|| *Comments on the 2012 Bashas' Supermarkets 200:* View the most recent comment <#85> | Post a comment <#post> 1. 12345Dude posted: 03.03.2012 - 7:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Predicted before the season cup guys would stop dominating this series! Nationwide regulars are 2 for 2. 2. Danica Fan posted: 03.03.2012 - 7:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Waaa! JR Motorsports gave Danica a bad car. 3. 18fan posted: 03.03.2012 - 7:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 6 Nationwide regulars in the top 10 in a companion race. Plus the fact that there were only 6 Cup drivers in the field, it is only looking up for the Nationwide series, which Brad Keselowski pointed out in his post-race interview. 4. JP88 posted: 03.03.2012 - 7:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Congrats to Sadler, race had a good finish. Glad to see 2 for 2 with Cup Drivers getting shut-out Also glad ESPN mentioned Casey Roderick, 17th and a lead lap finish is a very underfunded car, great job from the kid. And onto Danica...I wanna see her succeed but not when she makes it where you can't root for her. They didn't say it so I am assuming, but the way they showed her walking away, she brushed off an interview. After her crap with Whitt last week, I could care less, and I'm glad ESPN didn't show her very much today. 5. AlmirolaFan51/88/43 posted: 03.03.2012 - 7:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Joe Nemechek sits 10th in points. With 2 DNF's. 6. 10andJoe posted: 03.03.2012 - 7:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #18 sponsor: GameStop / Mass Effect 3 #74 sponsor: Koma Unwind / American Fallen Heroes 7. 10andJoe posted: 03.03.2012 - 7:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last time Buschwhackers weren't 2-for-2 after two races: 2002 Last time Buschwhackers were 0-for-2 after two races: 2001 Was the #28 actually fielded by Jennifer Jo Cobb's team? That looked a lot like one of their Dodges. 8. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.03.2012 - 7:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like the start of another RCR NWide dynasty. 9. Nobody Cares After 2 Races posted: 03.03.2012 - 7:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Who would have thought...Benny Gordon and Eric McClure are ahead of Danica in the points! 10. myothercarisanM535i posted: 03.03.2012 - 7:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Only 3 cautions, nice! Were the two for debris legit? 11. RaceFanX posted: 03.03.2012 - 8:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Elliott Sadler scores his first Busch/Nationwide win since the fall of 1998 at Rockingham 12. Brad24 posted: 03.03.2012 - 8:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great to see Elliott Sadler win in the NNS again. Even better to know that the Cup guys are 0 for 2 so far in NNS races. 0-1-1 13. 10andJoe posted: 03.03.2012 - 8:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Were the two for debris legit?" Pierre deBris says "probably not". 14. ch posted: 03.03.2012 - 8:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor changes for 40/42/46/47.should be The Motorsports Group, the new team name. Danica is only beating 4 other drivers who have raced in both races so far, one of which is Jeff Green! Yes it's including her wreck, but still. 15. Brad posted: 03.03.2012 - 8:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It very rarely works out for Harvick when he dominates. He just needs to stick with sneeking up there at the end of the race. Congratulations to Sadler though. Its been a long time coming! Keep it within RCR 16. irony posted: 03.03.2012 - 8:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've seen better races. The only entertainment I had was making lame jokes when Danica was racing Jamie Dick. 17. JP88 posted: 03.03.2012 - 8:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Another thing...what a joke of Curtis Key Motorsports...I mean come one, if you can't run 2 teams full-time, I guess field 4 and collect...what a joke! 18. The Great Dave posted: 03.03.2012 - 8:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor Corrections #2 OneMain Financial of Tuscon,AZ #3 Advocare / American Ethonal #09 RAB Racing / American Ethonal #18 GameStop / Mass Effect 3 (As mentioned Above) #31 Brandt / Monterey #41 Rise Up and Register / Wendell Scott Tribute #50 TPT / Gulf Coast Loss Prevention / Liberty Mulch #60 Ford Eco Boost / Ford Fusion #54 Monster Energy / GT / Fry's #74 Koma Unwind / American Fallen Heroes (As Mentioned Above) #81 American Majority Racing / Pledgetovote.com 19. AlmirolaFan51/88/43 posted: 03.03.2012 - 8:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah I never quite understood why it takes 3 cars to fund 1. Sad thing is all The Motorsports group drivers aren't your average parkers. (Ex: Johnny Chapman) Scott Speed & Erik Darnell have 3 truck wins between them. Josh Wise has driven for MWR and JR Motorsports. Chase Miller was a former GEM development driver. At least they take turns driving the #40. That seems like their plan. 20. cjs3872 posted: 03.03.2012 - 8:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, this race wasn't the most exciting in history. Other than Trevor Bayne's unlikely charge (especially for him) from the third row to second place in the first half lap and taking the lead from Denny Hamlin on the fifth lap (Hamlin retook the lead on the ninth lap) in what might be his next-to-last race for Jack Roush (he finished seventh in a car with a R&D pit crew), this race had very little to be excited about, in terms of the actual racing, though it was nice to see Elliott Sadler in victory lane. And by the way, is anyone else suspicious of what happened between Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon on the last lap, because I sure am, and I'm not a conspiracy theorist. It sure looked to me like Kevin Harvick moved over for Dillon much like teamate Jeff Burton did for Tony Stewart on the last lap of last year's fall Cup race at Phoenix. And by the way, what is it about Phoenix and long dry spells ending there, but Sadler ended another today. Long dry spells ended in five of the last six Cup races, including the last four, as in the last three years, Mark Martin (spring 2009), Ryan Newman (spring 2010), Carl Edwards (fall 2010), Jeff Gordon (spring 2011), and Kasey Kahne (fall 2011) have all ended long dry spells there in just the last three years. Add to that the fact the Rusty Wallace ended a nearly two-year long dry spell there in 1998 (in the rain, no less), and there's a long history of long dry spells ending there. And let's not forget that it was at Phoenix in 1996 that the #43 car, with Bobby Hamilton, Sr. driving at the time, went to victory lane for the first time in nearly 12 and a half years (the 1984 Firecracker 400), and the first time in over 13 years (the 1983 National 500 at Charlotte) that a Petty Enterprises car won a race. 21. ch posted: 03.03.2012 - 8:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well the 4 drivers at The Motorsports Group all rotate out of the full time car, so at least they get to race some as a part of this deal. Wise had a great run at Daytona, and Darnell had a solid run going until they got out of sequence on pit stops, which caused them to get caught quite a few laps down since its such a short track. 22. 10andJoe posted: 03.03.2012 - 8:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That's "Ethanol", not "Ethonal". ;) 23. 10andJoe posted: 03.03.2012 - 9:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Since we'd otherwise have short fields, I don't mind Key's field-fillers. 24. Bronco posted: 03.03.2012 - 9:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Four of the last five NNS races have been won by series regulars. For Bayne, Hornish and Buescher it was their first win in the series. Sadler's win may be a record for longest time between NNS wins. Scott Speed doing start and parks, lol. 25. 10andJoe posted: 03.03.2012 - 9:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ It pays the bills. 26. 10andJoe posted: 03.03.2012 - 9:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #27 owner: Steve Meehan 27. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.03.2012 - 9:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The fact is they are rushing Danica way too soon. She doesn't even need to be thinking about Cup right now let alone running 10 races. She ran with and behind, and finished with and behind cars with FAR less funding than her. I blame GoDaddy for pushing her way too fast and of course The Princess herself for demanding the spotlight. Also, Dale Jr and Kelley really need to sit her down and explain the Cole Whitt situation to her. They need to explain he was trying to help and made the same mistake just about everyone has made in tandem drafting. They need to explain that she needs him as a teammate to share ideas and info with, and not to start buying her own press. The sport does NOT need her, she is not the queen bee. She has accomplished nothing. 28. Watto posted: 03.03.2012 - 9:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I thought it was great to see Elliott Sadler back in victory lane. He's always come across as one of the "good guys", a classy dude. Harvick looked like the car to beat until strategy played a part. Solid run for Casey Roderick with sure an underfunded organization. Also worth mentioning that Mike Bliss is a seriously underrated drivers. The TriStar team is truly an underdog, and he seems to get the most of his car. There aren't many drivers that could make the most of iffy equipment the way he does. Nemechek broke with a few laps to go, listed as "throttle". Also, Danica's performance is a little embarrassing at "driver tracks" at this point. There's no reason a JRM car that is undamaged and mechanically sound should be getting outran by the likes of Randy MacDonald's 81. It's embarrassing that she was competing with Go Green Racing, Jamie Dick, and Clements Racing given how far and beyond her car is to them. That's not a slight against drivers like Jason Bowles or Jeremy Clements or anything. I mean it as more of a complement, that they can overcome their equipment compared to the 7. Some drivers make the most of what they have, and some not so much. I'm sure Danica will get better, but the question is... how much better? What is her talent wall? TBD, I guess. 29. Rusty posted: 03.03.2012 - 9:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kevin Harvick led the most laps, but the decision to go for four tires cost him the race as track position prevailed. Kasey Kahne had a car good enough to win, but his pit crew kept losing him spots every time and he had a hard time making it all up until he finally hit the wall late in the race. Denny Hamlin's team went for a two tire change at the end, opting to change the left side tires. Incredibly odd. Denny pretty much threw his young crew chief under the bus for it after the race. This race was boring until the very end with Brad trying to catch Sadler. It is about time he actually wins in this series since he returns. 30. Watto posted: 03.03.2012 - 9:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) youll have to excuse my typos, lol surely* an underfunded organization underrated driver* 31. Jarrett88fan posted: 03.03.2012 - 10:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 2012 is working out to be a very beneficial year for Elliott Sadler and RCR's Nationwide program. Boy, do we have a potential fight for the NNS title or what with Sadler, Stenhouse and Dillon? It seems Danica isn't comfortable on tight, technical race tracks similar to Kasey Kahne, but I believe Kahne has taken strides in bettering himself on driver's tracks with narrower grooves as evidenced by his '11 Cup win at Phoenix. Congrats to Elliott, Luke Lambert and the entire #2 team on an excellent performance. I've always liked Elliott going back to his improbable Bristol Cup win in 2001, "bologna burgers" and as Dale Jarrett's teammate. 32. Jarrett88fan posted: 03.03.2012 - 10:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wonder if Elliott will eat a few bologna burgers to celebrate a win? 33. Kyle posted: 03.03.2012 - 10:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) i forget who said that they were six cup drivers in this race, but there were actually seven. j.j. yeley is a cup driver (well, earning cup points anyway) but since he start and parked i understand if he isn't including in the same catagory as the other cup drivers in this race like hamlin, kahne, harvick, etc. from what i've heard about key motorsports, darnell and miller will be doing all of the driving in the #40 because wise and speed both have cup rides and miller and darnell don't. 34. ch posted: 03.03.2012 - 10:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle, Wise ran for The Motorsports Group at Daytona and will probably run a few more throughout the season. 35. Watto posted: 03.03.2012 - 10:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "It seems Danica isn't comfortable on tight, technical race tracks similar to Kasey Kahne, but I believe Kahne has taken strides in bettering himself on driver's tracks with narrower grooves as evidenced by his '11 Cup win at Phoenix." I've always been a little puzzled by that thought about Kahne. You're certainly not the only guy to say that about him, but it's probably an exaggerated reputation being that he racked up a number of wins with a strong cookie cutter program a few years back. Kahne finished 5th his first trip to Phoenix in a Cup car. He had 3 top 10s in his first 5 Phoenix Cup starts. He was top 10 often at Loudon right from the start. It's not like he had some real weakness with short tracks or narrow tracks or flat tracks that he needed to work out. Kasey is a pretty versatile driver, IMO. He's been good at Darlington and that's about as narrow of a groove as you can get. Heck, his first win was at Richmond... 36. cjs3872 posted: 03.03.2012 - 10:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Watto, the thing about Kasey isn't that he isn't versatile. Wins at Pocono and Sonoma prove he is. I just believe that he's a bit gunshy about poking his nose in at the tighter tracks, which is why he struggles at short tracks, as well as the restrictor plate tracks. He just isn't comfortable racing in tight quarters, and never has been, which is why he was the perfect protege for Bill Elliott, because he has exactly the same strengths and weaknesses that Elliott had as a driver. He's a great qualifier and is a dominant force when put on an open track with lots of space to operate, but also struggles at short tracks and restrictor plate tracks for the sane reason Elliott did, and that's the lack of willingness to pull the trigger in tight quarters. You mention that his first win was at Richmond, but he was in front for practically the whole race. Remember that he should also have won at Bristol in the first Cup race after the track was reconfigured in 2007, but his lack of aggression in traffic cost him as Carl Edwards used that to his advantage to get Kahne, and Kahne never got in front again that night. Remember that for all his success, Elliott only won two short track races, and short tracks undid his champoionship hopes in both 1985 and 1992, because that is where he struggled badly due to his lack of agression, as well as being uncomfortable racing in tight quarters. That's why I don't think Kahne will be the huge success at Hendrick that everyone seems to think he'll be. 37. OldSchoolNascarDude1 posted: 03.04.2012 - 12:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Based off his very short tenure as a Sprint Cup, and now a Nationwide crew chief, Luke Lambert looks to be the real deal. He may be the next "big thing" for Nascar crew chiefs. 38. Daniel posted: 03.04.2012 - 1:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #7, That was probably an old Derrike Cope Dodge. I know last year when he ran for Jay Robinson, the Dodges were his own cars. Since he's switched to Chevy this year, Robinson probably kept one or two of the old Dodge cars. That's just a guess though. 39. Rob posted: 03.04.2012 - 1:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) How does it make any sense to field 3 cars to fund one???? How arent they loosing money???????? 40. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 03.04.2012 - 2:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Like I have been saying all along about Princess Danica, Cup shouldn't even be in the discussion for her right now but JRM and GoDaddy are mostly to blame for this, as they are only interested in her because of the sponsorship money she brings in, therefore they couldn't give a rat's ass about developing her the right way. So far Sadler seems to be a good fit for RCR. Sure, he's pretty much had a bad Cup career but he does have the potential to be a solid Nationwide driver, a la Jason Keller, Randy LaJoie (except Sadler won races early in his Cup career while Keller and LaJoie never did so). 41. 10andJoe posted: 03.04.2012 - 3:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "How does it make any sense to field 3 cars to fund one???? How arent they loosing money????????" The catch is you're not fielding an extra 3 cars to fund one. You're start-and-parking an extra 3 cars to fund one full-race car. If you're going to be at the race -anyway-, the amount of extra money to field cars 2, 3 and 4 is not as much as 1, because you already have most of the equipment. Really, you only need a S&P driver and two sets of tires per car, really. (Plus, presumably, an extra trailer for cars 3 and 4, assuming car 2 is "in reality" car 1's backup car.) With each of those "extra" cars bringing in a ~$10,000 check - hence, in Key's case, an extra $30,000 per race - that quickly S&P, for all the fire and brimstone thrown at it, makes economic sense for the teams (assuming, of course, that you qualify). And for the drivers, it keeps your name "out there" - unless you're a Big Name, you fall off the grid PDQ if you start skipping race weekends. The cash keeps food on the table, and there's a chance that you Might, Just Might, Get That Big Break. Just ask Tommy Baldwin and Landon Cassill. 42. 10andJoe posted: 03.04.2012 - 3:43 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Like I have been saying all along about Princess Danica, Cup shouldn't even be in the discussion for her right now but JRM and GoDaddy are mostly to blame for this, as they are only interested in her because of the sponsorship money she brings in, therefore they couldn't give a rat's ass about developing her the right way." I recently created the term "Ward Burtoning" to describe a driver who, out of a well-meaning but misplaced sense of loyalty, torpedoes his career propects. Henceforce, "Kenny Irwining" is the process of torpedoing a driver's career by Rushing Up A Sure Thing far ahead of when they -should- be moved up in the ranks. To wit: Danica is being Kenny Irwin'd. 43. 10andJoe posted: 03.04.2012 - 3:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) (appending to the above: Kenny Irwin'd with a side dish of Franchitti'd. to "Franchitti": to rush a driver who excelled at the top of a different form of racing up to Cup without seasoning them in a stock car feeder series first, because after all, they did great in [insert open-wheel series here], they're ready!) 44. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.04.2012 - 5:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Joey Logano has definitely been Irwin'ed and Franchitti'ed. The difference between those guys and Team Danica is that on track success isn't really a must for The Danica Hype Machine. Kinda like Junior. 45. TheTruthâ?¢ posted: 03.04.2012 - 8:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Like I have been saying all along about Princess Danica, Cup shouldn't even be in the discussion for her right now but JRM and GoDaddy are mostly to blame for this, as they are only interested in her because of the sponsorship money she brings in, therefore they couldn't give a rat's ass about developing her the right way." I'm pretty sure JRM is developing her about as best as they can for their own program, and I have no idea why you'd include them as part of the blame for her attempt to rush to Cup. JRM doesn't gain anything out of Danica running races for Stewart Haas. Maybe you should blame Danica for thinking she's a Cup quality driver. Maybe GoDaddy is pushing for her to be in Cup with the "big boys". But I wouldn't blame JRM, as they have no vested interest in shoving Danica into Cup. They'd rather keep her butt in that 7 for as long as they can. 46. DieselDan posted: 03.04.2012 - 8:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nationwide drivers are 1 for 2, as Buescher is a Truck regular. 47. cjs3872 posted: 03.04.2012 - 9:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 10andJoe, there's another driver you should add to those you say were rushed into Cup way too fast, before even Kenny Irwin, Jr. (who wasn't that good to begin with, much like Danica Patrick) and Joey Logano (who's ride may be on the line this year), and that's legendary sprint car driver Steve Kinser, who without any seasoning in stock car racing at all, except for the IROC series, which didn't give a driver a true sense of what stock car racing really is, was put in the Cup series in 1995, and Kinser, the greatest sprint car driver of them all, was a complete flop and only lasted seven races in Kenny Bernstein's #26 car. And remember the thing with Dario Franchitti was that, although I didn't think he was going to be very good in stock cars, either, the combination of sponsorship problems and a broken foot from an accident at a Nationwide Series race at Talladega, cost him even the chance to show what he could have done in a stock car. But also, within a year, Ganassi also had to release Bryan Clauson, a young talent from the USAC ranks who Ganassi had signed to a driver development deal, for the exact same reason, lack of sponsorship. And Ganassi was very high on him, just as he now seems to be on another prodigy from the USAC ranks, Kyle Larson. By the way, I predict Larson's situation will end the same way that Clauson's did. 48. ch posted: 03.04.2012 - 10:00 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor Corrections: 24 - SI2 Motorsports 40 - The Motorsports Group 42 - The Motorsports Group 46 - The Motorsports Group 47 - The Motorsports Group 49. 10andJoe posted: 03.04.2012 - 12:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs3872 - Good point. I'd almost forgotten him. Maybe instead of "Franchitti'd", the "Sure Thing From Another Series syndrome" should be "Kinsering"... 50. 10andJoe posted: 03.04.2012 - 12:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs3872 - Good point. I'd almost forgotten him. Maybe instead of "Franchitti'd", the "Sure Thing From Another Series syndrome" should be "Kinsering"... 51. 10andJoe posted: 03.04.2012 - 12:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ sorry for the double post. Server lag. Noticed some sponsors were fixed in the results, but this was missed: #74 - Koma Unwind / American Fallen Heroes "Koma", not "Coma". (Funny misspelling though!) 52. ch posted: 03.04.2012 - 12:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is it really necessary to list EVERY sponsor that has a logo on the car? Like on the 54, RaceTrac and Fry's are just small associate sponsors. And the 2 car really could be just OneMain Financial. And the 09 was blank execpt for a TINY American Ethanol logo, so... 2 - OneMain Financial 54 - Monster Energy 87 - AM FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves (All one sponsor) 09 - RAB Racing (A.E. was hardly on the car) 53. 10andJoe posted: 03.04.2012 - 1:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ I agree; I only list those that are most prominent. Which is how it should be. 54. 10andJoe posted: 03.04.2012 - 1:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^^ so, in addition to those listed by CH, these should be: #3 - Advocare #60 - Ford EcoBoost and the 74 as mentioned before 55. Sean posted: 03.04.2012 - 1:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "to "Franchitti": to rush a driver who excelled at the top of a different form of racing up to Cup" Yeah, except Danica never excelled at IndyCar. JV was an F1/CART champion. Montoya was an F1 star/CART champion. Hornish and Franchitti were IRL champions. Allmendinger fought for a Champ Car championship. Danica's even on a lower level than Christian Fittipaldi and Patrick Carpentier (although they were mediocre in CART too, they still won and contended more often against a deeper field). Scott Speed is I think the closest open-wheel comparison I can make here, since I feel he was mediocre in everything and just hyped to oblivion because of the novelty of him being an American driver (because Red Bull wanted to bring an American to Formula One at all costs, regardless of how worthy he was). We've seen how Speed has done in Cup (made worthless Brian Vickers look like a superstar), and I pretty much expect the same out of Danica. "Henceforce, "Kenny Irwining" is the process of torpedoing a driver's career by Rushing Up A Sure Thing far ahead of when they -should- be moved up in the ranks." I'm not sold on Irwin being a "sure thing" either, and would probably rather use Casey Atwood as the example of this. 56. 10andJoe posted: 03.04.2012 - 1:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Irwin was REALLY sold as The Next Big Thing, The Next Jeff Gordon, And Driving Davey Allison's Car, Too! back in '97 His qualfying David Blair's car on the outside pole at Richmond in his very first Cup race didn't help. And he'd had just ONE year in Trucks before being booted up to drive the black 28. Atwood, on the other hand, had spent two and a half years in Busch before moving up; IIRC the problem was more that Evernham decided to give him the boot after just one season (being demoted to Jim Smith's 7 car, no wonder he stunk in 2002). To be Casey Atwooded would be for the car owner to decide you're not worth it prematurely. 57. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.04.2012 - 3:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You guys are right, there are different levels of improperly developing drivers. Franchitti'ed: Could also be called Hornish'ed. As 10AndJoe said, pushing somebody who was successful in another discipline assuming they will just pick up the new form. Good call cjs on Kinser. He was here and gone so fast he has practically been forgotten. Its tough to see people who were so successful in one form struggle badly in another form. Like watching Michael Jordan trying to play baseball. Btw, was Cale Yarborough "Franchitti'ed" in Indy Car in the early 70s? Irwin'ed: Being sold without a shadow of a doubt you are the next Jeff Gordon. Casey Atwood and Joey Logano immediately come to mind. Driver to watch who looks like he may be Irwin'ed in the future: Chase Elliott. Talented and already being highly touted at 16. Hopefully Hendrick is careful with him. Moroso'ed: Where your family has the money and they are interested in pushing you up the ladder no matter what. Examples: Steve Wallace, Shane Hmiel, and Ricky Hendrick (jeez, feel bad about picking on deceased drivers). Earnhardt'ed: To be given an elite Cup ride as your first full time ride despite limited lower level NASCAR success, something most people initially agree is a mistake, only they wind up not only winning more races than anyone expected, but they win championships. Other examples: Gordon and Stewart. 58. Anonymous posted: 03.04.2012 - 3:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I hope guys like Eric McClure and Blake Koch somehow finish ahead of Danica in points. It won't happen, but stranger things have happened. 59. 1995z71 posted: 03.04.2012 - 6:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Waaa! JR Motorsports gave Danica a bad car." ROFL!! I really hope your joking 60. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 03.04.2012 - 6:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wouldn't compare Danica to drivers like Kenny Irwin, Casey Atwood, Joey Logano, etc. All those other drivers that have been mentioned for the "Irwin'ed" category had high expectations to live up to entering Cup, and none of them lived/are living up to them. Irwin and Atwood were proclaimed as one of those "next Jeff Gordons", and were forgotten about once people realized they likely wouldn't live up to what they thought. Danica? She's barely had any expectations because everyone knew she didn't have stock car experience going into NASCAR. 61. TheTruthâ?¢ posted: 03.04.2012 - 6:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "By the way, I predict Larson's situation will end the same way that Clauson's did." If he's not any better than Clauson, probably... and I think the biggest reason is that Clauson just isn't a Cup-level talent. Although maybe age was a factor, Clauson was really unimpressive in Ganassi cars. Usually a talent that will really "make it" will come in and put together solid runs almost immediately. Clauson's potential didn't appear to be all that high. Dario outperformed him pretty significantly in his Nationwide races. 62. 10andJoe posted: 03.04.2012 - 7:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Danica? She's barely had any expectations because everyone knew she didn't have stock car experience going into NASCAR." Are you kidding? The media, at least, has blown her expectations to the stratosphere ever since she arrived in IndyCars, and her (lack of significant) performance there did not burst the bubble one iota. She won't get away with running 25th-35th in NASCAR for very long though before the Empress' outfit starts getting carefully examined. 63. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 03.04.2012 - 10:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Are you kidding? The media, at least, has blown her expectations to the stratosphere ever since she arrived in IndyCars, and her (lack of significant) performance there did not burst the bubble one iota." I'm only going off of the expectations she recieved entering NASCAR, and they weren't "light the world on fire" expectations like Irwin, Atwood and Logano recieved. Heck, when she gets a finish around 13th-25th, the media goes, "What a great day for Danica, she logged laps and finished the race, getting valuable experience." 64. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 03.04.2012 - 11:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ I should also mention that the "logging laps and finishing the race" mostly went on in 2010, as well as last year. Now that she is full-time, that definitely won't be thrown around a lot longer, or I would like to imagine so. 65. irony posted: 03.04.2012 - 11:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No one should of had any expectations at all for Danica. If anything Danica has exceeded my expectations to this point. A top 5 finish in her 16th start and a chance to win at Daytona last July. She was an average IndyCar driver and occasional contender to win. She turned into pure garbage at the road courses as the level of competition improved. Make no mistake, IndyCar drivers are better road racers than NASCAR drivers are. These flat tracks will probably be her new road courses, with tracks like Bristol and Darlington being wild cards. She could and I think will match her IndyCar ability in Nationwide. She'll probably never be of Cup caliber, but that would make her just one of many in Cup who shouldn't be. Paul Menard is arguably one of them and he just won the frickin' Brickyard 400. 66. 10andJoe posted: 03.05.2012 - 1:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Trust me, if things were rational, we'd be going "yup, as expected, she'll get better." But to the media, SHE is the greatest thing since sliced bread, not Joey. 67. palo_s posted: 03.05.2012 - 1:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #63 Danica have two problems - short tracks and loosing car.. Both problems in one race = hard day.. 68. Neal posted: 03.05.2012 - 2:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica can't drive an ill-handling car at all. Right now she's the female equivalent of Junior and Michael Waltrip. Runs decent at 2+ mile superspeedways, but looks like crap on tracks where handling is a premium. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she finishes multiple laps down in a majority of her starts this year. 69. irony posted: 03.05.2012 - 3:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jr does still run good at Martinsville. That's a driver's track if there ever was one. But yeah. At least Danica was frustrated about her performance this weekend. Jr just doesn't care. 70. Rusty posted: 03.05.2012 - 1:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I originally criticized NASCAR's rule change of not letting Cup drivers be eligible for points in this series because I didn't think it would fix the problem of Cup guys winning every week. At first, the change didn't get results but we are finally starting to see the plan work. Carl Edwards has FINALLY stepped out of the series (though I have a hard time believing he'll stay away for the whole year, we'll see him back in a Nationwide car at some point), Kyle Busch is running a limited schedule and same with Harvick. I also think Brad is slowly working his way out of the #22 ride and easing Parker Kligerman in. It seems like Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Kurt Busch will be the only Cup guys running a lot of Nationwide races this year. The door will open for a lot more drivers now. So props to NASCAR because it is slowly but surely putting this series back on track. There is still one big problem with the series though. There is just way too many companion events. Tracks like Nashville, Gateway, IRP, Pikes Peak, Nazareth, Milwaukee, etc. are no longer on the schedule and Kentucky has become a Cup track. We pretty much only have the two Iowa dates along with Road America and Montreal as the only non Cup tracks on the schedule. I think we need to start finding more Nationwide and Truck only tracks, but NASCAR profits from having a Saturday event at Cup weekends so it just won't happen. 71. Rusty posted: 03.05.2012 - 4:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Entry list for Las Vegas is out. Mark Martin is in the #18, the #20 team is oddly not entered and Brendan Gaughan is in the #33. 72. 10andJoe posted: 03.05.2012 - 9:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rusty - I still believe the best option would be not to let drivers in the top 35 in Cup points run other national series on the same weekend they're entered in the cup race - or, alternatively, top-35 Cup drivers don't get the guaranteed starting positions. But I do have to agree that the weeding out of Buschwhackers is a good thing...as long as they don't take all the sponsors with them.* (* According to Kyle Busch, he tried hard to get sponsors to sign on for his Truck and Nationwide programs with development drivers, but none of them would do it - they all wanted him.) And I completely agree that we need to start getting some of the "classic" tracks back on the schedule; Nashville USA, Milwakuee, IRP (whoever decided moving the Busch race to IMS and taking the Truck race away completely needs to be taken out behind the woodshed where we can BEAT THEM WITH CANES), Memphis, etc. need to be brought back ASAP. And can anyone else say "Bring Nationwide to The Rock in 2013"? 73. cjs3872 posted: 03.06.2012 - 8:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 10andJoe, the problem with bringing some of those "classic" tracks like the old Nashville, the Milwaukee Mile, and IRP back to the Nationwide schedule is this. Those tracks are/were all antiquated and past their time. The old Nashville closed down a long time ago, the Milwaukee Mile is even having trouble getting IndyCar races, and that's been a hot bed for IndyCar racing for more than a century. In fact, if not for Michael Andretti, there wouldn't be an IndyCar race there this year, and that was always a terrible track for stock cars, anyway. And while the track at IRP is very good and raceable, everything else there is, and always has been terrible. In fact, a good crowd there would be 15,000 people, and the facilities there have never been up to par to what NASCAR wants and needs for a national touring series, especially it's second and third highest national touring series. In fact, and I said it last year when the decision to move the Nationwide Series race from IRP to IMS was made that they should have moved the Nationwide and Truck series races from IRP to the big speedway a decade ago, if not longer, and a big reason they didn't was that Tony George didn't want them to, because he valued the races at IRP and didn't, at that time, want the lower divisions racing at IMS. 74. Talon64 posted: 03.06.2012 - 7:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Elliott Sadler picks up his 6th career Nationwide Series win and first since 1998 at Rockingham. It's his first win at Phoenix and just his 2nd top 5 & top 10 in 7 starts, his first being a runner-up in 2005 driving for Robert Yates Racing (15.4 avg fin). Brad Keselowski starts his NNS season with back-to-back runner-up finishes to non-Cup drivers (12 career runner-up finishes). It's his 2nd straight runner-up finish at Phoenix and 6th top 5 in his last 7 starts there. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has top 10's in all 5 of his Phoenix starts, including back-to-back top 5's (6.6 avg fin). Austin Dillon was the highest finishing rookie in the race with his 2nd straight top 5 to start 2012. It's his 3rd straight top 10 at Phoenix between Nationwide and Trucks. Kevin Harvick led a race-high 107 laps, the 22nd time in 278 starts he's led 100+ laps in a race and the first time since Richmond in September of 2010. It's his 15th top 5 at Phoenix, his most at any track, in 19 starts (1 win, 7.0 avg fin). Phoenix becomes the 1st track that Sam Hornish Jr. has multiple top 10's at, his 2nd straight there which follows up last November's win. Trevor Bayne picks up his 2nd straight top 10 at Phoenix, but they're his only top 10's in 6 Phoenix starts (17.3 avg fin). Joey Logano gets his 70th top 10 in 90 career NNS starts (7.6 avg fin). But it's his 7th top 10 in 7 Phoenix starts (3 top 5's, 6.4 avg fin). Denny Hamlin earned his 16th career Nationwide Series pole and first since 2010 at Darlington (won from pole). It's his 75th top 10 in 130 career NNS starts, and 6th top 10 in 10 Phoenix starts (12.0 avg fin). Michael Annett picks up just his 14th top 10 in 107 career NNS starts, and 2nd in 7 Phoenix starts (18.0 avg fin). Casey Roderick finishes in the top 20 for the first time in 5 career NNS starts. 75. MartinFan5 posted: 03.07.2012 - 9:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica Patrick Sucks. She doesnt know how to race in nascar. She think that it should be her way or the high way becuase of her good looks. Just because she is good looking doesnt mean she is a good driver Hell, She's back there racing with drivers like Benny Gordon,Joey Gase,Jamie Dick. That isn't good GO BACK TO INDYCAR WOMEN By the way Great job Elliott Sadler Good to see a nationwide driver win again Also, I hate to see drivers like Speed,Darnell,Yeley,Miller,Koch,and Wise have to run for start &Park teams. Because to my opineon, I think all of them are good drivers who need a change to drive for a good team Like RCR or Roush 76. MartinFan5 posted: 03.07.2012 - 9:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I meant start & park teams and underfunded teams 77. cjs3872 posted: 03.07.2012 - 9:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well MartinFan5, I hate to break it to you, but Erik Darnell DID drive for Jack Roush, and was another victim of his driver development charade, which may get another member to the casualties list in Trevor Bayne, if sponsorship doesn't come soon. Now we don't know what Blake Koch may be capable of, and we know Josh Wise is pretty much a tenth-place driver when in good equipment, but not a driver capable of winning, as he demonstrated last year when he drove for Dale Earnhardt, Jr., so we know Wise is serviceable. However, the others you listed were complete busts when given an opportunity, none moreso than J.J. Yeley, who couldn't cut in either IndyCar or NASCAR, despite being with top-of-the-line teams in each. Chase Miller was not very competitve when Ray Evernham tried a driver development deal with him (in fairness to Miller, his opportunity was shorter due to the financial problems that Evernham's team eventually ran in to), and Scott Speed, while not on the level of Yeley, was also a bust. 78. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.08.2012 - 4:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "And can anyone else say "Bring Nationwide to The Rock in 2013"?" Hell Yeah! "Hell, She's back there racing with drivers like Benny Gordon,Joey Gase,Jamie Dick." Although I think your post went overboard in many areas, this is one aspect that really grabbed my attention from this race. She is not a raw stock car rookie anymore. She has 27 starts in NWide, including this very track on this very configuration last year in November. But of the well funded NWide teams (not a very long list) she was dead last. She also finished behind drivers with much less funded teams like Mike Bliss, Casey Roderick, Jason Bowles, and Taylor Malsam. Only 9 drivers that were able to run the whole race finished behind her, all of which are on shoestring budgets. I expect a good run from her in Vegas because, due to the NWide rules package, that is one of those tracks where you are practically wide open. The driver means a lot less. 79. Daniel posted: 04.14.2012 - 9:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Out using the fastest 43: #70 Charles Lewandoski In using the fastest 43: #13 Jennifer Jo Cobb 80. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 05.11.2014 - 3:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Owner of the 23 was Corrie Stott. All the 14 races Jamie Dick ran in #23 where owned by Corrie Stott. Stott is still his separate team, R3 is still their own team. They are simply sharing a number since R3 doesn't plan to run the full season. 81. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 05.18.2014 - 5:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Owner of #70 was Jay Robinson. All the races that Johanna Long did not run it was owned by Jay Robinson 82. RWR posted: 04.03.2015 - 11:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdraw update: #15 Rick Ware Racing with Poynt.com, driver unknown. 83. RWR posted: 04.07.2015 - 3:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) * Edit I forgot the #15 initally entered with a Mustang 84. NASCARLover22 posted: 09.07.2015 - 9:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdrew #73 Derrike Cope Sponsor: ? Owner: Derrike Cope Manufacturer: Chevrolet http://www.jayski.com/news/nationwide/2012/story/_/page/2012nns-02phoenix Also, Timmy Hill was in the withdrawn #15 and the manufacturer was a Ford 85. SweetRich posted: 03.10.2020 - 10:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The commentators for the race were Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree with Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Vince Welch on pit road. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: