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  • Dale Earnhardt Jr and Brad Keselowski at the NASCAR Hall of Fame

    Dale Earnhardt Jr and Brad Keselowski at the NASCAR Hall of Fame

    To promote the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, all of the eligible drivers have been making appearances at the NASCAR Hall of Fame to spend some time with their fans. 

    [media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”238″][/media-credit]Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski were the featured drivers this Tuesday for a fan question and answer session.

    Miss Sprint Cup Monica Palumbo started things off with a round of trivia questions and prizes for the fans. After the crowd was warmed up, Keselowski took the stage with the Executive Director of the Hall, Winston Kelley.

    He delighted the crowd with both his honesty and humor.

    The biggest laugh came when Keselowski was asked, “What is the strangest thing you’ve ever been asked to autograph?”

    His answer was “the baby in a bucket of beer.”

    Yes, you read that right.

    A woman once asked Keselowski to sign her baby that she had placed in a bucket of beer. He drew the line at autographing the baby, signed the child’s shirt instead and sent the satisfied fan on her way.

    Keselowski answered the tough questions too.

    He was asked what he thought about the actions that NASCAR had taken after Kyle Busch intentionally wrecked Ron Hornaday at Texas Motor Speedway.

    “I feel pretty good about the way NASCAR handled the situation. I don’t think there’s any way that you can handle it that makes everyone happy because you can’t go back in time and fix it.”

    He went on to describe the nature of racing as an evolution in progress. He used the ‘Boys have at it’ decree from NASCAR as an example of something that is constantly evolving to the next level until someone finally has to say, “Stop!”

    Keselowski was also quite outspoken about NASCAR’s decision to switch to a fuel injection system next season.

    Is he happy about the change?

    “I’m not a big fan of it at all,” he said.

    He went on to say that he thought the main impetus for the change was simply public relations.

    Keselowski went into more detail when he talked with members of the media after the fan question and answer session ended.

    “We’re not doing this because it’s better for the sport or better for the teams. I don’t even think we’re really going to save any gas.”

    “It gives them something to promote,” he continued. “And we’re always looking for something to promote. But the honest answer is it does nothing for the sport except cost the team owners money.”

    Keselowski knows that speaking his mind may get him in hot water with NASCAR.

    “But that’s the honest part of it. I think it’s a disaster.”

    After a short break, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the stage to answer questions.

    Winston Kelley started things off by asking Earnhardt Jr. to name someone, in addition to his father, who he had looked up to while he was growing up or admired.

    He answered with three names; Jimmie Means, Cale Yarborough and David Pearson.

    “I always liked Jimmy Means a lot,” he said. “I just admired how hard he worked and how dedicated he was to what he was doing.”

    “Cale Yarborough was a guy that I thought a lot of. I admired how he carried himself around the race track and how he handled his business.”

    “I thought David Pearson was pretty cool but I didn’t get to know him that well as a driver. But watching old films and old footage and reading about him, he seemed like an interesting character.”

    The questions from the fans ran the gamut from “What sports do you like?” to “What is the best way to pursue a career in racing?”

    Quite a few of the fans simply stood up to proclaim that they were his biggest fan or to ask for an autograph.

    We learned that he’s not particularly superstitious and doesn’t have any pre-race rituals.

    “I just get up in the morning, put my clothes on and go to work,” he said laughing.

    Then one young fan stood up and quietly asked, “Whenever you are racing do you feel your father watching over you or feel your father’s spirit when you are driving the car?”

    Without hesitation, Dale Jr answered, “I think so. I think that you kind of carry that with you all the time and with everything you do.”

    “I do feel like his spirit rides with me in the racecar and keeps me safe.”

    A small ripple of applause spread throughout the crowd.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. may not be the most eloquent of speakers but at moments like these it’s easy to understand why his fans feel such a special connection to him.

  • HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: APPARENTLY IT’S TRUE, EVERY THING’S BIGGER IN TEXAS

    HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: APPARENTLY IT’S TRUE, EVERY THING’S BIGGER IN TEXAS

    Only in the state of Texas could a story about someone watching a NASCAR Sprint Cup race turn out to be bigger than a story about someone who won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race. When the brake dust settled at the Texas Motor Speedway, we eventually noticed that there were significant changes in two of NASCAR’s championship profiles. Oh yeah, a Sprint Cup champion wants NASCAR to set up a boxing ring after their races are over. With those thoughts in mind, let’s begin with:

    [media-credit name=”Steven Iles” align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]HOORAH to “Smoke” for once again smoking the competition en route to winning the A A A Texas 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway. The red hot Tony Stewart won his fourth race of the year and 43d of his career. Of even greater importance, Stewart trimmed the Chase points lead held by Carl Edwards, who finished second in the race, to a slim three points. With only two Chase events remaining on the schedule, this championship run is likely going to be settled during the final laps of the final race of the season.

    HOORAH to Carl Edwards for meeting Tony Stewart on pit road after the race to shake his hand and congratulate the race winner. It was a very classy thing to do.

    **************

    Okay, let’s get to it: the story that every NASCAR fan is talking about this week and the Texas sized story that turned out to be bigger than who won the race and the state of the Chase championship.

    WAZZUP with Kyle Busch for, once again, allowing his lack of anger management to completely over ride his overall lack of common sense and maturity? On lap 14, of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, Ron Hornaday Jr was passing a lapped vehicle when his truck became loose and accidentally made contact with Busch. Both of their trucks  grazed the backstretch wall. With the caution flag out, an incensed Busch pushed Hornaday’s truck to the edge of turn four where he turned him. Hornaday slammed hard into the retaining wall and wound up with a destroyed truck.

    Also destroyed were Hornaday’s better than good chances of winning the series championship for the fifth time. He went from 15 points away from the lead to 48 points away after suffering a 34th place finish at Texas.

    WAZZUP with Kyle Busch not heeding the warning of his spotter who did all he could to stop his driver from wrecking Hornaday? The replay of their radio transmission said: “calm down dude, focus now, it’s all good, calm down dude, stay off of him, DAMN IT !”

    WAZZUP with the typical Kyle Busch insolence displayed during the post wreck television interview? He had to have at least some basic idea that he was out of line.

    HOORAH to NASCAR for immediately parking Busch after the wreck and calling him to their trailer.

    HOORAH to Hornaday for showing up at the NASCAR trailer, without a summons, to inform officials that if they didn’t bench Kyle Busch he would buy into a Sprint Cup ride with Tommy Baldwin Racing and make sure that Busch didn’t finish a race for the rest of the year. He also informed NASCAR that Busch lived very close to his house, in North Carolina, and he would be visiting him the following Monday morning.

    WAZZUP with NASCAR suspending Busch from participating in their Nationwide and Sprint Cup events at Texas? Busch drives in those series for Joe Gibbs Racing who had nothing to do with what happened during the truck race. In that event Busch was driving a Toyota Truck fielded by his self owned team: Kyle Busch Motorsports.

    I would have much preferred to see the punishment being placed directly on the Busch owned team. It would have been far better to suspend Busch from participating in the final series race and perhaps even the first few races of 2012. That would have hit Busch where it hurts the most: the wallet.

    WAZZUP with Coach Gibbs being put into the tough position of having to explain all of this to his team sponsors when, once again, this incident had nothing to do with Gibbs Racing?

    HOORAH for Mars Candy, the primary sponsor for Busch’s Sprint Cup team, who issued a public statement expressing disdain for their driver’s behavior. The statement concluded with: “we hold those who represent our brand to a higher standard.” Good luck with that guys.

    Speaking of public statements, WAZZUP with that carefully worded statement, allegedly from Busch, apologizing to everyone for his behavior. We all know the work of a corporate spin doctor when we see it

    HOORAH to Busch for asking his Sprint Cup crew chief, Dave Rogers, to call a team meeting so he could talk to his guys and personally apologize to them. He also asked the team if they minded if he sat on the pit box to be with them for the rest of the weekend. It’s was speculated, by the television broadcast team, that it must have been difficult for Busch to sit there and watch Denny Hamlin and Michael McDowell drive his race cars. Good, it may turn out to be the wake up call this driver needs.

    HOORAH to NASCAR officials who, the following Monday morning, fined Busch $50,000 and placed him on probation for the remainder of the year. They also warned Busch that any further misbehavior of this kind could result in an indefinite suspension.

    HOORAH for driver/team owner Kevin Harvick who won the truck race. Harvick and Busch has had their share of bad moments in the past. The sight of Harvick celebrating in the Texas victory lane could not have set well with Busch. But WAZZUP with Harvick having to cover the cost of repairing Hornaday’s destroyed truck which he also owns?

    HOORAH to Harvick for a wonderful “Twitter” message that he sent after the race which read: “Great night for 2 truck !! Just watched the race replay and saw what I already knew: Kyle Busch is a bitch.”

    HOORAH for Kevin Harvick Inc for clinching the truck series’ Owners Points Championship with his fourth win of the season. This is yet something else he can hold over the heads of Kyle Busch Motorsports. HOORAH to Harvick for helping Chevrolet clinch the series’ Manufacturer’s Championship. Their 14 series wins this year led to their seventh title.

    HOORAH for a terrific statement made by Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage who said “I was angry when I saw the crash. I told our guys that if the wall is damaged or going to have to be replaced, we’re sending the bill to Kyle, because if something happens in a race that damages the wall, that’s part of the price of business. But do something deliberate and cost us tens of thousands of dollars, and I’m going to send him a bill. I love him, but there are some things where you cross the line.” This is exactly why everyone loves Eddie Gossage.

    HOORAH to Tony Stewart’s suggestion that said NASCAR should set up a boxing ring in the pits after the race so drivers could settle their differences there instead of on the track.

    WAZZUP with the bad luck that killed the series championship hopes of James Buescher? His Turner Motorsports truck ran out of gas with three laps left in the race. A second place finish turned into a 19th place finish. He fell from second to third in the standings and is now 28 points from the top.

    HOORAH for Austin Dillon whose second place finish at Texas may have easily locked up the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship. He’s now 20 points ahead of Johnny Sauter and only needs a 16th place, or better, finish at the final race of the season.

    HOORAH to Trevor Bayne for winning the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Texas for Roush Fenway Racing. It marked the young driver’s first series win.

    HOORAH for Bayne’s win helping Ford to clinch the series Manufacturer’s Championship.

    Finally, a GOD BLESS to NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Elliott Sadler, and his lovely wife Amanda, who welcomed their second child, Austyn Rose Sadler, who was born this past Monday morning. The beautiful new baby and her family are reported to be doing just fine.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Texas

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Texas

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Tony Stewart: Stewart out dueled Carl Edwards at Texas, holding off his championship rival to win the AAA Texas 500. Stewart led 173 laps on the day, and now trails Edwards by only three points in the Sprint Cup standings.

    [media-credit name=”Mike Holloway” align=”alignright” width=”261″][/media-credit]“Last week I said Edwards should be worried,” Stewart said. “This week, tell him ‘I’m coming.’ He knows where I’m going, and I do, as well, because I’ve ‘been there before.’

