theStewartFan

Typing again

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:57:00 +0000

Good morning world. I had been a NASCAR blogger for a few months a few years ago, but stopped due to general laziness. I’m not going to sit here and use the writers block excuse, I usually have more to say than the keyboard can capture due to my poor typing skills. I typed a blog called theStewatFan, and enjoyed it. But that was then (the Home Depot #20), and this is now (Office Depot #14). I still love JGR, Home Depot, and the color scheme of orange and black. But the only constant is change, so change I will. I lost the URL of The Stewart Fan, so that also has changed. Now on to my post. The plate racing is as good as I’ve ever watched. I’m not saying I’m a fan of the two car draft, or pack racing, but I don’t sit down with 20 laps to go. Isn’t that what we all want? Isn’t that what we watch for? But I think the best racing is to come. It seems to me that the current racing is due to the new surfaces as much as anything. As the surfaces wear in, we will transition back into pack racing. But the most exciting racing will be what comes in between as the drivers discover the changing conditions allow them to “pack up” a little more every race. Soon enough it’ll be four cars lined up, then six, and so on. It’s gonna be great! If you want to get rid of the plates, my answer would be to get rid of two cylinders. Hey, they’re stock cars, right? And the majority of the cars we’re driving are V6 engines. I can hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth now. Yes, I’m aware that “there’s no replacement for good ‘ol displacement”. But while we’re swallowing fuel injection, knock the plate tracks down two cylinders and let them open those injectors wide open. The advantages are obvious. Slow the cars down (I’m guessing not by much. I’ll bet we can get a 6 banger up to 180), and don’t restrict the air flow. It opens up “Have at it boys” up to the the whole race shop. And it should do the same for the drivers, allowing them to use the gas pedal to step out and pass on their own like on non-restricted races. This doesn’t help the smaller teams (or any of the teams for that matter) in the money department. These aren’t the best economic times to run a race team anyway, much less add another bullet to the budget. Having to acquire a whole new engine for these four races might mean they don’t race, and I’m not happy with that. Nothing would make me happier than your comments on this idea. Let me have it! I have pretty thick skin, and am open to the good and bad on this idea.

Pocono Predictions

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0000

I know it’s been awhile since I put something up here, but I’m just going to jump in today. The past is the past. In the words of my favorite all time radio personality Don Geronimo, “Ever Forward!” That would put us on our way to Pocono, PA. As always, I’d like to thank Racing-Reference.info for having the data for me to sort through. Tony knows this track. It’s brought him victories, and he’s shown his ass here. In the last ten races here, he’s got the best average finish (7.9) of anyone. That’s surprising considering this has been Denny Hamlin’s playground for awhile. Four wins in nine starts and leading almost eight times as many laps as Tony. In the last ten years, no one matches the four wins. Kurt Bush has two, a handful of others have one. Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick have finished the last ten races on the lead lap. They’re the only ones that can say that. Ryan has one win here (2003). Harvick would really like a win to go with that points lead. Thinking that open wheel experience would help here, I looked at Juan Pablo’s numbers. They started off real rocky, but since putting the Target stickers on the car, he’s got all top tens. Jimmie Johnson has no wins here (ever), with a best finish of third. He has no DNF’s here. Jeff Gordon has many good finishes here (1 win) and only 2 DNF’s. In fact, the only driver in the chase that doesn’t have good numbers here is Greg Biffle. Even Mark Martin (13th), Earnhardt Jr. (14th), and Newman (15th) all have good numbers. The Biff’ might want to step it up here or he’ll take a points hit here. I usually finish my blogs with two things, my prediction and something derogatory about Robby Gordon. I’ll start with my prediction. If Tony unloads well, and that hasn’t been the case lately, he’ll be hard to beat. I’d pick Harvick as the dark horse. I don’t believe in the “He’s Due” theory, but it just might apply here. As for Robby, I’ve said repeatedly that he (as an owner) needs to put someone else in that car on the left-turn-only venues. He’s decided to put P.J. Jones in the car here, one of the only people with worse numbers than Robby himself. But I still think he’s doing the right thing. Way to go, Robby!

