Tag: Talladega

  • Hot 20 – Just like NASCAR, Life Presents us with Wins, Losses, and Challenges to be Overcome

    Hot 20 – Just like NASCAR, Life Presents us with Wins, Losses, and Challenges to be Overcome

    Life is full of milestones, some good and some not. Some win championships, some more than one, while others struggle to overcome adversity. Their ability to do so, to win the fight, are just as inspirational, if not more so.

    Life has a way of letting you know what is important. News that Steve Byrnes is stepping away from the microphone to do battle once again with cancer is one such example. I expect to see him overcome this setback, to see him return to the studio and garage. There are too many songs in his song sheet that yet need to be sung, and I expect Byrnes to do so. I wish him well, and wellness, and a speedy return to us.

    Friday sees me in Eckville, Alberta to say goodbye and celebrate the life of Tim Tubbs. I do not believe Tim was a NASCAR fan. I mean, he cheered for the Calgary Flames, which means he was barely even a hockey fan. What he brought to the party was a love of life, family, and friends. Tim was short in stature, but a giant in personality and character. It was a joy to have been in his company.

    As his friends say goodbye, friends of another celebrate on Friday the 40th birthday of Dale Earnhardt Jr. It feels like we have seen him grow up, though he was already 25 when he entered his first full season in Cup back in 2000. We watched him become the most popular driver in the sport, to overcome tragedy, to shine, to endure a decade of struggle, only to return to the forefront this season. His title hopes might not shine bright today, but after this Saturday night in Charlotte or an upcoming Sunday in Talladega they just might again.

    Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski have the edge in wins, but as we up the victor’s bonus from 3 to 25 points, over the full season Jeff Gordon remains the man. Among our top dozen there is one outsider. Kyle Larson might have missed the Chase, but the rookie’s performance the past four events would have made him a real contender had he not. As for Denny Hamlin, even missing a couple of races earlier this year have not dashed his hopes. If wildcard teams can do well in the playoffs of other leagues, why not in NASCAR?

    BOLD = Active Chasers

    Hot 20

    1 – Jeff Gordon – 4 WINS – 1141 POINTS
    2 – Joey Logano – 5 – 1114
    3 – Brad Keselowski – 5 – 1077
    4 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 – 1050
    5 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 984
    6 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 982
    7 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 945
    8 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 925
    9 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 912
    10 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 901
    11 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 859
    12 – Kasey Kahne – 1 – 856
    13 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 854
    14 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 843
    15 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 825
    16 – Paul Menard – 0 – 816
    17 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 815
    18 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 796
    19 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 764
    20 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 745

  • The Final Word – Kansas May Have Been a Hendrick Waterloo

    The Final Word – Kansas May Have Been a Hendrick Waterloo

    Well, boys, you are not in Kansas anymore. Thank God, at least for the gents from Hendrick. If not for a blown tire by Brad Keselowski to allow a Penske driver in on some of the fun, the bottom four would consist entirely of drivers working for Rick Hendrick. However, unlike Napoleon at Waterloo, Hendrick’s boys will have a shot at redemption.

    Jimmie Johnson started near the back of the pack after a qualifying miscue, and he would end there. After Greg Biffle sent Johnson for a long slide into the infield wall, the Lowe’s Chevrolet was looking pretty low for a 40th place result.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. was looking mighty fine setting the pace. Then his right front failed, causing the car to take a very unhealthy bounce off the fence to leave him 39th.

    While teammate Joey Logano had the strongest car at the end of the day to take the win, Keselowski appeared to be a contender. At least, for a while he did. Running fifth, his failed rubber introduced him to the fence to leave him 36th.

    That trio had horrid days that only a win at Charlotte or Talladega might be able to fix, unless those races bring big problems for some of their rivals. For Kasey Kahne, an earlier tire issue got him behind, causing him to try to do too much. That resulted in a little wall time, a 22nd place finish, and left him eight points in the weeds behind Jeff Gordon. Gordon stayed in the top dozen coming home 14th after some penalty time for a tire that rolled away in the pits. Still, if not for Keselowski’s misfortune, the entire Hendrick organization would be at the bottom. That was the big story at Kansas, but not quite the entire story.

    At the end, it became obvious no one was going to catch Logano. That win, his fifth of the season, means he will remain a Chase contender for the next five events. There were others who we thought had something, such as Earnhardt and Keselowski. Kevin Harvick once again was a major factor, at least until he thought he had a tire going down and came to the pits. It was not. His handling issues cost him a shot at the win, and left him sixth.

    That left Kyle Larson, who missed the Chase, but he has been one of the best since Richmond. At least he gave Logano somebody to look at in the rear view. With finishes of third, second, sixth, and now second at Kansas, the 22-year old has become part of the conversation, if only as a preview as to what we might expect in 2015.

    If someone new among the Chasers falters at Charlotte, Kahne could get back in it. As far as Keselowski, Earnhardt, and Johnson are concerned, their performances over the next couple of weeks can not be anything short of awesome. Maybe even winning awesome. That, or they must hope a few other drivers have a day in North Carolina just like the one they had out on the plains.

    Great to rate amongst the eight…

    1 – Joey Logano – 1 Win – 3048 Points
    2 – Kyle Busch – 0 – 3042
    3 – Carl Edwards – 0 – 3039
    4 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 3039
    5 – Denny Hamlin – 0 – 3037
    6 – Kevin Harvick – 0 – 3033
    7 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 3031
    8 – Jeff Gordon – 0 – 3031

    Four at the door…

    9 – Kasey Kahne – 0 Wins – 3023 Points
    10 – Brad Keselowski – 0 – 3009
    11 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 0 – 3006
    12 – Jimmie Johnson – 0 – 3004

  • The Final Word – Loudon was Full of Surprises, and Not all of Them Were Happy Ones

    The Final Word – Loudon was Full of Surprises, and Not all of Them Were Happy Ones

    New Hampshire, for about 180 laps, was a mind numbing experience. It was the Round-and-round 300, and when you add the beleaguered ESPN desk trios to the mix, it was damn near unwatchable. Then stuff started to happen.

    Early on, Kurt Busch had to come in due to a tire issue. Then Dale Earnhadt Jr.’s crew failed to secure lugnuts on a tire, and he had to make an unscheduled stop. Not long after, there was Denny Hamlin stuck on pit row with a car that would not accept fuel. It was enough to make one kick off the fast forward button to check out exactly what was going on.

    Matt Kenseth did not seem to have a lot of command over his sliding vehicle, and when he broke traction and had to whoa up he got hit from behind by Kyle Busch, who got hit from behind by Kasey Kahne, who got hit from behind by Ryan Newman. On the positive side, it at least allowed Junior to get back on the lead lap.

    Brad Keselowski got spun, but after his win at Chicago he was just driving for fun and sponsor dollars. Kurt Busch got into Jamie McMurray which caused a tire rub that caused a blow out that caused Mr. Busch to hit the wall.

    Later, Kenseth again wobbled and after contact with Paul Menard it was the Chaser doing some metal work against the wall. Jeff Gordon looked good with under ten to go, until his tire let go and he nailed the fence.

    In the end, it was almost a recasting of last week, with Kevin Harvick the dominant once again on the day, but once again it was a Penske car driving off on the re-starts. Joey Logano got the lead in this play, driving off, not to be seen again until the finish line, to punch his ticket to the next round. Harvick finished third.

    The runner-up? That would be one Kyle Larson, as the kid did it again. Not a Chaser, but no doubt the 22-year old is a racer as he claims his second straight Top Three. Top Ten days for Jimmie Johnson, Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Junior keep them high on the charts.

    Aric Almirola was dead last amongst Chasers after his disaster in Chicago. Until his engine blew, he had been doing great. Sixth at Loudon sure helps, and having a bunch of folks joining him in the deep end of the pool at least allows him a chance of standing on somebody’s shoulders to advance. He was 23 points out when they began Sunday, he is ten away going into next weekend.

    Out of 16 Chasers, half of them finished outside the Top Fifteen. Greg Biffle had a non-competitive day to finish 16th. Carl Edwards was 17th, Newman one behind him. Kenseth was 21st, Kahne 23rd, and Gordon 26th. Way back there was Kurt, at 36th, one up on Hamlin’s beast. If nothing else, it rather muddled up what had been, or so I thought, a few foregone conclusions.

    What that leaves us with is Sunday at Dover. Keselowski and Logano are safe, with a disaster of Biblical proportions needed to deny Harvick. Almirola is still dead last, but the gap between 16th and 8th is now just a dozen points. One blown tire, one blown engine, one broken part, or one miscue out on the track, and all bets are off.

    Last Sunday’s televised action would not have added a single new fan to the sport, not in the way Talladega might next month. Loudon was painful to watch and even more painful to listen to. However, for fans who know what is at stake, New Hampshire provided something huge. Unpredictability. Heading to Dover I am confident as to who three, even seven, of the drivers advancing to the next round of the Chase will be. I am not so sure about the other five. Not anymore.

    Dandy Dozen
    1 – Brad Keselowski – 1 Win – 2097 Points –  *
    2 – Joey Logano – 1 – 2096 – *
    3 – Kevin Harvick – 0 – 2090 – 41 Points in
    4 – Jimmie Johnson – 0 – 2080 – 31 Points in
    5 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 0 – 2077 – 28 Points in
    6 – Kyle Busch – 0 – 2077 – 28 Points in
    7 – Jeff Gordon – 0 – 2070 – 21 Points in
    8 – Carl Edwards – 0 – 2057 – 8 Points in
    9 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 2057 – 8 Points in
    10 – A.J. Allmendinger – 0 – 2056 – 7 Points in
    11 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 2055 – 6 Points in
    12 – Kasey Kahne – 0 – 2055 – 6 Points in

    One chance at Redemption
    13 – Denny Hamlin – 0 – 2049 – 6 Points out
    14 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 2049 – 6 Points out
    15 – Kurt Busch – 0 – 2047 – 8 Points out
    16 – Aric Almirola – 0 – 2045 – 10 Points out

  • The Final Word – Talladega, right on the corner of bitter and sweet street

    The Final Word – Talladega, right on the corner of bitter and sweet street

    There are things in life that just irritate a person. There are calls for me to worry about man-made global warming when I got snow falling outside in the month of May. There are three hours of television devoted to a two-minute horse race. There are entertaining races from Talladega, with big names leading, big names wrecking, only to have the thing won by Denny Hamlin. Then there are times when you write your column, forgot to save the stupid thing, only to dump out of the word processor to lose it all. Yes, I am an irritated man.

    I am probably less irritated than, say, Tony Stewart. The only time we really saw his useless beast on Sunday was when it was on the hook being towed off the track after being mercifully taken out of action in 43rd place. Things are going better for me than they did for Brad Keselowski, who decided to squeeze into a place in front of Danica Patrick where there was no squeezing to be done to have his day ruined just 15 laps in. I wonder if Kurt Busch is happy, even though he had another less than stellar outing that ended like that of his boss. Finishing outside the Top 30 probably did not tickle the likes of Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth, or Jeff Gordon, all of whom did make some noise before the sound of mashing metal entered their ears.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr is probably a touch peeved at being called in from the front to pit for fuel he did not need to wind up in the back in a position he could not return from. 26th was not what the script was supposed to read. Jimmie Johnson snapped loose early, and though he finished 23rd on the lead lap he was never a factor. He was one place behind Danica, who set a new gender standard at Talladega for her 22nd place result.

    Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer had to have been disappointed. The pair were set for a big run on the final lap to try and catch Hamlin, who was running on fumes, when Justin Allgaier got messed up just as the white flag came out. With a chunk of his bumper left on the track, the caution had to come out before the lads could attempt to make their run for glory.

    Yes, I am saving this version of my column as I go along. Why do you ask?

    So, I am happy, at least happier than I was before the words on my screen disappeared and the bad words came flying out of my mouth. Maybe not as happy as Landon Cassill, as his unsponsored white Hillman Racing Chevy finished the day in 11th. Kyle Larson probably sports a sweeter disposition after the 21 year old was ninth to make it five Top-Tens in 10 starts. Definitely not as happy as the fans at Talladega were when Danica led early, briefly, or when Junior did the same later, and longer. I am guessing that Denny Hamlin is probably happier than me, not that this does anything to perk up my own mood. With his 24th win in his 300th start, and a place in the Chase all but reserved despite missing a race earlier this season, I doubt Denny really gives a damn as to my current state of happiness.

