|| *Comments on the 2010 Food City 500:* View the most recent comment <#137> | Post a comment <#post> 1. RLewis9 posted: 03.21.2010 - 5:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson steals another one. The last restart was set up perfectly for another 48 win... Kurt Busch led over half the race and ends up empty handed. 2. Cooper posted: 03.21.2010 - 5:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Wins! Kurt Busch had the car to beat, but was stuck on the inside lane, when it counted. The outside lane on restarts were about 2-3 car lengths better every time. It seemed like if you restarted 4th you'd be 2nd by turn 2. The race seemed to never get a good flow, as tires were cutting every 60 laps. Overall a decent race. 3. DaleJrFan18 posted: 03.21.2010 - 5:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Nascar hands the win to Jimmie again. Am I surprised? No...that makes him 3 for 3 on undeserving wins this year. I agree with RLewis 100% 4. luigistarted06 posted: 03.21.2010 - 5:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Once again, the win falls right into Jimmies lap on a day in which he was probably only 2nd best. Nascar almost feels tainted to me now, there so concerned about getting back to the basics...yet between the green white checkards and double file restarts and all that stuff, there are so many new variables to taint the results. Oh well, this is the sport now, the sport that I once loved. 5. Mike posted: 03.21.2010 - 5:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nice solid top 10 run for Dale Jr. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. 6. Jimmy posted: 03.21.2010 - 6:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Umm Jimmie has deserved every win he's got this year. Just because he didn't dominate the race doesn't mean he didn't deserve it. It's just that he always seems to break through and win races when everybody else just seems to screw up This race saw quite a few things go his way, but to say it was a conspiracy is ludicrous Also, nice runs for Junior and McMurray, as well as Brad Keselowski taking it easy to ensure a top-35 spot for Martinsville. And Harvick finishes toward the front in a 25th place car for the second straight race, and barely keeps the points lead 7. Eric posted: 03.21.2010 - 6:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie got lucky in getting the win. The inside lane had problem during restarts like other posters mentioned. I don't think there is a conspiracy in Jimmie's wins though. If Nascar was fixing races, it would be for Dale Jr. Jamie gets his best finish since winning the Daytona 500. There was tire problems during the race. I don't what it is, but Gibbs had tire problems two cup races in a row. I think no one should make any conclusions of today's run out of the 88. I am saying that because he wasn't involved in the big one at Bristol despite coming back from a speed penalty. Dale had a top 10 or a top 5 car at Bristol, but nothing will change if he doesn't stop making silly mistakes like speeding down pit road. 8. RLewis9 posted: 03.21.2010 - 6:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's not a conspiracy, but nobody I can remember seems to have things go their way at the end like Jimmie Johnson does all the time. I knew before the restart even came that Jimmie had it in the bag, it was perfectly set up for him to steal another win. Kurt Busch had the better car, but he was stuck on the inside line and to make things worse for him, Kenseth blew the restart and held up the inside line. Speaking of that, my god how this track has changed. I never would've imagined the outside line being the place to be at Bristol. 9. Bronco posted: 03.21.2010 - 6:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Final race with the wing, and fittingly the team with the most wing wins takes their 50th victory. They way they're going, they will likely have a double digit win season. Michael Waltrip, for some reason comes out of semi-retirement to do a start and park for his buddy Phil Parksons. Couldn't he have just stayed at home? Paul Menard picks up another top 20 and continues to stay in the top 10 in points, while last year at this time he was fighting to stay in the top 35. Goes to show how important a new team and crew chief can be for a driver. First race of the season for both Casey Mears and Terry Cook, while Kevin Conway picks up his best finish to date and stays in the top 35. Bliss and Papis had a chance to be in the top 35 but they both missed the race. 10. Rusty posted: 03.21.2010 - 6:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, this sucks. Kurt was killing em and ends up 3rd.... Cup debut for Terry Cook. Also, Michael Waltrip has hit a new low. Now he's start and parking? He may have sucked something fierce as a driver, but atleast he raced. I know he's driving Prim's car, but why would they bring Waltrip in to start and park for Michael McDowell? They have two cars out there start and parking, no excuse for that IMO. The money from two race checks should be enough to attempt to race here or there. 11. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.21.2010 - 6:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Marcos Ambrose probably had the fastest car out there, but he sped on pit road twice, and while in the back got caught up in the Martin/Biffle melee. Even Juan Pablo Montoya thinks that was one hell of a choke. Look, I'm as sick and tired as everyone else of watching Jimmie win, but the fact is he and his team deserve it. They put themselves in postion almost every single week and win a lot. Yes, he caught a break by lining up on the outside line, but he still sliced through traffic, got the lead, and pulled away. Now the only thing left for him to do is win a road course event. I'm telling ya, we might be looking at another "Gordon in '98" season. Jay Guy wins crew chief of the race. He made 2 great pit calls to get a 20th place car up front. I know Brad only finished 13th, but if they had more cautions in the last 100 laps, it would have worked better. The #12 looked good for a while, then faded. They have to find a way to anticipate track changes better. Kryle Busch runs like crap, blows a tire, pounds the wall, and runs way better afterwards. DW's quote: "I think Kyle has learned how to view the big picture better this year". No Darrell, he has learned that Steve Addington knows how to set up a damn race car. JGR firing Addington is the worst personelle move since Fatback McSwain was fired by, oh wait, JGR and the #18 team. 12. Eric posted: 03.21.2010 - 6:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bronco, What did you expect. Prism Motorsports and Micheal Waltrip are starting and parking because they want to have enough money for the 55 team for racing the whole distance at Dega. It isn't a big big for Micheal Waltrip starting and parking for Prism Motorsports because Prism Motorsports is one of Micheal Waltrip racing's satellite teams for the last two years. 13. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.21.2010 - 6:45 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Couldn't he have just stayed at home?" Of course not. That got him some more undeserved TV time. Hell, since he retired, he's had his mug on the TV more than ever. He is hosting some lame ass talent contest show (which I'm proud to say I haven't watched a second of) and is a part of "Inside NASCAR" on Showtime (which I wouldn't watch even if I got Showtime, which I don't). Plus he's good friends with Phil Start And Parksons. 14. Rusty posted: 03.21.2010 - 6:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Prism doesn't need money to run the whole race at Talladega, Eric. Aaron's will be sponsoring Waltrip for that event. I heard that they let Mikey run this race to get used to the CC and crew people for Talladega....but how is running 50 laps at Bristol going to do that? I don't get the point in letting Waltrip start and park the car. 15. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.21.2010 - 6:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I heard that they let Mikey run this race to get used to the CC and crew people for Talladega....but how is running 50 laps at Bristol going to do that?" Exactly. You could give Mikey 50 YEARS with a crew and CC and he'd still suck cause that is who he is. 16. petty43 posted: 03.21.2010 - 6:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) anyone who thinks jimmie is not the best DRIVER in this series right now is on crack. that was a good race but i miss the days when you were excite3d all week for bristol and it lived up to the billing, o well. but seriously give that man (JJ) even a sniff at checkers and he gets it done. I used to think it was the equip and knaus more than it was JJ, but not anymore, I am a believer, take it from someone who has seen most of the greats, this guy is right there with em, o and that burnout to the winners circle was really clever and also required a good bit of skill. 17. dUDE gUY posted: 03.21.2010 - 6:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @Rusty: I heard that Mikey is going to run Talladega in the 55 car, and that he was in the car this weekend to get to know the team a little before suiting up for Talladega. Anyways, I missed most of the race, but tuned in for the final 100 laps. Even still, I kind of knew that if a late caution came out (which it did), that Jimmie would win (which he did). I'm a Jimmie Fan, but I would have liked to see Kurt take two races in a row. If he had won, it would've been the first time since '02 that Kurt won 2 races in a row. Also, this was the best finish for Stewart in the spring Bristol race since finishing 3rd in '05. Good runs for McMurray (who was running 3rd for a while before the final caution), Edwards, Junior, and Keselowski (who was in position to win when I tuned in around lap 400, had the race been shortened by rain). 18. I Seize the Day posted: 03.21.2010 - 7:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson-Favorite Field-Underdog Everyone enjoys watching the underdog win. I personally believe the majority of Johnsons fanbase dont watch the races on a weekly, lap by lap basis. I loved watching the Schumacher dynasty in the 2000's, but I watched the races sparingly. 19. Brad posted: 03.21.2010 - 7:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @RLewis9 (#8): "Speaking of that, my god how this track has changed. I never would've imagined the outside line being the place to be at Bristol." I noticed that there was a bunch of empty seats too. That's something you NEVER see at Bristol. 20. Bronco posted: 03.21.2010 - 7:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "JGR firing Addington is the worst personelle move since Fatback McSwain was fired by, oh wait, JGR and the #18 team." Very true. That move right there destroyed the 18 team until Shrub revived it in 2008. More importantly, it ruined Labonte's career to what it is today. This was David Stremme's first race since Talladega last fall, and he did a much better job with the 26 than Boris ever did. First time that car made a race without relying on owner points. Speaking of Michael Waltrip, his teams need to do something about their engines. 15 combined races, 5 engine DNFs is pretty bad. Nice to see my favorite drivers, Carl Edwards, Dale Jr, and Jamie Mac all get top 10s. 21. dUDE gUY posted: 03.21.2010 - 7:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also of note: despite Kurt Busch winning five times at Bristol in the past, this was Kurt Busch's first top five at the Concrete Colosseum that wasn't a win. 22. RLewis9 posted: 03.21.2010 - 7:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I never said Jimmie didn't deserve to win, he just stole another one by winning without the best car. The end of the race fell perfectly for him once again. I thought it was obivious once I saw he came out of the pits in 6th. His only chance of beating Kurt Busch was to get in that outside groove and have other cars hold up Kurt on the bottom. He couldn't have asked for better circumstances at the end. 23. petty43 posted: 03.21.2010 - 7:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) also it is official dale jr is the worst driver at pitting in nascar 24. Cfob posted: 03.21.2010 - 7:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Strong run by Brad Keselowski. Amazing how such an aggressive driver can come from the back at Bristol without a mark on his car in the Cup AND Nationwide Races. Nice to see him finally have a solid day where a tire or an idiot takes him out. Two races in a row that were very solid for the 12. Heartbreaker for Kurt Busch. Joey Logano seems to choke after earning his first career pole. Paul Menard somehow has another strong run. Beginning to think he sold his soul for a good season. That, or his Dad bought him some good luck. 25. ams391221 posted: 03.21.2010 - 7:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson's 50th win in 296 starts. At this rate he'll have AT LEAST 10 wins, maybe more. 26. 12345Dude posted: 03.21.2010 - 7:39 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I think we should start congratulating Jimmie Johnson for his 5 straight titles already. I said in the beginning of the year there were only two people that could challenge him for the title. Well Kyle Busch is really close to being off that list. Then again if he catches fire in the chase that could change. But he really needs to get some more top 10 finishes. Mark might be the only one left. And I think some of you guys that have been giving Menard and Speed crap [I was one of them for Menard] need to confess there doing really good. Speed is 14th in standings and Menard is 9th. Same with how good Joey Logono is doing. "Nascar almost feels tainted to me now" No matter what Nascar does people are going to complain. Jeez. If they went back to the old points system, people would be complaining that there aren't enough drivers in the hunt for the championship. If they make the racing more exciting people complain there are too many wrecks. Nobody even mentions when the Goodyear tires are good, but when they suck I have to listen about it for 10,000 years. And now this. Instead of calling this site racing reference we should call it complainaboutnascar.com. "Once again, the win falls right into Jimmies lap on a day in which he was probably only 2nd best." Wow the second best car. You making it sound like he has the 12th best car. I know what you mean though, when ever anybody has the best car, we should just give them the win. Forget about the driver that makes great moves, who's crew chief works really hard. And what driver drivers balls to the wall in order to win. No, who ever leads the most laps at the end of the race should be called the winner no matter how they finish. I'm getting really sick of dealing with some of idiots on here. The "cup is half empty" people. I think I'm just going to ignore these people for now on. Rant over. 27. 12345Dude posted: 03.21.2010 - 7:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "also it is official dale jr is the worst driver at pitting in nascar" If took you that long to figure it out lol. Who was worst before him :]. 28. potatosalad48 posted: 03.21.2010 - 7:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm happy for Jimmie, getting his 50th win at a track that hasn't been all too kind to him in the past. WTG Jimmie! 29. Neal posted: 03.21.2010 - 7:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR had better wake up and smell the coffee. It's not just the economy. When Bristol's 28 YEAR sellout streak comes to an end, it's the canary in the coal mine. The product STILL sucks. 30. rw posted: 03.21.2010 - 8:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Once again Jimmie wins another race *yawn* 31. 12345Dude posted: 03.21.2010 - 8:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anyone who wants to rip there hair out, go listen to Kurt Busch's post race interview on nascar.com Poor, poor Addington. 32. Anonymous posted: 03.21.2010 - 9:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) JJ out-drove every one today. I don't like him, but he did. The best cars win Formula 1 races, this isn't F1. Sam Hornish is running well this year and having terrible luck. Regan Smith had some bad luck today but is having a great year. Two real race teams went home so five losers could start and park. So tired of that. RCR still sucks. Harvick's gotten 9th and 11th place finishes the last two races with 25th place cars. 33. Anonymous posted: 03.21.2010 - 9:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Who was worst before him :]." Rusty Wallace 34. G14 posted: 03.21.2010 - 9:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I am not sure how some think this was a boring race. Because it was not a wreckfest? Or because Johnson won? I personally thought this was a fantastic race - there were several dominant cars and 3 leads changes in the final 10 laps. For those that thought it was boring, please expalin to detail in me. 35. Michael posted: 03.21.2010 - 9:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Win #50 go Superman aka Jimmie Johnson 36. Critic posted: 03.21.2010 - 9:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I spent most of the afternoon watching C-SPAN. However, Marcos Ambrose cost himself a top-five, if not better, with the two penalties that put him in position to be caught up in the Martin and Biffle accident. Coupled with Reutimann's engine failure while charging to the front, Michael Waltrip Racing has had little to show for their performance this year. Busch would've won the race had there not been such a late restart, but the ending was predictable as soon as he lined up on the inside. Johnson was in position to profit from his misfortune. Nothing more needs to be said. I don't like the outcome, but take solace in the fact that the France's are upset as we are over Johnson's continued dominance. This is only exacerbating the sport's inability to retain interest, as evidenced by the surprisingly pedestrian attendance (for Bristol) this afternoon, and they must be desperate to find a formula that will miraculously improve parity. Anyone who suggests that there is a vast conspiracy afoot is an imbecile. Johnson's superior talent, technical advantage, perception and calm make him an ideal competitor. As much as I want to claim that the team is making the legend (Michael Schumacher), we are being shown year in and year out that this simply not the case. In my experience, only a preeminent driver can perform at this high of a standard year in and year out. Such dominance is incredibly frustrating, but deserving of our respect and, when Johnson is long retired, reverence. He is vanilla, but I wonder how many of you criticizing him for being 'gray' would have similarly maligned David Pearson, who treated the sport with a surprising amount of nonchalance in his mannerisms and disposition despite being a firm competitor. I feel no need to point out the evident hypocrisy here. 37. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 03.21.2010 - 9:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "More importantly, it ruined Labonte's career to what it is today." To me, it's a real shame to see Bobby's career go so far downhill after being a proud champion just 10 years ago. The only other driver's career that I would say fell apart quicker than Bobby's would be Dale Jarrett's. He went from a top-10 points finish in 2002 to missing a ton of races just five years later. As for the race, I truly did NOT expect Jimmie to win this one! He deserves to win for sure; he's capable of taking full advantage of the great equipment his team gives him, and that is why he is the defending champion 4x. I was also impressed by Keselowski and how he was able to hang around in the top-10 for as long as he did after staying out twice. I would say this finish and the top-5 run he had going at Atlanta before Carl wrecked him will definitely help that 12 team as a whole. Truex has his first decent run of the year, running in the top-10 briefly on his way to finishing 12th. 38. Critic posted: 03.21.2010 - 9:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Truex has his first decent run of the year, running in the top-10 briefly on his way to finishing 12th." He did almost win the Daytona 500 and was in the top-ten at Atlanta until Edwards had a psychotic episode on track. On the first restart, Truex was caught up in the accident started by McMurray, who lost control when he was forced up after attempting to run Kahne onto the apron. 39. 18fan posted: 03.21.2010 - 9:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie's wins- undeserving;no, lucky;yes. While it is getting sickening to watch them win all the time, it is fun to see who can step up and beat them. I think if Kurt was in the outside lane and Jimmie was in the inside lane Kurt would have won. Now we have tire problems at Bristol. Why is it that whenever Goodyear fixes a tire problem at one track they create a tire problem at another track? DSFF, Kyle wanted Steve gone because they weren't consistent enough(largely Kyle's fault)and also Steve's personality didn't quite mesh with Kyle's. However Dave Rogers has done nothing spectacular in terms of setting up a car since the Texas race. This was the same team that had finished second and won twice in the last three races at Bristol and it took them 450 laps to crack the top 10. I don't know what JGR is going to do now. 40. dUDE gUY posted: 03.21.2010 - 9:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Critic, I'd personally say that Truex's best run was the Daytona 500, but since I missed the first 400 laps of this race, I can't say for sure. Regardless, it was a good finish for the 56 team. I don't know how I managed to forget to congratulate my favourite driver on winning, but I did. :/ Congrats Jimmie, on winning your 50th career race at Bristol, a racetrack that has given you your fair share of troubles in the past. Now only five more (current) tracks to win at: Watkins Glen, Michigan, Homestead, Chicagoland and Sonoma. Considering he has had great runs at all of those tracks, and the way he's running this year, I wouldn't be surprised to see him knock one or two more tracks off of that list! 41. dUDE gUY posted: 03.21.2010 - 9:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oops, I meant to target my last post towards RCRandPenskeGuy, not Critic (who pretty much said what I had said). Sorry about that! 42. Smokefan05 posted: 03.21.2010 - 9:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I'm getting really sick of dealing with some of idiots on here. The "cup is half empty" people. I think I'm just going to ignore these people for now on. Rant over." It's best too do that because they are always around. Here and SPEED board have complainers. But the ESPN boards are WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY worse than here and the SPEED boards. But Dave Despain said it best "NASCAR fans love too complain." Anyway, good run for Jr. Got busted for speeding (and sounded like his old man letting NASCAR know how he felt about it) and mad a great recovery. JaimeMc has his best run since the Daytona 500, Brad K. led 26 laps because of a great call by his CC. "dangerous" AJ Allmendinger, Paul Menard, E.Sad and Robby Gordon have great runs. Especially Robby because he was out of the top 35. A great race with alot of passing, only wish the winner wasn't who won. 43. Matt G posted: 03.21.2010 - 10:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here's where I think the boring race claims come in play. Before Bristol changed the track, it always produced a wild "beating and banging", and "tempers flaring" type of race. Now it produces a side by side multigroove race. The problem is that the race is still advertised as an old style Bristol race. In other words, it's still hyped up to be a "beating and banging" style race because some of the idiots who cover this sport still haven't figured out that it's not. (I'm so sick of hearing Larry Mac say "When you come to Bristol you better leave your feelings outside because if you bring them in they are going to get hurt") By the time the race starts the networks have a large portion of the audience "jacked up" for an old style Bristol race. MEMO TO NASCAR AND THE NETWORKS: Don't insult me by previewing curent Bristol races with highlights from old ones. IT"S NOT THE SAME TRACK. I'm not saying that it's a terrible track, I'm just saying that it's nothing like the old Bristol. This means that anyone who expects it to be even a little like the old Bristol is going to be disappointed. Here's the bottom line though. If Bristol does not put the track back the way it was, it will sink like the Titanic financially. Remember, this track is in the middle of nowhere with almost no hotels or tourist attractions to lure people in. They have to sell 160,000 seats twice a year based on the racing alone. While I don't think the porduct today was bad, it's not nearly exciting enough to fill the place; as was illustrated by the empty seats today. The crowds at Bristol will just keep getting smaller and smaller unless they change the track back. I just hope they realize this before it's too late. 44. Critic posted: 03.21.2010 - 10:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) As for Labonte being forced to use a past champion's provisional to qualify for a new team with a fly-by-night sponsor and no hope of success, it's a predictable and sobering end for someone who's clearly lost interest. His career never came out of the tailspin it began 2005 in, and Johnson's defeat of a clearly out of his depth Labonte on the last lap of that year's 600 was the dagger thrust that brought his status as a top drawer competitor to a close. I think Labonte still wants to be apart of the wider community and enjoys going through the motions, but is past expending legitimate effort or -- even worse -- putting himself at risk. Everyone should have seen this coming when he stepped down into the No. 43, then took over the No. 96 last year for a consortium of individuals who had to resort to a desperation merger with Yates to field a car. Even his Busch efforts in more than capable equipment (Kevin Harvick, Richard Childress) have proven this out -- the fire is burning dimly. I hope he turns to his brother for inspiration and has the sense to step away before it is out entirely. At 46, there would be no shame in his retiring at the conclusion of this year, and I have no desire to see someone with such a sterling career become a hanger-on. 45. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.21.2010 - 10:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "also it is official dale jr is the worst driver at pitting in nascar" What is the record for most pit road penalties/screw ups in a 2 year stretch? Dale Mears has to have already shattered it with 31 races left in this year. "Johnson's superior talent, technical advantage, perception and calm make him an ideal competitor. As much as I want to claim that the team is making the legend (Michael Schumacher), we are being shown year in and year out that this simply not the case. In my experience, only a preeminent driver can perform at this high of a standard year in and year out. Such dominance is incredibly frustrating, but deserving of our respect and, when Johnson is long retired, reverence." That sums up how I feel exactly. For so long I thought it was all Chad, but I think it may be the opposite. Nobody has the killer instinct on track that JJ has. It's like somebody said earlier, if he smells checkers, forget about it. As soon as I saw JJ line up on the outside, I immediately knew it was over. And it played out exactly like I thought it would. He made all the right moves while Kurt got bogged down, then overdrove it in frustration. The fact is JJ is a machine. It's frustrating to watch because he has no real challenger. There is no Allison to his Petty, Rusty to his Earnhardt, etc. Nobody can really challenge his crown. There is no other driver pushing him, and he is only racing against history. 46. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 03.21.2010 - 10:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good points, Critic. I never did think of it that way. It is certainly puzzling to see Bobby re-sign with the 43 team in 2008 while better rides were available, only to have the team have to merge with Evernham. I can understand why he took the 96 and 71, however. No better rides were available. 47. Red posted: 03.21.2010 - 10:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "It's frustrating to watch because he has no real challenger. There is no Allison to his Petty, Rusty to his Earnhardt, etc. Nobody can really challenge his crown. There is no other driver pushing him, and he is only racing against history." Exactly. I think part of the reason people say Jimmie is ruining the sport is that he doesn't have a rival to dampen the effect of his dominance. When Gordon dominated in the mid-to-late `90's, people didn't complain as much because he had Earnhardt as a legitimate rival, and both were polarizing figures that fans could take sides with. Right now, it's JJ vs. the field, and the field is getting smoked. You would think that 4 championships might dull his fire just a bit, but every week it seems like Jimmie just wants it more than his competitors. He has the competitive drive of a Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan, except he does it without coming across as an arrogant prick. 48. Critic posted: 03.21.2010 - 11:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The greatest testament to Johnson's success is that, like Alain Prost, who had an opportunity at every Formula One World Championship from 1982 to 1991, he could be a six or seven-time reigning champion rather than "just" four with a few minute permutations. His dominance of the decade is almost frightening in its totality; even Petty, Earnhardt and Gordon showed they were fallible with 1978, 1992 and 2000, but Johnson has given no indications of relenting thus far. 49. Eric posted: 03.21.2010 - 11:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Man if Paul Menard keeps this up for the next 21 races he could possibly make the chase. It's a long shot but it could happen 50. Red posted: 03.21.2010 - 11:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He could be a six or seven-time reigning champion rather than "just" four with a few minute permutations." Great point, Critic. Johnson legitimately challenged for the championship in each of his first 8 full seasons, a claim that no other driver can make. Even in his rookie year, JJ led the standings after 29 races. And despite many fans claiming "He only wins titles because of the Chase format", JJ has been equally dominant during the regular season. Since 2004, Johnson has 26 wins in the regular season alone, which is 6 more than anyone else has in ALL the races combined! Just staggering. How people can still claim he's only a 6th-10th place driver (Kit, ahem) is beyond me. 51. Eric posted: 03.21.2010 - 11:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff Gordon had more than Dale Earnhardt Sr. from the mid 90's to the late 90's as a rival. Jeff had Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin. I considered those drivers being Jeff biggest rivals after the 2nd Dega race to 1999. I don't consider Dale Earnhardt Sr. Jeff biggest rival after he got injured from the 2nd Dega race in 1996 to 1999. Dale Earnhardt Sr. suffered multiple injuries during the Dega crash and wasn't close to being the same driver before 1999. 1999 was when Dale Earnhardt Sr. was starting to get his old form bad. The other fact was RCR struggled becoming a 2 team operation with Mike Skinner. Dale Earnhardt Sr. had neck issues after the Dega crash before got surgery after the 1999 season and Dale had 2 out his 4 worst seasons ever at Jeff's peak in 1997 and 1998. 52. 18fan posted: 03.22.2010 - 12:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff also had a rejuvenated, at least in 1998, Rusty Wallace, a young Jeremy Mayfield, Bobby Labonte and all of the others mentioned. 53. 12345Dude posted: 03.22.2010 - 12:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "To me, it's a real shame to see Bobby's career go so far downhill after being a proud champion just 10 years ago." There is one reason why I don't feel bad for Bobby Labonte. Bobby Labonte had a ride ready for him in Childress, but decided to stay with Petty. And then he signed with the worst team nascar had the #96. When he still could of signed with Childress! Instead of Casey Mears. 54. 12345Dude posted: 03.22.2010 - 12:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nevermind my post, Critic said it best. 55. martin-n-rusty posted: 03.22.2010 - 1:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Matt G. Yeah, Bristol hasn't been the "beating and banging" of Bristol past, but at the same time, watch past races at Bristol, before the concrete was first laid. Drivers were running all sorts of lines, like now. The problem is, and as could be seen before they changed the banking to variable again (which it was before the concrete) is that some of these drivers do not have the fire in them that was around some of these drivers in the past. Some of these guys need to be given some kind of incentive today in order to beat and bang and race very hard like the drivers of past. Maybe it might mean a complete and totally revolutionary change of the points system that does it, who knows. I still will not blame the renovation of the Bristol surface for the racing that happens today, but rather, the drivers. Smokefan. I just stay off the ESPN boards. If I want to drive myself nuts, I do that, and I don't like driving myself nuts. Hell, trolls on the Yahoo message threads for news stories make more sense a hell of a lot more often than the people over on the ESPN boards. 56. martin-n-rusty posted: 03.22.2010 - 1:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, to go along with what Eric said, if Menard keeps this up, I will definitely be looking foolish with my prediction of "He, not Dale Jr., should be ripped for banking on daddy's name or money. 57. RLewis9 posted: 03.22.2010 - 2:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul Menard won't sniff the chase, he's impressing me. But other than a fluke 5th by taking two tires at Atlanta he's pretty much finishing 18th every week. He's not really running up in the top 10, and it will catch up with him. 58. Critic posted: 03.22.2010 - 2:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) As has been noted, there were persistent rumors vis a vis Labonte joining Childress dating back to 2005, first with the No. 07 opening and then later the No. 33. I thought it was almost certain that he would accept the second offer and was floored when he didn't, which is when I came to the conclusion above. Even if we concede that he was past his best going into 2009, Labonte's knowledge and temperament would have been far more useful than Mears' consistent mediocrity. I've often wondered, in the case of Labonte and others whose performance rapidly falls off in a short span of time for no discernible reason, if they are burnt out on the sport and can't admit it. This is an incredibly cruel game, and the oft-neglected mental element is far more draining than the week to week physical exertion. Every time you take to the track, you're potentially playing with your own life and forty-two others. Racing is a constant dance on the edge of irrationality, and human feelings -- sentimentality, respect, consideration -- must be kept to a minimum in favor of pure self-interest. Mark Martin has never been able to do this, which is why he's still on a quest into old age and out of Gilgamesh to win a championship. If someone has both an unremitting resolve and the wherewithal to know when it's time (Johnson), such killer instinct is beautiful to watch, but it's also why our sport attracts dysfunctional egotists; why its history is replete with capable talents who simply couldn't handle it (C. Atwood). The one event that comes to mind for me here is Jeff Gordon daring Wallace to abet a murder in the 1999 Daytona 500 by heading straight for Rudd's stricken car, because it was so clear that Wallace's nerve would eventually get the better of him. That is true killer instinct. When motor racing is all you have (and have done), to walk away must be excruciating. Far better to continue, even if it isn't in your best interests, because it's an intractable part of who you are. I think that's where Labonte finds himself now: no longer interested by the racing, but afraid to let go. He might publicly claim that he still wants to compete, but his career decisions and performance are telling a different story. A rather pertinent quote, from one of my favorite films: "I wonder whether you're tired. Burnt out. Well, that's a phenomenon we understand here. It's like metal fatigue: we have to live without sympathy, don't we? We can't do that forever. One can't stay outdoors all of the time. One has to come in ... in from the cold." 59. Aaron posted: 03.22.2010 - 7:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The last time before Jimmie Johnson that a driver won his 50th career Cup win at Bristol was Rusty Wallace in the 2000 Food City 500. Great runs by Dale Jr, Martin Truex,Jr , Brad Keselowski, Paul Menard, Greg Biffle, and Matt Kenseth. 60. Jeremy Siple posted: 03.22.2010 - 9:00 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is it just me or has Bristol sucked since it was redone? 61. Anonymous posted: 03.22.2010 - 9:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson <3 men. That little idiot just got lucky again. i hope he ends up getting caught doing a tiger woods and sits out for a few months so he can't go anywhere near the chase. 62. Timmy Quivy posted: 03.22.2010 - 10:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ummmm, I'm pretty certain Bobby Labonte was never fully offered the RCR ride. I think RC really wanted Bobby, but Cheerios didn't think he'd be the ideal spokesman. That's why that had to go in house and take Bowyer from the #07. Ironic that the first track to host a CoT race hosts the final CoT 1.0 race. Racing is good folks. These numbers have been greatly inflated by the double-file restarts but: Lead Changes through the first five races of: 2010: 156 2009: 70 2008: 137 2007: 115 2006: 118 And while I do feel like the double-file restarts are both bogus from the competition and statistical aspects, I still don't think I've seen near as many legit green-flag passes for the lead in a number of years. California and Atlanta featured "comers-and-goers" for the lead, this race illustrated that one dominant car (Ku. Busch) and a few others (J.J., Biffle, Keselowski) had to tweak on their cars or use good pit strategy to get up there. Vegas was the only race this year that didn't feature a lot of green-flag passes for the lead because Gordon was on a rail, but I still thought that race was pretty good. Looking at the Chase, I'm having a hard time picking who's going to fall out. Menard for sure and Jr. most likely but then look at all the drivers vying to replace those two? Edwards, Vickers, Martin, Hamlin, Montoya, Kahne, and Newman all made last years Chase and some definitely will not make it this year. 63. Billy posted: 03.22.2010 - 12:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) On the topic of the "new" Bristol, the current configuration certainly doesn't live up to the "bumping and banging" reputation that Bristol has provided in the past. The variable banking of the current design is much like the old pre-August 1992 asphalt surface (which may have been variably-banked). It certainly leads to more passing and fewer cautions. The statistics seem to tell the story here: Spring 1961 - Spring 1969 - 22° asphalt Average 5.64 cautions in 17 races Fall 1969 - Spring 1992 - 36° (disputed?) asphalt Average 7.50 cautions in 46 races Fall 1992 - Spring 2007 - 36° concrete Average 12.76 cautions in 30 races Fall 2007 - Present - 24-30°concrete Average 8.66 cautions in 6 races While it's clear that the 1992-2007 concrete surface lead to more cautions, other factors come into play, like field size. Back before the 43-car field, typically only 30-some cars started each race at Bristol. Obviously less cars will lead to less cautions because the track isn't as congested. Also, the general direction of NASCAR (with all the debris cautions and cautions for cars scraping the wall) has lead to an increase in the number of cautions. 64. Jordan posted: 03.22.2010 - 12:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've been saying for years that Johnson makes Knaus look good and not the other way around and people have consistently told me how stupid I am... maybe people are finally coming around though. What few people know/realize is that Knaus actually had crew chief experience before working with Johnson.... he was on top of the box for Stacy Compton in 2001, and that resulted in a mid-30s point finish. Equipment and driver skill aside, surely if Knaus is the genius he's made out to be he could have at least got that team around at least 20th... legendary crew chiefs don't know what the 30s feel like. Meanwhile, Johnson was driving field-filler level cars in the Busch Series, and finished in the top 10 in points in 2000 and 2001, even managing to win a race, albeit on pit strategy. No driver or crew chief in the history of the Sprint Cup has managed to finish in the top 10 in points every season they have competed except Johnson.... and he has finished in the top 5. Even as a rookie, he was a championship contender, which is amazing in the fact that his team was a new one composed of rejects from Jeff Gordon and his old, out-of-date cars. I think the fact that he's a non-controversial Californian in a sport that built its reputation on tough-driving, hard-charging southerners is really holding him back as far as fan support... I just wish people would give him his due, he's easily the greatest driver since Earnhardt Sr. and already an all-time legend. Congratulation on win number 50, I'm sure it won't be long until we are celebrating your next 50. Jimmie Johnson is not going anywhere any time soon. 65. Jordan posted: 03.22.2010 - 12:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And how exactly did any team make Michael Schumacher's legend... anyone remember the 1994 season driving for the Benetton team with the obviously inferior Ford engines? He had three teammates throughout the year and none of them could find any success... Michael scored 92 points to his teammates' combined 11! That may be the greatest single season performance by any driver in F1 history to get that much out of that car. With Ferrari, he was often matched with Ruben Barrichello, who is a very underrated driver, very good all throughout his own career, and yet he was never a match for Schumacher, team orders aside. 66. RLewis9 posted: 03.22.2010 - 1:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's not that Jimmie didn't deserve to win. It's just that the circumstances played right into his hands again, and it's frustrating as hell. The guy is good enough as it is, but everything keeps playing out in his favor and it's annoying. 67. Smokefan05 posted: 03.22.2010 - 1:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Smokefan. I just stay off the ESPN boards. If I want to drive myself nuts, I do that, and I don't like driving myself nuts. Hell, trolls on the Yahoo message threads for news stories make more sense a hell of a lot more often than the people over on the ESPN boards." I learned my lesson long ago about the ESPN boards. Hell, even the SPEED boards have there moments. But ESPN takes the cake. I wish there was some way i could get rid of my account because i don't want too be on ESPN anymore. 68. Anonymous posted: 03.22.2010 - 1:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Somewhat a poor attendence, which actually ends the longest sellout streak in NASCAR. They did not had a sellout for the first time since the 1980s at Bristol. 69. martin-n-rusty posted: 03.22.2010 - 3:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jordan, see where that 92 car was with that one year with Knaus, and see where it was the year before. Yeah, still not the best team, but was doing better than the year before. If anything, Knaus is good, but he and Jimmie are the perfect combo. 70. Cfob posted: 03.22.2010 - 5:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How is near constant side-by-side action, including occasional three-wide action on a 1/2 mile track bad? 71. the_man posted: 03.22.2010 - 5:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David Ragan on finishing 29th: "I felt like our UPS Ford was pretty fast, itâ??s a disappointing finish for a good car." 72. Talon64 posted: 03.22.2010 - 5:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie's 50th makes him the 4th fastest to get to that mark at 296 races. Jeff Gordon got there the fastest at 232 races, followe by DW at 278 and David Pearson at 293. It was also his 120th career top five, and Jimmie only needs to lead 116 more laps to reach 10,000 for his career. Martinsville is next on the schedule so expect him to hit that milestone. This is the first time that a driver's won 3 of the first 5 races in a season since 1992 when Bill Elliott finished 27th in the Daytona 500 then followed it up with 4 consecutive wins. This is Jimmie Johnson's personal best start to a season since he won 3 of the first 6 in 2007, the year he won 10 races. This was Kurt Busch's 333rd career start in Cup. 278 laps was the most Kurt Busch has ever led in a race in his career, the 3rd time he's led over 200 laps in a race (Atlanta 2009 and Phoenix 2002) and the 2nd time he's led 100+ laps in consecutive races (Rockingham and Phoenix 2002). This was also Kurt's first top five at Bristol that wasn't a victory. Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth are the only drivers to finish in the top 10 in each of the first 5 races of the season, career high's for both of them. Biffle just needs one more top five for 60 and one more top ten for 100 in his career. Kenseth needs two more top fives for 100 and one more top ten for 179 in his career. This was only Carl Edward's 5th top ten in his last 18 Cup starts dating back to last season and ties his best finish over that stretch, 6th. His last top five was a 4th at Michigan last August. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 2nd top ten in 5 races has him 8th in the standings, 2nd best among the HMS drivers. Last year after Bristol he was 19th in the standings with only one top ten but finished 8th at Martinsville. This was Jamie McMurray's 2nd straight top ten at a short track (6th at Martinsville last season). He has 17 top tens in 43 career short track starts but his average finish hovers around 20th. Kyle Busch gets his first top ten finish of the season, but it's also the first race that he hasn't led a lap. Jeff Burton gets just his 2nd top ten of the season but his 4th finish of 11th or better. Harvick has his worst finish of the season in 11th but maintains the point lead over Matt Kenseth by a single point. Brad Keselowski's 2nd best run of the season gets him his best finish with Penske in Cup, 13th. The #12 moves up to 30th in the owners standings, 78 clear of 36th and out of the danger zone. Vickers gets his 4th finish of 15th or better this season and just his 4th finish of 15th or better in 12 career starts at Bristol. After starting the year with finishes of 34th at Daytona and 36th at California, Ryan Newman has 3 straight finishes of 18th or better to move up to 26th in the drivers/owners standings. This was AJ Allmendinger's 2nd top 20 finish in 6 Bristol starts. His other finishes are 34th or worse. Paul Menard's 5th straight finish in the top 20 is a new career high by a country mile for him. Denny Hamlin has yet to finish better than 17th this season. Elliott Sadler has back-to-back top 20 finishes for the first time since Michigan and Sonoma back in June 2009. Robby Gordon's 22nd place finish isn't enough to get him into the top 35 in the owners standings; he's 36th just 9 points behind the #37 FRM car. David Stremme's 24th finish puts the #26 just 12 points back and I'd be surprised if they put Boris Said back in the car for Martinsville, another short track that Said hasn't raced at in Cup. "Joey Logano seems to choke after earning his first career pole. Paul Menard somehow has another strong run. Beginning to think he sold his soul for a good season. That, or his Dad bought him some good luck." Joey Logano became the youngest driver to ever win a pole in Cup Series history but JGR's tire troubles continued following Atlanta and a blown tire put Joey 3 laps down early in the race; he salvaged a 27th place finish. So his bad finish wasn't of his own doing, otherwise he probably had a top 10 car. Joey is still running the best of any of the Gibbs guys so far this season. Kevin Conway finished a career-high 28th while Terry Cook made his first career Cup start, finishing 37th and completing 285 laps. If you run that long into a race you don't deserve to be tagged as a S&P IMO. Anyways, Conway has a 30 point lead over Cook in the ROTY standings if anyone cares. I barely cared enough to mention it. Kasey Kahne and JPM's bad luck continued with each driver having their 3rd finish of 26th or worse to go along with their two top tens. Mark Martin's had similar bad luck with finishes of 33rd and 35th in the last two races. They now sit 22nd, 23rd and 16th in the standings respectively. 