Saturday night’s Bud Shootout was an interesting race, and for me, at least, entertaining as well.
The racing itself was good, what I would consider to be an improvement over last year’s race. There was quite a bit of passing, especially back in the pack, and the larger restrictor plates appeared to allow greater throttle response than in past plate races. This all adds up to more exciting racing.
Kudos have to go to NASCAR as well for retracting the rules for bump drafting. Any driver who gets pushed too hard into a corner is gong to complain about it, but it just makes for better racing when the drivers are free to bump and bang a little. Drivers at the Sprint Cup level are among the best in the world, and if they couldn’t handle a little physical contact, they would be doing something else for a living.
The bottom line is that the changes that NASCAR has made for racing at Daytona appear to promise a good Daytona 500 on Sunday. A better race means fans see a better product, and that’s really the most important priority.
Congratulations to Kevin Harvick, who, after being sick much of the week, pulled out the win on Saturday in a car in which he had not driven one practice lap. Perhaps Richard Childress Racing will turn a corner in performance in 2010 and get back to victory lane in the points racing.
One major disappointment was the performance of the 88 Chevy, driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. After running strong for a few laps, the 88 car faded back and Dale Jr. was complaining about a problem that plagued his team’s efforts in 2009. In Junior’s words, the car was “wrecking loose.” Though the Shootout is only the first race of the season, and fortunately carries no points considerations, the Junior Nation has to be somewhat dismayed by the handling problems on Saturday night. It’s not time to panic yet, however. Dale Jr. will be starting on the outside pole on Sunday, so he’s definitely got the horsepower to get to the front. Hopefully crew chief Lance McGrew and the team will get a better handle on the handling problems by Sunday.
With the Budweiser Shootout out of the way, and the twin qualifying races coming up later in the week, it finally feels like the long off season is indeed over.
I, for one, couldn’t be happier.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
I'm Loving Me Some Daytona
I regularly listen to a local sports station, WCCP FM which is based in Clemson, South Carolina, and is the official radio station of the Clemson Tigers. Feel free to Google it. They’d love to have you listen online, if you don’t happen to be in the Upstate South Carolina area, and chances are you’re not.
A particular radio host who’s name is Walt Deptula, is on from 3:00 until 5:00 PM Eastern time. Walt is a walking, talking sports encyclopedia. If you ask Walt if he watched the basketball game between East Utah State and Northern Michigan, Walt will say “Of course.” Walt watches everything, as long as it’s stick and ball sports. You know, football, basketball, baseball, hockey, etc. Walt’s not a big fan of NASCAR, but he does talk about it from time to time, whenever there’s big news in the sport.
Walt does talk about basketball a lot though. Remember Dick Vitale? You know, he’s the basketball color guy that says “Yeah, baby!” and is very entertaining to listen to, or at least some people think so. Dicky V has a love relationship with Duke University, which usually has a great basketball program, and no matter what game Dick is calling, he inevitably brings Duke into the conversation.
Walt Deptula regularly has a contest on his show where callers can call in and guess about how far into the basketball game Dick Vitale will mention Duke University. Walt calls this contest “Dick Vitale’s I’m Loving me some Duke.”
Well, I’m loving me some Daytona right now. February, for quite a few years now, makes me get all tingly inside. With some tickets going for as low as $55.00, I’d be there in a heart beat, because I’ve never actually watched a race at Daytona International Speedway, at least in person. I’ve been to Atlanta, Charlotte, Darlington, Talladega, and some other tracks, which were all awesome, but Daytona is basically the Super Bowl of NASCAR. On Valentine’s day, Daytona is the place to be for any NASCAR fan.
The off season is over. It’s time to get back to some high octane racing fuel, the deafening sound of 43 racing engines screaming, making your eardrums bleed. As General George S. Patton once said about war, I’ll say the same thing about NASCAR: “God forgive me, but I do love it so.”
If there’s any way you can get to Daytona in the next couple of weeks, I would encourage you to do so. Ticket prices are probably lower this year than they have been in decades. Daytona International Speedway is an awesome place to see, even when you’re the only person inside the track. Imagine being there with a hundred plus thousand of your friends and neighbors. Imagine them all screaming, encouraging their drivers on, calling them home for the win, which may be the win of a lifetime. It may be the event of a lifetime for you or someone in your family.
A particular radio host who’s name is Walt Deptula, is on from 3:00 until 5:00 PM Eastern time. Walt is a walking, talking sports encyclopedia. If you ask Walt if he watched the basketball game between East Utah State and Northern Michigan, Walt will say “Of course.” Walt watches everything, as long as it’s stick and ball sports. You know, football, basketball, baseball, hockey, etc. Walt’s not a big fan of NASCAR, but he does talk about it from time to time, whenever there’s big news in the sport.
Walt does talk about basketball a lot though. Remember Dick Vitale? You know, he’s the basketball color guy that says “Yeah, baby!” and is very entertaining to listen to, or at least some people think so. Dicky V has a love relationship with Duke University, which usually has a great basketball program, and no matter what game Dick is calling, he inevitably brings Duke into the conversation.
Walt Deptula regularly has a contest on his show where callers can call in and guess about how far into the basketball game Dick Vitale will mention Duke University. Walt calls this contest “Dick Vitale’s I’m Loving me some Duke.”
Well, I’m loving me some Daytona right now. February, for quite a few years now, makes me get all tingly inside. With some tickets going for as low as $55.00, I’d be there in a heart beat, because I’ve never actually watched a race at Daytona International Speedway, at least in person. I’ve been to Atlanta, Charlotte, Darlington, Talladega, and some other tracks, which were all awesome, but Daytona is basically the Super Bowl of NASCAR. On Valentine’s day, Daytona is the place to be for any NASCAR fan.
The off season is over. It’s time to get back to some high octane racing fuel, the deafening sound of 43 racing engines screaming, making your eardrums bleed. As General George S. Patton once said about war, I’ll say the same thing about NASCAR: “God forgive me, but I do love it so.”
If there’s any way you can get to Daytona in the next couple of weeks, I would encourage you to do so. Ticket prices are probably lower this year than they have been in decades. Daytona International Speedway is an awesome place to see, even when you’re the only person inside the track. Imagine being there with a hundred plus thousand of your friends and neighbors. Imagine them all screaming, encouraging their drivers on, calling them home for the win, which may be the win of a lifetime. It may be the event of a lifetime for you or someone in your family.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Do You Feel The Need For Speed?
I know that I do. It’s racing season, and things are starting to get cranked up in Daytona. For me, at least, I can’t wait. I love speed weeks. I can’t say that enough, because speed weeks gets my blood flowing.
It’s like a spring thaw. Florida was hit with some of the coldest temperatures they’ve had in years, if forever. California has seen some of the worst rainstorms and snowstorms in decades. In other words, doomsday is near at hand, right?
NASCAR has the perfect solution to this bad weather, bad feeling that winter leaves behind. The Budweiser Shootout, the Twin races, and the actual Daytona 500 are just around the corner. We’ve got a ton of racing in NASCAR just around the corner, and it couldn’t come soon enough for me.
It’s been an unbelievably long off season, at least for me. It seems like it’s been years since the guys were on the track. I know it hasn’t been that long, but at the tender age of 46, I still believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. When I get older, maybe I’ll stop believing in the tooth fairy.
To me, February is the real Christmas, at least as far as racing goes. No, no, I still believe in Christmas on December 25th because that is the day of the birth of my savior Jesus Christ. But February 14th will have special meaning for me this year, because Valentine’s day coincides with the Daytona 500. I’m hopelessly romantic, and though I’ve got no sweetheart to spend Valentine’s day with, I will be wired and fired up for the Daytona 500.
For me, Daytona is the best part of the year. Gas fumes, burning rubber, can it get any better than this?
I don’t think so.
I’ll be back lots with more thoughts as Speed Weeks gets under way.
Whoever your favorite driver is, I wish him or her well this season.
It’s like a spring thaw. Florida was hit with some of the coldest temperatures they’ve had in years, if forever. California has seen some of the worst rainstorms and snowstorms in decades. In other words, doomsday is near at hand, right?
NASCAR has the perfect solution to this bad weather, bad feeling that winter leaves behind. The Budweiser Shootout, the Twin races, and the actual Daytona 500 are just around the corner. We’ve got a ton of racing in NASCAR just around the corner, and it couldn’t come soon enough for me.
It’s been an unbelievably long off season, at least for me. It seems like it’s been years since the guys were on the track. I know it hasn’t been that long, but at the tender age of 46, I still believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. When I get older, maybe I’ll stop believing in the tooth fairy.
To me, February is the real Christmas, at least as far as racing goes. No, no, I still believe in Christmas on December 25th because that is the day of the birth of my savior Jesus Christ. But February 14th will have special meaning for me this year, because Valentine’s day coincides with the Daytona 500. I’m hopelessly romantic, and though I’ve got no sweetheart to spend Valentine’s day with, I will be wired and fired up for the Daytona 500.
For me, Daytona is the best part of the year. Gas fumes, burning rubber, can it get any better than this?
I don’t think so.
I’ll be back lots with more thoughts as Speed Weeks gets under way.
Whoever your favorite driver is, I wish him or her well this season.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
What Makes a Great NASCAR Driver?
Probably every fan of any driver has a different template as to what it takes to be a great driver in NASCAR. Does it take a racing pedigree? Does it take a famous father? Does it just take a boat load of money?
Many drivers followed in their father’s footsteps to become racers. Many guys, such as Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others have been around race cars since they could crawl. Climbing into a race car one day and going for the checkered flag was as natural for them as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were for most of the rest of us when we were kids. When I was a kid, I was fortunate enough to live in a place, where besides the hated hours I spent inside a school classroom, I had the opportunity to walk in the woods, ride my bicycle, and my friends and I would play endless hours of football, baseball, or shoot hoops out on the driveway. Video games were still in their infancy, and quite frankly, boring to most of us.
On Saturday afternoons, we would gather in the living room and watch college teams play their various sports. We always looked forward to ABC’s Wide World of Sports, and once in a while, we saw snippets of NASCAR races from places like Darlington, Daytona, North Wilkesboro, or Riverside. I was born in 1963, so those of you who are old enough remember what NASCAR coverage was like back in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s. Quite frankly, there wasn’t a lot of it, even here in South Carolina.
I read the newspapers when I was a kid, and always looked forward to reading the sports page on Monday mornings to see who had won yesterdays race. Many times, NASCAR events were covered on the evening news as well, but to me, NASCAR was a world away, a world that seemed like a great place, but one which I had never actually experienced.
Probably, most kids in North America grew up in similar environments back in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. I grew up in a distinctly middle class family, and my father went to work every morning, and my mom stayed at home and took care of the house, and, of course, the kids. Many of my friends had mothers who worked full time, but that was probably the exception, rather than the rule in rural South Carolina in those days, especially for a white middle class kid like me.
As usual, I digress. Many kids throughout the South, and indeed, all over the continent, grew up with a garage that did not contain the family car. No, this garage housed a race car. In some instances, this race car provided a target to throw money at with little in the way of return, at least financially. Yet some homes had a garage with a race car sitting inside of it that generated the income which put the food on the table, and kept the lights on inside the house.
Such was the case in the humble Earnhardt home in Kannapolis, North Carolina back in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Like many Piedmont area cities back then, the local cotton mill was king. Virtually everyone in neighborhoods in many of these southern cities worked at the local mill. Ralph Earnhardt worked in the mill, just like all his neighbors, but went racing nights and weekends. Ralph got so good at racing that he eventually gave up his day job to race his cars and build cars for other racers full time.
Ralph had a son named Dale, and of course the rest is history. But Dale was a race car driver’s kid, and many of his father’s races were run in places like Columbia, South Carolina, or Myrtle Beach, and his father not only drove the race cars, he had to haul them back and forth to the race tracks. Dale went to as many races as he could, but obviously couldn’t go to all of them. Ralph would arrive home in the wee hours many mornings while Dale was asleep. Dale would rise early, while his parents and his brothers and sisters were still sleeping, and go out to the shop, just to look at the race car. If the car was banged up, or covered with mud, he knew his dad probably hadn’t had a good night. If the car was relatively clean, he knew his father had probably won last night’s race.
Many of today’s drivers could tell you similar stories. Dale Earnhardt sacrificed marriages to race. Will Dale Earnhardt ever be named father of the year by most of his kids? Probably not, but that was Dale Earnhardt’s passion: Racing.
When Dale Earnhardt finally made it to the big time, which of course means NASCAR, in 1979, he was broke, basically homeless. A couple of years later, after winning Rookie of the Year in 1979 and winning his first Winston Cup Championship in 1980, he was rich beyond his wildest dreams. Dale Earnhardt went on to win six more championships, and a total of 76 races, amassing fortunes that no one could spend in a lifetime or two.
It sounds like a cliche, but drivers who succeed in this sport are driven. It’s not always how much talent you have, it’s how you use it. It’s never so much what you’ve been given, but how you use it, and how much fire in the belly motivates you to get there.
Anybody can drive a car fast. Heck, even I can do it. But it’s what motivates you to get to the point that you can clothe yourself, feed your family, and keep a roof over your head that really matters.
Right now, I’m not doing so good in that arena, but I’ve got heroes like Dale Earnhardt to study and hopefully, I can follow his example.
I’m hungry, just like Dale Earnhardt was at one time. I want to succeed. I don’t want to simply survive, I want to win! I think I now know exactly how if feels to be a wannabe NASCAR driver. Losing is not an option. I’m here to Win!
Your thoughts and opinions are always appreciated here. If I don’t respond, don’t worry, I do read them all. I read them and think about them too, as an added bonus!
As always, thank you for all of your support!
Many drivers followed in their father’s footsteps to become racers. Many guys, such as Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others have been around race cars since they could crawl. Climbing into a race car one day and going for the checkered flag was as natural for them as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were for most of the rest of us when we were kids. When I was a kid, I was fortunate enough to live in a place, where besides the hated hours I spent inside a school classroom, I had the opportunity to walk in the woods, ride my bicycle, and my friends and I would play endless hours of football, baseball, or shoot hoops out on the driveway. Video games were still in their infancy, and quite frankly, boring to most of us.
On Saturday afternoons, we would gather in the living room and watch college teams play their various sports. We always looked forward to ABC’s Wide World of Sports, and once in a while, we saw snippets of NASCAR races from places like Darlington, Daytona, North Wilkesboro, or Riverside. I was born in 1963, so those of you who are old enough remember what NASCAR coverage was like back in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s. Quite frankly, there wasn’t a lot of it, even here in South Carolina.
I read the newspapers when I was a kid, and always looked forward to reading the sports page on Monday mornings to see who had won yesterdays race. Many times, NASCAR events were covered on the evening news as well, but to me, NASCAR was a world away, a world that seemed like a great place, but one which I had never actually experienced.
Probably, most kids in North America grew up in similar environments back in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. I grew up in a distinctly middle class family, and my father went to work every morning, and my mom stayed at home and took care of the house, and, of course, the kids. Many of my friends had mothers who worked full time, but that was probably the exception, rather than the rule in rural South Carolina in those days, especially for a white middle class kid like me.
As usual, I digress. Many kids throughout the South, and indeed, all over the continent, grew up with a garage that did not contain the family car. No, this garage housed a race car. In some instances, this race car provided a target to throw money at with little in the way of return, at least financially. Yet some homes had a garage with a race car sitting inside of it that generated the income which put the food on the table, and kept the lights on inside the house.
Such was the case in the humble Earnhardt home in Kannapolis, North Carolina back in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Like many Piedmont area cities back then, the local cotton mill was king. Virtually everyone in neighborhoods in many of these southern cities worked at the local mill. Ralph Earnhardt worked in the mill, just like all his neighbors, but went racing nights and weekends. Ralph got so good at racing that he eventually gave up his day job to race his cars and build cars for other racers full time.
Ralph had a son named Dale, and of course the rest is history. But Dale was a race car driver’s kid, and many of his father’s races were run in places like Columbia, South Carolina, or Myrtle Beach, and his father not only drove the race cars, he had to haul them back and forth to the race tracks. Dale went to as many races as he could, but obviously couldn’t go to all of them. Ralph would arrive home in the wee hours many mornings while Dale was asleep. Dale would rise early, while his parents and his brothers and sisters were still sleeping, and go out to the shop, just to look at the race car. If the car was banged up, or covered with mud, he knew his dad probably hadn’t had a good night. If the car was relatively clean, he knew his father had probably won last night’s race.
Many of today’s drivers could tell you similar stories. Dale Earnhardt sacrificed marriages to race. Will Dale Earnhardt ever be named father of the year by most of his kids? Probably not, but that was Dale Earnhardt’s passion: Racing.
When Dale Earnhardt finally made it to the big time, which of course means NASCAR, in 1979, he was broke, basically homeless. A couple of years later, after winning Rookie of the Year in 1979 and winning his first Winston Cup Championship in 1980, he was rich beyond his wildest dreams. Dale Earnhardt went on to win six more championships, and a total of 76 races, amassing fortunes that no one could spend in a lifetime or two.
It sounds like a cliche, but drivers who succeed in this sport are driven. It’s not always how much talent you have, it’s how you use it. It’s never so much what you’ve been given, but how you use it, and how much fire in the belly motivates you to get there.
Anybody can drive a car fast. Heck, even I can do it. But it’s what motivates you to get to the point that you can clothe yourself, feed your family, and keep a roof over your head that really matters.
Right now, I’m not doing so good in that arena, but I’ve got heroes like Dale Earnhardt to study and hopefully, I can follow his example.
I’m hungry, just like Dale Earnhardt was at one time. I want to succeed. I don’t want to simply survive, I want to win! I think I now know exactly how if feels to be a wannabe NASCAR driver. Losing is not an option. I’m here to Win!
Your thoughts and opinions are always appreciated here. If I don’t respond, don’t worry, I do read them all. I read them and think about them too, as an added bonus!
As always, thank you for all of your support!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
NASCAR To Bring Back Spoilers to Sprint Cup?
One of the most intriguing stories that I’ve seen over the last few days is the possibility that NASCAR will remove the infamous wings from Sprint Cup cars as soon as this year. Possibly, the spoilers could be back, but it is unknown whether this will only be for certain races or if the sanctioning body will remove the wings altogether in the future.
Personally, I find this news to be encouraging, and I believe that most of the drivers and teams would much rather deal with spoilers than wings on the rear of their race cars. In the preseason promotion at Daytona International Speedway televised by SPEED TV yesterday, several drivers, when asked, seemed to be whole heartedly in favor of the return to spoilers. Some of the drivers questioned included Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Many, if not most of the Cup teams have had a difficult time getting a handle on setting up the handling for the winged cars since their introduction at the beginning of the 2008 season. Personally, I’ve felt that the wings have been a hindrance to NASCAR’s never ending quest for safety, not only for the drivers, but also the fans.
We all remember the scary rides that Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman took at Talladega last year. In Newman’s case, his car did not hit the catch fence, but had his car flipped upside down closer to the wall, it would have been easy for his car to have landed high up on the fence. In Carl Edward’s case, his car did disintegrate when it hit the fence, and though the fence kept most of the car out of the crowd, at least one fan was badly injured by pieces of flying sheet metal.
Cars landing in the fence are nothing new at Talladega or Daytona. One has to wonder, however, if the wing, which provides such tremendous down force on a car moving in a forward direction, does not also provide a tremendous amount of lift when the car is going backwards? Keeping the cars out of the grandstands has to be NASCAR’s primary concern at any track, and it seems to me that the wing is clearly counterproductive to that goal.
The word being circulated by those in the know about NASCAR’s consideration of bringing back the spoilers has been centered mostly on the competitive advantages rather than possible safety gains. Which ever way you look at it, bringing back the spoiler will be in NASCAR’s best interests to provide a better product for its fans in 2010 and beyond.
Besides, I’ve always thought those wings look rather silly, and as petty as that opinion sounds, it’s also part of what has to be the ultimate goal for NASCAR, which is of course producing happy fans who feel they’ve gotten their moneys worth. To me, the COT, as it was known, was ungainly compared to the pre COT car, which I consider a thing of beauty, if not a true work of art. I own several die cast models of pre COT cars, but I’ve not really been motivated to spend money on any COT replicas, mostly because they just don’t have the eye appeal that many of their ancestors had. Putting a spoiler back on the new car will make it look better, at least in my opinion. Spending money on merchandise is a tradition for NASCAR loyalists, and has helped the sport explode in popularity over the last fifteen or twenty years.
Personally, I find this news to be encouraging, and I believe that most of the drivers and teams would much rather deal with spoilers than wings on the rear of their race cars. In the preseason promotion at Daytona International Speedway televised by SPEED TV yesterday, several drivers, when asked, seemed to be whole heartedly in favor of the return to spoilers. Some of the drivers questioned included Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Many, if not most of the Cup teams have had a difficult time getting a handle on setting up the handling for the winged cars since their introduction at the beginning of the 2008 season. Personally, I’ve felt that the wings have been a hindrance to NASCAR’s never ending quest for safety, not only for the drivers, but also the fans.
We all remember the scary rides that Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman took at Talladega last year. In Newman’s case, his car did not hit the catch fence, but had his car flipped upside down closer to the wall, it would have been easy for his car to have landed high up on the fence. In Carl Edward’s case, his car did disintegrate when it hit the fence, and though the fence kept most of the car out of the crowd, at least one fan was badly injured by pieces of flying sheet metal.
Cars landing in the fence are nothing new at Talladega or Daytona. One has to wonder, however, if the wing, which provides such tremendous down force on a car moving in a forward direction, does not also provide a tremendous amount of lift when the car is going backwards? Keeping the cars out of the grandstands has to be NASCAR’s primary concern at any track, and it seems to me that the wing is clearly counterproductive to that goal.
The word being circulated by those in the know about NASCAR’s consideration of bringing back the spoilers has been centered mostly on the competitive advantages rather than possible safety gains. Which ever way you look at it, bringing back the spoiler will be in NASCAR’s best interests to provide a better product for its fans in 2010 and beyond.
Besides, I’ve always thought those wings look rather silly, and as petty as that opinion sounds, it’s also part of what has to be the ultimate goal for NASCAR, which is of course producing happy fans who feel they’ve gotten their moneys worth. To me, the COT, as it was known, was ungainly compared to the pre COT car, which I consider a thing of beauty, if not a true work of art. I own several die cast models of pre COT cars, but I’ve not really been motivated to spend money on any COT replicas, mostly because they just don’t have the eye appeal that many of their ancestors had. Putting a spoiler back on the new car will make it look better, at least in my opinion. Spending money on merchandise is a tradition for NASCAR loyalists, and has helped the sport explode in popularity over the last fifteen or twenty years.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
A Few Random Thoughts About the 2010 NASCAR Season
After the 2009 season, what do you think of your favorite driver? If he happened to be Jimmie Johnson, you probably couldn’t hope for a better season for 2010, except to wonder if JJ can keep the streak up for a fifth season. If you happen to be a Jeff Gordon fan, what do you think about his chances of one upping his teammate and winning the fifth championship he’s been trying to win since 2001?
What about Mark Martin, the man who’s come so close but never been able to seal the deal? What about Kyle Busch, the man who starts so strong, but finishes out of the running?
What about Dale Earnhardt Jr, the man who keeps falling short of the media’s expectations? Will this be the year that Junior wins some races and seriously contends for that first Sprint Cup championship?
What do you think about the state of NASCAR in general? Has Jimmie Johnson’s four consecutive championships turned fans off from the sport? Has NASCAR become too predictable? Can Brian France, Mike Helton and company find ways to put more posteriors in seats in 2010? Can the TV networks recover from ratings losses experienced in 2009? What do you think? After all, your opinion is every bit, if not more valid than mine. I’d love to hear from you!
I’m having mixed feelings about what has been probably been the hottest off season topic in NASCAR, and that, of course, is the addition of the feisty lady of IRL into NASCAR’s ranks, namely in Nationwide and ARCA for 2010. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I’m talking about Danica Patrick.
Personally, I like Danica Patrick. Of course, I’m a relatively healthy male in my mid 40’s, who appreciates not only a nice looking lady, but even more a woman who has the intestinal fortitude to drive some of the toughest rides around. I think that Danica will be good for NASCAR, and personally, I’m hoping she sticks around for the long run. I’d love to see Danica Patrick in Cup, eventually, because whether or not she succeeds as a stock car driver, she will have an impact on the sport. Danica will keep the media and the fans buzzing, and that’s not a bad thing. I’m hoping that Danica will take some of the heat off the never ending media blitz that seems to constantly surround her Nationwide team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. I believe that Dale Jr. might be able to concentrate on his own job as a driver more if someone else was getting all the interviews for a change.
In this never ending experiment called television broadcasting of NASCAR events, what big changes, if any, will we see in 2010? We already know of one big change at ESPN, with Dr. Jerry Punch being replaced as the play by play man in the booth by Ralph Sheheen, and for me, that’s a very positive move. Jerry Punch’s abilities to develop stories and interviews in the garage and on pit road are legendary, and I feel that Jerry Punch will be much better utilized in that role than he has been in the booth. Ralph, Dale Jarrett, and Andy Petree will be a strong team that will hopefully be able to convey the magic that is a NASCAR race to the viewers.
More than anything else, I hope 2010 is a safe year, not only for the drivers, but also the crews, the officials, and especially the fans. Race weekends can be and should be celebrations, and I hope all of you who are reading this will attend at least one racing event this season, or at least have an opportunity to do so. Going to a racing event weekend does not mean that fans have to get falling down drunk though. Unfortunately, that is one of the stereotypes that often make the highlight reel on racing weekends, and I know you all know what I’m talking about. A fan at Infineon jumps a fence and asks Matt Kenseth for an autograph under a red flag condition on the track. A fan is escorted out of Talladega for throwing beer cans over the fence. You get my drift. Have fun, folks, but don’t do anything that’s going to embarrass your grandchildren when they’re watching ESPN 50 years from now!
The 2010 season is nearly upon us, and personally, I can’t wait! I say that every year, but I’m really needing that dose of high octane, heart pounding moment when the engines fire up, and the cars go around the track.
What about Mark Martin, the man who’s come so close but never been able to seal the deal? What about Kyle Busch, the man who starts so strong, but finishes out of the running?
What about Dale Earnhardt Jr, the man who keeps falling short of the media’s expectations? Will this be the year that Junior wins some races and seriously contends for that first Sprint Cup championship?
What do you think about the state of NASCAR in general? Has Jimmie Johnson’s four consecutive championships turned fans off from the sport? Has NASCAR become too predictable? Can Brian France, Mike Helton and company find ways to put more posteriors in seats in 2010? Can the TV networks recover from ratings losses experienced in 2009? What do you think? After all, your opinion is every bit, if not more valid than mine. I’d love to hear from you!
I’m having mixed feelings about what has been probably been the hottest off season topic in NASCAR, and that, of course, is the addition of the feisty lady of IRL into NASCAR’s ranks, namely in Nationwide and ARCA for 2010. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I’m talking about Danica Patrick.
Personally, I like Danica Patrick. Of course, I’m a relatively healthy male in my mid 40’s, who appreciates not only a nice looking lady, but even more a woman who has the intestinal fortitude to drive some of the toughest rides around. I think that Danica will be good for NASCAR, and personally, I’m hoping she sticks around for the long run. I’d love to see Danica Patrick in Cup, eventually, because whether or not she succeeds as a stock car driver, she will have an impact on the sport. Danica will keep the media and the fans buzzing, and that’s not a bad thing. I’m hoping that Danica will take some of the heat off the never ending media blitz that seems to constantly surround her Nationwide team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. I believe that Dale Jr. might be able to concentrate on his own job as a driver more if someone else was getting all the interviews for a change.
In this never ending experiment called television broadcasting of NASCAR events, what big changes, if any, will we see in 2010? We already know of one big change at ESPN, with Dr. Jerry Punch being replaced as the play by play man in the booth by Ralph Sheheen, and for me, that’s a very positive move. Jerry Punch’s abilities to develop stories and interviews in the garage and on pit road are legendary, and I feel that Jerry Punch will be much better utilized in that role than he has been in the booth. Ralph, Dale Jarrett, and Andy Petree will be a strong team that will hopefully be able to convey the magic that is a NASCAR race to the viewers.
More than anything else, I hope 2010 is a safe year, not only for the drivers, but also the crews, the officials, and especially the fans. Race weekends can be and should be celebrations, and I hope all of you who are reading this will attend at least one racing event this season, or at least have an opportunity to do so. Going to a racing event weekend does not mean that fans have to get falling down drunk though. Unfortunately, that is one of the stereotypes that often make the highlight reel on racing weekends, and I know you all know what I’m talking about. A fan at Infineon jumps a fence and asks Matt Kenseth for an autograph under a red flag condition on the track. A fan is escorted out of Talladega for throwing beer cans over the fence. You get my drift. Have fun, folks, but don’t do anything that’s going to embarrass your grandchildren when they’re watching ESPN 50 years from now!
The 2010 season is nearly upon us, and personally, I can’t wait! I say that every year, but I’m really needing that dose of high octane, heart pounding moment when the engines fire up, and the cars go around the track.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Reality In the Year 2010
Reality obviously means a lot of different things to different people. For some, reality means TV shows that show people competing against each other on a far away island, or trying to convince a panel of judges that they can sing or perform some other stage act. Reality might also mean a serious health problem, lack of money to pay the rent or mortgage, or losing a job you thought would last a lifetime.
Reality in NASCAR can be just as difficult to define as it is in anyone’s normal, everyday life. NASCAR drivers are measured by an infinite number of yard sticks, but most agree that the number of wins or championships a driver has achieved is usually concrete evidence of a driver’s ability, and his standing in the sport.
Reality also means that many drivers who have never won a major championship or many races in the sport’s elite series have also had a huge impact on the sport. Take Mark Martin, for instance. Mark has yet to win a Sprint Cup championship, but is one of the few members of the so called ‘old school’ class of drivers to whom many other drivers are compared. Mark generally behaves as a gentleman both on and off the track, and that simply cannot be said about some other drivers, young or old.
Take Morgan Shepherd. Can you name a race that the man has won in NASCAR? I can’t either. Morgan, however, has made his mark in the world, and in life by helping people less fortunate than him. If you want to know what a true living angel is, look no farther than Morgan Shepherd.
Kyle Petty has won a few Cup races, but Kyle will long be remembered for his efforts to help children at Victory Junction Gang Camp far longer than his driving ability will be remembered. Kyle says he was inspired by his son, Adam, who died tragically at New Hampshire in 2000, but truth be told, I think Kyle has always had it in his heart, and to me, he’s one of NASCAR’s greatest people, ever. Kyle has truly given back, not only to the sport he loves, but to people that could have never experienced such joy and fun, were it not for his kindness and generosity. If NASCAR gave out an award for person of the decade, I would nominate Kyle Petty.
In other sports, I just heard today that two NBA players who play for the Washington Wizards drew guns on each other in the locker room on Christmas Eve, either before, during, or after a game. We’re talking teammates here. Such seems to be the culture of the National Basketball Association. Can you imagine Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon squaring off with pistols in the garage at your favorite NASCAR venue? Merry Christmas, NBA. I have not watched an NBA game in well over a decade, and don’t plan to for several decades in the future. The NBA just exemplifies why I think NASCAR is the greatest sport in the world. NASCAR is about family and loyalty. Normal, everyday family members don’t draw guns on each other over a gambling debt, or for any other reason for that matter. If NASCAR is like “Leave it to Beaver,” and the NBA is like “The Sopranos,” I’ll take the happy family any day. Am I old fashioned? Why, yes I am, and pretty proud of it.
There’s enough drama in life and on CNN and MSNBC without having to hear about pistol standoffs on ESPN. Through my own super secret methods of readership demographics analysis, I’ve determined that most of you would consider me an to be an old guy anyway. I don’t mind. Everyone has that older uncle or friend of the family that nobody likes to talk about! If that’s my niche in your life, then so be it!
2010 not only is a new year, but also a new decade. NASCAR will go on, and just next month the show will get cranked up again at Daytona. It feels so good to say ‘next month’ and not ‘next year.’ I, like most loyal NASCAR fans sometimes start to get bored near the end of the season when it looks inevitable who will win the Cup. For four years in a row, Jimmie Johnson has been NASCAR’s champion, and he has deserved it. But it does get old after a while, unless you’re a huge JJ fan. Should Jimmie Johnson win the whole shebang in 2010, I’ll give him and the 48 team kudos yet again, because it will be again well deserved.
Personally, I hope we see a dark horse, a long shot, in other words suddenly shoot to the top of the charts in Sprint Cup. It’s not that I don’t wish a record breaking (again) 5th consecutive championship, because Jimmie and crew are pretty likable guys, it’s just because I think it’s time for NASCAR nation to get excited again. For whatever reasons, Jimmie just doesn’t create the excitement that 4 consecutive championships deserve. NASCAR is a fan driven sport, and if the fans aren’t excited, then the sport needs something different. It’s just that simple. NASCAR needs some new heroes, and I doubt that Jimmie Johnson could slay a dragon or catch a bullet with his teeth and fit that description for most fans. Jimmie Johnson is a genuinely nice guy who just doesn’t attract a ton of attention.
On another note, but one that is pertinent to the subject of reality, don’t look to your sports heroes or to so called reality TV for a dose of what the media calls ‘reality.’ Reality is everywhere. You don’t have to travel far to get a big heaping dose of it, actually. I haven’t written much here lately, in part because I’ve been spending a lot of time in a hospital, trying to help care for an ailing family member. Many of you who read this know how this is, and for those of you who don’t, unfortunately you probably will one day.
A local sports talk show host has a son who has been in and out of hospitals and treatment centers for much of the last couple of years. As I understand it, the boy is only in his teens, and never has really had a chance to have a life, because he’s been hit so hard by a disease neither he nor his father had ever heard of, until it hit this boy. Recently on the host’s show, he remarked that he didn’t think much of reality TV shows. His comment was along the lines of this: “If you want reality, go spend some time in a hospital.”
I was struck by that comment, and now I indeed know it’s true. I’ve spent a lot of hours this past week seeing what happens even in a small town hospital. Battles between life and death are literally being waged not only daily, but hourly. That, my friends, is reality.
By all means, please, please support your favorite NASCAR drivers and other sports heroes, whether they be football, baseball, or even, yes, the NBA. Do your part in supporting your teams. Support your favorite athletes or teams with all you heart, but remember to do one other thing, if not for me, then for yourself.
Support those who have helped you be who you are, whether it be family, friends, a mentor, a pastor, or whomever.
Help them when you can, because sooner or later, everyone will need some help.
That’s reality, my friends.
Reality in NASCAR can be just as difficult to define as it is in anyone’s normal, everyday life. NASCAR drivers are measured by an infinite number of yard sticks, but most agree that the number of wins or championships a driver has achieved is usually concrete evidence of a driver’s ability, and his standing in the sport.
Reality also means that many drivers who have never won a major championship or many races in the sport’s elite series have also had a huge impact on the sport. Take Mark Martin, for instance. Mark has yet to win a Sprint Cup championship, but is one of the few members of the so called ‘old school’ class of drivers to whom many other drivers are compared. Mark generally behaves as a gentleman both on and off the track, and that simply cannot be said about some other drivers, young or old.
Take Morgan Shepherd. Can you name a race that the man has won in NASCAR? I can’t either. Morgan, however, has made his mark in the world, and in life by helping people less fortunate than him. If you want to know what a true living angel is, look no farther than Morgan Shepherd.
Kyle Petty has won a few Cup races, but Kyle will long be remembered for his efforts to help children at Victory Junction Gang Camp far longer than his driving ability will be remembered. Kyle says he was inspired by his son, Adam, who died tragically at New Hampshire in 2000, but truth be told, I think Kyle has always had it in his heart, and to me, he’s one of NASCAR’s greatest people, ever. Kyle has truly given back, not only to the sport he loves, but to people that could have never experienced such joy and fun, were it not for his kindness and generosity. If NASCAR gave out an award for person of the decade, I would nominate Kyle Petty.
In other sports, I just heard today that two NBA players who play for the Washington Wizards drew guns on each other in the locker room on Christmas Eve, either before, during, or after a game. We’re talking teammates here. Such seems to be the culture of the National Basketball Association. Can you imagine Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon squaring off with pistols in the garage at your favorite NASCAR venue? Merry Christmas, NBA. I have not watched an NBA game in well over a decade, and don’t plan to for several decades in the future. The NBA just exemplifies why I think NASCAR is the greatest sport in the world. NASCAR is about family and loyalty. Normal, everyday family members don’t draw guns on each other over a gambling debt, or for any other reason for that matter. If NASCAR is like “Leave it to Beaver,” and the NBA is like “The Sopranos,” I’ll take the happy family any day. Am I old fashioned? Why, yes I am, and pretty proud of it.
There’s enough drama in life and on CNN and MSNBC without having to hear about pistol standoffs on ESPN. Through my own super secret methods of readership demographics analysis, I’ve determined that most of you would consider me an to be an old guy anyway. I don’t mind. Everyone has that older uncle or friend of the family that nobody likes to talk about! If that’s my niche in your life, then so be it!
2010 not only is a new year, but also a new decade. NASCAR will go on, and just next month the show will get cranked up again at Daytona. It feels so good to say ‘next month’ and not ‘next year.’ I, like most loyal NASCAR fans sometimes start to get bored near the end of the season when it looks inevitable who will win the Cup. For four years in a row, Jimmie Johnson has been NASCAR’s champion, and he has deserved it. But it does get old after a while, unless you’re a huge JJ fan. Should Jimmie Johnson win the whole shebang in 2010, I’ll give him and the 48 team kudos yet again, because it will be again well deserved.
Personally, I hope we see a dark horse, a long shot, in other words suddenly shoot to the top of the charts in Sprint Cup. It’s not that I don’t wish a record breaking (again) 5th consecutive championship, because Jimmie and crew are pretty likable guys, it’s just because I think it’s time for NASCAR nation to get excited again. For whatever reasons, Jimmie just doesn’t create the excitement that 4 consecutive championships deserve. NASCAR is a fan driven sport, and if the fans aren’t excited, then the sport needs something different. It’s just that simple. NASCAR needs some new heroes, and I doubt that Jimmie Johnson could slay a dragon or catch a bullet with his teeth and fit that description for most fans. Jimmie Johnson is a genuinely nice guy who just doesn’t attract a ton of attention.
On another note, but one that is pertinent to the subject of reality, don’t look to your sports heroes or to so called reality TV for a dose of what the media calls ‘reality.’ Reality is everywhere. You don’t have to travel far to get a big heaping dose of it, actually. I haven’t written much here lately, in part because I’ve been spending a lot of time in a hospital, trying to help care for an ailing family member. Many of you who read this know how this is, and for those of you who don’t, unfortunately you probably will one day.
A local sports talk show host has a son who has been in and out of hospitals and treatment centers for much of the last couple of years. As I understand it, the boy is only in his teens, and never has really had a chance to have a life, because he’s been hit so hard by a disease neither he nor his father had ever heard of, until it hit this boy. Recently on the host’s show, he remarked that he didn’t think much of reality TV shows. His comment was along the lines of this: “If you want reality, go spend some time in a hospital.”
I was struck by that comment, and now I indeed know it’s true. I’ve spent a lot of hours this past week seeing what happens even in a small town hospital. Battles between life and death are literally being waged not only daily, but hourly. That, my friends, is reality.
By all means, please, please support your favorite NASCAR drivers and other sports heroes, whether they be football, baseball, or even, yes, the NBA. Do your part in supporting your teams. Support your favorite athletes or teams with all you heart, but remember to do one other thing, if not for me, then for yourself.
Support those who have helped you be who you are, whether it be family, friends, a mentor, a pastor, or whomever.
Help them when you can, because sooner or later, everyone will need some help.
That’s reality, my friends.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Home Is Where It’s At
I know the title of this article is probably what many would consider to be a ‘southernism,’ which is to say that if you grew up in the south, the phrasing would make perfect sense. If you grew up, say, in Omaha, Nebraska, or New Jersey, or Los Angeles, you might consider the title to be the words of a southern red neck that just doesn’t know any better.
And you would be right.
Long time readers of this column know that I am proud to be southerner. For those of you who didn’t grow up in a place like Georgia, or Alabama, or North Carolina, our language can be tough to decipher. Those of you reading this article are likely fans of NASCAR, however. If you’ve followed NASCAR for more than the last year, you are used to southern accents that still somehow permeate the sport. If you’ve heard Darrell Waltrip, or Larry McReynolds speak, you’ve heard southern accents. There are even a few drivers around with real southern accents, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Elliot Sadler, Mark Martin, Bill Eliot, and a few others. Owners, such as Rick Hendrick, Teresa Earnhardt, and others speak with a southern accent. We rarely hear Teresa speak, but when you do, you know she’s not from Upstate New York.
I was born in the early 1960’s, 1963, to be exact. I was born and grew up in the Carolinas, South Carolina to be specific. These days, we don’t really have many NASCAR drivers from my home state, but we have legends who call South Carolina home. There’s David Pearson, and Cale Yarborough,. If you’ve never heard of them, turn in your NASCAR fan badge right now, please.
South Carolina is also home the of Darlington Speedway, which is one of the oldest tracks still gracing the NASCAR circuit. In the old days, they actually used to hold NASCAR sanctioned races at places like Columbia, Greenville-Pickens, Myrtle Beach, and other tracks around the Palmetto State.
NASCAR has never been an exclusively southern sport though. Even in the early 1950’s, it was common for the NASCAR guys to run races in California, Pennsylvania, New York, and even in Canada. The drivers were never always from the south either. They came from practically every state in the union, In the early days, many were veterans of World War II, and though most had had their share of excitement in the war, many tried their hand in stock car racing. Some were successful, some were not.
Though I have read much of the history of NASCAR, I was not personally aware of the sport until I was about 9 years old. On a Saturday afternoon, I was lying on the floor in the den, watching ABC’s Wide World of Sports. There had been a race somewhere, and ABC covered the high lights of the race. They showed all these souped up cars running around a race track somewhere at what seemed to me impossible speeds. I was fascinated. At the end of the race, the ABC crew interviewed the race winner, a guy named Petty. He climbed out of his car, took his goggles off, and his face was stained almost black from the smoke and oil that made it somehow inside the cockpit of his race car. This guy Petty had a huge smile, and thanked his fans for showing up and making the day special for him. I immediately liked the guy, and just like that, another young Richard Petty fan was born.
I was a fan of Richard Petty for quite a few years, and tried to catch the high lights on local news or Wide World of Sports whenever I could. I’d never been to a real race, but wanted to go to one really bad. In somewhere around 1977 or so, I got my chance, and went with another family to the Greenville-Pickens Speedway, between, strangely enough, Greenville, SC, and Easley, SC. Easley is in Pickens County, SC, so in that way, it all makes sense.
I didn’t get to see Richard Petty ‘s famous 43 that night, but I did get to see another car tearing around the track, and he was passing cars left and right, sometimes wrecking them in the attempt to pass them. This car finished second that night, if I remember correctly. The driver of the car was some guy named Earnhardt, and he was from Kannapolis, North Carolina. I’d never heard of him, but I soon would hear a lot more about him.
Racing was, of course, not the only sport around where I grew up. We had, just like any other place in the US, football, basketball, baseball, and sometimes even soccer. I went to a lot of high school football games, basketball games, and even some baseball games. In high school, I ran cross country. In those days, I could run for miles. These days, it’s a hardship to drive for miles!
But, as usual, I digress. In those days, NASCAR wasn’t the most important part of my life. There were girls, after all. I loved several girls with all my heart and soul. From afar, of course, because, they were, after all, girls! I didn’t know how to talk to them, and to be honest, I can talk to them now, but I still don’t really know what to say. Whether I just try to be myself or try to make women think I am a man of the world, they usually end up thinking “This guy is an idiot.” Unfortunately, they’re all probably right. That’s why I live with cats.
And still further, I digress. I was born in Columbia, South Carolina at the tender age of, well, nothing. You may have already figured that out. I’m glad. I spent my first six years in the rather warm and humid climate of Columbia, and when I was six, exactly six, my family moved to Taylors, South Carolina. Taylors is now considered a suburb of Greenville, and probably was even then. We then moved to the house that I really grew up in, in Greenville County, SC. It was then out in the country, but probably couldn’t be considered that now. I watched NASCAR on TV whenever it was on, but never considered it my favorite. Sure, I liked watching the guys named Petty, Waltrip, Yarborough, Pearson, and others win, but I only paid little attention.
In around 1979, however, that dude I’d once seen at Greenville-Pickens burst onto the scene, and turned NASCAR upside down. Earnhardt won rookie of the year, and in 1980, he won his first Cup championship. That had never been done before, and not even Richard Petty had done that.
To be honest with you, at first, I never really liked Dale Earnhardt. He wrecked people. He bumped people in order to win races. I appreciated his aura as a blue collar driver, who grew up as many of my friends did, but which I didn’t. My father was an engineer, and made a good salary, and I’d never lived in a mill hill home growing up like Dale Earnhardt did. Yeah, maybe I was a little arrogant. Maybe even a lot.
As time went by, especially in the 1980’s, I was growing up, and Dale Earnhardt was winning darn near everything. Eventually I became an Earnhardt fan, though gingerly. I still didn’t like his tactics, but I had to admire his drive and determination. The man had a ton of talent, and he wasn’t afraid to add in a little grit and ruthlessness to get the job done. Dale Earnhardt soon replaced Darrell Waltrip as the bad boy of stock car racing.
At a race in Darlington, in the mid 1980’s, I think I was introduced to the truth by a Waltrip fan sitting next to me. Earnhardt won the race, but the guy next to me said “At least Earnhardt came up right. He used to starve to go racing.” It wasn’t until many years later that I came to find how true that was.
Earnhardt, of course, became a legend, perhaps before his time. On February 18, 2001, he was taken away from us forever. I cried that day, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. The last time I’d cried was when Davey Allison’s life was snuffed out forever in a helicopter crash at Talladega.
If you’re a NASCAR fan, these guy’s lives become an important part of our own lives. Uniquely, NASCAR fans have probably more access to their heroes than does any fan of any other sport. NASCAR fans, treasure the days that you have cheering your driver on to win. Those days may by numbered, and only God can tell you for sure.
As for me, I’m glad I live in the state of South Carolina. It’s my home. I never want to leave here. I’ve got Charlotte to the north of me, Atlanta to the south of me. The south is not now or ever really the true home of NASCAR, but I’ve been blessed to live not so far from my heroes when it comes to NASCAR.
Living on hallowed ground, maybe? Probably not. But even the most jaded fan of NASCAR must admit that some of the best times we’ve ever had here were at tracks like Daytona, Talladega, Darlington, Rockingham, Richmond, Bristol, and Martinsville. Home is where it is. In NASCAR, Home for me is in the south.
South Carolina isn’t much, but it’s home. What could be better than to be at home?
And you would be right.
Long time readers of this column know that I am proud to be southerner. For those of you who didn’t grow up in a place like Georgia, or Alabama, or North Carolina, our language can be tough to decipher. Those of you reading this article are likely fans of NASCAR, however. If you’ve followed NASCAR for more than the last year, you are used to southern accents that still somehow permeate the sport. If you’ve heard Darrell Waltrip, or Larry McReynolds speak, you’ve heard southern accents. There are even a few drivers around with real southern accents, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Elliot Sadler, Mark Martin, Bill Eliot, and a few others. Owners, such as Rick Hendrick, Teresa Earnhardt, and others speak with a southern accent. We rarely hear Teresa speak, but when you do, you know she’s not from Upstate New York.
I was born in the early 1960’s, 1963, to be exact. I was born and grew up in the Carolinas, South Carolina to be specific. These days, we don’t really have many NASCAR drivers from my home state, but we have legends who call South Carolina home. There’s David Pearson, and Cale Yarborough,. If you’ve never heard of them, turn in your NASCAR fan badge right now, please.
South Carolina is also home the of Darlington Speedway, which is one of the oldest tracks still gracing the NASCAR circuit. In the old days, they actually used to hold NASCAR sanctioned races at places like Columbia, Greenville-Pickens, Myrtle Beach, and other tracks around the Palmetto State.
NASCAR has never been an exclusively southern sport though. Even in the early 1950’s, it was common for the NASCAR guys to run races in California, Pennsylvania, New York, and even in Canada. The drivers were never always from the south either. They came from practically every state in the union, In the early days, many were veterans of World War II, and though most had had their share of excitement in the war, many tried their hand in stock car racing. Some were successful, some were not.
Though I have read much of the history of NASCAR, I was not personally aware of the sport until I was about 9 years old. On a Saturday afternoon, I was lying on the floor in the den, watching ABC’s Wide World of Sports. There had been a race somewhere, and ABC covered the high lights of the race. They showed all these souped up cars running around a race track somewhere at what seemed to me impossible speeds. I was fascinated. At the end of the race, the ABC crew interviewed the race winner, a guy named Petty. He climbed out of his car, took his goggles off, and his face was stained almost black from the smoke and oil that made it somehow inside the cockpit of his race car. This guy Petty had a huge smile, and thanked his fans for showing up and making the day special for him. I immediately liked the guy, and just like that, another young Richard Petty fan was born.
I was a fan of Richard Petty for quite a few years, and tried to catch the high lights on local news or Wide World of Sports whenever I could. I’d never been to a real race, but wanted to go to one really bad. In somewhere around 1977 or so, I got my chance, and went with another family to the Greenville-Pickens Speedway, between, strangely enough, Greenville, SC, and Easley, SC. Easley is in Pickens County, SC, so in that way, it all makes sense.
I didn’t get to see Richard Petty ‘s famous 43 that night, but I did get to see another car tearing around the track, and he was passing cars left and right, sometimes wrecking them in the attempt to pass them. This car finished second that night, if I remember correctly. The driver of the car was some guy named Earnhardt, and he was from Kannapolis, North Carolina. I’d never heard of him, but I soon would hear a lot more about him.
Racing was, of course, not the only sport around where I grew up. We had, just like any other place in the US, football, basketball, baseball, and sometimes even soccer. I went to a lot of high school football games, basketball games, and even some baseball games. In high school, I ran cross country. In those days, I could run for miles. These days, it’s a hardship to drive for miles!
But, as usual, I digress. In those days, NASCAR wasn’t the most important part of my life. There were girls, after all. I loved several girls with all my heart and soul. From afar, of course, because, they were, after all, girls! I didn’t know how to talk to them, and to be honest, I can talk to them now, but I still don’t really know what to say. Whether I just try to be myself or try to make women think I am a man of the world, they usually end up thinking “This guy is an idiot.” Unfortunately, they’re all probably right. That’s why I live with cats.
And still further, I digress. I was born in Columbia, South Carolina at the tender age of, well, nothing. You may have already figured that out. I’m glad. I spent my first six years in the rather warm and humid climate of Columbia, and when I was six, exactly six, my family moved to Taylors, South Carolina. Taylors is now considered a suburb of Greenville, and probably was even then. We then moved to the house that I really grew up in, in Greenville County, SC. It was then out in the country, but probably couldn’t be considered that now. I watched NASCAR on TV whenever it was on, but never considered it my favorite. Sure, I liked watching the guys named Petty, Waltrip, Yarborough, Pearson, and others win, but I only paid little attention.
In around 1979, however, that dude I’d once seen at Greenville-Pickens burst onto the scene, and turned NASCAR upside down. Earnhardt won rookie of the year, and in 1980, he won his first Cup championship. That had never been done before, and not even Richard Petty had done that.
To be honest with you, at first, I never really liked Dale Earnhardt. He wrecked people. He bumped people in order to win races. I appreciated his aura as a blue collar driver, who grew up as many of my friends did, but which I didn’t. My father was an engineer, and made a good salary, and I’d never lived in a mill hill home growing up like Dale Earnhardt did. Yeah, maybe I was a little arrogant. Maybe even a lot.
As time went by, especially in the 1980’s, I was growing up, and Dale Earnhardt was winning darn near everything. Eventually I became an Earnhardt fan, though gingerly. I still didn’t like his tactics, but I had to admire his drive and determination. The man had a ton of talent, and he wasn’t afraid to add in a little grit and ruthlessness to get the job done. Dale Earnhardt soon replaced Darrell Waltrip as the bad boy of stock car racing.
At a race in Darlington, in the mid 1980’s, I think I was introduced to the truth by a Waltrip fan sitting next to me. Earnhardt won the race, but the guy next to me said “At least Earnhardt came up right. He used to starve to go racing.” It wasn’t until many years later that I came to find how true that was.
Earnhardt, of course, became a legend, perhaps before his time. On February 18, 2001, he was taken away from us forever. I cried that day, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. The last time I’d cried was when Davey Allison’s life was snuffed out forever in a helicopter crash at Talladega.
If you’re a NASCAR fan, these guy’s lives become an important part of our own lives. Uniquely, NASCAR fans have probably more access to their heroes than does any fan of any other sport. NASCAR fans, treasure the days that you have cheering your driver on to win. Those days may by numbered, and only God can tell you for sure.
As for me, I’m glad I live in the state of South Carolina. It’s my home. I never want to leave here. I’ve got Charlotte to the north of me, Atlanta to the south of me. The south is not now or ever really the true home of NASCAR, but I’ve been blessed to live not so far from my heroes when it comes to NASCAR.
Living on hallowed ground, maybe? Probably not. But even the most jaded fan of NASCAR must admit that some of the best times we’ve ever had here were at tracks like Daytona, Talladega, Darlington, Rockingham, Richmond, Bristol, and Martinsville. Home is where it is. In NASCAR, Home for me is in the south.
South Carolina isn’t much, but it’s home. What could be better than to be at home?
Thursday, December 24, 2009
I Wish I Could Dance Like Snoopy!
Can anything be more joyous than a puppy dancing like Snoopy? Probably not much unless it's me. I'm very, very happy for a lot of reasons. First of all, I'm happy because you've been kind enough to read this column over the last year, or even years. I can't thank you enough for that.
I'd also like to thank my good friends over at American Muscle Cars. and of course our friends at Corvette Guys. Without those kind folks, this page might not even be here. You guys have been wonderful to me, and I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!
I'd like to thank Pat, my sister in law, without who's grace and wonderful help I couldn't be publishing this column today. I'd like to than my brother Alan, who helped in so many ways as well.
I'd like to thank my sister Ellen, who has been the greatest big sister ever. I'd like to thank my parents, who at age 85, are still an inspiration and huge influence for me in my life. I'd like to thank Deborah, without who's friendship I could not possibly be alive today. I also want to thank my friends Heather, Karen, Tam, Butler, Kara and yes, even you, Carol. Thanks for all you do and for keeping me sane in in insane world.
More importantly, I'd like to thank the fans of NASCAR, the absolutely greatest sport in the world, and thank you for all you do supporting the various causes and charities that you do such great things for. You, the fans, are what really drives this sport, and I thank you for doing that.
Thank you, dear readers, for taking the time to read here. I hope each and every one of you has a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
How Much Privacy Should NASCAR Drivers Have?
Much has been said about how difficult it is for NASCAR drivers to lead comparatively normal lives, such as living safely in their own homes, being members of or being the heads of families, being able to go to the local restaurant and having a bite to eat without being mobbed by the media or fans, or being able to go to the grocery store and buy a gallon of milk without being molested.
Let me go on record as saying that I’m certainly for drivers, crew, owners, and even music and movie stars to have the ability to do all of those things. When you get right down to it, we’re all human beings, and we all need a little space and privacy at times. We all need a place to feel totally safe and secure in.
Personally, the only way I get by in public is to wear a mustache, glasses, and often go unshaven and wear a baseball cap when I go out to buy a gallon of milk. So far, that disguise seems to be working, because I am seldom mobbed, unless you consider the cats in my yard, and sometimes even in my house. Thus far, I have been successful in escaping my throng of fans when appearing in public. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for my ability to escape the attention of the South Carolina Highway Patrol when I’m driving a teensy bit over the speed limit, or the local tax collector when I neglect to pay taxes on my almost brand new eleven year old pickup truck. Even the mustache didn’t work that time. The Highway Patrol trooper was kind enough to only give me a warning. “Teensy” was not exaggerating. I was going “46 and a half in a 45 zone.” It says so on my warning ticket. Notice to all travelers: Speeding is a fruitless pursuit in the state of South Carolina. Plan early and take your time when you head to Darlington next year.
But as usual, I digress. This column is about NASCAR drivers, not me. When any driver signs a contract to drive in any of NASCAR’s series, there should be a disclaimer: “I, (YOUR NAME HERE) agree to the most intensive examination of my life, family, ancestors, pets, personal automobiles, favorite movies, TV shows, Internet sites, adult beverage, food, and bathroom habits, etc., etc., that only a CIA operative or NASA astronaut could appreciate. For the rest of my life. Plus 50 years.” Hmmm… Would Jeremy Mayfield have signed that disclaimer?
Seriously, though. I don’t mind listening to drivers lose their cool on their radio links to their crew chiefs and spotters. How many of you have not lost your temper at least once in the course of doing your job? I know I have. I have probably lost my temper two or three times already just writing this column. Needless to say, however, it’s all part of the job when it comes to the drivers. They are, after all, in the heat of battle, and sometimes things just slip.
When a driver agrees to give an interview, and voluntarily puts his mouth in front of a microphone and his face in front of a TV camera, that’s a little different. The driver may not have his emotions under control, but he has to know that his actions will be seen by thousands, and most likely millions of people. If a driver can make it all the way to the big leagues, such as is NASCAR, a driver should have plenty of experience with composing himself and controlling his emotions. I say this with one exception, however.
Putting a microphone in the face of a driver who has just 10 seconds before crawled out of a smoking heap of ruined sheet metal, the result of an indiscretion by the guy that was his buddy last week, is simply asking for controversy. I think that discretion should be the rule here. Give the driver time to go back to the hauler, clean up a little, and compose his thoughts before asking for a live interview. Heated words reported around the world might be fun for fans, but probably not too good for racing relationships. Give the guys a chance to cool off, for goodness sake.
The drivers in NASCAR are professionals. They didn’t get there by accident. They got there by virtue of their God given talent. They’re not babes in the woods, but they are human, strangely enough.
Just like you and me.
How much privacy should a NASCAR driver have? So far as being able to live his life like a normal human being when he’s away from the race track, I am all for drivers being able to live a normal family life, or at least as much as they are able to. Fans sometimes get carried away in their attempt to meet drivers in informal settings, and I hope that fans will understand that this type of situation is both uncomfortable for drivers and their families. After all, how would you feel if total strangers came up to you and wanted to talk to you or ask for your autograph when you were minding your own business? How would you feel if you were having a quiet dinner with your spouse and kids and suddenly a total stranger walked up to your table and started taking pictures of you and your kids? I wouldn’t like it very much, and doubt if you would either.
Again, how much privacy should a NASCAR driver have?
As much as they can get away with.
Let me go on record as saying that I’m certainly for drivers, crew, owners, and even music and movie stars to have the ability to do all of those things. When you get right down to it, we’re all human beings, and we all need a little space and privacy at times. We all need a place to feel totally safe and secure in.
Personally, the only way I get by in public is to wear a mustache, glasses, and often go unshaven and wear a baseball cap when I go out to buy a gallon of milk. So far, that disguise seems to be working, because I am seldom mobbed, unless you consider the cats in my yard, and sometimes even in my house. Thus far, I have been successful in escaping my throng of fans when appearing in public. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for my ability to escape the attention of the South Carolina Highway Patrol when I’m driving a teensy bit over the speed limit, or the local tax collector when I neglect to pay taxes on my almost brand new eleven year old pickup truck. Even the mustache didn’t work that time. The Highway Patrol trooper was kind enough to only give me a warning. “Teensy” was not exaggerating. I was going “46 and a half in a 45 zone.” It says so on my warning ticket. Notice to all travelers: Speeding is a fruitless pursuit in the state of South Carolina. Plan early and take your time when you head to Darlington next year.
But as usual, I digress. This column is about NASCAR drivers, not me. When any driver signs a contract to drive in any of NASCAR’s series, there should be a disclaimer: “I, (YOUR NAME HERE) agree to the most intensive examination of my life, family, ancestors, pets, personal automobiles, favorite movies, TV shows, Internet sites, adult beverage, food, and bathroom habits, etc., etc., that only a CIA operative or NASA astronaut could appreciate. For the rest of my life. Plus 50 years.” Hmmm… Would Jeremy Mayfield have signed that disclaimer?
Seriously, though. I don’t mind listening to drivers lose their cool on their radio links to their crew chiefs and spotters. How many of you have not lost your temper at least once in the course of doing your job? I know I have. I have probably lost my temper two or three times already just writing this column. Needless to say, however, it’s all part of the job when it comes to the drivers. They are, after all, in the heat of battle, and sometimes things just slip.
When a driver agrees to give an interview, and voluntarily puts his mouth in front of a microphone and his face in front of a TV camera, that’s a little different. The driver may not have his emotions under control, but he has to know that his actions will be seen by thousands, and most likely millions of people. If a driver can make it all the way to the big leagues, such as is NASCAR, a driver should have plenty of experience with composing himself and controlling his emotions. I say this with one exception, however.
Putting a microphone in the face of a driver who has just 10 seconds before crawled out of a smoking heap of ruined sheet metal, the result of an indiscretion by the guy that was his buddy last week, is simply asking for controversy. I think that discretion should be the rule here. Give the driver time to go back to the hauler, clean up a little, and compose his thoughts before asking for a live interview. Heated words reported around the world might be fun for fans, but probably not too good for racing relationships. Give the guys a chance to cool off, for goodness sake.
The drivers in NASCAR are professionals. They didn’t get there by accident. They got there by virtue of their God given talent. They’re not babes in the woods, but they are human, strangely enough.
Just like you and me.
How much privacy should a NASCAR driver have? So far as being able to live his life like a normal human being when he’s away from the race track, I am all for drivers being able to live a normal family life, or at least as much as they are able to. Fans sometimes get carried away in their attempt to meet drivers in informal settings, and I hope that fans will understand that this type of situation is both uncomfortable for drivers and their families. After all, how would you feel if total strangers came up to you and wanted to talk to you or ask for your autograph when you were minding your own business? How would you feel if you were having a quiet dinner with your spouse and kids and suddenly a total stranger walked up to your table and started taking pictures of you and your kids? I wouldn’t like it very much, and doubt if you would either.
Again, how much privacy should a NASCAR driver have?
As much as they can get away with.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Danica Patrick's finally Ready to Jump Into the NASCAR Pool
It's not news anymore, but Indy Racing League driver Danica Patrick will soon make her first foray into NASCAR, which of course, is arguably the toughest series in which to race in the world. If not the toughest, it certainly earns the most money.
Danica Patrick coming to NASCAR could be a great boost to the series, which has shown signs of lack of interest among it's fan base. TV ratings have been down in 2009, as have ticket sales. NASCAR, like most other entertainment activities in America, has been hurt by the downturn in the economy as of late. People with less or no disposable income simply can't afford the travel costs, ticket sales, or even the subscription for cable or satellite TV that is required to watch many of the races.
A spark is needed to reignite the NASCAR fan base, and Danica Patrick could be just the ticket. It's been a long time since a female driver has raised as much emotion and banter among racing fans. Danica has a fiery personality, and isn't afraid to say what's on her mind for the most part. In other words, Danica Patrick could be perfect for a sport where many fans complain that no one has the guts to speak their mind.
Danica has already generated a boost in the IRL series TV ratings, and it's a safe bet that she will do the same for NASCAR when she makes her debut in the #7 JR Motorsports owned Go Daddy Chevrolet at California in 2010.
Former Sprint Cup team crew chief Tony Eury Jr. will be Danica's crew chief in the Nationwide series, and one has to wonder if Tony Jr. has jumped from the frying pan into the fire, since he has to know that all the racing world will be watching him as closely as they did when he was his cousin's crew chief,, that cousin being JR Motorsports team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. I don't doubt that Tony Jr. is the man for the job, but it's likely to get pretty stressful in the spotlight he's going to be under.
Personally, I welcome Danica to NASCAR, and I hope she finds much success in its various racing series. I don't expect her to win races right out of the gate, but I expect her to learn a lot in both the NASCAR Nationwide series and the ARCA series.
I hope that soon Danica will be contending to win races, and then winning races. I hope to see her doing the same in the Sprint Cup series soon.
Whatever happens, Danica Patrick will be good for NASCAR. I hope NASCAR is just as good for Danica.
Danica Patrick coming to NASCAR could be a great boost to the series, which has shown signs of lack of interest among it's fan base. TV ratings have been down in 2009, as have ticket sales. NASCAR, like most other entertainment activities in America, has been hurt by the downturn in the economy as of late. People with less or no disposable income simply can't afford the travel costs, ticket sales, or even the subscription for cable or satellite TV that is required to watch many of the races.
A spark is needed to reignite the NASCAR fan base, and Danica Patrick could be just the ticket. It's been a long time since a female driver has raised as much emotion and banter among racing fans. Danica has a fiery personality, and isn't afraid to say what's on her mind for the most part. In other words, Danica Patrick could be perfect for a sport where many fans complain that no one has the guts to speak their mind.
Danica has already generated a boost in the IRL series TV ratings, and it's a safe bet that she will do the same for NASCAR when she makes her debut in the #7 JR Motorsports owned Go Daddy Chevrolet at California in 2010.
Former Sprint Cup team crew chief Tony Eury Jr. will be Danica's crew chief in the Nationwide series, and one has to wonder if Tony Jr. has jumped from the frying pan into the fire, since he has to know that all the racing world will be watching him as closely as they did when he was his cousin's crew chief,, that cousin being JR Motorsports team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. I don't doubt that Tony Jr. is the man for the job, but it's likely to get pretty stressful in the spotlight he's going to be under.
Personally, I welcome Danica to NASCAR, and I hope she finds much success in its various racing series. I don't expect her to win races right out of the gate, but I expect her to learn a lot in both the NASCAR Nationwide series and the ARCA series.
I hope that soon Danica will be contending to win races, and then winning races. I hope to see her doing the same in the Sprint Cup series soon.
Whatever happens, Danica Patrick will be good for NASCAR. I hope NASCAR is just as good for Danica.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Charting the Changes: NASCAR Sprint Cup in 2010
As always, there will be changes between the 2009 Sprint Cup season and the 2010 season. Times are changing, and even the moon and the tides can't stop it. Though there seem to be few earth shattering changes as of now, history will tell the entire story.
First of all, Jamie McMurray will indeed be the odd man out from Rousch-Fenway racing for 2010, as the company has to shrink to 4 Cup teams from it's previous 5 teams. Jamie will be driving the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy for Earnhardt-Ganassi in 2010, reunited with his old boss Chip Ganassi. Will Jamie succeed in this ride, vacated by Martin Truex Jr? Only time will tell. I'm wondering if the EGR program will be able to put another team in the Chase next year besides Juan Pablo Montoya. Jamie is capable of winning races, but he's going to have all the parts complete to do so.
In the #12 Verizon Dodge will be Brad Keselowski, recent Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide driver and Cup winner at Talladega in the spring race of 2009. Brad will have Jay Guy has his crew chief, and as much as I like this young driver, I imagine he will have some automatic adversaries on the track, namely Denny Hamlin, and probably a dude named Kyle as well.
In the #56 NAPA Toyota, we will see Martin Truex Jr., coming from the #1 EGR Chevy. Martin will be basically replacing team owner Michael Waltrip in the NAPA car, though Mikey will likely run a few races in his familiar 55 machine when he can find sponsorship, and quite frankly, when he feels like it. Martin Truex likely will be exactly what MWR needs in 2010, which is a proven winner, hard charger, and a new guy on the block trying to impress his friends. Truex is a great acquisition for Michael Waltrip Racing.
Bobby Labonte received a major shock in 2009 when it was announced that he would be removed from the driver's seat of the #96 Ford for 7 races in favor of rookie Eric Darnell because Darnell had a deal for those 7 races. Old friend Slugger Labbe called up Bobby and helped get him a ride in the #71Ford, and darned if Bobby didn't start running some pretty good qualifying laps and even some good races in that Ford. Bobby will be driving full time in 2010 in the TRG car next year, with Slugger continuing to sit on top of the pit box. Apparently, there is some talk that the team may change to Chevy or even Dodge, so that's all up in the air right now. It's good that Bobby landed on his feet again, so it would seem.
Eric Darnell will replace Bobby Labonte in the 96 car, if indeed that team continues to exist in 2010. We'll see.
There are more changes to chart, and I will put those up in a later column.
First of all, Jamie McMurray will indeed be the odd man out from Rousch-Fenway racing for 2010, as the company has to shrink to 4 Cup teams from it's previous 5 teams. Jamie will be driving the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy for Earnhardt-Ganassi in 2010, reunited with his old boss Chip Ganassi. Will Jamie succeed in this ride, vacated by Martin Truex Jr? Only time will tell. I'm wondering if the EGR program will be able to put another team in the Chase next year besides Juan Pablo Montoya. Jamie is capable of winning races, but he's going to have all the parts complete to do so.
In the #12 Verizon Dodge will be Brad Keselowski, recent Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide driver and Cup winner at Talladega in the spring race of 2009. Brad will have Jay Guy has his crew chief, and as much as I like this young driver, I imagine he will have some automatic adversaries on the track, namely Denny Hamlin, and probably a dude named Kyle as well.
In the #56 NAPA Toyota, we will see Martin Truex Jr., coming from the #1 EGR Chevy. Martin will be basically replacing team owner Michael Waltrip in the NAPA car, though Mikey will likely run a few races in his familiar 55 machine when he can find sponsorship, and quite frankly, when he feels like it. Martin Truex likely will be exactly what MWR needs in 2010, which is a proven winner, hard charger, and a new guy on the block trying to impress his friends. Truex is a great acquisition for Michael Waltrip Racing.
Bobby Labonte received a major shock in 2009 when it was announced that he would be removed from the driver's seat of the #96 Ford for 7 races in favor of rookie Eric Darnell because Darnell had a deal for those 7 races. Old friend Slugger Labbe called up Bobby and helped get him a ride in the #71Ford, and darned if Bobby didn't start running some pretty good qualifying laps and even some good races in that Ford. Bobby will be driving full time in 2010 in the TRG car next year, with Slugger continuing to sit on top of the pit box. Apparently, there is some talk that the team may change to Chevy or even Dodge, so that's all up in the air right now. It's good that Bobby landed on his feet again, so it would seem.
Eric Darnell will replace Bobby Labonte in the 96 car, if indeed that team continues to exist in 2010. We'll see.
There are more changes to chart, and I will put those up in a later column.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Old Vs. New Points: 2009 Final Report
There is one thing I should have probably explained before I embarked on this series of old vs. new points. Strategies can and will change depending upon the way NASCAR hands out points. All we're dealing with here is raw data, and I can't even begin to guess how strategies would have changed if this year's crop of drivers had been racing under the old points system. Obviously, had we been under the old points system in 2009, teams would have tried different things to grab points. In other words, the following is for comparison purposes only, and no one, especially me, can predict how certain teams would have run had the Chase system not been in effect.
That being said, let's get to it!
Under the old points system, or under the current Chase system, the final outcome would have been the same. Jimmie Johnson wins the 2009 Sprint Cup championship either way. The main difference is that it would have been closer under the old points system, and 2nd place would have been different as well.
Under the Chase system, Jimmie won by 141 points over second place Mark Martin. Under the old points system, Johnson still would have won, but by only 66 points over second place Jeff Gordon. Also under the old points system, Mark Martin would have finished in fifth place, 394 points back. In third place under the old points system, we would have had Tony Stewart, only 4 points behind Jeff Gordon. Stewart instead found himself finishing in sixth place, 243 points out of the lead under the Chase system.
Under the old points system, fourth place would have gone to Denny Hamlin, 350 points out of the top spot. Under the Chase system, Denny finished in fifth place, 317 points back.
I do these comparisons mostly because I think it's fun, not to suggest that NASCAR has blundered by instituting the Chase system. The powers that be, in this case NASCAR, have decided that this is the way that points will be awarded, and that's the end of it.
Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus, Rick Hendrick, and all the crew that prepares and services the 48 Lowes Chevrolet each and every week of the racing season. Congratulations to Hendrick Motorsports for a superb job in winning yet another championship, and making history with Jimmie Johnson's fourth consecutive championship.
Congratulations also go to Kyle Busch, winner of his first NASCAR Nationwide Series championship, and to Ron Hornaday, winner of the Camping World Truck Series championship.
I want to personally congratulate the fans that stuck it out through tough economic times, who bought tickets, paid ridiculously high prices for motel rooms and for a tank of gasoline, and parked their butts in the seats in the grandstands for 2009. You, the fans, are what make this sport what it is, and without you, there would be no NASCAR.
Here's to 2009, and here's to getting for the start of the 2010 season. I'll be here throughout the off season, and can't wait until we hear them rev 'em up again at Daytona in February!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
That being said, let's get to it!
Under the old points system, or under the current Chase system, the final outcome would have been the same. Jimmie Johnson wins the 2009 Sprint Cup championship either way. The main difference is that it would have been closer under the old points system, and 2nd place would have been different as well.
Under the Chase system, Jimmie won by 141 points over second place Mark Martin. Under the old points system, Johnson still would have won, but by only 66 points over second place Jeff Gordon. Also under the old points system, Mark Martin would have finished in fifth place, 394 points back. In third place under the old points system, we would have had Tony Stewart, only 4 points behind Jeff Gordon. Stewart instead found himself finishing in sixth place, 243 points out of the lead under the Chase system.
Under the old points system, fourth place would have gone to Denny Hamlin, 350 points out of the top spot. Under the Chase system, Denny finished in fifth place, 317 points back.
I do these comparisons mostly because I think it's fun, not to suggest that NASCAR has blundered by instituting the Chase system. The powers that be, in this case NASCAR, have decided that this is the way that points will be awarded, and that's the end of it.
Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus, Rick Hendrick, and all the crew that prepares and services the 48 Lowes Chevrolet each and every week of the racing season. Congratulations to Hendrick Motorsports for a superb job in winning yet another championship, and making history with Jimmie Johnson's fourth consecutive championship.
Congratulations also go to Kyle Busch, winner of his first NASCAR Nationwide Series championship, and to Ron Hornaday, winner of the Camping World Truck Series championship.
I want to personally congratulate the fans that stuck it out through tough economic times, who bought tickets, paid ridiculously high prices for motel rooms and for a tank of gasoline, and parked their butts in the seats in the grandstands for 2009. You, the fans, are what make this sport what it is, and without you, there would be no NASCAR.
Here's to 2009, and here's to getting for the start of the 2010 season. I'll be here throughout the off season, and can't wait until we hear them rev 'em up again at Daytona in February!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Joy of NASCAR
I watch the TV shows on SPEED TV and other networks, and see the fans in the background while the talking heads, namely John Roberts, Kenny Wallace, and Jimmy Spencer talk about the racing that is to take place this weekend. If you look closely, in the background, you can see kids.
Kids will be wearing shirts and hats featuring their favorite driver's picture or number. Maybe it's not even their favorite driver, because it could be their parent's favorite driver. It's hard to say.
On race day, during the race itself, the camera often pans into the crowd and you see kids there. You see grandparents. You see people who look just like you and me, in other words, young and good looking. You see people of every color, of every ethnic group, of every religion, of literally every background you could think of.
Sports often bring families together, for many different reasons. NASCAR is one sport that can be a common point for families that span many generations. Take Bristol for instance. Some fans there inherited their seats from their grandparents.
Grandpa might have been a Petty fan. Not Richard, but Lee. Yeah, that far back. Lee won championships and was one of the first legitimate stars of NASCAR before anybody had ever really ever heard of Richard. Ned Jarrett came along and won. Pearson, Yarborough, Allison, and a guy named Earnhardt came along. Don't forget about guys like Waltrip, Bodine, Irvin, and a host of others. We've been blessed as NASCAR fans.
Why have we been blessed? We've had some of the best, and most entertaining people in the world become our heroes in a sport that literally can be either win or lose, but more importantly, life of death. Yes, people do die doing this for a living. A lot of good people have died doing this for a living. A lot of good people have lived to tell about after it was all over, thank God.
I see kids on race day, eyes wide, fingers in their ears as 43 impossibly loud race cars rumble by on the pace laps. When the green flag drops, fingers won't do it for 500 miles, much less 400. (Parents, ear protection is important.) They're watching cars go so fast that it seems impossible that they can possible stay on the track. These cars are often reaching speeds of 200 miles per hour and even more, and they're racing only inches apart from each other. That's pretty exciting for any kid to watch. Heck, it gets my heart racing, but I've only been watching this sport for 35 years.
When the green flag drops, my heart almost stops for just a second or two. As the cars come up to speed, I'm watching, seeing who got a good start, who didn't, who's going into turn 1 with the advantage. No matter how long I've watched this, I get goosebumps when those cars rev it up and go for it. They are 43 warriors with only one goal, and that is to be the first car to take the checkered flag.
For me, racing is an ultimate high, the ultimate joy, the highlight of my week. Even in the off season, it's fun to see who goes where, who signed with whom, and what paint scheme changes will be coming next year. Racing is not for everyone, but for those who become enchanted by it, racing is nothing but pure joy.
NASCAR is freedom. NASCAR is doing the seemingly impossible. NASCAR is, above all, fun.
Kids will be wearing shirts and hats featuring their favorite driver's picture or number. Maybe it's not even their favorite driver, because it could be their parent's favorite driver. It's hard to say.
On race day, during the race itself, the camera often pans into the crowd and you see kids there. You see grandparents. You see people who look just like you and me, in other words, young and good looking. You see people of every color, of every ethnic group, of every religion, of literally every background you could think of.
Sports often bring families together, for many different reasons. NASCAR is one sport that can be a common point for families that span many generations. Take Bristol for instance. Some fans there inherited their seats from their grandparents.
Grandpa might have been a Petty fan. Not Richard, but Lee. Yeah, that far back. Lee won championships and was one of the first legitimate stars of NASCAR before anybody had ever really ever heard of Richard. Ned Jarrett came along and won. Pearson, Yarborough, Allison, and a guy named Earnhardt came along. Don't forget about guys like Waltrip, Bodine, Irvin, and a host of others. We've been blessed as NASCAR fans.
Why have we been blessed? We've had some of the best, and most entertaining people in the world become our heroes in a sport that literally can be either win or lose, but more importantly, life of death. Yes, people do die doing this for a living. A lot of good people have died doing this for a living. A lot of good people have lived to tell about after it was all over, thank God.
I see kids on race day, eyes wide, fingers in their ears as 43 impossibly loud race cars rumble by on the pace laps. When the green flag drops, fingers won't do it for 500 miles, much less 400. (Parents, ear protection is important.) They're watching cars go so fast that it seems impossible that they can possible stay on the track. These cars are often reaching speeds of 200 miles per hour and even more, and they're racing only inches apart from each other. That's pretty exciting for any kid to watch. Heck, it gets my heart racing, but I've only been watching this sport for 35 years.
When the green flag drops, my heart almost stops for just a second or two. As the cars come up to speed, I'm watching, seeing who got a good start, who didn't, who's going into turn 1 with the advantage. No matter how long I've watched this, I get goosebumps when those cars rev it up and go for it. They are 43 warriors with only one goal, and that is to be the first car to take the checkered flag.
For me, racing is an ultimate high, the ultimate joy, the highlight of my week. Even in the off season, it's fun to see who goes where, who signed with whom, and what paint scheme changes will be coming next year. Racing is not for everyone, but for those who become enchanted by it, racing is nothing but pure joy.
NASCAR is freedom. NASCAR is doing the seemingly impossible. NASCAR is, above all, fun.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
One and Done: NASCAR's Season Comes to a Close
Congratulations to Ron Hornaday, who already knew he was the 2009 Camping World Trucks Series champion coming into Friday's race at Miami. Congratulations are in order as well to Kyle Busch, who will win the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship just by virtue of starting today's race.
It would appear that Jimmie Johnson will be crowned with his fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championship on Sunday, and it appears that unless he has the most horrible of races, Johnson will make history by becoming the first driver to every win four Cups in a row.
It's impossible to say that Johnson is a lock for the championship, because, as he well remembers from his third lap crash at Texas, anything can happen before the checkered flag falls on NASCAR's 2009 season.
Jimmie Johnson has succeeded in performing one important duty this weekend: He has won the pole for Sunday's Ford 400 at Miami-Homestead Speedway. Starting at the front of the pack was one of crew chief Chad Knaus' main concerns going into the last race of the season. It's a lot more difficult to get caught up in someone else's accident if you're way out in front of everyone else.
Mark Martin must be thinking that yet another chance for that elusive championship is slipping away, and he can only hope for the very worst luck for his teammate Jimmie Johnson. I doubt that Mark is doing that, but somewhere, deep down, he must be thinking it. Mark has come so close before, yet has never grabbed the Cup.
Sunday's race will be the last NASCAR race of the season, and before the end of the day, a new Sprint Cup champion will be crowned.
If that champion's name isn't Jimmie Johnson, the entire racing world, including this fan, will be shocked.
Shocked, I tell you!
It would appear that Jimmie Johnson will be crowned with his fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championship on Sunday, and it appears that unless he has the most horrible of races, Johnson will make history by becoming the first driver to every win four Cups in a row.
It's impossible to say that Johnson is a lock for the championship, because, as he well remembers from his third lap crash at Texas, anything can happen before the checkered flag falls on NASCAR's 2009 season.
Jimmie Johnson has succeeded in performing one important duty this weekend: He has won the pole for Sunday's Ford 400 at Miami-Homestead Speedway. Starting at the front of the pack was one of crew chief Chad Knaus' main concerns going into the last race of the season. It's a lot more difficult to get caught up in someone else's accident if you're way out in front of everyone else.
Mark Martin must be thinking that yet another chance for that elusive championship is slipping away, and he can only hope for the very worst luck for his teammate Jimmie Johnson. I doubt that Mark is doing that, but somewhere, deep down, he must be thinking it. Mark has come so close before, yet has never grabbed the Cup.
Sunday's race will be the last NASCAR race of the season, and before the end of the day, a new Sprint Cup champion will be crowned.
If that champion's name isn't Jimmie Johnson, the entire racing world, including this fan, will be shocked.
Shocked, I tell you!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The End of the Season for Some and a New Beginning for Others
The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup racing season is nearly over, and for me, it seems like the year has flown by. With only one race to go, it appears that Jimmie Johnson will most likely win his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup, and make history in the process.
For many fans, this is somewhat of a sad time, a time to reflect back on what could have been, what maybe should have been, and to know that we won't see the cars back on the track until February, 2010.
For many, this can be an exciting time though. The end of the 2009 season marks the beginning of one of the most frantic times for the teams; the off season.
Much of the usual silly season silliness has shaken itself out, with a few drivers going to new teams for the 2010 season. Now is the time for drivers and crew chiefs to begin to feel each other out, to get to know each other. For many owners, now is a time for finding a new sponsor for next year's races, hopefully a sponsor that will keep the team running the entire year.
For many fans, now is the time to begin to dare hope that 2010 will be a better year for our favorite drivers than 2009 was. I know, because I speak from experience as a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan.
Dale Jr. was not the only driver that seemed to have only one kind of luck in 2009, which of course was 'bad.' Fans of Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch and many others understand that 2009 just wasn't the greatest of years for certain drivers. Jeff Gordon fans must be wondering if indeed Jeff will ever win that 'Drive For Five' that has eluded him thus far.
There are teams that won't win the Cup in 2009 that I am impressed with, however. The 14 and 39 cars of Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman come to mind. Basically, this team was completely overhauled in the last off season, and both teams have performed superbly in 2009. The 47 car of Marcos Ambrose was another pleasant surprise this year. Bobby Labonte, who just announced that he would be driving the underfunded 71 car next year, pulled off some amazing qualifying efforts and finishes in that car this year.
From now until that last few minutes before the drop of the green flag at Daytona in February, this so called off season will be one of the busiest of the year for many NASCAR teams.
For many fans, this is somewhat of a sad time, a time to reflect back on what could have been, what maybe should have been, and to know that we won't see the cars back on the track until February, 2010.
For many, this can be an exciting time though. The end of the 2009 season marks the beginning of one of the most frantic times for the teams; the off season.
Much of the usual silly season silliness has shaken itself out, with a few drivers going to new teams for the 2010 season. Now is the time for drivers and crew chiefs to begin to feel each other out, to get to know each other. For many owners, now is a time for finding a new sponsor for next year's races, hopefully a sponsor that will keep the team running the entire year.
For many fans, now is the time to begin to dare hope that 2010 will be a better year for our favorite drivers than 2009 was. I know, because I speak from experience as a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan.
Dale Jr. was not the only driver that seemed to have only one kind of luck in 2009, which of course was 'bad.' Fans of Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch and many others understand that 2009 just wasn't the greatest of years for certain drivers. Jeff Gordon fans must be wondering if indeed Jeff will ever win that 'Drive For Five' that has eluded him thus far.
There are teams that won't win the Cup in 2009 that I am impressed with, however. The 14 and 39 cars of Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman come to mind. Basically, this team was completely overhauled in the last off season, and both teams have performed superbly in 2009. The 47 car of Marcos Ambrose was another pleasant surprise this year. Bobby Labonte, who just announced that he would be driving the underfunded 71 car next year, pulled off some amazing qualifying efforts and finishes in that car this year.
From now until that last few minutes before the drop of the green flag at Daytona in February, this so called off season will be one of the busiest of the year for many NASCAR teams.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Johnson On The Verge Of Making History
With only one race left to go in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, it appears that Jimmie Johnson all but has a lock on an unprecedented fourth consecutive championship. Love him or hate him, Jimmie Johnson is the real deal. He's a great race car driver, with a lot of talent, and he's fortunate to be driving for probably the best crew chief in NASCAR.
Would the 48 Lowes Chevy team won even one championship without Chad Knaus calling the shots from on top of the pit box? It's hard to say, and we'll never know, obviously, but I would find it hard to believe that Jimmie could have achieved so much success without the brainiest crew cheif in the sport calling the shots.
Obviously, it doesn't hurt having a team owner like Rick Hendrick providing excellent equipment and personnel for the team either. Jimmie could have been driving for a third tier team for his Cup career, and it's possible that no one would be talking about him right now.
With only one race to go, it appears that Jimmie has this Cup in the bag, but don't forget what happened to him at Texas. He's not, and neither should you. Anything can happen in this sport, and it won't be over until the checkered flag waves at Homestead on Sunday.
Would the 48 Lowes Chevy team won even one championship without Chad Knaus calling the shots from on top of the pit box? It's hard to say, and we'll never know, obviously, but I would find it hard to believe that Jimmie could have achieved so much success without the brainiest crew cheif in the sport calling the shots.
Obviously, it doesn't hurt having a team owner like Rick Hendrick providing excellent equipment and personnel for the team either. Jimmie could have been driving for a third tier team for his Cup career, and it's possible that no one would be talking about him right now.
With only one race to go, it appears that Jimmie has this Cup in the bag, but don't forget what happened to him at Texas. He's not, and neither should you. Anything can happen in this sport, and it won't be over until the checkered flag waves at Homestead on Sunday.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Fans, Drivers Frustrated. Is This Talladega?
Following NASCAR's announcement that there would be no bump drafting allowed in the corners on Sunday, virtually all of the drivers had to change their strategy, and a lot of fans weren't very happy about it.
Several drivers opted to drop to the back of the field for most of the race, running at only half throttle for many of the 500 miles which made up the AMP Energy 500. There's nothing new about drivers being conservative in the early stages of long races, but many of the fan's favorites never made a move to reach the front of the pack until less than 20 laps to go in Sunday's race.
Points leader Jimmie Johnson ran most of the day in 30th place or so, but managed to survive the late race crashes and finish 6th. Johnson's decent finish practically guaranteed his fourth Cup championship.
For much of the race, the majority of the drivers were content to play follow the leader, apparently not wishing to take a chance on incurring NASCAR's wrath by touching another car at any point on the track other than the straights. The racing predictably began to get interesting in the closing laps, which resulted in two rather spectacular crashes that left Ryan Newman upside down in the infield, and Mark Martin also turning turtle briefly during the resulting green-white-checker finish.
Newman's car was spun across the track, colliding with several cars, including Kevin Harvick's car. The 39 Chevy of Newman then turned backwards, and went airborne, landing upside down on the hood of Harvick's 29 Chevy. As Newman spun into the infield on his lid, he nearly collided with Harvick's car a third time. Harvick, who led several laps earlier in the race, must have felt like his yellow and red Chevy had a bull's eye painted on it.
I've had a theory about the so-called new car, which used to be known as the car of tomorrow. My theory has been shared by other fans and various media types alike, as well as, I'm sure, more than a few drivers. On a race track where speeds of 190 plus miles per hours are the norm, that huge wing on the back does exactly what it's designed to do, when the car is moving in a forward direction, which is provide down force to keep the car on the track.
When the car is moving rapidly in a backwards direction however, the wing acts just like the wing on an airplane, creating lift, and resulting in the spectacular airborne flight that Ryan Newman took on Sunday. Obviously, it appears that the new car is not the perfect solution for keeping not only the drivers safe, but ensuring the safety of the fans as well..
Fans get injured when cars fly up into the air, landing in the catch fence, or in what would be an absolutely horrible scenario, flying over the catch fence.
Fortunately, Newman's car went airborne on the low side of the track, not up against the outside wall, as did Carl Edward's car in the April race at Talladega. Had Edward's car not caught air under it's wing in April, that brave young lady we saw on Sunday's pre-race show would likely not have suffered injury. If nothing else, I would ask that NASCAR reexamine the safety aspects of the wings on the rear of the cars.
As regular readers of this site know, my race day routine involves not only watching the race itself, but following several message boards, and lately, of course, following Twitter closely. The fan comments I have been reading since Sunday's race have been rather predictable. I don't think any race fan wants to see cars simply stay in line and follow the leader for the majority of any race, especially Talladega. "Boring" was a race used by many fans on Sunday.
Unfortunately, quite a few of the drivers expressed their feelings of boredom as well, and several drivers quite frankly apologized for putting on a boring race, at least for the most part. The crashes, though spectacular, were unfortunate, especially when the entire NASCAR world is watching the rescue workers first have to lift Ryan Newman's race car back onto it's wheels, and then cut the roof off the car to extract him. Fortunately, none of the drivers were seriously injured in Sunday's race, though I imagine that Newman will be feeling rather stiff and sore for the next several days.
Talladega has been the site of some of NASCAR's greatest racing in the past. I hope we see it there again soon.
Several drivers opted to drop to the back of the field for most of the race, running at only half throttle for many of the 500 miles which made up the AMP Energy 500. There's nothing new about drivers being conservative in the early stages of long races, but many of the fan's favorites never made a move to reach the front of the pack until less than 20 laps to go in Sunday's race.
Points leader Jimmie Johnson ran most of the day in 30th place or so, but managed to survive the late race crashes and finish 6th. Johnson's decent finish practically guaranteed his fourth Cup championship.
For much of the race, the majority of the drivers were content to play follow the leader, apparently not wishing to take a chance on incurring NASCAR's wrath by touching another car at any point on the track other than the straights. The racing predictably began to get interesting in the closing laps, which resulted in two rather spectacular crashes that left Ryan Newman upside down in the infield, and Mark Martin also turning turtle briefly during the resulting green-white-checker finish.
Newman's car was spun across the track, colliding with several cars, including Kevin Harvick's car. The 39 Chevy of Newman then turned backwards, and went airborne, landing upside down on the hood of Harvick's 29 Chevy. As Newman spun into the infield on his lid, he nearly collided with Harvick's car a third time. Harvick, who led several laps earlier in the race, must have felt like his yellow and red Chevy had a bull's eye painted on it.
I've had a theory about the so-called new car, which used to be known as the car of tomorrow. My theory has been shared by other fans and various media types alike, as well as, I'm sure, more than a few drivers. On a race track where speeds of 190 plus miles per hours are the norm, that huge wing on the back does exactly what it's designed to do, when the car is moving in a forward direction, which is provide down force to keep the car on the track.
When the car is moving rapidly in a backwards direction however, the wing acts just like the wing on an airplane, creating lift, and resulting in the spectacular airborne flight that Ryan Newman took on Sunday. Obviously, it appears that the new car is not the perfect solution for keeping not only the drivers safe, but ensuring the safety of the fans as well..
Fans get injured when cars fly up into the air, landing in the catch fence, or in what would be an absolutely horrible scenario, flying over the catch fence.
Fortunately, Newman's car went airborne on the low side of the track, not up against the outside wall, as did Carl Edward's car in the April race at Talladega. Had Edward's car not caught air under it's wing in April, that brave young lady we saw on Sunday's pre-race show would likely not have suffered injury. If nothing else, I would ask that NASCAR reexamine the safety aspects of the wings on the rear of the cars.
As regular readers of this site know, my race day routine involves not only watching the race itself, but following several message boards, and lately, of course, following Twitter closely. The fan comments I have been reading since Sunday's race have been rather predictable. I don't think any race fan wants to see cars simply stay in line and follow the leader for the majority of any race, especially Talladega. "Boring" was a race used by many fans on Sunday.
Unfortunately, quite a few of the drivers expressed their feelings of boredom as well, and several drivers quite frankly apologized for putting on a boring race, at least for the most part. The crashes, though spectacular, were unfortunate, especially when the entire NASCAR world is watching the rescue workers first have to lift Ryan Newman's race car back onto it's wheels, and then cut the roof off the car to extract him. Fortunately, none of the drivers were seriously injured in Sunday's race, though I imagine that Newman will be feeling rather stiff and sore for the next several days.
Talladega has been the site of some of NASCAR's greatest racing in the past. I hope we see it there again soon.
Monday, October 26, 2009
After Martinsville - Old Points Vs. Chase Points
Congratulations to Denny Hamlin for his win at Martinsville. Winning in his home state of Virginia must have been about as fun as it gets for not only Hamlin, but his entire family as well.
Jimmie Johnson, with a second place finish at Martinsville widened his points lead over second place Mark Martin to 118 points. Jeff Gordon remains in third place, 150 points behind Johnson.
Tony Stewart, in fourth place, is 192 points out, and Juan Pablo Montoya is an even 200 points out of first place.
As close as the Chase is supposed to keep the competition, it would appear that Jimmie Johnson is running away with the points with four races to go in the season.
Let's examine how the points would stack up under the old points system. Tony Stewart would still be in first place, with an 80 point lead over second place Jimmie Johnson. It would seem that Johnson's late season surge, which has worked so well in the Chase, would still see him playing catch up under the old points rules.
Under the old points system, Jeff Gordon would still find himself in third place, though only 117 points out of first place, rather than the 150 point deficit he currently finds himself in. In other words, Gordon would still be a long shot to win his 5th championship with only 4 races to go, but he'd have a better chance than he does now.
Fourth and fifth places would be held by Mark Martin and Denny Hamlin, but they would have virtually no chance whatsoever of a championship at this point, being both well over 400 points out of first place.
Tony Stewart has accepted that the Chase is the law of the land, but one has to wonder how he feels now, knowing that he would have an advantage at this point in the season, were NASCAR still using the old points system.
As for Jimmie Johnson, he's doing exactly what he needs to do to assure himself of his fourth consecutive championship. Late season charges do make a huge difference under the Chase system.
Jimmie Johnson, with a second place finish at Martinsville widened his points lead over second place Mark Martin to 118 points. Jeff Gordon remains in third place, 150 points behind Johnson.
Tony Stewart, in fourth place, is 192 points out, and Juan Pablo Montoya is an even 200 points out of first place.
As close as the Chase is supposed to keep the competition, it would appear that Jimmie Johnson is running away with the points with four races to go in the season.
Let's examine how the points would stack up under the old points system. Tony Stewart would still be in first place, with an 80 point lead over second place Jimmie Johnson. It would seem that Johnson's late season surge, which has worked so well in the Chase, would still see him playing catch up under the old points rules.
Under the old points system, Jeff Gordon would still find himself in third place, though only 117 points out of first place, rather than the 150 point deficit he currently finds himself in. In other words, Gordon would still be a long shot to win his 5th championship with only 4 races to go, but he'd have a better chance than he does now.
Fourth and fifth places would be held by Mark Martin and Denny Hamlin, but they would have virtually no chance whatsoever of a championship at this point, being both well over 400 points out of first place.
Tony Stewart has accepted that the Chase is the law of the land, but one has to wonder how he feels now, knowing that he would have an advantage at this point in the season, were NASCAR still using the old points system.
As for Jimmie Johnson, he's doing exactly what he needs to do to assure himself of his fourth consecutive championship. Late season charges do make a huge difference under the Chase system.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Some Random Thought, and Thank You, Part 2
It was a pretty exciting day for racing, with Timothy Peters winning his very first NASCAR Camping World Truck series win at Martinsville today, and with Brad Keselowski beating and banging his way to a victory at Memphis.
Unfortunately, because the Truck race got off to a late start due to rain this morning in the Martinsville area, the races overlapped a bit. I nearly wore out my clicker flipping back and forth, but managed to see nearly all the action in both races, all the while keeping an eye on the Clemson/Miami football game. (Way to go, Tigers!)
I also wanted to share some stats with you, the kind readers who visit this site. I just pulled some data from my stat counter site, and tabulated some interesting data.
Of the last 500 visitors to the site, the state with the most visitors is the great state of North Carolina, which I suppose isn't surprising, since most of the NASCAR world is centered in that state.
Here's the top 15 locations of visitors to this site over the last few days. Note, some of these aren't US states, you might be surprised to know.
1. North Carolina
2. California
3. New York
4. Ontario (Yeah, that Ontario, as in Ontario, Canada
5. Ohio
6. Pennsylvania
7. Georgia
8. Michigan
9. (tie) New Jersey, Texas
10. (tie) Florida, Connecticut
11. (tie) Virginia, Illinois, South Carolina, Tennessee
12. Washington
13. (tie) Indiana, Maryland, Missouri
14. (tie) Victoria, Australia; Minnesota, British Columbia, Canada
15. (tie) Washington DC, Kansas, Louisiana, England
My sincere thanks to all of you who made the top 15, and to all of you who didn't! Here are some other interesting places readers were when they visited this site:
Prince Edward Island
Saskatchewan
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Nova Scotia
Ostfold, Norway
Zurich, Switzerland
Rajasthan, India
Alberta
Quebec
Catalonia, Spain
Magnisia, Greece
Oslo, Norway
Thanks for all of your visits, and I hope you'll keep coming back!
Unfortunately, because the Truck race got off to a late start due to rain this morning in the Martinsville area, the races overlapped a bit. I nearly wore out my clicker flipping back and forth, but managed to see nearly all the action in both races, all the while keeping an eye on the Clemson/Miami football game. (Way to go, Tigers!)
I also wanted to share some stats with you, the kind readers who visit this site. I just pulled some data from my stat counter site, and tabulated some interesting data.
Of the last 500 visitors to the site, the state with the most visitors is the great state of North Carolina, which I suppose isn't surprising, since most of the NASCAR world is centered in that state.
Here's the top 15 locations of visitors to this site over the last few days. Note, some of these aren't US states, you might be surprised to know.
1. North Carolina
2. California
3. New York
4. Ontario (Yeah, that Ontario, as in Ontario, Canada
5. Ohio
6. Pennsylvania
7. Georgia
8. Michigan
9. (tie) New Jersey, Texas
10. (tie) Florida, Connecticut
11. (tie) Virginia, Illinois, South Carolina, Tennessee
12. Washington
13. (tie) Indiana, Maryland, Missouri
14. (tie) Victoria, Australia; Minnesota, British Columbia, Canada
15. (tie) Washington DC, Kansas, Louisiana, England
My sincere thanks to all of you who made the top 15, and to all of you who didn't! Here are some other interesting places readers were when they visited this site:
Prince Edward Island
Saskatchewan
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Nova Scotia
Ostfold, Norway
Zurich, Switzerland
Rajasthan, India
Alberta
Quebec
Catalonia, Spain
Magnisia, Greece
Oslo, Norway
Thanks for all of your visits, and I hope you'll keep coming back!
Friday, October 23, 2009
The Junior Nation Gets Fired Up
Last Friday at Concord, NC, Dale Jr. answered some questions put to him by the media, and quite frankly, I don't think I've ever heard or seen Dale Earnhardt Jr. sound so down in the dumps.
Dale talked about his season, and the lack of success that the 88 team has had so far. He also mentioned that his current crew chief, Lance McGrew, is not necessarily going to be Junior's crew chief next year.
Much of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s greatest successes have come when Tony Eury Sr. was on top of the pit box, back on the 8 team at Dale Earnhardt Inc. Since then, Dale Jr. has mostly had his cousin, Tony Eury Jr. as his crew chief, and the results have been far from stellar.
Long time Dale Jr. fans know that he worries when he's not performing well, not just because of his sponsors, but because of his fans. That's certainly true of other drivers as well, but probably no driver worries about making his fans happy more than Dale Jr.
When his father died in February of 2001, Dale Jr. wondered if he even would have a job for the rest of the season, and if the success he had enjoyed so far would go away because his father was no longer there to help him. Junior worried about sponsors leaving, honestly thinking that the only reason he had Budweiser and other sponsors was because of who is father was, not Junior himself.
In my opinion, Dale Jr. has more than proven that he is a race car driver in his own right. Most his his 18 Cup victories came after his father's death, including his 2004 Daytona 500 win. There are quite a few drivers currently driving in the Cup series who would love to have 18 wins.
The naysayers have been out in force as of late as well. I've read plenty of comments such as "Maybe Junior should realize he just has no talent," and my favorite, "Dale Jr. is an inarticulate backwoods hillbilly." I just love comments like those.
Richard Childress, the owner of the 3 Chevrolet for so many years, has supported Junior during this time of not-so-much fun. RC has basically said that he still feels that Dale Jr.'s best days are still ahead of him as a driver. I agree with Mr. Childress, who's having problems of his own at RCR. Not one of his four cars is in the Chase this year, and it's rumored that Kevin Harvick, who replaced Dale Earnhardt in 2001, will be leaving after the 2010 season.
Dale Jr.'s car owner, Rick Hendrick, has addressed Junior's performance problems, and likely is working hard on trying to provide a solution for the 88 team. Dale Jr.'s fans have spoken out as well, rallying in support of their favorite driver.
In a petition to Hendrick Motorsports, some Junior Nation fans have asked:
We have suspected for quite some time now that there is a problem somewhere within the 88 team, either in the shop or at the track. The statements released today from Tony Gibson have proven that our gut feelings were accurate. The fans would like this to be taken care of immediately! We the fans thought our equipment would be first class at Hendrick Motorsports. Please act now.Junior nation
Thank you,
If you'd like to check out and even sign the petition, click Here.
It's good to see a driver's fans get fired up to actually go through the trouble of setting up something like this petition, and it's refreshing to know that the Junior Nation is trying to do their part to get Dale Earnhardt Jr. back in victory lane again.
photo credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Just a Quick Thank You
Thanks to everyone who's read this blog over the past year or three! I really appreciate you all clicking on this site, for what ever reason prompts you to do so.
I enjoy doing this, and will keep doing so for as long as I can. Hopefully I will eventually write better, so you can read better as well!
I've never tried to support any one driver, because I just try to write about what happens on the track, and sometimes off the track. I enjoy all things NASCAR, you could say.
Whether you're in New England, or England, or some former colony of England, I appreciate your time and trouble to get here. We now have readers from all over the world, from every continent, and every state in the nation. I could not be more proud of you, and thank you for your support
Feel free to rip me a new one, whenever you see fit. My e-mail is public domain, so feel free to tell me when I'm making a total ass of myself.
All comments are welcome. If I don't reply to yours, expect me to use you in a future article! Just kidding.
Thanks,
Jimmy C
I enjoy doing this, and will keep doing so for as long as I can. Hopefully I will eventually write better, so you can read better as well!
I've never tried to support any one driver, because I just try to write about what happens on the track, and sometimes off the track. I enjoy all things NASCAR, you could say.
Whether you're in New England, or England, or some former colony of England, I appreciate your time and trouble to get here. We now have readers from all over the world, from every continent, and every state in the nation. I could not be more proud of you, and thank you for your support
Feel free to rip me a new one, whenever you see fit. My e-mail is public domain, so feel free to tell me when I'm making a total ass of myself.
Thanks,
Jimmy C
Johnson Well On Way To 2009 Championship - Fans Say Ho Hum?
