PLAYING CATCH UP

Ok time for me to play some catch up. Been so busy lately I have not had time to do the weekly blog.

First I guess I better say something about the race in Bristol. That entire weekend it looked like it was Kyle Busches weekend to sweep both the Nationwide and Cup races, but speeding down pit road for the second week in a row put him back in the field and from then on he was not nearly as strong as the opening laps of the race. From Denny and Joey feuding to Kasey finally bringing home the win at Bristol, it was an action packed race and I feel one of the best races I have seen at Bristol since Bruton Smith, the track owner, tried to "make the racing better" and ground up the top groove trying to keep the drivers from going 2 and 3 wide. The idea was to bring back the bump and run move or the "get out of my way or I will wreck you" move. What it did was create some great side by side door banging racing that actually for the first race of the season, seen passing even for the lead and you didn't have to do the passing in the pits.

I say it was great racing and my personal thoughts is to leave it like it is because you'll never get it the way it was in the 70's thru the 90's, its great the way it is so just leave it. One thing I have to say is this, HOLY CRAP there wasn't hardly anyone there at either race last weekend! What the hell was that about? A few years ago you had to get tickets willed to you to get one, now you can walk up to the gate 20 minutes before the race and get a great ticket! If this track is on your bucket list hello go get you some. This so far was the best race out of the 4 that we have seen.

The points shuffled a little bit with Jimmie Johnson having issues, new points leader Brad K is at the top 9 points ahead of once again second place runner Dale Earnhardt Jr. Both drivers have a little cushion over 3rd place Jimmie Johnson, 15 points back and 4th place Clint Bowyer, 38 points back. Both Brad and Dale are starting the season with career best starts to the season. Can Brad repeat? can Dale Jr. finally win a championship? Only time will tell.

Danica..... Some are saying disappointing after her pole at Daytona, I say this had to be expected from a rookie who has very little stock car racing experience. Enough said about that, safe to say Ricky Stenhouse Jr is leading the rookie points standing.

On to California, Denny Hamlin on the pole, Brad K and Gregg Biffle to the back with engine changes. Biffle would of started in the outside pole and Brad was to start 3rd, with that both rows move up 1 spot with they move to the back of the field. What will the race at the Fontana race track bring us this year? I am afraid we will have a lot of the norm here, spread out, single file, follow the leader ( there is a twist to this track when it comes to follow the leader, there are 4 different lines we will see drivers use around this track, once again though, no side by side passing for the lead going on here) I am looking for a couple drivers to be at the front per the normal here at Fontana. First you cant count out Jimmie Johnson, who has won 5 of these races at Fontana. Also cant count out Carl Edwards, who has an average finish of 8.7 and Matt Kenseth has an average finish of 10.2 followed up by Clint Bowyer with a 10.8 average and 5th is Kyle Busch with a 11.3 average finish. (all stats provided by www.racingreference.info) Jimmie also holds a few top career achievements here with 5 wins, 12 top 5s, 14 top 10s, 851 laps led. My pick for this race and first 2 time winner this year, Matt Kenseth. I have a feeling that if the Toyota engine can stay together and not blow up, he will be the man up front and will win the race.

Will the Denny and Joey tiff continue here? Will Danica wreck again? Will Brad and Dale continue with the top 10 finishes? Will we have the 5th different winner of the season? Will Kyle speed on pit road again? All this will be answered tomorrow.

NATIONWIDE
Looks like Austin Dillon is cruising around the track in the number 3 fastest in the first practice of the Nationwide Series with Kyle Larson second and Elliot Sadler 3rd. With Sam Hornish leading the points early this season, can he keep it up all season long and finally get a championship and a full time ride in the cup series? Can Regan Smith, Elliot Sadler, or even Brian Scott, who is also having a great season start to the year ( Brian has had some really bad luck last season either being directly involved in a wreck or getting caught up in someone else's mess.) With all that behind him and his being in a car that finished second in the points last year with driver Elliot Sadler (they did a team and number swap in the off season with Elliot going to Brian's 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team and Brian headed over to RCR and the number 2 Camaro.) If Brian can keep it off the wall and finish every race I think he has a great chance to have a strong finish this season. Regan Smith driving for JR Motorsports in the number 7 Chevy Camaro, has a great shot at winning a title in this series. He is a great driver in great equipment backed by none other than Rick Hendrick and Dale Jr.

Until next time........

