Bump-Drafts.com

Race React: The Steady Beats The Swift

Jim — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:20:51 +0000

You know there’s a reason why races are run on track and not paper. Two story lines took major hits as Kurt won the battle of the Busch brothers over Kyle, and Jimmie Johnson watched his lead get sliced by more than half in the Dickie’s 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR’s “Mr. Opportunity” got a taste of how the rest of the less fortunate lives when he got caught up in a wreck on lap 3. For those of you who missed it, David Reutimann tapped Sam Hornish, who in turn, a wild ride by Johnson that did quite the number on his number 48. While at first, crew chief Chad Knaus thought the car might be finished, Team Lowe’s spent an hour and eight minutes fixing the car, enabling Johnson to finish the race and limp home 38th. For that, Johnson gets a rare “Rocky Balboa Award” for getting off the canvas to finish the race.

So Johnson’s coronation party plans go on hold for another week. Mark Martin’s 4th place finish slices the 3-time champ’s lead over his teammate from 184 to 73 points. It’s still a very healthy lead, but at least it injects a little bit of intrigue into the last two race, where one may also add that the likes of Martin have also competed quite well. Tony Stewart’s 6th place run sliced his defecit to 178 points, and he remains in 5th. Jeff Gordon looked strong in the early going, but it seemed from this observer’s view that the car was over-adjusted, and Gordon’s hopes took another huge hit when he took a spin in a mid-race calamity involving Juan Pablo Montoya and Carl Edwards. Gordon managed to claw back into the top ten, but settled for 13th, now trailing Johnson by 112 point.

For so long, it looked as though the seemingly forgotten Kyle Busch would score a historic trifecta with a Sunday win. Few would argue that Busch was the class of the field, with his only real struggles being the re-starts. A win would have been a coup for new crew chief Dave Rogers, who just replaced Steve Addington.

As the race wound down, it became evident that fuel mileage would come into play. By virtue of pitting just a couple of laps later than the other contenders, older brother Kurt put himself in the driver’s seat. After the Michigan debacle, Martin and crew chief Alan Gustafson were taking no chances, David Reutimann (who, by the way, had a great run) surrendered to the inevitable, as did Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart. The younger Busch came sputtering into the pits to finish 11th, paving the way for his brother’s victory.

In another case of “What else can go wrong?”, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had another strong looking run, came in for fuel late. He encountered trouble getting back on the track, giving “Little E” a finish not commensurate with his car.

With the win, the “Blue Deuce” picks up two place in the points to 4th, additionally helped by the disastrous day of Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya’s 37th place finish knocked him down a couple of pegs, capping off a weekend JPM would probably rathe forget.

Props go to the “stealth” runner-up Denny Hamlin, Kenseth, Martin and Kevin Harvick for scoring top fives. Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, and A.J. Allmendinger joined Tony Stewart in the top ten.

The victory has to feel good for Kurt Busch as he prepares to part ways with crew chief Pat Tryson. They’ve had their ups and downs, but demonstrate their professionalism in working and competing to the best of their ability while the ‘09 season counts down.

Speaking for myself, I feel dang lucky to have picked Kurt Busch to win the race. I haven’t looked yet, but that’s like 6 or 7 races this year where I correctly forecasted the winner. Like I said, I just feel lucky, because this race proves there’s a high element of luck in a NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

I was not disappointed by the race, because frankly, I never expect especially good racing in Texas. It’s always good to see the steady win out over the swift once in a while, and quite frankly, for all those pundits who deemed a Johnson championship an inevatibility, something to think about.

Yes, Jimmie Johnson may still make history, but this race serves as a reminder that truth is stranger than fiction.

Picks ‘n’ Previews: Dickie’s 500 (Texas)

Jim — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:31:13 +0000

When you think Texas, you think cowboy hats, boots, Longhorns and shotguns. When you think Texas Motor Speedway, it’s about horses and having enough of them to win.

Historically, this is a track where Jack Roush’s team fares quite well, and they have to be feeling a little better after Jamie Mc Murray’s unexpected victory at Talladega. This is also where Dale Earnhardt Jr. got his first career Cup win, and this is also where four-time champion Jeff Gordon won for the first time last spring.

TRACK FACTS

Texas Motor Speedway, located in Fort Worth, Texas, debuted for NASCAR Winston Cup racing on April 6, 1997. Racing in a Ford for Jack Roush, Jeff Burton was a winner here in what is now Carl Edwards’ #99 ride.

TMS is one of several mile-and-a-half tracks built in the 1990s to accommodate stock and open wheel racing. There’s 24 degrees banking in the turns, and five on the straights.

The front stretch measures 2,250 feet. The back stretch is 1,330. The seating capacity in the grand stands is 159,585.

TOP PERFORMANCES

In the relatively short history of the track, there have been numerous winners- from champions like Terry Labonte, Jeff Gordon and Dale Jarrett- to journeymen such as Elliott Sadler and Jeff Burton. Carl Edwards holds the all-time record with 3 wins.

In fact, Ol’ Flipper holds the record for the fastest race run at TMS with a time of 3 hours and 19 minutes in the 2005 Dickie’s 500. His speed? 151.055 miles per hour.

The record for most poles is 2- shared among three active drivers: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte and "Rocket" Ryan Newman. Brian Vickers has clicked off the fastest Texas qualifying lap with a speed of 196.235 miles per hour or, if you will, a time of 27.518 seconds.

The record for lead changes at Texas is 29, set in the 2000 DirecTV 500 won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. The fewest occurred in the November, 2008 race.

A record 12 caution flags have flown twice, the most recent being the 2006 Dickie’s 500 won by Tony Stewart on November 5. The fewest? 5 in the Fall race here last year.

On two occasions, 40 drivers finished the race, and one of them was the race last Fall. The record for fewest finishers is 29, in the April 5, 1998 Texas 500 won by Mark Martin.

WHEN AND WHERE TO TUNE IN

SPEED’S NASCAR Raceday gets underway at 12:30 pm Eastern, 9:30 AM Pacific. John Roberts, Jimmy Spencer and Kenny "The Hermanator" Wallace host.

ABC’S NASCAR Countdown gets underway at 2:30 PM Eastern, 11:30 AM Pacific. Allen Bestwick, Brad Daugherty, Rusty Wallace and Tim Brewer are in the studio.

Race coverage on ABC starts at 3:15 PM Eastern, 12:15 PM Pacific. Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett are trackside. Pit reporters are Vince Welch, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Dave Burns.

Green flag waves at approximately 3:31 PM Eastern, 12:31 PM Pacific.

WHO WILL WIN?

In most years, I ‘d look no further than Roush Fenway Racing- Carl Edwards in particular. This has proven to be no ordinary year as the Roush boys have generally struggled. Nonetheless, Greg Biffle has run a good car throughout the weekend and Edwards also sits near the top of the Happy Hour speed charts.

Denny Hamlin is an interesting driver, among others, to watch in this Chase. It’s feast or famine. If his car doesn’t fall apart he’s pretty stout. Another driver you might not think of right off the bat is David Reutimann. He made a pole run in the Spring, and he’s also looked good in practice. Clint Bowyer is another driver not in the championship who has shown promise in recent races.

Kurt Busch is running well, as are fellow chasers Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya and the Hendrick Motorsports team- including non-chaser Dale Earnhardt Jr. who won his first Cup race here. There’s a load of choices to pick from, as you can see.

As tempted as I am to pick Jeff Gordon to sweep the year here, as tempted as I am to think that Kyle Busch may get the trifecta- I am going with Kurt Busch.

That’s right, Kurt Busch. He’s been pretty even throughout the weekend, and at least I get the sense he’s got a fire in his belly. Like a lot of other drivers, it almost seems futile to get into "points racing" mode with the lead Jimmie Johnson. It’s my opinion that Busch thrives in this mode where others may get a bit careless.

What the heck? I see this as a pretty open race with a number of possibilities.

Kurt Busch is my choice to win at Texas.

PHOTO CREDITS- Texas Motor Speedway by Chris Graythen/ Getty Images. Jeff Gordon by John Harrelson/ Getty Images for NASCAR.

And In Conclusion: On ‘Dega & ‘Dinger

Jim — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:00:49 +0000

If you’ve missed it, we’ve had a heck of a week discussing the events at Talladega and what should be done to avoid what, for many fans, was the most frustrating race of the year. Fans mark their dates for the Superspeedway, and you know something’s wrong when the ordinarily non-confrontational guys in the broadcast booth start expressing frustration. To Rusty Wallace, in particular, thank you for saying what a lot of fans think. I’ve been a tough critic of yours, and now I say thanks for speaking up.

I piece I saw at alllefturns.com pretty well summed the absence of an easy answer for Talladega. Many of you know former NASCAR mechanic Patrick Reynolds writes here once a week. Well, he also writes some for other sites, including alllefturns. Click here to read "5 Fan Fixes For Talladega". When you read that, and you exam all the intelligent (and in some cases otherwise) arguments for what should be done, you see there are no easy answers.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not sure there’s much you CAN do, but let’s be honest: most of us were really upset about the racing because of the "no bump draft" rule and the response. Abolish that puppy post haste. Dumb idea. I think it’s also time to reconsider the "yellow line" rule as well. At some point, the drivers have to settle it on the track. As for driver safety, you never want to see a driver crippled or killed, but short of shutting this place down, I really don’t know what answer there is than for the people who know what they’re doing to figure it out.

Ultimately, we have two different issues here: the quality of the racing, and the safety issue. One’s pretty fixable: let the drivers drive. The other? Not so simple.

Only thing I can say is that, to date, we’ve seen some crazy crashes there, and to date, all the drivers have walked away.

Internally, I am still processing the A.J. Allmendinger situation, and let’s be fair, Michael Waltrip as well. I will give A.J. credit for one thing: he’s at least saying the right things now, and only time will tell whether or not future actions will back that up.

I definitely think Allmendinger should not race while his license is suspended, if it is suspended. I’m not too up on North Carolina law, but first and foremost, the legal system needs to run its course with him first. As for NASCAR, I’m still not sure what "probation" really means, but I suggest there should be some form discipline commensurate with the crime.

It’s like I told another reader, what I want to see from A.J. Allmendinger is genuine contrition and repentance. For the "non-religious" to repent, is to turn from the wrongdoing and not do it again. I really don’t want the guy’s life ruined, hopefully it was just a one time mistake, an error in judgment.

On the other hand, his butt should be nailed to the wall if he does mess up again in this area. My problem is, in the legal system, you see a lot of the same jokers doing it over and over again.

Just ask my friend Gary. He was minding his own business a little over a week ago when he got rear-ended by a drunk driver, a repeat offender. My good friend is o.k., but he’s pretty dang stove up. These guys have to be taken off the road.

For now, I’ll give young Mr. Allmendinger, a driver I actually happen to root for, a second chance.

Fab 5 Driver Rankings: Mulligan Week

Jim — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:00:34 +0000

If you were like me, you were so miffed you didn’t even look real hard at the results from the race at Talledega. Behind Jamie Mc Murray was the familiar face of Kasey Kahne, but the finish got real funky after that. With the likes of Joey Logano, Jeff Burton, Michael Waltrip, Brad Keselowski, Elliott Sadler and Bobby Labonte numbered among the top ten, the results were truly the only "wild" things beside the wrecks in this so-called "wild card" race. Only having Greg Biffle in fourth and Jimmie Johnson in sixth gave the leaderboard any sense of normalcy.

Give them props for surviving. It definitely put this writer in an interesting position as far as quantifying a driver’s poll.

THE FAB FIVE

#5- Tony Stewart (ranked 5th last week)- Originally planning to employ the "Jimmie Johnson strategy", to hang in the back, then rush at the end, Smoke ended up with the finish (35th) many fans hoped Johnson would have. Like many on this list, he was victimized by circumstances and I suspect the old Stewart will show up at Texas.

#4- Mark Martin (ranked 4th last week)- Is Martin truly destined to be the Buffalo Bills of NASCAR? He ran his race for 187 laps, but "to finish first, you must first finish." Like Stewart, I expect we’ll see a return to form to the driver who, outside of anyone named Johnson, Gordon and Montoya, has run the most consistent chase. This fan only hopes that he becomes NASCAR’s John Elway, winning one on the way out.

#3- Juan Pablo Montoya (ranked 3rd last week)- Thanks toa 19th place finish, JPM did gain a spot over Tony Stewart. Mark my words, I honestly believe Montoya will get a win before the season’s out. The car is there, the skill is there. He just needs a break. The beauty of the points mess at this juncture is if I were any of these guys, I’d just haul for wins, screw the points.

#2- Jeff Gordon (ranked 2nd last week)- Oh, what might have been. Gordon sure looked like a winner Sunday. His post-race comments about getting enough fuel to go out and destroy the car said it all. How about going for the Lone Star sweep, after having never won at Texas before? There’s something to race for.

#1- Jimmie Johnson (ranked 1st last week)- I have to hand it to him, of all the drivers in this ranking, Johnson truly earned it for avoiding the carnage to finish sixth. If he isn’t the luckiest son of a gun on the Cup circuit, I don’t know who is. For the Jimmie haters, I just counter with the argument that when you’re good, you make your own luck.

If you’re suspicious I left the rankings the same, you are right. I did. Last Sunday’s race was an outlier, and there’s no other way to see it, in my opinion. Kahne raced well and so did Biffle, but overall, neither is consistent enough to overtake this group of five.

READY TO STRIKE

Ready to strike? That’s what I say about Joey Logano next year. At the rate he’s coming of age, i would not be surprised to see him in the Chase next year…Kasey Kahne has been up and down since the chase started, but this week he was up…Clint Bowyer shows signs he’ll be back in the hunt next year.

DISTANT THUNDER

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was a loudly quiet 11th…Greg Biffle has his moments of brilliance, as does his RFR stable mates Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth. Speaking of, isn’t weird to think that with one win, Jamie Mc Murray has more wins than Biff and Edwards, not to mention David Ragan, and yet its Jamie Mac who’s leaving.

PHOTO CREDITS- "Mulligan" by ACME- Nollmeyer. To see more, visit flickr.com or click on the link.

A Sunday On The Couch- 30 Years Apart

Patrick Reynolds — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:00:23 +0000

Today’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series fan can look forward to a nice relaxing Sunday afternoon viewing the action. Possibly wearing their favorite driver’s apparel hunkered down in a room dedicated to that same guy. Surrounded by photos, souvenirs, and wall posters a fan can tune in for hours of racing coverage.

Some early morning NASCAR information can be viewed on ESPN. Usually near midday, Speed Channel then airs their two hour NASCAR program which will mate up to the start time of the broadcast network’s pre race show. That portion can stretch from thirty to sixty minutes before opening ceremonies actually start.

When the race finally takes the green flag, sometimes over three hours of television have already been shown. A majority of the Sprint Cup schedule is broadcast live over a major network satellite signal, often to its conclusion even if there is a delay into prime time programming.

Back on Speed Channel a three hour block of post race and Sunday evening race weekend wrap up shows air to fulfill a race fan’s appetite. Totaled up, a fan can enjoy upwards of ten hours of related NASCAR and various motorsports television in one day.

How times have changed.

As a young fan I was introduced to the sport in the 1970s. Most of my race experiences began not knowing who the star Grand National drivers were, but who my local grassroots Saturday night were.

I soon discovered auto racing’s major leagues and appreciated the scope and talent of a Buddy Baker or a David Pearson. But my knowledge came from weekly racing trade papers. I was raised in New England and media coverage for auto racing was limited at best. I studied sentence after sentence from my issues of Stock Car Racing Magazine and Speedway Scene.

Local papers, TV news, and radio sports reports contained very minimal auto racing mentions but plenty of the stick and ball sports coverage. Radio broadcasts of anything NASCAR were still close to twenty years away.

The television coverage of the time was something some newer fans may have a difficult time picturing.

A Daytona 500 that did not begin the season was still the marquee event. Following the first points race on the road course in Riverside, California, the Winston Cup tour headed to the annual speedweeks in Florida. Culminating with the 500, ABC started coverage of the contest after the race had started and aired only the final two hours live. But it was auto racing being televised so that was a big deal.

Any other races that captured a TV audience were treated with even further disregard.

For a race from NASCAR’s top series to be broadcast it seemed it needed to originate from a well known southern facility. Atlanta and Darlington often fit the bill.

Then the meet was taped and edited down to fill a segment on Wide World of Sports a week or two later. I actually would look forward to the late Saturday afternoon shows.

Marketing and ratings executives at the network tried to pull in multiple audience demographic viewers by scheduling contests in the same program that would not draw the same fan. My much anticipated stock car race shared the show with sports like gymnastics, sumo wrestling, and cliff diving. I sat through my fair share of figure skating too.

No event was shown at once. During a ninety minute show the audience went back and forth to each sport two or three times. So one had to stay tuned, because you never quite knew when the race would come back on. “…and now we leave the Honolulu Diving Championships and return you to Darlington, South Carolina for more of the Southern 500.”

Can you imagine a four hour event from the legendary oval being aired fourteen days later and fit into its thirty minute allotted time frame plus commercials? That was how it was.

And to be honest, with barely any racing to view at all, I would look in the TV guide every week to see if a stock car race would be covered. When Wide World of Sports listed in the description “Atlanta 500”, I would count down the days like I would Christmas. Putting up with some downhill slalom ski race wasn’t all that bad at the time. I would have done anything for a glimpse of the Allison Brothers or Richard Petty.

Today, I too offer criticism of Sprint Cup broadcasts on Fox, TNT and the others. But as I look at every single event being aired, at hours on end of pre and post race coverage on satellite and cable, at racing machines equipped with GPS, and at a plethora of camera angles, I also appreciate what we have.

We have come along way.

What Should Be Done About Talladega?

Jim — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:00:24 +0000

Some of my favorite finishes have come at restrictor plate tracks. I won’t soon forget Kevin Harvick overtaking Mark Martin at the 2007 Daytona 500. I also enjoyed Bobby Labonte overtaking Tony Stewart in the Busch Series race at Talladega (sorry, Smoke). Or what about Jamie Mac’s last win before Sunday- the 2007 Pepsi 400? My family and I all watched Mc Murray edge by Kyle Busch on our feet…in our living room.

If you’ve also read Bump Drafts more than twice, you know I am not a curmudgeon by nature. It’s just not me. Having covered sports for several years, I also understand the powers that be are placed in a position of having to ask the tough questions and answer them in ways that sometimes disappoint even their most ardent fans.

By the same token, the time has passed for band aids and blame shifting concerning restrictor plate racing and Talladega Superspeedway in particular. None other than 5-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. summed it up best when he said, "We over-engineered and the technology has sort of passed what they were trying to accomplish here when they built this place. But what we are doing now, is ok, but I don’t think it is the best solution.”

People keep calling for the abolition of the Car of Tomorrow and the heads of France, Helton, Darby and Pemberton on a platter. Let’s just clear the table of those so-called solutions right now, because that’s not going to happen.

That aside, I hear a lot of ideas that sound interesting, but I must confess I’m no engineer, and I sure as heck have never driven there. Darrell Waltrip has echoed the sentiments of the late David Poole by saying its time to lower the banking. Jeff Gordon confesses to expertise on aero, but suggests wicker as a possible solution. Bump Draft’s own John "Dawg" Chapman proposes closing off the first 25 rows, taking the plates off and letting them race. You know that’s not radically different from what Dale Jr. is proposing.

I’m not smart enough to tell you what NASCAR ought to do. I’ll tell you what they shouldn’t do, and it seems to be the one thing they appear to continually do, and that’s nothing. From my perspective, what’s frustrating to fans is the perception NASCAR leadership is dug in and completely unresponsive. When I hear comments from Robin Pemberton about "side by side" racing, I wonder if maybe I was living in some alternate reality.

NASCAR has required change of their drivers and fans. It hasn’t been fun for a lot of folks, but I also get where the brass is coming from. Things can’t stay the same forever, and the truth is, the world has changed and the sport, on some level, has to change with it. The NASCAR of the previous generation is gone and it’s never coming back. Dale Earnhardt will not rise up from the grave, Richard Petty is not going to discover the Fountain of Youth, and the adage "What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday" is a romantic notion from days gone by.

With that said, NASCAR needs to stop operating such as it did under the days of Big Bill France. As a political conservative, I’m no fan of unions, but I think it’s time NASCAR, with something that resembles seriousness, started listening to it drivers by setting up some kind of driver representation, not by some tin horn attorney, but by a well-respected group that might include, for example, Jeff Burton and a Ryan Newman (he of the engineering degree) as two possibilities of a council of five. Concerning Talladega, I think ever driver I’ve heard from has it right. It’s time to let the racers race again.

NASCAR also needs to clean its ears out when it comes to the fan. Now, one thing we as fans need to consider is how far we are willing to go. Are we willing to stop buying tickets, stop watching the races and purchasing the merchandise? If you aren’t, then you aren’t pissed off enough.

I’m not willing to go as far as to say that Daytona and Talladega should be demolished. I’m not sure that’s needed. What I am saying is it seems like it is time for a high profile summit of NASCAR leadership, drivers and track management to address this matter with swift resolution.

Because sooner or later, you reach the point where it’s too late.

PHOTO CREDITS- Talladega racing by terry.lamb. Ryan’s Wreck by amanda480744. Martin’s wreck by rickibsen. To see more, visit flickr.com, or click on the links.

It’s A Joke, But No One’s Laughing

Jim — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:30:00 +0000

The true tragedy of the 2009 Amp Energy 500 is that winner Jamie Mc Murray will be an afterthought. It’s a shame, because I submit that Jamie Mac is the classic example of the driver who’s often done all the right things, only to get caught up in someone else’s mess, or suffer some mechanical malady not of his doing. Congratulations to Mc Murray and his fans. I trust it will go a long ways towards securing him a ride in 2010, for I feel he’s deserving.

With that said, it’s the only positive thing I can say of this race. Watching a race at Talladega isn’t fun anymore.

The big story for the vast majority of this race was NASCAR handing down the edict that there would be no bump drafting in the turns, or drivers would be penalized. This came down during the pre-race driver’s meeting.

Could you imagine NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell video conferencing before Sunday’s games and announcing that no defensive player would be allowed to lay a hand on the quarterback because it’s too dangerous? Granted, NFL rules are headed down a slippery slope towards that, but at least THE MOST RECENT RULE CHANGES were announced BEFORE the season.

It’s just one more example of NASCAR changing rules and policy on the fly. For Talladega Superspeedway, it’s just one more issue, on top of restrictor plates, yellow lines and the new car.

Perhaps I should just let one of the men who participated in this travesty speak his mind.

Here’s Ryan Newman:

“It was a boring race for the fans,” Newman said. “That (the wreck) is not something anybody wants to see, at least I hope not. If they do, go home because you don’t belong here.

“It’s just a product of this racing and what NASCAR has put us into with this box and these restrictor plates with these types of cars – with the yellow line, no bump-drafting, no passing. Drivers used to be able to respect each other and race around each other. Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison and all those guys have always done that. I guess they don’t think much of us any more.”

It’s time to re-think Talladega. It’s time for NASCAR to re-think a lot of things. The 450 mile parade, followed 50 miles of automotive madness left a very bitter taste in this fan’s mouth.

I’d have to agree with a "tweet" my wife told me about. It might have been more interesting to pull up a lawn chair by the freeway and watch the cars pass by. Were it not for this blog, I’d have just as soon watched The Vikings and Packers.

We’ve had good races this year. This wasn’t one of them. Talladega has become "Technology On Parade", followed by a demolition derby.

I am profoundly disappointed.

PHOTO CREDITS- Jamie Mc Murray with Richard Brickhouse by Todd Warshaw/ Getty Images for NASCAR. Talladega racing by Chris Graythen/ Getty Images.

Picks ‘n’ Previews: Amp Energy 500

Jim — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:00:06 +0000

Who predicted Brad Keselowski would win here in April? Put your hands down, your jerkin’ my chain. Mark Martin calls this race "the lottery." Others call it a "wild card." With its potential to shake things up, make no mistake there’s a lot of interest in what this race will bring.

You never really know how it’s all going to shake down until the final turn of the final lap, but with the potential for the "Big One’, and given what has happened in the last two "plate races", I suspect there’ll be more than just a little interest in the goings on at Talladega Sunday.

TRACK FACTS

The first NASCAR Cup race was held under a cloud of controversy when it opened as Alabama International Speedway on September 14, 1969. Several notable drivers of the day boycotted the race as they were concerned about the safety, due to the length of the track and high banking.

Big Bill France himself drove around the track at high speeds to demonstrate the track’s safety, but Richard Petty and the ill-fated Professional Drivers Association sat out. France invited replacement drivers, and the race ran anyway. The association quickly fell apart. A young driver named Richard Childress debuted that day, but the winner was Richard Brickhouse.

The track became Talladega Superspeedway in 1989. It’s NASCAR’s biggest track at 2.66 miles. The turns are a wicked steep 33 degrees and there’s 18 degrees banking in the tri-oval. On the back stretch, the banking is 2 degrees.

The front stretch is 4,300 feet long, and it’s 4,000 feet on the back stretch.

Two races a year have run since 1970, and Sunday’s race will be the 81st Cup start. The track underwent its fourth re-paving in the summer of 2006.

Grandstand seating is 143,231.

TOP PERFORMERS AND PERFORMANCES

"The Intimidator", Dale Earnhardt, is the track’s all-time winningest driver with 10 wins. His 76th and last win was at Talladega in the Fall of 2000.

Among active drivers, Jeff Gordon is tops with 6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has 5. Brad Keselowski got his first career win here in the spring, Tony Stewart got his final win in his old #20 last fall.

Mark Martin ran the fastest race on this track in the May 10, 1997 Winston Select 500. He ran a speed of 188.354 miles per hour in a time of 2 hours, 39 minutes, and 18 seconds.

Bill Elliott has earned more poles than any other here with 8 all-time. Though he’s not on the entry list for this event, and a part-time driver, we’ll still call him the active leader, if for no other reason than respect. Interestingly enough, Joe Nemechek and Elliott Sadler have a trio of poles on here.

In the "pre-plate" era, Bill Elliott set a qualifying record with a blinding speed of 212.809 miles per hour on April 30, 1987. The time? 44.998 seconds.

In the "restrictor plate" era, Elliott is still your track record holder for qualifying with a speed of 199.388 miles per hour. This is with a 15/16th inch plate.

The record for lead changes is 75. That happened on May 6, 1984 in the Winston 500 won by Cale Yarborough. The fewest occurred on May 6, 1973 when David Pearson won the Winston 500. There were just 13.

On three occasions, there were races with no caution flags. The most recent was the Fall, 2002 race won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the EA Sports 500. A record 11 cautions flew in the spring of 2004, when Jeff Gordon won the Aaron’s 499.

In April of 2001, a record 40 cars finished when Bobby Hamilton won the Talladega 500. Just 13 cars followed Bobby Hillin to the finish of the July, 1986 Talladega 500.

WHEN & WHERE TO TUNE IN

The green flag waves at approxinately 1:19 PM Eastern, 10:19 AM Pacific for Sunday’s race at Talladega.

SPEED’s NASCAR Raceday coverage kicks off at 10:00 AM Eastern, 7:00 AM Pacific with John Roberts, Jimmy Spencer and Kenny Wallace.

ESPN on ABC starts their pre-race show, NASCAR Countdown gets underway at Noon Eastern, 9:00 AM Pacific. Allen Bestwick, Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty and Tim Brewer are your studio hosts.

When the race gets going, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett provide the call trackside. Pit reporters are Dave Burns, Shannon Spake, Jamie Little and Vince Welch.

WHO WILL WIN IT?

It’s almost easier to say who’s not going to win it. Once you clear out the "start and parks" (and even some of those could stick around), it’s wide open.

Some guys just thrive on plate tracks. Michael Waltrip could be a factor here, or he could be a big help to his team- for guys like David Reutimann or Marcos Ambrose- a guy you wouldn’t think of first, but someone with a high racing I.Q. If Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t seem so down mentally, I would list him as a favorite with that Hendrick horsepower under the hood and his keen knowledge of the draft.

Horsepower will be huge. The entire gangs from Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs will be factors- especially Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, and probably even Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. Let’s also not forget the the Stewart- Haas team of Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman gets some big time help from HMS.

Having help is at a premium, right down to finding draft partners. Given that, it MAY be hard for points leader Jimmie Johnson to find a willing dance partner, even from his own team. At the same time, the aforementioned teams will all helps each other out. I’d also be remiss not to mention the Richard Childress crew of Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Casey Mears. Bowyer topped the charts in "Happy Hour."

You can see this is a real crap shoot, and I would not be shocked to see a Reed Sorenson or perhaps even a Robby Gordon win. Look at how the truck race came out. The Cup race will be all that and then some. Because of points, I would not be surprised to see some of the point leaders hung out to dry come the final lap.

I suppose if I’m forced into an educated (or not) guess, I’d have to go with Jeff Gordon. He’s come so darn close the last several weeks and he’s got a plan and the know-how to win here. His next career win ties him with Cale Yarborough at 83 and winning it at one of NASCAR’s "crown jewel" tracks would make it extra special.

At the same time, Tony Stewart could very well be a factor. Juan Pablo Montoya may be feeling his tacos (Now wait, Montoya reportedly tweeted a day or two ago that he was out enjoying a taco, so don’t get the wrong idea). JPM has been a beast in the Chase.

It could be just about anybody. That’s the beauty of racing at Talladega.

Blame These Plate Wrecks On Smoke, NASCAR, Or Both

John Chapman — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:00:08 +0000

Who could forget this time last year? Coming to the checkered flag, Tony is leading a three car parade, followed closely by the DEI team mates of Regan Smith and Paul Menard. Normally, when teammates are drafting behind the leader at a plate track, the outcome is a foregone conclusion.

The way this thing should have played out? Regan gives Paul a hand signal, they pull out together, Paul gives him a well-placed bump draft. They both blow by Tony, relegating him to third, while Regan and DEI get a much-needed victory.

Due in large part to the fact that neither Regan or Paul were used to being in this position, we all know that’s not how it played out. Instead, Smith either made a move, or faked high. When Tony- mirror driving to the max- pulled out to block. Regan dove low, while Paul basically laid back and watched things develop in
front of him. Tony threw a second block putting his car on the yellow line. Tony and Regan touched with Regan making the pass, but going below the yellow line to complete it.

Despite a patch of ~~Home Depot Orange~~ Subway yellow and green on Regan’s front bumper to substantiate his claim that he was forced down in the act of passing to avoid a wreck, he was stripped of the win by NASCAR.
To add insult to injury, during his Victory Circle interview, instead of thanking Regan for not wrecking him, Tony crows and rubs it in.

