usually last very long, does it?

As bad as the media has wanted Busch to become Earnhardt, he just cannot seem to keep him emotions in check long enough to earn the respect that Earnhardt had. Now, Busch's immediate future is clouded with uncertainty. Will he race again this year? Will he ever race for Joe Gibbs Racing again? If so, will M&M's be on the hood?

Those questions will be answered in due time.

Many wonder why Busch reacted so abruptly in his retaliation towards Ron Hornaday last weekend in the Camping World Truck race. Some may blame NASCAR for allowing drivers to police themselves on the track. They have allowed drivers to pay evil for evil with their cars. Look at what Carl Edwards got away with last year, not once, but twice. Look at what Brian Vickers got away with at Infineon. Juan Pablo Montoya hooked Ryan Newman towards the outside wall at Richmond. I could go on and on, but the fact is NASCAR has allowed this to escalate. But are they to blame? Nope. At least not completely.

They should have made the 'invisible line' more visible last year when Edwards hooked Keselowski on the frontstretch at Gateway in front of the field, damaging several and putting other drivers at risk. However, they let Edwards keep the win and he was able to race again the very next day and week.

Busch's retaliation may have never happened if Edwards faced some sort of discipline. But the fact of the matter is that Busch did retaliate, and it was worse than what Edwards did. Additionally, Busch is responsible for his own actions, and he has had multiple run-ins over the years, and NASCAR simply had enough. He hooked a driver towards the outside wall under caution traveling roughly 130 to 140 miles per hour out of sheer anger.

In my opinion, Busch believed that NASCAR needed him. He is a polarizing figure, and is often in the headlines. He wins frequently. He sells tickets. He draws a massive reaction from the grandstands, some positive, mostly negative. Off the track, he is generous in his charitable contributions. He is everything the NASCAR loves in a driver. Following his moment of anger, he may have thought that NASCAR would give him a 'free pass'. After all, he is Kyle Busch, winner of 104 NASCAR races. Well, NASCAR survived after the career of Richard Petty and the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt. They quickly reminded Busch that they could survive without him and his played-out antics.

Busch was put in his place. Hopefully, he finally becomes the kinder and gentler Kyle Busch we kept reading about. While NASCAR does not need him to thrive, it wouldn't hurt to have him around either.

Update: Kyle Busch will run the final two races with Interstate Batteries as the sponsor. M&M's has pulled out for the final two races, but expect to return in 2012 with Busch as the driver, but with the understanding that no further embarrassing and detrimental incidents will occur.

Did Drugs Keep Mayfield From Being a True NASCAR Star

2011-11-04T10:49:00.005-04:00

Ever since the Jeremy Mayfield meth controversy surfaced two and a half years ago, I have been one of the few writers to give him the benefit of the doubt. I did not necessarily takes sides with Mayfield or NASCAR, but I refused to pass judgement until one side was proven guilty.

Well, unfortunately, it appears that Mayfield was guilty after all, and it pains me to say that. I have always liked Mayfield, and not just because we share the same first name. He was genuinely one of the most amicable and fan-friendly drivers in the garage area.

Not only was he friendly, but he appeared to be one of the up and coming drivers of the late 1990's. He displayed signs of top tier talent on a few occasions with Penske Racing, but just when we thought Mayfield was on the cusp of becoming a true championship contender, something would get in the way. A string poor performances or results, a rift with Penske Racing teammate Rusty Wallace, or even calling out his team owner seemed to keep Mayfield in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

His tenure at Evernham Motorsports also produced a few shining moments on the track, including two wins and two Chase for the Championship appearances. However, the tenure ended even uglier than five years earlier with Penske. So, twice in five years, Mayfield lost his ride before season's end.

His driving career entered a downward spiral, and in May of 2009, he failed a drug test, which, therefore got him suspended from NASCAR. Mayfield has doggedly denied the allegations, and has spent boatloads of money to clear his name. So many fans wanted to believe him.

After months of silence on the Jeremy Mayfield front, the saga resurfaced early in the week when the former driver was arrested for a plethora of violations including possession of meth, as well as stolen property valued at least $100,000. This pretty much erased all of the Mayfield believers, though there may be a select few who still believe in him.

Through his lawyer, Mayfield again denied the claims.

Looking back on Mayfield's driving career, I always wondered why he could never take that next step into NASCAR stardom. He was so close a couple of times. Was it simply lack of talent or determination? Was it lack of commitment? What did he lack that Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon and other stars his age possessed?

Or was it the fact that he was a drug addict? Was his alleged addiction and his intentions to hide the addiction more important than being a successful race car driver? After what took place on Tuesday evening, I will guess the latter. I believe Mayfield could have been a star in NASCAR if it were not for his drug habit. He had the natural talent and personality with some edge to it. It is a shame to see a career damaged due to drug addiction.

If Mayfield his indeed an addict, which the evidence supports, I truly hope that he receives extensive help.

Reutimann is not the first driver to lose a ride to Martin

2011-11-01T16:54:00.005-04:00

The latest silly season development has Mark Martin replacing David Reutimann in the No. 00 Toyota for 2012. Martin, now 52 years of age, is expected to compete in a limited schedule, as the car is not fully sponsored for the season. This leaves 2-time Sprint Cup winner Reutimann in a little bind.

It appears that Reutimann was notified Tuesday morning, less than a month before the season ends, that he will not be in the ride he has occupied since his rookie season of 2007. While Reutimann never set the racing world on fire, he was competitive towards the end of 2008, and most of 2009 and 2010. He made a solid bid for a Chase for the Championship spot in 2009 and 2010 and won a race in each of those two seasons. He has proven that he a solid driver, but an array of tough luck and circumstances have marred his 2011 season, a year in which some thought he could finally break into the Chase.

Reutimann has struggled, but does he really deserve to lose his ride? After all, he has been the most competitive driver at MWR by far. Does one bad season warrant this kind of treatment?

Michael Waltrip came up a colossal winner when he signed 5-time winner, 3-time championship contender Clint Bowyer with sponsor 5-Hour Energy. Along with Bowyer, he had Martin Truex Jr partnered with NAPA. While Truex may not have the stacked numbers at the Cup level, he is a marketable driver with a solid fan base.

After signing Bowyer, we had no reason to believe that Reutimann would be the odd-man out. After all, he signed a multi-year contract with MWR last summer, just days following his win at Chicagoland. His sponsor Aaron's typically sponsors the car for the majority of the season, and Reutimann has been a great spokesperson for the company, alongside Michael.

This makes the recent news that Martin is taking over the No. 00 car for the races in which it has sponsorship somewhat surprising. Is this a case of Waltrip getting a little greedy with star power after signing Bowyer, so he goes after the next big name on the market? I certainly hope not. Reutimann has been loyal to the Waltrips, as they have been to him. The two seem to have the utmost respect for each other.

This leads me to believe that the sponsor may have dictated this move. Is Aaron's ready to move on to the ageless Martin? Or is there another sponsorship deal in the works, and Aaron's moves to Bowyer for the races in which the car has a sponsorship vacancy?

Whatever the case may be, this seems to be a trend that we saw in 2007 when Martin moved to MB2 Motorsports, later Ginn Racing and DEI, therefore moving Joe Nemechek to a sponsor-troubled car.

Two years later, Martin decided to return to full-time competition, which left Casey Mears looking for a new ride. Mears struggled in a one-and-out with RCR, and is now driving for a low-budget operation.

Of course, I am not blaming Martin by any means. The other drivers must take responsibility for their performance. Martin is still a coveted driver, and he is taking full advantage of the fact that he is still in prime shape and can still compete at a high level. I just really feel for Reutimann, because out of the three drivers that lost a ride to Martin, he is the most deserving of a Cup ride. It is too bad that he now has to struggle to find a job after a six years with MWR.

His best bet may be a return to the Camping World Truck Series, where he began his relationship with the Waltrips. However, it is so late in the season, it is doubtful that he can land a competitive ride in Cup, Nationwide, or the trucks.

Roush Prepares to Downsize, Ragan May Still Have Future

2011-10-11T15:28:00.003-04:00

In 2006, Jack Roush appeared to have a NASCAR empire, as he fielded five Cup teams, five Nationwide Series teams, and I believe two, maybe three Truck teams. Landing a sponsor seemed effortless for Jack Roush and his organization. Five years later, the once powerful empire is not quite as powerful when it comes to sponsors.

Roush is not the only team with these problems. However, when you have a driver as talented, polished and accomplished as Matt Kenseth, and there are no sponsors lined up for the following season, it is quite bewildering. The No. 17 car lost DeWalt in 2009, but the sponsor resurfaced on RPM's No. 9 Ford driven by Marcos Ambrose. After two season, Crown Royal will cease sponsorship on the No. 17 Ford, as the company focuses its marketing efforts on the Brickyard 400.

Kenseth has had several small sponsorhip packages on the car throughout the season, and it is quite possible we may see a plain white No. 17 Ford in 2012 for a few races. Kenseth should not be a difficult sell, as he qualifies for the Chase for the Championship practically every season, and rarely has a winless season. As stated earlier, he is a champion. Additionally, he boasts the 2009 Daytona 500 trophy. Look for a series of sponsorship deals on the No. 17 in 2012.

Selling sponsorship for David Ragan is a bit more difficult. Ragan seems to be a nice guy, but his on-track performance has not lived up to the investment Roush and UPS have placed in him. While he has displayed flashes of talent over his five years in Sprint Cup, he only has one win to show for it, and that was at Daytona where he was pushed to the checkered flag. Trust me, people notice that. Grinding out a win at Bristol, Richmond, or Darlington is far more impressive than being in the right place at the right time at Daytona or Talladega. Fans notice, as do other drivers, car owners, analysts, and most importantly sponsors. Of course, UPS no doubt enjoyed the brief spotlight they received at Daytona in July.

Ragan's future with Roush may be fleeting, however, there is speculation on Mike Mulhern.net that he could land a ride with fellow Ford team TRG Motorsports. TRG Motorsports has been able to provide consistent sponsorship to driver Andy Lally, who is on the cusp of winning the Rookie of the Year title. TRG Motorsports hopes to field two cars for the remainder of the 2011 season, possibly prepping the ride for Ragan. So, it is quite possible that Ragan joins Lally in two-car outfit that will likely be closely aligned with Roush Fenway Racing.

Bowyer To Drive for the Worst Driver in NASCAR Period

2011-10-04T09:52:00.003-04:00

Most of us recall the famous declaration by Clint Bowyer at Bristol in August of 2008. After Michael Waltrip triggered a wreck that involved Bowyer, who was fighting for a spot in the Chase for the Championship, he declared Waltrip as the 'worst driver in NASCAR, period'. He took it a step further and added 'I can't believe (sponsor) NAPA resigned with him'.

Waltrip's feelings were bruised a bit, but he responded by saying he was the 'worst driver to win two Daytona 500s and an All Star race'.

Clearly, that was a long time ago, and time heals most wounds. In a bit of irony, Bowyer will become employed by the man he publicly insulted.

Following a solid six-year tenure with Richard Childress Racing, Bowyer and his current team were unable to put together sponsorship package that would allow them to compete a full season in 2012 and beyond. Therefore, Bowyer was forced to look elsewhere for employment.

With 5-Hour Energy's support, Bowyer was able to talk to several teams, but it appears that Michael Waltrip Racing gave him the best opportunity from a sponsorship standpoint. After all, sponsors love Michael Waltrip.

On the surface, the move to MWR appears as a significant downgrade from RCR. Childress' teams have five wins this season alone. Waltrip's teams have two wins since 2007. Obviously, Childress has one of the elite organizations in Sprint Cup. Waltrip, on the other hand, is considered mid-pack. Martin Truex Jr and David Reutimann have displayed glimpses of speed over the years, but they have yet to really emerge as weekly contenders.

Can Bowyer give this team the spark they need in order finally get over that hump? I guess we will have to wait and see. Bowyer will have the luxury of working with a familiar face in Scott Miller, who will oversee competition aspects of MWR. Miller was a long-time employee for RCR. He could help ease the transition for Bowyer.

The announcement is expected to be for Friday at Kansas Speedway, which is considered Bowyer's backyard.

NASCAR's Most Underrated Drivers

2011-09-29T10:09:00.003-04:00

Everyone is talking about the Chase for the Championship, the sudden rise of Tony Stewart, the continuing emergence of Brad Keselowski, and the possible fall of Jimmie Johnson. Therefore, I will take a break from all of that and discuss some drivers who receive little to no recognition.

I will start with, who in my opinion, is the most underrated driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup. Regan Smith drives for an underfunded, single-car effort in Furniture Row Racing. The team is based out of Colorado, thousands of miles from the Charlotte-region, which is where all of the powerful teams reside.

Smith is 25th in points, which on the surface, appears less than stellar. However, he is performing far superior than previous Furniture Row drivers Joe Nemechek and Kenny Wallace. He placed the upstart team on the radar with a win at the often treacherous Darlington Raceway in May. Sure, luck and strategy were somehwat involved in Smith's seemingly improbable victory, but he was running sixth prior to the caution that ultimately resulted in his first Cup victory.

Smith has two top five finishes and five top 10 finishes, which happens to be more than Jeff Burton, Jamie McMurray, and David Reutimann, all of which drive for multi-car teams based in North Carolina. Smith's statistics are comparable to those of 'Sliced Bread' Joey Logano, who drives for an organization currently boasting three Cup championships.

We can only speculate how well Smith would be performing if he were to switch rides with Logano.

Additional drivers falling into the underrated category include A.J. Allmendinger and Landon Cassill. Allmendinger has yet to show his full potential based on the fact that he has driven for Red Bull Racing, a team that gave him no chance after bringing him to a sport in which he needed years of development. He joined Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2009, and we all know the story regarding that organization, which is now Richard Petty Motorsports. Petty's team seems to be on stable ground, so this should bode well for Allmendinger. After all, he has spent the entire 2011 season in or near the top 15 in the standings.

Cassill, a former Hendrick Motorsports development driver, has brought Phoenix Racing, a former start and park team, into respectability. This kid is still young, and has given his team several decent performances in 2011.

Johnson Will Not Win 6th Cup Championship

2011-09-15T14:37:00.004-04:00

You can call me crazy, that is cool. However, I fully believe that this is the season that Jimmie Johnson if finally knocked of his lofty pedestal. Johnson has won an unprecedented five championship in a row, and is gunning for a sixth. How likely is that to happen. Six years ago, I would have said it is completely and utterly impossible, out of the question.

Now, I'm convinced that it is possible. With that said, while it is possible, I just do not see it happening. There is just something different about him this year, and I cannot seem to put my finger on it. Perhaps it is the fact that is lone win occurred at the Lottery 499 presented by Crapshoot at Talladega back in April. Or could it be that a rival driver, Kurt Busch, has pushed him to the point of retaliation. Maybe it is the fact that for the first time, there are a handful of drivers that are running just as well, if not better than Johnson. In 2006, Johnson's main threats seemed to be limited to Matt Kenseth, and maybe Kevin Harvick. In 2007, Jeff Gordon was the only driver in the same zip code. In 2008, you had Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, but it was inevitable that their inexperience at the time would hinder them.

In 2009, it was all about Johnson, with his most formidable challenger being teammate Mark Martin. In 2010, Denny Hamlin and Harvick were the guys who had the potential to dethrone Johnson.

In 2011, there are more than just one or two drivers competing at Johnson's level. Gordon, Edwards, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Harvick, and maybe even Kenseth appear capable of winning the title. The competition at the top seems to have tightened, therefore, I believe we will see a new champion in 2011.

1) Kevin Harvick- I believe a nine point headstart over Johnson could be the difference, as I see the two dueling it out at Homestead for the championship. Harvick could be one of the Chase drivers to dodge the Talladega bullet, as he typically runs near the front. This team is running well again, and even if they are not winning, they are consistent.

2) Jimmie Johnson- He is still going to put a scare into the anti-Johnson crew. He may notch a couple of wins in the Chase, but he will fall short at Homestead.

3) Jeff Gordon- Gordon is scary good right now, and will play a factor for most of the championship run.

4) Kyle Busch- I just have a feeling that Busch will have the one really bad race that sets him back.

5) Matt Kenseth- Kenseth, not Edwards, may be Jack Roush's best shot at the 2011 Sprint Cup championship.

6) Carl Edwards- I just do not see Edwards winning the championship this season.

7) Brad Keselowski- His superb run in August was fun while it lasted, but he still has a little ways to go before he is championship material at the Sprint Cup level.

8) Ryan Newman- Newman is consistent, and could grab another win once the series returns to New Hampshire. While he is consistent with his finishes, they simply need more speed.

9) Tony Stewart- Stewart is not even the fastest driver within his own team, much less the top 12 championship contenders. Still, he has the capability to reel off a string of multiple wins that could put him in the elite group.

10) Kurt Busch- While his temper remains hot, I believe this team has cooled off a bit since their early summer hot streak.

11) Denny Hamlin- This team is not as fast as they were in 2010, nor are they near as confident.

12) Dale Earnhardt Jr- Sorry Junior Nation, but there are four or five drivers outside of the Chase that could outperform him. Nevertheless, the fact that they were able to hang on to a spot in the Chase despite a recent string of mediocre performances is impressive. The 2012 season will be better for Earnhardt Jr.

Montoya Continues to Lose Respect

2011-09-07T08:41:00.003-04:00

Rewind to May in Richmond when Ryan Newman refused to give Juan Pablo Montoya an inch at Richmond. Watch it here. Rewind even further to the Sprint All-Star Showdown at Charlotte in 2010. Keep in mind, this is the race to get into the All-Star race. Watch it here. Regan Smith did not give Montoya and inch. After the wreck, Montoya blasted Smith.

Now, at Atlanta, Montoya was on the other end of a similar incident. Of course, it was later in the race, but if you are going to preach give and take, you got to abide by your own counsel. Here is the incident at Atlanta with Chase for the Championship contender Clint Bowyer. Watch it here.

At Richmond, Montoya retaliated against Newman, which led to an ugly incident in the NASCAR hauler a week later in Darlington. Of course, if you watched the video of the Regan Smith incident, Montoya was extremely condescending towards Smith in his interview.

After he did the same thing to Bowyer that he claimed was done to him at Charlotte and Richmond in previous races, this is what he had to say.

"They all get pretty stuck up because they're trying to get in the Chase and he's looking for a ride and everything. He needs to prove himself more...Call me whatever you want, but if I'm there, I'm there."

Well, Newman was 'there' at Richmond, and Montoya still took exception. Smith was 'there' at Charlotte, and Montoya threw a fit. So, when Montoya is 'there', all is well to take the guy in front of you out.

Furthermore, I find it quite humorous that a driver with two road course wins and one Chase appearance, states that a driver with double the wins, and three Chase appearances needs to prove himself more.

I mentioned in a previous piece that I had really begun to warm up to Montoya prior to this season. At first, I felt he entered NASCAR with a strong sense of entitlement because of his success open wheel racing. He was greatly humbled in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, it was fun to see him compete up front. He seemed to have finally grasped what it takes to succeed in NASCAR's top level of competition.

However, he reverted to his prior ways and his less desirable qualities have resurfaced. Montoya lost some major street credit when reports that he sicked his lawyer on NASCAR and Newman after the alleged punch in the NASCAR hauler surfaced. Supposedly, NASCAR was forced to levy a secret fine of $50,000 to Newman.

I think Bowyer had it right when he called Montoya a 'jack-ass'.

Bowyer and Newman are not the only driver to encounter on-track issues with Montoya. Kasey Kahne called him out at Infineon. Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Jimmie Johnson have also had issues with Montoya in 2011.

Oh yeah, just to show that these were no isolated incidents, watch Montoya clipping another driver at Bristol last year. Watch it here.

What If Keselowski Had Stayed with JRM/HMS

2011-08-30T21:44:00.003-04:00

There were many skeptics that surfaced after Brad Keselowski made the decision to leave his ride at JR Motorsports in August of 2009. Keselowski was the new star in the Nationwide Series. He was brash, unafraid to back down from the likes of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Carl Edwards. He appeared to be in line as the successor to Mark Martin in the No. 5. The problem was that Martin had no intentions of hanging up his helmet.

Rick Hendrick locked in Martin through 2011. After all, Martin was contending for a title at the age of 50. This was one of the best stories in NASCAR, this old man who was supposed to be washed up, whupping these 20 and 30 year old boys.

Keselowski, though, was clearly ready for the Sprint Cup Series. This was clear at Iowa in August of 2009 when I vividly recall him outdueling Kyle Busch for the victory.

It was apparent that there was no room in the 'inn' at Hendrick Motorsports, and lack of sponsorship did not allow an opening at Stewart-Haas Racing, an organization with close ties to Hendrick Motorsports.

Keselowski made an impression on the motorsports legend Roger Penske. He expressed interest in 2008 when he was looking for a driver to replace the departing Ryan Newman. When David Stremme failed to capitalize in the No. 12 Dodge, Penske was searching for a driver that would allow him a chance to compete for wins outside of Kurt Busch.

In 2009, Hendrick Motorsports had three teams in the Chase for the Championship. Jimmie Johnson won his fourth consecutive title, and the ageless Martin finished runner up. Jeff Gordon also had a solid season. Meanwhile, Penske Racing was a one-man show despite having three drivers. Busch won twice in 2009, but Stremme and Sam Hornish Jr were off the radar.

So, Keselowski had the option to remain in the Nationwide Series until the No. 5 ride was available in 2012, or jump ship to the inconsistent Penske Racing operation. He chose Penske, and in 2010, it appeared to backfire. Keselowski struggled immensely in the Sprint Cup Series, despite the fact that he was running away with the Nationwide Series title. Was he more focused on the unfinished business of not winning that title in 2009? Perhaps, but he could have won the title in JR Motorsports' No. 88. He could have repeated that feat in 2011.

Keselowski believed in the Penske organization. He was rewarded with one of the most recognizable rides, the Blue Deuce, despite just scoring two top ten finishes in 2010.

In 2011, Keselowski began the season in less than stellar fashion. However, a fuel mileage gamble at Kansas in June gave this team hope as well as confidence. They flipped and flopped in and out of the top 20 for weeks and when Keselowski broke his ankle in an accident during practice at Road Atlanta, the Wild Card hopes for the No. 2 team appeared all but broken.

Keselowski displayed true grit and determination at Pocono when he held off rival Kyle Busch for the victory, just days after his horrific accident. He followed up the win with a runner up finish at Watkins Glen, a third place finish at Michigan, and then another victory at Bristol on Saturday night.

Imagine if he would have listened to the critics in 2009. Sure, he would probably be running away with another Nationwide Series title with JR Motorsports, but we would all have missed this amazing rise to Sprint Cup stardom despite physical adversities.

Could Rockingham Replace Nashville On the Nationwide Schedule?

2011-08-23T22:36:00.005-04:00

You know the old cliche, 'when one door closes, another opens'. Well, could that be the case with the sudden departure of the Nashville Superspeedway from the NASCAR Nationwide Series?

Many of us were disappointed about the new that the 1.33-mile track would no longer host a NASCAR event. It is a unique facility. NASCAR needs a wide array of tracks on the schedule.

So, what becomes of the dates that Nashville hosted since 2001? That remains to be seen.

However, many are holding out hope that this could open the door for the Rockingham Speedway. Former driver Andy Hillenburg purchased the storied facility four years ago, and has resurrected the track. It hosts various races, but none at the level that the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series provides.

Last week, it was announced that the Hillenburg plans to install safer barriers, which is a huge expense for the Rockingham Speedway. However, it is a huge step into advancing back to NASCAR's top series. In fact, some expect that the safer barriers installation will almost certainly attract a Camping World Truck Series date, possibly as soon as 2012.

It is unlikely that the Sprint Cup Series would ever return to Rockingham, but a Nationwide Series race at the unique facility would undoubtedly be a popular addition to the schedule. It would certainly ease some of the disappointment in losing the two Nashville races, not to mention the questionable decision of moving the race at Indianapolis from the short track to the speedway.

Not only are the Nashville races disappearing, but it is possible that the race in Montreal could vanish from the schedule. The road course race just north of the border has been a hit since 2007.

The two races at Nashville and the potential loss of Montreal could leave a void of three races in the Nationwide Series agenda. Surely, Rockingham must be in the running for a Nationwide date. Or perhaps that is wishful thinking on my part. I know I am not alone.

Biffle Should Have Called Boris Said's Bluff

2011-08-16T22:23:00.008-04:00

The race at Watkins Glen provided one of the best finishes racing has to offer. You witnessed a rare mistake by Kyle Busch on a green-white-checkered restart, one in which his rival Brad Keselowski took advantage. However, Keselowski had Marcos Ambrose to deal with. Ambrose is perhaps the best road racer in NASCAR, if not the world. He slipped by Keselowski, and led the field as they crossed the line to take the white flag.

The white flag lap; that is when the melee ensued. Before Tony Stewart made a rare blunder heading into the carousel and then colliding with Clint Bowyer forcing the race-ending caution, Boris Said sent David Ragan and David Reutimann for a wild ride. Reutimann and Ragan were clearly shaken up. They both encountered hard hits.

Meanwhile, instead of worrying about the carnage he cause, Said was headed straight to the hauler of the No. 16 Ford driven by Greg Biffle. Apparently, Said wanted to have a meeting with Biffle over some flipped birds during the race.

Biffle walked over to Said's window and allegedly threw a couple of punches threw the window net. Said, mind you, never took off his helmet, but was ready to rumble.

Crewmembers of the No. 16 never kept Said from going after Biffle, but Said's mouth was flying as fast as his fists would have.

"He is the most unprofessional little scaredy cat I've ever seen in my life. He wouldn't even fight me like a man after (I got out the car). So if someone texts me his address, I'll go see him Wednesday at his house and show him what he really needs (a whipping)."

Said also said that Biffle will show up to the track with a 'black eye' one of these days.

Biffle responded on Tuesday and explained his side of the story.

"One, he wrecked me there (Watkins Glen) last year. (He) never called me, never said anything about it. Number two, he ran me off in the carousel. That's what ticked me off...Then he goes and hits the 6 car off the track. And then after the race, not concerned about the safety of those guys (David Ragan and David Reutimann), he drives to my truck like he had a problem. I didn't act properly there."

Now, I can understand Biffle's beef. He made a good point via phone to ESPN Monday evening when he said Boris is in his own world. That seems to be the case. Said is an interesting character, and I enjoy watching his interviews and if he is in solid equipment, he is fun to watch on the track. With that said, he does seem to be display additional aggression when he races. Several drivers have complained about him over the years, most notably Tony Stewart. In fact, Stewart dumped him last year at Watkins Glen after Said nearly ran him off the track.

With that said, Biffle should have at least allowed Said the opportunity to get out of the car before throwing any punches. Of course, in the heat of the moment of boiling anger, he probably did not even think about the repercussions.

Biffle mentioned that he and Said spoke on the phone to clear the air.

"He understands and apologized for running me off in the carousel. He didn't know he did. That was probably the whole thing that led to him coming up to my truck because he didn't understand why I was so mad at him."

So, it looks as if Biffle will not show up at Michigan with a black eye.

If I were Biffle, though, I would have called his bluff. Said made a lot of threats after the race, and in my experience, the more someone talks about kicking your tail, the less likely it is to happen. I would have texted him my address myself just to see if he would show up. If he did, 'boys have at it'.

If Logano Fails, Joe Gibbs Racing Is To Blame

2011-08-11T11:07:00.005-04:00

Throughout the summer months of 2008, hype surrounding the 18-year old media-proclaimed phenom was abundant. Joey Logano's win at Kentucky in June of that season verified that there was some merit to the hype. Sure, Logano benefited from the superior equipment that Joe Gibbs Racing supplied, but it still takes talent to win, even if the cars are incredibly fast. Brad Coleman was never able to win while driving for Gibbs.

Gibbs had perhaps the brightest young star in the NASCAR garage. He was heavily endorsed by respected veteran Mark Martin at such a young age. He was a can't-miss star. I believe Gibbs could have potentially made him the next Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon.

The 2008 season saw Tony Stewart announce his plans to vacate the seat of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota in order to become part-owner of what was then Haas CNC Racing. That left one of the elite teams in NASCAR Sprint Cup for roughly a decade with an open seat.

Who would get to supplant Stewart in the recognizable orange Toyota? At the time, I believed Ryan Newman was the prime canidate. He was 30 years old with a proven resume which included the 2008 Daytona 500. He was in the prime years of his racing career. It was evident that he was leaving his ride at Penske Racing.

Newman is a hands-on type of guy who would have fit in with sponsor Home Depot. Despite all of that. Gibbs passed on Newman and decided to gamble on his teenage prospect.

That's when I believed that Logano had more potential to end up like Reed Sorenson as opposed to Johnson or Gordon. Sorenson had one solid season in the Nationwide Series with Chip Ganassi Racing before he was prematurely promoted to the Big Leagues. Now, five years after his promotion, he is where he should have been in 2006, the Nationwide Series.

Gibbs should have pursued a driver like Newman while cautiously developing Logano in the Nationwide Series. I am no owner of a Sprint Cup operation, not even close, but I believe I would have given Logano two full years in the Nationwide Series before I even considered moving him to Cup. I mean, not only did he move up to Cup too early, but they put him in a position to where he had to fill the shoes of one of the greatest and most popular drivers of our generation.

It is no secret that Gibbs tried to replace Logano with Carl Edwards. They realized that a proven veteran gave the No. 20 and Home Depot a better shot at victories and championships. Perhaps Gibbs should have thought about this three years ago.

Logano's career has not panned out the way some envisioned. If it were not for a downpour at New Hampshire in July of 2009, he would still be winless. While he is not dead in the water by any means, the rumors and speculation had to do a number on his confidence. He can still rebound from the slow start and become a consistent front runner at this level. But, that only depends on the tolerance and patience Home Depot and Gibbs.

Look at a guy like Brad Keselowski. He had two full seasons with Junior Motorsports at the Nationwide level. While he initially struggled in 2010, he now has three career wins and is a major Wild Card player in the race to the Chase for the Championship. With the limits on testing, drivers cannot jump into a Sprint Cup ride with instantaneous success like they did a decade ago with Johnson, Newman, Kevin Harvick, and Stewart.

That is why you have to admire Jack Roush for closely monitoring the careers of Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Trevor Bayne. He is in no rush to put them in a position that could negatively impact their careers.

So, in my opinion, if Logano cannot make it in Cup, it is not all his fault. While he would have to take some responsibility, much of the blame would point towards to Joe Gibbs Racing.

Is Jimmie Johnson In Denial?

2011-08-08T21:19:00.002-04:00

After repeatedly watching the video of the Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch dust-up at Pocono on Sunday, it is clear that Johnson was the first take a swipe at Busch on the final lap. Although it was minimal, it agitated Busch enough to where he too a swipe back. His swipe was a little more, shall I say, enthusiastic.

Johnson was livid after the race, as he wasted little time in approaching Busch's window after climbing out of his car. The two champions engaged in a heated and animated yelling match before Johnson finally stormed off.

Here are some of the quotes from both parties:

Johnson: "I could have run into him, I could have moved him a lot of different ways to get that position, but I didn't. I went down there and passed him and off of (turn 2), he ran me up into the wall, or tried to, and I held my ground so I wouldn't get smashed into the fence...He's a big crybaby and wants to take shots at me when he can. He's good for running his mouth. He can keep running it, I'll shut it for him."

Kurt Busch: "Man, I raced him hard. I raced him smart. I raced him clean and he wants to come over here and bitch about it. Hey, he comes off the turn and jabs me left. I did a jab back to the right. It's as clean as I've ever seen it. Why can't we race each other like this and put on a show for the fans and not have a problem with it? I don't know."

Difference of opinions is putting it mildly. As I further analyzed their confrontation, I just cannot see where Kurt Busch was in the wrong. Now, Johnson did come down on Busch first. Busch took exception to it, but did not go overboard and put the No. 48 in the fence. Johnson again came down on Busch.

Either Johnson got loose and came down on Busch unintentionally, and really does not believe that he took a swipe, or he is in complete denial. If it was unintentional, he should have told Busch that instead of biting his head off. But, considering the less than amicable past the two drivers have shared, it is easy to see why they would jump to conclusions.

This is a true rivalry, ranking up there with Kyle Busch/Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman/Juan Pablo Montoya, and Kyle Busch/Brad Keselowski.

Silly Season Not Over Yet; What's Holding Up Bowyer and RCR

2011-08-06T14:26:00.004-04:00

A week ago, Clint Bowyer and Richard Childress said that a deal was close to completion. However, it was Carl Edwards who made the big announcement that he was staying with Roush Fenway Racing.

On Friday, Juan Pablo Montoya indicated that he was all but signed up with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing for 2012 and beyond. Still, Bowyer remains unsigned.

Bowyer clearly wants to stay at RCR, and it appears obvious that Childress wants to keep Bowyer around. But, there seems to be a holdup of some sorts. Is it a complete sponsorship package? Is Bowyer hesitant to commit now that there could be an open seat at Joe Gibbs Racing? Whatever the case may be, many thought that a deal would be in place by now.

Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr are not leaving their respective situations, but they have been the center of the report that Danica Patrick is making the move the NASCAR on a full-time basis. She will likely drive full-time for JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series, while driving a partial Sprint Cup schedule for Stewart-Haas Racing. Of course, GoDaddy.com would be the sponsor for Patrick.

When asked if he could say if he is working on a program for Patrick, Stewart simply responded with, "Nope, nope."

Expect Patrick to become the third driver for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Speaking of Stewart-Haas Racing, Ryan Newman is a free agent, but no one is talking about him. That is because he is running well, and is a close friend of the bossman. Newman will probably finish his career as Stewart's teammate as long as sponsorship allows.

Brian Vickers should be a little worried. Jay Frye has been silent about his venture into taking over the Red Bull operation that is ceasing to exist following the 2011 season. Vickers could end up at Michael Waltrip racing, and Red Bull could remain the sponsor, as they've worked with MWR before in the Nationwide Series with Scott Speed. Of course, this is just speculation.

NAPA supposedly sought out Joe Gibbs Racing, so is it possible that Martin Truex Jr's team could be faced with sponsorship issues? Probably not in 2012, but if Truex continues to run in also-ran fashion, the company may abandon their long-standing relationship with Waltrip.

The Edwards signing was a relief for Jack Roush, but that is not the end of his silly season. He still must decide what to do with David Ragan in the No. 6 team. While Ragan won at Daytona, he has been an absolute disappointment since taking over for Mark Martin in 2007. UPS could remain with Roush, but possibly with another driver such as Edwards or Matt Kenseth.

Martin also remains without a ride for 2012. He will turn 53 years old in 2012, so what are the chances he will land a championship caliber ride? Probably not very high.

Stay tuned, as silly season still has many pieces out of place.

Carl Edwards is no LeBron James

2011-08-04T11:07:00.004-04:00

I must admit, I was quite taken aback by Carl Edwards' decision to remain with Roush Fenway Racing. Don't get me wrong, I believe it is the proper call, but I really felt as if the offer from Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota, and Home Depot would be too good to pass up in Edwards' eyes. Add that to the fact that he waited until August to make his decision. I felt that if he was genuine about wanting to return to the Roush camp, the deal would have been completed weeks ago.

So, I was wrong, and Edwards will remain with the team he has spent his entire Sprint Cup career with. This is definitely a good call.

If Edwards had made the decision to jump ship to rival Joe Gibbs Racing, chances are, he would have been considered by many as the LeBron James of NASCAR. Of course, James announced on an hour-long broadcast on ESPN that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat. Apparently, the Cavaliers had no idea James had decided to depart the organization, and the public persona for James took a major hit.

Of course, Edwards' situation is different. To my knowledge, Edwards had no plans to hold an hour-long self-indulgent broadcast on SPEED to announce his 'Decision'. Also, in NASCAR, decisions are in correlation with sponsors, unlike in basketball.

However, if Edwards had waited until August just to announce that he was leaving Roush Fenway for Joe Gibbs Racing, possibly taking the Aflac sponsorship package with him, many fans would have a bad taste in their mouths. Jack Roush and Ford have a huge fan base the goes back decades. While Edwards has earned a great deal of his fans on his own, many root for Edwards because he drives Fords for Roush.

If Edwards were to leave Roush, it is quite possible the organization would have to downsize to three full-time cars. After all, they still have yet to finalize sponsorship deals for Matt Kenseth and David Ragan, if they even plan on keeping the kid around. Losing Edwards and Aflac would have thrown the organization into a temporary tailspin. Of course, I believe the Roush team could easily survive the loss of Edwards, it would have certainly been a setback.

I am not privy to the contractual details, so I do not know this for sure, but I suspect that the Gibbs offer was more lucrative. If that is the case, loyalty to Roush was more important to Edwards than cash. Still, Edwards surely got a pretty deal from the folks at Roush and Ford.

Now that we know that Edwards will continue to drive Fords for Roush, we await the sponsorship details. It seems that Aflac will remain with Edwards, but UPS could move over the Edwards as well. Silly season is far from over.

Menard Still Has More To Prove

2011-08-02T13:47:00.004-04:00

Paul Menard will have a long NASCAR career whether he wins frequently or not. His father John owns the third largest home improvement chain in the U.S., Menard's. When young Menard became mesmerized by speed and decided to embark upon a career in auto racing, John stepped up and has financed his career every step of the way. Now that Menard has a win in Sprint Cup, and not just any win, but a win at the storied Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as well as a lifetime sponsor, he seems to be on top of the world.

Menard's NASCAR journey has been filled with criticism and disparagement, however. Some may have resented him, as he did not have to race on the weekends on the short tracks in small towns just to put food on the table. Though he raced a couple of years in the Nationwide Series, he really had no true ladder to climb.

Tony Stewart once said about Menard, "You can't buy talent". While it was cruel and harsh, many agreed with Stewart at the time.

Menard entered the Sprint Cup series when the economy began to sink. Sponsors were leaving the sport of NASCAR at a rapid pace, and drivers perceived as more talented than Menard were losing rides as well as financial backing. Meanwhile, Menard, who was barely cracking the top 20 each week had what every driver covets, a sure-fire sponsor.

It is no surprise that Menard's fortunate situation produced some haters. Menard did not seem to allow the denigration to bother him. He just continued to drive and learn. Eventually, Menard displayed promise in 2009 and 2010 while driving for Yates Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports.

Richard Childress added Menard and sponsor to his racing stables in 2011, and he is beginning to make some of the haters eat crow. His win at Indianapolis was a fuel mileage win, which may still draw some ridicule, but a win is a win in racing, and he did have a solid showing. He ran in or near the top 10 for much of the race.

Menard has been fast most of the season, and now finds himself in line to possibly qualify for the Chase for the Championship.

With all of this said, the driver has much to prove in NASCAR's top division. You cannot just go out and win one race and expect the envious belittling to come to a halt. He is going to have to back this win up with some more wins and more consistency. Qualifying for the Chase would be a major boost in his stock.

Taking Dale Earnhardt Jr For Granted

2011-07-28T11:57:00.004-04:00

Dale Earnhardt Jr spent a lot of time in victory lane throughout the first half of the 2000's. After all, 16 of his 18 career victories occurred from 2000 to 2005. Perhaps fans and media alike took his success for granted. Sure, he was the topic of converstion quite a bit throughout his days of winning. He was the most popular driver in NASCAR, just like he is today. Articles regarding Earnhardt Jr generated the most hits. His exodus from DEI and entrance to Hendrick Motorsports was perhaps the most publicized silly season move in NASCAR history. With that said, I do not recall the media coverage of Earnhardt Jr to be as extensive as it is now.

It is no secret that Earnhardt Jr has hit a major slide in performance, with bright spots few and far between. Typically, when that happens to a driver, they tend to fall off the radar. For instance, Bobby Labonte is the 2000 champion. But, as soon as he stopped winning and contending for wins, he is rarely brought up in NASCAR talk, unless you are a Bobby Labonte fan.

Scenedaily.com, which is a reputable publication by the way, covers Earnhardt Jr rather frequently, sometimes having two or three articles dedicated to Earnhardt and his quest to break out of this agonizing slump. Other publications follow suit. It seems as if they post an Earnhardt article when it is not really necessary. Do not mistake me, I am not complaining, but it is an interesting observation that not only myself, but thousands of others have noticed.

Perhaps the media took Earnhardt Jr for granted when he was winning. We could have had a field day back when he was winning and running towards the front on a weekly basis in that red Budweiser Chevy. We all know, covering Earnhardt Jr satisfies a colossal portion of the NASCAR fan base. Why else would so much Internet real estate be dedicated to a driver who has a total of two wins in five years?

Earnhardt Jr will win again someday, I truly believe that. So, when that happens, we will have reason to write and read articles about a victories Earnhardt instead of one who is frustrated, wondering when that next win will occur, or how crucial qualifying is for him at a particular track.

The Decision NASCAR-style: Edwards and Bowyer

2011-07-21T13:08:00.004-04:00

On the surface, Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer are in enviable places. Both drivers have had the luxury of developing into successful drivers with top tier teams. Edwards joined Roush Fenway's Truck program in 2003, and eventually replaced Jeff Burton in the No. 99 Ford in August of 2004.

Richard Childress spotted a young Clint Bowyer driving an underfunded ARCA ride at Nashville in 2003, and was rather impressed. He swiftly signed Bowyer to a developmental contract, and by 2005, he was contending for the Nationwide (then-Busch) Series title. In 2006, he joined RCR's Cup program, finishing second to Denny Hamlin in the Rookie of the Year standings.

Edwards currently leads the standings with one victory, and Bowyer is well within striking distance of entering Chase eligibility. So, why are the two free agents still unsigned for 2012 and beyond?

For Bowyer, it is about sponsorship. At RCR, a sponsorship package has yet to be arranged, and the team is in negotiations with current sponsors General Mills and BB&T for 2012. Because of the sponsorship uncertainty and the fact that Childress' grandsons Austin and Ty Dillon are developing at a rapid pace in lower divisions, Bowyer apparently considered joining Red Bull Racing only because of the guaranteed sponsorship attached to the deal, and the fact that he would become the flagship driver. When Red Bull announced that they are abandoning their NASCAR program, Bowyer's backup plan diminished, therefore the pressure is even higher to sign a deal with RCR, which has always been Bowyer's first choice.

Weeks after the Red Bull announcement, there is no indication that a deal is close to being completed for Bowyer and RCR.

Edwards' circumstance is different. While Bowyer is vocal regarding where he wants to drive in 2012, Edwards is vague. He has not stated exactly where he wants to drive. All he says is that he wants to drive for an organization that gives him the best opportunity to win a Sprint Cup championship. Well, is there a better organization than Roush Fenway Racing?

Hendrick Motorsports is out of the equation. Joe Gibbs Racing and RCR are the only other groups that would be considered equal to Roush Fenway. RCR is a highly unlikely candidate, and it is reported that Edwards' decision has come down two teams.

Joe Gibbs Racing sponsor Home Depot highly covets Edwards, who is not only marketable and sponsor-friendly, but is one of the few true threats to dethrone the Lowe's-sponsored Jimmie Johnson, unlike Joey Logano, who is developing slower than many anticipated.

The only thing we really know is that Edwards will either drive for Roush or Gibbs in 2012. The longer it takes for him to reveal his decision, the more it appears as if Edwards will jump ship to the Gibbs organization. If he was going to remain with Roush, I believe he would have said so by now.

Let us hope that Edwards does not pull a LeBron James.

Here is a quick possible scenario-

Edwards to the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, with Logano moving to the fourth team, the No. 19 Gamestop/SportsClips Toyota.

Bowyer will have the best of both worlds, with Red Bull sponsorhip on the No. 33 RCR Chevrolet.

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2011-07-19T15:54:00.001-04:00

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Media Confuses Stats By Combining Busch's Win Totals

2011-07-14T12:08:00.006-04:00

This has been a thorn in my side for months now. Ever since the 2011 season began, the media has kept a close eye on Kyle Busch's win total from all three NASCAR series. Following his victory at the Traffic Jam 400 in Kentucky, he notched his 99th career win in NASCAR. While this is impressive no doubt, it is misleading.

Prior to Busch's recent ascendancy in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, and his success in the Sprint Cup Series, the media never combined any other driver's win total. If so, then they would have been on the edge of their seat in the 1992 when Darrell Waltrip won his 84th career Cup race at Darlington, giving him 97 career NASCAR wins. You see, Waltrip won 13 races in the Busch Grand National Series. He was closing in on the exclusive '100-win' milestone. I do not recall any media hype surrounding Waltrip's combined win total.

Dale Earnhardt often competed in the Busch Series back in the day. In fact, he won 21 races in that series. Add that to his 76-win total in the Cup series, Earnhardt was on the verge of the '100-win' club prior to his tragic death with 97. There is no doubt that he would have likely exceeded that mark. However, as polarizing as Earnhardt was, people seemed to overlook his combined win total.

How about the ageless Mark Martin? Martin's win total is at 96. He is still competing and plans to in 2012 and beyond. Even if he does not have another Cup win in him, he still has the ability to win four more races in the Nationwide Series or Camping World Truck Series. However, I never hear the media combine Martin's win total.

When you combine win totals, it can be confusing. Based on the Kyle Busch rule of stats, Martin has won more NASCAR races than Jeff Gordon, who has a combined 89 wins (84 Cup, 5 Nationwide). As wonderful as Martin's career has been, he is not Jeff Gordon. But, he has more wins, as he opted to compete in other series. Gordon focused most of his attention on his Cup program.

In my humble opinion, you keep the win totals separate. I do not hear John Kruk, Wendy Nix, or any of the Baseball Tonight crew counting wins and strikeouts for Cliff Lee when he was in the minor leagues and adding them to his Major League totals.

So, why the obsession with Busch's win total? Here is my take. In the world of sports, records are meant to be broken. The sports world watched in excitement as Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's all-time home run record or when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa raced to shatter the 61-single season home run mark held by Roger Maris. The same can be said when Tom Brady broke Peyton Manning's single season record of touchdowns.

Richard Petty holds the NASCAR record with 200 career wins, all in Cup, although many were in a completely different era. Distantly trailing Petty is David Pearson with 105 wins. Gordon has 84 Cup wins, and is the active leader in wins. However, there is no chance that he will sniff Petty's win total. It is never going to happen. Therefore, the media has watched Busch tear up the Truck and Nationwide Series, as well as notch a nice amount of wins in Sprint Cup. Ah-ha, now there is way in which we can promote an all-time record being shattered, a record that is legitimately untouchable.

I guess they are not satisfied with Jimmie Johnson's astonishing record of five consecutive championships.

In a few years, it is likely that Busch's win total will reach 200. However, by this logic, Busch better not stop at 201, because Petty has a win in the long-defunct NASCAR convertible series. So, Petty actually has 201 wins.

Back In the Saddle

2011-07-14T11:22:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm back after a long vacation. A lot to talk about in the world of NASCAR

Montoya and Logano may need to watch their backs

2011-06-28T11:12:00.003-04:00

Brian Vickers and Tony Stewart may dominate the water cooler talk this week after their crash and bash fest at Infineon Raceway on Sunday. Stewart was not timid when revealing his intentions to spin Vickers. All the while, Vickers seemed proud of himself after he locked Stewart into the tire barrier.

Despite the banged sheet metal and angry scowls, Vickers and Stewart are done. I doubt that bad blood will persist. However, there are a couple of drivers who left NAPA Valley with a target on their backs.

Juan Pablo Montoya has never been a favorite among the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage area since his much-celebrated arrival to the sport nearly five years ago. He more than likely lost more clout in the garage area after rumors surfaced that he threatened to sick a lawyer on Ryan Newman after Newman reportedly punched him during a meeting with NASCAR officials at Darlington in May, therefore forcing NASCAR to hand out a 'secret fine' to Newman.

Montoya raced aggressively, which is fine at Infineon, but he allowed his frustration to boil over throughout the race. He ran Kyle Busch off the race track early in the event, which actually led to part 1 of the Vickers-Stewart clash. He proceed to turn Kasey Kahne late in the race while battling for a spot in the top five. After banging the back bumper of Brad Keselowski for several laps, he nearly put the Blue Deuce in the grass. Well, when you mess with Keselowski, it never turns out too well. Keselowski dumped Montoya with just a handful of laps to go.

Keselowski did not hide the fact that he had to put Montoya in the grass.

"It's eat or be eaten sometimes on these road courses, and when the guy opens his mouth and is about to put you down his throat, you better make a move," he said.

Keselowski was in full character, but Kahne was out of character when he lashed out at Montoya.

"Montoya just drove into me at the top of the hill, that's just obvious. Last year when (the Earnhardt-Ganassi) cars were really, really good and Jamie McMurray was the man, Juan still couldn't win a (oval) race. That shows about what he can do here in NASCAR, anyways," he said.

Montoya defended himself, of course, offering no apologies for the way he raced. He said that Kahne did not give him any room.

"It's hard when people don't know how to race on road courses and think they do," Montoya said of Keselowski.

An overlooked incident was the Joey Logano and Robby Gordon tangle. I believe this will end up with banged up orange No. 20 Toyota in the near future. Logano sent Gordon spinning after he felt Gordon raced him too aggressively.

"I got outside of him in one corner and he knocked in my fender...So, I had enough of it. I'm not going to get pushed around, I don't care," Logano explained.

He went as far as to say "He drives like a moron every week." That comment may land him in even deeper waters when Gordon enacts his revenge.

Gordon was livid following his 18th place finish.

"He took me out...I guess I need to pull a Richard Childress on him, just not at the race track."

This is not the first time these two drivers have clashed. Gordon wrecked Logano in a Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen in 2009. I still believe that Gordon will hand out some kind of payback.

Kurt Busch Dominates at Infineon

2011-06-27T11:00:00.002-04:00

It was not even close. Kurt Busch completely destroyed the field at the road course at Infineon.

NASCAR.com

Can Jay Frye Pull Off a Richard Petty

2011-06-22T10:51:00.004-04:00

Jay Frye has a daunting task in front of him. Frye has served as the General Manager at Red Bull Racing since 2008, and has been effective when he is allowed to make decisions. Unfortunately, I do not believe he had the influence he needed in order to turn this organization into a consistent threat on the race track. Now, after the energy drink company owned by the dude with the long last name decided to abandon NASCAR, Frye is left as the man trying to salvage the team, not only for himself, but for the hundreds of employees that would be forced to the unemployment line.

Realistically, if Frye does pull off a miracle, not every current Red Bull employee will be saved. There will likely be some casualties. However, the damage will be less severe.

Frye has already revealed his intentions to seek investors, as well as sponsors. He even appears confident he can keep the team afloat without the full support of Red Bull.

"We have talked to some people who have great enthusiasm for what we're doing...We believe we can put something together rather quickly in 30 to 45 days," Frye said.

This situation is somewhat similar to the quandry Richard Petty found himself in last fall. While the Red Bull company is not a financially sinking ship like the Gillette family, the two parties have one thing in common; they are not NASCAR people. Petty and Frye are NASCAR people. That is precisely why Petty fought so hard to keep the team afloat. That is precisely why Frye plans to follow Petty's path.

Petty will admit that it was difficult, but he lined up investors and retained sponsors. The team is actually performing well on the track. But, if it was difficult for a NASCAR legend such as Petty, imagine the task at hand for Frye, who is not a NASCAR legend. If Frye can make this happen, this team would become a sentimental favorite in the garage.

What I would like to see happen is a partnership with Frye and NASCAR driver Mark Martin, along with a group of investors. If they can land secure sponsorship, Martin and Frye can become the next Tony Stewart and Gene Haas. At the moment, Martin is not one of the potential investors. With Martin's will to drive, and love for the sport, I believe he will factor into this equation before it is all said and done.

Red Bull Giving Up On NASCAR Like They Gave Up on Speed, Allmendinger

2011-06-20T23:47:00.006-04:00

When Red Bull Racing entered NASCAR in 2007 with the vast resources of Toyota, it appeared to be profitable match, well, eventually. Clearly, Red Bull was not going to be an instantaneous winner in Sprint Cup, and they had to know that. With up and comer Brian Vickers leading the way, the team had potential. Opting to employ A.J. Allmendinger, a former open-wheel driver with exceedingly limited stock car seat time, was questionable at best. Pursuing a veteran would have behooved this organization during its infancy stages.

Vickers struggled and Allmendinger was downright painful to watch throughout the 2007 season. In 2008, Vickers began to make palpable progress. He was leading laps and finishing in the top 10. After benching Allmendinger in the spring of 2008 for veteran Mike Skinner, the young driver began to develop into a solid driver. In fact, several teams began to show interest in Allmendinger. However, the team had already given up on the young driver. Scott Speed appeared to be developing quite well in the ARCA series as a Red Bull developmental driver.

Allmendinger was shown the door following a more than respectable ninth place finish at Kansas in October of 2008. Speed took over for Allmendinger. Well, former open-wheeler Speed encountered similar struggles as Allmendinger in 2007 and 2008. As Speed "surprisingly" struggled with the open-wheel to stock car conversion, Red Bull officials grew increasingly impatient. After picking up an option for Speed in 2010, they dumped him following the season, leaving him with no chance at a decent ride for 2011. Of course, Speed responded with a lawsuit against the organization.

Red Bull's star driver Vickers broke through in 2009, winning a race at Michigan in August and qualifying for the Chase for the Championship. The sky was the limit for the Vickers and Red Bull Racing. The young yet experienced driver was living the Red Bull lifestyle to its fullest. However, in the spring of 2010, Vickers was sidelined due to a blood clot. This halted the momentum that he and his team built.

Red Bull decided to bring Kasey Kahne on board only for a year, as he prepared to move on to Hendrick Motorsports in 2012. Kahne and Vickers have produced hit or miss results in 2011, as they hoped to lure a hot shot free agent such as Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, or Juan Pablo Montoya.

Despite the fact that they seemed to have productive negotiations with Bowyer, the team has apparently decided to abandon their NASCAR program after only five seasons. This is just the latest chapter in a dysfunctional venture into NASCAR.

Bowyer, who is a driver I sincerely respect, should count his blessings, as this likely closes the door on a potentially career-damaging move. Stick with Richard Childress if at all possible.

Red Bull Racing was not in NASCAR for the love of stock car racing. They hoped to capitalize on the country's greatest auto racing spectacle when the sport was flourishing. After a slew of self-inflicted mistakes due to shoddy decisions, they realized that the future is not as bright as they had hoped. They are not going to have the same presence in NASCAR as they have enjoyed in Formula One.

Therefore, they are willing to bolt at the expense of hundreds of employees who must now search for future employment.

We can only speculate as to why Red Bull is abruptly leaving the NASCAR scene, as it appears they are not as committed to the sport as they wanted us to believe five years ago. If they were, they would not be running away after less than a half a decade of mediocrity. Did Roger Penske give up? Did Chip Ganassi give up? Did Richard Petty give up? Even owners a prosperous as Richard Childress have endured tribulations. Did he give up? No, these guys executed changes and modifications to enhance their programs. They put in the effort. Heck, Ganassi merged with another fledgling organization in DEI just to stay afloat. Petty had to search for outside investors on several occasions just to keep his name in the sport.

It is clear now that Red Bull simply does not belong in NASCAR.

Jay Frye, the current GM for Red Bull, deserves better, and hopefully he lands a profitable gig in NASCAR, perhaps with former friend and colleague Mark Martin. Frye did not have as much say-so as he should have at Red Bull Racing.

Respect Richie Evans, but Voters Left Out The Pioneer Drivers from the 1950's

2011-06-14T23:38:00.004-04:00

NASCAR announced its five newest faces who will be enshrined in January as the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame class. Included is three-time champions Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip, eight-time championship winning crew chief Dale Inman, nine-time modified champion Richie Evans, and the man who was behind the legendary Wood Brothers Racing team that has stood the test of time, Glen Wood.

Somebody has to play the bad guy, the critic, the pundit. I guess that I will play that role. I had little doubt that Yarborough, Waltrip, and Inman would be headed for enshrinement in January. I also projected that a car owner would join them. My projection included Raymond Parks, but Glen Wood is equally as deserving. I have no qualms with Wood being inducted in the third-class. However, I must say, I am a little surprised that a driver that never made a name in NASCAR's highest level of competition made it in ahead of driver's that won championships in NASCAR's top level of racing.

Do not mistake me, I have the utmost respect for Evans and his staggering achievements, and he does deserve a place in NASCAR's Hall of Fame. With that said, I believe that there were more deserving candidates this year. I had a gut feeling that NASCAR would honor some of the pioneer drivers of NASCAR from the 1950's. My gut feeling was off the mark. Drivers such as Herb Thomas, Tim Flock, and Buck Baker won multiple championships in the 1950's. Thomas has the highest winning percentage in the history of NASCAR at 21.05 percent (48 wins in 228 starts). Flock is a close second with a winning percentage of 20.86 (39 wins in 187 starts). Baker won 46 races, but he had the longevity that made him a star in the sport, perhaps the third most recognized driver of the 1950's behind Lee Petty and the controversial Curtis Turner. Baker also became NASCAR's first back-to-back champion.

How about another two-time champion in Joe Weatherly? He won titles in 1962 and 1963.

I am not trying to discount Evans' accomplishments. He was an amazing wheelman. I have studied his statistics in the Modified division, but I personally cannot justify placing him in the NASCAR Hall of Fame at the expense of the champions and pioneers of NASCAR's highest form of racing. The 1950's was an important era in NASCAR, and era of growth and progression that put stock car racing on the radar, and the only driver from that era in the Hall of Fame is Lee Petty. Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson peaked in the 1960's.

Eventually, the Hall of Fame will recognize these men, but until then, let us congratulate the ones who are fortunate to have their name enshrined and their careers honored. Sincere congratulations to Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Inman, Richie Evans, and Glen Wood.

Who Will Be Snubbed From This Year's Hall of Fame Class?

2011-06-14T11:45:00.004-04:00

David Pearson was clearly deserving of a first-class Hall of Fame induction. However, he was snubbed, as had to wait patiently to be a shoo-in for the second-class induction. While Pearson and four others enjoyed the lofty recognition of their career achievements, Cale Yarborough became the driver who was surprisingly absent from the second-class inductees. Like Yarborough, three-time champion Darrell Waltrip was forced to wait another year.

Personally, I have felt from the beginning that Waltrip would likely have to wait until the third-class before he would be honored, but I was sure Yarborough should have been inducted in the second-class over Bud Moore, and that is no disprespect to Moore, who is deserving of a place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Now, we are left to wonder who will be left off this year Hall of Fame list.

Yarborough is a virtual lock in my opinion. Despite the fact that he may not be NASCAR's favorite personality, his accomplishments speak for themselves. Waltrip is almost a lock, and I believe that his driving career meshed with his television career will land him in the third-class.

