The Wussification of NASCAR

Block somebody?  Ban them!  Bump somebody, park them.  Huh.

If this is where NASCAR's headed, I say I don't want to watch the sport anymore.  I've not actually watched all the races that NASCAR has ever held, but I have watched a lot of them during the 1980's and 1990's, and basically all of them since 2000.  Since now that Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s so called parkable offense is now the status quo among not only NASCAR fans, but NASCAR writers, I'm rethinking my decision to get into this sport at all.  I currently do some things for a couple of drivers, one of whom has been around since the 1990's.

I think some people need some basic education in NASCAR.  What Leffler did to Steve Wallace was moving somebody out of the way.  What Earnhardt Jr. did to Vickers was move him out of the way.  

Want to go back to Bristol, 2000?  Dale Earnhardt moved Terry Labonte out of the way.  Labonte was furious, but Earnhardt was given the win.  So now we need to fine or penalize people for touching other people?

Let's just tear the fenders off these cars and make it yet another open wheel series then.  If you can't touch or rub your opponent, let's just call it another open wheel series and make the most spectacular wrecks you've ever seen.  Oh yeah, and possibly deaths.  Is that what you want to see?  I don't.

Though the wrecks in open wheel are often spectacular, they sometimes result in death or serious injury.  As entertaining as they are, I don't like to see people hurt.  If you do, go watch a different sport.

As I see it, no matter how much crap Dale Jr.'s reputation is catching today, he was for once driving like his father would have driven.  Rule number one:  Never take that kind of crap from another driver.  Rule number two:  Make sure he knows where to go to even if out after the race.  Dale Jr. did exactly just that, via his spotter.

As far as I know, Brian Vickers never showed up at Jr.'s hauler to even things out.

Though Dale Jr. is young, he thinks like an old school driver.  He did what he had to do to stay on track.  He did that.  Go back and look over the history of NASCAR.  I dare you.

NASCAR's New Villain?

The above photo is courtesy of TheFastandtheFabulous.com  It's of the back of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s helmet at at least some of the Daytona races in which he participated in 2009.  In case nobody's heard the news, Matt Kenseth is the 2009 Daytona 500 winner in a rain shortened race.  I doubt that many people are actually talking about that today or will remember it 3 weeks from now.  Congratulations, Matt Kenseth!

The big news from Sunday's race is, of course, the wreck.  Dale Jr., restarting the race a lap down for receiving pit service outside his pit stall, restarts on the inside.  He ends up behind Brian Vickers.  Dale Jr. thinks he can squeeze by on the inside.  Brian Vickers cuts down the track to block, bumping Dale Jr. below the double yellow line.  Dale Jr., nearly in the grass, pulls back up the track, and the replay shows making minimal contact at most with the TV panel on the back of Brian Vickers' Toyota.  Brian goes for a spin, taking out several cars with him, including most-laps-led leader Kyle Busch.  TV replays show no visible damage to the rear of Vickers' car when he begins his spin.  There are no bumper bars hanging out, no sheet metal dragging.  The key words here are when the Vickers Toyota begins its spin.  At this point, any discernible damage to the rear of the Toyota would have been caused by Dale Earnhardt Jr.  But I'm not wanting to get into any magic bullet theories here, or as seen on Seinfeld, magic loogies.

Sunday night and Monday morning, I've read various comments as to how Earnhardt Jr. "ran over" or "punted" Brian Vickers.  I guess I watched a different race.  At best, Earnhardt Jr. gave Vickers a nudge.  I've got an announcement to make:  Brian Vickers did nothing wrong.  It's legal, under the rules of NASCAR to block another car.  Is it always the smartest thing to do?  That's another issue.

To say that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was without fault in the 2009 Daytona 500 would be facetious, at best.  Early in the race, Dale Jr. completely missed his pits, putting him in the rear of the field.  I'm sorry, that's a mistake that a driver who has driven in 10 Daytona 500's shouldn't make.  Every driver makes mistakes, but missing the pit completely was inexcusable.  If the crew chief, Tony Eury Jr. wasn't counting him down to his specified pit, or whether Dale Jr. just screwed up, those are the kind of mistakes that will lose races.

On a later pit stop, Dale Jr. put his right front tire about an inch onto the line marking the pit stall.  The NASCAR official quickly pointed out the error, and apparently no one paid any attention to him.  The crew completed their right side tire service and a crew member even pushed the official out of the way when making his way back to the left side of the car.  The 88 team had the option of repositioning the car within the pit stall, and though they would have lost valuable time, they still could have completed the pit stop without a one lap penalty.  

These are mistakes that should not be made by veteran drivers and crews.

For comparison purposes, there was an incident in the Saturday Nationwide race where driver Jason Leffler nudged driver Steve Wallace and sent Wallace into the outside wall, ending his day. For that transgression, Leffler was held in his pit for 5 laps, effectively ending his chances at have a good run as well.

Numerous comparisions between the Earnhardt Jr./Vickers incident and the Leffler/Wallace incident have been made today, with the concensus apparently being that Earnhardt Jr. should have been penalized 5 laps as well.  I can't argue against that opinion.  NASCAR apparently felt that Leffler's bump on Wallace was intentional, while the same sanctioning body felt that Earnhardt's bump on Vickers was not.  It's possible that radio traffic between Leffler and his crew chief or spotter may have led to NASCAR's decision to park him for 5 laps.  I don't know all the facts as far as that incident.  I was not listening to Leffler's radio, and don't know what was said.  The fact of the matter is just this:  It's often perception, other than truth, that leads to fans' discontent over the show that NASCAR puts on.

Most of the opinions that I've read today point to the perception that Earnhardt Jr. was treated favorably by NASCAR, either because of his popularity, or his last name.  Whether that is the truth or not, it really doesn't matter to the fans or the press.  It's the perception that counts here.  What is actually the truth of the matter means little.  I personally didn't see Earnhardt Jr. do much of anything that most of the other drivers in the field wouldn't have done.  If it had been, say, Greg Biffle that spun out Vickers, I doubt there would have been much talk about it, except among the fans of the drivers actually effected by the incident.

Diehard fans are diehard fans.  I actually am a Dale Jr. fan, but I'm a fan of other drivers as well.  I no longer post on, or really even monitor any of the Junior Nation fansites anymore.  The hatred for the Dale Jr. fans mostly comes from fans of drivers who either had clashes with Dale Sr., or are just jealous, in many cases.  Unless you're a Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, or Matt Kenseth fan, chances are you hate Dale Jr. because of his popularity, and because so far your driver hasn't accomplished as much as Dale Jr.  Dale Jr. has never won a Cup championship, but neither have a lot of other great drivers.  Jeff Burton has never won a championship.  So far, Kyle Busch hasn't, though he was the odds on favorite in 2008, going into the Chase for the Cup.  Carl Edwards hasn't yet.  Kevin Harvick hasn't either.  Relative old timer Mark Martin hasn't, but he's trying one more time.

Here are the facts about Dale Earnhardt Jr.  He only has a ride because of who his daddy was?  Can you say your driver isn't in Cup racing because his family never helped him?  Anyway, here are the facts.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won 18 Cup races.  He's won poles, not many, but he has won some.  He won the All Star Race in 2000, his rookie year.  He's won the Bud Shootout more than once.  He also won 2 Busch Series championships before he even ran Cup full time.  He's a Daytona 500 winner.  You may think of him as a Daytona or Talladega guy, but he's won at Bristol.  He's won at Richmond.  He's won at Phoenix.  He's won at Atlanta.  He's won at Chicago.  He's won at Michigan and Dover.

Yeah, I'm a Dale Jr. fan.  I don't look at him as if he has no faults though.  I know he has them.  He can do wrong in my book.  He did it yesterday at Daytona.  Dale Jr.'s human, ok?  He makes mistakes just like the rest of us.  He made mistakes at Daytona, but if I remember correctly, he's not the only driver to move someone out of the way.  He's not even the first Earnhardt to do so.

The 51st Daytona 500

The above photo is of the finish of the first Daytona 500, which was held in 1959.  The car in the middle, after checking film and photographs, was later declared the winner of the race.  The driver of that car was Lee Petty, and thus began one of NASCAR's greatest traditions.

Today, all of what has happened over the last week or so will be forgotten, all the tire problems hopefully a thing of the past, and all the other issues that the drivers, teams, and owners have faced will all go out the window when the green flag flies.  Daytona is a brand new beginning for many teams, and new associations for other teams and sponsors.

For those of you Kevin Harvick fans who may be dubious about my pick of Kevin Harvick to win today's race, I promise I didn't pick Kevin because my choice is the K.O.D., or as is sometimes called the kiss of death, or the kiss of disaster.  I picked Kevin because I think he can win!  Honest!

Here's hoping for a good, safe race.  I pray that all the drivers and crew members walk away from the track under their own power today.  I hope that all the fans travelling to and from the track will have a safe day as well.

It's 2009!  Let's light this firecracker!

The Daytona 500. My Pick to Win

I don't normally pick winners of races, and there's a good reason why.  I'm usually wrong.  Today, however, I feel pretty good about the chap pictured above.  Curse me all you want to, but I'm picking Kevin Harvick to win the 2009 Daytona 500.

Winning the Daytona 500 is something that most drivers would love to have on their resume, but few actually do.  Kevin's already won, beating Mark Martin to the line in 2007.  I watched last Saturday's Bud Shootout and frankly found my jaw hanging down around the area that my shoe laces usually occupy.  That's how good this young man is, and yes, I can call him a young man, because I was wearing long pants when Kevin Harvick was still in diapers.

On Sunday, NASCAR kicks off a brand new season, and I'm guessing that Kevin Harvick will be right up there with the leaders at the end of the race.  Harvick showed that basic 'no fear' attitude on Saturday, charging to the front and leading the only lap that really matters:  The last lap.

Do I think Kevin Harvick can do it again, just like he did in the Bud Shootout?  Yep.  You betcha.  Please, don't mortage your house or bet your car on this, but I'm thinking we'll get to see some more spectacular burnouts when Kevin Harvick wins the 2009 Daytona 500.

15 years ago: Missing Neil Bonnett

The above photo shows a very relaxed Neil Bonnett catching a quick nap at the track.  15 years ago today, we lost Neil Bonnett.  He died in Turn 4 at Daytona International Speedway during practice.  Nearly 7 years later, the man who considered Neil to be his best friend died in almost exactly the same spot, on the last lap of the Daytona 500.

Neil Bonnett had a passion to race.  He worked hanging high steel in Birmingham, Alabama before and during the time that he got into racing.  Neil later said that there were plenty of guys that wanted his steel hanging job, but nobody wanted his racing job.  Walking around on steel beams hundreds of feet off the ground was safe enough, but strapping yourself into a race car and going nearly 200 mph around an oval track was just way too dangerous for many.

Neil had a great career as a driver.  In 362 starts in the Winston Cup, Neil won 18 races, finished in the top five 83 times, and in the top ten 156 times.  Neil also won 20 poles during his career.  Neil won at places like Darlington, North Wilkesboro, Ontario, California, and even the Daytona July race.  He won multiple times at Charlotte, Atlanta, Rockingham, and Richmond.  He won a Talladega race, and he won at Dover.

Neil seldom ran complete seasons, in other words, there were only a few seasons during his 20 year Cup career that he ran the complete schedule.  Neil finished 4th in points for the 1985 season, and had two wins that year.

Neil Bonnett drove while he was hurt many times.  Late in his career, he asked a doctor to bolt his broken sternum back together so he could race the next week.  For Neil Bonnett, racing was everything, and everything was racing.

As an avid hunter and angler, Neil Bonnett and Dale Earnhardt were a natural fit for each other.  The hunting stories these men could tell, if they were alive, would be priceless.  We only know about a few of them.

Turn 4 at Daytona is hallowed ground for me.  Two of my heroes died there.

Just a Cartoon for you this morning.

The cartoon shown above is by Mike Smith for the Las Vegas Sun.  About a million or more fans could be the guy on the left.  Here is the actual link.  The guy on the right, obviously, is Mike Helton.  Though it's hard to feel sorry for NASCAR, I sometimes do feel sorry for Mike.

Kudos to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

Though I've often been critical of Dale Earnhardt Inc., which is now part of the new Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team, I have to say one thing:  The company with the name 'Earnhardt' on the door certainly hasn't lost any of the old magic when it comes to making cars go around the track fast at Daytona International Speedway.

Martin Truex Jr. won only his second Cup pole on Sunday, turning out a lap at 188.01 mph.  Truex had the only car in the 188 mph range.  This accomplishment actually means that Martin will start on the pole twice, once in the first Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying race on Thursday, and of course the Daytona 500 itself on Sunday.  Whatever the outcome of the qualifying race on Thursday, Truex will start on the pole on Sunday, barring any major mechanical problems between Thursday and Sunday, or if they should have to go to a backup car for some reason.  Either way, Martin Truex Jr. is the pole winner for the Daytona 500.

Juan Pablo Montoya was 4th overall on the speed charts on Sunday, scoring an impressive 187.743 mph.  JP actually sounded a little disappointed after his qualifying attempt, feeling that he should have been able to get more out of the car.  Mr. Montoya, let me tell you, 4th out of an all star studded 56 car field at Daytona is not bad.  Not bad at all.

Making his first Daytona 500 Cup start ever is the 8 Chevrolet, driven this year by Aric Almirola. Aric turned a lap at 187.649 mph, which was good enough to put him 7th on the speed charts.  This is a great beginning at Daytona for Almirola.

Obviously, the EGR cars go very fast around the track on their own, but we have yet to see them under racing conditions.  None of the 3 EGR cars were in the Bud Shootout, and haven't as yet had a chance to do any drafting practice, which will come on Wednesday.  Many things can change under racing conditions, so the fact that the cars are fast doesn't mean it's easy to predict great finishes in the qualifying races or the 500 itself.  The important point though, is that the engine builders and the car builders have obviously done their jobs, and given the drivers some very fast cars.

The success of the EGR cars does not appear to be all engine though.  2 years ago, Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Richard Childress Racing combined their engine programs into what is now called Earnhardt Childress Racing Technologies.  In other words, EGR and RCR use the same racing engines.  Whatever qualifying speed that the EGR cars found, apparently didn't carry over to the Childress cars.  Clint Bowyer was the fastest RCR car on Sunday, turning a lap at 186.726 mph, good enough for 22nd fastest overall.  Bud Shootout winner Kevin Harvick ran a lap at 183.602 mph.  It appeared that Kevin didn't have full power on his qualifying attempt, however.

I understand that there are many different philosophies regarding qualifying.  Some teams, and indeed some drivers place a much higher emphasis on qualifying than do others.  Richard Childress has in the past appeared to put much less emphasis on winning poles than do other teams.  I'm only guessing, but I'm thinking that to Childress, it makes sense not to stress the equipment in order to win a pole, because that equipment might not last the entire race.  Winning races is what pays the bills, not winning poles.

Many drivers do want to start on the pole.  That strategy makes sense as well, considering some of the carnage we saw during the Bud Shootout back in the pack, or as SPEED TV's John Roberts aptly termed "bar fight on wheels".  With some of the craziness we've already seen in the Bud Shootout and the ARCA race on Saturday, most of the drivers would rather be in the front of the field, not in the rear.  Hanging around the back of the field and trying to make a charge at the end can be a difficult task, though Kevin Harvick managed to accomplish just that when he won the Bud Shootout on Saturday.

Another team I am very impressed with is the new Stewart-Haas Racing entries of Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart, who were 3rd and 10th fastest in qualifying, respectively.  It's beginning to look like there's going to some new numbers to watch on the track in 2009, and those numbers are the 14 and the 39.

It was encouraging to see Bill Elliot and Terry Labonte locked into the show on Sunday as well.  Bill has had a fast car, being quickest in both practices on Saturday.  I guess the Wood Brothers still have some of that go fast magic as well, but then they've got the driver who's set speed records at not just Daytona, but at Talladega as well.  Can you say 212 mph?  I know a lot of people hate restrictor plates, but seriously, just how fast can these cars go without taking off and flying over the fence into the stands?  Restrictor plates are a necessary evil, and they are here to stay.

I'd like to also give kudos to Bobby Labonte and Travis Kvapil, who drove the two of the other fastest Fords on Sunday.  Travis had to qualify on time, which he did, locking himself into the 500 by putting out a lap that was 8th fastest overall on Sunday.  Bobby did a great job as well, being 11th fastest.  Labonte seemed as excited as I've seen him in quite a while.  Bobby's 96 Ask.com Ford is technically owned by Hall of Fame Racing, but it's very closely aligned this year with Yates Racing.  I find it impressive that the Wood Brothers and Yates Racing were faster than the Roush Fords on Sunday.  Of course, like I said before, that's just qualifying.  We all know the Roush guys will be in it to win it during the qualifying races and the 500.

Here's some breaking news for you:  Once again the Hendrick cars are all fast.  All 4 cars were in the top 12 on the speed chart, and Mark Martin will start on the outside pole next Sunday.  Not bad for a guy in his very first start in a Hendrick owned Cup car.