Happy Hump Day! March 31, 1998: Two-time champion Tim Flock dies at age 73. Flock won 39 times in 187 starts in 13 years (1949-1961). His championships came in 1952 and 1955. In '55, he won 18 of 39 races and finished in the top five 33 times. He also won 18 poles that season. Picture yourself cruising in Tony's 2010 Camaro Coupe 2SS. It's a "Summit White", list price at over $35,000! Tony asked Will Castro of Unique Autosports to work his magic and add a few customizations! Buy a ticket for $50 – you'll be entered to win the Grand Prize including the Camaro, A VIP Trip to Stewart-Haas Racing and a personal meet & greet with Tony!!! 70 Early Bird prizes starting March 15th. Get 'em while you can!!!! Just go to www.smokescamaro.
Comments from the Peanut Gallery From Lou Hi Momma, Only half a newsletter today and most articles were outdated. Lou Elliott Sorry about that guys. Not sure what happened. I sure hope Yahoo isn't cutting into my newsletter! Bits and Pieces TV Guide teams with NASCAR to produce guide: TV Guide Magazine has partnered with NASCAR to create the TV Guide Magazine: NASCAR Special Collector's Issue, the ultimate must-have collector's guide for every NASCAR fan. The 88-page, special interest publication will be sold online and on newsstands for two months beginning today, March 30.ccTV Guide Magazine: NASCAR Special Collector's Issue will feature unique content from NASCAR journalists, insider access, unparalleled insight, and the latest up-to-the-minute information and news features on NASCAR.com. Fans can purchase the issue at stores nationwide for $6.99. The guide is also available now on NASCAR.com's Superstore for $7.99 or free with a $50.00 purchase.(SKPR) Denny Hamlin will need clearance from doctor to compete By Kenny Bruce/scenedaily. Denny Hamlin, slated to undergo surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) Wednesday morning in Charlotte, will only need clearance from his doctor to resume competing in NASCAR, according to officials with the sanctioning body. Hamlin injured his left knee Jan. 22 while playing basketball, and had hoped to put off the surgery until after the 2010 racing season had been completed. But concern that he might further damage the knee by delaying the surgery led the 29-year-old to change his mind. "He only needs to be cleared by his doctor, he needs for him to say it's OK for him to return … that he's good [to go]," NASCAR's Ramsey Poston, managing director, corporate communications, said Tuesday. While Poston said there's no formal paperwork that must be submitted, such as copies of Hamlin's medical records, the sanctioning body could request such records if there was a concern. That typically isn't the case, Poston said. As far as the use of painkillers or other medicine following surgery, Poston said "that's part of the conversation we have with any driver. Any misuse is a violation … it's pretty standard." The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won Monday's Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway and has competed in all six Cup races contested this season. Because the Martinsville race was run a day later than originally scheduled due to rain, Hamlin had to reschedule the surgery from Monday until Wednesday. He has said that he expects to be in the team's No. 11 Toyota when the Cup series returns to Phoenix on April 9-10 for the running of the Subway Fresh Fit 600. As a precaution, JGR officials have hired Casey Mears as a relief driver should Hamlin be unable to complete the race. Poston said it is unlikely officials would be concerned about Hamlin's ability to compete when he does return to the track. "We've had drivers [compete with] a whole lot worse than ACL [injuries]," he said. Dr. Patrick Connor with OrthoCarolina will perform the surgery. Race and Commercial Breakdown of Martinsville: For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, or wonder how often your driver was focused on, here is the breakdown for the Martinsville race. Fox was the broadcast team for this event. Bowyer's Crew Wins Tissot Pit Road Award in Martinsville: Clint Bowyer's over-the-wall crew won the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Monday's rain-delayed (March 29) Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the historic Martinsville Speedway. The #33 crew helped Bowyer reach a seventh-place finish at the .526 mile paper clip-shaped oval, the shortest racetrack on the Sprint Cup schedule. Bowyer's BB&T Chevrolet Impala spent the least amount of time on pit road 329.414 seconds during the 508-lap overtime race. Carl Edwards' #99 Aflac Ford Fusion was second (331.563) and Jeff Gordon's #24 DuPont Chevrolet was third (332.340). Bowyer's over-the-wall crew consists of: Jason Pulver (front-tire changer), Austin Craven (front-tire carrier), Dustin Necaise (rear-tire changer), Matt Kreuter (rear-tire carrier), Nick Terry (jackman), Bryan Smith (gasman) and Chad Haney (catch can). The team's pit crew coach is Matt Clark. The winning pit crew in each Sprint Cup race will earn $5,000 and a Tissot V8 Quartz Chronograph watch. The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will receive a $105,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the over-the-wall crew members and driver. After six races Martin Truex Jr.'s #56 crew leads the Tissot standings with two wins. Four teams are tied for second with one win.(Tissot) Did NASCAR play fast and loose with caution flags at Martinsville? By Doug Demmons - The Birmingham News It is not uncommon for NASCAR fans to question whether a particular yellow flag in a race was warranted. Fans often accuse NASCAR of throwing the caution at the slightest hint of debris on the track because one driver is stinking up the show by having too big a lead. A lot of times such accusations stretch credulity. On Monday, however, there were good reasons to question the yellow flags at the end of the race -- especially as far as Jeff Gordon was concerned. "It was pretty obvious to me NASCAR wanted to do a green‑white‑checkered finish," Gordon said after the race. "There were cars blowing tires, hitting the wall, they weren't throwing the caution. One spins out, and they threw the caution in the blink of an eye. I think it was pretty obvious what they wanted." Many times during Monday's race a car would cut a tire and rub the wall. NASCAR refrained from throwing a caution flag in many cases like that if the driver was able to get off the track in a reasonable amount of time. But when the same thing happened to Jeff Burton with less than 10 laps to go -- and Denny Hamlin looking like he was long gone -- the yellow flag came out. And then, with Gordon about 100 feet away from taking the white flag NASCAR threw another yellow flag when Kyle Busch got up into the wall. Had the caution come out a few seconds later -- on the final, white-flag lap, Gordon would have been declared the winner. Did NASCAR throw a caution to bring Hamlin back to the field and then again to bring out a green-white checkered? Even if NASCAR's motives were completely above board it sure looked suspicious.
Gordon Is Having Break Problems Mike Harris | Senior Writer, RacinToday.com Jeff Gordon used to win races in bunches. The four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion has racked up 82 victories, sixth on the all-time win list. As recently as the 2007 season, he won six times. But checkered flags haven't come easily for Gordon in a while. His only victory in the past two seasons came last spring at Texas. It looked like the drought would end on Monday at Martinsville when Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, running 1-2 late in the race, were brought into the pits during a caution, leaving Gordon in the lead with only a handful of laps remaining on the half-mile track. Gordon easily stayed out front on the restart, but another yellow flag forced a green-white- On the final restart, Matt Kenseth got into the rear of Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet with a classic bump-and-run maneuver and zoomed past into the lead. Gordon retaliated, slamming into Kenseth, whose Ford then drifted up the track as the leaders roared past. But Gordon was done, relegated to third when Hamlin, sporting two fresh tires, and Joey Logano, another Gibbs entry, drove past. Despite his calm demeanor and smooth words, it was obvious Gordon was not pleased. "The 17 got into the back of me," The feisty Gordon said. "I made sure he wasn't going to win the race after that." "I guess it looked like it was my fault," Kenseth acknowledged. "I did go in there and I did get into Jeff a little bit, really not that hard, and I got under him and everything was fine. Then he just took a left as hard as he could take one and ran me down all the way into the marbles. "It was a dumb move on my part. I should have just finished third and collected some points and got one of our best finishes at Martinsville, but I figured I'd go for the win, which, I guess in hindsight, was probably a mistake." Gordon wound up third, while Kenseth slipped all the way to 18th. Gordon said he was probably just meant to finish third. "We were just kind of riding there at the end, going to come home third,'' he said. "Then that caution came out, leaders came in. Steve Letarte made a great call to stay out. When we heard about all the cars that stayed out behind us, we felt we were definitely the car to beat for the win. "Then we had the restart. Had a good restart. Everything was great. We were a hundred feet away from getting that white flag, getting the victory. So that's frustrating. But I shouldn't be too upset. We were a third place car before that (and) we finished third.'' Gordon said after the race that he didn't know it was Kenseth's No. 17 that hit him on the final restart. "I looked at my mirror, 17 was pretty far behind me,'' he explained. "I made sure I didn't drive in too deep. Next thing I know, I got nailed. I don't know who got into me. I thought it was the 17. If it wasn't, I apologize to him. I made sure he didn't win the race down the straightaway.'' Gordon hasn't won a Cup title since 2001, goes into the rare off weekend seventh in the season points and still very much among the drivers with a chance to knock his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson off the top of the hill that he has held for four straight years. And Gordon, who has dominated at times this season without winning, isn't concerned with bad breaks. "I feel like you have to earn those things,'' he said. "If we just keep working hard, putting good race cars and a great race team out there each and every week, those breaks go your way. "I've been on both sides of it. There's times when you're not really sure if you deserve some of those breaks, but you know you're working hard, you take them. There's times when you wish you got more breaks.'' But a little bitterness did seep into his words when asked about the final caution flag that sent the race into overtime. "It was pretty obvious to me NASCAR wanted to do a green-white- "You got to go with what their decisions are. It's a Monday race. A lot of fans came out. So certainly a great finish for them. Just unfortunate it took away an opportunity for us because we definitely had that win had the caution not come out there at the end. "Then again, you look at the Gibbs cars,'' he added. "They were 1 2 when the caution came out. You know, that could have gone the opposite way for them. So you can't really get upset when those breaks don't go your way.'' Just another day at the office for Gordon. And, despite the disappointment, the longtime Cup star remains in good position for a run at another title. Still, another win or two would probably make it all a little more satisfying. Welcome Back, Mr. Consistency: Matt Kenseth Returns To Championship Form Kelly Crandall/bleacherre Matt Kenseth has made a career out of being the quiet sneaky type. Never one to make a strong presence during the race, Kenseth was more of a silent, methodical driver who would always be at the front when it mattered most. His name could never be mentioned all day but when the pay window opened he was there to collect. It's what helped him earned the nickname Mr. Consistency. However, in 2009 Mr. Consistency suddenly became Mr. Human when the racing world saw a different side to Kenseth and his No. 17 team: they missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship for the first time. Not only did they miss the Chase but the struggles they endured were apparent and their statistics were scary. In 36 races in 2009, after winning the first two races of the season, things quickly went downhill as the team only compiled 12 top ten finishes, seven top fives, and finished the year 14th in points. Before the Chase started last year Kenseth said it best, "If you take out the first couple of weeks of the season, the season has been a little bit of a disappointment." With his team in a down-slide it caused many, myself included to say that he was no longer Mr. Consistency, at least for the time being. But after the first six races of the 2010 season it might be safe to say that Kenseth has retaken his title or is on the path to doing so. He's already racked up five top tens in the first six races, could have had another Monday at Martinsville had it not been for late race contact with Jeff Gordon. Three of those top tens were top fives, including a fantastic finish in Atlanta where he came up short of catching Kurt Busch to challenge for the win. His early season statistics have him fourth in points, just 16 markers behind leader Jimmie Johnson. Quite a change from last season when they'll admit they couldn't even see the leaders. A change, that is due in part to another change: crew chief. Todd Parrott has become the head cheerleader of the Killer Bees, and a cheerleader he is. Constantly on the radio pumping his driver and team up as they progress through the field. On Friday Kenseth spoke to the media during his top-12 point eligibility and spoke highly of Parrott. He revealed that they even joke that they're in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, "Everyone ask how it's going and I always tell them, 'we're still kinda on the honeymoon,' so we'll see how it goes." He then added, "It's been going really well, I enjoy working with him, he's got a lot of experience and the guys really look up to him as a leader." A leader that the team desperately needed, especially after Kenseth surprisingly admitted that he wasn't that type of person. When the change was made after the first race of the year, the Daytona 500, many wondered if the transition would be a smooth one and how long it would take for results to show. Didn't take long and the talk then turned to how Parrott was the perfect guy for the job. Says Kenseth, "He's got some good leadership qualities about him, so I've enjoyed the first few weeks, and we've been running pretty well. As an organization we've been running a lot better than what we ended up last year… obviously it's very early in the season and we had a couple off weeks and rest, so we'll really see what it's about in a couple of months." In a couple of months Kenseth could potentially have asserted himself as a strong contender for this years championship. Showing that 2009 was a throwaway year and not what the team is capable of, nor what others should get used to. No, this team is more of a, how did they do that, race team. For example, when they won the championship in 2003 they did so with only one win, but had 25 top 10s and 11 top fives. Year after year they got the job done, went out and clicked off the finishes and wins. Unfortunately for Kenseth, being good at his job meant that he was a robot and took on the personality of being the quiet, shy type that never showed any real emotion. That's what made him a champion driver, he could stay cool, calm and collected under any circumstance. Didn't make it surprising that during 2009 Kenseth was the patient one, confident that things would turn around. But when they didn't and after only one race in 2010 the crew chief change was made it raised many eyebrows of why it had happened so quickly before the hard work during the offseason really had a chance to show. This was one situation where it was ok to make a knee jerk reaction as Kenseth explained; "I certainly haven't done the best job at that, being patient with it. Obviously you get further down the road and later in your career and you can't get that back, but there's a certain amount of patience you need to get things turned around to be where you're at." He continued stating, "but on the other hand I think sometimes I've been too patient and been way too reluctant to make changes or try different things. Or maybe dig in there deeper and be involved more, even in parts where the driver didn't need to be involved, that type of thing." It's amazing the changes both the team and driver will make when they have a year they aren't accustomed to. However, it wasn't just Kenseth's team, the entire Roush-Fenway organization seemed off their game last season as teammate Carl Edwards, who won nine races in 2008, went winless. As did Biffle, who was a two-time winner that year, so Roush went to work knowing that things couldn't continue like they had. So far so good in 2010 as Kenseth seems primed as the senior member of the company to lead their resurgence. He's also on a resurgence of getting his Mr. Consistency nickname back, something that will help lead his No. 17 Crown Royal team back into the Chase. Back to contending for a championship they have the confidence to go after. What a difference a year makes. "It hasn't been easy, you know when things are going right and everything's flowing and you're being successful, it's easy for everybody to be in a good mood," Kenseth says. "When things go bad it's hard not to push the panic button or to get too down or get the whole thing tore apart. Just gotta keep working on it each week and you really try to put the week before behind you as soon as you can and move onto the next week and start thinking about what you got to do," Kenseth said on Friday. "Just try to learn from them and get stronger." Stronger they are, and if they keep getting stronger throughout the year the Sprint Cup Series' quiet, sneaky driver could be the one making the most noise in the Chase. Kenseth's run-in with Gordon paves way for Hamlin Ed Hinton/espn. The practice of drivers settling things among themselves continued Monday at Martinsville Speedway, but for a little while Jeff Gordon wondered if he might have settled with the wrong driver. He hadn't. It turned out he'd paid back only one of two culprits at the end of the Goody's 500. Replays showed Matt Kenseth was indeed the one who hit Gordon first in the green-white- Gordon led on that final restart, but Kenseth tapped him going into the first turn, causing Gordon's car to slip up off the bottom of the track, and Kenseth drove under. Then Denny Hamlin, who would go on to win the melee, hit Gordon squarely in the back bumper as the dogfight continued off Turn 2. Hamlin slipped into the lead while Gordon and Kenseth banged side by side down the straightaway. Gordon at first told TV reporters that "I made sure he [Kenseth] wasn't going to win the race after that [bump from behind]," and punctuated it with a tight-lipped smile. But later, in the postrace news conference, Gordon hedged, "I thought it was the 17 [Kenseth]. If it wasn't, I apologize to him." Kenseth confessed -- sort of. "I did go in there and I did get into Jeff a little bit, really not that hard," Kenseth said. "I got under him and everything was fine and he just took a left as hard as he could take one, and ran me down all the way into the marbles." Hamlin had pitted for tires with 10 laps left in regulation to give Gordon, who stayed out on the track, the lead. Then Gordon appeared headed for the win until Kyle Busch wrecked just moments before the white flag, to cause the green-white- "We were a hundred feet away from getting that white flag, getting the victory," Gordon said. "But I shouldn't be too upset. We were a third-place car before that, and we finished third." Kenseth wound up 18th and said of his actions, "It's nothing Jeff wouldn't have done, or hasn't done, to me." "The way he raced me today, I don't think was the way I would have raced him," Gordon said. And, "If somebody hits me, I'm going to hit him. If he hit me, I'm glad I did what I did on the back straightaway. If a guy gives you a cheap shot like that, he doesn't deserve to win the race, in my opinion. "If that didn't happen, and I have not seen the video, then again, I'll be the first one to