Eight-time champion crew chief Dale Inman is deserving as well. Inman was the mastermind behind Richard Petty's prime years. He also led the young Terry Labonte to the 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup championship while working for Billy Hagan.

After the three obvious choices, voters will decide to honor the roots by inducting NASCAR's first championship owner Raymond Parks. Parks was the owner of Red Byron's championship team in 1949.

The fifth and final choice will also be a blast from the way-back past. I believe it will be driver from the 1950's such as Tim Flock, Herb Thomas, or Buck Baker. While I would clearly choose Baker, I believe it will be someone less obvious. Flock would be a nice addition to the Hall of Fame, but judging by the Waltrip and Yarborough snubs of a year ago, drivers who were not always cooperative with NASCAR are typically set back a year or two. Flock along with Curtis Turner were at war with NASCAR in the late 1950's, as they tried to organize a union for the drivers. That puts two-time champion Herb Thomas in the Hall of Fame.

The obvious snub would be Buck Baker, who was NASCAR's driver to win consecutive championships. Flock, Curtis Turner, Joe Weatherly, and other luminaries would have to wait another year.

Montoya May Lose Some Street Credit as well as Respect

2011-06-10T23:52:00.010-04:00

A rumor that began circulating around the NASCAR community last week was that NASCAR levied a "secret" $50,000 fine for allegedly punching Juan Pablo Montoya in the NASCAR hauler at Darlington last month. The altercation stemmed from a history of bad blood between the two drivers that dates back to 2006 that reached a breaking point at Richmond the week before.

Well, NASCAR never "publicly" announced any penalties or fines against Newman for the "rumored" punch. No one would admit to anything. However, it is apparent that Newman was hit with another secret fine by the powers that be. Recall that he was fined last year for expressing his displeasure regarding the quality of restrictor plate racing at Talladega.

Another secret fine is not what really bothers me in this case. After all, Newman punched Montoya in secrecy, NASCAR wants to keep it a secret. Newman's secret actions were not amusing to NASCAR, therefore they issued a secret fine. I can accept that. However, the rumor that Montoya had his lawyer threaten NASCAR or Newman, or both, is what bothers me.

According to ESPN, PRN, and Sirius Satellite Radio reporter Jim Noble, Montoya had his lawyers threaten Newman with a lawsuit. That is when NASCAR stepped in with the secret fine, hoping to dissolve the situation. Following the fine, Montoya's lawyer backed off the threat of a lawsuit. Now, if this is indeed the case, I have lost every bit of respect I had gained for Montoya over the years.

This is why NASCAR fans have not embraced the former open-wheel luminary. On the short tracks where stock cars roam, if two drivers engage in a physical altercation, you either win or lose the fight, and move on to the next race. You do not involve lawyers. I do not recall Cale Yarborough threatening the Allisons with a lawsuit after the 1979 Daytona clash. Of course, I was an infant at the time, but to my knowledge, lawyers were not even on the radar following the notorious skirmish.

Instead of taking the punch like a man and moving on, Montoya seemingly lawyered-up. This will not sit well with NASCAR fans, who expect their drivers to be tough and gritty. Having your lawyer come to the track to threaten a lawsuit against another driver is not going to absorb positive reactions.

Do not get me wrong, I understand that legal action is warranted when it comes to contractual issues. I understand Scott Speed's stance against Red Bull Racing. To a certain extent, I can empathize with Elliott Sadler in his lawsuit against Richard Petty Motorsports. Nonetheless, when it comes to off-track quarrels, let's be men. Let's not bring in lawyers just because you get popped in the face.

Prior to this incident, I had really warmed up to Montoya. I have never been one to buy into the hype of a driver, which is why I am typically hard on drivers such as Joey Logano and Dale Earnhardt Jr, and why I warm up to drivers such as Regan Smith and David Reutimann. When Montoya entered NASCAR, the hype was off the charts. I did not believe he had earned the attention despite his success in various forms of racing.

With that said, I quickly began to appreciate is aggressive driving, his determination to be successful in NASCAR, as well as his candor. Unfortunately, having a lawyer to threaten Newman really did nothing for his public persona. In fact, it verifies the fact that he still has much to prove in order to convince people that he belongs in NASCAR.

If Newman really hit like a girl, I doubt that Montoya would need a lawyer. Perhaps he had his bell rung pretty good.

Really? Jimmy Spencer Does Not Approve of Childress' Actions?

2011-06-09T14:37:00.002-04:00

It was a hot August day in Brooklyn, Michigan in 2003 when Jimmy Spencer had enough. He and young hotshot Kurt Busch had been sparring back and forth both verbally and on the track since Busch's rookie season in 2001. After Kurt Busch admittedly tried to take a swipe at Spencer's tire, the old man snapped. Spencer bumped Busch as they headed to the garage. When Busch's car stalled in front of Spencer's hauler, with some less than flattering remarks directed at Spencer, the then-46-year-old threw the punch heard around the NASCAR world, and it connected with the then-25-year-old.

Spencer's punch immediately ended the feud. The two men never had another disagreement again, in fact, they are now friends. Spencer's fist fixed the issue with Busch.

Many fans and analysts have applauded Richard Childress for giving Busch's younger brother Kyle a taste of his fist. However, I was stunned by one who did not applaud Childress' actions, Jimmy Spencer.

I was interested in Spencer's opinion regarding Childress/Busch the incident considering the infamous 2003 Michigan beatdown. I expected him to praise Childress. Instead, he firmly stated that he did not agree with the way Childress handled the situation, and even went as far as to say he regretted his part in the 2003 punching of Kurt Busch.

Now, this is the same Jimmy Spencer that handed Kyle Busch a crying towel on his segment on SPEED's Race Hub, and then jumped on Childress for not leaving a distinctive mark on Busch. It is difficult to understand the strange shift of opinions here. Either Spencer's crying towel was meant for entertainment as well as a few giggles, or the opinion piece he wrote on SPEED is not a genuine as he would like for it to appear. Either way, it is difficult to take him seriously.

Keselowski's Win Flies Under The Radar, Just Like Regan Smith's

2011-06-08T11:12:00.004-04:00

When it is all said and done, will we remember the winners of the Sprint Cup races at Darlington Raceway and Kansas Speedway? Both race weekends were saturated with controversy and hullabaloo thanks to some angry drivers. At Darlington, it was the Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya show. Well, that was until Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch decided to steal the thunder. I guess, those confrontations were more interesting than a single-car team with an under appreciated driver utilizing brilliant pit strategy to win the race.

Unfortunately, Regan Smith's feel good victory seemed to get lost in the Darlington smackdowns. At Kansas, Richard Childress stole the show after the tried to knock some sense into Kyle Busch, a man nearly four decades younger.

Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski found his inner 2003 version of Ryan Newman, and saved just enough fuel to steal his second win of the season. This may not be the feel-good story of the year like Smith's triumph at Darlington, but it is a nice story. Penske Racing has been beat up this year. Many questioned both Roger Penske's commitment, as well as the Dodge's commitment to NASCAR. Kurt Busch has lambasted his team on a weekly basis.

While Keselowski has been less vocal than Busch, he had to be growing tired of the lackluster performances since he joined the team in 201o. Penske Racing enjoyed its best run of the season, as Busch dominated the race, and Keselowski remained within striking distance throughout the entire race.

It also adds a little excitement to the Wild Card race for the Chase, as Keselowski joins Smith and Jeff Gordon as the only drivers outside of the top 10 without a victory. Keselowski and Smith must fight their way into the top 20 for the win to even have a chance to transfer them into the Chase field.

While we all enjoy a little bit of controversy every now and then, let us also appreciate the drivers who actually earned the spotlight. In this case, it was Brad Keselowski and Penske Racing.

Childress May Have Single-Fistedly Ended the Busch/RCR Feud

2011-06-08T00:18:00.006-04:00

Everyone among the NASCAR community, whether you are a fan or employee, is well aware of the well-documented one-sided fisticuffs between 65-year old team owner Richard Childress and 26-year-old team owner slash driver Kyle Busch as Kansas Speedway on Saturday. I was at the track, but was not present during the whooping that Childress gave the younger Busch, so I have based my assessments on what I've read and heard.

I was impressed, and slightly surprised that Busch granted interviews regarding the incident. In the past, Busch always ran and hid from the media when they wanted anything other than a winner's circle interview. Busch seemed genuinely shaken by the fact that Childress charged at him the way he did. While Childress is as old school as anyone in the NASCAR garage, he is typically mild mannered. He has dealt with some hotheaded drivers throughout his career, most notably, Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, and Robby Gordon. He was the calm and rational guy that often tried, and I stress the word tried, to keep his brash drivers in check. Therefore, I was somewhat surprised that he would go after Busch the way he did.

However, when you consider the history between the RCR and Joe Gibbs Racing organizations, this has been building up for quite some time. Not only has Busch has had issues with Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Jeff Burton in the past, but Denny Hamlin has not always had flattering remarks for the RCR program, especially when Bowyer's team was penalized by NASCAR due to a rule's infraction last September. Harvick and JGR driver Joey Logano engaged in a simmering feud throughout the 2010 season. That is just the Sprint Cup Series. Childress apparently warned Busch specifically that it would behoove him to steer clear of his equipment. When Busch crossed that line again in the Camping World Truck Series with young Joey Coulter, Childress staunchly stuck to his guns. He approached Busch the only way he knew how. He removed his jewelry, and the rest is history.

NASCAR ultimately fined Childress 150k for his actions, and placed him "probation", therefore, declaring Kyle Busch innocent in this quarrel.

I have read many opinions regarding this incident. Some say that NASCAR dropped the hammer on Childress while giving Kyle Busch a free pass. Others claim that NASCAR did not come down hard enough on Childress. After all, NASCAR suspended Jimmy Spencer in 2003 after he clocked Kyle's big brother Kurt at Michigan. Fans, that was eight years ago, long before the 'boys, have at it' age. If Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman did not get suspended for punching Kurt Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya off camera, neither is Childress.

Many will claim that Childress overreacted. After all, all Busch did was lean on Coulter's truck on the cool down lap. As mentioned previously, this was not about what Busch did to Coulter. This was about what has happened over the course of the last few years. Childress felt like it was time for him to become involved, and while I am not a promoter of violence, I believe Childress got to Busch. I believe the Busch-Harvick/RCR feud will vanish, at least on Busch's end.

Conspiracy Theorists, Please Shut Up and Leave the Sport of NASCAR

2011-05-30T23:27:00.007-04:00

I detest many things in life, and one of those things is a NASCAR conspiracy theorist. Conspiracy theorists are necessary in some occupations, but when it comes to sports, it is extremely annoying, and in most cases, the ideas they conjure up is a stretch. I follow many sports, but when it comes to NASCAR, I have found more conspiracy theorists than any other sport. It is as if they live to crucify the sport they supposedly love. That is why I ask for all conspiracy theorist to just give up on NASCAR and quit feeding this garbage. People have a multitude of reasons as to why NASCAR has suffered in ratings and attendance over the past few years, but I believe conspiracy theorists who spew their venom via internet have something to do with it.

So, NASCAR chose not to throw a caution when Jeff Burton was spun following a green-white-checker restart. Inconsistent? Yes. Conspiracy to help Dale Earnhardt Jr end a 104-race (now 105) losing streak? Heck, no. NASCAR is always inconsistent, who would deny that. They are renowned for modifying their rules and standards. However, if the evil forces of NASCAR really wanted Earnhardt Jr to win the 2011 Coca Cola 600, our most popular driver would have been celebrating in victory lane instead of Kevin Harvick.

Our wonderful conspiracy theorists who contribute so much to our sport claim that NASCAR knew that Earnhardt Jr was low on fuel, therefore, they did not throw the caution when Burton spun. After all, Junior would have to pit, or run out of fuel if another caution had taken place.

Burton spun because of a domino effect triggered by Kasey Kahne's empty fuel tank, which also caused Brad Keselowski to have some damage that could have led to a debris caution. What I am saying is, if NASCAR wanted Earnhardt Jr, who supposedly knew was so low on fuel, to win the race, a debris caution would have been thrown after he cleared the white flag. NASCAR has over three-fourths of the final lap to display that yellow flag. Keselowski's car was smoking all the way to the checkered flag, you cannot tell me that something, at least the size of a pebble, fell off his car, and NASCAR did not 'notice it until the last lap'.

This little blog piece is not going to change the minds of the conspiracy theorists who constantly float around this sport and haunt us. It will likely tick them off. However, I ask these people as nicely as possible, to find something else to occupy your time. NASCAR is in the process of one of its most memorable seasons, and does not need you guys to drag it down with preposterous ideas to spread around only to taint the sport you supposedly love. Trust me, we will not miss you.

I am not naive. I understand that shady occurrences take place at times in all sports, but sometimes things are just a coincidence. And no, I do not receive any sort of payment from NASCAR. If I did, I would be on an island somewhere instead of typing this blog.

What A Surprise...Danica Patrick eyes NASCAR full-time

2011-05-25T11:12:00.003-04:00

It was just a matter of time before Indy Racing League star Danica Patrick would finally shift over to the NASCAR side of the fence. Since 2005, she has emerged into the most recognizable figure in American open-wheel racing. In 2010, following years of rumors of her NASCAR interest, she accepted the challenge and competed in a partial schedule for Junior Motorsports, in affiliation with the powerhouse that is Hendrick Motorsports. While she was less than stellar in most of her outings, which was to be expected, she displayed progress.

In 2011, her progress was manifest after finishing fourth at Las Vegas. While some may indicate that was a fluke, she had a top 10 car for the majority of that race.

Reports have surfaced that she is eyeing a full-time career in NASCAR. She apparently intends to compete in the Nationwide Series in 2012 with a handful of Sprint Cup races before moving up full-time in 2013. Her strong ties with GoDaddy indicate that the company will remain with her throughout her complete transition to NASCAR. GoDaddy is also a partner with Dale Earnhardt, Jr's JR Motorsports, as well as the sponsor for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet currently driven by Mark Martin.

Conventional wisdom would have you believe that Patrick will compete in the Nationwide Series in the No. 7 JR Motorsports car full-time with GoDaddy on the hood and quaterpanels, with Martin in the No. 5 Cup ride for one last hurrah. Patrick would also run the No. 25 for seven races so she can become the rookie contender in 2013. However, we must not forget that Hendrick also has Kasey Kahne under contract in 2012, and is expected to replace Martin in the No. 5 in 2012. Hendrick also indicated that he intends to extend his partnership with Earnhardt Jr. Once again, could there be too much room in the inn for Hendrick.

Hendrick is an exceedingly successful car owner, which is why he tends to attract so many drivers. With that said, he lost Kyle Busch in 2007 and Brad Keselowski in 2009 because he did not have enough room thanks to the four-car cap. It is likely that he may lose out on another driver. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are not going away anytime soon. Earnhardt Jr is just too valuable to Hendrick even if his performance on the track is not up to par. With Martin at the tail end of his career, there is a seat opening up, but who will Hendrick place in the car?

He has Kahne under contract. Kahne is a proven winner at the Cup level, as well as one of the most marketable drivers in the garage. While Patrick is clearly less accomplished than Kahne, she has a sure sponsor in GoDaddy, and is marketable enough to add more. She offers a completely new demographic when it comes to fans as well as sponsors that may be interested in the sport.

The Kahne and Red Bull Racing experiment seems to be working out rather well, much better than I anticipated. Kahne is often faster than Gordon, Martin, and Earnhardt Jr, even though his luck has been poor.

My prediction is...and I am not always correct in my forecasts...but I would not be surprised if Hendrick allows Kahne out of his contract, as he signs on as Red Bull's flagship driver. Meanwhile, Hendrick retains Martin for one more year before he puts Danica Patrick in the GoDaddy Chevrolet. The question is, will it be Hendrick's original No. 5, or will it be Patrick's favored No. 7 (as Robby Gordon may be out of the sport by then)?

Kyle Busch Too Fast For His Own Good

2011-05-25T10:54:00.004-04:00

We all knew that Kyle Busch is fast. His win totals in the three major NASCAR-sanctioned series is well-documented. While being too fast for his competitors on a weekly basis is appropriate on the track, his knack for speed landed him in a bit of trouble when he was clocked going approximately 128 miles per hour (almost the track record speed at Bristol) in a 45 mile per hour speed zone near Mooresville, North Carolina.

Busch was sporting a yellow Lexus LFA with his wife Samantha in the passenger seat. He stated that he giving the car a test drive. Come on, Kyle, you got her to marry you, no need to show off now! In all seriousness, Busch was extremely careless, as he continues to show us that he is still not yet transformed into completed maturity the media wants us to believe. In his defense, however, he offered what seemed to be a sincere apology.

"I apologize to the public, my fans, sponsors, and my race teams for my lack of judgement. I take responsibility for my actions and I can assure you that something like this will never happen again. "

This is not the first time one of the Busch brothers have encountered a traffic snafu. In 2005, big brother Kurt was cited for driving under the influence in Phoenix, and reportedly showed the sheriff in Maricopa County little respect. In 2006, Kyle got in a little bit of trouble for chirping his tires when leaving a fast food restaurant.

From now on, I doubt that Kyle Busch will confuse Perth Road with the Talladega Super Speedway.

Stenhouse Jr Wins One for the Real Nationwide Drivers

2011-05-22T23:27:00.003-04:00

Not even All-Star winner Carl Edwards or the aggressive up-and-comer Brad Keselowski could keep the hungry Ricky Stenhouse Jr out of victory lane at Iowa on Sunday. Stenhouse Jr proved that there is hope for NASCAR's junior series.

For years, the Cup drivers have risen to absolute ascendancy in the Nationwide (formerly the Busch) Series. Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, among others have owned the series, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of fans who watch the Nationwide Series hoping to see some fresh faces. Instead, we see the Stenhouses, the Steve Wallaces, Jason Lefflers, Justin Allgaiers, and Reed Sorensons contending for top 10 finishes, or for "good points days".

Stenhouse outdueled both Keselowski and Edwards en route to his first career victory. What makes this victory so special is the fact that a year ago, Stenhouse nearly lost his ride. He was struggling to live up to the potential that is placed upon drivers who step into Jack Roush's equipment. As the 2010 season drew to a conclusion, Stenhouse began to find a comfortable balance. He entered the 2011 season as one of the favorites to capture the Nationwide Series title now that the Cup moonlighters no longer score championship points. Well, he is not leading the standings, but he became the first Nationwide-only driver to win a race in 2011, which is exceedingly refreshing for fans of the series.

Stenhouse moves up to third in the Nationwide championship standings, just 8 points behind Elliott Sadler. This could be the momentum Stenhouse needs in his quest for the Nationwide title. In my opinion, Stenhouse's victory at Iowa highlighted the NASCAR weekend, not the All-Star race.

Early Chase for the Championship Prediction

2011-05-17T21:29:00.007-04:00

1) Carl Edwards- He has built a comfy cushion with amazing consistency thus far in 2011. Additionally, he has a victory, which would help if he were to take a complete nosedive and fall out of the top 10, which is unlikely.

2) Kyle Busch- Busch has two victories and counting in 2011. He is a virtual lock to enter the 2011 rendition of the Chase for the Championship.

3) Kevin Harvick- While Harvick and Busch do not see eye-to-eye most of the time, they do have on thing in common; they both are almost sure to be racing for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. Like Busch, Harvick has two wins.

4) Matt Kenseth- Kenseth also has two wins, which will likely be enough to clinch a chase berth. He is also one of the most consistent drivers of our era, so it is unlikely that he will need the Wild Card.

5) Jimmie Johnson- As sure as the sun will set, Johnson will race in the Chase for the Championship.

6) Clint Bowyer- Bowyer will eventually end up with multiple wins, and ease into another Chase for the Championship. I have said it all year, Bowyer is this year's Denny Hamlin.