Poked!

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:16:00 +0000

Consider the bear officially poked. With a disappointing effort all around on the 14 team, expect a new resolve come the green flag at Dover. I'm imagining new checklists for everything in preparation for the Monster Mile. New strategies for success throughout the organization. Not just a few tweaks here and there, but a real cleaning up of the whole operation. We needed this, and this was the perfect time for it. Dover is going to separate the field more one way or the other. The concrete track and tire combo doesn't make Dover the crap shoot it used to be. It's drivable and the massive wrecks just aren't what they used to be. Tire management will be a factor, and for people who like a flat tracks, this ain't it. Having 2 of the 3 one mile tracks back to back in the Chase might not sound like a good idea, but the difference between the two venues is huge. I'm looking for a new and improved SHR to arrive at Dover. I hope I'm right.

Chase Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:21:00 +0000

Like you needed one more opinion on who might make it in… And you could go out and get this stuff yourself…. Still I went to a few pages (Jayski and Racing-Reference) and put some stats with the clinch scenarios for myself, and now you can read them.

Denny’s in. Even if he wasn’t his average finish of 9.6 would probably put him in. But he should be up front taking points from someone trying to get in. So will Tony (Average finish of 10th) and Gordon (7.7). Those three and Johnson (a lousy 18.7 av finish, but 3 wins here) will have reason to be up front thanks to the format awarding those 10 points on the other side. It’s the only way Tony doesn’t give up the points lead going into the chase. It’s checkers or the wrecker for these 4 guys. This Chase thing might not be so bad?

Now for the contenders. Without help, Carl needs to finish 24th or better. In 10 starts his average finish is 19th despite only 3 top 10s. But based on the average, he’s in. On his own, Kasey needs to finish 21st or better. He got his first win here and has an average finish of 18.5. I’m not a big proponent on momentum, but if it helps, he’s got some. Kurt needs a 20th or better. An Average finish of 18.7 puts him in. He’s also got one win at RIR. Juan Pablo hasn’t done too well here. He averages 27.8 and needs a 18th or better if no one helps him. I’ll predict he’s out. Ryan needs a 16th with an average finish of 11.7. Needless to say I’d love to see him in. Both SHR cars in the chase would be awesome. I’m saying he’s in.

Mark, everyone’s feel good favorite, needs a 12th with an average finish of 11.9. That’s a close one. I’m not a big believer in momentum, but I’ll bank on his experience and equipment. He’s in. the Biff needs an 11th, but his average finish is 15.8. Even though that’s a bit upside down, I’m going to predict he’s in based on who’s behind him. He might fall a few spots, though. Matt is the same way. He needs a 2nd place to be guaranteed a spot (Av Fn 16.7) but he’s safe based on the people behind him. He will probably need a DNF from Montoya to lock it up.

Out of the top 12 sits Brian Vickers. I think that’s where he’ll stay. His average finish is as bad as Montoya’s (27.8). But I said that Montoya’s out, so I’ve got to replace him with someone right? In 14th place sits NASCAR’s current bad boy in Kyle Bush. Love him or hate him, he’s got and average finish here of an amazing 6.7! With some bad luck for others (or lack of momentum, your choice) I say Kyle’s in.

The Throwback Guy

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:29:00 +0000

Here's a link to check out to find all your favorite old jerseys. Obviously I don't watch much football until after Holmstead, but.....

Professional jerseys from NFL, NHL, NBA, & MLB teams. Buy jerseys at cheap clearance prices. Get up to 40% off retail jersey prices.

Give 'till it feals good!

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 12:40:00 +0000

We are hosting an online fundraiser where a ticket purchaser can win any item listed below. Drawing will be on July 30th. Those same tickets purchased will also put them in the Grand Prize Drawing on October 05 for a 2010 Chevy Camaro. The winner and a guest will be flown down to Charlotte and treated to a personal tour of SHR, and lunch followed by the presentation of the Camaro and the keys directly from Tony.

Coke Add

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:04:00 +0000

I wanted to share the following sneak preview with you. The infamous Coca-Cola “brand managers” have returned to the race track, unleashing their latest attempt to sabotage Coke Zero and the NASCAR® drivers who promote the brand’s REAL Coke taste and zero calories. After humorously failing in previous commercials to solicit help from the drivers in keeping Coke Zero from taking the checkered flag and further encroaching on Coca-Cola’s turf, the brand managers have switched tactics by offering to “help out” this time. They go on to suggest that the drivers, including the likes of Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton, Greg Biffle and Denny Hamlin, “use the one part of the car that no one has bothered to use for sponsorship yet” – the windshield – to make a bold statement for the Coke Zero brand. The brand managers elicit a wide range of reactions as they pitch their idea to members of the Coca-Cola Racing Family and drape a giant Coke Zero sticker over the windshield of their cars, covering it almost entirely. The ads were loosely scripted, allowing for plenty of give-and-take between the drivers and the improv actors portraying the brand managers. Two 60-second versions of the Coke Zero “Cover Up” spot will debut during the TNT race broadcast of the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola on July 4th at 7:30 p.m. but you and your readers are invited to see it today along with behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the shoot. Visit http://tinyurl.com/cokezerocoverup.

New Years Predicitons

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:42:00 +0000

I've never done this, and I picked a heck of a year to start. It has been an edge of your seat off season if you are a junkie for NASCAR news like me. I'd like to think I'm an up to date kinda guy when it comes to NASCAR. If a NASCAR question comes up at he office, I'm the guy they ask (not very regularly, and usually it's a joke like,"Which way do they turn again?"). Hope they don't ask too many for a few months as I get used to new drivers in new cars with new sponsors.

I guess the easiest prediction would be to say that the Jimmie Johnson Juggernaut will continue to roll. What's to say he can't go on winning as long as the combination of him and Chad keep at it? I used to give the majority of the credit to Chad for Jimmie's success, but I'm beginning to believe in the chemistry thing a bit more. The unspoken words between the two are worth a thousand spoken. The ability to be best friends/family and professional business partners is something very few can pull off. Sorta like a mullet. You know; business in the front, party in the back. Jimmy and Chad have that. Maybe even better than Tony and Zippy or Jeff and Ray had it.

Along that same line, I believe that Jr. will have another mediocre year. He'll win a few and make the chase, but I don't believe he'll progress in his quest to win a Cup championship. His relationship with Tony Jr. is just not what it needs to be. I can't describe it to you, but I hear it in there voices when they talk on the radio, and so can Mr. Hendrick. We'll see how many times he has to step in on their conversations this year before he decides this has got to change. It's not going to be easy, and the wailing and gnashing of teeth by the Jr. Nation will be huge. But I believe after a few sleepless nights, he'll wake up one morning and smell the proverbial coffee. They'll be a nice niche for Tony Jr. somewhere else in HMS.

I about wrote the season off as a test session for Tony's new team until the announcement of Darien Grubb as his crew chief. I can only hope that their level of chemistry is somewhere in the rang of the three mentioned above. If they can get near that level of communication, I believe there's a chance for Tony to get into the chase. We know that Darien has seen these HMS cars before, and Tony has the raw talent. Lets hope that the last peice falls into place.

Please remember

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:45:00 +0000

I’d like to blog a little off the topic of NASCAR if you will allow me just this once. I’m an information junky. And it really doesn’t matter what information it is most of the time, just as long as it’s new (or just new to me). Needless to say NASCAR news is right up around the top of my list. Because of that fact, not a day goes by when I’m not on Jayski.com. His page has been what I consider the backbone of NASCAR news for years. Other pages have flowery stories about different topics, but if you want just the meat and potatoes, you go straight to Jayski. It’s the Google of our sport. Growing from a budding blog style page, to being picked up by a major news organization.

