|| *Comments on the 2013 Royal Purple 300:* View the most recent comment <#124> | Post a comment <#post> 1. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 3:13 pm Rate this comment: (1) (2) Yawn. 2. Paul posted: 03.23.2013 - 3:18 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Only in NASCAR can you out-qualify eight other cars and still miss the race. 3. We need more Onion posted: 03.23.2013 - 3:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, it is still better to see Mike Harmon finally competing full-time after 10 or some years of parking. Also Rick Ware's car will not park while the 46 was surely to do it. 4. Benny posted: 03.23.2013 - 3:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That doesn't make sense. I thought that whoever qualified below 40th would miss the race or am I wrong about that. 5. AveryNH posted: 03.23.2013 - 3:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bum deal for Tony Raines in the 70. Johanna will have to qualify on time as well in a few weeks at Texas. Why can't we go back to the era of provisionals. If you use em up, then you miss the race. Sorry I just wanna see the forty fastest cars. 6. murb posted: 03.23.2013 - 3:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) This race might suck. 7. 13 posted: 03.23.2013 - 3:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) If my favorite driver didnt race only in natiowide most of the time i wouldnt watch it Kyle Busch will win maybe 10-15 NW races this season and the ratings will drop and NASCAR will wonder why nobody watches the series. 8. Kenny posted: 03.23.2013 - 4:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm pulling for Austin he's been fast all weekend :D 9. cjs3872 posted: 03.23.2013 - 4:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Remember that they're still using the exempt rules that date back to 2005 for the Nationwide and Truck Series, top 30 for Nationwide and top 25 for Trucks, and to be able to use an exempt position, a team must have at least attempted all the races, which was unlike the way it used to be done in the Cup Series. What I don't know is whether NASCAR has changed the rule in the Nationwide and Truck Series regarding how deep into the season they go back to the previous year's points, whether they still do it for the first five, or whether they're doing it in these series like they're doing it in the Cup Series, and go by the current year's points starting with the fourth race. The qualifying lineup formula for these series also did not change from last year, as it's still done by practice speeds, slowest to fastest, where as the Cup Series has gone back to the qualifying draw (which had an adverse effect on Jimmie Johnson yesterday, since he drew the #1 spot). 10. murb posted: 03.23.2013 - 4:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "We'll take a look at the latest Nationwide feud, Brad Keselowski vs Regan Smith!!!" - BSPN Unbelievable. No wait... Believable. 11. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.23.2013 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Ricky Craven is an excellent analyst when he isn't forced to toe BSPN's company line. And what is this Brad vs Regan stuff? Are they mad at each other? At Daytona they each took their respective responsibility for setting off that damn near tragic melee, and Bristol was just short track racing, I never heard Brad complain. I think they are just trying to make him look bad so the Baroness of the Backmarkers doesn't look so bad for her horrendous runs in that #7 car. 12. murb posted: 03.23.2013 - 5:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) It's just BSPN blowing more stuff up. That's all it is. I'm not sure how much of this race I'll be able to watch (other stuff going on today - I'm recording my friend's band in my basement), but I will be in and out of the thread here. I'm fully expecting Kyle and/or Brad to walk off with it. 13. Schroeder51 posted: 03.23.2013 - 5:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) BSPN: Determined to add storylines to NASCAR when they don't exist to make things more "exciting". 14. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 5:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Go Sam! 15. Paul posted: 03.23.2013 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sure would be nice if we could see how the cars not running in the top four are doing. 16. We need more Onion posted: 03.23.2013 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) BSPN this, BSPN that, think that they at least show the races and be happy that you can watch them on your TV, unlike me who has to find live streams for every race with my girlfriend being mad at me for using all the bandwith allocation to watch races without major lagging. 17. AveryNH posted: 03.23.2013 - 5:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paulie just had his Mustang go crackle. That was scary stuff. It just hand grenaded on him in one. 18. Kenny posted: 03.23.2013 - 5:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was watching this race on racebuddy and it kinda sucked( I hated that I couldn't go onboard with Austin)but hey he's doing good he was 6th when I got off 19. Paul posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:08 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) It can't just be a coincidence that Sadler and Vickers have had multiple engine and ignition problems this year, while Kyle's engines have always held up. 20. We need more Onion posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, Logano is horrible to listen to. He just can't speak. 21. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:23 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) I bet Kylie and Coach Gibbs feel really good dominating another pointless Nationwide race while the Gibbs championship contenders are having mechanical faults left right and center. It sure did wonders for Joey Logano. 22. Kenny posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How is the race so fat has austin cracked the top 5 yet? 23. Jim Davis posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Wow, Logano is horrible to listen to. He just can't speak." I'm not a huge fan of these guest analysts in general. 24. murb posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Whoever predicted that Kyle will win 20 NNS races this year is wrong. It'll be at least 22. 25. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And probably 2 cup races... 26. Schroeder51 posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm honestly surprised that Gibbs doesn't have him running the full schedule even though he can't win the championship just so he could potentially win EVERY race... 27. We need more Onion posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh, no Mike blew up :( 28. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Debris caution for T.V. accompanied by a massive Bugle Horn played over the Track PA at Max Volume to wake up the fans in the stands. 29. murb posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "And probably 2 cup races..." Both at Richmond, since that's the only track he can win Cup races on anymore. 30. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I must say, Fontana is much more tolerable since it lost a date. 31. Paul posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:43 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) He won't win the fall Richmond race. He cracked under the pressure of finishing within 12 positions of Jeff Gordon in last year's race, so I don't have any faith in him managing to win the race in hopes of adding bonus points towards the Chase. 32. We need more Onion posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wise and Clements are holding on to the lead lap nicely. 33. murb posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Alright, fine. He'll win the Spring Richmond race for the fifth year in a row, and he'll win the August Bristol race, along with 22 NNS races, lol 34. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) At the rate Sam is going he'll have a triple digit points lead by mid-season. 35. Paul posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a foolish decision by the #2 team to not change tires under caution. Came into the pits in 6th, exited with the lead, now running in 18th and might have a tire going down. Meanwhile points leader Sam Hornish, Jr. is out in front and will only continue to increase his lead over Scott if they finish the way they're currently running. 36. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) August Bristol race is quite close to the chase as well. He'll probably win one of the very useful Michigan or Pocono races instead. :D 37. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 6:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brian Scott just got very, very lucky. 38. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Jeez, this race is still going on? Before the green dropped I went out to eat then picked up some stuff from the grocery store. I come back and it is still on. If Brad holds Sam up on this restart I will be disappointed. 39. Kenny posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Who is leading where is Austin and how menny laps are left! 40. AveryNH posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hornish leads Busch and Dillion is in third. Sweet and Scott are both flying both taking tires on that last pitstop. 41. AveryNH posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) of course I just jinxed Sweet because the moment I hit publish he spun. Nascar decides not to throw a caution. geesch. 42. We need more Onion posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sweet save, good that he is intelligent enough to veer right back into the racing groove... At least he won't get a top 10. 43. David posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) I hope Hornish doesn't have the kind of year that causes NASCAR to implement the Chase in the Nationwide Series. 44. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Watching Kyle make that pass, seeing how much more horsepower he has, makes me hate life. And oh yeah, Penske goofed bad on the Cup #22 car. 45. murb posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) I can't wait for this race to be over. 46. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 47. Jim Davis posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "And oh yeah, Penske goofed bad on the Cup #22 car." Do you think maybe Keselowski wanted to make sure no one at Penske could rival him as top dog? 48. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've just waisted 2 hours of my life. Sad. 49. murb posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "I've just waisted 2 hours of my life. Sad." I feel bad for you. I've only wasted about 50 minutes to an hour on it, and from what I've seen, its been coma inducing. Sam hits the wall and seals it for Kyle. 50. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:27 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Bring back the Trucks... ...please. At least Sprint Cup has been great this year post-Daytona. 51. Paul posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Penske rarely ever has two Cup cars perform at a very high level in a season. Only five times has he ever had multiple cars win in a season, and two of them were while he was aligned with Michael Kranefuss ('98, '00) and another came in '08 with Kurt Busch's only win coming in a rain-shorted Loudon race. 52. Jim Davis posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good run by Nemechek. 53. We need more Onion posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well... only positive thing about this race is that Mike Harmon finished. 54. murb posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:29 pm Rate this comment: (1) (2) "Time for some ice cold Monster Energy!!!" - Kyle He might as well say, "Time for some ice cold cat piss!!!" 55. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:30 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) What an effort by Sam! It didn't work, but he damn near made it work. To make that kind of a race out of it despite being so badly outclassed on horsepower says a lot. Just have to ignore Kyle and enjoy his inevitable Cup meltdowns and focus on the good things. Granted right now it is just Sam and Alex "The Real Deal" Bowman, but it is good to see. 56. Jim Davis posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Penske rarely ever has two Cup cars perform at a very high level in a season." Do you think Keselowski wanted that trend to continue and pushed for Logano in the 22? 57. Kenny posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How menny more laps left? 58. Benjamin Lowe posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:32 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The best thing to say about this race is its over. 59. Kubica fan Ireland posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 9 in a row for gibbs is impresive no matter what kyle will come close to his 13 wins, which 8 races is he not running ? I will have to review my prediction I think even do it is early Hornish will be hard to catch he was the only one who had anything for kyle today and has been really strong on the important intermediates. 60. Dr Brian France posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:33 pm Rate this comment: (7) (0) Great news, my assistant Nurse Gillian Zucker and I have discovered a world breakthrough with the cure to Insomnia. 61. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:35 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I think Brad wanted Joey because he figured they were cloce in age, hit NASCAR at roughly the same time, and could use their similarities to work toether to the top. Being from open wheel, I don't think he figured Sam could do much. He needs to realize that he drove for his familynin the beginning who went bankrupt, had to dig and claw every step of the way to get where he is, and molded himself into one of NASCAR's best. Joey had everything handed to him, and once he had to start fighting, has floundered. He produces nothing. Sam would help Brad a lot more. 62. 13 posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) One positive for me on this race Trevor Bayne finished top 10, but thats all that was good at all about this boring ass race. 63. joey2448 posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:36 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Damn did that 300-miler seem really long to anyone else? I feel like I just watched a Cup race... 64. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hopefully tomorrow is better... 65. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lol @ post #60 66. Kenny posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Where did Austin finish?(top 5 I hope) 67. 13 posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 66. p5 68. Kenny posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 5th sweet thx 13 I hope he's cracked the top 5 in points now :) 69. Talon64 posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dillon's up to 5th. Hornish is already up to a 28 point lead through 5 races, Regan 2nd, Scott 3rd -31, Allgaier 4th -32, Dillon 5th -38. 70. NadeauFan91 posted: 03.23.2013 - 7:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) History 71. 83andJoe posted: 03.23.2013 - 8:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >What I don't know is whether NASCAR has changed the rule in the Nationwide and Truck Series regarding how deep into the season they go back to the previous year's points It's the first three races for all three series. 72. Ivan Balakhonov posted: 03.23.2013 - 8:07 pm Rate this comment: (1) (2) Don't understand why you all found this race so boring. I believe it was the best one this season not counting Daytona. It's pretty encouraging to see track's surface getting more challenging to the drivers, so Fontana now definitely has its own character. Was Kyle Busch so dominant to call the race a snoozefest? No, Sam didn't make Kyle's life easy, and drove a spectacular race, and behind these two there was plenty of fighting for positions. 73. Jarrett88fan posted: 03.23.2013 - 8:08 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Amazing how Regan Smith can, in five races, score the best finish for the #7 team which is more than what the Baroness of Backmarkers did for three freaking years. Not to mention, be second in points. Now that is historic, BSPN!!!! 74. Jarrett88fan posted: 03.23.2013 - 8:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Fontana has aged well, the weather is warm, and with a hot, slick track surface is a recipe for good racing. 75. MS224 posted: 03.23.2013 - 8:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (5) @72 The people on here will find anything and everything to whine about when it comes to races. It was a fantastic race with tons of great battles. But of course since a Cup driver stole the win the race was "ZOMG SO HORRIBLE BORING NEVER WATCHING NASCAR AGAIN DURRRRRRRRRRR" 76. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 8:29 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Yet none of these "great battles" happened after 10 laps of green flag racing. Fantastic race? good lord.... 77. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 8:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hornish leads by 28 points. 78. Matt L posted: 03.23.2013 - 8:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) - Jay Robinson didn't have David Green's past-champions provisional to bank on and the #70 missed the show. ML Motorsports has a 16 point deficit to make up before going back to Jay Robinson's putt-putt mobiles. - It was reported during Nationwide practice that the Toyota Joey Gase was driving is the only car the Jimmy Means team has left, so I think they will be parking the next few weeks. - SR2 Motorsports has been struggling lately. Both 'legit' cars were slow in qualifying and failed to finish the race. The #00 of Jason White has fallen out of the top 30 and has been replaced by the #92 of Dexter Stacey. - The Motorsports Group's full fleet of parkers have returned with the addition of the #47. - Carl Long made his first start of 2013 driving a Rick Ware Racing Ford using the R3 Motorsports owner points. - Jamie Dick must be thrilled to finally finish a race with the car in one piece. The #55 team is just 3 points away from a locked in spot. - Joe Nemechek had his best finish of 2013 with a 14th place finish. - Kevin Swindell has an awesome 2013 debut, earning a 10th place finish. 79. cjs3872 posted: 03.23.2013 - 8:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) TeamPlayersBlue, what race were you watching because the duel between Kyle Busch and Sam Hornish, Jr. was a very good one throught the race, with passing, repassing, and actually drafting throught the top 10-12, just the two leaders. And I'll say this. If Hornish doesn't hit the wall late, he might have had a shot at Busch, who was definately fading, on the final lap. But Brian Vickers, who was one of the four drivers I predicted last week would have a shot at Hornish for the title, might have had his chances go up in smoke today. Yes, I know it's just he fifth race, but now it looks like it's down to three that have a real shot at Hornish unless Hornish runs into a prolonged streak of bad luck, those three being Regan Smith, Austin Dillon, and Kyle Larson. I like Smith's chances because he's proven he can perform under pressure, Dillon has the vast experience of Richard Childress backing him, and Larson is the one driver among the title contenders that will take chances. His jackrabbit restarts effectively took Trevor Bayne out of contention, though it seemed like Bayne's car was down on horsepower, as well. Bayne moved up to sixth in the championship standings, and he might move up another spot or two over the next few races, but that's about it. 80. 13 posted: 03.23.2013 - 9:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How many points back is Trevor Bayne now? 81. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 03.23.2013 - 9:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Usually I'm the positivity defending the majority of the races such as this year's Phoenix race, and even the Daytona 500 to some extent, yet today looking around it seemed I was in the minority of people who didn't enjoy this race, bit of a role reversal for me. And no, Fontana is not even one of my least favourite racetracks, 5 years ago perhaps, but I actually like it since they've gone to one date and 400 miles for the Cup race. Also looking forward to tomorrow's race as so many cars look strong, including teams like the 78 and 51. 82. Alex posted: 03.23.2013 - 9:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If you guys think BSPN's coverage is bad, here in Canada, TSN's promo for this race talked about how Joey Logano was looking to defend as race winner, but he wasn't entered and was in the race and was in the booth for a while... 83. cjs3872 posted: 03.23.2013 - 9:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) He's 47 back in sixth place, 13. And I don't see him getting higher than fourth or fifth, if he gets that high. And Kyle Larson is only about four or five points behind Trevor, and I think he could pass him in the standings at Texas when the series resumes in three weeks. And if Hornish keeps going the way he's going, he could be a wire-to-wire champion. In my view, Bayne has no shot at the title, while Larson, Regan Smith, and Austin Dillon, for reasons mentioned in post #79, are the only three drivers left with any chance to catch Hornish on the track, unless Hornish has a run of bad luck. And yes, that means that neither of Joe Gibbs' championship-eligible drivers have any real shot at the title, due to their continuing engine problems. 84. cjs3872 posted: 03.23.2013 - 9:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) TeamPlayersBlue, again I disagree with you, this time about the Cup race tomorrow. Unless there's some crazy strategy, or unless they run into engine problems, tomorrow's race looks like a walk for the Toyota teams. If they swept the top five if there were no problems, it would be no real surprise. Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing seem to have the field covered, and I would consider it an upset if any other team won, unless JGR and MWR were stricken by engine problems. And as strong as Brad Keselowski seems to be, if there are no cautions in the first half of the race, which was the case last year, he could conceivably get lapped becuase of him having to start at the back, and the same is true regarding Greg Biffle, even if their cars are running well. 85. 13 posted: 03.23.2013 - 9:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I have faith in Trevor to win the championship and until he's mathematically in eligible ill still have the same strong faith in him and his team and for Texas look what team has won at least 3 of the last 4 there including one with Trevor and they showed great speed at Vegas a few weeks back Trevor is my pick every weekend but especially so for Texas 86. cjs3872 posted: 03.23.2013 - 11:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 13, his team is capable of winning he championship, but Trevor is now too far behind to "fifth and sixth place them to death" and win he championship, and that was his only chance to do it. At 47 points back, which is more than a full race, he can't make a serious run at the title unless Sam Hornish, Jr. runs into a streak of bad luck. Trevor's not a driver that's going to win numerous races, because he won't take the chances necessary to win numerous races. He's a fast enough driver to do it, but he just won't take the chances. And let's not forget that in the race at Texas he won, he had quite a but of luck. First, he got numerous late cautions to bunch up the field, and then he got Carl Edwards top make a rare bad restart to give him the chance to steal that race from a faster car. But there's one other important factor in Trevor's win in that race that everyone forgets. That was the weekend that Kyle Busch was suspended for his run-in with Ron Hornaday, Jr. in the Truck Series race the previous evening. There's no way Trevor wins that race if Busch is in the field because he had to clear the #18 car on that restart. He never gets by Kyle Busch like he did Denny Hamlin, who drove the car that day (and I think Hamlin wins the race if it's another two laps). If not for Kyle's actions the prevoius night, Trevor is still winless in the Nationwide Series, and possibly without a finish better than third. I'm not sure you can predict a championship for any driver that has just one finish better than third in a given series, especially one that usually runs 6th-10th during the race and rallies to finish fourth or fifth. I believe Mike Kelley is experiencing exactly what Junior Johnson and Jeff Hammond experienced in 1987 when Darrell Waltrip was replaced by Terry Labonte in Junior's #11 car, and Hammond left Johnson's team early in 1987 to rejoin Waltrip at Hendrick Motorsports because he was so irritated by Labonte's conservative driving and unwillingness to take chances. 87. Scott B posted: 03.23.2013 - 11:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Shrub wins, not exactly a shocker after he out-qualified the next fastest car by over 1 mph. 88. Anonymous posted: 03.23.2013 - 11:47 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) How about Dexter Stacey locking himself in for Texas? And Regan smith had a flat early and drove back to 3rd. I'd say he will be in the hunt, but sam needs to lose some steam. 89. cjs3872 posted: 03.24.2013 - 12:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) So do I, Anonymous (#88). Smith is one of the three I've said has a chance to run down Hornish for the title, even if Hornish doesn't have a run of bad luck. Smith has already proven he can handle the pressure of the big moment on numerous occasions, most notably when he won the Southern 500 in 2011. But he's also finished third in Brickyard 400 and twice finised seventh in the Daytona 500, so I don't think Smith is going to back down when the pressure of a championship battle begins to become evident. That's been proven. If he's in the mix, I don't think he'll be going anywhere. 90. 1995z71 posted: 03.24.2013 - 12:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I would like to see Kevin Swindell get some more seat time on another team. Very Impressive in his few starts, shame that team missed the race a few weeks back due to weather. 91. Paul posted: 03.24.2013 - 12:33 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Don't count Trevor Bayne out of the championship just yet. Through five races into the 2003 Busch Series season, Brian Vickers was sitting 12th in points, 175 points behind points leader Todd Bodine. If you take out the three Cup drivers in front of him in points at the time (Bodine, McMurray, Harvick), he was ranked 9th among Busch Series drivers and was almost a full race out of the points lead. Vickers was in a situation similar to that of Trevor Bayne right now, with a similar driving style, first took over the points lead with seven races to go, and went on to win the championship by 14 points. Now obviously their situations are different because of the greater number of Cup teams racing now than 10 years ago, as well as the different points system, but it's still possible Bayne can get back into the title hunt. By the way, the record for fewest races leading the points by a Nationwide Series champion is three races, set by Larry Pearson in '86 as he led the points for only the final three races. Also, Sam Hornish, Jr. is in position to do something that no Nationwide series champion has ever done, which is lead the points for an entire season. The two drivers who have come closest to doing so were Sam Ard in '84 and Kevin Harvick in '06, who led the points for all but the first week of the season. He can also aim to break Carl Edwards' record from '07 for the lowest points position held by a Nationwide Series champion, as Edwards spent the first two weeks of the '07 season 2nd in points, before taking over the points lead for the final 33 races. And Hornish can attempt to join Randy LaJoie as the only drivers to lead the points after both the first race of the season and the last race, which LaJoie did in '97 when he began the season with a win at Daytona and eventually won the championship. 92. 13 posted: 03.24.2013 - 1:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thank you Paul you gave me extra hope for Trevor now i looked back at Brians 03 season and he was actually a race and a half out after race 7 on the season 93. 13 posted: 03.24.2013 - 1:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brian was 241 points out of the lead. 94. Paul posted: 03.24.2013 - 1:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) No, Swindell should stay with the #98 team and continue to grow as a stock car driver. It's the perfect transitional team for him to drive for. Biagi-DenBeste Racing is a part-time team, and Swindell isn't quite ready to commit to a full NASCAR schedule (to my knowledge). He doesn't have the pressure of having to perform right away because it's just a part-time Nationwide-only team, but has the equipment behind him that gives him the opportunity to have good runs, such as today. Rookies shouldn't be in top equipment right away, no matter how talented they are, and Swindell is with the right team at this point in his NASCAR career. And since he has made a NASCAR start for Roush, and is currently driving for a Ford team, it's not a stretch to think that he could drive for Roush full-time next season in the Nationwide Series, provided that he's interested in doing so. Regan Smith made a great comeback to finish 3rd in this race after that flat tire earlier in the race. I remember looking at the leaderboard with about 20 laps to go and seeing his name in the 5th position, wondering how the heck he got back up to the top five. I don't recall him ever running in the top five before his problem, and here he is marching up through the top five and all the way up to 3rd place with a car that was running around 7th-10th for most of the race. Regan seems to have great composure and has never let outside forces influence the way he drives or behaves. Perhaps him spending the first four years of his career with struggling Busch Series teams, splitting time with Mark Martin (a very composed driver in his own right) in the #01 Cup car in '07, and driving for the Denver-based Furniture Row team helped mold him into the composed driver he is today. In 2011, he earned his first career top ten in the Daytona 500, his first career win and top five by holding off points leader Carl Edwards in the Southern 500, and earned his second career top five finish in the Brickyard 400. To add to that, he didn't let his release from FRR the following season phase him, and when he got the call to drive the #88 car in place of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., he didn't disappoint as while he qualified poorly in both races, he did drive his way up to the top ten both times. An engine failure ended a good run at Charlotte, and he had a top five car at Kansas before a late restart shuffled him back to 7th. I'll always remember that interview he gave during practice at Charlotte, as this was his first opportunity in great equipment, and he was so calm in his interview that I just had this feeling that he wouldn't disappoint his team in the #88 car. His good performances earned him a ride with Junior's Nationwide team starting at Homestead for the 2012 season finale, where he took a 5th place car for the first half of the race to the front and flat out beat Kyle Busch and the rest of the field by a big margin for the win. There are three drivers that I firmly believe can win this Nationwide championship on composure alone: Sam Hornish, Jr. because he has already experienced the pressures of winning three IndyCar titles and the Indianapolis 500 in his career, Trevor Bayne because he has already experienced the pressures of winning the Daytona 500 in his 2nd career Cup start, and Regan Smith for the reasons I just mentioned. And you know what else these guys have in common? They have each lost their NASCAR rides at some point in their careers. Hornish lost his Cup ride at Penske after the 2010 season, and had to humble himself by running a part-time Nationwide schedule in 2011. Bayne has lost two Nationwide rides within the last three years, MWR in 2010 and Roush in 2012. And Regan has lost his ride twice, first with DEI after the '08 season, and again with FRR late last season. Obviously Hornish has the strong advantage right now, having a worst finish of 7th (with a badly damaged car at Phoenix) through five races, but don't count out the other two either because I think they are each mentally strong enough to dig out of their current situations and strike if something happens to Hornish down the road. I give Regan the advantage because of his experience and his better performances over Trevor at this point in the season, but I wouldn't count out either of those two at this point. And although I didn't mention them, I agree with cjs that both Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson will be drivers to watch as well. And don't count out Brian Scott either, as he and Hornish are the only drivers with 5 top ten finishes through the first five races. 95. murb posted: 03.24.2013 - 1:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I really hope Hornish wins the championship just so he (and hopefully his great race team led by Greg Erwin) can get back to the Cup Series next year. He obviously proved that he can be a good Cup driver in his stint in the 22 last year, so he deserves to be in a third car for Penske. As for Trevor, I honestly think he's using this NNS ride as more of a Cup Series tuneup type of gig. He seems really focused on becoming a full time Cup driver (and rightfully so - he's run fantastic for the Wood Brothers so far), so I think that this year in NNS is sort of just to get more seat time, since his Cup duties with the Wood Brothers is only part time. I'm pretty sure Roush has already said that once he gets enough sponsorship, he will bring the 6 car back to Cup full time, so I sort of feel like Trevor is just kind of filling out time in NNS and part time Cup until that happens. Hopefully it will next year, because like I said, he's done a great job for the Wood Brothers, and I think he's ready to be a full time Cup driver. 96. murb posted: 03.24.2013 - 1:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) "Regan Smith made a great comeback to finish 3rd in this race after that flat tire earlier in the race." Holy shit, I had no idea this happened. Kudos to BSPN for taking a break from The Kyle Busch Show to inform us of this. 97. 18fan posted: 03.24.2013 - 1:23 am Rate this comment: (1) (1) Danica: 58 races, 1 top 5 (4th in a fuel mileage race), 7 top 10s. Regan Smith: 5 races, 1 top 5 (3rd on speed), 3 top 10s. I definitely think the problem with the #7 car from 2010-2012 was the driver, who we are told is very talented by the Danica Apologist Team (the FOX broadcast crew) 98. 13 posted: 03.24.2013 - 2:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) And if Trevor gets to the 6 next year who would you think would take over the 21 car I would say mark Martin would drive it until he retired and in the races the wood brothers run that mark doesn't maybe Travis Pastrana would get some cup starts in the 21 if he stays in nationwide another year next year. 99. Paul posted: 03.24.2013 - 2:17 am Rate this comment: (5) (0) The driver was always the problem with the #7 car. Just take a look at the first five races of the 2010 season. In three races, Danica had a best finish of 31st an an average finish of 34th, and in the next two races Scott Wimmer takes over and delivers two top tens. J.R. Fitzpatrick made three starts in that car with a worst finish of 11th, and Josh Wise made eight starts in that car with a worst finish of 16th. Danica made 13 starts with a best finish of 19th and only five top 25 finishes. I thought she did a decent job in 2011, as her numbers weren't that far off from Wise's as they split most of the schedule together, but last year she was just pathetic. When a driver regresses that much in her 3rd season (closer to 2nd based on the number of starts she made), driving for the same team with the same crew chief, that's definitely not a good sign, especially since she had a lot of money invested in her at that point from GoDaddy, JR Motorsports (who thankfully wised up and dumped her after the season), and now Tony Stewart and SHR. And the excuses...oh good Lord the excuses made her by the announcers and the media were just ridiculous (and still are). The reaction after Road America was just ridiculous. Yeah Jacques Villeneuve (who didn't have a good reputation to begin with) got into her and spun her out on the last lap while she was running in the top five, but did the announcers even bother to mention how Max Papis ran Villeneuve off into the grass just prior to the corner, and how Villeneuve's car suddenly looked like it "sped up" as they got to the corner because of the loss of traction due to the grass? Nooooo, because that would mean there was nobody to blame for the incident. Someone had to blamed for Danica falling from 4th to 12th, so why not blame the foreign guy who already had a bad reputation. How about when he turned Sam Hornish, Jr. into the wall on the cool-down lap at Talladega, and WASN'T penalized for it? So Kyle Busch turning Ron Hornaday into the wall at Texas and wrecking both cars warrants a suspension, but Danica wrecking another car after the race is over is just fine??? Wow... And of course, everybody tried to play the sex card with her. Even her crew chief Tony Eury, Jr. was doing it (with tears in his eyes), saying how those male drivers don't respect her because she's a woman. Oh cry me a river. You want respect? You have to earn it, son. Finishing 17th every week, behind your less experienced teammate Cole Whitt, and small team drivers Mike Bliss and Joe Nemechek isn't going to make anyone respect you, especially since you're in solid equipment that other more deserving drivers should be in. Sorry, I didn't want to go on an anti-Danica rant because I know you guys are probably tired of hearing about her, as I am too, but 18fan brought up an interesting point that I feel passionate about (so blame him, haha). Either way, Regan Smith is doing a great job in that car so far this season, and has done something in the first five races that Danica couldn't do until race 17 in the same car: Be in the top ten in points for five straight races. Plus, as 18fan pointed out, he already has the same number of top fives as Danica in 53 fewer starts in the #7 car, and his was on speed, not on fuel mileage. If Hornish runs into some bad luck this season, he better hope Regan does as well, because he isn't going to make the same mistakes that his predecessor made and cost himself valuable points on the race track (and yes, I realize he lost 15 at Daytona when he got wrecked going for the WIN). 100. Paul posted: 03.24.2013 - 2:21 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) Mark Martin would be a great fit for the Wood Brothers. Both want to run a part-time schedule. Both prefer to race on the speedways and superspeedways. Both are conservative racers that would prefer to finish in the top ten with the car in one piece, than to go for a top five and risk tearing the car up or losing positions in the process. Both are very mature and have great composure. Both have a long history with Ford. And both are among the most respected individuals in the garage area. Perfect fit if Mark does indeed leave MWR after this season. 101. JG24FanForever posted: 03.24.2013 - 2:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch Nationwide stats: Starts: 249 Races Led: 173 Races Led Most: 73 Wins: 54 Laps Led: 11,304 Poles: 28 102. Watto posted: 03.24.2013 - 2:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Do you think maybe Keselowski wanted to make sure no one at Penske could rival him as top dog?" I don't think so at all. The thing about Sam Hornish is that he didn't have the sponsor backing for 2013. It's been reported repeatedly that if they can get Sam's car funded, he'll be back in Cup full time. I don't think Shell Pennzoil was interested in Hornish for this season. I think Brad recommended Logano because Logano has serious potential and they're friendly with each other. And to be frank, Logano has not been a step down from Hornish. The season is still young, but Logano has shown a little more potential than people expected. A fuel pickup issue kept him from getting a top 10 at Phoenix, he got a speeding penalty at Vegas and had to work his way back (finishing 12th after finally getting the lucky dog with about 40 to go), and of course there was Bristol, where Joey had a great shot at finishing well until the Denny incident and then some extra damage after the final restart that made his car handle terribly. Even with the good runs and disappointing finishes, his average finish is 18.5 so far compared to Hornish's 19.4 through 20 starts in 2012. I thought Sam did a solid job, but he mostly found himself just outside of the top 10 (with his best finish of 5th and only top ten coming at Watkins Glen). With that being said, I really like him and hope he wins the Nationwide title this season. If Penske can figure out how to have 3 PERFORMING Cup cars, I will be happy. I'm just trying to illustrate that Logano wasn't a safer bet for a driver who Brad will outperform. If anything, I think Brad revels in a challenge and has shown that repeatedly. 103. Anthony posted: 03.24.2013 - 2:54 am Rate this comment: (1) (3) looks like another Fontana race had its fair share of bs debris 104. 83andJoe posted: 03.24.2013 - 5:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) No. The first "debris" caution was caused by the #7 blowing a tire; on the second, Mike Harmon was reported as coming slowly onto pit road as the caution came out. 105. 83andJoe posted: 03.24.2013 - 5:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) #40, #42, #46, #47 sponsor: The Motorsports Group. 106. Anonymous posted: 03.24.2013 - 9:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dexter Stacey missed Daytona and still locks himself in with a new team. 107. Cichon posted: 03.24.2013 - 9:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Stacey was a wrecking ball last year with these cars, he seems to be able to bring them home now, so good for him. And Regan Smith really came on that last run, what a shame that ESPN followed Kyle around that whole time. 108. Anonymous posted: 03.24.2013 - 10:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Swervin' Sammy continues his torrid championship run! 109. ch posted: 03.24.2013 - 10:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor Changes: 00 - Headrush Apparel 6 - Cargill Certified Ground Beef 10 - TriStar Motorsports 14 - Hefty / Reynolds Wrap 24 - SR2 Motorsports / SupportMilitary.org 44 - American Custom Yachts 74 - Mike Harmon Racing 79 - Crackle: It's On Owner Change: 98 - Fred Biagi (I know that 98 is usually assiated with Mike Curb, but it was Biagi last year and I don't think that Curb has any ownership in the team at all) 110. CBASS posted: 03.24.2013 - 10:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Sponsor updates #98 DenBeste Trucking/ Carroll Shelby Engine Co. #6 Cargill Our Certified Ground Beef #60 KMC Wheels #33 Winfield/ Mudd Advertising #5 Great Clips/ Ultimate EA Sports Golf Experience #44 American Custom Yachts #14 Hefty/ Reynolds #23 Koma Unwind Liquid Relaxation #74 Mike Harmon Racing (car was unsponsored again) #24 SupportMilitary.org #79 Crackle #27 #TeamBoom #10 TriStar Motorsports #70 NEMCO-JRR 111. CBASS posted: 03.24.2013 - 11:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Scratch that for the 23, the 23 actually picked up a 2nd sponsor for the race, so it should be listed as #23 Koma Unwind/ Industrial Technologies 112. Peter posted: 03.24.2013 - 11:26 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Who would have ever guessed that Brian Scott would be 1 of only 2 drivers to have a top ten in every race so far? ...really makes wonder how Gibbs is somehow cheating 113. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.24.2013 - 12:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @ post #99. That was beautiful. You said it all. 114. jamie88fan@yahoo.com posted: 03.24.2013 - 1:51 pm Rate this comment: (1) (3) Goood to see Kurtis Keys car DNQ one less start and park ... He needs to go away ... 115. cjs3872 posted: 03.24.2013 - 2:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 13 (#97), it would be ironic if it was Mark Martin that replaced Trevor Bayne in the #21 car if Roush revives the #6 and put Bayne in that car because I have said that a major reason why Roush didn't put Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the #6 (his number for both of his NNS titles) instead of the #17 was that I believe Roush believes that Bayne would be the true heir to Mark in the #6 car. However murb (#95), I really don't believe that Roush will find the sponsorship to do that. Bayne's style is more suited to the longer races, but he may have trouble finding a full-time ride, even if he deserves one. And I wouldn't say he's run fantastic in the Wood Brothers car. He given them their best results since Ricky Rudd drove the car, though that's not saying very much. Though I can't understand why Donnie Wingo, their crew chief, doesn't take more chances since they're not running for points. 116. 83andJoe posted: 03.24.2013 - 2:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) #114: Why? 117. Daniel posted: 03.24.2013 - 4:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 40: #46 Chase Miller & #70 Tony Raines Out using fastest 40: #15 Juan Carlos Blum & #74 Mike Harmon 118. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 03.25.2013 - 12:40 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Nice to see what JR Motorsports cars can do when they have a driver in them who is actually focused on racing instead of getting media attention. I hope to see Regan ride this opportunity into a Cup career with a good team. So far it looks like Regan and Sam Hornish are going to battle for this year's championship and I'll pull for both of them (meaning I don't care which one wins, as long as one of them do). 119. Daniel posted: 03.26.2013 - 9:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danny Efland and JD Motorsports have parted ways already. 120. Richie61NYfan posted: 03.29.2013 - 5:44 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) After 5 races last year the Diva was 17th in points,118 behind the leader.This year the no hype driver of the same car is 2nd in points, 28 behind the leader. Wonder if Greg Ives will "quit" as crew chief when Regan keeps making excuses like the car isn't handling. Interestingly , the Diva that moved to Cup is 29th in points after 5 races , 112 behind the leader. Wonder why Regan can't get a pole at a restrictor plate track though. 121. Daniel posted: 04.08.2013 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 46 entered at Texas: -Landon Cassill in the #4 -Kasey Kahne in the #5 -#15 TBA -Chris Buescher in the #16 -Matt Kenseth in the #18 -Robert Richardson Jr. in the #23 -Michael McDowell in the #27 -Kevin Harvick in the #33 -Scott Riggs in the #47 -Jeffrey Earnhardt in the #79 -#86 TBA -Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the #88 -Kevin Swindell in the #98 122. The Long Shot posted: 06.26.2013 - 11:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdrew: 07-Daryl Harr 123. ch posted: 08.25.2013 - 11:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor Update: 70 - ML Motorsports 124. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 05.30.2014 - 12:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For all the races #98 ran in 2013 was owned by Fred Biagi ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: