2012 NASCAR Season: Goody's Fast Relief 500 Martinsville Speedway

2012 NASCAR Season: Goody's Fast Relief 500 Martinsville Speedway: Hey Ya all!!..I don't usually talk about the truck race, but since Harvick lead all but two laps and those were when he was in the pits, I f...

Goody's Fast Relief 500 Martinsville Speedway

Hey Ya all!!..I don't usually talk about the truck race, but since Harvick lead all but two laps and those were when he was in the pits, I feel I at least owe him a That a Boy!. Now about today's race, they were at Martinsville the "Paper clip", a very cool race track in that it is really two drag strips connected by corners and there is something about that, that makes it what racing is all about to me. It's cool to see a super speedway were they run wide open, that is what racing is all about also, but here they drag race like a thousand times during the race.. literary a 1000 times, and that is cool to watch. Not a lot of cautions but plenty of beating and banging, but Martinsville is a place you can get away with a little of that. I thought today's race was one of the best so far, Ryan Newman was in the right place at the right time to take the win, so hats off to him and Stewart Haas Racing. SHR maybe the team to beat this year, if the rest of the year goes as the beginning, they have won three races already, a heck of a start for any team. Jr had another good day finishing third and setting second in the points going into the Easter break.I know I say this every week, but a win has to be right around the corner..you know I have to be right sooner or latter. Kyle Bush brought out the first caution, that didn't hurt my feelings but know he won't be a lap car for long, because love him or hate him..he can drive like very few. Next week will be a off week end and than it's to Texas for the seasons first night race. I love Saturday Night racing so I'm looking forward to that. Hope everyone has a great Easter..see you in two weeks. Thanks for checking in to see what I thought of the racing today!

2012 NASCAR Season: Auto Club 400

2012 NASCAR Season: Auto Club 400: Tony Stewart wins the Auto Club 400 at Fontana Speedway today, lets just get that out of the way and congratulations to him and his team. To...

Auto Club 400

Tony Stewart wins the Auto Club 400 at Fontana Speedway today, lets just get that out of the way and congratulations to him and his team. Tony usually struggles at the start of the season and as the weather gets warmer he warms up to, but this year he is getting started early. Remember it came down to wins last year to break the tie between Tony and Carl so wins are important. In the past you could be consistent and win the Championship but with the adjustments NASCAR made to the points, you have to win races. Even with two wins early in the year Tony is still fourth in the points and Biffle is in first. Dale had another good finish with a third today and he is now third in the points I know it's early but it is still nice to see him where he is at. The luckiest person on the planet has to be Jimmy Johnson, just as smoke started to pour out the back of his car, the rain came. The rain brought out the red flag and eventually the end of the race,letting him finish tenth instead of several laps down. I hate to see a short race so I was disappointed that is the way this one ended but what racing we did see was good. Short race, a short post..lol...but it does give me a chance to say, they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree but, Kyle Petty is one of the biggest idiots on TV, he is nothing like his Daddy. He can't drive,he likes to rub people the wrong way and there is no way he would be any place other than a cotton mill if it weren't for Richard.That doesn't have anything to do with today's race, but I feel better now that I have said it, he drives me crazy and not like the Beetles did young girls in the sixties.I'm looking forward to Martinsville next week where it will not be wide open five wide racing, we will be back to a little rubbing. You all have a great week and thanks for checking out what I though of today's race.       

2012 NASCAR Season: Royal Purple 300

2012 NASCAR Season: Royal Purple 300: Hey ya all!..Just checking in after today's Royal Purple 300 from Fontana. I have never been to Fontana but I have been to Michigan and they...

Royal Purple 300

Hey ya all!..Just checking in after today's Royal Purple 300 from Fontana. I have never been to Fontana but I have been to Michigan and they are what they call sister tracks, meaning they are a lot alike. The cool thing about Michigan is that you can see speed, what I mean by that is that you are close enough to see the cars but fare enough away that you can see what 200 looks like. When you go to some tracks when the cars are close to you they go by in a blur and when they are on the other side of the track you can't really see the car that well. Michigan is one of my favorite tracks to see a race at and one day I hope to check out it's sister Fontana. Big shout out to Joey Logano and JGR, Logano for winning today and JGR for winning eight in a row there. I'm not sure what they figured out about Fontana but it is obvious they know something others don't. Joey is one of those nice guys that always finishes last so it was good to see him win. Danika had another hard day blowing a motor on lap sixty six and finishing thirty fifth. In a interview with her after the blown motor she explained that she hit something and put a whole in her radiator, letting all the water out. Then she said she was told that the coolant was all that was left and that cooled the oil to like 160 and that is what caused the motor to go away. I am no Mechanic but that didn't make any sense to me, but again what do I know. Trevor ran up front today but after the twenty two ran over him, he finished fourteenth. The nice thing about a track like Fontana is that it is wide open, five wide racing and running wide open is what racing is all about. The problem is that there is not much rubbing going on at place like this and that can get boring. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the racing I watched today but tomorrow I'm hoping that the race is a little closer. Hope you all are having a great week end, thanks for checking in on what I thought of today's race.         

2012 NASCAR Season: Food City 500 Bristol Motor Speedway

2012 NASCAR Season: Food City 500 Bristol Motor Speedway: No rain!.. Usually rain has some impact on the race week end, but this week end we had some rain, a lot of rain, but it really didn't have a...

Food City 500 Bristol Motor Speedway

No rain!.. Usually rain has some impact on the race week end, but this week end we had some rain, a lot of rain, but it really didn't have any effect on the racing. Brad Keslowski did it again, this was his second win as in as many races, I think he has Bristol figured out. I think he is a Bristol kinda guy, he says what's on his mind and some times he will grab the public address system to make sure everyone hears him. I am always glad to see the Captain win to. I remember standing next to him down in the pits at Michigan, Roger Penske standing right next to me. I have been lucky enough to cross his path several times and every time he has always made eye contact and spoke, so always nice when his teams do well. It was a rough day for a lot of guys there were only fifteen cars left on the lead lap at the end. Jr and Gordon rubbed a little and that resulted in Jeff backing into the wall, Gordon had a strong car and would have been at the front, in the end. Like I said it was just a little rub and should not have been any big deal. All was looking well for Jr he ran in the top five most of the race, but he was clocked speeding in the pits when he came in for a splash of gas with just a hand full of laps left. In the end he finished fifteenth and is now sixth in the points, I know I keep saying it and maybe it is hopeful thinking or maybe even a blind squirrel finds a nut, but I think a win is in Jr's near future.A big shout out to MWR for having three of the top five cars today. I love Micheal Waltrip, what you see on TV is what you get in real life with him. I remember him ridding a beach cruiser bicycle around the vendor area at Bristol, than signing autographs at his trailer, such a humble and cool Guy. So it is very cool to see his team doing well and his sponsor Arron's has built there business around NASCAR, just very cool for all involved. Well on to California, I don't know why, we were just out in Vegas, why all the back and forth? NASCAR must like rolling them billboards back and forth across the country, works well for them. Thanks for seeing what I thought about today's race, I liked it..hope you did to. Have a great week, see you next!         

2012 NASCAR Season: Ford Eco Boost 300 Bristol Motor Speedway

2012 NASCAR Season: Ford Eco Boost 300 Bristol Motor Speedway: Hey ya all!!...I love Bristol, it's one of the tracks I have been to several day and night races. Let me say that if you have not been to Br...

Ford Eco Boost 300 Bristol Motor Speedway

Hey ya all!!...I love Bristol, it's one of the tracks I have been to several day and night races. Let me say that if you have not been to Bristol, you must go, and if you have only been to Bristol, you can't appreciate the track until you have set a city block from cars going 200+. At Bristol you can see the sweat stains on the drivers suites, you can see there eyes when they have there visor up under caution. Now a friend of mine calls it "The Cracker Barrel"..lol, because as they expand the seats, they build up, so it's like a big barrel with a race track in  the bottom and it's no secret that it is a mostly white crowd. There is only one Bristol and you have to see it to believe it. Big shout out to Elliot Sadler for his second win this year, it's cool to see because the Sadlers in general have paid there dues and I like to see it starting to pay off for them. Jr raced today and finished fifth, little extra track time can't hurt so I hope he does as well tomorrow maybe a win..he knows how to do it at Bristol. Trevor Bayne lead some laps today and looked to have a strong car, but in the end he finished eighth, the good news here is that they are sending a car to California for him, so one race at a time at this point. Danika finished in the top twenty at nineteenth and the I think the key here is that she finished at short track, probably one of the hardest tracks she will face this year and she brought the car home in one piece, way to go Girl!! I always enjoy a good short track and it's doesn't get any better than Bristol. I'm looking forward to tomorrows race, hope you all are to! Thanks for taking the time to see what I was thinking. 

2012 NASCAR Season: Kobalt Tools 400 Las Vegas Motor Speedway

2012 NASCAR Season: Kobalt Tools 400 Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Hey Ya All! Checking in after the Kobalt Tools 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. I  DVR the race, one to make sure I don't miss it, the o...

Kobalt Tools 400 Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Hey Ya All! Checking in after the Kobalt Tools 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. I  DVR the race, one to make sure I don't miss it, the other is because I stay so bizzy, especial on the week ends, that I don't have the time to watch all the adds, and when you blow through cautions and commercials, you can watch a race in no time. So I tell you that because, it didn't record, so I missed the first haft. Big shout out to Tony Stewart for taking the win, and to Stewart Haas for both there cars coming in the top five. I am not a big fan of Tony but I do respect his abilities and I think that it is really cool that there is a team doing well that is at least part owned by a driver. I was a Alan Kulwicki fan and he was the last one to do it with any success, we have all watched Robby struggle for years and I think it is cool to see Tony pulling it off. Dale had another solid run leading more laps today than he did all of last year, I hope a win is right around the corner for him. Trevor Bayne ran in the back all day even going a lap down before getting the luck dog, he ended up 9th. Like I said last week Vegas is made for racing, the town and the track. The thing I like about the track is that it is wide, they can run four wide,and it's fast, that makes for good racing. I enjoyed what I did get to see and the last five laps, was worth the price of the ticket. Looking forward to Bristol next week and I'm going to try to make fan fare this week in Knoxville, if I do I will check in after that. As always thanks for stopping by to see what I thought, hope you all have a great week.  

2012 NASCAR Season: Sam's Town 300

2012 NASCAR Season: Sam's Town 300: Hey Ya all, just thought I would check in on today's Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series race. They were at the Las Vegas Speedway today, I th...

Sam's Town 300

Hey Ya all, just thought I would check in on today's Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series race. They were at the Las Vegas Speedway today, I thought it was a pretty good race. Sadler picked up were he left off last week by taking the pole for today's race and that's cool with me Elliot is a cool guy, he talks a little funny but..some say the same thing about me. Ricky Stenhouse Jr beat Mark Martin by five seconds, but I thought over all the racing was close. There were enough cautions to keep things tight and like a lot of races it seemed if you got out front you could stay there, but back in the pack the racing was close.It's hard to believe that as of today, last years Daytona 500 winner will not race at Bristol next week because of a lack of sponsor, thing are tuff all over. I really like Trevor and I hate to see him miss races this year after what he went through last year,hopefully they will get something worked out early this week. Dankia had a pretty good day, she was running at the end. She started 12th and finished the same, at one time she was running as high as 6th. I'm looking forward to the Cup race tomorrow.Speaking of the race tomorrow it looks like Jimmy and Kyle will be starting at the back after they both crashed there primary cars in Happy Hour today. Hendricks had a good showing in qualifying with three of there cars in the top 10, Kasey Kahne is going to lead them off. Kasey also set a neeeew traack record!! yesterday, actually there were several drivers faster than the old record, Kasey being the fastest at the of the day. Should be a good race tomorrow I will check back with you after, hope you all are having a great week end. Thanks for seeing what I had to say today!!   

2012 NASCAR Season: Subway Fresh Fit 500

2012 NASCAR Season: Subway Fresh Fit 500: What a difference a DAY makes,lol today's race in my opinion was a much better race than yesterdays. Let me start out by giving Denny Hamlin...

Subway Fresh Fit 500

What a difference a DAY makes,lol today's race in my opinion was a much better race than yesterdays. Let me start out by giving Denny Hamlin a big shout out for the win, he was strong all day and was able to hold off Harvick at the end. I'm not sure what happened to old Happy but it was like he ran out of gas with two laps to go, he still finished 2nd so I don't think he was out of gas. Like I speculated at Daytona the EFI is already playing a part in the end result, Kevin was not the only one to have a head scratcher, Tony Stewart also had the same kind of thing happen to him, he was able to get to the pits and after going several laps down they were able to get the car restarted. There were no big crashes today but there where enough cautions to keep things tighten up and in the end very interesting.  Where I didn't see big gains in cutting through the dog leg yesterday, today on the restarts several people were able to get a advantage by doing it. Although no one proved my point that it wasn't a good idea, a few came close.

The other thing everyone seemed to talk about this week end, is the six race suspension placed on Chad Knaus and the 25 points Jimmy was docked. First the suspension of Chad is just a inconvenience and I'm leaning towards a little heavy handed by NASCAR I mean I would think that the purpose of a inspection is to let the teams know if there cars are legal. If they are not, than go back and get them in line. Now if it is at the end of the race or any time after it has passed inspection it is found to have been changed, than this would seem to fit the crime a little better. From my understanding they worked on a area that the template didn't cover directly, a part in a open space in the template. Than to make things worse Chad said that they had run the same thing in the previous three races. You will remember last year cameras caught Chad telling Jimmy, "if you win. crash the back end..not a lot...but you have to damage the back end" and it's no surprise old five time and the boys have been cheating. Now I believe in racing "if you ant cheating...you ant trying" and "it's only cheating if you get caught" so here we go another year of "Boys have at it" and that looks like that means in the garage as well as on the track. The 48 team has appealed that ruling but if they lose, they will probably do the same thing this time, they did the last time Chad was suspended, I think they won two of three races. This is the fourth time this has happened and Jimmy has won five Championships, seems like a fair trade to me and to Rick Hendrick to, I guess..lol..because he just keeps them coming to work. I enjoyed today's race I hope you did to. I will check in next week end when they are in Vegas a town made for racing. Let me know what your thoughts are on today's race and the season so fare. Thanks for checking this out!!

Nationwide Bashas Super Market 200

Just checking in after watching the Bashas Supermarkets 200 today at the Phoenix Internationale Raceway. Let me start by saying congratulations to Elliot Sadler on his win, I like Elliot and it was nice to see him in victory lane. What a difference a week makes? the weather was beautiful, they got started on time and everyone stay clear of the Jet Dryer. Now staying clear of the Jet Dryer was easy, because they weren't out on the track  much.  I don't necessarily like to see crashes, but if you have hard fought racing, your going to have a few. To sum it up in a nut shell, I thought that today's race was kinda boring. They seemed to be able to race, they seemed to be able to pass at will, but they didn't do much rubbing or banging and I am a fan of that!! So I have my fingers crossed that tomorrow's the racing is a little tighter. I did think it was kinda crazy how they were cutting the corner. not sure that it is a good idea to let them do that, and I didn't see much gain, but going off the track and reentering it seems like it was a accident waiting to happen. Seeing the number 3 back on the track is kinda weird to me, I think I'm leaning towards it being ok that it is back, but I think the colors and font should be changed. I could change my mind on that, because when I see it, just for a split second I think, What's Dale doing  racing this Bush race?..Than I remember, that's that Dillon kid. I know it may be time to move on, but in this case I think the Man made the number, and that there are plenty of other numbers someone can make. So there you go, that's what I thought of today's race. Here's to hoping tomorrows race is like I said..a little tighter and chime in on the number 3 being back in the nationwide series. Thanks for taking the time to check in!!!

2012 NASCAR Season: Dayton 500

2012 NASCAR Season: Dayton 500: Well the first week end of the season is in the books. Over all I think we saw some great racing, from the Dual 150's on Thursday night, thr...

Dayton 500

Well the first week end of the season is in the books. Over all I think we saw some great racing, from the Dual 150's on Thursday night, through the race that didn't want to end the Daytona 500 on Tuesday Morning. I hate any kind of delay, but even more when it's a rain delay. The problem with a rain delay is you have no control over it. I mean you can put as many weather men as you have on it, there is still nothing you can do but, watch it rain. This was the first time in the History of the Great American Race that it had to be postponed, if you have ever spent any time in Florida you have to know that's amazing. So again I hate to wait, but when I found out it was going to be a night race on Monday, I was excited. I would have rather had the race run on time, but if not than making it a night race is second best. When the race finally got going, it turned out to be a night no one will soon forget. On lap two the 48 gets into trouble and takes out several cars. Danika was involved in this. but I would like to give her a big shout out for her driving. She drove that car the whole time, it was Jimmy that bumped her just as she was going by that sent her into the Infield, but weather it be luck or driving she was able to split two cars and avoid any more damage to her car. Even so she spent several laps in the garage for repairs. She ended up coming back on the track several laps down. I think she was very frustrated, I mean that was the third time in one week end, where she did everything right, but still ended up in the garage. I'm looking forward to watching her progress this year. I think she is going to do well in Stock Car Racing. So any way, the crews told the drivers that there may be weather in the area with 50 laps to go. Up until that point they had been just kinda just ridding around, but this lit a fire under the drivers and the race was on. Than the craziest thing I have ever seen happened, while under caution JPM hit a JET DRYER! I guess now he really has hit everything on the track,lol. In the end I don't think it was his fault, something broke, locked up the rear end, he was along for the ride after that. It almost makes you think Transformers is real. Juan's car had had enough of that old blow hard, The Jet Dryer, and he took a swing. It was a direct hit, 200 gallons of Jet Fuel on fire. NASCAR does a very good job at preparing for everything, but they weren't ready for this. The fire burned for several minutes before they could get it under control. In the end they called the Fire Department and the fire was put out. This resulted in over a two hour red flag and a lot of clean up by the crew. So we go back to racing with forty laps to go, 100 miles. The drivers had got out, stretched there legs, talked it over and were ready to get this race finished. Greg Biffle showed a lot of loyalty to Matt Kenseth and ended up third, JR  finished second and Matt Kenseth won. I don't mind that Matt won, he is a heck of a nice guy. JR finishing second was not bad, I would have liked to see him win, but he has to run up front before that is going to happen or other wise it could be another 100 races before he wins again. All and all I think we are in for a good season, I am looking forward to Phoenix and some more great racing. Daytona is in the books, it's one we won't soon forget. People like Gordon, Johnson and Stewart have a little hole to dig them selves out of but it's a long season and I'm sure they will. Kyle Bush was was pretty quite last night but I have a feeling that won't last for long. Hope you all have enjoyed reading my blog. Let me know  what you all thought of the race and I will check in next week end. Thanks again 

Drive4COPD 300

Just checking in haft way through opening week end. I didn't get to see the whole Truck race last night, I missed the first few laps. I like to watch the trucks, they are wide open and they remind me of old school cup racing. I mean not to take away from what we have today, but back in the day the speeds where lower and they could get away with a little rougher rubbing. The story of the week end so fare has to be the soft walls, they saved Danika some pain and suffering and with just a few laps to go in the truck race they saved Miguel Paludo some recovery time to. In the end John King from Kingsport TN flat out drove over the top of Johnny Sauter with just a few feet left, of two to go, a few more feet and the race would have been over. They used all the green/white/checkered to Finnish this one but to say it was exciting would be a understatement. If you usually only watch Sunday check these guys out they run hard and they usually run under the lights as they did last night.

I was able to watch all of today's race. Danika took the pole for this one so I would like to start out by giving her a big pat on the back for that. As I said Danika lead them off and her and JR teamed up and where having a good run, but before it was over her team mate would bump her on lap 50 going into turn three and get her up into the wall, she almost saved it but just not enough seat time. There will be some things for her to get uses to with her new car and someone bumping into her at 190 is just one of them. This race had several drivers from the Cup series racing in, including my boy Dale JR. It was all about winning for him today, I think he plans to run 6 Nationwide races this year  he ended up 15th. NASCAR tried to break up the packs of two by two racing, I don't think they did that, it is still tandem racing as we saw last year, but now I think they are doing it in the pack. Two cars is still the fastest way to go and I don't mind, like I said I think it cool. I thought that today's race was very exciting, we had two BIG ONE's today both at the end of the race, so if you like that, you got two. The other thing I really like about the Nationwide series is that Mustangs race Challengers I only wish that Chevrolet would race the Camaro, and I was disappointed that Ford didn't take the Mustang to Cup. At the end of the day James Buescher won his first Nationwide race so congratulations to him. I'm looking forward to more of the same on Sunday, Two by two pack racing. Hope you all are having a great week end and I will check in with you after the 500.

Gatorade Duel 150 Daytona

So today was the second race of the season. Some things have changed since last year, the biggest probably is the use of Electronic Fuel Injection. I didn't see much difference as fare as the racing on the track, but I feel it is going to make a big difference behind the scenes.I mean it is giving the engine builders such control over so many things,and you know how they like to play with things. I think you may see cheating taken to a whole new level,but for now lets just wait and see how all that plays out.

Today's racing was, well boring,of course everyone was trying to be careful and not tear up anything. The first race was the more exciting of the the two,but I have a feeling that Sunday may be more of the same. I mean pack racing is back, you really didn't see the two by two that we have seen as of late. I know that there were some people out there that didn't like it, but I didn't mind it I mean not only did you have to win the race but you had to have a friend to do it. It was still racing, but two cars had to work together and the drivers being able to talk made it all the more cooler to me. I mean here they are driving around at 190 mph and plotting against the other two car teams at the same time, how cool is that? But NASCAR put the end to that this year two, I think it will cause more trouble than it stopped that's for sure. Any way today's 1st race started with Robby Gordon smoking down the back stretch, I thought poor Robby. I mean I like Robby, I raced go carts with him at Mid Ohio one year. Not like on the track but at a public go kart place near the track.He is a really cool guy, and stubborn like me, I like that to. But he has to show up with better equipment, he knows what it takes to be competitive and I would like to see him win one. He made the 500 but it wasn't pretty. Tony won and JR finished second, under yellow for a crash that happened on the last lap. Poor Michael Waltrip, he crashed coming out of the pits, he is another one I love to death. I mean who doesn't, very cool guy, but I think his driving days are behind him. He won't race on Sunday, and it will be the first time since 1972 there has not been a Waltrip racing in the Daytona 500. But what I hated to see more than that, was Danica get punted into the wall, and a BIG hit. I really like her, I am all about girl power. She will race the whole Nation Wide Series this year, running about 10 races for Tony Stewart this year. I hope she is here to stay and does well, I'm pulling for her. In the spirit of full discloser, I'm no writer so please excuse my poor writing abilities I am a JR fan and of course being from Knoxville Trevor Bayne is my boy to. I have been a fan of NASCAR for many years and have been to a lot of the races live. I will do my best to not let that influence my blog. I appreciate you taking time to read this and let me know what you thought of today's racing. Thanks in advance!!!