    “As I’ve said before, I don’t care about second. Second place is for losers. Or is it? I’ve won four races in the Chase, yet I’m only second in the points. Apparently, second place isn’t for losers.”

    2. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished second at Texas to Tony Stewart, as the two battled over the last third of the AAA Texas 500. Edwards’ eight-point lead in the point standings was trimmed by five, and now he leads Stewart by only three.

    “Who says you need to win races to win a championship?” Edwards said. “Certainly not the NASCAR rule book. So far, Stewart has been ‘great’ in four races. I’ve been ‘good’ in eight. So far, so ‘good.’ If I win the Cup without a victory, I’ll endorse the headline ‘My Goodness! Edwards Wins Cup.’”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 13th at Texas, and remained third in the point standings. He now trails Carl Edwards by 33 with two races left in the Chase.

    “Kyle Busch took stupidity to a new level,” Harvick said, “for the third or fourth time this year. Despite having over 100 wins in NASCAR competition, he’s still ‘lost it’ more than he’s won. In Texas, NASCAR decided his fate for him. Call it a ‘parking lot.’ As they say, ‘M&M’s melt in your hands, Kyle Busch sits on his.”

    4. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished fourth in the Texas AAA 500, posting his fourth top-5 result of the Chase. He moved up to fourth in the point standings and now trails Carl Edwards by 38.

    “Kyle Busch is in a class by himself,” Kenseth said. “That is, anger management class.”

    5. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski struggled at Texas, finishing a lap down on his way to a 24th. He fell one spot to fifth in the point standings where he is 49 out of first.

    “I’m not counting myself out yet,” Keselowski said. “Anything’s possible. That is, anything’s possible….with Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers both in the field.”

    6. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 14th at Texas and remained sixth in the point standings. He is 55 out of first, and will be Sprint Cup champion for only two more weeks.

    “So, will it be Carl Edwards or Tony Stewart as next Sprint Cup champion?” Johnson said. “If Creedence Clearwater Revival made that query, they would surely say, ‘And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the reign? CCR rules. RCR doesn’t.

    “I’m going to say something that I haven’t had to say in half a decade. And that’s ‘It just wasn’t my year.’”

    7. Jeff Gordon: Gordon posted his second straight top-10 finish, coming home sixth at Texas after a third at Martinsville. He improved two spots to eighth in the point standings, 81 out of first.

    “Much like a Kyle Busch apology,” Gordon said, “it’s ‘too little, too late.’ If he continues to go rogue, so will his sponsors.”

    8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished seventh at Texas and climbed to seventh in the point standings. He trails Carl Edwards by 79 points.

    “I didn’t make the Chase last year,” Earnhardt said, “so this year would have to be considered an improvement. I went from the ‘outside looking in’ to the ‘inside looking in.’”

    9. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 30th at Texas, two laps down, and fell one spot to ninth in the point standings. He trails Carl Edwards by 87.

    “What’s that continuous high-pitched sound heard on the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil radio frequency?” Busch said. “I don’t know, but it sounds like a ‘whine.’”

    10. Kyle Busch: Busch was banned from Sunday’s Cup race after blatantly wrecking Ron Hornaday under caution in Friday’s trucks race. Busch retaliated after the two trucks made contact when they went three-wide to navigate around a slower truck. Busch is now 100 points out of first in the Sprint Cup standings and has been officially eliminated from championship contention.

    “If I had it to do over,” Busch said, “I’d do it differently. By that, I’m referring to my career, and not Friday’s truck race.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: AAA Texas 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: AAA Texas 500

    When the green flag flew on the seventh annual running of the AAA Texas 500, it seemed almost as an afterthought to a difficult week, with the passing of patriarch Russ Wallace, the plane crash injuring Rick and Linda Hendrick, and of course the parking of Kyle Busch after his detrimental on-track actions during the Truck race.

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”272″][/media-credit]Yet, when the checkered flag finally flew at Texas Motor Speedway, there were some surprising, as well as not so surprising, moments from the third to the last race of the 2011 season.

    Surprising:  After back to back wins, it was surprising to see that even Smoke was a bit overcome, albeit by the intensity of the race, emotion and the heat of Victory Lane.

    “This is for the Wallace family,” Stewart said after getting out of his car. “And for Mr. Hendrick and his wife. And I had a buddy that passed away when we were at Charlotte and I didn’t want to forget him.”

    Yet even with splashing some water on his face, Smoke still had to take a seat in Victory Lane, while those around him fanned him with their Stetson hats to allow him to catch his breath.

    Tony Stewart, however, bounced back quickly. He then donned the traditional black hat and took some shots with the guns in celebration of scoring his 43rd career victory, his fourth win of the season, and his second victory at Texas.

    Stewart also re-affirmed that his sights are firmly set on winning that coveted Cup championship. With his race win, Smoke is now just three points behind leader Carl Edwards.

    “I don’t think we have to say anything,” Stewart said, unlike last week where he talked some smack in Victory Lane. “Our performance speaks for itself.”

    “Do not count us out of this thing,” Stewart said. “We did everything we needed to do today.”

    Not Surprising:  Roush Fenway Racing did not disappoint or surprise at the mile-and-a-half track where they have been so dominant all season. RFR had three of their drivers in the top five, with Carl Edwards in second, Matt Kenseth in fourth, and pole sitter Greg Biffle in fifth.

    The team combined to lead 124 laps at Texas Motor Speedway, with Edwards leading 14, Kenseth leading 87 and Biffle leading 23. Even David Ragan, whose future remains uncertain, finished in the 12th position.

    “I’m proud of our guys today,” Edwards, behind the wheel of the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion said. “We wanted to beat Tony and pad the lead, but we are still the point’s leader.”

    This was Edwards’ sixth top-10 finish in 14 races at Texas Motor Speedway. It is his 24th top-10 finish to date in the 2011 season.

    Greg Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 Ford Fusion, started from the pole to bring his car home for a top-five finish.

    “We had a pretty good car,” Biffle said. “The last pit stop, I slid through the box and that probably cost me a third-place finish or a couple of spots anyway. We fought hard and came back.”

    “It’s hard to be disappointed when you run in the top five,” teammate Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion, said. “I wish we could have performed a little better, but that’s all we had.”

    “This has always been a pretty good track for our organization.”

    Surprising:  It was a bit surprising to see how current Michael Waltrip Racing driver Martin Truex, Jr. did, finishing eighth in his No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, in spite of the big changes announced for the MWR organization prior to the race.

    “I am really proud of my entire NAPA team today,” Truex Jr. said. “The NAPA Know How pit crew was on it.”

    “We are moving in the right direction and I appreciate all the work MWR is doing to get us in contention.”

    Not Surprising:  After learning that he was no longer a member of the MWR team after the 2011 season, it was no surprise that the woes on the track continued for driver David Reutimann.  The driver of the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine finished 22nd.

    “It was very difficult,” team owner Michael Waltrip said of his decision to let Reutimann go. “I love David. He’s a great man and he’s always been there to do anything I needed him to do.”

    “I know it was hard for David to get the news,” Waltrip continued. “I’m thankful that he drove for me for so long.”

    Surprising:  After such a Cinderella run, Brad Keselowski’s championship hopes have all but gone up in smoke. The driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge had a very difficult day at Texas, finishing 24th.

    “Just a tough night,” Keselowski said. “We couldn’t get the speed out of our car that we needed and fought all day for track position.”

    “We lost the handling on the car right in the middle part of the race and adjustments were made to make it better and it just made it worse,” Keselowski continued. “It was unfortunate.”

    Not Surprising:   One driver who continues to make noise, however, was AJ Allmendinger, who scored another top-10 in his No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports.

    “That was probably the most comfortable I’ve ever felt on a mile-and-a-half, especially one like this,” Dinger said. “It was fun.”

    “From the start we were just passing cars and making good adjustments,” Allmendinger continued. “It was a good fight to 10th but overall, and more importantly, that’s something to build on.”

    Surprising:  It was a bit surprising to see that Brian Vickers’ intense driving style carried over from Martinsville to Texas. On lap 201, the driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota assisted with bringing out the second caution by tussling with Juan Pablo Montoya and Geoffrey Bodine.

    “Stupid Vickers ran over a lapped car,” came over JPM’s radio, summing up yet another tough day at the office for ‘The Sheriff’, who finished 21st.

    Not Surprising:  Kasey Kahne continued his string of top-10 finishes, scoring the third spot in his No. 4 Red Bull Toyota. This was Kahne’s fourth top-10 in 15 races at Texas Motor Speedway.

    “We were really close,” Kahne said of his almost-winning run. “I wanted to win really bad today.”

    “It was a great race for us,” Kahne continued. “This has been our best time the whole season.”

    Surprising:  Taking the wheel of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry from sidelined Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell surprisingly was not able to capitalize on his prime opportunity. Even with Busch looking on atop the pit box, McDowell could not get his car dialed in and finished 33rd.

    “We obviously were hoping for more and were hoping for a big day,” McDowell said. “But that wasn’t meant to be.”

    “Gave it all I had and we just struggled pretty much all day long.”

    Not Surprising:  McDowell was not the only JGR driver to struggle at Texas Motor Speedway. Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, blew an engine on Lap 262, and Denny Hamlin, behind the wheel of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota, struggled all day, finishing 20th.

    “We just fought an ill-handling car all day,” Hamlin said. “It’s probably one of the worst that we’ve had in a long time.”

    “We’ll have to go back to the shop and look at it,” Dave Rogers, crew chief for the No. 18, said of the entire team’s performance. “This tire at this track is pretty tricky. You have to dare to lean on it and it’s not comfortable getting in the corner.”

    “We have to look at it for sure.”

    Surprising:  Although not mathematically eliminated, it still seems surprising to think that, without some sort of miracle, Jimmie Johnson will not be on the championship banquet stage this year. With his struggling performance at Texas, including a spin through the grass on Lap 240, the driver of the No. 48 MyLowes Chevrolet, managed to finish fourteenth and is now back 55 points to the Chase leader.

    “I fought a loose race car all night long and I lost it,” Johnson said. “And I think sliding through the grass did some damage.”

    “It didn’t really drive good after that.”

    Not Surprising:  With a sixth place run in his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, it was not surprising that it felt like a win to driver Jeff Gordon.

    “We moved up right away,” Gordon said. “I thought we had a car that could compete for the win but when the sun went down, it changed for us and we lost a little bit there at the end.”

    “Compared to the way we ran here earlier in the year, it is almost like a win for us.”

     

  • Confidence A Double Sided Coin

    Confidence A Double Sided Coin

    A long time ago, the short track ace and 89 Winston Cup Champion Rusty Wallace made the statement, “It’s not cocky if you can get it done. It’s confident.” Then there was the standard that was attributed to Dale Earnhardt, “When the green flag drops the BS stops.” Both come down to one thing, if you can do what you say you can do you are speaking from a position of confidence not arrogance. Tony Stewart has proven over the last 8 weeks that he is confident and can back up what he says.