    Kansas comes up this Saturday night, where Hamlin set the track record two years ago by wrapping up the day in just under three hours. Kenseth is happy there, having won two of the past three, while happy is something Harvick was after claiming the prize in the fall. Keselowski and Johnson split in 2011, and that should be cause for joy and even some hope. Meanwhile, this column is saved, and sent. Look at the big ole smile on this face.

    1   (1) Joey Logano 2 wins, 305 points
    2   (2) Kevin Harvick 2 wins, 258 points
    3   (4) Kyle Busch 1 win, 343 points
    4   (5) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 1 win, 328 points
    5   (3) Carl Edwards 1 win, 328 points
    6   (6) Brad Keselowski 1 win, 294 points
    7   (16) Denny Hamlin 1 win, 292 points
    8   (7) Kurt Busch 1 win, 196 points

    9   (8) Jeff Gordon 347 points
    10 (9) Matt Kenseth 344 points
    11 (10) Jimmie Johnson 304 points
    12 (13) Greg Biffle  300 points
    13 (11) Ryan Newman  299 points
    14 (12) Brian Vickers  297 points
    15 (15) Kyle Larson  286 points
    16 (14) Austin Dillon  281 points

    17 (19) A.J. Allmendinger  279
    18 (18) Marcos Ambrose  268
    19 (21) Paul Menard  265
    20 (22) Clint Bowyer  261
    21 (23) Kasey Kahne  252
    22 (17) Tony Stewart  244
    23 (24) Casey Mears  244
    24 (25) Aric Almirola  242
    25 (20) Jamie McMurray  241
    26 (26) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.  218
    27 (27) Martin Truex, Jr.  209 27
    28 (28) Justin Allgaier  190
    29 (29) Danica Patrick  176
    30 (30) David Gilliland  152

     

     

  • Tom Hessert wins International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 at Talladega Superspeedway

    Tom Hessert wins International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 at Talladega Superspeedway

    For the fourth time in his career, Tom Hessert was able to get to ARCA victory lane after making a pass late in the race for the win.

    Grant Enfinger, driver of the Casite-Motor Honey-Advanced Auto Parts #90 Ford, and winner of the first 3 races of the season in the ARCA racing series started from the pole at Talladega Superspeedway in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 and was looking for win number 4 of the 2014 season. Once the green flag flew, the front of the field ran single file up front for the first half of the race with Mason Mitchell, Justin Boston, Mark Thompson, and John Wes Townley rounding out the top 5 behind Enfinger.

    Green flag pit stops began on lap 36 of the 76 lap event. Multiple drivers were penalized for speeding on pit road including leader Enfinger who had dominated the first half of the race. Clay Campbell, Mark Thompson, and Frank Kimmel were among the 16 pit road speeding violations. Justin Boston in the #25 Zloop Chevrolet took over the lead after pit stops until lap 54 when he was passed on the track by the Zaxby’s #15 of John Wes Townley.

    The first and only caution of the race came out on lap 56 when Justin Allison, grandson of Donnie Allison, in the #88 HAVACOSales.com Ford, blew a right front tire and slammed into the side of Clay Campbell driving the #52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet for Ken Schrader Racing, causing Clay to spin out. The caution put many of the the penalized race cars back into contention for the win.

    The race went back to green at lap 64 with John Wes Townley in first followed by Boston, Mitchell, and Tom Hessert. Bobby Gerhart, making his 300th start in the series took the lead with 4 laps to go and was quickly over taken by John Wes Townley.

    With only two laps to go Tom Hessert, driving the #77 Cunningham Motorsports Caregard-AxiomWarranty.com Dodge took the lead for the first time of the day after passing Townley on the high side and lead the final two laps to win his first ever super speedway race and the 4th win of his career. Hessert was followed by John Wes Townley in 2nd, teammate Austin Wayne Self, driving the #22, in 3rd, Mason Mitchell in 4th and Spencer Gallagher in the #23 rounding out the top 5. The rest of the top 10 were Derrick Lancaster in 6th, Bobby Gerhart 7th, Frank Kimmel 8th, Grant Enfinger 9th, and Buster Graham in 10th.

