1. KyleBusch- Even Rowdy thought he was out of it early in the Aaron's 499 as he radioed, "We are in trouble." That was way before he missed his pit stall and went one lap down thanks to a block on pit road by teammate Denny Hamlin. Busch still had to tangle with Jamie McMurray in a 200 mph grudge match before he finally took the lead with 10 to go and never looked back until he got one sweet victory.
2. Denny Hamlin – The most aggressive driver on Sunday, Denny Hamlin spent most of the day teaming up and pushing his competitors to the lead in a brilliant show of "co-opitition." The driver of the No 11 FedEx Toyota did, however, annoy his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch on several occasions and made a bad move at the end. Still, he finished third and moved up two spots in the point standings to fourth with his performance.
3.Juan Pablo Montoya- The former Formula One driver had a "Juanderful" day with new crew chief, Jimmy Elledge, as they adjusted his No. 42 Juicy Fruit Dodge throughout the race and got it best at the end. Montoya raced clean, chewing up his rivals and spitting them out to finish second. He moved into the coveted 12th spot in the standings and was named a beautiful person in People en Espanol's Top 50. Caliente!
4. David Ragan – Continues to make a name for himself at Roush Fenway Racing as he kept his No. 6 AAA Ford up front all day long and finished an impressive fourth. He is up to 15th in the point standings and didn't even need to call on his sponsor to fix up a broken car.
5. The Car- After the über-boring COT debut at Talladega Superspeedway last October which showcased follow-the-leader racing, I was very worried Sunday was going to be no different. Thankfully, I was thrilled by how racy the car was, allowing for two-, three- and often times four-wide racing safely. The car also seemed to be easier to get control of when it did get bent out of shape – allowing for several big wrecks to be avoided. Clearly the best new maneuver is the two car draft breakaway that could blow by the rest of the field. As Dale Earnhardt Jr. said "Rude!" but in a good way...
NOT
1. Unhappy Cambers- Roush Fenway Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards both had too much camber in the right front causing them both to blow tires and wreck. Kenseth ended up 38 laps down in 41st place while Edwards, who incurred his second hard lick in two days, finished 40th.
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – The "Pied Piper" of Talladega Superspeedway has now gone two full years since winning a points race to the dismay of Junior Nation. While he looked poised to contend for the win Sunday, Dale Jr. got sloppy and had a hand in both of the "big wrecks" late in the race, damaging his own car in the process. Earnhardt did manage to finish 10th and remains third in points, but definitely did not live up to the AMP'ed up hype late in the 188-lap event.
3. Tony Stewart – Tony Stewart had probably the strongest Toyota in the field Sunday as he led the most laps at Talladega, but a cut right front tire on his No. 20 Home Depot Toyota brought out the third caution. Later, Stewart battled back and tried a "Digger" impersonation during the "mini-big one," but his hole closed squeezing him into several other cars and sending him to the garage with a 38th place finish. Watching his teammates finish well has to irritate the veteran and may be more ammo to leave Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of his contract...
4.Kurt Busch- The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge lost the draft early and ran one lap down much of the race. Busch finally got back on the lead lap courtesy of the "Lucky Dog" and was running with the leaders when he ended up wrecked with no where to go 15 laps from the finish. With a frustrating 39th place finish, Busch fell four spots to 20th in the point standings. This Penske team needs it to be Miller Time real soon.
5. JeffBurton’s Pit Crew – First, the Sprint Cup Series points leader was sent to the back at the start of the race for a wiring problem. Then, several of his crew were hit by the No. 9 Bud car because they were standing in Kasey Kahne's pit stall during pit stops! Finally, his gasman didn't get the fuel tank full during one of the pit stops, causing Burton to have to return for service early. The driver of the No. 31 A####mp;T Chevrolet was hampered by his pit crew's mistakes but overcame them to finish 12th, allowing him to barely hang onto the points lead. The crew needs to put down those iPhones and pay attention!
My weekly picks are dedicated to the memory of Cindi Redding who was respected and loved by all who knew her, especially her friends in the FOXSports.com community.
Yee- Thank goodness for the spam delete button...
I anticipate some lively discussions today! =)
FOX never went back to explain the pit members getting hit. Two of Burton's crew were standing in Kasey's pit completely oblivious to Kasey coming in to pit and just got nailed. DW was speechless for a minute and just said "what the heck?" and they never went back to update on it.
This is a picture I took of Burton in the pits, later in the race. You'll notice that he was stopped toward the back of his pit stall. It looks like his crew is standing in Mikey's stall this time. Crazy.
Last edited by HotfootLori on April 29th at 8:47 AM.
Hey Lori! Thanks! I dunno what Burton's crew was doing on Sunday but they were not paying attention. Your pic shows them again in a dangerous spot...my guess is they knew Michael wasnt going to pit so they gave more room on the front end for Kasey. I'll have to poke around the net and see if there are any updates on them getting hit. Looks like you had great seats!
Klvalus how are you today? and are you winning in the Jokerswild car? I would have liked JR to get his first win but wasn't to be and Montoya drove a hell of a race it was a great race all around one of the better ones this year IMO
Last edited by JOKERSWILD on April 29th at 9:39 AM.
Kris....great picks again this week. You have a wonderful way with words.
Most embarassing moment of the year so far....
Your sponsor is DeWALT. You jump over the wall to make repairs to the DeWALT car with your DeWALT saw. Oh no, a dead DeWALT battery in your DeWALT saw on national TV.
Hey Jokers! I hope to be winning in your car, I have to keep my sponsors happy ya know! We will have to see what Forensic has in store for us. I too wish Jr would have gotten that win but not to be. Nice pic! Funny...
Hanahan- Thank you...Love the example of how sponsorship goes bad! I missed that one...Kenseth is having a heck of a streak of bad mechanical luck.
YOu picked 'em right again. Glad to see you giving props to JPM and Ragan who had awesome finishes in the top 5. Also...Hamlin was certainly hooked up on Sunday with the drafting partners and getting to the front. I was surprised at how he was able to keep doing this without getting into trouble. But it seems the COT has improved since its last run at Dega.
Glad that David earned a stand-alone Hot this week, as opposed to being part of the RFR team. I'm hoping this won't be his last.
This is good. I think the last time he was a Not was way back at Daytona.
jrnation4ever; I'm sorry, but klv is a Jr fan like yourself but she's different from most of his fans...she doesn't mind bagging him if she feels he deserves it.
kristen - you have to put Juan in the NOT category, also. Did you see that Juicy Fruit commercial? OMG, my eyes are still bleeding yellow. They needed a disclaimer that it could cause epileptic seizures.
jrnation- Trust me, I *really* watch Jr and he had something to do with starting both of those...
Iowa- Glad your not so busy at work and can stick around! Thanks...
Gerrel - I dunno if the COT has improved on the superspeedways or if the drivers are more willing to mix it up since it is not the Chase and they know it a bit better. It was much better racing though than last time!
Forensic- Thank you...I was hoping you might have showed the Burton crew incident in one of your Frame by Frames...did they say anything else about it on your broadcast?
RA6AN - David definitely earned that stand alone spot this time, he was one of the only drivers consistently racing in the top 10 all day and getting the finish. Props to David!!
Tez - You know me so well...thanks! =)
moseby- You must have missed the Big Red commercials during the Phoenix broadcast then. Your eyes should have been bleedin' red from those! I think they are funny...you've got to love a yellow pool table.
bc- You are so right, he was so Not I didn't think there was enough to write about! Chip's crew is really struggling outside of JPM's finish at Dega.
Good to see you!
