You are looking live at Lowes Motor Speedway. Well, not really, but just imagine Brent Mussburger saying it. This Saturday night, the SprintAll-Star Race, and the Sprint Showdown will be coming live from LMS. The All-Star Race guarantees excitement and controversy every year. Highlights and downlows to follow.
A little something new this year as part of the All-Star Race pre-show festivities. It's called the Pennzoil Victory Challenge. It is a burnout contest between five Cup drivers. This could either be huge, or fall flat. I think it'll be good. Maybe better in person than on TV. The five drivers and my comments and odds of winning......
Kevin Harvick, even odds. Harvick is the straightline burnout King in NASCAR. Even though this contest will include two donuts, I still say Happy is the man to beat.
Kyle Busch, 5 to1. Busch is lucky that fan reaction won't be part of the score. The score is based on time, with penalties resulting in time deductions. KB does do impressive burnouts though, and faster than Harvick's.
Jimmie Johnson, 20 to 1. JJ certainly has experience at LMS doing victory burnouts.
Greg Biffle, 30 to 1. The Biff doesn't get to practice his burnouts as much as he once did.
Clint Bowyer, 45 to 1. Bowyer has the least victory burnout experience of the group, and he wrecked during the press conference last month, while doing a burnout , to announce this competition.
Comment on your fave, and watch the contest at 6:15, Saturday, on SPEED TV.
Dale Jarrett makes his last NASCAR start in the All-Star Race Saturday night. Let's hope he doesn't get pulled back in by a team desparate for his past champion's provisional.
The All-Star Race is where teams started using special paint schemes to sell more die cast cars. This year's event will feature plenty of special paint jobs. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will race a gray and black Army NationalGuard Chevy. Others with special schemes include, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, and Matt Kenseth.
Dale Jr attended a special event at the Hard Rock Cafe's amusement park in Myrtle Beach, SC May 8th before practice at Darlington. He was asked about Kyle Busch and the incident from five days earlier. Jr said he and Kyle are not friends and do not respect each other on the track. He also said he hopes Kyle will keep from overdriving his car if that situation comes up again. He didn't think Kyle tried to wreck him, and that he (Jr) might have done the same thing if it was the other way around.
Finally, TonyStewart was in Memphis, TN this past Monday night, at Graceland, with his radio show. He raised money for charities and made a little boy's wish come true. He doesn't want anyone to know this. Afraid it might ruin his image.
Top Jimmie wins the Burnout Contest. And when he grenades the engine, the dudes in the HMS garage beat the #### outta him on national tv. Then just for good measure the angry mob of mechanics moves on and beats the #### outta Kyle Busch. Just because. And the entire riot sets ratings season highs for Speed TV.
Personally, I thought it was classic when Bowyer crashed demonstrating the burnout last month...I am more interested in Dale racing the truck than the burnouts though! =) He won't get pulled back in, he's got to carry the ESPN coverage!
Interesting news as always... I guess this is a break in the season for these guys as most live around the Charlotte area and it amounts to what, 3 weeks at home? That will hopefully get em all rested up for the second third of the season... Who knows, maybe someone other than a JGR driver will win one of these races!
Kris...it would be cool if they put DJ, on the 1/4 mile track on the frontstetch, racing the truck against those school buses they used to race there.
I hope he doesn't come back, but, alas, Terry Labonte is coming back to drive some in Kyle Petty's car. I can't understand why a champion would want to get in a piece of junk.
D-Man...Talking NASCAR smack? I love it! Hard to pick a favorite for the win. Seems like every year there is a dominate car for that one night. The dominate car doesn't always win the All-Star race though. Thanks,man.
Hanahan--ouch that hurt--slick call and I'll take it..!!!... a win is a win is a win maybe he can have back to back wins that would revive some troubled souls in Jr. nation
JW....back to back? Baby steps, dude. Baby steps. Don't get greedy. One at a time. I could see him wining the 600. You never know what NASCAR has scripted next.
Wow Hanny, I can't believe true race fans would have any interest in a burnout contest. How low will NASCAR go to try to get a few new viewers. Personally, I'll be spending Saturday evening at the 1/2 mile high banked asphalt track at Salem, Indiana watching some winged sprint cars. Hate to miss the non-points shootout which is usually fun to watch but I couldn't possibly care any less about who wins a freakin' burnout contest.
HR13...I've seen a few different series at Salem, on TV. It looks like a great race track.
If the burnout challenge keeps Spencer and K Wallace off the air for 30 minutes, It'll be great. I think it will be better for the fans at the track than watching on TV.
Here's a trivia tidbit for you regarding Salem. Tony Stewart is the last guy to leave the track duirng a race by going over the wall (and almost off the grounds). Happened in a sprint car but been a lot of years ago.
