Racing For Change

Tony Stewart is the Man.

2009-07-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

Not for the reasons you may think. Stewart currently sits on top of the Sprint Cup standings and he has two wins this season, one in the all-star race and the other at Pocono. He is doing phenomenal things with his new team and has put himself in championship contention. I say he’s the man for a different reason. Tony has always had this hot head perception that has dogged him his whole career and don’t get me wrong he has earned it. He’s had plenty of run-ins on and off the track, but the bottom line is he is a great guy.

He proved that this past Wednesday when he took time out from his busy schedule to visit a local Office Depot in Indianapolis. The purpose of the visit was to hand out backpacks to needy kids in the greater Indy area. Tony was on hand with a big smile and most importantly he looked like he was having a good time.

The part of the day the really caught me off guard was when Tony was doing media interviews and when asked the question about how important the weekend was to him,
he replied this is the most important thing he’s doing this weekend (referring to giving out supplies to needy children). I was floored, that was a very cool thing he said and it’s a very cool thing that he’s doing.

Mark Martin should be a little pessimistic about making the chase

2009-07-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

Before we all start jumping on the Mark Martin bandwagon let’s remember a certain driver had the same success early in the season last year. That’s right. Kyle Busch had all but wrapped up the championship in the first half of the season with a strong first half that resulted in 8 wins and the number one seeding in the Chase. The first chase race the 18 team soon found itself in trouble. After they had trouble in the first race, it was all downhill. Kyle and the eighteen team sank like the titanic and they were never able to get back on track for the rest of the season and Kyle finished a very disappointing 10th in the chase for the Sprint Cup.

Martin and the 5 team at Hendrick Motorsports, seem to be a very smart bunch and they probably have gone over every scenario of how not to fall in that trap of falling behind when the chase comes around. Even thought Martin leads the series in wins with 4, he still sits 11th in the standings and is in jeopardy of missing the chase if his team falters just a little. Martin is well aware of where he sits in the standings and is very reluctant to say they are in chase, because he has tasted disappointment many times before in his quest for that elusive Cup title.

Martin will be up against some stiff competition not only from other teams, but teams within the Hendrick Motorsports stable. Jimmie Johnson is looking to make history by winning his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup title and Jeff Gordon is looking to score his fifth cup title. Buckle in for what could be a wild chase if three of the four Hendrick cars make it into the chase.

Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch, Budding Rivalry??

2009-07-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

Is there a budding rivalry between Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch? Over the past few weeks, the action on the track has been heated. NASCAR’s new double file restart rule has played a large part in the driver’s tempers flaring a bit. One battle that has escalated is the battle between Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson. A series of incidents came to a head last weekend in Chicago when Johnson got loose and washed up the racetrack. Busch was to the outside of Johnson and as Johnson went up the track he got into Busch, resulting in Busch coming down on Johnson. Busch was left with a tire rub and an angry disposition. When asked about the incident post race Busch was quick to say I’ve lost respect for the 48” Those are strong words from Busch, of course in the heat of the moment, but never the less it came out of his mouth.

Both are champions in their own right Busch won the Cup title in 2004 and Johnson is a three-time and reigning Sprint Cup Series Champion. Both are in the top ten in the standings. This battle could rage on and turn into a rivalry, something NASCAR and its fan desperately want and need. What wrong with a little heated competition on the racetrack that gets personal every once in a while?

Mark Martin Just Wants to Win!

2009-06-16T20:02:00.001-07:00

Mark Martin just wants to win. Well he is certainly doing that and more. After a rough start to his 2009 season Martin has rebounded nicely. Martin has racked up three wins and sits 8th in the Sprint Cup standings. If the Chase were to start today Martin would be the point leader along with Kyle Busch because both have three wins.

Many put Martin in championship contention when he and car owner Rick Hendrick announced that Martin would drive the number 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet full-time in 2009.
Martin brushed off talk about championships saying he always thought about championship and they never happened. He wants to focus on winning races and everything else will take care of itself.

What he’s saying is true, but he has to know deep down inside that he has a legitimate shot at not only competing for a cup title, but having a realistic chance of capturing that Sprint Cup trophy that has alluded him his entire career.

Martin is poised to take this ride and see where it leads him. If I were in Vegas, I would put a bet down on Mark Martin to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup title this season. Oh yeah and the NASCAR awards banquet is in Las Vegas this year. Stay tuned. We may be seeing Mark Martin at the head of the table posing with his new best buddy, that NASCAR Sprint Cup trophy.

NASCAR implements double file restarts.

2009-06-07T18:18:00.000-07:00

This week’s race in Pocono marks the first time NASCAR will implement the double file restarts. A move some are calling great and other think it’s a bad idea. No matter what you think you have to applaud NASCAR for listening to the fans and for making the change to try and improve the sport. Not that anything is wrong, but at least it shows they are willing to try and do something. I won’t go into details about the rules and how they have changed, but I will say that you can expect more racing all around the track. Drivers will line up in the order they have been running in all race therefore giving them more incentive to race the driver that is around you. Every spot you gain will be an advantage, so you will be earning your spot instead of falling into it. I think it will be more hard racing and we will see a better show. Time will tell.

Brendan Gaughan puts his foot in his mouth.

2009-06-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

Brendan Gaughan! Boy did he do it. In the day of political correctness he made a boo- boo. During the Nationwide race Saturday night in Nashville, young driver Marc Davis was heading into the garage. Gaughan was headed into his pit stall. Davis hooked a left to head into the garage and boom they made contact. Whose fault was it? Don’t know, but that’s not the point. Gaughan had major damage to the right front of his car, a pretty good car I may add. At the time of the wreck he was running up front. That Accident pretty much took him out contention for a win.

