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255.
Paperclips... |
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Posted:
3-31-2007 @
11:16 am EDT
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One of the
small
wonders of
the world.
They're
small,
useful, fun
to play
with, and
brittle.
Now, I don't
know how
useful
Martinsville
is beyond
providing
awesome
entertainment
and a forum
for our
motorized
gladiators,
but the
track does
bear some
resemblance
to the shiny
office
supply in
other ways.
Small...1/2
mile in
length.
Shaped like
a paperclip,
long with
tight narrow
turns at
either end,
it runs a
bit like a
dragstrip
with reverse
turns. The
cars run on
it a bit
like
dragstrips
aw well.
Stomp on the
pedal while
you pick up
speed in the
straights,
then stomp
on the break
so you won't
pile into
the wall at
the end of
the strip.
Stomp,
stomp,
stomp,
stomp. Sort
of has a
nifty beat
to it, don't
it? Stomp,
stomp,
stomp,
stomp.
Fun! OH
yeah. For
the
spectators,
small tracks
provide some
first rate
entertainment.
If you're in
the stands,
there really
isn't a bad
seat in the
house.
Either
you're up
high where
you can
watch the
entire
playing
field and
enjoy
strategy and
fine
footwork in
the pits, or
you're down
low where
the speed of
the passing
vehicles
blows your
hat off your
head. That's
fun. Cars
don't race
in a
pristine air
flow,
keeping
their
fenders away
from the
next guy. If
somebody is
pinching a
racer down,
he'll just
nudge his
fender in
where it
doesn't
belong and
move that
impediment
over. Fun.
And
brittle...
The
straigtaways
are asphalt.
The turns
concrete.
Martinsville
has been
hosting
races for an
eternity.
We've seen
this track
literally
eat cars in
years past.
When the
concrete was
old, it
would come
up in big
chunks
punching
holes in
radiators.
The
transition
between the
two types of
pavement can
be
problematic
as well.
Different
grip. One
more thing
for the
drivers to
beware of.
So, strap in
and crank up
the engines.
You're about
to watch a
chariot
race! It'll
be brutal
and
fascinating!
Catch ya'll
later!
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254.
Settling for
the lead in
points |
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Posted:
3-27-2007 @
6:59 pm EDT
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I guess that's
what Jeff
Gordon will
have to do. Oh
well. LOL
I had the
pleasure of
watching his
team work all
day Sunday via
HotPass on
DirecTV. It
was actually a
painful
pleasure. When
Jeff's car is
working, it's
kind of boring
to listen to
his radio.
When his
car...well,
sucks, it's a
bit like
listening to a
school age
kid. There's
lots of
complaining
and it's still
not right and
what now?
going on in
the cockpit.
Yes..lots of
complaining.
The groan he
emitted when
the last
caution was
thrown said it
all. Jeff
knows what his
car will and
won't do. It
was pushing
like a truck
on restarts
and he watched
his victory
flutter out
the window
with that
yellow flag.
Ah well. His
car sucked,
right? 3rd
place...yep,
just terrible.
That's when
you know
you're
watching one
of the best
drivers in
auto racing.
He took a car
that just
belonged in
the junkyard
and was in
spitting
distance of
taking the
lead with 10
to go.
Terrible. I
also noticed
all his
fenders were
in one piece
at the end of
the
race--another
indication he
might know
what he is
doing.
What am I
saying? He's
got it
clicking
again. He and
Letarte are on
it. If they
could just
find Victory
Lane, I
believe they
are looking at
Cup #5 this
year.
Yeah...and
then we have
Kyle. The
Shrub. The one
who sat in
Victory Lane
sipping his
sponsored
drink of
choice
commenting on
the awful
vehicle that
got him there.
So, the COT
can't be
driven. That's
what he said.
OK...I'll
remember that
the next time
he takes the
checkers.
Considering
that the rate
of cautions
between
Saturday and
Sunday was
about
normal...I'm
thinking Kyle
was just
whining a wee
bit. Despite
the lengthy
inspection
process, the
issues we saw
effecting the
race on Sunday
had very
little to do
with the COT.
