|| *Comments on the 2011 Aaron's 312:* View the most recent comment <#94> | Post a comment <#post> 1. John Royal posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:02 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Another win for Kyle Busch! Just to piss off those who hate seeing that happen :D 2. RaceFanX posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:04 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Mike Wallace rolled it on the last lap 3. nascarfreak99 posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:04 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Great race as Mike Wallace gets up on his lid on the final lap, handing the win to Kyle. All and all, it was a great race all together. This race set the record for leaders, and lead changes in one race for the Nationwide series, and cautions for Talladega. I really wanna see tomorrow's race, but I'm goin up to Long Beach. Great runs for Nemechek, both Wallace brothers, JR. Motorsports, Turner Motorsports, Scott Wimmer, Hornish, and Timmy Hill. 4. james-o-matic posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:12 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) man, i was pulling for nemechek at the end. that would of been awesome 5. McGannahan Skjellyfetti posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:13 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I like Kyle, but I was rooting like crazy for Nemechek! 6. Schroeder51 posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That'd have been hilarious if Joe Nememchek won in the Bonermobile. 7. Schroeder51 posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nemechek, not Nememchek, obviously. 8. 00andJoe posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:21 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Considering that the final caution didn't actually come out until virtually everybody was past the scene of the accident, it makes a case for "racing back to the checkered". ESPN once again proved to be blind, as in all the speculation on the cause of the wreck following The Big One, not one of them mentioned what was, on the replays, the blatantly obvious cause of the wreck: the 33 lifting Kyle Busch's rear wheels off the ground, which was exactly the thing they'd commented shortly before that Bowyer was worried would happen if he tried to push anybody... Overall, though, it was an excellent race. 9. the MAN posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) why kryle why? 10. mrittenhouse84 posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) i just have to wonder why NASCAR did not say anything to Logano's team about the damage on the A-Pillar on his car. That looked to me to be a safety issue if something happened in front of him and he got hit with debris. 11. nascarfreak99 posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:25 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) #8 I disagree about the caution situation. There were still many backmarkers running behind the main pack coming to a wreck in the middle of the track. NASCAR has been doing very well at letting drivers race to the finish in the past 2 or 3 years, but in this case, it could not happen. 12. 18fan posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It looked more like a short track at the end with all those beat up cars racing for the win. 13. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Although I enjoy this 2x2 type of racing, there are too many cautions from the inevitable spins that result. So my feelings are mixed about it. And you can't blame anyone that causes the spin. I wish they'd just take the damn plates off. Cars get airborne anyways (Mike today, Dinger in the Fall, Ryan last fall, Carl last Spring), let 'em race! 14. Cooper posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've seen some crazy races in my day, but this one takes the cake. This two car draft has totally changed the landscape of restrictor plate racing, and has really created some new problems for the teams. What's the point of doing the two car tag team? You push as hard as you can, only for a caution to come out and eliminate any ground you had on other cars. On top of that you lose your partner that you had before the yellow, and now you have to find somebody else. Every driver in the top 5 today was in the back at least once during the race, even three of them being involved in the big one. Why tear your equipment up, and overheat your engine 50 laps into the race, when you know it means crap all. You mise well just run single file with a couple of other drivers for the first 75% of the race to ensure that you have a car and engine to finish the race. Then you can do the two car thing and probably win the race. Another thing that I've noticed with this two car tag team, is on the restarts it is a madhouse. When theres 43 cars starting all clumped together, it is impossible to get organized, and you are going to have drivers cutting each other off to steal somebody elses partner. In this race and the Daytona 500 we ended up having a big one. All I know is tommorrow a large percentage of the drivers are going to end up in the garage before lap 100 because they think its important to lead lap 4. This stuff is interesting and entertaining but theres a good chance my favourite driver is going to end up in the garage and thats not very entertaining. 15. Willis Reed posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I say let them race back on the last lap. Unless you think the drivers coming up behind the wrecking cars are too stupid to slow down when they see cars spinning and flipping in front of them even without the yellow flag being thrown. Let's get a real finish instead of the phony drama of NASCAR checking the video to see who won. We'll KNOW who won when we see the cars cross the finish line. 16. Benny posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great race but seriously, they need to be allowed to race back to the line if the caution comes out on the white flag lap. I thought Nemechek would get the win. 17. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Extenze car came up a little short... ESPN is not only blind, but tone deaf as well. Marty Reid claiming Nemecheck and Keselowski were in the catbird's seat with over a lap to go has to be one of the boneheadedest sound bites of motorsports broadcasting history. During the two GWC periods, the ESPN crew (with the exception of DJ slightly favoring Bayne/Edwards) seemed to want an upset victory by Wallace or Nemecheck... it was like Kyle, who? I kept hearing from ESPN how much Kyle Busch sucks at Talladega in the Nationwide Series, how his team taped up a wrecked car, blah, blah, blah... How ironic that Logano and Busch had damaged cars and still came away with top-2 finishes on a weekend the Gibbs cars were not expected to win in the Nationwide Series. 18. Schroeder51 posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Probably the only time a car sponsored by Extenze will ever come close to winning a race. I suppose props have to be given to Timmy Hill for managing to survive his first Talladega start. He actually had one of the few undamaged cars at the end of the race. 19. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cooper- You raise the elephant in the room question... why tear up your equipment in the first 50 laps or so of a race that is often won on the last lap, last few hundred yards, or the final seconds before a caution? If you have two 'partners' willing to work with you at the end, why not follow the "Dale Jarrett strategy" and ride until the last 30 laps or so to simulate a two-car tandem draft, make the right moves at the right time? In the 2006 Cup Series Memory book, Jimmie Johnson said he watched a tape of Dale Jarrett's win at Tally in Oct. 2005 and applied a similar strategy of having a clean, straight car at the end of the plate races in 2006... needless to say, Mr. Five-time's only plate wins came at Daytona and Talladega that year. 20. potatosalad48 posted: 04.16.2011 - 7:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) joe nemechek can still be a factor anytime, backed up by a great run today. crazy race ending under yellow when mike wallace got upside down on the backstretch on the last lap. 21. 00andJoe posted: 04.16.2011 - 8:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #14/19 - I believe the problem with that strategy is that even the cars in the back *were* running in twos (more or less), just slower twos - but still faster than single cars or a random pack. If you consiously and deliberatly avoid running as part of a twosome, you're going to get lapped; if you run in a twosome and have a car capable of winning, you'll be in the madness up front (even if your 'partner' is a backmarker otherwise - see Keselowski, B. and B., in the Twins for proof of that). 22. Brad24 posted: 04.16.2011 - 8:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 7-0 "Considering that the final caution didn't actually come out until virtually everybody was past the scene of the accident, it makes a case for "racing back to the checkered". I agree. If it is on the last lap, and the caution comes out, NASCAR should let them race back to the line. I like Kyle, but I was pulling for a Nationwide regular to win this one. Maybe Nashville next week. I also have mixed feelings about this 2-car draft. While it does break up the big 30+ car packs, it actually was the center of most of the wrecks today. Should be interesting to see how the Cup guys will do tomorrow. 23. Cooper posted: 04.16.2011 - 8:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #00andJoe If you can get 4 or 5 drivers to do it with you, you'll lose about a second a lap. That gives you 50 laps for a caution to come out. The longest green run in the Daytona 500 was 29 laps. Worst case scenario if you get lapped is you take the wave around, and end up back on the lead lap anyway. These drivers couldn't get through 117 laps, how are they going to get through 188? 24. joey2448 posted: 04.16.2011 - 8:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was cheering for Nemechek and especially Mike Wallace at the end there. Mike was nearly outta control with Joe pushing him. Crazy rollover on the final lap... I say in this situation, let them race back to the line. The only drivers that gotta worry about the accident on the final lap are the backmarkers, true, but they know better to slow down and driver cautiously through the accident scene. They're too far back to worry about racing for a good finish anyway. Now, if this was ARCA, then yea throw the caution, because those guys will f**kin run through there like they're racing for the lead. Amateurs. But this is Nationwide. One more thing, as far as this two car draft goes. I don't mind it. I was actually really amused watching this race play out today. The new two car tango is fun to watch, especially at the end there. Of course, I'd rather see pack racing over this, but the new way of racing isn't bad.... 25. Rusty posted: 04.16.2011 - 8:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The one race where we may get someone different in victory lane and Kyle Busch finds a way to pull it out of his ass and continue to make this series even more unbearable. There's no way I'm watching another race in this series for a while. Maybe Charlotte or Daytona if I get free tickets, but I'm not wasting my time watching this anymore. Not until NASCAR fixes this joke of a series. 26. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.16.2011 - 8:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good points all around. As far as falling behind, Nemecheck got lapped and received a lucky dog, so as long as you have a pact with a few friends (primary partners and backup partners in case of losing one or more due to accidents/mechanical failures or due to late caution restart realignments) you really can't go wrong if you have a clean, straight race car. Of course wrecks can rear their ugly head at any time during the race, but the goal with this two car tandem is in order to win, you must first make it to the end and put yourself in the best possible position. In all honesty, Talladega races are like heat races can be run in 30 laps, but the rest is icing on the cake. 27. Rusty posted: 04.16.2011 - 8:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, Steve Wallace is a moron. I can't believe the nerve of this guy calling out people for wrecking and ruining his day. Like he hasn't ruined hundreds of races for numerous drivers? Rusty stop embarassing yourself and make your boy earn his way back in, because he's a disgrace. 28. irony posted: 04.16.2011 - 8:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) The thought of a Johnny Davis or Joe Nemechek car winning, only for it to be another Joe Gibbs win frankly made me very angry. Sigh. Thanks NASCAR. 29. Schroeder51 posted: 04.16.2011 - 8:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I now dub this the NKBNS. Nascar Kyle Busch Nationwide Series. 30. irony posted: 04.16.2011 - 8:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Props to Mike Wallace anyway. The guy may be the best plate racer in the business. Almost winning in a Johnny Davis car? Wow, just wow. And it's not like it was a fluke, he gets under-funded teams to the front in those races so often. 31. JP88 posted: 04.16.2011 - 8:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was a great race but I'm miffed about the winner...not because I don't like Kyle but I mean does he really need that luck...I knew he was gonna win when he was in that wreck and wasn't totaled. It would have been awesome to see Joe or Mike win as well as Sadler, Bayne, Almirola or any of the NW regulars, but Kyle steals one, IMO. 32. DukeJ posted: 04.16.2011 - 8:47 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "There's no way I'm watching another race in this series for a while. Maybe Charlotte or Daytona if I get free tickets, but I'm not wasting my time watching this anymore. Not until NASCAR fixes this joke of a series." People like you say this exact same thing every week. So take your own advice, stop watching, and shut up. 33. Daniel posted: 04.16.2011 - 8:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Wallace was driving the heck out of that #01. I was really pulling for him or Nemechek to win, I'd have lived to see one of those single-car operations pull off the upset. I think if NASCAR hadn't thrown that final caution, Nemechek would've won. He and someone else, can't remember who, had a MAJOR run on Busch and Logano. 34. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.16.2011 - 9:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think now that Talladega has finished its a safe bet to say this years Nationwide champion will not win a single race this year. Before this race I thought Joey was useless to JGR, but today made me realize, he can fight for second behind Kyle Busch in Nationwide, and push him at plate tracks. 35. Smokefan05 posted: 04.16.2011 - 9:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My only gripe would be that NASCAR should have let them race back to the line. This race reminded me more of short track racing then RP racing. Great race none the less. Mike Wallace actually drove his car from that wreck. These new COTs cars are durable. 92 NASCAR for wins for Kyle Busch. 0 Cup championships for Kyle Busch. ESPN once again proves how much they shouldn't get there TV contract renewed. Holy cow they suck. "I wish they'd just take the damn plates off. Cars get airborne anyways (Mike today, Dinger in the Fall, Ryan last fall, Carl last Spring), let 'em race!" Oh and have drivers get killed and fans hurt? Oh ok. Old School thinking has no room in Todays NASCAR. Safety takes more importance then cars going 215mph. 36. Schroeder51 posted: 04.16.2011 - 9:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #32-Brad Keselowski was pushing Nemechek. 37. Cooper posted: 04.16.2011 - 9:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 13. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.16.11 - 7:26 pm "I wish they'd just take the damn plates off. Cars get airborne anyways (Mike today, Dinger in the Fall, Ryan last fall, Carl last Spring), let 'em race!" --How can I trust drivers at 220 MPH when I don't trust them at 185 MPH? Steve Wallace, Donnie Neunenberger and all the rookies at Talladega without plates... Suicide mission. Also these teams are so close together and competitive in speed, that they would still be clumped together. The reason there wasn't big packs in the 70's/80's was because there was basically 10 contenders and 30 field fillers.-- I'm biting my nails already about tomorrow. I'm more nervous now, then with the 40 car packs. 38. AlmirolaFan88 posted: 04.16.2011 - 9:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I watched the first 24 laps, then had to go somewhere. Sounds like I missed a dandy......aside from Kyle Busch winning of course. If I can stay up at 3 or 4am i might watch the rerun. 39. 18fan posted: 04.16.2011 - 10:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #33, That depends on how many Cup drivers fly back and forth to some of the standalone races. 40. Greg G posted: 04.16.2011 - 10:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wonder how many Cup regulars will go to Nashville. It would be nice to see someone other then the Cup guys win a minor league race. This is like Arod for the Yankees going down to Tampa and play for the single A Tampa Yankees just to win again. 41. Rusty posted: 04.16.2011 - 10:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "People like you say this exact same thing every week. So take your own advice, stop watching, and shut up." First time I've actually decided to stop watching. The series has become so predictable and I'm tired of the Kyle/Carl show. I have always loved watching this series, because it was the up and coming drivers of the future going up against Cup drivers of now. But now the Cup teams have run away almost all NW only teams (Turner is the NW only team that's competitive). I don't have a problem with Cup teams in the NNS, but instead of developing young drivers they put out their Cup drivers on a weekly basis. Just look at JGR, they have several young drivers with potential but instead of getting them seat time they let Kyle Busch and Joey Logano play around on Saturdays. Roush is the only one trying to develop young guys and I give him props for that. He continues to race Ricky and Trevor even though he has no funding for them. (How in the world does the Daytona 500 have a hard time getting a sponsor?) I by the way don't have issues with Cup drivers running this series. What I have an issue with is, them running most if not all the races in top notch equipment while running NW regular drivers/teams out of the sport. "I wonder how many Cup regulars will go to Nashville. It would be nice to see someone other then the Cup guys win a minor league race. This is like Arod for the Yankees going down to Tampa and play for the single A Tampa Yankees just to win again." I'm sure there will be a couple there, and one of them will win. Carl and Brad will be there for sure. Kyle might, and so may Harvick, though he's less likely than Kyle. Only NW regular I think can win that race is Stenhouse. I won't watch, but even if I really wanted to I couldn't since I'll be driving all day Saturday. 42. Smokefan05 posted: 04.16.2011 - 10:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "People like you say this exact same thing every week. So take your own advice, stop watching, and shut up." Oh wait i'll giv you one. "if you liked the way the race finished under yellow then you have a brain disorder." I said what you said to someone on youtube and got that response. Just goes to show you that people today have little respect for others. "--How can I trust drivers at 220 MPH when I don't trust them at 185 MPH? Steve Wallace, Donnie Neunenberger and all the rookies at Talladega without plates... Suicide mission. Also these teams are so close together and competitive in speed, that they would still be clumped together. The reason there wasn't big packs in the 70's/80's was because there was basically 10 contenders and 30 field fillers.--" Here Here Cooper. BTW i'm really suprised no one is throwing Mikey Waltrip under the bus for his interview. I can understand him being upset over being wrecked, and i can see his side of view when Jaime and E.Sad where doing on the restarts. The only thing that i have a problem with that he said what he said when Jaime was like 5 feet away from him. Not a good time Mikey. Or maybe he didn't care. Either way i found it funny. :-P 43. DukeJ posted: 04.16.2011 - 10:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "This is like Arod for the Yankees going down to Tampa and play for the single A Tampa Yankees just to win again." People who make this sort of analogy are second only to the, "I hate this series and will never watch again" people as the most predictable, stupid, and annoying responses in every single Nationwide thread. 44. Troll on Wheels posted: 04.16.2011 - 10:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jack Roush needs to get a rid of wrecky. Wrecky isn't a talented driver and today is proof. People that want Wrecky race for Roush in cup is delusional. If Wrecky is a talented driver, he would won by now in the Nationwide series. 45. Bronco posted: 04.16.2011 - 11:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Heartbreak for Mike Wallace's team to tear up a car on the final lap when they had a legit shot at winning. Bigger heartbreak that the most dominant car in the series won yet again, spoiling the chance for an upset win by a Nationwide regular. Nothing worse than knowing you spent 3 hours of your life hoping to see a nailbiter finish and it seeing it all end with the wave of the yellow flag. On the final lap, let them race back. As was the case with the Cup cars, the Nationwide cars recorded the slowest ever pole speed in the long and rich history of the track, yet they would run 20mph faster when in the draft. Elliott Sadler gets his 4th straight top 5 result, and is another one away from grabbing the point lead. Between his runs in NW and in the #2 truck, he's proved to me that the crappy #19 Cup ride he had held him back for years and damaged his confidence that he's finally gaining back. Looking at the payout, can it really be that Dale Jr of all people made only 4 grand more than the start and parkers? 46. Android posted: 04.16.2011 - 11:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I love how every time Kyle Busch wins a race, Smokefan feels the need to remind us all that Kyle has 0 championships. Really? You would think he was on the edge of retirement based on Smokefan's constant animosity towards Kyle Busch. We get that you don't like the guy, but you can try and be a little more objective like some of the other quality posters here. 47. Smokefan05 posted: 04.17.2011 - 12:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ Oh i'm objective, i just get sick and tired of people saying "we are in the presents of greatiness." And i'm a quaility poster here, Jarrett88fan says i am (more or less). As well as Bronco, DSFF, 18fan, Watto and some others. I may not have been on these discussion threads since RR started them, but i try my best when offering my opinions. If people don't like'em, to bad. It's just cyber ink and bandwidth been taken up on the RR servers. Kyle will get his, but as long as *some* people say "we are in the presents of greatiness" the zero cup title thing will be brought up until he wins one (i honestly believe he will win one or more) If people don't bring it up, i will not bring it up. 48. 18fan posted: 04.17.2011 - 12:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Of course the term "greatness" is extremely subjective based on each person's opinion, so it is difficult to judge objectively. The biggest problem with the way Kyle is viewed is that because he wins so much in the lower series and is very talented, the announcers get too caught up in the numbers and watching him win all the time and let that overshadow the fact that he is a top level Cup driver just "getting track time" by winning seemingly every week when he should be focusing on driving his Cup car. 49. irony posted: 04.17.2011 - 1:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Would the people who defend Cup drivers in this Series watch it without them? I just want to know. 50. 18fan posted: 04.17.2011 - 2:00 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I know I would. I watch the Truck races without Cup drivers and I would watch these races to see if I could spot new talent or another driver to become a fan of. 51. 18fan posted: 04.17.2011 - 2:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) BTW, I do not defend Cup drivers in this series. 52. 18fan posted: 04.17.2011 - 2:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sorry for the triple post, but this was the worst qualifying spot for Kyle Busch in any of his Nationwide wins and the only one outside the top 20. (He started 31st at Texas in the spring of 2008 but that lineup was set by points. 53. Rusty posted: 04.17.2011 - 2:26 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle is not greatness, yet. He has what it takes to win championships in Cup. However, I'm not impressed by what he's done in Nationwide since going to JGR. Their Toyota horsepower has put them on another level. He's got more experience than most guys in this series with better equipment, it's hard to be impressed dominating like that. That's like being impressed by the Miami Heat dominating the Ohio State Buckeyes. 54. BLabonte47 posted: 04.17.2011 - 2:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sam Hornish, Jr. deserves some credit, he ran an awesome race and had a car capable of winning. But he was the victim of this racing twice by getting spun by the car pushing him. First it was Ricky Stenhouse early, and then his team mate Brad Keselowski got him late. He still managed 13th, his 2nd best finish in the Nationwide series in 23 starts. He actually seems to be a decent plate driver, I remember him running top 10 all night in last year's July Daytona Cup race before being taken out. 55. 18fan posted: 04.17.2011 - 2:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rusty, I couldn't agree more. Great post. 56. Rusty posted: 04.17.2011 - 3:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, I'm not trying to discredit Kyle Busch in any way. He may have more talent than anyone in that garage. But this series is so watered down compared to older years that all this "history" he makes on a weekly basis just isn't that impressive. Look at him when he was in equal equipment driving the #5 for Hendrick, he won races and was competitive but he didn't flat out destroy everyone. Heck, he lost the title to DEI and Martin Truex, Jr. who he's clearly outclassed since. Not only is his equipment better than anyone else, but the challengers aren't impressive. Brad has been good, but he was outperformed by Kyle clearly during his championship season, if Kyle would've ran for another title, Brad would've been in his shadows even more, and Brad's Nationwide team just doesn't seem the same without Paul Wolfe. Carl has never been that great in Nationwide for some reason either, he's won a lot. But his 2007 championship season was statistically one of the worst seasons by a champion in this series (this year's champion will easily surpass that thanks to NASCAR), yet he won the title by a large margin. Infact, his 2007 season was his 2nd worst as a full time driver in the series behind only his 2005 "rookie year", he's had better seasons in each of the last three years yet played bridesmaid to Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski. Harvick is one of the few guys with a shot at Kyle, but he's running his own team and isn't obviously as fast as the Gibbs boys. Logano is another guy who has a shot at Kyle, but it's becoming obvious his talent is vastly overrated. He's not that impressive in Cup, and doesn't win enough in Nationwide for the equipment he has. So, while Kyle Busch is a damn good driver and I respect his ability. I just can't be impressed with his Nationwide "dominance", hell he doesn't even dominate the truck series like this and the drivers in that series are not as good as what races in Nationwide. I would like to see Kyle cut back his Nationwide schedule a TON, and focus on beating Jimmie Johnson and winning a Cup title. I know he can do it, and that's ultimately what people will remember him by. Look at Mark Martin, nobody talks about how he dominated this series in the old Winn-Dixie car, they always talk about how he's never been able to seal the deal and win a Cup title. Kyle shouldn't want to be the next Mark Martin. (Not that Mark is a bad driver, but Kyle has what it takes to win multiple Cups, as did Mark). 57. Android posted: 04.17.2011 - 3:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Smokefan, I wouldn't take anybody who says "we're in the presence of greatness" seriously. Whether that's announcers like DW or some of Kyle's fans. Kyle's an extremely talented driver, but no where near greatness just yet. I would suggest maybe to start taking the high road, no need to stoop down to their level with the hyperbole. 58. potatosalad48 posted: 04.17.2011 - 3:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) post 44- WHAT?! Ricky Stenhouse has done a great job this year, far better than his dismal 2010. Up until Talladega, he had the points lead and had finished all but one race in the top 10. You can't throw him under the bus for just one race. He will be a serious contender for the Nationwide title this year. 59. Anonymous posted: 04.17.2011 - 8:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Another potentially good race ruined by NASCAR's attempts to manufacture "excitement". 60. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.17.2011 - 9:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "--How can I trust drivers at 220 MPH when I don't trust them at 185 MPH? Steve Wallace, Donnie Neunenberger and all the rookies at Talladega without plates... Suicide mission. Also these teams are so close together and competitive in speed, that they would still be clumped together. The reason there wasn't big packs in the 70's/80's was because there was basically 10 contenders and 30 field fillers.--" Fair points. I'm just say that, even with the plates, more races at Dega have cars go upside down that races where nobody goes airborne. The whole point of the plates are to control the drivers going dangerously fast, but they are still going dangerously fast. I feel that if the plates were off, it would eliminate bump drafting altogether which would eliminate a lot of the cautions which make these races drag on forever and never really get a rhythm. And you are right, the packs would be much bigger than they were before the plates. But I feel there would be some separation. I think it would be like a race on the old Daytona surface where cars would eventually get strung out because handling would come into play. Before they repaved it, Daytona races would actually resemble a normal race after they got about 10 laps on their tires. You make a good point though, and I guess there will always be issues with these two tracks. I just think the race is equally unsafe with or with out the plates. Look at Bobby Allison's wreck here in '87 and Edwards' wreck in '09. They are pretty much identical. And the pole speed in '09 was 24 MPH slower than Awesome Bill's famous lap. 61. Watto posted: 04.17.2011 - 9:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "ESPN once again proved to be blind, as in all the speculation on the cause of the wreck following The Big One, not one of them mentioned what was, on the replays, the blatantly obvious cause of the wreck: the 33 lifting Kyle Busch's rear wheels off the ground" Actually, ESPN did note Bowyer pushing Busch into McMurray which started the chain of events. I believe it was Andy Petree who called it. I guess that does nothing for your point, though. During the first replay, it was pretty hard to see and that's why Dale Jarrett didn't pick up on it at first glance. 62. Austin posted: 04.17.2011 - 9:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Wallace flips over and still finishes the race. 63. hyperacti posted: 04.17.2011 - 9:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) As far as I know, this is the first time we as an audience were shown that teams have started using PAM cooking spray to keep the bumpers from sticking or gripping. I thought that was very interesting. Reminds me of when/how they use Coca-Cola on the pit boxes to get them sticky and add grip. 64. Rufus posted: 04.17.2011 - 9:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Also, Steve Wallace is a moron. I can't believe the nerve of this guy calling out people for wrecking and ruining his day. Like he hasn't ruined hundreds of races for numerous drivers? Rusty stop embarassing yourself and make your boy earn his way back in, because he's a disgrace." Seemed more like he was calling out the style of the two car tango racing. Honestly, I saw his replay after reading your comment for the first time and I was expecting the interview to be much worse than it was. Judging by your entire post, this is just an excuse for you to go on a Steve Wallace rant. He didn't cause anything in yet another race, so let's go off about an interview... lol. You tell Rusty to stop embarrassing himself, but Steve had done better than his teammate 2 years in a row who had much more experience. This year, it'll be interesting to see how Annett and Wallace compare once we get deeper into the season. I guess I'll expect to see you continue to jump on anything Steve Wallace does as you have in the past many times. You'd probably be less bitter about the kid if you looked at him the same as any other driver in the field. 65. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.17.2011 - 9:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The Extenze car came up a little short..." Ha! "Why tear your equipment up, and overheat your engine 50 laps into the race, when you know it means crap all." Because if you don't team up with somebody, and if by some miracle they get a 30 or 40 lap green flag run, you will get lapped, as we saw at Daytona. The tag team can be 4 seconds per lap quicker. I know we have the wave around now, but if that caution falls right when you need to pit for gas, you are screwed. "Also, Steve Wallace is a moron. I can't believe the nerve of this guy calling out people for wrecking and ruining his day. Like he hasn't ruined hundreds of races for numerous drivers?" I know. He doesn't wreck like he used to, but we can't forget 2006 - 2009 when he wrecked at a historic pace. He needs to just say "That's racin'" everytime he's caught up in something. You are right, Rusty brought him up way too soon, and now he's stuck. He either drives hard and wrecks, or does what he does most of the time now, takes it easy and never contends for anything. If Rusty would have just taken his blinders off. "I now dub this the NKBNS. Nascar Kyle Busch Nationwide Series." I call it the JJMRT. The Jimmie Johnson Mental Rehabilitation Tour. It gives guys like Kyle, Carl, Kevin, and my guy, Brad, the chance to feel what it is like to dominate even though they can't dominate on the Cup tour (or in Brad's case, finish on the lead lap) because JJ is doing all the dominating. It's their brief moment in the sun before Sundays start and they realize they are just role players, side notes in what will go down as the Jimmie Johnson era. Saturday's are their escape from this depressing reality. "Oh and have drivers get killed and fans hurt? Oh ok. Old School thinking has no room in Todays NASCAR. Safety takes more importance then cars going 215mph." The slower speeds have done nothing to prevent that. Just two years ago a teenage girl got her jaw broken when Carl went into the catchfence. In 1993, we saw a similar situation with Neil Bonnett, and in the same race Stanley Smith went OUTSIDE the racetrack in the turns where there was no fence. Had that happened on the straightaway, he would done a "Bobby Allison". With these stock cars, there is no difference between 220 and 185. They get sideways, they life. Period. And "old school" thinking SHOULD have a prominent place in today's NASCAR. Just because something comes along that is newer doesn't mean it is better. That is a bad trap to fall into. Example: Drying tracks after it rains. In the past, they used to tie about 10 tires together and drag them from the back of a wrecker over the surface of the track at about 40 MPH. It worked beautifully. Not only did it dry the track quickly, it put rubber down. Nowadays? They use these fancy jet powered dryers. It might be modern and high tech and look a hell of a lot more sophisticated than a wrecker dragging tires, but it takes way longer, they are going 10 MPH at most, AND it blows all the rubber away that wasn't washed away. So not only does it take longer, burn more fuel, and cost a hell of a lot more, once it finally gets dried, they have to rubber the track back up, making the first fuel run of the day essentially a useless part of the race. New school DOES NOT automatically equal better. "BTW i'm really suprised no one is throwing Mikey Waltrip under the bus for his interview." His interview was stupid, but then again Mikey is stupid. It should be expected. What more can be said about that idiot? His driving career speaks for itself in how bad it was, and he now owns a team with 3 really talented drivers, all of which are struggling. Reut and Truex could win lots of races and contend for championships on the right team, and Bobby Labonte has won lots of races and has won a championship (beating a rejuvenated Dale Earnhardt pretty badly). 66. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.17.2011 - 9:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Oh i'm objective, i just get sick and tired of people saying "we are in the presents of greatiness."" I agree. Kyle has done a great job, but the fact is his NWide numbers are meaningless. I hate the way they make his "combined NASCAR win total" mean something when it clearly doesn't. The only number that matters is "20". That's how many Cup wins he has. That is pretty impressive. Not nearly as impressive as what JJ has done, but very good nonetheless. But still, he has done nothing "historic" or "great" yet. And his struggles under pressure in Cup have to be talked about. I don't mind that much that he hasn't won a Cup title, with JJ out there nobody is except him, but he has never really come close. And yes, I realize he is young and has a lot more career ahead of him, but he isn't gonna keep winning like this forever. Nobody does anymore (except JJ). Even Gordon has had some pretty bad dry spells lately. He's gonna hit some dry spells soon. Since 2001, nobody has stayed at or even near the top for long (except JJ). Kyle's time is coming. He doesn't have the team chemistry or mental stability that JJ has to deal with setbacks and not let them submarine the team. "Their Toyota horsepower has put them on another level." Exactly. For proof, just look at Joey Logano. In NWide, driving the same cars Kyle drives, he is somebody to be dealt with every week. In Cup, even with the second best crew chief in the garage, he is nowhere to be seen. "Look at him when he was in equal equipment driving the #5 for Hendrick, he won races and was competitive but he didn't flat out destroy everyone. Heck, he lost the title to DEI and Martin Truex, Jr. who he's clearly outclassed since." You are absolutely right. Also, look at his 2006 Busch season when he tried to compete for the title with HMS. He won once and got killed by Harvick. Like you said, Kyle is good, but not as good as his NWide equipment makes him look. "So, while Kyle Busch is a damn good driver and I respect his ability. I just can't be impressed with his Nationwide "dominance", hell he doesn't even dominate the truck series like this and the drivers in that series are not as good as what races in Nationwide. I would like to see Kyle cut back his Nationwide schedule a TON, and focus on beating Jimmie Johnson and winning a Cup title. I know he can do it, and that's ultimately what people will remember him by. Look at Mark Martin, nobody talks about how he dominated this series in the old Winn-Dixie car, they always talk about how he's never been able to seal the deal and win a Cup title. Kyle shouldn't want to be the next Mark Martin. (Not that Mark is a bad driver, but Kyle has what it takes to win multiple Cups, as did Mark)." That paragraph sums it up perfectly. 67. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.17.2011 - 10:00 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "They get sideways, they life. Period." I meant to type they LIFT. Period. 68. Bronco posted: 04.17.2011 - 10:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The points battle has really heated up, with no one having really established themselves as the team to beat. I think Elliott Sadler will emerge as that guy but we need a few more races in the books. The two car crap is cool because of the all lead changes it produces. But it is no safer than the 3 and 4 wide pack racing we used to have that caused all the wrecks. The guy in front has to steer for both cars, while the guy in the back has to provide the power for both. I'd much rather have cars pair up with whoever and go for the win rather than everyone scrambling to find their partner on a restart and losing positions in the process. Nemechek wore one of Conway's Front Row firesuits from last season, with a patch covering the Ford logos. Carl Edwards had a potential top 10 run go away when Dale Jr turned into his LR trying to avoid Mike Wallace. Jamie McMurray makes his first start in a new Nationwide car, his first start in the series since winning at Atlanta last September. 69. New 14&88 Fan posted: 04.17.2011 - 10:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, that was Jimmy Horton that flipped outside the track at the 93 Talladega race, Stanley Smith suffered a severe skull fracture in the same wreck yet miraculously survived. "So, while Kyle Busch is a damn good driver and I respect his ability. I just can't be impressed with his Nationwide "dominance", hell he doesn't even dominate the truck series like this and the drivers in that series are not as good as what races in Nationwide. I would like to see Kyle cut back his Nationwide schedule a TON, and focus on beating Jimmie Johnson and winning a Cup title. I know he can do it, and that's ultimately what people will remember him by. Look at Mark Martin, nobody talks about how he dominated this series in the old Winn-Dixie car, they always talk about how he's never been able to seal the deal and win a Cup title. Kyle shouldn't want to be the next Mark Martin. (Not that Mark is a bad driver, but Kyle has what it takes to win multiple Cups, as did Mark)." ^This Totally 70. Android posted: 04.17.2011 - 11:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Toyota doesn't have a HP advantage in any series right now. Ford and Chevy have been dominant in that department the last couple years. It was really their aero advantage in the old Nationwide car that dominated everybody, and especially last year. 71. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.17.2011 - 11:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Smokefan- Every time we witness a Nationwide/Truck race with Kyle Busch running in it, we are in "in the presence of greatness," ...then I remember the Cup Series. Putting Cup drivers running in the lower series' aside for a minute. The Truck and Nationwide Series' are crew member development leagues for teams like JGR, KHI, JR Motorsports, Roush, etc. In addition, sponsors like Fastenal do not currently have the funds to be a primary sponsor in the Cup Series. Deep-pocketed brands like Home Depot and Lowe's have it, whereas Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches, Z-Line Designs, Dollar General, etc. do not. More objectivity from 18fan- "The biggest problem with the way Kyle is viewed is that because he wins so much in the lower series and is very talented, the announcers get too caught up in the numbers and watching him win all the time and let that overshadow the fact that he is a top level Cup driver just "getting track time" by winning seemingly every week when he should be focusing on driving his Cup car." 72. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.17.2011 - 11:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Speaking of Mark Martin in the old Winn-Dixie car, Roush had the unrestricted-speedway horsepower advantage in the Busch Series from 92'-'00 when several Chevrolet teams had slight areo advantages. The only problem was GM guys like Gordon, the Labontes, Earnhardt, etc. didn't run 18 Busch races a year between '92 and '00 to compete with Mark on doubleheader weekends like Harvick/Edwards do with Kyle Busch since his move to Gibbs in '08. Oftentimes Mark's primary competition on Saturdays came from Jeff Burton in the Roush TrackGear/NorthernLight #9 car from '97-'00 and later from Matt Kenseth driving Chevrolets for Robbie Reiser from '98-'00. Occasionally Busch Series regulars beat the Busch wackers and the Labonte brothers/Dale Jarrett among others running their own equipment won Busch races between '92-'00. Statistically, Mark's worst year in the Busch Series ('98) was his best in the Cup Series. Kyle definitely needs to scale back his Nationwide and Truck driving duties to 10 or less races in both series' and virtually focus only on Cup between September and November, then and only then will I say Kyle Busch has a legitimate shot at winning a Cup Championship or two. Running 30 Nationwide and 15-18 Truck races in addition to 38 total Cup races in one year over the course of several years is madness and shows a complete misplacement of priorities. 73. CFob posted: 04.17.2011 - 5:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Boy would I have loved to see Front Row Joe take the win! 74. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.17.2011 - 5:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "DSFF, that was Jimmy Horton that flipped outside the track at the 93 Talladega race, Stanley Smith suffered a severe skull fracture in the same wreck yet miraculously survived." That's right. Thanks for clearing that up. I just remember somebody leaving the track and Stanley Smith getting hurt bad. Combine that with Neil's flip and it being just two weeks since Davey Allison's passing at his home track, It was a bad race. Even a spectacular finish between Dale and Ernie couldn't wipe away the black cloud hanging over that race. 75. AlmirolaFan88 posted: 04.17.2011 - 10:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jason Leffler regains the points lead on the "strength" of just 3 top 10's and zero top 5's all season. 76. 18fan posted: 04.18.2011 - 2:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The same combination that finished 1-2 in this race caused a wreck in the Cup race when Joey turned Kyle and caused a minor crash that took out Kenseth. 77. 00andJoe posted: 04.18.2011 - 3:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #61 - Well, it was mentioned Bowyer pushed Busch, but I was waiting for them to connect the wheels-lifting-off-the-ground thing (since Clint had previously been mentioned as being paranoid about it) and they never did - it was pretty obvious in the second (side-view) replay, and even noticable from Bowyer's onboard. #65 - Huh. Now that you mention it, the tire thing has gone away, hasn't it? Also, Bobby Labonte doesn't drive for Mikey, but for JTG-Daughtery Racing. 78. Talon64 posted: 04.18.2011 - 5:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch wins his 47th career Nationwide race. Joey Logano gets his 36th top five in 72 Nationwide starts, and his 11th career runner-up finish. The #20 now has a 13 point lead over the #18 which has moved up to 2nd after the win. Joe Nemechek gets his first top 5 in Nationwide since his Kansas win in 2004 (the weekend of his career when he also won the Cup race). Brad Keselowski gets his 2nd straight top 5 finish; the #22 is still stuck in 13th in the owners standings but he's only 11 point out of 7th. I'm hoping Carl and Brad grenade a few engines in a row or something so they have no shot at the owners championship and will give up on running full time this season. Elliott Sadler ties his career high with his 4th straight top 5 finish in Nationwide (4 straight top 2 finishes, including back-to-back wins, in 1997 driving for Gary Bechtel). Although he hasn't finished better than 5th while Kyle Busch has 4 wins, Sadler's tied with Kyle Busch for the most top 5's this season with 4. Trevor Bayne has alternated finishes in and out of the top 10 in the first 7 races of the season (10th, 31st, 5th, 19th, 6th, 13th, 6th). Last season Colin Braun and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. combined for just 13 top 10's in 56 combined starts. This season Ricky and Trevor Bayne already have 9 in 14 starts. Justin Allgaier has back-to-back top 10's for the 2nd time this season. It's his 1st top ten in 3 Talladega starts. Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets his 3rd top ten in 3 Nationwide starts this season, just the 2nd for the #7 JRM team this season. After following up two 5th place finishes to start the season with 3 straight out of the top 10, Reed Sorenson now has back-to-back top 10's. Aric Almirola gets his 3rd top ten in the last 4 races; he hasn't finished worse than 19th this season but no better than 9th. Rookie Timmy Hill gets his 1st career top 20 finish in 14th. Blake Koch gets his best career finish in 16th (8 career Nationwide starts). The top 7 in the standings are now separated by just 12 points. But Elliott Sadler's made up 36 points over the last 4 races to go from 12th to 3rd. Nationwide regulars have 12 top 5 finishes this season with a best of 2nd by Justin Allgaier at Las Vegas, compared to 23 for Cup drivers who've won all 7 races. 79. 00andJoe posted: 04.18.2011 - 5:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, there's five Buschwhackers on the Nashville entry list: Busch, Logano, Brad K., Edwards, and - bizzarely - David Reutimann in a third RWR car. *sigh* 80. New 14&88 Fan posted: 04.19.2011 - 1:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Well, there's five Buschwhackers on the Nashville entry list: Busch, Logano, Brad K., Edwards, and - bizzarely - David Reutimann in a third RWR car. *sigh*" So much for a Nwide regular possibly getting the win there.... -__- 81. Rusty posted: 04.19.2011 - 1:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) JGR continues to ruin this series. A stand alone event and a shot to get their young drivers some seat time, and they let both Kyle and Logano race again. Carl and Brad were to be expected since both claim they are running all the races. Reutimann is a little odd, but he probably won't factor in the final outcome. He's gonna split a third Rusty Wallace #64 Toyota with David Stremme and Jason Bowles. At least Harvick put Austin Dillon in his car instead of running it himself or letting Bowyer or Menard run. I'm glad I won't watch, you can pretty much expect Kyle to dominate with Joey, Brad, and Carl right behind him. 82. Talon64 posted: 04.19.2011 - 6:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ""Well, there's five Buschwhackers on the Nashville entry list: Busch, Logano, Brad K., Edwards, and - bizzarely - David Reutimann in a third RWR car. *sigh*" So much for a Nwide regular possibly getting the win there.... -__- " Won't have to worry about Reutimann, RWR's sucked so terribly this season I don't think even Reut will make their cars look good. Annett and Wallace are down to 12th and 13th in points now and their average finish are both worse than 21st, and the #62 and #66 are 20th and 21st in the owners standings. Joe Nemechek and his under-funded single car team is 10th in the drivers and 18th in the owners. So not only does RWR figure putting resources towards a 3rd car will fix things, but putting David Stremme in the car will help? smh 83. Kyb18 posted: 04.21.2011 - 7:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch winning in this series is good for the Nationwide series. Nobody cares about Justin Allgaier, Jason Leffler and Elliott Sadler. People care about Kyle Busch and other Cup stars. People love greatness and seeing Kyle make history in this series all the time. Not a bunch of nobodies race against nobodies. The attendance for this series is already low, almost nobody will show up if Kyle wasn't there. 84. bigtimeMartinfan posted: 05.22.2011 - 8:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is the only race of the year where some body different can win at But it got ruin by Kyle Busch This track has different winners like labonte(2007) and ragan(2010) Same Things with the cup race it got ruin by Jimmie Johnson I'm so tired of Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson 85. 00andJoe posted: 09.22.2011 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #82 owner: Pat MacDonald 86. Rusty posted: 05.09.2013 - 9:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Probably the final Nationwide start for Michael Waltrip. 87. DW17 posted: 06.08.2013 - 11:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) my 2011 aarons 312 winner: joe nemechek. NASCARs stupid winner: kyle busch. NEVER FOR THE REST OF TIME THROW A CAUTION ON THE LAST LAP!!!!!!!!!!!!! 88. Truexfan78 posted: 09.30.2015 - 9:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) I threw tennis balls at the tv when nascar called the caution. soo fixed. wow 89. Windows Millennium Edition posted: 03.13.2016 - 2:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdrew: WD|Danny Efland|07|?|Danny Efland|Chevrolet WD|Dennis Setzer|49|Acredale Vending|Jay Robinson|Chevrolet WD|Brett Rowe|55|Salvation Army/Racing with Jesus|Morgan Shepherd|Chevrolet 90. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 07.18.2016 - 12:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #68 was a Chevrolet http://www.jayski.com/schemes/2011/nationwide/images/07talladega/11-DEGA-68.jpg 91. rm posted: 04.15.2017 - 8:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First caution was for the 4 of Harvick slow on the backstretch, not debris on the backstretch 92. Luke posted: 02.08.2018 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No. 70 was a Dodge as you can see in this picture: http://www.jayski.com/schemes/2011/nationwide/images/07talladega/11-DEGA-70.jpg 93. RaceFanX posted: 12.11.2018 - 9:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @86 You are correct. Michael Waltrip was already a part-time racer at the time of this one, mainly focusing on the plate tracks where he ran so well, and while he continued racing Cup cars through the 2017 Daytona 500 this was his last outing in the Nationwide series. His last ride in the #99 Aaron's "Dream Machine" saw the car given a makeover with a red, orange, and pink paint scheme as part of the company's "Color Your Way to Talladega" coloring contest for children aged 10 and younger. The winning paint scheme was designed by nine-year-old Shelby Miller of Layton, Utah who's prize include an all-expenses paid trip to Talladega to see Waltrip run the car in this race. 94. averageracingfan posted: 09.02.2020 - 1:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) previously, the most lead changes in an xfinity series race was 36. this race had 56. can you believe that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: