Welcome to the Ring of Fire, which is also my favorite track. This may be a long winded Incident report with 15 cautions. So awaaay we go!
Caution 1- the 41 and 29 got together. simple Bristol wreck, probably no fault, either the 29 moved up or 41 came down. my opinion was that the 41 came down on the 29.
Caution #2- involved the 44, 17, and the 38. I want to believe that Kenseth is a better person and driver than Biffle, and therefore wouldn't just dump the 44. However, based soley on the reaction of DJ, i have to think that it was a punt. I have watched Jarrett race for many years and never seen him react like that after an on track incident. So, based on my previous conspiracy theory, I will chalk this one up to Jack Roush vs. Toyota.
Roush 3 Toyota 0
On a different note- why didn't FOX show any of DJ shaking his fist at Kenseth. I miss the old days were they played up issues like this. Now they cut away like its a streaker at the Superbowl.
Caution 3- 42 and the 6. Couple of rookies, looked like JPM caught a little apron and shot him up into the 6
#4- 42 and the 96. Give this one to the 96. appeared that JPM had the spot and the 96 seemed to come down on him.
#5 - 84 and 21. Another rookie, the 84. came down on the 21, and wrecked himself.
#6- 49 and the 6. Boy is David Ragan getting a workout. my opinion is the 49 was trying a bump and run, and bumped him a little to hard.
#7- 36 looked like Mayfield cut a tire, tough break for his first race of the year.
#8- 9 and the 7 slight contact with the 7 cut the left rear on the 9.
#9- 49, 12, 1, 25. looked like the 49 dumped the 1 . the 12 couldn't check up and drilled the 1 . the 25 spun due to the accordian effect, but suffered no damage.
#10- debris. Now i saw the debris, Fox saw it, but my wasn't it timely for JJ in the 48. Just after going a lap down, boom there it is.
#11- 49 and 88 with the 07 and 43. 49 and 88 got together unable to tell from the replays, but the 49 seems like he was a bull in china shop. the 07 and 43 were caught up avoiding the 88 in the wall.
#12 i belive this was a debris caution, but the 6 got into the 48 and spun out during the slow down.
#13- another debris caution
#14 the 48 appeared to have lost a right front tire. ( awwww darn)
#15- 9 and the 6, looked like the 9 punted the 6.
seems like the 6 was a favorite target during the race. David Ragan must have been dizzy from all the spinning he did. he 49 of mike bliss also seemed to be someone that was to be avoided.
In following with my conspiracy theories, I would definetly put an * by this one . its hard to tell a racing incindent from a blantant punt.
This week I am throwing out all the debris cautions, (thats another story) and commenting on the only "Incident" of the Atlanta race. With 96 laps to go, its seemed to me that good ol' Jack Roush called on the headhunter again. After viewing the replay about 10 times its my humble opinion that once again Mr. Biffle managed to get not only 1 but 2 Toyotas this week. From all appearances he moved up the track and into the 00, taking him out, and managing to knock the 83 into the wall as well. Poor Kasey got caught up in the mess as well.
There have only been four races this year, and Biffle has managed to hit Dave Reutimann in half of them. At what point does Nascar open its eyes and realize that Roush has taken his "WAR" with Toyota onto the race track. Or will Biffle have to serious injure another driver before someone steps up and says enough is enough. In reading Biffle's comments on the incident he placed the blame on the 00 saying that he was "right reared into the wall" and it was " maybe payback for California" For his part Reutimann said he was just following behind Vickers (83) on the high line. In my opinion it looked like Biffle came up the track, not the 00 moving down. Also Reutimann is a rookie with a new team and manufacturer, I think he just wants to finish a race in one piece, not payback anyone for an obvious punt two weeks ago.
Anyway thats just my opinion I could be wrong. BUT probably not!!
Two weeks ago after Cailfornia, I wrote a blog in which it was my opinion that Greg Biffle dumped the 00 as part of Roush's "war" with Toyota. So I decided to log all incidents involving a Roush Ford and any Toyota. A couple people said that I should see if the Toyota's do the same.
After some deliberation, I decided to make record of every incident on the track. It will be an effort to see not only any personal vendetta's but also see which guys are just plain reckless and or can't drive.
So I give you the first incident report of the year, thse wrecks involving multiple cars are just my opinion.
Lap 2- the 6 David Ragan, got out of the groove, and lost it.
Lap 9- the 7 Robby Gordon made 3 wide with the 25 Casey Mears and the 4 Ward Burton. On lap 9 it was a bonehead move by Gordon (as pointed out by Mears) He put the nose under Burton and took out 2 cars with minimal damage to his own car. Definetly Robby Gordon was at fault on this one.
Lap 18- the 13 Joe Nemechek got loose in front of the 07 Clint Bowyer. Bowyer did make conact with the 13 but only after it got loose and let off the gas. The 22 Dave Blaney also wrecked, trying to avoid a slowing Bowyer and spinning Nemechek. No intentional contact, no intent by Bowyer.
Lap 40 - the 180 Aric Amirola lost it on his own
Lap 107- the 70 Johnny Sauter lost it on his own
Lap 118- the 5 Kyle Busch lost it on his own
95 to go- the 15 Paul Menard lost it on his own
41 to go- 07 Bowyer last it on his own
lap ?? the 9 Kasy Kahne, lost it on his own.
Only one stupid move this week, i am not looking forward to Bristol, i am sure this blog will be much longer after that race.
I have bagged on Nascar.com's new layout, but i still check it out almost daily, and this morning i came across this article about Chris Trickle (#### nephew) I had never heard of him or his story, but read it anyway. Bill Weber did a great job writing it and for all us dads, put things in perspective. Not having a great relationship with my own dad, it makes me strive to be the best dad that i can.
Thats one of the great thnigs about Nascar, even in the stories of tragedy, it makes you realize that family is the most important thing in the world.
I have always wondered if Nascar fans were users of the products that sponsor our past time. Are the huge sponsor dollars actually worth what these companies pay?? I am sure the marketing depts. of these companies say yes, but I would like some real world views.
So lets hear from you Nascar fans, do you drink Bud, eat Snickers, and shop at Lowes??
As for me personally, My all time favorite driver is Rusty Wallace. However, I do not partake of the beverage made from barley and hops. I prefer the hard stuff, if you know what I mean. But I have to say that if I drank beer, I would have only drank Miller Lite.
Now I don't take this to extremes. I mean we all have our favorite foods and beverages, and home improvement stores. And I don't go out of my way to buy Nascar sponsors products, but when the is a choice between two similiar items, with price and quality being equal, I do chose the one with ties to Nascar.
On the home improvement side, I usually go to Home Depot, but thats just because I dislike Jimmy Johnson more that I dislike Tony Stewart. Also, if dupont didn't have a hand in some many products i use. ( i do auto repair and body work) i would boycott them because of Jeffy boy. Its just a damn shame he shills for some of my favorite products. I love Mt Dew (pepsi product) and Fritos ( i mean who doesn't like Fritos and Lays)
If your looking for an answer to that question, STOP READING!!!!
Why did I make that the title of this post?? Well, I suppose, because it would make people look and maybe read this post. A little self serving, but then aren't we all.
In all reality its an impossible question to answer. Each motorsport has its own intricacy that makes it special, and difficult, therefore you can't compare them. Even within a single type of racing its hard to specify which driver is better. There are always differences in equipment, the best driver in the world cannot win with inferior equipment. Truthfully, even when you attempt to put drivers in equal car (i.e. IROC) that isn't a true variable either. The fact that they raced on tracks where the Nascar drivers had an advantage for the most part, throws a wrench in those statistics.
So how do we judge which driver is the best?? Highest paid, most wins, average finish, longevity, popularity?? None of these would be a true barometer of someones talent.
Now I am a Nascar fan, however I am also a fan of many other forms of motorsports. Including rally racing, drag racing, scca, Sportscar racing, plus the occasional F1 and IRL,Cart type races. I think too often we pidgeonhole ourselves into one thing or another. Plenty of people think Nascar is silly, the same can be said for IRL,CART. But I can tell you that I just love racing. Whether its the drop of the green at the Bristol night race, to seeing to guys run on the 1/8 mile drag , from driving on a autocross course, to Watching a NHRA top fueler blow through the quarter. They all get my heart pumping, the hair on my arms standing, and my adrenaline flowing.
So why I am I writing all this, well because I keep hearing people bagging on Juan Pablo Montoya, and people throwing him up as the greatest driver in history. I saw in another blog that J.P. was nothing compared to Earnhardt Sr. We are talking apples to oranges people. I mean really, come on. Sr was a great Nascar driver, there is no doubt of that. But can anyone really think that he would run all over everyone in an F1 car, or an Indy car, or a WRC type car?? In the same vain, Could Micheal Shumacher really come over here and run good at Bristol? I doubt that either one could run well, atleast not right off the bat anyway.
Anyway, there are so many variables, that we can never truly know who the best driver in the world. There are great examples of cross over type people, that i think lends them towards being at the top of the list. Earnhardt Sr did compete in several Sportscar type events and ran very well, Tony Stewart, though it pains me to say(lol) does have not only 2 Nextel Cups, but an IRL championship as well. And that brings us back to Juan Pablo. He has won in everything he has ever driven. Do I think he can drive yes, do I think he will win in Nascar at the cup level, yes. does that mean he is better than our Nascar heroes. NO, but until Jeff Gordon, or Tony Stewart gets a chance the drive in F1, we will never know for sure.
Until then I say this. Cheer for your favorite driver, but keep an open mind. Watch a Rolex Grand AM race, watch an NHRA event and think to yourself, how would Tony or Juan Pablo do in a 300 mph dragster. Watch the WRC and ask yourself if Jimmy Johnson Could go 140 through a 70 turn course on snow. I bet they could, and i would watch for sure. Wouldn't you!
As I sit here during the off week, I thought back to when I first became interested in racing. I began to wonder why I love racing so much, and others dislike it.
I grew up in an average suburban home, my dad is a huge baseball and basketball fan, and would only watch a race if I made him. I have always had in interest in cars, started with Hotwheels when I was a wee tot, graduated to models and r.c. cars and finally the real thing. Somewhere in there, around the late eighties i found Nascar. I have been a fan ever since. So why do I like racing so much. Everyone else around me seems disinterested, my wife calls it Napcar, although she must learn in her sleep, because she can tell you who drive what car. My father in-law loves cars. Grew up with muscle cars, had a few, then around 50 had his midlife crisis and bought a sports car. But he doesn't like Nascar at all. I have got him slightly into drag racing, but only because i was racing his car.
Is it something in our DNA, or how we grew up? I hear alot from people who grew up around racing, so that seems like a nurture or inherited love of the sport. So where does that leave a guy like me. My dads in finance, All my jobs have been automotive related. Was there a glitch in my DNA??
I am a father now, and I want to have a better relationship with my son, than i have with my dad. So every Sunday, I scoop up the little man, and we watch the race and play cars. I just wonder if that will be enough to spark his interest, or if he will turn out loving golf or bowling or something. (not that there is nything wrong with that).
Anyway, Whats your thoughts Nascar Bloggers? How did you get into racing? Friends, family, out of the blue like me?? How about an unofficial, unscientific poll on whether its nature or nurture??
I think i am going to keep track of how many times a Roush car that is not in contention, takes out a Toyota for no apparent reason. This weekend was the first. Biffle, with no regard for David Reutiman, dumpd the 00 . It clearly looked intentional to me. I watched the replay on my dvr about 20 times, including the in car from the 00. The 00 took a very hard hit and Reutiman spent atleast 30 minutes in the infield care center. I can see these incidents taking place up front, or even for a top ten, but these guys were running back in the pack.
In hearing all of Roush's hypocritical hate rhetoric earlier in the season, i trruly believe that this incident was not a "racing incident". With 5 drivers I am sure he will always have an opportunity to have a back marker Roush car "fence" one of these hated toyotas.