    The ARCA Racing Series next race is at Toledo Speedway on May 18th.

  • The Hot 20 – Get hot in NASCAR and it costs you $25,000, in the NHL it is 2 minutes

    The Hot 20 – Get hot in NASCAR and it costs you $25,000, in the NHL it is 2 minutes

    A guy grabs you and pushes you around. The universally accepted response is a punch to the other guy’s head. My dad taught me that, and so I taught my sons. It is a simple case of cause and effect, you push to start a confrontation and a punch usually will end it. Personally, I might remember once where I was so involved.

    Casey Mears and Marcos Ambrose are not known for it. Neither are Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton, but it happens. Mears got $15,000 for shoving, Ambrose $25,000 for punching, and both got a month’s probation. In hockey, what they did was worthy of a two minute roughing penalty, but “have at it boys” seems to be much more genteel than we once thought. Genteel, as in free from rudeness or vulgarity. My favorite definition, though, is “marked by false delicacy, prudery, or affectation.” This is NASCAR. If what took place after the Richmond race is worthy of $40,000 in fines, Lord knows what a real donnybrook might be worth.

    Genteel is something no one has ever accused Juan Pablo Montoya as being. I remember his on-track discussion with Kevin Harvick at Watkins Glen back in 2007. Montoya has a Top Five to show for his first three starts back in IndyCar this season, and NASCAR fans get to see him back in a stock car soon enough. In June, he will drive for Penske at Michigan, and again in July in the Brickyard 400. I sure hope he acts like a gentleman. We would not want any of our sensitivities upset by any form of rudeness.

    Do you remember Dale Earnhardt’s last race and his one finger salute to rookie Kurt Busch? I guess the Intimidator was just being welcoming and couldn’t get those other four fingers through the window net.

    This is the year where wins mean damn near everything. It seems no one told Jeff Gordon, who remains the steadiest driver thus far in 2014 and he was not picked up a single victory as of yet. Heck, Matt Kenseth does not seem to be hurting as we head to Talladega, even though he also has not shaken the bubbly post-race. Even taking into account our extra 22 point bonus for winning (up to a max of 70 points for a win) both Gordon and Kenseth are doing just fine to remain among our top drivers of the season.

    Position – Points -Driver

    1. 341 Jeff Gordon
    2. 336 Joey Logano – 2 WINS
    3. 336 Matt Kenseth
    4. 335 Carl Edwards – 1 WIN
    5. 332 Kyle Busch – 1 WIN
    6. 331 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 1 WIN
    7. 309 Brad Keselowski – 1 WIN
    8. 282 Jimmie Johnson
    9. 272 Ryan Newman
    10. 264 Kevin Harvick – 2 WINS
    11. 256 Greg Biffle
    12. 256 Brian Vickers
    13. 252 Austin Dillon
    14. 251 Kyle Larson
    15. 245 Denny Hamlin
    16. 243 Tony Stewart
    17. 242 Marcos Ambrose
    18. 240 A.J. Allmendinger
    19. 226 Jamie McMurray
    20. 226 Paul Menard
  • Expect Trend of Nail-biting Finishes to Continue at ‘Dega

    Expect Trend of Nail-biting Finishes to Continue at ‘Dega

    We are only a quarter of the way through the 2014 season and there have already been more memorable finishes than all of last year.

    At Daytona, Dale Earnhardt Jr. held off a hard charging Denny Hamlin to win his second Daytona 500. Two weeks later at Las Vegas, Brad Keselowski passed Earnhardt Jr. on the last lap to score the victory. At Auto Club, a green-white-checkered finish allowed Kyle Busch to go from third to first on the last lap and beat rookie Kyle Larson by just 0.214 seconds.

    The trend continued at tracks such at Martinsville, Texas, and Darlington. Last week at Richmond may have been the most edge-of-your-seat finish in 2014. In the closing laps, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Brad Keselowski battled hard while Joey Logano inconspicuously snuck past them all with only a few laps to go.