call him this week and apologize." He needn't. And the best news was that NASCAR said nothing about pondering penalties for either driver. So NASCAR continues to let 'em rip. Retro Racing Mark Aumann Since 1972, only two races held on Easter weekend Both memorable for big names involved and not involved Since the advent of the modern era schedule in 1972, NASCAR officials have taken great pains to avoid scheduling a Cup race on Easter weekend. But on two occasions, weather postponements forced NASCAR to change its plans, and in both instances, a seven-time champion was a major part of the storyline. There were several instances of races taking place on Easter weekend before the Cup schedule was reduced to eliminate dirt tracks and those shorter than a half-mile in length following the 1971 campaign. The first of Buck Baker's 46 Cup victories came on Holy Saturday in 1952 at Columbia, S.C. One year later, Dick Passwater scored his only Cup victory on Easter Sunday before a crowd of 8,500 at the old Charlotte Speedway. That also was the first time Tim Flock carried a Rhesus monkey nicknamed Jocko Flocko inside his car. That experiment came to an abrupt end eight races later when Jocko literally went ape inside the car at Raleigh, scratching and clawing at Flock before he managed to pull into the pits and have the crew pull Jocko off his neck. The Thomas brothers -- Herb and Donald -- finished 1-2 in an Easter Sunday event at Hillsboro in 1954. The only Good Friday race in NASCAR's history books was run three years later at Charlotte's Southern States Fairgrounds, with Fireball Roberts taking the checkered flag. In 1959 and '60, Wilson's fairgrounds track hosted a pair of Easter Sunday races, with Junior Johnson and Joe Weatherly winning. The following year, Emanuel Zervakis won at Greenville on Holy Saturday and Cotton Owens followed with an Easter Sunday victory at Hillsboro. During the '60s, Greenville hosted a number of races on Easter weekend, usually on Saturdays with a companion race being run on the Monday after Easter. In 1965, Dick Hutcherson won at Greenville and Junior Johnson followed two days later with a victory at North Wilkesboro. In 1966, David Pearson completed the Easter weekend sweep, winning at Greenville on Saturday and Winston-Salem on Monday. Pearson successfully defended his Greenville victory in '67, but Bobby Allison captured the flag at Winston-Salem that season. In 1969, Bobby Isaac led the entire 250-lap distance at Hickory to win on Easter Sunday, with Dave Marcis scoring his first career top-five finish. One year later, Bobby Allison took the checkered first at Atlanta. And in '71, ABC's Wide World of Sports first showed a NASCAR event live in its entirety when it broadcast Isaac's win in a 200-lapper at Greenville on Holy Saturday. NASCAR didn't race on Easter weekend again until 1985, when a rainout forced the Bristol race to be rescheduled for the day before Easter. Despite losing the power steering in his Chevrolet within the first 100 laps, Dale Earnhardt literally muscled his car past Ricky Rudd with 17 laps remaining to win. After leading at least one lap in every Bristol race during a 10-race period, Darrell Waltrip's amazing streak was snapped that day, mainly because he and Bill Elliott were collected in an early race incident involving Terry Labonte and Lake Speed. Waltrip then retired with engine problems. Weather also played a factor in the most recent Cup race run on Easter Sunday. In 1989, snow forced Richmond to reschedule, and a crowd estimated by The Associated Press at 50,000 turned out under sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s to see a race that didn't include Richard Petty. Petty failed to qualify, snapping his Cup starting streak at 513 races. Because of that, NASCAR's rules for provisional starting spots later would be amended to include one for past champions. Rusty Wallace wound up edging Alan Kulwicki for the win, taking advantage of a late-race caution to beat Kulwicki out of the pits and then maintain the lead for the final 20 laps following the restart. "If it wasn't for that caution flag, he would have won the race," Wallace said. "There's no question about that." But Wallace's win didn't come easily. He had to pit twice under green because of vibrations caused by loose lug nuts, and somehow was able to remain on the lead lap. "We finally figured out it was a malfunction of the air gun and not the tires," Wallace said. "We kept going back out with loose lug nuts because the gun would only tighten the nuts about half of what they were supposed to be." Kulwicki had his share of problems as well, spinning out after blowing a tire near the midway point, then being assessed with a pair of pit-road penalties for missing the stop sign at the end of pit road. Still, victory was within his grasp until Dick Trickle blew an engine late in the going. "You're in a situation where you know your tires are better after they wear in a little, but you can't afford not to change them when you have the chance," Kulwicki said. ''It looked like we had the race won and then all those cautions came out. I used to be happy with second, but we had this race won. This time, to finish second is a little frustrating for us." Is The Spoiler a Poison Pill for Jimmie Johnson? By Reid Spencer Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service Jimmie Johnson finished ninth Monday at Martinsville Speedway in a pedestrian run for the No. 48 team. In eight previous races at the .526-mile short track, Johnson had led at least 42 laps in each race and a total of 1,380 laps. He won five of those eight races. How many laps did Johnson lead in the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 in Monday's rain-delayed race? Zero. Yes, he posted his 16th straight top-10 finish at Martinsville, but it was a day-long struggle. What was the single most obvious variable that separated Monday's race from the previous eight? NASCAR's switch from a rear wing to a blade spoiler on the Sprint Cup car, of course. The change became permanent at Martinsville. Now, the disclaimers. It was the first race with the spoiler, on a track where aerodynamics play only a minor role. Johnson said after the race that his lack of speed resulted from experimental changes to his car, as crew chief Chad Knaus tried—as he invariably does—to stay ahead of the performance curve. With three victories in the first five races of the 2010 season, Johnson and Knaus felt they could afford to deviate from setups that had produced dominating efforts in the past. "We were trying some stuff through the company, especially on the 48 car today," Johnson explained after the race. "We thought we would get it sorted out in practice and just came up a little short—didn't get enough time with our new ideas. "(We got) good