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Category: The Final Word

Thornton’s final word

  • The Final Word – Down to one question: Can Johnson avoid disaster at Homestead?

    The Final Word – Down to one question: Can Johnson avoid disaster at Homestead?

    The fat lady is on stage, the band is ready, the curtain has gone up. All we need now is a nod from the conductor for her to sing her song. Jimmie Johnson finished third at Phoenix. Matt Kenseth had problems, came home 23rd, and the gap between the two leaders is now 28 points. With only 48 left on the table at Homestead, Five Time needs to finish 23rd or better to amend his nickname yet again.

    It is not that Phoenix did not have its drama. It did, but it came in dribbles. When Joey Logano nudged Johnson with his fender on the opening lap, some gasped. When Carl Edwards did the same later on, and Jimmie’s car danced toward the wall, they gasped some more. Then they relaxed. While Johnson could move his way to the front, Kenseth had troubles keeping up. 21 cars finished on the lead lap; Kenseth was not amongst them.

    What Matt needed was the kind of day Kevin Harvick had. Even if that took place, Kenseth would still be sitting a point back. For Harvick, it marked his fourth win of the season, gave him a six point advantage for the day on Johnson, but left him a distant 34 points back in third place. While Harvick has been averaging a 7th place finish in the nine Chase events, Kenseth has produced an 8th place pace. As for Johnson, his average finish has been 4.7, aided by a 5.8 average start. Only a disaster down in Florida will stop this juggernaut from reclaiming its title.

    Rating Phoenix – 6.5/10 – The reason we have announcers for televised events is to enhance the action, to inform and, if need be, to entertain. Phoenix provided such great camera views that the action was enhanced when the seven desk personnel did not say a thing. With Kenseth having his problems, the drama was somewhat diminished, but the action was there for all to see. Yes, sometimes less can indeed be more.

    Jimmie Johnson has never won at Homestead in a dozen attempts. His finishes there the past two runs have been 36th last year, 32nd the year before. A repeat of 2012 would truly be a disaster for our leader and Kenseth would win the crown by finishing 7th, while Harvick would need a win. Not impossible and that is why the fat lady has not yet sung her song. However, if I were a betting man…  Enjoy your week.

  • The Final Word – After Texas, Gordon is done, and so might Kenseth be after Phoenix

    The Final Word – After Texas, Gordon is done, and so might Kenseth be after Phoenix

    So, what did we manage to accomplish at Texas this past week? Well, not much.

    There was the bursting of the bubble that had Jeff Gordon as an actual Cup contender. When his tire blew, when his car slammed into the fence, when he left with just a couple of points to his credit, that fantasy came to an end. To be honest, even if he had ran tenth, it would have mattered little.

    Jimmie Johnson finished first. Matt Kenseth finished fourth. What the rest did was of little consequence at Texas. The seven point lead Johnson has over Kenseth can be made up at Phoenix and Homestead. The 40 point deficit faced by the now third place Kevin Harvick can not. For Johnson, it marked his 66th career win and, most importantly, his 6th of the season. That leaves him just one back of Kenseth in that tie breaker category, should it come to that.

    As for the other events from last Sunday, we had Gordon kill his car by hitting the wall. Kyle Busch flattened out his right side earlier, yet still finished 13th. Carl Edwards blew up just past the mid-point to claim 37th. Dale Earnhardt Jr and Joey Logano finished a distant second and third on the day. Other than that, they turned left a lot and we had a couple of debris cautions and another to clean up some oil. For excitement, I did check out some of the NFL action when I had caught up to the live feed on my PVR. Still, it was better than watching soccer, though just barely.

    Rating Texas – 5/10 – I do not really have to explain this, do I?

    As for Phoenix, Kenseth has run a hundred more laps in two extra races (22 – 20). Jimmie has 4 wins, including a string of three straight, compared to Matt’s one. Johnson is up 13 to 5 in Top Fives and  932 – 212 in laps led. Five Time’s average finish is 6.4, Kenseth is 17.2.  I am going to go out on a limb here and say that Jimmie has the advantage this weekend. Enjoy the week.

  • The Final Word – Jimmie and Matt continue their battle, Harvick starts a family feud at Martinsville

    The Final Word – Jimmie and Matt continue their battle, Harvick starts a family feud at Martinsville

    We were wrong. We were wrong about the big wild card that is Talladega, though to our credit neither Jimmie Johnson nor Matt Kenseth finished in the top ten that day. Still, even with a runner up finish there, Dale Earnhardt Jr remained miles away from the leaders. Kyle Busch made up all of seven points on Johnson and a whopping 15 on Kenseth, but still nowhere near enough.

    We were wrong about Martinsville, which should be renamed Johnsonville the way Jimmie lays it down there. While Jeff Gordon tied Five Time in wins at the paper clip, claiming his 8th at the track and the 88th of his Cup career, and while Johnson made it 17 top fives in 24 attempts, Kenseth finished second. It was only his 4th top five there in 28 attempts. So, it would appear that whatever the 2003 champ did while employed by Jack Roush no longer applies in any negative sense since he joined Joe Gibbs. For Matt, his history is history as he forges a new path.

    What we have is a new Matt, a renewed Jimmie, and as we change our focus to Texas we have these boys tied in points, 27 points ahead of Gordon and 28 up on Kevin Harvick. It remains a two way fight, unless fate intervenes and messes up the plans of one or both of them. Could that intervention come in Texas? Based on the past two weeks, how in hell should I know?

    Still, both leaders have done well at Fort Worth in the past. Both have a couple of wins there, both have an average finish of better than tenth, both are tied with 15 Top Tens on this track. So, both should do well on Sunday. Should.

    There should be peace and harmony the world over, but Kevin Harvick is preparing to leave RCR after a thirteen year association by crapping all over the bosses grandsons. It is one thing to criticize a young driver with whom he had issues in the truck race on Saturday. It is another to state that a reason for the job change next year was due to these punk-ass, rich kids, who have had everything spoon fed to them, coming up to eventual Cup rides with grand pappy while having no respect for the sport. Who urged the boy to run into Harvick to get things nice and hot? Well, that would be Grandpa Childress himself, never mind the less than loving comments the two had in regards to Harvick in the garage area afterwards. Kevin said on Sunday’s telecast that he was sorry. I am sure that will make everything all better between all concerned. Hallmark, no doubt, has a new card to write.

    Rating Martinsville – 5.5/10 – The oldest venue on the NASCAR circuit deserved better on Sunday’s telecast. We all did.

    Fort Worth just means more of the same. A two-man race with a few waiting in the wings for something bad to happen to the front duo. Maybe we should dub this the Tango in Texas, because it takes two to…ah, forget it. Enjoy the week.

  • The Final Word – Talladega may have been smokin’, but expect Johnson to smoke the field at Martinsville

    The Final Word – Talladega may have been smokin’, but expect Johnson to smoke the field at Martinsville

    We waited with anticipation for the action, and Talladega once again delivered. Once again, we watched the cars (and trucks for those watching on Saturday) go flying around inches apart in aircraft formation, in wonder that they could pull this off lap after lap without it all going up in smoke and torn sheet metal. In the end, they could not avoid the unavoidable.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr was pondering his final lap move to get by leader Jamie McMurray when the third running Austin Dillon got spun, then rear ended into the sky in what he described as “a cool roller coaster ride.” That allowed Ole Dimples to keep Junior behind him when the caution came out to claim his first win in more than three years.

    If that was not wild enough for you, Saturday saw Matt Crafton solidify his strangle hold in the Camping World series while pushing team mate Johnny Sauter to victory. Sauter crossed the line all by his lonesome as our top eight became a top five which became Mr. Sauter doing a solo by the time they all quit wrecking coming to the line. What was left of Crafton’s truck backed across the line in ninth, leaving him an entire race and a bit ahead of Ty Dillon in their standings.

    As for the Cup boys, neither Jimmie Johnson or Matt Kenseth finished in the Top Ten. Yet, by finishing seven spots ahead of his rival (13th vs 20th) and by leading the most laps, Johnson earned enough to vault ahead to take over by four points going into Martinsville. Their company got slightly closer, but by finishing fifth the best Kyle Busch could do is tie Kevin Harvick for third in the standings, both still 26 points away. They remain close should disaster hit the leaders, but until such time disaster strikes both will remain simply interested observers.

    Rating Talladega – 9/10 – The action kept you on the edge of your seats, drivers could move from the back to the front, and you even had your dose of carnage. What else could you ask for?

    So, the track on steroids is now behind us as we return to “normal” racing. With his seven career wins at Martinsville, Jeff Gordon might look good but for two small facts. One, he trails Johnson by 34 points. Second, Jimmie has won eight times himself at this venue.

    Five Time won there in the spring, and he won there last fall. His worst finish was on his first attempt in 2002, when he came home 35th. Since then, his worst finish is 12th, to go with an 11th, to go with 16 Top Fives, 20 Top Tens, in 23 Martinsville starts. As for Kenseth, he goes in 0 for 27, with just eight Top Tens in his career.

    Game four of the World Series goes Sunday night as St. Louis hosts Boston. That could wind up a closer contest than what we might see out of Virginia. It is not over, but I think somebody just knocked on the Fat Lady’s dressing room door. Enjoy the week, for it appears the odds favor Johnson enjoying his Sunday afternoon.

  • The Final Word – Thank God we have Talladega coming up on Sunday

    The Final Word – Thank God we have Talladega coming up on Sunday

    Charlotte has come and gone for another season, so what can one say about the race that was. Well, “thank God that is behind us” comes to mind. I can not remember if it was sponsored by Nyquil or was simply the To Hell With A Cure for Insomnia 500, for me it turned out to be NASCAR’s version of English Premier League soccer. That is, best watched with PVR in hand.

    Lap after lap of whatever and who cares. It was like watching a NBA game in the end, with the final few minutes about as exciting as it gets. Brad Keselowski wins, Kasey Kahne runs second, and Matt Kenseth extended his lead over Jimmie Johnson to four big points in the Chase standings. Did anything else much matter? I expected more from Charlotte, I expect nothing from ABC/ESPN, and not a single new fan was captured from what was presented in the television version of the contest. Thank God we have Talladega coming up this Sunday.

    Talladega is coming up, Martin Truex Jr. is off seeking a new ride after Michael Waltrip Racing officially announced its contraction due to NAPA fleeing the scene. Brian Vickers is gone for the rest of the year as he deals with a re-occurrence of blood clots in his leg, but should be good to go in the seat of the MWR #55 for 2014.

    NASCAR continues to seek the answers needed to make the racing more exciting. They returned to Charlotte a couple of days after the Saturday night race to see if the advent of more rear down force or more turbulent air might help shake things up. If the announce team can not make things more exciting, then the product itself has to improve.

    Rating Charlotte – 5.5/10 – Something has to change, or those not true fanatics are going to continue wandering off to other stimulants or reducing their NASCAR experience to Daytona, Talladega, and Bristol.

    If you do not like NASCAR, I understand. If you do not like Talladega, you really are a soccer fan. 40 plus cars sweeping by in aircraft formation three wide with just inches separating any of them in any direction at 200 miles per hour. One sneeze away from disaster. We will be watching this Sunday to see if such a sneeze might hamper the runaway bid of Kenseth and Johnson. Call your friends, call all those who usually do not watch, tell them this is what NASCAR produces each and every week. If we are lucky, Martinsville might actually keep them watching.

    You can’t blame a guy for dreaming. Enjoy the week.

  • The Final Word – Kansas leaves us with just two contenders…or does it?

    The Final Word – Kansas leaves us with just two contenders…or does it?

    Sometimes I like surprises. You tune in a race hoping to be entertained, but not always expecting it. Kansas turned out to be that kind of race.

    Not everyone enjoys surprises. Danica Patrick, I am sure, did not expect to win last Sunday, but she probably had hopes of lasting more than a lap. Kyle Busch has rarely done well at Kansas, but he was hoping. He took some slings and arrows throughout, at least until he got spun to tear the front end off his car to put an end to his day early. He then slipped down to fifth in points behind race winner Kevin Harvick and the third place Jeff Gordon.

    Harvick’s third win of the season, and 22nd of his career, moved him to within 25 points of Matt Kenseth. Kenseth got a pit penalty early that dropped him from first to 30th at the time, only to recover to wrap the day up in 11th, just five spots behind Jimmie Johnson to retain a 3 point advantage.  Kurt Busch was second best on the day, but he sits 47 out, leaving Kenseth and Johnson in a two way fight, barring bad things going their way over the next six events.

    No surprise that Chasers Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, and Dale Earnhardt Jr finished in the top ten last weekend. It also should come as no surprise to see that matters little until the two leaders falter. Ryan Newman  got a surprise when he got clipped to pretty much skin his ride, leaving him 35th, a spot behind Rowdy. The junior Busch is 35 back, Newman is 38 behind even him. Say goodnight, Irene.

    Rating Kansas – 9/10 – Some races need the assistance of an announce team to keep us entertained. Some are entertaining on their own, and the ESPN trio were more than good enough to keep folks watching this time out. The track was slick and treacherous, providing more than a few  unexpected surprises.

    Traditionally, Charlotte and Talladega tend to be rather entertaining and those are our next two stops on the tour. Jimmie Johnson has six previous victories in North Carolina and is tied for second among active drivers with the best average finish.  If I were a betting man, I would not be surprised to see Five Time taking over the Chase standings when they are done this Saturday night, but I would also bet Mr. Kenseth to pick up a Top Ten to remain close.

    Jeff Gordon could win. He has five at Charlotte. Kasey Kahne has four, and could do well. Carl Edwards has yet to be victorious there, but he seems to have decent finishes. Still, until the top two slip, it all does not mean that much.  That is, unless Harvick repeats his spring performance and wins another this weekend.  That could cause us to rethink things when they venture to Alabama, a place where surprises are totally expected. In the meantime, enjoy the week.

  • The Final Word – Dover is over, now off to Kansas where Kyle’s dreams go to die

    The Final Word – Dover is over, now off to Kansas where Kyle’s dreams go to die

    Dover in a nutshell? Well, Jimmie won, Matt did not, and Kyle had to settle for a mere Top Five. What has not changed is that the trio remain the only relevant drivers as they head to Kansas for Sunday’s fourth round of the Chase.

    Johnson made it a record eight wins at that track in just 24 starts in Delaware. By claiming his fifth of the season, and 65th of his career, the five-time former champ is just 8 points behind Kenseth, who finished 7th at Dover. Busch was fifth last Sunday and is a dozen points off the pace. Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick are next, 39 points away. So, until each and every one of the three leaders cough and sputter to somewhere beyond a Top Ten, at least, the rest of them remain just members of the supporting cast.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr started from the pole and finished just behind Johnson. A win would have meant more to him than a great points day, as he sits 57 back in the waiting room. Most of the Chasers did well, taking all Top Ten spots, while Kasey Kahne (13th), Kurt Busch (21st after a loose wheel green flag stop), and Carl Edwards (35th after a broken wheel hub) were the outsiders.

    As NASCAR no longer releases attendance figures, we are left guessing as to what those big bare patches in the grandstands meant in way of numbers. Considering Dover is a track situated within a hundred miles of Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, somebody does not give a damn. A bunch of somebodies. Maybe stellar television coverage might entice them out to take a look at the real deal.

    Rating Dover – 5.5/10 – Too bad, as the visuals of this track, with the dive down the hill into the corners before swooping up on the other side, can be rather breathtaking. I did enjoy watching Race Day, but unfortunately none of the SPEED announcers would later appear on the ESPN broadcast. Good reporting from the pits, but the main crew were, well, the pits. Same old, same old.

    After 31-years, ESPN fired Marty Reid for mistaking the white flag for the checkered flag, and for one second declaring Ryan Blaney the Nationwide winner at Kentucky a lap early. Considering it did not detract in the least from the broadcast, that Blaney was leading by a large margin, or considering the amateur hour that is ESPN’s Cup coverage, you would have figured he might have got a bit of slack from the clowns in the suits. Then again, they might have done him a favor. Reid’s replacement? That would be Allan Bestwick. Good grief.

    Kansas Speedway is next on the schedule. Matt Kenseth won the last two run there and has been in the Top Ten in each of his past six attempts.

    Kansas Speedway, where Jimmie Johnson has a pair, including the fall of 2011. Where he has six Top Fives in 14 attempts, along with 10 Top Tens, and leads all active drivers with an average finish of 7.6.

    Kansas Speedway, where Kyle Busch sucks. Sorry, but two Top Tens in a dozen starts does not cut it. Seven times he has failed to crack even the Top Twenty. This is where his Chase hopes go to die, unless this is the year he avoids his Chase jinx.

    Congratulations to my mother-in-law, who turns 80 years old today. She will not be part of the broadcast of this race. To be fair, Fran doesn’t know a damn thing about NASCAR, but she would be a hell of a lot more entertaining than what we will hear this Sunday. Maybe she could fill in for Marty. Enjoy the week!

  • The Final Word – After New Hampshire, we are down to three contenders heading to Dover

    The Final Word – After New Hampshire, we are down to three contenders heading to Dover

    No one wishes Matt Kenseth any bad fortune, but if something should happen, like a 35th place at Dover next weekend, I am sure a dozen other fellows would not be terribly upset.

    Things have gone so right for the 2003 Cup champion since moving from the Roush to the Gibbs racing stable. For the first time, he has won seven races in a single season, and for the first time in 28 starts he is a winner in New Hampshire. All this in his 500th career start, where only Richard Petty was victorious on the day he reached the same milestone.

    Come to think of it, bad things for both Kenseth and team mate Kyle Busch probably would not tear up the opposition terribly much. Rowdy has ran second in both Chase events, and trails Matt by 14 points in the chase for the title. Let us sum up. Over the past five events, Carl Edwards won a race, Kyle won another, and Kenseth has claimed three. So much for sharing.

    Jimmie Johnson remains in the hunt, and as of right now he is the only other invitee to this party. A fourth place result, following a fifth at Chicago, has him 18 points in the rearview. That is just half the distance the fourth ranked team of Edwards is sitting, with seven of the 13 contenders now 40 or more points back. They need to see smoke, bad tires, bad handling, loose lug nuts, a broken jack, a meeting with a wall, an alien abduction of a certain somebody, something to get them all back into contention.

    Rating New Hampshire – 6/10 – I believe I have seen more exciting soccer games. It was not an entertaining broadcast by any measure, not visually and certainly not from the announcers, unless you were cheering for Kenseth or Shrub. If so, give it a 9. With ESPN departing after next season, do not expect things to improve anytime soon. Well, not until February.

    Expect Johnson to do well at Dover on Sunday, where he has won 7 in 23 attempts, compiling 16 Top Tens. Mind you, nine Chasers have wins there, with Kenseth having a couple himself. Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, and Kasey Kahne have not yet tasted victory on the Monster Mile. In nine races, Logano has led just one lap, but considering what went down at Loudon he just might win the damn thing. Well, maybe if he still drove for Joe Gibbs.

    But that honor belongs to Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch, with Jimmie Johnson a Hendrick co-star in this production as they move to Delaware. As long as that trio continues to run well, this Chase is over for the other ten. Enjoy the week.

  • The Final Word – Matt takes Chicago, Jimmie to take Loudon, leaving Junior and Joey to split the final eight?

    The Final Word – Matt takes Chicago, Jimmie to take Loudon, leaving Junior and Joey to split the final eight?

    After the week’s worth of who is in, who is not, who has been naughty, who has been wronged, we got back to racing. Sadly, the most exciting thing about the day was watching Kyle, Larry, and Kenny discuss the week that was. The race, for me, turned out to be a bit of a let down.

    One lap kind of looked like the last one, that looked like the next one. The contenders moved into the front half of the pack and other than an official messing up Jimmie Johnson’s pit stop and Kurt Busch caught speeding, there was not much drama in the proceedings.

    Then the rains came. Five hours went by before things got back on track, by which time we caught the PGA event taking place about 70 miles north of Chicagoland, at least until they got washed out. We got to view some NFL action, at least when lightening was not delaying things in Tampa and Seattle. We had time to see the Yankees taking on the Red Sox. Well, not enough time, as I had to watch that game finish before they returned to the race track.

    I could have watched it live on computer or got Sirius about it, but I thought I would wait for the tape delayed version after the ball game. I should have known better, but like Clint I just sat there and scratched my arm. The race returned, live and in progress and with just 50 laps left.

    I know, I should dwell on the fact Matt Kenseth increased his points lead by winning his career high sixth race of the season. With his 30th career triumph he now sits eight points up on Chicago runner-up Kyle Busch. There was Jimmie Johnson, just 11 points out, after recovering from a failed jack as well as the official problems on pit road, to bring it home fifth. I could seek happiness at the discovery Joey Logano had blown up and would finish 37th, but then Karma bit my butt.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr was leading when the action returned to my screen. He then pitted and was buried way, way back, but not for long. He blew up spectacularly in a huge white plume to finish 35th and, like Logano, sits more than 50 points out.

    For the rest of the Chasers, they took the top six positions, ten of the top dozen, with Greg Biffle bringing up the rear among those who did not explode in 16th spot. The Biff is 11th in the standings, 31 points in arrears. Still, nobody is out of it yet if history tells us anything.

    Rating Chicago – 6/10 – Maybe it just rained on my parade. Kenseth fans no doubt thought it one heck of a great contest.

    In 2006, Jimmie Johnson started the Chase by finishing 39th at Chicago, though his 10.8 average Chase finish that year was the worst of the nine among series winners. Over the past six seasons, the eventual champion has averaged 3 Chase wins, 8 Top Tens, and 9 Top Twenties and an average finish of better than seventh. For Junior and Joey fans, that means a Top Five next Sunday would not be good enough.

    Now that we have put the controversy of the past week behind us, I wonder if the boys at Michael Waltrip Racing get it just yet? The boss seems to, saying they now know what they can do and what they can not. Clint Bowyer might, though his reputation takes a hit for the perception he can do one thing then lie about the circumstances surrounding what happened. To be honest, he would have been some kind of idiot to confess right after Richmond what he had done. It is like the teacher asking you about your homework assignment, and you reply how the family pet digested it. Clint didn’t raise a stink in his car, the dog did it. We have all been there. He will be forgiven, in time. Just not in enough time to see many wanting him to take the title this year.

    Martin Truex Jr does not get it. He figures if Ryan Newman gets in, he should, too. Wrong. He might not have done something wrong, but his organization did. It is the same as when a car has an illegal set up and the team gets sanctioned. The driver may have been an angel, but he gets penalized just the same. To be honest, with MWR being something of a pariah at the moment, no one really gives a damn what they want. As for Brian Vickers, he says he would do the same thing again if asked, which only means he does not mind running for negative points. What they did was fix the outcome of the race, and no professional sport allows that. If he did not get the memo, NASCAR has just reminded everyone that they will no longer tolerate it. End of story.

    Thus Sunday, it is off to Loudon and the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Chasers have done well there. Three time winners include Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch. Bowyer has won there twice, while victory has been celebrated by Logano, Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, and Kyle Busch. If fact, the only ones who have never done so are Carl Edwards, Junior, and Kenseth. As for having the best average finish there over his career, it could be a good day for Jimmie Johnson. Enjoy the week.

  • The Final Word* – Who wins NASCAR’s Cup title matters less than that MWR does not

    The Final Word* – Who wins NASCAR’s Cup title matters less than that MWR does not

    Carl Edwards jumps the late re-start and NASCAR says nary a word as he beats Kurt Busch for the win at Richmond. Yet, that is not the story of the week.  Carl may have stole three bonus points for the Chase, may have kept Busch from taking his Furniture Row team to Victory Lane, but few fans were lost to the non-call. What happened a few laps earlier to bring out that caution with seven to go, well that is entirely another matter.

    With seven to go, Ryan Newman is leading the race. If he managed to hold off Kurt Busch he would have earned his second win and a place in the Chase. Kasey Kahne was outside the Top Ten, but with two wins the first wild card spot was his. Jeff Gordon held the 10th spot as they ran, moving Joey Logano out, and Martin Truex Jr found himself potentially with no hope for a wild card if Newman won or Logano finished outside the Top Ten in points. What to do, what to do?

    Truex had a team mate already locked in the Chase in Clint Bowyer. In-car audio shows Bowyer was informed of the situation on the track, that “the 39 is going to win the race.” About 20 seconds later, we heard the comment “well that kinda sucks.” We heard Bowyer asked “is your arm starting to hurt” and if the car was getting hot inside. The in-car video shows Bowyer shortly after jerking the wheel going through the turn, we saw him spin out, and we heard him claim that Dale Earnhardt Jr got into him. We also heard Junior say it was the “craziest thing I ever saw.”

    “He was hemming around on the brakes and jerking the car around” and he wondered if NASCAR might take a look at the telemetry to see exactly what took place. Earnhardt said he almost got in to him. Almost. The resulting spin caused Bowyer to come into the pits, and sit. And sit. We also saw team mate Brian Vickers slowing down to within 20 mph of pace car speed on the final lap. Bowyer finished 25th on the day, 2 laps down with Vickers 24th, a lap down. This help ensure the 23rd place Logano, also a lap down, got the spots he needed to finish a point ahead of Gordon in the top ten in points. Newman’s pit crew messed up the last stop so he dropped from first to fifth for the re-start and finished third on the day. Truex was within four positions of him to make the Chase on a tie-breaker. .

    A lot of fans seem rather upset with how things went down at Richmond. Even if NASCAR decided to lay penalties of any kind, it would not change the fact that Newman and Gordon are out and Truex is in. They could park Bowyer for a race to ruin his title hopes, I guess, but you know they won’t. Was it illegal or did they simply take advantage of the rules, or lack of them? Was it unethical? I guess that all depends on what your ethics are.

    I almost forgot about MWR’s beginnings, the illegal fuel additive discovered in Waltrip’s own car in qualifying for the 2007 Daytona 500. Toyota did not like that then, so I wonder how this will play considering their corporate culture in Japan? I wonder what a man of principle like Joe Gibbs, also part of the Toyota family, thinks of how this went down? All I can say, for myself, I do not care if MWR, Waltrip, Bowyer, Truex, Vickers, or even Toyota ever win another damn race.

    Rating Richmond – 8.5/10 – With all that was at stake, with drivers coming and going as far as their fate was concerned for the Chase, along with the controversial conclusion, it was damned entertaining to watch.

    We must give credit where credit is due. If what took place is how we believe it took place, it was masterful manipulation of a situation in a relatively short period of time in order to pull this off. You could say it was brilliant. I just do not have to like it or respect it. As a fan, it gives me a car brand, a team owner, and a bunch of drivers I do not have to respect or support. If they have the same luck in the Chase as Jimmie Johnson has had over the past few weeks, with finishes of 40th, 36th, 28th, and 40th, it would put a big ole smile on this face. It would appear that to be one of my favorites, all you need to do is drive a Chevy or a Ford and not be part of MWR. Except for Logano, and I still like Kyle Busch and Coach Gibbs. Maybe Toyota just needs to rethink the company they keep.

    Some thought Stewart-Haas was bringing in the bad boys of racing under one umbrella next season. Me thinks that honor goes to MWR, from top to bottom. Now, to make this one fan a happy man, let us commence to beat and bang on those boys in the black hats from Chicago right through to Homestead this fall. Trusting Karma to do her worst, let the games begin. Enjoy the week.

    *This was written last Sunday, just as NASCAR is reportedly investigating the spin. This might not be the “Final Word” after all on the events at Richmond, depending on the outcome of that investigation.