    The reason for all of these nail-biting finishes is due to two factors, late cautions and the new points system. Four of the nine races so far have been decided by a green-white-checkered finish and the longest final green flag run was still only 42 laps at Las Vegas. These late cautions set up shoot-out style finishes that create the fantastic finishes you see week after week.

    And since the new points system makes winning extremely important, drivers can be a lot more aggressive. Who cares if you crash? You can just try to win next week. That attitude will be turned up to 11 this week at Talladega, a track already known for its chaotic finishes. If this year’s Daytona 500 is any indication, pack racing is back.

    Allow me to paint the picture in your mind for you. It’s a green-white-checkered scenario at the biggest and baddest track NASCAR has to offer. The big names, Kenseth, Gordon, Junior and Keselowski are all up front, behind them are restrictor plate aces such as McMurray and dark horse David Ragan. The green flag waves and all bets are off. The first lap is somewhat orderly, yet it’s still three by three all the way through the lead pack.

    The white flag waves and the chaos begins. Drivers become more aggressive and bounce off each other. Restrictor plate experts Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon battle for the race lead and coming off turn four, a large wreck takes out multiple drivers. It’s the big one.

    Who wins? Probably whoever survives. That’s the kind of finish I expect to see at Talladega this Sunday. The ingredients are already there for an amazing finish and when you add the fact that winning means more than ever, you have the perfect recipe for the greatest finish of 2014. If you listen closely, you can hear a faint rumble in the background. That’s the calm before the impending storm.

  • A Question For NASCAR Nation – Why Do You Watch?

    A Question For NASCAR Nation – Why Do You Watch?

    At the conclusion of the Bank of America 500, fans were raving about the finish and seemed generally satisfied. The first 300 laps though featured very little passing with rare, evanescent battles but the enthralling fight for the win still made it a good race in the eyes of many. Talladega on the other hand was a non-stop thrill ride and had everyone on the edge of their seat until the anti-climatic finish that left fans with a bitter taste in their mouths. That begs the question; does the finish make or break a race? Should we be basing the quality of a four hour event simply on how it ends? What makes a NASCAR race a good race and what do fans really want to see?

    I judge a NASCAR race based on four factors. Said factors are the racing, the finish, the wrecks and the unexpected variables that are sometimes described as the “wow” moments. A perfect NASCAR race in my mind has incredible racing from green flag to checkered flag, a photo finish with a winner being someone we don’t get to see much. I don’t want to see any track clearing pile ups but a good dose of spins and small crashes to keep the race from getting dull and strung out. A fantastic race with a disappointing finish like Talladega’s is better than an awful race with a good finish like Charlotte’s in my book although some will argue otherwise.

    I see a contingent of fans out there that only care about the finish and the three hours of racing prior to the white flag means very little in their minds which is very shortsighted and not fair to the race. We live in a society full of people with short attention spans who need constant stimulation of their senses to keep them engrossed in an event and NASCAR is not the kind of event to satisfy those needs. The NFL has a stop-and-go feel to it with an intense few seconds of action followed by a pause and then they do it again…perfect for the people that I just described. Baseball has suffered a decline in ratings just as NASCAR has due to the fact that they aren’t able to hold the attention of these people.

    An idea to keep less people from tuning out would be to shorten the races or do what the V8 Supercar series does for many of its events…they have two or three sprint races over the course of one weekend and the races are always wild. Their popularity has exploded over the last few years because of all the action. Many now call it the 3rd most popular motorsport on the planet next to NASCAR and Formula 1. I would love to see a few (not all) races on the calendar cut down into short, sprint races to add excitement to them and draw in a bigger audience. It works for V8 Supercars and it works for local short tracks so why wouldn’t it work for NASCAR? The sense of urgency would raise the level of intensity and aggression to riveting levels that would entertain both the die-hards and the new age fans.

