Wednesday, May 14, 2008

The Earnhardt Army soldiers on

So much has changed for Dale Earnhardt Jr. since last year. He's got a new team owner, he's got new cars, he's got new crew members, new sponsors, and a new number. And he's running consistently good races.

Dale Jr. still does not have a points win in 2008, but the Earnhardt Nation expects one at pretty much any time. Jr. has been a factor to win in most of the races in 2008. Dale's day is coming, and what a celebration it will be when that day finally gets here.

In spite of recent famous setbacks on the track, Dale Jr. has remained positive. He seems happy with running in the top 5 and top 10 every week, although he would very much like to be in Victory Lane, and soon. His performance so far has kept him in 3rd place in Championship points. As our young friend Lauren Wallace likes to say, Dale Jr. is a hundred miles away, and ready to strike, son.

I believe that the overriding virtue of Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. is his personality. He's very easygoing, and though he does possess a temper, he remains cool under pressure, and that's a trait that is currently not exhibited by the arguably hottest driver in the sport right now. Dale Jr. doesn't have the wins, but he does have the class, and the ability to think calmly under pressure. Just because Dale Jr. has not won a points race doesn't mean he's not running well. Other drivers have won races this year, but are mired behind Dale Jr. in points because they've made crucial mistakes on the track or in the garage. For a brand new team, with a brand new driver, and a brand new crew chief, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the class of the Hendrick stable so far this year. His teammate Jimmie Johnson has won a race, but bad setups have prevented Jimmie from his usual dominating style this year. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been consistent, and that counts in the race for the Chase.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. carries more pressure on his back than any other driver, in my humble opinion. Dale Jr. is the most popular driver in the sport, and carries a very demanding schedule of appearances between the races. The man literally is always moving, even when he's not on the track, it would seem. Dale appears to have his famous father's business skills, and carries the weight of not only his driving duties, but his own racing team, JR Motorsports on his shoulders. He owns a wildly successful bar in downtown Charlotte, and he hosts his own radio show on a weekly basis.

Spread too thin, you might ask? Not at all. Although Dale Jr. is busy, he's put good people in key positions in his life, and in his business interests. Most importantly, he's put people he can trust to make decisions for him. Dale oversees the variety of operations, but he counts on his trusted associates to run them for him. That's being smart, if you are running a business. Put good people in the right positions, and get out of their way. Dale Jr. understands that business acumen.

As fans, we have probably reacted as one would expect when an impudent punk or even two manage to change the outcome of a race. Some us of have looked at things philosophically, and tried to move on. Others of us have just been angry and have stayed that way. Certain names will not be mentioned on this forum, at least not today. They've already received too much press, in my opinion. They're not getting anymore from me, at least not today.

My driver is Dale Earnhardt Jr. I like him because he's got really good skills on the track, and he's a most likable person off the track. Dale Jr. represents the grown up "young" driver in the sport now. He's a successful race car driver and a successful business man. He has legions of fans that follow his every word, and his every move. At 33 years old, Dale Jr. has accomplished more than most people will ever accomplish in a lifetime. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a role model to many, and a hero to millions.

If Dale Jr. never wins another race, I would still be a fan of his. He's overcome a lot in his life, and yet he can still smile and laugh about things, good or bad that have happened to him. But I know Dale Jr. will win, and win a lot before his days behind the steering wheel of a Cup car are behind him. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has the drive and determination to get the job done, and his fans will be behind him, 188 per cent.

Dale Jr., it's good to see you smiling. Racing for Rick Hendrick must be an awesome experience, and Brad Keselowski and your other drivers must be making you proud. Dale Jr., you make us all proud to be your fans. But one thing I hope you know, is that your dad is looking down you, and he's seeing what you've accomplished in your life so far.

Daddy's proud, Dale Jr. You can bet on that.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

It's Showdown Time!

This weekend, we will get to witness a spectacle only promoting genius Humpy Wheeler could dream up, and did back in around 1985. It's lived it's life under various names, as the Winston, the All Star race, and now the Sprint Showdown. There will be a qualifying race for drivers who have not won in the last two years, or are not past Champions, or who are not previous winners of the race within the last 10 years. Fans will also be able to vote in a driver as well. It's a race like no other in Nascar, and being held in most of the team's backyard at Lowes Motor Speedway, in Concord, NC, There will be family and friends for all the drivers and crew members at the track.

The name "Showdown" is very appropriate, as this will be a non points race, and will basically be run much like a short track feature at your local track. There will not be much conservation of equipment, and you can bet that there will be some wrecked cars and some bruised feelings by the end of the race. Some things never change, and you can count on this weekend to provide some of Nascar's finest racing all out, with nothing to lose.

Reactions to the last two races are still being reported, and some have expressed outrage that Kyle Busch possibly flipped the bird to a crew member for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Saturday at Darlington after the driver introductions. I've also read that Kyle flipped off booing fans as well. I just have to say that I'm not really surprised if Kyle did any of these things. Kyle Busch does not draw any emotion from me anymore but sorrow. I hate to see a young man become so cynical and so adoring of hatred, that I really just wish he would go away somewhere and grow up. Kyle's attitude is going to hurt people one day. I just hope he doesn't end up getting anyone killed.

Kyle does seem to have figured out the best way to drive the new car though. Kyle admitted that he bounced the car off the wall at Darlington at least 5 or 6 times, and some of those were violent impacts. At Darlington, it appeared that if you drive a Toyota hard off into the corners and smack the wall to the point that the right side of the car is as flat as a basketball court, you can win races. Kyle's done it 3 times this season alone with the new car. Supposing that Kyle's car control skills are all they are made out to be, I'm assuming that Kyle is 'adjusting' his car by hitting the wall hard. A driver with his skills couldn't be doing that by accident, could he?

The haters of Kyle Busch are alive and well, and so are the haters of many other drivers. This is actually a healthy thing to be happening in the sport right now. Hate isn't good, but it happens, just because of human nature, and I think most of us have at least one driver we love to hate at times. Even though I never want to see a driver get physically hurt, I don't mind seeing some them looking a little down in the mouth sometimes.

I think one of the things that we, as fans, need to remember is that fans probably take the hard losses worse than the drivers do. The drivers have been doing this kind of things for years, and they all expect someone to wreck them on the last lap, or to bump them when the time looks right. We as fans sometimes seem to expect clean racing, but in reality, there is not really anything like clean racing anywhere. Drivers drive to win. Crew chiefs and crew members do what they have to do to get their driver that extra second on the track. When it comes right down to it, there's not much new under the sun as far as stock car auto racing.

Racers will keep on racing, heroes will keep on being heroes, and jerks will keep being jerks. Except when jerks become heroes. That happens too, from time to time.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

The Kyle Busch Fan Club

Yeah, there actually is one. Actually, there's more than one, if you do a quick Google search. And it's understandable.

Drivers don't reach the levels that Kyle Busch has in racing by having no talent. Kyle has talent, and there are always fans that appreciate raw talent. I don't happen to be one of them, but there are some.

Kyle Busch hit the wall a ton twice last night, but managed not to hurt his car much. He still had more horsepower and better handling than the other cars out there. For that, I say congratulations. Kyle, you found something that nobody else in Cup racing has been able to find, and that's the magic car. You wrecked it twice, you burned up the brakes, but you won the race by a hefty margin, and whatever you and your team found, you deserve all the accolades that accompany such a dominating win.

Can you really win a race with pure, raw talent? Of course you can. What I saw last night was a guy that was wrecking loose all night, but he managed it. Does Toyota enjoy an advantage in Nascar? Nascar says they don't, and so far, mostly it's been Joe Gibbs Racing cars that seem to dominate not just the Cup series, but the Nationwide and Craftsman Trucks series as well. Michael Waltrip Racing runs Toyotas, and though they've been running better, they haven't been a threat to win a race. Bill Davis runs Toyotas as well, but Dave Blaney had a fast car, but never threatened to win last night. Tony Stewart drives for Joe Gibbs in the 20 Home Depot Toyota, but he is willing to give all that up just to go back to Chevrolet and his own team. Huh. I wonder why?

Tony has run well at times, and on Friday night, he won the Nationwide race at Darlington. In Cup, Tony has not enjoyed a lot of success. His new teammate Kyle Busch has won 3 times, and Denny Hamlin should have won Richmond, before a tire, and a bad decision took him out of the race. Is Tony experiencing the Dale Earnhardt Jr. syndrome at JGR right now? Maybe they know he's leaving, so he's driving the test car, much as Dale Jr. was at DEI last year.

Getting back to Kyle Busch. I once knew a man who hated Dale Earnhardt so much, that he became a Jeff Gordon fan back in 1995. He didn't like Jeff, called him a member of a certain sexual persuasion of which he was not a fan, but he didn't care too much as long as Jeff finished ahead of Dale on the track. Jeff is now happily married with a beautiful daughter, and the man I knew is still a Jeff Gordon fan, but he still claims that Ingrid and even baby Ella are Jeff's "beard." I think this is nonsense, but if you read carefully, I don't claim that this man is a friend, he's just someone I know. He now claims that he's rapidly becoming a Kyle Busch fan, because "everyone hates him, and I like that in a driver."

I guess that's reason enough.

I'm willing to rent out my old tree house from when I was a kid for the Kyle Busch fan club get together. I really am.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

More Thanks!

I'm simply overwhelmed by the range of the readers on this site. If you look carefully, at the bottom left hand corner of the page, you will see a number. That's my stat counter, and you folks have really been generating numbers lately.

I don't know your names, or your addresses, or anything personal about you, but the stat counter does allow me to see your general locale. From Fairbanks, Alaska, to Los Angeles, California, to Miami, Florida, to Goose Creek, South Carolina, you've all been checking in, and I appreciate it. I also appreciate our Canadian neighbors who check in often, as well as our friends in England, Ireland, Germany, Korea, and other places overseas.

I post regularly on the Dale Jr. Pit board, and that's where a lot of hits are coming from. A lot of hits also come from Google, Yahoo, and AOL. I don't advertise on this site, and have no plans to do so, but you folks make me feel like I must be doing something right, so I'm going to keep going. As always, criticisms and comments are welcome, all you have to do is leave a comment below. I don't moderate them, within reason. I might edit out a few bad words if you choose to use them, but I'll leave your thoughts intact.

Back to racing. Darlington promises to be a wild race, with very fast track speeds, and some very likely Darlington stripes on the right sides of a lot of cars. Greg Biffle will start on the pole, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. starting 2nd. I don't know how much of a difference starting position makes, because Carl Edwards started on the pole for last night's Nationwide race, and elected to start on the outside, which was his right. Carl hit the wall on lap one, and then hit it again within a couple of laps and severely damaged his car. Darlington is going to take it's share of paint off the sides of the cars tonight.

I imagine when it's all over, You will not be able to read any of the lettering on the walls at the track. There will be black streaks basically all the way around the track. I noticed crews out painting the wall this morning, and they'll all be out there doing it again after the race is over.

The new pavement is making for some wicked fast speeds, and great grip, which is something that no one driving the race has ever experienced at Darlington. If last night's Nationwide race is any indication, tonight's Cup race is going to be an old fashioned barn burner. Tempers will likely become a factory tonight, as they were at Richmond last week. It will take a lot of control of both the race car and emotions to be successful at Darlington Raceway tonight.

I'm going to say an early prayer for all the drivers and crew members tonight. I hope they all walk away from their cars under their own power tonight, and I pray that all the fans at the track stay safe as well.

Racing at Darlington. It's about as good as it gets!

Wink and Nod.

Kyle Busch blew down a track today under a red flag. That's good sportsmanship, isn't it? Who cares that he might have killed someone. That's just who Kyle Busch is, isn't it?

If Kyle Busch wants to be Dale Earnhardt, he's got a long way to go. He just doesn't have the class yet, or the experience, or the maturity. Dream on, Kyle!

Kyle, part of who Dale Earnhardt was, was to take responsibility for his mistakes. Have you, Kyle Busch ever taken responsibility for any of yours? Not really. Have you, Kyle Busch, ever apologized for driving like a total idiot? No, you have not. Have you, Kyle Busch, ever admitted that you're an idiot? No, you have not.

Kyle, do you think driving into blinding smoke with your foot pegged on the gas was going to get you noticed? Bingo. You're right, it did. Because after you left Texas in a huff, Dale Jr., the guy you wrecked, got into your car and finished the race. Dale Jr. had the grace and the class to not leave in a huff, but I guess You never even thought about that fact, that you would look like a complete idiot, because you were missing in action at a race track. Way to go, Kyle.

By the way, Kyle, the car you nailed was Jr.'s car. He had enough grace and class to stay and finish YOUR race, while you flew away. Nice move, Kyle.

If you have a problem with getting released by Rick Hendrick, get over it. Dale Jr. has about 100 times more class in his little finger than you have ever shown in your life.

Kyle, quit being such an idiot. You've got so much raw talent, but you've got so little maturity, it's pathetic.

Grow up, Kyle Busch.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Thanks, Folks.

You've all been my rock lately, and I appreciate it. I've had a bad couple of days, but it's getting better now. Thanks for the kind e-mails you've sent, and I apologize from not sticking to the subject lately, like I should.

Nascar has not changed much over the years. You've got a few good teams, and you've got some also ran type teams. Mostly the teams to beat are now Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush, Hendrick, and maybe Richard Childress Racing and possibly Dale Earnhardt Inc.

The DEI cars have been running well as of late, as have the RCR cars. Roush has been stinking up the race as well, with Carl Edwards. Hendrick has only one win so far, but they're cruising for more. You can't really count Chip Ganassi out of the race or GEM racing, with Ray Evernham. Lots of things can happen between now and the beginning of the Chase for the Cup.

The Silly Season is become even more heated. Where will Martin Truex Jr. drive next year? How about Tony Stewart? Time will tell, I suppose. It's now looking like Bobby Labonte will stay with Petty for a while, and I think that's because he's working on trying to turn that operation around. Bobby Labonte is a class driver, and he could most likely driver for RCR, or DEI or even Rick Hendrick next year, if he wanted to. Bobby apparently has chosen to stay at Petty, and I think he's a great guy for doing it.

I can't wait for Darlington because it's one of my favorite tracks. The racing there is always intense, and this weekend promises no different. Will Kyle Busch get his first top 10 ever? Will Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally break the winless streak? Will Jeff Gordon win number 8 at the Lady in Black? Almost anything could happen.

Thanks, folks. You put up with a near breakdown by me yesterday, but I'm much better now. I'm ready to serve you again with what I do best, which is write about Nascar. Bear with me, and we're going to have a lot of fun this year.

Until next time,

God Bless you all,

Jimmy C.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

My Faith

Is what keeps me alive sometimes. I believe there is a God, but beyond that, you don't need to know.

I pray, daily, and sometime many times a day. It's all a part of life. I do it. You might consider doing it too.

I've prayed for my buddy, who just lost his mother. I felt bad because I couldn't be there. My truck broke down on the side of the highway near Hendersonville, NC.

When LA3Fan says her prayer, right before all the races on the Dale Jr. Pit board, I'm there, and I say Amen. I never want to see a driver hurt, or killed. I don't care who my least favorite drivers are, I never want to see them hurt or killed. I just don't want to see it.

I'm spiritual in a weird way. I don't cling to any particular religion, but I pray. I pray that ever single driver in every single race walks away. I pray for that every single weekend.

I don't care whether you're spiritual or not, but I'd ask you to say a prayer, to who ever you might pray to. These guys are going fast, and they need your help.

God Bless.