Well, Kasey "The Kandy Man" Kahne proved the fans that voted him into the All-Star race knew what they were doing with his surprising victory last night even though most of his competitors had newer tires than he did during the final segment. His many fans can only hope this was a precursor to better days ahead as he recaptured his Lowes Motor Speedway magic.
I think there were four other "Big" surprises last night and the engine problems of JGR were not one of those surprises. TRD has proven they are ahead of the curve with their engine program this year and what better event to experiment with additional changes that might tweak out a few more horsepower. That effort will continue to pay dividends for all the Toyota teams.
Here are the other four big surprises I saw last night:
Sam Hornish, Jr. looked like he finally belonged in Cup racing last night. He has done little to show me he has grown as a Cup driver before last night but he was very racy finally. He has plenty of talent so last night was a long time coming.
Jeff Gordon was last among HMS drivers and never seemed to improve his car through any of the segments. You have to wonder how Jr. and his suspect crew chief can continue to outperform the 24 team but it may be time for a new crew chief for Jeff.
Kurt Busch was woeful and that is probably being kind. He just wasn't competitive and looked like someone who has continued a long downward career slide for quite some time.
Richard Childress Racing didn't have anyone looking competitive last night either. Harvick was eleventh, Clint was 18th, and Jeff Burton was 20th. Not the way any three car team wants to leave such a big event, especially at Lowes.
The good news for Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, and the Childress guys is that it was a non-points race but the bad news is there is a huge points race next week on the same track. I know all their fans hope the surprise next week is positive while Kasey and Sam just want to perform at the same competitive level.
I haven't posted a blog in nearly two months but have to write to congratulate Kyle Busch for taking over the Cup points lead. It seems all the idiots and morons who know so little about racing have crawled from under a rock to blast Kyle Busch over his contact with Jr. last night so someone has to set the record straight.
I have read that Kyle Busch hadn't been loose all night so why did he suddenly get loose at that point? Facts: Kyle likes his car on the loose side so to say he hadn't hung the read end out all night is totally disingenuous. Plus, laps were winding down and he was pushing hard to get the lead. He may have over-driven the corner a little but even Jr. admitted "pinching him down a little which got him loose" so there is NO WAY the contact was intentional. Kyle is a very talented and very agressive driver but he doesn't drive dirty.
I have also read that the fact Kyle turned his wheels to the right PROVES the contact was intentional. So for all you uneducated newbies or head-in-the-sand "veteran" fans, let me ask you a question. When you have been too agressive getting into a corner on an asphalt track and your read end starts to slide, which way do you turn your steering wheel? Obviously you all think you know so much about driving a race car so be honest and admit that to save the car once it is loose YOU HAVE TO TURN THE WHEELS TO THE RIGHT. If you turn them to the left, you will loop the car. Professional racers get paid big bucks to save the car under those circumstances.
One final point before Jr. Nation starts attacking this blog. I wanted Jr. to win last night and still hope he will win the championship if Jeff Gordon doesn't. Any HMS champion is better than a JGR champion for me BUT if you keep whining about Kyle Busch (not Bush as so many critics spell it) running up front and winning races you are going to become a constant whiner for the next several years. He has more talent than Jr. and 99% of the other drivers out there so cut him some slack once in a while. Sr. was the dirtiest driver ever yet he was beloved for intentionally wrecking people to get wins. Now Kyle comes out being extremely agressive but NOT wrecking people on purpose and everyone wants to criticize him. You are all just showing your ignorance about the sport you supposedly love. Get over it.
P.S. Updated info. - 84% of 170,000+ voters on a FOXSports poll believe it was Jr.'s fault. Only 5% voted it was just a racing incident. That is surprising and unbelievable that so many fans don't have a clue what they saw. It was NOT Jr.'s fault and it was not Kyle doing anything intentional. It was a racing deal, plain and simple. I guess the prevalence of Kyle bashers just means the Jr. Nation folks are quite vocal but certainly represent a very small minority in terms of their beliefs about last night's incident since such a large majority of voters actually blame Jr.
OK, I know every Cup fan could come up with a different list of "The 20 Most Talented Active Drivers in Cup Racing" so I'll throw my list out and look forward to hearing who you think I left off that should be included and who I included that you feel shouldn't have been.
The only caveat is that you must realize there is a difference between listing The 20 Best Active Cup Drivers and The 20 Most Talented Active Drivers in Cup Racing. I'll illustrate that significant difference while presenting the list.
Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have to be the top two on my list. Their winning percentage and championship runs speak for themselves. Johnson gets my nod for number one but boy would I have liked to seen the difference if they had swapped crew chiefs the past couple of seasons.
My next two are Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart. While Kyle hasn't been around long, I give him a slight edge over Smoke.
Carl Edwards gets my nod at number five although his most recent win was certainly tainted with compelling evidence that there was intentional cheating.
Sixth through Tenth in Order: Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Dale Jr., Ryan Newman, and Mark Martin.
I'd put Kenseth, Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Kasey Kahne in the next group but I have to add Juan Pablo, Dario, and Sam Hornish as being arguably more talented than any of those four. While they haven't shown their full talent in a Cup car yet, they proved plenty in open wheel cars to earn spots on this list (which again is not a list of the Top 20 Cup Drivers but instead is a list of the 20 Most Talented Drivers in Cup Racing).
That leaves three spots and my picks are Denny Hamlin, a 3-time Cup race winner and two guys with single victories so far in Cup racing, Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers.
Notably Absent: Robby Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Martin Truex, Jr. and ???
I know Robby has tremendous car control and talent but what has he really done with it? As for Bobby, his winning percentage is 12th best of the drivers listed above, but he is with a bad team and on the down side of his awesome career.
So, now it's your turn and I look forward to reading your comments.
Hot off the press, this intrepid reporter has just learned that some major sponsors who were approached by Joe Gibbs Racing to be added to those currently sponsoring the #20 Cup car have said NO!!! Here's your update on this developing story:
1) Supercuts has said NO for obvious reasons. How does he trim his hair? With a weed wacker perhaps.
2) NutriSystem has also said NO because even though they have worked miracles with other celebrities they know trying to slow down Tony's voracious appetite would be even tougher than trying to slow down his rapid fire mouth which he so frequently engages without putting his brain in gear.
3) L'Avion has added its name to the quickly growing list of potential sponsors for Smoke's Cup team who have said NO. As the "100% Business Class" airline, they have found that their large, comfortable passenger seats aren't large enough for the MIchelin Tire mascot wannabe who drives the #20.
4) Gillete too has said NO to sponsoring Mr. Stewart. First, they want to stick with "The Young Guns" theme which has worked well for them and, second, they are worried that Tony has aged so much so quickly that he can't even remember to shave most days thus making him a totally inappropriate spokesperson for their products.
5) Dale Carnegie Seminars, the "How To Win Friends and Influence People" specialists have also determined that Tony is the poster boy for how to lose friends and influence no one so they too have added their name to the "Just Say NO To Tony" list of prospective sponsors.
We will continue to monitor Advertising Age and other industry publications to keep you all updated on new developments in JGR's sponsor search as they unfold.
P.S. Since we have all learned that Smoke's fans have little or no sense of humor, let the bashing begin.
Several car owners said they've got proof the loose oil reservoir lid inside Carl Edwards ' winning Las Vegas car was deliberate. Several saved the clip of Edwards doing his customary back-flip after winning, and in that clip it appears two bolts in a side window also were loose. The backseat window behind the driver's door wasn't securely fastened, and that would allow air to pass through the oil reservoir tank, into the cockpit and out the side window. All of that would help create as much as 100 pounds of extra downforce on Edwards' car, several teams confirmed. -- Augusta Chronicle
So is Mr. Jack with Bats in his Hat Roush still eager to take a lie detector test. If he passes, that just means he doesn't know what his crew chiefs are doing.
Perhaps those of us who felt the penalties were fair should be polled again. Upon further review maybe Carl and Jack should have received 43rd place points and prize money and a new winner declared. When you intentionally CHEAT and are caught, shouldn't the penalties be even more severe than for the "gosh, we just don't know how those parts came loose" scenario. I'm betting now that Mr. Roush will rethink appealing the penalties which suddenly seem to not be harsh enough.
First, for those of you who don't already know, I think Tony Stewart has awesome talent as a driver but he also has awesome talent at being childish, boorish, mean-spirited, and a total jerk at times. While his complaints about the performance of Goodyear tires lately obviously have some merit, his delivery of that message could certainly be improved. What is ironic is that tires with a compound that is too hard actually favor the most talented drivers. Tony and Kyle and Biffle are perfect examples. They all can get more out of ill-handling race cars than 90% of the guys on the track so they all owe Goodyear gratitude for the tires provided for the Atlanta race.
But even more importantly, Smoke has at least five other complaints that should supersede any discussion of tires. While he hasn't gone public with some of these yet, I have a spy in his organization who has confirmed that these are the five topics about which he whines most frequently.
#1) He is now taller lying down than he is standing vertically.
#2) Because of his recent Cup winless streak, Mary Kay Cosmetics has discontinued the Home Depot Orange lipstick that he prefers.
#3) Subway is cutting commercial ties with him since he is now wider than most of their stores.
#4) Pillsbury has filed legal action against his use of the nickname "The Pillsbury Dough Girl" and
#5) He is now known to be only the second best driver on the JGR team.
Stats, yeah I have stats. Most who have read posts from me know that Jeff Gordon is my favorite Cup driver and Smoke and Kurt are my least favorites, though I respect their talent, and many also know I'm not a die hard Jr. fan but think most who bash him don't realize how good he really is. Anyway, with those thoughts in mind, I did some research and found some interesting statistical evidence that probably won't change most fans thinking about where drivers rank in terms of talent but could be of interest as a topic of conversation at least regarding consistency. So here's what I found:
Top Fives in Points For Last Five Cup Seasons
Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to finish in the Top 5 five straight seasons.
Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Jr. have each finished in the Top 5 three times in the last five seasons.
Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin have each finished in the Top 5 twice over that period.
Seven other drivers have one finish in the Top 5 during the past five seasons.
Top Tens in Points For Last Five Cup Seasons
Matt Kenseth joins Jimmie Johnson as the only two drivers to finish in the Top 10 for five straight seasons.
Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart have finished in the Top 10 in four of the last five seasons.
Kevin, Kurt, Jr. Mark, and Ryan Newman have finished in the Top 10 in three of the last five seasons.
Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton, and Jeremy Mayfield have finished in the Top 10 twice each in the last five seasons.
Nine others have finished in the Top 10 once in the past five seasons.
What Do Those Stats Prove?
Well, they aren't going to change too many fans minds about why their favorite driver is better than the stats indicate (i.e. the Kasey and Greg fans for ex.) or why some fans are correct that some drivers aren't as good as their fans think (i.e. Jr. Nation) BUT for me it opened my eyes that just maybe Matt Kenseth is a little better than I thought, and belongs in the top tier with Jimmie, Jeff G., and Tony (a place I wouldn't have ranked him prior to this analysis). I think these stats also show that Jr. is definitely in the top ten with Kurt and that Mark Martin is still among the best drivers out there. I also believe Kyle and Carl belong in the top ten but we can't overlook Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer and Juan Pablo and ??? who haven't been around for the entire five years I reviewed. I also think many fans believe Kevin and Ryan and even Jeff Burton should be included but that adds up to more than a top ten list.
As for Jeremy Mayfield, the stats may just prove that he still deserves more credit than most give him.
It becomes very difficult to put together a top ten or top fifteen or top twenty list but I hope the stats at least convince a few of you that beyond the top four of Jimmie, Jeff G., Tony, and Matt that Jr. is certainly in the top ten.