Once Gaughan made it back onto the racetrack with his badly damaged car, he got on his radio and had some things to say about the younger Davis who just turned 19. That “dumb college wanna-be graduate. He better not leave the racetrack without talking to me.” Needless to say he should have just kept his mouth shut, but he didn’t and the whole world heard what he had to say well at least everyone watching the broadcast.

You see Davis is black and Howard University, historically black college is his primary sponsor of his car. Davis is former participant in the NASCAR Drive For Diversity program. When I logged onto the message boards this morning, there was a lot of buzz about the comments Gaughan made last night after the incident. By the way Gaughan drives for Rusty Wallace, a former NASCAR champion.

I really don’t think Gaughan meant anything by what he said he was just very frustrated that he had a car that could potentially win the race and to have that chance slip away probably made him blow his top, but that is what makes these guys professional. They need to learn how to take these things and move on. Racing is so different from any sport because fans have more access to the action through team radios and they can hear pretty much everything that the drivers and teams talk about. I’m sure if you hooked up radios to players in the NFL, MLB or NBA you would catch a lot of things that would be considered in appropriate.

In the future I’m sure Gaughan will think twice before he opens up his mouth and let out a stupid comment in frustration. These guys are professional and they need to act like it. People may think this is a racial issue. I think it is far from it and I hope that it does not turn in to one. Not to defend Gaughan, but as I said before I think it was clearly him being angry about being wreck and have a car capable of winning the race.

If you are wondering who Brendan Gaughan is, he is former Georgetown Hoya. He played on the same team as Allen Iverson and was his roommate in college. He rarely played, but was a big part of the team.

Running in the Back of the Pack.

2009-06-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

What is like to run in the back of the pack? I would not have a clue. I have never driven racecar, so I can’t tell you. I sat there and watched the race yesterday and saw cars 3 laps down, 2 laps down and I thought why bother? Racing is not like other sports. Let me think and see how I would compare being part of the lapped car group. In football terms being a lapped car is like being in the 4th quarter and getting beat 56 to 0. I think it is worse in racing because in most other sports if you are getting you butt kicked like that at least you can bring in the reserve players. Racing, no way, you are in that car for the long haul. It does not matter if you want to get out of the car, you can’t. Give these guys credit. Somehow they keep digging and stay up on the wheel and try to get what they can. The other thing is, with racing at least you get points for finishing and for ever spot higher you advance on the board its more points. That’s what keeps these guys going. Every point counts.

Davis Continues Against the Odds.

2009-05-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

Marc Davis continues to do it without much. When I say not much I mean help from the big time sponsors. It’s hard to believe that a kid that has as much talent as Davis has to struggle to race. I don’t understand how he goes unnoticed by the big sponsors. Where are the diversity dollars that should be coming his way? Well at least he has found someone who is willing to take a chance on him. Braun Racing has signed the youngster on for six races starting this weekend in Dover. Of course he will be bringing his own sponsor, but at least he will be running in some good equipment. Braun Racing is the team that fields part-time rides for Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers while running a full schedule with Nationwide regular Jason Leffler. Hopefully this will be Davis’s shot a securing a full-time ride for the future.

Dale Jr. Headed in a New Direction.

2009-05-29T04:37:00.000-07:00

Dale Earnhardt Jr finally gets a new crew chief. Sure it was a long time coming, but who should really get the blame for the failure of the #88 team, Dale Jr. Tony Jr. or both? There is plenty of blame to go around and wherever you put it, I’m sure you have your reasons. If you look at the situation both should share the blame. It’s a team and on a team, the chemistry needs to be right to be successful. You would have thought that on the first go round at DEI when the two worked together they would have learned to get through their problem and get out on the track and win races and compete for championships.

This split is nothing new. These two had trouble working together in the past. Those of you that don’t know what I’m talking about let me take you back to the days at DEI when Dale and Tony Jr. worked together on the 8 car. Things began to go south for the two and they were not getting along. The two split and Tony Jr went over to crew chief the 15 car driven by Michael Waltrip and Dale Jr got another crew chief. That didn’t really produce the results they were looking for and the two were eventually reunited.

One would think that if you had the team shaken up and you able to get a second chance to prove to everyone that you could work together, that it would be different. That would be a big no! Once they were reunited Dale Jr. was in a contract year and he began feuding with his mother in-law Teresa Earnhardt. This just added fuel to the fire because Dale jr. would end up breaking something on the car pretty much every race. Well they both got free passes like everyone did at that time; because everyone was too busy blaming Teresa for the fall of DEI.

Move forward to 2008 Dale Jr. goes over to Hendrick Motorsports to get his career back on track. When he left DEI he brought Tony Jr. with him, a mistake in many peoples eyes. Some question why would Dale bring Tony with him seeing that Hendrick Motorsports has some of the most talented people in the business. With the likes of Allen Gustafson, Darian Grubb and Ron Malec, Dale Jr had the cream of the crop to pick from, but he chose Tony Jr.

Dale insisted that Tony Eury Jr. should be his crew chief and that everything would be fine. Well move the clock ahead almost a year and half and the combination of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Eury Jr. has produced only one win for Hendrick Motorsports in nearly 50 starts, to make matters worse they have progressively gotten worse as the 2009 season has rolled along. Last week the team hit rock bottom, as Dale Jr. was lost and running at the back of the pack for the entire Coca-Cola 600. Dale Jr. finished a disappointing 40th.

Something needed to be done and Mr. Hendrick finally pulled the trigger and decided to replace Eury Jr. with veteran crew chief Lance McGrew. Brian Whitesell will be on the box this weekend in Dover and McGrew will take over next week at Pocono. Is McGrew the answer? Probably not but a shake up is what that team needed and they needed it a long time ago. Keep in mind this is the Same Brian Whitesell that took over crew chief duties for the 24 car of Jeff Gordon when Ray Evernham left to start his own team. If you remember, Whitesell’s first race with Jeff Gordon ended with the 24 car in victory lane. Maybe there is hope for Dale Jr if history can repeat itself.

Stewart Haas Racing Making Some Noise

2009-05-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

Tony Stewart getting his first win as a Sprint Cup Series driver/owner was just a matter of time. It was not a question of if was going to happen, it was when will it happen. Stewart and his Teammate Ryan Newman have been running strong all year. Newman started out rough, but has rebounded nicely, even running up front and challenging for wins in a few races. Well, Stewart got his first win on Saturday in Sprint Cup All-Star race. He passed Matt Kenseth with two laps to go and that was all she wrote.

The interesting thing about the whole Stewart-Haas operation is until Tony came along this season they have never had a second place finish, let alone having both cars finish in the top five. Stewart has been running the top 5 pretty much every week this season.

I will admit that I was one of the doubters that they would run well this year. That team has proved a lot of people wrong this season and they have done a fantastic job of assembling a group of people that has elevated the team to where it now. Bobby Hutchens, Darian Grubb and a host of others. Stewart sits second in points and Ryan Newman sits 8th.

The question that I can’t wait to see answered is how many races can Stewart win in a season? We all know that he is notorious for his slow starts. Then he picks it up in the middle part of the season. Stewart can easily rattle off a streak of wins in the blink of an eye. Don’t forget that the Ryan Newman knows how to win races too. After few down years at Penske Racing, Newman is finally in car that is capable of winning races every week.

Stay tuned for the rest of the regular season and make sure you keep an eye out for Stewart-Hass Racing. The Duo of Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart are sure to make some noise as the season rolls along. Don’t be surprised if one or both are in the hunt and competing for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Jeff Gordon is back

2009-04-20T04:46:00.000-07:00

He’s back? Did he really go anywhere? Yes, I’m talking about the one, the only Jeff Gordon. Let me say four-time champ Jeff Gordon. Gordon won his 79th career cup race and his first ever win at the Texas Motorspeedway. A place that has kept Gordon scratching his head for the past 16 years, although Gordon has come close a few times he has never been able to seal the deal, until now.

There have been many doubters asking the question is Jeff Gordon still up for the task. People have come up with every reason to doubt Gordon‘s ability. He’s got a kid, so that changes your mentality, Steve Letarte is bringing him down. I can go on all day, but I need to get to my point.

Jeff Gordon Is doing quite well this season. He’s leads the standings, has one win and says he is having the most fun in a racecar since 2001. We all know what year that was, the year he won his fourth cup title. Gordon’s performance has not lacked, in 2007 he made the chase, ran up front constantly, but just could not get a win. Same goes for 2008, he made chase but just couldn’t get the win. Gordon has not been able to get a win in his last 47 starts. That dates back to the 2007 season.

The point that I want to get to is why has Gordon been so on it this year? The have been plenty of people trying to figure that out. I may as well throw my two cents in right? It has to do with this no testing policy. Gordon is a 16-year veteran of the Cup series and he is well schooled on all the tracks the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. When drivers show up to the racetracks now, they have no notes to go by for that track. Mix that in with new car still being a factor, driving have to be able to communicate with crew chief and let them know how to get the car to there liking. Gordon has been the best communicator so far and the results have shown across the board.

It’s very interesting to look at the standing and see who’s in the top 12 in points. Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart Jimmie Johnson. You get the picture. Bottom line the best of the best are there and Gordon is on the top and regaining his championship form.

I don’t care what people say, yes it’s early, but Jeff Gordon and crew chief Steve Letarte have hit on something. Can they keep it up? Time will tell. In 2007 Gordon Lead the standing going into the chase, but Jimmie Johnson was able to wrestles the cup from his hands. Stay tuned race fans you in for one heck of a ride.

A Different Kyle Busch

2009-03-05T09:43:00.000-08:00

Regardless of if you like Kyle Busch or not, you have to give it to the guy. He drives the hell out of a racecar. After Sunday’s race at the Las Vegas Motorspeedway, Kyle continued to prove why he is one of the top drivers in the series. Not just because he won the race, but I kept my eye on him on Saturday when he wrecked in the Nationwide race. Clearly, Kyle made a mistake and took himself out by trying to race too hard too early. After the wreck he got out the car apologized to his crew and did his interviews and moved on. I know some people may say it’s way too early to draw any conclusion from that, but you have to start somewhere.

This is a different Kyle Busch. The 2009 Kyle Busch seems to have surrounded himself with some pretty good people and they have been giving him good advice. That can only be good for Kyle. Keep in mind the guy is only 23 years old. This is his 5th season racing in the Cup series and he had done more and been through more than some drivers that have been racing for twice as long. I wonder if we were given so much at 23 how we would handle it. I think that’s what people need to look at when they judge Kyle. Sure he has had his moments, but haven’t we all? We’re just not in front of millions of people when we have those moments.

Anyway back to the point I was making, Busch was in his hometown of Las Vegas and he had something to prove to the hometown fans. This race for him was special and he let that be known. How many drivers talk about how great it would be to win in there hometown? Just like Tony Stewart winning Indy or Denny Hamlin at Richmond they claim these places as their home tracks. Kyle and his Brother Kurt claim Vegas as theirs. Kyle spent they entire week in Las Vegas relaxing and having fun, but the most important thing he wanted to do this weekend was to make sure he walked away a winner on Sunday and he did just that.

America's Hardest Worker

2008-11-04T04:35:00.001-08:00

The race for the Chase went to Texas this past weekend and one of the things that went on as a side note to the race was a contest by race sponsor Dickies. Dickies is a clothing company that mainly caters to the construction workers. They run a contest every year and pick America’s hardest worker. The guy this year was Hale Hughes, an oil field worker from Texas. Hale’s a huge race fan and was as happy a kid in a candy store to be a part of the weekend festivities. The contest started in a Deal or No Deal format. A number of cases were brought into the media center and Hale had to pick one of the cases. Each case contained a drivers’ car number. Whatever number he picked would be the driver that could win him a million bucks. All his driver had to do was win the race.

Hale Picked the number 24 of Jeff Gordon. Gordon happened to be the polesitter for the race. Hale was pumped. Now all Gordon had to do was win the race and he would collect his prize. Another part of winning the contest was Hale gave the command to start your engines, a call that went down as one of the best that I’ve heard in a long time. Let’s move forward to end of the race. Hale’s driver was running in the top ten all day. As the race came to an end, Gordon was in 2nd place right behind Carl Edwards. Edwards had a 10 second lead on the field. The big question was can Carl finish the race without a pitstop? Almost the entire field, including Carl’s teammates had to come into the pits for fuel. Not Edwards, he was going to try and go the final 69 laps without a stop. Jeff Gordon was on the same plan, but he pitted 3 laps later than Carl, so he had a little more fuel to burn.

As the laps counted down Edwards continued to lead the race. The field was catching him, but not quick enough. Can you imagine Hale watching the race and having to watch his driver, racing for a million bucks, just out of the lead and trying like the dickens to catch the race leader? I don’t really know if Gordon knew he was racing for a million bucks and I’m not sure he would really care if he did know. Jeff Gordon had other things on his mind. Like trying to get his first win of the season, also Texas is one of two tracks that he has never won a race.

With ten laps to go Edwards was still strong and Gordon gave it a shot but could not get to Carl. Carl went on to win the race and Gordon finished 2nd. Hale didn’t get his million bucks, but Dickes did give him a consolation price of fifty thousand dollars. Not bad for Hale who had the experience of a lifetime. Sure he would have loved for Gordon to win and he would have taken home a million bucks, but he got to do something that was a once in a lifetime chance.

I’m sure in the back of his mind, he was praying that Carl would run out of gas. I know if I were in that position I would have.

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

2008-11-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

Is the Chase for the Sprint Cup over? Well it seems to be. Jimmie Johnson has once again proven why he’s the best. The 48 team had a less than stellar start to the 2008 season, well at least considering how they typically start out. People were already crowning Kyle Busch the champ. Whether the 48 team weren’t showing all their cards, or they were that far behind Kyle Busch doesn’t matter. When it came time to show up for the chase the guys on the 48 team stepped it up, in a big way.

One of the biggest issues I have seen is that fans and the media don’t give Jimmie much respect. The guy is on the verge of his third straight title and you wouldn’t know he was about to tie history. Not since Cale Yaborough did in the 70’s has a driver won three straight cup championships. That’s a huge feat and Johnson is not even mentioned in the same breath with any of the greats. I know you may be saying don’t crown him champ yet there are three races to go, and you may call me a hypocrite because I just said every crowned Kyle Busch Champ earlier in the season. There is a big difference here, The 48 team knows how to win championships and they know how to them because they have lost a few.

Jimmie didn’t have sway me too much to his side that he is a great driver, but I’ll tell you after his drive last week in Atlanta…. he proved that he belongs with the best ever in this sport. With 8 laps to go Johnson drove from 11th place to 2nd. He picked off drivers one by one. Johnson was able to do this because of the gutsy call by his crew chief Chad Knaus. On the last caution Chad called his driver in to get 4 fresh tires. This call sealed the deal and Johnson was able to extend his point lead to 183 points over race winner Carl Edwards.

This killer instinct is what makes the 48 bunch untouchable on the track. Sure they could have been conservative and ride around collecting points, but they decided to squeeze their foot harder on the throat of the competition. That’s what owning the competition is all about. The combination of Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson do it the best and that’s why they are where they are today.

I said earlier that the fans and media don’t respect Johnson, I think that’s the wrong word. Fans don’t like Johnson. Race fans are the best fans and in the world and they know a good thing when they see it, but that doesn’t mean the have to like it. Someone brought a good point to me the other day. He said Johnson doesn’t get booed at driver intros like some of other not well-liked drivers, so how can you say they don’t respect him. Well that got me thinking, then I decided to say they don’t like him. People tend to not like something or someone they are always hearing about and Jimmie is that guy. Every time you watch the race it’s Jimmie this Jimmie that. I’m sure it can get on your nerves, especially if he is blowing by your driver.

My whole point in writing this was to just make people aware of what Johnson and what his team are getting ready to pull off this season. That is Johnson the driver is getting ready to be the first driver to win three cup title in a row since Cale Yarborough did it back in the 70’s. Crew chief Chad Knaus will be the first crew chief to win three Cup titles. And the owner Rick Hendrick by the way is the mastermind behind all this will have a record eight cup titles to his credit. One with Terry Labonte, four with Jeff Gordon and if things go the way they are now, three from Jimmie Johnson. All I have to say to the people hating on Johnson, don’t hate the player, hate the game.

