Happy Tuesday. March 9, 1980: Cale Yarborough rolls off the grid 21st but that doesn't keep him from winning his first race of the year, the Carolina 500 at Rockingham. Yarborough starts only two races outside the top nine all season. In fact, he starts the remaining 27 races from the pole, second or third positions except for starting fifth at Martinsville and 12th at Atlanta. He starts from the pole a career-high 14 times in 1980 and finishes the season with an average start of 3.1, also a personal best. On this day, Yarborough beats Richard Petty by 3 seconds with Dale Earnhardt third, a lap back. 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, You say you got no comments on Sunday's race. I watched most of it and except for the Kyle Bush-Boris Said and Carl Edwards-Brad Keslowski incidents there was nothing worth commenting on and since I got no response from my comments on the California and Las Vegas races I figured why bother. My comments on the races after Daytona would just say one word, BORING, and the only thing exciting about the Daytona 500 were the last 10 laps. I can now do what I started to do on Sundays anyway and that is watch the Speed channel. The races are better. As I said before, I'm gone again but this time for sure. The Old Man of NASCAR, Lou Elliott I hope not Lou, I love your comments even though I may not answer all of them. Please keep in touch! From RD I think Krashalotski got what he has needed for a coupla years now. rd From Linda My opinion on this weekend is they ought to nail both Carl and Brad for their behavior of the last almost year. Its stuff like this that gives racing a bad name. They keep it up and somebody is gonna get killed. I think they ought to make both of them sit out for a few races. We finally get NASCAR to lighten up and then they go and screw it up! Linda Bits and Pieces NASCAR places Edwards on three-race probation More concerned that 12 car flipped on a 1.5-mile track By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM NASCAR president Mike Helton on Tuesday announced Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards had been placed on probation for the next three Sprint Cup races as a result of Edwards intentionally wrecking Brad Keselowski last Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Helton said the decision came "after meeting and discussing the events Sunday evening, all day Monday and [Tuesday] morning." Helton added that an additional meeting "that was still being set" would be arranged between NASCAR officials, team owners Jack Roush and Roger Penske and the two drivers. "We feel that will come before the Saturday or Sunday of the Bristol weekend," Helton said. Helton said the fact that Keselowski's car went airborne at a 1.5-mile track was a bigger issue than Edwards' action. Helton's participation in a national teleconference was quickly scheduled and announced less than 90 minutes in advance in the aftermath of the vicious accident in the late stages of Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500. With two laps remaining of the scheduled 325-lap event on the high-speed 1.5-mile track -- where two days before Dale Earnhardt Jr. had clocked the fastest qualifying lap ever recorded by NASCAR's new car, 192.761 mph -- Keselowski's Dodge flipped into the frontstretch fence following contact from Edwards' Ford. FOX Sports' TV replays showed Edwards' white-gloved hands turning his steering wheel to the right, into the back of Keselowski's car, which caused it to spin backwards. The car immediately lifted into the air and turned over, striking the top of the fence, upside-down with the driver's-side corner of the windshield "A-post." NASCAR immediately parked Edwards, who had made another lap of the race track after the contact. Upon getting the word on his in-car radio, Edwards drove the wrong way up pit road to turn into the Sprint Cup garage area to park at his hauler. Keselowski was helped from his car and walked to an ambulance. After being examined in the track's infield care center, Keselowski emerged and promised that actions such as Edwards' would result in injuries to either another driver or to fans. "To come back and intentionally wreck someone, that's not cool -- you could have killed someone in the grandstands, "It's not cool to wreck someone intentionally at 195 mph." After getting out of his car at the track, Edwards didn't deny spinning Keselowski but said flipping the younger driver's car wasn't his intent. Later Sunday evening, in an entry on his Facebook page, Edwards said "his code" dictated that he take action immediately. Earlier in the race, Edwards and Keselowski's cars made contact when Edwards attempted to move his Roush Fenway Racing Ford from an upper lane to a lower lane already occupied by Keselowski's Penske Racing Dodge. The contact caused Edwards' car to skitter up the track, where it hit Joey Logano's Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, causing both Edwards' and Logano's cars to hit the wall. Edwards spent more than 150 laps in the garage while his crew made repairs. Edwards came back on the track in 41st and could have made up three positions -- and nine championship points -- by running to the end of the race. When he was parked, Edwards ended up 39th and lost the chance to overtake Joe Nemechek, who was already out of the race. RPM testing plans: Tests with the new spoiler on the Sprint Cup car would seem to be important, but Richard Petty Motorsports has opted to focus on tests other than the NASCAR test March 16 at Talladega Superspeedway. Richard Petty Motorsports won't send three of its teams to the one-day Talladega test, with #98-Paul Menard going and #9-Kasey Kahne, #19-Elliott Sadler and #43-AJ Allmendinger staying at home or going to a test somewhere else. It is expected that some of the other multicar organizations won't have all of its teams at the test, which NASCAR will use to set the size of the restrictor plate for the April race weekend at the track. RPM's competition director Robbie Loomis said that with four or five Fords at the test, RPM will be able to get all of the info it needs. Instead of going to Talladega, Kahne will be testing that week at Road Atlanta and the organization also has a test scheduled for Little Rock at Rockingham.( Third best race finish for Red Bull Racing: both Red Bull Toyotas finished in the top 10 for the second time in three-plus years of Sprint Cup racing. #83-Brian Vickers survived two overtime restarts and 16 extra laps to finish seventh in Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 525, really at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Not far behind was and #82-Scott Speed, whose 10th-place finish was his best at a track not named Talladega. Vickers posted his first top 10 of the season, third in a row at Atlanta and fifth in the past six races there. He's finished in the top 10 in half of his 14 starts at the 1.54-mile track. Vickers climbed to 16th in the standings and is only 14 points from the top 12. Speed's #82 Red Bull Toyota crossed the stripe in 10th, his best finish since running fifth at Talladega in April 2009. And Sunday continued Speed's strong start to his sophomore season. He owns finishes of 19th, 11th, 22nd and 10th, and is tied with Jeff Gordon for 11th in points. This is the third best finish in three plus years for Red Bull Racing following Talladega last April when Vickers finished 8th and Speed 5th and at Pocono in June 2008 when Vickers finished 2nd and A.J. Allmendinger 12th.(Red Bull Racing) Kyle Petty, Rutledge Wood Try Their Hand At Supercross: NASCAR veteran Kyle Petty has raced stock cars and sports cars at Daytona International Speedway. On Monday he added motorcycles to that list after taking lessons from Supercross legend Ricky Carmichael. Petty, along with his SPEED Channel co-host Rutledge Wood, took part in the inaugural Ricky Carmichael University where the five-time Daytona Supercross By Honda champion and his team of experts shared tips and techniques with Supercross racers of all ages in the one-day only camp. "There are kids here that are five or six-years-old that just worship the ground he walks on," Petty said. "He's like Jeff Gordon, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. all rolled into one when it comes to motocross. To be able to come and learn from someone like that is incredible." Petty, who has always enjoyed motorcycles but did not have any previous Supercross experience, equated participating in the event to a kid being able to take a lap around Daytona International Speedway the day after the Daytona 500. Carmichael, who is retired from Supercross competition and now pursuing a stock car career with Turner Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, was impressed with the performance of both Petty and Wood. "Kyle is doing fantastic," Carmichael said. "Rutledge is doing amazing. Racers are racers. When I explained stuff to Kyle, he would go out and execute it. You could see the light bulb click on, if you will. It's neat to see at their level, guys who are doing it for the first time. It's so fun to see the progression. Most Brands Ever Appear During the 2010 Daytona 500 Telecast: The 2010 Daytona 500 will long be remembered for two lengthy pothole repairs, which extended the live Fox broadcast to seven hours and also enabled 348 sponsoring brands the most ever monitored during a Daytona 500 telecast to obtain valuable television exposure. According to research conducted by Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc. which has monitored every NASCAR race telecast since the mid-1980s this year's number of brands marked a 16% increase in sponsors compared to the 300 appearing during the 2009 race telecast. The additional broadcast time created by the two track repair delays was filled by several driver interviews. These lengthy interview segments saw 175 different brands appear on the drivers' uniforms, compared to 149 brands in 2009. Overall, total on-screen time for all sponsors was up 55% compared to the 2009 broadcast (17:19:40 to 11:12:28), while verbal sponsor mentions rose a whopping 64% (386 to 236). When comparing the in-broadcast visual and verbal exposure to the estimated cost of a national commercial during the Daytona 500 telecast, and then applying Joyce Julius Recognition Grading which takes into account such factors as