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  • The Final Word – It was just another whiny ass Saturday night at Bristol

    The Final Word – It was just another whiny ass Saturday night at Bristol

    We learned a lot at Bristol on Saturday night. We learned that there might be some bashed fenders. Okay, we already knew that. Kyle Busch learned it as well as anyone else.

    We learned that Kyle can be a bit of a whiny ass at Bristol. Well, I guess we knew that, too, but that did not stop his crew chief, Dave Rogers, from reminding Rowdy of that fact. When the driver went off on a rant about needing new suspension and was going to head behind the wall, Rogers told him to “Park it behind the truck and take your whiny little ass to the bus.” All of a sudden, I like Dave Rogers. A lot.

    I learned I am not much of a Joey Logano fan. Okay, you got me. I have always known that. Logano wins and I fail to realize a big ole smile on my face. On a day when Jamie McMurray led the most, and the likes of Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, and Brad Keselowski had their turns up front, it was the 24 year old kid taking his third of the season. That puts him in the same conversation as Keselowski, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    I learned that some wrecks you do not mind, some you do. At least, when Denny Hamlin got taken from first to 41st, thanks to Harvick, I was not all that torn up. Then Earnhardt caught the rear end of the sliding beast, and I got almost as torn up about it as Junior’s car did. As for Hamlin, you might have thought he would have been upset, yet that did not stop him from trying to lend Harvick his HANS device. Too bad it just bounced off his passing car.

    We learned that Kurt Busch is a Little League World Series fan. When the team from Las Vegas was taking on Chicago in the U.S. final, a tweet came in from the driver saying that he would be there to watch them in the championship game. What I do not know is if he bothered to come out to Williamsport to see them play Japan in the consolation final.

    We learned that at least two pilots and as many as four will make the Chase through points. With a 58 point bulge over the cut off, all Kenseth needs to do is finish with a Top 30 at Atlanta and he will be locked in.

    We learned that the sights and sounds from Bristol were just as amazing as ever. Then the ABC announcers would speak and ruin everything. We were expecting as much.

    Atlanta is the place to be this Sunday. Only two drivers not already locked into the Chase have a win there. One is Kasey Kahne. The other is Tony Stewart.

    SWEET SIXTEEN
    1 – Jeff Gordon – 3 Wins – 815 Points
    2 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 – 813
    3 – Brad Keselowski – 3 – 733
    4 – Joey Logano – 3 – 714
    5 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 686
    6 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 687
    7 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 679
    8 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 620
    9 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 589
    10 – Aric Almirola – 1 – 556
    11 – A.J. Allmendinger – 1 – 556
    12 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 553
    13 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 709
    14 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 679
    15 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 672
    16 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 660

    CONTENDERS & PRETENDERS
    17 – Kasey Kahne – 0 – 651 Points
    18 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 638
    19 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 636
    20 – Marcos Ambrose – 0 – 616
    21 – Paul Menard – 0 – 614
    22 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 598
    23 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 596
    24 – Casey Mears – 0 – 543
    25 – Tony Stewart – 0 – 537
    26 – Martin Truex, Jr. – 0 – 516
    27 – Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. – 0 – 476
    28 – Danica Patrick – 0 – 445
    29 – Justin Allgaier – 0 – 400
    30 – Michael Annett – 0 – 364
    31 – David Gilliland – 0 – 357
    32 – David Ragan – 0 – 332

     

  • The Final Word – All the World’s a Stage, as we Close the Curtain on Michigan

    The Final Word – All the World’s a Stage, as we Close the Curtain on Michigan

    A curmudgeon. An old fart who sits in the wings like a Muppet and mocks those upon the stage. In this case, for me that includes the three in the booth and the three on the desk offered up by ESPN. I am sure even a certain green talking frog would not have been safe from my sarcasm. My use of the mute button had nothing to do with escaping the droning that passes for professional race description and analysis. No, I am merely previewing what the future might be should NASCAR turn to electric cars.

    Jeff Gordon was electric at Michigan on Sunday. Only one driver led more laps, and on that final restart Gordon managed to do what he often fails to do. Four Time came out strong, took the lead from Joey Logano, then stretched it out in the end to claim his 91st career victory. The win even moved him ahead by three points over Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the standings, as the pair are joined by Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski with three wins apiece.

    That latter pair had their adventures, yet finished well enough. Keselowski lost a right front and put the wall grinder to the fender, but managed to finish eighth. Six Time did not text while driving, but trying to apply a set of vice grips to replace his shifter lever as he left the pits probably was not the best idea either. It also proved unsuccessful, but his boys eventually provided a better fix, and an eventual ninth place result.