73. Anonymous posted: 03.22.2010 - 6:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "And how exactly did any team make Michael Schumacher's legend" Yeah, that is the stupidest thing I've read on here. The new Bristol is much better unless you watch racing to see wrecks. 74. Michael posted: 03.22.2010 - 6:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bristol does suck now 75. martin-n-rusty posted: 03.22.2010 - 6:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Post 73, exactly. Yeah, its fun watching them beat and bang, but if they can pass and such without having to beat the living hell out of one another, that is just as good. Michael, how does it suck? As I said, it was even evident in its last years before the track surface got renovated. The surface is not the problem, its driver attitude. 20 years ago, drivers didn't mind having to beat the hell out of one another because gaining every position meant something, and if they have to punt someone out of the way to do it, so be it. Today, drivers are much smarter, that they know that what they do now, could cost them a few races down the road, when someone wants to enact revenge (which I think Brad Keselowski has realized some). 76. Smokefan05 posted: 03.22.2010 - 7:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I like both the old and the new Bristol. The old for payback and hot tempers, the new for actual racing and passing. Too bad i can't have the best of both worlds. ;) 77. joey2448 posted: 03.22.2010 - 7:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) i've lost interest in bristol races now...the only real wreck of the day was the big one. i understand they repaved bristol to create more side-by-side racing, and the drivers love it, but it's not nearly as exciting as it used to be. i'm actually glad to hear that the racetrack broke it'd 55-race sold-out streak, they deserve it... 78. Critic posted: 03.22.2010 - 9:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 73: The stupidest thing you've read on here? I'm flattered. But if I contend that Juan-Manuel Fangio and Jim Clark both had teams that ensured them of success, is it still the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard? First, I do not entirely believe that Schumacher was a product of his equipment, since his own design genius is inevitably brought into such a discussion. But the debate is not over, because several points do remain: absolute, unfettered technical superiority with Ferrari for much of the decade (2003 a notable exception), and the fact he was mortal without it (2005). He never had an equal team-mate at Benetton (Brundle was a match for him in 1992, but didn't return; the revolving door of 1994; the situation became so intolerable for Herbert in 1995 that he wasn't even given congratulations after his victory at Monza), and a clear number two in Irvine -- the irony being that Schumacher's leg-breaking accident was a result of his inability to efficiently overtake the Ulsterman. We need only see Austria 2002 or Schumacher's later attempt to create his own photo-finish tie in Indianapolis (the height of his hubris) to evaluate how well Barrichello was regarded within the Scuderia. The allegations of Benetton's traction and launch control system in 1994 still linger. Schumacher's own behavior -- covering for his own choke by running into Hill at Adelaide; trying and failing to do the same to Villeneuve in 1997; his patented Schumacher-chop at the start which has become ubiquitous, and the Monaco qualifying incident in 2006 have all brought his reputation into disrepute. Schumacher was an exceptional competitor and is arguably our greatest natural talent (e.g. 1994 at Catalunya with only fifth gear, 1995 Spa), but he took the most detestable qualities of Senna and made them his own. He had unquestionable preferential treatment at Benetton and Ferrari, accumulated statistics that were a product of the state of the sport, and was prone to folding when it mattered early in his career. The idolizing of Schumacher even goes back to his debut with Jordan -- he might have qualified seventh, but retired off the line, while it was de Cesaris who was holding second before an engine failure three laps from the finish. Throughout his career, Schumacher was in situations that complimented his own self-interest. Just like Fangio, who went from Alfa Romeo to Maserati upon their withdrawal, Maserati to Mercedes (mid-season!), and then Ferrari to Maserati with nary a second thought because they each gave him the best chance to win a championship. His talent is not in question, but Benetton and Ferrari more than augmented his legend, and his reputation as a sportsman is close to nill. If you disagree, that is your perogative -- but I have never felt there was anything scandalous about my point of view. Maybe invoking Schumacher's name in that context was unfair. 79. petty43 posted: 03.23.2010 - 12:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) please find another place to post your open wheels thoughts, we gave you your section so go there please. i really dont think that a page about a nascar bristol race is where you want to discuss Jim Clark and Juan Fangio. 80. Anonymous posted: 03.23.2010 - 12:43 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kit has another alias. It's pretty easy to skip over posts you don't want to read. "Schumacher was an exceptional competitor and is arguably our greatest natural talent" I could counter every point you brought up, but you said it all yourself right there. 81. Critic posted: 03.23.2010 - 1:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) To return to the more relevant topic, Biffle evidently took responsibility for the Mark Martin accident -- yet in the replay I saw of it, I thought that Martin could have given more room off the corner. I can assure everyone I'm not Kit (or anyone else), and I believe a purview of my posting history, which began in October of 2008, would corroborate that. 80: I respect your disagreement, of course. I merely see nothing wrong with recognizing Schumacher's talent (or I would be contradicting my own Johnson argument) while (in my opinion) accurately pointing out the team's essentialness to his success and his notable unsporting conduct. 82. Jarrettfan posted: 03.23.2010 - 7:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Red - "Johnson legitimately challenged for the championship in each of his first 8 full seasons, a claim that no other driver can make. Even in his rookie year, JJ led the standings after 29 races." Wait a minute, David Pearson had four full seasons (1964 ran 61/62 races finished 3rd in pts., 1966 ran 42 of 49 won Title, 1968 ran 48 of 49 won Title, and 1969 ran 51 of 54 won Title) thats 3 championships and a 3rd place points finish in four almost complete seasons. Jimmie's 8 year run has been incredible, but Pearson's were better. "To me, it's a real shame to see Bobby's career go so far downhill after being a proud champion just 10 years ago. The only other driver's career that I would say fell apart quicker than Bobby's would be Dale Jarrett's. He went from a top-10 points finish in 2002 to missing a ton of races just five years later." Actually, Jarrett went from winning the Winston Cup with 4 wins in 1999 to 1 win and 1 top five and 26th in points in 2003, just four years! Once Todd Parrot moved to team director after 2001, sadly I knew it was only a matter of time, but I couldn't predict the disaster that was MWR in 2007. 83. Jarrettfan posted: 03.23.2010 - 8:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Matt G's comments on the false advertising of "beatin and Bangin," one-groove Bristol are spot on. Amen! 84. I Seize the Day posted: 03.23.2010 - 10:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Which drivers smoke cigarrettes? I have always wanted to know, but can never find out. 85. Smiff_99 posted: 03.23.2010 - 11:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) YES!!!! I myself am a smoker (not proud of it, but not ashamed either) and I've always wondered that myself. Everybody knows about Parsons, Pearson, and Dick Trickle smoking in-car back in the day. If things are how they look, then I would say NOBODY in the cup series smokes, but I find it hard to believe that out of 43 adult men, there isn't ONE who smokes cigarrettes. But if you walked down the street in ANY town in the entire country and asked 43 random adult men if they smoke, it would probably be 50/50, or maybe in this health-concous era it would be something like 30/70. But either way, it would be nice if someone could shed some light on this. There's gotta be a pit reporters or fans who have been walking around in the infield and seen somebody light up. 86. G14 posted: 03.23.2010 - 11:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I am pretty sure Jr used to smoke in his rookie season; I remember reading a book of his during his freshman year. Not sure if he still does 87. Critic posted: 03.23.2010 - 3:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Given how controlling NASCAR has been of the sport's image in the past, with advertising prohibitions on pornography and hard liquor (later repealed), the fact that we know so little of the drivers' personal habits has to be intentional. The situation is the same in professional golf: there is a long-standing agreement between the PGA and its broadcasting partners not to show anyone smoking on television. Nick Price was a chainsmoker under pressure, but you would have never know it. Out of 43 competitors, statistics would dictate that at least several are regular smokers, but with health consciousness reaching an all-time high, maybe that's not true. I suspect that social smoking is far more prevalent -- partaking when out with friends and having a drink, but not 'actively' (misconception, of course) engaging the habit. I am almost certain that Kyle Petty was a smoker during his career, acknowledging it publicly after his double pneumonia of 1995. Can anyone confirm? Speaking on the broader issue of tobacco's involvement in motor racing, given it's a legal product and an individual choice, I was never bothered by it. But as the habit's social acceptability has reached a low here in the West and Europe, tobacco manufacturers are shifting their attention to the Middle and Far East (Russia, Japan, China, and Korea), where the stigma does not yet exist. The Altria Group remains a terrific stock to invest in. 88. G14 posted: 03.23.2010 - 4:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I just read an article on SPTimes.com from 2005 I think it was. The article was about how the times have changed regarding cigarette smoking in the garage. It also pointed out that no current (at the time this article was composed 4 or 5 years ago) NASCAR drivers smoke. It pointed out that John Darby and Jim Hunter were the only notable smokers still left in the NASCAR garage. 89. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.23.2010 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David Pearson always had his crew install a working cigarette lighter so he could smoke under cautions. I'm not a smoker, never have been, and have absolutely no desire to begin, but even I've gotta say that is pretty freaking cool. In the middle of a high stakes stock car race, back in a an era very minimal safety measures, he'd just kick back and light one up in the middle of it all. Earnhardt is my hero, but as far the coolest NASCAR driver ever, it has to be a tie between Pearson and Harry Gant. In his spare time, Handsome Harry did construction work like repairing roofs, or building garages. How awesome and manly is that!!! One thing though, it's a good thing Pearson didn't drive in today's era where they throw a caution every time somebody farts in the grandstand, or a piece of tape ends up on the apron. If he smoked under every caution nowadays, he would have died of lung cancer a long time ago. 90. joey2448 posted: 03.23.2010 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) although i am sick of seeing him win, i gotta give that team credit...they are the best team in motorsports right now. i just don't understand why others aren't able or aren't willing to challenge him and knock him off his throne...? 91. Critic posted: 03.23.2010 - 5:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "David Pearson always had his crew install a working cigarette lighter so he could smoke under cautions. I'm not a smoker, never have been, and have absolutely no desire to begin, but even I've gotta say that is pretty freaking cool. In the middle of a high stakes stock car race, back in a an era very minimal safety measures, he'd just kick back and light one up in the middle of it all. Earnhardt is my hero, but as far the coolest NASCAR driver ever, it has to be a tie between Pearson and Harry Gant. In his spare time, Handsome Harry did construction work like repairing roofs, or building garages. How awesome and manly is that!!!" I have to wonder if Gant's extracurricular activities were one of the reasons why he remained so competitive past 50. After all, isn't age partly a state of mind? But David Pearson is simply the epitome of cool in this sport; definitely a one of a kind character, and someone we're very fortunate to have had. 92. Eric posted: 03.23.2010 - 5:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) G14, I know Dale Jr. smoked through 2003. There was reports that Dale Jr. stopped smoking before the 2004 cup season. I don't if he is back to smoklng. He used to smoke pot during before he became a Busch series driver and his dad was aware of it. I found out that Dale Jr. used to smoke pot and get high on shrooms by reading an interview that was in a 2001 Playboy issue. Dale Jr. said in that 2001 interview that he hasn't smoked pot or get high on shrooms since his late model stock car days. 93. Anonymous posted: 03.23.2010 - 6:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Jr and McMurray are former smokers. Ron Hornaday is a current smoker. Tim Fedewa is a dipper. All I know of. 94. Talon64 posted: 03.23.2010 - 7:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson's the 38th different driver in 99 races to win at Bristol. Yes, that means the night race will be the 100th! It was also Hendrick Motorsports' 9th win at Bristol; 5 by Jeff Gordon, and 1 each by Johnson, Kyle Busch, Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte. They're 9 wins away from reaching 200 and Johnson could get that all by himself over the rest of the season. 95. G14 posted: 03.23.2010 - 7:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) McMurray doesnt seem like a past smoker. I know Kevin Conway drops Extenze, haha 96. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.23.2010 - 8:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "There was reports that Dale Jr. stopped smoking before the 2004 cup season. I don't if he is back to smoklng." I think he's smoking "something". That interview was in 2001, so it was well before his unexplainable fall from on track respectability lately (decent start this year aside). "I have to wonder if Gant's extracurricular activities were one of the reasons why he remained so competitive past 50. After all, isn't age partly a state of mind?" I think you are absolutely right. By staying in shape like that, that had to help him not tire out in races. Remember, when he won 4 in a row at age 51, it was during the dog days of summer at tough races. He won the Southern 500. Labor Day Weekend + South Carolina = HOT!!!!! He also won a race at Dover back when those races were 500 miles, and a 500 lap race at Martinsville back when that race was still in September. Those were tough races he was winning. "I know Kevin Conway drops Extenze, haha" Do I dare ask how you know? :) 97. G14 posted: 03.23.2010 - 9:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Do I dare ask how you know? :)" Haha, you know, the same way Kurt drinks Miller and Kasey drinks Bud. 98. Fred Phelps posted: 03.23.2010 - 9:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) God Hates Jimmie Johnson 99. G14 posted: 03.23.2010 - 10:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Haha Fred - I think God loves Jimmie Johnson 100. Eric posted: 03.23.2010 - 11:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) G14, It is possible that Jamie was a smoker in 2002. His girlfriend in 2002 was miss Winston Cielo Garcia. When Jamie became a cup driver in 2002, I heard that Jamie girlfriend stopped down from being Miss Winston because Miss Winston wasn't allow to date cup drivers or crew members. I am guessing every Miss Winston was a smoker because Miss Winston is a model that supposed to help Winston to sell cigarettes. The 2nd reason for my theory of every Miss Winston being a smoker is the fact a majority of models smoke in order not to gain weight. My info about Miss Winston dating cup drivers came from http://nascarfans.wetpaint.com/page/Miss+Winston . 101. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 03.24.2010 - 3:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The only driver I have heard of that smokes would be Dale Jr, and I heard he stopped sometime around 2004. 102. DaleJrFan18 posted: 03.24.2010 - 2:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @98 For once, those guys actually say something that makes a lick of sense! 103. Anonymous posted: 03.24.2010 - 10:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Back in the 1990 Winston 500, Dick Trickle was smoking during an onboard. Benny Parsons also did, which led him to his death in 2007 and it showed him smoking during a Car and Track clip at Bristol in 1974, he quitted around '79. Richard and David did also smoked. Well almost every driver back in the day did. 104. Anonymous posted: 03.24.2010 - 10:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) During the pre-race show, Mark Martin wanted the fans to vote for his introduction theme. The three were Lenny Kravitz, AC/DC, and Eazy E?!? Mark Martin listens to Gangsta Rap! Wow! 105. martin-n-rusty posted: 03.24.2010 - 10:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah. I've read that Mark is really into gangsta rap. Last person you would think would be into that type of stuff 106. Eric posted: 03.24.2010 - 10:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I though Mark Martin being into rap was well known. I remembered hearing about it around 2005 or 2006. 107. Anonymous posted: 03.24.2010 - 10:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) EVERY win of Jimmie Johnson's has some significance to it he is the last driver to win with the wing, he had never won at Bristol, however, he wasn't in postition until 5 to go funny how NASCAR commentators make a comment that he hasn't won at Bristol and he has struggled and suddenly he wins his career has been scripted to a T. He now has 50 wins in 9 seasons. Petty ran 35 years, if Johnson keeps up this average (Which with NASCAR GIVING him wins he definitely will. Then he will have tie Petty's 200 wins in 36 seasons. NASCAR is fake people just like football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and wrestling. It is fun to watch but it is also fixed!! BY THE WAY The Imbecillic Moronic Commentators made a comment that now Jimmie only has 3 tracks that he hasn't won at.. Wrong again, DW, get a better job where you don't have to count. 1. Michigan 2. Watkins Glen 3. Sonoma 4. Homestead NOT 3 4!! Idiot! 108. Bronco posted: 03.24.2010 - 11:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Wrong again, DW, get a better job where you don't have to count." You forgot Chicagoland, so I guess you can't count either, otherwise you would know that it makes 5 tracks where he hasn't won at. 109. Smokefan05 posted: 03.24.2010 - 11:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "It is fun to watch but it is also fixed!!" Give me evidence of how it's "fixed" dude. 110. martin-n-rusty posted: 03.25.2010 - 2:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Post 107, if NASCAR is fixed, why would they fix races in favor of a driver hardly anyone wants to win? 111. Kit posted: 03.25.2010 - 11:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) For someone who finished 7th, Dale Mears sure did self-destruct during this race. There's a good chance that he's already seen the peak of his career... he won't be hugely competitive with the emotions he has now. 112. Kit posted: 03.25.2010 - 11:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Kit has another alias. It's pretty easy to skip over posts you don't want to read." I only have the time and desire to post as myself. Not into the whole Internet drama thing; too many real life happenings. 113. Kit posted: 03.25.2010 - 11:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Besides, I don't know enough about open-wheel racing to post what Critic did... have you ever seen me make a lengthy post about open-wheel like that? Nope. 114. Kit posted: 03.25.2010 - 11:16 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Johnson's superior talent, technical advantage, perception and calm make him an ideal competitor." I don't think Johnson has superior talent. In terms of raw talent, I don't think he's better than Tony Stewart for one. But Johnson's advantages are with being with a team head and shoulders above everyone else as well as perception and calm like you said. If Tony Stewart were as "big picture" and calm as Johnson, he'd be significantly more successful. Johnson has 50 wins but I don't see him in the same league as Earnhardt, Elliott, Wallace, Gordon, etc. in terms of talent. He's a very good driver with a great mentality and a great team. That means a lot in an era of Hendrick and crybaby drivers dominance. 115. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.25.2010 - 2:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He's a very good driver with a great mentality and a great team. That means a lot in an era of Hendrick and crybaby drivers dominance." Exactly. He keeps his emotions under control, is rarely ever out of the Top 5 due to his talent (which I think you underrate a little bit, but I respect your stance), great cars, and that fact that he rarely makes mistakes. He is the perfect driver on the perfect team for this era. Would he be winning as much if this were anytime from the mid 80s to the mid 90s (NASCAR's competitive peak)? No, but he'd still win his share. I see him as having a Rusty Wallace type record. Quite a few wins (but needing 15 years to get 50 wins instead of 8), and sneak in a championship, but not be the dominator he is now. But his prime competition are mostly head cases (Kryle, Denny, Harvick, Carl, and Stewart) and he is kicking ass. 116. 18fan posted: 03.26.2010 - 12:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I didn't like how Tony just pulled over and let Jimmie go by with 7 to go! 117. John Royal posted: 03.26.2010 - 1:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I would not say that Johnson is that good, but more likely, these other monkeys out there are such a wussies! In this race in last laps, Stewart had the possibility to push Johnson into a wall, no, he just gently gave all the room Johnson needs to get the win. What a crap. 118. martin-n-rusty posted: 03.26.2010 - 2:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I did see that afterwords. Think someone in the past like Dale Earnhardt would of at the very least pulled what he did to Terry Labonte on Jimmie in that situation? 119. Smokefan05 posted: 03.26.2010 - 2:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I did see that afterwords. Think someone in the past like Dale Earnhardt would of at the very least pulled what he did to Terry Labonte on Jimmie in that situation?" Dale would have done that. All i can say Dale wouldn't have made it easy on Jimmie. Only one driver today comes to my mind that would do what Dale did and wouldn't give two craps. 120. Kit posted: 03.26.2010 - 1:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He keeps his emotions under control, is rarely ever out of the Top 5 due to his talent (which I think you underrate a little bit, but I respect your stance)" Oh no, he's talented, but for me he doesn't have that wow factor that Davey Allison or Tim Richmond had. I just think his win total can be contributed a lot to his team. He's kind of like Troy Aikman, who was a B+ quarterback but was a great leader and was surrounded by talent. The #48 is usually a top five car in terms of equipment, Johnson just needs to stay cool and collected and he'll get high finishes. Hendrick is the premier team, but look at the other three drivers: Mark Martin, who's WAY too conservative, Jeff Gordon who's slacked off the past few years, and Dale Means, who is self-explanatory. Someone's gotta take the weight of winning for Hendrick and it's Johnson. 121. I Seize The Day posted: 03.26.2010 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hardest drivers of today to pass- Newman Kyle Busch Montoya 122. Rusty posted: 03.27.2010 - 2:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 106. Eric posted: 03.24.10 - 10:41 pm I though Mark Martin being into rap was well known. I remembered hearing about it around 2005 or 2006. ----------------------- I remember watching that show FX did back around 2005 showing how a driver's life is for a week. They did Mark, showed him going to Best Buy with his son, it was weird. His son went to the classic rock section while Mark was checking out rap albums. 123. Fitz posted: 01.16.2011 - 11:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Kyle Busch was supposed to have won this race, but didn't because he qualified poorly at the 38th position. Thus, Jimmie Johnson's win here was opportunistic. 124. CatharineG posted: 08.22.2011 - 3:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My comment isn't about the drivers but about the Bristol website!! Awesome!!!! This is the best, by far, of any of the other tracks website. 125. Daniel posted: 05.21.2012 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #13 Max Papis & #36 Mike Bliss Out using fastest 43: #37 Kevin Conway & #71 Bobby Labonte 126. Anonymous posted: 08.07.2013 - 7:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lake Speed smoked I believe. 127. Bob posted: 07.25.2014 - 6:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The only other driver whose career has fallen apart faster than Labonte's is Dale Jarrett" Jeremy Mayfield 128. Bob posted: 07.25.2014 - 6:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Ummmm, I'm pretty certain Bobby Labonte was never fully offered the RCR ride. I think RC really wanted Bobby, but Cheerios didn't think he'd be the ideal spokesman. That's why that had to go in house and take Bowyer from the #07." First of all, why would Cheerios have a problem with Bobby at Childress if they were his sponsor for three years at Petty? Also if that was the case, couldn't Bobby have gone to the #07? 129. joey2448 posted: 04.20.2015 - 6:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First Cup race at Bristol in many years that didn't sell out. Track holds 160,000 seats, but only had an attendance of 138,000. 130. Ryan posted: 05.22.2016 - 10:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dave Blaney also dropped to the rear of the field before the start by choice as he was going to park the car despite qualifying 3rd. He cut a tire around lap 40 and stopped on the race track, bringing out the first caution of the day. 131. Jimmie4life posted: 12.25.2017 - 11:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last race in NASCAR with the first model of the COT(Car of Tomorrow). 132. Ultimate_Warrior_#18 posted: 06.30.2020 - 10:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The entire field separated by less than a second impressive. 133. sportsfan002 posted: 07.01.2020 - 12:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 132, the field wasn't seperated by 1 second. you were looking at the margain of victory (which is the distance between 1st and 2nd at the end of the race) 134. NewJack posted: 07.01.2020 - 1:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @133, I think he was looking at qualifying speeds. The difference between fastest and slowest car was 0.872 seconds. 135. Danish_Pie posted: 07.01.2020 - 7:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's not really unusual for the whole field to qualify within one second at Bristol. It's happened in over half of the races over the last ten years. 136. Ultimate_Warrior_#18 posted: 07.01.2020 - 10:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) My mistake for not being specific yes i was talking about qualifying. @135 I usually never look at the qualifying times. I knew it was more common late 90's early mid 00's. Compared to the present era it's impressive especially since a start n park car qualified 3rd. Just imagine how mind blowing it would be to see a Rick Ware car do that today. 137. Rich posted: 09.24.2020 - 7:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip were the commentators. Dr. Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Krista Voda were the pit road reporters. Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond were in the Hollywood hotel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: