Category: The Final Word

Pocono. Jimmie Johnson. His 63rd career Cup victory. Did I leave anything out? Sunday was all about Johnson pretty much all of the time.  Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr, who both won at Michigan last season, were the runners up at Pocono as Five Time claimed his third checkered flag of the season.

Johnson and Matt Kenseth are tied for most wins, one more than Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. Four others have single wins, with Tony Stewart able to convert his into a wild card berth for the Chase. With last week’s Top Five, he is now just 17 points out of tenth place in the over-all standings.

David Ragan has a win, but sits more than a hundred points out of the Top Twenty. As for Denny Hamlin, he needs wins to make the Chase, but has 76 points to make up before they can do him any good. Not only does he need some victories, but he could use some bad luck to hit Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ryan Newman, and Jamie McMurray for good measure.

Not all race teams are created equal, which brings us to the 30-somethings, those we usually find buried 30th or worse. Sometimes good things do happen to bad… or underfunded… teams. On Sunday, that team was the #93 of BK Racing, driven by Travis Kvapil. His 20th place finish marked their best effort of the season.

With rain forcing the Nationwide race to Sunday, and Joey Logano back to Pocono, the Iowa event was won by Trevor Bayne. It marked only the third time this season a series race was not won by a Cup regular, and only the eighth time in 14 runs the winner was not Kyle Busch.

For those of us who think having Cup drivers competing in the other circuits as being just plain stupid, back in the day the Grand National series was like Cup, Nationwide, and even the trucks all mixed together. In 1964, for example, Richard Petty won nine races in running 61 of a 62 race campaign. His first win was the Sunshine 200 at Savannah, beating 21 others, half of which never did win a Grand National race and for two it was their only such race. The season was longer and the fields could range to over fifty to less than twenty entries. As for the talent level, it was similar to having the likes of Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, and Brad Keselowski being challenged by Kyle Fowler and Tanner Berryhill. Sound familiar?

It was a great weekend for the sons of former Cup stars. Ward’s son Jeb Burton won the truck race, while the ARCA event was claimed by Bill’s son Chase Elliott. Hey, even Dale Earnhardt’s boy did not do so bad over the weekend.

Rating Pocono – 8/10 – Starting in Brooklyn back in 1950 and continuing to describe the action of the Los Angeles Dodgers today, 85-year old Vin Scully is the absolute pinnacle of play-by-play artistry. Armed with an almanac’s worth of informational tidbits we weaves a narrative that not only compliments the action on the field, but often transcends it.

Pocono was a one man race with Johnson dominating from start to finish and the rest of the field strung out behind him. Action filled, it was not. Yet the TNT crew of Kyle Petty, Wally Dallenbach, Adam Alexander, and Larry McReynolds kept us entertained and informed as they presented the story of the race. Their chemistry is spot on. That is how it should be done. FOX is good, TNT was better. ESPN? Let us not go there.

Too much? I don’t think so. This race had none of the action provided on the high banks of Daytona or Talladega, or the fender rubbing we see at Bristol, nor was the field even in the general proximity one might expect at Charlotte. Yet, it was an enjoyable broadcast to sit through. If the action did not keep us tuned in, it must have been the narrative provided by the broadcasters.

Michigan is the venue for this upcoming Sunday. It is where Junior won last June. Is it an exciting track to watch a race? If history is any indication, nope. Here is hoping the TNT crew is up for another challenge. We know that ESPN most certainly would not be, but that is a cross we won’t have to bear for a few more weeks. Enjoy this week.

You settle down to watch a movie, to follow the storyline, even expecting what the outcome might be. Matt Kenseth was to win at Dover, Jimmie Johnson was going to challenge him for the victory, Tony Stewart would have another dud day, and the boy sees dead people. Sure, he sees ghosts, but I am sure the nice child psychologist will help him through it. The next thing you know, we discover that the shrink himself is actually dead, Kenseth blows up, Johnson gets black flagged for jumping the late restart, and Tony Stewart wins the damn thing. You got to love those surprise endings.

