Racing

[Instigator]

Anybody else torqued off Sunday when they moved the race to ESPN2 for ... "America's Funniest Home Videos"?
Geez ... the other networks delay prime time programming when a live sporting event runs long. But for that show? It's not like it's "60 Minutes" for cryin' out loud!

http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/11/11/bfrance.on.issues/index.html

Jimmie only needs to finish 36th or better to clinch the Cup. Will he play it safe? Be aggressive and try to win the race? Like other sports, playing/racing not to lose backfires more often than not ...

[Luckygirl#13]

ABC's coverage of Nascar has been absolutely horrible all season! It makes me miss Fox and DW....Boogety Boogety Boogety!! I was watching the race....went upstairs and when I came back I see America's Funniest Home Videos??? Are you kidding me? It's completely disrespectful to Nascar and the fans. ABC should be ashamed of themselves and owes us all an apology.

As for Jimmie.....he'll play it safe and end up with a Top 5/Top 10 fishish. They tend to play it safe. Really....has he ever gone for it and been that agressive??? My secret wish.....that he gets taken out in lap 1.

Another note: This weekend's race is Tony Stewart's last in the #20 Home Depot with JGR. Kind of a big deal. But ABC will once again make the whole race the Jimmie Johnson Show.

[gopher wes]

i hate listening to dw, but listening to these clowns on abc/espn make me miss the fox guys.

as for the race......who cares its over. back to back to back for jimmie. his luck never runs out. i mean honestly, whats his worst race in the chase? 15th. thats a solid day for just about any driver. the guy never ceases to maze me because bad things just dont happen to the guy.

[Instigator]

I do want to go on record saying I won't be tuning into the race til after the Gopher's game Sunday. Priorities, ya know ...

The hot driver at a particular time always seems to get all the coverage. Sunday will indeed be the Jimmie Show. Objectively speaking, it's probably deserved. Winning three consecutive championships is historic, even though he's doing it under a different points system.

I agree that Tony's last race for JGR is kind of a big deal. Former champion leaving the only team he's ever driven for. In comparison, as a Junior fan, I expected at least a shot of him climbing out of the 8 car for the last time last year. Never got it. So it will be interesting -- depending on where Tony finishes -- how much they show him at the end of the race.

I've never cared for anything Fox does: too many annoying on-screen graphics, animations and sound effects that take away from what they're covering. But the one thing they do right is NASCAR, and I wish they could cover all 36 races. I will say that I would much rather watch ESPN/ABC than TNT. Those six weeks in the middle of the summer are pure torture!

BTW: DEI and Ganassi are merging next year. Sounds like they will remain a Chevy team, too

http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/11/12/dei.ganassi.merger/index.html

[gopher wes]

I figured I would give the old racing thread a bump after the 500 on Sunday. Any thoughts or rections. I am biased as a Jr fa, but I thought it was bogus when Vickers went for the block too late and got spun out by Jr. Jr is kind of an idiot when it comes to restarts, pitting, and such, but I know he isn't stupid enough or dirty enough to spin a guy out in front of the field at Daytona. That's what I think about the situation, I'm curious to hear what others think about the whole ordeal.

[frozen4champs]

I can see both side of the wreck, but I'll put my blame on JR. Vickers blocked, yes, and that PO'd JR. JR should have let up on the gas, got back behind Vickers and rattled his cage later. It was funny that Kyle Busch blamed "frustrated" drivers, and did not name JR. I think most drivers are afraid to take on Dale JR and his legion of fans, for fear of losing popularity and sponsers. It was nice to see that one of the regulars ( JJ, JG, KB, CE) did not win, although I would have loved to see Tony win his 1st 500. Fun last 30 laps or so.

[Sioux/Bucky Hater]

I also can see both sides to the big wreck. I would put more blame on Junior though. The block by Vickers was indeed a little lame. It was, however, legal. I did not see the Nationwide race. It sounded like a driver in that race was penalized 5 laps for doing the same thing Dale did. If that's the case, he should have recieved the same punishment. He does get a little more leeway than most. I am sure he was trying to make his lap back after two unforgivable pitstop gaffes earlier on. You are not going to win races if you don't know where your stall is. Why was the radio man not chastised? Also, it's not a new rule: keep your tires inside the line. Dumb.

I like the way FOX did the race for the most part. It's a good thing (for me) that it ended earlier than scheduled. I DVR'd the race. It stopped recording about 10 minutes after the red flag came out. Maybe I did something wrong. I don't think so. I think it had to do with the 2 hours of prerace bull. Get rid of that and you are able to run 200 laps.

[SouthTexGopher]

Obama Orders Chevrolet and Dodge Out Of NASCAR

Link

In a move sure to spark outrage, the White House announced today that GM and Chrysler must cease participation in NASCAR at the end of the 2009 season if they hope to receive any additional financial aid from the government. Companies around the globe—Honda and Audi, to name two—have drawn down racing operations, and NASCAR itself has already felt the pinch in the form of reduced team spending. A complete withdrawal from America’s premier racing series is expected to save more than $250 million between GM and Chrysler, a substantial amount considering the drastic measures being implemented elsewhere.

Happy April Fool's Day.

[gopher wes]

That wasn't very nice STG!

On a different note: I know most people think NASCAR is boring. I personally love the sport, but this year has been a yawner. Anyone else bored with NASCAR already this year?

[UncleZeb]

I wouldn't say bored, just not interested, I normally watch a couple races a month (not from start to finish I don't have that much interest in it), but It doesn't seem very competitive, either little dumbo (kyle busch) or Johnson seem to win most of the races so it really isn't something to get excited about and for the critics out there, yes they are still turning left.

[Doughboy]

50 yr old Mark Martin picks up a win at Phoenix. His first win in the cup series outside of a Roush car.

[Luckygirl#13]

50 yr old Mark Martin picks up a win at Phoenix. His first win in the cup series outside of a Roush car.

Good to see the old guy finally win one again!
Now.....when will Tony Stewart get to Victory Lane??? He's so close. One of these weeks he's gotta close the deal!

[gopher wes]

I'm not a big Martin fan, but it was cool to see him win and I would much rather see him win than some of the other clowns on the circuit. Tony is hot, I'm glad to see his team isn't falling on their faces like I fully expected them to. Again, not a big Tony fan, but it wouldn't bother me to see him win one this year. I really want Jr to just start getting solid finishes. I think they need to scrap that crew from top to bottom and get a new team for that guy. His driving may be part of the issue, I understand that, but the guy still needs a good team behind him.

[momo]

I'm not a big Martin fan, but it was cool to see him win and I would much rather see him win than some of the other clowns on the circuit. Tony is hot, I'm glad to see his team isn't falling on their faces like I fully expected them to. Again, not a big Tony fan, but it wouldn't bother me to see him win one this year. I really want Jr to just start getting solid finishes. I think they need to scrap that crew from top to bottom and get a new team for that guy. His driving may be part of the issue, I understand that, but the guy still needs a good team behind him.

I think juniors abilities are more a part of the problem than most want to admit. he now has the best equipment, drives for the best team(hendrick) and has more resources available to him and his team than anyone else. he was signed to hendrick for one reason, he is a sponsorship magnate. tony jr. may be part of the problem but i think it is much simpler than that, jr's not very good.

[stan_5150]

I'm not a big Martin fan, but it was cool to see him win and I would much rather see him win than some of the other clowns on the circuit. Tony is hot, I'm glad to see his team isn't falling on their faces like I fully expected them to. Again, not a big Tony fan, but it wouldn't bother me to see him win one this year. I really want Jr to just start getting solid finishes. I think they need to scrap that crew from top to bottom and get a new team for that guy. His driving may be part of the issue, I understand that, but the guy still needs a good team behind him.

I think juniors abilities are more a part of the problem than most want to admit. he now has the best equipment, drives for the best team(hendrick) and has more resources available to him and his team than anyone else. he was signed to hendrick for one reason, he is a sponsorship magnate. tony jr. may be part of the problem but i think it is much simpler than that, jr's not very good.

If Herndrick were really smart he'd get Danica Patrick out of open wheel. At least she knows how to drive a car.

[Luckygirl#13]

I'm not a big Martin fan, but it was cool to see him win and I would much rather see him win than some of the other clowns on the circuit. Tony is hot, I'm glad to see his team isn't falling on their faces like I fully expected them to. Again, not a big Tony fan, but it wouldn't bother me to see him win one this year. I really want Jr to just start getting solid finishes. I think they need to scrap that crew from top to bottom and get a new team for that guy. His driving may be part of the issue, I understand that, but the guy still needs a good team behind him.

I think juniors abilities are more a part of the problem than most want to admit. he now has the best equipment, drives for the best team(hendrick) and has more resources available to him and his team than anyone else. he was signed to hendrick for one reason, he is a sponsorship magnate. tony jr. may be part of the problem but i think it is much simpler than that, jr's not very good.

I couldn't agree more!!! Plain and simple...I just don't think Junior is that good of a driver. It seems that everyone keeps looking for excuses why he's not winning and one of these days the excuses are going to run out and everyone will be forced to face the truth. The guys is just not a very good driver. Sorry. I also think the pressure he is under is gonna make him have a total breakdown soon. Ever listen to his interviews?? I think he's loosing it.....

[Instigator]

As a Junior fan, I'm certainly frustrated in last season and the start to this season. The day Junior announced the move to Hendrick he said himself that if he couldn't win races or championships with the best equipment, then it would prove he wasn't as good a driver as his dad. I sometimes think Junior wants to win too much -- if there is such a thing -- and that causes him to make some bad decisions on the track (see Daytona).

RCR is swapping crews between the 29 and 07. I wonder how patient Rick Hendrick will be? Could Tony Jr's days be numbered? I'm starting to wonder if the 88 needs new blood on top of the pit box.

A solid race at Talladega, without mistakes, and no less than a top 10 finish would be a huge boost to Junior's season. Not to mention my fortunes in my NASCAR pool!

[frozen4champs]

What a finish at Talladega. Brad Keselowski wins on the final lap as Carl Edwards car almost ends up in the stands. Luckily that fence held as good as it did, or it would have been a huge tragedy. Was hoping to see Newman win.

[hrbekroenick]

What a finish at Talladega. Brad Keselowski wins on the final lap as Carl Edwards car almost ends up in the stands. Luckily that fence held as good as it did, or it would have been a huge tragedy. Was hoping to see Newman win.

I thought 2 things - His sprint reminded me of Ricky Bobby, and the crash itself reminded me of Bobby Allison 1987.

[Instigator]

Very happy to see Brad win his first Cup race ... to see Junior finally have a strong run ... and Chevys in the top three. But even more happy that there were no serious injuries in The Big One at the end or any of the other wrecks this weekend.

I can take or leave Carl Edwards, but it was refreshing to hear him NOT blame Brad for the last lap wreck. They both did what they had to do to try and win the race. Now on to Richmond ...

[SouthTexGopher]

My daughter and I stopped at the Texas Motor Speedway over the weekend...our hotel was about 0.5 miles from there. BIG place...surprised at the size and scale.

We were also surprised to learn that at least three Iowans had raced there...

[gopher wes]

I can take or leave Carl Edwards, but it was refreshing to hear him NOT blame Brad for the last lap wreck. They both did what they had to do to try and win the race.

Edwards is impressive. The guy absolutely wreaks of class. He handled that post race interview so well. I can only imagine what whiny Busch or someone else would have said about the incident. Major respect to Edwards and Kesselowski for how they handled the situation.

STG, I went to the spring race last year at Texas Motor Speedway. That is a very cool place and a great area.

[Five-HoleFrenzy]

For those of you that follow NASCAR, some very sad news this afternoon in that David Poole passed away from a heart attack. He was just 50 years old and a well respected writer that covered NASCAR for many years.

[Luckygirl#13]

Just wondernig if anyone is even watching Nascar anymore?? Talladega is Sunday....usually this would be a big deal but with all the changes Nascar has made with the COT I don't know if we can expect the "Big One" anymore. And it seems like Nascar pretty much wants to hand the championship to Jimmie Johnson. It's not a very exciting chase.

[g_manpucker]

I used to be a huge NASCAR fan but Brian France has sucked the fun out of it. I don't think that Nascar is just giving the championship to Johnson, the rest of the teams aren't spending as much money as Hendick is on winning. I was curious with this season up until Johnson started his surge of late. As a former fan I would have loved to seen Mark Martin win the cup! Talladega was one of my favorite races, I have been there twice and saw Dale Sr and Dale Jr win there...those are the days I long for...but they are gone and so is my interest. R.I.P. Dale Sr., Always the man...Forever a fan!!

[Luckygirl#13]

The media talks about how Jimmie Johnson may be one of the best drivers of all time. I'm still not convinced he is that good. He's in the best equipment out there and his crew chief is sketchy...and that's putting it mildly.. You wanna prove to me that he really that good of a driver.....then put him a Dodge. Perhaps Elliot Sadler's car? Then maybe we'll see how good he really is.

[gopher wes]

I still watch every race, but not like I used to. First of all Nascar stink because I am a Jr fan and he is awful. Second, Nascar is just boring. The new car is killing Nascar and they seem to be unwilling to revert back to what made Nascar exciting.....the cars actually being competitive. They are making all these changes with the double file restarts, lucky dog, and the overtime deal if the get the caution with less than however many laps left in the race. BUT, those things don't make a difference in the excitement level if the cars can't race each other for extended periods of time. They have implemented these new rules and the cars still get spread out in a matter of just a couple laps. That is isn't racing. Racing is passing and drafting. All the drivers complain about how the car just doesn't work that well unless they are out front in "clean air". What kind of racing is that? That's not racing at all if you aren't able to pass cars.

Dega should be a big deal but it won't be. Even on the superspeedways they still get strung out single file. That NEVER happened with the old car. They were always nose to tail at least three wide from the front of the pack and all the way back. I was at the July race at Daytona and the racing is just not the same even at the plate tracks. That race turned out to be exciting on the last lap when Tony spun out kyky on the last lap, but other than the last lap, that race was boring as hell. I would assume we are in for much of the same at Dega this weekend. I think I will be DVRing it and breezing through it while I do some homework or something after I watch the queens and the hockey game on Sunday.

[gopher wes]

The media talks about how Jimmie Johnson may be one of the best drivers of all time. I'm still not convinced he is that good. He's in the best equipment out there and his crew chief is sketchy...and that's putting it mildly.. You wanna prove to me that he really that good of a driver.....then put him a Dodge. Perhaps Elliot Sadler's car? Then maybe we'll see how good he really is.

You can't fault Jimmie here. The guy just goes out there and does his thing during the Chase. It's boring, but thats how it is. You need to take this one up with Nascar and this Chase format. It seems to be built for a guy like Jimmie. Jimmie is damn good all year long, but he seems to that little extra at the end of the season when the Chase comes around. It's not fair to other drivers because you have guys going into the Chase down a certain number of points and suddenly it all gets evened up and the points get closer. Same thing goes for a guy like, Tony who was leading the point standings for most of the year and suddenly the Chase comes around and he is behind Martin just because Mark had more wins. The points championship is supposed to award consistency. While Mark has been consistent for most of the year, he has still had bad races. That's why he was not leading the points even with all those wins under his belt. There is nothing that makes sense about the Chase format. They reward guys who are getting hot at the right time instead of the guys who have been consistent the whole year. Who's to say that without the Chase a guy like Jimmie couldn't get hot and make a run at the championship from third or fourth in the standing? Let them race it out and decide it without having to even the playing field for these guys. The worst part of all is that there are twelve guys racing for a championship once the Chase starts. What about those other 31 drivers on the track that are just racing for wins? The fate of the Chase drivers could be in the hands of these drivers that are just out there trying to win races. That's not right. This will be especially evident this weekend at Talledega when a Chase driver inevitably gets caught up in a wreck caused by someone not involved in the Chase. Bottom line is that I think the Chase is a joke in case you couldn't tell from my rant .

[momo]

The media talks about how Jimmie Johnson may be one of the best drivers of all time. I'm still not convinced he is that good. He's in the best equipment out there and his crew chief is sketchy...and that's putting it mildly.. You wanna prove to me that he really that good of a driver.....then put him a Dodge. Perhaps Elliot Sadler's car? Then maybe we'll see how good he really is.

not that good? he is in the best equipment, along with the #5,24 and 88, his crew chief is sketchy? you must be a casual fan at best, all crew chiefs are sketchy, go ahead and put him in a dodge, if you talk to anyone who knows racing they will tell you that the most important piece to being good is the relationship between driver and crew chief and jimmy and chad are the best at that. why do you think jr. isn't any good?he doesn't know how to relay information to his crew so they can set his car up. I am not a johnson fan but to say that he isn't good is absolutely ludicrous.

[Luckygirl#13]

I didn't say Johnson isn't any good. I do have respect for him as a driver, my problem is the media making him out to be the greatest driver ever. If not for the chase format, he wouldn't have won 3 championships in a row. I agree with Gopher Wes....the Chase and COT are ruining Nascar. I think most race fans would agree. I've been to several races....2 this year and the stands are no where near the capacity they were years ago. Yes, a big part of that is due to the economy. But it is also due the lack of excitement and racing going on. Fans are staying away and shutting it off.

And poor Junior. I am afraid the guy is gonna blow a gasket and end up in the loony bin.

[dxmnkd316]

I used to be a huge NASCAR fan but Brian France has sucked the fun out of it. I don't think that Nascar is just giving the championship to Johnson, the rest of the teams aren't spending as much money as Hendick is on winning. I was curious with this season up until Johnson started his surge of late. As a former fan I would have loved to seen Mark Martin win the cup! Talladega was one of my favorite races, I have been there twice and saw Dale Sr and Dale Jr win there...those are the days I long for...but they are gone and so is my interest. R.I.P. Dale Sr., Always the man...Forever a fan!!

Same here. Used to but now it's just "meh". All this has done is free up time to do/watch other things on sundays.

[g_manpucker]

The media talks about how Jimmie Johnson may be one of the best drivers of all time. I'm still not convinced he is that good. He's in the best equipment out there and his crew chief is sketchy...and that's putting it mildly.. You wanna prove to me that he really that good of a driver.....then put him a Dodge. Perhaps Elliot Sadler's car? Then maybe we'll see how good he really is.

not that good? he is in the best equipment, along with the #5,24 and 88, his crew chief is sketchy? you must be a casual fan at best, all crew chiefs are sketchy, go ahead and put him in a dodge, if you talk to anyone who knows racing they will tell you that the most important piece to being good is the relationship between driver and crew chief and jimmy and chad are the best at that. why do you think jr. isn't any good?he doesn't know how to relay information to his crew so they can set his car up. I am not a johnson fan but to say that he isn't good is absolutely ludicrous.

i agree with your evaluation of Jr, he doesn't talk much about his car on the radio unless he is winning. When the car is bad all he does is bitch, I was a big fan of his but he is just a middle of the pack guy now...if Sr was here he would be kicking his arse!!!

[Doughboy]

Jr is the new Kyle Petty

[g_manpucker]

Jr is the new Kyle Petty

I never thought of him that way but that is the perfect example of what he has become, cause Kyle at one time held some promise only to gain mediocrity. Kyle became a great businessman, but unfortunately for Jr his sister Kelley is the businessperson in the Earnhardt family.

[Luckygirl#13]

What has happend to Nascar?? Now they are telling drivers how to race? Talladega is supposed to be exciting...running 3-4-even 5 wide at times. Yesterday they were running single file! Quite possibly the most boring Talladega race I have ever seen.

Is there really a need to run the last 3 races?

[g_manpucker]

If it weren't for the fact that Talladega has over 150,000 fans show up twice a year they would probably throw it away. Seems to me that the most exciting races were the ones in the late 90's and early 00's there and there was always the "big one" but no one was flipping around in those days. I think this COT has some sort of design flaw that is making it go airborne when it gets spun around at 190 mph. Nascar is just plain awful anymore, its only going to get worse...have you seen the Nationwide cars coming out in the next year or so?

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/pgStory ... o=10301178

[Larch]

The media talks about how Jimmie Johnson may be one of the best drivers of all time. I'm still not convinced he is that good. He's in the best equipment out there and his crew chief is sketchy...and that's putting it mildly.. You wanna prove to me that he really that good of a driver.....then put him a Dodge. Perhaps Elliot Sadler's car? Then maybe we'll see how good he really is.

You can't fault Jimmie here. The guy just goes out there and does his thing during the Chase. It's boring, but thats how it is. You need to take this one up with Nascar and this Chase format. It seems to be built for a guy like Jimmie. Jimmie is damn good all year long, but he seems to that little extra at the end of the season when the Chase comes around. It's not fair to other drivers because you have guys going into the Chase down a certain number of points and suddenly it all gets evened up and the points get closer. Same thing goes for a guy like, Tony who was leading the point standings for most of the year and suddenly the Chase comes around and he is behind Martin just because Mark had more wins. The points championship is supposed to award consistency. While Mark has been consistent for most of the year, he has still had bad races. That's why he was not leading the points even with all those wins under his belt. There is nothing that makes sense about the Chase format. They reward guys who are getting hot at the right time instead of the guys who have been consistent the whole year. Who's to say that without the Chase a guy like Jimmie couldn't get hot and make a run at the championship from third or fourth in the standing? Let them race it out and decide it without having to even the playing field for these guys. The worst part of all is that there are twelve guys racing for a championship once the Chase starts. What about those other 31 drivers on the track that are just racing for wins? The fate of the Chase drivers could be in the hands of these drivers that are just out there trying to win races. That's not right. This will be especially evident this weekend at Talledega when a Chase driver inevitably gets caught up in a wreck caused by someone not involved in the Chase. Bottom line is that I think the Chase is a joke in case you couldn't tell from my rant .

The chase does what they wanted it to do though, every other sport starts them back at zero and NASCAR was looking to be like every other sport. I know I wouldn't watch the end of the race yesterday over the start of the Vikes-Pack if Tony still had a 300 point lead...what would be the point? He was only 10 point behind Martin, if you can't make that back up, then you probably shouldn't have won anyway. The point is, it adds more interest, maybe you don't like, but many do. This season would be over and barely register if it wasn't for the chase. As it is, the last three probably won't matter, but that's better than the last 10+ races of the year.

FWIW, I'm a Hendrick fan and I like Jimmie, but even I want somebody to put him in the wall at this point.

[frozen4champs]

The major problem with Nascar is the season is TOO Long. It should end around Labor day or so. When the NFL season starts, I lose interest. IMHO, the COT makes the races boring. I really like the short tracks with bumping and banging, and usually love the super speedway races. I also believe it does not help the sport when 1 team dominates like the 48.

[dxmnkd316]

apparently danica is close to signing with JR motorsports.

A woman? In nascar? Oh the humanity.... A lot of rednecks are going to be up in arms about this one.

Personally I've always been a huge fan of danica's.

[Luckygirl#13]

I hope she stays in open wheel. I'm a woman....not a redneck....but I don't want her in Nascar. Most of the open wheel drivers that have ventured into Nascar have failed. And those drivers had more wins than Danica. Juan Pablo is the only one who has had any success so far and it's taken him 3 years to achieve it. I'd rather see a woman come up from the dirt tracks, one who has paid her dues. If Danica wants to race stock cars she should start in the Nationwide series.

[MATT]

If Danica wants to race stock cars she should start in the Nationwide series.

Isn't that what she's doing?

[JC65]

Most of the open wheel drivers that have ventured into Nascar have failed. And those drivers had more wins than Danica. Juan Pablo is the only one who has had any success so far and it's taken him 3 years to achieve it.

I won't argue that most open wheel drivers have not had great success in NASCAR. Most drivers in NASCAR have not had great success. But Tony Stewart switched from IRL to NASCAR and proceeded to win three races and finished 4th overall in his rookie season. So Juan Pablo isn't the only open wheeler who's had some success.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Stewart#Other_Racing_Series

[gopher wes]

If Danica wants to race stock cars she should start in the Nationwide series.

Isn't that what she's doing?

Yeah, If she signs its going to be a partial Nationwide schedule from what I understood. I think it's great because Danica is hot errrr a really good race car driver I mean . I think this is Jr's way of getting Danica to marry him someday. Jr never has a girl with him so I think this is his shot. What's that you tell me? Danica is already married? Get a girl Jr! Maybe then you won't be so uptight and feel so pressured on raceday!!

[Luckygirl#13]

If Danica wants to race stock cars she should start in the Nationwide series.

Isn't that what she's doing?

Yeah, If she signs its going to be a partial Nationwide schedule from what I understood. I think it's great because Danica is hot errrr a really good race car driver I mean . I think this is Jr's way of getting Danica to marry him someday. Jr never has a girl with him so I think this is his shot. What's that you tell me? Danica is already married? Get a girl Jr! Maybe then you won't be so uptight and feel so pressured on raceday!!

Hmmm....I wonder if Danica wasn't a hottie if anyone would be talking about her at all?? HA!
And I really don't think Junior has a problem getting girls. I'd bet he's got a few at every track! That's definitely not his problem!

[g_manpucker]

Hopefully Danica doesn't take a page out the Erin Crocker's book on how to sleep to the top, she screwed around with Ray Evernham...got a ride...lost the ride...married Evernham...now is a correspodent for Speed at dirt track races...sleeping with the boss pays off!

