1. Kyle Busch – Rowdy just cannot be stopped. Not by angry Junior Nation, glowing brake rotors, the most “pathetic race car”, bad glue on the lug nuts resulting in bad pit stops and especially not by the wall! He came from 23rd to take the lead for good on lap 304 despite many of the drivers saying it was “impossible to pass” at Darlington. He led the most laps on his way to victory and extended his points lead. He is Hot. Period.
2. Roush Fenway Racing- Carl Edwards came from 36th to finish second Saturday at Darlington, David Ragan finished fifth and broke into the Top 12 in points for the first time ever. Finally, Matt Kenseth had a good run and came home sixth and Jamie McMurray, one of the few without a Darlington stripe, brought it home 11th. They all reported front end vibrations but they must have been good, good, good…good vibrations!
3. Half of Hendrick Motorsports- Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. bothled laps and struggled with tight race cars, but used good pit strategy and clean racing to finish third and fourth, respectively. Junior retained third place in the point standings while Gordon moved to 10th overall. Both drivers were clearly frustrated with top-five finishes and that is a good sign for fans of the No. 24 and No. 88. Can they revert The Chase strategy again and get the Championship with consistency alone? Stay tuned...
4. Travis Kvapil- Racing a retro No. 28 LaFayette Ford paint scheme made famous by Fred Lorenzen in the 1960’s, Kvapil kept it up front Saturday, got his Darlington stripe, and finished an impressive eighth. This talented young driver is less than 100 points out of 12th in the standings and the lone hope for Yates Racing.
5. Dave Blaney- The driver of the No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota missed the Talladega Cup race just 2 weeks ago, had a strong top 20 run last weekend at Richmond and improved even more as he finished in the top 10 under the lights at Darlington. With weekly improvements like these, he might just pull it into Victory Lane one of these races.
NOT
1. Elliott Sadler – Took out fan favorite Tony Stewart on lap 2with an uncharacteristic rookie mistake, but at least he took responsibility for it. Sadler finished 42nd and is mired way back in 28th in the point standings. His McDonald’s sponsor can’t be loving it.
2. GregBiffle – The record-breaking polesitter led early and even went for a long, exciting slide thanks to Kyle Busch—leading him to predict that Shrub wouldn’t be there in the end. Alas, it was Biffle who wouldn’t make it all the way as his engine expired on lap 235. He finished the day in last place, the only Roush Fenway driver to not finish in the top 12 at Darlington.
3. Part of Penske- Ryan Newman had pit road problems all night. First, a tire violation, then he missed pit road, and finally, got nailed by Brian Vickers entering pit road. He finished 37th and fell out of the Top 12 in points. Sam Hornish Jr. got heavy right side damage on lap 12 after he blew a right front tire. He gave the Lady in Black more kisses than any other driver out there and finished 38th. One bright spot – Kurt Busch was the highest finishing Dodge on Saturday (12th ).
4.Kyle Petty – No argument here that Kyle Petty is the most charitable driver in NASCAR, but he is quickly becoming a charity case in the races. On Saturday night, Petty hit the wall on lap 9, was in the garage by lap 16, and finished 41st. He is well outside the Top 35 in points, and needs to take a good hard look at his decision to continue racing.
5. Kevin Harvick – Happy took one of the hardest licks on Saturday night as his No. 29 Shell Chevy snapped loose on lap 46, and he spent the rest of the race in and out of the garage to finish 39th. He dropped four spots in the standings to ninth and increased his winless streak to 46 races.
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.
Kristen,
I was racing myself Saturday night so I didn't get to watch Darlington but based upon everything I've read and heard about it, you get a perfect 10 again this week for your Hot or Not list. Great writing as always. Go JG and Jr. - would love to see them finish 1st and 2nd in the championship this year.
Hoosier- Well how did you do at the races on Sat PM? Do you deserve a hot or a not this week?? LOL
I think it would be sweet justice if Jeffy G or Jr can win the championship with consistency (maybe one win!) but with Shrub and Carl adding those bonus points I doubt it will happen.
s2d- Yes your ESad fan club lost a few members on Sat I am afraid, although I am still a big fan of his cute accent!
Lori- I *almost* got Smoke on the Hot list for his comeback but Travis and Dave deserved some love. Thanks my dear!!
Yee- Maybe I should just check your picks in the fantasty league ahead of time so I know who to cue up for NOT! LOL! At least I didnt pick on Kasey...but those Dodges are all in serious trouble.
Another great one. I would add one group to the Not side. The attendees---not fans---who threw stuff on the track after the race. Save that for your WWE matches people.
Kristen,
I pulled a bonehead Kyle Busch overagressive move and cost myself two spots running an ill-handling car on a track where I'd never raced before so I ended up 5th. With the car I have this year, that is a NOT.
P.S. Remember commenters, I'm a huge fan of Kyle but he has pulled a bonehead move or two during his career, mostly in front of a microphone after a risky move on the track - lol.
P.S. Hanny, you are absolutely correct again (what's new?). Hope track officials get that moronic activity under control before an innocent child gets badly injured.
Last edited by HoosierRacer13 on May 13th at 10:30 AM.
I saw what you said about Kyle Busch on another blog. You're an established writer here and can get away with saying such while I am a new fan and get my head ripped off for saying I like Kyle. LOL
My point is, he's my age, he's brash, he survives most the wrecks everyone gets in from time to time and I was looking around for my driver as a new fan and he kept scraping the wall and coming off still racing. He's an old school driver my dad says and just the right age and everything for a new young fan. I just love watching him.
NOT - Fox's Production Crew. Every time I hear Mike Joy, Larry Mac or DW say "Trouble off Turn__!" I have to wait 3-5 seconds to see the back end of an accident and cars are just starting to drive away. Is there a delay from the booth to the production truck? Don't care if they have to keep it on the same camera to pan toward the scene - they have at least 180 degree capability.
Nique,
Well I'll never rip your head off for saying you like Kyle. He is an incredible talent who has brought a whole new level of excitement to Cup racing. I'm not new to touting him because I saw his talent when he was a teenager. You've made a good choice as your first favorite driver and he is going to be successful for a long time. Hope we can go forward being civil - I'm always glad to see new fans come to racing.
Last edited by HoosierRacer13 on May 13th at 10:48 AM.
I know Kristen, I know :) Tony had the fastest car at the end there and got his laps back the real way. Maybe he'll win soon. It's heating up!
One question ... did they interview Ryan and/or Brian about that incident? I might have just missed it, but I haven't heard anything from them about it. That was an ugly move.
Have to agree with you on K.Petty I wonder why he does it.. I don't think its for the passion of raceing otherwise he would try harder IMO ...good piece enjoyed the read..
As always,good job, K. My only gripe is regarding your write-up on the Biff . . . You forgot to mention his post-race whining about his crew and equipment, which came just a week after he was all gung-#### about re-signing with RFR.
"My 100 percent intent is to work out an extension with Roush ... I've been there 10 years and we've got great equipment."
His first mistake was to go public about his contract negotiations without putting ink to paper. Everyone knows that'll just jinx the deal.
His second mistake was badmouthing Jack's equipment. We have yet to see how RFR will slim down to 4 teams.
Biff deserves to be a NOT this week.
Nique- I probably also get away with it because most people know I am a huge Jr fan and Kurt fan too...but anyone should be able to pick any driver they wish and back them without too much hassle. NASCAR fans are pretty passionate and opinionated (and sometimes completely blinded by it) so just hang in there and you'll fit right in.
moseby- I also have to agree with your assessment of the broadcasts lately. Something is definitely off with FOX in the last several races. They have gone back to focusing on certain drivers and we are missing lots of action on the track. Like Lori asks above, never a follow up from Vickers, lots of stuff missed on pit road and as you suggest, way behind on the live action.
Lori- I did not see an interview with Ryan or Brian about. Only heard speculation that the spotter missed the 12 car on the track and Brian couldnt see around his seat. I could have missed something though too...
Dwindy- Thanks! I will be in the garage with Miller Lite at Sonoma but not Ca. I think I will also be sent to Michigan in Aug and Dega in Oct. Cant wait!!
Great as usual, but I have one minor thing I disagree with: Kvapil is the lone hope for Yates. He may be the better of the two, but Kvapil isn't the only one with strong runs most every week. Just a little while ago David Gilliland had top-15 finishes in 4 out of 5 races, and mustered a 20th at Darlington. Both of these drivers continue to improve their performances, and it may not be too long until Yates becomes a power like it's engine partner Roush, if they could ever fixed their financial issues, that is.
Thanks again for another great "Hot or Not" article. :)
Jokers- Thank you...I think Kyle is very invested in keeping Adam's legacy alive on the track but its so much more alive at Victory Junction Camp that it just doesnt make sense anymore.
RA6AN- I agree Bif's whining was unbecoming but I am not sure it was uncalled for. All the Roushkateers had problems with that front end vibration and Bif had to be super disappointed to throw away yet another win...he really was the best of the bunch. Definitely a Not though...
Tyler- You are correct, I went back and looked at the numbers for Gilliland and he isnt that far behind his teammate. For some reason I associate Gilly with bad luck and not good finishes but will check my distortion next time! =) Yates needs to solve that pesky money problem for sure though.
On target this week Klvalus. Just wonder how long Kyle will be able to keep up this pace before the other drivers get their cars figured out.Not that I would wish that though.
Your hot Kid !! I can say that cause I know I am older then you. lol. About Kyle Petty this is how he makes a living racing. Its not sweet in no means but if it is paying the bills he might have to stay on for awhile longer. Cheerssssssssss
Kristen,
I think I've heard that old axiom before that you can rein in an over-agressive driver but you can't make a woosy-boy driver agressive enough. Gosh, though, at 60, you'd think I'd be smart enough that I wouldn't let my mind write checks my body can't cash. I'm not a smart man, you know. :-) So what driver comes to mind if we talk about taking a 2nd or 3rd place car and driving it to a 5th place finish? lol Anyone?
Good pick to have Roush Racing on the HOT list. Nice to see some of the drivers like McMurray, coming back to life lately and running more competitively.
Kristen,
I understand why J.J. isn't on the not list but until they figure out how to win races or even race well again him and his crew are on my permanent "Not" list! You however are on my permanent "Hot" list.
Nice to see your boy Jr. is not far behind in points.
Great post but hey what's new. Hope today was a good day for you ma'chere it has been for me.
jb,
Yeah, if I was a betting man, I'd bet if Blaney ends up in victory lane it's because he took a wrong turn on the way to his hauler (and I like him as a driver - lol).
klvalus- That's because your thinking of David Gillian. lol, Rusty was putting a hex on him every time he called him that. Now that Rusty's out of the booth, "Gillian" has a chance.
Gerrel- The Roushkateers really did well at Darlington so they deserved it! Funny sidebar- the editor didnt get my Beach Boys reference at all...
Thanks Lisa! s2sayer is a funny guy.
Gambit- There were too many others who did worse than JJ but I dont see what some of the other writers are saying he isnt that off. He looks pretty off to me...Keep taking good care of yourself! :)
jbroomy- Blaney has as good a chance as winning this year as McMurray and Mears did winning last year! Ya never know, he is a good clean driver...I would hate for you have to spend all that coin coming to worship me! =)
Hoosier- ah, maybe you and broomy can get buddy fares to come worship me! LOL At least I didnt say he would win before Jr...
GUNNY- Good to see you! I like your ride for the GGW races, the best one IMO!
Tyler- Oh yea!!! That must be who I was thinking of!! Thanks for allowing me to save a little face. Good luck to you in those GGW races, bring your bananas!!
klvalus- Oh no! No bananas, gloves, spikes, etc allowed, or you "mysteriously" have a tire got flat. (watch out for kittens with sniper guns) lol, good luck to you too, hope you know more of what to do than I do, guess I'll just figure it out when we start, lol
About the FOX broadcast and no follow-ups - what about the little exchange between Martin Truex and Denny Hamlin. DW just assumed that Martin "ran over Denny" for some unknown reason but I found out later, online, that the scanner chat indicated that Denny had to slow down for some reason and Martin was right behind him and had nowhere to go. Denny actually came on the scanner and told his spotter to apologize to Martin's spotter and to let Martin know that it was his(denny's)fault. Actually Martin came on his scanner and told Denny that he was sorry as well, that he "couldn't whoa up" fast enough to miss him. I know FOX has people manning the scanner frequencies so why don't we find out about things like this. They were probably pushing one of their "Digger" items. Geesh....
Everyone's already done the "great job" thing so I'll just nod in agreement as I'm late to the party.
I call Travis Kvapil....Kerbopple..lol...like Edna Kerbopple, the teacher, on the Simpsons. Dont ask me where my head goes sometimes, it's much better not knowing..trust me!!
You sure this Kyle Busch guy deserves to be on the Hot list? Really? Gee, kv I guess you know this Nascar stuff pretty well, so I'll trust you on this one.
I'll try to follow this Kyle Busch person more often, it sounds like he's a fairly decent driver. Maybe he'll even win a race or three?
sooner- Thank you for sharing that info, I forgot about that incident with Martin and Denny. Again more info we dont have for some reason and we should! Hope FOX is listening...
Sweetk- Aw, your just stylishly late! You have a great sense of humor BTW...
bc- Hey man, where ya been? Yeah, I'd stake my rep on the Busch guy. If your looking for a driver to help you in the fantasy league standings it would either be him or Blaney! LMAO!
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 .
