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NASCAR’s David Ragan and IZOD IndyCar series JR Hildebrand Have One Thing In Common

When ABC television’s Wide World of Sports first coined the phrase, “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” some 40 years ago. You could almost hear the voice of the late Jim McKay, bellowing out that saying when two of motorsports biggest races of the year were lost because of driver error.

Think back to the last time in the history of motorsports when two young winless drivers in the same year have come so close to victory in the season’s biggest spectacles, but yet were unable to close the deal while millions of fans watched in amazement.

On one side of the spectrum you have a driver who is in his seventh season racing in NASCAR’s premiere series who has never won a Sprint Cup race, and on the other side a rookie driver who was making only his eighth start in the IZOD IndyCar Series, his fifth this season.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Roush-Fenway driver David Ragan, could feel the electricity running through his body as he waited patiently for the green flag to drop on the first of what would be two green-white-checkered finishes.

Ragan who led the 52^nd running of the Daytona 500 twice for seven laps, would not be around for the last and final green-white-checkered restart. Instead fate would deal him a different hand, and ultimately take away any chances of him winning his first ever Sprint cup race in 147 career starts.

In the blink of an eye Ragan threw away his best opportunity at winning not only NASCAR’s biggest race of the season, but also the chance to become Roush-Fenway Racing’s second driver to ever win the 500 behind Matt Kenseth who went to victory in 2009.

Ragan, who was leading the race at the time took the green flag after a late race caution outside of eventual winner Trevor Bayne, and changed lanes before he reached the start/finish line. Unfortunately for Ragan, he violated section 10-2 of the Sprint Cup Series rule book with the move and was black-flagged.

Ragan would restart the race in the 15^th position after serving his pass through penalty, and would eventually finish a disappointing 14^th. “It was tough to swallow,” Ragan said after the race.

Ragan also added that, “Who knows what would have happened in that next lap? We had a top-five car and we didn’t finish in the top five, so that’s a bummer. We had a car that could’ve won the Daytona 500. We were sitting in position and just didn’t do it.”

Three months later and the racing gods would strike again, but this time it would involve a driver who was trying to make history as the second rookie to ever win the Indianapolis 500. In 2002 it was Helio Castroneves who became the first Indianapolis 500 rookie driver to win both rookie of the year honors, along with the race.

On the day of the centennial running of the Great American Race, rookie driver JR Hildebrand was only one corner away from matching Castroneves historical feat, and putting his name in the record books next to one of the series greatest drivers ever.

Hildebrand just like Ragan could almost feel the thrill of victory, and in a quick instant the agony of defeat slapped him with a dose of reality. Instead Hildebrand’s second place finish would go down as one of the sport’s most heartbreaking finishes, when he crashed on the last corner while leading the race.

Hildebrand was coming out of turn three and headed into four, when he came behind a slower car and decided to go around it and lost control when hit the marbles and crashed hard into the wall.

In that split second gone was the Borg-Warner trophy along with the customary drink of milk that every driver dreams of when the month of May comes around, and the only thing left were the remnants of what could have been the biggest motorsports story of the year.

“I caught him [Charlie Kimball] at just the wrong time,” said Hildebrand when talking about the crash after the race. Hildebrand also added that, “I went to the high side because I didn’t want to slow down too much, I got up in the marbles and that was it.”

Emotions play a huge role when a victory is on the line, but even more when it includes the biggest and most important race of the season. Along with the victory comes the respect from your fellow competitors, as well as the endorsements and the praise from the fans knowing that on that one special day you had what it took to be victorious.

Unfortunately for Ragan and Hildebrand, that special day turned into a day of disaster and disappointment. Ragan knew it all too well when he said, “I feel like I know the rules and understand ’em as good as anyone, but I just kind of let my emotions take over and I just didn’t make the right moves when it counted.”

40 years later and the phrase will be instilled in the minds of Ragan and Hildebrand, “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,”

May 30, 2011
600 Miles In The Hub of NASCAR; A preview of this weekend’s Coca Cola 600

“It’s a great test of man and machine.” That is what you will hear at the beginning of old racing footage of the then “World 600″ at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Once a year, NASCAR decides to beef up the mileage by one-hundred and see who can survive the great endurance test. In the past, this race was run in it’s entirety in the daytime. After lights where installed at the speedway, the race became even more of a challenge as the six-hundred miles began at dusk and finished up under the night skies. This made both driver and crew chief forced to stay alert for the entire race as the track could slip away from them in an instant.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]In past years, you could always count on numerous engine and mechanical failures throughout the course of six-hundred miles. Mainly in the final stretch of the race. Now, with all the advances in technology in the mechanics and engines, there seem to be less and less failures every year. The result of that is more cars left running which leaves the possibility pit strategy still in the picture. That includes fuel mileage. We see it just about every other week, where fuel mileage comes into play in the end of the race. Whether a yellow falls or not, the mention of fuel at the end of the race seems to happen more often than not. It offers a chance for a possible first time winner or a surprise winner to pop up and steal a win away from one of the big boys of the Cup Series.

Charlotte Motor Speedway was commonly refereed to in the mid 2000’s as, “The House That Jimmie Built” as then Johnson seemed to be the only driver that was able to win at the speedway. Also, his team’s sponsor, Lowe’s, also sponsored the track when Jimmie dominated at Charlotte. With the type of performance the five time champ showed last Saturday night in the All Star race, you may want to keep Jimmie in mind as a driver that could pop up and win the race.

With how dominate the Roush-Fenway cars have been this year on mile and a half tracks this season, you can’t ever count them out as proven once again with David Ragan winning the showdown and Carl Edwards winning the All Star. Don’t count of Biffle or Kenseth either. Greg Biffle lead a good majority of the first segment of the All Star race and Kenseth, for a while, had the fastest car on the track. Each one of these drivers would be great picks for the weekend.

If you want some sleeper drivers for the weekend, then look no further than here. Kasey Kahne won this race back in 2006. Kahne and his Red Bull Racing Team have really been picking up the pace as of late with fast cars. Although they don’t always finish the races, you can never count out a driver with speed to win a race. Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, David Reutimann, Martin Truex Jr and Jamie McMurray would all be good picks for this weekend as they have all either won or had good runs at Charlotte in the past.

Look for an exciting marathon this weekend in Charlotte!

Picks for the weekend:

Top Gear 300- Kyle Busch
Coca Cola 600- David Ragan

May 26, 2011
It was a hot summer night and the track was burning…

The night seemed perfect. The glitz was all in place. The fireworks were breath taking. The excitement was palpable. The anticipation was not only visible but audible. There were two things on everyone’s mind; would Dale Earnhardt Jr be in the All Star race? Would the race be as bold as the fireworks in the pre-race show? The answer was a long drawn out one that left most unsatisfied with both answers.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]The All Star race was hyped and billed as the most exciting race under the lights. Here was where the true determination and aggression of NASCAR’s finest would be seen. There were commercials that depicted it as a western gun fight and show down with NASCAR’s Mike Helton as the Sheriff quickly appearing to maintain law and order. What it was, was overly complicated, strung out follow the leader racing that, unlike other races this year, didn’t even have a good ending.

The Showdown although starting out with a bang, lost its fizzle early. It was dominated by David Regan and Brad Keselowski. There was never much doubt as to who the winner would be with Regan setting the fastest time in either section in qualifying; the questions were who would be second, would Dale Jr race his way in, who would be the fan vote.

Keselowski showed dominance in his Miller Lite Dodge from the drop of the green flag. He had speed and handling and showed the slicing dicing skills of an experienced chef at the cutting block. He would lead the final segment until the final lap when Ragan would resume the lead. The two held a dominating distance over third place Marcos Ambrose. Earnhardt Jr would struggle through the event finishing a disappointing 6^th.

