Walking Eagle

The 10 Most Disliked Athletes in America?

2012-02-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

Forbes Magazine weighs in…

America’s 10 most disliked (P.C. talk for hated) athletes…

1. Michael Vick –

NFL Quarterback – Dog Fighter / Killer (Otherwise a great guy, right?)– One Time Media Darling… – 60% Dislike rating.

2. Tiger Woods –

Professional Golfer – Multi-Zillionaire who cheated on wife with like 10 other women – One Time Media Darling… – 60% Dislike rating.

3. Plaxico Burris –

NFL Receiver – Shot himself with his own gun while in NY night club (What in the world was THIS guy thinking???) / Team Jumper – 56% Dislike rating.

4. Ndamukong Suh –

NFL Defensive Tackle – Dirty Player / Repeat Offender (Latest? He stomped a guy when down) – 51% Dislike rating.

5. Kris Humphries – (Not to be confused with our Chris Humpherys the Sports Chump)

This dude is an NBA basketball player – Duped the public marrying Kim Kardashian on Reality TV and being together for what? A month? – It’s not nice to fool with the Reality TV crew… 50% Dislike rating.

6. LeBron James –

NBA player – Left hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for the money in Miami / Hasn’t won an NBA title while talking a good game… 46% Dislike rating.

7. Kobe Bryant –

NBA player – Another dude who cheated on his wife, was given a break and did it again - marriage on the rocks / Star on 5 LA Laker championship teams (That’ll get ya hate points too)… 45% Dislike rating.

8. Terrell Owens –

NFL Receiver – Egotistical cry baby / Team Jumper Par Excellence – Currently out of the NFL (AMEN!) and in hock up to his eyeballs… 45% Dislike rating.

9. Alex Rodriguez –

New York Yankee (need I say more?) – Baseball player – Multi-Zillionaire / Wife Cheater / Performance Enhancing Drug User (how else you get the big bucks in baseball? Or make it to the Yankees for that matter!) – 44% Dislike rating.

10. Kurt Busch –

NASCAR Driver / Past Cup Champion – Uses bad language on (gasp!) member of media while unwittingly being video-taped!!! This will never do! Lost his job for this? Line from Dances With Wolves - - -“Ya Can’t Figure Dem Damn Buffalo! “– 42% Dislike rating.

Do you really believe Kurt belongs on this list? The power of the media (across the board) is beyond the pale...

Reference:
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eddf45fkhi/tiger-woods/#gallerycontent

What Are These People Saying? Thinking? Vol. 2

2012-01-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

With Speed Weeks all cranked up and a new beginning just a few days away... It's time to stir the pot! And don't forget... Laughter is the best medicine!

Just what do you think these people are saying? Thinking?

1. You choose... Either the Duck or Cousin Carl...

5. What is Brad thinking? A.J.?

and 10.

Hope you've enjoyed putting captions to these!

And for all of you wondering how I won the prestigious 2011 Golden Lug Nut for my picks in the Trifecta... Here's a little gadget I use!

Great Marketing Idea!

2011-12-23T04:15:00.000-08:00

Busch Brothers’ Race Scanners!

Regular Price: $36.99... With KBM Channel: $75.00

It appears Kurt Busch will team up with his younger brother driving for Kyle’s new Nationwide team in 2012… They need to put a special price on scanners that include the KBM channel (like twice as much as those w/o it…). Can you imagine the conversations between the Brothers Busch?

Kurt - “&@$%(!+ unbelievable! That @^$*! cut me off!”

Kyle - “Take the $%@*^& out!”

Every kid oughta have one for the race!

Now I want you all to know that I pull for both of these guys… In fact at last season’s Daytona 500 pre-race introductions I was standing with a huge crowd on the infield about 30 feet from the ramp where the drivers appeared before walking out to a waiting car and be driven around the track.

Everyone’s cheering for their favorites, right? They start off with the 43rd starting position and so on through to the pole winner. So after Kyle came out and then Kurt I let loose with “Busch Brothers Rule!” You’d have thought I was using swear words! (I swear it’s true!) Suddenly everyone within earshot of me went silent and stared my way. I glanced over at Kristen Valus. She had her hand over her mouth trying not to laugh while shaking her head “NO!” But all the while I could see that mischievous look in her eyes… She was in full agreement! Then all was forgiven when Dale Junior came out and the place went crazy!

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NASCAR Trophy Talk

2011-12-22T06:30:00.000-08:00

There are the most prestigious trophies to win...

Of course the ultimate be all end all..

Then there's the standard bearer of NASCAR...

But after those which is the coolest trophy to win in NASCAR?

Atlanta?

Darlington?

Indy's Brickyard?

Kentucky?

Las Vegas?

Martinsville?

Dover's Monster Mile?

Nashville?

Phoenix?

Richmond?

Sonoma?

Talladega?

Texas?

Watkins Glen?

I need some input! Which is the coolest to win?

I know, I know... They all are! But really... Which is the coolest?

And for all you Junior fans... Since he hasn't won a race since ???

There's the trophy he showed up with a few weeks ago!

This is good stuff... Edwards verses Stewart, One race, One championship

2011-11-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

It ain't plagiarism if ya own up to it!

This is good stuff and I thought we'd all like to comment on it here...

Trash talk between Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards spices up championship race

By Bob Pockrass (for scenedaily.com) / Thursday, November 17, 2011

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards have a healthy respect for each other but that didn’t stop them from trading a few barbs on the brink of their showdown for the Sprint Cup championship.
Stewart, winner of four races in the Chase For The Sprint Cup, remains confident and almost cocky as he sits three points behind Edwards and knows that a win Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway could earn him the title.
Edwards, meanwhile, is acting more like a seasoned champion – he’s not while Stewart has won two Cup titles – by displaying confidence but not hitting below the belt.
When asked during the championship contenders news conference Thursday if he would wreck Edwards for the title, Stewart didn’t hold back.
“I’d wreck my mom to win a championship. … I respect him as a driver, but this isn't about friendships this weekend,” Stewart said. “This is a war. This is a battle. This is for a national championship. It's no-holds-barred this weekend. I didn't come this far to be one step away from it and let it slip away, so we're going to go for it.”
Edwards, sitting next to Stewart at the time, replied: “Did you say something?”
Stewart then said: “You can come visit my trophy in the room at Vegas [for the banquet] when you come out there.”
Edwards then mocked Stewart: “He's got the talking part figured out. Problem is, you haven't led the points yet this year, have you?”
Actually Stewart did lead the standings for two weeks earlier this year. Edwards, however, has led for 21 weeks, including the last six. Stewart didn’t need to know that to answer Edwards.
“They say there's talkers and doers,” said Stewart. “I've done this twice.”
And then Edwards had more: “That's the funny thing. I've listened to you talk a lot today. You've talked a lot about your past successes. That is very respectable. And truly, all joking aside, that will make it more fun if we're able to beat you. It will make me more proud.”
Throughout the day, Stewart played up his nothing-to-lose theme.
“He was doing a pretty good acting job up there today,” Stewart said after the news conference. “He’s a lot more nervous than he lets on. But he’s got a lot of class and he’s got a lot of character.
“He’s a strong person, but I don’t think he’s as strong as he wants to lead everyone to believe he is going into this weekend.”
Edwards swears he’s at peace with whatever happens.
“The things that are real important to me are not really what everyone is talking about,” Edwards said. “The things that are important to me are going out and doing my very best, enjoying it and having fun.
“That’s how I feel about this week and about this race. … This would be the hugest accomplishment of my career, that goes without saying. I have learned to temper the want for that so it doesn’t hurt me.”

If verbal sparring counts for anything then Tony's gonna win hands down!

Source: http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/Trash_talk_between_Tony_Stewart_Carl_Edwards_spices_up_championship_race.html

And The Winner Is...

2011-11-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

Prior to NASCAR announcing their changes to the Sprint Cup points scoring procedures last winter I made the case for a much greater reward for drivers and teams that actually win the races. The thought being that it would act to stimulate competition at the front of the pack and diminish the benefits of playing it safe and shooting for consistency.

Today, with two races left in the 2011 Chase my fears have been confirmed as the top driver has a grand total of 1 win on the season. This while the second place driver has 4 wins and on top of that, all 4 wins have come in the 8 Chase races so far this season. Now how on God’s green earth is the guy with 4 wins in the Chase not in the lead?

I guess the name of the game still excludes winning…

Upon Further Review...

2011-11-05T03:42:00.000-07:00

Take a look at what occurred during the initial contact between the 18 and the 33. Hornaday moves in on Kyle to take 3rd place and then slower traffic forces 3 wide as Kyle contends for the position. That's when the two rigs come together and Kyle is suddenly forced up the track... But that's not enough. Kyle hadn't gotten into the wall yet so there's the 33 moving up into the 18 again... That's where the wall comes into play. Here's Speed TV's video...

http://www.speedtv.com/video/nascar/trucks

Now I'm not condoning what happens next, but I think it's a little more understandable given that it appears Hornaday could've backed off but he didn't. The bottom line is Kyle will begrudgedly be given a measure of respect from other drivers knowing if they go out of their way to wham him they're going to get whammed back...

We've all heard the rhetoric coming from the Hornaday/Harvick camp, here's Kyle's take on what happened... “If you make it a three-wide situation, I can’t go up in the dirt, you know?” Busch said. “I’m already on the outside lane, there’s not three lanes out here right now. … So if I just lay over and give up everything for Ron Hornaday, that’s not Kyle Busch’s fashion. I’m out here to win a race just as much as anybody else is.

“When he races up on my inside, gets loose and takes me up to the fence, I ended up losing my cool. I’ve been wrecked four weeks in a row and finally I’d just had enough of it.”

Now this is being written prior to NASCAR's Saturday morning meeting with Kyle... Will they park him in the NW or Cup race? I'm thinking they may shut down KBM for Homestead, but they want him and all the controversy to flow. Let's face it, Kyle has a way of stirring NASCAR's drink, and with big football games to compete with, NASCAR should welcome the attention.

Goodyear's Good Work A Problem?

2011-10-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

It's just been announced that NASCAR and Goodyear Tires has extended their working agreement through 2017. Goodyear has been very successful over the last couple of years matching their tires to the new COT car with the results really becoming obvious this season.

The bane of NASCAR 2011 has become the fuel mileage races that are now prevalent. What’s different from years past? Look no further than the excellent tires Goodyear is supplying to the sport. I don’t have the stats but I’d venture to say the number of cautions in 2011 are generally down and that there is a direct correlation to the number of tire problem cautions. This all adds up to fuel becoming the primary variable as less cautions result in longer runs that the improved tires allow…

Even Tony hasn't been bad mouthing Goodyear's tires!

NASCAR just addressed the tandem drafting with some rules changes to break up this superspeedway drafting practice (we’ll see the results in a couple of weeks). Can anything be done to put a more competitive product on NASCAR’s Cup tracks given the changes these excellent tires have brought about?

Will the momentum NASCAR rebuilt with it’s improving TV ratings and higher race attendance be negated by a less appealing form of racing thanks to Goodyear’s good work?

NASCAR Rules Changes for 'Dega

2011-09-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

It was announced earlier today that NASCAR will change two rules for the Talladega Chase race designed to break up the multi-lap two car tandem drafting that's come with both this track's and Daytona's smooth resurfacing jobs.

First, the restrictor plate openings will be slightly larger (1/64th of an inch). This will yield from 7-10 more horsepower. I'm not sure how this translates to miles per hour or fuel mileage but I'm sure the former will go up and the latter will go down. How much of an effect this has remains to be seen, but it became obvious that the cars and driver skills were capable of safely running at increased speed as two car tandem racing speeds were up to 10 MPH greater than were single car qualifying speeds. I'm thinking the two car tango was actually much more dangerous than normal single car racing just based on the fact that the driver in the push car couldn't see what was happening up front. I know they tried to have radio communication between the two drivers hooked up, and it helped, but we all know how fast bad things can happen and we witnessed some accidents that normally wouldn't have happened.

Second, and the change most likely to break up the drafting, the cooling system's pop-off valve will be set to release water vapor at a lower temperature than before. In other words, the car doing the pushing won't be able to maintain a long-term draft like before. We've seen the two car hook-ups last as much as ten laps (in cool weather) before the trailing car had to get fresh air through it's radiator. The new valve will go off at 8 pounds per square inch less pressure than the old one and according to David Reutimann's crew chief Rodney Childers that change will drop the tandem run's durations down to 1 lap at the most.

A crew chief's nightmare?

We all know the drivers aren't going to give up a procedure that gives them more speed and because of this the rule changes will result in more pusher / pushee switching which, in terms of safety, may not be such a good thing either.

So what kind of speeds might we see considering more horsepower combined with the shortened draft durations? 220 MPH?

With A Little Bit of Luck

2011-09-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

Like a group of hunting hounds, there are eleven NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and their teams preparing to chase after a wily fox who happens to be the reigning Sprint Cup champion. Almost six years ago Jimmie Johnson joined his teammate Jeff Gordon and competitors Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Bobby Labonte as an active driver in NASCAR who has won the Cup championship. The 2006 victory marked the beginning of one of the most impressive championship runs in all of sport as today Jimmie Johnson has amassed five consecutive titles standing only two championship victories away from tying NASCAR legends Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

Driving for one of the top funded teams in stock car racing, Jimmie was very fortunate to be paired with Crew Chief Chad Knaus. This combination of funding, one of the sport’s very best crew chiefs and a top wheel man, with a little bit of luck thrown in, has resulted in this astounding run.

So here we are in 2011 at the beginning of yet another Chase to the championship and the first question on everyone’s mind is: Can Jimmie Johnson extend the streak? The sport’s pundits are all analyzing what Jimmie and Chad have accomplished this season and how that compares to the past. Out of this comes a couple of fairly glaring differences. First and foremost, in all of his 5 previous championship seasons Jimmie has entered the Chase with at least 3 wins. This season he only has a single victory. That win came at Talladega thanks to teammate Dale Jr.’s push job (Take a bow Jr…). That’s definitely new. Right off the get go Jimmie’s an also-ran. Can he and the 48 team ramp it up? Don’t bet against them. This isn’t just a test of driving skill, equipment and teamwork, it’s a test of mental toughness and that’s something this team has proven to possess over and over again. The second potential difference maker is the new points earning format NASCAR has installed this season. It’s generally believed if a team gets down early in this year’s Chase it will be much more difficult than how it was under the old points system to catch back up. We’ve all witnessed Brad Keselowski’s very impressive August run (Two firsts, a second and a third place finish in four races) that catapulted the Blue Deuce into the 2011 Chase, but coming from 21st in the standings on July 31st with 511 points Brad could only move up to 11th place on the strength of the 178 points he generated in that timeframe and this was one of the best runs we’ve seen in quite some time. There should be a little more emphasis on the early Chase races this time around as a result.

There are other areas of concern if “5 Time” wants to change that moniker to “6 Time” in 2011. First off they’ve got to be thinking about the law of averages. Everybody knows at some point it’s going to catch up with ‘em. There’s got to be a little voice somewhere in the back of each member of the 48 team’s consciousness that’s quietly saying “Not this time…”.

Going clear back to late last season the 48’s pit crew has been having problems and it continues to be a concern at HMS. A couple of poor pit stops can be costly…

Another area of concern springs from the “have at it” side of the equation. JJ has had run-ins with competitors in the past, such things just can’t be avoided in this sport, but an on-going feud with past

champion Kurt Busch has bordered on ugly this season. Just this last weekend on the ¾ mile track at Richmond Kurt and JJ brought their differences back to a boil. Yes, they’d both already made the Chase at that point so it was a good time for them to stand their ground, and yes, conventional wisdom says these two top drivers will step away from confrontation as the Chase races commence since most of the things that can happen in these kinds of scraps are bad, but what if opportunity knocks?

Finally, Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and the 48 team are damned good, but don’t forget, you don’t win 5 championships in a row without a little bit of luck. Does their luck run out this year?

I’m going to step out on that limb and bet there’s a different guy holding up the Sprint Cup Championship trophy come November. The next question then becomes: Who will it be?

For a little additional entertainment here’s some press conference fodder featuring JJ and then Kurt sparing from afar…

Johnson Vents About Kurt Busch… Mid August

Kurt’s Response

Quick Nascar News...

2011-09-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

With the September 11, 2001 10th anniversary this Sunday several NASCAR teams plan tribute paint schemes to honor the victims of 9/11 on their cars at Richmond.

Stewart-Haas has released Tony Stewart's paint scheme...

Earnhardt-Ganassi's Jamie McMurray's car...

JGR's sponsor on the 18 car, Mars Candies, is mimicing an earlier paint scheme on Ken Schrader's number 36 car that was raced in September, 2001:

Here's JGR's sponsorless paint scheme seen today at Richmond...

Several other teams and sponsors will also have tribute paint schemes. Look for the Roush-Fenway's Bayne, Edwards and Stenhouse Nationwide car paint schemes, all sponsored by Fastenall and the JRM GoDaddy number 7 Nationwide car driven by Danica Patrick.

After 10 long years our nation continues to be hounded by fears of terrorism...

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KHI to RCR

Interesting news just released: Kevin Harvick, Incorporated, is joining forces with Richard Childress Racing in the Nationwide Series and the Harvicks are getting out of truck racing completely.

KHI's equipment will be sold off, the racing team's 80,000 Sq. Ft. shop building in Kernersville, NC will be put on the market and 140 KHI employees were told Wednesday how many weeks they have left with the company.

In Kevin's words; “When RCR decided not to run the Nationwide cars, the cars were different. As the cars have migrated back to the same chassis, a lot of the same tires, a lot of the same components, it makes more sense from a performance standpoint to put them back at RCR to utilize the pieces. To make the things that need to be right (with the cars) in order to keep up with the Cup teams (fielding Nationwide cars) you have to be in a Cup shop. That’s just the unfortunate part about where we are with the process and things that come with the Nationwide cars. From a performance standpoint, I feel we will be better with the Cup people and technology in the (RCR) shop. … The Truck program, it’s just a tough model business wise and we’ve scrimped and scraped and got the sponsorship and things that you need and GM has been a great supporter of everything that we’ve done, but from a business standpoint sometimes you have to make the decisions on what you want to do and for us it just didn’t make sense.’’

Here's hoping KHI's 140 employees will be absorbed into RCR...

And this wonderful economy dishes out another hit.

A Harbinger of Things to Come?

2011-09-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

With 5 more intermediate sized track races left in 2011 and all of them being in the Chase, who among the Chase drivers has been doing the best on that size track?

Given his fantastic win yesterday on Atlanta Motor Speedway’s 1.5 mile track you’d think Jeff Gordon would be at the top of this season’s list, but think again…

Here are the top 12 intermediate track drivers through 7 races…

Note: Drivers in the Chase are in green while drivers in the hunt are in yellow.

-----------------------After 7 Intermediate Track Races in 2011
----------Chase---------------------------Ave.-----Total----Total--------------Average
Rank----Rank----Driver----------------Finish ---Points—Earnings---------Points
1---------3---------Carl Edwards--------5.29-----280------$1,526,562------40.00
2---------10-------Tony Stewart--------8.71-----254------$1,227,256------36.29
3---------12-------Denny Hamlin-------8.57-----252------$1,102,400------36.00
4---------5---------Matt Kenseth------10.29 ----245------$1,372,552------35.00
5---------7---------Kurt Busch----------10.29 ----242------$1,063,925------34.57
6---------11-------Brad Keselowski ---11.43 ----236------$1,065,506------33.71
7---------1---------Jimmie Johnson ---11.29 ----230------$1,155,977------32.86
8---------6---------Kevin Harvick------12.71-----224------$1,263,227------32.00
9---------9---------Dale Jr. -------------12.71-----221--------$857,500-------31.57
10-------15-------Greg Biffle----------13.71-----215--------$853,825--------30.71
11-------21-------Marcos Ambrose-13.71------215--------$974,337--------30.71
12-------8---------Ryan Newman----13.43------215-----$1,008,560---------30.71

Other 2011 Chasers not on this list? How about 2nd place Kyle Busch! Gordon comes in at number 14 with an average finish of 15.14 on this list while Kyle is clear down at 18th with an average finish of 19th…

Given this information I’ve gotta conclude that all the sudden talk about Gordon being a threat to dethrone “5 Time” is just so much hot air and the same goes for Kyle Busch possibly challenging the reigning champion.

Look at the top of that list… There’s the driver most likely to unseat JJ.

So how, you might ask, do these drivers do on the short tracks? Well, there are four short track races in the Chase and so far seven of the eight pre-Chase short track races have been run this season.

Here’s the current 2011 ranking:

---------------------------------After 7 Short Track Races
----------Chase-----------------------------Average---Total------Total--------Average
Rank----Rank-----Driver-----------------Finish------Points----Earnings ----Points
1----------1---------Jimmie Johnson-----6.14--------272------$1,069,555---38.86
2----------2---------Kyle Busch------------8.71--------259------$1,218,654----37.00
3----------5---------Matt Kenseth-------10------------244------$1,038,136----34.86
4----------6---------Kevin Harvick-------10.86--------237--------$999,326-----33.86
5---------3----------Carl Edwards--------11.71--------231-------$989,629------33.00
6---------8----------Ryan Newman------12.14--------231------$1,020,825-----33.00
7---------12--------Denny Hamlin-------12------------226------$1,019,408-----32.29
8---------9----------Dale Earnhardt Jr.--12.14--------225--------$712,086------32.14
9---------4----------Jeff Gordon----------12.86--------222------$1,053,777------31.71
10--------7---------Kurt Busch------------13.43--------215--------$866,775------30.71
11-------21--------Marcos Ambrose----15------------204--------$864,179------29.14
12-------17--------Kasey Kahne----------15.71--------201--------$791,065------28.71

Carl Edwards is running along at 5th on the short tracks and there’s the reigning champion back in the Cat Bird Seat… Note that Tony Stewart and Brad Keselowski aren’t in the top 12 on 2011 Shot Tracks. Tony comes in at number 20 on this list averaging 18.29 on his finishes while Brad is 22nd with an average finish of 19.57.

There is only 1 long track race on the 2011 Chase schedule even though there have been 9 pre-Chase races on race tracks that are two miles long or longer this season (?). Regardless of that gross oversight, here are the 2011 Long Track average rankings:

----------------------------------------After 9 Long Track Races
----------Chase------------------------------Average-----Total----Total-------------Average
Rank----Rank----Driver-------------------Finish--------Points---Earnings--------Points
1---------2---------Kyle Busch--------------7.78---------338----$1,876,957-------42.25
2---------4---------Jeff Gordon-------------9.67---------318----$1,768,087------39.75
3---------20-------Paul Menard-----------11.11--------304----$1,375,788------38.00
4---------1---------Jimmie Johnson -------11.78-------298----$1,874,162------37.25
5---------10-------Tony Stewart-----------12 -----------292----$1,476,735------36.50
6---------8---------Ryan Newman---------12.44--------292----$1,478,438------36.50
7---------5---------Matt Kenseth----------13------------284----$1,640,037------35.50
8---------6---------Kevin Harvick-----------13.44-------283----$1,738,012------35.38
9---------14-------Clint Bowyer------------13.89-------277----$1,573,885------34.63
10--------7--------Kurt Busch---------------13.89-------277----$1,785,626------34.63
11-------19-------Mark Martin-------------13.67-------276----$1,185,888------34.50
12-------9---------Dale Jr.-------------------13.89--------275---$1,239,338------34.38

So who of the chasers is not included in the top 12 Long Track ranking? None other than Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin, but these guys come out smelling like a rose since there’s only the one long track race in the Chase!

Here’s your 2011 NASCAR Champion if the 2011 track type averages hold true and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin make it into the Chase field:

-----------------------Start
Driver---------------Points--Short------Intermediate----Long------Total
Carl Edwards-------2003-----132-----------200----------27.78-----2362.78
Jimmie Johnson---2003-----155.44--------164.3-------37.25-----2359.99
Matt Kenseth------2006-----139.44--------175---------35.5------2355.94
Kevin Harvick------2009-----135.44--------160---------35.38-----2339.82
Kyle Busch----------2012-----148------------131.45-----42.25-----2333.70
Kurt Busch----------2003-----122.84--------172.85-----34.63-----2333.32
Denny Hamlin------2000-----129.16--------180---------23.78-----2332.94
Ryan Newman------2003-----132-----------153.55------36.5------2325.05
Jeff Gordon----------2009-----126.84-------149.3-------39.75-----2324.89
Tony Stewart--------2000-----103.44-------181.45------36.5------2321.39
Dale Earnhardt Jr.--2000-----128.56-------157.85------34.38-----2320.79
Brad Keselowski----2000-----100-----------168.55------26.67-----2295.22

Carl Edwards wins by less than 3 points! Gotta love those 1.5 mile tracks!

Here are how the 2011 top 10 finishing drivers and all the 2011 Chasers did on Alabama’s Superspeedway Talladega track earlier this season:

Talladega April 17, 2011

Finish---Driver----------Pts

1--------Jimmie Johnson--47

2--------Clint Bowyer------44

3--------Jeff Gordon-------42

4--------Dale Jr.-------------41

5--------Kevin Harvick----40

6--------Carl Edwards----39

7--------Greg Biffle-------38

8--------Mark Martin-----37

9--------David Gilliland---35

10-------Joey Logano-----35

17-------Tony Stewart----27

18-------Kurt Busch-------27

23-------Denny Hamlin---21

25-------Ryan Newman---20

33-------Brad Keselowski-12

35-------Kyle Busch--------10

36-------Matt Kenseth-----9

Remember Jr. pushing JJ across the line?

If the Talladega Chase race matches the April 17th Talladega Race results we’re going to have to change JJ’s nickname to “6 Time”!
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Why aren't there more long tracks in the Chase? Seems to me there's a perfect split among the various venues for the Chase... 3 Short, 3 Intermediate and 3 Long Tracks along with 1 measly road course... The next step is to put the Chase races on a rotating basis from year to year. If you truly want to see who the top drivers and teams are, throw them some curves from one year to the next. Prior to Atlanta's Cup race I saw an interview with Chad Knaus in which he stated the 48 team had all their cars prepped and ready for the Chase and let the audience know those cars were better than what we've seen JJ driving during the regular season. If the Chase tracks rotated from year to year these top money teams wouldn't have such an advantage...

It's The Tires?

2011-09-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

While taking a lap around the on-line auto racing news outlets today I came across an article on SB Nation that was very interesting. Basically it was a short Q & A between SB Nation's NASCAR commentator Jeff Gluck and Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin. What got my attention was Denny's contention that Goodyear has done too good a job in producing tires that meet all the specs NASCAR and the racing teams have asked for. This is a relatively new achievement and according to Denny the new higher quality tires are responsible for all the new drivers visiting Victory Lane this year. The tires have leveled the field by allowing less experienced drivers to push their cars through situations that would have (with lesser tires) been impossible to survive. Here's a quote from Hamlin: "In the last year, guys are driving corner entry way harder than what they should be allowed to," he said. "And I think that's some of the reason you see some of the new drivers winning this year. You just don't pay a price anymore for overdriving your race car because everything is just so good now."

Hamlin also spoke about drivers like Mark Martin, drivers who have made their living in NASCAR by knowing how to save a vehicle, losing their advantage since the tires are so much more resilient and forgiving of hard driving.

Hamlin said the long running tires have effected the number of green flag pit stops that are now necessary too. This plays in on a crew chief's pit strategy. Fuel mileage rather than tire wear has become the primary concern. These new tires, making longer runs possible, have brought fuel mileage and driving to save fuel to the forefront... Denny contends this has lowered the importance of driving skill and has made pit strategy a much more important component.

Hamlin's answer? "I would like to see in the future tires that we run fast for a lap or two, but then drop off tremendously. That would force teams to pit for tires and not attempt a fuel mileage gamble or other pit strategy quite as often."

I'll ask you longtime NASCAR fans: Have you ever seen so many races in NASCAR's three major series being won by drivers whose vehicles are about to run out of fuel?

I keep thinking of that CWTS race last week when several of the trucks, right at the end of the race, suddenly started slowing down, out of fuel...

Then there was this finish at the Coca Cola 600 this year.

(You Dale Jr. fans might not want to watch this...)

Here's the link to SB Nation's article: http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/9/3/2402903/denny-hamlin-nascar-atlanta-motor-speedway-2011

And the Beat Goes On…

2011-08-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

What do Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart and Clint Bowyer have in common? They’re all, to one degree or another, on the bubble!

The way I see it, with just Atlanta and Richmond left before the Cup Chase participants are determined, two of these four will be in and two won’t…

Up front Junior is in the best position to make it since he’s sitting in 9th place on points and 10 drivers are in the Chase that way.

Tony Stewart is in 10th place 18 points behind Dale Jr. and 21 points ahead of 11th place Brad Keselowski (who mathematically makes the Chase with his 3 wins and being in the top 20 by finishing higher than 13th at Atlanta… At least that’s the way I’ve got it figured!).

One point further back from Keselowski and residing in 12th place in the Chase is Clint Bowyer. Clint can make the Chase by either moving past Brad and either Tony or Junior into the top 10 on points or he has to continue leading Denny Hamlin in the points and wins either of the upcoming non-Chase races coupled with no other wins by Hamlin, Paul Menard, David Ragan or (with what’s becoming a very long shot) Marcos Ambrose. Of all these four drivers, Bowyer’s is the most tenuous situation but Hamlin has got to be sweating bullets too.

Of all these drivers, Denny showed the best at Bristol finishing in 7th, but he can’t take much solace in that. As stated above, if Menard, Ragan or possibly Ambrose can pull off a second win at either Atlanta or Richmond, then I’ll paraphrase Howard Cosell… “Down Goes Denny! Down Goes Denny!”

So who among this group has shown the best at Atlanta and Richmond in the past? Here’s what it looks like by the numbers:

Atlanta-

Tony Stewart in 24 starts has averaged an 11.58 finish with 3 wins.
Dale Jr. in 23 starts has averaged a 12.48 finish with 1 win.
Clint Bowyer in 10 starts has averaged a 15.5 finish without any wins.
Denny Hamlin in 11 starts has averaged an 18.46 finish without any wins.

I don’t see any distinct advantage for Hamlin or Bowyer or any disadvantage for Earnhardt or Stewart from Atlanta, so let’s say there aren’t any changes after that race. So it all boils down to Richmond… (and NASCAR gets just what they hoped for with their new Chase format, an interest generating finale to set the Chase field!)

Richmond-

Now it gets interesting on one of NASCAR’s old-time, iconic short tracks…

Richmond is Denny Hamlin’s home track and since Denny’s been in Cup racing only one driver (Kyle Busch) has shown better there… Denny Hamlin in 11 starts has averaged a 7.45 finish with 2 wins.

Surprisingly, Clint Bowyer comes in right behind Hamlin at Richmond! Clint Bowyer in 11 starts has averaged a 9.45 finish with 1 win.

Then, here comes Tony Stewart right behind Bowyer! Tony Stewart in 25 starts has averaged an 11.04 finish with 3 wins.

Dale Jr. hasn’t done too shabby at Richmond either coming in 10th best overall. Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 24 starts has averaged a 14.33 finish with 3 wins.

Looks like a shootout to me!

Considering how closely bunched these guys are, and with the knowledge that little things mean a lot when a person is under building stress, what else is going on that might weigh in to this determination?
Well, let’s see…

I’m hearing that Tony Stewart has been distracted this summer while manning his team owner duties putting together the Danica Patrick deal, but that’s done now… If this has been true, will Tony now shove aside everything else to concentrate on his racing and live up to his past champion status?

It’s been well chronicled that Clint Bowyer hasn’t signed a new contract with Richard Childress Racing and that’s got to be a constant burden right now. From what I’m hearing, Childress wants Clint to take a pay cut so Bowyer has been entertaining other offers. This economic climate certainly isn’t the best to be job hunting in… Just last week several NASCAR reporters had articles about Clint’s on-going contract problems, then he basically tanks it at Bristol…

Denny Hamlin and his team (primarily Hamlin and Crew Chief Mike Ford) have been at odds since the end of the 2010 season. I think it’s amazing the 11 team is anywhere near being in the 2011 Chase given these circumstances, but here they are and now it appears they all looked up and realized just where they are! Maybe the pressure’s suddenly going down on this team!

Then there’s NASCAR’s ultimate pressure cooker we all know as Dale Earnhardt Jr. I think the years of scrutiny have left Junior more or less immune to it all. With Dale Jr. the saying “It is what it is…” really fits. It’s been very interesting to hear Junior talking more about what he really wants as this year’s Chase draws near. In my opinion, this guy needs motivation on a much higher plain than what pushes the other drivers in NASCAR. Maybe having another chance, and the first in quite a while, at a NASCAR championship will build a real fire under him. Wouldn’t that be something?

Concerning the one-win drivers with a shot at the Chase if they can just win another race, all three won their first ever Sprint Cup race this year… Now really, what are the odds any one of them can pull off another win this season? I’ve got to say the odds are slim and none, but 2011 has been a very unusual year, so who knows?

The orchestra that is NASCAR is building to a pre-Chase crescendo! Whose songs will be played?

How do you see it playing out?

DW on Kyle Busch and Marcos Ambrose

2011-08-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

This was recorded prior to last night's truck race so don't expect any commentary on the Sadler / Busch / Harvick deal, but DW has some very interesting statements about the 9 and 18 drivers...

That oughta stir the pot a little bit!

For The NASCAR “Purists” Lined Up Against Road Course Racing

2011-08-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

The people deeply involved in NASCAR are the first to proudly point to the sport’s roots in bootlegging liquor runners driving their souped up cars over back country roads and at times racing away from the government revenuers… Check out these videos on NASCAR’s roots (yeah, I know the second one is a little long):

NASCAR’s Roots

History of NASCAR

CBS Sunday Morning show featuring Junior Johnson and Moonshiners

Moonshiners vs. Revenuers Reunion with Junior Johnson

Now think about this: If the bootleggers truly represent the beginning of stock car racing, and they only turned left, they’d have been in the ditch in no time… There’s a lesson in this for NASCAR…

A Look At NASCAR and Road Courses

2011-08-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

I found an interesting article on NASCAR the other day written by Dustin Long who writes auto racing commentary for PilotOnline.com's Auto Racing Channel. Dustin also writes a regular column for SportsIllustrated.com.

This particular article, “Backseat Drivers Fan Council dishes on road courses & what races need to be shortened”, took a look at a couple of questions currently being bantered back and forth among NASCAR’s media and fans. In the article the members of The Backseat Drivers Fan Council were polled concerning their favorite types of tracks/racing and the results marked a surprising change in sentiment concerning road course racing. 65% of those polled had a middle of the road feeling about road course racing while 24% thought it’s the best form of racing and only 11% detested it. This is in sharp contrast to what fan’s thought of road course racing only a few years back when most didn’t care for it.

Here’s a sample of what these people had to say about road course racing:

1. Road courses are getting better but short tracks still rank up there. Mile-and-a-halves are the worst. (Note: Mile-and-a-halves are the worst and guess what… 5 of the 10 Chase races are on 1.5 mile tracks!)
2. Hate road course racing. The thought of one being valued enough to be in the chase makes me laugh. (Note: This person probably lives in the Charlotte area or is just an old curmudgeon!)
3. There is a need for road courses, if you're going to be a champion, you need to be able to navigate all types of tracks that NASCAR has to offer. (Note: Amen, brother!)
4. 10 years ago I never would have said this, but the road courses, along with Richmond/Bristol/Martinsville/Phoenix/Loudon are the best racing the Cup series has (aka any track that isn't a cookie cutter) (Note: See a trend developing?)
5. We see so little of it, I think we tend to romanticize it somewhat. Granted both road course races have been phenomenal this year, but in 2009, both were somewhat lackluster. They have their cycles. Just happens to be on an upswing. However, if there were 4-6 races per year on road courses, it would likely even out and we'd have a dud or two in the mix. Just like the 1.5 milers, sometimes it turns out to be a great show (Coke 600 this year), sometimes someone stinks up the joint (KY race this year). (Note: Not a Kyle Busch fan, fo sure!)
6. I don't mind 2 road courses but no more than that & keep them out of chase. (Another curmudgeon?)
7. NASCAR should only be on ovals!!! If they are trying to reduce costs, how about eliminating the need for a completely different car and setup for road courses!!! (Note: Yeah, forget about driving skill, just put the car on autopilot, sit back and snooze!)
8. Short tracks are still my favorite. It's more wheel to wheel. The road courses are exciting but they are more about pit strategy, track position and sensational wrecks. Give me a fall afternoon at Martinsville any day. (Note: At least this person didn’t bad mouth the road courses…)
9. Now that we only have the 2 car tango in the restrictor plate races, road course racing is quickly becoming my favorite - action (on and off the track), side by side racing, on the edge of your seat to see who can execute the turns. Still love short tracks the best, but as long as I can watch them on TV, I am starting to rank road courses up towards the top. (Note: This is an honest assessment. You notice the obvious disdain for the “two car tango restrictor plate races”?)
10. I used to hate road courses. I'm still not fond of them but I have to admit that the last couple has been pretty good. I even watched the Nationwide race on Saturday and I never would have done that before. (Note: I’m seeing a trend!)
11. With the destruction of good racing at Daytona, Talladega, and Bristol all sandwiched in between tons of cookie-cutter tracks, Sonoma and Watkins Glen are about the most fun there is now all year. (Note: The trend is established!)
12. It (road course racing) really has become the best. Great strategy, great racing. None of this clean air, aeropush or whatever. Just driving skill. (Note: I like this person!)

So the superspeedways have devolved to nearly the same level as the cookie-cutter 1.5 mile tracks… It appears road course racing is now considered equally as entertaining as short track racing! And we’ve only got two Cup races on road courses… Here’s the breakdown:
1-2 Mile long tracks – 11 for 15 races
1 Mile or less tracks – 6 for 12 races
Over 2 Mile tracks – 4 for 7 races
Road courses – 2 for 2 races

22 out of 36 races are on tracks the breed boredom… That’s 61% of all the races!

Considering the upswing in popularity concerning road course racing and the disdain for the cookie-cutter tracks as well as the growing disenchantment with the “two car tango” races at Daytona and Talladega, I believe NASCAR needs to not only stop introducing new cookie cutter tracks to the Cup schedule (Kentucky, Kansas, etc.), they need to remove at least a couple of Bruton Smith’s wonderful tracks (Only having one date for Kansas and Texas would be good for starters and fill

the newly opened dates with Road America [4 mile course in Elkhart Lake, WI] in the summer and the new F1 track in Austin Texas [3.4 mile Circuit of the Americas] just before the Chase).

So what if Smith throws a fit! Is NASCAR here to please Bruton or the fans? Knock the Fall Kansas Chase race off the schedule and run Sonoma in at that time. Early October in the San Francisco Bay Area is the best time for great weather there, and a road course as the fourth race in the Chase would really add some intrigue to the championship run.
Finally, if the popularity of NASCAR’s brand of road racing continues to grow with four road course races on the schedule, knock off one of the Pocono races and Indy’s 400 race (another couple of snoozers and yeah I know… Indy is such a big deal… Blah, blah, blah). This would get the total road course races up to 6.

NASCAR needs to regain its lost fan base. Taking boring race venues off the schedule and replacing them with good hard road course racing will go a long way toward retrieving those lost fans and I’m willing to wager moves such as these will bring many new fans into the sport.

Power to the fans!

Source: http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/backseat-drivers-fan-council-dishes-road-courses-what-races-need-be-shortened

The Definition of a “Good Guy” in NASCAR

2011-08-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

It comes as no surprise that Dale Earnhardt didn’t win the most popular driver award voted on each year by NASCAR fans until after his untimely death. Dale was a winner. He would do whatever it took within the confines of “clean racing” to get out front late in a race and hold on, even if the car he was driving wasn’t the fastest. While Dale Sr. is the best example of the point I’m going to make,

other drivers like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and more recently Kyle Busch have also spent time in the not too liked climes among NASCAR fans. Why? Well these guys are all winners and in NASCAR, when you consistently win you’re stepping on the toes of 42 other drivers, teams and their fans. So in a round-about way, winners are the “Bad Guys” and conversely all the drivers who are consistently also-rans are the “Good Guys”.

The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season will long be remembered for the number of first time winners who have graced Victory Lane and for the variety (fifteen different winners to date) of drivers waving checkered flags. The “Good Guy” ranks have taken a major hit this year…

Marcos Ambrose, since moving to the US and NASCAR to pursue his passion for auto racing, has been considered a “Good Guy” for a lot of reasons, but in no small part it was due to the fact he had been winless in 104 starts at the Sprint Cup level.

Well, all that changed yesterday on the Watkins Glen road course. The two-time Australian Super V8 champion had finally tasted victory at the world’s foremost stock car racing level. Marcos thus joined Trevor Bayne, Regan Smith, David Ragan and Paul Menard as a first time winner this season. That’s all fine and dandy, but boys you’ve all put your “Good Guy” standing in dire jeopardy. Since everyone likes first time winners, if you’ll all just calm down now and forget about winning again, you should be all right…

With four races left to qualify for the Chase, Marcos Ambrose has, by virtue of his first win, vaulted to 22nd in the 2011 Chase standings, only one measly point away from a three-way tie with Juan Pablo Montoya and Martin Truex, Jr. for 20th place. If he shows well in these last four races, there’s an outside chance he could make the Chase if he happens to post one more win and improves his point total into a top twenty standing.

This is the beauty of the new Chase format. As it stands today, Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, Marcos and David Ragan all have one win and are either in or within striking distance of the top twenty. There should be a real scramble between these one-win drivers before it’s over.

Brad Keselowski now appears to be a lock for the Chase as his 1st place finish at Pocono (giving Brad two wins on the season) and now his 2nd place finish at the Glen have pushed the Blue Deuce all the way up to 14th in the Chase standings.

If any of this group of four happens to swipe another win (which would either solidify their position in the top twenty or get them into it) then that driver and team would almost be assured of a spot in the Chase and a chance at the championship. The problem is Menard, Ragan and now Ambrose will risk slamming their “Good Guy” rating into the dirt with that next win…

One of the Hazards Playing Golf in Florida

2011-08-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

This is why you shouldn't go looking for the golf balls hit 'Out of Bounds' in Florida!!!

THIS IS NOT A PYTHON!

This is a 15 foot Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake - the largest ever caught on record, in fact.

The snake was found near the St. Augustine outlet, in a new KB homes subdivision just south of Jacksonville FL.

A little research revealed the following:

One bite from a snake of this size would contain enough venom to kill over 40 full grown men.

The head of this snake alone is larger than the hand of a normal sized man.

A bite from those fangs would be comparable to being stabbed by two curved, 1/4 inch diameter screwdrivers. The knife being used to draw out the fangs for the picture has a blade around 6 inches long.

The snake is estimated to have weighed over 170 pounds. (How much do you weigh?)

Notice the girth of this snake as compared to the cop's leg in the picture up above (and he is not a small man).

Snakes this size can easily swallow a 2 year-old child (and dogs, pigs, etc).

