Kyle Busch won the latest Nationwide race while driving a Toyota racing car that featured a NASCAR mandated 15% horsepower reducing restrictor plate so the other racing teams would have a more fair chance...
What if another one of the Toyotas wins a Nationwide race?
Will it be crying time again?
What will NASCAR come up with next?
The top ten things NASCAR may now consider to give the domestic car race teams a better chance against Toyota.
10. Teams that drive Toyota cars will now have to start every race from the 30th position in the field or lower, regardless of their qualifying times.
9. All Toyota race cars will be forced to use a smaller fuel tank than the domestic race cars so they will have to pit more often.
8. All Toyota race cars shall adhere to a 50% speed reduction compared to the domestic race cars while driving on pit road (if its 50 MPH, Toyotas have to go 25).
7. All Toyota race teams will only be allowed two people on their pit crews that service the cars during a race.
6. All Toyota race teams will only be allowed one set of four tires per race.
5. All Toyota race cars will not be allowed to use any air flow spoiler devices on their vehicles.
4. All Toyota race cars must stay at least three (3) feet away from any other car during the race or be disqualified.
3. If a Toyota race car wins a race, it will only earn half as many Nationwide Cup points as would normally be awarded.
2. All Toyota race cars must be turned over to NASCAR at the end of every race for inspection. The cars shall become the property of NASCAR at that point and will not be returned.
And the number one consideration NASCAR may be mulling over to give the other racing teams a "fair" chance against Toyota race cars...
Joe Gibbs Racing, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin are all banned from the NASCAR Nationwide Racing Series unless they switch to a domestic car manufacturer's vehicles.
Those are some pretty crazy things to consider aren't they? Well they're not any crazier than what NASCAR just pulled with their 15% horsepower reducing restrictor plate on all Toyota engines. An engine that was supposedly NASCAR approved in the first place.
The domestic auto manufacturers and the teams that race those cars didn't or couldn't cough up the funding to make the same engine modifications that Toyota was willing to make, so NASCAR has forced Toyota back to the pack instead of expecting the pack to play catch up...
Yep, that's the American way anymore. If you can't beat them, then complain to a higher authority. It's not your fault, it's theirs... Makes me want to get right out there and wave the flag! Thanks NASCAR...
In earlier posts I began following the money winnings in NASCAR as a basis for looking at success. I understand that some races generate higher winning amounts than others do and some look at these results with a wary eye for that reason, but in my mind this IS the bottom line…
Here are the teams and drivers that would be in the Chase if earnings were the determining factor:
1. Kyle Busch – Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota - $4,145,588 – Points Rank – 1
2. Carl Edwards – Roush-Fenway Racing #60 Ford- $4,014,425 – Points Rank – 4
18. Clint Boyer - Richard Childress Racing#07 Chevrolet - $2,438,970 – Points Rank - 10
You’ve heard me say it before… This is where the rubber truly meets the road!
Isn’t it interesting who moved from second in the points ranking to “on the bubble” in the money earnings?
It's kinda like in baseball when your best hitter keeps getting hits when no one is on base and then looks like a deer in the headlights when a hit could score lots of runs (or make lots of money, as the case may be...).
Over the last few days I’ve read in various sources that Mark Martin will announce this weekend that he is leaving DEI at the end of the year and will become a full time driver once again taking over the number 5 car with Hendrick Motorsports. He will state in so many words that he has come to the conclusion that he wants to make one more run at the Cup Championship and that Hendrick offers him the best chance to do it in the number 5 car. I may have missed it, but I haven’t seen anyone fanning the flames of this rumor here in the Fox Sports community…
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Hendricks has announced that they will be holding a news conference tomorrow in Daytona, which just happens to be where Mark Martin lives.
If the Mark Martin move comes to pass, this changes what many fans thought was Tony Stewart 's destination. So where does Tony go, especially if he cherishes Chevrolet? The Haas deal may just take a big step closer to reality with their Chevrolet connection.
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It seems like a natural for Tony, plus it would put him in the driver’s seat in more ways than one. Tony’s reputation and seemingly successful business history in the racing industry would go a long way toward attracting and maintaining strong sponsorships and that’s half the battle.
