Some Breakout Performances at Bristol

First of all, congratulations to Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin for making it a great day for Joe Gibbs Racing at Bristol on Sunday.  Busch and Hamlin finished 1st and 2nd, respectively.  Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon also put in solid performances for Hendrick Motorsports, finishing 3rd and 4th.  Richard Petty Motorsports' Kasey Kahne continued to show strength in 2009, finishing 5th at Bristol in the Budweiser Dodge.

Two drivers who made badly needed good runs on Sunday were Mark Martin, who finished 6th, and Ryan Newman who finished 7th.  Both of these drivers are running for new teams this year, Mark Martin for Hendrick, and Ryan Newman for the brand new Stewart-Haas Racing, and both have been mired back in the pack in points thus far in 2009, mostly hampered by bad luck and engines trailing parts and oil and smoke.  It's good to see two good drivers get good finishes at Bristol.

Ryan Newman is often somewhat of an afterthought to most casual fans of the sport.  He maintains a quiet demeanor, and rarely makes waves either on or off the track.  Ryan is often overshadowed by his often flamboyant partial owner and teammate Tony Stewart.  It is sometimes forgotten that Ryan Newman is a great qualifier, one of the best in the modern era of NASCAR, and he's won his share of races so far in his relatively short career.  

Mark Martin is, of course, probably the biggest legend among current drivers in NASCAR who has never won a championship.  Mark came very close a couple of times, but has never managed to take the big trophy home.  2009 was to be his last full time season, but now he's been talking about attempting a full time 2010 run as well, and one has to wonder if owner Rick Hendrick will give him that opportunity next year, or will Mark have to go elsewhere to make that happen.  Though Mark basically has been on the verge of retiring for several years now, his priorities have changed.  He originally was going to retire to help his son, Matt, with his racing career.  Apparently Matt has other priorities other than racing, and Mark seems to have a renewed energy and passion for doing what he has done for so many years, which of course is driving race cars.

There are some fans and even sports writers who have been critical of Mark Martin's quest to keep driving, even though he's announced his retirement more than once.  The criticism seems to be that he's taking up room that could be filled by younger, hotter drivers.  I understand that argument, but I have to admit, Mark Martin has been running well this year.  He's won 2 poles so far, at Atlanta and Bristol, and though he's had problems with engines and such during the races, Sunday showed he can still run with the young guys.  To me, a guy born in 1959 is not ancient.  Of course I might be biased on that opinion, since I was only born a scant 4 years later than that.  I also have to say that when you're hot, you're hot.  50 or not, go for it, Mark. 

Has anyone noticed that Jeff Gordon has a 76 point lead over second place Kurt Busch in the points?  Though Jeff has not been to victory lane in over 45 races now, the 24 crew has done what they need to keep Jeff exactly where he wants to be early in the 2009 season.  Under the current points system, Gordon is playing the game exactly as it needs to be played, by being consistent.  Though Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth have each won 2 races this year, neither is number 1 in points.  Not exactly a criticism, but maybe a suggestion, and I'll bet readers of this article have probably thought it before:  Why not make wins count more?

Just a suggestion.

What Would You Do for the Opportunity to be a Part Of NASCAR?

I'd probably give a left part of my body, although I'm not sure exactly which one.  I have two ear lobes, do I really need both of them?  I'm just asking.  Maybe I should make that a right portion of my body, since I'm left handed.  I don't know, I don't have a lot of experience in this field.

But I know that I'd give just about anything to be able to follow the series from track to track, to have access to the garage, the crew, the chiefs, the owners, and of course the drivers.

Of course there is a certain amount of celebrity curiosity there.  I've only met a very few drivers in person, and those occasions were mostly formal, but it would be awesome to see what's going on behind the scenes at the tracks.  

To be honest with you, the only people I've ever met that I'm completely awed by are my father and my mother, who for more than 84 years have kept the bonds of a family together, through hard work and a lot of love.  These are people who have been through hardships that most of us couldn't imagine.  My father is a veteran of World War II, where he served in Europe.  My mother worked in a life boat factory to support the war effort during that time.  In other words, my parents have lived through some difficult times.

I'm much more fortunate than my parents.  I never had to go fight soldiers on foreign soil, I've never had to go through rationing for things such as gas, tires, or oil.

But I'd be willing to do just about all of those things to be able to follow the teams around to the tracks and have access to them.  It's not that I'm a groupie of any particular driver or anything, because I'm not awed by any of them at all, but it's just this:  NASCAR is one of the very few things I truly love in this world.  That's why I write about it.  

Sure, I have drivers I favor over other drivers, but in the effort to make this site not just about one driver, I've overcome some of those prejudices or biases, or at least I have so some degree.

If I were travelling from track to track every week, could walk around the garage, see the sights, listen to the talk, I'd be in some strange form of Heaven.  In other words, it would be like the most fun I've ever had in my life.

The atmosphere surrounding NASCAR is somewhat contagious.  These people are making money, a lot of them are rich, without a doubt, beyond my wildest dreams.  To me, that's not the allure though.  It's just the part about being part of something.  I don't know if that makes any sense, but just to write about what I write about is a huge privilege.  Even at the stage at which I am now, which means that I'm nothing more than a fan.  I can write about things that interest me, and I get paid exactly what you pay to read this site, which, the last time I checked, was exactly nothing.

I just enjoy doing this.  The other night I had a dream where I got to interview, of all people, David Starr.  I don't know why, because I've never followed David's career, but I was interested to find out that David has won 4 races in 218 starts in the Camping World Truck Series, and has also achieved 9 starts in the Nationwide Series.  I didn't get that from the dream, of course, but I did look it up when I woke up from that dream.  

I think anyone that has the opportunity to get involved with NASCAR, should, at all costs.  I know I would.

Heck, I'd do it for free if I could.

Giving Back to the Sport He Loves.

I'm not a huge Mark Martin fan, but I've got to recognize what I consider to be a class act.  Mark Martin, through his website, Markmartin.com, will be the sponsor on the car owned by Tommy Baldwin, and will be driven by Scott Riggs.  Riggs will attempt to qualify the car at Bristol.

In this time of economic insecurity, I applaud Mark Martin for making this very nice offer of sponsorship for a team that's trying to get itself off the ground.

"I just wanted to help a fellow driver," Martin said.  "I think this is a great opportunity to get involved, and encourage others to follow my lead, including other drivers."

In order to keep NASCAR solvent, this is a huge thing.  Mark Martin is sponsoring a competitor.  Is that a great gesture or what?

Regardless of what you think of Mark Martin, I think you have to call him a gentleman, if nothing else.

I hope this trend will take off, and maybe one day we'll see JeffGordon.com on the hood of some other car, or JimmieJohnson.com on the hood of some car.  Some of these drivers have earned a lot of money, and in order to keep the sport accessible for smaller teams, some of them might have to give back to the sport that supports them.  Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr, etc.  I think you should all give this some thought.

I don't know about you, but my hat's off to Mark Martin for what he's doing for Tommy Baldwin and Scott Riggs.

It's Bristol Time!

NASCAR teams and drivers, and especially the hauler drivers were glad to get a weekend off, especially after the California and Las Vegas runs, but you, me and probably ever other fan out there are chomping at the bit to get back to it.  It's Bristol, baby, and we're going short track racing!

Bristol has been the site of some of the best racing I've ever seen, period.  Last year, the new car, or as they used to say, the Car Of Tomorrow, lessened that excitement just a little, but Bristol is Bristol, and you can't keep a great track down for long.  Bristol is one of the last true bull rings that exists in NASCAR's highest series, and I'm guessing that Sunday's race is going to be a barn burner.

Even this early in the season, we've got drivers with a few scores to settle, and what better place than Bristol, Tennessee?  The winning car may not have fenders on it, because the beating and banging is so intense there, it's part race and part demolition derby.  If you happen to be a driver with a grudge, this is the place to settle it, because there will be so much rubbing and banging that even NASCAR will be hard pressed to tell if contact was on purpose or incidental.

Should the victim of a love tap be your particular driver, you, of course, will cry 'foul!' and report it immediately to your favorite driver's message board or scream it at the TV in either your home, your local watering hole, or where ever you happen to witness the incident.  If I were you, I'd scream it out at the track itself, because it's now easier to get Bristol tickets than it has been in decades.