Salem and Winchester (Indiana) are the two best high banked half mile asphalt tracks in the world and Anderson, Indiana where they run 33 sprint cars in the Little 500 is the best 1/4 mile high banked asphalt track in the world. 11 rows of 3 sprint cars on a 1/4 mile track for 500 laps - BEST spectator event in racing ANYWHERE. They qualify just like the Indy 500 - 4 laps with total time recorded and with bumping after the 33 car field is full. There will be 55-60 sprint cars trying to make the show. TOTALLY AWESOME EVENT
I'm going to really enjoy the Little 500 this year if my buddy makes the show. He's a friend from go-kart days years ago who has never driven a sprint car but he is leasing a really good car for this year. I took him a check from my company this morning to help him put the sponsorship dollars together he needed. I'm either going to spot for him or work in the infield where they do their pit stops. It really is a must see show at least once in every race fans life. Many USAC sprint car stars who became Indy 500 drivers have run it.
HR...what date is the Little 500? Also, I've seen another 1/2 mile high bank on TV up there somewhere. Either ASA or ARCA, or maybe trucks were racing on it. Mansfield, OH? Is that high banked?
Little 500 is Saturday, May 24th, a week from tomorrow night. Here's a link to the track website which will show you this year's entries, former winners, etc.
http://www.andersonspeedway.com/>
Yeah, they do run an ARCA race at Mansfield and or Toledo. Haven't been to either track. Too many in Indiana. More trivia - Indiana has more race tracks per capita than any other state.
Hi Hanny - I like the All Star race although it's pretty much just a time filler really. Who knows who'll win, predicting this one is nearly impossible. I actually like the Crew Competition better...call me silly..lol. As for this burn out thing, I'm like HR13, couldnt care less, but you're right, it will prolly be more exciting for the fans in the stands than it will be on t.v.
Hanny, as always a great read. Thanks. BTW, did you listen to Stewart's radio show? Now that was great. He had some, well, less than nice things to say about Kurt Busch. I'm not a hater of any driver, but that was some funny commentary. They're still not buddies.LOL
silly...I mean kena...NASCAR and, or, LMS usually make sure that it's a good show. If I was in the stands, after a cold one, or eight, I'm sure I would be hooting along with the rest of the mouth-breathers.
SunD....I like the Biff too. He has great car control, and he could surprise in this thing. Thanks.
fab...I don't know how they selected the drivers. Since Pennzoil is sponsoring it, I think they might have something to do with the selections. Another reason Harvick is the fave. Thanks for chiming in.
volfan...your welcome. I didn't hear it, but I'm in Memphis, still. Was working and didn't get to go, but some friends told me about it. It cost like $36 to get in Graceland now! Thank you.
"wild thing"will win this to,along with the al; star race and the 600,also will win the trck race tonight.the "wild thing" is here,and he is looking for wins or the wall.but what ever he does it will be the most exciteing thing in any of the races.
Wild Thing should be called Crazy Kid, he don't listen to anybody and runs the car and the pit crew down and then only after he wins the race does he give credit to the team for all they did but at the end of the interview he still puts down the way the car runs and things like that. Who does he think he is, someone needs to change his diaper and powder his little bottom, and then put him in the car with two wires hooked to him, When he does not do what the crew chief tells him to do then hit him with about 100 volts everytime. That might get him to listen to what he is to do.....
Hanny,
I just watched a special on the 1995 LMS All-Star race. Very interesting. Dale Sr. was booed loudly during the lap around the track in the convertible. So many forget how he was booed by many just as much as he was strongly cheered by his legions ala Jeff Gordon. Kyle is going to get to that point too. With his talent, his fan base will grow and try to drown out the boo birds who will always dislike him. He's a polarizing figure like all the hot shot young guns who are ultra successful.
Incidentally, Sr. drove into the back of Dale Jarrett (Havoline 28) and wrecked him in the second segment in 1995 then in the 10 lap shootout, he started third, overdrove his car on the first lap to pass pole sitter Jeff Gordon, and slid up into P-2 starter Darrel Waltrip taking DW and himself out in the crash which broke 6 of DW's ribs and "popped" Sr.'s ankle. Jeff Gordon won it as he had the first two segments of the night. Gosh, overdriving a car trying to get to the front with laps winding down and wrecking someone - sound familiar?
HR...Wasn't the 1995 Winston the first one with the special paint jobs for DW and Sr? I remember that my boy Ken Schrader wasn't in it that year because he had just cut part of his thumb off in the alternator belt of his race truck.
One thing about Sr, he expected you to move,or get moved. He could dish it out, but he couldn't take it. Like when Mayfield gave him a little rear end tap for the win at Pocono. Mayfield said Dale stayed mad at him for months over that.
Well Biffle won the burnout competition. I really figured it would come down between Kyle and Jimmie. But the Biff took it home. Wonder if the other drivers got to gether and decided to let Greg win, so the money would go to help his Animal Foundation? Hmmmm...Just thinking outloud.
Smoke does not want anyone to know what he does to help people away from the track. Much like the late Dale Sr. did.
