|| *Comments on the 2012 Feed The Children 300:* View the most recent comment <#75> | Post a comment <#post> 1. David posted: 06.29.2012 - 10:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Let the "Austin Dillon is destined for greatness, that was all him tonight" comments commence. 2. F.U posted: 06.29.2012 - 10:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 1st top five for Michael annett in 4th 3. Rusty posted: 06.29.2012 - 10:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dillon dominated, nobody could touch him in this one. Michael Annett gets his first career top 5 finish, coming home in 4th. It seems ESPN wants to interview Danica after every race no matter where she finishes. 4. F U 2 posted: 06.29.2012 - 10:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) dumbass 5. David posted: 06.29.2012 - 10:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If anyone was offended by my comment, I sincerely apologize (including in advance). 6. F.U posted: 06.29.2012 - 10:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) to F U 2 my name is Frank Utsman?? I know funny ass initials 7. F U 2 posted: 06.29.2012 - 10:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) funny thing my initials are fred unger the second!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you cant make this stuff up!!!!!!! 8. 10andJoe posted: 06.29.2012 - 10:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) One word: ROFLstomp. ===== #08 sponsor: Black Cat Fireworks #39 sponsor: Joy Mining Machinery #42, 47 sponsor: The Motorsports Group 9. 10andJoe posted: 06.29.2012 - 10:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Second caution should probably be '#54, 01 accident turn 4' 10. 1995 Subaru WRX Sti posted: 06.29.2012 - 10:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Austin was going to win one eventually. Congrats Austin. 11. 2006 Volkswagen GTI posted: 06.29.2012 - 11:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Congrats Austin!!!!!!!!!! 12. TheTruthâ?¢ posted: 06.29.2012 - 11:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This just in... Austin Dillon failed tech. Too low in the rear. Expect a penalty Tuesday. 13. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.29.2012 - 11:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 30,000 people would have forgotten to feed their children were it not for this race :) That was an absolute ass beating. Congrats to Austin and his team although it appears there may be a reason why. He seems like a good kid. I just wish they would quit this whole "the #3 is out there being driven so it means something" stuff would end. It is just a number. It has no bearing on the continuation of Dale's legacy. He doesn't even need to be brought up. The broadcast was garbage. Ass kissing Carl was a poor substitute after 3 weeks of a suddenly lively Rusty in the booth. When Kurt dumped the underfuned #01 car he needed a similar chiding like Logano got at Dover. Way too many commercials. And the Danica interview was ridiculous. I hate this track. Scrap it. 14. Dave#38Fan posted: 06.29.2012 - 11:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The #3 failed post-race inspection, will likely face a six point penalty on tuesday, which will knock him back to second in points, 4 behind sadler. 15. 18fan posted: 06.29.2012 - 11:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just noticed that both JGR cars blew up. 16. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 06.29.2012 - 11:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) GREAT SEATS STILL AVAILABLE! 17. Daniel posted: 06.30.2012 - 12:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #72 John Jackson Out using fastest 43: #70 Johanna Long 18. cjs3872 posted: 06.30.2012 - 12:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) One question. If the #3 of Austin Dillon failed technical inspection because his car was too low in the rear, wouldn't that put him at a disadvantage? After all, you would want the rear end of the car higher, not lower. It seems that Austin Dillon dominated with a car that should not have been that good aerodynamically. And as far as the championship picture goes, while everyone, including myself, has been focusing on Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and the RCR duo of Sadler and Dillon, we had all better not lose sight if Sam Hornish, Jr. While the others have had their share of problems, including apparently Dillon in post-race tech tonight, Hornish has been sneaking up in a style eerily similar to Terry Labonte. Hornish is 33 points back, and it would be 31 if Dillon is penalized those six points, though why it would be six is beyond me. It should be either five or ten. In fact, if I was in charge, the penalty for Dillon would not include any loss of championship points, because if the violation in question is true, they did not gain an advantage. If anything, that violation put them at a disadvantage. But while the focus on the title fight is on Stenhouse and the RCR duo, you'd better not lose sight of Hornish, who know how to win championships at hugh levels of racing. After all, you don't win three IndyCar titles in six years just by lucking into it. 19. irony posted: 06.30.2012 - 1:18 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Welcome back Jamie Mosley. One of my favs. 20. Jon posted: 06.30.2012 - 1:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) the lower the car, the less drag. less drag = speed. 21. Paul posted: 06.30.2012 - 2:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) - Austin Dillon delivered a pure ass-kicking in this race after not being a threat to win in the first 14 races this season. He was slow getting to the line on the initial start, but received a push for Hornish going into turn 1 and the rest is history. - All 200 laps were led by Nationwide drivers (Dillon, Annett, Allgaier, Stenhouse). In a race with 4 Cup drivers in top rides, I'm pleasantly surprised. - I didn't realize Kurt got into Mike Wallace and put him into the wall. I wouldn't expect Carl to call anyone out on their driving and risk angering someone for fear of sponsorship backlash. - Great run for Michael Annett. I thought he had something for Harvick late in the race, but nonetheless ran a great race and gets his 1st Nationwide top 5 finish. - Nice quiet runs by Kenny Wallace, Reed Sorenson, and Ryan Blaney on part-time schedules for 2nd/3rd-tier teams. I have a feeling Sorenson's solid finishes in that Biagi Bros. No. 98 car will land him a full-time ride in the Nationwide Series in 2013. - Cole Whitt, Brad Sweet, and Mike Bliss were running 9th, 11th, and 14th, respectively, before they had to make pit stops near the end of the race for fuel. They took the wave around during that 2nd caution and weren't able to re-fuel then. - @Rusty and DSFF: You guys are right on about that Danica interview. It's just sickening that she gets an interview after an uneventful 12th place finish just because her sponsor throws money at ESPN. An interview with Elliott Sadler would've been more appropriate and noteworthy considering the trouble he dealt with all night with his car, not to mention he just lost the point lead (pending penalty). - Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. took no responsibility for his pit road mishap when he slid in too far and at a bad angle; instead blaming Erik Darnell for "sitting on pit road for 3 or 4 laps." I don't know how Darnell's presence on pit road caused Stenhouse to botch his pitstop. If that's the case, perhaps Stenhouse shouldn't pit under caution when everyone else pits so that he has no excuse to f*** up. I still say he's the most undeserving Nationwide Series champion (partly because of Edwards & Busch's dominance last year). You can't blame his performance tonight on the fact he has no Nationwide teammate because this was a driver error. If he can't admit his own mistakes as the defending champion, then he's taken a step back from last year. - Jamie Mosley made his 1st Nationwide start since 2007, back when it was still the Busch Series. So technically, this was his first Nationwide start. - Tough break for Brian Scott. He was in position for his 4th straight top ten finish (which would've extended his career best streak) before his motor let go in the late stages of the race. His teammate Denny Hamlin also had an engine blow up and fellow Toyota driver Kurt Busch had some mechanical problems occur near the end, but still finished 2nd. Not a good night for Toyota, considering their top 3 cars all had mechanical problems. - Two crew members were injured: The No. 38 car's gasman suffered a compound fracture in his hand while trying to hold onto the warwagon during the windstorm before the race, and the No. 6 car's jackman injured his knee while jumping over the front tire changer during a pitstop. - This broadcast was terrible. While I was happy Austin Dillon was dominating throughout the race, I was just waiting for the race to be over with. It may sound crazy, but I missed Rusty in the booth. At least with him calling races this season you have a chance for an announcer to speak his mind and call drivers on their mistakes or give shout-outs to lesser-known drivers having good runs (i.e Jeremy Clements at Dover). Carl added nothing to the broadcast and kept referring to himself throughout the broadcast, which was too much D-Dubbya for me to listen to. The cameras focused on the same cars the entire race, and the finish was awful compared to the Truck race last night. SPEED focused on the battles for 2nd, 5th, 9th and 11th, plus they updated us on where then-point leader Justin Lofton was running near the end after getting caught up in an accident earlier, all in the final 20-30 laps. ESPN, on the other hand, spent the last 30 laps just following Austin Dillon around, ignoring all the battles on the track and hyping up the continued legacy of the No. 3 car. - @DSFF: Once again, I completely agree with you. When I look at the current No. 3, I don't think of Dale Earnhardt and the legacy he left behind, I only think about Austin Dillon because he currently drives that car. No goosebumps run through my arms when I see the No. 3 car on the track; it's just a number. No one looks at Marcos Ambrose car and thinks of Bill Elliott and the success he had in the No. 9 car. To say Austin's carrying on the legacy of Richard Childress Racing is one thing because it's a team sport and all teams depend on their drivers to get results. It's another thing to say he's carrying on the legacy of the number 3. The number didn't make Dale and Dale didn't make the number. It didn't matter if his number was 3, 4, 00, or 57. All that mattered was that you were watching out for the [Dale's number] car each and every time he raced. Perhaps we will feel that way about Austin one day, but it shouldn't be because he drives the No. 3 car. 22. Spen posted: 06.30.2012 - 2:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cjs: "though why it would be six is beyond me" Because in terms of damage done, six points is equal to the old 25 point penalty. Under the old system, he'd have gotten 195 points for winning this race, and the penalty would give him 170, same as if he'd finished second with no bonus points. Under this system, he got 48 points, and taking away six gives him 42, same as if he'd finished second. 23. Ivan Balakhonov posted: 06.30.2012 - 2:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Can somebody please explain why lower rear end of the car can result either in getting advantage or disadvantage? I remember in 2007 Carl Edwards was penalized after winning in Dover for having right rear being low and Roush Racing claimed that this was performance disadvantage. In case of Dillon, if I understand properly, tech inspection found that height is not within the limits on both sides of the car. What difference does it make if in one case your car goes slower (Carl) and faster in another (Austin, if this is really true)? 24. Philip James posted: 06.30.2012 - 2:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) For those bitchers about Danica.... well, as soon as some of the other drivers you just love to want to be interviewed can bring $20 million in sponsorship spending throughout the NASCAR system, and can be partly responsible for generating higher viewership numbers for TV which brings more money.... then those drivers can be interviewed and talked to just as much as Danica. Oh, and by the way.... she's a friggin woman in case you didn't notice. The only one that matters... regardless of what you think of the other women in racing. For all your crying and whining, the simple fact is she has huge recognition across all demographics and brings more money to ALL the drivers and teams because MORE people watch. And screw off with the crying that your favorite doesn't have as good equipment as Dancia. The simple fact is that there are some really good male drivers who don't have good cars because they don't have the ability to generate sponsorship money to run one. Your bitching only makes sense if you - the bitchers... are personally going to write the big check... are you prepared to do that? If not, then STFU. Money runs racing. If you are so simple that you have not figured that out, then I'm sorry you are stuck with a 57 IQ. 25. 10andJoe posted: 06.30.2012 - 3:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jordan - Scott's been S&Ping the 47 all year. You just noticed? 26. 10andJoe posted: 06.30.2012 - 3:46 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) >she's a friggin woman in case you didn't notice. The only one that matters Glad you think so. Here's your Formula One tickets on your way out. 27. Rob posted: 06.30.2012 - 4:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Now thats how racing should be. The fastest car won. Austion put on a clinic tonight. No manufactured b.s debris yellows like I had become used to seeing. 28. NicoRosbergFan posted: 06.30.2012 - 4:57 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) To those asking, lowering the rear end of the car would generate a little more downforce, thus making the car not only faster but also less bumpy in the corners. At this track, which is almost all corners, that is a huge advantage. Got to wonder if NASCAR will go light on them just cause it got the 3 in victory lane... Remember that Bowyer lost 150 points for a rear end infraction two years ago. 29. Anonymous posted: 06.30.2012 - 7:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I know a lot of people complaining about Danica understand it's a "hate the game, not the player" type of situation, but there does still seem to be an underlying hostility and bitterness to their posts about her. Which is quite sad, really. That other guy is right, she gets interviews because of fan interest, money, and her celebrity. And look, here you are, devoting a sizable amount of your discussion to her yet again. She generates clicks and discussion for a sport that can use the boost, and it's not like she's tracking down cameras begging to be interviewed. She's just trying to do her job. Don't lose sight of that. 30. Jordan posted: 06.30.2012 - 7:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Scott Speed has stooped to starting and parking in the Nationwide Series now? I would like to know what "engine" has problems after just two laps, that is about as ridiculous as blowing up in qualifying. 31. Dave#38Fan posted: 06.30.2012 - 7:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) danica is NOT the only woman is racing that matters. her attitude towards other drivers and fans puts her near the bottom of that list, behind jen jo cobb, angela and amber cope, johanna long, natalie sather, etc. 32. cjs3872 posted: 06.30.2012 - 7:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Spen, I brought the fact that six points is the equivalent to what 25 would have been under the old system either earlier this year, or last year, so I know why they issue the six point penalties, but penalizing that exact number of points still seems odd. And NicoRosbergFan, lowering the rear of the car would not be an advantage on flat track where most of it is turn, because you want to get the rear spoiler as high in the air as you can to help the downforce. Having the rear of the car low has the opposite effect. That actually takes away downforce in the rear, because it gets the rear spoiler out of the air. Now next week at Daytona, having the rear of the car low would be a huge advantage because of the speed the car would gain, but not at a track at Kentucky, where you want as much downforce as you can get. Why do you think back in 2005, two of the three HMS crew chiefs that had their cars inspected after top five finishes at Las Vegas got heavily penalized because the rear end of their cars were judged to be too HIGH? (Much of the stiffness of those penalties, especially the suspensions, were later reduced on appeal.) Because that gave them a big advantage because it put more of the spoiler in the air, which gave the car more downforce in the rear. In fact, the cars in question finished 1-2 in that race at Las Vegas in 2005. 33. Darrell posted: 06.30.2012 - 9:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Philip James: 1) First of all, let me put it to you gently. Danica Patrick will never ever, EVER, have sex with you. So you can put down the white knight persona. 2) While Danica might be the most prominent woman in racing, she's not the only one. Johanna Long has run well with far less money in a limited schedule, and has even outperformed her in some circumstances. Furthermore, Danica has been consistently outperformed this year by her 20-year-old teammate, Mike Bliss in an unsponsored car, amongst others. It might seem that I'm bashing her, hope I don't come off like I am, but if we're going to interview the 12th place driver after this race, they should also take the time for Reed Sorenson, Ryan Blaney, and others. Danica gets a lot of media hype, but from what I can tell, there are very few fans actually pulling for her. As for the race itself, great to see Austin get a win at last. It would be really something to see him pull off the points title in his rookie year. He's quickly become one of my favorite new drivers, however I wish he'd ditch that stupid cowboy hat. Great runs for Sorenson, Long coming up from the back of the pack, and Ryan Blaney. The coverage was meh, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought Carl Edwards added nothing to the broadcast. Mostly just ass-kissing his teammate and pointing out obvious things on the racetrack. I simply do not get the media's fascination, no make that obsession, with this guy. 34. AFrame43 posted: 06.30.2012 - 10:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @#30, I'm fairly sure a team can not list "engine" as the reason they DNFed unless it is a legitimate engine failure. The made up stuff is the "vibration", etc. that you see so often. That said, it was a Curtis Key entry, so history is not their friend. 35. Anonymous posted: 06.30.2012 - 10:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @30 speed has parked 3 times in cup and 11 times in nationwide this season. last season, he parked 4 times in nationwide and 10 times in cup. so nothing new for him. 36. 10andJoe posted: 06.30.2012 - 10:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, "only being set up to run two laps" can count as an "engine problem"... ;) (The one thing that bugs me about reason-out listings is that it used to be if somebody was in a wreck, sat in the garage being fixed for 80 laps, then came out for 20 more before retiring, they were listed as 'Handling'. Now it's 'Accident' which makes it look like they had another one.) 37. Peter posted: 06.30.2012 - 10:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @#24 If you think Danica is the only woman that matters consider this, she has top noch equipment, only one top ten, less then helf the time finishes on the led lap and has led only 4 laps; how does that matter? Stop blaming bad luck or a learning curve, even Rusty is starting to relize she is just not that good a driver(which my be a pink slip for him because ESPN protects Danica) ; the only reason she got so many top tens in indycar is 'cause half the field would fall out with mechanical problems! WOW! the kid can drive, Austin deserved that one. He is developing so fast if he does not make victory lane at lest once more this season I will be suprised. Great job by the Nationwide boys not a single lap led by a cup driver! A big shout-out to Johanna Long from 42nd to 19th a great night for her; I don't understand why people trash her for climbing up the ranks the old fashioned way, just because is not handed a prime ride right away does not mean she is a bad driver as Michigan showed she might be one of the best drivers in the Nationwide Series 38. Daniel posted: 06.30.2012 - 1:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #24, More people watch? Hmmmmmmmm.......let's put that to the test. 2011 Daytona 500 Qualifying-3.303 million. 2012 Daytona 500 Qualifying-3.213 million. 2011 Daytona 500-15.6 million. 2012 Daytona 500-13.699 million. 2011 Southern 500-7.391 million. 2012 Southern 500-5.716 million. 2011 Coca-Cola 600-8.132 million. 2012 Coca-Cola 600-7.405 million. Judging by that, she's not really helping in the viewers department. Granted, Jayski doesn't have a Nationwide series ratings chart and I can't find one anywhere else. 39. Anonymous posted: 06.30.2012 - 1:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Chase Miller's 51st straight start-and-park race 40. Rusty posted: 06.30.2012 - 1:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't have any strong dislke for Danica. I just find it funny that no matter what, she gets an interview from ESPN. She could just run the whole day in 22nd and finish there and she'll get an interview right after the guy who finished 2nd. Maybe it is just me, but I don't care how her race is going/went, because I know she won't be an actual factor (I give her props last week though). Another note: First win for Bass Pro Shops in the Nationwide series since Martin Truex, Jr. at Talladega in 2006. Austin Dillon is the 3rd first time winner in the Nationwide series this season along with James Buescher and Nelson Piquet, Jr. He is the 3rd Nationwide regular to win, joining his championship contenders Elliott Sadler and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Cole Whitt would probably be the guy I'd bet on to be the next first time winner in the series, but you have some road course ringers running Watkins Glen and Montreal that could get their 1st win too and Daytona next week is a wildcard as usual. I'm looking forward to next week's race, I got tickets right in the entrance of the tri-oval, too bad it is just for the Nationwide race. 41. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.30.2012 - 2:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Philip James must be an ESPN or FOX employee. Here on this message board, we treat NASCAR like it is an actual competitive sport where performing up to or beyond the level of your equipment is the measuring stick for success or failure. Obviously we know if you have the right sponsor or connections you will get equipment and coverage you don't deserve. But we don't care about that. We only care about on track performance. And with the exception of her outstanding performance last week, she has been beyond disappointing this year. So many people deserve the attention she is getting, but they don't get it because unlike her, they didn't use The Michael Waltrip Memorial Approach To Cheating The System. We don't care how much off track revenue she brings in. We treat this as what it is: a sport. One she is not good at except at the plate tracks, much like the aforementioned Michael Waltrip. 42. murb posted: 06.30.2012 - 3:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica is the only woman that matters? Hey Philip, ever heard of Janet Guthrie? Simona De Silvestro? Sarah Fisher? Shawna Robinson? Johanna freaking Long? If not, then STFU. 43. TheTruthâ?¢ posted: 06.30.2012 - 4:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The simple fact is that there are some really good male drivers who don't have good cars because they don't have the ability to generate sponsorship money to run one. Your bitching only makes sense if you - the bitchers... are personally going to write the big check... are you prepared to do that? If not, then STFU. Money runs racing. If you are so simple that you have not figured that out, then I'm sorry you are stuck with a 57 IQ." In regards to this Philip James quote, I'm sure what I'm about to respond with has already been said, but I hadn't looked through the replies out of sheer laziness. Basically Philip, I believe most people understand that money runs racing. It just so happens that motorsports is a competition, and when you look at the very top levels of American motorsports, the fans have this absolutely crazy notion that actually being really good at it should be good enough to get sponsored to do it. But as long as the media makes a huge deal out of people's differences, whether it's gender or skin color or anything else, being the best guy for the job is irrelevant. People understand it... it's just that people think it's bullcrap. For someone so quick to insult other people's intelligence, I assumed you would've grasped that argument with ease. People who are fans of the sport and look at it as a sport wish to see the best get the opportunities rather than the most marketable. It's crazy, I know... 44. ii posted: 06.30.2012 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Daniel, you can kinda blame the lack of watchers for the 500 on the Monday night race...as for the others, this may be because of the lack of cautions. After all, most "fans" only watch NASCAR for the crashes. 45. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.30.2012 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In the interview she did for some magazine, Danica discusses in detail how she shortcut the system and basically bragged about it. And that is a big part of the problem with NASCAR nowadays: sponsorship runs everything. Therefore the best rides are not going to the best drivers. That is something that needs to be addressed, but Brian France and the fat cats in Daytona Beach and the TV networks are too busy getting rich off this. To celebrate this and praise people involved like Philip did is sickening. This is a sport, not a reality show. And for the record, anyone who thinks Danica is a better driver than Johanna simply doesn't understand racing. 46. Matt L posted: 06.30.2012 - 5:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kinda surprised by the attendance numbers, they fell off sharply from last season. I'm sure the heat has something to do with it, but attendance for the Nationwide race here has plummeted since 2009. I really haven't seen much evidence of the Danica Patrick effect in the Nationwide series. Ratings are typically just a notch above what they were the year before, lower attendance from what I remember last season, and sponsors aren't running in to be a part of the Danica series presented by Nationwide. 47. Peter posted: 06.30.2012 - 5:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @#43 yeah how dare people try to make it in the sport on their driving abillites instead of their marketing skill - how dare they! 48. 10andJoe posted: 06.30.2012 - 6:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #43/47: "I am shocked, SHOCKED..." 49. Daniel posted: 06.30.2012 - 6:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #44, Oh, I'm not blaming her for a decrease in the ratings. I think that has to do with the overall boring racing we've seen this year. But his point was that she brings in more viewers and, at least on the cup side, that has shown to be false. 50. Eric posted: 06.30.2012 - 6:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DaleSrFanForever, The Magazine you are talking about is ESPN the Magazine. 51. Spen posted: 06.30.2012 - 7:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Honestly, I don't see why we're jumping all over Phillip for posting his opinion. While he perhaps could have worded it more tactfully, the fact is, he's right. Danica *is* the only woman who truly matters in auto racing right now. She will be driving for a top level Cup team for at least the next ten years. Johanna unfortunately, will probably be start-and-parking this time next year, and will be a distant memory in five. She will never, ever get a chance in anything even vaguely resembling a top-tier ride. Not because Danica's a better driver - I fully agree that Johanna has more natural talent, but because Danica is a much better salesperson than Johanna could ever dream of being. (Not to mention, more 'conventionally attractive') That's the game you absolutely have to play if you want to race with the big boys, and that's not going to change anytime soon. As a matter of fact, it's only going to get worse. The only possible way it could change is if we decide to go back to "Strictly Stock" cars, over-the-counter tires, racing at backwoods dirt tracks, no TV deals, no big name drivers, no nothing. If that happened, NASCAR would be extinct within a year. And whatever we might like to think of it as, NASCAR is not a sport. It hasn't been for a very long time. Currently, it's "Millionaire's Driving In Circles" and mainly existing to generate revenue for various companies. To a certain degree, the same is true with every single 'sport' today. The only real choice we have is whether we just sit back and enjoy the show, or complain endlessly about it. I've found that the former is generally more pleasant. Oh and as an incidental side note to whoever claimed that he doesn't know many true Danica fans, I can say with certainty that she will win Most Popular Driver this year, and in Cup as well for the foreseeable future. As to whether or not she generates interest, prior to this season, the Busch races rarely generated conversation at work, unless something truly weird happened (like the huge wreck at Talledega in '02). This season, the Nationwide series has had more discussion than the Cup series. We actually had more people talking about Danica being wrecked out of the top five at Road America than we did when Junior won at Michigan! And TV ratings are no longer a totally accurate measure of how many people are watching. I know quite a number of people, myself included, who no longer own a TV at all, and now watch online streams exclusively. And if that's becoming commonplace in a backwater town like this, I can only imagine how much it's being done in major cities. 52. Anonymous posted: 06.30.2012 - 8:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The car being too low in the rear would also mean a lower centre of gravity - which is a BIG thing in a race car - as well as stiffer springs in the rear, resulting in less body roll, making the car more responsive to directional changes. 53. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.30.2012 - 8:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Millionaires driving in circles generating revenue. Ugh. I want my old NASCAR back, where you only generated TV time and revenue if you did good. 54. Schroeder51 posted: 06.30.2012 - 9:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Unfortunately you're never getting the old NASCAR back. EVER. Basically you either have to suck it up and learn to love it or gradually distance yourself from it. Myself...I don't foresee myself watching the sport anymore by 2020. I just can't get myself excited about it anymore like I could 10 years ago. 55. irony posted: 07.01.2012 - 12:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) No one was talking about Danica here until DSFF decided to mention her, as usual. That's the very definition of trolling. I always pull for women and minorities, but the Johanna Long fan base makes it difficult to like her. You gotta wonder if they'd even notice her if they didn't have Danica to hate and compare her to. Anyone who thinks Danica is better than Johanna doesn't understand racing? You realize that many of Johanna's better runs have come at wide-open aerodynamic race tracks, and that proves her equipment is pretty damn good, don't you? Sounds like you're the one who doesn't understand racing. Danica's run last week at the most difficult style of race track was something Johanna likely isn't capable of. On the other hand, Danica probably would suck in a late model, so at the very least it's even. 56. 10andJoe posted: 07.01.2012 - 2:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The numbers speak for themselves. Danica, with GoDaddy's millions, is 9th in points, battling unsponsored Mike Bliss, unsponsored Joe Nemechek, Tayler Malsam ("who?"), and "I Couldn't Buy Luck If It Glued Itself To Me" Brian Scott for the position. Johanna, with sponsorship nearly zilch, has skipped five races on account of said lack of sponsorship, but is still 18th in points. The presumpion that, given equal cashola and one more year's worth of experience on Johanna's part, she'd consistently outrun Danica, is pretty hard not to make. So is the presumption that Danica's consistently running in the 13th-21st bracket and watching Michael Annett's tailights vanish in the distance in the point standings, is not going to win fans and influence people. Right now, it appears that Danica's career is going to take a Michael Waltrip/Dale Earnhardt Jr. path: she'll win MPD awards out the wazoo 'cause of The Nation stacking the votes, and she'll sell sponsorship like Dr. Goodbody's Cure-All Elixir, but her actual career is going to be something rather forgettable - much like her IndyCar career was. This isn't meant to bash Danica; this is simple facts. Her career so far /on the track/ has been singlularly NOT impressive, she's shown zero signs of changing that any time soon. In addition, she's been put on the express train to Cup well before she's ready; she's being Kenny Irwin'd... 57. DaleSrFanForever posted: 07.01.2012 - 4:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Irony, I always try to pay attention to young drivers in underfunded equipment who can grind out decent finishes. Drivers like Taylor Malsam, Jeremy Clements, and yes, Johanna Long. I also always pay attention to drivers in very well funded equipment who are not up to par with their peers. Drivers like Brian Scott and Danica. I mention Johanna a lot because I feel like there is an effort to keep her from being mentioned. The fact is there is a Danica propaganda machine going on. Reading articles about her, they say things like "Danica got spun out 3 times a Michigan". Sites like ESPN, USA Today, and SI are really bad about this. Another female out there doing well (with what she has) doesn't bode well for The Danica Machine. They need her to be the best female racer ever by a mile. This isn't so much a direct shot at Danica (although she could definitely curb this insanity if she wanted) as Team Danica, those that profit off her. You guys know me, I am not huge on conspiracy theories, and only bring them up if I have good reasoning behind them. But I feel Johanna is being held back publically due to Danica's many leeches. And as far as Johanna's equipment being good, MLM can't even run all the races. And if you go to her driver's page I debunk that bullshit real quick. 58. irony posted: 07.01.2012 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like your "bullshit debunking" is comparing her to other drivers who have driven the 70, who are mainly no names and washed up vets. The best of those is David Stremme who did quite well. I maintain that you don't qualify and race in the top 20 at Daytona and Michigan without top 20 equipment. 59. cjs3872 posted: 07.01.2012 - 6:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Irony, anybody can race with the leaders at Daytona and Talladega, even with bad equipment because of how the draft works. You could have a car 8-12 MPH slower, but you can still race with the front runners because of the draft. Now Michigan is a different story, because equipment and quality of the team are just as important as drafting, if not more impotrant. 60. Dave#38Fan posted: 07.01.2012 - 7:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) i'm glad johanna is getting so much attention, but i think most of it is due to her being the anti-danica. i, however, have been a fan of her since 2010 when she made her first few starts in the truck series and won the snowball derby. plus, i am exactly one day older than her, so she's the closest driver out their to being the same age as me. 61. DaleSrFanForever posted: 07.01.2012 - 8:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Others who drove the 70 were a) older than 20 and b) had NWide experience. And I just want to clarify this: I have nothing personal against Danica. I can't. I have no idea who she actually is. As she laid out in full detail, what we see publically is a very carefully crafted creation. So I don't know the first thing about who she really is. It is Team Danica and Danica-Mania that gets to me. I know NASCAR is a business. Always has been and always will be. It was built on that. But at the same time it is still a sport. And it just seems like year after year it gets further and further from the sport part of it and more towards the reality show side. The stories that the TV networks want to be stories, and that the sponsors pay for to be stories, are gonna be the stories talked about whether they are important or even factual or not. That hurts. It used to be the stories were what was actually happening on the track. In the early 90s the main story in NASCAR was the fact that Dale Earnhardt was darn near unbeatable in a championship battle. So that was the main topic of discussion. In the late 90s the main story was the fact that Jeff Gordon was darn near unbeatable..... peroid. So that is what they discussed. Nowadays the stories talked about on TV are about whoever's sponsor is paying the most money to have them talked about. Notice how much airtime is spent on the Home Depot car? How Tony's airtime went down after he left that car? All this despite the Lowe's car being obviously the dominant car of the last 10 years. Or how about Carl's constant presence on air (thanks Ford)? And now the Danica Machine powered by her numerous sponsors has come to NASCAR, and she is THE story no matter what. Even though when it comes to the actual sport side of NASCAR there are at least 25 more relavent things to talk about (How far can the 48 dynasty go, how bad can Gordon's luck get, Carl Edwards: The Hangover Part III, is June back to '04 form or is this just another tease like '08, Kahne coming to life at HMS, how will Kenseth do outside Roush for once, is Brad the next Tony or the next Ernie, can Biff put an entire season together finally, is Harvick about to spontaneously combust or what, what the hell happened to Burton, what the hell happened to EGR, what will Kurt Busch do this week, how long can Kyle Busch keep up his incredibly good behavior this year despite mounting disappointments, is Smoke gonna throw an EFI assembly on Mike Helton's desk then start pissing on it with some splashing on Mike, will Denny ever figure out his true identity, will JGR get suckered by another classic Logano contract run, is Dinger just not any good, BK Racing is quietly starting to get some decent runs in, can MWR keep it up, is Stenhouse gonna eventually light it up in Cup, is Austin Dillon gonna eventually light in up in Cup, will the 3 car ever be truly accepted back in Cup, will we see The King fielding Dodges again, is Marcos Ambrose about to break out or what, how much shit can Brian Scott tear up, is Turner Motorpsorts the next non S&P Cup team) How many was that? 62. DaleSrFanForever posted: 07.01.2012 - 8:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "plus, i am exactly one day older than her, so she's the closest driver out their to being the same age as me." That's funny. I was a fan well before I realized this, but Brad is one month and 7 days older than me. 63. Schroeder51 posted: 07.01.2012 - 10:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm almost two months older than Johanna. I think she is the driver closest in age to me as well. Suddenly I realized that one day if NASCAR actually survives that long (in what shape, I hate to imagine) that I'll be older than every active driver... 64. Spen posted: 07.01.2012 - 10:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm just about in that boat myself. Kyle Petty was the closest driver in age to me for what seemed like forever, but now that he's retired, the closest one on a regular basis is Mark. Unless it's a road course, and Ron Fellows or Brian Simo show up for it. But don't worry about being older than every driver. Kenny Schrader will probably be running Cup races when he's 100. 65. irony posted: 07.02.2012 - 12:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm two days younger than David Ragan. We're on both sides of Christmas day. Yes, any car can race well at Daytona, but qualifying there is almost entirely car. 66. Rusty posted: 07.02.2012 - 2:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Daytona Entry List: -Kurt Busch in the #1, Kyle Busch in the #54 -Kevin Harvickin the #33 -Bobby Santos, III in the #36 -Jeffrey Earnhardt in the #15 -Denny Hamlin in the #18, Joey Logano in the #20 -John Wes Townley in the #99 -No Dale Earnhardt, Jr. or Tony Stewart 67. Daniel posted: 07.02.2012 - 2:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) -Black Koch in a second Randy MacDonald car, #82. 68. Paul posted: 07.02.2012 - 3:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR has issued penalties to the No. 3 team today. Due to the car not meeting minimum rear car heights, driver Austin Dillon and car owner Morgan Shepherd have been penalized 6 driver and owner points, respectively (RCR purchased Shepherd's 2011 owner's points). Dillon is now 4 points behind championship leader Elliott Sadler, rather than being 2 points ahead. Crew chief Danny Stockman, Jr. has been fined $10,000. Stockman and car chief Robert Strmiska have been placed on probation until December 31, 2012. 69. Daniel posted: 07.02.2012 - 8:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) -Bryan Silas to drive the Randy Hill #08 70. Talon64 posted: 07.03.2012 - 5:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Austin Dillon picked up his first career Nationwide Series victory in his 26th series start, within two weeks of the date that he picked up his first Truck Series win (July 11th, 2010). He's the 3rd first time winner this year, the first not to be driving the #30 Turner Motorsports car (but they all have a 3 in their number. Michael Annett, Ryan Blaney, Brad Sweet, Josh Richards & Jamie Dick, take note!). It makes it back-to-back races with first time winners from pole (Piquet Jr. at Road America). Austin Dillon now leads the series in top 5's with 8, and is tied with RCR teammate Elliott Sadler for the most top 10's with 11. Kurt Busch finishes 2nd for his best finish since his Richmond win (in last 7 races). It's his 8th consecutive top 10 finish and 9th in 10 starts this season (5 top 5's, 7.7 avg fin). While RCR teammate Austin Dillon won in his 26th career Nationwide start, Kevin Harvick has now gone 26 straight starts in the series without a win. But he did pick up his 4th top 5 in 6 starts this year. Michael Annett and his stupid smug photo on this site why does he look so smug in them picked up his first career top 5 in his 120th start in Nationwide. Justin Allgaier got just his 2nd top 5 of the season but his 5th top 10 in the last 6 races, during which he's scored the most points of anyone. Sam Hornish Jr. and Austin Dillon are the only two NNS drivers this season to finish in the top 20 in every race. Since a 20th at Daytona, Hornish hasn't finished any worse than 13th. He picked up his 3rd straight top 10 finish and 8th this season. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. gets his first top 10 in 5 races. After getting back-to-back top 5's at Iowa and Charlotte, Elliott Sadler's now gone 4 straight without one. He went 5 straight without one after starting 2012 with 4 straight top 3 finishes. Although 2 laps down (when was the last time a top 10 finisher in a Nationwide race was multiple laps down?), James Buescher finished in the top 10 for a 6th consecutive start in Nationwide, and it was the 5th straight top 10 for the #30 team. Johanna Long has back-to-back top 20 finishes for the 2nd time this season, and picked up her 5th in 10 starts. She'd be 13th in points, 30 points out of 10th, if she were running the full season. 71. Daniel posted: 07.05.2012 - 1:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It looks like Morgan Shepherd may finally be done as he has withdrawn from Daytona. 72. Rusty posted: 07.05.2012 - 3:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Denny Hamlin is sitting out the Daytona Nationwide race with a sore back. Clint Bowyer will drive the #20, Logano the #18. 73. BurningThunder posted: 12.13.2015 - 6:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #4 Owner: Johnny Davis 74. Windows Millennium Edition posted: 03.13.2016 - 1:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdrew: WD|Joey Logano|20|Joe Gibbs Racing|Joe Gibbs|Toyota WD|?|75|Rick Ware Racing|Rick Ware|Ford 75. Paul posted: 03.04.2019 - 1:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It was after this race that Brad Keselowski approached Ryan Blaney about driving his Truck for a few races later in the 2012 season. He made his Truck debut two months later at Bristol, and won at Iowa in just his 3rd career start. And the rest, as they say, is history. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: