Elliott Sadler and Kurt Busch Two Sides of the Same Coin

After Elliott Sadler was wrecked out of the lead in the Darlington Nationwide race one month ago, he was met in the garage by members of the ESPN broadcast crew. The Virginia native could have blown a fuse, or blown off the media completely. But instead, he  chose to talk to the cameras and what the fans saw was one of the classiest interviews, maybe in the recent history of the sport.

Sadler's winning run was ended on the frontstrech by Logano, who would go on to win the race, after an ill-advised bump draft from the Gibbs Racing driver. But Sadler talked about not being able to change what happened, picking up and going to Charlotte the next week and his team simply giving the rest of the season their all. No bashing Logano and, more importantly, no cussing out the media members who came for his side of the incident.

But while Sadler set this spectacular example just a few weeks before, fans were treated to the other side of the coin just three weeks later in Dover.

After the Nationwide race at the Monster Mile on Saturday, Kurt Busch was involved in a heated confrontation with Sporting News writer and veteran Nascar reporter, Bob Pockrass after finishing fourth.

Pockrass, a longtime motorsports writer who is well respected in his field and the garage area alike, simply asked Busch if his being on probation (from an incident in the Darlington Cup race with Ryan Newman's team) affected the way he raced Justin Allgaier after the two had a run-in on track. Busch's response was "It (the probation) refrains me from not beating the sh*t out of you right now because you ask me stupid questions."

 After taking a day to deliberate, Nascar suspended Busch from all on-track activity in Pocono the next week, meaning that David Reutimann would move from his familiar No. 10 car to race Busch's No. 51 at the "Tricky Triangle" and Busch will meet with his team owner, James Finch, Tuesday to discuss his future with the team.

This may have been a bit of a drastic move by the sanctioning body, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

This was Busch's fourth high-profile altercation with the media since last September in Richmond, where he had to be physically restrained on pit road and tore up the transcript of an earlier interview with another reporter. There was also that viral YouTube video where the driver cussed out ESPN pit reporter, Dr. Jerry Punch, and his camera crew in Homestead last November.

There is no doubt that Kurt Busch is one of the best in the sport. He wouldn't have won the 2004 championship if he wasn't. But this has nothing to do with Busch's driving record. Nascar is a team sport and it's high time he got the message that you can't get respect unless you give it first. If he continues to treat people like dirt, then this is what is going to keep happening to him.

If Busch didn't want to answer Pockrass' question, he should have just declined to answer it and walked away. It's just that simple. But instead, he threatened Pockrass and made a scene. Busch has always been a volatile personality in the garage and has little respect for the sport, it's drivers, it's teams and it's fans. But, for some reason, he expects to get the same respect he refuses to show others shown to him. That isn' how it works Kurt.

This may have been a harsh move by Nascar, but it might just show Busch that he needs this sport a lot more than it needs him. In Pocono, Reutimann will slip into Busch's ride and the race will go on without him, whether he wants to believe it or not.

Busch may just get one last shot with Phoenix Racing. But, with an underfunded team who can't afford to wreck anymore cars and will have to sell their hot-headed driver to a sponsor, it may not be worth the risk involved. It was rumored Busch was a blip on Joe Gibbs Racing's radar for next season, but now it appears that blip has vanished. Unless he learns some manners quickly, watching races from the couch may just become a regular occurrence for this former champion.

Reutimann to Replace Busch in Pocono

David Reutimann will get the chance to be competitive for the first time
in 2012

Phoenix Racing owner James Finch announced on Sirius/XM Nascar Radio that David Reutimann will move from the Tommy Baldwin Racing No. 10 car to fill his vacant No. 51 car this weekend at Pocono while their current driver, Kurt Busch, serves his one-week suspension for verbally assaulting Sporting News reporter Bob Pockrass last Saturday in Dover.

Finch also said that he would meet with Busch over "the next week and have a come-to-Jesus meeting."

This is Busch's fourth run-in with a media member since Richmond last September and his first since a profanity-laden tirade cost him his last job at Penske Racing.

When Busch signed with Phoenix Racing, Finch said of the deal, "He can't quit and I can't fire him."

Now it appears the owner has changed his tune.

"Quit wrecking cars (and) be nice to people," Finch will tell Busch during their meeting. "That's not hard to do." The hot-headed driver has wrecked 13 cars in the 14 events so far this year, which has taken a severe toll on a single car team with only a few employees and no regular sponsorship. Finch made it abundantly clear that, if Busch is to stay in his car, changes must be made. Fast.

"We've got to get Kurt in the right frame of mind," he said. "He needs to either get his mind right or he's going to be working somewhere else. If we stay together it will be on a race-by-race basis."

