Category: Hot 20

We have been watching our sports on television for decades. Baseball, football, basketball, and (for Canadians, at least) hockey coverage began in the 1950’s. NASCAR did not arrive as part of the national television consciousness until much later. There were the bits and pieces of major races on Wide World of Sports since 1960, a race from South Carolina’s half mile Greenville-Pickens track was broadcast in its entirety in 1971, and there was the 1979 Daytona 500. By 1985, all the races were being broadcast and we have bitched and complained ever since.

As a former sports broadcaster, I can tell you that the job of the guy in the booth is to describe the action and to entertain the audience. If they care, they’ll tune in, but it is the announcer’s job to keep them tuned in. ESPN did not bother to extend their contract past 2014 because of falling ratings. Might I suggest that, by in large, they have failed to deliver on their job description. If those who call the race come across as bored, we will leave. Many of us record the race, so bumping it to another channel makes us leave. When an announcer opens his mouth and he has nothing to say we do not already know, he has just provided yet another reason for us to leave. Give an audience a reason to leave, and they often will take you up on it. You could say ESPN is the American Idol of NASCAR racing.

Even then, even if you build it, they might not come. In my opinion, TNT delivered, but the ratings did not. To be fair, not everyone shares my high estimation of the trio in the booth or the track side reporters that network boasts. They are what you call wrong, for if I am afraid to change the channel due to what I might miss them saying, they are doing the job. Not every race can have the lead changes of Daytona or Talladega, or the fender bending that is Bristol, In those times, you need folks who keep you watching, as Monday Night Football did back in the day. How bad were TNT’s ratings? Well, they had an average of 4.2 million fans per broadcast in 2007 and 2008, jumping to 5.5 in 2009. Since then, they have steadily dropped, down to an average of 4.68 million viewers this season. Not great, but still better than when they started, and year by year better than the ratings ESPN ever garnered.

Too many commercials, some say. I say, what commercials? I set the PVR and start watching about two hours later, so I do not watch any commercials and I pop past Brad and Rusty. Ten years ago, sponsors at least tried to entertain us in promoting their products. Remember those UPS spots with the big brown truck and Dale Jarrett? How about the NAPA commercials with Michael Waltrip, especially the one with the broken up little model race car from Bristol? It even got me to do some research on that crash. I mean, I learned something. That was then. Since they no longer try, I no longer bother to watch them. Problem solved.

We can follow a race on the Internet, listen to satellite radio, or we can read or run or make out or do all those things one does that trump watching a race on television. Still, as long as they do not drive us away with jacked up prices on re-branded cable networks (that is a hint, Fox Sports), some how forcing me to watch those commercials or listening to Brad and Rusty, or providing more announcers who fail to do the job, or having NASCAR institute a rule change stupid beyond words, a bunch of us will still be watching. However, do not take us for granted. I can always write about baseball.

Until that time, we continue to watch the wheel men every week. Ryan Newman’s replacement of his 32nd place performance at Talladega with the Indianapolis win moves him up seven positions among the hot drivers over the past ten events. Kasey Kahne jumps six, while Kevin Harvick takes over the leaderboard. He might have only picked up 26 points last Sunday, but that was better than the five he replaces from Talladega. In comparison, Jimmie Johnson only picked up four points (2nd at Indy in place of his 4th at Talladega) while Clint Bowyer drops one point. Going the other way, it should be no surprise that by finishing last at Indianapolis Jeff Burton did himself no favours as they head to Pocono this Sunday.

He is fourth in the standings, second on these charts, but Kevin Harvick is the epitome of hot right now as the boys and girl head to New Hampshire for Sunday. In the last ten events, the only race Happy failed to record a top ten finish was Talladega, where he crashed out early. In fact, had he finished 38th instead of 40th that day, he still would have managed to be our hot man.

Once again, Harvick joins Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards (despite a 29th place finish at Daytona), Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, and Matt Kenseth (33rd on Sunday) among those showing the way.  While a bad day can juggle these standings and one’s Chase hopes, and even some can withstand that, these boys are definitely doing the right things at the right time. While both Stewart and Busch are still vulnerable should the furnace go out, the others are pretty safe bets to be running for the title come the fall.

Not so for Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski. Kahne has the second wildcard spot in his hand, but he had better have a firm grip on it. Despite decent showings at Sonoma and Kentucky, Kahne has been outside the top thirty in three of the past five races. Keselowski has not been in the top twenty in any race since Michigan and has had but one top ten result (Dover) over the past ten. Hot he is not.

If last year can be used as an indication, Kahne (win in the summer, 5th in the fall) and Keselowski (5th and 6th) could find some heat to turn things around. If they turn up cold even in New Hampshire, they both truly could be in real trouble. Stewart won there in 2011 and finished no worse than 12th last season, but in 2012 Kurt Busch could not crack the top twenty in either attempt. While Daytona is a bit of a wild card where even the weak can have a strong day (Casey Mears was 9th), Loudon may give us a sign as to whether the Colorado-based outfit has truly arrived or if they are still on the outside knocking on the door.

In recent weeks I have run across articles by some scribes offering up alternative vocations for Kyle Petty, other than his present announcing gig. I ask those folks one simple question, “Are you nuts?” Where are those same brains when it comes to Rusty Wallace and Dale Jarrett, who will soon be blessing us with their verbal skills later this month?

As I have mentioned before, Kyle, along with his TNT partners, provide us the best NASCAR announcing crew in the business. I tune in just to hear what they say, and some days the race actually is almost as entertaining as their commentary. You will never hear anyone say that about Rusty and Brad Daugherty…ever. Dale is not bad, but his commentary will not keep you watching if the race is not a spectacle on its own. Monday Night Football was not always great, but Howard, Dandy Don, and Frank kept us tuned in even for the duds. So does TNT. ESPN will not. Trust me.

As for Petty’s comments regarding Danica Patrick, what is there to argue? She is a 31-year old great looking marketing machine, but she is presently not a great driver, or even a good one. What separates her from the rest are her gender and her looks, not with just a single IndyCar win in 115 tries to her credit. Can she be great, or at least be given credit for being a driver who can race? Sure. I think Kyle could be wrong about that, but he is not wrong about her present status.

Among our hot 20 you will not find Danica, but to be honest you will not find the defending Cup champion, either. Brad Keselowski might be 13th in the standings, but there is no sign of hope for a resurgence, or a win, or much of anything. He is 23rd over the past ten events, averaging 23 points per race.

I am sure Petty would still consider the slumping Keselowski a racer, even if his publicity photos do not quite measure up to Patrick’s. Clint Bowyer takes over the point as we head to Daytona on Saturday, with Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, and Carl Edwards part of the lead pack. Clint and Carl have yet to win there. No time like the present.

It has been since forever since Bobby Labonte had made this list. In fact, to include him, we would have to talk about the Hot 30, which would truly be a misnomer if I ever heard one. After blowing up on the opening lap at Sonoma, he even slipped a spot to sit one position and 21 points behind Danica Patrick over the past ten events. Labonte has been able to pick up just 15.2 points per race over the term. In short, his season sucks.

So, why am I a tad upset the 2000 champion gets parked this Saturday night? I mean, Bobby has not even finished ranked in the top ten since 2006. Since the 1996 Daytona 500 Labonte has answered the call, 704 consecutive races. That is just one short of Jeff Gordon, and third best all-time behind Ricky Rudd’s 788 consecutive string. That ends Saturday, and even that is not the reason I am upset.

The 49 year old, who won his 21st and final race back in 2003, he is being removed from the car in favor of A.J. Allmendinger. They want Allmendinger’s feedback on what they might be missing, how they might become more competitive. The winner of exactly zero Cup races is going to come up with a solution? A car that can not complete a single lap due to a blown engine needs another driver’s perspective on what the problems might be? Bobby Labonte has driven substandard cars since he left Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005, cars that seem to have gotten worse over time.

I strongly suspect the problems with the cars put forth by JTG-Daugherty Racing are the same experienced by James Finch, Mark Smith, Bob Keselowski, Joe Nemechek, Brandon Davis, Bob Jenkins, and Tommy Baldwin. They can not compete because, at present, they do not have the funding to do so. Labonte, Allmendinger, Kurt Busch, or the good Lord himself could not change that from the driver’s seat. Labonte’s streak comes to an end, and maybe mercifully so, because an owner can not accept where the problems truly reside. That is just this one man’s opinion.

The official standings show Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski sitting in a Chase place, but that has nothing to do with how they have done lately. Junior remains 34 points to the good, while Kyle has a couple wins as a cushion, but neither are even warm right now. The defending champ is another story. He is ice cold at present, averaging less than 23 points per race over the past ten, is winless, and just nine points out of 11th.

Kurt Busch still sits 28 points out of the Chase, but after clawing back to finish fourth on Sunday he has climbed from 21st to 9th among our hot hands. He is gaining about five points per race on Keselowski, and with ten to go you never know.

I like Kurt Busch. There, I said it. Do not get me wrong. The Kurt Busch who mouthed off and got punched in the head by Jimmy Spencer, he I did not much care for. The Robo-Kurt, who acted as phoney as a $3 bill, only to show his true colors by mouthing off a respected reporter like Dr. Jerry Punch a couple of years ago, I did not much care for that jackass either. The underdog, driving for a single car operation out of Denver, Colorado, he I do like.

Barney Visser’s Furniture Row Motorsports has been around since 2005, participating in 214 Sprint Cup events over that time. They have just 16 Top Tens, but half of that number have come in the 21 races Busch has been behind the wheel. Regan Smith had the others. They have just 6 Top Fives, half of them claimed by Busch over the first 15 races of the current season. Smith had the other three, but in 84 contests. So, either Smith found more money sitting around when Smith drove for him, and then found a bunch more the past couple of years, or they finally got a driver who can take their equipment to new heights. I am guessing Kurt Busch is that reason.

While Smith gave Visser his only chance to visit Victory Lane at Darlington in 2011, Busch seems poised to match that sometime this year. He has one pole and four times he has started on the front row. He might be sitting 20th in the standings, but he is only 33 points out of the Top Ten. A win or two, and a place in the Chase would be their’s.

In fact, their effort is not even reflected in the standings. When they have raced, they mattered. Too bad they finished 20th or worse to start the first three races of the current campaign, Four times since they have been 30th or worse, including last week at Michigan. Three times they have been bad, four others have been awful. As for the remaining eight, their worst finish has been 15th. If they could just keep the parts together and keep away from the things that turn fenders into so much trash, they would do so much better.

Will they do it, will they make the Chase? They could, but they are an underdog. It is a role that fits Busch well, one that appears to have finally matured him. For a man who turns 35 this August I guess it is about time, but some prima donnas never do mature. It is truly refreshing to discover one who appears to have done just that.

What he needs to do at Sonoma on Sunday is to get hot again, as Busch slips out of our Top 20. Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski are two other boys who are a lot colder lately than what they are ranked over the season.

As some drop, others rise, and sometimes the numbers do not make much sense. Juan Pablo Montoya finishes 20th last week, yet rises eight positions on this chart. Huh? Horrid days experienced by Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Jeff Gordon helped, especially when a good day is replaced by a bad one in our ten race window. Montoya was 18 places better at Michigan than he was Fontana, while Gordon was 28 worse, Kahne 29, and Junior 35. That will do it.

Jimmie Johnson remains the one with the hot hand and our top five remain the same as they take on the road course in California.

