After 600 Miles of Racing, Harvick Wins on Fuel Gamble

Well, this Memorial Day weekend produced some of the strangest racing and bizarre finishes that I can remember. On the last lap of the centennial Indianapolis 500, rookie JR Hildebrand was leading with just laps to go. The rest of the leaders were slowed trying to conserve fuel, which Hildebrand did at the beginning of the run so he could race at the end. That is what enabled him to grab the lead as Danica Patrick and Dario Franchitti slowed and pitted for gas. It looked as if the Panther Racing National Guard team that finished second the previous three years would finally be able take the traditional drink of milk in victory lane. But on the final lap, in the final turn, Hildebrand did what so many cars had done earlier in the event. His car pushed up the track off tun four, sending his car hard into the outside wall. His car did coast across the finish line, but not before Dan Weldon could score the win. Hildebrand was forced to finish second. Would the Coca Cola 600 be able to compete with this thrilling finish?

Nascar's longest night began with a somber, solemn tribute to our military men and women who paid the ultimate in service to this nation. Pre race ceremonies began with a bagpipe band playing Amazing Grace, a 21-gun salute and a lone bugle playing taps. A prayer was give for the safety of the drivers, fans, crews and military and Darius Rucker performed the national anthem. Then the engines fired and 43 of Nascar's finest embarked on their longest night of the season.

Brad Keselowski led the field to the green flag. But he didn't last long as Carl Edwards grabbed the lead and checked out. It looked like this was going to be a repeat of the All Star race. But as with every race that transitions into night, if you're good early, you probably aren't going to be the one in victory lane. Richard Petty Motorsports drivers AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose also continued their string of strong runs, leading several laps and contending for the victory. The other car that showed some muscle early on and into the darkness, much to delight of about 95% of Nascar Nation, was the #88 of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Would stock car racing's favorite son finally snap his 100-plus race loosing streak?

The marathon race continued into night with very few incidents. But when the sunwent down and the race wore on, the drivers tired and started to make some mistakes. The first major wreck happened when Paul Menard spun. His #27 car drove off unscathed, but some cars behind were not so lucky. Mark Martin drilled Martn Truex, Jr, sending his #56 NAPA Toyota into the wall with Brian Vicker's #83 car. Martin also wrecked David Gilliland and Ryan Newman later in the race. But the real action came late in the event when the four letter F-word started being tossed around.

No, not that F-word. (You'd need a radio scanner to hear that). Fuel. It's just so strange how after more than 500 miles of good, hard racing, the end of this 600 mile marathon can come down to who can save the most gas. The top three cars were Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne and Dale Jr. David Ragan and the rest of the top six or seven cars had slowed to save fuel. It looked as if the race was the Biff's to lose. Maybe Kasey would manage to steal one. But maybe, just maybe, they'd run out of gas racing each other and Junior would speed past both of them and net a victory in one of the sport's crown jewel events. When Junior asked if he should be saving more gas, crew chief Steve Letarte had a very simple response: "NO. GO."

Just a few laps shy of the finish, Jimmie Johnson nuked an engine, sending his chances for a good finish and his Lowe's Chevy, to the garage in a cloud of smoke. This meant that the race would finish under a green, white, checker finish (there can be as many as three attempts at a green, white, checker) and that if you were close on gas before, you are in some serious trouble now. Greg Biffle was the only one of the leaders to blink and surrendered the lead to pit for fuel. Junior, Denny Hamlin and several other cars were running on the apron in the corners to keep fuel in their pickup valves. Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton both got a push from their team mate Menard under this yellow. The pace car pulled down pit road and it was time to see if anyone would stumble or if all the cars would go.

The latter turned out to be the case as Khane, along with several other drivers stalled out on the restart, which allowed Dale Jr to grab a commanding lead. Denny Hamlin ran second and Harvick rode in third. It stayed that way through the white flag lap, but as the field came around turn two to the backstretch, Junior's car slowed going into turn three. It looked as if he would have enough speed to coast to the finish line since Hamlin's tank ran dry shortly after. But it was not to be, as Kevin Harvick (running a fitting military stealth paint scheme) snuck up from third and scored the win. Mr. "Where did he come from?" lived up to his nickname once again. Earnhardt and Hamlin finished seventh and tenth respectively.

Earnhardt, Jr and Letarte both said after the race that they were disappointed, but they only showed up for one reason. Letarte said that all teams need to ask themselves: "Did you come to run up front or did you come to win?" Junior echoed his crew chief's sentiment. "We had to try" he said. "Think about it man- winning the 600! That'd be awesome. I had to try. Had to try." Even though they came up short, the #88 team remains optimistic. Letarte said his trophy case "isn't full enough" to not go for the victory. "We come to get trophies" he said. "That's two races this year- Martinsville and here- that we had a shot to win in the last 25 laps." This team has run well all season long, save for a race or two, and they will get a win. It's just a matter of when.

So this week, the teams head from the Queen City to Kansas City and the Kansas Speedway. Nascar will be heading to "The Sunflower State" twice for the first time this season, which is great. The way the track has worn, it really promotes side by side racing and drivers can use multiple grooves to make their better. That's what makes the Kansas Speedway so much fun. Will Kevin Harvick win two in a row for the second time this season? Will Dale Junior finally win a race after coming so close last weekend? Or will another driver drive into victory lane this weekend? We'll have to wait 400 miles around the Kansas Speedway to see which driver will take home the trophy. Should be an awesome race!

Reutimann Team Looks to Prove '09 600 Victory No Fluke

When David Reutimann won the 2009 Coca-Cola 600, it was the first time I have ever heard of anyone having to apologize for winning a race. The race had been postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain showers. When the green flag fell, all the crews knew that rain could still be an issue and it could possibly be a race to halfway. It turned out that this was the case and a little after halfway, the heavens and pit road opened. Many of the lead cars came down pit road, but Rodney Childers made the call to leave Reutimann out in case the race ended. Ryan Newman and Robby Gordon followed suit.


Nascar brought the drivers down pit road and parked them as they began their track drying efforts. They always try their darnedest to get the advertised distance in so the fans can see a show. But the more it rained, the more it seemed like the race was over. It looked as if Reutimann, Childers and Michael Waltrip Racing had all netted their first victory in the same race. But Nascar continued to prolong the inevitable and kept trying to dry the track. Periodically, the FOX cameras would catch a shot of Reutimann sitting next to his covered race car, by himself, with a very serious look on his face. Almost waiting for the other shoe to drop and Nascar to call the drivers back to their cars to finish their longest race.
Eventually, after several hours of track drying (I think the jet dryers may have made 600 miles even if the race cars didn't. At least that's what it felt like), the race was called and Reutimann was declared the winner of the 50th annual Coca-Cola 600. Even David's father, dirt racing legend "Buzzie" Reutimann was on hand for this happy occasion. However, the win was not without it's controversy.


A Nascar driver never wants to win a rain shortened race, especially not their first win. But like Reutimann said in victory lane, "It certainly wasn't the prettiest win, but somebody's gotta win these things." No matter if the race goes the whole distance, if it's rain shortened or if a driver wins on fuel mileage, a win is a win is a win. There isn't an asterisk in the record books that this race was rain shortened. They will just say that Reutimann and his team won the race. But still, fans and reporters alike only talked about how Reutimann's win was a fluke, how he and his team backed into the victory and how they didn't earn it or deserve it. Later in the season, Joey Logano also won his first race in a rain shortened event at New Hampshire. The track drying took about a quarter of the eternity it did at the 600 and everyone seemed so happy and excited that the rookie, known as "Sliced Bread" (as in, the greatest thing since) had finally won wheeling Tony Stewart's old ride.


All season long, while Logano was lauded as the youngest driver to win a Sprint Cup race since Kyle Busch in 2005, Reutimann and his team almost had to apologise for winning a rain shortened race. They took so much garbage about how they won that race, but hadn't yet won a race that finished under green yet. That became this team's mission for the rest of the season. They put everything they had into contending for a Chase spot and winning another race. Both of which almost happened.


The next year, in 2010, Reutimann and his team returned to Charlotte for the Coke 600 and tried to win it again. This year, they were even more impressive, never leaving the top ten all night, fighting for the lead and eventually finishing fifth. Later that season, at Chicagoland Speedway, the #00 Tums team finally shut up all the haters, crybabies and trash talkers and won a race that went the full distance. They proved that they could do it. Like Reutimann said in his victory lane interview "I don't know what they can say about this one." When you race guys like Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards fro the victory and come out on top, that is a hard earned, well deserved victory (And just FYI, Logano still has yet to win a race the old fashioned way).


This weekend, Reutimann and his Aaron's Dream Machine team return for the 52nd Coke 600 and, in my opinion, should be heavily favored to win the darn thing. They are bringing back the car they ran third with in the All Star race one week ago so they will be a team to deal with as the race winds down. But whether they win their second Coke 6o0 this weekend or not, they have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are a team that can run up front and win a lot more races. But no matter what, a win is a win. Any driver will tell you how hard a cup series win is to come by these days, so every one is deserved no matter how you get it.

Nascar and CMS "Let Freedom Race" This Weekend

If you are a motorsports fan, then you know that Memorial Day weekend is a dream come true. There's the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monaco, the Indianapolis 500, all culminating Sunday night when Nascar runs the Coca Cola 600. These are races steeped in tradition and history. This year will be the 100th running of the Indy 500, and who better to drive the pace car in this race's centennial running than the legendary A.J. Foyt. When the engines fire for this year's Coke 600, it will be the 53rd time that has happened. All three races are exciting and provide heaven on earth for every motorsports junkie, but only one captures the real meaning behind Memorial Day.

Nascar racing is the most patriotic sport in America. Its fans are the blue collar, hard working, backbone of this country and it shows in the pre race ceremonies every weekend. Every race starts with the presentation of the flag, a prayer for the safety of the drivers, fans and military, and a performance of the national anthem (this can vary from week to week as far as how well it's performed. But that's another post). But Charlotte Motor Speedway always goes the extra mile for the Memorial Day weekend classic.

While most pre race shows will feature soldiers and give fans the chance to applaud, cheer and show their appreciation for their valiant service, CMS takes it one step further. Their pre race shows feature hundreds of soldiers marching in formation along the frontsreach, Black Hawk helicopters flying in over the infield grass with servicemen/women jumping out and tanks firing shots into the air. It really is a sight to behold and really fires up the crowd. The actual pre race ceremonies, in addition to the prayer and the Star Spangled Banner, usually have a twenty one gun salute, the Pledge of Allegiance and a lone bugle playing taps. This really helps to capture the somber side of Memorial Day after the pre race spectacle of military machinery.

Another cool aspect of this weekend is the paint schemes that some teams will run. Drivers like Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt, Jr, sponsored by the U.S. Army and National Guard respectively, run special patriotic schemes throughout the year. A.J. Allmendinger is also racing a Ford sponsored by the U.S. Air Force this weekend.

But the coolest thing is the teams that are not sponsored by branches of the Armed Services that also step up to the plate. Dave Blaney's #36 Golden Corral team is running a special scheme in support of Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Golden Corral is also hosting its annual Military Appreciation Monday following Veterans Day. They will offer free "thank you" meals to anyone who has served in the Armed Forces, while also raising money for the DAV. Last year, more than 375,000 meals were served to our bravest men and women and more than $1 million was raised for the DAV.

Another team raising awareness for our veterans for the second year in a row is David Reutimann's #00 Aaron's team. Aaron's is continuing it's partnership with the Armed Forces Foundation (AFF), an organization that serves the needs of returning servicemen and women and their families, such as living expenses, travel expenses and housing improvements. Since Reutimann scored a solid top five in last season's Coke 600, Aaron's was able to donate $20,000 to the AFF and they will be hoping to donate some more money to this very worthy cause this season. The car also encourages fans who want to donate to text AFF to 50555 to make a $10 donation.

Kevin Harvick will also run a special "stealth" scheme on his Budweiser Chevy. The car will have "Here's to the Heroes" emblazoned across the hood, a campaign started by Bud to help benefit the Folds of Honor Foundation (FHF). FHF provides scholarships to family members of those killed or disabled in service to their country. They will also donate $100 for every home run hit in the 2011 Major League Baseball season, as well as a portion of sales in the weeks leading up to the Fourth of July, all in an effort to raise $2 million dollars for FHF.

So while all of the races on Memorial Day weekend are exciting and entertaining in their own right, only one encompasses what the weekend is truly about before the excitement and entertainment begins. Nascar truly is America's sport and it shows on holiday's like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. The drivers, teams and fans all know that without our military fighting to keep this nation free, they wouldn't be able to show up every weekend and race cars all day. So taking some time before embarking on stock car racing's longest night to remember, reflect, be thankful and, in some case, raise some money to help give back to America's bravest, is the least they can do. Freedom truly isn't free and they recognize that.

So while you're watching all the racing from all over the world this weekend, having your barbecues and visit friends and family, take some time to reflect and remember those who have fought and died to make all of those things possible. Thank you to all our servicemen and women and their families for your sacrifice and your bravery. But especially on this weekend, thank you to those who have paid the ultimate price in service to this great nation. It truly is appreciated and you are not forgotten. So God bless all the drivers racing this weekend and keep them safe, God bless those of you traveling this weekend and God bless our military, their families and the United States of America.

Second Hall of Fame Class Inducted

History was made again Monday night as the second Nascar Hall of Fame class was officially inducted. Legendary drivers Lee Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison, driver turned broadcaster Ned Jarrett and car owner Bud Moore are now enshrined in the Hall of Honor with last year's class, made up of both Bill France Sr and Jr, Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty and Junior Johnson. I still say that Pearson and Lee Petty should have been indicted in the first class, but both classes so far have been great and all those inducted are very deserving.

The first man inducted was Walter M. "Bud" Moore. Moore began his career in Nascar after a tour of duty in the United States military in World War II. He was part of the D-Day invasion and was on of the first to storm the beaches of Normandy. He was one of the lucky ones that managed to make it past the enemy fire. After receiving several medals, he returned home and tried his hand at wheeling a Nascar stock car. After meeting the wall on more than a few occasions, Moore decided it made more sense to work on the cars instead. That turned out to be the right call, as his team, Bud Moore Engineering, went on to win 63 races, 43 poles and three Grand National titles in it's 37 year run. An amazing owner, a brave soldier and a truly great American, Bud Moore is not only a Nascar hero, but an American hero as well. I know all Nascar fans thank him for his service to this great nation and congratulate him on his induction into our hall of fame.

The second man inducted was Lee Petty. As the patriarch of the racing Petty family, Lee was one of the first, if not the first, professional Nascar drivers. He began driving the #42 car in Nascar's Strictly Stock Series and raced to make a living and provide for his family. If he didn't win, they didn't eat, so he raced to win at all costs. After winning 54 wins, 18 poles and three Grand National championships, a wreck cut Lee's career short. He passes the reigns on to his son, Richard Petty who would go on to win seven titles, 200 races and seven Daytona 500s and to be one of Nascar's greatest drivers. Congratulations to Lee and the whole Petty family.

The third inductee honored was Ned Jarrett. Nicknamed "Gentleman Ned" for his home spun, folksy charm, Ned Jarrett was one of Nascar's greatest drivers. He was a Nascar champion in 1961 and 1965 and also won the 1965 Southern 500 at Darlington by a staggering 14 laps! That is still the farthest margin of victory in Nascar history (in terms if miles). Jarrett retired from driving in the prime of his career and moved to MRN Radio to broadcast races. He later moved to the television booth at CBS Sports and called some of the sports most historic races. Arguably, the most memorable of these finishes was in the 1993 Daytona 500, what is now called "The Dale and Dale Show" when Ned called his son, Dale Jarrett, to his first victory in the Great American Race. Dale won that race, his first Daytona 500, beating Nascar legend Dale Earnhardt to the stripe. Congratulations to "Gentleman Ned" and the whole Jarrett family.

The fourth man inducted was Bobby Allison. Allison, his brother Donnie and their friend Red Farmer set up a shop in Hueytown, Alabama and began to answer to the name the "Alabama Gang". He won 85 races in his Nascar Winston Cup career as well as a Winston Cup championship in 1983. He was also involved in one of the greatest finishes in the sports history. In 1988, he was able to fight his son, Davey Allison to the finish line in the Daytona 500. That is still one of the most popular finishes in Nascar. Allison's career has also been marred by unspeakable tragedy. In 1988, he was nearly killed in a wreck at Pocono Raceway. he suffered a massive head injury and forced him to retire from driving. To this day, he still can't remember that Daytona 500 finish in 1988 with Davey. In 1992, Allison's son, Clifford, was killed in a practice wreck at Michigan International Raceway. Then, in 1993, Allison's other son, Davey was killed in a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway. Davey Allison was quickly becoming one of Nascar's greatest and carrying on the family legacy. We can only imagine how many races and championships he would have won by now. But one thing we do know is that both Davey and Clifford were smiling, looking down on their father as he was inducted into the hall of fame. Congratulations to Bobby Allison and the whole Allison family on this honor.

The final inductee honored was "The Silver Fox" himself, David Pearson. Pearson is, arguably the best to ever climb into a stock car. He won three Grand National titles in 1966, 1968 and 1969, as well as a staggering 105 races, 113 poles and 366 top tens. Those 105 victories are second only to Richard Petty's 200 on the all time wins list. Pearson rarely ran a full schedule and mostly concentrated his efforts on races that he knew he could win. His style was simple: don't use the car up early in the race, run hard at the end and wait for the leader to make a mistake. That sneaky, where did he come from approach is what earned Pearson the nickname "the Silver Fox". Pearson was also involved in a historic Daytona 500 finish, when he and Richard Petty wrecked off turn four fighting for the lead on he last lap of the 1976 installment of the Great American Race. Both cars hit the wall, spun and failed to cross the line. But Pearson's #21 Purolator Mercury re fired before Petty's #43 STP Dodge and he crossed the line and took the victory in dramatic fashion. Petty and Pearson were the greatest of rivals, finishing first and second to each other countless times, but they were (and still are) close friends with huge amounts of respect for each other. Like I said, Pearson's numbers are great enough that he should have gone in with the first class, but the second class is the next best thing for one of Nascar's greatest. Congratulations David Pearson on this honor.

Well, the second class of very deserving Nascar legends are now forever enshrined in the Nascar Hall of Fame. The first class, with names like Ricard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, was just what it should have been: the "Mount Rushmore" of our sport. This second class is made up of legends who helped to perfect almost all aspects of the sport. Bud Moore, a war hero turned car owner, was a innovator as a mechanic and owner of Bud Moore Engineering. Lee Petty was Nascar's first professional driver and the patriarch of Nascar's "Royal Family". Ned Jarrett was a legendary driver, turned legendary broadcaster and ambassador for our sport. Bobby Allison was one of Nascar's greatest drivers while also suffering the loss of both his sons, a loss that no one should ever have to go through. But the leader of the "Alabama Gang" persevered and is a true Nascar icon. David Pearson is truly a legendary figure in the sport and one of the greatest to ever wheel a sock car. What else can you say about a guy who won 105 races? All five of these inductees are extremely deserving of this dubious honor and they all deserve a pat on the back for a job well done over their careers. I can't wait to see who the next five legends to be inducted will be.

Edwards Nascar's Newest Millionare After Victory in All Star Snoozer

There were no fireworks, there were no tempers, the boys didn't have at it and the most exciting moment was the victory burnout. The anticipation and excitement of what promised to be a knock 'em down, drag 'em out battle for $1,000,000 proved to be like a firecracker that fizzles out before it can explode. Not all races are going to be gems. There will always be some (Auto Club Speedway and Michigan Speedway for example) that should probably be known as the Sleepy's 500. But in a checkers or wreckers battle for $1,000,000, fans expect to see some tempers and some bent sheet metal.

Before the actual All Star race, the drivers not locked into the main event get one last chance to win and get in by finishing first or second in the Sprint Showdown. Out of the twenty or so cars that run this preliminary heat race, about ten have a legitimate shot to make it. The two Richard Petty Motorsports Fords of A.J. Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose, as well as Paul Menard's #27 Chevy and Martin Truex, Jr's #56 NAPA Camry were the main contenders to make it into the show. But most of the race was dominated by the #6 of David Ragan and the "Blue Deuce" wheeled by Brad Keselowski. The race was fairly clean, save for a vicious wreck with Landon Cassill and Derrike Cope. The major issue with cars being able to challenge Ragan and Keselowski was the restarts. Having guys like Ragan, Keselowski and Menard up front, guys that don't spend all that much time leading races, they led the field to the restarts so slow that the cars behind them were ready to go and nearly ran them over and stacked up the entire field. That's how Truex and Jeff Burton had their chances taken away. They were stacked up on a restart and received heavy fender damage. Marcos Ambrose wheeled his DeWalt Ford like a pro and, for the second week in a row, had a legitimate shot at the victory. But the race wasn't quite long enough and the Tasmanian racer ran out of laps. But next week in the Coke 600, Ambrose and his #9 RPM team will definitely be one to watch. So David Ragan went on to win his first Cup race of any kind (albeit the least significant one of the season) and Keseloski finished runner up.

All that was left was to decide the fan vote. Names like A.J. Allmendinger, Brian Vickers and Joey Logano were tossed around as potential winners, but since the fan vote is nothing but a glorified popularity contest and Dale Jr was not locked into the field, the winner of the fan vote was..........

Wait for it...............

Wait for it...............

DALE EARNHARDT, JR!!!

The All Star race consisted of four segments this year. The first was a 50 lap segment with a mandatory four tire pit stop at lap 25. The next two segment were 20 laps with a ten minute intermission to adjust the cars after the third segment. The final segment was a ten lap, all or nothing, checkers or wreckers shootout for all the money. Kyle Busch led the field to the green flag and the All Star Race was on! This is gonna be great! The first 50 laps went just as expected, clean and uneventful. Greg Biffle managed to grab the lead from Busch and win the segment.

Going into the second segment, Busch and Biff had established themselves as favorites to win the whole thing, but Carl Edwards' #99 was lurking in the weeds. He would actually go on to win the next two segments in dominant fashion. Then it all came down to the final pit stop. The way the teams came off pit road would determine how they lined up for the final ten lap shootout. Edwards beat Busch off pit road and a new contender also emerged. David Reutimann had had a fast car all night long and was slowly working his way up from 18th starting spot. Now he would line up fifth for the final dash for cash.

On the final restart, Carl and Kyle managed to grab the lead, while Reutimann wheeled his Aaron's Dream Machine up to third, setting his sights on that million dollars. This team didn't get a whole lot of publicity during the race, even with Reutimann's car owner Michael Waltrip calling the race for Speed. But the whole #00 team deserves a pat on the back. David and his Rodney Childers led pit crew lost the handle on their car and worked their tails off to get it back during the ten minute break. Congrats to Beak and his Michael Waltrip Racing team! Job well done guys! Third was as high as D-Reut could climb and Busch could never run down Carl to make it interesting. So a ten lap shootout was turned into ten laps of single file, green flag racing. But the wackiest part of the night came after the checkered flag waved. As Carl slid his car through the infield grass, he hit a divot or something, hooking the front of his car, completely destroying it. But it did come to rest right at the start finish line and Carl did the celebratory back flip fans have come to expect.

So Carl Edwards is $1,000,000 richer and the only wrecker used all night was the one that towed his car to victory lane. I can't figure out why such an exciting, adrenaline pumping race could be such a snoozer. This race has always had one simple rule: Bring back the big check or bring back the steering wheel. With Nascar's moratorium on testing, teams may have just used this race as a glorified practice session for next weeks Coca Cola 600? I don't know. I do know that tons of fans, myself included, are extremely disappointed with how this race panned out. But with next week being the Coke 600, Nascar's longest race, there is bound to be some definite action. The 100th Indianapolis 500, the Coca Cola 600, Memorial Day weekend is also the ultimate race fans weekend! It's definitely gonna be exciting!

FedEx Team Delivers Back to Back Wins in Pit Crew Challenge

Last night's Sprint Pit Crew Challenge was a real barn burner. For a while, it seemed as though the streak would continue and that we would see a different winner for the sixth straight year. Twenty four teams began the night, all of them capable of bringing home the trophy. Teams like the wood Brothers #21 and the Furniture Row #78 were knocked out early, while the #11 and #14 teams set the pace for the rest of the teams. when it came down to the final round, it was a flashback to last season's championship battle. The #11 FedEx team, the defending winners of the event, were up against the #48 Lowe's team. Both teams were penalty free and who would win came down to the team effort aspect of the event.

Each member of the pit crew each performs their own skill simultaneously. The jack man lifts one car, the gas man fuels another and the tire changers and carriers change tires on two other cars. Then all the team members sprint towards their waiting Cup series car a push it four yards in a raced with the other team.Time penalties are assessed for loose lug nuts and excessive fuel spillage, so this foot race really makes or breaks a teams night. When it came down to the final round, the Mike Ford led #11 crew beat out the Chad Knaus led #48 team. Since both teams were penalty free so beating the 48 team in that four yard dash was all it took for the 11 team to repeat as pit crew champions. They had a final time of 22.298 seconds to the 48's 22.714. The individual skills winners were also impressive, breaking previous records in all categories:

Jackman: Mike Castro (#14 team) with a record time of 5.071 seconds

Gasman: Rick Pigeon and Ryan Flores (#14 team) with a record time of 8.652 seconds

Front Tire Changer/Carrier: Jason Pulver and Austin Craven (#33 team ) with a record 13.901

Rear Tire Changer/Carrier: Dustin Necaise and Matt Kreuter (#33 team) with a record 13.846

This event has really grown in popularity since it's beginning in 2005. It's really great to see the unsung heroes of the sport get their due and be able to show off their skills. Some of the crews even give back to the Charlotte community. The #00 Aaron's Dream Machine team is donating all their winnings to send a child to the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a camp for sick and disabled kids started by Kyle and Patty Petty. All the teams involved deserve recognition because a lot of great teams were eliminated due to penalties. They all earned ther way into the event and, in my opinion, are all All Star teams. But their hard work doesn't stop with this competition because their drivers will have to make a four tire pit stop during qualifying for Saturday night's main event. But the #11 team already has an advantage, earning the first pit stall for Saturday night's main event with their victory in the Pit Crew Challenge. They have also thrown down the gauntlet, sending a message to the rest of the field that they will be a team to deal with come Saturday.

Kenseth Calls an Audible and Scores Victory in Dover

Going into the FedEx 400 in Dover this weekend, certain names emmerged as the potential winners. Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and New Jersey native Martin Truex, Jr were heavily favored to tame the Monster Mile. Even Denny Hamlin, whose Dover record isn't all that stellar, was expected to contend. One name that wasn't metioned a whole lot was that of Matt Kenseth. But that's how you know that the #17 team is going to have a great weekend. When the Kenseth crew has a quiet race, you know they will be contenders by the end of it. That's exactly what happened Sunday. The Wiley X Ford didn't make a lot of noise, just ran a solid top five most of the day. But when it came down to the final pit stops, thats when the game changed. Crew chief Jimmy Fenning planned to take four tires, until Kenseth asked how he fel about just taking two. Fenning called an audile, they changed two tires, came off pit road first and won the race.

With the forecast and the way the day started, it didn't look like we'd see any Sprint Cup racing Sunday. But the clouds parted, the sun broke through and the race ran it's 400 mile advertised distance. There was a brief caution for a little drizzle about halfway through but other than that, it was clear skys and exciting racing. Qualifing was scrubbed due to rain showers so Jimmie Johnson led the field to green (which would have probably happend if they had qualified anyway). All race long, it looked like Jimmie Johnson or Carl Edwards would be going to victory lane, with hardly anyone able to keep pace with them. I do want to give a shoutout to Marcos Ambrose though. He never led a lap Sunday, but he came damn close. He kept his DeWalt Ford up inside the top five for most of the race and made several charges at the lead and it looked like maybe he could score the victory. He did contend and finished a very stong third. With a run like that at a track that tough, I think that the Tazmanian Ambrose has finally shaken off that "road course specialist" label and proven that he is a Nascar racer.

Aside from a few cars spinnig now and then and the caution for rain, it was a fairly green race. Almost all the drivers complained about their cars being too tight. At one point, David Reutimann said it was like his front end wasn't even on the ground. His car took off towards the wall when he got back to the gas off the corner. This was attributed to the track taking too much rubber because of the tire Goodyear brought to the track. There was a problem back in Bristol (another concrete track) where the track stayed very white and the groove never blackened up with any rubber until late in the race itself. All of the drivers and crew cheifs were thrown by the sudden changes in their cars and this was also the case Sunday. There wasn't a lot a team could do to make their cars drive a whole lot better. So if somebody was going to take down the Johnson/Edwards tandem up front, they were going to have to do it on pit road.

At a regular asphalt track, if your car isn't handling right, you usually stick to a four tire strategy.
Two tires will just make your car drive worse. With the issues that teams had in Dover with how the track rrubbered up andhavign way too much grip, that was the game plan for most teams. But on the final caution, all the leaders pitted, except Mark Martin, and most of the leaders, specifically Edwards and Johnson took four tires. But Matt Kenseth, who had planned to take four, asked his crew chief what he thought about taking two tires instead. Jimmy Fenning's response: Do two tires! On the final restart, Martin managed to get a little lead over Kenseth, but his older tires soon gave up and Kenseth worked his way out to a lead of about one second. Meanwhile, Jimmie and Carl took four and were mired in the back of the pack. After what looked like it would be a Johnson/Edwards showdown, Matt Kenseth and his team, the "Killer Bees" (their nickname from when the team was sponsored by DeWalt), managed to steal one and drive t victory lane at the Monster Mile. This was also the first victory lane celebrtiton where both of Matt's daughters were able to share with their father, which made it more special for the 2003 Cup champion.

So with this unexpected, come from behind win, the Sprint Cup boys move on to the Sprint All Star Race in Charlotte this weekend. This race kicks off Charlote's version of Speedweeks, the two week streach of racing where the All Star race and Coca Cola 600 are run. This is also a special two weeks because the drivers and teams are back home in Charlotte and they get to sleep at home for once. There is also the Sprint Pit Crew Compertion at the Bobcats Arena where the unsung heros of the sport get their due. Then it all culmunates with the All Star race and Nascar's longest race, the Coke 600. With the recent Kyle Busch/Kevin Harvick feud and no points on the line, this years All Star race promises to be a real barn burner. It's gonna be a checkers or wreckers shootout on a Saturday night. And like the Elton John song says, "Saturday nights alright for fighting".

So How Much of it Can the Boys Actually Have?

Even though Regan Smith won Saturday's Southern 500, in what was possibly the upset of the decade, there was another big story line following his shocking win. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have developed a little bit of a history as of late. Last season at Homestead, Harvick stuffed Busch's #18 into the wall for racing him too hard early on. Kyle's car subsequently caught fire, ending his bid for the victory. This feud was rekindled Saturday night in the closing laps when Kyle ran Harvick's #29 up to the wall. Harvick retaliated by bumping Busch's car going into turn three. Then all hell broke loose when Clint Bowyer made it three wide with the 18 and 29 off turn four, causing a big wreck and allowing Busch the opportunity to dump the 29.

All the fireworks looked to be over and the race restarted like any other. Regan Smith went on to win and the other drivers pulled to pit road while Smith's #78 went for a victory lap. But the 18 and 29 had other ideas. Harvick pulled onto pit road ahead of Busch, parked it, got out and walked towards the 18. But Kyle had other ideas. Since he claims that he lost reverse gear (which is baloney because he backed his car up to get onto pit road) he decided to grab first gear instead and drive through the idling Budweiser Chevy, sending it into pit wall. (Harvick barley got his fist in the window too. What a jip!) Both drivers and their owners were summoned to the Nascar trailer to meet with officials while their crews nearly came to blows outside Busch's trailer. Afterwards, both drivers said that not much was discussed and that this was not over just yet.



Well this is definitely what Nascar was going for when they said "Boys, have at it" last January. At least that's what any normal fan would think. The sanctioning body announced today, that both drivers have been fined $25,000 and placed on probation (which for those who don't know is the equivalent of a slap on the wrist and being told "Now don't do that again". It doesn't mean much of anything). Far from the points penalties and suspensions that were discussed in the media and the message boards since then. I give Nascar credit because they are staying consistent. They haven't yet penalized anyone all that severely for showing a little emotion on the track. This is exactly what the sport needs. We need the drivers to show they are passionate about what they do and that they aren't going to take any crap. In the 60s and 70s, we saw David Pearson and Richard Petty. In the 80s and 90s, we saw Dale Earnhardt and.... well.... pretty much everyone else. Recently we've seen Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski go at it. This Harvick-Busch feud could be the next in a long line of big name rivalries.



But the other thing that Nascar needs to do is draw a line in the sand. A little paint swapping and maybe a few shoves in the garage afterwards are fun and exciting, but these recent feuds have escalated into full scale wars. With what happened on pit road Saturday, seeing that unmanned #29 car careen into pit wall was a little scary. If a crewman had been walking by they could have been seriously injured, or worse. Last season, when Edwards and Keselowski went at it, some pretty wild things happened as well. Edwards retaliated at Atlanta for previous contact Brad had made earlier by dumping BK's #12 down the frontstrech, turning him backwards at 185 miles an hour and sending his car airborne. The drivers side of the roof was crushed and the #12 Dodge was terrifyingly close to going into the stands. Keselowski walked away.



Later in the season, in a Nationwide race at Gateway, Carl and Brad battled for the lead on the final lap. Brad nudged Carl up the track in turn one, a perfectly acceptable move going for the win late in a race. Typical Carl flew off the handle and retaliated again by turning Keselowsi's #22 Dodge in front of the field. The car was destroyed beyond recognition and the onboard camera showed Brad being jarred around like a rag doll in the car. Edwards went on to win. These wrecks were not "Boys have at it". They were "flagrant fowls", to quote Kyle Petty, and deserved something along the line of a one race suspension.


Don't get me wrong, I love this new all or nothing, checkers or wreckers style of racing. "Boys have at it" has been nothing but good for the sport. It has produced some of the most exciting racing we've seen in years. Seeing drivers beat and bang for the win and then maybe take a few swings afterwards is just plain exciting! Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon shoving each other after a wreck on the backstrech at Texas last season was one of the highlights of the season! But for the good of the drivers and crews, Nascar needs to say how far is too far. With the removal of the rear wing from the cars early last season, we have probably seen the last of cars flying though the air. But what if somebody had walked past that unmanned #29 car on Saturday? Nascar didn't suspend Carl at Atlanta, they didn't suspend Kyle Busch for his "flagrant fowl" this weekend. There needs to be a line in the sand. I wouldn't be surprised to see the 18 and 29 cars find each other during this Sunday's race in Dover. In fact, I can hardly wait until they do to see where this whole thing is headed! It's going to be exciting! But it needs to be settled on the track or in the garage. Leave the innocent bystanders out of it.

Mr. Smith Goes to Darlington

Every Sunday afternoon, at every Nascar event, forty three cars line up and all of them have the same chance of winning that race. But with the "regulars" like Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin winning every week, the less popular, less funded teams fall by the wayside. Busch, Johnson and Hamlin may as well set up vacation homes next to victory lane since they spend so much time there. So, if you're like me, seeing the same old faces winning every week gets a little bit tiresome and a lot more aggravating. We would love to see an underdog break through and steal a victory just once. Isn't there a David out there that can slay these Goliaths? Well on Saturday night in Darlington, David didn't just slay Goliath, he decimated him.

Regan Smith, a native of Cato, New York, had been trying for some time just to break through and prove he could compete at the Sprint Cup series level. After running a few Craftsman Truck and Busch series races, Smith got his Cup series opportunity in 2007 with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. He would be in a great position, spitting seat time in the #01 U.S. Army car with Mark Martin. There is no better driver out there than Martin to show a rookie driver the ropes of Cup racing. Smith proved that he could at least keep up with the field. Not running a full season, it was hard to get in the groove of running every week and gaining experience at certain tracks. In August of that season, DEI merged with the struggling Ginn Racing. Ginn had recently fired Sterling Marlin and his seat was now promised to Smith. Life was good. This rookie thing isn't all that hard right?

But just as quickly as the ride appeared, it was yanked out from under him so teammate Paul Menard could get in the top 35 in owner points. Regan ran a full season in 2008in DEI's #01 entry, with few good results and even fewer sponsors. Despite this, they made it through the season and Smith won the Rookie of the Year award. He is also the only rookie in Nascar history to run a full season without a DNF (Did Not Finish). The other bright spot for the #01 team came at Talladega Superspeedway. Regan's #01 car was running second to Tony Stewart's #20 on the final lap. As the field entered the trioval, Smith got a run and tried to go high, but Stewart blocked him. So he ducked low. Smoke blocked again, this time forcing the #01 below the "out of bounds" line. The #01 crossed the line first and appeared to win the race. But since his pass was below the line, despite being FORCED down there, Nascar gave the win to Stewart and relegated Smith to 18th. To this day, any fan with any common sense, myself included, will tell you that Smith won the race. In 2009, Smith raced part time for Furniture Row Racing, a struggling team out of Denver, Colorado. He would race full time for them again in 2010 and is still there this season.

Like I said; Furniture Row Racing operates out of Denver, Colorado! You can't get much further from Charlotte, North Carolina where the other 99% of race teams are. They can't win with their lack of technology and resources. Especially on a track as historic as Darlington. Known as "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame", the Southern 500 at Darligton was run every Labor Day weekend from 1950 up until 2004. Johnny Mantz won the inaugural race on truck tires to limit his pit stops and gain an advantage. Since then, names like, Yarborough, Allison, Waltrip and Earnhardt all had tamed this tough old track. How could a single car team from Colorado win at a place this historic. They would just be another "Darlington Stripe" along the red and white walls. But they were on the grid for Saturday's Southern 500 so they did have a chance, albeit a slim one. Vegas actually had the Syracuse native at 500-1 odds. The #78 Furniture Row car started 23rd, their worst starting spot of the year. This team also has the best qualifying average in Nascar so far this year. As the laps wound down, it looked like Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards or even Kasey Kahne would claim the 62nd Southern 500. But on a late caution, Smith and crew chief Pete Rondeau elected to stay out on old tires and grab some track position, while Edwards and the other leaders pitted for right side rubber.

Clean air and clear racetrack proved to be all the #78 car needed. Smith held off a hard charging Carl Edwards for one more restart and, despite almost nailing the wall off turn two, Regan Smith managed to get his second (first official) Sprint Cup series victory! Justice had been served and Regan Smith now has a checkered flag that he can keep. Nobody will ever be able to take away this hard fought win. Smith even said in victory lane he would "trade three Talladega trophies for one Southern 500." He's also in the All Star race now and, if he can get in the top 20 in points, this one win could get him a wildcard spot in the Chase! Not bad for a guy from Syracuse New York that nobody wanted to take a chance on. It was great to see Regan climb from his car, exhausted from the hardest 500 miles in Nascar, grinning ear to ear and choking up during his interview with FOX Sports. He told Matt Yocum "Legends win this race. I'm not supposed to win this race. I've never even had a top five!" Regan Smith is a great, very underrated driver and with the right team , he could really surprise a lot of people. But for now, this driver will be smiling for a long time. His name and picture are on the Johnny Mantz Trophy and nobody can ever take it off.

Not NASCAR News, But Big News Nonetheless

As I'm sure you've all heard by now, Navy SEALS team 6 stormed a compound in Pakistan late Sunday night and killed al- Quada leader Osama bin Laden. I personally found out about this event on Twitter when Brad Paisley and Brett Griffin said to turn the news on. Very skeptical, we turned on CBS2 news and there it was! Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the horrific events of September 11th, 2001, killed by US Navy SEALS! I was only in fifth grade on the day of those attacks, but I can recall everything that happened that day fairly clearly. Couldn't tell you anything about any other day that year, but I remember just watching a movie most of the day and the teacher constantly listening to the radio, then coming home and seeing that black smoke rising from the World Trade Center against that clear blue sky. I was little, but I knew this Osama guy meant business and he was pure evil.

Well unfortunately for him, the United States meant business too. It took ten years, but finally, this evil, heartless coward was brought to justice. This does not bring back any of the 3,000 plus people lost on 9/11, but it does bring reassurance that this heartless bastard isn't alive to kill anymore people. Toby Keith was right when he said "We'll put a boot in yer ass, it's the American way!" This raid and this victory were indeed "Courtesy of the red, white and blue."

There are so many people that made this day possible. Thank you to SEAL team 6, and all of our military men and women who put their lives on the line every day to fight these terrorists and keep us free. Also, those who gave their lives fighting for our freedom. They will never be forgotten. The courage that these guys and gals show is unparalleled and we can never thank them enough for doing what they do. Thanks to George W. Bush who gathered the necessary information and did a great job commanding our forces in Afghanistan. Also, thank you to President Obama for giving the order to carry out this mission.

I always thought that wars were a bad, scary thing as a kid. But now I see how necessary this war is. America did not get to be the greatest country on this planet by backing down when we are attacked. If you hit us, you don't know how hard we'll hit back. We mean businesses and will do what it takes to win. This doesn't end the War on Terror, but it is a huge victory and helps towards that goal. All the credit, or at least 95% of it, goes to the SEALS and all of our military. God bless them, their families, those affected by and lost on 9/11 and America!!

"...that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people and to the people shall not perish from the earth."

-Abraham Lincoln

Richmond Provides Much Needed Excitment

Richmond International Raceway isn't known as "The Action Track" for nothing. It definitely lived up to its billing in Saturday night's "Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400" with storylines and fireworks from the drop of the green flag. Would Denny Hamlin sweep the weekend? Would Kyle Busch continue his short track dominance and win three spring Richmond races in a row? Would polesitter Juan Pablo Montoya score his first oval track win? Would Dale Jr finally win at one of his best tracks? All of these questions would be answered in just 400 short miles.

But first, I just want to say what a great thing Crown Royal is doing with their "Your Name Here 400" promotion, which started so a fan would have the opportunity to have their name on a NASCAR race and now has turned into a wonderful tribute to our military men and women. This year's race was the "Matthew and Daniel Hansesn 400." Matthew and Daniel Hansen are twin brothers who enlisted in the Marines. Matthew was deployed and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, while Daniel was selected to protect President George W. Bush at Camp David and Lieutenant General Richard C. Zilmer in Iraq. Daniel was tragically killed in action by an IED while supporting combat operations in Iraq in 2009. This race not only recognized Matthew, but also payed tribute to Daniel and both of their sacrifices. Words like "hero" and "greatness" and "legend" are used a lot in the sports world, but the Hansen brothers, and all of the men and women of our Armed Forces, exemplify these words. They are the real heroes. The bravery and courage they show everyday is unparalleled and they can never be thanked enough. To see Matthew Hansen give the command to start engines Saturday night, teary eyed and filled with pride, put everything into perspective. God bless the Hansen brothers, our Armed Forces and America.

After that poignant moment, Juan Montoya and Regan Smith led the field to the green and kicked off the racing action. Montoya was quickly overtaken by Clint Bowyer's #33, but everyone had their eye on Denny Hamlin's #11 Toyota. As he had done all weekend, Hamlin started out back, but quickly worked his way to the front. The racing was amazing for the first 100 or so laps, but the real fireworks started with the first caution flag. Montoya had been on a backslide and was hooked off turn two by Ryan Newman. Newman, who could have lifted and given a little room to teh 42 that early on, caused the back of the Target car to hit the wall and the spoiler to hook to the SAFER barrier and the decklid to fly off. After lengthy repairs to the Target Chevy, Newman's car would prove to be the car with the bullseye on it.

The race went back to green with Kyle Busch as the leader with teammate Hamlin in tow. Jeff Gordon had also emerged as an early contender in third. After a little more green flag racing, Montoya and Newman found each other again. This time, Montoya (very skillfully) slid his #42 across the back of Newman's #39, sending the ARMY car into the turn four wall. Newman, ever the crybaby, later took his "case" to NASCAR expecting a response to JPM's actions. None was given. Great call NASCAR! If Newman can't handle beating and banging on a short track, then he needs to find a new career because this racecar driver thing isn't for him. Have at it boys!

The action continued with Busch, Hamlin, Gordon and Martin Truex, Jr up front. Truex grabbed the lead in a three wide battle with Busch and Hamlin on lap 246 and proved his NAPA Ultimate Tune Up Toyota would be a force. While these three battled for the lead, the field wrecked behind them. Matt Kenseth thought there was room up top, but when he slid up, Bowyer hooked him and turned the Crown Royal Ford into the wall with Paul Menard. The wreck also collected David Reutimann and Mark Martin. Other than Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski going around, that was the last of the wrecking action.

The other hot topic to surface was the X-rated radio chatter. Kurt Busch was the biggest offender, dropping F-bombs like its going out of style and going as far a calling out Penske Racing management by name. The other was Truex, Jr. With about thirty laps remaining in the race, he pitted for a loose wheel and his crew missed a lugnut, supposedly due to a broken stud. A very livid Truex screamed at his crew, saying "You're all f***ing fired! Every g**damn one of ya!" Debates raged about whether or not these incidents warranted a talking to from their respective owners. In Kurt's case, he's always a hot head, he's always been a hot head and he always will be a hothead. Getting a scolding from Roger Penske is not going to change anything. And Truex said what he said out of heat of the moment anger. He had every right to be upset (his potentially race winning car finished 27th) and he has had a rough four or five weeks in a row. Sometimes enough is enough.

So with little help from caution flags and little challenge from Hamlin, Kyle Busch went on to win his third spring Richmond race in a row. It seems to be turning into a springtime ritual. The flowers bloom, the leaves turn green and Kyle Busch wins at Richmond. But Busch fan or not, you have to be excited by the racing that we saw. Three and four wide passes almost all night long, wrecks here and there, a newly formed rivalry and best of all... Jimmie Johnson was nowhere to be found!! It's always nice when the #48 team gives someone else a chance to win a race once in a while. So now it's on to Darlington Raceway. Denny Hamlin scored the win there last season in NASCAR's lone trip to "The Lady in Black." Will he repeat or will someone else conquer the track "Too Tough to Tame?"