Autolust.net - Motorsports & Auto Racing Blog

NASCAR - Give Boris a Chance!!

DevRock — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 16:14:00 +0000

I've talked here before about how great a driver Boris Said is and that it's a crime he is basically sitting on the sidelines because he's 44 years old. Well, Josh Pete over at NASCAR.com wrote a GREAT piece about this subject today.

Any opportunity would be a dream. It's not much fun for him watching as hoards preach that NASCAR's talent pool from which to draw has dried up. Or to watch as Driver X, labeled as "the next Denny Hamlin" or "the next Carl Edwards" flounders in the back of the pack when he knows he can do better. He'd never say that, though.

Read the whole article. I still don't understand why no one will give Boris a chance. It's a slap in the face to one of the greatest drivers in the world not to give him a full ride.

NASCAR - Congrats, Jimmy; Other Musings

DevRock — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 15:19:00 +0000

Well, another long NASCAR season is finally over and Jimmy Johnson exorcised his demons and landed his first of what I think will be a few championship trophies. Congrats to the entire Hendrick organization and JJ for a solid season.

There's been a lot of talk about NASCAR's TV ratings this season, with USA Today catching a lot of heat for a story they ran on Friday about the ratings decline. Ironically, the ratings for Homestead were down 10% according to news reports. I don't think this should surprise fans or NASCAR, but it is cause for concern. The problem is multi-faceted. First, the sport has grown in popularity exponentially since 2000. Hell, I wasn't even a fan before Fox started broadcasting the series. The rate of growth in all areas is simply not sustainable, regardless of the sport. NASCAR also suffers from extreme OVERexposure. No one can deny that, although I didn't hear it mentioned in any of the talk on Speed or TNT this weekend.

The amount of money spent on advertising, promoting drivers and promoting the races has gotten out of hand. Everywhere you look, it's NASCAR NASCAR NASCAR. The general population gets tired of it.

Another reason, and I forgot who brought it up on Wind Tunnel on Sunday, is that fans are getting pretty tired of NASCAR turning into F1 in the sense that only a small handful of drivers/teams can win. There are 43 drivers in every race. Granted a few of them don't deserve to be there (Derrick Cope, Morgan Shephard, etc.), but most do. But only drivers with big teams (Hendrick, Roush, RCR and DEI) have a shot at winning each week. What chance does Joe Nemecheck, Robby Gordon, Travis Kvapil, Jeff Green or Dave Blaney have week in and week out? Virtually NONE. Maybe I am in fantasy land, but it wasn't this way 20 years ago. And as I've said many times before, it gets pretty boring watching Tony Stewart, Jimmy Johnson and a small handful of others winning each week.

To compound that, how many races went down with the leaders banging it out at the finish? Mot many.

I also agree that many of the races are way too long. One of the many benefits of having Tivo is that you can get around this easily. Roundy roundy round for 5 hours is sleep-inducing. It's boring watching Kasey Khane or Matt Kenseth leading lap after lap for hours on end.

TV coverage has been abysmal with the TNT/NBC crew and commercials. Missed cautions, missed restarts, missed accidents, missed passes...And Bill Weber's nauseating, melodramatic commentary just kills people. I can't believe TNT signed him to continue for the next few years. I'd rather listen to BP and Wally, because they've been there, done that and know what they're talking about without injecting a bunch of over-dramatic platitudes.

The number of races and venues used absolutely needs to change. GET RID of one race in California. I don't care who sells out where, Rockingham races are infinitely more exciting to watch than those lame-ass parades put on at California. Or, use the road course for one of the California races. Do something, NASCAR. Other venues need to change as well. There should be some sort of rotating schedule year to year.

I'm already looking forward to next season, with the debut of Toyota (which is a good thing, folks) and several new teams. But I think everyone - fans, drivers, teams - desperately needed a break. But my Tivo is ready and waiting for late January!!!!

NASCAR - ISC makes wise choice scrapping NY track

DevRock — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:00:00 +0000

I always thought it was a terrible idea for NASCAR to build a track in the NY tri-state area. Much to my happiness, ISC (Int'l Speedway Corp.) announced yesterday they were scrapping plans for a newly-built track on Staten Island. YEA!!!!

NASCAR needs to slow down. The sport has seen a meteoric rise in popularity since 2000. Millions of new fans. New races. New faces. Old-school tracks like Darlington were bagged for boring, large-market tracks like Fontana, CA. So it shouldn't have been a surprise that TV ratings started taking a dip this year. The growth could not be sustained. It's been the talk of the NASCAR world the past month, but I don't think a drop-off in popularity should be a surprise to anyone who is involved in the sport either as a drive or a fan.

Back to New York. I don't know how many of you have been to a NASCAR Nextel Cup race. I personally never have, but I did have an experience with the nightmare traffic that results after a race. In Sept. 2001, I was driving home from North Carolina to Connecticut (I missed my plane in Norfolk because the flight was changed but I didn't find out until I got to the airport). That day happened to be the same day there was the second Dover race. The race ended when I was an hour and a half south of the track. Traffic was fine until I got near the track. From there, I crawled in mind-boggling, turtle-slow traffic for FIVE GODDAMN HOURS! All the way through central New Jersey I don't think I ever got above 20 mph. I almost lost my mind.

If this expanse of highway couldn't handle the NASCAR load, how in hell would the joke of a highway system around New York City EVER handle it? It would be impossible. Just take a look at how bad traffic is when the Yankees play. If you're anywhere near the city, you're sitting in traffic. And there are ten different ways to get there. But ISC wanted a track in Staten Island, of all places! If you've driven anywhere in the 5 boroughs, you know how awfully-planned the highway system is. The rejects who laid it all out in the early 1900's had no clue what they were doing, nor can the roads handle every day, normal traffic. A NASCAR race in Staten Island would bring the region to a crawl.

This is another victory for those of us in the tri-state area. The first was the rejection of New York's bid for the 2012 Olympics, which would have been just as bad, but only would have lasted 2 weeks. This was another silly concept thought up of by NASCAR that's been rightfully put to bed. Instead, they need to concentrate on bringing us better races at the tracks we already have, renovating older tracks (bring back Darlington, dammit!) and supporting smaller teams so there's at least a smidgen of competition every weekend.

NASCAR - Jumping the Shark?

DevRock — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 17:55:00 +0000

I just found this tidbit over at SceneDaily.com:

NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson has signed with Elizabeth Arden Inc. to be a national spokesperson for the Daytona 500 fragrance for men. The television advertising campaign will feature Johnson along with his wife, Chandra, with the logo "Live Daytona 500. Every day."

Please, someone tell me this is a bad joke. For those who poo pooed Talladega Nights, now maybe you'll see the parody wasn't far off from reality. This smacks of a Saturday Night Live skit. Imagine JJ talking in a lusty tone, "Live Daytona 500...every day. And smell like gas and burning rubber. It makes me and my wife so hot I want to do a burnout."

NASCAR - One to Go

DevRock — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 20:23:00 +0000

ACK!!! Can we please have a NEW winner in Nextel Cup this season besides Harvick, Johnson, Khane, Stewart or Kenseth?? Maybe Bobby Labonte or Joe Nemecheck can come through for a surprise win at Homestead next week.

Anyway, a fairly competitive race Sunday. It was nice to see Mark Martin leading again, but a real bummer to see him fall short yet again. We got our usual dose of Mr. Stewart dumping yet another competitor. Let's hope Jaime McMurray delivers a nice payback next week. One thing that struck me (again) is how far Roush Racing has fallen this year. Greg Biffle can't buy a win this season, whereas he was a weekly contender last season.

Did someone pull at fast one at Robby Gordon Motorsports? What the hell has happened to that team down the stretch? Robby was well into the top 20 and now sits 30th in points. And here we thought Robby would be sitting pretty going into next year. He was leading races the first half of the season, nearly winning a few. Now? It looks like he hired Kenny Wallace to drive his car and finish several laps down each week. It's not looking pretty.

Misc. Thoughts:

Did anyone even notice Ward Burton was at Phoenix?
Word to Michael Waltrip: step it up a notch, will ya? I've been a big fan of Michael, even though he's never done particularly well. But this year has been embarrassing to say the least.
Who else thinks Ray Evernham was chuckling when Jeremy Mayfield failed to qualify for Sunday's race?
Speaking of, what the hell happened at the end of the Busch race Saturday? Looks like his sweetie Erin Crocker got booted pretty hard AFTER the Start/Finish line. But they cut TV coverage pretty quickly and didn't talk about it at all.
I loved Juan Pablo Montoya's comments after the race. This is why he's going to be fun to have in the Nextel Cup garage: "It's tough passing these guys -- they seem like they don't see you, they just sort of play dumb....When you run up front, the guy up front runs a lot cleaner, a lot smarter. The guys in the back are just too dumb. I'm trying to keep the car in one piece and its very hard, because, yes, I am a rookie -- but no, I am not a rookie."

F1 - Why Americans Don't Get F1

DevRock — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 19:40:00 +0000

No one can deny that Formula 1 is the pinnacle of racing when it comes to sheer technology and, possibly, talent. One of the things F1 definitely is NOT short on is arrogance and pettiness. And I think this haughty taughty, caviar and plastic surgery culture is a major reason most American motorsports fans don't particularly care for F1.

The most recent case in point is the continuing - and hopefully near ending - saga surrounding Juan Pablo Montoya and his quick departure from McLaren. If you don't already know, JPM didn't have any standing offers from a reputable F1 team by the middle of this season. He decided enough was enough. He wanted to get back to REAL racing, as opposed to race cars on parade. He wanted to get away from the petty bullshit so prevalent in the F1 garages and offices. he announced he would drive for Chip Ganassi in Nextel Cup in 2007. Rather than honor its contrct with JPM, McLaren kicked him out of his ride for the remainder of the season. As if to say "F you, Juan Pablo!," McLaren forbid JPM from sitting in another race car for anyone else until the end of the year. The pettiness was in full effect. They threw condescending insults at him in the press for months thereafter.

Today, there's an article on f1live.com where the McLaren "bosses" (aka crybabies) continue to place blame on the team's pathetic 2006 performance:

Montoya exit was 'disruption' to McLaren
Juan Pablo Montoya's premature departure from Formula One this year was a 'disruption', McLaren's chief executive has said.

As Colombian Montoya prepares to make his debut this weekend in NASCAR's premier category, Martin Whitmarsh suggested to Speed TV that the 31-year-old's soured end to his Grand Prix career might have influenced McLaren's failure to win a race in 2006.

But Whitmarsh said: "We can try and apportion blame and responsibility there, but it didn't work out.

"Whether it was 90 per cent his fault and 10 per cent ours or vice versa - he didn't really blend in.

"He didn't really blend in at Williams either, but we hoped we could achieve more with Juan than we did."

Montoya won seven Grand Prix from 95 starts.

Last time I checked, JPM didn't make the decision to part ways with the team halfway through the season and disrupt things. He was forcefully removed from his seat. He signed a contract in Nextel for NEXT year, you idiots. Not this year. So the disruption his removal caused was YOUR doing, not his. Do you care to explain why Kimi's season was such a disaster from the first race? Or was the JPM's fault, too? It's this type of childish bullshit that really makes me want to piss on the people who run Formula 1. No wonder JPM is a million times happier being part of a series where the competitors can actually be friendly and helpful and where former teams don't spend months badmouthing a former driver.

Maybe if F1 ever got rid of its snotty air, they *might* attract more fans. Maybe not.

Did Robby Do It?

DevRock — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 14:29:00 +0000

Another yawner of a race with Tony Stewart winning. I love how there is all this talk that the Chase should be changed because drivers like Stewart, who are contenders, are excluded. That's a bunch of crap. The thing is, even Stewart himself said there shouldn't be any changes, even if he's now winning. He missed the Chase fair and square. I'm sick of these NASCAR "fans" who think Dale Jr., Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon need to be in the Chase every year or "changes need to be made." If they are consistent, then they're in, folks. That's the way it works. There should be no exceptions for anyone. I don't care of the ghost of Dale Earnhardt came back and drove. if he didn't make the Chase on points, he shouldn't be allowed in!

Now, let's get to the growing controversy surrounding Pad-gate. Did Robby intentionally throw out a roll-bar pad to get a debris caution? It's clear something came out of or underneath his car. It's on tape and we've all seen it. The question is whether or not he threw the padding out the window. He certainly benefited from the caution, as he got back on the lead lap. Robby's been fighting tooth and nail to stay well into the top 35 in points this year and has done a remarkable job. He finished 10th and currently sits 27th. According to Larry McReynolds at Fox, the top 25 at the end of the season get a check. 26th and below get ZIP. So, it's understandable why Robby may be desperate to hang in the top 25.

I've been a supporter of Robby for a while, even though he has a reputation for being a real jerk. I'm hoping it's not determined that he threw the padding out the window. If he did, well, then I hope NASCAR brings the hammer down on him. Hate to say it, but he'll deserve it.

Misc notes from Atlanta:

I'm really bummed about Mark Martin. I really thought he had a chance this season to win it all, but after another wreck on Sunday, that looks very unlikely.
Is anyone else bored with the 10-car-length finishes in NASCAR today? It was about a year and a half ago we saw Carl Edwards beat Jimmy Johnson at the line, banging and rubbing the entire last lap, car wagging all over... We need more of those finishes. I'm tired of seeing one car run out front the last 25 laps unchallenged.
Speaking of Edwards, how bizarre is it that neither he nor Greg Biffle have been in contention AT ALL this season??? They were both in the Chase last year - in fact the whole Roush crew was - and now Kenseth is the only driver to see ANY success this year. Doesn't make any sense. What was the big change other than dumping that pain in the ass Kurt Busch?
I'm going to go out on a limb and predict Juan Pablo Montoya finishes in the Top 10 at Homestead and wins a race in his first ten races in 2007. Call me crazy, but I think it's going to happen.

F1 - A Farewell to Remember

DevRock — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:58:00 +0000

I've never been a huge fan of Michael Schumacher, mostly because it got rather boring to see on driver dominate a series for so long. But, I have to say I will always remember the Brazilian GP 2006, thanks to Schumi. It appeared his final race was jinxed (it was) when his fuel pump died during final qualifying and his rear tire was cut down after a bold pass on Fisichella (why renault is making him their #1 driver next year, I don't know). Unlike earlier in the year, the past few races really have been wild. We actually had a lot more passing and drama in Brazil.

Frankly, Schumacher's drive to climb from nearly a lap down to finishing in 6th is one of the most amazing drives I've ever seen. There's no doubt he would have won if he didn't have the tire issue. No doubt. How crazy is it for him to go out setting the fastest time of the race (and I believe fastest lap EVER at that track) on the next to final lap? It was as if he was a driver possessed. Outstanding. As amazing as it was, you can't discount Felipe Massa's run, as it was like someone put a snake in his pants and jet fuel in his car. Nice to see a guy win at his home track. Now, if Barichello could only do the same...

Next year is going to be quite interesting. McClaren seems to have its collective head in its ass. I'm thinking Alonso is going to be a big whiner all next year as Kimi finally starts winning again. I don't know if it was simply the change from 10 cylinder motors to 8, but they were pathetic this year. Kimi was a non-factor in just about every race. After last year's performance, I was stunned by that.

And how about the scrubs at Super Aguri??? Neither Sato nor yakamoto wrecked anyone and they were actually posting more than respectable times. They've looked like a joke this season, but I guess a lot of that has to do with scrambling to start 2006 and just didn't haev the prep time. One thing they desperately need to do is find a reliable second driver. Sato *is* a good driver and will be a contender once he gets better cars. The other seat has become a revolving door. Maybe Scott Speed will end up there as he's rumored to be out at Red Bull.

The countdown begins to the 2007 season - a long way off. :(

NASCAR - Bobby Labonte....So Close!

DevRock — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 18:49:00 +0000

What a true bummer about Jeff Burton yesterday. You almost knew his luck wouldn't last, especially after the season he's had. At the same time, I'm amazed how the Chase is turning out. Guys like Jimmy Johnson were written off a couple of weeks ago, and now the top eight are still in contention!

I had a hard time watching yesterday's race. As I said earlier, I hate Martinsville. They should abandon it for Rockingham. The track just sucks (why can't people be honest and say this track only has TWO turns, not four?) and the races are a complete bore. This is no Bristol, that's for sure. (Although the last Bristol race was a bore....) I was rooting for Denny Hamlin at the end to take out himself and JJ. How sweet would it have been to see Bobby Labonte finally pull one off with his new team? He's creeping closer and close to Victory lane. I just hope it happens this season.

I'll jump on the anti-rookie bandwagon this week. NASCAR should have parked David Ragan. It seemed that everytime you looked, he was spinning around. It was like his car was on ice skates. I'm sure the guy will be a good driver and hopefully fill Mark Martin's humongous shoes, but it's pretty clear he's not even close to being ready for the prime time.

Next week, we get back to REAL racing. Let's hope for a door-to-door, wheel banging finish between two guys who HAVEN'T won in a while.

Misc. notes:

Welcome back, Ward Burton. Ward had a respectable finish, coming in 26th.
While my heart goes out to the hendrick family and organization, can we please finally stop trying to make such a huge deal about each October Martinsville race? I get nauseus hearing the announcers wax poetic about the tragedy. You're not dramatic, Bill Webber. Enough already.
Do you realize every major racing series is done for the year, except NASCAR? Yes, I know the Speed GT cars still have another race, but ALMS, Rolex and now F1 are done. I hate this time of year.

NASCAR - Wild Weekend

DevRock — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 13:51:00 +0000

Forgive me for so few updates, but a new little girl entered our lives two weeks ago and I've been quite preoccupied.

Anyway, what a fantastic weekend at Lowes Motor Speedway!!! Wrecks galore, REAL racing for the lead. No BS. The Busch race was nuts, but while Mears and Edwards spun out, I'd rather see battles like that each weekend (like we used to until a couple of years ago) than watching ONE guy dominate a race until the end. How boring was it getting watching Jimmy Johnson roll to another victory in his "home" track? Yawn. It was nice that he didn't win there at all this season.

Big cheers to Dave Blaney on his first victory in Busch. Blaney's been kind of a background kinda guy. If you didn't watch NASCAR religiously, you wouldn't know who he was. But, he's been making noise lately with several top ten finishes in Cup. Now, he drives the balls off his car fending off Matt Kenseth for the win Friday night - driving so hard, Kenseth spun out on the final turn while Blaney held the pedal down and the car stayed plated. Awesome!

Big JEERS go out to the morons at TNT for comepletly spoiling Blaney's win. Yeah, Kevin Harvick won the Busch Championship. But he had it won a lonnnnnng time ago and his clinching couldn't have been any more anti-climatic. Yet, instead of going straight to Victory Lane to celebrate a huge victory, they wasted a good ten minutes first on showing Kevin getting his trophy and a lame mini-celebration. Are you kidding me????? I was really pissed off when I thought they were actually skipping Blaney's celebration, but "only" made him wait in his car the whole time. Talk about a buzz kill. You folks at TNT should be ashamed of yourselves.

Meanwhile, Saturday night's Cup race was just as exciting. Plenty of chaos and there was simply no way to predict the outcome. To me, though, the biggest moment of the race was Mark Martin's wreck. Oh my god!!! Yeah, thank whoever came up with those soft walls or I think we would have seen the end of one of the best drivers ever in Cup. My god, that was a scary crash. It looked to be as hard as Kasey Khane's wreck at Indy - head on into the wall after being spun out, hitting so hard the car gets air. I couldn't believe he was able to get out with barely a bruise. Amazing. I'm also amazed he didn't hunt down JJ Yeley or Yeley's spotter for that asinine move diving for pit lane from the middle of the track. He could have very well killed Martin. I'm sure Mark will remember that when the time is right. But Mark Martin is pure class.

Also, great move by Dale Jarrett for his little "f you!" to Reed Sorenson by blocking his pit box after being spun out and then leaving broken parts on Sorenson's trailer. DJ seems to have some extra spring to his step since his 5th place finish at Talladega two weeks ago.

The past two weeks of racing have been excellent, so I'm reallllly bummed about Martinsville this weekend. This is by far the track I hate the most on the NASCAR schedule and wish they'd dump it completely. They might as well drive around the mall parking lot.

NASCAR - Vickers in the Right

DevRock — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 02:48:00 +0000

WOW!!! What a crazy finish in Talladega today! Junior looked to be a lock, with JJ on his tail. No way anyone expected neither one of them to finish. If you didn't see it, Brian Vickers - outgoing Hendrick driver, looking for his first Nextel Cup win - was drafting behind Johnson on the back straight. He bumps Jimmy Johnson to help him move past Dale Jr. Jr makes a quick move to block, JJ moves to the inside of Jr., swerves and loses just a bit of speed. Well, Vickers was going with him, helping to push him past Jr. Unfortunately, Vickers clipped Johnson and wrecked both Jr. and Johnson. Unreal!!!

Now, of course, the debate rages and words fly. I've never cared much for Johnson. Something about him irks me. And his comments today afterwards made me shake my head. He blames Vickers for the wreck, when it was HIM who caused it! He was the one who let up on the gas if for a second. To blame his teammate in this instance is absurd.

Here's what he said to the Associated Press: "I know he was trying to get his first win, but he was in a position to finish second or third the way that was, and he gave me one hell of a push from behind and pushed me into [Earnhardt] and off we went."

Um, Jimmy, why don't you take a look at the tape. You didn't wreck because of a bump draft. You got wrecked because your teammate was following your lead and you all of a sudden slowed up when you moved down the track and Earnhardt swerved towards you. Period. End of Story. Now please, shut up.

Congrats to Vickers on his first win. He earned it and this wreck shouldn't take anything away from it. He raced clean. Johnson and Jr. just got caught up in an unfortunate incident plain and simple.

Misc notes:

Mark Martin going to MB2 Motorsports...what is this world coming to? I know Mark can race still. That's obvious after his performance the past two years. But for him to move down to such a third-rate team blows my mind. Then again, it's not like he needs the money or the glory. But, he DOES want to be competitive. Judging from MB2's performance the past few years, I think Mr. Martin is going to be frustrated as hell.
Talladega. Tons of lead changes. Nice!
My man Burton is hanging on to his Chase lead by mere hairs. He had a solid run until a badly times flat ruined his day.
Bobby Labonte - another Top 10 for Petty Enterprises. Let's hope he sees victory lane by the end of the season.

NASCAR - Holy Harvick, Batman!

DevRock — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:01:00 +0000

What the hell has Kevin Harvick found to beef up his cars? I don't like the guy much, but he's on a tear in NASCAR like I've nver seen. He's all of a sudden the Michael Schumacher of stock cars. He's already wrapped up the Busch championship. Won 3 Cup races in the last month. He leads just about every lap. It's incredible. If he has a couple more races like he did yesterday, consider him the champ.

Meanwhile, what is wrong with Jeff Burton? He and Harvick were playing tag all afternoon, swapping the lead back and forth. Yet, like 20 other races this year, Burton is a non-factor at the end of the race. I don't get it. Is it his car? His stamina? He's been ridiculously consistent all year, but fails time and time again to win. Granted, he grabbed a 7th place finish in NH yesterday, so let's not get all down on him. But, I'm not the only one who wants to see Burton in Victory Lane a couple of times before the year end.

Since I'm in the mood, let's jump on TNT's broadcast yesterday. As usual, they missed a couple of cautions while in commercial. But, perhaps the most annoying thing to me was that (since I recorded the race after lap 50 or so on Tivo) I had no idea why Jimmie Johnson was in the garage. Both TNT/NBC and Fox usually give you a bunch of race recaps during a caution period. You would think they'd show a few times what happened to JJ more than once near the end of the race. (While I personally love to drive New Hampshire International Speedway's road course, the Cup races on the oval are pretty boring. I almost skipped the entire race in favor of yard work, but figured that wouldn't be wise given it was the first race of the Chase. NHIS needs higher banked corners.)

I also missed BP. Hope he's OK. Not having him there means more of that annoying Bill Webber. Ugh. Shut.....up......now!!!

Three cheers to the guys on the Speed pre-race show. They paid due homage to Dave Blaney pulling off a nice 4th plce in Richmond last weekend. Both Blaney and Ken Schrader got ZERO attention for top-ten finishes last week because all anyone on TV cares about are the guys in the Chase. That's abunch of crap. Thank you, Speed TV!

NASCAR - Let the Chase Begin!

DevRock — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:08:00 +0000

Well, NASCAR fans, get ready for 10 weeks of watching 10 guys race on TV...

I'm actually excited about the results of Richmond's race. I'm so happy Mark Martin and Jeff Burton made it. They are classy racers and busted ass all season to make it. I'm also thrilled Tony Stewart MISSED the cut. Yes, I know he's one of the greatest drivers in motorsports. But, frankly, Stewart acted like a complete ass for most of this season, intentionally wrecking Matt Kenseth at Daytona and Clint Boyer and Carl Edwards at Pocono. He also had a fair share of other incidents in which he was always the agressor. He acted like he rules the series. Well, kharma is a bitch, Tony and you got what you deserved.

Stewart's team also peaked too early this year. They had a ton of mementum from last season's championship, but you can't dominate that long in NASCAR no matter who you are.

Now, let's talk about Richmond. How pathetic was it that TNT virtually ignored the other 33 drivers on the track? This really aggravates me as a fan, and I'm even more ticked off because that's the type of coverage we're going to get through Homestead. Yes, I know there are 10 guys in the running for the championship, but that's no reason to pretend there aren't other teams - who rely on some airtime for their sponsors. So, I appeal to TNT to not repeat what we saw on Saturday.

To give you one example of what I'm talking about, Ken Schraeder - who rarely finishes well - scored a Top 10 finish. Did anyone know by watching TV? Only if they paid close attention to the ticker. What about Scott Riggs? His comeback from obscurity continued by a Top 10 finish as well. He might as well not have been there according to TNT.

Speaking of the race, I'm starting to wonder if the Race to the Chase is ruining NASCAR, at least leading up to Richmond. We witnessed the most tame Bristol in recent memory a few weeks ago. And we got the same thing at Richmond. (We can excuse California, because those races just plain suck no matter what.) The drivers are too cautious now and that doesn't make good racing. Let's hope the next ten weeks will be better. I'll be waiting for Talladega!

F1 - Farewell, Michael.

DevRock — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 14:53:00 +0000

Michael Schumacher has been beyond the most dominant race car driver I've ever seen. Since I became an F1 fan in 2002, he seemed to transcend the pinnacle of auto racing. Admittedly, he's not the nicest guy in the sport - but then again, what F1 driver is? They're nearly all incredibly arrogant. Anyway, while he ammassed all but one record during his career, his god-like dominance helped bring F1 down, in the sense that (for example the entire 2004 season) the races became boring, high speed parades with MS winning by ridiculous margins week after week. Fortunately, that reign came to an end in 2005.

I don't think there will ever be a driver that could match Schumacher's numbers. In that sense, Sunday was a sad day when we found out this legend will retire at the end of this season. What's great, however, is that this season we're getting a close, dramatic battle for the championship. This is something we haven't seen in years and it's a great way for him to go out.

Good luck, Michael. It will be inetersting to see where you end up.

NASCAR - Goodbye California

DevRock — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 13:40:00 +0000

I'm way behind schedule due to family health issues...

I don't have much to say about the race in Cali. It was just as boring as the first race this year, only there was a bit of drama thanks to the noose tightening on all of the drivers fighting for a spot in the Chase. Dale Jr. was right on when he said they should dig up this track and start over. It's too wide, too flat. I could barely stay awake to watch it and even missed about 40 laps while dozing off.

The only "excitement" was on the next to last lap when it looked like Reed Sorenson was about to break the long Ganassi-Sabates group win drought. Like earlier in the season, poor Reed ran out of gas at the last minute only to watch Kasey Khane blow by him for the win. I can't imagine how let down that kid must have felt. I was rooting for him, too.

And how about an "atta boy!" for Bill Lester? I really like Lester. He's a smart, classy guy and I still don't understand why some big name sponsors haven't stepped up to get him a ride. Yeah, I know he's "old" in NASCAR standards, but we know he can drive a car and he's got a magnetic, upbeat, infectious personality. Since this was only his third race of the year, he had to qualify on time. Unfortunately, he bit it on turn 4. You could see right away he was going to spin. His car was wiggling all over the track through the turns and I said to myself "He's going to wreck." Sure enough, he spun out. He tried to resuscitate his qualifying lap, but his tires were toast and the car was too loose. I don't know if he was just trying too hard to get in the show or he just had a bad car. Hey, it was a BDR car, so.... Lester should be on the short list of teams looking for a new driver next year if you ask me.

Robby Gordon... When is this guy going to have some luck? He was the first one out of the race and finished 43rd. 43rd!!!! While the Gordon team has performed much better than last year, they've been terribly inconsistent. He sits 26th in points and should be safely in the top 35 for next year. But he was in the mid-teens a couple of months ago. Disappointing for sure.

Jeff Burton race summary: Groundhog Day.

NASCAR - Shut Up About the COT

DevRock — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 14:18:00 +0000

Since there's little interesting news going on in NASCAR at the moment (since the Chase is just about over), we now have people jumping on the "Car of Tomorrow is Butt Ugly" bandwagon. Today, The Sporting News' writer Lee Spencer posted a column stating the new car should be called a Bastardmobile. A couple of weeks ago, Jeff Gordon was whining about how the car looked as well.

Here's what Spencer wrote: "With its funky splitter on the front end and the carbon fiber wing off the rear, the COT is butt-ugly. NASCAR spent five years developing the car and apparently spent no time on its appearance."

"The car is so ugly NASCAR hardly endeared itself to diecast car manufacturers with this model — with the exception of cost. Every car looks identical to the rest, so diecast producers can implement a one-size-fits-all and simply slap on stickers in the appropriate places. Isn't that what they do for IROC cars?"

I'm sorry. I guess I missed it when the current cars looked really cool. News flash to Ms. Lee: like the COT, the current cars ALL LOOK ALIKE, TOO! The only silly difference on the cars today are fake headlight and taillight stickers and small grille differences. So don't come up with some BS that the COT is any worse. In fact, the COT actually looks more like a race car, as opposed to the ridiculous form NASCAR rides have now.

Just about every other series you look at - ALMS, DTM, Speed GT, Grand Am, etc. - all use production based cars; and all of them employ the use of splitters and rear, adjustable wings. Just because the COT dosn't look like some Billy Bob spiffed up his Oldsmobile doesn't make the new model look bad. The only thing NASCAR cars have in common with their street-based cousins today is that they have 4 wheels and a motor. The rest is a generic shell underneath. At least most other race series use the actual cars they're based on.

So, let's just get off this assinine idea that the COT is ugly and NASCAR should start from scratch. The idea is to build a SAFER car that performs more like a race car than a 2-ton brick with wheels. With all the sponsor graphics n these cars, who's going to notice the difference anyway?

Hey, look at the bright side. Now NASCAR rides might appeal to all those morons out there with non-functional wings and splitters on their Honda Civics.

NASCAR - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

DevRock — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 20:03:00 +0000

So, I finally got to see Talledega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby last night with my wife. Great flick! I think I have yet to see a Will Farrell film I didn't love. The jokes were great and, let's be honest, the spoof was dead on about a whole host of NASCAR steretypes: over-promotion of sponsors, religion being a part of everything they do, hot, blonde wives that don't work. Great stuff. I've read online a number of people who were actually offended by this movie. These days, nothing surprises me as too many people are overly sensitive about just about everything in life. It's kinda sad. People thought making fun of Jesus was insulting. Give it a rest. The movie was designed to be a SPOOF, people! Get over yourselves.

One problem I had with the movie, though, was perhaps the most ironic thing about it: the overpromotion. The writers did a fantastic job making fun of the sponsor whores drivers have to be this day and age. (Think I'm kidding? Take a look at Tony Stewart after a long, hot race. What's the first thing any normal human being would drink after getting out of their race car? A ton of water or something like Gatorade. Tony? He's drinking a Coke, which is full of caffeine...which leads to dehydration.) So, this movie was spot on. However, we've seen soooooo many commercials that many of the funny parts simply weren't funny anymore. The first time I saw a promo of the film early this year, I just about pissed my pants laughing during the scene where Farrell thinks he's on fire. Hysterical! The 100th time? Not so funny. So, there were a few downers throughout.

Big props to Junior and Jamie McMurray for stepping up and being a prt of the film - unlike the tightwads like Jeff Gordon who thought the humor was too over the top for his sponsors. Unbelievable.

NASCAR - No Bang-Ups at Bristol

DevRock — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 13:14:00 +0000

Did we all watch the same race, or was I dreaming that I saw a tame night race at Bristol on Saturday?? You gotta be kidding me! I'm beginning to think NASCAR drivers are wussing out in light of the Race for the Chase. Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick racing cleanly for the top spot?? No, it must have been a nightmare and there really were 20 cautions and 5 multi-car wrecks. There just had to be.

Alright, all kidding aside, what a yawner of a race on Saturday, huh? Really. I thought we'd have a dramatic race the week before heading out to the snoozer track at California this weekend. But it was not to be. Matt Kenseth and his team are on a tear. It's impressive. I still can't believe he's not in the points lead, but that goes to show you what consistency can do for you (meaning Jimmie Johnson). Anyone sen Tony Stewart's luck? I think he left it somewhere. He was a complete non-factor on Saturday and barely has been for the past month. My prediction? He misses the Chase by less than 100 points.

My Tough Luck Award is a toss-up this week. Mark Martin? He had a strong car in the beginning but he lost the handling and nearly dropped OUT of the Top 10!!! He's been consistent all year and he's now in danger of not even making it. That would just plain suck. I don't know of anyone out there who doesn't want to see Mark not only make the Chase, but win the whole damn thing. Or, does the award go to Mr. Burton? C'mon. He almost gets another pole, leads a ton of laps, only to be a non-factor the last quarter of the race. I don't get it. Maybe nice guys DO finish last in NASCAR? Not that a 9th place finish stinks. But Jeff, you had the dominant car out there all night. What a downer.

On the other hand, how many people are secretly snickering that Kurt Busch has been eliminated from the Chase? You have to wonder about these guys who desperately wanted to switch teams for "better equipment" only to have a worse performance the next year. Mr. McMurray is in even worse shape. At least the past two years he was in contention. This year, he's already been eliminated. Should we take bets on where Elliot Sadler will place in 2007? I won't even talk about Mr. Mayfield...

Finally, let's talk about the one big story that the NASCAR press has practically ignored: Scott Riggs. This guy missed the Daytona 500 this year because he switched teams and didn't get in on previous year owner points. Where is he now? After a 5th place at Bristol, the guy is now 19th in overall points. That's amazing. He's been in contention in a few races, but he's been fairly consistent and has stayed out of trouble all year. I think Riggs deserves a pat on the back for kicking enough ass to pull himself up into the top 20 in driver points. Given the way things stand now, he'll have a hard time breaking past 14th. But given the veterans and talent in the standings below him, Riggs has pulled off one hell of a feat. Let's hope he continues his climb at California, where I imagine his car is going to be a ball-buster. He qualified 14th in February.

NASCAR - Good Luck, Jeremy. You'll need it!

DevRock — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 14:33:00 +0000

Not that is big news or anything, but it's now "official" that Jeremy Mayfield has signed on with Bill Davis Racing for the next three years beginning with the 2007 season. Given what went down between him and Ray Evernham this season, you can't blame him for wanting out of Evernham Motorsports. but, let's be honest here. Jeremy's a moron for signing with BDR. I know, I routinely bash them, but let's take a look at that group's performance. Michaael Waltrip, while admitedly distratced with his own team preparations for next year, is having a disastrous season with BDR. He's fallen out of the Top 35 and failed to qualify for his first race (well, second, really, but he bought another car's points for Charlotte in May) in like tens years back at The Brickyard. Dave Blaney? He's sitting pretty...in 29th overall. While things change from year to year, BDR teams haven't come anywhere close to contending for a championship, much less a spot in the Cahse in who-knows-how-long. They haven't won a Nextel Cup race since 1999. Need I say more?

Odd that BDR is doing very well in the truck series, though....

So, I really wish Jeremy a lot of luck the next few years. I just wonder how long before he starts bad-mouting BDR. It's going to be painful to watch.

NASCAR - Owner Bias Against "Older" Drivers

DevRock — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 13:52:00 +0000

As a racing fan, I'm becoming increasingly annoyed by what appears to be a clear, blatant bias against older drivers. And by older, I mean over 35. For the past year, people have been bitching that there is a shortage of talented drivers. Really? I think Jeff Burton said it best when he said that excuse was a bunch of BS. Let's take a look at some of the drivers who currently don't have rides in Nextel Cup: Ward Burton, Ricky Craven, Todd Bodine, Bill Lester, Boris Said. What do they all have in common? They're "old" by NASCAR standards.

Funny, because I believe it was Ward Burton who won the Daytona 500 3 years ago. Ricky Craven won a few races, including that exciting one at Darlington in 2003. His problem was that he got stuck in the 32 Tide car, which has been an underperforming team for years, regardless of who's behind the wheel. Todd Bodine, last I checked, has been kicking ass in the truck series since he got a new ride last year. Bill Lester clearly has the drive and talent. NASCAR also "clais" to support diversity. So, why isn't anyone backing that up? And I don't need to go into Boris Said's long, long list of automotive achievements. So why do none of these guys have full-time Cup rides? They're old.

Interesting thing, though, about wanting young, "marketable" drivers. Because that's clearly what today's Cup team owners want. Yet they're not all they're cracked up to be half the time. Let's take a look at some of them:

Kyle Busch - He clearly has driving talent. No question. But he's also proven to be more immature and arrogant than his big brother Kurt. So much so that we know Kellogg's and other sponsors must have been seething every time he's done something stupid on the track - which has happened more than once.
Brian Vickers - Again, good driver in good equipment. Marketable? HA! Check him out in any of his commercials or, worse, on Inside Nextel Cup, where he's been inexpliably given a full-time roll. He's got the personality of a piece of sheetrock and is a terrible interviewer. In fact, I stopped watching the show altogether because he's painful to watch.
Steve Hmeil - Showed promise as a good driver. Banned for life for repeated substance abuse. Buh bye.
Jamie McMurray - I really like this guy, but his inability to see Victory Lane has everyone in the sport questioning whether he has "it" or not. You can't help but root for him since he's a class act all around. But He's had as many victories in Cup as the "old" drivers I mentioned above in 4 years. He's supposedly got the best equipment in the biz...
Kurt Busch - You can argue either way here - as the guy has already scored a championship. But, frankly, he's a punk and if I were a sponsor, I wouldn't sponsor him if you paid me. He's displayed litle class so far.
David Stremme, Reed Sorenson, J.J. Yeley, Travis Kvapil - Who? Exactly.

I know no car owner wants to invest in a driver only to see the guy retire in a few years or see how skills diminish. But not putting an established, proven driver in a full-time seat to build momentum, build morale, build an experienced team, etc. is ludicrous. To be quite honest, half the "old" guys I mentioned are great marketing personalities. Hell, Boris Said has a fanatical fan base! How can you not like Bill lEster's positive attitude? What about Ward Burton's dry wit? These guys have their own appeal - and they appeal to the Baby Boomer generation, which has quite a bit of disposable income, Mr. Sponsor!

It's time for an owner with a legitimate team (not a group like BDR which can't field a competitive car for anything) to step up and give a deserving driver a ride instead of looking for a "young gun" that has yet to prove himself. We shouldn't have to rely on an "old" driver to start his own team just his "old" friends have a ride.

NASCAR - Evernham Risking All with Crocker

DevRock — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 14:40:00 +0000

I'm going to state up front I don't know anyone involved with the whole Evernham/Mayfield/Crocker situation. In fact, I might be talking out of my ass since I'm not in the garage every week. However, what I do know is that Ray Evernham is treading some very dangerous waters as a result of his "personal relationship" with his development driver Erin Crocker and is risking not only his reputation, but Croker's career and reputation as well.

I'm sure "personal relationships" in NASCAR are just as nutty as they are in the rest of the world. And, Frankly, I don't care (nor should anyone) who's dating who or whatever. I couldn't care less if Kasey Khane had a harem. I couldn't care less if Jack Rousch was a womanizer and liked to play dress-up. A person's personal life is their own business. However, when it comes to a relationship between car owner and driver, we're talking a whole new ballgame.

Let's forget for now the allegations made by Jeremy Mayfield that Evernham spends too much time with Crocker and not enough time with the rest of his teams/drivers. That could be bitter apples or it could be 110% true. The issue here is perception: perception on Ray's judgement when it comes to how he treats his drivers. Crocker has been back and forth between the Busch and Craftsman truck series. She hasn't had all that much luck. She's haad quite a few wrecks and there's definitely been some resentment about her being at the track in the first place. To date, women have had a VERY hard time finding success in the NASCAR ranks for a number of reasons. A lot of it is due to petty drivers who simply have an issue racing against women.

Now, however, add in the fact that this female driver is romantically involved with her car owner. How do you think the other drivers in the field feel about that? You and I know they are wondering if she's in that car or truck because she's a talented enough driver - more than any up-and-comer out there - or because she's Ray's honey. That perception is going to follow her everywhere she goes. Since she's seen limited success, we know that answer. From here on out, as long as she's involved with Evernham Motorsports, any chance she gets as a driver will be suspect to speculation that she doesn't really deserve it. I'm not saying Ray can't separate business and pleasure, but he's a human being and that IS going to affect his decision-making at one time or another as long as he's involved with Crocker off the track. It would be the same regardless of the business - yours, mine or at AT&T. Boss/employee relationships are bad news.

The fans, the drivers, the teams and Dodge are from now on going to second guess Ray Evernham's decisions when it comes to Erin Crocker and commitment to his other drivers. Hell, I hope she is the real deal and makes it as high as Kasey Khane. I really do. It would be great to see some of these guys whine and complain about women not belonging on the track when they're getting their butts kicked by a woman driver. But until then, the perception is going to be that Erin Crocker is getting what amounts to a free ride in NASCAR and that Ray Evernham's judgement and commitment to his teams are being clouded by romance. Down the road, this could be very damaging to the entire organizzation - and Ray should know better than to risk everything he's built by being "involved" with a driver; and he should know better because he's a lot more mature than his new girlfriend.

NASCAR - Chicago Deja Vu

DevRock — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 12:46:00 +0000

I've somehow undergone a big transition over the past couple of years when it comes to what type of tracks I like. I used to love the 2-mile tracks like Michigan and California. I used to despise Bristol. Now, I've pulled a 180. I'm actually looking forward to next Saturday's race in Tennessee and planning on NOT watching the race over Labor Day in California (I'd rather sleep). While Michigan isn't exactly the yawner we saw in California earlier this season, it certainly would have been close if not for the rash of blown tires and J.J. Yeley trying to wreck every car in his stable this weekend. Passing was somewhat aplenty, although you wouldn't know it since NBC seems to forget there are actually 43 cars on the track. Did they even mention Tony Stewart at all during the race until he finished third??? I swear they only focused on 5 cars the entire race. Forget about all the battles going on behind the leaders. Hey, NBC, was Bobby Labonte in the race? Derrick Cope? Brian Vickers? Kyle Petty? Dale Jarrett??? (Besides the UPS commercials, did anyone actually see the 88 car on TV yesterday? I didn't.)

I love the high speeds the NASCAR chassis hit at Michigan, but the track is SO wide that it's like watching a few cars racing on a California freeway - almost like there is no danger factor present when, for example, the IRL cars run there.

Three jeers to NASCAR for wayyyyy too many "debris cautions." I wanted to throw my remote at the TV when they threw a caution for - and I'm serious here - a piece of duct tape that was flapping on the track in front of the starter's tower. No kidding.

Tough luck for David Gilliland. This kid has had one hell of a whirlwind year - one most drivers would probably kill for. But, the Yates 2006 Bug bit him pretty hard in his first race. Let's hope he doesn't get too discouraged.

How about Elliot Sadler pulling a near upset for the pole? While I think Sadler wanted to prove a point, I'm guessing the Evernham camp finally put its nose to the grind and gave him the best car they've put together all year.

Congrats to Matt Kenseth on another victory. He and Dale Jr. certainly had the cars to beat yesterday, but Earnhardt used up his lucky charm on Saturday when he won the Busch race (which I missed completely). Methinks Junior will have a short race next Sunday if Carl Edwards has anything to say about it!

Misc. thoughts:

Man...another top 5 for Mark Martin. He's amazingly consistent, but you have to wonder why he hasn't visited Victory lane in a long time...
Busch Brothers - instead of a 1-2, they got a 39-40!
Will someone please tell NBC to put Bill Weber in a closet the rest of the season? I don't know why he never bothered me before this year, but he's incredibly annoying to listen to. Let Wally do the talking and bring Alan Bestwick back in the booth.
Robby Gordon 12th. Nice!
Jeff Burton....this guy can't buy a break right now. Wins pole again and is one of the first ones out with a DNF.
Ray Evernham is doing a lot of damage to his reputation and to his organization. But more on that in my next post later this morning.

Rolex Sports Car Series - Officiating Mess at The Glen

DevRock — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:13:00 +0000

So, I was finally able to watch the final few laps of the Crown Royal 200 from last Friday. The race went unusually over, so I missed it the first go 'round on my Tivo. Anyway, great race as always. Not sure how many of you even watch the sports car series races on Speed, but if you haven't checked out the Rolex series, you're out of your mind. While this last race was an unusual one in that only the Daytona Prototypes ran (the GT class also usually runs in the same races), it only made for an even more hectic race pace. The DPs are "spec" in that the body styles are similar. But each team can choose from an array of engine and chassis packages (Lexus, Ford, Pontiac, Porsche, BMW, Etc.) The competition is varied enough that it's not boring AT ALL. Witness how insnaely quick these cars are at The Glen compared to the NASCAR piggy cars.

Every week it seems as someone is out of the championship and another is riding high. The next week, everything chanages. It's great. Although, any of you who saw what happened to the #75 Krohn Racing car last week would probably agree with the team owner that the stewards are playing games and manipulating the championship. This car was penalized for unavoidable contact. But as you could clearly see on TV, the kid didn't touch anyone. There wasn't even a mark on the car!!! To compound the situation, his teammate driving the #75 car was penalized for stepping out of line and passing before the start/finish. Um, not sure what the stewards saw, but I along with everyone else watching the race clearly saw about 10+ cars get out of line, but no one getting passed. That was some crappy officiating, folks. Absolute crap.

Meanwhile, Scott Pruett (Team Target Chip Ganassi) held off the Sun Trust team and Max Angelelli with a lap after lap battle. So, the three mentioned teams are battling it out with only two races to go (I hate the end of racing season!!).

Next race 8/27: Sonoma! Drink up!

NASCAR - Enough Whining About Busch's Penalty!

DevRock — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 14:12:00 +0000

Going to make this short and sweet. It's Wednesday and I'm still reading column after column about poor Kurt Busch and the penalty he received Sunday at Watkins Glen for ducking into the pits just as the "pits closed" lights came on. To all of you thinking Kurt got a raw deal: live with it and move on! Shut up! Rules are rules, folks. I'm sorry he had one of the strongest cars on Sunday. That's the way life goes. That's why we don't call a race 10 laps in because one guy is dominant. Things change. Look, the SAME EXACT THING happened to Boris Said in Sonoma in 2005. Caution came out, he tried to get into the pits before they were closed and the light came on just before he pitted. He certainly had a car capable of winning. So why wasn't the entire NASCAR world bitching then? So, let's move on to more important discussions, like eliminating the Lucky Dog rule so someone who spends 5 laps in the garage has no chance of scoring a Top 10 they certainly don't deserve....

Rolex Sports Car Series - Almost to the end...

DevRock — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 14:10:00 +0000

I was so excited to talk about the Rolex Series race at The Glen this weekend, but either I'm a dolt for not programming an extra 15 minutes on my Tivo, or Speed Channel messed up (they messed up!). The Rolex Series and other sports car series are really good at keeping on schedule - either a set amount of laps or tiem restriction; whichever comes first. I don't think I've ever missed the end of a race (before Friday) when recording one. Sure enough, my recording ended at exactly two hours, and there were 6 laps to go. Grr! So, I have to wait until at least Tuesday to talk about the race, which was great as usual.