With five races to go in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, it appears that NASCAR's version of Mr. October, Jimmie Johnson has his fourth Cup nearly in hand.
It's understandable, with the economy in such poor shape, that ticket sales at the track have been down for 2009. One would suppose that if one couldn't afford a ticket, the price of gas to travel, the price of a place to stay, etc., that one might have to make do watching the races on TV.
That doesn't seem to be happening though. TV ratings are basically down across the board for most of the races this year. Saturday's race at Charlotte was down by sharply in the ratings from last year, when the race was held on a Saturday evening, head to head with college football, the same as this year.
What could the matter be? It would seem that Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus are setting in stone a bona fide NASCAR dynasty, putting up some incredible numbers again for the fourth year in a row. Normally, one would think that these would be exciting times for NASCAR, but the TV ratings don't seem to be reflecting that.
I've been reading a lot of fans' comments over the last few days. Some of them are very interesting. "It's only exciting if you're a Jimmie Johnson fan" seems to be a popular comment. Others say that the racing is just boring. The blame for boring racing ranges from NASCAR's rules to the new car. Others blame the television coverage itself, saying they cannot stand to listen to certain commentators or analysts.
I'm not going to try to come up with an answer for boring racing here, or for how to improve TV coverage. In other articles on this site, I've already shed some theories on those topics. I will hazard a guess as to some fans' animosity towards Jimmie Johnson and the 48 team though.
To the casual observer, Jimmie Johnson should be a sports' perfect champion and spokesman. Johnson has the looks of a movie actor, some would say. Jimmie is rather soft spoken, and his comments rarely provoke controversy. He displays a certain sense of humor at times during his interviews, and never fails to thank his sponsors, his team, and his owners.
To some hard core NASCAR fans, the above description of NASCAR's reigning champion is precisely what's not to like about him. NASCAR largely thrives on a certain level of controversy, whether it is in the form of incidents on the race track, or words spoken in the heat of emotion during post action interviews. Rarely do we see Jimmie Johnson deviate from the company line when it comes to interviews.
Perhaps many fans remember the old rivalries between drivers like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, or Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip, or Earnhardt and Bodine, or perhaps Earnhardt and just about anyone. If nothing else, Dale Earnhardt got people riled up and talking about NASCAR. The 'Intimidator' moniker that Earnhardt carried through much of his career was well earned, both on and off the track.
Jimmie Johnson has almost entirely the opposite personality off the track as did Dale Earnhardt. If Jimmie is ever confrontational with another driver, it's well outside of camera or microphone range. On the track, Jimmie Johnson is known as a very competitive driver, and he has certainly been part of his share of on the track scuffles, but he's not known as an overly aggressive driver, but rather as a patient racer. It's easy to be patient, however, when you're nearly always running at or very near the front of the field. "Fearless" does not really describe Jimmie's driving style. "Smart" might be more descriptive.
"Smart" could certainly describe crew chief Chad Knaus, who certainly has earned a reputation as one of the best, if not THE best crew chiefs in the garage, and is another anomaly to long time NASCAR fans. Knaus reminds many of the fans more of a college science professor, or maybe a high tech engineer than he does a crew chief. Many racing fans think of crew chiefs as tough guys with more grease under their fingernails than a lifetime of scrubbing can remove. Chad comes across as a guy who does the heavy lifting with his cerebrum.
I'm only offering a few theories here, and certainly cannot claim that anything I'm saying here as fact. Personally, I feel that NASCAR is not in trouble, nor is it losing fans. I think the fans are just not as interested this year as they have been in years past. Maybe it's like the World Series or the Super Bowl to some baseball or NFL fans: If you live, say, in Texas, a championship game between a California team and a New York team just isn't as interesting as if the Astros or the Rangers were playing, or the Cowboys or the Oilers.
One other theory that I will present: NASCAR fans don't automatically like the driver who wins the most races or championships. Some fans like a driver because we like the man, who happens to also be a driver. I think in many ways this could explain why Dale Earnhardt Jr. has such a large following. I myself am a Dale Jr. fan, and though I wish he could win more races and at least one championship, I won't stop being a fan of Junior if he doesn't. Like many of his fans, I like Junior because he seems like a nice, down to earth kind of guy. The kind of guy you'd want to sit down and have a beer with.
Many people attribute Junior's fan base to his father, and in large part, that's certainly true. A lot of his fans never saw his father drive though, and seem to have formed their opinion of Junior independently, based on something other than who is father was. There's very little about Dale Jr. that reminds me much of his father, except maybe his accent and the look he gets in his eyes when he's focused. Dale Jr.'s driving style and personality are very different from his old man's, though in many ways he's lived through some of the same experiences as his father had.
Jimmie Johnson has become what his co-owner and friend Jeff Gordon was to the sport in the 1990's. In the early part of that decade, this kid comes along, gets a ride on a top team, and proceeds to win everything there was to win, and more. In the early 2000's, Jeff finds a young kid nobody had ever heard of, and darned if this new kid isn't winning everything there is to win again.
There are many fans who will never be Jeff Gordon fans, just like there are many fans who will never be Jimmie Johnson fans. The fans themselves have their reasons for this, just like there are many who will never be Earnhardt or Earnhardt Jr. fans.
Next month, NASCAR will present the Sprint Cup to someone, and that someone is likely to be Jimmie Johnson. If that is the case, Jimmie will be the first driver to ever win 4 consecutive Cups.
Like Jimmie Johnson or not, that's a heck of an achievement for any race car driver.
photo credit: Glenn Smith, Associated Press
Monday, October 19, 2009
Chase Points - Old Vs. New - Part 2
At halfway through the Chase races, Jimmie Johnson appears to be breaking out into a commanding lead, at 90 points in front of second place Mark Martin. Jeff Gordon finds himself 135 points out of first place, while fourth place Tony Stewart is 155 points out of first.
Any of these drivers, as well as Kurt Busch (-177) and Juan Pablo Montoya (-195) can still technically win the Cup, but the momentum is definitely on JJ's side right now.
Were NASAR still using the old points system, or as some call it, the pre Chase points system, Tony Stewart would be 117 points in front of second place Jimmie Johnson, while third place Jeff Gordon would be 139 points out of first place. Mark Martin would find himself a whopping 460 points out of first place, and basically without a prayer of winning a championship in 2009.
Obviously, the points race is closer under the current Chase system, but were NASCAR running under the old system, there would be a different odds on favorite with only 5 races remaining in the season.
Jimmie Johnson's driving style and late season dominance have worked well with the current Chase points system. Even his owner, Jeff Gordon, has stated that Jimmie is better suited to the Chase format than Gordon is. Case in point; Jeff Gordon's last Cup came in 2001, before the Chase system was implemented. Jimmie appears to be well on his way to winning 4 Cups in a row, all under the Chase points system.
Will NASCAR decide that the 48 team is too dominant and try to tweak the points system yet again? All indications point to 'no.' Some fans are complaining, however, and one has to wonder if the noise level reaches a certain volume, NASCAR will once again try to level out the playing field.
Personally, dynasties in NASCAR don't really bother me. We've had them before with Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, and before JJ came along, Jeff Gordon. Right now, Jimmie Johnson simply seems to be the best at winning championships in the current system, just like Jeff Gordon made the old points system work in his favor.
Once again, whether the Chase is good or not for NASCAR, or whether it's fair or unfair, it is what it is until NASCAR decides to do something different.
photo credit: Russ Hamilton Jr. (Associated Press)
Friday, October 16, 2009
Would Your Driver Do Better On Another Team?
It's often an exercise in futility, but it's still fun to imagine.
Let's imagine your favorite driver were driving with a better team than he is currently driving for. That is, unless you're favorite driver happens to be among the best already performing right now. But let's imagine, none the less.
Right now, it's somewhat debatable as to who has the strongest team in NASCAR right now. Not just the driver, but the best team.
Many would choose Chad Knaus and the 48 team. Some would choose Alan Gustafson and the 5 team. Some would even choose Darien Grubb and the 14 team.
Supposing that maybe the 48 team has the best karma, or even just plain luck working for them, since it's Chase season, and they've done it 3 years in a row, let's pick Chad and the 48 guys for fun here.
The question is, what would (Insert your favorite drivers name here) do if he were driving for the 48 team and Chad Knaus as his crew chief?
Is it simply a matter of equipment, personnel, and chemistry?
Or is it more a matter of your driver's superior ability to win races, coupled with a top team? Could your driver get it done if he drove for the 48 guys with guru Knaus overseeing the operation?
Suppose, for example, your driver was David Stremme. Would he be able to win like Jimmie Johnson can, had he the expertise of Chad and the rest of the 48 team behind him? Could Kevin Harvick already be a 3 or 4 time champion with Chad, or Alan, or Darien, or whoever else behind his efforts?
Is it the driver or the team behind the driver?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
Let's imagine your favorite driver were driving with a better team than he is currently driving for. That is, unless you're favorite driver happens to be among the best already performing right now. But let's imagine, none the less.
Right now, it's somewhat debatable as to who has the strongest team in NASCAR right now. Not just the driver, but the best team.
Many would choose Chad Knaus and the 48 team. Some would choose Alan Gustafson and the 5 team. Some would even choose Darien Grubb and the 14 team.
Supposing that maybe the 48 team has the best karma, or even just plain luck working for them, since it's Chase season, and they've done it 3 years in a row, let's pick Chad and the 48 guys for fun here.
The question is, what would (Insert your favorite drivers name here) do if he were driving for the 48 team and Chad Knaus as his crew chief?
Is it simply a matter of equipment, personnel, and chemistry?
Or is it more a matter of your driver's superior ability to win races, coupled with a top team? Could your driver get it done if he drove for the 48 guys with guru Knaus overseeing the operation?
Suppose, for example, your driver was David Stremme. Would he be able to win like Jimmie Johnson can, had he the expertise of Chad and the rest of the 48 team behind him? Could Kevin Harvick already be a 3 or 4 time champion with Chad, or Alan, or Darien, or whoever else behind his efforts?
Is it the driver or the team behind the driver?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
NASCAR Hall Of Fame - Did The Voters Get It Right?
Much has been written about the NASCAR Hall Of Fame's inaugural year inductees. Are these the right people to put in the HOF?
NASCAR could probably have saved itself some headaches had they allowed more than just 5 in for 2010. But what it is, obviously, is what we've got.
I can't find fault with putting Bill France Sr. in the Hall Of Fame, as the number one pick even. Without Big Bill, it's entirely likely that we would have some more or less standardized national, or even international stock car racing series today. What we do have is what is known as the National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing, and that was very much Bill Sr.'s baby from the very beginning. Bill France Sr. was also a race car driver, racing frequently on the many tracks that abounded in the South long before stock car racing became an organized sport. From driver, he became a promoter, and from promoter, he became the iron-fisted chief executive officer of the organization that still rules all aspects of top tier professional stock car racing in America today.
Not putting Richard Petty, NASCAR's 'King,' in the first 5 was unthinkable to me. Not only has Richard Petty won more races than anyone else, he also was the first driver to win 7 championships at the top level of stock car racing. Though many of Petty's wins and championships came before 1972, which launched what is now called the 'modern era' of NASCAR, Petty's accomplishments can't be ignored.
Petty, a second generation driver, enjoyed some of the best factory support available during most of his career, which obviously enabled him to win races and championships. Petty was obviously a wheel man in his own right though, and his talent and passion for the sport can't be ignored. Richard Petty was one of the guys who "put NASCAR on the map," so to speak. If for nothing else, Richard Petty's desire to accommodate his many fans during his career make him an easy choice.
After the first two picks, opinions tend to flare about the remaining 3 picks for class '10.
Personally, I feel that Bill France Jr. was a good choice, because he basically took over the reigns just as the aforementioned modern era came into being in NASCAR. Little Bill, as he was often known, worked very hard at keeping sponsors happy, and keeping the sport as interesting as possible. In many ways, Bill Jr. was just as influential in what NASCAR has now become as was his father. Bill France Jr. saw NASCAR through some hard times, but kept growing the sport during his tenure.
Dale Earnhardt was one questionable pick in many people's eyes. He earned his reputation as the "Intimidator" because of his aggressive driving style, and his rather ruthless attitude toward winning. Earnhardt didn't come to the track to make friends. He came to win.
Dale Earnhardt did, however, win 7 championships, tied only with Richard Petty in that amazing feat. Though Earnhardt never came close to eclipsing Petty's amazing 200 wins, at 76 Cup wins, Dale Earnhardt was no slouch in the wins department either.
I feel that Earnhardt belongs in the inaugural class because to many, he represented the face of NASCAR from the late 1980's until his death in 2001. Dale drove a black car, and his icy gaze could make a competing driver make a mistake which would allow Dale to win a race, or at least gain another spot on the track.
Dale Earnhardt's true legacy was that he was the 'every man's driver' in many ways. Dale grew up from a blue collar background, was also driven to try to succeed, early on in his career just to pay the rent and put food on his family table. Later in his career, he was a multi-millionaire, but still worked on his farm, feeding the chickens and the cattle, and taking every opportunity to get away to do some hunting and fishing.
Earnhardt's death in 2001 marked, for me at least, another important transitional period in the history of NASCAR. His death brought out a lot of casual fans and turned them into regular fans, and even hard core fans. His death also brought a flurry of safety measures into the sport, including rules for the races themselves, to equipment changes, and even a new car deemed to be safer for all involved. Whether in life or death, Dale Earnhardt's influence on NASCAR has been substantial and undeniable.
To be honest, I can't argue with the selection of Junior Johnson to the class of '10 either. Johnson's driving days were done before I became a fan of the sport, but I did watch him for many years in his role as a team owner. Junior Johnson was one of the more inventive, creative, and in my opinion, brilliant team owners ever. Though Johnson had practically no formal training at anything, and coming from a bootlegging career into racing, Junior was the very definition of inventiveness.
Junior Johnson could build nearly indestructible race cars and racing engines, and encouraged his drivers to push the cars as hard as they could. In Junior's mind, there was no reason to save a race car for next week. If his drivers tore a car up, he'd build them a better one for next week.
Johnson's accomplishments as a driver cannot be denied either. He drove the way he later encouraged his drivers to drive, which is all out.
With only 5 finalists for the HOF class of 2010, there are understandably some arguments concerning whom was picked and whom wasn't. Personally, back during the 70's, I was a huge David Pearson fan, partly because he was from just down the road in Spartanburg, South Carolina, just 20 or so miles from where I grew up. David was an amazing driver, and rarely drove a full time schedule, but still managed to win an incredible 105 races during his career. Richard Petty has often been quoted as saying that Pearson was the best driver he ever competed against.
Other people who could easily have been included in the inaugural top 5 would have to include Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison. Mostly likely, I feel they will be in the class of 2011 though.
The fact is, out of the literally hundreds of people who have made an impact on NASCAR over the years, in my opinion, these first 5 are not bad choices. Those who didn't make it this time will invariably be honored in Charlotte in coming years.
5 people were just not enough, but the many other deserving drivers, owners, crew chiefs, and others will be honored eventually.
Overall, I feel the NASCAR Hall Of Fame is off to a great start, and will be a place in which I will want to spend much time in the coming years.
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