NASCAR Bits and Pieces

Is There Any Doubt That Kurt Busch Has An Anger Management Issue?

2012-06-03T11:15:00.001-07:00

While driving Kyle Busch's No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota during the Nationwide 5-Hour Energy 200 race on Saturday at Dover, Kurt Busch (KuBu) and Justin Allgaier had traded some paint chips.

In the video below, they look like the drivers had had their words, figured out where they stand, and probably moved on...

NASCAR Hosted Video
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But after the above linked bit took place, Busch was quizzed by lingering reporters from other venues, like Sporting News, radio reporters and such.

Bob Pockrass then found himself on the receiving end of Kurt Busch's "Punch mode" and with so many unkind words, could not seem to address a pretty good question, which was how Busch is affected in his driving on-track while being on probation.

And as you can see in the above link, he addresses being on probation because he can't even pick his nose right. (Well, that's his opinion.)

Instead of addressing the obvious and GOOD question, this is what Pockrass got instead:

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Learned Thy Lesson?

Kurt Busch was released from his premium ride at Penske Racing for his out-lash at Jerry Punch last season at Homestead. And got himself a few rides for this season, and with every chance he had, made it clear that now he can return to the fun of racing.

Yet here Kurt was, evidencing the same "verbal skills" that lost him the ride many coveted.

NASCAR had words with Kurt on Sunday morning, and it's being said that they're considering if they should take any actions for his verbal lashing Saturday.

I'd be... well, surprised if they don't. But I've been surprised before like when they allowed Carl Edwards to send Brad Keselowski flying at 180mph with no serious repercussions, so anything is possible.

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Regardless of opinions and such, what happens with Kurt and KBM? I would be hard-pressed to see his brother letting him go. I mean, the apple does not fall far from the tree, so I would presume he understands, considering his own, parallel past in the sport.

But I wonder what Monster Energy will do? They have a cool minded rep and probably enjoy this, to some extent. They were the ones that jumped on board backing his ride after his Punch incident. So I would again, be surprised if they did anything... this time.

But we have a long season to go and there's plenty of opportunity for Kurt Busch to test his sponsor's patience.

Here's hoping Kurt Busch doesn't come after me for talking about this!

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BTW: Congrats to Joey Logano for the win on Saturday and Todd Bodine, for his win on Friday in the rain shortened Truck series race. Bodine broke a 37-race win drought with that one.

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sportingnews.com

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Taylor Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt's Youngest, Got Married Recently

2012-06-02T09:19:00.001-07:00

The youngest daughter to Dale Earnhardt Sr., Taylor Earnhardt, got married Saturday, May 26th, 2012, according to Middle Georgia's The Telegraph.

For those who don't know, Taylor is the only child that Dale Sr. and Teresa Earnhardt had together. What surprised me was the bio that accompanied the press release.

She's a professional rodeo competitor, the director of Equestrian Development for DEI. I did not realize that DEI had investments in other forms of horse power! I guess if I cared and looked...

Taylor's husband, Brandon Putnam, is also a rodeo professional and owns a grading and trucking company. Very cool.

: The Telegraph.

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Sonoma Will No Longer Be Called INFINEON Raceway

2012-05-31T15:09:00.001-07:00

I was wondering what was up because I had a fair idea that the 10-year sponsor contract was coming to a close, and no official word was "leaked" about a renewal between the Sonoma road course and Infineon. With that in mind, I guess for the moment, it's they'll be calling themselves Sonoma for a while. Not sure how long it will stay that, but as is the case, in most things, everything reverts back to its original state! Or in this case, name!

The track sent out a bit of press to the fans and here's their news note about the name change:

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Dear race fans:
As many of you know, we will no longer be called Infineon Raceway beginning tomorrow, Friday, June 1.
To answer some of your most pressing questions, we sat down with raceway President & General Manager Steve Page to provide some insight about what the name change means for our fans.
I understand you will no longer be called Infineon Raceway as of June 1. Why is this happening and what does it mean for the raceway?Our 10-year naming-rights sponsorship with Infineon Technologies ends in June. Under the terms of our contract, the name Infineon will be removed from signs, brochures and any other materials identifying the raceway. We are very grateful for Infineon's investment in the raceway, which, among other things, helped make possible the dramatic facility transformation we unveiled nearly a decade ago.
Will this change affect my experience at the raceway in any way when I attend events there during the 2012 season?Not in any way. The management of the raceway has not changed, nor has our commitment to provide you with the best possible experience every time you are our guest at our facility.
What will you be calling the raceway as of June 1?For the next few months we will simply be identified by our location, "Sonoma." We will not have a formal name. We will formally re-brand the facility before the end of this year, whether with a new company or otherwise, with a major announcement, new logo, promotions and merchandise. However, since this current change is happening in the middle of race season, our immediate focus is to produce a series of terrific events and continue providing you with the most diverse menu of racing of any facility in America.
Where can I find you on the web?You can now find our website at www.racesonoma.com. In terms of social networking, we will be at facebook.com/RaceSonoma (change coming soon!), on Twitter @racesonoma and YouTube at Race Sonoma. Our phone number remains 800-870-RACE (7223).

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Press Teleconference Interview With Jamie McMurray

2012-05-30T07:37:00.001-07:00

Last week Jamie McMurray spend a few minutes on the phone with the press answering some questions... below are excerpts from that NASCAR press conference where Jamie chats about his feelings on Ganassi programs, looking back at his first win, drivers have at, crashes in the industry and the changes that came to the All-Star race.

Check it out:

Q. I was wondering if the All-Star performance or Showdown performance gave you any feeling that the Ganassi programs are making process?

JAMIE McMURRAY: We have made probably some of the biggest changes after that race to our cars. The 42 car had a little different chassis than what I had, and I don't want to get into too much detail with you, but we fought some issues with my car even though it ran pretty good and the 42 didn't.

We went back and made all of those changes that we had to our car so I'm pretty anxious to get out and see if we still fight the same issues. It's been such a good track for me and it's one of their tracks that I really look forward to. Our cars are definitely better than where they were last year but we still have a ways to go.

Q. Is it difficult to stay kind of patient, with y'all making so many changes in the off-season, to obviously you want those changes to provide results but know that sometimes it can take time.

JAMIE McMURRAY: Yeah, I don't think that -- -- I mean, there are certainly different per all ties that react different, differently.

I don't think it does any good to voice your opinion publicly of how you think things are going. And so, you know, I know that there's a tremendous amount of work going on at our shop and that Chip is making a major financial contribution to getting everything where it needs to go.

I mean, the fact is that if it was easy, everybody would run well, and it wouldn't be the challenge that it is, but it's a lot of work. When you get to have years like we did in 2010, it makes it even harder to not run well because you have the capability of doing it.

Q. NASCAR made the tweak last week where they raised the side skirts a bit. Did that make a difference and would you like to see them do more with something?