A rattlesnake this size has an approximately 5 1/2 foot accurate striking distance. (The distance for an average size rattlesnake is about 2 feet . )

This snake has probably been alive since George Bush Sr. was President.

Now just ask yourself these questions: What has this snake been feeding on and where are its offspring?

NOTE: This is not my handy work. I received this in my email today from some snowbird Canadian friends of mine who live in Florida from November through April...

2011-08-10T04:18:00.000-07:00

If the Chase started today, here are your twelve Chasers for 2011 (by order of points and wild card standings):

Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. are in on points while Brad Keselowski (ranked 18th with two wins) and Denny Hamlin (ranked 11th with one win) are in by virtue of the new “wild card” format.

Here’s the list of 2010’s twelve Cup “Chase for the Championship” drivers (alphabetically):

Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart.

So after 21 races and with five more to go before the Chase drivers are actually determined, three new faces may be in the run for the Cup Championship this year. Of those three, fan favorite Dale Earnhardt, Jr. may face the toughest task as he attempts to hang onto 10th place in the points standings with a total of 641. His 9th place finish last Sunday at Pocono solidified his hold on 10th as he currently has a 23 point lead over Denny Hamlin and a 41 point advantage over Clint Bowyer (the next closest driver in points without a victory this season). Tony Stewart is only one point ahead of Dale Jr. at 642, and we’re all waiting for his famous summer time drive to begin. If things don’t work out, Tony may fall out of contention too. Of the remaining 5 racing venues this Sunday’s race on the Watkins Glen road course probably presents the greatest challenge to Jr. and the greatest opportunity to Tony. With Stewart usually doing a good job on road courses, Dale Jr.’s stated many times how much he dislikes the road course races. He simply must put those thoughts aside if he expects to do some meaningful racing this fall. On the other hand, Dale’s done fairly well at Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond in the past, although if we take his 2010 performances on those tracks when he finished 26th at the Glen, 19th at Michigan, 13th at Bristol, 22nd at Atlanta and 34th at Richmond, it becomes obvious he’s going to have to step it up considerably if he hopes to make the Chase this season.

Denny Hamlin, currently 11th in the points standings with one win on the season, is our next bubble boy. The danger to him being knocked out of the Chase comes from the other two one win drivers currently residing in 11th through 20th in the points standings. If Paul Menard or David Ragan can come up with a second win on any of the last five race tracks (and Denny goes winless), they will almost certainly assure themselves of a spot in the Chase. Then there are the other drivers (most notably Greg Biffle with 597 points, Mark Martin with 567 points, Kasey Kahne with 566 points and A.J. Allmendinger with 562 points) who have an outside chance at making the Chase on points. Last season on these five remaining “regular season” courses here’s how the three “Bubble Boys” and each of the other drivers in the top twenty performed using the 2011 points rewards system:

Driver-----------W. Glen----Michigan----Bristol----Atlanta----Richmond---Total Pts---Wins
Stewart------------37------------31-------------18--------45-------------28-----------801--------1 (Atl)
Earnhardt, Jr.-----18------------25-------------31--------22-------------10-----------747--------0
Hamlin -------------7-----------43--------------10---------2-------------45-----------725--------1 (Rch)
Bowyer------------12-----------31--------------41--------37------------39-----------760---------0
Biffle--------------20-----------41--------------36---------8-------------14-----------716---------0
Menard-----------28------------9---------------23---------9-------------18-----------674---------0
Martin-------------26-----------16--------------22--------23------------24-----------678---------0
Kahne-------------27-----------30--------------39--------13------------15-----------690----------0
Allmendinger---40------------27--------------13--------26------------36-----------704----------0
Keselowski-----24------------10---------------25-------19-------------29-----------665----------0
Ragan------------19-----------34---------------14-------25-------------21-----------669-----------0
Logano-----------11----------34---------------26--------17------------40------------676----------0

Given these circumstances, with Dale faltering, Clint Bowyer will slide right in there and the current drivers in as wild cards (Hamlin and Keselowski) will remain the same.

I suppose there’s the outside chance that someone will pop-up and win two of these final five pre-Chase races, but what are the odds of that happening, especially in a year where two drivers share the win lead this season with 3. Remember last season? JJ had 5 wins and Hamlin had 6 before the start of the Chase. That’s not happening in 2011.

Can Tony and Jr. maintain their position? A big part of that story will be determined this Sunday.
****************************************************

I want to throw something out there for your comments as well... First, check out this video taken at the end of the Iowa Nationwide race last Saturday night and pay particular attention to the discussion between Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s crew chief.

These two guys were racing hard against each other causing many to wonder about them being on the same team... Then yesterday in Charlotte Stenhouse was questioned about what happened...

Q: It appeared you were pretty mad in the car at Iowa

STENHOUSE: “I was mad. I wasn’t mad that he ran into us coming off of turn 4. It goes a little deeper than that. He gave me the finger going down the backstraightaway and that’s kind of what fired me up. We’ll handle it. It was hard racing. We’ll talk about it. He thinks I’m maybe a little too aggressive, but I think coming from sprint cars, that’s just my style, that’s just how I raced.’’

Q: What about your crew chief saying you think Edwards hates you

STENHOUSE: “That might be a little bit much. Carl has helped me out in my career. It’s good racing with him. I don’t think, as of late he’s had a Nationwide car in our company be up there competing with him. Right now we’ve got three Nationwide cars that are all really fast. I think it’s just a product of everybody running hard and running up front. It gets a little frustrating sometimes.’’

Q: You’re running for a championship and Edwards isn’t, does that make it tougher to swallow that gets into you and could cost you a title?

STENHOUSE: “I really wasn’t thinking about the championship at that point. My crew chief reminded me that we were racing for a championship. I didn’t have a problem with him getting into us. I think that’s part of racing. We’ve all done it growing up. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to win. At that moment I think we had the fastest race car and for him to get back by us and start leading some more laps, he did what he had to do. It worked out for him. I kind of leaned on him going back by, so it’s just something that happens in racing. It makes it good for the fans.’’

Q: Do you look at what Edwards did differently from what Brad Keselowski did to you at Indy because one is a teammate and one isn’t?

STENHOUSE: “In the Brad deal at Indianapolis, I was mad, but I really wasn’t mad that he ran us up the race track. Like I said, when you don’t have the fastest car, you have to do something to win and Brad did what he had to do to win. I was just more mad that we didn’t win. I wasn’t mad about how it happened. I think that’s part of racing. If I was in Brad’s situation, I would have done the same thing. But teammate? I know Jack would probably say that is a little much.’’

After the race Edwards said that he has to stand his ground even if it's against a teammate, saying "Sometimes, it's not all roses."

Now I start to wonder... If Edwards had bailed on RFR, either Trevor Bayne or Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were lined up to step right into the vacated RFR Cup car. Have things been said that we're not privy to? Trevor and Ricky both had to have their hopes up and then Carl put the whammy on them. Based on what I've seen, if I had to choose the young Roush-Fenway driver with the most upside between Bayne and Stenhouse, I think I'd run with Mississippi over Tennessee. If this seeming RFR in-house feud continues could Stenhouse be on the move? Here's what he's currently thinking according to ESPN.com's David Newton:

Stenhouse said he has no definitive plan other than he'd like to run a full Nationwide schedule for Roush and part-time Cup schedule.

Stenhouse mentioned that Richard Petty Motorsports, which gets chassis and engines from RFR, might be looking to expand.

"I don't want to jump in too early (in Cup) and get in over my head," he said.

So the thought about moving on is there...

Think he'd drive a Toyota?

Sources:
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/stenhouse-explains-feelings-edwards-onefinger-salute-edwards-gave-him-iowa

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/nationwide/story/_/id/6847861/roush-fenway-racing-ricky-stenhouse-jr-carl-edwards-clear-air

Okay, NASCAR fans... What's Being Said?

2011-08-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Ten photos gleaned from around the NASCAR media sites. What are these people saying / thinking?

1.

10.

There ya go... Have at it!

Bad Brad Is a Lucky Young Man...

2011-08-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

While practicing on Road Atlanta in preparation for Watkins Glen in a couple of weeks Brad Keselowski's brakes gave out while he entered turn one at 155 MPH. Here are a few shots (taken by Jimmie Johnson) of the site, the non-safer barrier that Brad ran into at about 100 MPH and the wreck.

Quite a long run before the wall became a problem...

Definitely not a Safer Barrier...

The Blue Deuce sure took it hard...

The following pics are of Brad's leg injuries... He was airlifted by helicopter to Atlanta Medical Center where no broken bones were found. Released this evening from the hospital, Brad's expected to be behind the wheel this weekend at Pocono...

Not a pretty sight...

No, the doctors didn't insert a grapefruit in Brad's ankle.

A question came up concerning NASCAR not allowing teams to practice on the tracks where they will actually be racing. The NASCAR tracks have been forced to become much safer. So here is an up and coming young driver who needs to practice and is out on an unsafe track. Brad Keselowski was very lucky today...

The Luck of the Polish?

More Numbers!

2011-08-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

We are kept well-aware of the points leaders, but here are some leaders you don’t normally keep tabs on:

2011’s Top 10 Finishers… Wins and top finishes

1. Kyle Busch with 3 wins, 10 top 5’s and 12 top 10’s

2. Kevin Harvick with 3 wins, 6 top 5’s and 10

3. Matt Kenseth with 2 wins, 7 and 11

4. Jeff Gordon with 2, 7 and 9

5. Carl Edwards with 1, 10 and 13

6. Jimmie Johnson with 1, 7 and 12

7. Ryan Newman with 1, 6 and 9

8. Kurt Busch with 1, 4 and 11

9. Denny Hamlin with 1, 4 and 7

10. Paul Menard with 1, 4 and 6

2011’s Top 10 Driver’s Completing the Most Laps

This is not only a measure of a driver but also of the equipment and the racing team as a whole…

1. Kurt Busch with 5,746 laps completed

2. Jimmie Johnson with 5,729

3. Juan Montoya with 5,723

4. Ryan Newman with 5,703

5. Bobby Labonte with 5,692

6. Tony Stewart with 5,690

7. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. with 5,681

8. Greg Biffle with 5,666

9. Denny Hamlin with 5,636

9. Clint Bowyer with 5,636

There's one single car team up above (Bobby Labonte with JTG Daugherty) but they're really affiliated with Michael Waltrip Racing so most of the major Cup team owners are represented here.

2011’s Top 10 with Most Laps Led (% of Total Laps Run)

Who are the front runners?

1. Kyle Busch with 1,069 (19.57%)

2. Kurt Busch with 510 (8.8%)

3. Jimmie Johnson with 493 (8.61%)

4. Carl Edwards with 429 (7.76%)

5. Matt Kenseth with 375 (6.67%)

6. Tony Stewart with 340 (5.98%)

7. Denny Hamlin with 321 (5.70%)

8. Jeff Gordon with 301 (5.43%)

9. Ryan Newman with 262 (4.65%)

10. Clint Bowyer with 262 (4.59%)

I find it interesting that Kyle isn’t in the top 10 concerning laps completed but here he is with more than double the total on laps led as compared to the second place laps led driver, his brother Kurt, and that darn near 20% of the laps Kyle has driven have been while leading the pack. Ah yes, those Busch boys like clean air…

2011’s Top 10 in Highest Average Driver Rating

The rating formula is based on 3 sections of statistics (Primary [Finish, Average Running Position, Average Speed, and Fastest Lap], Fixed Bonus Points [Win, Top 15 Finish, Led Most Laps, Lead Lap Finish, Average Running Position better than 10.0, Average Running Position better than 6.0 and Average Running Position better than 2.0] and Variable Bonus Points [Green Flag Fastest Laps, Green Flag Laps Led and Green Flag Laps on Track]) on a per race basis. A perfect race rating is 150.0 while the poorest rating is 23.3.

I think this is a little complicated… But, here are the leaders through 20 races in 2011:

1. Kyle Busch - 107.46

2. Carl Edwards - 99.76

3. Kurt Busch – 98.20

4. Jimmie Johnson – 96.51

5. Matt Kenseth – 94.76

6. Jeff Gordon – 93.53

7. Denny Hamlin – 91.96

8. Kevin Harvick – 90.97

9. Tony Stewart – 90.87

10. Kasey Kahne – 90.44

2011’s Top 10 Finishers versus Starting Position (with 20 starts)

Which drivers consistently improve their track position from where they start? Or better yet, in this day and age of ever more important pit strategy: Which teams are making the right calls? Another way of looking at this is which drivers don’t do too well in qualifying and thus start back in the pack with plenty of room for improvement!

1. Kevin Harvick – Average Start – 18.95, Average Finish – 11.50, Net +7.45

2. David Gilliland – Start – 33.35, Finish 26.20 – Net +7.15

3. Matt Kenseth – 17.80, 11.60, +6.20

4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 19.70, 14.10, +5.60

5. Dave Blaney – 35.20, 29.80, +5.40

6. Kyle Busch – 15.95, 11.75, +4.20

7. Tony Stewart – 17.10, 14.25, +2.85

8. Jimmie Johnson – 13.80, 11.15, +2.65

9. Greg Biffle – 17.85, 16.40, +1.45

10. Carl Edwards – 11.00, 10.75, +0.25

And finally, 2011’s Top 10 Money Makers (20 Starts)

I like the average dollars earned per start versus the total earnings… Evidently Carl has done well on the higher paying racing venues since he’s averaging close to $40,000 more than second place Matt Kenseth per start. (I guess second place at the 500 will do that for you!)

If I had included Trevor Bayne he’d have come in second since he’s averaging $218,956 in 11 Cup starts thanks to winning at Daytona!

1. Carl Edwards – Total - $4,394,800, Ave. per Start - $219.740

2. Matt Kenseth – 3,623,342, 181,167

3. Kevin Harvick – 3,593,657, 179,683

4. Kyle Busch – 3,569,025, 178,451

5. Jimmie Johnson – 3,470,286, 173,514

6. Kurt Busch – 3,416,026, 170,801

7. Jeff Gordon – 3,389,008, 169,450

8. Clint Bowyer – 3,279,140, 163,957

9. Denny Hamlin – 3,182,976, 159,149

10. Tony Stewart – 3,138,390, 156,920

So you be the judge… Who’s doing the best job so far this season?

NASCAR’s Premier Bully

2011-07-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

Yahoo’s racing commentator Jay Busbee writes that he “really fights with pretty much everybody”.

The Sporting News had a feature article last May stating that he has a history of battles with the entire Sprint Cup top 10.

Scene Daily ran an article in December of 2009 that chronicled the best driver confrontations from 2000-2009 and this driver was named in three of the eight driver confrontations referred to.

So who is this bully? If you’re a true NASCAR fan it should come as no surprise. Kevin Harvick has had at least one confrontation each year since he took over Richard Childress’ Good Wrench Chevrolet after the 2001 Daytona 500 and it hasn’t been just limited to drivers with other teams / owners.

The two faces of Kevin Harvick... Happy and Bully...

Last season Harvick became so upset with Childress teammate Jeff Burton’s driving practices during the Martinsville Chase race he expressed his displeasure in no uncertain terms over the radio during a late in-race caution. At the time Kevin was in 3rd place in the Chase while Burton was on the outside looking in.

After the race Kevin passed off his public comments as “just racin”, but Jeff Burton wouldn’t hear of it. Here’s what Jeff had to say: “I don't understand what he is mad at, I think he is just wound up and racing for a championship. I can assure you I didn't do anything wrong and I would do it again a thousand times. Because if what I did was wrong, then I will just quit racing.”
Then Jeff made these really telling comments: "There will come a point when he (Harvick) realizes that everybody in the world is not against him. And every time it's a conflict he is involved. And you would think over the amount of years that he has done it, that he would get the hint that he is always in the middle of it and maybe sometimes if he just backed up a little bit and caught his breath, he would be OK. I'm not out to harm him. I am a teammate of his and I am trying to help him and there comes a point where he needs to just catch his breath and realize that it's my race track too.''

**********************************************************************
Here’s a sample of the many confrontations this man has been involved in:
Versus Greg Biffle, Bristol, 2002… A post-race verbal confrontation boiled into a physical one as Kevin Harvick tried to get Biffle in a head lock. Harvick was fined.

Versus Ricky Rudd, Richmond, 2003… A screaming, yelling Harvick stomps on the roof of Rudd’s car after late-race crash. A near-riot breaks out on pit road.
“Kevin was [ticked off], what do you say?” – Harvick team owner Richard Childress
“I don’t know. He’s got that little yap-yap mouth.” – Rudd, on what Harvick said.

Versus Ryan Newman, 2003… While Newman was piling up eight wins, Harvick accused Newman and his team of cheating to get better fuel mileage. An unfounded allegation…

Versus Matt Kenseth, Pocono, 2004… They spun each other out while under caution and were subsequently fined. This set off running commentary on both sides.

Versus Jimmie Johnson, Daytona, 2005… After Harvick wrecked Johnson and several other cars in a preseason race, Johnson said "It's a shame. He just tore up six or seven good racecars. I hope Childress either fires him or NASCAR does something about him, because this is ridiculous -- absolutely ridiculous."

Versus Kurt Busch, Atlanta, 2006… “I’ll tell you what I think,” Harvick said. “He’s a cocky, arrogant punk… I’d still like to whip his ass. Before the year’s over, he’ll make a fool out of (car owner) Roger Penske.”
Through a team spokesman, Busch declined comment on Harvick's statements.

Versus Dale Earnhardt, Jr., 2007… Harvick called out Dale Jr.’s former team owner, Teresa Earnhardt, calling her an absentee owner while Earnhardt still drove for her.

Versus Tony Stewart, Indianapolis Brickyard 400, 2007… “He’s the first one to complain about not getting room on the race track and he’s the first one to not give any,” Harvick said of Stewart after being bumped out of the way by Stewart on his way to the win.

Versus Juan Pablo Montoya, Watkins Glen, 2007… On-track incident leads to shoving and helmet-grabbing between two hotheads. NASCAR officials forced to break it up.
“I was talking about kicking his ass.” – Harvick
“I said it was my fault and he started shouting and grabbing me. I don’t appreciate that.” – Montoya.

Versus Carl Edwards, Talladega, Charlotte, 2008… Snipping back and forth after a Talladega wreck leads to a mysterious note followed by a physical confrontation in the Charlotte garage. In the confrontation Edwards makes like a wrestling star as he applies a choke-hold to Harvick.
The note from Edwards to Harvick read, “Kevin, thanks for [criticizing] me on TV. I was really trying to screw up everyone’s day! Love, Carl.” Edwards then went on to say, “I have absolutely no respect for Kevin Harvick. I think he's a bad person. That’s what I think and I’ve told him.”
“You just gotta be careful who you wanna pick a fight with.” – Harvick.

Strangely, we haven’t heard any more out of this feud.

Versus Denny Hamlin, 2010… Harvick intentionally ran into him during practice after Hamlin publicly criticized Richard Childress Racing.

Versus Joey Logano, 2010… The two traded paint prompting Logano to make his now famous post-race comment that Harvick’s wife “wears the firesuit in the family.”

Versus Kyle Busch, Darlington, 2011… Angry over an incident with less than four laps remaining, Kevin Harvick said later that he wanted to “beat the piss” out of Kyle Busch. There was a pit road incident that Harvick instigated and then a confrontation in the garage. The next week in Dover the two were on the carpet with NASCAR. Asked after their meeting with NASCAR officials when he thinks he and Busch will be able to get along, Harvick stated, “Never.” And Busch agreed.

**********************************************************************
Considering Kevin Harvick’s checkered past I found it very interesting to read a satire on the Kevin versus Kyle debacle. Here’s a couple of excerpts from the article entitled “NASCAR to Kyle Busch: Bullying of Kevin Harvick Must Stop” (!)

“A teary-eyed Kevin Harvick said he has been so stressed by the bullying he has received from Kyle Busch that he is often afraid to shave.” (Hilarious!)

“Kevin Harvick has accused Busch of being a bully for much of the season.” (!)

And finally these: Harvick and Busch almost came to blows earlier in the season at Daytona. Busch was walking by Harvick just prior to race time and said, “Hey Harvick, how did you ever get Jimmie John’s to sponsor you? You’re so slow I don’t think you could even qualify as a delivery boy driver.”

At Bristol, Busch left a pair of reading glasses and a note on the seat of Harvick’s car. In the note Busch volunteered to help “Old man Harvick” read a map of the Bristol track so that Harvick wouldn’t get lost going around.

Finally, this last week at the Showtime Southern 500 after Busch suckered Harvick into getting out of his car, Busch took off and pushed Harvick’s empty car into the wall and then drove away laughing so loud it could be heard in the stands. Harvick collapsed on the track and began to cry so hard he fogged up his helmet and had to be helped from the track. (!)

Like I said… It’s a satirical look at the current “hottest feud” in NASCAR inspired by Mr. Harvick.

***********************************************************************
I was taught the best way to deal with a bully is to call their bluff. Once the bully knows you aren’t going to allow them to push you around they’re just cowardly enough to back off. I think that’s the lesson Carl Edwards taught everyone concerning Kevin Harvick and now Kyle Busch needs to take a step in that direction as well.

************************************************

Kevin Harvick came on the scene under terrible circumstances and made the best of his chance being named Rookie of the Year in 2001. What first appeared to be a very promising career has been eaten up with a “me against the world” mindset that apparently can’t be righted.

We’ve all seen rookies break into Cup racing who at first are in awe of their situation and then have to face the fact that it’s a dog eat dog world in this business. They learn sometimes they have to defend themselves to gain the respect of their peers. It’s a process that eventually yields the desired result.

In Kevin Harvick’s case, he’s pushed his over-reacting in tough situations to an extreme. He’s ended up losing whatever respect he might have had among his fellow competitors.

A very telling moment came during the confrontation Kevin initiated at the entrance to Darlington’s pit road by stopping Kyle Busch and then stepping from his car to try and punch Kyle in the face. The television director switched cameras to one focused on Kevin’s wife sitting atop the number 29’s pit box. Delana, watching a television monitor, had both her hands on her cheeks while slowly shaking her head in an unmistakable “Oh no, not again…” manner.

Yes, Delana, again… And who’s next on the Kevin Harvick “hit” parade?

References:
Jay Busbee:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Kevin-Harvick-really-fights-with-pretty-much-eve?urn=nascar-wp1153
The Sporting News:
http://aol.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2011-05-10/kevin-harvicks-history-of-battles-with-the-entire-cup-top-10
Scene Daily: http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/DECADE_IN_REVIEW_NASCARs_best_confrontations_2000-2009.html
iRaceFanNews:
http://iracefannews.com/2011/nascar-to-kyle-busch-bullying-of-kevin-harvick-must-stop

For Carl Edwards, Silence Feeds the Fire

2011-07-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Carl and the Gibson guitar

I’m wondering how long Carl Edwards can keep mum about his intentions for the future. The current Sprint Cup point leader, just coming off a sweep of the Nationwide Series’ 2011 Nashville races, continues to be coy with NASCAR’s media types. This is doing nothing but stir the writers and commentators into an ever –growing frenzy. Maybe Carl likes riding the whirlwind. I think I’d get tired of it real fast.

Roush-Fenway Racing president Steve Newman says, "We have constant conversations with Carl, I still remain cautiously optimistic that we'll get something done, but as we've talked about before, the process that we're going through, we want to make sure that we have everything in order going forward and Carl's main focus is on making sure he's going to a place where he can win championships.” Both Roush-Fenway and Ford don’t want to lose Edwards so I suspect the dollar amount needed to entice him to stay must be going up while Carl remains non-committal. Knowing how tight Jack Roush is, will Ford fill out the amount required to keep Edwards driving cars adorned with the blue oval? Roush will have at least two good options to fill a potential void if Edwards does leave. As you can imagine, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. or Trevor Bayne would be more than happy to step in and either will drive for a lot less than Carl will be making.

It was recently announced Roush-Fenway is losing one of their primary sponsors after the 2011 season. Seagram’s Crown Royal is pulling out from Matt Kenseth’s number 17 Ford. This while UPS (a Ragan sponsor) and AFLAC (an Edwards sponsor) are also unsigned. Are they ready to bail too? It makes me wonder if any of Carl’s sponsors (Fastenall, Subway, AFLAC, Scott’s Ortho) would also leave RFR if Carl moves on? I know it depends on the contract terms as to when that might happen.

So, if Carl’s sponsors are stuck on him and leave over time, old Jack Roush may have to do some fancy footwork to keep a four car Sprint Cup team in place, especially if the other RFR sponsors also begin pulling the plug.

These sponsor concerns make me then wonder about the rumors that Carl would drive the Home Depot sponsored number 20 for J.R. Gibbs if that’s the deal. How does he do that if AFLAC or his other sponsors follow him? I’m sure these are the kinds of problems Joe Gibbs would love to deal with. The addition of Carl’s sponsors to JGR could make a four car Cup team possible.

Concerning Carl, Joe Gibbs has confirmed on more than one occasion he’s very interested in bringing
Carl on board. JGR has not had a champion since Tony Stewart won his second title in 2005, which incidentally was the last time a non-Lowes sponsored car won NASCAR’s Cup championship. Another consideration is that Toyota still hasn’t had a Cup champion. Couple that fact with Home Depot’s desire to unseat Lowes and you’ve got two pretty powerful sources of funding potentially available for JGR to entice an Edwards’ switch.

Finally, if Edwards were to make the switch from RFR/Ford to JGR/Toyota how would that affect Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano? I think good things would come out of the added competition concerning Kyle and Denny but I’m not so sure about Logano. I can see Logano falling into a funk that might only be solved by leaving JGR.

With all this speculation swirling around where Carl Edwards is concerned, there’s one thing that’s certain: The longer Carl keeps his mouth shut the greater the odds are that a change is coming…

It's Time to Look At the Numbers...

2011-07-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

We’re just over the hump, mid-way through the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season, and it’s time to take a look at how our favorite drivers / teams have fared through 19 races.

Following are the top 12 drivers in the four various types of courses raced on so far this season:

-------------------------------------------Short Tracks--------------------------------------------
Rank---------Chase-------Driver--------Team------------Average---------Points------Purse---
----------------Rank-------------------------------------------Finish-----------Total------Money—
1.----------------2-------Jimmie Johnson—HMS---------------6.50------------231------$883,394
2.----------------5-------Kyle Busch--------JGR----------------7.83------------228-----1,074,988
3.----------------4-------Kevin Harvick----RCR----------------9.00------------215-------858,540
4.----------------6-------Matt Kenseth------RFR---------------10.67-----------205-------879,275
5.----------------9-------Dale Earnhardt Jr.-HMS-------------11.50------------197-------605,936
6.----------------1-------Carl Edwards------RFR--------------12.17------------196-------840,788
7.----------------8-------Ryan Newman----SHR---------------12.83------------194------863,225
8.---------------20-------Mark Martin-----HMS---------------12.17------------193------688,466
9.---------------10-------Denny Hamlin---JGR----------------12.83------------189------865,158
10.--------------3--------Kurt Busch-------Penske-------------12.83------------188------727,750
11.--------------8--------Jeff Gordon------HMS---------------14.50------------179------850,791
12.-------------21-------Marcos Ambrose-RPM---------------15.83-----------170------729,238

----------------------------------------Intermediate Tracks-------------------------------------------
Rank---------Chase-------Driver--------Team------------Average---------Points------Purse---
----------------Rank-------------------------------------------Finish-----------Total------Money—
1.----------------1-------Carl Edwards--—RFR-----------------5.33------------240----$1,355,121
2.---------------10-------Denny Hamlin---JGR-----------------8.67------------215-------950,850
3.---------------11-------Tony Stewart----SHR-----------------9.67------------213------1,011,048
4.----------------6-------Matt Kenseth------RFR---------------10.50-----------209------1,218,666
5.----------------3------- Kurt Busch--------Penske------------11.33------------202-------888,400
6.---------------23-------Brad Keselowski-Penske-------------12.33------------197-------923,573
7.----------------9-------Dale Earnhardt Jr.-HMS--------------11.67------------196------755,150
8.---------------13-------David Ragan-----RFR-----------------12.17------------194------783,050
9.---------------21-------Marcos Ambrose-RPM----------------12.50-----------192------851,596
10.--------------9--------Ryan Newman----SHR----------------12.33-----------191------875,460
11.--------------2--------Jimmie Johnson--HMS----------------12.83-----------187------902,216
12.-------------4---------Kevin Harvick-----RCR---------------13.67-----------187----1,103,866

--------------------------------------------Long Tracks-------------------------------------------
Rank---------Chase-------Driver--------Team------------Average---------Points------Purse---
----------------Rank-------------------------------------------Finish-----------Total------Money—
1.----------------5-------Kyle Busch—---JGR-----------------9.50------------214----$1,237,684
2.---------------19-------Paul Menard----RCR---------------10.50------------205-------829,638
3.----------------3--------Kurt Busch-----Penske-------------11.17-----------202------1,316,676
4.----------------8--------Jeff Gordon-----HMS--------------12.17-----------198------1,147,104
5.----------------3-------Kevin Harvick----RCR-------------12.33-----------198------1,277,379
6.---------------2--------Jimmie Johnson--HMS ------------13.50------------189-----1,333,904
7.---------------11-------Tony Stewart-----SHR--------------13.67------------185-------985,436
8.---------------12-------Clint Bowyer-----RCR--------------14.33------------183------1,129,361
9.---------------16-------A.J. Allmendinger-RPM------------14.00-----------181---------971,229
10.--------------9-------Dale Earnhardt Jr.-HMS -------------14.33----------181---------875,460
11.--------------6-------Matt Kenseth------RFR ---------------14.33----------181------1,135,254
12.------------- 9--------Ryan Newman----SHR ---------------15.00---------181---------994,013

Only one road course race has been held so far, that being Sonoma last month…

---------------------------------------Sonoma Road Course-----------------------------------------
Rank---------Chase-------Driver--------Team------------Average---------Points------Purse---
----------------Rank-------------------------------------------Finish-----------Total------Money—
1.----------------3--------Kurt Busch--------Penske-------------1.00-------------48-------$293,300
2.----------------8--------Jeff Gordon------HMS----------------2.00-------------42--------234,486
3.----------------1-------Carl Edwards------RFR----------------3.00-------------41--------204,791
4.---------------12-------Clint Bowyer-----RCR----------------4.00-------------41--------179,508
5.---------------21-------Marcos Ambrose-RPM---------------5.00-------------39--------141,066
6.---------------18-------Joey Logano------JGR----------------6.00-------------39--------131,250
7.----------------2-------Jimmie Johnson—HMS--------------7.00-------------37--------148,561
8.--------------22-------Martin Truex Jr.---MWR--------------8.00------------36--------104,325
9.----------------4-------Kevin Harvick----RCR----------------9.00------------36--------139,111
10.-------------23-------Brad Keselowski--Penske-----------10.00------------34--------117,758
11.--------------5-------Kyle Busch--------JGR----------------11.00-----------33--------134,491
12.-------------30------David Gilliland----FRR----------------12.00-----------33--------105,333

Okay… Let’s extrapolate! By taking each driver’s first half point averages by type of track to be driven the rest of the season, here is an educated guess at who should come out on top at the end of the season…

First off, here are the twelve chasers:
Rank-------Driver----------------No.-------Team------Points------Wins
1------------Kyle Busch---------18----------JGR---------928--------5
2------------Carl Edwards------99----------RFR---------902--------1
3------------Kurt Busch---------22----------Penske------892--------1
4------------Kevin Harvick-----29----------RCR--------865--------3
5------------Matt Kenseth-------17----------RFR--------865--------2
6------------Jimmie Johnson---48-----------HMS-------863--------1
7------------Ryan Newman-----39----------SHR--------803--------1
8------------Jeff Gordon--------24----------HMS--------780--------3
9------------Tony Stewart------14----------SHR---------776--------1
10----------Dale Earnhardt Jr.-88----------HMS--------753--------0
11----------Denny Hamlin------11----------JGR--------736--------2
12----------David Ragan---------6----------RFR--------711--------1

So, by using the 2011 results on the tracks that were raced on earlier in the season and using the 2010 results on the two tracks in the Chase (Chicago and Homestead) that didn’t have an earlier race, here’s how the Chase boiled down (each race's points earned appear behind driver's name):

Chicago
Rank Driver 1.5 mi. Tri-Oval
1 Kyle Busch 27
2 Carl Edwards 43
3 Kurt Busch 18
4 Kevin Harvick 10
5 Matt Kenseth 31
6 Jimmie Johnson 21
7 Ryan Newman 22
8 Jeff Gordon 42
9 Tony Stewart 35
10 Dale Jr. 21
11 Denny Hamlin 36
12 David Ragan 32

-----------------Chicago --------New Hampshire
Rank Driver 1.5 mi. Tri-Oval 1.058 Mi. Oval Total
1 Carl Edwards 43 32 75
2 Jeff Gordon 42 34 76
3 Denny Hamlin 36 41 77
4 Tony Stewart 35 43 78
5 David Ragan 32 30 62
6 Matt Kenseth 31 24 55
7 Kyle Busch 27 8 35
8 Ryan Newman 22 48 70
9 Jimmie Johnson 21 40 61
10 Dale Jr. 21 29 50
11 Kurt Busch 18 35 53
12 Kevin Harvick 10 23 33

Dover
Rank Driver 2 Race Total 1 Mi. Concrete Oval Total
1 Tony Stewart 78 15 93
2 Denny Hamlin 77 28 105
3 Jeff Gordon 76 27 103
4 Carl Edwards 75 38 113
5 Ryan Newman 70 23 93
6 David Ragan 62 16 78
7 Jimmie Johnson 61 37 98
8 Matt Kenseth 55 47 102
9 Kurt Busch 53 30 83
10 Dale Jr. 50 33 83
11 Kyle Busch 35 40 75
12 Kevin Harvick 33 34 67
Kansas
Rank Driver 3 Race Total 1.55 Mi. Tri-Oval Total
1 Carl Edwards 113 40 153
2 Denny Hamlin 105 42 147
3 Jeff Gordon 103 40 143
4 Matt Kenseth 102 38 140
5 Jimmie Johnson 98 37 135
6 Tony Stewart 93 37 130
7 Ryan Newman 93 29 122
8 Kurt Busch 83 37 120
9 Dale Jr. 83 42 125
10 David Ragan 78 31 109
11 Kyle Busch 75 33 108
12 Kevin Harvick 67 33 100

Charlotte
Rank Driver 4 Race Total 1.5 Mi. Quad-Oval Total
1 Carl Edwards 153 29 182
2 Denny Hamlin 147 35 182
3 Jeff Gordon 143 25 168
4 Matt Kenseth 140 32 172
5 Jimmie Johnson 135 16 151
6 Tony Stewart 130 28 158
7 Dale Jr. 125 38 163
8 Ryan Newman 122 13 135
9 Kurt Busch 120 41 161
10 David Ragan 109 43 152
11 Kyle Busch 108 13 121
12 Kevin Harvick 100 47 147

Talladega
Rank Driver 5 Race Total 2.66 Mi. Triangle Total
1 Carl Edwards 182 39 221
2 Denny Hamlin 182 21 203
3 Matt Kenseth 172 9 181
4 Jeff Gordon 168 42 210
5 Dale Jr. 163 41 204
6 Kurt Busch 161 27 188
7 Tony Stewart 158 27 185
8 David Ragan 152 6 158
9 Jimmie Johnson 151 47 198
10 Kevin Harvick 147 40 187
11 Ryan Newman 135 20 155
12 Kyle Busch 121 10 131

Martinsville
Rank Driver 6 Race Total .526 Mi. Oval Total
1 Carl Edwards 221 27 248
2 Jeff Gordon 210 40 250
3 Dale Jr. 204 43 247
4 Denny Hamlin 203 33 236
5 Jimmie Johnson 198 34 232
6 Kurt Busch 188 28 216
7 Kevin Harvick 187 47 234
8 Tony Stewart 185 10 195
9 Matt Kenseth 181 38 219
10 David Ragan 158 36 194
11 Ryan Newman 155 25 180
12 Kyle Busch 131 43 174

Texas
Rank Driver 7 Race Total 1.5 Mi. Quad-Oval Total
1 Jeff Gordon 250 21 271
2 Carl Edwards 248 42 290
3 Dale Jr. 247 36 283
4 Denny Hamlin 236 29 265
5 Kevin Harvick 234 24 258
6 Jimmie Johnson 232 36 268
7 Matt Kenseth 219 48 267
8 Kurt Busch 216 35 251
9 Tony Stewart 195 33 228
10 David Ragan 194 38 232
11 Ryan Newman 180 30 210
12 Kyle Busch 174 28 202

Phoenix
Rank Driver 8 Race Total 1 Mi. Oval Total
1 Carl Edwards 290 17 307
2 Dale Jr. 283 34 317
3 Jeff Gordon 271 48 319
4 Jimmie Johnson 268 42 310
5 Matt Kenseth 267 33 300
6 Denny Hamlin 265 34 299
7 Kevin Harvick 258 41 299
8 Kurt Busch 251 37 288
9 David Ragan 232 8 240
10 Tony Stewart 228 38 266
11 Ryan Newman 210 40 250
12 Kyle Busch 202 43 245

Homestead
Rank Driver 9 Race Total 1.5 Mi. Oval Total
1 Jeff Gordon 319 7 326
2 Dale Jr. 317 17 334
3 Jimmie Johnson 310 43 353
4 Carl Edwards 307 48 355
5 Matt Kenseth 300 36 336
6 Denny Hamlin 299 30 329
7 Kevin Harvick 299 41 340
8 Kurt Busch 288 26 314
9 Tony Stewart 266 37 303
10 Ryan Newman 250 37 287
11 Kyle Busch 245 12 257
12 David Ragan 240 24 264

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion!

Rank Driver No. Team 10 Race Total

1 Carl Edwards 99 RFR 355

2 Jimmie Johnson 48 HMS 353

3 Kevin Harvick 29 RCR 340

4 Matt Kenseth 17 RFR 336

5 Dale Jr. 88 HMS 334

6 Denny Hamlin 11 JGR 329

7 Jeff Gordon 24 HMS 326

8 Kurt Busch 22 Penske 314

9 Tony Stewart 14 SHR 303

10 Ryan Newman 39 SHR 287

11 David Ragan 6 RFR 264

12 Kyle Busch 18 JGR 257

If the 2011 Chase is anywhere near to this rendition we'll all really see an exciting close to the 2011 Sprint Cup season. Look at how Edwards pulled out the championship from JJ's grasp!

Grist for the NASCAR Rumor Mill

2011-07-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

The talk started a few weeks back. Now with the announcement that Red Bull is planning to pull out of NASCAR at the end of the 2011 season, the speculation has kicked into high gear concerning who is going where prior to 2012.

First off, if it’s true about Red Bull, Brian Vickers will be looking for a new ride. Based on the fact that Red Bull bought out Ginn Racing a couple of years back, talk is now swirling that a new investor may step forward and take over the operation. Who might do such a thing has led to rumors that Mark Martin could be interested in leading a group to buy the team but as recently as yesterday Martin squelched that rumor stating in an interview on WindTunnel that he has no interest in owning a team. Then there’s talk that Red Bull’s general manager Jay Frye might try to line up an investor group to take over the organization. If something like that happens then Vickers may not have to leave. If a strong enough group steps forward and they remain a two car operation, then there will be a Sprint Cup ride available since Kasey Kahne is moving to Hendrick Motorsports next year. Here again there’s speculation that Martin would be a logical choice to move into this new team. Another rumor has Carl Edwards, who for some reason (more money?) hasn’t re-upped with Roush-Fenway, being the lead man in a buyout of Red Bull. This seems like a stretch to me, but who knows? Why hasn’t Carl followed right along with Greg Biffle and got a deal done with Jack Roush?

Speaking of Edwards, his lack of activity on a new contract has led to a lot of conjecture. One popular rumor that I can’t fathom has Joe Gibbs signing Cousin Carl and putting him in the Home Depot number 20 Toyota and either cutting Joey Logano loose or going to a four car Sprint Cup organization. This has been fueled by talk that Home Depot isn’t happy playing second fiddle to Lowes and their five time champion Jimmie Johnson. Now I have to admit Carl strikes me as being a do-it-yourself type of guy and would be much better suited to representing a company such as Home Depot while Joey is better suited to what, video games? All that talk about Joe Gibbs Racing makes me think Carl might have started the rumor to give himself leverage in negotiations with Roush. Now that strikes me as feasible. Roush has called Edwards a “Rock Star” so maybe Carl’s shooting for rock star wages (!) and Roush is sorry he ever said such a thing. Here again, who knows?

The gossip about Logano possibly being moved out of the Home Depot ride may cool now that he’s finally showing signs of living up to his “Sliced Bread” moniker with JGR. He’s still one of the youngest drivers on the circuit and I expect Gibbs to hang with the guy.

Based on his success, or lack thereof, across the 2011 Sprint Cup season while driving top quality Hendrick Motorsports equipment I have to think Mark Martin is done at the Cup level. Maybe he’ll get back into Nationwide and try to preserve his lead in career wins at that level.

Another top flight driver who has been rumored to possibly be on the move is Clint Boyer. There was talk not too long ago that Clint might be interested in taking over the number 4 Toyota with Red Bull, but that’s all gone away with the Associated Press release last week that Red Bull is done with NASCAR. Boyer strikes me as the type to be an organization’s lead driver and that’s not going to happen in the Childress organization as long as Kevin Harvick is there. So will Boyer move? He’s stated his prime concern is to stay put with Childress.

Then there’s Juan Pablo Montoya and Ryan Newman who both have their deals up for negotiation this year with Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing respectively. I’ve got to say that whether Juan wants to move on or not, I don’t know of much interest for the man anywhere other than with Chip Ganassi. If he stays in NASCAR he’ll be with EGR… As for Newman, I think he knows where he’s well off and that’s with Stewart-Haas.

With all these rumors being kicked around I have to say it looks like the best course for most of these guys is to stay put.

In another vein, there continues to be a question concerning Danica Patrick.
Will she finally stick to one racing series next year? I believe if she’s ever going to be a consistent top driver she’s got to make the move into just one series. Whether her detractors believe it or not, I think she’s shown marked improvement with the fender rubbers in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series and that her best option would be to move full-time to that series and then consider a ride at the Cup level. She has one heck of a following, she’s good for NASCAR and if she follows that course maybe we’ll see her in victory lane. It’s supposed to be about winning isn’t it?

I’m sure I’ve missed out on some of the rumors out there. What have you heard?

He Always Drives Like His Hair's On Fire?

2011-05-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

Kyle Busch...
He got pulled over today doing 128 MPH in a 45 MPH zone!

Now that's a little much... I could see maybe 80 but 128?

The Iredell County (NC) sheriff's deputy that pulled Kyle over stated he was not arrogant but respectful. The deputy then wrote him up for reckless driving and excessive speed (ya think?)...

Here's Kyle's statement issued earlier this afternoon:

"Today I received a traffic citation in Iredell County. I was test driving a new sports car and I got carried away. I went beyond the speed I should have been going on a public road. I apologize to the public, my fans, sponsors, and race teams for my lack of judgment. I take responsibility for my actions and I can assure you that something like this will never happen again. I thank the Iredell County Sheriff's Department and all law enforcement for the hard work they do every day to protect the public and to enforce the laws in a fair and equitable manner."

What was he driving? He had a new prototype Lexus LFA sports car like the one below out for a test spin...

Nice car, stupid stunt...
Here's a link to the story:

http://www2.statesville.com/news/2011/may/24/23/kyle-busch-cited-128-45-mph-zone-ar-1061276/

2011 NFL Draft Grades

2011-05-17T04:28:00.000-07:00

Late last month the 2011 NFL Draft was held in New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.

You know, after intently watching the proceedings across three days of broadcasting and really getting tired of listening to and seeing those Giants and Jets fans carry on, I came to the conclusion that they need to float the draft venue around the country and allow other football fans a chance to make fools out of themselves too, but do you think that’ll ever happen?

Here is a rather lengthy look at how well each NFL team did in the 2011 Draft. In it, each team is named, the team’s Offensive (O) and Defensive (D) rankings from 2010 are displayed, each team’s 7 most pressing personnel needs are given (arrived at by combining several sources of team need information), each team’s draft picks (by position) are given and a Value Rating is shown (this rating is arrived at by subtracting a players ranking in the draft from the selecting team’s selection number. E.G. Team X uses selection #10 to take the 5th ranked player in the draft resulting in a net of +5. The higher the rating number, the more value a team got for their selections. This rating is displayed in terms of each team’s value in the first 3 rounds as well as across all of their draft selections.

Finally, I get to run through my take on each team’s draft and grade them (Given in order of their first round selection position)… Enjoy!

Carolina Panthers – O-32, D-26 –
Top 7 Needs – QB, DT, WR, DE, OLB, OT & OG
Draft picks – QB, DT, DT, CB, WR, ILB, C & OT
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- (166.78), Overall- (261.39)
Considering the Panthers didn’t have pick number 33 (first pick in the 2nd round) after trading it away last year, they went about putting together what could be a very good draft. It all hinges on the number one pick of the draft, QB Cam Newton. If this guy is the real deal (we already know he’s a great athlete), Carolina will have the prime ingredient to fielding a winning team for at least the next decade. If Newton doesn’t pan out, the team will continue to flounder into the foreseeable future… The Panthers filled their highest need positions but didn’t get good value and granted, time will tell… Grade C+

Denver Broncos – O-19, D-32 –
Top 7 Needs – CB, DT, DE, OT, SS, RB & FS
Draft picks – OLB, FS, OT, ILB, FS, TE, ILB, TE & DE
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- (121.26), Overall- 144.49
New GM Elway opted for quality over need with the team’s top pick taking the best outside linebacker in the draft then must have developed a case of the hiccups as he took 2 FSs, 2 ILBs and 2 TEs while never addressing the team’s top need at cornerback… Maybe those safeties can convert to corners. The 32nd ranked defense has help on the way… Grade C-

Buffalo Bills – O-28, D-28 –
Top 7 Needs – QB, OT, DE, OLB, DT, SS & WR
Draft Picks – DT, CB, ILB, SS, OT, RB, ILB, CB & OG
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- 2.55, Overall- (573.89)
With nine picks in the 2011 Draft, the Bills had many needs to fill. Management must see more in their current QB than the talking heads out there as they passed on both TCU’s Andy Dalton and Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick in the second round. I guess being 28th in total offense doesn’t bother these guys. Maybe they go by the axiom that if the other team can’t score then they’re gonna be in the game… So they concentrated on helping their 28th ranked defense… Grade C+

Cincinnati Bengals – O-22, D-24 –
Top 7 Needs – QB, DE, OT, WR, RB, C & DT
Draft Picks - WR, QB, OLB/DE, OG, FS, WR, CB & RB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- (19.89), Overall- (152.09)
This team looked like it was putting things together 2 seasons ago then the wheels came off once again when injuries decimated their improved defense. The Ochocinco/T.O. sideshow last year was unbelievable, so much so that QB Carson Palmer has had enough of the “Bengal Way” and is bolting from the team putting the need for a quality QB right on top of the Bengals’ want list. They got the top receiver in the draft as it looks like both the prima donna receivers will be gone and then picked up Palmer’s heir-apparent. How well TCU’s Andy Dalton performs will define this draft… Grade B-

Arizona Cardinals – O-26, D-30 –
Top 7 Needs – QB, OLB, OT, OG, CB, TE & C
Draft Picks – CB, RB, TE, OLB, FB, ILB, DT & WR
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- (63.08), Overall- (108.40)
Head coach Ken Wisenhunt and his staff did a very good job the last few years considering they have to work with the always money-tight Bidwell ownership. Looking at the Cards’ offensive and defensive rankings from 2010 you realize just how much the team has fallen. Before last season, free agency and retirement took huge bites out of a team that had been in the Super Bowl just three short years ago. I have to wonder about them passing on a QB in this draft. They must covet a free agent QB (ex-Ram Bulger?). They waded through last season without a top trigger man and look what that got ‘em: the 5th pick in this year’s draft! Instead of taking a QB they landed a blue chipper in LSU’s Patrick Peterson who is not only the best corner/safety in this draft but also a top return man. Then they went and picked up another RB even though their needs didn’t dictate one in the second round… Grade C

Cleveland Browns – O-31, D-13 –
Top 7 Needs – WR, DE, ILB, OT, OLB, FS & DT
Draft Picks – DT, DE, WR, TE, FB, CB, OG, OG, FS & FS
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- (43.90), Overall- (290.39)
Trading out of the number 6 pick for 4 picks from Atlanta (2 this year and 2 next) defined this draft for the Browns. GM Mike Holmgren and new head coach Pat Shurmur decided to switch away from the 3-4 to a 4-3 defense making defensive linemen a top need even though the team ranked 13th on D last year. Then they filled the team’s top need for their next-to-last in 2010 offense with one of those prima donna wide outs… We’ll see how the redesigned Browns fair against the Steelers and Ravens… Grade A

San Francisco 49ers – O-24, D-16 –
Top 7 Needs – QB, OG, DT, OLB, CB, WR & DE
Draft Picks – OLB, QB, FS, RB, TE, OG, WR, SS, OLB, OG & CB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- (135.70), Overall- (1,012.22)
Starting with their number 7 pick in the first round of this draft, the Niners were “reaching” for players like a hungry man at the dining table of a boarding house while attempting to fill their plate (needs). They did a fair to poor job and here again taking a young QB (Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick) may tell the tale on the 49ers’ 2011 draft… Grade D+

Tennessee Titans – O-17, D-15 –
Top 7 Needs – QB, OG, DE, ILB, CB, TE & OLB
Draft Picks – QB, OLB, DT, ILB, RB, DE, OT, DT & SS
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- 19.41, Overall- (966.69)
Another team in total transition… A new head coach, a new QB, and a new philosophy are all at work here. With an accomplished trigger man, this team isn’t too far from playoff contention… The team surprised a lot of people first by shedding themselves of former first round pick QB Vince Young, then sacking their head coach (Jeff Fisher) who never wanted Young in the first place and finally by taking Washington’s Jake Locker with the number 8 pick. Now the ever present question with young, first round QB’s once again settles in: Will he pan out? Other than the QB question (a question that will most likely go unanswered for at least 2 years with Locker), the team did a fair job filling their other needs, especially in the top 3 rounds… Grade C+

Dallas Cowboys – O-7, D-31 –
Top 7 Needs – OT, DE, CB, FS, C, ILB & SS
Draft Picks – OT, OLB, RB, OG, CB, WR, FB & OG
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- (23.37), Overall- (394.78)
31st on defense? Wasn’t that why they brought in Wade Phillips? 7th on offense? This without Tony Romo for much of the season… 2010 was supposed to be the Cowboy’s year to be a home team in the Super Bowl and yet the wheels totally came off. The only good thing I see in the Boy’s selections is that they filled their greatest need with the 9th pick of the draft but on the other hand they took only one defensive side pick with their next 3 picks for their next to last ranked defense. I like it! Jerry Jones (that great football mind) runs this team as it continues to flounder… Grade C-

Washington Redskins – O-25, D-22 –
Top 7 Needs – QB, WR, OT, CB, RB, OG & DT
Draft Picks – DE, DT, WR, RB, SS, WR, RB, WR, CB, OG, DE & DT
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- 3.00, Overall- (419.03)
What a change a couple of years under head coach Mike Shanahan and GM Bruce Allen have meant for the Skins! It wasn’t too long ago when this team might have a handful of late round picks in the draft as they continually mortgaged their future by trading their top draft picks for established (over the hill?) players. This year they parlayed picks into more picks and began a youth movement that was long overdue. Although they didn’t come away with a new QB, this was an excellent draft for one of the oldest (personnel wise) teams in the league… Grade A

Houston Texans – O-9, D-29 –
Top 7 Needs – DT, DE, CB, SS, FS, OLB & OG
Draft Picks – DE, OLB, CB, CB, SS, QB, OT & DE
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- 14.25, Overall – (110.32)
I have to say that 2011 is a make or break year for the Texans’ head coach Gary Kubiak and luckily the Texans’ youth movement was needed on the defensive side of the ball where young players usually can have an immediate impact. A good core group of defensive players is on hand but injuries have kept knocking this team for a loop so if this draft class of mostly defensive players helps and the injury bug backs off a bit, the Houston fans may finally have something to cheer about… Grade B+

Minnesota Vikings – O-29, D-18 –
Top 7 Needs – QB, OT, CB, C, RB, DE & FS
Draft Picks – QB, TE, DE, CB, FS, C, DE & WR
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- (14.66), Overall – (278.15)
The Vikings thought they were on the precipice of a Super Bowl championship after pulling in several players from the free agent market, but no rings came of it. This is now an old team with needs on both sides of the ball and a new head coach (Leslie Frazier) who gets to sort it all out. They must have had a panic attack watching other teams snatch up the top QBs in the draft before their turn came to pick at #12, so they went ahead and reached for Florida State QB Christian Ponder who was rated a mid-2nd round pick at best… After the reach at QB they switched to value picks through the next four picks before once again reaching late in the draft… Grade C-

Detroit Lions – O-15, D-19 –
Top 7 Needs – CB, OLB, OT, OG, FS, ILB & DT
Draft Picks – DT, WR, RB, OLB & OT
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- 48.01, Overall – (262.21)
Here’s a team, after all these years of frustration, poised to challenge division opponent Chicago for sure and possibly the World Champion Packers. With only 5 picks in this draft they took a couple of strides to solidify the team but surprised me, considering how much time their first round draft pick QB has lost to injury, by not taking an offensive lineman with one of their three early picks. On the other hand the Lions’ defensive line will literally maul their opponents next season by adding DT Fairley, this while the Lions didn’t fill their perceived greatest need in the defensive backfield. Maybe they figure if the opposing QB can’t get his passes off… Grade B-

St. Louis Rams – O-27, D-12 –
Top 7 Needs – WR, OT, OG, DT, TE, OLB & FS
Draft Picks – DE, TE, WR, WR, FS, CB, OLB & FS
Value Rating – 3 Rd.-(20.71), Overall – (509.51)
The Rams’ management drafted for need in 2010 then divorced that philosophy at the top of this draft by taking the best defensive end available even though that wasn’t a position of need. Then they went back to need selections picking up three receivers for their good young QB. Whether its been a conscious effort or not, the Rams are following the same team resurrection process I think I’d use in their situation. Build a strong defense first then strengthen the offense. The theory being if your opponent can’t score, you’re in the game, even with a weak offense. If the offensive production begins improving in 2011, this team looks to be on the fast track to the NFC West title this season… Grade B+

Miami Dolphins – O-30, D-14 –
Top 7 Needs – QB, RB, TE, OG, FS, ILB & OT
Draft Picks – OG, RB, WR, SS, TE, DT & CB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- 2.91, Overall – (602.86)
Here again, we’ve got a head coach (Tony Sparano) who may be on a very short leash with a team that’s getting older with many holes to fill. With that in mind, all indications are the Phins will be in the free agent QB market whenever it’s reopened rather than trying to stick with their current options (Henne and free agent Pennington). With that decision evidently made, they went about taking care of their other top needs in workmanlike order … Grade B

Jacksonville Jaguars – O-18, D-27 –
Top 7 Needs – DE, CB, SS, FS, ILB, QB & WR
Draft Picks – QB, OG, WR, CB & FS
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- (17.68), Overall – (834.24)
I keep thinking head coach Jack Del Rio is about to get sacked and then they pull off a draft move that should indicate a secure head coach (trading up to take a top collegiate QB (Blaine Gabbert) that needs seasoning). Considering this move, I’ve got to believe the Jags’ owners must be happy with the man. Another head shaker concerns the teams’ poor defensive performance last season and their lack of any top defensive picks in a draft rich in defensive talent… Grade D

Oakland Raiders – O-6, D-20 –
Top 7 Needs – OG, CB, DT, OT, QB, C & OLB
Draft Picks – C/OG, CB, OT, CB, RB, WR, TE & WR
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- (179.59), Overall – (830.20)
It looked like former head coach Tom Cable had the Raiders on the right track and yet he was sacked. Who knows what goes through the mind of owner Al Davis? With the exception of the Silver and Black’s first pick (which came mid-way through the 2nd round), the team’s draft selections once again ran contrary to conventional thinking as the Raiders went far afield for speedy players that fit their needs. I keep hoping that Davis, who remains an NFL legend, will just gracefully step aside and preserve what credibility he still has left… Grade D

San Diego Chargers – O-2, D-10 –
Top 7 Needs – DE, OLB, OT, OG, QB, DT & ILB
Draft Picks – DT/DE, FS, OLB, WR, CB, RB, OG & OLB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- (293.63), Overall – (444.73)
Look at the offensive and defensive ratings this team posted last season. And yet they didn’t make the playoffs… I guess head coach Norv Turner must kowtow to the team’s over-bearing GM (A.J. Smith), that’s the only explanation I can come up with concerning how he keeps his job. And then there’s the self-important Smith. It’s almost like he’s suddenly become envious of the Raiders’ Al Davis trying to find top players that nobody else covets. The team’s needs were met and it’ll take time to see if the Chargers’ selections will make a difference or not… Grade C

New York Giants – O-8, D-17 –
Top 7 Needs – OT, ILB, OLB, RB, C, DT & OG
Draft Picks – CB, DT, WR, OT, ILB, SS, OLB & RB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.-45.86, Overall – (74.94)
The Giants literally “fell” into four excellent picks early in the 2011 draft through no effort on their part. The 2nd rated CB, a highly thought of DT, a high-speed receiver and a good right tackle all seemed to fall right into their lap. With only the Eagles doing well in the NFC East, watch the Giants this coming season. A couple of these players may be instrumental in a return to the playoffs… Grade B+

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – O-20, D-9 –
Top 7 Needs – DE, ILB, OLB, OT, OG, WR & RB
Draft Picks – DE, DE, OLB, TE, SS, RB, CB & TE
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- 27.23, Overall 75.96
Last season 2nd year head coach Raheem Morris told the youngest team in the NFL over and over again they were winners and they bought in. For this draft class and evidently under a mandate from the Glazer family owners based on all the bad publicity this team has been garnering from bad boy roster members, GM Mark Dominik went out of his way to fill the team’s needs with a unique twist: 5 of the 8 selections were team captains on their college teams. They went out looking for high character team leaders. If the young Bucs, with an offense set to continue improving and a defense given an instant pass rush through the 2011 draft, continues to buy in to their coach’s enthusiasm, the NFC South will solidify itself as the toughest division in the NFL. Grade B+

Kansas City Chiefs – O-14, D-11 –
Top 7 Needs – WR, OT, C, OLB, DT, DE & QB
Draft Picks – WR, OG/C, OLB/DE, DE, CB, QB, OLB, DT & RB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- 81.26, Overall (497.04)
Meet my favorite to once again win the AFC West this year. The Chiefs are a good young team with good coaching and a relatively easy division to play in. If you think it looks like a New England draft featuring multi-purpose players, you’re right. The Chiefs have several Bill Belichick disciples on board, including head coach Todd Haley in his third year at the helm. With a very successful early draft under their belt, (sometimes a team’s list of needs just aligns with the best available talent) the Chiefs may challenge for more than just a division title in 2011… Grade A

Indianapolis Colts – O-4, D-23 –
Top 7 Needs – OT, OG, OLB, CB, C, SS & FS
Draft Picks – OT, OT/OG, DT, RB, QB & CB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- 37.09, Overall – 24.61
After watching Peyton Manning hurry his passes or get his back side planted in the sports turf way too often last season, the Colts’ management went out and landed two very good offensive linemen with their first two picks. With only 6 picks, what puzzles me is their lack of concern for the 23rd ranked defense devoting four of those picks to the 4th rated offense. If it was me, I’d have made the same first two picks, but the rest of the draft would have been devoted to reinvigorating the defense… Grade B-

Philadelphia Eagles – O-13, D-6 –
Top 7 Needs – OG, CB, OT, OLB, C & FS
Draft Picks – OG, FS, CB, ILB, K, RB, WR, C, OLB, WR, ILB & FB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.-(36.72), Overall (256.00)
The Eagles are in the cat bird seat with a rare commodity in the NFL, two QBs both capable of starting. Once this labor mess is straightened out we’ll see how much Kevin Kolb is worth and I’d bet the Eagles will be able to stockpile top draft picks into the future as a result. This is the best team in the NFC East and head coach Andy Reid met his team’s top needs with pretty good early pick value… Grade B

New Orleans Saints – O-11, D-7
Top 7 Needs – DT, DE, ILB, OLB, RB, TE & OT
Draft Picks – DE, RB, ILB, CB, DE & OLB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- 85.79, Overall 26.32
The Saints still made the playoffs in 2010 but something was obviously amiss since they won the Super Bowl in February, 2010. Maybe it was a classic case of championship hangover and that’s very understandable considering they’re based in party central: New Orleans… Looking at their team needs and the players taken with only 6 picks I’ve got to say these guys really helped themselves with good value picks. The move to trade back into the late first round to select probably the best running back in this draft, Alabama’s Mark Ingram, may have put the icing on another Super Bowl cake next February… Grade B+

Seattle Seahawks – O-23, D-25
Top 7 Needs – DT, OT, CB, SS, DE, RB & WR
Draft Picks – OT, OG/C, OLB, WR, CB, CB, DE & OLB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.-(76.48), Overall (737.99)
After their 2010 draft which gained high acclaim around the league, Pete Carroll’s 2011 effort left a lot of people wondering as the Hawks took a 3rd round rated OT with the 25th pick of the draft then reached once again with their next pick (#75) for a 4th round rated OG. This carried on throughout the draft. It was like the Seahawks knew something nobody else did as they gleefully picked off several relatively unknown, low-rated college players. We’ll see if Carroll and crew’s happiness with their picks is justified… Grade D

Baltimore Ravens – O-3, D-21
Top 7 Needs – CB, C, SS, WR, DE, ILB & FS
Draft Picks – CB, WR, OT, WR, CB, DE, QB & RB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.-(97.99) – Overall 1.14
2010 represented quite a flip flop for the Ravens who had lived off their defensive prowess over the last few years. The team’s defense ballooned to a 21st ranking in the NFL while the Raven offense ranked 3rd! With the exception of a big reach in the third round for an OT (Jah Reid out of Central Florida) this was a very good draft value-wise by GM Ozzie Newsome as he went about taking care of the team’s needs… Grade B+

Atlanta Falcons – O-5, D-5
Top 7 Needs – OT, WR, OG, DE, OLB, CB & TE
Draft Picks – WR, ILB, RB, FS, K/P, OG & OLB/DE
Value Rating – 3 Rd.-(193.47), Overall (177.81)
Although the team’s management denied it, it sure looks like they believed they were only one player shy of a deep playoff run leading up to next season’s Super Bowl as the Falcons traded up for Cleveland’s number 6 selection and picked Alabama All-American WR Julio Jones giving away 4 picks of their own (2 in this draft and 2 next year) to make it happen. Once they settled back in, they picked off one of those quick little RB’s that could be a game breaker in Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rogers. Not a bad draft for a young playoff team looking for the right ingredients to win it all… Grade B-

New England Patriots – O-1, D-8
Top 7 Needs – OT, OLB, DE, RB, OG, DT & WR
Draft Picks – OT, CB, RB, RB, QB, OT, TE, DE & CB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.-(108.72) – Overall (811.62)
A trademark Bill Belichick draft full of wheelin’ and dealin’. Bill was stockpiling draft picks into the future and tinkering with the Ferrari getting ready for another run at the championship. With 5 picks in the first three rounds the Pat’s head coach met his primary need with an OT in the first round then had the luxury of taking Arkansas’ QB Ryan Mallett, a tall pure pocket passer, as heir apparent to Tom Brady. Several new faces will try to make the squad… Grade B

Chicago Bears – O-21, D-4
Top 7 Needs – OT, OG, WR, C, DT, SS & FS
Draft Picks – OT, DT, FS, CB, QB & OLB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.-(63.18), Overall (202.86)
The glaring need on this team is protection for the QB and while they took an OT in the first round, that was it. The defense carried this team into the playoffs last season where it all ended when QB Jay Cutler was taken out. Seems to me at least one more OL pick was in order. Oft-injured DT Paea out of Oregon State went in the second round and may be a steal if he can avoid injury. When will the Bears’ playoff window close? I’m going to guess in won’t be long… Grade C-

New York Jets – O-10, D-2
Top 7 Needs – DE, DT, OLB, WR, OG, SS & OT
Draft Picks – DT/DE, DT, RB, WR, QB & WR
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- 9.83, Overall (134.38)
The Jets were reactive in this draft as they had to cover themselves across their defensive front where age, a wipeout and injuries kept lowering the quality of play. They appear to have shored up the area with their top two picks. With two big name prima donna WRs becoming free agents, head coach Rex Ryan was forced to use two other picks to patch up that potential problem area. Possibly the most important pick was the late draft selection of Alabama QB Greg McElroy (who I believe has a lot of potential now that he’s away from Saban’s Spread O at Alabama) as a backup for QB Sanchez… Grade B-

Pittsburgh Steelers – O-12, D-1
Top 7 Needs – OT, OG, CB, DE, RB, WR & C
Draft Picks – DE, OT, CB, CB, OLB, OG & RB
Value Rating – 3 Rd.- 13.12, Overall (74.55)
The Steelers draft philosophy was again adhered to in 2011. These guys don’t trade draft picks, they’re not normally in the free agent market while always intent on bringing in fresh talent by sticking to their draft board getting good value for their selections. As the winningest franchise in Super Bowl history, who can knock it? I think they might have taken a chance in the first round by picking Ohio State’s DE Cameron Heyward who has had injury problems. Other than that I can’t find much to fault the Steelers’ player personnel people… Grade B

Green Bay Packers – O-16, D-3
Top 7 Needs – OLB, RB, OG, CB, OT, C & DE
Draft Picks – OT, WR, RB, CB, TE, OG, OLB, DE, TE & DE/DT
Value Rating – 3 Rd.-(114.32), Overall (174.15)
The World Champs got right to work on their 16th ranked offense using five of their first six picks on that side of the ball. A couple of reaches were made in the late rounds while they got excellent value on a couple of other picks. Let’s see if the Pack gets drawn into the post-Championship doldrums like the Saints… Grade B+

In a condensed version, here’s how I see it:

A - Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs & Washington Redskins

B+ - Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, St. Louis Rams & Tampa Bay Buccaneers

B – Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles & Pittsburgh Steelers

B- - Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts & New York Jets

C+ - Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers & Tennessee Titans

C – Arizona Cardinals & San Diego Chargers

C- - Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos & Minnesota Vikings

D+ - San Francisco 49ers

D – Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders & Seattle Seahawks

Or by Division:

AFC East – B- ----------AFC North – B+ -------AFC South – C+ -----AFC West – C
Miami Dolphins-B ---Cleveland Browns-A ---Houston Texans-B+ --K. C. Chiefs-A
New England Pats-B -Baltimore Ravens -B+ -Indianapolis Colts-B- -S. D. Chargers-C
New York Jets-B- ---Pittsburgh Steelers-B --Tennessee Titans-C+ -Denver Broncos-C-
Buffalo Bills-C+ ------Cincinnati Bengals-B- --Jacksonville Jags-D ---Oakland Raiders-D

NFC East – B -------------NFC North – C+ --------NFC South - B --------NFC West - C
Washington Redskins-A Green Bay Packers-B+ -New Orleans Saints-B+ St. L. Rams-B+
New York Giants-B+ ----Detroit Lions-B- -------Tampa Bay Bucs-B+ --Ari. Cardinals-C
Philadelphia Eagles-B ---Chicago Bears-C- -------Atlanta Falcons-B- --S. F. 49ers-D+
Dallas Cowboys-C- -----Minnesota Vikings-C- ---Carolina Panthers-C+ -Sea. Seahawks-D

This divisional look really makes me wonder… The most competitive divisions really stand out with high average grades while the least competitive divisions (both the AFC and NFC West divisions) have some of the worst grades in this draft. Is it just my critical eye being a Westerner and all? No, I think it’s just reality. There’s a reason why most of those western teams are floundering… Evidently they haven’t devoted the time and effort to researching their draft picks, they're simply a collection of teams that go to their own drummer or they don’t believe what they’re being told… One way or another, these people better get their acts together…

Let me know what you think.

Look Out! I'm Feeling Polish Again!

2011-05-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

Ever hear the one about the Polish guy that up and left his wife?
He found Polish Remover in the medicine cabinet!

From Performance Racing Network...

Which win had the biggest "feel good"?

1. Bayne at Daytona
2. Smith at Darlington
3. Both good – Can’t choose

From Auto Racing 1…

Was Trevor Bayne's Daytona win a fluke?

1. Yes, he won't win again
2. Maybe, but his team is a backmarker
3. No, he drove a heck of a race

From Speed…

Best NASCAR feud?

1. Edwards vs. Keselowski
2. Newman vs. Montoya
3. Harvick vs. Kyle Busch

Who will be 2011 F1 World Champion?

1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. Mark Webber
4. Fernando Alonso
5. Someone else

From Crash.Net

Will Kimi Raikkonen succeed in NASCAR?

1. Yes, and he will progress on to the Sprint Cup/Nationwide
2. Yes, but only in trucks
3. No; he will find it too different to adapt to
4. No, and he will swiftly walk away again tail between his legs

From Autoweek.com

May is upon us, and that means the Indianapolis 500 is just weeks away. Do you plan to:

1. Be there in person
2. Watch all the action on TV
3. Wait until next year for the new cars and engines
4. Pay no attention

From Planet F1…

Should Schumi call it quits?

1. Yes - sad to see him struggle
2. No - it's fun seeing him battle
3. Should never have returned

From IndyCar.com

At first blush, do you like the aero kits on the 2012 concept cars?

1. Yes, will lead to diverse looks between roads/streets and ovals.
2. Good start. Will inspire other designs.
3. Maybe the final Dallara aero kit will be sexier.

From Motor Racing Network…

Will Denny Hamlin make the Chase?
1. Yes
2. No

Had enough?

Okay… Here’s my poll question:

Who will be the next first time winner in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series?

1. A.J. Allmendinger
2. Marcos Ambrose
3. David Gilliland
4. Paul Menard
5. J.J. Yeley

Well... Since our blog site went down and then came back up the comments on this article have been wiped out...

Here's how the polls mentioned above came out in each site's voting...

From Performance Racing Network…
Which win had the biggest "feel good"?
1. Bayne at Daytona (80%)
2. Smith at Darlington (13%)
3. Both good - Can't choose (7%)

From Auto Racing 1…
Was Trevor Bayne's Daytona win a fluke?
1. Yes, he won’t win again – 35%
2. Maybe, but his team is a backmarker – 25%
3. No, he drove a heck of a race – 39%

From Speed
Best NASCAR feud?
1. Edwards vs. Keselowski 22.41%
2. Newman vs. Montoya 10.64%
3. Harvick vs. Busch 66.95%

Who will be 2011 F1 World Champion?
1. Sebastian Vettel 45.52%
2. Lewis Hamilton 23.35%
3. Mark Webber 5.93%
4. Fernando Alonso 16.99%
5. Someone else 8.2%

From Crash.Net

Will Kimi Raikkonen succeed in NASCAR?
1. Yes, and he will progress on to the Sprint Cup/Nationwide – 63.11%
2. Yes, but only in trucks – 5.95%
3. No; he will find it too different to adapt to – 14.48%
4. No, and he will swiftly walk away again tail between his legs – 16.46%

From Autoweek.com

May is upon us, and that means the Indianapolis 500 is just weeks away. Do you plan to:

1. Be there in person – 13.9%
2. Watch all the action on TV – 60.7%
3. Wait until next year for the new cars and engines – 6.6%
4. Pay no attention – 18.9%

From Planet F1…

Should Schumi call it quits?

1. Yes - sad to see him struggle – 25%
2. No - it's fun seeing him battle – 34%
3. Should never have returned – 40%

From IndyCar.com

At first blush, do you like the aero kits on the 2012 concept cars?
1. Yes, will lead to diverse looks between roads/streets and ovals. 32.36%
2. Good start. Will inspire other designs. 43.44%
3. Maybe the final Dallara aero kit will be sexier. 24.19%

From Motor Racing Network…

Will Denny Hamlin make the Chase?
1. Yes 53%
2. No 47%

Had enough?

Okay… Here’s my poll question:

Who will be the next first time winner in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series?

1. A.J. Allmendinger
2. Marcos Ambrose - 66%
3. David Gilliland
4. Paul Menard
5. J.J. Yeley
6. Write in (Gene took Lally…) - 33%

Thanks to Jon, Gene and Tez for participating!

And Then There Were 34

2011-05-10T06:10:00.000-07:00

What's the significance of 34? That is now the number of regular to semi-regular entrants in NASCAR's 2011 Sprint Cup Series that have posted at least one win in their career. Regan Smith with his exciting win last Saturday night in Darlington just became the newest member of this not so exclusive club. Regan represents the second new inductee along with Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne this season...

Now think about this. Every racing weekend in NASCAR Sprint Cup usually pits around 30 past winners against each other... (Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, Steve Park, Ken Schrader and Michael Waltrip have been in races this season but not on a regular basis) Winning at this level is tough!

It's like racing with a pack of hungry wolves!

Regan's victory, racing most of these past Sprint Cup winners, is only magnified since it came on NASCAR's version of Wrigley Field, Darlington's infamous "Lady In Black" AKA "The Track Too Tough To Tame" in one of NASCAR's premier events, The Southern 500.

Regan's sponsor, Front Row Furniture, runs a one pony show, so to speak. Driving for an underfunded throw-back team based in Denver Colorado, a team that ran a limited schedule as recently as 2009 and moved to a full-time run just last year fielding only the number 78 Chevrolet, Regan has won this prestigious race against all odds.

Smith's story is compelling in it's own right. Seeing their son's auto racing ability, Regan's parents uprooted from New York and moved south so the boy could properly develop his skills. They essentially gave up their lives for their son.

Darlington represents vindication in many ways...

Congratulations to Regan Smith, team owner Barney Visser and all those who never gave up hope!

Great Start Carries Kurt... But How Far?

2011-05-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

Just over a year ago it was announced that several changes were in the works for NASCAR’s Penske Racing. First it became known that owner Roger Penske, due to lack of full-time sponsorships, was going to be forced to race two rather than three Cup teams in 2011 and he was also doing away with one of his two Nationwide Series’ teams as well. Sam Hornish Jr. and Justin Allgaier were to lose their rides.

Not long after those announcements were made good news came from the Penske camp. Kurt Busch had signed a new, long-term driving contract and a new, powerful sponsor that Roger Penske had partnered with in his Indy teams over the years was coming back on board. Yes, Kurt was going to give up his sponsor for the past few years (Miller Lite and the blue two), and yes, he was moving on to a new Shell / Pennzoil sponsored car with a completely new “hot” color scheme and double deuces on it’s sides and roof, but from all appearances everything was going swimmingly well. It was thumbs up and smiling faces all around…

The 2011 Cup racing season began last February with Kurt, like a sleek greyhound, springing into the lead. He was off and running putting together wins in both the Shootout (Without a teammate, he teamed up with Jamie McMurray and took the win) and the Duel (Regan Smith helped push Kurt to victory) putting him in the front row for the start of the Daytona 500. He backed up his Speedweek prowess by running at or near the front of the 500 trying to put a bow on the Daytona Trifecta, but a late-race wreck ended those hopes. It didn’t phase Busch, who led 19 laps of the Daytona 500 and finished fifth. A rejuvenated Kurt began an all-out assault on the Cup Series driving Penske Racing’s yellow and hot red flaming Dodge Charger. He was in the top ten in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Bristol. Four races, four top tens and Kurt was first in the Chase. Not too shabby!

The Cup Series tour went back west to Fontana where a 17th place finish did little to tarnish the early luster on Kurt’s season. Penske’s Double Deuce Dodge team was
off to Martinsville full of purpose but a bad handling setup put Kurt down a lap early forcing him to play the lucky dog game finally ending 16th on what could have been a very bad day. Kurt had fallen to fourth place in the Chase through 6 races.

Texas saw Kurt make a short-term comeback as he finished with his fifth top ten of the year but the recovery was short lived as Talladega turned into a nightmare. It seemed like every time there was an accident during the Aaron’s 499 Kurt looked to be responsible. Having been involved in three mishaps on the afternoon, Kurt still had the Dodge Charger in position to challenge for the win when a green flag pit problem late in the race took him out of contention, finishing 18th.

Richmond never was a track that Kurt ran well on, in fact his 22nd place finish exactly equaled his 21 race average on the ¾ mile oval, but something certainly tipped over the high strung driver last Saturday night. Qualifying in 36th place most certainly contributed to what was bothering Kurt. I’m sure he was frustrated with a car that evidently didn’t respond to any of the changes the Penske team tried to make it competitive.

Here are some post-race comments made after a public off-color radio tirade Kurt unleashed at his Penske team in general and Penske technical director Tom German in particular… "It was a very frustrating and long night for us. We put ourselves behind in qualifying and had to start from the back. Once the race went green, our car just wore through tires by 40 laps into a run. We never could get back on the lead lap and just when I thought that our car was getting better, we got collected after the 42 (Juan Montoya) and 39 (Ryan Newman) got together.
“We probably had the strongest car running laps down at the end, but when you get more than one lap down; your day is pretty much done. That was certainly the case for us here tonight. We just weren't very good tonight."

Even with 17th, 16th, 10th, 18th and 22nd place finishes in his last five Cup races respectively, Kurt remains sixth in the Cup Chase…

Kurt's latest tirade makes me wonder about a couple of things… I wonder how much his younger brother’s success is wearing on Kurt on one hand, and then I have to wonder how much it bothers Kurt that Kyle is evidently having success on cleaning up his act too, while Kurt can’t seem to control himself…

Is the use of hard language such a big deal in this day and age? Will Shell / Pennzoil have something to say? Will Roger be forced to step in?

It's NFL Draft Time!

2011-04-26T07:08:00.000-07:00

Trying to forecast the NFL Player Draft has become an interesting hobby for me over the years. I hate to admit how much time goes into this frustrating process that’s based upon the initial thought of “Who is my team going to get in the Draft?”

Unless your team is selecting number one in the first round, a dubious distinction “earned” by ending up with the worst record during the previous season, you’ve got to try and figure out who several of the other teams are going to take in order to have a look at the players still available by the time your team picks. The key to that process is based on what the top needs each team has. In other words, team X gave up more touchdown passes than any other team in the league so that team needs to overhaul their defensive backfield (most likely the cornerbacks) and possibly the players that pressure the opposing quarterback (defensive ends and outside linebackers). Team Y will probably have a completely different set of needs. Every team prioritizes their personnel needs in preparation for the draft. They pay a lot of people a lot of money in this process.

The next element in all of this is the quality of the players available coming out of college and if you think a lot of money was spent on determining the team needs, its nothing compared to the cost of this procedure. The young players are literally examined from every vantage point possible. Imagine you’re a personnel manager for a multi-billion dollar business and you’ve been empowered to select a young hotshot executive that’s going to cost your company millions of dollars whether the person pans out on the job or not… There are a fair number of young players that collect a lot of money and never live up to expectations on one hand while others, not highly thought of, end up being Hall of Fame performers. I guess what I’m saying is this draft process, for all the time, effort and money thrown at it, is an inexact process at best or a crap shot in the least.

So you’ve got team needs and a group of collegiate players available to fill those needs and a group of 32 teams that have “experts” who sit down together and wade through this draft selection process with millions of dollars on the line.

Then you throw in a wild card rarely seen. The 2011 NFL season is essentially on hold due to labor/ownership problems. The last collective bargaining agreement between the players' union and the NFL owners, which ended up being a boon to the players and a thorn in the side of the owners, ended in March. The two sides have been having a contentious time attempting to hammer out a new agreement that literally pits millionaires against billionaires ever since. As it stands today the Federal court system has entered the fray attempting to force an end to the situation (another example of where our government has become involved in matters better left to the private sector). Normally there is a trading and free agency period prior to the draft where teams and established players bargain with other teams for player services. A team’s success landing free agents or trading for players then dictates what other team needs must be addressed through the collegiate player draft. The 2011 draft doesn’t enjoy that luxury…

To add to the mystic of determining who gets who through the draft, and this really throws a wrench in the works, there are normally several draft pick trades between the teams. For example, in the last two years’ drafts there were 10 and 12 trades in just the first round in 2010 and 2009 respectively! And the trading continues on down through the draft.

The teams with the previous season’s worst records pick first in the draft. The reasons these teams get to pick first usually boil down to the lack of a top quarterback, unquestionably the most important player to a football team’s success. Those struggling teams also usually end up firing the head coach and his staff. So in 2011 there are 7 teams with new head coaches and 10 teams that list quarterback as their number one area of need. Here again, normally many of these teams fill their quarterback need through free agency or trades for established signal callers. That won’t be the case this year. The pressure to obtain a quarterback through the collegiate draft has taken a quantum leap as a result.

This Thursday evening, the first round of the NFL Draft will be held followed on Friday evening by rounds two and three. Saturday will feature the remaining four rounds.

So, for all you NFL football fans out there, here’s Dwindy1’s 2011 draft prognostication (with QBs highlighted in red and w/o any unknown trades ):

The Carolina Panthers are on the clock…
1. QB Cam Newton, Auburn.
2. Denver Broncos – DT Marcell Dareus, Alabama.
3. Buffalo Bills – OLB Von Miller, Texas A&M.
4. Cincinnati Bengals – WR A.J. Green, Georgia.
5. Arizona Cardinals – CB Patrick Peterson, LSU.
6. Cleveland Browns – DE Robert Quinn, North Carolina.
7. San Francisco 49ers – CB Prince Amukamara, Nebraska.
8. Tennessee Titans – DT Nick Fairley, Auburn.
9. Dallas Cowboys – OT Tyron Smith, USC.
10. Washington Redskins – WR Julio Jones, Alabama.
11. Houston Texans – DE Cameron Jordan, California.
12. Minnesota Vikings – QB Blain Gabbert, Missouri.
13. Detroit Lions – OT Anthony Castonzo, Boston College.
14. St. Louis Rams – DT Corey Liuget, Illinois.
15. Miami Dolphins – OG Mike Pouncey, Florida.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars – DE Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue.
17. New England Patriots (from Oakland) – DE J.J. Watt, Wisconsin.
18. San Diego Chargers – DE Adrian Clayborn, Iowa.
19. New York Giants – OT Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – DE Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson.
21. Kansas City Chiefs – OT Nate Solder, Colorado.
22. Indianapolis Colts – OT Derek Sherrod, Mississippi State.
23. Philadelphia Eagles – CB Brandon Harris, Miami (FL).
24. New Orleans Saints – RB Mark Ingram, Alabama.
25. Seattle Seahawks – QB Jake Locker, Washington.
26. Baltimore Ravens – CB Jimmy Smith, Colorado.
27. Atlanta Falcons – DE Cameron Heyward, Ohio State.
28. New England Patriots – OLB Aldon Smith, Missouri.
29. Chicago Bears – OG/C Rodney Hudson, Florida State.
30. New York Jets – OLB/DE Justin Houston, Georgia.
31. Pittsburgh Steelers – CB Aaron Williams, Texas.

And, as the reigning NFL champion, the Green Bay Packers get the last pick of the first round…

32. DE Christian Ballard, Iowa.

So I’ve only got 3 quarterbacks taken in the first round. What are those other 7 teams going to do?

Here are the picks for each team (presented alphabetically with any QB picks highlighted in red) in rounds two and three under the above circumstances:

Arizona Cardinals – 38. QB Andy Dalton, TCU & 69. OG DeMarcus Love, Arkansas.
Atlanta Falcons – 59. WR Austin Pettis, Boise State & 91. TE Virgil Green, Nevada.
Baltimore Ravens – 58. WR Randall Cobb, Kentucky & 90. ILB Colin McCarthy, Miami (FL).
Buffalo Bills – 34. QB Ryan Mallett, Arkansas & 68. OG Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh.
Carolina Panthers – 65. DT Phil Taylor, Baylor & 97. SS Ahmad Black, Florida.
Chicago Bears – 62. OT Marcus Cannon, TCU & 93. DE Allen Bailey, Miami (FL).
Cincinnati Bengals – 35. QB Christian Ponder, Florida State & 66. RB DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma.
Cleveland Browns – 37. OLB Akeem Ayers, UCLA & 70. WR Vincent Brown, San Diego State.
Dallas Cowboys – 40. FS Rahim Moore, UCLA & 71. CB Curtis Brown, Texas.
Denver Broncos – 36. TE Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame, 46. DE Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh & 67. CB Brandon Burton, Utah.
Detroit Lions – 44. OLB Bruce Carter, North Carolina & 75. RB Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State.
Green Bay Packers – 64. RB Daniel Thomas, Kansas State & 96. WR Greg Little, North Carolina.
Houston Texans – 42. DT Stephen Paea, Oregon State & 73. CB Ras-I Dowling, Virginia.
Indianapolis Colts – 53. WR Torrey Smith, Maryland & 87. SS Tyler Sash, Iowa.
Jacksonville Jaguars – 49. SS DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson & 80. DT Jarvis Jenkins, Clemson.
Kansas City Chiefs – 55. WR Jerrel Jernigan, Troy & 86. ILB Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina.
Miami Dolphins – 79. RB Shane Vereen, California.
Minnesota Vikings – 43. DT Muhammad Wilkerson, Temple.
New England Patriots – 33. C Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State, 60. RB Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech, 74. FS Quinton Carter, Oklahoma & 92. QB Ricky Stanzi, Iowa.
New Orleans Saints – 56. OLB Dontay Moch, Nevada, 72. DT Jurrell Casey, USC & 88. ILB Casey Matthews, Oregon.
New York Giants – 52. DT Drake Nevis, LSU & 83. ILB Greg Jones, Michigan State.
New York Jets – 94. DT Kendrick Ellis, Hampton.
Oakland Raiders – 48. OG Danny Watkins, Baylor & 81. CB Johnny Patrick, Louisville.
Philadelphia Eagles – 54. OT Benjamin Ijalana, Villanova & 85. RB Taiwan Jones, Eastern Washington.
Pittsburgh Steelers – 63. OT James Carpenter, Alabama & 95. RB Jordan Todman, Connecticut.
San Diego Chargers – 50. WR Jonathon Baldwin, Pittsburgh, 61. ILB Martez Wilson, Illinois, 82. OLB Mark Herzlich, Boston College & 89. Clint Boling, Georgia.
San Francisco 49ers – 45. WR Leonard Hankerson, Miami (FL) & 76. OLB Sam Acho, Texas.
Seattle Seahawks – 57. DT Marvin Austin, North Carolina.
St. Louis Rams – 47. WR Titus Young, Boise State & 78. TE Lance Kendricks, Wisconsin.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 51. CB Davon House, New Mexico State & 84. OT Orlando Franklin, Miami (FL).
Tennessee Titans – 39. QB Colin Kaepernick, Nevada & 77. TE Luke Stocker, Tennessee.
Washington Redskins – 41. RB Mikel LeShoure, Illinois.