[dxmnkd316]

If Danica wants to race stock cars she should start in the Nationwide series.

Isn't that what she's doing?

I thought she was going to the nationwide series too.

[gopher wes]

If Danica wants to race stock cars she should start in the Nationwide series.

Isn't that what she's doing?

I thought she was going to the nationwide series too.

I think she is only doing Nationwide if I am not mistaken.

If Danica wants to race stock cars she should start in the Nationwide series.

Isn't that what she's doing?

Yeah, If she signs its going to be a partial Nationwide schedule from what I understood. I think it's great because Danica is hot errrr a really good race car driver I mean . I think this is Jr's way of getting Danica to marry him someday. Jr never has a girl with him so I think this is his shot. What's that you tell me? Danica is already married? Get a girl Jr! Maybe then you won't be so uptight and feel so pressured on raceday!!

Hmmm....I wonder if Danica wasn't a hottie if anyone would be talking about her at all?? HA!
And I really don't think Junior has a problem getting girls. I'd bet he's got a few at every track! That's definitely not his problem!

I know, but it would be nice to see him with a girl once in awhile.

[Larch]

I think she is only doing Nationwide if I am not mistaken.

I believe she is running the ARCA race for Daytona next year.

[Luckygirl#13]

Is anyone at all interested in the Daytona 500 this weekend?
I'll be watching. Curious to see some of the changes in Nascar this year. And hoping Smoke wins his first 500! GO TONY!!

[gopher wes]

I'll be watching. As bored as I am with NASCAR, I will watch the 500 and that is about it until Talladega maybe. I'm hoping to see Jr turn his luck around but I won't hold my breath. It's too bad. I forgot to set my DVR for the Gatorade Duel races today . I'll have to see, I'm sure Speed channel will replay them later tonight.

[g_manpucker]

I'll be watching. As bored as I am with NASCAR, I will watch the 500 and that is about it until Talladega maybe. I'm hoping to see Jr turn his luck around but I won't hold my breath. It's too bad. I forgot to set my DVR for the Gatorade Duel races today . I'll have to see, I'm sure Speed channel will replay them later tonight.

This is what I want to see happen on Sunday...Martin win, Johnson and Busch's crash out, and that's about it.

[gopher wes]

I'll be watching. As bored as I am with NASCAR, I will watch the 500 and that is about it until Talladega maybe. I'm hoping to see Jr turn his luck around but I won't hold my breath. It's too bad. I forgot to set my DVR for the Gatorade Duel races today . I'll have to see, I'm sure Speed channel will replay them later tonight.

This is what I want to see happen on Sunday...Martin win, Johnson and Busch's crash out, and that's about it.

I don't like Martin, but I don't not like him if that makes sense. There are just other guys I would rather see win than him.

Anyone know if Jr will be racing in the Nationawide race or not?

[Luckygirl#13]

Yes I do believe Junior is running the #88 in the Nationwide. He will be racing his employee...Danica.

[Luckygirl#13]

Jimmie Johnson won the first Gatorade Duel. Yahoo.

[g_manpucker]

Jimmie Johnson won the first Gatorade Duel. Yahoo.

If he is on the track....he is cheating!

[Doughboy]

Jimmie Johnson won the first Gatorade Duel. Yahoo.

If he is on the track....he is cheating!

This JJ thing is really strange. I wonder. It used to seem that Nascar moved in cycles. One year all the Roush Fords were good and then everybody catches up. Next year Hendrick is up and the next JGR is up. This Chad and Jimmie thing reminds me of the Evernham-Gordon combo. They just seem to be able to communicate a lot better than others. I wonder if it is the set up they start with on the car or do they just adjust a lot faster?

[Luckygirl#13]

Junior and Mark Martin are on the starting grid for Daytona. I'd like to see Jr have a good race to start the season. But I'm still hoping Smoke gets his first Daytona 500 Victory. I swear if Jimmie Johnson wins the race it's the last one I will watch this season. It's time for some new blood! A few of the younger guys I'll be watching are Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Brad Keslowski.

[dxmnkd316]

Man, They should have had daytona on last week. The olympics is going to be a 24-7 affair for me.

[gopher wes]

Junior and Mark Martin are on the starting grid for Daytona. I'd like to see Jr have a good race to start the season. But I'm still hoping Smoke gets his first Daytona 500 Victory. I swear if Jimmie Johnson wins the race it's the last one I will watch this season. It's time for some new blood! A few of the younger guys I'll be watching are Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Brad Keslowski.

Jr has to have a good year or he will be on the outs. The only reason Hendrix would keep him around would be for the merchandise. Jimmie, who cares? I know it's boring as hell but the guy is just going to go out and win races. There is nothing we can do about it. Denny Hamlin bugs the crap out of me, especially at Daytona. Guarantee you it will happen half a dozen times in the 500 if he is running up front. He will push someone to the front and as soon as they make the pass he will bail out and hang the guy he pushed out to dry. Its one thing to do that on the last lap for the win, but its so lame to do that to somone when you are in the early to middle part of the race. I really hope BK is the real deal because I have a feeling this will be another disappointing season for Jr. Once Jr is done I will need a new driver and Keselowski will be back in a Chevy and I may have to jump his bandwagon. I don't much care for Stewart so I won't make any further comments regarding him .

[momo]

Junior and Mark Martin are on the starting grid for Daytona. I'd like to see Jr have a good race to start the season. But I'm still hoping Smoke gets his first Daytona 500 Victory. I swear if Jimmie Johnson wins the race it's the last one I will watch this season. It's time for some new blood! A few of the younger guys I'll be watching are Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Brad Keslowski.

Jr has to have a good year or he will be on the outs. The only reason Hendrix would keep him around would be for the merchandise. Jimmie, who cares? I know it's boring as hell but the guy is just going to go out and win races. There is nothing we can do about it. Denny Hamlin bugs the crap out of me, especially at Daytona. Guarantee you it will happen half a dozen times in the 500 if he is running up front. He will push someone to the front and as soon as they make the pass he will bail out and hang the guy he pushed out to dry. Its one thing to do that on the last lap for the win, but its so lame to do that to somone when you are in the early to middle part of the race. I really hope BK is the real deal because I have a feeling this will be another disappointing season for Jr. Once Jr is done I will need a new driver and Keselowski will be back in a Chevy and I may have to jump his bandwagon. I don't much care for Stewart so I won't make any further comments regarding him .

the only way hendrick gets rid of jr. is if he pisses someone off or does something in his personal life ala michael vick or something, jr. is and will be the most popular driver in nascar until he decides to hang it up. hendrick will not get rid of those sponsorship $$$$ unless jr. forces his hand.

[gopher wes]

Junior and Mark Martin are on the starting grid for Daytona. I'd like to see Jr have a good race to start the season. But I'm still hoping Smoke gets his first Daytona 500 Victory. I swear if Jimmie Johnson wins the race it's the last one I will watch this season. It's time for some new blood! A few of the younger guys I'll be watching are Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Brad Keslowski.

Jr has to have a good year or he will be on the outs. The only reason Hendrix would keep him around would be for the merchandise. Jimmie, who cares? I know it's boring as hell but the guy is just going to go out and win races. There is nothing we can do about it. Denny Hamlin bugs the crap out of me, especially at Daytona. Guarantee you it will happen half a dozen times in the 500 if he is running up front. He will push someone to the front and as soon as they make the pass he will bail out and hang the guy he pushed out to dry. Its one thing to do that on the last lap for the win, but its so lame to do that to somone when you are in the early to middle part of the race. I really hope BK is the real deal because I have a feeling this will be another disappointing season for Jr. Once Jr is done I will need a new driver and Keselowski will be back in a Chevy and I may have to jump his bandwagon. I don't much care for Stewart so I won't make any further comments regarding him .

the only way hendrick gets rid of jr. is if he pisses someone off or does something in his personal life ala michael vick or something, jr. is and will be the most popular driver in nascar until he decides to hang it up. hendrick will not get rid of those sponsorship $$$$ unless jr. forces his hand.

Maybe I am just speaking in my opinion and frustration with how poorly he has run the past couple years

[gopher wes]

That track deal yesterday was pitiful. Just a bad situation for NASCAR I guess. I suppose it couldn't be helped, but it was too bad for NASCAR that it had to be dragged out that long. BUT, what a great finish!! I thought Jr had his for sure the way he shot out of there, but he had no one to help him and he wasn't close enough to suck up to him and get the slingshot around McMurray. I believe he went from 10th to 2nd in two laps. That's pretty impressive and not something that we have seen with this new car. Congrats to Jamie though, he is a good guy and I had no problem seeing him win! That was a blast once they got racy there are the end. I still wish Jr would have won but its hard to be upset about a finish like that.

[Luckygirl#13]

Where the hell did Junior come from in those last 2 laps??? It was a very exciting finish and Nascar needed that after the debacle with the track. It was very frustrating. After all the excitement in the Nationwide race Saturday I was looking forward to an exciting 500....not the snoozer I got. I was screaming at the TV for Junior to win! Would have loved to see him start out his season with a win. But still a great run for him. And congrats to McMurray....he made me get teary eyed when he was in victory lane.

[gopher wes]

Where the hell did Junior come from in those last 2 laps??? It was a very exciting finish and Nascar needed that after the debacle with the track. It was very frustrating. After all the excitement in the Nationwide race Saturday I was looking forward to an exciting 500....not the snoozer I got. I was screaming at the TV for Junior to win! Would have loved to see him start out his season with a win. But still a great run for him. And congrats to McMurray....he made me get teary eyed when he was in victory lane.

He came from 10th place all the way to 2nd in those two laps.....that was great racing!(actually a bit similar to what they were able to do in the old car) We were at Mannings celebrating Valentine's day with my family. We started yelling when we saw Jr shoot out of that pack on the backstretch. I could tell that he wasn't quite going to get there. My heart was pounding so hard, I thought he had a chance! That Nationwide race made me mad! Jr ran up front all day only to get caught up in Edwards and Keselowski's blunder. Edwards just doesn't understand super speedway racing. He screwed over a bunch over people in the Chase a couple years ago at Talledaga. Harvick was complaining about Edwards after the race too. I didn't get full details or see the incident but it sounded like Edwards did something stupid at the end of the 500 too.