    Even Danica Patrick had a Top Twenty, though her spin early ensured that the collected Martin Truex Jr. and Matt Kenseth did not. Kyle Busch lost a tire five laps in, pounded the wall, and he was all but done for the day. Kyle Larson thought he found trouble when he and Junior locked fenders on pit road. That was nothing compared to when he hit the wall and went up in flames to finish dead last. Oh, and after the race 11th place finisher Ryan Newman was seen jawing with Johnson over some on-track bone of contention. Maybe Ryan is becoming an old curmudgeon, too.

    If he was upset at Michigan, the odds are good he will not be happy Saturday night at Bristol. Everybody but the winner seems to get a bit torqued after spending time on the half-mile and change oval in Tennessee. With just three to go before the Chase cutoff, just about every full-timer who has ever won there already has a win this year. Matt Kenseth has not, but he remains nearly sixty points to the good. Kasey Kahne has not, and sits nine points behind Greg Biffle for the final berth. The only other former Bristol winner still seeking a win for 2014 is locked in the Top 30, but would need a victory in one of the three upcoming events to make the Chase.

    We await word if, when the curtain rises at Bristol, Tony Stewart is yet ready to take to the stage.
    SWEET SIXTEEN
    1 – Jeff Gordon – 3 Wins – 815 Points
    2 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 – 813
    3 – Brad Keselowski – 3 – 733
    4 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 686
    5 – Joey Logano – 2 – 714
    6 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 679
    7 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – -128
    8 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 620
    9 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 589
    10 – Aric Almirola – 1 – 556
    11 – A.J. Allmendinger – 1 – 556
    12 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 553
    13 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 709
    14 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 679
    15 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 672
    16 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 660

    CONTENDERS & PRETENDERS
    17 – Kasey Kahne – 0 Wins – 651 Points
    18 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 638
    19 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 636
    20 – Marcos Ambrose – 0 – 616
    21 – Paul Menard – 0 – 614
    22 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 598
    23 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 596
    24 – Casey Mears – 0 – 543
    25 – Tony Stewart – 0 – 537
    26 – Martin Truex, Jr. – 0 – 516
    27 – Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. – 0 – 476
    28 – Danica Patrick – 0 – 445
    29 – Justin Allgaier – 0 – 400
    30 – Michael Annett – 0 – 364
    31 – David Gilliland – 0 – 357
    32 – David Ragan – 0 – 332
    33 – Cole Whitt – 0 – 325

     

  • Stewart to Sit Out Michigan; Jeff Burton to Serve as Interim Driver for No. 14 Team

    Stewart to Sit Out Michigan; Jeff Burton to Serve as Interim Driver for No. 14 Team

    KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Aug. 14, 2014) – Tony Stewart has decided not to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event this weekend at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

    Veteran driver Jeff Burton, a winner of 21 Sprint Cup races, will pilot the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in place of Stewart.

    This driver change pertains only to Michigan. Stewart’s plans for upcoming Sprint Cup races have yet to be determined.

    At 10 a.m. EDT on Friday in the deadline room of the infield media center at Michigan, Burton will be part of a press briefing featuring SHR executive vice president Brett Frood and SHR vice president of competition Greg Zipadelli.

  • Hot 20 – After the Week We’ve Had, We Could Use a Little Good News From Michigan

    Hot 20 – After the Week We’ve Had, We Could Use a Little Good News From Michigan

    The news of late has been enough to make a clown cry. In fact, we just lost one of our most treasured entertainers, by his own hand. We have the tragedy involving Kevin Ward Jr. and Tony Stewart still on our minds. We have Martin Truex Jr.’s girlfriend facing health challenges.

    This has not been the best of weeks. You turn on your televison or check out Youtube and it does not get much better. Police lobbing tear gas at news crews in Missouri. One nation protecting its people with missiles while the other side protects its missiles with people. A tyrant threatening a neighboring country because he can. People streaming into another like it is “no pay and stay day” at Disneyland because some think that allowing them to do so is the right thing to do.

    I even sought escape in reality shows, with no luck. “America” just tossed out the best dancer on “So You Think You Can Dance” and I cannot begin to describe the talent tossed aside for crap on “America’s Got Talent.” It is enough to make Lewis Black go nuclear. Good Lord, we sure could use some positive diversions from all this damn reality.