The driver’s introductions for the All Star Race were bright and inviting. With flashing lights and smoke and fireworks each driver and his team were introduced to the crowd. Each team had items that were thrown out to the crowd as they were cheered on to pit road. Smiles and fan interactions were in abundance with the exception of Denny Hamlin who never looked at the crowd. He walked over and shook hands with each of his crew and then walked to pit road in the group.

When the fan vote was announced by all three Miss Sprint Cup’s, who had campaigned heavily for Brian Vickers and leaked information that the “obvious choice” was not in fact leading the vote, the noise level was deafening. Dale Earnhardt Jr would in fact compete in the All Star Race thanks to the fans. Earnhardt took a moment to thank not only his fans but all the fans that voted in the competition. As well as giving his own fans a shout out on the radio before the beginning of the race.

Sprint announced that the voting exceeded 2 million votes this year. The most of any year since the fan votes inception. Despite early reports, Darrell Waltrip said that Earnhardt had indeed won by a landslide.

Pole position for the All Star race was won by Kyle Busch on Friday evening, with Clint Bowyer starting on the outside front row. The first pit stall however would be selected by the winner of the pit crew challenge which was Denny Hamlin’s number 11 Fed Ex Toyota crew.

The All Star race was hyped to the hilt. Track President Marcus Smith offered to pay any fines for fighting that might be incurred. The All Star race could have been an exciting and breath taking event if the drivers had been willing to push the issue of racing. In the end they were not.

The race was an over structured, over complicated, and a too long glorified test session for the Coca Cola 600. Even the last 10 laps showed to be a strung out follow the leader affair. The most excitement came after the race when winner Carl Edwards destroyed the race winning car sliding through the grass and hitting a man hole cover and basically tearing the whole right front corner and suspension out from under the car.

Second place driver Kyle Busch who scored his highest finish in his All Star Race career stated, “Sorry we didn’t give you any scoop (or) drama,” he said. Busch admitted the race was “tame”. The trend seems to have begun in 2008 when the rule changes to the event began in earnest leading us to the current 100 lap structure that encourages follow the leader type racing. With the final 10 laps being the source of excitement. But this year even that was missing.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished a disappointing 14^th in the race, suggested on Friday, that a simpler shorter format might guarantee more excitement for the fans. He suggested that adding other events on the bill would ensure that the fans got their money’s worth for the price of the ticket. Not a bad thought. It would certainly be better than keeping track of how many laps, how many segments, when are the mandatory pit stops, when can you add fuel, how many tires do you have to take. and when is the break.

The All Star Race was a true gauge of the status of the competition in our sport today. It is a gauge as to why the fan base is decreasing on a regular basis. Between the poor racing, the commentators on the TV broadcast, the endless hollow promises, our sport has reached a crisis level. What has brought us here? Lots of things the biggest is money. And not the struggling economy, this started long before that. It began with greed. With a series sponsor that refused to allow competing companies to sponsor competitors. It was compounded by a series that wanted to govern who had a sponsor and what that sponsor’s product was. It was an unaccommodating series that signaled the end of support from companies like Jack Daniels and Jim Beam. It was only last year that GT Vodka came into the Nationwide series on a limited schedule with JR. Motorsports.

But perhaps the truest blow to the sport and its competitive ability came in 2008 when NASCAR eliminated testing. NASCAR eliminated testing at the request of the car owners when the economy tanked in 2007 on the claim that it would save them money. Truth is they replaced it with computer simulation programs and simulation engineers all of which in the long run probably cost at least as much as the testing did without the same results.

1989 Winston Cup Champion, Rusty Wallace described the benefits of testing as “You can take the cars out there and unbolt the suspension and try different things and tune the car up and get it ready for that track. Your driver is out there practicing and honing their skills.” Wallace stated that the elimination of testing was the biggest blow to the sport in his opinion.

When you look at the competition we are seeing week in and week out, and compare it to the description he gave is it any wonder we see cars that are evil and ill handling? Champions that are not competitive. Multiple part failures under stress. Tire compounds that are not compatible to track surfaces. If the teams were testing even on a limited basis, Wallace suggested 10 test sessions a year, we wouldn’t be seeing these kinds of issues.

There is not a single driver in the Cup/Nationwide field that has not earned his way there. There is not a champion in the field now or ever who did not earn that championship with his abilities behind the wheel. And yet week after week we are asking the question what happened? How did a team with major factory support have brake failure 3 weeks in a row? How does a team with major factory support suffer right front tire failures 4 weeks in a row? These drivers both had won championships. They were not rookies. A Champion of the series relegated to the position of an also ran in a car that has factory support. A driver with 18 victories in the sport who seemingly could not get out of his own way for over 2 years? These men did not suddenly lose the ability to drive a race car. The companies that created the parts and pieces didn’t suddenly forget how or what they were doing. Teams that have been in the sport for several years didn’t suddenly forget how to build race cars.

The COT is part of the issue. It came on the scene full time in 2008. The same time we did away with testing. It was then we began seeing multiple race failures. We replaced competitive motorsports with safety and series control. Now don’t misunderstand me, I would not trade the safety factors of this car for the old car. Not in a million years. Those factors have saved drivers lives as recently as the truck race at Dover and the cup race at Richmond. But the competitive element has to be there as well.

Fans complain about Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch winning so many races and championships. The two of them are probably two of the most talented drivers on the circuit. The new car came easy for them. But if testing were again allowed, you would see more drivers win and compete for the win. You would see more confidence in the car from drivers in heavy traffic situations. You wouldn’t be seeing the All Star race used as a test session for the Coca Cola 600.

This problem is only going to grow when the new COT is introduced in 2013. We will simply start the learning curve over again. With no testing and no experience in and with the car the problem will compound on itself yet again.

Brian France, stated this past week that NASCAR needs Dale Jr to win to survive. And although it would be awesome to see Dale Jr in victory lane again, if for no other reason to silence the haters and the nay sayers, what NASCAR needs in order to survive is to bring back testing of the cars on the tracks they are going to race on. What NASCAR needs if it is to survive is to return to it’s competitive roots where we have more than two cars competing for the win. With the new points system and the ramifications of DNF’s, it seems only fair to level the playing field and give the drivers and teams back the foundations that they need to put on the show that made NASCAR a household name.

The All Star race was like a $250,000 dollar fireworks display that when the switch was thrown the whole thing fizzled. The disappointment and the let down will have far reaching effects. Hopefully, NASCAR can figure out that the way to slow the hemorrhage is to go back to doing what they do best, Having 42 cars all going fast and turning left.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * * * * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Congratulations to Kyle Busch on his Camping World truck series win on Friday night. It was a perfect illustration of why you never give up until the checkered flag waves.

Congratulations to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on his first career Nationwide Series Win at Iowa. Welcome to the very exclusive club of talented drivers that have won before you.

Congratulations to David Ragan on his Showdown win, and to Carl Edwards on his All Star Win. Conspiracy theorists please hush. The man crossed the line first. The win belongs to him until John Darby and Robin Pemberton say otherwise.

Congratulations to Denny Hamlin’s Fed Ex team on their victory in the pit crew challenge. It was an awesome competition the best of the entire weekend in my opinion.

Congratulations to Dale Jr. and his Jr. Nation on their victory in the fan vote. Remember always the parable of the sticks. Stand together and you can not be broken. Step apart and you will fail.

