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Tag: Emerson Fittipaldi

  • Hot 20 – If only the action at Pocono could be as cool as its name

    Hot 20 – If only the action at Pocono could be as cool as its name

    Some things matter. Some do not. Every weekend, no more than 30 entries matter to some degree. The rest do not.

    Most weekends NASCAR features a race and while some matter to race fans, most do not. Bristol, Charlotte, Darlington, Daytona, Sonoma, and Talladega races matter due to what they deliver and a long history of tradition.

    Some are loyal to the short tracks at Martinsville and Richmond. Indianapolis is an over-hyped crown jewel, great history but not much gripping action delivered. Homestead gets the nod as long as it hosts the final race of the season. Those tracks present 16 of the 36 points events each season.

    Pocono gives us two. It is a track ranked by some down amongst such venues as Chicago, Fontana, Kansas, and Kentucky. Cool name. Interesting layout. Lovely trees in the background. Like Indianapolis, it might be more entertaining for open-wheel racing than for the fender folk. Still, twice a year they return there, and twice a year I forget about the last one and actually look forward to the tri-oval. Each year I hope that it will all come together for a terrific contest.

    Maybe this year. Maybe this will be the one. It is a track that boasts of the performances put in by the likes of Jeff Gordon, Emerson Fittipaldi, Danny Sullivan, Juan Pablo Montoya, and A. J. Foyt.  Kyle Busch won there last July. Ryan Blaney is the defending June race champion. Chris Buescher won there for Bob Jenkins in 2016. Denny Hamlin has four Pocono wins. Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch each have claimed three.

    Yes, the highlight packages of the past from Pocono look truly awesome. The highlights. The actual action come race day….well, maybe this will be the year. I sure hope so. Such things matter.

    1. KYLE BUSCH – 4 WINS – 573 Pts
    If he runs at Pocono like he did at Charlotte, he might be the only one who matters.

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 4 WINS – 1 E.W. – 485 Pts
    Today, that encumbered win comes in to play.

    3. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN – 506 Pts
    Picks up an average of 39 points per race. You do not have to be loved to be awesome.

    4. MARTIN TRUEX, JR. – 1 WIN – 430 Pts
    If he only had some Kryptonite to toss as Superman on Sunday, he could have won it.

    5. CLINT BOWYER – 1 WIN – 421 Pts
    Crew chief Mike (Buga) Bugarewicz would love a happy homecoming.

    6. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN – 244 Pts
    If he had finished second at Daytona, he would be less successful than Suarez.

    7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 437 POINTS
    Won Saturday’s Xfinity race. Please raise your hand if you give a damn.

    8. KURT BUSCH – 429 POINTS
    The only driver in NASCAR to have seen Kyle Busch wearing a diaper. I hope that is true.

    9. DENNY HAMLIN – 429 POINTS
    “We’re either really good or we’re average at best.” Finishing third is average?

    10. KYLE LARSON – 382 POINTS
    Raced Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Raced Wednesday as an outlaw in Fairbury, Illinois.

    11. ARIC ALMIROLA – 376 POINTS
    The decision to move over from the King to join Smoke has proven to be a good one.

    12. RYAN BLANEY – 375 POINTS
    A cylinder let go around lap 150 and they tried to limp it home. Instead, they started a barbecue.

    13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 327 POINTS
    Imagine. Almost an entire year with a single win. I bet Michael McDowell can.

    14. ERIK JONES – 314 POINTS
    Three bad luck pit road moments buried any hope of shining last Sunday.

    15. ALEX BOWMAN – 299 POINTS
    One of the greatest coaches in NHL history. What? Sorry, wrong Bowman.

    16. CHASE ELLIOTT – 296 POINTS
    According to TMZ, he believes “Judging Hooters Competition Harder Than Racing Cars”

    17. RICKY STENHOUSE, JR. – 296 POINTS
    His Charlotte experience was better than someone else’s Indianapolis adventure.

    18. PAUL MENARD – 263 POINTS
    Another Cup guy racing Xfinity on Saturday. One more young driver fails to get a ride.

    19. DANIEL SUAREZ – 245 POINTS
    More than 50 points out of the Chase…unless he wins. Winning is always good.

    20. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 231 POINTS
    One ahead of Newman and Byron, two up on Wallace.