Since Reutimann will drive the No. 51 car this weekend, Dave Blaney will move into his No. 10 car. Tony Raines will also move into Blaney's No. 36 machine. All three of these rides are locked into Sunday's field.

Kurt Busch Suspended by Nascar for Run-In with Reporter, James Finch Looking for Replacement

Nascar has suspended driver Kurt Busch from Sprint Cup competition this weekend at Pocono Raceway. The sanctioning body's decision came after Busch got into an argument with Sporting News reporter Bob Pockrass after finishing fourth in Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway. He had been on probation for doing a buurnout through Ryan Newman's pit stall at Darlington and then getting into an altercation with Newman's No. 39 crew after the event.

Busch got into a scuffle with Justin Allgaier at the start of the race and the two met on pit road for a discussion when the event ended.

An ESPN reporter later talked to the hot-headed Busch about the exchange. Busch said Allgaier "drove like a you-know-what all day. He tried to door us and tried to do stupid things out on the track. (But) I'm on probation, so I can't even pick my nose the right way."

"There are clowns that want to play and we'll play," said Busch. "I've got no problem with it. But then there's fans that will get on blog sites and Twitter tonight and just start a bunch of riff-raff. (All) it was, was the initial start of the race. Race your car kid, race your car. That's all there is to it."

 Speed camera's then caught Busch's response to Pockrass when the reporter asked him if his probation had restrained him from racing Allgaier harder than he normally would have. "It refrains me from not beating the s**t out of you right now because you ask me stupid questions," snapped Busch. "But since I'm on probation, I suppose that that's improper to say, as well."

"If you would talk about racing things, we could talk about racing things Bob," to which Pockrass responded, "It is racing."

Busch snapped back, "It is not racing. You're in this just to start stuff. That's all you're out here for."

Nascar took Busch aside Sunday morning after the drivers meeting and expressed their displeasure with his actions Saturday and they have taken the necessary steps for teaching him a lesson.

When this season started, Busch had said he was going to try and "put the fun back in racing."

He made a handshake agreement with James Finch at the start of the year to wheel the No. 51 car after a tumultuous 2011 season.

This was a year that saw Busch disrespect his then-owner, Roger Penske, over the radio, calling him "dude," on several occasions. He also had to be restrained on pit road during an altercation with Nascar.com writer Joe Menzer at Richmond, Later, in the Richmond media center, Busch tore up a transcript of an earlier interview offered by Associated Press reported Jenna Fryer. Most notably, he directed a profanity-laden tirade at ESPN pit reporter Jerry Punch following a transmission failure in the season finale at Homestead.

Finch has said he will meet with Busch in the coming days to discuss the status of their handshake deal. When asked about Busch by EPSN, he did not sound confident their deal would continue to work.

"If he's going to kill himself, I'm not going to be in the airplane with him," Finch said. "If that's what he's planning on doing, I am going to get out." The former driver-turned-owner told ESPN in December that if Busch had embarrassed him the way he did Penske last season, "he would have gotten his ass beat on pit road. He needs to simmer down a while." He mentioned drivers David Reutimann and Brian Vickers as possible replacements for Pocono and, possibly beyond. "There are a helluva lot of (drivers) out there."

This is the best thing for Kurt Busch. The media members he has verbally assaulted over the last two seasons are all well respected, veteran writers, not bloggers living in their mom's basement. And "respect" is the key word in all this. Busch wants respect from the fans, drivers and media around him, but he doesn't give that same respect back. He may be a talented driver, but this is not like football or baseball where talent is all that matters. An owner is also trying to sell him to a sponsor and a company is not going to pay a cash-strapped team like Finch's for Busch's attitude. He needs to learn, once and for all, you can't treat people like crap and expect them to like you.

Now that attitude has finally landed Busch on the couch for a week instead of in his usual seat behind the wheel. And by the sound of things, it may have also cost him another ride. And with his reputation, who knows if he'll get another chance to race again.

On Racing's Biggest Weekend, Take a Minute to Slow Down

This is the biggest weekend in motorsports. The Grand Prix of Monaco in the morning, the Indianapolis 500 in the afternoon and the Coca-Cola 600 at night will make up a day that race fans dream about all season long.

But as we embark on racing's longest day, it is also important to slow down and reflect for a moment and remember a few heroes.

This will be the first time in 66 years that the defending Indy 500 winner will not be in the field to go for a repeat. This year's defending champ is Dan Wheldon, whose life was tragically cut short due to a vicious crash in last year's season finale at Las Vegas. Wheldon, known simply as "Lionheart", won last year's centennial edition of the Indy 500 in spectacular fashion, passing the wreck car of leader J.R. Hildebrand in the final corner of the speedway. This was also the Englishman's second victory in the most storied race in motorsports.