What grade would you give the car of tomorrow?

2008-10-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

NASCAR has always had a tough job. One of the toughest in the last two years is getting fans and drivers to buy into the idea of a new car. NASCAR’s goal with the new car was safety. The new car has many features that are design to prevent serious injuries to drivers. All drivers will agree that NASCAR has accomplished this with the new car, but they will argue that other parts of the new car need work. In Bristol after the Kyle Busch won the first race with the new car, he was happy he won, but didn’t waste time bashing the car. “I still hate to drive these things, they suck.” Harsh criticism from the drivers. The fans had things to say as well ”it’s ugly, it doesn’t look like a stock car. ” I think it’s a thing where old habits die hard and many people are resistant to change. Teams and fans have been used to something for a very long time and they don’t want to see it change. Move ahead to this season, drivers, crew chief and owners still have concerns about the car. They are just having a hard time figuring out something new and that can be very frustrating from all ends.

Well let me tell you something. I for one give NASCAR an A+ for this new car. Watching the races this year, the competition on the track has never been better. That has been very clear from the first five races of the chase. All the chase races have been fantastic and this past weekend at Talladega did not disappoint. They had a record number of lead changes and the finish was an instant classic. It was filled joy, frustration and controversy. What more can you ask? Drama to the max! If every race is like this during the final five races NASCAR will draw more fans to the track and to the TV-sets. NASCAR should be proud of the product they have been able to put on the racetrack. The best thing about the new car is that NASCAR and the teams aren’t done with it yet. They have more work to do and once they really get it figured out, lookout race fans you will be in for a major treat.

Jimmie Johnson aka. Captain Crunch!

2008-10-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

Better to be lucky than good. I’m sure many of you have heard that saying. Well Captain Crunch aka. Jimmie Johnson was just that on Sunday at Talladega. At one point in the race, the 48 team was a lap down and their chances for a good finish didn’t look good. Then the x factor came into play, Talladega SuperSpeedway. Known to be the chase changer. Meaning that at this race anything can happen, including the “Big One” The Big one can bring any drivers dreams of winning the Sprint Cup to a crashing end. What is the Big One? For those you that don’t know, it’s a crash that mainly happens at places like Talladega and Daytona. One slight mistake by a driver or one mechanical failure can take out half the field. Drivers have tried every strategy to avoid it. They have tried to hang in the back of the pack, hoping not to get caught up and they have even tried running up front, but no one seems to be able to avoid. You just have to do your best to deal with it when it happens. Bottom line to avoid the big one, you have to be lucky. As was the case with the Captain, he not only avoided one of the big crashes, he avoided two. While avoiding all the wrecks Johnson extended his point lead to 72 points, putting him squarely in the lead and once again making him the favorite to win his third cup championship in a row.

Johnson continues to show why his is number one. My question is does Johnson get the credit and respect that he should? Personally I don’t think so. I mean all season long the NASCAR world was loving to hate Kyle Busch and were so caught up in Carl Edwards. This Championship was all but locked and Kyle was the man. I have said all along watch out for Jimmie and that genius that sit on the 48 pitbox. Yes that would be Chad Knaus. Chad continues to shine and show people that he is by far the best and most talented crew chief that has ever called a race.

It’s crazy some of the comments that I read and hear people say about them. Anything from the only reason they are winning is because they have Hendrick equipment or they are cheaters. It’s ridiculous that people do want to recognize the talent of the these two and the for the matter the entire 48 team.

They picked the right time to start making their move. Remember this isn’t their first chase. They do have a few of these under their belt and let’s not forget, the 48 bunch do have two of these Cup titles and are going for a third title. Yes I did say third, tres, the triple, three-peat. Should I go on? Look the point I’m trying to driver home here is give this guy some credit. Just because people perceive him as corporate robot and think he is too vanilla, don’t doubt his skills or talent.

What do you want from the guy? You’ve never really seen him get mad or throw a temper tantrum like Dale jr. or Kyle Busch. Why is that? Because the guy has nothing to be angry about. He living a pretty good life right now. When life good why should you walk around and be angry for no reason? That just makes you more stressed out. I think the real Captain Crunch fans appreciate the fact that their driver takes his anger out on the racetrack and the other 42 drivers he is racing against.

All I can say to Captain Crunch and the 48 bunch is rock on brother and keep doing what you are doing and you will be drink from the Sprint again at Homestead in November.

Captain Crunch is the man!

Is Dale Earnhardt Inc really in trouble?

2008-10-04T06:07:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver Paul Menard announced that he would be leaving the company at the end of the 2008 season. Menard will drive for Yates racing in 2009 and will be taking the Menard sponsorship with him. That leaves many people asking, what’s going on over at DEI. They lost Dale Earnhardt Jr, last year, Had a tough time signing Martin Truex Jr. and now they have lost Paul Menard.

Well as we all know the family feud pushed dale Jr. out of DEI. Paul Menard left for whatever reason and Truex is back, but for how long. DEI is in the middle of what I call a perfect storm, all of their driver contracts are up and all their sponsor contracts are up. With the state of the economy, DEI is not the team that is having trouble finding the dollars it takes to run a raceteam. If my numbers are right, there are only 24 cars that are fully funded for the 2009 season and when I last checked there were 43 cars running on the track each weekend.

So if you ask whats going on at DEI you have to ask what going on with other teams. Lets break it down DEI has all 4 of its raceteams in the top 35 in points. They have 2 cars, the 8 and 1 that are running at or near the front every week. Don’t forget Truex had a 150-point deduction for penalties. If not for that we may be talking about Truex being the chase. I bet Chip Gannasi or Michael Waltrip racing would love to be running that well every week.

People are always focusing on the negative. Why is that? Is it Because of their hate for Teresa Earnhardt and the perception that she drove the most popular driver in NASCAR away from the company that his dad built? Whatever the reason people like to say DEI won’t survive and it’s a sinking ship.

Let’s be real here. I’m gonna say it. Who the hell is Paul Menard? The only ting he brings to DEI is money! Lot of money! His dad’s money! Menard is going to run in the same spot he is running at DEI and that’s in the back of the pack. Drivers come and go, maybe Menard leaving is a blessing in because it gives young talented guys like Reagan Smith a chance to show their talent. I know you still need money to run a team and Menard took his with him, but DEI should be able to find sponsorship and maybe people will get off their back.

Don’t get me wrong, I know they have issues at DEI, but they seem to have a lot of good people over there that want to do a good job, so lets hope they can find sponsorship for their teams and they can begin to move forward and win some races.

Jimmie Johnson needs a nickname

2008-09-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

Johnson steps it up just in time for crunch-time. No one has come up with a real nickname for Jimmie Johnson, so I’m going to be the first to offer one up. “Captain Crunch,” because when it’s crunch-time, Johnson has stepped up to the plate and has shown people why he’s the reigning 2-time Sprint Cup champion. Enroute to his 4th win of the season and second in a row, Johnson let everyone know he was ready for the chase and ready to defend his title. Captain, as I will call him stole the show Sunday along with Crew chief Chad Knaus are proving to be a lethal combination.

How good is Johnson? Well he’s trying to do something that no other driver since Cale Yarborough has and that’s to win three Cup titles in a row. That would be an amazing feet to pull, seeing how tough the competition is these days in the Sprint Cup series. It hard to win races let alone title and Johnson has managed to do both. Johnson racked up his 37th career win on Sunday and he’s not done. Sunday after the race Johnson admitted that he and the 48 team have a lot of work to do. More work to do? That’s a scary though when many people already think the 48 team is on top of their game right now. Well we will see in the coming weeks how Captain Crunch and the 48 bunch comes out of the blocks next week when the NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup kicks off in Loudon New Hampshire.

Time for Joe Gibbs Racing to step up to the plate.

2008-09-02T12:31:00.001-07:00

Marc Davis has been with a few race teams in his short career. He was part of the Drive For Diversity program, had a stint with Roush Fenway Racing and currently is a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing.

In three years with Joe Gibbs Racing, Davis has competed in many series and has had moderate success. He has competed along side racings hottest prospect Joey Logano. In the wake of Logano’s rise to the Sprint Cup Series, Davis has gone relatively unnoticed. Why does Logano get all the attention and Davis seems to get the scraps? That’s a question for JGR to answer.

When asked the question on Davis’s future plan JD Gibbs says that Marc is not ready to make the jump to the Nationwide Series. He goes on to say they may run him in some truck series races this season. See the key word here is “may”. It seems they don’t have a clear-cut plan for the youngster, but when you mention Joey Logano they have his whole future mapped out.

Then along comes Randy Moss Motorsports. Randy Moss has been a team owner for two months. Randy Moss Motorsports has already worked a deal to get Davis in his truck for as many as 6 races this season. Wow! Randy Moss Motorsports, a team that doesn’t have sponsorship and is trying to make a name for it’s self were able put Davis in ride. While the mighty 3 car cup team and 2 car Nationwide team can’t even find room for Davis.

What gives here? When will Gibbs and Toyota step up and give this young talented kid a shot. They say he needs seat time, well why not give it to him?
That is the only way he’s going to get better. Have you heard the term trial by fire or how about sink or swim? Give Davis the chance to sink or swim,
not frustrated and held back.

Sure money may be tight and sponsorship may be hard to come by, but there has to be some way to get this kid in car or truck. The Gibbs team have been lighting up the NASCAR circuit this season. Maybe they should take some of that prize money they are winning and invest it in the career of a very talented individual.

NASCAR has a Drive For Diversity program that has been around for years, but we have seen little come of it. In the way of drivers moving up the ranks and making it to the Cup, Nationwide or truck series Gibbs is on to a very good thing with there driver development program and the late Reggie White would be proud to see they have a young talent like Davis in the stable and ready to go, but I’m sure he would be asking the same questions that many of us are asking. What are you waiting for?

Davis has run well in everything that he has raced. Recently Davis made his ARCA debut and he finished an impressive 9th Place. That ride was not Joe Gibbs ride Marc’s dad Harry made that happen. Davis runs full-time in the NASCAR Camping World East Series where he sits 5th in points.

New Rivalry In NASCAR

2008-08-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

After the Food City 500 Saturday at The Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR may have an old fashion rivalry on its hands. Back in the day you had competitors like Richard Petty vs. David Pearson and Dale Earnhardt Sr. vs. Jeff Gordon. Now NASCAR may be seeing a new rivalry brewing and what better timing. The two drivers sit one and two a in the points lead the series in wins and there are two races left before the Chase begins. Yes I’m talking about Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, the fantastic finish of the Food City 500 on Saturday and the post race drama.

Carl Edwards started the race from the pole, but it was Kyle Busch who quickly took the lead and held it most of the race. In fact Kyle led 415 laps. The only problem, he didn’t lead the one that counts most, the Final lap. On lap 470 Carl Edwards was able to get to the back bumper of the 18 car of Kyle Busch, moving Busch up the track and blowing by to take the lead. Busch came right back and tried move Edwards, but Edwards was able to hold on for the final 30 laps, giving Edwards his 6th win of the season.