For me, as a fan, the main joy of watching a Bristol race is the close contact that exists there.  I enjoy watching racing at all the tracks, but Bristol is special to me.  If you've never been to your local race track, Bristol is probably the closest thing on national TV that you have ever seen that's close to the excitement that you get on a small track.  If you want to see the competition that you'll see at Bristol every week, go to your local short track and get some Cokes, or Pepsi's, maybe a hot dog, and sit back and just watch.  If you're a racing fan, believe me, it won't take you long to learn the names of the drivers and figure out your favorites.  Bristol is the national version of your local short track.  Most of the drivers at Bristol on Sunday have run at local tracks just like yours.

Some of them still do.

I admire drivers that drive anything, anywhere, no matter how large the crowd is.  If you happen to live in Georgia, you might see a big name driver running on a local dirt track near you.  If you live in California, you might see someone by the name of Mears running a local feature.  If you're lucky enough to live within driving distance of Eldora, you know what I mean.   At one of my local tracks, Greenville-Pickens Speedway, we've been blessed over the years by names like Petty, Pearson, Yarborough, Earnhardt, Keller, Pressley, and a host of others.

It doesn't matter where you live.  Chances are you've got some great drivers around, and you should go see them.  Support what they're doing, if you can afford to.

Maybe one day you'll see them at places like Daytona, Talladega, Indianapolis, and yes, even Bristol.

Fans, Fans, Fans.

Fans. If you're reading this site, chances are you are one. Or perhaps not. All I know is that fans are what makes the NASCAR world go round and round. A lot of people think it's the sponsors, the owners, or even the drivers. Sure, all those elements add value to the NASCAR experience, and having fun watching races wouldn't really be possible without them.

But fans are where it's at.  

The fans support the sponsors, and until the last year or so, bought tickets for the races. Without the fans, sponsors wouldn't be in NASCAR. Without fans, these guys might as well be driving around a cow pasture somewhere, like they did before NASCAR even was. 

NASCAR fans come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Their devotion to certain drivers is, well, fanatical at times. That's the basis of the word 'fan' anyway, isn't it?  

In other words, their driver can do no wrong, and if their driver fails, it must be either equipment failure, some other driver's fault, or their crew chief's fault. If NASCAR fans based their adoration for drivers based only on statistics, we all would have been Petty, Pearson, Yarborough, and Earnhardt fans in the 1970's and 1980's. We all would have been Waltrip fans during that time as well. In the 1990's, we all would have to have been Gordon fans, because Jeff Gordon's stats from the '90's are particularly spectacular. 

But that's not the way being a fan works. We are fans of a certain driver for as many reasons as there are stars in the evening sky. We like the way they look, or their personalities, or the way they give interviews. Some of us have personally met a driver, and he was gracious and kind. He may not produce much on the race track, but we become fans of that driver just because of a personal smile or wave. In the old days, drivers were not so much celebrities, as they now are, but more or less circus clowns. They provided the entertainment, back in the days when you could bring a family of 4 into the track for $10.00. People who populated the stands back in those days began to follow the careers of certain drivers, and eventually became fans of those drivers. Sometimes the loyalty to those drivers led to fans only buying certain types of automobiles and other products. That's what NASCAR counts on these days: Fans support the sponsors, and therefore, the sponsors support the series.  

How do you explain Bill Elliot being the most popular driver all those years? Bill has won some races, sure, and one championship even. But Bill was the most popular driver in NASCAR for many years when he wasn't winning many races, and other guys like Gordon and Earnhardt were winning races and championships. Bill is a likable enough fellow, sure, but why the MPD status? It's simple. Fans of Bill were fans whether he won or lost races. Bill's personality seemed to overcome any problems he had on the track.

The same can be said for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale has not won a championship in Cup at all. He's won 18 races, and he did win those two Busch championships. But Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s on track performance has been less than spectacular for the last few years, yet he keeps winning most popular driver awards. It's not his feats at driving that lead to those awards, obviously, it's who Dale Jr. is. 

If we all went by statistics with which to base our loyalty to drivers, we would all be Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, and Carl Edwards fans these days. Of course we are not. These drivers have their own fan base, some of which is based on their performance, and some of it on just who the driver is. 

There are fans of some drivers who have achieved relatively little in comparison to other drivers, yet they are free and willing to call other drivers who have achieved more as being 'idiots', or 'over rated'. That's the fun of being a NASCAR fan. Everything goes when one is defending one's driver.

Personally, I am a fan of not just one driver, but several. I'm guessing most of you feel that way as well, though I once got slapped lightly on the wrists, figuratively, for cheering on some other drivers as well as my friend's favorite driver. It was all or nothing for this friend, and there were no other drivers good enough to cheer for in my friend's opinion. I'm not that way. I personally like drivers based on what they've done in the past, but also on their personality and basic outlook on life. 

I don't consider any driver in any of the current NASCAR series to be a hero, but there are many that I personally admire. My last hero in NASCAR was Dale Earnhardt. Other heroes I've had in NASCAR in the past were Richard Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, and people like Tim Richmond, Davey Allison, and strangely enough, or not, a guy named Alan Kulwicki.  

I'm fans of those guys because of not only what they did, but the kind of men they were, and for some, fortunately still are.

Four Races Into the Season: What Have We Got?

The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is only four races old, but we're already seeing some trends developing.  The fact that the 24 car, driven by four time champion Jeff Gordon, is currently leading the points is not really a surprise.  Gordon has yet to win a race since 2007, but he's driving consistently so far in 2009, and therefore reaps the rewards of that consistency by leading the points very early in the season.

Second in points is somewhat a surprise to some, but not really to me, personally.  Driving for Richard Childress' long anticipated 4th team is Clint Bowyer, who has also not won a race yet this season, but proves that even new teams can click along and score good points after only four races into the season.  Clint obviously is not new to the Childress organization, but the number and sponsor is new.

Producing very few surprises at all are the 99 car of Carl Edwards and his teammate in the 17 car, Matt Kenseth, currently 4th and 5th in points respectively.  I think everyone expected Cousin Carl to be off and running for the title in 2009, and I doubt that anyone expected Matt Kenseth to win the first two races of the year, but I think we all knew he would probably be pretty strong in 2009.  Also surprising very few is another Roush teammate, Greg Biffle in the 16 car who is currently running in 10th in points.

I suppose that if I had to list any real personal surprises thus far in 2009, it would be how well some of the Dodge cars are running.  Kurt Busch, driving the 2 car for Penske Racing, won convincingly at Atlanta this past weekend.  By virtue of his win, and by strong runs elsewhere, Kurt is currently in 3rd place in points after four races in 2009.  Another Dodge driver who so far is having a productive season is Kasey Kahne, who drives the 9 Budweiser Dodge.  Kasey currently resides in the 9th place in points.

Another Chevrolet driver whom I should have already mentioned who's doing very well, is no surprise to me.  Kevin Harvick, who drives the 29 Pennzoil Chevrolet is currently 8th in points.  Though winless in points races in 2008 and so far in 2009, Kevin did win the All Star race at Charlotte this year, and won the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona in February.  Kevin and his team have put together strong performances so far in 2009, and I feel that it's just a matter of time before he takes the checkered flag in a points race.

There are, of course, some Toyota's in the top ranks four races into the season.  Kyle Busch, who won at Las Vegas, is currently in 7th place in the points.  That should suprise no one, as far as I can tell.  After the year that Kyle had in 2008, we knew he would probably come roaring into 2009 like a lion.  Michael Waltrip Racing driver David Reutimann is currently in 12th place in the points, and it appears that David, as long as Michael himself, may be enjoying a breakout year so far in Cup.  Michael is currently 16th in points.

Another Toyota driver I'm not surprised to see running well is the 83 Red Bull car driven by Brian Vickers.  Brian showed a lot of promise last year, and apparently the 83 team has carried on, giving Vickers some good equipment and allowing him to produce some very impressive finishes so far in 2009.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Brian get a win this season.

Some other surprises I've seen so far, and they might not be surprises to you, but they are to me.  Mark Martin, driving the 5 car for Rick Hendrick has had a horrible run of luck so far in his final push to win a championship.  Mark is currently 35th in points, far from where he wanted to be after four races.  Martin has been qualifying very well, so I see little reason to worry about him making races, but the on track problems that seem to be plaguing his Chevrolet have to be worrying him.

Another surprise for me is that Jimmie Johnson, driving another Hendrick car, the 48, and champion for the last 3 years, so far has not been able to produce what many consider to be quality runs so far this year.  Jimmie is currently in 13th in points, which for many of his fans must be highly annoying.

One of the happiest statistics for me to report, and of course this is just me, is that Tony Stewart, in his newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing team is currently 6th in points.  It's been hit and miss for SHR so far this year, since Tony seems to be running well, and teammate Ryan Newman has been struggling.  I'm a fan of Tony's, and hope to see him win in 2009 for his brand new team.  His first win for his own team will probably be the high point of his life, and I can't wait to see that happen.

There's other drivers I'm surprised about, and somewhat not surprised about, but I'll try to incorporate that into a column on another day.

To be honest with you, I'm not terribly surprised that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is currently 24th in points.  It's not that I don't like Dale Jr, but I kind of saw this coming, to be honest with you.  I'm formulating a column about that, and will share it with you soon.  The reasons why I'm not surprised at his current status may surprise some.  It's still very early in the season, and things can, and probably will change.  Whether they change for the better or the worse for Dale Jr., I can't predict, but I'm guessing some things will change.

What's the Secret behind Jimmie Johnson's Success?

A little food for thought this morning:  Why has Jimmie Johnson been so successful in Sprint Cup?  Currently, he's won three consecutive championships, plus a ton of races, at this time, 40 wins since he drove his first Cup race in 2001.  Out of 258 total Cup starts, Johnson has finished in the top 5 101 times, and 157 times in the top 10.  Jimmie has also won 19 poles in his Cup career so far.

Jimmie Johnson has never finished higher than 5th in points for any season since he began running full time in the Cup series in 2002.  Twice he finished 2nd in points, and of course, he's also finished first for the last three seasons.  To say the obvious, basically no one has enjoyed as much success in the Cup series in such a short time, at least not in a long time.  Kyle Busch is a hot driver, and he may eventually eclipse Jimmie Johnson, but so far, Jimmie has to be considered a top driver in the series since 2002.

It's often reported, and repeated by members of the various teams at Hendrick Motorsports, that all the teams share information and technology.  That may or may not be absolutely true.  One factor that comes into play is the fact that the registered owner of Jimmie Johnson's 48 Lowe's Chevrolet is not Rick Hendrick, but Jeff Gordon.  Now I'm certainly not an insider in NASCAR circles, which means I have no special intelligence or information regarding exactly how information is shared at Hendrick Motorsports.  There is an old saying, I think that can be attributed to George Orwell, which states that some pigs are more equal than others.  I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing that Jimmie Johnson is a little more equal than some of the other drivers on his team.

That's not to say that Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, and by proxy, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman are being short changed, but with crew chief Chad Knaus calling the shots, I'm pretty sure that Jimmie Johnson can rest assured that he is driving the very best equipment available, every single race.  And why not?  The man has won 3 Cup championships for Hendrick Motorsports.  Jimmie Johnson is obviously a talented driver, because great equipment or not, a poor driver could not achieve all that Jimmie has.

Jimmie Johnson is not my favorite driver.  If I based my loyalty to drivers on statistics alone, he probably would be, but that's not what I do, and I hazard to guess, neither do you.  We see little in the way of personality when Jimmie is interviewed.  He has broken out of the robot mold a little this season, sporting a beard, which surprised me.  Most Hendrick drivers are always clean shaven, even during practice, with the obvious exception being Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Personally, I find Jimmie Johnson to be a likable guy, if not particularly interesting.  He's a made for TV kind of driver, always thanking his sponsors and team, and rarely saying anything that can be construed as controversial.  In other words, he's a sponsor's and owner's dream driver.  He goes about his business quietly, and so far, has been racking up wins and championships.

Like him or not, Jimmie Johnson is an impressive driver on the track.  I know there will be knocks on Cheater Chad because I'm saying this, and there is some value to those opinions.  It could be said that Jimmie had 'special' equipment back in 2006, or even 2007.  The Car of Tomorrow rules more or less even the playing field these days though.  Though Jimmie has not won a race so far in 2009, he's still been a factor in most of the races run so far.  

God willing, Jimmie Johnson will be around for a long time.  He's not my favorite driver, but I can't help but admire his accomplishments.

Photo courtesy of Cox News.