I understand that unlimited blocking is legal in NASCAR. I understand that the yellow line serves as an out of bounds at plate tracks. I also understand that this was a call that could have gone either way. Had NASCAR taken a look at the orange paint on Smith’s car and ruled differently, perhaps blocking wouldn’t be quite as popular this year.

Fast forward to the spring race at Talladega this year. Brad Keselowski and Cousin Carl hook up, and blow by a surprised Junior and Ryan Newman, who figured to settle it among themselves. Perhaps with an eye on last year, Brad makes a move, Carl throws a block, and Brad elects to drive through rather than around. The result? A spectacular wreck for Carl, a most surprising win for Brad.

For the fans who want to see wrecks, they probably aren’t too upset about any of this. One thing that no one likes was the black eye for the sport and the injuries to several fans by very real, as opposed to phantom debris.

Daytona. Fourth of July. Another ill-advised block. This time by Kyle Busch. Another wreck. One thing that I think you can bet on this week: is that if someone puts a move on Jimmie Johnson late in the race, he probably won’t be doing any blocking.

PHOTO CREDITS- Edwards’ Talladega Flip by Walter G. Arce. to see more, visit flickr.com. Tony Stewart at ‘Dega in 2008 by Chris Graythen/ Getty Images. Edwards’ Talladega rub by Jerry Markland/ Getty Images for NASCAR. Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch wreck at Daytona by Streeter Lecka/ Getty Images for NASCAR.

Drunk NASCAR Drivers Should Be Suspended

Jim — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:29:12 +0000

25 summers ago, a good friend and I were headed north on Highway 99 just outside Central Point, Oregon, headed to another friend’s house. The Ford Mustang I was driving was struck by a carload of teenage girls who had been drinking. Both cars were totaled, but thank God, no one suffered more than minor injuries.

Others aren’t so lucky. With Halloween around the corner, 90 percent of traffic fatalities on that day are caused by DUII drivers. Far too many lives senselessly end because of drunk drivers. I cannot convey to you my sheer anger at the insanity of driving drunk when there’s a million ways to avoid it.

Remember promising young gun driver Rob Moroso? His life ended at 27 and another life ended with his in a 1990 drunk driving crash.

Frankly, I’m incensed that A.J. Allmendinger is getting no more than probation for his actions. I am further angered that Richard Petty Motorsports will let Allmendinger retain his ride this weekend at Talladega.

This happens just a matter of days after Michael Waltrip’s mishap involving him and a motorcycle. While he was not legally drunk, police say there’s little question alcohol played a part in an accident that could have killed Waltrip and the motorcycle rider.

The most maddening thing is these two drive a car for a living! They above all others should know the dangers associated with driving a vehicle with impaired faculties!

Think of the consequences! They’ve let down their teams, their families, their sponsors and their fans. Considering Mikey’s track record, I’d be done with him if I’m NAPA. As for Allmendinger, if I his sponsors, I’d tell Richard Petty, that I want to work with you, but not this kid, not until there’s discipline and demonstratable contrition. It’s not acceptable.

NASCAR has taken a lot of latitude with how they administer penalties regarding "conduct detrimental to stock car racing." I’d like to see them do something useful with it by making an example of these two so that it doesn’t happen again. I think a diversion program, and using their platform as drivers to speak out against drunk driving might also be good steps.

I’m not against forgiveness. We’re not talking a lifetime ban here. But there’s enough risks associated with driving without hindering your ability to drive by driving with a few drinks under your belt. Six weeks? A month? Anything more than the next to nothing that has happened would be an improvement.

Yes, I get the fact that Michael Waltrip was not legally drunk. By the same token, his conduct as a team owner,driver, and broadcaster is especially disappointing. If Bob Griese is going to get his chops busted for a ethnically insensitive remark, then doesn’t it make sense that Waltrip be given some kind of suspension for his life-threatening behavior?

Perhaps the sponsors will do what the governing body and the teams are unwilling to do…park the drivers by pulling the sponsorships. Money is one way to get people’s attention in this sport.

Am I overreacting? I think not. Truthfully, I think NASCAR’s real drug problem is alcohol abuse, when I hear about how drunk one driver gets tossing back margaritas on his birthday, and how one driver plans to single-handedly empty a case of beer after a victory. Look if you want to drink yourself stupid, that’s your prerogative- that’s your business. When you get out in that shape on the road shared with my wife and children, your damn right it’s my business.

Is it really worth it? Is life so devoid of meaning that drunkenness has to be a part of a celebration?

Does someone else have to die before this stops?