[Luckygirl#13]

Junior coming from 10th to 2nd in the last 2 laps was very reminiscent of his daddy!! Made for a great ending!

[LC19]

Where the hell did Junior come from in those last 2 laps??? It was a very exciting finish and Nascar needed that after the debacle with the track. It was very frustrating. After all the excitement in the Nationwide race Saturday I was looking forward to an exciting 500....not the snoozer I got. I was screaming at the TV for Junior to win! Would have loved to see him start out his season with a win. But still a great run for him. And congrats to McMurray....he made me get teary eyed when he was in victory lane.

He came from 10th place all the way to 2nd in those two laps.....that was great racing!(actually a bit similar to what they were able to do in the old car) We were at Mannings celebrating Valentine's day with my family. We started yelling when we saw Jr shoot out of that pack on the backstretch. I could tell that he wasn't quite going to get there. My heart was pounding so hard, I thought he had a chance! That Nationwide race made me mad! Jr ran up front all day only to get caught up in Edwards and Keselowski's blunder. Edwards just doesn't understand super speedway racing. He screwed over a bunch over people in the Chase a couple years ago at Talledaga. Harvick was complaining about Edwards after the race too. I didn't get full details or see the incident but it sounded like Edwards did something stupid at the end of the 500 too.

I don't think Edwards terrible driving is limited to just super speedways. A couple of years ago when I was at the the Bristol night race, there were about 5 different drivers that wanted to kick his a** during the race over the scanners. Dale Jr was one of them.

[Larch]

Wow this is quite the love-in for an out of nowhere second place finish for Junior. It makes you wonder why non junior fans enjoy not having him win.

[gopher wes]

Wow this is quite the love-in for an out of nowhere second place finish for Junior. It makes you wonder why non junior fans enjoy not having him win.

Hey man, we take what we can get after the past two seasons he has had.
I know what you are saying though. I am still no optimistic about how he will race anywhere else aside from Daytona and 'Dega, but you have to admit what he di was pretty impressive despite only being able to make it to second place when all was said and done.

[Doughboy]

Ralphie Jr. can hold his own on the super speedways and shorties. The cookie cutters are the problem tracks.

[Orion]

Just for the record. Carl Edwards is a piece of crap.

[Five-HoleFrenzy]

[quote="Orion"]Just for the record. Carl Edwards is a piece of crap.[/quote

Ditto. Very intentional move to the right to hit Keslowski's left rear fender. Total bush league move.

[gopher wes]

Just for the record. Carl Edwards is a piece of crap.[/quote

Ditto. Very intentional move to the right to hit Keslowski's left rear fender. Total bush league move.

Saw it on SportsCenter, not live. Keselowski was in 6th at the time?!

[Snowcool08]

Just for the record. Carl Edwards is a piece of crap.[/quote

Ditto. Very intentional move to the right to hit Keslowski's left rear fender. Total bush league move.

Saw it on SportsCenter, not live. Keselowski was in 6th at the time?!

He was in 6th and in line for his best finish ever in the Sprint Cup. I usually like Edwards, but there's a time and place to turn someone if you're upset. Doing it in final 3 laps of a race when your opponent is in 6th place is not the time or place.

[gopher wes]

Just for the record. Carl Edwards is a piece of crap.[/quote

Ditto. Very intentional move to the right to hit Keslowski's left rear fender. Total bush league move.

Saw it on SportsCenter, not live. Keselowski was in 6th at the time?!

He was in 6th and in line for his best finish ever in the Sprint Cup. I usually like Edwards, but there's a time and place to turn someone if you're upset. Doing it in final 3 laps of a race when your opponent is in 6th place is not the time or place.

That isn't true, he won that race in Talledega last year when Edwards tried to block him and ended up getting spun out and flipping up into the fence. Anyhow, that is just stupid. It looked as if Keselowski was just racing and seemed to slip up into Edwards earlier on in the race. Looked like a racing deal to me. For Edwards to wreck him with three laps to go while he was in line a for a top ten is just plain bush league. He almost showed no remorse in his interview either. I totally agree, there is a time and place to retaliate, this was not even close to that time.

[Luckygirl#13]

WARNING: Rant ahead.
I have become completely bored with Nascar. Bristol used to be one of the most exciting races to watch. So after my excessive weekend at the Final Five , I was looking forward to sitting on the couch last Sunday and watching the race while taking a nap or 2. I could have napped through the entire thing and not missed anything. BORING! It just doesn't seem like racing anymore. Nascar needed to drum up some excitement so they tried to make a bigger deal out of the Carl Edwards/Brad Keslowski fued than it really is. They have nothing else to talk about other than Jimmie Johnson.

Ahh....precious Jimme Johonson. Nothing against him personally, seems like a good guy. But honestly.....when is Nascar gonna do something about the #48 team and their cheating. You cannot tell me that this one team is that much more dominant over everyone else. They have found a way to cheat and get away with it. I've heard so many other drivers say that the #48 team has figured it out. YEAh....FIGURED OUT HOW TO CHEAT AND NOT GET CAUGHT!! All the Hendrick drivers have the same equipment yet they aren't having the same results. Jimmie is a good driver but I really don't think he's that good. Something needs to be done with Chad Knaus.

Ok....I'm done now.