    There is another contingent of fans out there that I’d like to address for a moment and they kind of tick me off. I’m talking about the ones that love to see large, vicious crashes and watch for that specific reason. When you tell these pervasive people off, they will say you’re a liar and you love to watch wrecks too. My answer to that…there is a big difference between being captivated by a terrifying accident and wishing or cheering for it. It’s no secret that we have a primal instinct that craves violence and brutality; that is why so many people enjoy horror movies, gory video games and also why some of our ancestors went to the Colosseum to watch gladiators fight to the death. When some of us went to YouTube after the Cup race, it was most likely to see Austin Dillon’s airborne crash out of awe, amazement and curiosity; nothing wrong with that but if you only watch racing because you enjoy seeing drivers brush shoulders with death in horrifying accidents, then I say good riddance when you walk away.

    There is so much emphasis put on violence in our culture today and people are becoming numb or desensitized to the reality of it. I don’t think these people that wish for wrecks want drivers to get hurt but they seem ignorant and blind to the fact that it can and will happen. I see a handful of tweets from people every time there is a big crash stating how awesome that wreck was before they even think about the welfare of the driver(s) involved. Then they are disappointed when we go to Talladega and don’t wad up at least half the field.

    With the fast-paced tempo of the world today, the attention span of the average human has gotten shorter and shorter which hinders the growth of sports such as baseball and NASCAR. Like I stated before, a way NASCAR can counter this is by replacing some of the 500 mile marathons throughout the season with short, intense sprint races that last no more than an hour or so. We can either adapt and capitalize on the ever-changing needs of today’s society or be doomed by it…our choice.

    Lastly, next time you tune into a race, I’d like you to ask yourself this question…

    Why do you watch?

    I watch for good, hard racing with hopes of a thrilling finish to cap it off but a monotonous ending doesn’t undermine the greatness of the race itself for me.

    I hope that’s how you feel too.

     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Johnson regains points lead at Talladega

    Johnson regains points lead at Talladega

    Jimmie Johnson leads the most laps and finishes 13th, but that was good enough to regain the points lead from Matt Kenseth. While others tried fading to the back, Johnson tried to stay as close to the front as possible.

    Though, Johnson’s stats at Talladega are great compared to many drivers, they are mediocre compared to most other tracks for Johnson. He has two wins, six top-5’s, and ten top-10’s. For this weekend, however, mediocre was good enough.

    Kenseth ran strong all day, but a severely loose race car just past the halfway point put him into a situation where he could not battle for position. The car was fast, but he had trouble when getting around other cars. He did manage to lead 32 laps, but only managed a 20th place finish.

    Other Chase notables:

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. led 38 laps en route to a second place finish, the fourth of the year and 22nd of his career. The strong run permitted him to gain three spots in the standings to sixth, 52 points out of the lead. Earnhardt commented about his run, “We had such a good car, since I been working with Steve, we just haven’t really had a good combination here and maybe I’ve torn up some really good cars and never got to see how good they were in races in the past, but I knew in practice car was strong, just wondered of everybody was showing everything they had.”

    Kyle Busch, who has been trying to work his way back toward the front after a disastrous Kansas race, overcame an early pit road penalty to score another top-5 finish, his 16th of the season. Kyle gained two spots in the points and now sits in third, 26 back from the leader.

    Kevin Harvick slipped from third to fourth in the standings. He was never really a factor in today’s race, but managed a respectable 12th place finish. He now sits 26 points back behind Johnson.

    Jeff Gordon has been very strong since the start of the Chase. At Talladega, however, Gordon left a little on the table. Gordon led three laps and finished 14th, falling from fourth to fifth in the standings, 34 out of the lead.

    Greg Biffle led five laps and looked strong early, but the No. 16 Scotch Blue Ford faded and finished 11th. Biffle lost one spot on the standings and now sits seventh, 53 points out of the lead.

    All-in-all, Talladega was pretty kind to the Chase contenders. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the biggest gain, with Johnson regaining the lead. The race was pretty calm, with only three yellows. One yellow for fluid on the track, a second on lap 80 for a tow car incident on the frontstretch that ended the day for Juan Pablo-Montoya. The final caution flew on the last lap, when Austin Dillon, driving the No. 14 Stewart-Hass Racing Chevrolet for Tony Stewart, got upside down on the backstretch. Since the white flag had been thrown, the race ended with the yellow, freezing the field, and sending Jamie McMurray to victory lane.

    The series now heads to Martinsville Speedway for the Goody’s 500 on Sunday Oct 27th.