For the longest time, Stewart has just hanging on to the final spot on the lead lap. He slowly moved up to 15th, hell, he was in contention for a Top Ten near the end thanks to a final two-tire stop. Then Juan Pablo Montoya stuttered his start, Johnson took off a tad too early, got the black flag, allowing Stewart a run that saw him get by the Columbian with three laps to go. We knew where Smoke came from, he came from way back there and somehow got to the front. Just like that he became the first driver outside the Top Ten, but inside the Top Twenty, to claim a win. He might be 16th in the standings, but he is first for a wild card spot with a baker’s dozen number of races left before the Chase begins.

Carl Edwards (14th) and Johnson were so-so when the day concluded. Fan fav Dale Earnhardt Jr was visible most of the day, never was a race contender, yet managed to finish 10th.  Among those hanging out with the bottom feeders included the great day turned bad for Jamie McMurray (33rd), Denny Hamlin (34th – crash), Ryan Newman (36th – crash), Martin Truex Jr (38th – engine), and  Kenseth (40th)).

Great end of the day for the team owner, but not so good for the soon to be departed Newman. After a Top Five at Daytona, the Rocketman crashed at Phoenix, blew an engine at Las Vegas, and the wreck at Talladega did not help matters. Still, he was heating up in recent weeks, but got too overheated in trying to give David Gilliland the chrome horn. He blew it once, blew it twice, then simply blew it as his third attempt sent Gilliland into the wall and back in front of Newman. So much for that plan, so much for those two cars. Newman is buried in a 20th place tie with Jeff Burton in the standings.

I mentioned the bottom feeders, those who just can not average 20 points, a 24th place finish, each and every week. Bobby Labonte is among them, but as the 1999 Cup champ we can give the guy some slack. Stewart-Haas driver Danica Patrick is another, but as she fills out a bikini even better than Jeff Gordon, she gets one, too. However, after falling three laps down early to sit 41st in a real ill handling car, she soldiered on to wind up four laps back, but in 24th. She managed to save something from nothing, so chalk this one up as a moral victory.

As for the best of the bottom feeders, 18 in the field average less than 20 points per race run. Casey Mears was the best of that bunch at 16th, but that Germain Racing team is just a single point of growing out of the category. Former champ Labonte was 21st and Talladega winner David Ragan was 22nd, with Patrick behind them. If we are going to recognize people who did better than what was expected of them, Josh Wise was 25th and Joe Nemechek finished 31st. At least those boys tried with what they had.

Good thing Kenseth blew up when he did on lap 159 of the 400 lap event. The trio of Scott Riggs (average finish of 42.2), Mike Bliss (42.1), and Michael McDowell (37.7) still had to wait a hundred laps to get their fourth to play bridge. It can be a long day when you are parked in the garage in your pretty little firesuit while the others are out there busy racing.

Brad Keselowski was a happy man. Was. He got his crew chief back, his car chief back, his engineer back, and even the competition director for Roger Penske was back. They all went on vacation due to violations at Texas. The defending Cup champ finished fifth on Sunday, then the car failed post-race inspection as the front end of their car proved too low. No, Brad will not be surrounded by dead people, but depending on NASCAR justice his crew chief could once again be a ghost. At least, thanks to Twitter, he won’t need a medium to communicate his thoughts on the matter.

Rating Dover – 8.5/10 – Despite the supposed predictability of the race, the action was pleasing to watch. There was not lots of movement in the running order until near the end, but there were enough surprises to keep one tuned in.

Long Pond, Pennsylvania is where they will be heading for this Sunday as they race at Pocono. Keselowski won there in the fall of 2011, but Jeff Gordon has won two of the past four including the one last August. Sitting just ten points behind the tenth place Paul Menard, Gordon does not have to win this weekend, but I am sure he would not complain if he did. Enjoy the week.

It is the biggest motor sport weekend, as they ran the 97th edition of the Indianapolis 500 and the World 600 in Charlotte. Oh, yes, they also ran the Monaco Grand Prix, but my bed won that race. It is not often that I will spend a day watching two races, but Memorial Sunday is different and usually well worth the time.

After the 29 men and four women raced around in those fast tubes, we switched to NASCAR. Then again, we had four drivers who made that switch years ago. Danica Patrick is only the latest who turned to driving stock. Tony Stewart won the 1996 Indy pole, claimed the series crown in 1997, and drove in both races the same day in 1999. Juan Montoya won the Indy 500 in 2000, a year after taking their series title. Maybe next year Sam Hornish Jr will be back in Cup. The Nationwide driver won the Indianapolis 500 in 2006, along with three series championships.

Patrick was the lone woman in Charlotte and though she did lead a lap, she was a non-factor. Well, except for her taking out Brad Keselowski. Dale Earnhardt Jr was no where to be seen, until his car blew up. Kasey Kahne had one of the three most dominant cars on the day, yet had to settle for second. Matt Kenseth had another, but Jimmie Johnson broke loose and created a dustup that included Matt. Kyle Busch had the third and to say his day was interesting would be something of an understatement.

A fibre rope used to pull FOX’s aerial camera over head broke lose to hang down at track level. Busch hit it and tore up a front fender. Marcos Ambrose ran over part of it and it got caught up under his car. There was rope everywhere, and NASCAR decided to hold things for over half an hour so the crews could take care of any problems they had, and some had. Meanwhile, ten fans got injured in the incident, with three needing some hospital attention. That bottle of the title sponsor’s product seen lying in the infield came from the stands, along with more such Coke product, as the crowd tried to alert NASCAR to the danger. If you can string cable, there might be a job opening coming up soon with a certain television network. As for Busch, he later blew up the same lap Junior went up in smoke.

With a dozen laps left, caution came out but Kahne’s crew chief Kenny Francis did not call his driver in. They thought at least two or three, with relatively fresh tires, would stay out to put some distance between the leader and the hard chargers. Instead, the entire lead lap contingent came in. Kevin Harvick got the jump on the re-start and sailed off to victory. Kurt Busch, who had led until a battery went dead on him during a red flag, managed to get back to third.

Rating the Indianapolis 500 – (10/10) – Damn but don’t those little darts fly around that track. 220 mph, without fenders, with the engines turning over 11,000 RPM. It was fun to watch those bullets, a first time winner in Tony Kanaan (after years of trying), and a nice storyline with the lucky medallion he gave a young girl nine years ago who returned it in time for the luck to rub off on him on Sunday. A joy to watch from start to finish, and that was all we can ask for.

Rating the World 600 – (8/10) – It was not all that exciting to start with, at least if one discounted the dangler from above. Then Kyle and Junior blew up, Danica took out Brad, Mark Martin took out Aric Almirola and Jeff Gordon, while Johnson did the job on Kenseth. Surely we could count on Kahne to walk away with it, or so we thought. At least someone went home Happy, or in Delana Harvick’s case, with Happy.

Next, we go over to Dover, where Jimmie Johnson has won four of the past eight run there, including last year’s spring race. As for the other four, Brad Keselowski won there in the fall, Matt Kenseth in 2011, and each Busch brother claimed one. It might be a good track to allow somebody to rebound from this past Sunday. Enjoy the week!

What a difference a couple of weeks can make. Matt Kenseth had just won at Kansas, only to be docked 50 points, among other team fines, penalties, and suspensions.  Not good. After taking it in the teeth he rebounded to finish seventh at Richmond, eighth at Talladega, and then things really perked up. NASCAR gave him back all his points from Kansas, except for a 12 point slap, and they reduced his crew chief’s suspension to just one race. The last one he ran.

So, with Jason Ratcliff on vacation, Wally Brown sat atop the box. All they managed to do was claim the team’s third victory of the season at Darlington and the Southern 500. Breaking out the calculator, Kenseth has tallied up 160 points, an average of 40 per, over the past four events. Now, this is how you turn a driver’s frown upside down. I also learned this past weekend that to do the same for a one year old, give her a box for her birthday. As for that expensive thing that was originally in the box…well, not everyone can be happy.

Kasey Kahne is not happy with Kyle Busch, as he made the pass to the lead and Rowdy made the clip that ensure he did not long succeed. Kahne slapped the fence and wound up 17th.  Busch was not happy, as he dominated the race but a tire going down in the late going had him drift back to sixth. Tony Stewart was not happy with 15th on Sunday as he remains outside the Top Twenty in the standings. David Ragan won at Talladega, but could not have been happy with 39th at Darlington. Welcome back to reality, my friend.

Things got real for Denny Hamlin a few weeks back when he got sent toward the wall and some time off due to a fractured back. His reality was a second place finish as he ran the entire race at Darlington. Right now he needs at least one win over the next 16 races to climb back into the Chase. Baby steps.

Rating Darlington – 8/10 – A Busch led early, a Busch led often, but there were just enough interesting moments to keep us watching what was going on behind them. 17 finished on the lead lap, but at one point that was down to just nine as we took in the various strategies the team’s followed to attempt to get back into contention.  Still, in the end, it took a leaky tire to provide some drama.

Last weekend we celebrated Mother’s Day. This week my mother celebrates her birthday. This weekend we celebrate in Charlotte for Saturday night’s all-star race. Dale Earnhardt Jr won it last year. His dad, along with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, won it three times, but some have yet to claim it. The way things have gone lately, it just might be Matt Kenseth’s turn. Enjoy the week. You know he is going to.

Talladega, where we watched Matt Kenseth dominate, where we saw Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards contend, and where we watched a lot of cars torn up. It is also where we saw two cars from an underfunded operation charge up from out of nowhere to claim the top two spots at the finish line.

David Ragan, with help from team mate David Gilliland, changed the storyline for this one at the last minute on Sunday, one that also featured a 226 minute rain delay. In the end, it was all about the have nots having their moment as Front Row Motorsports and owner Bob Jenkins celebrated their first ever victory after nine years of trying. With Josh Wise finishing 19th, they had three in the Top Twenty. No Mickey, no Goofy, no Cinderella castle, but definitely a Cinderella ending.

That was not so for some big names who got caught up in big crashes. Outside the Top 25 on the day were a long list of drivers we might have expected to be challenging for the win. Tony Stewart, at 27th, was the best of a lot that included Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin (with Brian Vickers providing backup), Joey Logano, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Kasey Kahne. They were not happy, with Newman particularly upset about the whole deal. Then again, he had Kurt Busch flipping over and on top of his car as Newman got involved in his third Talladega wreck in his last eight attempts.

As an observer, I liked what I saw. I liked the shocking ending to the race, I liked seeing part timer Michael Waltrip finishing fourth, I liked that they outlasted the rain and finished the race, and, God forgive me,  I liked the carnage. It was damned exciting, and who doesn’t like some excitement? Okay, a lot of excitement. There is just one problem, and only one that I can see. These drivers are not cartoons characters, they are not gladiators out there to spill blood for our amusement. Maybe having them drive in the dark to conclude the affair might not have been the best of ideas.

The actual race timed in at 3 hours and 26 minutes, or about 20 minutes shorter than the rain delay. It took more than seven hours from start to finish, starting at 1pm local time with sunset Sunday at about 7:30pm. Dusk is a concept that does not last very long in the south, so it had to have been dark enough so that anyone on the highway had their lights on, a feature not part of the package for those out on the track. There is a reason they were going to have just one green-white-checker, for the light was fading fast. Was it too dark? Only those behind the wheel know for sure.

Rating Talladega – 9/10 – As someone seeking television entertainment, I got everything I wanted, with the exception of the long rain delay. Bob Jenkins probably would have rated this an 11. Next on the calender is the Lady in Black, Darlington, and the Southern 500 this Saturday night. Enjoy the week.

Richmond is in the rearview after providing, for me at least, a surprisingly entertaining contest. Next on the calender is Talladega, where one would think only rain might prevent the good times from continuing to roll this weekend. As we head to the big track there are a few big stories vying for our attention.

Big penalties have been handed out, and about the time you are reading this the appeals court will have ruled on a couple of them. Will Penske’s boys get their 25 point deductions back? This is their judgement day. Next week, it is Judge Wopner time for Team Gibbs as they hope to reduce the 50 point levy against Matt Kenseth, the fines and especially the suspension for Coach Gibbs himself. If they are not, then Gibbs will not win the car owner’s crown this season no matter what his driver does. As for being blameless for that underweight engine part that came from Toyota, that team received a manifest that indicated a problem if only someone had noticed it. That puts the problem back in the team’s court. Maybe a fine might be reduced, maybe a suspension might be shortened, but those points, me thinks, are gone.

As for Penske and the problems with the rear end housing, some blame Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus, or somebody from that team for blowing the whistle that affected both Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. Personally, to paraphrase Rhett Butler, quite frankly I don’t give a damn. If you are cheating and get caught, no matter how, then pay the piper. Richard Petty says that back in the day, you did not turn in a cheater but instead emulated him. That might have been one hell of a plan back in 1973 when getting caught meant a slap on the wrist. Today, the wrist isn’t the part of the anatomy that gets slapped, and none too gingerly. You don’t turn a blind eye to someone doing something wrong that winds up hurting yourself. To do otherwise would be just plain stupid.

Back in the day things were not all that different. Some bent the rules, if not outright broke them. There are some who believe the King won his 200th race in a car not exactly kosher, either. Now, if one could be pretty sure of getting away with it, it might be an idea to follow suit. Too bad that the odds of getting away with it today are a tad longer. After last Friday’s Nationwide race, Nelson Piquet Jr attempted to put the boot to Brian Scott’s tender bits. Not cool, yet after the 1979 Daytona 500 Bobby had Cale Yarborough’s foot in hand to thwart what may well have been an attempted blow to his Allisons. No, not much seems to have changed over the decades.

Yet, things do change. Recently, former NHL coach and television personality Don Cherry caused some to get their knickers in a knot by saying female reporters should not found in men’s locker rooms. It has nothing to do with equality and all about being naked in front of those of the opposite sex. This week, NBA veteran Chris Collins came out as the first active player to admit to being homosexual. For me, the only issue here would be to those who find themselves naked in front of a team mate who might be attracted to them. Regardless as to your views on either issue, neither should affect NASCAR except by way of prejudice. No locker rooms, no nakedness, no problem. Just drive, fix, or service the damn car. Do that and who interviews you or who you date just don’t matter.

In the meantime, take the time to get your snacks together and shut off the phone. Talladega is this Sunday. Enjoy the week.

I have known for a long time that I tend to march to the beat of my own drummer. Maybe that is why I am not surprised to see that such notions as Earth Day, Mother Earth, and Going Green simply do not resonate with me. Of all the things that make me warm and fuzzy, the parade that is all preoccupied with the environment or carbon credits or global warming leaves me rather cold.

Don’t get me wrong. If a Love Canal type toxic waste dump appears in my neighborhood, I’ll be carrying a placard. If we have an industrial threat such as the Bhopal disaster situated in a populated area I am on the bull horn. If the powers that be are so inept, so reckless that another Chernobyl could take place, I will be writing letters and screaming at the top of my lungs. Such threats are real.

If you can see the air where you live, you might have a problem. My city has oil refineries, yet experiences a lesser pollution index than such fellow industrial wastelands as Anchorage, Richmond, Vienna, and Vancouver. Those low levels are but 20 – 30% of what they record in many places in India, China, Romania, and Mexico, for example. If you can chew what you breathe, I would think it time to take action. However, if the United Nations brings up what it claims to be a problem, yet its only solution is for you to pay for carbon credits and the privilege of continuing what you are already doing, while offering much worse offenders a free pass, forgive me for being a tad skeptical.

Being green is becoming the new religion, the new flavor of the decade. Now we have NASCAR touting its own horn about how green they have become. They claim the largest recycling program in sports, Sunoco has its ethanol-infused fuel, and Pocono has a solar farm. It is good to recycle, to have cleaner burning fuel, and even seek out alternative, affordable, and readily available forms of energy. If you can not replace, at least improve. None of it replaces oil just yet, but I applaud their resolve.

Who knows, maybe one day all this might actually solve something. However, I could not care less that NASCAR, its sponsors, or the Arbor Day Foundation plans to plant 8000 trees, at least 90 in each racing market. What NASCAR giveth in carbon emissions these trees are supposed to taketh away?

Earth Day is everyday in NASCAR, or so I recently read. We plant a few trees and spread around some recycled rubber mulch and we want to pat ourselves on the back as if we are really doing something. Shoot a man and offer to replace him with a new baby, and if that rings logical to you then maybe planting that tree or buying that carbon credit might make some sense. It just does not to me.

Plant enough trees and your conscience is cleared of the emissions from a single race, a single season. My wife uses Fabreze to control my emissions, and thanks to her actions I can now sleep like a baby. I am proud of my aboriginal heritage, but Mother Earth? My Mom is made up of flesh and blood, not dirt. One tries to protect me, while the other would kill me if “she” had half a chance through exposure or disease.  If I wanted to worship a tree I would have been a Druid.

Here is a thought. How about making sure people count and to ensure what we do in this modern world impacts our fellow man in the least intrusive fashion, without retarding our progress. An automotive industry that might produce and allow carburetion systems that can greatly extend fuel mileage might be a start in showing the green parade is for real. An oil industry that ensures that when an oil well or pipeline springs a leak there is a fast action method of taking care of the problem quickly with only short term damage is another thought. Maybe if we would properly compensate those who are adversely affected by the production, transportation, and refining of fossil fuels, just maybe those who feel screwed won’t be out to screw big oil in return. Do things that matter, that have a real demonstrable positive impact, and just maybe we could be on to something.

Maybe then we can continue enjoying the benefits of oil, such as a longer healthier life or that computer screen you are looking at right now, until such time as a new age source of energy can be developed and put forth. Planting a few trees and paying for carbon credits is just playing pretend. While such actions might make one feel good, imagine what doing something tangible, something that really accomplishes something, might make one feel. You are probably feeling green with envy at the prospect.

When Richard Petty speaks of what he thinks about the 25 most recent nominees for NASCAR’s Hall of Fame, one should listen. That does not mean I have to agree, as it was announced last week that the 20 who missed the cut last year will be joined by five more contenders for induction.

Not surprisingly, the King’s criteria included “wins, championships, Daytona 500 winners and longevity.” This is not surprising coming from the man who won 200 Cup events, seven championships, seven Daytona 500’s and who drove from 1958 until 1992. However, I do agree with him on who will probably be his first pick.

Maurice Petty, brother of one Hall of Famer and the son of another, was the engine builder for nearly forty years with the family operation that won all those titles, those Daytona 500’s, and a majority of those race wins. I would expect the Petty name to be announced one more time.

Petty does not think a winner of 30-odd races should get in this year. Compared to his untouchable standards I can see where he is coming from, but among mere mortals Dale Jarrett had one hell of a career. He won the 1999 title, and of those 32 races he won three of them in the Daytona 500, added three Southern 500’s, a pair of Brickyard trophies, and a World 600 victory. In short, Jarrett claimed the biggest prizes in the sport, and if worthy of the final recognition.

Petty does not think now is the time for another fellow, but I think NASCAR can afford to replace Rick Hendrick’s plaque if three decades of success continues into a fourth. A team owner in his 30th season, he has won more races than anyone other than Petty and company, has 13 of NASCAR’s top series titles to his credit, ten of them in the Cup series. Still being active should not be a barrier for non-drivers.

At 86, Bruton Smith does not appear to be slowing down just yet. Smith was promoting stock car racing before there was a NASCAR, and if not for a stint in the army in the early 1950’s it might be his family instead of the France clan leading the way in the sport. Best known for his ownership of the track in Charlotte, which hosts both the World 600 and the all-star race, he also owns tracks in Atlanta, Bristol, Kentucky, Las Vegas, New Hampshire, Sonoma, and Texas. Smith’s time is now.

Four picks, but who to pick fifth? I like Joe Weatherly, who died in 1964 as the two-time defending champion. There is the legendary Fireball Roberts, a builder like “Annie B.” France, along with the pioneer who was Wendell Scott. Should someone who did not build a reputation in Cup be considered? 332 modified wins by Jerry Cook puts up a strong argument, as does the 31 Nationwide victories Jack Ingram recorded after hitting his 45th birthday.

Mind you, it would have been easier for me if one name had not been left off the list. Smokey Yunich was a mechanic, a builder, and crew chief who was so innovative that the NASCAR rule book should have been named in his honor. Maybe next year.

I don’t get soccer. Two pairs of rubber boots for goals and a ball only to witness a scoreless tie is not much of a sport. Basketball? Anyone who is 6-6 should be able to slam a ball into a hoop ten feet above the ground. Others love such sports, worship the star players, and know who is in the lineup, the strategy the teams follow, the history and the storylines. Believe it or not, there are actually some poor souls out there who still think NASCAR is only about a bunch of folks turning left. However, we know it is much more than that.

For example, we have former IndyCar driver Danica Patrick now driving full-time in the Cup series. The 31-year old raven haired beauty was the first female to win the pole for the Daytona 500, the first to lead green flag laps there, and recorded the best ever finish for a woman in the iconic race. Her fellow rookie this season is her boyfriend, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Currently, the gentleman leads the lady by 39 points after six events.

There is the car. Years and tons of cash have been spent to make what is referred to as the sixth generation of stock car model a safer car, hopefully a better racing car. It looks more like the street model, and arguably is even more appealing than what is found in the showroom. However, you criticize it at your own peril.

Yes, NASCAR has feuds, some even including the sanctioning body and its drivers. When Denny Hamlin voiced a mild criticism of the car after the race in Las Vegas, NASCAR hit him with a $25,000 fine. Hamlin’s initial reaction was basically to tell them to go to hell. The fans sure seemed to like that. It would seem that even good ole boys and girls like to see someone stick it right back to the man.

Hamlin then got into a peeing contest with former team-mate Joey Logano as they suggested the other could go tweet himself. Racing side by side for the win at California, Logano drove into Hamlin, sending Denny head-on into the inside wall. Hamlin picked up a fractured back, will be out for a few weeks, and will need to win a couple and a return to the Top 20 to keep his hopes alive for a title. While he might not have been sold on how good the car raced, you can be sure he doesn’t doubt its safety. It could, and should, have been much worse.

Logano is a 22-year old phenom who has just two wins since moving up from the Nationwide series full-time in 2009. He wants respect. He needs respect. After wrecking Hamlin, he got into a tussle with former champion Tony Stewart. At 6-1 Logano is trying now to demand respect from his peers. Sadly, at 140 pounds, no one is taking seriously anything physical he does that does not involve him in a car or beside a burly crew member.

Surely, a lady does not need any protection out there with the gentlemen. Last Sunday, Brian Vickers seemed to take some liberties bumping Danica’s car on the final lap. As they crossed the line, Kevin Harvick spun Vickers around, then sat beside him to prevent Brian exiting the track, no doubt glaring at him through the window. You don’t mess with a lady like that was the message. Funny, nobody does that when someone tries to take liberties with Logano.

Vickers is a fine talent who lost his full-time ride in 2010 when blood clots were found in his legs and around his lungs. The 29-year old should be a feel good story, but his bump on Patrick was not his first indiscretion on Sunday. He had tapped her earlier, sending her into Dale Earnhardt Jr, who was spun in the incident. It brought back memories of Vickers’ first win in 2006 at Talladega. He and then team-mate Jimmie Johnson pulled out to pass the leading Earnhardt. Vickers clipped Johnson, taking out both his opponents to go on to the win. His victory celebration seemed a bit over the top considering how he had just removed the sport’s most popular driver to do it. Funny, some of us forget to start the dishwasher for our spouse, but we can remember an incident from a race even after more than six years.

We have our heros. Brad Keselowski is an outspoken 29-year old who won his first championship last November. Jimmie Johnson has five of them, Jeff Gordon four, and Tony Stewart has three. Kurt Busch is a former champion who could not control his mouth and lost some good rides along the way. Now, as an underdog, some find themselves cheering for the man they once booed. His brother Kyle is a throw back, a hard charger who takes no prisoners. The soon to be 28-year old has 25 Cup wins to go with 54 Nationwide victories and 30 more on the Craftsman tour. Some think he might be a worthy successor to the late Dale Earnhardt.

Then again, most Earnhardt fans picked that successor years ago. Junior finished second in the race that claimed his father’s life. When they returned to Daytona that July, Junior won it. He won 13 races between 2001 and 2004, taking six that final year including the Daytona 500. In that time, Junior won five times at Talladega, including four straight, to go with a pair of runner-up finishes. Earnhardt might have won only four of his 19 career flags since those special years and at 38 some think he might to moving closer to the end. Then you remember his dad was just two months shy of his 50th birthday when he died, and nobody told Dale Earnhardt that he was over the hill. At least, not to his face.

We watch to see if Junior can stay in contention, if Jimmie, or Jeff, or Tony might win another title. We watch to see if one Busch brother can put all the pieces together or if the other can pick up the pieces to allow a Denver based team a take that next step. We watch to see who is mad at whom, who might want to get physical, who tries to make the race winning move, who succeeds and who fails in a mass of shredded sheet metal. We tune in to see if pretenders can become contenders, if certain teams can win, if other teams can step it up, and if yet others can reach a level of respectability. For those of us who care, it is more than a bunch of guys and a gal turning left.