size and placement of the image on screen, as well as brand "clutter" the sponsors combined for $319 million of Recognition Grade exposure value. More info and stats at joycejulius. NASCAR Teams to help build a park: On Wednesday, March 10, NASCAR team members from Jeff Gordon, Scott Speed and Brian Vickers teams, Olympic swimmers from SwimMAC-Carolina Team Elite and students from the NASCAR Technical Institute will be participating in the construction process of Construction of Hope Park, a unique 20,000 square-foot, motorsports- NASCAR looking closely into Edwards incident QUOTES: Brad Keselowski called for fellow Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards to be suspended for at least one race after Edwards wrecked him Sunday in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. But Robin Pemberton, vice president of competition for NASCAR, said the governing body would take its time in examining all the facts before deciding what to do with Edwards, whose #99 Roush Fenway Ford was ordered to the garage after wrecking the #12 of Keselowski and sending it airborne on the frontstretch on Lap 323 of what was a scheduled 325-lap event. Pemberton and other NASCAR officials, including president Mike Helton, met with Edwards following Sunday's race -- but Pemberton said they would discuss the incident further "internally" on Monday and Tuesday before announcing any additional penalties for Edwards by late Tuesday afternoon. "It looked like it could have been a payback from the #99 on the #12," Pemberton said. The two drivers got together earlier during Sunday's race when they bumped on Lap 41 and Edwards ended up getting shoved into the #20 Toyota of Joey Logano, effectively ruining both of their days. Keselowski, meanwhile, drove away from that incident and went on to put together a solid run for the day while Edwards spent much of the afternoon having his car repaired in the garage. Edwards returned to the track on Lap 190 after spending 150 laps in the garage, and appeared to purposely wreck Keselowski when Keselowski appeared headed for a top-five finish. "To come back and intentionally wreck someone, that's not cool," Keselowski said. "You could have killed someone in the grandstands. I know that it's a little ironic that it's me saying that, but at least I didn't do it intentionally [when it happened at Talladega]. It will be interesting to see how NASCAR reacts to it. They have the ball. If they're going to allow people to intentionally wreck each other at tracks this fast, we will hurt someone either in the cars or in the grandstands. It's not cool to wreck someone at 195 mph." Pemberton indicated that Edwards more or less admitted in the post-race meeting with NASCAR officials that he intended to wreck Keselowski, but that he did not mean to send him airborne. Keselowski's car ended up landing upside down, nearly crushing in the driver's side of the roof, and was completely destroyed in the aftermath. Keselowski was shaken up after the wreck and needed assistance getting removed from the car, but eventually was cleared at the AMS infield care center. "Carl said he got into him; he said he didn't expect the result," Pemberton said. Earlier, Edwards spoke briefly with the media and attempted to explain his thinking. "Brad knows the deal between him and I," Edwards said. "The scary part was his car went airborne, which was not at all what I expected. At the end of the day, we're out here to race and people have to have respect for one another and I have a lot of respect for people's safety. I wish it wouldn't have gone like it did, but I'm glad he's OK and we'll just go on and race some more and maybe him and I won't get in any more incidents together. That would be the best thing." Keselowski told reporters that he believed Edwards took "three swipes" at him before connecting, and that Edwards deserves to be suspended for at least one race. He also defended what had occurred during their first incident Sunday. "He cut down on me on a restart and I lifted; I couldn't lift fast enough for him," Keselowski said. "I lifted for him to let him in, but I was there. I don't know what more you can do. "[Keep the] car low, that's what they say. So I was underneath him, tried to cut him a break. It was too late, though; he turned down. I apologized to him, but there was nothing that I could do in that situation."( Atlanta TV ratings higher than 2009: NASCAR ON FOX's coverage of the Sprint Cup race on from ATLANTA earned a 4.8/11 in the metered markets, up +2% over last year's 4.7/11 and good enough to rank as the weekend's highest-rated sports event. Yesterday's increase is particularly meaningful because the Atlanta race was FOX's first points race of the season that did not face the Olympics - the three races that did face the Olympics were down -14% in the metered markets. Yesterday's +2% increase under a "normal" competitive environment provides the best gauge yet of where NASCAR truly stands compared to last year. Through four races NASCAR On FOX is now down -10% compared to last year in the metered markets (5.3 vs. 5.9). The news was particularly good yesterday in the core Southeastern markets. Ratings were up +32% in Charlotte (11.5/24 vs. 8.7/17), +26% in Greensboro (12.7/26 vs. 10.1/20), and +25% in Atlanta (8.9/18 vs. 7.1/17). The major southeastern markets are always important to NASCAR, but especially so this year as those markets should be among the first to recognize any improvement in the racing brought about by this year's rule changes. Engines taken for inspection: Following Sunday's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, NASCAR announced that the engines of race winner #2-Kurt Busch, #17-Matt Kenseth, #83-Brian Vickers (random) and #55-Michael McDowell (start-and-park) would be taken to the NASCAR R&D center and torn down for observation. Busch and seventh-place finisher Vickers' chassis will also be taken to the NASCAR R&D center for observation. Jeremy Mayfield's stepmother wants deposition from ESPN reporter in lawsuit against her son By Bob Pockrass/scenedaily HAMPTON, Ga. – Lisa Mayfield's attorney wants to take a deposition from ESPN.com reporter David Newton in her defamation lawsuit against her estranged stepson, NASCAR driver and former team owner Jeremy Mayfield. Lisa Mayfield had to ask the court for approval to take the deposition out of state in the case, which was filed last July in North Carolina Superior Court. "ESPN reporter David Newton and ESPN are essential and material witnesses to the facts and circumstances involved in this cause of action," Lisa Mayfield's attorney wrote in the request to take the deposition in Connecticut, where ESPN is based. An ESPN spokesman said the network has not been served with a subpoena in the case and therefore had no comment. Jeremy Mayfield, quoted in the ESPN.com article and other media outlets, accused his stepmother of being involved in the death of his father, Terry, who died Sept. 5, 2007. About five weeks after Lisa Mayfield filed her defamation suit against Jeremy, he filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her, which also is pending in North Carolina Superior Court. Jeremy Mayfield is challenging in court his suspension from NASCAR for a drug test that allegedly was positive for methamphetamines. NASCAR has filed an affidavit from Lisa Mayfield where she states she saw him use methamphetamines. Atlanta wreck tests NASCAR's hands-off style Eddie Gossage/espndallas. You asked for it. "Old school racing!" "Mano a mano." "Give us our NASCAR the way it used to be!" NASCAR responded. "Have at it boys," they said. And Carl Edwards offered swift retribution to Brad Keselowski for what Edwards perceived to be either an intentional or foolish move by Keselowski early in the race (and a few previous to the Atlanta incident) that damaged his car. And now we have the first true test of NASCAR's new hands-off management style. Personally, I understand. And, if you are true to yourself and all those things you've said over the last few years, you do too. Now don't be a hypocrite. You said, "NASCAR just won't let boys be boys. Let them police themselves." There is a code in all sports. In hockey, had you aggressively checked Wayne Gretzky, best be prepared to drop the gloves. Hum a fastball high and at the chin in Major League Baseball, and the pitcher for the other team is going to aim at the chin of your first batter. That's the code. In NASCAR, drivers have long memories. Sometimes payback occurs that day. Sometimes it occurs years down the road. But it occurs. That's the code. Let me make it clear that Edwards didn't intend to hurt Keselowski, he meant to "punt" Keselowski across the infield grass. He did not deliberately intend to cause Keselowski to wind up landing on his roof at 180 mph. Edwards said as much after NASCAR officials -- appropriately -- sent him to the garage and out of the race after the incident. Additional punishment could well be forthcoming. But Edwards certainly intended to turn Keselowski around even though he was 156 laps behind. Payback is hell. Anything can happen when an errant car is sent spinning. More often than not, Keselowski would have spun and hit the wall, ending his day. Otherwise, his car would have careened across the grass, requiring a new set of tires and perhaps causing cosmetic damage. And Edwards' point would have been made. But one possible outcome could be a flipping car, hitting the wall at high speeds and possibly hurting -- or worse -- the driver, other drivers or a fan. That's not part of the code. But the old school drivers that you claimed "made this sport," were guilty of the same. They lived by the code. · Dale Earnhardt Sr. hooked Darrell Waltrip as the two raced for the win at Richmond, sending both viciously into the fence. · Earnhardt and Geoff Bodine battled regularly, highlighted by a grudge-match in turn two at NASCAR's all-star race one year. · The Allison brothers -- Bobby and Donnie -- duked it out with Cale Yarborough after Cale and Donnie crashed each other on the final lap of the Daytona 500. · Waltrip and Rusty Wallace staged a dramatic fight in the all-star race, resulting in Waltrip's spin in turn four and Wallace winding up in victory lane (Wallace claimed to have never touched Waltrip's bumper -- seemingly supported by video evidence -- while Waltrip suggested Wallace