Not only was this dangerous and costly for the 00, this incident also collected Ricky Rudd and Bobby Labonte. As the races pile up this season I will be keeping my own score card with regards to any incident that involve a Roush car and a toyota.
In fact i am going to log every incident this season. I post these so that we can all see with cars are a danger, not only to themselves but every other driver on the track.
I was a little dissappointed, I thought that Rusty and Doc Jerry were good but I didn't really get alot from Tim Brewer. Also i saw a couple of glaring mistakes.For one, they didn't even get an interview with the winner in victory lane. Whats up with that. Also they kept saying Harvick was driving his own car, not an RCR one. i will chalk that one up to the it being the first race, since there are tons of driver and team changes, but not interviewing the winner, is horrible. What did you guys think??
The fines and penalties just came down. Incredible. the one thing i don't understand is why they banned bobby kennedy. I mean he's a VP of the company not down there working on the cars.
plus the coverage has been completly biased and tilted to try and disparage the toyota's. i mean i didn't see them interview a dodge rep. when the whole everham team has been given fines and penalties, plus why not suspend everhams VP his whole team got caught cheating.
just for the record i am not condoning any cheating, just wondering about the discrepancy about the fines and suspensions.
Is it me, or does the fact that ALL 3 Everham cars had their crew chiefs suspended, fines and points deductions, cast some shadows over Jeff Gordons seasons with Ray at the Helm. Its obvious that he has little regard for the rules, and I would be wiling to bet this didn't start after he began his own operation. I think he is gone back to what made him and Gordon successful, CHEATING!!! I guess this time around Nascar is looking a little closer, and he doesn't have the Golden Boy to save him. We all know Nascar LOVES little Jeffy, so i am sure they let things slide back then. Anyway, i hope this doesn't kill the 9's season. I was thinking that he could contend for the title this year.
Well the Shootout and Qualifying are over and we have a tedious 4 day wait till the duel 150's. So i guess I can give everyone my take on this weekends festivities.
I'll start with the Shootout. And even though i know this comment will make two women (they know who they are ;) ) very angry. I would have to say that Tony Stewart was out of line in bumping the #5 out of the way. I know rubbin is racin, and I really don't like Busch, but what Tony did was uncalled for at 185 mph, that sort of move is best left to Bristol. With that being said, i thought the race was a little stale, with not much passing going on. Usually that race is a little more exciting. Other than that, I was happy to see Dale Jr man up and admit that he got over zealous and caused the accident on the last lap. It takes alot to stand up and say what he did. Most drivers try to put the focus on someone else, but JR (just like his oldman did) stepped up and took the hit. Bravo to him for that.
On to qualifying. Once again I call for Nascar to eliminate this top thirty five B.S. There were some Big names on the low end of the time charts, and i am positive that they just didn't care because they know they are in, and they know starting position is not that critical at Daytona. I still think that the Top 15 in each qualifier and then based on times should be the criteria for the 500 field.
and how about the media calling Toyotas performance on sunday lackluster. i thought they they did quite well considering they are doing this with all new cars and motors. By the time charts they out qualified a number of teams including Penske and RCR. I think i will take up the Toyota cause on the blogs this year, its seems that most people are rooting for them to fail. So being the type of person i am i will step up and be the FIRST declared Toyota supporter on the blogs!! I am sure i will catch a bunch of flack for it but just remember to bring more than calling me unpatriotic when responding. I do drive a Chevy after all.
Hello sports fans, this year i plan to write a daily sports blog. This will be an all sport, all level blog encompassing what is right and wrong in todays sports world. Mainly I chose this forum in a effort to recieve feedback from sports fans, who are hopefully an knowledgable as I think I am. Over the last year or so i have tuned in to a great many sports radio shows and found that they would rather let an ignorant inflammatory #### on the radio, instead of an intelligent sports fan. So this will be my forum for all things athletic. You may agree, or maybe not, please feel free to let me know either way.
I still play soccer and follow Nascar, College b-ball and f-ball, mlb, all soccer, nfl and some nba. I am a married father of one.
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