JAMIE McMURRAY: I didn't think it made a difference. I mean in the race that I was in, the 22 car was significantly faster than I was. And he got, you know, same thing, he got within ten car lengths of me and it was super hard to make the pass.

But I mean, you know, there's no criticism there of NASCAR or anybody, because every former racer fights that; when your car is dependent on air and down force and you lose that, it's harder to pass. It is what it is, and when you're running the speeds we are running, you want to be the car up front. But I didn't think that -- I didn't think the side skirts made any difference.

Q. Talking about Charlotte, does that help when you guys are working to make big strides that now you come to a track where you really know what you want and the feel that you want?

JAMIE McMURRAY: For sure, because you do go to some tracks that you don't run well at you and don't know what you're looking for or if you're driving in the track just right.

But Charlotte has always been really good for me, and I seem to be much more critical of the cars when we get there, because you kind of know what you want it to do.

So it's a great place to feel comfortable at because we get to run there so much.

Q. Does it seem like it's been ten years since your first win at Charlotte?

JAMIE McMURRAY: No. Honestly, I always watch all of the races back before we go. Like I'll watch the 600 back from last year just to see if there's anything that you can pick up on, whether it's pit road speeding penalties or just what the track did from day to night.

I stumbled across, actually, on YouTube, the 2002 win, and I watched a little bit of it just out of curiosity, and when you look back and they interviewed Jimmie and Ryan Newman and some of the guys and then you see the names of Rusty was still in the field and Bill Elliott, I looked back at that and I actually paused it and took it to Kristy and I was like, you've got to look at this and look how young everybody looked.

Makes me feel very old today. It's been a long time. I feel really lucky that I've got to do this this long, but it's been a long time for sure.

Q. What's the difference between the champion Jamie McMurray in 2002 and the Jamie McMurray of 2012? What's the main difference in you as a driver?

JAMIE McMURRAY: Certainly seem much more educated but you still make mistakes, make not the same mistakes but there are still things that you can do better.

Q. I would like to ask you a question about your spotter, Lorin Ranier, and can you speak to how that relationship works and how it's evolved through the years?

JAMIE McMURRAY: Lorin ended up being my spotter when I first went to Ganassi in 2003 and he spotted for me for three years, and then I went to Roush and he was under contract at Ganassi still and he actually worked there selling parts and stuff.

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You feel like the guy understands you and kind of knows what you're thinking, and then, you know, also, I think Lorin's passion for the sport goes a long ways with his commitments. I have always enjoyed working with Lorin and been together a long time.

Q. Is there anything that you like for him to tell you, either before a race or during a race?

JAMIE McMURRAY: No. I'm actually really quiet on the radio. I don't really -- I always tell Lorin or anyone else that if you want to talk, we can talk afterwards. When you're in the car, you just really just want the essentials.

Q. Some of the things we have heard recently like Tony Stewart after Talladega, if we don't have enough crashes, we need to do whatever we need to do to make it as zany for the fans as what we are asking for, and this past weekend Kurt Busch talked about WWE racing after Darlington and that's what the fans want and it needs to be that entertaining. And I'm wondering if there is not now with these kind of expressions some kind of backlash after 'Boys Have At It', which was so exciting for race fans and to see all of this conflict on the track, how do you absorb that, when you hear statements like that, do you feel like what drivers are looking for out of NASCAR racing is at odds with what fans are hoping for? What's your take?

JAMIE McMURRAY: Well, I think sometimes the media makes more of what drivers say than what there really is. My opinion is, when NASCAR said 'Boys Have At It', that didn't change any driver's way of going about things. It's not like we all got together and said, let's get rowdy. It's coincidental that it happened then.

As far as Kurt, I didn't really see exactly what Kurt said. I don't know, I think that there's -- I believe that there's some fans out there that like to watch racing, and then there's other fans that maybe like to watch the drama, maybe some that like a little of both.

I mean, to me, if you like racing, then you should have loved Bristol. Why they changed the track, I don't know. To me that was one of the raciest tracks that we went to. There weren't crashes anymore. But as far as racing, if you were a race fan, that was good racing. I don't know. I think it was a little mix of both.

The cars, we just don't seem to crash as much as we used to, and I don't think they are ever going to get that back. It doesn't really matter what the rules are or what NASCAR does to change the cars. I mean, the crashing just comes from, I think people getting smarter and racing smarter. I don't think it really has anything to do with them giving us more of a tolerance with our attitude.

Q. I wanted to ask about the All-Star, I know fans were not happy about segment winners were put back into a final segment. What's your take on how the All-Star Race played out and should changes be made to it?

JAMIE McMURRAY: This has been a topic of discussion throughout all race shops throughout the week. Personally I wasn't a big fan much the format, of the All-Star Race. I wish that they would do it more like a normal weekend and maybe let 43 guys start the first segment and then start eliminating people at every segment; whether you eliminate 20 people in the first segment or get it down to the ends where you only have five guys left or ten guys left that are racing it out.

So then you have ten laps to go if you're not in the front four position, you have no chance of winning anyway. But I think it would be cool that if you had to make everybody race really hard every single segment and then you start eliminating people, I think that would be really interesting to see how that plays out.

Q. How much has helping the people of Joplin or other charities helped your racing career.

JAMIE McMURRAY: I don't know that helping anyone has helped my career at all, but, I don't know, I think that you that you get in a position where you can give back or you can use TV cameras and all of the exposure that we have in NASCAR for the better. I think that that's the most important time to use those tools.

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I think it's maybe the other way; maybe getting to be at a type of racing at the level that I'm at, you have access to so much media to get exposure and help raise money, that it maybe works the other way.

Q. How surprised were you by the number of fans and media and drivers that stepped in to help?

JAMIE McMURRAY: Yeah, I think that's just part of NASCAR and everyone seems to have a big heart and wanting to give back. Yeah, I think that's a no-brainer for those guys to want to help with that.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports.

Vote To Put Your Favorite Driver On The Cover of A Game

2012-05-24T11:01:00.001-07:00

There's a new contest in town where fans will be able to determine what NASCAR driver will adorn the front cover of the new NASCAR driving game, NASCAR The Game™: Inside Line.

Voting opened today and fans can vote for who they want on the cover.

It will be like a bracketed tourney as voting goes in stages.

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OMG, seriously???

The first bracket is Dale Earnhardt Jr. up against Aric Almirola.

They put Kurt up against Kyle. I'm guessing Kyle Busch will win this one. (I hope Kurt doesn't have another fit because of it.)

LOL... Danica Patrick vs. Landon Cassill. Poor boy.

Juan Pablo vs Marcos.

Jimmie Johnson vs Greg Biffle.

Jeff Gordon vs Trevor Bayne.

I'd say the first brackets are stacked in an interesting fashion... to make sure the "name" drivers last long enough in the competition.

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The voting can be done once a day, and you can either go to the above link, or the driver's Facebook page.

It's a four-round, seven-week "tournament" of voting.

Of course, as with ANY Facebook app, it wants access to your profile...

{THIS APP WILL RECEIVE:

    Your basic info
    Your profile info: activities, birthday, interests, likes and location
    Friends' profile info: activities, birthdays, interests, likes and locations

This app may post on your behalf, including drivers you voted for and more.}

BUT, ON THE BRIGHT SIDE... I was given the opportunity in the sign up screen to select who sees my updates... and I made it only me... (My FB buddies are mostly NOT NASCAR fans.)

Here's the schedule for the voting, for when Dale Jr. will win:

MAY 24 – Voting Opens (32 drivers)
JUNE 10 – First Round Closes (16 drivers)
JUNE 17 – Second Round Closes (8 drivers)
JUNE 24 – Third Round Closes (4 drivers)
JUNE 30 – Fourth Round Closes (2 drivers)
JULY 15 – Final Round Closes (Champion)

Or, at least I'd be surprised if he did not win, since he wins everything else that's fan-voted in.

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"I think the fans will really enjoy all of the new features and the opportunity to determine the cover driver for NASCAR The Game: Inside Line," said Blake Davidson, NASCAR vice president of licensing & consumer products and board member of NASCAR Team Properties. "The way Eutechnyx and Activision have integrated themselves into the sport has been amazing. From the fans to the teams, to NASCAR itself and now with our broadcast partners, they have been channeling that into something that evolves our NASCAR games into revolutionary interactive entertainment."

"We set out to reinvent NASCAR gaming last year with NASCAR® The Game™ 2011 – and we're very proud of it. With our continued enhancements to that game, and our very passionate fans helping guide us, we have an amazing platform to go to the next level with NASCAR The Game: Inside Line," said Dave Thompson, executive producer at Eutechnyx. "We've added a new in-depth career mode and robust online features that include realistic race weekends, and now aspiring drivers can rise up through the ranks, attract sponsors, and upgrade their car's components in the quest to be the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion."

"The collaboration between Activision and Eutechnyx produced last year's hugely successful NASCAR game experience," said David Oxford, executive vice president, Activision Publishing. "NASCAR The Game: Inside Line builds on that platform and adds a number of innovative, cutting edge features that will give fans and gamers alike the chance to participate in the sport like never before."

Bruce's question: Didn't their first game sort of flop? Which makes me question the choice of 'spin' on the phrase "last year's hugely successful NASCAR game experience,"

Just sayin'. (Gaming Target review of the first game)

Visit www.nascarthegame.com/vote to vote in the "Drive for the Cover" campaign.

NASCAR The Game: Inside Line video trailer is available at NASCARTheGame.com/DriveFTC.

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The ALL STAR Race Is In The Books... And the Suggestions Are In, The Winner Is....

2012-05-24T06:18:00.001-07:00

The NASCAR Sprint Cup All Star race from Charlotte is one of the most predictable races during the year. Predictable being that no matter how it gets twisted and changed up by NASCAR, a billion opinions are let loose the day after about how it can be changed.

Me, I stopped worrying about how it can be changed because NASCAR will do what it does to the rules for getting into the All Star race, and how the format goes. I'll just watch and see how it goes.

And how it goes was that in that final segment, Jimmie Johnson walked away with it, eliminating any and all drama to the race's end. I watched on Twitter as many fans elicited their "boring" opinions about the event as it was unfolding and I could not disagree with them. With one car pulling away, uncontested, for the prize, was anti-climatic, to say the least.

Though this win, in this new format, put Johnson tied with the most wins, three, in the All Star race. He's tied with the late, great Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon for most wins in this race... three.

And the new rules and such were played out rather well by the No. 48 team. Leave it to Chad to figure it out and beat the system.

And that's one thing a true fan can admire, and that's how Chad Knaus can take any game he's looking at and figure out how to get around, through and play by the rules just right to make things work out. I would really, really, really hate to be up against this man in a war game or other tactics based game. I'm more than willing to bet he'd be dangerous. Cripes, Chad would probably figure out how to stay ahead of the game in "Calvin Ball!" (A nod to fans of the Calvin and Hobbs fans out there.)

Come Monday, the calls came flying in to Sirius XM's NASCAR channel shows and I have to say, many folks are not shy about voicing their ideas about how the format for the All Star race can be changed.

To be honest, I think that no matter how you weight it or spice it up... sometimes there is going to be a run-away winner. But then one call came in that caught my attention. He was a very calm man who came along and rather than injecting any funny business, more or less, described his idea in a sentence or two.

A sentence or two is the magic formula that says if you have an idea and it takes more than a concise sentence or two to describe it, it's probably too complicated for the fans to pick up on.

This man proceeded to take very little time to suggest that if there has to be segments, to award finishing points per segment. The most points earned by the end of the night wins the prize.

And mandatory pit stops was the other thing I heard.

Apparently this method has been used by other racing series rather successfully over the years and the longer I dwelled on it, the more sense it started to make. No more holding back within the system, between the segments. No more NASCAR trying to get tricky in how it formats the night. Have a few short segments that award points. (I suggest short because that would force the drivers to race hard for those points.)

Pit stops, well, that could go either way, it's part of the strategy deployed, like when you toss out your pawns early in a good game of chess. You can't change that premise, no matter how old the game is. But points added up from segment to segment, well, that seems like it could actually make it interesting. But how the points are awarded, and how the the cars are lined up to fight for those points, well, that's another matter altogether.

For now, I think I have heard a good idea finally.

Does anyone else have a good idea for the format of the NASCAR Sprint Cup All Star race?

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Dale Earnhardt Jr Lead (Sort of) The 2011 Diecast Sale Momentum... Again

2012-05-15T14:43:00.001-07:00

Even though he's not achieved a victory on the track in a while, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is holding his own in the 2012 standings, holding at 3rd, only 14 points out of first. But he has no wins this year and it's been a while! Yet by the shear momentum of his popularity, he continues to be the golden child, so to speak of NASCAR merchandise. And to be honest, when he does get his next win, fans will be feeling pretty vindicated.

But no matter what, Dale Earnhardt Jr., being the most popular driver of NASCAR, again, led the diecast sales of 2011. A while back Lionel sent out a list of top selling diecasts.

Now true, Dale Jr. is not the No. 1 selling single diecast, but if you look at 4th, 7th, & 9th... well, you'll see:

Lionel's top-10 diecasts for 2011, measured by sales:
1. Jeff Gordon No. 24 AARP/Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
2. Kevin Harvick No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet
3. Trevor Bayne No. 21 Motorcraft Daytona Win Ford
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Amp Energy Chevrolet
5. Tony Stewart No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet
6. Dale Earnhardt No. 96 Cardinal Tractor Ford
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 National Guard Heritage Chevrolet
8. Tony Stewart No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Dale Jr. Foundation/Vh1 Save the Music Chevrolet
10. Kevin Harvick No. 29 Budweiser Military Tribute Chevrolet

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Kurt Busch, Tony Gibson & Others On Probation From Darlington Events

2012-05-15T14:32:00.001-07:00

Kurt Busch has found himself on probation yet one more time, and also has found himself contributing $50k to the NASCAR foundation from the events that took place at Darlington last weekend.

Last weekend a few things took place with a few laps to go and in the course of getting repairs to his car, when his team was done with him on pit road, he went screaming out of his pit, passing through Ryan Newman's pit. Apparently it was a wee bit too close for some in that pit stall because I believe there were still a few guys standing around in it.

After the race, some of the crew for Ryan Newman's No. 39 car, took offense to the behavioral patterns they were observing and a few of them went over to Kurt's pit stall to "chat" about it!

Oops.

Here's how things look when all was said and done today after NASCAR handed out the penalties:

"NASCAR has fined Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 51 car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, $50,000 and placed him on NASCAR probation until July 25 for his actions during the May 12 race at Darlington Raceway.

Kurt Busch violated Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; reckless driving on pit road during the race; involved in an altercation with another competitor after the completion of the race) of the 2012 NASCAR Rule Book.

Craig Strickler, a crew member for the No. 51 team, has been fined $5,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for violating Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; interfering with a member of the broadcast media).

(Seriously, Craig? Did you not take notes when Kurt went off on Jerry Punch?)

Tony Gibson, crew chief for the No. 39 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, has been placed on NASCAR probation until June 27 for violating Section 12-1 and Sections 12-4G and 9-4A (Crew chief assumes responsibility for the actions of his team members, aka, Rueger?).

Andrew Rueger, a crew member for the No. 39 team, has been fined $5,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until June 27 for violating Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; failure to comply with a directive from a NASCAR official)."

Kurt Busch Has Another Bad Night and Ryan Newman's Team Didn't Like It!

2012-05-14T14:44:00.001-07:00

Last weekend saw another Busch brother incident but I don't think it was what the media is making it out to be.

It all started with Kurt Busch getting loose and spinning late in the race. Ryan Newman slowed to not hit him and got spun himself by someone else. It was just racing and no one person caused the other person any harm.

Kurt wasn't having an optimal day as this was his second issue of the night.

But...

After pitting, apparently Busch was ticked at the world and once he finished his pit stop, peeled out through Ryan Newman's pit stall, which was in front of his. The No. 39 team felt that was a bit haphazard.

But still, no big deal.

But then after the race, while Kurt was (per him) removing his helmet, hit Ryan's car. That's when teams got into it with some difference of opinions and one of Ryan's guys went over to "chat!"

Nothing huge came of it, but a NASCAR official did get pushed a bit and ended up on the Kurt's hood.

To be honest, Kurt and Ryan had nothing to do with each others spin, technically. Kurt was ticked and some sources say he was tearing up a verbal storm after his own spin. But when he bumped Ryan's car, well, there was nothing Kurt could have been mad about and that, I'm sure, was just an accident or oversight.

But Ryan's team member might be getting an opportunity to contribute to the NASCAR foundation via a nice penalty. We'll see what comes of that on Tuesday.

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Will Denny Hamlin Snag Another Win at Darlington?

2012-05-08T15:41:00.001-07:00

Headed into Darlington for the the Bojangles' Southern 500, one has to wonder if this is the night that Jeff Gordon will stop having silly luck or will Denny Hamlin pour it on and snag another win?

Or will Jimmie Johnson or Brad Keselowski snag a win away from the favorites? Check out the brief set of stats below and see what you think!

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DARLINGTON-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M / OH / ES Ford)

·         Two wins, two top fives, five top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 14.2

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Wrigley Toyota)

·         One win, one top five, three top 10s

·         Average finish of 17.1

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew / National Guard Chevrolet)

·         Three top fives, seven top 10s

·         Average finish of 15.2

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)

·         Three top fives, five top 10s

·         Average finish of 13.9

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet)

·         Seven wins, 18 top fives, 21 top 10s; three poles

·         Average finish of 11.1

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota)

·         One win, two top fives, five top 10s

·         Average finish of 6.5

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's / KOBALT Tools Chevrolet)

·         Two wins, six top fives, nine top 10s

·         Average finish of 9.8

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Rockwell Tools Chevrolet)

·         Three top fives, three top 10s; four poles

·         Average finish of 14.6

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)

·         One top five, two top 10s

·         Average finish of 7.3

Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet)

·         Three top fives, five top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 14.5

Ryan Newman (No. 39 WIX Chevrolet)

·         Seven top fives, nine top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 11.6

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

·         Three top fives, 10 top 10s

·         Average finish of 12.3

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)

·         Two top 10s

·         Average finish of 12.3

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NASCAR is at Talladega & All You Wreck-Fest Fans Can Be Happy

2012-05-04T08:55:00.001-07:00

NASCAR is at the Talladega Superspeedway, the place where the "big one" (Racing accident involving 5 or 10 and upwards of 15 cars sometimes) tends to happen, more often than not. That means for those of you who seem bored with good quality race track action this year, you might just want to tune in and check out the NASCAR race this weekend, no matter which series it is. Though if all you are is a wreck monger, I'd bet the Nationwide Series event on Saturday is where you'll get more bang for your buck.

This season has been a bit of an eye-opener for me as fans would seem to be getting bored with races that have fewer cautions. This has the industry chatting about what it is the TV fan wants. And from what I've seen, the TV fan wants to see wrecks. I get it.

More than 15 years ago, I use to make sure, if anything, I'd tune into the Talladega and Daytona races from NASCAR because the racing accidents are spectacular. Back then, I didn't care who was driving what or who was in the standings where. No... just show me racing and the inevitable wreck.

Since those days, I've come to appreciate the actual form of racing.

Getting a race car on the track and winning takes more than getting inside and turning left repeatedly. It takes a driver who can repeat the motions of "turning left" with inhuman precision. It takes guts to be turning left and having your back wheels chirping and kicking out to the right at 160 to 200 mph. Guts and talent, which I appreciate watching.

I am in the minority when I say I like the in-car and bumper camera shots. But again, those shots exemplify the talent and daring going on during the race. I sit, marveling at how the cars bounce about and not hit each other at 200mph. But then again, that's because of the drivers constantly counter steering against the improbably act of physics trying to do its thing while the drivers are trying to keep the car going forward at an insane speed where the back tires are trying to pass up the front end of the car.

And the engineering, whether it be on-the-fly, or in the garage at home before getting to the track, is an amazing feat. A combination of scientific factors of weight management combined with the effects of tire wear and driver skill all come together on the track during the race.

That's the prize for me. But I'm not your regular TV fan.

I've seen the regular TV fan revel in the wrecks at the sports bar and I get why Fox panders to them with their ads full of carnage. And if anyone is seriously hurt or killed, the fans & Fox they'll commiserate with the masses later, while Fox ignores how they glorify the wrecks in their marketing.

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So sure, the huge wrecks are an incredible event to watch but I'm not sure I enjoy the actual results, the injuries to the drivers or fans and all the time and money spent creating these demo-derby cars. If you really need to see wrecks, watch those Fox shows that show wrecks.

Better yet, support your local small track and hit them up when they have figure-8 races or demo-derbies. That way you'll support your local racing industry while getting this need for carnage out of your system.

Me, I'm here to watch the tactics, planning and racing itself. But that's just me and I'm weird that way!

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NASCAR-Bits-and-Pieces.com on Twitter & Facebook .
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FOX Let's The Debris Black Helicopters Continue To Circle

2012-04-30T15:06:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday night's Richmond race was pretty interesting as fates of drivers changed hands quickly during the different late-race cautions.

But one in particular, was when Tony Stewart was trouncing the field in his clean air and looking like the race was his to lose.

That is, until the debris caution.

Now maybe I looked away and maybe they just didn't cover it, but I don't remember seeing on the TV coverage from Fox, the debris. Tony Stewart's been quoted in grumbling about the debris being a plastic water bottle. But he had additional issues when his pit crew flubbed it up a bit too.

But others saw a piece of sheet metal being picked up, so maybe Tony was focused on the wrong thing.

Regardless, Dave Moody said he saw the metallic debris getting picked up and that is wasn't a water bottle. He added during his Sirius XM NASCAR broadcast that drivers constantly toss out water bottles after leaving pit road and the they usually drift down the embankment towards the inside wall. And we don't see cautions for those.

So be it as it may, while fans are getting in a tizzy about the mystery caution, it seems the Fox dropped the ball again on covering the debris.

Why?

Because fans get suspicious when yellow flags come out at wonderfully opportune times to gather up the field and they need to be soothed. At least the logical ones do.

In jest, some were suggesting that the track man who picks up the debris should hold it up and pose with it until the TV coverage catches it. I say put a helmet cam on the man, or make him tweet a picture of what he picks up.

Either way would be good evidence that would circumvent telecast oversights.

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NASCAR-Bits-and-Pieces.com on Twitter & Facebook .
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Carl Edwards Restart Gate, The Newest Drama in NASCAR

2012-04-30T14:56:00.001-07:00

During the Richmond race last Saturday night, those last 50 laps or so saw fortunes come and go, but none so much as the Carl Edwards snafu that took place when he took off too early on the green flag.

But did he goof or get overtly over aggressive? Depending on who you read, different names/numbers were on the leader board in the infield.

It seems at one point, the infield leader board showed Carl Edwards as the leader, and when the race restarted on lap 319, Edwards took that to heart.

But then later Tony Stewart said that after the caution, they were the first to line up after the pit stops that were under caution and when he looked, saw that he was the leader on the board.

Oh, that pesky board.

Looking around the web (Twitter, Facebook and the myriad of hundreds of other social platforms), here's what bits I caught:

At one point, the leader board did seem to show Edwards leading. A few folk relayed that message around to the team members. (Yet I'm thinking, if you know you pulled out of the pits 2nd, why aren't you thinking this one through?)

But then what I heard was that while the cars were scuffing/warming up the tires under caution, Edwards car pulled a bit in front of Stewart's car and the leader board, being live apparently, registered this change, and some folks had bad timing when they looked up to see who was supposed to be where.

We've seen that a million times, the pair of lines of cars coming down the track, the cars swerving madly (so it looks) left and right to get the rubber schmootz off the tires, getting ready for the restart. Right?

And when they do that, either line can incidentally scoot out in front of the other one for just a second or two. No one is worried about places during this phase of the lap, because it's under caution. The critical time of the race is when the flag flies. Then you need to be in the right spot on the track.

So it was bad timing when then Edwards team members and Carl, looked up to see where they were at.

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The other issue was that Carl "started" the race way too early, before the approved acceleration or start line zone on the track where the competitors in the front row can put the pedal to the metal. Yea, he left a wee bit too early.

With that said, another mistake that could be a costly one, come this November, if Carl Edwards is contending once again. This could be the one moment he looks back and kicks himself. Or, like last season, pick one! Any one moment last season, had he inched out one more position in any of the races last year would have captured him the championship.

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NASCAR-Bits-and-Pieces.com on Twitter & Facebook .

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Bruton Is Scraping Down The Outside Line of Bristol

2012-04-25T20:58:00.001-07:00

Today (4/25/12) Bruton Smith had announced what they're doing to Bristol's track surface. The kludge being applied to the mini-superspeedway will be focused on the outside line in the corners.

-Bruton Smith, in a radio press conference noted that the cars coming off the outside line had an advantage in the last event held there and from what he described, he wants to remove that advantage. To do that, he's going to take off some of the angle in the top groove of this progressive banked track in the corners so that the cars that end up there don't have more banking than the cars in the middle or lower grooves.

By removing the "advantage" that, in Smith's eyes, will "mix it up."

This change is a result of a survey that Bruton Smith gave fans, and the fans said they wanted more bumper to bumper racing. But their own survey indicated that around 40% of the survey takers wanted change, so change it is! The minority has spoken.

But even so, Smith indicates that ticket sales have increased, (tripled) since they announced a change will be made to the track. I wonder how large a number that is... is that the now sold 3 versus 1 ticket? Snark!

His tackling the track surface like this is in response to what he (Smith) believes are that fans want more wrecks. So he's catering to them. I'm sure the hard core fan is aghast to that premise. Hell, if he wants to give that demographic of fans more wrecks, why not install a figure-8 track in the middle of the place? Everyone will have a great seat for that one!!!

But despite the long-term, hard-core fan not liking the idea of wrecks, other fans, the casual fans, light up and enjoy them. I've been in sports bars and when NASCAR comes on one of the tubes and they show wrecks, the crowd gets animated.

And that kind of attention from the casual fan is hard to ignore because of the potential of numbers that the casual fan can represent. At the end of the day, the dollar is the bottom line, no matte what hard-core, long-time fans may worry about.

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So applying this kludge is going to eliminate the third, outside lane of racing, forcing racers to use the inside or middle lines.

We'll see how that goes.

This change will put you in one of two groups. Those who like it and those who don't. But once Smith jumped the shark with the 2007 change, the original track was lost forever, and so too, the spirit of the races at Bristol. Bruton is NOT bringing back the old configuration. He's adapting the newest or best approach he thinks will work. Before we condemn him, remember, he does have a knack for finding what works and making it happen.

Well see how things pan out at the next event at the bullring.

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I Can't Take D-Shaped Tracks or Daryl On TV Any More!

2012-04-25T09:05:00.001-07:00

Well, after ten plus solid years of never missing and watching each televised NASCAR race in its entirety, Daryl Waltrip won and for the first time in eleven years, I did not watch the entire race, as televised, from Texas or Kansas. And there were a few factors that contributed to this slip.

D-Shaped Tracks Can't Be Good for TV Ratings
Cookie cutter mile and a half (or mid to large sized D-shaped tracks) can be quite the challenge to the viewer as you watch the race start and then the teams stretch out around the circuit. There's only so much you can do with a D-shaped track and when there are so many of them in the season, well, it gets old. No matter how much they pitch that track surface characteristics are different. (And it's true. Track surfaces in different climes can become different beasts. But to the TV viewer, that's just word-smithing that more than likely falls on deaf ears.)
And the most shocking thing I did was that during Texas, I tuned in, watched the start. And then I rented a movie. When the movie ended, I still had plenty of time and racing action to get my NASCAR fix. Kansas is interesting but in the end, it too provides a D-shaped racing experience. Though I have to admit, a few of those restarts definitely got me on the edge of my seat.
Sorry gang, but that's how it is. I make points with my wife, don't get too bored with the racing show, and still can keep up with the sport. If the races were shorter I'd have a better reason to stick around. But even though this is a sport about endurance and skill, I get the length of each event. But fans, I think, need more to have an anticipation for.
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And Then There's Daryl Waltrip
Daryl Waltrip has won. His presentation of what information he has is getting distracting at best for this viewer.
I think I started anti-focusing on Daryl back during the Daytona race this year. I remember his statement about the fuel truck when it was on fire... He more or less said that (while it was burning) someone should get in the truck and drive it off the track to prevent further damage from occurring to the track surface. ...crickets.
Since then I've been a bit focused on what he says and I have to say, he seems to come up with some gems during each race.
I like to think I respect the experience of a driver whose behind the microphone, but I'm coming to realize that I'd rather appreciate the skills from a driver whose driven one of the cars from this era. Right now, all Daryl has to offer is an opinion on a generic mindset of racers and some incredible historical perspectives. Aside from that, I've seen more often than not his in-race predictions pander out a lot. It's not his fault, but you'd think someone would direct him better.
Maybe it's just me, but he's become distracting
And as I look at that, I have to wonder who Fox is trying to appeal to with the cast of characters they've been presenting NASCAR with. Sure, it's their roots, but isn't that demographic already sold on the sport? And maybe that's working for Fox. Who knows.

NASCAR on 'Top Gear'

2012-04-23T09:54:00.001-07:00

Top Gear visited NASCAR recently and plans on airing the results from their visit on their episode that's airing on April 30th.

In the episode, Top Gear will touch on the history of the sport while also spending time chatting with Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya.

The show spent time at the recent event at Texas Motor Speedway.

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Top Gear comes from the BBC and focuses on different, unique and entertaining aspects of motor vehicles. In one episode, they alloted the hosts very little money to buy a junker, then drive it a specified distance.

But then on the other end of the spectrum, they get to also test out some of the snazzier sports cars out there. It's pretty interesting with the cut and dry British humor you'll find laced throughout the show.

It could be very interesting to check out, that's for sure.

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'Samsung Mobile 500' NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule + A Short Stack of Stats

2012-04-12T06:10:00.001-07:00

This weekend sees NASCAR landing at Texas Motor Speedway for the Samsung Mobile 500.

Everything is in tact and no race haulers are going to get sucked up in to Dorothy's twister, but then again, the Dallas/Fort Worth region is one of the most fickle weather regions I've ever been delayed in at the airport!

If you're looking for TV times for the Sprint Cup Series, here you go:

NASCAR TV Schedule (All times ET)

Thursday, 4-12:
The first practice takes place at 5:30 PM, but it is not televised.

Friday, 4-13:
2nd Practice 3 PM, on Speed
Qualifying at 6:30 PM, on Speed

Saturday, 4-14:
Samsung Mobile 500 at 7 PM on FOX.

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Quickie Stats...

No one driver has dominated the win column at Texas, though in 2010 Denny Hamlin swept both races. But other than than, the winners have been variable, at best:

11/6/2011                  Tony Stewart
4/9/2011                    Matt Kenseth
11/7/2010                  Denny Hamlin
4/19/2010                  Denny Hamlin
11/8/2009                  Kurt Busch
4/5/2009                    Jeff Gordon
11/2/2008                  Carl Edwards

But...

Carl Edwards is a three-time winner at the track over a longer period of time.

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Amongst the noted winners though, Matt Kenseth has the best... wait for it... "track record" (dOh!) with an average finish of 6th. Denny Hamlin & Jimmie Johnson follows Matt with an average finishing spot of 10th. Tony Stewart: 12th. Mart Martin - 13th.

Of this group, Tony Stewart has led the most laps competed in, leading 15% of them, followed by Greg Biffle (14%), Matt Kenseth (13%) and so forth. Maybe this year, Biffle closes the door brings it home!

(Above stats from Loop Data)

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NASCAR-Bits-and-Pieces: on Twitter & Facebook .

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David Ragan Fans Can Watch Him Race at Texas

2012-04-11T20:59:00.001-07:00

If you're a David Ragan fan, you should be happy to know that David will be driving the #27 GC Motorsports International entry in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at the Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, TX on Friday night, April 13th, 2012.

GC Motorsports International is the new name of Go Canada Racing which was launched on April 19th, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. GCMI will be competing in the Nationwide Series in 2012 as car #27.

Heads up: Tony Stewart to Visit The White House

2012-04-11T20:48:00.001-07:00

via press release:

Three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will be honored by President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday, April 17 @ 4:20 p.m. EDT. The event also will include NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France and each member of the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field.

This event will be livestreamed at www.whitehouse.gov/live if you're interested in checking it out.

2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominees Announced

2012-04-11T16:20:00.001-07:00

With the 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame nominations announced, I see some obvious choices, in my mind, that are shoe-ins. Whether they get in this year or subsequent years, well, that remains to be seen. But I can't imagine anyone on the list below NOT getting in at some point in time.

Rick Hendrick needs to be in the HoF... Rusty Wallace, Leonard Wood... Benny Parsons... but to be honest, out of this group, it's going to be hard to weed out the five inductees to admit to the HoF. (Which makes this process just as exciting for many years to come, if you think about it.)

via press release:

2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominees Announced

NASCAR Trailblazer Wendell Scott, NASCAR Matriarch France Among The 25 Eligible

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 11, 2012) – Determination and innovation, two qualities existing in abundance in the men and women who built NASCAR, characterize the 25 nominees for the 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame class.

NASCAR today announced those 25 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame's fourth induction class, and included among the diverse group are five newcomers who make this list arguably the most intriguing in the hall's history.

Of the 25 nominees, 20 return from last year's group. Five are first-timers, and all vary in expertise: NASCAR's first treasurer and secretary Anne Bledsoe France, engine builder and owner Ray Fox, trailblazing driver Wendell Scott, promoter and sponsor executive Ralph Seagraves and driver champion Rusty Wallace. Of those new five, two represent 'firsts' for the hall: Scott the first African-American nominee; France the first female nominee.

From that list, five inductees will be elected by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel, which includes a nationwide fan vote on NASCAR.COM. Voting Day for the 2013 class will be May 23, and once again, fans can attend the announcement live at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

This round of nominees was selected by a 21-person nominating committee consisting of representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and track owners from both major facilities and historic short tracks. The committee's votes were tabulated by accounting firm Ernst & Young.

The NHOF's 2013 inductees will be determined by the Voting Panel, which includes the entire Nominating Committee, media members, manufacturer representatives, retired competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs) and recognized industry leaders. In addition, the fan vote will result in the Voting Panel's final ballot. Fan voting on NASCAR.COM opens today, April 11, and closes May 16 at midnight.

Following are the 25 nominees, listed alphabetically:

Buck Baker, first driver to win consecutive NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series titles (1956-57)
Red Byron, first NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion, in 1949
Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series
Jerry Cook, six-time NASCAR Modified champion

H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway

Tim Flock, two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Ray Fox, legendary engine builder and owner of cars driven by Buck Baker, Junior Johnson and others
Anne Bledsoe France, helped build the sport with husband Bill France Sr. Affectionately known as "Annie B.," she is the first woman to be nominated for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Rick Hendrick, 13-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series
Jack Ingram, two-time NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) Series champion and three-time Late Model Sportsman champion
Bobby Isaac, 1970 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Fred Lorenzen, 26 wins and winner of the Daytona 500 and World 600

Cotton Owens, driver-owner, won 1966 owner championship with David Pearson
Raymond Parks, NASCAR's first champion car owner

Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Les Richter, former NASCAR executive; former president of Riverside International Raceway
Fireball Roberts, 33 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series wins, including the 1962 Daytona 500
T. Wayne Robertson, helped raise NASCAR popularity as R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company senior VP
Wendell Scott, NASCAR trailblazer was the first African-American NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series race winner, and first to be nominated for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Ralph Seagraves, formed groundbreaking Winston-NASCAR partnership as executive with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Herb Thomas, first two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion, 1951, '53
Curtis Turner, early personality, called the "Babe Ruth of stock car racing"
Rusty Wallace, 1989 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Leonard Wood, part-owner and former crew chief for Wood Brothers, revolutionized pit stops
Detailed information about the 25 nominees is available at NASCAR.COM and NASCARMedia.com, NASCAR's media-only website.

The 21-person Nominating Committee follows...

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

NASCAR Hall of Fame: Executive Director Winston Kelley; Historian Buz McKim.
NASCAR Officials: Chairman/CEO Brian France; Vice Chairman Jim France; Senior Vice President Paul Brooks; President Mike Helton; Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton; Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell; Competition Administrator Jerry Cook; former Vice President Ken Clapp.
Track Owners/Operators: International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa Kennedy; Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell; Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage; Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark; former Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George; Dover Motorsports CEO Denis McGlynn; Pocono Raceway board of director member Looie McNally; Bowman Gray Stadium operator Dale Pinilis; Riverhead Raceway operators Jim and Barbara Cromarty (1 vote); former Toyota Speedway at Irwindale operator Jim Williams; Rockford Speedway owner Jody Deery.

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NASCAR'S Now Streaming, But Why Isn't It Part of The Free Preview?

2012-04-10T05:58:00.001-07:00

One of the better developments these days is that all of NASCAR's content from SiriusXM, Channel 90, is streaming to your nearest PC and mobile devices.

That in itself is a great achievement now that NASCAR was free of whatever contractual restrictions kept it off the wire for so long. Though with every rose, there is a thorn!

If you already pay your basic subscription rate, well, some thought that the streaming would come with it, but that's not the case. As it's not the case for other popular venues on the satellite provider either.

Paying your base subscription rate does not allow you access to anything else, unless you pay extra for it. Such is the way these days.

A Side Note

I remember when cable TV started breaking out the different channels into tiers. Where I lived, they sent out a survey and a year later, the channels we all said we loved became extra-fee programming tiers. Not sure how that helped them serve us better, but ever since, I've always been leery of surveys. LOL.

But what sparked this small tirade is that SiriusXM is having a free month of streaming as a preview, until May 6th, of certain sports networks... But I see no NASCAR content in that preview. They have IZOD IndyCar Series. They have NHL and NBA content. PGA, MLB, Oprah and Public Radio... but no NASCAR.

Timing

I would think this would have been the perfect time to have NASCAR be a part of this or some other content special. It just went public with live streaming and folks like this fan, are pondering the idea of picking up the streaming service... even if it adds to my base rate.

We're just getting into the racing season... we want to hear it, and getting teased now would be perfect for the rest of the season. And I would think a late-season preview may not cut it, unless they're planning on something just before NASCAR Chase season-closing set of races.

But for now, I wonder where, oh where, is that free trial to tempt us to sign up so SiriusXM can sink their teeth just a tiny bit farther into my wallet. I'm near willing and a free preview would have cinched it for me!

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NASCAR To Announce 25 Nominees For 2013 NASCAR Hall of Name Class

2012-04-05T19:48:00.001-07:00

via press release

NASCAR will unveil the 25 nominees for the 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame class on Wednesday, April 11 at 6 p.m. during SPEED's hour-long Race Hub show. Follow NASCAR's official Twitter handle @NASCAR, as well as the handle for the NASCAR Hall of Fame (@NASCARHall), for more information.

Nominee bios, statistics and photos will be available on both NASCAR.COM and NASCARMedia.com immediately following the announcement.

Can Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon Fans Blame Danica Patrick?

2012-04-04T14:56:00.001-07:00

Here's an interesting take on the situation... last weekend the closing laps of the Martinsville race saw Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon putting on a good racing demonstration on the best venue there is for that, the short, tight corners of Martinsville. And those closing laps would have been a joy to watch these two put on a driving demonstration. But that was not to be.

Instead, a caution flag came out, everyone but our two contenders got tires and the green flag flew with nary a few laps to go. But as the master of disaster (lady luck) would have it, that was not to be. As we all saw, Jimmie and Jeff were caught up in a three wide battle going into turn one and the race for the checkered flag was over for the No. 24 and 48 cars.

The ensuing scramble saw Ryan Newman take his first Martinsville win.

