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  • Pair of No. 4 Teams, Others Facing Post-Atlanta Penalties

    Pair of No. 4 Teams, Others Facing Post-Atlanta Penalties

    The action and on-track drama at Atlanta Motor Speedway caused some teams to face post-race penalties across all three major NASCAR touring series.

    In the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the race-winning team of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driven by veteran Kevin Harvick had one unsecured lug nut in post-race inspection. Crew chief Rodney Childers was fined $10,000 for the safety violation. No further fines or suspensions were placed on the team.

    Childers stated on Twitter his focus was on the win. While he knew his pit crew missed one lug nut, he understood what was on the line with that final pit stop.

    In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, two teams faced penalties for the same actions as Harvick’s team. The No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet and the No. 52 Means Motorsports Chevrolet were caught with one unsecured lug nut during post-race inspection on Saturday. Crew chiefs for both teams, Mike Shiplett and Tim Brown respectively, were each fined $5,000 with no further penalties. John Hunter Nemechek made his Xfinity series debut in the No. 42, finishing in the fourth position, while David Starr drove the No. 52 car to a 28th place result.

    However, it seems Kyle Busch received the most attention from the weekend. In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, his No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota received the biggest penalty across all three series.

    With six laps to go in the Active Pest Control 200 at Atlanta, Josh Reaume hit the wall, bringing out the yellow flag and sending the leaders to pit road in preparation for a two-lap overtime. Busch’s pit crew had trouble on the right-front tire, causing a delay with the pit stop. The rear tire changer came around to the left side and loosened the lug nuts already, as the team had already prepared to change all four tires. However, once the issue was corrected on the right front and the jack dropped, Busch and his crew chief called an audible for just right-side tires, leaving his pit box to keep his lead. He pulled away before the crew could place lug nuts back on the left rear tire. Ultimately, the tire came off while Busch was on the apron of turns 1 and 2, and had to back up onto pit row with sparks flying from underneath the truck. Busch ended the race in the 21st position, one lap down.

    Busch’s misfortune resulted in Brett Moffitt’s improbable win Saturday.

    According to the NASCAR Camping World Truck series, the rulebook states: “Any loss or separation of an improperly installed tire(s)/wheel(s) from the vehicle after exiting the team’s assigned pit box will result in a three-race suspension of the crew chief, tire changer of the lost wheel(s), and the jack man.”

    While Busch’s crew chief, Marcus Richmond, is an employee of Kyle Busch Motorsports, the jackman and rear tire changer were both from Stewart-Haas Racing. Coleman Dollarhide is a rear tire changer on Cole Custer’s Xfinity team and Kurt Busch’s Cup team. Jackman Ernie Pierce services Clint Bowyer’s Cup car at SHR. The main concern was how the penalty would affect Dollarhide and Pierce for their responsibilities to the other teams in the other NASCAR series.

    To Dollarhide’s and Pierce’s relief, NASCAR announced Wednesday morning that they both would still be eligible to perform their duties in both the Xfinity and Cup series and that their penalty would only affect the Truck series.

    When asked about the penalties issued to the various crew members, Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s chief racing development officer, shared in an interview on Monday the process they took to reach this conclusion.

    “I think that’s really the discussion, not so much will they be penalized; it’s should it just apply to the Camping World Truck Series. I think that’s where we’re leaning but (series officials) wanted to take the time to get through the weekend and have that dialogue internally.

    “We want to be as fair as we can. We want the penalty obviously to have some teeth into it. We think it does in terms of the suspension. We want to make sure it possibly just applies to that series and who is working on that race.’’

    Marcus Richmond, who was also suspended and faced fines, shared his disappointment in himself in a tweet on Wednesday morning.

    All three major touring series return to racing action this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Tickets are still available and can be purchased through the speedway’s website at http://www.lvms.com/tickets/pennzoil_400/.

