• Congratulations to Brad Keselowski on getting his first ever Sprint Cup win in only a handful of starts.  What a place for it to come at, and what a way he managed to get it...  I am willing to make a bet that not a single fantasy participant had him on his or her racing team for Talladega weekend; all I know is I sure didn't.

• Now I am going to get down to business and analyze the incident that happened on the final lap on the final stretch of the race.  We all know what happened; Keselowski gets into Edwards' bumper and sends him airborne, etc.  I really believe that there was nothing wrong with how Brad Keselowski won that race.  In the drivers' meeting before the race, NASCAR made it CLEAR for a driver not to try to advance his position below the yellow line.  Plus, Brad probably thought back to the failed attempt made by Regan Smith on Tony Stewart last fall.  So, there was only one way for Keselowski to win the race, and he wasn't going to throw away what may be his only chance to ever win at Talladega and the opportunity to get his first career Sprint Cup victory.  All he did was hold his ground!

• Too bad for Carl Edwards.  It must have been pretty scary for him not only to flip off the ground but also crash into the the fence.   When Keselowski made his maneuver, naturally, Edwards came down on him and tried to block him.  What else was he supposed to do in that situation???  After all the pieces are put together, the drawn conclusion is that this was nothing but hard out racing.  There were two drivers who had never won at Talladega and were not going to come short of crossing the finish line first.  An incident like this is what keeps fans coming back to Talladega year after year and is what keeps NASCAR's rating up where they are right now...  that's racin'.  Newman was just an innocent victim in the midst of the sea of chaos.  Even with a torn up race car, he still coasted to a third place finish.  Kudos to Edwards for running across the finish line like a real man.  That right there shows just how driven and disiplined he is to do his personal best each and every race.

• There is a message being conveyed through what just happened at Talladega on Sunday and last October.  A message that NASCAR needs to pick up on no matter reluctant they feel about it.  Carl Edwards made it perfectly clear when he said that "we'll race like this until we kill somebody and then they'll change it".  In my opinion, all NASCAR needs to do is LIFT THE YELLOW LINE RULE ON THE LAST LAP OF THE RACE.  It is as simple as that right there.  I understand that it is unsafe for the main part of the race, but it sure does affect the outcome of a 500 mile chess match.  Hear me out NASCAR, hear me out!  When race fans start to become victims of the stupid rule, something has to change...
  

• I am giving kudos to Scott Speed and Joey Logano for getting their first ever top ten finishes in Sprint Cup.  Also, nice job to Marcos Ambrose for finishing fourth.  Talladega is just so unpredictable; anything can happen.

• Another blown opportunity for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.... that's all I can say.  At least he is starting to get his groove back and snagged a second place finish.  I thought he would have learned from his mistakes at Talladega by now.  The same situation on the closing laps on Sunday also occured Saturday in the Nationwide race.  He cannot wait until the last lap and expect to make his move without any help; it's just not going to happen.  I am going to give him the Talladega Mistake of the Week award for throwing away a chance to actually win a race.  Richmond will be another opportunity for him though, at least if he doesn't get spun out by Kyle Busch again...

• I was really surprised that The Big One happened in the first ten laps of the race instead of in the later portion.  It's a shame that a bunch of guys capable of winning got caught up in all of the mess.  That's just what happens at Talladega.  I am not sure whether Jeff Gordon or Matt Kenseth started it all???  To me though, it looked like Kenseth.

• Have you noticed that FOX has started to just show the same Digger episodes over and over again?  If they want to reel in all of the kids, they at least need to have a different one each week.

• My final thought for the weekend is going to be on safety.  It sure has come a long way since that fateful day, Feburary 18, 2001.  It is amazing to watch the drivers climb out of the race cars after horrific crashes just a little shaken up... Matt Kenseth on Saturday and Carl Edwards on Sunday.  If these incidents were to occur a decade ago, I think we might have seen different outcomes.  NASCAR is really tenacious about protecting the competitors.  Part of the reason they designed the new car the way they did was for safety.  At least they finally got the most important thing right after the tragic loss we all remember very well...
  

That's all I have to say this week.  We just witnessed one of the most exciting races in a very long time.  I wish all of them could be this way...

                    

                                                          

• Going into Saturday night's race, it was 97 long races until Mark Martin had last been to victory lane.  During that long winless streak, he persevered even when it seemed like his days in the Sprint Cup Series were numbered.  Prior to the Phoenix race, all of the other drivers knew they were in for it when Mark actually seemed pleased with his race car.  He led almost all of the laps during the daylight and put himself into a postion where he was ready for nightfall.  That final race off pit road was probably the most intense part of the whole evening.  At first, it seemed like all of Martin's hopes went up in flames because it appeared as if Kyle Busch beat him out of the pits.  Mark Martin's pit crew though got him into the position to make his dreams come true and make all race fans realize that he is only 50 years young.  Congratulations Mark, you've truly earned it!  The expression on his face in the picture above shows that victory cannot get much sweeter.

• During Mark Martin's post-race interview, he talked about how Rick Hendrick just "makes dreams come true".  At the beginning of this season, many people considered this two-year deal to drive the number 5 car for Hendrick Motorsports to be Mark's farewell tour.  But now, we have all realized that the racing veteran is still championship material.  He is one of the most conditioned and physically fit guys out there.  He has the respect of all racers big and small because he does what's right and always remembers the golden rule.  Rick Hendrick has given him the chance of a lifetime.  Otherwise, if this deal hadn't happened, I think that Martin would have never returned to victory lane, NASCAR's version of "The Promised Land".
  

• Tony Stewart almost got his first victory as an owner for Stewart-Haas Racing.  He had a great car but just not one good enough to overtake Mark Martin.  Stewart talked about after the race how he could almost taste victory.  He was so close yet so far.  That first win for him is coming very soon, possibly even next week at Talladega.

• I don't know why, but I am always scared to put Kurt Busch on my fantasy team even when he has a good record at a particular track.  I think it is probably because he didn't give me a single top ten finish in 2007.  2008 is a year for him to overwrite all of last year's woes, and he is doing well so far.  It won't be long until I believe in him again...  he has been pretty impressive in the first eight races.

• After last week's discussion on Jimmie Johnson, I have come to the conclusion that he is always at a perpetual peek.  He is not like other drivers in the sense that they get hot for a couple of races and then cool back down.   A fourth place finish in the Valley of the Sun gives him is sixth top ten finish of the season.

• Kudos to Sam Hornish, Jr. for getting his first top ten finish in who knows when.  A top ten is nothing special for a guy like Jimmie Johnson, but for him, it is like winning the Daytona 500.  I still think he needs to go back to Indy...

• And the troubles continue for Dale Earnhardt, Jr...  He was a little deceiving by getting our hopes up there for a little while.  With the car he had, I have to give him and Eury, Jr. credit by keeping him on a different pit cycle from the leaders.  When you're as bad as he is, you have to get creative...

• I enjoyed the little incident after the race between Casey Mears and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  Junior just has had so much pent up anger from the past couple of weeks and couldn't take anymore.   Mears spun him out with around ten laps to go and got what he deserved on the cool-down lap.  Maybe DW's Rant from Texas about showing emotion is starting to come into play...
  

• The Mistake of the Week award for Phoenix is going to be split between two drivers: Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon.  There is no worst time to get busted for speeding on pit road than when Kyle Busch did on the last caution.  That right there ruined his chances of winning the race.  Jeff Gordon had to come back down pit road for a missing lug nut.  What's up with all of these lug nuts?  Maybe Kristen picked some up for us...

• Speaking of Kristen, I really hope she had a great time.  To make her time sweeter, she managed to get on national television.  If you were watching the post-race show, she walked right behind Kurt Busch as he was doing his interview...

• Finally, I must congratulate Miss South Carolina, Stephanie Smith, a girl from Hanahan's hometown of Goose Creek, SC, for making the top ten in Miss USA 2009.  You can read all about her at the following link: http://www.misssouthcarolinausa.com/aboutscusa.html.  I wonder if this may be Hanahan's girlfriend???

                                                 

Easter.  The time of the year when the cold winter comes to a close.  The day when we remember why we can be forgiven of our sins.  An occasion for families all over the world to get together and be with one another.  And in NASCAR, an early season break to take a look back over the first seven races of the Sprint Cup season.  A time when many questions come into play that will answer themselves one by one over the next 29 races.  Here are five topics to help summarize and forecast the past, present, and future of the 2009 season:

When and how will Dale Earnhardt, Jr. recover from a disappointing start to the season?

One of the biggest topics being discussed by NASCAR Nation over the break is Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s nightmare start to the 2009 season.  All fans are wondering what the problem is and how it will be resolved.  Many people are talking about a crew chief change being the answer, but it may be deeper than that.  The crew chief issue could possibly only be the tip of the iceberg.  With only two top tens in seven races, it seems as if a miracle would have to take place for Junior to get back on track.  No need to worry folks!  The icon of NASCAR will still make the Chase.

16th in points is only four positions from being in the Top 12.  Earnhardt will need slow and steady top ten finishes each and every week to build his confidence back up to its normal level.  He has to follow Darrell Waltrip's golden rule and "not beat himself".  Part of his problem may be that he puts too much pressure on himself.  He has heard every word of Kyle Busch's rambling and know that his statistics don't match up to his word famous name.  Junior cannot expect to have a car to win races right now; that will come at a later time.

All drivers go through a tough period in their career where it seems like they are at the bottom of the world.  Jeff Gordon's great depression terminated last week at Texas when he shocked the world by winning at the track that he called "too tough to tame".  Maybe this is a sign of good things to come for the number 88 team.  As bad as things seem, don't mark him off just yet.

Jimmie Johnson... Is he peaking too early???

The NASCAR on FOX crew mentioned this topic last week at Texas.  All through Jimmie Johnson's career, he has been a late season driver who has developed an unbeatable formula to win championship after championship.  The strategy is simple: use the first 26 races as an extended testing session to prepare for the postseason.  During those 26 races, he experiments with the race car and finds what works best for him.  Along the way, he has always picked up a couple of wins for momentum to use when it's game time.  But this year has been a little different...

In 2009, Johnson has gotten off to a faster start than ever before.  Doesn't Martinsville seem quite early for him to win his first race?  Doesn't it seem kind of odd for him to be contending for the win every week this early?  This year, I believe he is a little confused.  Jimmie probably thinks that the Chase is the first ten races of the season instead of the last ten.  He is giving it all he has each week and drives the car to the limit.  Slow down a little Jimmie if you hope to break Cale Yarborough's record of three straight championships; hold your horses.  Of course in my books, I really believe it is time to have a different cup champion, and this is what needs to happen.

Are the Top 12 drivers pretty much the ones who we will see in the Chase?

Another thing the NASCAR on FOX crew has mentioned is how they feel that the Top 12 drivers in points are mostly locked-in for the Chase.  Are you kidding me?  Do you think David Reutimann will really still be around in September?  Do you think that drivers like Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle and even Mark Martin will settle in to where the currently are?  There will be many changes in the next 19 races leading up to the Chase.  We haven't even hit the summer stretch, and that is the real test.

Joey Logano... Is he seriously ready to be racing in Sprint Cup, or is it too much too fast?

Growing pains, that is what this is called.  The kid is only 18 and is better off than most 18-year olds in this country.  He just graduated from high school and has a whole racing career ahead of him.  Joey has even already won two Nationwide races in less than one year.  This has all happened at lightning speed for him.  I bet he still has butterflies in him from taking over the Home Depot car from one of the most respected and knowledgeable drivers out there.  I can tell that he is gaining confidence interview by interview, race by race.  Honestly, this is what I have kind of expected, 35th in points after seven races.  He would be crazy if he had the pressure on him of getting to victory lane at this point in the season.  As Greg Zippadelli said, right now, they are just looking for top 20 finishes.

Is the Sprint Cup Awards Banquet heading to Las Vegas a good move on NASCAR's part?

Memories of Manhattan.  This has been the talk about the upcoming move of the Sprint Cup Awards Banquet to Sin City.  There have been many great memories of it in New York City, and those need to be remember and cherished.  But, I do think this is a great call by the big wigs of NASCAR.   For once, they do something right.  Las Vegas has plenty of great facilites to host the spectacular event including Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, and the Bellagio.  It will spice up the event even more to make it possible for average race fans to get to see their favorite drivers dressed up in tuxedos.  It will bring change to the traditions of the sport, good change.  Plus, it might even make it possible for the season to end at the Diamond in the Desert.


All of this is food for thought.  Stuff to ponder over through the coming week and the rest of the season.  If there is any other topic you would like me to analyze, feel free to let me know!

                                       

This week, I am out of school for Spring Break!  Today, I went to downtown Atlanta to see a very cool Terracotta Warriors exhibit that retold the history of the Qin Dynasty in ancient China.

• Congratulations to Jeff Gordon for finally bringing his 47-race winless streak to an end.  In his interview, he talked about how ironic it is that it came at Texas after all of his hardships in the Lone Star state.  In my opinion, this was one of the biggest victories of his career that came when he needed it the most.  Too bad Ingrid and Ella were not there... of all races to miss.

• Both Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have the marks of true champions; they make do with what they have.  Gordon's car at the start of the race wasn't the best, but he got it into victory lane at the end of the day with several adjustments and plenty of patience.  Jimmie does the same thing.  At one point during the day he was running in 19th position, but he salvaged a second place finish.  If Jeff and Jimmie do this well with medicore machinery, there's no telling how indomitable they will be with equipment that meets their standards...

• Carl, Carl, Carl, another blown finish.  For a while, he looked he like he was going to run away at the end because Jeff didn't have much of a chance at catching him.  The pits are where 90% of all mistakes are made.  How in the heck did he enter first and leave eleventh?  This time, the driver wasn't even at fault.  Edwards' pit crew has earned the Mistake of the Week award for Texas and for good reason.  The saying proves its legitimacy once again: NASCAR is a team sport.

• When are Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s miseries going to come to an end?  Every week, some incident happens to ruin his race performance.  Yesterday, he drove right by his pit box without even spotting it on a bonus trip down pit road.  It all happened as a result of his crew forgetting to put in a lug nut on the previous pit stop.  Sounds to me like he needs some coaching from Michael Waltrip about how to draw a little diagram on his dashboard.  That could come in pretty handy throughout the course of the season.  Jeff Hammond made a comment during the broadcast about how good Junior would be if he didn't have to come down pit road, and I sure do believe it.
  

• To make matters worse for Earnhardt, he got pushed out of the way while leading by lap down driver Kyle Busch. This number 88 team just has so many problems to overcome if they want to be competitive and have a shot at the championship.  It's going to take many hours of thought and decision-making to get this crew turned around.  Plus, maybe a crew chief firing.

• A sixth place finish at Texas continues to prove to NASCAR Nation that Mark Martin isn't too old to run a 36 race season.  His body is capable of enduring 500 miles on a hot Sunday afternoon.  Also, the fire and passion Mark possesses will help him to eventually return to victory lane.  As he has stated before though, it is just so tough to win one of these races.

• I really enjoyed DW's Rant during the pre-race show.  Drivers just don't have the pugnacious attitudes that they had in the old days, or possibly they just have taken too much anger management.  Maybe NASCAR and Brian France will listen to what he has to say... haha.  The man has some very good points.

• I have a question about the Digger cartoon.  Actually, several people have come to me with a question about it that I don't know the answer to.  So, I am going to turn to my NASCAR panel of advisors and ask "What type of animal is Lumpy Wheels (the security guy)?".

I wish everyone a great Easter holiday and am looking forward to going racin' again in the Valley of the Sun.  At least next week we have a Nationwide race in Nashville plus the Masters golf tournament in Augusta!

                                          

This weekend, NASCAR journeys to the heart of America for some good ole' racing in the Lone Star State.  Which driver will be the cowboy who gets to shoot the old fashioned pistols in victory lane after 500 grueling miles around The Great American Speedway?  Many people think 500 miles around Texas is too long, but I think that it is just right.

Congratulations to David Reutimann for the second pole of his career.  I just have a feeling he isn't going to finish where he started.  There's a lot that can happen on an April afternoon at Texas... Most of us fans are still having to get used to hearing his name up front.  So far, he has had a great year and sits at 11th in points.  Will he be the shot heard 'round the world if he keeps it up and makes the Chase?

Sorry David, you aren't going to be leading for too long, not when you have Jeff Gordon sitting in shotgun position.  It won't be too long after the green flag drops until the #24 car goes whizzing by, possibly even the first lap.  Gordon has never won at Texas and finished 43rd last April for only the second or third time in his career.  Will all those bad memories of it be written off on Sunday, or will they just keep on growing?

Beware of the Roush-Fenway cars all weekend.  They have always had a knack for Texas Motor Speedway and have dominated the past couple of races.  If one of the Cat in the Hat's cars has it going on, trust me, they all will.  Matt Kenseth and David Ragan are two men we better keep our eyes on all afternoon long, starting from row 2.

Carl Edwards has had a slow start to the '09 racing season with only one top five finish six races into it.  He just hasn't gotten warmed up so quickly like he did last year.  Texas is a perfect venue for him to prove to all of the other racers that he hasn't gone anywhere.  By the way, he has not only won but dominated both races here in 2008.

Sorry all of you other racers, but Jimmie Johnson is headed for victory lane.  That win last week at Martinsville not only satisfied his craving for victory but even made him want more.  It's not going to stop after one week.  Last year in this race, he followed Carl Edwards around the 1.5 mile circuit all afternoon but just didn't have the car to overtake him.  Ninth position is a perfect starting spot to get the job done two weeks in a row.  Johnson is my pick to win the race and take home another victory for Hendrick Motorsports.

Kudos to Joey Logano for qualifying tenth, the best so far of the season.  The question is whether he can stay up there for long or not... The man is getting better race by race and could eventually become a weekly contender when November rolls around.  Success doesn't come instantly; it takes practice and practice and more practice.

I expect Sunday's race to be extremely close if not identical to the Atlanta one.  The two tracks are practically sisters and race very similarly.  There will be lots of cautions and possibly some tire trouble.  Hopefully, we will witness some great passes and another five star finish!