race experience with it (Monday), and we know what we were trying here will help us at other tracks down the road. In some respects, you wish you could just come back with the same stuff all the time and have it work, but this garage area doesn't sit still. "With the fast start we've had, we wanted to be smart and try some things out. Ninth today was about it for us." The bottom line is that the spoiler might have had nothing at all to do with the very ordinary performance of the No. 48 team. On the other hand, Martin Truex Jr. said before the race that his car felt comfortable with the spoiler during recent testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Truex finished fifth Monday, his best effort of the season so far. Is it possible that the switch to the spoiler could be a game-changer for the Cup series? Is it possible that NASCAR's changeup could be a curveball for the No. 48 team? Knaus, for one, doesn't think so. "It's a big, big change to the racecar," Knaus said March 21, after Johnson won the last race of the wing era, at Bristol. "(But) with the strength we have at Hendrick Motorsports, with the people we've got, we typically adapt quicker than most people, so I'm looking forward to it." Then came Martinsville, which suggested, albeit tenuously, that the spoiler might be Kryptonite to Johnson and Knaus—if not deadly green Kryptonite, then the red Kryptonite that could have wacky, unpredictable results for the driver known as Superman. Phoenix, on April 10, will tell us more, but the real test of the spoiler will come eight days later at Texas, where the Cup cars will race en masse for the first time on a downforce track. In the meantime, Cup drivers who haven't won four straight championships can savor a small kernel of hope. They can dream, can't they? Top Ten… Jeff Meyer · Fronstretch. Rehabilitation Orders Doctors Gave Denny Hamlin After Knee Surgery 10. Post-It notes reminding him that he is a race car driver and not some minority college kid in the Final Four. 9. Daily "healing hypnosis" sessions induced by staring at the swinging pendulums of three Grandfather Clocks. 8. A shot of Crown Royal, once a day, in honor of Matt Kenseth. 7. OK, two shots of Crown when he really gets to thinking of how Kenseth helped him out! 6. A daily whirlpool session that includes Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, and Joey Logano so they can all get together to reminisce about the closing laps — and Denny can brag they got beat by a one-legged Virginian. 5. Strict orders not to enter any butt kickin' contests. 4. Ordered not to win any races for at least six weeks as doing burnouts is hard on the affected ligaments. 3. A sturdy leg brace, because doctors foresee a massive swelling of his head once he starts believing he's the only challenger to Jimmie Johnson. 2. Deep knee bends while kissing Mike Ford's butt for making a gutsy call with less than 10 laps to go. 1. Practice kicking Mike Ford in the butt for making such a gutsy call, causing Denny to work so hard for a win! Jeff Gordon, Kenseth reignite old rivalry By Chris Symeon - The Sports Network The ending of the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville, delayed one day because of rain, turned out to be a wild one thanks in part to Gordon and Kenseth. During a late-race caution for Jeff Burton's blown tire, leader Denny Hamlin and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch surprisingly pitted, while everyone else remained on the track. Gordon then took over the top spot and led the way for the restart. He appeared to be on the way to his eighth victory at Martinsville, but just before the white flag was displayed, Busch got turned around and slammed into the wall. The last caution set up a green- white-checkered finish. After the final restart, Kenseth moved up on Gordon's bumper and then dove underneath him in a attempt to take the lead as they exited the first turn. "All I know is [Kenseth] was behind me," Gordon said. "I got hit and thrown up the racetrack. He was the first car to go by me. If that wasn't him that made contact with me, then I owe him an apology." Kenseth made the pass on Gordon heading into turn three, but Gordon shoved Kenseth up the track as he scraped the wall. While both drivers duked it out one-and-a-half laps from the finish, Hamlin slipped through to take the lead for good. "We were gonna be side-by-side going into three and four, and the outside lane has actually been an advantage anyway, so it wasn't gonna be that big of a deal," Kenseth said. "Instead, he decided to run me down as low as he could, because he knew I'd wreck when I got to the corner. That's the way it turned out. It was a dumb move on my part. "I should have just finished third and collected some points and got one of our best finishes at Martinsville, but I figured I'd go for the win, which, I guess in hindsight, was probably a mistake." Hamlin was scheduled to have surgery on his torn ACL in his left knee on Monday. Instead, he capped off his day with a celebration in victory lane -- his third at NASCAR's oldest and shortest track. Gordon held on for a third-place finish, while Kenseth wound up 18th. "If somebody hits me, I'm going to hit them," Gordon said. "If he hit me, I'm glad I did what I did on the back straightaway. If a guy gives you a cheap shot like that, he doesn't deserve to win the race in my opinion." Obviously, there was friction between Gordon and Kenseth at Martinsville, but not enough to spark any post-race fireworks on pit road, as was the case in their first altercation in March 2006 at Bristol. The two drivers ended up in a shoving match in the pits shortly after Kenseth wrecked Gordon on the last lap. NASCAR slapped Gordon with a $10,000 fine and a five-month probation for his altercation with Kenseth at Bristol. It was Gordon's first penalty for a non- technical violation. Later in the '06 season, both drivers clashed again at Chicagoland. Kenseth held the lead with seven laps remaining, but Gordon tapped Kenseth from behind and spun him around. Gordon went on to win at Chicagoland for the first time. Gordon and Kenseth each admitted their issues from four years ago did not play a factor in their Martinsville tussle. That may be true. But when it comes to two former Cup champions who haven't won in a while, don't be surprised if another altercation between the two happens again, especially if they're in a battle for the win in the closing laps. Junior Johnson's son cutting own path into racing By Tommy Bowman - Winston-Salem Journal Junior Johnson, the Last American Hero, isn't the last of his lineage in stock-car racing. A sequel, so to speak, is in the making. Johnson's son, Robert Glen Johnson III, has emerged from a vastly different world than his father's moonshine-hauling days, but he's discovered the same interest and aptitude for speed and competition. The younger Johnson seems intent on establishing his own racing legacy, and in the process, he has his legendary father back and involved in the sport in a hands-on way. Robert, as poised and polished as perhaps a 16-year-old can be, is a sophomore honors student at Forsyth Country Day School with a goal of attending Duke University and studying motivational psychology. He's also, however, set on a racing career, with plans to eventually become a Sprint Cup contender. He said he wasn't always interested in following his father into racing. In fact, he wasn't at all enamored of the sport as a toddler, when he was lugged down pit road as Junior Johnson was ending a career as a car owner in the mid-1990s. "I remember it was really loud," Robert Johnson said. He's making noise of his own now. Robert Johnson won the first race he entered, last May in a Sportsman division at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro. He went on to win four more races. "It felt really natural to race," he said. "I think it's in the blood, but I don't race because of Dad's legacy. I race because I like it. I wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't right for me." That's fine by his father. "He accepts the fact that he's going to be different from me and he's doing his own thing and not trying to impress people because he's my son," Junior Johnson said. Still, Robert Johnson recognizes that being the son of a Hall-of-Fame driver is very much part of it all, and for a while at least, his father name will be a constant in conversations. "It's great to be able to talk about Dad's legacy. He's a cool guy," he said. "I remember at Bristol about eight years ago I went over to get Jeff Gordon's autograph. I was a big Jeff Gordon fan. I was star struck to get to meet Jeff Gordon. And I think Jeff Gordon was star struck to see Dad. I remember it hitting me then what Dad means to the sport." Robert Johnson has stepped up to Late Model competition this year and plans to run a full 16-race schedule in the touring UARA Series, as well as five races in the Whelen All-American Series. He is driving car No. 11 for the revived Junior Johnson & Associates. The team is operating out of JKS Motorsports in Welcome. Ed Berrier, a veteran NASCAR driver, is the crew chief, and the team is getting some technical support from Richard Childress Racing just down the road. Junior Johnson is enjoying it all. "He's smiling like a possum," said Will Spencer, the owner of JKS. "He's very opinionated about what we need to do and how we need to do things. He's very observant how the car is acting on the race track and how Robert is driving the car. He has no problems telling us if we're doing something wrong. So, yes, he's involved. "Robert having Junior as a father really adds to the way he delivers because he's got somebody that's been there, done it, lived it and stepped away from it and is now very recognized for what he contributed to the sport. And for Junior to step back in after a 15-year hiatus is great." Robert Johnson had a solid start in the UARA Series earlier this month, finishing eighth at Hickory, where Junior Johnson registered his first victory in 1955. "He picks up on things real quick," Junior Johnson said. "He drives with his intelligence, I drove like I was crazy. There's a lot of difference in our style. I went to the front until either the car tore up or I won the race. He takes care of his car and does what he needs to. He's been good to save his car, to use it when he needs to and not tear it up." Robert Johnson, meanwhile, said that he's been "compared more to David Pearson than Dad, just because my style seems to be more endurance, where I seem to come in late in races when everybody else has sort of killed their cars. I try to take it easy at first and then get after it the second half." But some of the Junior Johnson aggressiveness, and telling determination, comes through. Asked if there was anything he didn't like about racing, he said, "I don't like it when I'm slow." Robert Johnson doesn't have time to go slow. He commutes to and from home in Hamptonville to Forsyth Country Day, and he has little free time between keeping up with class work and preparing for races. "He's articulate, he's smart and he's handling it all well," Spencer said. "It's been a joint effort -- Lisa (Robert's mom), Junior and all of us -- trying to be respectful of his time and very aware of the importance of his education." As for the racing, the goal is evident. "The goal is to be racing in the Cup series in five or six years," Robert Johnson said. Dale Earnhardt Sr.: NASCAR's Own Classic Version of "American Pie" Sal Sigala Jr./bleacherreport. Written on March 27, 2010 On a cold winter's night back on Feb. 3, 1959, a small private plane took off from Clear Lake, Iowa, bound for Fargo, N.D. It never made its destination. When that plane crashed, it claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson, and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Three of rock and roll's most promising performers were gone. As Don McLean wrote in his classic music parable "American Pie," it was "the day the music died. " Throughout the years, the world of sports and entertainment has seen its share of fallen heroes, those who in one way or another touched the lives of those around them. Whether in person or watching on our television sets, these legends were the backbone of the culture in which we grew up. Many times, we watched them while thinking what it would be like to walk in their shoes. At times, we tried to fulfill our own dreams by mimicking what it was that made them famous. Life has always been about the journey. From time to time, each of one us have experienced life's many crises from the different changing events and transitions, all unpredictable moments arriving and intruding into our "well groomed" lives. We didn't ask for this interference, and sometimes we find ourselves wondering why it has arrived, bringing with it havoc and confusion. Along with the havoc and confusion, there is one hell of an adventure that is waiting to explode right before our very eyes. The journey that Earnhardt embarked on is one that, even today, is still one the most talked about subjects whenever the word NASCAR is mentioned. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. was born April 29, 1951. A NASCAR legend to some, but yet to his family, he was a son, father, brother, and also a husband. Earnhardt was as wholesome as American pie. Whether you loved him or hated him, the legacy that he left behind was…A long, long time ago...I can still remember how that No. 3 used to make me smile . With a twinkle in his eye, and a devilish grin on his face, Dale Earnhardt Sr. pushed and shoved his way into NASCAR superstardom. Call it what you want—passion, infatuation, enthusiasm, or just a plain and simple love for the sport. Our modern dictionary is full of words that can be used to describe the enormous impact—good or bad—that this one driver alone has had in the NASCAR series. Excellence and dedication on and off the track were two of his biggest strengths, along with the zeal to be the best driver. He was tenacious when it came to accomplishing the goals that he set before himself. Very seldom did he ever fall short of achieving what most other drivers could only dream of. NASCAR to him was a way of life, as well as a world that he would dominate in his own special way. Never has a driver come from such a simple lifestyle to steal hearts—as well as crush a few—on his way to becoming one the sport's most recognizable figures. His popularity wasn't constrained to just motorsports alone. His reputation took him beyond the NASCAR walls and into the limelight of everyday sports. Dale Earnhardt Sr. was born a legend. Throughout his storybook career, he took every advantage, as well as the gifts that were given to him, in order to give back to the sport and the fans who gave him so much. Earnhardt's love for the sport catapulted him to places that very few drivers have ever reached. At the same time, it allowed him to become one of NASCAR's most popular ambassadors. Earnhardt not only believed in himself, but he also believed in his own abilities. He took many chances other drivers would frown upon. Earnhardt's greatness was portrayed in those who chose him as their own hero. There were still those fans who couldn't find it in their hearts to overlook his aggressive driving style. Either way, "The Intimidator" continued to take NASCAR by storm. At the same time, he catapulted the sport into the homes of motorsports fanatics around the country, because of his uncompromising driving abilities, which were admired by those who witnessed them. The word "quit" was never found in his vocabulary, nor could anyone quench the fire that burned deep within his heart to always be the best. Many drivers who come through the series leave some sort of footprint for the next generation driver to follow. This special set of prints have yet to be followed though because of the legacy hidden deep within the soles. Earnhardt's accomplishments made him one of NASCAR's most decorated drivers. All you had to do is put an ear to them, and almost magically you could listen to history being spoken in a small, still voice. Death is eminent in any sport, especially when you take into consideration how dangerous NASCAR racing is, because of the high speeds these 3,500-pound cars travel. When the Grim Reaper comes knocking at your door, there is no escaping his deadly grip, since he has no respect for who is next on the list. On a warm, sunlit day back on Feb. 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr. would buckle himself into his famous black, grey, and red No. 3 Goodwrench-sponsore Earnhardt never reached his final destination. There would be no last-lap heroics, but instead these few words from "American Pie" about the day that NASCAR died. But February made me shiver with every paper I'd deliver. Bad news on the doorstep; I couldn't take one more step. I can't remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride. But something touched me deep inside the day the No. 3 died. Bye-bye Miss American pie. Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry. And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye, singing this'll be the day that I die. Did You Notice? Thomas Bowles · Frontstretch. Martinsville' Did You Notice? … Martinsville's finish was one of the best we've had in the past several years, causing longtime fans to breathe a little easier about its future? I wish I could say I'm with you on that one. Certainly, if these decisions were based on racing alone Martinsville would be assured a second date forever. But as we all know, businesses don't survive without making money, and with profit margins down at ISC that's going to become more of a focus than ever before. This much we know for 2011: - Kansas Speedway is on its way to building a casino that would make ISC plenty of money (opening by 2012). – With the casino nearing completion, that cold, hard cash is enough to give them an automatic second date – no matter how good or bad the racing is at the speedway. – The current Cup schedule won't expand beyond its current slate of 36 races. With those thoughts in mind, it's clear someone's going to lose a race when the schedule is set for 2011. And with NASCAR's shaky truce with SMI's Bruton Smith, you can be sure adding an ISC date won't come at the expense of any of his tracks. Don't expect independents like Dover, Pocono, or Indy to lose a date either. So who's at risk from the pile of ISC tracks? It's a "race" (and not the good kind) between Phoenix, Michigan, Fontana, and Martinsville. You would think, considering Fontana's usual snoozers versus the type of competition we saw on Monday, Martinsville would have knocked itself down to the bottom of the list. Instead, it worked its way back towards the top. Attendance for Sunday (hard to compare rainout numbers) was listed at 58,000, roughly 7,000-9,000 short of capacity. That's the smallest crowd for the half-mile oval since ISC took it over in 2004. And if you want to look at the ugly rain-delay numbers … they're even worse. Officially, the count was posted at 40,000 but reports from the track claim that number seems slightly inflated, with 30-35,000 a more realistic total. Those numbers pale in comparison to the "72,000" that Fontana was able to attract this Spring (a number also in quotes, as many claimed it was drastically overinflated) "No way!" you say. "More fans watch Martinsville compared to Fontana on TV. It's simply not possible for NASCAR to make such a ridiculous move." Ah, but here's another dirty secret: Fontana's TV ratings are actually higher. Check it out: Spring Fontana Race Ratings: Spring Martinsville Race Ratings: Shocking, but true: from 2007 through 2009, Martinsville ratings were 22 percent less than Fontana's, the second race of the season. For the hardcore fan, this freak of nature has a simple explanation: Fontana always carries with it the momentum generated by the season's highest-rated race, the Daytona 500. But again, these men in suits don't have time for explanations. Their flight to Jamaica is running late, and they need to make the Tiki Bar by 7:00. "But you don't understand!" you're saying, now slightly deflated. "The ending of that race was enough to make them reconsider!" Hmm… have any of you forgotten how the last Rockingham race unfolded? Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne came to the line side-by-side, producing a finish that was almost too close to call (Kenseth won by a nose). In fact, two of the last three races at the Rock were instant classics like that – but in the business world, that didn't matter. Those races are gone. Remember the final Southern 500 in 2003? Terry Labonte pulled off the last win of his career, fighting through a race that featured 24 lead changes (the most there since 1996). The fall race the following year, moved to November, set another standard with 27 lead changes, won by Jimmie Johnson after a thrilling late-race battle with Jamie McMurray. The next year, that fall date bit the dust. So I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but in a business sense Martinsville hurt its chances to keep both its Sprint Cup dates in 2011. But before you go scream/cry/throw obscenities at me, take a deep breath … there's hope. Both Michigan and Phoenix (along with Fontana) are undergoing economic evaluations by the ISC, and both have been hit hard by the current economy. Pulling a date from Phoenix would make the most sense tradition-wise (they've only had a second date since 2005) and their seating capacity of 77,000 doesn't give them much upward potential. As for Michigan … well, they could be the true wild card. Attendance badly slumped last year, as has the quality of racing, not exactly an easy sell for fan disinterest combined with an unemployment rate approaching 25 percent. So by no means is a Martinsville date loss set in stone … it's just not completely out of the question. And that's a shame. I'll close in saying losing a date at Martinsville would crack my heart in two, as it would with many fans on the circuit. I don't (and won't) have the luxury of walking away if that happens, but I can certainly understand how for many that follow this sport that's the final straw. Which is why I leave NASCAR with this quote from Michael Phillips: "Money will come to you when you are doing the right thing." The right thing is to keep two dates in rural Virginia. Did You Notice? … Jeff Gordon trying to snooker the field on restarts? The way he was choosing to step on the gas was the opposite of smooth, equivalent to a little brake check road rage in front of you on the highway. In my opinion, his struggle to get up to speed at the right time during the green-white- But what really bothered me is an incident early in the race where Gordon jumped the start. Following a caution on lap 70, the No. 24 got so far in front of the field with his acceleration pattern he was already five car lengths ahead by lap 71. NASCAR's response was to "warn" Gordon about how he conducts himself in such restarts in the future, a move which might have played into the funky way he did them the rest of the day. Some will say that message had the desired effect, ensuring Gordon didn't snooker the field and break the rules when it counted the most. But did teammate Mark Martin get a "warning" when an air hose violation was discovered in the pits? Did Dale Earnhardt, Jr. get a "warning" for speeding on pit road last week? It's not like Gordon's a rookie here … he knows how to handle himself on restarts. So in my opinion, anything less than an outright penalty on the track for that type of stuff is unacceptable. NASCAR wonders why it's accused of playing favorites. Well, the second they say the word 'warning,' they leave themselves at risk for that very criticism. Did You Notice? … Attitude can be everything inside the race car? Mark Martin and Kurt Busch both suffered through two major problems Monday. For Busch, his team chose to keep him out on old tires under an early caution flag, leaving him a sitting duck for the pack behind him on fresh rubber. In Martin's case, it was that air hose penalty which left him 22nd with just 125 laps to go. Two drivers facing adversity … two different reactions. For Busch, the poor decision led to an angry tirade on the radio, throwing him off his rhythm and easily into the clutches of his competitors around him. Second on lap 175, he was ninth by lap 200 and never so much as sniffed the top 5 the rest of the day. Eventually, a loose wheel dropped him three laps off the pace, killing momentum from an average finish of 1.5 these last two weeks and causing Busch to wonder aloud, "Why do I even try at this track?" In contrast, Martin's approach was to buckle down, take a deep breath and focus on fighting to the front. On lap 375, he was 22nd; 75 laps later, he was seventh and heading towards a certain top 5 finish until a bout with the outside wall ultimately sent him fading to 21st. During that time, the 51-year-old never complained, never screamed at his crew for causing him hardship … just chose to give nothing less than 110 percent. People say sports is just as much mental as it is physical. Need any more proof? Did You Notice? … A very unique way in which Roush Fenway's selling sponsorship? Found on allleftturns. There's just one part where the sell gets a little tricky; when you get to the part where you give out Stenhouse's actual results (not mentioned in the QVC catalog). Because after all, aren't businesses interested in the bottom line? So far this season, the rookie has crashed in every one of his four races, posting a best finish of 25th, 33 laps off the pace. That puts him behind such household names as Josh Wise, Eric McClure, and Willie Allen (who has one less start this season). If there's any consolation for Stenhouse, teammate Colin Braun has also yet to score a top 15 finish so far this season, putting the duo in Jack Roush's doghouse before we're even close to the Dog Days of summer. And considering the amount Roush Fenway charges a potential sponsor, those are the type of finishes that could make sponsors go with one of those underdogs at a bargain price instead. So Nashville now becomes a crucial race for both men, especially considering Roush is funding half their programs out of pocket. If another bad day forces both to qualify on speed going forward (they're right on the cusp of falling outside the top 30) you wonder how committed Roush will stay to funding both programs for the full schedule. Because when Mr. Roush doesn't call the QVC line back … then you know you've got a real problem. NASCAR ON TV THIS WEEK NNS: Nashville 300 Sat, Apr 03 04:00 pm ESPN All times Eastern Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain, Your Nascar Momma Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!" "Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." -Dale Earnhardt - 1998 |
knowyournascar-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To post message, send an email to:
knowyournascar@yahoogroups.com
-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To post message, send an email to:
knowyournascar@yahoogroups.com
No comments:
Post a Comment