The third race of the 2010 Chase finished up Sunday and it was not without controversay. First off, congratulations to Greg Biffle and his #16 Roush Fenway team. After two disasterous races at Loudon and Dover to kick off their Chase, a win in Kansas would be the perfect remedy to get them back within striking distance. And after starting 5th, running in the top 10 most all day and leading three times for 60 laps, the #16 Sherwin Williams 3M Ford pulled into victory lane at days end. But despite this dominate performance from "The Biff", he is not what everyone is talking about this week.
No, not a lot of people are concerned with lap 267. Instead, the media is blowing what happened on lap 152 out of proportion. Lets start at the begining. On lap 52, David Reutimann was spun out by Kyle Busch, sending the back end of the #00 into the outside wall. This took away any chance that the Aaron's Dream Machine had of winning the Price Chopper 400. This was also the third time in four races Reutimann has been taken out of a good run. Kurt Busch dumped him in the first fifteen laps at Richmond and Ryan Newman did the same in the first 25 or so at Dover.
That is also why Reutimann's crew chief Rodney Childers told his driver over the radio to eihter start hitting people back or the team would need a new crew chief. Reutimann would erase his reputaion as the series punching bag on lap 152 when he slid up into Kyle's #18 car, slamming the rear of the M&M's Toyota into the wall and spinning out his own car in the process. At first glance, it appeared that Busch would just need a new set of tires and that Reut had just made himself look like an idiot. But the damage was done. The whole rear suspension of Busch's car was destroyed, the rear end housing was bent, the truck arms were bent and the 18 team's top 5 car was relegated to a 21st place finish one lap down. Reutimann's potential top five car was strapped with a 35th place finish, eleven laps down to the leader. But just why is this so controversial?
Well, Busch said after the race that Reutimnn could have "wreck me in any of the first 26 races next year. That would've been fine" because he was in the Chase and "racing for something" implying that Reutimann wasn't since he isn't a Chaser. This ignited a firestorm of controversay in the media that hasn't been seen since Busch dumped Dale Jr at Richmond in 2008.
My opinion as a fan of D-Reut since his rookie year in 2007, and even if I wasn't, I have no problem with what happened. Reutimann was wronged and had his shot to win taken away. And he may have done just that since he won at a similar track, at Chicagoland Speedway, earlier in the year. Another key to this whole incident was that Busch, although he did so in his post race interview, never got on his radio and told his spotter "Tell the 00 that was my fault" or "Tell him that was an accident" or even "Tell him I'm sorry." Any other driver would have done that. But Busch drives like he owns the track. He has been known to run through drivers on his way to the front of the pack , as well as for the win and Reutimann assumed that he was just the next victim since he had not heard otherwise.
There was also the aspect of using cars for payback, a practice frowned upon by many crew cheifs and crew members (for obvious reasons). Media memebrs were talking about how the 18 crew and Joe Gibbs Racing puts so much effort into their cars and didn't deserve to be taken out like that. So I guess that Michael Waltrip Racing's cars don't cost as much as the ones that JGR builds. MWR works just as hard, if not harder, than the Gibbs organization to build race winning cars for their drivers and that first wreck will be just as costly to them as the second wreck will be to JGR.
But feuds between drivers on and off the track have been an ongoing theme this season. Ever since Robin Pembeton uttered the now infamous words "Boys, have at it" back in January, the competition, as well as the tempers have been red hot. Heres hoping that this season ends with the same excitment and passion that it started with.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Hamlin Wins Pocono Snoozer
Another race at the Pocono Raceway, another win for Denny Hamlin and his #11 team. The senior driver at Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamiln has had the Tricky Triangle figured out since his arrival on the circut, sweeping both races there in his rookie campaign. There was also not a whole lot of question as to whether Hamlin would win or not. The FedEx Toyota was the class of the field, leading eighty eight laps on the day and netting the five bonus points for leading the most laps. Hamilin's closest competition was his teammate Kyle Busch and Richard Childress Racing stablematres Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton. The only teams that led a lap undeer green were the Gibbs, Childress and Penske teams. The action was also hard to find in this race, as the cars get so stung out and it becomes harder to pass, there were not a lot of cautions or chances for teams to use atrategy calls to get out front.
As the race progressed, Jamie McMurray backed his McDonald's Chevy into the wall and Casey Mears, subbing for Brian Vickers, was spun by Elliott Sadler. But on one of the final restarts, the Penske tandem of Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish, Jr led the field to the green. Hornish was able to hold the lead until about fifteen laps to go when he was passed by the #11. Then off of turn three, business picked up. Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano made contact going for position, with Logano spinning off Harvick's front end. The sophmore Logano did avoid contact and move back up to a twelfh place finish.
We fans did get our action after all because on the last lap, A.J. Allmendinger blocked Richard Petty Motorrsports teammate Kasey Kahne, sending Kahne's car down to the grass, back up the track and head on into the wall. At that same time, Jeff Gordon hit the #9 Ford square in the door, sending the back of Kahne's car in the air, and simultaniously collecting Mark Marin, Martin Truex, Jr, Elliott Sadler as well as a few others. After Hamlin won the race, TNT interviewed Kasey Kahne and asked him if he would talk to A.J. before next week, Kasey said that he didn't talk to Allmendinger on a good day, so why start now?
But in the end, all the cameras were focused on the #11 team and how they had netted their fourth win of the young 2010 season and Hamlin's four win in his career at the Tricky Triangle. This could be the year that the FedEx team delivers an upset, lives up to the preseason hype and dethrons Jimmie Johnson as reigning champ.
As the race progressed, Jamie McMurray backed his McDonald's Chevy into the wall and Casey Mears, subbing for Brian Vickers, was spun by Elliott Sadler. But on one of the final restarts, the Penske tandem of Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish, Jr led the field to the green. Hornish was able to hold the lead until about fifteen laps to go when he was passed by the #11. Then off of turn three, business picked up. Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano made contact going for position, with Logano spinning off Harvick's front end. The sophmore Logano did avoid contact and move back up to a twelfh place finish.
We fans did get our action after all because on the last lap, A.J. Allmendinger blocked Richard Petty Motorrsports teammate Kasey Kahne, sending Kahne's car down to the grass, back up the track and head on into the wall. At that same time, Jeff Gordon hit the #9 Ford square in the door, sending the back of Kahne's car in the air, and simultaniously collecting Mark Marin, Martin Truex, Jr, Elliott Sadler as well as a few others. After Hamlin won the race, TNT interviewed Kasey Kahne and asked him if he would talk to A.J. before next week, Kasey said that he didn't talk to Allmendinger on a good day, so why start now?