A picture of Wheldon from last year's win will be on all of the tickets for this year's event. Wreath around his neck, milk in his hand and a bright smile on his face, just how race fans everywhere will remember "Lionheart."

The other reason to pause this race day is to remember the reason why we are racing at all.

Memorial Day weekend is not only a time to watch racing, barbecue and go to the beach. It is a time to remember all the brave men and women who have given their lives in service to our country. It may sound cliche, but freedom does not come free and without the sacrifices that our soldiers and their families make, we would not have the freedom and liberty we enjoy on a daily basis.

This weekend is all about spending time with family and enjoying some burgers, some hot dogs and some racing but let us not forget why we are able to do these things.

God bless Dan Wheldon, his wife Susie, and his sons Oliver and Sebastian. This weekend cannot be an easy one, seeing all the tributes and footage of Dan's Indy wins. May they finally have some sense of closure when this year's race is finished.

And God bless the servicemen and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the United States and all of their families. Without them, there would be no Indy 500, no Coke 600, and no family get-togethers.

"...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

Johnson Backs into All-Star Victory

The 2012 Sprint All-Star race started out with a bang. Drivers raced side-by-side throughout the field, feathers were ruffled and the recent changes Nascar made to the side skirts on the cars made the cars jumpy and hard to handle. The million dollar prize was anybody's to grab.

Then the final segment started.

The latest changes made to the race's format meant that the drivers who won the first four segments would line up 1-2-3-4 for the final pit stop. All they had to do was stop in their box, go and try to hold their spot. The crews didn't even need to service their cars.

But this new format came with an unforeseen issue. Once a driver won a segment, they would lag back the rest of the race to save their tires and equipment for the final 10-lap "shootout."

Jimmie Johnson won the first segment of the race and knew he would get that lead back when the No. 48 team came in for their final stop. Matt Kenseth won segment two and followed Johnson suite. Brad Keselowski was the third driver to win a segment and disappear to the rear of the pack. Sprint Showdown winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr won the fourth segment and looked like he would be the third driver to ever win the All-Star race after transferring in from the preliminary forty lap heat.

These four inherited the lead for the fifth and final segment. Despite challenges from Keselowski, Junior, and Marcos Ambrose, Johnson waved goodbye to the field and led the final ten laps and won his third All-Star win.

The race was not bad. Earnhardt, Jr and A.J. Allmendinger transferred in through the Showdown, started from the rear of the field and were contenders for the win the big money by the end of the race. Ambrose was also a strong contender throughout the race and it looked like the Aussie road racer-turned-stock car driver would finally shake the stereotype that he is only a road course ringer.

But in the end, the fans watching on television, and especially those who laid out their hard-earned money to see the race live, were sorely disappointed when a select few drivers decided not to give 100% Saturday night. Johnson, Kenseth and Keselowski didn't circumvent any rules. They merely took advantage of their situation. But that doesn't mean the fans have to like it. Johnson and his fans should be ashamed. Running half a lap down most all night, only to lead the final 10 laps and win the $1 million prize, is hardly an All-Star performance.

This race was almost perfect. If Charlotte Motor Speedway and Nascar would simply tweak the format and make it so all the drivers had to race all out for the entire event, like going back to eliminating drivers at the rear of the field at the ends of the segments, the race would be perfect. After what the No. 48 team pulled Saturday night, it's clear that something must be done before next year's race or the All-Star race will be at risk of becoming Nascar's equivalent of the NFL Pro Bowl.

2013 Chevy Stocker Will Be SS



First look: The 2013 Chevy SS

Just as predicted, General Motors announced Thursday that their Chevrolet brand will campaign a new model on the 2013 Sprint Cup Series tour. It will be based on the V-8 powered, rear-wheel-drive Holden Commodore that is currently produced in Australia and be called the SS.

Chevy's move will hearken the return of a V-8 powered, rear-wheel-drive sedan that the automaker has not offered the American public in 17 years. It will be the derivative of the Holden Commodore, which we have already seen stateside as a Pontiac G8. The SS will be exported to the US as a 2014 model that will arrive in a showroom near you in late 2013.

After campaigning the Impala in Nascar full-time since 2008, bringing the SS to the United States might be just what the sport needs. Fans being able to purchase a production car with the same V-8 powerplant and rear-wheel-drive platform as Dale Earnhardt, Jr or Jeff Gordon may not only boost ticket sales, but sales for GM as well. The SS badge has always been reserved for Chevrolet's most storied models. Names like Chevelle, Camaro, Nova, Impala, Monte Carlo and El Camino have all been emblazoned with the infamous "Super Sport" emblem at one time and that fact will not be lost on longtime fans of Nascar racing.

"As a passionate race fan and performance enthusiast, I am thrilled that Chevrolet will deliver a true rear-wheel-drive Nascar racecar in the SS that is closely linked to the performance sedan that will be available for sale," said Mark Reuss, President of GM North America. "The Chevrolet SS is a great example of how GM is able to leverage it's global product portfolio to deliver a unique performance experience that extends beyond the track. I am personally looking forward to driving it."

Toyota will unveil their new body style in the next week or so, but there is no time table for when Chevrolet will unveil their new model. For now, all we have is a photo of a camouflaged version used in a test. But while the major details of the body styling are still a corporate secret, one thing is for sure. This thing sure looks like a racecar.

Are Stewart, Truex Trying to Ailienate Fans?

Last season was one of the best Nascar seasons in recent memory. Drivers like Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith finally breaking into victory lane, drivers getting into heated rivalries and close, exciting, side-by-side competition and a championship that was decided in a winner-take-all tiebreaker. Fans loved it and they showed up to the track in droves.

But this year, aside from the towering inferno midway through the first prime time Daytona 500 in Nascar history, the racing has been anything but exciting.

There have been very few cautions and torn up sheet metal this year. Tempers have remained in check and the on-track product has been more like Formula 1 and less like the rough and tumble spectacle fans have come to love.

So after Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega, when drivers raced in a pack again and there were several wrecks, just like every other race at the Alabama speedway. But this time, after the race ended, there were a couple of drivers who decided to open their big mouths about the racing that had gone on and chastise the fans for questioning the racing that they are being provided.

First, Martin Truex, Jr took to Twitter to fill fans in on what his team's day was like, as drivers often do. After trading barbs with some Jeff Gordon fans, the New Jersey native posted "Guess the fans got the cautions they wanted today. Goodnight."

Tony Stewart chimed in as well, but he had much more to say.

"We didn't quite crash half the field which is what we normally look to do here," quipped Stewart. "I was excited about it. I thought it was a pretty good race. I made it further than I thought I would before I got crashed. I call it a successful day."

He went on to criticize Nascar and their minimizing the grille openings on the race cars and downsizing the radiators to five gallons. With the temperatures around 90- degrees most of the weekend, drivers were forced to monitor their gauges and manage their engines in a pack instead of racing in tandems, as had become the routine.

"It's fun to race and watch the gauges at the same time," Smoke went on to say. "It makes us drivers have to do so much more. Being able to make yourself run on the apron and everything else to try to get clean air, it makes it fun." The Stewart-Haas Racing owner later said the sanctioning body "...ought to just tape (the cars) off solid and run them until they blow up. I think it would make it a lot more exciting for the fans." He also cracked, "I feel bad if I don't spend at least $150,000 on torn up race cars going back to the shop. We definitely have to do a better job with that. I'm upset that we didn't crash more. I feel like that's what we are here for."

In closing, Stewart said the race should be extended until half the field is wrecked and for the next race, that the track should be reconfigured into a Figure Eight "and/or we can stop at the halfway point make a break and turn around and go backwards the rest of the way. Then, with 10 laps to go, we split the field in half. Half go the regular direction and half of them go backwards."

Drivers opinions do matter, but why do they feel the need to express them in a way that alienates longtime fans of the sport. Texas, Kansas and even Richmond at times featured nothing but single-file, green flag racing with little or no change in the running order and only fifteen or twenty cars on the lead lap. Race tickets are not cheap and, when coupled with high gas prices and hotel rates, fans spend a small fortune to come and see these drivers race. Without the fans, these 43 racers would have to get real jobs like the rest of us.

While, Stewart's comments were mostly a jab at Nascar's lack of flexibility with the rules at plate tracks now, the words wrecks and excitement were used interchangeably. Both he and Truex were no doubt referring to fans wanting to see wrecks, not the racing they are providing.

Calling fans names and making it sound like they only show up to watch drivers take their best shot at knocking down the wall is unfair and it's a great way to turn even more fans off a sport struggling with television ratings and low attendance. The NFL has not blamed their current issues with the New Orleans Saints on bloodthirsty fans because they realize that the fans are what make their sport possible.

If the fans want to see drivers race backwards in a Figure Eight, then that is what they should see on Sunday afternoon.

If we are not going to see bent up sheet metal and tempers during a race, then Nascar really needs to change their commercials for the All Star Race next week because it is nothing but wrecks set to Blake Shelton's hit "Kiss My Country Ass." Given how racing on the "cookie cutter" tracks has been this year, a more fitting ad would be footage of cars racing single file, set to Leroy Anderson's "The Syncopated Clock."

All these comments will do is make fans angry and drive them, especially the longtime ones, away from the sport. When television ratings drop even further and once packed grandstands are covered by tarps, we will see what the sport's elite have to say about the on-track product then.