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  *Comments on the 2009 Virginia 529 College Savings 250:*
  View the most recent comment <#37> | Post a comment <#post>


  1.   Bronco posted:
  09.12.2009 - 8:53 am
   Rate this comment:      (1)      (0)

How about that. During qualifying and in the pre-race, the ESPN guys
were debating whether Carl should even be in the car in the first place,
suggesting that he should end his Nationwide season now and focus on the
Cup ride. They also said he should start the race and get a relief
driver after a few laps. Instead Carl starts last and wins the race
thanks to some great driving on his part and a flawless pitstop by his
crew. Way to go Carl, you deserve this one. I still don't think he's
going to win the championship but at least he's not letting Shrub run
away with it either.

Benny Gordon drives a nice 9/11 tribute car to pay tribute to all the
victims of that tragic day.

Travis Kvapil makes his first Nationwide start in over two years and
does a decrnt job, as do McDowell and Bliss.


  2.   Dodge posted:
  09.12.2009 - 9:45 am
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

Is it me or does it seem like Eric McClure uses the owner points every
single week. I mean if they were to EVER go back to the provisionals he
wouldn't be in very much because he would be out of them. Its just sad
how Bobby Hamilton did so much with so little support and this idiot
McClure can't even be anywhere close to the qualifying speed of the pole
sitter.


  3.   NazRacePhan posted:
  09.12.2009 - 11:56 am
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (2)

How about that part II.... the broadcasters during qualifying were
basically saying how pitiful and disgraceful it was that these "Park and
rides" are taking away spots from hard working drivers like Morgan
Shepherd....

Light bulbs are going on all over the place!


  4.   DaleSrFanForever posted:
  09.12.2009 - 12:00 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (4)

Morgan Shepherd, who planned on running the entire race, missed the show
just so 9 other cars could park before Lap 50 and pick up their checks
and continue to exploit NASCAR. It's time for those idiots in Daytona
Beach to get off their overpaid fat asses and do something about this.
If a team parks their car before halfway without significant crash
damage or a big time blown engine, then they should not only have their
race check withheld, but they should be fined. This is getting ridiculous.

Tony Stewart, I'm telling you, you are a dumb son of a bitch. You will
regret not being able to put a deal together (or not wanting to
depending on who you believe) for Keselowski big time in the future.

Carl Edwards Busch/Nationwide win count: 6
In my opinion, Nationwide wins should only count if you have less than a
full season's worth of Cup experience, or don't currently have a full
time Cup ride, or are driving for a non affiliated Nationwide team, or
if you have a broken right foot.


  5.   DaleSrFanForever posted:
  09.12.2009 - 12:13 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (2)

BTW, Qoute of the night: Kevin Harvick's crew chief said Kevin is a
"mental driver".

HAHA!
HAHAHA!
HAHAHAHA!


  6.   Eric posted:
  09.12.2009 - 12:18 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (1)

The 91 team should be fined by Nascar by not having a crew chief top of
the pit box. I remembered on the broadcasters claiming that Nascar
brought the 91 car to pit road because there is no crew chief top of the
pit box.


  7.   RR posted:
  09.12.2009 - 12:57 pm
   Rate this comment:      (2)      (0)

"Tony Stewart, I'm telling you, you are a dumb son of a bitch."

Oh yeah, what a moron he is. The only thing he did was start out with
nothing, just to climb the ladder of racing success. The buffoon also
bought a great race track, and organizes one of the great charity events
in sports. The dumbass also runs top level teams in USAC Sprints and
Midgets, and has a dynasty going in the World of Outlaws.

Then, to top it all off, the idiot bought a crappy team, convinced
several Fortune 500 companies to come sponsor two cars, built a great
relationship with the best car owner in the game today, and recruited
top people from various organizations to join said crappy team (with its
co-owner in the slammer). With all of this, the "dumb son of a bitch"
took a team with one top 5 in its history and put both of its cars in
the Chase (presumably), in addition to collecting three wins and the
All-Star Race.

What a shit head.


  8.   BKBroila88 posted:
  09.12.2009 - 1:05 pm
   Rate this comment:      (2)      (2)

To be fair about Morgan Shepherd, he's enjoying a little bit of karma,
because it wasn't but a few years ago that he was kicking legitimate
race teams out of races in both Cup AND Nationwide in order to park. It
doesn't bring a tear to my eye that he's getting what he used to dish
out. However, I dislike all the start & park entries who show up every
week, and it baffles my mind that a car like the 47 has the audacity to
park with great young drivers and only run the full race when Ambrose is
in the car. What a joke that is.


  9.   Batman posted:
  09.12.2009 - 1:35 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

Kenny Wallace made his 800th career start in the top 3 series of NASCAR.

Trevor Bayne does a nice job in the CJM car running in the top 10 or 15
the entire race.

Mike Bliss and Michael McDowell have solid runs. Bliss made his first
start for Curtis Key.

100th career start for Eric McClure.

Kevin Harvick ties Jack Ingram for fourth all-time in top 10 finishes in
the Busch/Nationwide series. Harvick also tied Greg Biffle for second
all-time in second place finishes in the series.


  10.   RR posted:
  09.12.2009 - 1:35 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (2)

But Morgan did the start-and-parks at a time when the car count was
lower. He was usually beating other S&P'ers. I don't mind the starting
and parking going on now in the Cup Series, because the car count is down.

Also, Morgan was S&Ping with the intent to race down the road, which he
did. MSRP apparently has been offered sponsorship at several points
during season, but is adamant about staring and parking. THAT'S when it
gets ridiculous, IMO.


  11.   Anonymous posted:
  09.12.2009 - 1:38 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (2)

phil parsons is a prime example of hypocrisy


  12.   BKBroila88 posted:
  09.12.2009 - 2:58 pm
   Rate this comment:      (2)      (0)

"But Morgan did the start-and-parks at a time when the car count was
lower. He was usually beating other S&P'ers."

If you look at his results and sort through all the races, you will find
that this statement is not accurate.


  13.   Rusty posted:
  09.12.2009 - 3:13 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

I dont know why the 47 needs to S&P. They have sponsors plus a full time
cup ride that is funded well.


  14.   Bronco posted:
  09.12.2009 - 3:26 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

Car and Driver magazine did an interesting piece on start and parks a
while back, it's worth a read. They mentioned Phil Start and Parksons by
name as well as a few of his overpaid valets.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q1/the_quitting_game-sport

Here's the problem. Racing the full distance just isn't profitable with
the way the purse structure is. Martin Truex Jr finished 6th, on the
lead lap and made $18,550. On the other hand Coleman Pressley parked it
after 16 laps yet collected $3 grand more. WTF? That's the problem right
there, start and parkers know that running the full race barely pays
more and requires a pit crew, tires and engine wear so it's not worth
the effort.

What NASCAR needs to do is beef up the middle section of the purse; guys
like Benny Gordon and Travis Kittleson are barely making more than the
start and parkers despite running the entire race.

Start and parking is definitely a huge black mark on a sport that loves
to talk about how talented its drivers and how competitive the sport is.

Here's an idea. Instead of having those NASCAR officials interfere with
teams making their pitstops, how about they head over to the garage to
inspect any cars that drop out of the race?


  15.   WallaceFan posted:
  09.12.2009 - 3:54 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

Pretty good race.

Great one of Steve, another top 5. Richmond has quickly proven to be his
best track, average finish of 12th here over the last 5 dating back to
fall of 2007.

Great runs for Carl of course, Reutimann, Truex, Bayne, Allgaier, and Speed.

Denny Hamlin ha dominated, but him and Harvick each got loose out of 4,
Hamlin was all the way around but Kevin hit him to keep him straight,
anyways cost Denny the race.


  16.   Bronco posted:
  09.12.2009 - 4:04 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

"Great one of Steve, another top 5. Richmond has quickly proven to be
his best track, average finish of 12th here over the last 5 dating back
to fall of 2007."

Uh, Steve finished 9th, unless of course you count Nationwide only
drivers, which means Steve either finished 3rd or 4th, depending on your
view of Kes being a Nationwide regular or not.

Interesting fact - Steve would have won the 2008 spring Richmond race
had there been no Cup drivers in the field.


  17.   RR posted:
  09.12.2009 - 4:23 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (1)

"If you look at his results and sort through all the races, you will
find that this statement is not accurate."

I did, and I stand by my statement. He usually ran in seasons in which
car counts were down (2003 Busch, 2004 Cup). Towards the end of the
season, car counts came up, nut many of those cars were either S&P cars
or R&D cars (basically the same thing). He came back again in 2007, and
began to attempt to race in 2008.


  18.   WallaceFan posted:
  09.12.2009 - 7:34 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

That was just a mistake on my part, i meant top 10.


  19.   Kit posted:
  09.12.2009 - 11:29 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (1)

"Oh yeah, what a moron he is. The only thing he did was start out with
nothing, just to climb the ladder of racing success. "

There's a difference between being a talented race car driver and being
a shrewd business owner who wants victories on the track. Blowing off
Keselowski so he can sign Danica Patrick, who can barely race a IRL car,
is not shrewd.

It's a good thing that Hendrick is giving Tony Stewart everything on a
platter. This season, Stewart has shown that he's a very talented driver
but he doesn't have the emotional stability or acumen to be do it alone.

"If a team parks their car before halfway without significant crash
damage or a big time blown engine, then they should not only have their
race check withheld, but they should be fined. This is getting ridiculous."

Actually, if they put this policy into effect, there might not be enough
cars to make a full 43-car field for some races. Some of these "start
and park" cars really can't run the full race length. I remember Morgan
Shepard used to start and park because his team had only one set of
tires. Besides, I'm reluctant for NASCAR to start making new rules. You
know how they change their rules on a whim.


  20.   DaleSrFanForever posted:
  09.13.2009 - 10:52 am
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (1)

"The only thing he did was start out with nothing, just to climb the
ladder of racing success."

Did you hear Jimmie Johnson's interview after the Richmond Cup race,
saying he had "4 teammates" in the cha$e. I don't call being a Hendrick
team "nothing".

Good point Kit. I just think some owners are exploiting the situation
like Phil Start and Parksons (credit: Bronco). And yeah, if NASCAR tries
to do something about it, it will probably blow up in their face just
like everything else they do.


  21.   DaleSrFanForever posted:
  09.13.2009 - 11:11 am
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (1)

I'm just telling you, Tony will regret not signing Brad and focusing on
Danica. This Danica experiment will flame out and Brad is gonna have a
great Cup career. He'll drive at Penske for 2 years getting valuable
experience, then he will take over the #5 when Mark retires and set the
world on fire. That could've been Tony's car he will be doing that in,
but now it will be Rick's.

Tony just sees the instant cash Danica will bring initially due to her
celebrity status as a swimsuit model and GoDaddy Girl. It is a short
sighted decision that will haunt him.


  22.   Bronco posted:
  09.13.2009 - 3:15 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (1)

"I'm just telling you, Tony will regret not signing Brad and focusing on
Danica. This Danica experiment will flame out and Brad is gonna have a
great Cup career. He'll drive at Penske for 2 years getting valuable
experience, then he will take over the #5 when Mark retires and set the
world on fire. That could've been Tony's car he will be doing that in,
but now it will be Rick's."

I agree about the experiment flaming out, but you really think Brad's
gonna have a great Cup career now that he's going over to the #12?
Remember this team hasn't been competitive since 2005, and Newman's
resurgence this year shows that the #12 was an average ride. Brad is no
more or less talented than Newman so I don't see what special things
he's gonna do with it. I'm predicting a 15th to 20th points finish next
year. And remember, he's driving for an almost dead manufacturer that
will probably pull out of the sport altogether after 2010. How can you
possibly see success in any of this.

Picture this. In 2010, say Kelly Bires takes over the #88 next year, has
a great season by winning a race or two and Mark Martin finally decides
to hang it up for good. Who do you think is going to get promoted to the
#5? It's either Bires or someone from outside (Kahne?). Brad can't just
break his contract and leave the #12 whenever Mark Martin becomes available.

To me Brad's making a huge mistake. He's leaving a championship caliber
Nationwide ride for a mediocre Cup ride all because of the money I
guess. He should have just waited and won several Nationwide races and
possibly a championship in the meantime.


  23.   DaleSrFanForever posted:
  09.13.2009 - 4:36 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

"I agree about the experiment flaming out, but you really think Brad's
gonna have a great Cup career now that he's going over to the #12?"

Let me clarify this: He will have a great Cup career once he gets into a
Hendrick car probably in 2012. Hendrick has said publically the he won't
"let Brad stray too far". He knows what a talent Brad is, he'll get him
back. I think he is basically "on loan" to Penske. And let's be serious:
Mark will probably race at least another two years. Did you see that
smile on his face after Richmond? He ain't going anywhere for a while in
my opinion.


  24.   Bronco posted:
  09.13.2009 - 6:56 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

"Let me clarify this: He will have a great Cup career once he gets into
a Hendrick car probably in 2012. Hendrick has said publically the he
won't "let Brad stray too far".

He also publically said that he wasn't interested in hiring Dale Jr, and
we all know how that went don't we?

"I think he is basically "on loan" to Penske."

I don't think so. Penske is not going to hire Kes and invest any effort
in his Cup team if he knows he plans to bolt as soon as the #5 opens up.
Would you hire a driver if you knew his mind and focus was on joining a
better team down the road?

"Mark will probably race at least another two years. Did you see that
smile on his face after Richmond? He ain't going anywhere for a while in
my opinion."

I agree Mark will race until 2011 or 2012, but when he does decide to
leave the #5 there will be tons of free agents for Kes to compete with.
What if Bires kicks ass in the #88 as is interested in the #5? What if
Kahne, Edwards or Kenseth decide to leave their teams years from now?
Would you still take Kes over those guys? I know I wouldn't.


  25.   RR posted:
  09.13.2009 - 8:08 pm
   Rate this comment:      (1)      (0)

"Did you hear Jimmie Johnson's interview after the Richmond Cup race,
saying he had "4 teammates" in the cha$e. I don't call being a Hendrick
team "nothing"."

I'm not talking about that, I talking about his early days racing
sprints and midgets. He didn't have much, but made it through talent and
hard work. He's got more business savvy than any driver in NASCAR.

As I've mentioned beofre, there's a huge difference between being a
mentor for a part time Busch and Truck deal, and owning and running a
third full-time Cup car. I have no idea why you're bashing Stewart with
this; there's no real connection between the two. It's a stupid
arguement. You're just trying to come up with new ways to bash Stewart
and Danica.

And it's not like Stewart is the only team in the garage. You might as
well call Joe Gibbs, Richard Childress, Jack Roush, and certainly Rick
Hendrick a "stupid son of a bitch." Then again, you probably have at one
point.


  26.   Talon64 posted:
  09.14.2009 - 5:46 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

Carl did a great job coming from the back to win the race with his foot,
but there's always the risk of him getting in a bad wreck on the
Nationwide side that screws up his foot worse to the point he can't
drive or has to depend on a relief driver on the Cup side. It's not like
Carl has anything to prove, he already has a championship and this is
the 5th straight season he's had at least 4 wins in Nationwide. And now
he has a Cup championship to try and win, so it's something that RFR
should consider. With all the intermediate tracks in the Chase Carl
still has a realistic shot at the Cup championship.

Great job by Bayne finishing 7th, and Allgaier finishing 8th to
consolidate his ROTY points lead. Speed got his 5th top ten in 9 starts
in the 99 this season.


  27.   Kit posted:
  09.16.2009 - 1:32 am
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (1)

"Would you hire a driver if you knew his mind and focus was on joining a
better team down the road?"

You have to consider that this happens a lot in the Cup series.

"Tony just sees the instant cash Danica will bring initially due to her
celebrity status as a swimsuit model and GoDaddy Girl. It is a short
sighted decision that will haunt him."

This is another thing that's always bothered me about Tony Stewart. He's
always seemed to be about the money. Yeah, all drivers like the money
but at least they don't make it obvious. Tony just seems like someone
who's always seeing $$$$.


  28.   Bronco posted:
  09.16.2009 - 8:07 am
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

"You have to consider that this happens a lot in the Cup series"

When has it ever happened in the Cup Series? When has one team ever
hired a driver knowing full well that his heart, mind and soul were set
on racing for a better team years from now? Like I said, I don't buy the
crap that Brad was loaned out to the #12 to get Cup experience and that
he's going to take over the #5 eventually. If he's leaving the HMS fold,
it's because he knew they had nothing lined up for him for next year.

Now Kelly Bires will be taking over the #88 for next year. This is a
great move to me. Bires gets the oppurtunity of a lifetime to prove his
talent as well as the chance to be mentored by Dale Jr and HMS gets an
in-house driver to possibly replace Mark Martin.

If you want to talk about money, I see money as the only reason why Brad
is going to the #12. He's having a kickass Nationwide season and has
earned about a million this year. On the Cup side he has made the same
amount of money despite only running 9 races with mixed results. He
knows that by running a full Cup schedule for an average team he'll
probably pull in about $3-4 million, so that's why he decided to make
the move.


  29.   Dodge posted:
  09.16.2009 - 2:50 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

My opinion about Keselowski going Cup is that he is doing the right
thing. Why should he spend another year in racing Nationwide fulltime
and a part time effort in Cup. He feels he's ready. Plus, according to
NASCAR rules he would not be able to run the 25 part time next year. He
ran too many races this year that he is no longer a consideration for a
rookie. The rule says that a team can RUN A FIFTH CAR FOR A ROOKIE IN UP
TO 7 RACES. Tt would only make him eligible to drive the 09 car and I
highly doubt Finch is planning on racing the 09 fulltime next year
UNLESS they can find a sponsor.


  30.   DaleSrFanForever posted:
  09.16.2009 - 3:10 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

I agree Dodge. He's ready to run with the big boys every week. No sense
in staying in the minors for a few more years waiting for a specific
ride to open up.

"When has one team ever hired a driver knowing full well that his heart,
mind and soul were set on racing for a better team years from now?"

Penske Racing doesn't have that many other options. Once drivers saw
Kurt Busch, who is extremely talented, go over to Penske's top ride and
struggle for the most part, and certainly take a huge step down in
performance compared to his Roush days, they realized Penske Racing
South isn't a hot spot right now. They've been very erratic with their
performances with more downs than ups. Their choices are to either sign
a marginal talent like Jamie McMurray or Casey Mears or Reed Sorenson
(basically what they did with David Stremme last year), try to push
Justin Allgaier up too soon, or get Brad. This gives them a good driver
for a couple of years and a chance to improve their performance.


  31.   Talon64 posted:
  09.16.2009 - 4:35 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

I think the reason Keselowski went to Penske is because two of the best
owners in all of North American motorsports want him to drive for them,
and Penske is the only one with an available seat right now. Penske
wanted to get Brad into the 12 for THIS season, if he wants Brad that
badly then he must be doing something right.

I know Penske's NASCAR program isn't that great compared to IRL or
sports cars but it isn't for a lack of trying and for someone as
successful as Penske it's only a matter of time before he gets there.
With Brad joining Kurt and Hornish Penske might have the best driver
lineup they've ever had so that won't be the problem.


  32.   Kit posted:
  09.17.2009 - 1:38 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

"When has one team ever hired a driver knowing full well that his heart,
mind and soul were set on racing for a better team years from now?"

I never said "full well." Not even the driver knows that.

But teams do expect drivers to look for greener pastures if the
opportunity opens up. That's what keeps them competitive. Teams that
don't end up screwing themselves. MMM got really pissed off when
Sterling Marlin decided to go over to Sabco. They should have expected
it and worked to keep Marlin competitive in their car. Instead, now
they're pretty much out of the series altogether.


  33.   DaleSrFanForever posted:
  09.18.2009 - 4:52 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (1)

Well, now it is official, Mark will drive full time in Cup through 2011.
That gives Brad 2 years to learn the ropes at Penske with little
pressure, then possibly take the 5.

BTW, am I the only that thinks it is hilarious that GoDaddy will sponsor
Mark? That is just an odd combination. Maybe they can do some
commercials with him creepily flirting with those much younger GoDaddy
girls. Then he can look in the camera and say "Hold on ladies, I need to
go get some of my old sponsor's product, I'll be right back."


  34.   Dodge posted:
  09.18.2009 - 6:52 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (1)

BTW, am I the only that thinks it is hilarious that GoDaddy will sponsor
Mark? That is just an odd combination. Maybe they can do some
commercials with him creepily flirting with those much younger GoDaddy
girls. Then he can look in the camera and say "Hold on ladies, I need to
go get some of my old sponsor's product, I'll be right back."

Nah, I think it is strange. Matt probably has had or has to teach Mark
how to use the internet. I do like your idea about Mark in commercials
even though I lost respect for him. Can anyone remember if Mark has done
a TRUE commercial before. I have followed the sport since 1995 and don't
remember any so it could be a new concept for him.


  35.   Daniel posted:
  05.21.2012 - 2:09 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

In using fastest 43: #05 Casey Atwood & #73 Derrike Cope

Out using fastest 43: #01 Mike Wallace & #24 Eric McClure


  36.   CBASS posted:
  02.02.2013 - 7:31 am
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

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  37.   numbah10hatah posted:
  07.08.2015 - 7:13 pm
   Rate this comment:      (0)      (0)

Wow. Bronco in comment #22 was right about one thing and totally wrong
on another.

He was right about Dodge pulling out of NASCAR...but he was totally
wrong about Keselowski. Look at him now Bronco. He's a freaking Cup
Series champion.


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