    Just maybe Michigan will provide it for us. Might four time winner Greg Biffle lay claim to another and a Chase berth? Jack Roush’s organization could use a little good news today, an organization that will see a major sponsor and its best driver both fly away next season. Maybe Matt Kenseth could lock his way in with a third Michigan victory, even though a berth by points alone seems likely. Then again, one of those Hendrick boys might claim this thing again. Even Kasey Kahne has won there before. At least it would make some folks happier.

    Good news is that there will not be a single Cup driver in the Nationwide race. The bad news is that only 37 cars are entered to compete in the Ohio event. Only 28 trucks will run in the Camping World race at Michigan on Saturday. Kyle Busch will be competing, for you can never have enough races involving Kyle Busch.

    Maybe he just loves to race. Like Tony. Tony has won at Michigan before, but he will not be racing there on Sunday. With that, we’ve come full circle.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. has returned to where he was, a decade ago. In these standings, where we bump up the victor’s bonus from 3 to 25 points, he leads. In the official standings, he leads. Twice before at Michigan, at the end, he has led. Maybe a win by Junior, or Jeff, or Brad, or Jimmie, Joey, Matt, Carl or Kevin might help put a big ole smile back on this face. I sure hope so. It has been one hell of a week.

    1 –   Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 839 Points – 3 Wins
    2 –   Jeff Gordon – 812 – 2
    3 –   Brad Keselowski – 762 – 3
    4 –   Jimmie Johnson – 716 – 3
    5 –   Joey Logano – 715 – 2
    6 –   Matt Kenseth – 703 – 0
    7 –   Carl Edwards – 702 – 2
    8 –   Kevin Harvick – 689 – 2
    9 –   Ryan Newman – 645 – 0
    10 –   Kyle Busch – 637 – 1
    11 –   Kyle Larson – 635 – 0
    12 –   Clint Bowyer – 634 – 0
    13 –   Greg Biffle – 626 – 0
    14 –   Kasey Kahne – 622 – 0
    15 –   Austin Dillon – 616 – 0
    16 –   Marcos Ambrose – 584 – 0
    17 –   Denny Hamlin – 574 – 1
    18 –   Paul Menard – 574 – 0
    19 –   Brian Vickers – 573 – 0
    20 –   Jamie McMurray – 566 – 0

     

  • The Lynching of Tony Stewart

    The Lynching of Tony Stewart

    When I was 19, I worked for a small newspaper and briefly hosted a half-hour cable television program while in college, before taking a job at a radio station in a small Saskatchewan town. I loved the profession of being a journalist, of reporting the news in what I hoped was an unbiased fashion. Those days are nearly 40 years in the past, and I have long sensed my ideals were not necessarily shared by my compatriots.

    Some are fiction writers, propagandists or just plain bullshit artists. Take the recent events surrounding Tony Stewart. The references to the “hot head” Tony Stewart really burn me, as though his past demonstrations of temperament have any more to do with the events of last weekend than whether or not he takes a morning tinkle upon awakening or if his facial stubble is the result of a poor razor. What reason did Stewart have to be angry that night? If anything, you would think that rattling the cage of a young man would have put a smile on his face.

    Some speculate that Stewart was sending a message to the lad, gunning his engine to spray mud over him as he passsed by. Even worse, some claim this was a deliberate act. All this ignores the fact that there is no movement in the car, no revving of an engine (from him or anyone else) until the moment of impact. Not before the accident, but instantaneous. The much seen video plainly shows this, but that would not do for the narrative some wish to paint, facts be damned.

    Unless there is proof showing otherwise, we must accept that Kevin Ward Jr., in his anger and bravado, simply forgot himself and stepped too close to Stewart’s passing car and got caught by the rear wheel. His family and friends might see it differently, and to be honest I firmly believe I would not react any differently than they have. They have earned the right to feel as they do in order to deal with this loss.

    There are those no more connected to the events at Canandaigua Motorsports Park than myself who have viewed the same video, yet come to a completely opposite opinion to the one I hold. That also is their right, though I firmly believe they are wrong. I would like to think that if we viewed it together in the same room we might reach a consensus, but I doubt it. You get the feeling that if some had been characters in the Henry Fonda classic “12 Angry Men” it would have been a very short movie.

    No, my problem is with the supposed unbiased members of the Fourth Estate who forget, or just ignore, that their job is to concentrate on the facts, of what we know, and not to embellish their reports with unrelated labeling, speculation or distortion. In doing so, they cheapen their profession and come across as no better, if not worse, than any untrained, unseasoned amateur blogger.

    If Tony Stewart is to be hanged by public opinion, we should at least expect it to be done based on facts and available evidence, not misleading, contrived and irresponsible misinformation. That former 19 year old journalist still holds on to his ideals, but has long realized to not expect everyone to share them. Maybe it is time that he, and you, start demanding that those expectations be met. That is, unless lynching is something you can embrace.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Watkins Glen

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Watkins Glen

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt finished 11th at Watkins Glen after an untimely late caution cost him any chance of winning. He passed Jeff Gordon to take over the lead in the Sprint Cup points standings, and now leads Gordon by four.

    “Let me point out,” Earnhardt said, “that at this point, points don’t mean much. Have I made my point?

    “It was a crazy day at Watkins Glen. A.J. Allmendinger proved that a one-car team can compete with the multi-car teams. Chances are that the ‘Dinger’ will be with a big-time team in the future. Instead of losing a ride, he’ll be pimping one.”

    2. Jeff Gordon: Gordon won the pole at Watkins Glen but faltered late after electrical issues sabotaged his chances. He eventually finished 34th and now trails Dale Earnhardt, Jr. by four in the Sprint Cup points standings.

    “There’s only one word to describe how you feel sitting in a car suffering from electrical issues,” Gordon said. “Powerless.

    “The weekend started on a high note. I won the pole on my son Leo’s birthday, and he couldn’t be happier. And can you blame him? What other adolecent has a Coors Lite Pole Award in his bedroom? Besides Kurt Busch?”

    3. Brad Keselowski: A promising start at Watkins Glen soured for Keselowski after brake issues relegated him to a 23rd-place finish, five laps down.

    “I’d rather have trouble stopping,” Keselowski said, “than trouble ‘going,’ which is a problem 72-year-old Morgan Shepherd deals with on a daily basis. At least that’s what Joey Logano tells me.”

    4. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson had a solid finish in sight before a spin on a lap 80 restart sent him hurtling back in the field. He finished a disappointing 28th.

    “Sunday’s race was stopped twice so repairs could be made after accidents,” Johnson said. “Chad Knaus radioed me during the delays and asked, ‘How’s the track look?’ I replied, ‘It’s fixed.’ And I fully expect that statement to be taken out of context.”

    5. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished ninth in the Cheez-It 355 At The Glen and remains winless on the year. He is third in the points standings, 70 behind Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    “Unless I can find a win in the next four races,” Kenseth said, “I’ll be starting at the bottom when the Chase For The Cup starts. Where my wins total is concerned, ‘V’ is for ‘void.’

    6. Joey Logano: Logano finished sixth at Watkins Glen, recording his 12th top 10 of the year.

    “Allmendinger ran a heck of a race,” Logano said. “I guess the competition was a lot like drug problems—he put it behind him.”

    7. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished fifth at Watkins Glen, posting his fifth top-five result of the year. He is sixth in the points standings, 115 out of first.

    “I had a good view of the A.J. Allmendinger-Marcos Ambrose battle,” Edwards said. “Allmendinger obviously knew the track well. He’s certainly done his homework. There’s probably only one circuit he knows better than Watkins Glen, and that’s the road to recovery.

    “It was a great day for the Cheez-It brand. They sponsored the race, as well as my No. 99 car. If the race in Sonoma is attended by the ‘wine and cheese’ crowd, then fans at the Glen should be called the ‘wino and Cheez-It’ crowd.”

    8. Ryan Newman: Newman crashed heavily with 34 laps to go at Watkins Glen, smashing a fence and causing the race to be stopped for over an hour while repairs were made. Newman finished 41st, 35 laps off the pace.

    “Race officials raised more red flags than the Mayfield family,” Newman said. “And I’m not happy with safety at the Watkins Glen track. It seems track officials need a crash course in safety.”

    “My former teammate Rusty Wallace was recently inducted into the Motorsports Hall Of Fame. I don’t know who told Rusty to ‘Go to Hall,’ but it sure as Hell wasn’t me.”

    9. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished seventh at Watkins Glen, posting his 11th top-10 result of the year.

    “Was God on AJ Allmendinger’s side at Watkins Glen?” Harvick said. “It certainly looked that way. If He was, AJ should change his name to ‘Amendinger.’”

    10. AJ Allmendinger: Allmendinger repelled the challenges of Marcos Ambrose on two late restarts to win the Cheez-It 355 At The Glen. The win guaranteed Allmendinger a spot in the Chase For The Cup.

    “Kimberly-Clarke Corporation renewed their sponsorship of my car,” Allmendinger said, “making the weekend even more satisfying for car owner Brad Daugherty and myself. Kimberly-Clarke produces the Kleenex, Scott, Viva, and Cottonelle brands, and that means Sunday was a great day for white paper and black hillbillies.

