Bitter

It's taken a while to feel like writing a blog. The Coca-Cola 600 was a great race until about three laps to go, 4.5 miles from the finish line. That's when my man Tony Stewart blew a tire. Kasey Kahne went on to win just like the week before and Tony finished 18th. I even stayed up late to see the finish, making for a very slow moving day on Monday. Most of the planet had the day off but you people still need to see your commercials during the Morning Report. Bitter !!!

The Nationwide race had an interesting ending. I love guys beatin' and bangin' under caution with a few laps to go. I wonder how the Denny Hamlin and Dale Jr. relationship is these days. Brad Keselowski, driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports, was racing Denny hard...too hard in Denny's opinion. Hello! It's called a RACE for a reason. So, under caution, Brad tapped Denny from behind and then Denny took a swipe at Brad, crushing his left front fender. Junior then went and added his two cents worth, tapping Denny himself. Boys will be boys. Oh by the way, Kyle Bush went on to win the race...Hamlin finished 2nd, Brad 3rd and Dale Jr. 4th.

After the race, on pit road, the crews mixed it up a bit. Keselowski made some interesting comments, talking about how he only has one race a week to prove to this owner, Dale Jr. and his fans that he belongs. Meanwhile, Denny sometimes has two races each week to do it. I have to agree with Denny when he says that the drivers should settle it amongst themselves and leave the crew guys out of it. The penalties for the incident were handed down from NASCAR on Wednesday. Tony Eury Sr. and Pops, the crew chief for Brad Keselowski's Navy team were fined 1,000 dollars and placed on probation until June 25. Two over-the-wall guys for the Navy team were also penalized. One crew member, Michael Sandlin was suspended for a race, fined 1,500 dollars and placed probation until October 15. The second crew member, Jordan Allen was also fined 1,500 dollars and placed on probation until October 15.

The Nationwide series is in Dover this weekend along with the Cup boys. I wonder if Denny and Brad will have anything more to say to one another on and off the track. This weekend also marks the debut of Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Joey Logano. Logano had to wait until his 18th birthday last Saturday to be eligible to race in the NASCAR series. He will be in the famed 20 car this weekend for the Nationwide race. The 20 car has won six times this season in the Nationwide series with a number of different drivers at the wheel. I hope Brad makes a note that Hamlin will be in the 18 car this weekend should he be thinking about payback. Leave young Joey out of it.

NASCAR also handed out penalties on the Cup side yesterday. The 2 Haas-CNC Motorsports cars, Scott Riggs' 66 and Johnny Sauter's 70 car were both fined 150 driver and owners points and lost their crew chiefs and car chiefs for six races. Crew chiefs Bootie Barker and Dave Skog were also fined $100,000. OUCH !!! Big hits for already struggling teams.

I haven't talked about all these rumors circulating around Tony and his interest in owning a cup team because I have no idea which rumor to believe. Tony...I have some advice...stay away from Haas-CNC!!! Gene Haas is already in jail for tax evasion and the garage ratted out the 66 & 70 cars for cheating. Both teams had illegal rear wing mounts. NASCAR took the cars after practice Saturday afternoon and made both teams go to backup cars for the race. TONY STAY AWAY !!!! Part of me just can't believe he'd leave Gibbs and/or Zippy. But then I was surprised he'd drive a Toyota and he's doing just fine with that.

I can't imagine a NASCAR race without Tony Stewart. I've often thought what if he said the heck with it and gave up the headache of NASCAR, who would I root for? I'm guessing the other Gibbs drivers, but it so would not be the same. I'm a Tony Stewart fan. If he's in a race (midget, sprint car, grand-am) and it's on tv or I can get internet results, then I will be following it.

The Cup boys will race on Sunday in the Autism Speaks 400 at the monster Mile in Dover, Delaware. Martin Truex Jr. won the spring race last year, his 1st cup win, on the same day that Bill France Jr. passed away.

By the way...you know I will be getting the HBO Pay Per View Old Spice Prelude to the Dream live from the Eldora Speedway, on June 4th. Tony owns the track and a ton of Cup guys, about 25, will be playing in the dirt, all for a good cause - the new Victory Junction Gang Camp II to be built in Kansas City. I can't wait! See ya next week everybody!

Kasey Kahne an All Star?

Patience pays. Playing it safe with good strategy from his crew chief, Kasey Kahne took home the million dollars for winning the All Star race. But, where has the #9 Budweiser car been all season? Not in the top 5 and only 7 career wins. So, how does he come out on top?

This is what baffles me about this sport. It's anybody's race. All the stars have to align in order to win a race. The car has to be great, the driver must be patient and the crew chief has to be on his toes. Many factors can lead to a victory or a crash. Kyle Busch was my pick to win the race, but his car broke down. Denny Hamlin almost had it and blew it. According to NASCAR.com Kahne has quite a fan base. Why is that? Is it because he's good looking? A good driver? Or because he now drives the Budweiser car? I wish someone would give me a good solid answer.

Wreckers or Checkers ??!!??

What would you do to win a million dollars?? This weekend, the boys of NASCAR were in North Carolina for the Sprint All Star Race and a million dollar first prize.

But before I get too deep into what happened this weekend, let me rewind a bit to last weekend's race in Darlington. I received a comment asking me if I noticed the race because I hadn't blogged about it. Well, here's the problem...the FOX affiliate here in Portland didn't air the damn thing!!! I have Dish Network at my house and I busted my butt most of Saturday so I could sit back and enjoy the race and guess what? Noooo signal! Those who had cable got to see it but not me. I don't ask for much and with it being Mother's Day weekend it would have been nice to enjoy the race. Although I'm not sure how much of it I would have enjoyed, even if I had seen it. Tony got wrecked on turn 1 lap 1. Yikes!!! That makes for a horrible night for Tony, Zippy and me !!! Instead, I listened on my Sirius Satellite Radio to Tony's driver-to-crew channel and at about 9pm the signal showed up on my TV. Once again Kyle Bush was the car to beat. 'Nuff said about that race.

Now on to the All-Star Race from CHARLOTTE Motor Speedway. I refuse to call it by its sponsored name that features that other home improvement store. It was nice to see it did not come to wreckers of checkers, for once. The Sprint showdown was ho hum for me. I would have liked to have seen just about any other driver transfer other than the two who placed 1st and 2nd. Allmendinger and Hornish do nothing for me. Right after that segment ended, I called my Dad to ask, "How soon before those two cause a wreck?" I find it quite amusing that Elliott Sadler got taken out this weekend the same way he took out Tony Stewart last weekend at Darlington. I like Elliot, but it's amazing how your tune changes depending on if you are on the receiving or delivering end of a crash. How soon we forget. But Elliot's comments on how Allmendinger gets taken out of his car every other week made me laugh out loud. I love that Kasey Kahne was the fan vote. I bet those women for the All State Insurance commercials were busy voting. What was even cooler is that he won the whole damn thing.

I liked seeing different people come to the front to dominate. Kyle Bush had the best car again until he had mechanical troubles. But he showed great maturity in his interview as he was literally getting the word that his night was done as he was talking to a pit reporter. Other drivers came up too...Denny Hamlin, Dale Jr., Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle. But they all faded at the end for one reason or another.

Poor Humpy Wheeler and the back-flipping dog named Princess. Humpy had picked Carl Edwards to win, but his streak of picking winning drivers came to an end. My dad commented he would have liked to have seen Dale Jr. come up on Kyle Bush, punt him and go on to win the race. I am a fan of both drivers as is my dad, but that would have made a cool, non-points, winner take all race to see.

It was nice to see Dale Jarrett honored before the race. He finally got to drive the truck!!! Hearing his father Ned give the invocation brought a tear to my eye. I'm a sucker for that sentimental stuff. It was also sweet to see other drivers wish him well before they strapped in to race. It's great when NASCAR remembers its own history.

The boys of NASCAR are home for another week & weekend in Charlotte. Up next is the Coca-Cola 600. It's a busy week at my house...my youngest turns 6 and I must prepare myself for a bowling birthday party with a pack of six year old boys!!! Hopefully, I'll have enough energy to watch the race and see enough of it to blog. It's a holiday Monday for most, but not for me. I'll be in early airing commercials in the Morning Report. Have a great holiday weekend everybody!

Busch vs. Dale Jr ???!!!!

Oh wait, that's right Clint Bowyer won the race !!! How much security do you think Kyle Busch had to have to leave Richmond Saturday Night? Actually, how much security will he need from now on??!!! NASCAR fans are passionate people who NEVER forget. Did Kyle screw up? Absolutely. On purpose? No. He could have wrecked himself as well. Will this follow him the rest of his career? Probably. Simply put, it was a racing incident. One got loose...both thought the other would give them enough room and in the end Junior got wrecked.

Poor Denny! How painful to lead 381 laps and then end your night with a flat. Plus, he gets a 2 lap penalty for deliberating causing a caution, finishing 24th. OUCH!!! I wonder if he remembers how good his weekend was before that. He kicked things off with the Denny Hamlin 175 at his home track, Southside Speedway. The proceeds went to the newly formed Denny Hamlin Foundation, which in turn was able to donate a $50,000 check to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He qualifed third for the Nationwide race and won the poll for the Sprint Cup race. Then, he held off Kevin Harvick under green-white-checkered conditions to win the Nationwide's Lipton Tea 250. All that probably doesn't take the sting away from Saturday night.

The Nationwide race wasn't without its own controversy. Common denominator? Kyle Busch. This time he was the almost-victim. Steven Wallace got into the back of him but Kyle with his amazing car control faired just fine to finish 3rd, with Wallace coming in 5th. The sparks flew after the race finished on pit road when Busch went to talk to Wallace. Wallace, still in his car, yanked Busch's facemask. The interviews afterward were quite amusing. Busch talked about Wallace being a boy in a man's sport and grabbing the bull and getting the horns. Wallace called Busch a little girl. At least I think he did. I really couldn't understand much of the interview because Wallace was talking a mile a minute. I love it when the start drivers start calling each other names!!! I wonder if Steven's Dad, Rusty Wallace will be writing any checks to NASCAR for the pit road ruckus.

Other Notes: I probably jinxed Ken Schrader by mentioning he was in for Dario Franchitti this weekend. Schrader had to qualify on time Friday afternoon and got beat by J.J. Yeley. The difference was two hundredths of a second. Schrader did finish second on Sunday in the ARCA race from Rockingham NC. Joey Logano, a Gibbs development driver who turns 18 on May 24th, won his ARCA race debut. Carl Edwards has signed a multi year contract with Roush-Fenway Racing. Rumor has it Bobby Labonte has resigned from Petty Enterprises, but that's still just rumor.

Next up: The Lady in Black, Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. One must respect The Lady In Black especially on Mother's Day weekend!!!

Saturday Night Under the Lights...Richmond

The NASCAR boys have rolled into Richmond, Virginia for this weekend's race. The Nationwide Series races tonight under the lights and the Sprint Cup series takes the green Saturday night.

Two of the series best are tied at three wins at this particular track. Dale Jr. has three wins in 17 starts and Tony Stewart has three in 18 starts. This race marks the two year anniversary of Dale Jr.'s last race win. The .75 mile oval also is the track where two drivers got their first ever career win... Tony Stewart Sept 11, 1999 and Kasey Kahne on May 14, 2005.

So far Dale Jr. is pacing Friday's practice. We shall see if that helps come qualifying time. In the past 10 races at Richmond, the winner has come from within the top ten qualifiers.

ESPN is up against airing playoff basketball and the Nationwide race tonight. The Nationwide race will air on Speed and ESPN Classic at 7pm and ESPN2 will pick it up at the conclusion of the basketball game. It will then re-air in its entirety immediately following the race.

Some other notes...Ken Schrader will be filling in for the injured Dario Franchitti...Tony Stewart was as excited about Morgan Shepard's 13th place finish last Saturday as he was about his Talladega victory in the Nationwide series. Shepard was a surprise call-in guest to Tony Stewart Live on SIRIUS Satelitte radio when Stewart and co-host Matt Yockum told him they would be his tire sponsors for this weekend. Tony told him not to worry, "We'll make sure you have plenty of tires for the weekend." How cool is it that a legend of the sport continues to race late into his sixties?!?!

The Fastest Traffic Jam in Alabama

That's how Fox commentator, Mike Joy, referred to this past weekend's race. I know some who love restrictor plate racing and those who despise it. Those who hate it say it doesn't feel like a real race since you need help to win it. I love it. I think 4 races a year, 7 if you count the shootout and the duels, is the right number. I wouldn't want to race like this every weekend but a few a year is great.

It was amazing to see two cars hook up and take off on their own going 10-15 mph faster than the rest of the field. Keep in mind the rest of the field is already doing 189 mph. Like Heather said in her post, Denny Hamlin was the drafting king. I think he drafted with anyone and everyone. It was also kind of cool to see Juan Pablo Montoya lead a few laps and finish second.

Kyle "Wild Thing" Busch showed maturity. He got a lap down, kept his cool and worked his way back to the front for the win. I wasn't sure if I'd like him joining JGR, but it's been fun watching him win. He even had that run-in with Jamie McMurray in front of the whole field and they both held on. Like DW says, you can't do that!!! It was neat to see all three JGR drivers hook up and push each other. Kind of like those Hendrick boys used to do. By the way, where were they on Sunday ?

It was heartbreaking to see Tony caught up in "The Big One" part 1. Who knows where he would have finished if he hadn't cut that tire and had to battle back. But Saturday was sweet because Mr. Stewart won the Nationwide race in such dominating fashion. Plus, cute little Brittany, a Make-A-Wish foundation child joining him in Victory Lane was priceless.

"The Big One" part 2 on the white flag lap collected a bunch of big names...Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, and Jamie McMurray, again. It was pretty sweet to see Jeff Gordon running second to Kyle Busch only to get kicked out of line, finishing 19th. In case I wasn't clear, I am not a Jeff Gordon fan. I respect that the man because he can drive, but he is such a whiner. How many times did he complain during the race that Junior hung him out to dry? He claims he tried to draft with him, but that their cars just didn't work together. Whine, complain...that's Jeff Gordon.

Finally, a shout out to some racing firsts...Congrats to Danica Patrick on her first IRL win in Japan. Yes, a fuel mileage race win counts! How many NASCAR guys have won that way?!?!Congrats to Chrissy Wallace, daughter of Mike Wallace, for signing a contract with Germain Racing in the Craftsman Truck series...(With Coach Tony Stewart doing his part!) And Congrats to Ashley Force for being he first woman to win a NHRA funny car race, beating her dad, John Force, out of what would have been his 1000th win !!! Next up for the NASCAR boys is Richmond...the Left Turn Ladies will have a preview later this week!

What A Day For Joe Gibbs Racing

I have one word to sum up Sunday's race. WOW! I was on the edge of my seat for the entire race. I love this race track. Denny Hamlin summed up the day by saying that if you didn't like Sunday's race, you are not a racing fan.

Speaking of Hamlin, he was the drafting king. Some may say he was aggressive, but I found it exciting. With this new Car of Today, it appears that you REALLY need a drafting partner. If you don't have one you might as well head to the back of the pack. "The big one" came at the last lap of the race...10 cars got tangled up in the mess.

And what a finish by Kyle Busch! Who would have guessed that Kyle would find his win at 'Dega...that's another reason why I love this sport. My biggest disappointment of the day came when Tony Stewart crashed along with several other top runners. Usually that's when I lose considerable interest in any race, but the ending was a fun and unpredictable. Anytime a Joe Gibbs Toyota is near the front you can believe it will be a great race.