should choke on the winner's purse). · Earnhardt (there's that name again, the one that made you a fan) claimed he only meant to "rattle his cage" after spinning Terry Labonte out in turn two late in a Bristol race to win ... and heard the Bristol crowd's boos for the first time in his career. So how are NASCAR officials supposed to respond? Do they severely punish Edwards or do they give him a slap on the wrist? And Edwards knows that payback could well be coming from Keselowski. NASCAR officials know, too. And that cycle has the potential to spiral out of control. So how do you like your NASCAR now? You asked for it. Five Points to Ponder… Danny Peters · Frontstretch. Atlanta Payback, Unusual Suspects Up Front, And Jimmie Didn't Win (Shocker) For my money – what little of it I have – the Kobalt Tools 500 at the venerable old Atlanta Motor Speedway was a pretty solid race. It wasn't an instant classic, sure, but then again it wasn't bad either, and after a couple of predictable weeks at Fontana and Las Vegas it was terrific to see someone not named "Johnson" head to Victory Lane. Okay, Kurt Busch is marginally more popular than a severe case of swine flu but change, as they say, is always a good thing and it was nice to see Dodge break up the Chevy dominance we've seen in these early weeks of 2010. It's a shame, then, that we're headed into an off-week so soon, but such are the quirks of the scheduling gurus. At least we've got Bristol and Martinsville to look forward to in the coming weeks. Although I realize this topic will be covered in more extensive detail elsewhere on the site I'll start with the marquee incident of the weekend: Payback's a (insert your own inappropriate word here) Sunday was a big day for Cousin Carl. Running the retro-Scotts paint scheme (isn't it amazing how five years on it already looked so dated) to commemorate his first win at the Sprint Cup level and returning to a track at which he excels, the signs pointed to a great day for Edwards. But an early Keselowski-induced spin, subsequent collision with Joey Logano's Home Depot machine and the unforgiving outer wall saw the No. 99 Ford Fusion retired to the garage for extensive repairs. Returning to the track, some 150 laps down, it was clear that Edwards intended to get some good old fashioned payback and I think it's fair to say he managed just that. Now there will be much bleating from many sources suggesting Carl should be suspended for his supposed transgressions but the fact is had the car not flipped so dramatically we probably wouldn't even be talking about this incident. What's clear is that in his early foray into big boy racing, Keselowski has managed to ruffle plenty of feathers in the garage. At some point, he'll need to start playing nice because talent (of which he has bucket loads) can only take you so far. Perhaps this will be the incident from which he learns a little more respect for his fellow competitors – and fair play to him for his measured interview post crash – but somehow I doubt it. Still, it makes for a good show, doesn't it? And no-one got hurt which really is the most important thing. Battle of the Beers Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch were the two best cars for much of the day with the Bud pitchman leading 144 laps and the Miller Lite driver besting the field for a further 129 circuits, including that all important last lap. In a post-race interview Busch mentioned his pleasure at beating the No. 9 car — notice how assiduously he avoided calling it the Bud machine, which is probably a contractual obligation to be fair. With such a strong element of sponsorship at Sprint Cup level, it's definitely fun to watch the different competing brands, if you will, going head to head on the track. Think about it: UPS vs. Fedex, Amp vs. Red Bull, Lowes vs. Home Depot and the list goes on. But I digress, for which apologies. Chalk one up for Miller Lite this past Sunday but don't rule out that Bud car – Kahne will be in Victory Lane soon enough this year. Jimmie J in No Win Shocker Big news, folks! Jimmie Johnson failed to win the race. He didn't even break the top 10. What's that all about? Regardless, it was good for the sport not to see Johnson head back to Victory Lane for a third straight week. I'm not denying Johnson is a quite brilliant driver with the best crew chief in the business (if not ever) but too much domination is never good. As I said on the Carey and Coffey show this past Sunday, the problem with Jimmie is that he doesn't really engender strong emotions. Yeah we're all "bored" that he wins all the time, but notice how the comments on the No. 48's monotonous success tend to surround him being "vanilla, "boring" and/or "dull". The fact is, double J is the overwhelming favorite to win it all again. So, in the odd race where he looks vaguely mortal, it does at least throw out a tiny olive branch to the chasing pack. Don't get too excited, though, Martinsville is Johnson's best track. He's won five of the last seven races and with the exception of his first race at the lil ol' paperclip, Johnson has never finished lower than ninth in 16 attempts: Incredible – even by his very lofty standards. Two Big Atta Boys for Paul Menard and AJ Allmendinger Good old DW opined before the race that we might see some "surprises" in the finishing order and for once the three-time champion was spot on. First up is the 'Dinger who secured just his ninth top 10 in 84 Sprint Cup races. He finished third at the 2009 Daytona 500-his highest ever finish- but his sixth place run at Atlanta was his best finish on a non-restrictor plate track. We've heard for a few years that AJ was the real deal and he's finally starting to show it. I was, however, amused by the ludicrously awkward hug he shared with the King post race. It looked to all the world like the 'Dinger was a recalcitrant child as Richard Petty congratulated him once he stepped out of the car. Very sweet. All this, too, in a green colored car that DW described as "chartreuse green." Surely, that must the very first time in six decades of NASCAR that the word "chartreuse" has been used in a race broadcast. Also receiving an "atta boy" is Paul Menard who picked up just his third top 10 and second top 5 in 115 previous races. Often the butt of jokes about his father's company sponsorship, Menard has, at times, looked over-matched. On Sunday, albeit for one rare weekend, Menard looked super racy. For his sake, let's hope this bodes well for his future at Cup level. Harvick, Kenseth and Biffle All Consistently, well, Consistent Only three drivers have top ten finishes in all four races run so far and it's hardly surprising that these wheelmen occupy the top three positions in the Sprint Cup standings. Now as some will tell you, it's awful early to be looking at the standings. But for Harvick and Kenseth, in particular, it's a tremendous bounce-back from a dire 2009. As the legendary former Yankees catcher, Lawrence Peter Berra – better known as Yogi – once said, "It gets late early out there." And that's a quote a number of drivers already mired in the lower reaches of the standings know only too well. One final point to note (since it won't last): None of the above three drive for Rick Hendrick. Roll on Thunder Valley. Can't come soon enough for me. Are Paul Menard and Scott Speed for real? Jeremy Dunn/Atlanta NASCAR Examiner While the escalating feud between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski dominate the water cooler talk for this week, perhaps weeks to come, a storyline that seems to be lingering in the background is the sudden emergence of two of last year's most underachieving drivers, Paul Menard and Scott Speed. Both drivers have opened themselves up to criticism by their lack of performance on the track in 2009. Menard is supposed to be the rich kid who can only maintain a ride because of his father's funding. Menard's sponsors Menard, and has ever since he broke into the sport several years ago with Andy Petree Racing, and then DEI. Menard struggled exceedingly from 2007 to 2009 (he had a top ten in 2006 driving a partial schedule), scoring a total of one top five finish, which is also his only top ten finish throughout that span of time. Sure, Menard never had the luxury of Hendrick Motorsports equipment, on the other hand, he was not stuck with Gunselman Motorsports, or NEMCO Motorsports equipment either. Menard's first three seasons in Sprint Cup were forgettable to say the least. However, the Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates Racing merger seems to have given Menard a heavier foot. In 2010, Menard has scored finishes of 13th, 18th, 17th, and 5th, and currently sits ninth in the Sprint Cup championship standings after four races. The finishes did not just fall into his lap; in fact, the finishes actually reflect how he was performing throughout most of the races. The first three races, he spent the majority of the time around the top fifteen. At Atlanta, Menard clearly had a top ten car, and a savvy call by his crew chief Slugger Labbe put him in position to score his first top five since Talladega in October of 2008. "These guys worked their tails off all during the offseason, and it was a lot of fun out there today. All of our cars were fast this weekend. We got three of the top six finishers (Kahne 4th, and Allmendinger 6th), so I think Richard Petty Motorsports is back," said Menard following his fifth place finish. Scott Speed is another driver who opened himself up to some criticism last year. He talks a big game, but he suffered through a miserable rookie season, one in which he failed to crack the top 35 in the owner's standings. He finished behind the single car efforts of Front Row Motorsports (now a 3-car operation), as well as Robby Gordon Motorsports. His on-track performance was not the only issue. His quirky behavior often left fans befuddled. I admit, I have had a difficult time warming up to this guy. I mean, he paints his toenails for goodness sake. Can you imagine Dale Earnhardt telling Richard Childress, or Cale Yarborough telling Junior Johnson, 'Hey, I will be late getting to the shop today because I am going to get a pedicure'? Junior Johnson would probably fire Yarborough on the spot regardless of the wins and championships. Childress would probably laugh his you know what off thinking it was one of Earnhardt's