It's a car.
The drivers
get in it and
go in circles.
Somebody wins.
Time will tell
us if it is a
major problem.
But so far, so
good.
Next is
Martinsville.
Another tiny,
tough track
that'll test
the temerity
of the teams.
(sometimes
alliteration
is fun
 )
I'll catch
ya'll later!
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253.
Buschwhacking... |
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Posted:
3-25-2007 @ 3:09
pm EDT |
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OK. I'l write
about the
Saturday race
It's not too
painful as my
baby, Carl
Edwards did a
very nice
backflip at the
conclusion of
the race.
*confetti flies*
And to assist me
finding that
smile on a
Saturday
afternoon was
the pole sitter!
Steve Wallace!
Now, he did
suffer a
wreck...but the
point was made.
You don't need a
Cup ride to make
a splash on
Saturday.
Montoya...because
I am fixated on
the rookie and
what will happen
with him. He
struggled...a
lot. Swiping the
wall in Cup
practice, Cup
qualifying,
Busch
qualifying...it's
a short muscular
track where
manners are
checked at the
door. A
challenge for
Juan Pablo.
However, he did
finish on the
lead lap
yesterday. We'll
just have to
wait and see
what he can do
with the big
boys today.
Championship:
What kind of
flip will Carl
do when he
accepts the
trophy for the
Busch series?
He's already got
a 144 point lead
over last year's
ho-hum winner
Harvick. Marcus
Ambrose is the
leader of the
real Busch
drivers, lacking
a Cup ride. The
Aussie is doing
a fine job of
turning left, so
far.
I might get more
interested in
this series as
the season moves
on. Most of the
Cup elite are
not intending to
run the entire
season. This'll
make me much
happier at the
end of the
season.
Catch ya'll
later!
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252. It was
fun... |
ID #496864 |
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Posted:
3-22-2007 @ 11:12
am EDT |
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Jimmie Johnson
took home trophy
#2! Woo Hoo! and
Tony Stewart
sauntered in right
after
Jimmie...nothing
new here. Jeff
Gordon fought a
lap down problem
and pulled off a
decent 12th. See?
Same old, same
old...
So what's new? I'm
going to sound a
bit like the rest
of the media and
sing the praises
of a rookie and
even give a nod to
his teammate.
Juan Pablo. 5th.
Wow. And if you
watched the race
you'll realize
this wasn't a
simple stay clean
and you'll finish
well. He raced! He
brushed the wall.
He squeezed out
the competition.
He...raced well in
a stock car. wow.
Why is this
interesting? You
can't simply
ignore the
importance of his
open-wheel
background. If you
drive Indy or CART
or F1...you don't
bump the
competition. You
don't use the wall
as a means of
returning you to
the field of play.
And if you've done
this for any
period of time,
it's ingrained
into your driving
style.
It's hard to
dismiss that
training. You're
conditioned to
respond in ire and
near panic if
somebody bounces
off your tires.
Juan Pablo appears
to have overcome
this sizeable
hurdle. I'm part
of the minority in
the racing world
that thinks Juan
will be holding a
trophy in Victory
Lane before half
the season is
over. Go Juan!
Reed Sorenson
followed Juan's
fine example and
finished in the
Top 10. Now the
young man just
needs to find
consistency.
Stremme is
qualifying better
and the #40 is
competing well
currently sitting
in position for
the Chase come
September. Do you
see what I see?
I'm sorry, but the
presence of
Montoya at Ganassi
Racing appears to
be having the
effect Chip was
looking for. Maybe
a Cup is not going
to happen this
year, but I think
Ganassi can look
forward to having
one on his mantle
in the next few
years.
J.J. Yeley is 12th
in points right
now. Another
member of the Top
35 trying to stir
things up amongst
the resident elite
of the sport.
And now we move
onto
Bristol...COT.
While we won't see
the new
configuration of
the car effect the
actual racing...as
you could take a
brick to this
track and get much
the same tangle of
metal at the
end...the
inspection process
and practice
periods will be
tested sorely.
