Ok so I didn't update my points after last week since I didn't have the time...and due to qualifying being cancelled (so the points stay the same as last week) I figured I might as well just combine both races into a single update.
New Hampshire saw a Joe Gibbs car (finally) wind up in victory lane as Denny Hamlin and his crew gambled on a two-tyre stop late in the race to hold off a charging Jeff Gordon. It was a close run thing with Denny driving the last few laps "like a wuss" as he was busy seeing that Dupont bonnet bear down on him. The win elevated Denny into the top 3, but still quite a way behind the HMS duo of Gordon and Johnson.
Then we arrived at Daytona...and the final restrictor plate race for the current car. Boy did it give a great finale! Hamlin and Tony Stewart tripped over each other early on (with Tony blaming Denny who shrugged it off saying that if Tony said that then it's probably true since he's got more experience than himself) and the eventual race winner Jamie McMurray getting pinged for passing below the yellow line. But Jamie went on a tear and beat out Kyle Busch (who was gunning for a daily double having won the Busch race earlier in the day) by the huge margin of 0.005 seconds...or the equal second closest finish in NASCAR history since the live scoring was introduced.
Tez's NASCAR Race Championship Standings - after round 18
(* denotes half points only awarded as race did not reach 75% completion)
So halfway through the season and the top 10 guys are the ones you'd expect to be up there and only Tony is without a win so far this year. Jamie gained a few spots to sneak into the top 15.
The only question for the second half is this; can anyone catch Jeff Gordon?
I suppose that could happen....but Jeff can take 5 races off and Tony would still only be tied with him if he won those 5, lol
20 points is a big lead in this points system....and he's got 40 on 3rd place.
I think Tony's comment was purely one 'in the heat of the moment'. He had a great car at the same track in February and he was going for the treble....so I understand why he was mad, but it doesn't excuse him for saying what he said, lol
Hey Tez,
Tony did exactly what he asked everybody else not to do.....
he could see Denny was struggling with the handling, he shoulda backed off and gave the kid some room.
With that being said.... a point can be made that Denny's having a problem driving with people on his butt...... remember the last lap at Loudin? He almost put it in the wall when J. Gordon got up behind him too....
Can you say, 5 time champion.... Mr. Jeff Gordon.
I can!
Tezgm
If anything your points system seems far batter than the one used by NASCAR. It's so convoluted that one can hardly comprehend the stats behind it. But then again was the layman ever supposed to ?
I've a post up on cricket if you're interested written under this guise. It's titled Thoughts On The Trio Left Off The India Squad.
Make of it what you will and let me know what you think with regard to the subject matter.
Also under the tophatal guise there's Thanks But No Thanks !
Take it easy !
justanother' aka tophatal
Last edited by justanotherfan on July 8th at 7:49 AM.
Cheers guys. I think the big difference between the F1 points and the NASCAR points is that F1 basically says "if you're not capable of running at the front, then you're not gonna get any points, buddy!"
A rather harsh view to take but it forces teams to find that little extra each race in the hope that it leaps them up a few spots.
Tezgm
I think that it's somewhat of a joke as it even rewards the guys that aren't even trying. To me it' be better to just have a point's system that reward the first ten finishers. And then that's it as I believe that it'd certainly make the races more competitive. What's the use in trying if you know that you'll still be rewarded for finishing thirtyieth ?
Tezgm
What's your take on the furore now surrounding both of the Beckhams ? It's as if they believe he'll be the ultimate savior of the US soccer scene. As for the wife I don't know what the hell to make of her. By my way of thinking she's a talentless has been.
David Beckham, the saviour of football (or soccer I guess over there) in the USA?
I don't think so. Yes, he'll generate a lot of interest in the sport....particularly if he continues the form he had over the last couple months at Real Madrid....but he's not going to get all those kids who like baseball, basketball and gridiron to go to soccer.
As for Victoria....meh, I could care less what she does. I do respect her though....sticking with David through the tough times at Madrid and coming across the Atlantic takes support from her side too.
Tezgm99
I think that once the novelty has worn off for the majority of Americans. I doubt we'll be seeing them going to the games in droves.
Obviously it'll be a different thing concerning the Latino and Caribbean communities in the area who've an affinity for the game as for them it's all about passion if nothing else. Beckham is said to be earning up to $250m for the five years of the existence of the contract guaranteed. Whether or not that includes endorsements , of that no one can be entirely certain. Victoria Beckham on the other hand is an equal opportunity expolitist. As this'll be her way of getting her name in the spotlight here in the US. Talentless hack that she is ! And this'll go hand in hand with The ####e Girls worldwide reunion tour. What better way for her to get more recognition than she already desires. Personally I think their music is infantile and passe'. Maufactured bubblegum pop !
Tez is a rare creature; an Australian who was living in New Zealand before moving to Canada. He's also a Civil Engineer who is hoping to spend his Monday to Friday sitting in front of a computer surfing the inter...uh, working hard for an Engineering Consultant or Contractor when he finds a job. His heart is torn between his two loves; F1 and NASCAR.
Due to his high interest in those, his blogs will likely focus on them with the occasional foray into sports that don't get much (if any) mention on this website. All blogs and/or comments will more than likely have his usual dollop of sarcasm and general Aussie spin on them.
Amazingly, he also managed to score 2 MiB nominations on consecutive days (August 5 & 6, 2007) after announcing he had been keeping track of them...he's considering hiding under his bed as a result.