While crawling through the mass of information available on this site, I came upon a list of birthdays for the month of December. The list is restricted to NASCAR drivers, media, teams, and his family and friends. It does have one other stand out I’d like to remember here. Jesus Christ is listed as born on December 25^th. I thank and applaud him for it. In this politically correct world, there’s a lot of pressure on people who publish to the masses to leave out such details in order not to offend some readers. Mr. Jayski is courageous enough to ignore this type of pressure.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” Luke 2:11 KJV. Merry Christmas from Toni, Chelsey and I. Please help spread the Good News and celebrate Christmas for the real reason for the season. See more here.

Dave

theStewartFan

Dear Santa...

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:10:00 +0000

I was listening to Sirius NASCAR Radio (which I do all the time now) This morning, and they asked people to call in and act like a Secret Santa. What would you get your favorite driver for Christmas. So I called in and added my two cents. I thought I'd blog about it now.....

My gift to my favorite driver wouldn't actually go to my favorite driver per say. My gift would be whatever secret setup book Chad Knaus has that makes that Jimmy Johnson Chevy fly magically appear under the Christmas tree of Darien Grubb. I'm sure this little book of tricks is hidden away somewhere, even from Mr. Hendricks. He's got some plausible deniability on these secrets, and likes it that way. Tony and Rick are good friends, but Rick isn't in it to give away wins. Open books only open so far in some cases. I'd like to think they'll open all the way, especially given the fact that the testing ban could hurt Stewart-Haas Racing more than most. New team times new chassis divided by no testing just doesn't add up to me (I'm real bad at math).

Anyway, I'd like to add that I love Sirius NASCAR radio. I've had satellite radio since XM first came on the air. I've always liked it, but I love it now. I love Dave Moody's show. Before listening to his show, I could have gone a few weeks without satellite. Now if it broke, I'd go buy another that day so I could hear his show that afternoon. I call in as Dave from Dover every once in awhile. One day I might try to get a shamelss plug for my web page.

Just change the channel!

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:14:00 +0000

Move that soap box over here.......

I've heard a lot of griping on the NASCAR channel of my satellite radio about the last 30 or so minutes of the race being switched to another network. I myself consider this a minor inconvenience, as I had to make sure it was on the right channel when I turned on the TV anyway. If you have a TV that just automatically tunes to the race, drop me a line with the make and model. Otherwise, you had to do the same thing you did when you turned on the TV in the first place to watch the end of the race. Big deal; quit your wining. If you missed the end of the race because you weren't paying enough attention to notice, you weren't really watching the race anyway. NASCAR's ratings aren't going up either. A trend that they TV people are probably watching when they make their decision to cut to another channel. I'm sure they used the situation to make as much money per second as they possibly could. Don't think that's going to change under the new administration. No redistributing of the wealth is coming from that.

If I had to place the blame on anything making the race so long that the network had to consider switching networks, I would blame the tow truck drivers that cleared the two cars that had joined together in what appeared to be some sort of mating ritual. I watched some guy from the safety crew with a fire extinguisher stand in front of the exhaust pipe which was on fire for a good 30 seconds before he decided that the thing in his hand could possibly help with the situation, and finally put out the flames. Then a 20 minute red flag to clear a few cars off the track? If that had happened in NYC, they wouldn't have had to throw the caution. A crew would have cleared that before they picked up the pace car on the next time around. What are they trying to do out there? Hook up to the front car and pull it one way, the back car the other way, and drag them off the track. The cars are wrecked! No ones gonna say, "Man, this car is in remarkably good shape after that other car landed on top of it." It's gonna need a lot of new sheet metal no matter what. Grab on to whatever piece of the cage is closest to the tow truck, and haul it outa there. I can deal with a 60 minute caution to fix the safer barrier or to attend to someone medically, but for a wrecked race car? A truck with a push bumper could have plowed them off the track in seconds. a little bit of speedy dry, and we're racing on the same channel we started on.

the 11th best car finished ....... 11th

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:52:00 +0000

The Dover race was the best in recent memory. The weather was perfect all weekend which left rubber on the track for the cup cars to play with. Tony didn't waist much time climbing through the field behind Montoya, but couldn't seem to get around him. On the first long run, he was able to out drive most of his competitors as the handling of the cars went away. Some people might say his car was better on long runs, I wish that had been the case. With the big Red car behind him, it was time to follow the ATT car around for awhile. Just like before with Juan Pablo, he was able to pass every car Jeff Burton was passing, but not able to get around the 31. He was stuck in an average 11th position. I'm sure it was frustrating to be able to pass all those cars, but not pass the only one he needed to. The car was doomed to finish 11th. His last challenge was Michael Walthrip. Again able to keep up with the 55, but not able to pass him. The NAPA car did run good, and I'm not a big MW fan. Mike finished 10th, and Tony finished 11th. Never a threat for the lead (even Mikey led a lap!). That might seem like a good run for the chase, but Jeff Gordon averaged a top 5 in the chase last year and finished 2nd.

The black hat villain (Kyle Bush if you just started watching NASCAR yesterday) blew up and the crowd went wild. The white hat hero (Jr.) blew a tire and the crowd cried out. The Roush cars ganged up on Jimmy and treated him like a high school chess player. They pretty much gave him a weggie and took his lunch money, all in half a lap. And last, Robbie Gordon didn't disappoint by taking out Jamie McMurry in what would have probably been a top 5 car. All in all and epic story of agony, defeat, and an 11th place finish.

Please give to find a cure

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:30:00 +0000

www.DavesMSRide.com

It's almost that time when I'll be getting on the bicycle and riding to the beach again. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will use funds collected from the MS Bike Tour to not only support research for a cure tomorrow, but also to provide programs which address the needs of people living with MS today. Because we can fight this disease by simply riding a bike, because we have chosen to help thousands of people through a contribution to the MS Bike Tour, we are now getting closer to the hour when no one will have to hear the words, "You have MS."

Please give a little or as much as you can at www.DavesMSRide.com. For those of you who have already given, Thank You so much.

--
Dave Guenthner
www.DiamondScents.com
info@diamondScents.com

The Olympics and NASCAR

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 01:11:00 +0000

Always a fan of the VA boys in NASCAR, I'll post this info sent to me from ATT about Jeff's support for the Olymipc games.

AT&T is celebrating Team USA as it prepares for the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing by introducing a new paint scheme for Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet, the racecar driven by NASCAR Cup Series veteran Jeff Burton!

Last Thursday (6/5/08), Jeff Burton circled Pocono Raceway in the new paint scheme, which features the AT&T USA five-ring logo and images of U.S. Olympic Team hopefuls gymnast Nastia Liukin and swimmer Michael Phelps.

Click Here for images of the event and the new No. 31 paint scheme.

AT&T is proud to continue its support for NASCAR and Team USA. Burton, Liukin, and Phelps are all doing amazing things this year, and we look forward to their future successes!

Also, Team USA enthusiasts who want to stay connected to their favorite U.S. athletes such as Liukin and Phelps should be sure to check out AT&T blue room to enjoy webcasts of events and exclusive interviews with AT&T U.S. Olympic Team hopefuls. Both Liukin and Phelps are featured in AT&T Tips and Training program episodes, which provide fans access to sport-specific training tips from select U.S. Olympic Team hopefuls.

17 Laps

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:47:00 +0000

I watched my first Dover race from the stands this year, and 17 laps was all it took for it to go bad. From our seats in the middle of turn of 3 and 4, 16 rows up, we could see all of the track with the exception of a short section right in front of us, as it was hard to see over the wall. We had pretty good seats for lap 17, though. We saw Elliott Sadler come out of turn 2 sideways after contact with David Gilliland. Dover being the “Self Cleaning Track”, Elliot didn’t stay up against the outside wall. Another quirk of the Monster Mile is it gets narrow coming out of the turns. These two factors gave Tony not much of a chance to avoid Sadler in the first place. He came out of turn two where the normally fast line has you drift up towards the wall. As the 19 car started to slide down to the inside, I imagined Tony staying high and cruising around and continuing the race. That dream did not materialize. “Go low” is what I heard on my Fan View Scanner. Tony’s spotter didn’t have the view we had. We could see right down the back stretch, and the spotter had to look over the garage area to see what was happening. And go low is what Tony did; right into the side of the Best Buy car.

We had a full and fun weekend, even with the race ending very early. We did TrackSide Live on Friday, watched part of the Nationwide Race from the pits on Saturday, and had good seats for Sunday’s race. We met some new friends who were more than just a little hospitable, letting us park and hang out with them at their RV. We enjoyed watching Joey Legano race, and bought the first of probably many of his souvenirs. He looks like he could make the Joe Gibbs racing stable even more powerful than it is now. No pressure, Joey.

The fuel is a lie!

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Sun, 25 May 2008 18:34:00 +0000

As I watched the Nationwide race last night, I didn't once again fall for the drama that the announcers try to build in to the race. "The top 12 cars don't have the fuel to go the distance", they'd say. "By our calculator, they're short 4 laps." Well, your calculators suck. Not only did they finish the race (and they almost always do), but the winner did 14 burnouts and 22 victory laps (I'm exaggerating, of course).

The teams know that if they run out of fuel, they ain't gonna finish in the top 25 or so, and they'll come and get fuel. Please leave the drama to the teams, drivers, the track, the weather, or whatever real life quandaries that actually might have some effect on the race conclusion. I don't mind your opinion, after all it's part of you're job (and worth a lot more than mine), but I'd rather you state it and move on. Put your calculators away up in the booth. If you were that good, you'd be on a pit box.

That said, Kyle Bush continues to show his talent as a driver. He also had a crew chief that somehow knew those old tires could hold off a charging Denny Hamlin. I'm sure that kind of tire strategy might end up in tonight's race.

Glad that's over with

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:48:00 +0000

If you've read my past posts about this event, you'd know I'm not a big fan of the All Star event. I would dump it myself, but I'm sure I'm the minority on that one. I don't even give it the satisfaction of calling it a race. I'll admit, I watch it, but I would probably watch the Cup cars run anything and anywhere. I'm a NASCAR fan after all. I'm glad the Tony was racing a backup car and not something they had set up for a starter at any point. It appears that JGR had a few other agendas for the event. All three JGR cars seemed to be running an experimental engine package that, at some time during the weekend, expired. I'm not sure if they put another test package back in Tony's car to race with, but he was not doing too bad towards the end. Much like Darlington, where cautions are the rule and not the exception, a yellow towards the end would have benefited him greatly. Again, it didn't come. In an event billed as a winner take all as if they're gonna be wrecking every lap, they went pretty much caution free towards the end. Now let's get back to points racing!

Here he comes!

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:49:00 +0000

It 's really nice to see Dover Speedway doing more things that will only really effect the true fans. I have seen them double the size of there sky boxes, which are just filled full of non-race fans. I watched the fall race in a sky box, and when it was time for Carl to do his flip, I was the only person in my box still there to see the race. Everyone else had left an hour or so before the race ended. These aren't race fans.

The new FanZone and Monster statue (which will be holding a full sized car) will probably never be seen by the high rollers, and that's fine by me. Us real race fans will enjoy it. I took this picture myself on Mother's Day.

Give 'till it Helps

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Sat, 10 May 2008 19:50:00 +0000

The NASCAR Foundation’s NASCAR Day program is May 16, 2008 and has become one of the most important and fastest-growing traditions in the NASCAR Family. In 2007, NASCAR Day raised more than $1.6 million from the combined fund raising efforts of NASCAR fans, NASCAR partners and companies worldwide.

Right now, NASCAR fans can show their support by visiting their local participating The Home Depot store to make a $5 donation and get their 2008 NASCAR Day collectible lapel pin. Pins will be available through NASCAR Day on Friday, May 16. Fans will receive a $5 bounce back coupon with their pin to use on their next purchase of $50 or more at The Home Depot.