That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

May 22, 2011
Miles The Monster Continues to Survive Amongst Today’s Bigger Giants

During a time when the economy has taken its toll on the entertainment world, NASCAR as a sport was not immune and all the average fan had to do was look around at all the empty seats.

[media-credit name=”doverspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”263″][/media-credit]No longer are the tracks selling out like they used to, and the owners were left to begin experimenting with different promotions to try and draw the fans away from their television sets, and back into the stands.

Gary Camp, who is the director of public relations for Dover International Speedway, was able to answer a few questions about how the economy has affected “The Monster Mile.”

“The economy has affected ticket sales, but that is the case across the entire sport to some extent,” Camp said. “We are optimistic about 2011, and we are doing our best to improve the fan experience for everyone.

“We haven’t raised ticket prices in over five years, and we have been working hard to add value for our fans. From free, live concerts, to the Monster Monument, to our new, expanded FanZone…there is plenty to see and do, even beyond the racing, when you make the trip to the track.”

With Dover looked at as one of only three independent tracks left in the series, Camp was asked what type of impact it had over the bigger corporations such as the International Speedway Corporation which is owned by the France family, or Bruton Smiths Speedway Motorsports Incorporated.

“Because we aren’t part of the ISC or SMI families, we are often deemed an ‘independent’ track. We also own and operate Nashville Superspeedway, near Nashville, and Gateway International Raceway, near St. Louis, but Dover is the only track of these three that hosts a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race,” said Camp.

Camp also talked about the other entertainment options that are part of the Dover experience.

“The unique nature of the facility in Dover sets us apart from other venues, we share the property with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, and all the amenities they bring to the table.

“Fans love the opportunity to play the slots, eat at the multiple restaurants, and coming in 2010, they will play live table games. The ability to do this all on the same site as a race track is very unique.”

The planning and preparation that goes into making sure everything is in place for a typical race weekend can be very stressful, along with the stress factor of knowing that everything needs to be close to perfect.

A race weekend isn’t just put together in the few weeks leading up to the race, instead it takes months of careful planning.

“It’s interesting how many people are surprised to learn that many of our jobs here at the Speedway are full-time positions,” Camp said. “Many think we just open the gates on raceday, close them when it’s over, and do it again the next year.

“It’s a year-long, continual process getting ready for our two big NASCAR event weekends. Budgeting, advertising, creative development, promotions, and more all play in to our ultimate goal—selling tickets and getting fans to come to Dover to see a race,“ said Camp, while talking about the weeks leading up the big race.

Camp has been part of the Dover family for seven years now, and he started out working for an advertising and public relations agency that used to service the track, and casino, as a client.

Camp also mentioned that his most memorable moment throughout the years since he has been at the track was the Dover race following 9/11.

It was the first major sporting event after the attacks, so everyone was in a heightened state of security, and patriotism. MBNA handed out U.S. flags to everyone in attendance, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the place as the national anthem and flyover happened that day.

Camp still remembers how vividly the “U.S.A.” chants were that rang through the grandstands, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. after having won the event, celebrated with a huge American flag flying out of his window during his victory lap.

There is plenty to see and do at this unique one-of-a-kind entertainment venue, and the staff at Dover are doing all they can by working with the local hotel operators to get them to help the fans with more reasonable rates, and reduced minimum night stay requirements.

The cost of lodging is typically the largest expense when attending a destination sporting event, so anything that the staff at Dover can do to make it easier on fans will be helpful.

If Miles, the 46-foot-tall monster, doesn’t grab your attention, then maybe 43 of NASCAR’s biggest names racing on this one-mile concrete gladiator ring will.

Either way you don’t know what you are missing, unless you experience it first hand and in person.

May 13, 2011
NASCAR Wisely Leaves ‘Payback’ To Drivers

After a weekend of confrontations at Darlington, NASCAR handed out punishment on Tuesday, with Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick each receiving four weeks probation and a $25,000 fine. Ryan Newman and Juan Montoya were given a “final warning” for their ongoing feud that allegedly led to Newman punching Montoya at Darlington. Did NASCAR wimp out with its disciplinary actions?

What’s the greatest thing about NASCAR when it comes to discipline? No one listens to them. That doesn’t make them wimps. It makes them brilliant marketing strategists. What’s four weeks probation to Busch and Harvick? Four weeks to plot their next moves, four weeks to belittle their rival with vague and veiled insults, and four weeks to closely test the boundaries of NASCAR’s “probationary” period. Probation? To fans, that means NASCAR will be watching. Not surprisingly, to NASCAR, that means fans will be watching. And the $25,000? Harvick would say that’s “chicken” scratch to Busch, and he’d be right. Busch, for his part, would say that $25,000 is the price Harvick had to pay for “window shopping” at the No. 18 Toyota.

But who’s complaining about the lack of severity of NASCAR sanctions? Apparently, only people who want NASCAR’s punishment of drivers to actually discourage behavior like Busch’s and Harvick’s. That would be discouraging, to fans. NASCAR’s not stupid. They only look stupid. And they know it. Appearances can be deceiving, and NASCAR wants only to appear to discourage such driver behavior with their brand of punishment. NASCAR puts the “pun” in punishment.

What’s the purpose of a minimal fine and simple probation? For NASCAR, it’s their version of discipline with maximum effect (in their eyes) and minimal impact. It’s the equivalent of asking drivers to wear “promise rings.” NASCAR’s punishment says to drivers “Don’t let it happen again, but if it does, please make sure you make it look like a ‘racing incident.’”

NASCAR knows just as well as everyone else that their rendered judgments are often, if not always, deemed not severe enough. Sure, they are carefully considered, but in most cases, the punishment does not fit the crime. For that, NASCAR should be applauded. The last thing NASCAR wants is to bar a driver bent on retaliation off the track. NASCAR doesn’t want to play the bad guy. No, they want the bad guy on the track, plotting his next mildly punishable action. It would take a truly heinous on-the-track act for NASCAR to suspend a driver. In the realm of NASCAR discipline, it’s not “My way or the highway.” It’s “My way and the speedway.”

In case you missed it, Busch and Harvick’s shenanigans overshadowed Regan Smith’s first career Sprint Cup, and then some. And that begs the question, if a winning driver does victory burnouts and no one is watching, does it make any smoke? Let’s thank the good lord it wasn’t a Dale Earnhardt, Jr. win that was overshadowed. Otherwise, there would have been fans trying to punch Busch and Harvick for the very

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]though of stealing some Junior thunder. In any case, the brewing feud was by leaps and bounds more entertaining than the race itself. The Busch-Harvick game of cat and mouse was both controversial and entertaining, a true brouhaha.

You can call Busch a coward for driving off. And, you can say “it” runs in the family. You could even say he “turned tail.” Indeed he did. He spun Harvick not once, but twice. Busch is no one-hit wonder, like the band Sniff ‘N The Tears, who performed the 1978 hit “Driver’s Seat,” which Busch was surely humming when he sent the No. 29 Budweiser car astray. After those two dramatic left turns, Harvick will now be known as the “King Of Veers.”

But give Harvick credit for instigating the situation and bumping Busch when it appeared Busch did nothing wrong. Say what you will about Harvick, but the man has guts. And it takes guts to confront a Busch brother with only window netting separating you. Wait. No it doesn’t. Anyway, Harvick is known to take no guff from anyone, and once Busch spun him, he was obligated to retaliate. What’s worse for Harvick and Busch? A piddly fine and probation from NASCAR, or the ignominy of knowing they let a heated rival get the upper hand. A lenient sanction, wisely administered by NASCAR’s marshmallow fist, ensures that Harvick and Busch, as well as other drivers, won’t be afraid to seek their own justice.

As for the fates of Montoya and Newman, NASCAR again made the right call, issuing warnings instead of punishment. Montoya wrecked Newman at Richmond, and Newman punched Montoya at Darlington. With warnings, NASCAR is essentially saying “Your move, Montoya.”

Who was most entertained by the Busch-Harvick fiasco? Why, Jimmie Johnson, of course? In his quest for his sixth Sprint Cup championship, Johnson has to be satisfied to see two of the three biggest challengers to his title in a conflict that is sure to spill over to the remainder of the season. And, with the volatile Carl Edwards due to blow his top soon, Johnson could very well see all three of his greatest rivals facing NASCAR discipline. What’s the biggest difference between Johnson and Harvick, Busch, and Edwards? Besides five Sprint Cup championships. It’s Johnson’s level-headedness. If he gets angry, it’s often at his crew chief, Chad Knaus. When he’s wronged, Johnson doesn’t get even. He gets even better.

In short, NASCAR needs the excitement and controversy that comes with feuding drivers. If there’s a knock against NASCAR, it’s the boredom of races that lack action or controversy. NASCAR has a monopoly on monotony. If NASCAR’s discipline exacerbates this problem, then they have gone too far. Wisely, NASCAR only loosely practices what it preaches.

May 12, 2011
NASCAR Bad Boys: Top Ten Most Fined Sprint Cup Drivers

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This weekend’s race at Darlington provided a storyline to the viewer that will be talked about for weeks to come. It was a simple phrase that we have heard several times throughout the year…..”Boys, have at it!” And that, they did!

We saw a sucker punch thrown. Overheard a name-calling shouting match between Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick’s team. We listened to rumors of a possible punch during a NASCAR meeting between Juan Pablo Montoya and Ryan Newman.

We also saw Montoya accidentally get into the back of Johnson while Montoya’s actions were being scrutinized. We even got to see a runaway car endangering the lives of NASCAR officials and crew members.

After such an epic event, “Boys have at it!” will have consequences for the first time in 2011. Those consequences come with a price tag in the form of a penalties.

Let’s take a look at the Top 10 Most Fined Sprint Cup Drivers…..

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#10. Jeff Gordon, the four-time NASCAR Cup Series winner, finds himself ranked #10 on our most fined list with $126,000 in assessed penalties.

In 2007, Gordon’s car was found to have a fender flare which created an unfair advantage. This infraction led to the single highest penalty of $100,000 for the team.

Good Boy Gordon did manage to lose his temper and decked Jeff Burton after being wrecked at Texas Motor Speedway in 2010.

Since the two were able to work through their spat, NASCAR did not penalize either driver.

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#9. Car owner/driver and published author, Michael Waltrip and his team have been fined a minimal $140,500 despite some of his crazy antics.

After initial qualifying for the 2007 Daytona 500,  NASCAR inspectors found evidence in the engine manifold that Waltrip’s team had used an illegal fuel additive. This became known as the “jet fuel” scandal, costing his team $100,000.

An inappropriate gesture during a television broadcast in 2005 set him back $10,000.

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#8. Kurt Busch, winner of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Championship using the “Chase for the Cup” point system, is a bit of a hothead.  Busch and his team have been levied $156,000 in penalties.

Tempers flared after some on-track antics between Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart at Dover in 2007. Busch ran into Stewart’s car on pit road, barely missing the jack man.

The No. 2 Penske Dodge driver was fined $100,000 for endangering crew members on pit road.

In another on-track scuffle, Busch bumped Robby Gordon’s car from behind, spinning him out and causing a caution to “allegedly” improve his position. The bump cost Busch $10,000.

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#7. Some would say that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a chip off the old block.  Naysayers would argue Jr. has a chip on his shoulder. With $168,000 in penalties, we will let you decide.

Dale Jr. took a hit when the COT debuted in 2007. He and other Hendrick teammates were each fined $100,000 for unapproved modifications.

2004 was the year of “Poop-gate.” Earnhardt Jr. was fined $10,000 for using profanity during a live post-race interview.

When asked about the significance of his fifth victory at Talladega, Jr. replied, “It don’t mean s— right now. Daddy’s won here 10 times.”

#6. The No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry driver, Martin Truex Jr. lands on our Top Ten list at no fault of his own. Crew Chief, Kevin Manion, has garnered a whopping $175,000 in penalties for the Truex Jr. team.

Manion’s biggest folly came in 2008 when the No. 1 Chevrolet failed a template inspection before the Coke Zero 400. The penalties levied were $100,000 and a six-race suspension.

[media-credit name=”Steven Iles” align=”alignleft” width=”225″][/media-credit]

#5. Love him or hate him, Kyle Busch is a force to be reckoned with. Holding the record for most NASCAR wins in a season between the top three NASCAR series comes with a price…$190,000 in penalties to be exact!

We have all seen the endless replays of the skirmish between “Rowdy” Busch and Kevin Harvick from this weekend’s race at Darlington.  The tiff cost each driver $25,000 and earned them a four-race probation.

Kyle is known for his garish antics. He was recently penalized $25,000 for giving an obscene gesture to a NASCAR official during a live televised race.

#4. Carl Long holds the record for the single largest penalty handed out by NASCAR at the tune of $200,000.

What could Carl do to cost his team so much money you ask?

After making just 23 career Cup starts and not appearing in a points-paying Cup race since 2006, Long felt he could qualifying for the 2008 All-Star Race and the Daytona 500. Preliminary to the All-Star race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Long overheated the engine. His team made an engine switch.

Under the NASCAR rules, the bad engine was examined. It was later determined that the engine exceeded the maximum cubic-inch displacement specifications.

In layman’s terms, Long was using an engine that was far bigger than NASCAR allows.

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignleft” width=”227″][/media-credit]

#3. NASCAR elite driver and five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner, Jimmie Johnson, has managed to rack up the fines on his way to supremacy.

Crew Chief, Chad Knaus, aka “Cheating Chad” has earned $202,500 in penalties for the team with his Go Big or Go Home mentality.

Johnson was fined $10,000 for his role in the “Bottlegate” fiasco when he placed a Lowe’s logo in front of some plastic Powerade bottles after he got out of his car in Pocono Raceway’s Victory Lane.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignleft” width=”259″][/media-credit]

#2. When it comes to drama, Kevin Harvick is where it is at! Don’t get me wrong….I am a proud firesuit- T-shirt wearing fan who loves the Harvicks! However, I was surprised to find $236,000 in penalties for all that drama.

This weekend, Harvick landed a punch on Kyle Busch through an open window net. This netted Harvick with a $25,000 fine and a four-race probation.

Kevin has on-track altercations involving Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Gregg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jeff Burton.

In Kevin’s defense…not all of the $236,000 were fines from altercations. Harvick’s team had issues with aerodynamics, oil and fuel filters, rear suspension and a few other miscellaneous penalties to the tune of $156,000.

[media-credit name=”FMCM” align=”alignleft” width=”120″][/media-credit]

#1. Yes, you read that correctly! Robby Gordon takes the cake with an whopping $325,000 in NASCAR penalties.

This driver/owner has been fined for just about everything thanks to his never-ending supply of crew chiefs. Most notably, $150,000 for an unapproved front bumper while under the direction of Frank Kerr.

Robby Gordon remains on probation after an altercation in Las Vegas with Kevin Conway regarding money and pending litigation.

FAQ:

What data was used for this article? We used the Jayski penalties posted from 2001-May 10,2011. All data is assumed under the umbrella of each driver. Article assumes readers will know a driver name, but not a crew member name.

Example…..If the stated driver’s crew chief was fined $50,000 for unapproved modifications..then that driver’s penalties will reflect that amount.

Where did we get the data? http://jayski.com/pages/penalties.htm

What happens to the money from the penalties? Starting in 2008, all money collected from fines issued to drivers go to the NASCAR Foundation for its charitable initiatives; before, the money collected from driver/crew member penalties are generally placed into the Drivers Points Fund awarded at the end of the season.

May 12, 2011
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Carl Edwards: Edwards led 57 laps at Darlington, and seemed well on his way to victory when an untimely caution with 10 laps to go altered the course of the race. Edwards and most of the front-runners pitted for tires, while Regan Smith stayed out and took the lead. Smith withstood Edwards’ charges and held on for his first career Sprint Cup win.

“It would have been great to honor the birth of my son with a win,” Edwards said. “As it was, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick were the ones paying homage to infantile behavior. I really thought we made the right decision to pit, but Smith wouldn’t let me by. He won the battle; Busch and Harvick started a war.”

2. Kyle Busch: Busch was battling with Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer for sixth on lap 363 when contact between the three sent Bowyer spinning. After Harvick bumped Busch’s No. 18 Doublemint Toyota from behind, Busch retaliated by spinning the No. 29 Budweiser Chevy. And incensed Harvick later tried to punch Busch, but Busch simply drove away, sending Harvick’s parked car into the pit road wall. Busch finished 11th, and met with NASCAR officials, along with Harvick, Richard Childress, and Joe Gibbs after the race.

“Maybe now,” Busch said, “Harvick will have a new appreciation for the ‘drive-through window.’ I was just sitting in my car minding my own business, when Harvick appears out of nowhere. I refuse to sit ‘idly’ by and give him a free shot at my head. I’m not afraid on him; I just simply drove off the ‘beaten’ path.

“Despite fines and penalties from NASCAR, I stand by my actions. In regards to punishment, I listened to what NASCAR had to say. But like any driver worth his salt, I didn’t ‘hear’ it. Some have ‘selective hearing;’ I have ‘disciplinary hearing.’”

3. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson survived an early spin courtesy of Juan Montoya, making a spectacular save to keep the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet off the wall. Johnson recovered, and overcame a subsequent spin due to loose handling on lap 220, and was primed for a top-10 finish. But a loose lug nut 10 laps from the end forced him to the tail end of the longest line, and he finished 15th. Johnson remains second in the point standings, 23 out of first.

“It’s on!” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, I’m referring to the Kyle Busch-Kevin Harvick feud, and not the lug nut in question.

“I’m embroiled in a feud of my own, with Montoya. Of course, JPM apologized for spinning me. Now, I’m not sure I’m ready to forgive him. Frankly, as a five-time Cup champion, I’m about sick of making ‘acceptance’ speeches.”

4. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 17th at Darlington after Kyle Busch sent him spinning on lap 363 in retaliation for what Busch called “unacceptable racing” on Harvick’s part. Afterward, Harvick insinuated that his business with Busch is far from done. Harvick is fifth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 50 behind Carl Edwards.

“It’s far from over,” Harvick said. “I know that, Busch knows that, and NASCAR knows that. Even my sponsor, Budweiser, knows that. Hence, the presence of a special Budweiser slogan on my car for upcoming races that says, ‘This Bud’s Coming For You.’

“Kyle’s mother must be proud. In Mrs. Busch’s honor, I’d like to extend Happy Mother’s Day wishes to her via Kyle when I say ‘Your momma.’ But let’s not let our feud take away from Regan Smith’s victory. It was truly a magical night at Darlington. Even I tried a little magic of my own when, much like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, I tried to pull a ‘chicken’ out of the No. 18 car. Even Kyle got in on the fun with his little ‘disappearing act.’”

5. Ryan Newman: Newman posted his fourth top-5 finish of the year with a fifth in the Showtime Southern 500. He led 28 laps, and improved two places in the point standings to sixth, 61 out of first.

“You may have heard,” Newman said, “that I threw a punch at Juan Montoya during our meeting with NASCAR officials to discuss our budding feud. I gave reconciliation a chance. Apparently, there’s just no getting through to Montoya. I’ve always said, ‘Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.’ So I did.”

6. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished 14th at Darlington, victimized by a penalty for hitting the pit road entrance cone on a lap 329 stop. He remained fourth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 47 out of first.

“It was a crazy week at the track,” Earnhardt said. “Even inanimate objects weren’t safe from being hit. Surprisingly, orange safety cones are a lot like certain drivers, in that safety cones don’t fight back, either.”

7. Tony Stewart: Stewart took a gamble at Darlington, staying out while most of the leaders pitted after Jeff Burton’s blown engine brought out the caution on lap 359. It paid off, as Stewart gained substantial track position, and scored his fourth top-10 finish of the year with a seventh. He jumped three places in the point standings to seventh, 65 out of first.

“From what I hear,” Stewart said, “even a meeting with NASCAR did nothing to settle the Ryan Newman-Juan Montoya feud. And that’s no surprise. Both Ryan and Juan are very headstrong, so it’s shocking to see that neither was willing to show ‘resolve.’

“Montoya was unwilling to take any responsibility for wrecking Ryan at Richmond. Are we supposed to believe that his spin of Ryan was simply an accident? I think Ryan has resigned himself to accepting that claim, no matter how implausible it seems. That’s why he’s taking no responsibility for punching Montoya. That’s called the ‘Oops! Upside Your Head’ defense.”

8. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer saw a possible top-5 finish disintegrate when he spun into the inside wall after Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Bowyer battled door to door on lap 363. Bowyer’s No. 31 BB&T Chevy was done for the day, and he finished 31st.

“I knew I was in trouble when Busch, Harvick, and myself came out of the corner side-by-side-by-side. That kind of lateral racing can lead to only one thing: collateral damage. And that was me.

“Of course, as we already know, Harvick won’t take Busch’s actions sitting down. Kevin’s reputation is that of someone who never backs down. Everyone expects Kevin to retaliate, and I’m sure he’ll be ‘Happy’ to oblige.”

9. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth blew a tire early at Darlington and fell three laps down and was never able to catch a break to regain track position. When his night at Darlington was done, Kenseth posted a finish of 25th, his third result outside the top 20 since winning at Texas on April 9th. He dropped one place in the point standings to tenth, 83 out of first.

“I was an early victim of the ‘Lady In Black,’” Kenseth said. “It’s possibly the first time in my life I’ve been chosen first by a woman.

“As for the Kyle Busch-Kevin Harvick, it appears NASCAR was somewhat lenient with punishment. But that’s not surprising. Of course, NASCAR’s backed themselves into a corner by advocating the ‘Boys, have at it’ mentality, which, as history shows, is inevitably translated by drivers into the ‘Boys, have a tit-for-tat’ mentality.”

10. Kasey Kahne: Kahne started on the pole at Darlington and led 124 of 370 laps on his way to a fourth-place finish, his second consecutive top-5 result after last week’s third at Richmond.

“I’m riding a wave of momentum right now,” Kahne said. “But I won’t get complacent. In this sport, momentum is like a one-year contract—very fleeting. I have to hand it to Red Bull for signing me to a one-year contract with the knowledge that at year’s end, I’ll say ‘Bull split’ and head over to Hendrick. Mighty Kasey doesn’t strike out; he strikes deals.”

May 10, 2011
Richmond – A Camoflage Affair

[media-credit id=18 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]It was a short track. It was a night race. So this race should have been an incredible journey back to the old school racing that made NASCAR a household word. But from the beginning of the week end it was obvious that something was missing. The first races of the weekend might have been the problem. Did they set the pace.

The K&N East series race lacked luster and excitement. It was to be blunt, dull. It was a close race at the front between Darrell Wallace Jr and Max Gresham. Wallace, from Mobile, Ala., gained his third victory in just his 13th career start in the K&N Pro Series East. He took the lead from Gresham for the first time on Lap 55, and the two later swapped it following a restart on Lap 78, and for the decisive time on Lap 79.

“We just had to be patient, and be there at about halfway,” Wallace said. “[Max] Gresham was pretty strong, and I think we just a little bit better car and a better line, and we just took it away from him.”

Next on the schedule was the Denny Hamlin Late Model charity race. A thunder storm that moved through the area kept the crowd to a minimum but Denny Hamlin finally won his own charity race.

Although he was scheduled to start on the pole for the race, he choose to start from the back. Hamlin moved his way through the pack avoiding accidents along the way to join team mate Kyle Busch at the front of the field. The final restart came when Max Gresham and Darryl Wallace Jr tangled causing the final caution.

Busch took the lead at the green but ran out of gas on the back stretch allowing Hamlin and Michael Waltrip to take over the point. “I’m glad he ran out of fuel because it might have got ugly,” Hamlin said. “Trust me; if Kyle wouldn’t have run out of gas, I would have done everything possible to get around him.”

Hamlin, who said last week that the race raised over $100,000 last year, said he will wait to see how much money was raised this year, then give 10 percent to help tornado victims. Where that money will go specifically will be determined by where there is the most need, he said.

His usual charities — the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital in Richmond — will receive the other 90 percent of money raised.

Friday would bring the Nationwide Series to the spotlight with Carl Edwards starting the Fastenal Ford Fusion from the pole of the Bubba Burger 250. The race would have strange turns of events throughout its course.

The most prominent of those oddities was the lack of cautions. Only 2 yellow flags waved for the entire race. The long green flag runs made for a decisively boring race that saw Denny Hamlin lead for 199 of the 251 laps.

The second was a penalty assessed by NASCAR to pole sitter Carl Edwards. Edwards who ran out of gas and had to push started was penalized for working on the car outside the pit box even though the rule clearly gives him 3 boxes to be pushed by crew to restart the car. The penalty put the pole sitter 5 laps down and for the most part eliminated him from competition.

NASCAR would announce on Saturday that they had made an error with the penalty and in fact Edwards and his Jack Roush crew were in the right. No change was made to the finishing order.

The third oddity came when Aric Almirola’s Hellmann’s Chevrolet ran out of fuel on the back stretch. Almirola who asked for team mate Josh Wish to give him a push, instead found help from former Jr. Motorsports driver, Brad Keselowski. Keselowski pushed the car to the opening of the pit road and then took a run with a hard push to propel the 88 down the pit road before resuming his position on the track.

Almirola who was not under power at that time was deemed to be speeding on pit road. His crew who worked quickly to refuel and change tires got the car to refire almost immediately.

As Almirola left the pit road it was deemed that he was speeding off pit road as well. To further add confusion to the issue, television commentators stated the speeding was to avoid going a lap down and a penalty would be assessed. With in seconds Almirola began to back up in the line up to the last position on the lead lap as is customary for speeding under caution. The final position was 7^th. Almirola came across the line in 5^th position on the checkered flag which waved with the caution flag.

The 88 was originally credited by NASCAR timing and scoring as finishing in the 5^th spot. Shortly after the conclusion of the race Almirola was relegated first to the 6^th position and then finally to the 14^th spot one lap down. NASCAR put him one lap down due to the speeding penalty and said he should have started at the end of the one lap down cars.

Almirola who was obviously upset, stated, “They are going to have to explain this one to me. I went from 5^th to 14^th after the race.” Almirola and Crew Chief Tony Eury Sr spent time in the NNS hauler discussing the issue.

In defense of Almirola, he was scored first 5^th then 6^th then 14^th. He was not alone in his finishing position being changed after the race several drivers’ positions changed and the final finishing order was not available until after 1 AM CST. At that point Nascar.com still listed Aric Almirola and the 88 in 5^th position. The next morning the line up had been changed yet again.

The final oddity occurred when Danica Patrick was shown as the driver for the 7 car out of the JR Motorsports stable. The NASCAR 2011 game sponsored car was driven by Josh Wise and finished 6^th. Speeds “unofficial results” show Patrick as finishing 3^rd in the 7 car. The 7 car however, was never in the 3^rd position on the race track.

The Sprint Cup race would be frustrating to say the least. Long green runs were followed by yellows every 10 laps and then a long green flag run to the checkers. The viewers at home and the fans in the stands seemed to be the only people wondering about the outcome, the announcers for Fox seemed to know who the winner would be from the beginning of the race. Constant proclamations of Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin would indeed prove to be the case as the Gibbs team finished 1^st and 2nd.

The race was full of action typically seen on a short track. Tempers flared between Juan Montoya and Ryan Newman with Newman going to the hauler to see “what they intended to do with the 42.” Montoya exited the track on a golf cart immediately following the race with no comments given to the press.

Jeff Gordon who undoubtedly had one of the strongest cars in the field was wrecked in a multiple car pile up on the front stretch and hit hard with the driver’s side door on the only accessible wall that did not have a safer barrier. Gordon was slow to exit the car, but said later on Twitter that he was fine, but would be sore for a couple of days.

The usually strong Budweiser Chevy faded late in the race to finish a lap down, a performance very uncharacteristic of Kevin Harvick. He was not the only car to struggle uncharacteristically. Jimmie Johnson rallied late to finish 9^th but struggled the entire race. As did Dale Earnhardt Jr who had to stop late in the race for fuel and was thus relegated to a 19^th place finish 2 laps down.

The fact that a short track race became a fuel mileage situation was frustrating. Fuel mileage races are for the most part a boring affair. This was no different. Although it had all the short track action, it was just an ok race. It left this writer scratching her head.

What happened? Why did this race go from being a promise of exciting old school racing to a snoozer? All the pieces were there. Yet the most excitement came from the radio communication of drivers like Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr, and Ryan Newman. If you were not able to partake in the scanner communications the race was well drab.

This race truly was a camouflage affair. It had all the promise of the hunt and yet at the end it fell short of its promise. It was not the track itself. It was not the cars or even the drivers’ performances. It was that one missing link. It was the missing something that kept the race from being good that made it just ok.

Richmond was full of the high strung antics of the thoroughbreds that make up the Sprint Cup roster. The angry words, the angry antics, the promise of long memories, drivers who were angry at cars, engineers, teams, pit stops and well just themselves; for all of the hype Richmond fell short of being a good show. That perhaps was the biggest surprise of all.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * * * * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Congratulations to Darrell Wallace Jr on his K&N East series win. He showed the grace and class in victory lane that one must possess to be a champion of the sport. I look forward to watching him grow within the sport. Congratulations to Denny Hamlin on his Nationwide Series win. He put on a dominating performance. Congratulations to Kyle Busch on his Sprint Cup win. Happy Birthday Kyle and may you have many returns on the day. Kudos to the Lowes Race team on never giving up, the perseverance of champions was never more evident than it was in Richmond on Saturday night. You proved how you became 5 time champions and why you are challengers for the 6 pack.

That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

May 1, 2011
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Talladega

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Carl Edwards: Edwards paired up with Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle late at Talladega, and led with two laps to go before finishing sixth following a chaotic shuffling on the final lap. Edwards maintained the lead in the Sprint Cup point standings, and leads Jimmie Johnson by five.