Last Sunday at Pocono, Jason Leffler finished last in his only Cup start of the season and the 73rd of his career. It proved to be his last, as he died during a dirt track race Wednesday in New Jersey. The native of Long Beach, California competed in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500 over the course of his career, with wins coming in the Nationwide and Craftsman series of NASCAR.

While, as I write this, we do not know the cause of the accident. It appears his crash into the wall on turn four resulted in some invasion of the cockpit, such as crushed car components. We are reminded of the extensive safety features we now have in NASCAR, features not always available in the lower divisions of racing. We are also reminded of the inherent dangers of the sport. Jason Leffler was just 37, and leaves behind a five year old son.

This Sunday, the Cup series returns to Michigan, to where Dale Earnhardt Jr was a victor one year ago.  While we expect to discover that Tony Stewart has heated up in these standings after the results of the past couple of weeks, it might be surprising to find Jeff Burton moving up eight positions. Burton finished 12th at Charlotte, and 11th the past two weeks. Heading the other way is Paul Menard, from eighth to 17th, who followed up a 20th at Dover with a 30th place finish last week. Kasey Kahne and Martin Truex Jr are two others in the ice box.

They will no doubt remember Jason Leffler at Michigan, as we remember him and those who we have lost over the years. Let us never forget their sacrifice and the courage of all those who take to the track.

Pocono is where those with the big boy (and girl) pants run this Sunday, though Joey Logano got his hands on a plane. He will be flying off seeking his second straight Nationwide win Saturday, this time in Iowa. It is interesting to note that Sam Hornish Jr and Regan Smith are the only full-timers to win on the junior circuit this season. Joining Logano as victors are Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski, and six-time winner Kyle Busch. Logano is the only Cup driver at Newton, just east of Des Moines, as he prepares to also defend his Cup win at Pocono last June.

Despite having three Top Tens in the past six, he also has finishes of 39th, 35th, and 22nd. That leaves Logano 18th, 34 points out of a Chase spot. Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson swapped positions since last week, with Edwards now having the one point advantage. Clint Bowyer moved into third, with Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne filling out our hottest five.

Jeff Gordon and Stewart were our biggest movers this week. Gordon finished 22 positions better than in Las Vegas by taking third at Dover. Smoke shocked everyone in pulling out all the stops last Sunday, moving 14 points ahead on this chart and jumping up into essentially a three-way tie for 14th.

One of the trio is Jamie McMurray, who dropped down from tenth after finishing 20 spots worse than he was in Nevada. That blown engine moved Matt Kenseth down to sixth. Juan Pablo Montoya was second best at Dover, but that was still not good enough to move him into our Hot 20. He remains 22nd, a dozen points out.

Despite some Top Tens over the run, Brad Keselowski actually dropped one spot out of our top 20, one ahead of Montoya. The penalties hurt, but three times outside the Top Thirty have caused even more pain.

My sons enjoy a television program called “The Big Bang Theory.” They tell me it is pretty funny. NASCAR has its own version of the Big Bang Theory, but it is not near as amusing for those involved. At Charlotte last week, Kyle Busch drove into a dangling rope, and BANG, he needed repairs. Later, both he and Dale Earnhardt Jr had engines that went BANG on the same lap, and those parts were not going to get put back together.

That oil Junior left on the track was a tad slick, and BANG, so much for Greg Biffle. Jeff Gordon was just cruising along when Mark Martin cut down on Aric Amirola. BANG. All three were toast. Ricky Stenhouse Jr got too close to girlfriend Danica Patrick, and BANG. That was what Brad Keselowski heard when Cleopatra moved up to get out of Marc Antony’s way. Jimmie Johnson went for a skid and, BANG, so much for Matt Kenseth contending. Juan Pablo Montoya and Paul Menard also got caught up in that one.  A lot of cars needed some Ford Mustang parts for repairs.

