Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Denny Hamlin Has Arrived

It would seem that the winner of the blade battle is Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin. At least so far. 5 wins since NASCAR restored the blade, or the rear spoiler, if you will, cannot lie.


It’s curious why JGR seems to have such a handle on the blade and nobody else can seem to figure it out after all this time. I think I have the answer though: Denny Hamlin has arrived.

“All we do is win” has been the number 11’s battle cry over these 5 wins. The team is on track. The cars are great. Right now, the driver’s great too. It would seem that Denny Hamlin has experienced a few sophomore seasons, and he has finally come into his own.

It’s not a matter of whether you like Denny Hamlin or not, but he’s a lot like Kyle Busch or Jimmie Johnson in the last couple of years: You cannot deny what he’s done. He’s a winner, and he seems to keep on winning. When it comes right down to it, winning is pretty important, if not everything.

Denny Hamlin rubs some people the wrong way, but so does every driver.

That’s what NASCAR is all about. It’s favorites and least favorites. That’s the way it’s always been.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

What Makes A Great Driver?

Since this is an opinion column, what you are going to read here is totally my opinion and nothing else.  I’ve been watching this sport for quite a while, and I’m more than happy to give you my opinion.  I’d be interested in hearing your opinion too.

In the old days, most NASCAR drivers came from the South, and literally grew up racing.  Some started in go carts and eventually graduated to full sized race cars.  Some came from other areas of racing, driving various types of open wheel race cars, and made occasional forays into NASCAR.  Some got  hooked on stock cars, some just dabbled in the sport.

Since about 1990 or so, NASCAR has experienced an invasion of drivers from other parts of the country who have made it big in the sport.  Jeff Gordon came to NASCAR from California by way of Indiana.  Tony Stewart came directly from Indiana, as did Ryan Newman.  Juan Pablo Montoya came all the way from Colombia.  Guess what?  It’s all been good for the sport.

A great driver obviously must have talent.  Talent is why you and me aren’t currently employed driving in NASCAR’s top series and earning millions of dollars and flying around in our own private jets.  Talent isn’t always the only part of the equation however.

A truly great driver must have somewhat of a personality that people either love or hate.  Richard Petty was a great driver just on his wins alone, but he was and is an genuinely nice guy, always happy to sign autographs for the fans.  Dale Earnhardt was a rather polarizing driver, who while he was alive angered many fans and also grabbed the admiration of many others.  Since Dale’s death in 2001, he’s mostly been remembered in a positive way, as the man who changed the sport forever.

There are a few young guns in NASCAR who could certainly be considered potentially great drivers.  I would include Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch in that list.  I would include Kasey Kahne.  History will dictate just how great these drivers will be remembered when their driving days are done.  All three of these drivers exhibit a ton of talent, and Kyle Busch alone has enough personality for all three.  There are certainly other drivers who may eventually be known as great drivers as well.  I’ll leave that list up to you.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Trust But Verify

Over the last few years, I’ve noticed that there are far fewer reporters than there are editors.  The Columbia School of Journalism cranks out scores of qualified journalists every year, yet most of them seem to be trying to change the world rather than simply reporting the news.

I readily admit that I write an opinionated column, not news.  I could provide statistics all day and discuss them with you, but I don’t.  I give you a fan’s opinion here, nothing more, nothing less.  It’s my site, so I can do what I want, within reason.  This is a site that your kids can read if they want to.  No bad language is tolerated here, mostly because I consider NASCAR to be a family sport.

There are plenty of places that you, the NASCAR fan can find stats and whatever you want.  I don’t do that here.  I won’t apologize for it, because this is just what I do.  www.jayski.com can tell you pretty much all you want to know about anything regarding NASCAR.  Jay does it better than I ever could, so all you get here is my opinion.

That being said, I have noticed that there are quite a few ‘journalists’ out there who apparently consider themselves editors with editorial license.  That’s a shame, because I would rather hear the raw news, not some reporter’s spin on things.

This obviously happens not only in the NASCAR world, but also in the political world as well.  It’s a shame that people will behave as sheep and believe everything that some airhead on TV tells them.  All I can say is that I believe that if you want to be well informed, you should read widely, think about what you read, and never, ever believe the first thing you hear on TV.  It’s just not healthy, folks.

Try to understand that most reporters are not very objective, and that they will try to spin news to reflect kindly on their personally favorite subjects.  Reporters will also put a little negative spin on stories that deal with people they don’t like, or have been taught not to like.  Way to go, Columbia U.!

In other words, you get lied to every time you watch TV.  I’m sorry, but it’s a fact, but any so called facts you hear on the news, especially in late breaking stories should be taken with a grain of salt.  It’s easy to do when your purpose in life is to change the world, not simply report the news.  This can also be said of most of the newspapers in the country.

Your local TV newscaster or newspaper columnist might be trustworthy to you, and if you trust them, you’re lucky, especially if they really tell you the truth.  Around the area that I live in, I can’t trust anyone who calls themselves a journalist.  Even the weatherman lies to me.  Just joking.

There is an old saying:  “Trust, but verify.”  In other words, do your own research.  Find the facts for yourself.  Don’t trust anything a talking head or so called reporter tells you unless it’s a fire or a traffic accident.  Even then, don’t trust them.

Trust, but verify.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Random Thoughts Before Charlotte

Is It My Imagination Or What?

First of all, I want to apologize for not posting more lately.  I’ve had some problems which I’m not able to discuss here, but I hope that I’ll be back on a regular basis soon.

Am I imagining things or has Joe Gibbs Racing figured out the spoiler much faster than anyone else?  Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have won most of the races, it would seem since the re-introduction of the spoiler.  So far, the Hendrick guys haven’t been able to get the handle on the spoiler, so the fact is that the JGR guys have shakes things up a little.  That’s not a bad thing.  Let’s light this firecracker!  We’ve  now got some legitimate claims to end Jimmie Johnson’s  claim to his 5th Sprint Cup title.  Jimmie and Chad Knaus are the most incredible team in recent history, but it would be interesting to see another JGR or RCR team break the streak.

Kevin Harvick still leads in points after the 12th race of the season, and he’s only won one race this season.  That’s how the points system works, folks.  It’s not wins, it’s top 5 and top 10 finishes.  That’s how championships are won.

What the heck is going on with the 88 team?  Dale and Lance snipe at each other on the radio and Dale has a horrible finish at Dover.  Is there a new crew chief in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s future?  Dale is obviously not the easiest guy to work for.  It’s hard to figure out why a guy who has won so much in the past is running so poorly in the last few years.  I’ll let you experts figure it out.

It’s almost time for the races at Charlotte, and I’m looking forward to it.  I’ve been to the 600 a few times and it’s incredible.  If you really want to see a really good race, go to the Coca Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway.  The race starts under the sun and ends at night.  It’s the longest race of the season, and you will not be disappointed by the quality of racing.  This is old home week for the teams and the drivers, because most of them all live in the Charlotte, NC area.  Drivers and crew will all have lots of friends and family there, so they’ll be putting on the show of the year.

Don’t worry about Hendrick.  Sooner or later Jimmie or Jeff or Mark, and hopefully Junior will be winning races again.  If you’re a Junior fan, lookout, fireworks are going to happen.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

It's Time For NASCAR TV

First of all, congratulations to Kevin Harvick, who ended the longest winless streak of his Cup career last week at Talladega.  Is it now fair to call Kevin a super speedway specialist, since his last two wins have come at Daytona and Talladega?  Just kidding.  Kevin Harvick is a great race car driver, and I think we all knew he was going to win this season, it was just a matter of when.

Now, to the meat of this article.

The NFL has it’s own channel, though I’ve never seen it.  It costs extra to get the NFL channel, assuming it’s even available on your cable or satellite network.  There is also a golf channel, which I used to get on basic cable (Charter).  I think it’s time for a NASCAR only, 24-7 channel.

Sure, SPEED TV does a great job with it’s NASCAR coverage.  To a certain extent, so does ESPN.  But don’t you think that NASCAR has gotten big enough to have an exclusive TV channel?

I’m certainly not faulting SPEED TV or ESPN, but they’ve both got bigger rows to hoe than just NASCAR.  ESPN does a brilliant job of trying to cover virtually all sports on the planet, and that’s certainly no easy job.  SPEED covers not only NASCAR, but also everything from motorcycle racing to monster trucks.  They do a great job of it too, but for the true NASCAR purist, I think it’s time for a NASCAR only channel.

The NASCAR channel could do live updates on news several times a day.  You know, kind of like a televised version of Jayski.  I don’t know what they do about the current contracts that FOX, ESPN, and TNT have for televising the actual races, because I think it’s important that people without cable or satellite have the opportunity to watch at least some of the races.  Right now, only FOX and ESPN, through ABC can do that.  I think it’s important to bring the sport to the masses.  Perhaps NASCAR could reserve the right to simulcast the races on their own channel as well.  Or, they could put together their own crew and broadcast the races the NASCAR way.  Either way works for me, as long as Mom and Pop can sit and see at least some of the races with that Channel Master antenna on the roof.

The NASCAR channel should be basic cable.  Enough advertising could be sold to fund the network, just through the myriad of NASCAR sponsors.  Team sponsors could jump in on the deal just to sweeten it and get extra exposure on a NASCAR exclusive network.  There is a hardcore base of fans who would probably watch that channel all day and all night too.  You know who I’m talking about.  Yes, you!

Other than the news updates, the NASCAR channel could fill time by broadcasting earlier races, from all it’s various series.  Go back to the 70’s or 80’s, and there is a wealth of good stuff there.  Televise races live from the various regional series and give these drivers a little exposure.  It’s all good.

The NASCAR channel already has a core group  of veteran race broadcasters.  Remember MRN?  MRN stands for Motor Racing Network, which is owned by International Speedway Corporation, which in turn is owned by the National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing.  Recognize that name?  Of course, it’s NASCAR.  I love listening to the MRN guys on the radio, and they would be great on TV as well.

It’s time for NASCAR TV.  We, the fans, well, we really want it. 

Really bad.  I know I do.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Things I Wonder About

Things I Wonder About


Do people recognize that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the most popular driver in NASCAR because of his looks and personality rather than his record as a driver?  He’s proven himself as a driver, but he hasn’t delivered much in the way of wins in the last few years.  Dale’s a great guy, but it’s rather unreasonable to expect that he will deliver his father’s numbers in races wins or championships, because probably no one will, except maybe Jimmie Johnson.  The problem is, Jimmie’s just not a very interesting person.  That’s probably Jimmie’s secret to success, and Dale’s problem is that he talks, just like his dad did. Both Dales make great news, Jimmie Johnson just doesn’t.

Do the news people understand that most of the American public is tired of the entire Tiger Woods story? Let the dude play golf, which he is really good at, and then we’ll talk after the Masters Tournament.

Does Richard Childress understand that Kevin Harvick is probably the most talented driver in his stable?  If I were RC, I would do everything I could to keep KH under the corporate banner.  Kevin Harvick is a very talented driver, and has the perfect personality to replace the driver he replaced, who is of course, the late Dale Earnhardt.  I know Kevin has been frustrated, but Richard needs to step up and give Kevin what he needs to get the job done.  Kevin has been doing that for himself in the Truck series and in Nationwide, but for some reason, Richard isn’t giving Kevin quite what he needs in the Cup series.  Kevin is a great driver, and he deserves the best of the best.

NASCAR has gone through great lengths to make the sport more fair, more accessible, more competitive.  Do you think NASCAR will issue me a hard card out of the goodness of their hearts?  I kind of doubt that.  It would be really cool if they did, though.  I love NASCAR and I cannot lie!

Has anyone noticed that Reba McEntire has almost the same eyes that Dale Earnhardt did?  I have.  For years, Reba has reminded me of Dale.  It’s just something about the eyes.  Next time you see pics of them, look at them and tell me I’m wrong.  Maybe it’s not the eyes, it’s the expression with the eyes.  Reba reminds me of Dale Earnhardt every time I see her.  Not many people can look like Dale did when he was focused.  Reba can.  I don’t know that anyone can ignore that stare. Reba has that stare.  Long live Reba.

Ever noticed that the Weather Channel people can be wrong more than half of the time?  I’d like to have a job like that.  Oh wait!  I already do!


Happy week, everyone!

Monday, March 22, 2010

That's Bristol, Baby!

I think it is clearly evident that we now have a great driver that defines the NASCAR era since the year 2000.  That driver is, ladies and gentlemen, none other than Jimmie Johnson.

Fifty wins.  That’s a lot in the decade of parity in stock car racing.  Why is Jimmie Johnson not NASCAR’s most popular driver?  I’ll leave the answer to that question to you, the ultimate experts.  What?  No, I’m not being facetious by saying that.

If you’re reading this, chances are that you’re a NASCAR fan.  You may have been a fan for 6 weeks, or for 40 years.  You may not know much about the sport, but if you watch the races every week, you already know more than a lot of people who should know better.  Fans drive this sport, and always have, and if you’re a fan, you’re the dude or lady in the driver’s seat.  You, the fan, have the ability to call the shots simply by making your voice heard, and NASCAR is listening.

Getting back to Jimmie Johnson, because I digress, which I often do, I’d like to say that JJ is a great driver, and he and the science project named Chad Knaus, who is Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief, are truly achieving magic numbers in the sport of NASCAR.  Jimmie has won 50 races in only a few over 200 starts.  OK, maybe more than a few, but you get my point.

Personally, to me, Jimmie Johnson is just a blank page, in terms of personality.  He is the perfect driver, because he always quotes the company line, always praises his sponsors, and never says much of anything to start arguments.  Yes, and I’ll say it here, Jimmie Johnson is the greatest boring driver ever.  He really is.

In this sport, boring is not a bad thing, because Jimmie Johnson is married, has a child on the way, but he’s apparently never cheated on his wife, had a child out of wedlock, never did drugs, or beat up a hooker.  Actually, I’d say he’s probably a pretty good guy, though I don’t know him personally.  But, in a world where celebrity is everything, Jimmie Johnson is pretty boring.  That’s where we are as a culture, I suppose.

Give us some meat to chew on, and we’re happy as fans.  Do something to prove that you’re human.  I laugh at the detractors of Jimmie Johnson because what they hate can be explained simply.  He’s just a nice guy.  Don’t you just hate that?

A tip to the wise:  Buy some Jimmie Johnson merchandise.  It’s the cheapest it will ever be, and if you don’t, one day you’ll be sorry.

News of the day:  Tiger Woods gives an exclusive interview to ESPN.  Enough already.  Tiger Woods didn’t sleep with my wife.  He doesn’t owe me an apology.  Get over it, people!  Tiger said he screwed up, and he admits to it!  What else does the world of golf want?

Why does Jimmy C know that his wife didn’t sleep with Tiger Woods?  It’s simple.  Jimmy C doesn’t have a wife, and if he did, he doesn’t know where she is.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.