Before the green
flies on Sunday,
you'll see the
drivers in a black
funk already.
Wait...maybe that
will effect the
racing. THey'll be
ready to exchange
punches before
they start.
Toyota
troubles...the #83
Red Bull car
driven by Brian
Vickers is rumored
to be thinking
about closing its
doors. During his
Monday Speed show
"Inside Nextel
Cup", Mike Waltrip
inferred his
sponsors are less
than happy about
his lack of
appearances on
Sunday. Somethings
gotta give. If
none of the Toyota
teams manage to
break into the Top
25 in points this
season, you'll
only see 3 or 4 of
the teams return
next year. Toyota
knows this. This
circuit has no
patience for
failure to compete
and your fans will
drop you faster
then the money
runs out...
See? A season with
stories! I'm
loving this!
Catch ya'll later.
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251. The cream
always rises |
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Posted: 3-14-2007
@ 11:03 am EDT
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How
else can you explain
the finishing order
to Sunday's race?
Not one team out
there truly had the
track beaten, but a
few managed to trick
it into thinking
they did. Hendrick
enjoyed his 150th
victory...no small
thing, that. And
while I'm jumping up
and down on in
excitement at the
1-2 finish of
Johnson and Gordon
there are still a
few things that are
pestering my poor
brain.
#1: Can somebody
tell me what
happened to the real
J.J. Yeley? His #18
Interstate Batteries
Gibbs Chevy is
sitting #9 in the
points! He actually
led a lap on Sunday
and in general
provided no
obstacles to the
other racers. Did
somebody push the
'don't wreck' button
in his brain? I am
so confused.
Last year when Gibbs
put Yeley into #18 I
was dumbfounded and
Yeley went on to
support me that this
had been an idiotic
choice. Instead of a
sophomore slump, J.J.
is gonna have a
sophomore surge? I
know it's early in
the season, but mine
eyes are totally
puzzled by the lack
of green wreckage up
to this point.
#2: Mark
Martin...the betting
continues hot and
heavy that he'll
take to the track in
Bristol because,
well...#1 in points
in a team that
previously had
trouble remaining in
the top 20. I know
Mark insists he's
gonna go fishing and
catch the race on
TiVo, but I don't
buy it.
#3: Toyota...not
really making the
splash they wished
for. Only two made
the race this week
and Dale Jarrett
provided the 33rd
place finish he
needs to continue
racing and remains
the only Toyota in
the top 35. Waltrip,
Red Bull and Bill
Davis continue to
struggle to field
any of their cars.
Things have got to
change if Toyota
even wants to play
for the rest of the
year. I'm
disappointed, but
not entirely
surprised.
#4: Rusty
improves...over at
ESPN2. I wasn't
about to throw the
couch pillows at the
TV this week because
I heard another
"Boy, I'll tell you
what..." Somebody
must've murmured
into Rusty's ear.
Keep working at it
boys. Your crew is
growing on me,
although I still
have difficulty
getting into you
nightly news
programs for NASCAR.
#5: Wasn't it
interesting that
with the new
configuration at
this track that we
still saw the leader
pull away from the
pack? Johnson
completed the race
with a ridiculous 3
second lead and that
only illustrated
what the leaders did
during the rest of
the race. OK...more
wrecks, less
control, higher
speeds...I dunno. A
second season will
tell us whether this
was a study in
futility.
There was something
else...but it must
not have been too
important as it has
already departed.
I shall catch ya'll
later!
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250. Are ya ready
to wreck? |
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Posted: 3-11-2007 @
3:43 pm EDT
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It's
gonna be a mess,
folks. Plain and
simple. Yesterday's
Busch race illustrated
the point quite
nicely. Rookies and
Veteran's alike lost
grip coming off of
Turn 4 and tore up
more cars than ever at
LVMS.
Today, with faster
cars and less
downforce, the Cup
boys will be doubly
challenged to keep
their noses pointed in
the right direction.
A winner? You can't
think that you can
really predict this
one. The only thing we
are assured of is a
long afternoon with
lots of yellow laps
interspersed.