It could have been worse. Have you seen the video of that guy tossing his drink on the track after Johnson won the all-star race? BANG went his girlfriend. BANG, BANG, as she let Romeo know of her displeasure before storming off.  I wonder if they are still together? If not, and you are looking for a gal who can toss one hell of a right…

My theory is that all of these big bangs have to hurt as we replace the results from Fontana with those from the Coca Cola World 600. Bang, and dang. Taking the big tumble include Dale Earnhardt Jr and Brad Keselowski, who both dropped six positions, and Jeff Gordon slid five. Big gainers would be Martin Truex Jr, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Newman, who could use a little good news about now.

By the way, you may have noticed that while we had 43 cars entered in Charlotte, only 33 took the green flag for the Indianapolis 500. Of course, the only reason the Coca Cola World 600 field was larger was due to its inclusion of almost sure bets to finish outside the Top Twenty.

I am talking about the entries driven by such luminaries as Reutimann (21st on Sunday), Mears (23rd), Labonte (24th), Wise (26th), Hill (27th), Yeley (28th), Patrick (29th), Blaney (30th), Stremme (32nd), Cassill (37th), Kvapil (40th), Nemechek (41st), McDowell (42nd), and Speed (43rd). Even in keeping Danica Patrick and Bobby Labonte for marketing concerns, they still could have run just 31 and we would have missed nothing.

I mean, Michael McDowell is a good driver in lousy equipment. In the last ten races, he has 39 points. That is one less than Michael Waltrip earned at Talladega, five ahead of Terry Labonte and 20 up on Kenny Schrader (who each have ran twice). I never was a fan of hamburger helper, as sometimes less is more. That way you wind up with more bang for your buck.

Johnson remains the king of the hill, but he has Carl Edwards right on his heels. Maybe it is a good thing Edwards is a point back as we all know just how much he hates ties.

Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart. Between them these active former champions have already claimed a dozen Cup crowns and 187 race victories. One day, hopefully a good number of years from now, this trio will gain entry into the Hall of Fame on their first attempt. Just as Maurice Petty and Dale Jarrett experienced this week.

Petty, who joins his father Lee, brother Richard, and cousin Dale Inman into the Hall, was the master engine builder of the dynastic operation. Jarrett joins his dad, Ned, in the Hall. While he had “just” 32 wins to his credit, the 1999 Cup champion won three Daytona 500 races, two at the Brickyard in Indianapolis, and a World 600. Just about anywhere that would make you famous, Jarrett was a winner.

After five ballots, Jack Ingram finally made it. What is now the Nationwide series was his home, and he won 31 races after passing the age of 45. Tim Flock won two NASCAR crowns in the 1950’s, won 18 of 45 events in 1955, and claimed two of the ten Daytona Beach races under the NASCAR banner. Pretty good credentials, and I didn’t even mention the monkey.

The final inductee to take his place in the Hall this January was a former baseball pitcher who went by the name of Fireball. Edward Glenn Roberts Jr was never the Cup champ, finishing second in 1950, but he claimed the Daytona 500 and a pair of Southern 500 contests. With his colorful nickname, good looks, and winning smile, he was a fan favorite. His loss 39 days after a fiery crash during the 1964 World 600 at the age of 35 was a blow to the sport.

The 2013 running of that race in Charlotte takes place this Sunday, with Jimmie Johnson still holding the hot hand over the past ten events. Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth remain close, and while Tony Stewart still has work to do he rebounds six spots to get back into our Top 20. That is due largely from a 26 point boost as he replaces his Daytona experience with that from Darlington. Brad Keselowski slides six positions, to 12th, as his 4th place Daytona result was a far cry from his 32nd place finish at Darlington.

Going back to the fall of 2008, we have had nine different winners in as many races at Charlotte. However, the winner of last spring’s event, Kasey Kahne, will be seeking his fifth win on this track since he swept the pair in 2006. He is definitely a driver on the move as you can see as we head into Sunday.