Will tomorrow's announcement be the first in a set of dominos to fall causing a ripple effect throughout NASCAR? If Martin does move will people construe this as yet another blow to DEI's credibility?
The Cup race in Loudon New Hampshire was being run in an opening between the thunderstorms that had plagued the New England area over this final weekend in June. As the race progressed a wary eye was being kept on a weather front as it approached the race track from the west. The TNT race commentators were discussing the chances of rain as the race wound down to the final few laps. Kyle Petty jokingly refered to it as approaching humidity as he hoped out loud that the race would be completed.
Just as the race had run relatively caution free and it was beginning to become apparent that the lead cars were going to be forced to pit for fuel as the final 30 laps neared, the weather front could be seen not far from the track and it was readily apparent from the televised view that these weren't just clouds, it would be raining shortly. Finally the teams leading the race were faced with making a call. Then the hoped for caution occurred as Dale Earnhardt Jr. was evidently down on the apron to be the first into the pit and here came Jamie McMurray running on the apron and paying more attention to who he was running with than to anyone that might be in front of him. He plowed into Junior, David Ragan got spun as a result and debris went everywhere. Now, with the yellow out, the question became do you make a mad dash into the pits for fuel, or play the odds that you might be able to make it without additional fuel. If a caution or two came out before the checkered flag flew, it could mean all the difference. These are the normal strategy questions these people should have been mulling before pit lane was opened. But what about the nearing storm front? The TNT commentators were saying that the radio traffic between the pit bosses and the drivers was not only about such things as fuel and handling, but also of the possiblitiy of rain. What would be the right call?
Here's a look at the radar weather picture taken just before the rain started falling that would discontinue the LENOX Industrial Tools 301...
The white dot is where the Loudon Speedway is located. Notice the yellow and red areas of intense storm activity and remember the storms were moving west to east. You can't tell me the crew chiefs in this race didn't have access to information such as this...
Pit lane opened and here came all of the leaders with only a handful of cars staying out on the track. The Hendricks cars that had run strong at or near the front most of the day all came in for a quick gas n' go, as did most of those pitting. The race leader, Tony Stewart, made a right sides only tire change along with fuel. Between the eight cars that didn't pit and the gas n' go cars, Stewart found himself clear back in fourteenth place when the cars lined up for the restart. This would be a two row restart making Stewart as good as buried in the middle of the pack after having made a great run racking up over 130 laps as the race leader. The decision these folks made to pit for fuel is one thing, but why the tire change too?
By the time the restart took place, the Miller Lite number 2 Dodge driven by Kurt Busch was in first place on a wish and a prayer that there would be more cautions or that the skies would open up before the cars that had run up front all day could catch him as they gambled on their fuel situation.
The race no sooner restarted with Kurt having to deal with lapped cars than another wreck occurred bringing out yet another caution at the end of this race. Then Kurt's brother Kyle, who had been running in the middle of the pack all day, got intentionally spun by Juan Pablo Montoya while the race was under caution... Each driver blamed the other for the incident and thank goodness no one else became collateral damage. There will be more on this I'm sure.
Then the rains came... It wasn't long before NASCAR stopped the race, handing Kurt Busch his first Cup win of the 2008 season.
The winner Kurt Busch being interviewed after the LENOX 301 was discontinued...
Two races ago Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulled a victory from the jaws of defeat by continuing his run while his fuel gauge screamed for more fuel, now the Miller Lite Number 2 Dodge team is able to also grab the golden ring under similar circumstances, only the rain made it an elementary decision in my opinion... Rolling the dice.
Congratulations to whoever made the call to stay on the track among the Kurt Busch crew... Maybe Klvalus can find out... This Miller's for you!
Last night Ken Griffey Jr. knocked the 600th home run of his career, is this a harbinger of great things for the Juniors of this world? This coming Sunday is Father’s Day, are the stars lining up? What could be more fitting than to do something fantastic on Father’s Day when your name is followed by the term Junior? Ken Griffey Jr. has set the pace… Who are the other Juniors that could do their Dads proud this week?
There are many in baseball, but since Ken Griffey Jr. has already stepped up, we’ll concede baseball to him.
The NBA Finals are on the schedule, but neither the Celtics nor the Lakers have any Juniors on their rosters… Whats up with that?
The U.S. Open is on this week. I suppose many look at the game of golf as an uppity endeavor and based on the fact that I couldn’t find a single “Junior” in the field, this may be an indication. The fact that there are two with the “III” at the end of their names goes a long way toward reinforcing that uppity moniker… The two “high brows” are Davis Love III and Charles Howell III, well la-de-dah… Personally, I grew up with a guy who had the “III” behind his name and if he was any indication, then the uppity thing works… Remember the old MASH sitcom with Major Charles Winchester III? Now that’s uppity personified…
Davis Love III and Charles Howell III
So that boils the week’s sporting events on this Father’s Day week down to racing. No, the Formula cars and the Indy cars will be idle this week. NASCAR will be on the docket with the Trucks and Sprint Cup cars running Friday and Sunday at Michigan International Speedway (the Cool City Customs 200 and the LifeLock.com 400, respectively) and the Nationwide cars will be running Saturday at Kentucky Speedway in the Meijer 300.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
There will be two Juniors trying to qualify for the Truck race as Ron Hornaday Jr. and Scott Lagrasse Jr. are among the drivers there. There is only one Junior trying to qualify for the Nationwide field in Kentucky. Bobby Hamilton Jr. will be looking for a top finish there. That leaves us looking at the Sprint Cup LifeLock.com 400 on Sunday. There will potentially be three Juniors in this field as Martin Truex Jr., Sam Hornish Jr. and finally, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be in the qualifying.
Ron Hornaday Jr. and Sam Hornish Jr.
Martin Truex Jr. and Bobby Hamilton Jr.
So which of these racing Juniors is the most likely to once again bring glory to the name he proudly wears?
After looking at their histories on the tracks being run and with careful consideration into who is due to win, I’ve got to believe that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the most likely to win in their respective races this weekend…
To all you fathers out there, have a Happy Father’s Day, and may the best Junior win!
A couple of questions for all you knowledgeable NASCAR fans...
First, what is the NASCAR infraction penalty for entering a closed pit lane and running past emergency vehicles and work crews?
Second, what is the NASCAR infraction penalty for speeding on pit lane?
Did my eyes deceive me last night? Didn't Dale Earnhardt Jr. commit both of those infractions (He was over the pit lane speed limit twice)? His penalty was evidently being sent to the back of the lead lap cars after NASCAR officials reviewed the video. What video? Why wasn't this NASCAR video made public so that all of us could judge? Why didn't FOX Sports replay the sequence of events?
In my novice opinion, NASCAR played favorites here by allowing Jr. to remain on the lead lap after he committed multiple infractions that require stiffer penalties than the "Tire Violation" that was handed out.
I've kept an eye on the NASCAR blogs posted so far today and am not really surprised that nothing is being said about what appears to be an extreme case of preferential treatment directed toward NASCAR's most popular driver.
A few weeks ago there was a blood curdling scream of indignation when Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. mixed it up. The Earnhardt fans let loose with a long and as yet unending speil of venom directed at young Busch as he was characterized as being at fault and that penalties must be levied against him. Busch was reckless and a danger to NASCAR as a whole... People that understand NASCAR have stated over and over again that what happened between Jr. and Kyle was "just racing"...
Now if what young Earnhardt pulled during the Coca Cola 600 wasn't reckless and a danger to NASCAR as a whole, what exactly is?
Now I can understand the Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans having their vision of what happened blinded by their love for Jr., but come on NASCAR, what's right is right. If it had been anyone other than Dale Jr. your officials would have thrown the book at him.
Why the double standard?
It certainly appears that Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s fan base includes the officials that work for NASCAR...
Whoever wins the 2008 Indianapolis 500, besides taking possession of 2.5 million dollars, the race's Corvette pace car and a cold bottle of milk will also receive a standing invitation to participate in 5 time Indy 500 qualifier Tony Stewart's annual charity race at his Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
Stewart is quoted in an article written for Motorsport.com: "The winner of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 has a standing offer to compete in this year's Old ####e Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway," said Stewart, who has three top-10 finishes in his five Indianapolis 500 starts. "We'll have a car waiting for him or her, and we'd love to have whoever puts their name on the Borg-Warner trophy at Indianapolis to come about two hours east and compete in a dirt late model to raise money for charity."
The event, to be televised on HBO Pay Per View will feature some of the biggest names in NASCAR as they run the half mile, high banked dirt oval. Last year Carl Edwards won the event while holding off Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon. Others expected to participate in this year's race will be two-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, a Prelude newcomer who will join Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Bobby Labonte, J.J. Yeley, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Bill Elliott, Dave Blaney, David Reutimann, Robby Gordon, Aric Almirola, Ron Capps, Cruz Pedregon, Ray Evernham, Red Farmer, Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace who have all commited to the spectacle.
Last year's race raised over $800,000 for the benefit of Victory Junction Gang Camp II in Kansas City, as well as the Tony Stewart Foundation.
For those of you with HBO, the event will be broadcast live, commercial-free on June 4th beginning at 7 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. PDT), with an immediate replay to follow. HBO hopes to add $1,000,000 to the charity donation by way of the $24.95 fee.
Here's wishing for a great event that will raise the bar on contributions made from years gone by.
Has the dust settled yet? The audacity Kyle Busch displays is just terrible. How could he purposefully wreck Dale Earnhardt Jr. and then turn around one week later and win on a track that he’d never won on before? He deserves a beer bath! This seems to be the thinking of many over the last couple of weeks when it comes to Kyle. How did we get here people? Let’s take a little closer look at this young man. Maybe some of you will lighten up.
Kyle, like most of the drivers at NASCAR’s Cup level, is from a family that has been involved in and around automobile racing for many years. He started out maneuvering an old go kart around the streets where he lived at the age of six. He wasn’t tall enough to reach the pedals so his Dad, Tom, would set the throttle on high and let him go. Now that would be some ride and may open a few eyes to the driving style that was to come. Kyle grew up shagging tools and parts for his Dad and older brother, Kurt, in the family’s garage learning to build and repair race cars. Having a quick mind, he soon became a proficient mechanic. Kyle became so adept as a racing mechanic that he assumed the role of crew chief for his brother’s dwarf car team. He wasn’t yet 13 years old! His formal racing education began when he did turn 13 as he became eligible to race in the “everyman’s racing circuit”, the Legends Series. Over two seasons at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kyle won 65 of these Legends races while taking both annual championships. Undoubtedly using his all out style learned as a child running that go kart with the throttle on high played a huge role in it. Through this time, Kyle had to keep his nose in his school books as his parents drilled the importance of education into him. He became an honor student while most of his spare time was spent one way or another with a race car. His family didn’t have a lot of money and consequently he learned the importance of keeping his race cars on the track without mishap since he was responsible for not only repairing his cars himself, but also for paying for those repairs out of his own pocket. This brought a newfound respect for driving and for his opponents. Having to spend your time working to repair a wreck and then having to dig in your own pocket to cover the costs will do that for you. Anyone involved with racing as a hobby can certainly attest to that! By 2001 Kyle was racing late model stock cars while still in high school and his accomplishments continued to mount. He caught the eye of Roush Racing where his brother was driving and the next thing he knew he was signed and scheduled to race in NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series. He was 16 years old when he started in 23rd position and finished 9th at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. Out of the blue, NASCAR decides to put an 18 year old age restriction on the drivers in NASCAR sanctioned races. Undeterred, Kyle began racing in the American Speed Association and ran the entire 2002 schedule. He ended the 20 race season with 5 top five and 10 top ten finishes and wound up 8th in the point standings at 17 years old. While all this was going on, Kyle worked on his school work, graduating from high school a year early.
While still not old enough to drive in NASCAR events, Kyle moved to the ARCA RE/MAX Series where he won his first race driving from the pole position at the Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. He backed up that performance by also winning the second race of the year at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta and more people took note of his accomplishments. Later in 2003 he turned 18 and started seven Nationwide Series events where he posted a runner-up finish in his first start while running at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Five of those 7 Nationwide starts found Kyle finishing in the top ten.
In 2004, Kyle started off the season winning the ARCA race at Daytona on February 7th. His first full year running the Nationwide Series found him in Victory Lane five times as he placed second in the points standings and became the youngest driver to win Top Rookie honors. The stage was set for Kyle’s entrance into the elite NASCAR Cup Series. But there was one problem in Kyle’s eyes as he was perceived to be Kurt’s little brother. He was able to do something about that perception when at the end of the 2004 season he accepted an offer to take over Terry LaBonte’s number 5 car with Hendrick Motorsports. This move left brother Kurt and Roush Racing behind and allowed Kyle to stand alone.
At the age of 19 in 2005, in only his 8th NASCAR Cup start, Kyle won the pole at California Speedway, becoming the youngest driver in NASCAR history to do so. He went on in his rookie year and drove the number 5 HMS car to nine top-fives, 13 top-10s, two wins and a 20th place finish in the standings. This earned Kyle Rookie of the Year honors in the Cup Series becoming not only the first driver to win both the Nationwide and Cup Series Rookie honors in back to back years, but also the youngest driver to win each honor. Kyle Busch had arrived…
How can anyone look at this young phenomenon and not wish him well?
I can understand the feelings NASCAR fans have toward Kyle Busch’s youthful exuberance and his sometimes misplaced comments while having microphones constantly shoved in his face. I know, I know, in this day and age everybody’s expected to be politically correct. These race car drivers are all expected to toe the line, smile and not bad mouth anyone. Well, I’m here to tell ya, that attitude and demeanor just don’t work for this guy. If you expect the good guy image to be normal in a hectic, high-pressure business such as driving in NASCAR, you’re living in a special world all your own. Being a nice guy here is the exception, not the rule. The keys to success include a strong will to win, not to just participate, but to WIN. Once that will, or thirst to win is entrenched, there’s only one thing that will quench it. Now it can be argued that everyone has this will to win, and that’s true, but how strong is it? Think about this now… Some people will go to the far ends of endurance and still not find victory, but they are undeterred and persist. Others will give it the good try and eventually move on when victory isn’t forthcoming. Some will taste victory and be satisfied for the rest of their lives. Then there are the few who are visited by success on a regular basis and yet it’s never enough. These are the special ones. The people that harbor a will to win that is so great it can never be completely satisfied. In all of life’s endeavors there are these special people. Most are hidden from us as they go about their lives, although their accomplishments are all around us. Then there are the very few that happen to be involved in endeavors that allow the multitude to watch. If we have a true appreciation for what we’re seeing, we get to enjoy it. This is the stuff that makes us fans, by the way. Another attribute these few special people have when it comes to success is they have not only a certain amount of ability, they also have what we call talent. This is something that stems from certain God-given skills that are then recognized and honed over time. If the abilities are there, and the lessons used to fine-tune them are taken to heart and they “click”, then success may follow. If the individual is recognized for his talent, a certain amount of adulation then follows. This in turn may lead an individual to have what we call an “attitude”. The individual is good and, for better or for worse, he knows it. This trait is usually found in younger people who haven’t been knocked in the dirt too many times and it is what many bystanders have a problem with. This person will eventually mellow out. Finally, NASCAR is a team sport, and as in any team sport, when the first two characteristics are in place and connected to an owner and group of people talented in other areas that are committed to winning while using sound teamwork practices, then success will be assured.
Kyle Busch’s will to win is huge. His talents have been honed to a fine edge. Finally, what initially looked like a possible hit to the young man’s psyche, that being dropped from NASCAR’s premier racing team in favor of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., has actually turned into a marriage made in heaven. Joe Gibbs Racing welcomed Kyle into the fold and has provided the teamwork and vehicles to match young Busch’s will and skill. Joe’s mentoring has evidently had some effect on young Busch as many have commented on his newfound patience in certain race circumstances and it has paid off handsomely to this point in the NASCAR season.
This all leaves me wondering about Kyle’s past employer I doubt that the owner with Hendricks Motorsports would ever admit it, but I’m sure he has had second thoughts about his decision to cut Kyle Busch loose.
With a third of the 2008 NASCAR season in the books it’s fair to say that Joe Gibbs Racing has dominated with Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.
The M&M's Indiana Jones Number 18 that won at Darlington
Well folks, I continue to hear that Kyle will cool off as the year continues, he’s got a target on his back now and will be taken out, he’s a dirty driver that wrecks people on purpose and that he’s just a flash in the pan. On the other hand, I’ve heard very knowledgeable NASCAR people and fans state that Kyle Busch is one of these drivers that seems to come along once every ten years or so. He has been likened in his early career to several of the greatest drivers this sport has known and that has drawn fire from many who simply deny that it’s so.
If Kyle Busch can maintain his points lead and win the 2008 Sprint Cup Series, he will still need to do it again and again to finally gain acceptance as a great driver. Right now it’s turned into a very enjoyable time just watching him race to the finish with his hair on fire!
Looking back at last season’s races as each new 2008 race weekend comes into view, I keep seeing the same team winning last year and the same team not in victory lane this year. What in the Sam Hill is going on here? By this time last year, Hendrick Motorsports teams had won 7 of the 10 Cup races run. That is pure and simple domination. On top of that the four team stable had 11 finishes from second through fifth and another five finishes in sixth through tenth! This team had won 70% of the 2007 season’s races through this point last year!
Naturally leading the way for Hendricks were two of the top drivers in NASCAR, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Johnson had 4 firsts, 1 second, a third and a fourth, while Jeff Gordon brought in 2 firsts, 3 seconds, a third, two fourths and one tenth place finish. What one driver didn’t win or was in the running for, the other pretty much was. Kyle Busch was holding his own with these two veteran drivers as he had one first place finish (Bristol), a second, a fourth and three finishes between sixth and tenth. Casey Mears followed with just one tenth place finish.
Fast forward to 2008. Hendrick Motorsports replaced Kyle Busch with another top NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the racing team looked poised to once again dominate NASCAR with it’s four car stable of Chevrolets. A year begun full of optimism has not yet developed for Hendrick though. While Dale has held up his end of the bargain with a second, a third, a fifth and three other finishes in the top ten, it’s Johnson, with one win on the season and three other top ten finishes, and Gordon, with no wins and four top ten finishes, that have fallen off in performance. The production these two are responsible for has been cut in half concerning top ten finishes from 16 to 8, with the largest fall in wins from 6 to only 1. Hendrick Motorsports as a whole has fallen from 23 total top ten finishes in 2007 to 16 this year.
The question remains: What is going on here? According to Jimmie Johnson it’s NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow. In a recent interview, Johnson stated, “If you look at a lot of my victories last year, at the start of the season they were on the 1½-mile and two-mile tracks, with the old-style car. And we’ve been working hard to understand what this new car needs on the big tracks.
“My teammates have gotten off to a little better start than I did. Then I came on at Texas and ran well.
“I think our short-track program has been on par. At Bristol I was more competitive than I have ever been. At Martinsville, Jeff and I were up front and very competitive.
“We’re just trying to develop the bigger-track stuff.”
Gordon’s explanation: "We've got to start putting more consistent runs together, and getting ourselves further up in the points. You've got to walk before you can run, and I've always said when you're consistently top five and leading laps, the wins are going to come. We just haven't been doing that....
"One of the things we are being challenged with right now is Goodyear has changed the tires just about everywhere we have gone this year, except for Martinsville. So all the setups we had last year, you can just throw them out the window; they don't seem to work.
"Not to mention that the other teams have stepped up, and we are trying to step up along with them.
"What comes along with that are challenges -- sometimes you hit the setup, sometimes you mess. Right now we are definitely a little off our game because we are coming back to tracks we have had success at -- but not everything is the same.
"It is pretty confusing to us.
"I know how great our organization is, and our teams. And I have confidence in myself. But when you show up at the track and cars are doing things you aren't used to, it throws you for a loop.
"We spent three or four days testing in Nashville the last two weeks and felt we really had some big gains, and showed up here and it didn't feel anything like that.
"We aren't there yet; we still have work to do. It is as much me as it is our cars and setups.
"Sometimes you have to learn how to drive different setups. I went through this many times in my career. I probably go back to, like, 2000 and 2005: both years we really were searching for speed, and everybody was transitioning to different setups. We tried them, and they didn't work for me.
"A little bit of it was my driving style; some of it, just getting used to a different feel. That is one of the things we are dealing with right now.
"There are some major, big changes going on in setups.
"This car was created to simplify things -- and in my mind all I have seen is things becoming more complicated."