Four more top ranked quarterbacks go in the second round and New England, enjoying the luxury of 6 picks in the first three rounds, picks up another QB late in the third round for back-up purposes to three time Superbowl Champion Tom Brady.

That's 8 quarterbacks in 97 picks...

The other teams with a quarterback at the top of their needs list (Jacksonville, Miami and San Francisco) will either stay the course with their current QBs or wade into the trade/free agency markets if and when the labor dispute comes to an end.

Have you got any questions? I’ll try to give you my reasoning if you do.
________________________________________________
Well, as usual, there were several surprises in the 1st round not the least of which was the lower amount of trades as compared to other years. Not having established player personnel available to sweeten the trade pot due to the ongoing labor unrest was undoubtedly a primary reason...

The biggest surprise came when Atlanta moved up to the 6th selection to take WR Julio Jones while trading away 5 picks (3 in 2011 and 2 in 2012). Included among those picks was their no. 1 pick in next year's draft. Time will tell, but that's a pretty steep price unless young Julio is directly responsible for winning the Super Bowl in the next few years... I think Mike Holmgren and the Cleveland Browns came out smelling like a rose!

Probably the second biggest surprise concerned the Vikings using the 12th pick of the draft to reach for Florida State's QB Christian Ponder. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The Vikes being WAY down my list of favorite teams, I'm happy that someone in their personnel selection process made the pick.

Finally, there were a couple of things that came down due to teams waiting for the last possible moment on the clock before making their picks. First the Seattle Seahawks waited and waited, hoping to trade out of the 25th
pick, but no call came through. So they finally jumped up and selected who I had rated as the 9th best offensive tackle (James Carpenter out of Alabama) while leaving my 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th rated tackles on the board... This for a guy to play right tackle opposite left tackle Russell Okung their first pick of the 2010 draft. Maybe the guy will pan out but it sure looked like they were sure they had a trade and their plan B wasn't very well thought out...

Then Baltimore waited and waited on their pick at number 26 for the same reason, hoping for a trade. It made me wonder if the same team was the potential trading partner with both of these teams and they were both left standing at the alter... Baltimore actually ran out of time so Kansas City jumped up and made their selection taking the 26th pick away from the Ravens. At least Baltimore knew who they wanted and the poor timing didn't hurt them in that respect as they selected CB Jimmy Smith, a problem child out of Colorado, but here again, it made me wonder. Then New Orleans pulled the trigger with the New England Patriots for the 28th pick in order to take RB Mark Ingram out of Alabama. It must have been New Orleans in the background with both Seattle and Baltimore... I'd think twice about dealing with the Saints down the road...

Well, on to the 2nd and 3rd rounds tonight!

The NASCAR Gods…

2011-04-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

I’m just curious…

Who made the decision that it would be this at the end of the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega last Sunday…

Instead of this?
There are a couple of possible answers to this question. First let me make it clear I don't think Richard Hendrick would demand a specific outcome, so let's throw out that theory right off the bat.

Do you think it was ultimately an agreement made between crew chiefs? Was it an agreement between the drivers? or... Was it just a matter of timing?

I'm leaning toward one of the drivers making a conscious decision to be a good teammate and if this is so, will Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ever win another Cup race?
_______________________________________________________

Leading to the first picture up above we all witnessed several hundred feet of this as HMS’s Johnson/Earnhardt tandem sacked their teammates…

How’s that rule about the yellow line go again?

You can tell me that while the 48 and 88 rode the yellow line they weren’t improving their position, but it doesn’t hold water… The simple act of moving to the inside while rounding turn four combined with two sets of cars racing in tandem immediately in front and on a headwind killing angle automatically set up “5 Time” and Junior to be sucked into the lead. The proof is that Johnson won the race…

What did Denny Hamlin do in the Shootout?

Oh… He was below the line at Daytona… Those HMS cars at Talladega were just on top of the line. I see...

You know what? There’s too much gray area involved here. The appearance is that NASCAR is doing a smoke and mirrors deal in terms of who it is, not what they've done. The grand hoopla of NASCAR has gotta revisit this “over the line” rule. I was reading somewhere that in the spirit of “Have at it” NASCAR should throw out their yellow line rule on the Superspeedways for the final, white flag lap of the race only. Let the drivers go for the gusto! This year alone it would have already affected the result on one exhibition race and would have eliminated any potential questioning concerning the outcome of the most recent Cup race…

Red Bull’s Post-Talladega News Release

2011-04-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

THANKS, KURT

The following article is from Red Bull’s web site: http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/Article/nascar-talladega-sprint-cup-series-021242996983749

Two-car packs carrying the No. 22 were Goliath. The two Red Bull Toyotas carrying Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne were the Davids. One David took a beating; the other David got burned Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.

After starting a season-best ninth, No. 83 driver Brian Vickers, for the fourth time in eight races, was collected in an accident that had nothing to do with him. In the early laps of the Aaron’s 499, Vickers and teammate Kasey Kahne had formed an all-Red Bull Toyota two-car pack — despite starting 22 positions apart — and that tandem was well on its way to front. “When I was with Brian before Brian got taken out, we were working pretty well together,” Kahne said. “We led laps, we were up front and everything was good and then we lost him.”

Enter the No. 22 of Kurt Busch, who on lap 28 shoved Landon Cassill’s No. 09 into Vickers’ Red Bull Toyota. Boom! The right side took a shot, broke loose, sliced back
across the track and careened head-on into the outside wall along the backstretch. That was essentially it for Vickers, whose car lacked the aerodynamic shape that’s critical at NASCAR’s widest, longest and, arguably, fastest track. Hard work by the No. 83 crew got Vickers back out, but the effort proved to be futile. After the wreck, Vickers exited the track in 40th, returned in 40th, left again for a driveshaft change in 40th and rode out the remaining laps to finish 38th. He slipped two positions to 28th in the standings — 36 points out of 20th.

“I was riding around minding my own business and we just got hit in the door,” Vickers said. “It looked like Kurt got into the left rear and turned the 09, and we happened to be the unlucky victim. Again, we’ve had a really good car — ran up front, like we’ve had many times this year and we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Enter the No. 22 of Busch again on lap 90. Busch’s car tagged his teammate’s car — the No. 2 of Brad Keselowski, who went spinning near turn three and collected the No. 6 of David Ragan. Ragan, of course, was a passenger and went up into the wall, down to the apron and up the track again. Smoke was everywhere. Behind that smoke was Kahne’s No. 4 Red Bull Toyota. Kahne bounced off the No. 6 and into the grass. He proceeded to roar through the infield with his tail on fire — literally. He was eventually forced to stop near the entrance of pit road, car on fire and thick, black smoke puffing everywhere.

In true Red Bull form, the No. 4 guys got cracking and got Kahne back out. And like Vickers, he rode out the remaining laps and ended up 37th. Kahne dropped two spots in the driver standings. He’s now 51 points out of 10th. “I actually didn’t really even get in that bad of a wreck. It was more the car just got some flames in the back,” Kahne said. “I sucked up a little bit of black smoke, but that was it. I stink, too.”
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After a horrendous day at the superspeedway, a day in which he was involved in three different racing incidents, Kurt Busch had the following to say: “Hell, I wrecked my teammate today just with the front bumper, just me not keeping track of it or it getting too gaulded up with crud."

“[It was] just really an odd day. Restrictor-plate racing and this two-car draft is really tough, and I was in the middle of a bunch of incidents,” Busch said. “I feel bad for wrecking a bunch of cars, especially my teammate, Brad.”

Defending what happened with Kurt, Brad Keselowski stated: “We made some great moves but got towards the back in the shuffle and when we did, we caught a big group that just stopped for some reason,” Keselowski said. “I heard that David Ragan blew up — I’m not exactly sure. We ran up on the group, and I just wasn’t able to stop quick enough with Kurt on my tail, and it just spun me right out.

“Just one of them deals here at Talladega. It’s just racing. I just got on the wrong end of it.”

Dave Blaney was another pushee that got rear ended by the yellow and red 22 but here again there were no hard feelings as Blaney admitted he had to check up leaving Kurt nowhere to go.

Groping for something positive, Kurt went on to say, “My car was really fast all day getting pushed. Once I had to push, the car didn’t seem as stable as I needed it to be.”

After Texas Busch stated, “We struggle to make adjustments as we go. We want to compete for top-fives and wins and we're only getting top-10s right now."

After Talladega, Kurt summed up the day with one word…”Frustrated.”

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In this day and age of "Have at it boys", it kinda makes me wonder if paybacks are coming...

2011-04-20T04:04:00.000-07:00

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=foxsports&from=sp&vid=022be242-2d58-40d3-877d-a839a77d9ff7&src=FLCP:sharebar:embed" target="_new" title="Wild finish at Talladega">Video: Wild finish at Talladega</a>

2011-04-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Talladega Trivia Quiz

2011-04-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

The races at Talladega, just as at Daytona, have become highly anticipated events. Here's a little quiz concerning the track's past history and what you think may happen this Sunday. ______________________________________________ The Really Big “Big One”! The 1973 Winston 500 at Talladega

______________________________________________ 1. Okay… What percentage of the starting field got taken out by that huge wreck on the 11th lap? A. 15% B. 21% C. 32% D. 27% ______________________________________________ 2. Following along, what percentage of the starting field actually finished that race? --A. 46% B. 52% C. 33% D. 28% ______________________________________________ 3. Since 1969 there have been 83 Cup races at Talladega. Which of the following manufacturers are correctly matched up to their number of wins at Dega? ______________________________________________1. Buick-- 2 - 2. Chevrolet-- 3 - 3. Dodge-- 36 - 4. Ford-- 3 - 5. Mercury-- 7 --6. Oldsmobile-- 6 - 7. Plymouth-- 18 - 8. Pontiac-- 6 - 9. Toyota-- 2 -______________________________________________ 4. How many races were run at Talladega before a Chevrolet was driven to victory?-- A. 11 B. 18 C. 3 D. 15 ______________________________________________ 5. Following along, who drove the first Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Talladega? ------A. Darrell Waltrip B. Dale Earnhardt C. Donnie Allison D. Cale Yarborough ______________________________________________ 6. Do you know what Talladega means in the Choctaw Indian language? ______________________________________________ Concerning the Aaron’s 499 race this Sunday… ______________________________________________ 7. How many lead changes will there be at the Aaron’s 499? _____________________________________________ Last year’s Aaron’s 499 set a new record with 88 lead changes but it was set due to extra laps on three tries at the green-white-checker finish. Last year’s Amp Energy Drink 500 in October had 87 lead changes in the regulation number of laps. _____________________________________________ 8. How many cautions will there be? _____________________________________________ Here are the last 4 races and the number of cautions at Talladega – _____________________________________________ 2010 AMP 500 – 7 Cautions --- 2010 Aaron’s 499 – 8 Cautions --- 2009 AMP 500 – 6 Cautions and 1 Red Flag --- 2009 Aaron’s 499 – 9 Cautions _____________________________________________ 9. Here are the makes of the last 10 Cup race winners at Talladega – -Aaron’s 499-----------UAW Ford 500--------Amp Energy 500 _____________________________________________ 2006 ------Chevrolet--------------- Chevrolet ------------------------------2007-------Chevrolet--------------- Chevrolet ----------------------------2008-------Toyota---------------------------------------------Toyota ---2009------- Chevrolet-----------------------------------------Ford ----2010------- Chevrolet-----------------------------------------Chevrolet- _____________________________________________ Will Chevrolet’s dominance continue this Sunday? ____________________________________________ 10. Will there be any en mass green flag pit stops this Sunday? _____________________________________________ 11. These are the last 10 race winners at Talladega – Alphabetically--------------------- Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers (Gordon won 2 times in the last 10 races). _____________________________________________ If you look at that list, there are two pairs of teammates. Knowing the importance of having a good draft partner at Talladega, do you think the Bowyer/Harvick or Gordon/Johnson combination will result in a winner? _____________________________________________ And finally, 12. Will Sunday’s race have a new face in Victory Lane like the Daytona 500 did? _____________________________________________ Knowing the NASCAR knowledge capabilities of all of you Lug Nuts... The answers will be posted only if necessary. Enjoy!

Off The Wall Racing News

2011-04-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

There are two kinds of Indy car drivers: those who have hit the wall

and those who will hit the wall." -- Eddie Cheever.

Formula One

Controversy ought to be Formula One’s middle name. We’re one race into the 2011 season and already several contentious scenarios have unfolded…

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Red Bull – Coming out of Red Bull’s strong showing in Melbourne Australia, with last season’s champion Sebastian Vettel coming in first and Australia’s own Mark Webber placing fifth in Red Bull’s 2011 edition cars, there are a lot of questions concerning a supposedly illegal front wing/nose cone assembly. Last season the same accusations were made and F1A responded by putting the front wing through extensive testing but nothing came of it. These more stringent tests haven’t put a damper on the suspicions. The flex works to create more downforce on the front tires at high speed. It’s claimed that this in turn allows the Red Bull cars to make quicker turns resulting in seconds being cut off each circuit around the track. Here’s video evidence of the flexing nose wing:

Pay close attention to the nose camera position at top speed and after braking for the first corner. I’m not sure about this and maybe our resident engineer can shed a little light on the subject, but I doubt F1’s stringent rules include the type of materials used to manufacture the various body parts on these cars. It makes me wonder if the composite materials used by Red Bull’s engineers have some hidden qualities the other teams’ haven’t figured out.

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Sauber – Both of Sauber’s cars were disqualified for technical infringements after the post Australian Grand Prix inspections. The cars were in breach of technical rules 3.10.1 and 3.10.2 that deal with the rear wing. The disqualification took away Sergio Perez’ and Kamui Kibayashi’s seventh and eighth place finishes. The infringements concern the measured distances across the wings and the placement of the wing.

James Key, Sauber’s technical director stated, “This is a very surprising and disappointing result. It appears that there is a question over the top surface of the uppermost rear wing element, this area is not the working surface of the component and therefore relatively unimportant to its function. "Certainly this has not led to any performance advantage. We are checking the design of the parts now to better understand the situation and we intend to appeal the decision made by the stewards." _______________________________________________

By the way, the Lotus naming rights controversy continues to boil between Team Lotus and Lotus Renault with a court hearing now scheduled for after the 2011 racing season.

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F1 Makes Several Rules Changes…

The KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) has once again been allowed in 2011. First allowed in 2009, the KERS system was discarded with the thought that it actually slowed the cars down. Red Bull will run their version in Malaysia this Sunday.

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The 107% Rule (drivers must be within this much of the pole time to qualify) has also been resurrected in 2011 due to three different teams being deemed uncompetitive in 2010.

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2011 will also see the approved use of moveable rear wings that the driver can use at any time during practice and qualifying but only under certain conditions during the actual racing. Then the wing can only be moved when a driver is one second behind another car. In another controversial move, the ban on team orders has been lifted.

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F1A removed the ban on team driving saying the ban was near impossible to enforce as it stood. So 2011 will once again see team rather than individual racing… ____________________________________________________ 2011 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIA GRAND PRIX

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IndyCar

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Guess who’s going to drive the pace car at the 100th anniversary of auto racing at Indianapolis… None other than “The Donald”… No not the duck, the Trump!

“It’s a great honor to be selected as the Pace Car driver for such an American institution as the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500,” Trump said. “The Indianapolis 500 has been the gold standard of motorsports for a century, and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Camaro and bring the famous field of 33 drivers to the green flag.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome Donald Trump as the driver of the Pace Car for the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500,” said Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation president and chief executive officer. “He is an iconic American success story, a business leader without peer who is a fitting choice to bring the field for ‘The Most Important Race in History’ to the green flag.”

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In a sidelight, Chevrolet wants everyone to know the new Camaro SS convertible pace car can handle the duty unmodified from the factory…

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So we’ve got an American built muscle car that flies in the face of the liberal green crew and it will be driven by a leader of American business, institutions under extreme pressure from the left. In addition, Donald Trump has been reported just this week to be running for the Republican nomination for President and is leading the New Hampshire polls…

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St. Pete Revisited…

IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard has expressed elation at the television ratings the Honda Grand Prix received and the large crowd that attended the event. The fact that the event was shown on network television (ABC) meant a 100% increase in viewership over last season’s final race for the IndyCar title in Homestead Florida that was shown on cable TV (1.4 rating at St. Pete verses a .7 rating). "I'm very encouraged by the ratings for several reasons. First of all, it was a standalone. It wasn't in the late time slot, during which there typically is more household viewership. Second, it's our highest-rated non-Indianapolis show since 2007, but even that show [Mid-Ohio] had a great lead-in with the British Open...," shared Bernard.

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In organized racing for nearly 10 years now, Simona de Silvestro apparently is the real deal and IndyCar is more than happy to have her. All eyes will be on the young driver after her fourth place finish in St. Petersburg.

Will Gene’s proclamation that Ms. de Silvestro is the best woman driver in IndyCar continue to be backed up?

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Driver News…

Bryan Herta Autosport, in a move announced just before the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, signed Dan Wheldon to drive the team’s 2011 Indianapolis 500 entry. Co-owners Bryan Herta and Steve Newey are thrilled to have a driver of Dan’s caliber behind the wheel of their car…

Canadian James Hinchcliffe will make his IndyCar debut Saturday in Alabama driving for Newman/Haas Racing in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama next weekend. Newman/Hass will expand to two entries to accommodate young Mr. Hinchcliffe.

A.J. Foyt Racing announced the signing of Brazilian Bruno Junqueira to drive in the Indy 500 this year.

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The 100th Year of racing at Indianapolis…

The celebration is ramping up for the May 29th Indianapolis 500. I was surprised to run across this…

Painted by Thomas Kincaid, known as “The Painter of Light”, I was surprised since I’ve never seen him paint a scene such as that before…

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Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

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Enjoy the racing this weekend!

Junior Got Clocked!

2011-04-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

There’s an old axiom that says “The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree…” and it’s used to describe how closely a person’s offspring resembles and/or acts like their parent. Evidently this isn’t necessarily true in NASCAR. The two greatest drivers in the sport were followed by sons who, for whatever reason, have not risen to the same heights. Yes, there are other examples of young drivers with well-known names who have performed very well at the top level of the sport (Dale Jarrett and Davey Allison immediately come to mind), but they are few and far between… This shortfall was excruciatingly evident in yesterday’s finale at Martinsville's Goody's 500. Just for a few moments in time (the final two laps), imagine Dale Earnhardt Sr. was behind the wheel of the 88 Chevrolet instead of Dale Jr. Given everything else being equal, who do you think would have crossed the finish line first? _______________________________________________________ But what we got was Kevin Harvick explaining on the post-race interview how sorry he was to be the bad guy for winning the race and then expressing thanks to Junior for driving clean. This while Junior was apologizing to Kyle Busch for bumping him and then hanging his head in his own interview wishing he had won the clock! _______________________________________________________ Man! It’s been what, almost 100 Cup races since Dale last visited victory lane? _______________________________________________________ I’m thinkin’ the Martinsville crowd would have literally gone bonkers if Dale had punted Kevin for the win, I know I would’ve been and I’m not what you’d call even a remote Earnhardt fan… My apologies to you Harvick fans, but that one move for the win by the sport’s most popular driver would have been like a tonic to NASCAR. Junior’s victory in a manner so reminiscent of “The Intimidator” would have been splashed all over the sporting news wires each and every day of the next week. The news would have done wonders for a sport that’s been floundering with fans starving for such a thing… A victory like that would have been remembered for years to come. ________________________________________________________ Yeah, I know. Then we would have been inundated by the whining conspiracy theorists.

Animals Are Cool!

2011-03-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

The front page of the St. Petersburg Times online today featured the following video on Busch Gardens' newest member...

He's 40 days old here and they're going to have a contest to name the little guy...

Cheetahs are an endangered species in their native African range.

One of the most endangered species in the world, the California Condor, the world's largest flying bird, is slowly making a comeback. A carrion feeder, these majestic birds soar for miles at a time on wingspans up to 10 feet across. I'm not sure if I saw one once when backpacking in the Sierras, but it was sure one big buzzard if not! If they're close enough while soaring, the white feathers on the underside of their wings give them away...

Then there's the story about Abbey the Bed Bug dog!