Post Phoenix-Pre Vagas

DENNY FINED FOR SPEAKING HIS MIND:
The battle is on between NASCAR and Denny Hamlin, NASCAR says he shouldn't say that the new gen 6 car is not that good of a car as far as racing side by side or catching the leader....Denny is just stating what he and lots of fans have said in the last 2 weeks. Are we jumping the gun a little on criticizing the new car?Remember Kyle Busch in Bristol? First time the COT car or the newly labled gen 5 car hit the track, Kyle after winning the race said in his victory lane interview "this car sucks" I don't believe NASCAR fined him publicaly or the ever illusive "secret fine" that they say they won't do any more. Denny has stated he "won't pay the fine" and "NASCAR can suspend me, at his point I don't care"

I think what Denny said in his post race comments was right on the money, his opinion and mine actually matched and I stated as much right here in my blog before the Daytona 500. I love the looks of the new car, but at the front of the pack there is NO side by side racing, its all single file dull racing. After the start of the race in Phoenix I told my wife after the firt pit stop, "whoever comes out of the pits first on the last caution flag pit stop will be the winner of the race." If only the Ford driven by Casey Mears wouldn't of cut Dale Jr off in the pits and Dale didn't have to hit the breaks hard to keep from hitting him, I think we would of had a different end to the race.

That said, I will say congratulations to Carl Edwards for being in the right place at the right time, the top lane in the pits behind another Ford that was pitting as he was exiting. From about 10th to 30th place it was a pretty good race, that was the only place there was passing for anything. Not one person, after about 3 laps after a restart (once they got spread out) passed the leader for the lead. Actually they couldn't even catch the leader much less pass him. Over all I give the racing action about a 6 on the 1 thru 10 scale with 1 being poor and 10 being awesome. A lot of room for NASCAR to improve the racing and I actually seen where many of the drivers are saying "let the teams improve the car, not NASCAR."

DANICA WHO?:
Well what can I say, she wrecked and went home early, ran poorly and was mid pack until blowing a tire put her into the wall then hitting another car pealing the skin off the left side of the car. Vegas was her best race in the Nationwide series last year, so we will see. 

VEGAS:
Will we see more of the same single file blah racing? Yes, again they will spread out, get single file and that will be that. I will call it just like Phoenix, whomever gets out of the pits first on the last caution will be the winner. If no cautions, then whoever cycles around as the leader after the last green flag pit stop will be the winner. Who will win? anyone of about 20 drivers have the chance, I will be looking for Denny to put in a little extra effort to win this weekend because he is not in a good mood after the fine and this might propell him into giving a little extra prove a point. Will we see any passing for the lead during the race? Green flag side by side passing for the lead? Nope not in my opinion. Its going to be another single file D shaped 1 1/2 mile race that infests the NASCAR season. NASCAR needs to remember what made them NASCAR and the most popular motor sport in the country, short track side by side smack down action packed racing. They are looing sight of what made them so great. Bring on Bristol, Martinsville, Richmond, Dover, and Darlington, those will be the best races of the season.

Until next time.......

Phoenix Weekend...

First yesterdays race. As you know Kyle Busch dominated yesterday winning the Nationwide race in Phoenix. He led so many laps he was in a class all by himself. After the race I was thinking this is how Kyle was so dominate a couple years ago when he raced almost every race in the Nationwide and over half the races in the truck series. Will today be his day also? He starts at the back of the pack because of an engine change, But I totally expect him to find his way to the front pretty fast.

I was thinking we would of seen  a little more out of drivers like Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick,  and Elliot Sadler, and Jimmie Johnson. Brian Vickers had a good day going, when his teammate Kyle wasn't dominating. I think Brian will have a great year this year. Unfortunately Johanna Long had problems in the early stages of the race running into the back of Sam Hornish then from what the group on TV said, it looked like she slipped in oil or water already coming out of her engine from the lap before. I look forward to seeing her race next week in Vegas and hope she doesn't have any issues next week and gets a good finish.

On to todays race, the Sprint "Danica " series, yes I said it. the Darrel Waltrip dream girl series. So far today I have heard her name so much that even before the race started I switched to watch Hockey so I didn't have to hear the 20 slobber fest they had before the race about her. I think I will start counting how many times we hear her name today, Last November she finished 17th 1 lap down and was in the huge crash at the end when she should of been going down pit lane and not on the track because of leaking fluid.

Today's favorites? 1 for sure has to be the "old" man Mark Martin and then Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch. Better not count out Happy Harvick either because he does really good at this track. Also better not count out Jimmie Johnson, with yesterdays practice run in the Nationwide series, I expect Jimmie to be a factor late in the race today. And lets not forget Matt Kenseth, I don't much care for the switch to the Toyota team, but I don't care who the manufacture is, Matt can drive the wheels off anything he sits in, after all the cars are all built the same with the same parts, just different engines. I expect the 20 to find the front. Will Jeff and Clint meet up in turn 4 again? lets hope so! would be nice to see another chase through the pits.

Until after the race......

Post/pre race

I'll be breaking down the nationwide race and tomorrows cup preview later tonight. So check it out in the morning before the cup race.