Is It My Imagination Or What?
First of all, I want to apologize for not posting more lately. I’ve had some problems which I’m not able to discuss here, but I hope that I’ll be back on a regular basis soon.
Am I imagining things or has Joe Gibbs Racing figured out the spoiler much faster than anyone else? Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have won most of the races, it would seem since the re-introduction of the spoiler. So far, the Hendrick guys haven’t been able to get the handle on the spoiler, so the fact is that the JGR guys have shakes things up a little. That’s not a bad thing. Let’s light this firecracker! We’ve now got some legitimate claims to end Jimmie Johnson’s claim to his 5th Sprint Cup title. Jimmie and Chad Knaus are the most incredible team in recent history, but it would be interesting to see another JGR or RCR team break the streak.
Kevin Harvick still leads in points after the 12th race of the season, and he’s only won one race this season. That’s how the points system works, folks. It’s not wins, it’s top 5 and top 10 finishes. That’s how championships are won.
What the heck is going on with the 88 team? Dale and Lance snipe at each other on the radio and Dale has a horrible finish at Dover. Is there a new crew chief in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s future? Dale is obviously not the easiest guy to work for. It’s hard to figure out why a guy who has won so much in the past is running so poorly in the last few years. I’ll let you experts figure it out.
It’s almost time for the races at Charlotte, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been to the 600 a few times and it’s incredible. If you really want to see a really good race, go to the Coca Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway. The race starts under the sun and ends at night. It’s the longest race of the season, and you will not be disappointed by the quality of racing. This is old home week for the teams and the drivers, because most of them all live in the Charlotte, NC area. Drivers and crew will all have lots of friends and family there, so they’ll be putting on the show of the year.
Don’t worry about Hendrick. Sooner or later Jimmie or Jeff or Mark, and hopefully Junior will be winning races again. If you’re a Junior fan, lookout, fireworks are going to happen.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010
It's Time For NASCAR TV
First of all, congratulations to Kevin Harvick, who ended the longest winless streak of his Cup career last week at Talladega. Is it now fair to call Kevin a super speedway specialist, since his last two wins have come at Daytona and Talladega? Just kidding. Kevin Harvick is a great race car driver, and I think we all knew he was going to win this season, it was just a matter of when.
Now, to the meat of this article.
The NFL has it’s own channel, though I’ve never seen it. It costs extra to get the NFL channel, assuming it’s even available on your cable or satellite network. There is also a golf channel, which I used to get on basic cable (Charter). I think it’s time for a NASCAR only, 24-7 channel.
Sure, SPEED TV does a great job with it’s NASCAR coverage. To a certain extent, so does ESPN. But don’t you think that NASCAR has gotten big enough to have an exclusive TV channel?
I’m certainly not faulting SPEED TV or ESPN, but they’ve both got bigger rows to hoe than just NASCAR. ESPN does a brilliant job of trying to cover virtually all sports on the planet, and that’s certainly no easy job. SPEED covers not only NASCAR, but also everything from motorcycle racing to monster trucks. They do a great job of it too, but for the true NASCAR purist, I think it’s time for a NASCAR only channel.
The NASCAR channel could do live updates on news several times a day. You know, kind of like a televised version of Jayski. I don’t know what they do about the current contracts that FOX, ESPN, and TNT have for televising the actual races, because I think it’s important that people without cable or satellite have the opportunity to watch at least some of the races. Right now, only FOX and ESPN, through ABC can do that. I think it’s important to bring the sport to the masses. Perhaps NASCAR could reserve the right to simulcast the races on their own channel as well. Or, they could put together their own crew and broadcast the races the NASCAR way. Either way works for me, as long as Mom and Pop can sit and see at least some of the races with that Channel Master antenna on the roof.
The NASCAR channel should be basic cable. Enough advertising could be sold to fund the network, just through the myriad of NASCAR sponsors. Team sponsors could jump in on the deal just to sweeten it and get extra exposure on a NASCAR exclusive network. There is a hardcore base of fans who would probably watch that channel all day and all night too. You know who I’m talking about. Yes, you!
Other than the news updates, the NASCAR channel could fill time by broadcasting earlier races, from all it’s various series. Go back to the 70’s or 80’s, and there is a wealth of good stuff there. Televise races live from the various regional series and give these drivers a little exposure. It’s all good.
The NASCAR channel already has a core group of veteran race broadcasters. Remember MRN? MRN stands for Motor Racing Network, which is owned by International Speedway Corporation, which in turn is owned by the National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing. Recognize that name? Of course, it’s NASCAR. I love listening to the MRN guys on the radio, and they would be great on TV as well.
It’s time for NASCAR TV. We, the fans, well, we really want it.
Really bad. I know I do.
Now, to the meat of this article.
The NFL has it’s own channel, though I’ve never seen it. It costs extra to get the NFL channel, assuming it’s even available on your cable or satellite network. There is also a golf channel, which I used to get on basic cable (Charter). I think it’s time for a NASCAR only, 24-7 channel.
Sure, SPEED TV does a great job with it’s NASCAR coverage. To a certain extent, so does ESPN. But don’t you think that NASCAR has gotten big enough to have an exclusive TV channel?
I’m certainly not faulting SPEED TV or ESPN, but they’ve both got bigger rows to hoe than just NASCAR. ESPN does a brilliant job of trying to cover virtually all sports on the planet, and that’s certainly no easy job. SPEED covers not only NASCAR, but also everything from motorcycle racing to monster trucks. They do a great job of it too, but for the true NASCAR purist, I think it’s time for a NASCAR only channel.
The NASCAR channel could do live updates on news several times a day. You know, kind of like a televised version of Jayski. I don’t know what they do about the current contracts that FOX, ESPN, and TNT have for televising the actual races, because I think it’s important that people without cable or satellite have the opportunity to watch at least some of the races. Right now, only FOX and ESPN, through ABC can do that. I think it’s important to bring the sport to the masses. Perhaps NASCAR could reserve the right to simulcast the races on their own channel as well. Or, they could put together their own crew and broadcast the races the NASCAR way. Either way works for me, as long as Mom and Pop can sit and see at least some of the races with that Channel Master antenna on the roof.
The NASCAR channel should be basic cable. Enough advertising could be sold to fund the network, just through the myriad of NASCAR sponsors. Team sponsors could jump in on the deal just to sweeten it and get extra exposure on a NASCAR exclusive network. There is a hardcore base of fans who would probably watch that channel all day and all night too. You know who I’m talking about. Yes, you!
Other than the news updates, the NASCAR channel could fill time by broadcasting earlier races, from all it’s various series. Go back to the 70’s or 80’s, and there is a wealth of good stuff there. Televise races live from the various regional series and give these drivers a little exposure. It’s all good.
The NASCAR channel already has a core group of veteran race broadcasters. Remember MRN? MRN stands for Motor Racing Network, which is owned by International Speedway Corporation, which in turn is owned by the National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing. Recognize that name? Of course, it’s NASCAR. I love listening to the MRN guys on the radio, and they would be great on TV as well.
It’s time for NASCAR TV. We, the fans, well, we really want it.
Really bad. I know I do.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Things I Wonder About
Things I Wonder About
Do people recognize that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the most popular driver in NASCAR because of his looks and personality rather than his record as a driver? He’s proven himself as a driver, but he hasn’t delivered much in the way of wins in the last few years. Dale’s a great guy, but it’s rather unreasonable to expect that he will deliver his father’s numbers in races wins or championships, because probably no one will, except maybe Jimmie Johnson. The problem is, Jimmie’s just not a very interesting person. That’s probably Jimmie’s secret to success, and Dale’s problem is that he talks, just like his dad did. Both Dales make great news, Jimmie Johnson just doesn’t.
Do the news people understand that most of the American public is tired of the entire Tiger Woods story? Let the dude play golf, which he is really good at, and then we’ll talk after the Masters Tournament.