Okay Jr. Nation, we need to stick by him win or loose, he has had a rough time year with a step mother like his has, he ran real well until he go mixed up in the wreck. Don't be fair weather fans, he will win and do a lot better that he did for DEI, which still amazes me that a Earnhardt is not driving for. GO JR. YOU ARE STILL HOT TO ME
First of all Fox has absolutley terrible coverage of these races, which has been expressed in many forms of media coverage outside of the network. To many of us "real" fans we did not even see what caused the last lap wreck, because the toyota loving broadcasters could not keep their eyes off of Kyle Busch. How exciting cars wrecking in the backstretch and fox is too busy showing Kyle Busch slow down for the caution. Did anybody notice that the stands were almost empty at the end? What Jeff Gordon? What Jimmie Johnson, and then Junior? If memory serves me right, those 3 have won all but a couple of the last multiple years races at Talladega. Kyle Busch is a flash in the pan, and simply got lucky. How many of the so called restrictor plate kings were not even able to contend at the end??? Tony Stewart I agree is should be on the not list, he caused the first wreck involving Junior by not knowing when to lift when the hole closes. When is the last time Tony won a cup race as well? How come no talk of that. Junior is by far having the best year of his career, and consistency wins championships. Junior will win this year, and on top of that, who are the bashers going to bash on next, or will they continue to say stuff like the only reason he won is because of being with Hendrick? Well the last time I checked he is 3rd in points, while the rest of the Hendrick camp is struggling. Maybe everyone should wake up and realize, that he's just as talented behind the wheel as anyone out there, including Rowdy who is not talented at all, he just throws caution to the wind,
Your comments are dale jr getting sloppy and being the cause of both wrecks are stupid.He was not the cause of the wrecks.
Also,your comment on kyle busch nascar gave him the race as he should have been at the back of the line because he was not forced down below the yellow line he drove down and passed to gain a spot and nascar looked the other way.
Replay the race.I've watch it twice and IMO your are dead wrong on Dale jr and nascar wanted Kyle busch to win the race and ignored his move.Kyle is the most arrogant,little boy tantums should have caused alot of drivers the wins that deserve.How much did Kyle pay you to write such great comments about him?just imo.
lkirby- Jr is doing a lot better than last year, no argument there, but he could have made some better decisions at the end of that race and probably gotten the win. Thanks for reading and commenting.
racing- I did notice some of the stands were empty throughout the race, clearly NASCAR has not solved the attendence problem. No argument from me Jr is having his best year ever but as Gordon knows consistency isnt enough, you need wins now. He is the only driver in the top 5 without a win and thats gonna hurt him come the Chase. He missed a great opportunity at Dega. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Hey Marty! Your gonna have to reach up there and tighten those belts one last time and go racin' to get on the list my friend! Maybe you can race with GGW and I can do a GGW hot or not! Thank for stopping by...
dalejr- I believe I said Jr got sloppy and had a hand in the wrecks...causality is difficult to tell going 190 but he was definitely involved 3x, but Tony absolved him once. As far as Kyle goes, he had to battle back from a lap down to even get to the point when he was racing for the lead. Kyle didnt break the rule as it is written in the rulebook.
I *wish* Kyle or ANYONE paid me to write these blogs but alas, I am happy to settle for the occassional hot pass from Miller Lite! (whom I might add, I also "not"'ed this week...). Thanks for taking the time to comment.
SP20- Good question! I will see if I can get the answer for you. Kyle and JPM at the same corporate events would be a hoot to see! As far as the banana suit, Stewart made it out ok after the Subway suit so as long as Photo is kept in check JPM should survive too! LOL
Kristen, good picks for Hot or Not. I especially liked the car's "raciness" on that behemoth superspeedway. But how could both Kenseth's and Edwards' crews TOTALLY miss the setup, while Ragan and Biffle had very solid finishes? I'm still scratching my head over that one!
Could it be possible that Junior could win the championship without winning a race?
David Stremme needs to be added to hot. Yes he got caught up in a wreck. While running up front most the day. Gave him a shot at the cup level again. I wish him luck.
Does driving on the German Autobahn for 14 years count. Driving at top speed for 14 years straight has gotta give me an award. I never had an accident ( Thanks God ).
when cars are getting blocked in they pit back in the box to allow themselves room to get out. Waltrip too would have pitted well back so he could get out and not be blocked in by the 31. as long as the car is in the box it is legal. and any where on pit road is dangerous period. i use to be on an over the wall gang when i worked in ARCA. but what should have been noticed by the races this year is that NASCAR has killed its self. martinsville had more empty seats than filled seats. dega had thousands of empty seats!! and whats with Fox and the cartoon cars> no wonder i stopped watching NASCAR on tv.
Last edited by GeorgiaG8orFan on April 30th at 7:34 AM.
I respected your Hot or Not articles until you made your first major mistake. How can you sit there and write that Dale Jr. is Not?? Did you notice the 21 positions he went in 5 laps after the wreck? Dale and his 88 team are definately HOT!!!
Can we give an honorable mention in the HOT category to the Race itself? It gave sports fans something fast and exciting to watch opposite Day Two of the NLF Draft on ESPN. Day Two of the NFL Draft is about as painful as watching DW and crew during a long rain delay.
Jon- I think Edwards and Kenseth are taking more chances with their setups, perhaps being "more creative" too. No way does any driver win the champ without a win anymore. Plus Jr will win!
Mean- Been a long time! Good to see you...thanks.
Noahspop- Stremme was definitely on my short list for Hot and deserves the props!
WW- Well its a weekly thing, not across the season so it could easily flip next week and I hope it does!
Dwindy- Kyle is definitely HOT, I cannot believe people think he cant drive. YOu might not like his personality but that kid is amazing behind the wheel...
Georgia- Thanks for your insights, I figured Burton was pitting back in the stall to avoid the block but still dont understand what happened when his pit crew got hit by Kahne...
Amped- Srry to lose your respect, I am a huge Jr fan and expected a lot more from him on Sunday. I have no doubt he will be Hot again soon but for all the hype he didnt drive that clean. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
MrPressBox- I tried to give the kudos to the car but it pretty much could be substituted for the race. The drivers were willing to mix it up this time and that was a really good thing! Thanks!
your assessment of dale jr was a little off in my opinion.
one wrecknwas definitely tony stewarts fault but junior could have done a little better there at the end.
junior was doing well until gregg biffle hung him out to dry just as he did inthe nationwide race the day before.
but i think junior is still building momemtum at 3rd in points and will probably get a top 5 at richmond if not a win
Kristen,
It had to happen sooner or later and this is the week. Although I'm not part of Jr. Nation, I agree he doesn't belong on the NOT list after a 10th place finish. I'd put Jeff Gordon on the NOT list before Jr. based upon his poorly timed decision to try to go to the front too soon. Of course, I think Reed was more NOT than either of them. Otherwise, I agree with all your other pics. Kyle Busch has awesome talent and those who don't see it are not being objective.
earnhardt- Perhaps it was off, I have very high standards for Jr, esp. at Dega! In the very least it gave folks something to discuss. It is not as fun when we all agree all the time! Thanks for reading and commenting.
Marty- =)
Hoosier- See my comment above to earnhardt...Gordon only made one bad move and it messed up only him. I still think Jr had a hand in those wrecks and messed himself up. I totally agree about Sorenson but I got sick of putting the 2nd or 3rd string drivers in NOT all the time so decided to hit the big guns for once. Good to see you around!
Yee- spo..oky...but good to see her blog again! I miss her around here.
I know Dale Jr is and was overrated. He can't win at the track he dominated on or with the best cars out there even though I dont like any of them. I would love to see anybody win besides a Chevy or Dale Jr.
I agree with some about Jr didnt cause the wreck with stewart. his spotter did because jr and the car below stewart closed in on him because he was clearly between them because jr's back tire and stewarts front tire hit each other.
Last edited by luckycraft on April 30th at 8:36 PM.
lucky- IMO Jr should have been more heads up racing at the end there. He didnt "cause" the wrecks but was clearly a player in 3 of them. Thanks for coming by!
Lori- Short answer is $1600 per set, check your foxmail for more...
I agree that Smoke has got to turn things around. He has fallen from 4th to 9th in the points in the last couple weeks. At Richmond he needs a good run and a good points night. As far as him being upset about how well his teammates are running. I disagree. I think Smoke is happy for his teammates. Smoke is running well. He is just not having the finishes he needs. But that will turn around.
A rare SF NASCAR fan who loves her Arizona Wildcats as well. By day, a well respected Psychologist, on weekends "Start Your Engines!!"
Winner of the 2007 "Miller Lite Next Great Sportswriter" Contest and contributing writer on FOXSports.com .