  • Johnson’s Early Struggles Will Not Define His Success

    Johnson’s Early Struggles Will Not Define His Success

    Although Jimmie Johnson is currently 35th in points with back to back finishes of 27th or worse, he is still optimistic about the 2018 season.

    The uncharacteristic results of the 2017 season seem to have rolled over into the first two races and both exhibition events of the season. Last year, Johnson posted a career-worst 11 top-10 finishes and a 10th place finish in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. So far this season, he has been involved in a crash in every event, has a DNF in three of the four races, and has yet to lead a lap.

    In the Daytona 500, the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet crashed when the field entered Turn 3 coming to the green-checkered flag at the end of Stage 1, resulting in a 38th place finish. This past week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the team struggled with handling and car setup all weekend. Johnson spun on the backstretch on lap 159 after a right front tire came apart. He finished in the 27th position, five laps down.

    When asked about the crash at the Daytona 500, Johnson wasn’t pleased with how the competition was racing so early in the event.

    “Unfortunately, many thought that was the black and white checkered flag and not the green and white checkered flag,” Johnson said after he was released from the infield care center. “On Lap 59 to be throwing blocks like that just let to a lot of wrecked race cars.”

    The exhibition races proved no different. In the Advance Auto Parts Clash, Johnson was involved in a last-lap crash coming to the checkered flag. Later, during Daytona Speedweeks, he crashed on Lap 8 in the first Can-Am Duel qualifying race with a sudden flat left-rear tire at full speed at the exit of the tri-oval, collecting Aric Almirola.

    However, ‘Seven-Time’ is determined not to let the end of last season and the first two rounds of 2018 determine his success for this year. He reassured his fans and team through a tweet Monday after the Atlanta race.

    The Hendrick Motorsports veteran doesn’t seem fazed two races into the season and is confident about his pursuit of a record-breaking eighth championship. Johnson looks to break through this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he holds four career victories. To witness the race in person on March 4, you can order tickets for the Pennzoil 400 on the speedway’s website at http://www.lvms.com/tickets/pennzoil_400/.

  • John Hunter Nemechek Places 4th in Xfinity Series Debut

    John Hunter Nemechek Places 4th in Xfinity Series Debut

    After a flat tire during Stage 1, John Hunter Nemechek battled back to finish fourth in his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Saturday’s Rinnai 250.

    Chip Ganassi Racing announced back in December that Nemechek would make his debut in the stock car series. His performance, however, made it seem as if he was a veteran in the series. His first qualifying attempt for a Xfinity race placed him in the third overall position to start Saturday’s race with a speed of 180.769, one of only six drivers to break the 180 mph barrier.

    As for the race, the first 35 laps were eventful for Nemechek to say the least. On Lap 10, Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler and John Hunter Nemechek bumped through Turns 3 and 4. The unfortunate victim was Cole Custer, who would crash into the wall with heavy damage and end his day early. On Lap 33, Nemechek would blow a right front tire. Miraculously, he saved the car from crashing, which allowed his team to change tires and get him back to racing action. Even though he fell a lap down early in the event, he would battle back to put himself in the Lucky Dog position and place himself back on the lead lap. His and the team’s hard work paid off as they finished in the fourth position, claiming the highest finish of any Chevrolet in the field.

    Nemechek shared his perspective of his weekend during a post-race interview.

    “I’m happy with the outcome that we had, finishing fourth there. My goal was to come here and run all the laps, learning as much as I could and hopefully bring home a top-five run. After we unloaded yesterday [Friday], my first ever lap in an Xfinity car was lap one of practice. I have definitely learned a lot from both practice sessions, qualifying and the race.

    “We blew a right front at the end of the first stage. It seemed like tire wear was really big today, and we were victim to circumstances. Luckily, we were able to get the Lucky Dog, get back on the lead lap and rebound from the back to come back to the front. At that last pit stop, we were able to get by Elliott [Sadler] to bring it home fourth.

    “I’m looking forward to getting in more races as the year goes on.”

    When asked about his performance during the final run of the race, Nemechek credited his spotter for his guidance and his crew chief for their relationship.

    “Listening to Mike Shiplett and Derek Kneeland. Derek up on the spotter’s stand just telling me to be patient. I feel like myself and Mike Shiplett have created a good communicational bond so far this year, being able to make adjustments on the race car and trying to fix what we need to fix to make it faster at the end.”

    Nemechek does come from a racing family. His father, Joe who is nicknamed “Front Row Joe,” made a solid career in the Monster Energy Cup Series with four wins and 10 poles across 23 years. He also gathered over a dozen victories in the Xfinity series. His uncle, John Nemechek, was also a NASCAR competitor, primarily in what is now the Camping World Truck Series. He competed in 43 events over three years until 1997 when he suffered a fatal crash at Homestead-Miami Speedway during a Truck race.

    John Hunter shared his excitement on his official Twitter account shortly after the race.

    Nemechek will pilot the No. 42 Chevrolet in multiple Xfinity Series races throughout the year, sharing the ride with Kyle Larson.

    “I feel like going over to Chip Ganassi Racing, an established team who have won races, has helped as well,” declared Nemechek. “I feel like going over there, being able to talk with the guys and create relationships definitely helps. Any lap that you’re on the track, you’re gaining experience, and experience is key. Nothing can outweigh that.”

    Chase Briscoe also made his debut in the Xfinity Series, finishing in the 15th position.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series will race next at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 3 for the Boyd Gaming 300. You can order race tickets on the speedway’s website at http://www.lvms.com/tickets/pennzoil_400/.

  • Ringing the Bell

    Ringing the Bell

    Atlanta was only the second race of this season but we already saw a glimpse of who can be a threat for the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship this season.

    Although Christopher Bell did not dominate Atlanta nor win the race, he turned some heads after Saturday’s race. Last year’s Truck Series champion only led 12 laps in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota but finished third and presented speed and experience behind the wheel.

    With five laps to go Bell gave up the second position to Joey Logano after tagging the wall.

    “I just got really loose there on the last run,” Bell said.

    Racing around experienced drivers like Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano, the rookie displayed intelligence and patience behind the wheel. Throughout most of the second half of the race, Bell observed the dominance of Harvick as he controlled the race as the leader.

    But is Bell going to be as dominant as he was last season in the Truck Series?

    Despite wrecking out of Daytona and not winning Atlanta we can’t say that just yet. His performance at Atlanta Motor Speedway was impressive but not surprising.

    Last year Bell won five Truck Series races and a championship. The youngster also took home a trophy after winning the XFINITY race at Kansas.

    Bell began the season with momentum after winning a championship which can truly prosper his success this season in the XFINITY Series.

    The NASCAR youth movement is not only taking over the top three national series but is also bringing in talent that we may not have seen in past years.

    Many of these young drivers that have succeeded in the Truck Series and XFINITY Series have already leaped into the Cup Series. Some of those drivers that were just starting out their NASCAR careers have already been able to race for a Daytona 500 trophy.

    It seems like Bell is already headed toward that track. If he continues to build success this season, Bell can certainly be the guy to beat for the championship in the final race in Miami.

     

  • Kyle Busch on Pole at Atlanta, First at 1.5-Mile Oval

    Kyle Busch on Pole at Atlanta, First at 1.5-Mile Oval

    Kyle Busch will have a front row seat when the field takes the green flag for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race after qualifying with the fastest speed of 184.652 mph at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  Driving the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Busch nabbed the top spot from Ryan Newman (184.419 mph) and clinched his first career pole at the iconic 1.5-mile oval.

    Busch was cautiously optimistic after winning the pole.

    “The pole run was really good with being able to start up front where we left off last year having strong qualifying efforts each week all year long.” But, he added, “Atlanta is a tough place. It certainly isn’t easy, you have to able to make sure you bide your time here with the tires and everything. Going through three rounds of qualifying is a challenge and it certainly was for us. But we got it right there on the last round and were certainly were able to hit a good lap there on the last one. We got everything we needed out of the racecar, so we certainly were glad the time popped up when it did to put us on the top of the sheet and we’re looking forward to Sunday.”

    Ryan Newman will join Busch on the front row after qualifying with the second fasted speed.

    “We’ve got a good racecar with our Liberty National Life Insurance Chevrolet. Obviously, the Camaro is strong out of the box, but wish we could have got that pole for them as well as us. Just in general, look forward to this weekend,” Newman said.

    Kevin Harvick (184.388 mph) will start third, placing all three manufacturers in the top-3 starting positions. Daniel Suarez (184.229 mph) and Brad Keselowski (183.856 mph) round out the top-five.

    “I think everybody did a great job on our Jimmy John’s/Busch Ford and the car still had speed. It just didn’t drive as good as we needed it to drive to cut to the center of the corner and it was just way too tight the whole time. We were that way in race trim too, and you don’t get a lot of chances at it in practice to try and make it better, so we took our best guess at it,” Harvick said.

    Perhaps the biggest news besides Busch’s first career pole at the speedway was the pre-qualifying inspection failure by defending Monster Energy Cup champion, Martin Truex Jr. After three failed attempts to pass through Optical Scanning Station, NASCAR’s rule book states that a crew member gets ejected and the team is docked 30 minutes of practice. Blake Harris, car chief for the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota will be ejected for the remainder of the weekend. Truex will start at the rear of the field, as he and Harrison Rhodes did not turn a lap during qualifying.

    “NASCAR’s new inspection process is just that … new,” said Joe Garone, president of Furniture Row Racing. “The tolerances are very tight, within thousandths of an inch. It’s difficult to push the limits where you feel you need to and still be within the tolerances of the new system. One thing we won’t do is leave anything on the table and expect to get poles and wins. We will always push for the maximum.”

    Notable drivers eliminated during the first round of qualifying include Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and last week’s Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who topped first practice earlier in the day, backed up his run with a sixth-place start at 183.722 mph for Sunday’s race.

    “Some days you do and some days you don’t and we didn’t today. So, I don’t know. We were way off, not even close. So, I don’t really have much of an excuse for it. We just didn’t hit it right today and we’ll go to work tonight and work through it and hopefully get ready for tomorrow. It’s our only option now,” Elliott said.

    The green flag will wave on Sunday afternoon for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 shortly after 2 p.m. ET at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

  • Stenhouse Tops Speed Charts in First Practice

    Stenhouse Tops Speed Charts in First Practice

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finds himself on top of the Monster Energy Cup leaderboard in Friday’s opening practice at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Larson, Wallace, Ty Dillon and Bowman round out the top-5.

    Stenhouse took his Roush Fenway Racing No. 17 Ford and broke the 186 mph bracket, clocking an average speed of 186.384 mph. Last year’s pole sitter, Kevin Harvick, finished practice with the 7th fastest speed at 184.979 mph. Brad Keselowski, defending race winner, struggled with speed and winds up 24th on the speed chart at 182.693 mph.

    Qualifying for Sunday’s event is scheduled later in the day at 5:15 p.m. Eastern Time.

  • Harrison Rhodes Will Make Cup Debut at Atlanta

    Harrison Rhodes Will Make Cup Debut at Atlanta

    With only 36 cars entered for this weekend’s Monster Energy Cup race at Atlanta, Harrison Rhodes will make his debut in NASCAR’s top-level series. The XFINITY Series veteran will pilot the Rick Ware Racing (RWR) No. 51 Chevrolet Camaro ZR1 chartered car in the second Cup Series race of the season. Justin Marks drove the car to a 12th place finish in the Daytona 500.

    In 2013, Rhodes made his XFINITY Series debut at ISM (Phoenix International) Raceway, also with RWR. Rhodes made his announcement on his Twitter page last week.

    Another notable driver that made his first career start at Atlanta in the Cup series was Jeff Gordon, 26 years ago.

    A primary sponsor for the No. 51 Chevrolet in the Atlanta race has yet to be announced.

  • Famous Car Races

    Famous Car Races

    Racing fans look forward to seeing their favorite car drivers and the cars in dynamic competitions at the world’s biggest and best race tracks. Each race track has its own turns, elevations, climbs, winds, shapes, entry points, breaking zones, corners and other elements.

    Watching a master race car driver maneuver his car around the track isn’t like playing casino games. The is an element of danger along with thrills and anticipation.  The drivers themselves have their own preferred tracks where they look forward to displaying their skills as they vie for the prize.

    Some of the most famous car races in the world include:

    Monaco Grand Prix

    The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One race which has been held every May since 1929 on the Circuit de Monaco. Formula One drivers must enter cars that are acceptable according to the rules. Since the rules change every year, the race is the most expensive race in the world.

    The race is held in the Monaco principality. Drivers must weave through the narrow city streets which include elevation changes, tunnels and tight corners. The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most challenging courses on tour.

    Daytona 500

    Daytona 500 is NASCAR’s most prestigious event. It opened in 1959 and ever since then it has led the NASCAR Spring Cup Series as their first race of the year. The race takes place in Daytona Beach, Florida and involves a 500 mile trek. Winners can look forward to the highest TV viewership and the highest purse in the car racing world.

    The race takes place in late February as one of four ‘NASCAR restrictor plate races, due to competitive and safety concerns for the long track. Daytona 500 may be most famous for its 31-degree banking in its four corners

    Rally Finland

    Rally Finland is a rally competition and is held in Central Finland. It’s known as the “Grand Prix of Rallying” and is the fastest event in the World Rally Championship.  Rallying involves races that take place on private or public roads. The road-legal cars are specially built as modified road cars as opposed to off-road vehicles.

    The race isn’t run on a circuit but rather in a point-to-point format. Drivers and their co-drivers drive between set control points. They leave at regular intervals from one or more start points and are won by driving to a predetermined ideal journey time within the stages or by pure speed within the stages. Rally Finland is held in the summer and attracts thousands of spectators.

    Indianapolis 500

    The Indianapolis 500 is, according to Business Insider, “arguably the fastest racing series in America.” IndyCar is a form of American open wheel racing which takes place annually during Memorial Day weekend. Drivers compete by taking 200 laps counterclockwise around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This race draws the world’s greatest drivers who compete for racing immortality in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”.

    The event boasts the richest cash prize funds in sports which can be worth over $15 million dollars to the winning driver.

    The Indianapolis 500 dates back to 1911. Today it is the largest single-day sporting event in the world while the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is acknowledged to be the world’s largest sporting facility. Attendance at the event can reach up to 250,000.

    Bathurst 1000

    The Bathurst 1000 is held on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales in early October. The Australian circuit was inaugurated in 1960. Drivers race on public roads whose sharp curves and elevation prove a challenge. The highly-contested race is regarded as the pinnacle of motorsport in Australia.

    24 Hours of Le Mans

    24 Hours of Le Mans is often called the “Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency. ” The race was first held in 1923 and is run on the Circuit de le Sarthe — a mix of closed public roads and specialized racing roads. . As is indicated in its name, this is a 24-hour race. It begins in the mid-afternoon and finishes the following day, 24 hours later. It is held annually in June.

    Drivers race over 3,110 miles, with multiple drivers (up to three) in each car to switch off among team members. Rules and regulations stipulate sleep time and meal time for each driver to keep the drivers safe.

    Monte Carlo Rally

    The Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo is organized each year by the Automobile Club of Monaco. This is the club that also organizes the Rally Monte-Carlo Historique and the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix. The rally brings drivers and cars from around the world to Southeast France to race along the French Riviera and the Principality of Monaco. The original Rallye involved competitors who would set off from different locations around Europe and meet, or rally, in Monaco.

    The Rallye was established by Prince Albert of Monaco as a ways of demonstrating improvements and innovations to automobiles. The rally features a stage that brings drivers from La Bollene-Vesuble to Sospel over a steep and tight mountain road that’s full of hairpin turns. This stage involves 31 kilometers over the Col de Turni mountain pass which is often slippery with snow and ice.

    24 Hours of Nurburgring

    The Nurburgring has been called a “terrifying and merciless route.” The 15.5 mile circuit is a 24-hour event through the Eifel forests in the hills of Germany involves 200 cars who race through the  “Green Hell” which has claimed dozens of lives.

    It is considered by many to be the most lethal race track in the world. Competitors see it as the ultimate test of man and machine though many sanctioning bodies discourage participating, claiming that it is too dangerous to race at.

  • Denny Hamlin’s Post-Race Confrontation with Darrell Wallace Jr.

    Denny Hamlin’s Post-Race Confrontation with Darrell Wallace Jr.

    Even after starting second and finishing third in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Denny Hamlin was not happy after the race when he and Darrell Wallace Jr. had a post-race confrontation.

    Tempers flared early this year, starting between Denny Hamlin and Darrell Wallace Jr. As Austin Dillon took the checkered flag, there was a close battle for second. As the two battled side by side, contact was made entering the tri-oval. After crossing the start/finish line, both suffered minor crash damage after colliding with the wall exiting the tri-oval. Hamlin didn’t take kindly to Bubba’s actions on track nor his comments after the race.

    While Bubba was quite emotional by placing the famed 43 car in the runner-up position, he did have a few words regarding the incident with Denny Hamlin.

    “I want to see the replay before I say anything stupid, but he might need to take some Adderall for that one,” he told FOX.

    His comment referred to Hamlin’s recent interview with Pardon My Take when pressured into answering if drivers take prescription medication (he claimed 70 percent of the field took Adderall, but more as a ‘blow off’ of the question to continue the interview). Shortly after exiting the media center, the two crossed paths and their interaction was caught on tape.

    Hamlin posted his response in three consecutive tweets.

    All-in-all, this hasn’t been Hamlin’s only rough-up with another driver. Last year, he had a questionable situation with Ryan Blaney at Martinsville. He also made some controversial moves on track with Chase Elliott, which some believe may have prevented the Dawsonville native from reaching the final elimination round of the playoffs in 2017. Plus, there’s also the classic pit road scene with Danica Patrick three years ago.

    Bubba Wallace seems to have put it behind him and is already focused on Atlanta: “We’re both pissed off at each other, but we’re racers. We’re competitive and we’ll go into Atlanta and be fine.”

  • Opinion– Last Lap Pass: Dirty Move or Hard Driving?

    Opinion– Last Lap Pass: Dirty Move or Hard Driving?

    A wreck-filled Daytona 500 finishes with one last white flag lap crash for the victory between Aric Almirola and Austin Dillon. Was it a dirty move by the No. 3 car, or just hard driving by both?

    The 60th running of the Daytona 500 finished with a last-lap crash by Aric Almirola. While he took the white flag, Austin Dillon ended up taking the checkered flag, etching his name into the history books and onto the Harley J. Earl trophy forever. Almirola, who recently signed with Stewart-Haas Racing, was one corner away from earning his second career victory in his first start with his new team after leaving Richard Petty Motorsports. However, Dillon fought his way into the second position and bumped the No. 10 Ford through Turns 3 and 4, sending Almirola into the wall coming to the checkered flag.

    However, this wasn’t the first time this happened in the race. The end of Stage 1 officially ended under yellow after a last-lap crash coming to the green-checkered, triggered by Erik Jones. In the XFINITY Series, it took a total of five overtime attempts before finally reaching the checkered flag, when Tyler Reddick edged Elliot Sadler in what may be NASCAR’s closest finish ever in the top 3 national touring series by 0.000 seconds. Photo and video evidence was used to declare an official winner, similar to Lee Petty’s victory in 1959 when local newspapers finally published images that proved his car beat Johnny Beauchamp. NASCAR had to then take the trophy from Beauchamp’s hands and give it to the proper winner.

    One of NASCAR’s best changes in the rule book was adding overtime, or a better title being overdrive. This gives fans and drivers a better chance at seeing a victory earned by racing to the line. Over the years as NASCAR started to throw the yellow flag at the end of the race determining the winner before the start/finish line, fans became disappointed with not seeing a race finish under full speed. NASCAR has been working to improve this over the years, but drivers have been working to adapt to this: shorts few-lap runs pushing cars beyond the edge of physics.

    With all that said, my article comes to the final decision of its title: Was Austin Dillon’s move dirty or just hard racing?

    Aric Almirola’s response was posted on Twitter:

    As one who has won a championship and drove to victory lane in other motorsports, I applaud his response to the finish. It’s hard to have the biggest race in stock car history ripped away from you in the decisive moments as you can visually see the front stretch. However, I can sense frustration coming from behind the tweet where he wished for more. Who wouldn’t? This is the Daytona 500; some would consider winning this race to be more important than a Monster Energy Cup championship. And while some may say, “There’s always next year”, true racers understand that there may not be a ‘next time’ with this exact situation and moment ever again.

    As for the opposite side of the coin, Austin Dillon’s response was, well, expected, disbelief. It seems that he finds his way to win the biggest races of the year. His first career victory came last year in the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race in NASCAR’s regular season schedule and one of the longest races across all motorsports. On Sunday, Dillon got into the rear bumper of Almirola and spun him into the wall to get his second career victory at the Super Bowl of NASCAR.

    Some say this was a dirty move. Dillon bumped Almirola and wrecked him. Whether you’re a first-time viewer or a lifelong follower, it was clear how the wreck happened and the result of it. Others feel this was just hard driving. Almirola wanted that checkered flag more than Dillon. We could see how he drove himself to the front on the restart and held his position for one and three-fourths of a lap. He excessively blocked Dillon, which unfortunately resulted in his crash and loss of the Daytona 500.

    However, I think this was neither a dirty move nor hard driving. What we saw in the season opener was passionate racing. Allow me to explain.

    Ryan Blaney refused to be anywhere but the lead. We saw this all race long. If he wasn’t in the lead, he would try every move possible to put himself in the front. After the first “Big One” on Lap 101, a lot of the main contenders were eliminated, including Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick and teammate Brad Keselowski. Jimmie Johnson also faced a DNF from a separate incident later in the race. Kyle Busch suffered multiple flat tires and Martin Truex Jr. suffered crash damage. From process of elimination, many thought that Blaney was going to win the 60th running of the Daytona 500. Unfortunately, his run to victory ended when he too suffered a late race crash. While he was able to continue, he didn’t have the speed as before.

    Blaney found himself in one of the best positions he could have been in for victory. He was passionate and focused on winning the biggest race of the year. And no one can blame him. I believe the same is true for both Dillon and Almirola. Both seized the opportunity with everything they had. Almirola protected his position, even breaking racer’s law of blocking more than once. Dillon just never took his foot off the gas. It could have easily been Dillon losing control of the front-end of his car and crashing himself, and Almirola could have saved it from crashing and won the race. Both could have crashed and fought in the grass, like the 1979 Daytona 500, and third place taking the win.

    No matter the outcome, we saw something that we needed to see in this next generation of up and coming drivers, passion. The desire to win sometimes needs to exceed the desire for respect. While it comes with a price, a true racer should never settle for second. If one does, his seat should be replaced.