  • Hot 20 – Hall of Famers and military heroes are honored at Charlotte this week

    Hot 20 – Hall of Famers and military heroes are honored at Charlotte this week

    Jeff Gordon. Four-time NASCAR champion. Three-time Daytona 500 champion. Four-time Brickyard 400 winner. Six-time Southern 500 victor. Three-time World 600 champion. Three-time All-Star race winner. Winner of 93 Cup races. He probably was the most automatic inductee into the Hall of Fame since Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. His was the opening name announced Wednesday for the Class of 2019.

    Next, they turned to ownership, with Jack Roush and Roger Penske both given the keys. Roush has 137 victories as the man who owns the garage, putting Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch in their championship rides. Notable drivers Mark Martin and Carl Edwards also had great success in his cars. Penske has 105 wins to his credit, with Brad Keselowski bringing him his Cup title in 2012. Penske has claimed a few other motorsports accolades over the years, including ownership of 16 Indianapolis 500 winning entries. Among his drivers, you can include the names of Mark Donohue, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Al Unser Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi, Hélio Castroneves, and Rusty Wallace. I think you get the idea.

    Two fallen drivers, Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki, are popular selections. Both were lost in aviation accidents in 1993. Allison won 19 times in just 191 career starts, winning 10 of them in 1991 and 1992 when he was third best in the standings both times. Kulwicki only won five times in his time, but he was the driver and team owner and took the Hooters No. 7 Ford to the championship the year prior to his death.

    This week in Charlotte, they honored the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019. This Memorial Day weekend, they will honor the troops. It is racing’s most celebrated 24 hours, with action starting at Monte Carlo, moving on to Indianapolis, then to Charlotte as NASCAR salutes some of the heroes, both those on active service and those who have made the supreme sacrifice, who make such days as this possible.

    1. KEVIN HARVICK – 5 WINS – 484 Pts
    Expects the future of NASCAR to look like the All-Star race did. I bet he does.

    2. KYLE BUSCH – 3 WINS – 503 Pts
    If you are a tender flower who screws up on his pit crew, you might want to reconsider things.

    3. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN – 491 Pts
    As long as Larson does not squeeze him into the wall again, then all will be well.

    4. CLINT BOWYER – 1 WIN – 386 Pts
    Let us remember 2Lt. Dale E. Bowyer (1921-1974), Distinguished Service Cross recipient.

    5. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN – 376 Pts
    Defending champion recently visited with his Commander-in-Chief.

    6. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN – 241 Pts
    Won at Daytona. All is good. See you in the Chase.

    7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 396 POINTS
    Has a Hall of Famer owner. How cool is that?

    8. KURT BUSCH – 393 POINTS
    Has driven for two Hall of Fame owners. Top that!

    9. DENNY HAMLIN – 380 POINTS
    Drive fast on the track, drive much slower on Pit Road. That is a recipe for success.

    10. RYAN BLANEY – 365 POINTS
    Watch the Spider-Man animated series. Ryan would appreciate it.

    11. ARIC ALMIROLA – 342 POINTS
    Four Stewart-Haas drivers among the Top Dozen. How sweet it is.

    12. KYLE LARSON – 336 POINTS
    Don’t squeeze Joey. Don’t squeeze Joey. Don’t squeeze Joey…

    13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 286 POINTS
    Got his start thanks to a Hall of Famer. Between them, they have 11 titles.

    14. ERIK JONES – 285 POINTS
    Until his boss makes the Hall of Fame, he is left with just 3 Super Bowl rings and 4 Cup titles.

    15. ALEX BOWMAN – 271 POINTS
    Traded in his car for a Coast Guard Response Boat this week. No points were awarded.

    16. CHASE ELLIOTT – 266 POINTS
    Just what we need, another Cup guy driving in the Xfinity series. Let the beat downs begin.

    17. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 265 POINTS
    It would be mean to suggest that he could get more attention if he dated a Monster Energy gal.

    18. PAUL MENARD – 240 POINTS
    Patrick County has its heroes, like the Wood Brothers and 1Lt. Leevi Barnard (1980-2009 in Iraq).

    19. WILLIAM BYRON – 229 POINTS
    He has the right car number to be a Hall of Famer.

    20. RYAN NEWMAN – 225 POINTS
    Come to think of it, Newman has also driven for a pair of Hall of Fame owners.