typical pranks. Speed also reminds me of the kid in school who believed that he was the absolute coolest kid on the block, often drawing unnecessary attention to himself with outlandish words and fashions. While he repeatedly told himself that he was the coolest kid in class, he was actually the joke to everyone else. We all remember that kid. Speed's eccentricity may appeal to some fans, but it just does not seem real to me. I have been wrong about people before, I could be wrong again. Nevertheless, regardless of my opinion of Speed's persona, he has stepped up his on-track performance in a huge way in 2010. Speed has led nineteen laps this season, and following his tenth place showing at Atlanta, he is sitting twelfth in the championship standings. Speed may also be saving his seat at Red Bull Racing with his recent string of solid performances. Two years ago, Allmendinger did not develop promptly enough; hence, Red Bull Racing dumped him towards the end of his sophomore season. Allmendinger's fate could be Speed's motivation. Allmendinger does not seem to be suffering too badly right now, however. The season is still young, so time will tell if Speed and Menard are for real. Are they really going to stay near the top twelve, or fade back into the sub-twenties? While I believe these two young drivers have vastly improved, I am not sold on the fact that they are true Chase for the Championship contenders yet. If you glance at the driver behind them in the standings, they have to fend off Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, David Reutimann, and a few others who are capable of putting together a string of strong showings. Goodyear's 'got some work to do,' Newman says By Brant James - ThatsRacin.com Contributor More than a dozen tire failures marred the race, sending front-running race cars either to the back or to pit road out of concern. Pole-winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. pitted once when he thought he had a loose wheel. Only after he'd stopped did he learn there was nothing "wrong." "We got two bad right-side tires and right-rear tires," he said. "I don't know, it felt the wheels were coming off." "We pitted and the wheel was fine, but the car was vibrating so bad I couldn't hardly see." Goodyear officials blamed most of the failures on punctures or aggressive setups the teams chose to run. Ryan Newman respectfully disagreed: "That's what they always say, right? I guess the drivers should probably slow down, too, and save their tires." Newman acknowledged that concocting a workable formula for the slick, abrasive and speed-producing 1.54-mile AMS surface is challenging. Still, he criticized the "inconsistencies" of the equipment. "Goodyear's got some work to do. It's a safety situation. We popped one. There are a lot of guys who popped one," he said. "It was too sensitive for the guys who didn't get it right. The guys who had their cars just right, yeah, they didn't have any issues. But either way, they've got a little bit more work to do here." Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr. and Sam Hornish spent two days testing for Goodyear at the Hampton, Ga., track in January. March Madness Darrell Waltrip/foxsports. Well, folks, what a firestorm we have had about what happened at Atlanta, and unfortunately, I am not talking about Kurt Busch winning the race. It was pretty impressive what that team did. Let's face it, this is only the fourth race with the pairing of Kurt Busch and crew chief Steve Addington together, and they went to Victory Lane. Actually I thought Kasey Kahne in that Ford had the car to beat most of the day. For a lot of the race, Kasey really looked like he was in a league of his own. Unfortunately, he fell back and here came that No. 2 car of Busch. Once Kurt got out front, it looked like no one had anything for him. Tom Higgins Scuffs Jimmie Johnson isn't NASCAR's first dominator Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team are spoiling Cup Series racing for some fans. "It's getting to where it's not much exciting to watch," Joe Burden, a NASCAR follower for 50 years, said this week. "Because if Jimmie doesn't have bad luck, it seems he wins most of the time. "No slam on him, because he's obviously a great driver and has a terrific, smart team leader in Chad Knaus and a dandy pit crew. "In winning, Johnson is just doing his job. But in doing it so well, he's making things pretty predictable." Burden, 75, is a Sears retiree who now works as assistant manager in the pro shop at Mallard Head Golf Club in Mooresville, N.C. His opinion about Johnson's winning way is shared by quite a few of the course's golfers, especially the seniors, who often "talk racing" while having beverages after playing 18 holes. "Maybe our memories are fading," Burden said after Johnson won Sunday at Las Vegas for his second straight victory in three races this season. "Maybe it has been like this before in NASCAR." Well, yes, boys, it has. Johnson, 34, winner of a record four straight driving championships starting in 2006, is the present-day dominator and is favored to win again this Sunday in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Before him the role of ruling for stretches in stock car racing variously was held by Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Billy Wade. Predictable? That was the 1967 season when Petty won a stunning 10 straight while scoring an incredible 27 triumphs in 48 starts. Included in the streak of 10 straight checkered flags was King Richard's only victory in the storied Southern 500 on Labor Day at Darlington Raceway. I covered that race 43 years ago as a member of The Charlotte Observer's sports staff. I remember a friend and fellow writer, the late Joe Whitlock, saying to Petty, "Damn, Richard, are you going to win them all!?" Petty, who had just won for the 21st time in 40 starts to that point in '67, grinned through the grime that covered his face. With a mock, quizzical look he replied, "What are you talking about? I've lost 19." Petty's sensational streak began on Aug. 12, '67 in a 100-miler at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem. The Darlington win was the midpoint. The final victory in the stretch came on Oct. 1 in a 250-mile race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Buddy Baker's victory in the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the first of his career, snipped the Petty string. Petty was swept into a crash on the 41st of the race's 334 laps and his car sustained heavy sheet metal damage. "It wouldn't run after that," said Petty, who finished 18th. "It felt like there was a parachute hanging off the car." Both Petty and Allison won five straight in 1971, The other drivers listed earlier put together streaks of four straight triumphs, some more than once. Johnson won four in a row in 2007. While dominating victory streaks understandably are a turn-off for some fans, they're a turn-on for other followers, including me. I think there's drama in seeing how long drivers can keep them going. Hard Turn Jeff Owens/scenedaily. NASCAR showed some moxie in giving Carl Edwards a slap on the wrist NASCAR officials proved Tuesday that they do indeed have some moxie.
Edwards Just Honoring An Old Code Larry Woody | Senior Writer | RacinToday.com Back at the start of the season, NASCAR told drivers to "have at it." So last Sunday at Atlanta Carl Edwards had at it. In case you missed it (and it's hard to do, because every TV station in the Western Hemisphere has been re-playing it non-stop) Edwards bumped Brad Keselowski and sent him on an upside-down airborne ride. Edwards was down 156 laps at the time. Keselowski was running 6th. Predictably the howling began. "NASCAR needs to make an example of Edwards," shrilled one pundit. "He has to be stopped," declared another. "Fine him! Park him!" "This can't go on!" "Oh my goodness, heavens to Besty!" swooned Aunt Bee. (OK, I made that last one up.) Some of the same media that a month ago was whining about how boring NASCAR had become are now whining about too much action. They didn't like it when cars cruised around single-file with no contact. Then somebody bumps somebody and they get their knickers in a wad. What we saw Sunday was nothing more than old-fashioned racing payback. Edwards and Keselowski have a history dating back to last year's Talladega race when Edwards was on the receiving end of an airborne nudge. Such feuds aren't new to the sport, although they've been relatively rare and mild in the past tamed-down decade. In the old days the big news would have been if Edwards DIDN'T retaliate. The Code of the West back then was, you hit me, I hit you back. If it got too out of hand, NASCAR would step in and send the drivers to neutral corners to cool off. Dale Earnhardt once got parked for rough racing, just as Edwards did after Sunday's incident. That's enough. Rough racing has always been part of the sport. Or at least it used to be back in the old days – you know, back when racing was wild and exciting. Carl Edwards is not a bad guy. He didn't intend to hurt Keselowski, just "rattle his cage" a bit as Earnhardt did Terry Labonte one hot night at Bristol. It's obvious that Edwards is a terribly frustrated driver. He was the biggest disappointment of '09, an anticipated championship contender who stumbled through a winless season. Now '10 is off to a miserable start with Edwards buried in 20th after four races. It was amidst this angst and aggravation that Keselowski, early in Sunday's race, gave Edwards a nudge that put him into the wall and sent him to the garage. When Edwards came back out he caught Keselowski in a dark alley and dished out some payback. As the great Richard Petty used to say, it was just one of those racin' deals. What made Sunday's incident so dramatic was the fact that Keselowski's car went airborne. If it had merely scraped the wall or spun into the infield it wouldn't have caused such a clamor. It looked worse than it was. It's NASCAR's responsibility to figure out how to keep the cars on the track – bigger spoilers, slower speeds, whatever it takes – but it's not its job to police the passion. At the start of the season NASCAR promised to get out of the way and let 'em race. Let's hope it keeps its word.
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 |
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