FanView Review

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:00:00 +0000

I rented one of these things at Richmond, and here's my take:

A lot of race views, but I’m trying to watch the race! It would have been the next best thing to the TV if I wasn’t watching from the stands, but I was. 5 stars for ease of use. I found the perfect combination of listening to the DirecTV channel of Tony Stewart as they covered Tony-specific stuff the whole race. They did seem to hype it up a bit, saying he was charging through the field when he was habitually in 10th the entire race, but that’s DirecTV’s problem, not the FanView. The problem with that is it lost communication with the DirecTV drivers with 30 laps to go. At that point it jumped to the MRN radio with Tony on priority scan, which was the next best thing. After reporting the “glitch” to the trailer I turned the unit in to (and receiving a receipt proving I turned it in), the Gentleman gave me a voucher for one free use of the unit good for a year at any upcoming race. I’m sure I’ll get it again based on that.

It wasn’t much more that a scanner other than that. I did use the stats button to track who was a lap down a few times to see who was pitting with Tony, info I would not have had handy without the FanView unit. Given the frequency list for the DirecTV driver channels, my scanner would have sufficed. Now at larger tracks where you can’t see much more of the cars except for what’s rushing by you in a moment (Pocono and the road courses come to mind), this thing would show you quite a bit of the racing you’d miss without it, including replays. If you’re gonna try one of these things (and I would if I were you), I’d get one early in the day before lines get long just before the race. They gave me a military discount when I showed them my ID. Rumor is there is a Sprint customer discount also if you show them your phone. If you attend 5 or more races a year, purchasing one might be an option to consider. It would pay for itself in fairly short order.

Reflections of Richmond

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Sun, 04 May 2008 20:18:00 +0000

Richmond as a whole was again a great experience. Great track and facility. I’d recommend it to anyone, especially for a first race. I’ve got to go see more of the races here. We really enjoyed it. We saw a few friends we’d only knew online and we hope to see again. We wandered through all of the trailers and concessions. We were on SPEED Trackside. We had great seats on the Start/Finish line. The weather was great during the day, and held throughout the race. Just a great day for a race that ended with a great race.Richmond just refuses to disappoint.

Tony had a lot to think about during the race. He asked for more forward bite, and they adjusted. He asked for more, and they made more adjustments. This went on for most of the race. And then the electrical problems started. Tony was as busy as an air traffic controller, monitoring gauges, flipping switches, and driving a car that just didn’t seem to perform. He could get to tenth, but it just wouldn’t climb any higher. Basically he finished 4th because 4 cars in front of him fell back, and he just wouldn’t give up on his car. After 4 adjustments, we finally got some good feedback from him, and he started to pass cars. All in all a very hard fought 4th place finish for the 20 car.

It was an old school domination of a race except for the fact that he didn’t lap the field. Denny had it won, but for the same reason I’m a N ASACAR fan, he didn’t. If you don’t stick around for the last turn of the last lap, you can’t be sure who won. I was waiting for him to get out of the car and lay down in traffic. Instead he got penalized for purposely bringing out the yellow. My call would have been to come in for tires after dropping out of the top 10, but I blow stuff up for a living, so throw my opinion where ever you’d like.

You’ve got to ask yourself, “Would Dale Sr. have raced Dale Jr. in the same position (with quite possibly the same results)?” The answer is a resounding yes. Was Kyle out of place under Jr.? No. Could’ve Jr. given him some more room? Sure. Why Wasn’t Jr. Protecting the low line, anyway? Who knows?

Who does Michael Walthrip think he is teaching someone a lesson at Richmond? In 42 starts, he’s got 0 top 5’s and only 2 top 10’s. He missed the last three races here. I’d think there’s a better driver out there to show someone the ropes at RIR. I’m glad they parked him.

Just Another February . . .