    [media-credit name=”Mike Holloway” align=”alignright” width=”232″][/media-credit]Confidence turned around Tony Stewart’s season and made him a serious contender being only 3 points out of the chase lead. But confidence can be a bad thing in excess. This weekend we saw that as well with Kyle Busch who was parked for the weekend after the Camping World Truck Race in which he retaliated and drove Ron Hornaday into the outside Safer Barrier, destroying both trucks. When asked if he was concerned about NASCAR parking him or removing him from the competition on Saturday and Sunday he said he wasn’t concerned and didn’t care.

    On Saturday morning, when NASCAR handed down it’s decision to maintain his parked status through this weekend, he seemed more concerned and to care a great deal more. Busch issued a letter of apology to his fans, the drivers, the team, and ownership for his actions. He watched the race from atop of the pit box and seemed to be seriously depressed and contrite. Although, he has granted no interviews or made any statements other than the letter of apology that he issued Saturday night, the emotion was all over his face.

    The question was asked by many of why Kyle Busch and not Carl Edwards. The answer came from Mike Helton in the form of history. Kyle had already been placed on probation this year for similar aggressive driving. And basically they found the line for have at it boys. That was the limit and he went past it.

    The real victim this weekend was Ron Hornaday. If you take yourself out. If you make a mistake or the engine blows and you are taken out of the championship hunt it’s difficult but you can swallow it. When you are taken out for a normal racing incident that has to be gut wrenching.

    I think that the one thing that we are missing here is the probability of contributing factors to the incident. The length of the season is a primary factor. Sprint Cup drivers compete for 10 months out of the year. That is longer than a woman carries a baby. And if you ask any one who has had that honor, they will tell you that it is an exhausting experience. The drivers are fatigued simply by the length of the season. When you add the stress of the chase and the PR commitments that go with it you have compounded the issue yet again. It comes down to one common factor, they are tired. We all know that people deal with tired differently. Kyle is known to be short tempered and aggressive. He had gotten himself together and showed himself worthy of his championship contention until 3 weeks before the end of the season and after 4 weeks of being involved in wrecks. He snapped. What he did was very very wrong.

    NASCAR’s action was very appropriate. But the solution maybe not in parking him but looking at the cause. Obviously the young man’s temper is a part of it. But the schedule and pressure of the chase also have to be considered as a part of that.

    Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards are obviously handling the stress and long schedule much better. Leaving Texas the Championship race is separated by 3 points going into the “new” Phoenix. Stewart has proved that he and his team are worthy contenders and capable of taking Carl Edwards to the very line in Homestead. Stewarts dominating performance at Texas left little doubt that Smoke intends to sit at the front table in Las Vegas. Carl Edwards left no doubt that he has the same intention.

    Perhaps the chase contender performance that slipped through the cracks was that of the 88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt struggled all day but stayed solidly in the top 20 all race. Finally, crew chief Steve Letarte hit the nail on the head on the next to last caution and Earnhardt flew through the field into the top ten. The final stop of the race came under green and Earnhardt’s crew redeemed themselves for earlier chase race failures getting him out and picking up one spot when all the stops shook out. The 88 finished 7th and moved up to 7th in the points. He made his move quietly and without fan fare. But the last 2 weeks have shown the Earnhardt that JRNation had hoped to see from the beginning of the chase.

    The 48 of Jimmie Johnson continued to struggle eliminating themselves from any possibility of recovering for the 6th championship in a row. Johnson who spun the 48 off of turn 4 late in the race and then received a commitment cone violation for driving straight to his pit stall rather than going around the track finished a hard fought 14th while maintaining 6th in the points 24 points ahead of team mate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    The race itself was a long drawn out follow the leader affair. No different than the spring race at Texas. But it’s hard to pan the race with a promoter like Eddie Gossage. Gossage put on an incredible show. From the infield rodeo to the incredible black hat 6 shooter display in victory lane. Without a doubt Eddie Gossage has stepped up and into the role of the most theatrical and entertaining promoter in all of racing.

    With that in mind, the racing on the track was unexciting. But the activities that surrounded it made it difficult not to enjoy the weekend even from afar.

    Confidence is a powerful thing. Whether it’s positive or negative it is the attitude that will carry us through on top or leave us flat and defeated. Talent will carry you a very long way. It will smooth ruffled feathers. It will open difficult doors. But the one thing that talent can’t over come is a negative attitude. But nothing lasts forever, and attitudes change, when they do confidence reigns and talented young men become Championship contenders.

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * * * * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    Congratulations to Kevin Harvick on his victory in the Camping World Truck Series and his victory as in the car owners points in that series.

    Congratulations to Trevor Bayne on his first Nationwide Series victory.

    Congratulations to Tony Stewart on his second consecutive victory in the Sprint Cup Series.

    To all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

  • Where Is the Excitement?

    Where Is the Excitement?

    There is more excitement on the NASCAR scene than I’ve seen for ages. We have a real championship battle and enough drama to make the daily soap operas cringe in fear, but yet there doesn’t seem to be any buzz about this final run. And I wonder why. It mystifies me.

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”221″][/media-credit]Tony Stewart has moved to within three points of a third championship, coming from a position that can only be described as futile. He’s won four of the eight races in the Chase and still people seem unmoved for some reason. I thought the excitement of someone else, anyone winning a NASCAR championship would be exciting to fans, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Far from it. Maybe it’s the participants.

