Gas-and-Go

Relief Donations...

2005-08-31T20:14:00.000-04:00

Regular readers may be wondering where Roushketeer and I have been. Well, we both started new jobs that are taking a lot of our time. In fact, so much time that we really don't have time to maintain the blog anymore. It was fun while it lasted!

I was prompted to write today (probably our last post) because of the utter devastation in New Orleans and Mississippi. I encourage all of you to donate to the Katrina relief efforts, as Roushketeer and I will both be doing. If you work at a company that matches donations, donate there (look here for a small list). The people in Katrina's path need our help, and I hope that we don't turn our back on our own citizens when we've been so generous to others in the face of their disasters.

You can donate at the following places:

Red Cross
Salvation Army
Methodist Relief
Operation Blessing (through CBN)

More information is available at the FEMA website. And although it goes without saying, I'll say it here anyway: please pray for Katrina's victims. They need as many prayers as possible.

God bless -- Kara99

Wow, I'm Baffled...

2005-08-09T21:34:00.000-04:00

Ok, so Roush announced today that Kurt Busch will be leaving to drive the #2 for Penske starting in '07... and, wow, we are big Roush fans over here at Gas-and-Go, and this possibility had not even entered into our speculation. I admit, I was blindsided by the news.

Kurt Busch is the reigning series champion, and is a member o one of the currently dominant teams in the sport... he has among the best equipment out there and, from all reports, a crew and teammates that work together well. So, why the move? The only explanation I can come up with is that Penske must have thrown a lot of money at him. Of course, I admit that my understanding of the internal politics and history of the sport and teams is pretty limited, so if anyone has a more compelling explanation, please comment and enlighten me!

The #2 is a storied team, and Rusty has been having a fabulous year... but the Charger has certainly had its share of problems, and the Dodge teams in general have not had a great year - in most cases they just haven't been able to keep up with Roush and Hendrick (and, lately, Gibbs in the form of Tony Stewart). So, I just don't get why Kurt would jump ship on Roush... I really don't.

The most interesting part of the story to me, however, is the unusual position that it puts Jack Roush in. In conjunction with his announcement that he signed with Penske starting in '07, Kurt asked to be released from his Roush contract in '06 in order to join the Penske operation next year. Sound familiar? yeah, I thought so... that's exactly the position that Jamie McMurray is in with respect to his current contract at Genassi and his future contract at Roush. So, Kurt is either quite fortuitous in his timing, or very very savvy (I presume it's the latter) - Jack can hardly put the pressure on Genassi (to the extent he can) to release Jamie, and, at the same time, refuse to release Kurt to Penske.

So, who will be driving the #97? I, for one, expect Jack to release Kurt for next year. Anyone think that Mikey can be convinced to drive a Ford?

Countdown to the Chase - Atlanta

2005-08-05T22:30:00.000-04:00

Back from Martinsville, all 4 of the remaining races in the Chase, beginning with Week 7 at Atlanta, are on intermediate tracks, and 3 of these tracks have seen races earlier in the season.

Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500

Atlanta Motor Speedway

Race #7 of the Chase / #33 of the Season
October 31, 2005

Track Specs:
1.54-mile oval: banking = 24' (turns), 5' (straits)
Attendance: 124,000

Stats of Note:
Most Recent Track Winner: Carl Edwards (3/05)
Winners at the Track in the Last 5 years: Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Bobby Labonte (2), Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick
Track Race Record: Bobby Labonte ('97)
Best Avg. Finish Among Active Drivers: Carl Edwards (2.0) over 2 starts; Kasey Kahne (4.3) after 3 starts; Jimmie Johnson (12.0) with 8 starts.

Comments:
It's been a wild ride at AMS this year - quite literally given the tornado that struck and severely damaged the facility in early July. The storm destroyed grandstands, tore down a scroing pylon and generally roughed-up the place. Managers, however, were steadfast that repairs could and would be completed in time for the Cup race in October. They appear to be moving in the right direction - the track has already reopened for limited purposes and even played host to the first on-track test of the new Fusion this week. I like a good comeback story... :)

The spring Atlanta race, in March, jumpstarted the beginning of the 2005 Cup season, with Carl Edwards barely edging Jimmie Johnson in the final stretch to become the first driver to secure his first career Busch and Cup victories in the same weekend (and at the same track!). It was a good race, with a fantastic finish! Fans will be well-served if the October race proves similarly unpredictable.

Predictions:
To Win
Greg Biffle finished 3rd in the March race in Atlanta, and declared it one of the worst days of his life. A bit dramatic, I'd say. But, that's the way Biff is - he just expects to be able to bring home the win when he knows he has a car capable of doing it. That intensity is a large part of his break-out season this year, I think... He is capitalizing on the combination of crew and equipment that has finally come together. Well, that plus the fact that he likes driving a loose racecar better than just about any driver on the circuit.

In any case, I will be very surprised if Biff doesn't win at least 2 of the 1.5-milers in the Chase (watch for the intensity to go up yet another notch come Loudin), and Atlanta is an excellent candidate to be one of those wins. This track is one of the few on which Biff has the stats, even outside of this year, to back up such a prediction. He has 3 top-10s in his 5 Cup starts here with an average finish of 13.6 (including one DNF). No win at the track in a Cup car yet, but that's just a matter of time. He also has 5 Busch starts, all of which resulted in top-10s, including 4 top-5s, 2 poles, and a win. Not bad... not bad at all...

To Do Well
OK, so I'd be stupid not to list March winner Carl Edwards as a possibility here. No, I don't think he's going to repeat (just as I didn't think he would at Pocono), but he has a great chassis for the track, and has the will and motivation to be a strong competitor. I'm thinking top 5. He also has the Busch win here from March as well. This track has also been good for another young driver... Kasey Kahne. Now, Kasey's been having a rather uneven season, but this is perhaps his strongest intermediate track. His 3 Cup races here have all been top-5s (2 5ths and a 3rd)... a statistic that no one is going to laugh at. I don't think either of these guys are going to make the Chase (although Carl definitely still has a shot if he finishes well at Indy), but they are young enough to look past that and see this race as an opportunity to gain momentum for 2006.

So, Kahne and Edwards are my young'uns for the race... but really, I'm going to be predictable, safe, and somewhat boring by also throwing Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson into my mix. Sure, these are names that you see me mentioning week after week... but can you blame me? Johnson, the points leader, very narrowly lost this year's March race to Carl, as I mentioned above, so it would be entirely arbitrary to leave him off the list. Oh, and there are also that win and 5 top-5s he has here in the last 8 starts. Tony, the hot hand at the moment of this writing (but we all know how fast that could change), finished an unimpressive 17th (but on the lead lap) in March. Nonetheless, he has a win and 7 top-10s in the last 5 years here, for an average finish of 9.0 in that period. I'll be looking for the 20 among the leaders (not that the ever-present orange paint scheme makes it hard to miss!).

Also watch
I try to shake things up a little with my picks in this category, although too often they aren't all that out-on-a-limb either. This week, I'm going with Brian Vickers, who has a solid, but ininspiring record on intermediate tracks in his 2 years of Cup racing. He seems to have sort of unlocked Atlanta, however, going from 43rd and 21st in his first two races here to 7th and 6th in his two more recent attempts... that's the kind of improvement in a young driver that makes an owner sleep well at night. He turned it up a notch in the June Pocono race, and it looked like he might get his first win there, which, I think, renewed both his confidence and his passion to get that win (and others to follow it). He's hungry, and this is a track he likes.

Next up: Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Kurt and Eva Engaged!

2005-08-03T23:49:00.000-04:00

Well, Eva Bryan will soon be a "trophy wife" instead of just a trophy girl. From his weekly diary, Kurt Busch writes:

"Europe was terrific. We also spent some time in Prague before the race that was a lot of fun. And I want you guys to be the first to know that while we were in Prague I proposed to Eva. Thankfully she said yes… We haven’t figured out everything as far as when and where the wedding will be, but we’re going to take our time."

Congrats to the happy couple!

Support Allen Bestwick!

2005-08-02T21:20:00.000-04:00

We here at Gas-n-Go are big Allen Bestwick fans (see here, here, and here). Or, at a minimum, we much prefer Allen Bestwick over the guy in the booth now that replaced him. Allen is also being replaced on Inside Nextel Cup on Mondays on Speed. What a travesty! So to tell NBC, TNT, and Speed what a mistake we think they've made, I started a petition to "bring Allen back." It's available here, and I encourage you all to sign it!

We are definitely not the only ones who prefer Allen. I've spent a bit of time scouring the Internet, and I find virtually no comments indicating a preference for Bill Weber. And there are lots of people who love Allen. For instance, the great columns over at Insider Racing News have a ton of pro-Allen mentions and chronicle the mistakes that Weber makes. And here's a great article and discussion of a possible Allen fan club! This article says simply, "why do people insist on messing up a good thing?" and then lists the number of mistakes that Weber tends to make over and over again.

More... this writer said after the Pepsi 400, "[NBC] stuck in Bill Webber (sic), who from what I heard last night, is nothing more than a walking cliche." Several comments agree that Weber doesn't compare to Allen. One writes "Allen Bestwick is the best reporter of them all. just the race, and good info. No rodeo, jumping out of planes, or talking about himself.If he is out of the picture I will watch a lot less NASCAR programs. IF it is not broke do not fix it…"

At this discussion, a number of people support Allen over Bill. One writes, "NBC should've kept Allen Bestwick in the booth...he's more enjoyable to listen to than Bill Weber is. Bill's a good pit reporter & Allen's better in the booth than he is on pit road. Probably the only advantage of putting Weber in the booth is that we don't have to deal with the overdramatic interviews & Victory Lane interviews he used to do." I will note that lots of people have mentioned that -- Allen does great interviews, and won't hound Jr. with inane questions about his dad after every victory, like Bill had done.

Here is an excellent discussion of the Bestwick/Weber switch. I agree wholeheartedly:

For reasons beyond any kind of comprehension, NBC took Allen Bestwick, their best play-by-play announcer, and replaced him with the gruff, barking Bill Weber. While Weber was more than suited for last year’s role as lead pit announcer, reading from his cue cards, Bill’s lack of knowledge pales in comparison to Bestwick. For example, in between Benny’s two factual flubs listed above, was this exchange on lap 75. Parsons said, “And the reason they didn’t change; how many sets of tires, guys, do they get this weekend in the NASCAR Busch Series for this (sic) 300 miles?” Bill Weber, who obviously doesn’t know the answer, “‘Cause the NASCAR Busch Series limits the amount of tires they can have.” Enter Allen Bestwick with the answer, “They get six sets of tires, BP.”
During the Cup race on Sunday, Weber was all over the place. For example, just 14 laps into the race and following a discussion about Biffle, was this exchange. Weber said, “This is the battle for fourth, Casey Mears in the 41 trying to pass Biffle in the 16.” Wally Dallenbach immediately corrects him, “Actually I think it’s the other way around.” Weber, “You think so?” Benny, “You big dummy. remember Biffle had fallen back... come on Bill, wake up.” Or how about this exchange on lap 44 when Bill Weber says, “Martin Truex leading by 17 now over Clint Bowyer. Reed Sorenson had a real up and down day.” Wally Dallenbach says, “Read that again.” Bill Weber, “72. What’d I say?” Benny says, “17.” Weber, “No, it’s 72.” Benny, “That’s what I thought.” Weber, “Thank you. Just wanted to see if you were listening.”
The problem is that, as NASCAR fans; we have no choice but to listen. Listen to NBC’s mistakes, listen to NBC’s factual errors, listen to their bad jokes, listen to their excuses... the only thing we don’t get to hear is “Crank It Up,” that’s a Fox innovation. And the $64,000 questions are, “Is anyone at NBC listening?” and, “Does anyone at NBC care?” Perhaps not. Likely not. NASCAR bailed NBC out by creating an exciting Chase for the Championship and the NBC executives are content to continue with their under funded poop as long as their ratings are climbing. Can you imagine how much higher those ratings would be if we had Darrell, Larry and Jeff counting down the final ten races? Those boys would be squealing like greased pigs with contagious excitement!
And what does NBC do with Allen Bestwick, who had a multiple fracture of one of his legs less than 12 months ago? In its wisdom, and showing its corporate compassion, NBC rubs salt in Bestwick’s wounds by first swapping him with the inferior Bill Weber and then making Bestwick run (or limp?) up and down pit road in search of stories. After watching NBC’s conduct over the past three seasons it is apparent that Shane Hmiel wasn’t the only one associated with NASCAR racing that was using banned substances. There are apparently a few NBC executives who are totally out of contact with reality as well.

I couldn't agree more with the above quote! How awesome! Here's another message board post: "I've tolerated NBC for the first few years of this contract, but man!! NBC SUCKS!! Webber wouldn't know aero push from a bump draft! Where did they find this clown? He can look right at the action and still call it wrong.I.e., the yellow this afternoon when Carl Edwards cut a tire and hit the wall: Any idiot could see Kenseth beat Johnson to the pit line, but Webber calls Johnson the race leader -- and I think it was because some idiot in the truck put that up as a graphic, not because Webber even knew how to call it. A few laps earlier he had credited Harvick with passing Edwards when in fact it was Edwards who had just passed Harvick." Yes, another mistake by Weber. The writer continues, "Why did NBC put Alan Bestwick in the pits? He's not that good, but he was the best NBC had, and they take him out of the booth and put him down on the track. It just proves to me that NBC is not qualified to televise NASCAR..."

This message board has discussions of Allen as superbly qualified. More message board discussions here, all in favor of Allen. Trent over at Over the Wall doesn't say much to say about it, but lots of commenters are favorably disposed toward Allen, and a little disgusted with Weber, at this post.

There's an interesting discussion of who your dream announcer team would be here, at an interesting blog. The same blog has a number of comments about the switch here, and they definitely are all pro-Allen.

Finally, this post is just a great discussion of why Allen is better than Bill. "Allen Bestwick is the kind of broadcaster that can make a trip to a sewage treatment plant sound like a good time," the author writes. "My only suggestion at this point is to ask Bill to join Allen’s hockey team."

Well, I won't go that far. But I do want you all to feel better about the switch by voicing your opinion too! Note that my campaign to save Allen is not an indictment of FOX or NBC. I just think he is better than Weber, and I think it was really terrible of NBC to demote him the way they did.

Support Allen and sign the petition here!

Paper or Plastic

2005-08-01T20:12:00.000-04:00

Okay, Nascar Nation has really gotten out of control. The stupid questions are just absurd. Do we really care -- or want to know -- that Travis Kvapil asks for paper bags at the grocery store because they're old school, or that Jeff Burton wants plastic because they have handles? The three hosts seem like they know about as much about NASCAR as do third graders from Maine.

And a rap video? You've got to be kidding me. Nascar's "Drive for Diversity" is not going to be helped by two guys thumping up and down and singing/rapping about pit stops. Nascar Nation produced and paid for the video, but I honestly cannot imagine why.

What on earth has Speed TV come to?

At least NBC 24/7 was good. Interesting story and great coverage about the Tim Fedewa firing. Good interviews with Armando Fitz, a mechanic, and Fedewa himself. All involved seem to be class acts. It was sad, though, the cameras showed us both Fedewa's house and David Stremme's new house. Stremme's seemed much much nicer, and man, is it sweet. His landscaping, however, was awful, and I agree that he should contact Carl Edwards to get some Scott's lawn care stuff. He also needs to trim his hedges, and hates snakes.

On NBS 24/7, we see Stremme in action discussing snakes. We don't have drivers looking absolutely mystified that someone would actually ask them whether they prefer paper or plastic. Good for Tony Stewart -- a couple of weeks ago, he said "Who cares?" in response to one of the dumb NN questions. Keep it up, Smoke. We like hearing gossip about a driver, or watching them as they go about their daily lives, but this NN nonsense is just plain stupid.

Kevin Harvick a Hothead?

2005-07-30T21:28:00.000-04:00

So, yes, I agree that Kevin Harvick is a bit of a hothead. Yes, he has a temper, I know. But really, honestly, is he any worse than any one else? Did he really need to finish first in our poll of the week, so far ahead with 34% of the vote? Geez, more than twice as many people voted for Kevin than did Tony Stewart! Kurt Busch finished in second, with 21% of the vote.

Of course feuds and fights make the news, so I do remember many of these incidents, even when I wasn't such a huge NASCAR fan. But I decided to really lay it all out, and see how much of a hothead Kevin really is. He is one of my favorite drivers, if not my most favorite. Does he deserve the title of "biggest hothead" too? Below, I've listed all of the incidents or quotes (that I can think of) that would make Kevin a "hothead."

2001
Oct. 30, Talladega, Cup. Harvick tapped Todd Bodine’s bumper and sent him careening into the wall. Bodine called Harvick an “idiot” afterwards, and criticized his confrontational attitude. Bodine's crew chief was fined $10K for yelling at Harvick after the race.

2002
Mar. 23, Bristol, Busch. Harvick waited for Greg Biffle after the race and grabbed him on pit road. Harvick was fined $15K, placed on probation until Aug. 28.

Apr. 6, Martinsville, trucks. Harvick spun out rookie Coy Gibbs, then refused to go to the NASCAR hauler. He was fined $35K, "parked" a race, and put on probation until the end of the year. A lot has been written about this incident too.

May 20, Charlotte, the Winston. Harvick and Ryan Newman both got called to the hauler after trading bumps during a caution.

2003
May 4, Richmond, Cup. Teammate Jeff Green gets out of his car and gestures at Harvick for supposedly spinning Green out. Harvick had no comment.

Aug. 23, Bristol, Cup. Harvick was asked why fans boo Kurt Busch, and he apparently took Jimmy Spencer's side for punching Kurt, calling Busch "an arrogant, cocky punk," saying that he has a "really, really, bad attitude" and noting that he "hates losing to a Rubberhead" (referring to Busch's former sponsor, Rubbermaid).

Sept, 7, Richmond, Cup. Harvick stomped on the top of Ricky Rudd's car. He was fined $35K and put on probation until Dec. 31, 2003. There's so much written about the incident, I don't really need to say much.

2004
Feb. 21, Rockingham, Busch. Cup Teammates Robby Gordon and Harvick get into a battle of words after Robby, a lap down, raced Harvick so hard that McMurray passed both to take the lead away. Harvick told the media to "go ask the guy guiding the steering wheel -- or holding onto the steering wheel" because it would be a "waste of air" for Kevin to talk to him.

June 12, Pocono, Cup. Harvick and Matt Kenseth both spun each other out and spent an hour in the NASCAR hauler. Harvick said that Kenseth "needs to check his ego because it's getting too big." NASCAR fined both $25K, put the drivers on probation for seven weeks, and moved each of them to the end of the lead lap, losing ten spots in race. Matt talks at length about the "feud" between the two here, which had been brewing for awhile. You can also see a picture of Kevin wearing his infamous Matt Kenseth t-shirt.

Nov. 8, Phoenix, Cup. Harvick and Kasey Kahne hit each other on pit road after the race, after battling for position throughout the race. Harvick and Tommy Baldwin scream at one another. Jeff Gordon said that Harvick "was a little high-strung today." Kahne and Harvick were both fined $10K and put on probation. Read more about the incident from NASCAR.

2005
Feb. 17, Daytona, Gatorade Duel. Jimmie Johnson slowed down, Harvick hit him (perhaps because he was bump drafting through the corner), and the ensuing wreck took out several cars. Joe Nemechek threw a water bottle at Harvick and called him stupid, and Johnson said that RCR should fire Harvick. Read more here.

May 21, Charlotte, All-Star race. Nemechek and Harvick get into a name-calling and shoving match, with Harvick saying that Nemecheck should "take that and shove it where the sun don't shine, baby."

June 6, Dover, Busch. Battling for position, Harvick and Kyle Busch slam into one another and run through the grass pushing each other. Helton called both into the NASCAR hauler. Read more here, but this is one where you almost have to see the video to understand.

July 10, Chicago, Busch. Harvick doesn't pass leader and gets lucky dog, gets slammed by Biffle. Read most of the quotes here, but really all Harvick did was say Biffle was acting like a prima donna.

I really don't think that's too bad... Two or three incidents a year, that's it. He's aggresive but honest, and he's just got a cool wife in Delana. This writer agrees with me! And at least Kevin sort of has a sense of humor (the Matt Kenseth t-shirt, the law offices t-shirt...) So, Kevin's still going to be my driver.

Maybe I'll do driver temper reviews on a regular basis...this was kind of fun! Also be sure to vote in our new poll...this one might not be as fun, but hey -- who should be getting the open rides in Cup next year?

Eva Bryan, Kurt Busch's "Trophy Girl"

2005-07-28T19:39:00.000-04:00

Okay, so while most drivers are headed to Mexico or doing something fun on their last off-week of the season, not Kurt Busch. According to his weekly diary entry, "I'm on a plane right now to Europe. Eva and I are going to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix Formula One race for our last off-weekend of the year. You guys know me - I can't be away from the racetrack for even one weekend! I hope everyone enjoys the weekend." That's just nuts.

I'm also watching one of my favorite shows, Beyond the Wheel, right now, and I must say, Biff just continues to crack me up. From the 16's in-car:

Greg Biffle: Now the guy that's taping the lids onto the bottle, you don't really have to do that, because normally the way I'd work it is they loosen the lid so they can get the air in, so I can get the liquid out of the bottle. Engineering type of thing.

Doug Richert: We'll get you a water here, hold the tape. The funniest thing was that the entire time Biff is saying this, he's driving and gesturing with it! It was amusing...

And finally, I'm not exactly sure how to react to Kurt's post-race comments on Beyond the Wheel.

in-car: Somebody needs to bring the little dog that we own to Victory Lane. She's a little winner as well.

studio interview: We wanted to bring Ginger to Victory Lane. It was great...We had the pet show the day before and then little Ginger won best of show for little dogs...and so it was great...she's got her trophy, I've got my trophy from it, and then of course, Eva's a trophy girl, so we had to bring her in there as well.

Is Eva Bryan supposed to be happy that she's Kurt Busch's "trophy girl"? (For more on Eva and Ginger, with info on where to see pictures of both, see earlier posts here and here). I just don't know how I feel. Of course, remember when Jay Mohr poked fun at Kurt at the Awards Ceremony, commenting that dating Eva "wasn’t a lateral move for you Kurt" and asking, "what was your pick-up line, 'Hello, I’m Peyton Manning'?" But still...wouldn't you think you'd avoid the term "trophy girl"?

E! True Hollywood Story: NASCAR Wives

2005-07-28T13:37:00.000-04:00

Nothing is on TV during the day, I've discovered. So I watched E!'s True Hollywood Story about NASCAR. The first 40 minutes are the same-old, same-old, with Jr. talking about winning Busch races and losing his dad, other drivers talking about sponsorship and the crew behind the driver, etc. And then the show did a segment on NASCAR wives and girlfriends. Since many of our blog's visitors come searching for info on NASCAR wives, I thought I'd recap that portion of the show:

* When then Krissie Boyle met Ryan Newman, he told her that he drove stock cars for a living. She said something along the lines of, "What's a stock car?" (Reminds me also of the story of how Kurt Busch and Eva Bryan met -- they were set up a couple years ago after the July Pocono race -- and she was told he was a veterinarian. He's jokingly said that he doesn't think she would have gone out with a "redneck" racer had she known the truth...) But back to the Newmans: Krissie said she just watched everybody and everything around the track, couldn't believe what all when into the sport.

Krissie also mentioned the demands of NASCAR, and said that although she and Ryan have talked about having kids, it would have to be just a few years before he retires, because of the time constraints of traveling. She wants to be at the track with him, and I for one don't blame her. The Newmans (as mentioned before) have adopted dogs instead of kids for now, and I think it's great what they're doing with their foundation!

Ryan and Krissie also talked about what they do outside of racing, when they visit different cities. Krissie mentioned how she enjoys seeing what different cities have to offer. She, however, says she's developed a "shoe fetish" and Ryan has talked to her about controlling her spending for shoes! Too funny... an Imelda Marcos in NASCAR!

Krissie also discussed how she lays out Ryan's clothes for him on Sundays, so all he has to do is shower, dress and go straight to the driver's meeting. They then go to chapel together and just wait for the race to start. She also mentioned that it is really hard for her to watch when Ryan crashes. "That gets a little aggravating because there's nothing I can do about it. I can't go out and take my rental car out on the track and run them off the road!" Krissie Newman is an excellent speaker, very articulate and engaging.

* Michael and Buffy Waltrip were also featured on the show. E! visited their house (which is gorgeous, about 30 miles outside Charlotte in beautiful, serene wildnerness) and Mikey talked about how he proposed after his win at Bristol in 1993. He said how he had bought her a ring earlier in the week, and how it just seemed like the thing to do to propose in victory lane. Buffy mentioned how she didn't know he was serious because it all happened so fast. Finally, Buffy said that "there's a different level of respect for women in that sport [NASCAR]. I think at this point you stand just a good of a chance getting a job in racing as a woman as you do a man as far as marketing, PR, management, things like that."

* Speaking of sports marketing and management, then Shana Session was at Darlington in 1999 looking for a job, not really all that interested in the sport, when she met Jeremy Mayfield. Mayfield was driving the #12 Mobil Ford for Penske and started talking to her. He said on the E! show that after meeting her, he thought that she was cool, and that "this could be it." Four years later, the two got married. I was amused by the description of the wedding (from Jayski news on 1-6-2003):

Jeremy Mayfield married Shana Sessions, whom he has been dating for almost four years, in a ceremony in front of a mixture of local family and NASCAR friends at the First Baptist Church in Myrtle Beach. Mayfield arrived for his Grand Strand wedding in a red stretch limo bearing his #19 trademark. The wedding capped a whirlwind romance that began after a chance meeting at Darlington Raceway. Sessions was at the race not as a fan, but as a recent Clemson graduate considering a career in sports marketing. The week-long honeymoon will be on the Turks and Caicos islands. The couple is scheduled to return on Jan. 12 - just two days before Mayfield must begin testing at Daytona International Speedway.

Shana said that before, she didn't understand the sport, but she now has a lot more respect for it. She also talked about how as a NASCAR wife, you can't dwell on the bad, but it's hard to do such. Jeremy, for his part, said that his job as a driver is much easier with Shana traveling on the road with him. The travel and time constraints takes its toll (of course -- what driver or wife doesn't mention the exhausting schedule during a lifestyle interview?), but Jeremy comes home to a number of toys, and, of course, dogs. I should also mention that Jeremy and Shana got a new dog, a mini Bulldog named Zoë. You can read all about the Mayfield's dogs in his "Mayfield's Map" and in my NASCAR pet review here. Shana did show off their house for E!, saying how proud she was that Jeremy helped put some of it together, and pointing out the doggie bed near the window, strategically placed so the dogs can see exactly when daddy gets home.

* Chandra Janway was a model working in New York when she gave up her career to marry Jimmie Johnson. Jimmie said on the show how he is "so thankful she's willing to leave New York" and how he messed her modeling career up. A friend told E! that the Johnson's seem to have a good balance. I, for one, thought that Jimmie's simple line to Chandra at last year's Awards ceremony was great: "I love you honey and I can't wait until next week." It wasn't as elaborate or emotional as Kurt's tribute to Eva, but it seemed to reflect a very genuine happiness and love. I was impressed.

* Kenny and Kim Wallace were also featured on the E! special, along with a discussion of their appearances on NASCAR Drivers: 360. Kenny said being apart from Kim is hard, but they just "talk like mad on our cell phones." Kenny? Talk a lot? Never...

Not a terrible show. Didn't learn much, but I always enjoy hearing people affiliated with NASCAR, other than drivers, talk.

Countdown to the Chase - Martinsville

2005-07-28T10:30:00.000-04:00

The Chase sees its only short track in Week 6. And, typical of short tracks, I predict exciting racing and many mangled cars.

Subway 500

Martinsville Speedway

Race #6 of the Chase / #32 of the Season
October 23, 2005

Track Specs:
0.526 mile oval (the shortest on the Cup circuit): banking = 12' (turns), 0' (straits)
Attendance: 91,000

Stats of Note:
Most Recent Track Winner: Jeff Gordon (4/05)
Winners at the Track in the Last 5 years: Jeff Gordon (3), Rusty Wallace, Jimmie Johnson, Bobby Labonte, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Craven
Track Race Record: Jeff Gordon ('96)
Best Avg. Finish Among Active Drivers: Jeff Gordon (8.1)

Comments:
The second half of the Chase - the final 5 races before the Champion is crowned - begin with the season's final trip to a short-track. And, it is the shortest of all, barely over 1/2 mile. This is GREAT for spectators, who can see the entire track and all of pit row from almost any seat. It's not quite as fun for the guys in the fab shop, though, who often see their har work quickly transformed into bashed and battered piles of metal that vaguely resemble cars.

At this point, I think the top 5 in the points will be JJ, Smoke, Jr., Biff, and Mark Martin (not necessarily in that order). So, feel free to come back and taunt me mercilessly when it turns out
that I am completely wrong. Anyway, on to my Martinsville picks...

Predictions:
To Win
Kurt Busch probably would have won the race here in April if he hadn't been dumped (well, it was more ambigous than that, but...) on lap 447 by Jeff Gordon (who went on to win the race). So, for that reason, picking him to win here in October seems both reasonable and just :)
Kurt is far from having one of the best average finishes here, but he's had decent results: 1 win (10/02), 2 to-5s and 3 top-10s in 10 starts. And, on a track that catches nearly everyone sooner or later, he only has had one DNF. I just have a good feeling about this one...

To Do Well
I already mentioned Jeff Gordon's win here in April, one of 6 on this track in his career. The only active driver with more wins here is Rusty Wallace, who has 7 (most recently in 4/04). Both those guys should not be counted out. Rusty will be particularly motivated to get a win in his final season... this track is a good shot for him to do so. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has never won here, but when he runs well, he tends to run REALLY well... all 5 of his top-10s (in 11 starts) were also top-5s. I'd be very surprised if he gets his first win here come October, but if he keeps the nose clean, I think another top 5 is likely. This will be Mark Martin's 40th race at Martinsville. With a career average finish of 12.6, this track is pretty average for Martin - he has better finish averages at 9 current tracks and worse averages at 10 - but he was 3rd here in April (both his wins have come in the April race). With a little momentum on his side, this is almost certainly a top 10, and probably a top 5, for the #6.

Also watch
My dark horse here is Jeff Burton. He actually has the third-best average finish at Martinsville over the last five years (11.1), with no wins, but 5 top-10s in 9 races. The Cingular team has struggled a little this year, but I'm still a believer. The 31 won't be in the Chase, but a good finish here is in the cards.

And, after that brief interlude, it's back to nice generic intermediate track. Next up: Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Kentucky Speedway Lawsuit

2005-07-26T21:11:00.000-04:00

So, I might as well reveal the big secret to my (and Roushketeer's) identity: we're lawyers-in-training. You probably could have figured that out if you read the blog closely, as we both are taking the bar exam this week. I figured I would finally comment on the Kentucky speedway lawsuit. I have not taken antitrust law, though, so if Roushketeer wants to comment further, I'd really like to encourage her to do so!

Marty's column this week prompted me to write the post, as he has an interesting discussion of the suit and a discussion of how the new Ford Fusion is probably very similar to the old Ford Taurus. But regarding the suit, Marty says:

In his infamous "Realignment 2004 and Beyond" speech early last year, Brian France stressed the fact that ISC could only redistribute dates within the company. Likewise for Speedway Motorsports. NASCAR cannot take a date from Atlanta, an SMI track, and move it to Phoenix, an ISC track. But SMI owner Bruton Smith could propose to NASCAR the possibility of moving a date from Atlanta to its SMI sister, Vegas. SMI owns and operates Atlanta, Bristol, Las Vegas, Sonoma, Texas and Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. They also own North Wilkesboro and Rockingham, both of which were purchased from ISC for the sole purpose of shipping their respective events to Texas.

Kentucky Speedway has alleged that this arrangement -- the France's control of both Nascar and ISC -- violates the antitrust laws. Their complaint, which was probably written more for the media than the actual lawsuit, is very interesting and well-written. It's actually really engaging to read their facts and theories of liability. You can find the complaint here, and if you're at all interested, I'd read it. Honestly, I don't know enough about antitrust law, but the Kentucky speedway might actually have a claim. I hope that we fans of NASCAR consider the case on its merits, rather than jump to conclusions because we think it unfair that the Speedway would sue NASCAR and the Frances.

Now remember, I don't know anything about antitrust law. But I thought I'd share some of the pithy, snappy or just interesting bits from the lawsuit.

The actions of NASCAR and ISC in shutting out competition make the most egregious tactics of drivers fighting for position on the track look like a Sunday afternoon drive in the country.

Well, now, that's subtle. Egregious, by the way, means bad. Really bad.

The current television contract is valued at $2.4 billion. 95% of the television revenue is allocated to the NEXTEL Cup Series and 5% of the television revenue is allocated to the Busch Series.

Only 5%? Wow. That's shocking. I watch nearly as many Busch races as Cup races. I guess I'm in the minority. The extreme minority, if Busch races get such a miniscule portion of the tv money. Wow.

[O]ne in three U.S. adults are NASCAR fans. ... Attendance at NASCAR-sanctioned events exceeds 7,000,000. In 2003, 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S. were NASCAR sanctioned events. Women make up 40% of NASCAR’s fan based and 42% of NASCAR fans earn $50,000 or more per year. More than 70 of the Forbes 500 Companies participate in NASCAR, which is more than any other sport. NASCAR fans are almost twice as likely as baseball and basketball fans to purchase a sponsor’s product.

I always did say advertising with NASCAR is the best deal around. What surprised me was the notion that 42% of fans are so much higher than the median income across the country.

The crux of Kentucky's complaint is that they don't have a Cup race. But they also allege anticompetitive behavior with respect to the France's dealings with their Busch and truck races.

Another anticompetitive action taken by defendants is charging Kentucky Speedway disproportionately large purse and sanction fees, as compared to ISC tracks. For example, Kentucky Speedway purchased Louisville Speedway, and realigned a Craftsman Truck Race from Louisville Speedway to Kentucky Speedway. NASCAR raised the total awards to drivers from approximately $284,000 to $702,000, dramatically increasing the cost to Kentucky Speedway. However, when ISC’s tracks have moved races, the purses have either not increased or have increased by small amounts, and the purses required at ISC’s tracks for Craftsman Truck races are generally much lower than NASCAR requires of Kentucky Speedway. Similarly, Kentucky Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway all received Busch Series races within the same year. Kentucky Speedway receives “B” television revenue while the other tracks, affiliated with ISC, receive higher “A” television revenue, with no rational basis.

Kentucky Speedway alleges that ridding NASCAR of its monopoly with ISC (and the Frances) will truly benefit the fans. It will be interesting to see if fans' perception of the lawsuit will change overtime as more allegations and facts such as the following are demonstrated:

Such competition would benefit drivers by potentially increasing purse sizes and helping to ensure track safety. It would benefit sponsors and broadcasters by giving them more choice. And, most importantly, it would benefit race fans by lowering ticket prices and acknowledging consumer preference.

Would fans really be upset by that?

Poke-oh-boring

2005-07-25T00:27:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I am happy for Kurt, am annoyed that Rusty keeps being consistently good, wish Mark would have won, really hope that Mark wins before the season is over, think Carl needs to learn a little patience, congratulate JJ for probably making that 400 point mark irrelevant given his 12th place finish after a truly abysmal day, am a little befuddled the media didn't pay more attention to Jeff's top-15 finish (not great, but hey -- it's not 30+ where he's been forever), very befuddled the media didn't cover Mike Bliss and Bootie Barker's top ten for the Net Zero team, and desperately wish NBC/TNT would realize how much better Allen Bestwick is than Bill Weber.

But really -- my main thought after this race: it's WAY too long. This race is just boring. Especially when dominant cars run here. The last few laps are exciting. Not the first 180. SHORTEN IT, folks.

This week Roushketeer and I have a big test (mine is two days long; Roushketeer's is three days!), and then we both are moving across the country the following week to start new jobs. As such, both of us will miss the Brickyard. (I even used to work for Allstate and I absolutely, adamantly refuse to call it the "Allstate 400." Bah humbug.) It's sad (both the new name and missing the race). I'm going to try to catch it from a bar, but I don't know if Roushketeer will have the opportunity. It is a little weird watching your "home" track (for me, as I grew up in Indy) from another state. But what a good race the Brickyard is. It's truly a magical place! I love it! It's so cool to walk across those bricks -- you can do it if you run the Mini-Marathon as you hit mile 8 or so. It's a great, great feeling.

As for predictions: Roush is sure going to be tough to beat at Indy.... I think he'll have 3 of the top 5, all 5 in the top 15, and the winner. I would find it hard to bet against Biff, too.

Countdown to the Chase - Charlotte

2005-07-21T17:21:00.000-04:00

NASCAR goes home for Week 5 of the Chase - a nice time for the teams to have family and friends in the crowd and get to spend a weekend closer to home before the final push.

UAW-GM Quality 500

Lowe's Motor Speedway

Race #5 of the Chase / #31 of the Season
October 15, 2005

Track Specs:
1.5 mile quad-oval: banking = 24' (turns), 5' (straits)
Attendance: 167,000

Stats of Note:
Most Recent Track Winner: Jimmie Johnson (5/05)
Winners at the Track in the Last 5 years: Jimmie Johnson (4), Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Sterling Marlin
Track Race Record: Jeff Gordon ('99)
Best Avg. Finish Among Active Drivers: Carl Edwards (3.0). But, he's only had one Cup start here, so let's go to the next man on the list... Martin Truex, Jr. (7.0). Oops, he's only had one start also. I guess we will have to go with Jimmie Johnson (7.4). Surprise, surprise...

Comments:
Another 1.5-miler. You would think that would mean a race that a lot of teams could be good at. You would think that would make it wide-open for those who are good at the similar tracks. You would think...

Well, at least for the last 3 years that just hasn't been this case... since 2003 this has been Jimmie's house. But, that can't last forever.

On a more general note, I am realizing more and more which each of these previews that I write how futile these predictions are. So much of this depends on who has the momentum at the time, and that can swing at any moment. Who would have predicted before Sonoma, for example, that Tony Stewart would win 3 of the next 4 races, or that Jeff Gordon would have 6 finishes of 30th or worse in the last 9 races? So, I feel a little silly about making predictions at all, let alone so far in advance. But, the information is still interesting, so here goes...

Predictions:
To Win
Jimmie Johnson. Yeah, I know... that's a totally boring pick. It would be incredible for him to get a 4th in a row here, but, at the same time, it is awefully hard to pick against him. Although his last win here, in May, came much harder that the two last year (he edged Bobby Labonte in the final stretch), he seems to be charmed here, and the added incentive of a Chase win makes another victory nearly inevitable, I think. After all, this is where he turned his Chase prospects around last year with the first of 4 wins in 5 races. I just think that he's gonna be able to pull one more out here, making him the winner of 5 of the last 6. The people over at Lowe's have to just be eating this up... their car on their track.

To Do Well
If Jimmie drops the ball at all, though, others will be waiting... and there are many teams capable of a top-5s here. Eleven drivers have finished in the top 5 in the last three runnings of this race - only JJ, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart were there more than once from 2002-2004. So, of course, those guys have to be considered favorites to do well again. Despite Jeff's struggles, he's capable of busting out consecutive top-5s or wins at any point, and I fully expect him to before the season is out, if not before the beginning of the Chase.

Furthermore, the success of Hendrick cars at this track bodes well for their rookie, Kyle Busch. Kyle has a lot of success here in his own right, having won the last 2 May Busch races and this year's Craftsman Truck Series race at Lowe's. Though he finished a disappointing 25th in the 600 this year, I see lots of potential for a strong run in October.

Fords have not been exceptionally strong finishers in this race over the last few years. Kurt Busch's 4th last year is the only finish in the top 5 for a Ford in the last 3 runs (Dale Jarrett, Elliot Sadler, Matt Kenseth, and Jeff Burton (in the 99) each have one top 10 in that period, but that's it). Given Roush's strength on the intermediate tracks this year, however, I expect both Kurt and Greg Biffle to have respectable showings this year. Biff has 8 top-10s in 9 Busch races at Lowe's and although his Cup stats are much less impressive, his one Cup top-10 was 6th in the 600 this year, and, well, I just like him.

Also watch
Bobby Labonte is pretty much always competitive in Charlotte. Although he only has one win here (this race in 2000), he's been edged out at the last second more than once (by JJ in this year's 600 and by Jamie McMurray in the fall race in 2002). In 19 races on the track, Bobby has 13 top-10s and an average finish of 10.1 despite 2 DNFs. He's had truly horrid luck this season, but has shown signs of a recent comeback. Watch for him to be there in the end.

In addition to the win in 2002, in only his second Cup-series start, Jamie was comfortably in the top-10 in this race in 2003 an 2004. The only reason I wouldn't have his as a favorite is that I'm afraid his current "lame-duck" status at Genassi may affect his performance during the Chase this year.

Ok, off for some short-track bumper cars. Next up: Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Chase Predictions

2005-07-20T16:09:00.000-04:00

Well, the Chase is just seven races away. Who will make it? Everyone’s talking about it, everyone’s got some sort of analysis about it. I started to write something up about it, but then I realized I have nothing to say but the same things everyone else says and ultimately am just relying on my gut (and who I like and want to be there).

So, instead of babbling about the why, here’s my prediction for top ten after Richmond:
1. Johnson
2. Stewart
3. Biffle
4. Newman
5. Sadler
6. Wallace
7. Busch
8. Martin
9. Mayfield
10. Earnhardt, Jr.

Left out: McMurray, Harvick, Gordon, DJ, Edwards

And, finally, my completely unscientific, unresearched, off-the-wall predictions for the end of year standings:

1. Earnhardt, Jr. (wins at Talladega)
2. Stewart
3. Biffle (wins at Kansas)
4. Newman (wins at Loudon)
5. Johnson (wins at Atlanta)
6. Martin (wins at Homestead)
7. Sadler (wins at Texas)
8. Busch
9. Mayfield
10. Wallace
Kenseth gets wins at Phoenix, Dover
Gordon gets win at Martinsville, 11th place for the trip to the Big Apple
Edwards gets win at Charlotte

If you want “real” predictions, read Roushketeer’s weekly Chase race countdowns. They are really good. I feel that the communication line between Jr. and the Eury’s is back open, though, and I think they are peaking at just the right time to swing momentum onto their side just as the Chase starts.

Now, for what I’d wish for:
1. Martin
2. Biffle
3. Newman
4. Gordon
5. Smoke
6. Harvick
7. Busch
8. Earnhardt
9. Sadler
10. Johnson
11. Kenseth

Wishful thinking, I know… wouldn’t it be great if Mark could finally win a championship? Ah, one can dream….

Thoughts on Loudon

2005-07-17T19:25:00.000-04:00

- Wow, is Tony Stewart is on a roll or what. This is five weeks in a row where he’s had the dominant or close-to-dominant car. Think Michigan, where he finished second and led the most laps, wins at Sonoma and Daytona, and Chicago, where he was a tick slower than Kenseth’s dominant car but still really good (and finished way back in fifth because of pit strategy). Unbelievable. I can’t believe he is so particular about his ownership of post-race celebrations, though. You just won, Smoke … don’t worry so much about your “trademark” celebration. Just enjoy it!!

- Kurt Busch had a heck of a day. Great car, good driving, but just awful pitstops at the beginning. There will be some talking-to’s this week from Jimmy Fennig, Kub, and Jack Roush, I’m sure, despite the second place finish and jump up in the points.

- Scott Wimmer is sure making the most out of staying out to get airtime. You’d never have heard of him but for his “I don’t think I’ll pit when everyone else does” strategy, but, hey, it’s getting CAT some airtime, even if it is for running out of gas. At least he isn’t sponsored by Texaco or something.

- I wonder when the whole teammates issue of Silly Season will start. When do McMurray and Kenseth get along because they’re future teammates? When do Jr and Mikey not work together because they’re no longer teammates next year? (Okay, maybe scratch that last question. They really haven’t been teammate racing for most of the season.) It’s not as though teammate racing is set in stone—just think Smoke and Jr or Newman and Rusty—but it’s odd to see the 17 and 42 fighting so much. Roush boys—even if future Roush boys—need to stick together!

-Man, do I feel bad for Jeff Gordon. I don’t really even know what to say.

- I love trackpass. I don’t have Internet access at home now, so I’m just watching the races blind for the next few weeks. Oh, my how I miss it! It’s so much easier to follow my drivers through trackpass than through the scrolling bar at the top of the tv screen. I will say – I think it’s odd that the commercials for it have one lady saying, “you know what happens on the track before anyone else.” Uhhh, how so? The in-car audio has a fairly lengthy delay, so whenever there’s some sort of crash, I will always hear about it on TV before I hear it from a spotter.

- I’m a little intrigued by commercials for tickets to races. Some are just downright boring. Others are annoying (“home, home on the range…” for Charlotte), and others are kinda cute (“Happy July 2nd!” for Daytona). But really, what’s the point of a commercial for tickets to a race when the ad is so unmemorable that you could barely recognize what track the ad is for? And don’t most race fans pick races to attend based on things other than TV commercials (reputation for good racing, prestige or importance in Chase, and probably most importantly, location)? I’m also intrigued to see commercials next year. What will we do without that “great” comedic duo of Jr. and Mikey? That’s assuming Mikey gets a ride…maybe the 11 or 32, if their drivers are released? the 91 (the new Evernham car)? the new Yates car? one of Ganassi’s cars (the 42 if Jamie is released; the 41 if Casey goes to the 2)? I doubt Mikey would drive the 2.

- Finally, Bill Weber is a dolt. He can’t identify cars on the track (yes, that’s really “Carl Long” in the 99 and Kasey Kahne in the Cingular car…they’re so similar), and half the time he’s not talking about what is on the screen. And he’ll start to say something before he knows what he wants to say (“Kurt Busch is all the way back in … hmm…let’s see where he’s back there….”). Bring back Allen Bestwick! He’s SOOOO much better! And Wally doesn’t make fun of Allen, either. :) At least we get good victory lane interviews now. I'd rather see Allen in the booth and Bob Dillner or someone from Speed or even IRL in the pits for Allen, with Dave Burns taking the lead pit reporter position. :)

"RIP" Allen Bestwick

2005-07-16T23:19:00.000-04:00

That would be "Reporting In the Pits." Along with the rest of the NASCAR-watching public, we over here at Gas-and-Go have been seriously disappointed by the relegation of Allen Bestwick to pit reporting for NBC this year so that Bill Weber could be elevated to the booth. Although Kara99 posted about this a few weeks ago, I thought it was worth giving another shout-out to Allen given the overwhelming results of our super-scientific (hardly) and infallibly-accurate (yeah... right...) Poll of the Week on the topic (see sidebar).

So, our voting public prefers Allen to Bill by a margin of over 12-to-1 (one person clearly felt sorry for poor Bill and threw him a pity-vote), which, in my opinion, speaks well for the fans who stumble across our corner of the internet and humor us by registering their opinions. NBC has a real problem when its primary booth announcer can't tell the cars apart (was that Matt Kenseth or Jimmie Johnson winning that race off pit road, Bill?) and the guy who can coherently articulate information and convey knowledge of the sport and personalities is stuck, literally, in the pits.

Of course, there are two discernible advantages to the switch that I have noticed: First, I'm sure the drivers and crew chiefs appreciate having Allen behind the microphone thrust in their faces. Second, there is appreciable entertainment value in listening to Wally Dallenbach blatantly making fun of Bill's most obvious errors while attempting to disguise his contempt. In fact, Wally is rapidly becoming my favorite announcer for this reason.

Here's hoping that tomorrow's broadcast is a pleasant surprise.

[And, of course, don't forget to vote in this week's Poll: Who is the Cup Series' Biggest Hothead? I try to make them interesting...]

Mark Martin Is Amazing...

2005-07-16T18:34:00.000-04:00

Talk about loyalty. This man is incredible. Watching him race last year into the Chase after falling so far behind, watching him support his son so gallantly, watching him stay competitive even as he makes his last go-round has been fun. So when he announced that he'd be back for 2006 if Roush needs him, I just about lost it with joy. What a great, loyal, nice man. He's not doing it for himself, he's not doing it for the fans ... he's doing it for Jack Roush.

Mark Martin built Roush Racing into what it is today. And he's the one who is loyal to Jack. Unbelievable. I'm just utterly impressed.

Note: I don't have regular Internet access for the next week and a half, and Roushketeer is in the process of moving, so our posts may be a bit sporadic. But good luck to Mark and all the Roush boys at Loudon, and here's to ya!

Sort of unrelated update: I was checking my email, and I got a link to a Mark Martin contest, which excited me. Well, it's weird. I'm sure this is just a Ford or Viagra thing, but according to the rules, only men over the age of 35 can win the grand prize, a Ford F-150. Weird. I don't even know what to say to that. Any thoughts on why Ford/Viagra would restrict its grand prize to that group? (Granted, it is Viagra's target demographic, but still....)

Ford Teams Get the Fusion for '06

2005-07-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

In Charlotte yesterday, Ford Racing unveiled the new Ford Fusion as the 2006 NASCAR entry for the manufacturer. Now, you can draw your own conclusions about the car, but I'm not that impressed... maybe any change would take getting used to, but this really doesn't look like a race car. A few comments:

- Now I understand that NASCAR restrictions are very stiff. limiting to nearly nonexistent the actual creativity in body design, but all it appears they did here was smooth out the lines a little, add that grill, and shrink the side windows.

- That grill... good luck taping that up for qualifying!

- This pic doesn't show it, but if you check out the one posted on NASCAR.com's story, note the side windows. Is it just me, or are those clearly not designed for some of the bigger guys to actually be able to get in to drive?

- So, Ford got all the drivers to show up for the unveiling (hardly surprising), which brings us a question I have had for some time. Do the drivers have a non-firesuit version of the firesuit? They practically live in those things at promotional and media appearances, and I would think that they have a version for that purpose that isn't as hot or uncomfortable as the real thing, right?

As the teams start testing the new car in preparation for it's debut at Daytona in February I'm sue we will get more information on how it actually will run on the track. For now, I guess, Ford fans can only hope that it has a more seamless introduction on the track than the Charger has experienced this year. Perhaps it would be prudent to win another Championship in this Taurus this year... just in case it takes a few years to work the kinks out of the Fusion.

Countdown to the Chase - Kansas

2005-07-14T11:40:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Week 4 of my Countdown series... This episode finds us swinging through the Midwest for the Cup series' annual visit to Kansas City.

Banquet 400

Kansas Speedway

Race #4 of the Chase / #30 of the Season
October 9, 2005

Track Specs:
1.5 mile quad-oval: banking = 15' (turns), 10.4' (frontstretch), 5' (backstretch)
Attendance: 75,000

Stats of Note:
Most Recent Track Winner: Joe Nemechek (10/04)
Winners at the Track in the Last 5 years: Joe Nemechek, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon (2)
Track Race Record: Joe Nemechek (04)
Best Avg. Finish Among Active Drivers: Jeff Gordon (5.0)

Comments:
Ahh... the 1.5-mile intermediate track. There are 10 races on 1.5-mile tracks during the 2005 Cup season, and 5 of them appear in the Chase. Of course, these 7 tracks are not all identical, but several have very similar properties and teams tend to have set-ups ans chassis that run on several of them.

Of the 1.5-milers, Lowe's, Atlanta, and Texas have multiple races (and all appear in the chase). Chicago and Vegas made their single appearances in the first half of the season; Kansas and Homestead-Miami make Chase appearances only. All of this is important for several reasons... (1) I consider my picks on several of these tracks to be somewhat interchangeable - Roush and Hendrick drivers, as we have seen this year, can have a good day on any of them. (2) This is the type of track that drivers have the most experience on coming into the Chase, meaning that we have the most races to look to for potential high-performers with the new aero package. (3) Kansas itself is relatively new track - this will only be it's 5th Cup race - which means the drivers haven't seen it all that many times, and not all that often either with only one race per season.

With that in mind, here are my picks for Kansas...

Predictions:
To Win
I can resist no longer, I pick Greg Biffle to get his first win of the Chase in Kansas. Roush has no wins on this track yet, but that streak will end this year. Biff is going to be a very strong contender for the Championship, and the predominance of intermediate tracks in the Chase runs in his favor. We all know how little prior performance has been an indicator of Biff's season so far, but it is still interesting to note that of the 5 1.5-milers in the Chase, Biff's 2003-2004 average finish was best at Kansas - he finished 12th in 2003 and 3rd in 2004. In addition, he has run all four Busch races at Kansas and never finished outside of the top 5.

Biff has won at 2 of the 1.5-milers (Texas this year and Homestead at the end of last season) and has an additional top-5 at Atlanta this season. This will be the first of, I think 3 wins for him during the Chase. An ambitious prediction, of course, but he's up to it.

To Do Well
Jeff Gordon has been the man at this track, with 2 wins and 3 top-5s among the four races. However, he has lost all momentum as of this writing, and although I would leve to see him rapidly pull it together, make the Chase, and contend in this race, I admit to having lost a little faith. He will either be a strong top-5 here, or finish out of the top 20 - I don't think there is any middle ground here for the 24.

The man with all the momentum on his side at the moment - Tony Stewart - has a strong history at Kansas (3 top-10s and an average finish of 8.5) and has been the only driver to be able to really penetrate the Roush/Hendrick dominance on intermediate tracks this season. Look for him and Biff to have a nice duel a la Michigan in June. I also expect Jimmie Johnson to be in the mix - he's on track to win the Cup this year an will be looking to avenge his 32nd place at this track last year when a crash took him out with less than 30 laps left in the race. That DNF ultimately cost him the Championship, which he only lost to Kurt Busch by 8 points. JJ is always a contender.

As for veterans, look for Rusty Wallace and Joe Nemechek. Rusty is pushing for a Championship in his final season, and has always been strong at Kansas (2 top-5s, average finish of 8.5). By contrast, Nemechek has not been having the season he would have liked this year, but he has his best average finish at this track (15.5), produced by very erratic performances over the four races: 20th in '01, 4th in '02, 37th in '03 and a the win last year. Joe also has a Busch series win and 3 top-10s here. He's had a very strong car a couple of times this season, and although he isn't going to make the Chase, he could be a contender here.

Also watch
As bizarre as it is to pick a driver who has won twice this season as a "dark horse," I'm putting Carl Edwards in this segment for Kansas. He's only been on this track once in a Cup car, finishing 22nd in last year's race. His win at Atlanta this season, though, shows the potential he has on this type of track. Furthermore, he has run 3 Craftsman Truck Series races here, winning last year and finishing 2nd in 2003 and 8th in 2002. Not bad, Carl.

Now, back to the "home" of NASCAR - Charlotte. Next up: UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Thoughts?

Big Day of Testing!

2005-07-12T01:42:00.000-04:00

So I went out to the track today to watch testing at IMS (Indianapolis Motor Speedway). No surprise, Biff and Kenseth topped the speed charts, although I certainly couldn't have told you that from just watching. I didn't bring a stopwatch or scanner, so I was a bit in the dark and just watching the cars go by for fun. I did enjoy the afternoon -- especially all the different paint schemes!

Most drivers brought two cars to test with, and marked the cars with an "A" and "B" or some other signifier. Others had one car straight out of the decal shop (Biff, for example, tested with the Charter car) and another with just one or two colors on it (Biff, for example, had a second car with half red and half blue). Many of the cars were just the gray primer and a number. Most of the numbers were decals, but Jeremy Mayfield and his crew decided to use green tape. At first I thought the car was the nine, because the "1" had fallen off. Then the next go round, I saw the rest of the "9" fall off, so I knew it was indeed Jeremy. Mayfield did bring out a "decalled" car, then came back out again with the car fresh out of the shop. This time, though, they didn't use tape. Instead they just took a spray can and painted a very non-symmetrical "19" on the car. It was really amusing.

I wish that I had a better camera, because these aren't very good pictures. I did get shots of Biffle, Kenseth, Harvick, Schrader, Kvapil, Rusty Wallace and Leffler, and Mears. I'm not going to upload any more pictures, but if you have any interest, I'll be happy to send some to you -- just email or comment and I'll pass them along! Also testing and out on the track were Robby Gordon, Elliott Sadler, all the MB cars, the rest of the RCR cars, Jamie McMurray, Mike Wallace, Kyle Petty, Bobby Labonte, and Michael Waltrip. Very fun!

I was hoping to get some autographs, but the track was blocked off to just allow fans into the grandstands in a very specific part. There were several hundred people watching testing, which surprised me, and a few concession stands open. All in all, a fun, free day at the track!

Sponsorship

2005-07-10T23:12:00.000-04:00

I think NASCAR is a great business opportunity for companies. For one thing, the TV time a winning driver gets is amazing. For example, when Jeff Gordon won the Daytona 500, DuPont got nearly ten million dollars of advertising. For another, NASCAR fans are incredibly brand-loyal; I know I am. No, I don't buy Viagra or plan on joining the National Guard, but I will buy a Sharpie instead of a generic, I will shop at Office Depot instead of Staples, and I'm sure that whenever I need a power tool, I'll look for something DeWalt or Irwin makes. In short, I pay attention to what companies sponsor NASCAR and I buy accordingly. Now, if I'm in the mood for a Pepsi, I'll get one, and just think of the last time I had positive feelings toward Jeff Gordon (he is my mother's favorite driver, after all, and does hail from Indiana, at least sort of). If I would prefer a Coke, I'll conjure up Harvick's pit boys crushing Smoke's radio car. I don't really let my preferences get changed by sponsorship, but I do think about it. So with that in mind, a few things:

Office Depot has announced that they are on board as the 99's primary sponsor for 2006 and beyond. They are also sponsoring a portion of NASCAR's drive for diversity. I think this is great. I love the Carl Edwards cut-outs, first of all, and I think this is a logical fit. Who doesn't buy office products? Office Depot mentioned that that they hope their sponsorship will reach more customers. A friend of mine thought that was silly. I don't. Office Depot, Office Max, Office whatever -- they can get confusing, so brand recognition is really important in the supply store business. It has to be hard to create some sort of identity as an office supply store. You need a logo, a theme, something people can identify with (like Allstate has with the good hands, Geico with the gecko, and State Farm with the good neighbor). Carl Edwards is that person. So I applaud Office Depot, and I for one think they'll get a ton for their money.

Six weeks ago, DuPont also announed that they are re-upping sponsorship with Jeff Gordon. This one, I'm not so confident. Clearly, DuPont gets a lot for their money. Jeff is Mr. Hollywood, and millions of fans were DuPont merchandise just for fun. But what I don't get is why DuPont would ever need to advertise in the first place. Do they even have products for sale? They do make Kevlar (the bullet protecting vests), Teflon (non-stick coatings) and Corian (countertops), but do you really buy those things based on the DuPont brand? For sure, if DuPont is going to spend money advertising, I think sponsoring the 24 team is a great way to go. I just don't get why they need to. I'm certainly not going to go out and buy something DuPont. I may buy something with DuPont in it, but I won't know at point-of-purchase, so I don't get what the advertising for DuPont really does.

Coors decided they needed younger marketability than Sterling Marlin. Kudos to Hoosier David Stremme. But can Stremme -- and whoever is in the #2 next year -- really do anything to take on Jr.? Come on, beer companies, I think you may need to just write this one off.

Finally, I really think that multiple sponsorships have got to go. Surely part of the advertising dollar that a primary sponsor gets is all the merchandising a driver sells. Go to the track and you'll see thousands of Budweiser t-shirts, jackets and hats. That's part of the allure. Now, if you want to support Kurt Busch, do you wear his Irwin clothes, or his Sharpie clothes? Perhaps that's a bad example since Kubby will never get the fan support for that to really matter. But having a product linked exclusively to a driver has to help. You cannot think of Jimmie Johnson without thinking of Lowe's. You can think of Kurt without thinking of Sharpie. And you certainly can think of Biffle without thinking of the National Guard. Geez, he's had Grainger, Post-It, Charter, Subway, Jackson Hewitt, Penzoil, and Coca-Cola on the car in just 90 starts for Roush in Cup (he had six starts in 2002 for two additional different sponsors). Yeah, I guess it's nice advertising when people seek out which car a driver is running, because they prefer one paint scheme over another (Roushketeer and I both, for instance, love the Post-It scheme but hate the Subway one). An occasional new paint scheme is one thing -- who doesn't love Mark Martin driving the Batman car at the Batman Begins 400 -- but I really think that businesses out there need to figure out that it's worth the $12 to $20 million dollars a year to a driver's primary sponsor for an entire career, or at least an entire season. It really is a good deal.

Musings of a Displaced Northwesterner

2005-07-10T19:51:00.000-04:00

I thoroughly enjoyed NBC's background piece on Greg Biffle today during "Countdown to Green." The musings and anecdotes from Biff's family and friends from his Vancouver, Washington hometown were great. Someone at NBC clearly has a sense of humor and of human interest (although we are sure that person is NOT Bill Weber - he was terrible today). For those of you unfortunate enough to have missed the piece, you should know that the blackberry bushes bordering the local dirt track were referred to as the "Biffle Berries" after Greg crashed into them for three consecutive weeks. I was amused.

As a displaced Northwesterner myself, I don't deny that his Washington roots are but one of the many reasons I love Biff; relative to the South (where I have spent the last 3 years), racing is a virtually unknown phenomenon out there. I even have vague memories of making fun of a friend of mine in college who, too cheap to get his own cable, asked me to record these utterly foreign events called "stock car races" for him some weekends. Well, anyway, the point is, that it's pretty cool that the area has produced a few really good racers despite the general lack of public awareness. Not only Biff, but fellow Cup drivers Kasey Kahne, who is from Enumclaw, Wash., and Mike Bliss, from Milwaukie, Ore.

Indications are that the NASCAR Nation will be expanding the NW in short order. This, the last region without a race (other than, arguable, the mountain states), is slated to get a new ISC track in the next several years; a site West of Seattle (near Bremerton airport for those of you familar with the area) has been selected and plans are in the works. I think it will be great to have a track in the area, and it will provide many new opportunities for local drivers. Since Portland International Raceway stopped hosting anything more than bicycle and motocross, there hasn't been any paved track for development in the region.

Maybe I will get to take my Dad to a race in his retirement after all...

Casey's Confidence

2005-07-09T11:43:00.000-04:00

hmm... Interesting... Yesterday, Casey Mears qualified 3rd for Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400, and then this morning he is essentially demanding that Chip get on the ball and present him with a contract for next season. Coincidence? probably, but the opportunity to get a little more aggressive was probably irresistable given teammate Jamie McMurray's announcement that he is leaving after next season to drive for Roush. Of course, one is tempted to ask why Casey wouldn't wait until after the race, having parlayed the excellent starting position into an excellent finish. Well, Casey has only qualified in the top 10 one other time this season (at Michigan) and ultimately fell well back in that race to finish 21st... therein lies the answer.

So, maybe I am overreading Casey's position a little, but one has to wonder about the atmosphere over at Ganassi. With McMurray as a "lame duck" and Sterling Martin out in favor of the "more marketable" David Stremme, the entire organization is facing a lot of transition. If I were in Casey's shoes, I would want something in writing too: the housecleaning is a little too close for comfort and, sitting 28th in the points (notably below Marlin, who sits in 23rd), the #41 team is clearly underperforming.

Question, though, where all these open seats are that Casey refers to. Clearly he thinks that the number of opportunities puts leverage on his side. Consider, though, that at least one (and another starting 2007) of those openings are at Ganassi - hardly helpful for Casey. Penske is hardly going to put him in their flagship #2 car, and the #6 has been filled (Mears is not silly enough or desperate enough to take a one-year contract with that team, even if it were offered, I hope). So, what does that leave? well, we could bring back the refuses-to-die speculation that Jason Leffler's # 11 ride at Gibbs will open up, and that's a possibility, I suppose. And, there is always the to-be-announced-but-constantly-mentioned possibilities of third teams for Evernham or Yates. One has to think that those teams would be created with in-house development in mind though. So, where does Casey think he's going to go?

Congrats to Chad and Erin...

2005-07-09T06:09:00.000-04:00

No, Chad Knaus didn't get married. I'm speaking of Chad Blount, a rising star in the ARCA ranks, and Erin Crocker, Ray Evernham's protege. The two finished 1-2 at Kentucky Friday night. I forgot to set my VCR, so I didn't catch the race, but there are a couple articles online about the race here and here.

Erin and Chad were 1-2 most of the race, but Blount wound up taking the victory. Still, for only her third start in a stock car -- ever -- I'd say winning the poll, leading laps, and finishing second is pretty darn good for Erin. I think Erin might be another Ryan Newman in the making, as she's got two poles in three starts in ARCA!

Crocker has three ARCA starts, including her second place finish at Kentucky. Her first, at Nashville, she won the pole, led several laps, but got punted by Blount while fighting for the lead (she didn't complain about it at all, though -- that's just what it looked like to some viewers). Nonetheless, she worked her way through the pack to finish 12th. Her second start was at Michigan, where Kasey Kahne coached her from the pit box. She finished 7th there. She's also won a World of Outlaws race. Interesting interview with Erin here.

Blount has made a few enemies in ARCA racing. Points leader Frank Kimmel badmouthed him after a crash at Salem (Indiana). Blount also filled in for suspended driver Shane Hmiel at the Busch Kentucky race in the #32. He finished 22nd, a lap down after getting caught up in someone else's trouble. Blount had raced for Braun racing before, in his first Busch season in 2003. Blount's dad still works for Braun. Apparently, after the team ran across sponsorship issues, Blount asked to be released and the team obliged (according to Jayski). Blount has also test driven cars for Penske, and started at Talledega for Penske last year in a fourth car.

Two names to watch -- I know we'll see Erin in a Busch car soon, and Blount may work his way up to Cup one of these days too.

Jamie to Drive the 6!

2005-07-07T13:42:00.000-04:00

Wow... I must say, I totally did not see this coming!

As reported by Marty Smith on Nascar.com this morning, Jamie McMurray has inked a deal with Roush Racing to take over driving duties for the #6 (vacated after this season by the retirement of Mark Martin) beginning in 2007. That still leaves a one-year vacancy in the car for next season as Jamie finishes out his contract with Genassi, but there was already a fair amount of speculation that Roush would choose a short-term driver for the car while looking for a more permanent fit... that plan still works, with Ricky Craven (currently driving the #99 Superchips Ford for Roush in the Craftsman Truck Series) the speculative favorite to get the temporary seat. Roush doesn't have any Busch drivers at the moment (other than those also driving cup cars), and their development driver in the Truck Series, Todd Kleuver, is only in his first year and doesn't seem ready for an immediate jump to Cup to take the seat next year (he's currently 16th in Truck Series points, with 3 top-5s). It would, of course, be possible to bring in an outside driver for the year, but there are a limited pool of qualified drivers who would jump at a year-only contract. Ward Burton maybe?

At any rate, Roush is supposed to issue a press release this afternoon announcing the signing of McMurray, so they may announce 2006 plans at the same time. In which case, all speculation will soon be unnecessary. :)

As for Jamie, I welcome him to the Roush fold. He is not a driver I have followed closely or know that much about. But, I don't have anything against him, and he was suitably entertaining on NASCAR Drivers: 360 (which bodes well for his likeability as far as I'm concerned), so I'm cool with him joining Jack's boys.

Jamie has been having a great season in the #42; he sits at a career-high 7th in the points and is positioned to make the Chase. His 7 top-10s this year include 2 runner-up finishes (at Daytona last weekend and at Texas in April) and cover intermediate tracks, short tracks, and superspeedways. He appears to be developing the sort of flexibility that I'm sure any team-owner looks for, and he is young enough and marketable enough do well with fans and sponsors in the increasingly media-savvy sport.

Stay tuned for updates as we find out more. I'll probably take a more detailed look at Jamie's career-to-date and stats at some point in the near future. For now, I'm satisfied with the choice and look forward to watching Jamie race Fords in the coming years.

Any Thoughts on the choice?

UPDATE: The release from Roush was singularly unenlightening and only said that it has not been determined who will drive the #6 in 2006. So, let the speculation continue...

UPDATE #2: Today (Saturday 7/9) on the Happy Hour broadcast, Bob Dillner reported that a deal may be in the works for Roush to buy out the last year of Jamie's contract from Ganassi so that Jamie would move into the #6 next season. Mark Martin apparently indicated that this is a possibility. Stay tuned...

The "New" Nascar Nation

2005-07-06T19:28:00.000-04:00

So I broke down and watched the new Nascar Nation today. I hadn't not watched it purposefully; I just hadn't been around in the evening since it debuted. I didn't miss much.

The new style is over-the-top and MTV-like with flashy graphics, too cheesy anchors (and I thought Krista Voda was bad...), and mind-boggling boredom. I hate it! I miss my old boring Nascar Nation with the news desk, the standard couch set, and somewhat informative reports. This was just silly.

But I did learn a few things:

1. Casey Mears is short, and uncomfortable on TV. Wow, is he ever! He looked a foot shorter than the NN hosts! Granted, he's actually 5'8 according to online sources, so it must be that the NN female hosts are just super tall. Still, it doesn't take much effort to realign positions in the studio so your hosts don't tower over your guests. Also, Casey reading the "teases" for what's coming up was painful. Really painful.

2. The Nascar season is too long. I love racing and miss it during the offseason, but when we lose drivers because of the schedule, it's a real shame. But the real sign that the season is too long (at least from today): Casey Mears thinks it is fall. Scary.

3. Fans can go a little over the top. Casey described signing a dirty diaper. Matt Kenseth explained that fans had staked out his wedding to Katie, hid in the bushes, and took surreptitious pictures. Carl Edwards is pretty new to the sport, but even he ran across a fan who had him sign the fan's shoulder and then the fan TATTOOED Carl's signature on his shoulder. Crazy.

I like my NASCAR, but not that much ...

New Source for Pictures!

2005-07-06T18:05:00.000-04:00

I have this fascination with NASCAR wives, girlfriends, and even exes. I know it's a little strange, but I love finding out what I can about them and seeing pictures. From the searches that have led some of our readers here, I gather that many of you do to.

So, with that in mind, I'm going to share a source for pictures that I just discovered: Getty Images. These folks take great pictures at races, and at awards ceremonies! Although the pictures are copyrighted, I can direct you how to get there so that you can see some of these photos. If you'd like a permanent link to their site, I'd recommend using this one; it takes you directly to their editorial page. From there, you can search for people, for events, and for keywords. It's really easy!

I will warn you: some of the pictures aren't coded correctly, so you have to do a little extra digging to get everything you want. For instance, if you want pictures of Greg Biffle and Nicole Lunders, you can search for "Biffle," but that will only get you so far. For your convenience, here are some pictures of Biff and Nicole (also available elsewhere online, but for ease I'll put them here): after Cali win (scroll down), and at the news conference for their foundation. Gracie and Foster also make an appearance. And also check out Biff at the Busch Awards ceremonies.

Other notable pictures are a bunch from the 2004 Awards ceremony with, for example, Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, and others with their dates. Kurt Busch took a ton of pictures there with his girlfriend Eva Bryan. And a number of wives are featured, there, too. If you like your drivers out of their fire suits, also check out pictures of the IMAX premiere (scroll down for Jimmie and Chandra Johnson, Brian Vickers, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, and more).

Be creative and you'll find lots of images at this website!

UPDATE: I found another source of great driver pictures! Check out CIA Stock Photography. You can search there, too. Hint: if you do a search for "personality" (or add it to your search of the person you're looking for), you will get all face-pictures (no pictures just of the cars). You can also see a ton of pictures that the drivers take in the studio as promotional shots. It's kind of funny to see several pictures back to back, with them posed looking left, looking right, looking straight on, etc. etc.

Indy Testing...

2005-07-06T00:23:00.000-04:00

So I'm from Indianapolis, and Ricky Rudd, Jimmy Spencer, Carl Edwards, and Kurt Busch were in town today for testing. Most of the teams are testing on the new surface next week, but those four came a week early. I couldn't make it out to the track to watch, but the local news did cover the event. A couple of notes:

- Jimmy Spencer crashed. Interesting that Jimmy and Kurt tested at Indy together. Maybe Kurt took a page from JJ and laughed out loud. Or maybe he just pointed to his rear. Regardless, Kubby had to be laughing a little, even if just silently inside, when Spencer hit the wall.

- Kurt was interviewed about Indy and gave the appropriate answers: "Oh it's just the prestige and history of the track, etc. etc." Interesting, though, he talked about how drivers needed to hit Indy at full stride so as to be prepared for the "playoffs." I thought NASCAR had consciously tried to avoid the use of the term "playoffs" for the Chase for the Championship. Clearly I was wrong, as Kurt is in a better position than just about anybody to know how to refer to the Chase. But still, please, don't call it the playoffs. NASCAR is a sport, yes, but it's not like baseball or basketball or football. If I wanted to watch those sports I would. I want auto racing, not playoffs.

- Carl Edwards never stops smiling. He is so effusive it's unreal. The last time he came to Indy, you see, he was polishing the wheels of a hauler and dreaming of where he is today. Indy means a lot to him, and it's just really cool to be here. Okay, okay, we get it - you think this is cool! The thing that's strange, is I think he's genuine. It's just so strange to see someone so openly giddy so often!

The Allen Bestwick Switch

2005-07-05T23:02:00.000-04:00

So I went and saw two NASCAR movies this weekend. The first, Batman Begins, is excellent. I'm counting it as a NASCAR movie because Mark drove the BB car and because the movie was the title sponsor of the race at MIS. I think that's reason enough. Great movie--very dark but an intriguing presentation of a world where capitalism isn't all bad.

The second is a true NASCAR movie, complete with cameos from Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart. Herbie: Fully Loaded is cheesy but cute, badly acted (note to JJ: keep your day job) but enjoyable, and predictable but not a horrible waste of $6.50 and an hour and a half. The product placement is truly astounding, however. I saw more ads in the actual movie than I did in the commercials before the movie! Bass Pro Shops, Cheetos, etc. etc. were heavily featured.

But that's really not the point of this post. Also making cameos were Benny Parsons and Allen Bestwick as the booth announcers, and Bob Dillner as a SPEED reporter. First, I feel so bad for Dillner. The credits list Jeff, JJ, DJ, Smoke, Parsons and Bestwick as playing themselves. Poor Bob Dillner gets credited as playing "SPEED reporter." Uh...isn't that what his full-time job is? I thought Bob did an admirable job, actually. Poor Benny and Allen were clearly uncomfortable having to say "NASCAR Nextel Cup" as often as they did in their commentary about Herbie's surprise charge at California Speedway. You could tell they much prefer to be unscripted.

But again, not the post of the post. My point: bring Allen back to the booth! I had forgotten how great Bestwick is! Bill Weber just sounded uncomfortable all night long during the Pepsi 400, and Allen has a much more interesting style and voice. Plus, it drives me nuts that he looks down at his notes so often! (Random, I know, but it bugged me...) And if by some random notion NBC is actually reading this, please fix the audio balance during "through the field." We can't hear your reporters over the cars!

So, the post of the post: we like Allen, we like Batman Begins, we'll put up with Herbie: Fully Loaded, and Bob Dillner just gets no respect.

Countdown to the Chase - Talladega

2005-07-05T14:06:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Week 3 of my Countdown series... as I get closer to the final races of the season you will find the Chase rapidly approaching! So, we have left New England and are back in the South, and the one plate race in the Chase...

UAW-Ford 500

Talladega Superspeedway

Race #3 of the Chase / #29 of the Season
October 2, 2005

Track Specs:
2.66 mile superspeedway (the longest on the Cup circuit); banking = 33' (turns), 18' (trioval)
Attendance: 145,000

Stats of Note:
Most Recent Track Winner: Jeff Gordon (5/05)
Winners at the Track in the Last 5 years: Jeff Gordon (2), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (5), Michael Waltrip, Bobby Hamilton
Track Race Record: Mark Martin (97)
Best Avg. Finish Among Active Drivers: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (8.0)

Comments:
I really don't like plate races. I know they are supposedly super-exciting to watch and such, but I don't really get it. Of course, I haven't seen one in person, so maybe that's the key. Whattever it is, I just find them frustrating. As Ryan Smithson put it after the Daytona race last weekend, "you truly can't control your own destiny." The "Big One" (and all the small ones!) are really inevitable, and sweep up the most conservative, careful drivers along with the aggressive ones. There is no way for divers to protect themselves other just being lucky, and that just isn't satisfying, particularly in the Chase. That is, however, part of the game, and it would be odd and ultimately unfair not to have one plate race in the Chase; that series should (and does) fairly represent the tracks on the circuit since some drivers and teams are clearly better on some types than on others.

So, I may not like it, but to Talladega we go. Picks here seem like they should be easy - Jr. and Jeff Gordon have won 7 of the last 8 races at the track, and the other one was won by Jr.'s DEI teammate Michael Waltrip. But, an early end to the race is always only inches away for any driver at any time.

Oh, and don't for get to vote in our poll on who is most like to be left out of the Chase... I got interested in what everyone else thinks after I sat down to make my (first) set of predictions for last week's Countdown preview.

Predictions:
To Win
Michael Waltrip won this race in 2003 after starting 18th (the farthest back that anyone has won from at Talladega since Dale Sr. won from 20th start position in 2000), and I predict he will reprise that performance this fall. Mikey finished 3rd in the Aaron's 499 here in May (behind Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart), and had very strong runs at both Daytona races cut short (by an engine failure in the 500 and a wreck from a cut tire on a restart in the Pepsi 400). I think he is much better than his stats would predict (only 6 top tens and the 1 win in 19 starts here in the last ten years): he seems to have swapped momentum as well as teams with Jr. this year. Currently he is 17th in points (508 behind leader JJ), so getting in the Chase is going to be an uphill battle. I think he can do it, though, and, if so, I stand behind this pick to win. If he isn't in the Chase, however, I might reevaluate my choice. (Hey, it's my post, I can reserve the right to do whattever I want!)

To Do Well
This is mostly a list of "well, duh" picks: Jeff Gordon has won 2 of the 3 plate races this year, including the race at Dega; he is rapidly supplanting Jr. as the reigning king of the superspeedway. He's had a rough and unpredictable year in stretches, though, so although he will make the chase (I really will be surprised if he doesn't get it together sufficiently to make the cut), he's not as much of a sure-bet as he may have been even 2 months ago. Ten top-fives and four wins in the last 19 starts (10 years) are certainly nothing to laugh at, though! Similarly, if Dale Earnhardt, Jr. pulls through to make the Chase then I think there is little doubt that he will be competitive to win this race. Were it not for a last-lap crash (not of his own making), he would have had a top-5 in the May race this year, despite his season-long struggles. The momentum at this moment belongs to Tony Stewart, who will come into the Chase with a big confidence boost with the two back-to-back wins (equally the season-to-date number by all other non-Hendrick or Roush teams combined) and who also has a history of strong finishes at Dega (8 top-10s in his 13 starts). Of course, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch are also usual suspects here. Any of these guys should do well if (and it's a big if) they stay out of the way of the wrecks.

Also watch
Jamie McMurray will be my dark horse. Really not much of a dark horse this year as he has earned 2 of his 3 career plate race top-fives this season (at Dega and at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona). He seems to be finding an identity as a pretty good speedway racer, and one of the very few Dodges that have had that type of success this year. Dale Jarrett has also been quietly having a good year at the plate tracks, with at 5th at Daytona last week and 9th in the Aaron's 499. Of course, this is not a "dark horse" pick - DJ has 56 plate starts and the highest average finish of anyone - 12.4. Particularly impressive is that he has only had 3 DNFs in all that time; here we clearly have a pro at staying out of trouble and avoiding getting in the middle of other people's. I think he definitely could score a top-10 here, but think his chances will suffer if he fails to make the chase (which I think likely), particularly since Yates teammate Elliott Sadler is clearly in the Chase.

Next we detour into the Heartland for the first true intermediate track of the Chase. Don't worry, the excursion away from the South will be short-lived. Next up: Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway. Thoughts?

Lessons Learned at Daytona...

2005-07-03T09:55:00.000-04:00

I learned a few things watching the Daytona race this weekend: wisdom that I'm sure you will all be thrilled that I shared!

1. Once in a great rare while, the guy who has the clearly better car all night long actually does win the race. Usually, of course, that guy gets passed at the last second (a la JJ at Atlanta), beaten by last-second pit strategy (a la Newman at Darlington), or meets with some other unfortunate end (a la Mikey at the Daytona 500). And, it was nice to see Smoke become the first to get back-to-back wins this season after coming this close so many times before actually closing the deal to get to victory lane.

2. Frantically waving is the conventional signal to other drivers that one is headed for the pits. Honestly, I had no idea about this. Of course, it is probably very rarely an issue. It became one last night, however, when the "Big One" was caused by a basically no-fault failure of that information to get back through the pack. Jeff Gordon waved (clearly visible on the NBC onboard camera, so he's totally off the hook), Jamie McMurray behind him saw it, but somehow that did not get back to Scott Riggs, who took out himself, Mark Martin, and several others in his attempt to avoid rear-ending Jamie. All of this, of course, begs the question: With all the high-tech stuff in those cars, isn't there a better way to signal? Seriously, every cheapo passenger car in the world has blinkers!

3. Dave Burns was not the only one waterskiing. That segment was easily one of the hokiest produced by NBC this weekend, but at least it gave Harvick something to talk about during those repeated rain-delay interviews. More interestingly, though, it seems to have inspired other drivers: Embarassingly for Burns, Carl Edwards (in the Busch race) and Boris Said had marginally more success at the stunt in race cars on the rain-drenched infield than the pit reporter apparently had with more traditional equipment and venue.

4. Being the points leader is a rough gig. Yeah, that was half-sarcastic (but, well, I suppose most of this is half-sarcastic!), but at the plate tracks, where you really need people willing to help you out, it isn't to your advantage that every driver out there has an incredible incentive to see you finish poorly (or at least behind him!). Just ask JJ. Of course, he has run into and run over enough drivers this season that they may not have felt like helping him in his last ditch effort to pass Tony last night anyway, but I'd wager that Jamie, Jr., Rusty, and DJ had a little snicker when JJ, hung out to dry, slid all the way from 2nd to 6th.

5. I'm not the only one who thinks some of those special paint schemes look confusingly similar. The NBC guys reported that some of the spotters were concerned at the beginning of the race that some of the schemes were so similar from the long distances at Daytona that they had trouble picking out their own car. Now, really, there's probably nothing that can be done about this in the case of, say, Jamie McMurray's Home123 Dodge and Boris Said's Centrix Chevy, but you would think that the Hendrick guys, at least, could avoid the similarity between Jeff's Pepsi scheme and Brian Vickers' GMAC car.

6. I am not yet too old to stay up til 2am. This one is perhaps a bit of a stretch, as I will admit to dozing just a little during parts of the final 40 laps, but I'll give myself credit for it. I was, however, wishing I still lived on the left side of the country. Sure we get the Oscars live here in the East. But, on the West Coast, the race ended on the same day it started, and there is just something to be said for that.

Our Exhaustive Encyclopedic Web Review of NASCAR Pets

2005-07-02T22:04:00.000-04:00

During the rain delay for the Pepsi 400, Ryan Newman mentioned how his wife Krissie is putting together a book of NASCAR drivers and their pets to support their foundation, benefitting animal adoption, pet care, and other humane organizations. Greg Biffle and his girlfriend Nicole Lunders have also started a foundation "to improve the well-being of animals." Biff and Nicole already have a 2006 calendar featuring drivers and their pets available at their site. It looks like a great calendar and features Biff, Nicole, and their boxers Foster and Gracie, Tony Stewart and his pet monkey Mojo, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his pet boxer Killer (also the son of Foster), and many others. The full list is available here. We encourage you to support both great causes and purchase the NASCAR pets calendar and, when it comes out, Krissie's book.

In the meantime, if you're curious about NASCAR drivers and their pets, I recommend reading this Charlotte Observer article or this article from "The Vegas Dog." In the meantime, here's some information and links to pictures (where I could find them online):

Greg Biffle - He and Nicole have two boxers, Foster and Gracie. Foster has been on the front of Milk Bone boxes, and also fathered Gracie and Killer (Jr's dog). The calendar picture of Greg, Nicole, Gracie and Foster is available here and here, and a good picture of Biff driving with Gracie and Foster in the front seat is here.

Kurt Busch - Kub and his girlfriend, Eva Bryan, own a terrier named Jim. They are in the NASCAR pets calendar and a preview picture is available here. Update: Kurt and Eva also own Ginger, who made an appearance in Victory Lane at Pocono. Read about it here.

Kyle Busch - Kurt's brother Kyle also owns terriers. I couldn't find any pics of them, but Kyle explained that his two West Highland terriers, Kelly and Suzie, are great and his ideal pets.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Junior owns Killer, the son of Foster (Biffle's dog) and has been seen taking him boating and on the NASCAR pets calendar (a preview picture is available on Biff's Foundation page). Matt Kenseth also reports that his cat, Lars, had a "trackside sparring" with Jr.'s cat, Buddy. That was apparently the last time those two got together (see the bottom of this convo). Another site reports that Jr. owns two additional cats, Dude and Cuz. You can see a picture of Buddy here.

Bobby Hamilton, Jr. - Lars has nothing on Coco, the famous Yorkie featured quite prominently on Bobby Hamilton Jr's website here and here.

Kevin Harvick - The doggie tooth fairy has visited spoiled teacup chihuahua Lo, who thinks she's the same size as one of her older brothers, German Shepards Endy and Bebe. Kevin and DeLana spoil their dogs, as evidenced by their many appearances on NASCAR Drivers: 360 and their many pictures on Kevin's website. The Harvicks also have two cats, Liza and Sebastian.

Jimmie Johnson - Jimmie and his wife Chandra own two little dogs. Roxanne (or Roxie, or Roxy, depending on which site you visit) is a Shih Tzu and shown getting all gussied up at a doggie salon here. The Johnsons also own Maya, a Havanese dog, and will be featured in the NASCAR pets calendar.

Matt Kenseth - Matt and his wife Katie have two adorable cats, Lars and Charlotte. Matt's website has a ton of pictures of Lars, a few of Charlotte, and the boys at NASCAR.com have even tried to make Lars famous (referring to these discussions)! Matt, Katie and Lars are featured in the NASCAR pets calendar and a preview picture is available here.

Jason Leffler - Jason and his wife Alison pose with their yellow labs Daphne and Chloe here. They grace the month of April in the NASCAR pets calendar.

Jeremy Mayfield - NASCAR Drivers:360 made Jeremy's many dogs famous. He's got big dogs, an English bulldog, and several pugs. Izzy (or Isabella) the bulldog, and pugs Mattie and Max are all featured on this website. Update: In July 2005, Jeremy and Shana Mayfield adopted a mini-Bulldog who they named Zoë.

Casey Mears - Casey's pets were featured on the Animal Planet special and will grace the month of May in the NASCAR pets calendar. Kya is a mini Australian Shepherd, and Gus and Rags are Mears' pet cats.

Ryan Newman - Ryan and Krissie Newman are very active in promoting animal welfare. They've adopted three mixed breed dogs, Harley, Digger, and Mopar. They've got lots of pictures on their foundation's website, and a great one of all five in the family is here.

Ricky Rudd - No pictures, but Ricky does discuss his Bengal cat Koda here. Koda apparently looks like a leopard, acts like a dog, but has all the "conveniences" of a house cat.

Elliott Sadler - Elliott owns a number of hunting dogs. We're talking in the thirties. To be fair, that's because he breeds and trains them with his dad. They're Tennessee Walker hounds, and USA Today reports that Sadler originally named the dogs after states (Utah, Montana, Texas, etc.) but, apparently taking a page from Michael Waltrip or something, is now naming them after Mars candy. Sadler doesn't sell the dogs, but instead uses them to hunt deer. They will also be featured in the NASCAR pets calendar.

Mike Skinner - Mike has a great Doberman named Opus. I mention Opus because Mark Martin said he was a great dog, the kind he'd like to own if he had one because he's incredibly obedient. Mike has pictures of Opus here, here, here, here and here.

Tony Stewart - Smoke is the August cover boy in the NASCAR pets calendar with his pet monkey MoJo. You can see a preview of the calendar page on Biff's foundation page. Smoke also has a very cute teacup chihuahua named Kayle (she's been on TV before, but I couldn't find any pics of her), a pug named Richmond, and a mixed dog named Bunny.

Brian Vickers - Brian has a cat named Caesar. He describes Caesar as great because he's low maintenance. "I don't have to take him outside and I can fill his food and water bowls up for two weeks and I don't have to be there, so it's perfect."

Some other mentions:
The NASCAR pets calendar will also feature Kerry and Rene Earnhardt and their pet dogs Pepper, Greer, Luke, and Chuckie, and Jeff and Michelle Green and their pet Labs Short Track and Vegas.

This website, although a couple of years old and out-of-date in certain respects, lists a number of other NASCAR drivers and their pets. I haven't found any other information about these pets, but thought I'd mention them here:

Michael Waltrip - yellow Lab (Beavis); Kai-Leos (Phoebe, Dixie); black Lab mix (Danny)
Sterling Marlin - Chow Chow mix (Max); Border Collie (Checker)
Dave Blaney - golden Lab (Sunny)
Robby Gordon - black Lab (Phoenix)

I hope you enjoyed my tour of NASCAR pets on the Internet. It's certainly no substitute for supporting Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman's foundations. Please do!

Daytona Qualifying and NBC

2005-07-01T18:14:00.001-04:00

So we switch to NBC/TNT today. I had been looking forward to NBC because I like their "Through the Field" segment and had previously watched a lot more NBC/TNT races than I ever had on FOX. But I gotta say, Dave Burns interviewing the chef was a little over the top and unnecessarily silly. And Dave in scuba gear, skiing, was just weird. Get back to qualifying; we missed Kasey Kahne's lap while you were showing such silliness! At least the qualifying is live, as opposed to FOX/Speed's pretend-live coverage.

Congratulations to Tony Stewart for winning the pole; looks like he'll be really good tomorrow. I'm expecting Mark Martin, Scott Riggs, Kevin Harvick, and Jeff Gordon to have good races, as they're all on my fantasy teams. I was also impressed with Kerry Earnhardt's run in the RCR #33, but I'm a little leary of putting him on my team since he didn't get much race-trim practice. Also, interesting that the MB2 cars (Riggs in 2nd, Said in 4th, and Nemechek in 5th) with their Hendrick power almost all ran better than the Hendrick cars (JJ in 3rd, Jeff in 15th, Vickers in 16th, and KyB in 34th). Probably just a function of set-ups for qualifying rather than race trim, but still...the Nelson Bowers cars look awfully good.

Another note: Bootie, please shave! Bootie Barker's comments generally crack me up when he's on Speed for Bootie Call. But he's so much cuter when he shaves! That's totally true for Tony Stewart and Elliott Sadler, too. I also gotta say: I normally don't like the yellow M&M's car, but the Fourth of July M&M scheme was pretty nifty.

Finally, poor Matt Kenseth's woes continue. The car lost a bunch of water, and he shut the engine off the in the middle of his qualifying run. I'm sure the team will make some changes and start in the back; hopefully they can continue their modest run of good runs from Michigan (4th) and Sonoma (11th).

UPDATE: Watching the TNT coverage of the Busch race now. Please FIX THE AUDIO before tomorrow! Something's wrong with the balance; we've got far too much track noise and not enough reporter sound. It's really bad during "Through the Field." You can barely understand anything they're saying!

Our New Look

2005-06-30T22:55:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody! It's the same Random Thoughts on Stock Car Racing here, we've just messed around with our style and created a new title, "Gas-and-go." Everyone needs to reinvent themselves once in awhile. It's our more permanent scheme that fits our personality and we hope the personality of our blog. Thanks for bearing with us while we've been under construction the past few days.

We've also added a poll feature. We would love it if you would humor us and try it out. You can vote once a day, so come back and vote often! We'd like to have fun new polls every so often, so if you have any ideas, please email or comment. We live for feedback!

Nascar Drivers: 360

2005-06-29T10:31:00.000-04:00

So now that FX's Nascar Drivers: 360 is over, it's time to think about who we'd want to see in next year's show.

It won't be Carl Edwards. From his weekly diary:

This past weekend CNN followed me around for five days. They are doing a feature on me for a special NASCAR Health show that will air September 25 I believe. They were really cool but man, I know now that I would never want to do a reality show. That's hard having cameras around all the time. I think the piece will be good but I'm glad it's over.

Well, I of course think the Harvicks should stay. Probably Kenny Wallace, even though his discussions of sex with his teenage daughters kind of freak me out. I'd like to see more of Kurt Busch, and of course, Biff would be an excellent addition.

I'm also hoping that they'll follow Mark Martin around in one or two truck races. That would be awesome! And even though this is a little belated, congratulations to Matt for his victory June 18 in the FASCAR Pro Truck series! You rock! I can't wait to cheer for Matt Martin when he's old enough to run in the premiere series. :)

But who do you want? Who do you not want to see back?

Countdown to the Chase - Dover

2005-06-28T19:04:00.000-04:00

Week 2 of my informal Countdown to the Chase takes us to the second race of the season at the Monster Mile...

MBNA NASCAR RacePoints 400

Dover International Speedway

Race #2 of the Chase / #28 of the Season
September 25, 2005

Track Specs:
1.0 mile oval; banking = 24' (turns), 9' (straights)
Attendance: 147,000

Stats of Note:
Most Recent Track Winner: Greg Biffle (6/05)
Winners at the Track in the Last 5 years: Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman (3), Jimmie Johnson (2), Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Track Race Record: Mark Martin (97)
Best Avg. Finish Among Active Drivers: Kyle Busch (2.0). But, again, if you want someone who has run more than a single race here, go with Tony Stewart (5.1).

Comments:
I hereby bestow upon this track the distinction of having the ugliest trophy in the Cup series. I understand that this is the Monster Mile, but putting that cement cretin on the trophy is just not a good deal. Does any one know if the fall trophy is the same as the June one?

I predicted a Hendrick win at Loudon, so it seems very safe that I predict a Roush victory for the next race at Dover. Perhaps it is, but it also isn't unrealistic given the dominance of the two teams and the types of tracks at which they each tend to excel. But let's not kid ourselves, a win by either team on any given week, including during the chase, would be no real surprise.

This is probably as good of a juncture as any to insert my conjecture as to who I think is actually going to make the Chase. Clearly the composition of that slate is in the back of my mind for these predictions, and significant changes between now and Richmond could throw my tidy world into near-chaos. So, here are my background assumptions:
Sure-fire in: Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Elliott Sadler, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Rusty Wallace
I've got an Excellent Feeling: Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Michael Waltrip
Even Money: Jeremy Mayfield, Jamie McMurray, Dale Jarrett
An snowball's chance...: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth

Predictions:
To Win
Mark Martin has 4 career wins at the Monster Mile and won this race last year; I see it happening again for him this year. He has a career average of 13.4 here - exactly the same as his career average at all intermediate tracks (yes yes, I know that means nothing, I just thought it was fun to note!). In the last 5 races at Dover, however, he has 3 top-5s (including last year's win) and an average finish of 9.2. These aren't the most impressive stats around, but with a very strong Roush team behind him and the emotional drive of being in the hunt for his first Championship in his final season, I expect the 6 to be very strong indeed.

To Do Well
Of course, Biffle leads my list of drivers who will be in the hunt. Frankly, you can probably expect to see him on this list almost every week, but can you blame me? At least I have resisted the urge to pick a Biff win for every race. But, here, at least, the pick is particularly obvious since he won the race this month at Dover and is pretty much just generally on a tear. Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman are also in that "no-brainer" pick category, with average finishes inside the top 10 over the last five years. Smoke got his only wins here at both races in 2000, and Ryan won 3 of the 4 in 2003 and 2004. Mr. Consistency, Jimmie Johnson, will also be a factor.

Also watch
Scott Riggs is my dark horse for Dover. Although he failed to finish this race last year (a wheel bearing failure garnered him 31st place), his other two cup starts at the track, at June races, have been very good for the #10: 5th in 2004 and 11th earlier this month. He has his highest average finish at Dover among tracks where he has more than one cup start (15.7), and holds the Craftsman Truck Series race record for the track (set in 2001). Currently 22nd in the points, 703 behind Biffle (the new leader after Infineon... Go Biff), Riggs is not going to make the Chase. However, I don't think Joe Nemechek, the other MB2 Motorsports driver (in the 01), is going to make it either (currently 17th, 528 behind), so they will both have equivalent interests in just running for the best finish possible. I predict top-10 for Riggs. If it weren't the chase, I may have gone really out on a limb and predicted top-5. But, there are just going to be too many excellent teams with critical interests in those spots, so top-10 it is.

I also think that this race poses a good opportunity for Kyle Busch, who finished 2nd in his first cup start here this month. Although I don't think he will make the Chase, and will likely be overshadowed by the efforts of his Hendrick teammates during these races, he's going to have a strong finish to the season, including top 10 at Dover.

Well, that's it for the Northeast segment of the tour. It's back to the deep South where racefans aren't just a segment of the population, they ARE the population. Next up: UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega. Thoughts?

Power Rankings, Our Way

2005-06-27T21:38:00.000-04:00

So Roushketeer and I look forward to Ryan Smithson's Power Rankings each Tuesday, even though the rankings seem to be completely arbitrary and they repeat the same jokes over and over... So we decided that we could be as completely unscientific and unfunny as the boys over at NASCAR.com and write our own. A little parody, a little Biff love, and we've got Power Rankings, Our Way. What we learned, however, is that we are even less funny than we think we are (and certainly not as funny as Ryan Smithson)!

1. 16, Greg Biffle: What? No road course win? Oh, you started in 41st… well, we still have our expectations. What, you say, you're leading the points now? Well, ok then… you're allowed a week outside the top 10.

2. 20, Tony Stewart: What, I'm supposed to drive with two hands? Maybe that's the secret behind all those Roush and Hendrick wins: one-handed driving.

3. 48, Jimmie Johnson: Maybe Jimmie will learn that it's not nice to make fun of others for spinning out during qualifying. The transmission bug will bite you ...

4. 2, Rusty Wallace: Don't try Rusty's method of gas-saving at Daytona. Coasting downhill won't work so well there.

5. 38, Elliott Sadler: It's not just the M&Ms that have caused Elliott Sadler to be the butt of our weight jokes. As he showed on Nascar Drivers: 360, he also likes creme brulee and cognac.

6. 6, Mark Martin: We think Jack Roush will hire Sterling Marlin to drive the 6 next year. Think of all the money he'll save changing just one letter, from MarTin to MarLin.

7. 97, Kurt Busch: It's ironic that Kurt has a regal sponsor just as his ego is becoming manageable. Plus it's just easier for Jimmie Spencer to pick on a "maid" (of rubber) than a "royal."

8. 12, Ryan Newman: Insert joke about no-neck, feud with Rusty, and/or winning poles without winning races.

9. 88, Dale Jarrett: DJ may be totally out of the target demographic for Lindsay Lohan, but with "Herbie: Fully Loaded" on the 88 at Sonoma, we bet his son was campaigning for a meet-and-greet.

10. 21, Ricky Rudd: That fuel gamble could have gone either way… but we like Ricky better than Rusty, so we're happy it worked out better for him than it did for the #2 last year.

11. 15, Michael Waltrip: We're not sure if Michael's brother was crying more because he wasn't going to Daytona or because Tony Stewart shaved.

12. 42, Jamie McMurray: He has the lowest average finish at Daytona among average drivers with at least five starts there. He is blissfully single, though, so maybe the trip to Florida won't be a complete bust.

13. 24, Jeff Gordon: "Hey, I'm a whiner, so I might as well be drinking it as well" - Gordon to Hammond on the introduction of upscale wines as part of the "Jeff Gordon Collection." Man, you really know your audience, Jeff…

14. 99, Carl Edwards: So if it keeps raining on Saturday, do you think the Busch officials would notice if the #60 just put in one of those cardboard cutouts of Carl from Office Depot and Brad Parrott drove the car by remote control?

15. 39, Kevin Harvick: No "foxy pass" at Sonoma for Harvick, but it was a faux pas when Harvick's engine blew and he cursed over the radio. Maybe the doggie tooth fairy will bring the Harvicks' dogs that fancy doghouse with the faux fur next time one of them loses a tooth. It's certainly better than a biscuit. And a 37th finish.

16. 01, Joe Nemechek: Newsflash: Army pulls sponsorship of the 01 car when it discovers that Monte Carlos don't run well in the desert.

17. 19, Jeremy Mayfield: According to "Mayfield's Map," Jeremy uses the long flight to catch up on reading his "race car books and how to drive books and stuff like that." Maybe there's something to be said for book-learnin' in this sport... he got his 3rd top-10 of the season.

18. 17, Matt Kenseth: We predict that in 2012, Greg Biffle will win his fifth championship for Roush, Carl Edwards will still be doing backflips, and Matt Martin and Ross Kenseth will fight it out for Raybestos Rookie of the Year. Matt will have retired so he can play with Lars and Charlotte full-time.

19. 5, Kyle Busch: Not even Tony the Tiger could overcome the curse of the blue-and-yellow numbers this week at Sonoma.

20. 9, Kasey Kahne: Report: Teenage girls rejoice as Kahne declares benefits of being single to Sports Illustrated. Visitors to RTOSCR jump through the roof.

21. 31, Jeff Burton: Unfortunately, he's going to have to do better than place one higher than his car number in order to have a shot at the Chase…

22. 18, Bobby Labonte: It was a family affair at Joe Gibbs Racing this week, with finishes of 1, 12, and 18. Terry really wanted to get back at Kasey for dumping his daughter.

23. 7, Robby Gordon: Ideal Race: 10 laps, road course, IROC-style (cars and engines provided to everyone alike).

24. 8, Dale Earnhardt, Jr: Yeah, Junior, those really were all votes from your mom. And you're having a great season, too.

25. 11, Jason Leffler: So, Jason Leffler totally owes Terry a favor for getting him back in the top-35 in owner points. Too bad he's married, or maybe HE could date Terry's daughter now that she has been dumped by Kasey....

Kasey Kahne is Single!

2005-06-24T23:39:00.000-04:00

Well, apparently Kasey Kahne and Kristy Labonte have broken up. I always did think it was a little weird to race against your girlfriend's dad (Kristy is the daughter of former champ Terry Labonte).

But, anyway, the June 20th issue of Sports Illustrated features a discussion of Kasey. With the heading "On being Single," Kasey tells SI, "I love it. I don't have to worry about anybody but myself. Relationships get too complicated." So I guess that Kasey and Kristy broke up. Apparently they split before Richmond, because Kasey describes his post-win experience as being exclusively with Kale, his younger brother.

There's a good picture of Kasey on a four-wheeler, too. It's in the "First Person" section of SI.

Also - earlier I reported that Nicole Lunders and Greg Biffle were engaged. I'm not sure if that is true. I vividly remember Dave Despain referring to her as his fiance when Greg appeared on Wind Tunnel after Atlanta, but I couldn't see a ring when she was standing next to Biff during the national anthem last weekend at Michigan. Regardless of whether they're officially engaged or not, though, they've been together forever (before Biff even drove trucks for Roush) and live together in North Carolina. She is pretty active in the unofficial racing wives and girlfriends society. She and Greg have started a foundation to help animal shelters. The two of them are parents to Gracie and Foster, two really cute boxers (it's much easier to find pictures of Foster online than Nicole!). There aren't that many pictures of Nicole online, but you can find some here and here.

Sonoma Qualifying

2005-06-24T20:21:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Jeff and JJ for an all-Hendrick front row and Jeff for a new track record. Funniest thing I've heard in awhile:

Chad (quickly): good job, buddy, on the pole, don't spin the tires

Jimmie (loudly): YEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

Chad (laughing): you just blew out my eardrums.

Chad Knaus is really a great compliment to JJ as a crew chief. I'm not sure his constant "good job buddy" would work for everyone, but apparently JJ needs all of those reminders of what an awesome driver he is. Both Chad and JJ's spotter are always telling JJ how great he is. If you listen to his scanner, you'll hear more "good job, buddy" than you've ever heard in your life before. A little patronizing, but, hey, it works...

Other thoughts:

I watched qualifying on SPEED with trackpass running at the same time. By the time Jeff made his run, the broadcast was a full half-hour behind the live runs. I guess SPEED wants to show all the cars qualify, but it's just weird to not be live.
When Biff spun out, JJ was on the split screen. He clapped. It was tacky.
So JJ and Chad tested this week and last at the Bondurant school, along with Nick Lachey (of 98 degrees and Jessica Simpson-husband fame). Chad drove too! Too funny! I'd love to see Chad behind the wheel! Apparently, Chad has improved, but he's still far off the pace. JJ on Chad's driving: "We had to pull him out of the kitty litter twice." Too funny.
Ryan Newman and Kyle Busch were really unhappy with their laps, but both still qualified in the Top 15. Kyb called his lap "awful," "terrible" and "miserable." He may be a dark horse in the race.

I also have no idea how the field is set. So Biffle and Sadler both spun out and needed to take provisionals to make the field. So they start 41st and 42nd? Why then is Ron Fellows in 43rd? Fellows is driving a car that had to time-in, but he qualified faster than cars 36-42. I guess I just don't understand why Biff starts 41st and not either 36th or 42nd (with Sadler in 43rd). If anyone knows, I would LOVE some elaboration. It's confusing me.

Okay, my predictions and my fantasy teams:

I've got Jeff and Mark as givens on all teams. Smoke and JJ are pretty solid, too, and on two of my three teams. Boris Said is a good ringer, he's got a fast car, and is cheap, so he's on 2/3 of my teams. That's pretty easy.

Kyle Busch will also have a good race, and his older brother will quietly rack up another top ten. Scott Pruett is a great driver, but he is too expensive for my fantasy teams. Terry Labonte in the 11 is a threat, as long as he's not too worried about not tearing up the car (again). Watch out for the race-within-the-race this weekend between Terry and Mike Wallace. If Terry can pick up 56 points on Mike Wallace, the 11 is back in the top 35 in owner points.

Biffle has a "great car," according to him. If he and Doug Richert can get a good pit break on strategy (ala Harvick at Bristol), they will be a threat. In the post-qualifying interview, Biff said that he was pretty good at passing on the hill, and the braking setup was great, which also provides a lot of options for passing. So I predict a solid top-15 for him. Ricky Rudd, Kevin Harvick, and Rusty are also good picks.

But my biggest prediction: If the 7's Menard engine holds out, Robby Gordon will win the race.

Now, I realize that this is an "if," so it's not a great prediction. I don't even have Robby on any of my fantasy teams. He tested here earlier in the high 14's (I think; regardless it was fast), and Jeff barely broke 16. (That's one minute sixteen seconds). That car is fast. And Robby knows how to drive a road course. And Robby is very hungry, so if the engine works for 219 miles, he'll knock anyone in his way out of the picture and head to victory lane.

My Drivers...

2005-06-22T21:21:00.000-04:00

Roushketeer and I were talking about our favorite drivers, so I have decided to post a list of my favorite drivers, as well as a few of my least favorite drivers, along with reasons why. Comment away...

1. Greg Biffle. Mainly because of Roushketeer's affinity for him, but beyond that I love his honesty and his take-no-prisoners attitude. Favorite in-car audio from Biff: "I hope Jack isn't mad, but I'm tapping the 99 if he doesn't get out of my way. I don't want to spin him out or anything, but he better move. I hope Jack isn't mad."

2. Mark Martin. A true gentleman who is also brutally honest and a good human being. And how can you not love a 46-year old father of five who buys rap music, over the protest of his son?

3. Kevin Harvick. He's funny, he's smart, and he's got a great wife. I love his relationship with Delana, and I can't wait to see KHI grow into a powerhouse.

A bit of a jump here...I LOVE my first three drivers on the list. I root for the rest of the drivers on the list, and they wind up on my fantasy team quite often, but I don't absolutely adore them as much as Biff, Mark, and Kevin.

4. Kurt Busch. Yes, he's got a bad temper. Yes, he can be a baby sometimes. But I grew to respect Kurt after that IROC hit, and I've since grown to really like him. I call Busch KuB or Kubby, after his beloved Chicago Cubs and his new "initials" (K. Busch doesn't work; it's KuB and KyB).

5. Tony Stewart. Are you seeing a trend of NASCAR's bad boys? I like my drivers honest and fierce on the track. Smoke is much more palatable, though, when he's mellow. When he shaves, he's even sexy, too.

6. Ryan Newman. He's smart, from Indiana, and does a ton of work to benefit humane societies. How can I root against him?

7. Jeff Gordon. Another Indiana boy. He's a winner, too, which always helps.

8. Matt Kenseth. I don't even like cats, and I like Lars and Charlotte. The sideburns can go, though.

9. Michael Waltrip. It's shocking to me that he made this list, but Mikey cracks me up. I'll probably never buy a part from NAPA, eat Domino's Pizza, stay at Best Western, or rent furniture from Aaron's, but gosh, I sure do know all about them.

10. Carl Edwards. I liked Carl better before he had won so much in his quasi-rookie year. He is a heck of a driver, and seems to just really enjoy racing. I could do without the backflips...

Honorable mentions: Jimmie Johnson (only because I think Chad Knaus is a genius and gorgeous) and Kyle Busch (Kurt's bro gets a shout-out because he's awfully talented, well-mannered, and has earned Mark Martin's respect).

Least favorites:

1. Rusty Wallace. Arrogant. Annoying. Needs to learn to respect his teammate. Ryan/Matt know their setups, and Rusty could learn from them.

2. Elliott Sadler. Just because he's competition to my favs. That, and I don't like the accent or the sponsor (Reese's are much better than M&M's, after all...).

3. Dale Jarrett. Brown just doesn't do it for me. Plus he's just old. Without having the cuteness of a Mark Martin.

4. Joe Nemechek. First, he picked on Harvick unnecessarily. Second, he's got a nickname that is overdone and overdue ("front row Joe"). Third, something just rubs me the wrong way about him...

5. Jeff Green. How can two drivers from the same small town dislike each other so much? Plus, the car is just ugly.

Countdown to the Chase - New Hampshire

2005-06-22T20:44:00.000-04:00

We are now 11 weeks away from the beginning of the Chase, the 10-race sprint to the end of the season that will determine to the Nextel Cup Champion. Over here at RTSCR, I have decided to celebrate with my own little countdown... so, for the next ten weeks I will be previewing each of the Chase races in order.

Now, bear in mind that I really don't actually know anything about this stuff, so really I am just going to provide some general stats on the track and race and make some grossly speculative and irresponsible predictions... we'll call this a preview for the (very) casual fan! And, just for kicks, check out the great Chase Stats over at Jayski.

So, up this week...

Sylvania 300

New Hampshire International Speedway

Race #1 of the Chase / #27 of the Season
September 18, 2005

Track Specs:
1.058 mile oval; 12' banking
Attendance: 101,000

Stats of Note:
Most Recent Track Winner: Kurt Busch (9/04)
Winners at the Track in the Last 5 years: Kurt Busch (2), Jimmie Johnson (2), Ward Burton, Ryan Newman, Dale Jarrett, Robby Gordon
Track Race Record: Jeff Burton (7/97)
Best Avg. Finish Among Active Drivers: Kasey Kahne (6.0). But, if you want someone who has run more than 2 races here, it's Jimmie Johnson (8.0).

Comments:
It is unfortunate for me that New Hampshire hosts the first track on my list for this informal survey... I have never watched a race on the track, it doesn't have a particularly distinctive reputation, and although it hosts a pre-Chase race this season, that outing is still a few weeks away (7/17). So, my predictions here are particularly random.

Important to note at this point - once the field for the Chase is established, pretty much all bets made before that point are off. Team resources, strategies, perspectives--pretty much everything--will be shuffled around to favor the 10 teams in contention for the championship. But, even so, it is fun to speculate.

Last year was the inaugural Chase, and Kurt Busch, the eventual champion, won both races at NHIS. Coincidence? probably. But, with only one chase in history, its as good of an indicator as any! Jimmie Johnson won both races at New Hampshire in 2003, but ended the season second behind Matt Kenseth.

Predictions:
Ok, so here is the part where I wildly go out on a whim to be utterly humiliated when nothing I predict materializes and I am outed as the utter fraud that I am :) Whattever, this is my corner of the web, I'm going to push blindly ahead anyway... After all, I can always blame it on how early I made these picks.

To Win
I'm gonna pick Jimmie Johnson to take the Sylvania 300. After all, as much as I may want to, I can't pick Biffle to win every race. This is not exactly a terribly risky pick, as JJ won both races here in 2003, has an average finish of 8th in 6 races on the track, and has established himself as competitive on any type of track this year (he can thank Chad for that!).

To Do Well
Others I have confidence in for this one include my man Biff, particularly if he does well at the July race. So what if he only has one top-10 in 5 cup races here; this season has thrown out the history book as to his performance. Actually, all the Roush boys have the potential to do well here, it's the kind of intermediate track that they seem to have figured out, particularly this year, and the whole team has a strong history in Loudon. Ryan Newman is awesome here, I expect him to make the chase and have a strong start with a top-5 here. And, as a final hedge, I think Kevin Harvick will have a good race. He oh-so-narrowly missed the Chase last year and, asuming he makes it, he will be anxious to prove he belongs and get off to a good start. This track can do that for him.

Also watch
Jeff Burton as a dark horse. He had four wins here between 1997 and 2000 and although he is no longer driving for Roush and only has a very outside chance at making the chase (currently 16th, 485 points behind JJ), I expect a strong top-10 from the Cingular car.

Well, that's it for New Hampshire... This exercise has, at least, informed me if no one else. Next up: NASCAR MBNA Racepoints 400 at Dover. Thanks for playing.

If It Ain't Broke...

2005-06-20T19:26:00.000-04:00

Marty's Mailbag today features a discussion of how to "fix" the Busch series. So my question: what's wrong with it? Yes, there are lots of Cup drivers running in the Busch series -- particularly when the race is at the same track as the Cup race -- but I have no problem with the so-called Buschwackers. Jim Hunter has said NASCAR is trying to change the rules to reward full-time Busch teams without a connection to NNC. Kathy's Pit Stop asks whether the rule could work. My answer: I don't care, because I think it's a really bad move.

First - Trent over at Over the Wall says it's about safety. Ok, if a car owner feels the need to limit his driver's other activities (the equivalent of a "danger" clause in a professional football contract). But tell Greg Biffle he can't play with his fast toys, and I think he'll be shopping around for a new team. Tell Carl Edwards he can't ride his motorcycle, and he'll probably still sign on the dotted line, but with a considerable amount of frustration. These guys are good because they like danger, because they have no fear. Certainly I would think dune buggies and motorcycles are less safe than a Busch race. And as NASCAR fans we all know the dangers of just taking an airplane to and from a race. So should NASCAR mandate that all teams take the bus to the track? Injuries happen, whether on the track or not.

Second - Banning Buschwacking won't cure team dominance. Sure, Roush has six wins in Busch, all with drivers who also run in Cup. But Cup drivers are also running for a lot of full-time teams that aren't affiliated with Cup: Biffle is running a ton of races for Brewco, Smoke is driving for KHI, and Mayfield and McMurray are sharing seat-time for Rusty Wallace, Inc. If anything, what better way for a new program to get off the ground than have a proven veteran in the driver's seat?

Third - think about what banning Buschwackers would open the flood gates to do. Tony Stewart can't own Eldora? (And remember -- a Busch regular beat all the Cup regulars at the Nextel Prelude there.) Boris Said can't run the NASCAR road courses because he also runs Trans-am?

Fourth - people get bumped up to Cup and they still want and need to run Busch. People responding to Marty's question tended to harp on Carl Edwards, fourth in Cup points, because he is also running Busch full-time. That's just plain luck and good driving. Edwards was ready to take over the #60 long before he was ready to be a Cup contender. And now you want to tell Charter he can't live up to his obligations? Absolutely crazy. And think about Kevin Harvick -- he did the same thing in 2001. When he took over for the 3/29 after the Daytona tragedy, should he--with just 33 Busch races and no Cup races to his credit--have been forced to quit racing Busch? He was already committed to a full Busch schedule.

Fifth - Speaking of Kevin, do you really think Brandon Miller would get Reese's to sponsor a team? Sponsors like drivers the fans recognize. And Happy likes his "fast break," which we certainly don't want to interrupt. My point is that there's something great about having Smoke drive for Mr. Clean as well as Home Depot. NASCAR follows the money, and the money is in recognizable drivers in Busch. What on earth is wrong with that?

Sixth - We still have developmental programs. ARCA, ASA, trucks, the regional series, and even open wheel and modifieds are all available to spot and develop talent. So what if the Busch race is almost a second Cup race? What's the harm? That NASCAR doesn't have a true developmental series that they own with stock cars? That Reed Sorenson and Martin Truex, Jr. have to beat a dozen Cup guys for their victories? That Ashton Lewis doesn't have enough money to compete with more well-funded teams?

Finally - I now watch Busch races. I'm a pretty good audience to get, too. Mid-twenties female with a lot of disposable income. I'll probably have kids in a few years and will raise them to be NASCAR fans. I don't really enjoy watching races of people whose names I don't know. But I love seeing the young guns compete with veterans. I love seeing Mark Martin on the same track as Reed Sorenson. I am paying attention solely because of the Buschwackers, even if I am turning into a big Reed fan.

This whole thing reeks of stealing from the rich to give to the poor, and I don't like it one bit. If you want to make racing more competitive, fine. Mandate more of the same parts. Keep the rules the same so teams don't have to keep spending money to keep up. Limit testing for super teams. But don't take Mark Martin out of his Busch car -- he likes racing. And don't deprive Waste Management -- my all-time favorite car -- from getting an awesome driver in Matt Kenseth. And certainly don't deprive us fans from the Saturday (or, in some cases, Friday) enjoyment we get out of fun racing with guys we know, love, and can root for.

Nascar Drivers: 360

2005-06-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

I love this show. I think it's great. A couple of comments, and some news I wasn't expecting:

Matt Martin is, as I've stated before, adorable. How can you not love a kid who thinks it's ridiculous that his dad likes rap music? Mark's admiration for hip-hop is a little odd...
I LOVE the Harvicks. I think both Kevin and Delana Harvick are hysterical, and the way they treat their kids, er, dogs, is just hilarious. Plus -- it's always good to see John Paul Linville, Delana's dad. I think the Linvilles are a big part of the success of KHI.
I also thought Kevin explaining how Jamie loves girls...how he loves to do his hair, dress well, etc... was funny. The word "metrosexual" came to mind to describe Jamie... but somehow I don't think you'll hear that out of Kevin's mouth!

But the biggest news of the evening:

JAMIE MCMURRAY IS SINGLE. What the...?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I thought he was dating Katie Wallace, Rusty's daughter. I have no idea what's going on here. Just a week or two ago, Rusty was singing Jamie's praises as a potential son-in-law. This week Jamie makes a huge deal out of the fact that he's single, and doesn't have a girlfriend. Doesn't even have a "friend" that's a girl that can help him decorate/design his house. Why not Katie? Did they have a breakup? I really don't understand.

Apparently neither does Ryan Smithson over at the Power Rankings. Maybe it's just to repeat the old "Benny-Parsons-can't-pronounce-McMurray" joke, but this week's Rusty Wallace tidbit was:

We think that if and when Jamie McMurray becomes his son-in-law, Jamie should change his name to Jamie Wallace. We know that Benny “MacMurray” Parsons would be in favor of such a move.

For Charlotte's Power Rankings, the tidbit was:

Rusty's gonna make a very cool father-in-law. Free beer and golf balls.

Clearly, Ryan Smithson of the Power Rankings thinks Jamie and Katie are still dating... so why at Martinsville for the filming of 360 did Jamie so unequivocally declare his bachelorhood? Very odd. Please comment if you know anything.

UPDATE: According to a fan board for Rusty Wallace, Rusty said on Trackside that Jamie and Katie were on-again, off-again.

Congratulations, Carl!

2005-06-16T14:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I would have preferred a race to the finish, but congratulations Carl! Woo-hoo, win number two! I think this finally makes Carl legit. Now if he could only get a win for my favorite car, the Office Depot car.

For all you fans looking for information on Carl and Amanda... the commentators this weekend did confirm that Carl Edwards and Amanda Beard are dating. In fact, at one point, a reporter asked Carl who she was, and he had an "aww, shucks" expression on his face. He then sheepishly said, "she's my girlfriend."

Amanda is, of course, the Olympic gold-winning swimmer and model. She went to Pocono (and Nashville) with Carl, and endured the travails of the double-duty with her boyfriend. Her website is here. They met last fall at California. This weekend... Carl made sure Amanda got the good seat in his truck! He took the bad seat in the back of the truck bed when Jack Roush, Sterling Marlin (I think it seems mighty likely that ol' Sterling is going to drive the 6 next year, by the way), Amanda, Glenn Jarrett, and the driver were all crowded in a truck that really only seats four. There are some really funny quotes here from both Jack and Carl about the trip.

And on another note: I love Delana Harvick. I think she's hilarious...and Scott Wimmer and his wife weren't too off-base when they noted that a fan liked Kevin because of Delana. I think she's great. And as far as I'm concerned, she can be as opinionated as she wants on the pit box. She knows her stuff! Remember, she thought about driving at one point herself! She's one of the big reasons why Kevin Harvick Inc. is doing so well! So, my point being, the boys at Nascar.com are just plain wrong in this week's We wonder!

Finally: I predict that Elliot Sadler will win at Michigan. Random guess. Of course I'm hoping that Biff wins -- and I think he has a REALLY good chance. I just don't like to predict Biff wins and jinx him.

Random Pondering of the Week - Race Names

2005-06-08T21:53:00.000-04:00

Good Evening Race Fans,

OK, this is primarily a public-interest post for fans new to the sport who, like me, assumed they had the whole race-length-indicated-by-the-name thing figured out without any thought whatsoever. Most people with a casual knowledge of American culture have heard of the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500, after all, and both of those are, intuitively, 500-mile races.

So, I'm sort of detail-oriented, and I liked the fact that the length of the race was indicated by the name. It had sort of an appealing consistency and predictability that way. I assumed too much, however... When I decided to attend, as my inaugural race outing, the Food City 500 at Bristol, I naturally assumed that it, too, was a 500-miler... which would be quite a marathon around the 1/2 mile track. Good thing it turns out that the numerical indicator, in the case of Bristol, refers to the number of laps rather than the number of miles. The Food City 500 is, in fact, only 267 miles long.

Whattever, I'm not absolutely wedded to the idea of consistency... when I realized that Martinsville, too, appeared to name its races by laps rather than miles, I could accept that this is maybe a feature of short tracks... fair enough. Short tracks name by laps, longer tracks by miles... I could accept that. In fact, moving on to Texas, a 1.5-mile track, the theory appeared to hold: The Samsung/RadioShack 500 was, thankfully, 500 miles in length (well, alright, it's really 500.5 miles long, but if that bothers you, you are even more anal than I am).

On to Phoenix... hmm... a 1-mile track... should they follow the convention of the short tracks or the longer tracks? But, you see, that is the beauty of the rule I had discovered... the namers don't have to choose with a 1-mile track because the number of laps and number of miles will be inherently equal! The race naming gods, however, appear to have been utterly perplexed by such a harmonious outome, however, because they determined that the races at Phoenix should be named - not by the number of miles...not by the number of laps - by the number of kilometers in the race. Who are these Europeans taking over the great American race? Seriously, I understand the virtue of nice, round numbers for naming purposes, but resorting to the number of kilometers run seems a bit extreme. Phoenix is, after all, a 1-mile track that could neatly cut 12 laps off its races and run them as 300s, which would be both the number of laps and the number of miles. The powers that be at Dover, the other 1-mile track on the circuit, seem to understand this... their races are neatly and symmetrically labelled as 400s - you needn't decide whether you prefer to think of it as 400 miles or 400 laps. Nice to know that the folks in Delaware are good for something other than their corporations laws.

Let's recap... we have naming by lap at the shorter tracks (Bristol, Martinsville, Richmond, and New Hampshire) and naming by miles at the others, except for the eccentrics over at Phoenix who insist on naming by kilometer for the sake of creativity. End of story, right? Well, not quite. There are, after all, the road courses: Watkins Glen just does away with the numerical component of its race name entirely for the "Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen," its 90 lap / 221 mile / 353 km race. Sonoma appears to be going with the Phoenix approach, but with less-than-desirable precision; the "Dodge/Save Mart 350" is 110 laps / 224 miles / 359 km.

And, of course, since we all know and acknowledge that the needs of sponsors reign supreme, I should also give a nice shout-out to the "Aarons 499" at Talladega. This race, which could be tidily termed a "500" according to the algorithm I outlined above, has instead been artificallly named as a mile shorter in order to accomodate the sponsor's marketing gimmick.

I admit that all of this is really no big deal. Once I figured out the contours of the convention, in fact, I felt a little silly that I had been so purturbed by it in the first place. But, when it comes down to it, if the sport is going to bother to have a length-indicator convention as to event names, which has long been a part of the sport, it seems ironic that fans such as myself who bother to notice these inconsistencies should have to do a mind-bender to figure it out. All in good fun.

Biffle Wins!

2005-06-05T22:52:00.000-04:00

Woo-hoo! It's so much fun when your driver wins the race. That Biff won makes up for the runaway victory. Plus, this race had its share of interesting dynamics:

Jamie McMurray blocking Kyle Busch in favor of Elliot Sadler -- what was the 42 thinking? Kyb's comments were hilarious over the radio... and very amusing that a Dodge blocked a Chevy so a Ford could lead.
Mark Martin congratulating Kyb for a good run -- Mark is so incredibly classy. I love him. I would give up a Biff championship so Mark could finally win one. And I can't wait to root for Matt in five years.
Seven Roush or Hendrick cars in the top ten -- Only Carl Edwards, finishing 16th, and Jeff Gordon, with his wrecked car and DNF, were out. We could easily see six or seven R/H cars in the Chase. Biff, Kub, Martin, JJ, Gordo are givens. Carl's there now; Kenseth could be there if he finally loses the bad luck. Kyb is on a run and could make up ground.
Both Bobby Hamilton Jr and Jason Leffler finished better than Jr -- Jr. was not involved in any on-track incidents; his car was just bad. What is NASCAR going to do if Jr. doesn't make the chase? Oh, the fans will revolt. And goodness, Jeff Gordon isn't even in the top ten! Can you imagine a Chase without Jeff and Jr.? Could NASCAR get some new rivalries?