    “Of course, this doesn’t mean I’m a ‘paper’ champion. It does mean I’m well equipped to wipe up the competition.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Cheez-It 355 at the Glen

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Cheez-It 355 at the Glen

    As the NASCAR community mourned the death of sprint car driver Kevin Ward Jr., which led to Tony Stewart’s decision not to participate at Watkins Glen, the racing did go on at one of the sport’s more challenging road courses.

    And with that overlay of respect for all involved in the tragedy, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 29th annual Cheez-It 355 at the Glen.

    Surprising: For at least two drivers, one with a powerhouse team and the other from a small operation, the race was all about power, from the four-time champion driver who lost it to the first-time winning driver who dug down deep to find the sheer willpower to get to Victory Lane.

    Jeff Gordon, whose sponsor Drive to End Hunger just announced their renewal for 2015, looked like the man to beat, scoring the pole position and leading laps early in the race. Then, inexplicably, Gordon’s No. 24 machine slowed on the track and he lost power, finishing a disappointing 34th and losing the points lead to teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    “I’ve got to get with the team and find out what caused it,” Gordon said. “It looks like we had a battery go dead, two batteries go dead. I didn’t see anything on the volts meter that stood out or anything really going on there that was alarming.”

    The other driver, AJ Allmendinger, drove the race of his life against Watkins Glen expert Marcos Ambrose, running on sheer willpower, as he was bound and determined to get his first ever win in the Sprint Cup Series.

    “I wasn’t going to let Marcos take that from me,” AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 47 Scott Products Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing, said simply. “I’ve dreamed about this moment, and I’m not going to forget it.”

    Not Surprising: It is not often that the race winner pays homage to the track workers, but AJ Allmendinger did just that, recognizing those that had to make extensive repairs, not only to the Armco barriers but also to the pit road barrels, after two horrific crashes.

    The first crash involved Ryan Newman and Michael McDowell, resulting in almost a rebuild of fencing, and the second involved Denny Hamlin hitting the pit barriers hard. Track workers labored furiously making repairs for almost two hours after the serious damage from the two crashes.

    “For me to be able to have that race be so memorable about how it ended, for the fans, they were so great for staying around through all the red flags, the track workers did such a great job to fix the fence and everything,” the Dinger said. “It’s just a memorable day to go out there and remember everything that just happened.”

    Surprising: Just when you thought that Kyle Larson’s rookie mistake of missing the inner loop would lead to a surprisingly bad finish, the Rookie of the Year contender pulled it off once again, scoring a surprising top-five finish.

    “It was a really good day for us,” The driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet said. “We were terrible all weekend long. I was down on myself. It’s probably the most frustrated I’ve ever been with myself, aside from racing sprint cars in Pennsylvania.”

    “I can’t believe we finished top five,” Larson continued. “It feels like a win. I was hoping for a top 15 or top 20 going into today. I’m totally shocked and super excited.”

    Not Surprising: While it was not at all surprising that the No. 9 Ford of Marcos Ambrose was strong, taking the checkered flag in the runner up position, the Australian also had some Ford comrades with whom to celebrate. In fact, there were four Fords that finished in the top-ten at the Glen.

    “I left nothing on the table,” runner up Ambrose said. “We just came up a little short. I am just really proud of my Stanley team. We put a lot of effort into this race and really tried to win it. We won yesterday and came up one short today.”

    “I am glad Jimmy Fennig put us in a position to be up there for the win,” Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Kellogg’s/Cheez-It Ford and fifth place finisher, said. “I am sure like everyone up there that you want the last few laps to do over again. It was a blast and a lot of fun.”

    “That was crazy to say the least,” Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, said after finishing sixth. “We had about a fifth place car and had to go through a lot to get back to that point. We fought hard with this Shell Pennzoil Ford and put tires on it late and was very aggressive on the restarts and got a few spots back. I wish there were more laps. The tires were worth a few there at the end but I needed a few more laps there at the end.”

    “The racing was really good,” Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford said after finishing eighth. “We were able to make up a lot of ground. It is aggressive and as people got more comfortable it got nuts. You just try to do the best you can and protect your position and race hard. That is about all you can do.”

    Surprising: Jimmie Johnson’s troubles continued to plague him, even at Watkins Glen. The six-time champion went for a dramatic spin late in the race, resulting in a 28th place finish. Although he has three wins to his credit and is solidly in the Chase, Johnson fell one position in the point standings, from sixth to seventh as a result.

    Not Surprising: Perhaps it was because he can relate to having to overcome adversity and seek redemption in the sport, but third place finisher Kurt Busch had nothing but praise for race winner AJ Allmendinger.

    “He won the race today in a fashion that everyone is proud of him for doing, to beat one of the best in the world at driving these stock cars,” the driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet said of race winner Allmendinger. “He deserves the trophy, and he had to pull from within. He had to dig in deep, and he had to believe in himself all the way through this.”

    “He’s put himself through all those mental challenges, and today he persevered. He didn’t break down and he brought home a victory, so we’re all very proud of him.”

    Surprising: Brakes, or the lack thereof, were responsible for some of the bigger crashes of the day, especially for Cole Whitt, who crashed his No. 26 Bully Hill Vineyards Toyota Camry surprisingly hard into the tire barriers, finishing 43rd.

    “It just seemed like something in the rear brakes faded or just actually just completely lost them going into (turn) one,” Whitt said. “It seemed like the front was trying to stop but the rear wasn’t at all and the pedal was just going to the floor on brakes. Not a whole lot you can do there. I was trying to get it turned but there was no way I was going to be able to.”

    “Sucks for the guys but I know we’ll rebound.”

    Past champion Brad Keselowski also suffered from tire issues, finishing a surprising 35<sup>th</sup> in his No. 2 Miller Lite Ford.

    “We had something in the brakes that broke,” Keselowski said. “At Watkins Glen you can’t run without brakes.”

    Not Surprising: Matt Kenseth, still without a win, continued his run of good points days, advancing one spot up to third, just 70 behind new points leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kenseth was the top-finishing Toyota driver with a ninth-place result in the race at the Glen.

    “It was an okay finish,” the driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, said. “Things didn’t pan out quite as we were hoping. But, overall not a terrible day.”

    Surprising: Danica Patrick was making quite the bear bond fashion statement after surviving an accident in practice, as well as one during the race. The driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet soldiered on in her bear-bonded race car to finish 21st, after gaining 22 spots

    “It was a tough day,” Patrick said. “It was a long race, but Gibson (Tony, crew chief) and the GoDaddy guys worked on the car and we got a 21st out of it, which isn’t bad with the weekend we had.”

    Not Surprising: Regan Smith, who was called on at the last minute to replace Tony Stewart in the race, summed up the situation best after an on-track incident at lap 81 caused him to finish 37th.

    “It’s my job to be able to drive a race car and it took me a little longer to get acclimated than I would have hoped it would and felt like at the end there I was finally starting to make some progress and I was able to get consistent with the car and understood the car a little better and what it was doing,” the substitute driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet said. “These guys build fast race cars at Stewart-Haas and I was thankful to get to get in one. Definitely not under the circumstances.”

    “My day really doesn’t matter right now,” Smith continued. “There are a lot of people more important than me at the moment; so we’re thinking about all those people and our prayers are with them.”

  • The Final Word – Tragedy in New York

    The Final Word – Tragedy in New York

    Watkins Glen might have hosted the action on Sunday, but it was Saturday night at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park a hundred miles away that drew our attention.

    Amateur video shows Kevin Ward Jr racing his Sprint car against Tony Stewart, winding up brushed against the wall and out of action. The 20-year old unbuckled himself, came out of his car, walking toward the cars running under caution. He appeared upset at being taken out of the race, apparently pointing toward Stewart.

    We see the car in front of Stewart go past, as Ward appears to take a slight step to his left, away from the car as the video briefly follows it before panning back to pick up Stewart. It happens so fast, so I pause the video showing the young man halfway down the track as Stewart’s car appears in the frame. It appears to be passing him, then Ward is gone. In less than two seconds, his body is flung upward, dragged, then tossed for yards before coming to rest down the track. The crowd reacts as emergency personnel race to his still form.

    There are some who claim, in watching the same video, that it shows a deliberate action. It does not. Due to the angle, we do not know the precise distance Ward was standing from Stewart’s, or even the previous car, as it passed. We do know that it was close. There are those who claim Stewart gunned his car as he passed, causing it to fish-tail toward the young man.

    In going over the video numerous times I cannot tell for certain if the end of Tony’s car initially flipped ever so slightly to the right or not. If it did, it could not have been by more than a couple of inches, if that. I do know it definitely moves left. In his anger, Ward may have approached too close, within mere inches to the side of Stewart’s moving car, to his rear tires. So close that any slight movement, or no movement at all, was going to catch him. Even under caution the cars were still moving at a fair clip. The engine of Stewart’s car does sound like it revs up, either through a brief acceleration or the car broke traction on the dirt track instantaneously with making contact; contact that appears to have been made with Stewart’s rear right tire.

    On Sunday, Stewart did not race. Regan Smith drove for him, as the winless Stewart drops nearly a hundred points out of a Chase place. It was a day of celebration for first time Cup winner A.J. Allmendinger, who shared his condolences for what had taken place the day before even as he secured a Chase berth of his own.

    It was a race that featured a great battle in the end between Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose. It featured a terrible crash that saw both Ryan Newman and Michael McDowell walk away from pieces of scrap metal. It saw a bid by Jeff Gordon end when he lost power, Denny Hamlin lost his along with his brake fluid even before finding some barrels to destroy later on, and Kyle Busch left with a gas can and shortly after left with a blown tire.

    With four to go, a dozen Chase spots have been claimed by race winners with only four left on points unless another first time victor emerges at Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta, or Richmond. Tony Stewart may be there to contend, but today his thoughts no doubt are understandably with a young man and a track a hundred miles from Watkins Glen.

    SWEET SIXTEEN
    1 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 Wins – 773 Points
    2 – Brad Keselowski – 3 – 696
    3 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 650
    4 – Jeff Gordon – 2 – 768
    5 – Joey Logano – 2 – 671
    6 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 658
    7 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 645
    8 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 615
    9 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 552
    10 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 539
    11 – Aric Almirola – 1 – 532
    12 – A.J. Allmendinger – 1 – 525
    13 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 703
    14 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 645
    15 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 635
    16 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 634

    CONTENDERS & PRETENDERS
    17 – Greg Biffle – 0 Wins – 626 Points
    18 – Kasey Kahne – 0 – 622
    19 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 616
    20 – Marcos Ambrose – 0 – 584
    21 – Paul Menard – 0 – 574
    22 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 573
    23 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 566
    24 – Tony Stewart – 0 – 537
    25 – Casey Mears – 0 – 516
    26 – Martin Truex, Jr. – 0 – 508
    27 – Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. – 0 – 447
    28 – Danica Patrick – 0 – 419
    29 – Justin Allgaier – 0 – 398
    30 – Michael Annett – 0 – 360
    31 – David Gilliland – 0 – 334
    32 – David Ragan – 0 – 312

     

  • Searching for Answers

    Searching for Answers

    As the events of the tragedy at Canandaigua Motorsports Park unfolded late Saturday night and into Sunday morning, I was glued to twitter, searching for answers. I was hoping for the best but fearing the worst. When it became clear that a young sprint car driver named Kevin Ward Jr. had lost his life, I was at a loss for words.

    Sadly the same was not true for many others. I was appalled by some of the comments from so-called racing fans who were already labeling Tony Stewart as a killer who should be thrown in jail. But just as distressing were those who put the blame solely on Ward. I decided to turn off my computer and get some sleep but sleep wouldn’t come.

    My heart was heavy and I was fighting back tears, wondering why this had hit me so hard. But then I realized it was bringing back memories of a much deeper personal loss. My brother was struck and killed three years ago by a young man while riding his bicycle home from the store.

    It wasn’t the first time I had lost a family member but this one was different. Losing someone is never easy but losing someone suddenly and in such a violent manner is even more devastating.

    As I thought about it, I began to understand to some small extent the anger that was permeating the pages of twitter and other social media. I remember being furious with this young man whose only mistake was to take his eyes off the road for a few seconds. It wasn’t fair and I wanted, no I needed, someone to blame.

    It makes little difference that most of the people expressing their outrage don’t actually know Tony Stewart or had never heard of Kevin Ward Jr. until now. The racing community is a diverse collection of people who call themselves family and they are hurting.

    I would never compare my loss to what Ward’s parents are experiencing. The loss of a child is unthinkable and I can’t begin to imagine the depths of their sorrow. My heart also breaks for the torment that Stewart is going through. The suggestion that he intended to harm Ward is preposterous. This tragic incident will undoubtedly haunt him the rest of his life.

    What I do know is that anger and blame are roads that will only lead to more heartache. I forgave that young man who I truly believe was suffering as much as I was and let myself grieve for my brother and begin to heal. It forever changed my life as I’m sure it did his.

    The simple truth is that this was a senseless tragedy and there will never be an acceptable resolution. Could it have been prevented? Possibly, but as with most things in life, we make decisions and have to live with the consequences of our actions. It’s easy to go back and say if only, but there is no rewind in life. All we can do is move forward together and search for ways to ensure that this type of accident doesn’t happen again.

    Sometimes life isn’t fair and there are no easy answers.

  • Tragedy involving Tony Stewart and Kevin Ward

    Tragedy involving Tony Stewart and Kevin Ward

    I have put this off long enough. This is my perspective on the tragedy involving Tony Stewart and Kevin Ward. My insight and perspective is this.

    This was a senseless tragedy that a very good very caring and giving man will carry with him for the rest of his life. And it was avoidable.

    Let me start with a few basics. Winged sprint cars have limited visibility and no mirrors. The wing obstructs the view forward and the head and neck restraints on the seat impair it side to side. If the wing is pulled all the way down to give forward down force, the side panels also restrict vision side to side. Winged sprint cars are meant to go in a circle. Their right side tires are bigger than their left side tires. That creates two things. It makes it easy to go around a corner but it makes it so they can’t turn on a dime. If they try to do that they flip over. They do not have transmissions. Their brakes are not that of a street or Cup car. Even at slow speeds they are darty and they don’t respond as quickly as you think they would. They are very affected by moving air. If you want them to turn quickly, you turn the front wheels the opposite direction of where you want the tail of the car to go and hit the gas. Remember in Cars….turn right to go left? That is the principle here. In every driver’s meeting on every dirt track across the country drivers are told before the racing starts, stay in your car in case of a wreck. If you can’t stay in the car, stay with your car. It’s the racing version of stay out of the street. But rules are made because they became necessary, so at some time this has happened before, or something similar.

    Now my insight. I am going to start with a few questions thrown out for you to think about. Why would you jump out of your car and run down the track and back the way you came? Where was the safety crew? And since the young man had been racing since he was 4 according to his bio, why didn’t he follow the directions and stay in the car or with the car?

    Now it makes no sense to find fault or blame. It’s a horrible tragedy; a young man died and another will carry the scar for the rest of his life. But the catalyst was not following the rules. Had he stayed in the car or with the car and flipped him off as he went by he wouldn’t have been in a position to be in harm’s way. Now it was a matter of monkey see and monkey do in my opinion. He saw NASCAR drivers do it on TV so he thought he could make a show and do it too. But these are very different cars with different response times. The car in front of Stewart, as a matter of fact several in front of Stewart, almost hit him and he still kept coming. Coach Bud Lathrop in my high school days would say, “You are Hell Bound you are going to lose this game.” This young man was “Hell Bound” to get to Stewart. Stewart did the only thing he could do when he did see him and he was by that time, reaching out towards the car. Stewart tried to avoid him quickly without flipping the car over on top of both of them. His hope was that he would jump back out of the way. He did not. Because of that a tragedy occurred. It was a tragedy that could have been avoided had he just stayed in the car or stayed with the car.

    It was a tragic accident. When everything came together, none of the checks and balances to protect both of them was in place. Why? Because sadly fate made that determination that day. To call it anything but a tragic accident is irresponsible. To demand jail time, etc. is ridiculous. The only things that we can do are pray for the families of both drivers and pray for Tony Stewart. We have to find our comfort in Mr. God’s promise that nothing is arbitrary and he has a plan. Then we have to look in the mirror and ask ourselves if the shoe was on our foot how would we feel and how would we want people to treat us? That is the course we should then steer, not only off the track but on it as well. We should ask ourselves in our social media interactions, how would I feel if I knew the families of both drivers were going to see this? Steer the course that you would want to travel.

    That’s it. I am tired. I haven’t been to bed yet. I haven’t eaten. My friend hurts. I hurt for him. Real journalists don’t decide right and wrong. They don’t pass judgment. They simply tell you what happened. I am disappointed in the media corps. of NASCAR. I am disappointed in a long time hero who is a Winston Cup champion but who has not driven dirt competitively in years and when he did it was in a late model stock car now classified as a street stock. I think it is very important for us all to remember that perspective is reality. The more ugly, hateful things that are said the more people believe them. Bottom line truth. Had the kid stayed in his car as the rule book mandated it wouldn’t have happened. It’s not appropriate to find fault with a dead man. But he sealed his own fate when he reached in the car that was still traveling 45 mph on dirt. Sadly, I can’t think of any situation that would be worth dying for because I couldn’t control myself. But then I am an old modified racer whose Daddy had some pretty strict rules. And I am old. Dirt rules are pretty simple really, even the unspoken ones. Take the fight to the pits. Don’t approach moving cars. Don’t cross the track while cars are moving. Those rules are why we throw red flags when cars overturn. It makes it safe for the safety crew to work and help that driver.