By Rob D'Amico and Michele Rahal from Race Day on Fox Sports Radio. Heard Sunday mornings from 6-9am (eastern) on 220 FOX Sports Radio Affiliates and XM Radio Channel 142.
“What a Wicked Game We Play” are lyrics made famous by romantic crooner Chris Isaak. On Sunday at the Kansas Speedway Carl Edwards changed the meaning of ‘wicked’ and made it wild. By now, everyone has seen the footage of Edwards dive bombing underneath Jimmie Johnson, sliding up the track, along the wall and then diving down again to finish a mere two tenths behind Johnson. Edwards statement was that he meant to do it.
Despite the fact that it was a move reminiscent of days of old, Edwards astonished the fans and media alike by stating, “I planned on hitting the wall, but I didn't plan on the wall slowing me down that much,'' Edwards said. He added, "In video games, you can just run into the wall and run it wide open. That's what I did, but it didn't quite work out the same as the video game. I just really, really wanted to win this race.'' Can he be serious?
The use of SIM games has become a regular staple of many of the Sprint Cup drivers as a way of perfecting technique, strategy and generally imprinting the track in their minds in an effort to create a baseline from which to operate. McLaren, the British Formula One organization, uses a $50 million simulator that moves, is peripheral and has intense feedback. So we know that simulators have become serious tools for racing drivers. The Cup drivers have developed very elaborate home systems to get their fix. Carl Edwards included.
However, the question is once again, did Edwards really mean what he said? In that split second he made a conscious, or unconscious decision to switch from reality to the virtual world. It was a chance that he took without taking into account the physics of reality. "That's as hard as I can go there at the end. I couldn't sleep a wink if I didn't try everything I could to win. Now I know it doesn't work the same as in video games," Edwards said.
We are not in outer space where a moving body continues to stay in motion until met with an opposing force. On the contrary, everything about being here on good old Mother Earth says that gravity, opposing forces, such as racetrack walls, will slow you down. Just ask Mark Martin who crashed into the wall the day before in the Nationwide Series so hard he had trouble walking away.
In theory, however, Edwards move was brilliant. If he could have just slightly glanced or not hit the wall at all, he may very well have pulled off a stunning win, but he rode the wall too long. It’s debatable whether it would have ever worked at all, but he certainly tried.
Back in 2006 Denny Hamlin used an EA Sports video game for his first start at Pocono and won, "They got every tree on the site, everything's mapped out perfect, Hamlin said. Visually, I know where my let off points are." He added, "I honestly didn't think it would be this easy."
Let’s face it, some of the things we’ve done in the virtual world, whether in a SIM game or in our fantasies include robbing banks, shooting up the streets of New York, working for the mob or even being the Guitar Hero in the Rock Band Aerosmith. We don't live in fantasy land so consummating that liaison with Angelina Jolie (a real crowd pleaser) is still just that, fantasy. So don't think that it'll work for you, most of us don’t look like Brad Pitt and if we did, it doesn’t mean you would be guaranteed a date with Mrs. Jolie.
The games we play can be tools for learning and that is why racing car drivers, fighter pilots and operators of UAV and UUV (Underwater Un-manned Vehicles) use them to achieve greater results in the real world. We receive a great benefit from their use. But the danger in using these tools without clearly separating the real and virtual world could have consequences beyond what we anticipated.
On the other hand, Carl Edwards delivered exactly what we all craved and anticipated. One hell of a race, Game On!
AUDIO: > Carl Edwards: Talks about using a video game move that did not work for him. > Cale Gale: (KHI Development Driver) Talks about using video games to train. Cale will join Rob and Michele this Sunday on Race Day.
SPEED RADIO Catch the weekly radio show featuring weekend previews of all the racing series. Rob D'Amico and the SPEED team get you ready for the weekend every Friday on SPEED Radio! Click Here To Listen
Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has announced he will be leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of this season to start a new chapter in the book of Tony Stewart as an owner and driver with Stewart-Haas Racing.
Stewart-Haas Racing is the new partnership between Stewart and Haas CNC Racing, with the revamped entity slated to run two cars full-time in the Sprint Cup Series.
“This is an incredible opportunity that allows me to race competitively in NASCAR’s top division while carving out a place in this sport long after my driving career is over,” Stewart told the media at Chicagoland. “I’ve won races and I’ve won championships and I know I could’ve continued to do that at Joe Gibbs Racing, but to attempt to do those things as a car owner is something that really appeals to me. There’s a whole new sense of appreciation and satisfaction that comes with success when you’re both a driver and an owner.”
Joe Custer, Haas CNC Racing’s general manager, is obviously pleased with the coming addition of Stewart to the team’s fleet of race cars and to its front office.
“Tony Stewart is a proven champion, on the track and off,” Custer said. “He brings a track record of success to an organization owned by the world’s largest machine tool manufacturer. And while Haas Automation has enjoyed great success in the marketplace, our racing operation has yet to achieve the same kind of success. Tony Stewart is a racer with a keen business sense, and we’re proud and excited to have him as a key partner of our team.”
No drivers, numbers or sponsors were mentions but we do expect an announcement coming in the next few weeks.
If you missed the press conference here are the audio highlights.
Tony Stewart makes announcement to leave Joe Gibbs Racing for his own team called Stewart Haas Racing Click Here
Tony Stewart talks about which drivers will drive for his team in 2009 Click Here
Tony Stewart talks about what it'll take to get back in championship form Click Here
Tony Stewart talks about why he wants to own a team Click Here
Tony Stewart talks about how Joe Gibbs Racing is a family run business Click Here
Tony Stewart talks about when the deal was first offered to him Click Here
Haas CNC Racing GM Joe Custer talks about what this will mean to their company Click Here
News regarding sponsors of Stewart-Haas Racing, as well as the complete driver lineup and corresponding car numbers for the two-car team, will be announced at a later date.
Please post your comments below, is this the right decision for Tony Stewart's career?
Rob D'Amico and Michele Rahal from Race Day On Fox Sports Radio ( www.RaceDayOn Fox.com )
ROB: Simple he loves Music & Motorsports! Rob has spent his entire business life in the exciting world of radio. From programming to on-air talent, Rob is one of the industries most professional personalities . Putting together the best of both worlds, Music & Motorsports he created the future of racing entertainment ....RACE DAY!
MICHELE: Michele Rahal began his career as a professional racing driver in the United States driving for such top road racing teams and owners such as Tom Gloy Motorsports, Lever Brothers and the Championship Group. Rahal's racing career spanned 1980 to 1987. The Rahal Family has been an active part of American auto racing since 1954.