But in the end, all the cameras were focused on the #11 team and how they had netted their fourth win of the young 2010 season and Hamlin's four win in his career at the Tricky Triangle. This could be the year that the FedEx team delivers an upset, lives up to the preseason hype and dethrons Jimmie Johnson as reigning champ.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Ailing Harvick Finds Bud Shootout Win To Be The Best Medicine
Well after two crazy practice sessions that sent five teams to backup cars and the blind draw for qualifying spots, it was time to kick off the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season with the always exciting Budweiser Shootout. One of the teams that was forced to a backup was Kevin Harvick's, but Harvick was not the one who wreck his primary car. Kevin was back in North Carolina until Saturday night, sick with flu like symptoms. Teammate Clint Bowyer is the one who totaled Harvick's #29 Chevy. In the second practice, Harvick's other teammate Jeff Burton parked his #31 Chevy to make a few laps and shake down the backup #29. Harvick surfaced in Daytona the next day and, thanks to crew chief Gil Martin's lucky draw, started second on the outside of Carl Edwards.
The first twenty five lap segment of the race was fairly uneventful and was ended when Michael Waltrip's #51 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota was spun off the front end of Joey Logano exiting turn two. The teams then got ten minutes to debrief with their crews about what to adjust to make their cars drive better and handle good enough to win. At the start of the final fifty lap segment Carl Edwards led the field to the start again. This segment had a little more action and it didn't take long to get started. Kurt Busch got clipped by Mark Martin, sending the "Blue Deuce" through the infield grass. This was a single car wreck, but it was still spectacular because when the #2 cars splitter dug into the grass, the air under the car forced the hood to fly up and block Busch's vision causing him to hit the outside wall head on. This was Busch's second wrecked car in as many days. Other than Mark Martin's car all of a sudden stalling, not much else happened until eight to go.
That is when Michael Waltrip's #51 NAPA car was hooked from behind and put in the wall by Ryan Newman's #39 car. Mikey is on his farewell tour and as of now, the Daytona 500 and the Bud Shootout are the only races on his schedule. That was the last thing Mikey needed. This wreck was followed by a green white checkered finish and Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne running first and second respectively. It turns out that "The Biff"should have pitted instead of staying out because going into turn three, he lost a right rear tire and wrecked several cars. Its still hard to tell if that is what happened or if Biffle's #16 car was hit from behind by Jeff Gordon's#24. Both drivers say it was a flat tire. This froze the field and even though the race was supposed to end under green, the cars rode under caution for a lap and a half and Harvick was declared the winner under yellow flag conditions.
That is why NASCAR is considering having multiple attempts at a green white checkered finish to ensure we fans see a green flag finish every week. They may even implement it as soon as the Gatorade Duel 150s tomorrow afternoon at 2pm on SPEED. The Duels provide some of the best racing of the year and will either make or break several drivers seasons. I'll tell you right now that Michael Waltrip is going to be in the Daytona 500. Because of his qualifying time, if any of the cars that timed in on speed in qualifying last Saturday race their way in, Mikey gets in on his speed. But he won't need it. I firmly believe that the #51 NAPA Camry and its MWR crew will be in Daytona's victory lane tomorrow afternoon. If anyone can win in a restrictor plate race, especially when the pressure is on, its Michael Waltrip. He is in a really great position to be able to go out with a bang on Sunday afternoon in the Great American Race. Good luck Mikey!!! Give 'em hell brotha!!!"
The first twenty five lap segment of the race was fairly uneventful and was ended when Michael Waltrip's #51 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota was spun off the front end of Joey Logano exiting turn two. The teams then got ten minutes to debrief with their crews about what to adjust to make their cars drive better and handle good enough to win. At the start of the final fifty lap segment Carl Edwards led the field to the start again. This segment had a little more action and it didn't take long to get started. Kurt Busch got clipped by Mark Martin, sending the "Blue Deuce" through the infield grass. This was a single car wreck, but it was still spectacular because when the #2 cars splitter dug into the grass, the air under the car forced the hood to fly up and block Busch's vision causing him to hit the outside wall head on. This was Busch's second wrecked car in as many days. Other than Mark Martin's car all of a sudden stalling, not much else happened until eight to go.
That is when Michael Waltrip's #51 NAPA car was hooked from behind and put in the wall by Ryan Newman's #39 car. Mikey is on his farewell tour and as of now, the Daytona 500 and the Bud Shootout are the only races on his schedule. That was the last thing Mikey needed. This wreck was followed by a green white checkered finish and Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne running first and second respectively. It turns out that "The Biff"should have pitted instead of staying out because going into turn three, he lost a right rear tire and wrecked several cars. Its still hard to tell if that is what happened or if Biffle's #16 car was hit from behind by Jeff Gordon's#24. Both drivers say it was a flat tire. This froze the field and even though the race was supposed to end under green, the cars rode under caution for a lap and a half and Harvick was declared the winner under yellow flag conditions.
That is why NASCAR is considering having multiple attempts at a green white checkered finish to ensure we fans see a green flag finish every week. They may even implement it as soon as the Gatorade Duel 150s tomorrow afternoon at 2pm on SPEED. The Duels provide some of the best racing of the year and will either make or break several drivers seasons. I'll tell you right now that Michael Waltrip is going to be in the Daytona 500. Because of his qualifying time, if any of the cars that timed in on speed in qualifying last Saturday race their way in, Mikey gets in on his speed. But he won't need it. I firmly believe that the #51 NAPA Camry and its MWR crew will be in Daytona's victory lane tomorrow afternoon. If anyone can win in a restrictor plate race, especially when the pressure is on, its Michael Waltrip. He is in a really great position to be able to go out with a bang on Sunday afternoon in the Great American Race. Good luck Mikey!!! Give 'em hell brotha!!!"
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
NASCAR To Announce Major Changes Next Thurday
Next Thurday, january 21st, it is rumored that NASCAR will announce dramatic changes to the racing and the cars for the forseeable future. There is speculation that the sanctioning body will make public their intentions to replace the wing on the rear of the cars with the more traditional (and much sportier) blade spoiler, as well as dumping the front splitter in favor of the front valence the cars possesed prior to 2008. There are also rumors swirling that they will eliminate the "No Bump Zones" as well as the yellow line rule at Daytona and Talladega. All of these changes have amazing potential to return the spectacle to this recently lackluster sport.
The most drastic of these changes involves the substitution of the wing with a spoiler. This is a step in the right direction. There is no doubt that a spoiler on a racecar looks a lot racier and sleeker than a big, bulky wing. There is also no chance for air to get under a spoiler to lift the car off the ground. NASCAR says that Ryan Newman's flip at Talladega had nothing to do with the wing. But they also didn't say what they thought did cause the wreck. Now, anyone who knows a thing about airplanes knows that lift is created when air flows over, as well as under, the wings at a particular speed. On a stock car, there is a gap between the wing and the decklid (since the wings are removable) and if a car moves backwards at close to 100mph (as Newman's did) there is going to be air traveling under the now backwards facing wing. This will create lift instead of downforce. I'm by no means a physics or engineering major, but that seems about like how it would work. Anyway, aside from helping to keep the cars grounded, the spolier would also help to create more downforce to keep the backs of the cars glued to the racetrack better. This would lead to better handling cars and thus, better, closer racing.
Replacing the splitter with a valence would really help to complement the spoiler. Not only would it make these cars look like what stock cars are supposed to look like, as well as allow teams the ability to adjust their shock and suspension packages with greater freedom than in the past few seasons when bump stops were manditory for all the teams shocks. There would also be no need to have annoying brackets afixed to the front of the car and there wouldn't be ill handling cars from the splitter hitting the track and sending the car up the banking. The valence would allow the cars to suck up to the track better, as well as allow for more freedom with the amount of shock rebound teams can dial into their cars.
The third bomshell that may drop next week is the elimination of the yellow line rule and "No Bump Zones" in time for the February 14th Daytona 500. This could lead to some of the best racing that fans have seen at Talladega and Daytona in years, especially since it was reported by Jayski.com that NASCAR will also be giving teams a larger restrictor plate for the season opening 500 miler allowing the cars to reach slightly higher speeds and not be in less tight packs. Eliminating the bump free zones in the corners at these tracks would also eliminate boring racing. The drivers would be forced to police themselves (which is how it should be) as well as allow them to race side by side instead of in a single file line for more than half the race (as was the case last November). The yellow line is also something that needs to go. Yes it serves a purpouse, but it causes a lot more problems than it solves.
The yellow line rule has caused a controversial finish in two of the last three races at Talladega in 2008, Tony Stewart forced Regan Smith below the line coming to the finish. Smith, not wanting to start a huge wreck, ducked under the line and, at the same time, passed Stewart. Somehow NASCAR took Smith's not wanting to make a bonehead move as intentionally passing Stewart illegally to win the race. Stewart was awarded the victory and the next day on This Week in NASCAR, panelist Greg Biffle said that next time they went to 'Dega there would be a huge wreck because NASCAR was sending a message to not avoid a wreck if you can. Just do what you have to to win the race. Biffle was right.
In the 2009 Aaron's 499, Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski passed Ryan Newman and Dale Jr for the lead and in the last hundred yards of the trioval, Brad went to pass Carl, Carl went to block and Brad didn't give. This sent Edwrad's #99 off Newman's front end and up into the catch fence injuring several fans.Edward's walked, scratch that. Edward's ran away from the wreckage and crossed the line, imitating the ending of "Talladega Nights." The rookie Keselowski later said he was just doing what he had to to win. NASCAR's message was delivered loud and clear. Had the line not been there, the drivers would have had a few feet of apron to work out their real estate issues. And the yellow line rule is only a recet occurrence. The races held before the yellow line rule were just as sane, if not saner than with the line there.
i don't have a time as to when this announcement will take place, but on January 21st NASCAR may just bring their sport back from the wayside. These new rules will create amazing competition for seasons to come. I urge anyone who reads this, if you have never seen a NASCAR race before, start NOW. If you have, you know what the last few seasons were like and how much better this season will be with these changes. I will keep you abreast of what comes from his announcement. 2010, here we come!!!
UPDATE: NASCAR made it official on January 15th that they will transition from the wing back to the classic blade spoiler in the Sprint Cup Series, possibly as early as the fifth race of the year at Martinville. Series Director John Darby sent a memo out to the Cup Series organizations informing them of the change and announcing that there would be a test Mach 23rd-24th at Charlotte Motor Speedway for all the teams. The next race on the tour after the test would be at Martinsville, the earliest possible opportunity for the new hardware to make its raceday debut. There will also be a Goodyear tire test with Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch and Brian Vickers January 19th-20th where the spoiler will be used on the back of the driver's machines.
The most drastic of these changes involves the substitution of the wing with a spoiler. This is a step in the right direction. There is no doubt that a spoiler on a racecar looks a lot racier and sleeker than a big, bulky wing. There is also no chance for air to get under a spoiler to lift the car off the ground. NASCAR says that Ryan Newman's flip at Talladega had nothing to do with the wing. But they also didn't say what they thought did cause the wreck. Now, anyone who knows a thing about airplanes knows that lift is created when air flows over, as well as under, the wings at a particular speed. On a stock car, there is a gap between the wing and the decklid (since the wings are removable) and if a car moves backwards at close to 100mph (as Newman's did) there is going to be air traveling under the now backwards facing wing. This will create lift instead of downforce. I'm by no means a physics or engineering major, but that seems about like how it would work. Anyway, aside from helping to keep the cars grounded, the spolier would also help to create more downforce to keep the backs of the cars glued to the racetrack better. This would lead to better handling cars and thus, better, closer racing.
Replacing the splitter with a valence would really help to complement the spoiler. Not only would it make these cars look like what stock cars are supposed to look like, as well as allow teams the ability to adjust their shock and suspension packages with greater freedom than in the past few seasons when bump stops were manditory for all the teams shocks. There would also be no need to have annoying brackets afixed to the front of the car and there wouldn't be ill handling cars from the splitter hitting the track and sending the car up the banking. The valence would allow the cars to suck up to the track better, as well as allow for more freedom with the amount of shock rebound teams can dial into their cars.
The third bomshell that may drop next week is the elimination of the yellow line rule and "No Bump Zones" in time for the February 14th Daytona 500. This could lead to some of the best racing that fans have seen at Talladega and Daytona in years, especially since it was reported by Jayski.com that NASCAR will also be giving teams a larger restrictor plate for the season opening 500 miler allowing the cars to reach slightly higher speeds and not be in less tight packs. Eliminating the bump free zones in the corners at these tracks would also eliminate boring racing. The drivers would be forced to police themselves (which is how it should be) as well as allow them to race side by side instead of in a single file line for more than half the race (as was the case last November). The yellow line is also something that needs to go. Yes it serves a purpouse, but it causes a lot more problems than it solves.
The yellow line rule has caused a controversial finish in two of the last three races at Talladega in 2008, Tony Stewart forced Regan Smith below the line coming to the finish. Smith, not wanting to start a huge wreck, ducked under the line and, at the same time, passed Stewart. Somehow NASCAR took Smith's not wanting to make a bonehead move as intentionally passing Stewart illegally to win the race. Stewart was awarded the victory and the next day on This Week in NASCAR, panelist Greg Biffle said that next time they went to 'Dega there would be a huge wreck because NASCAR was sending a message to not avoid a wreck if you can. Just do what you have to to win the race. Biffle was right.
In the 2009 Aaron's 499, Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski passed Ryan Newman and Dale Jr for the lead and in the last hundred yards of the trioval, Brad went to pass Carl, Carl went to block and Brad didn't give. This sent Edwrad's #99 off Newman's front end and up into the catch fence injuring several fans.Edward's walked, scratch that. Edward's ran away from the wreckage and crossed the line, imitating the ending of "Talladega Nights." The rookie Keselowski later said he was just doing what he had to to win. NASCAR's message was delivered loud and clear. Had the line not been there, the drivers would have had a few feet of apron to work out their real estate issues. And the yellow line rule is only a recet occurrence. The races held before the yellow line rule were just as sane, if not saner than with the line there.
i don't have a time as to when this announcement will take place, but on January 21st NASCAR may just bring their sport back from the wayside. These new rules will create amazing competition for seasons to come. I urge anyone who reads this, if you have never seen a NASCAR race before, start NOW. If you have, you know what the last few seasons were like and how much better this season will be with these changes. I will keep you abreast of what comes from his announcement. 2010, here we come!!!
UPDATE: NASCAR made it official on January 15th that they will transition from the wing back to the classic blade spoiler in the Sprint Cup Series, possibly as early as the fifth race of the year at Martinville. Series Director John Darby sent a memo out to the Cup Series organizations informing them of the change and announcing that there would be a test Mach 23rd-24th at Charlotte Motor Speedway for all the teams. The next race on the tour after the test would be at Martinsville, the earliest possible opportunity for the new hardware to make its raceday debut. There will also be a Goodyear tire test with Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch and Brian Vickers January 19th-20th where the spoiler will be used on the back of the driver's machines.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
NASCAR Changes Format For Bud Shootout Again
Here we go again. For the second time in three year, the qualification requirements for the Budweiser Shootout were changed again. The opening race of Speedweeks was once only a field of the previous years Bud Pole Award winners and previous Shootout winners. But in 2008, when Coors Light began to sponsor the pole award for NASCAR's premiere series, the format for the race was changed.
Instead of allowing Coors Pole winners in the Bud Shootout, NASCAR decided to allow the top six cars from each of the four manufacturers from the 2008 owner points. Later, they added a wildcard seventh driver who was either a past champion or the next highest car for that manufacturer in the owner standings. This led to a twenty eight car field, which lead many fans and drivers to question where the exclusivity the event once possessed had gone.
Now, in 2010, a new format has been thought up to create more of an emphasis on drivers who have performed well at Daytona through the years. Now the field will include the twelve Chase drivers and rookie of the year from 2009, as well as past Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400 and Bud Shootout winners. Past series champions are also admitted into the 2010 season's inaugural event.
This would be a good setup, if there were more drivers with jobs in the field. NASCAR got what they wanted and got Dale Jr in the show as a past winner (he was twenty fifth in points and would have been out with the top six format), but they excluded several competitive drivers in the process. Drivers who won races and had a strong 2009 are now forced to watch at home. Coke 600 winner David Reutimann, the "Tasmanian Devil" Marcos Ambrose, Martin Truex, Jr, Elliott Sadler and other competitive drivers will be replaced with drivers like Derrike Cope, Geoff Bodine, John Andretti, Terry Labonte and Sterling Marlin who have not run a cup race in several years. Cope's last win was in 1990 and Bodine hasn't run a Cup event since Dover in 2004. So why should they get to race over a proven winner like Reutimann or a hot shoe like Ambrose? Having guys like Jeff Burton and Michael Waltrip in the race is exciting because they will actually contend for the win, but digging up has-beens like Andretti, Bodine and Cope to help raise the level of competition has got to be the most ridiculous thing I've seen NASCAR come up with in some time. Absolutely unbelievable.
Instead of allowing Coors Pole winners in the Bud Shootout, NASCAR decided to allow the top six cars from each of the four manufacturers from the 2008 owner points. Later, they added a wildcard seventh driver who was either a past champion or the next highest car for that manufacturer in the owner standings. This led to a twenty eight car field, which lead many fans and drivers to question where the exclusivity the event once possessed had gone.
Now, in 2010, a new format has been thought up to create more of an emphasis on drivers who have performed well at Daytona through the years. Now the field will include the twelve Chase drivers and rookie of the year from 2009, as well as past Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400 and Bud Shootout winners. Past series champions are also admitted into the 2010 season's inaugural event.
This would be a good setup, if there were more drivers with jobs in the field. NASCAR got what they wanted and got Dale Jr in the show as a past winner (he was twenty fifth in points and would have been out with the top six format), but they excluded several competitive drivers in the process. Drivers who won races and had a strong 2009 are now forced to watch at home. Coke 600 winner David Reutimann, the "Tasmanian Devil" Marcos Ambrose, Martin Truex, Jr, Elliott Sadler and other competitive drivers will be replaced with drivers like Derrike Cope, Geoff Bodine, John Andretti, Terry Labonte and Sterling Marlin who have not run a cup race in several years. Cope's last win was in 1990 and Bodine hasn't run a Cup event since Dover in 2004. So why should they get to race over a proven winner like Reutimann or a hot shoe like Ambrose? Having guys like Jeff Burton and Michael Waltrip in the race is exciting because they will actually contend for the win, but digging up has-beens like Andretti, Bodine and Cope to help raise the level of competition has got to be the most ridiculous thing I've seen NASCAR come up with in some time. Absolutely unbelievable.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Requiem For A Goofball
When the checkered flag fell in Miami a few weeks ago, Denny Hamlin eon the race and Jimmie Johnson won his record shattering fourth consecutive championship. But there was one other headline that did not garner a whole lot of media attention until the last few laps. This race also makred the end of Michael Waltrip's career as a full time Sprint Cup Series driver. Starting in the 2010 Budweiser Shootout, Waltrip will hand the keys to his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry to Martin Truex, Jr who, if all goes as planned, will win a few races and join teammate David Reutimann in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Mikey will focus more on the ownership side of the team that bears his name and run a few races here and there so he doesn't completely lose his mind. But long before he became the successful owner he is today, "Mike" Waltrip was always just "Darrell's little brother."
Michael Waltrip's career in stock cars began in the Mini Modified Division, where he won the series title in 1981. He then moved up to the Goodys Dash Series, where he was the champion in 1983 as well as the series most popular driver in '83 and '84. Then in 1985, Michael's shot at the big time had arrived. He drove the Coca-Cola 600 for Dick Bahre, starting 19th and finishing 28th after a mechanical failure derailed his efforts. Waltrip made four more starts in the remaing races. In 1986, Michael moved over to Bahari Racing. The team ran the full schedule and showed a lot of potential. But unfortunatly, that potential never translated into success. Michael drove Bahari's #30 Pennzoil Pontiac for nine seasons before moving to a more established team.
In 1996, Mikey slid into the drivers seat of the famed #21 Ford feilded by the legendary Wood Brothers. Waltrip and the Stewart, Virgina based team ran competitivly in their first full season together. They also pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of NASCAR. The team went into the 1996 WInston All Star Race in the position of having to finish top five in the Open event to transfer to the big show. They did just that, beating out Johnny Benson for the fifth and final transfer spot. Since the team did not have a car that could contend with the likes of Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Michael was told that the car's backup ignition box had a little bit more timing than the primary. He was alos told to use it only if it was nessesary. After hearing that news, Mikey instantly flipped the switch to the B-box and they were able to keep up with the leaders. They maintained and found themselves in third at the start of the final segment. The two cars in front of Waltrip's #21, Earnhardt and Terry Labonte, got together, allowing the CITGO Ford to slip underneath and grab the lead. Mikey held off the pack and won his first ever Winston Cup race (albeit unofficial sice this wasn't a points paying race. It's just for fun and a little bit of cash).
Mikey drove the CITGO Thunderbird for two more seasons, before leaving to drive for Mattie Motorsports and their #7 Philips/Klaussner Chevy Monte Carlo. Waltrip instantly went back to being an also-ran like he was at Bahari, never quite getting to the next level. The next year, Nations Rent replaced Philips as the teams sponsor, but that didn't translate to any better performance, as they only had one top five and finished 27th in points. But it was a call from an old friend that would forever change Michael Waltrip's life.
Dale Earnhardt was looking to start a third team at Dale Earnhardt Incorperated and Michael Waltrip was looking for a competative ride. Earnhardt told Waltrip "You'd win in my cars" and after netting NAPA, DEI's Busch Series sponsor, to fund Waltrip's effort, Mikey got his big break. The team had accuired the #15 from Bud Moore's defunked team and they headed to Daytona for testing. Heading into the Daytona 500, the #15 team didn't qualify all that well, but that doesn't mean a whole lot at Daytona since anyone can win in such an unpredictble event.
In the late stages of teh 2001 Daytona 500, Waltrip emerged as a strong contener, swapping the lead with then teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr and owner Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Eventually the #15 was able to keep the lead and both Earnhardt's worked to keep Mikey in position to win his first Cup Series race. On the final lap, Waltrip's brightest day turned to NASCAR's darkest. In turn 4, Earnhardt threw a block on Sterling Marlin to keep the cars he owned in the lead. This sent the famous black #3 Chevy head on into the wall, killing Earnhardt instantly. Mikey, however, did go on to win the race and snap his streak of 463 consecutive winless races. The race was also made made extra special because Mikey's brother Darrell was in the booth broadcasting for FOX. The two talked in victory lane about everything from what Mikey would do with the million dollars he had won to how much better 1 for 463 sounded that 0 for 463. But when he learned of what had happened to his owner, his world was turned upside down. In the coming weeks, Michael became spokesman for the team, making personal apperances, speeches and such on behalf of a team that had just lost it's foundation, it's leader.
Michael finished the season 24th in points, still destraught about what had happened in Daytona that February, when his best friend was taken away. But his team perservired and won the Pepsi 400 at Daytona in July of 2002 and had a much more consistant season. That continued into 2003 when Mikey won the rain shortened Daytona 500, the second of his career. Michael still thinks that the race being rained out was God's way of letting him celebrate the victory that he never got to savor two years prior. The team also won the EA Sports 500 at Talladega, followed by Mikey popping out of the roof hatch (meant as a saftey device) on the frontstreach, arms raised triumphantly, to the delight of the crowd and his crew. This would be Michael's final win with DEI, despite having several strong runs in 2004 and in 2005, if not for a ton of bad luck, he would have made the Chase for the Cup on the heels of several victories and even more stong runs.
Late in 2005, Michael and DEI's "owner" Theresa Earnhardt, Dale's widow, agreed to part ways at season's end. The #15 went through a crew chief change that resulted in Mikey losing Tony Eury, Jr as head wrecnh to Earnhardt Jr's #8 team. Since he no longer seemed to be a priority, Mikey decided to dabble in the owner buisness himself. In 2006, he accuired the #55 and ran a NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger preped by Bill Davis Racing (now closed) under the Waltrip-Jasper racing banner. To say the 2006 season was a struggle would be putting it kindly. Davis's team had no manufactuer suport from Dodge, which meant neither did Mikey's and they could not afford things like wind tunnel time or other technological expences to better their organization. Mikey missed a few races and finished the season outside of the top 35 in owner points, meaning he would have to qualify on time for the first five races of 2007. But that would prove to be the least of his problems.
2007 was supposed to be a banner year for the newly formed Michael Waltrip Racing organization. They were able to aquire proven veteran Dale Jarrett and a rookie with potential in David Reutimann to drive as Waltrip's teammates. Jarrett brought his longtime, high dollar sponsor UPS to fund his #44 car, while Domino's and Burger King split the cost of Reutimann's #00 ride and NAPA would fund Mikey's #55 ride. the cars would also wear "shoes and socks," or, have chrome wheels, which is a touch tat Michael insisted that his cars have to make them look that much sharper. MWR showed up in Daytona for Speedweeks with three shiney, new, fully funded Toyota Camrys. Everything was going great, until an illegal fuel additive was slipped into the #55 car's intake manifold. That's when the chrome plated wheels came off the bus.
NASCAR handed down record breaking penalties in the coming days. Waltrip was fined $100,000 and 100 driver points while his wife, and listed car owner, Buffy was fined 100 owner points. Waltrip's #55 car was also confiscated and his qualifying time dissallowed, forcing him to run the Gatorade Twins in teammate Reutimann's backup car. But the team did not give up. They repainted the car to bear the gold and blue NAPA sheild that Mikey is so synonimous with, practiced and when it came time to run the Gatorade Duel 150's, Michael was able to race his way into the 2007 Daytona 500, as did Jarrett and Reutimann. But despite this achievment, the remaining races were a struggle for a new organization. Reutimann missed a total of ten races with a best finish of 13th twice, Jarrett missed 15 races and never cracked the top ten. But it was Waltrip who experienced the hardest luck. After making the feild for the 500, Michael missed twelve straight events, rejoining the field at Dover that spring. He did, however, grab the pole position at Talladega in the fall and post two tenth place finishes at Michigan and Charlotte.
Over the offseason, speculation ran rampant that MWR didn't have the funds to continue and would have to shut it's doors. It turned out that was indeed a very harsh reality, but it wasn't one that Michael Waltrip was about to let take place. Through his wife Buffy, Michael became aquainted with Rob Kaufmann, owner and founder of Fortress Invesment Group and welcomed him as an equal partner, creating Michael Waltrip Racing Holdings LLC. This infusion of cash would prove to do a lot more than Waltrip bargained for.
In 2008, MWR's improvement continued. The season started off with Michael putting his #55 NAPA Toyota on the front row, just barely missing beating Jimmie Johnson for the pole. Reutimann also timed his way into the 500 field, while Jarrett getting in through the Gatorade Duels. Throughout the season, the progress continued with Reutimann leading the charge. He scored his first top ten finish in the Coca Cola 600, finishing tenth, and followed that up with three more top tens, leading the most laps at Richmond and netting the pole in the season finale at Homestead. Michael on the other hand had the spring Talladega race won until his motor let go on the final lap. He also finished second at Loudon due to a great startegy call from crew cheif Bobby Kennedy. He also netted a tenth place finish at Dover in the fall.
2009 proved a pivitol year for Waltrip Racing. They needed to get t least one car in the Chase and win a race to prove their legitimacy. This led to Mikey stating at the begimnning ot the season that if he didnt perform at the level Reutimann did or that NAPA expected, he would step out of the driver's seat and find someone that could. The year started off great for Mikey and crew chief "Bootie" Barker, posting a ninth place finish in the rain shortened Daytona 500 (a race they could have won had it gone the distance) and a fifteenth place run in California the next week, the wheels came off the bus and the remainder of Michael's season was filled with wrecks, blown engines and other ubiquitous bad luck not of his making. Waltrip didn't find the top ten anagin until he placed ninth in the fall Talladega event. Meanwhile, Reutimann posted five top fives, ten top tens, two poles, scored his first win in the 50th Coca Cola 600 and narrowly missed making the Chase (thanks to Denny Hamlin wrecking him at Pocono).
About halfway though the season, MWR announced that Martin Truex, Jr would replace Mikey in the NAPA Camry full time and the car would be renumbered 56. (This was Truex's number for every car he'd raced before signing with DEI in 2003). They also announced Mikey would run his #55 in the Daytona 500 with NAPA sponsorship, as well as a few other events, including the three other restrictor plate races.
In only 36 days from now, at 1pm eastern, the 2010 Daytona 500 will kick off another great season of NASCAR racing. It will also mark one of Michael Waltrip's last chances to win again in NASCAR's top division. But even if Michael doesn't win another race, he will still leave a legacy behind. No driver has been more perserverant and resilliant in the face of tragedy and adversity than Michael Waltrip. From a 462 race winless drought to the death of his best friend on the biggest day of his career, Waltrip kept his head up and stayed determined to win when a lesser driver would have given up and packed it in. That is something everyone can learn from. No matter what happened thoughout his 25 year career in NASCAR's premier series, "Mike" Waltrip the eternal optimist was always convinced that next week, he would run better and have a shot to win. That is what propelled him to over 700 Cup starts and over 1,000 career starts. While his crazy antics will continue in TV ads and he will still be at the racetrack, he will be missed as a driver by his fans. Hope you enjoy semi-retirement Mikey! Your're a helluva driver, a helluva owner and a helluva person! Heres to a banner 2010 season for MWR!
Michael Waltrip's career in stock cars began in the Mini Modified Division, where he won the series title in 1981. He then moved up to the Goodys Dash Series, where he was the champion in 1983 as well as the series most popular driver in '83 and '84. Then in 1985, Michael's shot at the big time had arrived. He drove the Coca-Cola 600 for Dick Bahre, starting 19th and finishing 28th after a mechanical failure derailed his efforts. Waltrip made four more starts in the remaing races. In 1986, Michael moved over to Bahari Racing. The team ran the full schedule and showed a lot of potential. But unfortunatly, that potential never translated into success. Michael drove Bahari's #30 Pennzoil Pontiac for nine seasons before moving to a more established team.
In 1996, Mikey slid into the drivers seat of the famed #21 Ford feilded by the legendary Wood Brothers. Waltrip and the Stewart, Virgina based team ran competitivly in their first full season together. They also pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of NASCAR. The team went into the 1996 WInston All Star Race in the position of having to finish top five in the Open event to transfer to the big show. They did just that, beating out Johnny Benson for the fifth and final transfer spot. Since the team did not have a car that could contend with the likes of Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Michael was told that the car's backup ignition box had a little bit more timing than the primary. He was alos told to use it only if it was nessesary. After hearing that news, Mikey instantly flipped the switch to the B-box and they were able to keep up with the leaders. They maintained and found themselves in third at the start of the final segment. The two cars in front of Waltrip's #21, Earnhardt and Terry Labonte, got together, allowing the CITGO Ford to slip underneath and grab the lead. Mikey held off the pack and won his first ever Winston Cup race (albeit unofficial sice this wasn't a points paying race. It's just for fun and a little bit of cash).
Mikey drove the CITGO Thunderbird for two more seasons, before leaving to drive for Mattie Motorsports and their #7 Philips/Klaussner Chevy Monte Carlo. Waltrip instantly went back to being an also-ran like he was at Bahari, never quite getting to the next level. The next year, Nations Rent replaced Philips as the teams sponsor, but that didn't translate to any better performance, as they only had one top five and finished 27th in points. But it was a call from an old friend that would forever change Michael Waltrip's life.
Dale Earnhardt was looking to start a third team at Dale Earnhardt Incorperated and Michael Waltrip was looking for a competative ride. Earnhardt told Waltrip "You'd win in my cars" and after netting NAPA, DEI's Busch Series sponsor, to fund Waltrip's effort, Mikey got his big break. The team had accuired the #15 from Bud Moore's defunked team and they headed to Daytona for testing. Heading into the Daytona 500, the #15 team didn't qualify all that well, but that doesn't mean a whole lot at Daytona since anyone can win in such an unpredictble event.
In the late stages of teh 2001 Daytona 500, Waltrip emerged as a strong contener, swapping the lead with then teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr and owner Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Eventually the #15 was able to keep the lead and both Earnhardt's worked to keep Mikey in position to win his first Cup Series race. On the final lap, Waltrip's brightest day turned to NASCAR's darkest. In turn 4, Earnhardt threw a block on Sterling Marlin to keep the cars he owned in the lead. This sent the famous black #3 Chevy head on into the wall, killing Earnhardt instantly. Mikey, however, did go on to win the race and snap his streak of 463 consecutive winless races. The race was also made made extra special because Mikey's brother Darrell was in the booth broadcasting for FOX. The two talked in victory lane about everything from what Mikey would do with the million dollars he had won to how much better 1 for 463 sounded that 0 for 463. But when he learned of what had happened to his owner, his world was turned upside down. In the coming weeks, Michael became spokesman for the team, making personal apperances, speeches and such on behalf of a team that had just lost it's foundation, it's leader.
Michael finished the season 24th in points, still destraught about what had happened in Daytona that February, when his best friend was taken away. But his team perservired and won the Pepsi 400 at Daytona in July of 2002 and had a much more consistant season. That continued into 2003 when Mikey won the rain shortened Daytona 500, the second of his career. Michael still thinks that the race being rained out was God's way of letting him celebrate the victory that he never got to savor two years prior. The team also won the EA Sports 500 at Talladega, followed by Mikey popping out of the roof hatch (meant as a saftey device) on the frontstreach, arms raised triumphantly, to the delight of the crowd and his crew. This would be Michael's final win with DEI, despite having several strong runs in 2004 and in 2005, if not for a ton of bad luck, he would have made the Chase for the Cup on the heels of several victories and even more stong runs.
Late in 2005, Michael and DEI's "owner" Theresa Earnhardt, Dale's widow, agreed to part ways at season's end. The #15 went through a crew chief change that resulted in Mikey losing Tony Eury, Jr as head wrecnh to Earnhardt Jr's #8 team. Since he no longer seemed to be a priority, Mikey decided to dabble in the owner buisness himself. In 2006, he accuired the #55 and ran a NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger preped by Bill Davis Racing (now closed) under the Waltrip-Jasper racing banner. To say the 2006 season was a struggle would be putting it kindly. Davis's team had no manufactuer suport from Dodge, which meant neither did Mikey's and they could not afford things like wind tunnel time or other technological expences to better their organization. Mikey missed a few races and finished the season outside of the top 35 in owner points, meaning he would have to qualify on time for the first five races of 2007. But that would prove to be the least of his problems.
2007 was supposed to be a banner year for the newly formed Michael Waltrip Racing organization. They were able to aquire proven veteran Dale Jarrett and a rookie with potential in David Reutimann to drive as Waltrip's teammates. Jarrett brought his longtime, high dollar sponsor UPS to fund his #44 car, while Domino's and Burger King split the cost of Reutimann's #00 ride and NAPA would fund Mikey's #55 ride. the cars would also wear "shoes and socks," or, have chrome wheels, which is a touch tat Michael insisted that his cars have to make them look that much sharper. MWR showed up in Daytona for Speedweeks with three shiney, new, fully funded Toyota Camrys. Everything was going great, until an illegal fuel additive was slipped into the #55 car's intake manifold. That's when the chrome plated wheels came off the bus.
NASCAR handed down record breaking penalties in the coming days. Waltrip was fined $100,000 and 100 driver points while his wife, and listed car owner, Buffy was fined 100 owner points. Waltrip's #55 car was also confiscated and his qualifying time dissallowed, forcing him to run the Gatorade Twins in teammate Reutimann's backup car. But the team did not give up. They repainted the car to bear the gold and blue NAPA sheild that Mikey is so synonimous with, practiced and when it came time to run the Gatorade Duel 150's, Michael was able to race his way into the 2007 Daytona 500, as did Jarrett and Reutimann. But despite this achievment, the remaining races were a struggle for a new organization. Reutimann missed a total of ten races with a best finish of 13th twice, Jarrett missed 15 races and never cracked the top ten. But it was Waltrip who experienced the hardest luck. After making the feild for the 500, Michael missed twelve straight events, rejoining the field at Dover that spring. He did, however, grab the pole position at Talladega in the fall and post two tenth place finishes at Michigan and Charlotte.
Over the offseason, speculation ran rampant that MWR didn't have the funds to continue and would have to shut it's doors. It turned out that was indeed a very harsh reality, but it wasn't one that Michael Waltrip was about to let take place. Through his wife Buffy, Michael became aquainted with Rob Kaufmann, owner and founder of Fortress Invesment Group and welcomed him as an equal partner, creating Michael Waltrip Racing Holdings LLC. This infusion of cash would prove to do a lot more than Waltrip bargained for.
In 2008, MWR's improvement continued. The season started off with Michael putting his #55 NAPA Toyota on the front row, just barely missing beating Jimmie Johnson for the pole. Reutimann also timed his way into the 500 field, while Jarrett getting in through the Gatorade Duels. Throughout the season, the progress continued with Reutimann leading the charge. He scored his first top ten finish in the Coca Cola 600, finishing tenth, and followed that up with three more top tens, leading the most laps at Richmond and netting the pole in the season finale at Homestead. Michael on the other hand had the spring Talladega race won until his motor let go on the final lap. He also finished second at Loudon due to a great startegy call from crew cheif Bobby Kennedy. He also netted a tenth place finish at Dover in the fall.
2009 proved a pivitol year for Waltrip Racing. They needed to get t least one car in the Chase and win a race to prove their legitimacy. This led to Mikey stating at the begimnning ot the season that if he didnt perform at the level Reutimann did or that NAPA expected, he would step out of the driver's seat and find someone that could. The year started off great for Mikey and crew chief "Bootie" Barker, posting a ninth place finish in the rain shortened Daytona 500 (a race they could have won had it gone the distance) and a fifteenth place run in California the next week, the wheels came off the bus and the remainder of Michael's season was filled with wrecks, blown engines and other ubiquitous bad luck not of his making. Waltrip didn't find the top ten anagin until he placed ninth in the fall Talladega event. Meanwhile, Reutimann posted five top fives, ten top tens, two poles, scored his first win in the 50th Coca Cola 600 and narrowly missed making the Chase (thanks to Denny Hamlin wrecking him at Pocono).
About halfway though the season, MWR announced that Martin Truex, Jr would replace Mikey in the NAPA Camry full time and the car would be renumbered 56. (This was Truex's number for every car he'd raced before signing with DEI in 2003). They also announced Mikey would run his #55 in the Daytona 500 with NAPA sponsorship, as well as a few other events, including the three other restrictor plate races.
In only 36 days from now, at 1pm eastern, the 2010 Daytona 500 will kick off another great season of NASCAR racing. It will also mark one of Michael Waltrip's last chances to win again in NASCAR's top division. But even if Michael doesn't win another race, he will still leave a legacy behind. No driver has been more perserverant and resilliant in the face of tragedy and adversity than Michael Waltrip. From a 462 race winless drought to the death of his best friend on the biggest day of his career, Waltrip kept his head up and stayed determined to win when a lesser driver would have given up and packed it in. That is something everyone can learn from. No matter what happened thoughout his 25 year career in NASCAR's premier series, "Mike" Waltrip the eternal optimist was always convinced that next week, he would run better and have a shot to win. That is what propelled him to over 700 Cup starts and over 1,000 career starts. While his crazy antics will continue in TV ads and he will still be at the racetrack, he will be missed as a driver by his fans. Hope you enjoy semi-retirement Mikey! Your're a helluva driver, a helluva owner and a helluva person! Heres to a banner 2010 season for MWR!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Brad Keselowski Is Cruisin' For A Bruisin'
Now I am all for a driver doing whatever it takes to win. It really livens up the racing action. Dale Earnhardt spinning Terry Labonte at Bristol on the last lap to take the win. Amazing! So much fun for the fans to see that kind of desire and passion for victory. The Intimidatior was the absolute best at rattling someones cage. But there is a fine line between driving aggressively and driving destructively. Brad Keselowski crossed that line during Saturday's Nationwide race in Phoenix when he spun Denny Hamlin late in the event. To better understand how this rivalry got started, let's go back to the beginning.
It all started back at Charlotte in the spring Nationwide race last season. Hamlin felt Keselowski was racing him too hard and cut across his nose under caution, crippling the #88 car's left front fender. A fight ensued on pit road after the race when both cars parked next to each other and the crew flocked to defend their drivers. A few weeks later at Watkins Glen, Keselowski, perhaps in retaliation, drilled Hamlin going into Turn 1, spinning the #32 Toyota out. Fast forward to Dover in the Spring of this season when Hamlin's #20 Toyota was tapped by Keselowski's Chevy, sparking another pit road tussle and reigniting the feud between the two drivers. After that, an incident at California where Brad ran Denny up the track into Greg Biffle's #16 Ford. Biffle and Hamlin wreck, while Keselowski went on. This incident really opened my eyes as to how reckless Keselowski really is. It doesn't matter who is around him, as long as he wrecks Hamlin, that is all that matters. Keselowski has also wreck fellow Nationwide driver and future Penske teammate, Justin Allgaier, on several occasions, along with David Reutimann's potential race winning car at Milwaukee in 2008. And after every incident, the one constant was Keselowski getting out of his car giving phony apologies and thinking up reasons why it wasn't his fault.
NASCAR needs to seriously look at the way this kid (who bears a stunning resemblance to The Incredible Mr Limpet) is racing. And I am in no way sticking up for Hamiln either. He gets out of his car, talks about wrecking him back and does nothing and at times, he is just as bad as Keselowski (like wrecking David Reutimann at Pocono, taking the #00 out of the Chase and a top five finish). It is all a matter of perspective in Hamlin's case. If he is the spinner it is okay, but if he is getting spun, he whines like a little girl. But in Keselowski's case, he is endangering the lives of the driver's he's racing against. He won the race in Memphis this year by spinning several cars and triggering several big accidents. Very inconsiderate, not to mention dangerous. NASCAR met with him before the race on Sunday and all he talked about afterwards was how "impressed" he was that NASCAR chairman Brian France was there and how in tune and concerned he is about the goings on of the sport. Nowhere did he mention anything about a message getting across. Hamlin may be a whining baby girl, but he does have a point. A lot of drivers owe this punk big time and whether or not Hamlin is first or not (he won't be), someone will take Brad out behind the garage and knock some sense into him. I for one can;'t wait till it happens.
It all started back at Charlotte in the spring Nationwide race last season. Hamlin felt Keselowski was racing him too hard and cut across his nose under caution, crippling the #88 car's left front fender. A fight ensued on pit road after the race when both cars parked next to each other and the crew flocked to defend their drivers. A few weeks later at Watkins Glen, Keselowski, perhaps in retaliation, drilled Hamlin going into Turn 1, spinning the #32 Toyota out. Fast forward to Dover in the Spring of this season when Hamlin's #20 Toyota was tapped by Keselowski's Chevy, sparking another pit road tussle and reigniting the feud between the two drivers. After that, an incident at California where Brad ran Denny up the track into Greg Biffle's #16 Ford. Biffle and Hamlin wreck, while Keselowski went on. This incident really opened my eyes as to how reckless Keselowski really is. It doesn't matter who is around him, as long as he wrecks Hamlin, that is all that matters. Keselowski has also wreck fellow Nationwide driver and future Penske teammate, Justin Allgaier, on several occasions, along with David Reutimann's potential race winning car at Milwaukee in 2008. And after every incident, the one constant was Keselowski getting out of his car giving phony apologies and thinking up reasons why it wasn't his fault.
NASCAR needs to seriously look at the way this kid (who bears a stunning resemblance to The Incredible Mr Limpet) is racing. And I am in no way sticking up for Hamiln either. He gets out of his car, talks about wrecking him back and does nothing and at times, he is just as bad as Keselowski (like wrecking David Reutimann at Pocono, taking the #00 out of the Chase and a top five finish). It is all a matter of perspective in Hamlin's case. If he is the spinner it is okay, but if he is getting spun, he whines like a little girl. But in Keselowski's case, he is endangering the lives of the driver's he's racing against. He won the race in Memphis this year by spinning several cars and triggering several big accidents. Very inconsiderate, not to mention dangerous. NASCAR met with him before the race on Sunday and all he talked about afterwards was how "impressed" he was that NASCAR chairman Brian France was there and how in tune and concerned he is about the goings on of the sport. Nowhere did he mention anything about a message getting across. Hamlin may be a whining baby girl, but he does have a point. A lot of drivers owe this punk big time and whether or not Hamlin is first or not (he won't be), someone will take Brad out behind the garage and knock some sense into him. I for one can;'t wait till it happens.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)