Finally, I knew a lady (a friend of mine's mother) who each spring would buy a few baby goats (not yet weaned) and turn them loose on her small ranchette just to watch them run, jump and play!

Once they got too old to have around she'd sell them and wait for next spring to do it all over again! Hope all you race fans enjoyed a little different post...

Let's Talk Points...

2011-03-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

It's a rainy day, nothin' to do, so let's talk points. Shall we? If I don’t miss the mark (and it’s been known to happen)… Here are the top twelve in the old Sprint Cup Chase format standings as of March 28th. 1 Carl Edwards-187, 2 Ryan Newman-178, 3 Kurt Busch -177, 4 Kyle Busch-176, 5 Jimmie Johnson-173, 6 Tony Stewart-170, 7 Paul Menard-164, 8 Juan Montoya-161, 9 Kevin Harvick-157, 10 Matt Kenseth-157, 11 Kasey Kahne-157, 12 Dale Earnhardt Jr.-156. But under the new format, if the Chase started today, these are the twelve who would make it with one caveat… 1 Carl Edwards-187, 2 Ryan Newman-178, 3 Kurt Busch -177, 4 Kyle Busch-176, 5 Jimmie Johnson-173, 6 Tony Stewart-170, 7 Paul Menard-164, 8 Juan Montoya-161, 9 Kevin Harvick-157, 10 Matt Kenseth-157, 11 (16) Jeff Gordon-130, 12 (44) Trevor Bayne-0. This is based on Gordon and Bayne both being race winners. ______________________________________ Now, since Trevor declared as a points racer in the Nationwide Series, I assume he won’t be allowed in the Chase even though he won the Daytona 500. With that as a given, then these are the Chasers if it started after Fontana… 1 Carl Edwards-187, 2 Ryan Newman-178, 3 Kurt Busch -177, 4 Kyle Busch-176, 5 Jimmie Johnson-173, 6 Tony Stewart-170, 7 Paul Menard-164, 8 Juan Montoya-161, 9 Kevin Harvick-157, 10 Matt Kenseth-157, 11 Kasey Kahne-157, (16) Jeff Gordon-130. Kahne gets in on points and Dale Earnhardt Jr. would lose out due to his teammate (Gordon) having a win at Phoenix… Am I right? _____________________________________________________________ What if… Let’s say the Lug Nuts Trifecta used a points basis similar to NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series to determine our winner. (E.G. First place gets 43 points, 42 for second and so on). _____________________________________________________ Here are the Lug Nuts standings after three Trifectas… 1. moseby -124 points based on 1 1st, 1 3rd and 1 4th, 2. Dwindy1 -121 points based on 2 2nds and 1 7th, 3. Hanny -120 points based on 1 1st, 1 3rd and 1 8th, 4. Ra6an -117 points based on 1 2nd, a 6th and a 7th, 5. CR -116 points based on 1 1st, a 4th and an 11th, 6. tez -115 points based on 1 3rd, a 5th and a 9th, 7. jon -114 points based on 2 5ths and an 8th, 8. SB -112 points based on 2 6ths and an 8th, 9. Bev -103 points based on a 9th and 2 10 place finishes, 10. JD and 11. Kristen both missed one Trifecta and would have 77 and 69 points respectively, and then there's: 12. the Stork and 13. F2 who only participated in one Trifecta each with 34 and 32 points respectively. _____________________________________________ I know, I know, ya can’t change horses in the middle of a stream, but it would make the Trifecta a little more interesting… and reward those of us who don't actually win a Trifecta... (Kinda like how Sprint Cup rewards drivers that don't actually win...) :))

Off The Wall Racing News

2011-03-25T07:01:00.000-07:00

NASCAR Edition

Fontana!(?)

Along with Pocono, probably the most maligned racing venue in NASCAR is Fontana Speedway. This weekend Southern California’s Inland Empire populace gets a chance at redemption with a new, shortened Auto Club 400 race moved from the second to the fifth racing date of the season.

The relatively new track built in 1997 by a consortium led by Roger Penske and later sold to International Speedway Corporation, features an asphalt 2 mile long “D” oval with uniform 14 degree banking through the turns, 11 degree banking on the frontstretch and only 3 degrees of banking on the long straightaway. The early on races went along glowingly until 2004 when NASCAR pulled Rockingham’s late season race and moved it to the Southern California track. It suddenly became apparent that the Southern California market is a one race town as attendance dropped even though Fontana was hosting a very meaningful race late in the racing season. The laid back Southern California lifestyle had struck yet another professional sport. This coupled with the ill-will NASCAR generated with its core fan base in the Southern United States by pulling this important race date from one of the South’s historic tracks located in North Carolina has worked to denigrate Fontana.
Even though the track’s layout has led to a refreshingly different style of racing in NASCAR with three wide or more side by side competition being commonplace, the fans haven’t returned after the track’s early success. Today it appears the local politicians have taken notice of just how important the NASCAR race date has been to the local economy and they are openly encouraging everyone in the area to get involved or the region might lose as much as $100 million in revenue if NASCAR completely pulls out…
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Kevin Harvick and Fontana

Fontana can be called the home track to a formidable group of NASCAR stars that includes Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick. Of this group, JJ has by far had the most success here while Kevin Harvick for some reason just can’t seem to put it together at Fontana. In 17 career Sprint Cup starts on the D oval, Kevin has just 2 top five’s and an average finish of 17th place. The problems have persisted in the Nationwide Series races as well where Kevin, despite 7 top three finishes in 16 starts still hasn’t won a race. Sometimes when athletes know they have family and friends in the stands they simply try too hard and things go haywire…

Is this the year Kevin breaks out of his Fontana funk?
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The NASCAR Points Racing Change Effect

Can you tell me off the top of your head who the points leader is right now in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series? How about Jason Leffler! In a move that makes a lot of sense, NASCAR has shined the media attention light on a group of young up and comers (with the exceptions of Kenny Wallace and Elliot Sadler) racing in the Nationwide Series. Here are the current top 10 in the Nationwide standings:
1. Jason Leffler – 142 Points, 2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 140, 3. Justine Allgaier – 124, 4. Reed Sorenson – 121, 5. Aric Almirola – 119, 6. Trevor Bayne – 112, 7. Kenny Wallace – 111, 8. Elliot Sadler – 110, 9. Danica Patrick – 109 and 10. Brian Scott – 107…

Here’s another example of a home track not yielding success. Long Beach native Jason Leffler hasn’t had much luck at Fontana. Driving for Turner Motorsports, Jason’s unbridled optimism remains intact as expressed in a San Bernardino Sun article by staff writer Louis Brewster:

"This is a really fun race track. It's wide open pretty much all the way around and has multiple grooves, so there is a lot of two- and three-wide racing," said the driver of the No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet. "You're always searching for that groove where your car is the fastest."

Leffler will debut a new chassis for the race, and the powerplant is supplied by Hendrick Engines.

"I feel we have the right equipment to make a run for the championship," said Leffler, who's benefitted from NASCAR's new rule the says drivers must choose a series in which to compete for the driving title.
"It's great to race with the Cup guys - certainly we can learn from them - but it's good that NASCAR has decided to strengthen the Nationwide identity."
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The He Said-She Said Rick Russell-Jennifer Jo Cobb Deal Devolves

The owner of 2nd Chance Motorsports (interesting name considering the
circumstances), Rick Russell, has reportedly filed charges accusing Cobb and her crew chief Steve Kuykendall of larceny (stealing/theft). This is a serious matter if true but Ms. Cobb explained it as follows:
"I'm not sure how you steal something from someone when you move it from their property A to their property B," Cobb said, "It's just him trying to stir up more trouble. I'm not concerned. He's just trying to rattle us.
"Picture a divorce,” Cobb added. “You move out of the house and accidentally take the ex-wife's favorite hair brush you both use. That's what this is like."

We all know what happened just prior to last weekend’s Bristol Nationwide race and now this…

As of yesterday, Sgt. S.D. Elliott of the Mooresville North Carolina police department commented that Russell accused both Cobb and Kuykendall adding he’s talked to all parties in the case, and that no charges have been filed and no arrests have been made.

And the beat goes on… And watch as Jennifer Jo shows up at Fontana driving for Rick Ware Racing.
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Bobby Labonte

Let’s all pay close attention this weekend to former Cup champion Bobby Labonte as his comeback continues. Back driving full-time after a two year hiatus of poorly funded driving, Labonte has been very competitive so far in 2011. Marcos Ambrose’s old number 47 Toyota ride with JTG-Daugherty has been a Godsend for Labonte who has responded, not only thankful to the car’s owner for putting him in a well-funded racing effort but also for the team atmosphere surrounding JTG-Daugherty working with Michael Waltrip Racing’s drivers (Martin Truex Jr. and David Reutimann) and shop personnel.

Here’s hoping Bobby remains in the heat of things throughout the season!
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Honoring Ronald Reagan

Watch for Richard Childress Racing’s number 33 car driven by Clint Bowyer this weekend. It will feature a new paint job honoring who I consider to be the greatest President so far in my lifetime, Ronald Reagan. This will be part of the year-long Ronald Reagan Centennial celebrating what would have been Reagan’s 100th birthday. Oh how I wish another man of integrity would emerge on the scene to run for the Presidency next year…
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Finally, here’s a look at the forecasted weather this weekend –

The Fontana weather forecast:

Today: Showers likely, mainly before 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Tonight: Areas of fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 57. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest.

Saturday Night: Rain likely, mainly after 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. South wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. South wind around 5 mph.

It looks like practice and qualifying will be rained out today… And green tracks may be in the offing for both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races but hopefully the races won’t be hindered by rain beyond that.
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For you open wheelers… Melbourne Australia is forecast to have a chance of rain right up through Saturday night and then have a bright, blustery (winds from 7 to 20 mph) sunshiny day while St. Petersburg Florida will be partly cloudy with daytime highs in the low 80’s all weekend…
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Here we go!

Off The Wall Racing News

2011-03-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Your 2011 Open Wheel Primer...

Indy Car

IndyCar: Interest shown in $5M gambit

Remember the $5,000,000 IndyCar is prepared to hand to any non-IndyCar driver who might win their season finale race in Las Vegas? Well, according to IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard, the offer has spawned a lot of inquiries from the other circuits' drivers. Without divulging any names, Bernard stated, "Some of the names are fantastic. I think people will be surprised on who wants to drive it."

Included in the overtures were drivers from NASCAR, Formula 1, Supercross and Rally.

"The bottom line is us trying to gain credibility, to say that our drivers are the best drivers in the world," Bernard said. "They're the fastest, most versatile drivers in the world. That's really what this is all about, is putting that out there to say, 'If you don't believe it, come take a look.' "

Last year’s IndyCar finale from Homestead was broadcast on Versus while this year’s Las Vegas finale will be on ABC with Bernard pointing out, "Our whole key to this is last year we did a .3 rating on our championship race. In my opinion, that's the best-kept secret in motorsports. If we can't do a 1.5 or 2 rating on network television, I would consider it a failure."

"Our drivers have not been able to create the credibility they need," he said. "It's not because they don't have the talent; it's because there's been no emotional attachment to our fan base. What we have to do is bring that back."
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IndyCar 2010 Final Point Standings – Top 10 –

1 Dario Franchitti - 602
2 Will Power - 597
3 Scott Dixon - 547
4 Helio Castroneves - 531
5 Ryan Briscoe - 482
6 Tony Kanaan - 453
7 Ryan Hunter-Reay - 445
8 Marco Andretti - 392
9 Dan Wheldon - 388
10 Danica Patrick – 367

To the victor go the spoils... Dario and wife Ashley Judd.
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Here’s a list of the 2011 IndyCar Teams and Drivers

Chip Ganassi Racing – Car #9 – Scott Dixon – Sponsored by Target, #10 – Dario Franchitti – Target, #38 – Graham Rahal - Service Central and #83 Charlie Kimball (R) – Novo Nordisk
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Team Penske - #3 – Helio Castroneves – Shell/AAA, #6 – Ryan Briscoe – IZOD/PPG and #12 – Will Power – Verizon Wireless
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Andretti Autosport - #7 – Danica Patrick – GoDaddy.com, #26 – Marco Andretti – Venom Energy Drink, #27 – Mike Conway – GoDaddy.com, #28 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – DHL/Sun Drop and #43 – John Andretti – Window World
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Panther Racing - #4 – J.R. Hildebrand (R) – U.S. National Guard
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Dreyer & Reinbold Racing - #22 – Justin Wilson – Z-Line Designs/Dad’s Root Beer, #23 – Paul Tracy – Wix Filters and #24 – Ana Beatriz (R) – Petroleo Ipiranga/Lubrizol
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A.J. Foyt Enterprises - #14 – Vitor Meira – ABC Supply Company and #41 TBA – ABC Supply Company
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Sam Schmidt Motorsports - #77 – Alex Tagliani – Bowers & Wilkins, #88 – Jay Howard – Service Central, #99 – Townsend Bell – Herbalife and TBA – Wade Cunningham (R) – Creatherm
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HVM Racing - #78 – Simona de Silvestro – Entergy
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KV Racing Technology – Lotus - #5 – Takuma Sato – Lotus Cars/Panasonic, #8 – E.J. Viso – Lotus Cars/PDVSA and #82 – Tony Kanaan – Lotus Cars/ GEICO/Cerveja Itaipava
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Dale Coyne Racing - #18 – TBA – TBA and #36 – TBA – Boy Scouts of America
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Newman/Hass Racing - #2 – Oriol Servia – TBA and #6 – TBA – TBA
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Conquest Racing - #34 - Sebastian Saavedra (R) – TBA and #36 – TBA – TBA
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AFS Racing - #17 – Raphael Matos – Automatic Fire Sprinklers
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Sarah Fisher Racing - #67 – Ed Carpenter – Dollar General
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Team REDLINE Xtreme – #TBA – TBA – REDLINE Xtreme Energy Drink
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Bryan Herta Autosport - #TBA – TBA – TAB
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So we’ve got 36 potential cars with 29 signed drivers and 30 cars with sponsors…
Where’s IndyCar’s 2003 Rookie of the Year and 2005 Indianapolis 500 Champion Dan Wheldon? He was replaced at Panther Racing by rookie J.R. Hildebrand!
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The 2011 IndyCar season kicks off this weekend in St. Petersburg Florida with the running of the Honda Grand Prix.

ABC TV's coverage: Live Sunday, March 27th @ 12:30pm-3:00pm ET

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And for all you fellow head-scratchers out there when it comes to picking a winner...

From the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book here are the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg odds:

http://robertsnascarnotes.blogspot.com/p/las-vegas-hilton-super-book-auto-racing.html

Will Power 2/1, Dario Franchitti 5/1, Helio Castroneves 5/1, Scott Dixon 6/1, Ryan Briscoe 7/1, Ryan Hunter-Reay 12/1, Justin Wilson 12/1, Graham Rahal 15/1, Sebastien Bourdais 15/1, Marco Andretti 25/1, Alex Tagliani 50/1
Mike Conway 50/1, Tony Kanaan 50/1, Takuma Sato 100/1, Raphael Matos 100/1, Danica Patrick 100/1 and Vitor Meira 100/1

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Formula 1

Bernie Not Going to Melbourne

The President and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration, Bernie Ecclestone won't be on hand for the Formula One season opener in Melbourne Australia this weekend so he can meet with New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to discuss plans to put in a Formula One race circuit on New York City's Staten Island. The move (snub) has added fuel to a growing fire that this season will be the last for the Australian Grand Prix. Only time will tell...
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Robert Kubica To Have More Surgery

Since his accident in a rally on February 6th Robert Kubica has gone through three operations (seven hours to save his right hand, one on his shoulder and another on his leg) and now he will have a final procedure on his elbow. The good news is that he has feeling in his hand and can move the fingers. How long his recovery will take is only speculation at this time but I’d be willing to bet he’s anxious to get his Lotus Renault ride back from Nick Heidfeld.
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The 2010 Formula One Final Standings – Top 10

1 Sebastian Vettel - German - RBR-Renault - 256
2 Fernando Alonso - Spanish - Ferrari - 252
3 Mark Webber - Australian - RBR-Renault - 242
4 Lewis Hamilton - British - McLaren-Mercedes - 240
5 Jenson Button - British - McLaren-Mercedes - 214
6 Felipe Massa - Brazilian - Ferrari - 144
7 Nico Rosberg - German - Mercedes GP - 142
8 Robert Kubica - Polish - Renault - 136
9 Michael Schumacher - German - Mercedes GP - 72
10 Rubens Barrichello - Brazilian - Williams-Cosworth - 47
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Here are the 2011 Formula One Teams and Drivers
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Red Bull Racing – Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber
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Vodafone McLaren Mercedes - Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button
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Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro – Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa
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Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team – Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg
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Lotus Renault GP – Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov
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AT&T Williams – Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado
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Force India F1 Team – Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta
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Sauber F1 Team – Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez
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Scuderia Toro Rosso – Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari
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Team Lotus – Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen
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Hispania Racing F1 Team (HRT) – Narain Karthikeyan and Vitantonio Liuzzi
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Marussia Virgin Racing – Timo Glock and Jerome d’Ambrosio
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The Australian Grand Prix!

SPEED TV’s coverage -

Live 03/27 @ 1:30am ET… Replay 03/28 @ 12:00pm ET

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From The Spread.com

http://www.thespread.com/sports-betting-articles/032311-formula-1-odds-2011-australian-grand-prix-vettel-favored

Here are the Australian Grand Prix winner’s odds:

Sebastian Vettel 11/10, Fernando Alonso 13/10, Mark Webber 7/2, Lewis Hamilton 15/4, Nico Rosberg 6/1, Michael Schumacher 6/1, Jenson Button 7/1, Felipe Massa 10/1, Nick Heidfeld 20/1, Rubens Barrichello 40/1, Kamui Kobayashi 100/1, Adrian Sutil 100/1, Vitaly Petrov 100/1, Paul di Resta 120/1, Pastor Maldonado 200/1, Sebastien Buemi 200/1, Jarno Trulli 250/1, Sergio Perez 250/1, Heikki Kovalainen 250/1, Vitantonio Liuzzi 750/1, Timo Glock 750/1, Narain Karthikeyan 1000/1, Jerome DAmbrosio 1000/1 and Jaime Alguersuari 1500/1
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The Quantas Airlines Australian Grand Prix Grid Girls...

Bernie, if you're not going to miss Australia I know a lot of guys that will!

Bristol!

2011-03-19T04:51:00.000-07:00

There's artist Michael Atkinson's vision of Thunder Valley...

And then there's NASCAR's!

Some tidbits going into the spring Jeff Byrd 500 race at Bristol…

What are the drivers singing as they run the high-banked half mile?

• Jeff Gordon: "I Won't Back Down," Tom Petty
• Carl Edwards: "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" theme from "Cheers"
• Ryan Newman: "Good Ol' Boys," Waylon Jennings
• Clint Bowyers: Theme from "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly"
• Matt Kenseth: "Nightmare," Avenged Sevenfold
• Regan Smith: "Welcome To The Family," Avenged Sevenfold
• Marcos Ambrose: "Fuel," Metallica
• David Ragan: "No More Mr. Nice Guy," Alice Cooper
• Greg Biffle: "Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night," Black Eyed Peas
• David Reutimann: "Pretty Fly For A White Guy," The Offspring
• Joey Logano: "Opposite of Adults," Chiddy Bang
• Kasey Kahne: "A Country Boy Can Survive," Hank Williams Jr.
• Martin Truex Jr.: "Homeboy," Eric Church
• Bobby Labonte: "God Bless Texas," Little Texas
• Kevin Harvick: "Back In Black," AC/DC
• Jeff Burton: "Welcome to the Jungle," Guns N' Roses
• Paul Menard: "Concrete Jungle," Black Label Society
• Juan Pablo Montoya: "Ladies and Gentlemen," Saliva
• Kurt Busch: "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," George Thorogood
• Jamie McMurray: "Burn It To The Ground," Nickelback
• Denny Hamlin: "Shipping Up To Boston," Dropkick Murphys
• Tony Stewart: "Bawataba," Kid Rock
• Kyle Busch: "Rowdy Busch," 2012 featuring Raytona500

JJ and Brian Vickers are selecting each other's songs and will keep them a secret until the introductions while Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin are also being secretive… (or just couldn’t decide)…

BTW, I looked up Kyle’s song. It’s what I’d call screaming heavy metal (a new genre?) and was recently introduced to benefit the Kyle Busch Foundation…

On another couple of notes here… What in the world is Kurt Busch thinking? Do you picture Marcos Ambrose listening to Metallica? And then there’s Logano’s pick (What’s up with that?)…
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Biffle’s got a new Gas Can Man!

You could see this one comin’ from a long way off… I suppose the new guy’s the reason they finished second in qualifying…

The pit stop wars should be very interesting in Bristol as we’ll see whether fueling with ethanol continues to be a problem or, as the teams learn to cope, it's become a non-issue.
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How long has Goodyear manufactured racing tires for NASCAR? Yeah… Just about as long as there’s been a NASCAR…

Why do they seem to constantly have tire issues? This isn’t WWII when our nation’s security depended on coming up with synthetic rubber… We’re going round and round on tracks that have been gone round and round on for years…

Here’s a look at a right side tire that came off a car after practice at Bristol this week…

Nice huh?

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Racing at Bristol is like an art form… (According to Kyle Busch)

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I’ll leave you with the latest shot of Ms. Danica Patrick who will be plying her trade this afternoon in Thunder Valley…

Evidently she wasn't a happy camper about something… I'll bet a top ten finish at Bristol would put a smile on her face!

My song for Bristol... Will It Go Round In Circles? by Billy Preston

Here we go!