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:31:00 +0000

....and no win for Tony. The 24 hours at Daytona is followed by the 24 hours at California. I'm sure I'm not alone when I backseat drive and say they made a real bad call starting the race yesterday. I blow stuff up for a living, so don't take my word for it. I'm sure the 11, 5 and 88 really would like an explanation to why their race cars are all wrinkled up. They were definitely the biggest losers today. The 24 jumps 24 spots ahead in the points to 14th. If you're gonna make a comeback after Daytona, this is the place to do it. Every race, it gets harder to make it up. Kyle Bush is the only one to finish both races in the top 5, and it shows as he takes the points lead. Tony goes from third, well, to third with his 7th place finish. He seemed to be able to move around just after restarts, but when the car in front of him got a lead, he was just stuck there. The last time I saw Carl Edwards do a flip, it was in person here at Dover. I was trying to see how many shrimp I could eat before they kicked me out of the sky box. He finished way out in front. If you thought Daytona was boring (and I read that a lot; don't feel the same), then hook yourself up to a defibrillator and shock yourself back to life.

And with one lap to go.....

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 04:16:00 +0000

Needless to say I'm not as disappointed as Tony, but I was on my knees after that one. It's a real heart breaker to be in that position at that point in the race. But he wasn't up there the whole time, and he didn't have a lot of good things to say about his car most of the race. Thanks to a friend with TrackPass on NASCAR.com, I was able to listen to him all but cuss at the car for some time. But in true championship team fashion, Zippy and co. were able to put the proper screws to it and get him in a position to win it.

I think Tony went low to pick up a push he knew he wasn't gonna get from the 12. He didn't realize that Kyle lost all of his momentum after being forced under the yellow line and having to lift. We'll never know, but I could have seen a huge wreck if Tony would have attempted the block on Ryan with Kurt attached. Given one more lap, Kyle would have been able to give him that push. I gotta look on the bright side a little, we're 136 points ahead of where we were this time last year. Here's to finishing in the top 3 all year.

Congratulations to Ryan Newman and Rodger Penske. He started this journey when he entered a car in the 1972 Daytona 500 with Mark Donohue behind the wheel of a AMC Matador. 18 laps into it, a push rod got too short (broke). Roger's been trying ever since. And I'll recognize the two Evernham cars in the top 10. Sadler had a terrible run going and finished up front.

You're the greatest Toni.

The Duals are Done

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:21:00 +0000

The Duals are Done
I'm actually emailing in this post. If it works well, you might see me blogging more from different locations. Back to the post. The Duals were as exiting as the Shootout, but the Championship is still not on the line. I've never been a big fan of non-points events. It's like playing online poker tournaments for free. No real risk for putting it all out there. But every lap in the Daytona 500 will count towards the big picture, the Sprint Cup (That's what they're calling it now, right?). Jr has the chance to make history like Tony did last year by winning the Shootout, his dual, and then the 500. We all know how Tony finished that up last year (Dead Last!).

I've told people for years that if Tony finished second to Jr. in every plate race, I would be happy. The plate races are huge points gambles as far as I'm concerned. Leading a lap and finishing second is as good as a win in my book.

That about says it all...

noreply@blogger.com (theStewartFan) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 01:13:00 +0000

Thanks NASCAR, for clearing up what happened in the hauler after Kurt unceremoniously rammed Tony numerous times in Shootout practice. Punishing them the same says it all. I'd like to say I call them like I see'em. I looked at the incident many times before I made a judgment that Kurt flat out blocked Tony up into the wall causing the accident. That in itself was uncalled for in a practice setting. The way Tony has had his car up against that outside wall ever since has solidified my opinion. Kurt's reaction was down right stupid. Tony, on the other hand, showed an amount of restraint not seen very often; but I guess it didn't last. I'm going to believe the rumors that Tony acted out against Kurt in the hauler, based on the equal penalties. After all, NASCAR is always "Fair and Balanced" (don't sue me FOX NEWS!) when it comes to penalties. Would they?

Happy Valentines Day, Toni