“With five laps to go,” Edwards said, “there were eight drivers with a chance to win the race. Eight, if you count Dave Blaney. I found it interesting that I started the race beside Brad Keselowski and finished it beside the concrete wall. That’s called running a race between a hard head and a hard place.”

2. Jimmie Johnson: Benefitting from a race-winning push from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Johnson won the Aaron’s, nipping Clint Bowyer by .002 in a stirring finish at Talladega. Johnson’s first win of the year moved him up to second in the Sprint Cup point standings, where he trails Carl Edwards by only five.

“Obviously,” Johnson said, “I couldn’t have done it without Earnhardt’s help. They say Earnhardt is NASCAR’s most popular driver. He just became Jimmie Johnson’s most popular driver as well. I guess this is what happens when ‘push comes to love.’

“I’m just glad I was able to lead the Hendrick charge. There may only be room for one driver on my bumper, but there’s room for three on my coattails.”

3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished fourth in the Aaron’s 499, sacrificing a chance for the win to push teammate Jimmie Johnson to a dramatic victory. In the tandem racing prevalent at Talladega, Johnson was faster in front with Earnhardt pushing. After the race, a grateful Johnson presented Earnhardt with the checkered flag.

“I can’t thank Jimmie enough for the flag,” Earnhardt said. “Actually, I think once is enough. I’m honored, but not winning at the track at which I’m most capable of winning is something I’d like to put behind me. Thus, the flag becomes my ‘checkered past.’

“You’ve got to hand it to Jimmie, though. He’s a very shrewd racer. It was quite clever of him to say he was slower in the back. Of course he’s slower; he’s behind me. But I bought it, and now I have to live with it. I guess I’ll now be categorized as the ‘consummate’ teammate. ‘Consummate’ would be the operative word, because I believe I got screwed.”

4. Kevin Harvick: Harvick nearly pushed Richard Childress teammate Clint Bowyer to the win at Talladega, as Bowyer lost to Jimmie Johnson by .002 in a photo finish at the line. Harvick finished fourth, collecting his fourth top-5 result of the year, and leaped five places in the point standings to fourth.

“One day I’m stocking grocery stores with Budweiser,” Harvick said. “The next, I’m thriving in the role of dedicated teammate, and using the No. 29 Budweiser Chevy to push Clint Bowyer to a near-win at Talladega. In both cases, you could say I ‘shelved’ Budweiser for the sake of others.”

5. Kyle Busch: Busch saw his Talladega hopes dashed when Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano nudged Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s Pretzel Toyota on lap 140, sending Busch into Matt Kenseth’s No. 17. Busch finished 35^th, and tumbled four spots in the Sprint Cup point standings to sixth, 38 out of first.

“In a restrictor plate race,” Busch said, “sometimes you have to learn to accept your ‘restrictor fate.’ C’est la re(strictor). Joe Gibbs Racing cars have had their engine issues this year, but at Talladega, it was Logano who was the culprit. Either way, you could say it was still Toyota’s fault.”

6. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer led the most laps at Talladega, 38, but came up just short at the end, losing to Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Hendrick Chevy by .002, which tied Ricky Craven’s 2003 win at Darlington for the narrowest margin of victory since the age of electronic timing. Bowyer improved two places in the point standings to tenth, 50 out of first.

“It was an exciting end to an otherwise boring race,” Bowyer said. “I think we gave the fans what they wanted. Although I didn’t win, I was the pleased the No. 33 BB&T Chevy could add a little ‘interest’ to the race.”

7. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth’s run of four-straight top-10 finishes ended at Talladega, when he was collected in a lap 139 wreck that sent him to the garage. Kenseth’s No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford was nailed by Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Toyota after Busch was clipped by Joey Logano. Kenseth finished 36^th, and fell four places in the point standings to eighth.

“Wrecks at Talladega are a lot like what Kyle Busch must experience with his teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing,” Kenseth said. “There’s no way to avoid them. And speaking of ‘unavoidable wrecks,’ my brother Kurt had quite the day at Talladega. The ‘Duke Of Hazard’ invented a new style of racing called ‘constrictor plate,’ because afterwards, everyone wanted to choke him.

“Now, lost in all of the Talladega hoopla was the story that NASCAR chairman Brian France filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife, claiming she recorded phone conversations without his consent in order to extort money from him. That’s amazing! Amazing that she thought someone would actually want to hear what Brian France has to say.”

8. Kurt Busch: Busch led 19 laps in the Aaron’s 499, but faded at the finish after losing Dave Blaney’s No. 36 car in the draft. Busch finished 18^th, and remained fifth in the Sprint Cup point standings, and now trails Carl Edwards by 28.

“I started the day fifth in the point standings,” Busch said, “and ended the day in the same place. I guess the point standings are the only thing I could say I didn’t put a dent in.

“Unfortunately, I was in the middle of three major wrecks. But don’t blame me—I couldn’t see what was ahead of me. Apparently, my fans are much better at one thing that I, and that’s ‘blindly following.’”

9. Ryan Newman: Newman finished 25^th in the Aaron’s 499, a result that could have been much worse had Newman not made two miraculous saves to stay in the race. On lap 171, Newman momentarily lost the draft with Denny Hamlin, but when their bumpers reconnected, Newman spun, collecting Juan Montoya’s No. 42. Newman miraculously straightened his car and kept going. Two laps later, he spun again, and kept the car out of danger. After pitting for four tires and fender repairs, he resumed in 27^th. He eventually finished 25^th, and remained seventh in the point standings.

“I even amazed myself,” Newman said. “Only one other thing has made me grip a steering wheel so tightly. That would be Rusty Wallace.”

10. Jeff Gordon: Gordon started on the pole at Talladega, and after riding safely at the back of the pack for most of the race, charged at the end with a continual push from his drafting partner Mark Martin. In the thrilling dash to the line, Gordon finished third behind Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer.

“You could say Jimmie Johnson ‘came out of nowhere’ for the win,” Gordon said. “But it seems implausible that a five-time Sprint Cup champion could ‘come out of nowhere.’ Let’s just say he ‘came out of somewhere’ and ‘pulled it out of someplace.”

April 19, 2011
Talladega’s Spring Homecoming

Even a Tornado didn’t phase Talladega. She stood through the wind and the rain with her ever foreboding presence. She set the example for those that would compete on her legendary high banks over the next two days; the howling wind seemed to echo the secret of success here, as it blew down her straight a ways. Never give up. No Hesitation. No Fear.

[media-credit name=”(c) CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”229″][/media-credit]Although Friday night saw the drivers coach area evacuated to storm shelters at the track, Saturday morning brought Alabama Blue Skies and a day full of racing. The ARCA race would find a long time favorite coming oh so close to victory and losing it by a nose to ARCA rookie Ty Dillion, but Frank Kimmel showed the dominance on the day until the final 1000 yards.

The Cup qualifying would show historical milestone achieved with 1 through 4 starting positions for Hendrick Motorsports. It was only the third time in history that a single team would lock up the top spots to start a race. Owner Pete DePaolo’s cars started 1-5 at Concord, N.C., in 1956; cars owned by Jack Roush claimed the top four spots on the grid at Fontana in 2005, and now Talladega in 2011 with HMS.

Pole sitter Jeff Gordon stated that qualifying was a “snoozer” and that he could have walked faster than he qualified. The field would not break 180 mph in qualifying at NASCAR’s fastest track.

The Nationwide Series race would go off as scheduled on Saturday afternoon. It would be nothing more than a long drawn out wreck fest that would see an unlikely winner in Kyle Busch. Busch’s car which had been severely damaged in a lap 88 on track altercation had very little right rear quarter panel left on it and it was battered at both ends. The car in victory lane looked more like it had survived a short track race than won a super speedway race.

Second place Joey Logano, stated after the race, “I don’t know why we even go to the wind tunnel when we end up with cars that look like this.” Third place Joe Nemecheck laughed and said, “I haven’t been to the wind tunnel in 3 years.”

The race saw some very surprising finishers with Nemecheck and Mike Wallace leading for a short while at the end of the race. Wallace would end up on his roof and landing on all four wheels at the last “green -white -checkered” finish. Wallace said he wasn’t going to quit so he re-fired the car and drove around to an 18^th place lead lap finish.

Wallace’s roll over would bring out the final caution on the white flag lap allowing Kyle Busch to win the race at the timing line just past the accident. Busch was leading at the time of the caution and the field by NASCAR rules is frozen by the yellow.

The race was a display of the two car draft and what can happen within it. The race was stopped twice for red flags and major accidents. Including the big one which saw 21 cars involved on lap 88.

The race on Sunday was more of the same with less wrecks. It’s finish was exciting and dynamic with Jimmie Johnson taking the lead half way through the tri -oval with a push from team mate Dale Earnhardt Jr. The finish which was the closest in NASCAR history saw the 48 beat Clint Bowyer by .002 seconds. The 4 pairs of cars wide finish was one of the most exciting in the history of the sport without exception.

Johnson who said he didn’t lift after the start finish line because he didn’t know whether it was the checkered flag lap or not found out he won when team mate Dale Jr came over the radio and said, “Damn I think the 48 won it.” Johnson who gave the checkered flag of the race to team mate Dale Jr whom he worked with all day as a tandem, said Dale didn’t want to take the flag but did so reluctantly on pit road. “We definitely wouldn’t have won the race without Dale.”

Clint Bowyer finished second in the BB&T Chevrolet said, “We did everything we could do. The BB&T Chevrolet, she did everything she could do.” When asked if it was good to be second in the closest finish in NASCAR history Bowyer replied, “Hell, no, that sucks (laughing). It’s never very good to know you made NASCAR history by losing. Sooner or later I need to start making history by winning. (JJ’s) won enough (more laughing).”

Jeff Gordon who finished third stated, “The race is really only about 25 laps long. You spend the rest of the day setting up the finish.” Gordon who ran in the back with team mate Mark Martin for most of the day made his charge to the front with 22 laps to go and was leading on the back stretch of the final lap. He was passed by the tandem of Bowyer and Harvick out of three with Carl Edwards/Greg Biffle coming quickly on the outside setting up the dramatic finish at the line.

The race was not without it’s controversy. This one started and encouraged and in fact fueled by a member of the press. It would seem that it was felt by some that Jimmie Johnson passed Mark Martin below the yellow line in the process of taking the lead. Photo’s from AP photographer, Butch Dill, show the 48 and the 88 with left side tires on the yellow line. Neither car is below the double yellow line but both are on the double yellow line.

In post race media conference Johnson was asked about the situation, He said he was not even aware that they were that close to the yellow line and that he had been told before entering the media center about it. He stated that he had asked NASCAR and been told, “we were clear.” NASCAR Vice President Steve Odonnell stated on Twitter, “Great finish, we don’t see any evidence of 48 gaining a position below yellow, Car needs to be below and tires are not even below, this is not close.”

Interestingly enough the controversy was spurred not by a fellow competitor but by a member of the media. It is interesting that in the unbiased can not applaud or shake hands with a winner world of “professional” journalism that one individual would go to such great lengths to try to discredit the win of a 5 time champion. This rule has been debated ad nauseum since it’s inception. We have seen it’s bad side. We have seen it’s good side. Not once has NASCAR ever hesitated to call the yellow line rule. Not for anyone. So it seems strange that they would be questioned to the extent of searching out photo’s to prove the reporter right.

The real story of Talladega had nothing to do with the finish but in truth the other 350 laps of Surrey racing with cars. Drivers from Jeff Gordon to Dale Jr and Kevin Harvick all expressed their dislike for the new two car draft. Dale Earnhardt Jr went so far as to call it, “crap” . In post race Jimmie Johnson said, “It was fun. But if I had been in a wreck I would probably be bitching and moaning about it.”

The truth is honestly how safe is it to drive 180 mph with 42 other cars while driving blind folded? That is essentially what these guys were doing. You can not legally text and drive due to the dangers of accidents while you do it. But these drivers are trying to change radio channels and talk to different drivers and spotters and drive blind half the time.

When you add in to the mix the instability of the race cars themselves when being pushed down the straightaways and tri ovals you have a disaster waiting to happen.

Constantly we will hear about the 88 lead changes and the closest finish in history, but in truth those statements and results are skewed. There were 88 lead changes between two car tandems so realistically you must actually divide that number by two.

The closest finish in history was very exciting yes. But the finish doesn’t make for a good race in it’s entirety. Frankly, it was a snoozer to borrow Jeff Gordon’s word for the first 320 laps. Cars were strung out in 2 car pairs. And most passing was as the cars switched positions and went backwards because of the lift factor to allow the pass. The pass has to be made to avoid blowing an engine up due to over heating because of the NASCAR grill mandates.

Then lets add the smaller restrictor plate. Frankly, Big Bill built Talladega to be the fastest track in the world. This weekend he would have been looking for a fix because the laps turned at Texas, where the pole speed was 189.820 mph, were in a lot of cases faster than the laps turned at Talladega, The world center of speed, where Jeff Gordon’s pole speed was 178.248 mph.

When we add all these things together, the common denominator is NASCAR. Again it appears that there are attempts to manipulate the competition and then tell us this is better. “You must not be a race fan if that finish didn’t excite you.” The finish did excite me. It was the rest of the race that was the problem.

“How can you not like 43 cars changing positions at 180 mph?” I do like to see cars making passes for position at 180 mph. But these passes are meaningless passes of survival.

Fox TV called it one of the most exciting races in NASCAR history. Really? For the last 22 laps it was pretty good. But it wasn’t as good as Richmond in 1991 when DW and Rusty Wallace raced side by side for the last 32 laps without ever touching one another. That was exciting. It wasn’t the 1998 Daytona 500 when the Intimidator finally won the big one. It wasn’t even as exciting as Bristol in 1991 when Rusty Wallace came from 4 laps down to win from the pole. Yes 4 laps down and there was no lucky dog. That was racing. That was exciting. This is surrey racing with cars. This is a winner who by himself would finish last.

Dale Jarrett said it best, “You can’t really race you have to have a dancing partner.” But this is not prom. These are not young men on shaky knees asking a pretty young girl to dance. These are 43 of the greatest stock car drivers in the world. And they need to be able to see where they are going. NASCAR would never let a blind man race. But they blind good men and ask them to dance in pairs at high speed. This is not racing. This is manipulation and a poor solution to ratings, empty seats and a kit car that the more changes they make to it the worse it becomes. NASCAR can measure a chassis that is off as close to half the thickness of a quarter, but they can’t seem to see where the real problem is. I guess there is truth to the cliché of the blind leading the blind. The problem is the teams, drivers, engineers and fans are not all blind.

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Congratulations to Ty Dillion on his first career ARCA win. Congratulations to the pairing of Kyle Busch/Joey Logano of JGR on their NNS win. Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson/Dale Earnhardt Jr on their Sprint Cup Victory for Hendrick Motorsports. Also congratulations to HMS team on making history with their 1 – 4 starting positions for the race. Especially congratulations to the Spotters on the roof who guided two car teams to the best of their ability without being able to remotely control the cars. You may not be driving them, but you did an awesome job of guiding them.

That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

April 17, 2011