Congrats to Jeff
Burton on his win
And Kyle just needs to
go lick his wounds.
Made for great pics,
though.
Later! |
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249. The World
Upside down |
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Posted: 3-10-2007 @
1:05 pm EST |
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Take a
look at this starting
line-up for the Vegas
Sunday race and you tell
me what's out of sync:
1 9 Kasey Kahne
McDonald's Dodge 184.856
2 40 David Stremme Coors
Light Dodge 184.193
3 19 Elliott Sadler
Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge
183.874
4 42 Juan Pablo Montoya
# Texaco/Havoline Dodge
183.187
5 31 Jeff Burton
Cingular Wireless Chevy
182.976
6 10 Scott Riggs Auto
Value/Bumper to Bumper/Valvoline
Dodge 182.865
7 41 Reed Sorenson
Target Dodge 182.822
8 14 Sterling Marlin
Waste Management Chevy
182.525
9 13 Joe Nemechek
CertainTeed Chevy
182.266
10 2 Kurt Busch Miller
Lite Dodge 182.020
11 22 Dave Blaney
Caterpillar Toyota
181.775
12 5 Kyle Busch
Kellogg's/Carquest Chevy
181.763
13 99 Carl Edwards
Office Depot Ford
181.568
14 01 Mark Martin U.S.
Army Chevy 181.494
15 78 Kenny Wallace
Furniture Row Chevy
181.378
16 07 Clint Bowyer Jack
Daniel's Chevy 181.293
17 11 Denny Hamlin
FedEx/Kinko's Chevy
181.074
18 16 Greg Biffle
Ameriquest/3M Ford
181.032
19 15 Paul Menard #
Menards/Johns Manville
Chevy 180.953
20 29 Kevin Harvick
Shell/Pennzoil Chevy
180.905
21 38 David Gilliland M
& M's Ford 180.892
22 45 Kyle Petty Wells
Fargo Dodge 180.886
23 48 Jimmie Johnson
Lowe's Chevy 180.820
24 18 J.J. Yeley
Interstate Batteries
Chevy 180.802
25 20 Tony Stewart Home
Depot Chevy 180.596
26 1 Martin Truex Jr.
Bass Pro Shops Chevy
180.542
27 96 Tony Raines DLP
HDTV Chevy 180.487
28 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Budweiser Chevy 180.409
29 66 Jeff Green Samsung
Four Seasons of Hope
Chevy 180.307
30 4 Ward Burton State
Water Heaters Chevy
180.258
31 80 Aric Almirola Joe
Gibbs Driven Chevy
180.174
32 70 Johnny Sauter
Yellow Transportation
Chevy 180.156
33 26 Jamie McMurray
Crown Royal Ford 180.090
34 25 Casey Mears
National Guard/GMAC
Chevy 180.060
35 6 David Ragan # AAA
Ford 179.826
36 24 Jeff Gordon
Nicorette/DuPont Chevy
179.635
37 17 Matt Kenseth
DeWalt Ford 179.462
38 7 Robby Gordon Ford
179.342
39 12 Ryan Newman alltel
Dodge 179.217
40-OP 88 Ricky Rudd
Snickers Ford 179.051
41-OP 21 Jon Wood Air
Force Ford 175.873
42-OP 43 Bobby Labonte
Cheerios/Betty Crocker
Dodge 0.000
43-PC 44 Dale Jarrett
UPS Toyota 176.869
Me thinks that the high
banks have befuddled our
better teams. The teams
at the top? Probably
just went out and went
hell-for-leather...sometimes
blind faith in one's
safety does pay off in
this sport.
What does this mean for
tomorrow? Ya know, I
haven't a clue. I wonder
if the teams do...
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248. Waiting for
something to happen... |
ID #493547 |
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Posted: 3-8-2007 @ 8:05
pm EST |
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Another
slow week on the NASCAR
scene...ah well. The most
interesting thing out
there is Tony Steward
complaining about the new
configuration of Vegas. It
is something to talk
about, but it's still a
track. A bit like the
'it's still a racecar'
perspective that some of
the drivers maintain about
the COT.
The banks are higher, the
pavement is 'grippier',
the tires are harder and
the speeds are
astronomical. Yes, it is
undoubtedly going to be a
wild ride with some high
speed wrecks that will
grab the TV fan's
attention and the racers
wish never happened.
Hopefully the fans at the
track will not be leaving
after 300 miles when the
leader thats been leading
for 200 miles is seconds
ahead of the pack.
Hopefully the TV fan will
not be looking for a
basketball game when
they've listened to one
too many clever phrases
from the desperate
commentators.
Let's face it. Vegas has
been a boring race to
watch. While the flat
track provided a different
kind of challenge to the
drivers and teams, it just
didn't generate the kind
of racing that sells
tickets and raises
ratings. That's why LVMS
did it. That's why they
ripped the whole thing up
and started over.
While the practical side
of me has to agree with
Tony that this will
probably be the kind of
race NASCAR doesn't like
to see as far as possible
bodily harm, I have got to
admit that it will
probably generate the kind
of interest that this
newer facility needs to
have in order to survive.
Yes, survive. These tracks
only manage to stay in the
black when they fill up
the stands for all of the
big dates. LVMS has a
scant handful of big
ticket races to sell...and
if all the season ticket
holders were going to see
was a strung out line of
cars never meeting
bumpers, renewals would
eventually dwindle. And
that means even a brand
new shiny track could go
the way of Rockingham...
Well, anyway, I guess
that's enough said. Let's
hope the action at the
track will provide more
fodder for our brains to
chew on this weekend.
Catch ya'll later
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247. Team orders... |
ID #492470 |
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Posted: 3-4-2007 @ 8:30
pm EST |
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what a
crock of...sorry.
Just don't wreck your
teammate.
OK, so when I've got the
line to pass and the tires
and a competitive car I'm
not supposed to go for the
lead with 8 laps to
go...right?
Total hogwash or whatever
other euphemism you might
want to scream out at the
lovely TV announcers that
are reacting to today's
events like it never ever
happened before...ever.
Juan Pablo raced a nearly
clean race. And that's
close enough for me.
Afterall, the #41 doesn't
have to go to the bodyshop
for anything Montoya did,
only for what Pruett did
earlier in the race.
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246. Thoughts on COT and
Mexico |
ID #492399 |
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Posted: 3-4-2007 @ 3:55
pm EST |
|
So, we
watched the updates on ESPN
and Speed regarding the
testing at Bristol this
week. The drivers (as the
media spokesmen for their
teams) had a pretty uniform
opinion of the COT (Car of
Tomorrow) at Bristol. Hard
to turn, but after the
testing session it seemed
they had some good ideas on
what to do. OK...that's what
a driver said. Jeff Burton
perhaps had the most honest
response...it's a car. He
gets in and he drives it.
This testing session wasn't
really about what the
drivers thought, anyway. It
was more about letting the
engineers and crews learn
about how they could tweak
the new aero-parts, adjust
suspension as much as they
were able...basically get a
baseline on how the car
would react at a short high
banked track.
Some of the real aero
lessons will be learned at
some of the faster tracks
this season, like Dover. The
sixteen races the COT is
scheduled to run at this
year are all small tracks,
save for Talladega. They are
not the aero-dependent speed
monsters that seem to draw
to biggest audiences, in
person and on TV.
So comes the big discussion.
Suddenly NASCAR wants to
move the schedule up for
running all races with the
COT to next year instead of
the stepping stones they
provided for the '07 and '08
seasons. Most of the drivers
shrugged with disinterest
when asked if they thought
this was a good idea. Jeff
Gordon was the only one I
heard that showed some
reservations about it...
It came back to money...
Right now the teams have to
maintain two stables of
cars; the current model and
the COT. But none of them
have enough of the COT's to
run a full schedule. NASCAR
did this phase-it-in system
so the smaller teams would
have time to build
sufficient vehicles (what
with having to get the cars
certified now). It wasn't so
much for the research
desired by all the teams for
running a new body. So, why
does NASCAR suddenly think
it would be fine to push up
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