Green flag racing is great; this race was much more exciting than Charlotte, even if Charlotte had a great finish. I like long runs, and hope we see more of them!

A couple of comments about the FX broadcast. 1) Few mentions of DEI 2) A considerable amount of coverage of mid-pack racing, with not much coverage of Vickers, Kenseth, Scott Riggs, Jeff Burton, or Kubby 3) (As far as I remember), not a single mention of Brian Vickers and his 6th place finish. He was around the Top Ten all day. I didn't even know Vickers was in the top twenty until I saw it on the leaderboard after the race. Well, the announcers did mention Vickers once early just to say his job was safe.

Speaking of Vickers, I'm making a bold prediction that he's getting his first win next weekend. I hate to bet against Biff's Fontana-Texas car, but oh well, he likes the Atlanta car better. Chassis RK-268 is racking up a pretty darn good record too, with two wins (Darlington and Dover) and a top-six (Vegas). I was surprised Kenseth did so well, too, because he ran Chassis #39, which debuted at the All-Star Challenge, and the car looked like crap there. Good to see it improving. Same with Kub's choice of car -- he took the car from Darlington. Uh, he crashed that sucker on like the first lap. This, however, is why Geoff Smith and Jack Roush are brilliant (even if they did forget to turn in the Waste Management car's entry blank on time), and why my fantasy teams are never very good!! Odd, if you check out Matt's website, he quotes directly from Jayski for what happened in the snafu. Matt's website, with all its glorious pictures of Lars and Charlotte, is relying on Jayski for information about what Matt is doing!

Finally, we've been getting lots of visitors asking for information about Kasey Kahne and his girlfriend, Kristy Labonte. I hope I've obliged, below. Just in case you are curious, here are some more tidbits:

Greg Biffle is engaged to a girl named Nicole Lunders. They've been dating forever, and she even talked to Dave Despain with Biff was on Wind Tunnel.
Chad Knaus is apparently single, at least from what I can gather. Back in 2002, he said he was "married to the 48." I don't really have any inside info on this one, so if anyone knows if Chad is dating someone, let me know! There are lots of folks who adore Chad!
Carl Edwards is dating Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer Amanda Beard.
Jamie McMurray is dating Rusty Wallace's daughter, Katie.
Jeff Gordon has been seen in pictures with a new girl.
Kurt Busch is dating Eva Bryan (not Braun). She, like Kristy Labonte, has been on 360. Kyle Busch also has a girlfriend, but I don't know anything about her.
JJ, Newman, Martin, Rusty, Harvick, and Mayfield are all married, as are Mikey, Kevin Harvick, Joe Nemechek, Matt Kenseth, and a number of other drivers.
Lars and Foster are good buds. (Okay, that was really just an excuse to give another link to Lars, and to show a picture of Foster and Gracie, Biffle's boxers).
Dale Jr. went to the prom last year, and continues to go every thirty minutes or so during races. (Yes, that joke is totally ripped off the Power Rankings!)

I really have too much time on my hands. All you visitors, give us a comment to say hello!

Kasey's Girlfriend and Marty's Mailbag

2005-05-31T16:29:00.000-04:00

Our first visitors have come searching for information about Kasey Kahne's girlfriend...and being the humble servant that I am, I'll try to tell you what I can about her. Mind you, this information comes solely and exclusively from watching Nascar Drivers: 360 on FX and a quick Google search.

Her name is Kristy Labonte, and she's Terry Labonte's daughter. She appears on 360, and there she said that she and Kasey get along so well because they were both pretty quiet and shy, and because she grew up around the race track with her dad. Her brother, Justin Labonte, also drives in the Busch series for the Coast Guard. According to this website, she graduated from High Point University in North Carolina after transferring there from Elon. She even took these pictures for her brother's website. Many years ago, she signed Jon Wood's guestbook. She graduated from Trinity High School in 2001 (with Kyle Petty's son Austin), according to this site. Her dad even missed qualifying so he could attend her graduation!

Watch Nascar Drivers: 360 for more on their relationship! Kasey and Kristy vacationed in Vail together, and in Las Vegas were late getting to the track. Expect to see more of them on the show. The two were featured in the first three episodes, however, so it's unclear if FOX will also feature Kasey in any of the remaining four episodes. I don't know what the current status of their relationship is; all I know is that they were dating (and appeared very, very happy) on the show, which was filmed in January, February and March. I wish them the best of luck, and all you Kasey fans out there, please do as well! You do want him to be happy, right?

On another note... Marty mentioned my post in his column today! How great is that! I really enjoy Marty Smith and his "Last Lap" Column...and he called my posting a "great response." Awesome!

Reshuffling

2005-05-30T13:10:00.000-04:00

Rantville has a great post about what would be a pretty great 4-car team at DEI. Stewart, Harvick, Jr., and Truex would make a great 4-car team. Happy seems to run a lot better when he learns from his teammates, and having someone besides Blaney, Burton or Robby Gordon to share info with can only help.

So, I was wondering...what would be my wish in a few years?
Well... Sarah Fisher takes over one of the Childress cars. Erin Crocker gets in the 91 full-time. And Danica moves to Cup, taking over the 6 after a couple of years with Ricky Craven and other veterans filling in.

Chad Knaus starts his own team and takes JJ and Lowe's with him. Toyota makes its big move into Cup with Knaus and JJ starting one team (ala Evernham), and fielding a couple other teams with up-and-comers. Penske also switches to Toyota (they run that in the IRL, so it makes sense). Hendrick loses the 48 all together, and instead runs the 44 full-time with Justin Labonte.

Okay...so it's not going to happen. But I'd love to see Chad start his own team (he is a genius), and I'd love to see a couple of female drivers in Cup.

The Power Rankings...

2005-05-24T18:36:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, I love the Power Rankings. I look forward to every Tuesday afternoon when they're posted. They make me laugh. Plus, we get Ten Questions and Marty's last lap column on Tuesdays. They all amuse me.

Here are some thoughts on this week's Power Rankings.

#1 - We were all thinking the same thing about Robby on 360. It was truly bizarre. Missed Jeff on GMA, though -- if anyone out there saw it, please comment and explain what happened!!!

# 4 & 5 - I hereby state that I will be a Matt Martin and Ross Kenseth fan in seven to eight years.

# 8 - Something has been bothering me for awhile. Kurt Busch was taken to task for not acting like a champion. I don't get this. It's okay for NASCAR drivers -- if not champions -- to scream profanities over the radio and throw water bottles at officials? I actually think Kub's actions were just a part of anger, and his anger doesn't dissuade me from being a huge fan of his. But his actions were either okay, or not okay. Don't use the championship as a catch-all provision to yell at Kubby.

# 9 - How weird is it that Jamie is "best friends" with his girlfriend's dad? Rusty was fawning all over Jamie, and he's dating his daughter. Strange. Kasey and Terry's daughter, I can see. But didn't Jamie get his job because he had a "hot girlfriend"? Guess that didn't last long...

#18 - The jokes about Mikey and his sponsors just never get old.

#24 - I'm beginning to think that the PowerRankings boys don't have anything to say about Matt Kenseth that don't refer to his cat, Lars, or his robot commercial. They haven't mentioned Charlotte much, though I don't blame them. I must say, Lars is much more handsome.

#25 - True story, I was in front of Ken Schrader's pit box at the Brickyard last year. He stayed out on one caution to get five bonus points... His owner and pit crew went absolutely nuts when they announced that he was leading the race. They were very excited. It epitomized "field filler" to me. Sad.

Vote in Biffle

2005-05-23T19:56:00.000-04:00

Okay...Blaney's not on the list of drivers for the Votein. So it's time to dial up those internet connections and "get ir dun" (or however you spell that lovely abuse of the English language).

Let's vote Biff in for the in-car audio! Biff is an entertaining driver over the radio...remember Bristol, when he called himself stupid? Plus, he's bound to be good at Charlotte.

Here's the link. Go Biff!!

Finishing Out the Sweep...

2005-05-22T21:07:00.000-04:00

So Mark's win means that all the Roush drivers have won a Cup event this year, with the exception of Matt Kenseth. I was hoping Matt would have a good run in the 600, but his car seemed like junk in the All-Star Challenge. He was even behind DJ in the wreck, slowing down so he could avoid it!

The Busch Roush cars have also been incredibly successful. Matt won at Darlington in the WM car (which, by the way, is one of my favorite cars ever. Who can not love a portable toilet car?). Carl won at Richmond and Atlanta. Mark won at Fontana and Las Vegas. And Biffle, although not in a Roush car, won at Phoenix. Since KuB doesn't run Busch, that's really all Roush could ever want from their Busch program. So six of the twelve Busch races have been won by Roush drivers. Amazing. Three other Busch races have been won by Buschwackers, Smoke at Daytona, Kasey at Texas and Kevin at Bristol. Two future Cup stars -- Martin Truex and Reed Sorenson -- combine for the remaining three wins. So much for development.

Taking a closer look at those Busch numbers:
Carl has finished in the top ten in every Busch race this season but Darlington, where he spun out late and finished 11th, and Dega, where he was embroiled in trouble.

The Biffster, in the Brewco car, is ninth in points despite not running at Nashville or Mexico City. He's finished 1st (Phoenix), 2nd (Texas), 4th (Darlington), 5th (Richmond and Las Vegas), 6th (Atlanta), 8th (Daytona), 10th (Bristol). He did get in trouble at Dega (36th), and overheated at Fontana (40th).

Kenseth has a win and six top tens in his six starts, finishing 4th at Bristol and Atlanta, 7th at Texas, 8th at Richmond, and 9th at Fontana.

Martin has two wins (Fontana and Las Vegas) and a 7th (Richmond). He had a suspension problem at Texas to finish 35th.

In other words, Roush is incredibly consistent -- and generally has really good luck -- in the Busch series. They've been pretty dominant this year in Cup, too, so I think it's worth asking: what's going on in the truck series? Ricky Craven has good equipment and isn't doing bad, but he's nowhere near where Kubby or Biff were in their championship years. Todd Kleuver isn't close to where Carl was last year in his development. Neither's performance warrants a bump-up to the six next year.

So, that leaves me with a couple of questions:

Did the Gong Show fail last year by picking Todd, his likeability and cuteness being too much of a factor? (See this article for a discussion of team's selecting drivers in part on the many factors outside of the track.)
Is Ricky Craven good enough to take over the six? He has the experience, but is he too washed up?
When will Matt Kenseth break out of his slump in Cup?
Why is Roush so darn good in the Busch series? Is it the equipment or the drivers? I'm thinking it might be the driver, because Biff is also doing so well, but something's going on over there that is pretty darn magical.
Why doesn't Roush try for an owner's championship with combo drivers? I guess it's a tribute to let Mark and Matt drive the six and seventeen in Busch, but wouldn't it be nice to add "owner's champion" to Biff's 2002 championship and what I hope is Carl's eventual 2005 championship, perhaps in 2006?

MM's Are Good and Other Post-race Thoughts.

2005-05-22T19:45:00.000-04:00

So Mark Martin wins the $1m, and the M&M car comes in second. I was so glad to see Mark do well, and it was refreshing to see him thank sponsors not just to further the bottom line. He seemed to genuinely appreciate what they'd done for him, thanking not only current sponsor Viagra but also old sponsors. Very different from Mikey's post-wreck interview. Geez. It's gotten to the point where it's so bad it's funny. Especially when the pit reporter (I think it was Matt Yocum, but I'm not sure) said something like, "Yes, Michael, you got them all," referring to Michael's long list of sponsors. I know that everyone has jumped on the "will Michael shut up about his sponsors" bandwagon, but dang, he can be annoying. And I hate the QVC Napa ads. At least last year's were funny. These are just dumb.

But the most interesting part of the race were the fireworks between Harvick and Nemechek. Honestly, I think Kevin is in the right here. Joe Nemechek acted so high-and-mighty at Daytona, calling Kevin an idiot, throwing a water bottle at him, and telling RCR to fire him. Joe was irate, and Kevin took the comments personally. All Kevin really had to say was that "Joe's not perfect either." Let's see, so far this season, Kevin has ONE win and THREE top fives, good enough for EIGHTH in the points. Joe, well, he's twentieth in the points, with just two top tens to his credit.

I like Kevin. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I loved that he shovelled dog poop on TV. Maybe it's because I think DeLana is cool, even if she is a Carolina fan. Maybe it's because he's just cute. I don't know. But this time, I think the Young Guns are in the right, and I'm glad to see a temper flare.

It Must Be in the Water

2005-05-22T17:39:00.000-04:00

Mike Bliss deserved to win the NEXTEL Open last night. He deserved to have a shot at the $1m purse in the All-Star Challenge that followed. Too bad that in stock car racing what is deserved has nothing to do with what actually happens. Too bad that what is fair is rarely what happens, and, when it is, it is usually a matter of coincidence. But, everyone involved in racing knows that those are the rules of the game and that sometimes things just don't go your way, no matter how perfect the set-up or flawless the driving. Just ask the drivers of the nine cars taken out by the Smoke-Nemechek-Harvick fiasco during segment 1 of the Challenge. They may not like it, but they know it's part of the deal.

Intuitively, though, there is a distinction between the background risk of incident inherent in a sport that involves so many cars going so fast so close together, and "bad luck" created by overly-aggressive driving. Brian Vickers' last moment spin of Bliss to win the Open falls in the latter category... a stunt that is within the type that are expected in a winner-take-all, points-don't-matter event such as those over all-star weekend but seems to cross some invisible line of acceptable driving. There is, of course, a fuzzy line between the two types of "luck," but there are also situations that clearly fall into one or the other.

There appears to be something in the water (a la the Rimbaldi serum in Alias) over there at Hendrick Motorsports that is creating that type of aggressive driving this season. JJ has had a series of incidents, including those at Bristol, Phoenix, and Talladega, that have left him with few friends on the track. Jeff Gordon took a lot of heat for sending Kurt Busch into the wall on lap 447 at Martinsville. Vickers seems to be the latest to master the art of spinning an opponent who gets too close without taking yourself out in the process. Although Kyle Busch is as yet uninfected, it is probably only a matter of time, expecially given his family history of temper, before the older drivers surrounding the rookie pass along the skill.

All this in contrast to the class act that was Mark Martin's victory. Who can not be happy for a veteran who runs clean and fast to win a second all-star race in the final season of his career?

Byrnes Picks the Biffster!

2005-05-20T16:51:00.000-04:00

Well, we know that Humpy predicted a Gordo win... but here at our little blog we're pretty excited here to see one of our Roushketeers being predicted for the win. Here's what Steve Byrnes had to say in his weekly FOX column:

I'll make one prediction. In a race as wild and crazy as the Nextel All-Star Challenge, it wouldn't surprise me if Greg Biffle won. Not because he has three wins this year, but it's the kind of race in which a driver who isn't afraid to let it all hang out is so dangerous. That makes him a threat.

That's why we love the Biffster.

Along for the Ride...

2005-05-20T16:29:00.000-04:00

This is a short story of my even-shorter history as a more-committed-than-I-am-willing-to-admit NASCAR fan...

Once upon a time at a grad school far far away I was challenged by a friend that she could turn me into a NASCAR fan within the course of a single season of the sport. This seemed like an easy bet to me... I'm a lifetime West Coaster who had never seen a single race on TV and didn't know anyone who had! Although I am not willing to entirely concede (the season is less than half over...), I have completed the pillars of my indoctrinization (watching the Daytona 500 with actual fans, attending a race - the Food City 500 at Bristol, and joining a stock car fantasy league) and now find myself strangely fascinated by the sport and its drivers.

I randomly predicted that Greg Biffle would win at Fontana after having seen only one race in my life (ok, ok, it's not scientific, I have an affinity for drivers with odd names - Travis Kvapil is another fav), so clearly he's my boy. I know nothing that can't be found elsewhere on the web or in "NASCAR for Dummies," but I attempt to put the resources available to good use. Come one, come all, to join in our random musings. This may only last for as long as the two of us have a little extra time on our hands, so the sooner the better!

Women and NASCAR

2005-05-20T16:28:00.000-04:00

So in Nascar.com's local look this week, NASCAR's growing attention to women is discussed. After FOX's hideous sexiest driver poll (more on that later), I thought I'd start posting by explaining why I, as a woman, love NASCAR.

It's not just the cute boys, folks, although they do help. I love NASCAR because it's exhilirating to watch the cars speed by, because it's fascinating to see strategy play out, and because it's rewarding to see intelligence matter in a sporting event. I love NASCAR because fans pray and respect the flag before each race. I love NASCAR because behind every spoiled millionaire or over-hyped party boy is an American athlete who pours his heart into the racecar each week. I love NASCAR because the drivers don't have to be 6'6 and 280 to stand out. NASCAR is about heart, about toughness, about smarts, and about all of us in America.

So I'm guessing that I love NASCAR for the same reasons men do. Thoughts?

Welcome, Welcome

2005-05-20T16:14:00.000-04:00

Hello and welcome to our random thoughts on NASCAR. I started watching racing when I didn't have cable and there was nothing else on TV during the weekend. After falling for Kasey Kahne's gorgeous eyes, Carl Edwards' great smile and Chad Knaus's amazing brain, going to the Brickyard and Bristol, and obsessing over my fantasy team, I've become hooked. So hooked I now scour the web for the latest NASCAR news and list SPEED as my favorite channel.

This blog is my effort to discuss NASCAR and my favorite drivers, with a little humor and female perspective in the process. I've invited another new NASCAR devotee to join me, and we hope to entertain you, but if not, at least entertain ourselves! If you'd like to join in the fun, great -- the more bloggers the better!