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Tag: Dale Earnhardt Jr

Hot 20 – Would reducing the dangers of Daytona also reduce its thrills?

We want drivers and fans to be safe. We want action that is anything but safe. It might sound hypocritical, but deep in our hearts, we know it to be true.

Talladega concerned some drivers. Kyle Busch says it was “pretty dangerous for all us drivers.” That may have been true. He also said it “wasn’t very exciting.” That is false. For fans, watching drivers inches apart at up to 200 mph, where disaster is only a sneeze away, is pretty damned exciting.

Personally, it is the threat of a wreck that is more exciting than the actual carnage. The boys and girl are doing something I do not have the ability to perform nor, to be honest, the courage to attempt. It appears to be dangerous and, according to Kyle, that is because it is.

We want the danger. Yet, we also want to see Kyle climb out of his Xfinity car unscathed at Daytona. We wanted to see Dale Earnhardt, Adam Petty, and Kenny Irwin Jr. step out of their wrecks. We want to see the crushing hits in the NFL, but it appears their helmets cannot prevent the devastation of long-term brain injuries. We want the fights and the hard hits of the NHL, yet the mounting evidence of long-term head trauma has brought rule changes to make the sport safer.

Does reducing the danger also reduce the excitement for the fans? It has to. Hall of Famers Sprague Cleghorn, Eddie Shore, Rocket Richard, and Gordie Howe would have had to play differently to avoid lifetime suspensions in today’s NHL. Some used their sticks, some their elbows, and some just beat the crap out of their opponents. Seeing a receiver take the hit just as he receives the ball, slamming straight to the ground or doing mid-air flips upon impact, is a great visual, but it has to take a toll on the human being involved. Does anyone remember Lawrence Taylor’s sack of Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann that broke the pivot’s leg in two places? Pretty amazing. Pretty devastating. For safety sake, change is required, change is happening, and more change is coming.

Deaths have happened in most sports, but very few at the highest level. Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians died in 1920 after being struck in the head by a pitched ball. Bill Masterton of the Minnesota North Stars struck his head on the ice and died in 1968. In football, AFL players Howard Glenn and Stone Johnson died in the 1960’s due to neck injuries. Chuck Hughes of the Detroit Lions suffered a fatal heart attack in a game in 1971. Then there is professional boxing. Then there is motorsports.

Joe Weatherly, Fireball Roberts, Tiny Lund, J.D. McDuffie, Neil Bonnett, John Nemechek, and Carlos Pardo remind us that we cannot build more durable humans, nor dismiss the heartbreak of their loss. Pit road is safer, yet only after the Southern 500 in 1960 cost the lives of mechanics Paul McDuffie, Charles Sweatlund, and official Joe Taylor. We lost crewman Randy Owens at Talladega in 1975. Yet, we liked the excitement of those old cars, the open faced helmets, and the speeding down pit road. We still do, but not at that price.

If NASCAR gets too safe, might it cause fans to wander off seeking new distractions, new outlets for their thrills and emotions? It could. It may have already taken place to some degree. I love watching the action at Daytona and Talladega, watching those who can do what I cannot, or will not, even attempt. I watch what I enjoy, and often we can not say exactly what it is that caused us to lose interest. I loved hockey, the hard-nosed 1960’s, the violent 1970’s, and the grace and majesty of the 1980’s, but it is rare to find me sitting through an NHL game today. Many once loved NASCAR; they had it bad and could not get enough of it. Today, the tracks no longer even release attendance figures and grandstands are being torn down. Sports of all kinds are trying to increase the “fan experience,” all but admitting the action on the field is no longer enough.

Saturday night should be enough. It is Daytona, the Firecracker 400 as it was known until 1989. A race that has meaning, a race that has tradition, a race that has high speeds and, yes, a race that has a measure of danger.

May our Hot 20 and the rest provide us with excitement and, despite our barbaric nature, a safe event.

1. KYLE BUSCH – 3 WINS (452 Pts)
No new rules to slow down the cars at Daytona, and Kyle isn’t happy about that.

2. CARL EDWARDS – 2 WINS (510 Pts)
Has run good at Daytona, has run bad, but has never won there.

3. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2 WINS (506 Pts)
Tried out an IndyCar at Road America, and plans to run Indianapolis…some day.

4. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2 WINS (469 Pts)
Daughters cannot listen to team radio…because sometimes daddy says bad words.

5. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN (562 Pts)
Sixteen races, 13 Top Tens. Some have more wins, no one has more points.

6. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (527 Pts)
Formula 3000 is just one step below F-1…and could be in Kurt’s future come December.

7. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (493 Pts)
If Tony and Denny had crashed on last Sunday’s final lap, guess who would have won.

8. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN (469 Pts)
Tony, Tony, Tony…but did anyone notice Martin finished fifth? Did not think so.

9. MATT KENSETH – 1 WIN (430 Pts)
He did not have Chris Osborne as his eyes in the sky in February. He will on Saturday night.

10. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (421 Pts)
With Tony Stewart behind him at Sonoma, Denny thought for a second he was Ron Thornton.

11. CHASE ELLIOTT – 473 PTS
Good talent, good car, equals good results.

12. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 413 PTS
Newman, McMurray, and Junior battled on the track, only to face de-feet in the sky.

13. RYAN NEWMAN – 402 PTS
The winner.

14. AUSTIN DILLON – 400 PTS
I am trying to remember how his Daytona race finished last year. So is he.

15. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 398 PTS
If a pissed off Stewart is a motivated Stewart, does that make Jamie his personal Tony Robbins?

16. KASEY KAHNE – 385 PTS
If you think Kasey’s season sucks, please consider Clint’s situation.

17. RYAN BLANEY – 382 PTS
New rule change locks even unchartered teams into Chase races…but they have to be Chasers.

18. A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 365 PTS
Damn rolling tire.

19. TREVOR BAYNE – 361 PTS
You might remember that he has won at Daytona before.

20. KYLE LARSON – 355 PTS
Do you remember when everyone was gushing over Kyle and Trevor?

30. BRIAN SCOTT – 205 PTS
Sometimes holding down 30th gets you recognition…at least for this week.

32. TONY STEWART – 196 PTS (1 win)
As Kyle did before him. Now cue the Jaws theme.

June 29, 2016
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Sonoma

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started 25th and finished sixth at Sonoma as Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Tony Stewart grabbed the win.

“Tony is a legend in the garage,” Harvick said, “as well as the kitchen. I’m proud to say I work for Tony. In other words, I’m on his payroll. And that roll is just one of many belonging to Tony.

“How about that fight after the Camping World Truck series race on Saturday? It was a lot like a fight involving Sprint Cup drivers, just with punches.”

2. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 10th in the Toyota/Save Mart 350, posting his series-best 13th top 10 of the year. He is second in the Sprint Cup points standings, 30 behind Kevin Harvick.

“You probably saw a lot of people run over to Tony’s car in Victory Lane,” Busch said. “That wasn’t to congratulate him; it just takes that many people to pull Tony out of his car.”

3. Carl Edwards: Edwards started on the pole in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 and finished fourth as Joe Gibbs Racing placed three drivers in the top 10.

“There was an all-out brawl after Saturday night’s Camping World Truck Series race,” Edwards said. “John Wes Townley and Spencer Gallagher wrestled and slugged it out after crashing. I think it’s great for the sport. To those drivers, I say ‘Keep on Truckin’!’”

4. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 15th at Sonoma and is now fourth in the points standings, 56 out of first.

“Cheers to Tony Stewart,” Keselowski said. “What a great win for him. He’s a legend in this sport. In fact, you could say Tony puts the ‘ass’ in ‘ambassador.’

“As you probably heard, Jeff Gordon and I sat down to talk about our recent disagreement. I guess we came to some sort of agreement. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to speak my mind. As everyone knows, I’m just as mouthy as I am ‘gummy.’”

5. Kyle Busch: Busch joined Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards in the top 10 with a seventh-place finish in the Toyota/Save Mart 350.

“I hit a jackrabbit during Friday’s practice,” Busch said. “That was the worst case of wheel hop I’ve ever seen. Luckily, the collision didn’t cause much damage, at least to my car. Sure, the handling was off a little, but just by a ‘hare.’”

6. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 13th at Sonoma as 45-year-old Tony Stewart took the win, his first since 2013.

“I think everybody is happy that Tony won,” Johnson said. “Ironically, the only way that everybody can be happy is if Tony wins, because Tony’s never happy otherwise.”

7. Joey Logano: Logano finished third at Sonoma, posting his fifth top-five result of the year. He is fifth in the points standings, 71 out of first.

“I had a great view of the Tony Stewart-Denny Hamlin battle for the win,” Logano said. “I think everyone was pulling for Tony to win, especially Hamlin.

“But Tony’s win is great for NASCAR. The fans loved it. If there’s one thing Tony does well, it’s fill the stands. If there’s one thing Tony does better, it’s fill a seat.”

8. Chase Elliott: Elliott struggled in his first Sprint Cup race at Sonoma, finishing 21st.

“Jeff Gordon says he’s interested in joining ‘Live’ with Kelly Ripa,” Elliott said. “I think it’s a great idea. If he gets the job, I think his first order of business should be doing a sit-down interview with Brad Keselowski. Jeff probably has other ideas; specifically, a ‘sit-down, shut-up’ interview with Keselowski.

9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished second at Sonoma after battling former teammate Tony Stewart down the stretch. It was Hamlin’s fifth top-five finish of the year.

“There are those that say I ‘let’ Tony win,” Hamlin said. “That my mistake in the final corner was intentional. People ask me, ‘Did you do that on purpose?’ The only thing I can say to that is, ‘For Christ’s sake, don’t ask Tony that question!’”

10. Tony Stewart: Stewart passed Denny Hamlin on the final corner, just seconds after Hamlin passed him, to win the Toyota/Save Mart 350.

“I snapped an 84-race winless drought,” Stewart said. “That a long time to go without a win. It’s the same feeling I get when I step on my bathroom scale because the ‘weight’ is over.”

June 28, 2016
Dale Jr., Larson Lead Friday Practices at Sonoma

June 24, 2016
Hot 20 – Like life, Sonoma is a series of challenging twists and turns

It is not always just about NASCAR, as most of us got a chance to check out other things since the boys and girl last ran at Michigan. There was a basketball game in Cleveland I understand of some note. The NHL has an amateur draft this week and it seems you will have yet another reason to go to Las Vegas in the winter soon enough. One of the sport’s greatest icons, Gordie Howe, passed away. Wayne Gretzky’s future son-in-law won a golf tournament, France continues to host a big soccer event, Ichiro Suzuki gets closer to 3000 MLB hits, and the Chicago Cubs are #1. Hell, I am even reading a book.

Sadly, damned idiots are everywhere, as Mike Wallace and his family discovered. Leaving a concert, the former driver was attacked and knocked unconscious and even his daughter was injured as she tried to protect her dad. They will be alright, though Mike requires some dental work. Three thugs have been arrested, and here is hoping real justice prevails. I do not give a damn what their problems are or how pathetic their lives have been. They did wrong and should pay for it.

Meanwhile, some think Jeff Gordon could be the new Regis or Michael Strahan on set with Kelly Ripa. His first season as a FOX announcer is about to come to an end after this month, and we will have to wait until the fall to find out where his future lies. Life sure has a lot of twists and turns. So does Sonoma, the next stop on the NASCAR Cup tour on Sunday.

Here are our Hot 20 heading to California.

1. KYLE BUSCH – 3 WINS (417 Pts)
Just can’t wait to get on the road again, maybe win that Sonoma race again.

2. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2 WINS (480 Pts)
Failed to win in Iowa last week. Bet he feels like a total schmuck.

3. CARL EDWARDS – 2 WINS (472 Pts)
On his off days, this is one pilot who purposely takes his vehicle off the ground.

4. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2 WINS (441 Pts)
Along with Junior, listed by Forbes as among the world’s highest-paid athletes.

5. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN (526 Pts)
Fifth in the standings but first in points. By far. Maybe it is time to end his Sonoma jinx.

6. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (496 Pts)
Visited the Middle East to test a Formula One car. That is one way to keep busy on a week off.

7. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (455 Pts)
Might be a ways away from taking the Most Popular Driver award, but a Chase place is his.

8. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN (433 Pts)
He has a lot of teammates…though he is the only one who gets to drive the car.

9. MATT KENSETH – 1 WIN (409 Pts)
Stats show that Sonoma is his worse track. Imagine how much fun Monaco would be for him.

10. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (380 Pts)
2 wins, 20 Top Tens. That is the standard for rookies Hamlin set a decade ago.

11. CHASE ELLIOTT – 453 PTS
Still looking for his first victory, but his points collection is rather impressive.

12. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 383 PTS
I was hoping for a 2004 Intimidator SS Monte Carlo for Father’s Day. Maybe for Christmas.

13. AUSTIN DILLON – 381 PTS
Maybe Junior or this guy could help me out in my quest. They know people.

14. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 374 PTS
Not known as a guy who does well on the pretzel tracks, but maybe he should be.

15. RYAN NEWMAN – 369 PTS
Looked great in the Spring 2016 issue of LVLten magazine. Doh! Wrong Ryan Newman.

16. RYAN BLANEY – 364 PTS
Plays something called food roulette with his buddy Darrell Wallace Jr. Training for Survivor?

17. KASEY KAHNE – 353 PTS
For someone supposedly having such a bad season, even a win might not be necessary to turn it all around.

18. TREVOR BAYNE – 345 PTS
A storied yet still single car team making a resurgence this season, and still better than most.

19. A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 337 PTS
Win at the Glen put him in the 2014 Chase. Why not another road win in wine country?

20. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 337 PTS
Not the best place to be, but Kyle, Paul, Greg, Clint, Danica, and Aric would swap in a second.

June 22, 2016
The Final Word – New package excites Brad, Joey, Jeff and D.W. but as for Junior, not so much

Michigan brought us tremendous action. I mean, how could it not? Brad Keselowski tested the new aero package and he was excited about it. In the end, even ole Brad led 10 laps, as did Martin Truex Jr. Chase Elliott led 35, while of the other 145 circuits, 138 of them saw Keselowski’s teammate, Joey Logano, on point. In fact, the 26-year old was up front for the final 48 laps to take his first of the season and 15th of his career.

Fifteen races in, 10 different victors. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not one of them. Did he think the new package was a God-send, like announcers Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Gordon seem to think?

“Not a whole lot different than the other package,” was the assessment of NASCAR’s most popular driver. Mind you, he was being interviewed in the garage after Chris Buescher had wiggled, waggled Junior, who wrinkled A.J. Allmendinger against the outside wall to remove both of them from the action. Even a Top 35 was too much to hope for. From the stat sheet, you could not say the much-promised passing materialized at Michigan, though the lower spoiler made sure things had the feel of a Montana country road in January.

If this were Game of Thrones, those boys were the ice but Kyle Busch was all fire. Rowdy did not even make the mid-point, as his blown engine left the defending series champ dead last. The engine was fine for Denny Hamlin, but after a tire blew up he found himself on a wild ride and a 33rd place finish. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. cut a tire with a half dozen laps remaining and had to settle for 29th. Not good, but their hard times on this day will prove as memorable in the long term as a race that was just newly named for a casino. I mean, even 15 years of Miller and its brands of beer did not leave much of a legacy since they departed as title sponsor after 1998. Since this has been the Kmart Sirius DHL Batman 3M Citizens Bank Life Lock Heluva Good! Sour Dips Quicken Loans FireKeepers Casino 400. Then again, what in hell do I know about event branding?

Still, those holding a Chase place coming in did so when they left Michigan. The kids did fine, with Elliott the runner-up and Kyle Larson finishing third. He sits 23 points out of that final Chase berth currently held by Ryan Blaney, who was 17th on Sunday.

Tony Stewart finished seventh, and while he still needs a win over the next 11 contests to get an invite for himself, he improved his position somewhat. Smoke shortened the gap between himself and 30th in the standings, at which point a win would actually mean something in the season rankings, down to 45 points. A single victory and Top Tens through to Richmond would sure be helpful to his cause.

As for this weekend, they rest. Well, except for Keselowski who will try to take a starting spot away from somebody when the junior loop visits Iowa. I bet he is pretty damned excited about that, too. As for the rest of the grown-ups, they will wait for Sonoma on June 26th.

June 13, 2016
Earnhardt Jr. Taken out in Early Wreck

Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t have the best of days in the Irish Hills after a wreck in the early stages of today’s race.

Rounding Turn 2, the driver of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet threaded the needle of AJ Allmendinger and Chris Buescher. Buescher got loose and clipped the left-rear corner of Earnhardt. This got Earnhardt loose and sent him up into the left-front of Allmendinger. Both ended up in the wall. Earnhardt continued to hit the wall down the backstretch before his car spun out down across the track onto the runoff area.

“Yeah, it wasn’t too bad, actually,” Earnhardt said in response to being told his wreck looked hard. “I knew I was going to hit the wall. The No. 34 just drove into the left front quarter panel. Oh, man. I don’t know; them restarts and all that. You’ve got a responsibility to try and take care of everybody out there even when you’re three-wide. I’m disappointed in that. But, we had a pretty good car and we were just kind of taking our time, there. And the car was great. So, it’s a shame.

Earnhardt added that he wished Buescher “would have taken better care of us.”

“He just lost the car and hit the quarter panel,” he said. “It happens, though. I’m angry, but I won’t be too upset about it later. It’s frustrating right now because we had a good car and I was happy with the way the car drove. We had good speed, we just needed to continue to work on getting our track position and we were doing that. We won’t get a chance to get the finish I think we could have got today.”

When asked about the wreck from his point of view, Allmendinger said he wasn’t “really sure. I think Junior got hit and I was on the outside of him and that was it. It was kind of weird back there. I’m not really sure what kind of car we had. I thought in clean air we weren’t too bad, but I guess a lot of people could say that. Just not a lot of fun racing there.”

The damage done to both cars was significant and neither continued on in the race. Allmendinger finished 38th and Earnhardt finished 39th.

June 12, 2016
Hot 20 – Michigan will be great, because Stone Cold Keselowski said so

A new aero package combined with reduced down and side force should mean more passing at Michigan this weekend, as well as at Kentucky later in the year. Wonderful, just wonderful. Now all that needs to happen is that it actually happens.

Four drivers did the testing, four drivers are apparently all giddy about it. Brad Keselowski is all excited about it. Then again, ole Brad was all tingly about that All-Star format he is said to have come up with, and we know how that turned out. We shall see, we shall see.

Greg Biffle is nowhere to be found amongst our Hot 20, but he does have four wins at Michigan. This week, he said he believes fans are just as passionate as they always were, but there are just so many ways to follow the sport than just showing up at the track or watching the action on television. I think the Biff is wrong. Where are all those celebrities who once asked us, “How bad have you got it?” The few who show up today do so only to promote a movie that often sucks, to be honest with you. There is no buzz anymore.

The only near guarantee of great action can be found at venues such as Daytona, Talladega, and Bristol. We tune in such milestone events as the Southern 500, the World 600, and the Brickyard 400, along with the novelty presented by the road courses. That constitutes just 11 of the 36 races on the calendar. The rest are generic goofy sponsor named events with little drawing power against baseball, football, hockey, basketball or just a damn nice day outside with the family. If Biffle figures the passion remains even though the fans do not, he is sadly mistaken.

So, why bother? Well, I am a NASCAR fan. I want to see if the brainiacs have actually stumbled upon something to make Michigan a race to watch. I want to see how the big dogs perform, even that damned irritating Keselowski and the equally delightful Joey Logano. I want to see Tony Stewart do something positive before he makes his career exit. I want to see if Dale Earnhardt Jr. might win. Who doesn’t? In fact, I want to see how each of the below listed 20 drivers perform and to see if someone outside can shake things up with a win. I would be thrilled if Danica Patrick could be that person. I would be shocked if it came to pass.

That is why I will be watching the Hot 20 and the rest this Sunday at Michigan.

1. KYLE BUSCH – 3 WINS (416 PTS)
Well, that is one way to keep Rowdy out of Victory Lane.

2. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2 WINS (442 PTS)
I think if Brad were a political candidate, I might have to vote for the other guy…just because.

3. CARL EDWARDS – 2 WINS (437 PTS)
Visited Loudon this week. He wants to win. He wants to eat the lobster. Let the protests begin.

4. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2 WINS (415 PTS)
This NASCAR Johnson likes his drinks from a can. The other Johnson liked his from a jar.

5. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN (490 PTS)
Happy might not win on Sunday, but his odds of finishing second are pretty good.

6. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (465 PTS)
If he missed his crew chief last week, he did a poor job of showing it.

7. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN (403 PTS)
Girlfriend Sherry is from Michigan and a fan of the Wings. Hence, this is now Truex country.

8. MATT KENSETH – 1 WIN (382 PTS)\
A restart on your computer should end your problems. On the track, they just began for Matt.

9. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (372 PTS)
Won the Daytona 500. What more do you want?

10. CHASE ELLIOTT – 413 PTS
Few would be surprised if his first win comes very, very soon.

11. JOEY LOGANO – 410 PTS
The new “old” Kurt Busch? I wonder what Jimmy Spencer is up to these days?

12. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 381 PTS
What is worse than being a bridesmaid again? That damn unusable ugly dress.

13. AUSTIN DILLON – 348 PTS
Very proud of his grandfather and boss, one of NASCAR’s latest Hall of Famers.

14. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 342 PTS
An average finish of 16.6 might not sound great, but a 14.0 or better gets you in the Top Ten.

15. RYAN BLANEY – 340 PTS
You know, the “other” rookie is not doing too bad himself.

16. RYAN NEWMAN – 338 PTS
I wonder if Newman got Logano’s attention at Pocono?

17. A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 334 PTS
Ernie Cope was on the box at Pocono, cousin Derrike was on David Letterman in 1990.

18. KASEY KAHNE – 325 PTS
Dover penalty is the difference between 18th and a place in the Chase.

19. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 325 PTS
Escorted Danica Patrick to Nashville last night for the CMT’s.

20. TREVOR BAYNE – 319 PTS
Got to see Danica present an award with Kelly Pickler, watching television like the rest of us.

June 8, 2016
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kurt Busch: Busch stretched his fuel mileage at Pocono and came away with the win, his first victory of the year.

“The race was called the ‘Axalta We Paint Winners 400,’,eight” Busch said. “At least for me. For 39 other drivers, it was called the ‘Axalta We Ain’t Winners 400.’”

2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished ninth at Pocono, posting his 11th top-10 finish of the year.

“I lead second-place Kurt Busch by a whopping 25 points in the Sprint Cup points standings,” Harvick said. “You could say I ‘sit’ atop the standings, and I’m the only one that can say that. In fact, I’ve led the points standings for quite a while. So, I’ve been ‘sitting’ there for quite a while, so much so that my fellow competitors are often heard referring to me as ‘Can’t Stand Kevin Harvick.’”

3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski started on the pole at Pocono and finished third, as Kurt Busch held off Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Keselowski at the finish.

“I don’t appreciate Jeff Gordon’s comments during Monday’s race,” Keselowski said. “I expect Gordon to be impartial. In others words, he should hate everyone as much as he hates me.”

4. Carl Edwards: Edwards finieighthat Pocono, joining Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth, who finished seventh, in the top 10.

“I’d rather not finish behind Kenseth,” Edwards said. “I’d much rather confront him.”

5. Kyle Busch: Busch finished a disappointing 31st at Pocono, 10 laps down, his day hindered by a brush with Pocono’s Turn 1 wall. It was his second straight finish outside the top 30.

“I’m in sort of a slump right now,” Busch said, “but waiting out the weather delay on Sunday gave me time to reflect on the good things. There’s nothing like a little precipitation to remind you that you’re the ‘raining’ champion.”

6. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson wrecked late while making an aggressive move to the inside of Casey Mears with 38 laps to go. He slammed the inside wall hard and eventually finished 35th, 35 laps down.

“I checked with my teammate Chase Elliott,” Johnson said, “and he verified what I feared: I made a rookie mistake.”

7. Joey Logano: Logano started second on the front row beside pole winner and Penske teammate Brad Keselowski and took fifth in the Axalta We Paint Winners 400.

“I’m not sure what Axalta is,” Logano said, “or why they would be painting winners. But rest assured, this is NASCAR. If Axalta is indeed painting winners, one color they won’t be using is black.”

8. Chase Elliott: Elliott recorded his fifth top 5 of the year with a fourth at Pocono. He is seventh in the Sprint Cup points standings, 77 out of first.

“I had a chance to win,” Elliott said, “but I made an ill-advised attempt to pass Dale Earnhardt, Jr. late in the race. I guess I need to be more patient, but what race car driver worth his salt likes to be asked ‘What’s your hurry?’”

9. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex, one of the pre-race favorites, was done in by two mishaps, one on accident on pit road, the other a late flat tire.

“For the single car team,” Truex said, “that was you call a ‘double whammy.’ Which is all much akin to the phrase ‘One step forward, two steps back,’ which has been the story of my year.”

10. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished seventh at Pocono, posting his fourth top-10 result in the last four races.

“Kurt Busch surprised everyone with his fuel mileage,” Kenseth said. “Does he have a bottomless fuel tank? Who knows? Kurt’s theories on government assassins may not hold water, but his tanks certainly hold fuel.”

June 7, 2016
The Final Word – Not all would agree that Monday was a great day for motor car racing

Weather forced a day delay at Pocono, and was it worth the wait? For me, it was, though I could not help but notice that it was a day too late for some who might have been in the grandstands. Soon, NASCAR will institute a dress code where fans must wear the same color as the seats in their section so everything will just blend in on television.

It was worth it for Kurt Busch. With his crew chief Tony Gibson on the shelf due to a lug nut related suspension, team engineer John Klausmeier sat on the box and apparently liked the view. If you remember, he took over last year when Gibson was suddenly advised to jettison his appendix. For a car that arrived on fumes, Kurt sure had more than enough to get those burnouts in as he claimed his 28th career victory.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski were the runners-up, with young Chase Elliott just behind them. Not sure if ole Brad will collect all his points, as post-race the car had an honor guard of NASCAR officials surrounding it. Something tells me “they who must be obeyed” are not happy. Earlier in the day, the shoulder of jackman Braxton Brannon reshaped the side of Keselowski’s car and it was required to return to pit road to have that alteration corrected. Come to think of it, wasn’t Brannon the same guy Keselowski clipped in a pit road incident last August at the same track? It would seem that being a jackman is truly a full contact position.

It was not worth it for Martin Truex Jr. to wait a day. He got slammed on pit road early by Matt DiBenedetto to leave him 19th on the day. As for DiBenedetto, it was a day better spent at a barbecue, as the Truex incident was the first of at least three times he was featured in a negative light, but none of them was his fault. He finished dead last after a crash. Another wreck took place with Tony Stewart’s car getting loose at the wrong place at the wrong time, as his employee Danica Patrick was left with no choice but to pile into the boss. Too bad, as Stewart appeared to have a Top Ten car. That leaves him with a dozen races to pick up a win and make up the 71 point difference between his current position and 30th place in order to make the Chase.

Sunday’s storm clouds left the sky but were all over the track. When Kasey Kahne cut below Ryan Newman, it shot Newman up into Kyle Busch who found the fence. Rowdy would not be the only top contender to be outside the Top 30 when things came to a conclusion. Jimmie Johnson was near the front on a restart, but found himself too low for his car to handle, and it stepped out and stepped into the inside barrier. Five laps earlier, Austin Dillon had wrecked on Turn One. That leaves him just 14 points to the good among the current Chase placers, down from 36 coming into Pocono.

June is a great time to be a racing fan in Michigan. On Sunday, Will Power won the IndyCar event while the boys and girl from NASCAR make an appearance this Sunday…weather permitting, of course.

June 6, 2016
Hot 20 – Keeping most NASCAR fans interested most of the time will take some work

I have an admission to make. I am not all that excited about Pocono this weekend. I thought maybe it had something to do with just getting out of the wrong side of the bed, or that my transformation into a cantankerous old fart had finally reached its conclusion. Sadly, maybe it had something to do with the World 600, a marquee event that was so dominated by one car that it became the Monaco Grand Prix but without all the cool scenery.

Martin Truex, Jr. won that race by leading 392 of 400 laps, with nary an on-track pass for the lead from start to finish. Great for Truex, horrid for NASCAR. To be honest, the action behind him was not exactly nail biting, either. Even NASCAR sees it, and they are not terribly thrilled, either.

The wave of a magic wand to fix it would be nice, but there are a number of factors they have to consider to keep us from wandering off to find excitement elsewhere. Configuring the rear chassis set-up takes away downforce and side force, which seemed to work for All-Star weekend. Then there is tire wear, how different it is between afternoon and evening races. In order to keep you and me interested, it seems there is more to ponder than just who has the best driver, the best car, and the best team on any given day.

Truex’s team hit on the setup and ran away with things last week. That happens. However, not much was happening behind him to generate much heat either, and that should not happen. At least, that is not what a majority of today’s fans want, not what they will long put up with. There is a problem when NASCAR tracks are pulling down grandstands, refusing to release attendance figures, and seeing television ratings plummet. Since 2007, the combined capacity of Charlotte, Daytona, and Talladega has been reduced by 43 percent, by an astounding 205,000 seats.

So, you would think the problem might lie with the fact that NASCAR just is not presenting an exciting product any longer. Maybe the problem is that, in this day and age, what worked yesterday just does not cut it in today’s instant gratification world. I mean, the Indianapolis 500 drew a live crowd of 350,000, had huge local ratings after it was broadcast in Indianapolis for the first time in 66 years, and still the national ratings slipped even further south. This is despite seeing in 2015, for the first time in a decade, the Indianapolis event drawing a bigger television audience than the one in Charlotte.

Is it the racing, or is it us? I mean, not every contest in ever sport is a work of art, so maybe our demands are too high. Sure, 94 percent of NASCAR’s fans are considered white compared to less than 2 percent black, and while half of the fans are 55 years of age and over, less than 9 percent are under the age of 34. Those are demographics that should have them concerned. That said, what is it that draws some to the sport and not others? What keeps them interested and what drives them off? Having an attention span greater than that of a gnat would help.

We want to be entertained and are less likely to sit through what does not. We no longer have to watch anything live so we do not have the patience we once had. We can always seek out more entertainment via a 30 second jump ahead by using the PVR button, the click of the channel to watch something else, the taking of a phone call, a check of text messages, a visit to Twitter, a video game, and you can always discover how things are going in the contest just about any time you want if you are interested enough. That is what NASCAR, auto sports, and just about anything else seeking an audience must face. Keep us interested, or we have something at our fingertips that might.

This cantankerous old fart is about as guilty as the next guy. We have become very much like a seven-year-old playing any sport, all set on chasing that ball until a butterfly comes around and grabs our attention. NASCAR’s task is to present a four-hour escape that we look forward to experiencing each and every week. To date, they appear to be falling short. They simply cannot afford to just mail it in and expect that we will be there. Here are our Hot 20 heading to Pocono Sunday afternoon…

1. KYLE BUSCH – 3 WINS – 405 PTS
If all drivers were like Rowdy, things would be more interesting.

2. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2 WINS – 409 PTS
We are living in the era of a 6-time champion. If that does not excite you, have you tried soccer?

3. CARL EDWARDS – 2 WINS – 404 PTS
Had a need for speed last week, but doing so twice on pit road ruined his day.

4. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2 WINS – 404 PTS
Next Thursday, Jackson, Michigan is the place to share a cool one with Brad at the Chase.

5. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN – 457 PTS
Others may have more wins, but averaging more than 35 points per race gets the job done.

6. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN – 381 PTS
If only it was always as easy as it was last week.

7. MATT KENSETH – 1 WIN – 347 PTS
Won the last time he visited Pennsylvania.

8. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN – 345 PTS
There is a reason Lewis Hamilton no longer runs Formula 3 races.

9. KURT BUSCH – 421 PTS
No wins but sits second only to Harvick in points.

10. CHASE ELLIOTT – 374 PTS
Elected to the All-Star event, and continues to show why he was a worthy selection.

11. JOEY LOGANO – 373 PTS
All-Star package was good for Joey…the World 600 version was good only for Truex.

12. AUSTIN DILLON – 344 PTS
Special number, special driver.

13. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 341 PTS
Even he would agree.

14. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 318 PTS
Without a win, every race is meaningful.

15. RYAN BLANEY – 309 PTS
Ditto.

16. RYAN NEWMAN – 309 PTS
Could his paint scheme be termed as Kalahari Resorts blue?

17. A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 308 PTS
Just to point out, his Pocono adventure might be worth watching out for.

18. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 299 PTS
Sponsor Fastenal likes what they see, extending their deal.

19. TREVOR BAYNE – 291 PTS
Meanwhile, AdvoCare is not just a sponsor as Bayne was already a client.

20. KASEY KAHNE – 290 PTS
Harvick was not after his job, after all, but he will need to dig deeper to retain it.

June 1, 2016