Does Richard Childress understand that Kevin Harvick is probably the most talented driver in his stable? If I were RC, I would do everything I could to keep KH under the corporate banner. Kevin Harvick is a very talented driver, and has the perfect personality to replace the driver he replaced, who is of course, the late Dale Earnhardt. I know Kevin has been frustrated, but Richard needs to step up and give Kevin what he needs to get the job done. Kevin has been doing that for himself in the Truck series and in Nationwide, but for some reason, Richard isn’t giving Kevin quite what he needs in the Cup series. Kevin is a great driver, and he deserves the best of the best.
NASCAR has gone through great lengths to make the sport more fair, more accessible, more competitive. Do you think NASCAR will issue me a hard card out of the goodness of their hearts? I kind of doubt that. It would be really cool if they did, though. I love NASCAR and I cannot lie!
Has anyone noticed that Reba McEntire has almost the same eyes that Dale Earnhardt did? I have. For years, Reba has reminded me of Dale. It’s just something about the eyes. Next time you see pics of them, look at them and tell me I’m wrong. Maybe it’s not the eyes, it’s the expression with the eyes. Reba reminds me of Dale Earnhardt every time I see her. Not many people can look like Dale did when he was focused. Reba can. I don’t know that anyone can ignore that stare. Reba has that stare. Long live Reba.
Ever noticed that the Weather Channel people can be wrong more than half of the time? I’d like to have a job like that. Oh wait! I already do!
Happy week, everyone!
Do people recognize that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the most popular driver in NASCAR because of his looks and personality rather than his record as a driver? He’s proven himself as a driver, but he hasn’t delivered much in the way of wins in the last few years. Dale’s a great guy, but it’s rather unreasonable to expect that he will deliver his father’s numbers in races wins or championships, because probably no one will, except maybe Jimmie Johnson. The problem is, Jimmie’s just not a very interesting person. That’s probably Jimmie’s secret to success, and Dale’s problem is that he talks, just like his dad did. Both Dales make great news, Jimmie Johnson just doesn’t.
Do the news people understand that most of the American public is tired of the entire Tiger Woods story? Let the dude play golf, which he is really good at, and then we’ll talk after the Masters Tournament.
Does Richard Childress understand that Kevin Harvick is probably the most talented driver in his stable? If I were RC, I would do everything I could to keep KH under the corporate banner. Kevin Harvick is a very talented driver, and has the perfect personality to replace the driver he replaced, who is of course, the late Dale Earnhardt. I know Kevin has been frustrated, but Richard needs to step up and give Kevin what he needs to get the job done. Kevin has been doing that for himself in the Truck series and in Nationwide, but for some reason, Richard isn’t giving Kevin quite what he needs in the Cup series. Kevin is a great driver, and he deserves the best of the best.
NASCAR has gone through great lengths to make the sport more fair, more accessible, more competitive. Do you think NASCAR will issue me a hard card out of the goodness of their hearts? I kind of doubt that. It would be really cool if they did, though. I love NASCAR and I cannot lie!
Has anyone noticed that Reba McEntire has almost the same eyes that Dale Earnhardt did? I have. For years, Reba has reminded me of Dale. It’s just something about the eyes. Next time you see pics of them, look at them and tell me I’m wrong. Maybe it’s not the eyes, it’s the expression with the eyes. Reba reminds me of Dale Earnhardt every time I see her. Not many people can look like Dale did when he was focused. Reba can. I don’t know that anyone can ignore that stare. Reba has that stare. Long live Reba.
Ever noticed that the Weather Channel people can be wrong more than half of the time? I’d like to have a job like that. Oh wait! I already do!
Happy week, everyone!
Monday, March 22, 2010
That's Bristol, Baby!
I think it is clearly evident that we now have a great driver that defines the NASCAR era since the year 2000. That driver is, ladies and gentlemen, none other than Jimmie Johnson.
Fifty wins. That’s a lot in the decade of parity in stock car racing. Why is Jimmie Johnson not NASCAR’s most popular driver? I’ll leave the answer to that question to you, the ultimate experts. What? No, I’m not being facetious by saying that.
If you’re reading this, chances are that you’re a NASCAR fan. You may have been a fan for 6 weeks, or for 40 years. You may not know much about the sport, but if you watch the races every week, you already know more than a lot of people who should know better. Fans drive this sport, and always have, and if you’re a fan, you’re the dude or lady in the driver’s seat. You, the fan, have the ability to call the shots simply by making your voice heard, and NASCAR is listening.
Getting back to Jimmie Johnson, because I digress, which I often do, I’d like to say that JJ is a great driver, and he and the science project named Chad Knaus, who is Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief, are truly achieving magic numbers in the sport of NASCAR. Jimmie has won 50 races in only a few over 200 starts. OK, maybe more than a few, but you get my point.
Personally, to me, Jimmie Johnson is just a blank page, in terms of personality. He is the perfect driver, because he always quotes the company line, always praises his sponsors, and never says much of anything to start arguments. Yes, and I’ll say it here, Jimmie Johnson is the greatest boring driver ever. He really is.
In this sport, boring is not a bad thing, because Jimmie Johnson is married, has a child on the way, but he’s apparently never cheated on his wife, had a child out of wedlock, never did drugs, or beat up a hooker. Actually, I’d say he’s probably a pretty good guy, though I don’t know him personally. But, in a world where celebrity is everything, Jimmie Johnson is pretty boring. That’s where we are as a culture, I suppose.
Give us some meat to chew on, and we’re happy as fans. Do something to prove that you’re human. I laugh at the detractors of Jimmie Johnson because what they hate can be explained simply. He’s just a nice guy. Don’t you just hate that?
A tip to the wise: Buy some Jimmie Johnson merchandise. It’s the cheapest it will ever be, and if you don’t, one day you’ll be sorry.
News of the day: Tiger Woods gives an exclusive interview to ESPN. Enough already. Tiger Woods didn’t sleep with my wife. He doesn’t owe me an apology. Get over it, people! Tiger said he screwed up, and he admits to it! What else does the world of golf want?
Why does Jimmy C know that his wife didn’t sleep with Tiger Woods? It’s simple. Jimmy C doesn’t have a wife, and if he did, he doesn’t know where she is.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Fifty wins. That’s a lot in the decade of parity in stock car racing. Why is Jimmie Johnson not NASCAR’s most popular driver? I’ll leave the answer to that question to you, the ultimate experts. What? No, I’m not being facetious by saying that.
If you’re reading this, chances are that you’re a NASCAR fan. You may have been a fan for 6 weeks, or for 40 years. You may not know much about the sport, but if you watch the races every week, you already know more than a lot of people who should know better. Fans drive this sport, and always have, and if you’re a fan, you’re the dude or lady in the driver’s seat. You, the fan, have the ability to call the shots simply by making your voice heard, and NASCAR is listening.
Getting back to Jimmie Johnson, because I digress, which I often do, I’d like to say that JJ is a great driver, and he and the science project named Chad Knaus, who is Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief, are truly achieving magic numbers in the sport of NASCAR. Jimmie has won 50 races in only a few over 200 starts. OK, maybe more than a few, but you get my point.
Personally, to me, Jimmie Johnson is just a blank page, in terms of personality. He is the perfect driver, because he always quotes the company line, always praises his sponsors, and never says much of anything to start arguments. Yes, and I’ll say it here, Jimmie Johnson is the greatest boring driver ever. He really is.
In this sport, boring is not a bad thing, because Jimmie Johnson is married, has a child on the way, but he’s apparently never cheated on his wife, had a child out of wedlock, never did drugs, or beat up a hooker. Actually, I’d say he’s probably a pretty good guy, though I don’t know him personally. But, in a world where celebrity is everything, Jimmie Johnson is pretty boring. That’s where we are as a culture, I suppose.
Give us some meat to chew on, and we’re happy as fans. Do something to prove that you’re human. I laugh at the detractors of Jimmie Johnson because what they hate can be explained simply. He’s just a nice guy. Don’t you just hate that?
A tip to the wise: Buy some Jimmie Johnson merchandise. It’s the cheapest it will ever be, and if you don’t, one day you’ll be sorry.
News of the day: Tiger Woods gives an exclusive interview to ESPN. Enough already. Tiger Woods didn’t sleep with my wife. He doesn’t owe me an apology. Get over it, people! Tiger said he screwed up, and he admits to it! What else does the world of golf want?
Why does Jimmy C know that his wife didn’t sleep with Tiger Woods? It’s simple. Jimmy C doesn’t have a wife, and if he did, he doesn’t know where she is.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Off Week Reflections
Though this space is not devoted to Dale Earnhardt Jr, I have never been shy about being fan of Dale’s, and I can definitely say that I am a proud member of the Junior Nation. OK, maybe not the various websites or message boards out there, but I am a proud Dale Jr. fan.
That being said, what the heck is going on with the 88 team this year? After a little show of brilliance at Daytona, Dale Jr. appears to be mired back in the back once again in 2010. Business as usual, you could say.
As a fan, it’s terribly disappointing. The Junior detractors gleefully say that the 88 team’s 2010 performance just backs up what they’ve been saying all along, which is that Dale Jr. is overrated, and basically has way less talent than the blind Junior followers think he has.
I still say, and will continue to say that any driver with 18 Cup wins and two Nationwide (Busch) series championships under his belt has to have more going for him than having a famous daddy. Folks, you simply don’t get those numbers without talent as a driver, and there’s no way you’re going to convince me that I’m wrong about that. I would say the same thing about Jimmy Spencer, if he had the numbers to back him up. But Jimmy Spencer doesn’t.
I like Kyle Petty too, but he does not have numbers as favorable as does Dale Jr. The fact is, Dale Jr. has just had some really horrible luck, and there are obviously still some major problems on the 88 team as a whole.
It’s beginning to appear that the move to Hendrick Motorsports just isn’t working out for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Perhaps I will be proven wrong in the next few weeks, and no one could be happier about proven wrong than I would be.
Speaking of drivers needing to turn their fortunes around, how about Kevin Harvick? Kevin his charging hard, getting good finishes, and currently leads in points. The only thing left in Kevin’s turnaround is a win, and that can’t be too much longer in coming.
This weekend the NASCAR traveling show moves on to one of my favorite tracks, Bristol. With little to watch over the weekend but basketball and the F1 face in Bahrain, or where ever the heck it was, I’m ready to seem some good, hard short track racing.
That being said, what the heck is going on with the 88 team this year? After a little show of brilliance at Daytona, Dale Jr. appears to be mired back in the back once again in 2010. Business as usual, you could say.
As a fan, it’s terribly disappointing. The Junior detractors gleefully say that the 88 team’s 2010 performance just backs up what they’ve been saying all along, which is that Dale Jr. is overrated, and basically has way less talent than the blind Junior followers think he has.
I still say, and will continue to say that any driver with 18 Cup wins and two Nationwide (Busch) series championships under his belt has to have more going for him than having a famous daddy. Folks, you simply don’t get those numbers without talent as a driver, and there’s no way you’re going to convince me that I’m wrong about that. I would say the same thing about Jimmy Spencer, if he had the numbers to back him up. But Jimmy Spencer doesn’t.
I like Kyle Petty too, but he does not have numbers as favorable as does Dale Jr. The fact is, Dale Jr. has just had some really horrible luck, and there are obviously still some major problems on the 88 team as a whole.
It’s beginning to appear that the move to Hendrick Motorsports just isn’t working out for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Perhaps I will be proven wrong in the next few weeks, and no one could be happier about proven wrong than I would be.
Speaking of drivers needing to turn their fortunes around, how about Kevin Harvick? Kevin his charging hard, getting good finishes, and currently leads in points. The only thing left in Kevin’s turnaround is a win, and that can’t be too much longer in coming.
This weekend the NASCAR traveling show moves on to one of my favorite tracks, Bristol. With little to watch over the weekend but basketball and the F1 face in Bahrain, or where ever the heck it was, I’m ready to seem some good, hard short track racing.
Taking The Good With The Bad
There has been a tremendous amount of controversy concerning the incident at Atlanta between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski. The details have been reported many times in many other places, so I won’t bother going over the details. Suffice it to say, Carl Edwards punted Brad Keselowski, and Brad wrecked in spectacular fashion, with the car flipping upside down, and Brad was obviously peeved at his colleague for his efforts.