    If you took a poll of NASCAR fans, I suspect most would vote for their favorite to be Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, and maybe even Kevin Harvick. Unfortunately, none of those guys are going to win this year. Jimmie Johnson, the guy who has won the last five championships, might even get a few votes, just because. Instead, we have Carl Edwards in the lead, if only by a minimal margin fighting the “great bully,” Tony Stewart. Both are great drivers and worthy of a championship. In fact, Stewart is a two-time Sprint Cup champion and Edwards has won the Nationwide championship. So, what’s the problem?

    Maybe it has to do with the whole system. Stewart languished far to the back of the standings until the Chase started. Finally, he caught fire while Edwards used consistency, the reason the points systems has worked forever, to stay at the top of the charts. Edwards has only one win, something that is really strange considering the equipment he has, and yet despite a better average finish and overall performance, is struggling to hold on. While the favorites have been good, they find themselves hopelessly out of the running to an also-ran during the regular season and a guy who just finishes in the top five for most of the season. Kind of like the year Matt Kenseth won the championship with one win. It’s just not fan inspiring. Yes the St. Louis Cardinals won the MLB championship with the same scenario, but that is baseball and not racing. For years, racing has been based on track championships and those always took a season and crowed the champion and not over the last 10 races. Pulling NASCAR into that system is only going to be problematic.

    I find it exciting. We have a horse race with the bully Stewart telling Edwards to watch his back and making it come true. We have the consistent Edwards coming close, but falling prey to the NASCAR rule about bonus points, which I’ve always thought was stupid and not productive, And the fight is on.

    With two races to go, it’s anyone’s championship, and like those Cardinals, it appears that only a bad day by Stewart will decide the championship. The Texas Rangers had those bad days, and it’s only a bad day from either Stewart or Edwards that will decide the championship.

    ***

    Kyle Busch was parked by NASCAR for taking the truck of Ron Hornaday, Jr. out during a caution during a caution flag on Friday night. Busch was also banned from participating in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races on Saturday and Sunday. Regardless of how fans felt about this turn of events, it robbed Busch of any chance of finishing other than last in the Chase. Many feel that is justice, and maybe they are right. The bigger issue is Busch’s future with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. Sponsors have been patient with Busch over the years, but will this be the last straw? Time will tell, but this writer’s opinion is that this might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

  • Carl Edwards Surprised at Tony Stewart’s Run but Still Likes His Position

    Carl Edwards Surprised at Tony Stewart’s Run but Still Likes His Position

    Even after watching Tony Stewart lead the most laps and win for the second straight week, Carl Edwards still believes he’s all talk.

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”241″][/media-credit]Don’t misunderstand though, Edwards admits that Stewart will bring him a great challenge as he tries to win his first championship. But Edwards prefers to be leading the points instead of playing catch up, like Stewart is, because he’s done that before to no avail.

    Even as Stewart closes in, Edwards says he has to run well to beat him the next two weeks. So far so good for Stewart, yet Edwards remains excited about the next two weeks. Phoenix will be an unknown with the new configuration but Homestead-Miami is a track that he is the most recent winner at.

    “I think really the surprising thing for all of us today was how well Tony ran here,” said Edwards. “I didn’t expect him to run quite that well. Those guys, they did a really good job. It makes me think that Homestead could be a lot closer than I expected before this race.”

    Last season Edwards won the final two races but Phoenix was repaved following this year’s February race. It now provides the potential to be a wildcard in the Chase and with just three points separating Edwards and Stewart, there is the fear of the unknown.

    “We really think next week at Phoenix has a larger opportunity by a landslide to change the outcome of this Chase,” Edwards said. “That one will be a very important race. If Tony and I run 1-2 at Homestead, there’s not going to be much points change if we run like we did tonight, but Phoenix has the potential to be huge.”

    So has been Stewart’s talk. Edwards felt after last week’s win that Stewart was just wound up. Following his win in Texas, Stewart said that his actions did all the talking and that he had nothing else to say. For Edwards, he has nothing to say as well. Not wanting to get caught up in off the track drama, focusing instead on his performance.

    “I go out and compete as hard as I can,” said Edwards. “It is fun to joke around a little bit but at the end of the day, any extra energy I spend thinking about other stuff or worrying about other things is not spent in the right place. I’m focusing on what I’m doing. It would be really fun to be standing up there last one on stage at the banquet, I might have a couple of jokes then. That would be a good time for them.”

    Edwards revealed that he’s learned that throwing jabs out has the potential to get him hurt. Now with just 14 days left before he could be holding a coveted Sprint Cup trophy, he’s not taking the risk. The No. 99 team didn’t take any Sunday either, even when thinking about staying out to try and win the race on fuel mileage.

    Instead he was left hoping someone else like Jeff Burton beat Stewart to the line. Joking that if he could, he would have loaned Burton some fuel. Yet Stewart beat Edwards at what is statistically one of his best tracks, just a bit surprising to Edwards.

    “I was surprised they were able to put together two weeks that were so good,” Edwards said. “That was really good work on their part. There’s nothing saying that that will play into another solid two weeks after that, but it very well could. We’re going to go home, work hard, put all our notes together from our test at Phoenix, do the best we can. From the way practice went and everything, I thought we’d have a little advantage tonight. They did their jobs very well.”

    Fortunate is how Edwards says he feels to have led the points for as long as he has in 2011. It provides comfort with where he currently sits and he hopes that having been apart of past championship fights will guide him through the next two weeks. He won the 2007 Nationwide Series championship then fell short to Jimmie Johnson on the Cup side in 2008.