In another vein, it always helps if your teammates work together with you as Gordon alluded to at the end of the Talladega run two weeks ago. Gordon, while stating it’s a non-issue now, was upset with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for not helping him in the restrictor plate race. Gordon and Earnhardt have moved beyond that now saying that the team needs to sit down and review what tactics will be best for Hendrick Motorsports prior to the next restrictor plate race.
The bottom line in all of this? It appears more time is needed figuring out the right set ups for the CoT and possibly more fellowship is needed among the drivers.
The people on these teams are too good for this to continue much longer, and like Jeff Gordon says, “When you're consistently top five and leading laps, the wins are going to come.”
The scene shifts to Darlington South Carolina, the track that couldn’t be tamed! More Saturday night racin'!
I’ve got to preface this post with the following words you’ve read before from me: I’m a first year NASCAR fan. That being said I was quite surprised at the outpouring of hostility directed toward one of the brightest stars NASCAR has seen in quite some time thanks to a racing incident in Richmond last Saturday night. Do you recall the incident? It occurred after Denny Hamlin had tire problems and lost control of the Sprint Cup race as well as first place as a result. Both Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kyle Busch simultaneously passed Hamlin, thus setting the scene for a race to the finish by these two drivers.
First, I understand that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the most popular NASCAR driver of them all right now. His NASCAR gear is number one in sales and that alone tells the story. Second, I’ve got to say that the intensity of emotions NASCAR fans have for their favorite drivers is unrivaled in any of the other sports I’m familiar with. I had heard about this and was aware of it in passing as a sports fan, but I had never become directly involved... until now.
I’ve become very interested in this young driver Kyle Busch. I figured that since I’m a new fan, why not follow an essentially new driver. This guy’s style has been likened over and over again to a young Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s style. The win at all cost mentality that eventually gained Earnhardt at first begrudged respect and eventually out and out love and admiration as one of the greatest NASCAR drivers to ever don a racing helmet, is mirrored in Kyle Busch’s driving. Dale Senior’s untimely death, at a time when his son and namesake, Dale Jr. was starting to make a name for himself on the Cup circuit, transferred the lion’s share of Dale Sr.’s huge fan following directly over to Jr. These steadfast fans remain firmly entrenched behind Dale Jr. to this day.
Enter a new young prodigy, and almost all of the sport’s fans have taken exception to what he’s done. The NASCAR media seized the opportunity whenever the brash young man spoke his mind, usually without thinking how his comments might be perceived (a trait common in most young people), and suddenly Kyle Busch is seen as a threat and the villain. Several respected and long-time NASCAR followers have made the comparison between Earnhardt Sr. and Kyle Busch’s driving. Earnhardt had to scrape and crawl his way to a chance in this sport and when he finally got it, there wasn’t anyone or anything going to stand in his way. He assaulted his fellow drivers and was known for his recklessness. Never willing to back off, always looking for the opening and (early on in his career) rarely displaying patience, Dale Earnhardt Sr. had a terrible reputation. He was blamed time and time again for the poor showings of the more popular drivers of that day, and he let the criticism run off of him without showing a care. Does this sound familiar?
So wouldn’t you know it… The son of the man many people compare Kyle Busch’s driving style to, the man who most of Dale Sr.’s fans have transferred their loyalty to, the most popular man in NASCAR today, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch end up racing side by side on a fast short track. Mr. Popularity verses the driver everybody loves to hate. The driver who has personified the “Good Guy” image, the most commercialized face of NASCAR, the hometown southerner verses this vile, brash, in your face guy from way out west. Then, to add insult to injury, Earnhardt and Busch come together as they enter turn three at the end of the 397th lap of a 400 lap race. The proverbial good guy, most everybody’s favorite, the guy who hasn't won a race in two season's worth of races, loses control and wrecks finishing in 15th , while “bad guy” Busch, although not winning the race, finishes in good order for second to become the new points leader in the 2008 Sprint Cup.
I'm a sports fanatic living on the west coast of Florida. I'm a rare bird that moved here from the left coast a couple of years ago. I advocate an even playing field in all of life's endeavors.
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Will it be crying time again?