But did that need to happen? Did Jimmie and Jeff have to get wrecked? The caution that preceded the wreck came out because David Reutimann's car sputtered to a stop on the track, bringing out the yellow flag. And the press corp went nuts questioning why in the world David Reutimann would stop on the racing surface instead of getting off the track when he had the chance. Well, almost all the media. Michael Waltrip, when asked, said he wasn't in the car and so could not surmise why this took place. That was probably one of the smartest statements about this event.

After the race was over, we found out what happened to David's car and why he stayed out. The first order of business was something was amiss with the car but, being the team player he is, and thinking about his part-time teammate, Danica Patrick, he stayed out on the track to make as many Owners Points as he can. But then the additional issue reared its head when his engine up and died.

It wasn't as if David stayed out there to just stay out there. I've seen that enough times, when an engine blows on the track and rather than getting off the racing line, the smoking culprit limps around track in it... No, David was trying to make points to keep Danica in the top-35 in Owners Points... and failed.

The No. 10 car is now one point outside of the top-35 and the next time Danica Patrick gets in the car, she might be needing to race into the field. Her next Sprint Cup Series attempt will be on May 12th... at Darlington! So there's time for David to get the car back into the game. Now, we see how that all pans out!

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Standings After The 'Goody's Fast Relief 500' at Martinsville

2012-04-02T08:31:00.001-07:00

After the figure-eight style finish of the Goody's Fast Relief 500, a few spots changed hands in the driver points standings, as would be expected...

Race winner Ryan Newman (Congrats Ryan!) moved up two spots into 8th

A.J. Allmendinger (2nd place) jumped 6 spots into 20th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is now 6 points out of 1st, sitting in 2nd.

4th spot finisher Matt Kenseth moved up 2 spots, into 4th.

Martin Truex Jr. (5th) dropped down a spot, into 6th in the driver standings.

Denny Hamlin managed a 6th place finish and that helped him hold onto 7th in the points.

7th place finisher Tony Stewart moved up one spot, into 3rd.

Aric Almirola finished 8th, putting him into 19th in the driver standings.

Brad Keselowski (9th) moved up 4 spots, taking 12th.

Despite efforts, Clint Bowyer managed 10th and he dropped down into 9th in the standings.

Jimmie Johnson dropped a spot down to 10th and Jeff Gordon's finish propelled him 4 spots into 21st.

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Hendrick Power Wins Martinsville 'Goody's Fast Relief 500', But Not Like You Think!

2012-04-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

This weekend at Martinsville Speedway saw a few fascinating events take place, where Kevin Harvick destroyed the competition in the truck series and the two guys fully expected to win the Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway, did not!

First up, the Camping World Series Kroger 250 race had Kevin Harvick lead all but 2 of the 250 laps, setting a track record. And he did it in the No. 2 Richard Childress entry. That is a pretty impressive stat!

At one point in the race, he had such a strong entry that Kevin relayed a message back to Ty Dillon to not burn up his equipment since he was running at 80% of his own truck's capacity. Dang.

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Speaking of Kevin Harvick, he made his 400th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start on Sunday in the Goody's Fast Relief 500.

Congrats to Kevin on that one.

But on a more excited note, I spent the entire race watching the Goody's Fast Relief 500, KNOWING that the two cars that were up front most of the race will be winning. It was either going to be Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon. These two worked their up through the field and dominated. It was their race to lose! And it would have been the magic 200th victory for Hendrick Motorsports... which would have been something special, at Martinsville!

But...

Near the end of the race, Johnson had taken the lead with Gordon on his tail. At times one might have thought that Johnson was spent yet when Gordon made some form of a move, Johnson would goose it and retain his front runner's position. So it was looking like Johnson would get the win.

But alas, wondering if Johnson was going to beat Gordon became moot, because, yes, Johnson finished the race in front of Gordon... and crossed the finish line before Gordon did. But not in the fashion anyone was expecting.

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The Goody's Fast Relief 500 had seven cautions for the day... and it was the last two that impacted NASCAR history that 'was' in the making.

Early on a part broke in Kyle Busch's car, then Dave Blaney at about the midway point had an issue. Other cautions included Juan Montoya (spin), Kasey Kahne (engine) and Travis Kvapil having issues with physics in the the turns.

But we have two more cautions to account for... the two most important it turns out.

Through the latter half of the day, we had Hendrick Motorsports running up in the top-five spots with Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr..

At one point, those three were the lead three cars, and if I were a betting man, I'm guessing that at one point "Jr. Nation" was politely desiring something to go afoul with the No. 48 and 24 cars so Dale Earnhardt Jr. could could scoot past and take the win.

But there were several factors going against the entire group up there.

David Ruetimann was limping the No. 10 Chevy home trying to get points for his car's standings in the owner points because this is the car that Danica Patrick will drive when she returns to Cup series racing. The team is desperately trying to keep the car in the top-35 in points. But while limping around his engine then up and died on him.

This brought out a caution on lap 496 and it was going to be a very fateful caution.

Johnson and Gordon stayed out while the rest of the world pitted. On the restart, Ryan Newman got a slight run from the inside third row spot and Clint Bowyer dove down to block him and goose it into the corner, getting in under Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

This might have been the classic fresh vs. old tires battle.

Bowyer had the spot but had to back off because he entered the corner kind of hot, thumped the inside curb and slid out a bit and Jeff Gordon got out of shape dealing with Bowyer on the inside, and he spun, taking Jimmie Johnson with him. Then Bowyer got spun out himself. Through it all, Ryan Newman and A.J. Allmendinger ducked low below the track self-cleaning accident.

youtube vid link

On the green/white/checkered restart, Ryan took the race lead and won handily... his first win at this track.

Here is the unofficial results:

FIN		DRIVER
1	-	Ryan Newman
2	-	AJ Allmendinger
3	-	Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4	-	Matt Kenseth
5	-	Martin Truex Jr.
6	-	Denny Hamlin
7	-	Tony Stewart
8	-	Aric Almirola
9	-	Brad Keselowski
10	-	Clint Bowyer
11	-	Carl Edwards
12	-	Jimmie Johnson
13	-	Greg Biffle
14	-	Jeff Gordon
15	-	Marcos Ambrose
16	-	Regan Smith
17	-	Bobby Labonte
18	-	Brian Vickers
19	-	Kevin Harvick
20	-	Jamie McMurray
21	-	Juan Montoya
22	-	Jeff Burton
23	-	Joey Logano
24	-	David Ragan
25	-	Casey Mears
26	-	Paul Menard
27	-	Travis Kvapil
28	-	David Gilliland
29	-	Landon Cassill
30	-	David Stremme
31	-	Hermie Sadler
32	-	Ken Schrader
33	-	Kurt Busch
34	-	Dave Blaney
35	-	David Reutimann
36	-	Kyle Busch
37	-	J.J. Yeley
38	-	Kasey Kahne
39	-	Joe Nemechek
40	-	Michael McDowell
41	-	Josh Wise *
42	-	Scott Riggs
43	-	Reed Sorenson

-Bruce