    Those battles have made him stronger and wiser. The same goes for his Aflac team, who haven’t given up during the first eight weeks of the Chase when there could have been disastrous days. Instead fighting to the very end has led them to the point of being the first post Jimmie Johnson champions.

    “I guess the best way to sum it up is to say I feel more comfortable in this points battle than in any other points battle I can remember,” Edwards said. “I feel like we only have to worry about one other guy. We still have the advantage in the points. I’ve raced Tony long enough, I feel comfortable with him, he’s not going to surprise me with anything. I’m grateful for all that experience. I hope I can turn that into a championship.”

  • Stewart wins at Texas; Closes in on points lead

    Stewart wins at Texas; Closes in on points lead

    Tony Stewart led seven times for a race-high 173 laps in route to his second straight victory and the fourth out of the eight Chase races on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Stewart backed up his talk at Martinsville and cut into Carl Edwards’ series points lead and only trails by three points with two races remaining.

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”239″][/media-credit]“I told you guys that last week, nobody listens to me when I talk anymore. No, I mean we are set on it man, this is just the way it is going to be.” Stewart said.

    Edwards led 14 laps and finished second, 1.092 seconds behind Stewart.

    “I’m proud of our guys today.” said Edwards. “We wanted to beat Tony (Stewart) and pad the lead, but we are still the point’s leader. We are going to hold Tony to it and they are going to have to run that well in the next two races to beat us.”

    Kasey Kahne finished third, Matt Kenseth fourth and Greg Biffle finished fifth.

    Subbing for the suspended Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell finished 33rd.

    Mathematically still in, Five-time champion Jimmie Johnson finished 14th, remains in sixth place in the series points, 54 out. Six in a row is now very unlikely.

    Unofficial Race Results
    AAA Texas 500, Texas Motor Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=34
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 5 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 48
    2 7 99 Carl Edwards Ford 43
    3 9 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 42
    4 3 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 41
    5 1 16 Greg Biffle Ford 40
    6 – 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 38
    7 16 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 37
    8 – 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 36
    9 – 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 35
    10 – 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 34
    11 12 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 33
    12 2 6 David Ragan Ford 32
    13 – 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 31
    14 11 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 31
    15 4 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 30
    16 – 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 29
    17 13 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 0
    18 15 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 26
    19 – 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 25
    20 – 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 24
    21 – 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 23
    22 6 0 David Reutimann Toyota 22
    23 10 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 21
    24 8 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 21
    25 – 13 Casey Mears Toyota 19
    26 – 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 0
    27 – 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 18
    28 – 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 16
    29 – 71 Andy Lally * Ford 15
    30 14 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 14
    31 – 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 0
    32 – 34 David Gilliland Ford 12
    33 – 18 Michael McDowell Toyota 11
    34 – 32 Mike Bliss Ford 0
    35 – 135 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 9
    36 – 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 8
    37 – 20 Joey Logano Toyota 7
    38 – 36 Geoffrey Bodine Chevrolet 6
    39 – 46 Scott Speed Ford 0
    40 – 66 Josh Wise Toyota 0
    41 – 37 Mike Skinner Ford 0
    42 – 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
    43 – 55 J.J. Yeley Ford 1
  • Kenny Wallace Says NASCAR ‘Zapped the Hell Out of Kyle Busch’

    Kenny Wallace Says NASCAR ‘Zapped the Hell Out of Kyle Busch’

    With news of Kyle Busch being parked by NASCAR Saturday morning for the remainder of the weekend, the garage area has been buzzing. Opinions flying throughout about what’s right and wrong in terms of treating another competitor after one feels they have been done wrong.

    [media-credit name=”theautochannel.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Kenny Wallace was supposed to talk to the media Saturday before the Nationwide Series race about his 520th start. The record makes him the all-time leader in starts in the series and while he did talk about his piece of history and the memorable moments in his career, he also didn’t shy away from offering his thoughts on Busch.

    For Wallace, he knows all about NASCAR parking drivers. In 1997 at Phoenix he disobeyed a black flag and was called him to the NASCAR hauler after the race. Wallace refused and NASCAR fine him $10,000 which he had to write a check for out of his own account. Something he said made his hands shake. They also threatened to sit him for the next event a week later.

    “Mike Helton said something to me I’ll never forget — and this goes true for Kyle Busch — but he said these words: ‘I do not want to be the one to ruin your career,’” said Wallace. “So when the NASCAR president tells you ‘I don’t want to be the one to ruin your career’, they’re serious about that.”

    In 2002 Wallace was the substitute driver for Kevin Harvick after NASCAR parked him for his actions in a Camping World Truck Series race. Then in 2005 when Roush suspended then driver Kurt Busch, Wallace was again the man that was called upon to drive the car.

    He joked that he has the most experience at parking drivers. What wasn’t a joke to Wallace were Busch’s actions. There are rules in NASCAR just like any sport he said, that everyone needs to abide by and if not, they suffer the consequences. It’s not a free enterprise.

    Busch and Hornaday got together on lap 15 of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race on Friday night. After the caution flag had been shown Busch sped up to catch Hornaday and pushed him around turns three and four before he was able to turn him into the wall. He was parked for the remainder of the event and NASCAR informed Busch of the rest of his penalty on Saturday morning.

    President Mike Helton said that Busch crossed a line, even in the days of “boys, have at it.” Drivers can go about expressing themselves and reacting how they please but it will be to NASCAR’s discretion. There is a line that Helton said they’ve always believed that they’ll know when they see. Unfortunately for Busch, he showed it to them on Friday night.