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for caution occurred as Dale Earnhardt Jr. was evidently down on the apron to be the first into the pit and here came Jamie McMurray running on the apron and paying more attention to who he was running with than to anyone that might be in front of him. He plowed into Junior, David Ragan got spun as a result and debris went everywhere. Now, with the yellow out, the question became do you make a mad dash into the pits for fuel, or play the odds that you might be able to make it without additional fuel. If a caution or two came out before the checkered flag flew, it could mean all the difference. These are the normal strategy questions these people should have been mulling before pit lane was opened. But what about the nearing storm front? The TNT commentators were saying that the radio traffic between the pit bosses and the drivers was not only about such things as fuel and handling, but also of the possiblitiy of rain. What would be the right call?
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having microphones constantly shoved in his face. I know, I know, in this day and age everybody’s expected to be politically correct. These race car drivers are all expected to toe the line, smile and not bad mouth anyone. Well, I’m here to tell ya, that attitude and demeanor just don’t work for this guy. If you expect the good guy image to be normal in a hectic, high-pressure business such as driving in NASCAR, you’re living in a special world all your own. Being a nice guy here is the exception, not the rule. The keys to success include a strong will to win, not to just participate, but to WIN. Once that will, or thirst to win is entrenched, there’s only one thing that will quench it. Now it can be argued that everyone has this will to win, and that’s true, but how strong is it? Think about this now… Some people will go to the far ends of endurance and still not find victory, but they are undeterred and persist. Others will give it the good try and eventually move on when victory isn’t forthcoming. Some will taste victory and be satisfied for the rest of their lives. Then there are the few who are visited by success on a regular basis and yet it’s never enough. These are the special ones. The people that harbor a will to win that is so great it can never be completely satisfied. In all of life’s endeavors there are these special people. Most are hidden from us as they go about their lives, although their accomplishments are all around us. Then there are the very few that happen to be involved in endeavors that allow the multitude to watch. If we have a true appreciation for what we’re seeing, we get to enjoy it. This is the stuff that makes us fans, by the way. Another attribute these few special people have when it comes to success is they have not only a certain amount of ability, they also have what we call talent. This is something that stems from certain God-given skills that are then recognized and honed over time. If the abilities are there, and the lessons used to fine-tune them are taken to heart and they “click”, then success may follow. If the individual is recognized for his talent, a certain amount of adulation then follows. This in turn may lead an individual to have what we call an “attitude”. The individual is good and, for better or for worse, he knows it. This trait is usually found in younger people who haven’t been knocked in the dirt too many times and it is what many bystanders have a problem with. This person will eventually mellow out. Finally, NASCAR is a team sport, and as in any team sport, when the first two characteristics are in place and connected to an owner and group of people talented in other areas that are committed to winning while using sound teamwork practices, then success will be assured. 
marriage made in heaven. Joe Gibbs Racing welcomed Kyle into the fold and has provided the teamwork and vehicles to match young Busch’s will and skill. Joe’s mentoring has evidently had some effect on young Busch as many have commented on his newfound patience in certain race circumstances and it has paid off handsomely to this point in the NASCAR season. 
continues, he’s got a target on his back now and will be taken out, he’s a dirty driver that wrecks people on purpose and that he’s just a flash in the pan. On the other hand, I’ve heard very knowledgeable NASCAR people and fans state that Kyle Busch is one of these drivers that seems to come along once every ten years or so. He has been likened in his early career to several of the greatest drivers this sport has known and that has drawn fire from many who simply deny that it’s so.
racing team looked poised to once again dominate NASCAR with it’s four car stable of Chevrolets. A year begun full of optimism has not yet developed for Hendrick though. While Dale has held up his end of the bargain with a second, a third, a fifth and three other finishes in the top ten, it’s Johnson, with one win on the season and three other top ten finishes, and Gordon, with no wins and four top ten finishes, that have fallen off in performance. The production these two are responsible for has been cut in half concerning top ten finishes from 16 to 8, with the largest fall in wins from 6 to only 1. Hendrick Motorsports as a whole has fallen from 23 total top ten finishes in 2007 to 16 this year. 
interview, Johnson stated, “If you look at a lot of my victories last year, at the start of the season they were on the 1½-mile and two-mile tracks, with the old-style car. And we’ve been working hard to understand what this new car needs on the big tracks.
when you're consistently top five and leading laps, the wins are going to come. We just haven't been doing that....