That was only the beginning. After crossing the start finish line Busch let Edwards know he didn’t appreciate the move. He pulled along side Edwards and gave him a bump. Edwards return the favor by spinning him out. NASCAR official summoned Busch to the hauler.

When asked about the move Carl put on him Busch expressed his displeasure with Edwards.
“He does that and he'll always come back and say he's sorry. He did it at Milwaukee and he's done it a few other times. It's just his normal fashion. That's fine. I've grown to know that now.”
In post race interviews Edwards pulled no punches and admitted the only to Busch out of the way was to move him.

“I got a good run. My car was really fast on the short run. We went down in the corner and he slowed down a little earlier than I thought he was going to. I tried to kind of get down underneath him and he dove pretty straight for the corner and I kind of just bumped him just a little bit.
Then we went down the back straightaway, and he did just what any racer would do: He bumped me the same way, but I had already kind of committed to the top, so it ended up, it didn't hurt us as bad. So that's the way it went.

You know, to pass a guy, to hit him getting into the corners and chatters is very tired, is what he did. But I tried to get him back, but I thought better of it and tried to pull down and pass him back. But I didn't have a good enough car to stick.”

With only 2 races left until the NASCAR’s playoff system begins. Temperatures are beginning to heat up and we are sure to see fireworks continue as the stress of the championship race bears down on the drivers. As for the budding rivalry between Edwards and Busch, Stay tuned this is only the beginning.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Marc Davis and Randy Moss team up

2008-08-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Marc Davis and Randy Moss Motorsports took huge step last week. Announcing that Davis will make his Craftsman Truck Series debut and will be the driver of the #81 truck entry at Gateway International Raceway located in the St. Louis area. This marks the first time in recent history NASCAR that an African American driver will drive for an African American owner.

Davis who is a teammate of the highly touted Joey Logano at Joe Gibbs Racing currently races in the NASCAR Camping World East Series. Davis sits 5th in points with 3 top and 6 top10 finishes.

Davis is one of the only black drivers in NASCAR and for that matter he is the only one who is anywhere near being ready for the big time. Why has it taken so long for Davis to be able to get a shot at racing in one of NASCAR’s big series? I know he just turned 18, but when Joey Logano turned 18 he was in a Nationwide car right away. He did not even have to go the truck route. Ed Hinton of ESPN.com wrote a great article in which he breaks down the different paths Logano and Davis took to get where they are. NASCAR diversity at the crossroads of troubled past and desired future.

Please read this article. We would love to hear your comments.

2008-08-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

NASCAR Vs. Mauricia case is starting to heat up. NASCAR Recently responded to the suit filed by Miss Grant and her lawyers. Below are two articles. Please read and post your opinions.

The first is an Associated Press article where NASCAR defends the firing of the former official. Click here to read.

Kansas City Star writer Jason Whitlock had a very interesting answer for NASCAR.

Please click here to read his story.

How tough is Kyle Busch?

2008-08-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a big day for Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch. The twenty three year-old is having dream season. He scored his 8th win of the Sprint Cup season and became the first driver to win at three road courses in a season and he clinched the top seed in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. This kid can drive and he only seems to be getting better.

Busch is best known for being a brash and cocky guy. Maybe that’s what makes him so good. Love him or hate him, you have to admit he an incredible talent. After a few weeks of what people have called a slump, Busch bounced back Sunday at Watkins Glen and proved that not only can he win, but he can run with the best NASCAR has to offer. He has proven that in his last two victories. A few weeks ago he showed Jimmie Johnson what he’s made of and Sunday with teammate and recently name Watkins Glen driver of the decade Tony Stewart breathing down his back, Busch proved he belongs at the top of the standings.

The question that people are going to ask now is, does Kyle have the mental toughness that it takes to win the Sprint Cup championship? Only time will tell. He does have 80 bonus points to fall back on once the chase starts. The closest driver to Kyle is Carl Edwards who has 4 wins but only 30 bonus points due to penalties. Keep in mind Kyle can still pad his lead. There are still 4 races left before the chase starts. When asked about other drivers like Jeff Gordon, who questioned his mental toughness, Busch replied “it’s a game and I’m playing it”. Is Kyle Busch up for the challenge? Can he win a Sprint Cup championship in 2008? Stay tuned we will talk in about 14 weeks.

Project Podium takes center stage in Indy

2008-08-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

I recently had the pleasure of attending an event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This event took me by total surprise. I found myself in the middle of room full of female racers from all over the country and even some representing other countries. They were assembled for the Women in the Winner’s Circle Luncheon, run by open wheel pioneer Lyn St. James. Her program Project Podium has been helping young ladies in many ways. Participants in the St. James program learn everything there is to know about racing, media training, how to find sponsorship, and physical fitness. Graduates of St. James program include Indy-car driver Danica Patrick, Erin Crocker and Sarah Fisher. All have went on to enjoy some form of success in motorsports.

I had a chance to mingle with the young ladies and learned a lot about what they do. The group of young stars were well spoken, ambitious and they certainly knew what they wanted. I met many young ladies, too many to name and for the sake of not wanting to exclude any I will not mention names.

Jamie Little hosted the event along with Lyn St. James and they introduced all participants, past and current. There was so much energy in the room you could feel that they were very excited and proud to be a part of this special event.

Many Motorsports executives were on hand to show their support including NASCAR President Mike Helton, NHRA President Tom Compton and IMS President Joie Chitwood.

This was very special event and I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of support these young ladies had from their families and the industry executives. I will continue to follow the progress of all these young racers and keep our readers up to date about their progress. For more on Lyn St. James and her project podium program please visit www.lynestjames.com.

Is Randy Moss Good For NASCAR?

2008-07-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

Football superstar Randy Moss has joined the ranks of NASCAR owner. Moss bought 50 percent interest in Morgan-Dollar motorsports and the name will change to Randy Moss Motorsports. Moss makes his entrance into the sport by way of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which is considered the minor league, equivalent to double A baseball.

Does Moss have any idea of what he’s getting into? I’m sure he has a good idea, but being a team owner has many headaches and Moss certainly seems ready to take on the challenge. He does however, have a partner. David Dollar, who is already a successful owner in the Truck series, has teamed up with Moss on this venture. Drivers such as Bobby Labonte, Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola and Dennis Setzer have piloted the truck to good finishes an even some wins. During the 2008 season the team has already rack up three top ten finishes.

One of the big questions everyone has asked Is Randy Moss good for NASCAR. What does that really mean? When people ask that question I wish they would think before they speak and look at the big picture. I think Randy Moss is great for the sport. NASCAR always talks about how they want diversity… well here you go. Not only do you have a black man owning a race team, but you have black man with money, a person the brings in huge fan base and someone who seems committed and excited about what he is about to do. My hat is off to Moss. He really did his homework and decided to start small and build his team. Moss didn’t just tell everybody what he was going to do; he went out and actually did it.

I’ve seen time after time celebrities hold press conferences and say they were forming a race team and they were fully committed to making it work, to name a few Tim Brown, Terence Mathis and the Wayans Brothers.

So is Moss good for NASCAR? Without doubt! I wish him nothing but the best. Maybe he can be the one who helps bring racing to a wider audience. I had a chance to talk with Moss and he seems very excited about owning his own team. He looked like he was having fun at the track. During a Sprint Cup practice session when the cars zoomed by on the track he let out a loud scream of excitement. I hope he keeps that enthusiasm as he grows his roots in racing. The only thing I hope Moss really takes a look at is his place as a black team owner. Moss has said he wants to be known as an owner, not a black owner, sorry man, you are a black owner and that’s how it is. Embrace it and enjoy the ride. You can make a lot of noise by having a seat at the owner’s table.

Randy Moss Motorsports will make its debut at the Kentucky Speedway on July 19th. Willie Allen will be behind the wheel for the race. You can see the race on Speed channel. Please check the racing for change calendar for more details.

Lawsuit: Fair to the Drivers?

2008-07-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

NASCAR is in the middle of preparing to defend itself against a 225 million dollar lawsuit filed by Maurcia Grant. Grant, who is black and a former NASCAR Nationwide series official, has levied some heavy charges against NASCAR. Let‘s face it NASCAR is a huge multi billion dollar corporation. These kinds of things go on in some way at every company. I’m not saying it’s right, but it does happen.
The question I have, how does this affect the sport as a whole? There are a few bad apples that ruin the whole bunch. That in no is way fair to the people in the sport that keep their noses clean and don’t cause trouble. When it comes to race, NASCAR has always had a negative stereotype and they have been trying to shake that for years. They have the stereotype of being an all white sport that doesn’t welcome any minority participation. I guess you have to look at where that comes from. White fans have said, “NASCAR is the only sport we have left”. If you look around the garage you will see more diversity than ever, but there is still a very long way to go.
In the long run I think this lawsuit affects the sport as a whole, but the most affected would have to be the drivers. They are the most visible people in NASCAR, they are the face of the sport. Officials and crew-members are not making public appearances every week for their sponsors and teams. Drivers are more in the public eye and are more wide open to getting questions or comments from people about what’s going on in their sport. No drivers have been named in this lawsuit, yet they are the main ones who have been asked by the media to comment or give their thoughts. Drivers have to walk a fine line of saying the right thing and not saying the wrong thing because any little comment can get them thrown into something they would rather stay far away from as they can.
Sure drivers are the face of the sport and should be the spokespersons for what they do, but in this case I think they should be given a break and left alone. Let the courts decide what happens and don’t lump everyone that works in the sport into one bundle.

Moving to where the jobs are...

2008-06-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

Jobs in motorsports aren’t hard to find. You have to know where to look, what you are looking for and most important, you need to be willing to relocate. Time and time again I hear how tough it is to find a job, but when I ask people where there are looking, they tell me they have looked here and there but can’t find anything. Then I ask are you willing to relocate most of the time the answer is no. There in lies the problem. When people are not willing to move to where the jobs are, they are cutting themselves off from so many opportunities. Sure there are circumstances that limit some peoples ability to move away for a better opportunity, but in most cases people are just comfortable where they are. Would love to hear feedback on this issue.

I'm going to start this blog out with a question...

2008-06-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

There are literally thousands of jobs in the motorsports industry. Call me naïve, but I was dumbfounded when I stumbled upon a group of African-American kids working at the racetrack in Talladega, Alabama. I sat down to see what they were working on and the conversation that followed went like this:

What are you guys working on this weekend?

"Were just here for the weekend working because a friend told us we could make some extra money."

So you guys aren’t in TV or anything?

"No."

Do you know there are jobs in racing?

"Well I can’t be a racecar driver."

Enough said. Needless to say I was shocked to hear that in this day and age those kids thought the only job in racing was for racecar drivers. Here’s my question to everyone out there please bring me up to speed. Why do young minorities not know about the opportunities that exist in the motorsports? By the way, these kids were college graduates.