    While he was driving his own truck on Friday, Joe Gibbs Racing is now filling in the gap that Busch leaves for Saturday and Sunday. Denny Hamlin and Michael McDowell will be the substitutes; even though Wallace joked he was hoping they would put him in the 18 car.

    Instead, he hopes that Busch learns from his actions. Just as he did in ’97 when NASCAR laid down the law, forcing him to grow up in a hurry. Drivers need the sport more than the sport needs them, contrary to popular belief.

    “I compare this situation to a dog collar,” said Wallace. “They zap you once, they zap you twice. And they zapped the hell out of Kyle Busch. And I think he gets it now, after 90 wins [across all three series]. So, I went through all of this, I’m the king of this situation.”

    More importantly says Wallace is that NASCAR doesn’t make idle threats, no matter if it’s Kyle Busch or John Doe. They will put a driver in their place, no matter the cost anyone party involved.

    “They will ruin Kyle’s career if he doesn’t straighten up,” Wallace said. “They don’t care if M&M’s is his sponsor. They don’t care if he’s in the Chase. They don’t care that all his employees have just lost their bonus money. They don’t care if he took Ron Hornaday out of the championship chase. There are major, major implications for this situation and I understand them all.”

  • The End is Nearing: Jimmie Johnson Knows His Days Might be Numbered

    The End is Nearing: Jimmie Johnson Knows His Days Might be Numbered

    Jeff Gordon says his first impression of Jimmie Johnson was that once he won a championship everyone should look out. The reason, Gordon said, was that he saw the potential for the No. 48 Lowe’s team to go on a streak.

    Five years later though, he never thought they would have gone on that type of streak. Johnson is the five-time and defending Sprint Cup Series champion but for the first time in five years the day that many fans have been waiting for could be around the corner. Johnson might not be at the head table in Las Vegas at seasons end.

    [media-credit id=42 align=”alignright” width=”223″][/media-credit]With just three races remaining in the 2011 Chase Johnson sits sixth in points, 43 points out of the lead. It might not sound all that steep, but considering NASCAR’s new point system and the way that the top five drivers have been running, Johnson has a tough battle ahead.

    “It’s disappointing to say the least,” said Johnson at Texas about his position. “It is easy to find an angle, if we didn’t have the speed and we had other issues going on from an on-track perspective, we didn’t have the speed, we couldn’t compete, pit road problems, whatever is it, we do not have that this year.”

    Johnson acknowledged that his team had a rough summer stretch, where they didn’t have the speed on the mile-and-a-half tracks. They also had pit road problems. However, there has just been something about the 48 team this year that hasn’t been in years past. They have been no tears of winning races, only having one win before Kansas the fourth race of the Chase, and that came at the crapshoot in Talladega.

    Untimely cautions and fuel mileage during races put Johnson in positions that he couldn’t climb out of. Unlike when he seemed to have all the luck, prompting Kevin Harvick to start the lucky horseshoe comments that many quickly latched onto.

    “Even past Chases we can look at last year and say what we did here changing pit crews out was huge,” said Johnson. “I admitted then that we didn’t have the speed to run with the No. 11 [Denny Hamlin], but we found a way to get it done. This year, in this Chase we have had the speed on pit road and on the racetrack and we just have not finished the races off like we needed to, to stay in contention.”

    Races like Fontana at the start of the season when Harvick beat Johnson on the last lap. Martinsville in April, Johnson had a top three car but finished ninth after speeding on pit road. There was Dover in June when he again had a top two car but crew chief Chad Knaus made the wrong pit call and was beaten by Matt Kenseth’s two tires.

    Races where Johnson was leading near the end, such as Martinsville last weekend, he still didn’t leave with a win. To date, he only has two victories, something that no one is used to seeing and what Johnson isn’t used to feeling. As the season has wound down, the wondering began about whether it would be Johnson’s year or were they just waiting for the Chase to do what they do best.

    “That responsibility ultimately lands on my shoulders and to a certain degree on Chad’s,” Johnson said. “That is where the disappointment comes from. There has been a handful of races where crashes, strategy, and different things just didn’t play out, that part stinks. It is sports, it’s racing and we have to learn from the outcome of this year and whatever happens and not let that happen again in the future.”

    The last five years, Johnson was the one in the right place at the right time. Now he’s in the unfamiliar spot of being almost a long shot to win the title. Now it seems that something that seemed so hard to do the last few years is just weeks from happening: dethroning Johnson.

    He and his fans knew the day would come but have preferred not to think about it. Reality though, is calling them down to earth. Still the champion for the next three weeks, and with anything possible in this sport Johnson could very well be right back in the hunt after Sunday. But he’s still thinking about the end game and will have to decide how to handle it when it comes.

    “We have high expectations for ourselves and so does this room and the fans because of what we have accomplished,” Johnson said. “After you win a championship, you want more and after you win five in a row it just seems like you should be a contender at a minimum. We have a lot of pressure on ourselves and yes, we are going to be disappointed if we are not the champion.”

    But Johnson says, he’s been thinking about his team. There are new men going over the wall on his pit crew. They’ve been developing all year. HMS has had pressure on them to provide the best cars with good speed in them. Johnson says it has been a tougher year than they expected from a performance standpoint.

    It gives Johnson reason to believe that 2012 will be a good year because he feels they understanding their equipment better. Time will tell if next year comes with Johnson not being the man on top.

    “Just like any competitor if it is not your year this year, you learn from the low spots, you praise your crew for the high spots and you move on,” Johnson said. “I don’t want to see the streak end, nor does my team, but if it does, it does and we have to learn from it and go on.”