7) Dale Earnhardt Jr- Earnhardt Jr may not be contending for many victories, but he is making the most of his performances. He is finishing races, and has built a sizable lead over the 11th place driver.

8) Tony Stewart- Stewart is having an average season, but he is still in the top 10 in points. What does that tell you? This team always heats up when the month of June rolls around.

9) Ryan Newman- Newman is carrying the banner for Stewart Haas Racing this season, and he is clearly fired up. Despite a few bumps in the road, he is still solidly in the top 10.

10) Greg Biffle- I think Biffle will eventually replace Kurt Busch in the top 10. Biffle has performed almost as well as Kenseth and Edwards, he has not had the luck his two teammates have enjoyed. I cannot imagine Biffle missing the Chase.

Wild Cards

11) Denny Hamlin- Hamlin will win two or three races before September and use the Wild Card to sneak into the Chase in what is clearly an off-year.

12) Marcos Ambrose- You heard it here first. Ambrose will sweep the two road course races and race his way into the Chase. I have a gut feeling about this team in 2011. I believe they can win on ovals as well.

Out

Jeff Gordon struck early at Phoenix with a convincing victory, but he has been rather lackluster since. It may take a few months before he and Alan Gustafson find the consistency they need. Sorry Gordon fans, I know this is an unpopular decision.

Kurt Busch will miss the Chase because the Penske group is clearly off the pace. They had a decent showing at Dover, well, Brad Keselowski had a decent day. Busch had to rebound from losing a lap. Penske Racing is hurting.

Mark Martin lacks the speed. He needed pit strategy to finish 2nd at Dover. Kasey Kahne and Martin Truex Jr lack the consistency. Earnhardt Ganassi drivers Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya lack both speed and consistency.

Brian Vickers, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Paul Menard, David Reutimann, Bobby Labonte, Regan Smith, A.J. Allmendinger, and David Ragan will also have to wait another season.

What? No Feuding Drivers To Talk About?

2011-05-17T10:43:00.002-04:00

For the first time in what seems like a while, we have no drivers engaged in a feud stemming from the most recent race. At Richmond, we saw Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya 'have at it', and they brought the feud and fisticuffs to Darlington. After NASCAR sternly warned Newman and Montoya to chill out, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick picked up where the others left off.

At Dover, the racing was rather tame. Of course there were some upset drivers. Brad Keselowski was none to pleased with Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch...imagine that, following the last lap wreck in the Nationwide Series event. However, he did not haul off and punch anyone or slam into another competitor's car.

So, we are left to talk about the racing that took place in Darlington. Matt Kenseth and Jimmy Fennig played the strategy game to perfection, as he passed Mark Martin and drove off into the Delaware sunset. It was the 2003 champion's second win of the season, and he is nearly a lock to race in the chase. Marcos Ambrose proved that he will be a player on more than just the road course facilities. Clint Bowyer proved that he is the sleeper this year. Mark my words, he will be the Denny Hamlin of 2011. Jimmie Johnson and Edwards displayed the kind of dominance that may put a scare into the other contenders.

I understand that the media loves feuds. Face it, our work garners more attention when there is a headline with the word 'feud' in it. With that said, the feuds cannot take place every single week. As with any form of monotony, it will become old. Feuds are best when they are scattered throughout the season.

With the Harvick-Busch and Newman-Montoya feuds, they are not going away. These drivers made it crystal clear that they do not care for their nemesis. Nothing may flare up for awhile between these drivers, but when you have true disdain for someone you see on a weekly basis, tempers eventually heat up.

In the meantime, let us enjoy the racing on the track, because that is what this sport is really about. The feuds are just an occasional side show.

Next First-time Winner In NASCAR?

2011-05-10T20:50:00.004-04:00

Prior to the season, very few would have predicted that Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith would become first-time winners in 2011. Most of us would have projected a driver who had come close to winning in the past. Bayne was not expected to run the full season, and to be fair, the Wood Brothers had not won a race since Bristol in 2001.

Most of us recognized the potential in Smith, but we underestimated Furniture Row Racing. Who would have thought that a one-car team from Denver, Colorado could win at a track as grueling as Darlington. Well, that is why they fire the engines. You never know what is going to happen once the green flag waves. Bayne and Smith won the two biggest races of year. Yes, I am one of the traditionalists who label the Southern 500 as the second biggest race in NASCAR, ahead of the Brickyard 400, Coca Cola 600, the night Bristol race, and the Talladega races.

Now that Smith and Bayne became first-time winner in NASCAR's highest level, will we see another victory lane newbie in 2011? I believe the potential is there.

1) Marcos Ambrose- Ambrose could very well sweep the two road course races and sneak into the Chase for the Championship. Despite the fact that he has yet to win a Sprint Cup race, he has the potential become as dominant, if not more so, than Jeff Gordon in the late 1990's on the road courses. Additionally, Ambrose is vastly improved on the ovals, especially the 1.5-milers.

2) David Ragan- Ragan could benefit from the Roush Fenway Racing speedway revival. Roush's cars are extremely fast on the speedway facilities, which could prove advantageous for Ragan. I believe Ragan has the speed to win some races in 2011.

3) Paul Menard- Like Ragan, Menard has the equipment to succeed. The year began promising for Menard, but a recent run of tough luck at Richmond and Darlington has decelerated the RCR team. Nevertheless, expect Menard to pick up the pace.

4) A.J. Allmendinger- Allmendinger sits 11th in the championship standings, meaning that he has been consistent. I have been impressed over the development of this young driver since his introduction to stock cars five years ago. He has the drive, and is proving that he has the potential.

5) Dave Blaney- Blaney and the Tommy Baldwin Racing group are the Wild Card. I believe that this team can become the next Furniture Row Racing. They have the sponsorship to complete the races. Blaney has the talent to carry a team. I would not be surprise if they contend for the win at Daytona and Talladega.

Also worth mentioning is David Gilliland, who finish third at Daytona and ninth at Talladega.

My prediction is that Ambrose will be our next first-time winner when the series visits the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

So What About That New and Improved Kyle Busch

2011-05-09T19:29:00.007-04:00

Every NASCAR fan is well aware of the well-documented on-track tussle between Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. If you have no clue about what I'm referring to, then your rock is outside waiting. Anyway, we have heard plenty of talk regarding the changed man that is Kyle Busch. NASCAR's resident bad boy for the past few years is suddenly sporting a halo.

Some media members and fans actually believed it. Busch may be a little kinder and gentler than when he was several years ago, that comes with age, but he has not completely transformed. That was apparent on Saturday night.

I fully understand why Kyle Busch was ticked with Harvick. Harvick wrecked him at Homestead, and then gave him a few nudges at Darlington. Busch felt as if he owed Harvick. However, Busch hooked Harvick in front of a large portion of the field following the yellow flag. It could have turned out much worse for several drivers that should not be involved in this rift. It did not, and all was well.

That was until Busch tried to run away and hide from his foe. If you are going to hook someone with four laps to go, especially someone with Harvick's persona, you have to be ready for a post-race confrontation. Instead, Busch parked his car behind Harvick. As Harvick emerged from his Chevrolet, Busch mashed the gas, turned Harvick's car into the inside pit road wall. Meanwhile, Harvick attempted to throw a punch.

"My choices were limited. I was either going to get punched in the face and then wait for Harvick to get back in his car, or just drive through his car and push it out of the way so I could get out of there," said Busch.

Busch destroyed his reverse gear, so in order to flee the scene, he had to shove Harvick's car out of the way. He seemed to be more concerned about his safety rather than the safety of others on pit road. What if Harvick threw a few punches, Busch was still wearing his helmet. This had the potential for disaster had Harvick's car struck an innocent person on pit road.

I am not trying to bash Busch, but he sure did not mind confronting other drivers in the past, such as Brian Vickers and Steve Wallace. Why could he not be on the other end of an angry driver's wrath? If you are going to hook someone, no matter if it is justified or not, at least be man enough to face them after the race instead of putting others at risk.

Will Regan Smith Become A Coveted Driver in Silly Season

2011-05-09T19:03:00.003-04:00

Before I begin, I am under the assumption that Regan Smith's contract with Furniture Row Racing ends following the 2012 season. Based on this, why am I even bringing up the fact or suggesting that top tier teams could seek NASCAR's newest winner?

Smith suddenly became NASCAR's fresh young star. There is nothing against Trevor Bayne and his Daytona 500 victory, but Smith won at Darlington, a track that does not involve drafting or pushing. It involves a driver man-handling his car as well as the tough old track. Smith was in sixth place when he made the decision to stay out, so it is not as if he he gambled from 20th position. He was going to finish in the top 10. When a driver wins a race such as the Southern 500, it will attract attention, possibly enhancing ones career.

Red Bull Racing has a definite opening for 2012, possibly two. Kasey Kahne will move on to Hendrick Motorsports, and Brian Vickers is a free agent. They will probably focus on Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer, perhaps Juan Pablo Montoya. In all likelihood, those trio of winners will remain with their current teams. Smith is rapidly proving that he is a legitimate Sprint Cup competitor. His stunning win at Darlington may be the spark he needs in order for owners to take notice.

I would not be surprised if Red Bull places Smith on their radar if they cannot land one of the bigger names. Red Bull may not be the only team to inquire about Smith. Stewart-Haas Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Penske Racing, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, and Michael Waltrip Racing have room to expand.

Stewart-Haas Racing provides crewmen for Smith and Furniture Row Racing, so there is a connection. Smith is involved in some of the same animal rescue work as Ryan Newman. Sponsorship provided, Smith to Stewart-Haas Racing makes sense.

What if Edwards decides to test his skills with another team? Smith could become an option in the Roush Fenway organization. Roush, however, is spending valuable time and money on developing Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Trevor Bayne. Bayne is a Daytona 500 winner, so Smith to Roush could be a long-shot.

Loyalty could prevail, and Smith could remain at at Furniture Row. The team owned by Barney Visser allowed Smith to remain in the sport when it appeared as if his career would hit a complete standstill following the 2008 campaign. The team has vastly improved since it entered the sport in several years ago. Veterans such as Kenny Wallace and Joe Nemechek set the foundation for this team, but Smith has put them on the map.

It will be interesting to see how this victory impacts Smith's future.

What We Should Be Talking About After Darlington

2011-05-08T21:06:00.003-04:00

As usual, the Darlington Raceway provided amazing racing. It is genuinely one of the best races of the year. The finish also provided fireworks. I understand that everyone wants to discuss the latest chapter in the Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch rivalry. I, too, enjoy controversy. However, it would not be appropriate to overlook the Regan Smith victory.

Regan Smith drives for Furniture Row Racing, a one-team operation that hails from Denver, Colorado. Pundits believe that if you operate out of the Charlotte region, you cannot succeed in NASCAR. They also believe that it is virtually impossible for a one-car team to win in NASCAR. Both theories were crushed on Saturday night.

While Smith did not have the fastest car on the track, his performance was solid, as he was running in 10th position when he opted the remain on the track and gamble for the win. He held off Carl Edwards following a green-white-checker restart en route to his first career win.

Two and a half years ago at Talladega, Smith appeared to win his first career race. Driving for DEI at the time, he made a late-race move to pass Tony Stewart for the win. NASCAR officials deemed Smith's pass illegal, as he went below the yellow line. Therefore, Stewart won another race, Smith remained winless. DEI merged with Chip Ganassi's organization, and Smith was not included in the plans. He landed a ride with the upstart Furniture Row Racing team, which competed in a partial schedule in 2009. They have steadily improved over the last two years, especially in qualifying.

Smith was fast enough to make the gamble work on Saturday, and that is what we should be talking about first. After we acknowledge Smith's triumph, then we can move on to the feuding drivers.

It's Personal Between Newman and Montoya

2011-05-06T12:46:00.005-04:00

It is clear that this deal with Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya is personal. Perhaps it began at Homestead in 2006 when Newman gave Montoya a shove that ended in a fiery crash. Recall that was Montoya's introduction into the wild world of NASCAR. I cannot seem to recall why Newman wrecked Montoya, but I have no reason to believe it was intentional.

At Martinsville in 2007, they had an apparent exchanging of paint, and then words. After the race, Newman said, "I just wanted to ask him a question. I wanted to know if he turned down on me on the straightaway and he said he didn't."

Montoya also inadvertently hit one of Newman's tire carriers that day.

At Richmond a month later, the two clashed again, but it is difficult to clearly fault either driver. It appeared as if Montoya came down on Newman, triggering the wreck, but it is all a perception thing. Here is the clip, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giVGNxIogGM, judge for yourself. But, like I said, it appeared as if Newman had position.

Montoya and Newman raced hard over the next few years, but no major incidents transpired. That was until last Saturday night at Richmond.

Now, my take is that Montoya overreacted, but then again, he has his perception of the previous incidents, and did what he felt was necessary. Of course, Newman has his perception of how it went down.

Anyway, the two clearly remain on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as who was at fault during last week's dustup.

Montoya's comments:

"It just adds up. It get's to a point where too much is too much, and I felt it had to stop. I could have done it a lot more aggressively and completely knock him out of the race, but that wasn't really the plan. I just felt he could have given me an inch and nothing would have happened. But over and over, I've been wrecked by him a couple of times...And, I didn't feel I was being treated fair. I did what I had to do, I guess."

Newman's comments:

"It was a personal thing, and it will get handled personally...The respect went out the window. I'm not real sure why. I know for a fact that his spotter admitted fault for not calling me out there on the outside of him off of Turn 2. Why he would go and crash me afterwards is disrespectful...I'm still not happy about it, let's put it that way."

If Newman is correct and Montoya knew that the first wreck was due to the blunder of his spotter, than him wrecking Newman was unquestionably personal. Perhaps it was subconsciously a payback for a previous encounter.

Both drivers planned to meet with NASCAR prior to Friday afternoon practice. Following the meeting, it was apparent that the pow-wow did not turn out as NASCAR had hoped.

"NASCAR did meet with Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya today before the first Sprint Cup Series practice," Kerry Tharp said. "The drivers were given their final warning and are fully aware that we will be watching this very closely. The meeting didn't go as well as we had hoped it would, and we're not completely through with this issue."

Asked if Newman threw a punch, Montoya replied, "I'm not going to tell you (expletive). Let's leave it at that. What happened in the trailer was between me, Ryan Newman, and NASCAR. That's it."

Newman said regarding the altercation, "That's just speculation. It was a private meeting. That's why we had it in the hauler."

One source from Foxsports stated that Montoya claimed that 'Newman hits like a girl'. Really? Most guys with an ounce of an ego say that when we get our face popped.

Darlington Still Relevant

2011-05-05T13:00:00.005-04:00

When NASCAR transferred the most traditional stock car race from Labor Day to mid-November in 2004, and then Mother's Day in 2005, most figured that by 2011, the 'Lady In Black' would have join the storied North Wilkesboro Speedway and North Carolina Motor Speedway (now Rockingham Speedway) as a former Cup track. Many felt like it was the final nail in the Old Lady's coffin.

Before there was the Daytona 500, World 600, or Alabama 500, there was the Southern 500. Needless to say, NASCAR traditionalists were bothered by the destruction of such a southern stock car tradition.

Well, NASCAR fans exhibited their loyalty to the oddly shaped speedway immediately following the schedule shift. I do not have any direct data in front of me, but I believe the first Mother's Day race in 2005 sold out, or came mighty close. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe every Mother's Day race has sold out with the exception of the 2009 event. In a time when modernized tracks are having difficulty filling seats, this stubborn old lady keep fans coming back for more, proving that the track is as relevant now as it was five decades ago.

What is ironic is that since NASCAR relieved Darlington Raceway from its Labor Day hosting duties, the old facility continues to fill seats and provide fans with great racing. Meanwhile, the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California that replaced Darlington on Labor Day weekends, had low attendance and TV ratings. The track lost the Labor Day date in 2009 to the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Now, the 2-mile facility that was supposed to put NASCAR on the Hollywood map is in the same boat as Darlington, a one-race per year track. The only difference is, fans have more interest and loyalty to Darlington, so the race on Mother's Day is a much bigger deal than the race in SoCal.

A big thanks to all NASCAR fans that kept the Darlington Raceway on the NASCAR schedule by their support.

Montoya Overreacts, Fails to Confront Newman Following Race

2011-05-01T23:37:00.003-04:00

It took me awhile, but I finally warmed up to Juan Pablo Montoya. I felt he entered NASCAR with a sense of entitlement because of his accomplishments in open wheel. However, I realized he tells it like it is. He races with passion, and is far from vanilla, which is common among many of today's sponsor-friendly drivers.

Ryan Newman has the same passion, which is why so many people whine about how he races too hard. The dude is paid to race hard, yet drivers and fans cry foul when he makes it difficult for another driver to pass, see Joey Logano. Newman did not give Montoya an inch on Saturday night at Richmond. Early in the race, Newman had a run on the outside of Montoya, and apparently, Montoya's spotter failed to mention that the No. 39 Chevy was on the outside. Montoya slapped the wall, damaging the car, losing multiple laps.

Despite the fact that Newman related a message via spotters that the incident was unintentional, Montoya issued a blatant payback. Newman, though, became increasingly infuriated, stating that he would 'take care of it after the race'.

Newman, who easily had a top 10 car, was relegated to a sub par 20th place finish, was ready to rumble after the race. When he saw Montoya rushing to his golf cart after the race, he swerved towards his rival, clearly letting him know that the two drivers are not even. Montoya rushed to leave the Richmond International Raceway without confronting the driver that triggered his anger. Now, I know if I felt that strongly about the treatment I received from another, I would want a man-to-man 'have at it'. Nevertheless, Montoya was in such a hurry to leave the track, he did not even speak to reporters, stating his side.

Meanwhile, Newman spoke with NASCAR officials, wondering why Montoya did not receive any penalties for the obvious payback. Even after the discussion, Newman was still incensed.

"I got a few answers," Newman said. "I'm not really sure the direction it's going to go, but I got a few answers. I'm just really disappointed in the way everything played out. I was obviously crashed, unintentionally the first time and intentionally the second. It's just unfortunate and we'll see what happens."

This will be interesting to watch. Newman was one of the drivers who was not star-struck by Montoya's appearance in NASCAR. The two have had some intense battles over the years, and it appears that hard-feelings exist. Newman has a quiet and calm personality, but can be a volcano if necessary. Montoya is a constant volcano. I just feel that this will be an on-going rivarly, mainly because these two drivers do not care about mending fences.

Some Good News in NASCAR

2011-04-29T11:10:00.003-04:00

It is so easy to center our attention on the negative aspects of NASCAR. Everyone is a critic. Sometimes, however, we overlook positive situations within the sport.

I was relieved to find out that Nationwide Series driver Eric McClure and his family survived the vicious storms on Wednesday night. His Abbington, Virginia home was struck by a tornado, but McClure, his wife and three children, as well as his two dogs, hid under the basement staircase as the storm passed through. They remained their for several hours.

McClure recalled the scary events.

"It was looking kind of crazy. We thought maybe we needed to get downstairs. We may have been down there a minute and 30 seconds when it came right through...It got real dead for five or six seconds. Then it felt like a train came through the house. That's when we put our heads down and just waited it out. The thing was just shaking the house. I don't wish that on anybody."

Thankfully, the McClure family lived through the horrendous storm that took several lives.

Another piece of good news came in the form of a sponsorship deal for 'former' start and park team Tommy Baldwin Racing. Apparently, the impressive performance by Dave Blaney at Talladega helped the team land Golden Corral for 19 additional races. This allows Blaney and Baldwin to race each event without having to start and park.

This is an example of perseverance paying off. This team has showed up at the racetrack every season since 2009, starting and parking for the majority of the time. When they are able to compete in the full event, they make the most of it. Hopefully, teams such as HP Racing, LLC and Whitney Motorsports can land similar deals. At least this gives them additional hope.

Media Loves Them Some Kyle Busch

2011-04-26T11:02:00.006-04:00

I am prepared to take a beating from the Kyle Busch fans, but I have to say it. He is not the best driver throughout the first quarter of the year. My vote goes to Kevin Harvick or Carl Edwards, not that my vote counts. Busch is a great driver, that is common knowledge, but for him to win this award shows that the media really enjoys having him in the spotlight.

For the past three years, members of the media have crowned Kyle Busch as the "next Dale Earnhardt", the "most talented driver in NASCAR". Members of the media have tallied Busch's win total from all three NASCAR national series and combined them into one total. I believe I read where he is over the 90-win mark in all three series. Some have began to mention Kyle Busch's win total in the same breath as "the King" Richard Petty, who won all 200 races in NASCAR's top level.

Yeah, I know that Petty won a bulk of his races in another era where they competed 40 to 50 races per year, but they were Grand National Series races. Unlike several other drivers, Petty felt the need to show up at every track.

I am not trying to downplay Busch's accomplishments. I am also impressed by what he does on the racetrack. However, I am not going to overlook other drivers on the Cup side just because Busch wins races in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series. Kevin Harvick is the only multiple race winner in Sprint Cup and has rallied to fourth in the standings. Carl Edwards leads the Cup series standings, and also has a win. He leads to series in top 10 finishes with six. Furthermore, Edwards proved that Busch is not the only Cup driver who can moonlight in the Nationwide Series and win. In fact, he has two victories, including the most recent at Nashville.

Jimmie Johnson won several driver of the year awards without competing in a single Nationwide event, so I know doubling up is not a prerequisite.

The panel of 12 journalists selected Busch for the first quarter driver of the year, as he led the way with 9 first place votes. Edwards and Harvick had six first place votes.

My question is how come Mark Martin and Harry Gant did not receive the same level of love when they were winning races in both Winston Cup and the Busch Series?

Points-Change Is Not Fixing Nationwide Series

2011-04-25T11:04:00.004-04:00

A couple of other publications, CloseFinishes and Sirius Satellite covered this issue, but I am going toss in my couple of cents in regarding the state of the Nationwide Series. When NASCAR decided to disallow Sprint Cup drivers from competing for the Nationwide Series championship, many hoped it would become the ultimate solution for what ails NASCAR's junior series. While Justin Allgaier, Jason Leffler, Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Elliott Sadler, and others will be the drivers contending for the series title, they are not really competing for the wins.

The win column in the Nationwide Series still belongs to Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are going to win their share of races. Meanwhile, the championship leader averages a top 10 run, top five at best.

The race at Nashville demonstrated that Cup drivers still dominate the series. Carl Edwards flat out dominated the race. Kyle Busch was a close second. Keselowski and Logano were the third and fourth best cars. After the quartet of Cup stars came the Nationwide boys led by Stenhouse Jr.

Basically, NASCAR fixed one problem, which is the fact that a Nationwide Series regular will win the title. However, the Cup drivers are winning all of the races. That is an issue that is not going to soon disappear. Now we have the possibility of a winless Nationwide Series champion.

Hopefully, these Nationwide Series drivers can begin to flood the win column, and with a few standalone events on the schedule, it is a possibility. Stenhouse, Jr seems to be closing in, but of course, Edwards and Keselowski are still going to run the standalone races. I am not sure how to fix this problem unless NASCAR was to just ban the Cup drivers from running in the Nationwide Series. Obviously, that is not going to take place.

We have what we have in the Nationwide Series, it would just be nice if the Nationwide drivers can close that gap and contend for some wins.

Making a Case for Start and Park Drivers

2011-04-21T13:23:00.005-04:00

In case you are, for some reason, unfamiliar with the term 'start and park', it is a driver and team that shows up at the race track with the intent to start the race, run a few laps, and the park the car, pack up and head home. NASCAR has no rule stating that you have to finish the race in order to collect a paycheck, therefore, these owners make a living doing this.

The start and park scenario is loathed by many fans and drivers. It is a common complaint. You know, when you enter a race, you should race. That is the conventional viewpoint.

Scenedaily writer Joe Gunn came to the defense of start and park teams in an article called 7 Things You Should Know Before You Criticize Start and Park teams.

I agree with all seven of his points, but primarily No. 1- Start and park teams keep people employed. That is a fact that few people think about when they blast the start and parkers. All we see is the negative aspects of this method. I admit, when a start and park teams qualifies for a race at the expense of a team that we all know will attempt to race the entire event, I get agitated. However, I failed to see that fact that if those teams did not exist, or were forced out of NASCAR, many people, likely the breadwinners of a family, would end up in the unemployment line.

When thinking of that, it personally causes me to have high respect for Tommy Baldwin, Dusty Whitney, Phil Parsons, Joe Nemechek and the other start and park team owners.

Obviously, these guys have the desire to race, otherwise they would not show up at the track, but what they have in desire, they lack in funds. Nemechek, Parsons, and Baldwin have all won in NASCAR, so do you really think they enjoy doing this? This is exactly why everyone made a huge deal out of Dave Blaney's solid run at Talladega. Baldwin had sponsorship and was able to race, and his driver and team nearly pulled off an impressive finish.

Basically, they start and park to earn money and keep their name in the NASCAR hat in case a source of funding does come calling, like it did in Baldwin's case.

Try thinking of the people working on the start and park teams next time you see them pull of the track on lap 3 due to a "vibration".

A Lot of talk about Edwards' status,little about Bowyer's

2011-04-20T22:56:00.003-04:00

This year's free agent pool is stacked with talent. However, two of the free agents are free agents no more. Veterans Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton recently signed with their current teams, Roush Fenway Racing and Richard Childress Racing respectively. It came as no surprise that these two drivers opted to remain with their current teams.

Now that Biffle and Burton are off the market, the free agent market consists of Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, and Brian Vickers (all apologies to anyone I am forgetting).

Edwards has been open about his intent to find the best option that will win him a Sprint Cup championship.

Edwards would be hard-pressed to find a team that could provide him with the equipment to win a title that is better than his current team, yet he is still openly on the market. It is no secret that Biffle took a pay cut just to remain with one of NASCAR's elite teams. Would Edwards be willing to follow Biffle's lead? Or would he jump ship for a pretty paycheck. Red Bull Racing and Penske Racing come to mind as teams that could buy Edwards' services. Penske would need a sponsor and to start a new team. Red Bull, on the other hand, is the sponsor, and they have a ride open, possibly two.

I just have a feeling that Edwards could replace Kahne at Red Bull. Hopefully, he will remain where he is at, because he will win a championship one day if he stays with Roush.

Newman is another free agent, but considering his performance early in the 2011 season, as well as his close ties with his boss Tony Stewart, he is sure to remain with his current team. The No. 39 team is really hitting their stride.

Vickers would be wise to remain with Red Bull. He has been their flagship driver since the team's inception in 2007, although many would say that Kahne is the focus in 2011. Kahne is one and done, so Vickers will be 'the man' again if he signs the dotted line. I cannot imagine another team aggressively pursuing him.

That leaves us with Bowyer. For some unknown reason, Bowyer is the forgotten man in the silly season talk. Everyone is so obsessed with Edwards' status, they have forgotten Bowyer. Bowyer signed with Richard Childress Racing in 2003, and has developed into solid driver. Now, he is in a contract year. Bowyer has been rather mum on his contract talks, but there is no reason to believe that Childress and Bowyer would not continue their union. After all, Bowyer was Childress' project; his find. Childress handpicked Bowyer after he watched the Kansas kid in an ARCA race in 2003. Of course, Bowyer owes everything to Childress. Why would they part ways?

Hopefully, Bowyer and Edwards will remain with their current teams. Not just because we all identify them with the No. 33 and No. 99, but the commitment the owners made to their drivers nearly a decade ago. Childress and Roush made commitments and investments to Bowyer and Edwards' careers. At the same time, the drivers need to remember that commitment that was made to them. All in all, sometimes the satisfaction of loyalty outweighs a hefty paycheck.

Great Finish, But What About the Rest of the Race

2011-04-18T13:50:00.003-04:00

I just read an article on CloseFinishes, Did the End Justify the Means, and I 100 percent agree with his assessment of the Aaron's 499. What competent person could argue that the finish was not exhilarating? It was one of the best 'on the edge of your seat' finishes I have seen in quite awhile. However, that was just it, a great finish. How about a great race?

I am sure that this two-car tandem style racing has its supporters, although most of whom I speak with dislike the 'speed dating' as much as I do. I just feel as if Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin, and Greg Biffle had no chance to race for the win, which is actually what they are paid to do. They were the pushers throughout the closing laps. Martin was committed to helping Gordon win the race, same with Earnhardt Jr and eventual winner Jimmie Johnson, Harvick and Clint Bowyer, and Biffle and Carl Edwards. The only way any of the pushers could win is if they somehow pushed their partner so far out into the lead on the final lap, and then wait until the tri-oval to make a sling-shot move, similar to Harvick last year when he passed Jamie McMurray at the last second.

That scenario is highly unlikely now that all the drivers have this double-car draft down pat. You are going to see six, eight, possibly ten cars vying for the win at Daytona and Talladega as long as this sytle racing is the most effective. On the surface, that sounds like a NASCAR fan's dream. Beneath the surface, we really have 21 and a half cars racing on these superspeedways that were originally constructed to the be the biggest, fastest, and most exciting tracks.

If Martin, Harvick, Biffle, or Earnhardt Jr would have tried to win, like, you know, in real racing, it would have cost, not only them, but their teammates a shot at victory. I just have a difficult time with the fact that, even though there were eight cars within car lengths apart, it was, in reality, a four-horse race. The pushers were just the jockey men.

Hopefully, this style of restrictor plate racing will fade, but until it does, Talladega and Daytona will just not be the same.

Dreading the Two-Car Draft at Talladega

2011-04-14T16:50:00.001-04:00

The two races at Talladega are usually weekends that I look forward to the most each season. However, that is not really the case this season thanks to the new-fangled way of drafting. I just simply do not care for the two-car draft. I do not care for the idea of a driver having to rely on one draft partner at a time.

I am aware that the previous style of drafting required the need for drafting partners, but drivers could switch lanes, move to another partner, and basically drive to the front by meticulously working through traffic while picking and choosing and changing your dance partner. Now, drivers are tied to one partner at a time. There is less racing involved.

Many will argue that restrictor plate racing was not racing before, and to a certain extent, they are right, but the need for the plates are present at Daytona and Talladega, unfortunately. Therefore, we all have become accustomed to the cars running in larger packs since the late 1980's. That is what defined modern-day Talladega. Now, it appears to be a whole new ballgame.

This type of racing clearly has the potential to produce surprise winners, which is a positive. Surprise winners, like Trevor Bayne at Daytona, are a breath of fresh air. David Ragan, Bobby Labonte, David Gilliland, and Regan Smith all could have won the Daytona 500 because they were hooked up with the right partner. I am not so sure any of those guys, with the exception of Ragan and Labonte, could have won that race two, three, or four years ago.

So, a surprise victory celebration could be on the Alabama horizon, which would be good for the sport. But, the 499 other miles of two-car pushing will be as exciting as a caution free race at Pocono.

Jeremy Mayfield Gives Interesting Interview

2011-04-13T12:04:00.005-04:00

Thanks to the Daly Planet, I was linked an interview conducted by Captain Thunder, and his guest was none other than Jeremy Mayfield. Now, I understand many fans just want this soap opera to end. They want Mayfield to just go away. For me, it is the just the contrary. I am interested in this storyline, and I honestly believe that there so much more to this story that will be revealed in due time. Mayfield let us in on some of it in his candid interview.

Some of his most interesting comments were:

"And from a very reliable source, who is in direct contact with Brian France has told me several times and not just several times, but a lot of times, that he (France) has had a problem with me from day one. I'm from the South, and he is trying to take all of the Southern out of NASCAR, the Southeast out, just like he got rid of the racetracks and everything else, and I'm just part of that. And he didn't like what I did with Ray (Evernham) either."

If you recall, Mayfield questioned Evernham's priorities as an owner.

"I still find it hard to believe, and I think the world does too, that this is a squeaky clean sport. If they had an outside source, let's say Congress or the government got involved, or a union or whatever, because nobody is really regulating how they do their drug testing but them."

"...Brian France making contributions, you know, political contributions in three, four, or five other people's names...it's totally illegal. He's hit trees, he's wrecked- talk about dangerous. And, he's got a cousin over there that run 120 mile per hour and got caught with cocaine and telling Daytona (police) that we own this town. What do they (courts) do? They throw it (the case) out, the judge throws it out."

"And then in court when we won our injunction the first time, I went to Brian and said 'Brian, look man, I don't want to be a part of this just as much is you don't. Whatever we can do to work together to make this thing work, you know fix it, or whatever we need to do, I'm with you on that.' ...The guy looks at me and says 'Jeremy, this isn't about you anymore'."

It was clear throughout the interview that Mayfield feels as if France has a personal vendetta against him. His disdain for France is palpable. He also seemed confident and anxiety-free following the week of his drug test, feeling that everything would work itself out.

Mayfield also denied ever using meth or any other drug.

He claimed, as you probably already read over at the Daly Planet, that NASCAR forced SPEED to edit an interview with Mayfield several months ago.

Mayfield still hopes the case goes to a trial with a jury of his peers.

Read the entire interview, or download the audio. It is very interesting. It makes you want to know more about what is really going on. I have had my doubts all along that Mayfield was a meth addict. This did nothing to change my mind.

Also, I keep hearing about a documentary that Mayfield hopes to air. That should be interesting as well.

Denny Hamlin's Hangover

2011-04-11T11:36:00.005-04:00

It seems to happen quite often to drivers who challenge Jimmie Johnson for a championship. I covered this exact topic in an article on Atlanta Examiner a few weeks ago, but it was focused more on how Kevin Harvick seems to be bucking that trend. While Harvick is enjoying another solid season, Hamlin is lagging behind.

It is still early, but Hamlin just does not seem to have the speed he had in 2009 and 2010. After winning four times in 2009, he became the trendy pick to dethrone Johnson in 2010. Well, he easily lived up to the towering expectations, as he nearly knocked 5-time off his pedestal. He also led the series with eight total victories. So what happened between November and February?

We have seen this story play out before. Jeff Gordon nearly knocked off Johnson in 2007, winning six times. He failed to win a single race in 2008, and really showed little strength throughout the season. Carl Edwards won a series-high nine races in 2008, only to drop a blank in the win column in 2009. Mark Martin won five races in 2009, finished second to Johnson, but never won a race in 2010, nor did he qualify for the championship chase.

Will Hamlin suffer the same hangover? Does Johnson and Chad Knaus put out a curse to his previous challengers? Knaus and Johnson are good, but it is not a curse. It just seems that these teams put so much effort into the championship run while other teams are enhancing their programs for the following year. When the following year rolls around, the previous contenders seem to fall slightly behind the 8-ball. It is early and there is sufficient time for Hamlin and team # 11 to pick up the pace, but their performance at Texas left a lot to be desired.

Why Would Raikkonen Go To Red Bull?

2011-04-06T23:55:00.005-04:00

Last week, I read a fellow blogger, Mad Mikie, and in his blog, he stated that Formula 1 star Kimi Raikkonen was the replacement for Kasey Kahne at Red Bull Racing once Kahne heads to Hendrick Motorsports in 2012. Below is his projection.

"Next season, when Kasey Kahne switches over to the #5 Hendrick car, Red Bull will be replacing him with Kimi Raikkonen. Kimi is coming to NASCAR isn't an April Fool's joke. My sources say he'll be replacing Kasey Kahne next year in the #4 car. I had originally heard about this last year but didn’t put much stock in it then. But now I’m hearing it from more than one source."

He seems pretty confident in his sources. Who am I to doubt him? If this is true, Raikkonen really needs to examine his goals when it comes to his entrance into NASCAR's top level. If you have read any of my articles in the past, you are aware that I am not a Red Bull fan after the A.J. Allmendinger hiring, firing, and then the whole Scott Speed fiasco. They bring these top tier open wheel drivers, who are talented and marketable, and expect them to immediately make an impact in Sprint Cup competition. When they are performing at the mediocrity that everyone else expected, they dump them.

In Allmendinger's case, he was blossoming as a stock car driver. He was becoming relevant. Speed was winning races in ARCA, and was a Red Bull athlete for years, so they cut ties with Allmendinger to make room for the next open wheel-to-stock car prospect. Two and a half years later, there is a lawsuit involved. Speed received the dreaded "pink slip" via fax after two years of struggles. Go figure, who expected Speed to materialize as the next Tony Stewart other than Team Red Bull? They waited until after the season to cut the chord. It is not that I am a huge Scott Speed supporter, I felt that he needed more developmental time in lower series, but because Red Bull was so determined to place him in Sprint Cup, willing to throw Allmendinger to the 'Free Agent Wolves', they should have stuck with him for more than two years.

Kasey Kahne is producing with Red Bull, and who expected otherwise. Kahne is a talented stock car driver with an abundance of experience in Cup, as is Brian Vickers. They are going to produce as long as they are equipped with solid equipment. Raikkonen, on the other hand, has zero experience in this sport, and will likely suffer similar fate as Allmendinger and Speed.

Fortunately, for Allmendinger, he landed a ride with Richard Petty Motorsports. Well, for about a year and a half, he was in limbo, but now he is the flagship driver of the famed No. 43 Ford. He has an owner that believes in him and will commit to him.

Kyle Busch will allow Raikkonen to test his talents in the Camping World Truck Series. The F-1 star should enjoy some solid results. Hopefully, he addresses his NASCAR career like Danica Patrick and takes a cautious and analytical path to the top. If not, he will end up in the same canoe as Scott Speed, Sam Hornish Jr, Dario Franchitti, and Jacques Villeneuve. In all fairness to Villeneuve, he never had a chance will Bill Davis Racing.

Raikkonen, please steer clear of Red Bull and Foster Gillette.

Is Jimmy Spencer right about Jimmie Johnson

2011-04-05T12:48:00.005-04:00

I read an article by SPEED's Jimmy Spencer entitled "What Happened to Accountability" last week. Spencer was critical of Jimmie Johnson's post race excuse for losing to Kevin Harvick at California. Here is a snippet of what Spencer said about Johnson.

"Jimmie Johnson constantly conjures up excuses when someone beats him on the track. Johnson doesn’t do it in a rude or defensive manner, but he does it, and it really gets under my skin. When Kevin Harvick passed him for the win Sunday at Fontana, Johnson stated in several post-race interviews that he couldn’t hold off the No. 29 because it was coming on two fresh tires, while Johnson didn’t pit under that last caution. Well, neither did Harvick. Johnson got beat by four old tires, not two new ones. Misinformation aside, which actually came from crew chief Chad Knaus, Johnson shouldn’t have made excuses as to why he didn’t win. He should have stated how his day went and congratulated Harvick on a job well done. He lost and should have taken it like a man."

I thought Spencer was a little harsh last week when describing Johnson. Spencer can be over the top sometimes with his opinions, which makes him entertaining, but also difficult to take seriously at times. After all, Johnson probably just assumed that Harvick had fresher tires because he was significantly faster. Perhaps he should have asked crew chief Chad Knaus who had fresh tires behind him before using it as an excuse as to why he lost, but I can understand the assumption.

At Martinsville, Johnson was busted for speeding on pit road, and vehemently lashed out of NASCAR following the race.

"I wasn't speeding. They didn't like how it looked, the way I managed my timing lines. There is just no way. People will say whatever, but with the math and the way we know our timing lines, there is just no way," Johnson said after the race.

Now, I see what Jimmy Spencer is talking about. Johnson refused to believe that he could have possibly made a mistake. He threw NASCAR officials under the bus, an offense that cost Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman a pretty penny last year. Johnson issued an apology, so it is unlikely that NASCAR will fine him in a similar fashion.

I can understand in the heat of the moment wanting to blast NASCAR for a penalty that cost you a race, but he came across as a whiny victim of NASCAR's conspiracy to stop Jimmie Johnson from winning. If NASCAR did not want Johnson to win, they would have taken action five years ago. He should have taken that penalty like a champion, or in his case, a five-time champion.

Three things I learned from Martinsville

2011-04-04T14:43:00.004-04:00

1) Kevin Harvick's 2010 season was no fluke. Harvick enjoyed a career year in 2006, winning five times, but he stumbled in 2007 winning only one race. In 2008, he made the Chase but failed to log a single points-paying win. The 2009 was a total disaster. In 2010, Harvick nearly dethroned Jimmie Johnson. So, what was in store for 2011? Some probably questioned if Harvick could repeat or improve upon what he did the previous year. It appears as if he is better than 2010, and that is what it will take in order to shove Johnson off of the throne.

2) Dale Earnhardt Jr is improving. Some may say, duh! But, Earnhardt Jr has enjoyed much better luck this year than the previous two. Sometimes, the standings can be deceiving, and even though he is much higher than last year, I still wondered how much better is the performance. I sensed it was better but with Junior, there is often a letdown. However, he performed admirably at Martinsville, nearly winning a race he probably should not have won. He showed grit and determination by shoving Kyle Busch out of the way. He's not back yet, but he seems to be on the way.

3) Ryan Newman is fast. I know, he finished 20th at Martinsville, but I followed him throughout the race and he had one of the best long-run cars before he had an apparent engine malfunction. That has been the case in every race this season (the fast cars on long runs, not engine malfunctions). Often overlooked, Newman appears to be for real in 2011, and could emerge as a sleeper once the Chase rolls around.

What did you learn from the race at Martinsville?

Prepare for an overload of Earnhardt Jr articles

2011-04-04T14:19:00.005-04:00

Dale Earnhardt Jr nearly pulled off an upset at Martinsville on Sunday, but fell short when he was outmuscled by Kevin Harvick with just a couple of laps to go. Earnhardt Jr has performed light years better than he did in 2009 and 2010. When Earnhardt Jr was struggling, he was a top story among the media. However, as he begins his career resurgence, expect to read about him more and more.

Trust me, this team has it together. Do I think they are of the caliber of Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch? Not by any means. With that said, they are capable of qualifying for the Chase for the Championship.

His hard-fought second place finish in Martinsville created quite a buzz. It is likely that there will be more Earnhardt Jr articles and blog posts than any other driver this week, including Harvick. Sure, Harvick's early season success is a good story, but from the media's standpoint, it pales in comparison to an Earnhardt Jr related story, especially when it revolves around the beaten down driver fighting his way back to NASCAR relevance.

If you have a pulse, you are well aware that Earnhardt Jr is far and away NASCAR's most popular driver, as he's won the award every year since 2003. Therefore, this is what the media believes most fans want to read about. That is what they are going to focus the attention on.

As popular as Earnhardt Jr may be among the NASCAR crowd, he has his bitter detractors, as they have mocked the driver ever since his struggles began. These detractors might as well stay off their computers, because if they log on, they, too, cannot resist the temptation of reading an Earnhardt Jr headlined story. So, as you browse through articles posted on forums, Jayski, and other NASCAR news outlets, expect to read about Earnhardt Jr's runner up finish, because the media will make it the story of the week.

It's Been Awhile

2011-04-04T11:07:00.002-04:00

It's been quite some time since I posted on my own blog. Shame on me for neglecting my baby. Anyway, I'm back. I am going to post short posts about NASCAR and the media. I am not a journalist, well, I consider myself a citizen journalist/blogger. Anyway, look for regular posting from me from now on.

Jeremy

NASCAR Top 40 countdown (20th to 11th)

2010-01-29T10:32:00.002-05:00

Here is the third part of the top 40 countdown, including drivers from 11th to 20th.
Rest of article here

Top 40 countdown (30th to 21st)

2010-01-28T13:47:00.001-05:00

Top 40 countdown

NASCAR top 40 countdown, 40th to 31st

2010-01-26T16:40:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again. Writer from numerous publications display their not-so accurate side with their preseason predictions. Well, here are mine. Rest of article

NASCAR's attempt at redemption

2010-01-22T15:45:00.003-05:00

NASCAR announced a plethora of changes that will likely benefit the sport and earn the trust of the fans. Wing will become spoiler, more horsepower at Daytona, loosening the reigns on bump drafting, and allowing the drivers to show emotion were among some of the changes revealed. Rest of article

Who from 2009 Chase class will be left out of 2010 Chase

2010-01-21T23:43:00.002-05:00

Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne could miss out on 2010 Chase for the Championship after qualifying in 2009. Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Kurt Busch could be in trouble as well. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton, and Clint Bowyer are primed and ready for a return to championship contention. Rest of article

Harvick, Kahne top free agents in 2010

2010-01-19T15:35:00.002-05:00

Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne are among several drivers who have contracts expiring at the conclusion of the 2010 season. Many speculate that they may search for new teams for 2011 and beyond. Rest of article here

Busch brothers to remain with current teams

2010-01-19T11:42:00.001-05:00

Kyle Busch signs a multi-year deal with Joe Gibbs Racing. The young hothead won twelve races in two seasons in the No. 18 Toyota. Big brother Kurt will remain with Penske Racing through 2011, as Penske picked up the option. If all goes well, Kurt would like to remain at Penske long term.
Rest of article

NASCAR, Dale Junior hope spoiler will help racing

2010-01-18T13:57:00.001-05:00

NASCAR will no longer mandate the use of the rear wing. Instead, they will bring back the tradition rear aluminum spoiler. Dale Earnhardt Jr sounds off on the change. Rest of article here

Reed Sorenson lands part-time gig

2010-01-18T13:53:00.002-05:00

Reed Sorenson will take a step back and regroup in 2010, as he accepted a ride with Braun Racing to compete in at least 23 races in the Nationwide Series. In addition, he will compete in at least five Sprint Cup races for Braun Racing, including the Daytona 500. Dollar General will be the sponsor.
Entire article here

Positive changes ahead for NASCAR?

2010-01-12T21:08:00.004-05:00

With the sport in desperate need of a positive change, NASCAR could stray from their stubborn ways when it comes to the COT. There is the possibility that they will replace the rear wing with a traditional spoiler. This could reduce down force, which would help the handling of the car. The car would be less likely to become airborn. Rest of article here

It's Quiet on the Mayfield front

2009-08-04T23:43:00.004-04:00

It has been a few days since anything new has surfaced in the everlong Jeremy Mayfield versus NASCAR battle, not to mention the new war that has developed with his father's widow Lisa (or this could have been a war that had been raging behind closed doors).

The media has been all over this Jeremy Mayfield soap opera, myself included. It is an intriguing story that will not go away. I think the recent silence regarding this topic is good, because as interesting as it is, there are other things going on in the NASCAR world that deservers attention.

Prior to Indianapolis, Mayfield stated that he had a big time sponsor lined up, but an appeals judge reversed the injunction, and Lisa Mayfield sued him for defamation. Mayfield was participating in numerous interviews, but has been rather silent over the last week or so.

The race to the Chase for the Championship is heating up, so let us take advantage of the current silence in the Mayfield saga.

Change In Plans

2009-07-27T15:14:00.002-04:00

The original plan for this blog was to give updates on the latest NASCAR news. But there are hundreds of websites with the same objective. Not to mention, most of my thoughts and opinions regarding the happenings in NASCAR is published on my Atlanta NASCAR Examiner page.

After a dormant few months here at the NASCAR Racing Scene, I have decided to use the blog as a place to discuss and critique NASCAR media, similar to how John Daly at the Daly Planet discusess NASCAR television. Fans and readers are more than welcome to chime in at any time and provide their opininions and beliefs on whatever it going on in the NASCAR world.

Enjoy.

Kyle Busch wins on birthday

2009-05-04T10:51:00.002-04:00

Kyle Busch won the Crown Royal 400 on Saturday night on his 24th birthday, becoming only the second driver to accomplish that. Cale Yarborough was the other, and he did it twice, at North Wilkesboro in 1977 and Atlanta in 1983.

"It's really exciting to win on my birthday and to have my team guys enjoy it as much as I do. They're having a good time. We struggled for four weeks. It's been a struggle for us - we haven't finished where we want to. We made it happen here."

Results
Standings

David Poole, a respected journalist and author

2009-04-28T17:03:00.003-04:00

The news regarding the tragic death of Charlotte Observer NASCAR journalist David Poole caught many by surprise, as he had just returned from covering the Aaron's 499 at Talladega. Poole, 50, suffered a fatal heart attack at his Stanfield home, where his daughter called 911.

Poole had covered NASCAR for 13 years, and was one of the most recognizable journalists in the motorsports genre. His articles and stories always resembled his true feelings, as he never minced words. If you read his columns, you were reading his honest opinions. Whether you agreed with him or not, you had to respect him, not only for hist straightfoward writing style, but his indepth knowledge of the sport of NASCAR.

I became a regular reader of Poole the day I bought my own computer and was able to log on to web sites such as Thatsracin.com, Jayski.com, and NASCAR.com.

“He was the best in his field, there’s no doubt about that,” Charlotte Observer editor Rick Thames said this afternoon in announcing Poole’s death to a hushed newsroom.

Not only was Poole an esteemed journalist, but he was the author of several books such as Tim Richmond: The Fast Life and Remarkable Times of NASCAR's Top Gun; Race with Destiny; NASCAR Essential: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Real Fan! (with Jim McLaurin); and Flat Out and Half Turned Over: Tales from Pit Road with Buddy Baker.

The NASCAR media suffered a huge loss today.

Thatsracin

NASCAR places Earnhardt Jr and Mears on probation

2009-04-22T15:03:00.002-04:00

Following the race on Saturday night at Richmond, Earnhardt Jr angrily bumped Mears. Mears retaliated with a bump of his own. The reason for the incident, Mears wrecked Earnhardt Jr with just a handful of laps remaining in the race.

They will be on probation until May 31, 2009.

Thatsracin

Roush responds to McMurray rumors

2009-04-20T11:41:00.002-04:00

Last week, reports surfaced that Jamie McMurray would be the odd-man out Roush Fenway Racing once they were forced to cut back to four teams. McMurray is not signed beyond 2009 unlike his teammates.

However, team owner Jack Roush claims that no decision has been made regarding the 2010 season.

“That is premature. And if I had something to announce, there would be something written on the shelf back there [in the media center]. We’re not thinking about next year yet, we’re thinking about this year. Certainly there was nothing that has happened in the last week that is noteworthy or newsworthy and I wouldn’t care to speculate," he said this past weekend in Phoenix.

Some are speculating the McMurray and his team could end up at Yates Racing, which is the only other full time Ford team. Moreover, Yates Racing has a technical alliance with Roush Fenway Racing, so it does make sense. But the media and som fans are afraid that a move to Yates Racing would be a step back. McMurray doesn't see it that way.

"I think that the most important thing is that the media has portrayed whatever team gets moved from Roush to Yates as being a loser or as it being a demotion. It's not played out that way among the five drivers here. I don't know that anyone is like, 'Gosh, that's just going to be devastating.' The media has really played up that and made it to be - not really more than what it is - but, it's just not as big of a deal. So I guess (I would tell fans) they shouldn't worry about that, because I'm not."

Hey, there are worse teams out there than Yates Racing.

Scenedaily
Insider Racing News

Jimmie Johnson stays calm and composed

2009-04-20T11:14:00.002-04:00

In a recent interview, three-time champion Jimmie Johnson explained why he remains composed.

“I just really try to do all that I can. And with my crew guys, we’re a very close group and we all focus hard and do our jobs right. If we’re all doing our jobs right, it’ll all come together and we’ll have the success that we want. I’ve bought into that concept and we live it and we all have found ways to really maximize our particular job and it’s worked out for us. Hopefully it will last, there’s no telling how long it will last but last year it worked well.”

Johnson is aiming for his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup title

Sports Radio Interviews

Mark Martin wins Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix

2009-04-20T11:06:00.002-04:00

Mark Martin becomes the third oldest winner in NASCAR after winning the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix. He joins Harry Gant, Morgan Shepherd, and Bobby Allison as drivers with wins in their fabulous fifties. I guess fifty is the new twenty-five.

It was Martin's 36th career win, and first with Hendrick Motorsports.

results
standings

Atlanta NASCAR Examiner

Dale Earnhardt Jr's thoughts on the number 8

2009-04-17T22:52:00.002-04:00

"I'm pretty sad, but I don't think it (number 8 car) will be gone for long," Dale Earnhardt Jr said. "I wouldn't ever count them out. I wish them all the success and I (hope) they get the car funded to where Aric can get it back out on the track. He's a super guy and needs to be out on the track with us."

Those are the thoughts of Earnhardt Jr regarding the current condition of his former ride. Earnhardt Jr made his debut in the number 8 Budweiser Chevrolet at Charlotte in 1999 for DEI. He drove the car full-time full-time from 2000 to 200 and won 17 races, including the 2004 Daytona 500. He also won the 2000 All-Star race, as well as two Bud Shootouts.

He maintains that he has no harsh feelings twoards Teresa Earnhardt, who many of the fans blame for the demise of the number 8.

"I don't have any malice about what Teresa's decision was on keeping that number," Earnhardt Jr said in a Friday interview. "If I had been in her shoes, I probably would have done the same thing. That has been the case with every other owner in the past, the understanding that the numbers 'belong' to them, and I understood that."

"I wish I never would have had to change numbers," he went on to say. "I had to under the circumstances. I'm happy to have the opportunity to use the (No.) 88 and I hope to do a good job with it for all the guys that have used it in the past."

Foxsports.com

McMurray rumors starting already

2009-04-15T15:38:00.004-04:00

It is early April and the silly season rumors are running rampant throughout the Sprint Cup garage. Two weeks ago, Joey Logano was supposedly out at JGR, and to be replaced by Martin Truex Jr who is in the final year of his contract with EGR.

Now, the rumor that has intermittenly flowed throughou the garage ever since Jamie McMurray disappointing stint with Roush Fenway Racing began three years is back. According to one web site, they say that McMurray and the 26 team will be the odd ones out once Roush Fenway Racing is forced to downsize to four teams following the 2009 season.

McMurray is struggling right now, but so is David Ragan. However, Ragan is nearly ten years younger, and has UPS as a sponsor. So the speculation makes sense, but nothing is confirmed, and will not be until it has to be.

I still believe that McMurray, if he is the odd-man out, will land with Yates Racing.

Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, and Greg Biffle are the faces of RFR, and that will not change.

Virginia Pilot

Kyle Busch calls out fans

2009-04-14T15:07:00.002-04:00

Kyle Busch was ticked due to two separate reasons this past weekend at Nashville. He finished second in the Pepsi 300 as his younger teammate drove by him late in the running. His post race interview was quick and to the point, but he refrained from storming off as he has done on multiptle occasions this season.

"He [Joey Logano] had a better car on the short run, and we had a better long run car. I want to thank Z-Line, NoS Energy Drink, Toyota and all the guys on this team. They did a great job. It was just a shame that we weren’t able to get out there and win this thing. That’s kind of frustrating, but we finished second today," he said in his post race interview.

He pretty summed it all up. Busch hates losing and finishing second is no consolation.

However, he seemed equally as upset with some fans. The Nashville SuperSpeeday had an 'All Access' day for the fans, and apparently some fans were a little too zealous when it came to requesting autographs.

“Some fans in the garage area need to respect the drivers a little bit more because they’re bringing suitcases of die-casts and items that they want to get signed. Yeah, it’s our job to sign for the fans and treat them nice, but when they’ve got three suitcases of stuff, that’s a little ridiculous. If they had one or two items, I would be happy to sign for them — that’s fine. But three suitcases is a little outrageous," he said.

Three suitcases seems a little of an exaggeratoin, but you can somewhat understand his frustration. However, it is their job to sign for the fans, and treat them nice, or is it? Treating people nice shouldn't be a job. It should be a way of life. I wonder what Kyle said to the fan with 'three suitcases'.

Frontstrecth

Rusty Wallace Could Move Team to Cup

2009-04-13T10:24:00.002-04:00

Rusty Wallace is mulling the possibility of moving his Nationwide Series operation to the Sprint Cup Series. RWI fields cars for Rusty's son Steve, as well as former Camping World Series Truck driver and Sprint Cup Series driver Brendan Gaughan. This team has not won a race since Jamie McMurray won in 2004.

Clearly, RWI would need an alliance, similar to how Stewart Haas Racing has Hendrick Motorsports, or Yates Racing has Roush Fenway Racing. It would seem that Rusty's close ties with former team Penske Racing, it would make sense that RWI would compete under the Penske Racing unbrella. Rusty drove for Roger Penske from 1991 to his retirement in 2005. However, that is not the name that Rusty mentioned when discussing the possibility of a Cup alliance.

“I’d definitely be looking at doing some type of technology merger with a team, and the one that makes the most sense is Childress,” the 1989 champion said. “That’d be a quick way to get going.”

“I want to move up,” Rusty Wallace said. “My goal was to get Steven up to speed. Looks like the crashing has finally stopped. The good finishes are happening. We’ve got all this year of Nationwide to go," he went on to say.

It appears this move could happen as soon as 2010.

Last fall, there was a rumor that Rusty would drive for DEI, but that rumor was quickly denied by Rusty himself.

Scenedaily

RWI currently uses engines provided by Richard Childress Racing.

MWR gives Ryan Truex an opportunity

2009-04-10T10:37:00.004-04:00

While the future is uncertain for NASCAR Sprint Cup star Martin Truex Jr, his kid brother Ryan Truex is securing his future. Michael Waltrip Racing signed the 17 year old driver for a ride in the Camping World East Series in 2009. MWR is rapidly growing into a weekly contender on the Sprint Cup level, so this could be a golden opportunity for Truex.

Truex's racing career began when he was really young, hoping to follow in the footsteps as if father and brother. He spent four years racing Bandoleros.

“Pairing with a racing organization like Michael Waltrip Racing and having NAPA AUTO PARTS on my Toyota is a great opportunity for me,” said Truex.

“The Truex's had the cars and the engines, but needed someone to house, employ the staff and operate the team. I've known the Truex's since we approached Truex Jr. about driving for DEI's nationwide team in 2003. Ryan has the bloodline and needed the opportunity, so we partnered in this entry. We heard he was aggressive and fast and we can’t wait to see him compete," said MWR GM Ty Norris, who used to work for DEI when Martin Truex Jr began his Nationwide Series career.

This may mean that MWR is grooming Ryan to replace Michael Waltrip in a few years. Waltrip is in the latter stages of his career, but has a couple of good years left. It may take just that long for Ryan to adequately develop.

Michael Waltrip Racing PR

Travis Kvapil still wants to race for Yates

2009-04-10T10:27:00.002-04:00

Travis Kvapil is watching the races from the comfort of his own home this season. While his couch may be comfortable, I know mine is, he would much rather be strapped into one of those cars circling a track for 500 miles.

"I don't like sitting on the couch. I don't like not being there, not competing," he said earlier in the week.

Kvapil is a respected driver in the garage, and a driver that possesses immense talent, he just has not had the opportunities to show what he can do. In his first go-round in the Cup series, he drove for Penske Racing in 2005, and at the time, they were three single-car teams in one shop. Ryan Newman and Rusty Wallace created a war zone in the Penske shop, and Kvapil was a rookie needing help from Rusty as a veteran, and younger driver Newman, who had recently been where Kvapil was.

With Yates Racing, Kvapil was competitive despite the fact that he was in inferior equipment with limited funding. He finished the season 24th in the standings, and had some stout performance throughout the season. It is a shame that a sponsor could not be found for the No. 28 team.

"They didn't scavenge any parts or pieces from the 28 bunch to go to any other team. The 28 car is ready to go," he said, as he hopes to return with his former team.

However, Yates Racing will not hold him back if another opportunity presents itself.

"The Yates group told me if something did come up, they wouldn't necessarily hold me back from competing, we'd just have to work it out," he said.

Scenedaily

Hunt Brothers Pizza to sponsor RPM, Allmendinger

2009-04-08T13:52:00.003-04:00

While the 2009 Sprint Cup season came to a screeching halt for drivers such as Travis Kvapil and Yates Racing and Aric Almirola and EGR, A.J. Allmendinger's season was extended with the signing of another sponsor. RPM announced that Hunt Brothers Pizza will sponsor Allmendinger in six races, including the All Star race.

Hunt Brothers Pizza sporadically sponsored Scott Riggs and Johnny Sauter at Haas CNC Racing in 2008.

“This is awesome news,” said Allmendinger, who is 20th in the championship standings despite. “I want to thank Hunt Brothers Pizza for coming on board and supporting us. I know our fans and NASCAR fans in general certainly appreciate all they are doing for the sport. We plan to give Hunt Brothers Pizza a lot to talk about in the coming weeks.”

At a time when sponsors are difficult to come by, Allmendinger's solid performances have kept him afloat in 2009.

Richard Petty Motorsports PR

No more number 8, EGR suspends team

2009-04-07T23:27:00.003-04:00

Just two years ago, the No. 8 Chevrolet was the most recognizable car on the track. Now, the car will no longer be on the track unless sponsorship can be found. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing officials decided the park the team until adequate sponsorship can be signed.

After Dale Earnhardt Jr departed DEI following the 2007 season, Mark Martin and Aric Almirola split the ride in 2008. Martin nearly won a couple of races, but Almirola struggled. Martin left DEI for a full-time ride with Hendrick Motorsports leaving the young Almirola with the daunting task of bringing the No. 8 team back to glory.

Not only did Martin leave the team, but the U.S. Army sponsorship left the team to sign with Stewart Haas Racing and driver Ryan Newman. To add salt to the wound, virtually the entire team went to Newman's new team. Furthermore, Paul Menard and his father's secure sponsorship left the team for Yates Racing. The loss of key drivers and sponsors made the decision to merge with Chip Ganassi Racing that much easier.

Rumors have surfaced that Martin Truex Jr has an out to his contract with EGR if the No. 8 team shut down, but those rumors have been denied.

Almirola is currenlty 37th in the standings, 59 points behind the 35th place driver Joey Logano.

Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Burton, Bobby Hillin Jr, Dale Earnhardt Sr, and Joe Weatherly are just a few that piloted the No. 8 car. The No. 8 will likely return to the track at some point in time.

Foxsports

Petty fields IRL team, adds to Allmendinger's schedule

2009-04-07T10:40:00.003-04:00

Stock car luminary Richard Petty will field a car for John Andretti in this year's Indianapolis 500. Petty has never fielded an open wheel car, but he will attempt the transition in May of 2009 with Andretti, the nephew of open wheel legend Mario Andretti.

It will be a Honda powered Petty blue number 43. John Andretti drove for Petty Enterprises from 1998 to 2003, and won a race at Martinsville in 1999. Andretti currently drives for Front Row Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series.

Richard Petty Motorsports announced that they intend to increase the workload for Sprint Cup driver A.J. Allmendinger, who was originally slated for a partial schedule. After the Coca Cola 600, which is on the same weekend as the Indy 500, Allmendinger did not have sponsorship. It is unclear as to how many more races RPM intends for run for Allmendinger.

Allmendinger is currently 20th in the Sprint Cup championship standings, just 104 points behind Jeff Burton, who is 12th in the standings.

Joe Gibbs Racing has reportedly expressed interest in Allmendinger, who could emerge as one of the top free agents in 2009.

Associated Press
Foxsports

Truex Jr says he will ride out contract

2009-04-07T10:28:00.002-04:00

The latest rumor this past weekend was that Martin Truex Jr would be let out of his contract once the No. 8 closes down, freeing him from his duties with EGR. Supposedly, he would replace the fledgline rookie Joey Logano at Joe Gibbs Racing. Logano has proven that he was unprepared for NASCAR's highest level of competition.

Truex Jr stated that he intends to fulfill his part of the contract.

"When I give someone my word by signing a contract, if they keep theirs and I keep my mind, there's no reason to ever think about doing anything else, obviously," Truex said. "Right now, my focus is on getting this car better and moving up in the points. We're back here where we shouldn't be. We've never been back this far before and we've had a tough start to the year."

Joe Gibbs also stated that Joey Logano will remain the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota.

"Joey's our guy. We haven't had any conversations with anyone," he said.

He did say, however, that a fourth team is on the horizon.

"We'd like to have someone in line (for a frouth team) by summer time, but you have to sit down, look at what partner is available, what driver is available and who would be a good fit for the team. We had [#96] Hall of Fame last year and we don't have it now. So we have room for a fourth team. We'd love to have it," he said.

Foxsports

Jeff Gordon Breaks 47-race Winless skid

2009-04-06T11:51:00.001-04:00

Jeff Gordon won his first race at Texas Motor Speedway in his seventeenth try, but more importantly, he won his first race since October of 2007. He held off his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson en route to his 82nd career victory lane celebration.

Results

Standings

Las Vegas Appreciates NASCAR More Than New York

2009-04-03T10:38:00.004-04:00

Well, according to a report, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series banquet will move to Las Vegas, Nevada. This rumor has circulated for several years now, and it seems to be coming to fruition. New York hosted the banquet ever since 1981, as NASCAR desired attention from the New York market and media.

Unfortunately, New York always seemed to put NASCAR on the back burner. The sport born in the south was never going to take precedence over the Yankees, or Mets, or Giants, or Jets, or Knicks, or Islanders, or Rangers. Heck, even the New Jersey Nets and New Jersey Devils seemed higher on the priority list. While the week-long event drew a respectable crowd every year, it never captured the New York presence.

In fact, at times, it seemed as if NASCAR was a burden. One year, they interviewed several New Yorkers and they have never heard of several of NASCAR's biggest stars. Last year, the Victory Lap did not exist. I guess the engines were too loud and obnoxious for the locals. It also caused traffic issues. I guess the cab drivers were getting annoyed.

Anyway, the city of Las Vegas has welcomed NASCAR. The race held in Sin City always sells out. It is not New York obviously, but by going to Las Vegas, NASCAR will not have to try as hard to make their event more appealing. It will be in a place that has grown accustomed to NASCAR. And Las Vegas has no major professional sports teams hogging the media spotlight.

Las Vegas Review Journal

Jeff Gordon was best at Martinsville? No Way!

2009-04-01T11:19:00.003-04:00

One thing that irks me is some of these NASCAR polls on certain web sites. The results are ridiculous and it is more of a popularity contest than anything. According to a recent poll on Foxsports.com, they asked, 'Who was best at Martinsville?' The options were Jimmie Johnson (winner), Denny Hamlin (led race-high 296 laps and finished 2nd), or Jeff Gordon (led 147 laps and finished 4th).

Guess which one has the most votes by an overwhelming margin? As of the posting of the blog entry, there were 62,844 votes. 74 percent of the voters chose Jeff Gordon, for some reason. Seriously, do the voters honestly think that Jeff Gordon had the best performance? This is no knock on Gordon whatsoever. He had a great run at Martinsville, but to say that he outperformed race winner Jimmie Johnson, or even runner-up Denny Hamlin, who led nearly 150 more laps, and finished two positions better, is ludicrous.

It is those kind of results that ruin the credibility of NASCAR polls. I understand fans love Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr, but at least read the question on the poll before you automatically press the button beside those drivers.

I am not sure how much longer that poll will be on the frontpage, but I urge fans to go on to that poll and vote with an open mind.

Foxpsorts.com

Kevin Harvick is no free agent

2009-03-31T14:50:00.002-04:00

"I have another year on my contract after this year [with Richard Childress Racing], so I'm not in the middle of all that stuff this year. So you can go ahead and check my name off that list. We have an extension in my contract that we signed about a year and a half ago. It goes through 2010," said Richard Childress Racing driver Kevin Harvick.

The statement immediately takes Harvick off the free agent market. Prior to the 2009 season, many expected Roush Fenway Racing driver Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick to emerge as the top free agents; however, both star drivers will remain with their current teams. Harvick is signed through 2010.

Ever since Harvick re-signed with RCR in 2006, he has qualified for the Chase for the Championship in each season, and owns six wins, including the 2007 Daytona 500. Additionally, he won the 2007 All-Star event.

My prediction is that Harvick will stay with RCR while his own organization, Kevin Harvick Inc. continues to grow. He may end his driving career in his own equipment, but for now and in the near future, expect to see him in driving the No. 29 Chevy.

ESPN

Jimmie Johnson continues to dominate Martinsville

2009-03-31T14:40:00.002-04:00

No surprise here! Jimmie Johnson wins at Martinsville. For what ever reason, he and his crew chief have this track figured out. He used a bump-n-run maneuver on Denny Hamlin with fifteen laps to go to score his first victory of the season.

Goody's 500 results
Updated standings

Martin Must Make A Decision by July

2009-03-27T17:05:00.002-04:00

Mark Martin has hinted that he would like to compete full-time in 2010 for Hendrick Motorsports. Originally, many assumed Martin was going to share the No. 5 with Brad Keselowski in 2010, but it is looking more and more like Martin may stick around for yet another season.

He was supposed to retire after 2005, but Jack Roush convinced him to stick around for another year. He has been unable to give up racing at NASCAR's highest level of competition.

Rick Hendrick stated that he would like to know Martin's intentions by July of this year, giving Martin three months to decide.

"He's delivered everything I thought and more," Hendrick said during a recent conference call. "He's a huge asset to this company...He's got so much talent. I think the sport needs him. The sport would miss him."

There's no convincing [me]," Martin said. "We just don't need to discuss that right now. We've got more important things at hand."

ESPN

A new date for the Daytona 500?

2009-03-27T10:52:00.003-04:00

The NFL seems to have quite a bit of influence on NASCAR. As the top sport in our country, all sports are looking up to the NFL, even NASCAR. The Super Bowl, a single game, has long replaced the MLB World Series, a best of seven-game series, as the top championship showdown in all of sports.

Now, with the possibility of an expansion in the NFL schedule, the season would be extended, meaning that the Super Bowl could be moved to the weekend of Daytona 500 qualifying, or even the Daytona 500 weekend. Ever sine 1971, the Great American Race has been scheduled for the Sunday prior to the third Monday in February. It has become a holiday for traditional race fans.

If NASCAR has to alter its date for its biggest and most prestigious race, once again, tradition will be thrown out the window. Should NASCAR have to change the date of the Daytona 500 because the NFL decided they wanted more games on the schedule? No, they should not have to; however, they would be foolish not to. While the Daytona 500 is the most viewed motorsports event in the country on an annual basis, it would greatly suffer if it were on the same day as the Super Bowl.

First of all, the NFL has a more diverse fan base. Furthermore, many NASCAR fans are also NFL fans, which means, they have spent five months watching football. They are going to want to see who wins the Super Bowl. Because the Daytona 500 is the opening event on the NASCAR schedule, these fans have not spent the last five months watching NASCAR, so clearly, the Super Bowl will win out in most cases.

And what if the Sprint Cup season is pushed back two weeks. If they intend to maintain the handful of off-weekends during the season, Ford championship weekend in Homestead will be in December.

Or would NASCAR simply follow all other sports and make its biggest event the grand finale? It is another tradition-killer, but it makes sense.

If this proposed change in the NFL sked occurs, it will be in 2011.

Scenedaily

photo credit (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Ten-lap shootout back in All Star race

2009-03-25T13:32:00.002-04:00

Some of the most exhilarating finishes in All Star history have occurred under the ten-lap shootout format. From Dale Earnhardt's pass in the grass to Jeff Gordon running out of gas on the final lap, this format has seen it all.

Last year, there were four 25-lap segments, which did not seem to sit well with the drivers. However, necessary changes have been made to bring back vintage all-star racing. The format is listed below:

• Segment 1 -- 50 laps with a mandatory green-flag pit stop on Lap 25 at which time teams must pit and take four tires. Following the end of Segment 1, the caution flag will be displayed for an optional pit stop.
• Segment 2 -- 20 laps with the caution flag displayed at the end of the segment for an optional pit stop.
• Segment 3 -- 20 laps with a 10-minute break at the end of the segment. Teams may make normal adjustments to their cars during this break. The finishing order after the third segment determines the final starting positions for the final segment.
• Segment 4 -- 10-lap shootout with only green-flag laps counting.

"The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is always wild and that's what's so exciting about it," said the 50-year-old Martin who will be starting in his 20th All Star event. "This race is all about winning. There are no points on the line and second doesn't really mean anything. It's all about pride and celebrating with your team."

NASCAR.com

Kerry, Jeffrey Earnhardt Find a Nationwide ride

2009-03-24T17:21:00.003-04:00

Following the DEI and Chip Ganassi merger, I often wondered what was going to become of Jeffrey Earnhardt, the son of Kerry, grandson of Dale. He was a DEI developmental driver in the Camping World East Series ever since 2007. He produced decent results, and certainly has a future in this sport.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing does not have a Nationwide Series program at the moment, so if the Earnhardts were going to ever get an opportunity in that series, it would have to be with another team. Rick Ware Racing reached an agreement to field cars for both Kerry and his son Jeffrey in select races in 2009.

Ware owns the No. 31 car mostly driven by movie stunt man Stanton Barrett. He also owns the No. 41 car, which was recently driven by veteran Derrike Cope.

"I’m excited to take my race team to a new level. We’re starting a new chapter in a couple different people’s lives. We’re [looking] forward to working with a kid with a lot of potential,” said team owner Rick Ware.

Kerry, 39, will compete in the upcoming races at Texas and Talladega, and possibly some more. Jeffrey, 19, will compete in seven races throughout the 2009 season. Included in his agenda is the races Dover, Chicago, Watkins Glen, Montreal, Michigan, Atlanta and Charlotte. Races at Iowa and California are possibilities.

“It helps continue to develop him, which has been our goal since we started this with Jeffrey at Dale Earnhardt Inc. With the economy the way it is and DEI not having a Nationwide program, this is a great opportunity to continue that development with him,” said Kerry.

“They’re trying to get me approved for the bigger tracks to get me prepared for 2010. That way, I’m approved for every track going into 2010," said Jeffrey.

In my opinion, the opportunity to drive in lesser equipment could help Jeffrey in the long run. After all, that is how his grandfather did it.

Scenedaily

Kyle Busch wins again...and calls out Earnhardt Jr

2009-03-23T14:42:00.002-04:00

Kyle Busch dominated the Food City 500 by leading 378 of the 503 laps paced around the 0.533-mile bullring. Every once in a while, Denny Hamlin or Jimmie Johnson would mount a challenge, but in all reality, Busch had the fastest car by far. Hamlin, Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top five. Marcos Ambrose scored a top ten, the first for him in Sprint Cup at an oval.

Joey Logano and David Gilliland are in the top 35 in the owner's standings, and Scott Speed and Aric Almirola are on the outside looking in.

Food City 500 results

championship standings

Following the victory, some are insinuating that Busch took a verbal jab at Dale Earnhardt Jr when he said, "I think it's cool it works that way (hearing the jeers when he wins), but I don't use it (as motivation). What I use is the car in front of me. If there's a car in front of me, I'm going to chase him. ... I want to pass that guy. If I'm the leader, there's another car in front of me, he's going a lap down. The more guys you get a lap down, the more you don't have to deal with at the end of the day. There's always some motivation to go forward. "

He went on to say, "For me, I don't think I would enjoy having the most fans out there. I actually like the way I am, the role I portray. And I think that there's probably too much pressure on one guy's shoulders who doesn't seem to win very often. But for us, it's a blast to go out there and do what we do."

Kyle Busch was basically saying that Earnhardt Jr does not win very often. While it may be the case at the moment, it certainly stirs the pot, especially considering that Earnhardt Jr is a tad bit grouchy this year, and will probably take offense to that statement.

Oh yeah, Busch said this during the race when Earnhardt Jr was granted the Lucky Dog. ''Eighty-eight, lucky dog. Hahahahaha!"

Last year, Busch insinuated that Carl Edwards uses steroids, and he called Kevin Harvick a hothead. He likes to talk, that is the truth. I have a feeling, I honestly do, that someone is going to punch him in the face before too long. He is going to tick off the wrong guy one of these days. Anyway, he is having the time of his life right now.

Thatsracin

Championship format that could reward winning or consistency

2009-03-19T11:06:00.009-04:00

In Formula One, the driver who wins the most races in a single season wins the championship. It makes sense. It is a straightforward way to provoke drivers and teams to go all out to win races instead of settling for second and third place finishes for the sake of consistency.

In NASCAR, consistency has defeated frequent winning on several occasions. For instance, Alan Kulwicki won the 1992 title with two wins, while Bill Elliott and Davey Allision scored five wins each. In 1996, Terry Labonte won only two races and the championship, while his teammate Jeff Gordon won ten races.

More recently, Matt Kenseth captured the 2003 title with a single win, while Ryan Newman won eight races. For the casual fan, it can be rather confusing...a driver with one win is better than a guy with eight wins, but NASCAR has long rewarded consistency. Even under the new Chase for the Championship format, you have to be consistent, at least for ten races. And in order to have an opportunity to win the title, you have to be consistent enough to qualify among the top twelve drivers.

I think rewarding winning is a brilliant idea. I understand why F1 is implementing this format. However, I do not feel as if NASCAR must follow suit. NASCAR is not a copy cat series and should not immulate the series that has always seemed condescending towards NASCAR or any American racing series for that matter.

A quick idea that I have formulated...keep the same system as is. However, the driver with the most wins is rewarded 100 bonus points at the end of the season. In some cases, the driver with the most wins will overcome the more consistent driver, and in other cases, he just was not consistent enough despite the wins. In this format, winning means more, but it does not totally eliminate the need for consistency. (If two drivers that were not first in the standings, but had same number of wins, which was the most of all drivers, the driver highest in the standings gets the 100 bonus pts)

Here is a look at how the format would have impacted past championships since 1990

1990- nothing would have changed
1991- champion would stay the same, but Davey Allison would move from third to second.
1992- Kulwicki won title, but Bill Elliott would have won with five wins and 100 pts bonus
1993- Dale Earnhardt won title, but Rusty Wallace would have won with ten wins and 100 bonus pts
1994- nothing would have changed
1995- nothing would have changed
1996- Terry Labonte won title, but Jeff Gordon would have won with ten wins and 100 bonus pts
1997- nothing would have changed
1998- nothing would have changed
1999- nothing would have changed
2000- champion would stay the same, but Tony Stewart would move from sixth to fifth with six wins and 100 bonus pts
2001- nothing would have changed
2002- nothing would have changed
2003- champion would stay the same, but Ryan Newman would move from sixth to fourth with eight wins and 100 bonus pts
2004- Kurt Busch won title, but Jimmie Johnson would have won with eight wins and 100 bonus pts
2005- Tony Stewart won title, but Greg Biffle would have won with six wins and 100 bonus pts
2006- champion would stay the same, but Kasey Kahne would move from eighth to sixth with six wins and 100 bonus pts
2007- nothing would have changed
2008- Jimmie Johnson won title, but Carl Edwards would have won with nine wins and 100 bonus pts.

In nineteen years, only six times would the champion have been different, and the final standings would have been impacted ten times.

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