The wreck was eerily similar to Carl Edwards’ wreck at Talladega last year, which, of course, occurred at the hands of Brad Keselowski. I’m not talking about who was at fault there, because we all have opinions, but it appeared that Brad had the line at Talladega, and Carl was trying to block on the last lap of the race. Remember, however, that last year we saw this spectacular crash on the last lap of the race, with both Edwards and Keselowski going for the win.
At Atlanta last Sunday, the crash occurred near the end of the race, but not on the last lap. Carl Edwards was 150-something laps down, with no hopes for a win, but he definitely was trying to take Brad out. In that, Carl Edwards was hugely successful.
Carl Edwards was parked for his part in the wreck, but he basically had nothing to lose. Brad was driving a lead lap car, so Carl’s actions cost Brad quite a bit. Had this incident happened last year, Carl would likely have been parked a race, fined, what to most of us would have been a huge amount of money, and placed on probation until the Chase portion of the season, if not for the entire year.
This year, of course, is different. NASCAR has said they were going to relax the rules, and we, as fans, for the most part cheered. We were all happy to see NASCAR letting the drivers race, and that’s pretty much what we’ve seen so far this year. Carl Edwards’ actions at Atlanta were a little over the top, and he got penalized, a little bit. Three weeks of probation? In a way, I don’t see much wrong with that.
In other ways, however, I see a lot wrong with this situation. Carl Edwards, many, many laps down, used his car as a weapon to take out a lead lap car. I doubt that even Carl envisioned Brad’s car flying through the air, possibly ending up in the catch fence as did Carl’s car did last year at Talladega.
Remember the fall race at Talladega last year? We were introduced to a young woman who happened to be sitting in the front row at ‘Dega in the spring race, and caught a piece of metal in the face when Carl Edwards’ car shredded itself in the catch fence. Drivers getting hurt is one thing, but fans getting hurt is NASCAR’s worst nightmare.
We wanted to see a kinder, gentler NASCAR as the rule makers in the sport. We apparently have been given exactly what we wished for. Now, we all have to live with the bad as well as the good. We’re seeing better racing, but at what cost?
Hopefully, NASCAR’s new attitude won’t cost a fan’s life. I applaud what NASCAR is doing, but risking hurting fans by relaxing the rules is in no way going to help this sport. I know, any one of those 43 cars could have flipped upside down during the Atlanta race, because NASCAR still has those stupid, dangerous wings on the cars, but hopefully that will all change at Martinsville.
The wreck was eerily similar to Carl Edwards’ wreck at Talladega last year, which, of course, occurred at the hands of Brad Keselowski. I’m not talking about who was at fault there, because we all have opinions, but it appeared that Brad had the line at Talladega, and Carl was trying to block on the last lap of the race. Remember, however, that last year we saw this spectacular crash on the last lap of the race, with both Edwards and Keselowski going for the win.
At Atlanta last Sunday, the crash occurred near the end of the race, but not on the last lap. Carl Edwards was 150-something laps down, with no hopes for a win, but he definitely was trying to take Brad out. In that, Carl Edwards was hugely successful.
Carl Edwards was parked for his part in the wreck, but he basically had nothing to lose. Brad was driving a lead lap car, so Carl’s actions cost Brad quite a bit. Had this incident happened last year, Carl would likely have been parked a race, fined, what to most of us would have been a huge amount of money, and placed on probation until the Chase portion of the season, if not for the entire year.
This year, of course, is different. NASCAR has said they were going to relax the rules, and we, as fans, for the most part cheered. We were all happy to see NASCAR letting the drivers race, and that’s pretty much what we’ve seen so far this year. Carl Edwards’ actions at Atlanta were a little over the top, and he got penalized, a little bit. Three weeks of probation? In a way, I don’t see much wrong with that.
In other ways, however, I see a lot wrong with this situation. Carl Edwards, many, many laps down, used his car as a weapon to take out a lead lap car. I doubt that even Carl envisioned Brad’s car flying through the air, possibly ending up in the catch fence as did Carl’s car did last year at Talladega.
Remember the fall race at Talladega last year? We were introduced to a young woman who happened to be sitting in the front row at ‘Dega in the spring race, and caught a piece of metal in the face when Carl Edwards’ car shredded itself in the catch fence. Drivers getting hurt is one thing, but fans getting hurt is NASCAR’s worst nightmare.
We wanted to see a kinder, gentler NASCAR as the rule makers in the sport. We apparently have been given exactly what we wished for. Now, we all have to live with the bad as well as the good. We’re seeing better racing, but at what cost?
Hopefully, NASCAR’s new attitude won’t cost a fan’s life. I applaud what NASCAR is doing, but risking hurting fans by relaxing the rules is in no way going to help this sport. I know, any one of those 43 cars could have flipped upside down during the Atlanta race, because NASCAR still has those stupid, dangerous wings on the cars, but hopefully that will all change at Martinsville.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Cautious Optimism
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first pole position since 2008 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and the Junior Nation is jacked up. They ought to be, because maybe this means the 88 team is finally getting the wheels back on the track.
Poles do not make race wins, however. Dale Jr. has won at Atlanta before, so he knows how to do it. For all of those who think Dale Jr. is a shoe in to win the race today, I would advise against it. Not that cautious optimism is wrong, but don’t be horribly disappointed if Dale Jr. gets a top 5 or top 10 finish today. Either of those would be fine.
Dale Jr. needs a good finish today, because even though he finished well in 2 out of the 3 first races of the season, he needs to finish consistently in the top 10 if he’s going to be a contender this year. Whatever handling problems seem to plague the 88 team need to go away, and they need to go away fast. Hopefully, the return of the spoiler will alleviate at least some of the handling problems.
Personally, even though he’s starting from near the back of the field, Kevin Harvick is one of my favorites for a win at Atlanta. Harvick has been there basically in all three of the first few races, and he’s due, and you can tell he wants it pretty bad. Of course, I wouldn’t count out either Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, or Mark Martin, because they’ve all looked pretty good in practice this weekend.
Even though Greg Biffle is going to a backup car, he showed that he has maybe the winning line down, and that’s up high on the race track. Greg could win this race as well if they can get the backup car working right.
This might be the week that Martin Truex Jr. breaks out of the doldrums as well, because in Happy Hour on Saturday, Martin seemed to have something going on with the car. Personally, I’d like to see Truex get his first win for Michael Waltrip Racing.
Today’s going to be exciting, folks. Atlanta always is. I pray we have a good race and everyone walks away safely today.
Poles do not make race wins, however. Dale Jr. has won at Atlanta before, so he knows how to do it. For all of those who think Dale Jr. is a shoe in to win the race today, I would advise against it. Not that cautious optimism is wrong, but don’t be horribly disappointed if Dale Jr. gets a top 5 or top 10 finish today. Either of those would be fine.
Dale Jr. needs a good finish today, because even though he finished well in 2 out of the 3 first races of the season, he needs to finish consistently in the top 10 if he’s going to be a contender this year. Whatever handling problems seem to plague the 88 team need to go away, and they need to go away fast. Hopefully, the return of the spoiler will alleviate at least some of the handling problems.
Personally, even though he’s starting from near the back of the field, Kevin Harvick is one of my favorites for a win at Atlanta. Harvick has been there basically in all three of the first few races, and he’s due, and you can tell he wants it pretty bad. Of course, I wouldn’t count out either Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, or Mark Martin, because they’ve all looked pretty good in practice this weekend.
Even though Greg Biffle is going to a backup car, he showed that he has maybe the winning line down, and that’s up high on the race track. Greg could win this race as well if they can get the backup car working right.
This might be the week that Martin Truex Jr. breaks out of the doldrums as well, because in Happy Hour on Saturday, Martin seemed to have something going on with the car. Personally, I’d like to see Truex get his first win for Michael Waltrip Racing.
Today’s going to be exciting, folks. Atlanta always is. I pray we have a good race and everyone walks away safely today.
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