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Category: The Final Word

Thornton’s final word

  • The Final Word – Talladega Produces the 100th Cup Victory by an Earnhardt

    The Final Word – Talladega Produces the 100th Cup Victory by an Earnhardt

    Family. Why do we watch these races, even the most boring among them when there are so many other things we could be doing? It is our sense of family that keeps us tuning in.

    It is similar as to why fans of the Chicago Cubs endure the disappointment, year after year. That would be due to sticking with their beleaguered “family” members over the seasons. You know, such kin as Hack Wilson, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, Bruce Sutter, and Ron Santos, to name just a few from the past. Their highs and lows on the field were their fans’ highs and lows. They were all in it together. They still are.

    In NASCAR, it is also all about family. It was started by a family and has featured such families as the Pettys and Allisons. We were thrilled by their success and crushed by their tragedies. They were and remain a part of us.

    Thus, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke a decade-long drought at a track he once ruled to win his sixth race at Talladega on Sunday, one of our own had come through. This is a track on which his late father triumphed ten times and this is where his boy had a run of four in a row. When Dale Sr. died, a lot of fans adopted the lad as a son or brother. We mourned with him, we mourned for him, and we followed him. It just dawned on me that I am 18 years older than Junior, old enough to have been his dad. Not a good one, mind you, not at that age, but old enough. I would rather like to think I would have made one hell of an older brother.

    Family. When the car was not so good at Richmond, Greg Ives had some explaining to do. Not to Junior, not to owner Rick Hendrick, but to his eight-year-old daughter. She does not take such disappointments lightly. Last week, she suffered a bad break near her elbow, and the driver offered his crew chief a chance to fly home to be with her. However, a certain eight-year-old told her daddy to stay right where he was. Ives had a job to do, and on Sunday he and Junior completed the task by winning at Talladega. It was Ives’ first on the box, the 24th victory for the racer over his Cup career and, yes, the 100th Cup victory by an Earnhardt.

    It would seem that one of the toughest people associated with this team spent the weekend back in Charlotte mending and cheering on her favorite crew chief and driver. She no doubt will be doing the same this Saturday night when her daddy and his friend are in Kansas. That day also marks the 23rd anniversary of when I first met my wife, Amy, and on that day we will be celebrating my niece Katie’s third birthday. Yes, we will be spending Saturday following that good ole NASCAR tradition. We will be with our family here as we watch members of our other family race in Kansas.

  • The Final Word – Kurt rises to the top at Richmond as Roush-Fenway continues to free fall

    The Final Word – Kurt rises to the top at Richmond as Roush-Fenway continues to free fall

    Rain changed the Saturday night race at Richmond into a Sunday afternoon affair. Was it worth the wait? For Kurt Busch, the answer was “yes.”

    After Joey Logano set the pace over the initial 94 laps, Busch came through to dominate all but 15 of the final 306 circuits to take his first of the season. After his forced three event delay to start this campaign, his 26th career decision lofts him into a Chase place. All he has to do is keep within the Top Thirty, and he looks free and clear in that department.

    Not so for Tony Stewart. After finishing well at Bristol, he clipped Dale Earnhardt Jr. and in the aftermath his jalopy failed to fire. Stewart was out, in 41st, and now just four points ahead of Sam Hornish Jr. in the fight for 30th in the standings. As for Danica Patrick, who also did well the previous week, she was back down in 25th on Sunday. At least Kevin Harvick continues to roll along, coming home right behind his victorious teammate.

    Last year, the Penske pair swept Richmond. Logano’s ride faded after his fast start though he managed to claim fifth. Brad Keselowski lost a cylinder and faded to 17th. Three of the Hendrick drivers had Top Ten days though Junior finished 14th. As for Roush Fenway, who have been tanking like an unarmed Sherman attempting to cross a lake, all sank. None were among the Top Twenty.

    Denny Hamlin was 22nd on Sunday, yet won the XFINITY race on Friday night. Of greater note was the fact the two teenagers, Erik Jones and Chase Elliott, were fourth and fifth. Jones is registered to drive the trucks, where he is three for three in Top Tens, has won on the junior loop in taking another five Top Tens in eight attempts, and could be Kyle Busch’s stand-in after this weekend in Cup. Not bad for a kid who won’t turn 19 years old for another month.

    So, was Sunday’s race worth the wait the rain imposed upon us? Well, if you were a channel surfer, having no idea what the race meant to the Stewart-Haas crew, or to Penske, or Roush-Fenway, or even Hendrick, you might have stuck with it for five or ten minutes. A visual spectacular it was not, even though the cars looked pretty.

    That changes this week, as next up we have the Sunday race at Talladega, a must watch for even the most transient NASCAR observer. You watch that race like you would the Formula One race from Monaco, not believing any sane person would be behind the wheel in any of these entries. Some wags might suggest there is good reason for their disbelief.

  • The Final Word – With all the rain and challenges at Bristol, the only guy missing was Jeff Probst

    The Final Word – With all the rain and challenges at Bristol, the only guy missing was Jeff Probst

    Bristol. Just about the only thing missing was Jeff Probst and his Tribal Council as this turned into a game of survival. With the rains that delayed the start, the rains that stopped it again and again, the day race that ran into night became a reality show of its own.

    Take Kevin Harvick, for instance. He led 186 of the eventual 511 laps, but at Lap 310 he slid into a wrecked David Ragan and he found himself voted off the island in 38th place. If not Harv, then it was Kurt Busch in a dominant car. With eight to go, he took the brunt of it when Jeff Gordon got into Carl Edwards. Busch at least managed a 15th for his troubles.

    Then there was the case of Team Penske. You know you needed a hidden immunity idol when things go down the outdoor commode during the opening credits. Brad Keselowski wobbled and that allowed teammate Joey Logano to put out both their torches. Thirty-fifth and beyond was their fate.

    Do you want more examples? After the Penske wreck on the 19th lap, it rained some more. In that time, Denny Hamlin’s stiff neck got worse and when they restarted 18-year-old Erik Jones found himself racing a Cup car for the very first time, ending up 26th.

    How good was Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car? We will never know, as a flat tire took him off the lead lap early, never to be seen again. At least he got 16th when it was all over. As for Austin Dillon, the extra laps before the final re-start ran him out of gas, but even with that he finished 10th.

    After a final caution, they needed a green-white-checker, but rain even delayed that, hence those extra caution laps before the fall of the final green. Matt Kenseth got a fine re-start to take a race he was not all that noticeable in, but the victory shows up just fine in the standings. After no wins last season, his 32nd career triumph had to be sweet no matter how he got it. Jimmie Johnson’s car did not look that pretty, but he came back to slip by Gordon for second while Jeff rebounded from a flat that had him down early to grab third. In short, these boys survived. Nobody thrived.

    Some folks play the game and slip in under the radar. Tony Stewart was sixth Sunday night, but that was a gift for to a guy who was 15th best at best. Danica Patrick was ninth. Another gift. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fourth, the best gift of all. Despite that good fortune, Roush-Fenway entries are still coming up short. Trevor Bayne was 28th, Greg Biffle 30th.

    Ryan Newman, fifth at Bristol, got 25 points back from his appeal over Tiregate. He still is missing his crew chief and two other team members due to suspension, and Richard Childress will continue his quest for their early return with a further appeal.

    It meant jack squat to see Logano win the Saturday XFINITY race at Bristol. Having Daniel Suarez (23 year old from Mexico), Chris Buescher (22), Erik Jones (18), Ty Dillon (23) and Chase Elliott (19) take the next five spots meant everything.

    Sunday we had the day long 2015 Food City 500 In Support of Steve Byrnes. For the NASCAR family, the broadcaster and his fight against cancer, is what truly is meaningful. We have tallied the vote, the tribe has spoken, we want you back just as soon as you are able, Steve.

  • The Final Word – Texas was all about Jimmie and Kevin with a Junior cameo

    The Final Word – Texas was all about Jimmie and Kevin with a Junior cameo

    Jimmie, and Kevin, and Dale, oh my. Jimmie, and Kevin, and Dale, oh my.

    Last Saturday night was a good one if you happened to be a fan of one of the above-mentioned drivers. Johnson was the class of the field, leading 128 laps, including the final one. It was his second win of the season and the 72nd of his career. Six-time rather likes the Texas track, having won the last three fall races, now four in his last six attempts, and his fifth win overall in Fort Worth. I am starting to think he likes the place.

    Kevin Harvick, also with a pair of victories this season along with four runner-up finishes, led 96 laps and came home second. Life must be good when finishing eighth at Martinsville represents a slump. As for Junior, well, Mr. Earnhardt led zero laps but he was close, closer still near the end, to claim third. If he could only get a mulligan for both Phoenix and Martinsville, for he has finished between third and sixth everywhere else.

    Another good day as well for the likes of Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, as the Penske duo finished in the Top Five. Proof positive you can get away with being a two car operation if those teams actually matter. Same goes for single car outfits, as Martin Truex Jr. now has a Top Ten in each race of this season, a huge turnaround from a year ago. As for the likes of Tony Stewart and Sam Hornish Jr, nothing much to write home about regarding this race or this season. Maybe this weekend things will be different. Probably not.

    Maybe they could join the rest of us, experiencing success at home driving a video game version. Next month the new NASCAR ‘15 game comes out. Of course, for me, realism is being able to switch to indestructible mode in order to take out the entire field en route to victory. Hey, it could happen in real life. Having cars flying a hundred feet into the air, now that was unrealistic.

    Unrealistic, like me growing taller, or having my hair back, or holding out hope that one day I might actually become a Cup driver. If I could just shed 60 pounds and 40 years, I could be Erik Jones. You might as well become familiar with the 18-year-old, who is registered in the trucks. All he has done there is win four of his career 20 events, with 16 Top Tens. When he was 16 and 17, he ran ARCA, winning one of 14 with eight Top Tens. Oh, Jones also runs Xfinity, winning his first in nine attempts last weekend to go with six Top Tens. Joe Gibbs did not want to rush him into Cup, going with David Ragan instead of Jones to fill in for Kyle Busch. Even though Ragan sits 10th in the standings, maybe they might want to re-think that. The man child might be ready.

    We are always ready for a day at Bristol, where Jimmie and Kevin and Dale have all won. Once. Jimmie won it five years ago while 10 have gone by for the other two. Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon each have five, but a few years have ticked by even for them.

    No, your best bet would be Carl Edwards. Winner of three, including the event one year ago, he did pick up his first Top Ten last Saturday. Maybe it is his time to shine this season though if he falters I am sure teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin would be more than willing to pick up the slack. Both are also past Bristol winners.

    As for some Bristol trivia, there were 56 races run at that track between 1973 and 2000. Thirty of those, more than half, were won by Cale Yarborough (9), Darrell Waltrip (12), Dale Earnhardt (9), and Rusty Wallace (9). Hall of Famers all. Oh my, indeed.

  • The Final Word – Newman’s early success deflated heading into Texas

    The Final Word – Newman’s early success deflated heading into Texas

    As the boys and girl venture on to Fort Worth, it seems apropos for some to seek a resurrection of their hopes on the season. For others, the off weekend did little to help matters from where we left off after Martinsville.

    Somebody was doing something to their tires, and somebody was going to pay. We knew NASCAR had some suspects, that they had some tires that they were testing, and we discovered soon enough that this was one conspiracy theory that held up.

    The rules state that “any device, modification, or procedure to the tire or wheel, including the valve stem hardware, that is used to release pressure, beyond normal pressure adjustments, from the tire and/or inner shield, will not be permitted.”

    For violating the rules, Ryan Newman’s crew chief Luke Lambert has been fined $125,000 and is gone until the points race in Charlotte in late May. Team tire tech James Bender and team engineer Philip Surgen are similarly on vacation. Seventy-five of the points that Ryan Newman had garnered in the opening six events, along with the same amount of owner points for Richard Childress, are gone, as they say at Shawshank, like a “fart in the wind.”

    Newman falls from sixth to 26th in the standings, yet could bounce back with a win this Saturday night. At least he will be in the race. Thankfully, Kyle Larson is also back after fainting at a Martinsville autograph session prior to that event. The culprit turned out to be dehydration.

    Will the Roush-Fenway trio of Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne be back? Sure, they are participating, but a combined total of a single Top Ten and two laps led does not make one a competitor.

    Voting is now open for the next class for the Hall of Fame. I think Rick Hendrick’s 232 Cup wins to go with his 11 Cup championships should make him an automatic selection. If I had a vote, other picks would likely be crew chief Harry Hyde, track owner Bruton Smith, and driver Mark Martin.

    Maybe even Richard Childress. Hey, the guy could use some positive feedback about now.

    Jimmie Johnson heads to Texas having won three of the past five there, though none of them was in the spring. Those went to Kyle Busch, who continues to mend, and Joey Logano.

    However, Matt Kenseth is also strong at this track, and is seeking to resurrect his success on the Texas circuit. He was 25th last fall, his worst performance there in 25 starts, where ninth or better is an expected outcome. If it all comes back together, maybe a third set of six-guns could be in the offing.

  • The Final Word – Martinsville brings us NASCAR’s Sad Lexicon

    The Final Word – Martinsville brings us NASCAR’s Sad Lexicon

    These are the saddest of possible words:
    “Denny or Joey or Brad.”
    A trio of dudes who are just for the birds,
    Denny or Joey or Brad.
    First, third, and second, my hopes turned to rubble
    After watching that finish, I need a double
    Words, for this fan, that are nothing but trouble:
    “Denny or Joey or Brad.”

    Kevin Harvick was going to win at Martinsville, or so I thought. Having led 154 laps, it was a logical expectation, but he wound up eighth. Jeff Gordon was going to win, then a late caution and a speeding penalty in the pits ended those dreams and left him ninth.

    After the final re-start, the leader board was topped by the trio of Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano. It never changed. Sure, Hamlin did probably the coolest burnouts I have seen in a long time but…but…it was Denny Hamlin. For the 34-year old, he greatly enhances his Chase aspirations with his 25th career victory on a day the Gibbs organization probably needed. More on that in a moment.

    For Gibbs Racing, Hamlin won, Matt Kenseth was fourth, David Ragan was fifth, while Carl Edwards was 17th. It was a good day for Penske, as well, with Keselowski and Logano. Stewart-Haas had a decent day as all four were within the Top 20, with Danica Patrick claiming seventh.

    Jimmie Johnson has eight Martinsville clocks, but a car that started bad and just got worse left him having to rely on his watch to tell the time, finishing 32 laps down in 35th. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the timepiece last year, but this time his car vibrated bad enough to snap off his shifter more than once. Then he got in a bottleneck, ran into the back of Paul Menard, and really vibrated. Junior finished minus a new clock, a hood and fenders, to sit a spot behind Johnson.

    I tried poking my tires to cause teeny tiny holes, but all that was good for was to make the things go flat. There must be an art to it, but NASCAR says maintaining consistent air pressure in this fashion, thus maintaining balance in the car, is not the way to go about it. They have suspicions somebody might be doing it, and if they ever catch that somebody it will have very bad consequences for them.

    A bit of tinkering out in California to aid the aerodynamic properties of the part-time No. 33 ride has given crew chief Slugger Labbe a NASCAR enforced three week vacation. They caught something they did not like in opening day inspection and asked for a $50,000 financial contribution as well.

    NASCAR loves its rules. A tire rolling around in a pit box without a guiding hand is enough to get them all hot and bothered. However, have a jackass stomping on his brakes at the exit to pit row, stacking up his opponents, in order to avoid having to re-start in the outside lane, and we hear not a word. To be fair, I would expect the powers that be to address Mr. Hamlin’s new trick in short order to avoid what could soon become a very unpleasant situation.

    Being sick sucks. 22 year old Kyle Larson missed Martinsville after fainting Saturday during an autograph session. He feels fine, but doctors wanted to conduct a few more tests to make sure they know exactly what happened. Regan Smith filled in, finishing 16th. J.D. Gibbs is away from his dad’s race team with what seems to be post-concussion like symptoms, but the exact cause remains a mystery. Meanwhile, recent tests did not deliver the news we wanted for pit reporter Steve Byrnes in his fight with cancer. Our prayers are with him.

    There are many folks involved in NASCAR who have come to mean something to us, including talented announcers, executives, and drivers. Some we enjoy, others not so much. More than a hundred years ago, Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance were a double play combination for the Chicago Cubs and “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon” is said to have gone a long way in getting each elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. So, if history repeats itself, to Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Brad Keselowski, you are welcome.

  • The Final Word – If Fontana were a Hollywood movie, we would have wanted our money back

    The Final Word – If Fontana were a Hollywood movie, we would have wanted our money back

    Imagine watching the final confrontation of Lord of the Rings. We have Sam somewhere out on the mountain, as Frodo and Smeagol battle for the ring on the edge of the volcano. Then, out of nowhere, Barliman Butterbur, the owner of the Prancing Pony bar, jumps in to steal the ring from them both, leaps onto the back of Bill the horse, and disappears into the sunset. You are left wondering just what in hell just happened. Fontana was just like that.

    Barliman…er…Brad Keselowski, on a nice set of four new tires, utilized the second attempt at a green-white-checker to come out of nowhere to get by Kurt Busch (Smeagol) and Kevin Harvick (Frodo), who just had fresh right side only chariots. On the final lap, as Greg Biffle (Sauron?) wrecked in the distance, he pulled it off. We knew Brad was in the movie, but we just did not expect to see him in the end. It marked the first win of the season for the 2012 champ, and the 17th of his career.

    While Frodo was second best, a top two performer in his last eight straight, and Smeagol was third, the role of Sam was played by Matt Kenseth. Absolutely superb pit stops left him in front or challenging for the top spot all day. Then, with 14 to go, the boys got their driver out in under 11 seconds, only the see his rear axle failing to survive the departure. Amazingly, they managed to do repairs to allow him to finish on the lead lap, though in 31st.

    Kenseth failed to win, but both he and Ryan Newman got good news. With the statute of limitations removed from eligibility for the all-star race, they both got their passes renewed for this May’s event.

    Brian Vickers was out in California bringing awareness to those who suffer from blood clots. That is exactly what has removed him from his ride yet again. We hope to see him back in his seat this summer.

    NASCAR boss Brian France admits that the COT was a mistake. The ill-handling box was designed for safety, but was not worth a damn for racing. Now if he would only admit that the new rule for runaway tires is a bit of a mistake. Joey Logano got totally screwed for such an infraction, even though the rubber never left the pit stall. Denny Hamlin got called late, but at least his tread did cross over, albeit barely.

    So…what exactly was the debris that caused that final caution with less than two laps remaining, with Busch and Harvick dueling for the finish line? Damned if I know. Do you? Does anyone?

    So NASCAR has taken a few dollars, a very few, from the Cup folks to pay drivers in its developmental series. I guess stealing from Peter to pay Paul is preferable to actually digging into their own bulging wallets but it is something. Funny how they want to redistribute the wealth Obama style now, at a time when the truck series is no longer broadcast beyond American borders and the Xfinity series is being invaded by drivers a tad beyond developmental. Then again, we now live in a world that does not always makes sense to us, so why should NASCAR be any different.

    If you watched on Sunday for excitement, for tight action, or for carnage, you might have been disappointed. If you like surprises, you loved Fontana. Godspeed, Barliman Butterbur. Godspeed.

  • The Final Word – Harvick Once Again the Best in Phoenix but Fontana is Johnson Country

    The Final Word – Harvick Once Again the Best in Phoenix but Fontana is Johnson Country

    Phoenix got somewhat exciting near the end. Kevin Harvick was the star of this show, with the likes of Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray in supporting roles. Two straight this season, four straight at Phoenix, a lock on a Chase spot (you would think) and 30 career victories as he defends his Cup championship. It is good being Kevin Harvick.

    Not so good being Tony Stewart. Take some orange paper, write a number 14 on it, then crumple it all up and toss it on the floor. That is pretty much how Stewart’s car looked when it finally stopped along the wall. Thirty-ninth on the day, 35th in the standings. It is not good being Tony Stewart, at least after four Cup races.

    It was good being Dale Earnhardt Jr. Top Fives at Daytona, Atlanta and Las Vegas was good. A blown tire and a sharp slap to the wall to finish 43rd was not.

    It was good, finally, to be Kurt Busch. In the words of Mike Joy, he went from suspension to redemption, as he finished fourth in his return.

    Danica Patrick had another day outside the Top 25. Sure, her team-mates with the law firm of Stewart-Harvick-and Busch may all have won championships, but none of them have a cook book coming out. Game, set and match, losers.

    One day, one race, 43 teams. I guess that is a bit too much even for Will Ferrell.

    The best on the day amongst the lesser lights was Justin Allgaier. The 29th ranked driver from last season was 18th at Phoenix. Among the brighter bulbs who went dim were Junior, Brian Vickers, Sam Hornish Jr. and Smoke, all of whom wound up amongst the bottom five.

    The great thing about FOX Sports taking over coverage is all the extra time it has given me. No truck racing, no practices, no qualifying to sit through. Now, if I only don’t blow it all on watching curling on TSN.

    What does Junior’s puppy at Martin Truex Jr’s motorcoach have in common with Junior’s car last Sunday out on the track? That is where both suddenly went to crap.

    Someone stole the No. 44. Now a lawyer wants it. Apparently, there is a claim that team owner John Cohen owes some money, so when the counsel for the other party heard Cohen claim the car was worth $250,000 he thought he would claim a piece. Insert your favorite lawyer joke here, I guess.

    The western swing wraps up this Sunday in Fontana, California, where the mending Kyle Busch will see an end to his two race dominance of that track. Maybe that will work in favor of five time race winner Jimmie Johnson, or allow Kyle Larson to build on his runner-up performance in his one and only start there. Will it be exciting? It depends on who you like and where they are racing. Then again, who watches live events anymore? Hit record and watch the action at your own pace, maybe catch an inning or two of a ball game in the meantime, or shovel some snow, if you live in the northeast, then return to the track. Hey, it is a multi-task world.

  • The Final Word – Be it Las Vegas or Phoenix, we be groovin’ on a Sunday afternoon

    The Final Word – Be it Las Vegas or Phoenix, we be groovin’ on a Sunday afternoon

    Another Sunday, another NASCAR Cup race. I think if you loved the race, you may have been a fan to some degree of one of the top four. The fact Kevin Harvick followed up a pair of runner-up finishes with his 29th career contest at Las Vegas must have made followers of the defending Cup champ smile. He certainly had the most dominant car on the day, leading the way for more than half the laps.

    A second place run from Martin Truex Jr. may have been welcome. Seeing Ryan Newman take third was fine for many. Dale Earnhardt Jr. coming home fourth had to make more than a few content with how things played out. Imagine how you might have felt had Joey Logano won.

    Sure, there are Logano fans out there, and I am not just referring to Brittany. I mean, NASCAR must love him, or at least that might explain them dropping a caution for a long sitting lost tire near pit road just as he, and only he, was left coming in for his stop. They might as well have changed his tires and offered the lad a snack while they were at it. If nothing else, they kept him on the lead lap, something only 14 cars could claim when it was all over, to take 10th on the day.

    Kasey Kahne finished 17th, Carl Edwards 42nd. Why that was had everything to do with Edwards accidently taking his rival up and into the wall, and Kahne not so accidently spinning his rival into tagging the inside fence. Carl took the blame when the microphone found him inside the car, inside the garage, seeking repairs that proved too much to salvage even one additional position.

    Brian Scott salvaged a 13th place outcome in his run for Richard Childress in the No, 33 to be the best amongst those we do not see regularly near the front. Whitney and Brielle had good reason to be pleased on the day.

    Two spots behind him was Brian Vickers. Three months ago they were working on his heart, Sunday he was working to get his career back on track. Already, in just one race, he sits ahead of Tony Stewart in the standings.

    Smoke’s season has already gone for shlitz. Some had bad days, while he had a bad car, bad enough to sit 33rd in the end. Cole Whitt had a bigger presence this day. Other guys for whom things did not go well included Atlanta winner Jimmie Johnson. He looked great early, but had to pit with a tire vibration. Johnson was battling for the lucky dog then a tire went down and he found the fence to finish just ahead of Edwards. Of course, with the win a week earlier, that leaves him sitting third in the rankings.

    So, was this a spectacular sporting event to sit through? Not really, though to be fair that could be said about any number of contests we witness every week. However, Cup has just 36 offerings for us to be excited about, compared to the hundreds and thousands of offerings per season in other major sports. If a game does not turn your crank, turn to another. That is not an option in NASCAR, so they are left with having to better market their product. Sadly, I feel they are woefully falling short.

    This weekend, there is another Sunday, another race, but this time they are in Phoenix. A 500 mile race that in five spring dates has yet to find a distinctive identity. To date, it has been named after a sponsor each time, Subway for three, CNBC last year, and Camping World this time out. Just another race on the schedule.

    Bad news for those not fans of Kevin Harvick. He won last week, and he has won the last three run at Phoenix. Maybe it should be the Happy Havick 500? At least some folks might love that.

  • The Final Word – Four were hot at Atlanta while most others were in a deep freeze

    The Final Word – Four were hot at Atlanta while most others were in a deep freeze

    Any more global warming and a guy could freeze to death. Last week, we had temperatures higher than Sunday at Atlanta. It is actually snowing where I am, a ten hour drive north of the Montana border, so seeing somewhere warm at this time of year is a good thing. Atlanta did not provide that good thing, unless you happened to be a fan of one of four drivers.

    Joey Logano took the pole, led early, and finished fourth. Kevin Harvick then led a bunch, the most of anyone, and wound up second. Dale Earnhardt Jr. led for a moment, a brief moment, but was near the point the entire day, finishing third. Then there was Jimmie Johnson, who closed the door on the Closer, after he got caught up in traffic, to claim his 71st Cup victory.

    Johnson started beyond 30th, as did 13 others who failed to even make it through tech inspection, never mind even attempting to qualify. Jeff Gordon failed four times. We are left to wonder if all these teams became that dumb that quick, or have the lasers used for measuring become that precise that quick, or is there another explanation? Only 15 of 49 cars made it through on their first attempt, with Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth among those who failed to get in a qualifying run.

    Okay, Travis Kvapil did not either, but he had better reason. Among the many reasons the cars get taken to the track in a majestically painted hauler apparently is to warn thieves that this is something too hot for them to handle. Put the car in a plain white trailer towed behind a pick-up truck, park it outside a hotel, and a thief could wind up with the surprise of his life. They found the car left parked in a rural area after the thieves unloaded it, but the tools, and spare engine are as gone as the trailer they were in at the moment. You can see the No. 44 car at Las Vegas this weekend.

    Winning or being in the Top 16 is the goal in order to make the Chase. Logano and Johnson are pretty much locked in. A.J. Allmendinger (seventh on Sunday), Carl Edwards (12th), and Danica Patrick (16th) are now in, while Denny Hamlin (38th), Michael Annett (29th), and Austin Dillon (39th) have slipped to the outside. Others heading to Las Vegas seeking to move up are such veterans as Kenseth (18th in the standings), Ryan Newman (21st), Brad Keselowski (23rd), Jamie McMurray (32nd), Gordon (35th) and Stewart (36th).

    Brian Vickers returns to the No. 55 Toyota this weekend after mending from a heart issue. His stand-in at Atlanta was 22-year old Brett Moffitt, who finished eighth in just his eighth Cup event. Interestingly enough, that one result has him just 14 points out, 24th in the rankings, and just two behind Keselowski. I hope somebody has the kid’s phone number.

    There is no excuse to have a bad announcer who was a former driver. Keselowski did a good job during his Xfinity broadcast stint. Harvick was great during his. I still love Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach. There is a lot of talent out there. While announcing is a very important component to keeping fans watching and listening, I have noticed some other components.

    There is the visual excitement, like a tight battle for the lead, a formation of drivers only inches apart, or charging at break neck speed down city streets, as they do at Monte Carlo. Atlanta was not like that, at least it wasn’t until Hamlin or Greg Biffle went sideways. Then it became exciting, in a video game kind of way.

    There is the leader of the race. You like that driver, it is entertaining. If you do not, it is not as enjoyable. I found my own enjoyment factor went up when Kevin and Jimmie replaced Joey on point. I am sure the new Mrs. Logano saw this differently, as she should.

    There was a time when we were made to feel like we were part of a fraternity, with promos and commercials geared to fans just like you. When was the last time we were asked “how bad have you got it?” Do you look at a big brown truck any differently? NAPA was not just car parts, it was about teammates and being at the wrong track. Is anyone still sorry about what happened to Tony’s little car? In the words of Hank Williams, why doesn’t NASCAR and its sponsors love us like they used to do?

    I loved being in Las Vegas 14 months ago. It got so cool there I damn near had to put a jacket over my T-shirt, shorts, and sandals. What a wonderful way to experience winter. Yet, the Deep South was almost a deep freeze Sunday at Atlanta, and when I was at Daytona one February a few years ago. If that is how things are now in the south, there is no way I am visiting Boston until the Red Sox are playing in front of a short-sleeve crowd at Fenway. I will risk a sun burn over frost bite any day.